Simultaneous removal of phenanthrene and Pb using novel PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads

Xiaoran Zhang; Haoyu Du; Chunxia Wang; Junfeng Liu; Qiao Zhang; Ziyang Zhang; Chaohong Tan; Haiyan Li; Yuansheng Hu

doi:10.1007/s11356-024-32986-8

Simultaneous removal of phenanthrene and Pb using novel PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Apr 13. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32986-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiaoran Zhang^{1

2}, Haoyu Du¹, Chunxia Wang^{2

3}, Junfeng Liu⁴, Qiao Zhang^{1

2}, Ziyang Zhang², Chaohong Tan^{1

2}, Haiyan Li^{5

6}, Yuansheng Hu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 102616, China.
² Beijing Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Urban Sewage System Construction and Risk Control, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China.
³ Beijing Building Technology Development Co, Ltd, Beijing, 100039, China.
⁴ Department of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Beijing Vocational College of Agriculture, Beijing, 102442, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 102616, China. lihaiyan@bucea.edu.cn.
⁶ Beijing Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Urban Sewage System Construction and Risk Control, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China. lihaiyan@bucea.edu.cn.
⁷ UCD Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, School of Civil Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, D04 V1W8, Ireland.

PMID: 38613749
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32986-8

Abstract

PPG-CNTs-nZVI bead was synthesized by polyvinyl alcohol, pumice, carbon nanotube, and guar gum-nanoscale zero-valent iron to be applied on simultaneously removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; phenanthrene) and heavy metals (Pb²⁺) via adsorption. The individual and simultaneous removal efficiency of phenanthrene and Pb²⁺ using the PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads was evaluated with a range of initial concentrations of these two pollutants. The kinetics and isotherms of phenanthrene and Pb²⁺ adsorption by the PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads were also determined. The PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads show reasonably high phenanthrene adsorption capacities (up to 0.16 mg/g), and they absorbed 85% of the phenanthrene (initial concentration 0.5 mg/L) in 30 min. High Pb²⁺ adsorption capabilities were also demonstrated by the PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads (up to 11.6 mg/g). The adsorption fits the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The adsorption still remained stable with various ionic strength circumstances and a wide pH range (2-5). Additionally, the co-adsorption of phenanthrene and Pb²⁺ by the PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads resulted in synergistic effects. Particularly, phenanthrene-Pb²⁺ complex formation via π-cation interactions demonstrated a greater affinity than phenanthrene or Pb²⁺ alone. The present findings suggest that PPG-CNTs-nZVI beads may be effective sorbents for the simultaneous removal of PAHs and heavy metals from contaminated waters.

Keywords: Adsorption; Beads; Heavy metal; PAH; Synthesis; pH.