Recent Advances in Novel Environmental Functional Materials for Removal of Typical Environmental Pollutants

Environmental pollution, especially water and soil pollution, has become one of the great threats to the ecological environment and human health, and is also a research hotspot for global scholars. Environmentally functional materials show great potential in wastewater treatment and soil improvement, especially for novel pollutants, owing to their unique physicochemical properties and environmental functional applications, such as porous structure, high specific surface area, surface functional groups, and micromorphology. With the rapid development of environmental science and materials chemistry, novel environmental functional materials have shown excellent performance, such as new adsorbents, photocatalysts, functional filter membranes, modified functional fibers, soil conditioners, water retention agents and other composites and hybrids nanomaterials have been widely used in the fields of environmental protection and agriculture. The removal effects, process control, interfacial reactions, migration transformation, and mechanisms during its application have also attracted extensive discussions among readers, which are beneficial for cross-disciplinary development.The aim of this research topic is the recent advances in new environmental functional materials for environmental applications such as wastewater treatment, (ground) water purification, and soil remediation, especially focusing on the pollution characteristics, migration transformation, removal effects, interface processes, and mechanisms of typical pollutants. Typical pollutants in this research topic could be classified as inorganic and organic pollutants. Inorganic, e.g. heavy metals, nitrates, phosphates, etc. Organic, e.g. dyes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), and pesticides, etc. Importantly, it is highly encouraged to submit papers that are targeted toward new pollutants, especially in groundwater and soil environment-related research. Additionally, novel environmental functional materials include: adsorbents (porous/mesoporous), photocatalysts/electrocatalysts, biochar, biomaterials, membrane separation materials, polymers, nano (graphene) and its composites, MOFs, COFs, organic-inorganic composites, microbial bacterial agents, enzymes, water retention agents, etc. Synthesis strategies and multiple characterization analyses of environmentally functional materials will also be considered. Methods for the removal of environmental pollutants cover physical, chemical, and biological methods, including: adsorption, advanced oxidation (photo-electric catalysis), separation techniques, ion exchange, biodegradation, ultrasonic methods, chemical precipitation, etc.We expect to provide a platform for researchers to disseminate the recent advances used in novel environmental functional materials for environmental applications.Original articles, reviews, case studies, short communications, and perspective articles are encouraged. Including but not limited to the following topics:• Environmental functional materials for the removal or reuse of pollutants in water, pollutants including nitrates, phosphates, various heavy metals, dyes, PPCPs (antibiotics, fungicides, environmental hormones), etc.• Environmental functional materials for soil pollutant remediation techniques, covering all heavy metals, nitrates, VOCs, pesticides, etc.• Physical, chemical, and biological methods available for removal of environment pollutants will be considered.• Field, pot, and hydroponic experiments involving the removal of the above environmental pollutants are also followed.• Design, synthesis, modification, functionalization, and characterization of novel environmentally functional materials.• Pollution characteristics, transfer, and impact mechanisms of new pollutants in water or soil environments.• Preparation of new composites using solid waste or recyclable materials and application in environmental remediation.• The application of new soil amendments and water retention agents. Topic editors: Tongtong Wang, Hanghang Zhao Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81359/recent-advances-in-novel-environmental-functional-materials-for-removal-of-typical-environmental-pollutants