Kinetics of radical formation during the mechanical activation of quartz

Reaction with Water Vapor Defines Surface Reconstruction and Membranolytic Activity of Quartz Milled in Different Molecular Environments

Industrial processing of quartz (SiO2) and quartz-containing materials produces toxic dust. Fracturing quartz crystals opens the Si‒O bond and produces highly reactive surface species which mainly react with molecules like water and oxygen. This surface-reconstruction process forms silanol (Si‒OH) on the quartz surface, which can damage biological membranes under specific configurations. To comprehend the impact of the quartz surface restructuring on membranolytic activity, the formation and reactivity of quartz radicals produced in four distinct molecular environments with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy are evaluated and their membranolytic activity is measured through in vitro hemolysis test. The four molecular environments are formulated with and without molecular water vapor and oxygen (±H2O/±O2). The absence of water favored the formation of surface radical species. In water-rich environments, diamagnetic species prevailed due to radical recombination. Quartz milled in -H2O/±O2 acquired membranolytic activity when exposed to water vapor, unlike quartz milled in +H2O/±O2. After being stabilized by reaction with water vapor, the membranolytic activity of quartz is maintained over time. It is demonstrated that the type and the reactivity of radical sites on quartz are modulated by the outer molecular environment, ultimately determining the biological activity of milled quartz dust.

Triggering gold nanoparticles formation on a quartz surface by nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation

A new direct and straightforward method is proposed to synthesize bare Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) on a quartz surface by nanosecond 532 nm pulsed laser irradiation of a quartz surface in contact with Au(iii) precursor solution. The characterisation by XPS, UV-Vis, SEM and AFM measurements demonstrate the formation of bare Au NPs anchored on the quartz surface with a mean height of 27 ± 10 nm localized in the laser irradiation area. The main features of this approach are their simplicity, quick fabrication and the large surface area covered by Au NPs. The absence of ligands/stabilizing agents on the Au NPs makes this substrate very suitable for its direct surface modification opening the range of applications in biology, medicine, sensing, catalysis, among others. As a proof of concept, the capabilities and advantages of this substrate as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) platform were tested demonstrating the absence of any Raman signal overlapping with the analyte in the whole spectral range.

Fe-Activated Peroxymonosulfate Enhances the Degradation of Dibutyl Phthalate on Ground Quartz Sand

Soil contamination by organic compounds has received worldwide concern for decades. Here, we found that dibutyl phthalate (DBP) could be degraded on moist quartz sand (QS, crystal, a typical soil constituent) during stirring, and the removal rate reached 57.2 ± 3.1% after 8 h of reaction. The introduction of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and zerovalent iron (Fe⁰) substantially improved the decomposition of DBP to 94.2 ± 1.6% in 8 h, suggesting they have great contributions. DBP decomposition was caused by multiple reactive species, such as surface silicon-based radicals (like ≡SiO^•) and other reactive species like superoxide radical (O₂^•-), hydroxyl radical (^•OH), and sulfate radical (SO₄^•-). In the QS/ultrapure water system, DBP was mainly attacked by O₂^•- or ≡SiO^•, with the formation of hydrolysis products. In the iron@QS/PMS system, due to the activation of PMS by Fe⁰, SO₄^•- and ^•OH were produced while the latter led to DBP degradation, and thus hydroxyl substitution products of DBP were ubiquitous. DBP was hardly removed on amorphous supporters like silica gel, alumina, and red soil even with the presence of PMS and Fe⁰, indicating the indispensable role of surface radicals on crystals like QS. This work presents a new remediation technology for polluted soil, especially aquifer.

Rock-crushing derived hydrogen directly supports a methanogenic community: significance for the deep biosphere

Microbial populations exist to great depths on Earth, but with apparently insufficient energy supply. Earthquake rock fracturing produces H₂ from mechanochemical water splitting, however, microbial utilization of this widespread potential energy source has not been directly demonstrated. Here, we show experimentally that mechanochemically generated H₂ from granite can be directly, long-term, utilized by a CH₄ producing microbial community. This is consistent with CH₄ formation in subsurface rock fracturing in the environment. Our results not only support water splitting H₂ generation as a potential deep biosphere energy source, but as an oxidant must also be produced, they suggest that there is also a respiratory oxidant supply in the subsurface which is independent of photosynthesis. This may explain the widespread distribution of facultative aerobes in subsurface environments. A range of common rocks were shown to produce mechanochemical H₂ , and hence, this process should be widespread in the subsurface, with the potential for considerable mineral fuelled CH₄ production.

Waste-to-energy: Dehalogenation of plastic-containing wastes

The dehalogenation measurements could be carried out with the decomposition of plastic wastes simultaneously or successively. This paper reviewed the progresses in dehalogenation followed by thermochemical conversion of plastic-containing wastes for clean energy production. The pre-treatment method of MCT or HTT can eliminate the halogen in plastic wastes. The additives such as alkali-based metal oxides (e.g., CaO, NaOH), iron powders and minerals (e.g., quartz) can work as reaction mediums and accelerators with the objective of enhancing the mechanochemical reaction. The dehalogenation of waste plastics could be achieved by co-grinding with sustainable additives such as bio-wastes (e.g., rice husk), recyclable minerals (e.g., red mud) via MCT for solid fuels production. Interestingly, the solid fuel properties (e.g., particle size) could be significantly improved by HTT in addition with lignocellulosic biomass. Furthermore, the halogenated compounds in downstream thermal process could be eliminated by using catalysts and adsorbents. Most dehalogenation of plastic wastes primarily focuses on the transformation of organic halogen into inorganic halogen in terms of halogen hydrides or salts. The integrated process of MCT or HTT with the catalytic thermal decomposition is a promising way for clean energy production. The low-cost additives (e.g., red mud) used in the pre-treatment by MCT or HTT lead to a considerable synergistic effects including catalytic effect contributing to the follow-up thermal decomposition.

Mechanochemical degradation of hexabromocyclododecane and approaches for the remediation of its contaminated soil

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) has been listed in the Stockholm Convention for elimination due to its persistent and accumulative properties. In consideration of its sound disposal, mechanochemical (MC) method was employed using different co-milling reagents. Fe-Quartz was proven to a good reagent for HBCD destruction achieving both good degradation efficiency and high yield of bromide. The absence of organic matters after MC treatment was demonstrated by thermogravimetry and GC-MS analysis, indicating the complete degradation of HCBD and its conversion into inorganic compounds. No obvious intermediates could be detected due to the swift and spontaneous reaction between HBCD and Fe-Quartz. FTIR and Raman spectra further showed that the organic structures in HBCD were broken down while amorphous and graphite carbon were obtained as another final product besides bromide. After the successful destruction of HBCD, approaches to remediate its contaminated soil were also carried out. Fe-Quartz was also proven to be the best reagent for HBCD degradation in Kaolin, while CaO showed better performance for the remediation of HBCD contaminated Krasnozem. For practical application, preliminary experiments are necessary in order to select a suitable co-milling reagent and a proper milling time depending on the differences in soil properties and HBCD concentration.

Effects of zero-valent metals together with quartz sand on the mechanochemical destruction of dechlorane plus coground in a planetary ball mill

Mechanochemical destruction by grinding with additives in high energy ball milling has been identified as a good alternative to traditional incineration for the disposal of wastes containing halogenated organic pollutants. Despite CaO normally used as an additive, recently Fe+SiO2 has been used to replace CaO for a faster destruction. In the present study, zero-valent metals (Al, Zn, besides Fe) together with SiO2 were investigated for their efficiencies of prompting the destruction of dechlorane plus (DP). Aluminum was found of be the best with a destruction percentage of nearly 99% for either syn- or anti-DP after 2.5h milling. In comparison, only 88/85% and 37/32% of syn-/anti-DP were destroyed when using zinc and iron after the same time, respectively. The detected water soluble chloride was lower than the stoichiometric amount containing in the original DP samples, due to the Si-Cl bond formed during the process. The potential fate of C and Cl present in DP is in the form of inorganic carbon, inorganic Cl and formation of Si-Cl bonds, respectively. The results suggested that Al+SiO2 is promising in the mechanochemical destruction of chlorinated organic pollutants like DP.

Degradation of glycine and alanine on irradiated quartz

Recent researches suggest participation of minerals in the formation of life under primordial conditions. Among all of the minerals, quartz seems to be one of the most probable to take part in such processes. However, an external source of energy is needed, e.g. electric discharge. A device simulating the proposed conditions was designed and was used to simulate prebiotic conditions. Investigation of processes occurring during the stimulation of quartz with electric discharge was studied by means of Ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy, in order to monitor the generation kinetics of free radicals. Additionally, infrared spectroscopy was applied to identify chemical reaction products created in a solution of alanine or glycine, in the presence of quartz treated with electric discharge. Formation of increased amounts of free radicals, compared to experiments performed without quartz and/or amino acid, is reported, along with identification of possible degradation products of alanine. No synthetic reactions were observed.

Mechanochemical degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A: performance, products and pathway

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is the most widely used brominated flame retardant (BFR), which has received more and more concerns due to its high lipophilicity, persistency and endocrine disrupting property in the environment. Considering the possible need for the safe disposal of TBBPA containing wastes in the future, the potential of mechanochemical (MC) destruction as a promising non-combustion technology was investigated in this study. TBBPA was co-ground with calcium oxide (CaO) or the mixture of iron powder and quartz sand (Fe+SiO(2)) in a planetary ball mill at room temperature. The method of Fe+SiO(2) destructed over 98% of initial TBBPA after 3h and acquired 95% debromination rate after 5h, which showed a better performance than the CaO method. Raman spectra and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrated the generation of inorganic carbon with the disappearance of benzene ring and CBr bond, indicating the carbonization and debromination process during mechanochemical reaction. LC-MS-MS screening showed that the intermediates of the treatment with Fe+SiO(2) were tri-, bi-, mono-brominated BPA, BPA and other fragments. Finally all the intermediates were also destroyed after 5h grinding. The bromine balance was calculated and a possible reaction pathway was proposed.