Magnetic hydroxyapatite nanoparticles: An efficient adsorbent for the separation and removal of nitrate and nitrite ions from environmental samples

Simultaneous removal of nutrients and biological pollutants via specialty absorbents in a water filtration system for watershed remediation

To investigate watershed remediation within a Total Maximum Daily Load program, this study examined the field-scale filtration performance of two specialty absorbents. The goal was to simultaneously remove nutrients and biological pollutants along Canal 23 (C-23) in the St. Lucie River Basin, Florida. The filtration system installed in the C-23 river corridor was equipped with either clay-perlite with sand sorption media (CPS) or zero-valent iron and perlite green environmental media (ZIPGEM). Both media were formulated with varying combinations of sand, clay, perlite, and/or recycled iron based on distinct recipes. In comparison with CPS, ZIPGEM exhibited higher average removal percentages for nutrients. Findings indicated that ZIPGEM could remove total nitrogen up to 49.3%, total Kjeldahl nitrogen up to 67.1%, dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) up to 72.9%, total phosphorus up to 79.6%, and orthophosphate up to 73.2%. Both ZIPGEM and CPS demonstrated similar efficiency in eliminating biological pollutants, such as E. coli (both media exhibiting an 80% removal percentage) and chlorophyll a (both media achieving approximately 95% removal). Seasonality effects were also evident in nutrient removal efficiencies, particularly in the case of ammonia nitrogen; the negative removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen from the fifth sampling event could be attributed to processes such as photochemical ammonification, microbial transformation, and mineralization of DON in wet seasons. Overall, ZIPGEM demonstrated a more stable nutrient removal efficiency than CPS in the phase of seasonal changes.

Green magnetic snail shell hydroxyapatite sorbent for reliable solid-phase extraction of pesticides from water samples

To address sustainability issues, the green synthesis of nanomaterials has recently received considerable attention. This article addresses a novel and cost-effective adsorbent for the extraction of eight phenyl-N-methylcarbamate insecticides from water samples. We first synthesized a magnetite/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite using snail shell powder via an environmental friendly approach. The morphology and physicochemical properties of magnetic hydroxyapatite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Magnetic extraction parameters were optimized using a Doehlert matrix. Under optimum conditions, the magnetic extraction coupled with a LC-MS method shows good linearity with R2 ≥ 0.9982, suitable intra- and interday precision, and limits of detection and quantification in the range of 0.052-0.093 μg/L and 0.11-0.31 μg/L, respectively. Satisfactory relative recoveries of all carbamates were achieved from fortified water samples in the range of 93.89-101.01%.

Removal of chromate ions from leachate-contaminated groundwater samples of Khan Chandpur, India, using chitin modified iron-enriched hydroxyapatite nanocomposite

Chromite ore processing residues (COPR) are real environmental threats, leading to CrO42-, i.e., Cr (VI) leaching into groundwater. It is of serious concern as Cr (VI) is proven to be carcinogenic. Here we emphasize the application of novel and eco-friendly chitin functionalized iron-enriched hydroxyapatite nanocomposite (HAP-Fe0-Ct) in the remediation of Cr (VI)-contaminated groundwater samples collected from Khan Chandpur, India, where the level of Cr (VI) is found to be 11.7 mg/L in a complex aqueous matrix having 793 mg/L of total dissolved solids. Chitin functionality in the composite has resulted in positive zeta potential at circum-neutral pH, favoring electrostatic attraction of chromate ions and resulting in its bulk surface transport. The HAP-Fe0-Ct showed faster kinetics of removal with efficiency (qm = 13.9 ± 0.46 mg/g) for Cr (VI). The composite has shown sorption equilibrium and 100% removal of Cr (VI) within 3 h of interaction time in groundwater samples. No Cr (VI) leaching in the acid wash process at pH 3.5 also suggests chromium's strong chemisorption onto nanocomposite. During the interaction in aqueous solutions, the reduced iron (Fe0) on the nanocomposite becomes oxidized, suggesting the probable simultaneous reduction of Cr (VI) and its co-precipitation. Continuous column extraction of chromate ions was also efficient in both spiked solutions (39.7 ± 0.04 mg/g) and COPR contaminated water (13.2 ± 0.09 mg/g). Reusability up to three cycles with almost complete Cr (VI) removal may be attributed to surface protonation, new binding sites generation, and electron transfer from Fe0 core through defects. The study concludes that HAP-Fe0-Ct could be utilized for continuous Cr (VI) removal from COPR contaminated complex groundwater matrices.

Hydroxyapatite with magnetic core: Synthesis methods, properties, adsorption and medical applications

This review presents the actual state of knowledge and recent research results on the magnetic composite synthesized from iron oxide (γ-Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O₄) and hydroxyapatite. It can be obtained applying some methods, i.e. chemical precipitation, hydrothermal, sol-gel, and biomimetic or combined techniques which exhibit characteristic properties affecting the form of the prepared product. More specific details are discussed in this paper. A comparison of the discussed synthesis methods is presented. On the basis of selected publications, a comparison of the results of the analysis by XRD, FTIR, SEM and EDX methods for hydroxyapatite with a magnetic core was also presented. Moreover, the characteristics large adsorption capacity and specific area allow employing nanocomposites as adsorbents particularly in removal of toxic metal ions. Nowadays this issue is extremely vital due to large amounts of pollutants in the environment and greater ecological awareness of people. Moreover, magnetic hydroxyapatite can be also applied as a catalyst in various syntheses or oxidation reactions as well as in medicine in magnetic resonance imaging, hyperthermia treatment, drug delivery and release, bone regeneration or cell therapy.

Enhanced Cr(VI) removal from water using a green synthesized nanocrystalline chlorapatite: Physicochemical interpretations and fixed-bed column mathematical model study

Apatite-based minerals have attracted much attention in the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated environment. However, exploring apatite with efficient adsorption performance for inorganic oxyanions such as Cr(VI) remains a challenge. Herein, a novel nanocrystalline chlorapatite (ClAP) was promptly prepared by a green method using eggshell wastes as calcium source with the purpose to enhance Cr(VI) adsorption capability. The generated ClAP was characterized by XRD, SEM-EPMA, TEM, FTIR, and BET analyses. Batch and column experiments were subsequently carried out to explore the influencing factors, adsorption capacity and removal mechanism. Results showed that ClAP exhibited excellent stability and adsorption performance for Cr(VI) (63.47 mg g^-1), which was much greater than that of hydroxyapatite and most reported materials. The adsorption process was fitted well by the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model. In fixed bed column experiments, a novel time-fractional derivative model exhibited much better suitability in interpreting the observed breakthrough curves of Cr(VI) than traditional models. Furthermore, the reusability of ClAP in column was evaluated. Results showed that the adsorption capacity maintained well after consecutively reused for five cycles. Studies of the effect of pH, as well as FTIR and XPS investigations indicated that Cr(VI) adsorption was mainly ascribed to electrostatic interactions and surface complexation, while the reduction of Cr(VI) to the low-toxicity Cr(III) also existed in the adsorption process. The ClAP adsorbent was also successfully used for Cr(VI) remediation from real wastewater. Hence, nanocrystalline ClAP can be a promising material for enhancing the elimination of oxyanion contaminants such as Cr(VI) from water.

Nitrate removal from aqueous solutions by cobalt ferrite nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation method: isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the nitrate adsorption by cobalt ferrite (CFO) nanoparticles. The adsorbent was synthesized by co-precipitation method and its structure was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and vibrating-sample magnetometry. In batch adsorption studies, the effects of various parameters like pH (3-11), adsorbent dose (0.2-0.8 g/L), contact time (5-120 min), initial nitrate concentration (50-200 mg/L), and temperature (283-313 K) on the adsorption process were examined. The results of this study indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity was 107.8 mg/g (optimum condition pH = 3, adsorbent dosage: 0.2 g/L, nitrate concentration: 200 mg/L, contact time: 20 min and temperature: 313 K). The adsorption isotherm had a proper match with Langmuir (R² = 0.99) and Freundlich (R² = 0.99) models. The adsorption of nitrate by CFO followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The results of the thermodynamics of the nitrate adsorption process by CFO showed that all the values of Gibbs free energy change, enthalpy change and entropy change were positive. Therefore, this process was endothermic and non-spontaneous.

HPLC-DAD Determination of Nitrite and Nitrate in Human Saliva Utilizing a Phosphatidylcholine Column

The aim of this research was to optimize the separation and quantitative determination of nitrites and nitrates in human saliva. HPLC with UV absorption (HPLC/DAD) using a phosphatidylcholine column (IAM.PC.DD2 Regis HPLC) was applied in this assay. Nitrates were detected directly by their absorbance at 210 nm, whereas nitrites were detected after oxidation to nitrates by potassium permanganate at acidic conditions. The kinetics of the permanganate–nitrite reaction was measured chromatographically. The calibration graph for nitrates was linear in the range of 0.5–35 µg mL⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999. The limit of detection was 4.56 ng mL⁻¹. The calibration graph for nitrites (after oxidation to nitrates) was linear in the range of 0.5–15 µg mL⁻¹ with a correlation coefficient of 0.9972. The limit of detection was 4.21 ng mL⁻¹. The nitrate concentrations in the saliva samples were found in the range of 8.98–18.52 μg mL⁻¹, whereas nitrite was in the range of 3.50–5.34 μg mL⁻¹.

Bioaugmented soil aquifer treatment for P-nitrophenol removal in wastewater unique for cold regions

P-nitrophenol (PNP) is a toxic and recalcitrant organic pollutant and a usual intermediate in the production of fine chemicals, which has posed a significant threat to subsurface environment safety. Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is a promising method to remove and remediate contamination in vadose zone with low cost and high efficiency. However, there are still research gaps for the treatment of recalcitrant contaminants by SAT in cold regions, such as un-robust indigenous microbes and low temperature constraint in vadose zone. The bioaugmentation technology was first introduced into SAT in order to enhance the removal ability of PNP by SAT operated in cold regions in this study. A high-efficiency PNP-degrading bacterium was successfully isolated, which can efficiently degrade PNP below 200 mg L^-1 with a degradation rate above 99% at 15 °C close to the real subsurface temperature in cold regions, and added into SAT for bioaugmentation. The feasibility of bioaugmented SAT and associated PNP removal process were investigated by laboratory sand columns, along with effects of the SAT operative parameters (namely PNP loading concentration, flow rate and soil saturation level of SAT). Within the range of PNP loading stresses tested (1-200 mg L^-1), PNP removal efficiency was optimal at constant flow rate of 219 mL d^-1 in unsaturated operating condition of SAT under 15 °C among all the investigated experimental conditions. Longer hydraulic residence time increased the PNP removal rate, although the accumulated mass removed reduced and the removal efficiencies remained constant in unsaturated operating condition of SAT. It is found from the comparison between the PNP removals via both unsaturated and saturated columns that slight difference only in the removal rate of PNP was observed and the highly efficient bioaugmented SAT can completely degrade PNP of 10 mg L^-1 within 5 wetting/drying cycles under both scenarios.

Silver nanoparticle-incorporated ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires with internal reference as SERS substrate for trace environmental pollutant detection

Silver nanoparticle-incorporated HAPNWs as SERS substrates exhibit unique characteristics including stability, convenience and simple and environmentally friendly preparation.

A biological method for in-situ synthesis of hydroxyapatite-coated magnetite nanoparticles using Enterobacter aerogenes: Characterization and acute toxicity assessments

Hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) are being widely investigated for various applications in medical engineering and wastewater treatment. In this work, the MNPs were thoroughly coated by bacterial synthesized HA nanoparticles during biomineralization process using Enterobacter aerogenes. The resulting bacterial-induced precipitate was then calcined at 600°C and investigated with respect to structural characteristics, particle size and magnetic strength by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDS, TEM and VSM analyses. The effects of MNPs and HA-coated MNPs (HA-MNPs) on the viability of human MCF-7 cell lines were also investigated via mitochondrial activity test (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The powder characterization results showed appropriate structural properties for HA-MNPs samples. The particles diameter size of the MNPs and HA-MNPs were in the range of 3-25nm and 20-80nm, respectively. The biologically-synthesized HA-MNPs formed a stable suspension in water while keeping their magnetic property. The saturation magnetization (Ms) of HA-MNPs was measured at ~10emug^-1 which was in good agreement with the structural composition of this sample. Finally, the results of the cell lines viability indicated that coating of toxic MNPs via biomineralization was a promising approach in order to synthesize bio-compatible magnetic nanoparticles with suitable physical and chemical structural characteristics. The toxicity level of MNPs was reduced by 10 fold when coated by bacterial-synthesized HA.

Synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles impregnated on apple pomace to enhanced adsorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized, and impregnated onto apple pomace surface (HANP@AP) for efficient removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions from water. HANP@AP was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and surface area analysis. Batch sorption studies were carried out to investigate the influence of different parameters as amount of dose (g), pH, time (min), and initial concentration (mg L(-1)) on adsorption process. Experimental kinetic data followed pseudo-second-order model and equilibrium data well fitted to Langmuir adsorption model with maximum adsorption capacities of 303, 250, and 100 mg g(-1) for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions, respectively. Competitive adsorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions in presences of each other was studied to evaluate the removal efficiency of HANP@AP against multi metal-loaded water. HANP@AP was successfully applied to real industrial wastewater with 100 % removal of all three metal ions even at high concentration. HANP@AP could be recycled for four, four, and three cycles in case of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II), respectively. The study showed that HANP@AP is fast, cost effective, and environmental friendly adsorbent for removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions from real industrial wastewater.