Guocheng Lv

Micro-electrolysis of Cr (VI) in the nanoscale zero-valent iron loaded activated carbon.

In this paper we prepared a novel material of activated carbon/nanoscale zero-valent iron (C-Fe(0)) composite. The C-Fe(0) was proved to possess large specific surface area and outstanding reducibility that result in the rapid and stable reaction with Cr (VI). The prepared composite has been examined in detail in terms of the influence of solution pH, concentration and reaction time in the Cr (VI) removal experiments. The results showed that the C-Fe(0) formed a micro-electrolysis which dominated the reaction rate. The Micro-electrolysis reaches equilibrium is ten minutes. Its reaction rate is ten times higher than that of traditional adsorption reaction, and the removal rate of Cr reaches up to 99.5%. By analyzing the obtained profiles from the cyclic voltammetry, PXRD and XPS, we demonstrate that the Cr (VI) is reduced to insoluble Cr (III) compound in the reaction.

High-performance microwave absorption of flexible nanocomposites based on flower-like Co superstructures and polyvinylidene fluoride

Flower-like Co superstructures were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process at low temperature; then the flexible Co/PVDF nanocomposites were prepared by combining the Co nanocrystal with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix. The Co/PVDF hybrids exhibit distinct microwave absorption properties in the range of 2–18 GHz. With filler loading of 25 wt%, the minimum reflection loss reaches −38.9 dB at 6.4 GHz as the thickness is 2.5 mm. The frequency bandwidth less than −10 dB covers from 4.64 to 10.56 GHz by adjusting the weight content from 15 wt% to 40 wt%. The possible microwave absorbing mechanism has been also discussed in detail.

Stability and pH-independence of nano-zero-valent iron intercalated montmorillonite and its application on Cr(VI) removal

Composite of nano-zero-valent iron and montmorillonite (NZVI/MMT) was prepared by inserting NZVI into the interlayer of montmorillonite. The unique structure montmorillonite with isolated exchangeable Fe(III) cations residing near the sites of structural negative charges inhibited the agglomeration of ZVI and result in the formation of ZVI particles in the montmorillonite interlayer regions. NZVI/MMT was demonstrated to possess large specific surface area and outstanding reducibility that encourage rapid and stable reaction with Cr (VI). Besides, the intercalation also makes NZVI well dispersed and more stable in the interlayer, thereby improving the reaction capacity by 16 times. The effects of pH value, initial concentration of Cr (VI) and reaction time on Cr (VI) removal have also been investigated in detail. According to PXRD and XPS characterization, NZVI/Cr (VI) redox reaction occurred in the interlayer of MMT. The study of NZVI/MMT is instrumental to the development of remediation technologies for persistent environmental contaminants.

Modification of a Ca-montmorillonite with ionic liquids and its application for chromate removal

Ionic liquids (ILs), due to their low vapor pressure, have been explored as green solvents for organic synthesis. In this study, the uptake of ILs on a high charge Ca-montmorillonite (MMT) and the use of the IL-modified MMT for the removal of anionic contaminants from water were systematically studied. Uptake of ILs by MMT was exclusively resulted from a cation exchange mechanism when the initial IL concentrations were less than the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the sorbed ILs formed a monolayer conformation on the surface of MMT. When the initial IL concentrations were greater than the CMC, both cation exchange and hydrophobic interactions were responsible for the IL uptake. The IL molecules formed admicelles and the surface charge was reversed to positive balanced by counterion Cl(-) when the IL loading was higher than the cation exchange capacity of the mineral. The modified MMT could remove chromate from water instantaneously, with an adsorption capacity of 190 mmol/kg and a 99.5% removal efficiency at an initial chromate concentration of 2.6 mmol/L. These features could further expand the application of ILs and enable IL-modified MMT to be used as inexpensive sorbents for the removal of chromate and other oxyanions from water.

Mechanism of amitriptyline adsorption on Ca-montmorillonite (SAz-2).

The uptake of amitriptyline (AMI) from aqueous environment by Ca-montmorillonite (SAz-2) was studied in a batch system under different physicochemical conditions. The adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. The AMI adsorption on SAz-2 obeyed the Langmuir isotherm with a capacity of 330mg/g (1.05mmol/g) at pH 6-7. The adsorption kinetics was fast, almost reaching equilibrium in 2h, and followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Desorption of exchangeable cations correlated with the AMI adsorption well, indicating that cation exchange was the major mechanism. X-ray diffraction patterns showing significant expansions of the d001 spacing and characteristic FTIR band shifts toward higher frequencies after AMI adsorption onto SAz-2 indicated that the adsorbed AMI molecules were intercalated into the interlayers of the mineral. Thermodynamic parameters based on partitioning coefficients suggested that the AMI adsorption was an endothermic physisorption at high adsorption levels. At low and higher AMI adsorption levels, the intercalated AMI molecules take a horizontal monolayer and bilayer conformation, respectively. The higher adsorption capacity suggested that SAz-2 could be a good candidate to remove AMI from wastewater and would be an important environmental sink for the fate and transport of AMI in soils and groundwater.

Uptake and retention of amitriptyline by kaolinite

As the most commonly prescribed tricyclic antidepressant, amitriptyline (AT) is frequently detected in wastewater, surface runoff, and effluents from sewage treatment plants, and could potentially reach agriculture land through the application of municipal biosolids or reclaimed water. Kaolinite is one of the most important soil components under warm and humid climate conditions. In this study, the uptake and retention of AT by kaolinite from aqueous solution were investigated by batch tests, XRD, and FTIR analyses. The uptake of AT on kaolinite was instantaneous, attributed to surface adsorption as confirmed by XRD analyses. Quantitative correlation between desorption of exchangeable cations and AT adsorption confirmed experimentally that cation exchange was the dominant mechanism of AT uptake on kaolinite. The values for free energy of adsorption also suggested physi-sorption such as cation exchange. Solution pH had minimal influence at pH 5-11 even though the pKa value of AT was 9.4 and the surface charge of kaolinite was pH-dependent.

Probing the interactions between chlorpheniramine and 2:1 phyllosilicates

Interactions between chlorpheniramine (CP), an antihistamine drug used to treat allergy, and 2:1 phyllosilicates were studied under batch kinetic and different solution conditions to investigate the effect of charge density of the substrates on CP removal from solution. The CP removal by Na-montmorillonite was instantaneous, with a very large rate constant and a fast rate, reaching a capacity of 0.64 mmol/g, compared to its cation exchange capacity of 0.85 mmol(c)/g. In contrast, CP removal by talc was 10 times lower at 0.06 mmol/g. Stoichiometric desorption of exchangeable cations accompanying CP removal by Na-montmorillonite confirmed cation exchange as the dominant interaction mechanism. Solution pH had a minimal effect on CP removal by Na-montmorillonite until pH 11. On the contrary, a slight increase in CP removal by talc was observed as the solution pH increased, due to increased negative charges on the pH-dependent surfaces of talc. Interactions between CP and Na-montmorillonite occurred on both external and interlayer sites, resulting in a d-spacing expansion from 12.5 Å to 15.2 Å. In contrast, interactions between CP and talc were only limited to the external surfaces. It was the charge density that ultimately controlled the amount of CP removal by 2:1 phyllosilicates. Thus, montmorillonite offers a superior option for the removal of cationic drugs from aqueous solution.

Influence of interlayer cations on organic intercalation of montmorillonite.

The influence of the types of interlayer cations on organic intercalation of montmorillonite (Mt) was studied in this paper. The distribution of Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+) and Fe(3+) in montmorillonite interlayer, their interaction with structure layers and the effect of interlayer cations on the basal spacing of Mt, the amount of binding water for different interlayer cations and the binding force between them were investigated systematically. 1-Hexadecy1-3-methylimidazolium chloride monohydrate (C16mimCl) was intercalated into montmorillonites with different interlayer cations. The influence of interlayer cations on organic intercalation was investigated. Molecular dynamics (MD) modeling was used to speculate the interlayer microstructures of the organically intercalated Mt with different interlayer cations. These simulations help to predict the microstructure of organo-Mt and guide their relevant engineering applications.

Binding sites of chlorpheniramine on 1:1 layered kaolinite from aqueous solution.

Interactions between chlorpheniramine (CP), an antihistamine drug used to treat allergy, and kaolinite in aqueous solution were investigated under batch studies and molecular simulations. The CP adsorption was relatively fast with a large rate constant. The CP adsorption capacity on kaolinite was 25 mmol/kg, about the same magnitude of the cation exchange capacity of kaolinite. Molecular dynamic simulation showed that the edges of kaolinite were responsible for the uptake of CP, while a net repulsive interaction between the basal plane and CP molecules was obtained. As the broken bond effect of kaolinite was strongly affected by solution pH via protonation-deprotonation of kaolinite edges, a higher CP adsorption was achieved under neutral to weak alkaline solution. It was the charge density, rather than the surface area, that ultimately controlled the amount of CP adsorption on kaolinite.

Organic intercalation of structure modified vermiculite.

The experiment used cationic surfactants of different chain lengths to intercalate structure modified vermiculites. The influences of structure modification, chain length and dosage of surfactants on the intercalation behavior of vermiculites were studied, and intercalation mechanism and features of interlayer chemical reactions were discussed. Results indicate that structure modified vermiculites with different layer charge have different intercalation behavior. The basal spacing of the organic intercalated modified vermiculite is the largest when acid concentration used in structure modification is 0.003 mol/L, and increases with increasing the chain length and dosage of the organics. Molecular dynamics simulation verifies that interlayer organics align almost parallel to structure layer of vermiculite, with alkyl chain stretching to the middle of interlayer space. -N(+) groups of the three surfactants locate above the leached [SiO4], which has stronger interaction with interlayer organic cations. Electrostatic force is the main interaction force between interlayer organics and structure layer of vermiculite, and then is Van der Waals force, no chemical bond formed.