Mobility Study of TiO2 Nanoparticles in Soil and Their Impact on Soil Nutrients

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis mobility study aimed to determine the transport of TiO2 NPs from topsoil to deeper zones. The saturated soil column method imitated TiO2 NPs transport in real-world conditions and possible leaching scenarios. Three soils were studied: City soil (SCity), Agricultural (SAgri), and Sand. This investigation used ICP-OES, EDX, SEM and DLS to determine TiO2 NPs sizes, track the mobility patterns and quantify them in soil layers. The results have revealed that the mobility and retention of TiO2 NPs were highly influenced by Clay, organic matter (OM), and CEC. The concentration of TiO2 NPs in the deepest soil layers and the breakthrough water was low in SCity, in which Clay and OM were high. In contrast, TiO2 NPs were relatively high in the lowest layers of SAgri, where the Clay and OM content was insignificant. The columns packed with Sand showed the highest transported of TiO2 NPs where Clay and OM were absent. The breakthrough water obtained from Sand columns showed the highest TiO2 NPs concentration, followed by SAgri and SCity. The columns packed with SCity had more TiO2 NPs retention due to the presence of CEC in Clay and OM. This investigation showed that the transport of TiO2 NPs in the soil at low concentrations is a fact. It depends on soil properties such as texture, OM content, pH, and CEC.KEYWORDS: TiO2 nanoparticlesmobilitysoil columnsoil saturation AcknowledgmentsWe express our gratitude to the Indian Council for Cultural and Relations (ICCR) for their financial assistance by awarding Djibril Sekou Keita a full scholarship for his doctoral research.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.