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Effects of fulvic acid on aggregation, sedimentation, and adsorption of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles

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Abstract

Environmental behavior, bioavailability, and risks posed by Fe3O4, magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) in surface waters are affected by complex geochemistry, including pH and inorganic and organic matter. This work provides a systematic analysis of adsorption of fulvic acid (FA) on surfaces of Fe3O4 NPs with adsorption kinetics, adsorption thermodynamic, and adsorption isotherm. Adsorption of FA on surfaces of Fe3O4 NPs is consistent with assumptions of Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The adsorption amount of FA was inversely proportional to solution pH, and the maximum amount is 128.6 mg g−1. Adsorption of FA on surfaces of Fe3O4 NPs is a spontaneous endothermic process. FA plays an important role in aggregation and suspension/sedimentation behavior of Fe3O4 NPs in aquatic environmental. With continuous adsorption of FA, electrostatic repulsion between the particles and the steric hindrance of FA significantly decreased aggregation and increased suspension of Fe3O4 NPs. The results of FTIR and XPS indicated that FA was adsorbed on Fe3O4 NPs mainly through chemical reactions, and carbohydrates particularly play an important role in adsorption.

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Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41673131).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Tianhui Zhao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Tianhui Zhao, Mengyuan Fang, Zhi Tang, Xiaoli Zhao & Fengchang Wu

  3. Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kuming University of Science and Technology, Kuming, 650550, Yunnan, China

    Mengyuan Fang

  4. School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China

    Fazhi Xie

  5. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    John P. Giesy

  6. Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

    John P. Giesy

Authors
  1. Tianhui Zhao
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  2. Mengyuan Fang
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  3. Zhi Tang
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  4. Xiaoli Zhao
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  7. John P. Giesy
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Correspondence to Zhi Tang or Xiaoli Zhao.

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Responsible editor: Tito Roberto Cadaval Jr

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Zhao, T., Fang, M., Tang, Z. et al. Effects of fulvic acid on aggregation, sedimentation, and adsorption of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 21463–21474 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05441-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05441-2

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