Effect of aniline on cadmium adsorption by sulfanilic acid-grafted magnetic graphene oxide sheets

Denitrification driven by additional ferrous (Fe2+) and manganous (Mn2+) and removal mechanism of tetracycline and cadmium (Cd2+) by biogenic Fe-Mn oxides

Zoogloea sp. MFQ7 achieved excellent denitrification of 91.71% at ferrous to manganous ratio (Fe/Mn) of 3:7, pH of 6.5, nitrate concentration of 25 mg L-1 and carbon to nitrogen ratio of 1.5. As the Fe/Mn ratio increasd, the efficiency of nitrate removal gradually decreased, indicating that strain MFQ7 had a higher affinity for Mn2+ than Fe2+. In situ generated biogenic Fe-Mn oxides (BFMO) contained many iron-manganese oxides (MnO2, Mn3O4, FeO(OH), Fe2O3, and Fe3O4) as well as reactive functional groups, which play an significant part in tetracycline (TC) and cadmium (Cd2+) adsorption. The adsorption of TC and Cd2+ by BFMO can better fit the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. In addition, multiple characterization results of before and after adsorption indicated that the removal mechanism of BFMO on TC and Cd2+ was probably surface complexation adsorption and redox reactions.

Unraveling the complexities of Cd-aniline composite pollution: Insights from standalone and joint toxicity assessments in a bacterial community

Cadmium (Cd) and aniline frequently co-occur in industrial settings but have rarely been addressed as composite toxicants in terms of the overall toxicity despite extensive knowledge of the environmental impact of each individual pollutant. In this study, we attempt to assess the relation of individual and combined toxic effects of Cd and aniline using a bacterial consortium cultured from soils as a model system. Results showed that the consortial bacteria exhibited drastically stronger tolerance to stand-alone Cd and aniline in comparison to literature data acquired from single species studies. When occurring simultaneously, the joint toxicity displayed a concentration-dependent behavior that wasn't anticipated based on individual chemical tests. Specifically, additive effects manifested with Cd and aniline at their IC10s, but changed to synergistic when the concentrations increased to IC20, and finally transitioned into antagonistic at IC30s and beyond. In addition, co-occurring aniline appeared to have retarded the cellular accumulation of Cd while increasing the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase relative to that in Cd-alone treatments. Finally, the bacterial community experienced distinct compositional changes under solo and combined toxicities with several genera exhibiting inconsistent behavior between treatments of single and composite toxicants. Findings from this study highlight the complexity of bacterial response to composite pollutions and point to the need for more comprehensive references in risk and toxicology assessment at multi-chemical contamination sites.

A review on current progress of graphene-based ternary nanocomposites in the removal of anionic and cationic inorganic pollutants

The current review aims to summarize the ongoing advances in high-performing graphene-based ternary nanocomposites for removing cationic and anionic inorganic pollutants. Graphene derivatives are extensively utilized for the development of composites due to their high synergism with co-functional materials, rational design, flexible surface chemistry, high mobile charge carriers, improved binding properties, and many more. The past ten years have witnessed progressive research on graphene-based ternary nanocomposites in a multitude of pollution remediation applications. Therefore, the focus falls on understanding how these ternary nanocomposites are tailored to capture the inorganic cationic and anionic contaminants with particular emphasis on graphene derivatives as base matrix and filler. The review investigates the synthesis, categorization, and characterization techniques of graphene-based ternary composites. Besides, the study broadens the understanding of the binding mechanism of the pollutants onto graphene ternary composites. The review also assesses the separation and recycling efficacy of the composites in detail. The future prospects in improving the practical application of the ternary systems also have been discussed. The comprehensive review on graphene based ternary systems detailing their structural and functional aspects, as well as their performance as inorganic decontaminants can provide deep insights for researchers in improvising wastewater treatment technologies.

Construction of bimetallic FeCo–SA/DABCO nanosheets by modulating the electronic structure for improved electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

For energy conversion and storage, the electrochemical oxygen evolution process (OER) is the crucial half-reaction process.

Cysteic acid grafted to magnetic graphene oxide as a promising recoverable solid acid catalyst for the synthesis of diverse 4H-chromene

4H-chromenes play a significant role in natural and pharmacological products. Despite continuous advances in the synthesis methodology of these compounds, there is still a lack of a green and efficient method. In this study, we have designed cysteic acid chemically attached to magnetic graphene oxide (MNPs·GO-CysA) as an efficient and reusable solid acid catalyst to synthesize 4H-chromene skeletons via a one-pot three components reaction of an enolizable compound, malononitrile, an aldehyde or isatin, and a mixture of water-ethanol as a green solvent. This new heterogeneous catalyst provides desired products with a good to excellent yield, short time, and mild condition. This procedure presents an environmentally friendly approach for the synthesis of a great number of 4H-chromene derivatives.

Optimization of Cadmium Adsorption by Magnetic Graphene Oxide Using a Fractional Factorial Design

Graphene materials have attracted increasing interest in water remediation. In this study, magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) was prepared through the modified Hummers method and the adsorption behaviors of cadmium were investigated. Firstly, the sorption kinetics, isotherms, as well as the effects of pH were investigated. Then, fractional factorial design (FFD) was used to optimize the effects of pH, temperature, time, initial concentration of cadmium ion and NaCl on cadmium adsorption. The results indicate that MGO could effectively remove cadmium ions from an aqueous solution and the sorption data could be described well by pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models, showing that the adsorption rate of cadmium ions on MGO is multilayer adsorption and dominated by the chemical adsorption. According to the FFD results, the maximum adsorption capacity of cadmium ions was 13.169 mg/g under the optimum condition of pH value 8, 45 °C, contact time 60 min, initial cadmium concentration of 70 mg/L and NaCl concentration of 100 mg/L. Higher levels of the pH value, temperature and initial cadmium concentration are beneficial to the adsorption process. These results are important for estimating and optimizing the removal of metal ions by MGO composite.

Synergy of Photocatalysis and Adsorption for Simultaneous Removal of Hexavalent Chromium and Methylene Blue by g-C3N4/BiFeO3/Carbon Nanotubes Ternary Composites

A novel graphite-phase carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄)/bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) ternary magnetic composite (CNBT) was prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis. Using this material, Cr(VI) and methylene blue (MB) were removed from wastewater through synergistic adsorption and photocatalysis. The effects of pH, time, and pollutant concentration on the photocatalytic performance of CNBT, as well as possible interactions between Cr(VI) and MB species were analyzed. The obtained results showed that CNTs could effectively reduce the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs during the photocatalytic reaction of the g-C₃N₄/BiFeO₃ composite, thereby improving its photocatalytic performance, while the presence of MB increased the reduction rate of Cr(VI). After 5 h of the simultaneous adsorption and photocatalysis by CNBT, the removal rates of Cr(VI) and MB were 93% and 98%, respectively. This study provides a new theoretical basis and technical guidance for the combined application of photocatalysis and adsorption in the treatment of wastewaters containing mixed pollutants.

Ternary assembly of g-C3N4/graphene oxide sheets /BiFeO3 heterojunction with enhanced photoreduction of Cr(VI) under visible-light irradiation

A novel ternary composite of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄)/graphene oxide (GO) sheets/BiFeO₃ (CNGB) with highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity toward Cr(VI) photoreduction is prepared and characterized. The characterization and photocatalysis experiments corroborate its reasonable band gap, efficient charge separation and transfer, widened visible-light adsorption, easy solid-liquid separation, good stability and superior catalytic activity of CNGB. Three CNGB samples with different ratios of g-C₃N₄ and BiFeO₃ (CNGB-1, -2, -3 with 2:4, 3:3, and 4:2, respectively), though possessing different adsorption ability, eventually remove all Cr(VI) ions via photocatalysis within 90 min. The catalytic efficiency of the composite is the highest at pH 2; increases in pH decrease the catalytic ability. The inorganic anions such as SO₄^-, Cl^-, and NO₃^- only slightly affects the photocatalytic process. The matching of the band structure between BiFeO₃ and g-C₃N₄ generates efficient photogenerated electron migration from the conduction band of g-C₃N₄ to that of BiFeO₃, which is also facilitated by the electron bridging and collecting effects of GO, and holes transfer from the valence band of BiFeO₃ to that of g-C₃N₄, yielding the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the subsequent enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The research provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of photocatalytic technologies for effective application in wastewater treatment and Cr-contaminated water restoration.

Efficient Removal of Tetracycline from Aqueous Media with a Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles@graphene Oxide Nanosheets Assembly

A readily separated composite was prepared via direct assembly of Fe₃O4 magnetic nanoparticles onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO) (labeled as Fe₃O₄@GO) and used as an adsorbent for the removal of tetracycline (TC) from wastewater. The effects of external environmental conditions, such as pH, ionic strength, humic acid (HA), TC concentration, and temperature, on the adsorption process were studied. The adsorption data were analyzed by kinetics and isothermal models. The results show that the Fe₃O₄@GO composite has excellent sorptive properties and can efficiently remove TC. At low pH, the adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄@GO toward TC decreases slowly with increasing pH value, while the adsorption capacity decreases rapidly at higher pH values. The ionic strength has insignificant effect on TC adsorption. The presence of HA affects the affinity of Fe₃O₄@GO to TC. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir model fit the adsorption data well. When the initial concentration of TC is 100 mg/L, a slow adsorption process dominates. Film diffusion is the rate limiting step of the adsorption. Importantly, Fe₃O₄@GO has good regeneration performance. The above results are of great significance to promote the application of Fe₃O₄@GO in the treatment of antibiotic wastewater.

Adsorption of emerging contaminant metformin using graphene oxide

The occurrence of emerging contaminants in our water resources poses potential threats to the livings. Due to the poor treatment in wastewater management, treatment technologies are needed to effectively remove these products for living organism safety. In this study, Graphene oxide (GO) was tested for the first time for its capacity to remove a kind of emerging wastewater contaminants, metformin. The research was conducted by using a series of systematic adsorption and kinetic experiments. The results indicated that GO could rapidly and efficiently reduce the concentration of metformin, which could provide a solution in handling this problem. The uptake of metformin on the graphene oxide was strongly dependent on temperature, pH, ionic strength, and background electrolyte. The adsorption kinetic experiments revealed that almost 80% removal of metformin was achieved within 20 min for all the doses studied, corresponding to the relatively high k₁ (0.232 min^-1) and k₂ (0.007 g mg^-1 min^-1) values in the kinetic models. It indicated that the highest adsorption capacity in the investigated range (q_m) of GO for metformin was at pH 6.0 and 288 K. Thermodynamic study indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous (ΔG⁰ < 0) and exothermic (ΔH⁰ < 0) process. The adsorption of metformin increased when the pH values changed from 4.0 to 6.0, and decreased adsorption were observed at pH 6.0-11.0. GO still exhibited excellent adsorption capacity after several desorption/adsorption cycles. Besides, both so-called π-π interactions and hydrogen bonds might be mainly responsible for the adsorption of metformin onto GO.

Statistical Analysis of Main and Interaction Effects on Cu(II) and Cr(VI) Decontamination by Nitrogen-Doped Magnetic Graphene Oxide

A nitrogen–doped magnetic graphene oxide (NMGO) was synthesized and applied as an adsorbent to remove Cu(II) and Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions. The individual and combined effects of various factors (A: pH, B: temperature, C: initial concentration of metal ions, D: CaCl₂, and E: humic acid [HA]) on the adsorption were analyzed by a 2⁵⁻¹ fractional factorial design (FFD). The results from this study indicated that the NMGO had higher adsorption capacities for Cu(II) ions than for Cr(VI) ions under most conditions, and the five selected variables affected the two adsorption processes to different extents. A, AC, and C were the very important factors and interactions for Cu(II) adsorption. For Cr(VI) adsorption, A, B, C, AB, and BC were found to be very important influencing variables. The solution pH (A) was the most important influencing factor for removal of both the ions. The main effects of A–E on the removal of Cu(II) were positive. For Cr(VI) adsorption, the main effects of A and D were negative, while B, C, and E were observed to have positive effects. The maximum adsorption capacities for Cu(II) and Cr(VI) ions over NMGO were 146.365 and 72.978 mg/g, respectively, under optimal process conditions.

Effects of single- and multi-organic acid ligands on adsorption of copper by Fe3O4/graphene oxide-supported DCTA

The Fe3O4/graphene oxide-supported 1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetic acid composite (Fe3O4/GO/DCTA) was used as an adsorbent for Cu(II) removal. The effects of six organic acid ligands (formate, acetate, benzoate, oxalate, tartrate, and edetate) on the adsorption process were investigated in single- and multi-ligand systems. The results demonstrated that the adsorption processes were affected by solution pH and ionic strength. The experimental data of kinetics and isotherm followed the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. In the single-ligand systems, the presence of formate, acetate, and benzoate slightly altered the Cu(II) adsorption property, while the adsorption processes were significantly affected by the oxalate, tartrate, and edetate ligands. In the multi-ligand systems, the Cu(II) adsorption was influenced by the type and concentration of organic acid ligands. The sequence of the main effect was found to be: edetate>oxalate>benzoate>formate>tartrate>acetate, and the sequence of the two-factor interaction effect was found to be: AE (formate×tartrate)>BF (acetate×edetate)>AF (formate×edetate)>BD (acetate×oxalate)>AC (formate×benzoate)>AD (formate×oxalate)>AB (formate×acetate).

Effects of inorganic electrolyte anions on enrichment of Cu(II) ions with aminated Fe3O4/graphene oxide: Cu(II) speciation prediction and surface charge measurement

The present work evaluated the effects of six inorganic electrolyte anions on Cu(II) removal using aminated Fe3O4/graphene oxide (AMGO) in single- and multi-ion systems. A 2(6-2) fractional factorial design (FFD) was employed for assessing the effects of multiple anions on the adsorption process. The results indicated that the Cu(II) adsorption was strongly dependent on pH and could be significantly affected by inorganic electrolyte anions due to the changes in Cu(II) speciation and surface charge of AMGO. In the single-ion systems, the presence of monovalent anions (Cl(-), ClO4(-), and NO3(-)) slightly increased the Cu(II) adsorption onto AMGO at low pH, while the Cu(II) adsorption was largely enhanced by the presence of SO4(2-), CO3(2-), and HPO4(2-). Based on the estimates of major effects and interactions from FFD, the factorial effects of the six selected species on Cu(II) adsorption in multi-ion system were in the following sequence: HPO4(2-)>CO3(2-)>Cl(-)>SO4(2-)>NO3(-)=ClO4(-), and the combined factors of AD (Cl(-)×SO4(2-)) and EF (Cl(-)×SO4(2-)) had significant effects on Cu(II) removal.