Discussion of Chicgoua Noubactep on “Removal of thiobencarb in aqueous solution by zero valent iron” by Md. Nurul Amin et al. [Chemosphere 70 (3) (2008) 511–515]

The following comments are proposed to clarify some related issues on the use of zero valent iron micrometric particles for the treatment of a thiobencarb pesticide solution published in a recent article by Nurul Amin et al., [Nurul Amin Md., Kaneco, S., Kato, T., Katsumata, H., Susuki, T., Otha, K., 2008. Removal of thiobencarb in aqueous solution by zero valent iron. Chemosphere 70 (3), 511–515], and discussed later by Chicgoua Noubactep.     

固定化微生物吸附剂对Cr3+的吸附特性研究

从皮革铬鞣、复鞣污泥等处分离、纯化出4株菌株TP、XB、MY和TQ,采用海藻酸钠悬滴法并添加膨润土制成微生物固定化吸附剂,研究该吸附剂对低质量浓度Cr3+的吸附特性。结果表明,4种固定化颗粒对低质量浓度Cr3+有较好的吸附作用。实验室条件下,当吸附温度为30℃时,6 h后固定化吸附剂进入缓慢吸附和平衡吸附阶段。吸附等温曲线拟合研究表明,不同温度下吸附剂适合不同的等温模型。4种微生物吸附剂均与Lagrange拟二级动力学模型拟合最佳,且吸附量从高到低为TQ、TP、XB、MY。颗粒内扩散模型研究表明,20℃下XB和MY对Cr3+的吸附分为快速吸附和缓慢吸附阶段;30℃和40℃下固定化颗粒均呈现表面吸附—缓慢吸附—平衡吸附过程。热力学研究表明,吸附反应均属于自发进行的吸热过程,并且均是化学吸附。     

黄壤表面电场作用下Cu~(2+)与Zn~(2+)的吸附/解吸动力学研究

利用静态恒流法研究了黄壤表面电场作用下Cu2+与Zn2+的吸附/解吸动力学.结果发现:考虑黄壤表面电场作用下,Cu2+和Zn2+的吸附实验呈现初期强吸附作用下的零级动力学过程和一定时间之后弱吸附作用下的一级动力学过程,与理论预期一致;在Cu2+和Zn2+的解吸实验中,只有前期出现了弱吸附作用下的一级动力学过程,实验结果与理论预期存在差别,原因在于专性吸附的Cu2+、Zn2+很难被解吸下来;在交换/吸附实验中,Cu2+的吸附速率值和平衡吸附量均大于Zn2+,且Cu2+-K+体系的表面电化学参数φ0、σ0、E0均大于Zn2+-K+体系中的对应值,证明了黄壤颗粒表面对Cu2+的吸附作用强于Zn2+;在交换/解吸实验中,Zn2+的解吸速率值和平衡解吸量均大于Cu2+,Zn2+-K+体系的表面电化学参数φ0、σ0、E0均大于Cu2+-K+体系中的对应值,证明Zn2+-K+体系中Zn2+的解吸作用比Cu2+-K+体系中的Cu2+解吸作用强.     

The sorption of selenite from aqueous solutions by pyrite

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace nutrient for mammals; however, the range between deficit and toxic levels is narrow. In this study, the potential sorption of selenite onto pyrite particles from an aqueous solution was investigated. An intraparticle diffusion model was used to describe kinetic data of sorption, yielding diffusivity values of 5 × 10^?7 cm²/s. The Langmuir isotherm equation could be used to describe the experimental data. The fitting results indicated that b and {Se(IV)}_max have values of 0.37 L/mg and 3.49 mg/g, respectively. The sorption of selenite onto the surface of pyrite particles was dependent on a pH range of 2–12, and the quantity of sorption onto pyrite was negatively correlated with pH; that is, the amount of sorption onto pyrite increased with a decrease in pH. In addition, organic matter did not exert a significant effect on removal of selenite. With a reaction time greater than 1 week, sorption of selenite onto pyrite particles was found to partially reduce the amount of elemental Se.     

Hg0 removal from flue gas over different zeolites modified by FeCl3

The elemental mercury removal abilities of three different zeolites (NaA, NaX, HZSM-5) impregnated with iron (III) chloride were studied on alab-scale fixed-bed reactor. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) analy-ses were used to investigate the physicochemical properties. Results indicated that the pore structure and active chloride species on the surface of the samples are the key factors for physisorption and oxidation of Hg⁰, respectively. Relatively high surface area and micropore volume are beneficial to efficient mercury adsorption. The active Cl species generated on the surface of the samples were effective oxidants able to convert elemental mercury (Hg⁰) into oxidized mercury (Hg²⁺). The crystallization of NaCl due to the ion exchange effect during the impregnation of NaA and NaX reduced the number of active Cl species on the surface, and restricted the physisorption of Hg⁰. Therefore, the Hg⁰ removal efficiencies of the samples were inhibited. The TPD analysis revealed that the species of mercury on the surface of FeCl₃-HZSM-5 was mainly in the form of mercuric chloride(HgCl₂), while on FeCl₃-NaX and FeCl₃-NaA it was mainly mercuri coxide(HgO).     

Adsorption of three pharmaceuticals on two magnetic ion-exchange resins

The presence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments poses potential risks to the ecology and human health. This study investigated the removal of three widely detected and abundant pharmaceuticals, namely, ibuprofen (IBU), diclofenac (DC), and sulfadiazine (SDZ), by two magnetic ion-exchange resins. The adsorption kinetics of the three adsorbates onto both resins was relatively fast and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Despite the different pore structures of the two resins, similar adsorption patterns of DC and SDZ were observed, implying the existence of an ion-exchange mechanism. IBU demonstrated a combination of interactions during the adsorption process. These interactionswere dependent on the specific surface area and functional groups of the resin. The adsorption isothermfittings verified the differences in the behavior of the three pharmaceuticals on the two magnetic ion-exchange resins. The presence of Cl^- and SO₄^2- suppressed the adsorption amount, butwith different inhibition levels for different adsorbates. This work facilitates the understanding of the adsorption behavior andmechanismof pharmaceuticals onmagnetic ion-exchange resins. The results will expand the application of magnetic ion-exchange resins to the removal of pharmaceuticals in waters.     

Adsorption and biodegradation of three selected endocrine disrupting chemicals in river-based artificial groundwater recharge with reclaimed municipal wastewater

Endocrine disrupting chemical(EDC) pollution in river-based artificial groundwater recharge using reclaimed municipal wastewater poses a potential threat to groundwater-based drinking water supplies in Beijing, China. Lab-scale leaching column experiments simulating recharge were conducted to study the adsorption, biodegradation, and transport characteristics of three selected EDCs: 17β-estradiol(E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol(EE2) and bisphenol A(BPA). The three recharge columns were operated under the conditions of continual sterilization recharge(CSR), continual recharge(CR), and wetting and drying alternative recharge(WDAR). The results showed that the attenuation effect of the EDCs was in the order of WDAR CR CSR system and E2 EE2 BPA, which followed first-order kinetics. The EDC attenuation rate constants were 0.0783, 0.0505, and 0.0479 m-1 for E2, EE2 and BPA in the CR system, respectively. The removal rates of E2, EE2, and BPA in the CR system were 98%, 96% and 92%, which mainly depended on biodegradation and were affected by water temperature.In the CR system, the concentrations of BPA, EE2, and E2 in soil were 4, 6 and 10 times higher than in the WDAR system, respectively. According to the DGGE fingerprints, the bacterial community in the bottom layer was more diverse than in the upper layer, which was related to the EDC concentrations in the water-soil system. The dominant group was found to be proteobacteria, including Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, suggesting that these microbes might play an important role in EDC degradation.     

Activated carbon coated palygorskite as adsorbent by activation and its adsorption for methylene blue

An activation process for developing the surface and porous structure of palygorskite/carbon(PG/C) nanocomposite using ZnC l2 as activating agent was investigated. The obtained activated PG/C was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis(BET) techniques. The effects of activation conditions were examined,including activation temperature and impregnation ratio. With increased temperature and impregnation ratio, the collapse of the palygorskite crystal structure was found to accelerate and the carbon coated on the surface underwent further carbonization. XRD and SEM data confirmed that the palygorskite structure was destroyed and the carbon structure was developed during activation. The presence of the characteristic absorption peaks of C_C and C–H vibrations in the FTIR spectra suggested the occurrence of aromatization. The BET surface area improved by more than 11-fold(1201 m2/g for activated PG/C vs. 106 m2/g for PG/C) after activation, and the material appeared to be mainly microporous. The maximum adsorption capacity of methylene blue onto the activated PG/C reached 351 mg/g. The activated PG/C demonstrated better compressive strength than activated carbon without palygorskite clay.     

The relationship between light intensity and nutrient uptake kinetics in six freshwater diatoms

In order to find effective measures to control diatom blooms, a better understanding of the physiological characteristics of nutrient uptake in diatoms is needed. A study of P and Si-uptake kinetics for diatom species from two light regimes was conducted at low (LL), moderate (ML) and high light intensities (HL) (2, 25 and 80 μmol photons/(m²·sec)), respectively. The results showed that P uptake of diatoms was heavily influenced by historic light regimes. P affinity changed with growth and photosynthetic activity. The lowest half saturation constant for P uptake (K_m(P)) was under HL for high-light adapted diatoms while the lowest half-saturation constant for low-light adapted diatoms was observed under LL. The Si half-saturation constant (K_m(Si)) increased with increasing light intensities for pennate diatoms but decreased for centric diatoms. Diatom volumes were correlated with the maximum Si uptake rates (V_m(Si)) at HL and K_m(Si) at ML and HL for six diatom species. Our results imply that when we assess the development of diatom blooms we should consider light intensity and cell volume in addition to ambient Si or P concentration. The relationship between light intensity and P-uptake suggests that we can find suitable methods to control diatom blooms on the basis of reducing phytoplankton activity of P-uptake and photosynthesis simultaneously.     

Kinetic,equilibrium and thermodynamic studies for the sorption of metribuzin from aqueous solution using banana peels,an agro-based biomass

Banana peels were employed for the removal of metribuzin from aqueous solution. Sorption in the batch mode was optimized regarding pH, contact time, sorbent dose, initial pesticide concentrations, and temperature. The sorption data were fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intraparticle diffusion, Elovich, and liquid film diffusion model, the pseudo-second-order exhibiting best fit (R² = 0.9803). Of the four most common sorption isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich), the data followed the Langmuir isotherm with highest correlation. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 167 mg g^?1. Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy showed that the sorption was exothermic and spontaneous.