Removal of microplastics and nanoplastics from urban waters: Separation and degradation.

High-efficiency decontamination of Pb(II) and tetracycline in contaminated water using ball-milled magnetic bone derived biochar

The sustainable production of green hydrogen via water electrolysis necessitates cost-effective electrocatalysts. By following the circular economy principle, the utilization of waste-derived catalysts significantly promotes the sustainable development of green hydrogen energy. Currently, diverse waste-derived catalysts have exhibited excellent catalytic performance toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and overall water electrolysis (OWE). Herein, we systematically examine recent achievements in waste-derived electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. The general principles of water electrolysis and design principles of efficient electrocatalysts are discussed, followed by the illustration of current strategies for transforming wastes into electrocatalysts. Then, applications of waste-derived catalysts (i.e., carbon-based catalysts, transitional metal-based catalysts, and carbon-based heterostructure catalysts) in HER, OER, and OWE are reviewed successively. An emphasis is put on correlating the catalysts' structure-performance relationship. Also, challenges and research directions in this booming field are finally highlighted. This review would provide useful insights into the design, synthesis, and applications of waste-derived electrocatalysts, and thus accelerate the development of the circular economy-driven green hydrogen energy scheme. 

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Waste-Derived Catalysts for Water Electrolysis: Circular Economy-Driven Sustainable Green Hydrogen Energy

Powerful adsorbents for heavy-metal removal from wastewater are attractive due to the growing effluent of industries. Developing hydrogels is a current research interest in heavy-metal adsorption from aqueous solutions. We prepared a novel melanin-based hydrogel from renewable chestnut shell pigment and acrylic acid by radical polymerization free from a traditional crosslinker. The synthesized material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. Its Cu(II)-adsorption performance from the water was evaluated by equilibrium isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics. The results indicate that: (1) The dry hydrogel showed a porous structure with a network of interconnected spindle-shaped bars, which makes it feasible to serve as an adsorbent; (2) The kinetic adsorption data followed both the pseudo-first-order and the pseudo-second-order models and both physical and chemical processes involved in the Cu(II) removal; (3) Cation exchanges with H+ from COOH and phenolic OH groups and with NH4+ from –COONH4 were likely the primary mechanisms of Cu(II) chemisorption adsorption onto the poly(AA/CSP) as forms of Cu2+ and CuOH+; (4) The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm with the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 200.3 mg/g; (5) The adsorption was a spontaneous and exothermic process co-driven by enthalpy and entropy.

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Cu(II) Adsorption from Aqueous Solution onto Poly(Acrylic Acid/Chestnut Shell Pigment) Hydrogel

Remediation of atrazine contaminated soil by microwave activated persulfate system: Performance, mechanism and DFT calculation

Water pollution is a major concern for public health and a sustainable future. It is urgent to purify wastewater with effective methods to ensure a clean water supply. Most wastewater remediation techniques rely heavily on functional materials, and cost-effective materials are thus highly favorable. Of great environmental and economic significance, developing waste-derived materials for wastewater remediation has undergone explosive growth recently. Herein, the applications of waste (e.g., biowastes, electronic wastes, and industrial wastes)-derived materials for wastewater purification are comprehensively reviewed. Sophisticated strategies for turning wastes into functional materials are firstly summarized, including pyrolysis and combustion, hydrothermal synthesis, sol–gel method, co-precipitation, and ball milling. Moreover, critical experimental parameters within different design strategies are discussed. Afterward, recent applications of waste-derived functional materials in adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, electrochemical treatment, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are analyzed. We mainly focus on the development of efficient functional materials via regulating the internal and external characteristics of waste-derived materials, and the material’s property-performance correlation is also emphasized. Finally, the key future perspectives in the field of waste-derived materials-driven water remediation are highlighted. 

Recent advances in waste-derived functional materials for wastewater remediation

A critical review on utilization of sewage sludge as environmental functional materials.

It is highly significant to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer application in mango orchards and substituting it with organic manure. The field location method was applied to examine the effects of substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure on soil physical and chemical properties, leaf nutrients, fruit yield and quality in a mango orchard, it can provide a foundation for reducing chemical fertilizer application in mango orchards. Results indicated that, compared to conventional fertilization, treatments substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure at different concentrations can reduce the volume weight of different levels of orchard soil and improve soil porosity. The decrease of volume weight and the increase of total porosity in the 0-20cm soil layer were greater than those in the 20-40cm soil layer. Substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure can improve soil pH and organic matter content in the different soil layers. Although alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen declined compared with conventional fertilization, it did not attain a significant difference. The concentrations of available phosphorus, potassium calcium and magnesium in soils increased compared with the control. All the treatments improved mango yield, however, there was a non-significant effect on single fruit weight. Soluble solid, vitamin C and solidity-acid ratio in fruits all increased, and the titratable acid content decreased compared with the control. Comprehensive comparison indicated that a 30% substitution of organic manure is the most effective treatment to improve soil fertility and fruit quality.

B. Ni

Papers

Recent advances in waste-derived functional materials for wastewater remediation

A critical review on utilization of sewage sludge as environmental functional materials.

Soil properties, leaf nutrients and fruit quality response to substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure in a mango orchard