Dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons by bimetallic Ni/Fe immobilized on polyethylene glycol-grafted microfiltration membranes under anoxic conditions

In this study, the dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CT) by bimetallic Ni/Fe nanoparticles immobilized on four different membranes was investigated under anoxic conditions. Effects of several parameters including the nature of membrane, initial concentration, pH value, and reaction temperature on the dechlorination efficiency were examined. The scanning electron microscopic images showed that the Ni/Fe nanoparticles were successfully immobilized inside the four membranes using polyethylene glycol as the cross-linker. The agglomeration of Ni/Fe were observed in poly(vinylidene fluoride), Millex GS and mixed cellulose ester membranes, while a relatively uniform distribution of Ni/Fe was found in nylon-66 membrane because of its hydrophilic nature. The immobilized Ni/Fe nanoparticles exhibited good reactivity towards the dechlorination of chlorinated hydrocarbons, and the pseudo-first-order rate constant for TCE dechlorination by Ni/Fe in nylon-66 were 3.7-11.7 times higher than those in other membranes. In addition, the dechlorination efficiency of chlorinated hydrocarbons followed the order TCE > PCE > CT. Ethane was the only end product for TCE and PCE dechlorination, while dichloromethane and methane were found to be the major products for CT dechlorination, clearly indicating the involvement of reactive hydrogen species in dechlorination. In addition, the initial rate constant for TCE dechlorination increased upon increasing initial TCE concentrations and the activation energy for TCE dechlorination by immobilized Ni/Fe was 34.9 kJ mol⁻¹, showing that the dechlorination of TCE by membrane-supported Ni/Fe nanoparticles is a surface-mediated reaction.     

Transport of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in soil

The effect of soil properties on the transport of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was studied in a set of laboratory column experiments, using different combinations of size fractions of a Mediterranean sandy clay soil. The AgNPs with average size of ∼30 nm yielded a stable suspension in water with zeta potential of −39 mV. Early breakthrough of AgNPs in soil was observed in column transport experiments. AgNPs were found to have high mobility in soil with outlet relative concentrations ranging from 30% to 70%, depending on experimental conditions. AgNP mobility through the column decreased when the fraction of smaller soil aggregates was larger. The early breakthrough pattern was not observed for AgNPs in pure quartz columns nor for bromide tracer in soil columns, suggesting that early breakthrough is related to the nature of AgNP transport in natural soils. Micro-CT and image analysis used to investigate structural features of the soil, suggest that soil aggregate size strongly affects AgNP transport in natural soil. The retention of AgNPs in the soil column was reduced when humic acid was added to the leaching solution, while a lower flow rate (Darcy velocity of 0.17 cm/min versus 0.66 cm/min) resulted in higher retention of AgNPs in the soil. When soil residual chloride was exchanged by nitrate prior to column experiments, significantly improved mobility of AgNPs was observed in the soil column. These findings point to the importance of AgNP-soil chemical interactions as a retention mechanism, and demonstrate the need to employ natural soils rather than glass beads or quartz in representative experimental investigations.     

CuONPs短期暴露对SBR水处理效果的影响

研究了不同浓度氧化铜纳米颗粒(CuO NPs)对序批式活性污泥工艺(SBR)中化学需氧量、氨氮、总磷、硝态氮和亚硝态氮去除率的影响.实验结果表明,当环境中浓度为1 mg/L和10 mg/L的CuO NPs短期暴露时(1 d),其对活性污泥生存能力和周期内有机物去除、脱氮除磷都没有造成急性影响.经过20 d的短期运行,对SBR系统出水COD、氨氮、总磷、硝态氮和亚硝态氮也没有造成明显的影响.活性污泥呼吸抑制实验结果显示,CuO NPs对活性污泥的呼吸抑制作用与浓度呈正相关性,浓度越高呼吸抑制现象越明显,低浓度CuO NPs对活性污泥活性并没有明显的抑制作用.     

Photocatalytic reduction of organic pollutant under visible light by green route synthesized gold nanoparticles

We report a rapid method of green chemistry approach for synthesis of gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)using Lagerstroemia speciosa leaf extract(LSE). L. speciosa plant extract is known for its effective treatment of diabetes and kidney related problems. The green synthesis of Au NPs was complete within 30 min at 25°C. The same could also be achieved within 2 min at a higher reaction temperature(80°C). Both UV–visible spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy results suggest that the morphology and size distribution of Au NPs are dependent on the pH of gold solution,gold concentration,volume of LSE,and reaction time and temperature. Comparison between Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR)spectra of LSE and the synthesized Au NPs indicate an active role of polyphenolic functional groups(from gallotannins,lagerstroemin,and corosolic acid)in the green synthesis and capping of Au NPs. The green route synthesized Au NPs show strong photocatalytic activity in the reduction of dyes viz.,methylene blue,methyl orange,bromophenol blue and bromocresol green,and 4-nitrophenol under visible light in the presence of Na BH_4. The non-toxic and cost effective LSE mediated Au NPs synthesis proposed in this study is extremely rapid compared to the other reported methods that require hours to days for complete synthesis of Au NPs using various plant extracts. Strong and stable photocatalytic behavior makes Au NPs attractive in environmental applications,particularly in the reduction of organic pollutants in wastewater.     

Fe~(3+)及Ce~(3+)掺杂对TiO_2纳米粒子性能的影响

以溶胶-凝胶法制备纯的和分别掺杂Fe3+、Ce3+的TiO2纳米粒子,以橙黄IV的光催化氧化评价纳米粒子的紫外光与可见光活性,利用TG-DSC、XRD、BET及UV-Vis吸收光谱考察掺杂对TiO2的相变、粒径、比表面积及光吸收性能的影响,在归一化条件下探讨Fe3+及Ce3+掺杂对TiO2活性和表面性质产生影响的机制。结果表明:Fe3+及Ce3+的最佳掺杂量分别为0.2%和0.04%;Ce3+抑制TiO2由锐钛矿向金红石转变以及改善TiO2高温组织稳定性的能力均明显大于Fe3+;Fe3+和Ce3+掺杂均能提高TiO2的紫外光活性并扩展TiO2的光响应范围,但光生电子与空穴复合以及光腐蚀使它们对TiO2可见光活性的提高并不显著。Fe3+和Ce3+的半径及其相应氧化物的性质决定了两者对TiO2性能的不同影响。     

氧化铜纳米颗粒对水稻幼苗根系代谢毒性的研究

为阐明氧化铜纳米颗粒(CuO NPs)暴露对植物生长的影响,分别用CuO NPs悬浮液、氧化铜大颗粒(CuO BPs)悬浮液和硫酸铜(CuSO4·5H2O)溶液进行处理,以蒸馏水(d H2O)作为对照,水培水稻幼苗,研究了CuO NPs对水稻幼苗根系相关生理生化行为的影响.结果表明,不同处理对水稻幼苗根系的影响有很大差异,经CuO NPs悬浮液处理后,水稻幼根受损较严重,根系活力明显降低,根内丙二醛(MDA)含量和过氧化氢(H2O2)含量显著升高,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化物酶(POD)活性明显增强.不同处理对水稻幼苗根的影响依次为:CuO NPs>CuSO4·5H2O>CuO BPs>d H2O.说明氧化铜纳米颗粒对水稻根的毒害作用不仅是由于释放离子引起的,纳米颗粒本身也起着重要作用,氧化损伤可能是CuO NPs的主要致毒机制之一.     

生物法回收贵金属铂纳米颗粒及其机制

利用自行分离的粪肠球菌Z5(Enterococcus faecalis Z5)菌株(保藏号CCTCC M2012445)回收贵金属铂,探讨了其在外源电子供体条件下以纳米颗粒形式回收溶液中化合态铂的可能性,研究了铂初始浓度、生物量、温度以及p H值对回收过程的影响,探讨了粪肠球菌Z5回收铂纳米颗粒过程的可能机制.结果表明,粪肠球菌Z5菌株可以回收铂纳米颗粒,回收过程主要包括生物吸附和生物还原.铂初始浓度为286.46 mg·L~(-1)、生物量为3.2 g·L~(-1)、温度50℃以及p H值为6时为其最佳回收条件.X射线衍射(XRD)和透射电镜(TEM)分析表明,回收产物为5 nm左右粒径的铂纳米颗粒,主要分布于细胞周质.X射线电子能谱(XPS)分析显示,Pt(Ⅳ)首先被还原为Pt(Ⅱ),然后被还原为Pt(0),且从Pt(Ⅱ)还原成Pt(0)为限制步骤,傅里叶红外(FTIR)分析显示菌体表面的羟基和酰胺基官能团可能在回收过程中起作用.     

载银施氏矿物的制备及其对甲基橙的催化还原降解

采用硼氢化钠还原方法制备了不同载银量的银纳米粒子/施氏矿物复合催化剂（AgNPs/Sch）,利用扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线能谱（EDS）和X射线衍射（XRD）等测试方法对所制备催化剂的表面形貌、元素组成和物相组成进行了表征,证明了Ag成功负载于施氏矿物上.以甲基橙为目标污染物,硼氢化钠为还原剂,考察了不同载银量施氏矿物对甲基橙的催化降解性能,并探究了载银施氏矿物的投加量、硼氢化钠浓度、 甲基橙初始浓度、溶液初始pH等因素对甲基橙的催化还原降解效果的影响.结果表明,在甲基橙浓度为20 mg?L^-1、NaBH₄浓度为10 mmol?L^-1、初始pH=6条件下,反应90 min后,未载银的施氏矿物对甲基橙的降解率仅为7.5%,然而硝酸银添加量为0.10 g制备的AgNPs/Sch对甲基橙的降解率可达97.0%,该催化剂作为电子介质,能够将电子从还原剂（NaBH₄）转移到甲基橙中,进而加速甲基橙的降解.AgNPs/Sch在最佳的实验条件下5次循环性反应后,仍具有较高的催化稳定性.由此可见,载银施氏矿物作为一种新型的催化剂,在有机染料废水净化方面具有良好的应用前景.     

不同环境因子对纳米羟基磷灰石在饱和填充柱中迁移规律的影响

选用石英砂填充柱模拟土壤体系,通过测量纳米羟基磷灰石（Nano-HAP）ζ电位、出流比等来考察不同环境因素（腐殖酸浓度、pH和离子强度）对其在饱和石英砂柱中迁移规律的影响.结果表明,随着腐殖酸浓度的增加,Nano-HAP胶体的ζ电位相应增加（绝对值增加）,吸附效率（α）相应降低,当溶液中腐殖酸浓度由0增加为10 mg/...     

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles: synthesis,characterisations and aquatic ecotoxicity effects

Little information is available on the potential ecotoxicity of nanomaterials in the marine environment. In particular, the aquatic ecotoxicity impact of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has been rarely reported. To carefully address this issue, we report on the synthesis of TiO₂ NPs using solvothermal process. The structure and morphology of the prepared TiO₂ nanoparticles were characterised using different techniques. To study the potential ecotoxicity effect of TiO₂, antioxidant system of mediterranean bivalves (Mytilus galloprovincialis) was used, measuring three oxidative biomarkers (ROS production, SOD activity and GSH/GSSG level). No considerable effect was found in the digestive glands of any of the groups treated with TiO₂ with concentration gradients ranging from 1 to 100?mg/L. Thus, the level of the superoxide anion, the activity of an antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the GSH/GSSG ratio showed no significantly differences in digestive glands of all treated groups compared to the control. However, slight modifications were observed in the gills at high concentrations. These results demonstrated that TiO₂ appears to exert little toxicity on marine mussels after a short-term exposure at high concentration. However, before considering the use of this nanomaterial in various applications, further complementary studies are required in order to ensure the environmental safety of these NPs.