Reuse of nickel recovered from spent Ni–Cd batteries for the preparation of C/Ni and C/Ni/Pd layered electrodes for energy sources

Nickel recovered in the recycling process of Ni–Cd batteries was used as a main component of bath for electrodeposition of nickel onto carbon fabric in order to obtain C/Ni composite. A part of the obtained composite was additionally coated with a thin layer of palladium (C/Ni/Pd composite). All the materials were investigated to assess the possibility of their use in the processes of electrochemical storage (sorption/desorption) of hydrogen and electrochemical oxidation of methanol. The obtained results showed the composites to be active electrode materials in these processes. The electrodes exhibited high activity and cyclability, especially in the process of methanol oxidation due to electrocatalytic activity of both nickel deposited onto carbon fabric and the outer layer of porous palladium coating nickel substrate.     

Detoxification of hexavalent chromium in wastewater containing organic substances using simonkolleite-TiO2 photocatalyst

Innovative simple method for the preparation of simonkolleite-TiO₂ photocatalyst with different Zn contents was achieved. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, Raman and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The photocatalytic activities of the materials were evaluated for the simultaneous detoxification of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and oxidation of organic compounds commonly present in wastewater under simulated solar light. The best photoreduction efficiency of Cr(VI) has been achieved at 1000 ppm simonkolleite-TiO₂ photocatalyst of 5% Zn/TiO₂ weight ratio, and pH value of 2.5 to enhance the adsorption onto catalyst surface. Photoreduction was significantly improved by using formic acid as holes scavenger owing to its chemical adsorption on the catalyst surface. Finally, 100% photoreduction of Cr(VI) could be achieved using formic/simonkolleite-TiO₂ systems under sunlight.     

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) requirement for the oxidation of crude oil in contaminated soils by a modified Fenton's reagent

The oxidation of soil organic matter (SOM) and total petroleum hydrocarbon were investigated in two soils at eight different hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentrations to determine the optimal H₂O₂ dosage for the efficient remediation of soils contaminated by crude oil with minimal SOM removal. In our study, H₂O₂ concentrations up to 1100 mM increased the SOM destruction up to 10%–15% in the two soils while no improvement of the crude oil removal efficiencies was observed. The results indicate that the destruction of SOM significantly limits the oxidation of crude oil because SOM might consume H₂O₂ more effectively than crude oil at H₂O₂ concentrations above 1100 mM. In addition, H₂O₂ concentrations higher than 1100 mM were not expected for both soils because of the extremely rapid H₂O₂ decomposition, and low H₂O₂ utilization, of both soils.     

Advanced treatment of biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater by a novel heterogeneous Fenton oxidation process

Sewage sludge from a biological wastewater treatment plant was converted into sewage sludge based activated carbon(SBAC) with Zn Cl2 as activation agent, which was used as a support for ferric oxides to form a catalyst(Fe Ox/SBAC) by a simple impregnation method.The new material was then used to improve the performance of Fenton oxidation of real biologically pretreated coal gasification wastewater(CGW). The results indicated that the prepared Fe Ox/SBAC significantly enhanced the pollutant removal performance in the Fenton process, so that the treated wastewater was more biodegradable and less toxic. The best performance was obtained over a wide p H range from 2 to 7, temperature 30°C, 15 mg/L of H2O2 and 1 g/L of catalyst, and the treated effluent concentrations of COD, total phenols,BOD5 and TOC all met the discharge limits in China. Meanwhile, on the basis of significant inhibition by a radical scavenger in the heterogeneous Fenton process as well as the evolution of FT-IR spectra of pollutant-saturated Fe Ox/BAC with and without H2O2, it was deduced that the catalytic activity was responsible for generating hydroxyl radicals, and a possible reaction pathway and interface mechanism were proposed. Moreover, Fe Ox/SBAC showed superior stability over five successive oxidation runs. Thus, heterogeneous Fenton oxidation of biologically pretreated CGW by Fe Ox/SBAC, with the advantages of being economical, efficient and sustainable, holds promise for engineering application.     

Effects of different sludge disintegration methods on sludge moisture distribution and dewatering performance

A key step in sludge treatment is sludge dewatering. However, activated sludge is generally very difficult to be dewatered. Sludge dewatering performance is largely affected by the sludge moisture distribution. Sludge disintegration can destroy the sludge structure and cell wall, so as change the sludge floc structure and moisture distribution, thus affecting the dewatering performance of sludge. In this article, the disintegration methods were ultrasound treatment, K₂FeO₄ oxidation and KMnO₄ oxidation. The degree of disintegration (DD_COD), sludge moisture distribution and the final water content of sludge cake after centrifuging were measured. Results showed that three disintegration methods were all effective, and K₂FeO₄ oxidation was more efficient than KMnO₄ oxidation. The content of free water increased obviously with K₂FeO₄ and KMnO₄ oxidations, while it decreased with ultrasound treatment. The changes of free water and interstitial water were in the opposite trend. The content of bounding water decreased with K₂FeO₄ oxidation, and increased slightly with KMnO₄ oxidation, while it increased obviously with ultrasound treatment. The water content of sludge cake after centrifuging decreased with K₂FeO₄ oxidation, and did not changed with KMnO₄ oxidation, but increased obviously with ultrasound treatment. In summary, ultrasound treatment deteriorated the sludge dewaterability, while K₂FeO₄ and KMnO₄ oxidation improved the sludge dewaterability.     

Feasibility of bioleaching combined with Fenton oxidation to improve sewage sludge dewaterability

A novel joint method of bioleaching with Fenton oxidation was applied to condition sewage sludge. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and moisture of sludge cake (MSC) were adopted to evaluate the improvement of sludge dewaterability. After 2-day bioleaching, the sludge pH dropped to about 2.5 which satisfied the acidic condition for Fenton oxidation. Meanwhile, the SRF declined from 6.45 × 10¹⁰ to 2.07 × 10¹⁰ s²/g, and MSC decreased from 91.42% to 87.66%. The bioleached sludge was further conditionedwith Fenton oxidation. From an economical point of view, the optimal dosages of H₂O₂ and Fe2+ were 0.12 and 0.036 mol/L, respectively, and the optimal reaction time was 60 min. Under optimal conditions, SRF, volatile solids reduction, and MSC were 3.43 × 10⁸ s²/g, 36.93%, and 79.58%, respectively. The stability and settleability of sewage sludge were both improved significantly. Besides, the results indicated that bioleaching-Fenton oxidation was more efficient in dewatering the sewage sludge than traditional Fenton oxidation. The sludge conditioningmechanisms by bioleaching-Fenton oxidationmight mainly include the flocculation effects and the releases of extracellular polymeric substances-bound water and intercellular water.     

Removal of formaldehyde over MnxCe1-xO2 catalysts: Thermal catalytic oxidation versus ozone catalytic oxidation

MnxCe1- xO2（x： 0.3–0.9） prepared by Pechini method was used as a catalyst for the thermal catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde（HCHO）. At x = 0.3 and 0.5, most of the manganese was incorporated in the fluorite structure of Ce O2 to form a solid solution. The catalytic activity was best at x = 0.5, at which the temperature of 100% removal rate is the lowest（270°C）. The temperature for 100% removal of HCHO oxidation is reduced by approximately 40°C by loading 5 wt.% Cu Oxinto Mn0.5Ce0.5O2. With ozone catalytic oxidation, HCHO（61 ppm） in gas stream was completely oxidized by adding 506 ppm O3 over Mn0.5Ce0.5O2 catalyst with a GHSV（gas hourly space velocity） of 10,000 hr-1at 25°C. The effect of the molar ratio of O3 to HCHO was also investigated. As O3/HCHO ratio was increased from 3 to 8, the removal efficiency of HCHO was increased from 83.3% to 100%. With O3/HCHO ratio of 8, the mineralization efficiency of HCHO to CO2 was 86.1%. At 25°C, the p-type oxide semiconductor（Mn0.5Ce0.5O2） exhibited an excellent ozone decomposition efficiency of 99.2%,which significantly exceeded that of n-type oxide semiconductors such as Ti O2, which had a low ozone decomposition efficiency（9.81%）. At a GHSV of 10,000 hr-1, [O3]/[HCHO] = 3 and temperature of 25°C, a high HCHO removal efficiency（≥ 81.2%） was maintained throughout the durability test of 80 hr, indicating the long-term stability of the catalyst for HCHO removal.     

Activated carbon enhanced ozonation of oxalate attributed to HO. oxidation in bulk solution and surface oxidation： Effect of activated carbon dosage and pH

Ozonation of oxalate in aqueous phase was performed with a commercial activated carbon（AC）in this work. The effect of AC dosage and solution pH on the contribution of hydroxyl radicals（HOU） in bulk solution and oxidation on the AC surface to the removal of oxalate was studied. We found that the removal of oxalate was reduced by tert-butyl alcohol（tBA） with low dosages of AC,while it was hardly affected by tBA when the AC dosage was greater than 0.3 g/L. tBA also inhibited ozone decomposition when the AC dosage was no more than 0.05 g/L, but it did not work when the AC dosage was no less than 0.1 g/L. These observations indicate that HOUin bulk solution and oxidation on the AC surface both contribute to the removal of oxalate. HOU oxidation in bulk solution is significant when the dosage of AC is low, whereas surface oxidation is dominant when the dosage of AC is high. The oxalate removal decreased with increasing pH of the solution with an AC dosage of 0.5 g/L. The degradation of oxalate occurs mainly through surface oxidation in acid and neutral solution, but through HOUoxidation in basic bulk solution. A mechanism involving both HOUoxidation in bulk solution and surface oxidation was proposed for AC enhanced ozonation of oxalate.