INTEMA   05428
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES EN CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGIA DE MATERIALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Development of nanofunctionalized materials for As(V) removal from contaminated Argentinian groundwater
Autor/es:
L. YOHAI; PELLICE, SERGIO ANTONIO; PROCACCINI, RAÚL ARIEL; GIRALDO MEJÍA, HUGO FERNANDO; ABSUSALAM UHEIDA
Lugar:
Darmstadt
Reunión:
Congreso; Materials Science and Engineering Congress; 2018
Institución organizadora:
Darmstadt University of Technology
Resumen:
The presence of arsenic in the environment occurs because of both natural and antropogenic activities. Human exposure to As is primarily through the consumption of groundwater. Arsenic contamination is considered a public health emergency, especially in countries like India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile and Argentina where the As concentration exceeds the WHO recommended limit (0.01 mg L-1). Arsenic causes poisoning to large numbers of people as well as other outcomes such as chronic respiratory disease, peripheral neuropathy, liver fibrosis, peripheral vascular and heart disease. In Argentina more than 4 millions of people are exposed to water and groundwater contaminated with As and affected by chronic endemic regional hydroarsenism (H.A.C.R.E., letters due to words in Spanish) characterized by dermal lesions on palms and feet. This international scene has encouraged many public and private sectors to investigate and develop efficient and easy applied technologies for water remediation. Nowadays, several technologies are used for arsenic removal to a concentration around the suggested limit. Recently, the use of nanocomposite materials has become a novel and promising technology for water remediation. In this study, composite nanofiber membranes were developed for As (V) removal from solutions with similar conditions to the Argentinian groundwater (pH 8 and 1 mg L-1 As (V)). For this purpose, As (V) adsorption is analyzed with loose amino functionalized silica nanoparticles (aNPs) and with cross-linked aNPs to a support of modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. The attachment of Fe3+ to the composite nanofibers membranes was also evaluated for the complete removal of As(V). Experiments were performed in the batch mode. Kinetic behavior was studied varying time of contact. Techniques such as High Resolution Transmission Electron Spectroscopy, Scanning Emission Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering were used for characterization and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry to measure As (V) concentration. Experiments showed that a considerable amount of As(V) (>85%) can be removed. Complete adsorption of As(V) at pH 8 was achieved by the addition of small amounts of Fe3+. Adsorption equilibrium was reach after 15 min of exposure. As a result, the developed membranes can be promising material for removing As(V) from contaminated groundwater.