M.Sc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Contamination of water bodies by heavy metals and metalloids is an established problem and several studies have been conducted to deal with it. South Africa is amongst those countries whose water systems are most affected as a result of intensive mining activities. This research was dedicated to the development of insoluble chelating polymers for use as adsorbents to abstract heavy metal ions from mining and industrial wastewater. Branched polyethylenimine (PEI), well known for its metal chelating potential, was cross linked by epichlorohydrin in order to convert it into a water-insoluble form. The water-insoluble property gives the advantage of being used in situ and a possibility of regeneration and re-use, making it a more feasible and cost-effective method. Its surface was also modified for selective removal of specifically-targeted heavy metal and metalloid ions. The binding affinity of the synthesized materials to heavy metal and metalloid ions has been determined as well as their ability to be regenerated for reuse. These processes demonstrated that cross-linked polyethylenimine (CPEI) exhibited good complexation ability with high affinity to Cr and some divalent metal ions such as Fe, Zn, and Ni. On the other hand, it showed very poor ability to bind oxo-anions such as SeO32- and AsO2- which has been attributed to the unavailability of suitable functional groups to interact with these ions. The observed order of complexation was: Cr > Zn> Fe >> Ni > Mn > Pb >> As > U > Se. The phosphonated polyethylenimine (PCPEI) showed high selectivity for As, Mn and uranyl ions. The observed order of removal was: U > Mn> Ni > Zn > As >> Cr > Pb > Fe >> Hg > Se; whereas the suffocated polyethylenimine (SCPEI) exhibited high affinity to Se, and Hg. The observed order of adsorption was: Hg > Se >> U > Zn >Pb > Ni >> As > Cr > Fe. v The adsorption behaviour of these polymeric materials involved more than one mechanism such as complexation, normal surface charge exchange, and anion replacement and all these mechanisms are governed by the functional groups. The nitrogen atom on the chelating group (-NH) in the cross-linked polyethylenimine; the phosphorus atom on the chelating group (-PO3H2) in phosphonated cross-linked polyethylenimine; and sulphur atom on the chelating group (-SO3H) in suffocated cross-linked polyethylenimine act as Lewis bases and donate electrons to metal cations which are considered Lewis acids. The existence of the chelating groups in SCPEI and PCPEI facilitate the removal of oxo-anions through anion replacement since they exist as bases in solution and hence cannot be electron acceptors. Thus, the expected mechanism is the normal anion replacement. This mechanism can explain the high removal of Se by SCPEI since Se has similar chemical behaviour as sulphur and are in the same group in the periodic table. As such they can easily replace each other. Sulphur is released from the polymer into the solution by replacing the selenium ions in the polymer. Similar behaviour occurs between phosphorus in PCPEI and arsenic ions as As and P belong to the same group in the periodic table and hence have similarities in their chemical behaviour. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to interpret the adsorption nature of the metal ions onto synthesized polymers. The Freundlich isotherm was found to best fit and describe the experimental data describing the adsorption process of metal and metalloid ions onto the synthesized polymeric materials The kinetic rates were modelled using the pseudo first-order equation and pseudo second-order equation. The pseudo second-order equation was found to explain the adsorption kinetics most effectively implying chemisorption. vi The thermodynamic study of the adsorption of metals and metalloids by the synthesized CPEI, PCPEI and SCPEI resulted in high activation energies > 41 KJ mol-1 which confirm chemisorption as a mechanism of interaction between adsorbate and adsorbent. So far, the developed polymeric materials showed good results and have potential to be applied successfully for remediation of heavy metal-polluted waters, and they have potential for use in filter systems for household use in communities that use borehole water impacted by mining and industrial waste waters. The desorbed metals can be of use to metal processing industries.

The research presented in this thesis entailed an investigation of heavy metal uptake by Palmaria palmata, a red marine alga. The alga was dry and organically certified. The heavy metals of interest were those commonly found in the wastewaters of the printed wiring board industry, namely Cu2+Pb2+, Cd2+, Zn 2+ and Ni2+. The ultimate objective of the work was to determine whether or not the factors expected to influence the metal uptake to the greatest extent could be optimized within functional ranges, leading eventually to process design (beyond the scope of this thesis). These factors were pH, temperature, initial concentration of metal in aqueous solution, and contact time. A number of preliminary experiments were performed to establish a basis for the design of the optimization studies. / Although it was not possible to adequately define optimal regions of operation for the biosorption of heavy metals by Palmaria palmata , general trends were elucidated, and the limitations of the methodology used were clarified. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Submitted by Joseane Rabelo (josyrabb@gmail.com) on 2018-08-18T17:55:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RABELO, J_ME.pdf: 3506789 bytes, checksum: 945c66fa4447e66037b3f637d1c9a0c8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Carolina Gonçalves Bet null (abet@iq.unesp.br) on 2018-08-20T13:46:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rabelo_j_me_araiq_int.pdf: 3348948 bytes, checksum: 2b3987dc3b3fc2f4ef2a5f330e2b95c0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T13:46:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rabelo_j_me_araiq_int.pdf: 3348948 bytes, checksum: 2b3987dc3b3fc2f4ef2a5f330e2b95c0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Os biossorventes provenientes de materiais lignocelulósicos são alternativas de baixo custo e mais sustentável para o meio ambiente na remoção das espécies metálicas. Neste caminho, o presente trabalho descreve o uso da macrófita, Typha sp, também conhecida como taboa, para remover as espécies metálicas Cu (II), Cr (III), Cd (II) e Zn (II) em amostras aquosas. Caracterizou-se inicialmente a macrófita Typha sp utilizando as técnicas analíticas como: espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (FT-IR), análise elementar de N e Ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN) de 13C, microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), espectroscopia de energia dispersiva de raio X (EDS) e análise de área superficial utilizando adsorção de N2. As características adsortivas da Typha sp foram estabelecidas através de experimentos em batelada em função do pH, o tempo de contato e a concentração. As micrografias da Typha sp apresentou-se partículas com morfologia heterogênea, irregular em formato de bastão. O FT-IR e o RMN 13C confirmaram a presença de grupos funcionais como COOH, NH2 e S=C=N, que possuem pares de elétrons não ligantes e que coordenam com as espécies metálicas. A área superficial específica da Typha sp foi menor que 1 m2/g, característico de materiais não porosos. Os experimentos de adsorção mostraram que o pH 5,5 favorece a adsorção das espécies metálicas em estudo. A cinética de adsorção é rápida, sendo menor que 15 min, ajustando aos dados experimentais do modelo cinético de pseudo-segunda ordem. A capacidade máxima de adsorção determinada experimentalmente foi de 9,48, 6,55, 3,01 e 9,52 mg/g para Cr (III), Cu (II), Zn (II) e Cd (II). Respectivamente, os dados obtidos nas isotermas foram aplicados ao modelo Langmuir, cujos valores do coeficiente linear foi maior que 0,95, comprovando o bom ajuste dos dados a este modelo. A adsorção na presença de um segundo íon teve maior interferência para as espécies metálicas de Cu (II) e Zn (II) diminuindo a adsorção em 30 %. Após a determinação das caracteristica adsortivas da Typha sp, essa foi utilizada como suporte sólida na estração em fase sólida. Os parâmetros otimizados no sistema em fluxo para utilizar a Typha sp na extração em fase sólida (SPE) foram: vazão, massa, volume da amostra, concentração do ácido e o volume do eluato, obtendo uma recuperação acima de 78 %. A aplicação nas amostra do Rio Tietê e Paranapanema foram satisfatórias para as espécies Cu (II), Cd (II) e Zn (II), porém a recuperação do Cr (III) foi nula, devido a interferência da matriz. A Typha sp possui grande potencial para ser utilizada como biossorvente na adsorção das espécies metálicas em estudo, devido ao baixo custo do material e a elevada capacidade de adsorção das espécies metálicas. / Biosorbents from lignocellulosic materials are low cost alternatives and more environmentally sustainable in the removal of metal species. In this way, the present work describes the use of the macrophyte, Typha sp, also known as Taboa, to remove the Cu (II), Cr (III), Cd (II) and Zn (II) metal species in aqueous samples. Typha sp macrophyte was initially characterized using analytical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis of N and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy spectroscopy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDS) and surface area analysis using N2 adsorption. The adsorptive characteristics of Typha sp were established through batch experiments as a function of pH, contact time and concentration. The micrographs of the Typha sp presented particles with heterogeneous morphology, irregular in stick format. FT-IR and 13C NMR confirmed the presence of functional groups such as COOH, NH2 and S = C = N, which have non-binding electron pairs and coordinate with the metallic species. The specific surface area of Typha sp was less than 1 m2/g, characteristic of non-porous materials. The adsorption experiments showed that pH 5.5 favors adsorption of the metal species under study. The kinetics of adsorption is fast, being less than 15 min, adjusting to the experimental data of the kinetic model of pseudo-second order. The maximum adsorption capacity determined experimentally was 9.48, 6.55, 3.01 and 9.52 mg/g for Cr (III), Cu (II), Zn (II) and Cd (II). The data obtained in the isotherms were applied to the Langmuir model, whose linear coefficient values were greater than 0.95, confirming the good fit of the data to this model. The adsorption in the presence of a second ion had greater interference for the Cu (II) and Zn (II) metal species, reducing the adsorption by 30%. After the determination of the adsorptive characteristics of Typha sp, this was used as solid support in the solid phase separation. The optimized parameters in the flow system to use Typha sp in the solid phase extraction (SPE) were: flow, mass, sample volume, acid concentration and eluate volume, obtaining a recovery above 78%. The Cu (II), Cd (II) and Zn (II) species were satisfactory for the Tietê and Paranapanema samples, but the Cr (III) recovery was null due to matrix interference. Typha sp has great potential to be used as a biosorbent in the adsorption of the metal species under study, due to the low cost of the material and the high adsorption capacity of the metallic species. / CAPES

M.Tech. / The removal and recovery of heavy metals from effluents has been a subject of significant importance due the negative impact these toxic metals have on human health and the environment as a result of water and soil pollution. Precipitation is the mostly widely used wastewater treatment method because it is the most economical and easier to implement and operate on a large scale. However, traditional precipitation methods using lime, sulfides or hydroxides recover metals in the form of a sludge which is not reusable and has to be disposed in landfills creating a potential environmental hazard and resulting in loss of valuable minerals. The current focus in effluent treatment is now on the recovery and re-use of these heavy metals rather than removal and disposal. This study investigated the use of hydrazine as a reducing agent to remove and recover Ni2+, Cu2+, Co2+ and Fe2+ from effluent by reduction crystallization. In this process chemically reduced aqueous metal ions were plated on to a base substrate (nickel powder) with no electrical current required for deposition. A feasibility study was carried out to test the efficiency and find the optimum operating conditions for this method and generate an understanding of the chemical and particulate process occurring. The results obtained indicate that hydrazine is an effective reducing agent for removal and crystallization of Ni2+, Cu2+, Co2+ and Fe2+/ Fe3+ into their elemental states with nickel powder as a seeding material. Over 99 % of metals were removed from the effluent in all the systems (Ni-only, Ni-Cu, Ni-Fe and Ni-Fe). Breakage, aggregation and molecular growth were identified as the predominant mechanisms occurring during the reduction crystallization process in Ni-only, Ni-Cu, Ni- Co systems and there was evidence of nucleation in Ni-Fe solution. These finding were confirmed by analysing the scanning electron micrographs of the powder obtained. A nearly spherical structure powder with wide distribution in particle size and evidence of fragmentation was obtained in all the experimental runs. vii The residual concentrations obtained were far below the required limit for effluent discharge into sewer where 20 mg/L Ni, 20 mg/L Cu and 20 mg/L Fe and the total metal concentration of 50 mg/L for Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn and Cd is stipulated. Reduction crystallization using hydrazine as a reducing agent can be utilized for controlling environmental pollution and eliminating hazardous metals from the environment.

The process of precious metal refining can be up to 99.99% efficient at best, and although it may seem small, the amount of valuable metal lost to waste streams is appreciable enough to warrant recovery. The method currently used to remove entrained metal ions from refinery wastewaters, chemical precipitation, is not an effective means for selective recovery of precious metals from a wastewater. Biosorption, the ability of certain types of biomass to bind and concentrate metals from even very dilute aqueous solutions, may be an effective point-source metal recovery strategy. The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been found capable of sorbing numerous precious and base metals, and is a cheap and abundant source of biomass. As such, it represents a possible precious metal sorbent for application to refining wastewaters. In this investigation, S. cerevisiae biomass was immobilized, using polyethyleneimine and glutaraldehyde, to produce a suitable sorbent, which was found to be capable of high platinum uptake (150 to 170 mg/g) at low pH (< 2). The sorption mechanism was elucidated and found to be a chemical reaction, which made effective desorption impossible. The sorption process was investigated in a packed bed column conformation, the results of which showed that the diameter and height of the column require further optimization in order to attain the metal uptake values achieved in the batch studies. When applied to a refinery wastewater, two key wastewater characteristics limited the success of the sorption process; the high inorganic ion content and the complex speciation of the platinum ions. The results proved the concept principle of platinum recovery by immobilized yeast biosorption and indicated that a more detailed understanding of the platinum speciation within the wastewater is required before the biosorption process can be applied. Overall, the sorption of platinum by the S. cerevisiae sorbent was demonstrated to be highly effective in principle, but the complexity of the wastewater requires that pretreatment steps be taken before the successful application of this process to an industrial wastewater.

This thesis presents an alternative approach for pre-concentrating heavy metals in aqueous environments using electro spun polymer nanofiber sorbents. The conditions for electrospinning polyethersulfone, polystyrene, polysulfone and polyamide-6 were optimized. The morphologies and porosities of the electrospun nanofibers were studied using SEM and BET nitrogen gas adsorptions. The nanofibers had mesoporous morphologies with specific surface areas up to 58 m2/g. The electro spun nanofiber sorbents were characterized in terms of their tunability for both uptake and release of heavy metals. The usability of the sorbent was also assessed. The sorbents showed fast adsorption kinetics for heavy metals « 20 min for As, Cu, Ni and Pb) in different aqueous environments. The adsorption characteristics of the sorbents best fitted the Freundlich isotherm and followed the first order kinetics. The efficiencies of adsorption and desorption of heavy metals on both imidazolyl-functionalized polystyrene and amino-functionalized polysulfone sorbents were more than 95% up to the fifth cycle of usage. Reusability improved dramatically (up to 10 runs of usage) when mechanically stable amino-functionalized nylon-6 electro spun nanofibers were used. The capacity of the amino-functionalized nylon-6 sorbent to pre-concentrate heavy metals compared very favourably with those of aqua regia and HN03+H202 digestions especially in less complex matrices. Due to their highly porous nature, the electro spun nanofibers exhibited high adsorption capacities (up to 50 mg/g) for heavy metal ions. The loading capacities achieved with the imidazolyl-functionalized sorbent were higher than those for amino-functionalized mesoporous silica and biomass-based sorbents. The electro spun nanofiber sorbents presents an efficient and cost effective alternative for preconcentrating heavy metals in aqueous environments.

M.Sc. / The addition of lignocellulosic fibres to thermoplastic polymers is known to increase the toughness of the polymers but it compromises the tensile strength. On the other hand, inorganic fillers like TiO2 are known to improve the tensile strength of polymers. These plant fibres have been used as adsorbents of metal pollutants in water. Best results were obtained when such materials were ground to fine powder but due to low density, the fibres float and form aggregates in water. Being highly biodegradable in nature makes plant fibres unsuitable for water treatment over lengthy periods of time. They cannot be used as standalone materials. Mixing these adsorbents with polymers, which cannot only act as support for the adsorbents but also disperse the fibres within it thus preventing leaching, is a cause for concern. This study was aimed at fabricating plant fibre-polymer composites that will have improved mechanical and thermal properties. These composites were to be tested for their ability to be used as metal ion adsorbents. The composites were fabricated using a melt-mix compounding method. Two thermoplastic polymers, EVA and PCL were each mixed with either lignin or SCB and TiO2 in different ratios. A rheomex mixer coupled with a single screw extruder which was attached to a sheet die was used to synthesise the composites. TGA and DSC were used for thermal propagation while the mechanical properties were investigated using an instron. Metal ion adsorption measurements were analysed using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). These adsorbents were used to remove Cr(VI), Cr(III) and Pb(II), varying different environmental parameters like pH, concentration, time and adsorbent at constant temperature. The reinforcing effect of both lignin and SCB resulted to poor thermal and mechanical properties. This was shown by a decrease in onset degradation temperature and the tensile and toughness of the composites compared to the neat polymers. The incorporation of TiO2 on SCB-EVA composites, however, improved the mechanical strength and resulted in a thermally stable composite compared to counterpart composites without TiO2. This observation was surpassed at high filler loading as the addition of TiO2 resulted in a decrease of the properties. For the tensile strength, neat EVA recorded 11.35 MPa while 2% TiO2-EVA registered 12.49 MPa for example. For the same composite, the onset degradation temperature for EVA was 353 oC but shifted to 368 oC after the addition of TiO2. At higher filler loading, no effect was observed when adding TiO2.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Physics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / Density functional theory (DFT) study is employed in order to investigate the surfaces of, β-MnO2, β-TiO2 and β-VO2 (β-MO2) which act as catalysts in Li/Na-air batteries. Adsorption and co-adsorption of metal (Li/Na) and oxygen on (110) β-MO2 surface is investigated, which is important in the discharging and charging of Li/Na– air batteries. Due of the size of the supercell, and assuming that oxygen atoms occupy bulk-like positions around the surface metal atoms, only five values of (gamma) Γ are possible if constraint to a maximum of 1 monolayer (ML) of adatoms or vacancies: Γ= 0 surface is the stoichiometric surface, Γ= 1, 2 are the partially and totally oxidised surfaces, and Γ=-1, -2 are the partially and totally reduced surfaces. The manganyl, titanyl and vanadyl terminated surface is not the only surface that can be formed with Γ= +2. Oxygen can be adsorbed also as peroxo species (O2)2-, with less electron transfer from the surface vanadium atoms to the adatoms than in the case of manganyl and titanyl formation. The redox properties of the (110) surfaces are investigated by calculating the relative surface free energies of the non-stoichiometric compositions as a function of oxygen chemical potential. Increasing the temperature and lowering the pressure (i.e. more reducing conditions) we find the stoichiometric surface reduces first partially and then entirely at higher temperatures. The lithium orientation between two bridging oxygen and in-plane oxygen (bbi) orientation is much more stable for the three metal oxides, thus lithium generally prefers to adsorb where it will be triply coordinated to two bridging oxygens and one in-plane oxygen atom. However, sodium prefers to orientate itself on the bridging oxygen on the surface, but a triple coordination on sodium is also favourable. Oxygen adsorption on Li/MO2 was simulated and it was found that in all ii the metal oxides (MnO2, TiO2 and VO2) the most stable orientation is the dissociated composition where there is an oxygen atom on the “bulk-like” positions on top of each of the M cations. The surface lithium peroxide for MO2 simulated produces clusters with oxygen - oxygen bond lengths that are comparable to the calculated bulk and monomer discharge products reported in literature. Adsorption of oxygen on Na/MO2 was investigated and it was observed that the catalysts used encourage formation of the discharge product reported in literature, i.e. NaO2. The surface NaO2 appears to have comparable bond lengths to the calculated bulk and monomer NaO2. / National Research Foundation, South African Research Chair Initiative of the Department of Science Technology and Department of Energy storage Programme

M. Tech. Chemistry. / Objectives of this study was to assess the levels of heavy metals in bovine meat, hair, sediment, peat and water from the study areas using ICP-MS and internal standard calibration.The specific objectives are to: collect hair and meat of impala and cattle, sediment, peat, soil and water samples; digest samples; determine the level of some of the following heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Sr, U, V depending on the background information on the above samples; compare the levels of Hg in sediment and peat using ICP-MS and Zeeman mercury spectrometer; determine the limit of detection of trace elements in different matrices using ICP-MS; establish correlations among concentrations of heavy metals in specified samples.