An oxalate selective electrode based on modified PVC-membrane with tetra -butylammonium — Clinoptilolite nanoparticles

Physical and hydraulic properties of bioretention substrate using hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA) modified zeolite

This study using hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (HDTMA) modified zeolite as a component of bioretention substrate, to investigate the effect of HDTMA modification on the basic physical and hydraulic properties of substrate layer. Two different levels of HDTMA modified zeolite (ZHD10 and ZHD50) were mixed with a mixture consists of peat soil, river sand and compost (fixed volumetric proportion at 5:4:1) with varying volumetric percentage (25%, 50%, and 75%) to form substrate media. The modification only changes the physical properties of zeolite and media with zeolite slightly, while significant changes in surface hydrophobicity and hydraulic properties were observed. A distinct decline of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) values of zeolite can be observed after the modification, K s values drop 36.5% for ZHD10 and 55.1% for ZHD50. In contrast, K s values of substrate media using zeolite increase after the modification at the same volumetric ratio of zeolite. When 50% of zeolite (v/v%) was used in substrate, K s for natural zeolite, ZHD10 and ZHD50 was 0.024, 0.038 and 0.075 cm/s, respectively. Such alterations in K s are associated with the changes of surface hydrophobicity after the modification and ion exchange between modified zeolite and other materials after soaking into water. Changes in water retention characteristics (WRC) curves were in good accord with the variations in K s , and can be interpreted by the changed K s of tested materials. The orientations of HDTMA molecules loaded on zeolite surface were suggested to play crucial roles in altering the hydraulic properties of zeolite added substrate.

Clinoptilolite based zeolite-geopolymer hybrid foams: Potential application as low-cost sorbents for heavy metals

Clinoptilolite based zeolite-geopolymer foams (abbreviated as CFs) were prepared from natural clinoptilolite and calcined clinoptilolite, using H₂O₂ solution as pore former through a straightforward process. Natural clinoptilolite and CFs are characterized by analytical techniques including optical microscope, XRF, FTIR, XRD, BET, MIP and SEM. The obtained CFs possesses micropores of zeolite and meso/macropores of geopolymer matrix. The porosities range from 66.7 to 69.5%. Clinoptilolite (partially dissolved) and impurity minerals (montmorillonite, illite and albite) contribute to the formation of geopolymer. CFs shows a good static sorption performance for toxic heavy metals at pH = 5 and sorption time of 24 h. Results show that the adsorption amount of CFs for Cr³⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ in the 50 mg/L working solutions are 6.21 mg/g, 6.11-6.13 mg/g, 5.92-6.07 mg/g, 5.53-5.93 mg/g and 5.44-5.79 mg/g, respectively. In addition, CFs could reach a high removal rate (Cr removal rate >80% and Cd > 60%) for different heavy metals after three cycles. The elimination order of toxic metals is Cr³⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺. The sequence is in accordance with Hard-Soft-Acid-Base principle, it is also related to the speciation and the ionic radii of the hydrated metal ions. This research provides a feasible approach for preparation of promising foams sorbent based on natural zeolite for wastewater management.

Combination of microwave discharge electrodeless lamp and a TiO2/HZSM-5 composite for the photocatalytic degradation of dimethyl sulphide

In this study, an integrated photocatalytic system consisting of a microwave discharge electrodeless lamp (MDEL) and TiO₂/HZSM-5 was established to investigate the intensified degradation of dimethyl sulphide (DMS). The system targets optimisation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and photocatalytic degradation pathways without catalyst deactivation. TiO₂/HZSM-5, containing highly dispersed TiO₂ nanoparticles, was prepared through the sol-gel method. TiO₂/HZSM-5 exhibits strong acidity and can adsorb DMS in multiple adsorption forms. Thus, the adsorption capacity of TiO₂/HZSM-5 is 20 and 53 times higher than that of Aeroxide TiO₂ (P25) in dry and highly humid air, respectively. UV-Vis analysis was performed to investigate the ROS in the gas phase. The results show that the concentrations of the ROS increased by 8% and 62.7% in dry and highly humid air, respectively. ¹O₂ and O (¹D), as well as ·OH are the major ROS, accounting for 73.6% and 61.6% in dry and highly humid air, respectively. A total of 92.5% DMS was removed over 600 min in dry air. Microwaves have strong desorption effects on absorbed substances, promoting the degradation of DMS via ROS in the gas phase. Moreover, ¹O₂, O (¹D), and ·OH can mineralise more DMS molecules into SO₂ and SO₃ through methanesulfonic acid. The highest mineralisation rate of 89.48% was obtained at 90% humidity over 600 min without catalyst deactivation. Therefore, this integrated system induced by microwave radiation can improve ROS production and prevent catalyst deactivation, providing an alternative to achieve higher photocatalytic performances in dry and highly humid air.

Photocatalytic kinetics of 2,4-dichloroaniline degradation by NiO-clinoptilolite nanoparticles

The ball-mill clinoptilolite nanoparticles (CNP) was ion-exchanged in Ni(II) solutions and calcined to obtain NiO-CNP catalysts with various NiO loadings. The resultant CNP was ion-exchanged in 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 M Ni(II) solutions and then calcined at 450 °C. The resultant NiO-CNPs contained 1.9, 2.3, 3.0, and 3.2% NiO, respectively. The XRD, FTIR, and DRS characterization techniques were applied. By applying the Scherrer equation on the XRD results, the average crystallite size for the NiO-CNP samples was estimated in the range of 42-65 nm. The pHpzc of the NiO-CNP species was slightly changed from 6.8 to 7.6 by an increase in the loaded NiO. The band gap energy of the samples was calculated by applying the Kubelka-Munk equation on the DRS results. The band gap energies of 3.81, 4.05, and 3.63 eV were estimated for the direct electronic transitions of the CN2, CN2.3, and CN3.2 samples, respectively. The boosted photoactivity was obtained in 2,4-dichloroanilyne (DCA) degradation when NiO supported onto both micronized clinoptilolite and its nanoparticles. The effects of the most important experimental variables on DCA photodegradation rate were kinetically studied by applying the Hinshelwood model on the results. The faster rate for the DCA photodegradation was achieved at the optimal conditions, including the catalyst dose: 0.5 g/L, C_DCA: 5 ppm, and the initial pH: 3. Some new peaks were observed in the HPLC chromatograms for the photodegraded DCA solutions after 180 min and 300 min, which showed 84% and 95% DCA photodegradation.

Novel modified poly vinyl chloride blend membranes for removal of heavy metals from mixed ion feed sample

Herein, an attempt has been made to prepare a novel membrane with good efficiency for removal of heavy metal ions namely lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr). 4-amino benzoic acid (ABA) was covalently grafted onto the poly vinyl chloride (PVC) backbone by CN bond to enhance the hydrophilicity. ¹H NMR and ATR-IR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the chemical modification of PVC. Further the modified polymer was blended in different compositions with polysulfone (PSf) for optimization. Morphological changes that occurred in blend membranes, due to the incorporation of modified PVC was studied by AFM and SEM techniques. The effect on hydrophilicity and performance of blends owing to incorporation of modified PVC was evaluated by water uptake, contact angle and flux studies. The density of functional groups in blends was analyzed by its ion-exchange capacity. Batch wise filtration of metal ions was carried out and the effect of pressure, feed pH and interference of ions was thoroughly investigated. Essentially, 100% rejection was obtained for all the metal ions in acidic pH with a productivity of 2.56l/m²h. The results were correlated with the results of commercially available NF 270 membrane under the same operating conditions.