Combined strategy for removal of Reactive Black 5 by biomass sorption on Macrocystis pyrifera and zerovalent iron nanoparticles

GARCÍA FABIANA ELENA; PLAZA CAZÓN JOSEFINA; MONTESINOS NAHUEL; DONATI EDGARDO; LITTER MARTA

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2017 vol. 207 p. 70 - 79

0301-4797

Reactive Black 5, RB5, has been used as a model azo dye to evaluate the removal efficiency of sorption onMacrocystis pyrifera biomass (Mpyr) and commercial zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) in individualand combined treatments. The best conditions for the treatment with the isolated materials were firstdetermined, and then, in series and combined treatments were performed under these conditions,achieving removal efficiencies higher than 80% of the initial dye concentration. Strengths and weaknessesof all removal strategies (individual, in series and combined) are analyzed regarding the applicationon real effluents. Mpyr efficiently adsorbed RB5, but also increased the total organic content bypartial dissolution of components of the algal biomass. Removal experiments with commercial nZVI werealso efficient but liberated Fe to the solution, and sulfanilic acid was observed after the treatment as aproduct of RB5 degradation. In contrast, after the Mpyr treatment, no sulfanilic acid was detected,suggesting that sulfanilic acid is efficiently adsorbed by the biomass. The best condition was the integrateduse of Mpyr and nZVI, with a remarkable removal efficiency (69e80%) obtained after only 1 h oftreatment. Finally, nZVI were successfully immobilized in Mpyr, and the hybrid material was used toremove RB5 in continuous flow experiments at pH 3, obtaining a removal capacity of 39.9 mg RB5 g1after a total processed volume of 630 mL of [RB5]0 ¼ 100 mg L1.