Insights into properties of activated carbons prepared from different raw precursors by pyrophosphoric acid activation

Low-cost activated carbons (ACs) were prepared from four kinds of solid wastes: petroleum coke, Enteromorpha prolifera, lignin from papermaking black liquid and hair, by pyrophosphoric acid (H₄P₂O₇) activation. Thermo-gravimetric analysis of the pyrolysis of H₄P₂O₇-precursor mixtures implied that H₄P₂O₇ had different influences on the pyrolysis behavior of the four raw materials. N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and adsorption capacities for dyes were used to characterize the prepared activated carbons. AC derived from E. prolifera exhibited the highest surface area (1094 m²/g) and maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for malachite green (1250 mg/g). Kinetic studies showed that the experimental data were in agreement with the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating the adsorption of dye onto the ACs proceeded by monolayers.     

Breakthrough CO2 adsorption in bio-based activated carbons

In this work, the effects of different methods of activation on CO₂ adsorption performance of activated carbon were studied. Activated carbons were prepared from biochar, obtained from fast pyrolysis of white wood, using three different activation methods of steam activation, CO₂ activation and Potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation. CO₂ adsorption behavior of the produced activated carbons was studied in a fixed-bed reactor set-up at atmospheric pressure, temperature range of 25–65°C and inlet CO₂ concentration range of 10–30 mol% in He to determine the effects of the surface area, porosity and surface chemistry on adsorption capacity of the samples. Characterization of the micropore and mesopore texture was carried out using N₂ and CO₂ adsorption at 77 and 273 K, respectively. Central composite design was used to evaluate the combined effects of temperature and concentration of CO₂ on the adsorption behavior of the adsorbents. The KOH activated carbon with a total micropore volume of 0.62 cm³/g and surface area of 1400 m²/g had the highest CO₂ adsorption capacity of 1.8 mol/kg due to its microporous structure and high surface area under the optimized experimental conditions of 30 mol% CO₂ and 25°C. The performance of the adsorbents in multi-cyclic adsorption process was also assessed and the adsorption capacity of KOH and CO₂ activated carbons remained remarkably stable after 50 cycles with low temperature (160°C) regeneration.     

New insight into adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of the biosorbent from waste activated sludge for heavy metals

The adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of the biosorbent from waste activated sludge were investigated by adsorbing Pb2+and Zn2+in aqueous single-metal solutions. A p H value of the metal solutions at 6.0 was beneficial to the high adsorption quantity of the biosorbent. The optimal mass ratio of the biosorbent to metal ions was found to be 2. A higher adsorption quantity of the biosorbent was achieved by keeping the reaction temperature below 55°C. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the biosorption processes, and the developed mathematical equations showed high determination coefficients(above 0.99 for both metal ions) and insignificant lack of fit(p = 0.0838 and 0.0782 for Pb2+and Zn2+, respectively). Atomic force microscopy analyses suggested that the metal elements were adsorbed onto the biosorbent surface via electrostatic interaction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated the presence of complexation(between –NH2,-CN and metal ions) and ion-exchange(between –COOH and metal ions). The adsorption mechanisms could be the combined action of electrostatic interaction, complexation and ion-exchange between functional groups and metal ions.     

污泥基活性炭吸附空气中甲醛的研究

以城市污水处理厂脱水污泥为原料,氯化锌为活化剂制备污泥基活性炭,采用BET比表面积测试、扫描电镜(SEM)、傅里叶红外光谱(FTIR)等方法研究其理化性能,利用动态吸附实验系统和蒸馏装置,将污泥基活性炭与选定的商业活性炭进行了甲醛吸附性能对比,并利用热重分析法研究了甲醛在各活性炭上的脱附情况.结果表明,污泥基活性炭对空气中浓度分别为498,0.41mg/m3的甲醛均有很好的吸附效果,吸附量分别可达74.27,7.62mg/g,最大去除率分别为83.72%和89.56%,其吸附性能与选定的商业活性炭相当,特别是在处理浓度为0.41mg/m3甲醛时超过选定的商业活性炭.该污泥基活性炭BET比表面积为509.88m2/g,氮吸附等温线属于BDDT分类中的I-B型,表明其具有大量的超微孔和极微孔,更适用于低浓度甲醛的吸附.FTIR分析表明其表面含有各种含氮基团,特别是-NH2的存在,可能形成化学吸附中心,但从吸附甲醛后各活性炭的微商热重分析(DTG)曲线可以看出,各甲醛在活性炭上的吸附主要为物理吸附.     

The effect of salinity on waste activated sludge alkaline fermentation and kinetic analysis

The effect of salinity on sludge alkaline fermentation at low temperature(20°C) was investigated, and a kinetic analysis was performed. Different doses of sodium chloride(Na Cl, 0–25 g/L) were added into the fermentation system. The batch-mode results showed that the soluble chemical oxygen demand(SCOD) increased with salinity. The hydrolysate(soluble protein, polysaccharide) and the acidification products(short chain fatty acids(SCFAs), NH+4–N, and PO_4~(3-)–P) increased with salinity initially, but slightly declined respectively at higher level salinity(20 g/L or 20–25 g/L). However, the hydrolytic acidification performance increased in the presence of salt compared to that without salt.Furthermore, the results of Haldane inhibition kinetics analysis showed that the salt enhanced the hydrolysis rate of particulate organic matter from sludge particulate and the specific utilization of hydrolysate, and decreased the specific utilization of SCFAs. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis indicated that the importance of polysaccharide on the accumulation of SCFAs was reduced with salt addition, but the importance of protein and NH+4–N on SCFA accumulation was increased.     

Influence of microbial community structure of seed sludge on the properties of aerobic nitrifying granules

In order to evaluate the influence of microbial community structure of seed sludge on the properties of aerobic nitrifying granules, these granules were cultivated with different seed sludge, and the variation of microbial community and dominant bacterial groups that impact the nitrogen removal efficiency of the aerobic nitrifying granules were analyzed and identified using 16s rDNA sequence and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles. The results presented here demonstrated that the influence of the community structure of seed sludge on the properties of aerobic nitrifying granules was remarkable, and the granules cultivated by activated sludge from a beer wastewater treatment plant showed better performance, with a stable sludge volume index (SVI) value of 20 mL/g, high extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content of 183.3 mg/L, high NH₄⁺-N removal rate of 89.42% and abundant microbial population with 10 dominant bacterial groups. This indicated that activated sludge with abundant communities is suitable for use as seed sludge in culturing aerobic nitrifying granules.     

废旧Zn-C电池-活性污泥炭的制备及对SO_2的吸附

以污水厂二次污泥为主要原料,掺杂不同量的废旧Zn-C电池电极材料,采用Zn Cl2活化法制备出废旧Zn-C电池-活性污泥炭,表征分析污泥炭样品的碘吸附值、BET、FT-IR、SEM-EDS和XRD,并进行了低浓度SO2气体动态吸附试验.试验结果表明,污泥与电池粉末质量比为3∶1时,污泥炭的碘吸附值和比表面积分别达到750.6 mg·g-1和708.5 m2·g-1,优于纯污泥炭;回归分析表明,污泥炭吸附低浓度SO2的速率可用班厄姆公式描述,吸附平衡表达式可用Freundlih方程、Langmuir等温方程式表达,而Freundlih方程拟和效果更好.     

Using a novel adsorbent macrocyclic compound cucurbit[8]uril for Pb removal from aqueous solution

In this study, cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) was utilized as a kind of new adsorbent to remove Pb^2 + ions from aqueous solution. With the solution pH increased from 2 to 6, the removal efficiency of adsorption increased from 55.6% to 74.5%correspondingly. The uptake of Pb^2 + increased rapidly in the initial 30 min, and then the adsorption rate became slower. The Pseudo-second order model could be used to interpret the adsorption kinetics satisfactorily; and the rate determining step in Pb^2 + adsorption onto CB[8] was the external mass transfer step. Equilibrium isotherm study reveals that the Langmuir model gave a better fitting result than Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity calculated by the Langmuir model was 152.67 mg/g for 298 K, 149.70 mg/g for 313 K and 136.42 mg/g for 323 K, respectively. The adsorption is a spontaneous process of exothermic nature. The effect of the adsorbent dosage and the influences of solution pH and co-existing cations were also investigated. The CB[8] was synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, ESI-MS spectra, SEM-EDAX, Zeta-potential and BET-analysis. The adsorption mechanism was due to the coordination between CB[8] molecule and Pb^2 + ions.     

污泥活性炭的制备及其对染料废水脱色性能的研究

以城市污水厂的剩余污泥为原料,采用化学活化法制备污泥活性炭,对比研究该吸附剂对酸性大红GR和活性红紫X-2R两种不同性质染料的吸附性能,并探讨了其对酸性大红GR的吸附规律.研究结果表明:用污泥活性炭作吸附剂处理浓度均为100 mg/L的上述两种染料废水,在pH值为6、投加污泥活性炭分别为5 g/L和6g/L时,脱色率可达99.89%和94.81%;污泥活性炭对酸性大红GR的吸附规律可用Langmuir方程描述.     

Phosphate adsorption performance of a novel filter substrate made from drinking water treatment residuals

Phosphate is one of the most predominant pollutants in natural waters. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphate adsorption performance of a(NFS) made from drinking water treatment residuals. The adsorption of phosphate on the NFS fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic models. At p H 7.0, the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.03 mg/g was achieved at 15°C corresponding to the wastewater temperature in cold months, and increased notably to 1.31 mg/g at 35°C.Under both acidic conditions(part of the adsorption sites was consumed) and basic conditions(negative charges formed on the surface of NFS, which led to a static repulsion of PO43-and HPO42-), the adsorption of phosphate was slightly inhibited. Further study showed that part of the adsorption sites could be recovered by 0.25 mol/L Na OH. The activation energy was calculated to be above 8.0 k J/mol, indicating that the adsorption of phosphate on NFS was probably a chemical process. Considering the strong phosphate adsorption capacity and recoverability, NFS showed great promise on enhancing phosphate removal from the secondary treated wastewater in the filtration process.     

Occurrence, distribution, and potential influencing factors of sewage sludge components derived from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants of Beijing, China

Millions of tons of waste activated sludge (WAS) produced from biological wastewater treatment processes cause severe adverse environmental consequences. A better understanding of WAS composition is thus very critical for sustainable sludge management. In this work, the occurrence and distribution of several fundamental sludge constituents were explored in WAS samples from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Beijing, China. Among all the components investigated, active heterotrophic biomass was dominant in the samples (up to 9478 mg/L), followed by endogenous residues (6736 mg/L), extracellular polymeric substances (2088 mg/L), and intracellular storage products (464 mg/L) among others. Moreover, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in composition profiles of sludge samples among the studied WWTPs. To identify the potential parameters affecting the variable fractions of sludge components, wastewater source as well as design and operational parameters of WWTPs were studied using statistical methods. The findings indicated that the component fraction of sewage sludge depends more on wastewater treatment alternatives than on wastewater characteristics among other parameters. A principal component analysis was conducted, which further indicated that there was a greater proportion of residual inert biomass in the sludge produced by the combined system of the conventional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process and a membrane bioreactor. Additionally, a much longer solids retention time was also found to influence the sludge composition and induce an increase in both endogenous inert residues and extracellular polymeric substances in the sludge.     

Removal of phenol by activated carbons prepared from palm oil mill effluent sludge

The study was attempted to produce activated carbons from palm oil mill effluent （POME） sludge. The adsorption capacity of the activated carbons produced was evaluated in aqueous solution of phenol. Two types of activation were followed, namely, thermal activation at 300, 500 and 800%, and physical activation at 150% （boiling treatment）. A control （raw POME sludge） was used to compare the adsorption capacity of the activated carbons produced. The results indicated that the activation temperature of 800℃ showed maximum absorption capacity by the activated carbon （POME 800） in aqueous solution of phenol. Batch adsorption studies showed an equilibrium time of 6 h for the activated carbon of POME 800. It was observed that the adsorption capacity was higher at lower values ofpH （2--3） and higher value of initial concentration of phenol （200--300 mg/L）, The equilibrium data were fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The adsorption of phenol onto the activated carbon POME 800 was studied in terms of pseudo-first and second order kinetics to predict the rate constant and equilibrium capacity with the effect of initial phenol concentrations. The rate of adsorption was found to be better correlation for the pseudo-second order kinetics compared to the first order kinetics.     

Investigation on removal pathways of Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate from synthetic municipal wastewater using a submerged membrane bioreactor

Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25 days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator of wastewater treatment plant for the removal of hydrophobic emerging contaminants. In this study, the performance of submerged membrane bioreactor was monitored to understand the effect of DEHP on the growth of aerobic microorganisms. The data showed that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia concentration were detected below 10 and 1.0 mg/L, respectively for operating conditions of hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 4 and 6 hr, sludge retention time (SRT) = 140 day and sludge concentration between 11.5 and 15.8 g volatile solid (VS)/L. The removal efficiency of DEHP under these conditions was higher and ranged between 91% and 98%. Results also showed that the removal efficiency of DEHP in biological treatment depended on the concentration of sludge, as adsorption is the main mechanism of its removal. For the submerged membrane bioreactor, the pore size is the pivotal factor for DEHP removal, since it determines the amount of soluble microbial products coming out of the process. Highly assimilated microorganisms increase the biodegradation rate, as 74% of inlet DEHP was biodegraded; however, the concentration of DEHP inside sludge was beyond the discharge limit. Understanding the fate of DEHP in membrane bioreactor, which is one of the most promising and futuristic treatment process could provide replacement for conventional processes to satisfy the future stricter regulations on emerging contaminants.     

Feasibility of bioleaching combined with Fenton oxidation to improve sewage sludge dewaterability

A novel joint method of bioleaching with Fenton oxidation was applied to condition sewage sludge. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and moisture of sludge cake (MSC) were adopted to evaluate the improvement of sludge dewaterability. After 2-day bioleaching, the sludge pH dropped to about 2.5 which satisfied the acidic condition for Fenton oxidation. Meanwhile, the SRF declined from 6.45 × 10¹⁰ to 2.07 × 10¹⁰ s²/g, and MSC decreased from 91.42% to 87.66%. The bioleached sludge was further conditioned with Fenton oxidation. From an economical point of view, the optimal dosages of H₂O₂ and Fe^2 + were 0.12 and 0.036 mol/L, respectively, and the optimal reaction time was 60 min. Under optimal conditions, SRF, volatile solids reduction, and MSC were 3.43 × 10⁸ s²/g, 36.93%, and 79.58%, respectively. The stability and settleability of sewage sludge were both improved significantly. Besides, the results indicated that bioleaching-Fenton oxidation was more efficient in dewatering the sewage sludge than traditional Fenton oxidation. The sludge conditioning mechanisms by bioleaching-Fenton oxidation might mainly include the flocculation effects and the releases of extracellular polymeric substances–bound water and intercellular water.     

Removal of bromate ion using powdered activated carbon

Bromate ion (BrO 3) removal from drinking water by powdered activated carbons (PAC S) in bath mode was evaluated under various operational conditions.Six kinds of PACs,including wood-based carbon,fruit-based carbon,coal-based carbon,and these three carbons thermally deoxidized in a nitrogen atmosphere,were selected to investigate their capacity on BrO 3 removal.With the highest zeta potential value and being richly mesoporous,coal-based carbon had a high and an excellent BrO 3 adsorption efficiency.The removal content of BrO 3 by per gram of coal-based carbon was 0.45 mg within 5 hr in 100 μg/L bromate solution.The surface characteristics of PACs and bromide formation revealed that both physical and chemical PACs properties simultaneously affected the adsorptionreduction process.Under acidic conditions,PAC S possessed high zeta value and adequate basic groups and exhibited neutral or positive charges,promoting BrO 3 adsorption-reduction on the carbon surface.Interestingly,the PAC S thermally deoxidized in N 2 atmosphere optimized their properties,e.g.increasing their zeta values and decreasing the oxygen content which accelerated the BrO 3 removal rate.The maximum adsorption capacity of fruit-based carbon was the highest among all tested carbons (99.6 mg/g),possibly due to its highest pore volume.Remarkably,the thermal regeneration of PACs in N 2 atmosphere could completely recover the adsorption capacity of PACs.The kinetic data obtained from carbons was analyzed using pseudo second-order and intraparticle diffusion models,with results showing that the intraparticle diffusion was the more applicable model to describe adsorption of BrO 3 onto PACs.     

Quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices using quantitative PCR

A quantitative PCR(q PCR) assay was used to quantify Ancylostoma caninum ova in wastewater and sludge samples.We estimated the average gene copy numbers for a single ovum using a mixed population of ova.The average gene copy numbers derived from the mixed population were used to estimate numbers of hookworm ova in A.caninum seeded and unseeded wastewater and sludge samples.The newly developed qP CR assay estimated an average of3.7 × 10~3 gene copies per ovum,which was then validated by seeding known numbers of hookworm ova into treated wastewater.The qP CR estimated an average of(1.1 ± 0.1),(8.6 ± 2.9)and(67.3 ± 10.4) ova for treated wastewater that was seeded with(1 ± 0),(10 ± 2) and(100 ± 21)ova,respectively.The further application of the q PCR assay for the quantification of A.caninum ova was determined by seeding a known numbers of ova into the wastewater matrices.The qP CR results indicated that 50%,90% and 67% of treated wastewater(1 L),raw wastewater(1 L)and sludge(~4 g) samples had variable numbers of A.caninum gene copies.After conversion of the q PCR estimated gene copy numbers to ova for treated wastewater,raw wastewater,and sludge samples,had an average of 0.02,1.24 and 67 ova,respectively.The result of this study indicated that qP CR can be used for the quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater and sludge samples;however,caution is advised in interpreting qP CR generated data for health risk assessment.     

铁盐对活性污泥微生物DHA与ETS活性的影响研究

通过活性污泥脱氢酶活性与电子传递体系活性的测定,对比分析铁盐对活性污泥系统微生物活性影响及其变化规律。研究结果表明:活性污泥TTC-DHA活性与INT-ETS活性之间具有较好的相关性,分批次向活性污泥处理系统投加Fe(OH)3并保持连续运行污水处理系统内的活性污泥含铁质量分数在5%条件下,其活性污泥微生物TTC-DHA与INT-ETS活性可分别达到25～30,275～360μg/(mg.h),其较对比系统提高50%左右,铁盐对活性污泥的微生物活性的影响较为显著。     

Rapid adsorption of toxic Pb(Ⅱ) ions from aqueous solution using multiwall carbon nanotubes synthesized by microwave chemical vapor deposition technique

Multiwall carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) were synthesized using a tubular microwave chemical vapor deposition technique, using acetylene and hydrogen as the precursor gases and ferrocene as catalyst. The novel MWCNT samples were tested for their performance in terms of Pb(Ⅱ)binding. The synthesized MWCNT samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared(FT-IR), Brunauer, Emmett and Teller(BET), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy(FESEM) analysis, and the adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) was studied as a function of p H,initial Pb(Ⅱ) concentration, MWCNT dosage, agitation speed, and adsorption time, and process parameters were optimized. The adsorption data followed both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. On the basis of the Langmuir model, Qmaxwas calculated to be 104.2 mg/g for the microwave-synthesized MWCNTs. In order to investigate the dynamic behavior of MWCNTs as an adsorbent, the kinetic data were modeled using pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order equations. Different thermodynamic parameters, viz., ΔH0, ΔS0and ΔG0were evaluated and it was found that the adsorption was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The statistical analysis revealed that the optimum conditions for the highest removal(99.9%) of Pb(Ⅱ) are at p H 5, MWCNT dosage 0.1 g, agitation speed 160 r/min and time of 22.5 min with the initial concentration of 10 mg/L. Our results proved that microwave-synthesized MWCNTs can be used as an effective Pb(Ⅱ) adsorbent due to their high adsorption capacity as well as the short adsorption time needed to achieve equilibrium.     

碱改性活性炭表面特征及其吸附甲烷的研究

采用不同浓度的氢氧化钠对椰壳活性炭进行表面改性.BET和SEM分析改性前后活性炭的表面结构,Boehm滴定和SEM/EDS方法测定活性炭表面元素及含氧基团.研究改性活性炭对甲烷的吸附性能和吸附行为.结果表明,经氢氧化钠改性处理后,活性炭孔径变化不明显,表面含氧基团显著减少;当氢氧化钠的浓度>3.3 mol·L-1时,活性炭的比表面积和孔容大于未处理的活性炭,并且随碱的浓度增加而增大.与改性前的活性炭相比,甲烷在碱改性活性炭上的吸附量提高了24%.增加活性炭的比表面积和孔容,减少表面的含氧基团有利于甲烷的吸附.甲烷的吸附行为符合Langmuir等温吸附式,吸附常数为163.7 m3·mg-1.     

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon foam from phenolic resin

Activated carbon foam was successfully prepared from phenolic resin synthesized with phenol and formaldehyde under alkali condition. The influence of process variables, such as steam rate, carbonization temperature, carbonization time, activation temperature and activation time on the adsorption capacities of the activated carbon foam was studied. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the activated carbon foam with a specific surface area 727.62 m²/g was obtained. Moreover, the iodine value and carbon tetrachloride value of the activated carbon foam was 1050.28 mg/g and 401.37 mg/g, respectively. The pore size of the activated carbon foam was in the range of 3.5–5 nm which was determined through the N₂ adsorption test. In addition, the yield of the activated carbon foam was 36.24%. The result of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the activated carbon foam became honeycomb structure, and its pore wall was thinner and smoother compared to the unactivated carbon foam.