Open Access
Use of response surface methodology to optimize triclosan adsorption on alumina pillared clays in a fixed-bed column for applications in solid-phase extraction
(Elsevier, 2023-04-01) Cardona Rodríguez, Yaneth; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Fixed-bed column studies are generally conducted to consider possible applications in water-purification processes. In this work, three synthetic alumina pillared interlayered clays (Al-PILC) were analyzed in fixed-bed column studies for use as sorbents for solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the first time. Adsorption processes were studied for triclosan (TCS), which is an emerging pollutant (EP) that has been shown to have several health effects. Breakthrough curves were investigated by varying process parameters such as bed height (0.25–0.75 cm), inlet TCS concentration (20–60 mg/cm3 ), and flow rate (0.5–3 cm3 /min). Bohart-Adams, Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), and Thomas models were satisfactory applied to the results obtained for fixed-bed columns. The adsorption of TCS was successfully optimized for use in SPE for the three adsorbents studied using response surface methodology with a Box–Behnken design (RSM-BBD). The models developed were adequate for the experimental data (95% significance level), with high regression parameters (98.9–99.1). The optimum values for TCS adsorption on the fixed-bed column were 378.04, 367.78, and 378.93 mg (amount of adsorbent packed into the column), 0.5 cm3 /min (flow rate), 4.24, 3.96, and 3.85 (pH), and 2.56, 1.93, and 1.13 mg/dm3 (inlet TCS concentration) for Al-PILCAE, Al-PILCBE, and Al-PILCCM, respectively. From these results synthetic Al-PILC are effective and promising sorbents that can be used for analytical purposes in SPE, and that RSM-BDD is an effective and reliable tool for evaluating and optimizing the adsorption conditions for emerging contaminants in a fixed-bed column system.
Open Access
Literature review on the recycling postconsumer plastic waste from pyrolysis
(American Chemical Society, 2025-06-12) Aznárez Salvatierra, María Aránzazu; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Environmental problems associated with postconsumer plastic waste are numerous and are expected to worsen due to the increasing volume of waste generated. Currently, in the European Union, only 35% of plastic waste is recycled, which implies that plastic waste treatment is mostly focused on incineration and landfilling, which are less priority options than recycling according to the waste hierarchy. In order to increase the recycled plastic rate, chemical recycling technologies for plastic waste have been considered as a complement to mechanical recycling, which is currently the most widely used technology. The chemical recycling idea presented in this work is based on the pyrolysis of plastic waste, which is one of the most interesting chemical recycling processes. This paper presents a chemical recycling technology for postconsumer plastic waste (polyolefins and polystyrene with an approximate ratio of 2,6) based on the pyrolysis process and subsequent cascade processes, such as the catalytic reforming of the naphtha obtained through pyrolysis. The objective of the presented technology is to maximize the production of aromatic compounds, benzene, toluene, and xylene, which will close the circle of materials by being precursors of recycled plastics of comparable quality to virgin. This work also considers the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of plastic waste pyrolysis and the advantages and challenges of the described technology.
Open Access
Layered double hydroxides for CO2 adsorption at moderate temperatures: synthesis and amelioration strategies
(Elsevier, 2023) Santamaría Arana, Leticia; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Curving the CO2 atmospheric levels is one of the challenges of this century, given its direct impact on climate change. Of the several strategies of CO2 capture and storage, sorption-enhanced water–gas shift (SEWGS) process, a combination of CO2 adsorption and the water–gas shift reaction, has been appointed as one of the most promising techniques due to is low energy consumption and high efficiency. SEWGS operating settings at both moderate temperature (200–450 ◦C) and high pressure (more than 10 bar) bring the need to find an adsorbent capable of working at these conditions. Calcined layered double hydroxides (LDH) have been proven to give the best results in this range of pressure/temperatures even though its performance can be greatly improved. Herein, a state-of-art of the research accomplished up until now is presented. Several strategies can be followed to improve the adsorbents performance: the synthesis method, LDH composition, modifications employed to promote their adsorption capacity or how the adsorption conditions can affect their efficiency
Open Access
Metal-Al layered double hydroxides synthesized from aluminum slags as efficient CO2 adsorbents at pre- and post-combustion temperature
(Elsevier, 2023) Santamaría Arana, Leticia; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Layered double hydroxides (LDH) have been proposed as the materials that offer the best performance in the moderate-temperature range, between 200 and 450 °C, for CO2 adsorption, so the effect of some synthesis parameters and surface modification on their adsorption capacities is herein investigated. This work reports the use of M2+ (Co, Mg, Ni and Zn)/Al layered double hydroxides synthesized with a 3:1 molar ratio by the co-precipitation method and using aluminum extracted from saline slags as source of this metal as CO2 adsorbents. The synthesis and use of Zn/TiAl is also reported considering several proportions of Al-Ti. Structural characterization and comparison of the series has been achieved using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen physisorption at single bond196 °C and thermogravimetry measurements (TGA). The performance of calcined LDH as CO2 adsorbents was evaluated in the 50 – 400 °C temperature range and 80 kPa and results show that Ni6Al2 and Mg6Al2 samples present a significant adsorption capacity at low temperature (0.382 and 0.292 mmolCO2/g, respectively). At 400 °C only Mg6Al2 maintains its high adsorption capacity (0.275 mmolCO2/g) compared to the other calcined LDH. Its adsorption capacity at moderate-temperature range was proven to be better than that of a commercial Mg6Al2 sample. In all materials the CO2 adsorption capacity at 200–450 °C increased by incorporating potassium (K2CO3 and KOH as sources) up to 0.58 mmolCO2/g for Mg6Al2 +K2CO3. The addition of the amine TEPA in the low-temperature range worked for Co6Al2 and Mg6Al2 (increment > 40 %). In the case of Zn6Al2, the partial substitution of Al by Ti also increased the CO2 adsorption capacity from 0.177 to 0.244 mmolCO2/g, finding isosteric heats between 17.07 and 23.30 kJ/mol using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation.
Open Access
Synthesis of Cu-Al layered double hydroxides from aluminum saline slags
(Elsevier, 2023) Boulahbal, Aziza Imene; Santamaría Arana, Leticia; Azizi, A.; Boutahala, Mokhtar; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The use of saline slag, a hazardous waste generated during the recycling of aluminum, as aluminum source for the synthesis CuAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) is for the first time reported in this study. Due to the JahnTeller effect, divalent copper–aluminum LDH come usually with impurities and a pure CuAl LDH is not easy to obtain. The effect of synthesis pH has been examined by comparing LDH synthesized at various pH, ranging from 6 to 12 via a co-precipitation method using aluminum obtained from an alkaline extraction of the slag. For comparison purposes, a sample was synthesized at pH = 9 using commercial aluminum Al(NO3)3⋅9H2O instead of extracted aluminum. The effects of the aging time and calcination temperature are also discussed. The LDH and their calcined metal mixed oxide (layered double oxide, LDO) have been analyzed with several characterization techniques: powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), N2 adsorption at − 196 ◦C, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM and EDS). Synthesis pH has been proved not only to have a significant effect on the nature of secondary phases but also on the structure and morphology of the samples.
Open Access
Multifunctional heterogeneous catalysts: Tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl)porphinato]iron(III) immobilized on amine-functionalized Diatomaceous Earth for catalytic and adsorption applications
(Elsevier, 2023) Do Prado, Marcus Vinicius; González, Beatriz; Vicente, Miguel Ángel; Trujillano, Raquel; Nassar, Eduardo José; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Santamaría Arana, Leticia; Korili, Sophia A.; Marçal, Liziane; Faria, Emerson H. de; Ciuffi, Katia J.; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The use of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) as a promising support of a synthetic metalloporphyrin is reported, trying to heterogenize metalloporphyrin catalysts to mimicking enzyme site isolation and improving reaction selectivity. New multifunctional hybrid materials consisting of DE amino–functionalized with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (DE–APTES), followed by grafting with [meso–tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphinato]iron(III) (DE–APTES–FeTFPP), were prepared and fully characterized. FeTFPP was grafted into DE–APTES via the amine groups (band at 1570 cm–1 ). The brown color of the materials indicated that FeTFPP was immobilized in the matrix; a Soret band characteristic of ironporphyrin located in a confined space, was found at 416 nm. Leaching studies confirmed that the ironporphyrin was entrapped and not just adsorbed on the silica surface. DE was composed of typical quartz and cristobalite crystalline phases and amorphous silica. The intensity of its characteristic reflection at 22◦ (2θ) decreased in the presence of FeTFPP, evidencing that the ironporphyrin influenced the organization of the material. Catalytic tests using DE–APTES–FeTFPP in cyclooctene epoxidation to cyclooctene oxide (56 % yield, with complete selectivity for the epoxide) and cyclohexane oxidation (4 % yield of oxidized products, with ketone/alcohol selectivity ~ 3:1), evidenced the versatility of the catalyst and the multifunctionality of the resulting hybrid materials and the ability of DE as a promising natural support for ironporphyrin catalysts. Finally, the capacity of the materials as CO2 adsorbents was evaluated in the temperature range 100–200 ◦C. DE–APTES showed a maximum adsorption capacity of 1.26 mmol/g at 100 ◦C, 18 times higher than the value found under the same conditions for the non–functionalized support.
Open Access
Heterogeneous Fenton- and photo-Fenton-like catalytic degradation of emerging pollutants using Fe2O3/TiO2/pillared clays synthesized from aluminum industrial wastes
(Elsevier, 2023-04-01) Cardona Rodríguez, Yaneth; Wegrzyn, Agnieszka; Miskowiec, Pawel; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Ciencias; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The presence of emerging pollutants (EPs) in water is a major environmental concern. This study evaluates for the first time the removal of three EPs, namely triclosan (TCS), 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP), and bisphenol A (BPA), 90 μmol/dm3, from water through both Fenton- and photo-Fenton-like reactions using montmorillonite (Mt) and aluminum interlayered pillared clays (Al-PILC) as catalytic supports. The catalysts (Fe2O3/TiO2/Mt and Fe2O3/TiO2/Al-PILC) were evaluated in single-component solutions and in an equimolar mixture. Two Al-PILC were synthesized from a hazardous waste, namely aluminum saline slag, using either the acid (Al-PILCAE) or the alkaline (Al-PILCBE) aluminum extract as precursors. The third Al-PILC was obtained by the conventional method using a commercial aluminum salt (Al-PILCCM). Catalytic supports were impregnated at 10 and 20 wt% titanium. Iron loadings from 1 to 20 wt% were tested for Mt, while only 20 wt% iron was tested for Al-PILC. All catalysts were characterized using several techniques and the results confirmed the formation of TiO2 and Fe2O3. Almost 100 % of TCS and 2,6-DCP were removed by both Fenton-like (240 and 420 min, respectively) and photo-Fenton-like reactions (30 and 90–120 min, respectively) using the Al-PILC based catalyst. The maximum removal for BPA was 80.14 ± 1.93 % after 120 min under photo-Fenton-like conditions using Al-PILCBE. The catalysts synthesized using the four catalytic supports showed good results for the removal of TCS by both processes, while for 2,6-DCP and BPA the best results were obtained using Al-PILCAE and Al-PILCBE as catalytic supports. Finally, a degradation pathway was suggested for every pollutant based on the by-products identified during the reactions by HPLC-MS. The results revealed that the materials used in this work are suitable catalysts for removing emerging pollutants from water by both Fenton- and photo-Fenton-like reactions.
Open Access
Progress and recent novelties in naphtha reforming catalysts
(Elsevier, 2024) Aznárez Salvatierra, María Aránzazu; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
High octane gasoline and aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes, are both produced by the catalytic reforming of naphtha, being aromatics crucial building blocks in the chemical industry. Competing reactions occurring concurrently and catalyst deactivation under specific operating conditions make catalytic reforming of naphtha a very complicated process. This review focuses on the catalytic naphtha reforming process for aromatics production and makes special emphasis on reforming catalysts (evolution and recent novelties, as well as their deactivation, regeneration, and reactivation processes). Various aspects of the catalytic reforming process, such as the major reforming reactions carried out during the reforming process, types of industrial reforming processes, characteristics of the reviewed reforming processes, and the reaction parameters and their effect on the catalytic reforming process, are also considered in order to establish the context. Reforming catalysts are bifunctional, while some reactions just require the Pt site or the acid function to complete, others require both of these types of sites. Platinum is generally combined with one or two metals, such as Re, Ir, Sn, or Ge. The catalyst's acidic function is determined by chlorine, which also contributes to a high dispersion of the metallic phase. Research into naphtha reforming catalysts is looking for ways to improve aromatics yield and catalyst life. It has been noted that low dehydrogenating capacity and high hydrogenolytic capacity, both of which are provided by Pt, as well as low polymerization capacity, which is provided by the strong acid sites in the support, are the characteristics that make a catalyst stable as a result of the lesser formation of coke. Significant differences in the catalysts' basic composition have not been documented because bi- and trimetallic catalysts are still actively researched due to the complexity of their chemistry, with the identification of the wide variety of sites present within them and the understanding of their chemistry being of utmost importance. Even so, some innovation has occurred in recent years, among which are: non-noble metal reforming catalysts based on metal carbides, metal zeolite composite catalysts, the use of metals (In and Ga) other than those commonly used, and Ce3+-modified zeolites as support.
Open Access
Development of ceramic-MOF filters from aluminum saline slags for capturing CO2
(Elsevier, 2023) Torrez Herrera, Jonathan Josué; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This study describes the procedures followed to synthesize ceramic-MOF filters using aluminum saline slag wastes. Briefly, the raw aluminum saline slags were washed at 80 ◦C to significantly reduce the saline content and eliminate gases. The pretreated material was mixed with glucose (G/S ratios between 0.2 and 1.6) and acetone by stirring for 4 h. After this time, the resulting solid was dried at 60 ◦C and then at 190 ◦C. During the glucose caramelization step, PegMn400 was also added and the temperature increased to 1200 ◦C. The obtained solid was impregnated with precursor solutions to achieve a supported ZIF-8 MOF. The ceramic-MOF filters were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption at 77 K, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), thereby confirming the presence of a structure that allows dispersion of the synthesized and supported ZIF-8. Finally, the performance of these ceramic-MOF filters as CO2 adsorbents was evaluated in the temperature range 50–300 ◦C, with isosteric heats of 19 kJ/mol being obtained using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation.
Open Access
Recent advances in the application of Ni-perovskite-based catalysts for the dry reforming of methane
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-09-17) Muñoz Alvear, Helir Joseph; Korili, Sophia A.; Gil Bravo, Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Ni-based catalysts have been reported to be very efficient in methane reforming processes, surpassing some noble metals. In the particular case of methane reforming in the presence of carbon dioxide (dry reforming of methane, DRM), modifying and controlling the initial properties of the catalyst becomes crucial to resist carbon deposition and Ni metal sintering. This is because the DRM process is carried out at high temperatures. In this sense, perovskite-based catalysts are of special interest given that they are synthesized at high temperatures and, therefore, can conserve their properties during the reaction. Perovskites are represented by the general formula ABO3 or A2BO4. The properties of these oxides depend on the nature of metals A and B and their possible partial substitution, which allows control of their redox and acid/basic properties. This review delves into the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the DRM, highlighting that the properties of A and B can affect catalytic performance. Following this, the focus shifts to B-cation substitution, which can increase the catalytic performance of the catalyst via synergistic effects due to the formation of Ni metal alloys. Next, in an analogous manner, the analysis will examine A-cation substitution, which allows control over the acid/basic properties and, therefore, coke formation and deposition. Given the inherently low textural properties of perovskites, methods for enhancing these properties are also summarized. These methods encompass both direct improvements and deposition of the perovskites on a support. Finally, new lines of research focused on softening DRM reaction conditions and promoting the process at lower temperatures are also highlighted.