Thesis (M.S. in Ch. E.)--School of Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by John D. Muzzy. / Includes bibliographical references.

Substantial environmental contamination has occurred from coal tar creosote and pentachlorophenol (C5P) in wood preserving solutions. The present studies focused on the characterization and remediation of these contaminants. The first objective was to delineate a sequence of biological changes caused by chlorinated phenol (CP) exposure. In Clone 9 cells, short-term exposure to 10 ?M C5P decreased pH, GJIC, and GSH, and increased ROS generation. Long-term exposure caused mitochondrial membrane depolarization (25 ?M), increased intracellular Ca2+ (50 ?M), and plasma membrane depolarization (100 ?M). Cells were affected similarly by C5P or 2,3,4,5-C4P, and similarly by 2,3,5-C3P or 3,5-C2P. Endpoints were affected by dose, time, and the number of chlorine substituents on specific congeners. Thus, this information may be used to identify and quantify unknown CPs in a mixture to be remediated. Due to the toxic effects observed due to CP exposure in vitro, the objective of the second study was to develop multi-functional sorbents to remediate CPs and other components of wood preserving waste from groundwater. Cetylpyridinium-exchanged low pH montmorillonite clay (CP-LPHM) was bonded to either sand (CP-LPHM/sand) or granular activated carbon (CP-LPHM/GAC). Laboratory studies utilizing aqueous solution derived from wood preserving waste indicated that 3:2 CP-LPHM/GAC and CP-LPHM/sand were the most effective formulations. In situ elution of oil-water separator effluent indicated that both organoclay-containing composites have a high capacity for contaminants identified in wood preserving waste, in particular high molecular weight and carcinogenic PAHs. Further, GAC did not add substantial sorptive capacity to the composite formulation. Following water remediation, the final aim of this work was to explore the safety of the parent clay minerals as potential enterosorbents for contaminants ingested in water and food. Calcium montmorillonite and sodium montmorillonite clays were added to the balanced diet of Sprague-Dawley rats throughout pregnancy. Based on evaluations of toxicity and neutron activation analysis of tissues, no significant differences were observed between animals receiving clay supplements and control animals, with the exception of slightly decreased brain Rb in animals ingesting clay. Overall, the results suggest that neither clay mineral, at relatively high dietary concentrations, influences mineral uptake or utilization in the pregnant rat.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The influence of charge heterogeneity in nanoparticles such as montmorillonite layered silicates (MLS) and hybrid systems of MLS + carbon nanotubes was investigated in cured and uncured epoxy. Epoxy nanocomposites made with cation-exchanged montmorillonite clay were found to form agglomerates near a critical concentration. Using differential scanning calorimetry it was determined that the mixing temperature of the epoxy + MLS mixture prior to the addition of the curing agent critically influenced the formation of the agglomerate. Cured epoxy samples showed evidence of the agglomerate being residual charge driven by maxima and minima in the concentration profiles of thermal conductivity and dielectric permittivity respectively. A hybrid nanocomposite of MLS and aniline functionalized multi walled nanotubes indicated no agglomerates. The influence of environmentally and process driven properties on the nanocomposites was investigated by examination of moisture, ultrasound, microwaves and mechanical fatigue on the properties of the hybrid systems. The results point to the importance of charge screening by adsorbed or reacted water and on nanoparticulates.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The contamination by toxic metals has been a serious environmental problem. Many researches have been developed with the objective the environmental remediation. The adsorption has been one of the most used process by researchers to remove metals in recent years. In this work, it was studied the use of natural clays of the state of Sergipe, with high levels of kaolinite and montmorillonite as adsorbent materials to remove Pb (II), Cd (II) and Cu (II) in aqueous solution. It was investigated the adsorption conditions including contact time, pH and adsorption isotherms. Using kaolinite equilibrium of adsorption for the three metals was reached at about 30 min, and a contact time of 60 min was chosen. In the beginning of study was conducted at pH of metal nitrate solutions (pH 5.2 ± 0.2) resulting in a maximum removal of 86.0 %, 43.2 % and 34.3 % for Pb (II), Cd (II) and Cu (II) respectively. The pH 7.0 was determined to be the most efficient for the removal of Pb (II) ( 99.9 %), Cd (II) (82.9 %) and Cu (II) (97.9 %). The Langmuir isotherm was the model with the best fit to the adsorption data obtained for the three metals, with Qo of 1.511 mg g-1 for Pb (II); 0.853 mg g-1 for Cd (II) and 0.417 mg g-1 for Cu (II). In the application of natural clay containing montmorillonite, it was obtained; high removal percentages for Pb (II), Cd (II) and Cu (II). The adsorption equilibrium was reached in the first minutes and the contact time of 30 min was selected, with maximum adsorption of 99.54 %; 93.37 %; 99.48 % for Pb(II), Cd (II) and Cu (II) in natural pH of metal in the pH (pH 5.2 ± 2). In pH study, it was observed that the pH variations did not alter significantly the adsorption of metals. Among the models applied, Langmuir was the best fitted one for the three adsorbents applied in this work with Qo of 6.98 mg g-1 1.48 mg g-1 and 2.07 mg g-1 for Pb (II), Cd (II) and Cu (II) respectively. The results show clays that have high levels either kaolinite or montmorillonite show appropriate features for application in the process of adsorption of Pb (II), Cd (II) and Cu (II). / A contaminação por metais tóxicos representa um sério problema ambiental. Inúmeras pesquisas têm sido desenvolvidas tendo como objetivo a remediação ambiental. A adsorção tem sido um dos processos mais utilizados por pesquisadores nos últimos anos para remover metais. No presente trabalho, foi estudada a utilização das argilas naturais do estado de Sergipe, contendo alto teor de caulinita e montmorilonita como materiais adsorventes para remoção do Pb (II), Cd (II) e Cu (II) em solução aquosa. Foram investigadas as condições de adsorção incluindo tempo de contato, pH e isotermas de adsorção. Na utilização da argila caulinita natural, o equilíbrio de adsorção para os três metais foi alcançado em torno de 30 min, sendo utilizado nos experimentos o tempo de contato de 60 min. Inicialmente, o estudo foi desenvolvido no pH das soluções dos nitratos dos metais (pH 5,2 ± 0,2), obtendo-se uma remoção máxima de 86,0 % para o Pb (II), 43,2 % para Cd (II) e 34,3 % para Cu (II). A avaliação do efeito do pH sobre a adsorção mostrou que o aumento do pH favorece a remoção até certo valor, acima do qual os íons metálicos são precipitados como hidróxidos insolúveis. O pH 7,0 foi determinado como sendo o mais adequado para a remoção do Pb (II) ( 99,9 %), Cd (II) (82,9 %) e Cu (II) (97,9 %). A isoterma de Langmuir foi a que melhor se ajustou aos dados de adsorção obtidos para os três metais, com Qo de 1,51 mg g-1 para o Pb (II); 0,85 mg g-1 para o Cd (II) e 0,42 mg g-1 para o Cu (II). Na aplicação da argila natural contendo montmorilonita, obtiveram-se altas percentagens de remoção para o Pb (II), Cd (II) e Cu (II). O equilíbrio de adsorção foi alcançado nos primeiros minutos, sendo otimizado o tempo de contato de 30 min, com máxima adsorção de 99,54 %, 93,37 %, 99,48 % para o Pb (II), Cd (II) e Cu (II) em pH natural das soluções dos respectivos metais (pH 5,2 ± 0,2). No estudo de pH observou-se que a variação deste mesmo não alterou significativamente a adsorção dos metais. Entre os modelos aplicados, o de Langmuir mostrou-se mais adequado para os três adsorvatos estudados neste trabalho, com Qo de 6,98 mg g-1 para o Pb (II); 1,48 mg g-1 para o Cd (II) e 2,07 mg g-1 para o Cu (II). Os resultados apresentados mostram que as argilas contendo alto teor de caulinita ou montmorilonita apresentam características apropriadas para sua aplicação no processo de adsorção do Pb (II), Cd (II) e Cu (II).

The objective of this project was to study the influence of increased salinities on interaction processes in the system radionuclide – organics – clay – aquifer. For this purpose, complexation, redox, sorption, and diffusion studies were performed under variation of the ionic strength (up to 4 mol/kg) and the background electrolyte. The U(VI) complexation by propionate was studied in dependence on ionic strength (up to 4 mol/kg NaClO4) by TRLFS, ATR FT-IR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. An influence of ionic strength on stability constants was detected, depending on the charge of the respective complexes. The conditional stability constants, determined for 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 complexes at specific ionic strengths, were extrapolated to zero ionic strength. The interaction of the bacteria Sporomusa sp. MT-2.99 and Paenibacillus sp. MT-2.2 cells, isolated from Opalinus Clay, with Pu was studied. The experiments can be divided into such without an electron donor where biosorption is favored and such with addition of Na-pyruvate as an electron donor stimulating also bioreduction processes. Moreover, experiments were performed to study the interactions of the halophilic archaeon Halobacterium noricense DSM-15987 with U(VI), Eu(III), and Cm(III) in 3 M NaCl solutions. Research for improving process understanding with respect to the mobility of multivalent metals in systems containing humic matter was focused on the reversibility of elementary processes and on their interaction. Kinetic stabilization processes in the dynamics of humate complexation equilibria were quantified in isotope exchange studies. The influence of high salinity on the mobilizing potential of humic-like clay organics was systematically investigated and was described by modeling. The sorption of Tc(VII)/Tc(IV) onto the iron(II)-containing minerals magnetite and siderite was studied by means of batch sorption experiments, ATR FT-IR and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The strong Tc retention at these minerals could be attributed to surface-mediated reduction of Tc(VII) to Tc(IV). An influence of ionic strength was not observed. The influence of ionic strength (up to 3 mol/kg) and background electrolyte (NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2) on U(VI) sorption onto montmorillonite was studied. The U(VI) sorption is influenced by the background electrolyte, the influence of ionic strength is small. Surface complexation modeling was performed applying the 2SPNE SC/CE model. Surface complexation constants were determined for the NaCl and CaCl2 system and were extrapolated to zero ionic strength. Surface complexation in mixed electrolytes can be modeled applying surface complexation constants derived for pure electrolytes. The influence of citrate on U(VI) diffusion in Opalinus Clay was studied using Opalinus Clay pore water as background electrolyte. The diffusion parameter values obtained for the HTO through-diffusion and the U(VI) in-diffusion in the absence of citric acid were in agreement with literature data. In the presence of citric acid, U(VI) diffusion was significantly retarded, which was attributed to a change in speciation, probably U(VI) was reduced to U(IV). Larger-scale heterogeneous material effects on diffusive transport were investigated with PET. Diffusion parameters were derived by optimum fit of a FEM-model to the measurement. These parameters are in accordance with the results from 1D-through-diffusion experiments. Deviations from the simple transversal-isotropic behavior, which are identified as residuals from the model, are indications for heterogeneous transport on the mm-scale. PET measurements were also conducted in order to display the improvement of the EDZ with waterglass injections. These experiments enable to draw conclusions on the complex reactive transport process and thus an estimation of the achieved improvement of the barrier function. The image reconstruction procedure was largely improved, mainly with the aid of Monte-Carlo simulations, and now allows quantitative analysis and error estimation.

No description available.