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. 2019 May 16:7:e6820.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6820. eCollection 2019.

Adsorption of thallium(I) on rutile nano-titanium dioxide and environmental implications

Weilong Zhang  1 , Yang Wu  1 , Jin Wang  1 , Juan Liu  1 , Haifeng Lu  2 , Shuijing Zhai  3 , Qiaohui Zhong  1   4 , Siyu Liu  1 , Wanying Zhong  1 , Chunling Huang  1 , Xiaoxiang Yu  1 , Wenhui Zhang  1 , Yongheng Chen  1
Affiliations

Adsorption of thallium(I) on rutile nano-titanium dioxide and environmental implications

Weilong Zhang et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Rutile nano-titanium dioxide (RNTD) characterized by loose particles with diameter in 20-50 nm has a very large surface area for adsorption of Tl, a typical trace metal that has severe toxicity. The increasing application of RNTD and widespread discharge of Tl-bearing effluents from various industrial activities would increase the risk of their co-exposure in aquatic environments. The adsorption behavior of Tl(I) (a prevalent form of Tl in nature) on RNTD was studied as a function of solution pH, temperature, and ion strength. Adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics for Tl(I) were also investigated. The adsorption of Tl(I) on RNTD started at very low pH values and increased abruptly, then maintained at high level with increasing pH >9. Uptake of Tl(I) was very fast on RNTD in the first 15 min then slowed down. The adsorption of Tl(I) on RNTD was an exothermic process; and the adsorption isotherm of Tl(I) followed the Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption amount of 51.2 mg/g at room temperature. The kinetics of Tl adsorption can be described by a pseudo-second-order equation. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that -OH and -TiOO-H play an important role in the adsorption. All these results indicate that RNTD has a fast adsorption rate and excellent adsorption amount for Tl(I), which can thus alter the transport, bioavailability and fate of Tl(I) in aqueous environment.

Keywords: Adsorption behavior; Rutile nano-titanium dioxide; Thallium.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Effect of rutile nano-TiO2 dosage on Tl adsorption.
The adsorption amount decreased with increased dosage, and the adsorption rate increased upmost to around 92%.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Effect of initial concentration on adsorption of Tl by rutile nano-TiO2.
The adsorption amount increased with Tl initial concentration while the adsorption rate decreased slowly.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Effect of ionic strength on adsorption of Tl by rutile nano-TiO2.
Adsorption amount and rate increased steadily and then levelled when the ionic strength was >1.5 mol/L.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Effect of pH on adsorption of Tl by rutile nano-TiO2.
The adsorption amount increased slowly in the pH range from 2 to 5, but very significantly in the pH range from 5 to 9, followed by a near plateau at pH 9 to 11.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Effect of time on adsorption of Tl by rutile nano-TiO2.
The adsorption process was rapid, and completed within 15 min.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Adsorption isotherms of Tl on rutile nano-TiO2.
The adsorption amount of Tl(I) decreased with increasing temperature, and the a dsorption of Tl was exothermic.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Infrared spectra of rutile nano-TiO2.
The oxygen-containing functional groups on RNTD were the main adsorption sites for Tl.
Figure 8
Figure 8. SEM-EDS image after adsorption of nano-TiO2 (A and C) before adsorption; (B and D) after adsorption.
Figure 9
Figure 9. X-ray diffraction pattern of nano-TiO2 (A) before adsorption; (B) after adsorption.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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