Non-target and target analysis to identify and characterize thiophenes in soil from an abandoned coking plant

A water quality assessment model involving novel fluorescence technology

The reasonable utilization of water resources and real-time monitoring of water pollution are the core tasks of current world hydrological and water conservancy work. Novel technologies and methods for monitoring water pollution are important means to ensure water health. However, the absence of intuitive and simple analysis methods for the assessment of regional pollution in large-scale water bodies has prevented scientists from quickly grasping the overall situation of water pollution. In this study, we propose a strategy based on the unique combination of fluorescence technology and simple kriging (SK) interpolation (FL-SK) for the first time. This strategy could present the relative magnitude and distribution of the physicochemical indicators of a whole natural lake intuitively and accurately. The unique FL-SK model firstly offers a simple and effective water quality method that provides the pollution index of different sampling points in lakes. The macroscopic evaluation of large-scale water bodies by the FL-SK model primarily relies on the fluorescence response of the RDM-TPE to the comprehensive indicators of the water body, as experimental results have revealed a good correlation between fluorescent responses and six normalized physicochemical indicators. Multiple linear regression and fluorescence response experiments on RDM-TPE indicate that to some extent, the fluorescence signals of the FL-SK model may originate from a certain type of sulfide in the water body. Pattern discovery could enable the analysis of pollution levels in other ecosystems and promote early pollution assessment in the future.

Replacement of Concrete Aggregates with Coal-Derived Flash Graphene

Each year, the growth of cities across developing economies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America drives demand for concrete to house and serve their burgeoning populations. Since 1950, the number of people living in urban areas has quadrupled to 4.2 billion, with another predicted 2.5 billion expected to join them in the next three decades. The largest component of concrete by volume is aggregates, such as sand and rocks, with sand as the most mined material in the world. However, the extraction rate of sand currently exceeds its natural replenishment rate, meaning that a global concrete-suitable sand shortage is extremely likely. As such, replacements for fine aggregates, such as sand, are in demand. Here, flash Joule heating (FJH) is used to convert coal-derived metallurgical coke (MC) into flash graphene aggregate (FGA), a blend of MC-derived flash graphene (MCFG), which mimics a natural aggregate (NA) in size. While graphene and graphene oxide have previously been used as reinforcing additives to concrete, in this contribution, FGA is used as a total aggregate replacement for NA, resulting in 25% lighter concrete with increases in toughness, peak strain, and specific compressive strength of 32, 33, and 21%, respectively, with a small reduction in specific Young's modulus of 11%. FJH can potentially enable the replacement of fine NA with FGA, resulting in lighter, stronger concrete.