Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2025.03.018

中国化学工程学报 ›› 2025, Vol. 85 ›› Issue (9): 105-113.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2025.03.018

Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate

Chengyang Wu^1,2, Siqing Xia³, Qiyuan Pang¹, Suyun Xu^1,2, Hongbo Liu^1,2

1. School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China;
2. School of Intelligent Emergency Management, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China;
3. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

收稿日期:2025-01-02 修回日期:2025-02-27 接受日期:2025-03-02 出版日期:2025-09-28 发布日期:2025-04-25
通讯作者: Hongbo Liu,E-mail:Liuhb@usst.edu.cn
基金资助:
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52400008, 52470049).

Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate

Chengyang Wu^1,2, Siqing Xia³, Qiyuan Pang¹, Suyun Xu^1,2, Hongbo Liu^1,2

1. School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China;
2. School of Intelligent Emergency Management, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China;
3. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

Received:2025-01-02 Revised:2025-02-27 Accepted:2025-03-02 Online:2025-09-28 Published:2025-04-25
Contact: Hongbo Liu,E-mail:Liuhb@usst.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52400008, 52470049).

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Chromium (Cr) contamination in water poses significant health risks, yet advanced remediation methods remain limited. Cr(VI) reduction catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) on hydrogen-transfer membranes has shown potential but requires further optimization. This study investigated the simultaneous microbial-driven and Pd-catalyzed Cr(VI) reduction, focusing on reduction efficiency and optimal conditions. Two hydrogen-based membrane reactors were compared: a Pd-biofilm reactor incorporating PdNPs associated with a biofilm, and a control biofilm reactor. Continuous experiments demonstrated the superior performance of the Pd-biofilm reactor, achieving immediate Cr(VI) reduction and effluent Cr(III) concentrations below 0.040 mg·L^-1, compared to 0.3 mg·L^-1 in the control biofilm reactor. High-throughput sequencing identified Dechloromonas as the dominant microbial species within Pd-biofilm, which plays a critical role in metal ion reduction. The Pd-biofilm reactor maintained high Cr(VI) reduction flux across varying conditions. When the influent Cr(VI) loading reached up to 10 mg·L^-1, where the control biofilm reactor experienced inhibition, the Pd-biofilm reactor achieved a Cr removal of 99%. Increased nitrate loading and hydrogen pressure further enhanced Pd-biofilm reactor performance without compromising Cr(VI) reduction since Cr(VI) is the preferential electron acceptor, whereas the biofilm reactor required hydrogen pressures ≥15 psig (1 psig = 6.895 kPa) for similar results. The optimal pH range for Cr(VI) reduction was 5.0-8.0 in the Pd-biofilm reactor and 7.0 in the biofilm reactor, with alkaline conditions being more inhibitory than acidic ones in both systems. The Pd-biofilm reactor effectively reduced Cr(VI) concentrations from 1 to 10 mg·L^-1 to below the maximum contaminant level of 0.1 mg·L^-1, thus appearing as an efficient technique to treat Cr-contaminated waters.

关键词: Chromate, Reduction, Membranes, Biofilm, Palladium, Nanoparticles

Abstract: Chromium (Cr) contamination in water poses significant health risks, yet advanced remediation methods remain limited. Cr(VI) reduction catalyzed by palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) on hydrogen-transfer membranes has shown potential but requires further optimization. This study investigated the simultaneous microbial-driven and Pd-catalyzed Cr(VI) reduction, focusing on reduction efficiency and optimal conditions. Two hydrogen-based membrane reactors were compared: a Pd-biofilm reactor incorporating PdNPs associated with a biofilm, and a control biofilm reactor. Continuous experiments demonstrated the superior performance of the Pd-biofilm reactor, achieving immediate Cr(VI) reduction and effluent Cr(III) concentrations below 0.040 mg·L^-1, compared to 0.3 mg·L^-1 in the control biofilm reactor. High-throughput sequencing identified Dechloromonas as the dominant microbial species within Pd-biofilm, which plays a critical role in metal ion reduction. The Pd-biofilm reactor maintained high Cr(VI) reduction flux across varying conditions. When the influent Cr(VI) loading reached up to 10 mg·L^-1, where the control biofilm reactor experienced inhibition, the Pd-biofilm reactor achieved a Cr removal of 99%. Increased nitrate loading and hydrogen pressure further enhanced Pd-biofilm reactor performance without compromising Cr(VI) reduction since Cr(VI) is the preferential electron acceptor, whereas the biofilm reactor required hydrogen pressures ≥15 psig (1 psig = 6.895 kPa) for similar results. The optimal pH range for Cr(VI) reduction was 5.0-8.0 in the Pd-biofilm reactor and 7.0 in the biofilm reactor, with alkaline conditions being more inhibitory than acidic ones in both systems. The Pd-biofilm reactor effectively reduced Cr(VI) concentrations from 1 to 10 mg·L^-1 to below the maximum contaminant level of 0.1 mg·L^-1, thus appearing as an efficient technique to treat Cr-contaminated waters.

Key words: Chromate, Reduction, Membranes, Biofilm, Palladium, Nanoparticles

Chengyang Wu, Siqing Xia, Qiyuan Pang, Suyun Xu, Hongbo Liu. Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2025, 85(9): 105-113.

Chengyang Wu, Siqing Xia, Qiyuan Pang, Suyun Xu, Hongbo Liu. Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 85(9): 105-113.

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Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate

Coupling of palladium nanoparticles with biofilm improved co-reduction of chromium(VI) and nitrate

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