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Removal of Heavy Metal Ions Using Magnetic Materials

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Integrated Natural Resources Management

Part of the book series: Handbook of Environmental Engineering ((HEE,volume 20))

Abstract

Heavy metal ions contaminate water environment through point sources and nonpoint sources. Heavy metal ions are categorized as inorganic contaminants by both the WHO and the USEPA. The heavy metal ions are increasingly being introduced into the environment as pollutants and contaminants resulting from human activities.

Magnetic particles for water treatment applications have received considerable attention from researchers due to high separation efficiency. The magnetic particles behave similar to or even better than various commercial adsorbents. The magnetic particles also exhibit high selectivity for the target pollutants from the environment besides enabling ease of operation for reducing the particle separation steps from the flowing stream. A comprehensive and systematic understanding of synthesis and surface modifications of magnetic particles is significant to enhance their practicability in environmental technology. Although high removal performance and reactivity can be achieved by smaller particle size, the stability, toxicity, and recovery of the particles magnetically could be challenging.

In contrast, the active surface of magnetic particles may be forfeited, while surface modifications stabilize and reduce the toxicity of the particles. Reliable surface modifications are necessarily needed for the increment of the number of active sites to remove the heavy metals. For successful environmental applications of the magnetic particles, modification on the magnetic particles is principally crucial to balance the effects on their reactivity, capacity, and reusability.

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Abbreviations

ɣ-Fe2O3:

Maghemite

Ag:

Silver

BHmax:

Highest energy product

Br:

Remanence

Ca:

Calcium

Cd2+:

Cadmium cation

CdS:

Cadmium sulfide

CdSe:

Cadmium selenide

Cu:

Copper

Cu2+:

Copper cation

Co:

Cobalt

Cr4+:

Chromium cation (4+)

Fe:

Iron

FeO−:

Negative charge iron oxide

Fe3O4:

Magnetite

Fe3S4:

Greigite

Gd:

Gadolinium

Hc:

Coercive force

Hg2+:

Mercuric cation

HGMS:

High-gradient magnetic separation

Mg:

Magnesium

MIEX:

Magnetic ion exchange resin

Mn:

Manganese

MnFe2O4:

Manganese iron oxide

MnO:

Manganese(II) oxide

Mn-Zn:

Manganese-zinc

Nd:

Neodymium

Nd-Fe-B:

Neodymium, iron, and boron

Na+:

Sodium cation

Ni:

Nickel

Ni2+:

Nickel cation

NiFe2O4:

Nickel iron oxide/nickel ferrite

nZVI:

Nano zerovalent iron

Pb2+:

Lead cation

Si:

Silicon

Sm-Co:

Samarium-cobalt

SPIONs:

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

Tc:

Curie temperature

USA:

United States of America

USEPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

WHO:

World Health Organization

Zn:

Zinc

ZnFe2O4:

Zinc ferrite

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Soh-Fong Lim, Agnes Yung-Weng Lee & S. N. David Chua

  2. Fuel Cell Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangl, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

    Bee-Huah Lim

Authors
  1. Soh-Fong Lim
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  2. Agnes Yung-Weng Lee
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  3. S. N. David Chua
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  4. Bee-Huah Lim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Soh-Fong Lim .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lenox Institute of Water Technology, Lenox, MA and Newtonville, NY, USA

    Lawrence K. Wang

  2. Lenox Institute of Water Technology, Lenox, MA and Newtonville, NY, USA

    Mu-Hao Sung Wang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Yung-Tse Hung

  4. Lenox Institute of Water Technology and Krofta Engineering Corporation, Lenox, MA and Newtonville, NY, USA

    Nazih K. Shammas

Glossary

Glossary

Adsorbent :

A material which will allow a liquid, gas, or dissolved solid to adhere to its surface

Adsorption :

A process by which a solid holds molecules of a gas or liquid or solute as a thin film

Carbon nanotubes :

Cylindrical molecules that consist of rolled-up sheets of single-layer carbon atoms (graphene)

Chemical stability :

Resistance of a chemical to change in a chemical reaction

Coprecipitation :

Simultaneous precipitation of more than one compound from a solution

Curie temperature :

Temperature at which certain magnetic materials undergo a sharp change in their magnetic properties

Heavy metal ions :

Metallic cation and anion that have relatively high density and are toxic or poisonous at low concentrations

Hydrothermal :

A chemical reaction in water at both high temperature and pressure in a sealed pressure vessel

Ion exchange :

A reversible chemical reaction where dissolved ions are removed from the solution and replaced with other ions of the same or similar electrical charge

Ion exchange resin :

A resin that acts as a medium for ion exchange

Magnetic force :

Attractive or repulsive force that is exerted between the poles of a magnet and electrically charged moving particles

Magnetic field :

A vector field that describes the magnetic influence of electric charges in relative motion and magnetized materials

Magnetic sorption technology :

A process by which a magnetic solid holds molecules of a gas or liquid or solute as a thin film

Mechanical stability :

The quality of being free from change or variation

Microemulsion :

A thermodynamically stable, isotropic emulsion with a droplet size of 1–100 nm

Nanoparticle :

A microscopic particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nm

Permanent magnet :

Material with the magnetic field that is generated by the internal structure of the material itself

Pyrolysis :

Decomposition brought about by high temperatures

Reverse micelle :

Aqueous-phase droplet in organic solvent that is stabilized by surfactant

Sol-gel :

A wet chemical process involving the formation of an inorganic colloidal suspension (sol) and gelation of the sol in a continuous liquid phase (gel) to form a three-dimensional network structure

Stöber method :

A chemical process for preparation of silica (SiO2) particles of controllable and uniform size

Sonochemical :

Application of ultrasound to chemical reactions and processes

Thermal decomposition :

Some compounds breaking down when heated, forming two or more products from one reactant

Thermal stability :

The ability of the material to resist the action of heat and to maintain its properties

Toxic substances :

Substances that can be poisonous or cause health effects

Water purification :

The process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water

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Lim, SF., Lee, A.YW., Chua, S.N.D., Lim, BH. (2021). Removal of Heavy Metal Ions Using Magnetic Materials. In: Wang, L.K., Wang, MH.S., Hung, YT., Shammas, N.K. (eds) Integrated Natural Resources Management. Handbook of Environmental Engineering, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55172-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55172-8_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-55172-8

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