Electro-Fenton with peroxi-coagulation as a feasible pre-treatment for high-strength refractory coke plant wastewater: Parameters optimization, removal behavior and kinetics analysis

Performance of a polymerization-based electrochemically assisted persulfate process on a real coking wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater should be treated with caution due to its potential environmental risks. In this study, a polymerization-based cathode/Fe3+/peroxydisulfate (PDS) process was employed for the first time to treat a raw coking wastewater, which can achieve simultaneous organics abatement and recovery by converting organic contaminants into separable solid organic-polymers. The results confirm that several dominant organic contaminants in coking wastewater such as phenol, cresols, quinoline and indole can be induced to polymerize by self-coupling or cross-coupling. The total chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatement from coking wastewater is 46.8% and the separable organic-polymer formed from organic contaminants accounts for 62.8% of the abated COD. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) abatement of 41.9% is achieved with about 89% less PDS consumption than conventional degradation-based process. Operating conditions such as PDS concentration, Fe3+ concentration and current density can affect the COD/DOC abatement and organic-polymer yield by regulating the generation of reactive radicals. ESI-MS result shows that some organic-polymers are substituted by inorganic ions such as Cl-, Br-, I-, NH4+, SCN- and CN-, suggesting that these inorganic ions may be involved in the polymerization. The specific consumption of this coking wastewater treatment is 27 kWh/kg COD and 95 kWh/kg DOC. The values are much lower than those of the degradation-based processes in treating the same coking wastewater, and also are lower than those of most processes previously reported for coking wastewater treatment.

Hybrid peroxymonosulfate/activated carbon fiber-sequencing batch reactor system for efficient treatment of coking wastewater: Establishment and influential factors

Coking wastewater contains high concentrations of toxic and low biodegradable organics, causing long hydraulic retention times for its biological treatment process. This study developed a pretreatment method for coking wastewater by using activated carbon fiber (ACF) activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to improve the treatment performance of subsequent biological post-treatment process, sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The results showed that, after optimization of treatment processes, the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), phenol, and chroma in coking wastewater reached to 76, 98, and 98%, respectively, with a significantly improved biodegradability. Compared with the sole SBR system without any pretreatment that could remove 73% of COD, the ACF/PMS+SBR system removed over 97% of COD in coking wastewater. Moreover, this pretreatment method facilitated the growth of functional bacteria for organics biodegradation, indicating its high potential as a highly efficacious pretreatment strategy to improve the overall treatment efficiency of coking wastewater.

Heterogeneous electro-Fenton treatment of coking wastewater using Fe/AC/Ni cathode: optimization of electrode and reactor organic loading

A self-developed iron-loaded activated carbon-based nickel foam electrode (Fe/AC/Ni cathode) was used to construct electro-Fenton reaction system to treat coking wastewater. To meet the gap between laboratory beaker experiments and field trials for practical applications, we proposed and validated a method for obtaining organic loads, the essential parameters used in the design of electrochemical systems for wastewater treatment. The three influencing factors most relevant to organic loading, the effective surface area of cathode, chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of influent, and treatment time, were selected and investigated for their effects on the COD removal rate of coking wastewater by single-factor experiments and further optimized by response surface method. The appropriate electrode area load (La) and reactor volume load (Lv) were calculated by their corresponding intrinsic relationships with the three factors. The optimum application conditions were effective surface area of cathode 28.5 cm2, COD concentration of influent 1.76 kg·m-3, and treatment time 160.43 min. Under these conditions, the maximum COD removal rate was 98.51%. The La and Lv were 8.905 mgCOD·cm-2·h-1 and 0.634 kgCOD·m-3·h-1, respectively. The characterization experiment results showed that the Fe/AC/Ni cathode had a significant effect on the treatment of refractory organic contaminants in coking wastewater.

Advanced treatment of coking wastewater: Recent advances and prospects

Advanced treatment of refractory industrial wastewater is still a challenge. Coking wastewater is one of coal chemical wastewater, which contains various refractory organic pollutants. To meet the more and more rigorous discharge standard and increase the reuse ratio of coking wastewater, advanced treatment process must be set for treating the biologically treated coking wastewater. To date, several advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), including Fenton, ozone, persulfate-based oxidation, and iron-carbon micro-electrolysis, have been applied for the advanced treatment of coking wastewater. However, the performance of different advanced treatment processes changed greatly, depending on the components of coking wastewater and the unique characteristics of advanced treatment processes. In this review article, the state-of-the-art advanced treatment process of coking wastewater was systematically summarized and analyzed. Firstly, the major organic pollutants in the secondary effluents of coking wastewater was briefly introduced, to better understand the characteristics of the biologically treated coking wastewater. Then, the performance of various advanced treatment processes, including physiochemical methods, biological methods, advanced oxidation methods and combined methods were discussed for the advanced treatment of coking wastewater in detail. Finally, the conclusions and remarks were provided. This review will be helpful for the proper selection of advanced treatment processes and promote the development of advanced treatment processes for coking wastewater.

Treatment of landfill leachate by combined use of ultrasound and photocatalytic process using fly ash as catalyst

Advanced oxidation processes, such as sonophotocatalysis and photocatalysis, have been proven to be interesting alternatives for the effective treatment of old landfill leachates. Since there is no specific information about which parameters help to improve the treatment efficiency when using fly ash (FA) in a sonophotoreactor, this research focuses on evaluating the use of an ultrasound process (US) combined with a photo-Fenton process, with FA as a catalyst for the first time. The removals of colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and aromatic compounds (UV 254) present in landfill leachates were studied using a factorial design, where the effect of different loads of FA (1, 1.5, and 2 g FA/L), pH (pH = 3, 6, and 8.9), and US frequency irradiation (576, 864, and 1138 kHz) on the efficiency of photo-Fenton was evaluated. The highest removals of COD (40.7%), colour (36.8%), and UV 254 (50.8%) were achieved adjusting the pH to 3, adding 2 g of FA/L, and applying 576 kHz of US frequency. It was found that pH is the parameter that has the highest effect on pollutant removal (95% confidence level). In addition, the removals of COD, colour, and UV 254 increased at lower pH values and US frequency. Also, the presence of Fe2O3, SiO2, and TiO2 in the FA under UV irradiation and ultrasound process, improved the removal of complex organic matter present in the landfill leachate, where HO• was the most important radical.

Recent advancements in peroxicoagulation process: An updated review

The present article describes the recent advancements (since 2018) in peroxicoagulation (PC) process, which was introduced by Professor Enric Brillas and his group in 1997. Instead of checking the efficiency of PC process to degrade a targeted pollutant in synthetic wastewater, researchers started testing its efficacy for the treatment of complex real wastewater. Applications like disinfection and removal of heavy metals as well as oxidative removal of arsenite from water were tested recently. To improve the efficiency of PC process, modifications were made for electrode materials (both anode and cathode) and electrolytic cells. Performance of PC process in combination with other treatment technologies is also discussed.

Treatment of coking wastewater using a needle coke electro-Fenton cathode: optimizing of COD, NH4+-N, and TOC removal and characterization of pollutants

Coking wastewater is a typical organic refractory wastewater characterized by high chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+-N, and total organic carbon (TOC). Herein, coking wastewater was treated using a heterogeneous electro-Fenton (EF) system comprising a novel iron-loaded needle coke composite cathode (Fe-NCCC) and a dimensionally stable anode. The response surface methodology was used to optimize the reaction conditions. The predicted and actual COD removal rates were 92.13 and 89.96% under optimum conditions of an applied voltage of 4.92 V, an electrode spacing of 2.29 cm, and an initial pH of 3.01. The optimized removal rate of NH4+-N and TOC was 84.12 and 73.44%, respectively. The color of coking wastewater decreased from 250-fold to colorless, and the BOD5/COD increased from 0.126 to 0.34. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy show that macromolecular heterocyclic organic compounds decomposed into straight-chain small molecules and even completely mineralized. The energy consumption of the EF process was 23.5 RMB Yuan per cubic meter of coking wastewater. The EF system comprising the Fe-NCCC can effectively remove pollutants from coking wastewater, has low electricity consumption, and can simultaneously reduce various pollution indicators with potential applications in the treatment of high-concentration and difficult-to-degrade organic wastewater.

Advanced aromatic organic compounds removal from refractory coking wastewater in a step-feed three-stage integrated A/O bio-filter: Spectrum characterization and biodegradation mechanism

Extensive presence of aromatic organic compounds (AOCs) is a major course for the non-biodegradability of coking wastewater (COW). In-depth understanding of bio-degradation of AOCs is crucial for optimizing the design and operation of COW biological treatment systems in practical applications. Herein, the behavior and fate of AOCs were explored in a lab-scale step-feed three-stage integrated A/O biofilter (SFTIAOB) treating synthetic COW. Long-term operation demonstrated that COD, phenol, indole, quinoline and pyridine could be simultaneously removed. Phenol and indole were chiefly removed by anoxic zones, while quinoline and pyridine removal occurred in both anoxic and aerobic zones. Ultraviolet-visible spectrum observed that initial carboxylation and subsequent ring cracking and mineralization. Infrared spectroscopy also confirmed that key functional groups were cracked and produced during AOCs bio-degradation. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum indicated that significant transformation and elimination of tryptophan and humic acid with high molecular weight. Ring cleavage, distinct degradation and even complete mineralization of complex AOCs were further verified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Moreover, functional degrading bacteria and aromatic ring-cleavage enzymes was successfully identified. Finally, AOCs biodegradation mechanisms by alternating anoxic and aerobic treatment was unraveled. This research provides thorough insights on AOCs biodegradation using a step-feed multi-stage alternating anoxic/oxic COW treatment process.

Upgrading the peroxi-coagulation treatment of complex water matrices using a magnetically assembled mZVI/DSA anode: Insights into the importance of ClO radical

The electrochemical technologies for water treatment have flourished over the last decades. However, it is still challenging to treat the actual complex water effluents by a single electrochemical process, often requiring coupling of technologies. In this study, an upgraded peroxi-coagulation (PC) process with a magnetically assembled mZVI/DSA anode has been devised for the first time. COD, NH₃-N and total phosphorous were simultaneously and effectively removed from livestock wastewater. The advantages, influence of key parameters and evolution of electrogenerated species were systematically investigated to fully understand this novel PC process. The fluorescent substances in livestock wastewater could also be almost removed under optimal conditions (300 mA, 0.2 g ZVI particles and pH 6.8). The interaction between OH and active chlorine yielded ClO with a high steady-state concentration of 6.85 × 10^-13 M, which did not cause COD removal but accelerated the oxidation of NH₃-N. The Mulliken population suggested that OH and NH₃-N had similar electron-donor behavior, whereas ClO acted as an electron-withdrawing species. Besides, although the energy barrier for the reaction between OH and NH₃-N (17.0 kcal/mol) was lower than that with ClO (18.8 kcal/mol), considering the tunneling in the H abstraction reaction, the Skodje-Truhlar method adopted for calculations evidenced a 17-fold faster NH₃-N oxidation rate with ClO. In summary, this work describes an advantageous single electrochemical process for the effective treatment of a complex water matrix.

Chelate-modified Electro-Fenton process for mixed industrial wastewater treatment

The Chelate-modified EF process for the removal of COD at near neutral pHTreatment of the mixed industrial wastewater with very low BOD/COD ratioInfluence of Fenton catalyst and chelating agent dosage on COD removal.Comparable COD removal of 67% with Chelate-modified EF at near neutral pH and 66% with EF at acidic pH.Mineralization current efficiency and instantaneous current efficiency for COD removal.

Efficient direct membrane filtration (DMF) of municipal wastewater for carbon recovery: Application of a simple pretreatment and selection of an appropriate membrane pore size

Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the recovery and effective utilization of organic matter in municipal wastewater for the establishment of a circular economy. Direct membrane filtration (DMF) of municipal wastewater using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to retain and concentrate the organic matter in municipal wastewater could be a practical option for this purpose. However, severe membrane fouling and high concentrations of organic matter remaining in the DMF permeate are concerns to be addressed. Application of a simple pretreatment using fixed biofilms was investigated to address these issues. In this study, experiments were carried out at an existing municipal wastewater treatment plant. A moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process operated under a very short HRT of 1 h and DO concentration of 0.5 mg/L selectively degraded low-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter in municipal wastewater without degradation of membrane-recoverable suspended and colloidal organic matter. Application of the pretreatment did not reduce the amount of organic carbon recovered by DMF using an MF membrane (approximately 70% of the influent COD being recovered), while it dramatically mitigated the membrane fouling probably due to the alteration of characteristics of dissolved organic matter in wastewater. The pretreatment also reduced the concentration of organic matter in the DMF permeate by 41%: COD concentration in the DMF permeate was as low as 40 mg/L. With the established MBBR pretreatment, performances of MF (0.1 µm) and UF (molecular weight cut-off: 150,000) membranes for DMF were compared in parallel. It was found that the increase of the recoverable amount of organic matter by using UF was marginal (about 5%), whereas fouling in UF was much more severe than that in MF. The severe fouling in UF was caused by inorganic colloids such as FeS that could pass through MF membranes but be retained by UF membranes. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is concluded that MF is more suitable than UF for efficient DMF.

Degradation of mineral-immobilized pyrene by ferrate oxidation: Role of mineral type and intermediate oxidative iron species

Ferrate (Fe(VI)) salts like K₂FeO₄ are efficient green oxidants to remediate organic contaminants in water treatment. Minerals are efficient sorbents of contaminants and also excellent solid heterogeneous catalysts which might affect Fe(VI) remediation processes. By targeting the typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound - pyrene, the application of Fe(VI) for oxidation of pyrene immobilized on three minerals, i.e., montmorillonite, kaolinite and goethite was studied for the first time. Pyrene immobilized on the three minerals was efficiently oxidized by Fe(VI), with 87%-99% of pyrene (10 μM) being degraded at pH 9.0 in the presence of a 50-fold molar excess Fe(VI). Different minerals favored different pH optima for pyrene degradation, with pH optima from neutral to alkaline following the order of montmorillonite (pH 7.0), kaolinite (pH 8.0), and goethite (pH 9.0). Although goethite revealed the highest catalytic activity on pyrene degradation by Fe(VI), the greater noneffective loss of the oxidative species by ready self-decay in the goethite system resulted in lower degradation efficiency compared to montmorillonite. Protonation and Lewis acid on montmorillonite and goethite assisted Fe(VI) oxidation of pyrene. The intermediate ferrate species (Fe(V)/Fe(IV)) were the dominant oxidative species accountable for pyrene oxidation, while the contribution of Fe(VI) species was negligible. Hydroxyl radical was involved in mineral-immobilized pyrene degradation and contributed to 11.5%-27.4% of the pyrene degradation in montmorillonite system, followed by kaolinite (10.8%-21.4%) and goethite (5.1%-12.2%) according to the hydroxyl radical quenching experiments. Cations abundant in the matrix and dissolved humic acid hampered pyrene degradation. Finally, two different degradation pathways both producing phthalic acid were identified. This study demonstrates efficient Fe(VI) oxidation of pyrene immobilized on minerals and contributes to the development of efficient environmentally friendly Fe(VI) based remediation techniques.

Synergistic effects of oxidation, coagulation and adsorption in the integrated fenton-based process for wastewater treatment: A review

Fenton process is the most popular for wastewater treatment among all available advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Numerous endeavors have been devoted to improving the oxidation efficiency of Fenton reaction in terms of promoting ·OH generation, accelerating iron redox cycle and extending applicable pH range. However, in addition to oxidation, coagulation and adsorption also simultaneously occur in the Fenton process, which play important role in the removal of pollutants. Rapid progress has revealed the synergistic effects of oxidation, coagulation and adsorption in the Fenton process, providing new ideas for the treatment of complex and refractory wastewater. Based on available studies, this review is the first to systematically summarize the research progress regarding the synergistic effects of oxidation, coagulation and adsorption in the integrated Fenton-based processes for wastewater treatment. The involved mechanism of the synergistic effects in different Fenton processes (homogeneous Fenton, heterogeneous Fenton and physical field-assistant Fenton coupling process) are critically reviewed. Furthermore, special attention has been paid to the representative applications of the synergistic effects in wastewater treatment (such as industrial organic wastewater, landfill leachate and heavy metal-organic complexes, etc.), particularly focusing on the operation parameters and removal performance. Finally, a conclusion of the review and subsequently, perspectives are given for possible research directions. We believe this review can provide useful information for researchers and end-users involved in the development and application of the Fenton process in wastewater treatment.

Removal of Tricyclazole and Total Organic Carbon in Real Pesticide Wastewater by Electro-Fenton

In this study, electro-Fenton (EF) was employed for the removal of tricyclazole (TC) and total organic carbon (TOC) in real pesticide wastewater (RPW). The central composite design (CCD) with three parameters, that is, current density, Fe2+ concentration, and electrolysis time, has been conducted to predict the TOC and TC removal efficiency. The high correlation of the quadratic models of 0.9842 and 0.9781 for TC and TOC removal, respectively, indicates the significance of the models. The obtained results revealed that the high-efficiency removal of both TC and TOC in RPW. Approximately 99.6% of TC was decomposed under the optimum conditions of a current density of 2.2 mA/cm2 and an Fe2+ concentration of 0.2 mM during 188 min with an operating cost of 121.392 $/kg TC or ∼2.692 $/m3, while 84.2% TOC was eliminated at a current density of 2.2 mA/cm2 and an Fe2+ concentration of 0.2 mM during 217 min with an operating cost of 3.019 $/kg TOC or 3.916 $/m3. Acute toxicity tests at optimal condition revealed moderate exhibition toxicity of treated wastewater against Daphnia magna with LC50 values of 3.12%, 2.05%, 1.84%, and 1.36% at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h, respectively. The removal of TC and TOC followed pseudo-first-order kinetic with an R2 of ∼0.993 and 0.923, respectively.

Pesticide production wastewater treatment by Electro-Fenton using Taguchi experimental design

In this study, the electro-Fenton (EF) method was applied to remove total organic carbon (TOC) from the pesticide production wastewater containing tricyclazole (TC). Statistical Taguchi method was used to optimize the treatment performance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the polynomial regression model fitted experimental data with R² of 0.969. The optimal conditions for eliminating 75.4% TOC and 93.7% TC were 0.2 mM of Fe²⁺, 990 mg/L of Na₂SO₄, 180 min of reaction time at pH 3 with 2.22 mA/cm² of current density. The removal of TC present in the wastewater followed the first-order reaction kinetic model (R² = 0.993); while that was the second-order kinetic model in the case of the TOC removal (R² = 0.903). In addition, the experimental results and theory approaches (density functional theory and natural bond orbital calculations) also showed the C-N bond breaking and nitrate ions cleavage to ammonia. Acute toxicity of the pesticide wastewater after treatment (PWAT) on microcrustaceans showed that the treated wastewater still exhibited high toxicity against D. magna, with LC₅₀ values of 3.84%, 2.68%, 2.05%, and 1.78% at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h, respectively.

Differential evolution-based optimization of corn stalks black liquor decolorization using active carbon and TiO2/UV

In this work, the active carbon adsorption and TiO₂/UV decolorization of black liquor were studied through experimental analysis (planned using Design of Experiments), modelling and optimization (with Response Surface Method and Differential Evolution). The aim is to highlight the importance of optimization methods for increasing process efficiency. For active carbon adsorption, the considered process parameters were: quantity of active carbon, dilution, and contact time. For TiO₂ promoted photochemical decolorization the process parameters were: TiO₂ concentration, UV path length and irradiation time. The determined models had an R squared of 93.82% for active carbon adsorption and of 92.82% for TiO₂/UV decolorization. The optimization of active carbon resulted in an improvement from 83.08% (corresponding to 50 g/L quantity of active carbon, 30 min contact time and 200 dilution) to 100% (corresponding to multiple combinations). The optimization of TiO₂/UV decolorization indicated an increase of efficiency from 36.63% (corresponding to 1 g/L TiO₂ concentration, 60 min irradiation time and 5 cm UV path length) to 46.83% (corresponding to 0.4 g/L TiO₂ concentration, 59.99 min irradiation time and 2.85 cm UV path length). These results show that the experiments and the subsequent standard RSM optimization can be further improved, leading to better performance.

Medical laboratory wastewater treatment by electro-fenton process: Modeling and optimization using central composite design

Medical laboratory wastewaters arising from diagnosis and examination units show highly toxic characteristic. Within the scope of the study, removal of the wastewater's toxicity and increasing BOD₅ /COD ratio of the medical laboratory wastewaters through electro-Fenton (EF) process were investigated. In the study, central composite design was applied to optimize the process parameters of EF for COD, BOD₅ , and toxicity unit (TU) removal. Based on ANOVA, H₂ O₂ /COD was found to be significant parameter for COD removal, whereas current, reaction time, and H₂ O₂ /COD were determined to be significant parameters for BOD₅ and TU removal. Optimum conditions (pH value of 3.4, current 3 A, reaction time 33.9 min, and H₂ O₂ /COD of 1.29) were determined, and predicted removals of COD, BOD_5, and TU were found to be 55.1%, 42.5%, and 99.7% and experimental removals were found to be 53.4%, 41.2%, and 99.5%, respectively. TU value of the wastewater decreased from the value of 163-0.815, and BOD₅ /COD value increased from the value of 0.32-0.39. The results of the study indicate that EF process is an effective treatment option for COD, BOD_5, and especially toxicity removal from medical laboratory wastewater. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Electro-Fenton process was applied medical laboratory wastewater with highly toxic characteristic. Response surface methodology approach using central composite design was employed for modeling. 53.4%, 41.2%, and 99.5% of COD, BOD_5, and toxicity removals were achieved under statistically optimized conditions. TU value of the wastewater decreased from the value of 163-0.815. BOD₅ /COD value increased from the value of 0.32-0.39.

Sequentially recover heavy metals from smelting wastewater using bioelectrochemical system coupled with thermoelectric generators

Smelting wastewater is characterized with high concentration of toxic heavy metals and high acidity, which must be properly treated before discharge. Here, bioelectrochemical system (BES) coupled with thermoelectric generator (TEG) was first demonstrated to simultaneously treat organic wastewater and smelting wastewater by utilizing the simulated waste heat that was abundant in smelting factories. By modulating the input voltage generated from simulated waste heat via TEG to 0, 1.0 and 2.0 V, almost all the Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Co²⁺ in smelting wastewater were sequentially recovered with a respective rate of 121.17, 158.20 and 193.87 mg L^-1 d^-1. Cu²⁺ was bioelectrochemically recovered as Cu⁰. While, Cd²⁺ and Co²⁺ were recovered by electrodeposition as Cd(OH)₂, CdCO₃ or Co(OH)₂ on cathodic surface. High throughput sequencing analysis showed that the microbial community of anodic biofilm was greatly shifted after successive treatment by batch-mode. Desulfovibrio (17.00%), Megasphaera (11.81%), Geobacter (10.36%) and Propionibacterium (8.64%) were predominant genera in anodic biofilm enriched from activated sludge in BES before treatment. After successive treatment by batch-mode, Geobacter (34.76%), Microbacter (8.60%) and Desulfovibrio (5.33%) were shifted as the major genera. Economic analysis revealed that it was feasible to use TEG to substitute electrical grid energy to integrate with BES for wastewater treatment. In addition, literature review indicated that it was not uncommon for the coexistence of waste heat with typical pollutants (e.g. heavy metal ions and various biodegradation-resistant organic wastes) that could be treated by BES in different kinds of factories or geothermal sites. This study provides novel insights to expand the application potentials of BES by integrating with TEG to utilize widespread waste heat.

High-strength wastewater treatment using microbial biofilm reactor: a critical review

Biofilm reactors retain microbial cells in the form of biofilm which is attached to free moving or fixed carrying materials, thus providing a high active biomass concentration and automatic liquid and solid separation. Nowadays, microbial biofilm reactors have been widely used in high-strength wastewater treatment where very high pollutant removal efficiency is required, which usually requires excessive space and aeration energy for conventional activated sludge-based treatment. This paper provides an overview of microbial biofilm reactors developed over the last half-century, including moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), trickling filter (TF) reactor, rotating biological contactor (RBC), membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), passive aeration simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (PASND) biofilm reactor, for their applications in high-strength wastewater treatment of not only removing carbon, nitrogen, sulphur but also a variety of oxidized contaminants including perchlorate and bromate. Despite the advance of biofilm reactor that exhibits high resistance to excessive pollutants loading, its drawbacks both from engineering and microbiological point of view are reviewed. The future prospects of biofilm reactor are also discussed in this review paper.

The interactions and adsorption mechanisms of ternary heavy metals on boron nitride

In this work, the interactions and adsorption mechanisms of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺ on boron nitride (BN) were tested by the simultaneous removal of metal ions from synthetic wastewater. BN was characterized using XRD, SEM, and FTIR spectroscopy. The adsorption differences between BN and the metal ions were explored through comparative studies in a single and ternary system. In the ternary system, adsorption occurs rapidly in the first 2 min for the metal ions, and the affinity order follows Cu²⁺>Cd²⁺>Ni²⁺. However, adsorption behavior changes due to the interaction between metal ions in the ternary system. Cu²⁺ showed an antagonistic effect on the adsorption of Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺, while Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ produced a synergistic effect on Cu²⁺. In addition, the effect of metal ion concentration on the interaction between ions was studied based on a surface response experiment. An increase in Ni²⁺ or Cd²⁺ concentrations plays a synergistic effect on the adsorption of Cu²⁺, while an antagonistic adsorption for Ni²⁺ occurred with increasing Cu²⁺ or Cd²⁺ concentrations. We also discussed the various adsorption mechanisms as complexation, ion exchange, and electrostatic adsorption based on XPS analysis.

Application and Mechanism of Sludge-Based Activated Carbon for Phenol and Cyanide Removal from Bio-Treated Effluent of Coking Wastewater

The toxic pollutants phenol and cyanide in the bio-treated effluent of coking wastewater still need advanced treatment to meet environmental requirements. In this study, activated carbon prepared from municipal sludge and bamboo waste (SBAC) was used for simultaneous adsorption of phenol and cyanide from bio-treated effluent of coking wastewater. The results showed that the optimum removal efficiencies of volatile phenol (69.7%) and total cyanide (80.1%) were observed at a SBAC dosage of 8 g/L, a pH value of 8.0, and a contact time of 80 min. The physical and chemical properties of SBAC were analyzed using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area (SBET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. SBAC had high SBET (289.58 m2/g) and rich mesoporous structure (average pore diameter of 3.688 nm), and carboxylic groups on SBAC surfaces were enhanced due to the addition of bamboo waste. In addition, a kinetic model of pseudo-first-order fitted well with the experimental data of volatile phenol, while the adsorption of total cyanide onto the SBAC was better described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model.