Valorization of the treatment of antibiotic and organic contents generated from an in-situ-RAS-like shrimp farming pond by using graphene-quantum-dots deposited graphitic carbon nitride photocatalysts.

In this study, we investigated the possibility of a photocatalytic system that uses graphene-quantum-dot (GQD)-deposited graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to treat tetracycline (TC) and other organic compounds generated from an in-situ-recirculatory-aquaculture-system (RAS)-like shrimp farming pond. GQDs were successfully deposited on the exfoliated g-C3N4 base through a hydrothermal treatment. The results showed that the incorporation of GQDs into the g-C3N4 enhanced its porosity without aggregating its mesoporous structure. The GQDs-deposited g-C3N4 photocatalysts revealed sheet-like structures with nanopores on their surface that facilitate photocatalysis. More than 90% of the TC was removed by the photocatalysts under UV-LED irradiation. Low loadings of GQDs over g-C3N4 resulted in a faster and more effective photocatalysis of TC, mainly driven by.O2- radicals. The photocatalysts were also applicable in the degradation of organic compounds with 27% of the total organic compounds (TOC) being removed from the wastewater of a RAS-like shrimp farming pond.

Fabrication of high performance Ti/SnO2-Nb2O5 electrodes for electrochemical textile wastewater treatment.

Textile wastewater contains many organic compounds and colors that affect aquatic life and human health when discharged into the environment. High coloration due to excess dyes entering the wastewater causes coloration to the receiving water stream, affects the photosynthesis process of aquatic species, and adversely affects the landscape. SnO2-based electrodes have been extensively used in electrochemical water treatment, but their low durability decreases the pollutant treatment ability. Therefore, it is necessary to add another stable oxide to improve the performance and stability of SnO2 electrodes. This study aims to fabricate Ti/SnO2-Nb2O5 electrodes for the textile wastewater treatment using the electrochemical oxidation method. Different molar ratios of SnO2:Nb2O5 coating were prepared using the sol-gel method and then coated on the Ti substrates for calcination in 60 min at 500 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to determine the surface and electrochemical properties of Ti/SnO2-Nb2O5 electrodes. The SEM images show that SnO2-Nb2O5 electrode surfaces have the appearance of typical cracking structures of mixed metal oxides electrodes. The XRD spectrum show the SnO2 peaks of facet (110), (101), (200), (301), (321) and Nb2O5 peaks of facet (001), (002), (100), (101), (102) on Ti substrates. Furthermore, the specific surface area of the Ti/SnO2-Nb2O5 electrode ranges from 37.354 m2/g (SnO2:Nb2O5 = 9:1) to 71.885 m2/g (SnO2:Nb2O5 = 1:9). The electrochemical properties of SnO2:Nb2O5 electrodes showed high oxygen, chlorine evolution potential and high organic pollutant degradation in textile wastewater with COD removal at 83 %, decolorization at 74 % and the generation of many free radicals such as HO•, H2O2, O3, Cl2. The results demonstrate that the Ti/SnO2-Nb2O5 electrode with the mole ratio of 3:7 is the best in textile wastewater treatment with the longest service life (39 h).

Continuous flow sequencing bed biofilm reactor bio-digested landfill leachate treatment using electrocoagulation-persulfate.

Landfill leachate contains many complex components that have a negative impact on the environment when improperly discharged. This study is the first to treat landfill leachate (after continuous flow sequencing bed biofilm reactor (CF-SBBR) bio-digested) using electrocoagulation (EC) combined with persulfate (PS) on Al and Fe electrodes. The effect of some of the key parameters on the COD, Color, TOC and TN removal efficiencies as part of the EC-PS process were studied using the PS concentration, reaction time, initial pH, current density, and aeration rate. The results show that a PS concentration of 3 g/L improved the COD removal efficiency by 9.0 ± 1.3 % at the Al electrode and 16.0 ± 2.6 % at the Fe electrode. Aeration also improved the COD, TOC and color removal efficiencies by about 10.0 ± 2.3 %, 8.0 ± 1.7 % and 3.0 ± 0.5 % at an optimal aeration rate 3.3 L/min. The optimal operation conditions for the EC-PS process were a PS concentration of 3 g/L, a pH of 2.0 (Al electrode), a pH of 4.0 (Fe electrode), a reaction time of 70 min, a current density of 35 mA/cm2 and an aeration rate of 3.3 L/min. The highest COD, color, TOC and TN removal efficiencies were 46.5 ± 1.8 %, 95.8 ± 2.4 %, 83.5 ± 1.7 %, and 40.9 ± 1.6 % at Al electrode and 54.4 ± 2.3 %, 98.5 ± 2.1 %, 78.6 ± 1.5 % and 57.9 ± 1.1 % at the Fe electrode. The EC-PS working mechanisms involve co-precipitation, an advanced oxidation process (AOPs) using oxidation radicals (HO, SO4-) and flotation. EC-PS is a promising method to treat bio-digested landfill leachate.

High organic removal of landfill leachate using a continuous flow sequencing batch biofilm reactor (CF-SBBR) with different biocarriers.

Landfill leachate contains many pollutants that have a negative effect on the environment when improperly discharged. Thus the treatment of landfill leachate is a crucial issue, especially in the bigger cities in developing countries. In this study, landfill leachate is treated using a continuous flow sequencing biofilm batch reactor (CF-SBBR) with different biocarriers (non-carrier (NC), kaldness K1 (K1), mutag biochip 30™ (MB), and sponge polyurethane (SP)). The results show that the best COD, TOC, and NH4+-N removal efficiencies were 79.6 ± 0.8%, 78.1 ± 1.9% and 77.5 ± 3.9% in the MB biocarriers tank with an aeration/mixing ratio of 1.3, a cycle time of 9 h and an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.74 kgCOD/m3.d. The TN removal efficiencies was decreased when there was an increase in the biocarrier's surface area (NC > K1 > MB > SP). At the highest it was 46.1 ± 6.4%, where the aeration/mixing ratio was 1.3, the cycle time was 9 h, and the OLR was 1.52 kgCOD/m3.d. The higher the surface area of the biocarriers, the greater the anti-shock organic loading capacity of the biocarriers due to the formation of biofilm layers. The microbial communities in the CF-SBBR tanks were abundant with common phylum bacteria as in a conventional activated sludge system. Anammox candidatus bacteria was found to total 0.5%. This study concluded that CF-SBBR is an efficient method to treat landfill leachate.

Removal of Nutrients From Anaerobically Digested Swine Wastewater Using an Intermittent Cycle Extended Aeration System.

Swine wastewater contains high concentrations of organic compounds, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), heavy metals, and residual antibiotics, amongst others, that have negative impacts on the water environment. The main aim of this work was to remove nutrients from anaerobically digested swine wastewater using an intermittent cycle extended aeration system (ICEAS). The effects of operational parameters such as cycle time, organic loading rate, C/N ratio, and aeration/mixing ratio on the pollutant removal efficiencies of ICEAS were studied and compared with the performance of a conventional sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The following optimal conditions were obtained: cycle time, 6 h; organic loading rate, 0.86 kg COD m-3 day-1; C/N ratio, 2.49-2.82; and aeration/mixing ratio, 1.57. The pH was maintained in the range of 6.0-8.0. The total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium (NH4 +), total phosphorus (TP), and color removal efficiencies of ICEAS were higher than those of the conventional SBR, with removal efficiencies of 95.22, 88.29, 97.69, 85.81, and 97.84%, respectively, compared to 94.34, 81.16, 94.15, 77.94, and 96.95%, respectively, observed in the SBR. TOC, TN, NH4 +, TP, and the color removal efficiencies of ICEAS were higher by 0.88, 7.13, 3.54, 7.87, and 0.95%, respectively, than the conventional SBR. The good results from this study show that ICEAS is a promising technology for the removal of organic contaminants and nutrients from anaerobically digested swine wastewater and that the effluent water quality meets the Vietnamese discharge standard (QCVN 62-MT:2016/BTNMT) for swine wastewater effluents.

Electrochemical oxidation as a post treatment for biologically tannery wastewater in batch reactor.

Tannery wastewater is known to contain high concentrations of organic compounds, heavy metals, nitrogen, sulphur, chromium, and many other chemicals. Both aerobic and anaerobic biological approaches have proven ineffective in the treatment of tannery wastewater due to the high salinity and toxic chemicals contained within the medium. Electrochemical oxidation presents a promising method for solving this problem. High pollutant removal efficiency, low energy consumption, and high electrode stability are three important factors supporting the feasibility of an efficient electrochemical treatment process. In the present study, electrochemical oxidation was performed as a post treatment for tannery wastewater (after biological pre-treatment) in a batch reactor using Ti/RuO2, Ti/IrO2, and Ti/BDD anodes. The effects of pH, current density, stirring rate and treatment time were studied to assess the treatment efficiency as well as the energy consumption of the process. The results showed that colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies on the electrodes were: Ti/RuO2 (88.8%, 88.40%, 64.0%, 96.4%), Ti/IrO2 (85.40%, 85.9%, 52.3%, 51.4%), Ti/BDD (90.60%, 94.7%, 90.5%, 82.7%) respectively, at a current density of 80 mA/cm2. All three electrodes demonstrated optimal performance at a pH of 8, a stirring rate of 400 rpm, a current density of 80 mA/cm2, and an electrolysis time of 5 h. The concentration of tri-chloromethane by-product was detected with limiting value. Electrochemical oxidation thus offers a feasible method for removing organic compounds and nutrients from tannery wastewater.

Remarks on the current quality of groundwater in Vietnam.

This paper reviews the current quality of groundwater in Vietnam. In Vietnam, groundwater is obtained primarily from tubewells, which have high concentrations of pollutants such as As, Fe, Mn, and NH4+. In the areas where groundwater tests were conducted, arsenic levels ranged from 0.1-3050 µg/L, which substantially exceed the standard of 10 µg/L which has been established by the WHO. Contamination sources are distributed over a large area from the Red River Delta in the north to the Mekong River Delta in the south, putting as many as ten million people at risk of adverse health effects. Levels of arsenic and iron in sediment are strongly correlated, which indicate that the presence of arsenic in groundwater results from the reduction of arsenic bound to iron oxyhydroxides. It is important to raise awareness of these issues among the Vietnamese public by disseminating information about the negative effects of contaminated drinking water, as well as carrying out long-term research projects to identify other sources of contamination and improving water treatment technology and water management capabilities.