Formation of sulfur oxide groups by SO2 and their roles in mercury adsorption on carbon-based materials

The presence of SO₂ display significant effect on the mercury (Hg) adsorption ability of carbon-based sorbent. Yet the adsorption and oxidation of SO₂ on carbon with oxygen group, as well as the roles of different sulfur oxide groups in Hg adsorption have heretofore been unclear. The formation of sulfur oxide groups by SO₂ and their effects on Hg adsorption on carbon was detailed examined by the density functional theory. The results show that SO₂ can be oxidized into SO₃ by oxygen group on carbon surface. Both C-SO₂ and C-SO₃ can improve Hg adsorption on carbon site, while the promotive effect of C-SO₂ is stronger than C-SO₃. Electron density difference analyses reveal that sulfur oxide groups enhance the charge transfer ability of surface unsaturated carbon atom, thereby improving Hg adsorption. The experimental results confirm that surface active groups formed by SO₂ adsorption is more active for Hg adsorption than the groups generated by SO₃.     

Decoupling the adsorption mechanisms of arsenate at molecular level on modified cube-shaped sponge loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

In this study, a commercial cube-shaped open-celled cellulose sponge adsorbent was modified by in-situ co-precipitation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) and used to remove As(V) from aqueous solutions. Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and TEM identified maghemite as the main iron phase of the SPION nanoparticles with an average size 13 nm. Batch adsorption experiments at 800 mg/L showed a 63% increase of adsorption capacity when loading 2.6 wt.% mass fraction of SPION in the cube-sponge. Experimental determination of the adsorption thermodynamic parameters indicated that the As(V) adsorption on the composite material is a spontaneous and exothermic process. As K-edge XAS results confirmed that the adsorption enhancement on the composite can be attributed to the nanoparticles loaded. In addition, adsorbed As(V) did not get reduced to more toxic As(III) and formed a binuclear corner-sharing complex with SPION. The advantageous cube-shape of the sponge-loaded SPION composite together with its high affinity and good adsorption capacity for As(V), good regeneration capability and the enhanced-diffusion attributed to its open-celled structure make this adsorbent a good candidate for industrial applications.     

Evaluation of natural goethite on the removal of arsenate and selenite from water

Elevated arsenic and selenium concentrations in water cause health problems to both humans and wildlife. Natural and anthropogenic activities have caused contamination of these elements in waters worldwide, making the development of efficient cost-effective methods in their removal essential. In this work, removal of arsenate and selenite from water by adsorption onto a natural goethite(α-FeO OH) sample was studied at varying conditions. The data was then compared with other arsenate, selenite/goethite adsorption systems as much of literature shows discrepancies due to varying adsorption conditions. Characterization of the goethite was completed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis. Pseudo-first order(PFO) and pseudo-second order(PSO) kinetic models were applied; including comparisons of different regression methods. Various adsorption isotherm models were applied to determine the best fitting model and to compare adsorption capacitates with other works. Desorption/leaching of arsenate and selenite was studied though the addition of phosphate and hydroxyl ions. Langmuir isotherm modeling resulted in maximum adsorption capacities of 6.204 and 7.740 mg/g for arsenate and selenite adsorption,respectively. The PSO model applied with a non-linear regression resulted in the best kinetic fits for both adsorption and desorption of arsenate and selenite. Adsorption decreased with increasing pH. Phosphate induced desorption resulted in the highest percentage of arsenate and selenite desorbed, while hydroxide induced resulted in the fastest desorption kinetics.     

Novel chitosan–ethylene glycol hydrogel for the removal of aqueous perfluorooctanoic acid

It is urgent to explore an effective removal method for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) due to its recalcitrant nature. In this study, a novel chitosan-based hydrogel (CEGH) was prepared with a simple method using chitosan and ethylene glycol through a repeated freezing–thawing procedure. The adsorption of PFOA anions to CEGH agreed well to the Freundlich–Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity as high as 1275.9?mg/g, which is higher than reported values of most adsorbents for PFOA. The adsorption was influenced by experimental conditions. Experimental results showed that the main removal mechanism was the ionic hydrogen bond interaction between carbonyl groups (COO^?) of PFOA and protonated amine (NH⁺) of the CEGH adsorbent. Therefore, CEGH is a very attractive adsorbent that can be used to remove PFOA from water in the future.     

Influence of metal ions on sulfonamide antibiotics biochemical behavior in fiber coexisting system

Metal ions and fiber are common compounds in the livestock and poultry manure,which will affect the fate of organic compounds in aqueous environment. However,limited research has addressed the effect of coexisting metal ions and fiber on the biodegradation of sulfonamide antibiotics. Accordingly, a compositing study was performed to assess the effect of metal ions(Fe3+and Cu2+) on the biodegradation of sulfadimethoxine sodium salt(SDM) in the presence of fiber. The enhanced adsorption of SDM onto fiber in the presence of metal ions can be attributed to the π+–π electron donor acceptor(EDA) interaction. The microbial(Phanerochaete chrysosprium) could easily attach onto fiber forming attached microbial, and the degradation rates of SDM of immobilized bacteria in the presence of Fe3 +were 100%, which were significantly higher than those of free bacteria(45%). This study indicates that Fe3 +and fiber could enhance the biodegradation of SDM. Fiber acts as adsorbent, carrier, and substrate which enhanced the removal of SDM.     

Facile synthesis of graphitic carbon-nitride supported antimony-doped tin oxide nanocomposite and its application for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Antimony-doped tin oxide(ATO) nanoparticles with an average size of ～ 6 nm were prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent heat treatment. Graphitic carbon nitride(g-CN)/ATO hybrid nanocomposite was designed by the combination of thermally synthesized g-CN and ATO nanoparticles by ultrasonication. The materials were characterized using N2 adsorption/desorption(BET), X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). A mixture of five volatile organic compounds(VOCs, chloroform, benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene) was used to compare the adsorption capacity of the samples. The adsorption capacity of ATO nanoparticles was improved by the addition of g-CN. Experimental data showed that, among the five VOCs,chloroform was the least adsorbed, regardless of the samples. The g-CN/ATO showed nearly three times greater adsorption capacity for the VOC mixture than pure ATO. The unchanged efficiency of VOC adsorption during cyclic use demonstrated the completely reversible adsorption and desorption behavior of the nanocomposite at room conditions. This economically and environmentally friendly material can be a practical solution for outdoor and indoor VOC removal.     

Synthesis of a novel ternary HA/Fe-Mn oxides-loaded biochar composite and its application in cadmium(II) and arsenic(V) adsorption

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are two of the most toxic elements. However, the chemical behaviors of these two elements are different, making it challenging to utilize a single adsorbent with high adsorption capacity for both Cd(II) and As(V) removal. To solve this problem, we synthesized HA/Fe-Mn oxides-loaded biochar (HFMB), a novel ternary material, to perform this task, wherein scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with EDS (SEM-EDS) was used to characterize its morphological and physicochemical properties. The maximum adsorption capacity of HFMB was 67.11?mg/g for Cd(II) and 35.59?mg/g for As(V), which is much higher compared to pristine biochar (11.06?mg/g, 0?mg/g for Cd(II) and As(V), respectively). The adsorption characteristics were investigated by adsorption kinetics and the effects of the ionic strength and pH of solutions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that chelation and deposition were the adsorption mechanisms that bound Cd(II) to HFMB, while ligand exchange was the adsorption mechanism that bound As(V).     

煤层气产出水的人工湿地构建与处理效果研究

针对煤层气田产出水排放所存在的环境隐患,在山西省沁水盆地建立复合型人工湿地处理系统,对比产出水经该系统处理前后的水质,研究人工湿地系统对煤层气产出水的净化效果,结果表明:人工湿地对产出水中污染物发挥了较为稳定的去除效果,出水水质可达农田灌溉水质标准。其中,人工湿地对于产出水中的悬浮物和重金属有良好的去除效果,悬浮物去除率达99.13%,重金属去除率达90%以上;对产出水的pH值具有良好的调节作用,使出水水质趋于中性。研究人工湿地系统的沿程水质变化,发现悬浮物的去除主要发生在阶梯式人工湿地,湿地系统对全盐量的去除效果不明显。该湿地系统由于处理成本低廉,可为野外处理类似高盐度的采矿废水提供借鉴和参考。     

Synthesis, characterization and application of Lagerstroemia speciosa embedded magnetic nanoparticle for Cr(VI) adsorption from aqueous solution

Lagerstroemia speciosa bark (LB) embedded magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ salt solution with ammonia and LB for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution. The native LB, magnetic nanoparticle (MNP), L. speciosa embedded magnetic nanoparticle (MNPLB) and Cr(VI) adsorbed MNPLB particles were characterized by SEM–EDX, TEM, BET-surface area, FT-IR, XRD and TGA methods. TEM analysis confirmed nearly spherical shape of MNP with an average diameter of 8.76 nm and the surface modification did not result in the phase change of MNP as established by XRD analysis, while led to the formation of secondary particles of MNPLB with diameter of 18.54 nm. Characterization results revealed covalent binding between the hydroxyl group of MNP and carboxyl group of LB particles and further confirmed its physico-chemical nature favorable for Cr(VI) adsorption. The Cr(VI) adsorption on to MNPLB particle as an adsorbent was tested under different contact time, initial Cr(VI) concentration, adsorbent dose, initial pH, temperature and agitation speed. The results of the equilibrium and kinetics of adsorption were well described by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order model, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters suggest spontaneous and endothermic nature of Cr(VI) adsorption onto MNPLB. The maximum adsorption capacity for MNPLB was calculated to be 434.78 mg/g and these particles even after Cr(VI) adsorption were collected effortlessly from the aqueous solution by a magnet. The desorption of Cr(VI)-adsorbed MNPLB was found to be more than 93.72% with spent MNPLB depicting eleven successive adsorption–desorption cycles.     

Enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency by in situ fabrication of BiOBr/BiVO4 surface junctions

Surface junctions between Bi OBr and BiVO_4 were synthesized. The BiOBr/BiVO_4 with 1 wt.%of Bi OBr exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rh B under visible-light irradiation. It was found that the highly efficient adsorption of Rh B molecules via the electrostatic attraction between Br-and cationic \N(Et)_2 group played a key role for the high photocatalytic activities of BiOBr/BiVO_4. This efficient adsorption promoted the N-deethylation of Rh B and thus accelerated the photocatalytic degradation of Rh B.Moreover, the metal-to-metal charge transfer(MMCT) mechanism was proposed, which revealed the concrete path paved with Bi–O–Bi chains for the carrier migration in BiOBr/BiVO_4. The interaction between photoexcited Rh B* and the Bi~(3+) in BiVO_4 provided the driving force for the migration of photo-generated carriers along the Bi–O–Bi chains. This work has not only demonstrated the important role of efficient adsorption in the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants, but also developed a facile strategy to improve the efficiency of photocatalysts.