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Li Y, Yao S, Dong X, Fan Y, Ma X, Zhu B, Chang M. Preparation of a Lignin-Based Cationic Flocculant and Its Application in Kaolin Suspension Treatment. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1131. [PMID: 38675049 PMCID: PMC11054052 DOI: 10.3390/polym16081131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The preparation of an environmentally friendly and efficient flocculant for solid-liquid separation in industrial wastewater is highly important. In this study, a novel cationic flocculant (AL-g-PAMA) was synthesized by a thermal initiation method using alkali lignin (AL) as the main chain and acrylamide (AM) and methacrylamido propyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAPTAC) as the grafted side chains. The structure, thermal stability, and surface morphology of the copolymers were investigated by various characterization methods. The results indicated the successful synthesis of AL-g-PAMA. AL-g-PAMA was applied to improve solid-liquid separation in kaolin suspensions. The results showed that AL-g-PAMA had excellent flocculation-sedimentation and dewatering efficiency. When the dosage of AL-g-PAMA #5 was 600.0 g/t(s), the thickness of the compressed layer was 2.2 cm, the floc settling velocity was 24.1 cm/min, and the transmittance of the supernatant was 84.0%. The moisture content of the filter cake decreased from 55.0% to 43.4% after treatment with AL-g-PAMA #5. The results of zeta potential and focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) analysis indicated that bridging and electroneutralization were the main flocculation mechanisms. Therefore, this study extends the potential for using lignin as a bioflocculant and provides a feasible approach to efficiently purify high-turbidity wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Suling Yao
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Xianshu Dong
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Yuping Fan
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Xiaomin Ma
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing, Beijing 100160, China
| | - Benkang Zhu
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Ming Chang
- College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
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Izaguirre N, Erdocia X, Labidi J. Exploring chemical reactions to enhance thermal and dispersion stability of kraft and organosolv lignin. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 264:130518. [PMID: 38428757 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Lignin has been overlooked and used as a waste for long due to its complex and partially hydrophobic structure. Many efforts have been carried out to overcome these deficiencies and apply it as a high-value product, which are insufficient to reach the full potential of lignin in various advanced applications, since they require with procedures for the obtaining of more specific and fine-tuned chemical structures. This work focuses on the obtaining of differently structured hydrophilic lignins derived both from Kraft and organosolv isolation processes. The chemical structures of the different lignin types were studied, and the effect of the structural differences in the modification processes and their subsequent properties analyzed, valorizing their potential application for diverse purposes. The carboxymethylation and sulfomethylation reactions were carried out with the aim of enhancing the polarity of the lignin samples, while the methylation reaction aimed to obtain lignins with higher stability. The physicochemical analyses of the samples, carried out by FTIR, GPC, 31P NMR, 13C NMR, and HSQC NMR, verified the effectiveness of the chemical reactions and conditions selected, obtaining lignins with lower hydroxyl content, due to their substitution and insertion of carboxymetyl, sulfomethyl and methyl groups, therefore obtaining more condensed, aromatic and oxygenated aromatic carbon structures. While the methylation reaction was the most efficient in substituting the OH groups, due to its non-selectivity, OL showed higher modification yields than KL. In terms of the thermal and morphological properties, analyzed by DLS and TGA respectively, it was observed that the modified samples showed lower Z potential values, along with higher conductivity, being the sulfomethylated organosolv lignin the one showing the best results, which was also the one with the smallest particle size and polydispersity index. Finally, all the modified samples showed higher T50% values, suggesting a better stability towards degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagore Izaguirre
- Biorefinery Processes Research Group, Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty of Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia, Spain
| | - Xabier Erdocia
- Biorefinery Processes Research Group, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Rafael Moreno "Pichichi" 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Jalel Labidi
- Biorefinery Processes Research Group, Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, Engineering Faculty of Gipuzkoa, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Plaza Europa 1, 20018 Donostia, Spain.
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Wang Y, Wang Q, Sabaghi S, Kaboli A, Soltani F, Kang K, Kongvarhodom C, Fatehi P. Dual lignin-derived polymeric system for peptone removal from simulated wastewater. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 343:123142. [PMID: 38142806 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123142] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
The long-term existence of peptone can breed a large number of bacteria and cause the eutrophication of municipal wastewater. Thus, removing peptone in the wastewater is a major challenge facing the current industry. This study used cationic and anionic lignin polymers, i.e., kraft lignin-[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium methyl sulfate (cationic lignin polymer, CLP) and kraft lignin-acrylic acid (anionic lignin polymer, ALP), as flocculants to eliminate peptone from model wastewater in the single and dual component systems. The affinity of peptone for ALP or CLP was assessed by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle, and vertical scan analyzer. Results illustrated that the adsorption effect of CLP for peptone was significantly superior to that of ALP owing to the stronger vital interaction between cationic polymer and peptone molecules. Based on destabilization and sedimentation analyses, introducing CLP triggered the preliminary flocculation of peptone via bridging action, as indicated by a considerable increment in the destabilization index (from 1.1 to 10.6). Moreover, peptone adsorbed more on the CLP coated surface than on the ALP coated one (14.8 vs 5.4 mg/m2), while ALP facilitated its further adsorption in the dual polymer system. This is because CLP adsorbed a part of peptone molecules on its surface. Then, ALP entrapped the unattached peptone onto the CLP coated surface through electrostatic interaction. Compared with the single polymer system, mixing ALP and CLP subsequently into the peptone solution in the dual system generated larger size aggregates (mean diameter of 6.1 μm) and made the system destabilization (Turbiscan stability index up to 58.1), thereby yielding more flocculation and sedimentation. Finally, peptone was removed successfully from simulated wastewater with a turbidity removal efficiency of 92.5%. These findings confirmed that the dual-component system containing two lignin-derived polymers with opposite charges could be viable for treating peptone wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingchao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, Shandong, 250353, China; Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Qiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, Shandong, 250353, China
| | - Sanaz Sabaghi
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Afrouz Kaboli
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Farshid Soltani
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Kang Kang
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Chutima Kongvarhodom
- Chemical Engineering Department, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand
| | - Pedram Fatehi
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
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Sun D, Zeng J, Yang D, Qiu X, Liu W. Full biomass-based multifunctional flocculant from lignin and cationic starch. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127287. [PMID: 37806418 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Flocculation is a common process for wastewater treatment. However, the most commonly used organic synthetic flocculants such as polyacrylamide are petroleum-based. In this work, biomass lignin was grafted with cationic starch to synthesize low-cost, green and fully biomass-based multifunctional flocculants. The cationic polyacrylamide was replaced by cheap industrial cationic starch. Hyperbranched multifunctional lignin-grafted cationic starch flocculant (CS-L) was successfully prepared via ring-opening reaction with epichlorohydrin. The mass content of lignin in the grafted product was between 16.6 % and 70.1 %. With the dosage of CS-L between 4.0 and 7.5 mg/l, the turbidity removal rate for 500 mg/l kaolin suspension reached more than 97 %. When the dosage of CS-L was 24 mg/l, the removal rate of 50 mg/l Cu2+ reached 85.7 %. Importantly, when the mixed solution of kaolin particles and Cu2+ was treated, the synchronous removal rates of kaolin and Cu2+ reached 90 % and 72 % respectively in the range of 8.0-12.0 mg/l flocculant addition. The synthesized lignin-grafted cationic starch flocculant showed an excellent multifunctional flocculation function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danting Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China
| | - Jia Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China
| | - Dongjie Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China
| | - Xueqing Qiu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Weifeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Green Chemical Product Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510640, China.
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Wang S, Chen H. Enhanced dewaterability of sewage sludge by grafted cationic lignin-based flocculants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166958. [PMID: 37696410 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Lignin-based flocculants are widely used for wastewater purification, but their application in sludge dewatering has not yet been documented. In this study, a novel cationic lignin-based flocculant named LS-g-CPA was prepared by grafting cationic polyacrylamide (CPA) synthesized from methacryloyloxy ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) and acrylamide (AM) onto sodium lignosulfonate (LS), and its roles and underlying mechanisms in sludge conditioning were investigated. The results showed that LS-g-CPA effectively improved the dewaterability of sludge, reducing the filtration resistance and filter cake moisture content of sludge from 0.61 ± 0.05 × 1012 m/kg to 0.14 ± 0.02 × 1012 m/kg and 85.64 ± 0.25 % to 76.84 ± 0.41 %, respectively. The dewatering performance of LS-g-CPA was positively correlated with the DMC/AM ratio. The quaternary ammonium groups brought by DMC disrupted the reticular structure of extracellular polymeric substances, exposing hydrophobic residues and releasing bound water. Nevertheless, the key to LS-g-CPA for improving sludge dewatering lies more in the amphoteric flocculant properties that enhance sludge flocculation and the octopus-type structure that provides good drainage channels. This study reveals that lignin-based flocculants are effective in improving the dewaterability of sludge, which provides direct evidence for their application in sludge dewatering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqin Wang
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
| | - Hongbo Chen
- College of Environment and Resources, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China.
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Wu W, Zhao Y, Qi J, Li C, Fang J, Xu B, Lyu G, Li G, Li H. An amphiphilic flocculant with a lignin core for efficient separation of suspended solids. Sep Purif Technol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2023.123640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
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Liang H, Shan S, Li X, Li D, Huang Y. Preparation of cationic aggregates derived from sewage sludge for efficient capture of organic matter. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 333:138909. [PMID: 37187370 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Capturing the abundant organic matter residing in wastewater can not only reduce the emission of CO2 from the source, but the enriched organics can also be used for anaerobic fermentation to generate and offset energy consumption in wastewater treatment processes. The key is to find or develop low-cost materials that can capture organic matter. Herein, sewage sludge-derived cationic aggregates (SBC-g-DMC) were successfully prepared via a hydrothermal carbonization process coupled with a graft copolymerization reaction for recovering organic matter from wastewater. Based upon preliminary screening of synthesized SBC-g-DMC aggregates regarding grafting rate, cationic degree, and flocculation performance, SBC-g-DMC2.5 aggregate prepared with 60 mg of initiator, DMC-to-SBC mass ratio of 2.5:1, 70 °C, and 2 h of reaction time was selected for further characterization and evaluation. Results showed that SBC-g-DMC2.5 aggregate has a positively-charged surface over a wide pH range of 3-11 and a hierarchical micro-/nano-structure, endowing it with an excellent organic matter capture efficiency (97.2% of pCOD, 68.8% of cCOD, and 71.2% of tCOD). Meanwhile, SBC-g-DMC2.5 exhibits inappreciable trapping ability for the dissolved COD, NH3-N, and PO43-, guaranteeing the regular running of subsequent biological treatment units. Electronic neutralization, adsorption bridging, and sweep coagulation between cationic aggregates surface and organic matter were identified as the primary mechanisms for SBC-g-DMC2.5 to capture organics. This development is expected to provide a theoretical reference for sewage sludge disposal, carbon reduction, and energy recovery during municipal wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Sujie Shan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Xueying Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Dapeng Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China.
| | - Yong Huang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
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Salaghi A, Diaz-Baca JA, Fatehi P. Enhanced flocculation of aluminum oxide particles by lignin-based flocculants in dual polymer systems. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 328:116999. [PMID: 36516704 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Lignin is an abundant phenolic polymer produced vastly in pulping processes that could be further valorized. In this work, anionic (AKLs) and cationic (CKLs) lignin-based polymers were made by polymerizing kraft lignin (KL) with acrylic acid (AA) or [2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethyl-ammonium chloride (METAC), respectively. In the polymerization reactions, various molar ratios of AA or METAC to KL were applied to produce AKLs and CKLs with different characteristics. The produced AKLs and CKLs were used in single and dual systems to flocculate aluminum oxide in suspension. To assess the interaction of these lignin-based polymers with the aluminum oxide particles; the zeta potential, adsorption, and flocculation of the colloidal systems were evaluated comprehensively. The flocculation performance of the lignin-derived polymers was compared with that of the homopolymers of AA and METAC (PAA and PMETAC) and commercially used flocculants. In single polymer systems, among the anionic synthesized polymers and homopolymers, KL-A4 (an AKL) was the best flocculant for the aluminum oxide suspensions owing to its largest molecular weight (330 × 103 g/mol) and highest charge density (-4.2 mmol/g). Remarkably, when KL-A4 and KL-C4 (the CKL with the highest molecular weight and charge density) were used subsequently in a dual polymer system, a larger adsorbed mass and a more viscous adlayer were formed than those of single polymer systems on the surface of aluminum oxide particles. The synergy between KL-A4 and KL-C4 was even stronger than that between homopolymers, which led to more significant adsorption on the aluminum oxide surface and, consequently, more efficient flocculation, producing larger (22 μm) and stronger flocs, regardless of the agitation intensity used in the systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayyoub Salaghi
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Jonathan A Diaz-Baca
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| | - Pedram Fatehi
- Green Processes Research Centre and Chemical Engineering Department, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
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