Application of vermiculite-derived sustainable adsorbents for removal of venlafaxine

Vermiculite as a potential functional additive for water treatment bioreactors inhibiting toxic action of heavy metal cations upsetting the microbial balance

A new adsorbent that combines mineral vermiculite with the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was used for Cd²⁺ removal. The influence of vermiculite presence on the toxic effects of Cd²⁺ to Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast was evaluated as a function of the microorganisms' respiratory activity (CO₂ production). The Cd²⁺ toxicity increased with prolonged exposure time reaching the LC₅₀ value of 857 and 489 mg L^-1 after 30 and 120 min, respectively. The yeast managed to bioaccumulate 25.0 ± 0.6 mg g^-1 of Cd²⁺ at the initial Cd²⁺ concentration of 741.9 mg L^-1; the maximum Cd²⁺ adsorption capacity of vermiculite reached 25 ± 5 mg g^-1. The addition of the mineral decreased the cations toxic effect; the LC₂₀ value in vermiculite absence attained approximately 200 mg L^-1 after 30 min and decreased to 80 mg L^-1 after 2 h, while in the bio-mineral system it was at the level of 435 ± 50 mg L^-1 without a significant change in time. The mineral provided a superior living environment for the yeast by removing part of the cations, releasing essential microelements and providing a protective, clay hutch-like habitat for the cells.

Novel ball-milled biochar-vermiculite nanocomposites effectively adsorb aqueous As(Ⅴ)

Ball milling was used to fabricate a nanocomposite of 20% hickory biochar (600 °C) and 80% expanded vermiculite (20%-BC/VE). This novel composite adsorbent had much higher removal of As(V) from aqueous solutions than ball-milled biochar and expanded vermiculite. Characterization of these adsorbents showed that the enhanced As(V) adsorption was ascribed to much larger surface area and pore volume (2-6 times), notable changes in crystallinity, activation of cations, and increased functional groups in the nanocomposite compared with the ball-milled products of their pristine counterparts. The As(V) adsorption process by the 20%-BC/VE fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R²= 0.990) and Langmuir isotherm model (R²= 0.989) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 20.1 mg g^-1. The 20%-BC/VE best performed at pH about 6. The adsorption efficiency was not sensitive to the competition of NO₃^-, Cl^-, SO₄^2-, as well as the coexistence of humic acid. However, the adsorption capacity for As(V) was significantly reduced by coexisting with PO₄^3-. The 20%-BC/VE composite can potentially serve as a superior low-cost adsorbent for As(V) removal in real-world applications.

Adsorption of Acid Orange Ⅱ with Two Step Modified Sepiolite: Optimization, Adsorption Performance, Kinetics, Thermodynamics and Regeneration

In this study, a two-step modification of sepiolite for adsorption enhancement was investigated. The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was utilized for the organic modification process after a heat modification. To develop the optimal modification condition, adsorption of Acid Orange II onto modified sepiolite was investigated with respect to heat temperature and adsorbent dosage. The temperature of 200 °C and 100% cation exchange capacity (CEC) was deemed as the optimal condition. The impacts of operation conditions on adsorption procedure, including pH, adsorbent dosage and adsorption duration, were comprehensively discussed. The adsorption of Acid Orange II by sepiolite is in accordance with the quasi-secondary kinetic model. Moreover, the results of intraparticle diffusion indicate that the intraparticle diffusion was the dominant adsorption force in the initial adsorption period. The adsorption process was obeyed with the Langmiur adsorption model. The results from regeneration procedure suggest that the superior regeneration obtained with 0.8 mol/L NaOH concentration.

Evaluation of the adsorption potential of biochars prepared from forest and agri-food wastes for the removal of fluoxetine

Twelve biochars from forest and agri-food wastes (pruning of Quercus ilex, Eucalyptus grandis, Pinus pinaster, Quercus suber, Malus pumila, Prunus spinosa, Cydonia oblonga, Eriobotrya japonica, Juglans regia, Actinidia deliciosa, Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera) were investigated as potential low-cost and renewable adsorbents for removal of a commonly used pharmaceutical, fluoxetine. Preliminary adsorption experiments allowed to select the most promising adsorbents, Quercus ilex, Cydonia oblonga, Eucalyptus, Juglans regia and Vitis vinifera pruning material. They were characterized by proximate, elemental and mineral analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, determination of specific surface area and pH at the point of zero charge. Batch and equilibrium studies were performed, and the influence of pH was evaluated. The equilibrium was reached in less than 15 min in all systems. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 6.41 mg/g for the Eucalyptus biochar, which also demonstrated a good behavior in continuous mode (packed column).