Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from inorganic clay mineral: Bentonite

Clays play a catalytic role in pyrolytic treatment of crude-oil contaminated soils that is enhanced by ion-exchanged transition metals

Pyrolytic treatment of crude-oil contaminated soils offers great potential for rapid remediation without destroying soil fertility with lower energy requirements than incineration. Here, we show that clays impregnated with non-toxic transition metals (iron or copper) can be used as an amendment to decrease the required pyrolytic treatment temperature and time. Amending a weathered crude-oil contaminated soil with 10 % (by weight) of bentonite modified via ion-exchange with Fe or Cu, achieved 99 % removal of residual total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) at a pyrolysis temperature of 370 °C with 15-min contact time. Pyrolytic treatment of amended soils at the unprecedentedly low pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C resulted in 87 % TPH removal efficiency with Cu-bentonite and a 93 % with Fe-bentonite. We postulate that the transition metals catalyzed the pyrolysis reactions at lower onset temperatures. This hypothesis is supported by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry, which revealed the release of hydrogen, methyl and propyl ion fragments (markers of pyrolytic degradation products of crude oil) at lower temperatures than those observed for unamended soil. Overall, this work shows proof of concept that metal-impregnated clays can enhance rapid pyro-catalytic treatment of crude-oil contaminated soils and encourages further work to understand the detailed reaction mechanisms and inform process design.

Adsorption of Naphthalene on Clay Minerals: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Naphthalene, as one of the representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, widely exists in contaminated sites and is a potential threat to human health due to its high mobility in soil. The interaction between naphthalene and clay minerals is of great significance to the environmental behavior of naphthalene and the design of remediation technology. In this study, montmorillonite and kaolinite were selected as representative clay minerals. Naphthalene adsorption behavior on mineral surfaces and water-wet kaolinite surfaces was investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The interaction energy was calculated to represent the interaction between naphthalene and soil fractions, and the relative concentration and density distribution of naphthalene was analyzed to describe the distribution of naphthalene on the clay surfaces. The self-diffusion coefficient of naphthalene was obtained to represent its mobility under different water content. The electron density calculation was performed to reveal the different adsorption behavior of naphthalene on different surfaces of kaolinite. The simulation results show that montmorillonite had a stronger interaction with naphthalene due to larger electrostatic interaction energy compared to kaolinite, and naphthalene distributed more intensively on the montmorillonite surface. With regards to kaolinite, naphthalene tended to be absorbed on the alumina octahedral surface rather than the silicon tetrahedral surface due to the weak hydron bond interaction. The results indicate that water impeded the adsorption of naphthalene, and the optimal initial thickness of water film, which was 10 Å, was put forward for the application of thermal remediation technology. Furthermore, the average interaction energies between water and mineral surfaces largely depended on the water content, and the competitive adsorption between water and naphthalene only occurred under absorbed and bound water conditions. Overall, the knowledge of naphthalene–soil fractions interaction gained in this study is critical to the understanding of the environmental behavior of naphthalene and the reference for remediation technology.

Effects of bentonite on the growth process of submerged macrophytes and sediment microenvironment

The effects of clay mineral bentonite on the growth process of submerged macrophyte V. spiralis and sediment microenvironment were investigated in the study for the first time, aiming to determine whether it is suitable for application in the field of ecological restoration. The growth index, and physiological and biochemical index of V. spiralis in the experiments were measured once a month, and the changes of rhizosphere microorganisms and physicochemical properties of sediments were also studied at the same time. The results demonstrated that bentonite can effectively promote the growth of V. spiralis. The treatment groups of RB1/1 and MB1/5 (the mass ratios of bentonite to sediment were 1/1 and 1/5, respectively.) showed the best V. spiralis growth promotion rates which were 18.78%, and 11.79%, respectively. The highest microbial diversity and abundance existed in group of RB10 (the mass ratio of sediment to bentonite was 10/1), in which the OTUs, Shannon, Chao and Ace were 1521.0, 5.20, 1712.26, and 1686.31, respectively. Bentonite was conducive to the propagation of rhizosphere microorganisms, and further changed the physical and chemical properties of the sediment microenvironment. The nutrient elements dissolved from bentonite may be one of the main reasons that promoted the growth of V. spiralis. The purpose of this result is to prove that bentonite can be further applied as sediment improver and growing media in ecological restoration projects in eutrophic shallow lakes.

Humic acid-modified bentonite composite material enhances urea-nitrogen use efficiency

Bentonite was modified by introducing humic acid (HA) into interlayer space of bentonite. The structural and physicochemical properties of modified bentonite were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that HA could enter the bentonite interlayer and increase the interlayer distance. Moreover, we were also investigated the high adsorption capacity and thermodynamics of modified bentonite to NH₄⁺ cations in solutions. Under the same conditions, the NH₄⁺ adsorption efficiency of modified bentonite (96.4%) was 69.2% higher compared with the natural bentonite (57.0%). The pseudo-second order kinetic model well fit the adsorption kinetics of NH₄⁺ on modified bentonite, indicating that the adsorption type was chemical adsorption or chemisorptions. The isotherms fit well with Langmuir model, and the separation factor revealed that NH₄⁺ on modified bentonite belonged to favorable adsorption. Compared with the natural bentonite, the modified bentonite exhibited a much lower leaching loss of NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^--N in soil. Meanwhile, the loss of nitrogen caused by NH₃ volatilization and N₂O emission from soil could also be significantly attenuated by the combined application of modified bentonite and urea. The slower nitrogen release in the treatment combining modified bentonite and urea resulted in a greater yield and nitrogen uptake of wheat. Collectively, the modified bentonite could be used as nitrogen fertilizer synergist to enhance the nitrogen use efficiency.

Adsorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from aqueous solution by Organic Montmorillonite Sodium Alginate Nanocomposites

The adsorption method is generally considered a promising technique to remove inorganic and organic contaminants in an economically and environmentally friendly superior manner. In this study, organic montmorillonite sodium alginate composites were prepared, in which, montmorillonite and cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) in different added amounts were coagulated with sodium alginate using CaCl₂ as the crosslinking agent. The morphological properties of the composites were characterized thoroughly and employed in three typical target pollutants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (acenaphthene, fluorene, and phenanthrene) by batch adsorption experiments from aqueous solution. The composites provide an efficient alternative for PAHs removals. The composites could be stably separated and regenerated with methyl alcohol. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic and isotherm data were well described by the Elovich kinetic and the Freundlich isotherm model, respectively. According to these, the adsorption process occurred via multilayer adsorption on the composite's energetically heterogeneous surface. Moreover, pore diffusion and hydrophobicity played a dominant role in the adsorption mechanism. Overall, our study offers a developed adsorbent that has the advantage of being recyclable, low cost, biodegradable and biocompatible for effectively removing PAHs from aqueous solution.

Comprehensive review of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water sources, their effects and treatments

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are principally derived from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. This study investigated the occurrence of PAHs in aquatic environments around the world, their effects on the environment and humans, and methods for their removal. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have a great negative impact on the humans and environment, and can even cause cancer in humans. Use of good methods and equipment are essential to monitoring PAHs, and GC/MS and HPLC are usually used for their analysis in aqueous solutions. In aquatic environments, the PAHs concentrations range widely from 0.03 ng/L (seawater; Southeastern Japan Sea, Japan) to 8,310,000 ng/L (Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant, Siloam, South Africa). Moreover, bioaccumulation of ∑16PAHs in fish has been reported to range from 11.2 ng/L (Cynoscion guatucupa, South Africa) to 4207.5 ng/L (Saurida undosquamis, Egypt). Several biological, physical and chemical and biological techniques have been reported to treat water contaminated by PAHs, but adsorption and combined treatment methods have shown better removal performance, with some methods removing up to 99.99% of PAHs.

Effects of electron-donating groups on the photocatalytic reaction of MOFs

Regulating the synthesis of photocatalytic materials at the molecular level could affect the absorption of light and guide the synthesis of highly efficient photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation organic pollutants.