Evaluation of the available strategies to control the emission of microplastics into the aquatic environment

No effective strategy has been found so far to control the emission of microplastics. The purpose of this article is to review the available control strategies, as well as barriers to developing them. Based on the estimations in the available literature, decomposition of larger plastics, clothes washing and tire abrasion play an essential part in the total emission rate of microplastics into the ocean. Nonetheless, there is no corresponding information regarding the soil, and more information is needed to prioritize the emission sources of microplastics more preciously. Generally, there have been two approaches for the management of the microplastic issues, including the substitution of non-plastic materials for plastic ones in products such as personal care products, and microplastic removal from wastewater. The former is in its infancy and has commenced only in a few developed countries. Existing wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as the other approach can transfer a significant portion of the microplastics into the sludge. The result is that the final destination of these microplastics can be the soil. Since there is little information on how serious the impact of microplastics is on the soil as compared with water, the currently used WWTPs cannot be considered as a final remedy. Furthermore, there has been not been any specifically designed techniques to remove microplastics from wastewater efficiently and economically.

Introducing a dual-step procedure comprising microwave and electrical heating stages for the morphology-controlled synthesis of chromium-benzene dicarboxylate, MIL-101(Cr), applicable for CO2 adsorption

MIL-101(Cr) crystals were synthesized through a dual-step procedure consisting of a short term nucleation step in which the solution mixture was heated using microwave irradiation (MW phase) followed by a long-term growth step in which conventional electrical heating (CE phase) was used as a source of energy. The primary objective of such segregation is to increase the nuclei population at the end of the nucleation step. As a result of the high population density of nuclei, it is expected that the total time required to grow crystals in the CE phase decreases. The results showed that using the dual-step procedure led to a significant reduction in total synthesis time. The results also revealed that increasing pH from around 1.5 to 3 at the beginning of the CE phase resulted in producing octahedral crystals instead of a multifaceted sphere. Octahedral crystals exhibit higher CO₂ adsorption capacity than the multifaceted ones. Using the dual step procedure, one can not only control the morphology but also reduce the total synthesis time of MIL-101(Cr) crystals.

Enhancing ferrate(VI) oxidation process to remove blue 203 from wastewater utilizing MgO nanoparticles

The aim of this study is to investigate the beneficial effect of utilizing MgO nanoparticles on the performance of ferrate(VI) oxidation process to remove blue-203 dye from wastewater. It was also made an attempt to assess the effects of pH, temperature, and MgO nanoparticle dosage on this oxidation process performance. Several sets of batch experiment were conducted to find out the effects of temperature ranging from 25 to 65 °C, pH ranging from 1.5 to 13, ferrate(VI) concentration ranging from 0.5 to 5.9 mg/L and MgO nanoparticles dosage ranging from 0.01 to 0.05 g in 150 mL solution on the removal efficiency. The results showed that adding MgO nanoparticles can improve the performance of ferrate(VI) oxidation removal method significantly, spec. at basic conditions. This synergistic effect can be attributed to the simultaneous adsorption of ferrate(VI) and dye molecules on the surface of nanoparticles. The results also revealed that the reaction between blue-203 dye and ferrate(VI) takes place rapidly at high mixing rate. It means that the required time to complete the removal process is controlled by mixing rate. It was finally concluded that adding MgO nanoparticles was an efficient means to enhance the performance of ferrate(VI) to oxidize blue-203 dye, esp. under basic conditions.

Flame-assisted spray pyrolysis to size-controlled LiyAlxMn2−xO4: a supervised machine learning approach

Flame assisted spray pyrolysis synthesizes Al-doped LiMn₂O₄ where Al promotes carbon formation and increases the specific surface area by 90%.

Molecular dynamics simulation of a LixMn2O4 spinel cathode material in Li-ion batteries

Molecular dynamics simulations and a particle-level mathematical model were used to study the state of charge dependent mechanical and diffusion properties of lithium manganese oxide as a cathode material in Li-ion batteries during electrochemical cycling.

A metal–organic framework MIL-101 doped with metal nanoparticles (Ni & Cu) and its effect on CO2adsorption properties

In this work, Cu- and Ni-doped MIL-101 were synthesizedviaa microwave irradiation technique and used as adsorbents for CO₂adsorption. The loading of MNPs in MIL-101 showed a beneficial effect on the adsorption capacity and cyclability.

Kinetics of substrate utilization and bacterial growth of crude oil degraded by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pollution associated with crude oil (CO) extraction degrades the quality of waters, threatens drinking water sources and may ham air quality. The systems biology approach aims at learning the kinetics of substrate utilization and bacterial growth for a biological process for which very limited knowledge is available. This study uses the Pseudomonas aeruginosa to degrade CO and determines the kinetic parameters of substrate utilization and bacterial growth modeled from a completely mixed batch reactor. The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can remove 91 % of the total petroleum hydrocarbons and 83 % of the aromatic compounds from oily environment. The value k of 9.31 g of substrate g(-1) of microorganism d(-1) could be far higher than the value k obtained for petrochemical wastewater treatment and that for municipal wastewater treatment. The production of new cells of using CO as the sole carbon and energy source can exceed 2(3) of the existing cells per day. The kinetic parameters are verified to contribute to improving the biological removal of CO from oily environment.

Mathematical modeling of wire-duct single-stage electrostatic precipitators

A two-dimensional mathematical model was developed to simulate the performance of wire-duct single-stage electrostatic precipitators (ESP). The model presented by Talaie et al. [M.R. Talaie, M. Taheri, J. Fathikaljahi, A new method to evaluate the voltage-current characteristics applicable for a single-stage electrostatic precipitator, J. Electrostat., 53 (3) (2001) 221-233] was used for prediction of electric field strength distribution and V-I characteristic for high-voltage wire-plate configuration. Simple Lagrangian approach was used to predict particle movement. Normal k-epsilon turbulent flow model with considering electrical body force due to ion and charged particle flow was used to evaluate gas velocity distribution. Ignoring the effect of particle movement and fluid flow, the results of electrical part of mathematical model are in good agreement with experimental data of Penny and Matick [G.W. Penny, R.E. Matrick, Potential in DC corona field, Trans. AIEE Part 1, 79 (1960) 91-99]. The prediction of corona sheath radius and its variation with particle loading and applied voltage is the main distinguishing feature of the present model. This fact was not included in the earlier models.

Simulation of an orifice scrubber performance based on Eulerian/Lagrangian method

A mathematical model based on Eulerian/Lagrangian method has been developed to predict particle collection efficiency from a gas stream in an orifice scrubber. This model takes into account Eulerian approach for particle dispersion, Lagrangian approach for droplet movement and particle-source-in-cell (PSI-CELL) model for calculating droplet concentration distribution. In order to compute fluid velocity profiles, the normal k-epsilon turbulent flow model with inclusion of body force due to drag force between fluid and droplets has been used. Experimental data of Taheri et al. [J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 23 (11) (1973) 963] have been used to test the results of the mathematical model. The results from the model are in good agreement with the experimental data. After validating the model the effect of operating parameters such as liquid to gas flow rate ratio, gas velocity at orifice opening, and particle diameter were obtained on the collection efficiency.

Prediction of pressure drop in an orifice scrubber based on a Lagrangian approach

A mathematical model has been developed to predict pressure drop in an orifice scrubber. This model is based on a Lagrangian approach for droplet movement and a particle-source-in-cell (PSI-CELL) model for calculating droplet concentration distribution. The k-epsilon turbulent model including body force due to the drag force between fluid and droplets was used to evaluate the fluid velocity distribution. The effect of orifice size on pressure drop and the correlations for mean droplet diameter have been studied. The results from the model have been compared with experimental data. This comparison shows excellent agreement between the calculated results and the experimental data.

Theoretical study of liquid droplet dispersion in a venturi scrubber

The droplet concentration distribution in an atomizing scrubber was calculated based on droplet eddy diffusion by a three-dimensional dispersion model. This model is also capable of predicting the liquid flowing on the wall. The theoretical distribution of droplet concentration agrees well with experimental data given by Viswanathan et al. for droplet concentration distribution in a venturi-type scrubber. The results obtained by the model show a non-uniform distribution of drops over the cross section of the scrubber, as noted by the experimental data. While the maximum of droplet concentration distribution may depend on many operating parameters of the scrubber, the results of this study show that the highest uniformity of drop distribution will be reached when penetration length is approximately equal to one-fourth of the depth of the scrubber. The results of this study can be applied to evaluate the removal efficiency of a venturi scrubber.