Heterogeneous activation of persulfate by ZnCo x Fe2-x O4 loaded on rice hull carbon for degrading bisphenol A.

A new low-cost composite of ZnCo x Fe2-x O4 loaded on rice hull carbon (ZnCo x Fe2-x O4-RHC) was synthesized via waste ferrous sulfate (the industrial waste produced in the process of producing titanium dioxide) and rice hull as raw materials, which was applied for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by heterogeneous activated peroxodisulfate (PS). A series of characterizations including XRD, SEM, FTIR, and BET analysis were carried out to analyze the structure and morphology of the materials. It is confirmed that the ZnCo x Fe2-x O4-RHC composites show better catalytic activity and performance than other control samples, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Fe and Co, ZnCo x Fe2-x O4 and RHC based on these analyses. The degradation rate of BPA by ZnCo1.3Fe0.7O4-50%RHC reached 100% within 15 min, and it can still maintain good catalytic efficiency after 5 cycles. ESR test and XPS results showed that free radical and non-free radical processes were involved in BPA degradation. These findings offer a novel, low cost and simple strategy for rational design and modulation of catalysts for the industrial degradation of organic pollutants, and provide a new idea for the utilization of waste ferrous sulphate in titanium dioxide industry.

Research and application of a high-performance fluorocarbon plate prepared via modified a high temperature mould pressing method.

As an indispensable part of the production of electrolytic fluorine, the quality of the carbon plate determines the running conditions and technical and economic indexes of electrolytic cells. Therefore, improving the service life of carbon plates has become an urgent challenge. Herein, special fluorocarbon plates were successfully prepared via direct heating and asphalt impregnation based on the resistance of the carbon plates, which not only improved their performance index, but also greatly reduced the cost of their production. According to electron microscopy (SEM) observation, the carbon plate prepared by the hot pressing method possessed a more compact internal structure and dislocation phenomenon, which reduced the contact pores between particles, increased the density and reduced the resistivity. The prepared carbon plate exhibited a density of 1.81 g cm-3, resistivity of 25.8 µΩ m, and service life of 151 days. These results are superior to that of industrial carbon plates with a density of 1.74 g m-3, resistivity of 36.7 µΩ m, and run time of 90 days, where our fabricated carbon plate exhibited an improvement of 4.5%, 29.7%, and 67.7%, respectively.