Bing Tang

Effective degradation of C.I. Acid Red 73 by advanced Fenton process.

The degradation of C.I. Acid Red 73 (AR 73) was investigated by advanced Fenton process based on zero-valent iron and hydrogen peroxide. The effect of zero-valent iron dosage, hydrogen peroxide concentration, initial pH, initial dye concentration, mixing rate and temperature on the degradation of AR 73 was studied. The results showed that AR 73 removal efficiency increased with the increase of zero-valent iron addition, hydrogen peroxide concentration, mixing rate and temperature, but decreased with the increase of initial pH value. The residual concentration of AR 73 was only 6.4 mg/L after 30 min treatment at optimum conditions for 200.0mg/L AR 73 initial concentration. And advanced Fenton process can partly remove COD values of AR 73. The activation energy of the degradation reaction is 31.98 kJ/mol.

Chromium removal using resin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron

Resin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (R-nZVI) was synthesized by the borohydride reduction method. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the factors affecting Cr(VI) removal. It was found that nZVI loads, resin dose, pH value and initial concentration of Cr(VI) were all important factors. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the nZVI particles in R-nZVI became sphere after reacting with Cr(VI). This phenomenon was attributed to the co-precipitation of Cr(III) and Fe(III) on the surface of resin. X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed that Fe(0) diminished after the reaction. At optimum conditions, the Cr(VI) removal efficiency was 84.4% when the initial concentration of Cr(VI) was 20.0xa0mg/L. Regeneration of R-nZVI and resin was possible. R-nZVI can also remove Cr(III) efficiently. However, the removal mechanisms of Cr(VI) (anion) and Cr(III) (cation) are different. The former is chemical reduction, while the latter is ion exchange at pH below 6.3 and precipitation at pH above 6.3. This study demonstrates that R-nZVI has the potential to become an effective agent for treating wastewater containing Cr(VI) and Cr(III).

Preparation of nano-sized magnetic particles from spent pickling liquors by ultrasonic-assisted chemical co-precipitation.

The aim of this study is to develop a new method for the preparation of high-value, environmentally friendly products from spent pickling liquors. An ultrasound treatment was introduced into a chemical co-precipitation process to control the size of the particles produced. The particles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic parameter was measured with a magnetic property measurement system. The product consisted of ferrous ferrite (Fe(3)O(4)) nano-sized cubic particles with a high level of crystallinity that exhibited super-paramagnetism.

Recovery of high-purity silver directly from dilute effluents by an emulsion liquid membrane-crystallization process

An emulsion liquid membrane (ELM)-crystallization process, using hypophosphorous acid as a reducing agent in the internal aqueous phase, has been developed for the purpose of recovering high-purity silver directly from dilute industrial effluents (waste rinse water). After pretreatment with HNO(3), silver in waste rinse water can be reliably recovered with high efficiency through the established process. The main parameters in the process of ELM-crystallization include the concentration of carrier in the membrane phase, the concentration of reducing agent in the internal aqueous phase, and the treatment ratio, which influence the recovery efficiency to various extents and must be controlled carefully. The results indicated that more than 99.5% (wt.) of the silver ions in the external aqueous phase were extracted by the ELM-crystallization process, with an average efficiency of recovery of 99.24% (wt.) and a purity of 99.92% (wt.). The membrane phase can be used repeatedly without loss of the efficiency of recovery.

Studies on the optimum conditions using acid-washed zero-valent iron/aluminum mixtures in permeable reactive barriers for the removal of different heavy metal ions from wastewater

The method of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) is considered as one of the most practicable approaches in treating heavy metals contaminated surface and groundwater. The mixture of acid-washed zero-valent iron (ZVI) and zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl) as reactive medium in PRBs to treat heavy metal wastewater containing Cr(VI), Cd(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) was investigated. The performance of column filled with the mixture of acid-washed ZVI and ZVAl was much better than the column filled with ZVI or ZVAl alone. At initial pH 5.4 and flow rates of 1.0 mL/min, the time that the removal efficiencies of Cr(VI), Cd(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) were all above 99.5% can keep about 300 h using 80 g/40 g acid-washed ZVI/ZVAl when treating wastewater containing each heavy metal ions (Cr(VI), Cd(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+)) concentration of 20.0 mg/L. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize ZVI/ZVAl before and after reaction and the reaction mechanism of the heavy metal ions with ZVI/ZVAl was discussed.

Adsorption, oxidation, and reduction behavior of arsenic in the removal of aqueous As(III) by mesoporous Fe/Al bimetallic particles

In this study, mesoporous iron/aluminum (Fe/Al) bimetallic particles were synthesized and employed for the removal of aqueous As(III). Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis method, Vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to characterize the Fe/Al bimetals before and after reaction with As(III). The physical properties, compositions, and structures of Fe/Al bimetallic particles as well as the As(III) removal mechanism were investigated. The characterization of the bimetallic particles after the reaction has revealed the removal of As(III) is a complex process including surface adsorption and oxidation, and intraparticle reduction. The good As(III) removal capability and stability of the Fe/Al bimetallic particles exhibited its great potential as an effective and environmental friendly agent for As(III) removal from water.

Fe/Al bimetallic particles for the fast and highly efficient removal of Cr(VI) over a wide pH range: Performance and mechanism.

The iron/aluminum (Fe/Al) bimetallic particles with high efficiency for the removal of Cr(VI) were prepared. Fe/Al bimetallic particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), SEM mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM mapping showed that the core of bimetal was Al, and the planting Fe was deposited on the surface of Al. In acidic and neutral conditions, Fe/Al bimetal can completely remove Cr(VI) from wastewater in 20 min. Even at pH 11.0, the Cr(VI) removal efficiency achieved was 93.5%. Galvanic cell effect and high specific surface area are the main reasons for the enhanced removal of Cr(VI) by bimetallic particles. There were no iron ions released in solutions at pH values ranging from 3.0 to 11.0. The released Al(3+) ions concentrations in acidic and neutral conditions were all less than 0.2mg/L. The bimetal can be used 4 times without losing activity at initial pH 3.0. XPS indicated that the removed Cr(VI) was immobilized via the formation of Cr(III) hydroxide and Cr(III)-Fe(III) hydroxide/oxyhydroxide on the surface of Fe/Al bimetal. The Fe/Al bimetallic particles are promising for further testing for the rapid and effective removal of contaminants from water.

Facile preparation of magnetic mesoporous MnFe2O4@SiO2−CTAB composites for Cr(VI) adsorption and reduction

Chromium-contaminated water is regarded as one of the biggest threats to human health. In this study, a novel magnetic mesoporous MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composite was prepared by a facile one-step modification method and applied to remove Cr(VI). X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, specific surface area, and vibrating sample magnetometer were used to characterize MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composites. The morphology analysis showed that the composites displayed a core-shell structure. The outer shell was mesoporous silica with CTAB and the core was MnFe2O4 nanoparticles, which ensured the easy separation by an external magnetic field. The performance of MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composites in Cr(VI) removal was far better than that of bare MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. There were two reasons for the effective removal of Cr(VI) by MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composites: (1) mesoporous silica shell with abundant CTA+ significantly enhanced the Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of the composites; (2) a portion of Cr(VI) was reduced to less toxic Cr(III) by MnFe2O4, followed by Cr(III) immobilized on MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composites, which had been demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. The adsorption of Cr(VI) onto MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB followed the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order model. Tests on the regeneration and reuse of the composites were performed. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) still retained 92.4% in the sixth cycle. MnFe2O4@SiO2-CTAB composites exhibited a great potential for the removal of Cr(VI) from water.

Minimizing the creation of spent pickling liquors in a pickling process with high-concentration hydrochloric acid solutions: mechanism and evaluation method.

The purpose of this investigation is to propose a strategy for minimizing the creation of spent pickling liquors through the synergistic corrosion inhibition of OP-10 and potassium iodide, thus facilitating a cleaner production process for acid pickling of metals with a high-concentration solution (6.0 mol/l) of hydrochloric acid. Results obtained with the methods of weight loss and electrochemical polarization showed that adding KI and OP-10 could enhance the energy barrier of the corrosion reaction and improved the corrosion inhibition for mild steel in high concentration of HCl solutions. A synergistic effect was identified when KI and OP-10 were present in suitable proportions. The results of the electrochemical experiments and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations showed that the complex inhibitor was a mixed-type inhibitor and it formed a compact film on the metal surface, thus providing an effective protection for the metal in the aggressive solutions, which significantly minimized the creation of spent pickling liquors. A simple and convenient method was also proposed for the quantificational evaluation of the inhibition degree in the creation of spent pickling liquors.

Removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewater by acid-washed zero-valent aluminum

AbstractThis paper deals with the treatment of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and its removal mechanism using acid-washed zero-valent aluminum (ZVAl). The acid-washed ZVAl before and after reaction was characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The influence factors such as ZVAl loading, acid washing time, and pH values on Cr(VI) removal were studied. Cr(VI) removal by acid-washed ZVAl was also evaluated under different humic acid and Fe2+ concentrations. The removal of Cr(VI) was accelerated with increasing acid-washed ZVAl loadings and decreasing initial pH. The addition of humic acid inhibited the Cr(VI) removal, while Fe2+ significantly accelerated the Cr(VI) removal. More than 98% Cr(VI) was removed from synthetic wastewater containing 20.0xa0mg/L Cr(VI) in 180xa0min by 0.4xa0g/L acid-washed ZVAl at initial pH 2.0. Cr(VI) removal by acid-washed ZVAl is proved by reduction, not by adsorption. The remarkable capacity of acid-washed ZVAl in removing C...