Removal kinetics and mechanisms of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by HA-n-FeS colloids in the absence and presence of oxygen

Youru Yao; Li Yin; Cheng He; Jing Li; Chaloemporn Ponprasit; Yong Zhang; Xinying Cheng; Huan He; Shaogui Yang; Shiyin Li

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114885

Removal kinetics and mechanisms of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by HA-n-FeS colloids in the absence and presence of oxygen

J Environ Manage. 2022 Mar 11:311:114885. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114885. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Youru Yao¹, Li Yin², Cheng He³, Jing Li⁴, Chaloemporn Ponprasit⁵, Yong Zhang⁶, Xinying Cheng⁷, Huan He⁸, Shaogui Yang⁹, Shiyin Li¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin, Anhui Province, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241002, China. Electronic address: 182501005@njnu.edu.cn.
² School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: 182502011@njnu.edu.cn.
³ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200082, China. Electronic address: 171174005@fudan.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: 192501005@njnu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA. Electronic address: cponprasit@crimson.ua.edu.
⁶ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA. Electronic address: yzhang264@ua.edu.
⁷ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: chengxinying1996@163.com.
⁸ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: huanhe@njnu.edu.cn.
⁹ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: yangsg@njnu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ School of Environment, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China; Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, 210023, China. Electronic address: lishiyin@njnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35287078
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114885

Abstract

The colloid of ferrous sulfide modified by humic acid (HA-n-FeS) shows good reduction and immobilization efficiency for variable-valence heavy metals in wastewater. The removal efficiency of HA-n-FeS for halogenated organic pollutants, however, remains unclear, especially in the absence and presence of oxygen. This study addressed this issue by exploring the effect and mechanism of dissolved oxygen on the degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by the HA-n-FeS colloid in water. The results showed that the removal efficiency of different concentrations of TBBPA (5,10, and 20 μm) by the HA-n-FeS colloid was 33.16%, 20.48%, and 22.37% in the absence of oxygen, respectively. When TBBPA reacted with the HA-n-FeS colloid, the concentration of Fe(II) and S(-II) remained stable. The adsorption of HA-n-FeS was the main mechanism of removing TBBPA in the absence of oxygen. In the presence of oxygen, the removal efficiency of TBBPA by the HA-n-FeS colloid was 82.37%, 56.80%, and 43.78% (for the above-mentioned TBBPA concentrations), respectively. In addition, the removal capacity of TBBPA by HA-n-FeS was 39.63, 52.21, and 89.75 mg/g, respectively. The concentration of Fe(II) and S(-II) decreased rapidly in time. Among them, the HA-n-FeS colloid removed part of the TBBPA through chemical adsorption. The main way of chemical adsorption was pore adsorption and functional group (olefin CC, phenolic hydroxyl group O-H, alcohol group C-O) combination. Besides, the HA-n-FeS colloid degraded part of the TBBPA into BPA through reduction, in which 17.72% of TBBPA was removed by the reduction of HA-n-FeS colloid. Fe(II) was the main contributor to the reductive degradation of TBBPA. Furthermore, active species (¹O₂ and •O₂^-) played a minor role in the removal of TBBPA by the HA-n-FeS colloids with oxygen, where 13% of TBBPA was removed by ¹O₂ and •O₂^-. Therefore, in practical applications, the aeration method can be used to significantly improve the removal efficiency of TBBPA by HA-n-FeS colloids in water.

Keywords: Colloid; HA-n-FeS; Oxygen; Reduction; Tetrabromobisphenol A.