Regeneration of Acid Orange 7 Exhausted Granular Activated Carbon Using Pulsed Discharge Plasmas

In this paper, a pulsed discharge plasma （PDP） system with a multi-needle-to-plate electrodes geometry was set up to investigate the regeneration of acid orange 7 （AO7） exhausted granular activated carbon （GAC）. Regeneration of GAC was studied under different conditions of peak pulse discharge voltage and water pH, as well as the modification effect of GAC by the pulse discharge process, to figure out the regeneration efficiency and the change of the GAC structure by the PDP treatment. The obtained results showed that there was an appropriate peak pulse voltage and an optimal initial pH value of the solution for GAC regeneration. Analyses of scanning electron microscope （SEM）, Boehm titration, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET）, Horvath-Kawazoe （HK）, and X-ray Diffraction （XRD） showed that there were more mesopore and macropore in the regenerated GAC and the structure turned smoother with the increase of discharge voltage; the amount of acidic functional groups on the GAC surface increased while the amount of basic functional groups decreased after the regeneration process. From the result of the XRD analysis, there were no new substances produced on the GAC after PDP treatment.

Adsorption of acid orange 7 from aqueous solutions by bottom ash

Bottom ash. a power plant waste, was used to adsorb acid orange 7. The adsorption of acid orange 7 in aqueous solutions onto bottom ash was studied as functions of particle size. dosage, initial concentration and agitation time by batch experiments. Under conditions of bottom ash dosage of 1.5 g/50 ml and 5 g/50 ml for 〈0.074 mm and 0.074 mm-0.2 mm of bottom ash, respectively, it could achieve 99.1% and 87.6% dye removal efficiency. The adsorption isotherms for the bottom ash could be well described by both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. The calculated dye adsorption capacities of bottom ash for the particle size of 0.074 mm -0.2 mm and 〈0.074 mm were 2.78 mg/g and 10.21 mg/g, respectively. The results indicated that the dye uptake process fitted to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model better than the pseudo-second-order. The data were also fitted to intraparticle diffusion model by two adsorption stages, due to the difference in rate of mass transfer in the initial and final stages of adsorption. Significant variations were observed in the FTIR spectra and Stem photographs of bottom ash after adsorption. The column parameters were calculated by breakthrough curves at different flow rates and bed depths.

Rapid decolorization of Acid Orange Ⅱ aqueous solution by amorphous zero-valent iron

Some problems including low treatment capacity,agglomeration and clogging phenomena,and short working life,limit the application of pre-treatment methods involving zero-valent iron （ZVI）.In this article,ZVI was frozen in an amorphous state through a melt-spinning technique,and the decolorization effect of amorphous ZVI on Acid Orange II solution was investigated under varied conditions of experimental variables such as reaction temperature,ribbon dosage,and initial pH.Batch experiments suggested that the decolorization rate was enhanced with the increase of reaction temperature and ribbon dosage,but decreased with increasing initial solution pH.Kinetic analyses indicated that the decolorization process followed a first order exponential kinetic model,and the surface-normalized decolorization rate could reach 2.09 L/（m^2 ·min） at room temperature,which was about ten times larger than any previously reported under similar conditions.Recycling experiments also proved that the ribbons could be reused at least four times without obvious decay of decolorization rate and efficiency.This study suggests a tremendous application potential for amorphous ZVI in remediation of groundwater or wastewater contaminated with azo dyes.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of nanotube-like titania by sulfuric acid treatment

The TiO 2 nanotube sample was prepared via a NaOH solution in a Teflon vessel at 150℃. The as-prepared nanotubes were then treated with H 2SO 4 solutions. The TiO 2 nanotube has a crystalline structure with open-ended and multiwall morphologies. The TiO 2 nanotubes before and after surface acid treatment were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and UV-VIS dispersive energy spectrophotometry(DRS). The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of acid orange II in aqueous solutions. It was found that the order of photocatalytic activity was as follows: TiO 2 nanotubes treated with 1.0 mol/L H 2SO 4 solution (TiO 2(1.0M H 2SO 4) nanotubes)>TiO 2 nanotubes treated with 0.2 mol/L H 2SO 4 solution (TiO 2(0.2M H 2SO 4) nanotubes)>TiO 2 nanotubes >TiO 2 powder. This was attributed to the fact that TiO 2 nanotubes treated with H 2SO 4 was composed of smaller particles and had higher specific surface areas. Furthermore, the smaller TiO 2 particles were beneficial to the transfer and separation of photo-generated electrons and holes in the inner of and on the surface of TiO 2 particles and reduced the recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes. Acid treatment was particularly effective for TiO 2 nanotubes, this increase in activity was correlated with the concentration of H 2SO 4 solution.

Adsorption of acid and basic dyes by sludge-based activated carbon:Isotherm and kinetic studies

A batch experiment was conducted to investigate the adsorption of an acid dye(Acid Orange 51) and a basic dye(Safranine) from aqueous solutions by the sludge-based activated carbon(SBAC). The results show that the adsorption of Acid Orange 51 decreases at high p H values, whereas the uptake of Safranine is higher in neutral and alkaline solutions than that in acidic conditions. The adsorption time needed for Safranine to reach equilibrium is shorter than that for Acid Orange 51. The uptakes of the dyes both increase with temperature increasing, indicating that the adsorption process of the dyes onto SBAC is endothermic. The equilibrium data of the dyes are both best represented by the Redlich-Peterson model. At 25 °C, the maximum adsorption capacities of SBAC for Acid Orange 51 and Safranine are 248.70 mg/g and 525.84 mg/g, respectively. The Elovich model is found to best describe the adsorption process of both dyes, indicating that the rate-limiting step involves the chemisorption. It can be concluded that SBAC is a promising material for the removal of Acid Orange 51 and Safranine from aqueous solutions.

Combination of adsorption and biodegradation processes for textile effluent treatment using a granular activated carbon-biofilm configured packed column system

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a granular activated carbon-biofilm configured packed column system in the deeolodzation of azo dye Acid Orange 7-containing wastewater.The Acid Orange 7-degrading microbial from anaerobic sequencing batch reactor which treating the azo dye-containing wastewater for more than 200 d was immobilized on spent granular activated carbon(GAC)through attachment.The GAC-biofilm configured packed column system showed the ability to decolorize 10...

Phytoremediation of industrial effluent containing azo dye by model up-flow constructed wetland

This study assessed the treatment of azo dye Acid Orange 7 （AO7） containing wastewater by laboratory-scale up-flow constructed wetland （UFCW） with and without supplementary aeration. The supplementary aeration could effectively control the ratio of anaerobic and aerobic zones in the UFCW reactor. The results clearly show the supplementary aeration boosted the biodegradation of organic pollutants and mineralization of intermediate aromatic amines formed by AO7 degradation.

Photodegradation of Orange Ⅱ using waste paper sludge-derived heterogeneous catalyst in the presence of oxalate under ultraviolet light emitting diode irradiation

A waste paper sludge-derived heterogeneous catalyst（WPS-Fe-350） was synthesized via a facile method and successfully applied for the degradation of Orange Ⅱ in the presence of oxalic acid under the illumination of ultraviolet light emitting diode（UV-LED） Powder X-ray diffraction,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,scanning electronic microscopy and N2 sorption isotherm analysis indicated the formation of α-Fe2O3 in the mesoporous nanocomposite.The degradation test showed that WPS-Fe-350 exhibited rapid Orange Ⅱ（OⅡ） degradation and mineralization in the presence of oxalic acid under the illumination of UV-LED.The effects of p H,oxalic acid concentration and dosage of the catalyst on the degradation of OⅡ were evaluated,respectively.Under the optimal conditions（1 g/L catalyst dosage,2 mmol/L oxalic acid and p H 3.0）,the degradation percentage for a solution containing 30 mg/L OⅡ reached 83.4% under illumination by UV-LED for 80 min.Moreover,five cyclic tests for OⅡ degradation suggested that WPS-Fe-350 exhibited excellent stability of catalytic activity.Hence,this study provides an alternative environmentally friendly way to reuse waste paper sludge and an effective and economically viable method for degradation of azo dyes and other refractory organic pollutants in water.

Preparation,characterization and photocatalytic performance of Mo-doped ZnO photocatalysts

A series of Mo-doped ZnO photocatalysts with different Mo-dopant concentrations have been prepared by a grind- ing-calcination method. The structure of these photocatalysts was characterized by a variety of methods, including N2 physical adsorption, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） spectroscopy, photoluminescence （PL） emission spectroscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy （DRS）. It was found that Mo6＋ could enter into the crystal lattice of ZnO due to the radius of MO6＋ （0.065 nm） being smaller than that of Zn2＋ （0.083 nm）. XRD results indicated that Mo6＋ suppressed the growth of ZnO crystals. The FT-IR spectroscopy results showed that the ZnO with 2 wt.% Mo-doping has a higher level of surface hydroxyl groups than pure ZnO. PL spectroscopy indicated that ZnO with 2 wt.% Mo-doping also exhibited the largest reduction in the intensity of the emission peak at 390 nm caused by the recombi- nation of photogenerated hole-electron pairs. The activities of the Mo-doped ZnO photocatalysts were investigated in the pho- tocatalytic degradation of acid orange II under UV light （2 = 365 nm） irradiation. It was found that ZnO with 2 wt.% Mo-doping showed much higher photocatalytic activity and stability than pure ZnO. The high photocatalytic performance of the Mo-doped ZnO can be attributed to a great improvement in the surface properties of ZnO, higher crystallinity and lower recombination rate of photogenerated hole-electron （e-/h＋） pairs. Moreover, the undoped Mo species may exist in the form of MoO3 and form MoO3/ZnO heterojunctions which further favors the separation of e/h＋ pairs.

Thermal Stability, Microstructure and Photocatalytic Activity of the Bismuth Oxybromide Photocatalyst

Flake BiOBr was first prepared by a solution method at room temperature. Then, the produced BiOBr was calcined at different temperatures. It was found that BiOBr is not a stable compound. It transforms to plate-like Bi24031Brll at around 750 ℃ and the formed Bi24O31Br11 can further convert to rod-like a-Bi203 at around 850℃. The prepared compounds were characterized with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, N2 physical adsorption, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra （DRS）, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the produced bismuth oxybromides was evaluated by photocatalytic decomposition of acid orange Ⅱ under both visible light （λ〉420 nm） and UV light （λ=365 nm） irradiation. Results show that these compounds have different band gaps and different photocatalytic properties. The band gap energies of the as-prepared samples were found to be 2.82, 2.79, 2.60 and 3.15 eV for BiOBr, BiOBr/Bi24O31Br, Bi24O31Br, and a-Bi2O3, respectively. Under both UV light and visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activity follows the order： BiOBr/Bi24O31Br mixture 〉 BiOBr 〉 Bi24031Br〉a-Bi2O3. The change in photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the different light absorption ability and microstructures of the photocatalysts.

Improved dark ambient degradation of organic pollutants by cerium strontium cobalt perovskite

This work investigates the effect of cerium substation into strontium cobalt perovskites(CeSrCoO)for the oxidative degradation of OrangeⅡ(OII)in dark ambient conditions without the aid of any external stimulants such as light,heating or chemical additives.The OII degradation rate by CeSrCoO reached 65%in the first hour,whilst for the blank sample without cerium(SrCoO)took over 2 hr to reach the same level of OII degradation.Hence,the cerium substitution improved the catalytic activity of the perovskite material,mainly associated with the Ce0.1Sr0.9CoO3 perovskite phase.Upon contacting CeSrCoO,the-N=Nazo bonds of the OII molecules broke down resulting in electron donation and the formation of by-products.The electrons are injected into the CeSrCoO and resulted in a redox pair of Co3+/Co2+,establishing a bridge for the electron transfer between OII and the catalysts.Concomitantly,the electrons also formed reactive species(·OH)responsible for OII degradation as evidenced by radical trapping experiment.Reactive species were formed via the reaction between 02 and donated electrons from OII with the aid of cobalt redox pair.As the prepared materials dispensed with the need for light irradiation and additional oxidants,it opens a window of environmental applications for treating contaminated wastewaters.