Yi Han

The pollution problem of iron grinding sludge (IS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) threatens the ecosystem and human health. In this study, an iron-rich catalyst (ISPEG) was prepared by co-pyrolysis of grinding sludge and polyethylene glycol and used to activate peroxydisulfate (PDS) for degrading organic wastewater. In the ISPEG/PDS system, methylene blue (MB) was almost completely removed within 60 min with an apparent rate constant (Kobs) of 0.32 min⁻¹ and a wide range of pH. The effects of IS doping ratio, pyrolysis temperature, catalyst injection, PDS concentration, co-existing ions, and pH on MB removal were investigated. The results showed that ISPEG/PDS had a high removal rate of various organics in the water column. The catalytic mechanism of the ISPEG/PDS system was explored by free radical quenching, electron paramagnetic resonance, and frontier orbital theory studies, in which the main active substance for degrading SDZ was SO₄^•−. Finally, the degradation pathways of MB in the ISPEG/PDS system were analyzed by LC-MS. These results indicate that the ISPEG/PDS system has the potential to treat organic wastewater under the concept of waste control waste.

This study investigated the effects of heavy metals on the species diversity of the Xinjian Dyke Wetland, an ecosystem where reclaimed farmlands are being transformed back into wetlands through the introduction of indigenous plants. The sources of soil heavy metals were analyzed, and correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between heavy metal content and biodiversity indices. The results indicated that (1) the mean contents of Hg, Cd, Cu, Zn, As, Cr, and Pb were higher than the control values, with the content of Hg, Cd, Cu, and Zn exceeding the national standard; (2) the soil heavy metals mainly came from pesticides, chemical fertilizer, transportation, sewage irrigation, and the soil matrix; and (3) Hg and As were not significantly correlated with the diversity indices, but there was a highly positive correlation for Cu, Cr, and Pb, and a significant negative correlation for Zn and Cd. Collectively, our findings indicated that heavy metals have different effects on the plant species diversity inXinjian Dyke reconstruction area. The ecological restoration of wetlands from reclaimed farmlands should reasonably increase tolerant species and maximize the ecological niche differentiation of the species. Moreover, functionally redundant species should not be planted.

The sludge-derived biochar is considered an effective emerging contaminants adsorbent for wastewater treatment. In this paper, red mud and steel slag (RMSS) was used for improving sludge dewaterability and enhancing the sludge-derived biochar adsorption capacity. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to comprehensively characterize the mineral composition, functional group, and morphology of the adsorbent. RMSS was able to improve the sludge dewatering performance by providing a skeleton structure to promote drainage and Fe(III) to decrease the Zeta potential. The dosage of 20 mg/g RMSS was able to reduce the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) and the Zeta potential of sludge from 1.57 × 10¹³ m/kg and −19.56 mV to 0.79 × 10¹³ m/kg and −9.10 mV, respectively. The co-pyrolysis of RMSS and sludge (2:8) induced the formation of biochar containing FeAl₂O₄ (PS80). The PS80 exhibited a large surface area (46.40 m²/g) and high tetracycline (TC) removal capacity (98.87 mg/g) when combined with H₂O₂ (PS80-H₂O₂). The adsorption process of TC onto PS80 and PS80-H₂O₂ was well described by the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating physisorption and chemisorption behavior. The results indicated that co-pyrolysis of RMSS sludge PS80-H₂O₂ could enhance the biochar adsorption capacity of TC, attributable to the degradation by ·OH generated by the heterogeneous Fenton reaction of FeAl₂O₄ and H₂O₂, the release of adsorbed sites, and the improvement of the biochar pore structure. This study proposed a novel method for the use of RMSS to dewater sludge as well as to induce the formation of FeAl₂O₄ in biochar with effective TC removal by providing a Fe and Al source, achieving a waste-to-resource strategy for the integrated management of industrial solid waste and sewage sludge.

This study assessed the effects of heavy metals on plant community species diversity in the restoration and reconstruction area of Xinjian Dyke in Caizi Lake National Wetland Park. Using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, principal component analysis (PCA), regression, and correlation analysis, our study determined that the main sources of soil heavy metals in the study area were organic fertilizer, transportation and agricultural activities, and natural sources. Hg, Cd, Zn, As, Cr, and Cu were the main heavy metals in the study site. The Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, and Simpson indices were used to evaluate plant diversity. Our findings indicated that Hg was not significantly correlated with any of the three indices, Cr and As were positively correlated with the indices, and Cd and Zn were negatively correlated with the indices. Furthermore, Cu was positively correlated with the Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices, and negatively correlated with the Margalef index. These findings indicated that the uniformity of the individual distribution among species was an important factor of community diversity, and the differences in the community diversity indices were related to the heavy metals in the soil . To improve the difference and functional complementarity between coexisting individuals, single superior species must be avoided and niche differentiation must be maintained as much as possible. Soil pH value, SOM, and other conditions should be improved to inhibit the migration and diffusion of heavy metals, improve their bioavailability, and give priority to local pioneer plants instead of functional redundant species.

In order to improve the utilization of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) in activating persulfate (PS), a composite material of nZVI/CSW with nZVI supported on calcium sulfate whiskers (CSWs) was synthesized in this study. The activity of the nZVI/CSW-PS system was evaluated by the removal of methyl orange (MO) in the aqueous phase. With the optimization of response surface methodology (RSM), the degradation efficiency of 20.0 mg L⁻¹ MO could increase to 98.13% in 5 min at the dosage of 1.03 g L⁻¹ nZVI/CSW-2, 3.51 mM PS at a temperature of 40.8 °C. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests showed that the nZVI particles were well dispersed on the CSW surface in a Fe²⁺/CSW molar ratio of 0.25 : 1, which is approximate to the theoretical value of 3.698 mg g⁻¹ thin-layer-Fe supported on CSW. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that the thin-layer nZVI particles were the most efficient in activating PS, and nZVI was rapidly dispersed during the dissolution process of CSW, which greatly increased the reaction rate. γ-FeOOH is the main reaction product of nZVI/CSW-2. This study provides a novel advanced oxidation system with nZVI/CSW in wastewater pollution control.