Adsorption of glyphosate and metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) from water by polymer-based spherical activated carbon (PBSAC)

Removal of glyphosate (GLY) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) by ultrafiltration with permeate-side polymer-based spherical activated carbon (UF-PBSAC)

Glyphosate (GLY) is the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is one of its main metabolites. GLY and AMPA are toxic to humans, and their complex physicochemical properties present challenges in their removal from water. Several technologies have been applied to remove GLY and AMPA such as adsorption, filtration, and degradation with varied efficiencies. In previous works, an ultrafiltration membrane with permeate-side polymer-based spherical activated carbon (UF-PBSAC) showed the feasibility of removing uncharged micropollutants via adsorption in a flow-through configuration. The same UF-PBSAC was investigated for GLY and AMPA adsorption to assess the removal of charged and lower molecular weight micropollutants. The results indicated that both surface area and hydraulic residence time were limiting factors in GLY/AMPA adsorption by UF-PBSAC. The higher external surface of PBSAC with strong affinity for GLY and AMPA showed higher removal in a dynamic process where the hydraulic residence time was short (tens of seconds). Extending hydraulic residence times (hundreds of seconds) resulted in higher GLY/AMPA removal by allowing GLY/AMPA to diffuse into the PBSAC pores and reach more surfaces. Enhancement was achieved by minimising both limiting factors (external surface and hydraulic residence time) with a low flux of 25 L/m2.h, increased PBSAC layer of 6 mm, and small PBSAC particle size of 78 µm. With this configuration, UF-PBSAC could remove 98 % of GLY and 95 % of AMPA from an initial concentration of 1000 ng/L at pH 8.2 ± 0.2 and meet European Union (EU) regulation for herbicides (100 ng/L for individuals and 500 ng/L for total herbicides). The results implied that UF-PBSAC was able to remove charged micropollutants to the required levels and had potential for application in wastewater treatment and water reuse.

Adsorption of uranium (VI) complexes with polymer-based spherical activated carbon

Adsorption processes with carbon-based adsorbents have received substantial attention as a solution to remove uranium from drinking water. This study investigated uranium adsorption by a polymer-based spherical activated carbon (PBSAC) characterised by a uniformly smooth exterior and an extended surface of internal cavities accessible via mesopores. The static adsorption of uranium was investigated applying varying PBSAC properties and relevant solution chemistry. Spatial time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was employed to visualise the distribution of the different uranium species in the PBSAC. The isotherms and thermodynamics calculations revealed monolayer adsorption capacities of 28-667 mg/g and physical adsorption energies of 13-21 kJ/mol. Increasing the surface oxygen content of the PBSAC to 10 % enhanced the adsorption and reduced the equilibrium time to 2 h, while the WHO drinking water guideline of 30 µgU/L could be achieved for an initial concentration of 250 µgU/L. Uranium adsorption with PBSAC was favourable at the pH 6-8. At this pH range, uranyl carbonate complexes (UO2CO3(aq), UO2(CO3)22-, (UO2)2CO3(OH)3-) predominated in the solution, and the ToF-SIMS analysis revealed that the adsorption of these complexes occurred on the surface and inside the PBSAC due to intra-particle diffusion. For the uranyl cations (UO22+, UO2OH+) at pH 2-4, only shallow adsorption in the outermost PBSAC layers was observed. The work demonstrated the effective removal of uranium from contaminated natural water (67 µgU/L) and meeting both German (10 µgU/L) and WHO guideline concentrations. These findings also open opportunities to consider PBSAC in hybrid treatment technologies for uranium removal, for instance, from high-level radioactive waste.

Recent technologies for glyphosate removal from aqueous environment: A critical review

The growing demand for food has led to an increase in the use of herbicides and pesticides over the years. One of the most widely used herbicides is glyphosate (GLY). It has been used extensively since 1974 for weed control and is currently classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Group 2A substance, probably carcinogenic to humans. The industry and academia have some disagreements regarding GLY toxicity in humans and its effects on the environment. Even though this herbicide is not mentioned in the WHO water guidelines, some countries have decided to set maximum acceptable concentrations in tap water, while others have decided to ban its use in crop production completely. Researchers around the world have employed different technologies to remove or degrade GLY, mostly at the laboratory scale. Water treatment plants combine different technologies to remove it alongside other water pollutants, in some cases achieving acceptable removal efficiencies. Certainly, there are many challenges in upscaling purification technologies due to the costs and lack of factual information about their adverse effects. This review presents different technologies that have been used to remove GLY from water since 2012 to date, its detection and removal methods, challenges, and future perspectives.

Facile and innovative application of surfactant-modified-zeolite from Austrian fly ash for glyphosate removal from water solution

This study highlights a pioneering approach in the development of an efficient, affordable, and economically feasible adsorbent specifically tailored for the removal of glyphosate (Gly) from contaminated water. To accomplish this objective, a low-cost and pure NaA Zeolite (NaAZ) was synthesized with 93% crystallinity from Austrian fly ash (AFA) as a precursor for the first-time. Taguchi design was employed to optimize critical parameters such as the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio, alkalinity concentration, time, and temperature. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) and external cation exchange capacity (ECEC) are determined as critical factors for the modification process. Subsequently, the pure NaAZ was modified with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (HDTMAC), a cationic surfactant. The utilization of surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) for Gly removal demonstrates its innovative application in this field, highlighting its enhanced adsorption capacity and optimized surface properties. The AFA, NaAZ, and SMZ were characterized using analytical techniques including XRD, XRF, FTIR-ATR, SEM, TGA, BET, CHNSO analyzer and ICP-OES. The adsorbent exhibited effective Gly removal through its pH-dependent charge properties (pH 2-10), with an optimized pH 6 facilitating a significant electrostatic interaction between the adsorbent and Gly. SMZ demonstrated remarkable adsorption capacity and removal efficacy, surpassing most reported adsorbents with values of 769.23 mg/g and 98.92% respectively. Our study demonstrates the significant advantage of the SMZ, with a low leaching concentration of only 6 ppm after 60 days, ensuring environmental safety, long-term stability, and public health considerations. The kinetics of the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second order and the Freundlich isotherm. Pore diffusion and H-bonding were postulated to be involved in physisorption, whereas electrophilic interactions led to chemisorption type of adsorption. Consequently, SMZ provides a practical significance, broad applicability and promising solution for Gly removal, facilitating sustainable water treatment.