The stability of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) is expected to play a key role in the environmental risk assessment of nanotoxicity in aquatic systems. In this study, the effect of alginate (model polysaccharides) on the stability of CuO NPs in various environmentally relevant ionic strength conditions was investigated by using time-resolved dynamic light scattering. Significant aggregation of CuO NPs was observed in the presence of both monovalent and divalent cations. The critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) were 54.5 and 2.9 mM for NaNO3 and Ca(NO3)2, respectively. The presence of alginate slowed nano-CuO aggregation rates over the entire NaNO3 concentration range due to the combined electrostatic and steric effect. High concentrations of Ca2+ (>6 mM) resulted in stronger adsorption of alginate onto CuO NPs; however, enhanced aggregation of CuO NPs occurred simultaneously under the same conditions. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that the bridging interaction of alginate with Ca2+ might be an important mechanism for the enhanced aggregation. Furthermore, significant coagulation of the alginate molecules was observed in solutions of high Ca2+ concentrations, indicating a hetero-aggregation mechanism between the alginate-covered CuO NPs and the unabsorbed alginate. These results suggested a different aggregation mechanism of NPs might co-exist in aqueous systems enriched with natural organic matter, which should be taken into consideration in future studies.
The effects of turbulence intensity (velocity gradient, G (s−1)), Henry's law constant (H), and molecular weight (M) on the volatilization rates of organic compounds are examined using changes in the mass transfer coefficients (KOL (cm/min)) under specific liquid-mixing intensities. The selected compounds were divided into three groups according to their H values (mole in gas/mole in liquid, dimensionless), which ranged from 102 to 10−5. The relationship of the KOL relative to G, H and M was obtained via multiple regression. The obtained values of these parameters indicate that the primary factor affecting the KOL values of the high H compounds is their M values. The effects of the H values on the KOL values of the high H compounds can be neglected. On the other hand, the H value is the major factor determining the KOL values of the low H compounds. The changes in the KOL values of the different H compounds exhibit different profiles as the liquid-mixing intensity increases. The M and H values of middle H compounds possibly affect their KOL values. The effects of the liquid-mixing intensity on the KOL values of the organic compounds increase with increasing H values. The variation in the KOL values might be a result of the concentration of the organic compounds at the interface between the liquid and gas films. The empirical relationship between KOL and some selected parameters, G, H and M, is examined in this study. The obtained results can help to estimate volatilization loss of organic solutes in wastewater treatment facilities. 相似文献