Magnetic mesoporous materials for removal of environmental wastes

Selective removal of aqueous Hg2+ by magnetic composites sulfur-containing on the hyper-branched surface: Characterization, performance and mechanism

The adsorbents with recyclable, large adsorption capacity and selective adsorption can effectively remove the pollution and harm of heavy metal ions in water. Therefore, two magnetic composites containing sulfur (MCP-S4 and MCP-S8) on the hyper-branched surface were prepared, furthermore, their structures were characterized and adsorption performance was analyzed by FTIR, XRD, TGA, BET, SEM, TEM, VSM and ICP. The results showed that both MCP-S4 and MCP-S8 had superparamagnetism with saturation susceptibility of 22.10 and 22.26 emu/g, and owned a specific surface area of 11.394 and 11.235 m²/g, respectively. MCP-S4 and MCP-S8 could selectively adsorb Hg²⁺ with the exist of Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Al³⁺ in solution. The adsorption kinetics accorded with pseudo-second-order model and Boyd film diffusion model, and the adsorption isotherm was fitted better with Langmuir isotherm model and D-R model, furthermore, the adsorption was an entropic-increasing and endothermic process. The removal rate of Hg²⁺ from simulated sewage by the two materials was more than 91%, and the adsorption retention rate was more than 85% after five adsorption-desorption cycles. The adsorption mechanism was analyzed by comparing the changes of FTIR, EDS and XPS spectra before and after adsorption. It was found that functional groups (C-N, CONH, CS, SH) could form stable chelates with Hg²⁺, which was the main reason why MCP-S4 and MCP-S8 could adsorb Hg²⁺ selectively, furthermore, S atoms of CS and -SH played a leading role in the process of adsorption. In addition, DFT calculation was also used as an auxiliary means to verify the adsorption mechanism.

Flower-Like Dual-Defective Z-Scheme Heterojunction g-C3N4/ZnIn2S4 High-Efficiency Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Degradation of Mixed Pollutants

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) with a porous nano-structure, nitrogen vacancies, and oxygen-doping was prepared by the calcination method. Then, it was combined with ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets containing zinc vacancies to construct a three-dimensional (3D) flower-like Z-scheme heterojunction (pCN-N/ZIS-Z), which was used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and the degradation of mixed pollutants. The constructed Z-scheme heterojunction improved the efficiency of photogenerated charges separation and migration, and the large surface area and porous characteristics provided more active sites. Doping and defect engineering can change the bandgap structure to improve the utilization of visible light, and can also capture photogenerated electrons to inhibit recombination, so as to promote the use of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the photocatalytic redox process. Heterojunction and defect engineering synergized to form a continuous and efficient conductive operation framework, which achieves the hydrogen production of pCN-N/ZIS-Z (9189.8 µmol·h^-1·g^-1) at 58.9 times that of g-C₃N₄ (155.9 µmol·h^-1·g^-1), and the degradation rates of methyl orange and metronidazole in the mixed solution were 98.7% and 92.5%, respectively. Our research provides potential ideas for constructing a green and environmentally friendly Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst based on defect engineering to address the energy crisis and environmental restoration.

Recent advances in the application of magnetic Fe3O4 nanomaterials for the removal of emerging contaminants

Emerging contaminants (ECs) are widely distributed and potentially hazardous to human health and the ecological system. However, traditional wastewater treatment techniques are not sufficient to remove ECs. Magnetic nanomaterials are made of ferromagnetic or superparamagnetic magnetic elements such as iron and nickel, which can be easily separated from the aqueous solution, making them ideal adsorbents for contaminants in water. This review focused on the synthesis approaches of magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (MFNs), as well as surface modification in order to improve their stability and functional diversity. Also, a detailed summary on the state-of-art application of magnetic nanomaterials on the removal of ECs was addressed. Additionally, challenges and future prospective of applying magnetic nanomaterials into real-world cases were discussed, in which the green and simple synthesis and evaluation of the toxic effects of MFNs are still of great challenge. This work summarizes the recent progress of using magnetic nanomaterials as promising and powerful tools in the treatment of ECs-contaminated water, benefiting researchers interested in nanomaterials and environmental studies.

Recent advances in the application of silica nanostructures for highly improved water treatment: a review

The demand for high-quality safe and clean water supply has revolutionized water treatment technologies and become a most focused subject of environmental science. Water contamination generally marks the presence of numerous toxic and harmful substances. These contaminants such as heavy metals, organic and inorganic pollutants, oil wastes, and chemical dyes are discharged from various industrial effluents and domestic wastes. Among several water treatment technologies, the utilization of silica nanostructures has received considerable attention due to their stability, sustainability, and cost-effective properties. As such, this review outlines the latest innovative approaches for synthesis and application of silica nanostructures in water treatment, apart from exploring the gaps that limit their large-scale industrial application. In addition, future challenges for improved water remediation and water quality technologies are keenly discussed.

Reliable quantification of mercury in natural waters using surface modified magnetite nanoparticles

Reliable determination of mercury (Hg) in natural waters is a major analytical challenge due to its low concentration and to the risk of Hg losses or contamination during sampling, storage and pre-treatment of samples. The present work proposes a simple, efficient, sensitive and easy-handling methodology for extraction, pre-concentration and quantification of total dissolved mercury in natural waters, using iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) coated with silica shells functionalized with dithiocarbamate groups (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂SiDTC). Ten mg L^-1 of these NPs were sufficient to remove 83-97% of 500 to 10 ng L^-1 of Hg in ultra-pure water and artificial seawater, used as model Hg solutions, within 24 h. Mercury sorbed to the NPs was then measured directly by thermal decomposition atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation. The detection limit of approximately 1.8 ng L^-1 is lower than the values reported in dispersive solid phase extraction for other magnetic sorbents. As a proof-of-concept, the proposed methodology was successfully tested in real samples of fresh and saline waters and more than 91% of Hg was recovered. With this methodology the extraction and pre-concentration steps may be carried out in situ decreasing the risk of Hg losses or contamination during sampling, storage and pre-treatment of water samples.

Fe2O3 and Gd2O3 nanoparticles loaded in mesoporous silica: insights into influence of NPs concentration and silica dimensionality

Fine Fe₂O₃ and Gd₂O₃ magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes 7 nm and 10 nm embedded into mesoporous silica have been prepared using a wet-impregnation method. A comparative study of the reactant concentration along with the hosting matrix symmetry on mesostructuring and the magnetic properties of the nanocomposites have been investigated. Reactants with four different concentrations of Fe³⁺ and Gd³⁺ ions and silica matrices with two different kinds of symmetry (hexagonal and cubic) have been utilized for the study. The structural characterization of the samples has been carried out by the N₂ adsorption/desorption method, high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD), TG/DTA, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The magnetic properties of the nanocomposites have been examined by means of SQUID magnetometry. It has been found that a range of different magnetic states (diamagnetic, paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, superparamagnetic) can be induced by the feasible tailoring of the particle concentration, the porous matrix symmetry and the composition. Furthermore, the existence of a “critical concentration limit” for embedding the particles within the body of the matrix has been confirmed. Exceeding the limit results in the expulsion of nanoparticles on the outer surface of the mesoporous matrix. Revelation of the relationships between particle concentration, matrix symmetry and magnetic properties of the particular composite reported in this study may facilitate the design and construction of advanced intelligent nanodevices.

The concentration of nanoparticles inside the pores and the symmetry of the porous matrix significantly affected the magnetic properties.

Mercury in river, estuarine and seawaters - Is it possible to decrease realist environmental concentrations in order to achieve environmental quality standards?

Dithiocarbamate-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/SiDTC) have been investigated as a convenient and effective sorbent for mercury removal from river, estuarine and sea waters, and their capability to decrease realistic environmental concentrations to the new environmental quality standards was evaluated. The sorption kinetics was well described by the Elovich model and the initial sorption rate was dependent of the sorbent dose. Except for river water sample, the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/SiDTC particles uptake 99.9% or more of the Hg(II) in the waters (initially at the concentration of 50 μg/L), allowing to reach residual concentrations lower than the new environmental quality standards (70 ng/L) with only 10 mg/L of sorbent material. The distribution coefficients of mercuric ions between the magnetic particles and the different natural water types were above 10³ mL/g for the river water and above 10⁵ mL/g for the estuarine and sea waters. The differences observed between the water types can be attributed to different water composition (effect of the matrix), which plays an important role in the efficiency of the water treatment.

Study on the adsorption of Hg(ii) by one-pot synthesis of amino-functionalized graphene oxide decorated with a Fe3O4 microsphere nanocomposite

An easy one-pot solvothermal strategy approach has been reported on the preparation of ethylenediamine (EDA) decorated with magnetite/graphene oxide (EDA–Fe₃O₄/GO) nanocomposites and employed as a recyclable adsorbent for Hg(ii) in aqueous solution.

Rescheduling the process of nanoparticle removal used for water mercury remediation can increase the risk to aquatic organism: evidence of innate immune functions modulation in European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.)

This study aimed to assess the mechanisms of innate immune function responses to silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticle functionalized with dithiocarbamate groups (IONP) exposure alone and its associated mercury (Hg) in European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) phagocytes isolated from peritoneum (P-phagocytes), gill (G-phagocytes), head kidney (HK-phagocytes) and spleen (S-phagocytes). The study evaluated viability, phagocytosis, oxidative burst activity (OBA) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Four groups were made: (1) 2 × 10(6) phagocytes + RPMI-1640 (control), (2) 2 × 10(6) phagocytes + IONP (2.5 mg L(-1)), (3) 2 × 10(6) phagocytes + Hg (50 μg L(-1)) and (4) 2 × 10(6) phagocytes + IONP + Hg. Samplings were performed at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 72 h of exposure. A. anguilla P-, G-, HK- and S-phagocytes in vitro exposure to IONP alone revealed either increased (except HK-phagocytes at 16 h) or no change in viability, suggesting that the cells are metabolically active and resistant to IONP exposure alone. In terms of phagocytes overactivation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production as an indirect mechanism of immunotoxicity, the phagocytes responded in the following manner: P- > S- > HK- = G-phagocytes for IONP exposure alone, S- > HK- > P- = G-phagocytes for Hg exposure alone and HK- > G- = S- > P-phagocytes for concomitant exposure. Overall, considering Hg as a surrogate for metals and its association with IONP, as well as the likelihood that it could pose a serious threat to aquatic organisms by modulating their immune defense mechanisms if accidentally discharged into the aquatic environment, current results suggest that the step of IONP-metal complex removal must not be underrated and should be processed without any more ado.

High-efficient mercury removal from environmental water samples using di-thio grafted on magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles

In this work, magnetic di-thio functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DT-MCM-41) were prepared by grafting dithiocarbamate groups within the channels of magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites. The functionalized nanoparticles exhibited proper magnetic behavior. They were easily separated from the aqueous solution by applying an external magnetic field. The results indicated that the functionalized nanoparticles had a potential for high-efficient removal of Hg(2+) in environmental samples. The maximum adsorption capacity of the sorbent was 538.9 mg g(-1), and it took about 10 min to achieve the equilibrium adsorption. The resulted adsorption capacity was higher than similar works for adsorption of mercury. It can be due to the presence of di-thio and amine active groups in the structure of sorbent. The special properties of MCM-41 like large surface area and high porosity also provided a facile accessibility of the mercury ions into the ligand sites. The complete removal of mercury ions was attained with dithiocarbamate groups in a wide range of mercury concentrations. The recovery studies were also applied for the river water, seawater, and wastewater samples, and the values were over of 97 %.

Hydrophilic modification of ordered mesoporous carbon supported Fe nanoparticles with enhanced adsorption and heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation performance

Ordered mesoporous carbon with Fe nanoparticles (Fe/meso-C) underwent hydrophilic surface modification with hydrogen peroxide, which shows enhanced adsorption and heterogeneous Fenton oxidation performance for methylene blue.

Mesoporous (organo) silica decorated with magnetic nanoparticles as a reusable nanoadsorbent for arsenic removal from water samples

Over the last decade, numerous removal methods using solid-supported magnetic nanocomposites have been employed in order to remove arsenic from aqueous solution. In this report, removal of arsenic from aqueous solution by an organo silica, namely, magnetic mobile crystalline material-41 (MCM-41) functionalized by chlorosulphonic acid (MMCM-41-SO3H), was investigated using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The synthesized magnetic mesoporous materials have satisfactory As (V) adsorption capacity. Linearity for arsenic was observed in the concentration range of 5-100 ppb. In addition, the coefficient of determination (R2) was more than 0.999 and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.061 ppb. Considering these results, MMCM-41-SO3H has a great potential for the removal of As (V) contaminants and potentially for the application in large-scale wastewater treatment plants.

Extraction of Sudan dyes from environmental water by hemimicelles-based magnetic titanium dioxide nanoparticles

A novel method for the extraction of Sudan dyes including Sudan I, II, III, and IV from environmental water by magnetic titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4@TiO2) coated with sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as adsorbent was reported. Fe3O4@TiO2 was synthesized by a simple method and was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetic separation was quite efficient for the adsorption and desorption of Sudan dyes. The effect of the amount of SDS, extraction time, pH, desorption condition, maximal extraction volume, and humic acid on the extraction process were investigated. This method was employed to analyze three environmental water samples. The results demonstrated that our proposed method had wide linear range (25-5,000 ng L(-1)) with a good linearity (R (2) > 0.999) and low detection limits (2.9-7.3 ng L(-1)). An enrichment factor of 1,000 was achieved. In all three spiked levels (25, 250, and 2,500 ng L(-1)), the recoveries of Sudan dyes were in the range of 86.9-93.6 %. The relative standard deviations obtained were ranging from 2.5 to 9.3 %. That is to say, the new method was fast and effective for the extraction of Sudan dye from environmental water.

Recyclable Textiles Functionalized with Reduced Graphene Oxide@ZnO for Removal of Oil Spills and Dye Pollutants

A novel recyclable and flexible membrane was prepared for the removal of oil spills and organic dye pollutants, by functionalizing polyester textiles with reduced graphene oxide@ZnO nanocomposites using a layer-by-layer technique. The membrane showed efficient water/oil separation, and the amount of oil adsorbed by the membrane could be up to 23 times its own weight. The adsorption capacity was largely retained during many adsorption recycling cycles. The membrane also displayed highly efficient removal of a dye pollutant from water under simulated sunlight. The membrane maintained a near-original removal efficiency after five cycles of dye removal. This new type of membrane may find practical applications in the large-scale separation of organic pollutants from water, particularly in the field of oil spills clean-up and dye removal from industrial effluent.

Regenerable multifunctional mesoporous silica nanocomposites for simultaneous detection and removal of mercury(II)

Mercury (Hg(2+)) is a highly toxic and widespread environmental pollutant. Herein, a regenerable and highly selective core-shell structured magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposite with functionalization of thymine (T) and T-rich DNA (denoted as Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2-T-TRDNA nanocomposite) has been developed for simultaneous detection and removal of Hg(2+). In this work, the thymine and T-rich DNA were immobilized onto the interior and exterior surface of outermost mesoporous silica, respectively. The detection mechanism is based on Hg(2+)-mediated hairpin structure formed by T-rich DNA functionalized on the exterior surface of the nanocomposites, where, upon addition of SYBR Green I dye, strong fluorescence is observed. In the absence of Hg(2+), however, addition of the dye results in low fluorescence. The limit of detection for Hg(2+) in a buffer is 2 nM by fluorescence spectroscopy. Simultaneously, the Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2-T-TRDNA nanocomposite features a selective binding with Hg(2+) between two thymines immobilized at the interior surface of the mesopores and exhibits efficient and convenient Hg(2+) removal by a magnet. Kinetic study reveals that the Hg(2+) removal is a rapid process with over 80% of Hg(2+) removed within approximately 1 h. The applicability of the developed nanocomposites is demonstrated to detect and remove Hg(2+) from samples of Xiangjiang river water spiked with Hg(2+). In addition, distinguishing aspects of the Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2-T-TRDNA nanocomposites for Hg(2+) detection and removal also include the regeneration using a simple acid treatment and resistance to nuclease digestion. Similar process can be used to functionalize the Fe3O4@nSiO2@mSiO2 nanocomposites with other nucleic acids and small molecules for environmental and biomedical applications.

Sorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) onto multi-amine grafted mesoporous silica embedded with nano-magnetite: effects of steric factors

Steric factors affecting the mass transfer of Pb(II) and Cu(II) in mesocellular silica foams (MSU-F-S) functionalized with multi- (mono-, di-, tri-) amine groups and nano-magnetite were investigated through batch experiments. We observed that neither the sorption capacities nor the sorption rates were linearly proportional to the number of amine groups introduced to a ligand. Unexpectedly, the tri-amine grafted samples exhibited lower affinity for both metal cations. These results are mainly attributed to two important steric factors, pore blockage and a conformational change of available amine groups. The relatively large pore size (∼30 nm) of MSU-F-S could enable various functional molecules such as amines and nano-magnetite to be effectively loaded within the pores. However, their excessive densities in the limited pore structure could have adverse effects on the transport of metal ions into the mesopores. An intraparticle diffusion model was applied to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the sorption process. Our results showed that the diffusional mass transfer into the mesopores was significantly inhibited in tri-amine grafted samples. The present findings further the understanding of steric effects on the transport of cationic metals into functionalized mesoporous silica and designing efficient sorbents.

Simple synthesis of Ni-containing ordered mesoporous carbons and their adsorption/desorption of methylene orange

A simple route has been developed to synthesize magnetic Ni-containing ordered mesoporous carbons (Ni/OMCs) without using a solvent for dissolving carbon precursor or magnetic source. The adsorption and desorption of methylene orange (MO) on the obtained Ni/OMCs were investigated. The effects of Ni(NO(3))(2) loading amount and carbonization temperature on the morphologies, the structural parameters and magnetic properties of these Ni/OMCs were evaluated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), N(2) sorption analysis, transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and physical property measurements. With the increase of Ni(NO(3))(2) loading amount, the ordering of the mesoporous structures, the specific surface area and the total pore volumes of Ni/OMCs decreased, but the pore diameters of Ni/OMCs and the sizes of Ni particle increased. The saturation magnetization strength could be easily adjusted by varying the amount of Ni(NO(3))(2). The specific surface area and total pore volumes decreased with the increasing of carbonization temperature. The size of Ni particle was the biggest at 750°C. The adsorption of MO into Ni/OMCs followed the Sips adsorption model. More interestingly, a simple equation was obtained and was proved to well fit the desorption behavior of MO on Ni/OMCs. The values for the relative fitted parameters were obtained and the physical meanings of the parameters were well defined.

Synthesis and characterization of γ-Fe2O3/carbon hybrids and their application in removal of hexavalent chromium ions from aqueous solutions

Magnetic Fe(2)O(3)/carbon hybrids were prepared in a two-step process. First, acetic acid vapor interacted with iron cations dispersed on the surface of a nanocasted ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3). In the second step, the primarily created iron acetate species underwent pyrolysis and transformed to magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopies were used for the chemical and structural characterization of the hybrids, while surface area measurements, thermal analysis, and transmission electron microscopy were employed to determine their physical, surface, and textural properties. These results revealed the preservation of the host carbon structure, which was homogenously and controllably loaded (up to 27 wt %) with nanosized (ca. 20 nm) iron oxides inside the mesoporous system. Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements at low temperatures confirmed the formation of γ-Fe(2)O(3) nanoparticles exhibiting superparamagnetic behavior. The kinetic studies showed a rapid removal of Cr(VI) ions from the aqueous solutions in the presence of these magnetic mesoporous hybrids and a considerably increased adsorption capacity per unit mass of sorbent in comparison to that of pristine CMK-3 carbon. The results also indicate highly pH-dependent sorption efficiency of the hybrids, whereas their kinetics was described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Taking into account the simplicity of the synthetic procedure and possibility of magnetic separation of hybrids with immobilized pollutant, the developed mesoporous nanomaterials have quite real potential for applications in water treatment technologies.