Escherichia coli inactivation by pressurized CO2 treatment methods at room temperature: Critical issues

This study aims to increase the inactivation efficiency of CO_2 against Escherichia coli under mild conditions to facilitate the application of pressurized CO_2 technology in water disinfection. Based on an aerating-cycling apparatus, three different treatment methods(continuous aeration, continuous reflux, and simultaneous aeration and reflux) were compared for the same temperature, pressure(0.3–0.7 MPa), initial concentration, and exposure time(25 min). The simultaneous aeration and reflux treatment(combined method) was shown to be the best method under optimum conditions, which were determined to be 0.7 MPa, room temperature, and an exposure time of 10 min. This treatment achieved 5.1-log reduction after 25 min of treatment at the pressure of 0.3 MPa and 5.73-log reduction after 10 min at 0.7 MPa. Log reductions of 4.4 and 5.0 occurred at the end of continuous aeration and continuous reflux treatments at 0.7 MPa, respectively.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images suggested that cells were ruptured after the simultaneous aeration and reflux treatment and the continuous reflux treatment. The increase of the solubilization rate of CO_2 due to intense hydraulic conditions led to a rapid inactivation effect. It was found that the reduction of intracellular p H caused by CO_2 led to a more lethal bactericidal effect.     

Investigation of UV-TiO2 photocatalysis and its mechanism in Bacillus subtilis spore inactivation

The inactivation levels of Bacillus subtilis spores for various disinfection processes （ultraviolet （UV）, TiO2 and UV-TiO2） were compared. The results showed that the inactivation effect of B. subtilis spores by UV treatment alone was far below that for bacteria without endospores. TiO2 alone in the dark, as a control experiment, exhibited almost no inactivation effect. Compared with UV treatment alone, the inactivation effect increased significantly with the addition of TiO2. Increases of the UV irradiance and Ti02 concentration both contributed to the increase of the inactivation effect. Lipid peroxidation was found to be the underlying mechanism of inactivation. Malondialdehyde （MDA）, the degradation product of lipid peroxidation, was used as an index to determine the extent of the reaction. The MDA concentration surged surprisingly to 3.24 nmol/mg dry cell with the combination disinfection for 600 see （0.10 mW/cm2 irradiance and 10 mg/L TiO2）. In contrast, for UV alone or TiO2 in the dark, the MDA concentration was 0.38 and 0.25 nmol/mg dry cell, respectively, under the same conditions. This indicated that both UV and TiO2 were essential for lipid peroxidation. Changes in cell ultrastructure were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The cell membrane was heavily damaged and cellular contents were completely lysed with the UV-TiO2 process, suggesting that lipid peroxidation was the root of the enhancement in inactivation efficiency.     

Effect of Ce doping of TiO2 support on NH3-SCR activity over V2O5-WO3/CeO2-TiO2 catalyst

CeO2–TiO2composite supports with different Ce/Ti molar ratios were prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method, and V2O5–WO3/CeO2–TiO2catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction（SCR） of NOx with NH3 were prepared by an incipient-wetness impregnation method. These catalysts were characterized by means of BET, XRD, UV–Vis,Raman and XPS techniques. The results showed that the catalytic activity of V2O5–WO3/TiO2 was greatly enhanced by Ce doping（molar ratio of Ce/Ti = 1/10） in the TiO2 support.The catalysts that were predominantly anatase TiO2 showed better catalytic performance than the catalysts that were predominantly fluorite CeO2. The Ce additive could enhance the surface adsorbed oxygen and accelerate the SCR reaction. The effects of O2 concentration, ratio of NH3/NO, space velocity and SO2 on the catalytic activity were also investigated. The presence of oxygen played an important role in NO reduction. The optimal ratio of NH3/NO was 1/1 and the catalyst had good resistance to SO2 poisoning.     

Effect of temperature on anoxic metabolism of nitrites to nitrous oxide by polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Temperature is an important physical factor, which strongly influences biomass and metabolic activity. In this study, the effects of temperature on the anoxic metabolism of nitrite(NO-2) to nitrous oxide(N2O) by polyphosphate accumulating organisms, and the process of the accumulation of N2O(during nitrite reduction), which acts as an electron acceptor, were investigated using 91% ± 4% Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis sludge. The results showed that N2O is accumulated when Accumulibacter first utilize nitrite instead of oxygen as the sole electron acceptor during the denitrifying phosphorus removal process. Properties such as nitrite reduction rate, phosphorus uptake rate, N2O reduction rate, and polyhydroxyalkanoate degradation rate were all influenced by temperature variation(over the range from 10 to 30°C reaching maximum values at 25°C). The reduction rate of N2O by N2O reductase was more sensitive to temperature when N2O was utilized as the sole electron acceptor instead of NO2, and the N2O reduction rates, ranging from 0.48 to 3.53 N2O-N/(hr·g VSS), increased to 1.45 to 8.60 mg N2O-N/(hr·g VSS). The kinetics processes for temperature variation of 10 to 30°C were(θ1 = 1.140–1.216 and θ2= 1.139–1.167). In the range of 10°C to 30°C, almost all of the anoxic stoichiometry was sensitive to temperature changes. In addition, a rise in N2O reduction activity leading to a decrease in N2O accumulation in long term operations at the optimal temperature(27°C calculated by the Arrhenius model).     

Anaerobic digestion in mesophilic and room temperature conditions: Digestion performance and soil-borne pathogen survival

Tomato plant waste(TPW) was used as the feedstock of a batch anaerobic reactor to evaluate the effect of anaerobic digestion on Ralstonia solanacearum and Phytophthora capsici survival. Batch experiments were carried out for TS(total solid) concentrations of 2%, 4% and 6% respectively, at mesophilic(37 ± 1°C) and room(20–25°C) temperatures. Results showed that higher digestion performance was achieved under mesophilic digestion temperature and lower TS concentration conditions. The biogas production ranged from 71 to 416 L/kg VS(volatile solids). The inactivation of anaerobic digestion tended to increase as digestion performance improved. The maximum log copies reduction of R. solanacearum and P. capsici detected by quantitative PCR(polymerase chain reaction) were 3.80 and 4.08 respectively in reactors with 4% TS concentration at mesophilic temperatures. However, both in mesophilic and room temperature conditions, the lowest reduction of R. solanacearum was found in the reactors with 6% TS concentration, which possessed the highest VFA(volatile fatty acid) concentration. These findings indicated that simple accumulation of VFAs failed to restrain R. solanacearum effectively, although the VFAs were considered poisonous. P. capsici was nearly completely dead under all conditions. Based on the digestion performance and the pathogen survival rate, a model was established to evaluate the digestate biosafety.     

Chemical oxygen demand reduction in coffee wastewater through chemical flocculation and advanced oxidation processes

The removal of the natural organic matter present in coffee processing wastewater through chemical coagulation-flocculation and advanced oxidation processes （AOP） had been studied. The effectiveness of the removal of natural organic matter using commercial flocculants and UV/H202, UV/O3 and UV/H2O2/O3 processes was determined under acidic conditions. For each of these processes, different operational conditions were explored to optimize the treatment efficiency of the coffee wastewater. Coffee wastewater is characterized by a high chemical oxygen demand （COD） and low total suspended solids. The outcomes of coffee wastewater treatment using coagulation-flocculation and photodegradation processes were assessed in terms of reduction of COD, color, and turbidity. It was found that a reduction in COD of 67% could be realized when the coffee wastewater was treated by chemical coagulation-flocculation with lime and coagulant T-1. When coffee wastewater was treated by coagulation-flocculation in combination with UV/H2O2, a COD reduction of 86% was achieved, although only after prolonged UV irradiation. Of the three advanced oxidation processes considered, UV/H2O2, UV/O3 and UV/H2O2/O3, we found that the treatment with UV/H2O2/O3 was the most effective, with an efficiency of color, turbidity and further COD removal of 87%, when applied to the flocculated coffee wastewater.     

Arsenic removal from groundwater by acclimated sludge under autohydrogenotrophic conditions

Arsenic in the environment is attracting increasing attention due to its chronic health effects. Although arsenite(As(III)) is generally more mobile and more toxic than arsenate(As(V)), reducing As(V) to As(III) may still be a means for decontamination, because As(III) can be removed from solution by precipitation with sulfide or by adsorption or complexation with other metal sulfides. The performance of As(V) bio-reduction under autohydrogenotrophic conditions was investigated with batch experiments. The results showed that As(V) reduction was a biochemical process while both acclimated sludge and hydrogen were essential. Most of the reduced arsenic remained in a soluble form, although 20% was removed with no addition of sulfate, while 82% was removed when sulfate was reduced to sulfide. The results demonstrated that the reduced arsenic was re-sequestered in the precipitates, probably as arsenic sulfides. Kinetic analysis showed that pseudo first-order kinetics described the bio-reduction process better than pseudo second-order. In particular, the influences of pH and temperature on As(V) reduction by acclimated sludge under autohydrogenotrophic conditions and total soluble As removal were examined. The reduction process was highly sensitive to both pH and temperature, with the optimum ranges of pH 6.5–7.0 and 30–40°C respectively. Furthermore, Arrhenius modeling results for the temperature effect indicated that the As(V) reduction trend was systematic. Total soluble As removal was consistent with the trend of As(V) reduction.     

Isolation and characterization of gasoline-degrading bacteria from gas station leaking-contaminated soils

The effects of culture conditions in vitro and biosurfactant detection were studied on bacterial strains capable of degrading gasoline from contaminated soils near gas station. The main results were summarized as follows. Three bacteria （strains Q10, Q14 and Q18） that were considered as efficiently degrading strains were isolated and identified as Pseudomonas sp., Flavobaeterium sp. and Rhodococcus sp., respectively. The optimal growth conditions of three bacteria including pH, temperature and the concentration of gasoline were similar. The reduction in surface tension was observed with all the three bacteria, indicating the production of biosurfactant compounds. The value of surface tension reduced by the three strains Q10, Q14 and Q18 was 32.6 mN.m, 12.4 mN. m and 21.9 mN.m, respectively. Strain Q10 could be considered as a potential biosurfactant producer. Gasoline, diesel oil, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene （BTEX） could easily be degraded by the three isolates. The consortium was more effective than the individual cultures in degrading added gasoline, diesel oil, and BTEX. These results indicate that these strains have great potential for in situ remediation of soils contaminated by gas station leaking.     

Thermal stabilization of chromium slag by sewage sludge: Effects of sludge quantity and temperature

To investigate the feasibility of detoxifying chromium slag by sewage sludge,synthetic chromium slag containing 3% of Cr(VI) was mixed with sewage sludge followed by thermal treatment in nitrogen gas for stabilizing chromium.The effects of slag to sludge ratio(0.5,1 and 2) and temperature(200,300,500,700 and 900°C) on treatment efficiency were investigated.During the mixing process before thermal treatment,59.8%-99.7% of Cr(VI) was reduced,but Cr could be easily leached from the reduction product.Increasing heating temperature and decreasing slag to sludge ratio strengthened the reduction and stabilization of Cr(VI).When the slag to sludge ratio was 0.5 and thermal treatment temperature was 300°C,the total leached Cr and Cr(VI) declined to 0.55 mg/L and 0.17 mg/L respectively,and 45.5% of Cr in the thermally treated residue existed as residual fraction.A two-stage mechanism was proposed for the reduction and stabilization of Cr.     

Synthesis,crystal structure,photodegradation kinetics and photocatalytic activity of novel photocatalyst ZnBiYO4

ZnBiYO4 was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method for the first time. The structural and photocatalytic properties of ZnBiYO4 were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance.ZnBiYO4 crystallized with a tetragonal spinel structure with space group I41/A. The lattice parameters for ZnBiYO4 were a = b = 11.176479  and c = 10.014323 . The band gap of ZnBiYO4 was estimated to be 1.58 e V. The photocatalytic activity of ZnBiYO4 was assessed by photodegradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The results showed that ZnBiYO4 had higher catalytic activity compared with N-doped Ti O2 under the same experimental conditions using visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange with ZnBiYO4 or N-doped Ti O2 as catalyst followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the first-order rate constant was 0.01575 and 0.00416 min-1for ZnBiYO4 and N-doped Ti O2, respectively. After visible light irradiation for 220 min with ZnBiYO4 as catalyst, complete removal and mineralization of methyl orange were observed. The reduction of total organic carbon, formation of inorganic products, SO2-4and NO-3, and evolution of CO2 revealed the continuous mineralization of methyl orange during the photocatalytic process. The intermediate products were identified using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The ZnBiYO4/(visible light) photocatalysis system was found to be suitable for textile industry wastewater treatment and could be used to solve other environmental chemical pollution problems.     

Kinetics of Solvent Blue and Reactive Yellow removal using microwave radiation in combination with nanoscale zero-valent iron

We investigated the efficiency and kinetics of the degradation of soluble dyes over the p H range 5.0–9.0 using a method employing microwave radiation in combination with nanoscale zero-valent iron(MW–n ZVI). The n ZVI particles(40–70 nm in diameter) were prepared by a liquid-phase chemical reduction method employing starch as a dispersant.Compared to the removal of Solvent Blue 36 and Reactive Yellow K-RN using only n ZVI,more rapid and efficient dye removal and total organic carbon removal were achieved using MW–n ZVI. The dye removal efficiency increased significantly with decreasing p H, but was negligibly affected by variation in the microwave power. The kinetics of dye removal by MW–n ZVI followed both an empirical equation and the pseudo first-order model, while the kinetics of dye removal using n ZVI could only be described by an empirical equation. It was also concluded that microwave heating of the dye solutions as well as acceleration of corrosion of n ZVI and consumption of Fe(II) were possible reasons behind the enhanced dye degradation.     

Simulating the fate of indigenous antibiotic resistant bacteria in a mild slope wastewater polluted stream

The fate of indigenous surface-water and wastewater antibiotic resistant bacteria in a mild slope stream simulated through a hydraulic channel was investigated in outdoor experiments.The effect of(i) natural(dark) decay,(ii) sunlight,(iii) cloudy cover,(iv) adsorption to the sediment,(v) hydraulic conditions,(vi) discharge of urban wastewater treatment plant(UWTP)effluent and(vii) bacterial species(presumptive Escherichia coli and enterococci) was evaluated.Half-life time(T1/2) of E. coli under sunlight was in the range 6.48–27.7 min(initial bacterial concentration of 10~5 CFU/mL) depending on hydraulic and sunlight conditions. E. coli inactivation was quite similar in sunny and cloudy day experiments in the early 2 hr, despite of the light intensity gradient was in the range of 15–59 W/m~2; but subsequently the inactivation rate decreased in the cloudy day experiment(T1/2= 23.0 min) compared to sunny day(T_(1/2)= 17.4 min). The adsorption of bacterial cells to the sediment(biofilm) increased in the first hour and then was quite stable for the remaining experimental time. Finally, when the discharge of an UWTP effluent in the stream was simulated, the proportion of indigenous antibiotic resistant E. coli and enterococci was found to increase as the exposure time increased, thus showing a higher resistance to solar inactivation compared to the respective total populations.     

Electrochemical oxidation of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6：2 FTS) on DSA electrode：Operating parameters and mechanism

The 6:2 FTS was the substitute for perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS) in the chrome plating industry in Japan. Electrochemical oxidation of 6:2 FTS was investigated in this study. The degradabilities of PFOS and 6:2 FTS were tested on the Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5–Bi2O3anode. The effects of current density,potential,and supporting electrolyte on the degradation of 6:2 FTS were evaluated. Experimental results showed that 6:2 FTS was more easily degraded than PFOS on the Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5–Bi2O3anode. At a low current density of 1.42 mA/cm2,6:2 FTS was not degraded on Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5–Bi2O3,while the degradation ratio increased when the current density ranged from 4.25 to 6.80 mA/cm2. The degradation of 6:2 FTS at current density of 6.80 mA/cm2 followed pseudo first-order kinetics with the rate constant of 0.074 hr-1. The anodic potential played an important role in the degradation of 6:2 FTS,and the pseudo first-order rate constants increased with the potential. The surface of Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5–Bi2O3was contaminated after electrolysis at constant potential of 3 V,while the fouling phenomenon was not observed at 5 V. The fouled anode could be regenerated by incinerating at 600°C. The intermediates detected by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer(UPLC–MS/MS) were shorter chain perfluorocarboxylic acids. The 6:2 FTS was first attacked by hydroxyl radical,and then formed perfluorinated carboxylates,which decarboxylated and removed CF2 units to yield shorter-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids.     

Choice of precipitant and calcination temperature of precursor for synthesis of NiCo2O4 for control of CO–CH4 emissions from CNG vehicles

Compressed natural gas(CNG)is most appropriate an alternative of conventional fuel for automobiles.However,emissions of carbon-monoxide and methane from such vehicles adversely affect human health and environment.Consequently,to abate emissions from CNG vehicles,development of highly efficient and inexpensive catalysts is necessary.Thus,the present work attempts to scan the effects of precipitants(Na_2CO_3,KOH and urea)for nickel cobaltite(Ni Co_2O_4)catalysts prepared by co-precipitation from nitrate solutions and calcined in a lean CO-air mixture at 400°C.The catalysts were used for oxidation of a mixture of CO and CH_4(1:1).The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometer,Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface-area,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy;temperature programmedreductionandScanningelectronmicroscopycoupledwith Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy.The Na_2CO_3was adjudged as the best precipitant for production of catalyst,which completely oxidized CO-CH_4mixture at the lowest temperature(T_(100)=350°C).Whereas,for catalyst prepared using urea,T_(100)=362°C.On the other hand the conversion of CO-CH_4mixture over the catalyst synthesized by KOH limited to 97%even beyond 400°C.Further,the effect of higher calcination temperatures of 500 and600°C was examined for the best catalyst.The total oxidation of the mixture was attained at higher temperatures of 375 and 410°C over catalysts calcined at 500 and 600°C respectively.Thus,the best precipitant established was Na_2CO_3and the optimum calcination temperature of 400°C was found to synthesize the Ni Co_2O_4catalyst for the best performance in CO-CH_4oxidation.     

Numerical study of the effects of Planetary Boundary Layer structure on the pollutant dispersion within built-up areas

The effects of different Planetary Boundary Layer(PBL) structures on pollutant dispersion processes within two idealized street canyon configurations and a realistic urban area were numerically examined by a Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) model. The boundary conditions of different PBL structures/conditions were provided by simulations of the Weather Researching and Forecasting model. The simulated results of the idealized 2D and 3D street canyon experiments showed that the increment of PBL instability favored the downward transport of momentum from the upper flow above the roof to the pedestrian level within the street canyon. As a result, the flow and turbulent fields within the street canyon under the more unstable PBL condition are stronger. Therefore, more pollutants within the street canyon would be removed by the stronger advection and turbulent diffusion processes under the unstable PBL condition. On the contrary, more pollutants would be concentrated in the street canyon under the stable PBL condition. In addition, the simulations of the realistic building cluster experiments showed that the density of buildings was a crucial factor determining the dynamic effects of the PBL structure on the flow patterns. The momentum field within a denser building configuration was mostly transported from the upper flow, and was more sensitive to the PBL structures than that of the sparser building configuration. Finally, it was recommended to use the Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino(MYNN) PBL scheme, which can explicitly output the needed turbulent variables, to provide the boundary conditions to the CFD simulation.     

Temporal variation of microbial population in a thermophilic biofilter for SO2 removal

The performance of a biofilter relies on the activity of microorganisms during the gas contaminant treatment process. In this study, SO_2 was treated using a laboratory-scale biofilter packed with polyurethane foam cubes(PUFC), on which thermophilic desulfurization bacteria were attached. The thermophilic biofilter effectively reduced SO_2 within 10 months of operation time, with a maximum elimination capacity of 48.29 g/m~3/hr.Temporal shifts in the microbial population in the thermophilic biofilter were determined through polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) sequence analysis. The substrate species and environmental conditions in the biofilter influenced the microbial population. Oxygen distribution in the PUFC was analyzed using a microelectrode. When the water-containing rate in PUFC was over 98%, the oxygen distribution presented aerobic–anoxic–aerobic states along the test route on the PUFC. The appearance of sulfate-reducing bacteria was caused by the anaerobic conditions and sulfate formation after 4 months of operation.     

Experimental continuous sludge microwave system to enhance dehydration ability and hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion of sludge

Dehydrating large amounts of sludge produced by sewage treatment plants is difficult.Microwave pretreatment can effectively and significantly improve the dewaterability and hydrogen production of sludge subjected to anaerobic digestion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different microwave conditions on hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion and dewaterability of sludge. Based on an analysis of the electric field distribution, a spiral reactor was designed and a continuous microwave system was built to conduct intermittent and continuous experiments under different conditions. Settling Volume, Capillary Suction Time, particle size, and moisture content of the sludge were measured. The results show that sludge pretreatment in continuous experiments has equally remarkable dehydration performance as in intermittent experiments; the minimum moisture content was 77.29% in the intermittent experiment under a microwave power of 300 W and an exposure time of 60 sec, and that in the continuous experiment was 77.56% under a microwave power of 400 W and an exposure time of 60 sec.The peak measured by Differential Scanning Calorimeter appeared earliest under a microwave power of 600 W and an exposure time of 180 sec. The heat flux at the peak was 4.343 W/g, which is relatively small. This indicates that microwave pretreatment induced desirable effects. The maximum yield of hydrogen production was 7.967% under the conditions of microwave power of 500 W, exposure time of 120 sec, and water bath at 55°C. This research provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the development of a continuous microwave sludge-conditioning system.     

Products of methotrexate during chlorination

Methotrexate(MTX)is a cytotoxic drug widely used in the treatment of tumors,autoimmune diseases and severe asthma. jen00883 This drug has been frequently detected in the aquatic environment with concentrations up to μg/L levels. The MTX present in environmental water might be transformed and removed during chlorination disinfection treatment. In this work,the fate of MTX during aqueous chlorination was investigated in laboratory batch experiments,and the transformation products of MTX were identified. Aqueous solutions of MTX(1 mg/L)were chlorinated by sodium hypochlorite solution at room temperature under neutral p H conditions. Chlorinated products were pre-concentrated with solid-phase extraction(SPE)cartridges and determined by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry(LC–ESI–MS/MS). The reaction of MTX chlorination exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetics and the half-life time of MTX degradation was calculated to be 1.65 min,when the initial chlorine concentration was 2 mg/L. Two chlorinated MTX congeners,4-amino-3-chlorinated-N10-methylpteroylglutamic(monochloro-MTX)and 4-amino-3,5-dichloro-N10-methylpteroylglutamic(dichloro-MTX)were found in the chlorinated solution. Monochloro-MTX was successfully fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and its structure was further identified using ~1H nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)analysis. The presence of the two products in real hospital wastewater was then examined and both compounds were detected. Finally,the effects of MTX and monochloro-MTX on the cell cycle progression in vitro were evaluated using zebrafish liver cell line. It was found that both compounds could inhibit the proliferation of zebrafish liver cells through S phase arrest and their effects on the cell cycle profile had no significant difference.     

Novel synthesis of aluminum hydroxide gel-coated nano zero-valent iron and studies of its activity in flocculation-enhanced removal of tetracycline

A newly designed aluminum hydroxide gel-coated nanoscale zero-valent iron(AHG@NZVI)with enhanced activity and dispersibility of NZVI was successfully synthesized.The AHG@NZVI composite was synthesized via control of the surface AHG content.AHG@NZVI-1,AHG@NZVI-2 and AHG@NZVI-3 were prepared under centrifugal mixing speeds of 1000,2000 and 4000 r/min,respectively.The activity of AHG@NZVI was evaluated by its tetracycline(TC) removal efficiency.The effects of AHG content,pH value,reaction temperature,and presence of competitive anions on TC removal were investigated.TC could be removed by both adsorption and chemical reduction on AHG@NZVI-2(centrifugal speed 2000 r/min) in a short time with high removal efficiency(≥98.1%) at the optimal conditions.Such excellent performance can be attributed to a synergistic interaction between aluminum hydroxide gel and NZVI:(1) AHG could enhance the stability and dispersity of NZVI;(2) aluminum hydroxide gel could absorb a certain amount of TC and Fe~(2+)/Fe~(3+),which facilitated the mass transfer of TC onto the NZVI surface,resulting in acceleration of the reduction rate of TC by the AHG@NZVI composite;and(3) AHG-Fe~(2+)/Fe~(3+)could absorb a certain amount of TC by flocculation.The kinetics of TC removal by AHG@NZVI composite was found to follow a two-parameter pseudo-first-order model.The presence of competitive anions slightly inhibited the activity of AHG@NZVI systems for TC removal.Overall,this study provides a promising alternative material and environmental pollution management option for antibiotic wastewater treatment.     

Preparation of activated carbon from cattail and its application for dyes removal

Activated carbon was prepared from cattail by H3PO4 activation. The effects influencing the surface area of the resulting activated carbon followed the sequence of activated temperature activated time impregnation ratio impregnation time. The optimum condition was found at an impregnation ratio of 2.5, an impregnation time of 9 hr, an activated temperature of 500°C, and an activated time of 80 min. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and average pore size of the activated carbon were 1279 m2/g and 5.585 nm, respectively. A heterogeneous structure in terms of both size and shape was highly developed and widely distributed on the carbon surface. Some groups containing oxygen and phosphorus were formed, and the carboxyl group was the major oxygen-containing functional group. An isotherm equilibrium study was carried out to investigate the adsorption capacity of the activated carbon. The data fit the Langmuir isotherm equation, with maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of 192.30 mg/g for Neutral Red and 196.08 mg/g for Malachite Green. Dye-exhausted carbon could be regenerated effectively by thermal treatment. The results indicated that cattail-derived activated carbon was a promising adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions.