Removal of uranium by biogenetic jarosite coupled with photoinduced reduction in the presence of oxalic acid: a low-cost remediation technology

Strain-Induced Self-Assembly at Interface of Two-Dimensional Heterostructures Boosts CO2 Reduction to Methanol by H2O

CO2 conversion with pure H2O into CH3OH and O2 driven by solar energy can supply fuels and life-essential substances for extraterrestrial exploration. However, the effective production of CH3OH is significantly challenging. Here we report an organozinc complex/MoS2 heterostructure linked by well-defined zinc-sulfur covalent bonds derived by the structural deformation and intensive coupling of dx2 - y2(Zn)-p(S) orbitals at the interface, resulting in distinctive charge transfer behaviors and excellent redox capabilities as revealed by experimental characterizations and first-principle calculations. The synthesis strategy is further generalized to more organometallic compounds, achieving various heterostructures for CO2 photoreduction. The optimal catalyst delivers a promising CH3OH yield of 2.57 mmol gcat-1 h-1 and selectivity of more than 99.5%. The reverse water gas shift mechanism is identified for methanol formation. Meanwhile, energy-unfavorable adsorption of methanol on MoS2, where the photogenerated holes accumulate, ensures the selective oxidation of water over methanol.

Advances in the management of radioactive wastes and radionuclide contamination in environmental compartments: a review

Several anthropogenic activities produce radioactive materials into the environment. According to reports, exposure to high concentrations of radioactive elements such as potassium (⁴⁰K), uranium (²³⁸U and ²³⁵U), and thorium (²³²Th) poses serious health concerns. The scarcity of reviews addressing the occurrence/sources, distribution, and remedial solutions of radioactive contamination in the ecosystems has fueled data collection for this bibliometric survey. In rivers and potable water, reports show that several parts of Europe and Asia have recorded radionuclide concentrations much higher than the permissible level of 1 Bq/L. According to various investigations, activity concentrations of gamma-emitting radioactive elements discovered in soils are higher than the global average crustal values, especially around mining activities. Adsorption technique is the most prevalent remedial method for decontaminating radiochemically polluted sites. However, there is a need to investigate integrated approaches/combination techniques. Although complete radionuclide decontamination utilizing the various technologies is feasible, future research should focus on cost-effectiveness, waste minimization, sustainability, and rapid radionuclide decontamination. Radioactive materials can be harnessed as fuel for nuclear power generation to meet worldwide energy demand. However, proper infrastructure must be put in place to prevent catastrophic disasters.

Utilization of metal industry solid waste as an adsorbent for adsorption of anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solution through the batch and continuous study

Industrial waste, for instance, textile effluents when released into the ecological system without first being treated or with inappropriate levels of treatment, can lead to serious issues deteriorating the environment and human health. Moreover, solid waste from various industries has also become a major issue due to massive urbanization. For instance, the waste from the metal industry has been rapidly increasing such as Jarosite which has various metals, metal oxides, and silica in its composition. Therefore, Jarosite was utilized as an adsorbent for the adsorption of anionic Congo red (CR) and cationic Methylene blue (MB) dyes from aqueous solutions. The processed adsorbent sample was characterized by BET, XRD, SEM, EDS, FTIR, and XPS techniques. The effects of initial dye concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, and contact time were examined. The metal industry waste is used as a low-cost abundant adsorbent with great potential for adsorption ability to remove the CR (97.5%) and MB (68.5%) at pH 7, contact time 90 min, adsorbent dose 0.1 g, and initial dye concentration 50 mg/L. The adsorption data followed the adsorption isotherm and Kinetics for both dyes. The removal of both dyes was a physical adsorption process, endothermic and spontaneous reaction. Column adsorption investigation was described by AB (Adams-Bohart) and YN (Yoon-Nelson) models. According to the economic view, the utilization of jarosite for dye removal is a cost-effective approach, because it is collected free of cost from industries. Henceforth, for the first time, toxic metal industry waste was successfully utilized as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Sulfur enhancement effects for uranium bioleaching in column reactors from a refractory uranium ore

The feasibility of sulfur enhancement for uranium bioleaching in column reactors was assessed with a designed mixed Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Leptospirillum ferriphilum from a refractory uranium ore. The uranium extraction reached 86.2% with the sulfur enhancement (1 g/kg) in 77 days leaching process, increased by 12.6% vs. the control without sulfur addition. The kinetic analysis showed that uranium bioleaching with sulfur enhancement in columns followed an internal diffusion through the product layer-controlled model. Ore residue characteristics indicated that sulfur enhancement could strengthen the porosity of passivation layer, improving the ore permeability. Notably, bacterial community analysis showed that sulfur enhancement at 1 g/kg could make the iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria on the ore surface maintain a good balance (approx. 1:1), and thus decomposing ore more effectively. Lastly, a possible mechanism model for uranium bioleaching with sulfur enhancement was proposed.