Kinetic and equilibrium studies of the removal of cadmium ions from acidic chloride solutions by hydrophobic pyridinecarboxamide extractants

Kinetic features of solvent extraction by N,O-donor ligands of f-elements: a comparative study of diamides based on 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2'-bipyridine

A variant of microfluidic setup design for the study of extraction kinetics has been proposed. Mass transfer constants for Am(III) and Eu(III) and observed rate constants were obtained for N-,O-donor ligands featuring phenanthroline and bipyridyl cores. The possibility of determining rate constants for cations independently of each other makes it possible to observe the kinetic effect of separation. The extraction rate was found to be lower for the bipyridyl ligand, compared to phenanthroline. The values of the rotation barriers for the ligands were calculated using the DFT method. The values correlate with the obtained low extraction rate for the bipyridyl ligand. Also, crystallographic data showing anti-conformation for the bipyridyl ligand align with the kinetic data. Surface tension was also determined for the systems with the studied ligands. It is shown that at equal ligand concentrations, the value of surface tension agrees with the extraction rate. Furthermore, it is shown that for the bipyridyl ligand, prior contact of the organic phase with nitric acid significantly affects the surface tension.

The selective and sustainable separation of Cd(II) using C6MImT/[C6MIm]PF6 extractant

Cadmium has been classified as a kind of human carcinogens, and has a strong mobility in the water environment and this can result in serious harm to human health and environmental safety. Here, a new selective and efficient extraction-recovery strategy for Cd purification is provided by using C₆MimT/[C₆Mim]PF₆ as the green extractant. Due to the high compatibility between C₆MimT and [C₆Mim]PF₆, C₆MimT-Cd was efficiently separated from the aqueous phase. When the concentration of Cd(II) was 1000 mg/L, the extraction rate could reached 99.9 %. By comparing [C₆MIm]BF₄ with [C₆MIm]PF₆, the hydrophobicity restrained the ion exchange between cation and Cd and significantly reduced the loss of extractant. The extracted Cd(II) was separated in the form of precipitation after stripping. The extraction system of C₆MimT/[C₆Mim]PF₆ was stable after several extraction-stripping cycles. The extraction of Cd(II) by C₆MimT/[C₆Mim]PF₆ system mainly realized by forming a neutral and extractable cadmium complexes between Cd(II) and thione. Based on the natural complexation mechanism between metal and C₆MImT, Cd exists as obvious competitive advantage in coordination with C₆MimT compare to Pb, Zn, Mg, Cr, Fe. This work overcomes the problems of extractant loss and organic pollution caused by volatile or ion exchange, which can only reduce environmental hazards, but also promote the recovery of cadmium and other valuable resources.

Pyridine-di-phosphonates as chelators for trivalent f-elements: kinetics, thermodynamic and interfacial study of Am(III)/Eu(III) solvent extraction

The fractionation of high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants simplifies the handling of its components, and facilitates the reduction of radiotoxic effects on the environment. The search and study of new ligands for solvent extraction, as one of the methods in fractionation, remains a complex and important research task. In this work, four pyridine diphosphonate ligands were synthesized. These ligands are part of the class of the N,O-donor extractants, which are selective towards Am(III). The separation factor SF(Am/Eu) for the best extractant reached values up to 10. The influence of the substituents on the efficiency of extraction and complexation of trivalent f-elements, the kinetics of extraction, and the behavior of the ligand at the interface were described. The effect of nitric acid concentration on the extraction was shown. The stoichiometry of the complexes was determined by slope analysis in solvent extraction experiment and verified by spectrophotometric titration in acetonitrile. Liquid tension experiments with a pendant drop method revealed the interfacial properties of the ligands in "F-3 solvent/H₂O" and "F-3 solvent/HNO₃" systems. The relationship between the surface activity and the ligand structure was shown. Studies of the extraction kinetics were performed in a modified Lewis cell. The effect of the ligand structure on the extraction rate was shown. The DFT calculation with the B3LYP density functional was used to explain the extraction properties of the ligands, including selectivity. The calculation of the pre-organization energy of the ligands explained the kinetics and extraction patterns for the studied series.

Characterization of Nematicidal Activity and Nematode-Toxic Metabolites of a Soilborne Brevundimonas bullata Isolate

The increasing prevalence of crop-threatening root-knot nematodes (RKNs) has stimulated extensive research to discover effective nematicides. A highly focused strategy for accomplishing this is the development of biocontrol agents by a variety of soilborne microorganisms, as different bacterial metabolites have demonstrated promising nematicidal activities. In this study, we characterized the nematicidal and suppressive activity of a bacterial isolate against the agriculturally important RKN Meloidogyne incognita and the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the main M. incognita-toxic metabolite of the strain. After a preliminary screening of 22 bacterial isolates with a corrected mortality (CM) of whole-cell culture greater than 50% against C. elegans from different RKN-incident soils in China, a total of 14 isolates with CM of the supernatant of culture suspension (SCS) higher than 50% against both M. incognita and C. elegans were rescreened. An isolate with the highest CM of 86.1% and 95.0% for M. incognita and C. elegans, respectively, was further identified as the species Brevundimonas bullata via morphological examination, physiological and biochemical assays and alignment analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. The SCS of this strain, namely, B. bullata MB756, exhibited synchronous M. incognita killing activity along with significant detrimental effects on the growth, brood size, and locomotion of C. elegans. The effects of heat treatment, pH, inoculations, and protease K proteolysis on the CM of MB756 SCS were evaluated. A major M. incognita-toxic substance in the MB756 SCS was assayed and identified using thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography with a mass spectrometer, and it was preliminarily identified as 2-ethylhexan-1-ol, with a molecular formula of C₈H₁₈O and a molecular weight of 130.3 Da.

Theoretical modeling of sorption of metal ions on amino-functionalized macroporous copolymer in aqueous solution

With regard to the harmful effects of heavy metals on human health and the environment, the demand for synthesis and investigation of macromolecules with large capacity of harmful substances sorption is ever greater. Quantum-chemical methods may be applied in structural modeling, prediction, and characterization of such molecules and reactions. Sorption of metal ions (Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺) to triethylenetetramine-functionalized copolymer poly(GMA-co-EGDMA)-teta was successfully modeled by quantum chemical calculations, at the B3LYP//6-311++G**/lanl2dz level. Optimized structures of metal complexes were used for calculation of real binding energy of metal ion within the complex (ΔEr). Solvent and hydrolyzation effects were essential for obtaining the objective values. Solvent effect was included in ΔEr by using the total solvation energy for reaction of formation of tetaOH complex (ΔEs1, the first approach) or by using dehydration energy of free metal ion (ΔEs2, the second approach). Experimental results were confirmed in our theoretical analyses (using the second approach). Graphical abstract Theoretical modeling of divalent metal ions sorption on triethylenetetramine-functionalized copolymer poly(GMA-co-EGDMA)-teta.

Preparation and characterization of sodium polyacrylate-grafted bentonite and its performance removing Pb2+ from aqueous solutions

A new adsorbent, sodium polyacrylate (PAANa) grafted onto the surface of bentonite (Bent), was successfully synthesized by a facile and green Ce(iv)-redox process, to remove Pb²⁺ from aqueous solutions.

Semi-interpenetrating hybrid membranes containing ADOGEN® 364 for Cd(II) transport from HCl media

Cd(II) transport from 1moldm(-3) HCl media was investigated across semi-interpenetrating hybrid membranes (SIHMs) that were prepared by mixing an organic matrix composed of ADOGEN(®) 364 as an extracting agent, cellulose triacetate as a polymeric support and nitrophenyloctyl ether as a plasticizer with an organic/inorganic network (silane phase, SP) composed of polydimethylsiloxane and a crosslinking agent. The stripping phase used was a 10(-2)mol dm(-3) ethanesulfonic acid solution. The effects of tetraorthoethoxysilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane and N',N'-bis[3-tri(methoxysilyl)propyl]ethylendiamine as crosslinking agents on the transport were studied. H3PO4 was used as an acid catalyst during the SP synthesis and optimized for transport performance. Solid-liquid extraction experiments were performed to determine the model that describe the transport of Cd(II) via ADOGEN(®) 364. The transport was found to be chained-carrier controlled with a percolation threshold of 0.094 mmol g(-1). The selective recovery of Cd(II) was studied with respect to Ni(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) at a 1:1 molar ratio, and the optimized membrane system was applied for the recovery of Cd(II) from a real sample consisting of a Ni/Cd battery with satisfactory results. Finally, stability experiments were performed using the same membrane for 14 cycles. The results obtained showed that SIHMs had excellent stability and selectivity, with permeabilities comparable to those of PIMs.