Eletrocoagulação na remoção de nanopartículas de prata em meio aquoso

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can bring potential health and environmental risks. Its growing production on large scale and wide incorporation into several products increases the risks of this nanomaterial of reaching different ecosystems, impacting the environment and human health. Facing this panorama, this work has as main objective, evaluating the efficiency of the treatment by electrocoagulation of different synthetic industrial effluents of AgNPs. Therefore, distinct AgNPs dispersions were developed in aqueous medium by chemical reduction, using silver nitrate (AgNO3) as a precursor, sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a reducer, and stabilizers in concentrations of 1 and 3% (m/v), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), resulting in dispersions designated as AgNPs-CMC1 and AgNPs-CMC3, AgNPs-PVA1 and AgNPs-PVA3 and AgNPs-PVP1 and AgNPs-PVP3, respectively. Synthesized, the nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), pH, conductivity and turbidity. The UV-Vis absorption spectra of the AgNPs obtained by different synthesis reactions were similar, presenting bands in the 400 nm region, typical of spherical-shaped AgNPs. The predominantly spherical morphological appearance of the AgNPs of the different dispersions was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. In the treatment by electrocoagulation with aluminum electrodes, the dispersions containing CMC as a stabilizing agent proved to be difficult to treat by electrocoagulation. The dispersions AgNPs-CMC1 and AgNPs-CMC3 obtained a reduction in total silver concentration of 71.72 and 52.15%, respectively, after 15 min of electrolysis. While the dispersions AgNPs-PVA1, AgNPs-PVP1 and AgNPs-PVP3 obtained a reduction in total silver concentration above 99.90% in 10 minutes of treatment, and AgNPs-PVP3 route dispersion reduction of total silver of 99.98% at 20 min of electrocoagulation. From these results, it was possible to observe that the elimination of AgNPs from effluents is possible and that the efficiency of the treatment by electrocoagulation is directly related to the physicochemical characteristics acquired by the dispersions of AgNPs when stabilized with different compounds. Finally, through the toxicity analysis with the test organism Vibrio fischeri, and according to the IAP Ordinance No. 019/2006, it was possible to verify that only the dispersions that used PVP as a protective agent became suitable for disposal after treatment by electrocoagulation.