Physicochemical study of novel organoclays as heavy metal ion adsorbents for environmental remediation

Four organic-modified clays based on a SWy-2 montmorillonite were prepared by embedding ammonium organic derivatives with different chelating functionalities (NH(2), COOH, SH or CS(2)) in the interlayer space of montmorillonite. Organic molecules such as (a) hexamethylenediamine, (b) 2-(dimethylamino)ethenethiol, (c) 5-aminovaleric acid and (d) hexamethylenediamine-dithiocarbamate were used for the clay modification in order to study the effect of the chelating functionality on heavy metal ions binding from aqueous solutions. The organoclays were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (FTIR) and NMR spectroscopies. The experimental data showed that the organic molecules are intercalated into the interlamelar space with the long dimension parallel to the clay sheets. Their sorbing properties were evaluated for the removal of heavy metals, Pb, Cd and Zn, from aqueous solutions as a function of the pH. When compared with the unmodified SWy-2 montmorillonite, the modified clays show significant improvement in terms of sorbing selectivity as well as of metal loading capacity. The fit to adsorption data by a Surface Complexation Model shows that the intercalated molecules act as specific binding sites in the clay. These contribute additional sorption capacity which is additive to the variable charge edge-sites of the clay in competition with the permanent charge sites.     

Nanocellulose as a green and sustainable emerging material in energy applications: a review

In this review, a recent prospect on application of nanocellulose in energy application has been highlighted. To achieve high capacities that are essential for effective extraction of interesting ions and for faster charging and discharging in the energy storage devices, nanocellulose in the conducting matrix must obviously assist the dual purpose of mechanically improving and reinforcing the specific charge capacity. The abundant number of nanocellulose hydroxyl groups on the surface favors the formation of hydrogen bonding in an ordered structure and lead to it having high strength and stiffness properties at low density. This brought up the idea of utilizing nanocellulose as a reinforcement and energy adsorption agent originating from the possibility of exploiting the high strength and stiffness of cellulose crystals in composite applications. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Review of MXenes as a component in smart textiles and an adsorbent for textile wastewater remediation

Two-dimensional(2D) MXenes have emerged as an archetypical layered material combining the properties of an organic-inorganic hybrid offering materials sustainability for a range of applications. Their surface functional groups and the associated chemical properties’ tailorability through functionalizing MXenes with other materials as well as hydrophilicity and high conductivity enable them to be the best successor for various applications in textile industries, especially in the advancement of s...     

可用于环境修复的半导体光催化剂及其改性策略研究进展

多相光催化技术作为一种直接利用太阳光降解多种污染物的先进氧化工艺在环境修复领域的研究中引起了广泛关注.在多相光催化过程中,半导体材料在太阳光的激发下,其强大的氧化/还原能力可快速高效降解各种污染物.研究者通常根据环境中污染物的状态和种类选择合适的半导体材料及修饰策略,构建高效多相光催化体系,探究光催化材料在环境修复中的...     

Dithiocarbamates as hazardous remediation agent: A critical review on progress in environmental chemistry for inorganic species studies of 20th century

This article provides a critical review and a wide range of applications of dithiocarbamates (DTCs) in environmental samples. The characteristics of DTCs are reviewed with particular emphasis on inorganic speciation studies using state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation coupled with computational methods of analysis.     

Serum metabolomics as a novel diagnostic approach for disease: a systematic review

Metabolomics is a promising "omics" field in systems biology; its objective is comprehensive analysis of low-molecular-weight endogenous metabolites in a biological sample. It could enable mapping of perturbations of early biochemical changes in diseases and hence provide an opportunity to develop predictive biomarkers that could result in earlier intervention and provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of diseases. Because of the possible discovery of clinically relevant biomarkers, metabolomics has potential advantages that routine approaches to clinical diagnosis do not. Monitoring specific metabolite levels in serum, the most commonly used biofluid in metabolomics, has become an important way of detecting the early stages of a disease. Serum is a readily accessible and informative biofluid, making it ideal for early detection of a wide range of diseases, and analysis of serum has several advantages over analysis of other biofluids. Metabolite profiles of serum can be regarded as important indicators of physiological and pathological states and may aid understanding of the mechanism of disease occurrence and progression on the metabolic level, and provide information enabling identification of early and differential metabolic markers of disease. Analysis of these crucial metabolites in serum has become important in monitoring the state of biological organisms and is widely used for diagnosis of disease. Emerging metabolomics will drive serum analysis, facilitate and improve the development of disease treatments, and provide great benefits for public health in the long-term.     

Fluoridized iron phosphate as a novel adsorbent for selective separation/isolation of cytochrome c

Fluoridized iron phosphate (F-FePO) is prepared via a hydrothermal protocol and characterized by means of ⁵⁷Fe M?ssbauer spectra, Fourier transform infrared, and surface charge analysis. For the first time, F-FePO is used as an adsorbent for the adsorption of proteins, which exhibits favorable selectivity toward cytochrome c (cyt-c) in the presence of acidic and neutral proteins under controlled experimental conditions. At pH 10.5, an adsorption efficiency of 100% is achieved for 60 mg L⁻¹ cyt-c in 1.0 mL of sample solution using 6.0 mg F-FePO. The adsorption behavior is consistent with the Langmuir adsorption model, corresponding to a theoretical adsorption capacity of 37.59 μg mg⁻¹. The retained cyt-c on F-FePO could be readily collected by 0.1 mol L⁻¹ Na₂CO₃–NaHCO₃ buffer (pH 10.5), deriving a recovery of 100%. Circular dichroism spectra indicate no conformational change for cyt-c after the adsorption and desorption processes, demonstrating the favorable biocompatibility of the fluoridized iron phosphate. F-FePO is employed for the selective isolation of cyt-c from a spiked human whole blood, achieving satisfactory results by assay with SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Perylene bisimide as a versatile fluorescent tool for environmental and biological analysis: a review

Perylene bisimide (PBI) is a fluorescent dye which has strong emission and high photostability. Although PBI has been widely used for industrial materials, the application of PBI in analytical fields was limited mainly due to its high hydrophobicity. In recent years, however, unique and useful analytical methods based on PBI platform are being successfully developed by utilizing the characteristic features of this compound including its high hydrophobicity. In this article, the recent trend of environmental and biological analysis using PBI is reviewed.     

Fabrication and characterization of buckypaper-based nanostructured electrodes as a novel material for biofuel cell applications

The fabrication process of buckypapers (BPs) made from stable suspensions of as-received or functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with high purity (97.5 wt%, Baytubes), their characterization and their utilization towards novel biofuel cell electrode applications are reported. The BPs can vary in thickness between 1 μm and 200 μm, are mechanically robust, flexible, stable in solvents, possess high meso-porosities as well as high apparent electrical conductivities of up to 2500 S m(-1). Potentiodynamic measurements of biocathodes based on bilirubin oxidase (BOD)-decorated BPs for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in neutral media (phosphate buffer solution) containing glucose indicate that BP electrodes based on functionalized MWCNTs (fBPs) perform better than BP electrodes of as-received MWCNTs and have high potential as an effective electrode material in biofuel cells and biosensors.     

竹炭为高效吸附剂的固相萃取分析环境水样中的痕量三氯生

建立了一种由竹炭作为固相萃取高效吸附剂富集环境水样中痕量三氯生的新方法. 研究并优化了几个影响富集效率的参数. 在优化条件下, 三氯生的检测限为0.08 μg/L, 在1～100 μg/L 范围内有良好的线性关系, 相对标准偏差为2.9% (n=7). 方法可应用于实际废水样品的分析.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of chlorophenols in environmental water samples

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNs) are used as adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) of several chlorophenols (CPs). CPs were adsorbed on MWCNs cartridge, then desorbed with pH 10.0 methanol, finally determined by HPLC. Under the optimized conditions, detection limits of 0.08-0.8 ng mL(-1) were obtained. The method had been applied to analyze the five CPs in tap water and river water.     

Nanocellulose: a promising nanomaterial for fabricating fluorescent composites

Cellulose - Nanocellulose (NC) is a new biomass nanomaterial with at least one dimension in the nanoscale, prepared from plant fibers, animal, and bacteria. Nanocellulose combines important...     

铜基非贵金属异相催化剂在环境修复中的应用（英文）

近年来,全球经济和工业高速发展带来的环境问题,不仅严重影响着经济社会的可持续发展,更极大地危害着人类健康.石油化工、医药生产和交通运输等过程产生的气、液、固相污染物可直接或间接造成臭氧层空洞、光化学烟雾及水体污染等重大环境问题.气相污染物中,CO和可挥发性有机物(VOCs)不仅具有生物毒性,更是形成光化学烟雾等大气污染的主要前驱体.NO_x和SO2会造成酸雨的形成,极大地破坏生态系统.工业废水中难分解的有机污染物可对环境造成持续性破坏.而不完全燃烧产生的碳烟颗粒物不仅影响气候和大气环境,同时可导致心血管疾病高发,危害人体健康.源头控制是环境污染治理的关键,而催化净化是当前污染物源头控制最有效的技术之一.因此,设计和开发稳定、高效的环境修复催化剂是科学家们面临的一个关键问题.传统贵金属(Pt,Rh,Pd)催化剂虽然催化活性高,但是存在价格昂贵且易中毒等不足.而过渡金属及其氧化物因具有高活性、价格低廉和高储量等特点有望成为贵金属的替代催化剂.铜是具有3d轨道的过渡金属,有活泼的物理化学性质,是工业中大量应用的有色金属.铜基氧化物因高氧化还原电势和低环境危害被广泛应用于热催化、电催化和光催化.基于文献报道,铜基催化剂主要分为三类:铜氧化物(CuO_x),负载型铜氧化物(CuO_x/support)和固溶体铜氧化物(CuO_x-X).本篇综述首先探讨了铜氧化物的价态、晶体结构、形貌、暴露晶面以及载体与催化剂活性之间的内在联系,阐明铜基催化剂结构与性能的构效关系及高效催化剂的设计原则;继而全面总结了近年来不同类型的铜基材料在催化净化环境污染物中的应用,主要介绍了以下5类反应:CO的催化氧化,NO_x的选择性催化还原(SCR),VOCs的完全燃烧,废水中有机污染物降解,以及碳烟颗粒物催化燃烧.我们深入阐述铜氧化物的催化活性位点和催化机制;分析负载型铜基催化剂的比表面积、分散度、协同作用和界面作用对催化剂的活性和稳定性的影响;阐明固溶体催化剂的独特原子组成设计与性能关系,为高效催化剂设计提供思路.此外,本综述对铜基催化剂在环境催化中的研究现状以及尚未解决的问题进行了剖析与展望.通过铜氧化物表面调控,复合催化剂的界面调控,具有更高稳定性和抗中毒性的高效催化剂有望开发成功,而团簇及单原子铜催化剂也有望在此领域有所突破.     

Recent advances in BiOBr-based photocatalysts for environmental remediation

The efficient utilization of solar energy through photocatalysis is ideal for solving environmental issues and the development sustainable future. BiOBr-based semiconductors possess unique narrowed bandgaps and layered structures, thereby widely studied as photocatalysts for environmental remediation. However, a little has been focused on the comprehensive reviewing of BiOBr despite its extensive and promising applications. In this review, the state-of-the-art developments of BiOBr-based photocatalysts for environmental remediation are summarized. Particular focus is paid to the synthetic strategies for the control of the resulting morphologies, as well as efficient modification strategies for improving the photocatalytic activities. These include boosting the bulk phase by charge separation, enhancing the spatial charge separation, and engineering the surface states. The environmental uses of BiOBr-based photocatalysts are also reviewed in terms of purification of pollutants and CO₂ reduction. Finally, future challenges and opportunities of BiOBr-based materials in photocatalysis are discussed. Overall, this review provides a good basis for future exploration of high-efficiency solar-driven photocatalysts for environmental sustainability.     

TiO2 nanotubes： A novel solid phase extraction adsorbent for the sensitive determination of nickel in environmental water samples

A novel method was developed for the sensitive determination of nickel in environmental water samples by using TiO2 nanotubes, a new nanomaterial, as solid phase extraction absorbent. In general, TiO2 nanomaterials were often used for catalytic degradation of pollutants in environmental field, and only a very few application in environmental analytic chemistry. In present work, TiO2 nanotubes was firstly used for the enrichment of nickel and the factors would influence the preconcentration performance were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, TiO2 nanotubes exhibited its good enrichment capacity for nickel and the detection limit of the proposed method was 1 ng· mL^-1. The proposed method was validated with real water samples, and excellent results were obtained with the spiked recoveries in the range of 94.4-99.2%, respectively.     

原位合成稳定的Ti3+自修饰介孔TiO2光催化剂在环境净化中的应用

半导体光催化剂TiO2因具有绿色环保无污染、化学稳定性好及可实现稳定产氢等优点而广泛应用于光解水、废水处理和空气净化等领域.然而,锐钛矿相TiO2禁带宽度约为3.2 eV,仅对紫外光响应.而在太阳光中,44%左右为可见光,紫外光仅占不到4%.为了提高TiO2对太阳光的利用率和在可见光照射下的光催化活性,近年来人们采用掺杂金属/非金属离子以及与可见光催化剂复合等方法对TiO2进行改性.但是这些离子掺杂的方法会不可避免地在TiO2晶格中形成结构缺陷,这些结构缺陷作为光生电子和空穴的复合中心不利于电子和空穴分离.最近研究表明,通过Ti3+自掺杂可以很好提高TiO2可见光催化活性,但是目前制备Ti3+掺杂TiO2的方法较复杂,形成的Ti3+掺杂易在表面积聚而被进一步氧化,影响其光催化稳定性,不利于实际应用.因此,开发具有良好电子-空穴分离效率的可见光催化剂引起了广泛的研究兴趣.本文通过原位自掺杂Ti3+来提高TiO2可见光光催化活性.以TiCl3为钛源, H2O为溶剂, F127为软模板,采用溶剂挥发诱导自组装的方法制备了蠕虫状Ti3+自掺杂的介孔TiO2.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、N2物理吸附、紫外-可见漫反射(UV-vis)、透射电子显微镜和电子顺磁共振(EPR)对所制备样品结构、结晶度和形貌等进行了表征分析.通过控制表面活性剂用量和焙烧温度优化了Ti3+自掺杂介孔TiO2的光催化活性.结果表明,在模拟太阳光照射下,所制样品对气相光催化氧化NO和水相降解有机染料亚甲基蓝表现出优异的催化性能和稳定性. Ti3+自掺杂介孔TiO2有效扩展了催化剂的光吸收范围,提高了光生电子空穴的迁移效率.其优异的光催化活性和稳定性主要归因于掺杂在TiO2骨架中的Ti3+和所合成催化剂多孔性之间的协同效果.固体UV-vis结果表明,所合成的TiO2具有很好的可见光响应,主要归因于在TiO2材料合成过程中,部分Ti3+未被完全氧化, Ti3+掺入可以有效降低TiO2的禁带宽度.通过计算可知合成的TiO2禁带宽度为2.7 eV.通过低温EPR测试进一步证明了Ti3+的存在,而且Ti3+主要掺杂在TiO2体相中. N2物理吸附结果表明,随焙烧温度不断提高,所得产物的比表面积先增加后减少,当焙烧温度在500 oC时,比表面积最大,但至550 oC时,比表面积、孔径和孔体积增大,表明催化剂的孔结构被破坏.表面活性剂F127的用量对样品比表面积和孔径大小也有影响,当其用量为0.54 g时,所得产物的比表面积最大.我们将所合成的TiO2应用于污染气体NO的氧化,考察了焙烧温度和表面活性剂用量对光催化剂性能的影响.结果表明,当表面活性剂用量为0.54 g,焙烧温度为500oC时,所制催化剂在模拟太阳光和可见光照射下都表现出最好的NO去除转化率.将使用过的催化剂离心洗涤后进行连续反应3.5 h,依然保持很高的NO去除转化率.催化剂高活性及稳定性的主要原因是Ti3+的掺杂将TiO2光响应范围拓展到可见光区域,且Ti3+掺杂和介孔结构之间的协同作用有利于促进光生电子和空穴的分离.当催化剂在低于500 oC焙烧时,所得催化剂结晶度较低,不利于光生电子-空穴的分离,而高温焙烧则会导致催化剂介孔结构遭到破坏,不利于NO气体吸附和产物脱附.表面活性剂对催化剂活性影响较小,在可见光照射下催化剂均表现出很好的光催化活性.此外,该Ti3+自掺杂介孔TiO2在液相条件下对有机染料亚甲基蓝也表现出很好的去除效果,可见光照射2 h,亚甲基蓝去除率接近100%.     

Tea-industry waste activated carbon, as a novel adsorbent, for separation, preconcentration and speciation of chromium

Activated carbon was produced from tea-industry wastes (TIWAC) and employed as a low cost and effective solid phase material for the separation, preconcentration and speciation of chromium species without using a complexing agent, prior to determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The characterization of TIWAC was performed by utilizing several techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and elemental analysis. The adsorption experiments were conducted in a batch adsorption technique. Under the experimental conditions, Cr(VI) adsorption amount was nearly equal to zero, however the adsorption percentage of Cr(III) was in the range of 95–100%. Therefore total chromium was determined after the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and Cr(VI) was calculated by subtracting Cr(III) concentration from total chromium concentration. The suitable conditions for adsorption and speciation processes were evaluated in terms of pH, eluent type and volume, TIWAC concentration, adsorption and desorption contact time, etc. Adsorption capacity of TIWAC was found to be 61.0 mg g⁻¹. The detection limit for Cr(III) was found to be 0.27 μg L⁻¹ and the preconcentration factor was 50 for 200 mL of sample volume. The procedure was applied to the determination and speciation of chromium in stream, tap and sea water. Also, the proposed method was applied to total chromium preconcentration in microwave digested tobacco and dried eggplant samples with satisfactory results. The method was validated by analyzing certified reference materials (CRM-TMDW-500 Drinking Water and CRM-SA-C Sandy Soil C) and the results were in good agreement with the certified values.     

1,1'-Dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium-smectites as a novel adsorbent of phenols from water through charge-transfer interactions

The adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol onto the 1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium-saponite, a smectite group of clay minerals, from dilute aqueous solution occurred effectively through charge-transfer interactions and such interactions resulted in the change in the color of the 1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium-saponite.     

Research progress of graphene-based nanomaterials for the environmental remediation

Graphene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial with huge surface area,high carrier mobility and high mechanical strength.Because of its great potential in nanotechnology and environmental protection,it has attracted much attention in environmental and energy fields since its discovery in 2004.Although graphene is a star material,many reviews have introduced its use in terms of energy,the research progress in the field of environment,especially water pollution control,has been rarely reported.Here,we review exhaustively the research progress of graphene-based materials in environmental pollution remediation in the past ten years.Firstly,the advantages and classification of graphene were introduced.Secondly,the research progress and main achievements of graphene and its composites in the fields of photocatalytic degradation,pollutant adsorption and water treatment were emphatically described,and the mechanism of action in the above fields was summarized.Finally,we discuss the problems existing in the preparation and summarize the application of graphene in the environment.