-->Humic acid(HA)and cysteine reduce PVP-AgNP deposition by differential mechanisms. -->HA adsorption to PVP-AgNP enhances the stability and mobility by electrosteric effect. -->Cysteine by replacing the PVP coating alters the stabilizing and transporting mechanisms. -->The controlling mechanism of cysteine on PVP-AgNP varies with ionic strength.

The effects of two types of organic matter (OM) (humic acid and protein) on colloid transport in porous media were investigated with column experiments and numerical modeling. Colloid deposition was explored in double-pulse experiments (DPEs) by injecting a pulse of OM to allow its pre-adsorption to iron-oxide-coated sand, followed by a pulse of latex microspheres. These experiments were compared with single-pulse experiments (SPEs), where one mixed pulse of OM and microspheres was introduced to the column. The experimental results show that pre-adsorbed and co-depositing OM may, respectively, limit initial and transient colloid deposition. The DPE results can be interpreted with an existing colloid transport model (random sequential adsorption: RSA). SPE results were interpreted with an extended RSA model (RSAE) that couples the process of OM co-deposition and blocking to colloid transport by introducing a conversion factor (K conv ) that reflects the blocking efficiency of OM. The calculations with the verified model suggest a comparable site blocking capacity of pre-adsorbed and co-depositing OM with a blocking capacity that differs for different sources of OM. Traditionally described as a modification of the chemistry of the overall deposition surface for the suspended particles, OM adsorption can also be interpreted as blocking local colloid attachment sites by the OM. This second interpretation may be more useful in describing nanoparticle deposition where the particle size is comparable to the length scale where a molecule of OM modifies the deposition surface.

Our recent study reported that conformation change of granule-associated Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) may influence the role of the protein controlling colloid deposition in porous media (Flynn et al., 2012). The present study conceptualized the observed phenomena with an ellipsoid morphology model, describing BSA as an ellipsoid taking a side-on or end-on conformation on granular surface, and identified the following processes: (1) at low adsorbed concentrations, BSA exhibited a side-on conformation blocking colloid deposition; (2) at high adsorbed concentra- tions, BSA adapted to an end-on conformation promoted colloid deposition; and (3) colloid deposition on the BSA layer may progressively generate end-on molecules (sites) by conformation change of side-on BSA, resulting in sustained increasing deposition rates. Generally, the protein layer lowered colloid attenuation by the porous medium, suggesting the overall effect of BSA was inhibitory at the experimental time scale. A mathematical model was developed to interpret the ripening curves. Modeling analysis identified the site generation efficiency of colloid as a control on the ripening rate (declining rate in colloid concentrations), and this efficiency was higher for BSA adsorbed from a more dilute BSA solution.