Engineered Hybrid Materials for Persistent and Mobile Toxic Substances in Water Systems

Persistent and mobile toxic substances (PMTs) are an emerging concern in environmental chemistry because of their chemical stability, high aqueous mobility, and potential toxicity at low concentrations. Unlike many conventional persistent organic pollutants, PMTs can migrate extensively through surface and subsurface water systems, contributing to widespread environmental distribution and long-term exposure risks. Their physicochemical diversity and resistance to conventional treatment technologies create significant challenges for effective water remediation. Engineered hybrid materials, which integrate organic, inorganic, and biological components, offer tunable physicochemical properties and may support multiple removal and transformation pathways. However, further research is needed to clarify their mechanisms of action, performance in environmentally realistic water matrices, long-term stability, and potential for practical implementation.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of engineered hybrid materials for the remediation of PMTs in water systems. It will explore how material composition, structure, surface chemistry, and interfacial interactions influence treatment performance, selectivity, regeneration, and operational stability. The Research Topic will also consider how adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, advanced oxidation processes, catalytic transformation, and integrated treatment strategies can contribute to the development of efficient, scalable, and sustainable remediation technologies. Studies connecting fundamental mechanisms with real-world water-treatment applications are particularly encouraged.To gather further insights into engineered hybrid materials for PMT remediation, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Design and synthesis of organic–inorganic, biohybrid, and multifunctional materials for PMT removal or transformation• Adsorption, absorption, photocatalytic degradation, advanced oxidation, and catalytic treatment mechanisms• Interfacial interactions, reaction pathways, and structure–performance relationships• Material characterization, surface modification, and physicochemical property optimisation• Treatment performance in natural, industrial, groundwater, and other environmentally realistic water matrices• Material regeneration, reuse, stability, and degradation during long-term operation• Combined, sequential, and hybrid treatment systems• Toxicity, transformation products, and post-treatment environmental risks• Modelling, process optimization, scale-up, and techno-economic assessment• Regulatory considerations and the integration of hybrid materials into sustainable water-treatment systems Topic editors: Kayode Adesina Adegoke, Morenike Oluwabunmi Adesina, Moses O. Alfred, Chidinma Gloria Olorunnisola (nee Ugwuja) Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81341/engineered-hybrid-materials-for-persistent-and-mobile-toxic-substances-in-water-systems