Facial Synthesis, Stability, and Interaction of Ti3C2Tx@PC Composites for High-Performance Biocathode Microbial Electrosynthesis Systems.

Developing high-performance biocathodes remain one of the most challenging aspects of the microbial electrosynthesis (MES) system and the primary factor limiting its output. Herein, a hollow porous carbon (PC) fabricated with MXenes coated over an electrode was developed for MES systems to facilitate the direct delivery of CO2 to microorganisms colonized. The result highlighted that MXene@PC (Ti3C2Tx@PC) has a surface area of 434 m2/g. The Ti3C2Tx@PC MES cycle shows that in cycle 4 and cycle 5, the values are -309.2 and -352.3. Cyclic voltammetry showed that the coated electrode current response (mA) increased from -4.5 to -20.2. The substantial redox peaks of Ti3C2Tx@PC biofilms are displayed at -741, -516, and -427 mV vs Ag/AgCl, suggesting an enhanced electron transfer owing to the Ti3C2Tx@PC complex coating. Additionally, more active sites enhanced mass transfer and microbial development, resulting in a 46% rise in butyrate compared to the uncoated control. These findings demonstrate the value of PC modification as a method for MES-based product selection.

Nanoarchitectonics and Kinetics Insights into Fluoride Removal from Drinking Water Using Magnetic Tea Biochar.

Fluoride contamination in water is a key problem facing the world, leading to health problems such as dental and skeletal fluorosis. So, we used low-cost multifunctional tea biochar (TBC) and magnetic tea biochar (MTBC) prepared by facile one-step pyrolysis of waste tea leaves. The TBC and MTBC were characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and VSM. Both TBC and MTBC contain high carbon contents of 63.45 and 63.75%, respectively. The surface area of MTBC (115.65 m2/g) was higher than TBC (81.64 m2/g). The modified biochar MTBC was further used to remediate the fluoride-contaminated water. The fluoride adsorption testing was conducted using the batch method at 298, 308, and 318 K. The maximum fluoride removal efficiency (E%) using MTBC was 98% when the adsorbent dosage was 0.5 g/L and the fluoride concentration was 50 mg/L. The experiment data for fluoride adsorption on MTBC best fit the pseudo 2nd order, rather than the pseudo 1st order. In addition, the intraparticle diffusion model predicts the boundary diffusion. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubnin-Radushkevich isotherm models were fitted to explain the fluoride adsorption on MTBC. The Langmuir adsorption capacity of MTBC = 18.78 mg/g was recorded at 298 K and decreased as the temperature increased. The MTBC biochar was reused in ten cycles, and the E% was still 85%. The obtained biochar with a large pore size and high removal efficiency may be an effective and low-cost adsorbent for treating fluoride-containing water.

Elemental mercury (Hg0) removal from coal syngas using magnetic tea-biochar: Experimental and theoretical insights.

Mercury is ranked 3rd as a global pollutant because of its long persistence in the environment. Approximately 65% of its anthropogenic emission (Hg0) to the atmosphere is from coal-thermal power plants. Thus, the Hg0 emission control from coal-thermal power plants is inevitable. Therefore, multiple sorbent materials were synthesized using a one-step pyrolysis method to capture the Hg0 from simulated coal syngas. Results showed, the Hg0 removal performance of the sorbents increased by the citric acid/ultrasonic application. T5CUF0.3 demonstrated the highest Hg0 capturing performance with an adsorption capacity of 106.81 µg/g within 60 min at 200 °C under complex simulated syngas mixture (20% CO, 20% H2, 10 ppmV HCl, 6% H2O, and 400 ppmV H2S). The Hg0 removal mechanism was proposed, revealing that the chemisorption governs the Hg0 removal process. Besides, the active Hg0 removal performance is attributed to the high dispersion of valence Fe3O4 and lattice oxygen (α) contents over the T5CUF0.3 surface. In addition, the temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and XPS analysis confirmed that H2S/HCl gases generate active sites over the sorbent surface, facilitating high Hg0 adsorption from syngas. This work represented a facile and practical pathway for utilizing cheap and eco-friendly tea waste to control the Hg0 emission.

Cadmium Stabilization and Redox Transformation Mechanism in Maize Using Nanoscale Zerovalent-Iron-Enriched Biochar in Cadmium-Contaminated Soil.

Cadmium (Cd) is a readily available metal in the soil matrix, which obnoxiously affects plants and microbiota; thus, its removal has become a global concern. For this purpose, a multifunctional nanoscale zerovalent-iron enriched biochar (nZVI/BC) was used to alleviate the Cd-toxicity in maize. Results revealed that the nZVI/BC application significantly enhanced the plant growth (57%), chlorophyll contents (65%), intracellular permeability (61%), and biomass production index (76%) by restraining Cd uptake relative to Cd control. A Cd stabilization mechanism was proposed, suggesting that high dispersion of organic functional groups (C-O, C-N, Fe-O) over the surface of nZVI/BC might induce complex formations with cadmium by the ion exchange process. Besides this, the regular distribution and deep insertion of Fe particles in nZVI/BC prevent self-oxidation and over-accumulation of free radicals, which regulate the redox transformation by alleviating Cd/Fe+ translations in the plant. Current findings have exposed the diverse functions of nanoscale zerovalent-iron-enriched biochar on plant health and suggest that nZVI/BC is a competent material, feasible to control Cd hazards and improve crop growth and productivity in Cd-contaminated soil.

Effect of Sonochemical Treatment on Thermal Stability, Elemental Mercury (Hg0) Removal, and Regenerable Performance of Magnetic Tea Biochar.

Elemental mercury (Hg0) removal from a hot gas is still challenging since high temperature influences the Hg0 removal and regenerable performance of the sorbent. In this work, a facile yet innovative sonochemical method was developed to synthesize a thermally stable magnetic tea biochar to capture the Hg0 from syngas. A sonochemically synthesized magnetic sorbent (TUF0.46) exhibited a more prodigious surface area with developed pore structures, ultra-paramagnetic properties, and high dispersion of Fe3O4/γ-Fe2O3 particles than a simply synthesized magnetic sorbent (TF0.46). The results showed that TUF0.46 demonstrated strong thermostability and attained a high Hg0 removal performance (∼98.6%) at 200 °C. After the 10th adsorption/regeneration cycle, the Hg0 removal efficiency of TUF0.46 was 19% higher than that of TF0.46. Besides, at 23.1% Hg0 breakthrough, TUF0.46 achieved an average Hg0 adsorption capacity of 16.58 mg/g within 24 h under complex syngas (20% CO, 20% H2, 5% H2O, and 400 ppm H2S). In addition, XPS results revealed that surface-active components (Fe+, O2-, O*, C=O) were the key factor for high Hg0 removal performance over TUF0.46 from syngas. Hence, sonochemistry is a promising practical tool for improving the surface morphology, thermal resistance, renewability, and Hg0 removal efficiency of a sorbent.