[In situ IR study of surface hydroxyl and photocatalytic oxidation of toluene of rutile TiO2].

Abstract In the present work, the surface hydroxyls on rutile TiO2 that evacuated at different temperature were characterized by in suit FTIR The action of OH groups in photocatalytic reaction was tested by adsorption and photooxidation of toluene in an in situ IR cell. The results show that there are seven OH groups(with bands at 3 724, 3 700, 3 652, 3 648, 3 610, 3 413 and 3 362 cm-1) on rutile TiO2 with different thermal stability. Among the seven hydroxyl groups, the OH groups with bands at 3 724, 3 700 and 3 652 cm-1 are thermal stable and are ascribed to isolate hydroxyl groups, while the OH groups with bands at 3 648, 3 610, 3 413 and 3 362 cm-1 are thermal unstable that almost disappear after evacuation at 250 degreesC. During the adsorption of toluene, only the surface hydroxyls with bands 3 648, 3 610 and 3 652 cm-1 act as adsorption sites for adsorption of toluene.

Contamination, source, and input route of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in historic wastewater-irrigated agricultural soils.

Contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of historic wastewater-irrigated agricultural topsoil (0-5 cm) and the contribution of groundwater irrigation and atmospheric deposition to soil PAHs were studied in a typical agricultural region, i.e. Hunpu region, Liaoning, China. Concentrations of total PAHs ranged from 0.43 to 2.64 mg kg⁻¹ in topsoil, being lower than those found in other wastewater-irrigated areas. The levels of PAHs in soil declined as the distance from a water source increased. Concentrations of individual PAHs were generally higher in upland than in paddy topsoils. The calculated nemerow composite index showed that agricultural soil in the region was "polluted" by PAHs. A human health risk assessment based on the total toxic equivalent concentration showed that the presence of elevated concentrations of PAHs in the soil might pose a great threat to the health of local residents. Ratios of pairs of PAHs and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that pyrogenesis, such as coal combustion, was the main source of PAHs, while petroleum, to some extent, also had a strong influence on PAHs contamination in upland soil. The distribution patterns of individual PAHs and composition of PAHs differed between irrigation groundwater and topsoil, but were similar between atmospheric deposition and topsoil. There were significant linear correlations (r = 0.90; p < 0.01) between atmospheric deposition rates and average concentrations of the 16 individual PAHs in soils, while no significant relationships were observed between irrigation groundwater and topsoil in levels of PAHs. These suggested that PAHs in agricultural soils were mainly introduced from atmospheric deposition, rather than from groundwater irrigation after the phasing out of wastewater irrigation in the region since 2002. This study provides a reference to ensure agricultural product safety, pollution control, and proper soil management.