Effect of Suspended Solids and Organic Matter in Water on the Removal of ZnO-NPs by Coagulation

Abstract

Background: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been shown to have a non-negligible impact on the environment Objective: Kaolin and humic acid were used in the aqueous environment to study their effects on the removal of ZnO-NPs. Method: In this work, polyaluminum ferric chloride (PAFC)/cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) coagulants were used together with kaolin and humic acid were used to study their effects on the removal of ZnO-NPs and to analyze their mechanism of action. Results: The results showed that the removal rate of ZnO-NPs in the humic acid system decreased by about 30% compared to that in the pure water system, and increasing the ionic strength and humic acid concentration was not conducive to removing ZnO-NPs. On the other hand, the ZnO-NPs removal rate in the kaolin system was up to 96.28%, and increasing the ionic strength and kaolin concentration contributed to the removal of ZnO-NPs. In the humic acid and kaolin systems, the effects of coagulant dosage and pH on the removal of ZnO-NPs were about the same as in the pure water system. Moreover, 5 mg/L humic acid inhibited floc growth during removal of ZnO-NPs by coagulation with PAFC/CPAM. In contrast, 5 mg/L kaolin promoted flocs growth, resulting in stronger and more stable flocs and a 5.25% increase in the fractal dimension compared to the pure water system. Conclusion: These results suggested that suspended solids and natural organic matter in the water could directly affect the effectiveness of coagulation to remove ZnO-NPs.