Recent Advancements in the Field of Chitosan/Cellulose-Based Nanocomposites for Maximizing Arsenic Removal from Aqueous Environment

Water remediation, acknowledged as a significant scientific topic, guarantees the safety of drinking water, considering the diverse range of pollutants that can contaminate it. Among these pollutants, arsenic stands out as a particularly severe threat to human health, significantly compromising the overall quality of life. Despite widespread awareness of the harmful effects of arsenic poisoning, there remains a scarcity of literature on the utilization of biobased polymers as sustainable alternatives for comprehensive arsenic removal in practical concern. Cellulose and chitosan, two of the most prevalent biopolymers in nature, provide a wide range of potential benefits in cutting-edge industries, including water remediation. Nanocomposites derived from cellulose and chitosan offer numerous advantages over their larger equivalents, including high chelating properties, cost-effective production, strength, integrity during usage, and the potential to close the recycling loop. Within the sphere of arsenic remediation, this Review outlines the selection criteria for novel cellulose/chitosan-nanocomposites, such as scalability in synthesis, complete arsenic removal, and recyclability for technical significance. Especially, it aims to give an overview of the historical development of research in cellulose and chitosan, techniques for enhancing their performance, the current state of the art of the field, and the mechanisms underlying the adsorption of arsenic using cellulose/chitosan nanocomposites. Additionally, it extensively discusses the impact of shape and size on adsorbent efficiency, highlighting the crucial role of physical characteristics in optimizing performance for practical applications. Furthermore, this Review addresses regeneration, reuse, and future prospects for chitosan/cellulose-nanocomposites, which bear practical relevance. Therefore, this Review underscores the significant research gap and offers insights into refining the structural features of adsorbents to improve total inorganic arsenic removal, thereby facilitating the transition of green-material-based technology into operational use.

Insights into the statistical physics modeling and fractal like kinetic approach for the adsorption of As(III) on coordination polymer gel based on zirconium(IV) and 2-thiobarbituric acid

A novel coordination polymer gel based on zirconium(IV) and 2-thiobarbituric (ZrTBA) was synthesized and explored its potential to remediate As(III) from water. Box-Behnken design with desirability function and genetic algorithm yielded the optimized conditions (initial concentration=194 mg L^-1, dosage = 42.2 mg, time= 95 min and pH = 4.9) for maximum removal efficiency (99.19 %). The experimental saturation capacity for As(III) was 178.30 mg g^-1. The steric parameter n > 1 of the best fitted statistical physics model: monolayer with two energies (R² = 0.987-0.992) suggested multimolecular mechanism with vertical orientation of As(III) molecules onto the two active sites. XPS and FTIR confirmed the two active sites being zirconium and oxygen. The adsorption energies (E₁ = 35.81-37.63 kJ/mol; E₂ = 29.50-36.49 kJ/mol) and isosteric heat of adsorption indicated that physical forces governed the As(III) uptake. DFT calculations implied that the weak electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding were involved. The best fitted (R²>0.99) fractal like pseudo first order model established energetic heterogeneity. ZrTBA showed excellent removal efficiency in the presence of potential interfering ions and could be used up to 5 cycles of adsorption-desorption with < 8 % loss in the efficiency. ZrTBA removed ≥96.06 % As(III) from real water samples spiked at different levels of As(III).

Yeast Extract Affecting the Transformation of Biogenic Tooeleite and Its Stability

Highly toxic As(III) is the main form of As in wastewater. The retention of As by tooeleite has gradually attracted attention in recent years due to its great potential for the direct removal of As(III). The existence of natural As-bearing minerals is closely related to microorganisms and organic matters. In this study, yeast extract was found to enhance the stability of biogenic tooeleite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans). The effects of pH, Fe/As and yeast extract concentration were systematically studied, and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) was conducted to evaluate the short-term stability of tooeleite. The mineral synthesized in the presence of yeast extract showed that the As leaching concentration decreased from 13.78 mg/L to 7.23 mg/L and the stability increased by more than 40%. In addition, various characteristics confirmed that the precursor was changed from amorphous schwertmannite to basic ferric sulfate in the presence of yeast extract, and then transformed to relatively purer tooeleite with less hollow structure and excellent dispersion, which is favorable for the stability of tooeleite. This result indicated that yeast extract resulted in the formation of different precursors and thus affected the transformation and stability of tooeleite.

Effective removal of doxycycline from aqueous solution using CuO nanoparticles decorated poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid)/chitosan

The primary focus of the present study was to synthesize CuO nanoparticles decorated poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid)/chitosan to explore its potential for uptake of doxycycline (DXN) from water. The composite material was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis. Central composite design under response surface methodology was opted to optimize the process variables (pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial concentration of DXN) for obtaining the highest removal efficiency. The removal of DXN reached 98.84% at 303 K under the optimum conditions of pH 7.0, equilibrating time of 70 min, adsorbent dose of 20 mg/25 mL and initial concentration of 50 mg L-1. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models fitted best with the experimental data. The values of ΔG° (- 29.159 to - 31.997 kJ mol-1), ΔH° (56.768 kJ mol-1) and ΔS° (283.382 J mol-1 K-1) demonstrated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of adsorption process. The adsorption/desorption study revealed the reusability of the prepared composite material for DXN uptake up to six cycles.

Dissolution, Stability and Solubility of Tooeleite [Fe6(AsO3)4(SO4)(OH)4·4H2O] at 25–45 °C and pH 2–12

Tooeleite [Fe6(AsO3)4(SO4)(OH)4·4H2O] was synthesized and characterized to investigate its possible immobilization for arsenic in acidic and alkali environments by a long-term dissolution of 330 d. The synthetic tooeleite was platy crystallites of ~1μm across, giving the lattice parameters of a = 6.4758 Å, b = 19.3737 Å and c = 8.9170 Å. For the tooeleite dissolution, the dissolved arsenic concentration showed the lowest value of 427.3~435.8 mg/L As at initial pH 12 (final pH 5.54). The constituents were dissolved preferentially in the sequence of SO42− > AsO33− > Fe3+ in the aqueous medium at initial pH 2–12. The dissolved iron, arsenite and sulfate existed mainly as FeSO4+/Fe3+, H3AsO30 and SO42− at initial pH 2, and in the form of Fe(OH)30/Fe(OH)2+, H3AsO30 and SO42− at initial pH 12, respectively. The tooeleite dissolution was characterized by the preferential releases of SO42− anions from solid surface into aqueous medium, which was fundamentally controlled by the Fe-O/OH bond breakages and the outer OH− group layers. From the data of the dissolution at 25 °C and initial pH 2 for 270–330 d, the ion-activity product [logˍIAP], which equaled the solubility product [Ksp] at the dissolution equilibrium, and the Gibbs free energy of formation [ΔGfo] were estimated as −200.28 ± 0.01 and −5180.54 ± 0.07 kJ/mol for the synthetic tooeleite, respectively.

Assessment of ampicillin removal efficiency from aqueous solution by polydopamine/zirconium(iv) iodate: optimization by response surface methodology

Polydopamine/zirconium(iv) iodate was prepared by incorporating polydopamine into zirconium iodate gel and studied as an effective adsorbent for ampicillin. In order to characterize the prepared composite, FTIR, XRD, TGA-DTA, SEM and TEM were used. The effects of experimental variables on ampicillin removal were examined using response surface methodology. The optimum conditions for ampicillin removal were 7, 130 min, 20 mg/20 mL and 50 mg L-1 for pH, contact time, adsorbent dose and initial ampicillin concentration, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the maximum ampicillin removal percentage was found to be 99.12%. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models explained the removal process more appropriately. The maximum adsorption capacity at 303 K was 100.0 mg g-1. Thermodynamic study revealed that the ampicillin adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The reusability of the prepared material was also explored.

Synthesis and Characterization of Palladium Supported Amino Functionalized Magnetic-MOF-MIL-101 as an Efficient and Recoverable Catalyst for Mizoroki–Heck Cross-Coupling

Abstract

Magnetic particles were prepared by a hydrothermal method and then successively covered by Metal–Organic-Frameworks MIL-101-NH2 with a high surface area. This was followed by deposition of Pd(OAc)2 on Fe3O4–NH2@MIL-101-NH2 particles. The final catalyst was characterized with FT-IR, nitrogen physisorption, thermogravimetry (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), wide-angle X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The prepared magnetic catalyst was effectively used in the Heck coupling reaction in the presence of an inorganic base. The reaction parameters such as the base type, amounts of catalyst and solvents, temperature, and substrates ratios were optimized. The catalyst was then magnetically separated, washed, and reused 7 times without losing significantly catalytic activity.

Graphic Abstract

N-(((2-((2-Aminoethyl)amino)ethyl)amino)methyl)-4-sulfamoylbenzamide Impregnated Hydrous Zirconium Oxide as a Novel Adsorbent for Removal of Ni(II) from Aqueous Solutions: Optimization of Variables Using Central Composite Design

In this study, N-(((2-((2-aminoethyl)amino)ethyl)amino)methyl)-4-sulfamoylbenzamide was impregnated into the hydrous zirconium oxide matrix to yield N-(((2-((2-aminoethyl)amino)ethyl)amino)methyl)-4-sulfamoylbenzamide/hydrous zirconium oxide composite (AESB/HZO). The composite material was used to remove Ni(II) from aqueous environment. AESB/HZO was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray, and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analyses. An experimental design approach was utilized to model and optimize the variables of adsorption of Ni(II) onto the AESB/HZO composite. Four experimental parameters were selected as independent variables: contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, and initial Ni(II) concentration. A multivariable experimental design was used to establish quadratic model to describe the relationship between percent removal of Ni(II) and four independent variables. At the optimum conditions (contact time: 85 min, pH: 6, adsorbent dose: 10 mg/20 mL, and initial Ni(II) concentration: 20 mg L-1), high removal efficiency (99.35%) was achieved, which is reasonably well predicted by the quadratic model. The sorption of Ni(II) is dependent on pH and ionic strength at pH < 6.0. At low pH, -NH and -NH2 groups are protonated, whereas the -SO2- group is available for binding with Ni(II) and the sorption of Ni(II) is mainly governed by outer sphere surface complexation. In the pH range 6.0-7.5, -NH, -NH2, and -SO2- groups are available for binding with Ni(II) and the sorption is mainly governed by inner-sphere surface complexation. Adsorption isotherm data fitted well to the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 96.03 mg g-1 at 303 K. The results of present investigation demonstrated that AESB/HZO has a good potential for Ni(II) removal from aqueous solution.

Application of Box-Behnken design and desirability function in the optimization of Cd(II) removal from aqueous solution using poly(o-phenylenediamine)/hydrous zirconium oxide composite: equilibrium modeling, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

In this research work, poly(o-phenylenediamine) was incorporated into the hydrous zirconium oxide matrix to form poly(o-phenylenediamine)/hydrous zirconium oxide composite which is used for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution. The characterization of the material was done based on FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA-DTA. The effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of Cd(II) on the removal of Cd(II) were studied by performing 29 sets of sorption runs using Box-Behnken design combined with response surface methodology (RSM). Various isotherm models were tested to describe the adsorption equilibrium. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted well with Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of 66.66 mg g^-1 was obtained from Langmuir isotherm. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the adsorption kinetics more accurately. Diffusion-based kinetics such as intraparticle diffusion and Bangham's model suggested that both film and intraparticle pore diffusion were involved in the adsorption process. The Elovich model pointed towards the chemisorption. The investigation of desorption and regeneration suggested that the material can be used as an effective sorbent for removal of Cd(II) from aqueous system.

Modeling and prediction of copper removal from aqueous solutions by nZVI/rGO magnetic nanocomposites using ANN-GA and ANN-PSO

Reduced graphene oxide-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI/rGO) magnetic nanocomposites were prepared and then applied in the Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and superconduction quantum interference device magnetometer were performed to characterize the nZVI/rGO nanocomposites. In order to reduce the number of experiments and the economic cost, response surface methodology (RSM) combined with artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, such as artificial neural network (ANN), genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), has been utilized as a major tool that can model and optimize the removal processes, because a tremendous advance has recently been made on AI that may result in extensive applications. Based on RSM, ANN-GA and ANN-PSO were employed to model the Cu(II) removal process and optimize the operating parameters, e.g., operating temperature, initial pH, initial concentration and contact time. The ANN-PSO model was proven to be an effective tool for modeling and optimizing the Cu(II) removal with a low absolute error and a high removal efficiency. Furthermore, the isotherm, kinetic, thermodynamic studies and the XPS analysis were performed to explore the mechanisms of Cu(II) removal process.

Formation of tooeleite and the role of direct removal of As(III) from high-arsenic acid wastewater

In this study, an earth-mimetic method was proposed for the direct removal of As(III) by the formation of tooeleite, a ferric arsenite sulfate mineral. A series of batch experiments was used to study the relationship between the formation of tooeleite and the removal of As(III). The results indicate that As(III) removal efficiency reached up to 99% under the treatment condition of pH 1.8-4.5, initial As(III) concentration higher than 0.75g/L, and Fe/As ranged from 0.8 to 2 at room temperature. Various characterizations confirm that the precipitate obtained by this treatment was tooeleite with relatively high stability. In addition, it is assumed that ferrihydrite exists as a precursor, which is vital to the formation of tooeleite and the removal of As(III). This study suggests that tooeleite formation may be an alternative method in the direct removal of As(III) from high-arsenic acid wastewater.