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Advanced Applications of Nanoparticles in Water and Wastewater

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 7783

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica, Aigaleo, Greece
Interests: nanoparticles; magnetic navigation; nanoparticles’ mixing; water purification; active treatment; blood flow; optimization algorithm; micropolar fluids; ionic liquids

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Guest Editor
Department of Physics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
Interests: nanaotechnologies; nanoscience; machine learning; artificial intelligence; atomistic modelling; multiscale modeling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water quality problems are a persistent global issue, since population growth, the expansion of industrial activities, urbanization, and climate change continue to stress hydrological resources. In addition, heavy metals released into the environment from plating plants, mining, and alloy manufacturing pose a significant threat to public health.

During the last few decades, progress has been made in the field of nanotechnology, and extended knowledge has been acquired on the synthesis, characterization, and possible applications of nanoparticles that can be employed in the process of water purification. Aside from the experimental approach, numerical simulations at the nanoscale for water purification have also been developed.

The aim of this Special Issue of Water is to present state of-the-art applications of nanoparticles for water and wastewater treatment, including both experimental and numerical studies. Advanced research for the binding of the harmful substances of water, as well as innovative procedures of wastewater treatment by nanoparticles, are also welcome. Active and passive procedures for enhancing the mixing process of nanoparticles with the harmful substances of water are both welcome. Contributions that study the reusability of nanoparticles after the cleaning process of water and wastewater are also very much appreciated.

Dr. Evangelos Karvelas
Prof. Dr. Ioannis Sarris
Prof. Dr. Theodoros Karakasidis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • wastewater treatment
  • water purification
  • heavy metals
  • nanoparticles
  • mixing
  • adsorption
  • water contamination
  • nanoparticles reusability
  • removal efficiency
  • active and passive purification

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 6386 KiB  
Article
Bentonite-Clay/CNT-Based Nano Adsorbent for Textile Wastewater Treatment: Optimization of Process Parameters
by Tayyaba Jamil, Saima Yasin, Naveed Ramzan, Hafiz Muhammad Zaheer Aslam, Amir Ikhlaq, Abdul Mannan Zafar and Ashraf Aly Hassan
Water 2023, 15(18), 3197; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15183197 - 7 Sep 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2464
Abstract
Dyes are the most carcinogenic organic compounds that are discarded by most of the textile industries without any prior treatment, which is harmful for the environment. This study aims to develop a bentonite-clay/carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based adsorbent to treat textile wastewater for water sustainability. The [...] Read more.
Dyes are the most carcinogenic organic compounds that are discarded by most of the textile industries without any prior treatment, which is harmful for the environment. This study aims to develop a bentonite-clay/carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based adsorbent to treat textile wastewater for water sustainability. The preliminary and post-characterization of adsorbent involves scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis to determine the changes in surface morphology, functional group, and surface area of the adsorbent. Linear and nonlinear isotherms and kinetic studies were performed to explore the sorption mechanism. The results show that the nonlinear form of the Langmuir isotherm best fits adsorption with a qmax of 550 mg/g. The adsorption followed the nonlinear pseudo-first-order kinetics, favoring chemisorption with R2 ≈ 1 and X2 = 0.22. Maximum dye removal (89.9%) was achieved under the optimum conditions of pH 3, an adsorbent dose of 100 mg, and a contact time of 120 min, with an initial COD concentration of 1140 mgL−1. This study has demonstrated the successful application of a bentonite-clay/CNT-based adsorbent on textile wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanoparticles in Water and Wastewater)
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28 pages, 7266 KiB  
Article
Photodegradation of Rhodamine B and Phenol Using TiO2/SiO2 Composite Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study
by Maria-Anna Gatou, Evangelos Fiorentis, Nefeli Lagopati and Evangelia A. Pavlatou
Water 2023, 15(15), 2773; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152773 - 31 Jul 2023
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2235
Abstract
Organic pollutants found in industrial effluents contribute to significant environmental risks. Degradation of these pollutants, particularly through photocatalysis, is a promising strategy ensuring water purification and supporting wastewater treatment. Thus, photodegradation of rhodamine B and phenol under visible-light irradiation using TiO2/SiO [...] Read more.
Organic pollutants found in industrial effluents contribute to significant environmental risks. Degradation of these pollutants, particularly through photocatalysis, is a promising strategy ensuring water purification and supporting wastewater treatment. Thus, photodegradation of rhodamine B and phenol under visible-light irradiation using TiO2/SiO2 composite nanoparticles was within the main scopes of this study. The nanocomposite was synthesized through a wet impregnation method using TiO2 and SiO2 nanopowders previously prepared via a facile sol–gel approach and was fully characterized. The obtained results indicated a pure anatase phase, coupled with increased crystallinity (85.22%) and a relative smaller crystallite size (1.82 nm) in relation to pure TiO2 and SiO2 and an enhanced specific surface area (50 m2/g) and a reduced energy band gap (3.18 eV). Photodegradation of rhodamine B upon visible-light irradiation was studied, showing that the TiO2/SiO2 composite reached total (100%) degradation within 210 min compared to pure TiO2 and SiO2 analogues, which achieved a ≈45% and ≈43% degradation rate, respectively. Similarly, the composite catalyst presented enhanced photocatalytic performance under the same irradiation conditions towards the degradation of phenol, leading to 43.19% degradation within 210 min and verifying the composite catalyst’s selectivity towards degradation of rhodamine B dye as well as its enhanced photocatalytic efficiency towards both organic compounds compared to pure TiO2 and SiO2. Additionally, based on the acquired experimental results, ●O2, h+ and e were found to be the major reactive oxygen species involved in rhodamine B’s photocatalytic degradation, while ●OH radicals were pivotal in the photodegradation of phenol under visible irradiation. Finally, after the TiO2/SiO2 composite catalyst was reused five times, it indicated negligible photodegradation efficiency decrease towards both organic compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanoparticles in Water and Wastewater)
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33 pages, 10501 KiB  
Article
Chemically Modified TiO2 Photocatalysts as an Alternative Disinfection Approach for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents
by Dimitrios S. Tsoukleris, Maria-Anna Gatou, Nefeli Lagopati, Labrini Sygellou, Dionysios C. Christodouleas, Polycarpos Falaras and Evangelia A. Pavlatou
Water 2023, 15(11), 2052; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15112052 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2557
Abstract
Among key issues in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP) is the existence of pathogenic bacteria in the discarded effluents. Conventional disinfectants (ozone, UV irradiation, chlorine) have been insufficient in providing safe water due to the development of undesirable and noxious by-products. TiO2 [...] Read more.
Among key issues in municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWTP) is the existence of pathogenic bacteria in the discarded effluents. Conventional disinfectants (ozone, UV irradiation, chlorine) have been insufficient in providing safe water due to the development of undesirable and noxious by-products. TiO2 comprises an attractive alternative to conventional methods because of its versatility and recently explored biocidal efficiency. As a result, within the framework of this study, chemically modified, visible active nanocrystalline TiO2 powders (N-TiO2, N,S-TiO2, and Ag@N-TiO2) were prepared via a low-cost, feasible sol-gel method for the treatment of real municipal wastewater effluents. Wastewater samples were acquired from the outlet of the treatment of Antiparos (Cyclades, Greece) MWTP during the summer period in which a great number of seasonal habitants and tourists usually visit the island, resulting in at least a doubling of the population. All synthesized powders were thoroughly characterized using various morphological and spectroscopic techniques, such as FE-SEM, XRD, micro-Raman, FTIR, DLS, UV-DRS, and XPS. Photocatalytic evaluation experiments were initially conducted towards Rhodamine B degradation under visible light irradiation. Among all studied powders, Ag@N-TiO2 indicated the highest efficiency, reaching total degradation (100%) of RhB within 240 min due to its smaller crystallite size (1.80 nm), enhanced surface area (81 m2g−1), and reduced energy band gap (Eg = 2.79 eV). The effect of the produced powders on the disinfection as assessed in terms of fecal indicator microorganisms (E. coli and total coliforms) inactivation was also examined in a semi-pilot scale-up photocatalytic reactor. Ag@N-TiO2 nanopowder was also found substantially more active for both groups of bacteria, leading to complete inactivation in less than 35 min, probably due to the higher production of H2O2/•OH, as emerged from the photocatalytic mechanism study. In addition, Ag@N-TiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated excellent photocatalytic and disinfection stability even after five subsequent recycling trials (8.34% activity loss and complete inactivation, respectively). The results of the present study demonstrate the feasibility for Ag@N-TiO2 to be utilized as a viable, eco-friendly approach for the photocatalytic pathogenic bacteria inactivation as an alternative disinfection approach for municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents with intense seasonal fluctuations in volume. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Applications of Nanoparticles in Water and Wastewater)
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