Recent trends in Ni(II) sorption from aqueous solutions using natural materials

Abstract

The use of materials of natural origin for the adsorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions has gained attention in recent years among the scientific community. This is explained by the fact that nickel compounds, due to severe health consequences, are considered to be among the most dangerous to the environment. This article reviews the results of studies on the use of biosorbents for purification of aqueous solutions from nickel ions, and then attempts to classify them according to their origin. The characteristics of materials and their sorption capacity have been compared, and the removal mechanisms identified of which chemisorption and ion exchange are considered to be the most common. From the analyses, a major trend is the use of biomass; however, biosorbents from other groups also continue to attract the interest of researchers. Conducting laboratory studies can help select materials with high efficiency. The highest sorption capacity values for the materials in each group were: for waste products 56 mg Ni·g−1 (olive stone), for peat 61 mg Ni·g−1, for miscellaneous 225 mg Ni·g−1 (microbial flocculant GA1), for biomass 286 mg Ni·g−1 (Plantanus orientalis bark) and for composites/modified materials calcinated eggshells 769 mg Ni·g−1 (calcinated eggshells). However, for some materials the sorption phenomenon may be accompanied by precipitation in the presence of hydroxides, which significantly affects the sorption capacity achieved. There is a need to transfer these experiments to an industrial scale so as to verify their applicability. In such industrial scale applications, attention should be paid not only to the effectiveness of the material, but also to its availability, price, and ease of use, as well as the effect of the biosorbent in terms of changing the quality parameters of the aquatic environment.

Nickel Hyperaccumulator Biochar Sorbs Ni(II) from Water and Wastewater to Create an Enhanced Bio-ore

“…The biochars are both alkaline, as is typical for plant-based biochars. , MN900, synthesized from the MN plant master mix, exhibited higher acid neutralizing capacity and similar pH and cation exchange capacity to C900, synthesized from the C plant master mix. Both showed high pH and acid neutralizing capacity relative to other biochars in the literature; the accumulated Ca as CaCO 3 in the leaf trichomes and K throughout the plants likely contributed to these characteristics. , High pH and acid neutralizing capacity can enhance Ni­(II) sorption from solutions with extremely acidic initial pH, since Ni­(II) sorption primarily occurs above pH 5 . C900 had a slightly higher surface area than MN900, though both were similar and of the magnitude expected from previous results .…”

“…In comparison to the sorption maxima of other promising Ni­(II) sorbents in the literature, O. chalcidica biochar is an excellent sorbent, likely due to its high acid neutralizing and cation exchange capacities. Of 99 natural materials compared in a recent Ni sorption survey, with sorption maxima ranging between 1 and 780 mg Ni­(II) g –1 , O. chalcidica biochar was outperformed by only nine materials . All of those materials were synthesized and modified in multistep processes, composited with other materials, or synthesized from a specialty feedstock that would be difficult to acquire at industrial scales (i.e., chicken eggshell, tree bark, bacteria extracts, etc.).…”

The efficiency of removing heavy metal ions from industrial electropolishing wastewater using natural materials

“…The selection of natural materials for the preliminary experiments was based on the conclusions of a review article published earlier by the authors 43 . Among the literature reports that treat the topic of nickel sorption with the use of natural materials, those selected had both achieved the present results and were readily available.…”

“…Another puzzling fact is the very high sorption capacity of calcinated eggshells reported by researchers, reaching up to 700 mg/g which is a rare value compared to other natural materials 43 . In order to solve the mechanism of action of calcinated eggshells, both the study of the material itself (by SEM with EDS and FT-IR) and assessing the efficiency of removing metal ions from real wastewater were carried out.…”

Determination of the Ni(II) Ions Sorption Mechanism on Dowex PSR2 and Dowex PSR3 Ion Exchangers Based on Spectroscopic Studies

“…The most dangerous pollutants for humans are heavy metals, poorly decomposing organic substances, and insoluble mineral compounds. An example of a heavy metal with allergic and carcinogenic effects is nickel [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The WHO recommends less than 0.1 mg/L of Ni(II) as the maximum permissible content in drinking water [ 6 ].…”