Aggregation behavior of TiO nanoparticles in municipal effluent: Influence of ionic strengthen and organic compounds.

The influence of ionic strengthen and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the aggregation of TiO nanoparticles (NPs) in municipal effluent was investigated. The results demonstrated that DOM promoted the mobility of NPs in aquatic system by synergism between static repulsion and steric effect, while electrolytes were opposite by charge-neutralization. The physical-chemical characteristics of DOM played the major role on the mobility of NPs. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed the strongest enhancement on the mobility of TiO NPs. High adsorption of BSA introduced vast negative charges on the TiO NPs' surface, leading to static repulsion and neutralizing positive charges of electrolytes in surrounding as well. By contrast, another protein α-amylase retarded the aggregation rate of TiO NPs through steric repulsion of the long-chain construction. Humic substances (Fulvic acid and alginate) also reflected the combination of static repulsion and steric effect. However, in the high electrolytes concentration (especially Ca), the long-chain aliphatic compounds were prone to form calcium bridge which increased the hydrodynamic diameter of TiO aggregates consequently. Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) showed low adsorption capacity, while the unabsorbed SDBS retarded the aggregates caused by the changes of pH and electrolytes. These data indicated that decreasing of DOC concentration in aqueous system was important to reduce the mobility and potential risk of NPs in aqueous system.