Assessment of microorganisms in drinking water disinfected by catalytic ozonation with fluorinated ceramic honeycomb and NaClO disinfectants under laboratory and pilot conditions.

While sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) has long been used to disinfect drinking water, concerns have risen over its use due to causing potentially hazardous byproducts. Catalytic ozonation with metal-free catalysts has attracted increasing attention to eliminate the risk of secondary pollution of byproducts in water treatment. Here, we compared the disinfection efficiency and microbial community of catalytic ozone with a type of metal-free catalyst fluorinated ceramic honeycomb (FCH) and NaClO disinfectants under laboratory- and pilot-scale conditions.

Identification and quantification of nanoplastics (20-1000 nm) in a drinking water treatment plant using AFM-IR and Pyr-GC/MS.

Nanoplastics, owing to their small particle size, pose a significant threat to creatures, deserving heightened attention. Numerous studies have investigated microplastics pollution and their removal efficiency in drinking water treatment plants, none of which have involved nanoplastics due to lacking a suitable analytical method. This study introduced a feasible method of combing AFM-IR and Pyr-GC/MS to identify and quantify nanoplastics (20-1000 nm) for a preliminary understanding of their fate during drinking water treatment processes.

Mn anchored zeolite molecular nest for enhanced catalytic ozonation of cephalexin.

The molecular nest structured catalysts have demonstrated better performance than the traditional supported catalysts. However, they have not been tried in antibiotics or other organic pollutants removal from water by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Here we synthesized Mn anchored zeolite molecular nest (Mn@ZN) for the catalytic ozonation of cephalexin (CLX), which is the widely used antibiotic and also a refractory pollutant in water.

Toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to human embryonic kidney cells and human normal liver cells: Effect of particle size and Pb enrichment.

Nanoplastics pollution in drinking water has aroused wide concern, but their effects on human health are still poorly understood. Herein we explore the responses of human embryonic kidney 293T cells and human normal liver LO2 cells to polystyrene nanoplastics, mainly focusing on the effects of particle sizes and enrichment of Pb. When the exposed particle size is higher than 100 nm, there is no obvious death for these two different cell lines.

Enhanced ozonation of polystyrene nanoplastics in water with CeOx@MnOx catalyst.

The nanoplastics released into the environment pose a critical threat to creatures, and thus it is necessary to remove them. However, their natural decomposition usually takes years or even decades, which raises an imminent demand for an efficient removal technology. Herein we report a core-shell CeOx@MnOx catalyst for enhancing ozonation of polystyrene nanoplastics in water.

Synergistic catalysis of ozonation and photooxidation by sandwich structured MnO-NH/GO/p-CN on cephalexin degradation.

Antibiotics such as cephalexin (CLX) are often detected in water and sewage, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are usually the most effective method to degrade them. Currently, the synergy of AOPs has raised lively interest in water and wastewater treatment. Here the sandwiched catalyst of MnO-NH/GO/p-CN (MN/GO/CN) is synthesized, in which graphene oxide (GO) acts as "core layer" connecting aminated MnO (MnO-NH) for catalytic ozonation and proton-functionalized g-CN (p-CN) for photocatalysis.

Catalytic ozonation of aqueous 4-methylquinoline by fluorinated ceramic honeycomb.

Metal-free catalysts for catalytic ozonation have attracted more and more attentions to eliminate the risk of secondary pollution of heavy metals in water or wastewater treatment. Herein we prepared fluorinated ceramic honeycomb (FCH) with the dip-calcination method using NHF as the modifier over ceramic honeycomb (CH) to catalyze the ozonation of 4-methylquinoline (4-Meq), a typical harmful quinoline derivate discharged from coal or petroleum industries. The ozonation degraded 54.

Separation and identification of nanoplastics in tap water.

Microplastics pollution in freshwater has attracted global attentions, but when microplastics are broken into nanoplastics, they may present higher toxicity mainly due to their greater potential to cross biological membranes. So far almost no work has been done on the separation and identification of nanoplastics in tap water. Herein we removed large particles from tap water by 0.

Distribution behavior of arsenate into α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate transformed from gypsum in solution.

Transforming gypsum into α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-HH) provides a promising utilization pathway for the abundant amount of chemical gypsum. The transformation follows the route of "dissolution-recrystallization", during which the arsenic pollutant in gypsum is released into the solution, and hence raises the possibility of being distributed into the product of α-HH, a potential harm that has always been neglected. Investigation of the transformation process at neutral pH revealed that the arsenate ions in solution were distributed into α-HH and generated an enrichment of arsenic by 4-6 times.

The role of surface hydroxyl concentration on calcinated alumina in catalytic ozonation.

Alumina has been used as a catalyst for ozonation, surface hydroxyl on which is regarded as the active center for ozone attack, but the influences of hydroxyl generation are still vague. Here, we prepared alumina with different hydroxyl concentrations by adjusting calcination temperatures, of which the catalytic activity was evaluated with the mineralization degree of phenol, and then revealed the active sites of hydroxyl generation with characterization of XRD, Py-IR, and NH-TPD. The results show that the greater the hydroxyl concentration, the higher the catalytic activity, demonstrating that surface hydroxyl contributes to its catalytic activity.

Continuous processing of phase-change materials into uniform nanoparticles for near-infrared-triggered drug release.

We report a method based on interfacial, anti-solvent-induced precipitation in a fluidic device for the continuous and scalable processing of phase-change materials (PCMs) into uniform nanoparticles with controlled diameters in the range of 10-100 nm. A eutectic mixture of lauric acid and stearic acid, with a well-defined melting point at 39 °C, serves as an example to demonstrate the concept. In the fluidic device, a coaxial flow is created by introducing a PCM solution in ethanol and a lipid solution in water (the anti-solvent) as the focused and focusing phases, respectively.

Near-Infrared-Triggered Release of Ca Ions for Potential Application in Combination Cancer Therapy.

Calcium ion (Ca ), an abundant species in the body, is a potential therapeutic ion with manageable side effects. However, the delivery of such a highly charged species represents a great challenge. Here, a nanosystem based on Au nanocages (AuNCs) and a phase-change material (PCM) for delivering calcium chloride (CaCl ) into cancer cells and thereby triggering cell death upon near-infrared (NIR) irradiation is demonstrated.

α-Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate Nanorods Synthesis: A Method for Nanoparticle Preparation by Mesocrystallization.

The past decades have witnessed great advances in nanotechnology since tremendous efforts have been devoted for the design, synthesis, and application of nanoparticles. However, for most mineral materials such as calcium sulfate, it is still a challenge to prepare their nanoparticles, especially with uniform size and high monodispersity. In this work, we report a route to regulate the morphology and structure of α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-HH) and successfully synthesize and stabilize its mesocrystals for the first time.

Immobilizing Water into Crystal Lattice of Calcium Sulfate for its Separation from Water-in-Oil Emulsion.

This work report a facile approach to efficiently separate surfactant-stabilized water (droplet diameter of around 2.0 μm) from water-in-oil emulsion via converting liquid water into solid crystal water followed by removal with centrifugation. The liquid-solid conversion is achieved through the solid-to-solid phase transition of calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4.

Controlled synthesis of monodisperse α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate nanoellipsoids with a porous structure.

We report a facile and green chemical solution approach to synthesize monodisperse α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-HH) nanoellipsoids with a length of 600 nm and a width of 300 nm by simply mixing Ca(2+) and SO4(2-) glycerol-water precursor solutions in the presence of Na2EDTA. The α-HH nanoellipsoid is formed through a Na2EDTA-mediated self-assembly of small primary building blocks (α-HH domains: ∼14 nm). The study on the morphological evolution of α-HH reveals that the controlled synergy of supersaturation (precursor concentration) and Na2EDTA is crucial for the development of α-HH into nanoellipsoids.

The role of temperature and CaCl2 in activated sludge dewatering under hydrothermal treatment.

Dewatering is important for activated sludge disposal. The dewaterability of activated sludge was first deteriorated and then ameliorated when the temperature was raised from 100 to 200 °C with a threshold temperature of 130 °C under hydrothermal treatment. Calcium chloride assisted hydrothermal treatment to improve the dewaterability of activated sludge, and eliminated the threshold temperature at as less as 20 mg/g dry solid (DS).

Control of α-calcium sulfate hemihydrate morphology using reverse microemulsions.

Alpha calcium sulfate hemihydrate (α-HH) is an important class of cementitious material and exhibits considerable morphology-dependent properties. In the reverse microemulsions of water/n-hexanol/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), the morphology and aspect ratio of α-HH are successfully controlled by adjusting the mass ratio of CTAB/H(2)O and the concentration of SDS. As the ratio of CTAB/H(2)O is increased from 1.

Effect of SO on 1,1,1-trichloroethane degradation by Fe(0) in aqueous solution.

Sulfate in groundwater has been previously shown to change the reactivity of Fe(0) in permeable reactive barriers for reducing chlorinated organics. To better understand the effect and mechanism of SO, the degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) by Fe(0) in unbuffered aqueous solutions with and without SO was investigated. In a Fe(0) -TCA-H2 O system with initial pH of 2.

Improvement of activated sludge dewaterability by mild thermal treatment in CaCl2 solution.

Activated sludge dewatering is of great importance in sludge treatment and disposal. To enhance the dewaterability, a novel method was performed by treating the sludge under mild temperature (50-90 °C) in CaCl(2) solution (3.7-1110.

Adsorption of nitrobenzene from aqueous solution on activated sludge modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.

A novel method was conducted to modify activated sludge with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CB) to obtain an adsorbent to remove aqueous nitrobenzene. The adsorption characteristics of nitrobenzene onto modified activated sludge (MAS) were investigated, by contrast with those of unmodified activated sludge (UMAS). Nitrobenzene adsorption onto MAS is more favorable than that of UMAS at initial nitrobenzene concentrations below 150 mg/L, above which they have an equivalent adsorption capacity.

[Inhibition of sulfite oxidation catalyzed by heavy metals in dual alkali flue gas desulfurization slurry].

Heavy metals accumulated in slurry of dual alkali flue gas desulfurization (FGD) present a significant catalysis to SO3(2-) oxidation, resulting in a waste of effective components for desulfurization. Na2S was adopted to precipitate heavy metal ions in FGD slurry, and the oxidation rate of SO3(2-) was obtained under different concentrations of heavy metal ions, to reveal the inhibition effect of Na2S on SO3(2-) oxidation catalyzed by heavy metal ions. Mn2+ showed a remarkable catalysis to SO3(-2) oxidation, as the initial oxidation rate of SO3(2-) was tripled to 0.

[Phosphorus pollution of the sediment from Hangzhou urban river and hydraulic simulation of phosphorus release].

The phosphorus pollution of the sediment from Dongxin River, an urban river in Hangzhou, was surveyed. Phosphorus release under various flow velocity (0.002-0.

The fabrication and characterization of novel carbon doped TiO2 nanotubes, nanowires and nanorods with high visible light photocatalytic activity.

Novel carbon doped TiO(2) nanotubes, nanowires and nanorods were fabricated by utilizing the nanoconfinement of hollow titanate nanotubes (TNTs). The fabrication process included adsorption of ethanol molecules in the inner space of TNTs and thermal treatment of the complex in inert N(2) atmosphere. The structural morphology of carbon doped TiO(2) nanostructures can be tuned using the calcination temperature.

[Mechanism and kinetic of methyldopa removal by Fenton's reagent].

Methyldopa was selected to be degraded by Fenton's reagent in the experiment. The experimental results showed that it was feasible to the removal of Methyldopa and COD by Fenton's reagent. The mechanism of Methyldopa removal by Fenton's reagent was significantly different according to the Fe2+ :H2O2 ratio.