Effect of fullerol nanoparticles on the transport and release of copper ions in saturated porous media

While the application and discharge of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) increased rapidly, the research on the environmental safety of CNMs is also increasing. The high dispersity and mobility of modified CNMs in environmental media may have impacts on the environmental behavior of heavy metals. This work mainly studied the effect of fullerol nanoparticles (C-60(OH)(n)) on Cu2+ transport, sorption, and release in water-saturated porous media. The results showed that due to the strong adsorption capacity of C-60(OH)(n) for Cu2+, the transport of Cu2+ could be facilitated. However, with the pre-existence of C-60(OH)(n) in porous media, the transport of Cu2+ was also slightly enhanced. In addition, when loaded into the pre-contaminated porous medium, the C-60(OH)(n) also enhanced the release of retained Cu2+, which implies a high environmental risk of C-60(OH)(n).