A Review on the Application of Zeolites and Mesoporous Silica Materials in the Removal of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Antibiotics from Water

Zeolites and mesoporous silica materials are effective adsorbents that can be useful for the removal of various pharmaceuticals including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics from low-quality water. This paper summarizes the properties and basic characteristics of zeolites and mesoporous silica materials and reviews the recent studies on the efficacy of the adsorption of selected non-steroidal medicinal products and antibiotics by these adsorbents to assess the potential opportunities and challenges of using them in water treatment. It was found that the adsorption capacity of sorbents with high silica content is related to their surface hydrophobicity (hydrophilicity) and structural features, such as micropore volume and pore size, as well as the properties of the studied medicinal products. This review can be of help to scientists to develop an effective strategy for reducing the amount of these two groups of pharmaceuticals in wastewater.

Functionalized Mesoporous Silica for Highly Selective Sensing of Iron Ion in Water

In this study, we examined the highly selective sensing of Fe3+ ions in water using metal complex-functionalized mesoporous silica materials. Metal complex-functionalized mesoporous silica materials were synthesized on the mesoporous surface of SBA-15 via complexation process between Eu3+ and aminosilane groups. Mesoporous silica, SBA-15, and the Eu3+-complex functionalized SBA-15 were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen sorption behavior, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The sensing behavior of the Eu3+-complex functionalized SBA-15 was studied using various metal ions (Fe3+, Cu2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+) aqueous solutions. Photoluminescence intensity (λ = 612 nm) of the Eu3+-complex functionalized SBA-15 was dependent on the different interactions between metal ions and Eu3+-complexes. Photoluminescence intensity at λ = 612 nm of the Eu3+-complex functionalized SBA-15 decreased to near zero and proved the highly selective sensing effect of Fe3+. Therefore, the Eu3+-complex functionalized SBA-15 can be considered an excellent candidate for sensing iron ions in water.

Removal of Pesticides from Waters by Adsorption: Comparison between Synthetic Zeolites and Mesoporous Silica Materials. A Review

Pesticides are pollutants found in wastewater due to increasing agricultural activities over the years. Inappropriate dosing of pesticides results in the dispersal of active ingredients in the environment. The complete removal of pesticides from wastewater is an immediate concern due to their high toxicity and mobility. At present, adsorption is one of the most widely used methods for pesticide removal, in which synthetic zeolites and mesoporous silica materials are extensively applied. This article presents a systematic and comparative review of the applications and comparison of these adsorbents, based on the data reported in the literature. The paper summarizes the information collected from various studies, including the type of adsorbents and pesticides used, experimental conditions, and results of each work. The studies analyzed were laboratory-based and show potential advantages for the treatment of pesticide-bearing waters using functionalized and unfunctionalized synthetic zeolites and mesoporous silica materials. As a whole, functionalized materials are reported to exhibit better removal performance for different pesticides than conventional materials. It is expected that the results of this review will help researchers to establish a powerful strategy for the abatement of pesticides in wastewater.

Metal doping of porous materials via a post-synthetic mechano-chemical approach: a general route to design low-loaded versatile catalytic systems

Mesoporous silica materials doped with metals (Fe/Zr) presented superior catalytic performance for oxidations. The use of MOFs as metal sources improved the metal distribution, and allowed a fine-tuning of Brønsted–Lewis acidity depending on the MOF.

Mesoporous SBA-15-Based Materials for Catalytic Hydroprocessing Reaction of Microalgal Biomass

Mesoporous silica materials have attracted increasing attention to be considered as an important class of nanostructured support materials in heterogeneous catalysis [...]