Microbial-induced reassembly of phosphate sol: New insight into the removal and fixation of divalent manganese in natural aquatic environment.

The commonly used precipitation method struggles to effectively remove low-concentration heavy metals from water. Herein, we demonstrate that the formation of non-settleable phosphate sols at a low low-concentration is the main reason by using phosphate precipitation as an example and report a new method called microbial-induced reassembly (MIR) of the phosphate sols for the removal and fixation of divalent manganese (Mn(II)) from low-concentration wastewater under neutral conditions. Under the induction of microorganisms, the Mn(PO) sols formed in low Mn(II) concentration could be reassembled into larger and flower-like precipitates with good settleability, allowing for the removal and fixation of low-concentration Mn(II) through natural settlement.

Phylogenetic and Morphological Identification of the Novel Pathogen of Rheum palmatum Leaf Spot in Gansu, China.

A new leaf spot disease was observed on leaves of Rheum palmatum (Chinese rhubarb) in Northwest China (Gansu Province) starting in 2005. A Septoria-like fungus was isolated and completion of Koch's postulates confirmed that the fungus was the casual agent of the leaf spot disease. Morphology and molecular methods were combined to identify the pathogen.

Silver halide/silver iodide@silver composite with excellent visible light photocatalytic activity for methyl orange degradation.

AgBr/AgI@Ag composite photocatalyst was prepared by a handy multistep route, including controllable double-jet precipitation to synthesize cubic AgBr microcrystals, ion exchange to form AgI on AgBr surface, and visible light reduction to generate Ag nanoparticles. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance and electrochemical impedance spectra demonstrated that AgBr/AgI composite structure not only favors forming more silver nanoparticles to harvest visible light but also facilitates the transfer of charge carriers when compared with pure AgBr. Beneficial from the synergistic effect of highly effective visible light harvest and electron-hole separation, AgBr/AgI@Ag shows higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) than AgBr, AgBr@Ag, and AgBr/AgBr.