Abstract
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) could affect interactions between nanoparticles and alter their migration behavior. The influence mechanisms of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag2S NPs) aggregated by active EPS sludge were studied in monovalent or divalent cation solutions. The aggregation behaviors of the NPs without EPS followed the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The counterions aggravated the aggregation of both NPs, and the divalent cation had a strong neutralizing effect due to the decrease in electrostatic repulsive force. Through extended DLVO (EDLVO) model analysis, in NaNO3 and low-concentration Ca(NO3)2 (< 10 mmol/L) solutions, EPS could alleviate the aggregation behaviors of Cit-Ag NPs and Ag2S NPs due to the enhancement of steric repulsive forces. At high concentrations of Ca(NO3)2 (10–100 mmol/L), exopolysaccharide macromolecules could promote the aggregation of Cit-Ag NPs and Ag2S NPs by interparticle bridging. As the final transformation form of Ag NPs in water environments, Ag2S NPs had better stability, possibly due to their small van der Waals forces and their strong steric repulsive forces. It is essential to elucidate the surface mechanisms between EPS and NPs to understand the different fates of metal-based and metal-sulfide NPs in WWTP systems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbas Q, Liu G, Yousaf B, Ali M U, Ullah H, Ahmed R (2019). Effects of biochar on uptake, acquisition and translocation of silver nanoparticles in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in relation to growth, photosynthetic traits and nutrients displacement. Environmental Pollution, 250: 728–736
Baalousha M, Nur Y, Römer I, Tejamaya M, Lead J R (2013). Effect of monovalent and divalent cations, anions and fulvic acid on aggregation of citrate-coated silver nanoparticles. Science of the Total Environment, 454–455: 119–131
Batley G E, Kirby J K, McLaughlin M J (2013). Fate and risks of nanomaterials in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Accounts of Chemical Research, 46(3): 854–862
Chen K L, Mylon S E, Elimelech M (2007). Enhanced aggregation of alginate-coated iron oxide (hematite) nanoparticles in the presence of calcium, strontium, and barium cations. Langmuir, 23(11): 5920–5928
de Freitas C F, Kimura E, Rubira A F, Muniz E C (2020). Curcumin and silver nanoparticles carried out from polysaccharide-based hydrogels improved the photodynamic properties of curcumin through metal-enhanced singlet oxygen effect. Materials Science and Engineering C, 112: 110853
Dey A, Kayal N, Chakrabarti O, Caldato R F, André C M, Innocentini M D M (2013). Permeability and nanoparticle filtration assessment of Cordierite-Bonded porous SiC ceramics. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 52(51): 18362–18372
Doolette C L, McLaughlin M J, Kirby J K, Navarro D A (2015). Bioavailability of silver and silver sulfide nanoparticles to lettuce (Lactuca sativa): Effect of agricultural amendments on plant uptake. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 300: 788–795
Fernando I, Zhou Y (2019). Impact of pH on the stability, dissolution and aggregation kinetics of silver nanoparticles. Chemosphere, 216: 297–305
Gabrielyan L, Badalyan H, Gevorgyan V, Trchounian A (2020). Comparable antibacterial effects and action mechanisms of silver and iron oxide nanoparticles on Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Scientific Reports, 10(1): 13145
Hou X, Liu S, Zhang Z (2015). Role of extracellular polymeric substance in determining the high aggregation ability of anammox sludge. Water Research, 75: 51–62
Huangfu X, Jiang J, Ma J, Liu Y, Yang J (2013). Aggregation kinetics of manganese dioxide colloids in aqueous solution: Influence of humic substances and biomacromolecules. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(18): 10285–10292
Iqbal T, Ali F, Khalid N R, Tahir M B, Ijaz M (2019). Facile synthesis and antimicrobial activity of CdS-Ag2S nanocomposites. Bioorganic Chemistry, 90: 103064
Jacobson A R, Martínez C E, Spagnuolo M, McBride M B, Baveye P (2005). Reduction of silver solubility by humic acid and thiol ligands during acanthite (β-Ag2S) dissolution. Environmental Pollution, 135(1): 1–9
Kamat P V, Flumiani M, Hartland G V (1998). Picosecond dynamics of silver nanoclusters: Photoejection of electrons and fragmentation. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 102(17): 3123–3128
Kamiyama Y, Israelachvili J (1992). Effect of pH and salt on the adsorption and interactions of an amphoteric polyelectrolyte. Macromolecules, 25(19): 5081–5088
Kim H N, Hong Y, Lee I, Bradford S A, Walker S L (2009). Surface characteristics and adhesion behavior of Escherichia coli O157:H7: Role of extracellular macromolecules. Biomacromolecules, 10(9): 2556–2564
Kim H N, Walker S L, Bradford S A (2010). Macromolecule mediated transport and retention of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in saturated porous media. Water Research, 44(4): 1082–1093
Lin D, Story S D, Walker S L, Huang Q, Liang W, Cai P (2017). Role of pH and ionic strength in the aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles in the presence of extracellular polymeric substances from Bacillus subtilis. Environmental Pollution, 228: 35–42
Liu S, Wang C, Hou J, Wang P, Miao L, Fan X, You G, Xu Y (2018a). Effects of Ag and Ag2S nanoparticles on denitrification in sediments. Water Research, 137: 28–36
Liu Y, Huang Z, Zhou J, Tang J, Yang C, Chen C, Huang W, Dang Z (2020). Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems. Water Research, 186: 116316
Liu Y, Yang T, Wang L, Huang Z, Li J, Cheng H, Jiang J, Pang S, Qi J, Ma J (2018b). Interpreting the effects of natural organic matter on antimicrobial activity of Ag2S nanoparticles with soft particle theory. Water Research, 145: 12–20
Lodeiro P, Achterberg E P, Rey-Castro C, El-Shahawi M S (2018). Effect of polymer coating composition on the aggregation rates of Ag nanoparticles in NaCl solutions and seawaters. Science of the Total Environment, 631–632: 1153–1162
Metreveli G, David J, Schneider R, Kurtz S, Schaumann G E (2020). Morphology, structure, and composition of sulfidized silver nanoparticles and their aggregation dynamics in river water. Science of the Total Environment, 739: 139989
Metreveli G, Philippe A, Schaumann G E (2015). Disaggregation of silver nanoparticle homoaggregates in a river water matrix. Science of the Total Environment, 535: 35–44
Padmanabhan A, Tong Y, Wu Q, Lo C, Shah N P (2020). Proteomic analysis reveals potential factors associated with enhanced EPS production in Streptococcus thermophilus ASCC 1275. Scientific Reports, 10(1): 807
Sheng A, Liu F, Xie N, Liu J (2016). Impact of proteins on aggregation kinetics and adsorption ability of hematite nanoparticles in aqueous dispersions. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(5): 2228–2235
Sigmund G, Jiang C, Hofmann T, Chen W (2018). Environmental transformation of natural and engineered carbon nanoparticles and implications for the fate of organic contaminants. Environmental Science. Nano, 5(11): 2500–2518
Song J, Xu Y, Liu C, He Q, Huang R, Jiang S, Ma J, Wu Z, Huangfu X (2020). Interpreting the role of NO3−, SO42−, and extracellular polymeric substances on aggregation kinetics of CeO2 nanoparticles: Measurement and modeling. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 194: 110456
Ubaid K A, Zhang X, Sharma V K, Li L (2020). Fate and risk of metal sulfide nanoparticles in the environment. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 18(1): 97–111
Wang H, Yu H, Wang Y, Shan X, Chen H, Tao N (2020a). Phase imaging of transition from classical to quantum plasmonic couplings between a metal nanoparticle and a metal surface. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(30): 17564–17570
Wang J, Zhao X, Wu A, Tang Z, Niu L, Wu F, Wang F, Zhao T, Fu Z (2020b). Aggregation and stability of sulfate-modified polystyrene nanoplastics in synthetic and natural waters. Environmental Pollution, 268: 114240
Yang X, Deng S, Wiesner M R (2013). Comparison of enhanced microsphere transport in an iron-oxide-coated porous medium by pre-adsorbed and co-depositing organic matter. Chemical Engineering Journal, 230: 537–546
Yin C, Meng F, Chen G (2015). Spectroscopic characterization of extracellular polymeric substances from a mixed culture dominated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Water Research, 68: 740–749
Yu S, Yin Y, Chao J, Shen M, Liu J (2014). Highly dynamic PVP-Coated silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments: Chemical and morphology change induced by oxidation of Ag0 and reduction of Ag+. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(1): 403–411
Acknowledgements
We sincerely thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51878092 and No.52070029) for their support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Highlights
• The NPs aggregation in the electrolyte solution is consistent with the DLVO theory.
• In NaNO3 and low Ca(NO3)2, EPS alleviates the NPs aggregation by steric repulsion.
• In high Ca(NO3)2, EPS accelerates the NPs aggregation by exopolysaccharide bridging.
• Ag2S NPs have stronger stability compared with Cit-Ag NPs in aqueous systems.
Supporting Information
11783_2021_1450_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Influence of extracellular polymeric substances from activated sludge on the aggregation kinetics of silver and silver sulfide nanoparticles
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, W., Song, J., Jiang, S. et al. Influence of extracellular polymeric substances from activated sludge on the aggregation kinetics of silver and silver sulfide nanoparticles. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 16, 16 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1450-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1450-2