Enhanced piezocatalytic RhB degradation with ZnSnO Nanocube-modified BiTiO composite catalyst by harnessing ultrasonic energy.

With the increasing demand for effective methods to address environmental pollution, piezocatalysis has emerged as a promising approach for pollutant degradation under mechanical energy. However, the development of highly efficient piezocatalytic materials remains a challenge. This study aimed to increase the piezocatalytic activity of bismuth titanate (BiTiO) by modifying it with zinc stannate (ZnSnO) nanocubes.

Innovative treatment of industrial effluents through combining ferric iron and attapulgite application.

The escalation of industrial activities has escalated the production of pharmaceutical and dyeing effluents, raising significant environmental issues. In this investigation, a hybrid approach of Fenton-like reactions and adsorption was used for deep treatment of these effluents, focusing on effects of variables like hydrogen peroxide concentration, catalyst type, pH, reaction duration, temperature, and adsorbent quantity on treatment effectiveness, and the efficacy of acid-modified attapulgite (AMATP) and ferric iron (Fe(III))-loaded AMATP (Fe(III)-AMATP) was examined. Optimal operational conditions were determined, and the possibility of reusing the catalysts was explored.

Novel combination of iron-carbon composite and Fenton oxidation processes for high-concentration antibiotic wastewater treatment.

The research presented herein explores the development of a novel iron-carbon composite, designed specifically for the improved treatment of high-concentration antibiotic wastewater. Employing a nitrogen-shielded thermal calcination approach, the investigation utilizes a blend of reductive iron powder, activated carbon, bentonite, copper powder, manganese dioxide, and ferric oxide to formulate an efficient iron-carbon composite. The oxygen exclusion process in iron-carbon particles results in distinctive electrochemical cells formation, markedly enhancing wastewater degradation efficiency.

Synthesis of Efficient S-Scheme Heterostructures Composed of BiPO and KNbO for Photocatalytic N Fixation and Water Purification.

The preparation of catalysts with heterojunction structures is a strategy to achieve efficient charge separation and high photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts. In this work, BiPO/KNbO heterostructure photocatalysts were fabricated by a combination of hydrothermal and precipitation methods and subsequently employed in catalyzing N-to-NH conversion and RhB degradation under light illumination. Morphological analysis revealed the effective dispersion of BiPO on KNbO nanocubes.

In Situ Fabrication of an S-Scheme NaNbO/BiOCO Heterojunction for Enhanced Performance in Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation.

In this study, NaNbO microcubes were introduced during the preparation of BiOCO nanosheets to construct a series of NaNbO/BiOCO heterojunctions with varying NaNbO content. Their photoactivities for N fixation were examined and compared. Results demonstrated that 7.

Preparation of NaNbO microcube with abundant oxygen vacancies and its high photocatalytic N fixation activity in the help of Pt nanoparticles.

In this study, the photocatalytic N immobilization performance of NaNbO is enhanced via oxygen vacancy introduction and Pt loading. The designed Pt-loaded NaNbO with rich oxygen defects (Pt/O-NaNbO) is synthesized by combining ion-exchange and photodeposition methods. Characterization result indicates that the O-NaNbO has hollow microcube morphology and higher surface area than NaNbO.

Novel BiWO/ZnSnO heterojunction for the ultrasonic-vibration-driven piezocatalytic degradation of RhB.

This study designed and prepared a new piezoelectric catalytic nanomaterial, BiWO/ZnSnO, and applied it in piezocatalytic water purification. Results indicated that the composite had superior piezocatalytic efficiency and stability in rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under ultrasonic vibration. The BiWO/ZnSnO sample with 10% BiWO had the optimum activity with a degradation rate of 2.

Hydrogenolysis of glycerol over TiO-supported Pt-WO catalysts: Effects of the TiO crystal phase and WO loading.

The selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) with high added value is attraction but challenging. Pt-WO-based catalysts have been extensively studied in the selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol. The catalyst support and the physicochemical state of WO play important roles on this reaction.

CuS/KTaNbO nanocomposite utilizing solar and mechanical energy for catalytic N fixation.

This work synthesized a novel CuS/KTaNbO (KTN) heterojunction composite and firstly applied it in photocatalytic and piezocatalytic reduction of N to NH. XRD, Raman, XPS, SEM, and TEM analyses indicate that CuS nanoparticles closely adhered to the surface of KTN nanorods, which facilitates the migration of electrons between the two semiconductors. Mott-Schottky and valence band XPS analysis shows that KNbO shows a higher conduction band than CuS, indicating that CuS mainly acts as electron trappers to capture the photogenerated electrons from KTN.

Facile preparation of novel nickel sulfide modified KNbO heterojunction composite and its enhanced performance in photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

This work was designed to prepare a novel NiS/KNbO p-n heterojunction composite for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation under simulated sunlight. The NiS/KNbO photocatalyst was prepared through a two-step hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses proved that NiS nanoparticles were closely decorated on the surface of KNbO nanorods, to facilitate the migration of electrons between the two semiconductors.

Membrane fouling caused by biological foams in a submerged membrane bioreactor: Mechanism insights.

Though sludge foaming often occurs and thus causes serious membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs), the fouling mechanisms related with the foaming phenomenon have not been well addressed, hindering better understanding and solving foaming problem. In this work, it was interestingly found that, the foulants during the foaming period possessed extremely high specific filtration resistance (SFR) (over 10 m kg) and strong adhesion ability to membrane surface. Chemical characterization showed that the proteins (178.

Facile fabrication of novel AgS/K-g-CN composite and its enhanced performance in photocatalytic H evolution.

This work synthesized a novel AgS/K-g-CN photocatalyst which was effective in photocatalytic hydrogen production under simulated sunlight and visible light. Systematic investigation including TG, XRD, FT-IR, DRS, XPS, N-adsorption, SEM, TEM, PL, and photoelectrochemical analyses was executed to examine the structure, optical property and charge separation efficiency of the as-prepared photocatalysts. Result indicated that potassium was successfully doped into the g-CN framework via direct heating the mixture of melamine and potassium iodide at 520 °C, which increases the BET surface area, broadens the visible light response region, and elevates the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs.

Effectively H generation over CdS/KTaNbO composite via water splitting.

The present work reports a novel CdS/KTaNbO (KTN) composite photocatalyst which was synthesized via a facile deposition method. The photocatalytic reaction in NaS solution indicated that the as-synthesized composite presented excellent performance in water splitting under simulated sunlight and visible light. A thorough investigation was performed to reveal the origin of the high performance.

In-situ synthesis of AgNbO/g-CN photocatalyst via microwave heating method for efficiently photocatalytic H generation.

This paper is designed for elevating the photocatalytic H-evoultion performance of g-CN through the modification of AgNbO nanocubes. Via the microwave heating method, g-CN was in-situ formed on AgNbO surface to fabricate a close contact between the two semiconductors in forty minutes. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments were performed to confirm the binary structure of the synthesized AgNbO/g-CN composite.

Lattice Engineering on Metal Cocatalysts for Enhanced Photocatalytic Reduction of CO into CH.

Photocatalytic conversion of CO into CH represents an appealing approach to alleviate the world's continued reliance on fossil fuels and global warming resulting from increasing CO concentrations in the atmosphere. However, its practical application is greatly limited by serious electron-hole recombination in the photocatalysts and the production of CO and H as side reactions. Herein, for the first time, it is demonstrated that the photocatalytic reduction of CO to CH can be significantly improved through the simultaneous alloying and hydriding of metal cocatalysts.

Application of Ag/AgBr/GdVO composite photocatalyst in wastewater treatment.

Ag/AgBr/GdVO composite photocatalysts were designed and synthesized in this paper. The physical and chemical structures, as well as optical properties of the synthesized composite were investigated via XRD, XPS, TEM, and UV-vis. It is found that the composite showed a ternary heterojunction structure of Ag, AgBr and GdVO.

A Hierarchical Bipyridine-Constructed Framework for Highly Efficient Carbon Dioxide Capture and Catalytic Conversion.

As a C feedstock, CO has the potential to be uniquely highly economical in both a chemical and a financial sense. Porous materials bearing particular binding and active sites that can capture and convert CO simultaneously are promising candidates for CO utilization. In this work, a bipyridine-constructed polymer featuring a high surface area, a hierarchical porous structure, and excellent stability was synthesized through free-radical polymerization.

Facet engineered interface design of NaYF:Yb,Tm upconversion nanocrystals on BiOCl nanoplates for enhanced near-infrared photocatalysis.

The combination of upconversion nanocrystals with a wide-bandgap semiconductor is an efficient strategy to develop near-infrared (NIR)-responsive photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activity of the hybrid structures is greatly determined by the efficiency of the energy transfer on the interface between upconversion nanocrystals and the semiconductor. In this work, we demonstrate the interface design of a NaYF:Yb,Tm-BiOCl hybrid structure based on the choice of suitable BiOCl facets in depositing NaYF:Yb,Tm upconversion nanocrystals.

Novel indicators for thermodynamic prediction of interfacial interactions related with adhesive fouling in a membrane bioreactor.

This study focused on developing indicators to predict adhesive membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Thermodynamic interactions between membrane surface and foulants in various interaction scenes were comprehensively evaluated. It was revealed that, the total interaction energy in contact could be considered as a critical value affecting adhesion of foulants.

Modeling three-dimensional surface morphology of biocake layer in a membrane bioreactor based on fractal geometry.

While the adsorptive fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is highly dependent of the surface morphology, little progress has been made on modeling biocake layer surface morphology. In this study, a novel method, which combined static light scattering method for fractal dimension (D) measurement with fractal method represented by the modified two-variable Weierstrass-Mandelbrot function, was proposed to model biocake layer surface in a MBR. Characterization by atomic force microscopy showed that the biocake surface was stochastic, disorder, self-similarity, and with non-integer dimension, illustrating obvious fractal features.

Embedding Metal in the Interface of a p-n Heterojunction with a Stack Design for Superior Z-Scheme Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The construction of a p-n heterojunction is an efficient strategy to resolve the limited light absorption and serious charge-carrier recombination in semiconductors and enhance the photocatalytic activity. However, the promotion effect is greatly limited by poor interfacial charge transfer efficiency as well as reduced redox ability of charge carriers. In this work, we demonstrate that the embedding of metal Pd into the interface between n-type C3N4 and p-type Cu2O can further enhance the interfacial charge transfer and increase the redox ability of charge carriers through the design of the C3N4-Pd-Cu2O stack nanostructure.

Influences of acid-base property of membrane on interfacial interactions related with membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor based on thermodynamic assessment.

Failure of membrane hydrophobicity in predicting membrane fouling requires a more reliable indicator. In this study, influences of membrane acid base (AB) property on interfacial interactions in two different interaction scenarios in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) were studied according to thermodynamic approaches. It was found that both the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and foulant samples in the MBR had relatively high electron donor (γ(-)) component and low electron acceptor (γ(+)) component.

Effects of surface charge on interfacial interactions related to membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor based on thermodynamic analysis.

Effects of both membrane and sludge foulant surface zeta potentials on interfacial interactions between membrane and sludge foulant in different interaction scenarios were systematically investigated based on thermodynamic methods. Under conditions in this study, it was found that zeta potential had marginal effects on total interfacial interaction between two infinite planar surfaces, and the total interfacial interaction between foulant particles and membrane would be more repulsive with increase of absolute value of zeta potential. Adhesion of foulant particles on membrane surface should overcome an energy barrier.

A new method for modeling rough membrane surface and calculation of interfacial interactions.

Membrane fouling control necessitates the establishment of an effective method to assess interfacial interactions between foulants and rough surface membrane. This study proposed a new method which includes a rigorous mathematical equation for modeling membrane surface morphology, and combination of surface element integration (SEI) method and the composite Simpson's approach for assessment of interfacial interactions. The new method provides a complete solution to quantitatively calculate interfacial interactions between foulants and rough surface membrane.

Fabrication and characterization of hollow CdMoO4 coupled g-C3N4 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity.

This research was designed for the first time to investigate the activities of CdMoO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction in photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and converting CO2 to fuels. The composite was synthesized via a simple mixing-calcination method and characterized by various techniques including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method (BET), X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and electrochemical method. The results showed that the introduction of CdMoO4 to g-C3N4 exerted little effect on the property of light absorption, but resulted in an increase in the BET surface area, which was beneficial for the adsorption of RhB.