Selenium functionalized magnetic nanocomposite as an effective mercury (II) ion scavenger from environmental water and industrial wastewater samples

Highly dispersed amorphous nano-selenium functionalized carbon nanofiber aerogels for high-efficient uptake and immobilization of Hg(II) ions

Owing to the strong Hg-Se interaction, Se-containing materials are promising for the uptake and immobilization of Hg(II) ions; compared with metal selenides or selenized compounds, elemental Se contains the highest ratio of Se. However, it remains a challenge to fully expose all the potential Se binding sites and achieve high utilization efficiency of elemental Se. Through rational design on the structure, dispersity, and size of materials, Se/CNF aerogels composed of abundant well-dispersed and amorphous nano-Se have been prepared and applied for the high-efficient uptake and immobilization of Hg(II) ions. The well-dispersion of nano-Se increases the exposure of Se sites, the amorphous structure benefits the easy cleavage of Se-Se bonds, the 3D porous networks of aerogels permit fast ions transport and easy operation. Benefiting from the combination effect of strong Hg-Se interaction and sufficient exposure of Se-enriched sites, the Se/CNF aerogels demonstrate strong binding ability (Kd = 3.8 ×105 mL·g-1), high capacity (943.4 mg·g-1), and preeminent selectivity (αMHg > 100) towards highly toxic Hg(II) ions. Notably, the utilization efficiency of Se in Se/CNF aerogels is as high as 99.5%. Moreover, the strong Hg-Se interaction and extraordinary stability of HgSe could minimize the environmental impact of the spent Se/CNF adsorbents after its disposal.

Selective adsorption of Hg(ii) with diatomite-based mesoporous materials functionalized by pyrrole-thiophene copolymers: condition optimization, application and mechanism

A novel diatomite-based mesoporous material of MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) was prepared with MCM-41 as carrier and functionalized with the copolymer of pyrrole and thiophene. The physicochemical characteristics of the as-prepared materials were characterized by various characterization means. The removal behaviour of Hg(ii) was adequately investigated via series of single factor experiments and some vital influence factors were optimized via response surface methodology method. The results exhibit that diatomite-based materials MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) has an optimal adsorption capability of 537.15 mg g-1 towards Hg(ii) at pH = 7.1. The removal process of Hg(ii) onto MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) is controlled by monolayer chemisorption based on the fitting results of pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir models. In addition, the adsorption of Hg(ii) ions onto MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) is mainly completed through forming a stable complex with N or S atoms in MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) by electrostatic attraction and chelation. The as-developed MCM-41/co-(PPy-Tp) displays excellent recyclability and stabilization, has obviously selective adsorption for Hg(ii) in the treatment of actual electroplating wastewater. Diatomite-based mesoporous material functionalized by the copolymer of pyrrole and thiophene exhibits promising application prospect.

Synthesis of a new chitosan-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene polymer as adsorbent for toxic mercury ion

In this paper, we have synthesized a novel chitosan-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene polymer (CCP) as a highly efficient adsorbent for mercury ion (Hg²⁺) removal from water. In fact, a lower rim diamine derivative of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene has been cross-linked with chitosan chain by carbonyl diimidazole (CDI) as the linker. CDI forms a urea linkage between calix[4]arene diamine derivative and amine groups of the chitosan polymeric chain. The structure and properties of the new polymer were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Also, the adsorption capacity of CCP was studied towards Hg²⁺ in aqueous medium by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Interestingly, the results showed a considerable adsorption capacity for CCP in comparison with chitosan. Therefore, CCP can be introduced as a promising adsorbent for the elimination of Hg²⁺ from wastewaters. Moreover, because of the conformity of adsorption kinetic with pseudo-second-order kinetic models, it can be concluded that chemical adsorption has an important role between functional groups on CCP polymer and Hg²⁺ ions. In addition, according to Freundlich isotherm, the CCP surface was heterogeneous with different functional groups.

Rapid electrochemical quantification of trace Hg2+ using a hairpin DNA probe and quantum dot modified screen-printed gold electrodes

Rapid, simple, sensitive and specific approaches for mercury(ii) (Hg²⁺) detection are essential for toxicology assessment, environmental protection, food analysis and human health. In this study, a ratiometric hairpin DNA probe based electrochemical biosensor, which relies on hairpin DNA probes conjugated with water-soluble and carboxyl functionalized quaternary Zn–Ag–In–S quantum dot (QD) on screen-printed gold electrodes (SPGE), referred to as the HP-QDs-SPGE electrochemical biosensor in this study, was developed for Hg²⁺ detection. Based on the “turn-off” reaction of a hairpin DNA probe binding with a mismatched target and Hg²⁺ through the formation of T–Hg²⁺–T coordination, the HP-QDs-SPGE electrochemical biosensor can rapidly quantify trace Hg²⁺ with high ultrasensitivity, specificity, repeatability and reproducibility. The conformational change of the hairpin DNA probe caused a significant decrease in electrochemical intensity, which could be used for the quantification of Hg²⁺. The linear dynamic range and high sensitivity of the HP-QDs-SPGE electrochemical biosensor for the detection of Hg²⁺ was studied in vitro, with a broad linear dynamic range of 10 pM to 1 μM and detection limits of 0.11 pM. In particular, this HP-QDs-SPGE electrochemical biosensor showed excellent selectivity toward Hg²⁺ ions in the presence of other metal ions. More importantly, this biosensor has been successfully used to detect Hg²⁺ in deionized water, tap water, groundwater and urine samples with good recovery rate and small relative standard deviations. In summary, the developed HP-QDs-SPGE electrochemical biosensor exhibited promising potential for further applications in on-site analysis.

A ratiometric hairpin DNA probe based electrochemical biosensor, which relies on hairpin DNA probes conjugated with water-soluble and carboxyl functionalized quantum dot on screen-printed gold electrodes, was developed for Hg²⁺ detection.

Detection and remediation of mercury contaminated environment by nanotechnology: Progress and challenges

Hg pollution is a global concern due to its high ecotoxicity and health risk to human beings. A comprehensive understanding of the fast-developed technology applied in determining and controlling Hg pollution is beneficial for risk assessment and field remediation. Herein, we mainly assembled the recent progress on Hg treatment in the environment by nanotechnology. The advantages and disadvantages of the conventional and nanotechnology-based methods commonly used in water-/soil-Hg remediation were compared and summarized. Specifically, green nanomaterials derived from plant tissues (e.g., nanocellulose) have prominent merits in remediation of Hg contaminated environments, including high efficiency in Hg removal, low cost, environment-friendly, and easily degradable. Based on the theories of Hg biogeochemistry and existed researches, four promising pathways are proposed, 1) developing surface-modified green nanocellulose with high selectivity and affinity towards Hg; 2) designing effective dispersants in preventing nanocellulose from agglomeration in soil; 3) mediating soil properties by adding green nanomaterials-based fertilizers; 4) improving plant-Hg-extract capacity with green nanomaterials addition. Briefly, more efficient and available approaches are still expected to be developed and implemented in the natural environment for Hg remediation.

A novel approach for the removal of Pb2+ and Cd2+ from wastewater by sulfur-ferromagnetic nanoparticles (SFMNs)

In the recent decades, due to rapid increase in industrialization, urbanization, anthropogenic activity in the catchments, removal of heavy metals contaminants in wastewater has become global challenges. Numerous advance technologies have been introduced to deal with these problems but failed in reducing adequate pollution load in the contaminated water and/or wastewater. In this study, sulfur-ferromagnetic nanoparticles (SFMNs) were synthesized by modification of nano-Fe₃O₄, which can be rapidly separated from the environment by an external magnetic field after in situ repair. Its structure and physical properties were characterized by conventional techniques included Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The ability of the SFMNs to remove Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ was studied at different temperatures and initial metal ions concentrations. The adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption equilibrium time of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ was 300 min consequently adsorption process of SFMNs fit well (R² > 0.99) with pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption thermodynamics showed that the adsorption of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ on SFMNs is spontaneous (negative value of ΔG⁰) endothermic process (positive value of ΔH⁰) and fit well (R² > 0.98) with the Langmuir isothermal model. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that SFMNs can transfer electrons to Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺, and the metal ions form stable chelates on the ligand surface. This study implies that newly synthesized sulfur-ferromagnetic nanoparticles could play an instrumental role in metal ions removal from water and wastewater.

Magnetic nanoadsorbents for micropollutant removal in real water treatment: a review

Pure water will become a golden resource in the context of the rising pollution, climate change and the recycling economy, calling for advanced purification methods such as the use of nanostructured adsorbents. However, coming up with an ideal nanoadsorbent for micropollutant removal is a real challenge because nanoadsorbents, which demonstrate very good performances at laboratory scale, do not necessarily have suitable properties in in full-scale water purification and wastewater treatment systems. Here, magnetic nanoadsorbents appear promising because they can be easily separated from the slurry phase into a denser sludge phase by applying a magnetic field. Yet, there are only few examples of large-scale use of magnetic adsorbents for water purification and wastewater treatment. Here, we review magnetic nanoadsorbents for the removal of micropollutants, and we explain the integration of magnetic separation in the existing treatment plants. We found that the use of magnetic nanoadsorbents is an effective option in water treatment, but lacks maturity in full-scale water treatment facilities. The concentrations of magnetic nanoadsorbents in final effluents can be controlled by using magnetic separation, thus minimizing the ecotoxicicological impact. Academia and the water industry should better collaborate to integrate magnetic separation in full-scale water purification and wastewater treatment plants.