Enhanced photocatalytic activity using GO/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst for the removal of DCA solutions

This work aimed to optimize high-performance photocatalysts based on graphene oxide/titanium dioxide (GO/TiO₂) nanocomposites for the effective degradation of aqueous pollutants. The catalytic activity was tested against the degradation of dichloroacetic acid (DCA), a by-product of disinfection processes that is present in many industrial wastewaters and effluents. GO/TiO₂ photocatalysts were prepared using three different methods, hydrothermal, solvothermal, and mechanical, and varying the GO/TiO₂ ratio in the range of 1 to 10%. Several techniques were applied to characterize the catalysts, and better coupling of GO and TiO₂ was observed in the thermally synthesized composites. Although the results obtained for DCA degradation showed a coupled influence of the composite preparation method and its composition, promising results were obtained with the photocatalysts compared to the limited activity of conventional TiO₂. In the best case, corresponding to the composite synthesized via hydrothermal method with 5% of GO/TiO₂ weight ratio, an enhancement of 2.5 times of the photocatalytic degradation yield of DCA was obtained compared to bare TiO₂, thus opening more efficient ways to promote the application of photocatalytic remediation technologies.     

Honeybees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>) as a biological barrier for contamination of honey by environmental toxic metals

The aim of the study was to investigate the transfer of toxic metals from honeybee workers (Apis mellifera L.) to bee honey in relation to the ecological state of the environment. The materials of the study consisted of samples of honeybee bodies and varietal honeys taken from the same apiary located in three areas: R1—urbanized (16), R2—ecologically clean (16) and R3—industrialized (15) of south-eastern Poland. The contents of 14 elements in all tested samples, including toxic metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Al, Ni, Tl) as well as bioelements (K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se), were analysed by the ICP-OES method with prior microwave mineralization. The concentrations of the majority of the studied elements, excluding aluminum and lead, were significantly higher in bee bodies than in honey samples (P?<?0.05). The pollution of bee bodies by toxic metals was dependent on the environmental cleanliness, and the most pollution was observed in the industrialized area. The bee body was the most effective barrier for Cd and Tl transfer to the honey, while the level of Ni was similar in both tested materials. The Al concentration was significantly higher in honey than bee bodies (14.81?±?24.69 and 6.51?±?5.83 mg kg^?1, respectively), which suggests the possibility of secondary contamination of honey. The greatest sensitivity to heavy metal pollution was observed in honeydew honey compared to nectar honeys (P?<?0.05). It was proved for the first time that bees work as biofilters for toxic metals and prevent honey contamination.     

Effects of coal spoil amendment on heavy metal accumulation and physiological aspects of ryegrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lolium perenne</Emphasis> L.) growing in copper mine tailings

Copper mine tailings pose many threats to the surrounding environment and human health, and thus, their remediation is fundamental. Coal spoil is the waste by-product of coal mining and characterized by low levels of metals, high content of organic matter, and many essential microelements. This study was designed to evaluate the role of coal spoil on heavy uptake and physiological responses of Lolium perenne L. grown in copper mine tailings amended with coal spoil at rates of 0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 20%. The results showed that applying coal spoil to copper mine tailings decreased the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn contents in tailings and reduced those metal contents in both roots and shoots of the plant. However, application of coal spoil increased the DTPA-extractable Cr concentration in tailings and also increased Cr uptake and accumulation by Lolium perenne L. The statistical analysis of physiological parameters indicated that chlorophyll and carotenoid increased at the lower amendments of coal spoil followed by a decrease compared to their respective controls. Protein content was enhanced at all the coal spoil amendments. When treated with coal spoil, the activities of superoxide dismutases (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) responded differently. CAT activity was inhibited, but POD activity was increased with increasing amendment ratio of coal spoil. SOD activity increased up to 1% coal spoil followed by a decrease. Overall, the addition of coal spoil decreased the oxidative stress in Lolium perenne L., reflected by the reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the plant. It is concluded that coal spoil has the potential to stabilize most metals studied in copper mine tailings and ameliorate the harmful effects in Lolium perenne L. through changing the physiological attributes of the plant grown in copper mine tailings.     

Measurement of the surface charge of ultrafine particles from laser printers and analysis of their electrostatic force

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) released from laser printers are electrostatically charged during the working processes of the devices, and the electrostatic force can obviously influence the dynamics of the particles. Due to the measurement difficulty and scarcity of relevant research, this issue was not reported. This study tried to address this issue through experimental measurement of the surface charge of UFPs and numerical investigation on the influence of electrostatic force on the dynamics of UFPs. A test chamber was set up to collect the UFPs, and the Scanning Electron Microscope was used to observe the morphologies of the UFPs. Based on the particle diameter and surface zeta potential, the surface charge of UFPs was calculated. The measurement results gave that particle emitted from laser printers are negatively charged and the average surface charge of particle emissions for four laser printers is in a range of about ?4.16 × 10^?17 to ?6.07 × 10^?17 C (～?260 to ?379 e). This paper also discussed the influence of electrostatic force on the dynamics of UFPs. According to the numerical investigation, it was found that, in the absence of electric field, the electrostatic force has to be considered when the surface charge is larger than 1 × 10^?16 C and when the UFP is very close to the wall with a distance of less than 0.01 m. These findings will guide constructively in predicting the dispersion and deposition of particles emitted from laser printers.     

臭氧光催化降解水中甲醛的研究

研究比较了3种光化学方法对水中低浓度甲醛的降解效果,考察了初始pH值、甲醛浓度和臭氧投加速率等因素对臭氧光催化(TiO_2/UV/O_3)降解甲醛的影响。结果表明,紫外臭氧(UV/O_3)、光催化(TiO_2/UV)和TiO_2/UV/O_3对甲醛的降解均符合表观一级反应动力学,TiO_2/UV/O_3降解甲醛的一级表观速率常数大于TiO_2/UV与UV/O_3之和,说明臭氧、光催化有明显的协同作用。pH值对臭氧光催化降解甲醛的速率几乎没有影响;甲醛初始浓度增加,表观反应速率常数下降,但甲醛的绝对去除量仍随初始浓度的增加而显著增加;臭氧投加速率增加,降解速率增加。甲醛降解的主要中间产物为甲酸,但甲酸在臭氧光催化反应过程中也快速降解而被矿化,说明臭氧光催化是一种能安全有效去除甲醛的方法。     

生物法-人工湿地组合工艺处理小城镇混合污水研究

为适应小城镇污水处理高效、低耗、管理简单的要求,开展了生物法(水解酸化/生物接触氧化)-人工湿地组合工艺(A/BCO-CW)处理小城镇片区混合污水的研究。结果表明,A/BCO系统在停留时间为3～6 h条件下,对悬浮物和有机物有高的去除效率,COD、BOD5和TSS去除率分别达到63.1%、67.7%和66.2%,避免了人工湿地堵塞和提高处理效率,减少了所需湿地面积44%。全年运行结果表明,在0.30～0.59 m/d水力负荷率下,垂直流-表面流-水平潜流人工湿地组合系统对COD、BOD5和TSS平均去除负荷达9.4、5.1和7.2 g/(m2.d)(42%、71.2%和85.2%);COD、BOD5去除速率常数为74.6±12.1 m/y、166±30.5 m/y,这些数值均处于文献中k值范围的高量程内。A/BCO-人工湿地系统对COD、BOD5和TSS具有好的处理效果,出水水质能够稳定达到《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838-2002)的IV类水标准,2种处理方法有效组合起来,所开发的低成本、高效率、可持续运行的城镇废水处理组合系统,将会在实际应用尤其是高有机负荷污水处理中发挥良好效用。     

An urban emissions inventory for South America and its application in numerical modeling of atmospheric chemical composition at local and regional scales

This work describes the development of an urban vehicle emissions inventory for South America, based on the analysis and aggregation of available inventories for major cities, with emphasis on its application in regional atmospheric chemistry modeling. Due to the limited number of available local inventories, urban emissions were extrapolated based on the correlation between city vehicle density and mobile source emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Emissions were geographically distributed using a methodology that delimits urban areas using high spatial resolution remote sensing products. This numerical algorithm enabled a more precise representation of urban centers. The derived regional inventory was evaluated by analyzing the performance of a chemical weather forecast model in relation to observations of CO, NOx and O₃ in two different urban areas, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. The gas mixing ratios simulated using the proposed regional inventory show good agreement with observations, consistently representing their hourly and daily variability. These results show that the integration of municipal inventories in a regional emissions map and their precise distribution in fine scale resolutions are important tools in regional atmospheric chemistry modeling.     

超声协同TiO_2光催化降解4,4′-二溴联苯

以纳米TiO2膜为光催化剂,对4,4′-二溴联苯水溶液进行了超声光催化(US+UV)、光催化(UV)和超声(US)降解,探讨了初始浓度、超声的声强和频率等对降解4,4′-二溴联苯的影响。结果表明,4,4′-二溴联苯的超声光催化降解存在协同效应,降解率随4,4′-二溴联苯初始浓度的增大而下降,随声强和频率的增大而增大。超声光催化过程符合一级动力学方程,反应数率常数为0.011 min-1。超声光催化与光催化的降解产物不同。     

天然矿物复合陶瓷材料制备及对印染废水脱色的研究

印染废水是水污染的重要来源之一,是目前较难处理与急需处理的工业废水。天然矿物材料通过吸附、光催化降解等作用可有效去除印染废水中的染料分子。为了开发新型环境矿物材料,采用白云石、菱镁矿等天然矿物作为原材料经粉碎、配料、造粒、烧结、水洗合成天然矿物复合陶瓷材料,用于印染废水的脱色。对酸性黑10B和直接混纺蓝D-3GL2种不同性质的染料废水进行了定量脱色研究。研究表明,当材料投加量为8 g/L,处理时间12 h,pH2~8,对2种废水均有95%以上的去除率;经800℃煅烧15 min的工艺进行再生活化,实现了陶瓷材料的循环使用。此方法制得的天然矿物复合陶瓷材料微孔结构明显,机械强度高,散失率低,解决了粉末材料在废水脱色过程中存在的固液难以分离的问题。     

废纸造纸废水结垢原因及防治对策研究

针对无锡某废纸造纸企业产生的污水经厌氧-好氧-化学混凝处理后,出水在放流池产生结垢现状,对各段污水中主要离子浓度进行跟踪分析,并对结垢的组分、结垢原因、机理和防治结垢对策进行了探讨。结果表明:垢样的主要成分为CaCO3;污水中含有较高浓度的钙离子和碳酸氢根离子是导致结垢的主要原因,较高的水温、pH值、流速、流动状态、池壁的粗糙程度以及PAC的投加对结垢也有一定的影响;最佳防治对策为使用Ca(OH)2+PAM代替PAC+PAM混凝,保证COD达标排放同时,也解决了出水结垢问题。