Natalia Quici

• Doctor of Engineering
• Head of Research Group at National Scientific and Technical Research Council

Nanocomposites (NCs) consisting of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) immobilized in chitosan (CS) were prepared and employed for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from both synthetic and real wastewater. Medium (MCS)- and high (HCS)-molecular-weight chitosan and stabilization with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and different nZVI loads...

Nanocomposites (NCs) consisting of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) immobilized in chitosan (CS) were prepared and employed, for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from both synthetic and real wastewater. Medium (MCS) and high (HCS) molecular weight chitosan and stabilization with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and different nZVI load...

In this work, we investigated the photocatalytic removal of NOx using 3D-printed supports. Monolithic supports with internal channels were fabricated by Fused Modelling Deposition (FDM) using PET as the filament feedstock. The printing parameters of the supports were optimized to maximize the exposure of the photocatalyst to UV light throughout the...

The expanding use of nanoparticles in a wide range of applications has brought to light the need to adopt an integrated approach regarding their synthesis, use, recovery and handling. This book covers the intense research field of nanoparticle utilization as remediation agents for toxic pollutants, and pays special attention to their post-applicati...

Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) species are key components of the nitrogen cycle and are the main nitrogen pollutants in groundwater. This study investigated the interconversion and removal of the principal DIN compounds (NO3−, NO2− and NH4+) via UV light irradiation using a medium-pressure mercury lamp. The experiments were carried out systemat...

The immobilization of zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) is a way to facilitate their use in continuous flow systems for the treatment of aqueous pollutants. In this work, two types of nZVI (powdered, NSTAR; and slurry suspended, N25) were immobilized in millimetric alginate beads (AL) by coagulation, forming nanocomposites (NCs). These NCs, N25@...

Con menos de un año desde sus inicios, el COVID-19 ha provocado alteraciones sin precedentes en la vida cotidiana de una parte sustantiva de la población mundial. Del enorme caudal de estudios realizados en los últimos 8 meses por las diferentes diciplinas científicas para evaluar los impactos sociales, económicos y ambientales que tuvieron lugar c...

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (NZVI) was immobilized within porous millimeter-sized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) beads by chemical coagulation followed by a heat treatment in air for stabilization of the polymer structure. SEM-EDS and porosimetry analysis showed that the nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in micron-scale agglomerates within the hierar...

Las nanopartículas de hierro cerovalente (FeNPs) se han empleado para la remoción de una gran variedad de contaminantes en medio acuoso, transformándolos en especies de menor toxicidad mediante mecanismos de adsorción superficial y reacciones rédox. En tratamientos de remediación in situ de aguas subsuperficiales se inyectan como nanofluidos (NFs),...

Metals and metalloids inwater have infinite lifetimes representing nowadays one of the most importantenvironmental problems. Water treatment to remove these pollutants are carriedout, generally, by precipitation, electrolysis, chemical oxidation, ozonation, adsorption, or chelation, all of them presenting drawbacks or being economically prohibitive...

Collateral effects of uranium mining operations at Argentina over several decades include environmental liabilities at different sites. The environmental footprint at the sites is derived from the following processes: grinding of mineral, heaps leaching by sulfuric acid, entrapment in ion exchange resins, elution, precipitation and drying. The basi...

Plastic waste generation and management during industrial transformation and at post-consumer stage has been a problem of economic efficiency since the late 1940s. More recently, sustainability considerations have gained widespread adoption not only in traditional industrial processes but specifically in 3D Printing (3DP) technologies. Production a...

In this work, the removal efficiency of U(VI) from water using commercial nanoparticles of zerovalent iron (nZVI) (NANOFER 25, NANO IRON s.r.o.) and magnetite (nM) (NanoFe®, Nanotek SA) was evaluated. Batch experiments were carried out in a jacketed reactor with a vertical paddle stirrer, using UO2(NO3)2 solutions ([U(VI)]0 = 0.25 mM = 59.5 mg L-1)...

Studies on the photocatalytic transformation of inorganic species, especially metals (chromium, mercury, lead, uranium), metalloids (arsenic), and nitrate are discussed. The role of semiconductor energetics, type of radiation, interaction at the interface, and other phenomena are examined. Reductive and oxidative processes are described indicating...

For the first time, nitric oxide (NO), a precursor of nitrogen dioxide (NO2, a NIOSH-listed atmospheric pollutant), has been found to be one of the final products of the photocatalytic reduction of nitrate in water using TiO2 and formic acid as hole scavenger.

In this chapter, heterogeneous photocatalysis (HP), either oxidative or reductive, is described as an alternative water treatment method for the removal of metals and arsenic. Fundamentals of these processes are described, with special emphasis on the role of organic donors present in the medium acting as synergists. This indicates the possibility...

Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) particles were successfully employed for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions at pH 3. It was found that the capacity of the system increases with increasing nZVI dosage. Starting at 300 μM, a complete Cr(VI) conversion was achieved in 30 min with a Fe:Cr(VI) molar ratio (MR) of 3, and 45% conversion with MR = 1 ov...

Cr(VI) removal using nanoparticulated zerovalent iron is enhanced under visible light in comparison with the dark process. Using an Fe:Cr(VI) molar ratio (MR) of 1, 77% removal was obtained after two hours under irradiation, compared with 60% in dark conditions; use of MR 2 allowed almost total Cr(VI) removal. Experiments with selected filters indi...

Arsenic in drinking water constitutes nowadays a serious problem, affecting the health of several million people all over the world. Only in the Gangetic delta regions of Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, it has emerged as an environmental health catastrophe with more than 100 million people estimated to be at risk (Naidu, 2012); in LatinAmerica...

A one-step, hydrothermal method for the synthesis of nitrogen, carbon co-doped titanium dioxide (N,CTiO2) photocatalysts is demonstrated. The incorporation of nitrogen from ammonia and carbon from alcohols with different chain length (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, tert-butanol) used as carbon precursors was confirmed by FTIR...

A simple and economical approach for the fabrication of raspberry-like TiO2@yeast hybrid microspheres via electrostatic-interaction-driven self-assembly heterocoagulation is presented. In this method, the opposite zeta-potentials of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and yeast were achieved by tuning the pH of their aqueous suspensions. TiO2@yea...

As part of the study on TiO2-heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of citric acid (Cit), degradation of 3-oxoglutaric acid (OGA, 5mM, pH 2.8), one of the main intermediates of Cit, was analyzed. As reactive β-ketodicarboxylic acid, OGA decays rapidly in ambient dark conditions to acetoacetic acid and acetone. The photocatalytic reaction over TiO...

The degradation pathways for citric acid (Cit, 5mM, pH 2.8) degradation by TiO2-heterogeneous photocatalysis were studied through the analysis of its degradation intermediate products. The most important product formed was 3-oxoglutaric acid, but several other compounds, like acetoacetic, lactic, pyruvic, malic, glyoxylic, acetic and formic acids p...

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are excellent systems for remediation of contaminated wastewaters containing recalcitrant organic pollutants. The most studied AOPs are photochemical-based processes (PAOPs), as UV/hydrogen peroxide, heterogeneous photocatalysis (HP), photo-Fenton (PF), UV plus ozone and combination of these technologies. All AOP...

The effect of key experimental parameters on the removal of toluene under 254 + 185 nm irradiation was investigated using a benchtop photocatalytic flow reactor. Toluene was introduced at low concentrations between 10 and 500 ppbv, typical of indoor environments, and reacted on TiO(2)-coated Raschig rings. Two different TiO(2)-coated rings were pre...

UV/TiO(2)-heterogeneous photocatalysis was tested as a process to degrade gallic acid (Gal) in oxygenated solutions at pH 3. In the absence of oxidants other than oxygen, decay followed a zero order rate at different concentrations and was slow at concentrations higher than 0.5 mM. Addition of Fe(3+), H(2)O(2) and the combination Fe(3+)/H(2)O(2) im...

The vacuum-UV- (VUV-) photolysis of water is one of the advanced oxidation processes (AOP) based on the production of hydroxyl radicals (HO) that can be applied to the degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous systems. The kinetics of the VUV-photolyses of aqueous solutions of citric acid (1) or gallic acid (2) were investigated in the presence...

Photocatalytic oxidation of indoor VOCs has the potential to eliminate pollutants from indoor environments, thus effectively improving and/or maintaining indoor air quality while reducing ventilation energy costs. Design and operation of UV photocatalytic oxidation (UVPCO) air cleaners requires optimization of various parameters to achieve highest...

Degradation of citric acid (Cit) at relatively high concentrations by photocatalysis over TiO2 under air bubbling and near UV-light was tested under different conditions. The reaction was improved by addition of H2O2, Fe(III) or both. Minor amounts of H2O2 were effective to enhance the oxidation and the mineralization. H2O2 addition impacts more on...

Heterogeneous photocatalysis (HP) using UV/TiO 2 , photo-Fenton (PF) reaction using UV/Fe/H 2 O 2 and the combination UV/TiO 2 /Fe/ H 2 O 2 (HP–PF) were tested as processes to degrade oxalic acid (Ox) at relatively high concentrations (0.032 M). PF reactions were generally more efficient than HP including the reaction in the absence of H 2 O 2 . Op...

In this work, the comparison of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation by two different AOT processes has been performed: a) a homogeneous system with Fe(III)-NTA (1:1 complex), b) a TiO2/Fe(III)-NTA heterogeneous system. In both cases, NTA appears to play a positive role in the photochemical reaction. In the homogeneous system, the iron salt is the onl...

Degradation of citric acid (Cit) at relatively high concentrations by photocatalysis over TiO 2 under air bubbling and near UV-light was tested under different conditions. The reaction was improved by addition of H 2 O 2 , Fe(III) or both. Minor amounts of H 2 O 2 were effective to enhance the oxidation and the mineralization. H 2 O 2 addition impa...