Yuh-fan Su

Effects of various ions on the dechlorination kinetics of hexachlorobenzene by nanoscale zero-valent iron.

The effect of several anions and cations normally co-present in soil and groundwater contamination sites on the degradation kinetics and removal efficiency of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles was examined. The degradation kinetics was not influenced by the HCO(3)(-), Mg(2+), and Na(+) ions. It was enhanced in the presence of the Cl(-) and SO(4)(2-) ions due to their corrosion promotion. The NO(3)(-) competes with HCB so it inhibits the degradation reaction. The Fe(2+) ions would inhibit the degradation reaction due to passivation layer formed, while it was enhanced in the presence of Cu(2+) ions resulted from the reduced form of copper on NZVI surfaces. These observations lead to a better understanding of HCB dechlorination with NZVI particles and can facilitate the remediation design and prediction of treatment efficiency of HCB at remediation sites.

Aggregation of stabilized TiO2 nanoparticle suspensions in the presence of inorganic ions

The present study aims to evaluate the effect of inorganic ions on the aggregation kinetics of stabilized titanium dioxide (TiO(2) ) nanoparticle (NP) suspension, an NP mode widely used in consumer goods and in aquatic environments. The point of zero charge of stabilized TiO(2) NPs was approximately pH 6.5. The particle size of the stabilized TiO(2) NP suspensions increased with the increase in salt concentrations. The additional salts caused the shift of zeta potentials of TiO(2) suspensions to a lower value. The TiO(2) NPs aggregated more obviously in the presence of anions than cations, and the effect of divalent anions was larger than that of monovalent anions. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) values for commercial TiO(2) NP suspensions with positive surfaces were estimated as 290 and 2.3 meq/L for Cl(-) and SO 42-, respectively. These CCC values of stabilized TiO(2) NP suspensions are higher than those of TiO(2) NP powders, indicating greater stability of the commercial stabilized TiO(2) NP suspensions. The effects of commercial TiO(2) NP suspensions still need to be explored and defined. Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) analysis can explain the aggregation behaviors of stabilized TiO(2) NP suspensions. Such an understanding can facilitate the prediction of NP fate in the environment.

Removal of trichloroethylene by zerovalent iron/activated carbon derived from agricultural wastes

Activated carbon (AC) and zerovalent iron (ZVI) have been widely used in the adsorption and dehalogenation process, respectively, for the removal of organic compounds in environmental treatments. This study aims to prepare ZVI/AC derived from an agricultural waste, coir pith, through simple one-step pyrolysis. The effect of activation temperature and time on the surface area, iron content, and zerovalent iron ratio of ZVI/AC was systemically investigated. The results indicated that the activation of AC by FeSO4 significantly increased surface area of AC and distributed elemental iron over the AC. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of ZVI/AC revealed that zerovalent iron was present. As compared to AC without FeSO4 activation, ZVI/AC increased the trichloroethylene removal rate constant by 7 times. The dechlorination ability of ZVI/AC was dominated by the zerovalent iron content. We have shown that lab-made ZVI/AC from coir pith can effectively adsorb and dehalogenate the chlorinated compounds in water.

Distinctive sorption mechanisms of 4-chlorophenol with black carbons as elucidated by different pH.

Black carbon (BC) has been considered as an important sorbent in the environment in recent years due to its high sorption capacity and unique sorption behavior. Sorption characteristics of black carbons from two main sources were investigated to get a better understanding of organic chemical fate in the environment. The present study showed sorption mechanisms of 4-chlorophenol, a common organic contaminant in the surroundings, in two kinds of black carbons, soot surrogate (BC1) and environmental char (BC2) derived from rice straw. Sorption capacity of 4-chlorophenol was much higher in BC1 than on BC2 due to the larger surface area of BC1. However, the surface-area normalized sorption coefficients (sorption capacity per surface area) of BC2 were higher than those of BC1, indicating electrostatic attraction and actions of polar foundational groups on BC2 can react with 4-chlorophenol. With increasing temperature, sorption of BC1 decreased but the sorption of BC2 significantly increased at pH 10 and only slightly increased at pH 4. An exothermic sorption reaction was found for BC1; however, an endothermic reaction of chemical sorption occurred on BC2 at pH 10 due to the electrostatic attraction. At pH4, sorption capacity of BC2 decreased and the small positive sorption enthalpy indicated that less electrostatic attractions occurred because of the neutral form of 4-chlorophenol and the domination of mainly hydrophobic interactions.

Concurrent oxidation and reduction of pentachlorophenol by bimetallic zerovalent Pd/Fe nanoparticles in an oxic water.

Under the oxic condition, the most effective removal of pentachlorophenol (PCP) with Pd/Fe nanoparticles (NPs) is demonstrated as compared to the anoxic condition. Concurrent oxidation and reduction of polychlorinated compounds such as PCP by zerovalent Pd/Fe were first observed. The optimal Pd content of the bimetallic NPs is only around 0.54 mg g(-1) Fe. Increases in both dosage of Pd/Fe NPs and temperature enhance degradation rates and efficiency. The activation energy of 29 kJ/mol indicates that the degradation is a surface-mediated mechanism. The removal mechanism also includes adsorption, which explains that the dechlorination of Cl on PCP molecules at ortho and meta positions is easier than that at para position. Overall, Pd/Fe NPs can apply directly to degrade polyhalogenated compounds in water without deaeration.