Abstract
Evaluations of field sites containing multiple contaminants are commonly impacted by ammonia from anthropogenic and natural sources. Scientifically defensible lines of evidence regarding which contaminants cause toxicity inform management decisions. Methods are needed to isolate ammonia toxicity from other contaminant effects without the treatment confounding results. Treatment columns packed with zeolite remove ammonia, but loose powder cannot be recovered and can physically harm organisms. Solutions such as in situ bioassay cages containing resins or immobilizing zeolite in a non-toxic matrix are needed. This study employed 3D printable polylactic acid (PLA) to immobilize zeolite and enable on-demand customization of high surface area, deployable and retrievable structures. The impact of incorporating zeolite loadings (8–32% w/w) was investigated for relative efficacy. PLA–zeolite structures in ammonia-contaminated water indicated 24 h treatment reduced ammonia below toxic levels. To demonstrate efficacy for complex environmental samples, contaminated sediments were collected and used to prepare sediment–water slurries (elutriates) and analyzed for ammonia, metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) before and after treatment. The 32% zeolite composite reduced 44 mg/L ammonia-N by 74% (24 h) and 83% (48 h). Results indicated successful treatment of sediment elutriates by 3D printed PLA–zeolite in bioassay chambers, based on reduced toxicity to Ceriodaphnia dubia. The study provides evidence that in situ PLA–zeolite treatment did not alter metals or PAH concentrations, which is desirable for ammonia-specific toxicity reduction evaluations of complex samples. This technology is applicable to adsorption of other chemicals by integration of different adsorbent powders into printable polymer. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
Original language | English |
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Article number | 148 |
Journal | Water, Air, & Soil Pollution |
Volume | 233 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Use of trade names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The work described, unless otherwise noted, was funded by the Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) Program of the Army Corps of Engineers (Dr. Todd Bridges, directors; Dr. David Moore, focus area manager) and Advanced Materials for Resilient Sensors. We thank Paige Krupa for preprocessing of the test zeolite and Andrew Bray and Charles Laber performed analytical measurement of metals and PAHs. We thank Richard (Oscar) Reihsmann for graphic art. We thank Andrew Lenox and Jay Miller for field collection of sediments. We thank Guilherme Lotufo and Burton Suedel for internal review. A.D. acknowledges funding from Adhesive Manufacturers Association Adhesive and Sealant Science scholarship (Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech). The authors declare no competing financial interest. Use of trade names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The work described, unless otherwise noted, was funded by the Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) Program of the Army Corps of Engineers (Dr. Todd Bridges, directors; Dr. David Moore, focus area manager) and Advanced Materials for Resilient Sensors. We thank Paige Krupa for preprocessing of the test zeolite and Andrew Bray and Charles Laber performed analytical measurement of metals and PAHs. We thank Richard (Oscar) Reihsmann for graphic art. We thank Andrew Lenox and Jay Miller for field collection of sediments. We thank Guilherme Lotufo and Burton Suedel for internal review. A.D. acknowledges funding from Adhesive Manufacturers Association Adhesive and Sealant Science scholarship (Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech). The authors declare no competing financial interest. The work was primarily funded by the Dredging Operations Environmental Research (DOER) Program of the Army Corps of Engineers and secondarily by Advanced Materials for Resilient Sensors. The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Keywords
- 3D printing
- Additive manufacturing
- Ammonia
- Dredging
- Toxicity reduction
- Zeolite