Solvothermally Grown Oriented WO Nanoflakes for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Pharmaceuticals in a Flow Reactor.

Contamination by pharmaceuticals adversely affects the quality of natural water, causing environmental and health concerns. In this study, target drugs (oxazepam, OZ, 17-α-ethinylestradiol, EE2, and drospirenone, DRO), which have been extensively detected in the effluents of WWTPs over the past decades, were selected. We report here a new photoactive system, operating under visible light, capable of degrading EE2, OZ and DRO in water.

Scallop shells as biosorbents for water remediation from heavy metals: Contributions and mechanism of shell components in the adsorption of cadmium from aqueous matrix.

To ascertain their potential for heavy metal pollution remedy, we studied the adsorption mechanism of cadmium onto scallop shells and the interactions between the heavy metal and the shell matrix. Intact shells were used to investigate the uptake and diffusion of the metal contaminant onto the shell carbonatic layers, as well as to evaluate the distribution of major and trace elements in the matrix. LA-ICPMS measurements demonstrate that Cd is adsorbed on a very thin layer on the inner and outer surfaces of the shell.

Composition Effect on the Formation of Oxide Phases by Thermal Decomposition of CuNiM(III) Layered Double Hydroxides with M(III) = Al, Fe.

The thermal decomposition processes of coprecipitated Cu-Ni-Al and Cu-Ni-Fe hydroxides and the formation of the mixed oxide phases were followed by thermogravimetry and derivative thermogravimetry analysis (TG - DTG) and in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) in a temperature range from 25 to 800 °C. The as-prepared samples exhibited layered double hydroxide (LDH) with a rhombohedral structure for the Ni-richer Al- and Fe-bearing LDHs and a monoclinic structure for the CuAl LDH. Direct precipitation of CuO was also observed for the Cu-richest Fe-bearing samples.

High temperature behaviour of Ag-exchanged Y zeolites used for PFAS sequestration from water.

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic compounds which have recently drawn great attention due to their high biological, chemical and physical stability and lipid/water repelling properties. The present work aims to provide for the first time insights on the thermal behaviour of Ag-exchanged Y zeolite loaded with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, CHFO) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, CHFOS) emphasizing the close link between crystal structure and desorption/dehydration processes. Elemental and isotopic abundance of carbon analysis, thermal analysis, and high-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction were used to evaluate critically if the thermal regeneration affects the initial zeolites structural features.

L-Lysine Amino Acid Adsorption on Zeolite L: a Combined Synchrotron, X-Ray and Neutron Diffraction Study.

Combined neutron and X-ray powder diffraction techniques highlighted the sorption capacity of the acidic L zeolite towards the L-lysine amino acid. The role of zeolite channels in the stabilization of the lysine absorbed and the effect of water on protein structure are elucidated at atomistic level. The stabilization of the L α-helical conformation is related to strong H-bonds between the tail aminogroups of lysine molecules and the Brønsted acid site as well as to complex intermolecular H-bond system between water molecules, zeolite and amino acid.

L-Lysine Amino Acid Adsorption on Zeolite L: a Combined Synchrotron, X-Ray and Neutron Diffraction Study.

Invited for this month's cover are the groups of Annalisa Martucci and Luisa Pasti at the University of Ferrara (Italy). The cover picture shows L-lysine amino acid adsorption on zeolite L. The role of zeolite channels in the stabilization of the lysine absorbed and the effect of water on protein structure are elucidated at atomistic level.

High-Silica Zeolites as Sorbent Media for Adsorption and Pre-Concentration of Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions.

The present work focused on the use of high-silica commercial zeolites as sorbent media for pharmaceuticals in an aqueous matrix. As drug probes, ketoprofen, hydrochlorothiazide, and atenolol were selected, because of their occurrence in surface waters and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Pharmaceuticals adsorption was evaluated for two Faujasite topology zeolites with Silica/Alumina Ratio 30 and 200.

XRD-Thermal Combined Analyses: An Approach to Evaluate the Potential of Phytoremediation, Phytomining, and Biochar Production.

A method for evaluating the potential of reuse of biomasses for economic purposes is here presented starting from a case study. plants and rhizospheres were harvested from abandoned Zn-Pb mine areas of southwest Sardinia (Italy). Thermogravimetry and Differential Thermal analyses were performed to evaluate the temperatures at which significant reactions occur.

Formation of Supramolecular Clusters at the Interface of Zeolite X Following the Adsorption of Rare-Earth Cations and Their Impact on the Macroscopic Properties of the Zeolite.

The adsorption behavior of neodymium (Nd ) and yttrium (Y ) cations on synthetic FAU zeolite X in its sodium form (NaX) has been investigated by means of macroscopic (adsorption isotherm determination and thermal analysis) and microscopic measurements (including solid-state NMR spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction). The multidisciplinary study reveals some unexpected features. Firstly, adsorption constants of cations are not correlated to their ionic radii or hydration enthalpy.

Effect of humic monomers on the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole sulfonamide antibiotic into a high silica zeolite Y: An interdisciplinary study.

The adsorption efficiency of a high silica zeolite Y towards sulfamethoxazole, a sulfonamide antibiotic, was evaluated in the presence of two humic monomers, vanillin and caffeic acid, representative of phenolic compounds usually occurring in water bodies, owing their dimension comparable to those of the zeolite microporosity. In the entire range of investigated pH (5-8), adsorption of vanillin, as a single component, was reversible whereas it was irreversible for sulfamethoxazole. In equimolar ternary mixtures, vanillin coadsorbed with sulfamethoxazole, conversely to what observed for caffeic acid, accordingly to their adsorption kinetics and pKa values.

Geochemical characterization and biomonitoring of reclaimed soils in the Po River Delta (Northern Italy): implications for the agricultural activities.

This geochemical study is focused on the easternmost part of the Po River alluvial plain in Northern Italy, which is interested by widespread agricultural activities, investigating a reclaimed sector of the Province of Ferrara, known as "Valle del Mezzano" (Mezzano Low Land, hereafter reported as MLL) characterized by peat-rich soils. The chemical-mineralogical characterization of these reclaimed soils is important to compare the local geochemical backgrounds with those recorded in other sectors of the River Po plain and to monitor if the observed concentration exceeds critical thresholds. The reported analyses include (a) measurement of the soil salinity, (b) nutrient evaluation, (c) major and trace element concentrations carried out on bulk soils, (d) tests of metal extraction with both aqua regia and EDTA to highlight the distinct elemental mobility and (e) phyto-toxicological measurement of heavy metal concentrations in plants (Lactuca sativa acephala) grown on the studied soils.

Factors affecting drug adsorption on beta zeolites.

The adsorption behaviour of three commonly used drugs, namely ketoprofen, hydrochlorothiazide and atenolol, from diluted aqueous solutions on beta zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratio (i.e. 25, 38 and 360) was investigated by changing the ionic strength and the pH, before and after thermal treatment of the adsorbents.

Removal of sulfonamide antibiotics from water: Evidence of adsorption into an organophilic zeolite Y by its structural modifications.

Sulfonamide antibiotics are persistent pollutants of aquatic bodies, known to induce high levels of bacterial resistance. We investigated the adsorption of sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, and sulfachloropyridazine sulfonamides into a highly dealuminated faujasite zeolite (Y) with cage window sizes comparable to sulfonamide dimensions. At maximal solubility the antibiotics were almost completely (>90%) and quickly (t<1min) removed from the water by zeolite.

Temperature-induced transformations in CoAPO-34 molecular sieve: a combined in situ X-ray diffraction and FTIR study.

Thermally induced processes of CoAPO-34, an aluminophosphate molecular sieve with chabasite-type structure, synthesized in the presence of morpholine as a structure-directing agent and HF as a mineralizing agent, have been studied by in situ X-ray synchrotron powder diffraction augmented with Fourier transform (FT) IR analysis. A time-resolved experiment was performed using a translating imaging plate system. At room temperature, the structure refinement by full-profile Rietveld analysis showed P-1 symmetry and the presence of one Al site with sixfold coordination.