Real Water Research Articles

A smartphone-assisted chromogenic and fluorogenic dual-channel sensor for specific determination of toxic Pb2+ ions with multifaceted applications

Heavy metal pollutants, such as Pb2+ ions, pose a substantial hazard to human health and ecosystems, and it was of great significance to develop cost-effective and portable techniques for online and visual detection of Pb2+. Herein, we fabricated a novel chromogenic and fluorogenic dual-channel sensor NQA through a Schiff base reaction involving a dicyanoisophorone derivative and isoniazid, enabling effective detection of Pb2+ ions. Upon complexation with Pb2+ ions at a 1:1 M ratio, the fluorescence intensity of NQA exhibited a remarkable enhancement. The naked-eye colorimetric detection utilizing NQA demonstrated a distinct color change to specific Pb2+ ions concentration from yellow to light pink. Based on this principle, a smartphone-assisted sensing platform was developed for visual and high-quality identification of Pb2+ in real samples. The UV binding constant for Pb2+ ions was determined to be 1.84 × 105 M−1, with a detection limit of 0.38 μM. Furthermore, the versatility of NQA extended to applications in naked-eye test paper experiments, the detection of Pb2+ ions in real water samples and living cells, showcasing its potential for environmental and biological monitoring.

Optimizing natural organic matter removal at the Koka water treatment plant, Ethiopia, using soil–alum composite material

ABSTRACT Conventional water treatment methods often fail to remove natural organic matter (NOM), leading to the formation of harmful disinfection by-products in chlorinated water. This study aimed to develop a synergistic, local soil–aluminum sulfate (alum) composite material to enhance NOM removal from real water samples. Locally derived soil (Chalaltu) samples were collected from selected locations and subjected to thermal treatment at elevated temperatures. The thermally treated soil was then combined with alum at varying mixing percentages to create the composite material. The synthesized composite materials were thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller techniques. The alum-treated soil, obtained through thermal treatment at 500 °C with a mixing ratio of 50%, a dosage of 25 mg/L, and a settling time of 25 min, exhibited impressive removal efficiencies. The composite material increased removal efficiency by 1.5 times for both UV254 absorbance (91.1%) and dissolved organic carbon (90%), while reducing the alum dose by 58% compared to the existing Koka water treatment plant process. Reducing alum usage could lead to cost savings and alleviate concerns about its association with Alzheimer's disease. This technique is essential within the context of water treatment technology.

Highly sensitive detection of organophosphorus pesticides in water using a carboxyl-functionalized magnetic covalent organic framework

The development of novel methods for the precise quantification of organophosphate pesticides (OPPs), with enhanced accuracy, sensitivity, and efficiency, is crucial for environmental monitoring and human health risk assessment. In this study, Fe3O4@SiO2@COF-COOH magnetic core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized by coating a carboxyl-functionalized covalent organic framework (COF-COOH) onto the surface of amino-modified silica-coated iron(III) oxide particles (Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2). The incorporation of carboxyl groups, covalent organic framework and magnetic properties imparted superior performance to the adsorbent in magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of polar compounds from complex sample matrices. An analytical method based on Fe3O4@SiO2@COF-COOH coupled with GC–MS/MS was developed for the determination of eight organophosphate pesticide residues in river water near farmland. The established method displays good linearity in the range of 0.1–500 ng/mL for four OPPs and 1–2000 ng/mL for the other four, with correlation coefficients between 0.9903–0.9983. The LODs (S/N = 3) and LOQs (S/N = 10) were determined to be in the ranges of 0.53–9.6 ng/L and 1.8–31.9 ng/L, respectively. The adsorption mechanism was characterized by density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, the established method was successfully applied to analyze the distribution of trace OPPs in real river water samples collected from various cities in Henan Province. Its rapid, straightforward, and efficient ability to enrich trace levels of OPPs from complex real-world samples makes it a valuable tool for environmental monitoring, food safety, and human health management.

Improvement of tetracycline removal using amino acid ionic liquid modified magnetic biochar based on theoretical design

In current research, biochar is widely used to remove antibiotic contamination from the environment. However, original biochar produced through direct pyrolysis has significant limitations in removing antibiotics. In this paper, response surface methodology provided the laudable choice for magnetic poplar biochar (MPBC) considering the synergistic effect of multi-factors as well as the restrictions abundance experiments during the preparation of MPBC. Amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) are a class of ionic liquids in which amino acids act as the anionic component, combining the tunable properties of ionic liquids with the biocompatibility and functionality of amino acids. To ameliorate adsorption capacity of MPBC, tetra-ethylammonium glycinate ([TEA][Gly]) with the best affinity for tetracycline (TC) were screened from 600 AAILs based on theoretical predictions using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) without extensive experimental. Furthermore, AAILs-modified magnetic biochar (MPBC-AAIL) was synthesized chemically for the first time. Adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic analyses revealed that TC adsorption by both MPBC and MPBC-AAIL is a monolayer, spontaneous, and exothermic chemical process. Moreover, MPBC-AAIL exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 305.9 mg·g−1. Meanwhile, MPBC-AAIL maintains superior adsorption performance for TC in different impurity solutions as well as in real water samples. The excellent reusability and selective adsorption capacity of the material demonstrate the superiority of the theoretical based design. The characterization reveals that the adsorption mechanisms include pore filling, π-π interactions, surface complexation, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions. In addition, theoretical calculations showed that ionic liquid modification altered the adsorption sites between TC and MPBC-AAIL, leading to enhanced adsorption. This comprehensive study introduces an innovative modification of biochar, providing a novel approach to designing biochar composites and promoting their application in the remediation of complex environmental pollution.

Headspace-single drop microextraction based visual colorimetry for non-chromatographic speciation analysis of nitrite and nitrate in environmental water sample

In this work, a visual colorimetric method based on headspace-single drop microextraction (HS-SDME) was developed for the non-chromatographic speciation analysis of nitrite and nitrate. The method adequately exploited the individual chemical vapor conditions of nitrite and nitrate that were converted to NO by specific reductants. Gaseous NO underwent a diazotization reaction with chromogenic reagent through the HS-SDME process to change from colorless to purplish-red. Instead of using large, time-consuming and relatively complicated chromatographic equipment for separation, the species of nitrite and nitrate could be analyzed by simply changing the reagents. Meanwhile, the extraction method effectively mitigated the matrix interference of solution and improved the sensitivity of method, with intuitive discrimination of color by the naked eye. The limits of detection were 0.07 μg/mL for nitrite and 0.2 μg/mL for nitrate, respectively. This method has been applied to analysis of real environmental water samples, which also effectively extended the application scope of HS-SDME device.

Alcohol ink-modified microfluidic paper-based analytical devices for enhanced white detection in simultaneous determination of multiple water quality indicators.

White detection remains a critical limitation in using colorimetry to determinesubstances with microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs). Here, we introduced a simple, safe alcohol ink-modified µPAD for the straightforward and facile detection of white color in precipitation reactions. Although absolute alcohol ink was found to cause device leakage, dilution of the ink with water was the key to successfully precoat wax-created µPADs. Device utility was demonstrated through simultaneous detection of sulfate, phosphate, and waterhardness via precipitation reactions. While phosphate interfered with sulfate detection by Ba2+, in situ distance-based quantification of phosphate was implemented. Aside from anions, the modified µPADs could be extended to detect cationic analytes such as total hardness. The limits of detection (LODs) for sulfate, phosphate, and hardness were 0.005mmol L-1, 0.005mmol L-1, and 0.5mmol L-1, respectively, with the linear ranges of 0.01-10.0mmol L-1, 0.005-1.0mmol L-1, and 0.001-0.5mol L-1. The µPADs were applied to real water samples, demonstrating results that were consistent with standard methods at a 95% confidence level. By incorporating white detection, these alcohol ink-modified µPADs offer enhanced versatility for addressing a broader array of analytical challenges in real-world settings.

Reactive Fluorescent and Colorimetric Probe for Highly Selective and Sensitive Detection of Hg2+ in Real Water Samples.

Construction of efficient chemosensors for highly specific and sensitive detection of mercury ions remains a great challenge. In this work a highly selective and sensitive probe CY was designed and synthesized by using coumarin fluorophore as the matrix and thioacetal moiety as the reactive recognition site for Hg2+. By virtue of the thiophilicity of Hg2+, probe CL could be hydrolyzed to deprotect and the thioacetal was transformed to the acyl group after the addition of Hg2+, the blue-green fluorescence was quenched and meanwhile the solution changed from light green to yellow. The detection limit of probe CY for Hg2+ was as low as 6.8 nM, and it could completely react with Hg2+ within 3min. Moreover, probe CY exhibited good resistance against interference from competitive metal ions and biothiols, high stability in pH 1-11 and applicability for fluorogenic and chromogenic dual-modal detection of Hg2+ in real water samples over a broad range of pH 5-10.

Photochemical and electrochemical behavior of a molecular probe: Fluorescence on-off-on response to detect multiple ions (Cu2+, ClO− and CN−) with different rate of reaction

A molecular probe 3 containing phenyl substituted imidazolyl unit and diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) moiety has been synthesized and characterized. Photophysical and electrochemical behavior probe 3 were studied in partial aqueous medium (ACN/H2O, 9.5:0.5 v/v). Probe 3 upon interaction with different class of ions showed sensitivity for Cu2+, ClO− and CN− ions with different response time and reaction rates due to variation in intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process. Both Cu2+ and ClO− ions displayed enhanced emission due to hydrolysis of imine bond to form compound 2 in the medium whereas, with CN− fluorescence quenching was observed due to the deprotonation of –OH/–NH2 functions. The kinetic and optical behavior of the probe suggested that interaction occurred in two steps with Cu2+ (complexation and hydrolysis; absk1,2,3(Cu2+) = 1.17, 0.74 and 0.06 s−1) and ClO− (hydrolysis and deprotonation; absk1,2(ClO−) = 3.0 and 0.60 s−1) ions while CN− (absk1,2(CN−) = 2.13 and 1.66 s−1) induces deprotonation in one step. The interaction of probe 3 with ClO− was relatively fast than with Cu2+/CN− ions. Job's plot analysis between probe 3 and ions revealed a 1:1 (Cu2+/ClO−) and 1:2 (CN−) ratio stoichiometry with good limit of detection (nM) and binding affinity (LOD, 17; KCu2+ = 3.23 × 106 M−1; LOD, 18.5; KClO− = 5.23 × 105 M−1 and LOD, 23.2; KCN− = 5.50 × 109 M−2) respectively. Probe 3 displayed a naked–eye sensitive fluorescence response to detect tested ions on test paper strips and good recovery percentage of ions in real water sample analysis.

Selective Chromogenic Chemosensors for Arsenite Anion: A Facile Approach to Analyzing Arsenite in Honey, Milk, and Water Samples.

In this study, two chemosensors, N5R1 and N5R2, based on 5-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-furaldehyde, with varying electron-withdrawing groups, were synthesized and effectively employed for the colorimetric selective detection of arsenite anions in a DMSO/H2O solvent mixture (8 : 2, v/v). Chemosensors N5R1 and N5R2 exhibited a distinct color change upon binding with arsenite, accompanied by a spectral shift toward the near-infrared region (Δλmax exceeding 200 nm). These chemosensors established stability between a pH range 6-12. Among them, N5R2 displayed the lowest detection limit of 17.63 ppb with a high binding constant of 2.6163×105 M-1 for arsenite. The binding mechanism involved initial hydrogen bonding between the NH binding site and the arsenite anion, followed by deprotonation and an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism. The mechanism was confirmed through UV and 1H NMR titrations, cyclic voltammetric studies, and theoretical calculations. The interactions between the sensor and arsenite anions were further analyzed using global reactivity parameters (GRPs). Practical applications were demonstrated through the utilization of test strips and molecular logic gates. Real water samples, honey, and milk samples were successfully analyzed by both chemosensors for the sensing of arsenite.

Gadolinium doping-induced electronic structure optimization of MIL-101-NH2: Efficient adsorption of arsenic (V) and phosphorus and electrochemical regeneration

The high concentration of acids/bases used to regenerate MOF adsorbents can compromise their structural integrity and may generate additional environmental pollution. The regeneration challenges of MOF adsorbents limit their use in environmental applications. Here, the electronic structure of the iron-based metal–organic framework MIL-101-NH2 was optimized by gadolinium (Gd) doping to provide oxygen vacancies and enhance the electrochemical activity for the selective removal of arsenic(V) and phosphorus from water. 0.75GF-MILN, which was prepared using a gadolinium to iron molar ratio of 0.75, showed a maximum arsenic(V) adsorption capacity of 220.7 mg g−1 and maximum phosphorus adsorption capacity of 112.8 mg P g−1. Increasing the temperature was conducive to the adsorption of arsenic(V) and phosphorus by 0.75GF-MILN, which also maintained a high uptake capacity for arsenic(V) and phosphorus over the pH range of 4.0–9.0. The electro-assisted desorption of arsenic(V) and phosphorus from 0.75GF-MILN was achieved at −3 V. Moreover, 0.75GF-MILN still maintained 99 % arsenic(V) and phosphorus removal efficiencies from real water samples even after four cycles of electro-assisted adsorption–desorption. Density functional theory calculations and electrochemical tests showed that gadolinium doping optimizes the electron structure of MIL-101-NH2, leading to improved electron mobility. This is beneficial for electrochemical elution. Unlike other rare earth-doped MOF materials, arsenic can be desorbed from 0.75GF-MILN using a capacitive deionization process, avoiding the destruction of the MOF via exposure to a highly concentrated acid-base desorption solution. This study provides a design strategy for constructing adsorbents suitable for electrochemical elution to co-remove arsenic(V) and phosphorus, demonstrating the practicality of using rare earth-doped MOF materials in the field of water treatment.

Persistent luminescent nanoparticles with enhanced afterglow through polydopamine modification for separation-free and visual detection of iron ions in water

Fluorescence analysis is one of the most popular methods in metal ions detection, but the background interference is an unavoidable obstacle in the fluorescence analysis of complex samples. In this work, a persistent luminescence nanoprobe was designed to detect iron ions in real samples by avoiding background interference. First, the Sr4Al14O25:Eu2+, Dy3+ persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) were prepared by solid-state reaction protocols and polydopamine (PDA) encapsulation. After modification, these PLNPs@PDA showed better afterglow performance. More importantly, the PLNPs@PDA are highly selective toward iron ions, and could serve as an afterglow “turn off” nanoprobe for selective detection of iron ions through a dynamic quenching mechanism, with a detection limit of 2.86 μM. To further realize rapid and on-site detection, a test strip based on PLNPs@PDA was prepared and applied, which also showed good detection performance in real water samples. Compared with other detection methods, this afterglow imaging detection does not depend on expensive instruments, and can effectively shield the interference of background fluorescence from complex water samples, which has a good application prospects in the actual water sample. This work opens a new avenue for developing afterglow probe for the detection of metal ion in water samples without background interference.

Silicate Derived from Phaeodactylum tricornutum for Removal of Polystyrene: Interfacial Effects of Living Organism and Its Derivatives with Nanoplastics.

The deposition of nanoplastics in the environment poses a direct threat to human health through the food chain. There is an urgent need to investigate how they can be effectively removed from water. In this work, the toxic effects of nanopolystyrene (PS) at different concentrations on Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) were investigated. The results show that PS affects the cell activity of PT through cell wall adhesion and shading effect and hinders the transmission of light energy, thus inhibiting the growth of PT. Considering that living PT is not suitable for the removal of heterogeneous aggregation of PS, magnesium silicate (MS) was obtained by calcination of PT biomass based on retaining salt. The maximum adsorption capacity of PS by MS was 40.85 mg g-1, which was 10 times higher than that of conventional adsorbents. The presence of competitive anions significantly affects the removal of PS. The application in real water bodies and the reusability of the adsorbents were also verified. By characterizing the materials before and after adsorption, it is found that the adsorption mechanism mainly includes electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, π-π interaction, and complexation between Si-O bond and PS. This study explains the toxic effect of nano-PS on PT and innovatively develops a biomass derivative from diatoms, which provides a novel and feasible strategy for environmental remediation.

Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrodechlorination and Detoxification of Chlorophenols by Palladium-Palladium Oxide Heterostructure.

Electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination is a promising approach for simultaneous pollutant purification and valorization. However, the lack of electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity and selectivity limits its application. Here, we propose a palladium-palladium oxide (Pd-PdO) heterostructure for efficient electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination of recalcitrant chlorophenols and selective formation of phenol with superior Pd-mass activity (1.35 min-1 mgPd-1), which is 4.4 times of commercial Pd/C and about 10-100 times of reported Pd-based catalysts. The Pd-PdO heterostructure is stable in real water matrices and achieves selective phenol recovery (>99%) from the chlorophenol mixture and efficient detoxification along chlorophenol removal. Experimental results and computational modeling reveal that the adsorption/desorption behaviors of zerovalent Pd and PdO sites in the Pd-PdO heterostructure are optimized and a synergy is realized to promote atomic hydrogen (H*) generation, transfer, and utilization: H* is efficiently generated at zerovalent Pd sites, transferred to PdO sites, and eventually consumed in the dechlorination reaction at PdO sites. This work provides a promising strategy to realize the synergy of Pd with different valence states in the metal-metal oxide heterostructure for simultaneous decontamination, detoxification, and resource recovery from halogenated organic pollutants.

A Turn‐On Fluorescence Probe Based on a New Salamo‐Co (II) Coordination Polymer for Tyrosine Detection and Its Application in Water Samples

ABSTRACTA novel salamo‐Co (II) coordination polymer probe CP was synthesized firstly, and its crystal structure, [Co3(L)2(PTA)(H2O)2]n·4nDMF, was determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The probe has a rare aggregation‐induced luminescence enhancement (AIEE) effect. When applied to amino acid detection, it was found to have a high selective recognition of tyrosine. With the increase of tyrosine, the fluorescent strength of the probe was enhanced in a short period of time. In addition, the binding ratio of probe to Tyr was determined by fluorescence titration experiment, and the detection limit LOD of probe CP for Tyr was calculated to be 2.57 × 10−9 M, and the binding constant Ka was 2.96 × 105 M−1. According to UV absorption spectrum, FT‐IR spectra, ESI mass spectrometry, and DFT calculation, it was speculated that Tyr can bind to the probe after adding Tyr into the probe solution, triggering FRET and ICT effects, resulting in increased fluorescence intensity and blue shift, and finally achieving the specific recognition of tyrosine by probe CP. Finally, the practical application of probe CP was studied. Through strip test and real water sample test, it was found that the probe can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of tyrosine.

Ultrasound-assisted rapid growth of chemically bonded bifunctional mesoporous covalent organic framework submicrospheres on a nickel-chromium alloy support for efficient solid-phase microextraction of bisphenols from water and milk samples

A layer-by-layer chemical bonding strategy was developed for fast in situ growth of bifunctional mesoporous covalent organic framework submicrospheres (COF SMSs) on the nickel-chromium alloy (Ni-Cr) fiber substrate via the ultrasound-assisted Schiff-base reaction for the first time. COF SMSs showed well-defined morphology, extraordinary high surface area (1211 m2·g−1) and narrow mesopore (2.50 nm) as well as excellent stability. Furthermore, the resulting Ni-Cr fiber presented outstanding adsorption capability and improved selectivity for bisphenols (BPs). Consequently, an attractive SPME-HPLC-UV approach with the Ni-Cr@Ni-Cr LDHs NSs@COF SMSs fiber was proposed for rapid preconcentration and sensitive determination of BPs. By optimizing adsorption parameters, the SPME-HPLC-UV method presented good linearity for five BPs in the ranges of 0.02–200 ng·mL−1 with coefficients of determination (R2) higher than 0.999. Limits of detection and limits of quantitation were obtained from 0.003 ng·mL−1 to 0.006 ng·mL−1 and from 0.010 to 0.019 ng·mL−1, respectively. Moreover, the intra-day and inter-day precision expressed as relative standard deviations (RSDs) was 1.57–3.52 % and 2.65–4.38 % for the proposed method with a single fiber, respectively. RSDs of the proposed method with different duplicate fibers were 3.25–6.72 %. The proposed SPME-HPLC-UV method was available for efficient preconcentration and sensitive detection of five BPs from real water and milk samples. The relative recoveries at three spiking levels of BPs were achieved in the range of 80.00–118.8 % with RSDs below 7.81 %. In addition, the prepared fiber still exhibited satisfactory adsorption performance after 120 adsorption-desorption cycles.

An interesting aggregation induced red shifted emissive and ESIPT active hydroxycoumarin tagged symmetrical azine: Colorimetric and fluorescent turn on–off–on response towards Cu2+ and Cysteine, real sample analysis and logic gate application

We report a newly synthesized 7-diethylamino-4-hydroxycoumarin tagged symmetrical azine derivative (SHC), with an interesting color transformation from yellowish green to orange via aggregation induced red shifted emissive (117 nm) feature in THF-H2O mixture. Interestingly, the single crystal X-ray analysis of this molecule demonstrates that two hydroxycoumarin moieties were present in azine unit, among them one of the coumarin units was exist as enol form and another one transferred to keto form via ground state proton transfer reaction. The optical responses of the compound in different solvents exposed the observation of dual emissive bands which corresponds to the presence of ESIPT phenomenon in SHC molecule. Further, this characteristic was confirmed by absorption, emission, solid state structure and time resolved fluorescence decay measurements. Furthermore, the fluorophore, SHC was exploited as a colorimetric and turn on–off–on fluorescent probe for detection of Cu2+ ions and Cysteine (Cys). The 1:1 binding ratio of the probe with Cu2+ and Cys with SHC-Cu2+, was established via Job plot analysis, mass spectral technique and the DFT calculations. The probe, SHC was employed for the detection of copper ions in the environmental real water samples. Finally, the reversible fluorescent turn on–off–on character of the probe, SHC was established to construct the IMPLICATION logic gate application.

Modulating structure of Ce-UiO-66 by introducing fluorinated terephthalic acid for enhanced removal efficiency of antibiotics: Insights into degradation kinetics and pathways

In this work, the 2-fluoroterephthalic acid with asymmetric structure and high electronegative F species was introduced in the assembly of Ce-UiO-66 catalysts to increase the defect density and enlarge pore structure for enhancement in removal efficiency of sulfamethoxazole. Owing to the strong coordination ability from high electronegative F species of 2-fluoroterephthalic acid with Ce-oxo nodes, the designed CUF exhibited improved interfacial properties (accelerated electron transfer rate, available active sites and enhanced interaction with PMS), which was favorable for the exploration and accessibility of active sites with sulfamethoxazole and PMS to decrease the adsorption barrier and accelerate PMS activation. As a result, the CUF catalysts exhibited higher adsorption capacity (173.4 mg/g) than that of CUH (117.8 mg/g), the enhanced degradation efficiency of sulfamethoxazole with a rate constant higher than 2.3 times CUH, good elimination (>95 %) of methylene blue, tetracycline and ibuprofen. In addition, the CUF/PMS system possessed satisfactory stability in wide solution pH, recycling and real water and good potential application in continuous wastewater treatment based on the designed dynamic catalytic reactor. This work provided deep insight into the design of catalysts with high adsorption performance and degradation efficiency based on the structure–activity relationship.

Highly efficient removal of trace thallium from surface water by Co@Fe Prussian blue analogue coated membrane

Super trace thallium(I) (Tl+) is still highly toxic and its removal from surface water is challenging. Here, we developed a new adsorptive membrane by immobilizing bimetal (cobalt and iron) Prussian blue analogues (Co@Fe-PBAs) on a polytetrafluoroethylene microporous membrane (Co@Fe-PBAs-M). The prepared membrane displayed precise adsorption of trace Tl+ (50 μg/L) from complex water. A variety of interfering factors, such as water pH, competitive adsorption of positive ions (Na+ and K+) and negative ions (CO32– and PO43-), natural organic matters (e.g., fulvic acid and bovine serum albumin) were evaluated during Tl removal. The composite membrane showed high removal efficiency (over 80 %) during long-term dynamic membrane separation of surface water containing super trace Tl+ (<2.0 μg/L), breaking through the adsorption limitation in ultralow concentration of Tl+. The unique bimetal electron transfer of Co@Fe-PBAs-M reinforced the adsorptive performance to Tl+ through dual ion exchange and intercalation. In the treatment of real Pearl River water containing 0.5 μg/L of Tl+, our membrane effectively reduced the Tl+ concentration to 0.04 μg/L during 6-h continuous separation, which was far below the required level for drinking water (i.e., 0.1 μg/L). This work offers a promising solution for safe drinking water by remedying ultralow Tl+ contaminated surface water.

Alginate/clinoptilolite beads as a novel adsorbent for reducing the salinity of industrial wastewater: adsorption kinetics and isotherm study

ABSTRACT Treatment and desalination of unconventional water are considered important alternatives to combat water scarcity in Tunisia. This study demonstrates a viable approach to the increasing possibility of the salinity reduction of industrial effluent through adsorption. In this work, a novel alginate complex was developed for reducing the salinity of the industrial wastewater to be reinjected and reused again within the industrial process and even in agriculture. The Calcium alginate/clinoptilolite beads (Ca-Alg/Clino beads) were prepared using sodium alginate (2%) solution and calcium chloride (4%) solution as the crosslinking agent with clinoptilolite. Batch experiments were carried out to test the adsorption capacity of the synthetised Ca-Alg/Clino beads. It was found that the salinity reduction process depends strongly on the pH, the adsorbent mass, the interaction time, and the initial salt concentration. The highest reduction efficiency and salinity reduction were achieved at pH (6-7). Batch adsorption experiments indicated that Ca-Alg/Clino beads allow an excellent salinity reduction of up to 96.83% for a dosage adsorbent/water of 2 g/L and a salinity of 6 g/L at a contact time of 20 min. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 30.1 mg/g. The optimal adsorption pH was 7. The adsorption isotherms data follow well the Langmuir model. The separation factor, RL = 0.74, indicates that the adsorption process is favourable. The kinetics data favour the pseudo-second-order model. The fabricated beads can be reused 5 times without any weight loss. This material has excellent efficiency when applied to real environmental water.

Precision picric acid detection via a fluorenone-amide functionalized fluorescent micellar probe

Detection of picric acid (PA) in aqueous solutions is crucial for pollution control, extending beyond national security and military applications. Herein, a binary ensemble AM@SDS has been assembled by encapsulating a fluorenone functionalized amide-based probe (AM) within the micelles of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in an aqueous medium. A range of spectroscopic techniques, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and fluorescence spectroscopy (FL), have been employed to characterize the formation of micelles of AM@SDS. A remarkable increase in fluorescence intensity was observed upon interactions of AM with the microenvironment of SDS micelles. Conversely, the fluorescence intensity at 358 nm was significantly quenched in the presence of PA compared to other nitroaromatic compounds (NACs). The detection limit for PA was found to be 368 nM. Furthermore, the binary ensemble AM@SDS has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in detecting PA in real water samples from diverse sources such as lake, river, and tap water, achieving an exceptional recovery rate of up to 99.9 %.