Synthesis of Layered Double Hydroxides Containing a Biodegradable Amino Acid Derivative and Their Application for Effective Removal of Cyanide from Industrial Wastes

A karst-inspired hierarchical Mg/Al layered double hydroxide with a high entropy-driven process for interception and storage

Karstification plays a crucial role in forming magnificent scenery, and storing oil, natural gas, mineral resources, and water. Through the inspiration of karstification, a hierarchical layered double hydroxide (LDH) with funnel-like and cave-like structures (called Karst-LDH) is formed by the dissolution of acrylic acid/water solution. Meanwhile, the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that Karst-LDH has complicated and interconnected internal pipe networks. The actual maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of Karst-LDH reaches 126.38 mg g-1 due to the unique structures, protonation, ligand exchange, ion exchange, and hydrogen bonding, which is over ten times that of general LDH with a regular hexagonal structure. The results of isotherms and thermodynamics also indicate that Karst-LDH conforms to more heterogeneous and multilayer adsorption with a higher entropy-driven process. Karst-LDH exhibits good selectivity for chloride and nitrate ions. The change in the frontier orbital interaction between phosphate and different LDHs is a significant reason for quick macropore transmission, mesopore interception, and finally, phosphate storage in Karst-LDH. This work provides an efficient way for the design and fabrication of high adsorption performance materials with unique karst-type structures, which can be used for multiple fields potentially.

Separation of amino acids by selective sorption through reconstructive intercalation in calcined MgAl-layered double hydroxide

Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) exhibits selectivity in the intercalation of amino acids (AAs). When the MgAl-LDH derived mixed metal oxide was treated with different mixtures of AAs, preferential sorption of one AA over the other(s) was observed as indicated by XRD analysis of the products and HPLC analysis of the interlayer AA contents in the products. The order of preference was aspartic acid, glutamic acid (acidic AAs) > glycine, alanine (neutral AAs) > hystidine, and arginine (basic AAs). Among the acidic AAs, aspartic acid was preferred over glutamic acid and among the basic AAs, histidine was preferred over arginine. LDH shows equal preference for glycine and alanine. The selectivity can be explained on the basis of the isoelectric pH (pI) of the AA. A similar selectivity order was obtained when the mixtures of AAs were treated with nitrate-intercalated LDH (direct anion exchange) although the net AA intercalated is much lower due to competition with carbonate derived from atmospheric CO₂. The high selectivity observed in some cases (such as aspartic acid and glycine) would result in the quantitative separation of the individual AAs from their mixture.

Enhanced and Selective Adsorption of Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) Ions by a Dumbbell- and Flower-Shaped Potato Starch Phosphate Polymer: A Combined Experimental and DFT Calculation Study

Microwave-ultrasound-assisted facile synthesis of a dumbbell- and flower-shaped potato starch phosphate (PSP) polymer, hereafter PSP, was carried out by cross-linking the hydroxyl groups of native potato starch (NPS) using phosphoryl chloride as a cross-linking agent. Structural and morphological analysis manifested the successful formation of the dumbbell- and flower-shaped PSP biosorbent with enhanced specific surface area and thermal stability. Viscoelastic behavior of NPS and PSP suggested increased rigidity in PSP, which helped the material to store more deformation energy in an elastic manner. The synthesized PSP biosorbent material was successfully tested for efficient and quick uptake of Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) ions from aqueous medium under competitive and noncompetitive batch conditions with q m values of 130.54, 106.25, 91.84, and 51.38 mg g-1, respectively. The adsorption selectivity was in consonance with Pearson's hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory in addition to their order of hydrated radius. Adsorption of Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) followed a second-order kinetics and the adsorption data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model. Quantum computations using density functional theory (DFT) further supported the experimental adsorption selectivity, Zn(II) > Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Hg(II), in terms of metal-oxygen binding energy measurements. What was more intriguing about PSP was its reusability over multiple adsorption cycles by treating the metal(II)-complexed PSP with 0.1 M HCl without any appreciable loss of its adsorption capacity.

Insight into the enhanced catalytic activity of a red mud based Fe2O3/Zn–Al layered double hydroxide in the photo-Fenton reaction

In this work, the enhanced catalytic activity of red mud based Fe₂O₃/Zn–Al layered double hydroxide in the photo-Fenton reaction has been studied in detail.

Synthesis of NiAl- layered double hydroxide with nitrate intercalation: Application in cyanide removal from steel industry effluent

Cyanide contamination in steel plant wastewater is a challenge. Nitrate intercalated nickel aluminum layered double hydroxide (LDH) is specially designed and synthesized for adsorption of cyanide from wastewater. The LDH was characterized by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET surface analyzer. Formation of nanosized plate like LDH particles was confirmed by FESEM analysis. FTIR analysis confirmed the intercalation of nitrate ions in the interlayer space of nickel-aluminum layered double hydroxide. Adsorption of cyanide in the LDH matrix was identified by FTIR study. Ion exchange was the prevalent mechanism of cyanide adsorption. The specific surface area of LDH was 142 m²/g with average pore size of 1.9 nm. The spent LDH could be regenerated using a chemical method and was reused up to five cycles. The efficiency of the LDH was evaluated using real life cyanide containing wastewater from steel plant.

Synthesis and characterization of citrate intercalated layered double hydroxide as a green adsorbent for Ni2+ and Pb2+ removal

Recently, a considerable attention has been paid on the preparation of layered double hydroxide (LDH) as a green adsorbent. This research presents a study on nickel and lead removal by Ca/Fe layered double hydroxides intercalate with citrate anions (Ca-Fe/LDH-Cit) which was successfully prepared through the co-precipitation and hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized Ca-Fe/LDH-Cit was characterized by various techniques including FT-IR, XRD, TGA, FE-SEM, and TEM techniques. The maximum uptake capacities of Ca-Fe/LDH-Cit were 2.26 mg/g for Ni(II) and 61.73 mg/g for Pb(II) inferred from the Langmuir model at the contact time of 30 min and pH of 7. Based on the results, the adsorption and kinetic isotherms were in good agreement with the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order equation, respectively. The results suggested that the composite adsorbent has the good ability to remove the Ni²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions. The results reveal that the composite adsorbent can be considered as a high-capacity absorbent for Ni(II) and Pb(II) removal and also as a potential candidate for practical applications.

Silica@layered double hydroxide core-shell hybrid materials

A series of silica@layered double hydroxides (SiO₂@Mg₂Al-CO₃-AMO-LDHs) have been synthesised by in situ precipitation of Mg₂Al-CO₃-LDH at room temperature in the presence of amorphous spherical silica particles (∼500 nm). We have systematically investigated a number of synthetic parameters in order to evaluate their effects on the composition, morphological and physical properties of the isolated materials. Syntheses carried out at moderate stirring speeds (e.g. 500 rpm) were found to promote the formation of vertically aligned LDH platelets with respect to the silica surface. Addition rates of the metal solutions slower than 0.43 mmol h^-1 were found to create a thicker LDH shell consisting of vertically aligned LDH platelets. When the metal solutions were added rapidly (0.86 mmol h^-1), we observed that for both slow and fast stirring speeds the synthesised core-shell materials had thin LDH shells and the majority of the LDH precipitated independent of the silica, forming unbound "free" LDH.

A New Approach for Removing Anionic Organic Dyes from Wastewater Based on Electrostatically Driven Assembly

A conceptually new approach for an efficient removal of anionic organic dyes from wastewater using layered double hydroxides (LDHs) through their formation is presented. Acid yellow 25 (AY25) was used as anionic organic dye model molecules. As a result of the electrostatic induction, the removal mechanism involved a concurrent incorporation of AY25 molecules into the interlayer of LDHs during their structural arrangement, where Mg(2+) and Al(3+) ions were utilized to construct the base of LDHs in an alkaline solution. It was found that the molar stoichiometry of all precursors was a key factor affecting the removal efficiency. Within 5 min removal time, this method still maintained high removal efficiency of over 97% and provided a removal capacity of ∼186 mg g(-1), comparable to that of other LDH-based methods. Also, almost complete dye recovery was simply achieved by anionic exchange with common anions (Cl(-), NO3(-), and CO3(2-)). Additionally, the present technique is straightforward, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly since it avoids the synthesis step of sorbents, thus significantly saving time, chemicals, and energy. Hence, this strategy not only exhibits the alternative exploitation of LDHs, but also provides new insights into the removal of contaminants from wastewater.

Analysis and simulations on the structure of sulfanilic acid zwitterion intercalated hydrotalcite and montmorillonite

A new type of layered complex was synthesized by combined the single layer of LDHs and MMT with the ABS zwitterions as intercalated agent. Two kinds of conformations were proposed by comparing the experimental data and simulation patterns.

In situ thermal synthesis of novel polyimide nanocomposite films containing organo-modified layered double hydroxide: morphological, thermal and mechanical properties

An organic–inorganic hybrid compound comprised of a Zn/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) intercalated with citric acid (LDH–CA) was dispersed in polyimide (PI) with an N-benzonitrile side group, through in situ polymerization.