Journal of Hazardous Materials 263 (2013) 267
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Hazardous Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhazmat
Editorial
Contaminant removal
Contaminants are potentially undesirable chemical compounds that are present in sufficient concentrations in environmental compartments. The presence of already known contaminants and the newly recognized emerging compounds certainly pose a potential threat to environment and human health. Keeping in mind the borderline of the definitions “contaminant” and “pollutant”, research interests are mainly directed to the removal of contaminants resulting in a vast number of studies in literature dealing with this subject. Since more and more chemicals are introduced to the environment i.e. aquatic systems, soil and air, the need for establishment of efficient removal strategies pose a significant concern. By the help of the state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and sophisticated instrumentation, it is possible to determine the very low concentrations of these compounds leading to detection of their occurrence. As could be easily visualized, conventional physical, chemical and biological processes have been widely applied so far. Recent research is documenting studies on the application of efficient removal processes for the removal of contaminants. Treatment options mainly include adsorption, membrane processes and chemical oxidation processes. Adsorption is a heterogeneous mass transfer process involving two phases, e.g. liquid–solid or gas–liquid. The main disadvantage is that the contaminant retains its chemical properties. Therefore, removal could be addressed as only phase transfer rather than complete removal. Recently, research was directed to the development of novel adsorbents. The efficiency of these adsorbents was investigated by using model organic contaminants as well as inorganic compounds. In general, membrane processes are widely applied to avoid pollution of the environment displaying a useful option of re-use. Membrane filtration treatment processes mainly nanofiltration and reverse osmosis (RO) could serve as a promising alternative for the removal of contaminants. Homogeneous chemical oxidation such as use of ozone, H2 O2 or UV/H2 O2 and heterogeneous advanced oxidation through use of catalysts to produce highly reactive hydroxyl radicals are proved to be efficient alternatives for
0304-3894/$ – see front matter © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.11.029
achievement of contaminant removal. The major advantage could be the achievement of complete mineralization whereas the main disadvantage could be the formation of more toxic compounds. In order to foster the advancement in contaminant research, a conference entitled “Recycling and Reuse, R&R, 2012” was held in Istanbul with the cooperation of two major universities; Bogazici University and Istanbul University of Turkey. The main objective of the R&R, 2012 conference was to provide a platform to exchange emerging ideas and to investigate key issues related to both environmental engineering as well as compartments of the natural environment. The evaluation of the potential risks posed by contaminants to the environment and human health is an important issue that the scientists have to deal with. Therefore, during the Conference, the attendees mainly expressed their interests on advanced analytical measurement techniques in order to determine the presence of contaminants at low levels in various matrices and novel treatment techniques for removal of contaminants. In addition, themes such as recovery of renewable energy and remediation of contaminated soil were also discussed. The current special issue on contaminant removal covers selected papers from the Recycling and Reuse, 2012 Conference. Moreover, selected contributions were also included to provide a broader overview on the main theme of “Contaminant Removal”. Managing Guest Editor Miray Bekbolet Guest Editors Huseyin Selcuk Ceyda S. Uyguner Demirel Burak Demirel E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Bekbolet)
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of Hazardous Materials journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhazmat
Editorial
Contaminant removal
Contaminants are potentially undesirable chemical compounds that are present in sufficient concentrations in environmental compartments. The presence of already known contaminants and the newly recognized emerging compounds certainly pose a potential threat to environment and human health. Keeping in mind the borderline of the definitions “contaminant” and “pollutant”, research interests are mainly directed to the removal of contaminants resulting in a vast number of studies in literature dealing with this subject. Since more and more chemicals are introduced to the environment i.e. aquatic systems, soil and air, the need for establishment of efficient removal strategies pose a significant concern. By the help of the state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and sophisticated instrumentation, it is possible to determine the very low concentrations of these compounds leading to detection of their occurrence. As could be easily visualized, conventional physical, chemical and biological processes have been widely applied so far. Recent research is documenting studies on the application of efficient removal processes for the removal of contaminants. Treatment options mainly include adsorption, membrane processes and chemical oxidation processes. Adsorption is a heterogeneous mass transfer process involving two phases, e.g. liquid–solid or gas–liquid. The main disadvantage is that the contaminant retains its chemical properties. Therefore, removal could be addressed as only phase transfer rather than complete removal. Recently, research was directed to the development of novel adsorbents. The efficiency of these adsorbents was investigated by using model organic contaminants as well as inorganic compounds. In general, membrane processes are widely applied to avoid pollution of the environment displaying a useful option of re-use. Membrane filtration treatment processes mainly nanofiltration and reverse osmosis (RO) could serve as a promising alternative for the removal of contaminants. Homogeneous chemical oxidation such as use of ozone, H2 O2 or UV/H2 O2 and heterogeneous advanced oxidation through use of catalysts to produce highly reactive hydroxyl radicals are proved to be efficient alternatives for
0304-3894/$ – see front matter © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.11.029
achievement of contaminant removal. The major advantage could be the achievement of complete mineralization whereas the main disadvantage could be the formation of more toxic compounds. In order to foster the advancement in contaminant research, a conference entitled “Recycling and Reuse, R&R, 2012” was held in Istanbul with the cooperation of two major universities; Bogazici University and Istanbul University of Turkey. The main objective of the R&R, 2012 conference was to provide a platform to exchange emerging ideas and to investigate key issues related to both environmental engineering as well as compartments of the natural environment. The evaluation of the potential risks posed by contaminants to the environment and human health is an important issue that the scientists have to deal with. Therefore, during the Conference, the attendees mainly expressed their interests on advanced analytical measurement techniques in order to determine the presence of contaminants at low levels in various matrices and novel treatment techniques for removal of contaminants. In addition, themes such as recovery of renewable energy and remediation of contaminated soil were also discussed. The current special issue on contaminant removal covers selected papers from the Recycling and Reuse, 2012 Conference. Moreover, selected contributions were also included to provide a broader overview on the main theme of “Contaminant Removal”. Managing Guest Editor Miray Bekbolet Guest Editors Huseyin Selcuk Ceyda S. Uyguner Demirel Burak Demirel E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Bekbolet)
