Methylene blue and iodine adsorption onto an activated desert plant

Enhanced Sorption Performance of Natural Zeolites Modified with pH-Fractionated Humic Acids for the Removal of Methylene Blue from Water

This work explores the effect of humic acids (HA) fractionation on the sorption ability of a natural zeolite (NYT)-HA adduct. HA were extracted from compost, fractionated via the pH fractionation method, and characterized via UV-Vis spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The HA samples were immobilized onto NYT via thermal treatment. The resulting adducts (NYT-HA) were tested for their ability to remove methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution. It was found that the sorption performance of NYT-HA strongly depends on the chemical characteristics of humic acids. Sorption capacity increased with the molecular weight and hydrophobicity degree of the HA fractions. Hydrophobic and π-π interactions are likely the primary mechanisms by which MB interacts with HA. The sorption kinetic data conform to the pseudo-second-order model. The Freundlich isotherm model adequately described the sorption equilibrium and revealed that the uptake of MB onto NYT-HA is endothermic in nature.

Potential of agro-industrial residues from the Amazon region to produce activated carbon

Thousands of tons of residual lignocellulosic biomass are produced and discarded by agroindustries in the Amazon. These biomasses could be harnessed and used in the preparation of activated carbon, in view of the growing demand for this product with high added value, however, little is known about their characteristics, in addition to their potential as precursors of activated carbon. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of four different biomasses in the preparation and quality of activated carbon. Residues from the processing of the fruits of acai, babassu, Brazil nut, and oil palm were collected, characterized, carbonized, physically activated with CO₂, and characterized. The contents of the total extractives, insoluble lignin, minerals, holocellulose, and elemental (CHNS-O) were analyzed. The surface area and surface morphology were determined from the AC produced, and adsorption tests for methylene blue and phenol were performed. The four biomasses showed potential for use in the preparation of CA; the residues presented high contents of lignin (21.83-55.76%) and carbon (46.49-53.79%). AC were predominantly microporous, although small mesopores could be observed. The AC had a surface area of 569.65-1101.26 m² g^-1, a high methylene blue (93-390 mg g^-1), and phenol (159-595 mg g^-1) adsorption capacities. Babassu-AC stood out compared to the AC of the other analyzed biomasses, reaching the best results.

Production of Activated Carbons from Food/Storage Waste

This paper deals with the adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants on the surface of carbonaceous adsorbents prepared via the chemical activation of expired or broken food products-the solid residue of the "cola-type" drink as well as spoilt grains of white rice and buckwheat groats. The activation process was conducted in the microwave furnace with the use of two activating agents of different chemical nature-potassium carbonate and orthophosphoric acid. The activated carbons were characterized based on the results of elemental analysis, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Boehm titration, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the suitability of the materials prepared as the adsorbents of methylene blue and iodine from the aqueous solutions was estimated. The materials obtained via chemical activation with H₃PO₄ turned out to be much more effective in terms of both model pollutant adsorptions. The maximum sorption capacity toward iodine (1180 mg/g) was found for the white-rice-based activated carbon, whereas the most effective in the methylene blue removal (221.3 mg/g) was the sample obtained from the solid residue of the expired "cola-type" drink. For all carbonaceous materials, a better fit for the experimental adsorption data was obtained with the Langmuir isotherm model than the Freundlich one.

A Critical Review of the Removal of Radionuclides from Wastewater Employing Activated Carbon as an Adsorbent

Radionuclide-contaminated water is carcinogenic and poses numerous severe health risks and environmental dangers. The activated carbon (AC)-based adsorption technique has great potential for treating radionuclide-contaminated water due to its simple design, high efficiency, wide pH range, quickness, low cost and environmental friendliness. This critical review first provides a brief overview of the concerned radionuclides with their associated health hazards as well as different removal techniques and their efficacy of removing them. Following this overview, this study summarizes the surface characteristics and adsorption capabilities of AC derived from different biomass precursors. It compares the adsorption performance of AC to other adsorbents, such as zeolite, graphene, carbon nano-tubes and metal-organic frameworks. Furthermore, this study highlights the different factors that influence the physical characteristics of AC and adsorption capacity, including contact time, solution pH, initial concentration of radionuclides, the initial dosage of the adsorbent, and adsorption temperature. The theoretical models of adsorption isotherm and kinetics, along with their fitting parameter values for AC/radionuclide pairs, are also reviewed. Finally, the modification procedures of pristine AC, factors determining AC characteristics and the impact of modifying agents on the adsorption ability of AC are elucidated in this study; therefore, further research and development can be promoted for designing a highly efficient and practical adsorption-based radionuclide removal system.

Attenuation of nitrate from aqueous solution using raw and surface modified biosorbents from Adansonia digitata fruit pericarp

The prevalence of nitrate in potable water is a serious environmental concern. Several methods for eliminating nitrate from water have been made and implemented. During the course of this research, raw (RADFP) and surface-modified fruit pericarp (SMADFP) biosorbents derived from the Adansonia digitata plant were applied in order to remove nitrate from an aqueous solution. The external features of the biosorbents were studied with the aids of SEM and BET. The FT-IR spectrometer was utilized for identification of the functional groups of the adsorbents. A UV-Vis device was used to quantify the nitrate concentration. The adsorbents under investigation exhibit a heterogeneous pore structure with a considerable number of mesopores, with surface areas of 361.527 and 379.877 m² per gram for RADFP and SMADFP, respectively. FT-IR spectra revealed the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, and halogen groups on the adsorbent. The maximum nitrate removal efficiencies of RADFP and SMADFP were 64.55 and 88.95%, respectively. The maximum adsorption efficiencies are achieved when the pH is 2, the starting concentration is 27.50 mg/L, the contact period is 75.00 min, and the amount of biosorbent is 5.50 g. RADFP and SMADFP have a removal capacity of 12.45 as well as 25.18 mg per gram and adsorption intensity of 3.2300 and 5.4500, respectively. The investigational values for the elimination of nitrate ions concurred well to both Freundlich and Langmuir models with R² values of 0.99917 and 0.99763 for RADFP and SMADFP, respectively, and pseudo-second-order kinetic model with R² values of 0.99817 and 0.99947, respectively for RADFP and SMADFP. It can be concluded that SMADFP is a relatively better biosorbent than RADFP, which will be utilizable for the remediation of nitrate from an aqueous solution.

Study of the Enhancements of Porous Structures of Activated Carbons Produced from Durian Husk Wastes

The idea of generating high-value practical materials, such as activated carbons, from agricultural wastes as a raw material has been a quite important trend recently due to its positive contributions to the environment and resource savings from biomass. In this paper, activated carbons prepared from durian husk waste by the KOH chemical activation method are studied. We focus on the effects of stages of the activating temperature on their properties. The optimum conditions for activation were a KOH/char ratio of 1:2 at the first and second activation process at the temperatures of 400 and 800 °C, respectively. The characterization results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area showed that the obtained activated carbons have a high surface area and small pore size. The adsorption/desorption isotherms of the obtained activated carbons showed type I and type II isotherms. The chemical structure of obtained activated carbons did not show any variation in the surface functional groups. A feasible method to produce the activated carbons with a high surface area and high adsorption capability from durian husk waste was eventually demonstrated.

Cu(II) and Zn(II) frameworks constructed by directional tuning of diverse substituted groups on a triazine skeleton and supermassive adsorption behavior for iodine and dyes

The controllable design, synthesis and functional properties of a series of triazine tetratopic carboxylic MOFs have always been hotspots and challenges for research. Based on the characterization of the C-Cl bond on the triazine skeleton being easily substituted by some functional groups, we designed and synthesized a series of triazine tetratopic carboxylic Cu(II) and Zn(II) MOFs via the reaction of Cu(NO₃)₂·2.5H₂O and ZnSO₄·7H₂O, as well as triazine tetratopic carboxylic H₄TDBA-Cl (H₄TBDA-Cl = 5,5'-((6-chloro-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyl)bis(azanediyl))diisophthalic acid) under hydrothermal conditions. During the process of synthesizing, the C-Cl bond on the triazine skeleton of the ligand was substituted with different groups, which formed the complexes ([Cu₂(TBDA-Cl)(H₂O)·10DMF·30H₂O]_n) (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) (1), N(Me)₂ -[(CH₃)₂NH₂]₄·[Zn₃(HTBDA-N)₂(SO₄)₂]_n (2) and H ([Cu₂(TBDA-H)(H₂O)]_n) (3), respectively. It is worth noting that the in situ substitution reaction occurred for complexes 2 and 3 during the process of synthesis. Also, the structural analysis showed that the molecules in complexes 1-3 were connected with different building blocks to form different three-dimensional structures. We performed iodine adsorption experiments on the three complexes and found that there was a significant relationship between the structural configuration and adsorption behaviour. The results showed that the complex 1 with the Cl atom on the triazine skeleton could have a boosting effect on adsorption with iodine. It displayed a remarkable adsorption effect for iodine (in the solution of water: 7.6 g g^-1 and in the solution of cyclohexane: 548.2 mg g^-1). In addition, it also displayed the adsorption effect for JGB dye (204.9 mg g^-1). For complex 2, it displayed an uptake effect for iodine in the solution of cyclohexane (529 mg g^-1). The possible adsorption mechanism was also investigated. By comparison, we found that chlorine atoms could play an important role in the adsorption processes. The adsorption capacity of complex 1 (containing the chlorine atom in the structure) was much higher than that for complex 3.

Preparation of hyper-cross-linked hydroxylated polystyrene for adsorptive removal of methylene blue

A series of hydroxylated polystyrene (PS-OH) resins were prepared from macroporous poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) by nitration, reductive amination, diazotation and hydrolysis in sequence, and then a series of hyper-cross-linked hydroxylated polystyrene (HCPS-OH) resins were successfully prepared from the PS-OH resins by the Friedel–Crafts post-cross-linking using dichloromethane as an external cross-linker. Benefiting from the synthetic protocol, the HCPS-OH resins showed better adsorption performance for methylene blue in aqueous solution as compared with the corresponding PS-OH resins. HCPS-OH-4, one of the fabricated HCPS-OH resins which had the hydroxyl content of 5.0 mmol g⁻¹ and BET specific surface area of 69.0 m² g⁻¹, showed the highest adsorption capacity and selectivity for methylene blue. Higher temperature, higher pH, and higher ionic strength were beneficial to adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution. HCPS-OH-4 could be regenerated by treatment with 1.0 M HCl methanol solution and deionized water sequentially. Moreover, HCPS-OH-4 retained good adsorption performance for methylene blue even after 5 cycles of adsorption and regeneration, which implied that it was a good candidate for adsorptive removal of methylene blue dye in waste water.

This study presents the preparation of hyper-cross-linked hydroxylated polystyrene (HCPS-OH) resins using dichloromethane as an external cross-linker for the adsorption of methylene blue.

Defluoridation of Aqueous Solution Using Thermally Activated Biosorbents Prepared from Adansonia digitata Fruit Pericarp

The presence of fluoride ions in water poses a significant danger to human health. In Tanzania, where the Rift Valley passes, some people are impaired due to elevated levels of fluoride in water. The purpose of this study was to prepare thermally activated Adansonia digitata fruit pericarp biosorbents at 450, 500, 550, and 600°C for defluoridation. Using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyzer, the surface area and pore diameter were measured. The scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry were used to determine morphological features and functional groups of biosorbents. To analyze the effect of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, and initial concentration, the response surface methodology was applied. Adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and regeneration studies were also conducted. There were considerably wide surface areas of 385.44, 399.27, 445.71, and 447.70 m2/g and pore diameters of 0.3055, 3.0341, 3.0375, and 3.0471 nm for biosorbents activated at 450, 500, 550, and 600°C, respectively. FT-IR spectra indicated the oxidation of alcoholic –OH to carboxylic –OH during the activation process, which is proved by the shifting of the peak at 3500-3000 cm-1 from raw biosorbent to a very broad and strong band at 3500-2000 cm-1 from the activated biosorbent. The maximum removal efficiencies of biosorbents activated at 450, 500, 550, and 600°C were 95.55, 96.50, 97.65, and 98.36%, respectively, for all biosorbents at a pH of 2, an initial concentration of 27.50 ppm, a contact period of 75.00 minutes, and an adsorbent dose of 5.50 g, which indicates that the adsorbents were successful for fluoride removal. The isotherms and kinetics indicated that the adsorption fitted well with Freundlich ( $R^2=0.95661‐0.98445$ ) and pseudo-second-order ( $R^2=0.94230‐0.99634$ ) kinetic adsorption models, respectively. The results showed that the removal of fluoride by biosorbents prepared is effective and could be used for defluoridation of drinking water.

Extremely efficient and rapidly adsorb methylene blue using porous adsorbent prepared from waste paper: Kinetics and equilibrium studies

For the first time, zinc chloride activation method was used to prepare waste paper-based activated carbon in this study. The structure, morphology, surface functional groups and particle size distribution of the activated carbon was study using automatic specific surface area analyzer, FTIR, Boehm titration, X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDS. The specific surface area of the activated carbon is up to 1987 m²/g. Cumulative pore volume is up to 2.586 cm³/g, with micropore volume accounting for 92 %. Methylene blue adsorption performance results shown that the adsorbent has achieved high removal efficiency (99.65 % in 10 min, uptake = 996.5 mg/g), its maximum adsorption capacity has reached 1657 mg/g. The pH_pzc of the adsorbent was determined to explore the adsorption mechanism, its results shown that electrostatic adsorption occurs between adsorbents and adsorbents at pH higher than pH_pzc (pH_pzc = 3.2). Moreover, adsorption mechanism was studied by various isothermal models, thermodynamic models, kinetic models. Redlich-Peterson isotherm model best describes the adsorption experiment, which indicated that the adsorption follows a non-ideal and mixed adsorption mechanism. Methylene blue molecules gone into micropore was the adsorption rate-limiting step, and MB adsorption by the waste paper-based adsorbent was a spontaneous, endothermic and randomly increasing adsorption. Simulated wastewater and regeneration experiments were also used to evaluate the adsorbent's treatment capacity and economic efficiency, and these results indicated that the adsorbent has good decolorization and regeneration ability.

Study of Kinetics and Adsorption Isotherm of Methylene Blue Dye using Tannin Gel from Ceriops tagal

Research on the equilibrium and adsorption kinetics of methylene blue dye using tannin gel from the Tingi tree (Ceriops tagal) has been carried out. This study aims to determine the capacity and adsorption kinetics of tannin gel against methylene blue dye. Several parameters, such as the effect of contact time, pH, and methylene blue dye concentration on adsorption, were also studied. Based on the research results, the optimum adsorption process is a contact time of 30 minutes and a pH of 7. The adsorption capacity increased to a concentration of 80 mg/L with a maximum adsorption capacity (qm) of 49.261 mg/g. The adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm model.

Naturally available diatomite and their surface modification for the removal of hazardous dye and metal ions: A review

The presence of toxic pollutants such as dyes and metal ions at higher concentrations in water is very harmful to the environment. Removal of these pollutants using diatomaceous earth or diatomite (DE) and surface-modified DE has been extensively explored due to their excellent physio-chemical properties and low cost. Therefore, naturally available DE being inexpensive, their surface modified adsorbents could be one of the potential candidates for the wastewater treatment in the future. In this context, the current review has been summarized for the removal of both pollutants i.e., dyes and metal ions by surface-modified DE using the facile adsorption process. In addition, this review is prominently focused on the various modification process of DE, their cost-effectiveness; the physio-chemical characteristics and their maximum adsorption capacity. Further, real-time scenarios of reported adsorbents were tabulated based on the cost of the process along with the adsorption capacity of these adsorbents.

Adsorption isotherms and kinetic modeling of methylene blue dye onto a carbonaceous hydrochar adsorbent derived from coffee husk waste

In this study, activated carbon in the form of carbonaceous hydrochar adsorbents with highly functionalized surface-active sites were produced from coffee husk waste via hydrothermal carbonization under low-temperature conditions (180 °C) and subsequent chemical activation. Thereafter, the hydrochars were characterized using diverse analytical techniques, and batch experiments of methylene blue (MB) adsorption were performed under various operating conditions. The results indicated that the activated hydrochar (AH) had a larger specific surface area (862.2 m² g^-1) compared to that of its carbonaceous precursor (33.7 m² g^-1). The maximum MB sorption capacity of the hydrochar activated with potassium hydroxide was extremely high (415.8 mg g^-1 at 30 °C). In addition, adsorption isotherms and kinetics were studied using experimental data fitting to further understand and describe the dynamic equilibrium, dynamic kinetics, and mechanism of MB adsorption onto the prepared hydrochars. As compared to the Freundlich isotherm model, the Langmuir isotherm model provided a better fit with the experimental data exhibiting a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 418.78 mg g^-1_. The linear pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be suitable for describing the adsorptive kinetics of the hydrochar. The results demonstrated the immense potential of coffee husk waste to produce activated carbon as an alternative green hydrochar that can be applied to dye removal from wastewater as well as improvement of waste management.

Capture of I131 from medical-based wastewater using the highly effective and recyclable adsorbent of g-C3N4 assembled with Mg-Co-Al-layered double hydroxide

This paper reports a very high capacity and recyclable Mg-Co-Al-layered double hydroxide@ g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite as the new adsorbent for remediation of radioisotope-containing medical-based solutions. In this work, a convenient solvothermal method was employed to synthesize a new nano-adsorbent, whose features were determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDS/EDX), XRD, FESEM, TEM, TGA, BET, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The as-prepared nano-adsorbent was applied to capture the radioisotope iodine-131 mainly from the medical-based wastewater under different conditions of main influential parameters, (i.e. adsorbent dose, initial I₂ concentration, sonication time, and temperature). The process was evaluated by three models of RSM, CCD-ANFIS, and CCD-GRNN. Furthermore, comprehensive kinetic, isotherm, thermodynamic, reusability cycles and optimization (by GA and DF) studies were conducted to evaluate the behavior and adsorption mechanism of I₂ on the surface of Mg-Co-Al-LDH@ g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite. High removal efficiency (95.25%) of ¹³¹I in only 30 min (i.e. during 1/384 its half-life), along with an excellent capacity that has ever been reported (2200.70 mg/g) and recyclability (seven times without breakthrough in the efficiency), turns the nanocomposite to a very promising option in remediation of ¹³¹I-containing solutions. Besides, from the models studied, ANFIS described the process with the highest accuracy and reliability with R² > 0.999.

The Potentiality of Rice Husk-Derived Activated Carbon: From Synthesis to Application

Activated carbon (AC) has been extensively utilized as an adsorbent over the past few decades. AC has widespread applications, including the removal of different contaminants from water and wastewater, and it is also being used in capacitors, battery electrodes, catalytic supports, and gas storage materials because of its specific characteristics e.g., high surface area with electrical properties. The production of AC from naturally occurring precursors (e.g., coal, biomass, coconut shell, sugarcane bagasse, and so on) is highly interesting in terms of the material applications in chemistry; however, recently much focus has been placed on the use of agricultural wastes (e.g., rice husk) to produce AC. Rice husk (RH) is an abundant as well as cheap material which can be converted into AC for various applications. Various pollutants such as textile dyes, organic contaminants, inorganic anions, pesticides, and heavy metals can be effectively removed by RH-derived AC. In addition, RH-derived AC has been applied in supercapacitors, electrodes for Li-ion batteries, catalytic support, and energy storage, among other uses. Cost-effective synthesis of AC can be an alternative for AC production. Therefore, this review mainly covers different synthetic routes and applications of AC produced from RH precursors. Different environmental, catalytic, and energy applications have been pinpointed. Furthermore, AC regeneration, desorption, and relevant environmental concerns have also been covered. Future scopes for further research and development activities are also discussed. Overall, it was found that RH-derived AC has great potential for different applications which can be further explored at real scales, i.e., for industrial applications in the future.

High efficient adsorption and storage of iodine on S, N co-doped graphene aerogel

High efficient adsorption of radioiodine in nuclear waste has attracted extensive attentions all over the world. In this work, we fabricated sulfur and nitrogen co-doped graphene aerogels (SN-GA) through one-step hydrothermal method, and investigated its iodine adsorption behavior including adsorption kinetics and isotherms in water. Our results reveal that SN-GA exhibits a 3D porous architecture with thiophene-S, oxidized-S, pyridine-N, pyrrole-N and graphite-N co-doped into the sp² carbon frameworks. The adsorption experiment showed SN-GA has a maximum iodine adsorption capacity of 999 mg g^-1 determined by Langmuir isotherm, and the adsorption process could be better described by the pseudo-second-order model.

Construction of hydrophobic interface on natural biomaterials for higher efficient and reversible radioactive iodine adsorption in water

For the pollution of radioactive materials, it is of great importance to develop efficient adsorbents for radioactive iodine adsorption in aqueous solution. In this work, a simple and green strategy was developed to construct hydrophobic surface on natural cotton fibers (n-CF) based on organic-soluble carbon dots (OCDs) for the first time. The results demonstrated the successful constructed hydrophobic n-CF@OCDs expressed excellent stability and selectivity for iodine (I₂) adsorption in water. The maximum adsorption capacity for I₂ on n-CF@OCDs is calculated to be 190.1 mg g^-1, which is about 6.8 times higher than that of n-CF (28.1 mg g^-1), this highly I₂ adsorption efficiency should be attributed to the hydrophobic properties of adsorbent. The adsorption mechanism was also discussed in this work. In addition, the adsorbed I₂ could be desorbed easily with a simple reductive process at ambient conditions, which can lead to not only the restore of I₂ but also the recycling of adsorbent, illustrating their good practicability. Furthermore, this universal strategy can also be used for construction of hydrophobic surface on various natural biomaterials, demonstrating its potential application in constructing of hydrophobic surface and used for the adsorption and removal of nonpolar pollutions or radioactive waste in aqueous solutions.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanoporous Activated Carbon Derived from Prawn Shell and Its Application for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions

The aim of this study was to optimize the adsorption performance of activated carbon (AC), derived from the shell of Penaeus vannamei prawns, on heavy metal ions. Inexpensive, non-toxic, and renewable prawn shells were subjected to carbonization and, subsequently, KOH-activation to produce nanoporous K-Ac. Carbonized prawn shells (CPS) and nanoporous KOH-activated carbon (K-Ac) from prawn shells were prepared and characterized by FTIR, XRD, BET, SEM, and TEM. The results showed that as-produced K-Ac samples were a porous material with microporous and mesoporous structures and had a high specific surface area of 3160 m²/g, average pore size of about 10 nm, and large pore volume of 2.38 m³/g. Furthermore, batches of K-Ac samples were employed for testing the adsorption behavior of Cd²⁺ in solution. The effects of pH value, initial concentration, and adsorption time on Cd²⁺ were systematically investigated. Kinetics and isotherm model analysis of the adsorption of Cd²⁺ on K-Ac showed that experimental data were not only consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, but also well-described by the quasi-first-order model. Finally, the adsorption behaviors of as-prepared K-Ac were also tested in a ternary mixture of heavy metal ions Cu²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, and Cd²⁺, and the total adsorption amount of 560 mg/g was obtained.

Adsorption Removal of Multiple Dyes Using Biogenic Selenium Nanoparticles from an Escherichia coli Strain Overexpressed Selenite Reductase CsrF

Selenite reductase CsrF overexpressed Escherichia coli was used as a microbial factory to produce Se(0) nanoparticles (Bio-SeNPs). The Bio-SeNPs were characterized by transmission electronic microscopy, element mapping, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrographs, Zeta-potential, dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The results indicated that Bio-SeNPs are irregular spheres with diameters from 60 to105 nm and mainly consist of Se(0), proteins and lipids. Furthermore, it exhibited maximum adsorption capacity for anionic dye (congo red) at acidic pH and cationic dyes (safranine T and methylene blue) at alkaline pH. To gain more insight, adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms and adsorption thermodynamics studies were carried out. These results showed that the adsorption capacities of congo red, safranine T and methylene blue were 1577.7, 1911.0 and 1792.2 mg/g, respectively. These adsorption processes were spontaneous and primarily physical reactions. In addition, Bio-SeNPs can be effectively reused by 200 mmol/L NaCl. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of adsorption removal dyes by Bio-SeNPs. The adsorption capacities of Bio-SeNPs for congo red, safranine T and methylene blue were 6.8%, 25.2% and 49.0% higher than that for traditional bio-based materials, respectively.

Radioactive iodine capture and storage from water using magnetite nanoparticles encapsulated in polypyrrole

The effective capture and storage of radioactive iodine is of importance for nuclear waste storage during nuclear power station accidents. Here we report Fe₃O₄@PPy powder containing ∼12nm magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles encapsulated in the polypyrrole (PPy) matrix. It shows 1627mg/g uptake of iodine dissolved in water, within 2h at room temperature. Fe₃O₄@PPy is ferromagnetic in nature and can be separated from water using external magnetic field. The nitrogen gas sweeping test at 30°C shows release of 2% iodine from iodine adsorbed Fe₃O₄@PPy, revealing stable storage of iodine for a moderate period. The iodine-adsorbed magnetic powder can be regenerated by washing with ethanol. The XPS spectrum of iodine adsorbed Fe₃O₄@PPy confirmed the presence of polyiodides (I₃^- and I₅^-) bound to the PPy surface. This excellent iodine capture and storage from iodine contaminated water is an environment friendly, inexpensive and large scale method.

A Polyoxoniobate/g-C3N4 Nanoporous Material with High Adsorption Capacity of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution

A polyoxoniobate/g-C₃N₄ nanoporous material with functional groups has been synthesized by using carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) and hexaniobate (K₈Nb₆O₁₉·10H₂O, abbreviated as NbO) as precursors. The structure and compositions of the as-prepared nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, TEM, and XPS. These two kinds of materials interact with each other forming a hybrid composite, which can be used as an adsorbent for removing a cationic dye (methylene blue, MB) from wastewater with excellent adsorption capacity. Furthermore, parameters that can affect adsorption process including initial dye concentration, pH and temperature were investigated by bath adsorption experiments. The results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity of NbO/g-C₃N₄ can reach up to 373.1 mg g⁻¹. Moreover, the equilibrium experiment data fitted Langmuir isotherm well and the adsorption kinetics showed that the pseudo second order model can satisfyingly described MB adsorption kinetics. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous.

Carboxylate-functionalized sugarcane bagasse as an effective and renewable adsorbent to remove methylene blue

This study prepared a carboxylate-functionalized sugarcane bagasse (CF-SCB) from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) via a simple and low-toxicity chemical modification to enhance its capacity for adsorbing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The success of chemical modification was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the pore area and porosity, and zeta potential measurement analysis. The adsorption capacity of CF-SCB was investigated at different pHs, ionic strengths, temperatures, contact times and initial dye concentrations. Equilibrium data were best described by the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of CF-SCB (296.74 mg g^-1) was greatly improved compared with SCB (77.16 mg g^-1) at 30 °C. The thermodynamic study indicated that MB adsorption onto CF-SCB was a spontaneous, endothermic and entropy increased process. Adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order mode, and the adsorption mechanism was based on electrostatic interactions. The reusability study showed that CF-SCB had reasonably good reuse potential. All the results suggested that CF-SCB has high potential to be used as an effective and renewable adsorbent for MB removal from wastewater.

Chemically treated carbon black waste and its potential applications

In this work, carbon black waste - a hazardous solid residue generated from gasification of crude oil bottom in refineries - was successfully used for making an absorbent material. However, since the carbon black waste also contains significant amounts of heavy metals (especially nickel and vanadium), chemical leaching was first used to remove these hazardous impurities from the carbon black waste. Acid leaching with nitric acid was found to be a very effective method for removal of both nickel and vanadium from the carbon black waste (i.e. up to 95% nickel and 98% vanadium were removed via treatment with 2M nitric acid for 1h at 20°C), whereas alkali leaching by using NaOH under the same condition was not effective for removal of nickel (less than 10% nickel was removed). Human lung cells (MRC-5) were then used to investigate the toxicity of the carbon black waste before and after leaching. Cell viability analysis showed that the leachate from the original carbon black waste has very high toxicity, whereas the leachate from the treated samples has no significant toxicity. Finally, the efficacy of the carbon black waste treated with HNO₃ as an absorbent for dye removal was investigated. This treated carbon black waste has high adsorption capacity (∼361.2mg _dye/g _carbonblack), which can be attributed to its high specific surface area (∼559m²/g). The treated carbon black waste with its high adsorption capacity and lack of cytotoxicity is a promising adsorbent material. Moreover, the carbon black waste was found to show high electrical conductivity (ca. 10S/cm), making it a potentially valuable source of conductive material.