Adsorption of 17β-estradiol from aqueous solution by raw and direct/pre/post-KOH treated lotus seedpod biochar

Five biochars derived from lotus seedpod(LSP) were applied to examine and compare the adsorption capacity of 17β-estradiol(E2) from aqueous solution.The effect of KOH activation and the order of activation steps on material properties were discussed.The effect of contact time,initial concentration,p H,ionic strength and humic acid on E2 adsorption were investigated in a batch adsorption process.Experimental results demonstrated that the pseudo second-order model fitted the experimental data best and that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 20 hr.The efficiency of E2 removal increased with increasing E2 concentration and decreased with the increase of ionic strength.E2 adsorption on LSP-derived biochar(BCs) was influenced little by humic acid,and slightly affected by the solution p H when its value ranged from 4.0 to 9.0,but considerably affected at p H 10.0.Low environmental temperature is favorable for E2 adsorption.Chemisorption,π–π interactions,monolayer adsorption and electrostatic interaction are the possible adsorption mechanisms.Comparative studies indicated that KOH activation and the order of activation steps had significant impacts on the material.Post-treated biochar exhibited better adsorption capacity for E2 than direct treated,pretreated,and raw LSP biochar.Pyrolyzed biochar at higher temperature improved E2 removal.The excellent performance of BCs in removing E2 suggested that BCs have potential in E2 treatment and that the biochar directly treated by KOH would be a good choice for the treatment of E2 in aqueous solution,with its advantages of good efficiency and simple technology.     

Influence of floc dynamic protection layer on alleviating ultrafiltration membrane fouling induced by humic substances

Cake layer formation is inevitable over time for ultrafiltration (UF) membrane-based drinking water treatment. Although the cake layer is always considered to cause membrane fouling, it can also act as a “dynamic protection layer”, as it further adsorbs pollutants and dramatically reduces their chance of getting to the membrane surface. Here, the UF membrane fouling performance was investigated with pre-deposited loose flocs in the presence of humic acid (HA). The results showed that the floc dynamic protection layer played an important role in removing HA. The higher the solution pH, the more negative the floc charge, resulting in lower HA removal efficiency due to the electrostatic repulsion and large pore size of the floc layer. With decreasing solution pH, a positively charged floc dynamic protection layer was formed, and more HA molecules were adsorbed. The potential reasons were ascribed to the smaller floc size, greater positive charge, and higher roughness of the floc layer. However, similar membrane fouling performance was also observed for the negative and positive floc dynamic protection layers due to their strong looseness characteristics. In addition, the molecular weight (MW) distribution of HA also played an important role in UF membrane fouling behavior. For the small MW HA molecules, the chance of forming a loose cake layer was high with a negatively charged floc dynamic protection layer, while for the large MW HA molecules it was high with a positively charged floc dynamic protection layer. As a result, slight UF membrane fouling was induced.     

Influence of environmental factors on arsenic accumulation and biotransformation using the aquatic plant species Hydrilla verticillata

Hydrilla verticillata(waterthyme) has been successfully used for phytoremediation in arsenic(As) contaminated water.To evaluate the effects of environmental factors on phytoremediation,this study conducted a series of orthogonal design experiments to determine optimal conditions,including phosphorus(P),nitrogen(N),and arsenate(As(Ⅴ))concentrations and initial pH levels,for As accumulation and biotransformation using this aquatic plant species,while also analyzing As species transformation in culture media after 96-hr exposure.Analysis of variance and the signal-to-noise ratio were used to identify both the effects of these environmental factors and their optimal conditions for this purpose.Results indicated that both N and P significantly impacted accumulation,and N was essential in As species transformation.High N and intermediate P levels were critical to As accumulation and biotransformation by H.verticillata,while high N and low P levels were beneficial to As species transformation in culture media.The highest total arsenic accumulation was(197.2±17.4) μg/g dry weight when As(V) was at level 3(375μg/L),N at level 2(4 mg/L),P at level 1(0.02 mg/L),and pH at level 2(7).Although H.verticillata is highly efficient in removing As(Ⅴ) from aquatic environments,its use could be potentially harmful to both humans and the natural environment due to its release of highly toxic arsenite.For cost-effective and ecofriendly phytoremediation of As-contaminated water,both N and P are helpful in regulating As accumulation and transformation in plants.     

Plasmonic silver/silver oxide nanoparticles anchored bismuth vanadate as a novel visible-light ternary photocatalyst for degrading pharmaceutical micropollutants

The degradation of pharmaceutical micropollutants is an intensifying environmental problem and synthesis of efficient photocatalysts for this purpose is one of the foremost challenges worldwide. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop novel plasmonic Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposite photocatalysts by simple precipitation and thermal decomposition methods, which could exhibit higher photocatalytic activity for mineralized pharmaceutical micropollutants. Among the different treatments, the best performance was observed for the Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposites (5 wt.%; 10 min's visible light irradiation) which exhibited 6.57 times higher photodegradation rate than the pure BiVO₄. Further, the effects of different influencing factors on the photodegradation system of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) were investigated and the feasibility for its practical application was explored through the specific light sources, water source and cycle experiments. The mechanistic study demonstrated that the photogenerated holes (h⁺), superoxide radicals (?O₂^?) and hydroxyl radicals (?OH) participated in TC-HCl removal process, which is different from the pure BiVO₄ reaction system. Hence, the present work can provide a new approach for the formation of novel plasmonic photocatalysts with high photoactivity and can act as effective practical application for environmental remediation.     

Morphology-dependent interfacial interactions of Fe2O3 with Ag nanoparticles for determining the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol

In this work,we fabricated three kinds of Ag/Fe_2O_3 model catalysts with different morphologies to study the interfacial interactions between Ag and Fe_2O_3,and how they affected the catalytic activity in hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol was explored.The hydrothermal method was used to synthesize the metal oxide supported silver catalyst,with various morphologies including nanoplates(NPs),nanospheres(NSs),and nanocubes(NCs).The crystal structure,morphology and surface elements of the composite were investigated by various measurements,such as X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The catalytic activity was also evaluated by the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol.It was found that the activities of the above catalysts varied with the morphology of the support.Among them,Ag/Fe_2O_3 NPs promoted the highest performance,Ag/Fe_2O_3 NSs were slightly inferior,and Ag/Fe_2O_3 NCs were the worst.At last,we ascribed the remarkable activity of Ag/Fe_2O_3 NPs to the strong metal-support interactions between Ag and Fe_2O_3.     

Metabolomic modulations in a freshwater microbial community exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin

An effective broad-spectrum fungicide, azoxystrobin (AZ), has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting the growth of aquatic microorganisms. In the present study, the eukaryotic alga Monoraphidium sp. and the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. were exposed to AZ for 7 days. Our results showed that 0.2–0.5 mg/L concentrations of AZ slightly inhibited the growth of Monoraphidium sp. but stimulated Pseudanabaena sp. growth. Meanwhile, AZ treatment effectively increased the secretion of total organic carbon (TOC) in the culture media of the two species, and this phenomenon was also found in a freshwater microcosm experiment (containing the natural microbial community). We attempted to assess the effect of AZ on the function of aquatic microbial communities through metabolomic analysis and further explore the potential risks of this compound. The metabonomic profiles of the microcosm indicated that the most varied metabolites after AZ treatment were related to the citrate cycle (TCA), fatty acid biosynthesis and purine metabolism. We thereby inferred that the microbial community increased extracellular secretions by adjusting metabolic pathways, which might be a stress response to reduce AZ toxicity. Our results provide an important theoretical basis for further study of fungicide stress responses in aquatic microcosm microbial communities, as well as a good start for further explorations of AZ detoxification mechanisms, which will be valuable for the evaluation of AZ environmental risk.     

改良黏土对重金属离子的吸附特性及防渗性能

为了评价污泥活性炭(SAC)改良黏土作为垃圾卫生填埋场衬垫防渗材料的可行性,该文通过吸附动力学试验、等温吸附平衡试验、柔性壁渗透试验,分别研究了掺量为0%、1%、3%、5%的SAC改良黏土对Cd(Ⅱ)、Cu(Ⅱ)的吸附特性以及渗透性能。试验结果表明,改良黏土对Cd(Ⅱ)或Cu(Ⅱ)的吸附以30 min内的颗粒表面吸附为主,吸附平衡时间分别为120 min或90 min。改良黏土对Cd(Ⅱ)或Cu(Ⅱ)的吸附符合Langmuir等温吸附模式。随SAC掺量由0%增加至5%,在S/L=120 g/L,Cd(Ⅱ)、Cu(Ⅱ)最大吸附量qm分别增加了25%、47%;当固液比增加到200 g/L,Cd(Ⅱ)、Cu(Ⅱ)最大吸附量qm分别增加了32%、48%。水、垃圾渗滤液2种渗透媒介下SAC改良黏土的渗透系数为1.8×10-9～1.2×10-8cm/s,均<1×10-7cm/s的防渗要求。因此,SAC改良黏土可以作为垃圾填埋场的衬垫防渗材料使用,可以有效阻滞渗滤液中重金属离子的迁移。     

Can a low-carbon development path achieve win-win development: evidence from China’s low-carbon pilot policy

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Low-carbon pilot (LCP) policy aims to not only achieve economic development but also address climate change problems in China. With a...