Volume 42, Issue 1

Access to clean water remains a critical global challenge, underscoring the urgent need for efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective wastewater treatment technologies. Among emerging solutions, graphene-based membranes, particularly those incorporating graphene oxide (GO), have attracted growing attention due to their ultrathin structure, tunable molecular sieving abilities, and oxygen-containing functional groups that enhance adsorption and filtration capabilities. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric and scientometric analysis of research on GO-enhanced polymeric membranes for advanced wastewater treatment from 2015 to 2025. Key trends in publications and citations are identified, along with leading countries, institutions, authors, and emerging research themes in the field. The review also explores the underlying mechanisms of contaminant removal, including GO mixed matrix membrane (MMMs) synthesis methods, characterization techniques, fabrication techniques, and performance limitations such as fouling and structural instability in aqueous environments. Finally, emerging directions are discussed, including the integration of novel nanomaterials and GO functionalization strategies to improve membrane performance and long-term stability. This study offers valuable insights to guide future research and industrial applications of GO-based MMMs in sustainable water treatment technologies.

The article provides a comprehensive analytical review of the literature on the use of nanoparticles in polymer composite materials aiming at an in-depth analysis of technological approaches to their integration and influence on the structural and functional properties of the polymer matrix. Particular attention is paid to the systematization of modern approaches to the classification of nanofillers by chemical composition and morphological features, as well as to the identification of effective ways to incorporate nanocomponents into the polymer base. This paper deals with the actual problems related to the uniform dispersion of nanoparticles, ensuring stability and effective interfacial interaction in polymer systems, which are critical for achieving the specified performance characteristics of materials. A comparative analysis of nanocomposites using carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, nanodispersed silica, aerogels, and other nanostructured modifiers was performed. Optimal choice of nanofiller has been shown to significantly improve the mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, conductive, and barrier characteristics of composites, which expands their application in fields such as biomedicine, electronics, energy, ecology, and construction. The technological challenges in the scaled-up production of polymer nanocomposites are generalized, and modern studies in nanochemistry and polymer synthesis are examined to outline the perspectives for their development.

Tungsten is a rare strategic metal with excellent properties. Scheelite is the main source of tungsten resources, but its low grade, fine embedded particle size and complex associated relationships make its efficient separation from gangue difficult. The surface properties and dissolution characteristics of scheelite, which are similar to calcium-containing minerals such as calcite, fluorite, and garnet, further complicate the separation process. The selection of collectors with strong collection ability and good selectivity for scheelite, as well as depressants with high selectivity for gangue minerals, is crucial. Based on the detailed introduction of scheelite crystal structure, anisotropy, this study comprehensively outlines the types of scheelite flotation collectors and depressants and their action mechanisms, focuses on the performance of new types of scheelite collectors and depressants that have been researched and developed in recent years, elaborates on the application of combined depressants and combined collectors in scheelite flotation, points out the future research direction of high-efficiency collectors and depressants and provides guidance for the development of new chemicals and new processes in scheelite flotation.

The rapid accumulation of plastic waste due to its non-biodegradability and increasing global consumption presents a significant environmental challenge. Conventional thermochemical waste management techniques, such as pyrolysis and gasification, offer partial solutions but suffer from secondary pollutant formation, inefficiencies, and scalability issues. Thermal plasma-assisted processes, operating at extreme temperatures of 1,500–5,000 °C, present a promising alternative by leveraging high-energy plasma arcs to achieve complete waste destruction, converting plastic into syngas and inert slag while minimizing hazardous by-products like dioxins and tars. Despite being studied over decades, the commercialization of plasma technologies remains limited due to high capital costs, proprietary technology barriers, and suboptimal reactor designs. The scalability of these systems depends on optimizing energy efficiency and feedstock adaptability, which can be addressed through advanced reactor design. This review systematically evaluates thermal plasma technology for plastic waste treatment through chemical engineering analysis of plasma-specific reaction kinetics under rapid heating conditions, coupled heat/mass modelling in high-temperature reactors, and computational optimization of torch configurations and reactor geometries. Key knowledge gaps are analyzed, including electrode erosion dynamics, plasma gas selection trade-offs, unaddressed radiation effects, and lack of thermal plasma-specific kinetic-modelling and experimentation, while presenting strategies to overcome these limitations through both modeling and experimental approaches.