Silica-based nanomaterials as designer adsorbents to mitigate emerging organic contaminants from water matrices

Robust polymer hybrid and assembly materials from structure tailoring to efficient catalytic remediation of emerging pollutants

A massive amount of toxic substances and harmful chemicals are released every day into the outer environment, imposing serious environmental impacts on both land and aquatic animals. To date, research is constantly in progress to determine the best catalytic material for the effective remediation of these harmful pollutants. Hybrid nanomaterials prepared by combining functional polymers with inorganic nanostructures got attention as a promising area of research owing to their remarkable multifunctional properties deriving from their entire nanocomposite structure. The versatility of the existing nanomaterials' design in polymer-inorganic hybrids, with respect to their structure, composition, and architecture, opens new prospects for catalytic applications in environmental remediation. This review article provides comprehensive detail on catalytic polymer nanocomposites and highlights how they might act as a catalyst in the remediation of toxic pollutants. Additionally, it provides a detailed clarification of the processing of design and synthetic ways for manufacturing polymer nanocomposites and explores further into the concepts of precise design methodologies. Polymer nanocomposites are used for treating pollutants (electrocatalytic, biocatalytic, catalytic, and redox degradation). The three catalytic techniques that are frequently used are thoroughly illustrated. Furthermore, significant improvements in the method through which the aforementioned catalytic process and pollutants are extensively discussed. The final section summarizes challenges in research and the potential of catalytic polymer nanocomposites for environmental remediation.

Comprehensive assessment of carbon-, biomaterial- and inorganic-based adsorbents for the removal of the most hazardous heavy metal ions from wastewater

Owing to the high cost of recycling waste, underdeveloped countries discharge industrial, agricultural, and anthropogenic effluents without pretreatment. As a result, pollutant-loaded waste enters water bodies. Among the diverse toxic contaminants, heavy metal ions are the most detrimental because of their chronic toxicity, non-degradability, prevalence, and bioaccumulation. The growing shortage of water resources demands the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater. Three SDGs of the sustainability agenda of the United Nations appeal for clean water to protect life beneath water and on land depending on the water sources. Therefore, efficient environmentally friendly approaches for wastewater treatment are urgently required. In this regard, several methods have been developed for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater, including adsorption as the most widely used method owing to its eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable nature. The present review discusses the progress in the preparation and application of various adsorbents based on carbon, micro-organisms, agricultural waste and inorganic materials for the extraction of toxic metal ions such as Pb2+, Cr6+, As3+, As5+, Hg2+ and Cd2+. Herein, we provide information on the role of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of adsorbents, kinetics of the adsorption of an adsorbate on the surface of an adsorbent, insights into adsorption reaction pathways, the mechanism of the sorption process, and the uptake of solutes from solution. The present review will be useful for researchers working on environmental protection and clean environment.

Orientation Growth of N-Doped and Iron-Based Metal-Organic Framework and Its Application for Removal of Cr(VI) in Wastewater

A series of NH2-functionalized nano-sized magnetic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were prepared in this study for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater. It was observed that not only the morphological, i.e., orientation growth of N-doped and iron-based metal-organic frameworks, but also the adsorption of magnetic MOFs is largely related to the used amount of ammonium hydroxide in preparation. For example, with increasing amounts of ammonium hydroxide used in preparation, the morphology of magnetic MOFs changed from spherical to cube and triangular cone. Moreover, the maximum adsorption capacity of spherical-magnetic MOFs, cubic-magnetic MOFs and triangular cone-magnetic MOFs could be up to 204.08 mg/g, 232.56 mg/g and 270.27 mg/g, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the adsorption process of magnetic MOFs for Cr(VI) was consistent with the pseudo-second-order rate equation (R2 = 1) and Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.99). Therefore, magnetic MOFs developed in this work offered a viable option for the removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater.

Extraction of heavy metals from wastewater using amine-modified mesoporous silica

Presence of heavy metals in wastewater is a critical environmental issue, and efficient extraction of the metals remains a challenging task. In this study, the adsorption behavior of Ce(III), Hg(II), and Cu(II) metal ions using MCM-48 material modified with acid and base functional groups was examined. The modified materials were characterized using various techniques, including XRD, BET, FT-IR, NMR, and SEM, which revealed that the materials' properties remained unchanged after modification. The adsorption capacity of the modified materials for metal ions was then evaluated and was found that the amine-modified MCM-48 material exhibited the highest adsorption efficiency. Precisely, the amine-modified material achieved an adsorption capacity of 97% for Ce(III), 98% for Hg(II), and 90% for Cu(II) after 180 min of adsorption. These results highlight the effectiveness of amine functionalization in enhancing the adsorption capacity of silica material for heavy metals.

Hybrid Polymer-Silica Nanostructured Materials for Environmental Remediation

Due to the ever-growing global population, it is necessary to develop highly effective processes that minimize the impact of human activities and consumption on the environment. The levels of organic and inorganic contaminants have rapidly increased in recent years, posing a threat to ecosystems. Removing these toxic pollutants from the environment is a challenging task that requires physical, chemical, and biological methods. An effective solution involves the use of novel engineered materials, such as silica-based nanostructured materials, which exhibit a high removal capacity for various pollutants. The starting materials are also thermally and mechanically stable, allowing for easy design and development at the nanoscale through versatile functionalization procedures, enabling their effective use in pollutant capture. However, improvements concerning mechanical properties or applicability for repeated cycles may be required to refine their structural features. This review focuses on hybrid/composite polymer-silica nanostructured materials. The state of the art in nanomaterial synthesis, different techniques of functionalization, and polymer grafting are described. Furthermore, it explores the application of polymer-modified nanostructured materials for the capture of heavy metals, dyes, hydrocarbons and petroleum derivatives, drugs, and other organic compounds. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for future research aimed at advancing the application of polymer-silica nanostructured materials in the efficiency of pollutant uptake.

Magnetic tubular nickel@silica-graphene nanocomposites with high preconcentration capacity for organothiophosphate pesticide removal in environmental water: Fabrication, magnetic solid-phase extraction, and trace detection

Organothiophosphate pesticides (OPPs) are the most common water contaminants, significantly endangering human health and bringing serious public safety issues. Thus, developing effective technologies for the removal or trace detection of OPPs from water is urgent. Herein, a novel graphene-based silica-coated core-shell tubular magnetic nanocomposite (Ni@SiO₂-G) was fabricated for the first time and used for the efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of the OPPs chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and fenitrothion from environmental water. The experimental factors affecting extraction efficiency such as adsorbent dosage, extraction time, desorption solvent, desorption mode, desorption time, and adsorbent type were evaluated. The synthesized Ni@SiO₂-G nanocomposites showed a higher preconcentration capacity than the Ni nanotubes, Ni@SiO₂ nanotubes, and graphene. Under the optimized conditions, 5 mg of tubular nano-adsorbent displayed good linearity within the range of 0.1-1 μg·mL^-1, low limits of detection (0.04-0.25 pg·mL^-1), low limits of quantification (0.132-0.834 pg·mL^-1), good reusability (n = 5; relative standard deviations between 1.46% and 9.65%), low dosage (5 mg), and low real detection concentration (< 3.0 ng·mL^-1). Moreover, the possible interaction mechanism was investigated by density functional theory calculation. Results showed that Ni@SiO₂-G was a potential magnetic material for the preconcentration and extraction of formed OPPs at ultra-trace levels from environmental water.

Removal of Cationic Dyes by Iron Modified Silica/Polyurethane Composite: Kinetic, Isotherm and Thermodynamic Analyses, and Regeneration via Advanced Oxidation Process

Emerging dye pollution from textile industrial effluents is becoming more challenging for researchers worldwide. The contamination of water by dye effluents affects the living organisms in an ecosystem. Methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG) are soluble dyes with a high colour intensity even at low concentration and are hazardous to living organisms. The adsorption method is used in most wastewater plants for the removal of organic pollutants as it is cost-effective, has a high adsorption capacity, and good mechanical stabilities. In this study, a composite adsorbent was prepared by impregnating iron modified silica (FMS) onto polyurethane (PU) foam to produce an iron modified silica/polyurethane (FMS/PU) composite. The composite adsorbent was utilised in batch adsorption of the cationic dyes MB and MG. The effect of adsorption parameters such as the adsorbent load, pH, initial dye concentration, and contact time were discussed. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm were implemented to understand the adsorption mechanism for both dyes. It was found that the adsorption of MB and MG followed the pseudo-second order model. The Langmuir model showed a better fit than the Freundlich model for the adsorption of MB and MG, indicating that the adsorption occurred via the monolayer adsorption system. The maximum adsorption capacity of the FMS/PU obtained for MB was 31.7 mg/g, while for MG, it was 34.3 mg/g. The thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of MB and MG were exothermic and spontaneous at room temperature. In addition, the regeneration of FMS/PU was conducted to investigate the composite efficiency in adsorbing dyes for several cycles. The results showed that the FMS/PU composite could be regenerated up to four times when the regeneration efficiency dropped drastically to less than 20.0%. The impregnation of FMS onto PU foam also minimised the adsorbent loss into the environment.

The Adsorptive and Photocatalytic Performance of Granite and Basalt Waste in the Discoloration of Basic Dye

The present work explored the adsorptive capacity and catalytic activity of rock powders from basaltic and granitic rocks in the discoloration of synthetic and industrial effluents containing the yellow dye Basic Yellow 96. The rock powders were characterized with scanning electron microscopy associated with energy-dispersive spectroscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, N2 physisorption and X-ray diffraction, the latter confirming the abundant presence of silica in the four materials studied. The basaltic powders presented specific surface areas between 7 and 10 times greater than those of granitic materials, which allowed up to 92% removal of the dye in 3 h of test using the basaltic powder. Despite the smaller area, the granitic materials showed considerable photocatalytic activity in 3 h, 94%, the same as that of the basaltic materials in the photocatalysis. Granitic and basaltic photocatalysts proved to be efficient in the discoloration of synthetic and industrial effluents, although TOC analyses indicated that it was not possible to promote the pollutant mineralization in the industrial effluent. Both artificial light and sunlight were effective in the photocatalysis of the dye, although the former was slightly faster.

Core-shell magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer for selective recognition and detection of sunset yellow in aqueous environment and real samples

Magnetic Molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) have been recently recognized as an exceptional tool for monitoring and decontamination of environmental and biological samples of diverse nature. Based on the potential applications as sorbents and biomimetic sensors, herein, a core-shell magnetic-molecularly imprinted polymer (MMIP) was developed as a selective material for separation and sensing of sunset yellow (SY) dye in an aqueous environment and real samples. The MMIP was synthesized via precipitation polymerization using SY as a template, MAA as a functional monomer (chosen based on simulation studies), EGDMA as a cross-linking agent, and AIBN as an initiator. To elaborate the specificity of MMIP, a comparative agent, magnetic non-imprinted polymer (MNIP) was also synthesized. The XRD results showed that the MMIP showed both crystalline and amorphous structure attributed to the presence and polymeric and non-polymeric groups. The FTIR spectra confirmed synthesis of intermediate and final MMIP product. The SEM results showed spherical morphology and porous structure of the MMIP with an average particle size of 0.636 μm in diameter. The MMIP was first employed as a sorbent for the removal of SY from the aqueous environment. The binding experiments performed at optimized operating conditions (pH 2; time 30 min; sorbent dosage 3 mg; sorbate concentration 80 ppm) showed more selectivity when compared with MNIP. The data fitted best to Langmuir's sorption isotherm (Q_o 359.8 mg/g) and followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The synthesized MMIP was also used as an electrochemical sensor for detection of SY dye in the aqueous environment, which exhibited a linear range of detection as (1.51 × 10^-6 - 1.5 × 10^-3 M). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.00413 M and 0.0137 M, respectively. While the R² value was found to be 0.997 at optimized analytical conditions. These results suggested that the synthesized MMIP can be applied for the selective separation and quantification of SY dye in sample of diverse nature.

A clean process for selective recovery of copper from industrial wastewater by extraction-precipitation with p-tert-octyl phenoxy acetic acid

A novel method for the selective removal and recovery of copper ion from copper-containing wastewater by extraction-precipitation with p-tert-octyl phenoxy acetic acid as a precipitant is presented. The morphology, thermal stability and solubility of POAA were synthesized and characterized. Then the application of POAA to precipitate copper from simulated copper-containing wastewater was studied. The effects of some factors (i.e., time, pH, temperature, dosage of precipitant) on copper precipitation efficiency (P%) and water solubility of POAA were discussed. The extraction-precipitation mechanism of POAA and Cu²⁺ was investigated by slope analysis combined with SEM, EDS, XPS and IR spectra. The concentration and purity of copper from industrial wastewater increased from 100.2 mg/L to 27,916 mg/L and 13.71%-93.01% respectively, treating by the proposed extraction-precipitation. Moreover, POAA revealed good stability in the recycling processes. Extraction-precipitation strategy is simple, efficient and sustainable, which can effectively reduce the volume of sludge in the process of wastewater treatment and produce copper concentrated solution with industrial value, which has revealed application potential for the clean production of copper smelting enterprises.

Separation and remediation of environmental pollutants using metal-organic framework-based tailored materials

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a polymer hybrid family of compounds comprising metal ions that have been deliberately incorporated in organic ligands to form several multi-dimensional structures with unique structural and functional attributes. They have the typical properties of brittleness, major porosity, and randomly crystalline. These three factors hampered their potential incorporation into modern technologies. However, with the discovery of their polymers, hope was rekindled. Polymers, unlike their counterparts, are versatile and malleable and can be tailored into solids with a wide range of technical applications. MOFs can be effectively incorporated into polymer structures, resulting in polymers with enhanced properties and increased demand, according to recent studies. This review focuses on the synthetic procedures of MOFs used to create hybrid materials, as well as their potential environmentally related applications. Desalination, hazardous heavy metal removal and mitigation, gas and liquid separations and purifications, and dye removal will all be extensively discussed as applications. To assemble this review, we will add insight from recent papers and discoveries, as well as seminal reports from experts on the advancement of MOF-polymers.

Understanding the factors affecting adsorption of pharmaceuticals on different adsorbents - A critical literature update

Remediation of emerging pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) as micropollutants in wastewater is of foremost importance as they can cause extremely detrimental effects on life upon bioaccumulation and generation of drug-resistance microorganisms. Presently used physicochemical treatments, such as electrochemical oxidation, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, are not feasible owing to high operating costs, incomplete removal of contaminants along with toxic by-products formation. Adsorption with the utilization of facile and efficient nanoparticulate adsorbents having distinctive properties of high surface area, excellent adsorption capacity, ability to undergo surface engineering and good regeneration displays great potential in this aspect along with the incorporation of nanotechnology for effective treatment. The application of such nanosorbents provides optimal performance under a wide range of physicochemical conditions, decreased secondary pollution with reduced mechanical stress along with excellent organic compound sequestration capacity, which in turn improves the quality of potable water in a sustainable way compared to current treatments. The present review intends to consolidate the range of factors that affect the process of adsorption of different PhACs on to various nanosorbents and also highlights the adsorption mechanism aiding in the retrieval.

Diatom microalgae as smart nanocontainers for biosensing wastewater pollutants: recent trends and innovations

Microalgae have been recognized as one of the most efficient microorganisms to remediate industrial effluents. Among microalgae diatoms are silica shelled unicellular eukaryotes, found in all types of water bodies and flourish very well even in wastewater. They have their silica cell wall made up of nano arrayed pores arranged in a uniform fashion. Therefore, they act as smart nanocontainers to adsorb various trace metals, dyes, polymers, and drugs which are hazardous to human as well to aquatic life. The beautiful nanoarchitecture in diatoms allows them to easily bind to ligands of choice to form a nanocomposite structure with the pollutants which can be a chemical or biological component. Such naturally available diatom nanomaterials are economical and highly sensitive compared to manmade artificial silica nanomaterials to help in facile removal of the toxic pollutants from wastewater. This review is thus focused on employing diatoms to remediate various pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, hydrocarbons detected in the wastewater. It also includes different microalgae as biosensors for determination of pollutants in effluents and the perspectives for nanotechnological applications in the field of remediating pollutants through microalgae. The review also discusses in length the hurdles and perspectives of employing microalgae in wastewater remediation.

Adsorptive remediation of environmental pollutants using magnetic hybrid materials as platform adsorbents

Effective separation and remediation of environmentally hazardous pollutants are burning areas of research because of a constant increase in environmental pollution problems. An extensive number of emerging contaminants in the environmental matrices result in serious health consequences in animals, humans, and plants, even at trace levels. Therefore, it is of paramount significance to quantify these undesirable pollutants, even at a very low concentration, from the natural environment. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) has recently achieved huge attention because of its strong magnetic domain and easy separation through an external magnetic field compared with simple solid-phase extraction. Therefore, MSPE appeared the most promising technique for removing and pre-concentration of emerging pollutants at trace level. Compared to the normal solid-phase extraction, MSPE as magnetic hybrid adsorbents offers the unique advantages of distinct nanomaterials and magnetic hybrid materials. It can exhibit efficient dispersion and rapid recycling when applying to a very complex matrix. This review highlights the possible environmental applications of magnetic hybrid nanoscale materials as effective MSPE sorbents to remediate a diverse range of environmentally toxic pollutants. We believe this study tends to evoke a variety of research thrust that may lead to novel remediation approaches in the forthcoming years.

MXene-based designer nanomaterials and their exploitation to mitigate hazardous pollutants from environmental matrices

MXenes are a rapidly expanding and large family of two-dimensional (2D) materials that have recently garnered incredible research interests for diverse applications domains in various industrial sectors. Owing to unique inherent structural and physicochemical characteristics, such as high surface area, biological compatibility, robust electrochemistry, and high hydrophilicity, MXenes are appraised as a prospective avenue for environmental-clean-up technologies to detect and mitigate an array of recalcitrant hazardous contaminants from environmental matrices. MXene-based nanoarchitectures are thought to mitigate inorganic pollutants via interfacial chemical transformation and sorption, while three different mechanisms, including i) surface complexation and sorption (ii) catalytic activation and removal and (iii) radical's generation-based photocatalytic degradation, are involved in the removal of organic contaminants. Considering the application performance of MXenes on the incessant rise to expansion, in this review, we discuss the wide-spectrum applicability of diverse MXenes-based hybrid nanocomposites in environmental remediation. A brief description related to environmental pollutants, structural properties, chemical abilities, and synthesis route of MXenes is delineated at the start. Afterwards, the adsorption and degradative robustness of MXene-based designer nanomaterials for various contaminants including organic dyes, toxic heavy metals, pesticide residues, phenolics, antibiotics, radionuclides, and many others are thoroughly vetted to prove their potentiality in the arena of wastewater purification and remediation. Lastly, challenges and trends in assessing the wide-range applicability and scalability of MXenes are outlined. Seeing encouraging outcomes in plenty of reports, it can be concluded that MXenes-based nanostructures could be considered the next-generation candidates for water sustainability.

A Comparative Study on Hexavalent Chromium Adsorption onto Chitosan and Chitosan-Based Composites

Chitosan (Cs)-based composites were developed by incorporating silica (Cs-Si), and both silica and hydroxyapatite (Cs-Si-Hap), comparatively tested to sequester hexavalent (Cr(VI)) ions from water. XRD and FT-IR data affirmed the formation of Cs-Si and Cs-Si-Hap composite. Morphological images exhibits homogeneous Cs-Si surface, decorated with SiO2 nanoparticles, while the Cs-Si-Hap surface was non-homogeneous with microstructures, having SiO2 and Hap nanoparticles. Thermal analysis data revealed excellent thermal stability of the developed composites. Significant influence of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature, and coexisting anions on Cr(VI) adsorption onto composites was observed. Maximum Cr(VI) uptakes on Cs and developed composites were observed at pH 3. The equilibration time for Cr(VI) adsorption on Cs-Si-Hap was 10 min, comparatively better than Cs and Cs-Si. The adsorption data was fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models with respective maximum monolayer adsorption capacities (qm) of 55.5, 64.4, and 212.8 mg/g for Cs, Cs-Si, and Cs-Si-Hap. Regeneration studies showed that composites could be used for three consecutive cycles without losing their adsorption potential.