https://iris.unipa.it/bitstream/10447/74239/1/Di%20Paola-J%20hzardous%20mater%202012-survey.pdf

A survey of photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation.

Efficient adsorption and visible-light photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride using mesoporous BiOI microspheres

BiOCl/BiOI composites with a visible light response were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. Even though both single BiOCl and BiOI show low photocatalytic activity, BiOCl/BiOI composites provide enhanced efficiency in decomposing organic compounds including Methyl Orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB). Furthermore, the 20%BiOCl/BiOI composite shows the highest efficiency for decomposing MO, while the highest performance is observed for the degradation of RhB over 70%BiOCl/BiOI composite. A possible photocatalytic mechanism has been proposed based on the relative experiments and the band positions of BiOCl and BiOI.

New photocatalyst BiOCl/BiOI composites with highly enhanced visible light photocatalytic performances

Sources, behaviour, and environmental and human health risks of high-technology rare earth elements as emerging contaminants.

Self-assembled three-dimensional BiOI microspheres composed of nanoplatelets were synthesized at low temperature using ethanol–water mixed solvent as reaction media and NH3·H2O as pH adjustment. The as-prepared BiOI was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and nitrogen sorption. The possible formation mechanism for the architectures was discussed. It was found that mixed solvent and alkali play key roles in the formation of BiOI microspheres. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared sample was evaluated by degradation of phenol in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The BiOI microspheres show much higher photocatalytic activity than the random BiOI platelets. The total organic carbon measurement after the degradation process indicated that phenol was effectively mineralized over the BiOI microspheres. In addition, the BiOI microspheres are stable during the reaction and can be used repeatedly. The high catalytic performance of the BiOI microspheres comes from their narrow band gap, high surface area and high surface-to-volume ratio.

Facile synthesis of nanostructured BiOI microspheres with high visible light-induced photocatalytic activity

Rare earth elements (REEs) are used in a wide range of products. The global demand for REEs is growing at a rate of 3.7–8.6% annually. Yttrium (Y), europium (Eu), cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), and terbium (Tb) are used in the phosphors for fluorescent lamps (FLs). The authors review the challenges and techniques associated with the recycling and recovery of REEs in phosphors from waste FLs. The recovery rate and grade of resultant products and the processing costs are the primary factors to be considered regarding trichromatic phosphors enrichment and monochrome phosphor separation. Currently, most researchers have focused on the recovery of Y and Eu from red phosphor using hydrometallurgy methods, and on the difficulties of leaching Ce, La, Tb, and Eu in green and blue phosphors. The final recovery rate of Y and Eu can reach more than 80%, but a higher rate is desirable, considering the total value of the REEs in FLs. Studies on improving the leaching behavior of phosphors have been conducted; however, th...

Rare Earth Elements Recovery from Waste Fluorescent Lamps: A Review

Photocatalytic degradation of PCP-Na over BiOI nanosheets under simulated sunlight irradiation

Potential recycling availability and capacity assessment on typical metals in waste mobile phones: A current research study in China

Electronic waste (e-waste), including waste printed circuit boards (PCBs), has caused global concern owing to its potential environmental pollution and rich resource content. Previous studies have indicated that urban mining for metals recycling can decrease energy consumption and pollutants emission compared to the extraction of metals from natural minerals. During the production of PCBs, a large amount of spent tin stripping solution (TSS) is simultaneously generated, containing the significant amounts of metal ions and residue nitric acid. In this study, the coprocessing of waste PCBs and spent TSS at room temperature was proposed and investigated, with the aim of developing an environmentally sound process to address these problems. This coprocessing approach proved to be effective. 87% of the Sn–Pb solder, 30% of the Cu, 29% of the Fe, and 78% of the Zn was leached from waste PCBs with spent TSS after 2 h, at room temperature. Moreover, approximately 87% of the electronic components were dismantled f...

Green Process of Metal Recycling: Coprocessing Waste Printed Circuit Boards and Spent Tin Stripping Solution

The rapid generation of electronic waste (e-waste) has become a global problem owing to its potential environmental pollution and human-health risk, especially from informal recycling in developing countries. In 2014, however, only ∼15.5% of the total global e-waste was formally treated by national take-back programs. Waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) are an integral part of e-waste, and they contain many valuable metal resources. Most recycling from waste PCBs has focused on metals like Au, platinum group metals, and Cu, which have high economic value, but tin also makes up a large proportion of the metal in waste PCBs. Over the past decade, ∼44% of the refined tin has been used as solder in the electronics industry each year. Although current global tin reserves can meet the short-term demand, for long-term sustainable development, recycling tin from secondary resources, especially from e-waste, is essential. For addressing the shortage of mineral resources and conserving energy, tin recycling from e-...

Quanyin Tan

Papers

Rare Earth Elements Recovery from Waste Fluorescent Lamps: A Review

Photocatalytic degradation of PCP-Na over BiOI nanosheets under simulated sunlight irradiation

Potential recycling availability and capacity assessment on typical metals in waste mobile phones: A current research study in China

Green Process of Metal Recycling: Coprocessing Waste Printed Circuit Boards and Spent Tin Stripping Solution

Recycling Tin from Electronic Waste: A Problem That Needs More Attention