Uptake of methylated arsenic by a polymeric adsorbent: process performance and adsorption chemistry

Processing Strategies to Obtain Highly Porous Silk Fibroin Structures with Tailored Microstructure and Molecular Characteristics and Their Applicability in Water Remediation

The present work reports on the control of silk fibroin (SF) porous structures performance through various processing methods. The study includes the analysis of two dissolving techniques (CaCl₂/H₂O/EtOH ternary and LiBr/H₂O binary solutions), three regeneration methods (gelation, lyophilization and gas foaming) and one post-processing (EtOH). In all the cases, followed steps lead to SF structures with porosity values above 94% and large surface areas. Also, results about samples microstructure, secondary organization, crystallinity and water behavior, reveal a direct correlation between processing and SF properties. Thanks to the achieved progress, the SF varying porous structures were evaluated for metalloids (As⁵⁺ and As³⁺) and heavy metals (Cr⁶⁺ and Cr³⁺) adsorption, observing a direct relationship between samples processing and ionic species adsorption ability. Thus, it is shown that the control of the properties of SF based porous structures through processing, represents a suitable and ecofriendly approach for the development of bio-based materials for environmental applications.

Sustainable magnet-responsive nanomaterials for the removal of arsenic from contaminated water

In this study, chitosan and bio-based substances (BBS) obtained from composted biowaste were used as stabilizers for the synthesis of magnet-sensitive nanoparticles (NPs) via coprecipitation method. A pyrolysis treatment was carried out on both biopolymers at 550°C, and their consequent conversion into a carbon matrix was followed by means of different physicochemical characterization techniques (mainly FTIR spectroscopy and XRD), whereas magnetic properties were evaluated by magnetization curves. The prepared materials were tested in water remediation processes from arsenic (As) species (both inorganic and organic forms). These tests, explained by means of the most common adsorption models, evidenced that the best performances were reached by both materials obtained after pyrolysis treatments, pointing out the promising application of such magnet-sensitive materials as easy-recoverable tools for water purification treatments.

Transformation of para arsanilic acid by manganese oxide: Adsorption, oxidation, and influencing factors

Aromatic organoarsenic compounds tend to transform into more mobile toxic inorganic arsenic via several processes, and can inadvertently spread toxic inorganic arsenic through the environment to water sources. To gain insight into the transformation mechanisms, we herein investigated how the process of para arsanilic acid (p-ASA) transformation works in detail on the surface of adsorbents by comparing it with phenylarsonic acid (PA) and aniline, which have similar chemical structures. In contrast to the values of 0.23 mmol g^-1 and 0.68 mmol g^-1 for PA and aniline, the maximum adsorption capacity was determined to be 0.40 mmol g^-1 for p-ASA at pH 4.0. The results of FTIR and XPS spectra supported the presence of a protonated amine, resulting in a suitable condition for the oxidation of p-ASA. Based on the combined results of UV-spectra and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, we confirmed that the adsorbed p-ASA was first oxidized through the transfer of one electron from p-ASA on MnO₂ surface to form a radical intermediate, which through further hydrolysis and coupling led to formation of benzoquinone and azophenylarsonic acid, which was identified as a major intermediate. After that, p-ASA radical intermediate was cleaved to form arsenite (III), and then further oxidized into arsenate (V) with the release of manganese (Mn) into solution, indicating a heterogeneous oxidation process.

Ethanol mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone biochar: Experimental investigation, modeling, and optimization using hybrid artificial neural network-genetic algorithm approach

Organic matters (OMs) and their oxidization products often influence the fate and transport of heavy metals in the subsurface aqueous systems through interaction with the mineral surfaces. This study investigates the ethanol (EtOH)-mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone (PC) biochar through batch experiments conducted under Box-Behnken design. The effect of EtOH on As(III) adsorption mechanism was quantitatively elucidated by fitting the experimental data using artificial neural network and quadratic modeling approaches. The quadratic model could describe the limiting nature of EtOH and pH on As(III) adsorption, whereas neural network revealed the stronger influence of EtOH (64.5%) followed by pH (20.75%) and As(III) concentration (14.75%) on the adsorption phenomena. Besides, the interaction among process variables indicated that EtOH enhances As(III) adsorption over a pH range of 2 to 7, possibly due to facilitation of ligand-metal(Zn) binding complexation mechanism. Eventually, hybrid response surface model-genetic algorithm (RSM-GA) approach predicted a better optimal solution than RSM, i.e., the adsorptive removal of As(III) (10.47μg/g) is facilitated at 30.22mg C/L of EtOH with initial As(III) concentration of 196.77μg/L at pH5.8. The implication of this investigation might help in understanding the application of biochar for removal of various As(III) species in the presence of OM.

Functionalized chitosan electrospun nanofiber for effective removal of trace arsenate from water

An environment-friendly iron functionalized chitosan elctrospun nanofiber (ICS-ENF) was synthesized for trace arsenate removal from water. The ICS-ENF was fabricated by electrospinning a mixture of chitosan, PEO and Fe(3+) followed by crosslinking with ammonia vapor. The physicochemical properties of ICS-ENF were characterized by FESEM, TEM-EDX and XRD. The ICS-ENF was found to be highly effective for As(V) adsorption at neutral pH. The As(V) adsorption occurred rapidly and achieved equilibrium within 100 min, which was well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The As(V) adsorption decreased with increased ionic strength, suggesting an outer-sphere complexation of As(V) on ICS-ENF. Freundlich model well described the adsorption isotherm, and the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 11.2 mg/g at pH 7.2. Coexisting anions of chloride and sulfate showed negligible influence on As(V) removal, but phosphate and silicate significantly reduced As(V) adsorption by competing for adsorption sites. FTIR and XPS analysis demonstrated -NH, -OH and C-O were responsible for As(V) uptake. ICS-ENF was easily regenerated using 0.003 M NaOH, and the removal rate remained above 98% after ten successively adsorption-desorption recycles. This study extends the potential applicability of electrospun nanofibers for water purification and provides a promising approach for As(V) removal from water.

Zirconium/PVA modified flat-sheet PVDF membrane as a cost-effective adsorptive and filtration material: A case study on decontamination of organic arsenic in aqueous solutions

Organic arsenic in waters has been a global concern in drinking water due to its higher toxicity to humans. In this study, a novel zirconium/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane was applied to remove organic arsenic from water. The impregnation of zirconium ions within the modified membrane was attributed to the coordination reactions among the zirconium ions, ether and hydroxyl groups. The synthesized membrane worked better at the acidic conditions and achieved the optimal uptake for both monomethylarsonic (MMA) and dimethylarsinic (DMA) at pH 2.0. The adsorption isotherm study demonstrated that the adsorption of both organic arsenic species was controlled by the mono-layer adsorption process; the maximum adsorption capacities for MMA and DMA were 73.04 and 37.53mg/g at pH 2, and 29.78 and 19.03mg/g at pH 7.0, respectively. The presence of humic acid had a negligible impact on the uptake of organic arsenic, whereas varying impacts on the arsenic adsorption were observed due to the presence of coexisting anions such as fluoride, phosphate, carbonate and silicate. A single piece of membrane with a surface area of only 12.56cm(2) could treat 7.5-L MMA and 4.1-L DMA solution with an influent concentration of about 100μg/L to meet the WHO and USEPA standard of 10μg/L. Based on the XPS analyses, the ion exchange reaction between chloride ions on the membrane surface and organic arsenic species was responsible for the removal of both MMA and DMA.

Modification of carbon derived from Sargassum sp. by lanthanum for enhanced adsorption of fluoride

Excessive fluoride in water causes serious environmental issues and adverse impacts on human health. In this study, an innovative lanthanum-modified carbon (LMC) adsorbent rooted in Sargassum sp. was developed for fluoride removal. Excellent removal efficiency was observed over a wide pH range of 3-9. Almost 90% of fluoride adsorption occurred within the first 1h; the equilibrium was established within 4h. The maximum adsorption capacity of LMC could reach 94.34 mg/g at neutral pH, much higher than many commercial adsorbents. Although the presence of such competitive anions as SiO3(2-), SO4(2-), HCO3(-), PO4(3-) and AsO3(-) had certain interference on fluoride uptake, it was noticed that there was no significant impact in the presence of humic acid. Furthermore, according to the instrumental analysis, the fluoride removal was majorly controlled by outer-sphere complex adsorption, while electrostatic attraction and ion exchange mechanisms could also be observed in the fluoride adsorption process. The findings from this study suggest that our adsorbent may have a great potential in industrial applications.

Mesoporous silica-giant particle with slit pore arrangement as an adsorbent for heavy metal oxyanions from aqueous medium

A newly synthesized giant mesoporous silica particle has been used for arsenate and chromate adsorption studies.

Chitosan-transition metal ions complexes for selective arsenic(V) preconcentration

Chitosan is naturally occurring bio-polymer having strong affinity towards transition metal ions. Chitosan complexed with transition metal ions takes up inorganic arsenic anions from aqueous medium. In present work, As(V) sorption in the chitosan complexed with different metal ions like Cu(II), Fe(III), La(III), Mo(VI) and Zr(IV) were studied. Sorptions of As(V) in CuS embedded chitosan, (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTS) embedded chitosan, epichlorohydrin (ECH) crosslinked chitosan and pristine chitosan were also studied. (74)As radiotracer was prepared specifically for As(V) sorption studies by irradiation of natural germanium target with 18 MeV proton beam. The sorption studies indicated that Fe(III) and La(III) complexed with chitosan sorbed 95 ± 2% As(V) from aqueous samples in the pH range of 3-9. However, Fe(III)-chitosan showed better sorption efficiency (91 ± 2%) for As(V) from seawater than La(III)-chitosan (80 ± 2%). Therefore, Fe(III)-chitosan was selected to prepare the self-supported membrane and poly(propylene) fibrous matrix supported sorbent. The experimental As(V) sorption capacities of the fibrous and self-supported Fe(III)-chitosan sorbents were found to be 51 and 109 mg g(-1), respectively. These materials were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDXRF, and used for preconcentration of As(V) in aqueous media like tap water, ground water and seawater. To quantify the As(V) preconcentrated in Fe(III)-chitosan, the samples were subjected to instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) using reactor neutrons. As(V) separations were carried out using a two compartments permeation cell for the self-supported membrane and flow cell using the fibrous sorbent. The total preconcentration of arsenic content was also explored by converting As(III) to As(V).

Expression of arsenic regulatory protein in Escherichia coli for selective accumulation of methylated arsenic species

ArsR is a metalloregulatory protein with high selectivity and affinity toward arsenic. We hereby report the expression of ArsR in Escherichia coli by cell engineering, which significantly enhances the adsorption/accumulation capacity of methylated arsenic species. The ArsR-expressed E. coli cells (denoted as E. coli-ArsR) give rise to 5.6-fold and 3.4-fold improvements on the adsorption/accumulation capacity for monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), with respect to native E. coli cells. The uptake of MMA and DMA by the E. coli-ArsR is a fast process fitting Langmuir adsorption model. It is interesting to note that the accumulation of methylated arsenic is virtually not affected by the presence of competing heavy-metal species, at least 10 times of Cd(II) and Pb(II) are tolerated for the adsorption of 1 mg L(-1) methylated arsenic. In addition, an ionic strength of up to 2 g L(-1) Na+ poses no obvious effect on the sorption of 1 mg L(-1) MMA and DMA. Furthermore, the accumulation of MMA and DMA is less sensitive to the variation of pH value, with respect to the blank control cells. Consequently, 82.4% of MMA and 96.3% of DMA at a concentration of 50 μg L(-1) could be readily removed from aqueous medium by 12 g L(-1) of E. coli-ArsR . This illustrates a great potential for the E. coli-ArsR for selective remediation of methylated arsenic species in waters, even in the presence of a high concentration of salts.

Iron-complexed adsorptive membrane for As(V) species in water

Selective preconcentration of a target analyte in the solid phase is an effective route not only to enhance detection limit of the conventional analytical method but also for elimination of interfering matrix. An adsorptive membrane was developed for selective preconcentration and quantification of ultra-trace (ppb) amounts of As(V) present in a variety of aqueous samples. The precursor membrane was prepared by UV-initiator induced graft polymerization of sulphate and phosphate bearing monomers (1:1 mol proportion) in pores of the host microporous poly(propylene) membrane. Fe(3+) ions were loaded in the precursor membrane to make it selective for As(V) ions. The presence of phosphate functional groups prevent leaching of Fe(3+) ions from the membrane when it comes in contact with solution like seawater having high ionic strength. The optimized membrane was characterized in terms of its physical structure, chemical structure and experimental conditions affecting As(V) uptake in the membrane. The possibility of quantifying total preconcentration of As content was also explored by converting As(III) to As(V). To quantify As(V), the membrane samples were subjected to instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The studies carried in the present work showed that quantification of inorganic arsenic species in natural water samples is easily possible in 2-3 ppb concentration range.

Functionalization of regenerated cellulose membrane via surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization for boron removal from aqueous solution

In this study, an adsorptive membrane was prepared for efficient boron removal. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) was grafted on the surfaces of the regenerated cellulose (RC) membrane via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, and N-methylglucamine was used to further react with epoxide rings to introduce polyhydroxyl functional groups, which served as the major binding sites for boron. The pristine and modified membranes were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), dynamic water contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that the designed functional groups were successfully grafted onto the RC membrane, and surface modification contributed to higher boron binding capability. The optimal pH range for boron adsorption was 4-8. Under a neutral pH condition, the maximum adsorption capacity of the modified membrane was determined to be 0.75 mmol/g, which was comparable with those of commercial resins. Studies of electrolyte influence indicated the formation of inner-sphere surface complexes on the membrane surface. The ATR-FTIR and XPS analyses showed that secondary alcohol and tertiary amine groups were mainly involved in boron adsorption, and tetrahedral boron complexes were found on the membrane surface.