About this Research Topic
A report released by Allied Market Research indicated that the global filtration and separation market size for gas and liquid applications was valued at ~$89 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach ~$116 billion by 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) recorded at 3.3% between 2019 and 2026. Rapid development in the separation technologies coupled with advanced characterization techniques over the past decade have resulted in significant growth of the separation processes for wide range of industrial applications. Industries are now demanding more effective yet cost-competitive separation technologies for filtering out undesirable components which pollute water and air. This has motivated researchers to continue making scientific progress in the fields of separation and characterization techniques.
Although different separation technologies (e.g., membrane process, adsorption, distillation, etc.) are presently being used in a variety of industrial applications and have generated billion-dollar businesses, the search has always been on for advanced separation tools by taking into consideration other aspects such as improved separation efficiency, shorter separation time, reduced operation and maintenance cost as well as minimal process footprint. On the other hand, in order to better understand the intrinsic properties of the materials (e.g., nanoparticles and polymeric/nanocomposite membrane materials) developed for the environmental applications, advanced characterization techniques that can be used for visualizing/analysing materials at the nano- or atomic-scale are becoming increasingly important. The in-depth characterization and functional analysis of new materials are critical in designing advanced separation tools for future environmental applications.
This Research Topic focuses on emerging separation technologies and cutting-edge characterization techniques employed for wide range of environmental applications. Original research as well as review articles are welcome, including, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Advanced (hybrid) nanomaterials as effective adsorbent for water and gas treatment
- Advanced membrane materials, e.g., nanocomposite membrane and biomimetic membrane for environmental applications
- Emerging membrane process, e.g., membrane distillation, forward osmosis membrane, membrane contactor and adsorptive membrane for environmental applications
- Cutting-edge characterization techniques for water and gas separation methods
- Other new materials and methods for environmental chemistry
Keywords: Separation process, Instrumental characterization, Environment, Water, Greenhouse effect
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