Design of a selective regenerable cellulose microcolumn for selenium efficient recovery and economic determination

Speciation analysis of inorganic selenium in wastewater using a highly selective cellulose-based adsorbent via liquid electrode plasma optical emission spectrometry

Speciation of selenium (Se) is typically carried out using a sophisticated technique such as ICP-MS after preconcentration using an adsorbent; however, the separation and preconcentration of inorganic Se has not been realized in the solutions containing high concentrations of SO₄^2-. A dithiocarbamate-modified cellulose (DMC) was used in this study for the selective extraction and preconcentration of inorganic Se in wastewater, with a portable liquid electrode plasma-optical emission spectrometry (LEP-OES) being employed for quantification. DMC was found to selectively and quantitatively adsorb selenite (Se^IV) over a wide range of pH (1.0-8.0); however, less than 3.0% of selenate (Se^VI) was adsorbed in a pH range of 3.0-11. Quantitative extraction of Se^IV was achieved even in the presence of 3.5 mol L^-1 SO₄^2-. The maximum sample volume from which 10 mg of DMC could quantitatively extract Se^IV was found to be 500 mL. KOH (0.60 mL, 1.5 mol L^-1) was found to quantitatively desorb Se^IV retained on the adsorbent and yielded an enrichment factor of 833. The recovery of Se species from synthetic flue-gas desulfurization wastewater containing Se^IV and Se^VI at concentrations of 5.0 µmol L^-1 was 96.2 ± 1.8% and 105.8 ± 1.8%, respectively.

Materials interacting with inorganic selenium from the perspective of electrochemical sensing

Inorganic selenium, the most common form of harmful selenium in the environment, can be determined using electrochemical sensors, which are compact, fast, reliable and easy-to-operate devices. Despite progress in this area, there is still significant room for developing high-performance selenium electrochemical sensors. To achieve this, one should take into account (i) the electrochemical process that selenium undergoes on the electrode; (ii) the valence state of selenium species in the sample and (iii) modification of the sensor surface by a material with high affinity to selenium. The goal of this review is to provide a knowledge base for these issues. After the Introduction section, mechanisms and principles of the electrochemical reduction of selenium are introduced, followed by a section introducing the modification of electrodes with materials interacting with selenium and a section dedicated to speciation methods, including the reduction of non-detectable Se(VI) to detectable Se(IV). In the following sections, the main types of materials (metallic, polymers, hybrid (nano)materials…) interacting with inorganic selenium (mostly absorbents) are reviewed to show the diversity of properties that may be endowed to sensors if the materials were to be used for the modification of electrodes. These features for the main material categories are outlined in the conclusion section, where it is stated that the engineered polymers may be the most promising modifiers.

Cellulose mini-membranes modified with TiO2 for separation, determination, and speciation of arsenates and selenites

Sorptive and selective mini-membranes based on TiO₂ directly synthesized onto cellulose filters (TiO₂@cellulose) have been developed. The in situ synthesis of TiO₂@cellulose applied is simple and economically advantageous. The obtained membranes can be useful for (1) separating arsenic(V) and selenium(IV) from other ions and organic matter, (2) speciation of arsenic and selenium, and (3) determining ulratraces of these ions in water samples. The membranes exhibit good stability and high maximum adsorption capacities for Se(IV) (71 mg g⁻¹) and As(V) (41 mg g⁻¹). A monolayer chemical adsorption of analytes on the membranes was confirmed. The structure of membranes was examined with scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffractometry, and micro energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-EDXRF). The membranes were characterized by homogenous distribution of TiO₂ onto cellulose. The TiO₂@cellulose was used as a new sorbent in micro-solid phase extraction for determination of Se(IV) and As(V) by EDXRF. Using direct analysis of mini-membranes after sorption of analytes avoids the elution step. Thus, the proposed procedure is an attractive and solvent-free option for quantitative monitoring of Se(IV) and As(V) in different materials. Both analytes were quantitatively and simultaneously separated/determined from samples at pH 2 with very good recovery (close to 100%), precision (4.5%), and detection limits (0.4 ng mL⁻¹ Se and 0.25 ng mL⁻¹ As). TiO₂@cellulose membranes were applied to water analysis.

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The neuroprotective and antioxidant profiles of selenium-containing polysaccharides from the fruit of Rosa laevigata

A rapid and effective approach for the extraction and separation of polysaccharides from the title fruit was developed using microwave-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction with a PEG/ammonium sulfate system.

Enhanced Adsorption of Selenium Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Iron Oxide Impregnated Carbon Nanotubes

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential of raw and iron oxide impregnated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as adsorbents for the removal of selenium (Se) ions from wastewater. The original and modified CNTs with different loadings of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area analyzer, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The adsorption parameters of the selenium ions from water using raw CNTs and iron oxide impregnated carbon nanotubes (CNT-Fe₂O₃) were optimized. Total removal of 1 ppm Se ions from water was achieved when 25 mg of CNTs impregnated with 20 wt.% of iron oxide nanoparticles is used. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to study the nature of the adsorption process. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order models were employed to study the kinetics of selenium ions adsorption onto the surface of iron oxide impregnated CNTs. Maximum adsorption capacity of the Fe₂O₃ impregnated CNTs, predicted by Langmuir isotherm model, was found to be 111 mg/g. This new finding might revolutionize the adsorption treatment process and application by introducing a new type of nanoadsorbent that has super adsorption capacity towards Se ions.