Application potential of zero-valent aluminum in nitrophenols wastewater decontamination: Enhanced reactivity, electron selectivity and anti-passivation capability

Yang Li; Xiaojuan Bao; Shiying Yang; Qianfeng Li; Danyang Fan; Hanchen Wang; Dongye Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131313

Application potential of zero-valent aluminum in nitrophenols wastewater decontamination: Enhanced reactivity, electron selectivity and anti-passivation capability

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Jun 15:452:131313. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131313. Epub 2023 Mar 28.

Authors

Yang Li¹, Xiaojuan Bao¹, Shiying Yang², Qianfeng Li¹, Danyang Fan¹, Hanchen Wang¹, Dongye Zhao³

Affiliations

¹ College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
² College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Geological Engineering (MEGE), Qingdao 266100, China; Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266100, China. Electronic address: ysy@ouc.edu.cn.
³ Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.

PMID: 36996543
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131313

Abstract

Nitrophenols (NPs) are highly toxic and easy to accumulate to high concentrations (> 500 mg/L) in real wastewater. The nitro group contained in NPs is an electron-absorbing group that is easy to reduce and difficult to oxidize, so there is an urgent need to develop reduction removal technology. Zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl) is an excellent electron donor that can reductively transform various refractory pollutants. However, ZVAl is prone to rapid deactivation due to non-selective reactions with water, ions, etc. To overcome this critical limitation, we prepared a new type of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modified microscale ZVAl, CNTs@mZVAl, through a facile mechanochemical ball milling method. CNTs@mZVAl had outstanding high reactivity in degrading p-nitrophenol even 1000 mg/L and showed up to 95.50% electron utilization efficiency. Moreover, CNTs@mZVAl was highly resistant to the passivation by dissolved oxygen, ions and natural organic matters coexisting in water matrix, and remained highly reactive after aging in the air for 10 days. Furthermore, CNTs@mZVAl could effectively remove dinitrodiazophenol from real explosive wastewater. The excellent performance of CNTs@mZVAl is due to the combination of selective adsorption of NPs and CNTs-mediated e-transfer. CNTs@mZVAl looks promising for the efficient and selective degradation of NPs, with broader prospects for real wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Anti-passivation; Nitrophenols; Reaction selectivity; Real industrial wastewater; Zero-valent aluminum.