ABSTRACT
Dissolution is the primary process affecting the bioavailability and toxicity of nanoscale copper oxide (nano-CuO) to plants and soil organisms. In this study, particle morphology, organic acid, and soil properties were considered to understand the dissolution characteristics of nano-CuO in soil solutions. The results showed that the copper ions (Cu2+) released from spherical nano-CuO (CuO NPs), tubular nano-CuO (CuO NTs), and spherical microsized CuO (CuO MPs) in the ten soil solutions were 26.6-4194.0 µg/L, 4.90-217.1 µg/L, and 10.8-326.0 µg/L, respectively. The concentration of Cu2+ was negatively correlated with the pH of the soil solution and positively correlated with the contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), aluminum, and manganese. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis indicated that the dissolution of CuO NPs could be well predicted by pH and DOC contents of the soil solutions. In the GD soil solution (acidic), 4- and 8-fold of the DOC content amendments significantly promoted the dissolution of the three sizes of CuOs, resulting in an increase of Cu2+ 4.55-11.3 and 5.67-16.2 times, respectively. In the CQ soil solution (neutral), 8-fold DOC amendments increase the release of Cu2+ 2.13-16.6 times. While in the SD soil solution (alkaline), promoting effect on the dissolution was only observed for nano-CuOs, with Cu2+ elevated by factors of 1.56-4.64 and 1.38-4.48. The amendments of Al3+ and Mn2+ in soil solution increased the amounts of Cu2+ 1.13-4.80 and 1.02-1.46 times in the GD soil solution. In comparison, no significant promoting effects were observed in CQ and SD soil solutions due to their stronger buffering capacities. These findings offer insight into the dissolution behavior of nano-CuOs in soils and be helpful to evaluate their environmental risks.
ABSTRACT
Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in soil have received considerable attention because of their potential impact on the environment. In the present study, the stability of CuO NPs (50 nm and 80 nm) in eight soil solutions as well as the major influencing factors was investigated. The results showed that hetero-aggregation between natural colloids and NPs dominated the first stage of aggregation, afterwards the two different sized CuO NPs exhibited different aggregation behaviors. The aggregation of 80 nm CuO was inconspicuous except for notable aggregation observed in JX soil solution where the zeta potential of CuO NPs is close to zero. While for 50 nm CuO NPs, the aggregate size sharply decreased and the aggregates gradually reached a stable state. Further, the sedimentation rate and residual concentration of 50 nm CuO were found to be greater than those of 80 nm CuO. The residual amount of 80 nm CuO in the JX soil solution was lower than those in other soil solutions owing to the lowest zeta potential of the NPs. The pH of the soil solution has a significant effect on the stability of CuO NPs because of the shifting of the zeta potential of the NPs. In addition, dissolved organic carbon showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the residual concentration of CuO NPs. These findings imply the properties of CuO NPs as well as environmental factors including pH and DOC play key role in determining the fate, transport, and bioavailability of CuO NPs in soils.
