Enhanced removal of naproxen from wastewater using silica magnetic nanoparticles decorated onto graphene oxide; parametric and equilibrium study

The present study describes the synthesis of silica and magnetic nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (GO-MNPs-SiO₂) and its application as an adsorbent for the removal of naproxen from wastewater. Nanocomposite was characterized utilizing FT-IR spectroscopy, FESEM microscopy, EDX and XPS spectroscopy. Under the optimum conditions, a high adsorption capacity (31 mg g^?1) was obtained toward naproxen at pH 5. The adsorption process was evaluated using isotherms; the Freundlich isotherm suggested a multilayer adsorption pattern for naproxen. Free energy confirmed a physisorption mechanism between naproxen and adsorbent. Lastly, the field application was performed in wastewater which obtained high removal efficiency percentages (83–94%).     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using magnetite/non-oxidative graphene composites: Synergetic effect of Cr(VI) on dyes removal

Non-oxidative graphene (nOG) synthesized from natural graphite powder was modified with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) for removal of Cr(VI) and dyes in aqueous solution. The adsorption behavior of Cr(VI) on Fe₃O₄/nOG (M-nOG) was systematically investigated, and the simultaneous adsorption of Cr(VI) and dyes such as methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) was evaluated. Adsorption kinetic and isotherm of Cr(VI) were fitted well with pseudo-second-order model and Sips model, respectively. For the binary system, Cr(VI) removal was not affected with increasing the dye concentration, whereas the adsorption capacity of both MB and RhB was enhanced with increasing the concentrations of Cr(VI).     

Reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and removal of total chromium from wastewater using scrap iron in the form of zerovalent iron(ZVI): Batch and column studies

This work experimentally investigates Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III) using waste scrap iron in the form of zerovalent iron (ZVI) collected from the mechanical workshop of the Institute, both in batch and continuous operation. The reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was found to be complete (～100%) depending on the experimental conditions. Lower pH values favour Cr(VI) reduction. Two concurrent reactions take place, that is reduction of Cr(VI) by Fe⁰ (ZVI) and by Fe²⁺ generated due to H⁺ corrosion of iron. Maximum around 22%, 11% and 2% Cr(III) remained dissolved in solution while the experiments were carried out at initial pH of 2, 4.67 and 7. Higher ZVI loading increases Cr(VI) reduction rate, however, consumption of iron is noted to be higher. The results indicate that the bed is exhausted rapidly at higher pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration and flow rate. This is attributable to predominance passivation of ZVI surface forming Cr(III)–Fe(III)‐oxide layer. SEM analysis of ZVI before and after the experiments confirms formation of passive oxide on iron surface is responsible for deterioration of Cr(VI) reduction efficiency due to its blanketing effect.     

Enhanced removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous solutions by SDS-functionalized graphene oxide

In this paper, a one-pot and easy-to-handle method at room temperature without additional chemicals for the modification of graphene oxide (GO) with surfactant is found. Removal of nickel (II) ions from aqueous solutions by GO and surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulphate) modified graphene oxide (SDS-GO) was studied spectrophotometrically at room temperature as a function of time, initial concentration and pH. Adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was increased dramatically (from 20.19 to 55.16 mg/g found by Langmuir model) due to the functionalization of the surface by SDS. The driving force of the adsorption of Ni(II) ions is electrostatic attraction and Ni(II) ions adsorbed on the GO surface chemically besides ion exchange.     

Facile fabrication of graphene oxide-polyethylenimine composite and its application for the Cr(VI) removal

A binary composite consisting of graphene oxide (GO) and polyethylenimine (PEI) was fabricated by a facile physical mixing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Zeta potential were used to characterize the prepared graphene oxide-polyethylenimine composite (GOPC). A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of some important parameters, such as molecular weight of PEI, pH, time and temperature, on the adsorption efficiency of GOPC. Due to the high amine density of GOPC, its adsorption for Cr(VI) occurred more easily at lower pH mainly via electrostatic interaction. The adsorption process matched well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity from the Langmuir model was 370.37 mg/g at pH 2.0 and 45°C for GOPC. Thermodynamic parameters revealed spontaneous and endothermic nature of the Cr(VI) adsorption onto GOPC. The main adsorption mechanism of GOPC toward Cr(VI) was electrostatic interaction. The adsorption-desorption experiments suggested GOPC was easily recycled and its stable adsorption capacity endowed it great potential as an adsorbent of Cr(VI) from wastewater.     

Enhanced adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution by polyethyleneimine modified palygorskite

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified palygorskite (Pal) was used for the adsorption of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution. The absorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterized results confirmed that the Pal has been successfully modified by PEI. The modification of PEI increased the Cr(VI) adsorption performance of the Pal by the adsorption combined reduction mechanism, and amino groups of the adsorbent play the main role in the enhanced Cr(VI) adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity was 51.10 mg·g^-1 at pH 4.0 and 25 ℃. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) on the adsorbent conforms to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption occurs at pH 3, and then the adsorption capacity of PEI-Pal was decreased with the increase of pH values. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) on PEI-Pal was modeled with pseudo-second-order model. The addition of Cl^-, SO₄^2- and PO₄^3- reduced the Cr(VI) adsorption by competition with Cr(VI) for the active sites of PEI-Pal. The Cr(VI) saturated PEI-Pal can be regenerated in alkaline solution, and the adsorption capacity can still be maintained at 30.44 mg·g^-1 after 4 cycles. The results demonstrate that PEI-Pal can be used as a potential adsorbent of Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions.     

Enhanced adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution by polyethyleneimine modified palygorskite

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified palygorskite (Pal) was used for the adsorption of Cr(VI) in aqueous solution. The absorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Characterized results confirmed that the Pal has been successfully modified by PEI. The modification of PEI increased the Cr(VI) adsorption performance of the Pal by the adsorption combined reduction mechanism, and amino groups of the adsorbent play the main role in the enhanced Cr(VI) adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity was 51.10 mg·g⁻¹ at pH 4.0 and 25 °C. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) on the adsorbent conforms to the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption occurs at pH 3, and then the adsorption capacity of PEI-Pal was decreased with the increase of pH values. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) on PEI-Pal was modeled with pseudo-second-order model. The addition of Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ and PO₄³⁻ reduced the Cr(VI) adsorption by competition with Cr(VI) for the active sites of PEI-Pal. The Cr(VI) saturated PEI-Pal can be regenerated in alkaline solution, and the adsorption capacity can still be maintained at 30.44 mg·g⁻¹ after 4 cycles. The results demonstrate that PEI-Pal can be used as a potential adsorbent of Cr(VI) in aqueous solutions.     

过硫酸盐强化零价铁还原去除硝基苯的实验研究

考察了过硫酸盐（PS）强化零价铁（ZVI）对水中硝基苯去除的性能。结果表明在单纯利用ZVI还原去除硝基苯过程中,初始pH 3.0时初期去除硝基苯速率较快,初始pH 4.0～7.0时随pH的升高反应速率减慢,而ZVI投量的增加对去除速率有较大提升作用。向体系中投加PS能显著促进零价铁去除硝基苯的速率,在达到相同去除效果的情况下,外加PS的成本远远小于提升ZVI投量所引起的成本增加。综合固体产物的XRD表征得知,PS提高ZVI去除硝基苯的效果主要是通过促进ZVI的腐蚀和改变ZVI腐蚀产物的种类来实现。通过FTIR表征可知,外加PS仅对硝基苯去除过程起加速作用,而不改变其还原路径。GC-MS的结果则验证了硝基苯被ZVI/ZVI-PS降解的主要产物为苯胺。     

Visible light enhanced Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution by nanoparticulated zerovalent iron

Cr(VI) removal using nanoparticulated zerovalent iron is enhanced under visible light in comparison with the dark process. Using an Fe:Cr(VI) molar ratio (MR) of 1, 77% removal was obtained after two hours under irradiation, compared with 60% in dark conditions; use of MR 2 allowed almost total Cr(VI) removal. Experiments with selected filters indicated that active wavelengths are above 555 nm. The proposed mechanism involves a heterogeneous photocatalytic process promoted by the iron oxides present as an external layer of the nanoparticles acting as semiconductors after excitation with light, overcoming the passivation of the material taking place in the dark.     

Enhanced removal of hydroquinone by graphene aerogel-Zr-MOF with immobilized laccase

A graphene aerogel-zirconium-metal organic framework (GA-Zr-MOF) was synthesized and used as a membrane in a solid-phase extraction device to remove hydroquinone after immobilization of laccase. The adsorption rate of laccase onto this membrane reached 73.8?mg?g^?1, and it was mainly attributed to the adsorption effect of Zr-MOF. The membrane exhibited a satisfactory efficiency in removing hydroquinone (79%), which resulted from the combined effect of GA adsorption and catalysis by laccase. After five removal cycles, the removal rate remained at approximately 70%. The GA-Zr-MOF with immobilized laccase exhibited good operability and efficiency in the removal of hydroquinone.     

Electrochemical production of ferrate(vi) using sinusoidal alternating current superimposed on direct current. Pure iron electrode

The current yield for the anodic oxidation of a pure iron (99.95%) electrode to ferrate(VI) ions in 14 M NaOH between 30 and 60 °C using a sinusoidal alternating current (a.c.) at amplitudes in the range 38–88 mA cm–2 and frequencies in the range 0.5 mHz to 5 kHz superimposed on direct current (d.c.) of 16 mAcm–2 was measured under conditions of bubble induced convection in a batch cell. The current yield for ferrate(VI) synthesis exhibited a complex dependence on temperature and a.c. frequency, but generally a maximum was observed in a frequency range 2–50Hz depending on the a.c. amplitude. A global maximum current yield after 180 min of electrolysis of 33% was reached at the following conditions: a.c. amplitude of 88 mA cm–2, a.c. frequency of 50 Hz and temperature of 40 °C. At the optimum conditions the highest d.c. electrolysis yield was 23%. Thus, operation with the a.c. component leads to an increase in the yield by 43% with respect to d.c. electrolysis alone.     

Synthesis of graphene oxide decorated with strontium oxide (SrO/GO) as an efficient nanocomposite for removal of hazardous ammonia from wastewater

ABSTRACT

In this research, graphene oxide decorated with strontium oxide (SrO/GO) is introduced as a new adsorbent material for the efficient removal of ammonia from industrial wastewater. The new adsorbent was thoroughly studied in terms of morphology, crystallography and chemical composition using characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and zeta potential analysis. Several parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and ammonia initial concentration were investigated and optimized. Ammonia adsorption onto SrO/GO was validated with kinetics and adsorption isotherms by adopting different models. The results revealed that ammonia adsorption kinetic was of pseudo-second order (R² = 0.999) implying that chemisorption behavior and the equilibrium isotherm follows Langmuir model. This behavior shows a high maximum monolayer sorption capacity of 90.1 mg g^?1 at pH equal to 7 and contact time of 120 min pointing out the synergism advantageous effect. The abundant oxygen functional groups on the graphene oxide surface and the integrated Sr-O nanoparticles could efficiently interact with ammonia species creating a surface for more favorable and efficient removal of ammonia.     

Enhanced convective heat transfer using graphene dispersed nanofluids

Nanofluids are having wide area of application in electronic and cooling industry. In the present work, hydrogen exfoliated graphene (HEG) dispersed deionized (DI) water, and ethylene glycol (EG) based nanofluids were developed. Further, thermal conductivity and heat transfer properties of these nanofluids were systematically investigated. HEG was synthesized by exfoliating graphite oxide in H2 atmosphere at 200°C. The nanofluids were prepared by dispersing functionalized HEG (f-HEG) in DI water and EG without the use of any surfactant. HEG and f-HEG were characterized by powder X-ray diffractometry, electron microscopy, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy. Thermal and electrical conductivities of f-HEG dispersed DI water and EG based nanofluids were measured for different volume fractions and at different temperatures. A 0.05% volume fraction of f-HEG dispersed DI water based nanofluid shows an enhancement in thermal conductivity of about 16% at 25°C and 75% at 50°C. The enhancement in Nusselts number for these nanofluids is more than that of thermal conductivity.     

Electrochemical detection of Cr(VI) with carbon nanotubes decorated with gold nanoparticles

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - A nanocomposite consisting of gold nanoparticles deposited on the side walls of functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes, Ox-MWCNT-Aunano, was prepared...     

Amplified immunosensing based on ionic liquid-doped chitosan film as a matrix and Au nanoparticle decorated graphene nanosheets as labels

This paper describes a new signal amplification strategy based on ionic liquid-doped chitosan film as a matrix and Au nanoparticle decorated graphene nanosheets (AuNP–graphene) as labels for the sensitivity improvement of an electrochemical immunosensor. At first, an ionic liquid was doped into ferrocene-branched chitosan film to obtain a novel redox composite, which was employed as an antibody immobilization matrix due to its better biocompatibility and higher electron transfer mobility. Then, the AuNP–graphene were prepared by a one-pot method in a aqueous-phase synthesis and were provided with a large surface area and multiple binding sites to allow high accessibility for the immobilization of secondary antibody (Ab2) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Based on the sandwich immunoassay format, the electrochemical signal could be amplified and adequately achieved, according to the catalytic reaction of the carried HRP towards the reduction of H₂O₂ with the aid of the IL and ferrocene synergistic effect. Using Immunoglobulin G (IgG) as a protein model, a good and repeatable linear relationship was found between the electrical signal outputs and human IgG concentration on a logarithm scale for a wide range of 2.0 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ g/mL, with a detection limit of 50 pg/mL. In conclusion, the use of ionic liquid-doped chitosan redox film and AuNP–graphene greatly enhances the electrochemical signal and shows high sensitivity.     

Enhanced adsorptive removal of fluoride using mesoporous alumina

Two different kinds of mesoporous alumina samples were prepared using aluminum tri-sec-butoxide in the presence of either cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (MA-1) or stearic acid (MA-2) as a structure-directing agent, and tested for adsorptive removal of fluoride in water. Both materials contain a wormhole-like mesopore structure, but exhibited different textural properties: surface area (421 or 650 m²/g) and pore volume (0.96 or 0.59 cm³/g). These mesoporous aluminas demonstrated significantly improved adsorption capacity and faster kinetics to those of the commercial activated aluminas in fluoride removal by adsorption process. MA-2 prepared using stearic acid, in particular, demonstrated an adsorption capacity (14.26 mg/g) and initial adsorption rate (14.6 mg/g min) that were respectively 2.2 and 45 times higher than those of a commercial gamma alumina. The textural features of larger surface area and relatively smaller pore size in MA-2 compared to the activated aluminas are believed to be responsible for this enhancement in adsorption process.     

Arsenate removal using Donnan dialysis-zerovalent iron combined process

The Donnon dialysis-zerovalent iron combined process was developed by adding zerovalent iron into the stripping solution. The arsenic adsorption by the zerovalent iron corrosion products was able to regenerate the stripping solution in situ. Therefore, the long-term arsenic removal by the Donnan dialysis system was markedly improved. In this study, the effect of NaCl concentration in the desorption solution was determined to be 0.1 mol·L^-1 based on the investigation of the effect of the NaCl concentration in the desorption solution on the arsenic removal performance of zero-valent iron. Then, the proposed Donnon dialysis-zerovalent iron combined process was used to treat arsenic containing well water for multiple batches, using stripping solution containing 6 g common salt and 5 g zerovalent iron per liter. The arsenic concentrations in the treated water was constantly below 50 μg·L^-1 for 20 batches, much lower than the performance of the single Donnan dialysis system. The coupling of Donnan dialysis with zerovalent iron prolonged the interval for the stripping solution replacement; therefore, the practical application of the Donnan dialysis household water purifier was significantly improved.     

道南渗析-零价铁耦合工艺除砷效果研究

道南渗析-零价铁耦合工艺通过在解吸液中加入零价铁,利用其腐蚀产生的吸附除砷作用,实现解吸液的同步再生,从而改善道南渗析除砷系统长期运行效果。在考察解吸液NaCl浓度对零价铁除砷性能影响的基础上确定解吸液中NaCl浓度为0.1 mol·L-1。以该工艺对某农村含砷井水的多批次处理结果表明,在6 g·L-1食盐溶液的解吸液中加入5 g·L-1还原铁粉后,系统连续运行20批次,出水中砷浓度始终低于50μg·L-1,运行有效性远高于单一道南渗析对照组。该耦合工艺延长了解吸液使用时间,提升了道南渗析除砷装置的应用性。     

Eco-friendly one-pot synthesis of gold decorated reduced graphene oxide using beer as a reducing agent

A facile, eco-friendly and economical approach was demonstrated for the synthesis of gold-decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (rGO–Au_nano) using beer as a reducing agent via a hydrothermal method. The phenolic compounds of beer play a key role in the reduction of graphene oxide and the gold precursor. The obtained rGO–Au_nano was characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Analysis revealed that the electron-transfer resistance of rGO–Au_nano/GCE was much lower than that of the GCE and GO/GCE. The proposed nanocomposites have excellent electrocatalytical properties for catalytic reduction of O₂ in solution.