Reduction of Iron(III) Ion by Activated Carbon Fiber

Bioleaching of tennantite concentrate: influence of microbial community and solution redox potential

Despite its growing importance as a Cu resource, studies on tennantite bioleaching are highly limited. One of the key challenges in processing such Cu-As sulfides is their refractoriness and the solubilisation of toxic As. The ultimate goal is to achieve selective bioleaching of Cu with simultaneous immobilisation of As in the leach residues. This study investigated the effectiveness of activated carbon (AC)-assisted bioleaching of tennantite concentrate using a mixed culture containing various "strong" and "weak" Fe-oxidising bacteria/archaea plus a S-oxidising bacterium, with particular emphasis on controlling the solution redox potential (Eh). In the initial flask bioleaching tests, a steady increase in Eh (up to 840 mV) was observed, reflecting the activity of "strong" Fe-oxidisers. In this situation, AC dosing effectively suppressed the Eh value and the highest Cu dissolution (70%) was obtained in the AC-0.01% system, while simultaneously immobilising As. In order to maximise Cu dissolution and As immobilisation, it was found preferable to target the Eh range of 650-700 mV during bioleaching. The next bioreactor tests used the mixed culture of the same origin, but had been subcultured a few generations further on tennantite concentrate. The Eh level remained unexpectedly low (~630 mV) for most of the leaching period, regardless of the AC dosage. It was later found that the bioreactor systems were almost exclusively dominated by Sb. thermosulfidooxidans, a "weak" Fe oxidiser with high Cu/As tolerance. In this case, there was no need to artificially suppress the Eh level by AC dosing and Cu leached readily to a final Cu dissolution of ~60% while As dissolution was suppressed to ~15%. Thus, depending on the microbial community that develops at the processing site, Eh control can be achieved either naturally by the activity of "weak" Fe-oxidisers as the predominant survivors under high Cu/As stress, or artificially by the addition of an Eh regulator such as a carbon catalyst.

Effective immobilization of hexavalent chromium from drinking water by nano-FeOOH coating activated carbon: Adsorption and reduction

In this study, nano α-FeOOH (nFeOOH, 100-500 nm) was coated onto activated carbon (nFeOOH@AC) through a dipping means for enhanced Cr(VI) immobilization from drinking water. The nFeOOH@AC significantly improved the Cr(VI) removal from 19.9% (AC control) to 93.4%. XPS spectra and chromium speciation demonstrated that about 90% of adsorbed Cr(VI) was converted to Cr(III) by the nFeOOH@AC, accompanying with a reduction-oxidation of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ in the nFeOOH matrix due to electrons delivering between AC and surface-bound Cr(VI). The resultant Cr(III) subsequently reacted with Fe(III) to generate stable (Cr_χFe_1-χ)(OH)₃ precipitates, leading to a much lower Cr(III) release of 7.5% back to solution by the nFeOOH@AC as compared to the AC control of 33.8%, indicating that the nFeOOH@AC had a prospective potential for Cr(VI) immobilization and decreased Cr residue in treated drinking water. Results from column experiment also showed that the nFeOOH@AC afforded a 3.5 times higher capacity for Cr(VI) immobilization and a 3.4 times longer life-span than the pristine AC. Besides, Cr(VI) immobilization by the nFeOOH@AC was a pH-dependent process and the adsorbed Cr on the nFeOOH@AC could be readily desorbed with acetic acid. The disabled nFeOOH@AC could be refreshed by recoating nFeOOH particles with the above dipping method after stripping all the iron oxides with hydrochloric acid. This study demonstrated that nFeOOH coating is an efficient approach to enhance Cr(VI) elimination by AC during drinking water treatments.

Removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution by different surface-modified biochars: Acid washing, nanoscale zero-valent iron and ferric iron loading

Willow residue biochar (BC) and modified biochars (hydrochloric acid washing (HBC), HBC loaded with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI-HBC), and HBC loaded with ferric iron (Fe³⁺-HBC)) after aging were used for aqueous Cr(VI) removal. HBC (>98.67%), nZVI-HBC (>98.86%), and Fe³⁺-HBC (>99.64%) kept high Cr(VI) removal rates under the acidic conditions within a wide pH range (<7.0), indicating their good adaptability to pH change because of aging. Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) was the dominant removal mechanism. The formation of COOH on BC, HBC, and nZVI-HBC indicates the oxidation of surface functional groups by Cr(VI) and simultaneous Cr(VI) reduction. The disappearance of nZVI peaks indicates the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) by nZVI. The color reaction result demonstrated that the converted Fe²⁺ in Fe³⁺-HBC contributed to Cr(VI) reduction. Taking into account the removal efficiency, recyclability, cost, preparation process, and stability of adsorbents, Fe³⁺-HBC was recommended for Cr(VI) removal.

A Hydrothermal Synthesis of Fe3O4@C Hybrid Nanoparticle and Magnetic Adsorptive Performance to Remove Heavy Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution

Advanced core-shelled material with a high specific area has been considered as an effective material to remove heavy metal from aqueous solutions. A core-shelled Fe3O4@C hybrid nanoparticle aggregates with environmental-friendly channel in the study. Moreover, the higher exposure of adsorption sites can be achieved for the special configuration that higher Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area reaches up to 238.18 m2 g-1. Thus, a more efficiently heavy metal ion removal is obtained, Pb (II), Cd (II), Cu (II), and Cr (VI) up to 100, 99.2, 96.6, and 94.8%, respectively. In addition, the products are easy to be separated from the aqueous solutions after adsorption, due to the relative large submicrometer size and the enhanced external magnetic fields introduced by the iron-based cores. We provide an ideal mode to remove heavy metal ions using core-shelled Fe3O4@C under the water treatment condition. A new approach is clarified that core-shell nano/micro-functional materials can be synthesized well on large scales which are used in many fields such as environmental remediation, catalyst, and energy.

Carbon-stabilized iron nanoparticles for environmental remediation

Ferromagnetic carbon-coated Fe nanoparticles (core size of 15 nm, saturated magnetization of Ms=218 emu g(-1) and coercivity of Hc=62 Oe), fabricated at a mild temperature, demonstrate a strong ability to effectively remove more than 95 wt% of Cr(VI) in waste water via carbon shell physical adsorption, which is much higher than the commercially available Fe NPs.

Evaluating the addition of activated carbon to heat-treated mushroom casing for grain-based and compost-based substrates

Two substrates, a non-composted grain spawn substrate and a traditional composted substrate, each covered with peat-based casing that contained varying amounts of activated carbon (AC) and each receiving different heat-treatment durations, were tested for Agaricus bisporus mushroom production. The amounts of AC were 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% v/v, and the heat treatments were 0, 60, and 180 min at 121 degrees C and 103.4 kPa. Overall, the addition of AC up to 10-15% of casing for a grain spawn substrate increased mushroom yield. However, the addition of AC to the casing for compost substrates had no significant effect on yield, whereas heat-treating the casing increased yield. The onset of fruiting was retarded in grain spawn treatments not receiving AC with heat-treatment durations of 60 and 180 min, whereas this effect was not as apparent for the compost substrates. On average, mushroom yield was greater for the grain spawn substrate (366 g) than for compost substrate (287 g). For grain spawn substrate, the results show that the addition of AC ranging from 5% to 10% was adequate for maximum mushroom production.

Synergistic effect of co-exposure to carbon black and Fe2O3 nanoparticles on oxidative stress in cultured lung epithelial cells

Background

There is a need to better understand synergism in the biological effects of particles composed of multiple substances. The objective of this study was to determine if the oxidative stress in cultured cells caused by co-exposure to carbon black and Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles was significantly greater than the additive effects of exposure to either type of particles alone; and to determine a possible cause for such synergistic effect if one was found. Cultured A549 human lung epithelial cells were exposed to (1) carbon black nanoparticles alone, (2) Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles alone, and (3) both types of particles simultaneously. Protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and cellular uptake of Fe in these cells were measured after 25 hours of exposure. The reduction of solubilized Fe³⁺ by the carbon black nanoparticles was measured separately in a cell-free assay, by incubating the carbon black and the Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in 0.75 M sulfuric acid at 40°C and measuring the amount of reduced Fe³⁺ at different time points up to 24 hours.

Results

Cells exposed to carbon black particles alone did not show protein oxidation, nor did the cells exposed to Fe₂O₃ particles alone, relative to the control. However, cells co-exposed to both carbon black and Fe₂O₃ particles showed up to a two-fold increase in protein oxidation relative to the control. In addition, co-exposure induced significant lipid peroxidation, although exposure to either particle type alone did not. No significant difference in cellular iron uptake was found between single exposure and co-exposure, when the Fe₂O₃ dosing concentration was the same in each case. In the cell-free assay, significant reduction of Fe³⁺ ions by carbon black nanoparticle was found within 2 hour, and it progressed up to 24 hours. At 24 hours, the carbon black nanoparticles showed a reductive capacity of 0.009 g/g, defined as the mass ratio of reduced Fe³⁺ to carbon black.

Conclusion

Co-exposure to carbon black and Fe₂O₃ particles causes a synergistic oxidative effect that is significantly greater than the additive effects of exposures to either particle type alone. The intracellular redox reaction between carbon black and Fe³⁺ is likely responsible for the synergistic oxidative effect. Therefore elemental carbon particles and fibres should be considered as potential reducing agents rather than inert materials in toxicology studies. Acidified cell organelles such as the lysosomes probably play a critical role in the solubilization of Fe₂O₃. Further research is necessary to better understand the mechanisms.

Biogenic synthesis and photocatalysis of Pd-PdO nanoclusters reinforced hierarchical TiO2 films with interwoven and tubular conformations

Hierarchical nanocomposite films with Pd-PdO nanoparticles anchored uniformly on the inner surface of TiO2 nanotubes were achieved through a stepwise bioredox/artificial oxygenation approach by using the natural eggshell membrane (ESM) as a template. The Pd content ratio of Pd-PdO loading could be arbitrarily varied from 0 to 53 wt %, and the ESM-morphic nanocomposites Pd-PdO/TiO2 exhibited porous and multiphasic features, facilitating light transport and molecule accessibility to the active site during photocatalytic reactions. The photocatalytic activity of target nanocomposites was determined by the degradation of rhodamine B. The composites with a ratio of 10 wt % TiO2 (5 wt % Pd of Pd-PdO loading) presented a high degradation efficiency of 99.3% and showed good stability with a second run of about 95.3% and a third run of 94.6%. These composites with structural particularity and complexity are expected to find potential applications in various fields, such as photovoltaic devices, gas sensors, antistatic coating, dye-sensitized solar cells, etc.