Investigation of phosphate adsorption from an aqueous solution using spent fluid catalytic cracking catalyst containing lanthanum

A spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst containing lanthanum (La) was used as a novel adsorbent for phosphorus (P) in simulated wastewater. The experiments were conducted in a batch system to optimize the operation variables, including pH, calcination temperature, shaking time, solid-liquid ratio, and reaction temperature under three initial P-concentrations (C₀ = 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/L). Orthogonal analysis was used to determine that the initial P-concentration was the most important parameter for P removal. The P-removal rate exceeded 99% and the spent FCC catalyst was more suitable for use in low P-concentration wastewater (C₀ <5.0 mg/L). Isotherms, thermodynamics and dynamics of adsorption are used to analyze the mechanism of phosphorus removal. The results show that the adsorption is an endothermic reaction with high affinity and poor reversibility, which indicates a low risk of second releasing of phosphate. Moreover, chemical and physical adsorption coexist in this adsorption process with LaPO₄ and KH₂PO₄ formed on the spent FCC catalyst as the adsorption product. These results demonstrate that the spent FCC catalyst containing La is a potential adsorbent for P-removal from wastewater, which allows recycling of the spent FCC catalyst to improve the quality of water body.

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Decrease of Pb bioavailability in solis by addition of phosphate ions

Bioavailability of Pb in contaminated soils can be highly decreased by conversion of labile Pb species into pyromorphite Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl, induced by amendment with a phosphate source. However, PO₄ ³⁻ can be specifically adsorbed on goethite α-Fe(OH)₃ present in soils. We demonstrate that despite the stability of phosphate ions adsorbed on goethite surface, the reaction between goethite-adsorbed phosphates and aqueous lead in the presence of Cl⁻ results in crystallization of pyromorphite. Two morphological forms of pyromorphite formed on goethite were observed: 1) incrustations, indicating direct reaction of Pb and Cl ions with PO₄ ³⁻ adsorbed on goethite surface, and 2) aggregates of pyromorphite crystals indicating that the reaction with PO₄ ³⁻ ions took place in the volume of the solution. This suggests that precipitation of pyromorphite is faster than desorption of phosphates and that aqueous Pb may serve as a sink for phosphate ions by shifting the equilibrium and inducing PO₄ ³⁻ desorption.     

Degradation of metronidazole by dielectric barrier discharge in an aqueous solution

The discharge characteristics during the degradation of MNZ by DBD were investigated. Increasing the discharge frequency can promote the degradation of MNZ. MNZ removal reaches 99.1% at the initial concentration of 40 ppm within 120 min. Coexisting organic matter inhibits the degradation of MNZ. The energy efficiency of DBD for MNZ removal is higher than other technologies. Degradation of metronidazole (MNZ) which is a representative and stable antibiotic by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in an aqueous solution has been studied. Effects of initial MNZ concentration, solution pH and coexisting organics on the degradation were investigated. The results illustrated that increasing the input power and the discharge frequency can improve the removal of MNZ. At low initial concentration, the removal of MNZ can reach up to 99.1%. Acidic and neutral conditions are more favorable for MNZ removal than alkaline condition in the early stage of degradation. However, the difference in MNZ removal between those in acidic or neutral media and that in alkaline one could be neglected with prolonging of the treatment time. Therefore, this method can be applied to MNZ degradation with a wide pH range. Coexisting organic matter in water can attenuate the removal to some extent. This study could provide valuable references for the degradation of nitroimidazole antibiotics by DBD.     

Removal of cyanide in aqueous solution by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in presence of activated alumina

This work is dedicated to the removal of free cyanide from aqueous solution by oxidation with hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ catalyzed by neutral activated alumina. Effects of initial molar ratio [H₂O₂]₀/[CN^?]₀, catalyst amount, pH, and temperature on cyanide removal have been examined. The presence of activated alumina has increased the reaction rate showing thus, a catalytic activity. The rate of removal of cyanides increases with rising initial molar ratio [H₂O₂]₀/[CN^?]₀ but decreases at pH 10 to 12. Increasing the alumina amount from 1.0 to 30 g/L has a beneficial effect, and increasing the temperature from 20 °C to 35 °C improves cyanide removal. The kinetics of cyanide removal has been found to be of pseudo-first-order with respect to cyanide and the rate constants have been determined.     

Female-biased sex allocation of offspring by an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apodemus</Emphasis> mouse in an unstable environment

We investigated the effects of population fluctuation on the offspring’s sex allocation by a weakly polygynous mouse, Apodemus argenteus, for 3 years. In acorn-poor seasons, heavier mothers invested more in sons, and lighter mothers invested more in daughters. In acorn-rich seasons, heavier mothers invested more in daughters, and lighter mothers invested more in sons. Maternal body condition and litter size affected the sex allocation. Furthermore, there was a maternal investment trade-off between a son’s birth mass and the number of daughters. Based upon the effect of population fluctuation on the lifetime reproductive success of each sex, we proposed the new “safe bet hypothesis”. This hypothesis predicts that frequent and unpredictable change in female distribution, which is often caused by abrupt fall in food condition, favors female-biased maternal investment to offspring by polygynous mammals and is applicable to many small mammals inhabiting in unstable environments.     

Efficient dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol in an aqueous media with a mild pH using a Pd/TiO2NTs/Ti cathode

In this study, palladium-loaded titania nanotubes was fabricated on a titanium plate (Pd/TiO₂NTs/Ti) for efficient electrodechlorination of 2,4-chlorophenol with a mild pH condition. The nature of Pd/TiO₂NTs/Ti electrodes was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The characterization results indicated the generation of Pd⁰ nanoparticles which were evenly dispersed on titania nanotubes arrays on the Pd/TiO₂NTs/Ti surface. An effective degradation efficiency of up to 91% was achieved within 60 min at cathode potential of −0.7 V (vs. SCE) and initial pH of 5.5. The effects of the applied cathode potential and initial pH on the degradation efficiency were studied. A near neutral condition was more favorable since very low and very high pHs were not conducive to the dechlorination process. Furthermore, the intermediates analysis showed that the Pd/TiO₂NTs/Ti electrode could completely remove chlorine from 2, 4-dichlorophenol since only phenol was detected as the byproduct and the concentration of released chlorine ions indicated near-complete dechlorination. This work presents a good alternative technique for eliminating persistent chlorophenols in polluted wastewater without maintaining strong acidic environment.     

Selective reduction of NO by photo-SCR with ammonia in an annular fixed-film photoreactor

Gaseous NO was photocatalytically reduced at room temperature by photo-assisted selective catalytic reduction (photo-SCR) with ammonia over TiO₂ in this study. NO reduction efficiency and N₂ selectivity were determined from gases composition at the outlet stream of photoreactor. Effect of operating conditions, e.g. light intensity and inlet concentrations of ammonia and oxygen, on the NO reduction efficiency and N₂ selectivity were discussed to determine the feasible operating condition for photocatalytic reduction of NO. Experimental results showed that selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia over TiO₂ in the presence of oxygen was a spontaneous reaction in dark. The photoirradiation on the TiO₂ surface caused remarkable photocatalytic reduction of NO to form N₂, NO₂, and N₂O under 254 nm UV illuminations, while almost 90% of N₂ selectivity was achieved in this study. The ammonia and oxygen molecules played the roles of reductant and oxidant for NO reduction and active sites regeneration, respectively. The reduction of NO was found to be increased with the increase of inlet ammonia and oxygen concentrations until specific concentrations because of the limited active sites on the surface of TiO₂. The kinetic model proposed in this study can be used to reasonably describe the reaction mechanism of photo-SCR.     

高效液相色谱-荧光检测法同时测定畜禽粪便中4种磺胺类药物残留

建立了高效液相色谱-荧光检测法测定畜禽粪便中4种磺胺药物(磺胺甲基嘧啶(SM1)、磺胺氯哒嗪(SCP)、磺胺邻二甲氧嘧啶(SDM’)、磺胺喹噁啉(SQ))的方法.样品用25 mL甲醇提取3次,合并提取液,浓缩干燥,用0.1 mol.L-1的HCL溶解残渣,经荧光胺衍生化后,用反相C18柱为分离柱,以乙腈∶0.5%乙酸=40∶60(V/V)为流动相进行洗脱,20 min内分离4种药物.在0.05—5.00μg.mL-1范围内,4种磺胺类药物的峰面积与质量浓度的线性关系良好(R2≥0.999),SM1、SCP、SDM’、SQ的定量限(LOQ)分别为2.3、6.3、4.3和9.6μg.kg-1;添加水平为50、100、1000μg.kg-1时,SM1、SCP、SDM’、SQ的回收率分别为74.91%—81.82%、78.45%—91.43%和86.10%—92.88%,RSD小于8.82%.