Electrokinetic movement of multiple chlorobenzenes in contaminated soils in the presence of β-cyclodextrin

This study investigated the electrokinetic (EK) behavior of multiple chlorobenzenes, including 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (TeCB), 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (i-TeCB), and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (TCB) in contaminated clayed soils. The effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the EK removal of the chlorobenzenes was studied. The largest removal was obtained when Na2CO3/NaHCO3 buffer was used as anodic purging solution without β-CD. The removal efficiencies were related to the aqueous solubilities of chlorobenzenes. With the same cumulative electroosmotic flow, greater solubility led to higher removal efficiency. The addition of β-CD inhibited the EK removal efficiency of all chlorobenzenes. The inhibition increased with the increase of β-CD concentration. With the same β-CD concentration, the inhibition increased with the rise of electric potential. It was found that the inclusion compounds between β-CD and chlorobenzenzes were less soluble than chlorobenzenes. The formation of the less soluble inclusion compounds reduced the aqueous solubility of chlorobenzenes and led to the partial immobilization of the chlorobenzenes that desorbed from soil. It was feasible to use the EK technology to remove chlorobenzenes in contaminated soils using water as the anodic flushing solution. The addition of β-CD was not recommended for the EK removal of chlorobenzenes.     

Methyl-β-cyclodextrin enhanced biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and associated microbial activity in contaminated soil

The contamination of soils by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a widespread environmental problem and the remediation of PAHs from these areas has been a major concern.The effectiveness of ma...     

Sensitized effect of β-cyclodextrin on the fluorescence in the determination of carbaryl

Based on the significant enhancement of fluorescence intensity of carbaryl in inclusion complex, a spetrofluorimetdc method with high sensitivity was developed for the determination of carbaryl in aqueous solution. Under the optimum conditions, the complex had excitation and emission maxima at 278 nm and 332 nm, respectively. The linear range of the method was 7.0 ng/ml-1500 ng/ml with a detection limit of 1.2 ng/ml. The proposed method was successfully used to determine quantitativelv of carbarvl in cottonseeds.     

Hygroscopicity of particles generated from photooxidation of α-pinene under different oxidation conditions in the presence of sulfate seed aerosols

Smog chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the hygroscopicity of particles generated from photooxidation of α-pinene/NOx with different sulfate seed aerosols or oxidation conditions. Hygroscopicity of particles was measured by a tandem differential mobility analyzer （TDMA） in terms of hygroscopic growth factor （Gf）, with a relative humidity of 85%. With sulfate seed aerosols present, Gf of the aerosols decreased very fast before notable secondary organic aerosols （SOA） formation was observed, indicating a heterogeneous process between inorganic seeds and organic products might take place as soon as oxidation begins, rather than only happening after gas-aerosol partition of organic products starts. The final SOA-coated sulfate particles had similar or lower Gf than seed-free SOA. The hygroscopicity of the final particles was not dependent on the thickness but on the hygroscopicity properties of the SOA, which were influenced by the initial sulfate seed particles. In the two designed aging processes, Gf of the particles increased more significantly with introduction of OH radical than with ozone. However, the hygroscopicity of SOA was very low even after a long time of aging, implying that either SOA aging in the chamber was very slow or the Gf of SOA did not change significantly in aging. Using an aerosol composition speciation monitor （ACSM） and matrix factorization （PMF） method, two factors for the components of SOA were identified, but the correlation between SOA hygroscopicity and the proportion of the more highly oxidized factor could be either positive or negative depending on the speciation of seed aerosols present.     

Second organic aerosol formation from the ozonolysis of α-pinene in the presence of dry submicron ammonium sulfate aerosol

An indoor chamber facility is described for investigation of atmospheric aerosol chemistry. Two sets of α-pinene ozonolysis experiments were conducted in the presence of dry ammonium sulfate seed particle: ozone limited experiments and α-pinene limited experiments. The concentration of gas phase and particle phase species was monitored continuously by on-line instruments and recorded automatically by data sampling system. The evolution of size distribution was measured by a scanning mobility particle sizer ...     

Sodium citrate and biochar synergistic improvement of nanoscale zero-valent iron composite for the removal of chromium (Ⅵ) in aqueous solutions

Sodium citrate (SC) is a widely-used food and industrial additive with the properties of complexation and microbial degradation. In the present study, nano-zero-valent iron reaction system ([email protected]) was successfully established by modifying nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) with SC and biochar (BC), and was employed to remove Cr(Ⅵ) from aqueous solutions. The nZVI, SC-nZVI and [email protected] were characterized and compared using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that nZVI was successfully loaded on the biochar, and both the agglomeration and surface passivation problems of nanoparticles were well resolved. The dosage of SC, C:Fe, initial pH and Cr(Ⅵ) concentration demonstrated direct effects on the removal efficiency. The maximum Cr(Ⅵ) removal rate and the removal capacity within 60 min were 99.7% and 199.46 mg/g, respectively (C:Fe was 1:1, SC dosage was 1.12 mol.%, temperature was 25°C, pH = 7, and the original concentration of Cr(Ⅵ) was 20 mg/L). The reaction confirmed to follow the pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics, and the order of the reaction rate constant k was as follows: [email protected] > [email protected] > SC-nZVI > nZVI. In addition, the mechanism of Cr(Ⅵ) removal by [email protected] mainly involved adsorption, reduction and co-precipitation, and the reduction of Cr(Ⅵ) to Cr(Ⅲ) by nano Fe⁰ played a vital role. Findings from the present study demonstrated that the [email protected] exhibited excellent removal efficiency toward Cr(Ⅵ) with an improved synergistic characteristic by SC and BC.     

Poly[β-(1→4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose] based zero valent nickel nanocomposite for efficient reduction of nitrate in water

Chemical reduction of nitrate using metal nanoparticles has received increasing interest due to over-dependence on groundwater and consequence health hazard of the nitrate ion. One major drawback of this technique is the agglomeration of nanoparticles leading to the formation of large flocs. A low cost biopolymeric material, poly [β-(1 → 4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose] (β-PADG) obtained from deacetylated chitin was used as stabilizer to synthesize zero valent nickel (ZVNi) nanoparticles. The β-PADG-ZVNi nanocomposite was characterized using infra red (IR), UV-Vis spectrophotometric techniques and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The morphology of the composite showed that β-PADG stabilized-ZVNi nanoparticles were present as discrete particles. The mean particle size was estimated to be (7.76 ± 2.98) nm and surface area of 87.10 m²/g. The stabilized-ZVNi nanoparticles exhibited markedly greater reactivity for reduction of nitrate in water with 100% conversion within 2 hr contact owing to less agglomeration. Varying the β-PADG-to-ZVNi ratio and the ZVNi-to-nitrate molar ratio generally led to a faster nitrate reduction. About 3.4-fold difference in the specific reaction rate constant suggests that the application of the β-PADG-stabilizer not only increased the specific surface area of the resultant nanoparticles, but also greatly enhanced the surface reactivity of the nanoparticles per unit area.     

Chemical fractionations and bioavailability of cadmium and zinc to cole （Brassica campestris L.） grown in the multi-metals contaminated oasis soil, northwest of China

A pot experiment was conducted to study the relationship between distribution of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) and their availabilityto cole (Brassica campestris L.) grown in the multi-metal contaminated oasis soil in northwest of China. The results showed that Cdand Zn in the unpolluted oasis soil was mainly found in the residual fractionation, however, with increasing contents of Cd and Zn in theoasis soil, the distribution of Cd and Zn changed significantly. The growth of cole could be promoted by low Cd and Zn concentration,but significantly restrained by high concentrations. There was antagonistic e ect among Cd and Zn in the multi-metals contaminatedoasis soil. Stepwise regression analysis between fractionations distribution coe cients of the two meals in the soil and their contents incole showed that both Cd and Zn in the exchangeable fractionation in the oasis soil made the most contribution on the uptake of Cd andZn in cole. The bio-concentration factor (BCF) of Cd was greater than Zn in cole, and BCFs of the two metals in leaves were greaterthan those in roots. The translocation factors of the two metals in cole were greater than 1, and the two metals mainly accumulatedin the edible parts in cole. Therefore, cole is not a suitable vegetable for the oasis soil because of the plants notable contamination byheavy metals.     

Effect of Cu loading content on the catalytic performance of Cu-USY catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3

Series of Cu-USY zeolite catalyst with different Cu loading content were synthesized through simple impregnation method. The obtained catalysts were subjected to selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) performance evaluation, structural/chemical characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption/desorption, H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), NH₃ temperature-programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD) as well as detailed in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiments including CO adsorption, NH₃ adsorption and NO+O₂ in situ reactions. Results show that Cu-USY with proper Cu loading (in this work 5Cu-USY with 5 wt.% Cu) could be promising candidates with highly efficient NH₃-SCR catalytic performance, relatively low byproduct formation and excellent hydrothermal stability, although its SO₂ poisoning tolerability needs alleviation. Further characterizations reveal that such catalytic advantages can be attributed to both active cu species and surface acid centers evolution modulated by Cu loading. On one hand, Cu species in the super cages of zeolites increases with higher Cu content and being more conducive for NH₃-SCR reactivity. On the other hand, higher Cu loading leads to depletion of Brønsted acid centers and simultaneous formation of abundant Lewis acid centers, which facilitates NH₄NO₃ reduction via NH₃ adsorbed on Lewis acid centers, thus improving SCR reactivity. However, Cu over-introduction leads to formation of surface highly dispersed CuO_x, causing unfavorable NH₃ oxidation and inferior N₂ selectivity.