Biosorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by natural spider silk

Aside from its excellent mechanical properties, spider silk (SS) would offer an active surface for heavy metal interaction due to its rich protein structure. The present study describes the potential use of natural (SS) as a sorbent of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Single and multi-species biosorption experiments of heavy metals by natural SS were conducted using batch and column experiments. The biosorption kinetics, in general, was found to follow the second-order rate expression, and the experimental equilibrium biosorption data fitted reasonably well to Freundlich isotherm. From the Freundlich isotherm, the biosorption capacities of Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions onto SS were found as 0.20 and 0.007 mmol g⁻¹, respectively. The results showed a decrease in the extent of metal ion uptake with lowering the pH.

Characterization of Sr2+uptake on natural minerals of kaolinite and magnesite using XRPD, SEM/EDS, XPS, and DRIFT

The sorption behavior of Sr2+ions on natural minerals rich in kaolinite and magnesite was studied using SEM/EDS, XPS, XRPD, AAS/AES and DRIFT techniques. Quantitative analysis of the XPS data shows that magnesite is more effective in Sr2+uptake than kaolinite. DRIFT spectra and XRPD patterns indicate that the structures of both minerals were not affected upon Sr2+sorption. Intercalation of DMSO in kaolinite lamellae aiming at increasing the interlayer space did not significantly enhance the sorption capacity of the clay towards Sr2+probably due to the lack of a negative charge on the accessible sites. EDS mapping indicated that while the sorbed Sr is equally distributed on surface of natural kaolinite, it was associated – to a larger extent – with the regions richer in Mg in the case of natural magnesite. Comparing the uptake mechanisms of natural magnesite with that of pure MgCO3, it was seen that while natural magnesite sorbed Sr2+mainly through an ion exchange type mechanism, the formation of SrCO3coprecipitate was detected on the surface of the MgCO3at higher loadings.

Surface spectroscopic studies of Cs+, and Ba2+sorption on chlorite-illite mixed clay

The sorption behavior of Cs+, and Ba2+on natural clay was investigated using ToF-SIMS, XPS, and XRD. The natural clay was composed mainly of chlorite and illite in addition to quartz and calcite. Depth profiling up to 70 Å was performed at 10 Å steps utilizing ToF-SIMS to study the amount of sorbed Cs+and Ba2+as a function of depth in the clay matrix. The results suggest that Cs+and Ba2+ions were sorbed primarily by ion exchange coupled with hydrolytic sorption. According to ToF-SIMS and XPS results, the total sorbed amount of Ba2+was larger than that of Cs+. Quantitative determination of the primary cations within the analyzed clay before and after sorption indicated that for Ba2+sorption, Ca2+, Mg2+and for Cs+sorption Ca2+, K+were the major exchanging ions. The XRD spectra of Ba-sorbed clay contained new peaks that were identified as BaCO3.

Kinetic and thermodynamic investigations of strontium ions retention by natural kaolinite and clinoptilolite minerals

The current study was devoted to the determination of various thermodynamic and kinetic parameters resulting from the fixation of Sr2+by natural samples of kaolinite and clinoptilolite minerals. The sorption process followed pseudo second order kinetics, with faster sorption on kaolinite compared to clinoptilolite, where the uptake is affected by intraparticle diffusion. Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models described the data more adequately than Langmuir model, and clinoptilolite showed a higher strontium sorption capacity than kaolinite. Thermodynamically, the activation energy of Sr2+sorption by kaolinite and clinoptilolite were respectively, −8.5 and −18.4 kJ/mol. The sorption process on both minerals was spontaneous and endothermic at all the studied concentrations, with ΔH° being 11.3 and 9.8 kJ/mol, for sorption on kaolinite and clinoptilolite, respectively. The findings of this study were compared with those of an earlier study on the uptake of Cs+by the same minerals.

A radiotracer study of the adsorption behavior of aqueous Ba(2+) ions on nanoparticles of zero-valent iron

Recently, iron nanoparticles are increasingly being tested as adsorbents for various types of organic and inorganic pollutants. In this study, nanoparticles of zero-valent iron (NZVI) synthesized under atmospheric conditions were employed for the removal of Ba(2+) ions in a concentration range 10(-3) to 10(-6) M. Throughout the study, (133)Ba was used as a tracer to study the effects of time, concentration, and temperature. The obtained data was analyzed using various kinetic models and adsorption isotherms. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model provided the best correlation with the obtained data. Observed thermodynamic parameters showed that the process is exothermic and hence enthalpy-driven.

A characterization study of some aspects of the adsorption of aqueous Co2+ ions on a natural bentonite clay

The natural bentonite used in this study contained montmorillonite in addition to low cristobalite. The uptake of aqueous Co(2+) ions was investigated as a function of time, concentration, and temperature. In addition, the change in the interlayer space of montmorillonite was analyzed using XRPD, and the distribution of fixed Co(2+) ions on the heterogeneous clay surface was recorded using EDS mapping. The sorbed amount of Co(2+) appeared to closely follow Freundlich isotherm, with the sorption process showing apparent endothermic behavior. The relevance of the apparent DeltaH(o) values is briefly discussed. Analysis of the Co-sorbed bentonite samples using SEM/EDS showed that the montmorillonite fraction in the mineral was more effective in Co(2+) fixation than the cristobalite fraction. XRPD analysis demonstrated that the interlayer space of montmorillonite was slightly modified at the end of sorption.

Modification of a montmorillonite–illite clay using alkaline hydrothermal treatment and its application for the removal of aqueous Cs+ ions

A montmorillonite-illite clay was modified using alkaline hydrothermal treatment (reflux method) and applied to the removal of aqueous Cs+ ions. The alkaline solutions were prepared by dissolving NaOH in seawater and in distilled water, and the effect of the two alkaline media on the sorption capacities of the modified clay was discussed. The modified materials were characterized using XRD, SEM/EDS, and FTIR. As a result of the modification, the original mineral was partially transformed into a zeolitic material with spherical morphology. The results showed that the modification improved the Cs+ uptake capacity of the starting clay, with the clay modified in distilled water medium demonstrating higher sorption capacity. The sorption data were adequately described using the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models.

AAS, XRPD, SEM/EDS, and FTIR characterization of Zn2+ retention by calcite, calcite–kaolinite, and calcite–clinoptilolite minerals

In this study, the sorption behavior of Zn2+ on calcite, kaolinite, and clinoptilolite, in addition to mixtures of calcite with kaolinite and clinoptilolite, was investigated at various loadings and mixture compositions using atomic absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. According to the obtained results, within the experimental operating conditions, the sorption capacity was enhanced with increasing amount of calcite in both types of mixtures. Under neutral-alkaline pH conditions and high loadings, the order of Zn2+ retention was observed as calcite>clinoptilolite>kaolinite. The experiments on the retention of Zn2+ by pure calcite under conditions of oversaturation showed that the uptake process proceeds via an initial adsorption mechanism (possibly ion-exchange type) followed by a slower mechanism that leads to the overgrowth of the hydrozincite phase, Zn5(OH)6(CO3)2.

Physicochemical characterization of the retardation of aqueous Cs+ ions by natural kaolinite and clinoptilolite minerals

The aim of this study was to carry out kinetic, thermodynamic, and surface characterization of the sorption of Cs+ ions on natural minerals of kaolinite and clinoptilolite. The results showed that sorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. The activation energies were 9.5 and 13.9 kJ/mol for Cs+ sorption on kaolinite and clinoptilolite, respectively. Experiments performed at four different initial concentrations of the ion revealed that the percentage sorption of Cs+ on clinoptilolite ranged from 90 to 95, compared to 28 to 40 for the kaolinite case. At the end of a 1 week period, the percentage of Cs+ desorption from clinoptilolite did not exceed 7%, while it amounted to more than 30% in kaolinite, indicating more stable fixation by clinoptilolite. The sorption data were best described using Freundlich and D-R isotherm models. Sorption showed spontaneous and exothermic behavior on both minerals, with deltaH(0) being -6.3 and -11.4 kJ/mol for Cs+ uptake by kaolinite and clinoptilolite, respectively. Expanding the kaolinite interlayer space from 0.71 to 1.12 nm using DMSO intercalation, did not yield a significant enhancement in the sorption capacity of kaolinite, indicating that the surface and edge sites of the clay are more energetically favored. EDS mapping and elemental analysis of the surface of kaolinite and clinoptilolite revealed more intense signals on the surface of the latter with an even distribution of sorbed Cs+ onto the surfaces of both minerals.

ToF–SIMS depth profiling analysis of the uptake of Ba2+ and Co2+ ions by natural kaolinite clay

The sorption behavior of Ba(2+) and Co(2+) ions on a natural clay sample rich in kaolinite was studied using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Depth profiling at 10-A steps was performed up to a 70-A matrix depth of the clay prior to and following sorption. The results showed that Co(2+) is sorbed in slightly larger quantities than Ba(2+), with significant numbers of ions fixed on the outermost surface of the clay. Depletion of the ions K(+), Mg(2+), and Ca(2+) from the clay lattice was observed to accompany enrichment with Co(2+) and Ba(2+) ions. The data obtained using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated insignificant structural and morphological changes in the lattice of the clay upon sorption of both Ba(2+) and Co(2+) ions. Analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) showed that the average atomic percentage (+/-S.D.) of Ba and Co on kaolinite surface were 0.49 +/- 0.11 and 0.61 +/- 0.19 , respectively, indicating a limited uptake capacity of natural kaolinite for both ions.