Lead (Pb) sorption to hydrophobic and hydrophilic zeolites in the presence and absence of MTBE

Yunhui Zhang; Daniel S Alessi; Ning Chen; Mina Luo; Weiduo Hao; Md Samrat Alam; Shannon L Flynn; Janice P L Kenney; Kurt O Konhauser; Yong Sik Ok; Abir Al-Tabbaa

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126528

Lead (Pb) sorption to hydrophobic and hydrophilic zeolites in the presence and absence of MTBE

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Oct 15:420:126528. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126528. Epub 2021 Jun 29.

Authors

Yunhui Zhang¹, Daniel S Alessi², Ning Chen³, Mina Luo⁴, Weiduo Hao⁵, Md Samrat Alam⁶, Shannon L Flynn⁷, Janice P L Kenney⁸, Kurt O Konhauser⁵, Yong Sik Ok⁹, Abir Al-Tabbaa¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom; Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Canada.
² Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Canada. Electronic address: alessi@ualberta.ca.
³ Canadian Light Source Inc., University of Saskatchewan, 114 Science Plane, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X4, Canada.
⁴ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China.
⁵ Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Canada.
⁶ Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2E3, Canada; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B1, Canada.
⁷ School of Natural and Environmental Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RE, United Kingdom.
⁸ Department of Physical Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2P2, Canada.
⁹ Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
¹⁰ Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom.

PMID: 34265651
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126528

Abstract

The co-contamination of the environment by metals and organic pollutants is a significant concern, and one such example is lead (Pb) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) due to their historic use as fuel additives. Clinoptilolite is an abundant and efficient zeolite for metal removal, but the potential interference of co-existing organic pollutants on metal removal, such as MTBE, have rarely been discussed. In this study, a combination of batch sorption tests and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses were employed to investigate Pb sorption mechanism(s) onto clinoptilolite in the presence and absence of MTBE. A comparison was made to synthetic ZSM-5 zeolite to gain insights into differences in Pb binding mechanisms between hydrophilic (clinoptilolite) and hydrophobic (ZSM-5) zeolites. Site occupancy and surface precipitation contributed equally to Pb removal by clinoptilolite, while surface precipitation was the main Pb removal mechanism for ZSM-5 followed by site occupancy. Despite the negligible effect of 100 mg/L MTBE on observed Pb removal from solution by both zeolites, a surface-embedded Pb removal mechanism, through the Mg site on clinoptilolite surface, arises when MTBE is present. This study provides an understanding of atomic-level Pb uptake mechanisms on zeolites, with and without co-contaminating MTBE, which aids in their application in water treatment at co-contaminated sites.

Keywords: Advanced spectroscopic analysis; Clean water and sanitation; Sorbent; Surface coating; Zeolite.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Lead
Methyl Ethers*
Water Pollutants, Chemical*
Water Purification*
Zeolites*

Substances

Methyl Ethers
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Zeolites
methyl tert-butyl ether
Lead