Optimising microplastics analysis for quantifying and identifying microplastic fibres in laundry wastewater.

Current methods for measuring microplastic fibres (MPF) are cumbersome, time consuming and unscalable for routine high throughput analysis. This study reports a method for rapidly extracting, quantifying and analysing MPFs in laundry wastewater with several key improvements which vastly enhance overall efficiency and scalability of analysis. FT-IR surveying is employed as a preliminary step in analysis to quickly determine what polymers are present in a sample prior to fluorescence treatment.

Insight into Fe-O-Bi electron migration channel in MIL-53(Fe)/BiOI Z-scheme heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic decontamination.

Building a heterojunction is a fascinating option to guarantee sufficient carrier separation and transfer efficiency, but the mechanism of charge migration at the heterojunction interface has not been thoroughly studied. Herein, MIL-53(Fe)/BiOI photocatalyst with a Z-scheme heterojunction structure is constructed, which achieves efficient photocatalytic decontamination under solar light. Driven by the newly-built internal electric field (IEF), the formation of Fe-O-Bi electron migration channel allows for rapid separation and transfer of charge carriers at the heterojunction interface, confirmed by the material characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculation.

Enhanced biomethane production from Scenedesmus sp. using polymer harvesting and expired COVID-19 disinfectant for pretreatment.

This study evaluates the repurposing of expired isopropanol (IPA) COVID-19 disinfectant (64% w/w) to pretreat algal biomass for enhancing methane (CH) yield. The impact of harvesting methods (centrifugation and polymer flocculation) and microwave pretreatment on CH production from Scenedesmus sp. microalgal biomass were also investigated.

Tuning Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks by Metal Substitution.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), synthesized by the self-assembly of organic ligands and metal centers, are structurally designable materials. In the current study, first-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) was performed to investigate the intrinsic mechanical and electrical properties and mechanical-electrical coupling behavior of MOF-5. To improve the conductivity of MOF-5, homologous elements of Cu, Ag, and Au were adopted to replace the Zn atom in MOF-5, reducing the band gap and improving its electrical performance.

Semiconducting mineral induced photochemical conversion of PAHs in aquatic environment: Mechanism study and fate prediction.

Semiconducting minerals (such as iron sulfides) are highly abundant in surface water, but their influences on the natural photochemical process of contaminants are still unknown. By simulating the natural water environment under solar irradiation, this work comprehensively investigated the photochemical processes of anthracene (a typical Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) in both freshwater and seawater. The results show that the natural pyrite (NP) significantly promotes the degradation of anthracene under solar illumination via 1) NP induced photocatalytic degradation of anthracene, and 2) Fenton reaction due to the NP induced photocatalytic generation of HO.

Ceftriaxone sodium degradation by carbon quantum dots (CQDs)-decorated C-doped α-BiO nanorods.

A novel carbon quantum dots decorated C-doped α-BiO photocatalyst (CBO/CQDs) was synthesized by solvothermal method. The synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis highly improved contaminants removal efficiencies. The ceftriaxone sodium degradation rate constant () of CBO/CQDs was 11.

Elevated nitrate promoted photodegradation of PAHs in aqueous phase: Implications for the increased nutrient discharge.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are frequently released in aqueous phase by oil spill or from other sources, and photochemical oxidation is one of their major weathering processes. In this study, the photochemical behavior of phenanthrene (PHE, as a representative PAH) were studied and the effects of nitrogenous compounds were evaluated. The results showed that nitrate was an effective photosensitizer for improving the photodegradation of PHE, but the promoting effect was less effective in seawater due to the presence of halogen ions; the ammonia played a negligible role on PHE degradation.

Molecular Analyses of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Change and Transformation during Petroleum Weathering by Multiple Techniques.

Various analytical techniques are used to study the weathering process of four crude oils, i.e., Iranian light crude oil, Daqing crude oil, Shengli crude oil, and Tahe crude oil.

Interaction-sedimentation strategy for highly efficient removal of refractory humic substances in biologically treated wastewater effluent: from mechanistic investigation to full-scale application.

Based on the accurate characterization of the binding sites of humic substances (HS) and their binding coefficients with ferric ions (Fe(III)), a coupled interaction-sedimentation (CIS) technology was proposed for dealing with HS in the biologically treated wastewater effluent (BTWE) from a full-scale antibiotic production wastewater treatment plant. The infrared spectral and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance characteristics showed that (i) protonated carboxyl groups in HS were the main binding sites for Fe(III) and HS, (ii) one carboxyl group of HS interacted with one ferric ion, (iii) the Fe(III)-binding ability of fulvic acids (FA) was 2.8 times as much as that of humic acids (HA) when FA and HA coexisted, and (iv) the presence of non-humic substances in the effluent organic matter (EfOM) amplified the Fe(III)-binding ability difference between FA and HA to 4.

Enhanced removal of humic substances in effluent organic matter from a leachate treatment system via biological upgradation of molecular structure.

Biological upgradation (BU) process was proposed, with the goal of converting the molecular structure, for improving the coagulation effect on humic substances (HS) in effluent organic matter from the membrane bioreactor of a leachate treatment system. Enhancement of coagulation effect was observed with the improvement of chemical oxygen demand and HS removal efficiency from 45.5% and 56.

Highly efficient AgBr/h-MoO with charge separation tuning for photocatalytic degradation of trimethoprim: Mechanism insight and toxicity assessment.

A highly solar active AgBr/h-MoO composite was constructed by a facile precipitation method, and the charge separation tuning was achieved by photoreduction of AgBr. The photoreduced Ag on AgBr/h-MoO acted as charge transfer bridge to form Z-scheme heterostructure, while the high degree of Ag reduction converted the material into type-II heterostructure. The synthesized optimal material promoted charge separation and visible light activity due to the incorporation of highly solar active AgBr, which showed ca.

Surface modification of BiOBr/TiO by reduced AgBr for solar-driven PAHs degradation: Mechanism insight and application assessment.

A novel solar active AgBr/BiOBr/TiO catalyst was synthesized by a facile coprecipitation method for solar-driven water remediation. The synthesized material composed of flower-like TiO nanoparticles loaded on BiOBr nanosheets and with homogeneous surface distributed Ag/AgBr nanoparticles. The internal electric field between BiOBr/TiO heterojunction greatly facilitated the charge carrier migration; the introduction of narrow band gap semiconductors (AgBr and BiOBr) promoted the visible light adsorption; and the Ag/AgBr nanoparticles acted as photosensitizer to further improve the light utilization.

Comprehensive evaluation of substrate materials for contaminants removal in constructed wetlands.

Considerable number of studies have been carried out to develop and apply various substrate materials for constructed wetlands (CWs), however, there is a lack of method and model for comprehensive evaluation of different types of CWs substrates. To this end, this article summarized nearly all the substrate materials of CWs available in the literatures, including natural materials, agricultural/industrial wastes and artificial materials. The sources and physicochemical properties of various substrate materials, as well as their removal capacities for main water contaminants including nutrients, heavy metals, surfactants, pesticides/herbicides, emerging contaminants and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were comprehensively described.

Particle morphomics by high-throughput dynamic image analysis.

A novel omics-like method referred to as "particle morphomics" has been proposed in the present study. The dynamic images of >2,000,000 particles per sample in sediments, soils and dusts were collected by a Sympatec GmbH QICPIC particle size and shape analyzer, and the morphological descriptors of each particle including equivalent diameter, sphericity, aspect ratio and convexity were extracted as the "particle morphome". Various multivariate analyses were adopted to process the high-throughput data of particle morphome including analyses of alpha and beta diversities, similarity, correlation, network, redundancy, discretion and principal coordinate.

Pilot investigation on formation of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole via microbial O-methylation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in drinking water distribution system: An insight into microbial mechanism.

Taste & odor (T&O) problems in drinking water are always complained by customers. Recent studies have indicated biofilms in drinking water distribution system (DWDS) are always ignored as potential sources of T&O compounds. In this paper, the formation of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (2,4,6-TCA), one of the dominant T&O compounds, was investigated in a pilot-scale DWDS.

Photocatalysis of bisphenol A by an easy-settling titania/titanate composite: Effects of water chemistry factors, degradation pathway and theoretical calculation.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely concerned endocrine disrupting chemical and hard to be removed through conventional wastewater treatment processes. In this study, we developed a TiO decorated titanate nanotubes composite (TiO/TNTs) and used for photocatalytic degradation of BPA. TEM and XRD analysis show that the TiO/TNTs is a nano-composite of anatase and titanate, with anatase acting as the primary photocatalytic site and titanate as the skeleton.

Application of magnetic OMS-2 in sequencing batch reactor for treating dye wastewater as a modulator of microbial community.

The potential and mechanism of synthesized magnetic octahedral molecular sieve (FeO@OMS-2) nanoparticles in enhancing the aerobic microbial ability of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for treating dye wastewater have been revealed in this study. The addition of FeO@OMS-2 of 0.25g/L enhanced the decolorization of SBRs with an operation cycle of 24h by more than 20%.

Effects of oil dispersants on photodegradation of parent and alkylated anthracene in seawater.

This study investigated effects of three model oil dispersants on photodegradation of two model PAHs (anthracene and 9,10-dimethyanthracene (9,10-DMA)) under simulated sunlight. All three dispersants, i.e.

An overview of nanomaterials applied for removing dyes from wastewater.

Organic dyes are one of the most commonly discharged pollutants in wastewaters; however, many conventional treatment methods cannot treat them effectively. Over the past few decades, we have witnessed rapid development of nanotechnologies, which offered new opportunities for developing innovative methods to treat dye-contaminated wastewater with low price and high efficiency. The large surface area, modified surface properties, unique electron conduction properties, etc.

Transport of multi-walled carbon nanotubes stabilized by carboxymethyl cellulose and starch in saturated porous media: Influences of electrolyte, clay and humic acid.

This study investigated the transport behaviors of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and starch stabilized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) through a saturated quartz sand column in the presence of electrolytes, model clays, and natural organic matter (humic acid) through column breakthrough experiments and model simulations. Both stabilizers, CMC and starch, greatly enhanced the breakthrough of MWNTs, with a full breakthrough plateau (C/C) ranging from 0.69 to 0.

Mechanistic investigation into sunlight-facilitated photodegradation of pyrene in seawater with oil dispersants.

This study investigated the effects of 3 model oil dispersants (Corexit EC9500A, Corexit EC9527A and SPC 1000) on photodegradation of pyrene under simulated sunlight. Both Corexit dispersants enhanced photodegradation of pyrene, while SPC1000 slightly inhibited the reaction. Span 80 and Tween 85 were the key ingredients causing the effects, though the underlying mechanisms differed.

High-Capacity and Photoregenerable Composite Material for Efficient Adsorption and Degradation of Phenanthrene in Water.

We report a novel composite material, referred to as activated charcoal supported titanate nanotubes (TNTs@AC), for highly efficient adsorption and photodegradation of a representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), phenanthrene. TNTs@AC was prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method, and is composed of an activated charcoal core and a shell of carbon-coated titanate nanotubes. TNTs@AC offered a maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of 12.

Effects of oil dispersants on settling of marine sediment particles and particle-facilitated distribution and transport of oil components.

This work investigated effects of three model oil dispersants (Corexit EC9527A, Corexit EC9500A and SPC1000) on settling of fine sediment particles and particle-facilitated distribution and transport of oil components in sediment-seawater systems. All three dispersants enhanced settling of sediment particles. The nonionic surfactants (Tween 80 and Tween 85) play key roles in promoting particle aggregation.

Reductive Removal of Selenate in Water Using Stabilized Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles.

Polysaccharide-stabilized zero-valent iron (ZVI) nanoparticles were synthesized using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or starch as stabilizer, and tested for reductive removal of selenate in water. Batch kinetic tests showed that the stabilized ZVI nanoparticles offer much faster selenate removal than bare ZVI particles at both pH 6.0 and pH 8.