Preparation of an electrochemical sensor utilizing graphene-like biochar for the detection of tetracycline.

Tetracycline (TC), which is ubiquitous in the aquatic environment, can cause ecological imbalance and adversely affect human health. Therefore, a quick, inexpensive, and easy method for the detection of TC in water systems is highly desirable. This study reports the development of a novel electrochemical sensor from waste peanut shell for the quick detection of TC in water.

Production of Mesoporous Magnetic Carbon Materials from Oily Sludge by Combining Thermal Activation and Post-Washing.

In this work, the oily sludge (OS) from a local waste oil recycling plant was reused as a precursor for producing porous magnetic carbon composites (CC) by pyrolysis, followed by carbon dioxide activation. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the OS feedstock, the preparation experiments were performed at 800−900 °C. From the pore analysis of the CC products, it indicated an increasing trend, as the BET surface area greatly increased from about 1.

Reuse of the Materials Recycled from Renewable Resources in the Civil Engineering: Status, Achievements and Government's Initiatives in Taiwan.

Growing concerns about the circular economy and sustainable waste management for civil applications of non-hazardous mineral industrial waste have increased in recent years. Therefore, this study presents a trend analysis of industrial waste generation and treatment during the years of 2010-2020, and focused on promotion policies and regulatory measures for mandatory renewable resources from industrial sources in Taiwan, including reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material, water-quenched blast furnace slag, and ilmenite chlorination furnace slag. According to the official database of the online reported statistics during the period of 2010-2020, approximately three million metric tons per year of renewable resources were totally reused in civil engineering or related cement products, reflecting a balanced supply chain in the domestic market.

The use of ultrasound-assisted anaerobic compost tea washing to remove poly-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzo-furans (PCDFs) from highly contaminated field soils.

The remediation of dioxin-contaminated soil of a specific coastal area previously employed for the manufacture of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in southern Taiwan's Tainan City has attracted much attention of researchers there. This work addresses the possibility of providing an effective and environmentally friendly option for removing PCDD/Fs from soil in that field. Soil screening/sieving was first conducted to assess particle distribution.

Removal of chloride from MSWI fly ash.

The high levels of alkali chloride and soluble metal salts present in MSWI fly ash is worth noting for their impact on the environment. In addition, the recycling or reuse of fly ash has become an issue because of limited landfill space. The chloride content in fly ash limits its application as basis for construction materials.

Remediation of oil-contaminated sand by coal agglomeration using ball milling.

The mechanical shear force provided by a less energy intensive device (usually operating at 20-200 rpm), a ball mill, was used toperform coal agglomeration and its effects on remediation of a model fuel oil-contaminated sand were evaluated. Important process parameters such as the amount of coal added, milling time, milling speed and the size of milling elements are discussed. The results suggested that highly hydrophobic oil-coal agglomerates, formed by adding suitable amounts of coal into the oil-contaminated sand, could be mechanically liberated from cleaned sand during ball milling and recovered as a surface coating on the steel balls.

Removal of chloride from electric arc furnace dust.

Electric arc furnace (EAF) dust with high chloride content increases the threat of dioxin emissions and the high chloride content reduces the value of recycled zinc oxide produced by EAF dust recycling plants. This study conducts a number of laboratory experiments to determine the technical feasibility of a new dechlorination method. These methods consist of a series of roasting processes and water washing processes.

The characteristics of organic sludge/sawdust derived fuel.

A fundamental study of the characteristics of a sludge refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and the combustion behaviors were done. The test data demonstrate good results for the development of energy recovery technology of organic sludge or waste. The ash deposit formation propensity has been based on pretreatment, temperature and the ratio of organic sludge to sawdust.

Treatment of ammonia by catalytic wet oxidation process over platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst in a trickle-bed reactor: effect of pH.

This work adopted aqueous solutions of ammonia for use in catalytic liquid-phase reduction in a trickle-bed reactor with a platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst, prepared by the co-precipitation of chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) and rhodium nitrate [Rh(NO3)3]. The experimental results demonstrated that a minimal amount of ammonia was removed from the solution by wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, while approximately 97.0% of the ammonia was removed by wet oxidation over the platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst at 230 degrees C with an oxygen partial pressure of 2.

Adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide) on smectite: Effect of layer charge.

The adsorption of polymers on clay is important in many applications. However the mechanisms of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) adsorption on smectite is not well elucidated at present. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of layer charge density on the adsorption of PEO by smectite.

Preparation of coal slurry with organic solvents.

In this study, various organic solvents were used to prepare coal slurries and the rheological and thermal properties of coal-organic solvent slurries were examined. Solvents with molecules containing unpaired electrons (high basicity) show high extraction power and cause swelling of coal. Therefore, coal-organic solvent slurries usually showed higher viscosities compared to coal-water slurry.

Preparation of coal slurry with 2-propanol.

This study explored the feasibility of using waste organic solvents as substitutes for water to prepare coal slurries. The rheological properties of coal-2-propanol slurries were examined and compared with that of coal-water slurry (CWS). The good compatibility between coal particles and 2-propanol resulted in stable particle suspension in slurry which usually exhibit Newtonian behaviour.

Determination of the surface area of smectite in water by ethylene oxide chain adsorption.

This study investigates the feasibility of using ethylene oxide (EO) chain adsorption to determine the surface area of smectite in water. Experimental results indicate that high-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) should be used to provide reasonable estimations for monolayer capacity of PEO on smectite. The surface areas of smectites in water are calculated from the monolayer capacity of PEO adsorbed on smectite by taking the area per EO unit as 8.

Estimation of surface area of montmorillonite by ethylene oxide chain adsorption.

This study investigates the feasibility of using ethylene oxide chain adsorption to determine the surface area of an expandable clay, montmorillonite. Experimental results indicate that high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) or nonionic surfactant with long ethylene oxide chain should be used to provide reasonable estimations for monolayer capacity. The method has advantages over Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller method in that it is readily applicable to a wide range of areas, particularly to 2:1 layer silicates under aqueous conditions.

Removal of phenol from water by adsorption-flocculation using organobentonite.

Bentonite modified with short chain cationic surfactant might be the basis of a new approach to removing organic pollutants from water. The treatment process involves dispersing bentonite to the contaminated water and then adding a small cationic surfactant so as to result in flocs which are agglomerates of organobentonite and bound organic pollutants. The flocs are then removed from the solution by sedimentation.

Sorption of benzene and naphthol to organobentonites intercalated with short chain cationic surfactants.

This work studies the sorption of benzene and naphthol by bentonites exchanged with quaternary ammonium surfactants tetramethylammonium (TMA) ion, benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA) ion, tetraethylammonium (TEA) ion, and benzyltriethylammonium (BTEA) ion to elucidate how exchanged short chain organic cations affect the mechanistic function of the modified bentonite. Local high charge density areas are found at interlamellar surfaces of bentonite and intercalated short chain organic cations aggregate preferentially at these sites to form organic carbon phase effective in nonionic organic compounds (NOC) uptake. Experimental results indicate that the amount of benzene uptake decreases as the size of intercalated organic cation increases from TMA to BTMA to TEA to BTEA, presumably due to the different structures of organic carbon phase formed in organobentonite.