[Distribution, Respiratory Exposure, and Traceability of Atmospheric Microplastics in Yichang City].

As an emerging environmental pollutant, microplastics have attracted much attention, but the sources and health hazards of atmospheric microplastics (AMPs) remain unclear. In order to explore the distribution characteristics, assess the risk of human respiratory exposure, and analyze the sources of AMPs in different functional areas of Yichang City, AMPs samples from 16 observation points were collected and analyzed, and the HYSPLIT model was used. The results showed that the main shapes of AMPs in Yichang City were fiber, fragment, and film, and six colors were observed including transparent, red, black, green, yellow, and purple. The smallest size was 10.42 µm, and the largest was 4761.42 µm. The deposition flux of AMPs was (4400±474) n·(m2·d)-1. The types of APMs were polyester fiber (PET), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polyamide (PA), rubber (Rubber), polyethylene (PE), cellulose acetate (CA), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The order of the subsidence flux in each functional area was as follows:urban residential area>agricultural production area>landfill>chemical industrial park>town residential area. The human respiratory exposure risk assessment models showed that the daily intake of AMPs (EDI) for adults and children in urban residential areas was higher than in town residential areas. The atmospheric backward trajectory simulation showed that the AMPs in the districts and counties of Yichang City mainly came from the surrounding areas via short-distance transportation. This study provided basic data support for the research on AMPs in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and was of great significance for the traceability and health risk research of AMPs pollution.

Simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic heavy metal contaminants from electroplating effluent by hydrotalcite adsorbent with disulfide (S2-) intercalation.

Hydrotalcite materials are generally utilized for anionic pollutants due to its interlayered anion exchange ability. Their potentiality for cationic contaminants is rarely explored. In this study, disulfide (S2-) intercalated LDH material demonstrated capability to remove both heavy metal cations and oxyanions simultaneously from water. The S2- intercalation of LDH significantly improved its adsorption capability towards both heavy metal cations (Co2+ and Ni2+) and oxyanion (CrO42-). The adsorption amount of S-LDH towards Co2+ and Ni2+ reached 88.6mg/g and 76.2mg/g, which are 405% and 281% higher than that of pristine LDH. For CrO42- removal, the adsorption amount reached 34.7mg/g, 402% higher than that of pristine LDH. The cations capture mechanism mainly depends on the novel layer sheet cation substitution mechanism based on irreversible precipitation and the generation of metal sulfide precipitates. Meanwhile, the interlayered S2- can be easily replaced by CrO42- to realize the simultaneous removal of both heavy metal cations and oxyanions. In the fixed-bed column experiments, 448 bed volume (BV) (672 mL) of simulating electroplating wastewater can be efficiently treated by yielding only 1 BV(15 mL) of chemical sludge, which is practically acceptable. This work provided a highly practical adsorption technology based on the S2- modification hydrotalcite material for the purification of heavy metal ions contaminated wastewater.

Synthesis of BiOCl using Cl source from industrial wastewater and its application for wastewater treatment.

Cl- in industrial wastewater from glyphosate production has been used as Cl source to synthesize BiOCl photocatalyst via a simple solvothermal route. The crystalline, morphology, specific surface area and optical properties of photocatalysts prepared under various conditions have been investigated. BiOCl photocatalyst prepared in acidic solution shows the highest crystallinity and without impurities and microcellular structure. The degradation of industrial wastewater contaminants demonstrates the possibility of this BiOCl used in industrial wastewater treatment and phosphorus recycling through the subsequent phosphorus recovery processes. This study not only sheds light on the possibility of photocatalysts' preparation in situ using industrial wasterwater as raw materials and the feasibility of using photocatalysis technology in wastewater treatment area, but also the chloride ions have been removed as an available resource and the corrosion to treatment facilities has been slowed down. The phosphorus and nitrogen resources can be recycled by other subsequent recycle recoveries. It offers a novel way for the wastewater treatment process in succession from photocatalysts' manufacture to contaminants disposal.

Photocatalytic properties of hierarchical BiOXs obtained via an ethanol-assisted solvothermal process.

In this study, bismuth oxyhalide (BiOXs (XCl, Br, I)) semiconductors were prepared by a simple solvothermal method, with ethanol serving as solvent and a series of tetrabutylammonium halide surfactants as halogen sources. Under identical synthetic conditions, BiOBr was more readily constructed into regular flower-like hierarchical architectures. The photocatalytic properties of the materials were studied by monitoring the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), with visible light absorption, and colorless salicylic acid (SA). It was found that both RhB and SA were rapidly degraded on the surface of BiOBr. BiOCl was rather active for the degradation of RhB, but ineffective toward the degradation of SA. However, neither RhB nor SA could be degraded effectively in the case of BiOI. Further experiments such as UV-visible spectroscopy and detection of OH and O2(-) radicals suggest that the electronic structure of the BiOX photocatalysts is responsible for the difference in their activities.

[BiOBr promoted the photocatalytic degradation of beta-cypermethrin under visible light].

As a visible light photocatalyst, bismuth oxide bromide (BiOBr) was used to catalyze the degradation of beta-cypermethrin (beta-CP). The photocatalytic degradation of beta-CP was studied with gas chromatography. The effects of pH and catalyst dose on the photocatalytic degradation efficiency were discussed. The oxidization and mineralization of beta-CP were detected by chemical oxygen demand (COD) analyzer. The results showed that beta-CP could be effectively degraded under visible light irradiation using BiOBr as the catalyst. At given experimental conditions, the degradation rate of beta-CP reached 94. 68% after 10 h and the COD removal rate reached 67. 99% after 36 h. With the increase of catalyst dose and pH value, the degradation rate was improved. The photocatalytic oxidation species was determined by peroxidase method and terephthalic acid fluorescence method. These results suggested that the photocatalytic degradation process mainly referred to hydroxyl radical ( OH) mechanism.

The degradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene using synthesized Co3O4 and the hypothesized mechanism.

Co(3)O(4) was synthesized with cabbage-like, plate-like and sphere-like morphologies. The effect of different morphologies on the degradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TrCB) was evaluated, and the cabbage-like Co(3)O(4) exhibited the highest reactivity. The degradation of 1,2,4-TrCB on the cabbage-like Co(3)O(4) is hypothesized to act competitively via hydrodechlorination and oxygen-attacking pathways. By the hydrodechlorination pathway, 1,2,4-TrCB is successively dechlorinated into the three dichlorobenzenes (DCBs) and then monochlorobenzene (MCB). The yield of the DCBs was in the order of p-DCB>m-DCB>o-DCB, which can be explained by the calculated C-Cl bond dissociation energies in 1,2,4-TrCB and DCBs. Derivatization and electron spin resonance experiments identified that lattice oxygen and superoxide anions may take part in the oxidation pathway. The lattice oxygen initiated a partial oxidation of 1,2,4-TrCB, leading to the formation of chlorinated phenols. The superoxide anions caused ring-cracking oxidation of 1,2,4-TrCB, possibly producing some low-molecular-weight products, thus explaining a mass imbalance in the chlorine atoms and total organic carbon.

Development of self-assembled 3D Fe(x)Oy micro/nano materials for application in hexachlorobenzene degradation.

Self-assembled three dimensional (3D) hierarchical, flower-like iron oxide micro/nano materials, including pure Fe3O4, alpha-Fe2O3/Fe3O4 composite and pure alpha-Fe2O3, were developed to degrade hexachlorobenzene (HCB) at 300 degrees C. It was found that pure Fe3O4 exhibited the highest activity with the reaction rate constant at 0.959 min(-1). Identified degradation products with lower chlorinated benzenes suggest a stepwise hydrodechlorination was occurring for the degradation of HCB on the synthesized Fe3O4. The characterization of the synthesized iron oxides after reaction indicates the Fe3O4 phase was partially transformed into alpha-Fe2O3 phase and in return accelerated progress of hydrodechlorination of HCB. The superior performance of as-prepared Fe3O4 could be attributed to its structural feature such as surface area and pore structure, as well as its phase transformation during HCB degradation.