Allen N, Dai C, Hu Y*, Kubicki JD, Kabengi N*.
Adsorption Study of Al3+, Cr3+, and Mn2+ onto Quartz and Corundum using Flow Microcalorimetry, Quartz Crystal Microbalance, and Density Functional Theory. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry [Internet]. 2019;3:432-441.
LinkAbstractThe adsorption of aqueous ions onto natural mineral surfaces controls numerous mineral–water interactions and is governed by, among other numerous factors, ion dehydration and hydrolysis. This work explored the extent to which dehydration and hydrolysis affect the adsorption of three metal cations, Al3+, Cr3+, and Mn2+, onto quartz (SiO2) and corundum (Al2O3) surfaces at pH 3.8 through the integration of flow microcalorimetry (FMC), quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At pH 3.8, negligible amounts of Mn2+ and Al3+ are hydrolyzed, while 78% of Cr3+ exist in hydrolyzed species. QCM-D and FMC measurements showed that Al3+ and Cr3+ adsorb to both surfaces, while Mn2+ adsorbed only to Al2O3. DFT bond energy calculations confirmed the favorable bonding between the mineral surfaces and Al3+ and Cr3+, and that Mn2+ adsorption onto SiO2 was unfavorable. Furthermore, FMC showed that on both surfaces, the adsorption of Al3+ was endothermic and reversible, while that of Cr3+ was exothermic and partially irreversible. Through the integration of experimental and computational methods, this work suggested that the reversible adsorption of unhydrolyzed cations (Mn2+ and Al3+) occurred through weak electrostatic interactions. The large energy cost required to dehydrate unhydrolyzed cations resulted in an endothermic adsorption process. Meanwhile, hydrolyzed Cr3+ species can adsorb on quartz and corundum through covalent-bond formation, and thus, their adsorption was partially irreversible. Furthermore, the hydrolysis of Cr3+ lowered the dehydration energy during adsorption, resulting in an exothermic adsorption. By using bond energies as a guide to indicate the possibility of thermodynamically favored adsorption, there was a strong agreement between the DFT and experimental techniques. The findings presented here contribute to understanding and predicting various mineral–water interfacial processes in the natural environment.
Liu J, Louie SM, Pham C, Dai C, Liang D*, Hu Y*.
Aggregation of ferrihydrite nanoparticles: Effects of pH, electrolytes,and organics. Environmental Research [Internet]. 2019;172:552-560.
LinkAbstractTo better understand the fate and transport of ferrihydrite nanoparticles (FNPs), which carry many contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic environments, the aggregation of FNPs was systematically investigated in this study. The pH isoelectric point (pHIEP), surface zeta potential, and particle size evolutions of FNPs were measured under varied aqueous conditions using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The influence of pH (5.0 ± 0.1 and 7.0 ± 0.1), ionic strength (IS), electrolytes (NaCl, CaCl2 and Na2SO4), and organics (humic acid, fulvic acid and CH3COONa) on the aggregation behaviors of FNPs were explored. Meanwhile, Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory was employed to better understand the controlling mechanisms of FNP aggregation. In the presence of sulfate, the surface charge of FNPs was neutralized under varied pH and ionic strength due to ion adsorption and FNPs phase transformation to schwertmannite based on FT-IR results. This phase transformation resulted in rapid aggregation in all water chemistries tested, whereas other salt species affected the aggregation primarily by ion adsorption and charge screening. Presence of increasing concentrations of the organic acids significantly shifted the pHIEP of FNPs (7.0 ± 0.2) to lower pH (< 4.0) due to adsorption of organics on FNPs surfaces making them negatively charged. The adsorption of HA/FA inhibited FNP aggregation significantly while CH3COONa did not, due to different effects on steric and/or electrosteric interactions among FNPs by organics with varied pKa values and molecular weights. After accounting for the important effects of pH, electrolytes, and organics in modifying FNPs’ surface charge, DLVO calculations agreed well with measured critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) values of FNPs at both pH 5.0 ± 0.1 and 7.0 ± 0.1 in the presence of NaCl. This study will hence be useful to better predict and control the fate and transport of FNPs in the presence of electrolytes and organics with different molecular weights, as well as the fate of the associated contaminants in natural and engineered systems.
Fan S, Cao B, Deng N, Hu Y*, Li M*.
Effects of ferrihydrite nanoparticle incorporation in cementitious materials on radioactive waste immobilization. Journal of Hazardous Materials [Internet]. 2019;379:120570.
LinkAbstractTo enhance the long-term immobilization of radioactive wastes, ferrihydrite nanoparticles were incorporated into cementitious materials. The effects of ferrihydrite nanoparticles on the physicochemical and mechanical properties of cementitious materials and the immobilization of uranium (U), strontium (Sr) and cesium (Cs) were investigated. Adding ferrihydrite nanoparticles at 0.65%, 1.30%, 3.90% and 6.50% of cement weight slightly improved compressive strength by 5–11%, but dramatically reduced U leaching by 50–57%. The enhanced U immobilization was attributed to the strong adsorption of U by ferrihydrite nanoparticles, and the structural incorporation of U into hematite formed during ferrihydrite recrystallization. Although ferrihydrite nanoparticles had weaker effect than hematite nanoparticles on improving cement hydration and reducing permeability, they exhibit stronger U immobilization capacity. In contrast, incorporating ferrihydrite nanoparticles into cementitious materials had no significant effects on Cs and Sr leaching and no detectable adsorption of Sr and Cs. This study elucidated the fundamental differences in the interactions between ferrihydrite nanoparticles and U, Sr or Cs within cementitious systems that led to the distinctive immobilization mechanisms for these radionuclides. It generated new mechanistic understandings of U, Sr and Cs leaching from cementitious barriers modified by Fe-based nanoparticles, and proposed a new approach for enhancing long-term immobilization of U.
Ashfaq MY, Al-Ghouti MA*, Qiblawey H, Rodrigues DF, Hu Y, Zouari N.
Isolation, identification and biodiversity of antiscalant degrading seawater bacteria using MALDI-TOF-MS and multivariate analysis. Science of The Total Environment [Internet]. 2019;656:910-920.
LinkAbstractSeawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is a commonly used desalination technique owing to its lesser environmental and economic impacts as compared to thermal desalination techniques. Antiscalants are used in SWRO to reduce membrane scaling caused by the supersaturation of salts present in feed water. However, to remain effective in reducing membrane scaling, antiscalants should be highly stable and resistant to biological degradation by seawater microorganisms. In this research, several bacteria from Qatar's seawater were isolated and screened for their ability to use antiscalants as a carbon and energy source. The biodiversity of antiscalant degrading seawater bacteria was demonstrated through combining the techniques of MALDI-TOF MS and principle component analysis. It was found that the bacteria isolated from Qatar's seawater such as H. aquamarina, H. elongata, P. fragi, P. stutzeri and others can degrade antiscalants and use them as a carbon and energy source. It was observed that the growth rates varied based on the type of antiscalant and the bacteria used. Among the tested strains, H. aquamarina, which is also known for its potential to cause biofouling, demonstrated the highest growth rates in antiscalants media. Thus, it was concluded that there is wide variety of bacteria in Qatar's seawater that can biodegrade the antiscalants; reducing their efficiency to combat membrane scaling. Since, these antiscalants will be used as a source of carbon and energy, microbial growth will increase resulting in enhanced membrane biofouling in SWRO.