The sorption behavior of a nickel-insolubilized humic acid system in a column arrangement

Fabrication, Microstructure and Colloidal Stability of Humic Acids Loaded Fe3O4/APTES Nanosorbents for Environmental Applications

Nowadays, numerous researches are being performed to formulate nontoxic multifunctional magnetic materials possessing both high colloidal stability and magnetization, but there is a demand in the prediction of chemical and colloidal stability in water solutions. Herein, a series of silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) has been synthesized via the sol-gel method with and without establishing an inert atmosphere, and then it was tested in terms of humic acids (HA) loading applied as a multifunctional coating agent. The influence of ambient conditions on the microstructure, colloidal stability and HA loading of different silica-coated MNPs has been established. The XRD patterns show that the content of stoichiometric Fe₃O₄ decreases from 78.8% to 42.4% at inert and ambient atmosphere synthesis, respectively. The most striking observation was the shift of the MNPs isoelectric point from pH ~7 to 3, with an increasing HA reaching up to the reversal of the zeta potential sign as it was covered completely by HA molecules. The zeta potential data of MNPs can be used to predict the loading capacity for HA polyanions. The data help to understand the way for materials’ development with the complexation ability of humic acids and with the insolubility of silica gel to pave the way to develop a novel, efficient and magnetically separable adsorbent for contaminant removal.

Simultaneous Preconcentration and Spectrophotometric Determination of Two Colorants (E110 and E133) in Some Foodstuffs Using a New Mussel-Inspired Adsorbent

BACKGROUND

A naturally occurring material, namely sporopollenin (SP), was subjected to an easy physical surface modification process called a polydopamine coating. The treatment changed the acid-base properties of the surface, so that in the new form the SP surface gained a very attractive character for anionic dyes.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to develop preconcentration and subsequent spectrophotometric determination methods for two anionic colorants, brilliant blue (BB) and sunset yellow (SY), using polydopamine-coated (PDC) SP.

METHOD

The experiments were carried out in a column system, and the effects of experimental parameters were studied to determine optimal conditions for the quantitative, simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of the dyes.

RESULTS

The dyes could be detected at µg/L levels in their binary mixtures, so the detection limits were found to be 1.5 and 4.3 µg/L in the linear dynamic ranges of 0.0-3.5 and 0-8 µg/mL for BB and SY, respectively. The proposed material and procedure led to quantitative recoveries of between 95 and 100% for the dyes.

CONCLUSIONS

The procedure was applied to real food samples containing BB and SY and both dyes were successfully determined in liquid and solid foodstuffs. The mussel-inspired surface modification is proposed as a useful process to modify the surface of SP.

HIGHLIGHTS

The mussel-inspired polydopamine dip-coating method was adopted to modify the surface of SP for the first time. The PDCSP was successfully used to create a new adsorptive preconcentration method for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of BB and SY in foodstuffs.

Preparation and characterization of humic acid-carbon hybrid materials as adsorbents for organic micro-pollutants

The present work involves the preparation of novel adsorbent materials by the insolubilization and hybridization of humic acid (HA) with carbon. The prepared materials were characterized by N2 adsorption, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, solid-state (13)C cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry on wetted samples. The water solubility of these materials and the lack of effect of oxidants were also confirmed. With this background, the adsorption capacities toward phenol, 2,4,6-tricholrophenol, and atrazine were evaluated, using these as model compounds for organic micropollutants of concern in water. Experimental results show that the prepared materials are mesoporous and have a higher surface area than humic acid and even than the porous carbon in the case of carbon coating. They retain the basic features of the starting materials with lowered functional group content. Moreover, there are interesting new features. NMR relaxometry shows that equilibration of water uptake is very fast, making use in water simple. They have higher adsorption capacities than the pure materials, and they can be applied under a wide range of environmental conditions.

Adsorption of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) by insolubilized humic acid from Ajloun soil - Jordan

Humic acid from Ajloun soil has been extracted and insolubilized. The insolubilized humic acid (NaIHA) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Adsorption of U(VI) and Th(IV) by NaIHA was studied using batch technique at different temperatures (25.0, 35.0 and 45.0 °C) and at different pH values (1.00, 2.00 and 3.00). It was found that NaIHA has higher uptake for Th(IV) than U(VI), and that the metal ion uptake by NaIHA increased with pH and reached a maximum at pH = 3. The kinetic studies were done, and showed that the equilibrium time for each metal ion occurs at 6 h to achieve maximum uptake level. Adsorption data were evaluated according to the Pseudo second-order reaction kinetic. The metal ions uptake properties by the NaIHA fit Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherms. Thermodynamic functions, ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS° were determined for each metal ion. The positive values of ΔG° indicate that adsorption process is not highly favorable, while ΔH° values indicated that this process is endothermic. On the other hand, the process has positive entropy which means that the adsorption process increases the disorder of the system and it is entropy driven. Column experiments were used for the determination of metal ion loading capacity and desorption studies. The uptake capacities in column technique of U(VI) and Th(IV) ions are 2.63 and 4.85 mg metal ion/g NaIHA respectively. Recovery of U(VI) and Th(IV) ions was carried out by treatment of loaded insolubilized humic acid with 0.1 M and 1.0 M HNO3, the best recovery for U(VI) and Th(IV) ions were obtained when 1.0 M HNO3 was used.

Novel humic acid-bonded magnetite nanoparticles for protein immobilization

The present paper is the first report that introduces (i) a useful methodology for chemical immobilization of humic acid (HA) to aminopropyltriethoxysilane-functionalized magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles (APS-MNPs) and (ii) human serum albumin (HSA) binding to the obtained material (HA-APS-MNPs). The newly prepared magnetite nanoparticle was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. Results indicated that surface modification of the bare magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) and HA was successfully performed. The protein binding studies that were evaluated in batch mode exhibited that HA-APS-MNPs could be efficiently used as a substrate for the binding of HSA from aqueous solutions. Usually, recovery values higher than 90% were found to be feasible by HA-APS-MNPs, while that value was around 2% and 70% in the cases of MNPs and APS-MNPs, respectively. Hence, the capacity of MNPs was found to be significantly improved by immobilization of HA. Furthermore, thermal degradation of HA-APS-MNPs and HSA bonded HA-APS-MNPs was evaluated in terms of the Horowitz-Metzger equation in order to determine kinetic parameters for thermal decomposition. Activation energies calculated for HA-APS-MNPs (20.74 kJmol(-1)) and HSA bonded HA-APS-MNPs (33.42 kJmol(-1)) implied chemical immobilization of HA to APS-MNPs, and tight interactions between HA and HA-APS-MNPs.

Compost and crude humic substances produced from selected wastes and their effects on Zea mays L. nutrient uptake and growth

Production of agriculture and timber commodities leads generation of enormous quantity of wastes. Improper disposal of these agroindustrial wastes pollutes the environment. This problem could be reduced by adding value to them. Therefore, a study was carried out to analyse and compare the nutrients content of RS, RH, SD, and EFB of composts and crude humic substances; furthermore, their effect on growth, dry matter production, and nutrient uptake for Zea mays L., and selected soil chemical properties were evaluated. Standard procedures were used to analyze humic acids (HA), crude fulvic acids (CFA), crude humin (CH), soil, dry matter production and nutrient uptake. Sawdust and RS compost matured at 42 and 47 days, respectively, while RH and EFB composts were less matured at 49th day of composting. Rice straw compost had higher ash, N, P, CEC, HA, K, and Fe contents with lower organic matter, total organic carbon, and C/N and C/P ratios. The HA of sawdust compost showed higher carbon, carboxylic, K, and Ca contents compared to those of RS, RH, and EFB. Crude FA of RS compost showed highest pH, total K, Ca, Mg, and Na contents. Crude humin from RS compost had higher contents of ash, N, P, and CEC. Rice straw was superior in compost, CFA, and CH, while sawdust compost was superior in HA. Application of sawdust compost significantly increased maize plants' diameter, height, dry matter production, N, P, and cations uptake. It also reduced N, P, and K based chemical fertilizer use by 90%. Application of CH and the composts evaluated in this study could be used as an alternative for chemical fertilizers in maize cultivation.

Separation of low concentration of cesium ion from wastewater by electrochemically switched ion exchange method: experimental adsorption kinetics analysis

A series of experiments were performed to evaluate the continuous separation of cesium based on an electrochemically switched ion exchange (ESIX) process using a diaphragm-isolated reactor with two identical nickel hexacyanoferrate/porous three-dimensional carbon felt (NiHCF/PTCF) electrodes as working electrodes. The effects of applied potential, initial concentrations and pH values of the simulation solutions on the adsorption of cesium ion were investigated. The adsorption rate of cesium ion in the ESIX process was fitted by a pseudo-first-order reaction model. The experiments revealed that the introduction of applied potential on the electrodes greatly enhanced the adsorption/desorption rate of Cs(+) and increased the separation efficiency. H(3)O(+) was found to play a dual role of electrolyte and competitor, and the adsorption rate constant showed a curve diversification with an increase in pH value. Also, it was found that the electrochemically switched adsorption process of Cs(+) by NiHCF/PTCF electrodes proceeded in two main steps, i.e., an ESIX step with a fast adsorption rate and an ion diffusion step with a slow diffusion rate. Meanwhile, the NiHCF/PTCF film electrode showed adsorption selectivity for Cs(+) in preference to Na(+).

Sorption of radioactive cesium and barium ions onto solid humic acid

In this study, the sorption behavior of two important fission product radionuclides ((137)Cs and (140)Ba) onto sodium form of insolubilized humic acid (INaA) were investigated as a function of time, cation concentration and temperature, utilizing the radiotracer method. The sorption processes are well described by both Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich type isotherms. Thermodynamic constants such as; free energy (DeltaG(ads)), enthalpy (DeltaH(ads)), entropy (DeltaS(ads)) of adsorption were determined. It was found that Ba(2+) was adsorbed five times more than Cs(+) onto structurally modified humic acid and kinetic studies indicated that adsorption behavior of both ions obey the pseudo second order rate law. The effect of pH change on sorption was also examined. FTIR and solid-state carbon NMR ((13)CNMR) spectroscopic techniques were used to understand the structural changes during insolubilization process. Quantitative determination of adsorption sites was carried out using potantiometric titration.

Adsorption of chromium(III) on lignin

In order to assess the possibility of using lignin to remove Cr(III) from waters, the adsorption of Cr(III) on lignin isolated from black liquor, a waste product of the paper industry, was investigated. The influences of pH, lignin dosage, contact time, ionic strength, Cr(III) concentration and other metals were investigated. The Cr(III) adsorption was strongly dependent on pH and adsorbent dosage, but independent of ionic strength and other metal ions. The adsorption kinetic data can be described well with pseudo-second-order model and the equilibrium data can be well fitted using Langmuir two-surface model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 17.97 mg/g. Cr(III) adsorption on lignin was mainly through the ion-exchange mechanism and formed inner-sphere complexes with lignin. Successful application in removing Cr(III) was achieved by using a real wastewater sample. This study indicates that lignin has the potential to become an effective and economical adsorbent for the removal of Cr(III) from wastewaters.

Column study on the adsorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using Pumice, Yarikkaya brown coal, Chelex-100 and Lewatit MP 62

In the present study, adsorption of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) on Pumice (Pmc), Yarikkaya (YK) brown coal, Chelex-100, and Lewatit MP 62 is examined at room temperature and at initial chromium concentration of 1.0 x 10(-3) mol/L. Column method was carried out as a function of pH, concentration of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) ions, volume of samples and flow rate. The experimental data were evaluated by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. The dynamic breakthrough capacities of the adsorbents for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were calculated. The maximum chromium sorption occurred at 5 mL/min flow rate and 25 mL volume for all adsorbents. The results showed that the two readily available adsorbents namely Pmc and YK, were suitable for removing chromium from aqueous solution.

Adsorption of humic acid from aqueous solutions on crosslinked chitosan-epichlorohydrin beads: kinetics and isotherm studies

The adsorption of humic acid on crosslinked chitosan-epichlorohydrin (chitosan-ECH) beads was investigated. Chitosan-ECH beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface area and pore size analyses, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Batch adsorption experiments were carried out and optimum humic acid adsorption on chitosan-ECH beads occurred at pH 6.0, agitation rate of 300 rpm and contact time of 50 min. Adsorption equilibrium isotherms were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models. Freundlich model was found to show the best fit for experimental data while the maximum adsorption capacity determined from Langmuir model was 44.84 mg g(-1). The adsorption of humic acid on chitosan-ECH beads was best described with pseudo-first-order kinetic model. For desorption study, more than 60% of humic acid could be desorbed from the adsorbent using 1.0M HCl for 180 min.

Adsorptive removal of Methylene blue and Methyl orange from aqueous media by carboxylated diaminoethane sporopollenin: on the usability of an aminocarboxilic acid functionality-bearing solid-stationary phase in column techniques

The adsorption phenomena of Methylene blue (MB) and Methyl orange (MO) on a carboxylated diaminoethane sporopollenin (CDAE-S) solid phase were investigated in a column arrangement by using breakthrough technique. The adsorption phenomena were evaluated using some common adsorption isotherm models and Scatchard plot analysis, and obtained results were interpreted for evaluating the usability of CDAE-S for removal, recovery and preconcentration of the studied dyes both at the laboratory and industrial scales. On the basis of Scatchard plot analysis, the interaction types between the CDAE-S and the studied dyes were criticized in terms of affinity phenomena. Thus, the usability of a biomacromolecule-derived material, CDAE-S, as a cheap, environmentally-friendly and effective solid-stationary phase exhibiting both cation-exchange and anion-exchange characteristics at the same time, is discussed through the present study. Besides, from the obtained results, the protonated CDAE-S, which functionally resembles an amino acid structure, are presented as a two-in-one solid-stationary phase, and its adaptability to common processes performed under column conditions is also drawn in detail.