Chemical modification of activated carbon surface with iron functional groups for efficient separation of vanadium: batch and column study

A molecular extraction process for vanadium based on tandem selective complexation and precipitation

Recycling vanadium from alternative sources is essential due to its expanding demand, depletion in natural sources, and environmental issues with terrestrial mining. Here, we present a complexation-precipitation method to selectively recover pentavalent vanadium ions, V(V), from complex metal ion mixtures, using an acid-stable metal binding agent, the cyclic imidedioxime, naphthalimidedioxime (H2CIDIII). H2CIDIII showed high extraction capacity and fast binding towards V(V) with crystal structures showing a 1:1 M:L dimer, [V2(O)3(C12H6N3O2)2]2-, 1, and 1:2 M:L non-oxido, [V(C12H6N3O2)2] ̶ complex, 2. Complexation selectivity studies showed only 1 and 2 were anionic, allowing facile separation of the V(V) complexes by pH-controlled precipitation, removing the need for solid support. The tandem complexation-precipitation technique achieved high recovery selectivity for V(V) with a selectivity coefficient above 3 × 105 from synthetic mixed metal solutions and real oil sand tailings. Zebrafish toxicity assay confirmed the non-toxicity of 1 and 2, highlighting H2CIDIII's potential for practical and large-scale V(V) recovery.

Adsorption of Pb(II) from wastewater using a red mud modified rice-straw biochar: Influencing factors and reusability

Efficient environmental remediation of toxic chemicals using effective sorbents has received considerable attention recently. For the present study, the synthesis of a red mud/biochar (RM/BC) composite was performed from rice straw with the aim of achieving Pb(II) removal from wastewater. Characterization was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Zeta potential analysis, elemental mapping, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results showed that RM/BC had higher specific surface area (S_BET = 75.37 m² g^-1) than raw biochar (S_BET = 35.38 m² g^-1). The Pb(II) removal capacity (q_e) of RM/BC was 426.84 mg g^-1 at pH 5.0, and the adsorption data well fitted pseudo second order kinetics (R² = 0.93 and R² = 0.98), as well as the Langmuir isotherm model (R² = 0.97 and R² = 0.98) for both BC and RM/BC. Pb(II) removal was slightly hindered with the increasing strength of co-existing cations (Na⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺). The increase in temperatures (298 K, 308 K, 318 K) favored Pb(II) removal by RM/BC. Thermodynamic study indicated that Pb(II) adsorption onto BC and RM/BC was spontaneous and primarily governed by chemisorption and surface complexation. A regeneration study revealed the high reusability (>90%) and acceptable stability of RM/BC even after five successive cycles. These findings indicate that RM/BC evidenced special combined characteristics of red mud and biochar, hence its use for Pb removal from wastewater offers a green and environmentally sustainable approach fitting the "waste treating waste" concept.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of SiO2 nanoparticles and SiO2/chitosan/Fe nanocomposite and their application for vanadium adsorption from aqueous solution

The husk of brown rice, as a source of silica, was applied to synthesize natural SiO₂ nanoparticles via sonochemical method. SiO₂/CH/Fe nanocomposite was synthesized from SiO₂, chitosan (prepared from shrimp shells via sonochemical method), and iron functional groups and detected using BET, EDX-SEM, and FTIR techniques. These natural-based nanostructures (SiO₂ and SiO₂/CH/Fe) have been applied for vanadium adsorption. The influences of initial pH, initial concentration, and adsorption time were studied via a batch process. The analysis of the kinetics data indicated that the chemical adsorption is predominant. The analysis of the equilibrium data indicated the single layer and exothermic adsorption process. The mono-layer adsorption capacity of SiO₂/CH/Fe was 199.540 mg g^-1. The performance of SiO₂/CH/Fe in a continuous column system was investigated in four adsorption and desorption cycles. Results showed that SiO₂/CH/Fe nanocomposite synthesized with the sonochemical method is a candidate with high adsorption ability for use as an industrial adsorbent.

Zeolite-Rich Composite Materials for Environmental Remediation: Arsenic Removal from Water

Natural zeolites are used as adsorbents in purification processes due to their cation-exchange ability and molecular sieve properties. Surface modified natural zeolites (SMNZs), produced by attaching cationic organic surfactants to the external surface, can simultaneously act as ionic exchangers and organic molecule adsorbents. In this paper, SMNZs were produced and investigated as adsorbents for As(V) removal from wastewater: two natural zeolites, clinoptilolite and phillipsite, were modified using HDTMA-Br and HDTMA-Cl as surfactants. The obtained samples were then characterized under static and dynamic conditions. Results showed that As(V) removal follows a pseudo-second order kinetic, with fast adsorption rates: every sample reached 100 % removal in 2 h, while equilibrium data showed a Langmuir-like behavior, with a greater anion uptake by the HDTMA-Br modified SMNZs due to the formation of a compact and complete micellar structure. Finally, fixed-bed tests were performed to characterize the samples under dynamic conditions assessing the effect of severe operating parameters on the dynamic exchange capacity, selectivity and efficiency of the process. The obtained results demonstrate a good ability of the tested materials to adsorb As(V) from wastewater, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed surface modification technique in expanding the possibility of using natural zeolites in these processes.