Heavy metal ions removal by nano-sized spherical polymer brushes

Nano-sized spherical polymer brushes(SPBs) consisting of both a polystyrene(PS) core and a brush shell of poly(acrylic acid)(PAA), poly(N-acrylcysteamine)(PSH), or poly(N-acrylcysteamine-co-acrylic acid)(P(SH-co-AA)), were prepared by photo-emulsion polymerization. The core-shell structure was observed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Due to the strengthened Donnan effect, the PAA brush can adsorb heavy metal ions. Effects of the contact time, thickness of PAA brush and pH value on the adsorption results were investigated. Due to the coordination between the mercapto groups and heavy metal ions as well as the electrostatic interactions, SPBs with mercapto groups are capable to remove heavy metal ions selectively from aqueous solutions. The order of adsorption capacity of the heavy metal ions by SPBs with mercapto groups is: Hg2+ ≈ Au3+ Pb2+ Cu2+ Ni2+. The adsorbed heavy metal ions can be eluted from SPB by aqueous HCl solution, and the SPBs can be recovered. After three regenerations the recovered SPBs still maintain their adsorption capacity.     

Evaluation of toxic metals in the industrial effluents and their segregation through peanut husk fence for pollution abatement

The industrial pollution is exponentially growing in the developing countries due to the discharge of untreated effluents from the industries in the open atmosphere. This may cause severe health hazards in the general public. To reduce this effect, it is essential to remove the toxic and heavy metals from the effluents before their disposal into the biosphere. In this context, samples of the effluents were collected from the textile/yarn, ceramics and pulp/paper industries and the concentrations of the toxic metal ions were determined using neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. The observed concentration values of the As, Cr and Fe ions, in the unprocessed industrial effluents, were 4.91 ± 0.8, 9.67 ± 0.7 and 9.71 ± 0.8 mg/L, respectively which was well above the standard recommended limits (i.e. 1.0, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L, respectively). In order to remove the toxic metal ions from the effluents, the samples were treated with pea nut husk fence. After this treatment, 91.5% arsenic, 81.9% chromium and 66.5% iron metal ions were successfully removed from the effluents. Then the treated effluents contained concerned toxic metal ions concentrations within the permissible limits as recommended by the national environmental quality standards (NEQS).     

聚萘二胺的合成及其对重金属离子的高效反应吸附

聚萘二胺是继聚苯胺和聚吡咯之后的又一类新型导电高分子,因聚合物中含有活性 的自由胺基和亚胺基而具有新的多功能性.作者根据近期研究工作和国外最新文献,系统论述了聚1,8-、1,5-、2,3-萘二胺的化学氧化合成和电化学氧化合成及其对重金属离子的络合和还原吸附功能,详细比较了两种聚合方法的特点. 指出通过萘二胺的电化学氧化聚合可以方便地获得对重金属离子如Ag⁺、Pb²⁺、Hg²⁺、Cu²⁺、VO²⁺敏感的修饰电极,而通过化学 氧化聚合可以高产率地获得对Ag+具有极大的还原吸附容量的聚合物颗粒.聚萘二胺在痕量 金属离子的分析与探测、工业废水中贵金属离子的回收和重金属离子的清除等领域展现了广阔的应用前景.     

Bioremediation of Heavy Metal Ions by Phosphate‐mineralization Bacteria and Its Mechanism

Bioremediation of heavy metal ions by phosphate‐mineralization bacteria (PMB), as a new green and en‐ vironmental method, relies on microbe‐inducing phosphate precipitation and can prevent heavy metal ions from transferring. The growth of PMB was investigated via four aspects respectively — the control of incubation time, pH value, environmental conditions, and heavy metal ions. At the same time, phosphate? mineralization precipitations and mechanism of four common kinds of heavy metal ions were analyzed. The experimental results indicated that PMB didn’t grow immediately in the first 5 hours, and they reached to the fastest reproduction rate after 13 hours. The pH value of PMB solution increased gradually from 7.0 to 8.6 when PM₀B grew, which plays an important role in the mineralization process. PMB could grow most rapidly at 30 °C, pH of 8 and low concentration of heavy metal ions. It showed that too high or too low temperature and pH, as well as high concentration of heavy metal ions, could inhibit the reproduction of PMB. Stable and large particles phosphate ‐ mineralization precipitation, whose particle size could be more than 10 microns, were obtained by the process that PMB induced substrate to decompose and thus mineralized heavy metal ions effectively.     

Surface patterns induced by Cu2+ ions on BPEI/PAA layer-by-layer assembly

The multilayer films of branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) have been fabricated with the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. Two characteristic courses of the film thickness growth are observed, which are the initial exponential-like growth and the following linear growth. The variation of the COOH/COO- ratio indicates that the ionization degree of the polyelectrolyte molecules decreases at the initial stage of the multilayer buildup and then levels off after about eight bilayers. The as-prepared (BPEI/PAA)n films show a relatively smooth surface. However, great morphology changes occur after immersing these films in Cu2+ or Zn2+ solution. In the case of n > or =7, wavelike surface patterns are induced to form on the films. Both wavelength and fluctuation of these surface patterns show a systematical variation with an increase of the bilayer number. Moreover, thermal treatment can stabilize these patterns and enable the preservation of them after releasing the Cu2+ ions from the LbL films by acidic treatment. Interestingly, only Cu2+ and Zn2+ can induce the formation of such surface patterns, whereas Fe2+, Ca2+, Ag+, and Na+ cannot. This phenomenon may closely relate to the different natures of the metal ions.     

香蕉皮对重金属离子铅的吸附性能研究

建立了香蕉皮快速、高效对重金属离子铅吸附性能的方法。采用分光光度法测定重金属离子铅的浓度,分别研究了7种不同形态的吸附剂对废水中重金属离子铅的吸附性能。在优化的实验条件下,重金属离子铅浓度与吸光度的线性相关系数R=0.999 83,且方法相对标准偏差(RSD)低于3%。结果表明,香蕉皮对废水中的重金属离子铅有良好的吸附效果,吸附率达到91.3%。利用香蕉皮去除废水中的重金属离子,可以变废为宝,且方法吸附率高、准确可靠、精密度高,可用于吸附废水中重金属离子铅。     

Smooth model surfaces from lignin derivatives. II. Adsorption of polyelectrolytes and PECs monitored by QCM-D

For the first time to the knowledge of the authors, well-defined and stable lignin model surfaces have been utilized as substrates in polyelectrolyte adsorption studies. The adsorption of polyallylamine (PAH), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), and polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) was monitored using quartz crystal microgravimetry with dissipation (QCM-D). The PECs were prepared by mixing PAH and PAA at different ratios and sequences, creating both cationic and anionic PECs with different charge levels. The adsorption experiments were performed in 1 and 10 mM sodium chloride solutions at pH 5 and 7.5. The highest adsorption of PAH and cationic PECs was found at pH 7.5, where the slightly negatively charged nature of the lignin substrate is more pronounced, governing electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged polymeric substances. An increase in the adsorption was further found when the electrolyte concentration was increased. In comparison, both PAA and the anionic PEC showed remarkably high adsorption to the lignin model film. The adsorption of PAA was further studied on silica and was found to be relatively low even at high electrolyte concentrations. This indicated that the high PAA adsorption on the lignin films was not induced by a decreased solubility of the anionic polyelectrolyte. The high levels of adsorption on lignin model surfaces found both for PAA and the anionic PAA-PAH polyelectrolyte complex points to the presence of strong nonionic interactions in these systems.     

借助聚丙烯酸制备铜粒子修饰电极并用于双氧水的电催化性能研究

利用羧基对金属离子的络合作用在电极表面原位制备金属粒子用于电催化过氧化氢(H2O2). 首先在电极表面电沉积聚丙烯酸, 然后化学吸附铜离子, 再用水合肼将其还原成零价铜. 铜粒子簇均匀分散在聚丙烯酸网络中, 其尺寸可通过吸附铜离子的数量和吸附-还原次数来控制. 由于铜微粒的电催化作用, 该修饰电极对H2O2表现出了良好的电流响应. 运用该方法可以在电极表面制备多种金属微粒, 并且聚丙烯酸的自由羧基可以与氨基反应, 从而可共价固定带氨基的酶和抗体, 有望构建多种新型的化学和生物传感器.     

Influence of Cd2+, Hg2+ and Pb2+ on (+)-catechin binding to bovine serum albumin studied by fluorescence spectroscopic methods

The effect of heavy metal ions, Cd(2+), Hg(2+) and Pb(2+) on (+)-catechin binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated by spectroscopic methods. The results indicated that the presence of heavy metal ions significantly affected the binding modes and binding affinities of (+)-catechin to BSA, and the effects depend on the types of heavy metal ion. One binding mode was found for (+)-catechin with and without Cd(2+), while two binding modes - a weaker one at low concentration and a stronger one at high concentration were found for (+)-catechin in the presence of Hg(2+) and Pb(2+). The presence of Cd(2+) decreased the binding affinities of (+)-catechin for BSA by 20.5%. The presence of Hg(2+) and Pb(2+) decreased the binding affinity of (+)-catechin for BSA by 8.9% and 26.7% in lower concentration, respectively, and increased the binding affinity of (+)-catechin for BSA by 5.2% and 9.2% in higher concentration, respectively. The changed binding affinity and binding distance of (+)-catechin for BSA in the presence of Cd(2+), Hg(2+) and Pb(2+) were mainly because of the conformational change of BSA induced by heavy metal ions. However, the quenching mechanism for (+)-catechin to BSA was based on static quenching combined with non-radiative energy transfer irrespective of the absence or presence of heavy metal ions.     

Effect of polyacrylic acid on the corrosion behaviour of aluminium in sulphuric acid solution

Electrochemical techniques using both ac and dc as well as surface analyses approach were used to investigate the corrosion inhibition characteristics of polyacrylic acid (PAA) for pure cast aluminium in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ at 30 ± 1 °C. The effect of iodide ion additives was also studied. The results obtained indicate that PAA inhibited the corrosion of pure cast aluminium in the acid medium by adsorption onto the metal surface following Frumkin adsorption isotherm model. Inhibition efficiency increases with an increase in PAA concentration and synergistically enhanced by the addition of iodide ions. A mixed inhibition mechanism is proposed for the inhibitive effects of PAA as revealed by potentiodynamic polarisation technique. Synergism parameter evaluated was found to be greater than unity, indicating that the enhanced inhibition efficiency of PAA on addition of iodide ions was synergistic in nature. Fourier transform infrared analyses revealed that the synergistic effect of iodide ions and PAA is due to co-adsorption of iodide ions and PAA molecules which is cooperative in nature.     

Enhanced Resveratrol Production in Vitis vinifera Cell Suspension Cultures by Heavy Metals Without Loss of Cell Viability

The effects of heavy metal ions (Co²⁺, Ag⁺, Cd²⁺) on cell viability and secondary metabolite production, particularly anthocyanins and phenolic acids in Vitis vinifera cell suspension cultures, were investigated. Of these, Co at all three used concentrations (5.0, 25, and 50 μM), Ag, and Cd at low concentration (5.0 μM) were most effective to stimulate the phenolic acid production, increasing the 3-O-glucosyl-resveratrol up to 1.6-fold of the control level (250.5 versus 152.4 μmol/g), 4 h after the treatments. Meanwhile, the elicitors at effective concentrations did not suppress cell growth, while the cell viability maintained. In contrast, Ag and Cd at high concentrations (25 and 50 μM) remarkably reduced the cell viability, decreasing the cell viability up to about 15 % of the control level, 24 h after the treatments. The heavy metal ions did not affect the anthocyanin production. These observations show how, in a single system, different groups of secondary products can show distinct differences in their responses to potential elicitors. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, peroxidase activity, medium pH value, and conductivity were only slightly elevated by the heavy metal ions. The results suggest that some of the secondary metabolites production was stimulated by the used elicitors, but there was not a stress response of the cells.     

Highly ion conductive poly(ethylene oxide)-based solid polymer electrolytes from hydrogen bonding layer-by-layer assembly

We report the development of a solid polymer electrolyte film from hydrogen bonding layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly that outperforms previously reported LBL assembled films and approaches battery integration capability. Films were fabricated by alternating deposition of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) layers from aqueous solutions. Film quality benefits from increasing PEO molecular weight even into the 10(6) range due to the intrinsically low PEO/PAA cross-link density. Assembly is disrupted at pH near the PAA ionization onset, and a potential mechanism for modulating PEO:PAA ratio within assembled films by manipulating pH is discussed. Ionic conductivity of 5 x 10(-5) S/cm is achievable after short exposure to 100% relative humidity (RH) for plasticization. Adding free ions by exposing PEO/ PAA films to lithium salt solutions enhanced conductivity to greater than 10(-5) S/cm at only 52% RH and tentatively greater than 10(-4) S/cm at 100% RH. The excellent stability of PEO/PAA films even when exposed to 1.0 M salt solutions led to an exploration of LBL assembly with added electrolyte present in the adsorption step. Fortuitously, the modulation of PEO/PAA assembly by ionic strength is analogous to that of electrostatic LBL assembly and can be attributed to electrolyte interactions with PEO and PAA. Dry ionic conductivity was enhanced in films assembled in the presence of salt as compared to films that were merely exposed to salt after assembly, implying different morphologies. These results reveal clear directions for the evolution of these promising solid polymer electrolytes into elements appropriate for electrochemical power storage and generation applications.     

Partial poly(glutamic acid) <--> poly(aspartic acid) exchange in layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte films. Structural alterations in the three-component architectures

Layer-by-layer (LBL) polyelectrolyte films were constructed from poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGA) and poly(L-aspartic acid) (PAA) as polyanions, and from poly(L-lysine) (PLL) as the polycation. The terminating layer of the films was always PLL. According to attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared measurements, the PGA/PLL and PAA/PLL films, despite their chemical similarity, had largely different secondary structures. Extended beta-sheets dominated the PGA/PLL films, while alpha-helices and intramolecular beta-sheets dominated the PAA/PLL films. The secondary structure of the polyelectrolyte film affected the adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) as well. HSA preserved its native secondary structure on the PGA/PLL film, but it became largely deformed on PAA/PLL films. Both PGA and PAA were able to extrude to a certain extent the other polyanion from the films, but the structural consequences were different. Adding PAA to a (PGA/PLL)5-PGA film resulted in a simple exchange and incorporation: PGA/PLL and PAA/PLL complexes coexisted with their unaltered secondary structures in the mixed film. The incorporation of PGA into a (PAA/PLL)5-PAA film was up to 50% and caused additional beta-structure increase in the secondary structure of the film. The proportions of the two polyanions were roughly the same on the surfaces and in the interiors of the films, indicating practically free diffusion for both polyanions. The abundance of PAA/PLL and PGA/PLL domains on the film surfaces was monitored by the analysis of the amide I region of the infrared spectrum of a reporter molecule, HSA, adsorbed onto the three-component polyelectrolyte films.     

Polymer-metal complexes in polyelectrolyte multilayer films as catalysts for oxidation of toluene

We report on the binding of metal ions (Me(2+); Co(2+) and Cu(2+)) with weak polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs), as well as on catalytic activity of PEM-Me(2+) films for oxidation of toluene. Using several types of PEM films constructed using branched polyethyleneimine (BPEI) or quaterinized poly-4-vinylpyridines (QPVPs) as polycations and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) as polyanions, we found that binding of Co(2+) and Cu(2+) ions with a PEM matrix can occur both through coordination to polycationic amino groups and/or ionic binding to polyacid groups. The amount of metal ions loaded within the film increased linearly with film thickness and was strongly dependent on polyelectrolyte type, film assembly pH, and fraction of permanent charge in polymer chains. Among various PEM-Me(2+) systems, BPEI/PAA-Co(2+) films assembled at pH 8.5 show the best catalytic performance, probably because of the preservation of high mobility of Co(2+) ions coordinated to amino groups of BPEI in these films. With BPEI/PAA-Co(2+) films, we demonstrated that films were highly permeable to reagents and reaction products within hundreds of nanometers of the film bulk; i.e., film catalytic activity increased linearly with layer number up to 30 bilayers and slowed for thicker films.     

Novel dye-attached macroporous films for cadmium, zinc and lead sorption: Alkali Blue 6B-attached macroporous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Alkali Blue 6B-attached poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly(HEMA)) microporous films were investigated as chelate forming sorbents for heavy metal removal. Poly(HEMA) microporous films were prepared by UV-initiated photo-polymerization of HEMA in the presence of an initiator (azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN)). Alkali Blue 6B was attached covalently. These films with a swelling ratio of 58%, and carrying 14.8 mmol Alkali Blue 6B m(-2) which were then used in the removal of Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous media. Adsorption rates were very high, equilibrium was achieved in about 30 min. The maximum adsorption of heavy metal ions onto the Alkali Blue 6B-attached films were 41.4 mmol m(-2) for Cd(II), 52.4 mmol m(-2) for Zn(II), and 64.5 mmol m(-2) for Pb(II). When the heavy metal ions competed during the adsorption from a mixture the adsorption values for Cd(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) were quite close. Heavy metal ions were desorbed by using 0.1 M HNO(3). A significant amount of the adsorbed heavy metal ions (up to 95%) could be desorbed in 30 min. Repeated adsorption/desorption cycles showed the feasibility of these novel dye-attached microporous films for heavy metal removal.     

Bioinspired crystallization of CaCO3 coatings on electrospun cellulose acetate fiber scaffolds and corresponding CaCO3 microtube networks

This article describes the mineralization behavior of CaCO(3) crystals on electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) fibers by using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as a crystal growth modifier and further templating synthesis of CaCO(3) microtubes. Calcite film coatings composed of nanoneedles can form on the surfaces of CA fibers while maintaining the fibrous and macroporous structures if the concentration of PAA is in a suitable range. In the presence of a suitable concentration of PAA, the acidic PAA molecules will first adsorb onto the surface of CA fibers by the interaction between the OH moieties of CA and the carboxylic groups of PAA, and then the redundant carboxylic groups of PAA can ionically bind Ca(2+) ions on the surfaces of CA fibers, resulting in the local supersaturation of Ca(2+) ions on and near the fiber surface, which can induce the nucleation of CaCO(3) on the CA fibers instead of in bulk solution. Calcite microtube networks on the macroscale can be prepared by the removal of CA fibers after the CA@CaCO(3) composite is treated with acetone. When the CA fiber scaffold is immersed in CaCl(2) solution with an extended incubation time, the first deposited calcite coatings can act as secondary substrate, leading to the formation of smaller calcite mesocrystal fibers. The present work proves that inorganic crystal growth can occur even at an organic interface without the need for commensurability between the lattices of the organic and inorganic counterparts.     

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials with the Ability to Bind Metal Ions: Calorimetric Properties and Thermostability

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials with excellent heavy metal ions chelating properties were synthesized by covalent bonding of multifunctional polymers of polyamidoamine (PAA) type onto silica. Two series of polyamidoamine-silica hybrid materials differing in the PAA chemical structure were prepared and their thermal properties were investigated. Differential Scanning Calorimetry was used to study the effects of chain immobilization and ion chelation on the glass-transition temperature (Tg) of the polymers. The Tg of PAA-hybrid materials was elevated with respect to ungrafted PAAs. Complex formation with metal ions such as Cu⁺⁺ or Co⁺⁺ caused total suppression of Tg for both linear polymers as well as the corresponding hybrid materials. Finally, the silica particles slightly influenced the decomposition temperatures of linear polymers increasing their thermal stability.     

电浮选方法在净化镍离子中的应用研究

采用电浮选方法,对水溶液中的Ni^2 的净化效果进行了研究。通过考察溶液的pH、离子强度、Ni^2 的初始浓度以及电极电流密度等因素,讨论了电浮选方法影响重金属Ni^2 净化的情况;并与传统的自然沉降法对照,认为电解过程所产生的微小气泡除参与浮选之外,还参与了金属胶体颗粒形成的絮凝过程,使电浮选工艺过程不仅能浮选不溶性胶体颗粒,而且还可以进一步去除溶液中可溶性重金属Ni^2 ,从而使净化效果更佳。实验结果也表明,电浮选对于净化处理含低浓度重金属Ni^2 溶液效果优于重量沉淀法。并对其它含重金属离子污水净化提供了参考。     

聚苯胺及其复合物对重金属离子的高效吸附性能

基于国外最新文献,系统总结了近年来聚苯胺及其复合物的制备方法及其重金属离子吸附性能,重点分析了吸附性能特征,指出聚苯胺及其复合物具有吸附下限浓度低、达到吸附平衡快以及解吸附性能优异等特点.填充有聚苯胺颗粒的吸附柱在动态处理初始浓度为83 ng/L的汞离子溶液时,经一次吸附与解吸循环操作后,汞离子的富集倍数可达120倍.应用于冷原子吸收光谱的待测样品的浓缩与富集,可以将汞的测试下限拓展到0.05 ng/L.聚苯胺及其复合物在痕量重金属离子的高效富集与灵敏探测等方面展示了广阔的应用前景.     

Determination of heavy metal ions by capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection after field-amplified sample injection.

A method has been developed for determining of heavy metal ions by field-amplified sample injection capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection. The effects of the 2-N-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid/histidine (MES/His) concentration in the sample matrix, the injection time and organic additives on the enrichment factor were studied. The results showed that MES/His with a low concentration in the sample matrix, an increase of the injection time and the addition of acetonitrile improved the enrichment factor. Four heavy metal ions (Zn2+, Co2+, Cu2+ and Ni2+) were dissolved in deionized water, separated in a 10 mM MES/His running buffer at pH 4.9 and detected by contactless conductivity detection. The detection sensitivity was enhanced by about three orders of magnitude with respect to the non-stacking injection mode. The limits of detection were in the range from 5 nM (Zn2+) to 30 nM (Cu2+). The method has been used to determine heavy metal ions in tap water.