Fate and Behavior of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Activated Carbon Adsorption

The accessibility of tetracycline resistance gene (tetG) into the pores of activated carbon (AC), as well as the impact of the pore size distribution (PSD) of AC on the uptake capacity of tetG, were investigated using eight types of AC (four coal-based and four wood-based). AC showed the capability to admit tetG and the average reduction of tetG for coal-based and wood-based ACs at the AC dose of 1 g·L-1 was 3.12 log and 3.65 log, respectively. The uptake kinetic analysis showed that the uptake of the gene followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics reaction, and the uptake rate constant for the coal-based and wood-based ACs was in the range of 5.97 × 10-12 - 4.64 × 10-9 and 7.02 × 10-11 - 1.59 × 10-8 copies·mg-1·min-1, respectively. The uptake capacity analysis by fitting the obtained experiment data with the Freundlich isotherm model indicated that the uptake constant (KF) values were 1.71 × 103 - 8.00 × 109 (copies·g-1)1-1/n for coal-based ACs and 7.00 × 108 - 3.00 × 1010 (copies·g-1)1-1/n for wood-based ones. In addition, the correlation analysis between KF values and pore volume as well as pore surface at different pore size regions of ACs showed that relatively higher positive correlation was found for pores of 50 - 100 Å, suggesting ACs with more pores in this size region can uptake more tetG. The findings of this study are valuable as reference for optimizing the adsorption process regarding antibiotic resistance-related concerns in drinking water treatment.

Wastewater Treatment Trial by Double Filtration on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Prepared from Peanut Shells

The aim of this work is the purification of wastewater by double filtration on granular activated carbon prepared from peanut shells. The samples of carbonized peanut shells were activated with 35% sulfuric acid and finally, we proceeded to the purification tests on double filtration of wastewater. Granular activated carbons (GAC) were very effective for the treatment of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, iron, COD and BOD5 but the best results were observed with nitrite, nitrate and phosphate. However, the second filtration was the most efficient while the lowest rates were observed for pH (17.91% on average), and conductivity (29.71% on average). In addition, this work has allowed increasing the dissolved oxygen by more than 50.16% at the exit of the first filter and more than 105.36% at the exit of the second filter. This study shows that granular activated carbon prepared from peanut shells could be a credible alternative for developing countries in the control of pollution and environmental protection.

Effect of oxidation treatment on the adsorption and the stability of mercury on activated carbon

Oxidation treatment on the adsorption and the stability of Hg on activated carbon （AC） was inrestigated. Both MnO2-AC and FeCl3-AC were produced during oxidation treatment. The measurement of modified AC＇s mercury adsorption capacity was conducted in a simulated coal-fired flue gas by adsorbing test apparatus. TCLP and column leaching methods were used to test the stability of mercury adsorbed on ACs. The results indicate that the oxidation treatment changed the pore structure of the AC and modified the carbon surface by creating chemical components such as MnO4^-, Mn^4＋, O, NO^3-, Fe^3＋, Cl^-, etc. The Hg sorption capacity on MnO2-AC or FeCl3-AC was about three times higher than that of untreated carbon. In addition, the mercury control cost of each of the formers was about the half cost of the untreated carbon. The stability of Hg absorption was studied, it found that mercury adsorbed on the oxidation treated AC was not better than that of untreated carbon. It could concluded that the insoluble form of Hg is very important to the stability of mercury adsorbed on AC. This study suggests that the FeCl3-AC is the best absorbent for Hg with high adsorption capacity, better Hg adsorption stability in leaching environment, and lower cost among the three ACs tested.

Synthesis of Activated Carbon from Polyethylene Terephthalate(PET)Plastic Waste and Its Application for Removal of Organic Dyes from Water

Synthetic plastics are often considered to be materials that cannot be broken down by natural processes.One such plastic,polyethylene terephthalate(PET),is commonly used in everyday items but when these products are discarded,they can cause serious harm to the environment and human health.In this study,PET plastic waste was used to create activated carbon using a physical activation process that involved using CO2 gas.The researchers investigated the effects of different temperatures,carbonization,and activation times on the resulting activated carbon’s surface area.The activated carbon was then analyzed using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),FTIR,and BET.The activated carbon created from PET plastic waste showed excellent absorption properties for methylene blue in aqueous solutions across a wide range of pH levels.By creating activated carbon from plastic waste,not only are environmental issues addressed,but high-value activated carbon is produced for environmental remediation purposes.

Effect of powdered activated carbon on Chinese traditional medicine wastewater treatment in submerged membrane bioreactor with electronic control backwashing

Chinese traditional medicine wastewater, rich in macromolecule and easy to foam in aerobic biodegradation such as Glycosides, was treated by two identical bench-scale aerobic submerged membrane bioreactors （SMBRs） operated in parallel under the same feed, equipped with the same electronic control backwashing device. One was used as the control SMBR （CSMBR） while the other was dosed with powdered activated carbon （PAC） （PAC-amended SMBR, PSMBR）. The backwashing interval was 5 min. One suction period was about 90 min by adjusting preestablished backwashing vacuum and pump frequency. The average flux of CSMBR during a steady periodic state of 24 d （576 h） was 5.87 L/h with average hydraulic residence time （HRT） of 5.97 h and that of PSMBR during a steady periodic state of 30 d （720 h） was 5.85 L/h with average HRT of 5.99 h. The average total chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal efficiency of CSMBR was 89.29% with average organic loading rate （OLR） at 4.16 kg COD/（m^3.d） while that of PSMBR was 89.79% with average OLR at 5.50 kg COD/（m^3.d）. COD concentration in the effluent of both SMBRs achieved the second level of the general wastewater effluent standard GB8978-1996 for the raw medicine material industry （300 mg/L）. Hence, SMBR with electronic control backwashing was a viable process for medium-strength Chinese traditional medicine wastewater treatment. Moreover, the increasing rates of preestablished backwashing vacuum, pump frequency, and vacuum and flux loss caused by mixed liquor in PSMBR all lagged compared to those in CSMBR; thus the actual operating time of the PSMBR system without membrane cleaning was extended by up to 1.25 times in contrast with the CSMBR system, and the average total COD removal efficiency of PSMBR was enhanced with higher average OLR.

Catalytic Effect of Activated Carbon and Activated Carbon Fiber in Non-Equilibrium Plasma-Based Water Treatment

Catalysis and regeneration efficiency of granular activated carbon （GAC） and activated carbon fiber （ACF） were investigated in a non-equilibrium plasma water treatment reactor with a combination of pulsed streamer discharge and GAC or ACF. The experimental results show that the degradation efficiency of methyl orange （MO） by the combined treatment can increase 22% （for GAC） and 24% （for ACF） respectively compared to pulsed discharge treatment alone, indicating that the combined treatment has a synergetic effect. The MO degradation efficiency by the combined treatment with pulsed discharge and saturated GAC or ACF can increase 12% and 17% respectively compared to pulsed discharge treatment alone. Both GAC and ACF show catalysis and the catalysis of ACF is prominent. Meanwhile, the regeneration of GAC and ACF are realized in this process. When H202 is introduced into the system, the utilization efficiency of ozone and ultraviolet light is improved and the regeneration efficiency of GAC and ACF is also increased.

Evaluation of Powdered Activated Carbon Treatment Process in Petrochemical Wastewater Purification

The powdered activated carbon treatment(PACT) process has been widely used in many industrial fields, however,very few PACT processes are built for petrochemical wastewater treatment in China. An industrial PACT unit launched in a petrochemical plant was introduced and evaluated from both the practice and mechanism study. Practically, the PACT process showed excellent capability in pollutants removal, shock resistance, toxicity tolerance, and the COD and ammoniumN in effluent of PACT unit assisted by PAC was equal to 15.5 mg/L and 0.7 mg/L lower than that without PAC addition,respectively. The wet oxidation regeneration unit was quite efficient in supplying regenerated PAC, and, however, the hard calcium sulphate scale and the high pollutant concentration solution needed to be carefully controlled. Moreover, although the carbon balance showed that the adsorption capability of regenerated PAC was negligible, the biological tests proved that the regenerated PAC increased microbe activity up to 17% more than pure activated sludge system, which was almost compatible with the fresh activated carbon.

Study on activated carbon in chromium-containingwastewater treatment by XPS

The mechanism of activated carbon treatment with chromium-containing wastewater byX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and that of adsorption and reduction reaction of the acti-vated carbon with hexavalent chromium solution are presented in this paper. The XPS results showthat at PH<1,the activated carbon does not adsorb any chromium ion,and the main reaction is re-duction process of Cr(VI), at 1<pH<6, both reduction process of Cr(VI) and adsorption process ofCr(VI) and Cr(III) occur on the carbon surface, at PH >6,the main process is adsorption of the car-bon to Cr(VI). The optimum range of treatment is at pH 3-6,in which removal efficiency ofadsorption and reduction is relatively high. It demonstrates that the reduction mechanism is aheterogeneous acid catalysis process.

The Potential of Activated Carbon in the Treatment of Water for Human Consumption, a Study of the State of the Art and Its Techniques Used for Its Development

This review article addresses the use of biological activated carbon in water treatment and its techniques for its development, with the premise of analyzing the potential of Activated Carbon (AC) in the treatment of water for human consumption. For this end, it aims to identify the techniques used for the production of AC, use and its benefits, production from vegetable waste for water treatment. Activated carbon has the ability to selectively collect gases, liquids and impurities inside its pores, which is the reason it is widely used in filtration systems and for that the treatment of water, the coal fulfills the function of adsorbent, retaining in its pores certain types of impurities: large particles that cause undesirable color, taste or odor in the water. In the treatment of effluents, coal is used for clarification, deodorization and purification of effluents.

Peanut Shell Activated Carbon： Characterization, Surface Modification and Adsorption of Pb^2＋ from Aqueous Solution

Metal ion contamination of drinking water and waste water, especially with heavy metal ion such as lead, is a serious and ongoing problem. In this work, activated carbon prepared from peanut shell （PAC） was used for the removal of Pb^2＋ from aqueous solution. The impacts of the Pb25 adsorption capacities of the acid-modified carbons oxidized with HNO3 were also investigated. The surface functional groups of PAC were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, Boehm titration. The textural properties （surface area, total pore volume） were evaluated from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77 K. The experimental results presented indicated that the adsorption data fitted better with the Langmuir adsorption model. A comparative study with a commercial granular activated carbon （GAC） showed that PAC was 10.3 times more efficient compared to GAC based on Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity. Further analysis results by the Langmuir equation showed that HNO3 [20% （by mass）] modified PAC has larger adsorption capacity of Pb^2＋ from aqueous solution （as much as 35.5 mg·g^-1）. The adsorption capacity enhancement ascribed to pore widening, increased cation-exchange capacity by oxygen groups, and the promoted hydrophilicity of the carbon surface.

Anaerobic hydrogen production of molasses from mixed microbial communities immobilized by activated granular carbon

Molasses wastewater was evaluated as substrate for biohydrogen production by anaerobic fermentation in a novel continuous mixed attached growth reactor ( CMAGR ) with aeration pretreated sludge attached onto granular activated carbon under continuous flow condition.It was indicated that the CMAGR system was operated at the conditions of influent COD of 2000～6000mg / L , hydraulic retention time ( HRT ) of 6hand temperature of 35 ℃ , when the pH value and oxidation-reduction potential ( ORP ) ranged from 4.16and-434 mV respectively , stable ethanol-type fermentation was formed with the sum of ethanol and acetate concentration ratio of 89.3%to the total liquid products after 40days operation.The H 2 content in biogas and chemical oxygen demand ( COD ) removal were estimated to be 46.6% and 13% , respectively.It was also investigated that the effects of organic loading rates ( OLRs ) on CMAGR hydrogen production system.It was found that hydrogen production yield increased from 3.72 mmol / hL to 12.51 mmol / hL as OLRs increased from 8 kg / m 3 d to 32 kg / m 3 d.The maximum hydrogen production rate of 12.51mmol / hL at a OLR of 32kg / m 3 d and the maximum hydrogen yield by substrate consumed was 130.57 mmol / mol happened at OLR of 16 kg / m 3 d.Greater pHs appeared to be favour to butyrate production and the maximum of 0.51mol / mol was obtained at pH of 4.14.However , ethanol / acetate ratio was greater than 1.1at pH fluctuated between 3.4 - 3.6and 4.1 - 4.4which indicated that these pHs were favour to ethanol type fermentation.Therefore , the continuous mixed attached growth reactor ( CMAGR ) could be a promising attached growth system for biohydrogen fermentation.

Sustainable Activated Carbons from Agricultural Residues Dedicated to Antibiotic Removal by Adsorption

The. objectives.of this study are to convert at laboratory s.cale agric.ultural residues into activated carbons （AC） with specific properties, to characterize them and to test them in adsorption reactor for tetracycline removal, a common antibiotic. Two new ACs were produced by direct activation with steam from beet pulp （BP-H2O） and peanut hu_lls （PH-H2O） in environmental friendly conditions BP-H2O and PH-H2Opresentcarbon content rangedcarbons with different intrinsic properties.

A Study on the Surface Structures of Viscose-based Activated Carbon Fiber by FT-IR Spectroscopy and XPS

Using viscose fiber (VF) as starting material and common steam as activating agent, formation of oxygen structures in activated carbon fiber is investigated. In the preparation of samples, VF was first heated at temperatures between 450℃ and 900℃ in N_2 artmosphere. Then, in a successive activation stage, the product carbonized at 600℃ was activated in steam at 450-900℃ for 30 min, and at 600℃ for 5-30 min. The other carbonization products were activated at 600 and 900℃ for 30 min respectively. The products activated at 900℃ were then activated at 450℃ for 30 min again. The starting materiah carbonized products and all activation products were examined by FT-IR spectroscopy and some products were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). And the yields of the carbonized and activated products were calculated. By analysing these spectra, the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups of the activated products attained under various activation time, various activation temperature and various previous carbonization temperature was determined.

Activated Carbon from Rice Husk with One-Step KOH Mechanical Mixing Activation as Adsorbent for Treating Phenolic Wastewater

This study investigates how large-surface-area biocarbons with high phenolic adsorption capacities can be obtained from cheap and abundant rice husk(RH).The RH is directly mixed with potassium hydroxide(KOH)and activated in a flowing N_(2) atmosphere,and the effects of the pyrolysis temperature and KOH to RH ratio on the structure of the obtained activated carbon adsorbents and their adsorption of p-nitrophenol and phenol are studied.The results show that the optimum pyrolysis temperature of RH is 750℃,whereby the highest surface area of 2047 m^(2)/g and best adsorption performance are obtained with a KOH to RH ratio of 3:1.Moreover,the obtained biocarbons achieve a maximum adsorption capacity of 175 mg/g for phenol and 430 mg/g for p-nitrophenol,which are higher than most previously reported data.

Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of carbon cloth by synergetic effect of plasma and acid treatment

Commercial carbon cloth(CC)is an ideal electrocatalysis material to produce oxygen evolution reaction(OER)due to its high conductive and 3D flexible structure,but the lacked active sites limit its application.For improving its OER performance,the present study proposed an effective method combining plasma and acid treatment to introduce oxygen-containing functional groups and produce more active sites on its surface.Compared to the pristine CC,the plasma and acid treated carbon cloth(PN-CC)delivers a reduced overpotential by 34.6%to achieve current density of 10 mA cm^(−2).The Tafel slope declines from 97.5 mV dec^(–1)(pristine CC)to 55.9 mV dec–1(PN-CC),showing an increased OER kinetic.Additionally,PN-CC electrocatalyst shows outstanding stability after 5000 cycles or 25000 s.The combination of plasma and acid treatment shows a significant potential in surface modification for electrocatalysts.

Synergetic effects for p-nitrophenol abatement using a combinedactivated carbon adsorption-electrooxidation process

A novel fluidized electrochemical reactor that integrated advanced electrochemical oxidation with activated carbon (AC) fluidization in a single cell was developed to model pollutant p-nitrophenol (PNP) abatement. AC fluidization could enhance COD removal by 22%-30%. In such a combined process, synergetic effects on PNP and COD removal was found, with their removal rate being enhanced by 137.8% and 97.8%, respectively. AC could be electrochemically regenerated and reused, indicating the combined process would be promising for treatment of biorefractory organic pollutants.

Kinetics of continuous biodegradation of pesticide organic wastewater by activated carbon-activated sludge

Organic triazophos wastewater was continuously treated with Rhodopseudomonas capsulatus and activated carbon and activated sludge system(PACT AS) in a plug bioreactor. A kinetic model of PACT AS wastewater treatment system was established to provide an useful basis for further simulate scale up treatment of toxic organic wastewater.

Activated Carbon and Clay Minerals for the Sorptive Removal of Denatonium Ions from Denatonium Benzoate Solutions

This study assessed the feasibility of utilizing activated carbon and clay minerals for treating water impacted with the bittering agent denatonium benzoate (DB). Our specific study objectives were to 1) evaluate denatonium ion sorption to smectite clay minerals (bentonite and hectorite) and activated carbon (powdered and granular) at constant pH and ionic strength and 2) examine the impact of pH on denatonium ion sorption to each solid material. The experimental results indicated that high doses (33,000 mg/L) of as-received granular activated carbon and as-received clay minerals completely removed denatonium from aqueous solutions containing 100 - 1000 mg/L denatonium benzoate. Powdered activated carbon at doses of 5 - 100 mg/L exhibited favorable monolayer sorption of denatonium ions from a pH 6.95, 70 mg/L aqueous denatonium benzoate solution with a Langmuir separation factor (r) of 0.481, a maximum sorption capacity (Sm) of 74 mg/g, and a Langmuir constant of 15.3 L/g. A maximum removal of 23% of denatonium was achieved at the highest powdered activated carbon dosage employed. Denatonium ion removal with peroxide treated bentonite and peroxide treated hectorite did not result in complete removal of the ion and exhibited favorable sorption as evidenced by Freundlich 1/n values ranging from 0.803 to 1.194;Freundlich constants (Kf) ranged from 8 ng/L to 575 ng/L. Denatonium ion sorption to peroxide treated bentonite appeared to depend on pH while hectorite sorption of denatonium ions was independent of hydrogen ion concentrations. For powdered activated carbon adsorption, as pH increased denatonium ion sorption decreased. Overall, the work demonstrates that denatonium can be effectively removed from water via activated carbon or clay mineral sorption.

Synthesis of activated carbons from black sapote seeds,characterization and application in the elimination of heavy metals and textile dyes

Many different techniques may be used to remove industrial pollutants from wastewater. Adsorption using activated carbon has been reported to be an effective method. This work proposes the use of a vegetable residue(black sapote seeds) as a raw material for its synthesis. These carbons were chemically activated using phosphoric acid and carbonized at 673 and 873 K. Adsorption isotherms were constructed for the textile dyes on the carbons, and this data was treated using Langmuir’s equation to quantitatively describe the adsorption process. The synthesized carbons were characterized using FTIR, EA, SEM, Nitrogen adsorption(specific surface areas of 879 and 652 m2·g-1), and their points of zero charge(2.1 and 2.3). It was possible to adsorb both heavy metals and textile dyes present in aqueous solutions and wastewaters using these activated carbons. Heavy metals were adsorbed almost completely by both carbons. Cationic dyes where adsorbed(58–59.8 mg·g-1) in greater amounts compared to anionic dyes(10–58.8 mg·g-1). The amount of anionic dyes adsorbed increased almost 30% by changing the pH of the solutions. One of the carbons was thermally regenerated on three occasions without losing its adsorption capacity and it was proved in a flow system.

Removal of Dyes from Wastewater by Adsorption onto Activated Carbon: Mini Review

Nowadays, wastewater from dyeing industries became a challenging issue in the world. Researchers have reported several techniques to treat those effluents based on their projects. Adsorption is the most common method because of cheap, simple and effective method. In this work, activated carbon was used for dye adsorption purpose. This adsorbent has high surface area and high porosity to remove dye. This review highlighted some important results of the last few years regarding the use of activated carbon in wastewater treatment. Research findings supported that adsorption process is spontaneous in nature. Adsorption data confirmed Langmuir model, indicating the chemisorption occurred.