Alginate-Derived Active Blend Enhances Adsorption and Photocatalytic Removal of Organic Pollutants in Water

Year: 2020

Authors: Vassalini I., Gjipalaj J., Crespi S., Gianoncelli, A., Mella M., Ferroni M., Alessandri I.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Brescia, CNR, INO, INSTM,Res Unit Brescia,Unit Brescia,Dept Informat, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; Polytech Univ Tirana, Fac Civil Engn, Dept Environm Engn, Rruga Muhamet Gjollesha 54, Tirana 1023, Albania; Univ Groningen, Stratingh Inst Chem, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands; Univ Brescia, INSTM, Dept Mol & Translat Med, Res Unit Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; Univ Pavia, Dept Organ Chem, Via Taramelli 12, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; CNR IMM, Bologna Sect, Via Gobetti 4, I-40129 Bologna, Italy.

Abstract: The ever-increasing need for clean water is one of the most urgent sustainable development goals, which requires environmentally-friendly strategies for water remediation against different types of pollutants. In this work, the possibility of using alginate, a biocompatible and natural polysaccharide, is explored for the preparation of both oxide (TiO2, Al2O3, and yttria-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ)) macrobeads and an active blend of rich carbon nanoparticles, depolymerized alginate, formic acid, and a complex mixture of other organic acids. In particular, the active blend is obtained through low-energy-demanding microwave assisted digestion of sodium alginate solution, and it is used to enhance the decontamination activity of oxide macrobeads in mild conditions (e.g., low temperature, no pH buffers, and visible illumination). It is demonstrated that the alginate-derived active blend obtained without the addition of any other chemicals increases primarily the adsorption capability of oxide macrobeads toward positively charged pollutants (methylene blue, crystal violet, and tetracaine) and, also, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 during their degradation. Interestingly, functionalization with the obtained alginate-derived active blend enables better performance in comparison with functionalization of its single components or with carbon-dots (C-Dots) obtained with conventional and more energy-demanding hydrothermal methods, enabling them to obtain a fully sustainable, environmentally-friendly system for water remediation.

Journal/Review: ADVANCED SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS

Volume: 4 (7)      Pages from: 1900112-1  to: 1900112-11

More Information: This work was carried out with the support of Ministero Italiano delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari, Forestali e del Turismo (MIPAAFT) in the framework of RESTART project. I.V. and I.A. acknowledge Malvern Pa nalytical for Nanosight NS300 analysis.
KeyWords: alginate; C-Dots; oxide beads; photodegradation; pollutant adsorption; water decontamination
DOI: 10.1002/adsu.201900112

Citations: 22
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