The chitosan-stabilized ferrous sulfide nanoparticles were loaded on biochar to prepare a composite material FeS-CS-BC for effective removal of hexavalent chromium in water. BC and FeS-CS-BC were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Batch experiments were employed to evaluate the Cr(VI) removal performance. The experimental results showed that the removal rate of Cr(VI) by FeS-CS-BC(FeS:CS:BC?=?2:2:1) reached 98.34%, which was significantly higher than that of BC (44.58%) and FeS (79.91%). In the pH range of 2–10, the removal of Cr(VI) by FeS-CS-BC was almost independent of pH. The limitation of coexisting anions (Cl?、SO42?、NO3?) on Cr(VI) removal was not too obvious. The removal of Cr(VI) by FeS-CS-BC was fitted with the pseudo-second-order dynamics, which was a hybrid chemical-adsorption reaction. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis result showed that Cr(VI) was reduced, and the reduced Cr(VI) was fixed on the surface of the material in the form of Cr(VI)–Fe(III).
Removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewater by FeS-CS-BC composite synthesized by impregnation.
Date palm waste–derived biochar (DBC) was produced through pyrolysis (600 °C) and modified with zeolite (Z-DBC), silica (S-DBC), or nano-zerovalent iron (nZVI-DBC) to design efficient sorbents. The pristine and engineered biochars were characterized by SEM, XRD, BET, TGA, CHNS-O, and FTIR to investigate the surface, structural, and mineralogical composition. The nZVI-DBC exhibited lowest pH (6.15) and highest surface area (220.92 m2 g−1), carbon (80.55%), nitrogen (3.78%), and hydrogen (11.09%) contents compared with other biochars. Isotherm sorption data for chlortetracycline (CTC) removal from aqueous solutions was described well by Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson isotherms showing the highest fitness (R2 values in the range of 0.88–0.98 and 0.88–0.99, respectively). Langmuir predicted maximum CTC adsorption capacity was in order of nZVI-DBC (89.05 mg g−1) > S-DBC (45.57 mg g−1) > Z-DBC (30.42 mg g−1) > DBC (28.19 mg g−1). Kinetics adsorption data was best described by power function model (R2 = 0.93–0.99), followed by interaparticle diffusion (R2 = 0.85–0.96) model. The nZVI-DBC performed outclass by removing 98% of CTC, followed by S-DBC (68%), Z-DBC (35%), and DBC (36%). Chemisorption, H-bonding, and interaparticle diffusion were the operating mechanisms for CTC adsorption onto DBC, S-DBC, and Z-DBC, while π-π electron donor–accepter interactions and redox reactions augmented these mechanisms for highest CTC adsorption onto nZVI-DBC. Therefore, nZVI-DBC may serve as an efficient green technology for the removal of CTC from aqueous solutions and to reduce surface date palm waste pollution.
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Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were synthesised by the reduction of Ag+ to Ag0 in the presence of enol form of flavonoids present in plant extract of Tabernaemontana divaricate (T. divaricate). Prepared Ag NPs were characterised using UV–Vis, XRD, HR-TEM with EDX and XPS techniques. XPS spectra exhibited peaks at 366 eV and 373 eV, which specified spin orbits for Ag 3d3/2, and Ag 3d5/2 that confirmed the formation of Ag NPs. Ag NPs were spherical in shape with an average size of 30 nm as revealed by HR-TEM and FE-SEM techniques. EDX studies verified the high purity of Ag NPs with silver 46.96%, carbon 16.35%, oxygen 16.22%, nitrogen 20.25% and sulphur 0.21%. LC–MS analysis of plant extract confirmed the qualitative presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, and carbohydrates. Prepared Ag NPs showed good photocatalytic activity towards degradation of 4-Amniopyridine with 61% degradation efficiency at optimum conditions in 2 h of reaction time under visible light. The ten intermediates were found within the mass number of 0–450. Ag NPs synthesised using bio-extract have also shown good inactivation against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) bacteria due to the availability of free radicals.
Graphical abstractHerein, we report a detailed study on creating heterojunction between graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and bismuth phosphate (BiPO4), enhancing the unpaired free electron mobility. This leads to an accelerated photocatalysis of 2,4-dichlorophenols (2,4-DCPs) under sunlight irradiation. The heterojunction formation was efficaciously conducted via a modest thermal deposition technique. The function of g-C3N4 plays a significant role in generating free electrons under sunlight irradiation. Together, the generated electrons at the g-C3N4 conduction band (CB) are transferred and trapped by the BiPO4 to form active superoxide anion radicals (?O2?). These active radicals will be accountable for the photodegradation of 2,4-DCPs. The synthesized composite characteristics were methodically examined through several chemical and physical studies. Due to the inimitable features of both g-C3N4 and BiPO4, its heterojunction formation, 2.5wt% BiPO4/g-C3N4 achieved complete 2,4-DCP removal (100%) in 90 min under sunlight irradiation. This is due to the presence of g-C3N4 that enhanced electron mobility through the formation of heterojunctions that lengthens the electron-hole pairs’ lifetime and maximizes the entire solar spectrum absorption to generate active electrons at the g-C3N4 conduction band. Thus, this formation significantly draws the attention for future environmental remediation, especially in enhancing the entire solar spectrum’s harvesting.
Graphical abstractThe green innovations, environmental policies, and carbon taxes are the tools to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the mitigation process. This study is intended to examine the impact of innovation, carbon pricing (CTAX), environmental policies (EP), and energy consumption (ECON) on PM2.5 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission for Central-Eastern European countries. The panel effect during 2000–2018 is tested using a dynamic panel data model while the Granger causality approach obtains country-related outcomes. The outcomes reveal that eco-friendly innovations have a more profound effect on carbon mitigation. Environmental policies reduce emissions by 2.7% in the short run and 17.4% in the long run. Similarly, CTAX mitigates GHG emissions by 8.6% in the short-run and PM2.5 by 0.9% and 5.7% in the short and long run. However, urbanization, energy consumption and trade openness are the leading polluters in the region. The main findings remain dominant in the country-specific results and find unidirectional and bidirectional causality evidence among variables. The research concludes that green innovations and strict environmental policy can lead towards achieving sustainable development goals using carbon taxes as a tool on the way.
Graphical abstractMicrobial remediation, especially the application of probiotics, has recently gained popularity in improving water quality and maintaining aquatic animal health. The efficacy and mechanism of mixed Bacillus for improvement of water quality and its effects on aquatic microbial community structure remain unknown. To elucidate these issues, we applied two groups of mixed Bacillus (Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus subtilis (A0?+?BS) and Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus coagulans (A0?+?BC)) to the aquaculture system of Crucian carp. Our results showed that the improvement effect of mixed Bacillus A0?+?BS on water quality was better than that of A0?+?BC, and the NH4+-N, NO2?-N, NO3?-N, and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were reduced by 46.3%, 76.3%, 35.6%, and 80.3%, respectively. In addition, both groups of mixed Bacillus increased the diversity of the bacterial community and decreased the diversity of the fungal community. Microbial community analysis showed that mixed Bacillus A0?+?BS increased the relative abundance of bacteria related with nitrogen and phosphorus removal, such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Comamonas, and Stenotrophomonas, but decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria (Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas) and fungi (Epicoccum and Fusarium). Redundancy analysis showed that NH4+-N, NO2?-N, and TP were the primary environmental factors affecting the microbial community in aquaculture water. PICRUST analysis indicated that all functional pathways in the A0?+?BS group were richer than those in other groups. These results indicated that mixed Bacillus A0?+?BS addition produced good results in reducing nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds and shaped a favorable microbial community structure to further improve water quality.
Graphical abstractImplications: The simple spray of NaClO(aq) at temperatures above 165 °C can cause the simultaneous removal of gaseous NOx, SO2, and Hg0 by its quick vaporization. Their maximized removals are achieved at the pH range between 4.0 and 6.0. NOx and Hg0 removals are also enhanced by gaseous and solid intermediate products generated from the reaction of SO2 with NaClO(aq). The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated in the real flue gases of a combustion plant. 相似文献
Trimethylamine (TMA) is an odorous volatile organic compound emitted by industries. Algal-based biotechnologies have been proven as a feasible alternative for wastewater treatment, although their application to abate polluted air emissions is still scarce. This work comparatively assessed the removal of TMA in a conventional bacterial bubble column bioreactor (BC) and a novel algal-bacterial bubble column photobioreactor (PBC). The PBC exhibited a superior TMA abatement performance compared to the conventional BC. In this sense, the BC reached a removal efficiency (RE) and an elimination capacity (EC) of 78% and 12.1 g TMA m?3 h?1, respectively, while the PBC achieved a RE of 97% and a EC of 16.0 g TMA m?3·h?1 at an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 2 min and a TMA concentration ~500 mg m?3. The outstanding performance of the PBC allowed to reduce the operating EBRT to 1.5 and 1 min while maintaining high REs of 98 and 94% and ECs of 21.2 and 28.1 g m?3·h?1, respectively. Moreover, the PBC improved the quality of the gas and liquid effluents discharged, showing a net CO2 consumption and decreasing by ~ 30% the total nitrogen concentration in the liquid effluent via biomass assimilation. A high specialization of the bacterial community was observed in the PBC, Mumia and Aquamicrobium sp. being the most abundant genus within the main phyla identified.
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Electrocoagulation (EC) is an excellent and promising technology in wastewater treatment, as it combines the benefits of coagulation, flotation, and electrochemistry. During the last decade, extensive researches have focused on removal of emerging contaminants by using electrocoagualtion, due to its several advantages like compactness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, low sludge production, and eco-friendness. Emerging contaminants (ECs) are micropollutants found in trace amounts that discharging into conventional wastewater treatment (WWT) plants entering surface waters and imposing a high threat to human and aquatic life. Various studies reveal that about 90% of emerging contaminants are disposed unscientifically into water bodies, creating problems to public health and environment. The studies on removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater are by global researchers are critically reviewed. The core findings proved that still more research required into optimization of parameters, system design, and economic feasibility to explore the potential of EC combined systems. This review has introduced an innovative collection of current knowledge on electro-coagulation for the removal of emerging contaminants.
Graphical abstractDrinking water reservoirs are threatened globally by anthropogenic nitrogen pollution. Hydrochemistry and isotopes were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal varieties of main nitrate sources in a large drinking water reservoir in East China. The results showed that NO3? was the main nitrogen form in both the dry and wet seasons, but dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was increased in the wet season. The δ15N-NO3? values (+?1.3‰ to +?11.8‰) and δ18O-NO3? values (+?2.5‰ to +?13.5‰), combined with principal component analysis (PCA), indicated that chemical fertilizer was the main nitrate source during the dry season, while chemical fertilizer, soil N, and sewage/manure were the main nitrate sources during the wet season in the Qiandao Lake area. And, the nitrate isotopes showed the significant nitrification and assimilation in the Qiandao Lake area. A Bayesian isotopic mixing model (Stable Isotope Analysis in R) was applied to the spatial and seasonal trends in the proportional contribution of four NO3? sources (chemical fertilizer (CF), soil nitrogen (SN), sewage and manure (SM), and atmospheric deposition (AD)) in the Qiandao Lake area. It was revealed that CF was the most important nitrate source in the dry season, accounting for 53.4% with 19.2% of SM and 18.9% of SN, while the contribution of SN increased in the wet season, accounting for 31.6%, followed by CF (30.8%) and then SM (24.2%). The main nitrate sources in the urban area, rural area, and central lake area were CF and SN, accounting for 66.1% in the urban area, 71.7% in the rural area, and 68.2% in the central lake area. Measures should be made to improve chemical fertilizer use efficiency and to reduce nitrogen loss in the Qiandao Lake area.
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The buoyancy of Microcystis colonies determines the occurrence and dominance of bloom on the water surface. Besides the cell density regulation and the formation of larger size aggregates, increases in cell volume per colony (Vcell) and the colony’s compactness (i.e., volume ratio of cells to the colony, VR) may promote Microcystis colony buoyancy. Yet only a few studies have studied the relationship between the internal structure variation of colonies and their buoyancy, and the co-regulatory role of Vcell and VR of Microcystis colonies in the floating velocity (FV) remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we optimized a method for measuring the compactness of Microcystis colonies based on the linear relationship between total Vcell and chlorophyll a. Different relationships between the VRs and FVs were observed with different colony size and Vcell range groups. Both field and laboratory experiments showed that FV/(D50, median diameter)2 had a significant linear relationship with VR, indicating that the cell density and extracellular polysaccharides were unchanged over a short time period and could be estimated via the slope and intercept of a fitted line. We also constructed a functional relationship between FV, VR, and Vcell and found that high VR and Vcell can promote Microcystis buoyancy. This means that increasing cell compactness or Vcell may be an active regulation strategy for Microcystis colonies to promote buoyancy. Therefore, quantifying the internal structure of Microcystis colonies is strongly recommended for the assessment of Microcystis bloom development and their management.
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A review of the applicability of electron beam water radiolysis for sewage sludge treatment is presented. Electron beam treatment has been proven to be a successful approach to the disinfection of both wastewater and sewage sludge. Nevertheless, before 2000, there were concerns about the perceived high capital costs of the accelerator and with public acceptance of the usage of radiation for water treatment purposes. Nowadays, with increased knowledge and technological development, it may be not only possible but also desirable to use electron beam technology for risk-free sewage sludge treatment, disposal and bio-friendly fertiliser production. Despite the developing interest in this method, there has been no attempt to perform a review of the pertinent literature relating to this technology. It appears that understanding of the mechanism and primary parameters of disinfection is key to optimising the process. This paper aims to reliably characterise the sewage sludge electron beam treatment process to elucidate its major issues and make recommendations for further development and research.
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The free radicals produced by cigarette smoking are responsible for tissue damage, heart and lung diseases, and carcinogenesis. The effect of tobacco on the central nervous system (CNS) has received increased attention nowadays in research. Therefore, to explore the molecular interaction of cigarette smoke carcinogens (CSC) 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), 4-(methylnitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), and N′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) with well-known targets of CNS-related disorders, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes, a cascade of the computational study was conducted including molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS). The investigated results of NNAL+AChEcomplex, NNK+AChEcomplex, and NNK+BuChEcomplex based on intermolecular energies (?G) were found to ?8.57 kcal/mol, ?8.21 kcal/mol, and ?8.08 kcal/mol, respectively. MDS deviation and fluctuation plots of the NNAL and NNK interaction with AChE and BuChE have shown significant results. Further, Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM‐PBSA) results shown the best total binding energy (Binding?G) ?87.381 (+/?13.119) kJ/mol during NNK interaction with AChE. Our study suggests that CSC is well capable of altering the normal biomolecular mechanism of CNS; thus, obtained data could be useful to design extensive wet laboratory experimentation to know the effects of CSC on human CNS.
Graphical abstractTo investigate the chemical composition, size distribution, and mixing state of aerosol particles on heavy pollution days, single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry was conducted during 9–26 October 2015 in Xi’an, China. The measured particles were classified into six major categories: biomass burning (BB) particles, K-secondary particles, elemental carbon (EC)–related particles, metal-containing particles, dust, and organic carbon (OC) particles. BB and EC-related particles were the dominant types during the study period and mainly originated from biomass burning, vehicle emissions, and coal combustion. According to the ambient air quality index, two typical episodes were defined: clean days (CDs) and polluted days (PDs). Accumulation of BB particles and EC-related particles was the main reason for the pollution in Xi’an. Most types of particle size were larger on PDs than CDs. Each particle type was mixed with secondary species to different degrees on CDs and PDs, indicating that atmospheric aging occurred. The mixing state results demonstrated that the primary tracers were oxidized or vanished and that the amount of secondary species was increased on PDs. This study provides valuable information and a dataset to help control air pollution in the urban areas of Xi’an.
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In this study, an approach for the facile, rapid, energy-saving, and sensitive determination of Fe3+ and Cr(VI) was developed. L-arginine/D-glucose carbon quantum dots (Arg/Glu-CQDs), with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 21%, were synthesized from L-arginine and D-glucose through a facile, hydrothermal process. The maximum emission wavelength of Arg/Glu-CQDs was observed at 450 nm, under an excitation wavelength of 365 nm. In addition, Arg/Glu-CQDs exhibited a sensitive and selective response to Fe3+ compared to Fe2+ and other metal ions. The Arg/Glu-CQDs’ fluorescence was noticeably quenched through the inner filter effect (IFE) when Arg/Glu-CQDs were mixed with Fe3+. Accordingly, the Arg/Glu-CQDs/Fe2+ system could selectively detect Cr(VI); Cr(VI) could oxidize Fe2+ to Fe3+ and quench the fluorescence. The fluorescence sensor system (i.e., the Arg/Glu-CQDs/Fe2+ system) showed high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for the detection of Fe3+ and Cr(VI) in river water samples. Satisfactory detection efficiencies ranging from 97.07 to 103.46% were obtained. The cytotoxicity of Arg/Glu-CQDs was evaluated through an MTT assay using A549 cells as the target, to extend the application of Arg/Glu-CQDs to biological systems; the MTT assay indicated that the Arg/Glu-CQDs is non-cytotoxicity. Arg/Glu-CQDs were also successfully imaged in A549 cells indicating further application possibilities in bioimaging.
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The levels of metals in sediments of urban river ecosystems are crucial for aquatic environmental health and pollution assessment. Yet little is known about the interaction of nutrients with metals for environmental risks under contamination accumulation. Here, we combined hierarchical cluster, correlation, and principal component analysis with structural equation model (SEM) to investigate the pollution level, source, toxicity risk, and interaction associated with metals and nutrients in the sediments of a river network in a city area of East China. The results showed that the pollution associated with metals in sediments was rated as moderate degree of contamination load and medium-high toxicity risk in the middle and downstream of urban rivers based on contamination factor, pollution load index, and environmental toxicity quotient. The concentration of mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn) showed a significant correlation with toxic risks, which had more contribution to toxicity than other metals in the study area. Organic nitrogen and organic pollution index showed heavily polluted sediments in south of the study area. Though correlation analysis indicated that nutrients and metals had different input zones from anthropogenic sources in the urban river network, SEM suggested that nutrient accumulation indirectly intensified toxicity risk of metals by 13.6% in sediments. Therefore, we suggested the combined consideration of metal toxicity risk with nutrient accumulation, which may provide a comprehensive understanding to identify sediment pollution.
Toxicity rate of metals in sediments from urban river network indirectly intensified by nutrients accumulation
Few studies have carried out soil washing experiments using pot experiments to simulate in situ soil washing operations, particularly for alkaline soils. This study explored the effects of multiple washing operations using pot experiments on the removal efficiencies of potentially toxic metals (PTM) from alkaline farmland soil and the reuse strategy of washed soil for safe agricultural production. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn after seven washings with a mixed chelator (EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid) were 41.1%, 47.1%, 14.7%, and 26.5%, respectively, which was close to the results of the EDTA treatment. For the alkaline soil studied, the second washing with the mixed chelators most effectively removed PTM owing to the activation of them after the first washing operation. The mixed chelator more effectively increased the proportion of stable fraction of PTM and maintained soil nutrients (e.g., nitrogen content) than EDTA, indicating little disturbance of alkaline soil quality after washing with the mixed chelator. After the amendment of the washed soil, there was no visible difference in the biomass weight of crops from the soils washed with different agents, indicating that the inhibitory effect of both washing agents on plant growth was effectively alleviated. The Cd and Pb contents in Z. mays were below the threshold of Hygienical Standard for Feeds of China (GB 13078–2017) (1 and 30 mg·kg?1). Moreover, after three cropping operations, the available concentrations of PTM in the soil washed with the mixed chelator were lower than those in the soil washed with EDTA, indicating the value and potential of agricultural reuse of alkaline farmland soil washed with the mixed chelator.
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