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Boccia AC, Neagu M, Pulvirenti A. Bio-Based Aerogels for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Oils from Water: Novel Solutions for Environmental Remediation. Gels 2023; 10:32. [PMID: 38247754 PMCID: PMC10815902 DOI: 10.3390/gels10010032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Contamination of the aqueous environment caused by the presence of heavy metal ions and oils is a growing concern that must be addressed to reduce their detrimental impact on living organisms and safeguard the environment. Recent efficient and environmentally friendly remediation methods for the treatment of water are based on third-generation bioaerogels as emerging applications for the removal of heavy metal ions and oils from aqueous systems. The peculiarities of these materials are various, considering their high specific surface area and low density, together with a highly porous three-dimensional structure and tunable surface chemistry. This review illustrates the recent progress in aerogels developed from cellulose and chitosan as emerging materials in water treatment. The potential of aerogel-based adsorbents for wastewater treatment is reported in terms of adsorption efficacy and reusability. Despite various gaps affecting the manufacturing and production costs of aerogels that actually limit their successful implementation in the market, the research progress suggests that bio-based aerogels are ready to be used in water-treatment applications in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Caterina Boccia
- National Research Council, (CNR), Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche-SCITEC “G. Natta”, Via A. Corti, 12, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Monica Neagu
- Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, 050096 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Alfio Pulvirenti
- National Research Council, (CNR), Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche-SCITEC “G. Natta”, Via A. Corti, 12, 20133 Milano, Italy;
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Pedroso M, Silvestre JD, Gomes MDG, Hawreen A, Bersch JD, Flores-Colen I. Integrated Performance Evaluation of Aerogel-Based Fibre-Enhanced Thermal Renders Applied on Building Walls. Gels 2023; 9:898. [PMID: 37998988 PMCID: PMC10671097 DOI: 10.3390/gels9110898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, aerogel renders were enhanced with fibres for use in new building walls, emphasising a Mediterranean climate. The main novelty of the study relies on an integrated evaluation of the aerogel-based fibre-enhanced thermal renders from environmental, energy and economic approaches. Therefore, optimum insulation thicknesses, life cycle savings, payback periods, abiotic depletion potential from fossil fuels (ADP-ff) and global warming potential (GWP) impacts were quantified as a function of the energy consumption. The cost optimisation of aerogel-based renders enabled a reduction from 2477.4 to 1021.7 EUR∙m-3 for the reference formulation, and the sisal-optimised render led to the best-integrated performance. A higher DD* (degree-days equivalent) led to higher optimum thicknesses (the Azores required 0.02 m and 0.01 m and Bragança 0.06 m and 0.03 m for cost-optimised and non-optimised thermal renders with sisal fibre, respectively). The optimum thickness related to the ADP-ff and GWP impacts was higher, 0.04 m for the Azores and 0.09 m for Bragança. A steeper decrease in the annual energy consumption occurred for thermal renders up to 0.02 m in the Azores and 0.04 m in Bragança. Aerogel-based fibre-enhanced thermal renders had benefits, mainly from 600 DD* onwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pedroso
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
| | - José Dinis Silvestre
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
| | - Maria da Glória Gomes
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
| | - Ahmed Hawreen
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
- Department of Highway and Bridge Engineering, Technical Engineering College, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Nawroz University, Duhok 42001, Iraq
| | - Jéssica D. Bersch
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
- Núcleo Orientado para a Inovação da Edificação (NORIE), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Civil: Construção e Infraestrutura (PPGCI), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Osvaldo Aranha, 99, Porto Alegre 90035-190, Brazil
| | - Inês Flores-Colen
- Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability (CERIS), Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente (DECivil), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal; (M.P.); (J.D.S.); (M.d.G.G.); (A.H.); (J.D.B.)
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