Preparation of activated carbon from sunflower straw through H_(3)PO_(4) activation and its application for acid fuchsin dye adsorption

With the development circular economy, the use of agricultural waste to prepare biomass materials to remove pollutants has become a research hotspot. In this study, sunflower straw activated carbon (SSAC) was prepared by the one-step activation method, with sunflower straw (SS) used as the raw material and H3PO4 used as the activator. Four types of SSAC were prepared with impregnation ratios (weight of SS to weight of H3PO4) of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:5, corresponding to SSAC1, SSAC2, SSAC3, and SSAC4, respectively. The adsorption process of acid fuchsin (AF) in water using the four types of SSAC was studied. The results showed that the impregnation ratio significantly affected the structure of the materials. The increase in the impregnation ratio increased the specific surface area and pore volume of SSAC and improved the adsorption capacity of AF. However, an impregnation ratio that was too large led to a decrease in specific surface area. SSAC3, with an impregnation ratio of 1:3, had the largest specific surface area (1 794.01 m2/g), and SSAC4, with an impregnation ratio of 1:5, exhibited the smallest microporosity (0.052 7 cm3/g) and the largest pore volume (2.549 cm3/g). The adsorption kinetics of AF using the four types of SSAC agreed with the quasi-second-order adsorption kinetic model. The Langmuir isotherm model was suitable to describe SSAC3 and SSAC4, and the Freundlich isotherm model was appropriate to describe SSAC1 and SSAC2. The result of thermodynamics showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. At 303 K, SSAC4 showed a removal rate of 97.73% for 200-mg/L AF with a maximum adsorption capacity of 2 763.36 mg/g, the highest among the four types of SSAC. This study showed that SAAC prepared by the H3PO4-based one-step activation method is a green and efficient carbon material and has significant application potential for the treatment of dye-containing wastewater.

Intensified reactive extraction of 4-hydroxypyridine with di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid in 1-octanol by using tributyl phosphate

The efficient separation of amphoteric organic compounds from dilute solutions is of great importance in the industrial field. In the present work, the reactive extractions of 4-hydroxypyridine(4-HP) with tributyl phosphate(TBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid(D2EHPA) and TBP + D2EHPA dissolved in 1-octanol were investigated, respectively. The influences of the initial concentrations of TBP, D2EHPA and TBP + D2EHPA on distribution ratio(D) were discussed, as well as the reactive extraction mechanism were proposed. The obvious intensification effect was observed when the mixture of TBP and D2EHPA was used as extractant. The best extraction conditions were found to be of the molar ratio of D2EHPA and TBP at 2:1 and the equilibrium aqueous pH at 3.50-4.50. D values increased with the increase of the total concentration of TBP and D2EHPA in 1-octanol. Especially, the analysis on the extraction mechanisms clearly indicate(i) TBP in 1-octanol shows negligible reactive extraction toward 4-HP,(ii) D2EHPA in 1-octanol exhibits moderate extraction effect by forming 4-HP:D2EHPA(1:1) and 4-HP:2D2EHPA(1:2) type complexes, while(iii) D2EHPA in TBP/1-octanol demonstrates the maximum distribution ratio with the 4-HP:D2EHPA(1:1) type complex domination. The discussion provides new insights on the mechanism and opens a new way for the intensified extraction of amphoteric organic compounds by using the mixture of multiple extractants in the diluent.

High-performance and robust high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes with moderate microphase separation by implementation of terphenyl-based polymers

Acid loss and plasticization of phosphoric acid(PA)-doped high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes(HT-PEMs)are critical limitations to their practical application in fuel cells.To overcome these barriers,poly(terphenyl piperidinium)s constructed from the m-and p-isomers of terphenyl were synthesized to regulate the microstructure of the membrane.Highly rigid p-terphenyl units prompt the formation of moderate PA aggregates,where the ion-pair interaction between piperidinium and biphosphate is reinforced,leading to a reduction in the plasticizing effect.As a result,there are trade-offs between the proton conductivity,mechanical strength,and PA retention of the membranes with varied m/p-isomer ratios.The designed PA-doped PTP-20m membrane exhibits superior ionic conductivity,good mechanical strength,and excellent PA retention over a wide range of temperature(80–160°C)as well as satisfactory resistance to harsh accelerated aging tests.As a result,the membrane presents a desirable combination of performance(1.462 W cm^(-2) under the H_(2)/O_(2)condition,which is 1.5 times higher than that of PBI-based membrane)and durability(300 h at 160°C and 0.2 A cm^(-2))in the fuel cell.The results of this study provide new insights that will guide molecular design from the perspective of microstructure to improve the performance and robustness of HT-PEMs.

Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuel Oil with H_(3)PO_(4)-based Deep Eutectic Solvents

A series of Lewis-acid deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were synthesized by stirring phosphoric acid and zincchloride as raw materials at 80℃ to form H_(3)PO_(4)/nZnCl_(2) (n = 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1). The DESs were characterized byFourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FT-IR), thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), andelectron spray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The DESs were used as both extractants and catalysts to removedibenzothiophene from fuels via oxidative desulfurization (ODS). Experiments were performed to investigated the influenceof factors such as composition of DES, temperature, oxidant dosage (molar ratio of O:S), DES dosage (volume ratio ofDES:oil), and number of cycles on desulfurization rate. The results indicated that the removal rate of dibenzothiophene (DBT)was affected by the Lewis acidic DESs, with that of H_(3)PO_(4)/0.25∙ZnCl_(2) reaching 96.4% under optimal conditions (Voil=5 mL,VDES=1 mL, an oxidant dosage of 6, T=50 ℃). After six cycles, the desulfurization rate of H_(3)PO_(4)/0.25∙ZnCl_(2) remained above94.1%. The apparent activation energy of dibenzothiophene (DBT) removal reaction was determined by a pseudo-first orderkinetic equation according to the Arrhenius equation to be 32.34 kJ/mol, as estimated. A reaction mechanism is proposedbased on the experimental data and characterization results.

Death from caustic ingestion:A case report

Rationale:Acute caustic ingestion from suicidal intent is not usual in emergency departments in developed countries.One of the substances commonly ingested by suicidal patients,phosphoric acid,tends to cause multi-system derangements.Patient’s Concern:A 41-year-old male patient presented with complaints of throat discomfort,severe generalized abdominal pain,and multiple episodes of hematemesis after ingesting a restroom cleaning solution.Diagnosis:Poisoning by acute caustic ingestion(containing<30%phosphoric acid and<4%ethylene glycol).Interventions:The patient was administered 50 mL of 8.4%sodium bicarbonate solution followed by an isotonic sodium bicarbonate solution running at 500 mL/h,a hyperkalemia kit,ceftriaxone,metronidazole,omeprazole,and atropine.The patient then underwent urgent hemodialysis.Outcomes:The patient suffered gastrointestinal bleeding as a result of local caustic injury.In addition,his course of illness was complicated by severe acidemia from high anion gap metabolic acidosis and deranged electrolytes(hyperphosphatemia,hyperkalemia,and hypocalcemia).He developed multi-organ failure and eventually demised.Lessons:The clinician needs to be mindful of the multi-system complications arising from such a caustic ingestion.These patients need to be monitored closely for deterioration,and have prompt management of the various arising complications,to reduce the high morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.

Adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) in Water with Phosphoric Acid Modified and Ordinary Walnut Shells

A comparison between the effects of ordinary walnut shell and phosphoric acid modified walnut shell on adsorption of Cr（Ⅵ） was carried out. The experimental results showed that owing to larger surface void of modified walnut shell its adsorption of Cr（Ⅵ） was better. When the temperature was 35 ℃, adsorbent particle size was 1.0-1.6 mm, shaker shock rate was 200 r/min, and dosage of walnut shell was 0.80 g, the Cr（Ⅵ） removal rate reached 99.4%. The fitting of adsorption isotherm and kinetics model showed that, Langmuir isotherm model could reflect the adsorption process of modified walnut shell; and both the adsorption processes of ordinary and modified walnut shells accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetic equations.

Preparation and Characterisation of Corncob-Based Biosorbents in Côte d’Ivoire

This study focuses on the preparation of corncob-based biosorbents. The chemical impregnation method was used to vary the chemical agent namely phosphoric acid H3PO4 (BA) and sodium hydroxide NaOH (BB). The physicochemical analysis of the two biosorbents indicated that under the same preparation conditions, the bio-sorbents have after activation yields lower than 50% (24.37% for BB and 49.09% for BA). In addition, the biosorbents have iodine index values between 444.17 mg/g and 418.79 mg/g and specific surfaces related to the adsorption of methylene blue ranging from 18.54 m2/g to 19.70 m2/g. The study of surface functional groups by using the Boehm test and pH zero point charge (pHPZC) confirmed the acidic nature of BA and BB biosorbents with respective values pHPZC = 4.01 and pHPZC = 4.90. The Langmuir method and BET analysis determined the specific surface areas by liquid phase adsorption of methylene blue as well as the porosity. The BET surface areas of BA and BB obtained are 72.01 m2/g and 63.10 m2/g respectively. The influence of the chemical activating agent on the formation of pores was confirmed by electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. From this study, it is found that the best activating agent for corn cobs was found to be phosphoric acid because the BA biosorbent was revealed to be the most favourable due to its surface area and good pore volume which are high compared to sodium hydroxide NaOH. Moreover, their application as adsorbent for effluent treatment could be explored.

Arsenic removal from contaminated soil using phosphoric acid and phosphate

Laboratory batch experiments were conducted to study arsenic （As） removal from a naturally contaminated soil using phosphoric acid （H3PO4） and potassium dihydrogen phosphate （KHEPO4）. Both H3PO4 and KHEPO4 proved to reduce toxicity of the soil in terms of soil As content, attaining more than 20% As removal at a concentration of 200 mmol/L. At the same time, acidification of soil and dissolution of soil components （Ca, Mg, and Si） resulted from using these two extractants, especially H3PO4. The effectiveness of these two extractants could be attributed to the replacement of As by phosphate ions （PO4^3-）. The function of H3PO4 as an acid to dissolve soil components had little effects on As removal. KH2PO4 almost removed as much As as H3PO4, but it did not result in serious damage to soils, indicating that it was a more promising extractant. The results of a kinetic study showed that As removal reached equilibrium after incubation for 360 rain, but dissolution of soil components, especially Mg and Ca, was very rapid. Therefore dissolution of soil components would be inevitable if As was further removed. Elovich model best described the kinetic data of As removal among the four models used in the kinetic study.

Synergistic extraction of rare earth by mixtures of 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid from sulfuric acid medium

The extraction of Nd^3＋ and Sm^3＋, including the extraction and stripping capability as well as the separation effect of Nd^3＋ or Sm^3＋, from a sulfuric acid medium, by mixtures of di-（2-ethylhexyl） phosphoric acid （HDEHP, H2A2（0）） and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester （HEH/EHP, H2L2（0）） were studied. The distribution ratios and synergistic coefficients of Nd^3＋ and Sm^3＋ in different acidities were also determined. A synergistic extractive effect was found when HDEHP and HEH/EHP were used as mixed extractants for Sm^3＋ or Nd^3＋. The chemical compositions of the extracted complex were determined as Nd.（HA2）2-HL2 and Sm.（HA2）2-HL2. The extraction equilibrium constants, enthalpy change, and entropy change of the extraction reaction were also determined.

Centrifugal extraction of rare earths from wet-process phosphoric acid

Phosphorite ore is a potential resource of rare earths （RE） as well as phosphate; therefore, the recovery of RE from wet-process phosphoric acid （WPA） is promising. This study investigated the influence of rotational speed, extractant concentration, flow ratio and phase contact time on the centrifugal extraction of RE from WPA and the separation of RE from impurities. The results indicate that higher rotational speed, higher extractant concentration and larger flow ratio are beneficial to the extraction of RE and impurities from phosphoric acid. It is found that the phase contact time for efficiently extracting RE and that for iron are of great difference, which provides an effective method for separating RE from iron using the non-equilibrium extraction process in centrifugal contactors. Compared with equilibrium extraction, the separation factor βRE/Fe is enhanced from 0.07 to 17.6.

Extraction of germanium(IV) from acid leaching solution with mixtures of P204 and TBP

Solvent extraction experiments were conducted from acidic solutions containing germanium（IV） and other metal ions, such as Ga3＋, Fe3＋, Zn2＋ and Fe2＋ in hydrometallurgical process of zinc. The purpose of this work was to enhance the efficiency of the extraction and stripping processes and the selectivity of germanium and other metals, while making the method as simple as possible. Germanium was recovered from sulfuric acid, using di-（2-ethylhexyl） phosphoric acid （P2O4） as an extractant, tributyl phosphate （TBP） as modifier diluted in sulfonate kerosene and stripped by NaOH aqueous solution. Extraction studies were carried out under different acid concentrations and solvent concentrations, and optimized conditions were determined. The numbers of stages required for extraction and stripping of metal ions were determined from the McCabe-Thiele plot. The results show that the extracting and stripping efficiencies are 94.3% and 100%, respectively, through two-stage extraction and two-stage strip. Moreover, the synergistic effect of TBP on the system P2O4/kerosense/Ge4＋ is revealed with respect to the extraction of germanium.

Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics studies of divalent manganese from phosphoric acid solution by using cationic exchange resin

There are numerous impurities in wet-process phosphoric acid,among which manganese is one of detrimental metallic impurities,and it causes striking negative effects on the industrial phosphoric acid production and downstream commodity.This article investigated the adsorption behavior of manganese from phosphoric acid employing Sinco-430 cationic ion-exchange resin.Resorting FT-IR and XPS characterizations,the adsorption mechanism was proved to be that manganese was combined with sulfonic acid group.Several crucial parameters such as temperature,phosphoric acid content and resin dose were studied to optimize adsorption efficiency.Through optimization,removal percentage and sorption capacity of manganese reached 53.12 wt%,28.34 mg·g^-1,respectively.Pseudo-2nd-order kinetic model simulated kinetics data best and the activation energy was evaluated as 6.34 kJ·mol^-1 for the sorption reaction of manganese.In addition,the global adsorption rate was first controlled by film diffusion process and second determined by pore diffusion process.It was found that the resin could adsorb up to 50.24 mg·g^-1 for manganese.Equilibrium studies showed that Toth adsorption isotherm model fitted best,followed by Temkin and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models.Thermodynamic analysis showed that manganese adsorption was an endothermic process with enhanced randomness and spontaneity.

Leaching kinetics of calcium molybdate with hydrochloric acid in presence of phosphoric acid

Calcium molybdate(CaMoO4)is the main component of powellite and is a predominant intermediate in the pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical process of molybdenum.The extraction of Mo from CaMoO4 by a combination of phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid was investigated.For further understanding of the leaching mechanism,the effects of five key factors were studied to describe the leaching kinetics.The results indicated that the dissolution rate of CaMoO4 was independent of the stirring speed.Mo extraction significantly increased with increasing HCl concentration and temperature,but decreased with increasing particle size.A shrinking core model with surface chemical reaction was found to withstand the dissolution of CaMoO4.The apparent activation energy was calculated to be 70.879 kJ/mol,and a semi-empirical equation was derived for the rate of reaction.

Coordination leaching of tungsten from scheelite concentrate with phosphorus in nitric acid

A hydrometallurgical process for tungsten extraction and recovery from scheelite is reported.The technology includes leaching scheelite using phosphoric acid as chelating agent in nitric acid solutions,extracting tungsten by solvent extraction and reusing leaching agent.In the leaching process,affecting factors,such as temperature,leaching time,nitric acid and dosage of phosphoric acid,were examined on recovery of tungsten.Results show that more than 97%of tungsten could be extracted under conditions of leaching temperature of 80-90°C,HNO3 concentration of 3.0-4.0 mol/L,liquild-to-soild ratio of 10:1,H3PO4 dosage of 3 stoichiometric ratio and leaching time of 3 h.Solvent extraction was then employed for the W recovery from the leachate with a organic system of 40%(v/v)N235,30%(v/v)TBP,and 30%sulfonated kerosene.Approximately 99.93%of W was extracted and ammonium tungstate solution containing 193 g/L W was obtained with a stripping rate of 98.10%under the optimized conditions.

Thermal stability and oil absorption of aluminum hydroxide treated by dry modification with phosphoric acid

The dry modification of aluminum hydroxide powders with phosphoric acid and the effects of modification of technological conditions on thermal stability, morphology and oil absorption of aluminum hydroxide powders were investigated. The results show that the increase of mass ratio of phosphoric acid to aluminum hydroxide, the decrease of mass concentration of phosphoric acid and prolongation of mixing time are favorable to the improvement of thermal stability of aluminum hydroxide; when the mass ratio of phosphoric acid to aluminum hydroxide is 5:100, the mass concentration of phosphoric acid is 200 g/L and the mixing time is 10 min, the initial temperature of loss of crystal water in aluminum hydroxide rises from about 192.10 to 208.66 ℃, but the dry modification results in the appearance of agglomeration and macro-aggregate in the modified powders, and the oil absorption of modified powders becomes higher than that of original aluminum hydroxide.

Separation of Indium and Iron from Dilute Sulphate Solutions with a Phosphorous Mixer Extractant

The phosphorous mixer introduced could replace D2EHPA as an extractant applied in the extraction of indium. The extraction properties of the phosphorous mixer were studied. The influences of extractant concentration, organic/aqueous (O/A) phase ratio, equilibrium time, and pH value of the feed solutions on the extraction of indium, and separation of indium-iron were investigated experimentally. Under the best operating conditions, more than 98% of indium. was extracted through two-stage counter-current extraction. The optimizing condition of indium extraction is determined as follows: O/A = 1 : (9-12) in volume ratio; 30% PPD in sulphonated kerosene; pH of the feed, about 0.6; equilibrium time, 3-5 min. The extractant has good reusing and anti-aging properties.

CFD investigation of the agitation in the desupersaturation during the wet-process phosphoric acid(WPPA)process

Desupersaturation is a complex cooling operation that involves hydrodynamic,thermal and mechanical phenomena.This process requires continuous agitation to avoid fouling problems and sludge deposition.The current work aims to investigate the well mixedness in the desupersaturation tank for optimal performance.For this purpose,a multi-fluid CFD study was conducted based on the Euler–Euler modeling approach,considering a multiphase flow involving a liquid phase(phosphoric acid)and a poly-dispersed solid phase,i.e.a sludge with three different sizes where each size is considered as a separate phase.First,the hydrodynamic behavior of the flow within the agitated desupersaturator is analyzed through the investigation of the velocity fields as well as the power and pumping numbers,to determine both the agitator capacity to pump the flow and its power consumption during the operation.Then,in order to assess the mixture homogeneity,we evaluated the solid suspension in the desupersaturation reactor following conventional methods and two new proposed methodologies:the first approach is to evaluate the suspension quality in the mixing system by compartment and the second consists on the assessment of the uniform convergence of the solid concentration.Furthermore,we calculated the time required to achieve a full suspension at different solid concentrations.On other hand,we conducted a detailed analysis of the solid distribution dependency on the impeller rotational speed at different solid volume fraction,which allows a good understanding of the parameters controlling the homogenization in the desupersaturator.

Dissolution behaviors of rare earth elements in phosphoric acid solutions

In order to provide practical fundamental data for rare-earth elements （REEs） recovery from phosphoric acid and to betterunderstand REEs behavior during the phosphoric acid evaporation process, the solubilities of REEs in phosphoric acid with variousconcentrations of phosphorus at different temperatures were measured. A simple linear model between REEs solubility andphosphoric acid concentration is built and the experimental data are found to fit it very well （R2〉0.94）. Hydrogen-ion concentration isfound to be the predominant factor controlling the solubility of REEs in phosphoric acid. In addition, the solubility of REEs inphosphoric acid is found to sharply decrease with increasing temperature, which can be attributed to the increase of the Gibbs energyof the REEPO4 dissolution reaction or the restraint of the disassociation of phosphoric acid molecules owing to the elevatedtemperature.

The fouling properties of SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system in high-temperature rotary kiln phosphoric acid process

Kiln phosphoric acid(KPA)technology could produce P2O5 with high purity and has been applied in thermal phosphoric acid industry;however the formation of fouling in the high-temperature rotary kiln restricts the stable and long-term operation.In this paper,the reaction of phosphate ores with gaseous P2O5 was investigated in a high-temperature reactor,and the Ca O-SiO2-P2O5 ternary phase diagram was analyzed to understand the fouling formation mechanism.The results showed that the low-melting-point products,such as Ca(PO3)2and Ca2P2O7,are responsible for the fouling in the KPA process.In addition,a small amount of impurities,e.g.,aluminum and iron,could facilitate the generation of the low-melting-point products and cause serious fouling.Based on the high-temperature SiO2-P2O5 and CaO-SiO2-P2O5 phase diagram analysis,the control of Si/Ca molar ratio(e.g.,Si/Ca=2.0)was found to avoid fouling formation in the kiln.These results could provide the operation parameters of reaction temperature and feeds composition to suppress the fouling in the kiln reactor for the phosphoric acid production in industry.

Study on the Growth and Quality of Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate Grown from Acid-doped Solution

Potassium dihydrogen phosphate （KDP） single crystals have been grown respectively at the rates of about 1 and 20 mm/day from the pure and acid-added solutions by temperature reduction method. The effects of acid and supersaturation on the shape and size of grown crystals were compared and discussed. Samples were cut from different parts of the as-grown crystals for investigating the optical quality, including transmissibility, scattering centers and laser damage threshold. It is found that the stability of KDP growth solution improves to some extent and the growth rates in x- and z-directions have great difference after adding acid. Moreover, the acid causes remarkable differences in optical quality between prismatic and pyramidal sectors.