Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Sorption by Functionalized Humic Acids Immobilized in Micro- and Nano-Zeolites

Gabriela Robles-Mora, Josefina Barrera-Cortés, Lucila Valdez-Castro, Omar Solorza-Feria and César García-Díaz
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Gabriela Robles-Mora: Programa de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), Unidad Zacatenco, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
Josefina Barrera-Cortés: Programa de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), Unidad Zacatenco, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
Lucila Valdez-Castro: Programa Académico de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Puebla, Puebla 72640, Mexico
Omar Solorza-Feria: Programa de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), Unidad Zacatenco, Ciudad de México 07360, Mexico
César García-Díaz: Tecnológico de Monterrey. Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias. Campus Estado de México. Carretera Lago de Guadalupe km 3.5, Atizapán de Zaragoza. C.P. 52926. Estado de México, Mexico

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hazardous compounds originating from anthropogenic activity. Due to their carcinogenic properties for humans, several technologies have been developed for PAH removal. Sorption with natural and organic materials is currently one of the most studied due to its low cost and its environmentally friendly nature. In this work, a hybrid sorbent involving functionalized humic acids (HAs) and nano-zeolite is proposed to entrap PAHs. The use of functionalized HAs immobilized in a porous support is designed to address the instability of HAs in solution, which has been already reported. HA functionalization was carried out to increase the non-polarity of HAs and aliphatic group formation. The HAs were functionalized by esterification/etherification with alkyl halides, and their chemical changes were verified by FTIR and NMR. The sorption isotherms of the functionalized HAs in micro- and nano-zeolites were used to assess the performance of the nano-zeolites in adsorbing these HAs. The hybrid support allowed the removal of anthracene and pyrene at percentages higher than 90%; fluoranthene, of angular molecular structure, was adsorbed at 85%. PAHs are ubiquitous in the environment, and a stable sorption of them in solid matrices will allow their removal from the environment through effective and environmentally friendly methods.

Keywords: chemically modified humic acids; nano-zeolite; micro-zeolite; PAH removal; sorption isotherms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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