Pb(II) removal from water using Fe-coated bamboo charcoal with the assistance of microwaves

Bamboo charcoal(BC) was used as starting material to prepare iron-modified bamboo charcoal(Fe-MBC) by its impregnation in FeCl 3 and HNO 3 solutions simultaneously,followed by microwave heating.The material can be used as an adsorbent for Pb(Ⅱ) contaminants removal in water.The composites were prepared with Fe molar concentration of 0.5,1.0 and 2.0 mol/L and characterized by means of N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms,X-ray diffraction spectroscopy(XRD),scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(SEM-EDS),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) and point of zero charge(pH pzc) measurements.Nitrogen adsorption analyses showed that the BET specific surface area and total pore volume increased with iron impregnation.The adsorbent with Fe molar concentration of 2 mol/L(2Fe-MBC) exhibited the highest surface area and produced the best pore structure.The Pb(Ⅱ) adsorption process of 2Fe-MBC and BC were evaluated in batch experiments and 2Fe-MBC showed an excellent adsorption capability for removal Pb(Ⅱ).The adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) strongly depended on solution pH,with maximum values at pH 5.0.The ionic strength had a significant effect on the adsorption at pH < 6.0.The adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir isotherm model well,and the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(Ⅱ) was 200.38 mg/g for 2Fe-MBC.The adsorption processes were well fitted by a pseudo second-order kinetic model.Thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of Pb(Ⅱ) onto Fe-MBC was feasible,spontaneous,and exothermic under the studied conditions,and the ion exchange mechanism played an significant role.These results have important implications for the design of low-cost and effective adsorbents in the removal of Pb(Ⅱ) from wastewater.     

Removal of Cd2+ from water by Friedel’s salt (FS: 3CaO.Al2O3·CaCl2·10H2O): Sorption characteristics and mechanisms

The development of low-cost and efficient new mineral adsorbents has been a hot topic in recent years. In this study, Friedel’s salt (FS:3CaO·A12O3 ·CaCl2 ·10H2O), a hexagonal layered inorganic absorbent, was synthesized to remove Cd2+ from water. The adsorption process was simulated by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption mechanism was further analyzed with TEM, XRD, FT-IR analysis and monitoring of metal cations released and solution pH variation. The results indicated the adsorbent FS had an outstanding ability for Cd(Ⅱ) adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacity of the FS for Cd(Ⅱ) removal can reach up to 671.14 mg/g. The nearly equal numbers of Cd2+ adsorbed and Ca2+ released demonstrated that ion-exchange (both surface and inner) of the FS for Cd(Ⅱ) played an important role during the adsorption process. Furthermore, the surface of the FS after adsorption was microscopically disintegrated while the inner lamellar structure was almost unchanged. The behavior of Cd(Ⅱ) adsorption by FS was significantly affected by surface reactions. The mechanisms of Cd2+ adsorption by the FS mainly included surface complexation and surface precipitation. In the present study, the adsorption process was fitted better by the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.9999) than the Freundlich isotherm model (R2 = 0.8122). Finally, due to the high capacity for ion-exchange on the FS surface, FS is a promising layered inorganic adsorbent for the removal of Cd(Ⅱ) from water.     

Effects of physical and chemical characteristics of surface sediments in the formation of shallow lake algae-induced black bloom

Surface sediments are closely related to lake black blooms. The dissolved oxygen （DO） distribution and its penetration depth in surface sediments as well as the migration and transformation of redox sensitive elements such as Fe and S at the sediment-water interface are important factors that could influence the formation of the black bloom. In this study, dredged and undredged sediment cores with different surface properties were used to simulate black blooms in the laboratory. The Micro Profiling System was employed to explore features of the DO and ∑H2S distribution at the sediment-water interface. Physical and chemical characteristics in sediments and pore waters were also analyzed. The results showed that sediment dredging effectively suppressed the black blooms. In the undredged treatment, DO penetration depth was only 50 μm. Fe^2＋ concentrations, ∑H2S concentrations, and ∑H2S production rates were remarkably higher in surface sediments and pore waters compared to control and dredged treatments. Furthermore, depletion of DO and accumulation of Fe^2＋ and ∑H2S in surface sediments and pore waters provided favorable redox environments and necessary material sources for the blooms. The study results proved that physical and chemical characteristics in surface sediments are important factors in the formation of the black bloom, and could provide scientific guidance for emergency treatment and long-term pre-control of black blooms.     

Entrepreneur environment management behavior evaluation method derived from environmental economy

Evaluation system can encourage and guide entrepreneurs, and impel them to perform well in environment management. An evaluation method based on advantage structure is established. It is used to analyze entrepreneur environment management behavior in China. Entrepreneur environment management behavior evaluation index system is constructed based on empirical research. Evaluation method of entrepreneurs is put forward, from the point of objective programming-theory to alert entrepreneurs concerned to think much of it, which means to take minimized objective function as comprehensive evaluation result and identify disadvantage structure pattern. Application research shows that overall behavior of Chinese entrepreneurs environmental management are good, specially, environment strategic behavior are best, environmental management behavior are second, cultural behavior ranks last. Application results show the efficiency and feasibility of this method.     

Research on the evolvement of morphology of coking coal during the coking process

The evolvement of morphology and structure of the coal with different metamorphic degrees during coking process in the vertical furnace was investigated by infrared Image detector. Moreover, the temperature distribution in the radial direction and the crack formation were also studied in heating process. The results show that the amount of crack and the shrinkage level of char decrease with the coal rank rising. In addition, the initial temperature of crack formation for char increases with the coal rank rising.     

Characterization of typical taste and odor compounds formed by Microcystis aeruginosa

Production and characteristics of typical taste and odor (T&O) compounds by Microcystis aeruginosa were investigated. A few terpenoid chemicals, including 2-MIB, β-cyclocitral, and β-ionone, and a few sulfur compounds, such as dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl trisulfide, were detected. β-Cyclocitral and β-carotene concentrations were observed to be relevant to the growth phases of Microcystis. During the stable growth phase, 41-865 fg/cell of β-cyclocitral were found in the laboratory culture. β-Cyclocitral concentrations correlated closely with β-carotene concentrations, with the correlation coefficient R2 = 0.96, as it is formed from the cleavage reaction of β-carotene. For dead cell cases, a high concentration of dimethyl trisulfide was detected at 3.48-6.37 fg/cell. Four T&O compounds, including β-cyclocitral, β-ionone, heptanal and dimethyl trisulfide, were tested and found to be able to inhibit and damage Microcystis cells to varying degrees. Among these chemicals, β-cyclocitral has the strongest ability to quickly rupture cells.     

Supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol and desizing wastewater：Influence of NaOH on the organic decomposition

Polyvinyl alcohol is a refractory compound widely used in industry. Here we report supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol solution and desizing wastewater with and without sodium hydroxide addition. However, it is difficult to implement complete degradation of organics even though polyvinyl alcohol can readily crack under supercritical water treatment. Sodium hydroxide had a significant catalytic effect during the supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol. It appears that the OH ion participated in the C-C bond cleavage of polyvinyl alcohol molecules, the CO2-capture reaction and the neutralization of intermediate organic acids, promoting the overall reactions moving in the forward direction. Acetaldehyde was a typical intermediate product during reaction. For supercritical water oxidation of desizing wastewater, a high destruction rate (98.25%) based on total organic carbon was achieved. In addition, cases where initial wastewater was alkaline were favorable for supercritical water oxidation treatment, but salt precipitation and blockage issues arising during the process need to be taken into account seriously.     

Homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions of anthracene with selected atmospheric oxidants

The reactions of gas-phase anthracene and suspended anthracene particles with O3 and O3-NO were conducted in a 200-L reaction chamber, respectively. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formations from gas-phase reactions of anthracene with O3 and O3-NO were observed. Meanwhile, the size distributions and mass concentrations of SOA were monitored with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) during the formation processes. The rapid exponential growths of SOA reveal that the atmospheric lifetimes of gas-phase anthracene towards O3 and O3-NO are less than 20.5 and 4.34 hr, respectively. The particulate oxidation products from homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions were analyzed with a vacuum ultraviolet photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (VUV-ATOFMS). Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) analyses of oxidation products of anthracene were carried out for assigning the time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectra of products from homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions. Anthrone, anthraquinone, 9,10- dihydroxyanthracene, and 1,9,10-trihydroxyanthracene were the ozonation products of anthracene, while anthrone, anthraquinone, 9-nitroanthracene, and 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone were the main products of anthracene with O3-NO.     

Identification of key factors governing chemistry in groundwater near the water course recharged by reclaimed water at Miyun County, Northern China

Reclaimed water was successfully used to recover the dry Chaobai River in Northern China, but groundwater may be polluted. To ensure groundwater protection, it is therefore critical to identify the governing factors of groundwater chemistry. Samples of reclaimed water, river and groundwater were collected monthly at Chaobai River from January to September in 2010. Fifteen water parameters were analyzed. Two kinds of reclaimed water were different in type (Na-Ca-Mg-Cl-HCO3 or Na-Ca-Cl-HCO3 ) and concentration of nitrogen. The ionic concentration and type in river were similar to reclaimed water. Some shallow wells near the river bed had the same type (Na-Ca-Mg-Cl-HCO3 ) and high concentration as reclaimed water, but others were consistent with the deep wells (Ca-Mg-HCO3 ). Using cluster analysis, the 9 months were divided into two periods (dry and wet seasons), and all samples were grouped into several spatial clusters, indicating different controlling mechanisms. Principal component analysis and conventional ionic plots showed that calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate were controlled by water-rock interaction in all deep and some shallow wells. This included the dissolution of calcite and carbonate weathering. Sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfate in river and some shallow wells recharged by river were governed by evaporation crystallization and mixing of reclaimed water. But groundwater chemistry was not controlled by precipitation. During the infiltration of reclaimed water, cation exchange took place between (sodium, potassium) and (calcium, magnesium). Nitrification and denitrification both happened in most shallow groundwater, but only denitrification in deep groundwater.     

Soil microbial community structure and function responses to successive planting of Eucalyptus

Many studies have shown soil degradation after the conversion of native forests to exotic Eucalyptus plantations. However, few studies have investigated the long-term impacts of short-rotation forestry practices on soil microorganisms. The impacts of Eucalyptus successive rotations on soil microbial communities were evaluated by comparing phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） abundances, compositions, and enzyme activities of native Pinus massoniana plantations and adjacent 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Eucalyptus plantations. The conversion from P. massoniana to Eucalyptus plantations significantly decreased soil microbial community size and enzyme activities, and increased microbial physiological stress. However, the PLFA abundances formed ＂U＂ shaped quadratic functions with Eucalyptus plantation age. Alternatively, physiological stress biomarkers, the ratios of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid and Gram＋ to Gram- bacteria, formed ＂∩＂ shaped quadratic functions, and the ratio of cy17：0 to 16： 1ω7c decreased with plantation age. The activities of phenol oxidase, peroxidase, and acid phosphatase increased with Eucalyptus plantation age, while the cellobiobydrolase activity formed ＂U＂ shaped quadratic functions. Soil N：P, alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen, soil organic carbon, and understory cover largely explained the variation in PLFA profiles while soil N：P, alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen, and understory cover explained most of the variability in enzyme activity. In conclusion, soil microbial structure and function under Eucalyptus plantations were strongly impacted by plantation age. Most of the changes could be explained by altered soil resource availability and understory cover associated with successive planting of Eucalyptus. Our results highlight the importance of plantation age for assessing the impacts of plantation conversion as well as the importance of reducing disturbance for plantation management.