One-step strategy for efficient Cr(VI) removal via phytate modified zero-valent iron: Accelerated electron transfer and enhanced coordination effect

Rui Gan; Yuxuan Ye; Ziyi Zhan; Qiuyue Zhang; Yuwei Deng; Yingjie Liu; Haochen Li; Jun Wan; Xuanyuan Pei; Qiang Li; Fei Pan

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133636

One-step strategy for efficient Cr(VI) removal via phytate modified zero-valent iron: Accelerated electron transfer and enhanced coordination effect

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Mar 15:466:133636. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133636. Epub 2024 Jan 28.

Authors

Rui Gan¹, Yuxuan Ye², Ziyi Zhan¹, Qiuyue Zhang¹, Yuwei Deng¹, Yingjie Liu¹, Haochen Li¹, Jun Wan³, Xuanyuan Pei³, Qiang Li³, Fei Pan⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China.
² School of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China; State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. Electronic address: yxye@wtu.edu.cn.
³ School of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China; State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China.
⁴ School of Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China; State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China. Electronic address: fpan@wtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38309166
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133636

Abstract

The toxic Cr(VI) from industrial wastewater pose serious threat to the human beings and eco-systems. To reduce the operation processes and enhance the removal efficiency of Cr(VI), targeted design of functionalized material is critical in practical applications. Herein, we developed a one-step strategy for simultaneous Cr(VI) reduction and total Cr capture by a novel phytate modified zero-valent iron (PA-ZVI). The reaction kinetics of Cr(VI) removal by PA-ZVI (0.2225 min^-1) was 53 times higher compared to ZVI (0.0042 min^-1). The Fe(0) content on the surface of PA-ZVI increased from 2.2% to 15.6% compared to ZVI. Meanwhile, Cr(VI) was liable to adsorb on the surface of PA-ZVI due to its lower adsorption energy compared with the original ZVI (-2.09 eV vs -0.85 eV). The incorporation of the phytate ligand promoted electron transfer from iron core to Cr(VI), leading to the rapid in-situ reduction of Cr(VI) adsorbed on the surface of PA-ZVI to Cr(III). PA-ZVI exhibited a satisfactory performance for Cr(VI) removal at a broad pH range (3-11) and in the presence of coexisting ions and humic acid. Moreover, the reactor with the addition of PA-ZVI achieved more than 90% Cr(VI) removal within 72 h in continuous flow experiments. The feasibility of PA-ZVI for the removal of Cr(VI) is also validated in authentic wastewater. This work provides novel ZVI materials that can effectively address decontamination challenges from Cr(VI) pollution.

Keywords: Coordination effect; Cr (VI) removal; Electron transfer; Phytate modification; Zero-valent iron.