Removal of low Sb(V) concentrations from mining wastewater using zeolitic imidazolate framework-8

Mining wastewater treatment technologies and resource recovery techniques: A review

Mining wastewater can have adverse effects on the ecosystem; thus, treatment before discharging into the environment is of utmost importance. This manuscript reports on the effect of mining wastewater on the environment. Moreover, the currently used, effective and commercialised mine wastewater treatment technologies such as SAVMIN®, SPARRO®, Biogenic sulphide, and DESALX® are reported in this study. These technologies integrate two or more separation processes, which have been proven to be effective for the high recovery of salts and water for reuse. Some of the technologies reported can significantly recover salts and >95% of water. Modern pilot-stage and laboratory-scale treatment systems used for the recovery and removal of metals are also reported herein. Since some treatment technologies can generate highly toxic sludge and other waste products, the management of the generated waste was also considered. Some studies have focused on the treatment of wastewater at the laboratory level using the adsorption process. Most adsorbents exhibit promising results; however, there is insufficient research on reusability, toxic sludge management, and the economic analysis of the systems. Moreover, the implementation of adsorption systems in wastewater is necessary. Furthermore, the integration of treatment systems to recover precious metals at low concentrations is desirable in addition to water reclamation to achieve circular mine water.

Investigating the potential of structurally defective UiO-66 for Sb (V) removal from tailing wastewater

Antimony contamination of tailings from the mining process remain attracted a great amount of concern. In this study, defective UiO-66-X crystal materials are rationally constructed using trifluoroacetic acid and hydrochloric acid as modulators for the removal of Sb(V) from actual tailing sand leachates. XRD and TG characterizations reveal that the number and kind of defects in UiO-66 are influenced by the type of modulators and the addition of trifluoroacetic acid makes UiO-66-TFA contain both cluster and ligand defects. Adsorption experiments show that UiO-66 and UiO-66-HCl achieve 100% removal of Sb(V) at pH 7.5 of the tailing sand leachate, and up to 90% removal of Sb(V) by the three materials at pH 2.5. It is noteworthy that the removal rate of Sb(V) by UiO-66-HCl is still satisfactory even under strongly acidic conditions at pH 0.5, with good potential for practical applications. Four kinetic models are used to fit the adsorption data and the analysis shows that the mechanism of Sb(V) adsorption by three adsorbent is all pseudo-second order and chemisorption acts as an important role in the adsorption process. In addition, the fixed bed adsorption experiments show that the material exhibit good prospects for practical applications.

Selective removal of Cr(VI) by tannic acid and polyethyleneimine modified zero-valent iron particles with air stability

In this study, a new composite adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal was developed by immobilizing polyethyleneimine (PEI) on the surface of zero-valent iron (ZVI) particles with tannic acid (TA) as a stabilizer. The adsorbent (denoted as Fe-TA-PEI-10) was easy to prepare and regenerate, requiring no conditions for storage. It was found to be particularly effective for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater via reduction and adsorption. Electrochemical analysis revealed that TA significantly reduced the electron transfer resistance of Fe-TA-PEI-10 and reduced the highly toxic Cr(VI)to the less toxic Cr(III). In addition, PEI endowed amino groups to Fe-TA-PEI-10, raising the zero charge point (pH_pzc) of Fe-TA-PEI-10 (pH_pzc= 7.80), allowing it to adsorb Cr(VI) from the solution rapidly under electrostatic forces and chelating effects. The adsorption process was consistent with the pseudo-first-order model (R² >0.99) and the Langmuir isotherm model (R² >0.99), and the maximum adsorption capacity could reach 161.6 mg/g. In particular, this study presented for the first time that TA-modified Fe(0) had excellent stability in the air, and the adsorbent showed no decrease in performance for Cr(VI) removal even after exposure to the air for 30 days. When tested with a simulated electroplating rinsing wastewater, the Fe-TA-PEI-10 showed very high selectivity for Cr(VI) removal. The mechanism of Cr(VI) removal with Fe-TA-PEI-10 was found to be based on adsorption and reduction. This work provided a new scheme for developing efficient and long-lasting reactive adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal.

High capacity adsorption of antimony in biomass-based composite and its consequential utilization as battery anode

Antimony is more than an emerging pollutant in water but a scare resource. In this study, we report an adsorbent with the record capacity so far from the balanced view of Sb(III) and Sb(V). The composite adsorbent was fabricated by encapsulating hollow Fe₃O₄ nanosphere with the EDTA grafted chitosan, and it has superhigh adsorption capacity of for 657.1 mg/g for Sb(III) and 467.3 mg/g for Sb(V), respectively. The mechanism study reveals that the adsorption of Sb initializes from the Fe₃O₄, propagates along the chitosan with hydrogen bond, and terminates at the inner sphere complex with the EDTA moiety in the adsorbent. In view of the ultra-high adsorption capacity of the adsorbent, the recovered adsorbent that contains abundant (>36.4%) highly dispersed antimony nanoparticles (600-FCSE-Sb) is applied to Li-ion battery anode after reduction. This article provides a new idea for connecting water treatment and electric energy storage.

Manganese-doped hydroxyapatite as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II)

The water polluted by lead(Pb(II)) and cadmium(Cd(II)) seriously endangers ecological safety and needs to be solved urgently. Because of the relatively low adsorption rate of pure hydroxyapatite for heavy metals, a series of manganese-doped hydroxyapatites (MnHAPs) were prepared by using manganese, a common impurity in hydroxyapatite, as a doping element to improve the adsorption performance. The structural and functional groups of the materials with different Mn/(Ca +Mn) molar ratios (0%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization. The presence of manganese influenced the formation and growth of hydroxyapatite crystals, resulting in lattice distortion and a large number of lattice defects in materials. Among them, manganese-doped hydroxyapatite with a Mn/(Ca +Mn) molar ratio of 10% (MnHAP-10) could most effectively remove Pb(II) and Cd(II), with the adsorption capacity of 1806.09 mg g^-1 for Pb(II) at pH = 5 and 176.88 mg g^-1 for Cd(II) at pH = 5.5. Then the adsorption behavior and mechanism were further researched systemically. It was concluded that the immobilization of Pb(II) by MnHAP-10 was mainly through dissolution precipitation and ion exchange, while Cd(II) was adsorbed by ion exchange and electrostatic interaction. In conclusion, MnHAP-10 has the potential to be applied as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) pollution.

Efficient removal of Sb(III) from water using β-FeOOH-modified biochar:Synthesis, performance and mechanism

Since the toxicity of Sb(III) is 10 times as high as that of Sb(V) in the environment, it is urgent to find a way to cut down Sb(III). β-FeOOH-modified biochar (β-FeOOH/BC) was prepared and used to remove Sb(III). The characterization results suggested that oxygen-containing functional groups formed on β-FeOOH/BC, which increased the Sb(III) removal efficiency. Even under complex water matrix conditions, the outstanding adsorption performance of β-FeOOH/BC for Sb(III) was obtained. The adsorption reaction rapidly reached a high removal efficiency within 5 min and approached adsorption equilibrium in about 6 h. The adsorption process was fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetics. Amount of maximum adsorption was 202.53 mg g^-1 at 308 K according to Langmuir model. β-FeOOH/BC removed Sb(III) mainly through pore-filling complexation, cation-π and coordination exchange. The CO sites and persistent free radicals (PFRs) acted as electron acceptors, facilitating the electron transfer. In brief, β-FeOOH/BC adsorbent material could adsorb and oxidize Sb(III), which showed excellent prospects for reducing the risk of Sb(III).

Facile preparation of novel magnetic mesoporous FeMn binary oxides from Mn encapsulated carboxymethyl cellulose-Fe(III) hydrogel for antimony removal from water

Effective removal of Sb(III) and Sb(V) has long been an urgent task for protecting human health and environment. In this study, novel magnetic mesoporous FeMn binary oxides (MMFMs) were fabricated via calcinating the Mn encapsulated carboxymethyl cellulose-Fe(III) hydrogel, and the structure of MMFMs were closely related to the Fe:Mn ratio. Owing to the mesoporous structure together with synergistic effect of FeMn binary component, the MMFMs exhibited excellent mass transfer and adsorption ability to Sb(III) and Sb(V). MMFM₃ achieved a maximum Sb(III) and Sb(V) adsorption capacity of 281.5 and 204.6 mg/g, respectively. Co-existing anions of Cl^-, NO₃^- and SO₄^2- exhibited marginal influence on the adsorption for both Sb(III) and Sb(V), except the PO₄^3- for Sb(III) and SiO₃^2- or PO₄^3- for Sb(V). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigation revealed that high valence Mn(IV) was mainly responsible for the oxidation transformation of the highly toxic Sb(III) into less toxic Sb(V), while the FeO_x content played major role for the adsorption of Sb(V). The generated inner-sphere FeOSb complex between Fe-OH groups and Sb(III/V) dominantly contributed to the removal of Sb(III/V). Overall, mesoporous structure, magnetic separation ability, excellent adsorption performance together with exceptional regeneration properties demonstrated the great potential of MMFMs for Sb(III/V) remediation.

Multivariate analysis of accumulation and critical risk analysis of potentially hazardous elements in forage crops

Potentially hazardous element (PHE) contamination of aquifers is an issue of global concern, as this not only affects soil and plants but also exerts a negative impact on livestock. The current study assessed the extent of PHE (cadmium, copper, nickel, and lead) contamination of groundwater, soil, and forage crops in Shorkot, Punjab, Pakistan. Low concentrations of PHEs, particularly Cd and Cu, were found in drinking water which remained below detection limits. The concentrations of Ni and Pb in water samples were 0.1 and 0.06 mg L^-1, respectively. Calculated risk indices showed that there was a high carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk to livestock (sheep and cow/buffalo) from the ingestion of Ni- and Pb-contaminated water. Soil irrigation with contaminated water resulted in PHE accumulation (Cd: 0.4 mg kg^-1, Cu: 16.8 mg kg^-1, Ni: 17.6 mg kg^-1, Pb: 7.7 mg kg^-1) in soil and transfer to forage crops. The potential impact of PHE contamination of the groundwater on fodder plants was estimated for animal health by calculating the average daily dose (ADD), the hazard quotient (HQ), and the cancer risk (CR). While none of the PHEs in forage plants showed any carcinogenic or non-carcinogenic risk to livestock, a high exposure risk occurred from contaminated water (HQ: 12.9, CR: 0.02). This study provides baseline data for future research on the risks of PHE accumulation in livestock and their food products. Moreover, future research is warranted to fully understand the transfer of PHEs from livestock products to humans.

Antimony removal from water by pine bark tannin resin: Batch and fixed-bed adsorption

Antimony is present in water by natural causes but is also mobilized in the environment by anthropogenic activities, particularly mining. Considering its toxicological behavior, antimony removal from contaminated groundwater and mine effluents is necessary. In this work, Sb(III) and Sb(V) removal from aqueous solution was studied using a resin prepared from pine bark tannins. Subsequent iron loading of the tannin resin was tested, but this chemical modification was shown not to improve adsorptive properties. Tannin resin (unmodified form) presented a good ability to uptake antimony, with maximum adsorption capacities, evaluated in batch mode, of 30-33 mg g^-1 (Sb(III), pH 6) and 16-47 mg g^-1 (Sb(V), pH 2), depending on the particle size. The performance of the adsorbent was not affected by high levels of sulfate, which characterize most mining-impacted waters, but depending on Sb-load of the water it could be moderately affected by metal cations coexisting in solution. The applicability of the tannin resin on Sb(III) uptake was confirmed in continuous fixed-bed experiments. Breakthrough curves were obtained for different inlet adsorbate concentrations, bed heights, flow rates and aqueous media (distilled water and a simulated mine effluent). The adsorptive capacity of the tannin resin was practically maintained and adsorbent usage rates as low as 0.11 kg m^-3 were determined to treat efficiently (90% removal) 1 mg-Sb(III) L^-1 contaminated water. Overall, tannin resin is a bio-derived sorbent that shows affinity for antimony in both redox states, being stable in pH conditions commonly found in Sb-contaminated waters.

Synergistic antibacterial polyacrylonitrile/gelatin nanofibers coated with metal-organic frameworks for accelerating wound repair

Bacterial infections prolong the wound healing time and increase the suffering of patients, thus it is important to develop wound dressing that can inhibit bacterial infection. Herein, we use two methods including "doping method" and "secondary growth method" to prepare ZIF-8@gentamicin embedded in and coated on polyacrylonitrile/gelatin (PG) nanofibers, separately. Composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method achieve higher drug loading than that of the doping method, and the release rate can be adjusted by pH. Simultaneously increasing drug loading and regulating its release rate are achieved in the secondary growth method, which cannot be achieved by the doping method. Furthermore, synergistic antibacterial property occurs in the composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method, and gentamicin loaded on ZIF-8 promotes the antibacterial effect, which shows better antibacterial effect than the doping method. As a result, during the wound infection of mouse, composite nanofibers prepared by the secondary growth method exhibit a faster recovery effect than the doping method, which effectively shortened the wound healing time from 21 days to 16 days.