Impact of support characteristics and preparation method on photocatalytic activity of TiO/ZSM-5/silica gel composite photocatalyst.

Titanium dioxide (Degussa P25) was supported onto two different aluminosilicate zeolites (ZSM-5) and anchored on three silica gels using two separate preparation methods to study the effect of the catalyst components and the preparation method on the photoactivity of composite catalysts. The photoactivity was investigated by tracking phenol disappearance in a batch UVA light-emitting diode reactor. An easily separable photocatalyst with higher photoactivity than commercial Degussa P25 was developed using Degussa P25, ZSM-5 (SiO/AlO = 280) and silica gel (particle size 0.

Fate of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in a Biosolid Slurry Characterized for Metal Complexation Characteristics.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) present in domestic wastewaters may accumulate in biosolids used as fertilizer. In this paper, metal complexation by typical biosolids is explored using methods from the humics literature. Uptake of Zn from NPs in the biosolids is evaluated.

Effect of UV dose on degradation of venlafaxine using UV/HO: perspective of augmenting UV units in wastewater treatment.

Many water and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are fitted with a UV system that provides post treatment disinfection before the water is released to receiving water. This paper presents a study on expected removal for the pharmaceutical venlafaxine (VEN) in a typical UV unit at a municipal WWTP with analysis of removal rates of an advanced oxidation process using UV irradiation with injection of HO. The study is supported by bench scale degradation experiments on VEN.

Influence of UV dose on the UV/HO process for the degradation of carbamazepine in wastewater.

This study evaluates the influence of UV dose on degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) in wastewater under UV-C (λ = 254 nm) photolysis with and without HO. The rate of degradation of CBZ exhibited a direct dependence on the intensity of incident UV irradiation as the rate of degradation was observed to increase linearly ( = 0.98) with UV intensity between 1.

Mineralization of sulfolane in aqueous solutions by Ozone/CaO and Ozone/CaO with potential for field application.

Mineralization of sulfolane in aqueous systems by CaO/O and CaO/O was investigated in this study. If 1.6 g/L of oxidants (CaO and CaO) were used along with 5 L/min of O in a batch reactor, degradation of sulfolane followed a pseudo-first order kinetics model.

Degradation of sulfolane using activated persulfate with UV and UV-Ozone.

This study investigates the degradation of sulfolane in aqueous system by (NH)SO/UVC and (NH)SO/O/UVC. While bubbling O significantly decreased the reaction time, the experimental results in both cases were consistent: firstly, the degradation of sulfolane followed pseudo-first order kinetic models, secondly, the reaction rates were affected by persulfate dosages, UV light intensity, initial pH and concentration of carbonate/bicarbonate present. Low concentration of chloride (less then 100 ppm) had no effect on the reaction rate.

Photocatalytic ozonation of pesticides in a fixed bed flow through UVA-LED photoreactor.

In this study, a fixed bed flow through UVA-LED photoreactor was used to compare the efficiency of ozone, photocatalysis and photocatalysis-ozone degradation, and mineralization of two pure pesticides, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), and a commercial one, Killex®. For the degradation of the parent compounds, ozone-based processes were more effective. While for mineralization, photocatalytic processes were more effective.

Application of UV based advanced oxidation to treat sulfolane in an aqueous medium.

Several oxidative methods were studied to degrade sulfolane in an aqueous medium. These include UVA and UVC irradiation with suitable photoactive oxidants, including ozone, H2O2, and TiO2 based photocatalysis and their combinations. Since sulfolane lacks absorption bands in the UV range beyond 200 nm, initiation of reactions depends on the spectra and photochemistry of the oxidants.

Design and evaluation of a UV LED Photocatalytic Reactor Using Anodized TiO2 Nanotubes.

A bench-scale flow-through photocatalytic reactor using light emitting diodes (LED) as light source and a TiO2 nanotube array (TN) as immobilized catalyst has been designed, fabricated and tested on commonly studied contaminants. The photoreactor is comprised of 144, 365-nm UV-LED lamps mounted along the inner periphery of an annular cylinder. An ordered array of TN, as catalyst, was immobilized by electrochemical anodization of a titanium cylinder and placed in the center of the reactor.

Preparation and characterization of humic acid-carbon hybrid materials as adsorbents for organic micro-pollutants.

The present work involves the preparation of novel adsorbent materials by the insolubilization and hybridization of humic acid (HA) with carbon. The prepared materials were characterized by N2 adsorption, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, solid-state (13)C cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry on wetted samples. The water solubility of these materials and the lack of effect of oxidants were also confirmed.

Photocatalytic degradation of agricultural antibiotics using a UV-LED light source.

With a view to developing a UV-LED photocatalytic reactor for small and remote water systems, the degradation of three representative agriculturally produced contaminants, two antibiotics and an endocrine disruptor hormone, was evaluated in a bench 365 nm LED photoreactor using a slurry of the well-known Degussa P25® (TiO2) as photocatalyst. Use of an additional electron capture additives O2 and H2O2 was also assessed. Loss of the parent organic compounds was tracked by HPLC or UV absorbance and mineralization, where feasible, was studied with TOC analysis with conventional instrumentation.

Electron transfer sensitized photodechlorination of surfactant solubilized PCB 138.

Sensitized photodechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyl, PCB 138, in three different surfactant solutions was studied. The sensitizer of choice was leuco-methylene blue, which was produced in situ from methylene blue using either triethylamine or sodium borohydride. Three types of surfactants, anionic (SDS), neutral (TWEEN 80), and cationic (CTAB) at different concentrations were investigated.

Dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls in transformer oil using UV and visible light.

A study on dechlorination of PCB138 in transformer oil (TO) and 2-propanol (IPA) using 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light as well as dye sensitized visible light has been conducted. Studies on dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in TO using visible light in the presence of methylene blue (MB) and triethylamine (TEA) (providing a 'photocatalytic' cycle) in both deaerated and aerated conditions have been conducted to determine effects of TO, MB and TEA on reaction rates. The results show that photolytic methods are effective in treating PCBs in TO, and that the oil plays a limited adverse role.

An alternative process to treat boiler feed water for reuse.

A bench-scale process to treat boiler feed water for reuse in steam generation was developed. Industrial water samples from a steam-assisted gravity drainage plant in northern Alberta, Canada, were obtained and samples characterized. The technology, which consists of coagulation-settling to remove oil/grease and particulates followed by an advanced oxidative treatment, led to clean water samples with negligible organic carbon.

An integrated performance assessment framework for water treatment plants.

An innovative framework for the performance assessment of a traditional water treatment plant (WTP) is presented that integrates the concepts of reliability, robustness, and Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA). Performance assessment for a WTP comprised of three units (i.e.

Photocatalytic dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls using leuco-methylene blue sensitization, broad spectrum visible lamps, or light emitting diodes.

Photocatalytic routes to dechlorinate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have considerable potential for development. This paper describes efficient dye-photocatalyzed processes which can be driven by long wavelength light sources including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent lamps, and quite probably sunlight. The reduced form of methylene blue (MB), leuco-methylene blue (LMB), has previously been found to photoinduce dechlorination of chloroaromatics with an electron transfer from its triplet excited state.

Photocatalytic dechlorination of PCB 138 using leuco-methylene blue and visible light; reaction conditions and mechanisms.

A study of dechlorination of PCB 138, under visible light employing methylene blue (MB) and triethylamine (TEA) in acetonitrile/water has been conducted to investigate the details of the mechanism of dechlorination and to determine the efficiency of the process for this representative congener. Two other amines, N-methyldiethanolamine (MEDA) and (triethanolamine) TEOA also replaced TEA and two other solvents, methanol and ethanol replacing acetonitrile were examined for effects on reaction rates. The results show that PCB 138 can be dechlorinated efficiently in this photocatalytic reaction.

A comparison of several nanoscale photocatalysts in the degradation of a common pollutant using LEDs and conventional UV light.

A comparative study on the photocatalytic activities of four different catalysts, P-25 TiO(2), TiO(2) nanofibers, tin-doped TiO(2) nanofibers under UV light irradiation at 350 nm, and coumarin (C-343) coated TiO(2) nanofibers at 436 nm light emitting diodes (LED) is reported. Catalysts performance has been compared based on their reflectance spectrum and activity. A common water contaminant 4-chlorophenol was used as a substrate to compare the activity of the different catalysts under both direct and dye sensitized conditions.

Characterization of an LED based photoreactor to degrade 4-chlorophenol in an aqueous medium using coumarin (C-343) sensitized TiO2.

A detailed performance evaluation of a simple high intensity LED based photoreactor exploiting a narrow wavelength range of the LED to match the spectrum of a dye in a photocatalysis system is reported. A dye sensitized (coumarin-343, lambda max = 446 nm) TiO 2 photocatalyst was used for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in an aqueous medium using the 436 nm LED based photoreactor. The LED reactor performed competitively with a conventional multilamp reactor and sunlight in the degradation of 4-CP.

The pathway of dechlorination of PCB congener by a photochemical chain process in 2-propanol: the role of medium and quenching.

As part of a program aimed at developing a field process for cleanup of PCB contaminated soils using photochemistry in basic 2-propanol, additional details of the dechlorination pathway are presented. The mechanism involves a chain reaction with both homolytic photochemical C-Cl bond fission and electron transfer steps producing PCB anion radicals. Kinetics of dechlorination of various congeners show patterns of relative rates associated with the basic 2-propanol medium that are not found in other media because both electron transfer and photochemical homolysis steps determine overall rates of dechlorination and govern the pathways and relative concentrations of intermediates.

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry as a spectroscopic probe of the coordination sphere of a paramagnetic metal bound to a humic acid mixture.

Protons on water molecules are strongly affected by paramagnetic ions. Since the acid-base properties of water facilitate rapid proton exchange, a single proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal is seen in aqueous solutions of paramagnetic ions. Proton relaxation times are significantly affected by paramagnetic species and the readily detectable single signal serves as a powerful amplifier of the information contained concerning the protons in the paramagnetic environment.

A comprehensive liquid-state heteronuclear and multidimensional NMR study of Laurentian fulvic acid.

The Boreal forest fulvic acid known as Laurentian fulvic acid (LFA) has been interrogated by state of the art heteronuclear and 2D high resolution NMR techniques. It is shown that one can obtain very highly resolved and informative spectra of a traditionally fractionated material. It was possible to observe a proton coupled system of up to seven bonds in the TOCSY spectrum and 329 peaks in the 1H,13C-HSQC spectrum.

Composition and structure of agents responsible for development of water repellency in soils following oil contamination.

Soil from the Ellerslie site of experimental oil contamination in Alberta developed water repellency some years after initial remediation. The water-repellent soils were compared to clean soils and contaminated but wettable soils by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The effects of extraction with CH2Cl2 (for petroleum hydrocarbons), NaOH (for natural organic matter), and 2-propanol/ammonia (IPA/NH3) on wettability were evaluated by the molarity of the ethanol droplet (MED) test.

Low-field NMR relaxometry: a study of interactions of water with water-repellant soils.

Petroleum-induced water repellency in soils is a problem that has been thought to develop randomly following contamination and then remediation of a site with petroleum. The emergence of the phenomenon can occur within months or years of original contamination and with seemingly no warning. Low-field NMR has been used to study these soils and, specifically, the processes of water uptake that occur in them.

Pore-scale redistribution of water during wetting of air-dried soils as studied by low-field NMR relaxometry.

The kinetics of water uptake and redistribution in several soils and their components are studied using NMR relaxometry. Unlike the normal behavior observed in stable porous media, entry into micropores in the soil is a slow process as compared to entry into macro- and mesopores. This indicates that soils air-dried at ambient temperature include gel phases that have collapsed or reoriented, closing micropores, during drying.