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Biochar supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for the kinetics removal and mechanism of decabromodiphenyl ethane in the sediment

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Abstract

The extensive applications of decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), a novel brominated flame retardant, have induced its accumulation in sediment, which may have a great negative impact on the ecological environment. In this work, the biochar/nano-zero-valent iron materials (BC/nZVI) were synthesized to remove DBDPE in the sediment. Batch experiments were carried out to investigate the influencing factors of the removal efficiency, and kinetic model simulation and thermodynamic parameter calculation were performed. The degradation products and mechanisms were probed. The results indicated that the addition of 0.10 g·g−1 BC/nZVI to the sediment with an initial concentration of 10 mg·kg−1 DBDPE could remove 43.73% of DBDPE during 24 h. The water content of the sediment was a critical factor in the removal of DBDPE, which was optimal at 1:2 of sediment to water. The removal efficiency and reaction rate were enhanced by increasing dosage, water content, and reaction temperature or decreasing initial concentration of DBDPE based on the fitting results of the quasi-first-order kinetic model. Additionally, the calculated thermodynamic parameters suggested that the removal process was a spontaneously and reversibly endothermic reaction. The degradation products were further determined by GC–MS, and the mechanisms were presumed that DBDPE was debrominated to produce octabromodiphenyl ethane (octa-BDPE). This study provides a potential remediation method for highly DBDPE-contaminated sediment by using BC/nZVI.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21737005, 41877124, 42177395).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control On Chemical Process, School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China

    Cong Lu, Xuan Zhao, Zhihua Qiao, Kailun Luo, Shanqi Zhou, Mengru Fu, Cheng Peng & Wei Zhang

  2. Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Cheng Peng

Authors
  1. Cong Lu
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  2. Xuan Zhao
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  3. Zhihua Qiao
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  4. Kailun Luo
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  5. Shanqi Zhou
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  6. Mengru Fu
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  7. Cheng Peng
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  8. Wei Zhang
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Contributions

Cong Lu: writing—original draft preparation, conceptualization, methodology. Xuan Zhao: data curation, writing—reviewing and editing. Zhihua Qiao: conceptualization, Methodology, writing—reviewing and editing. Kailun Luo: visualization, data curation. Shanqi Zhou: data curation, investigation. Mengru Fu: data curation, investigation. Cheng Peng: validation, writing—reviewing and editing. Wei Zhang: supervision, validation, writing—reviewing and editing.

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Correspondence to Wei Zhang.

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Lu, C., Zhao, X., Qiao, Z. et al. Biochar supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for the kinetics removal and mechanism of decabromodiphenyl ethane in the sediment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 86821–86829 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27690-y

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