Effect of carbonaceous fillers on adsorption behavior of multifunctional diatomite-based foams for wastewater treatment

B Galzerano; P Aprea; L Verdolotti; M Salzano de Luna; C Ascione; D Caputo; M Lavorgna; E Migliore; B Liguori

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130999

Effect of carbonaceous fillers on adsorption behavior of multifunctional diatomite-based foams for wastewater treatment

Chemosphere. 2021 Oct:281:130999. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130999. Epub 2021 May 26.

Authors

B Galzerano¹, P Aprea², L Verdolotti³, M Salzano de Luna⁴, C Ascione⁵, D Caputo², M Lavorgna⁵, E Migliore⁶, B Liguori¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, Italy; Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy.
² Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy.
³ Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, Italy. Electronic address: letizia.verdolotti@cnr.it.
⁴ Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, Italy; Department of Chemical, Materials and Production Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125, Naples, Italy. Electronic address: martina.salzanodeluna@unina.it.
⁵ Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, Italy.
⁶ Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055, Portici, Italy; Atelierba, Wuyuan Road 212 n5, Reading Room, 200031, Shanghai, PPRC, China.

PMID: 34289637
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130999

Abstract

Nowadays the study of the potential applications of multifunctional materials for environmental remediation is one of the main goals of the materials engineering. Multifunctional porous materials, MPMs, incorporate, all in once, different and multiple functionalities that make them suitable for several uses and can satisfy many purposes at the same time. Multifunctional diatomite-based foams with a hierarchical porosity, already produced and characterized to be applied in building as well as aerospace sectors, are proposed as adsorbents for inorganic and organic pollutants removal from wastewaters. Then, the effect of the addition of different carbonaceous nanofillers (graphite, graphene and graphene oxide) on the water purification efficiency of the adsorbent was evaluated. Firstly, pristine MPM showed the best performance in adsorbing Indigo Carmine due to its intrinsic chemism and hierarchical porosity (at macro-, micro- and nano-level), but it is not the best with respect to the Cd²⁺ adsorption, if compared with the nanocomposites. Among the nanocomposite products, both graphene- and graphene oxide-MPM samples showed a significantly improved adsorption capacity towards Cd²⁺. This behavior is due to the synergistic effect of the finer morphology, higher available foam surface, and the highly exfoliated fillers, graphene and graphene oxide, which permit a better dispersion into the matrix.

Keywords: Adsorbers; Carbon-derivatives; Cd(2+) adsorption; Dye removal; Multifunctional porous materials.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Diatomaceous Earth
Graphite*
Nanocomposites*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Purification*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Diatomaceous Earth
diatomite
Graphite