Enhancement of removal efficiency of heavy metal ions by polyaniline deposition on electrospun polyacrylonitrile membranes

This paper describes the preparation of a membrane of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)and its corresponding membrane coated with polyaniline(PANI)for the adsorption of heavy metal ions.Scanning electron microscopy micrographs revealed that all the membranes exhibited nanofibrous morphology.The prepared membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).The prepared membranes were used as an adsorbent for hazardous heavy metal ions Pb^(2+) and Cr_(2)O^(2-)_(7).The adsorption capacity and the removal efficiency of the membranes were examined as function of the initial adsorbate concentration and pH of the medium.Coated membranes with PANI showed better adsorption performance and their direct current(DC)conductivities were correlated to heavy metal ion concentrations.Adsorption isotherms were also performed,and the adsorption process was tested according to the Langmuir and Freundlich models.The regeneration and reuse of the prepared membranes to re-adsorb heavy metal ions were also investigated.The enhancement in adsorption performance and reusability of PANI-coated membranes in comparison with non-coated ones is fully discussed.The results show that the maximum adsorption capacities of lead and chromate ions on the PANI-coated membranes are 290.12 and 1202.53 mg/g,respectively.

Fabrication of Poly（y-glutamic acid）-coated Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Application in Heavy Metal Removal

In this study, poly（y-glutamic acid）-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles （y-PGA/Fe304 MNPs） were successfully fabricated using the co-precipitation method. Fe3O4 MNPs were also prepared for comparison. The av erage size and specific surface area results reveal that 7-PGA/Fe304 MNPs （52.4 nm, 88.41 m2.g-1） have smaller particle size and larger specific surface area_ than Fe3O4 MNPs （62.0 nm, 76.83 mLg-1）. The y-PGA/Fe3O4 MNPs

Selective removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions with surface functionalized silica nanoparticles by different functional groups

The industrial silica fume pretreated by nitric acid at 80 °C was re-used in this work. Then, the obtained silica nanoparticles were surface functionalized by silane coupling agents, such as(3-Mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane(MPTES) and(3-Amincpropyl) trithoxysilane(APTES). Some further modifications were studied by chloroaceetyl choride and 1,8-Diaminoaphalene for amino modified silica. The surface functionalized silica nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared(FI-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The prepared adsorbent of surface functionalized silica nanoparticles with differential function groups were investigated in the selective adsorption about Pb2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+ions in aqueous solutions. The results show that the(3-Mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane functionalized silica nanoparticles(SiO2-MPTES) play an important role in the selective adsorption of Cu2+ and Hg2+, the(3-Amincpropyl) trithoxysilane(APTES) functionalized silica nanoparticles(SiO2-APTES) exhibited maximum removal efficiency towards Pb2+ and Hg2+, the 1,8-Diaminoaphalene functionalized silica nanoparticles was excellent for removal of Hg2+ at room temperature, respectively.

Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions Using Bacteria

The accumulation of heavy metals by microbial biomass with high surface area to volume ratio holds great potential for heavy metal removal in both soluble and paritcular forms, especially when the heavy metal concentrations are low (<50 mg/L). E. coli and B. subtilis are effective agents for metal removal. We further investigated the effect of pH, temperature, equilibration time, and pre treatment reagents on the removal of Pb(Ⅱ), Cd(Ⅱ) and Cr(Ⅵ) from aqueous solutions by E. coli and B. subtilis. E. coli and B. subtilis were cultivated for 60 hours, the experimentally determined optimal cultivation time before they were used in metal removal experiments. Under the optimal conditions of pH 6.0, equilibration temperature 30 °C and equilibration time 1 hour, 63.39% and 69.90% Cd(Ⅱ) can be removed by E. coli and B. subtilis. Under the optimal conditions of pH 5.5, equilibration temperature 30 °C and equilibration time 1 hour, 68.51% and 67.36% Pb(Ⅱ) can be removed by E. coli and B. subtilis. And under the optimal conditions of pH 5.5, equilibration temperature 30 °C, and equilibration time 1 hour, 60.26% and 54.56% Cr(Ⅵ) can be removed by E. coli and B. subtilis. Chemical treatment of cultivated bacteria (0.1 mol/L NaOH, 0.1 mol/L HCl, 30% ethanol, and distilled water) affects the efficiency of metal removal by E. coli and B. subtilis. Pretreatment of biomass by NaOH enhanced Cd(Ⅱ), Pb(Ⅱ) and Cr(Ⅵ) removal, while pretreatment by HCl, ethanol and distilled water reduced Cd(Ⅱ), Pb(Ⅱ) and Cr(Ⅵ) removal. For metal removal from industrial waste discharges, pretreated biomass of E. coli can remove 68.5% of Cd and 58.1% of Cr from solutions, while pretreated biomass of B. subtilis can remove 62.6% of Cd and 57% of Cr from solutions.

Study on the Heavy Metals Removal Efficiencies of Constructed Wetlands with Different Substrates

In this study constructed wetlands (CWs) were used to remove three heavy metals (Zn, Cu and Pb). The two tested substrates were made of coke and gravel, respectively. First order dynamic model was appropriate to describe removing of Zn and Cu. The experimental results showed that first dynamic removal rate constants of Zn in CWs with coke and gravel were 0.2326 h-1 and 0.1222 h-1, respectively. And those of Cu in CWs with coke and gravel were 0.2017 h-1 and 0.3739 h-1. However, removal efficiencies of Pb in the coke system and the gravel system were within 95-99%, so the first order dynamic model failed to fit the experimental data because the hydraulic resident times of Pb did not affect outlet concentration of Pb. From the removal rate constants, it is found that the coke and gravel system have different absorption efficiencies of heavy metal pollutants. Therefore, it is suggested that the removal efficiencies of heavy metals are influenced by the choice of substrates to some extent.

Facile fabrication of spherical flower-like Mg(OH)2 and its fast and efficient removal for heavy metal ions

Spherical flower-like Mg(OH)_(2) was fabricated from MgSO_(4) effluent and its adsorption performance for heavy metal ions was evaluated.The appropriate fabrication conditions are as follows:Mg^(2+)/NH4OH molar ratio of 1:0.5,temperature of 120°C and time of 1 h at Mg^(2+)concentration of 2 mol/L.Spherical flower-like Mg(OH)_(2) composed of ultra-thin sheets exhibits an excellent adsorption ability for Ni^(2+),Cu^(2+),Zn^(2+),Pb^(2+),Fe^(3+)and Co^(2+),and the adsorption reaches the equilibrium in 6 min.The maximum adsorption capacities of the studied heavy metal ions onto Mg(OH)_(2) at 20°C are 58.55,85.84,44.94,485.44,625.00 and 27.86 mg/g,respectively.The adsorption is well fitted by the Langmuir model,indicating that the adsorption is monolayer.The adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo-second-order model.Chemisorption is the operative mechanism.Spherical flower-like Mg(OH)_(2) is a qualified candidate for heavy metal ions removal.

Synthesis and Characteristics of A Novel Heavy Metal Ions Chelator

Polyacrylamide-urea-sulfanilamide（PUS） was prepared as a novel heavy metal ions chelator and successfully used to simultaneously remove heavy metals from wastewater effluents.The effects of reaction parameters（sodium hydroxide,material ratio,temprature and contact time） were monitored to specify the best synthesis conditions.PUS was chemically characterized by means of infrared spectroscopy（FTIR） and ultraviolet-visible（UV-Vis）.The simultaneous chelation performance of PUS towards selected heavy metals ions,Ni2＋,Cu2＋,Pb2＋,Zn2＋,Cd2＋ was discussed,showing that Ni2＋,Cu2＋,Pb2＋,Zn2＋ could be better chelated.It is indicated that the synthesized PUS is a potential remediation material when used for the treatment of wastewater containing metal ions.

Adsorption of Ammonium and Heavy Metal Ions on Industrial Vermiculite from the Yuli Mine in Xinjiang, China

The present work discusses the mineralogy, saturated adsorption of ammonium and adsorption of heavy metal ions （Cu^2＋, Pb^2＋ and Zn^2＋） on industrial vermiculite samples from the Yuli Mine in Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The saturated adsorption capacity of ammonium and the affection factors of adsorption of Cu^2＋, Pb^2＋ and Zn^2＋ are discussed on the basis of the mineralogical characteristics of the industrial vermiculite samples. The saturated adsorption capacities of ammonium are between 56.02 and 98.42 mmol/100g. The time of adsorption equilibrium is about 30-60 min, and the pH values and concentration of the ion solution significantly affect the adsorption capacities of the heavy metal ions. The adsorption capabilities of the heavy metal ions on industrial vermiculite are almost the same in the low ion concentration solutions, characterized by a sequence of Zn^2＋〉Pb^2＋〉Cu^2＋ for adsorption capacity in solutions with relatively high ion concentration. The results have practical significance for the application of the industrial vermiculite to treating wastewater containing ammonium or heavy metal ions.

Thermochemical Studies of the Toxic Action of Heavy MetalIons on Escherichia coli by Microcalorimetry

By using an LKB2277 BioActivity Monitor (heat conduction microcalorimeter),stopped flow method,the thermogenetic curves of Escherichia coli growth at 37℃ inhibited by four kinds of heavy metal ions are determined,and parameters such as growth rate constants,inhibitory ratio,half inhibitory concentration etc.were obtained.The experimental results show that heavy metal ions can inhibit Escherichia coli growth obviously,but low concentration of Cu 2+ has a promoting action.The half inhibitory concentrations of Zn 2+ ,Cd 2+ ,Hg 2+ and Cu 2+ are 28.3,10.9,3.19 and 69.6μg.mL -1 ,respectively.Judged from the rate constant,the half inhibitory concentration and the molecular mass,the inhibitory sequence is Hg 2+ >Cd 2+ >Zn 2+ >Cu 2+ .This microclorimetric bioassay for acute cellular toxicity is based on metabolic heat evolution from cultured cells.The assay is quantitative,inexpensive,and versatile;moreover,toxicological information can be obtained with cell from other species of interest.

Characterization of the Optical Properties of Heavy Metal Ions Using Surface Plasmon Resonance Technique

The aim of this research is to characterize the optical properties of heavy metal ions (Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+) using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. Glass cover slips, used as substrates were coated with a 50 nm gold film using sputter coater. The measurement was carried out at room temperature using Kretchmann SPR technique. When the air medium outside the gold film is changed to heavy metal ions solution, the resonance angle shifted to the higher value for all samples of heavy metal ions solution. By our developed fitting program (using Matlab software), the experimental SPR curves were fitted to obtain the refractive index of Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ ions solution with different concentrations. Both the real and imaginary part of refractive index of the heavy metal ions solution increased with the concentration. The results give the basic idea such that the SPR technique could be used as an alternative optical sensor for detecting heavy metal ions in solution.

Identification of DNA Damage Caused by Heavy Metal Ions with Small Molecular DNA

[Objective] The aim was to establish a convenient and effective method to evaluate the toxicity of heavy metal ions by using small molecular DNA. [Method] pUC18 DNA which had exposed to the four heavy metal ions of Hg2＋, Cr6＋, Pb2＋, Cd2＋ was used to study the bioactivity of DNA; simultaneously, gel electrophoresis and hyperchromic effect were employed to detect the mechanism of DNA damage. [Result] The bioactivity of the exposed DNA was decreased and the influence degree was Hg2＋Cr6＋Pb2＋Cd2＋; the gel electrophoresis and hyperchromic effect proved that the main reason leading to reduce the bioactivity was DNA cross link, in the order pf Hg2＋Cr6＋Pb2＋Cd2＋. [Conclusion] The study indicated that pUC18 DNA could be used to assay the damage of DNA causing by heavy mental ions, which may be a potential, simple and effective tool to evaluate toxicity of heavy metal ions to DNA.

Effect of high-energy Ne ions irradiation on mechanical properties difference between Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5)metallic glass and crystalline W

In this paper,high-energy Ne ions were used to irradiate Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) metallic glass(MG)and crystalline W to investigate their difference in mechanical response after irradiation.The results showed that with the irradiation dose increased,the tensile micro-strain increased,nano-hardness increased from 7.11 GPa to 7.90 GPa and 8.62 GPa,Young’s modulus increased,and H3/E2 increased which indicating that the plastic deformability decreased in crystalline W.Under the same irradiation conditions,the Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG still maintained the amorphous structure and became more disordered despite the longer range and stronger displacement damage of Ne ions in Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG than in crystalline W.Unlike the irradiation hardening and embrittlement behavior of crystalline W,Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG showed the gradual decrease in hardness from 6.02 GPa to 5.89 GPa and 5.50 GPa,the decrease in modulus and the increase in plastic deformability with the increasing dose.Possibly,the irradiation softening and toughening phenomenon of Zr_(63.5)Cu_(23)Al_(9)Fe_(4.5) MG could provide new ideas for the design of nuclear materials.

Removal of heavy metals using waste eggshell

The removal capacity of toxic heavy metals by the reused eggshell was studied. As a pretreatment process for the preparation of reused material from waste eggshell, calcination was performed in the furnace at 800℃ for 2 h after crushing the dried waste eggshell. Calcination behavior, qualitative and quantitative elemental information, mineral type and surface characteristics before and after calcination of eggshell were examined by thermal gravimetric analysis （TGA）, X-ray fluorescence （XRF）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, respectively. After calcination, the major inorganic composition was identified as Ca （lime, 99.63%） and K, P and Sr were identified as minor components. When calcined eggshell was applied in the treatment of synthetic wastewater containing heavy metals, a complete removal of Cd as well as above 99% removal of Cr was observed after 10 rain. Although the natural eggshell had some removal capacity of Cd and Cr, a complete removal was not accomplished even after 60 rain due to quite slower removal rate. However, in contrast to Cd and Cr, an efficient removal of Pb was observed with the natural eggshell rather than the calcined eggshell. From the application of the calcined eggshell in the treatment of real electroplating wastewater, the calcined eggshell showed a promising removal capacity of heavy metal ions as well as had a good neutralization capacity in the treatment of strong acidic wastewater.

Removal of heavy metals from mine water by cyanobacterial calcification

The influence of different illumination intensities on cyanobacterial calcification induced removal of heavy metals from contaminated mine water was studied. Cyanobacterial calcification experiments were performed using a growth medium intended to simulate contaminated mine water. The results indicate that calcification can promote the removal of heavy metal ions. As the illumination intensity became stronger calcification rates increased and the removal of Zn2+ and Cd2+ became more obvious. When the illumination intensity was 10000 lux the removal of Pb2+ was the largest observed: stronger or weaker illumination reduced the amount of lead removed. The removal of three different heavy metals complies with an index function. For identical illumination intensities different ions were removed to different degrees.

Adsorption properties of a novel 3D graphene/MgO composite for heavy metal ions

A novel three-dimension(3D)graphene/MgO composite was synthesized through self-assembly and embedding MgO nanoparticle in reduced graphene in situ.Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)spectroscopy,thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),powder X-raydiffraction(XRD)and X-rayphotoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)were employed to characterize the prepared 3D graphene/MgO composite.The adsorption performance of some metal ions on 3D graphene/MgO was investigated.The results showed that the adsorption capacity was greater than 3D graphene and the maximum adsorption capacity at 25℃was found to be 358.96 mg/g,388.4 mg/g and 169.8 mg/g for Pb^2+,Cd^2+and Cu^2+,respectively.The adsorption kinetic conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption isotherm was well described by Langmuir model.The thermodynamic constants revealed that the sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature.Based on the results of the removal of heavy metal ions from metal smelting wastewater,it can be concluded that the prepared 3D graphene/MgO composite is an effective and potential adsorbent.

Spectroscopic Properties and Judd-Ofelt Theory Analysis of Er^(3+)-Doped Heavy Metal Oxyfluoride Silicate Glass

Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass was fabricated and characterized, and the absorption spectrum and fluorescence spectrum of the glass were studied. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Ω_t (t =2, 4, 6), spontaneous transition probability, fluorescence branching ratio and radiative lifetime of each energy levels for Er^(3+) were calculated by Judd-Ofelt theory, and stimulated emission cross-section of (()~4I_(13/2))→(()~4I_(15/2)) transition was calculated by McCumber theory. The results show that fluorescence full width at half maximum and stimulated emission cross-section of Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass are broad and large, respectively. Compared with other host glasses, the gain bandwidth property of Er^(3+)-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride silicate glass is close to those of tellurite and bismuth glasses, and has advantage over those of silicate, phosphate and germante glasses.

Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions by Adsorbent from Waste Mycelium Chitin

The adsorption properties of chitin adsorbent from mycelium of fermentation industries for the removal of heavy metal ions were studied. The result shows that the chitin adsorbent has high adsorption capacity for many heavy metal ions and Ni2+ in citric acid. The influence of pH was significant:When pH is higher than 4.0, the high adsorption capacity is obtained,otherwise H+ ion inhibits the adsorption of heavy metal ions. The comparison of the chitin adsorbent with some other commercial adsorbents was made, in which that the adsorption behaviorchitin adsorbent is close to that of commercial cation exchange adsorbents, and its cost is much lower than those commercial adsorbents.

Comparison of heavy metal removal efficiencies in four activated sludge processes

The removal efficiencies of heavy metals(As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) were investigated in the 17 operating municipal wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) and compared with those in four main activated sludge processes. Significant differences of heavy metal removal efficiencies were observed among four activated sludge processes. The removal efficiency for As(75.5%) in the oxidation ditch(OD) process is significantly higher than that in the conventional activated sludge(CAS) process(38.6%) or sequencing batch reactor(SBR) process(51.4%). The mean removal efficiencies for Cu and Ni in the OD process are 90.5% and 46.7%, respectively, while low mean removal efficiencies are observed for Cu(69.9%) and Ni(16.5%), respectively, in the SBR process. The removal efficiencies for Cu and Ni in the OD process are significantly higher than those in the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic(A2-O) process. These results highlight the differences of removal efficiencies for heavy metals in different processes and should be considered when selecting a wastewater treatment process.

Interactions of Heavy Metal Ions with Paddy Soils as Inferred from Wien Effect Measurements in Dilute Suspensions

Interactions of three heavy metal ions, Cu^2＋, Cd^2＋, and Pb^2＋, and, for comparison, Na^＋ with electrodialytic clay fractions （less than 2μm in diameter） of four paddy soils as well as a yellow-brown soil as a control soil were evaluated based on measurements of the Wien effect in dilute suspensions with a clay concentration of 10 g kg^-1 in four nitrate solutions of 2 × 10^-4/z mol L^-1, where z is the cation valence, and a nitric acid solution of 3 × 10^-5 mol L^-1, Field strengths ranging from 15 to 230 kV cm^-1 were applied for measuring the electrical conductivities （ECs） of the suspensions. The mean free binding energies between the various cations and all of the soils determined from exchange equilibrium increased in the order： Na^＋ 〈 Cd^2＋ 〈 Cu^2＋ 〈 Pb^2＋. In general, the ECs of the suspensions in the sodium nitrate solution were smaller than those of the suspensions in the heavy metal solutions because of the lower electrophoretic mobility of sodium compared to the divalent cations. In terms of relative electrical conductivity-field strength relationships, relative electrical conductivity （REC） of suspensions containing various cations at field strengths larger than about 50 kV cm^-1 were in the descending order： Na^＋ 〉 Cu^2＋ 〉 Cd^2＋ 〉 Pb^2＋ for all tested soils. A characteristic parameter of the REC-field strength curves, AREC200, REC at a field strength of 200 kV cm^-1 minus that at the local minimum of the concave segment of the REC-field strength curves, characterized the strength of adsorption of the cations stripped off by the applied strong electrical field, and for all soils the values of AREC200 were generally in the order： Na^＋ 〈 Cu^2＋ ≤ Cd^2＋ 〈 Pb^2＋.

Binding and Adsorption Energies of Heavy Metal Ions with Hapli-Udic Argosol and Ferri-Udic Argosol Particles

Gibbs free binding energy and adsorption energy between cations and charged soil particles were used to evaluate the interactions between ions and soil particles. The distribution of Gibbs free adsorption energies could not be determined experimentally before the development of Wien effect measurements in dilute soil suspensions. In the current study, energy relationships between heavy metal ions and particles of Hapli-Udic Argosol （Alfisol） and Ferri-Udic Argosol were inferred from Wien effect measurements in dilute suspensions of homoionic soil particles （〈 2 μm） of the two soils, which were saturated with ions of five heavy metals, in deionized water. The mean Gibbs free binding energies of the heavy metal ions with Hapli-Udic Argosol and Ferri-Udic Argosol particles diminished in the order of Pb^2＋ 〉 Cd^2＋ 〉 Cu^2＋ 〉 Zn^2＋ 〉 Cr^3＋, where the range of binding energies for Hapli-Udic Argosol （7.25-9.32 kJ mol^-1） was similar to that for Ferri-Udic Argosol （7.43-9.35 kJ mol^-1）. The electrical field-dependent mean Gibbs free adsorption energies of these heavy metal ions for Hapli-Udic Argosol and for Ferri-Udic Argosol descended in the order： Cu^2＋ 〉 Cd2^＋ 〉 Pb^2＋ 〉 Zn^2＋ 〉 Cr^3＋, and Cd^2＋ 〉 Cu^2＋ 〉 Pb^2＋ 〉 Zn^2＋ 〉 Cr^3＋, respectively. The mean Gibbs free adsorption energies of Cu^2＋, Zn^2＋, Cd^2＋, Pb^2＋, and Cr^3＋ at a field strength of 200 kV cm^-1, for example, were in the range of 0.8-3.2 kJ mo1^-1 for the two soils.