Synthesis of α-Fe2O3 nanofibers for applications in removal and recovery of Cr(VI) from wastewater

Purpose

Nanomaterials such as iron oxides and ferrites have been intensively investigated for water treatment and environmental remediation applications. The purpose of this work is to synthesize α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers for potential applications in removal and recovery of noxious Cr(VI) from wastewater.

Methods

α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route followed by calcination. The crystallographic structure and the morphology of the as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted, and Fourier transform infrared spectra were recorded before and after adsorption to investigate the Cr(VI) removal performance and adsorption mechanism. Langmuir and Freundlich modes were employed to analyze the adsorption behavior of Cr(VI) on the α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers.

Results

Very thin and porous α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers have been successfully synthesized for investigation of Cr(VI) removal capability from synthetic wastewater. Batch experiments revealed that the as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers exhibited excellent Cr(VI) removal performance with a maximum adsorption capacity of 16.17 mg g^?1. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity almost kept unchanged after recycling and reusing. The Cr(VI) adsorption process was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetics model, and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° at 298 K were calculated to be ?26.60 kJ?mol^?1, ?3.32 kJ?mol^?1, and 78.12 J?mol^?1 K^?1, respectively.

Conclusions

The as-prepared α-Fe₂O₃ nanofibers can be utilized as efficient low-cost nano-absorbents for removal and recovery of Cr(VI) from wastewater.     

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus and organonitrogen pesticides residues in Angelica sinensis

Gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD) was applied to the simultaneous determination of 15 organophosphorus and 6 organonitrogen pesticides residues in Angelica sinensis. The pesticides were extracted by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) techniques, respectively. The experimental variables were optimized through orthogonal array experimental design. Cleanup of extracts was performed with column chromatography using florisil and neutral aluminum as the sorbents. The determination of pesticides in the final extracts was carried out by GC-NPD. Under optimized conditions, the average recoveries obtained from MAE and UAE are in the range of 75.1–129% and 70.6–129%, respectively, and the relative standard deviations of MAE and UAE were 3.1–10.6% and 1.0–17.8%, respectively.     

Geofractionation of heavy metals and application of indices for pollution prediction in paddy field soil of Tumpat, Malaysia

The present study investigates the concentration of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu in the paddy field soils collected from Tumpat, Kelantan. Soil samples were treated with sequential extraction to distinguish the anthropogenic and lithogenic origin of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu. ELFE and oxidizable-organic fractions were detected as the lowest accumulation of Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu. Therefore, all the heavy metals examined were concentrated, particularly in resistant fraction, indicating that those heavy metals occurred and accumulated in an unavailable form. The utilization of agrochemical fertilizers and pesticides might not elevate the levels of heavy metals in the paddy field soils. In comparison, the enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index for Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, and Cu suggest that these heavy metals have the potential to cause environmental risk, although they present abundance in resistant fraction. Therefore, a complete study should be conducted based on the paddy cycle, which in turn could provide a clear picture of heavy metals distribution in the paddy field soils.     

Vinegar residue compost as a growth substrate enhances cucumber resistance against the Fusarium wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum by regulating physiological and biochemical responses

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Fusarium wilt caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) is the most severe soil-borne disease attacking cucumber. To assess the...     

南通平原河网地区典型农田系统地下水硝态氮污染调查

针对平原河网地区典型农田系统灌溉施肥带来的地下水环境污染问题,采集南通地区蔬菜地、水稻-小麦轮作地、水稻-油菜轮作地和桑地地下水样品,分析了不同农田种植体系下的地下水污染程度。结果表明,蔬菜、桑地、水稻-油菜轮作、水稻-小麦轮作地地下水的硝态氮(N)平均值分别为12.2,9.53,7.95和6.12 mg/L,与氮肥用量呈显著的正相关关系;研究区域地下水硝态氮超Ⅲ类标准率(20 mg/L)的为4.8%,表明地下水已部分受到硝态氮污染。     

An evaluation of improvements in the air quality of Beijing arising from the use of new vehicle emission standards

An innovative approach of mean emission by vehicle type was used in this paper to assess the impact of new vehicle emission standards in Beijing, China during the period of 2000–2005. It was found that CO and NO_x emissions decreased by 48% and 23%, respectively, from Type O (before 2000) to Type I (year 2000) vehicles. The reductions from Type O to Type II (year 2002) vehicles were 85% and 73% for CO and NO_x, respectively. When all three types of vehicles (Types O, I and II) are combined, the annual per vehicle CO emissions decreased from 586 kg per vehicle per year in 2000 to 324 kg per vehicle per year in 2005, while that of NO_x decreased from 66.9 to 43.4 kg per vehicle per year, which was mainly resulted from the impact of stringent new vehicle emission standards implemented in years 2000 and 2002. However, the vehicle population increased by 70% during the same time period, which offset the impact of cleaner vehicles. Thus, the total vehicle emission decreased little for CO (885,000 tons in 2000, 837,000 tons in 2005) and even increased slightly for NO_x (101,000 and 112,000 tons in 2000 and 2005, respectively). The ambient concentrations of CO decreased significantly throughout 2000–2005, the same trend was not observed for NO₂. Correlation analysis (grey correlation and Pearson correlation) between the annual vehicle emissions and annual concentrations of CO, the annual NO_x emission and annual NO₂ concentration indicated that the implementation of new vehicle emission standards was associated with the abatement of ambient CO and NO₂ concentrations in Beijing.     

Determination of the herbicide fluroxypyr in oil matrices

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for the determination of fluroxypyr (4-amino-3,5-dichloro-6-fluro2-pyridyloxyacetic acid) residue in palm oil namely crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO). The method involves the extraction of the herbicide from the oil matrix followed by low temperature precipitation and finally quantification of the residues using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extraction efficiency of the method was evaluated by conducting recovery studies. The recovery of fluroxypyr from the fortified CPO samples ranged from 78%-111% with the relative values for the coefficient of variation ranging from 1.4 to 8.6%. Furthermore, the recovery of fluroxypyr from the spiked CPKO samples ranged from 91-107% with the relative values for the coefficient of variation ranging from 0.6 to 4.5%. The minimum detection limit of fluroxypyr in CPO and CPKO was 0.05 microg/g. The method was used to determine fluroxypyr residues from the field-treated samples of CPO and CPKO. When fluroxypyr was used for weed control in oil palm plantations no residue was detected in CPO and CPKO irrespective of the sampling interval and the dosage applied at the recommended or double the manufacturer's recommended dosage.     

阳离子聚合物改性膨润土对六价铬的吸附特性研究

采用阳离子聚合物聚环氧氯丙烷二甲铵（EPIDMA）和聚二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵（PDMDAAC）分别对钠基膨润土进行了改性,研究了改性膨润土吸附Cr(Ⅵ)的主要影响因素.结果表明,膨润土经阳离子聚合物改性处理后,吸附Cr(Ⅵ)的能力提高了5倍以上.改性膨润土所使用的阳离子聚合物量、阳离子聚合物/膨润土的投加量、溶液pH值、温度、振荡时间影响其对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附行为.阳离子聚合物负载量分别为99.6 mg/g的EPIDMA/Bt和55.1 mg/g的PDMDAAC/Bt,在20℃、pH=4.0的溶液中,投加量为10 g/L反应120 min时,对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量分别为0.71 mg/g和0.56 mg/g.EPIDMA/Bt和PDMDAAC/Bt对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附符合伪二级动力学方程和Langmuir等温吸附模式.     

上海市空气质量变化的多重分形分析

以上海市2000年7月至2006年6月的污染指数时间序列为基础数据,引入多重分形分析方法对上海市的大气污染特征及其变化趋势进行了研究.研究表明,上海市的3种主要大气污染物(SO2、NO2和PM10)在整个时间尺度上均表现出标度不变性,具有完全不同的多重分形特征.多重分形分析方法不仅能确认序列中的标度不变性,而且能说明3种大气污染物序列中概率分布的标度变化,这对于描述大气污染物时间序列的动力学变化具有现实意义.另外,进一步应用3个多重分形谱参数(B、△a和△f),研究了3种大气污染物各年的多重分形谱的变化,并结合上海市采取的大气环境治理措施,对其变化的原因进行了分析.结果表明,多重分形谱参数可作为一个评价城市空气质量演变程度的综合定量指标.为分析城市空气质量的演变提供了一条新的途径,对于认识上海市城市空气质量的变化过程和科学制订环境保护决策具有重要意义.     

钾肥对土壤-辣椒体系中铅生物有效性的影响

在重金属中、轻度污染的土壤土,开展施肥对蔬菜安全生产的研究,对于减少重金属进入食物链、提高农产品的安全性具有重要意义。因此,本研究采用盆栽试验,探讨了不同用量的硫酸钾和氯化钾对辣椒（Capsicum annuum L．）吸收、累积铅的效应及对土壤铅植物有效性的影响。结果表明,硫酸钾能显著促进辣椒生长,降低辣椒根、茎叶及果实中铅含量,土壤有效态铅含量亦随着硫酸钾用量的增加而有所降低;低用量的氯化钾也能促进辣椒的生长,但随着氯化钾用量的增加,辣椒各部分生物量反而降低,其茎叶和果实铅含量也显著增加,而土壤DTPA-Pb含量则没有明显的变化趋势。因此,硫酸钾在控制辣椒吸收重金属铅方面较氯化钾有较好的效果,在类似铅污染农田中可以成为保障辣椒安全生产的简单易行、经济实惠的农艺措施。