Yili Wang

Removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution by hydrous manganese dioxide: Adsorption behavior and mechanism

Hydrous manganese dioxide (HMO) synthesized by redox of potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide was used as an adsorbent for Pb(II) removal. The specific surface area, pore volume and BJH pore diameter of the HMO were 79.31 m2/g, 0.07 cm3/g and 3.38 nm, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium at 298 K could be well described by the Langmuir isotherm equation with qmax value of 352.55 mg/g. The negative values of deltaG and the positive values of deltaH and deltaS indicated the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The pseudo second-order equation could best fit the adsorption data. The value of the calculated activation energy for Pb(II) adsorption onto the HMO was 38.23 kJ/mol. The uptake of Pb(II) by HMO was correlated with increasing surface hydroxyl group content and the main adsorbed speciation was PbOH+. The final chemical state of Pb(II) on the surface of HMO was similar to PbO. HMO was a promising candidate for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solution.

Rheological and fractal characteristics of unconditioned and conditioned water treatment residuals

The rheological and fractal characteristics of raw (unconditioned) and conditioned water treatment residuals (WTRs) were investigated in this study. Variations in morphology, size, and image fractal dimensions of the flocs/aggregates in these WTR systems with increasing polymer doses were analyzed. The results showed that when the raw WTRs were conditioned with the polymer CZ8688, the optimum polymer dosage was observed at 24 kg/ton dry sludge. The average diameter of irregularly shaped flocs/aggregates in the WTR suspensions increased from 42.54 μm to several hundred micrometers with increasing polymer doses. Furthermore, the aggregates in the conditioned WTR system displayed boundary/surface and mass fractals. At the optimum polymer dosage, the aggregates formed had a volumetric average diameter of about 820.7 μm, with a one-dimensional fractal dimension of 1.01 and a mass fractal dimension of 2.74 on the basis of the image analysis. Rheological tests indicated that the conditioned WTRs at the optimum polymer dosage showed higher levels of shear-thinning behavior than the raw WTRs. Variations in the limiting viscosity (η(∞)) of conditioned WTRs with sludge content could be described by a linear equation, which were different from the often-observed empirical exponential relationship for most municipal sludge. With increasing temperature, the η(∞) of the raw WTRs decreased more rapidly than that of the raw WTRs. Good fitting results for the relationships between lgη(∞)∼T using the Arrhenius equation indicate that the WTRs had a much higher activation energy for viscosity of about 17.86-26.91 J/mol compared with that of anaerobic granular sludge (2.51 J/mol) (Mu and Yu, 2006). In addition, the Bingham plastic model adequately described the rheological behavior of the conditioned WTRs, whereas the rheology of the raw WTRs fit the Herschel-Bulkley model well at only certain sludge contents. Considering the good power-law relationships between the limiting viscosity and sludge content of the conditioned WTRs, their mass fractal dimensions were calculated through the models proposed by Shih et al. (1990), which were 2.48 for these conditioned WTR aggregates. The results demonstrate that conditioned WTRs behave like weak-link flocs/aggregates.

Fractal analysis of polyferric chloride-humic acid (PFC-HA) flocs in different topological spaces.

The fractal dimensions in different topological spaces of polyferric chloride-humic acid (PFC-HA) flocs, formed in flocculating different kinds of humic acids (HA) water at different initial pH (9.0, 7.0, 5.0) and PFC dosages, were calculated by effective density-maximum diameter, image analysis, and N2 absorption-desorption methods, respectively. The mass fractal dimensions (Df) of PFC-HA flocs were calculated by bi-logarithm relation of effective density with maximum diameter and Logan empirical equation. The Df value was more than 2.0 at initial pH of 7.0, which was 11% and 13% higher than those at pH 9.0 and 5.0, respectively, indicating the most compact flocs formed in flocculated HA water at initial pH of 7.0. The image analysis for those flocs indicates that after flocculating the HA water at initial pH greater than 7.0 with PFC flocculant, the fractal dimensions of D2 (logA vs. logdL) and D3 (logVsphere VS. logdL) of PFC-HA flocs decreased with the increase of PFC dosages, and PFC-HA flocs showed a gradually looser structure. At the optimum dosage of PFC, the D2 (logA vs. logdL) values of the flocs show 14%-43% difference with their corresponding Df, and they even had different tendency with the change of initial pH values. However, the D2 values of the flocs formed at three different initial pH in HA solution had a same tendency with the corresponding Dr. Based on fractal Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) adsorption and desorption equations, the pore surface fractal dimensions (Ds) for dried powders of PFC-HA flocs formed in HA water with initial pH 9.0 and 7.0 were all close to 2.9421, and the Ds values of flocs formed at initial pH 5.0 were less than 2.3746. It indicated that the pore surface fractal dimensions of PFC-HA flocs dried powder mainly show the irregularity from the mesopore-size distribution and marcopore-size distribution.

Contribution of stratified extracellular polymeric substances to the gel-like and fractal structures of activated sludge.

The gel-like and fractal structures of activated sludge (AS) before and after extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extraction as well as different EPS fractions were investigated. The contributions of individual components in different EPS fractions to the gel-like behavior of sludge samples by enzyme treatment were examined as well. The centrifugation and ultrasound method was employed to stratify the EPS into slime, loosely and tightly bound EPS (LB- and TB-EPS). It was observed that all samples behaved as weak gels with weak-link. TB-EPS and AS after LB-EPS extraction showed the strongest elasticity in higher concentrations and highest mass fractal dimension, which may indicate the key role of TB-EPS in the gel-like and fractal structures of the sludge. Effects of protease or amylase on the gel-like property of sludge samples differed in the presence of different EPS fractions.

Effects of solution conditions on the physicochemical properties of stratification components of extracellular polymeric substances in anaerobic digested sludge

The composition and effects of solution conditions on the physicochemical properties of the stratification components of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in anaerobic digested sludge were determined. The total EPS in anaerobic digested sludge were extracted by the cation exchange resin method. Another EPS extraction method, the centrifugation and sonication technique was employed to stratify the EPS into three fractions: slime, loosely bound (LB)-EPS, and tightly bound (TB)-EPS from the outside to the inside of the anaerobic digested sludge. Proteins and polysaccharides were dispersed uniformly across the different EPS fractions, and humic-like substances were mainly partitioned in the slime, with TB-EPS second. Protein was the major constituent of the LB-EPS and TB-EPS, and the corresponding ratios ranged from 54.0% to 65.6%. The hydrophobic part in the EPS chemical components was primarily comprised of protein and DNA, while the hydrophilic part was mainly composed of polysaccharide. In the slime, the hydrophobic values of several EPS chemical components (protein, polysaccharide, humic-like substances and DNA) were all below 50%. The protein/polysaccharide ratio had a significant influence on the Zeta potentials and isoelectric point values of the EPS: the greater the protein/polysaccharide ratio of the EPS was, the greater the Zeta potential and the higher the isoelectric point value were. All Zeta potentials of the EPS showed a decreasing trend with increasing pH. The corresponding isoelectric point values (pH) were 2.8 for total EPS, 2.2 for slime, 2.7 for LB-EPS, and 2.6 for TB-EPS. As the ionic strength increased, the Zeta potentials sharply increased and then gradually became constant without charge reversal. In addition, as the temperature increased (< 40 degrees C), the apparent viscosity of the EPS decreased monotonically and then gradually became stable between 40 and 60 degrees C.

Effect of solid contents on the controlled shear stress rheological properties of different types of sludge

Controlled shear stress (CSS) test was used to study the effect of solid contents on the corresponding rheological parameters for sludge. Three types of sludge with or without conditioning, including activated sludge (AS), anaerobic digested sludge (ADS), and water treatment residuals (WTRs), were collected for the CSS test. Results showed that the yield stress and the cohesion energy of the sludge networks were improved with increased total suspending solid (TSS) contents in most cases. For the conditioned AS/ADS and the raw WTRs, exponential law was observed in the relationships between cohesion energy of material networks or yield stress and the TSS contents, whereas for the conditioned WTRs, only exponential law dependence was found between the parameters of shear modulus or critical strain and the TSS contents.

Preparation and evaluation of aminopropyl-functionalized manganese-loaded SBA-15 for copper removal from aqueous solution

A novel material, aminopropyl-functionalized manganese-loaded SBA-15 (NH2-Mn-SBA-15), was synthesized by bonding 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) onto manganese-loaded SBA-15 (Mn-SBA-15) and used as a Cu2+ adsorbent in aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction spectra (XRD), N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, high resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the NH2-Mn-SBA-15. The ordered mesoporous structure of SBA-15 was remained after modification. The manganese oxides were mainly loaded on the internal surface of the pore channels while the aminopropyl groups were mainly anchored on the external surface of SBA-15. The adsorption of Cu2+ on NH2-Mn-SBA-15 was fitted well by the Langmuir equation and the maximum adsorption capacity of NH2-Mn-SBA-15 for Cu2+ was over two times higher than that of Mn-SBA-15 under the same conditions. The Elovich equation gave a good fit for the adsorption process of Cu2+ by NH2-Mn-SBA-15 and Mn-SBA-15. Both the loaded manganese oxides and the anchored aminopropyl groups were found to contribute to the uptake of Cu2+. The NH2-Mn-SBA-15 showed high selectivity for copper ions. Consecutive adsorption-desorption experiments showed that the NH2-Mn-SBA-15 could be regenerated by acid treatment without altering its properties.

Performance and bioparticle growth of anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) fed with low-strength domestic sewage

We investigated the performance of a 15.3 L capacity anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) toward the treatment of low-strength domestic wastewater. The startup period of the ABR was finished within approximately 130 days at a temperature below 25°C. The average CODCr in the effluent was 165 mg·L−1, and the corresponding CODCr removal efficiency of the ABR was 52.3%. During the third stage (from day 130 to day 233) of ABR operation, the average CODCr in the effluent reached 71 mg·L−1, which meets the secondary discharge requirement of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB 18918-2002, China). Moreover, partial microbial separation was observed along the five ABR compartments through scanning electron microscopic images. The geometric mean diameter of bioparticles in the five compartments increased from 0.050 mm to 0.111, 0.107, 0.104, 0.110, and 0.103 mm during the start-up stage. After operation for 179 days, the corresponding diameters further increased to 0.376, 0.225, 0.253, 0.239, and 0.288 mm, respectively. The fractal dimensions of the bioparticles indicated that these particles have smoother surfaces and more compact structures during ABR operation. Morphological analysis of the bioparticle sections demonstrated that the bioparticles have a pore volume of 30%–55%. The highest porosity was observed for the bioparticles in the second ABR compartment, whereas the lowest fractal dimension of bioparticle section was observed in the fifth compartment.

Magnetic micro-particle conditioning–pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (MPEOD) of activated sludge: Role and behavior of moisture and organics

In this study, a magnetic micro-particle conditioning-pressurized vertical electro-osmotic dewatering (MPEOD) process with magnetic micro-particle conditioning-drainage under gravity-mechanical compression-electrical compression (MMPC-DG-MC-EC) stages was established to study the distribution and migration of water, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and other organic matter in the activated sludge (AS) matrix at each stage. Results showed that the MPEOD process could attain 53.52% water content (WC) in dewatered AS with bound water (BW) and free water (FW) reduction rates of 82.97% and 99.67%, respectively. The coagulation and time-delayed magnetic field effects of magnetic micro-particles (MMPs) along the MMPC-DG-MC stages initiated the transformation of partial BW to FW in AS. EC had a coupling driving effect of electro-osmosis and pressure on BW, and the changes in pH and temperature at EC stage induced the aggregation of AS flocs and the release of partial BW. Additionally, MMPs dosing further improved the dewatering performance of AS by acting as skeleton builders to provide water passages. Meanwhile, MMPs could disintegrate sludge cells and EPS fractions, thereby reducing tryptophan-like protein and byproduct-like material concentrations in LB-EPS as well as protein/polysaccharide ratio in AS matrix, which could improve AS filterability. At EC stage, the former four Ex/Em regions of fluorescence regional integration analysis for EPS were obviously reduced, especially the protein-like substances in LB- and TB-EPS, which contributed to improvement of AS dewaterability.

Reversibility of the structure and dewaterability of anaerobic digested sludge.

The reversibility of the structure and dewaterability of broken anaerobic digested sludge (ADS) is important to ensure the efficiency of sludge treatment or management processes. This study investigated the effect of continuous strong shear (CSS) and multipulse shear (MPS) on the zeta potential, size (median size, d50), mass fractal dimension (D(F)), and capillary suction time (CST) of ADS aggregates. Moreover, the self-regrowth (SR) of broken ADS aggregates during slow mixing was also analyzed. The results show that raw ADS with d50 of 56.5 μm was insensitive to CSS-SR or MPS-SR, though the size slightly decreased after the breakage phase. For conditioned ADS with d50 larger than 600 μm, the breakage in small-scale surface erosion changed to large-scale fragmentation as the CSS strength increased. In most cases, after CSS or MPS, the broken ADS had a relatively more compact structure than before and d50 is at least 200 μm. The CST of the broken fragments from optimally dosed ADS increased, whereas that corresponding to overdosed ADS decreased. MPS treatment resulted in larger and more compact broken ADS fragments with a lower CST value than CSS. During the subsequent slow mixing, the broken ADS aggregates did not recover their charge, size, and dewaterability to the initial values before breakage. In addition, less than 15% self-regrowth in terms of percentage of the regrowth factor was observed in broken ADS after CSS at average velocity gradient no less than 1905.6 sec(-1).