Transport of kaolinite colloids through quartz sand: influence of humic acid, Ca(2+), and trace metals

To evaluate the risk of contaminant transport by mobile colloids, it seems essential to understand how colloids and associated pollutants behave during their migration through uncontaminated soil or groundwater. In this study, we investigated at pH 4 the influence of flow velocity, humic acid, solution Ca(2+) concentrations, and trace metals (Pb(2+), Cu(2+)) on the transport and deposition of kaolinite particles through a pure crystalline quartz sand as porous medium. A short-pulse chromatographic technique was used to measure colloid deposition. Adsorption of humic acid to the kaolinite increase its negative surface charge and then decrease colloid deposition. Experiments with different flow rates showed that humic-coated kaolinite colloid deposition followed a first-order kinetic rate law. The deposition rate coefficients of humic-coated kaolinite colloids increase with increasing Ca(2+) concentration in the suspension. The effect of trace metals on the mobility is studied by injecting two suspensions with different concentrations of Pb(2+) and Cu(2+). At very low cation concentration, the fraction of colloids retained is low and roughly independent of the nature of divalent cations. At high concentration, the deposition is higher and depends on the affinity of divalent cations toward humic-coated kaolinite colloids.     

Adsorption of tetracycline onto goethite in the presence of metal cations and humic substances

Adsorption of tetracycline, one of the most widely used antibiotics, onto goethite was studied as a function of pH, metal cations, and humic acid (HA) over a pH range 3-10. Five background electrolyte cations (Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+)) with a concentration of 0.01 M showed little effect on the tetracycline adsorption at the studied pH range. While the divalent heavy metal cation, Cu(2+), could significantly enhance the adsorption and higher concentration of Cu(2+), stronger adsorption was found. The results indicated that different adsorption mechanisms might be involved for the two types of cations. Background electrolyte cations hardly interfere with the interaction between tetracycline and goethite surfaces because they only form weak outer-sphere surface complexes. On the contrary, Cu(2+) could enhance the adsorption via acting as a bridge ion to form goethite-Cu(2+)-tetracycline surface complex because Cu(2+) could form strong and specific inner-sphere surface complexes. HA showed different effect on the tetracycline sorption under different pH condition. The presence of HA increased tetracycline sorption dramatically under acidic condition. Results indicated that heavy metal cations and soil organic matters have great effects on the tetracycline mobility in the soil environment and eventually affect its exposure concentration and toxicity to organisms.     

Two-column ion-exchange method for the determination of copper-complexing capacity and conditional stability constants of copper complexes for ligands in natural waters

Sample solutions titrated with Cu(2+) ions are passed sequentially through two ion-exchange columns in an automated flow system. The first column is packed with Chelex-100 resin and retains Cu(2+) ions that are free or derived from copper complexes that dissociate in the column. The second column is packed with AG MP-1 anion-exchange resin and retains negatively charged Cu(II) complexes. The retained copper species are then eluted from the columns and determined on-line with a flame atomic-absorption spectrophotometer. It is necessary to correct for a small fraction of free Cu(2+) ions that pass through the first column and are retained by the second column. The Cu(II)-complexing capacity of sample solutions is determined from plots of the concentration ratio of free Cu(2+) ions to Cu(II) complexes vs. the concentration of free Cu(2+) ions. Conditional stability constants of the copper complexes are also estimated from these plots. The complexing capacity of sample solutions is also determined rapidly by measuring the concentration of complexed Cu(II) after spiking the sample with an excess of Cu(2+) ions. The sample solutions tested were 4.0muM NTA, 4.0-mg/l. humic acid, and a river water.     

Ca2+ selectivity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase at the enzyme-water interface and in the Ca2+ entrance channel

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase, a P-type transmembrane protein, can transport Ca(2+) from the cytoplasmic to the luminal side over other cations specifically. The proposed Ca(2+) entrance channel, composed of the main-chain carbonyl oxygen and side-chain carboxyl oxygen atoms of the amino acids, opens on the enzyme surface, just above the biphospholipid layer membrane-water interface, where Trp residues are frequently found. In this work, the physicochemical nature of Ca(2+) selectivity over Mg(2+) on the surface of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase has been investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The selection process can be regarded as the first step of the specificity of the enzyme to transport Ca(2+). Subsequently, the specificity of the entrance channel to conduct Ca(2+) over other cations has also been explored. As revealed by thermodynamic analyses, either the aromatic or the aliphatic amino acid residues distributed on the surface of Ca(2+)-ATPase have a bigger affinity to Mg(2+) than to Ca(2+), resulting in a concentration decrease of free Mg(2+) in the local region. Thus, Ca(2+) can transport into the Ca(2+)-entrance channel more easily. Whereafter, for a small quantity of Mg(2+) entering this channel accompanying the Ca(2+) current, the strong electrostatic interactions between Mg(2+) and the ligands will limit the activity of this metal ion, which facilitates the weakly bonded Ca(2+) passing through the channel at a relatively high rate, as suggested by the "sticky-pore" hypothesis. Furthermore, the corresponding theoretical investigations have demonstrated that the increase of the ligand electronegativity can enhance their discrimination between these two cations effectively.     

Copper release kinetics from a long-term contaminated acid soil using a stirred flow chamber: effect of ionic strength and pH

The effect of pH and ionic strength on copper release in a long-term Cu-polluted soil was studied using a stirred flow chamber. The presence of Ca(2+) and Na(+) was also evaluated. More copper was released as the ionic strength increased, and it was significantly higher in the presence of Ca(2+) than in the presence of Na(+). The maximum amount of Cu that could be released under experimental conditions increased logarithmically as the ionic strength increased, and the release rate parameters were not significantly correlated with ionic strength values. The maximum amount of Cu that could be released was similar for solutions with pH values between 5.5 and 8.5. For solutions with a pH value below 4.5, the amount of Cu released increased exponentially as the pH decreased. The release rate parameters and Cu release pattern were affected by pH, especially for more acidic solutions (pH values of 2.5 and 3.5).     

Molecular scale speciation of first-row transition elements bound to ligneous material by using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

To develop a solid scientific basis for maintaining soil quality and formulating effective remediation strategies, it is critical to determine how environmentally-important trace metals are sequestered in soils at the molecular scale. The speciation of Mn, Fe and Cu in soil organic matter has been determined by synchrotron-based techniques: extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). We show the structural similarity between the surface complexes of Mn(II), Fe(III) and Cu(II). These cations are bound to the surface through oxygen atoms. Each one presents a more or less tetragonal-distorted octahedral geometry. The use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy provides a relevant method for determining trace-metal speciation in both natural and contaminated environmental materials.     

A gadolinium(III) complex with 8-amidequinoline based ligand as copper(II) ion responsive contrast agent

A new Cu(2+)-responsive MRI contrast agent (Gd-QDOTAMA) with a quinoline-based ligand was synthesized and characterized. Relaxivity studies on Gd-QDOTAMA showed that the relaxivity increased from 4.27 mM(-1) s(-1) to 7.29 mM(-1) s(-1) in response to equimolar amounts of copper(II) ion, corresponding to ca. 71% relaxivity enhancement. Distinct changes in relaxivity were undetected upon addition of physiologically relevant alkali metal cations (K(+) or Na(+)), alkaline earth metal cations (Mg(2+) or Ca(2+)), or d-block metal cations (Zn(2+), Cu(+), Fe(2+), Fe(3+)), indicating a high selectivity for Cu(2+) over other biologically relevant metal ions. Moreover, the influence of common biological anions at physiological levels on the Cu(2+)-responsive contrast agent was also studied. Luminescence studies on the Eu counterpart Eu-QDOTAMA suggest that the enhancement in relaxivity for Gd-QDOTAMA in response to Cu(2+) is most likely due to the increased number of inner-sphere water molecules around Gd(3+) upon Cu(2+) binding to the 8-amidequinoline moiety. In vitro T(1)-weighted phantom images of Gd-QDOTAMA confirmed that signal intensity was markedly increased by the addition of equimolar amounts of Cu(2+).     

Minimizing losses of nonionic and anionic surfactants to a montmorillonite saturated with calcium using their mixtures

Losses of surfactants through sorption to soils/sediments, especially to clay minerals, by various chemical interactions such as sorption and precipitation threaten the success of surfactant in enhancing remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. In this study, the behavior of mixtures of a nonionic surfactant (TX-100) and an anionic surfactant (SDBS) sorbed to a montmorillonite saturated with calcium (Ca-montmorillonite) was investigated, and compared with that of individual surfactants. It is shown that the amounts of both TX-100 and SDBS sorbed to Ca-montmorillonite are significant. However, the amount of either TX-100 or SDBS sorbed can be decreased and minimized when they are mixed with each other. Mixed micelle formation, which causes negative deviation of critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) from the ideal, is responsible for the decrease in sorbed TX-100 and sorbed SDBS in their mixtures. Because of their ability to minimize their amounts sorbed and thus enhance their active concentrations, as observed in mixed TX-100 and SDBS systems, mixed anionic-nonionic surfactants exhibit potential advantages in the area of enhanced soil and groundwater remediation.     

Cellular cation transport studied by 6/7Li and 23Na NMR in a porous Mo132 Keplerate type nano-capsule as model system

Li+ ions can interplay with other cations intrinsically present in the intra- and extra-cellular space (i.e. Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) have therapeutic effects (e.g. in the treatment of bipolar disorder) or toxic effects (at higher doses), likely because Li+ interferes with the intra-/extra-cellular concentration gradients of the mentioned physiologically relevant cations. The cellular transmembrane transport can be modelled by molybdenum-oxide-based Keplerates, i.e. nano-sized porous capsules containing 132 Mo centres, monitored through 6/7Li as well as 23Na NMR spectroscopy. The effects on the transport of Li+ cations through the 'ion channels' of these model cells, caused by variations in water amount, temperature, and by the addition of organic cationic 'plugs' and the shift reagent [Dy(PPP)2](7-) are reported. In the investigated solvent systems, water acts as a transport mediator for Li+. Likewise, the counter-transport (Li+/Na+, Li+/K+, Li+/Cs+ and Li+/Ca2+) has been investigated by 7Li NMR and, in the case of Li+/Na+ exchange, by 23Na NMR, and it has been shown that most (in the case of Na+ and K+, all (Ca2+) or almost none (Cs+) of the Li cations is extruded from the internal sites of the artificial cell to the extra-cellular medium, while Na+, K+ and Ca2+ are partially incorporated.     

Enhanced electronic correlation and thermoelectric response by Cu-doping in Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) single crystals

The structure, anisotropic magnetic, electrical and thermal transport properties for single crystals of Ca(3)Co(4-x)Cu(x)O(9) (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) have been investigated systematically. The Cu-doping with x = 0.2 at Co-site is sufficient to drive the low-temperature spin-glass state in the Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) system. The value of resistivity along ab-plane decreases monotonously with increasing x in the whole temperature range studied, and around room temperature, the in-plane resistivity of Ca(3)Co(3.2)Cu(0.8)O(9) is about 71% smaller than that of the undoped sample. The temperature region where the Fermi-liquid transport mechanism dominates becomes remarkably narrowed due to the Cu-doping while the electronic correlation in the system is enhanced. With further addition of Cu in the Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) system, the in-plane thermopower (S(ab)) increases slowly and the room-temperature S(ab) for Ca(3)Co(3.2)Cu(0.8)O(9) is about 17% larger than that of the undoped sample. As a result, the power factor along the ab-plane is enhanced by about 3.8 times compared to the undoped sample. The results are suggested to originate from the variations of carrier concentration and electronic correlation in this system via the different Cu-doping states: Cu(3+)/Cu(2+) (Cu(3+) major) into the CoO(2) layer for x ≤ 0.4, while Cu(2+)/Cu(3+) (Cu(2+) major) into the Ca(2)CoO(3) layers for x > 0.4.     

A Comprehensive Review for Groundwater Contamination and Remediation: Occurrence,Migration and Adsorption Modelling

The provision of safe water for people is a human right; historically, a major number of people depend on groundwater as a source of water for their needs, such as agricultural, industrial or human activities. Water resources have recently been affected by organic and/or inorganic contaminants as a result of population growth and increased anthropogenic activity, soil leaching and pollution. Water resource remediation has become a serious environmental concern, since it has a direct impact on many aspects of people’s lives. For decades, the pump-and-treat method has been considered the predominant treatment process for the remediation of contaminated groundwater with organic and inorganic contaminants. On the other side, this technique missed sustainability and the new concept of using renewable energy. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) have been implemented as an alternative to conventional pump-and-treat systems for remediating polluted groundwater because of their effectiveness and ease of implementation. In this paper, a review of the importance of groundwater, contamination and biological, physical as well as chemical remediation techniques have been discussed. In this review, the principles of the permeable reactive barrier’s use as a remediation technique have been introduced along with commonly used reactive materials and the recent applications of the permeable reactive barrier in the remediation of different contaminants, such as heavy metals, chlorinated solvents and pesticides. This paper also discusses the characteristics of reactive media and contaminants’ uptake mechanisms. Finally, remediation isotherms, the breakthrough curves and kinetic sorption models are also being presented. It has been found that groundwater could be contaminated by different pollutants and must be remediated to fit human, agricultural and industrial needs. The PRB technique is an efficient treatment process that is an inexpensive alternative for the pump-and-treat procedure and represents a promising technique to treat groundwater pollution.     

Transport of N-CD and Pre-Sorbed Pb in Saturated Porous Media

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new type of nanomaterials of the carbon family with unique characteristics, such as their small size (e.g., <10 nm), high water solubility, low toxicity, and high metal affinity. Modification of CDs by Nitrogen functional groups (N-CDs) enhances their metal adsorption capacity. This study investigated the influences of pH (4, 6, and 9), ionic strength (1, 50, and 100 mM), and cation valency (Na⁺ and Ca²⁺) on the competitive adsorption of Pb to quartz and N-CD surfaces, the transport and retention of N-CDs in saturated porous media, and the capacity of N-CDs to mobilize pre-adsorbed Pb in quartz columns. Pb adsorption was higher on N-CDs than on quartz surfaces and decreased with increases in ionic strength (IS) and divalent cations (Ca²⁺) concentration. N-CD mobility in quartz columns was highest at pH of 9- and 1-mM monovalent cations (Na⁺) and decreased with decreases in pH and increases in ionic strength and ion valency. N-CDs mobilized pre-adsorbed Pb from quartz due to the higher adsorption affinity of Pb to N-CD than to quartz surfaces. These findings provide valuable insights into the transport, retention, and risk assessment of lead in the presence of carbon-based engineered nanoparticles.     

Application of a single electrode,modified with polydiphenylamine and dodecyl sulfate,for the simultaneous amperometric determination of electro-inactive anions and cations in ion chromatography

An amperometric sensor with a single working electrode for simultaneous determination of electro-inactive anions and cations, e.g. SO4(2-), Cl(-), NO3(-), Na(+), NH4(+), K(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+), was designed as a detector in ion chromatography. The modification of its working golden electrode was based on the incorporation of dodecyl sulfate into polydiphenylamine by electropolymerization of diphenylamine in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate. In ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography, a set of well defined peaks of these anions and cations was obtained at the working potential, +1.35 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode) using a citric acid solution as eluent. The common anions and cations in mineral water samples were determined using this ion-chromatographic system with satisfactory results.     

Removal of Cd2+ from contaminated water by nano-sized aragonite mollusk shell and the competition of coexisting metal ions

The potential of using nano-sized aragonite mollusk shell (nano-Bio-ARA) to remove Cd(2+) from contaminated water was investigated by comparing the sorption kinetics and isotherms with the nano-sized calcite-type mollusk shell (nano-Bio-CAL) and nano-sized geological calcite (nano-Geo-CAL). Nano-Bio-ARA displayed extremely high sorption capacity to Cd(2+) (8.91mmol/g), much higher than nano-Bio/Geo-CAL, and many other natural or engineered materials. The results of thermodynamic experiments indicated that the sorption of Cd(2+) on the nano-ARA was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The coexisting metals in the solution displayed competition effect to the sorption of Cd(2+) on nano-Bio-ARA in the following order: Cu(2+)>Cr(3+)>Pb(2+)>Zn(2+)>Ca(2+). EDTA impeded the sorption of Cd(2+) on nano-Bio-ARA due to its strong chelating capacity to Cd(2+) in the solution. The results demonstrate that nano-Bio-ARA is a potential high-effective material to treat Cd(2+) contaminated water.     

Removal and regeneration of aqueous divalent cations by boehmite

Boehmite (Al(OH)O) was employed for the removal of aqueous Mg(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Pb(2+), and Co(2+) at 298 K. Although boehmite was able to remove these divalent cations, the greater removal rate with boehmite of Pb(2+) (28.7%) than with Mg(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), and Co(2+) (5.6, 25.3, 10.9, and 13.3%, respectively) was observed under acidic conditions. Under stronger alkaline conditions, in which the lead species was completely dissolved, a greater removal rate of Pb(2+) (more than 80%) was observed under the corresponding conditions employed for the acidic conditions. The removed lead species could not be dissolved from boehmite in an acidic solution while an evident dissolution of lead species was detected using an aqueous NaOH solution. The results shown in the present study reveal that boehmite can be employed as a reagent for the removal and regeneration of aqueous metal cations.     

A highly selective turn-on colorimetric, red fluorescent sensor for detecting mobile zinc in living cells

We describe ZRL1, a turn-on colorimetric and red fluorescent zinc ion sensor. The Zn(2+)-promoted ring opening of the rhodamine spirolactam ring in ZRL1 evokes a 220-fold fluorescence turn-on response. In aqueous media, ZRL1 turn-on luminescence is highly selective for Zn(2+) ions, with no significant response to other competitive cations, including Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), or Hg(2+). In addition to these characteristics, preliminary results indicate that ZRL1 can be delivered to living cells and can be used to monitor changes in intracellular Zn(2+) levels.     

HPLC retention behaviors of pi-electron rich compounds on Ni2+- and Cu2+-phthalocyanine derivatives bound to silica gels in polar eluents.

The effect of the central metal of columns packed with silica gels binding Ni(2+)- and Cu(2+)-phthalocyanine derivatives (Ni-and Cu-PCS(D)s) on the retention behavior of poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons (PAHs) thereof in a polar eluent was examined. The retention factors of PAHs on the Ni- and Cu-PCS(D)s in 80% methanol showed a good linear correlation. The Cu-PCS(D) column exhibited the pi-pi interactions for PAHs, while the Ni-PCS(D) column exhibited the pi-d interactions for PAHs in addition to the pi-pi interaction for PAHs. Further, an investigation of the retention behavior of anthracene derivatives having different substituents revealed that the Ni- and Cu-PCS(D) columns could recognize the differences of substituents only in a polar eluent.     

The effect of protein dielectric coefficient on the ionic selectivity of a calcium channel

Calcium-selective ion channels are known to have carboxylate-rich selectivity filters, a common motif that is primarily responsible for their high Ca(2+) affinity. Different Ca(2+) affinities ranging from micromolar (the L-type Ca channel) to millimolar (the ryanodine receptor channel) are closely related to the different physiological functions of these channels. To understand the physical mechanism for this range of affinities given similar amino acids in their selectivity filters, we use grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations to assess the binding of monovalent and divalent ions in the selectivity filter of a model Ca channel. We use a reduced model where the electolyte is modeled by hard-sphere ions embedded in a continuum dielectric solvent, while the interior of protein surrounding the channel is allowed to have a dielectric coefficient different from that of the electrolyte. The induced charges that appear on the protein/lumen interface are calculated by the induced charge computation method [Boda et al., Phys. Rev. E 69, 046702 (2004)]. It is shown that decreasing the dielectric coefficient of the protein attracts more cations into the pore because the protein's carboxyl groups induce negative charges on the dielectric boundary. As the density of the hard-sphere ions increases in the filter, Ca(2+) is absorbed into the filter with higher probability than Na(+) because Ca(2+) provides twice the charge to neutralize the negative charge of the pore (both structural carboxylate oxygens and induced charges) than Na(+) while occupying about the same space (the charge/space competition mechanism). As a result, Ca(2+) affinity is improved an order of magnitude by decreasing the protein dielectric coefficient from 80 to 5. Our results indicate that adjusting the dielectric properties of the protein surrounding the permeation pathway is a possible way for evolution to regulate the Ca(2+) affinity of the common four-carboxylate motif.     

Interactions of metal ions with monoaza crown ethers A15C5 and A18C6 carrying dansyl fluorophore as pendant in acetonitrile solution

The influence of metal cations Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Cs(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Pb(2+) and Al(3+) on the spectroscopic properties of the dansyl (1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl) group covalently linked to monoaza crown ethers 1-aza-15-crown-5 (1,4,7,10,-tetraoxa-13-azacyclopentadecane) (A15C5) and 1-aza-crown-6 (1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxa-16-azacyclooctadecane) (A18C6) was investigated by means of absorption and emission spectrophotometry. Interaction of the alkali metal ions with both fluoroionophores is weak, while alkaline earth metal ions interact strongly causing 50 and 85% quenching of dansyl fluorescence of N-(5-dimethylamine-1-naphthalenesulfonylo)-1,4,7,10,-tetraoxa-13-azacyclopentadecane (A15C5-Dns) and N-(5-dimethylamine-1-naphthalenesulfonylo)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxa-16-azacyclooctadecane (A18C6-Dns), respectively. The Cu(2+), Pb(2+) and Al(3+) cations interact very strongly with dansyl chromophore, causing a major change in absorption spectrum of the chromophore and forming non-fluorescent complexes. The Co(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Mg(2+) cations interact moderately with both fluoroionophores causing quenching of dansyl fluorescence by several percent only.