Removal and recovery of silver nanoparticles by hierarchical mesoporous calcite: Performance, mechanism, and sustainable application

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) inevitably leads to the environmental release of AgNPs. The released AgNPs can pose ecological risks because of their specific toxicity. However, they can also be used as secondary sources of silver metal. Herein, hierarchical mesoporous calcite (HMC) was prepared and used to remove and recover AgNPs from an aqueous solution. The batch experiments show that the HMC has high removal percentages for polyvinylpyrrolidone- and poly (vinyl alcohol)-coated AgNPs (PVP- and PVA-AgNPs) over a wide pH range of 6–10. The adsorption isotherms indicate that the maximum removal capacities are 55 and 19 mg g−1 for PVP-AgNPs and PVA-AgNPs, respectively, corresponding to partition coefficients (PCs) of 0.55 and 0.77 mg g−1 μM−1. Furthermore, the removal performance is also not impaired by coexisting anions, such as Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, and CO32−. Their removal mechanisms can be ascribed to the electrostatic attraction and chemical adsorption between the HMC and polymer-coated AgNPs. Calcium ions on the HMC surface serve as active sites for coordination with the oxygen-bearing functional groups of AgNP coatings. Moreover, the AgNPs adsorbed onto HMC show high catalytic activity and good reusability for the reduction of the organic pollutant 4-nitrophenol. This work may pave the way not only to remove metal nanopollutants from waters but also to convert them into functional materials. [Display omitted] •A new route combining AgNP removal and recovery by the HMC is developed.•The HMC has high removal percentages for the AgNPs over a wide pH range.•The removal performance is not impaired by coexisting inorganic anions.•The recovered AgNPs show reproducible catalytic activity for 4-NP.