Removal of Lead, Cadmium, and Aluminum Sulfate from Simulated and Real Water with Native and Oxidized Starches

Konstantin B L Borchert,Anastasiya Svirepa,Philipp Zimmermann,Christine Steinbach,Michael Mertig,Berthold Reis,Regine Boldt,Peter Graichen,Simona Schwarz,Rahma Boughanmi,Dana Schwarz,Johannes Schwarz

doi:10.3390/polysaccharides2020027

Konstantin B L Borchert, Anastasiya Svirepa + Show 10 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polysaccharides2020027

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Abstract

The separation of toxic pollutants such as Pb2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ from water is a constant challenge as contamination of natural water bodies is increasing. Al3+ and especially Pb2+ and Cd2+ are ecotoxic and highly toxic for humans, even in ppb concentrations, and therefore removal below a dangerous level is demanding. Herein, the potential adsorber material starch, being ecofriendly, cheap, and abundantly available, was investigated. Thus, four different native starch samples (potato, corn, waxy corn, and wheat starch) and two oxidized starches (oxidized potato and corn starch) were comprehensively analyzed with streaming potential and charge density measurements, SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR, 1H-NMR, and TGA. Subsequently, the starch samples were tested for the adsorption of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ from the respective sulfate salt solution. The adsorption process was analyzed by ICP-OES and SEM-EDX, and the adsorption isotherms were fitted comparing Langmuir, Sips, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Oxidized starch, for which chemical modification is one of the simplest, and also native potato starch were excellent natural adsorber materials for Al3+, Cd2+, and especially Pb2+ in the low concentration range, exhibiting maximum adsorption capacities of 84, 71, and 104 µmol/g for oxidized potato starch, respectively.

Highlights

The amount of environmental contamination and discharges of industrial waste all over the world is increasing at an alarming pace, with a simultaneously growing water demand worldwide [1,2]
The separation of heavy metal ions by technically feasible and cost-efficient adsorber materials is crucial for the water supply of people worldwide, especially in economically weaker countries or for the supply after environmental disasters
We investigated different native starches and oxidized starches, representing the simplest chemical modification, for the adsorption of Al3+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and SO4 2− from Al2 (SO4 )3, CdSO4, and PbSO4 solutions

Summary

Introduction

The amount of environmental contamination and discharges of industrial waste all over the world is increasing at an alarming pace, with a simultaneously growing water demand worldwide [1,2]. The separation of heavy metal ions by technically feasible and cost-efficient adsorber materials is crucial for the water supply of people worldwide, especially in economically weaker countries or for the supply after environmental disasters. Different separation methods can be applied such as ion exchange, membrane filtration, chemical precipitation, electrocoagulation, and reverse osmosis [3] These methods are very costly and can be exorbitantly resource-consuming when upscaled to huge factories. These methods partially have negative impacts on nature when used excessively [4]. In order for these problems to be circumvented, adsorption methods using biopolymers can be applied, wherein they feature several advantages as they are biodegradable, renewable, abundant, compostable, and environmentally friendly [5,6]

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