Remediation of Cr（Ⅵ） in solution using vitamin C

The effectiveness of vitamin C in treating Cr(Ⅵ)-contaminated water is being evaluated. Cr(Ⅵ) is an identified pollutant of some soils and groundwater. Vitamin C, an important biological reductant in humans and animals, can be used to transform Cr(Ⅵ) to essentially nontoxic Cr(Ⅲ). The removal efficiency was 89% when the mass concentration of vitamin C was 80 mg/L in 60 min, and nearly 100% Cr(Ⅵ) was removed when the mass concentration was 100 mg/L. Our data demonstrated that the removal efficiency was affected by vitamin C concentration, the reaction temperature and the dissolved oxygen concentration.The reaction mechanism of Cr(Ⅵ) by vitamin C was presented. Our study opens the way to use vitamin C to remediate Cr(Ⅵ)-contaminated soils and groundwater.     

Removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution by iron nanoparticles

Groundwater remediation by nanoparticles has收稿日期increasing interest in recent years. This report presents a thorough evaluation of hexavalent chromium removal in aqueous solutions using iron (Fe0) nanoparticles. Cr(Ⅵ) is a major pollutant of groundwater. Zero-valent iron, an important natural reductant of Cr(Ⅵ), is an option in the remediation of contaminated sites, transforming Cr(Ⅵ) to essentially nontoxic Cr(Ⅲ). At a dose of 0.4 g/L, 100% of Cr(Ⅵ) (20 mg/L) was degraded. The Cr(Ⅵ) removal efficiency decreased significantly with increasing initial pH. Different Fe0 type was compared in the same conditions. The reactivity was in the order starch-stabilized Fe0 nanoparticles＞Fe0 nanoparticles＞Fe0 powder＞Fe0 filings. Electrochemical analysis of the reaction process led to the conclusion that Cr(OH)3 should be the final product of Cr(Ⅵ). Iron nanoparticles are good choice for the remediation of heavy metals in groundwater.     

Catalytic Activity of Cr(Ⅵ) in the Degradation of Phenol by H_2O_2 Under Acidic Conditions

Cr(Ⅵ) and phenol are toxic contaminants that need to be treated,and different methods have been researched to simultaneously remove these two contaminants from industrial wastewater.In this study,Cr(Ⅵ) was used as a novel Fenton-like catalyst in phenol degradation by H_2O_2.In the pH range of 3.0-11.0,the degradation efficiency of phenol decreased with elevated pH.At pH=3.0,100 mg/L phenol was effectively degraded by 2 mmol/L Cr(Ⅵ) and 20 mmol/L H_2O_2.At pH=7.0 and the same conditions as those of pH=3.0,79%of 100 mg/L phenol was removed within 6 h,which was an improvement in pH limitation compared with the Fe(Ⅱ)-mediated Fenton reaction.Quenching experiments indicated that'OH generated from the catalysis of H_2O_2 by Cr(Ⅴ) instead of Cr(Ⅵ) was the primary oxidant that degraded phenol.When pyrophosphate was added in the Cr(Ⅵ)/H_2O_2 system,complexes with the Cr(Ⅴ) intermediate rapidly formed and inhibited H_2O_2 decomposition,implying that the decomposition of H_2O_2 to'OH was catalyzed by Cr(Ⅴ) instead of Cr(Ⅵ).The presence of anions such as chloride and sulfate had insignificant effect on the degradation of phenol.TOC and UV analyses suggest that phenol could not be completely oxidized to CO_2 and H_2O,and the intermediates identified by high performance liquid chromatography further indicates that maleic acid and benzoquinone were intermediates which may be further degraded into short chain acids,primarily maleic,formic,acetic,and oxalic acids,and eventually into CO_2 and H_2O.Considering that more than 50%Cr(Ⅵ) can also be removed during this process,the Cr(Ⅵ)/H_2O_2 system is more appropriate for the simultaneous removal of Cr(Ⅵ) and phenol contaminants from industrial wastewater.     

Effects of loading rate and hydraulic residence time on anoxic sulfide biooxidation

The optimal operation conditions in an anoxic sulfide oxidizing (ASO) bioreactor were investigated. The maximal removal rates for sulfide and nitrate were found to be 4.18 kg/(m3·d) and 1.73 kg/(m3·d), respectively. The volumetrical volumetric loading rates (LRs) observed through decreasing hydraulic retention time (HRT) at fixed substrate concentration are higher than those by increasing substrate concentration at fixed HRT. The sulfide oxidation in ASO reactor was partially producing both sulfate and sulfur; but the amount of sulfate produced was approximately one third that of sulfur. The process was able to tolerate high sulfide concentration, as the sulfide removal percentage always remained near 99% when influent concentration was up to 580 mg/L. It tolerated relatively lower nitrate concentration because the removal percentage dropped to 85% when influent con- centration was increased above 110 mg/L. The process can tolerate shorter HRT but careful operation is needed. Nitrate conversion was more sensitive to HRT than sulfide conversion since the process performance deteriorated abruptly when HRT was decreased from 3.12 h to 2.88 h. In order to avoid nitrite accumulation in the reactor, the influent sulfide and nitrate concentrations should be kept at 280 mg/L and 67.5 mg/L respectively. Present biotechnology is useful for removing sulfides from sewers and crude oil.     

Decomposition of dimethyl sulfide in a wire-cylinder pulse corona reactor

Decomposition of dimethyl sulfide （DMS） in air was investigated experimentally by using a wire-cylinder dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） reactor at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. A new type of high pulse voltage source with a thyratron switch and a Blumlein pulse-forming network （BPFN） was adopted in our experiments. The maximum power output of the pulse voltage source and the maximum peak voltage were 1 kW and 100 kV, respectively. The important parameters affecting odor decomposition, including peak voltage, pulse frequency, gas flow rate, initial concentration, and humidity, which influenced the removal efficiency, were investigated. The results showed that DMS could be treated effectively and almost a 100% removal efficiency was achieved at the conditions with an initial concentration of 832 mg/m3 and a gas flow rate of 1000 ml/min. Humidity boosts the removal efficiency and improves the energy yield （EY） greatly. The EY of 832 mg/m3 DMS was 2.87 mg/kJ when the relative humidity was above 30%. In the case of DMS removal, the ozone and nitrogen oxides were observed in the exhaust gas. The carbon and sulfur elements of DMS were mainly converted to carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Moreover, sulfur was discovered in the reactor. According to the results, the optimization design for the reactor and the matching of high pulse voltage source can be reckoned.     

A pilot field-scale study on biotrickling filter treatment of NH3-containing odorous gases from organic waste composting plants

The use of a biotrickling filter was investigated for a pilot field-scale elimination of NH3 gas and other odorous gases from a composting plant in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The inlet gas flow rate was 3500 m3/h and NH3 concentration fluctuated between 2.76–27.84 mg/m3, while the average outlet concentration was 1.06 mg/m3 with an average of 94.9% removal. Critical volumetric loading (removal efficiency=100%) was 11.22 g-N/(m3·h). The odor concentration removal was 86.7%. NH3 removal efficiency decreased as the free ammonia (FA) in the trickling liquid increased. The pressure drop was maintained at about 50 Pa/m and was never more than 55 Pa/m. During the experiment, there was neither backflushing required nor any indication of clogging. Overall, the biotrickling filter was highly efficient and cost-effective for the simultaneous biodegradation of NH3 and other odorous gases from composting, suggesting the possibility of treating odorous gases at the industrial level.     

Contaminations removal from static lake water by compound

Urban wastewater treatment techniques could not be applied to improve the pollutant removal efficiency,due to its characteristics of closed and quiescent conditions of the static lake water.In this study,natural zeolite and coal cinder were chosen as filler compounds of the ecological filter.Static and dynamic experiments were carried out to study the remediation efficiency.Experimental data show that removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen （NH ＋ 4 -N） reaches 85% in both static and dynamic patterns and its removal efficiency reaches 97% when the recycling period is 1 h in dynamic condition.The maximum removal efficiency of nitrite nitrogen （NO-2 -N） reached 98%,and the removal efficiency of total nitrogen （TN） is a maximum of 84%.The final effluent concentration of total phosphorus （TP） is 0.079 mg/L.Effluent recycling could improve the nutrient （N,P） removal efficiently.Dissolved oxygen （DO） concentration could remain high with the water cycling.The filter works efficiently on regulating pH to the standard level of healthy water.     

Hg0 absorption in potassium persulfate solution

The aqueous phase oxidation of gaseous elemental mercury （Hg^0） by potassium persulfate （KPS） catalyzed by Ag^＋ was investigated using a glass bubble column reactor. Concentration of gaseous mercury and potassium persulfate were measured by cold vapor atom absorption （CVAA） and ion chromatograph （IC）, respectively. The effects of pH value, concentration of potassium persulfate and silver nitrate （SN）, temperature, Hg^0 concentration in the reactor inlet and tertiary butanol （TBA）, free radical scavenger, on the removal efficiency of Hg^0 were studied. The results showed that the removal efficiency of Hg^0 increased with increasing concentration of potassium persulfate and silver nitrate, while temperature and TBA were negatively effective. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of Hg^0 was much better in neutral solution than in both acidic and alkaline solution. But the influence of pH was almost eliminated by adding AgNO3. High Hg^0 concentration has positive effect. The possible reaction mechanism of gaseous mercury was also discussed.     

Pretreatment of Raw Biochar and Phosphate Removal Performance of Modified Granular Iron/Biochar

Biochar is a potential carrier for nutrients due to its porous nature and abundant functional groups. However, raw biochar has a limited or even negative capacity to adsorb phosphate. To enhance phosphate removal and reduce phosphate releases, acidic, alkaline, and surfactant pretreatments,followed by granulation and ferric oxide loading, were applied to raw biochar powder(B_p). The alkaline pretreatment proved to be the most effective method and exhibited significant pore expansion and surface oxidation. B_g-OH-FO showed the highest phosphate removal efficiency at 99.2%(initial phosphate concentration of 20 mg/L) after granulation and ferric oxide loading. Static adsorption results indicated that a p H value of 4 was the most suitable for phosphate adsorption because of the surface properties of B_g-OH-FO and the distribution of P(V) in water. Higher temperatures and a larger initial phosphate concentration led to better adsorption; the adsorption capacity of B_g-OH-FO was 1.91 mg/g at 313 K with an initial phosphate concentration of 50 mg/L. The B_gOH-FO adsorption process was endothermic in nature. The Freundlich model seemed to be the optimum isotherm model for B_g-OH-FO. Under continuous adsorption, the flow rate and bed depth were changed to optimize the operation conditions. The results indicate that a slow flow rate and high bed depth helped increase the removal efficiency(g) of the fixed bed. The breakthrough curves fitted well with the Yoon–Nelson model.     

Removal of copper ions from electroplating rinse water using electrodeionization

An improved configuration of the membrane stack was adopted in the electrodeionization （EDI） cell to prevent precipitation of bivalent metal hydroxide during the running. The operational parameters that influenced the removal of copper ions from the dilute solution were optimized. The result showed that a moderate decrease in the inlet pH value and a moderate increase in the applied voltage could achieve a better removal effect. The steady process of electroplating wastewater treatment could be achieved with a removal efficiency of more than 99.5% and an enrichment factor of 5-14. The concentration of copper in purified water was less than 0.23 mg/L. This demonstrated the applicability of recovering heavy metal ions and purified water from electroplating effluent for industrial reuse.     

Preparation of Vitamin E Intermediate from an Inexpensive Substrate by Selective Oxidation of Pseudocumene in HCOOH–H_2O_2 System

In this paper, 2,3,5-trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone(TMBQ) was synthesized through the direct oxidation of1,2,4-trimethylbenzene(pseudocumene, TMB) in the HCOOH–H_2O_2 system. The influence ofthree active species was studied, including performic acid(PFA) generated in formic acid, peracetic acid(PAA) generated in acetic acid, and trifluoroperacetic(TFPA) acid generated in trifluoroacetic acid. The effects ofsulfuric acid and sodium formate addition were investigated, the overoxidation ofTMB was discussed, and the main reason for the decreasing selectivity was revealed. The oxidation ofTMB can be controlled and improved through adjusting the reaction temperature, mole ratio ofoxidant to substrate, and reactant concentration. The TMBQ yield of28% was achieved with a TMB concentration of0.2 mol/L, H_2O_2/TMB mole ratio of6:1, and reaction temperature 37 °C. The selectivity of72% was obtained with a TMB concentration of0.2 mol/L, H_2O_2/TMB mole ratio of5:1, and reaction temperature of27 °C. The reaction mechanisms were proposed and discussed based on the gas chromatography–flame ionization detection(GC–FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometer(GC–MS) results.     

Dechlorination mechanism of 2,4-dichlorophenol by Ni/Fe nanoparticles in the presence of humic acid

To understand the feasibility of its application to the in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater, the dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol （2,4-DCP） by Ni/Fe nanoparticles in the presence of humic acid （HA） was investigated. We found that, as high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was used, the 2,4-DCP was first quickly reduced to o-chlorophenol （o-CP） andp-chlorophenol （p-CP）, and then reduced to phenol as the final product. Our experimental results indicated that HA had an adverse effect on the dechlorination of 2,4-DCP by Ni/Fe nanoparticles, as the HA concentration increased, the removal rate decreased evidently. It also demonstrated that 2,4-DCP was reduced more easily to o-CP than to p-CP, and that the sequence of the tendency in dechlorination of intermediates was p-CP〉o-CP. Transmission electron microscope （TEM） showed that HA could act as an adsorbate to compete reactive sites on the surface of Ni/Fe nanoparticles to decrease the dechlorination rate. Also we concluded that the dechlorination reaction of 2,4-DCP over Ni/Fe nanoparticles progressed through catalytic reductive dechlorination.     

固定化细胞滤床和生物膜滤床净化二甲苯的比较

The Bacillus firmus was immobilized into Ca-alginate beads according to the different initial biomass concentration, calcification time and activation time.Three types of immobilized Bacillus firmus beads were packed respectively in trickling biofilter to purify xylene contained waste gases,and the performance of immobilized-cell biofilter was compared with traditional biofilm attached biofilter packed with two types of ceramic pellets.The results showed that three types of immobilized beads had different capabilities for removing xylene and life-spans.Higher initial biomass in immobilized beads resulted in better performance but shorter life-span.Activation process can remarkably enhance the activity of bacteria,and the removal efficiency of xylene can substantially be improved.Calcification time had influence on life-span of immobilized beads.Without acclimation,the cell-entrapped biofilter can obtain the maximum elimination capacity of 92.4 g/(m~3·h).However,compared with biofilm attached biofilter,it has a poorer intrinsic drawback in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removal due to the existence of excess mass transfer resistance.     

Elemental mercury removal from coal gas by CeMnTi sorbents and their regeneration performance

Ce and Mn modified TiO_2 sorbents(CeMnTi) were prepared by a co-precipitation method,and their ability to remove elemental mercury from coal gas in a fixed bed reactor was studied.Based on results of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET),X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) studies,the modification mechanisms of the CeMnTi sorbents are discussed.Mn doping improved the specific surface area and dispersion of cerium oxides on the sorbent surface,while Ce doping increased the proportion of Mn4+in manganese oxides by a synergetic effect between manganese oxides and cerium oxides.The effects of the active component,temperature,and coal gas components on the mercury removal performance of the sorbents were investigated.The results showed that the CeMnTi sorbents exhibited high mercury removal efficiency.Ce_(0.2)Mn_(0.1)Ti adsorbed 91.55% elemental mercury from coal gas at 160℃.H_2 S and O_2 significantly improved the ability of sorbents to remove mercury.Part of the H_2S formed stable sulfates or sulfites through a series of oxidation reaction chains on the sorbent surface.HCl also improved the mercury removal performance,but reduced the promotion effect of H_2S for mercury removal when coexisting with H_2S.CO and H_2 had a minor inhibitory effect on mercury adsorption.The recycling performance of the sorbents was investigated by thermal regeneration.The thermal decomposition of the used sorbents indicated that mercury compounds were present mainly in the form of HgO and HgS,and higher temperature was beneficial for regeneration.The formation of sulfates and sulfites in the presence of H_2S led to a decrease in mercury removal efficiency.     

Elucidating the Role of Mass Transfer in Electrochemical Redox Reactions on Electrospun Fibers

Mass transfer can tune the surface concentration of reactants and products and subsequently influence the catalytic performance.The morphology of nanomaterials plays an important role in the mass transfer of reaction microdomains,but related studies are lacking.Herein,a facile electrospinning technique utilizing cellulose was employed to fabricate a series of carbon nanofibers with different diameters,which exhibited excellent electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction and oxygen evolution react...     

Determination of Diffusion Coefficient and Analysis of Diffusion Factors of Cr（Ⅵ） Ion in Clay Soil

Some laboratory diffusion tests were conducted with diffusion device to determine the diffusion coefficient of Cr(Ⅵ) ion passing through Dalian red clay samples. The concentrations of Cr(Ⅵ) at different places of the samples were then measured spectrophotometrically after a standing time of 1 000 d. A one-dimensional solute transport equation was used to simulate the transport of Cr(Ⅵ) through clay samples. Back-calculation of diffusion coefficient of Cr(Ⅵ) was made with finite difference method. Parametric analysis was conducted to simulate variations in soil dry density, temperature, pH and standing time. The results show that the method used in this paper is simple and effective. The diffusion coefficient of Cr(Ⅵ) in Dalian red clay varies from 1.50×10-7 cm2/s to 2.08×10-7 cm2/s. After 1 000 d diffusion, the concentration of the source solution drops down to 1.27 mg/L from 62.5 mg/L, and the diffusion distance is only 3.5 cm. Under the assumption that diffusion coefficient is constant, the diffusion effect becomes more obvious with lower density, lower temperature, higher pH value, and much more time.     

Experimental and model comparisons of H2O2 assisted UV photodegradation of Microcystin-LR in simulated drinking water

The degradation of Microcystin-LR （MC-LR） in water by hydrogen peroxide assisted ultraviolet （UV/H2O2） process was investigated in this paper. The UV/H2O2 process appeared to be effective in removal of the MC-LR. MC-LR decomposition was primarily ascribed to production of strong and nonselective oxidant-hydroxyl radicals within the system. The intensity of UV radiation, initial concentration of MC-LR, MC-LR purity, dosages of H2O2, the initial solution pH, and anions present in water, to some extent, influenced the degradation rate of MC-LR. A modified pseudo-first-order kinetic model was developed to predict the removal efficiency under different experimental conditions.     

Preparation of natural α-tocopherol from non-α-tocopherols

Non-a-tocopherols are hydroxymethylated and hydrogenated to produce α-tocopherol in one pot process by simultaneously reacting with paraformaldehyde and hydrogen in the presence of catalysts of benzenesulfonic acid and 5% Pd/C in an autoclave. Effects of various operation conditions have been studied. The preferable reaction conditions are: temperature 180 ℃ to 200 ℃, pressure 5.0 MPa, acid concentration 0.5 g/100 ml ethanol, mass ratio of Pd/C to tocopherols 7.1 g/100 g, and reaction time 5.0 h. A product with α-tocopherol content of 80% was obtained by using a raw material with a total tocopherols content of 80.54%. The conversion of non-α-tocopherols is almost 100%, and the mole yield of a-tocopherol is more than 90%.     

Preparation of natural α-tocopherol from non-α-tocopherols

Non-α-tocopherols are hydroxymethylated and hydrogenated to produce α-tocopherol in one pot process bysimultaneously reacting with paraformaldehyde and hydrogen in the presence of catalysts of benzenesulfonic acid and 5%Pd/C in an autoclave. Effects of various operation conditions have been studied. The preferable reaction conditions are: temperature 180 ℃ to 200 ℃, pressure 5.0 MPa, acid concentration 0.5 g/100 ml ethanol, mass ratio of Pd/C to tocopherols 7.1 g/100 g, and reaction time 5.0 h. A product with α-tocopherol content of 80% was obtained by using a raw material with a total tocopherols content of 80.54%. The conversion of non-α-tocopherols is almost 100%, and the mole yield ofα-tocopherol is more than 90%.     

Treating oil wastewater with pulse electro-coagulation flotation technology

Pulse electro-coagulation flotation was used to treat oil wastewater of high oil content. Different operational conditions were examined, including current density, reactive time, electrode distance, pH and pole switching time. Orthogonal tests were carried out to identify the optimal operational conditions for this technique. Considering the treatment cost and efficiency together the optimal operational conditions were an electrode distance of 3.3 cm, pH of 4, current density of 49.38 mA/cm2, reaction time of 15 min and pole switching time of 10 s. The removal efficiency of oil wastewater under normal conditions reached up to 96.21%. The influences of different factors on removal efficiency were in the following decreasing sequence： pH〉 current density 〉 pole switching time 〉 reactive time 〉 board distance.