Influence of iron,nickel and cobalt on biogas production during the anaerobic fermentation of fresh residual biomass

We have investigated the dependence of the rate of the production of biogas upon the concentration of nickel, cobalt and iron at sub-toxic concentration and monitored its composition as amount of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide. The distribution of the added metals between the liquid and solid phase has also been monitored.

The results of our investigations show that the addition of any of the listed metals to the sludge may cause the production of a higher amount of biogas and influence the methane or carbon dioxide percentage. Conversely, the effect on the hydrogen production depends upon the metal added, the age of the active sludge used, and its adaptation to the susbtrate. As a general feature, during the acidogenesis phase, nickel reduces, while iron increases, the percentage of dihydrogen in the biogas, while cobalt has no influence.     

Testing nickel tolerance of Sorghastrum nutans and its associated soil microbial community from serpentine and prairie soils

Ecotypes of Sorghastrum nutans from a naturally metalliferous serpentine grassland and the tallgrass prairie were assessed for Ni tolerance and their utility in remediation of Ni-polluted soils. Plants were inoculated with serpentine arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root inoculum or whole soil microbial communities, originating from either prairie or serpentine, to test their effects on plant performance in the presence of Ni. Serpentine plants had marginally higher Ni tolerance as indicated by higher survival. Ni reduced plant biomass and AM root colonization for both ecotypes. The serpentine AM fungi and whole microbial community treatments decreased plant biomass relative to uninoculated plants, while the prairie microbial community had no effect. Differences in how the soil communities affect plant performance were not reflected in patterns of root colonization by AM fungi. Thus, serpentine plants may be suited for reclamation of Ni-polluted soils, but AM fungi that occur on serpentine do not improve Ni tolerance.     

Influence of variable chemical conditions on EDTA-enhanced transport of metal ions in mildly acidic groundwater

Adsorption of Ni and Pb on aquifer sediments from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA increased with increasing pH and metal-ion concentration. Adsorption could be described quantitatively using a semi-mechanistic surface complexation model (SCM), in which adsorption is described using chemical reactions between metal ions and adsorption sites. Equilibrium reactive transport simulations incorporating the SCMs, formation of metal-ion-EDTA complexes, and either Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide solubility or Zn desorption from sediments identified important factors responsible for trends observed during transport experiments conducted with EDTA complexes of Ni, Zn, and Pb in the Cape Cod aquifer. Dissociation of Pb-EDTA by Fe(III) is more favorable than Ni-EDTA because of differences in Ni- and Pb-adsorption to the sediments. Dissociation of Ni-EDTA becomes more favorable with decreasing Ni-EDTA concentration and decreasing pH. In contrast to Ni, Pb-EDTA can be dissociated by Zn desorbed from the aquifer sediments. Variability in adsorbed Zn concentrations has a large impact on Pb-EDTA dissociation.     

微量钴 镍的导数催化极谱连续法测定

在氢氧化铵、氯化铵、磺基水杨酸,丁二酮肟及聚乙烯醇介质中,以导数催化极谱连续法测定了人发、胃组织及食品等样品中的微量钴和镍,方法的线性范围为4～1000μg/l,检测限为2μg/l     

电催化还原脱毒预处理丙烯酸盐废水

丙烯酸盐生物降解性好,但毒性较高,为解决含丙烯酸盐废水难以进行高负荷厌氧生物处理的问题,采用电催化还原技术预处理高浓度丙烯酸盐废水,考察了初始ρ(丙烯酸盐)、电流、废水pH、温度、ρ(对甲基苯磺酸盐)等对丙烯酸盐转化的影响. 结果表明:初始ρ(丙烯酸盐)、废水pH、电流对丙烯酸盐电催化还原为丙酸盐的过程影响较大,而废水温度和ρ(对甲基苯磺酸盐)的影响较小. 当废水初始ρ(丙烯酸盐)由5.0 g/L升至20.0～60.0 g/L时,丙烯酸盐转化速率由30.1 g/(L·h)升至51.9～54.6 g/(L·h),能耗下降近50%;随着操作电流从0.25 A升至2.00 A,丙烯酸盐转化速率由9.5 g/(L·h)线性增至85.1 g/(L·h),电流效率略有降低,能耗由2.0 W·h/g增至5.2 W·h/g;pH由2升至4时,能耗由6.6 W·h/g降至3.4 W·h/g;废水温度在30~50 ℃范围内、ρ(对甲基苯磺酸盐)在0~8.0 g/L范围内时,对丙烯酸盐的转化影响较小. 研究显示,在优化工艺条件(电流为1.00 A、废水pH为5、温度为30 ℃)下,电催化还原处理实际丙烯酸丁酯废水,电流效率达90%以上.      

Transportation fuel production by combination of LDPE thermal cracking and catalytic hydroreforming

Fuel production from plastics is a promising way to reduce landfilling rates while obtaining valuable products. The usage of Ni-supported hierarchical Beta zeolite (h-Beta) for the hydroreforming of the oils coming from LDPE thermal cracking has proved to produce high selectivities to gasoline and diesel fuels (>80%). In the present work, the effect of the Ni loading on Ni/h-Beta is investigated in the hydroreforming of the oils form LDPE thermal cracking. h-Beta samples were impregnated with Ni nitrate, calcined and reduced in H₂ up to 550 °C to achieve different Ni contents: 1.5%, 4%, 7% and 10%. Larger and more easily reducible metal particles were obtained on Ni 7%/h-Beta and Ni 10%/h-Beta. Hydroreforming tests were carried out in autoclave reactor at 310 °C, under 20 bar H₂, for 45 min. Ni content progressively increased the amount of gases at the expenses of diesel fractions, while gasoline remained approximately constant about 52–54%. Maximum selectivity to automotive fuels (～81%) was obtained with Ni 7%/h-Beta. Ni loading also enhanced olefins saturation up to Ni 7%/h-Beta. High cetane indices (71–86) and octane numbers (89–91) were obtained over all the catalysts. Regarding the different studied Ni contents, Ni 7%/h-Beta constitutes a rather promising catalyst for obtaining high quality fuels from LDPE thermal cracking oils.     

Ni(NH3)62+ more efficient than Ni(H2O)62+ and Ni(OH)2 for catalyzing water and phenol oxidation on illuminated Bi2MoO6 with visible light

Nickel (hydr)oxide (NiOH) is known to be good co-catalyst for the photoelectrochemical oxidation of water, and for the photocatalytic oxidation of organics on different semiconductors. Herein we report a greatly improved activity of Bi₂MoO₆ (BMO) by nickel hexammine perchlorate (NiNH). Under visible light, phenol oxidation on BMO was slow. After NiNH, NiOH, and Ni²⁺ loading, a maximum rate of phenol oxidation increased by factors of approximately 16, 8.8, and 4.7, respectively. With a BMO electrode, all catalysts inhibited O₂ reduction, enhanced water (photo-)oxidation, and facilitated the charge transfer at solid-liquid interface, respectively, the degree of which was always NiNH > NiOH > Ni²⁺. Solid emission spectra indicated that all catalysts improved the charge separation of BMO, the degree of which also varied as NiNH > NiOH > Ni²⁺. Furthermore, after a phenol-free aqueous suspension of NiNH/BMO was irradiated, there was a considerable Ni(III) species, but a negligible NH₂ radical. Accordingly, a plausible mechanism is proposed, involving the hole oxidation of Ni(II) into Ni(IV), which is reactive to phenol oxidation, and hence promotes O₂ reduction. Because NH₃ is a stronger ligand than H₂O, the Ni(II) oxidation is easier for Ni(NH₃)⁶⁺ than for Ni(H₂O)⁶⁺. This work shows a simple route how to improve BMO photocatalysis through a co-catalyst.     

Measuring heavy metal migration rates in a low-permeability soil

Heavy metals at high concentrations are often toxic to living organisms, and their environmental toxicity depends on soil properties. It has long been thought that in clay-rich, low-permeability soils, heavy metals are bound to soil particles, and thus there are only few toxicity risks. This study questioned this perception and tested heavy metal mobility in such a soil, of the London Clay series, using a benchtop centrifuge. Soil columns were placed in the centrifuge and were infiltrated with solutions of Cu, Ni and Zn ions, while the centrifuge was running at three different gravity levels, at 5,280, 2,600 and 1,300 gravities. The measured rates of migration of Cu, Ni and Zn ions were extrapolated down to 1 gravity, which represents field conditions, the conditions for which an assessment of risk due to metal toxicity would be needed. It was found that heavy metal movement was significant in London Clay, Ni being the most mobile metal in the study, followed by Zn and then Cu ions. Centrifuge infiltration tests were proven to be a valuable tool in the study and quantification of metal mobility in low-permeability soil, because they were easy to run and precise in predicting metal movement in London Clay. Electronic Publication     

Simultaneous recovery of vanadium and nickel from power plant fly-ash: Optimization of parameters using response surface methodology

Simultaneous recovery of vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni), which are classified as two of the most hazardous metal species from power plant heavy fuel fly-ash, was studied using a hydrometallurgical process consisting of acid leaching using sulfuric acid. Leaching parameters were investigated and optimized in order to maximize the recovery of both vanadium and nickel. The independent leaching parameters investigated were liquid to solid ratio (S/L) (5–12.5 wt.%), temperature (45–80 °C), sulfuric acid concentration (5–25 v/v%) and leaching time (1–5 h). Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the process parameters. The most effective parameter on the recovery of both elements was found to be temperature and the least effective was time for V and acid concentration for Ni. Based on the results, optimum condition for metals recovery (actual recovery of ca.94% for V and 81% for Ni) was determined to be solid to liquid ratio of 9.15 wt.%, temperature of 80 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 19.47 v/v% and leaching time of 2 h. The maximum V and Ni predicted recovery of 91.34% and 80.26% was achieved.     

流动注射在线离子交换预富集—火焰原子吸收法测定环境水样中痕量镍

研究了流动注射在线离子交换预富集与火焰原子吸收光谱法的联用技术，采用了双柱交替正向富集和反向洗脱的在线离子交换流路系统。在采样频率为３０次／ｈ下，灵敏度比普通火焰原子吸收法提高１２倍，应用于环境水样中痕量镍的监测，获得了满意结果。