Impact of Nonaqueous Phase Liquid on Cr(VI) Removal by Nano Zerovalent Iron Particles: Effects of Contact Time, Pollution Load, and pH
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 27, Issue 2
Abstract
Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) was synthesized and employed for treating chromium(VI) containing aqueous solution through adsorption using a series of microcosm experiments. The experiments were then performed to study the effects of a light nonaqueous phase liquid, toluene, on Cr(VI) removal by nZVI. Results showed that a maximum removal efficiency of almost 90% was achieved within 300 min of the treatment process, while it was suppressed by approximately 25% in toluene’s copresence. The efficiency was found to be higher (>80%) at pH 3–7 and reduced to 30.3% at pH 9. No significant change in the removal was observed due to a change in pH under toluene’s copresence (57%–65% removal for all pH ranges). The removal efficiency also reduced from 62.7% to 37.1% and 82.1% to 28.3% with an increase in Cr(VI) concentration (25–200 mg/L), with and without coexisting toluene, respectively. The surface morphology and structure of nZVI pre- and posttreatment with Cr(VI) and toluene were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results confirmed the presence of Cr(VI) and toluene on the nZVI surface. The adsorption of Cr(VI) by nZVI was best described by pseudo-second-order kinetics (R2 = 0.97 in both cases) and the Langmuir isotherm equilibrium model (R2 = 0.95, 0.81). The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) for Cr(VI) without and with toluene was 64.52 and 58.47 mg/g of nZVI particles, respectively. Findings from this study provide crucial information about cocontamination and its noticeable effects on remediation of the contaminants of concern.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the British Council, UK, and the Department of Science and Technology, India for joint support of the work through a UKIERI Project. The authors are also thankful to the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), the Government of India for providing support through a TARE grant (TAR/2018/000097) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Ministry of Education, India for research fellowship support. The authors are also grateful to the People’s Science Institute (PSI), Dehradun, India for their support in this work.
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Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 27 • Issue 2 • April 2023
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 20, 2022
Accepted: Oct 19, 2022
Published online: Jan 6, 2023
Published in print: Apr 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jun 6, 2023
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