Publications by authors named "John Zhou"

Electrokinetic (EK) remediation is a cutting-edge technique used for extracting heavy metals from soils by applying an electric field. This study explores the integration of EK remediation with reactive filtration media (RFM) composed of recycled waste materials of powder iron slag/black tea waste (PIS/BTW) and granular iron slag/black tea waste (GIS/BTW) to improve the removal efficiency of single and mixed heavy metals from kaolinite and natural soils. Results demonstrated that PIS/BTW significantly outperformed GIS/BTW in heavy metal extraction, achieving 98.

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Background: The accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides into insoluble plaques is an early pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). BACE1 is the sole β-secretase for Aβ generation, making it an attractive therapeutic target for AD therapy. While BACE1 inhibitors have been shown to reduce Aβ levels in people with AD, clinical trials targeting BACE1 have failed due to unwanted synaptic deficits.

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Urban heat island (UHI) and urban pollution island (UPI) effects are two major challenges that affect the liveability and sustainability of cities under the circumstance of climate change. However, existing studies mostly addressed them separately. Urban green infrastructure offers nature-based solutions to alleviate urban heat, enhance air quality and promote sustainability.

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Biodegradation is recognized as the main route for the decomposition of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in nature, but the fate of PAEs in marine ecosystems is not well understood. Herein, a novel marine bacterium, Gordonia sihwaniensis RL-BY03, was identified and analyzed for its ability to degrade PAEs. Furthermore, the metabolic mechanism of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was examined through UPLC-MS/MS and genomic analysis.

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Perfluorooctanoic acid is an emerging pollutant with exceptional resistance to degradation and detrimental environmental and health impacts. Conventional physical and chemical processes for Perfluorooctanoic acid are either expensive or inefficient. This study developed an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective gravity-driven kappa-carrageenan (kC)-based hydrogel for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) removal from synthetic and actual wastewater.

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This study applied electrokinetic (EK) in situ soil remediation for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) removal from kaolinite soil. The kaolinite soil was spiked with 10 mg/kg PFOA for the EK treatment using Sodium Cholate bio-surfactant coupled with Activated Carbon (AC) or iron-coated Activated Carbon (FeAC) permeable reactive barrier (PRB). The study also evaluated the impact of AC and FeAC PRBs' position on the EK process performance.

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Article Synopsis
  • The electrokinetic (EK) process is a method used for cleaning contaminated soil from heavy metals and organic materials, offering benefits like low energy use and the ability to work with fine-grained soils without excavation.* -
  • Recent developments in enhanced and hybrid EK systems have improved contamination removal by integrating techniques like phytoremediation and using solar energy to reduce operational energy demands.* -
  • This study reviews the advancements and challenges of EK systems, examines how different soil properties affect performance, and compares various soil remediation methods to assess their advantages and disadvantages.*
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Article Synopsis
  • Pesticide pollution poses risks to humans and ecosystems, prompting the use of photocatalysis for degradation, especially with ZnO-based photocatalysts.
  • The study introduced innovative machine learning models to better estimate how well these photocatalysts degrade various pesticides, considering factors like light source, pH, and pesticide concentration.
  • The radial basis function (RBF) model outperformed other models in accuracy, while sensitivity analysis revealed that light irradiation time and initial pesticide concentration are key factors affecting degradation efficiency.
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In this study, treated wastewater and Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) brine were integrated into the Forward Osmosis (FO) system using pressure stimuli-responsive Nanofiltration (PSRNF) membranes to dilute magnesium, calcium, and sulfate MSF plant brine reject. The deposition of magnesium sulfate and calcium sulfate in the heat exchanger is one of the main issues affecting the performance and efficiency of MSF thermal desalination plants. Reducing the concentration of the divalent ions can minimize scale formation and deposition to a level that allows the MSF plant to operate at high top brine temperature (TBT) and without scale problems.

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Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent compound, raising considerable global apprehension due to its resistance to breakdown and detrimental impacts on human health and aquatic environments. Pressure-driven membrane technologies treating PFAS-contaminated water are expensive and prone to fouling. This study presented a parametric investigation of the effectiveness of cellulose triacetate membrane in the forward osmosis (FO) membrane for removing PFOA from an aqueous solution.

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The electrokinetic process has been proposed for in-situ soil remediation to minimize excavation work and exposure to hazardous materials. The precipitation of heavy metals in alkaline pH near the cathode is still challenging. Reactive filter media and enhancement agents have been used in electrokinetics to enhance the removal of heavy metals.

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Widespread contamination by heavy metals (HMs) and dyes poses a major health risk to people and ecosystems requiring effective treatment. In this work, rice husk (RH) and shrimp shells were extracted to obtain amorphous silica and chitosan, respectively, which were utilized to produce nano-chitosan-coated silica (NCCS). To ensure the stability of the nanoparticles, silica was freeze-dried after being coated with nano-chitosan.

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Pharmaceuticals are widely used and often discharged without metabolism into the aquatic systems. The photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical compounds propranolol, mebeverine, and carbamazepine was studied using different titanium dioxide nanostructures suspended in water under UV and UV-visible irradiation. Among three different photocatalysts, the degradation was most effective by using Degussa P25 TiO, followed by Hombikat UV100 and Aldrich TiO.

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The increasing prevalence of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments has raised concerns about its impact on marine life. Among the different types of microplastics, polystyrene microplastics (PSMPs) are one of the most commonly detected in aquatic systems. Chaetoceros neogracile (diatom) is an essential part of the marine food web and plays a critical role in nutrient cycling.

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The reclamation and reuse of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) as a bulk hazard solid waste are limited by its residual ammonia nitrogen (NH-N) and manganese (Mn). This work adopts a co-processing strategy comprising air-jet milling (AJM) and horizontal-shaking leaching (HSL) for refining and leaching disposal of NH-N and Mn in EMR. Results indicate that the co-use of AJM and HSL could significantly enhance the leaching of NH-N and Mn in EMR.

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The swift growth of cities worldwide poses significant challenges in ensuring a sufficient water, energy, and food supply. The Nexus has innovated valuable systems to address these challenges. However, a crucial issue is the potential for pollution resulting from these systems, which directly and indirectly impacts public health and the overall quality of urban living.

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Water pollution by pathogenic bacteria and organic dyes poses potential health hazards for human and aquatic life. This study aims to explore the potential of bioactive compounds extracted from two microalgae species (Spirogyra and Ocillatoria) for water pollution control. The optimization of the extraction process for bioactive compounds resulted in the highest yield at 25 min for Spirogyra and 30 min for Ocillatotia species.

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Emerging contaminants (ECs) are increasingly recognized as threats to human health and ecosystems. This review evaluates advanced analytical methods, particularly mass spectrometry, for detecting ECs and understanding their toxicity, transformation pathways, and environmental distribution. Our findings underscore the reliability of current techniques and the potential of upcoming methods.

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Antibiotics are extensively used for health protection and food production, causing antibiotic pollution in the aquatic environment. This study aims to determine the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of typical antibiotics sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and roxithromycin (RTM) in zebrafish under environmentally realistic conditions. Four different microcosms, i.

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The efficacy of the Standalone Electrokinetic (EK) process in soil PFAS removal is negligible, primarily due to the intersecting mechanisms of electromigration and electroosmosis transportation. Consequently, the redistribution of PFAS across the soil matrix occurs, hampering effective remediation efforts. Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) has been used to capture contaminants and extract them at the end of the EK process.

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The adsorption process of inorganic arsenic (As) plays an important role in its mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity in the river environment. In this work, the adsorption of dissolved arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) by microplastics (MPs) pellets (polystyrene (PS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE)), river sediment, and their mixture were investigated to assess the adsorption affinities and mechanism. The adsorption kinetics showed slow and mild rising zones from the natural behavior of the chemical adsorption.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases the risk for seizures and sleep disorders. We show here that germline deletion of β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP) cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) in neurons, but not in astrocytes, increased epileptiform activity. However, deletion at adult ages did not alter the normal EEG waveform, indicating less concern for BACE1 inhibition in patients.

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Objective: Delirium is associated with worse outcomes in patients with stroke and neurocritical illness, but delirium detection in these patients can be challenging with existing screening tools. To address this gap, we aimed to develop and evaluate machine learning models that detect episodes of post-stroke delirium based on data from wearable activity monitors in conjunction with stroke-related clinical features.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

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This work presents an innovative approach to developing a low-carbon and hazard-free cementitious material (EGC) by activating ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) with electrolytic manganese residue (EMR), which has an excellent heavy metal solidified capacity. Herein, the multi-step leaching was creatively conducted to investigate the solidified morphology of heavy metals in hazardous EMR. CO emission per unit strength factor was calculated to quantitatively analyze the low-carbon degree.

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