Plants grown on sewage sludge in South China and its relevance to sludge stabilization and metal removal

The production of sewage sludge in China has been increasing sharply in order to treat 40% of the municipal sewage in 2005 as planned by central government. The main sludge disposal method is landfill owing to heavy metal contamination, but it presents an attractive potential for agricultural land application. Experiments were carried out to study the simultaneous metal removal and sludge stabilization by plants. The sludge samples were collected from Datansha Wastewater Treatment Plant of Guangzhou, it contained excessive Cu and Zn compared with the Chinese National Standard for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge. Plants growing on sludge beds were investigated to follow their growth and metal uptake. 30 sludge plants were identified during 1 year's observation. A Zn high accumulating and high growth rate plant (Alocasia macrorrhiza) was selected and grown on sludge beds in plots. The water, organic matter, heavy metals and nutrients contents, the E. coli number and the cress seed germination index were monitored for the sludge samples collected monthly. The plant growth parameters and its heavy metals contents were also determined. The sewage sludge treated by plants could be stabilized at about 5 months, the E. coli number was significantly decreased and the cress seed germination index attained 100%. Crop on sludge could ameliorate the sludge drying. The experiments are continuing to find out the appropriate plant combination for simultaneous sludge stabilization and metal removal for an acceptable period. Comparisons between the proposed processes and other methods for treating produced sludge such as composting, chemical and bacterial leaching were discussed.

Fabrication of Poly（y-glutamic acid）-coated Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles and Their Application in Heavy Metal Removal

In this study, poly（y-glutamic acid）-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles （y-PGA/Fe304 MNPs） were successfully fabricated using the co-precipitation method. Fe3O4 MNPs were also prepared for comparison. The av erage size and specific surface area results reveal that 7-PGA/Fe304 MNPs （52.4 nm, 88.41 m2.g-1） have smaller particle size and larger specific surface area_ than Fe3O4 MNPs （62.0 nm, 76.83 mLg-1）. The y-PGA/Fe3O4 MNPs

Additive manufacturing of sodalite monolith for continuous heavy metal removal from water sources

Herein,we present a simple strategy for preparing monolithic sodalite adsorbents via sequential additive manufacturing and post-treatments.In detail,the method includes(i)3D printing of cylindrical monoliths using clay as the base material;(ii)thermal activation of the 3D-printed clay monoliths by calcination(to produce reactive alumina and silica species and enable mechanical stabilization);(iii)conversion of the activated clay monoliths to hierarchical porous sodalite monoliths via hydrothermal alkaline treatment.Parametric studies on the effect of calcination temperature,alkaline concentration and hydrothermal treatment time on the property of the resulting materials(such as phase composition and morphology)at different stages of preparation was conducted.Under the optimal conditions(i.e.,calcination temperature of 850℃,NaOH concentration of 3.3 mol·L^(-1),reaction temperature of 150℃,and reaction time of 6 h),a high-quality pure sodalite monolith was obtained,which possesses a relatively high BET surface area(58 m^(2)·g^(-1))and hierarchically micro-meso-macroporous structure.In the proposed application of continuous removal of heavy metals(chromium ion as the model)from wastewater,the developed 3D-printed sodalite monolith showed excellent Cr^(3+)removal performance and fast kinetics(~98%removal efficiency within 25 cycles),which outperformed the packed bed using sodalite pellets(made by extrusion).

Comparative evaluation of processes for heavy metal removal from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

Hydrochloric acid leaching, chloride evaporation, acetic acid leaching, and biological leaching were evaluated and compared as processes of heavy metal removal for municipal solid waste incineration fly ash(MSWFA). Six factors, namely, energy consumption, process efficiency, process handling, process cost estimation, cost reduction potential, and study progress, were used in order to find out their advantages and disadvantages and to help develop a better recovery process of heavy metals from MSWFA in terms of treatment of the waste material. Hydrochloric acid leaching process was found to be most balanced among the evaluated processes. It showed superiority on energy consumption, process cost estimation, and study progress. On the other hand, despite of its excellency in process efficiency, chloride evaporation process was most unfavorable mainly due to heavy energy dependence. Biological process, with huge potential of cost reduction, was concluded to be the second best process.

Fabrication of intra porous PVDF fibers and their applications for heavy metal removal,oil absorption and piezoelectric sensors

Intra porous fibrous membranes have enhanced metal ionic adsorption and oil separation abilities than those of intra nonporous fibrous membrane.In this paper,we prepared highly intra porous fibrous poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF)membranes using an innovated water-mediated electrospinning approach.FTIR-ATR and XRD techniques confirmed the conversion of non-polarα-phase to polarβ-phase in electrospun membranes.The porous fibrous membrane M–16 had adsorbed oil almost 120%and metal adsorption around 15%,12%,5%,13%respectively for Pb^(2+),Cd^(2+),Cu^(2+)and Zn^(2+),which are larger than the counterpart of nonporous M–18.The nonporous fibrous membranes have better peak to peak output voltage(Vp-Vp)2 to 3 times than the porous fibrous membranes(M–16).The results show apparent potential applications in wastewater/oil spill treatment as well as piezoelectric sensors.

Assessment of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) for Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal Polluted Mine Tailings—A Case Study of Nampundwe Mine Tailings Dam, Zambia

Mining activities have led to a generation of large quantities of heavy metals laden wastes which are released into the environment in an unsustainable way causing the contamination of the ecosystems and posing a risk to human health. Most mining companies have not employed any rehabilitation or remediation program of the heavy metal laden waste. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of sunflower for phytoremediation of heavy metal polluted mine tailings. Phytoremediation is an emerging technology in the remediation of mine tailings that uses tolerant plant species to clean up contaminated sites. It uses plants with high biomass and sunflower has been identified as such. These plants can extract, transfer, sequester and stabilize a variety of metals through mechanisms such as phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytoaccumulation and phytovolatilization. Pot experiments were conducted by growing sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in pyrite mine tailings and in agricultural soil as a control. The study showed that the concentration of Cu reduced from 40.76 mg/kg to 36.59 mg/kg, Zn reduced from 3.58 mg/kg to 3.49 mg/kg and Fe reduced from 23.70 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg respectively in the mine tailings after 6 weeks. Analysis of harvested sunflower (roots, stems, leaves) showed that sunflower could remove heavy metals from the tailings and the highest removal efficiency was 53.7% and the highest translocation factor was 0.25. It was concluded that sunflower has the potential to remediate contaminated mine tailings and that phytoremediation is a viable and efficient technology to treat soils contaminated with heavy metals.

Enhancement of removal efficiency of heavy metal ions by polyaniline deposition on electrospun polyacrylonitrile membranes

This paper describes the preparation of a membrane of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)and its corresponding membrane coated with polyaniline(PANI)for the adsorption of heavy metal ions.Scanning electron microscopy micrographs revealed that all the membranes exhibited nanofibrous morphology.The prepared membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).The prepared membranes were used as an adsorbent for hazardous heavy metal ions Pb^(2+) and Cr_(2)O^(2-)_(7).The adsorption capacity and the removal efficiency of the membranes were examined as function of the initial adsorbate concentration and pH of the medium.Coated membranes with PANI showed better adsorption performance and their direct current(DC)conductivities were correlated to heavy metal ion concentrations.Adsorption isotherms were also performed,and the adsorption process was tested according to the Langmuir and Freundlich models.The regeneration and reuse of the prepared membranes to re-adsorb heavy metal ions were also investigated.The enhancement in adsorption performance and reusability of PANI-coated membranes in comparison with non-coated ones is fully discussed.The results show that the maximum adsorption capacities of lead and chromate ions on the PANI-coated membranes are 290.12 and 1202.53 mg/g,respectively.

Removal of heavy metals from artificial metals contaminated water samples based on micelle-templated silica modified with pyoverdin I

The micelle-templated silica （MTS） was firstly chemically modified with 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane （GPTMS） before immobilized with pyoverdin I. The characteristics of pyoverdin I-anchored onto the modified MTS were investigated using fluorescence, infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy. The specific surface area of all materials was calculated by Branauer, Emmett and Teller （BET） method using nitrogen isotherm adsorption data. As the results, the surface area of commercial silica gel decreased from 609.2 to 405.4 m2/g, it indicated that the pyoverdin I could be immobilized onto the surface of silica solid support. This adsorbent was used for extraction of Fe（Ⅲ）, Cu（Ⅱ）, Zn（Ⅱ）, and Pb（Ⅱ） in artificial metals contaminated water. Experimental conditions for effective adsorption of trace levels of metal ions were optimized with respect to different experimental parameters using batch procedure. The optimum pH value for the removal of metal ions simultaneously on this adsorbent was 4.0. Complete desorption of the adsorbed metal ions from the adsorbent was carried out using 0.25 mol/L of EDTA. The effect of different cations and anions on the adsorption of these metals on adsorbent was studied and the results showed that the proposed adsorbent could be applied to the highly saline samples and the sample which contains some transition metals.

Removal of Heavy Metals by Two Free Floating Aquatic Macrophytes

A concentration-dependent decrease in biomass, protein, RNA, DNA, and nutrient (NO3- and PO43-) uptake of Lemna minor and Azolla pinnata by Cr, Ni, and Zn was detected. Cr was found to exert maximum toxicity followed by Ni and Zn. Metal uptake was dependent on time and concentration of metal in the external rnedium. Both the macrophytes, however, showed preference for Zn followed by Ni and Cr. The uptake kinetics also revealed a low Vmax and high Km for Cr. L. minor was more effcient in accumulating Zn and Cr than A. pinnata in Ni. Compared to immobilized algae and bacterial capsules the test macrophytes showed a greater efficiency for metal removal

Single and competitive adsorption affinity of heavy metals toward peanut shell-derived biochar and its mechanisms in aqueous systems

Converting peanut shells into biochar by pyrolysis was considered an environmentally friendly and efficient method for agricultural solid waste disposal.The properties of peanut shell-derived biochar(PBC)under different temperature and its adsorption capacity of heavy metals were investigated.It was found that PBC400 exhibited the highest cumulative capability for heavy metals elimination in single solute because of its high specific surface area and rich functional groups.Furthermore,the competitive adsorption revealed that PBC had a substantial difference in adsorption affinity from diverse heavy metal ions,sorption capacity decreased as Pb2+>Cu2+>Cd2+>Ni2+>Zn2+,which was lower than in a single solute.The adsorption process using selected biochar was optimized with respect to p H,reaction time,adsorbent dose,and initial concentration of heavy metals.The kinetic data was well fitted with PSO model,and the Langmuir model was adopted for adsorption equilibrium data in both cases of single solutes and mixed solutes for all heavy metals,which indicated that the removal course was primarily explained by monolayer adsorption,and chemical adsorption occupied an important role.Therefore,peanut shells derived biochar could be a potential and green adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Removal of Cu(II),Pb(II),Mg(II),and Fe(II) by Adsorption onto Alginate/Nanocellulose Beads as Bio-Sorbent

Alginate blended with cellulose nanocrystals(CNC),cellulose nanofibers(CNF),and tri-carboxylate cellulose nanofibers(TPC-CNF)prepared and encapsulated in the form of microcapsules(bio-polymeric beads).The cellulosic nanomaterials that used in this study were investigated as nanomaterials for wastewater treatment applications.Batch experiments were performed to study the removal of copper,lead,magnesium,and iron from aqueous solutions by the prepared beads.The effects of the sorbent dosage and the modified polymers on the removing efficiency of the metal cations were examined.Atomic absorption was used to measure the metal ions concentrations.The modified bio-polymeric beads(Alg-CNF,Alg-CNC,and Alg-TPC-CNF)exhibited high-efficiency towards removing of the metal cations;Cu^(2+),Pb^(2+),Mg^(2+),and Fe^(2+).The Alg-TPC-CNF composite was exhibited excellent removing efficiency which around 95%for Pb,92%for Cu,43%for Fe and 54%for Mg.These outcomes affirm that the utilization of nanomaterials giving higher adsorption capacities contrasted with similar material in its micro or macrostructure form.

Kinetic Study for Adsorption of Heavy Metals on Zeolite

Heavy metals⁃polluted water has negative impact on the ecosystem.In Malaysia,minimum discharge limit for Cu^(2+)and Zn^(2+)are 1 mg/L and 2 mg/L,respectively.Zeolite is a highly porous adsorbent and its performance is affected by various factors,including contact time and pH.Thus,the objective of this study is to identify an ideal operating condition to treat Cu^(2+)and Zn^(2+)solutions up to the allowable discharge limit,by considering the pH and contact time factors.Six kinetic models were studied to identify the adsorption mechanism of the heavy metal removal process.Single solute batch adsorption experiment was conducted within pH 3-11 from 30 to 150 min.Results showed that hydration enthalpy(ΔHhyd)governed the selectivity of heavy metals,where a maximum of 90.87%Zn^(2+)(ΔH_(hyd)=-1955 kJ/mol)and 82.15%Cu^(2+)(ΔH_(hyd)=-2010 kJ/mol)removals were found at pH≥7.Without pH adjustment,selectivity towards Cu^(2+)was higher compared with Zn^(2+)due to the size of hydration radii,where Cu^(2+)is 0.11Åsmaller than Zn^(2+).By considering both pH and contact time factors,this study shows that by adjusting the pH of Zn^(2+)solutions to a minimum pH value of 7,the contact time required to achieve maximum Zn^(2+)removal rate was 90%,which can be achieved within 60 min.Meanwhile,zeolite performed better in Cu^(2+)removal without any pH adjustment where a maximum of 94%was achieved at 120 min.Final concentration of 0.523 mg/L Cu^(2+)and 0.981 mg/L Zn^(2+)were obtained in this study.Kinetic study showed that Ritchie’s equation predicted Cu^(2+)adsorption the best,while Zn^(2+)adsorption could be represented by Elovich model.This suggested that the adsorption on the activate site governed Cu^(2+)and Zn^(2+)removal process.Hence,future work should focus on modifying zeolite surface to improve the adsorptive performance.

Kinetics and mechanism of adsorptive removal of copper from aqueous solution with poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel

Recently, a renewed interest in techniques for heavy metal removal of wastewater has been growing because of embarking opportunities for industrial applications. We investigated the adsorption capacity of the copper on the poly（vinyl alcohol） hydrogel from the aqueous solution. Chemical structure and water absorption of the hydrogel were studied using FTIR and water uptake measurement, respectively. The results showed that the poly（vinyl alcohol） was crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and the hydrogel highly exhibited the equilibrium swelling ratio because of its hydrophilicity property. Additionally, it was found that the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the mechanism diffusion was controlled by particle and film diffusions.

Biliary drainage of the common bile duct with an enteral metal stent

In this case report we present an elderly patient who was referred to our hospital with recurrent episodes of cholangitis that persisted after placement of fi ve metal stents for a distal common bile duct(CBD) stenosis.All metal stents were endoscopically removed from the CBD by forceps after balloon dilatation of the papilla.A profoundly dilated CBD with sludge and concrements was seen.To ensure adequate bile drainage an enteral metal stent was inserted in the CBD.This case shows that proximally migrated uncovered metal stents in the CBD can be safely removed endoscopically under certain circumstances.We suggest that in the case of a CBD drainage problem due to an extremely dilated CBD,placement of an enteral metal stent in the CBD could be considered,especially in patients who are unfi t for surgery.

Effect of pH on the photocatalytic removal of silver ions byβ-MnO2 particles

The presence of silver ions(Ag(I))in wastewater has a detrimental effect on living organisms.Removal of soluble silver,especially at low concentrations,is challenging.This paper presents the use ofβ-MnO2 particles as a photocatalyst to remove Ag(I)ions selectively from aqueous solution at various pH levels.Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),field emission electron microscope(FESEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and X-ray photoelectron microscopy(XPS)were employed to determine the removal efficiency and to characterize the deposition of silver onto the surface ofβ-MnO2 particles.The optimum pH for the removal of Ag(I)ions was at pH 4 with 99%removal efficiency under 1 h of visible light irradiation.This phenomenon can be attributed to the electrostatic attraction betweenβ-MnO2 particles and Ag(I)ions as well as the suppression of electron–hole recombination in the presence of H+ions.

Batch and fixed-bed column studies of selenite removal from contaminated water by orange peel-based sorbent

Orange peel is a biomass derived from citrus processing with desirable properties for metal sorption.In recent years,orange peel has been used to remove various heavy metals and toxic oxyanions.Selenium(Se)is an essential trace element for mammals.However,when the concentration of selenium exceeds an umbral limit,it becomes toxic.In this study,orange peel was used to treat Se(IV)-contaminated water.A high sorption capacity of 32.5 mg/g was obtained at a temperature of 20℃and a pH of 2.0.Hydroxyl groups bound Se(IV)to the surface of the orange peel.The sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic.A chemical sorption mechanism was involved in the removal of Se(IV).The Thomas and modified dose-response models were used to simulate the experimental breakthrough curves.The bed depth service time model was used to calculate the critical bed depth(Z0),and the calculated Z0 value was 1.6 cm.This study reveals that orange peel is a useful sorbent for Se(IV),and can be used for the purification of Se(IV)-contaminated water.©2020 Hohai University.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Batch studies of adsorption of copper and lead on activated carbon from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. bark

Powdered activated carbon (PAC) prepared from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. bark was tested for its adsorption capacity for Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ). The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of pH, contact time, initial metal concentration, and temperature. The best adsorption of both Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) occurred at pH 5, where the adsorption reached equilibrium within 45 min for the whole range of initial heavy metal concentrations (0.1-10 mmol/L). The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-...

Parametric optimization of electrochemical machining of Al/15% SiC_p composites using NSGA-Ⅱ

Electrochemical machining（ECM） is one of the important non-traditional machining processes,which is used for machining of difficult-to-machine materials and intricate profiles.Being a complex process,it is very difficult to determine optimal parameters for improving cutting performance.Metal removal rate and surface roughness are the most important output parameters,which decide the cutting performance.There is no single optimal combination of cutting parameters,as their influences on the metal removal rate and the surface roughness are quite opposite.A multiple regression model was used to represent relationship between input and output variables and a multi-objective optimization method based on a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-Ⅱ（NSGA-Ⅱ） was used to optimize ECM process.A non-dominated solution set was obtained.

Treatment of mine drainage generated by lead-zinc concentration plant

The purification efficiency in the treatment of the mine drainage generated by the mineral processing industry in Mengzi,Yunnan Project, China, was investigated, and the influences of the treated drainage on the mineral electrodes' electrochemical behaviors were tested. Experiments with different doses of polyacrylamide(PAM) and polymeric ferric sulfate(PFS) at different pH values were carried out, and the advanced purification by activated carbon(AC) was conducted. Compared with PFS, the better coagulant for removal efficiency is PAM, under the optimal conditions, the removals of Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and COD reduction from solution were 94.8%, 79.9%, 87.6% and 85%, respectively. In the advanced purification, the particle size of activated carbon and agitation time played important roles in the removal efficiency. Each pollute concentration could meet the emission standard of pollutants for lead and zinc industry(GB25466—2010). The wastewater without treatment affected galena and sphalerite electrochemical behaviors greatly, after treatment by the technology, the effects disappeared, which proved the reliability of the technology for wastewater treatment.

Synthesis and Characterization of Heterocyclic Functionalized Polymers by Click Reaction: Preparation of Magnetic Nanocomposites and Studies on Their Thermal, Mechanical, Photophysical and Metal Ions Removal Properties

This work reports synthesis and characterization of heterocyclic functionalized polymers, poly（triazole-etherimidazole）s（PTAEI）, from a dialkyne-terminated compound, 3-（4,5-bis（4-（propargyloxy）phenyl）-1H-imidazol-2-yl）-9-ethyl-9H-carbazole, by using click reaction. PTAEIs were characterized and their properties such as solubility, thermal, mechanical, photophysical and metal ions adsorption were investigated. These polymers had weight average molar masses（Mw） in the range of 19100-26700 g/mol, exhibited excellent solubility in polar aprotic solvents and formed low-colored flexible thin films by solution casting method. They exhibited good thermal stability with glass transition temperatures（Tg） between 160 °C and 211 °C and 10% weight loss temperatures（T10%） in the range of 308-426 °C. Nanocomposites of PTAEIs with epoxide-terminated Fe3O4 showed that strong interfacial interaction between inorganic particles and the polymer matrix contributed to the enhanced thermal and mechanical properties. The photoluminescence intensity of the PTAEIs increased and the spectra red shifted with increasing Fe3O4 content. The PTAEIs and nanocomposites were tested for their extraction capability of metal ions from aqueous solutions either individually or in the mixture.