Construction of ternary TiO/CdS/IrO heterostructure photoanodes for efficient glycerol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution.

A TiO/CdS heterostructure has been widely investigated as a potential photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for hydrogen evolution. However, the efficiency and stability still remain challenging due to the sluggish reaction dynamics for water oxidation and easy photocorrosion of CdS. Here we report a ternary TiO/CdS/IrO heterostructure with IrO as a hole transport layer for PEC glycerol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution.

Recovery of biochar particles laden with lead in saturated porous media by DC electric field.

The co-transport behavior of environmental pollutants with biochar particles has aroused great interests from researchers due to the concerns about pollutant diffusion and environmental exposure after biochar is applied to soil. In this work, the recovery and co-transport behavior of biochar micron-/nano-particles (BCMP and BCNP) and lead (Pb) in saturated porous media were investigated under different ionic strength conditions (IS = 1, 5 and 10 mM) under a direct current electric field. The results showed that the electric field could significantly enhance the mobility of Pb adsorbed biochar particles, particularly BCNP.

PtNi alloy nanoparticles grown on nitrogen doped carbon for the efficient oxygen reduction reaction.

Currently, Pt based materials are still the most efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. However, their poor stability obstructs the commercial viability of fuel cells. To lower the reaction potential barrier and enhance the stability, we constructed alloy PtNi nanoparticles (NPs) with a Pt-rich surface supported on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) a simple one-step solvothermal method using easily accessible reagents.

Role of the surface characteristics of hyper-crosslinked polymers on the transformation of adsorbed trichlorophenol: Implications for understanding the surface reactivity of biochar derived from waste biomass.

The surface reactivity of biochar derived from waste biomass has not been well understood due to its complex composition and heterogeneity. Therefore, this study synthesized a series of biochar-like hyper-crosslinked polymers (HCPs) with different amounts of phenolic hydroxyl groups on the surface as an indicative tool to investigate the roles of key surface properties of biochar on transforming pollutants being adsorbed. Characterization of HCPs suggested that electron donating capacity (EDC) of different HCPs was positively correlated with increasing amounts of phenol hydroxyl groups, whereas specific surface area, degree of aromatization and graphitization were negatively correlated.

Microwave-Assisted Metal-Organic Frameworks Derived Synthesis of ZnGeO Nanowire Bundles for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Germanium-based multi-metallic-oxide materials have advantages of low activation energy, tunable output voltage, and high theoretical capacity. However, they also exhibit unsatisfactory electronic conductivity, sluggish cation kinetics, and severe volume change, resulting in inferior long-cycle stability and rate performance in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To solve these problems, we synthesize metal-organic frameworks derived from rice-like ZnGeO nanowire bundles as the anode of LIBs via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, minimizing the particle size and enlarging the cation's transmission channels, as well as, enhancing the electronic conductivity of the materials.

Transport behaviors of biochar particles in saturated porous media under DC electric field.

The mobility of biochar in saturated quartz sand under a direct current (DC) electric field was investigated by column transport test. The effects of biochar preparation temperature (350 and 550 °C), solution chemistry (pH of 4, 7, and 10, and ion strength of 1, 10, 100 mM) and voltage gradient (0, 0.5 and 1.

A process-based model for describing redox kinetics of Cr(VI) in natural sediments containing variable reactive Fe(II) species.

Sediment-associated Fe(II) is a critical reductant for immobilizing groundwater contaminants, such as Cr(VI). The reduction reactivity of sediment-associated Fe(II) is dependent on its binding environment and influenced by the biogeochemical transformation of other elements (i.e.

Recent Advances in TiO -based Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has attracted great attention in the past several decades as it holds great promise to address global energy and environmental issues by converting solar energy into hydrogen. However, its low solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency remains a bottleneck for practical application. Developing efficient photoelectrocatalysts with high stability and high STH conversion efficiency is one of the key challenges.

Role of the biochar modified with ZnCl and FeCl on the electrochemical degradation of nitrobenzene.

The Zn/Fe-modified biochar on nitrobenzene (NB) removal during the electrolysis was investigated in this study. Both the Fe and Zn-modified biochar enhanced the NB adsorption compared with the un-modified biochar due to their greater specific surface area and more abundant surface function groups, respectively. The electrolysis under 2-11 V with the assist of both Fe/Zn-modified biochar achieved effective NB removal (>93%).

Behavior of fast and slow phosphorus release from sewage sludge-derived biochar amended with CaO.

The pyrolyzation of sewage sludge (SS) could efficiently transform inherent phosphorus (P) into bioavailable phosphate forms, which endows SS-derived biochar (SSB) the potential as a soil fertilizer. However, the details about the release behavior of P in SSB have not been systematically investigated. This study evaluated the fast and slow P releasing behaviors from SSB and CaO-amended SSB prepared under different pyrolysis temperature.

Phosphorus speciation and bioavailability of sewage sludge derived biochar amended with CaO.

In this study, biochar samples were prepared from the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SS) and CaO to explore the transformation of P speciation in sample. The potential of these biochar as a fertilizer to promote the growth of the plant was also evaluated. The result indicated that CaO addition can greatly facilitate the conversion of non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to apatite inorganic phosphorus (AP, mainly Ca(PO) and CaMg(PO)).

Regeneration of Fe /Fe complex from NO chelating absorption by microbial fuel cell.

Ferrous chelates (FeEDTA) can effectively absorb NO, but the regeneration of them usually consumes large amounts of organic matter or energy. In this study, a new approach to regenerate NO absorbed ferrous chelates with simultaneous electricity generation was investigated by a microbial fuel cell (MFC). The performance and mechanisms of FeEDTA regeneration were evaluated in the cathode of MFC reactor with and without the presence of microorganisms (referring to biocathode and abiotic cathode), respectively.

Identification of the first case of SFTSV infection in the Hunan Province of China and epidemiological surveillance in the locality.

This study reports the etiological identification, clinical diagnosis, and the results of the local epidemiological surveillance of the first case of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection in 2014 in Hunan Province, China. The infected patient was isolated and closely monitored. The virus is a member of the Bunyaviridae sandfly family and is characterized by real-time PCR, electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and whole-genome sequencing.

Identifying the reducing capacity of biomass derived hydrochar with different post-treatment methods.

In this study, hydrochar was prepared from wheat straw (WS) and Spartina alterniflora (SA) biomass by hydrothermal carbonization, and further treated with HCl and NaOH washing, HNO oxidization and low temperature thermal heating. The reducing capacity (RC) of sample was quantified by I titration to explore how these modification methods affected the redox properties of hydrochar. The results indicated HNO and thermal oxidization increased the RC of hydrochar by 2-5 folds while NaOH washing had the negative effect on samples' RC.

Improving Cu(II) sorption by biochar via pyrolyzation under CO: the importance of inherent inorganic species.

Biochar from Spartina alterniflora (SA) and rice straw (RS) under N/CO were evaluated for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution. The result indicates SA biochar prepared at 700 °C under CO can achieve a Cu(II) sorption capacity of 89.12 ± 2.

Degradation of refractory organics in biotreated landfill leachate using high voltage pulsed discharge combined with TiO.

The effect of high voltage pulsed discharge (HVPD) combined with TiO on the degradation of refractory organic compounds in actual biotreated landfill leachate was investigated. The optimal chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency could achieve to 58.9% using HVPD+TiO within 30min at 40kV, 400Hz, and the conductivity of 4.

[Analysis of surveillance results of schistosomiasis in Hexi reservoir area from 2012 to 2015].

Objective: To understand the changes of schistosomiasis epidemic situation, so as to provide the evidence for formulating schistosomiasis control strategy in the Hexi reservoir area.

Methods: From 2012 to 2015, Xinyuan Village, Meishan Town in the north entrance of Hexi reservoir was selected as a monitoring site. According to the requirements of the monitoring program of schistosomiasis surveillance in Zhejiang Province, the infection was investigated by using the serological screening (IHA), and the basic situation of the surveillance site was also investigated.

Molecularly imprinted polymers combination with deep eutectic solvents for solid-phase extraction of caffeic acid from hawthorn.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with caffeic acid as template and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) materials were prepared in the same procedure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and adsorption capacity test were used to evaluate characteristic of the new materials. MIPs, NIPs and C18 were used for rapid purification of caffeic acid from hawthorn with solid-phase extraction ( SPE) , and extract yields of caffeic acid with the proposed materials were 3.

[Effect of schistosomiasis control projects in Hexi Reservoir on Oncomelania snail control].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of schistosomiasis control projects in Hexi Reservoir on Oncomelania hupensis snail control.

Methods: The canal hardening + main water system widening + the overflow dam project, the concrete slope protection, the banking and reclamation + concrete slope protection project, the environment reform project, and the comprehensive treatment were implemented in the tail area, the hydro-fluctuation belt, the rainwater harvesting zoon of the upstream area, the dam area, and the downstream area of the reservoir, respectively. The changes of the snail situation were investigated before and after the construction of the reservoir, and the snail control effects of the schistosomiasis control projects in different parts of the reservoir were analyzed.

The QRAR model study of beta-lactam antibiotics by capillary coated with cell membrane.

With the accelerating development of new drugs, there is a great need for rapid and simple screening technologies. In this paper, a new in vitro method, capillary coated with cell membrane, was presented for drug screening based on the real biomembrane-drugs interaction, in which the cell membrane was applied to chromatography as pseudo-stationary phase directly. As the cell membrane was coated on the bare-fused capillary via sol-gel technology in our present work, it will be shown to be superior to other pseudo-stationary phases mimicking biological environment.

[Preparation of interferon-alpha-loaded poly-L-lactic acid lamellar particles].

Lamellar particles(lamellae) were prepared by non-solvent precipitation from crystalic poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA). The PLLA lamellae exhibite a diamond or stepped irregular shape with a size range between 3-5 microns. Prepared without any surfactants and dispersing agents, the lamellar particles have clean surface, which is advantageous for the adsorption of proteins.