According to a new report on Langmuir, a kind of iron-based carbon microsphere, which was fabricated by tobacco waste liquid (TWL) and waste iron residue (WIR), was successfully developed to remove Cadmium ion (Cd(II)) from water and soil.
This research was conducted by the team led by Prof. WU Zhengyan from Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Cadmium (Cd) pollution has become more severe because of the rapid development of metallurgy, electroplating, pigments, mining, and battery industries. The non-nutritive metal has been considered harmful to the environment and humans, affecting mainly kidney and the skeleton.
At the same time, 30,000 tons of TWL are released into the environment each year, resulting in severe pollution. WIR in steelmaking production also causes tremendous pressure on the environment.
Researchers tried to reuse these two wastes in this study. They named the novel magnetic iron-based carbon microsphere as WIR@TWL. Co-hydrothermal treatment was also an innovation. No one used this method to fabricate WIR@TWL before.
To improve the stability and increase active groups of WIR@TWL particle, researchers coated the magic microsphere with sodium polyacrylate (S.P.) to form WIR@TWL@SP. They used this method to improve Cd(II) removal efficiency as the hydrochar was stabilized on the WIR surface and the carboxyl group was modified on the surface of WIR@TWL@SP.
cation-exchange, electrostatic attraction, hydrogen-bond interaction, and cation-π interaction were also included in the removal mechanisms.
This research was supported by the University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province, and the Science and Technology Major Project of Anhui Province.
Schematic diagram of the fabrication process and the adsorption mechanisms of OWIR@TWL@SP. (Image by WU Qingchuan)
