Removal of four dyes from aqueous medium by the peroxi-coagulation method using carbon nanotube–PTFE cathode and neural network modeling

Boosting H2O2 generation by shortening the charge migration distance in BiPO4 nanocrystals

The photocatalytic production of H2O2 has gained recognition as an economical and eco-friendly technology, but it suffers from limitations such as low production rates and difficulty in achieving high concentrations. This study was designed to overcome these limitations by preparing BiPO4 nanocrystals (BIP NCs) via high-temperature hydrolysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that BIP NCs with particle sizes of 8.5 ± 3 nm were synthesized. In a photocatalytic performance test, only H2O and O2 were used to produce H2O2, resulting in an accumulation of H2O2 of up to 30.44 mM·g-1, as measured with the potassium titanium oxalate method; this value was 3.13 times greater than that of bulk BiPO4 (BIP-B). The resulting nanocrystals demonstrated superior electron-hole transport and separation efficiency compared to those of BIP-B, and H2O2 was formed in a one-step two-electron process. Furthermore, a film composed of a gas diffusion layer (GDL) and BIP NCs provided continuous accumulation of H2O2; a concentration of 7.23 mM was achieved after 96 h of reaction, and the stability of the film was confirmed by comparing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images obtained before and after the reaction. Construction of a nanocrystalline structure to enhance the activities of photocatalysts and films and achieve continuous accumulation of H2O2 will provide insights into the photocatalytic production of highly concentrated H2O2.

Efficient electrochemical removal of 5-fluorouracil pharmaceutical from wastewater by mixed metal oxides via anodic oxidation process

Nowadays, the entry of organic compounds into water resources is one of the leading global concerns due to the lack of water resources and rapid population growth. In this research, anodic oxidation (AO) method was used to remove 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) from aqueous solutions via Ni/RuO₂ and Ti/IrO₂-TiO₂-RuO₂ electrodes as cathode and anode, respectively. For this purpose, the characterization analysis of the electrodes, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and atomic force microscopy were performed. The electrochemical performance of the anode was investigated via cyclic voltammetry analysis. Then, the effect of operational variables, including applied current (mA), initial pH of the solution, initial 5-FU concentration (mg/L), and process time (min) on the 5-FU removal efficiency under the AO process was evaluated via artificial neural network (ANN) modeling. The results revealed that the maximum 5-FU removal efficiency was 96.96%. The applied current intensity, pH, initial 5-FU concentration, and process time were 300 mA, 5, 20 mg/L, and 140 min, respectively. Moreover, the investigation of 5-FU removal by-products and mineralization efficiency of the AO process was carried out via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and total organic carbon analysis, respectively. The total organic carbon mineralization efficiency was 84.80% after 6 h of reaction time. The reusability and stability of the Ti/IrO₂-TiO₂-RuO₂ anode on 5-FU removal efficiency were measured and showed an approximately 5% decay in 5-FU removal efficiency after eight consecutive runs. The overall results and analysis confirmed this method is capable of removing 5-FU through Ti/IrO₂-TiO₂-RuO₂ anode and Ni/RuO₂ cathode from aqueous medium.

Energy-efficient removal of carbamazepine in solution by electrocoagulation-electrofenton using a novel P-rGO cathode

In this study, carbamazepine (CBZ) decay in solution has been studied by coupling electrocoagulation with electro-Fenton (EC-EF) with a novel P-rGO/carbon felt (CF) cathode, aiming to accelerate the in-situ generation of •OH, instead of adding Fe²⁺ and H₂O₂. Firstly, the fabricated P-rGO and its derived cathode were characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, XPS and electrochemical test (EIS, CV and LSV). Secondly, it was confirmed that the performance in removal efficiency and electric energy consumption (EEC) by EC-EF (k_obs=0.124 min^-1, EEC=43.98 kWh/kg CBZ) was better than EF (k_obs=0.069 min^-1, EEC=61.04 kWh/kg CBZ). Then, P-rGO/CF (k_obs=0.248 min^-1, EEC=29.47 kWh/kg CBZ, CE=61.04%) showed the best performance in EC-EF, among all studied heteroatom-doped graphene/CF. This superior performance may be associated with its largest layer spacing and richest C=C, which can promote the electron transfer rate and conductivity of the cathode. Thus, more H₂O₂ and •OH could be produced to degrade CBZ, and almost 100% CBZ was removed with k_obs being 0.337 min^-1 and the EEC was only 24.18 kWh/kg CBZ, under the optimal conditions (P-rGO loading was 6.0 mg/cm², the current density was 10.0 mA/cm², the gap between electrode was 2.0 cm). Additionally, no matter the influent is acidic, neutral or alkaline, no additional pH adjustment is required for the effluent of EC-EF. At last, an inconsecutive empirical kinetic model was firstly established to predict the effect of operating parameters on CBZ removal.

Application of a new HMW framework derived ANN model for optimization of aquatic dissolved organic matter removal by coagulation

Removing dissolved organic matter (DOM) with polyaluminium chloride is one of the primary goals of drinking water treatment. In this study, a new HMW framework was proposed, which divided the factors affecting coagulation into three parts consisting of hydraulic condition (H), metal salt (M), and background water matrix (W). In this framework, H, M and W were assumed to be interacted with each other and combined to determine coagulation efficiency. We investigated the feasibility of the framework to determine the treatment efficiency through mathematical models. Results showed that non-linear artificial neural network (ANN) model was a better fit to the experimental data than the linear partial least squares (PLS) model: the ANN model could explain 76% of the total variations while the PLS could only explain 71%. The PLS did not follow the variations of observed values adequately. These experiments showed that the interaction between the HMW framework components were not simple linear relationships. The ANN model was able to optimize the composition of the HMW framework improving the efficiency of DOM removal through the components of HMW such as velocity gradient (G value), coagulant dosage, solution pH, and background water matrix. Overall, HMW framework is a new classification of factors affecting coagulation, leading to a better understanding of the coagulation process and sensitivity to influencing variables.

Treatment of an azo dye effluent by peroxi-coagulation and its comparison to traditional electrochemical advanced processes

Peroxi-coagulation (PC) is an interesting new process that has not been widely studied in the literature. This work presents the application of this technology to treat an azo dye synthetic effluent, studying the effect of different parameters including initial pH, current density (j), initial dye concentration and supporting electrolyte. The two former variables significantly affected the colour removal of the wastewater, followed by the initial dye concentration and the kind of electrolyte, in a lesser extent. The optimum operating conditions achieved were initial pH of 3.0, j = 33.3 mA cm^-2, 100 mg L^-1 of methyl orange (MO) and Na₂SO₄ as supporting electrolyte. The performance of PC was also compared to other electrochemical advanced processes, under similar experimental conditions. Results indicate that the kinetic decay of the MO increases in the following order: electrocoagulation (EC) < electrochemical oxidation (EO) with electrogenerated H₂O₂ << PC < electro-Fenton (EF). This behaviour is given to the high oxidant character of the homogenous OH radicals generated by EF and PC approaches. The EO process with production of H₂O₂ (EO-H₂O₂) is limited by mass transport and the EC, as a separation method, takes longer times to achieve similar removal results. Energy requirements about 0.06 kWh g_COD^-1, 0.09 kWh g_COD^-1, 0.7 kWh g_COD^-1 and 0.1 kWh g_COD^-1 were achieved for PC, EF, EO-H₂O₂ and EC, respectively. Degradation intermediates were monitored and carboxylic acids were detected for PC and EF processes, being rapidly removed by the former technology. PC emerges as a promising and competitive alternative for wastewaters depollution, among other oxidative approaches.

An overview on the removal of synthetic dyes from water by electrochemical advanced oxidation processes

Wastewater containing dyes are one of the major threats to our environment. Conventional methods are insufficient for the removal of these persistent organic pollutants. Recently much attention has been received for the oxidative removal of various organic pollutants by electrochemically generated hydroxyl radical. This review article aims to provide the recent trends in the field of various Electrochemical Advanced Oxidation Processes (EAOPs) used for removing dyes from water medium. The characteristics, fundamentals and recent advances in each processes namely anodic oxidation, electro-Fenton, peroxicoagulation, fered Fenton, anodic Fenton, photoelectro-Fenton, sonoelectro-Fenton, bioelectro-Fenton etc. have been examined in detail. These processes have great potential to destroy persistent organic pollutants in aqueous medium and most of the studies reported complete removal of dyes from water. The great capacity of these processes indicates that EAOPs constitute a promising technology for the treatment of the dye contaminated effluents.

Production of martite nanoparticles with high energy planetary ball milling for heterogeneous Fenton-like process

Natural martite microparticles (NMMs) were prepared with a high energy planetary ball mill to form a nanocatalyst for a Fenton-like process.

Evaluation of electrospun polymer–Fe3O4nanocomposite mats in malachite green adsorption

Magnetoactive polymer-based electrospun fibers containing Fe₃O₄nanoparticles, were successfully employed as adsorbents for malachite green oxalate in aqueous media.

Computational identification and analysis of the key biosorbent characteristics for the biosorption process of reactive black 5 onto fungal biomass

The performances of nine biosorbents derived from dead fungal biomass were investigated for their ability to remove Reactive Black 5 from aqueous solution. The biosorption data for removal of Reactive Black 5 were readily modeled using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Kinetic analysis based on both pseudo-second-order and Weber-Morris models indicated intraparticle diffusion was the rate limiting step for biosorption of Reactive Black 5 on to the biosorbents. Sorption capacities of the biosorbents were not correlated with the initial biosorption rates. Sensitivity analysis of the factors affecting biosorption examined by an artificial neural network model showed that pH was the most important parameter, explaining 22%, followed by nitrogen content of biosorbents (16%), initial dye concentration (15%) and carbon content of biosorbents (10%). The biosorption capacities were not proportional to surface areas of the sorbents, but were instead influenced by their chemical element composition. The main functional groups contributing to dye sorption were amine, carboxylic, and alcohol moieties. The data further suggest that differences in carbon and nitrogen contents of biosorbents may be used as a selection index for identifying effective biosorbents from dead fungal biomass.