Gaseous Heptanethiol Removal by a Fe3+-Phenanthroline-Kaolinite Hybrid Material

Kaolinite functionalized by the μ-oxo Fe³⁺-phenanthroline complex (Fe⁺³Phen) was selected to test its ability to efficiently remove and store gaseous heptanethiol (HPT). Spectroscopic techniques, elemental analysis, and thermal analysis coupled with evolved gas mass spectrometry were employed to characterize the material before and after the exposure to the gas and to define the adsorption process. The amount of HPT trapped by the functionalized kaolinite after 60 days is 0.10940 moles per 100 g of kaolinite which, considering the amount of adsorbed Fe⁺³Phen (0.00114 moles per 100 g of kaolinite), means a thiol/Fe³⁺Phen molar ratio of about 100:1, a value much higher than those found in the past for Fe⁺³Phen functionalized montmorillonite and sepiolite. In addition, the process was found to be efficient also beyond 60 days. This significant removal of the smelly gas was explained by considering a continuous catalytic activity of Fe³⁺ toward the oxidation of thiol to disulfide.

Trapping at the Solid-Gas Interface: Selective Adsorption of Naphthalene by Montmorillonite Intercalated with a Fe(III)-Phenanthroline Complex

In this study, stable hybrid materials (Mt-Fe(III)Phen), made by the μ-oxo Fe(III)-phenanthroline complex [(OH₂)₃(Phen)FeOFe(Phen)(OH₂)₃]⁴⁺ (Fe(III)Phen) intercalated in different amounts into montmorillonite (Mt), were used as a trap for immobilizing gaseous benzene and naphthalene and their mono chloro-derivatives at 25 and 50 °C. The entrapping process was studied through elemental analysis, magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and evolved gas mass spectrometry. Naphthalene and 1-chloronaphthalene were found to be immobilized in large amount at both temperatures. Molecular modeling allowed designing of the structure of the interlayer in the presence of the immobilized aromatic molecules. Adsorption is affected by the amount of the Fe complex hosted in the interlayer of the entrapping hybrid materials. On the contrary, under the same conditions, benzene and chlorobenzene were not adsorbed. Thermal desorption of naphthalenes was obtained under mild conditions, and immobilization was found to be reversible at least for 20 adsorption/desorption cycles.

Effective and Selective Trapping of Volatile Organic Sulfur Derivatives by Montmorillonite Intercalated with a μ-oxo Fe(III)-Phenanthroline Complex

The μ-oxo Fe(III)-phenanthroline complex [(OH₂)₃(Phen)FeOFe(Phen) (OH₂)₃]⁺⁴ intercalated in montmorillonite provides a stable hybrid material. In this study, the ability and efficiency of this material to immobilize thiols in gas phase, acting as a trap at the solid-gas interface, were investigated. Aliphatic thiols containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic end groups were chosen to test the selectivity of this gas trap. DR-UV-vis, IR, elemental analysis, thermal analysis and evolved gas mass spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques were employed to characterize the hybrid material before and after thiol exposure and to provide information on the entrapping process. Thiol immobilization is very large, up to 21% w/w for heptanethiol. In addition, evidence was obtained that immobilization occurs through the formation of a covalent bond between the iron of the complex and the sulfur of the thiol. This provides an immobilization process characterized by a higher stability with respect to the methods based on physi-adsorption. Thiol immobilization resulted thermally reversible at least for 20 adsorption/desorption cycles. Unlike standard desulfurization processes like hydrotreating and catalytic oxidation which work at high temperatures and pressures, the present system is able to efficiently trap thiols at room temperature and pressure, thus saving energy. Furthermore, we found that the selectivity of thiol immobilization can be tuned acting on the amount of complex intercalated in montmorillonite. In particular, montmorillonite semisaturated with the complex captures both hydrophobic and hydrophilic thiols, while the saturated montmorillonite shows a strong selectivity toward the hydrophobic molecules.

Quantitative local structure determination in mica crystals: ab initio simulations of polarization XANES at the potassium K-edge

An attempt to refine the local structure of a layered structure such as mica is made by combining angle-resolved XANES (AXANES) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) experiments. Ab initio calculations of AXANES spectra of several tri-octahedral micas have been used to further interpolate experimental data and to deduce physico/chemical effects. Structural distortions have been found highly correlated with the compositional disordering that arises from electronic interactions between anions and cations, and extend the interlayer entering deep into nearby tetrahedral and octahedral sheets. Multiple occupations at the same atomic site have been investigated in detail both in the parallel and perpendicular components of AXANES spectra. Finally, the best fit obtained, computed in the framework of the multiple-scattering theory, is presented and the limitations of the muffin-tin potential in layered systems are briefly discussed.

Heavy metals in sediments from canals for water supplying and drainage: mobilization and control strategies

One of the most critical aspects of the maintenance of canals for water supplying and drainage is the managing of deposited sediments, which must be periodically removed. Deposited sediments, if containing anthropogenic pollutants with a concentration exceeding specific law limits, must be stored as industrial wastes, thus raising additional economic and logistic problems to deal with. Our research considers polluted sediments from an area close to the south side of Po river, in order to characterize heavy metals associated with different mineral species, thus defining effective treatments for their inertization, and suggesting a possible process for their recycle. Our results demonstrate that the composition of these sediments is suitable for the production of tiles and bricks. Several tests were thus performed to optimize sample treatment and other process parameters, finally giving very encouraging results. Releasing tests on fired products reveal that all the heavy metals are well retained.

Sorption kinetics and chemical forms of Cd(II) sorbed by thiol-functionalized 2:1 clay minerals

The interaction between Cd(II) in aqueous solution and two 2:1 expandable clay minerals (i.e., montmorillonite and vermiculite), showing different layer charge, was addressed via batch sorption experiments on powdered clay minerals both untreated and amino acid (cysteine) treated. Reaction products were characterized via X-ray powder diffraction (XRDP), chemical analysis (elemental analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry), thermal analysis combined with evolved gases mass spectrometry (TGA-MSEGA) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy via extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) characterization. Sorption isotherms for Cd(II) in presence of different substrates, shows that Cd(II) uptake depends both on Cd(II) starting concentration and the nature of the substrate. Thermal decomposition of Cd-cysteine treated clay minerals evidences the evolution of H(2)O, H(2)S, NO(2), SO(2), and N(2)O(3). These results are well consistent with XRDP data collected both at room and at increasing temperature and further stress the influence of the substrate, in particular cysteine, on the interlayer. EXAFS studies suggest that Cd(II) coordinates with oxygen atoms, to give monomer complexes or CdO molecules, either on the mineral surface and/or in the interlayer. For Cd-cysteine complexes EXAFS data agree with the existence of Cd-S clusters, thus suggesting a predominant role of the thiol group in the bonding of Cd with the amino acid.