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Ali J, Wang X, Shang E, Wang Y, Zhao J, Gao B, Xia X, Li Y. Promotion effect of ultraviolet light on graphene oxide aggregation in the presence of different climatic zone's humic and fulvic acid. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120261. [PMID: 37399691 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Aggregation of graphene oxide (GO) is significantly affected by dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural waters, while DOM's climate zone and light irradiation is seldom considered. This study investigated the effect of humic/fulvic acid (HA/FA) from various climate zones of China on aggregation of small (200 nm) and large (500 nm) GO under 120-h UV irradiation. GO aggregation was promoted by HA/FA because UV irradiation decreased hydrophilicity of GO and steric forces among particles. GO generated electron and hole pair under UV irradiation, which reduce GO with more hydrophilic oxygen-containing functional group (C-O) to rGO with high hydrophobicity and oxidize DOM into organic matter with smaller molecular weight. Most severe GO aggregation was observed with Makou HA from Subtropical Monsoon climate zone and Maqin FA from Plateau and Mountain climate zone, which was primarily because HA/FA's high molecular weight and aromaticity dispersed GO initially that facilitated UV penetration. GO aggregation ratio was positively correlated with graphitic fraction content (R2 = 0.82-0.99) and negatively correlated with C-O group content (R2 = 0.61-0.98) in the presence of DOM under UV irradiation. This work highlights different dispersity of GO during photochemical reactions in various climate zones, providing new insight into the environmental implications of nanomaterial release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jawad Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Xinjie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Enxiang Shang
- College of Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Huanghua, Hebei 061100, PR China
| | - Yining Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Jian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Bowen Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Xinghui Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China
| | - Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
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Zhu J, Duo J, Zhang Z, Pei L, Li W, Wufuer R. Spectral Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter in Farmland Soils around Urumqi, China. TOXICS 2023; 11:376. [PMID: 37112603 PMCID: PMC10145649 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11040376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the most sensitive indicators of changes in the soil environment, and it is the most mobile and active soil component that serves as an easily available source of nutrients and energy for microbes and other living organisms. In this paper, DOM structural characteristics and main properties were investigated by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM) and UV-visible spectrum technology in the farmland soils around Urumqi of China, and its possible sources and pathways were analyzed by spectroscopic indices. The results showed that humic-like substances were the main composition of the soil DOM, and its autogenesis characteristics were not obvious. Main DOM properties such as aromatability, hydrophobicity, molecular weight, molecular size, and humification degree in the southern region of Urumqi were higher than those of the northern region of Urumqi and Fukang in China, and higher on the upper layers of the soil (0-0.1 and 0.2 m) than in the deeper layer (0.2-0.3 m).This may be because the tilled layer is more subjected to fertilization and conducive to microbial activities. The spectroscopic analysis showed that the source of DOM of these regions is mainly from microbial metabolites. These results provide basic scientific data for the further research on the environmental chemical behavior of pollutants and pollution control in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Zhu
- Geological Environment Monitoring Institute of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830091, China
| | - Jia Duo
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Bioremediation, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- National Engineering Technology Research Center for Desert-Oasis Ecological Construction, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Zizhao Zhang
- School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Liang Pei
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Bioremediation, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- National Engineering Technology Research Center for Desert-Oasis Ecological Construction, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Wenfeng Li
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Bioremediation, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- National Engineering Technology Research Center for Desert-Oasis Ecological Construction, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Rehemanjiang Wufuer
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Bioremediation, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- National Engineering Technology Research Center for Desert-Oasis Ecological Construction, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
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Jain M, Khan SA, Pandey A, Pant KK, Ziora ZM, Blaskovich MAT. Instructive analysis of engineered carbon materials for potential application in water and wastewater treatment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148583. [PMID: 34328999 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Water remediation is an essential component for sustainable development. Increasing population and rapid industrialization have contributed to the deterioration of water resources. In particular, effluents from chemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum industries, and anthropogenic activities have led to severe ecological degradation. Many of these detrimental pollutants are highly toxic even at low concentrations, acting as carcinogens and inflicting severe long-lasting effects on human health. This review underscores the potential applications of engineered carbon-based materials for effective wastewater treatment. It focuses on the performance as well as efficiency of activated carbon, graphene nanomaterial, and carbon nanotubes, both with and without chemical functionalization. Plausible mechanisms of action between the chemically functionalized adsorbent and pollutants are also discussed. Based on the keywords from the literature published in the recent five years, a statistical practicality-vs-applicability analysis of these three materials is also provided. The review will provide a deep understanding of the physical or chemical interactions of the wastewater pollutants with carbon materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marut Jain
- The University of Queensland - Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Academy of Research (UQIDAR), India
| | - Sadaf Aiman Khan
- The University of Queensland - Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Academy of Research (UQIDAR), India
| | - Ashish Pandey
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
| | - Kamal Kishore Pant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India.
| | - Zyta Maria Ziora
- Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mark A T Blaskovich
- Centre for Superbug Solutions, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Dettmann LF, Kühn O, Ahmed AA. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of nanoplastics interacting with a hydrophobic environment in aqueous solution. RSC Adv 2021; 11:27734-27744. [PMID: 35480645 PMCID: PMC9037801 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra04439g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging threats for marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but little is known about their fate in the environment at the molecular scale. In this work, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate nature and strength of the interaction between NPs and hydrophobic environments. Specifically, NPs were simulated with different hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers while carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used to mimic surface and confinement effects of hydrophobic building blocks occurring in a soil environment. The hydrophobicity of CNTs was modified by introducing different hydrophobic and hydrophilic functional groups at their inner surfaces. The results show that hydrophobic polymers have a strong affinity to adsorb at the outer surface and to be captured inside the CNT. The accumulation within the CNT is even increased in presence of hydrophobic functional groups. This contribution is a first step towards a mechanistic understanding of a variety of processes connected to interaction of nanoscale material with environmental systems. Regarding the fate of NPs in soil, the results point to the critical role of the hydrophobicity of NPs and soil organic matter (SOM) as well as of the chemical nature of functionalized SOM cavities/voids in controlling the accumulation of NPs in soil. Moreover, the results can be related to water treatment technologies as it is shown that the hydrophobicity of CNTs and functionalization of their surfaces may play a crucial role in enhancing the adsorption capacity of CNTs with respect to organic compounds and thus their removal efficiency from wastewater. The binding mechanisms of nanoplastics (NPs) to carbon nanotubes as hydrophobic environmental systems have been explored by coarse-grained MD simulations. The results could be closely connected to fate of NPs in soil and water treatment technologies.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz F Dettmann
- University of Rostock, Institute of Physics Albert-Einstein-Str. 23-24 D-18059 Rostock Germany
| | - Oliver Kühn
- University of Rostock, Institute of Physics Albert-Einstein-Str. 23-24 D-18059 Rostock Germany .,University of Rostock, Department of Life, Light and Matter (LLM) Albert-Einstein-Str. 25 D-18059 Rostock Germany
| | - Ashour A Ahmed
- University of Rostock, Institute of Physics Albert-Einstein-Str. 23-24 D-18059 Rostock Germany .,University of Rostock, Department of Life, Light and Matter (LLM) Albert-Einstein-Str. 25 D-18059 Rostock Germany
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Nguyen MN, Hérvas-Martínez R, Schäfer AI. Organic matter interference with steroid hormone removal by single-walled carbon nanotubes - ultrafiltration composite membrane. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 199:117148. [PMID: 33979740 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Composite adsorbent-ultrafiltration membranes for micropollutant removal are an interesting concept, although water matrix compounds, such as organic matter (OM), may interfere with micropollutant adsorption. To prevent this interference, the adsorbents such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be deposited on the permeate side of an ultrafiltration membrane (UF) that can retain OM. In this study, the 'shielding' effect by different UF MWCOs of such an SWCNT-UF composite was evaluated for nine different types of OM. All nine OM types competed with 17β-estradiol (E2) for adsorption to varying extents, and tannic acid (TA, 1.7 kDa) reduced E2 adsorption by SWCNT-UF most drastically. TA interference mechanisms included direct competition with hormones for adsorption sites, and indirect competition via TA-hormone interactions. TA was not fully retained by the composite membrane with an MWCO range of 3-100 kDa, resulting in ineffective shielding. In contrast, humic acid was mostly retained by the composite with low MWCO of 3-10 kDa and allowed high E2 adsorption. This study demonstrates that tailoring composite membranes by carefully choosing UF MWCO can prevent interference of OM types in micropollutant adsorption by permeate-side adsorbents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Nhat Nguyen
- Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Rubén Hérvas-Martínez
- Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Andrea Iris Schäfer
- Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
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Shi L, Zhang D, Zhao J, Yin M, Liang A, Ghosh S. Small organic molecules act as a trigger in an "unzippering" mechanism to facilitate carbon nanotube dispersion. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143620. [PMID: 33213919 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In binary dispersing agents system, the contribution and roles of different sized molecules to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersion remain unclear, which hinders the understanding of the environmental behaviour and risks of CNTs. This study compared the dispersion of CNTs by m-nitrobenzoic acid (NBA), trans-cinnamic acid (TCA), tannic acid (TA), and their mixtures. The dispersion efficiency of CNTs significantly reduced with the increased solid-phase concentration (Qe) of TA due to the adsorption of TA on newly exposed CNTs surfaces. However, the CNTs dispersion efficiency by NBA or TCA was independent of Qe because the dispersed CNTs surface was completely occupied by NBA or TCA without new exposed sites available for subsequent adsorption. The mixture of NBA or TCA with TA significantly enhanced the dispersion efficiency of CNTs, indicating a synergistic effect of CNTs dispersion. The addition of NBA or TCA decreased the hydrodynamic diameter of CNTs dispersed by TA, which indicated that NBA or TCA facilitated TA wedging into CNTs bundles for more complete separation of CNTs. This study highlighted the triggering effect of small molecules in the "unzippering" mechanism for improving the dispersing efficiency of CNTs by large molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Shi
- Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Di Zhang
- Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China.
| | - Jinfeng Zhao
- Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Mengnan Yin
- Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Aiping Liang
- School of Environmental & Material Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Saikat Ghosh
- Yunnan Key Lab of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming 650500, China
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Castan S, Sigmund G, Hüffer T, Tepe N, von der Kammer F, Chefetz B, Hofmann T. The importance of aromaticity to describe the interactions of organic matter with carbonaceous materials depends on molecular weight and sorbent geometry. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2020; 22:1888-1897. [PMID: 32803213 DOI: 10.1039/d0em00267d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in aquatic environments where it interacts with a variety of particles including carbonaceous materials (CMs). The complexity of both DOM and the CMs makes DOM-CM interactions difficult to predict. In this study we have identified the preferential sorption of specific DOM fractions as being dependent on their aromaticity and molecular weight, as well as on the surface properties of the CMs. This was achieved by conducting sorption batch experiments with three types of DOM (humic acid, Suwannee River natural organic matter, and a compost extract) and three types of CMs (graphite, carbon nanotubes, and biochar) with different geometries and surface complexities. The non-adsorbed DOM fraction was analyzed by size exclusion chromatography and preferentially sorbed molecular weight fractions were analyzed by UV/vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. All three sorbent types were found to preferentially sorb aromatic DOM fractions, but DOM fractionation depended on the particular combination of sorbent and sorbate characteristics. Single-walled carbon nanotubes only sorbed the smaller molecular weight fractions (<1 kDa). The sorption of smaller DOM fractions was not accompanied by a preference for less aromatic compounds, contrary to what was suggested in previous studies. While graphite preferentially sorbed the most aromatic DOM fraction (1-3 kDa), the structural heterogeneity of biochar resulted in reduced selectivity, sorbing all DOM > 1 kDa. The results explain the lack of correlation found in previous studies between the amount of aromatic carbon in a bulk DOM and its sorption coefficient. DOM sorption by CMs was generally controlled by DOM aromaticity but complex sorbent surfaces with high porosity, curvatures and functional groups strongly reduced the importance of aromaticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Castan
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Gabriel Sigmund
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Thorsten Hüffer
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Nathalie Tepe
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Frank von der Kammer
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
| | - Benny Chefetz
- Department of Soil and Water Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Thilo Hofmann
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraße, 1090 Wien, Austria.
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Extraction of Ibuprofen from Natural Waters Using a Covalent Organic Framework. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25143132. [PMID: 32650603 PMCID: PMC7397005 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ibuprofen is one of the most widely used pharmaceuticals, and due to its inefficient removal by conventional wastewater treatment, it can be found in natural surface waters at high concentrations. Recently, we demonstrated that the TpBD-(CF3)2 covalent organic framework (COF) can adsorb ibuprofen from ultrapure water with high efficiency. Here, we investigate the performance of the COF for the extraction of ibuprofen from natural water samples from a lake, river, and estuary. In general, the complexity of the natural water matrix induced a reduction in the adsorption efficiency of ibuprofen as compared to ultrapure water. The best performance, with over 70% adsorption efficiency, was found in lake water, the sample which featured the lowest pH. According to the theoretical calculations, ibuprofen more favorably interacts with the COF pores in the protonated form, which could partially account for the enhanced adsorption efficiency found in lake water. In addition, we explored the effect of the presence of competing pharmaceuticals, namely, acetaminophen and phenobarbital, on the ibuprofen adsorption as binary mixtures. Acetaminophen and phenobarbital were adsorbed by TpBD-(CF3)2 with low efficiency and their presence led to an increase in ibuprofen adsorption in the binary mixtures. Overall, this study demonstrates that TpBD-(CF3)2 is an efficient adsorbent for the extraction of ibuprofen from natural waters as well.
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