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Electron beam synergetic removal of microplastics and hexavalent chromium: Synergetic removal process and mechanism
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Electron beam irradiation was tested as a method to simultaneously degrade PVC microplastics and reduce toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in contaminated water, finding a synergistic effect where treating both together improved chromium removal from 57% to 92% compared to treating either contaminant alone. The mechanism involves electron beam aging of PVC generating reactive compounds that chemically reduce chromium, while the chromium in turn accelerates PVC breakdown. This dual-pollutant removal approach offers a novel strategy for treating industrial wastewater containing both plastic debris and heavy metal contamination.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in the environment and aged microplastics are highly susceptible to absorbing pollutants from the environment. In this study, electron beam was innovatively used to treat PVC composite Cr(VI) pollutants (Composite contaminant formed by polyvinyl chloride microplastics with the heavy metal hexavalent chromium). Experiments showed that electron beam was able to achieve synergistic removal of PVC composite Cr(VI) pollutants compared to degrading the pollutants alone. During the electron beam removal of PVC composite Cr(VI) pollutants, the reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) increased from 57% to 92%, Cl concentration increased from 3.52 to 12.41 mg L, and TOC concentration increased from 16.72 to 26.60 mg L. The research confirmed that electron beam can effectively promote the aging degradation of PVC, alter the physicochemical properties of microplastics, and generate oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of microplastics. Aged microplastics enhanced the adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) through electrostatic and chelation interactions, and the adsorption process followed second-order kinetics and the Freundlich model. Theoretical calculations and experiments demonstrated that PVC consumed oxidizing free radical through dechlorination and decarboxylation processes, generating inorganic ions and small organic molecules. These inorganic ions and small organic molecules further reacted with oxidizing free radical to produce reducing free radicals, facilitating the reduction of Cr(VI). Cr(VI) continuously consumed the educing free radicals to transform into Cr (Ⅲ), enhancing the system oxidative atmosphere and promoting the oxidation degradation of PVC. This study investigated the formation and synergistic removal processes of PVC composite pollutants, offering new insights for controlling microplastics composite pollution.
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Researchers used electron beam irradiation as a novel method to age polypropylene microplastics and then studied how these aged particles adsorb hexavalent chromium from water. They found that aging dramatically increased the microplastics' ability to bind chromium by generating oxygen-containing functional groups on their surfaces. The study highlights that weathered microplastics in the environment may have a significantly greater capacity to concentrate heavy metal pollutants than fresh plastic particles.
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Researchers studied the correlation between aging properties and adsorption of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) onto polyethylene microplastics under accelerated UV aging conditions, finding that aging-induced changes in surface chemistry increased the adsorption capacity. Aged microplastics may act as more effective vectors for toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments.
The potential of electron beams for the removal of microplastics from wastewater and sewage sludge
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Aging amplifies synergistic adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI) by polyamide microplastics
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Researchers found that UV and chemical aging of polyamide microplastics amplified their adsorption and reduction of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI), increasing oxygen-containing functional groups while reducing amide bonds, with Cr(VI) binding driven by electrostatic forces and hydrogen bonds and the aged microplastics able to reduce Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) even under UV light and oxygen-depleted conditions.
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Researchers investigated how aged polystyrene microplastics interact with hexavalent chromium, a toxic heavy metal, in water under light conditions. They found that microplastics accelerate the conversion of toxic chromium(VI) to less harmful chromium(III), while the chromium in turn speeds up the aging of the microplastics. The study reveals a complex interplay between microplastics and heavy metals in aquatic environments that could influence the environmental fate of both pollutants.
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