Chemically modified biochar produced from conocarpus waste increases NO<Subscript>3</Subscript> removal from aqueous solutions

Biochar has emerged as a universal sorbent for the removal of contaminants from water and soil. However, its efficiency is lower than that of commercially available sorbents. Engineering biochar by chemical modification may improve its sorption efficiency. In this study, conocarpus green waste was chemically modified with magnesium and iron oxides and then subjected to thermal pyrolysis to produce biochar. These chemically modified biochars were tested for NO₃ removal efficiency from aqueous solutions in batch sorption isothermal and kinetic experiments. The results revealed that MgO-biochar outperformed other biochars with a maximum NO₃ sorption capacity of 45.36 mmol kg^?1 predicted by the Langmuir sorption model. The kinetics data were well described by the Type 1 pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption as the dominating mechanism of NO₃ sorption onto biochars. Greater efficiency of MgO-biochar was related to its high specific surface area (391.8 m² g^?1) and formation of strong ionic complexes with NO₃. At an initial pH of 2, more than 89 % NO₃ removal efficiency was observed for all of the biochars. We conclude that chemical modification can alter the surface chemistry of biochar, thereby leading to enhanced sorption capacity compared with simple biochar.     

pH dependent synthesis and characterization of bismuth molybdate nanostructure for photocatalysis degradation of organic pollutants

Bismuth molybdate (Bi₂MoO₆) nanostructures has attracted many researches as an advanced photocalysts for the organic contaminants. In this paper, bismuth molybdate Bi₂MoO₆ nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method at varied pH (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) for 15 h at 180 °C. The results reveal the variation pH precursor solutions have a significant impact on the morphology, phase formations, and photocatalytic activity of samples. The synthesized samples at low pH level were characterized by FESEM analysis revealing Bi₂MoO₆ nanoplates have formed while gradually convert to Bi₂MoO₆ spherical nanoparticle at high PH level as shown in energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (DES) peaks. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal characteristic peaks corresponding to mixed phases of Bi₂MoO₆ and cubic Bi₄MoO₉ at high pH value. The optical absorption study exhibit Bi₂MoO₆ nanoplates absorbed visible light with blue shift when compared to the cubic Bi₄MoO₉ structures. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity results revealed that nanoplates in pH?=?4 sample has excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation of rhodamine (RhB), methylene orange (MO), and phenol under visible-light irradiation (λ?>?400 nm) as well as exhibit the photodegradation 90% of phenol within 300 min.

     

Therapeutic effect of dithiophenolato chitosan nanocomposites against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Our previous study showed that dithiophenolate (DTP) and its chitosan nanoparticles (DTP-CSNPs) have abilities to bind with DNA helixes. So in this...     

Sustainability assurance practices: a systematic review and future research agenda

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Although firms increasingly publish sustainability reports, assuring such reports is relatively new. This study reviews the literature of...     

A comprehensive review of hydrophobic silica and composite aerogels: synthesis,properties and recent progress towards environmental remediation and biomedical applications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The hydrophobicity of silica and composite aerogels has enabled them to acquire applications in a variety of fields. With remarkable structural,...     

Impact of petroleum industry on goats in Saudi Arabia: heavy metal accumulation,oxidative stress,and tissue injury

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metals (HMs) constitute a group of persistent toxic pollutants, and the petroleum industry is one of the sources of these metals. This study...     

Rice straw for energy and value-added products in China: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The rise of global waste and the decline of fossil fuels are calling for recycling waste into energy and materials. For example, rice straw, a by-product of rice...     

Development of Eco-friendly Probiotic Edible Coatings Based on Chitosan,Alginate and Carboxymethyl Cellulose for Improving the Shelf Life of UF Soft Cheese

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The objective of the current work was to evaluate the efficiency of novel antimicrobial edible coatings based on chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and...     

Ziziphus spina-christi leaf extract attenuates mercuric chloride-induced liver injury in male rats via inhibition of oxidative damage

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heavy metal contamination including mercury (Hg) has become one of the most serious environmental problems facing humans and other living organisms....     

Green synthesis,characterization, application and functionality of nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A facile, feasible, and green synthesis via an electrochemical exfoliation process was applied to synthesize nitrogen-doped MgO/graphene nanocomposite...