RESEARCH ARTICLE · Bioresources and Bioprocessing · 2023

Retention properties and mechanism of agricultural waste maize whisker on atmospheric mercury

Guiling Zheng, Qianxiu Chen, Feng Zhou, Peng Li

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Abstract

Abstract Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant transmitted mainly through the atmosphere, posing a serious threat to biological survival and human health. Porous materials, with high specific surface area, high porosity, and high adsorption, are particularly suitable for the purification of atmospheric Hg mixtures. However, plant porous materials are rarely directly used for atmospheric Hg purification. In this study, the properties and mechanism of maize whisker in removing atmospheric Hg were analyzed. The results show that the Hg content in the whiskers increases significantly as the initial Hg concentration increases, and 79.38% Hg can be removed by 0.2 g maize whiskers after 1 h exposure when the initial Hg concentration is 0.1 μg m−3, indicating that maize whiskers can accumulate atmospheric Hg rapidly and effectively. The hole diameter of the maize whisker is between 0.83 and 3.06 μm, which is suitable for the adsorption of small substances. Correlation analysis shows that maize whiskers have a significant correlation between atmospheric Hg retention and its specific surface area, pore size, medium pore ratio, and micropore ratio, suggesting that the maize whisker hole feature has a significant influence on its ability to retain atmospheric Hg. Compared with the energy profiles before and after Hg treatment, the peak of Mg decreased after Hg adsorption. Fourier infrared spectrometer analysis suggests that functional groups such as -OH, -COOH, and -O- are involved in the adsorption process. The change in pH value shows an obvious effect on the overall change in zeta potential in the adsorption process. Therefore, a variety of mechanisms, including physical adsorption, electrostatic adsorption, complexation, chelation, and ion exchange, are involved in Hg retention with the maize whisker. This study reveals the important potential value of agricultural waste maize whiskers in the purification of atmospheric heavy metal Hg. Graphical Abstract

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