Ionic dye adsorption by zinc oxide nanoparticles

The adsorption behaviour of Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1 on zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNP) has been investigated to understand the physicochemical process involved and to explore the possible use of nanoparticles in the treatment and management of textile waste matter. The dye removal capacity of ZNP towards Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1 was found to be 15.64, 6.78 and 6.38 mg g^?1, respectively. The adsorption process was pH dependent and optimum pH values of 9.0, 2.0 and 4.0 were obtained for Basic Red 12, Acid Orange 7 and Acid Blue 1, respectively. Equilibrium was established after 1.0 h for all dyes. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models were applied to the system. The adsorbent ZNP was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. SEM analysis revealed the noticeable nanoporous morphology of the material. The results of FTIR spectroscopy showed that the process is driven by an electrostatic complexation mechanism. XRD studies revealed the nanocrystalline structure of ZNP. BET surface area measurement suggested a high pore volume and large surface area for the adsorbent. The kinetic measurements suggested pseudo-second-order kinetic processes with high regression coefficients and smaller standard error of estimate values and lower residual sum of squares. The thermodynamic measurements suggested that all processes were exothermic and accompanied by negative values for Δ G⁰, Δ S⁰ and Δ H⁰.     

土壤颗粒对纳米TiO_2悬浮稳定性作用机制的实验研究

在不含表面活性剂和含有表面活性剂两种条件下,研究了土壤颗粒对纳米TiO2(nTiO2)悬浮稳定性的影响.结果表明,土壤颗粒降低了nTiO2在水相中的悬浮稳定性.当体系中不含表面活性剂时,nTiO2在土壤大颗粒上的沉积是导致nTiO2脱稳沉淀的主要原因.在含有表面活性剂的溶液中,土壤颗粒降低nTiO2悬浮稳定性的作用变得更加明显了.一方面,表面活性剂加速了土壤颗粒本身的沉降从而增强了nTiO2在其中的沉降,另一方面,表面活性剂在土壤上的强烈吸附促进了表面活性剂-nTiO2在土壤上的沉积.扫描电镜显示,nTiO2不仅吸附在土壤大颗粒上,还会吸附在土壤小颗粒表面.3种表面活性剂中,十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)悬浮的nTiO2与土壤颗粒共沉淀现象最明显.除了土壤对CTAB的吸附作用之外,XDLVO/DLVO能量计算显示CTAB体系中土壤颗粒与nTiO2之间存在显著第二极小值,表明nTiO2能够在第二极小值位置与土壤颗粒结合,从而与土壤颗粒一起快速沉淀.     

用水协会运行绩效及其影响因素分析——基于江西省3949个用水协会的实证研究

近年来我国用水协会的数量呈爆炸式增长,但学者对其运行绩效及影响因素的研究不够全面和深入。论文使用江西省11个市3 949个用水协会数据,对用水协会的运行绩效及其影响因素进行实证研究。研究表明,是否注册、参与农户数、组建边界、协会主要领导人产生方式、是否有工程产权证、灌溉设施完好率、灌区规模对用水协会运行绩效有显著正影响;而租用和借用办公场所、协会工作人员数、协会起源、协会主要领导人身份则有显著负影响。要使用水协会运行良好,应重视协会的注册工作,完善协会主要领导人产生方式,控制协会工作人员规模,深化小型农田水利工程设施产权制度改革。     

Water chemistry controlled aggregation and photo-transformation of silver nanoparticles in environmental waters

The inevitable release of engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into aquatic environments has drawn great concerns about its environmental toxicity and safety. Although aggregation and transformation play crucial roles in the transport and toxicity of AgNPs, how the water chemistry of environmental waters influences the aggregation and transformation of engineered AgNPs is still not well understood. In this study, the aggregation of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated AgNPs was investigated in eight typical environmental water samples (with different ionic strengths, hardness, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations) by using UV–visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Raman spectroscopy was applied to probe the interaction of DOM with the surface of AgNPs. Further, the photo-transformation and morphology changes of AgNPs in environmental waters were studied by UV–visible spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. The results suggested that both electrolytes (especially Ca^2 + and Mg^2 +) and DOM in the surface waters are key parameters for AgNP aggregation, and sunlight could accelerate the morphology change, aggregation, and further sedimentation of AgNPs. This water chemistry controlled aggregation and photo-transformation should have significant environmental impacts on the transport and toxicity of AgNPs in the aquatic environments.     

近红外长余辉纳米颗粒经小鼠眼部暴露后体内分布和代谢情况

为了研究纳米颗粒通过眼部暴露后进入体内的路径及在体内的分布和代谢情况,实验采用近红外长余辉纳米探针作为示踪剂,对小鼠进行眼部暴露,随后利用活体成像技术观察其进入小鼠体内的过程及分布情况,于暴露第4天收集代谢产物,第7天取重要脏器和血液,并检测纳米探针的存在情况.结果显示纳米探针可由眼经口腔进入胃肠道中,并且纳米颗粒暴露4天后在小鼠的粪便中检测到强荧光信号,而尿液中的荧光信号较弱,暴露7 d后在小鼠的眼睑结膜、胃及眼球中检测到强荧光信号,而其余器官的荧光信号较弱.这表明通过眼部暴露后,纳米颗粒主要分布在眼和消化系统中,最后大部分经消化系统代谢.     

Fe3O4活化过硫酸盐体系同步去除诺氟沙星和铅

采用Fe₃O₄活化过硫酸盐（PS）同步去除水中的NOR （诺氟沙星）和Pb （II）.探讨了Fe₃O₄投加量、PS浓度、初始pH值和Pb （II）浓度对NOR降解的影响.结果表明,NOR的降解符合伪一级反应动力学,在温度为30℃、NOR初始浓度为5.0mg/L、Pb （II）浓度为1.0mg/L、Fe₃O₄投加量为2.0g/L、PS浓度为1.5mmol/L、初始pH值为7.0的条件下,反应120min后,NOR降解率达90.2%,Pb （II）去除率为99.5%.自由基淬灭实验证实,硫酸根自由基（SO₄^-·）是NOR降解的主要自由基.通过LC-MS分析结果推测了NOR可能的降解路径和中间产物.Fe₃O₄活化PS高级氧化工艺可作为一种同步去除有机污染物和重金属的工艺.     

磁性纳米铁对厌氧颗粒污泥特性及其微生物群落的影响

考察了磁性纳米铁(Fe3O4NPs)对厌氧颗粒污泥溶解性微生物产物(SMP)、疏松胞外聚合物(LB-EPS)、紧密胞外聚合物(TB-EPS)的影响,同时利用高通量测序技术对厌氧颗粒污泥内微生物群落结构的变化进行了分析.结果表明,在长期接触实验过程中,投加Fe3O4NPs的反应器对COD去除率为83.6%,与对照组相比降低了5.7%.对照组与实验组中厌氧颗粒污泥TB-EPS含量(以VSS计)分别为178.20 mg·g-1和138.24 mg·g-1,而SMP含量分别为34.88 mg·L-1和27.44 mg·L-1;同时投加Fe3O4NPs后,在LB-EPS三维荧光(EEM)光谱中,紫外光区类腐殖酸荧光峰消失,辅酶F420荧光峰强度有所降低.在长期接触实验后,甲烷杆菌属(Methanobacterium)所占比例从76.15%增至86.76%,而甲烷丝菌属(Methanothrix)所占比例从17.1%降至7.51%,Methanothrix对于Fe3O4NPs更为敏感;总细菌群落变化明显,其中变形菌门(Proteobacteria)所占比例从66.44%降至47.16%,放线菌门(Actinobacteria)所占比例从8.97%增至17.33%,拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)所占比例从8.07%增至17.74%,厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门比例的增加对有机物的厌氧水解过程发挥积极的作用.     

Adsorptive removal of resorcinol on a novel ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) employing COK-19 silica scaffold: Kinetics and equilibrium study

Phenolic compounds and their derivatives have been found in industrial wastewater, which pose threats to the natural environment. Ordered mesoporous carbon(OMC) has been identified as an ideal adsorbent possessing high specific surface area and large pore volume to alleviate these pollutants. A novel ordered mesoporous carbon was prepared using COK-19 template with the cubic Fm3 m structure for the first time. Ordered mesoporous silica COK-19 was synthesized and reported in 2015. Sucrose as the carbon precursor was impregnated into the mesopores of silica and converted to carbon through carbonization process using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Ordered mesoporous carbon was obtained after the removal of silica framework using hydrofluoric acid. Boric acid was employed for the preparation of OMCs with tunable pore sizes in the range of 6.9–16.6 nm. Several characterization techniques such as nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscope(TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Boehm titration and elemental analysis were employed to characterize the OMCs. The pore size analysis and TEM images confirmed that OMC has replicated the mesostructure of the COK-19. Results obtained from adsorption kinetics and isotherms suggest that the Pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir isotherm well described the experimental data.     

Application of Cellulose Microfibrils in Polymer Nanocomposites

Cellulose microfibrils obtained by the acid hydrolysis of cellulose fibers were added at low concentrations (2–10% w/w) to polymer gels and films as reinforcing agents. Significant changes in mechanical properties, especially maximum load and tensile strength, were obtained for fibrils derived from several cellulosic sources, including cotton, softwood, and bacterial cellulose. For extruded starch plastics, the addition of cotton-derived microfibrils at 10.3% (w/w) concentration increased Young’s modulus by 5-fold relative to a control sample with no cellulose reinforcement. Preliminary data suggests that shear alignment significantly improves tensile strength. Addition of microfibrils does not always change mechanical properties in a predictable direction. Whereas tensile strength and modulus were shown to increase during addition of microfibrils to an extruded starch thermoplastic and a cast latex film, these parameters decreased when microfibrils were added to a starch–pectin blend, implying that complex interactions are involved in the application of these reinforcing agents.     

Ecotoxic Effect of Photocatalytic Active Nanoparticles (TiO2) on Algae and Daphnids (8 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Due to their large potential for manifold applications, the use of nanoparticles is of increasing importance. As large amounts of nanoparticles may reach the environment voluntarily or by accident, attention should be paid on the potential impacts on the environment. First studies on potential environmental effects of photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles have been performed on the basis of widely accepted, standardized test systems which originally had been developed for the characterization of chemicals. The methods were adapted to the special requirements of testing photocatalytic nanoparticles. Materials and Methods: Suspensions of two different nanoparticles were illuminated to induce their photocatalytic activity. For testing, the growth inhibition test with the green alga Desmodesmus subspicatus and the immobilization test with the daphnid Daphnia magna were selected and performed following the relevant guidelines (algae: ISO 8692, OECD 201, DIN 38412-33; daphnids: ISO 6341, OECD 202, DIN 38412-30). The guidelines were adapted to meet the special requirements for testing photocatalytic nanoparticles. Results: The results indicate that it is principally possible to determine the ecotoxicity of nanoparticles. It was shown that nanoparticles may have ecotoxicological effects which depend on the nature of the particles. Both products tested differ in their toxicity. Product 1 shows a clear concentration-effect curve in the test with algae (EC50: 44 mg/L). It could be proven that the observed toxicity was not caused by accompanying contaminants, since the toxic effect was comparable for the cleaned and the commercially available product. For product 2, no toxic effects were determined (maximum concentration: 50 mg/L). In the tests with daphnids, toxicity was observed for both products, although the concentration effect-curves were less pronounced. The two products differed in their toxicity; moreover, there was a difference in the toxicity of illuminated and non-illuminated products. Discussion: Both products differ in size and crystalline form, so that these parameters are assumed to contribute to the different toxicities. The concentration-effect curves for daphnids, which are less-pronounced than the curves obtained for algae, may be due to the different test organisms and/or the differing test designs. The increased toxicity of pre-illuminated particles in the tests with daphnids demonstrates that the photocatalytic activity of nanoparticles lasts for a period of time. Conclusions: The following conclusions can be drawn from the test results: (I) It is principally possible to determine the ecotoxicity of (photocatalytic) nanoparticles. Therefore, they can be assessed using methods comparable to the procedures applied for assessing soluble chemicals. - (II) Nanoparticles may exert ecotoxicological effects, which depend on the specific nanoparticle. - (III) Comparable to traditional chemicals, the ecotoxicity depends on the test organisms and their physiology. - (IV) The photocatalytic activity of nanoparticles lasts for a relevant period of time. Therefore, pre-illumination may be sufficient to detect a photocatalytic activity even by using test organisms which are not suitable for application in the pre-illumination-phase. Recommendations and Perspectives: First results are presented which indicate that the topic 'ecotoxicity and environmental effects of nanoparticles' should not be neglected. In testing photocatalytic nanoparticles, there are still many topics that need clarification or improvement, such as the cause for an observed toxicity, the improvement of the test design, the elaboration of a test battery and an assessment strategy. On the basis of optimized test systems, it will be possible to test nanoparticles systematically. If a potential risk by specific photocatalytic particles is known, a risk-benefit analysis can be performed and, if required, risk reducing measures can be taken.