Magnetic mapping of fly-ash pollution and heavy metals from soil samples around a point source in a dry tropical environment

The Singrauli region in the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India is one of the most polluted industrial sites of Asia. It encompasses 11 open cast coalmines and six thermal power stations that generate about 7,500 MW (about 10% of India’s installed generation capacity) electricity. Thermal power plants represent the main source of pollution in this region, emitting six million tonnes of fly-ash per annum. Fly-ash is deposited on soils over a large area surrounding thermal power plants. Fly-ashes have high surface concentrations of several toxic elements (heavy metals) and high atmospheric mobility. Fly ash is produced through high-temperature combustion of fossil fuel rich in ferromagnetic minerals. These contaminants can be identified using rock-magnetic methods. Magnetic susceptibility is directly linked to the concentration of ferromagnetic minerals, primarily high values of magnetite. In this study, magnetic susceptibility of top soil samples collected from surrounding areas of a bituminous-coal-fired power plant were measured to identify areas of high emission levels and to chart the spatial distribution of airborne solid particles. Sites close to the power plant have shown higher values of susceptibility that decreases with increasing distance from the source. A significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal content in soils is found. A comparison of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility with heavy-metal concentrations in soil samples suggests that magnetic measurements can be used as a rapid and inexpensive method for proxy mapping of air borne pollution due to industrial activity.     

MnFe2O4磁性纳米棒非均相Fenton催化降解水中四环素的研究

采用水热合成法成功制备出MnFe₂O₄磁性纳米棒（s-MnFe₂O₄）,并考察了商品化的Fe₃O₄、MnFe₂O₄和合成的s-MnFe₂O₄纳米棒这3种磁性纳米颗粒作为非均相Fenton催化剂降解水中四环素抗生素的性能.同时,采用X射线衍射（XRD）、透射电镜（TEM）、N₂吸附-脱附、振动样品磁强计（VSM）及X射线光电子能谱（XPS）等技术对催化剂的理化性质进行了表征.非均相Fenton催化降解四环素的结果表明,s-MnFe₂O₄具有最高的催化活性,反应180 min,四环素的去除率可以达到87.6%,TOC的去除率达到47.5%.自由基捕获试验证实了羟基自由基（·OH）是非均相Fenton氧化过程中的主要活性物种.s-MnFe₂O₄磁性纳米棒的高催化活性归因于其表面拥有较高含量的Mn³⁺和Fe²⁺物种,它们的存在能加速界面电子的转移效率,从而促进·OH的生成.合成的s-MnFe₂O₄催化剂具有良好的稳定性,循环使用6次,四环素的去除率仅从87.6%降低到80.2%,且氧化过程中活性组分的流失很少.     

Acceleration of floc-water separation and floc reduction with magnetic nanoparticles during demulsification of complex waste cutting emulsions

Waste cutting emulsions are difficult to treat efficiently owing to their complex composition and stable emulsified structure. As an important treatment method for emulsions, chemical demulsification is faced with challenges such as low flocs–water separation rates and high sludge production. Hence, in this study, Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were used to enhance chemical demulsification performance for treating waste cutting emulsions under a magnetic field. The addition of MNPs significantly decreased the time required to attain sludge–water separation and sludge compression equilibrium, from 210 to 20 min. In addition, the volume percentage of sludge produced at the equilibrium state was reduced from 45% to 10%. This excellent flocculation–separation performance was stable over a pH range of 3–11. The magnetization of the flocculants and oil droplets to form a flocculant–MNP–oil droplet composite, and the magnetic transfer of the composite were two key processes that enhanced the separation of cutting emulsions. Specifically, the interactions among MNPs, flocculants, and oil droplets were important in the magnetization process, which was controlled by the structures and properties of the three components. Under the magnetic field, the magnetized flocculant–MNP–oil droplet composites were considerably accelerated and separated from water, and the sludge was simultaneously compressed. Thus, this study expands the applicability of magnetic separation techniques in the treatment of complex waste cutting emulsions.     

Removal and desorption of chromium in synthetic effluent by a mixed culture in a bioreactor with a magnetic field

Two chromium removal experiments were performed in bioreactors with and without a magnetic field under the same conditions.The release of the chromium present in the biomass was tested in two experiments one with the initial pH of the medium and one with pH 4.0.The objective was to remove Cr(Ⅵ) and total Cr from the effluent,this was carried out by placing biological treatments of synthetic effluent contaminated with 100 mg/L of Cr(Ⅵ) in a bioreactor with neodymium magnets that applied a magnetic field(intensity85.4 mT) to the mixed culture.The removal of Cr(Ⅵ) was approximately 100.0% for the bioreactor with a magnetic field and 93,3% for the bioreactor without a magnetic field for9 hr of recirculation of the synthetic effluent by the bioreactor.The removal of total Cr was61.6% and 48.4%,with and without a magnetic field,respectively;for 24 hr.The desorption of Cr(VI) in the synthetic effluent was 0.05 mg/L,which is below the limit established by Brazilian legislation(0.1 mg/L) for the discharge of effluent containing Cr(Ⅵ) into bodies of water.The results obtained for the removal of chromium in synthetic effluent suggested that there was no significant influence on the viable cell count of the mixed culture.The desorption of Cr(Ⅵ) in synthetic effluent after bioadsorption of chromium by the mixed culture in the process of removal of chromium in bioreactors with and without a magnetic field was not significant in either of the experiments with different initial pHs.     

云天化粉煤灰的综合评价及利用建议

以云天化集团有限公司自备电厂为例,在该厂所排粉煤灰理化性能测试数据的基础上,进行了质量综合评价,并对其综合利用提出了初步建议:利用三、四电场的粉煤灰可作水泥活性混合材、制备低标号(≤325号)水泥和压浆材料I一、二电场的粉煤灰则可作混凝土和砂浆的掺和料、农用磁化肥等。通过努力,将云天化粉煤灰100％综合利用,并获良好的经济效益是完全可能的。     

Robust magnetic laccase-mimicking nanozyme for oxidizing o-phenylenediamine and removing phenolic pollutants

In this study, we report a novel magnetic biomimetic nanozyme(Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP(guanosine5′-monophosphate)) with high laccase-like activity, which could oxidize toxic ophenylenediamine(OPD) and remove phenolic compounds.The magnetic laccase-like nanozyme was readily obtained via complexed Cu~(2+)and GMP that grew on the surface of magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles.The prepared Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP catalyst could be magnetically recycled for at least five cycles while still retaining above 70% activity.As a laccase mimic,Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP had more activity and robust stability than natural laccase for the oxidization of OPD.Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP retained about 90% residual activity at 90℃ and showed little change at pH 3–9, and the nanozyme kept its excellent activity after long-term storage.Meanwhile, Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP had better activity for removing phenolic compounds, and the removal of naphthol was more than 95%.Consequently, the proposed Fe_3O_4@Cu/GMP nanozyme shows potential for use as a robust catalyst for applications in environmental remediation.     

环境磁学在环境科学中的应用研究

综述了环境磁学发展进程中与环境问题的相互联系，以及磁学在气候、土壤、湖泊、生物和环境污染领域的广泛应用。分析了环境磁学进一步发展的研究方向。指出环境磁学以解决环境问题为主要目标。环境磁学方法所具有的样品用量少，灵敏度高，简便快速，非破坏性，费用低等特点，为研究环境问题提供了新途径和新方法。随着人类对环境问题的不断重视，利用环境磁学来追踪污染物的起源以及土壤，湖泊沉积物等物源将是环境磁学服务社会的重要内容。     

连续式磁性颗粒去除器在轧钢废水处理中的应用

连续式磁性颗粒去除器，是利用稀土永磁Ｎｄ－Ｆｅ－Ｂ为材质，处理含磁性颗粒废水的装置，其主要结构由动力传递，磁块组合体，磁条移动，设备本体，进出口流道及分离部件等组成，该文阐述了永磁分离机理，并通过磁性悬浮颗粒的理论驱进速度和最小捕获粒径的求解，探讨了提高砒生粒去除器捕 方法，实践证明，该装置用于冶金轧钢废水处理中，能代替传统的轧钢废水三级处理工艺，节约投资成本７０％，占地减少８５％，运行费用亦大幅     

磁分离技术在我国废水处理中的研究进展

本文介绍了磁分离技术的基本原理、分离方法和设备，综述了该技术在某些特定废水处理中的应用现状。磁分离技术的实际应用具有分离效率高、分离速度快、选择性好、处理对象广、成本低廉、分离物系的粒度可达到很小，并且不受处理体系的温度、密度、酸碱度限制等优点，可以使某些采用传统分离方法较难或不能分离的物系得以顺利地分离，有较为广泛的应用前景。     

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of quantum-dot-sensitized one-dimensionally-ordered ZnO nanorod photocatalyst

An efficient photocatalyst was fabricated by assembling quantum dots （QDs） onto one-dimensionally-ordered ZnO nanorods, and the photocatalytic properties for Methyl Orange degradation were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The results indicate that the catalyst with assembled QDs is more favorable for the degradation than the pristine ZnO nanorods. The QDs with core-shell structure lower the photocatalytic ability due to the higher carder transport barrier of the ZnS shell layer. Besides its degradation efficiency, the photocatalyst has several advantages given that the one-dimensionally-ordered ZnO nanorods have been grown directly on indium tin oxide substrates. The article provides a new method to design an effective and easily recyclable photocatalyst.