RT Journal Article
T1 Pb removal efficiency by Calcium carbonates: biogenic versus abiogenic materials
A1 Roza Llera, Ana
A1 Di Lorenzo, Fulvio
A1 Churakov, Sergey
A1 Jiménez, Amalia
A1 Fernández Díaz, María Lourdes
AB The sorption of heavy metals on mineral surfaces plays a key role in controlling the fate and bioavailability of harmful elements through dissolution–precipitation reactions. Here, we investigate the efficiency of Pb removal from highly contaminated waters by two calcium carbonate hard tissues, scallop shells (up to 99.9 mol %; -biocalcite) and cuttlefish bones (up to 90.0 mol %; bioaragonite), which template the precipitation of the highly insoluble mineral cerussite (PbCO3). The experiments show that both biomaterials are about five times more effective Pb scavengers (5 mmol of cerussite precipitated/g sample) than their inorganic counterparts (∼1 mmol/g). We relate this enhanced Pb scavenging capacity of biocarbonates to their composite organic–inorganic nature, which modulates their specific nano- and microstructural features and defines their larger surface areas, solubility, and reactivity compared to those of their inorganic counterparts. The oriented growth of cerussite progressively passivates the bioaragonite surface, reducing its long-term Pb scavenging capacity. In contrast, the randomly oriented growth of cerussite crystals on biocalcite prevents surface passivation and explains why biocalcite outperforms bioaragonite as a long-term Pb scavenger. The use of biocarbonates could be a key for designing more efficient decontamination strategies for heavy metal-polluted waters.
PB American Chemical Society
SN 1528-7483
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95228
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/95228
LA eng
NO Roza-Llera, Ana, et al. «Pb Removal Efficiency by Calcium Carbonates: Biogenic versus Abiogenic Materials». Crystal Growth & Design, vol. 24, n.o 1, enero de 2024, pp. 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.3c00517.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España) 
NO Swiss National Science Foundation
NO Universidad de Oviedo
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025