Simultaneous NO and SO2 removal by aqueous persulfate activated by combined heat and Fe2+: experimental and kinetic mass transfer model studies

Sodium ascorbate as additive in red mud slurry for simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification: Insights into the multiple influence factors and reaction mechanism

Based on the ultra-low emission demand of SO₂ and NO_x in flue gas, a new absorption method was proposed to improve the desulfurization and denitrification efficiency and reduce the amount of ozone by using sodium ascorbate as an additive in red mud slurry. Compared with pure red mud slurry, the red mud (RM) + sodium ascorbate (SA) slurry significantly improved the denitrification efficiency from 24% to 84% and the desulfurization efficiency to 98%. Meanwhile, the effects of RM, SA concentration, reaction time and O₃/NO molar ratio on desulfurization and denitrification efficiencies were studied. The results showed that the RM + SA composite slurry maintained high efficiencies of desulfurization and denitrification for 240 min under the optimized conditions. As an antioxidant, the introduction of SA inhibited the excessive oxidation of sulfite, and itself could easily react with NO₂ through the redox reaction, greatly promoting the absorption of NO₂. In addition, the reaction mechanism of the simultaneous removal of SO₂ and NO₂ by red mud and sodium ascorbic mixed slurry combined was proposed.

Study on NO Removal Characteristics of the Fe(II)EDTA and Fe(II)PBTCA Composite System

Fe²⁺ complexation wet denitrification technology has become a research hotspot. It is very important to achieve efficient regeneration of the absorbent and increase NO absorption in the Fe²⁺ complexation system. They are the key to the industrial application of the Fe²⁺ complexation absorption process. In this paper, 2-phosphonate-butane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid were used as ligands to prepare a composite system for the first time. The characteristics of NO removal were investigated under different temperatures, pHs, Fe²⁺ concentrations, O₂ contents, NO concentrations, CO₂ contents, and SO₂ concentrations. Compared with the single ligand, the results show that the denitrification performance of the solution with a complex ligand is significantly improved. In this system, pH 9, 40 °C temperature, and 20 mmol/L Fe²⁺ concentration are the economic ideal conditions for NO removal. The system can realize simultaneous removal of NO and SO₂, but SO₂ in flue gas has a dual effect on the NO removal reaction.

Enhanced simultaneous absorption of NOx and SO2 in oxidation-reduction-absorption process with a compounded system based on Na2SO3

Oxidation of sulfite and competitive absorption existed in Na₂SO₃ solution for simultaneous removal of NO_x and SO₂, inhibited the long-term high-efficiency when used for practical applications. A matching strategy was developed to solve these problems. Antioxidants combination was used to retard the oxidation of antioxidant and enhance inhibition of S(IV) (tetravalent sulfur) oxidation. Hydroquinone (HQ) and sodium thiosulfate (ST) showed a positive synergistic effect on inhibition of S(IV) oxidation. When SO₂ concentration was 500 and 2000 ppmV, the addition of 0.1 wt.% HQ and 1 wt.% ST decreased the percentage of S(IV) oxidized by oxygen by over 30% and 40%, respectively. Alkali (Na₂CO₃) alleviated the competitive absorption between NO_x and SO₂. Moreover, Na₂CO₃ exhibited an enhancement effect on the absorption of NO_x and SO₂ when coupled with anti-oxidants. While the increase of oxygen pressure accelerated the oxidation of S(IV), the anti-oxidants can retard the oxidation. The measurement of pH suggested the removal efficiency of NO_x highly depended on SO₃²⁻ concentration rather than pH. The further investigation of the mechanism suggested the match effect was related to the interaction between ST and the intermediate product of HQ. The match strategy holds a potential for application of SO₃²⁻ to denitration.

The preference of the most appropriate radical-based regeneration process for spent activated carbon by the PROMETHEE approach

In this study, regeneration of spent granular activated carbon (GAC) with reactive dye by hydroxyl and sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (microwave (MW) +persulfate (PS)), (Fe(II)+ PS), and (O₃ + H₂O₂) were evaluated. The adsorption of the dye to the GAC surface was characterized by chemisorption and Langmuir isotherm. Regeneration processes have been optimized by the response surface methodology to determine the operating conditions that will provide the highest adsorptive capacity. The optimum conditions of (MW + PS), (Fe (II) + PS), and (O₃ + H₂O₂) processes were process PS anion of 45.52 g/L, pH of 11.4, MW power of 126 W, and duration of 14.56 min; Fe (II) of 3.58 g/L, PS anion of 73.5 g/L, duration of 59.8 min, and pH of 10.9; and H₂O₂ of 2.8 mole/L, flow rate of 8.14 mg ozone/L, duration of 32.8 min, and pH of 5.3, respectively. For (MW + PS), (Fe (II) + PS), and (O₃ + H₂O₂) processes, the adsorptive capacity under optimum conditions was found as 4.36, 8.89, and 8.12 mg dye/g GAC, respectively. For (Fe (II) + PS) and (O₃ + H₂O₂) processes, these values are approximately equal to the adsorptive capacity of raw GAC (8.01 mg dye/g GAC). The predicted values of the adsorption capacities by the obtained models were in good agreement with the actual experimental results. Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation approach was used in the preference of the appropriate regeneration process. The adsorptive capacity of regenerated GAC, operating cost of the regeneration process, change in the adsorptive capacity during the regeneration cycle, and carbon mass loss criteria were taken into account. The order of preference of regeneration processes was determined as (Fe (II) + PS)> (MW + PS)> (O₃ + H₂O₂) considering all criteria.

High effective removal of diazinon from aqueous solutions using the magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanocomposite: isotherm, kinetic, and mechanism study

Health and environmental impact of pesticide contamination of groundwater has been reported repeatedly in many studies. The removal of diazinon from agricultural wastewater is still of great interest due to using widely in many developing countries. In the presented study, the magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanocomposite was utilized as an adsorbent to remove diazinon from an aqueous solution. The adsorbent properties were characterized using FE-SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, and VSM techniques. The influence of adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial concentration of diazinon was studied in a batch system. Different adsorption kinetics and isotherm models were used to describe the kinetic and equilibrium data. The results indicated that the adsorption kinetic was fitted better with a Elovich kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir-Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 416 mg g^-1. According to Weber and Morris's model and Boyd plot, the results demonstrated that the adsorption kinetic was controlled simultaneously by film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. Besides, a thermodynamic study showed that the removal of diazinon is an endothermic process. Considering the results, magnetic tragacanth-montmorillonite nanoadsorbent has a high capability to remove diazinon from aqueous solution.

Heterogeneously activation of H2O2 and persulfate with goethite for bisphenol A degradation: A mechanistic study

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on the activation of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and persulfate (PS) by minerals have received increasing interest for environmental remediation. Herein, H₂O₂ and PS activation systems employing goethite as a catalyst were discovered for the rapid degradation of BPA with the generation of reactive oxidation species (ROS) and for the reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) in aqueous solutions. The morphology of goethite were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, TEM, etc. As a result, the oxidant efficiency of the goethite/H₂O₂ system (75.9%) was higher than that of the goethite/PS system (61.4%) after 240 min due to the restricted radical scavenging. According to the results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and radical quenching experiments, the main active ROS during the BPA degradation process were OH and SO₄^-. The two reaction systems were all pH-dependent that BPA can be effectively degraded in the goethite/PS system under acidic, neutral and weakly alkaline conditions, while the most inefficient degradation under alkaline conditions in the goethite/H₂O₂ system. Moreover, goethite showed good structural stability in the two systems. Several reaction products were detected using LC-MS, and the mechanisms for three systems were proposed. Density functional theory (DFT) was employed to study the conceivable degradation pathways of BPA in the two processes. This work reveals novel mechanistic insights regarding H₂O₂ and PS activation over goethite and implies the great potential application of the PS/mineral process in water and wastewater treatment.

Simultaneous Removal of SO2 and NO by O3 Oxidation Combined with Wet Absorption

The effects of ozone concentration, NaOH concentration, type and concentration of additives, initial pH, temperature, and NO and SO₂ concentration on simultaneous removal of NO and SO₂ were studied through ozone oxidation combined with wet absorption. Results indicated that ozone concentration and the type and concentration of additives had the most significant effect on NO removal. The optimal ozone concentration was 250 ppm (NO/NO₂ = 1), and the best additive was KMnO₄. The removal efficiency of NO _x was as high as 97.86% when NO/NO₂ = 1, and the concentration of KMnO₄ was 0.025 mol/L. Considering economic and other factors, the KMnO₄ concentration was selected to be 0.006 mol/L. At this time, the removal efficiencies of NO _x and SO₂ were 81.35 and 100%, respectively. This method has potential application prospects for simultaneous removal of SO₂ and NO in the industrial flue gas.

Removal of Carbon Monoxide from Simulated Flue Gas Using Two New Fenton Systems: Mechanism and Kinetics

Two novel removal processes of carbon monoxide using two new Fenton systems (i.e., Cu²⁺/Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺/Fe²⁺ coactivated H₂O₂ systems) were developed. The effect of several process parameters (concentrations of H₂O₂, Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Mn²⁺, reagent pH value, solution temperature, and simulated flue gas components) on CO removal was studied in a bubbling reactor. The mechanism and kinetics of CO removal were also revealed. Results show that adding Cu²⁺ or Mn²⁺ obviously enhances the removal process of CO in new Fenton systems. The measured results of free radical yield demonstrate that the enhancing role is derived from producing more ·OH (they are produced due to the synergistic activation role of Cu²⁺/Fe²⁺ or Mn²⁺/Fe²⁺ in new Fenton systems. The removal efficiency of CO is raised by increasing concentrations of Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Mn²⁺ and is reduced by raising concentrations of CO, NO, and SO₂. Increasing H₂O₂ concentration, reagent pH, and solution temperature demonstrates a dual impact on CO absorption. Three oxidation pathways are found to be responsible for CO removal in new Fenton systems. Results of mass-transfer reaction kinetics reveal that CO removal processes are located in a fast-speed reaction kinetics region (the CO removal process is controlled by the mass transfer rate).

Simultaneous removal of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide using ultrasonically atomized hydrogen peroxide

A new method was developed for denitrification and desulfurization using hydrogen peroxide with the aid of an ultrasonic nebulizer to obtain high removal efficiency of NOx and SO₂. Comparing with the atomizing nozzles having the aperture size of 0.01~0.02 mm, the droplets generated using the ultrasonic nebulizer show the smallest d₅₀ value of 7.2 μm, with 72% possessing the size less than 10 μm. Based on the numerical simulation of the vaporization rate of droplets, it is indicated that the droplets with the size of 7.2 μm can be vaporized totally at very short residence time (0.11 s) under 130 °C. Effects of influence factors including the reaction temperature, the initial H₂O₂ concentration, pH value, and the flue gas flow rate were studied on the removal efficiencies of NO and SO₂. Using the in-series double-oxidation subsystems with H₂O₂ concentration of 6 wt%, pH 5.0, and the reaction temperature of 130 °C, the removal efficiencies of SO₂ and NO are respectively 100% and 89.3% at the short residence time of 1.8 s, and the removal efficiency of NO can be increased to 100% as the residence time is longer than 3.7 s. It is confirmed that the ultrasonically atomized H₂O₂ can indeed enhance the removal efficiencies of NO and SO₂ at the optimal temperature, owing to the fast vaporization rate of fine droplets as well as the formation of more active radicals to be captured by NO and SO₂ simultaneously. The results here provide a promising route to remove effectively the emissions of NO and SO₂ simultaneously. Graphical abstract.

Removal of multi-pollutant from flue gas utilizing ammonium persulfate solution catalyzed by Fe/ZSM-5

A nano-sized iron loaded ZSM-5 zeolite (Fe/ZSM-5) catalyst was firstly used to activate (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ solution for the simultaneous removal of multi-pollutant from flue gas. The simultaneous removal efficiencies 100% of SO₂, 72.6% of NO and 93.4% of Hg° were achieved under the condition that the catalyst dose was 0.8 g/L, concentration, pH and temperature of (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ solution were 0.03 mol/L, 5 and 65 °C, respectively. The stability of catalyst was checked by a continuous test, proving that the catalytic activity was maintained for 4 h and the leached iron reached low levels. Based on the catalyst characterizations, product analysis and literatures, the removal mechanism was speculated preliminarily, during which, OH and SO₄^- played key roles for oxidizing NO and Hg° into NO₃^- and Hg²⁺.