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Formation mechanisms of nano-aluminum oxide-dissolved black carbon and their adsorption for norfloxacin and phenanthrene

  • Soils, Sec 4 • Ecotoxicology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Dissolved black carbon (DBC), the soluble fraction of biochar, could interact with inorganic minerals to form organo-mineral complex due to its abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which will affect the adsorption of organic contaminants. In this study, we want to get the formation mechanisms of DBC-nano-aluminum oxide (n-Al2O3) complexes and their sorption mechanism difference for two specific contaminants, norfloxacin (NOR) and phenanthrene (PHE).

Materials and methods

The DBC-nano-aluminum oxide complexes (DBC-n-Al2O3) were synthesized via adsorption and labeled as OM2-1 to OM2-4, OM3-1 to OM3-4, and OM4-1 to OM4-4, respectively, according to the pyrolysis temperature and the increasing organic carbon content. The adsorption behavior of both n-Al2O3 and DBC-n-Al2O3 towards NOR and PHE was investigated. To examine the adsorption characteristics of organic pollutants by n-Al2O3 and DBC-n-Al2O3, the Freundlich model (FM) and the Polanyi–Mane model (PMM) are widely utilized. The DBC-n-Al2O3 samples prepared with different treatments were comprehensively characterized using elemental analysis, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Results and discussion

PHE adsorption by the complexes exceeds that of n-Al2O3 due to hydrophobic and π–π interactions between the PHE and the complexes. Conversely, NOR, which has functional groups (-COOH, -C = O, and -F) that can form hydrogen bonds with n-Al2O3, exhibits higher sorption on n-Al2O3 than the complexes. When organic C content is between 0.44 and 0.49, NOR’s adsorption by the complexes surpasses that of PHE, but this trend reverses when it is between 0.63 and 0.64. After screening for hydrophobic interactions via solubility, all the complexes show higher NOR adsorption than PHE, which could be attributed to hydrogen bonding and electron–donor–acceptor interactions (n–π and π–π) between NOR and the complexes.

Conclusions

We concluded that the hydrophobic and aromatic components of DBC selectively adsorb onto n-Al2O3 through hydrogen bonding as the primary mechanism for complex formation. Hydrophobic interaction and π–π interaction controlled the sorption of hydrophobic contaminants, while hydrogen bonding and electron–donor–acceptor interactions (n–π and π–π) were important for the sorption of hydrophilic contaminants by DBC-n-Al2O3 complexes. This study provides key theoretical data support for the NOR and PHE remediation in the real environment, and it also provides important information for the soil remediation by biochars in practical applications.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China (41807370 and 41907300), the Kunming University of Science & Technology “double world-class” joint project (202101BE070001-063), the Yunnan Major Scientific and Technological Projects (grant NO. 202202AG050019), and the Basic Research Program of Yunnan Province (202001AU070088).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China

    Hongbo Peng, Junjian Lin, Dong Yang, Siyao Wang, Jie Yang & Zhimin Xu

  2. City College, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming, 650051, Yunnan, China

    Peng Gao

  3. Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Carbon Sequestration and Pollution Control, Faculty of Environmental Science & Engineering, Kunming University of Science & Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China

    Fangfang Li

Authors
  1. Hongbo Peng
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  2. Junjian Lin
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  3. Dong Yang
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  4. Peng Gao
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Contributions

Hongbo Peng: investigation, methodology, and writing, original draft. Junjian Lin and Dong Yang: methodology, project administration, and resources. Peng Gao, Siyao Wang, Jie Yang, and Zhimin Xu: formal analysis and writing, review and editing. Fangfang Li, methodology and writing, review and editing.

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Correspondence to Fangfang Li.

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Peng, H., Lin, J., Yang, D. et al. Formation mechanisms of nano-aluminum oxide-dissolved black carbon and their adsorption for norfloxacin and phenanthrene. J Soils Sediments 23, 3425–3434 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03540-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03540-9

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