Xue-Song Zhang

Preparation of high adsorption capacity bio-chars from waste biomass.

Bio-chars with high adsorption capacity derived from rice-husks and corncobs were prepared at different retention times (RTs) in a pyrolysis reactor. At a fixed pyrolysis temperature, the pyrolysis RT is a key factor influencing the surface areas and functional group contents of the bio-chars, and further influencing their adsorption capacities. The results indicate that the bio-char prepared at RT of 1.6s exhibits a higher phenol adsorption capacity (589 mg g(-1)) than other bio-chars and many activated carbons reported in the literature. An adsorption mechanism based on acid-base interaction and hydrogen binding between phenol and the functional groups was proposed to elucidate the adsorption process. An economic evaluation of the use of bio-chars as adsorbents was made.

Selectively improving the bio-oil quality by catalytic fast pyrolysis of heavy-metal-polluted biomass: take copper (Cu) as an example.

Heavy-metal-polluted biomass derived from phytoremediation or biosorption is widespread and difficult to be disposed of. In this work, simultaneous conversion of the waste woody biomass into bio-oil and recovery of Cu in a fast pyrolysis reactor were investigated. The results show that Cu can effectively catalyze the thermo-decomposition of biomass. Both the yield and high heating value (HHV) of the Cu-polluted fir sawdust biomass (Cu-FSD) derived bio-oil are significantly improved compared with those of the fir sawdust (FSD) derived bio-oil. The results of UV-vis and (1)H NMR spectra of bio-oil indicate pyrolytic lignin is further decomposed into small-molecular aromatic compounds by the catalysis of Cu, which is in agreement with the GC-MS results that the fractions of C7-C10 compounds in the bio-oil significantly increase. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses of the migration and transformation of Cu in the fast pyrolysis process show that more than 91% of the total Cu in the Cu-FSD is enriched in the char in the form of zerovalent Cu with a face-centered cubic crystalline phase. This study gives insight into catalytic fast pyrolysis of heavy metals, and demonstrates the technical feasibility of an eco-friendly process for disposal of heavy-metal-polluted biomass.

Preparation of liquid chemical feedstocks by co-pyrolysis of electronic waste and biomass without formation of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins

The co-pyrolysis of waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEEs) and waste biomass to obtain pyrolysis-oil, a liquid fuel or chemical feedstock, was carried out in the present work. The pyrolysis-oil yield of co-pyrolysis reached 62.3% which was significantly higher than those of pyrolysis of WEEEs and biomass alone (i.e., 53.1% for WEEEs and 46.3% for biomass), suggesting that synergistic effects of the WEEEs and biomass happened during the co-pyrolysis process. The pyrolysis-oil mainly contained aromatic compounds, including many aromatic hydrocarbons. More than 90 wt.% of bromides were enriched in pyrolysis-oil and char, which is easily to be recovered by further treatments, and no polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PBDD/Fs) were detected in all products which may be attributed to the blocking of PBDD/Fs generation under special reductive environment of pyrolysis. This work provided a green and environmentally friendly approach for the disposal of the WEEEs as well as resource recovery.

Techno-economic evaluation of the integrated biosorption-pyrolysis technology for lead (Pb) recovery from aqueous solution

An integrated biosorption-pyrolysis technology was employed to recover Pb from aqueous solution. A series of biosorption, fast pyrolysis and leaching experiments were carried out. The optimum pH and adsorbent dose for Pb adsorption from aqueous solution are 6.0 and 3.0 g L(-1), respectively. The temperature is a key factor influencing the yields of pyrolysis products, and the maximum yield of bio-oil is 45.7% at 773 K. The pyrolysis technology can effectively recover Pb from Pb polluted Typha angustifolia biomass (Pb-TAB) and its recovery efficiency is not notably influenced by temperature. According to the economic evaluation, the biosorption-pyrolysis technology has great techno-economic advantages over the conventional biosorption-leaching technology.

Significant enhancement of photoreactivity of graphitic carbon nitride catalysts under acidic conditions and the underlying H(+)-mediated mechanism.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an emerging photocatalyst for organic pollutants degradation owing to its excellent stability and metal-free property. In this study, the photocatalytic activity of acidified g-C3N4 (ag-C3N4) was systematically investigated using rhodamine B (rhB) as a model organic pollutant. The results showed the photoreactivity of ag-C3N4 is significantly enhanced with the decrease of pH values. The apparent rate constant (kapp) of rhB degradation over ag-C3N4 is 11.59×10(-3)min(-1) at pH7.0 and it increases to 103.50×10(-3)min(-1) at pH3.0 under visible light. A series of analyses demonstrate that the photodegradation mechanism is a combination of a H(+)-promoted generation of OH and elevation of the redox potential of conduct band of C3N4. The change of surface properties of C3N4 caused by pH variation also affects the degradation of some zwitterionic compounds by changing the adsorption orientation of pollutants. The revealed mechanism of visible light-C3N4-rhB system is meaningful to broaden the usage of C3N4 to the photodegradation of other organic pollutants.