Contaminant‐mobilizing capability of fullerene nanoparticles (nC₆₀): Effect of solvent‐exchange process in nC₆₀ formation

Abstract

Abstract-Fullerene nanoparticles (nC 60 ) in aqueous environments can significantly enhance the transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants by serving as a contaminant carrier. In the present study, the authors examine the effect of the solvent-exchange process on nC 60 aggregate formation and, subsequently, on nC 60 's contaminant-mobilizing capability. A series of nC 60 samples were prepared using a modified toluene-water solvent-exchange method through the inclusion of a secondary organic solvent in the phase transfer of molecular C 60 in toluene to nC 60 in water. Two groups of solvents-a water-miscible group and a non-water-miscible group-of varied polarity were selected as secondary solvents. The involvement of a secondary solvent in the phase transfer process had only small effects on the particle size and distribution, z potential, and mobility of the nC 60 products but significantly influenced the capability of nC 60 to enhance the transport of 2,2 0 ,5,5 0 -polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in a saturated sandy soil column, regardless of whether the secondary solvent was water-miscible or non-water-miscible. The two groups of secondary solvents appear to affect the aggregation properties of nC 60 in water via different mechanisms. In general, nC 60 products made with a secondary water-miscible solvent have stronger capabilities to enhance PCB transport. Taken together, the results indicate that according to formation conditions and solvent constituents, nC 60 will vary significantly in its interactions with organic contaminants, specifically as related to adsorption or desorption as well as transport in porous media. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:329-336. # 2012 SETAC

Carbon nanomaterials: production, impact on plant development, agricultural and environmental applications

“…Multi-walled nanotubes have been also used for sorption of antibiotics [59], herbicides [60] or nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater [61]. On the other hand, fullerenes as well as CNTs exhibit a mobilization potential for various organic pollutants [62], such as lindane (agricultural insecticide) [63] and persistent polychlorinated biphenyls [64]. The significant advantages of CNMs comprise their enormous surface area, mechanical and thermal stability, high chemical affinity for aromatic compounds [65], and potential antibacterial properties (described below).…”

Theoretical investigations on C60–ionic liquid interactions and their impacts on C60 dispersion behavior

“…The environmental health and safety risks of CNPs in society have thus become a serious concern in academia. Assessing the risks of CNPs requires more insight into the critical physicochemical processes affecting their behavior in the environment [7,8]. Physicochemical interactions are of particular concern, because CNPs with high surface reactivity are able to interact with a variety of compounds in the aquatic environment, such as natural organic matter [9][10][11], surfactants [10][11][12], and environmentally relevant organic acids [13].…”

Carbon nanomaterials in clean and contaminated soils: environmental implications and applications

“…The results showed that even the lowest concentration of nC 60 significantly enhanced the dispersal of both PCB and phenanthrene, whereas columns containing only various types of DOM had no effect on contaminant transport (Zhang et al, 2011b). The enhanced contaminant mobilisation ability of nC 60 relative to naturally occurring DOM was attributed to its unique porous structure and surface enthalpies of interaction, which generate a large sorption affinity together with an irreversibly or slowly desorbable fraction of adsorbed phenanthrene/PCBs (Hofmann and von der Kammer, 2009;Zhang et al, 2011b;Wang et al, 2012a). CNMs may therefore be much more efficient at enhancing the mobility of contaminants than natural colloidal materials.…”