Influence of dissolved oxygen on silver nanoparticle mobility and dissolution in water-saturated quartz sand

The influence of dissolved oxygen (DO) on the transport behavior and dissolution kinetics of silver nanoparticles (nAg) was explored through a combination of experimental and mathematical modeling studies. One-dimensional column experiments were conducted with water-saturated 40–50 mesh Ottawa sand, operated at pH 4 or 7 under three DO conditions (8.9, 2, or <0.2 mg/L). The experimental protocol consisted of a nAg deposition phase, designed to assess nanoparticle mobility as a function of DO level, followed by a dissolution phase, to evaluate the release of Ag+ from retained nanoparticles. Experimental observations revealed that the mobility of nAg increased by 15 % when the DO level was reduced from 8.9 to <0.2 mg/L at pH 4, and that, once retained by the quartz sand, the fraction of nAg mass eluted as Ag+ decreased from 21.6 to 13.5 to 11.3 % with decreasing oxygen level (8.9, 2, and <0.2 mg/L, respectively). In both batch and column studies, rates of nAg dissolution decreased over time, behavior attributed to aging of the nanoparticle surface due to oxidation. A hybrid Eulerian–Lagrangian nanoparticle transport model was developed and implemented to simulate the mobility of nAg, subject to DO-dependent dissolution kinetics and particle aging. Model simulations accurately captured nAg transport and dissolution as a function of pH and DO level, and demonstrate the importance of considering nanoparticle surface aging to accurately predict Ag+ release over time.