Surfactant-enhanced electrokinetic removal of phenanthrene from kaolinite

Removal of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) using surfactant-enhanced electrokinetic (EK) method was studied in a model system. Kaolinite and phenanthrene were selected as a model clay soil and a representative HOC, respectively. Three different types of surfactants: APG (alkyl polyglucoside), Brij30 (polyoxyethylene-4-lauryl ether), and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), were used to enhance the solubility of HOC. Characteristics of surfactants, such as surface tension, HOC solubility, and biodegradability were measured. In the case of Brij30 solution, phenanthrene solubility was higher than that of others. After 4 days, APG and Brij30 were degraded by 65% and 26% of the initial amount, respectively. However, degradation of SDS was hardly detected. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) of Brij30 solution was lower than others when the 0.1M NaCl was used as electrolyte. Addition of the acetate buffer solution increased the EOF of Brij30 solution and enhanced removal of phenanthrene. Among three different surfactants tested, APG showed the highest removal efficiency.     

Arsenate removal from water by an alumina-modified zeolite recovered from fly ash

A cancrinite-type zeolite was synthesized from Class C fly ash by molten-salt method. The product (ZFA) was used as the adsorbent for the arsenate removal from water. The adsorption equilibriums of arsenate are investigated on various adsorbents. ZFA showed a higher adsorption capacity (5.1 mg g(-1)) than activated carbon (4.0 mg g(-1)), silica gel (0.46 mg g(-1)), zeolite NaY (1.4 mg g(-1)), and zeolite 5A (4.1 mg g(-1)). The relatively higher adsorption capacity of ZFA than zeolite NaY and 5A was attributed to the low Si/Al ratio and the mesoporous secondary pore structure of ZFA. However, it was found that the adsorption capacity of zeolites were generally lower than activated alumina (16.6 mg g(-1)), which is ascribed to the small pores in zeolite frameworks. The adsorption capacity of ZFA was significantly improved after loaded by alumina via a wet-impregnation method. The modified ZFA (ZFA-Al(50)) with the optimum alumina loading showed an adsorption capacity of 34.5 mg g(-1), which was 2.1 times higher than activated alumina. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) leachability tests indicated that the spent ZFA and alumina-modified ZFA complied with the EPA regulations for safe disposal.     

Copper(II) and lead(II) removal from aqueous solution in fixed-bed columns by manganese oxide coated zeolite

The ability of manganese oxide coated zeolite (MOCZ) to adsorb copper and lead ions in single- (non-competitive) and binary- (competitive) component sorption systems was studied in fixed-bed column. The experiments were applied to quantify particle size, bed length, influent flow rate and influent metal concentration on breakthrough time during the removal of copper and lead ions from aqueous solutions using MOCZ column. Results of fixed-bed adsorption showed that the breakthrough time appeared to increase with increase of the bed length and decrease of influent metal concentration, but decreased with increase of the flow rate. The Thomas model was applied to adsorption of copper and lead ions at bed length, MOCZ particle size, different flow rate and different initial concentration to predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristic parameters of the column useful for process design. The model was found suitable for describing the adsorption process of the dynamic behavior of the MOCZ column. The total adsorbed quantities, equilibrium uptakes and total removal percents of Cu(II) and Pb(II) related to the effluent volumes were determined by evaluating the breakthrough curves obtained at different conditions. The results suggested that MOCZ could be used as an adsorbent for an efficient removal of copper and lead ions from aqueous solution. The removal of metal ion was decreased when other additional heavy metal ion was added, but the total saturation capacity of MOCZ for copper and lead ions was not significantly decreased. This competitive adsorption also showed that adsorption of lead ions was decreased insignificantly when copper ions was added to the influent, whereas a dramatic decrease was observed on the adsorption of copper ions by the presence of lead ions. The removal of copper and lead ion by MOCZ columns followed the descending order: Pb(II) > Cu(II). The adsorbed copper and lead ions were easily desorbed from MOCZ with 0.5 mol l(-1) HNO3 solution.     

Evaluation of electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from sewage sludge

The presence of heavy metals is one of the main obstacles for agricultural use of million tonnes of dewatered sewage sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants. Electrokinetic (EK) treatment can be applied to remove heavy metals from sludge. The aim of this study was to increase the efficiency of electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from dewatered sewage sludge. EK experiments were carried out with and without pH adjustment in cathode chamber of acidified sewage sludge. The selective sequential extraction (SSE) was used to determine the fractionation of heavy metals in sewage sludge. The mobility of heavy metals in sludge significantly increased after its acidification at pH 2.7 and followed the order: Ni, Zn, Cu, As, Cr, Pb. Removal efficiencies of heavy metals in the experiment with acidified sewage sludge and pH adjustment at cathode chamber at 2.0 were: 95% for Zn, 96% for Cu, 90% for Ni, 68% for Cr, 31% for As and 19% for Pb. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr and Pb after EK treatment were below the United States Environmental Protection Agency limits for biosolids applied to agricultural land, forest, public contact sites or reclamation sites.     

Simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using an upward electrokinetic soil remediation process

Kaolins contaminated with heavy metals, Cu and Pb, and organic compounds, p-xylene and phenanthrene, were treated with an upward electrokinetic soil remediation (UESR) process. The effects of current density, cathode chamber flushing fluid, treatment duration, reactor size, and the type of contaminants under the vertical non-uniform electric field of UESR on the simultaneous removal of the heavy metals and organic contaminants were studied. The removal efficiencies of p-xylene and phenanthrene were higher in the experiments with cells of smaller diameter or larger height, and with distilled water flow in the cathode chamber. The removal efficiency of Cu and Pb were higher in the experiments with smaller diameter or shorter height cells and 0.01M HNO(3) solution as cathode chamber flow. In spite of different conditions for removal of heavy metals and organics, it is possible to use the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process for their simultaneous removal. Thus, in the experiments with duration of 6 days removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, p-xylene, Cu and Pb were 67%, 93%, 62% and 35%, respectively. The experiment demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process.     

Characterisation and environmental application of an Australian natural zeolite for basic dye removal from aqueous solution

An Australian natural zeolite was collected, characterised and employed for basic dye adsorption in aqueous solution. The natural zeolite is mainly composed of clinoptiloite, quartz and mordenite and has cation-exchange capacity of 120 meq/100g. The natural zeolite presents higher adsorption capacity for methylene blue than rhodamine B with the maximal adsorption capacity of 2.8 x 10(-5) and 7.9 x 10(-5)mol/g at 50 degrees C for rhodamine B and methylene blue, respectively. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption followed the pseudo second-order kinetics and could be described as two-stage diffusion process. The adsorption isotherm could be fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the adsorption is endothermic process with Delta H(0) at 2.0 and 8.7 kJ/mol for rhodamine B and methylene blue. It has also found that the regenerated zeolites by high-temperature calcination and Fenton oxidation showed similar adsorption capacity but lower than the fresh sample. Only 60% capacity could be recovered by the two regeneration techniques.     

Washing enhanced electrokinetic remediation for removal cadmium from real contaminated soil

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the combination of electrokinetic remediation and soil washing technology in order to remove cadmium from contaminated soil. This paper presents the results of an experimental research undertaken to evaluate different washing and purging solutions to enhance the removal of cadmium from a real contaminated soil during electrokinetic remediation. Two different experimental modules were applied in the laboratory. Soil was saturated with tap water, while acetic and hydrochloric acids, as well as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were used as purging solutions in the first module. Results show that there was a decrease of cadmium concentration near anode, but a significant increase in the middle of the cell, due to the increasing pH. Citric, nitric and acetic acids were used for soil washing and purging solutions in the second module. In this case, an 85% reduction of cadmium concentration was achieved. Therefore, results indicate that soil pH and washing solutions are the most important factors in governing the dissolution and/or desorption of Cd in a soil system under electrical fields.     

Monitoring of electrokinetic removal of heavy metals in tailing-soils using sequential extraction analysis

This research focused on the monitoring of the electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from tailing-soils, and emphasizes the dependency of removal efficiencies upon their physico-chemical states, as demonstrated by the different extraction methods adopted, which included aqua regia and sequential extraction. The tailing-soils examined contained high concentrations of target metal contaminants (Cd=179mgkg(-1), Cu=207mgkg(-1), Pb=5175mgkg(-1), and Zn=7600mgkg(-1)). The removal efficiencies of the different metals were significantly influenced by their speciations, mobilities and affinities (adsorption capacities) in the soil matrix. The removal efficiencies of mobile and weakly bound fractions, such as the exchangeable fraction were more than 90% by electrokinetic treatment, but strongly bound fractions, such as the organically bound species and residual fraction were not significantly removed (less than 30% removal efficiencies). In accordance with the general sequence of mobilities of heavy metals in soils, the removal efficiencies of more mobile heavy metals (Cd, Cu, and Zn) were higher than that of less mobile heavy metal (Pb).     

Copper oxide nanoparticles-loaded zeolite and its characteristics and antibacterial activities

In the present work, a simple and green co-precipitation method was used to prepare copper oxide-zeolite nanocomposites(CuO-zeolite NCs). The weight ratio(1, 3, 5, 8 and 10 wt%) of CuO nanoparticles(NPs)loaded into zeolite was investigated to obtain the optimum CuO distribution for antibacterial activities.The prepared CuO-zeolite NCs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible(UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(EDXRF). The transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) revealed a uniform surface morphology of the CuO-zeolite NCs.The UV–vis spectrum of NCs showed absorption peaks between 230 and 280 nm for nano-CuO in the XRD patterns, and new peaks appeared between(36.56?–38.83?) related to the CuO. At weight ratio less than 10 wt%, the CuO nanoparticles loaded to the zeolite exhibited spherical shapes with average particle diameter of 6.5 nm measured by TEM and XRD. Antibacterial activities were tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The obtained results showed that, CuO-zeolite NCs with 8 wt% CuO nanoparticles had the highest antibacterial activities against Bacillus Subtilis B29 and Salmonella Choleraesuis ATCC10708, which can be attributed to the good dispersion of CuO NPs on the zeolite surface.     

The removal torque increment on metal cans containing an asphaltic pruning seal compound

A study of cap removal torque of a 16 fl.oz. electrolytic tin plate (ETP) container and closure with continuous threads as well as a 0.04 inch polyethylene (PE) liner was conducted. These packages contain a solvent asphaltic pruning seal product. At room temperature the removal torque behaviour was investigated using ETP cans with and without the product at intervals of logarithmic decades of time in days. A SWAN-MATIC capping machine was utilized to provide predetermined application torques of 20, 30 and 40 in. lbs at 90d?, 80d? and 70d? angles of application. The removal torque of each experimental test was measured by hand using the SECURE PAK tester machine, which provided a maximum torque reading accuracy of up to a tenth of a unit. The study revealed that ETP containers with PE-lined ETP caps, uncontaminated with the product, exhibited logarithmic removal torque decay. However, the ETP container with the asphaltic pruning seal product spilled on the top and threads of the closure showed an increasing trend of removal torque. This occurrence was probably caused by the adhesive effect of the product at the closure.     

Study on zeolite enhanced contact-adsorption regeneration-stabilization process for nitrogen removal

Utilizing preferential ion exchange of zeolite to ammonium, the conventional contact stabilization activated sludge process (CS) can be upgraded to a new type nitrogen removal process, zeolite enhanced contact-adsorption regeneration-stabilization process (ZCS). For municipal wastewater, the effluent ammonium concentration of the ZCS process was around 6.83 mg/L, indicating that ammonium removal efficiency was enhanced over 27% when the influent ammonium concentration was between 24.7 and 50.5 mg/L in the same hydraulic retention time (HRT) and sludge retention time (SRT) conditions as those of the CS process. The results of PCR-DGGE technology showed that the microbial diversity, uniformity and abundance of the ZCS process were all higher than that of the CS process. In addition, anoxic/oxic (A/O) process with the volumetric ratio of oxic tank to anoxic tank being 2:1 was preferred for the regeneration process. The pilot scale ZCS process with the capacity to treat up to 72 m(3)/d of municipal wastewater was also monitored. The test results revealed that ammonium saturated zeolite could be biologically regenerated effectively and in time. The daily zeolite powder addition was limited to the amount that made up the loss due to the sludge excluding. Furthermore, the orthogonal experiments results showed that the most significant effects on nitrogen and ammonium removal were zeolite powder dose and external recycle ratio, respectively.     

Positron annihilation studies on nasicon analogues containing cation vacancies

Positron annihilation studies were carried out on the Nasicon analogue Na₂(La, Al)Zr(PO₄)₃ compound for three different concentrations (2·2, 2·8 and 5·2 by wt.%) of ZrO₂ in the nutrient. Angular correlation study of annihilated photons reveals that the defect concentration is maximum for 2·8 (wt.%) of ZrO₂. Further, positron lifetime studies indicate that the positrons are trapped at cation vacancies. Application of a two-state trapping model to this system made it possible to evaluate the lifetime of positrons in the Bloch state and of positrons trapped at cation vacancies.     

Use of solar cell in electrokinetic remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil

This preliminary study used a solar cell, instead of direct current (DC) power supply, to generate electric field for electrokinetic (EK) remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil. Three EK tests were conducted and compared; one was conducted on a cloudy and rainy day with solar cell, one was conducted on a sunny day with solar cell and another was conducted periodically with DC power supply. It was found that the output potential of solar cell depended on daytime and was influenced by weather conditions; the applied potential in soil was affected by the output potential and weather conditions, and the current achieved by solar cell was comparable with that achieved by DC power supply. Solar cell could be used to drive the electromigration of cadmium in contaminated soil, and removal efficiency achieved by solar cell was comparable with that achieved by DC power supply. Compared with traditional DC power supply, using solar cell as power supply for EK remediation can greatly reduce energy expenditure. This study provided an alternative to improve the EK soil remediation and expanded the use of solar cell in environmental remediation.