Patricia Miretzky

Cr(VI) and Cr(III) removal from aqueous solution by raw and modified lignocellulosic materials: a review.

In aqueous systems, chromium usually exists in both trivalent and hexavalent oxidation states, being Cr(VI) of particular importance and concern due to its great toxicity. Industrial sources of Cr(VI) are leather tanning, mining of chrome ore, production of steel and alloys, etc. The most common conventional method for Cr(VI) removal is reduction to Cr(III) at pH 2.0 and precipitation of Cr (OH)(3) with lime at pH 9-10. The disadvantage of precipitation is the disposal of the solid waste. Adsorption of Cr by different low cost materials seems to be a suitable choice for wastewater treatment. Many by-products of agriculture have proved to be suitable low cost adsorbents for Cr(VI) and Cr(III) removal from water. Lignocellulosic residues, which include both wood residues and agricultural residues, have adsorption capacity comparable to other natural sorbents, but they have the advantage of very low or no cost, great availability and simple operational process. This study is a review of the recent literature on the use of natural and modified lignocellulosic residues for Cr adsorption. The Cr maximum adsorption capacity and the adsorption mechanism under different experimental conditions are reported when possibly.

Hg(II) removal from water by chitosan and chitosan derivatives: a review.

Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic heavy metals commonly found in the global environment. Its toxicity is related to the capacity of its compounds to bioconcentrate in organisms and to biomagnify through food chain. A wide range of adsorbents has been used for removing Hg(II) from contaminated water. Chitosan is obtained by alkaline deacetylation of chitin. The adsorption capacity of chitosan depends on the origin of the polysaccharide, and on the experimental conditions in the preparation, that determine the degree of deacetylation. A great number of chitosan derivatives have been obtained by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde or epichlorohydrin among others or by grafting new functional groups on the chitosan backbone with the aim of adsorbing Hg(II). The new functional groups are incorporated to change the pH range for Hg(II) sorption and/or to change the sorption sites in order to increase sorption selectivity. The chemical modification affords a wide range of derivatives with modified properties for specific applications. Hg(II) adsorption on chitosan or chitosan derivatives is now assumed to occur through several single or mixed interactions: chelation or coordination on amino groups in a pendant fashion or in combination with vicinal hydroxyl groups, electrostatic attraction in acidic media or ion exchange with protonated amino groups. This review reports the recent developments in the Hg(II) removal in waste water treatment, using chitosan and its derivatives in order to provide useful information about the different technologies. When possibly the adsorption capacity of chitosan and chitosan derivatives under different experimental conditions is reported to help to compare the efficacy of the Hg(II) removal process. A comparison with the adsorption capacity of other low-cost adsorbents is also tabled.

Remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils by iron amendments: a review.

Arsenic (As) in soil is a serious environmental issue, and although As occurs naturally in soil, anthropogenic activities have greatly increased As soil contamination. Several technologies can be used to reduce arsenic contamination in soils, among them in situ chemical immobilization by application of inorganic amendments, which are incorporated and mixed with the contaminated soil. The binding of As to the additive reduces its mobility and bioavailability in the soil, with the long-term stability of the new compounds formed being an important issue. The objective of this study was to review the literature concerning remediation of As-contaminated soils with different iron sources and to evaluate their effectiveness.

Cd (II) removal from aqueous solution by Eleocharis acicularis biomass, equilibrium and kinetic studies

Batch experiments were carried out to determine the capacity of Eleocharis acicularis biomass to adsorb Cd(2+) ions from contaminated solutions with respect to pH, initial Cd(2+) concentration, contact time, solution ionic strength and biomass dose. The experimental data were modeled by Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. Freundlich and D-R models resulted in the best fit of the adsorption data. The maximum adsorption capacity for Cd(2+) was 0.299 mmol g(-1) (33.71 mg g(-1)) with efficiency higher than 80% (pH 6.0 and 5 g L(-1) biomass dose). The mean adsorption free energy value derived from the D-R model (8.058 kJ mol(-1)) indicated that adsorption was governed by an ionic exchange process. The pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich kinetic models and the intra-particle diffusion models were used to describe the kinetic data and to evaluate rate constants. The best correlation was provided by the second-order kinetic model, implying that chemical sorption was the rate-limiting step, although intra-particle diffusion could not be ignored. The practical implication of this study is the development of an effective and economic technology for Cd(2+) removal from contaminated waters. The macrophyte biomass used in this study did not undergo any chemical or physical pre-treatment, which added to macrophyte abundance and its low cost makes it a good option for Cd(2+) removal from waste water.

Fluoride removal from aqueous solution by Ca-pretreated macrophyte biomass

Environmental context. Fluoride concentrations in drinking water above 1.5 mg L–1 may be detrimental to human health. Many methods have been developed for removing excessive fluoride from drinking water. The use of an aquatic macrophyte biomass (Eleocharis acicularis) pretreated with Ca2+, a low-cost natural material, could be a technique for rural populations in developing countries that cannot afford treated or bottled water for daily consumption. Abstract. The use of an aquatic macrophyte biomass (Eleocharis acicularis) pretreated with Ca2+ as a low-cost natural material for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solution was studied. Batch experiments were carried out to determine fluoride sorption capacity and the efficiency of the sorption process under different pH, initial F– and macrophyte biomass doses. The experimental data showed good fitting to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The maximum F adsorption capacity was 0.110 mmol g–1 with an efficiency of 64.5% (pH 6.0; 5.0 g L–1 Ca-pretreated biomass). The binding of Ca2+ to the biomass increased the removal efficiency over 100%. The F– removal kinetics were rapid, less than 30 min, and best described by the pseudo-second order rate model. The rate constant, the initial sorption rate and the equilibrium sorption capacity were determined. These results may be useful for deprived rural population water supply schemes in Mexico and in other developing countries.