Fabrication of straw-based graphene aerogels for oil/water separation: the effects of crude fiber fractions in straw.

Benefiting from its abundance, eco-friendliness, and sustainability, crop straw is considered a promising candidate combined with graphene oxide (GO) to fabricate straw-based graphene aerogels (SGAs) for oil/water separation. However, considering the complex composition of straw, the roles played by different crude fibers in straw in the formation of SGAs are still unclear. Herein, wheat straw (WS) was used in this work and pretreated with acid and alkali to regulate its crude fiber fractions.

Sono-enhanced heterogeneous Fenton catalysis: magnetic halloysite nanotube synthesis and accelerated free radical generation.

Although heterogeneous Fenton catalysis has captured increasing attention compared to its homogeneous counterpart, it still confronts some inherent drawbacks in use, such as the dilemma in solid-liquid separation and greater mass transfer resistance. Driven by the acoustic cavitation effect, herein, a sono-enhanced heterogeneous Fenton catalysis process was built to overcome the above two shortcomings, by rapidly synthesizing magnetic Fenton-like catalysts and accelerating electron transfer during the catalytic reaction. The results show that, compared to the traditional chemical coprecipitation method, FeO with smaller particle size and better crystallinity grew on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by using the sonochemical strategy, leading to displaying the higher catalytic activity toward the degradation of methylene blue (MB, improved by ~2.

Super-amphiphilic graphene promotes peroxymonosulfate-based emulsion catalysis for efficient oil purification.

Oil fractions containing highly toxic and hazardous organic contaminants can not only cause severe environmental disasters, but also an undesired waste of resources. Given the exceptional performance of persulfates in the removal of persistent and refractory organic pollutants from aqueous media, herein, a peroxymonosulfate-based Pickering emulsion catalytic (PPEC) system was constructed for the hazardous oil purification, using super-amphiphilic graphene as a solid emulsifier and a heterogeneous catalyst simultaneously. Combined detailed instrumental analysis with theoretical calculations, we find that the incorporation of pyridinic N and its oxide significantly facilitated the formation of super-amphiphilic graphene and successfully induced the formation of Pickering emulsion.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic Enteromorpha-derived carbon aerogels via NHHPO modification for multi-behavioral oil/water separation.

Hydrophobic and oleophilic biomass-based block materials are considered to be highly promising candidates used for oil/water separation. However, the crucial hydrophobic modification process often involves various toxic and hazardous organic substances or requires high energy inputs. Inspired by the flame retardant principle of phosphorus-containing flame retardants, herein, an Enteromorpha-derived carbon (ADP-EP) aerogel with a water contact angle of 144.

Phytic acid and graphene oxide functionalized sponge with special-wettability and electronegativity for oil-in-water emulsion separation in single-step.

Developing an emulsion separation material with one-step in-situ purifying capability and improved security in applications, especially for subsequent scale-up, is valuable but remains a challenge. Herein, the amphiphilic sponge (PA@RGO@MS) was prepared via impregnation and in-situ growth of the negatively charged hydrophilic phytic acid (PA) and the hydrophobic reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on the surface of the melamine sponge (MS) and applied in emulsion purification. The mechanics, wettability, absorption performance of the PA@RGO@MS were analyzed to identify its potential for stable demulsification.

Removal of chloramphenicol by sulfide-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron activated persulfate: Performance, salt resistance, and reaction mechanisms.

Herein, sulfide-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) was prepared by a liquid-phase reduction route and then applied to activate persulfate (PS) for the degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP). The effects of Fe/S molar ratio, catalyst dosage, PS concentration, initial pH, and co-existing ions (Cl, SO, CO) on the catalytic performance of S-nZVI/PS system were investigated. Simultaneously, the fluctuations of solution pH, oxidation-reduction potential, dissolved oxygen, and Fe concentration were also monitored during the reaction.

A dual-functional layer modified GO@SiO membrane with excellent anti-fouling performance for continuous separation of oil-in-water emulsion.

As the most significant target of membrane separation, the inadequacy of permeability and anti-fouling frequently constrain the application of the membrane in actual oily wastewater. Herein, a novel concept of membrane surface construction was proposed to mitigate this intractable problem, using SiO as the support layer and graphene oxide (GO) as the isolation layer. The best co-localization proportion of the support layer (56 mg/L) and isolation layer (3.

Preparation of a rice straw-based green separation layer for efficient and persistent oil-in-water emulsion separation.

Inefficiency, high cost, and complex operation have emerged as shackles for large-scale separate oil-in-water emulsion. Herein, a low-cost and eco-friendly separation layer with a rough structure and rich anionic groups was fabricated from rice straw (RS) via a simple acid-base treatment and slight squeeze process. The separation layer's morphology, composition, and wettability were investigated.

Low-Cost Efficient Magnetic Adsorbent for Phosphorus Removal from Water.

Adsorption using magnetic adsorbents makes the phosphorus removal from water simple and efficient. However, most of the reported magnetic adsorbents use chemically synthesized nanoparticles as magnetic cores, which are expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Replacing the nanomagnetic cores by cheap and green magnetic materials is essential for the wide application of this technique.

Mechanism of sonication time on structure and adsorption properties of 3D peanut shell/graphene oxide aerogel.

A 3D pretreated peanut shell-supported graphene oxide (PPS/GO) aerogel has been facilely prepared through a brief sonication + freeze-shaping technique, avoiding the traditional application of hydrothermal method which suffered from high temperature and long reaction time as well as significant loss of oxygen-containing functional groups. It was then employed to efficient norfloxacin (NOR) removal from aqueous medium. The mechanism of sonication time on the structure and adsorption properties of as-obtained PPS/GO aerogels was emphatically discussed via combining instrumental analyses, batch adsorption experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.