A review on the formation of titania nanotube photocatalysts by hydrothermal treatment

Titania nanotubes are gaining prominence in photocatalysis, owing to their excellent physical and chemical properties such as high surface area, excellent photocatalytic activity, and widespread availability. They are easily produced by a simple and effective hydrothermal method under mild temperature and pressure conditions. This paper reviews and analyzes the mechanism of titania nanotube formation by hydrothermal treatment. It further examines the parameters that affect the formation of titania nanotubes, such as starting material, sonication pretreatment, hydrothermal temperature, washing process, and calcination process. Finally, the effects of the presence of dopants on the formation of titania nanotubes are analyzed.     

Research on OREMS-based large-scale emergency evacuation using vehicles

In densely populated urban areas, in the event of the toxic gases leak, how to accurately determine the risky zone and take effective measures to evacuate inhabitants quickly out of dangerous areas and minimize the unexpected losses is a tropical topic in China. First, the ALOHA code defined any interested accidents scenarios. For any different exposure times and concentrations, the distances down wind direction could be determined, which eventually generated the dead zone, wounded zone, injured zone and evacuation zone. Then, it presented the procedure of an emergency evacuation routes selection, the choice of the principle of refuges and shelters for evacuated inhabitants, as well as evacuation traffic organizations, vehicle assignments, real-time communications and other traffic evacuation strategies. Finally, the OREMS code was proposed to study the sudden leak accident and design emergency response policies (ERP). A sudden gaseous leakage incident in Tianjin Olympic stadium was chosen as an example to verify the raw ERP including the evacuation road network design, the evacuation time for vehicles, vehicle running conditions and the possible road congestions. Results showed that when the radium of the emergency evacuation scope is about 3 km, the time for evacuation of 50% vehicles is proper.     

聚合氯化铝-高锰酸钾-羟基氧化铁复合强化混凝微污染原水

选用聚合氯化铝（PAC）与高锰酸钾、羟基氧化铁进行复配,强化混凝处理微污染原水。研究了复合混凝剂投加量、反应时间、进水pH、进水有机物浓度等对混凝效果的影响及絮体的沉淀性能。结果表明,PAC-KMnO4-β-FeOOH三元复合混凝剂具有显著的强化混凝效果,与相同条件下单投PAC及PAC-KMnO4二元复合混凝相比,TOC去除率分别提高了30%与20%。达到相同的浊度去除效果,三元复配混凝剂可缩短27%~50%的反应时间,减少65%~75%的沉淀时间。进水pH、有机物浓度在一定范围内变动时,PAC-KMnO4-β-FeOOH三元复合混凝剂对浊度与TOC的去除率均高于单投PAC的处理效果,三元复合混凝剂具有较强的抗水质变化冲击能力。     

Multivariate analysis for spatial distribution of dissolved organic matters in a large river-type dam reservoir

In contrast to extensive studies of dissolved organic matters (DOM) in natural lakes, the distributions and the characteristics of DOM in artificial dam reservoirs have not been well documented despite a growing demand for the construction worldwide. For this study, spatial variations in the concentrations and the characteristics of DOM in Lake Paldang, a large river-type dam reservoir, were investigated using the concentrations, the specific UV absorbance (SUVA), the synchronous fluorescence spectra and the molecular weight (MW(w)) values. In addition, environmental factors determining the DOM spatial distribution were examined based on a principal component analysis (PCA). Variations in the DOM characteristics were greater than those for the concentrations (1.1-2.4 mg C/L). In contrast to typical lakes, vertical variations with a depth were much smaller than those observed among horizontal sampling sites within the reservoir. Irrespective of the depth, four individual sampling locations were easily distinguished by comparison of some selected DOM characteristics. The protein-like fluorescence (PLF), MW(w) and SUVA values observed at the location near the dam exceeded the corresponding values for the sampling locations near major influent rivers, suggesting that, even for the river-type dam reservoir, the downstream DOM characteristics may be governed by in-lake DOM production processes such as the release from sediments and algal activities. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that approximately 61% of the variance in DOM distribution might be explained by allochthonous/autochthonous carbon sources and predominant presence of either total nitrogen or total phosphorous over the other.     

Effects of relative humidity and PM2.5 chemical compositions on visibility impairment in Chengdu, China

To better understand the potential causes of visibility impairment in autumn and winter in Chengdu, relative humidity(RH), visibility, the concentrations of PM_(2.5) and its chemical components were on-line measured continuously in Chengdu from Nov. 2016 to Jan. 2017.Six obvious haze episodes occurred in Chengdu, with the total time of haze episodes accounted for more than 90% of the total observation period, and higher NO_2 concentrations and RH were related to the high particle concentrations in haze episodes. The visibility decreased in a non-linear tendency under different RH conditions with the increase of PM_(2.5) concentrations, which was more sensitive to RH under lower PM_(2.5) concentrations. The threshold concentration of PM_(2.5) got more smaller with the increase of RH. During the entire observation period, organic matter(OM) was the largest contributor(31.12% to extinction coefficient(bext)), followed by NH_4NO_3 and(NH_4)_2SO_4 with 28.03% and 23.01%, respectively.However, with the visibility impairment from Type I(visibility 10 km) to Type IV(visibility ≤ 2 km), the contribution of OM to bextdecreased from 38.12% to 26.77%, while the contribution of NH_4NO_3 and(NH_4)_2SO_4 to bextincreased from 19.09% and 20.20% to 34.29% and 24.35%, respectively, and NH_4NO_3 became the largest contributor to bextat Type IV. The results showed that OM and NH_4NO_3 were the key components of PM_(2.5) for visibility impairment in Chengdu, indicating that the control of precursors emissions of carbonaceous species and NH_4NO_3 could effectively improve the visibility in Chengdu.     

Prospect of China's ambient air quality standards

Ambient air quality standards are the core strategic goal of ambient air quality management. Countries worldwide have given importance to research on the development of ambient air quality standards. To understand the history of the development of China's ambient air quality standards, this study analyzed the background associated with all previous formulations and revisions of the standards, classification of functional areas, standard grading, pollutants, and evolution of the standard limits over the past 40 years. The results show that since the initial release of the “Ambient Air Quality Standard” by China in 1982, it has been supplemented once, revised twice, and modified twice. The first ambient air quality standard specified the standard limits of six pollutants commonly found in ambient air. With the development of ambient air quality management, the number of pollutants has increased to ten. Since the release of the “Ambient Air Quality Standards” in 2012, the ambient air quality in China has significantly improved. However, the proportion of cities meeting these standards is still low. At present, China is suitably positioned to make the standards associated with 24 hr SO₂ concentrations more stringent such that it meets the values defined in the World Health Organization (WHO) interim target-2 and the WHO air quality guideline (AQG). We further suggested that the SO₂ standard should be revised promptly. Simultaneously, regions with a relatively high proportion of cities meeting the standard are encouraged to introduce more stringent interim target limits in due course to manage the local ambient air quality.     

Advanced Aerogels from Wool Waste Fibers for Oil Spill Cleaning Applications

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Oil spills causes severe degradation to marine ecosystems and poses long term health effects on many animals on the food chain, including humans. A...     

Green synthesis of ZrO2 nanoparticles and nanocomposites for biomedical and environmental applications: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Pollution and diseases such as the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) are major issues that may be solved partly by nanotechnology. Here we review the synthesis of...     

Green environmental technologies and waste utilization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Impact of simulated acid rain on the growth of three species Brassica integrifolia,Brassica rapa,Brassica juncea in Hanoi,Vietnam

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Over the past decade, the extent and magnitude of acid rain in Vietnam and other Asian countries have become more apparent. In this study, the effect...