Yoon-Young Chang

Kinetics of reductive denitrification by nanoscale zero-valent iron

Zero-valent iron powder (Fe0) has been determined to be potentially useful for the removal of nitrate in the water environment. This research is aimed at subjecting the kinetics of denitrification by nanoscale Fe0 to an analysis of factors affecting the chemical denitrification of nitrate. Nanoscale iron particles with a diameter in the range of 1-100 nm, which are characterized by the large BET specific surface area to mass ratio (31.4 m2/g), removed mostly 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/l of nitrate within a period of 30 min with little intermediates. Compared with microscale (75-150 microm) Fe0, end product is not ammonia but N2 gas. Kinetics analysis from batch studies revealed that the denitrification reaction with nanoscale Fe0 appeared to be a pseudo first-order with respect to substrate and the observed reaction rate constant (k(obs)) varied with iron content at a relatively low degree of application. The effects of mixing intensity (rpm) on the denitrification rate suggest that the denitrification appears to be coupled with oxidative dissolution of iron through a largely mass transport-limited surface reaction (<40 rpm).

Hierarchically structured manganese oxide-coated magnetic nanocomposites for the efficient removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous systems.

In this study, hierarchical MnO2-coated magnetic nanocomposite (Fe3O4/MnO2) was synthesized by a mild hydrothermal process, and its application for removing heavy metal ions from contaminated water systems was examined. Structural characterization showed that the Fe3O4 nanoparticle core was coated with amorphous MnO2 shell with flowerlike morphology. The as-prepared nanocomposite had a large surface area and high magnetic saturation value, which ensured its good sorption ability and convenience of separation. Fe3O4/MnO2 exhibited a greatly improved removal capacity toward four different heavy metals (Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II)) compared to unmodified Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The adsorption property of Fe3O4/MnO2 was studied with Cd(II) in more detail. The sorption equilibrium data were well fitted to the Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacity toward Cd(II) was 53.2 mg g(-1). Fe3O4/MnO2 retained over 80% of its adsorption capacity under various solution conditions that are typically encountered in natural waters. This nanocomposite was easily recovered and reused through consecutive adsorption-desorption experiments with the assistance of an external magnetic field. Overall, the findings propose that Fe3O4/MnO2 could be used as an effective recyclable adsorbent for heavy metal ions.

Heavy Metal Concentrations and Enzyme Activities in Soil from a Contaminated Korean Shooting Range.

Soil enzyme activities and heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb) were measured at a general shooting range in South Korea. Total heavy metal concentrations varied with pH, and were negatively correlated with moisture content and organic matter. Most enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and beta-glucosidase) and ATP values (measure of biomass) were lower in polluted soils, especially in bald spots contaminated by heavy metals and TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene). These data indicate that concentrated shooting activity inhibits enzyme activity and microbial growth. Soil enzyme activities in richly vegetated spots around the general shooting range were higher (2- to 3-fold) than in bald spots, but lower in areas of heavy metal contamination. Our results demonstrate that the dominant plant species in richly vegetated spots accumulated heavy metals from soils, and suggest certain plants may be useful for decontaminating polluted soil.

Steel dust catalysis for Fenton-like oxidation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins.

An advanced oxidation process (AOP) for degrading toxic contaminants, specifically polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), was developed to utilize steel dust, a steel industry by-product, as the heterogenous catalyst for a Fenton-like oxidation. The steel dust was treated using a chemical acid etchant (HCl) and ultrasound to remove surface anchored groups, reduce aggregation, and thereby increase the specific surface areas, resulting in increased access to catalytic sites. The removal of PCDD was optimized through various reaction conditions. The removal percentage of 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorintated dibenzo-p-dioxins (1,2,3,4-TCDD, 3.1 microM) after 3 h of Fenton-like oxidation under the conditions of 3 g/L (88 mM) H(2)O(2) and pH 3 was approximately 97% with 10 g/L of steel dust, compared to approximately 99% when 5 g/L metallic iron was used as a control. When a PCDD mixture (0.5-0.7 nM) was treated, 10 g/L (92 mM) steel dust achieved approximately 88% removal, comparable to the removal with 5 g/L (89 mM) Fisher iron with 3 g/L (88 mM) H(2)O(2.) These results indicate that the steel dust is a potentially viable catalyst for removing PCDDs from contaminated water.

Buffalo weed (Ambrosia trifida L. var. trifida) biochar for cadmium (II) and lead (II) adsorption in single and mixed system.

AbstractBiochars (BWBC 300, BWBC 500 and BWBC 700) derived from buffalo weed (Ambrosia trifida L. var. trifida) at different pyrolysis temperatures of 300, 500 and 700°C were investigated for the removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The physicochemical properties of the biochars were studied using FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller surface area, cation exchange capacity and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The adsorption at solution pH = 5 could be well described by Freundlich model for Cd(II) and Pb(II) in their single and mixed system with R2 ⩾ 0.95. The maximum adsorption capacities of the biochar BWBC 700 from the Langmuir equation were found to be 11.63 and 333.33 mg g−1 for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model was fitted well in describing the adsorption kinetics of Cd(II) and Pb(II) onto the biochar BWBC 700. About 0.02 mol L−1 disodium salt of EDTA was able to desorb Cd(II) and Pb(II) from the...

Preparation and characterization of porous reduced graphene oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite nanocomposite for adsorption removal of radionuclides

For the removal of uranium(VI) (U(VI)) and thorium(IV) (Th(IV)), graphene oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite (GONF) nanocomposite and reduced graphene oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite (rGONF) nanocomposite were prepared by co-precipitation of GO with nickel and iron salts in one pot. The spectral characterization analyses revealed that GONF and rGONF have a porous surface morphology with an average particle size of 41.41nm and 32.16nm, respectively. The magnetic property measurement system (MPMS) studies confirmed the formation of ferromagnetic GONF and superparamagnetic rGONF. The adsorption kinetics studies found that the pseudo-second-order kinetics was well tune to the U(VI) and Th(IV) adsorption. The results of adsorption isotherms showed that the adsorption of U(VI) and Th(IV) were due to the monolayer on homogeneous surface of the GONF and rGONF. The adsorptions of both U(VI) and Th(IV) were increased with increasing system temperature from 293 to 333±2K. The thermodynamic studies reveal that the U(VI) and Th(IV) adsorption onto GONF and rGONF was endothermic. GONF and rGONF, which could be separated by external magnetic field, were recycled and re-used for up to five cycles without any significant loss of adsorption capacity.

Fabrication of novel oxygen-releasing alginate beads as an efficient oxygen carrier for the enhancement of aerobic bioremediation of 1,4-dioxane contaminated groundwater

Oxygen-releasing alginate beads (ORABs), a new concept of oxygen-releasing compounds (ORCs) designed to overcome some limitations regarding the fast oxygen release rate and the high pH equilibrium of ORCs, were fabricated to promote the stimulation of aerobic biodegradation in anaerobic groundwater. Slow oxygen-releasing rate and maintenance of constant pH were achieved by changing the parameters (ionic radius and valence) related to the cross-linking ions composing ORABs, and the best results were obtained for ORABs cross-linked with Al (Al-ORABs). Furthermore, the mechanism of the improved aerobic biodegradation using Al-ORABs under oxygen-limiting groundwater conditions was elucidated in batch and column studies with 1,4-dioxane and Mycrobacterium sp. PH-06 as a model contaminant and aerobic microbes, respectively. Maximum 1,4-dioxane degradations of 99% and 68.1% were achieved when Al-ORABs were applied in batch and column conditions, respectively, whereas 34.3% and 18% of 1,4-dioxane were degraded without Al-ORABs in batch and column conditions, respectively.

Effects of the density of carboxyl groups in organic compounds on the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) in a TiO2 suspension

Photocatalytic reduction (PCR) of Cr(VI) in a TiO2 suspension was studied at pH 4 in the presence of organic compounds containing different numbers of carboxyl groups. The compounds studied were glycine (Gly), iminodiacetic acid (IDA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). In all the cases, near complete Cr(VI) removal was observed after 60 minutes. During PCR process, the aqueous Cr(VI) concentration measured with both Ion Chromatography and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometery was different in the presence of IDA and EDTA as reaction proceeded while little difference was observed in a control test. This result suggests that a greater portion of reduced Cr(III) species was possibly dissolved through complex formation with IDA (Cr(III)-IDA) and EDTA (Cr(III)-EDTA) or with reaction intermediates (Cr(III)-organic complexes) during PCR compared to the control test. As the number of carboxyl group increased Cr(VI) reduction increased and showed a good linear relationship between initial rates of Cr(VI) reduction and adsorption density of carboxyl group of the surface of TiO2. The initial rate of Cr(VI) reduction in the presence of EDTA was 5 times greater than that in control. When the PCR process was applied in the treatment of real wastewater, an effective Cr(VI) reduction was observed with addition of EDTA.

Quantitative analysis and reduction of the eco-toxicity risk of heavy metals for the fine fraction of automobile shredder residue (ASR) using H2O2

Automobile shredder residue (ASR) fraction (size <0.25mm) can be considered as hazardous due to presence of high concentrations of heavy metals. Hydrogen peroxide combined with nitric acid has been used for the recovery of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr) from the fine fraction of ASR. A sequential extraction procedure has also been used to determine the heavy metal speciation in the fine fraction of ASR before and after treatment. A risk analysis of the fine fraction of ASR before and after treatment was conducted to assess the bioavailability and eco-toxicity of heavy metals. These results showed that the recovery of heavy metals from ASR increased with an increase in the hydrogen peroxide concentration. A high concentration of heavy metals was found to be present in Cbio fractions (the sum of the exchangeable and carbonate fractions) in the fine fraction of ASR, indicating high toxicity risk. The Cbio rate of all selected heavy metals was found to range from 8.6% to 33.4% of the total metal content in the fine fraction of ASR. After treatment, Cbio was reduced to 0.3-3.3% of total metal upon a treatment with 2.0% hydrogen peroxide. On the basis of the risk assessment code (RAC), the environmental risk values for heavy metals in the fine fraction of ASR reflect high risk/medium risk. However, after treatment, the heavy metals would be categorized as low risk/no risk. The present study concludes that hydrogen peroxide combined with nitric acid is a promising treatment for the recovery and reduction of the eco-toxicity risk of heavy metals in ASR.

Enhanced degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in a soil column planted with Indian mallow (Abutilon avicennae)

Phytoremediation of soil contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was studied by growing Indian mallow (Abutilon avicennae) in a soil column reactor with 2 kg of TNT contaminated soil (120 mgTNT/kg) in the top and 18 kg of uncontaminated soil in the bottom. After 50 d, TNT remaining in the column with Indian mallow was 23.2% of the initial TNT, while 48.1% of the initial TNT remained in the column without Indian mallow. In the TNT contaminated column, the growth of Indian mallow decreased by 32.4% in roots and 34.3% in shoots on a dry weight basis, respectively, compared to the uncontaminated column. However, critical symptoms such as chlorosis and leaf loss were not observed. Of the 76.8% of the TNT that disappeared in the planted column, less than 0.2% of initial TNT was recovered in the shoot and root extracts of Indian mallow. TNT transformation products in plants include unidentified polar intermediates and aminodinitrotoluenes. The results showed that planting Indian mallow in TNT contaminated soil enhanced TNT reduction both by stimulating microbial activity that enhances microbial TNT transformation, and by direct uptake and phytotransformation of TNT.