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Enhanced Reduction of p-Nitrophenol by a Methanogenic Consortium Promoted by Metallic Nanoparticles

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Abstract

The present study reports the synthesis and characterization of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) of Pd and bimetallic alloys of PdCu NPs for their application as catalysts to achieve the microbial reduction of p-nitrophenol (PNP). Addition of bimetallic alloys of PdCu NPs to methanogenic sludge incubations increased up to threefold the rate of reduction of PNP. Moreover, their presence promoted a more efficient and selective reduction of PNP to the desired product (p-aminophenol) with negligible accumulation of toxic intermediates (p-nitroso-phenol and p-hydroxylamine-phenol), which prevailed in sludge incubations lacking nanocatalysts. PdCu NPs synthesized by adding precursors H2PdCl4 and H2CuCl4 independently and simultaneously to the synthesis vessel showed superior catalytic properties as compared to those produced by mixing the same precursors prior addition to the synthesis vessel. The enhanced catalytic properties of bimetallic NPs could be explained by higher physical stability and interfacial arrangement within PdCu alloys promoting a more efficient transfer of reducing equivalents derived from lactate/ethanol fermentation towards the target nitro group in PNP. A wastewater treatment technology, combining the microbial activity of methanogenic consortia and the catalytic activity of bimetallic NPs, is proposed as an alternative for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from wastewaters.

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Acknowledgments

The research described in the present study was financially supported by the Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (Grants SEP-CONACYT-166565, 106437, and 216315), the Marcos Moshinsky Foundation, and by IPICYT. We also acknowledge financial support and use of SAXS-S1 beamline resources, grant 17043 by the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS, Brazil D11A-SAXS1) at Campinas, Brazil, staff Dr. Florian Meneau and Tiago Araujo Kalile, as well as helpful discussions with Dr. José Luis Sánchez García and Dr. Sergio Díaz Castañon. Mariana Peña Martínez thanks to CONACYT for a Master fellowship. Authors also thank Héctor G. Silva Pereyra, Beatriz A. Rivera Escoto, Gladis J. Labrada Delgado, Ana Iris Peña Martínez, Ma. del Carmen Rocha Medina, Mireya E. Martínez Pérez, Karla A. López Varela, Dulce Partida Gutiérrez, Juan Pablo Rodas Ortíz, and Guillermo Vidriales for their technical support. Finally, we gently acknowledge the use of resources from the CONACYT National Laboratories LANBAMA and LINAN for the sample characterization and analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª. Sección, C. P. 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico

    Francisco J. Cervantes

  2. División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª. Sección, C. P. 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico

    José Luis Rodríguez-López & Mariana Peña-Martínez

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Investigación en Alimentos (DIA-UAdeC), Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Saltillo, 25280, Coahuila, Mexico

    Juan A. Ascacio-Valdes & Cristobal N. Aguilar

  4. Laboratorio Avanzado de Nanoscopía Electrónica, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508 Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Gustavo A. Madero, 07360, Mexico

    Daniel Bahena

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  1. Francisco J. Cervantes
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  2. José Luis Rodríguez-López
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  4. Juan A. Ascacio-Valdes
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  5. Cristobal N. Aguilar
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Correspondence to Francisco J. Cervantes.

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Cervantes, F.J., Rodríguez-López, J.L., Peña-Martínez, M. et al. Enhanced Reduction of p-Nitrophenol by a Methanogenic Consortium Promoted by Metallic Nanoparticles. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 368 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-3058-x

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