The Future of Environmental Engineering Technology:A Disruptive Innovation Perspective

Scientific and technological revolutions and industrial transformations have accelerated the rate of innovation in environmental engineering technologies.However,few researchers have evaluated the current status and future trends of technologies.This paper summarizes the current research status in eight major subfields of environmental engineering—water treatment,air pollution control,soil/solid waste management,environmental biotechnology,environmental engineering equipment,emerging contaminants,synergistic reduction of pollution and carbon emissions,and environmental risk and intelligent management—based on bibliometric analysis and future trends in greenization,low carbonization,and intelligentization.Disruptive technologies are further identified based on discontinuous transformation,and ten such technologies are proposed,covering general and specific fields,technical links,and value sources.Additionally,the background and key innovations in disruptive technologies are elucidated in detail.This study not only provides a scientific basis for strategic decision-making,planning,and implementation in the environmental engineering field but also offers methodological guidance for the research and determination of breakthrough technologies in other areas.

Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of the Cavitation Performances of Self-Excited Oscillating Jets

Self-excited oscillating jets(SOJ)are used in several practical applications.Their performances are significantly affected by structural parameters and the target distance.In this study,a geometric model of the SOJ nozzle accounting for multiple structural parameters is introduced,then the related cavitation performances and the optimal target distance are investigated using a Large-Eddy Simulation(LES)approach.Results are also provided about an experiment,which was conducted to validate the simulation results.By analyzing the evolution of the vapor volume fraction at the nozzle outlet,a discussion is presented about the effect of the aforementioned structural parameters on the cavitation performances and the target distance.It is shown that the distribution of cavitation clouds at the outlet of the SOJ nozzle displays a non-monotonic trend(first increasing,then decreasing).Under working conditions with an inlet pressure of 4 MPa,a SOJ nozzle outlet/inlet diameter ratio(D_(1)/D_(2))of 1.2,and a chamber diameter ratio(D/L)close to 1.8,the nozzle outlet cavitation performance attains a maximum.The optimal structural parameters correspond to the optimal target distance,which is near 50 mm.The experiments have revealed that the SOJ nozzle with the above parameters displays a good cavitation erosion effect at the target distance of 50 mm,in satisfactory agreement with the numerical simulation results.

Advancing the Understanding of Environmental Transformations, Bioavailability and Effects of Nanomaterials, an International US Environmental Protection Agency—UK Environmental Nanoscience Initiative Joint Program

Nanotechnology has significant economic, health, and environmental benefits, including renewable energy and innovative environmental solutions. Manufactured nanoparticles have been incorporated into new materials and products because of their novel or enhanced properties. These very same properties also have prompted concerns about the potential environmental and human health hazard and risk posed by the manufactured nanomaterials. Appropriate risk management responses require the development of models capable of predicting the environmental and human health effects of the nanomaterials. Development of predictive models has been hampered by a lack of information concerning the environmental fate, behavior and effects of manufactured nanoparticles. The United Kingdom (UK) Environmental Nanoscience Initiative and the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency have developed an international research program to enhance the knowledgebase and develop risk-predicting models for manufactured nanoparticles. Here we report selected highlights of the program as it sought to maximize the complementary strengths of the transatlantic scientific communities by funding three integrated US-UK consortia to investigate the transformation of these nanoparticles in terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environment. Research results demonstrate there is a functional relationship between the physicochemical properties of environmentally transformed nanomaterials and their effects and that this relationship is amenable to modeling. In addition, the joint transatlantic program has allowed the leveraging of additional funding, promoting transboundary scientific collaboration.

Effect of copper on the degradation of pesticides cypermethrin and cyhalothrin

The influence of coexisting copper （Cu） ion on the degradation of pesticides pyrethroid cypermethrin and cyhalothrin in soil and photodegradation in water system were studied. Serial concentrations of the pesticides with the addition of copper ion were spiked in the soil and incubated for a regular period of time, the analysis of the extracts from the soil was carded out using gas chromatography （GC）. The photodegradation of pyrethroids in water system was conducted under UV irradiation. The effect of Cu^2＋ on the pesticides degradation was measured with half life 00.5） of degradation. It was found that a negative correlation between the degradation of the pyrethroid pesticides in soil and Cu addition was observed. But Cu^2＋ could accelerate photodegradation of the pyrethroids in water. The t0.5 for cyhalothrin extended from 6.7 to 6.8 d while for cypermethrin extended from 8.1 to 10.9 d with the presence of copper ion in soil. As for photodegradation, t0.5 for cyhalothrin reduced from 173.3 to 115.5 min and for cypermethrin from 115.5 to 99.0 min. The results suggested that copper influenced the degradation of the pesticides in soil by affecting the activity of microorganisms. However, it had catalyst tendency for photodegradation in water system. The difference for the degradation efficiency of pyrethroid isomers in soil was also observed. Copper could obviously accelerate the degradation of some special isomers.

A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Quality Assessment Methods for Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils

Four assessment methods （two pollution indexes and two fuzzy mathematical models） were employed to investigate the environmental quality of four soils around a ferroalloy plant in Nanjing City. Environmental quality was assessed as class Ⅳ （moderately polluted） for each soil with single-factor index method, and was identified to be classes Ⅳ, Ⅲ （slightly polluted）, Ⅲ, and Ⅲ for soils A, B, C, and D, respectively, with the comprehensive index model. In comparison with the single-factor index method, the comprehensive index model concerned both dominant parameter and average contribution of all factors to the integrated environmental quality. Using the two fuzzy mathematical methods （single-factor deciding and weighted average models）, the environmental risks were determined to be classes Ⅳ, Ⅲ, Ⅱ （clean）, and Ⅱ for soils A, B, C, and D, respectively. However, divergence of the membership degree to each pollution class still occurred between the two methods. In fuzzy mathematical methods, membership functions were used to describe the limits between different pollution degrees, and different weights were allocated for the factors according to pollution contribution. Introduction of membership degree and weight of each factor to fuzzy mathematical models made the methods more reasonable in the field of environmental risk assessment.

Studies on the Quantitative Structure-activity Relationship of Toxicity of Chlorophenol Serial Compounds in the ab initio Methods and Substitutive Position of Chlorine Atom (N_(PCS))

20 Quantum chemical parameters of chlorophenol compounds were fully optimized by using B3LYP method on both 6-31G^＊ and 6-311G^＊ basis sets. These structural parameters are taken as theoretical descriptors, and the experimental data of 20 compounds＇ aquatic photogen toxicity（-lgEC50） are used to perform stepwise regression in order to obtain two predicted -lgEC50 correlation models whose correlation coefficients R^2 are respectively 0.9186 and 0.9567. In addition, parameters of chlorine atom＇s substitutive positions and their correlations （NPCs） are taken as descriptors to obtain another predicted -lgEC50 model with the correlation coefficient R2 of 0.9444. Correlation degree of each independent variable in the three models is verified by using variance inflation factors （VIF） and t value. In the cross-validation method, cross-validation coefficients q^2 of 3 models are respectively 0.8748, 0.9119 and 0.8993, which indicates that the relativity and prediction ability of this model are superior to those of the model obtained by topological and BLYP methods.

Insights into the differences in leaf functional traits of heterophyllous Syringa oblata under different light intensities

Many plants exhibit heterophylly; the spatially and temporally remarkable ontogenetic differences in leaf morphology may play an adaptative role in their success under diverse habitats. Thus, this study aimed to gain insights into differences in leaf functional traits of heterophyllous Syringa oblata Lindl., which has been widely used as an ornamental tree around the world under different light intensities in East China. No significant differences existed in specific leaf area （SLA） between lanceolate- and heart-shaped leaves. Differ- ences in the investment per unit of light capture surface area deployed between lanceolate- and heart-shaped leaves may benot obvious. This may be attributing to the fact that single leaf wet and dry weight of heart-shaped leaves were significantly higher than those of lanceolate leaves but leaf length and leaf thickness of heart-shaped leaves were significantly lower than those of lanceolate leaves. The SLA of shade trees was sig- nificantly higher than that of sun trees. The investment per unit of light capture surface of shade trees was lower than that of sun trees, making it possible to increase light capture and use efficiency in low-light environments. The phenotypic plas- ticity of most leaf functional traits of lanceoiate leaves was higher than those of heart-shaped leaves because the former is the juvenile and the latter is the adult leaf shape during the process of phylogenetic development of S. oblate. The higher range of phenotypic plasticity of leaf thickness and leaf moisture for sun trees may be beneficial to obtain a more efficient control of water loss and nutrient deprivation in high- light environments, and the lower range of phenotypic plas- ticity of single leaf wet and dry weight, and SLA for shade trees may gain an advantage to increase resource （especially light） capture and use efficiency in low-light environments. In brief, the successfully ecological strategy of plants is to find an optimal mode for the trade-off between various functional traits to obtain more living resources and achieve more fitness advantage as much as possible in the multivariate environment.

Toxicity evaluation in a paper recycling mill effluent by coupling bioindicator of aging with the toxicity identification evaluation method in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) can be used to determine the specific toxicant(s) in industrial effluents.In the current study,the authors have attempted to combine the advantages of the model organism,Caenorhabditis elegans,with the virtues of the TIE technique,to evaluate and identify the toxicity on aging from a paper recycling mill effluent.The results indicate that only the toxicities from mixed cellulose (MC) filtration and EDTA treatment are similar to the baseline aging toxicity,suggesting ...

Study on the influence of humic acid of different molecular weight on basic ion exchange resin's adsorption capacity

In this paper, humic acid （HA） was ultra-filtered into different molecular weight sections and was characterized by multielement analysis, UV254/TOC, FT-IR and three-dimensional fluorescence spectrometric. Since humic acids of different molecular weights have different hydrophilic and molecular size, the maximum adsorption capacity of basic ion exchange resins appears on the humic acid whose molecular weight ranges from 6000 to 10,000 Da.

Insight into the oxidative desulfurization of high-sulfur petroleum coke under mild conditions:a journey of vanadium-substituted Dawson-type phosphotungstic acid

High-sulfur petroleum coke(HSPC),that is a by-product from slag oil in the coking process of refning,shows versatility values in practical applications and,however,concentrates the majority of organic sulfur.Herein,we design and construct a highly efective CTAB@HPA composites to be explored for the catalytic oxidative desulfurization of HSPC under mild conditions using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafuoroborate ionic liquid as the extractant.The results demonstrate that the sulfur content of HSPC could be strikingly reduced from 4.46 wt%to 2.48 wt%under 60℃ and atmospheric pressure,and that the organic sulfur in HSPC is mainly oxidized to sulfoxide,sulfone and sulfate,which latter can be directly separated from petroleum coke.Moreover,the efect of reaction conditions on the desulfurization performance of HSPC as well as the catalytic oxidation reaction kinetic of HSPC desulfurization was systematically investigated.Furthermore,a mechanism for the oxidative desulfurization of HSPC over CTAB@HPA catalysts was proposed.Therefore,this work provides new insight into how to construct active catalysts for the desulfurization of HSPC under mild conditions.

Reproductive toxicity of organic extracts from petrochemical plant effluents discharged to the Yangtze River,China

Water pollution of the Yangtze River in China became one of challenges that the government is facing today. Increasing numbers of petrochemical plants were built along the river in past decades, and numbers of organic chemicals were discharged into the river. Our goal was to establish in vitro system on rat sertoli cells, spermatogenic cells and leydig cells to investigate the reproductive toxicity potential induced by organic extracts from petrochemical effluents. Our results showed that the organic extract depressed the viability （p 〈 0.01） and destroyed the plasma membrane integrity of sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells to a certain degree. Accordingly, proportion of early apoptotic sertoli cells and late apoptotic spermatogenic cells increased significantly. Although significant morphological changes were not detected for leydig cells, the extract was observed to inhibit their testosterone production （p 〈 0.01）. Sertoli cells and sperrnatogenic cells appeared to be more sensitive and maybe the main targets of the key toxins. These results suggested that the in vitro system on rat testicular cells may be useful to predicate reproductive toxicity potential of organic extracts from petrochemical effluents. More attention should be paid to the petrochemical effluents, because long-term accumulation of these organic compounds in organisms may cause spermatogenesis malfunction and testosterone reduction.

PROPERTIES AND THERMODYNAMICS OF ADSORPTION OF BENZOIC ACID ONTO XAD-4 AND A WATER-COMPATIBLE HYPERCROSSLINKED ADSORBENT

The adsorption behavior of benzoic acid onto a water-compatible hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent NJ-8 wascompared with that onto macroporous Amberlite XAN-4. This paper focuses on the static equilibrium adsorption behaviors,the adsorption thermodynamics and the column dynamic adsorption profiles. Five isotherm models are used to fit the results.This shows that the Freundlich equation can give a perfect fit. The specific surface area of NJ-8 is about as high as that ofAmberlite XAD-4, but the adsorbing capacity for benzoic acid on NJ-8 is about 14.9%-64.8% higher than that on AmberliteXAD-4, which is attributed to its microporous mechanism and partial polarity. The negative values of the adsorptionenthalpy are indicative of an exothermic process. Both enthalpy and free energy changes of adsorption manifest a physicalsorption process. The negative values of the adsorption entropy indicate that adsorption is well consistent with the restrictedmobilities and the configurations of the adsorbed molecules on the surface of the studied adsorbents with superficialheterogeneity. Both adsorbents were used in mini-column experiments to demonstrate the higher breakthrough adsorbing capacity of the hypercrosslinked polymeric adsorbent NJ-8 to benzoic acid, as compared with that of Amberlite XAD-4.

Comprehensive understanding of the superior performance of Sm-modified Fe_(2)O_(3)catalysts with regard to NO conversion and H_(2)O/SO_(2)resistance in the NH_(3)-SCR reaction

Sm-doped Fe_(2)O_(3)catalysts,with a homogeneous distribution of Sm in Fe_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles,were synthesized using a citric acid-assisted sol-gel method.Kinetic studies show that the reaction rate for NO_(x)reduction using the optimal catalyst(0.06 mol%doping of Sm in Fe_(2)O_(3))was nearly 11 times higher than that for pure Fe_(2)O_(3),when calculated based on specific surface area.Furthermore,the Fe_(0.94)Sm_(0.06)O_(x)catalyst maintains>83%NO_(x)conversion for 168 h at a high space velocity in the presence of SO_(2)and H_(2)O at 250℃.A substantial amount of surface-adsorbed oxygen was generated on the surface of Fe_(0.94)Sm_(0.06)O_(x),which promoted NO oxidation and the subsequent fast reaction between NO_(x)and NH_(3).The adsorption and activation of NH_(3)was also enhanced by Sm doping.In addition,Sm doping facilitated the decomposition of NH_(4)HSO_(4)on the surface of Fe_(0.94)Sm_(0.06)O_(x),resulting in its high activity and stability in the presence of SO_(2)+H_(2)O.

Numerical Investigation of Fuel Dilution Effects on the Performance of the Conventional and the Highly Preheated and Diluted Air Combustion Furnaces

This numerical study investigates the effects of using a diluted fuel （50% natural gas and 50% N2） in an industrial furnace under several cases of conventional combustion （air with 21% O2 at 300 and 1273 K） and the highly preheated and diluted air （1273 K with 10% O2 and 90% N2） combustion （HPDAC） conditions using an in-house computer program. It was found that by applying a combined diluted fuel and oxidant instead of their uncombined and/or undiluted states, the best condition is obtained for the establishment of HPDAC＇s main unique features. These features are low mean and maximum gas temperature and high radiation/total heat transfer to gas and tubes; as well as more uniformity of theirs distributions which results in decrease in NOx pollutant formation and increase in furnace efficiency or energy saving. Moreover, a variety of chemical flame shape, the process fluid and tubes walls temperatures profiles, the required regenerator efficiency and finally the concentration and velocity patterns have been also qualitatively/quantitatively studied.

Synthesis and application of a hydrophobic hypercrosslinked polymeric resin for removing VOCs from humid gas stream

A hydrophobic hypercrosslinked polymeric resin LC-1 was prepared and characterized. The properties of LC-1 resin were compared with those of a commercial hypercrosstinked polymer NDA-201 resin. In addition, the dynamic adsorption of trichloroethylene （TCE） onto LC-1 under dry and humid conditions at 303 K was investigated, the result shows that LC-1 possesses high hydrophobic property and can remove TCE from gas stream without effect of high humidity efficiently.

Column adsorption of Cu(Ⅱ) by polymer-supported nano-iron oxides in the presence of sulfate: Experimental and mathematical modeling

Polymer-supported hydrous iron oxides(HFOs) are promising for heavy metals removal from aqueous systems.The ubiquitous inorganic ligands, e.g., sulfate, are expected to exert considerable impacts on pollutants removal by these hybrid sorbents. Herein, we obtained a hybrid sorbent HFO-PS by encapsulating nanosized HFO into macroporous polystyrene(PS) resin. Both batch and column sorption experiments of Cu(Ⅱ) by HFO-PS were carried out in the presence of sulfate. Obviously, the presence of sulfate is favorable for Cu(Ⅱ) sorption onto HFO-PS.The performances of column Cu(Ⅱ) removal were fitted and predicted with Adams–Bohart, Clark, Thomas and BDST models. Thomas model is suggested best-fit to predict the breakthrough curves. Besides, a linear correlation is observed between breakthrough time and column length based on BDST model, which might be useful for predicting the breakthrough time for Cu(Ⅱ) removal by HFO-PS.

Facilities for Centralized Isolation and Quarantine for the Observation and Treatment of Patients with COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic increased the burden on many healthcare systems and in the process,exposed the need for medical resources and physical space.While few studies discussed the efficient utilization of medical resources and physical space so far.Therefore,this study aimed to summarize experiences related to facilities used for centralized isolation for medical observation and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic in China and to provide suggestions to further improve the management of confirmed cases,suspected cases,and close contacts.In China,three types of facilities for centralized isolation(Fangcang shelter hospitals,refitted non-designated hospitals,and quarantine hotels)underwent retrofitting for the treatment and isolation of confirmed and suspected cases.These facilities mitigated the immediate high demand for space.Moreover,in order to minimize infection risks in these facilities,regulators and governmental agencies implemented new designs,management measures,and precautionary measures to minimize infection risk.Other countries and regions could refer to China’s experience in optimally allocating social resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.As a conclusion,government should allocate social resources and construct centralized isolation and quarantine facilities for an emergency response,health authorities should issue regulations for centralized isolation facilities and pay strict attention to the daily management of these facilities,a multidisciplinary administration team is required to support the daily operation of a centralized isolation facility,in-depth studies and international collaboration on the centralized isolation policy are encouraged.

KOH-assisted aqueous synthesis of bimetallic metal-organic frameworks and their derived selenide composites for efficient lithium storage

To solve low efficiency,environmental pollution,and toxicity for synthesizing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)in organic solvents,a KOH-assisted aqueous strategy is proposed to synthesize bimetallic ZIFs polyhedrons,which are used as precursors to prepare bimetallic selenide and N-doped carbon(NC)composites.Among them,Fe–Co–Se/NC retains the three-dimensional(3D)polyhedrons with mesoporous structure,and Fe–Co–Se nanoparticles are uniform in size and evenly distributed.When assessed as anode material for lithium-ion batteries,Fe–Co–Se/NC achieves an excellent initial specific capacity of 1165.9 m Ah·g^(-1)at 1.0 A·g^(-1),and the reversible capacity of Fe–Co–Se/NC anode is 1247.4 m Ah·g^(-1)after 550 cycles.It is attributed to that the uniform composite of bimetallic selenides and N-doped carbon can effectively tune redox active sites,the stable 3D structure of Fe–Co–Se/NCs guarantees the structural stability and wettability of the electrolyte,and the uniform distribution of Fe–Co–S nanoparticles in size esuppresses the volume expansion and accelerates the electrochemical reaction kinetics.