Uranium removal in groundwater by Priestia sp. isolated from uranium-contaminated mining soil

Priestia sp. WW1 was isolated from a uranium-contaminated mining soil and identified. The uranium removal characteristics and mechanism of Priestia sp. WW1 were investigated. The results showed that the removal efficiency of uranium decreased with the increase of initial uranium concentration. When the uranium initial concentration was 5 mg/L, the uranium removal efficiency achieved 92.1%. The increase of temperature could promote the uranium removal. Carbon source could affect the removal rate of uranium, which was the fastest when the methanol was used as carbon source. The solution pH had significant effect on the uranium removal efficiency, which reached the maximum under solution pH 5.0. The experimental results and FTIR as well as XPS demonstrated that Priestia sp. WW1 could remove uranium via both adsorption and reduction. The common chloride ions, sulfate ions, Mn(II) and Cu(II) enhanced the uranium removal, while Fe(III) depressed the uranium removal. The Priestia sp. WW1 could effectively remove the uranium in the actual mining groundwater, and the increase of initial biomass could improve the removal efficiency of uranium in the actual mining groundwater. This study provided a promising bacterium for uranium remediation in the groundwater.

Bacterial Cellulose as a Versatile Biomaterial for Wound Dressing Application

Chronic ulcers are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality due to the high probability of infection and sepsis and therefore exert a significant impact on public health resources. Numerous types of dressings are used for the treatment of skin ulcers-each with different advantages and disadvantages. Bacterial cellulose (BC) has received enormous interest in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical fields due to its biological, physical, and mechanical characteristics, which enable the creation of polymer composites and blends with broad applications. In the medical field, BC was at first used in wound dressings, tissue regeneration, and artificial blood vessels. This material is suitable for treating various skin diseases due its considerable fluid retention and medication loading properties. BC membranes are used as a temporary dressing for skin treatments due to their excellent fit to the body, reduction in pain, and acceleration of epithelial regeneration. BC-based composites and blends have been evaluated and synthesized both in vitro and in vivo to create an ideal microenvironment for wound healing. This review describes different methods of producing and handling BC for use in the medical field and highlights the qualities of BC in detail with emphasis on biomedical reports that demonstrate its utility. Moreover, it gives an account of biomedical applications, especially for tissue engineering and wound dressing materials reported until date. This review also includes patents of BC applied as a wound dressing material.

Fabrication and investigation of novel monochloroacetic acid fortified, tripolyphosphate-crosslinked chitosan for highly efficient adsorption of uranyl ions from radioactive effluents

Chitosan crosslinked with potassium tripolyphosphate (CTPP) and monochloroacetic-acid-modified chitosan crosslinked with potassium tripolyphosphate (MCTPP) were synthesized for removing UO₂²⁺ from acidic radioactive effluents. The influential factors, operational requirements, and interactive mechanisms of the adsorption process were systematically investigated. The mesh-structured composites adsorbed UO₂²⁺ most effectively at pH 5.0. The maximum adsorption capacities for pure chitosan, CTPP, and MCTPP were 374.93, 780.89, and 1487.72 mg/g, respectively. Batch experiments indicated that the pH and adsorbent dose strongly influenced UO₂²⁺ adsorption. MCTPP could adsorb most UO₂²⁺ within 15 min, and equilibrium was reached by ~1 h. The adsorption isotherms indicated that UO₂²⁺ adsorption by MCTPP may be an endothermic single-layer adsorption process. Moreover, common metal ions in single-metal systems only slightly affected this process. The results of instrumental characterization and natural water application suggested that the highly developed pore structure and abundant tripolyphosphate groups in synthesized composites were dominant adsorption contributors besides amino and hydroxyl groups. Successful development of the novel material for efficiently adsorbing UO₂²⁺ and identification of the adsorption mechanism will provide valuable guidance to chitosan modification and further remediation practices of radioactive effluents.

Adsorption properties and mechanism of uranium by three biomass materials

Wood fibers, bamboo fibers and rice husk were applied to the adsorption of uranium from aqueous solution to understand the uranium adsorption behavior and mechanism by these natural sorbents. The effects of time, adsorbent particle size, pH, adsorbent dosage, temperature and initial concentration were studied using batch technique. The adsorption mechanism was discussed by isothermal adsorption models, adsorption kinetic models. The results suggested that the three biomass adsorbents showed great efficiency of adsorption for uranium. The adsorption capacity of biosorbents of comparatively small particle size and large dosage is quite high. Uranium adsorption achieved a maximum adsorption amount at around pH 3 for wood fibers and bamboo fibers, and around pH 5 for rice husk. All isotherms fitted well to the Langmuir Freundlich and D-R equation, indicating that the adsorption process is favorable and dominated by ion exchange. Rice husk had a highest adsorption capacity, followed by bamboo fibers, while wood fibers had little uranium adsorption under the studied conditions, and the adsorption capacity was 12.22, 11.27 and 11.04 mg/g, respectively. The equilibrium data was well represented by the pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating that the adsorption rate was controlled by chemical adsorption. Ion exchange was the main adsorption mechanism, and the exchange ions were mainly Na+ and K+.

Electron-Scale Insights into the Single and Coadsorption Cd(II) Behaviors of a Metal-Nonmetal-Modified Titanium Dioxide

Metal (Fe) and nonmetal (P) were used to modify TiO2, and then, several functional groups such as P-O, P=O, Fe-O, and -OH were introduced on its surface to enhance the adsorption capacity for Cd(II), which could reach 121 mg/g. According to the experimental analysis of adsorption performance, chemical adsorption dominates the adsorption process, and the adsorption capacity increases with increasing temperature within a certain range. The results of competitive adsorption experiments showed that both Pb(II) and Cu(II) affect the adsorption of Cd(II) and that the adsorption order of P-Fe-TiO2 for heavy metal ions is $\text{Pb}\left(\text{II}\right)>\text{Cd}\left(\text{II}\right)>\text{Cu}\left(\text{II}\right)$ . We further investigated the adsorption mechanism of P-Fe-TiO2 for Cd(II) and the reasons for the difference in competitive adsorption and used DFT calculations to confirm the experimental results. In the analysis of binding energy and frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), we confirmed that charge transfer occurred during the adsorption process, so chemical reactions occurred. The binding energy of P-Fe-TiO2 and Pb(II) is the largest. The results of the competitive adsorption experiment also confirmed that the adsorbent has the greatest effect on Pb. Mulliken analysis was used to identify the best binding site on the adsorbent. The results of electrostatic potential, total potential, and differential charge analysis further prove the conclusions described above.

Biocellulose for Treatment of Wastewaters Generated by Energy Consuming Industries: A Review

Water and energy are two of the most important resources used by humanity. Discharging highly polluting wastewater without prior treatment is known to adversely affect water potability, agriculture, aquatic life and even society. One of the greatest threats to water sources are contaminated effluents, which can be of residential or industrial origin and whose disposal in nature must comply with specific laws aimed at reducing their environmental impact. As the oil industry is closely related to energy consumption, it is among the sectors most responsible for global pollution. The damage caused by this industrial sector is present in all countries, whose legislations require companies to carry out wastewater treatment before disposal or recycling in their production process. Bacterial cellulose membranes have been shown to be efficient as filters for the removal of various contaminants, including biological and chemical agents or heavy metals. Therefore, their use could make an important contribution to bio-based technological development in the circular economy. Moreover, they can be used to produce new materials for industry, taking into consideration current environmental preservation policies aimed at a more efficient use of energy. This review aims to compare and describe the applications of cellulose membranes in the treatment of these effluents.

Covalent organic frameworks as robust materials for mitigation of environmental pollutants

Today, one of the main leading global problems is the presence of different pollutants in the environment. These pollutants not only affect human health but also overshadow the life of other creatures. Thus, pollutant treatment has become a challenging issue among the researchers and the scientific community. Different adsorbents and catalysts have been applied to the removal of pollutants. However, the associated limitations like poor chemical and physical stability, low surface area and low binding capacity revived researchers' attention to exploring alternative materials. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are versatile materials created based on the strong covalent interactions between blocked monomers. Unique features, including high specific surface area, high chemical-physical stability and crystallinity render COFs an intriguing sorbent and catalyst in treating pollutants. This review spotlights the applications of COFs as distinguished adsorbents to remove hazardous pollutants from the environment. At first, COFs and their properties as alternative materials were introduced. Then, different synthesis approaches of COFs and their advantages and disadvantages were discussed. Furthermore, the applications of COFs outlined to remove a wide variety of pollutants based on adsorption and degradation. Finally, the prospects of COFs for the treatment of pollutants were evaluated.

Adsorption isotherm models: Classification, physical meaning, application and solving method

Adsorption is widely applied separation process, especially in environmental remediation, due to its low cost and high efficiency. Adsorption isotherm models can provide mechanism information of the adsorption process, which is important for the design of adsorption system. However, the classification, physical meaning, application and solving method of the isotherms have not been systematical analyzed and summarized. In this paper, the adsorption isotherms were classified into adsorption empirical isotherms, isotherms based on Polanyi's theory, chemical adsorption isotherms, physical adsorption isotherms, and the ion exchange model. The derivation and physical meaning of the isotherm models were discussed in detail. In addition, the application of the isotherm models were analyzed and summarized based on over 200 adsorption equilibrium data in literature. The statistical parameters for evaluating the fitness of the models were also discussed. Finally, a user interface (UI) was developed based on Excel software for solving the isotherm models, which was provided in supplemental material and can be easily used to model the adsorption equilibrium data. This paper will provide theoretical basis and guiding methodology for the selection and use of the adsorption isotherms.

Uranium biosorption by immobilized active yeast cells entrapped in calcium-alginate-PVA- GO-crosslinked gel beads

A novel biosorbent, i. e. Saccharomyces cerevisiae entrapped in graphene oxide (GO), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and alginate and cross-linked in CaCl2- boric acid solution, was prepared, characterized and applied for U (VI) biosorption. The performance of U sorption and cations release (Na, K, Ca and Mg ions) was investigated under different contact time, initial uranium concentration and initial pH. Uranium sorption equilibrium basically achieved after 360 min. The kinetic data of U biosorption and Ca release were best described by the pseudo first-order equation. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models could fit the U sorption isotherm data. With increase of initial uranium (3.7 ~ 472.2 μmol/L) and sodium concentration (78.8 ~ 3911.7 μmol/L), the cations release ((Na + K)/2 + (Ca + Mg)) decreased from 116.9 to 30.1 μmol/g when the corresponding U sorption increased from 0.6 to 77.3 μmol/g. Initial solution pH at 3 was favorable for U sorption when pH ranged from 3 to 7. With increase of uranium concentration, ion exchange played a less role in U removal. The maximum U sorption capacity reached 142.1 μmol/g, calculated from the Langmuir model at initial pH 5. The O-containing functional group, such as carboxyl on the gel bead played an important role in U adsorption according to FTIR and XPS analysis. XPS analysis showed the existence of U (VI) and U (IV) on the surface of gel bead. Ion exchange, complexation and uranium reduction involved in uranium adsorption by the immobilized active dry yeast gel beads.

Metal organic framework (La-PDA) as an effective adsorbent for the removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution

A two-dimensional lanthanum(III) porous coordination polymer was prepared, characterized and applied as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of uranium from aqueous solution. Lanthanum(III) was the metal center of MOFs, and the deprotonated anions of pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H2PDA), PDA2− was the organic ligand, this MOF was name as La-PDA, which was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis were used for characterization, and the results indicated that the La-PDA composites were successfully prepared. Compared with traditional adsorbents of uranium, La-PDA showed excellent adsorption properties. The adsorption capacity was 247.6 mg g−1 at 298 K and pH 4.0. The adsorption equilibrium achieved within 120 min, and the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. The absorption mechanism of La-PDA was also explored, from the XPS spectra, the pyridine-like nitrogen atoms (C=N–C) and carboxyl oxygen atoms (–COO–) contributed to the adsorption of uranium. The results suggested that PDA2− was a potential ligand of uranium adsorption, La-PDA composites were effective adsorbents for the removal of uranium from aqueous solution.