0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Detection Methods Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Nanoplastics Sign in to save

Sedimentation of nanoplastics from water with Ca/Al dual flocculants: Characterization, interface reaction, effects of pH and ion ratios

Chemosphere 2020 93 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Ziying Chen, Junhong Liu, Chengyu Chen, Zhujian Huang

Summary

Researchers investigated the use of calcium-aluminum dual flocculants to remove nanoplastics from water, characterizing the sedimentation process and finding that pH and ion ratios significantly influenced flocculation efficiency through interface reactions at the nanoplastic surface.

Nanoplastics (NPs), which are broken down from large pieces of plastics and caused water environment pollution, are becoming an emerging environmental problem due to their stable structure, high mobility, and easy interactions with ambient organic compounds. Separation of NPs by flocculation may be an effective approach for remediation of NPs contaminated-water. Aluminum ion has been used as a highly efficient flocculant in sewage treatment, and calcium ion also shows excellent sedimentation performance for impurities under high pH conditions. In this study, composite metal calcium-aluminum (Ca/Al) ions were used as flocculants, achieving a settling efficiency of NPs almost as high as 80%. The effects of pH and Ca/Al flocculant ratios on the zeta potentials, solution stability, as well as sedimentation efficiency of NPs were investigated. Results showed that the crystal formation of Ca/Al flocs increased with pH. The contact and adsorption mechanism of NPs by Ca/Al flocs were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The capture of NPs by Ca/Al flocculants could provide a new insight for the treatment of NPs from aqueous environment.

Sign in to start a discussion.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Evaluating the Role of Calcium Ions in the Removal of Nanoplastics ( 607 nm) by Flocculation‐Enhanced Sedimentation using Alginate

Researchers evaluated the role of calcium ions in enhancing nanoplastic removal from water through flocculation-sedimentation using alginate, finding that calcium promotes bridging between alginate chains and nanoplastic surfaces to improve phase separation. The study identifies calcium ion concentration as a critical parameter for optimizing nanoplastic removal in water treatment applications.

Article Tier 2

Efficiency and mechanism of micro- and nano-plastic removal with polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants: Role of Fe addition

Researchers investigated polymeric Al-Fe bimetallic coagulants for removing micro- and nanoplastics from drinking water, finding that iron addition enhanced nanoplastic removal efficiency through improved charge neutralization and floc formation mechanisms.

Article Tier 2

Improving nanoplastic removal by coagulation: Impact mechanism of particle size and water chemical conditions

Researchers found that coagulation using aluminum chlorohydrate and polyacrylamide achieved up to 98.5% removal efficiency for polystyrene nanoplastics, with smaller particles being easier to remove, though humic acid in water competed for adsorption sites and reduced effectiveness.

Article Tier 2

Impact of dissolved organic matter characteristics and inorganic species on the stability and removal by coagulation of nanoplastics in aqueous media

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter type and ionic composition affect the stability and coagulation removal of nanoplastics, finding that biopolymers rich in proteins and carbohydrates most effectively stabilize particles through steric repulsion, while polymer aluminum chloride (PACl) outperforms alum as a coagulant in the presence of organic matter.

Article Tier 2

Phase transition of Mg/Al-flocs to Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides during flocculation and polystyrene nanoplastics removal

Researchers investigated how magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide flocs remove polystyrene nanoplastics from water, finding that electrostatic adsorption and intermolecular forces drive capture efficiency above 90%, with pH-dependent crystal formation playing a key role in the removal mechanism.

Share this paper