Flocculation and dewatering of the Kaolin slurry treated by single- and dual-polymer flocculants

The performance of quaternary-ammonium chitosan in wastewater treatment: The overlooked role of solubility

Quaternary-ammonium chitosan (CT-CTA) is a popular water treatment agent, and its electropositivity and cation strength are improved compared with chitosan. The use of CT-CTA is widely advocated to remove suspended particles and organic matter from wastewater. However, the solubility of CT-CTA is an important factor affecting the performance of CT-CTA, which is a neglected problem in previous studies. In the study, CT-CTA with different solubilities were prepared by adjusting pH from 2 to 7 in preparation, and their applications were explored in wastewater. When the pH was 2, 2.5, or 3, the obtained CT-CTA was a dissolved state. The turbidity and color removal were 95 % - 98 % and 60 % - 74 %, respectively. When the pH was 4, 5, 6, or 7, the obtained CT-CTA was a solid state. The turbidity and color removal were 30 % - 63 % and 90 % - 97 %, respectively. For domestic-wastewater treatment, CT-CTA in a dissolved state removed 92 % of turbidity and 50 % of chemical oxygen demand (COD). CT-CTA in a solid state removed 86 % of turbidity and 64 % of COD with poly aluminum chloride (PAC). The results illustrated the performance of CT-CTA with different solubilities, which can broaden its application in wastewater treatment.

Preparation and Application of Amino-Terminated Hyperbranched Magnetic Composites in High-Turbidity Water Treatment

In order to separate the colloidal in high-turbidity water, a kind of magnetic composite (Fe3O4/HBPN) was prepared via the functional assembly of Fe3O4 and an amino-terminal hyperbranched polymer (HBPN). The physical and chemical characteristics of Fe3O4@HBPN were investigated by different means. The Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed that the characteristic absorption peaks positioned at 1110 cm-1, 1468 cm-1, 1570 cm-1 and 1641 cm-1 were ascribed to C-N, H-N-C, N-H and C=O bonds, respectively. The shape and size of Fe3O4/HBPN showed a different and uneven distribution; the particles clumped together and were coated with an oil-like film. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) displayed that the main elements of Fe3O4/HBPN were C, N, O, and Fe. The superparamagnetic properties and good magnetic response were revealed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis. The characteristic diffraction peaks of Fe3O4/HBPN were observed at 2θ = 30.01 (220), 35.70 (311), 43.01 (400), 56.82 (511), and 62.32 (440), which indicated that the intrinsic phase of magnetite remained. The zeta potential measurement indicated that the surface charge of Fe3O4/HBPN was positive in the pH range 4-10. The mass loss of Fe3O4/HBPN in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) proved thermal decomposition. The -C-NH2 or -C-NH perssad of HBPN were linked and loaded with Fe3O4 particles by the N-O bonds. When the Fe3O4/HBPN dosage was 2.5 mg/L, pH = 4-5, the kaolin concentration of 1.0 g/L and the magnetic field of 3800 G were the preferred reaction conditions. In addition, a removal efficiency of at least 86% was reached for the actual water treatment. Fe3O4/HBPN was recycled after the first application and reused five times. The recycling efficiency and removal efficiency both showed no significant difference five times (p > 0.05), and the values were between 84.8% and 86.9%.

Improving sewage sludge dewaterability via heterogeneous activation of persulfate by Fe-Al layered double hydroxide: Role of generated SO4-•

In this study, Fe-Al layered double hydroxide (Fe-Al LDH) was prepared and applied to activate persulfate to condition sewage sludge and improve its dewaterability. The results showed that Fe-Al LDH activated persulfate to generate a large amount of free radicals, which attacked extracellular polymeric substances and reduced their content, disrupted microbial cells, released bound water, decreased sludge particle size, increased sludge zeta potential, and improved sludge dewaterability. After sewage sludge was conditioned with Fe-Al LDH (0.20 g/g total solids (TS)) and persulfate (0.10 g/g TS) for 30 min, the capillary suction time of the sludge dropped from 52.0 s to 16.3 s, while the moisture content of the sludge cake decreased from 93.2% to 68.5%. The dominant active free radical produced by the Fe-Al LDH-activated persulfate was SO₄^-•. The maximum Fe³⁺ leaching of the conditioned sludge was only 102.67 ± 4.45 mg/L, thus effectively alleviating the secondary pollution of Fe³⁺. The leaching rate of 2.37% was significantly lower than that of the sludge homogeneously activated with Fe²⁺ (738.4 ± 26.07 mg/L and 71.00%).