Effective removal of cation dyes from aqueous solution using robust cellulose sponge

Cellulose sponge was proposed to an attractive bio-absorbent owing to its highly efficient, low-cost, biodegradable, and renewable sourcing. In this work, the wasted cotton linter as raw materials, the highly porous and lightweight cellulose sponges were synthesized via a facile chemical crosslinking and freeze-drying process. The resultant cellulose sponge (CA) exhibited an interconnected three-dimensional porous structure through crosslinked with N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA), which was beneficial to remove organic dyestuffs. The effects of various factors including solution pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, and ionic strength on the adsorption behavior were investigated in detail. Herein, Langmuir isotherm models were selected to determine the adsorption capacity, and the maximum theoretical adsorption capacity for Methylene blue (MB) and Crystal violet (CV) was 123.46 and 76.63 mg/g, respectively. Particularly, the results of kinetic and thermodynamic tests showed that the adsorption performance was a spontaneous endothermic reaction and the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic. Furthermore, cellulose sponges could maintain maximum adsorption capacity even after twelve cycles. Therefore, the eco-friendly cellulose sponge would be a promising adsorbent for effective wastewater treatment.     

Thorium removal from aqueous solutions of Mexican erionite and X zeolite

Thorium(IV) removal from aqueous solutions by erionite and X zeolite was investigated. The Th(IV) uptake at different thorium nitrate concentrations (from 0.25 to 25 mM) was evaluated. The thorium content in the aqueous solution was determined by neutron activation analysis. Th(IV) retained by zeolites was 1.7 and 3.7 meq/g for erionite and X zeolite. In order to explain the thorium sorption process in both zeolites, ion exchange mechanism was considered. It was found that thorium sorption behavior is strongly dependent of the type of zeolite, the separation factor for Mexican erionite was α^Th(IV) _Na(I)<1, this zeolite shows preference for Na(I) rather than for Th(IV), however, by X zeolite, α^Th(IV) _Na(I)~1, this value suggested an approximately ideal ion exchange behavior. The effect of pH on thorium sorption was also considered. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pt-Cu / ZSM-5 for removal of nitrates from drinking water

Removal of nitrates from drinking water by catalytic hydrogenation over ZSM-5 supported Pt-Cu catalysts was studied. Bimetallics Pt-Cu were prepared by ion exchange of copper on a parent monometallic platinum catalyst. Monometallic platinum catalysts are inactive for nitrate reduction, while Pt-Cu bimetallic catalysts are active for nitrate removal. In the bimetallic catalyst, the role of copper is probably to reduce nitrate according to a redox reaction. The addition of copper to Pt catalysts decreases the production of ammonium ions     

Separation of uranium from iron in ground water samples using ion exchange resins

Uranium determination in environmental samples is faced with problems due to presence of iron and other major elements. Iron is also used many a times for pre-concentration of uranium and actinides. Separation of milligram quantity of Fe from microgram quantity of uranium becomes essential during the estimation step. A simple two step procedure has been standardized for separating uranium and iron using anion exchange in 0.025 M H₂SO₄. Quantitative recovery of uranium was obtained as well as good separation from iron. This method was applied for estimation of uranium in water samples.     

Optimization of ammonium removal from waste water by natural zeolite using central composite design approach

The aims of the present study are to investigate removal of ammonium ion from wastewater using natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite and to optimize effective parameters by experimental design. In order to remove ammonium ions from aqueous solutions, experiments were carried out using column method as functions of the initial ammonium concentration, flow rate and pH of the solution. The results clearly confirmed that all mentioned parameters have vital affects on removing ammonium ions from wastewater and effluents, so got optimized. Central composite design with response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of main experiment parameters. The significance of the independent variables and their interactions were tested by the analysis of variance ANOVA and f-test statistics. Optimization of the variables for maximum removal efficiency by natural zeolite was performed using the quadratic model. The model predicted maximum removal efficiency under the optimum conditions including initial ammonium concentration of 30?mg?l^?1; flow rate of 1?ml?min^?1 and pH 6, which was very close to the experimental value determined in column experiment. The cation exchange capacity of natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite was found to be 1.79?meq?g^?1. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the natural Western Azarbaijan zeolite has an excellent potential for removing ammonium ions from aqueous solutions and it is suggested as a suitable material for wastewater treatment.     

Ion exchange removal of calcium carbonate and gypsum from mineral material prior to determination of cation exchange capacity using89Sr++

Summary The aim of the present work was to show that ion exchange resins can be used to remove sparingly and slightly soluble salts from calcareous and gypseous soils, which may otherwise cause serious errors in the determination of cation exchange capacity. It was shown that CaCO₃ and CaSO₄-2H₂O can be removed from a mixture with montmorillonite(Ca++) by a mixed bed resin. After resin treatment of the mixture its C.E.C. as retained Sr⁺⁺ corresponds approximately to the C.E.C. for pure montmorillonite within certain limits. Use of an anion exchange resin alone for removing these salts, however, gave an Sr⁺⁺ retention well below the C.E.C. for the mineral. It was assumed that this results from the blocking of exchange sites by resin particles.

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Zusammenfassung In kalkhaltigen und gipshaltigen B?den st?ren CaCO₃ und CaSO₄-2H₂O die Bestimmung des Kationenaustauschverm?gens. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird gezeigt, da? Salze wie CaCO₃ und CaSO₄-2H₂O aus Mischungen mit Ca-Montmorillonit durch Ionenaustauscher herausgel?st werden k?nnen. Als Ionenaustauscher müssen jedoch Mischbettaustauscher verwendet werden; Anionenaustauscher allein liefern bei einer anschlie?enden Bestimmung des Kationenaustausches mit Sr⁺⁺ falsche Werte. Die angegebene Methode erscheint vor allem für die Untersuchung von B?den wichtig zu sein.

     

Non-trivial temperature effects on the cation exchange chromatography and chelation ion chromatography of metal ions

The effect of column temperature upon the retention of metal ions on sulfonated and mono-, di-, and amino-carboxylated cation exchange columns has been investigated. The retention of alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal ions on each of the above types of cation exchanger was studied over the temperature range 19-65 degrees C. A major difference between the behaviour of mono- and divalent metal ions was shown on each of the above stationary phases, with the monovalent alkali metals exhibiting clearly exothermic behaviour (a decrease in retention with increased temperature) under acidic eluent conditions and an apparent relationship between retention factor and the magnitude of the temperature effect. The effect of temperature upon alkaline earth metal ions was less defined, although strongly endothermic behaviour (increase in retention with temperature) could be seen on all stationary phases through correct choice of eluent. The transition metal ions studied showed endothermic behaviour on all four stationary phases, with the sulfonated column unexpectedly showing the largest increases in retention. The above behaviour can be partially explained through the dominance of the type of solute-stationary phase interaction governing retention. In several of the above columns, both ion-exchange and surface complexation interactions can occur, with the effects of temperature indicating which process dominates under specific eluent conditions.     

Ionic liquid modification of zeolite and its removal of chromate from water

This study focused on using imidazolium of different chain lengths to modify the negatively charged zeolite. The modification involves a cation exchange process of the organic cations of ionic liquids (ILs) for the alkali and alkaline earth elements on zeolite surfaces. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the uptake of ILs was on the external surfaces. Fourier transform infrared analyses showed that different mechanisms were attributed to IL uptake on zeolite at below and above the external cation exchange capacity. After modification, the zeolite reversed its surface charge to positive, thus enhancing adsorptive removal of anionic contaminants such as chromate from water. At the same time, the modified zeolite increased their total organic carbon content, and thus could promote better adsorptive removal of hydrophobic organic contaminants from water, too. These features enable IL-modified zeolite to be used as inexpensive sorbents for the removal of multi-types of contaminants from water simultaneously.     

Effective ultrasound-assisted removal of heavy metal ions As(III), Hg(II), and Pb(II) from aqueous solution by new MgO/CuO and MgO/MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocomposites

A series of new (MgO) _x CuO and (MgO) _x MnO₂ nanocomposites were prepared and used as adsorbent for removal of As³⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solution with high capacity and detection limit. These nanocomposites were synthesized with different molar ratios by sonochemical method in alkaline solution using polyvinylpyrrolidone as a capping agent and were characterized by FTIR, AAS, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and TEM and SEM imaging. The maximum heavy metal ions adsorption was achieved for (MgO)_0.32CuO and (MgO)_2.9MnO₂ nanocomposites assisted by 3-min sonication using ultrasound. Adsorbent capacity of (MgO)_0.32CuO reached 500.0 mg/g and detection limit was 0.1 ppb for As³⁺. Also (MgO)_2.9MnO₂ nanocomposite adsorbed 457.1 mg/g of Hg²⁺ and 461.2 mg/g of Pb²⁺. Extremely low detection limits of 1.5 and 2.0 ppb were obtained for Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions, respectively, which are much lower than the WHO allowable limits. So, these nanocomposites should be excellent candidate for heavy metal removal with advantage of high capacity, high sensitivity, cost effectiveness and easy preparation.     

Fast removal of heavy metal ions and phytic acids from water using new modified chelating fiber

The graft copolymerization of acrylic acid(AA) onto polyethylene glycol terephthalate(PET) fiber initialed by benzoy peroxide (BPO) was carried out in heterogeneous media.Moreover,modification of the grafted PET fiber(PET-AA) was done by changing the carboxyl group into acylamino group through the reaction with dimethylamine.The modified chelating fiber(NDWJN1) was characterized using elementary analysis,SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy.Adsorption kinetic curves indicated that NDWJNl could fast remove heavy metal ions and phytic acids from water effectively.Furthermore,batch kinetic studies indicated that heavy metal ions adsorbed to NDWJNl could be filted well by both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order adsorption equations,but the intra-particle diffusion played a dominant role in the adsorption of phytic acids.     

Sorption characteristics of nano manganese oxide: efficient sorbent for removal of metal ions from aqueous streams

Nanocrystalline manganese oxide was prepared and characterized using various techniques like XRD, surface area analyzer and zeta potential measurements. The sorption characteristics with respect to uptake of various ions including uranyl have been evaluated. Various experimental conditions which affect the sorption characteristics have been studied. Nanocrystalline manganese oxide was prepared by the hydrolysis of KMnO₄ and the nano oxide were found to have a size of 8 nm and surface area of 145 m²/g. Due to the high surface area, the sorption property of the nano oxide was good. It was found that the sorption was achieved at different pH values and with varying time of equilibration. Thus it is seen that the kinetics was an important aspect for the possible separation of metal ions.     

Chromium(III) removal from water and wastewater using a carboxylate-functionalized cation exchanger prepared from a lignocellulosic residue

This study concerns with the development of a new cation exchanger (SDGPMASPCOOH) carrying spacer (SP) group [CONH(CH(2))(2)NHCO(CH(2))(2)] and carboxylate functional group at the chain end. The preparation process was carried out through graft copolymerization of methacrylic acid onto sawdust, SD (a lignocellulosic residue) using ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator. The poly(methacrylic acid) grafted SD (SDGPMA) was subsequently treated with thionyl chloride followed by ethylenediamine (transmidation) and succinic anhydride (carboxyfunctionalization) treatments. Infrared spectroscopy and potentiometric titrations were used to confirm graft copolymer formation and carboxylate functionalization. The effectiveness of the SDGPMASPCOOH in removing Cr(III) from water and wastewater was evaluated by the batch technique. The influence of different experimental parameters such as solution pH, contact time, absorbent dose, Cr(III) concentration and temperature on removal process was evaluated. The maximum Cr(III) removal was observed at the initial pH of 7.0. The Cr(III) was removed by SDGPMASPCOOH up to 99.3 and 92.6% from an initial concentration of 10 and 25 mg/L, respectively, at pH 7.0. Equilibrium time was reached within 4 h. Kinetic data were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich equations. The data fitted very well to the pseudo-second-order rate expression. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin equations were applied to the experimental isotherm data and the Langmuir model was found to be in better correlation with the experimental data. The monolayer adsorption capacity for Cr(III) removal was found to be 36.63 mg/g. The adsorption efficiency towards Cr(III) removal was tested using simulated tannery wastewater. The adsorbed Cr(III) on SDGPMASPCOOH can be recovered by treating with 0.1 M HCl. Four adsorption/desorption cycles were performed without significant decrease in removal capacity. The results showed that SDGPMASPCOOH developed in this study exhibited considerable adsorption potential for application in removal of Cr(III) from water and wastewaters.     

Transport properties of vanadium ions in cation exchange membranes:: Determination of diffusion coefficients using a dialysis cell

Diffusion coefficients of vanadium ions in cation exchange membranes are of interest because they allow to calculate the ion exchange across the membrane in an all vanadium redox flow battery which leads to undesired cross contamination and energy losses in the battery system. Diffusion coefficients of V²⁺, V³⁺, VO²⁺ and VO⁺₂ ions in CMS, CMV and CMX cation exchange membranes have been determined by measuring the ion exchange fluxes of these ions with H₃O⁺ ions using a dialysis cell. The experimental data are evaluated on the basis of integrated flux equations which require also ion exchange sorption equilibria obtained already in previous work. The lowest diffusion coefficients are observed in the CMS membrane for all vanadium ions. This membrane turns out to be the most suitable one for being applied in a vanadium battery since it is expected to prevent most effectively cross contamination of vanadium ions.     

Studies on sorption of uranium on chitin: a solid-state extractant application for removal of uranium from ground water

Studies were carried out to remove uranium from aqueous systems based on the solid phase extraction of uranium by powdered chitin. The effects of various parameters like pH, contact time, and amount of chitin for quantitative sorption of uranium on chitin have been studied. The sorption studies with spiked water samples and natural ground water samples showed that uranium was easily sorbed onto powdered chitin between pH 3 and 6. The effects of various cations and anions, which are present in the water samples, were studied. The method is simple, fast and environmental friendly and it is unaffected by the other ions present in the natural waters. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by applying the present method on ground water samples containing uranium in the range of 100–2,200 μg/L. The uranium remained in water samples is <20 μg/L after treatment with chitin, which is below the AERB limits given for uranium in drinking water. The values are an average of five replicate measurements, with an RSD of ±10 μg/L at 100 μg/L uranium in water samples.     

Hydrous oxides in the concentration and removal of fission products from alkaline solutions of uranium

A great variety in retention properties occurs as a result of different methods of preparation of the sorbents. Specific surfaces and porosities, which are mostly connected with the sorption activities, may vary widely. The activation of Al₂O₃, SnO₂ and silica gel, to produce highly active sorbents occurs only if the oxide is contacted with acid immediately after thermal treatment. The efficiency of the separation scheme has been tested using uranium and fission products under static conditions from strongly alkaline aqueous solutions.     

A review of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins removal/inactivation in drinking water treatment

This review focuses on the efficiency of different water treatment processes for the removal of cyanotoxins from potable water. Although several investigators have studied full-scale drinking water processes to determine the efficiency of cyanotoxin inactivation, many of the studies were based on ancillary practice. In this context, “ancillary practice” refers to the removal or inactivation of cyanotoxins by standard daily operational procedures and without a contingency operational plan utilizing specific treatment barriers. In this review, “auxiliary practice” refers to the implementation of inactivation/removal treatment barriers or operational changes explicitly designed to minimize risk from toxin-forming algae and their toxins to make potable water. Furthermore, the best drinking water treatment practices are based on extension of the multibarrier approach to remove cyanotoxins from water. Cyanotoxins are considered natural contaminants that occur worldwide and specific classes of cyanotoxins have shown regional prevalence. For example, freshwaters in the Americas often show high concentrations of microcystin, anatoxin-a, and cylindrospermopsin, whereas Australian water sources often show high concentrations of microcystin, cylindrospermopsin, and saxitoxins. Other less frequently reported cyanotoxins include lyngbyatoxin A, debromoaplysiatoxin, and β-N-methylamino-l-alanine. This review focuses on the commonly used unit processes and treatment trains to reduce the toxicity of four classes of cyanotoxins: the microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a, and saxitoxins. The goal of this review is to inform the reader of how each unit process participates in a treatment train and how an auxiliary multibarrier approach to water treatment can provide safer water for the consumer.     

The effect of uranium speciation on the removal of gross alpha activity from acid mine drainage using anion exchange resin

The study was conducted to understand, (a) the effect of pH on the speciation of uranium in acid mine drainage and (b) determine the effect of uranium speciation on the removal of gross alpha activity from acid mine drainage. Speciation modeling predicted a dominance of neutral and positively charged species under acidic and neutral conditions. Negative species become dominant from pH 8. The effectiveness of the anionic exchange resin to remove gross alpha activity was lower under acidic conditions (pH < 6) compared to alkaline conditions (pH ≥ 8).

     

Facile synthesis of meso-substituted dipyrromethanes and porphyrins using cation exchange resins

The macroporosity and acidity of cation exchange resins play a crucial role in the synthesis of dipyrromethanes and porphyrins; for the first time, cation exchange resins have been used as heterogeneous solid acid catalysts to produce dipyrromethanes and porphyrins in good yields. The reaction, at room temperature, of substituted aromatic aldehydes with pyrrole catalysed by cation exchange resin afforded the corresponding meso-substituted dipyrromethane in yields ranging from 70 to 80%, indicating the broad scope of the reaction. Further, the condensation of meso-substituted dipyrromethane with similar or different substituted aromatic aldehydes, using cation exchange resins furnished meso-tetrakis-symmetrical and mixed porphyrins, respectively. One-pot synthesis of porphyrins can also be carried out directly from the aldehydes and pyrrole under the above conditions. Acidolysis of the dipyrromethane is negligible under the conditions of the porphyrin-forming reaction.     

Chitosan impregnated Ca-alginate: a new hybrid material for removal of uranium from potable water

Novel sorbent, chitosan impregnated calcium alginate (Cal-Alg-Chi) bead was developed to sorb uranium from potable water without compromising water quality parameters. The uptake study in batch mode, showed more than 98% sorption of uranium in the concentration range of 0.1–50 µg mL⁻¹. Cal-Alg-Chi beads, reduced the concentration of uranium below 15 ng mL⁻¹ from 100 to 450 ng mL⁻¹ in groundwater collected from effected regions in India. Sorption isotherm followed Langmuir model and maximum sorption capacity was evaluated as 36.04 mg g⁻¹. The sorption was endothermic with ΔG ⁰ value of −9.76 kJ mol⁻¹ and kinetics followed pseudo-second order rate law.

     

The effect of physicochemical parameters on the separation recovery of plutonium and uranium from aqueous solutions by cation exchange

The effect of physicochemical parameters such as pH, salinity (e.g. [NaCl]) and competitive cation (e.g. Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺) concentration on the separation recovery of plutonium and uranium from aqueous solutions by cation exchange has been investigated. The investigation was performed to evaluate the applicability of cation exchange as separation and pre-concentration method prior to the radiometric analysis of uranium and plutonium isotopes in natural water samples. Application of the method to test solutions of constant radionuclide concentration and variable composition (0.1, 0.5 and 1 M NaCl; 0.1 and 0.5 M Ca(NO₃)₂; 0.1 and 1 mM FeCl₃; 10) has generally shown that: (1) the optimum pH is 4.5 for uranium and plutonium, (2) increasing salinity results in slightly lower for uranium and significantly higher chemical recovery plutonium and (3) the presence of Ca(II) cations doesn’t significantly affect the chemical recovery of both radionuclides. Contrary, the presence of Fe(III) cations ([Fe(III)] > 0.1 mM) results in significantly lower chemical recovery for both radionuclides (<50%). The later is attributed to the formation of Fe(III) colloids, which present increased chemical affinity for uranium and plutonium and hence compete with the radionuclide binding by the resin. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the method could be successfully applied to a wide range of natural waters.