Simultaneous adsorption of chromate and arsenate onto ferrihydrite/alginate composite beads: Competition and mechanism

Ferrihydrite is an effective adsorbent of chromate and arsenate. In order to gain insight into the application of ferrihydrite in water treatment, macroporous alginate/ferrihydrite beads, synthesized using two different methods (internal and encapsulation processes), were used in this work. The properties of the ferrihydrite were assessed using various techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, and zetametry. The results showed that the specific surface area of the ferrihydrite was 242 m2/g, and the PZC was pH8. The kinetic and isotherm adsorption properties of the ferrihydrite were evaluated in this study. The results indicate that the pseudo second-order and Freundlich models accurately describe the kinetic and isotherm adsorption properties of chromates and arsenates. For chromate removal, ferrihydrite exhibited a relatively high adsorption capacity (40.7 mgCr/g) compared to other adsorbents. However, the arsenate adsorption capacity of MFHB-SI (140.8 mgAs/g) was shown to be the most optimal. The internal synthesis process was suitable for arsenate retention due to the resulting arsenate precipitation. The competitive adsorption analyses indicated that the presence of chromate does not limit the adsorption of arsenate. However, the presence of arsenate almost completely inhibits the adsorption of chromate when the arsenate concentration is above 50 mg/L, due to the precipitation reaction of arsenate.

Preparation of Hybrid Sol-Gel Materials Based on Living Cells of Microorganisms and Their Application in Nanotechnology

Microorganism-cell-based biohybrid materials have attracted considerable attention over the last several decades. They are applied in a broad spectrum of areas, such as nanotechnologies, environmental biotechnology, biomedicine, synthetic chemistry, and bioelectronics. Sol-gel technology allows us to obtain a wide range of high-purity materials from nanopowders to thin-film coatings with high efficiency and low cost, which makes it one of the preferred techniques for creating organic-inorganic matrices for biocomponent immobilization. This review focuses on the synthesis and application of hybrid sol-gel materials obtained by encapsulation of microorganism cells in an inorganic matrix based on silicon, aluminum, and transition metals. The type of immobilized cells, precursors used, types of nanomaterials obtained, and their practical applications were analyzed in detail. In addition, techniques for increasing the microorganism effective time of functioning and the possibility of using sol-gel hybrid materials in catalysis are discussed.

Physicochemical aspects of epoxide driven nano-ZrO2 hydrogel formation: milder kinetics for better properties

Robust and highly transparent quasi amorphous ZrO2-water-glycerol hydrogels were obtained in a mild one pot procedure, based on the 2,3-epoxy-1-propanol driven alkalinization. SAXS-based characterization of the sol-gel transition revealed that an homogeneously nucleated sol composed of 2 nm primary particles continuously grows up to a critical size of 5-6 nm, when gelation takes place. These particles reach a size of 8-10 nm, depending on the Zr(iv) concentration. Conductivity measurements offer an overall in situ assessment of the reaction rate. The gelled samples share a common trend: once the conductivity decays to 40% of the starting value, the primary particles nucleate and when this decay reaches 20%, the sol-gel transition takes place. The mild conditions employed herein prevent massive ripening and recrystallization leaving hydrogels with extremely low undesired visible light scattering. This suitable nanostructure was achieved in a wide range of total Zr(iv) concentrations or water to glycerol ratios.

Bacteria encapsulated in layered double hydroxides: towards an efficient bionanohybrid for pollutant degradation

A soft chemical process was successfully used to immobilize Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP (ADP), a well-known atrazine (herbicide) degrading bacterium, within a Mg2Al-layered double hydroxide host matrix. This approach is based on a simple, quick and ecofriendly direct coprecipitation of metal salts in the presence of a colloidal suspension of bacteria in water. It must be stressed that by this process the mass ratio between inorganic and biological components was easily tuned ranging from 2 to 40. This ratio strongly influenced the biological activity of the bacteria towards atrazine degradation. The better results were obtained for ratios of 10 or lower, leading to an enhanced atrazine degradation rate and percentage compared to free cells. Moreover the biohybrid material maintained this biodegradative activity after four cycles of reutilization and 3 weeks storage at 4°C. The ADP@MgAl-LDH bionanohybrid materials were completely characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning and transmission electronic microscopy (SEM and TEM) evidencing the successful immobilization of ADP within the inorganic matrix. This synthetic approach could be readily extended to other microbial whole-cell immobilization of interest for new developments in biotechnological systems.

Immobilization of magnetic modified Flavobacterium ATCC 27551 using magnetic field and evaluation of the enzyme stability of immobilized bacteria

The magnetic modified Flavobacterium sp. was prepared by covalently binding carboxylate-modified magnetic nanoparticles, and also, ionic adsorption of magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles on the cell surface. The magnetic modified bacteria were immobilized by both internal and external magnetic fields. The pH stability and inherent resistance of the enzyme activity of the immobilized bacteria under acidic and alkaline conditions were increased. Immobilization of the magnetic modified bacteria using an external magnetic field improved the enzyme thermal stability. The results revealed that immobilization of the magnetic modified bacteria by an external magnetic field keeps 50% of the enzyme activity after 23.4, 16.6 and 6 h of incubation at 55 °C for the covalently binding of magnetic nanoparticles, the ionic adsorption of magnetic nanoparticles and the free cells, respectively. The results demonstrated the negative effect of various magnetic beads on the enzyme thermal stability of immobilized magnetic modified bacteria using an internal magnetic field.

Designing photobioreactors based on living cells immobilized in silica gel for carbon dioxide mitigation

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been rising since the industrial revolution, with the most dramatic increase occurring since the end of World War II. Carbon dioxide is widely regarded as one of the major factors contributing to the greenhouse effect, which is of major concern in today's society because it leads to global warming. Photosynthesis is Nature's tool for combating elevated carbon dioxide levels. In essence, photosynthesis allows a cell to harvest solar energy and convert it into chemical energy through the assimilation of carbon dioxide and water. Therefore photosynthesis is regarded as an ideal way to harness the abundance of solar energy that reaches Earth and convert anthropologically generated carbon dioxide into useful carbohydrates, providing a much more sustainable energy source. This Minireview aims to tackle the idea of immobilizing photosynthetic unicellular organisms within inert silica frameworks, providing protection both to the fragile cells and to the external ecosystem, and to use this resultant living hybrid material in a photobioreactor. The viability and activity of various unicellular organisms are summarized alongside design issues of a photobioreactor based on living hybrid materials.

How to design cell-based biosensors using the sol-gel process

Inorganic gels formed using the sol-gel process are promising hosts for the encapsulation of living organisms and the design of cell-based biosensors. However, the possibility to use the biological activity of entrapped cells as a biological signal requires a good understanding and careful control of the chemical and physical conditions in which the organisms are placed before, during, and after gel formation, and their impact on cell viability. Moreover, it is important to examine the possible transduction methods that are compatible with sol-gel encapsulated cells. Through an updated presentation of the current knowledge in this field and based on selected examples, this review shows how it has been possible to convert a chemical technology initially developed for the glass industry into a biotechnological tool, with current limitations and promising specificities.