Enhanced Chromium (VI) Removal by Micron-Scale Zero-Valent Iron Pretreated with Aluminum Chloride under Aerobic Conditions.

Micron-scale zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based material has been applied for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) decontamination in wastewater treatment and groundwater remediation, but the passivation problem has limited its field application. In this study, we combined aluminum chloride solution with ZVI (pcZVI-AlCl3) to enhance Cr(VI) removal behavior under aerobic conditions. The optimal pre-corrosion conditions were found to be 2.5 g/L ZVI, 0.5 mM AlCl3, and a 4 h preconditioning period. Different kinds of techniques were applied to detect the properties of preconditioned ZVI and corrosion products. The 57Fe Mössbauer spectra showed that proportions of ZVI, Fe3O4, and FeOOH in pcZVI-AlCl3 were 49.22%, 34.03%, and 16.76%, respectively. The formation of Al(OH)3 in the corrosion products improved its pHpzc (point of zero charge) for Cr(VI) adsorption. Continuous-flow experiments showed its great potential for Cr(VI) removal in field applications. The ZVI and corrosion products showed a synergistic effect in enhancing electron transfer for Cr(VI) removal. The mechanisms underlying Cr(VI) removal by pcZVI-AlCl3 included adsorption, reduction, and precipitation, and the contribution of adsorption was less. This work provides a new strategy for ZVI pre-corrosion to improve its longevity and enhance Cr(VI) removal.

A novel calcium peroxide/attapulgite-Fe(II) process for high concentration phosphate removal and recovery: Efficiency and mechanism.

Phosphorus (P) has been overused in livestock farming, which inevitably results in high-concentration P-containing wastewater. Managing total phosphorus discharge is important to prevent eutrophication in aquatic environments, thus it is critical to develop new technologies for the removal and recovery of high-concentration phosphate. In this study, a novel calcium peroxide/attapulgite (CP/ATP) composite was developed and coupled with Fe(II) for high-concentration phosphate removal and recovery. The results demonstrated that the optimal dosage of the CP/ATP-Fe(II) process was CP/ATP = 0.25 g/L and Fe(II) = 2 mM. The pH effect on phosphate removal was minimal, while phosphate removal efficiency rose by 16.7% with the temperature increased from 10 °C to 25 °C. The co-existing ions exhibited little effect on phosphate removal, and the CP/ATP-Fe(II) process showed effective phosphate removal from the real piggery wastewater. The P content of the precipitates after phosphate removal by this process was as high as 25.82%, indicating its good potential for P recycling. A significant synergistic effect existed in CP/ATP and Fe(II) for phosphate removal, and the SEM-EDS, XRD, Raman and XPS characterization exhibited that the phosphate removal mainly relied on the in-situ-formed Fe(III) and the participation of calcium (Ca) species. Co-precipitation was the predominant mechanism for phosphate removal, and the proportions of Fe(III)-P, Ca-P and Ca-Fe(III)-P in the precipitates were 51.5%, 31.2% and 17.3%, respectively. This study provides a highly efficient process for phosphate removal and recovery from wastewater, and insights into interactions among phosphorus, iron and calcium.

A novel hydrogel for highly efficient adsorption of Cu(II): synthesis, characterization, and mechanisms.

Among the Cu(II) removal methods, adsorption is a favorable technique and has attracted large attention because of its effectiveness and low cost. In quest of seeking for a favorable adsorbent with a high Cu(II) adsorption capacity and excellent reusability, researchers have paid much attention to hydrogels with three-dimensional networks. In this study, a novel hydrogel (P(AMPS-co-VDT) hydrogel) based on free-radical polymerization was synthesized with ionic monomer sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfate (AMPS-Na+) and 2-vinyl-4, 6-diamino-1, 3, 5-triazine (VDT) and applied for Cu(II) adsorption in aqueous solutions. The hydrogel was characterized for swelling performance, surface morphology, functional groups, thermal gravimetric behavior, and elements. The maximum Cu(II) adsorption capacity (175.75 mg/g) was relatively high compared with other hydrogels. The P(AMPS-co-VDT) hydrogel also was found to have a relatively good Cu(II) desorption and reuse behavior. The adsorption mechanism could be chelation and ion exchange. This work provides a new hydrogel for effective Cu(II) removal in the future.

Knitting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-based microporous organic polymers for efficient CO2 capture.

In order to achieve efficient CO2 capture, four novel microporous organic polymers, based on distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as fluoranthene, binaphthalene, naphthalene and phenanthrene, were successfully prepared by the solvent knitting method. N2 sorption isotherms indicate that these polymers are predominately microporous with ultrahigh BET surface area i.e., 1788 m2 g-1 for fluoranthene-based Polymer 1, 1702 m2 g-1 for binaphthalene-based Polymer 2 and objective CO2 uptake capacity of 24.79 wt% and 20.19 wt% (273.15 K/1.00 bar) respectively. While compared with the former two polymers, though 1227 m2 g-1 and 978 m2 g-1 are moderate in surface area, however the naphthalene-based Polymer 3 and phenanthrene-based Polymer 4 still exhibit CO2 adsorption of up to 17.44 wt% and 18.15 wt% respectively under the similar conditions. Moreover, the H2 storage and CH4 adsorption in these polymers can be 2.20 wt% (77.3 K/1.13 bar) and 2.79 wt% (273.15 K/1.00 bar). More significantly, the electron-rich PAHs are proved to be new building blocks that provide a wealth of chances to produce hypercrosslinked polymers with efficient gas adsorption capacity, which are greatly influenced by the porous nature of polymers. Given the merits including mild reaction conditions, low cost, high surface area, impressive gas absorption performance, high thermal stability, these polymers are considered to be promising candidates for CO2 capture and energy storage under more practical conditions.

Synthetic aperture imaging by using spatial modulation diversity technology with stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm.

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate the synthetic aperture imaging by using spatial modulation diversity technology with stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm. Instead of creating diversity images by means of focus adjustments, the technology, proposed in this paper, creates diversity images by modulating the transmittance of individual sub-aperture of multi-aperture system, respectively. Specifically, spatial modulation is realized by switching off the transmittance of each sub-aperture with electrical shutters, alternately. Based on these multi diversity images, SPGD algorithm is used for adaptively optimizing the coefficients of Zernike polynomials to reconstruct the real phase distortions of multi-aperture system and to restore the near-diffraction-limited image of object. Numerical simulation and experimental results show that this technology can be used for joint estimation of both pupil aberrations and an high resolution image of the object, successfully. The technology proposed in this paper can have wide applications in segmented and multi-aperture imaging systems.

Hybrid flexure hinges.

This paper designs and analyzes the hybrid flexure hinge composed of half a hyperbolic flexure hinge and half a corner-filleted flexure hinge. As it is transversely asymmetric, it has different performance when the fixed and free ends switch. Considering the diversion of rotation center from midpoint, closed-form equations are formulated to characterize both the active rotation and all other in-plane parasitic motion by the Castigliano's second theorem. The maximum stress is evaluated as well. These equations are verified by the finite element analysis and experimentation. The compliance precision ratios are proposed to indicate flexure hinges' ability of preserving the rotation center when they have the same displacement at the free end. The hybrid flexure hinges are compared with five kinds of common notch flexure hinges (circular, corner-filleted, elliptical, hyperbolic, and parabolic flexure hinges) quantitatively based on compliance, precision, compliance precision ratios, and the maximum stress. Conclusions are drawn regarding the performance of these six kinds of flexure hinges.

Two-step camera calibration method based on the SPGD algorithm.

Given the rapid convergence characteristic of the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm, this study proposes a method that applies the algorithm to a two-step camera calibration method to resolve the frequent iteration and long calibration time deficiencies that exist under the traditional two-step camera calibration method, thereby achieving rapid calibration. The method first uses image coordinates obtained with subpixel positioning technology as initial values of control variables, in addition to positive disturbances produced on a two-dimensional plane, then uses two-step theory to calculate the average value of aberrations. Based on the same rationale, negative disturbances are then produced and the average value of the aberrations is calculated. Finally if, after assessing whether to continue with further iterations based on the difference in these values, continued iterations confirm new control variables based on the SPGD algorithm iteration formula, a new cycle is started until the results satisfy requirements. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed rapid calibration method using the SPGD algorithm in the two-step camera calibration method is 3-4 times faster than the traditional two-step calibration method, and that it has significant potential value for use in certain time-constrained projects.