One-pot synthesis of magnetic Prussian blue for the highly selective removal of thallium(I) from wastewater: Mechanism and implications

Hailong Zhang; Jianying Qi; Fang Liu; Zhangxin Wang; Xiaoming Ma; Di He

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126972

One-pot synthesis of magnetic Prussian blue for the highly selective removal of thallium(I) from wastewater: Mechanism and implications

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Feb 5;423(Pt A):126972. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126972. Epub 2021 Aug 20.

Authors

Hailong Zhang¹, Jianying Qi², Fang Liu³, Zhangxin Wang⁴, Xiaoming Ma⁵, Di He⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: Hailong.Zhang@gdut.edu.cn.
² South China Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Ecology and Environmental, Guangzhou 510655, China. Electronic address: qjyyjq78@163.com.
³ Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: fangliu@gdut.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: zhangxin.wang@gdut.edu.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: jill_mxm@126.com.
⁶ Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China. Electronic address: di.he@gdut.edu.cn.

PMID: 34461549
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126972

Abstract

Thallium (Tl) often enters the environment via mineral exploitation and utilization. The main restriction of Tl removal is the interference of high concentrations of coexisting ions in wastewater, therefore, enhancing the selectivity for Tl is essential to its treatment. Magnetic Prussian blue particles (Fe₃O₄@PB), an ion-sieving material with an open structure, were synthesized through a "one-pot" method at room temperature for the highly selective removal of Tl⁺. The removal percentage of Tl⁺ was over 92% even when the concentration of coexisting ions (e.g. Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺) were 10,000 times higher than the initial concentration of Tl⁺. The maximal experimental removal capacity was 528 mg Tl/g Fe₃O₄@PB, and the removal percentage remained steady at pH 3-10. The high selectivity of Fe₃O₄@PB for Tl⁺ is attributed to the fact that hydrated Tl⁺ has a smaller hydrated diameter and a lower hydration free energy than other coexisting ions, while the rapid adsorption kinetics of Tl⁺ results from the negative surface charge and the network of nanocapillaries of the Fe₃O₄@PB. Overall, a new low-cost material that is easy to synthesize and has superior Tl⁺ removal capacity with extremely high selectivity for Tl⁺ was obtained for effective magnetic removal of thallium from wastewater.

Keywords: Fe(3)O(4)@PB; Hydration free energy; Ion-sieving; Selective adsorption; Thallium.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Ferrocyanides
Magnetic Phenomena
Thallium / analysis
Wastewater*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Ferrocyanides
Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Thallium
ferric ferrocyanide