Ultrasonic Disintegration of Municipal Sludge: Fundamental Mechanisms, Process Intensification and Industrial Sono-Reactors.

Sludge disintegration is an environmental and industrial challenge that requires intensive research and technological development. Sludge has a complex structure with a high yield of various chemical and biological compounds. Anaerobic digestion is the most commonly used process for sludge disintegration to produce biogas, detoxify sludge, and generate biosolids that can be used in agriculture .

Cu nanoparticles grafting on the surface of ZnO nanostructures to boost the porosity and surface area for effective removal of manganese ions from aqueous solutions.

Designing highly adsorptive materials for wastewater treatment via facile approaches is still challenging. To boost the recovery of heavy metals from wastewater, surface and structure modification are considered a successful route. Herein, we report the design of ZnO nanoparticles by a simple thermal decomposition method followed by grafting Cu nanoparticles (Cu NPs) over the ZnO surface.

Synergistic photogeneration of reactive oxygen species by Fe species self-deposited on resorcinol-formaldehyde towards the degradation of phenols under visible light.

In this study, a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst of Fe species/resorcinol-formaldehyde (Fe/RF) was synthesized in the degradation process of phenols under visible light in a homogeneous photo-Fenton system. The in situ generated HO by bare RF in the medium and the follow-added Fe can construct homogeneous photo-Fenton system, and Fe/RF heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst was formed after the reaction through Fe species self-deposition. Due to the addition of Fe, more hydroxyl radical (·OH) generated in the homogeneous Fenton system, which lead to the higher degradation efficiency of phenols that achieved 90.

Fast g-CN sonocoated activated carbon for enhanced solar photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants through Adsorb & Shuttle process.

To solve low mass transfer in photocatalytic technology for water treatment, the combination of photoactive nanoparticles with highly adsorptive materials has been regarded as a successful approach. The optimization of photoactive particle coating in terms of dispersion on the surface of adsorbing support is the main key to reach a maximum synergism for pollutants removal. This study discusses the coating of as-prepared biomass based activated carbon by g-CN using three routes, namely ball milling (AC-CN@BM), physical stirring (AC-CN@Phy) and ultrasonic assisted coating (AC-CN@US).

Valorization of lignocellulosic biomass into sustainable materials for adsorption and photocatalytic applications in water and air remediation.

An exponential rise in global pollution and industrialization has led to significant economic and environmental problems due to the insufficient application of green technology for the chemical industry and energy production. Nowadays, the scientific and environmental/industrial communities push to apply new sustainable ways and/or materials for energy/environmental applications through the so-called circular (bio)economy. One of today's hottest topics is primarily valorizing available lignocellulosic biomass wastes into valuable materials for energy or environmentally related applications.

Radical-Mediated Photocatalysis for Lignocellulosic Biomass Conversion into Value-Added Chemicals and Hydrogen: Facts, Opportunities and Challenges.

Photocatalytic biomass conversion into high-value chemicals and fuels is considered one of the hottest ongoing research and industrial topics toward sustainable development. In short, this process can cleave C -O/C -C bonds in lignin to aromatic platform chemicals, and further conversion of the polysaccharides to other platform chemicals and H . From the chemistry point of view, the optimization of the unique cooperative interplay of radical oxidation species (which are activated via molecular oxygen species, ROSs) and substrate-derived radical intermediates by appropriate control of their type and/or yield is key to the selective production of desired products.

Boosting Hydroxyl Radical Yield via Synergistic Activation of Electrogenerated HOCl/HO in Electro-Fenton-like Degradation of Contaminants under Chloride Conditions.

Hydroxyl radical production via catalytic activation of HOCl is a new type of Fenton-like process. However, metal-chlorocomplex formation under high chloride conditions could deactivate the catalyst and reduce the process efficiency. Herein, electrogenerated HOCl was activated to OH via a metal-free, B/N-codoped carbon nanofiber cathode for the first time to degrade contaminant under high chloride condition.

Combined conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into high-value products with ultrasonic cavitation and photocatalytic produced reactive oxygen species - A review.

The production of high-value products from lignocellulosic biomass is carried out through the selective scission of crosslinked CC/CO bonds. Nowadays, several techniques are applied to optimize biomass conversion into desired products with high yields. Photocatalytic technology has been proven to be a valuable tool for valorizing biomass at mild conditions.

Advances in 2D MXenes-based materials for water purification and disinfection: Synthesis approaches and photocatalytic mechanistic pathways.

MXenes two-dimensional materials have recently excited researchers' curiosity for various industrial applications. MXenes are promising materials for environmental remediation technologies to sense and mitigate various intractable hazardous pollutants from the atmosphere due to their inherent mechanical and physicochemical properties, such as high surface area, increased hydrophilicity, high conductivity, changing band gaps, and robust electrochemistry. This review discusses the versatile applications of MXenes and MXene-based nanocomposites in various environmental remediation processes.

Easy-handling semi-floating TiO-based aerogel for solar photocatalytic water depollution.

One of the capital issues of photocatalytic technology is how to use photocatalytic materials in real world conditions. Suspension photocatalysts are the most effective, while the handling and recovery of nanoparticles are very challenging and costly. Herein, we report the design of semi-floating aerogel TiObased photocatalyst for the oxidation of dyes and photoreduction of Cr(VI).

Through converting the surface complex on TiO nanorods to generate superoxide and singlet oxygen to remove CN.

Cyanide (CN) is extensively used in the process of plating devices and for surface treatment in the electroplating industry and is extremely hazardous to humans and the environment. Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) hold considerable promise for CN removal. However, the activity of sulfate radical and hydroxyl radical generated in the PMS activation process is low in the base condition, leading to a drop in its efficiency in CN removal.

Recent advancement in conjugated polymers based photocatalytic technology for air pollutants abatement: Cases of CO, NO, and VOCs.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) survey, air pollution has become the major reason of several fatal diseases, which had led to the death of 7 million peoples around the globe. The 9 people out of 10 breathe air, which exceeds WHO recommendations. Several strategies are in practice to reduce the emission of pollutants into the air, and also strict industrial, scientific, and health recommendations to use sustainable green technologies to reduce the emission of contaminants into the air.

Engineering carbon nanotubes for sensitive viral detection.

Viral infections have been proven a severe threat to human beings, and the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a societal health concern, including mental distress and morbidity. Therefore, the early diagnosis and differentiation of viral infections are the prerequisite for curbing the local and global spread of viruses. To this end, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based virus detection strategies are developed that provide feasible alternatives to conventional diagnostic techniques.

Correction: Ultrafast conversion of carcinogenic 4-nitrophenol into 4-aminophenol in the dark catalyzed by surface interaction on BiPO/g-CN nanostructures in the presence of NaBH.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1RA02852A.].

Ultrafast conversion of carcinogenic 4-nitrophenol into 4-aminophenol in the dark catalyzed by surface interaction on BiPO/g-CN nanostructures in the presence of NaBH.

The heterogeneous catalytic conversion of pollutants into useful industrial compounds is a two-goals at once process, which is highly recommended from the environmental, economic, and industrial points of view. In this regard, design materials with high conversion ability for a specific application is required to achieve such a goal. Herein, the synthesis conditions for the fabrication of BiPO nanorod bundles supported on g-CN nanosheets as heterojunction composites was achieved using a facile chemical deposition for the reductive conversion of carcinogenic 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into 4-aminophenol (4-AP).

Recent advances of bismuth titanate based photocatalysts engineering for enhanced organic contaminates oxidation in water: A review.

Over more than three decades, the scientific community has been contentiously interested in structuring varying photocatalytic materials with unique properties for appropriate technology transfer. Most of the existing reported photocatalysts in the literature show pros and cons by considering the type of application and working conditions. Bismuth titanate oxides (BTO) are novel photocatalysts that raised recently towards energy and environmental-related applications.

Heat and ZnCl chemical carbonization of date stone as an adsorbent: optimization of material fabrication parameters and adsorption studies.

In the present study, the optimization of factors for the fabrication of highly adsorptive activated carbon from agricultural waste (date stone) was investigated by using ZnCl as a chemical agent during the heat treatment. ZnCl acts as a dehydration agent during the heat treatment, allowing a better porosity. In addition, it boosts the fragmentation of the lignocellulosic structure and the condensation of carbon rings.

Solar Light Photoactive Floating Polyaniline/TiO Composites for Water Remediation.

In the present study, the development of innovative polyurethane-polyaniline/TiO modified floating materials applied in the sorption and photodegradation of rhodamine B from water matrix under solar light irradiation is reported. All the materials were fabricated with inexpensive and easy approaches and were properly characterized. The effect of the kind of polyaniline (PANI) dopant on the materials' behavior was investigated, as well as the role of the conducting polymer in the pollutant abatement on the basis of its physico-chemical characteristics.

Sonoprocessing: From Concepts to Large-Scale Reactors.

Intensification of ultrasonic processes for diversified applications, including environmental remediation, extractions, food processes, and synthesis of materials, has received attention from the scientific community and industry. The mechanistic pathways involved in intensification of ultrasonic processes that include the ultrasonic generation of cavitation bubbles, radical formation upon their collapse, and the possibility of fine-tuning operating parameters for specific applications are all well documented in the literature. However, the scale-up of ultrasonic processes with large-scale sonochemical reactors for industrial applications remains a challenge.

Oxidative Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on Photoactive AgNPs@TiO Ceramic Tiles.

The current pandemic causes serious public health, social, and economic issues all over the globe. Surface transmission has been claimed as a possible infection route, especially in heavy contaminated environmental surfaces, including hospitals and crowded public places. Herein, we studied the deactivation of on photoactive AgNPs@TiO coated on industrial ceramic tiles under dark, UVA, and LED light irradiations.

Doped-polyaniline based sorbents for the simultaneous removal of heavy metals and dyes from water: Unravelling the role of synthesis method and doping agent.

Recently, the engineering of alternative adsorbents with better functional and sorbing ability towards the purification of wastewaters has received much attention from the scientific community. Currently polymers, in particular, are regarded as attractive soft materials in the field of environmental remediation due to their several unique properties. In this regard, the synthesis method is key point to fabricate polymer-based adsorbent with targeted characteristics.

A review of advances in multifunctional XTiO perovskite-type oxides as piezo-photocatalysts for environmental remediation and energy production.

Over more than three decades, the field of engineering of photocatalytic materials with unique properties and enhanced performance has received a huge attention. In this regard, different classes of materials were fabricated and used for different photocatalytic applications. Among these materials, recently multifunctional XTiO perovskites have drawn outstanding interest towards environmental remediation and energy conversion thanks to their unique structural, optical, physiochemical, electrical and thermal characteristics.

Comparison of the photoactivity of several semiconductor oxides in floating aerogel and suspension systems towards the reduction of Cr(VI) under visible light.

A massive amount of research has been done over the last three decades to develop photoactive materials which could be suitable for real-world use in water remediation sector. Water-floating photocatalysts could be one of the best options due to their technological characteristics in terms of efficiency and reasonability including a high oxygenation of the photocatalyst surface, a fully sunlight irradiation, easy recovery and reuse. In the present study, aerogel water-floating based materials were fabricated using poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyvinylidene fluoride as a polymer platform, and loaded with different semiconductors such as g-CN, MoO, BiO, FeO or WO.