Enhanced sorption of naphthalene and p-nitrophenol by Nano-SiO2 modified with a cationic surfactant

• We report the surfactant-modification could be a way to make nano-oxides be sorbents.
• The coated surfactant was an effective organic phase for partitioning of organics.
• Linear relationships were established to predict the sorption of organics.
• The modification may alter the fate of nano-oxides and organics in the environment.

In this study, we observed that modification of nano-oxides (e.g., nano-SiO2) with cationic surfactants (e.g., cetyl pyridinium chloride, CPC) could be a potential way to make nano-oxides be superior sorbents with a partition mechanism for the sorptive removal of organic contaminants from wastewater where the coated CPC was an effective organic phase for partitioning. The partitioning of nonpolar naphthalene into coated CPC was induced by hydrophobic effect alone and presenting linear isotherms, while that of polar p-nitrophenol was induced by not only the hydrophobic effect but also the hydrogen-bonding interaction and presenting isotherm nonlinearity. The sorption affinity for naphthalene and p-nitrophenol partitioning into the coated CPC and the configuration of coated CPC remained unchanged although the amounts of coated CPC were increased. Linear relationships were established between the coated CPC amounts and the sorption capacities of naphthalene or p-nitrophenol, which could be used to predict the sorption of organic contaminants on surfactant-modified nano-oxides. In addition, these observed results would be also valuable for estimating the environmental behaviors and risks of nano-SiO2 and organic contaminants because nano-SiO2 would be inevitably coated with ubiquitous surfactants in the environment due to the discharging from the wide domestic and industry applications.

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