Polymer nanoparticles: Preparation techniques and size-control parameters

Oil/water separation is an important field, not only for scientific research but also for practical applications aiming to resolve industrial oily wastewater and oil-spill pollution, as well as environmental protection. Recently, research into the role of special wettability for oil/water separation has attracted much attention. In this review we summarize the design, fabrication, applications and recent developments of special wettable materials for oil/water separation. Based on the different types of separation, we organize this review into three parts: “oil-removing” type materials with superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity (that selectively filter or absorb oil from oil/water mixtures), “water-removing” type materials with superhydrophilicity and superoleophobicity (that selectively separate water from oil/water mixtures), and smart controllable separation materials. In each section, we present in detail the representative work, introduce the design idea, outline their fabrication methods, and discuss the role of special wettability on the separation. Finally, the challenges and outlook for the future of this subject are discussed.

Special wettable materials for oil/water separation

Lignin - from natural adsorbent to activated carbon: A review

The utilization of ceria in industrial catalysis

Low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 over metal oxide and zeolite catalysts—A review

Adsorption of organic pollutants from effluents of a Kraft pulp mill on activated carbon and polymer resin

Heterogeneous catalytic wet oxidation of aqueous p-chlorophenol (p-CP) solution was investigated at 453 K and 2.6 MPa in a slurry reactor. The performance of noble metal catalysts was compared with that of traditional manganese catalysts. Activated carbon supported catalysts showed significant higher activities for total organic carbon (TOC) reduction than those supported on alumina or cerium oxide. Pt was found to be the most active metal for p-chlorophenol oxidation. The activities of noble metal catalysts were found to correlate with heat of formation of metal oxides. CO2 is the predominant oxidation product with formation of minor p-benzoquinone and acetic acid as intermediate compounds. Possible reaction pathway was also discussed.

Catalytic wet oxidation of p-chlorophenol over supported noble metal catalysts

A simplified reaction pathway was proposed to describe the kinetic behavior of catalytic wet oxidation of organic mixture. The oxidation reactions were divided and lumped into two groups: (1) the deep or complete oxidation reactions with formation of CO2 and H2O; (2) the partial oxidation reactions with formation of all intermediates in aqueous solution of the industrial wastewater. The concentrations of all reactants in wastewater and those of the intermediates formed during the reaction are also represented by a lumped concentration of total organic carbon (TOC). To test the model, catalytic oxidation of organic pollutants in an effluent from a softwood Kraft pulp mill was investigated in a slurry reactor using a Pd-Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. Sodium hydroxide was used to adjust the initial pH of wastewater to 7.3 to avoid the problem of metal leaching and excessive corrosion. The lumped kinetic model developed in this study describes well both our experimental data and those reported in literature. The lumped kinetic model proposed in this study can be used for both catalytic and noncatalytic wet oxidation processes.

Lumped kinetic model for catalytic wet oxidation of organic compounds in industrial wastewater

The effectiveness of alumina-supported noble metal catalysts for the destructive oxidation of organic pollutants in effluent from a softwood kraft pulp mill was evaluated in a slurry reactor at 463 K and an oxygen pressure of 1.5 MPa. The effects of catalyst preparation procedures, such as metal loading, calcination, or reduction treatment on the catalytic activities, were also tested. Alumina-supported palladium catalysts were found to be more effective than supported manganese, iron, or platinum catalysts. The rate of oxidation over Pd/alumina catalyst was significantly higher than that of the uncatalyzed reaction. Adding Ce on the alumina support was found to promote the activity of alumina-supported Pt catalyst but inhibit the activity of alumina-supported Pd catalyst. The reaction mechanisms for the catalytic wet oxidation process and the roles of Ce on catalytic activity for destructive oxidation of organic pollutants in wastewater are discussed.

Alumina-supported noble metal catalysts for destructive oxidation of organic pollutants in effluent from a softwood kraft pulp mill

The catalytic oxidation of industrial wastewater from paper and pulp mills has been investigated in a slurry reactor at a temperature range 433–463 K and at pressures from 1.5 to 2.2 MPa. Adding Ce on alumina support promotes the catalytic activity for oxidation of black liquor. Pt–Pd–Ce/alumina catalyst shows a promising activity for wet catalytic oxidation of black liquor. The oxidation reaction over a Pt–Pd–Ce catalyst is characterized by an initial fast reaction step followed by a slow reaction step. The rate of total organic carbon (TOC) reduction was described by first-order kinetics with respect to TOC concentration in black liquor for both initial and later reaction steps. The activation energies were determined to be 54.53 and 50.13 kJ/mol for the initial and later oxidation steps, respectively. Comparison of the data with the generalized kinetic model was also presented.

Qinglin Zhang

Papers

Adsorption of organic pollutants from effluents of a Kraft pulp mill on activated carbon and polymer resin

Catalytic wet oxidation of p-chlorophenol over supported noble metal catalysts

Lumped kinetic model for catalytic wet oxidation of organic compounds in industrial wastewater

Alumina-supported noble metal catalysts for destructive oxidation of organic pollutants in effluent from a softwood kraft pulp mill

Kinetics of wet oxidation of black liquor over a Pt–Pd–Ce/alumina catalyst