Enhancement of photocatalytic performance in sonochemical synthesized ZnO–rGO nanocomposites owing to effective interfacial interaction

Nanocomposites composed of two or more components with desirable performance have attracted tremendous attention, mainly due to the synergic effect between the components. The effective combination of ZnO and reduced graphene oxide would lead to ameliorate the photocatalytic performance. To enhance applicability of semiconductor photocatalytic, the composites used should be good interfacial contact governed by suitable particle size distribution. Herein we aim to fabricate the different crystallize size of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) in ZnO–reduced graphene oxide (ZnO–rGO) nanocomposites by sonochemical synthesis and subsequent facile drying treatment method. The Zn precursor, Zn(Ac)₂, with a plenty of functional groups, was used as a starting source for both reduction of graphene oxide and formation of ZnO on rGO sheets through chemical bonds without the addition of hazardous reducing agents. LiOH was chosen as an assistive reagent to enhance the complete reaction between Zn(Ac)₂ and GO in the formation of ZnO–rGO nanocomposites. More remarkably, drying condition has the great influence on the crystallize size of ZnO NPs in as-prepared ZnO–rGO nanocomposites. It is found that ZnO–rGO nanocomposites dried at ?50 °C (freeze drying) show the highest photocatalytic efficiency in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) as compared to ZnO–rGO nanocomposites by other drying conditions under visible-light irradiation. Correlating the crystallize size obtained by different drying temperatures with the photocatalytic activity, it is probed that the smaller crystallize size in ZnO–rGO nanocomposites enhances the interfacial contact and a chemical bonding between rGO and ZnO NPs leading to the effective separation of electrons and holes. In addition, the O ₂ ^·? anion was determined to be the main active oxidant by free radicals trapping experiment and a photodegradation mechanism of ZnO–rGO nanocomposites over rhodamine B (RhB) was proposed based on our observations.     

TiO2投加量及其表面载银量对光催化降解Aro-clor1260的影响

在紫外灯照射下,催化剂TiO₂的投入量及其表面载银量对光催化降解Aroclor1260有显著的影响.但TiO₂的投入量并不与Aroclor1260的降解速率成正比关系,而是有一个最佳投入量,在本文的实验条件下,这个最佳值为60mg(3g/L).TiO2的表面载银量越多,Aroclor1260的降解速率也越大,而且浓度相对较高的PCB单体化合物的降解速率大于浓度相对较低的PCB单体化合物的降解速率.对于多数PCB单体化合物而言,TiO₂的催化活性随其表面载银量的增加而增强.     

Quantificational analysis on progress of river water quality in China

In order to understand the dynamic change of water quality in a specific period of time,a type of possibility transition matrix based on the theory of Markov process was established.The transition possibility with a weight to calculate the degree of absolute advancement was given based on the result of water quality evaluation,the concept of relative advancement was presented.It was used to evaluate the extent of water quality changed in a period of time.The method was used to calculate the degrees of relative advancement for 4 rivers in China,and the results were analyzed.     

Controlling various contaminants in wastewater effluent through membranes and engineered wetland

For effective wastewater reclamation and water recovery, the treatment of natural and effluent organic matters (NOM and EfOM), toxic anions, and micropollutants was considered in this work. Two different NOM (humic acid of the Suwannee River, and NOM of US and Youngsan River, Korea), and one EfOM from the Damyang wastewater treatment plant, Korea, were selected for investigating the removal efficiencies of tight nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with different properties. Nitrate, bromate, and perchlorate were selected as target toxic anions due to their well known high toxicities. Tri-(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate (TCEP), oxybenzone, and caffeine, due to their different K _ow and pK _a values, were selected as target micropollutants. As expected, the NF membranes provided high removal efficiencies in terms of all the tested contaminants, and the UF membrane provided fairly high removal efficiencies for anions (except for nitrate) and the relatively hydrophobic micropollutant, oxybenzon. Through the wetlands, nitrate was successfully removed. Therefore, a fair process of combining membranes with an engineered wetland could be proposed for sustainable wastewater reclamation and optimum control of contaminats.     

Self-build packed-bed bioreactor for rapid and effective BOD estimation

This work demonstrated a simple, low-cost, rapid, and effective biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) estimation system based on a packed-bed bioreactor that can be easily self-built on-site at a particular wastewater treatment plant for continuous monitoring of the influent and effluent. The use of natural microbial consortium that were collected from the target wastewater and immobilized on a cheap porous carrier simply by adhesion resulted in an acceptable accuracy of over 95%. The newly developed semi-continuous operating mode with peak-type signals was shown to be able to continuously estimate BOD at a high flow rate to overcome the flow dependence of the oxygen electrode, limit clogging issues, enhance the response time, and lower the limit of detection. The resulting packed-bed bioreactors could work continuously for 22 h with a coefficient of variance (CoV) of only 1.8% or for 13 h a day for several days with a maximum CoV of 1.4% and their response was observed to be stable over 80 consecutive measurements. They exhibited stable responses at a wide pH range of 6.5–8.5, which is also the recommended range for aerobic wastewater treatment, emphasizing the greater ease of use of natural microorganisms for BOD estimation.

     

Integrated assessment of brick kiln emission impacts on air quality

This paper presents monitoring results of daily brick kiln stack emission and the derived emission factors. Emission of individual air pollutant varied significantly during a firing batch (7 days) and between kilns. Average emission factors per 1,000 bricks were 6.35–12.3 kg of CO, 0.52–5.9 kg of SO₂ and 0.64–1.4 kg of particulate matter (PM). PM emission size distribution in the stack plume was determined using a modified cascade impactor. Obtained emission factors and PM size distribution data were used in simulation study using the Industrial Source Complex Short-Term (ISCST3) dispersion model. The model performance was successfully evaluated for the local conditions using the simultaneous ambient monitoring data in 2006 and 2007. SO₂ was the most critical pollutant, exceeding the hourly National Ambient Air Quality Standards over 63 km² out of the 100-km² modelled domain in the base case. Impacts of different emission scenarios on the ambient air quality (SO₂, PM, CO, PM dry deposition flux) were assessed.     

Determination of an acceptable assimilable organic carbon (AOC) level for biological stability in water distribution systems with minimized chlorine residual

There is considerable interest in minimizing the chlorine residual in Japan because of increasing complaints about a chlorinous odor in drinking water. However, minimizing the chlorine residual causes the microbiological water quality to deteriorate, and stricter control of biodegradable organics in finished water is thus needed to maintain biological stability during water distribution. In this investigation, an acceptable level of assimilable organic carbon (AOC) for biologically stable water with minimized chlorine residual was determined based on the relationship between AOC, the chlorine residual, and bacterial regrowth. In order to prepare water samples containing lower AOC, the fractions of AOC and biodegradable organic matter (BOM) in tap water samples were reduced by converting into biomass after thermal hydrolysis of BOM at alkaline conditions. The batch-mode incubations at different conditions of AOC and chlorine residual were carried out at 20°C, and the presence or absence of bacterial regrowth was determined. The determined curve for biologically stable water indicated that the acceptable AOC was 10.9 μg C/L at a minimized chlorine residual (0.05 mg Cl₂/L). This result indicated that AOC removal during current water treatment processes in Japan should be significantly enhanced prior to minimization of the chlorine residual in water distribution.     

从工业废液中回收镍钴合成锂离子电池正极材料LiNixCo1-xO2

探索了从废液中回收镍钻在空气气氛下合成锂离子电池正极材料LiNixCo1-xO2的方法和工艺。结果表明,合成材料的充放电性能都比较好,LiNo0.3Co0.7O2在600℃6h→750℃16h时制得的产物初始充电容量达到154．938mAh/g,接近用分析纯的镍钴原料合成的正极材料LiNi0.3Co0.7O2的首次充电容量（156．146mAh/g）。采用镍钴废液合成锂离子电池正极材料,化害为利,经济可行。     

Temporal changes of 7Be, 137Cs and 210Pb activity concentrations in surface air at Monaco and their correlation with meteorological parameters

Results of analysis of ⁷Be, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb on aerosol filters carried out from 1998 to 2010 in Monaco show that a weak correlation between activity concentrations of these radionuclides in the atmosphere and meteorological parameters has been found for ⁷Be and temperature (r = 0.50), ²¹⁰Pb and temperature and humidity (r = 0.43 and 0.41, respectively), and ¹³⁷Cs and precipitation (r = 0.51). The minimum and maximum ⁷Be activity concentrations were observed during 2000 and 2009, corresponding with the maximum and minimum solar activity, respectively. The maximum ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration found in May-June 1998 was due to the accident at Algeciras in Spain. The deposition velocities of ⁷Be, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb depended on the precipitation rate, and attained maximum values during dry seasons. The investigated radionuclides may be used as atmospheric tracers, especially in long-term periods.     

Antibiotic contaminants in coastal wetlands from Vietnamese shrimp farming

Background and purpose  

Shrimp culture has been expanded rapidly in recent years in coastal wetland zone of Vietnam due to favorable natural conditions. However, this industry has caused several negative impacts to the environment. One of the critical issues is the excessive application of antibiotics including human medicines. These chemicals could be released from shrimp ponds and then accumulated and contaminated of the ecosystem. This review article discusses a whole range of findings that address various aspects of the usage, occurrence and potentially environmental risks of antibiotics released from shrimp farming, with emphasis on the South Vietnam coastal wetland.