Effect of organic matter on mobilization of antimony from nanocrystalline titanium dioxide

Cellulose nanocrystal-infused polymer hydrogel imbued with ferric-manganese oxide nanoparticles for efficient antinomy removal

Antimony is a highly poisonous pollutant that needs to be removed from water to ensured safety. In this work, we have fabricated a novel adsorbent, the ferric-manganese oxide (FeMnOx) nanoparticles embedded cellulose nanocrystal-based polymer hydrogel (FeMnOx @CNC-g-PAA/qP4VP, denoted as FMO@CPqP), specifically engineered for the remediation of antimony-laden water. Comprehensive evaluations have been conducted to investigate the efficacy of the FMO@CPqP hydrogel in removal of antimony from water. The hydrogel exhibits superior affinity for antimony, with maximum adsorption capacities of 276.1 mg/g for Sb(III) and 286.8 mg/g for Sb(V). The adsorptive dynamics, governed by the kinetics and isotherm analyses, elucidate that the immobilization of both Sb(III) and Sb(V) is facilitated through a homogeneous and monolayer chemisorption mechanism. The hydrogel has a three-dimensional interconnected porous structure and exhibits good swelling behavior, which facilitates the rapid absorption of antimony ions by this high surface area hydrogel into the channels. Furthermore, various effects, including the oxidation and inner-sphere coordination mediated by FeMnOx NPs and the electrostatic attractions of the quaternized P4VP chains, promote the immobilization of antimony species. Owing to its high removal efficiency, stability and reusability, the FMO@CPqP hydrogel emerges as an exemplary candidate for the removal of antimony contaminants in water treatment processes.

Fast and efficient remediation of antimony-contaminated surface water and field soil using alumina supported Fe-Mn binary oxide

Antimony (Sb) pollution in surface water and soil has earned extensive attention. Our previous study synthesized a new class of alumina supported Fe-Mn binary oxide (Fe-Mn@Al2O3) and found that MnO2 in the composite oxidized Sb(III) to Sb(V) and FeOOH and Al2O3 played an indispensable role in adsorption of Sb(III) and Sb(V). This study further explored the removal of Sb in surface water and in situ sequestration of Sb in Sb-contaminated field soil via Fe-Mn@Al2O3. Sb removal from water was pH independent and the removal efficiencies of Sb(III) and total Sb kept constant at 95.4% and 60.5%, respectively, over a pH range of 5.0-10.0. Increasing dissolved organic matter (DOM) from 0 to 22.8 mg/L had negligible effect on Sb(III) removal whereas inhibited the total Sb removal from 60.5% to 51.2%. Dissolved oxygen cannot oxidize aqueous Sb(III), yet, enhanced the Sb(III) removal whereas decreased the total Sb removal. The composite performed well in natural surface water with high DOM and inorganic ligands. In addition, the composite effectively immobilized Sb in field soil. 5% of the composite significantly inhibited the H2SO4 and HNO3 leachable Sb by 93.6% after 30 d. The amendment transformed the Sb speciation from more easily available fractions (i.e., exchangeable, carbonate-bound, and Fe-Mn oxides-bound species) into more stable fractions (i.e., organic material bound and residual species), leading to declined Sb bioaccessibility and reduced environmental risk. The composite facilitated a long-term stability of Sb in soil. The study demonstrated an easy, fast, and effective strategy for efficient immobilization of Sb in water and soil.

Antimony(III) removal by biogenic manganese oxides formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA-1: kinetics and mechanisms

In this study, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA-1, a manganese-oxidizing bacterium screened from the soil at a manganese mining area, was found to be tolerated to Sb(III) stress during the Mn(II) oxidation, and the generated biological manganese oxide (BMO) outperformed the identical type of Abiotic-MnOX in terms of oxidation and adsorption of Sb(III). Adsorption kinetics and isotherm experiments indicated that Sb(III) was primarily adsorbed through chemisorption and multilayer adsorption on BMO; the maximum adsorption capacity of BMO was 143.15 mg·g-1. Removal kinetic studies showed that the Sb(III) removal efficiency by BMO was 72.38-95.71% after 15 min, and it could be up to 96.32-98.31% after 480 min. The removal procedure could be divided into two stages, fast (within 15 min) and slow (15 ~ 480 min), both of which exhibited first-order kinetic behavior. Dynamic fitting in two steps revealed that the removal speed correlated to the level of dissolved Sb(III) with low Sb(III) concentrations, but with the initial concentration being high, the removal speed rate was independent of dissolved Sb(III). During the whole process, the Sb(III) removal speed by BMO was also higher than that by the Abiotic-MnOX. Combining multiple spectroscopic techniques revealed that Sb(V) was generated through the Sb(III) oxidation by BMO and replacing surface metal hydroxyl groups to form the complex internal Mn-O(H)-Sb(V) or generating stable Mn(II)-antimonate precipitates on the surface. In addition, microbial metabolites, including tryptophan and humus, in BMO may be complex with Sb(III) and Sb(V) to achieve the treatment of Sb(III). This research investigates the factors and mechanisms influencing the adsorption and removal of Sb(III) by BMO, which could aid in its future engineering applications for the BMO.

Geochemical impact of dissolved organic matter on antimony mobilization in shallow groundwater of the Xikuangshan antimony mine, Hunan Province, China

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is widely used in aquatic systems to control the environmental fate of As. However, similar to the behavior of As, Sb mobilization driven by DOM is poorly understood. A total of 25 samples were collected from shallow groundwater in the Xikuangshan mine to compare the spectroscopic characteristics and chemical properties of DOM between high- and low-Sb groundwater and to determine the roles of DOM in Sb mobility. The concentrations of Sb and DOM varied from 0.003 to 18.402 mg/L (mean: 3.407 mg/L) and 0.38 to 9.90 mg/L (mean: 2.49 mg/L), respectively. The DOM of the D₃x⁴ water was primarily dominated by terrestrial and microbial humic-like and fulvic acid substances, with a relatively small contribution of tryptophan-like components. Complexing agents, competitive adsorption, and photopromoted oxidation under sunlight were considered as the formation mechanisms for DOM-controlled Sb(V)-dominated Sb species in D₃x⁴ water. The weakly alkaline and oxidizing conditions, and the presence of Fe hydroxides facilitated the promotion of Sb(V) concentration. The findings of this study further enhance our understanding of the Sb migration mechanism in oxic groundwater.

Efficient removal of antimonate and antimonite by a novel lanthanum-manganese binary oxide: Performance and mechanism

Antimony is a highly toxic pollutant and its removal from water gains increasing attention. To effectively remove both Sb(III) and Sb(V), a novel lanthanum-manganese binary oxide (L₁M₂BO) adsorbent was synthesized by a simple oxidation coupled with precipitation method. The as-prepared L₁M₂BO was detailedly characterized by the XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, FTIR and XPS techniques. It is amorphous and irregular in shape, with a particle size of 50-100 nm and a specific surface area of 180.4 m²/g. A remarkable synergistic effect between the lanthanum hydroxide and Mn oxide in improving antimony adsorption is shown. The maximum adsorption capacities of Sb(III) and Sb(V) are 364.6 mg/g and 131.1 mg/g at pH 7.0, respectively, which outcompete most of reported adsorbents. The adsorption behaviors of antimony fitted well the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich models. The adsorption mechanism of Sb(V) involves mainly the replacement of surface metal hydroxyl and forming inner-sphere complex. While the Sb(III) removal is a more complicated process, containing both Sb(III) adsorption and oxidation to Sb(V). Furthermore, the spent L₁M₂BO sorbent can be regenerated and reused. The L₁M₂BO could be used as an attractive adsorbent for antimony removal, owing to its easily fabrication, high effectiveness and reusability.

Review of recently used adsorbents for antimony removal from contaminated water

As prior pollutants, antimony (Sb) and its compounds are carcinogenic to threaten human health. With the development of the industry, various Sb-contained pollutants have been released into nature, thus heavily damaging the ecological environment. Effectively treating Sb-polluted waterbodies is very important and have obtained ever-growing attention. In this review, we have summarized and classified the adsorbents used for removing Sb from water in recent two decades as natural and synthetic biological adsorbents, mineral adsorbents, natural and synthetic carbon materials, metal-based adsorbents, and metal-organic frameworks. We focus on the adsorption behavior of various adsorbents for Sb, including adsorption capacity, isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and effects of environmental factors (e.g., pH, coexisting anions, and natural organic matter). Meanwhile, the involved adsorption mechanisms of Sb by different adsorbents are discussed. Finally, we have outlined the development of adsorbents over the last two decades and summarized the performance characteristics of effective adsorbents, such as the rich functional groups on the surface of the adsorbents (i.e., hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups), and the presence of metal elements to coordinate with Sb in (i.e., iron and manganese). We hope this review give enlightenment to design adsorbents for effective removal of Sb.

Simultaneous removal of antimony and arsenic by nano-TiO2-crosslinked chitosan (TA-chitosan) beads

Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As), carcinogenic and toxic elements, cause environmental pollution, in addition, the different chemical properties of Sb and As make them difficult to co-removal. In this study, we incorporated of nano-TiO₂ in the chitosan matrix to synthesized an efficient adsorption material nano-titania-crosslinked chitosan (TA-chitosan) beads, which was used to simultaneous removal of Sb and As from aqueous solution. TA-chitosan possesses a robust high removal performance for Sb and As under weakly acidic and neutral conditions; however, the removal is significantly inhibited under alkaline pH values. The adsorption kinetics of Sb and As on TA-chitosan conformed to the pseudo-second-order model, indicating that the removal of Sb and As was a chemical adsorption process. The adsorption isotherms of Sb(III/V) and As(III/V) on TA-chitosan follow the Langmuir model, and their maximum adsorption capacities are 70.19, 25.32, 64.52 and 102.89 mg·g^-1, respectively. The zeta potential showed that the surface of TA-chitosan was negatively charged over the full pH range upon Sb and As adsorption, demonstrating that negatively charged inner-sphere complexes were formed on TA-chitosan. This work may also provide a new perspective in titanium-chitosan material synthesis and heavy metal ions co-removal.

Coagulation Behavior of Antimony Oxyanions in Water: Influence of pH, Inorganic and Organic Matter on the Physicochemical Characteristics of Iron Precipitates

The presence of inorganic and organic substances may alter the physicochemical properties of iron (Fe) salt precipitates, thereby stabilizing the antimony (Sb) oxyanions in potable water during the chemical treatment process. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the surface characteristics, size of Fe flocs and coagulation performance of Sb oxyanions under different aqueous matrices. The results showed that surface properties of Fe flocs significantly varies with pH in both Sb(III, V) suspensions, thereby increasing the mobility of Sb(V) ions in alkaline conditions. The negligible change in surface characteristics of Fe flocs was observed in pure water and Sb(III, V) suspension at pH 7. The key role of Van der Waals forces of attraction as well as hydration force in the aggregation of early formed flocs were found, with greater agglomeration capability at higher more ferric chloride dosage. The higher Sb(V) loading decreased the size of Fe flocs and reversed the surface charge of precipitates, resulting in a significant reduction in Sb(V) removal efficiency. The competitive inhibition effect on Sb(III, V) removal was noticed in the presence of phosphate anions, owing to lowering of ζ-potential values towards more negative trajectory. The presence of hydrophobic organic matter (humic acid) significantly altered the surface characteristics of Fe flocs, thereby affecting the coagulation behavior of Sb in water as compared to the hydrophilic (salicylic acid). Overall, the findings of this research may provide a new insight into the variation in physicochemical characteristics of Fe flocs and Sb removal behavior in the presence of inorganic and organic compounds during the drinking water treatment process.

Complexation of Antimony with Natural Organic Matter: Performance Evaluation during Coagulation-Flocculation Process

The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in drinking water sources can stabilize toxic antimony (Sb) species, thus enhancing their mobility and causing adverse effects on human health. Therefore, the present study aims to quantitatively explore the complexation of hydrophobic/hydrophilic NOM, i.e., humic acid (HA), salicylic acid (SA), and L-cysteine (L-cys), with Sb in water. In addition, the removal of Sb(III, V) species and total organic carbon (TOC) was evaluated with ferric chloride (FC) as a coagulant. The results showed a stronger binding affinity of hydrophobic HA as compared to hydrophilic NOM. The optimum FC dose required for Sb(V) removal was found to be higher than that for Sb(III), due to the higher complexation ability of hydrophobic NOM with antimonate than antimonite. TOC removal was found to be higher in hydrophobic ligands than hydrophilic ligands. The high concentration of hydrophobic molecules significantly suppresses the Sb adsorption onto Fe precipitates. An isotherm study suggested a stronger adsorption capacity for the hydrophobic ligand than the hydrophilic ligand. The binding of Sb to NOM in the presence of active Fe sites was significantly reduced, likely due to the adsorption of contaminants onto precipitated Fe. The results of flocs characteristics revealed that mechanisms such as oxidation, complexation, charge neutralization, and adsorption may be involved in the removal of Sb species from water. This study may provide new insights into the complexation behavior of Sb in NOM-laden water as well as the optimization of the coagulant dose during the water treatment process.

Antimony speciation in the environment: Recent advances in understanding the biogeochemical processes and ecological effects

Antimony (Sb) is a toxic metalloid, and its pollution has become a global environmental problem as a result of its extensive use and corresponding Sb-mining activities. The toxicity and mobility of Sb strongly depend on its chemical speciation. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the biogeochemical processes (including emission, distribution, speciation, redox, metabolism and toxicity) that trigger the mobilization and transformation of Sb from pollution sources to the surrounding environment. Natural phenomena such as weathering, biological activity and volcanic activity, together with anthropogenic inputs, are responsible for the emission of Sb into the environment. Sb emitted in the environment can adsorb and undergo redox reactions on organic or inorganic environmental media, thus changing its existing form and exerting toxic effects on the ecosystem. This review is based on a careful and systematic collection of the latest papers during 2010-2017 and our research results, and it illustrates the fate and ecological effects of Sb in the environment.

Nanoscale iron (oxyhydr)oxide-modified carbon nanotube filter for rapid and effective Sb(iii) removal

Herein, nanoscale iron (oxyhydr)oxide-coated carbon nanotube (CNT) filters were rationally designed for rapid and effective removal of Sb(iii) from water. These iron (oxyhydr)oxide particles (<5 nm) were uniformly coated onto the CNT sidewalls. The as-fabricated hybrid filter demonstrated improved sorption kinetics and capacity compared with the conventional batch system. At a flow rate of 6 mL min⁻¹, a Sb(iii) pseudo-first-order adsorption rate constant of 0.051 and a removal efficiency of >99% was obtained when operated in the recirculation mode. The improved Sb(iii) sorption performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of convection-enhanced mass transport, limited pore size, and more exposed active sorption sites of the filters. The presence of 1–10 mmol L⁻¹ of carbonate, sulfate, and chloride inhibits Sb(iii) removal negligibly. Exhausted hybrid filters can be effectively regenerated by an electrical field-assisted chemical washing method. STEM characterization confirmed that Sb was mainly sequestered by iron (oxyhydr)oxides. XPS, AFS and XAFS results suggest that a certain amount of Sb(iii) was converted to Sb(v) during filtration. DFT calculations further indicate that the bonding energy for Sb(iii) onto the iron (oxyhydr)oxides was 2.27–2.30 eV, and the adsorbed Sb(iii) tends to be oxidized.

Herein, nanoscale iron (oxyhydr)oxide-coated carbon nanotube (CNT) filters were rationally designed for rapid and effective removal of Sb(iii) from water.