The use of silica encapsulated DNA particles with a supermagnetic iron core (SiDNAMag) in sand filtration system

The use of silica encapsulated DNA particles with a supermagnetic iron core (SiDNAMag) in sand filtration system: Effect of water chemistry

Abdelrady, Ahmed (TU Delft Water Resources; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology)
Tang, Yuchen (TU Delft Water Resources)
Bogaard, T.A. (TU Delft Water Resources)
Foppen, J.W.A. (TU Delft Water Resources)

2024

Sand filtration systems (SF) are a well-established approach in ensuring the availability of clean water. Understanding the transport properties of colloidal particles within SF systems is of paramount importance for optimizing their performance. This study investigated the potential utilization of silica-encapsulated DNA particles, equipped with a magnetic core to enhance particle separation and quantification efficiency (SiDNAMag). These particles were evaluated as tracers for delineating complex pathways and conducting source tracking within sand filtration (SF) systems for particulate substances. The study focused on exploring the sensitivity of SiDNAMag to solution chemistry, while elucidating the underlying mechanisms governing their transport and retention in sand filtration systems. Laboratory columns and HYDRUS-1D modeling were employed to analyze a range of water chemistry solutions, encompassing NaCl, NaHCO₃, CaCl₂, and MgCl₂, with ionic strengths ranging from 0.1 mM to 20 mM. The results revealed that the transport of DNA-tagged silica particles could be described by a first-order kinetic attachment and detachment rate coefficient. Elevated ionic strengths consistently led to increased particle adhesion and decreased rates of detachment. The sticking efficiencies of SiDNAMag particles exhibited a range of 0.7 to 1. The remarkable adhesive effectiveness can be ascribed to the comparatively low negative charge exhibited by SiDNAMag particles. This leads to the creation of unstable colloids and encourages the aggregation of these colloidal particles, thereby limiting the potential application of these particles as a tracer. In conclusion, this work underlines the potential of SiDNAMag particles as a potential subsurface tracer. However, further research is warranted to investigate strategies for reducing the interaction between these particles and sand, particularly in response to the chemistry of the infiltrated water.

DNA-tagged silica particles
Sand filtration system
Solution chemistry
Tracer
Transport

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1ece5157-8052-4c26-af56-82e63b418a27

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2024.105316

2024-10-25

2214-7144

Journal of Water Process Engineering, 62

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2024 Ahmed Abdelrady, Yuchen Tang, T.A. Bogaard, J.W.A. Foppen