乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水的化学特征及来源分析

为研究乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水中的化学组分特征及来源,对2017-2019年降水中主要离子浓度及来源进行了分析.研究结果显示,米东区2017-2019年降水的雨量加权pH年均值为7.95,雨量加权平均电导率年均值为16.15 mS·m-1,雨量加权平均总离子浓度为72.75-95.89 μeq·L-1,年均浓度为81....     

辽宁西南典型城市冬季大气细颗粒物水溶性无机离子污染特征及来源解析

本研究于2018年12月3日-2019年1月1日在辽宁省西南典型城市葫芦岛市和朝阳市分别布设3个城区采样点,在区域传输点龙屯水库布设1个采样点,采集大气细颗粒物PM2.5样品(n=201).使用离子色谱检测样品中的Na+、Mg2+、Ca2+、K+、NH4+、SO42-、F-、Cl-和NO3-的质量浓度.观测期间PM2....     

Forward osmosis coupled with lime-soda ash softening for volume minimization of reverse osmosis concentrate and CaCO3 recovery: A case study on the coal chemical industry

• Forward osmosis (FO) coupled with chemical softening for CCI ROC minimization • Effective removal of scale precursor ions by lime-soda ash softening • Enhanced water recovery from 54% to 86% by mitigation of FO membrane scaling • High-purity CaCO₃ was recovered from the softening sludge • Membrane cleaning efficiency of 88.5% was obtained by EDTA for softened ROC Reverse osmosis (RO) is frequently used for water reclamation from treated wastewater or desalination plants. The RO concentrate (ROC) produced from the coal chemical industry (CCI) generally contains refractory organic pollutants and extremely high-concentration inorganic salts with a dissolved solids content of more than 20 g/L contributed by inorganic ions, such as Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, and SO₄²⁻. To address this issue, in this study, we focused on coupling forward osmosis (FO) with chemical softening (FO-CS) for the volume minimization of CCI ROC and the recovery of valuable resources in the form of CaCO₃. In the case of the real raw CCI ROC, softening treatment by lime-soda ash was shown to effectively remove Ca²⁺/Ba²⁺ (>98.5%) and Mg²⁺/Sr²⁺/Si (>80%), as well as significantly mitigate membrane scaling during FO. The softened ROC and raw ROC corresponded to a maximum water recovery of 86% and 54%, respectively. During cyclic FO tests (4 × 10 h), a 27% decline in the water flux was observed for raw ROC, whereas only 4% was observed for softened ROC. The cleaning efficiency using EDTA was also found to be considerably higher for softened ROC (88.5%) than that for raw ROC (49.0%). In addition, CaCO₃ (92.2% purity) was recovered from the softening sludge with an average yield of 5.6 kg/m³ treated ROC. This study provides a proof-of-concept demonstration of the FO-CS coupling process for ROC volume minimization and valuable resources recovery, which makes the treatment of CCI ROC more efficient and more economical.     

Removal of lead from aqueous solution by hydroxyapatite/manganese dioxide composite

A novel composite adsorbent, hydroxyapatite/manganese dioxide (HAp/MnO₂), has been developed for the purpose of removing lead ions from aqueous solutions. The combination of HAp with MnO₂ is meant to increase its adsorption capacity. Various factors that may affect the adsorption efficiency, including solution pH, coexistent substances such as humic acid and competing cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺), initial solute concentration, and the duration of the reaction, have been investigated. Using this composite adsorbent, solution pH and coexistent calcium or magnesium cations were found to have no significant influence on the removal of lead ions under the experimental conditions. The adsorption equilibrium was described well by the Langmuir isotherm model, and the calculated maximum adsorption capacity was 769 mg·g⁻¹. The sorption processes obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The experimental results indicate that HAp/MnO₂ composite may be an effective adsorbent for the removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions.     

城市森林大气PM2.5中水溶性无机离子沉降特征

森林被誉为"地球之肺",在防霾治污方面有其独特不可替代的作用,不同树种沉降PM_2.5的功能有很大差别.本文选取代表性城市森林——奥林匹克森林公园为研究对象,设置垂直监测塔观测大气PM_2.5的浓度垂直分布,以考察不同季节城市森林对PM_2.5中各组分的影响.在冬季、春季和夏季各采集PM_2.5样品,分析并计算PM_2.5中Na⁺、NH₄⁺、K⁺、Mg2⁺、Ca2⁺、Cl^-、NO₃^-和SO₄^2-等典型水溶性无机离子的浓度.结果表明,PM_2.5中水溶性无机离子总浓度呈规律性变化特征:冬季((56.90±27.38)μg·m-3)>春季((46.69±12.24)μg·m^-3)>夏季((23.16±8.75)μg·m^-3).其中SO₄^2-和NO₃^-浓度和占PM_2.5主要水溶性无机离子总浓度的50%以上.3个季节中,除冬季外,在春季和夏季,8种离子有明显的垂直方向上的沉降,夏季的沉降速率高于春季,但是春季由于大气颗粒物浓度高,沉降通量高于夏季.NO₃^-和SO₄^2-垂直方向的沉降量在所有可溶性无机离子中最高.植被密度、叶面积指数、气象条件等因素对于PM_2.5的沉降特征有明显影响.     

Retention of 137cesium in acid sulphate soils of South Central Thailand

Adsorption and desorption of ¹³⁷Cs by acid sulphate soils from the Nakhon Nayok province, South Central Plain of Thailand located near the Ongkarak Nuclear Research Center (ONRC) were investigated using a batch equilibration technique. The influence of added limestone (12 and 18 tons ha^-1) on ¹³⁷Cs adsorption-desorption was studied. Based on Freundlich isotherms, both adsorption and desorption of ¹³⁷Cs were nonlinear. A large portion (98.26-99.97%) of added ¹³⁷Cs (3.7 × 10³-7.03 × 10⁵ Bq l^-1) was sorbed by the soils with or without added lime. The higher lime treatments, however, favoured stronger adsorption of ¹³⁷Cs as compared with soil with no lime, which was supported by higher K_ads values. The addition of lime, the cation exchange capacity and pH of the soil increased and hence favoured the stronger adsorption of ¹³⁷Cs. Acid sulphate soils with a high clay content, medium to high organic matter, high CEC, and predominant clay types consisting of a mixture of illite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite were the main soil factors contributing to the high ¹³⁷Cs adsorption capacity. Competing cations such as NH₄⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ had little influence on ¹³⁷Cs adsorption as compared with liming, where a significant positive correlation between K_ads and soil pH was observed. The ¹³⁷Cs adsorption-desorption characteristics of the acid sulphate soils studied exhibited a very strong irreversible sorption pattern. Only a small portion (0.09-0.58%) of ¹³⁷Cs adsorbed at the highest added initial ¹³⁷Cs concentration was desorbed by four successive soil extractions. Results clearly demonstrated that Nakhon Nayok province acid sulphate soils have a high ¹³⁷Cs adsorption capacity, which limits the ¹³⁷Cs bioavailability.     

Assessment of mobile and potential mobile trace elements extractability in calcareous soils using different extracting agents

• DTPA and NH₄OAc, HNO₃ and EDTA, and MgCl₂ and NH₄NO₃ had similar behavior. • In NH₄OAc, DTPA, and EDTA, the possibility of re-adsorption of trace elements is low. • CaCl₂ may be more suitable than other extracts in calcareous soils. Understanding trace elements mobility in soils, extracting agents, and their relationships with soil components, are essential for predicting their movement in soil profile and availability to plants. A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate extractability of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) from calcareous soils utilizing various extracting agents to be specific CaCl₂, DTPA, EDTA, HNO₃, MgCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃, and NH₄OAc. Cluster analysis indicated that DTPA and NH₄OAc, HNO₃ and EDTA, and MgCl₂ and NH₄NO₃ extracting agents yielded comparative values, whereas NaNO₃ and CaCl₂ have shown different behavior than other extracting agents for all studied trace elements. The speciation of extracted trace elements in solutions indicated that in the CaCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃, and MgCl₂ extracting agents most extracted Cd, Co, Ni, Zn, and part of Cu were as free ions and may be re-adsorbed on soils, leading to lower extractability, whereas, in the case of HNO₃ extracting agent, the likelihood of re-adsorption of trace elements may be little. The results of speciation of trace elements using NH₄OAc, DTPA, and EDTA extracting agents showed that Me-(Acetate)₃^–, Me-(Acetate)₂(aq), Me(DTPA)³⁻, Me(EDTA)²⁻, and MeH(EDTA)^– complexes dominated in solutions indicating that the extracted trace elements may not be re-adsorbed on soils, leading to higher extractability. The results of this study are useful for short and long-term evaluations of trace elements mobility and further environmental impacts.     

Benthic Fluxes and Pore Water Profiles in the Tigullio Gulf

Diffusive fluxes of elements (NO^-₂, NO^-₃, NH⁺₄, SiO₂, PO^3-₄, Cl^-, SO^2-₄, Fe, Mn) have been measured by applying the Fick's first law in two stations of the Tigullio Gulf: the first one characterized by sandy sediments rich in vegetal detritus and the second one, located to within the tourist harbour, characterized by a silty-clay sediments.

Benthic fluxes were measured only in the second station by means of benthic chamber experiments. Although the significant presence of dissolved oxygen in the surface sediments, and the evidence of processes usually occurring in oxidised sediments such as nitrification, both stations also presented characteristics of anoxic sediments such as high oxygen consumption rate and high pore water concentrations of ion, manganese and N-ammonia and reactive orthophosphate.

In both stations, sediments seemed to represent a potential source for most of the chemical species studied, although fluxes were not confirmed for ion, manganese and reactive orthophosphate in benthic chamber experiments.

Diffusive fluxes presented a general agreement for both stations, with higher fluxes of N-nitrate and N-nitrite at the first station were oxidative processes of N-ammonia in the upper layer of the sediments seemed to be more active. the comparison between diffusive and benthic fluxes showed a possible contribution of bioturbation.     

Effect of metal ion-doping on characteristics and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanotubes for removal of humic acid from water

The effect of ion-doping on TiO₂ nanotubes were investigated to obtain the optimal TiO₂ nanotubes for the effective decomposition of humic acids (HA) through O₃/UV/ion-doped TiO₂ process. The experimental results show that changing the calcination temperature, which changed the weight fractions of the anatase phase, the average crystallite sizes, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, and the energy band gap of the catalyst, affected the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst. The ionic radius, valence state, and configuration of the dopant also affected the photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts on HA removal increased when Ag⁺, Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, V⁵⁺, and Zn²⁺ were doped into the TiO₂ nanotubes, whereas such activities decreased as a result of Mn²⁺- and Ni²⁺-doping. In the presence of 1.0 at.% Fe³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanotubes calcined at 550°C, the removal efficiency of HA was 80% with a pseudo-first-order rate constant of 0.158 min⁻¹. Fe³⁺ in TiO₂ could increase the generation of ·OH, which could remove HA. However, Fe³⁺ in water cannot function as a shallow trapping site for electrons or holes.     

Comparing the adsorption behaviors of Cd,Cu and Pb from water onto Fe-Mn binary oxide,MnO2 and FeOOH

The adsorption potential of FMBO, FeOOH, MnO₂ for the removal of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in aqueous systems was investigated in this study. Comparing to FMBO and FeOOH, MnO₂ offered a much higher removal capacity towards the three metal ions. The maximal adsorption capacity of MnO₂ for Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ were 1.23, 2.25 and 2.60 mmol·g^-1, respectively. And that for FMBO were 0.37, 1.13, and 1.18 mmol·g^-1 and for FeOOH were 0.11, 0.86 and 0.48 mmol·g^-1, respectively. The adsorption behaviors of the three metal ions on the three adsorbents were all significantly affected by pH values and heavy metal removal efficiency increased with pH increased. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to describe the adsorption equilibrium of the three metal ions onto the three adsorbents. Results showed that the adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to Langmuir isotherm and this indicated that adsorption of metal ions occurred on the three metal oxides adsorbents limited to the formation of a monolayer. More negative charged of MnO₂ surface than that of FMBO and FeOOH could be ascribed by lower pH_iep of MnO₂ than that of FMBO and FeOOH and this could contribute to more binding sites on MnO₂ surface than that of FMBO and FeOOH. The higher metal ions uptake by MnO₂ than FMBO and FeOOH could be well explained by the surface charge mechanism.     

中国典型沿海城市冬季PM2.5中碳组分的污染特征及来源解析

为研究中国典型沿海城市冬季PM_2.5中碳组分的污染特征及来源,于2018年12月5日—2019年1月30日分别在天津(TJ)、上海(SH)和青岛(QD)同步采集PM_2.5样品。结果表明,天津、上海和青岛PM_2.5的平均浓度分别为(116.96±66.93)、(31.21±25.62)、(74.93±54.60)μg·m^-3,OC和EC的空间分布均为天津(18.69±7.95)μg·m^-3和(4.98±2.08)μg·m^-3>青岛(16.45±8.94)μg·m^-3和(2.01±1.04)μg·m^-3>上海(7.28±3.11)μg·m^-3和(1.05±1.25)μg·m^-3。3个站点的OC和EC均呈现较好的相关性,表明OC和EC具有相似的来源;OC/EC比值范围在2.37—7.53、5.47—46.41和4.77—13.36之间,证明各采样点均存在二次有机碳(SOC)的生成;采用最小R²法(MRS)估算SOC浓度,得到3个采样点SOC的平均质量浓度为(5.09±4.68)、(3.90±1.65)、(4.21±4.31)μg·m^-3,分别占OC总量的27.2%、55.8%和19.5%,其中上海的SOC在OC中的占比最大,说明上海二次有机碳污染较为严重,这主要归因于冬季严重污染源排放和有利的二次转化气象条件,而天津和青岛的碳组分主要来自污染源的直接排放。主成分分析(PCA)结果发现,天津PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于道路尘、生物质燃烧和机动车尾气,上海PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于生物质燃烧、道路扬尘和机动车尾气。青岛PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于道路扬尘、机动车尾气。后向轨迹聚类分析表明,来自西北方向的气团对天津的影响较大,PM_2.5和碳组分的浓度值最大;而对上海而言,主要受北方气溶胶经过海面又传输回上海的气团的影响;青岛站点主要受华北地区污染物和本地排放源的影响。     

Ammonia removal from low-strength municipal wastewater by powdered resin combined with simultaneous recovery as struvite

• Powdered resin was employed for ammonia recovery from municipal wastewater. • Powdered resin achievedefficient ammonia removal under various working conditions. • Co-existing cations indicated competitive adsorption of ammonia. • Ammonia was recoveredby two-stage crystallization coupled with ion exchange. Low-strength municipal wastewater is considered to be a recoverable nutrient resource with economic and environmental benefits. Thus, various technologies for nutrient removal and recovery have been developed. In this paper, powdered ion exchange resin was employed for ammonia removal and recovery from imitated low-strength municipal wastewater. The effects of various working conditions (powdered resin dosage, initial concentration, and pH value) were studied in batch experiments to investigate the feasibility of the approach and to achieve performance optimization. The maximum adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model was 44.39 mg/g, which is comparable to traditional ion exchange resin. Further, the effects of co-existing cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺) were studied. Based on the above experiments, recovery of ammonia as struvite was successfully achieved by a proposed two-stage crystallization process coupled with a powdered resin ion exchange process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results revealed that struvite crystals were successfully gained in alkaline conditions (pH= 10). This research demonstrates that a powdered resin and two-stage crystallization process provide an innovative and promising means for highly efficient and easy recovery from low-strength municipal wastewater.     

Effect of humic acid and metal ions on the debromination of BDE209 by nZVM prepared from steel pickling waste liquor

As a promising in situ remediation technology, nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) can remove polybrominated diphenyl ethers such as decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) effectively, However its use is limited by its high production cost. Using steel pickling waste liquor as a raw material to prepare nanoscale zero-valent metal (nZVM) can overcome this deficiency. It has been shown that humic acid and metal ions have the greatest influence on remediation. The results showed that nZVM and nZVI both can effectively remove BDE209 with little difference in their removal efficiencies, and humic acid inhibited the removal efficiency, whereas metal ions promoted it. The promoting effects followed the order Ni²⁺>Cu²⁺>Co²⁺ and the cumulative effect of the two factors was a combination of the promoting and inhibitory individual effects. The major difference between nZVM and nZVI lies in their crystal form, as nZVI was found to be amorphous while that of nZVM was crystal. However, it was found that both nZVM and nZVI removed BDE209 with similar removal efficiencies. The effects and cumulative effects of humic acid and metal ions on nZVM and nZVI were very similar in terms of the efficiency of the BDE209 removal.     

普萘洛尔在太湖沉积物上的吸附特征

主要研究了pH、离子强度、腐殖酸和沉积物有机质对普萘洛尔在太湖沉积物上吸附行为的影响.结果表明,沉积物对普萘洛尔具有一定的吸附能力.在强酸环境下,由于H⁺与带正电荷的普萘洛尔之间的竞争作用使得普萘洛尔的吸附量较小,随着pH的增大,吸附量逐渐增大至基本稳定,但当pH>9时,吸附量明显下降.K⁺、Na⁺和Ca²⁺的存在会减少普萘洛尔在沉积物上的吸附.在pH 5.8—6.0的情况下,随着腐殖酸浓度的增加,普萘洛尔在沉积物上的吸附量逐渐增加,而后逐渐到达平台期.有机质对普萘洛尔在沉积物上的吸附起到一定作用,普萘洛尔在天然水体中更倾向于吸附到沉积物的无机矿物成分上.普萘洛尔在太湖沉积物上的吸附等温线符合Freundlich吸附模型,拟二级动力学方程能较好地描述普萘洛尔在太湖沉积物上的吸附过程.     

δ15N-stable isotope analysis of NHx: An overview on analytical measurements,source sampling and its source apportionment

• Challenges in sampling of NH₃ sources for d¹⁵N analysis are highlighted. • Uncertainties in the isotope-based source apportionment of NH₃ and NH₄⁺ are outlined. • Characterizing dynamic isotopic fractionation may reduce uncertainties of NH_x science. Agricultural sources and non-agricultural emissions contribute to gaseous ammonia (NH₃) that plays a vital role in severe haze formation. Qualitative and quantitative contributions of these sources to ambient PM_2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter below 2.5 µm) concentrations remains uncertain. Stable nitrogen isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N) of NH₃ and NH₄⁺ (δ¹⁵N(NH₃) and δ¹⁵N(NH₄⁺), respectively) can yield valuable information about its sources and associated processes. This review provides an overview of the recent progress in analytical techniques for δ¹⁵N(NH₃) and δ¹⁵N(NH₄⁺) measurement, sampling of atmospheric NH₃ and NH₄⁺ in the ambient air and their sources signature (e.g., agricultural vs. fossil fuel), and isotope-based source apportionment of NH₃ in urban atmosphere. This study highlights that collecting sample that are fully representative of emission sources remains a challenge in fingerprinting δ¹⁵N(NH₃) values of NH₃ emission sources. Furthermore, isotopic fractionation during NH₃ gas-to-particle conversion under varying ambient field conditions (e.g., relative humidity, particle pH, temperature) remains unclear, which indicates more field and laboratory studies to validate theoretically predicted isotopic fractionation are required. Thus, this study concludes that lack of refined δ¹⁵N(NH₃) fingerprints and full understanding of isotopic fractionation during aerosol formation in a laboratory and field conditions is a limitation for isotope-based source apportionment of NH₃. More experimental work (in chamber studies) and theoretical estimations in combinations of field verification are necessary in characterizing isotopic fractionation under various environmental and atmospheric neutralization conditions, which would help to better interpret isotopic data and our understanding on NH_x (NH₃ + NH₄⁺) dynamics in the atmosphere.     

Transport of Inorganic Phosphate in the Marine Seagrass Posidonia Oceanica By 32P-Phosphate As Tracer

Uptake and loss of inorganic phosphate by Posidonia oceanica leaf tissue has been studied in in vitro experiments. Experimental data have shown that a steady state of inorganic phosphate uptake (about 40 nmol mg^-1 dry wt.) is attained after 48 hours. in particular high accumulation (over 1000-fold the natural level in sea water) and slow loss (biological half-life, 65 days) of inorganic phosphate has been evaluated. Moreover the effect of three different metabolic inhibitors (sodium monovanadate, sodium azide, 2, 4-dinitrophenol) have been tested. Results of this effect and the high degree of inorganic phosphate accumulation in leaf tissue have demonstrated that inorganic phosphate carrier is energy dependent. Furthermore, the inorganic phosphate uptake is probably influenced by bivalent cations (Ca⁺², Mg⁺²) but the mechanism is still uncertain.

Preliminary kinetic study has shown interesting results. in particular, k_m estimated value (2.8 μmol 1^-1) has demonstrated the existence of a relatively high uptake rate (V_max) at low DIP concentration while the kinetic study of inorganic phosphate loss from leaf tissues has shown a low value of the biological half life (about 60-70 days). This evidence could be significant for the existence of a complex distribution of inorganic phosphate in the leaf tissues.     

Removing ammonia from air with a constant pH,slightly acidic water spray wet scrubber using recycled scrubbing solution

Slightly acidic solutions are a practical means of removing ammonia from air Scrubbed NH₃ accumulates in solution as NH₄⁺ and should be an excellent fertilizer Increased air velocity decreased NH₃ removal and increased NH₄⁺ collection Previous research on wet scrubbers has only studied highly acidic scrubbing solutions because of their high ammonia capture efficiencies; however, the high acidity created practical problems. Lower acidity solutions would reduce corrosion, maintenance, and cost; however, designers may need to use strategies for increasing scrubber effectiveness, such as using lower air velocities. The objective of this study was to determine if a spray scrubber with slightly acidic and higher pH scrubbing solution (pH from 2 to 8) could effectively remove NH₃ from NH₃ laden air (such as animal building exhaust air), and also collect this valuable resource for later use as a fertilizer. A bench-scale spray wet scrubber treated 20 ppmv NH₃/air mixture in a countercurrent contact chamber. First, the solution pH was varied from 2 to 8 while maintaining constant air velocity at 1.3 m·s⁻¹. Next, air velocity was increased (2 and 3 m·s⁻¹) while solution pH remained constant at pH6. At 1.3 m·s⁻¹, NH₃ removal efficiencies ranged between 49.0% (pH8) and 84.3% (pH2). This study has shown that slightly acidic scrubbing solutions are a practical means of removing ammonia from air especially if the scrubber is designed to increase collisions between solution droplets and NH₃ molecules. The NH₃ removed from the air was held in solution as NH₄⁺ and accumulates over time so the solution should be an excellent fertilizer.     

Inhibition of bromate formation by reduced graphene oxide supported cerium dioxide during ozonation of bromide-containing water

GO or RGO promotes bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing water. CeO₂/RGO significantly inhibits bromate formation compared to RGO during ozonation. CeO₂/RGO shows an enhancement on DEET degradation efficiency during ozonation. Ozone (O₃) is widely used in drinking water disinfection and wastewater treatment. However, when applied to bromide-containing water, ozone induces the formation of bromate, which is carcinogenic. Our previous study found that graphene oxide (GO) can enhance the degradation efficiency of micropollutants during ozonation. However, in this study, GO was found to promote bromate formation during ozonation of bromide-containing waters, with bromate yields from the O₃/GO process more than twice those obtained using ozone alone. The promoted bromate formation was attributed to increased hydroxyl radical production, as confirmed by the significant reduction (almost 75%) in bromate yield after adding t-butanol (TBA). Cerium oxide (less than 5 mg/L) supported on reduced GO (xCeO₂/RGO) significantly inhibited bromate formation during ozonation compared with reduced GO alone, and the optimal Ce atomic percentage (x) was determined to be 0.36%, achieving an inhibition rate of approximately 73%. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra indicated the transformation of GO into RGO after hydrothermal treatment, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) results showed that CeO₂ nanoparticles were well dispersed on the RGO surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra results demonstrated that the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ ratio in xCeO₂/RGO was almost 3‒4 times higher than that in pure CeO₂, which might be attributed to the charge transfer effect from GO to CeO₂. Furthermore, Ce³⁺ on the xCeO₂/RGO surface could quench Br⋅ and BrO⋅ to further inhibit bromate formation. Meanwhile, 0.36CeO₂/RGO could also enhance the degradation efficiency of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in synthetic and reclaimed water during ozonation.     

Pesticide wastewater treatment using the combination of the microbial electrolysis desalination and chemical-production cell and Fenton process

• MEDCC combined with Fenton process was developed to treat real pesticide wastewater. • Pesticide removal was attributable to desalination in the MEDCC. • High COD removal was attributable to organic distributions in different chambers. The combination of the microbial electrolysis desalination and chemical-production cell (MEDCC) and Fenton process for the pesticide wastewater treatment was investigate in this study. Real wastewater with several toxic pesticides, 1633 mg/L COD, and 200 in chromaticity was used for the investigation. Results showed that desalination in the desalination chamber of MEDCC reached 78%. Organics with low molecular weights in the desalination chamber could be removed from the desalination chamber, resulting in 28% and 23% of the total COD in the acid-production and cathode chambers, respectively. The desalination in the desalination chamber and organic transfer contributed to removal of pesticides (e.g., triadimefon), which could not be removed with other methods, and of the organics with low molecular weights. The COD in the effluent of the MEDCC combined the Fenton process was much lower than that in the perixo-coagulaiton process (<150 vs. 555 mg/L). The combined method consumed much less energy and acid for the pH adjustment than that the Fenton.     

Sea salt bittern-driven forward osmosis for nutrient recovery from black water: A dual waste-to-resource innovation via the osmotic membrane process

• A dual “waste-to-resource” application of FO was proposed. • Performance of sea salt bittern as an economic FO draw solution was evaluated. • High quality struvite recovery from black water using FO was demonstrated. • Feed pH is a key factor to control the form of recovered phosphorous. A dual “waste-to-resource” innovation in nutrient enrichment and recovery from domestic black water using a sea salt bittern (SSB)-driven forward osmosis (FO) process is proposed and demonstrated. The performance of SSB as a “waste-to-resource” draw solution for FO was first evaluated. A synthetic SSB-driven FO provided a water flux of 25.67±3.36 L/m²⋅h, which was 1.5‒1.7 times compared with synthetic seawater, 1 M NaCl, and 1 M MgCl₂. Slightly compromised performance regarding reverse solute selectivity was observed. In compensation, the enhanced reverse diffusion of Mg²⁺ suggested superior potential in terms of recovering nutrients in the form of struvite precipitation. The nutrient enrichment was performed using both the pre-filtered influent and effluent of a domestic septic tank. Over 80% of phosphate-P recovery was achieved from both low- and high-strength black water at a feed volume reduction up to 80%‒90%. With an elevated feed pH (~9), approximately 60%‒85% enriched phosphate-P was able to be recovered in the form of precipitated stuvite. Whereas the enrichment performance of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) largely differed depending on the strength of black water. Improved concentration factor (i.e., 3-folds) and retention (>60%) of TKN was obtained in the high-nutrient-strength black water at a feed volume reduction of 80%, in comparison with a weak TKN enrichment observed in low-strength black water. The results suggested a good potential for nutrient recovery based on this dual “waste-to-resource” FO system with proper management of membrane cleaning.