Titanium citrate

Lee Y-C, et al. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2017, 340, 336-343.

Titanium citrate (III), in combination with copper nanoparticles and vitamin B12, has been demonstrated to effectively reduce perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to less toxic compounds through a reductive defluorination mechanism. In this study, experiments conducted at an initial pH of 9.0 and a temperature of 70 °C showed that the use of 2 g L-1 copper, 45 mM titanium citrate (III), and 0.2 mM vitamin B12 led to efficient PFOA reduction. The batch experiments, performed in 160-mL borosilicate glass vials, confirmed that PFOA adsorption onto the vials was negligible, ensuring accurate results. Under controlled conditions, with the reaction solutions incubated at 100 rpm in a constant-temperature water shaker bath, titanium citrate (III) facilitated the reductive defluorination process, significantly lowering the environmental toxicity of PFOA. Mass balance experiments and fluorine atom analysis were employed to understand the defluorination pathway, with control experiments revealing the catalytic roles of both copper nanoparticles and vitamin B12 in enhancing the process. This application underscores titanium citrate (III)'s potential as a key agent in environmental remediation, particularly in the reduction of persistent perfluorinated compounds.