TY - JOUR
T1 - Removal of Forever Chemicals from Aqueous Solutions through Adsorption on Swellable Organically Modified Silicas
AU - Miglio, Vanessa
AU - Begni, Federico
AU - Cassino, Claudio
AU - PAUL, GEO
AU - Bortoli, Andrea
AU - MARCHESE, Leonardo
AU - BISIO, CHIARA
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also called forever chemicals, are known for their high physicochemical stability. In the last decades, these chemicals have been widely employed for numerous industrial applications. However, their persistence in the environment has increasingly raised concern regarding their potential toxicity to living organisms including humans. Hence, the need for their removal demands the development of efficient methods to reduce their environmental impact. Here, a quaternary ammonium swellable organically modified silica (QASOMS) is used for the removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) via liquid phase adsorption. Adsorption of the pollutants was quantified using an optimized quantitative liquid phase 19F NMR method. QASOMS exhibited good adsorption capacities for all three PFASs; the highest uptake was measured for PFOA and was equal to 0.635 mmol/g at a concentration of 1.89 mM. Fast adsorption kinetics were also found for all three PFASs, showing approximately 93% of PFAS removal from the aqueous solutions after 6 h of contact. Finally, host-guest interactions between the adsorbed PFAS and the surface of QASOMS were investigated via SS-NMR spectroscopy.
AB - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also called forever chemicals, are known for their high physicochemical stability. In the last decades, these chemicals have been widely employed for numerous industrial applications. However, their persistence in the environment has increasingly raised concern regarding their potential toxicity to living organisms including humans. Hence, the need for their removal demands the development of efficient methods to reduce their environmental impact. Here, a quaternary ammonium swellable organically modified silica (QASOMS) is used for the removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) via liquid phase adsorption. Adsorption of the pollutants was quantified using an optimized quantitative liquid phase 19F NMR method. QASOMS exhibited good adsorption capacities for all three PFASs; the highest uptake was measured for PFOA and was equal to 0.635 mmol/g at a concentration of 1.89 mM. Fast adsorption kinetics were also found for all three PFASs, showing approximately 93% of PFAS removal from the aqueous solutions after 6 h of contact. Finally, host-guest interactions between the adsorbed PFAS and the surface of QASOMS were investigated via SS-NMR spectroscopy.
UR - https://iris.uniupo.it/handle/11579/173662
U2 - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c07125
DO - 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c07125
M3 - Article
SN - 1932-7447
VL - 128
SP - 2179
EP - 2189
JO - JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C
JF - JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C
IS - 5
ER -