Mo-modified Pd/Al2O3 catalysts for benzene catalytic combustion

Mo-modified Pd/Al2O3catalysts were prepared by an impregnation method and tested for the catalytic combustion of benzene. The catalysts were characterized by N2 isothermal adsorption, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, temperatureprogrammed desorption of NH3（NH3-TPD）, H2temperature-programmed reduction（H2-TPR）, and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy（HAADF-STEM）. The results showed that the addition of Mo effectively improved the activity and stability of the Pd/Al2O3catalyst by increasing the dispersion of Pd active components, changing the partial oxidation state of palladium and increasing the oxygen species concentration on the surface of catalyst. In the case of the Pd-Mo/Al2O3catalyst,benzene conversion of 90% was obtained at temperatures as low as 190°C, which was 45°C lower than that for similar performance with the Pd/Al2O3catalyst. Moreover, the 1.0% Pd-5% Mo/Al2O3catalyst was more active than the 2.0% Pd/Al2O3catalyst. It was concluded that Pd and Mo have a synergistic effect in benzene catalytic combustion.     

Photocatalytic activity of Fe-doped CaTiO3 under UV-visible light

The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue（MB） over Fe-doped CaTiO3 under UV-visible light was investigated. The as-prepared samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscope（SEM） equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS） system, Fourier transform infrared spectra（FT-IR）, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy（DRS）. The results show that the doping with Fe significantly promoted the light absorption ability of CaTiO3 in the visible light region. The Fe-doped CaTiO3 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than CaTiO3 for the degradation of MB.However, the photocatalytic activity of the Fe-doped CaTiO3 was greatly influenced by the calcination temperature during the preparation process. The Fe-doped CaTiO3 prepared at500°C exhibited the best photocatalytic activity, with degradation of almost 100% MB（10 ppm）under UV-visible light for 180 min.     

Compositions and sources of organic acids in fine particles (PM2.5) over the Pearl River Delta region, south China

Organic acids as important constituents of organic aerosols not only influence the aerosols' hygroscopic property, but also enhance the formation of new particles and secondary organic aerosols. This study reported organic acids including C14–C32fatty acids, C4–C9dicarboxylic acids and aromatic acids in PM2.5collected during winter 2009 at six typical urban, suburban and rural sites in the Pearl River Delta region. Averaged concentrations of C14–C32fatty acids, aromatic acids and C4– C9 dicarboxylic acids were 157, 72.5 and 50.7 ng/m3, respectively. They totally accounted for 1.7% of measured organic carbon. C20–C32fatty acids mainly deriving from higher plant wax showed the highest concentration at the upwind rural site with more vegetation around, while C14–C18fatty acids were more abundant at urban and suburban sites, and dicarboxylic acids and aromatic acids except 1,4-phthalic acid peaked at the downwind rural site. Succinic and azelaic acid were the most abundant among C4–C9dicarboxylic acids, and 1,2-phthalic and 1,4-phthalic acid were dominant aromatic acids. Dicarboxylic acids and aromatic acids exhibited significant mutual correlations except for 1,4-phthalic acid, which was probably primarily emitted from combustion of solid wastes containing polyethylene terephthalate plastics. Spatial patterns and correlations with typical source tracers suggested that C14–C32fatty acids were mainly primary while dicarboxylic and aromatic acids were largely secondary. Principal component analysis resolved six sources including biomass burning, natural higher plant wax, two mixed anthropogenic and two secondary sources; further multiple linear regression revealed their contributions to individual organic acids. It turned out that more than 70% of C14–C18fatty acids were attributed to anthropogenic sources, about 50%–85% of the C20–C32fatty acids were attributed to natural sources, 80%–95% of dicarboxylic acids and 1,2-phthalic acid were secondary in contrast with that 81% of 1,4-phthalic acid was primary.     

Comparison of quartz sand, anthracite, shale and biological ceramsite for adsorptive removal of phosphorus from aqueous solution

The choice of substrates with high phosphorus adsorption capacity is vital for sustainable phosphorus removal from waste water in constructed wetlands. In this study, four substrates were used： quartz sand, anthracite, shale and biological ceramsite. These substrate samples were characterized by X- ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy studies for their mineral components （chemical components） and surface characteristics. The dynamic experimental results revealed the following ranking order for total phosphorus （TP） removal efficiency： anthracite 〉 biological ceramsite 〉 shale 〉 quartz sand. The adsorptive removal capacities for TP using anthracite, biological ceramsite, shale and quartz sand were 85.87, 81.44, 59.65, and 55.98 mg/kg, respectively. Phosphorus desorption was also studied to analyze the substrates＇ adsorption efficiency in wastewater treatment as well as the substrates＇ ability to be reused for treatment. It was noted that the removal performance for the different forms of phosphorus was dependent on the nature of the substrate and the adsorption mechanism. A comparative analysis showed that the removal of particulate phosphorus was much easier using shale. Whereas anthracite had the highest soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） adsorptive capacity, biological ceramsite had the highest dissolved organic phosphorus （DOP） removal capacity. Phosphorus removal by shale and biological ceramsite was mainly through chemical adsorption, precipitation or biological adsorption. On the other hand, phosphorus removal through physical adsorption （electrostatic attraction or ion exchange） was dominant in anthracite and quartz sand.     

Effects of metal and acidic sites on the reaction by-products of butyl acetate oxidation over palladium-based catalysts

Catalytic oxidation is widely used in pollution control technology to remove volatile organic compounds. In this study, Pd/ZSM-5 catalysts with different Pd contents and acidic sites were prepared via the impregnation method. All the catalysts were characterized by means of N2 adsorption- desorption, X-ray fluorescence （XRF）, HE temperature programmed reduction （H2-TPR）, and NH3 temperature programmed desorption （NH3-TPD）. Their catalytic performance was investigated in the oxidation of butyl acetate experiments. The by-products of the reaction were collected in thermal desorption tubes and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. It was found that the increase of Pd content slightly changed the catalytic activity of butyl acetate oxidation according to the yield of CO2 achieved at 90%, but decreased the cracking by-products, whereas the enhancement of strong acidity over Pd-based catalysts enriched the by-product species. The butyl acetate oxidation process involves a series of reaction steps including protolysis, dehydrogenation, dehydration, cracking, and isomerization. Generally, butyl acetate was cracked to acetic acid and 2- methylpropene and the latter was an intermediate of the other by-products, and the oxidation routes of typical by-products were proposed. Trace amounts of 3-methylpentane, hexane, 2-methylpentane, pentane, and 2-methylbutane originated from iso4merization and protolysis reactions.     

Aerobic granules cultivated and operated in continuous-flow bioreactor under particle-size selective pressure

A novel method based on the selective pressure of particle size （particle-size cultivation method, PSCM） was developed for the cultivation and operation of aerobic granular sludge in a continuous-flow reactor, and compared with the conventional method based on the selective pressure of settling velocity （settling-velocity cultivation method, SVCM）. Results indicated that aerobic granules could be cultivated in continuous operation mode by this developed method within 14 days. Although in the granulation process, under particle-size selective pressure, mixed liquor suspended solids （MLSS） in the reactor fluctuated greatly and filamentous bacteria dominated the sludge system during the initial operation days, no obvious difference in profile was found between the aerobic granules cultivated by PSCM and SVCM. Moreover, aerobic granules cultivated by PSCM presented larger diameter, lower water content and higher specific rates of nitrification, denitrifieation and phosphorus removal, but lower settling velocity. Under long term operation of more than 30 days, aerobic granules in the continuous-flow reactor could remain stable and obtain good chemical oxygen demand （COD）, NH4^＋-N, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） removal. The results indicate that PSCM was dependent on the cultivation and maintenance of the stability of aerobic granules in continuous-flow bioreactors.     

Review of the progress in preparing nano Ti02： An important environmental engineering material

TiO2 nanomaterial is promising with its high potential and outstanding performance in photocatalytic environmental applications, such as CO2 conversion, water treatment, and air quality control. For many of these applications, the particle size, crystal structure and phase, porosity, and surface area influence the activity of TiO2 dramatically. TiO2 nanomaterials with special structures and morphologies, such as nanospheres, nanowires, nanotubes, nanorods, and nanoflowers are thus synthesized due to their desired characteristics. With an emphasis on the different morphologies of TiO2 and the influence factors in the synthesis, this review summarizes fourteen TiO2 preparation methods, such as the sol-gel method, solvothermal method, and reverse micelle method. The TiO2 formation mechanisms, the advantages and disadvantages of the preparation methods, and the photocatalytic environmental application examples are proposed as well.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal phylogenetic groups differ in affecting host plants along heavy metal levels

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi（AMF） are important components of soil microbial communities,and play important role in plant growth. However, the effects of AMF phylogenetic groups（Glomeraceae and non-Glomeraceae） on host plant under various heavy metal levels are not clear. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to compare symbiotic relationship between AMF phylogenetic groups（Glomeraceae and non-Glomeraceae） and host plant functional groups（herbs vs. trees, and non-legumes vs. legumes） at three heavy metal levels. In the meta-analysis, we calculate the effect size（ln（RR）） by taking the natural logarithm of the response ratio of inoculated to non-inoculated shoot biomass from each study. We found that the effect size of Glomeraceae increased, but the effect size of non-Glomeraceae decreased under high level of heavy metal compared to low level. According to the effect size, both Glomeraceae and non-Glomeraceae promoted host plant growth, but had different effects under various heavy metal levels. Glomeraceae provided more benefit to host plants than non-Glomeraceae did under heavy metal condition, while non-Glomeraceae provided more benefit to host plants than Glomeraceae did under no heavy metal. AMF phylogenetic groups also differed in promoting plant functional groups under various heavy metal levels.Interacting with Glomeraceae, herbs and legumes grew better than trees and non-legumes did under high heavy metal level, while trees and legumes grew better than herbs and non-legumes did under medium heavy metal level. Interacting with non-Glomeraceae, herbs and legumes grew better than trees and non-legumes did under no heavy metal. We suggested that the combination of legume with Glomeraceae could be a useful way in the remediation of heavy metal polluted environment.     

Phytoremediation of levonorgestrel in aquatic environment by hydrophytes

Adsorption and degradation of levonorgestrel （LNG） by two hydrophytes, Cyperus alternfolius （CA） and Eichhornia crassipes （EC）, were investigated under light-shielding conditions in the water column. Variations of LNG concentrations in water, plant root epidermis, root, stem and leaf of the plants were analyzed. The results indicated that the removal efficiency of LNG by hydrophytes over the period of 50 days was significantly greater than the blank control （p 〈 0.05）, with the removal rates of 79.80%± 3.10% and 78.86% ± 2.55% for CA and EC, respectively. Compared with bio-adsorption, bio-conversion of LNG was found to be the dominant elimination pathway, evidenced by relatively high conversion rates （77.31% ±2.68% for CA and 77.82% ± 2.95% for EC）, while the adsorption rates were lower （1.77% ± 0.90% for CA and 1.05% ± 0.40% for EC）. The bio-adsorption and conversion of LNG showed no significant differences between the two hydrophytes. Additionally, the mineralization on root epidermis played an important role in the reduction of LNG in water.     

泥炭碱提取液E4/E6值表征泥炭腐殖化度及其古气候意义

采用AMS14C测年技术建立了哈尼泥炭地的年代序列,以泥炭碱提取液的E4/E6值(400nm和600nm处吸光度比值)来表征泥炭腐殖化度,并探讨其指示的古气候意义。研究结果表明:根据泥炭碱提取液E4/E6值与校正年龄的变化曲线,以及将其与哈尼泥炭400nm处吸光度直接表征腐殖化度的曲线进行对比,发现哈尼泥炭碱提取液的E4/E6值对古气候具有很好的指示意义,对全新世以来的气候突变事件以及前人研究的气候时期划分都能得到很好的对应,即哈尼泥炭碱提取液E4/E6值高,泥炭腐殖化度低,指示气候干冷,其E4/E6值低,泥炭腐殖化度高,指示气候暖湿。在今后的研究中,可结合E4/E6值来表征泥炭腐殖化度,并结合磁化率、孢粉等化学物理生物因子以及温度、湿度、水文、地质条件等其他因素来探讨泥炭腐殖化度对古气候的指示意义。