Having recently read several papers regarding the toxicity of nanoparticles to the aquatic environment, I was starting to view nanoparticles as an environmental bad guy. However, this study conducted by Anthony B. Dichiara and colleagues from Rochester Institute of Technology has stopped me in my tracks. It appears that nanoparticles could provide a sustainable solution for future aqueous purification systems – in the form of carbon nanocomposite papers – and we like sustainable solutions!
Activated carbon is currently the most commonly used material for water purification, but carbon nanotubes have higher adsorption capacities. For an adsorption material to be used for large-scale removal of pollutants from water, the regeneration property and reusability must also be taken into consideration.
In this study, the recycling efficiency of Graphene nanoplatelet-single-walled nanontube hybrid papers (graphene cylinders) when saturated with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was investigated. Figure 1 shows that every time the papers were recycled the uptake of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid always exceeded that of the original adsorbents.
Figure 1
Carbon nanocomposite papers are therefore potential adsorbents for future aqueous purification systems due to their larger adsorption capacity and enhanced recovery ability. So perhaps nanoparticles are not too bad after all!
To read the full article, download a copy for free* by clicking the link below:
Enhanced adsorption of carbon nanocomposites exhausted with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid after regeneration by thermal oxidation and microwave irradiation, Antony Dichiara, Jordan Benton-Smith and Reginald Rogers
DOI: 10.1039/C3EN00093A
*Access is free through a registered RSC account – click here to register
