Simultaneous adsorption of Cd²âº and BPA on amphoteric surfactant activated montmorillonite.

The study mainly investigated the simultaneous adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA) and Cd(2+) from aqueous solution on octadecane-betaine modified montmorillonite (BS-Mt). The characteristics of the obtained materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Specific surface area (BET) and Scanning electron microscopy/Energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), confirming that BS-18 was successfully introduced into Mt. Also, factors including initial solution pH, initial Cd(2+)/BPA concentration, contact time and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption processes were shown to be crucial for Cd(2+) adsorption, whereas had negligible effects on BPA adsorption. In this study, we found that pseudo-second-order model fitted well with the adsorption kinetic studies for both Cd(2+) and BPA with an equilibrium time of 24 h. The Cd(2+) and BPA adsorption isotherm could be well described by Freundlich model and Langmuir model, respectively. On the basis of kinetic models, the maximum adsorption capacity of Cd(2+) in aqueous solution was slightly enhanced after modification, indicating that Cd(2+) adsorption on BS-Mt was mainly attributed to direct electrostatic attraction and the chelate reaction, while the dramatic enhancement of maximum adsorption capacity for BPA was due to the hydrophobic interaction.

Understanding the role of clay minerals in the chromium(VI) bioremoval by Pseudomonas aeruginosa CCTCC AB93066 under growth condition: microscopic, spectroscopic and kinetic analysis.

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to investigate the role of clay minerals, e.g., kaolinite and vermiculite, in microbial Cr(VI) reduction by Pseudomonas aeruginosa under growth condition in glucose-amended mediums as a method for treating Cr(VI)-contaminated subsurface environment such as soil. Our results indicated that glucose could acted as an essential electron donor, and clay minerals significantly enhanced microbial Cr(VI) reduction rates by improving the consumption rate of glucose and stimulating the growth and propagation of P. aeruginosa. Cr(VI) bioreduction by both free cells and clay minerals-amended cells followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, with the latter one fitting better. The mass balance analyses and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis found that Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) and the adsorption of total chromium on clay minerals-bacteria complex was small, implying that Cr(VI) bioremoval was not mainly due to the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto cells or clay minerals or clay minerals-cells complex but mainly due to the Cr(VI) reduction capacity of P. aeruginosa under the experimental conditions studied (e.g., pH 7). Atomic force microscopy revealed that the addition of clay minerals (e.g. vermiculite) decreased the surface roughness of Cr(VI)-laden cells and changed the cell morphology and dimension. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that organic matters such as aliphatic species and/or proteins played an important role in the combination of cells and clay minerals. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the attachment of cells on the surface of clay minerals, indicating that clay minerals could provide a microenvironment to protect cells from Cr(VI) toxicity and serve as growth-supporting materials. These findings manifested the underlying influence of clay minerals on microbial reduction of Cr(VI) and gave an understanding of the interaction between pollutants, the environment and the biota.

Highly enhanced adsorption for the removal of Hg(II) from aqueous solution by Mercaptoethylamine/Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane functionalized vermiculites.

Vermiculites modified with Mercaptoethylamine (MEA) and 3-Mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) were used as effective adsorbents for the removal of Hg(II) from aqueous solution. The physicochemical characteristics of the pristine and functionalized vermiculites were analyzed by XRD, BET, FTIR, SEM, TEM and Zeta potentials, confirming that the vermiculite was successfully functionalized by the organic ligands containing the thiol (SH) metal-chelating groups. Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that the factors such as initial pH, contact time, temperature, coexisting cations and initial Hg(II) concentration could significantly influence the adsorption behaviors typically for VER and MEA-VER, whereas the adsorption capacity of MPTMS-VER showed negligible dependence on such factors. The maximum adsorption capacity of Hg(II) ions was greatly improved after functionalization, which was in the order of MPTMS-VER>MEA-VER>VER (286.29 µg g(-1), 176.33 µg g(-1), 99.95 µg g(-1), respectively). The adsorption isotherm could be well described with Langmuir model and the kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption process fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption process was feasible and spontaneous. The adsorption mechanism of Hg(II) on thiol groups was studied through XPS analysis. Considering the favorable adsorption capacities, thiol-functionalized vermiculites show a promising application in the removal of Hg(II) from wastewater.