Adsorptive removal of sulfate from acid mine drainage by polypyrrole modified activated carbons: Effects of polypyrrole deposition protocols and activated carbon source

Evaluation of a granular Cu-modified chitosan biocomposite for sustainable sulfate removal from aqueous media: A batch and fixed-bed column study

Adsorption-based treatment of sulfate contaminated water sources present challenges due to its favourable hydration characteristics. Herein, a copper-modified granular chitosan-based biocomposite (CHP-Cu) was prepared and characterized for its sulfate adsorption properties at neutral pH via batch equilibrium and fixed-bed column studies. The CHP-Cu adsorbent was characterized by complementary methods: spectroscopy (IR, Raman, X-ray photoelectron), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) and pH-based surface charge analysis. Sulfate adsorption at pH 7.2 with CHP-Cu follows the Sips isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity (407 mg/g) that exceeds most reported values of granular biosorbents at similar conditions. For the dynamic adsorption study, initial sulfate concentration, bed height, and flow rate were influential parameters governing sulfate adsorption. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models yield a sulfate adsorption capacity (146 mg/g) for the fixed bed system at optimized conditions. CHP-Cu was regenerated over 5 cycles (33 % to 31 %) with negligible Cu-leaching. The adsorbent also displays excellent sulfate uptake properties, regenerability, and sustainable adsorbent properties for effective point-of-use sulfate remediation in aqueous media near neutral pH (7.2). This sulfate remediation strategy is proposed for other oxyanion systems relevant to contaminated environmental surface and groundwater resources.

Characteristics of new pyrrolic derivatives and their oligomers using DFT and TD-DFT calculations

CONTEXT

This article is based on the study of pyrrolic derivatives and their oligomers. Knowing that, pyrrolic derivatives are widely studied on an industrial scale. The aim of this work is to find pyrrolic derivatives having the same physicochemical characteristics such as the pyrrolic edifice. Six derivatives were studied by substituting the hydrogens in the β position of the pyrroles with the following radicals: -CHO, -Cl, -CN, -NO, and -OH. The study was carried out theoretically using ab initio and density functional of theory (DFT) methods. In the first step, molecules of four units were taken into consideration in order to make the comparison between them. This comparison showed that the majority of molecules exhibited high intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) compared to the molecule composed of four pyrrolic units (OP4), and also exhibited strong nucleophilic and electrophilic characteristics. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis has shown continuous ICT mechanisms for certain molecules. The studied derivatives showed good solvation in several solvents compared to OP4. The molecules substituted by the radicals -CHO, -CN, -OH, and -NO generated several peaks in the excited states, which is the opposite case for the other molecules with a single peak. The effects of chain elongation revealed exponential equations generated by the two parameters energy gaps (ΔEH-L) and maximum wavelengths (λmax) as a function of the number of units (n). These equations were used to predict the maximum and minimum values of the above parameters for more elongated oligomers.

METHOD

The software used to make the calculations is Gaussian 16. All geometries were calculated by B3LYP functional and 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. The electronic parameters ΔEH-L were calculated by the following functionals: B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, LC-wPBE, LC-BLYP, wB97X, M062X, M06HF, and M11 in addition to the second-order Møller-Plesset method (MP2) while always keeping the basis set mentioned before. An effect of basis set variation was studied by the optimal functional in combination with the following basis sets: 6-31G(d,p), 6-31++G(d,p), cc-pVDZ, AUG-cc-pVDZ, 6-311G(d,p), 6-311++G(d,p), cc-pVTZ, and AUG-cc-pVTZ. The NBO study was carried out with the M06HF/6-31++G(d,p) functional using the NBO method. The solvation parameters were calculated by M06HF/6-31++G(d,p) in the presence of the implicit solvation model Solvation Model based on Density (SMD). The excited states were calculated by M06HF/6-31++G(d,p) by the implicit solvation model Conductor Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM).

Novel composites of activated carbon and layered double oxide for the removal of sulfate from synthetic and brackish groundwater

Sulfate (SO42-) is a major water and environmental concern that causes severe diarrhea, death of invertebrates and plant species, and clogging of industrial pipes. In the current work, treatment of SO42- from synthetic and real groundwater having 3901 mg(SO42-)/L was investigated for the first time using Zn-Al and Mg-Al layered double oxides doped granular activated carbon (GAC/Mg-Al LDO and GAC/Zn-Al LDO). The co-precipitation method was followed to synthesize the GAC/LDO composites using an Mg or Zn to Al molar ratio of 3:1. The GAC/Mg-Al LDO possessed a higher specific surface area (323.9 m2/g) compared to GAC/Zn-Al LDO (195.1 m2/g). The GAC/Mg-Al LDO demonstrated more than 99% removal of SO42- from synthetic water, while it was 50.9% for GAC/Zn-Al LDO and less than 1% for raw GAC at an initial concentration of 50 mg/L. The GAC/Mg-Al LDO was selected for further batch experiments and modeling investigation. The equilibrium data followed the Redlich-Peterson and Langmuir models with determination coefficients of 0.943 and 0.935, respectively. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity was 143.5 mg/g. In the real groundwater adsorption study, the screening experiment revealed high selectivity towards SO42- with 62% removal efficiency. The optimum dosage was found to be 50 g/L with an uptake capacity of 61.5 mg/g. The kinetic data of SO42- removal from synthetic and brackish water were in excellent agreement with the pseudo-second order model, and the equilibrium was attained in 5 h. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the GAC/Mg-Al LDO is an efficient material for treating SO42- from real groundwater and can be utilized as a pretreatment unit for high sulfate water resources.

Treatment of nitrate containing wastewater by adsorption process using polypyrrole-modified plastic-carbon: Characteristic and mechanism

Polypyrrole-modified plastic-carbon (PET-PPy) composite was prepared by using high porosity plastic-carbon materials and a special doping mechanism of polypyrrole to remove nitrate from water to achieve waste recycling. As a result, PET-PPy-500 showed remarkable nitrate adsorption in both acidic and alkaline wastewater. The pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models were fit for the nitrate adsorption by PET-PPy-500, and the maximum adsorption capacity predicted by the Langmuir model was 10.04 mg NO₃-N/g (45.18 mg NO₃^-/g) at 30 °C. The ion exchange and electrostatic attraction were the main mechanisms of removing NO₃^- by PET-PPy-500, which was demonstrated by the interface characterization and theoretical calculation. The doped ions (Cl^-) and/or other anions produced by charge transfer interaction were the main exchange ions in the process of NO₃^- adsorption. The main binding sites in the electrostatic adsorption process were nitrogen-containing functional groups, which can be confirmed by the results of XPS and density functional theory (DFT). Furthermore, DFT results also showed that the adsorption of nitrate by PET-PPy was a spontaneous exothermic process, and the adsorption energy at the nitrogen site was the lowest. The findings of this study provide a feasible strategy for the advanced treatment of nitrate containing wastewater.

Anionic Dye Removal by Polypyrrole-Modified Red Mud and Its Application to a Lab-Scale Column: Adsorption Performance and Phytotoxicity Assessment

In this study, polypyrrole-modified red mud (PRM) was prepared for the efficient removal of anionic dyes (methyl orange and Congo red) from aqueous solutions. The phytotoxicity (bean sprouts) of the dye solution before and after dye removal was investigated. Adsorption kinetics confirmed that the adsorption of methyl orange (MO) and Congo red (CR) on PRM was controlled by chemical reactions between the functional groups of polypyrrole and dyes. From Langmuir isotherm fitting, we found the theoretical adsorption capacities of MO and CR on PRM were 194.1 and 314.9 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption progress of MO and CR on PRM was found to be spontaneous and endothermic. The column studies demonstrated that, under dynamic flow, the PRM can efficiently remove MO and CR from aqueous solution, with adsorption capacities of 31.08 and 55.04 mg/g, respectively. In the toxicity test, the phytotoxicity of the column effluents (after dye removal) was significantly lowered compared to the initial dye influents. After the removal of MO and CR, the average root length of bean sprouts was increased from 3.30 cm to 5.18 cm and from 3.01 cm to 7.00 cm, respectively. These findings highlighted the efficient removal of dyes by PRM from aqueous solution, demonstrating the possible application of PRM for the removal of dye from dye-contaminated wastewaters.

Acid mine drainage treatment with novel high-capacity bio-based anion exchanger

Aminated peat (termed PG-Peat) produced using polyethylenimine and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride was used for the removal of sulphate from real acid mine drainage (AMD) in batch and column mode sorption studies. In the batch tests, the highest sulphate removal capacity achieved was 125.7 mg/g. PG-Peat was efficient and rapid in sulphate removal from AMD even at low temperatures (2-5 °C), achieving equilibrium within a contact time of 30 min. The PG-Peat column treating real AMD showed even higher sulphate uptake capacity (154.2 mg SO₄^2-/g) than the batch sorption studies. The regenerative and practical applicability of PG-Peat was also tested in column set-ups using synthetic sulphate solutions (at pH 5.8 and pH 2.0). The sulphate uptake capacity obtained was higher in column mode when the solutions were treated at acidic pH (2.0) compared to pH 5.8. This could be attributed to the presence of cationized amine groups on PG-Peat under acidic pH conditions. Almost complete sulphate desorption was achieved with NaCl in the column that treated synthetic sulphate solution at pH 5.8, while the lowest desorption rates were observed in the column that treated acidic synthetic sulphate solution (pH 2).

Sorption, mechanism, and behavior of sulfate on various adsorbents: A critical review

Sulfate decontamination has drawn widespread attention due to its harmful effects by broad human and animal exposure in recent decades. Adsorption is one of the most promising methods for sulfate decontamination. This review categorized various sulfate adsorbents, discussed the adsorption behavior, and introduced effective adsorbents in detail in terms of their preparation, characterization, and affecting factors on adsorption efficiency. Moreover, adsorption mechanisms of sulfate on different adsorbents are reviewed based on the intermolecular interaction, equilibrium, thermodynamic, and kinetic studies. Among natural bioadsorbents, synthesized-organic, and synthesized-inorganic adsorbents chitin-based shrimp shells (156 mg/g), bagasse pith cellulose-based (526.32 mg/g), and ZrO(OH)₂/Y-Zeolite (284.22 mg/g) showed the significant capacity for sulfate uptake from aqueous solution, respectively. Although natural adsorbents have been proved to be inexpensive and efficient, they are not as popular as synthesized adsorbents for sulfate decontamination in recent years due to their low recoverability and reusability. The adsorption mechanism of sulfate to various adsorbents is generally attributed to electrostatic interactions, covalent or ionic bonding, and hydrogen bonding. Based on equilibrium studies, sulfate adsorption processes were done mainly homogeneously for most of the adsorbents; however, there are some exceptions of the heterogeneous adsorption process of sulfate, which is done mostly for adsorbents that remove sulfate through hydrogen and covalent bonding. The kinetic studies illustrated that both film diffusion and pore-diffusion could control sulfate uptake by the various adsorbents. The thermodynamic studies showed that the sulfate adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous except for the sulfate removal by polypyrrole-modified activated-carbons and LDH-HPI mine waste, which requires energy for adsorption.

Co-Disposal of Coal Gangue and Red Mud for Prevention of Acid Mine Drainage Generation from Self-Heating Gangue Dumps

The seepage and diffusion of acid mine drainage (AMD) generated from self-heating coal gangue tailings caused acid pollution to the surrounding soil and groundwater. Red mud derived from the alumina smelting process has a high alkali content. To explore the feasibility of co-disposal of coal gangue and red mud for prevention of AMD, coal gangue and red mud were sampled from Yangquan (Shanxi Province, China), and dynamic leaching tests were carried out through the automatic temperature-controlled leaching system under the conditions of different temperatures, mass ratios, and storage methods. Our findings indicated that the heating temperature had a significant effect on the release characteristics of acidic pollutants derived from coal gangue, and that the fastest rate of acid production corresponding to temperature was 150 °C. The co-disposal dynamic leaching tests indicated that red mud not only significantly alleviated the release of AMD but also that it had a long-term effect on the treatment of acid pollution. The mass ratio and stacking method were selected to be 12:1 (coal gangue: red mud) and one layer was alternated (coal gangue covered with red mud), respectively, to ensure that the acid-base pollution indices of leachate reached the WHO drinking-water quality for long-term discharge. The results of this study provided a theoretical basis and data support for the industrial field application of solid waste co-treatment.

Advanced and Intensified Seawater Flue Gas Desulfurization Processes: Recent Developments and Improvements

Seawater flue gas desulfurization (SWFGD) is considered to be a viable solution for coastal and naval applications; however, this process has several drawbacks, including its corrosive absorbent; low vapor loading capacity since the solubility of sulfur oxides (SOx) in seawater is lower than that of limestone used in conventional methods; high seawater flowrate; and large equipment size. This has prompted process industries to search for possible advanced and intensified configurations to enhance the performance of SWFGD processes to attain a higher vapor loading capacity, lower seawater flowrate, and smaller equipment size. This paper presents an overview of new developments as well as advanced and intensified configurations of SWFGD processes via process modifications such as modification and optimization of operating conditions, improvement of spray and vapor distributors, adding internal columns, using square or rectangular shape, using a pre-scrubber, multiple scrubber feed; process integration such as combined treatment of SOx and other gases, and waste heat recovery; and process intensification such as the use of electrified sprays, swirling gas flow, and rotating packed beds. A summary of the industrial applications, engineering issues, environmental impacts, challenges, and perspectives on the research and development of advanced and intensified SWFGD processes is presented.

Modular Chitosan-Based Adsorbents for Tunable Uptake of Sulfate from Water

The context of this study responds to the need for sorbent technology development to address the controlled removal of inorganic sulfate (SO₄²⁻) from saline water and the promising potential of chitosan as a carrier system for organosulfates in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. This study aims to address the controlled removal of sulfate using chitosan as a sustainable biopolymer platform, where a modular synthetic approach was used for chitosan bead preparation that displays tunable sulfate uptake. The beads were prepared via phase-inversion synthesis, followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, and impregnation of Ca²⁺ ions. The sulfate adsorption properties of the beads were studied at pH 5 and variable sulfate levels (50–1000 ppm), where beads with low cross-linking showed moderate sulfate uptake (35 mg/g), while cross-linked beads imbibed with Ca²⁺ had greater sulfate adsorption (140 mg/g). Bead stability, adsorption properties, and the point-of-zero charge (PZC) from 6.5 to 6.8 were found to depend on the cross-linking ratio and the presence of Ca²⁺. The beads were regenerated over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles to demonstrate the favorable uptake properties and bead stability. This study contributes to the development of chitosan-based adsorbent technology via a modular materials design strategy for the controlled removal of sulfate. The results of this study are relevant to diverse pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications that range from the controlled removal of dextran sulfate from water to the controlled release of chondroitin sulfate.

Pseudocapacitive Behaviors of Polypyrrole Grafted Activated Carbon and MnO2 Electrodes to Enable Fast and Efficient Membrane-Free Capacitive Deionization

Capacitive deionization (CDI) has emerged as a promising technique for brackish water desalination. Here, composites of polypyrrole grafted activated carbon (Ppy/AC) were prepared via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole on AC particles. The Ppy/AC cathode was then coupled with a MnO₂ anode for desalination in a membrane-free CDI cell. Both the Ppy/AC and MnO₂ electrodes exhibited pseudocapacitive behaviors, which can selectively and reversibly intercalate Cl^- (Ppy/AC) and Na⁺ (MnO₂) ions. Compared to AC electrodes, the specific capacitances of Ppy/AC electrodes increased concurrently with the pyrrole ratios from 0 to 10%, while the charge transfer and ionic diffusion resistances decreased. As a result, the 10%Ppy/AC-MnO₂ cell showed a maximum salt removal capacity of 52.93 mg g^-1 (total mass of active materials) and 34.15 mg g^-1 (total mass of electrodes), which was higher than those of conventional, membrane, and hybrid CDI cells. More notably, the salt removal rate of the 10%Ppy/AC-MnO₂ cell (max 0.46 mg g^-1 s^-1 to the total mass of active materials and 0.30 mg g^-1 s^-1 to the total mass of electrodes) was nearly 1 order of magnitude higher than those in most previous CDI studies, and this fast and efficient desalination performance was stabilized over 50 cycles.

Adsorption of sulfate ion from water by zirconium oxide-modified biochar derived from pomelo peel

Zirconium oxide-modified pomelo peel biochar (ZrBC) was synthesized for the adsorption of sulfate ion from aqueous solution. Zirconyl chloride octahydrate (ZCO) was used to modify pomelo peel biochar into ZrBC. The optimal dose of ZCO for modification is 0.5 mol/L, at which ZrBC shows the highest adsorption of sulfate ion. The adsorbents were characterized by the field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface area measurement. The results confirm that the presence of zirconium oxides and hydroxide groups on the ZrBC surface, and ZrBC has a porous structure and a higher specific surface area in comparison with pomelo peel biochar. ZrBC shows good affinity for sulfate ion with a maximum sulfate adsorption capacity of 35.21 mg/g, which is much higher than that of pomelo peel biochar (1.02 mg/g). The adsorption of sulfate on ZrBC is pH dependent, and acidic conditions favor the adsorption. The adsorption can reach near-equilibrium in approximately 120 min. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm follow the pseudo second-order equation and Langmuir adsorption model, respectively. Furthermore, nitrate and fluoride anions exhibit little influence on the adsorption of sulfate by ZrBC, whereas phosphate inhibits the adsorption under the same concentration conditions. ZrBC has the potential to be used for removal of sulfate from aqueous solution.

Polypyrrole-Modified Nylon 6 Nanofibers as Adsorbent for the Extraction of Two β-Lactam Antibiotics in Water Followed by Determination with Capillary Electrophoresis

A solid phase membrane adsorbent—a nylon 6 nanofibers membrane coated by polypyrrole (PPy-PA6-NFsM)—was firstly synthesized and used for extraction of two β-lactam antibiotics (oxacillin and cloxacillin) in urban river water. Then the analytes were detected by capillary electrophoresis with a diode array detector (CE-DAD). The synthesized nanofibers membrane was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The experimental conditions were optimized, including the amount used of PPy-PA6-NFsM, pH of the sample solutions, adsorption volume, and desorption conditions. Under the optimal extraction and separation conditions, the detection limits were found to be 2.0 ng/mL for both oxacillin and cloxacillin. The proposed method was applied to the determination of the two β-lactams in water samples of an urban river. The recoveries of these two β-lactams were found to be in the range 84.2–96.4%, demonstrating that PPy-PA6-NFsM has a high extraction capability for these two antibiotics. The relative standard deviations, ranging from 2.26% to 5.29% for intraday measurements and from 2.38% to 7.02% for inter-day determinations, were derived respectively.

Thermodynamic Simulations for Determining the Recycling Path of a Spent Lead-Acid Battery Electrolyte Sample with Ca(OH)2

By utilizing thermodynamic calculations, the possible removal path of spent lead-acid battery electrolytes was modeled. The process was divided into precipitation and carbonation processes. In the carbonation process, two scenarios were discussed, namely carbonation with and without pre-filtration of the precipitates resulted from the precipitation process. The results showed that in the precipitation process, the theoretical limit for the chemical removal of SO42− was 99.15%, while in the following carbonation process without filtration, only 69.61% of SO42− was removed due to the fact that CO2 reacts with Ca2+ ion in the solution, and thus leads to the production of CaCO3 and SO42− ions in the solution. In the carbonation process without filtration, with the increase of CO2 in the solution the removal ratio of SO42− further decreases. Thermodynamic simulation was effective in predicting the theoretical removal limits and helps in understanding and optimizing the removal process.

How to tackle the stringent sulfate removal requirements in mine water treatment-A review of potential methods

Sulfate (SO₄^2-) is a ubiquitous anion in natural waters. It is not considered toxic, but it may be detrimental to freshwater species at elevated concentrations. Mining activities are one significant source of anthropogenic sulfate into natural waters, mainly due to the exposure of sulfide mineral ores to weathering. There are several strategies for mitigating sulfate release, starting from preventing sulfate formation in the first place and ending at several end-of-pipe treatment options. Currently, the most widely used sulfate-removal process is precipitation as gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O). However, the lowest reachable concentration is theoretically 1500 mg L^-1 SO₄^2- due to gypsum's solubility. At the same time, several mines worldwide have significantly more stringent sulfate discharge limits. The purpose of this review is to examine the process options to reach low sulfate levels (< 1500 mg L^-1) in mine effluents. Examples of such processes include alternative chemical precipitation methods, membrane technology, biological treatment, ion exchange, and adsorption. In addition, aqueous chemistry and current effluent standards concerning sulfate together with concentrate treatment and sulfur recovery are discussed.

Novel Composite Electrodes for Selective Removal of Sulfate by the Capacitive Deionization Process

Capacitive deionization (CDI) can remove ionic contaminants from water. However, concentrations of background ions in water are usually much higher than target contaminants, and existing CDI electrodes have no designed selectivity toward specific contaminants. In this study, we demonstrate a selective CDI process tailored for removal of SO₄^2- using activated carbon electrodes modified with a thin, quaternary amine functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) (QPVA) coating containing submicron sized sulfate selective ion exchange resin particles. The resin/QPVA coating exhibited strong selectivity for SO₄^2- at Cl^-: SO₄^2- concentration ratios up to 20:1 by enabling preferential transport of SO₄^2- through the coating, but had no negative impact on the electrosorption kinetics when the coating thickness was small. The cationic nature of the coating also significantly improved the charge efficiency and consequently the total salt adsorption capacity of the electrode by 42%. The resin/QPVA coated CDI system was stable, showing highly reproducible performance in more than 50 adsorption and desorption cycles. This work suggests that addition of selective ion exchange resins on the surface of a carbon electrode could be a generally applicable approach to achieve selective removal of target ions in a CDI process.

Removal of High-Concentration Sulfate Ions from the Sodium Alkali FGD Wastewater Using Ettringite Precipitation Method: Factor Assessment, Feasibility, and Prospect

The feasibility of removal of sulfate ions from the sodium alkali FGD wastewater using the ettringite precipitation method was evaluated. Factors affecting the removal of sulfate ions, such as NaAlO2 dosage, Ca(OH)2 dosage, solution temperature, anions (Cl−, NO3− and F−), and heavy metal ions (Mg2+ and Mn2+), were investigated, and the optimal experimental conditions for the removal of sulfate ions were determined. Experimental results indicate that the ettringite precipitation method can effectively remove SO42− with removal efficiency of more than 98%. All the investigated factors have influences on the removal of sulfate ions, and among them, the dosage of reagents, solution temperature, and fluoride ions have the strongest influence. In addition, the method can effectively synergistically remove F− and heavy metal ions with removal efficiencies of more than 90% and 99%, respectively; meanwhile, Cl− and NO3− also can be removed minimally by the method. The result of actual wastewater treatment shows that the method is feasible for treating high-concentration sulfate wastewater. The ettringite precipitation method has the potential to be a commercial application in the future.