Removal of diclofenac from aqueous solution with multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified by nitric acid

Modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) were used as adsorbents for removal of diclofenac. The reaction conditions were examined. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models were applied to determine appropriate equilibrium expression. The results show that the experimental data fit the Freundlich equation well. Thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic. The kinetic study indicates that the adsorption of diclofenac can be well described with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the process is controlled by multiple steps.

Hydrochemistry of the Natural Low p H Groundwater in the Coastal Aquifers near Beihai, China

Natural weak acidic groundwater occurs in the unconfined and confined aquifers consisting of Quaternary and Neogene unconsolidated sediments near Beihai in southern Guangxi, China. Under natural conditions the groundwater has low TDS(less than 200 mg L-1) and low concentrations of trace elements(less than 100 μg L-1) with a deceasing tend in contents of the Lanthanides(rare earth elements, less than 1 μg L-1) towards higher atomic number. The groundwater ranges in p H from 3.33 to 7.0 with an average value of 5.12(even lower than that of local rainwater, 5.88). p H values in the groundwater are a bit higher in rainy seasons than those in dry seasons and do not show significant increasing or decreasing trend with time. The average p H value in groundwater in the confined aquifers is even a bit lower than that in the unconfined aquifer. Comprehensive analyses of the groundwater environment suggest that H+ in the groundwater may be derived from dissociation of H2CO3, release of the absorbed H3O+ in clay layers and the acidity of rainwater. The H2CO3 in the groundwater may be formed by dissolution of CO2(g). Minerals in the unconsolidated sediment are predominated by quartz with small amount of clay minerals. The sediments undergoing a long-term weathering contain low levels of soluble constitutes. Lack of alkaline substances in the groundwater system is also helpful in the accumulation of acidity of the groundwater.

Direct Measurement of CO_2 Retention in Arable Soils with pH Above 6.5 During Barometric Process Separation Incubation

The barometric process separation(BaPS)technique is a well-established incubation method to simultaneously measure gross nitrification and respiration rates in soil.Its application,however,is still critical in soils with pH above 6.5.Here,a substantial part of microbial CO_2 production is retained in soil solution(CO_2,aq)due to shifts in the carbonate equilibrium.This may lead to substantial errors in gas balance calculation.Yet,utilization of the BaPS technique is only reliable if the critical term is adequately quantified.We present an easy,inexpensive,and direct method,the sterilization-CO_2-injection(SCI)method,to measure CO_2 retention during soil incubation.Sterilized soil was incubated in the BaPS system,and defined volumes of CO_2 were injected to stepwise increase CO_2partial pressure(p CO_2)inside the chamber and to analyse the physicochemical equilibration process.Five exemplary agricultural soils from Northeast China and Southwest Germany were used for method establishment,presenting pH values between 4.4 and 7.6 and carbonate contents between 0% and 3.9%.We observed that in soils with pH>6.5,70%–90% of the injected CO_2 was taken up by the soil until the equilibrium inside the chamber was re-established.As expected,in soils with low pH(<6.5),measured CO_2 retention was low.CO_2 retention patterns were sensitive to incubation temperature with tri-fold dissolution capacity at 5~?C compared to 25?C,but insensitive to variations in soil water content.The resulting soil-specific relationship between p CO_2 and CO_2,aq concentration allowed the quantification of CO_2,aq concentration as a function of headspace p CO_2.

Prediction and evaluation of optimum quenching temperature and microstructure in a 1300 MPa ultra-high-strength Q&P steel

The quenching and partitioning steel is the representative of the third generation of advanced high-strength steel.The effect of quenching temperature on the microstructure and mechanical property of ferrite-containing quenching and partitioning steel was studied by intercritical annealing quenching and partitioning processes.When preparing a test steel with a tensile strength of 1300 MPa and total elongation of 19%,it is found that the actual optimum quenching temperature was lower than that calculated according to the constrained carbon equilibrium.The results indicate that the martensite start temperature of the austenite was overestimated when considering the diffusion of carbon only.Austenite grain size which is affected by low temperature and the existence of ferrite during intercritical annealing influenced the optimum quenching temperature.A scheme considering the diffusion of various alloying elements and austenite grain size was proposed and verified.Using this scheme,the optimum quenching temperature of intercritically annealed quenching and partitioning steel with complex microstructures was well predicted.