44 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
44 lines
2 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
title:
|
|
"Investigation of Hydronium Diffusion in Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels: A
|
|
Critical First Step to Describe Acid Transport for Encapsulated Bioremediation"
|
|
date: 2022-09-02
|
|
featured: false
|
|
tags:
|
|
- diffusion
|
|
- hydrogels
|
|
- ionic strength
|
|
- polymers
|
|
- transport properties
|
|
medium: paper
|
|
people:
|
|
- Carson J. Silsby
|
|
- Jonathan R. Counts
|
|
- Thomas A. Christensen II
|
|
- Mark F. Roll
|
|
- Kristopher V. Waynant
|
|
- James G. Moberly
|
|
link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestengg.2c00107
|
|
journal: "ACS ES&T Engineering"
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
Bioremediation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifers can be
|
|
hindered by high contaminant concentrations and acids generated during
|
|
remediation. Encapsulating microbes in hydrogels may provide a protective,
|
|
tunable environment from inhibiting compounds; however, current approaches to
|
|
formulate successful encapsulated systems rely on trial and error rather than
|
|
engineering approaches because fundamental information on mass-transfer
|
|
coefficients is lacking. To address this knowledge gap, hydronium ion
|
|
mass-transfer rates through two commonly used hydrogel materials, poly(vinyl
|
|
alcohol) and alginic acid, under two solidification methods (chemical and
|
|
cryogenic) were measured. Variations in hydrogel crosslinking conditions,
|
|
polymer composition, and solvent ionic strength were investigated to understand
|
|
how each influenced hydronium ion diffusivity. A three-way ANOVA indicated that
|
|
the ionic strength, membrane type, and crosslinking method significantly (_p_ <
|
|
0.001) contributed to changes in hydronium ion mass transfer. Hydronium ion
|
|
diffusion increased with ionic strength, counter to what is observed in
|
|
aqueous-only (no polymer) solutions. Co-occurring mechanisms correlated to
|
|
increased hydronium ion diffusion with ionic strength included an increased
|
|
water fraction within hydrogel matrices and hydrogel contraction. Measured
|
|
diffusion rates determined in this study provide first principal design
|
|
information to further optimize encapsulating hydrogels for bioremediation.
|