Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Industrial, Parque Tecnologico Industrial Miguelete, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Nov 30;241-242:14-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.09.030. Epub 2012 Sep 24.
Contamination of water by heavy metals is a global problem, to which an inexpensive and simple solution is required. Within this context the unique properties of diatomite and its abundance in many regions of the world have led to the current widespread interest in this material for water purification purposes. Defined sections on articles published on the use of raw and modified diatomite for the removal of heavy metal pollutants from water are critically reviewed. The capability of the materials as extracting agents for individual species and mixtures of heavy metals are considered in terms of the kinetics, the thermodynamics and the recyclability for both, the pollutant and the extracting material. The concept of 'selectivity' for the enrichment of naturally occurring materials such as diatomite through the introduction of suitable functionalities in their structure to target a given pollutant is emphasised. Suggestions for further research in this area are given.
重金属对水的污染是一个全球性的问题，需要一个廉价且简单的解决方案。在这种情况下，硅藻土的独特性质及其在世界许多地区的丰富储量，使得人们对这种材料在水净化方面的应用产生了浓厚的兴趣。本文对有关天然和改性硅藻土用于去除水中重金属污染物的文章进行了批判性回顾。从动力学、热力学以及污染物和提取材料的可回收性等方面，考虑了材料作为单一物种和重金属混合物提取剂的能力。本文强调了通过在结构中引入合适的官能团来富集天然材料（如硅藻土）的“选择性”概念，以针对特定污染物。并对该领域的进一步研究提出了建议。
