Effects of Al3+ on pollutant removal and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) under anaerobic,anoxic and oxic conditions

The highest removal efficiencies of COD and TN were achieved under 10 mg/L of Al³⁺. The highest TP removal efficiency occurred under 30 mg/L of Al³⁺. EPS, PS and PN concentrations increased with the addition of Al³⁺. Sludge properties significantly changed with the addition of Al³⁺. Aluminum ions produced by aluminum mining, electrolytic industry and aluminum-based coagulants can enter wastewater treatment plants and interact with activated sludge. They can subsequently contribute to the removal of suspended solids and affect activated sludge flocculation, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In this study, the effects of Al³⁺ on pollutant removal, sludge flocculation and the composition and structure of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were investigated under anaerobic, anoxic and oxic conditions. Results demonstrated that the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies were detected for an Al³⁺ concentration of 10 mg/L. In addition, the maximal dehydrogenase activity and sludge flocculation were also observed at this level of Al³⁺. The highest removal efficiency of total phosphorus (TP) was achieved at an Al³⁺ concentration of 30 mg/L. The flocculability of sludge in the anoxic zone was consistently higher than that in the anaerobic and oxic zones. The addition of Al³⁺ promoted the secretion of EPS. Tryptophan-like fluorescence peaks were detected in each EPS layer in the absence of Al³⁺. At the Al³⁺ concentration of 10 mg/L, fulvic acid and tryptophan fluorescence peaks began to appear, while the majority of protein species and the highest microbial activity were also detected. Low Al³⁺ concentrations (<10 mg/L) could promote the removal efficiencies of COD and TN, yet excessive Al³⁺ levels (>10 mg/L) weakened microbial activity. Higher Al³⁺ concentrations (>30 mg/L) also inhibited the release of phosphorus in the anaerobic zone by reacting with PO₄^3-.     

Label-free colorimetric nanosensor with improved sensitivity for Pb2+ in water by using a truncated 8–17 DNAzyme

• Unmodified-AuNP based, colorimetric nanosensor was constructed for Pb²⁺ detection. • 5-nucleotide truncation in DNAzyme made complete substrate detachment upon Pb²⁺. • Ultrasensitive and selective detection of Lead (II) was achieved with 0.2×10^-9 mol/L LOD. Water pollution accidents, such as the Flint water crisis in the United States, caused by lead contamination have raised concern on the safety of drinking water distribution systems. Thus, the routine monitoring of lead in water is highly required and demands efficient, sensitive, cost-effective, and reliable lead detection methods. This study reports a label-free colorimetric nanosensor that uses unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as indicators to enable rapid and ultra-sensitive detection of lead in environmental water. The 8–17 DNAzyme was truncated in this study to facilitate the detachment of single-stranded DNA fragments after substrate cleavage in the presence of Pb²⁺. The detached fragments were adsorbed over AuNPs and protected against salt concentration-induced aggregation. Accordingly, high Pb²⁺ would result in rapid color change from blue to pink. The established sensing principle achieved a sensitive limit of detection of 0.2×10^-9 mol/L Pb²⁺, with a linear working range of two orders of magnitude from 0.5×10^-9 mol/L to 5×10^-9 mol/L. The selectivity of the nanosensor was demonstrated by evaluating the interfering metal ions. The developed nanosensor can serve as a substitute for the rapid analysis and monitoring of trace lead levels under the drinking water distribution system and even other environmental water samples.     

水环境中天然有机物对纳米颗粒吸附铅和镉的不同作用

为阐明天然有机物(NOM)在纳米颗粒(NPs)吸附重金属中的作用,研究了蛋白质(牛血清白蛋白,BSA)、碳水化合物(海藻酸钠,NaAlg)和腐殖酸(HA)对二氧化钛纳米颗粒(TNPs)和氧化铈纳米颗粒(CNPs)聚集沉降和吸附Cd²⁺和Pb²⁺的影响.结果表明,当Pb²⁺和Cd²⁺在20—120 mg·L-1范围内,HA和NaAlg显著促进了TNPs和CNPs对这些金属离子的吸附(P<0.05),而BSA对这些金属吸附的影响甚微.TNPs-HA和TNPs-NaAlg对Pb²⁺的吸附分别提高了14%—41%和16%—57%,对Cd²⁺的吸附分别提高了12%—112%和22%—143%.与CNPs相比,CNPs-HA和CNPs-NaAlg对Pb²⁺的吸附增加了21%—71%和23%—65%,对Cd²⁺的吸附增加了26%—45%和45%—91%.并且NPs和NPs-NOM对Pb²⁺和Cd²⁺的吸附符合Freundlich吸附模型.离子强度的增加抑制了NPs-HA/NaAlg和NPs对Pb²⁺和Cd²⁺的吸附,而pH的增加对NPs-HA/NaAlg和NPs吸附Pb²⁺和Cd²⁺起促进作用.     

Fe2O3-CeO2-Bi2O3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst in the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of cationic red GTL under mild reaction conditions

Fe₂O₃-CeO₂-Bi₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃, an environmental friendly material, was investigated. The catalyst exhibited good catalytic performance in the CWAO of cationic red GTL. The apparent activation energy for the reaction was 79 kJ·mol⁻¹. HO₂· and O₂·⁻ appeared as the main reactive species in the reaction. The Fe₂O₃-CeO₂-Bi₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, a novel environmental-friendly material, was used to investigate the catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of cationic red GTL under mild operating conditions in a batch reactor. The catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation, and characterized by special surface area (BET measurement), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The Fe₂O₃-CeO₂-Bi₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited good catalytic activity and stability in the CWAO under atmosphere pressure. The effect of the reaction conditions (catalyst loading, degradation temperature, solution concentration and initial solution pH value) was studied. The result showed that the decolorization efficiency of cationic red GTL was improved with increasing the initial solution pH value and the degradation temperature. The apparent activation energy for the reaction was 79 kJ·mol⁻¹. Hydroperoxy radicals (HO₂·) and superoxide radicals (O₂⁻·) appeared as the main reactive species upon the CWAO of cationic red GTL.     

Oxidation and biotoxicity assessment of microcystin-LR using different AOPs based on UV,O3 and H2O2

MC-LR removal performances under different AOPs were compared systematically. Higher removal efficiency and synergistic effects were obtained by combined process. The acute biotoxicity raised in different degrees after oxidation. Microcystin-LR attracts attention due to its high toxicity, high concentration and high frequency. The removal characteristics of UV/H₂O₂ and O₃/H₂O₂ advanced oxidation processes and their individual process for MC-LR were investigated and compared in this study. Both the removal efficiencies and rates of MC-LR as well as the biotoxicity of degradation products was analyzed. Results showed that the UV/H₂O₂ process and O₃/H₂O₂ were effective methods to remove MC-LR from water, and they two performed better than UV-, O₃-, H₂O₂-alone processes under the same conditions. The effects of UV intensity, H₂O₂ concentration and O₃ concentration on the removal performance were explored. The synergistic effects between UV and H₂O₂, O₃ and H₂O₂ were observed. UV dosage of 1800 mJ·cm⁻² was required to remove 90% of 100 mg·L⁻¹ MC-LR, which amount significantly decreased to 500 mJ·cm⁻² when 1.7 mg·L⁻¹ H₂O₂ was added. 0.25 mg·L⁻¹ O₃, or 0.125 mg·L⁻¹ O₃ with 1.7 mg·L⁻¹ H₂O₂ was needed to reach 90% removal efficiency. Furthermore, the biotoxicity results about these UV/H₂O₂, O₃/H₂O₂ and O₃-alone processes all present rising trends with oxidation degree of MC-LR. Biotoxicity of solution, equivalent to 0.01 mg·L⁻¹ Zn²⁺, raised to 0.05 mg·L⁻¹ Zn²⁺ after UV/H₂O₂ or O₃/H₂O₂ reaction. This phenomenon may be attributed to the aldehydes and ketones with small molecular weight generated during reaction. Advice about the selection of MC-LR removal methods in real cases was provided.     

Mercury removal from aqueous solution using petal-like MoS2 nanosheets

• Synthesized few-layered MoS₂ nanosheets via surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method. • Synthesized MoS₂ nanosheets show petal-like morphology. • Adsorbent showed 93% of mercury removal efficiency. • The adsorption of mercury is attributed to negative zeta potential (-21.8 mV). Recently, different nanomaterial-based adsorbents have received greater attention for the removal of environmental pollutants, specifically heavy metals from aqueous media. In this work, we synthesized few-layered MoS₂ nanosheets via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method and utilized them as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of mercury from aqueous media. The synthesized MoS₂ nanosheets showed petal-like morphology as confirmed by scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscopic analysis. The average thickness of the nanosheets is found to be about 57 nm. Possessing high stability and negative zeta potential makes this material suitable for efficient adsorption of mercury from aqueous media. The adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent was investigated as a function of pH, contact time and adsorbent dose. The kinetics of adsorption and reusability potential of the adsorbent were also performed. A pseudo-second-order kinetics for mercury adsorption was observed. As prepared MoS₂ nanosheets showed 93% mercury removal efficiency, whereas regenerated adsorbent showed 91% and 79% removal efficiency in the respective 2^nd and 3^rd cycles. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was found to be 289 mg/g at room temperature.     

Application and mechanism of polysaccharide extracted from Enteromorpha to remove nano-ZnO and humic acid in coagulation process

Green source Ep was extracted from marine alga waste. The molecule model structure of Ep was studied and constructed. PAC-Ep coagulation system improves the efficiency of removal efficiency. Synergistic effects between NPs and HA make a big difference to enhance efficiency. Mechanism is charge neutralization, hydrogen bonding and adsorbing-complexing Enteromorpha polysaccharide (Ep) extracted from alga a novel green coagulant aid for nanoparticles (NPs) and heavy metal ions removal and the structure of EP was intensively studied in this study. The integration of Ep with polyaluminum chloride (PAC-Ep) coagulants exhibited higher coagulation performance than that of the polyaluminum chloride (PAC) because of the negatively charged NPs suspension and humic aid (HA) solution. Significant high removal efficiencies of dissolved organic matter (94.1%), turbidity (99.3%) and Zn ions (69.3%) were achieved by the PAC-Ep coagulants. The dual-coagulation properties of PAC-Ep for different pollutants was based on multiple mechanisms, including (i) Al³⁺ charge neutralization; (ii) hydroxy aluminum hydroxyl bridging formed polynuclearhydroxy complexes bridge and sweep colloidal particles; (iii) adsorption and bridging of Ep chain for the NPs and heavy metal ions. Results indicated that the destabilization of colloid was induced by the coexisting HA and higher removal was achieved as ions adsorption was enhance in the presence of HA complexation. On the basis of that, the extraction of polysaccharide is a promising candidate for its high coagulation performance in water treatment.     

Impacts of advanced treatment processes on elimination of antibiotic resistance genes in a municipal wastewater treatment plant

The distributions of ARGs were monitored in a WWTP in Harbin during six months. CASS had the best removal efficacy of ARGs compared to other processes in the WWTP. UV disinfection could effectively control the HGT. AGAC significantly remove ARGs and organics due to its high absorption capacity. Combination of ozone and AGAC significantly improve removal of ARGs and organics. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a serious threat to public health. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are essential for controlling the release of ARGs into the environment. This study investigated ARG distribution at every step in the treatment process of a municipal WWTP located in Harbin for six consecutive months. Changes in ARG distribution involved in two advanced secondary effluent treatment processes, ozonation and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, were analyzed. Biological treatment resulted in the highest ARG removal (0.76–1.94 log reduction), followed by ultraviolet (UV) disinfection (less than 0.5-log reduction). Primary treatment could not significantly remove ARGs. ARG removal efficiency increased with an increase in the ozone dose below 40 mg/L. However, amorphous GAC (AGAC) adsorption with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 h showed better removal of ARGs, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) than ozonation at a 60 mg/L dose. UV treatment could efficiently reduce the relative ARG abundance, despite presenting the lowest efficiency for the reduction of absolute ARG abundance compared with GAC and ozone treatments. The combination of ozone and AGAC can significantly improve the removal of ARGs, TOC, TN and TP. These results indicate that a treatment including biological processing, ozonation, and AGAC adsorption is a promising strategy for removing ARGs and refractory organic substances from sewage.     

Ammonia and phosphorus removal from agricultural runoff using cash crop waste-derived biochars

• Orange tree residuals biochar had a better ability to adsorb ammonia. • Modified tea tree residuals biochar had a stronger ability to remove phosphorus. • Partially-modified biochar could remove ammonia and phosphorus at the same time. • The real runoff experiment showed an ammonia nitrogen removal rate of about 80%. • The removal rate of total phosphorus in real runoff experiment was about 95%. Adsorption of biochars (BC) produced from cash crop residuals is an economical and practical technology for removing nutrients from agricultural runoff. In this study, BC made of orange tree trunks and tea tree twigs from the Laoguanhe Basin were produced and modified by aluminum chloride (Al-modified) and ferric sulfate solutions (Fe-modified) under various pyrolysis temperatures (200°C–600°C) and residence times (2–5 h). All produced and modified BC were further analyzed for their abilities to adsorb ammonia and phosphorus with initial concentrations of 10–40 mg/L and 4–12 mg/L, respectively. Fe-modified Tea Tree BC 2h/400°C showed the highest phosphorus adsorption capacity of 0.56 mg/g. Al-modified Orange Tree BC 3h/500°C showed the best performance for ammonia removal with an adsorption capacity of 1.72 mg/g. FTIR characterization showed that P = O bonds were formed after the adsorption of phosphorus by modified BC, N-H bonds were formed after ammonia adsorption. XPS analysis revealed that the key process of ammonia adsorption was the ion exchange between K⁺ and NH₄⁺. Phosphorus adsorption was related to oxidation and interaction between PO₄^3– and Fe³⁺. According to XRD results, ammonia was found in the form of potassium amide, while phosphorus was found in the form of iron hydrogen phosphates. The sorption isotherms showed that the Freundlich equation fits better for phosphorus adsorption, while the Langmuir equation fits better for ammonia adsorption. The simulated runoff infiltration experiment showed that 97.3% of ammonia was removed by Al-modified Orange tree BC 3h/500°C, and 92.9% of phosphorus was removed by Fe-modified Tea tree BC 2h/400°C.     

Statistical modeling of radiolytic (60Co g) degradation of Ofloxacin,antibiotic: Synergetic effect,kinetic studies & assessment of its degraded metabolites

Linear, interactive and quadratic effects of process parameters were studied. Degradation of Ofloxacin (Ofx) was related with G value of irradiation process. The synergistic effect of H₂O₂ on lower dose of g-irradiation was established. The process follows pseudo first order with dose constant (d = 0.232 kGy^–1). The impact of human activities in the past few decades has paved the way for the release of pollutants due to the improper effluent treatment. Recent studies revealed that, Ofloxacin, an antibiotic as one of the major pollutant affecting surface water and ground water. In this study, the radiolytic potential of Ofloxacin was investigated. The effects of pH, dose and concentration of Ofloxacin were analyzed using One Factor At a Time (OFAT) and the interactive effects between the parameters were studied using Face Centered Central Composite Design. The statistically optimised developed model shows 30% degradation at initial antibiotic concentration of 1mM at pH 3.0 and at 2 kGy dose of gamma ray. The process efficiency was evaluated in terms of G value and its correlation with the concentration of antibiotic was also established. The process of degradation was augmented by the addition of H₂O₂ (1.5 mM). The reaction kinetics for the process was evaluated, the dose rate constant and the rate of degradation for the augmented process was found to be 0.232 kGy^-1 and 0.232 mM/kGy, respectively. The degraded metabolites of the radiolytic degradation of Ofloxacin were analyzed through change in pH, reduction in TOC and GC-MS spectrum.     

Comparison of membrane fouling in ultrafiltration of down-flow and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents

The UF membrane fouling by down- and up-flow BAC effluents were compared. Up-flow BAC effluent fouled the membrane faster than down-flow BAC effluent. The combined effects dominated irreversible fouling. The extent of fouling exacerbated by inorganic particles was higher. The TMP, permeate flux, and normalized membrane flux during 21 days of UF of DBAC and UBAC effluents. Fouling during ultrafiltration of down- and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents was investigated to determine the roles of polysaccharides, proteins, and inorganic particles in ultrafiltration membrane fouling. During ultrafiltration of down- flow biological activated carbon effluent, the trans-membrane pressure was≤26 kPa and the permeate flux was steady at 46.7 L?m⁻²?h⁻¹. However, during ultrafiltration of up-flow biological activated carbon effluent, the highest trans-membrane pressure was almost 40 kPa and the permeate flux continuously decreased to 30 L?m⁻²?h⁻¹. At the end of the filtration period, the normalized membrane fluxes were 0.88 and 0.62 for down- and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents, respectively. The membrane removed the turbidity and polysaccharides content by 47.4% and 30.2% in down- flow biological activated effluent and 82.5% and 22.4% in up-flow biological activated carbon effluent, respectively, but retained few proteins. The retention of polysaccharides was higher on the membrane that filtered the down- flow biological activated effluent compared with that on the membrane that filtered the up-flow biological activated carbon effluent. The polysaccharides on the membranes fouled by up-flow biological activated carbon and down- flow biological activated effluents were spread continuously and clustered, respectively. These demonstrated that the up-flow biological activated carbon effluent fouled the membrane faster. Membrane fouling was associated with a portion of the polysaccharides (not the proteins) and inorganic particles in the feed water. When there was little difference in the polysaccharide concentrations between the feed waters, the fouling extent was exacerbated more by inorganic particles than by polysaccharides.     

Electrocoagulation process for the treatment of metal-plating wastewater: Kinetic modeling and energy consumption

The wastewater from industrial area was treated by EC via Fe and Al electrodes. Cu, Ni, Cr and Zn were highly removed at the first minutes, simultaneously. Pseudo-2nd-order was found to be more suitable for kinetics. Adsorption capacities based on kinetic modeling were observed as Cr>Cu>Ni>Zn. The chemical cost in the case of pH adjustment after EC was less as 3.83 $/m³. It is known that wastewater produced by the metal-plating industry contains several heavy metals, which are acidic in nature and therefore toxic for the environment and for living creatures. In particular, heavy metals enter the food chain and accumulate in vital organs and cause serious illness. The precipitation of these metals is mostly achieved by pH adjustment, but as an alternative to this method, the electrocoagulation process has investigated in this study using iron and aluminum electrodes. The effects of the pH adjustment on removal before and after the electrocoagulation process were investigated, and cost analyses were also compared. It was observed that a high proportion of removal was obtained during the first minutes of the electrocoagulation process; thus, the current density did not have a great effect. In addition, the pH adjustment after the electrocoagulation process using iron electrodes, which are 10% more effective than aluminum electrodes, was found to be much more efficient than before the electrocoagulation process. In the process where kinetic modeling was applied, it was observed that the heavy metal removal mechanism was not solely due to the collapse of heavy metals at high pH values, and with this modeling, it was seen that this mechanism involved adsorption by iron and aluminum hydroxides formed during the electrocoagulation process. When comparing the ability of heavy metals to be adsorbed, the sequence was observed to be Cr>Cu>Ni>Zn, respectively.     

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.     

Distribution and removal of antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic sludge digestion with alkaline,thermal hydrolysis and ultrasonic pretreatments

Sludge digestion is critical to control the spread of ARGs from wastewater to soil. Fate of ARGs in three pretreatment-AD processes was investigated. UP was more efficient for ARGs removal than AP and THP in pretreatment-AD process. The total ARGs concentration showed significant correlation with 16S rRNA gene. The bacteria carrying ARGs could be mainly affiliated with Proteobacteria. Sewage sludge in the wastewater treatment plants contains considerable amount of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). A few studies have reported that anaerobic digestion (AD) could successfully remove some ARGs from sewage sludge, but information on the fate of ARGs in sludge pretreatment-AD process is still very limited. In this study, three sludge pretreatment methods, including alkaline, thermal hydrolysis and ultrasonic pretreatments, were compared to investigate the distribution and removal of ARGs in the sludge pretreatment-AD process. Results showed that the ARGs removal efficiency of AD itself was approximately 50.77%, and if these three sludge pretreatments were applied, the total ARGs removal efficiency of the whole pretreatment-AD process could be improved up to 52.50%–75.07%. The ultrasonic pretreatment was more efficient than alkaline and thermal hydrolysis pretreatments. Although thermal hydrolysis reduced ARGs obviously, the total ARGs rebounded considerably after inoculation and were only removed slightly in the subsequent AD process. Furthermore, it was found that the total ARGs concentration significantly correlated with the amount of 16S rRNA gene during the pretreatment and AD processes, and the bacteria carrying ARGs could be mainly affiliated with Proteobacteria.     

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.     

Aggravation of membrane fouling and methane leakage by a three-phase separator in an external anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor

The existence of three-phase separator did not affect COD removal in the EAnCMBR. The existence of three-phase separator aggravated methane leakage of EAnCMBR. The existence of three-phase separator aggravated membrane fouling rate of EAnCMBR. Start-up of EAnCMBR equipped three-phase separator was slightly delayed. The three-phase separator is a critical component of high-rate anaerobic bioreactors due to its significant contribution in separation of biomass, wastewater, and biogas. However, its role in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor is still not clear. In this study, the distinction between an external anaerobic ceramic membrane bioreactor (EAnCMBR) unequipped (R1) and equipped (R2) with a three-phase separator was investigated in terms of treatment performance, membrane fouling, extracellular polymers of sludge, and microbial community structure. The results indicate that the COD removal efficiencies of R1 and R2 were 98.2%±0.4% and 98.1%±0.4%, respectively, but the start-up period of R2 was slightly delayed. Moreover, the membrane fouling rate of R2 (0.4 kPa/d) was higher than that of R1 (0.2 kPa/d). Interestingly, the methane leakage from R2 (0.1 L/d) was 20 times higher than that from R1 (0.005 L/d). The results demonstrate that the three-phase separator aggravated the membrane fouling rate and methane leakage in the EAnCMBR. Therefore, this study provides a novel perspective on the effects of a three-phase separator in an EAnCMBR.     

Degradation of antipyrine in the Fenton-like process with a La-doped heterogeneous catalyst

A La-doped Co-Cu-Fe catalyst was synthesized for the antipyrine (ANT) removal. The La-doped catalyst had higher ANT removal than the control (95% vs. 54%). La reduced the particle size and increased the specific surface area of catalyst. The aim of this study was to synthesize a novel lanthanum (La) doped catalyst and to investigate antipyrine removal in wastewater using the Fenton-like process with the catalyst. The La-doped Co-Cu-Fe catalyst was synthesized using the modified hydrothermal method. Results showed that the La-doped catalyst had higher specific surface area and lower particle size than the catalyst without La doping (i.e., the control) (267 vs. 163 m²/g and 14 vs. 32 nm, respectively). Under the conditions of catalyst dosage 0.5 g/L, H₂O₂ concentration 1.70 g/L, and NaHCO₃ 0.1 g/L, the antipyrine removal within 60 min using the Fenton-like process with the La-doped catalyst was much higher than that with the control (95% vs. 54%). The hydroxyl radical concentration with the La-doped catalyst within 60 min was two times higher than that with the control (49.2 vs. 22.1 mg/L). The high catalytic activity of La-doped catalyst was mainly attributed to its high specific surface area based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result. Our La-doped catalyst should have great potential to remove antipyrine in wastewater using the heterogeneous Fenton-like process.     

Simultaneous removal of NOx and chlorobenzene on V2O5/TiO2 granular catalyst: Kinetic study and performance prediction

• A V₂O₅/TiO₂ granular catalyst for simultaneous removal of NO and chlorobenzene. • Catalyst synthesized by vanadyl acetylacetonate showed good activity and stability. • The kinetic model was established and the synergetic activity was predicted. • Both chlorobenzene oxidation and SCR of NO follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. • The work is of much value to design of multi-pollutants emission control system. The synergetic abatement of multi-pollutants is one of the development trends of flue gas pollution control technology, which is still in the initial stage and facing many challenges. We developed a V₂O₅/TiO₂ granular catalyst and established the kinetic model for the simultaneous removal of NO and chlorobenzene (i.e., an important precursor of dioxins). The granular catalyst synthesized using vanadyl acetylacetonate precursor showed good synergistic catalytic performance and stability. Although the SCR reaction of NO and the oxidation reaction of chlorobenzene mutually inhibited, the reaction order of each reaction was not considerably affected, and the pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics was still followed. The performance prediction of this work is of much value to the understanding and reasonable design of a catalytic system for multi-pollutants (i.e., NO and dioxins) emission control.     

Influence of arsanilic acid,Cu2+, PO43− and their interaction on anaerobic digestion of pig manure

The methanogenesis was severely inhibited with 0.46 mM ASA addition.PO₄³⁻ didn’t attenuate the methanogenesis inhibition in the existence of ASA.ASA was transformed to As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA in anaerobic digestion.Cu²⁺ mitigated the methanogenesis inhibition via impeding the degradation of ASA.Arsanilic acid (ASA), copper ion (Cu²⁺) and phosphate (PO₄³⁻) are widely used as feed additives for pigs. Most of these three supplemented feed additives were excreted in feces and urine. Anaerobic digestion is often used for the management of pig manure. However, the interaction of ASA with Cu²⁺ or PO₄³⁻ on anaerobic digestion is still not clear. In this study, the influence of ASA, Cu²⁺, PO₄³⁻ and their interaction on anaerobic digestion of pig manure and the possible mechanisms were investigated. The initial concentrations of ASA, Cu²⁺ and PO₄³⁻ were 0.46 mM, 2 mM and 2 mM in the anaerobic digester, respectively. The methanogenesis was severely inhibited in the assays with only ASA addition, only Cu²⁺ addition and ASA+ PO₄³⁻ addition with the inhibition index of 97.8%, 46.6% and 82.6%, respectively, but the methanogenesis inhibition in the assay with ASA+ Cu²⁺ addition was mitigated with the inhibition index of 39.4%. PO₄³⁻ had no obvious impacts on the degradation of ASA. However, Cu²⁺ addition inhibited the degradation of ASA, mitigating the methanogenesis inhibition. The existence of ASA would inhibit methanogenesis and generate more toxic inorganic arsenic compounds during anaerobic digestion, implying the limitation of anaerobic digestion for ASA- contaminated animal manure. However, the co-existence of ASA and Cu²⁺ could mitigate the inhibition. These results could provide useful information for the management of anaerobic digestion of pig manure containing ASA with Cu²⁺.     

Adsorption of phosphate on magnetite-enriched particles (MEP) separated from the mill scale

MEP were separated from mill scale at low magnetic intensity i.e., 300 to 500 gauss. The phosphate adsorption capacity of MEP was determined 6.41 mg/g. MEP packed-bed columns were successfully regenerated with alkaline solution. Phosphate is a major pollutant in water, causing serious environmental and health consequences. In present study, the phosphate adsorption on novel magnetite-enriched particles (MEP) was comprehensively investigated. A new method and device were introduced for the separation of MEP from the mill scale at low magnetic intensity. Particles were characterized with different techniques such as XRD, XRF, SEM and EDS. The XRD and XRF analysis of MEP identified the dominant existence of crystalline magnetite. Furthermore, the morphological analysis of MEP confirmed the agglomerate porous morphology of magnetite. Oxygen and iron, the main constituents of magnetite were acknowledged during the elemental analysis using EDS. The phosphate adsorption on MEP is well explained using various isotherm and kinetic models, exhibiting the monolayer adsorption of phosphate on the surface of MEP. The maximum adsorption capacity was determined 6.41 mg/g. Based on particle size (45–75 and 75–150 µm) and empty bed contact time (1 and 2 h), four columns were operated for 54 days. MEP were appeared successful to remove all phosphate concentration from the column influent having 2 mg/L concentration. The operated column reactors were successfully regenerated with alkaline solution. The results indicated potential for practical application of the MEP for phosphate removal.