REMOVAL OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS USING TITANIUM DIOXIDE MEDIATED PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION

A simple and effective method of removing polluted organics in water is reported here.Titanium dioxide is a catalyst in photo-oxidation of monocrotophos.The mechanism of photocatalytic oxidation and the kinetics of the reaction were studied. This same principle also leads to the construction of instrument of PTR-FIA analysis for monitoring organic phosphorus and phosphate in water.

Characteristic of COD removal and sludge settleability in biological treatment of hypersaline wastewater

In order to investigate the feasibility of biological treatment of bypersaline wastewater produced from toilet flushing with seawater at low temperature, pilot-scale studies were established with plug-flow activated sludge process at low temperature （5-9℃） based on bench-scale experiments. The critical salinity concentration of 30 g/L, which resulted from the cooperation results of the non-halophilic bacteria and the halophilic bacteria, was drawn in bench-scale experiment. Pilot-scale studies showed that high COD removal efficiency, higher than 85 %, was obtained at low temperature when 30 percent seawater [ seawater/（seawater ＋ sewage） ] was introduced. The salinity improved the settleability of activated sludge, and average SV dropped down from 38% to 22. 5% after adding seawater. Sludge bulking could be forborne effectively because filamentous bacteria couldn＇t subsist under high salinity concentration.

A Review of Metal–Organic Framework-Based Compounds for Environmental Applications

Metal–organic framework-based compounds have recently gained great attention because of their unique porous structure,ordered porosity,and high specific surface area.Benefiting from these superior properties,metal–organic framework-based compounds have been proven to be one of the most potential candidates for environmental governance and remediation.In this review,the different types of metal–organic framework-based compounds are first summarized.Further,the various environmental applications of metal–organic framework-based compounds including organic pollutant removal,toxic and hazardous gas capture,heavy metal ion detection,gas separation,water harvesting,air purification,and carbon dioxide reduction reactions are discussed in detail.In the end,the opportunities and challenges for the future development of metal–organic framework-based compounds for environmental applications are highlighted.

Effects of seawater salinity on nitrite accumulation in short-range nitrification to nitrite as end product

The effect of seawater salinity on nitrite accumulation in short-range nitrification to nitrite as the end product was studied by using a SBR. Experimental results indicated that the growth of nitrobacteria was inhibited and very high levels of nitrite accumulation at different salinities were achieved under the conditions of 25—28℃, pH 7.5? ?.0 , and the influent ammonia nitrogen of 40—70 mg/L when seawater flow used to flush toilet was less than 35%(salinity 12393 mg/L, Cl - 6778 mg/L) of total domestic wastewater flow, which is mainly ascribed to much high chlorine concentration of seawater. Results showed that high seawater salinity is available for short-range nitrification to nitrite as the end product. When the seawater flow used to flush toilet accounting for above 70% of the total domestic wastewater flow, the removal efficiency of ammonia was still above 80% despite the removal of organics declined obviously(less than 60%). It was found that the effect of seawater salinity on the removal of organics was negative rather than positive one as shown for ammonia removal.

Effect of substrate COD/N ratio on performance and microbial community structure of a membrane aerated biofilm reactor

Two parallel carbon-membrane aerated biofilm reactors were operated at well-defined conditions to investigate the effect of substrate COD/N ratios on the performance and microbial community structure of the bioreactor. Results showed that at substrate COD/N of 5, organic and nitrogen could be eliminated simultaneously, and COD removal degree, nitrification and denitrification efficiency reached 85%, 93% and 92%, respectively. With increasing substrate COD/N ratios, the specific oxygen utilization rates of nitrifying bacteria in biofilm were found to decrease, indicating that nitrifying population became less dominant. At substrate COD/N ratio of 6, excessive heterotrophs inhibited the activity of nitrifying bacteria greatly and thus led to poor nitrification process. With the help of fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH）, Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira were identified as dominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the biofilm at substrate COD/N of 0, whereas only Nitrosospira were detected in the biofilm at COD/N ratio of 5. Nitrospira were present as dominant nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in our study. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images revealed that at substrate COD/N ratio of 0 nitrifying bacteria existed throughout the biofilm and that at COD/N ratio of 5 they were mainly distributed in the inner layer of biofilm.

Novel electrode structure in a DBD reactor applied to the degradation of phenol in aqueous solution

Phenol degradation experimental results are presented in a similar wastewater aqueous solution using a non-thermal plasma reactor in a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge. The novelty of the work is that one of the electrodes of the reactor has the shape of a hollow screw which shows an enhanced efficiency compared with a traditional smooth structure. The experimentation was carried out with gas mixtures of 90% Ar-10% O2, 80% At-20% 02 and 0% Ar-100% 02. After one hour of treatment the removal efficiency was 76%, 92%, and 97%, respectively, assessed with a gas chromatographic mass spectrometry technique. For both reactors used, the ozone concentration was measured. The screw electrode required less energy, for all gas mixtures, than the smooth electrode, to maintain the same ozone concentration. On the other hand, it was also observed that in both electrodes the electrical conductivity of the solution changed slightly from ,-0.0115 S m^-1 up to -0.0430 S m^-1 after one hour of treatment. The advantages of using the hollow screw electrode structure compared with the smooth electrode were： （1） lower typical power consumption, （2） the generation of a uniform plasma throughout the reactor benefiting the phenol degradation, （3） a relatively lower temperature of the aqueous solution during the process, and （4） the plasma generation length is larger.

Comparative Study of Ozonation and Catalyzed Ozonation Processes for Drinking Water Treatment by Pilot Test

The ozone consumption effect and organic removal ability of metal coated cordierite ceramic honeycombs catalytic ozonation （catazone） process and ozonation process were comparatively studied by pilot-scale experiments. By Scan Electron Microscope （SEM）, Atomic Force Microscope （AFM）, BET, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis, metal oxides attached to ceramic surface were found to be in the form of crystal cluster, and the pore structure of ceramics was less developed. The air flow statuses of vacant catazone and ozone contactors were inclined to be plug-flow and mixed flow, respectively. Comparing with ozonation process, the ozone mass transfer efficiency of catazone process is lower, and the ozone decomposition efficiency of catazone is higher. The former effect is more obvious in semi-batch experiment, and the latter effect is more obvious in continuous-flow experiment. Unsaturated organics removal efflciencies of the two oxidation processes are similar, and are less affected by dissolved ozone concentration when it is higher than 1 mg/L. More dissolved organics were detected in catazone process in continuous.flow reaction, and more CH3CI3 formation potential （CH3CI3FP） was removed by catazone in semi-batch mode, especially in the water with lower UV254 .

Efficient Degradation 4-Nitrophenol by Photocatalysis from Modified TiO_2 Doped Copper

In the present study,a film consisting of TiO_2 doped with copper was prepared for efficiently decomposing 4-nitrophenol(4-NP) by photocatalysis.The preparing process of TiO_2 doped with copper includes two procedures:preparing Ti(OH)_4 doped with copper and synthesizing anatase and rutile TiO_2 doped with copper.Ti(OH)_4 doped with copper could be achieved by hydrolyzing TiCl_4in the mixed solution containing deionized water and copper oxalate.The Ti(OH)_4 doped with copper can be gained successfully by the following procedures:rinsing,drying and vacuum drying.The Ti(OH)_4 doped with copper could be converted into anatase TiO_2 doped with copper and rutile TiO_2 doped with copper by incineration for 4.5 h at 723 and 1 073 K,respectively.Characterizations of anatase TiO_2 doped with copper and rutile TiO_2 doped with copper were determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and energy dispersion of X-ray(EDX).Anatase and rutile TiO_2 doped with copper were dissolved in a mixed solution containing isopropanol and diethylamine.Stainless electrode was submerged into with the solutions,the film of TiO_2 was formed by drying the thin layer at a ramp rate of 3℃/min until 373 K,and this temperature was held for 1 h.The temperature of the oven was subsequently increased to a final temperature of 823 K at a ramp rate of 3℃/min,and was held at this value for 1 h.The stainless steel covered with modified TiO_2 film was utilized as the anode.The stainless steel mesh was used as the cathode.The cathode and anode were connected with the source and immersed into the solution with 100 mg/L 4-NP.The whole reaction on photocatalysis was perfectly carried out after ultraviolet radiation and aerator were run.The experimental results showed that:cracking ratio of 4-NP ring,the removal ratio of chemical oxygen demand(COD) and total organic carbon(TOC) were respectively more than 90%,80% and 80% within 2 h.Degradation of 4-NP implied its potential application in associated wastewater.

Modification strategies on 2D Ni-Fe MOF-based catalysts in peroxydisulfate activation for efficient organic pollutant removal

This study reports several modification strategies to optimize and enhance the performance of twodimensional(2D) metal organic frameworks(MOFs)-derived catalysts in peroxydisulfate(PDS) activation.The raw 2D Ni-MOF and 2D Ni-Fe-MOF without modification show poor catalytic activities for PDS activation and high metal ion leaching. The carbonization of 2D MOF can increase the activity of the catalyst but cannot solve the metal leaching problem. The further acid treatment of carbonization products can further improve the catalytic activity and decrease the metal ion leaching. The in-situ growth of2D MOF on graphene oxide(GO) support with subsequent carbonization and acid treatment offers the best performance in PDS activation for organic pollutant removal with low metal ion leaching. Compared with other PDS systems, the Ni-Fe-C-acid/GO system displays much lower catalyst and PDS dosages for p-chloroaniline degradation. This study presents new insights in the modification strategies of 2D MOFbased catalysts in PDS activation.

Sediment microbial fuel cell with floating biocathode for organic removal and energy recovery

A sediment microbial fuel cell （SMFC） with three dimensional floating biocathode （FBC） was developed for the electricity generation and biodegradation of sediment organic matter in order to avoid negative effect of dissolved oxygen （DO） depletion in aqueous environments on cathode performance and search cost-effective cathode materials. The biocathode was made from graphite granules with microbial attachment to replace platinum （Pt）-coated carbon paper cathode in a laboratory-scale SMFC （3 L in volume） filled with river sediment （organic content 49±4 g. kg^-1 dry weight）. After start-up of 10 days, the maximum power density of 1.00W.m^-3 （based on anode volume） was achieved. The biocathode was better than carbon paper cathode catalyzed by Pt. The attached biofilm on cathode enhanced power generation significantly. The FBC enhanced SMFC performance further in the presence aeration. The SMFC was continuously operated for an over 120-day period. Power generation peaked within 24 days, declined gradually and stabilized at a level of 1/6 peak power output. At the end, the sediment organic matter content near the anode was removed by 29% and the total electricity generated was equal to 0.251 g of chemical oxygen demand （COD） removed.

Preparation,characterization and performance of poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)/organically modified montmorillonite nanocomposite membranes in removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate

Nanocomposite membranes containing poly（m-phenylene isophthalamide）（PMIA） and organically modified montmorillonite（OMMT） were prepared by a combination of solution dispersion and wet-phase inversion methods, and the effects of OMMT addition on the properties and performance of fabricated nanofiltration membranes were investigated. The membranes were characterized by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, atomic force microscopy（AFM）, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta potential.The performance of the membranes was elucidated by the removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate（PFOS） at neutral p H. Increasing OMMT concentration improved the thermal stability and hydrophilicity of the membranes. The permeation and rejection of PFOS were significantly improved. The performance of fabricated nanofiltration membranes in removal of PFOS varied depending on the solute and membrane properties as well as solution conditions. Finally,a comparison between fabricated membranes and a commercial NF membrane（ESNA1-K1,Hydecanme） proved that the OMMT addition is a convenient procedure for producing nanocomposite membranes with superior properties and performance.

Biological treatment of fish processing wastewater:A case study from Sfax City(Southeastern Tunisia)

The present work presents a study of the biological treatment of fish processing wastewa at salt concentration of 55 g/L. Wastewater was treated by both continuous stirred-ta reactor（CSTR） and membrane bioreactor（MBR） during 50 and 100 days, respectively. Th biological processes involved salt-tolerant bacteria from natural hypersaline environme at different organic loading rates（OLRs）. The phylogenetic analysis of the correspond excised DGGE bands has demonstrated that the taxonomic affiliation of the most domin species includes Halomonadaceae and Flavobacteriaceae families of the Proteobacteria（Gamm proteobacteria class） and the Bacteroidetes phyla, respectively. The results of MBR w better than those of CSTR in the removal of total organic carbon with efficiencies from 97 to 98.6%. Nevertheless, salinity with increasing OLR aggravates fouling that requires m cleaning for a membrane in MBR while leads to deterioration of sludge settleability a effluent quality in CSTR.

Effect of temperature on anoxic metabolism of nitrites to nitrous oxide by polyphosphate accumulating organisms

Temperature is an important physical factor, which strongly influences biomass and metabolic activity. In this study, the effects of temperature on the anoxic metabolism of nitrite （NO2） to nitrous oxide （N2O） by polyphosphate accumulating organisms, and the process of the accumulation of N2O （during nitrite reduction）, which acts as an electron acceptor, were investigated using 91% ：e 4% Candidatus Accumulibacterphosphatis sludge. The results showed that N2O is accumulated when Accumulibacter first utilize nitrite instead of oxygen as the sole electron acceptor during the denitrifying phosphorus removal process. Properties such as nitrite reduction rate, phosphorus uptake rate, N2O reduction rate, and polyhydroxyalkanoate degradation rate were all influenced by temperature variation （over the range from 10 to 30℃ reaching maximum values at 25℃）. The reduction rate of N2O by N2O reductase was more sensitive to temperature when N2O was utilized as the sole electron acceptor instead of NO2, and the N2O reduction rates, ranging from 0.48 to 3.53 N2O-N/（hr.g VSS）, increased to 1.45 to 8.60 mg N2O-N/（hr·g VSS）. The kinetics processes for temperature variation of 10 to 30℃ were （01 = 1.140-1.216 and θ2 = 1.139-1.167）. In the range of 10℃ to 30℃, almost all of the anoxic stoichiometry was sensitive to temperature changes. In addition, a rise in N2O reduction activity leading to a decrease in N2O accumulation in long term operations at the optimal temperature （27℃ calculated by the Arrhenius model）.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of S-doped covalent triazine framework for organic pollutant degradation

Photocatalysis using the abundant solar energy is an environmentally friendly and efficient way to degrade organic matter.Covalent triazine frameworks(CTFs),a new class of metal-free organic semiconductors responsive to visible light,are promising materials for water treatment.In this study,an original CTF,namely CTF-1,was modified by S-doping to form CTFSx,which were used as metal-free catalysts for degradation of methyl orange(MO)and bisphenol A(BPA).The outcomes demonstrated that the photocatalytic degradation of MO and BPA by CTFSxwas superior to that by CTF-1,with better stability and reusability.Within 6 h,53.2%MO and 84.7%BPA were degraded by CTFS5,and the degradation rate constants were 0.145 h-1and 0.29 h-1,respectively,which were 3.6 and 5.8 times higher than those of CTF-1.Further investigation revealed that enhanced visible light absorption,a reduced degree of free carrier recombination,rapid separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes,and improved·OH oxidation capacity were important factors contributing to the significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity.The S-doping method effectively improved the light absorption performance,electronic structure,and modulation band structure of CTF-1.This work highlights the potential application of low-cost metal-free catalysts driven by visible light for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater.