Citation: Jinhui Xu, Yanting Zhang, Kecheng Wen, Xinyu Wang, Zhiwei Yang, Yuan Huang, Guozhong Zheng, Lupeng Huang, Jing Zhang. Enhanced removal of polystyrene nanoplastics by air flotation modified by dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride: Performance and mechanism[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2025, 36(5): 110240. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2024.110240 shu

Enhanced removal of polystyrene nanoplastics by air flotation modified by dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride: Performance and mechanism

Jinhui Xu ^a ,
Yanting Zhang ^a ,
Kecheng Wen ^a ,
Xinyu Wang ^a ,
Zhiwei Yang ^a ,
Yuan Huang ^a ,
Guozhong Zheng ^a ,
Lupeng Huang ^a ,
Jing Zhang ^{a, b, *,}

a.
College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
b.
Yibin Industrial Technology Research Institute of Sichuan University, Yibin 644000, China

zjing428@163.com

Received Date: 29 April 2024
Revised Date: 16 June 2024
Accepted Date: 10 July 2024
Available Online: 13 March 2025

Figures(7)

Nanoplastics exhibit greater environmental biotoxicity than microplastics and can be ingested by humans through major routes such as tap water, bottled water and other drinking water. Nanoplastics present a challenge for air flotation due to their minute particle size, negative surface potential, and similar density to water. This study employed dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) as a modifier to improve conventional air flotation, which significantly enhanced the removal of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs). Conventional air flotation removed only 3.09% of PSNPs, while air flotation modified by dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC-modified air flotation) increased the removal of PSNPs to 98.05%. The analysis of the DTAC-modified air flotation mechanism was conducted using a combination of instruments, including a zeta potential analyzer, contact angle meter, laser particle size meter, high definition camera, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The results indicated that the incorporation of DTAC reversed the electrostatic repulsion between bubbles and PSNPs to electrostatic attraction, significantly enhancing the hydrophobic force in the system. This, in turn, improved the collision adhesion effect between bubbles and PSNPs. The experimental results indicated that even when the flotation time was reduced to 7 min, the DTAC-modified air flotation still achieved a high removal rate of 96.26%. Furthermore, changes in aeration, pH, and ionic strength did not significantly affect the performance of the modified air flotation for the removal of PSNPs. The removal rate of PSNPs in all three water bodies exceeded 95%. The DTAC-modified air flotation has excellent resistance to interference from complex conditions and shows great potential for practical application.
- Polystyrene nanoplastics,
- Dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride,
- Modified air flotation,
- Mechanism,
- Effectiveness and stability
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