Influence of humic acids on sorption of alkanes by carbon nanotubes – Implications for the dominant sorption mode
- Author(s)
- Thorsten Hüffer, Sarah Schroth, Torsten C. Schmidt
- Abstract
The presence of humic substances (HS) has previously been shown to alter sorption properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). To systematically study this process, three alkane pairs were selected as molecular probe sorbates. The influence of HS on sorption affinity, sorption linearity, and the dominant sorption mode (i.e., ad- or absorption) by MWCNTs was investigated. The addition of HS led to a continuous decrease in sorption affinity and an increase in sorption linearity with increasing HS addition. Furthermore, the comparison of distribution coefficients of n- and cycloalkanes showed that the dominant sorption mode remains to be adsorption regardless of the presence of HS on MWCNT surface. From this, it can be concluded that instead of a change in sorption mode to absorption of sorbates into HS-coated MWCNT, HS blocks high-energy sorption sites for subsequently added sorbates and that sorbates continuously sorb on the MWCNT surface.
- Organisation(s)
- External organisation(s)
- Universität Duisburg-Essen
- Journal
- Chemosphere
- Volume
- 119
- Pages
- 1169-1175
- No. of pages
- 7
- ISSN
- 0045-6535
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.097
- Publication date
- 10-2014
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 104023 Environmental chemistry, 104002 Analytical chemistry, 105904 Environmental research, 210006 Nanotechnology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pollution, General Chemistry, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Chemistry
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/1230469c-3c40-413c-a5b9-ef37fa498e69