[Effect of Different Cationic Polyacrylamide Organic Dehydrating Agents on Sludge Dewatering Performance].

To study the effect of different cationic polyacrylamide organic dehydrating agents on sludge dewatering performance, eight commercially available cationic polyacrylamides of the same series with different properties were used. Based on the different cationic degree, they were named 9101, 9102, 9103, 9104, 9106, 9108, 9110, and 9112, respectively. Their properties were characterized by instruments and chemical analysis, and the indexes of sludge after treatment were also measured. The results showed that the properties of the eight organic dehydrants were different, among which the charge density, cationicity, viscosity, and Zeta potential had homologous trends, which all increased gradually from 9101 to 9112. The four indexes of 9112 were as high as 2.98 meq·L-1, 17.42%, 85.07 mPa·s, and 67.10 mV, respectively. The dewatering performance of sludge was improved by improving the specific resistance of filtration (SRF), floc properties, viscosity, Zeta potential, the bound water content, and the distribution of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) after dosing organic dewatering agents. The results showed that the viscosity, charge density, cationic degree, and Zeta potential of the dewatering agents had a great influence on the sludge dewatering performance. The SRF of sludge was negatively correlated with the viscosity of the organic dewatering agent, and the correlation coefficient was as high as 0.92025, indicating that the sludge dewatering performance was improved mainly through the adsorption bridging effect of the organic dewatering agent in sludge dewatering.

Preferential capture of phosphate by an Enteromorpha prolifera-based biopolymer encapsulating hydrous zirconium oxide nanoparticles.

Preferential removal of phosphate from aqueous was conducted by a novel biomass-based nanocomposite (EP-N+-Zr) with encapsulated hydrous zirconium oxide, and the biopolymer EP-N+-Zr features were described. EP-N+-Zr exhibited high selective sequestration toward phosphate when humic acid or other competing anions (Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, ClO4-) coexisted at relatively high levels. Such excellent performance of EP-N+-Zr was attributed to its specific two site structures; the embedded HZO nanoparticles and quaternary ammonia groups [N+(CH2CH3)3Cl-] bonded inside the biomass-Enteromorpha prolifera, which facilitated preferable capture towards phosphate through specific affinity and nonspecific preconcentration of phosphate ions on the basis of the ion exchange, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of phosphate (20 °C) as calculated by Langmuir model was 88.5 mg(P)/g. Regeneration tests showed that EP-N+-Zr could be recycled at least five times without noticeable capacity losses using binary NaOH-NaCl as eluent.

Removal of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) from wastewater by an amphoteric sorbent based on cellulose-rich biomass.

A cellulose-rich biomass was modified as a new amphoteric sorbent to eliminate toxic Cu(II) and Cr(VI) from wastewater. The product (WSCA, which stands for modified wheat straw containing both cationic and anionic characters) presents high sorption capacities for the two ions which was evidenced by the comparison with unmodified wheat and other similar samples. Kinetic data and sorption equilibrium isotherms were conducted in batch process. The sorption kinetic analysis revealed that sorption of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) followed the pseudo second-order model well during the whole sorption process. The linear Langmuir isotherm model could perfectly describe the equilibrium data for Cu(II), while the sorption data of Cr(VI) were well fitted by the Freundlich. Results of the static test illustrated the complicated interactions between Cr(VI)/Cu(II) and WSCA including complexation and/or electrostatic attraction mechanisms.

[Coagulation characteristics of polyferric chloride-poly (epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine) composite flocculant for simulated water treatment].

Polyferric chloride (PFC) and poly (epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine) [P(EPI-DMA)] were applied as raw materials to prepare a novel inorganic-organic flocculant [PFC-P(EPI-DMA)] with various intrinsic viscosities (eta), basicity (B, OH/Fe molar ratio), and organic component fractions [omega(E)]. The PFC-P(EPI-DMA) prepared was then evaluated for the coagulation treatment of synthetic active dying wastewater and simulated ground water. Effects of B, and omega (E) on the Fe speciation distribution and coagulation performance of PFC-P(EPI-DMA) were comparatively examined as a function of coagulant dosage. The coagulation mechanism of PFC-P(EPI-DMA) was also discussed in this paper. Experimental results indicated the interaction effect of PFC and P (EPI-DMA) component in composite PFC-P (EPI-DMA). The effective Fe speciation content of PFC-EPI-DMA decreased with increasing omega(E), while it was maximized when eta = 850 mPa x As B value increased gradually, the Fe(b) concentration initially increased and then decreased, but the Fe(c) concentration kept continuously increasing. To some extent, higher eta and lower B value was favorable for the improvement of coagulation performance for coagulation treatment of both synthetic dyeing wastewater and simulated ground water. The omega (E) influence on the coagulation performance of PFC-P(EPI-DMA) was related to the treatment target. Both charge neutralization and adsorption bridging effect played roles in the coagulation process of the composite PFC-P(EPI-DMA).

Research on microbial lipid production from potato starch wastewater as culture medium by Lipomyces starkeyi.

In this paper, potato starch wastewater as culture medium was treated by the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi to biosynthesize microbial lipid. The result indicated that carbon source types, carbon source concentration, nitrogen source types, nitrogen source concentration, inoculum size, and cultivation time all had a significant effect on cell growth and microbial lipid accumulation in batch cultures. A measure of 120 g/L of glucose concentration, 3.0 g/L of (NH4)2SO4 concentration, 10% inoculum size, and incubation time 96 h cultivated in a shaking flask at 30 °C were found to be the optimal conditions not only for cell growth but also for lipid synthesis. Under this condition, the cellular biomass and lipid content could reach 2.59 g/L and 8.88%, respectively. This work provides a new method for effective utilization of potato starch wastewater, which has particular social and economic benefits for yeast treatment technology.

Effect of preparation conditions and washing of activated carbon from paper mill sewage sludge on its adsorptive properties.

Sludge-based activated carbon (SAC) was prepared from paper mill sewage sludge by physical activation with steam for wastewater treatment in this study. The effects of preparation variables, including carbonization temperature, carbonization time, activation temperature and activation time, on iodine number and yield were investigated through orthogonal experiments. The influences of washing by deionized water and acid on the characteristics and adsorption capacities of SAC for phosphate, methylene blue and reactive red 24 were also studied. The results indicated that the optimal preparation conditions were: carbonization temperature of 350 °C, carbonization time of 40 min, activation temperature of 800 °C and activation time of 20 min. The characteristics and adsorption capacities of SAC were obviously different before and after washing, especially by acid. The surface area was improved and adsorption capacities for dyes increased after washing, while adsorption capacity for phosphate decreased. The maximum adsorption capacities provided strong evidence of the potential of SAC as an alternative adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Removal of acid and direct dye by epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine: flocculation performance and floc aggregation properties.

A cationic organic flocculant epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine (EPI-DMA) was employed for the treatment of acid and direct dye. The study aims at investigating the flocculation performance of EPI-DMA for the model dye, and corresponding floc aggregation properties, which were determined by jar test and photometric dispersion analysis, respectively. The interactions between cationic flocculant and anionic dye were investigated through spectra analysis. The results showed that EPI-DMA effectively decolorized the tested acid and direct dye. The viscosity and cationicity of EPI-DMA had different influence on the removal of different dye. Chemical interaction was observed between quaternary ammonium of EPI-DMA and sulfonic group of dye. The flocculation dynamic process showed that flocs with better aggregation and sedimentation properties were produced by EPI-DMA with higher viscosity and cationicity for acid dye. Contrarily, flocs with the best aggregation and sedimentation properties were produced by EPI-DMA with the lowest viscosity and cationicity for direct dye.

Microbial treatment of the monosodium glutamate wastewater by Lipomyces starkeyi to produce microbial lipid.

The monosodium glutamate (MSG) wastewater as a medium was treated by Lipomyces starkeyi to produce microbial lipid in the study. The effect of related factors (initial glucose concentration, inoculation concentration, initial culture pH, and cultivation time) on biomass, lipid production and lipid content was discussed, respectively. According to the experiments, the optimal fermentation conditions were determined: addition of 80g/L glucose, 10% inoculation concentration, initial pH about 5.0, incubation time 96h. Under this condition, the biomass production reached up to 4.61g/L, lipid production and lipid content was 1.14g/L and 24.73%, respectively. Simultaneously, protein and COD removal rate was 78.60% and 74.96%, respectively. The main composition of fatty acid in the resultant lipid was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which showed: oleic acid (C18:1) 35.85%, palmitic acid (C16:0) 19.91%, palmitoleic acid (C16:1) 17.65%, and myristic acid (C14:0) 16.03%.

Characteristics of cellulosic amine-crosslinked copolymer and its sorption properties for Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions.

A new cellulosic amine-crosslinked copolymer was prepared after the amination reaction with cotton stalk peel (CSP). The physicochemical characteristics of amine-crosslinked cotton stalk peel (AC-CSP) and raw CSP were determined after the surface analysis (including specific surface area, micropore volume and SEM), zeta potential analysis and spectrum analysis (FTIR and Raman spectrum). The sorption properties of AC-CSP for Cr(VI) were evaluated in the static, column sorption and desorption tests. The surface characteristics indicated the absence of porous adsorption in the potential Cr(VI) sorption mechanism. Zeta potential and spectrum analysis of AC-CSP illustrated the involvement of amine groups in the Cr(VI) sorption process. The sorption capacity of AC-CSP for Cr(VI) was 129.0mg/g as comparison with 14.8 mg/g of raw CSP. Flow rate and influent Cr(VI) concentration were demonstrated as two influencial factors in the column sorption tests. NaCl was used as the eluent, and the desorption efficiencies during three successive cycles were 75.9%, 69.8% and 64.3%, respectively. In addition, the results of the static, column sorption and desorption tests illustrated the complicated interactions between Cr(VI) and AC-CSP including complexation and ion exchange mechanisms.

Sorption of nitrate onto amine-crosslinked wheat straw: characteristics, column sorption and desorption properties.

The nitrate removal process was evaluated using a fixed-bed column packed with amine-crosslinked wheat straw (AC-WS). Column sorption and desorption characteristics of nitrate were studied extensively. Solid-state (13)C NMR and zeta potential analysis validated the existence of crosslinked amine groups in AC-WS. Raman shift of the nitrate peaks suggested the electrostatic attraction between the adsorbed ions and positively charged amine sites. The column sorption capacity (q(ed)) of the AC-WS for nitrate was 87.27 mg g(-1) in comparison with the raw WS of 0.57 mg g(-1). Nitrate sorption in column was affected by bed height, influent nitrate concentration, flow rate and pH, and of all these, influent pH demonstrated an essential effect on the performance of the column. In addition, desorption and dynamic elution tests were repeated for several cycles, with high desorption rate and slight losses in its initial column sorption capacity.

[Relationship among coagulation effect of Al-based coagulant, content and speciation of residual aluminum].

The application of AlCl3, Al2 (SO4)3 and poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) in humic acid-kaolin simulated water was studied in this article. It is intended to discuss the relationship among coagulation effect of Al-based coagulants in humic acid-kaolin simulated water and content and speciation of residual aluminum. It was found that, the turbidity removal efficiency and UV254 removal efficiency could reach about 90% at the tested dosage. At higher dosage, PAC gave better coagulation effect. The residual total aluminum content and residual aluminum ratio of PAC, which was 0.9 mg/L and - 3.0% or so respectively, were greatly lower than those of AlCl3 and Al2 (SO4)3. The residual total dissolved aluminum was the predominant content in the effluent after coagulation and sedimentation by the three Al-based coagulants. For the total dissolved aluminum, the proportion of dissolved organic aluminum was significantly higher than that of other aluminum speciation. With respect to humic acid-kaolin simulated water, the content of residual total aluminum in the effluent after coagulation and sedimentation by PAC decreased obviously compared to AlCl3 and Al2 (SO4)3. PAC could effectively decrease the content of residual dissolved aluminum speciation which has higher toxicity. The content of residual total dissolved aluminum in the effluent after coagulation and sedimentation by PAC was about 0.6 mg/L.

Preparation of agricultural by-product based anion exchanger and its utilization for nitrate and phosphate removal.

To develop the agricultural by-product adsorbent that possesses anionic exchangeable function, the performance of a new anion exchanger prepared from wheat straw (WS) was evaluated in this study. Wheat straw anion exchanger (WS-AE) was prepared by the grafting of aminated intermediate onto WS. Results indicate that reaction time and temperature in the chemical modification process both affected the preparation of aminated intermediate and WS-AE. FTIR, nitrogen content, solid-state (13)C NMR and zeta potential data validated the existence of grafted amine group in the structure of WS-AE. The maximum sorption capacities of WS-AE for nitrate and phosphate were approximately 52.8 and 45.7mgg(-1), respectively, which shows higher maximum capacity for phosphate and a similar capacity for nitrate in comparison with commercial anion resins. Regeneration studies and column adsorption tests were performed, and the excellent regeneration and column adsorption capacities provided strong evidence of the potential of WS-AE for the technological applications of phosphate and nitrate removal from aqueous solutions.

[Coagulation and adsorption on treating the Yellow River and the impact on chlorine decay during chlorination process].

Two types of inorganic polymer coagulants, polyferric chloride (PFC) and polyaluminum chloride (PAC), were chosen to treat the Yellow River water. Different dosages were investigated in order to investigate the turbidity, UV24, DOC and permanganate index removal efficiency and their coagulation mechanisms based on the Zeta potentials. The natural organic matter removal by the combination of coagulation and adsorption with powder activated carbon were analyzed based on different coagulant and adsorbent dosages and dosing orders. The effects of combination of coagulation and adsorption on the residual chlorine decay were analyzed. The results showed that the two coagulants had high turbidity removal efficiency ( > 90%). The UV254, DOC, permanganate index removal efficiency were 29.2%, 26.1% and 27.9% respectively for PAC coagulation and were 32.3%, 23.3% and 32.9% respectively for PFC. Electric neutralization played an important role in the PAC coagulation process while both adsorption bridging and electric neutralization performed when PFC was used. The removal percentage of organic matter increased with the increase coagulant and adsorbent. The adsorption after coagulation process gave the better UV254 and DOC removal efficiency than the coagulation after adsorption. The UV254 and DOC removal efficiency were 95.2% and 99.9% for PAC coagulation after adsorption and were 90.1% and 99.9% for PFC coagulation first. But adding powder activated carbon can improve floc settlement performance and maintained persistent disinfection effect.

Phosphate removal from aqueous solution by adsorption on modified giant reed.

The use of modified giant reed (MGR) as an adsorbent to remove phosphate from an aqueous solution was investigated. The dosage of MGR, pH of the phosphate solution, thermodynamics, and the effects of several factors on kinetics (concentration of phosphate solution, solution temperature, and shaking speed) were studied in batch experiments. The results showed that MGR was particularly effective to remove phosphate and that the effective pH range for the phosphate removal was between 4 and 9. The adsorption process could reach equilibrium in 25 minutes. Three kinetic models have been evaluated to fit the experimental data. It was shown that the pseudo-second-order model best described the adsorption kinetics of phosphate on MGR. The low activation energy of the adsorption suggested a physisorption process for phosphate adsorption. The equilibrium isotherm showed that the adsorption system was consistent with the Langmuir equation. The negative values of standard free energy (AG) and enthalpy (AH) indicated that the adsorption of phosphate onto MGR was a spontaneous and exothermic process.

Preparation and utilization of wheat straw bearing amine groups for the sorption of acid and reactive dyes from aqueous solutions.

Removal of Acid Red 73 (AR 73) and Reactive Red 24 (RR 24) onto modified wheat straw (MWS) from aqueous solutions was investigated. Sorption experiments were carried out as function of MWS dosage, contact time, initial concentration, pH and temperature. Characterizations of MWS were measured and a mass of amine groups were observed in the framework of MWS. The equilibrium sorption data were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm equation, and the calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated a spontaneous and endothermic nature for sorption process. It was shown that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation could best describe the adsorption kinetics. More over, the high maximum sorption capacity (q(e max), 714.3 mg g(-1) for AR 73 and 285.7 mg g(-1) for RR 24) and low cost (1.24 US$ kg(-1)) of MWS provided strong evidence of the potential of MWS for the technological applications of anionic dyes removal from aqueous solutions.

A comparative study on the properties, mechanisms and process designs for the adsorption of non-ionic or anionic dyes onto cationic-polymer/bentonite.

The adsorption properties and mechanisms of a cationic-polymer/bentonite complex (EPI-DMA/bentonite), prepared from polyepicholorohydrin-dimethylamine and bentonite, for non-ionic dyes (Disperse Blue SBL and Vat Scarlet R) and anionic dyes (Reactive Violet K-3R and Acid Dark Blue 2G) were investigated in this study. The solution pH, presence of salt and surfactant can significantly affect the dye removal efficiency. The equilibrium data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The Langmuir model is the most suitable to describe non-ionic dye adsorption, but for anionic dyes the Freundlich model is best. The kinetic data for the adsorption of different dyes were analyzed using pseudo first- and second-order equations, and the experimental data conformed to the pseudo second-order kinetic model better. The possibility of intraparticle diffusion was also examined by using the intraparticle diffusion equation. The single-stage batch adsorber design for the adsorption of both types of dyes onto EPI-DMA/bentonite was studied based on the Langmuir isotherm model for non-ionic dyes and the Freundlich isotherm model for anionic dyes. The results showed that the required amount of EPI-DMA/bentonite for 95% dye removal in 5 L dye solution with a concentration of 50 mg/L is 378.0 g for DB SBL, 126.5 g for VS R, 9.7 g for RV K-3R and 15.5 g for ADB 2G.

[Coagulation performance and mechanism of Al(b) species in treating simulative dye wastewater].

Al(b) species was obtained from polyaluminum chloride (PAC) using ethanol-acetone mixed precipitation method. Al(b) and PAC were comparatively investigated in terms of color removal and zeta potential under different coagulant dosage and solution pH in the treatment of dispersive yellow and direct purple simulative dyeing wastewater. The changes of floc size of Al(b) and PAC were analyzed with PDA2000 and Mastersizer2000, and the coagulation mechanisms were also investigated. Compared with PAC, Al(b) species can work within a wider pH range and the flocs formed by Al(b) showed a more compact structure, a better settle ability and regrowth ability.

[Interactions of Cu2+, Ni2+ and humic acid, bentonite in the water].

Interactions of Cu2+, Ni2+ on humic acid and the mixture adsorbent of humic acid and bentonite were studied. The effects of contact time, initial pH and temperature were determined. The removal rate of the metal ions increased with increasing contact time. The adsorption capacities increased with increasing temperature. Initial pH had a great impact on the removal rate of metal ions, when initial pH was around 7, the maximum removal rate can be achieved. Characteristics of adsorption kinetics of Cu2+, Ni2+ from aqueous solutions on humic acid and mixture adsorbent were studied. The results showed that the adsorption process followed the pseudo second-order equation. The activation energy of Cu2+ on humic acid and mixture adsorbent were 17.01 kJ x mol(-1) and 38.49 kJ x mol(-1), and the activation energy of Ni2+ on humic acid and mixture adsorbent were 15.15 kJ x mol(-1) and 13.35 kJ x mol(-1). The activation energy indicated that the adsorption process belonged to physics adsorption. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm. deltaH0, deltaS0 and deltaG0 calculated showed that the adsorptions of metal ions on humic acid and mixture adsorbent were endothermic, entropy increasing and spontaneous.

Effect of pH on the coagulation performance of Al-based coagulants and residual aluminum speciation during the treatment of humic acid-kaolin synthetic water.

The fractionation and measurement of residual aluminum was conducted during the treatment of humic (HA)-kaolin synthetic water with Al(2)(SO(4))(3), AlCl(3) and polyaluminum chloride (PAC) in order to investigate the effect of pH on the coagulation performance as well as residual aluminum speciation. Experimental results suggested that turbidity removal performance varied according to the following order: AlCl(3)>PAC>Al(2)(SO(4))(3). HA removal performance of PAC was better than that of AlCl(3) under acidic condition. The optimum pH range for AlCl(3) and Al(2)(SO(4))(3) was between 6.0 and 7.0 while PAC showed stable HA and UV(254) removal capacity with broader pH variation (5.0-8.0). For the three coagulants, majority of residual aluminum existed in the form of total dissolved Al (60-80%), which existed mostly in oligomers or complexes formed between Al and natural organic matter or polymeric colloidal materials. PAC exhibited the least concentration for each kind of residual aluminum species as well as their percentage in total residual aluminum, followed by AlCl(3) and Al(2)(SO(4))(3) (in increasing order). Moreover, PAC could effectively reduce the concentration of dissolved monomeric Al and its residual aluminum ratio was the least among the three coagulants and varied little at an initial pH between 7.0 and 9.0.

[Adsorption of chromium (VI) from aqueous solution on bentonite modified by cationic polymers].

Two cationic polymer-epicholorohydrin dimethylamine (EPI-DMA) and poly dimethyldlammonium (PDMDAAC) as the intercalary reagents were used to prepare a series of bentonites (EPI-DMA/Bt and PDMDAAC/Bt) modified by the cationic polymers, respectively. The adsorption of Cr(VI) on cationic polymer/bentonite and major influencing factors were studied. The results show that the sorption capacity of Cr (VI) is increased more than five times compared with the original one. The load of cationic polymers in bentonites, the dosing quantity of EPI-DMA/Bt and PDMDAAC/Bt, the solution pH, temperature (T), time of reaction (t) affect the adsorption. When T = 20 degrees C, pH = 4.0, t = 120 min, EPI-DMA/Bt (the load of cationic polymer is 99.6 mg/g) and PDMDAAC/Bt (the load of cationic polymer is 55.1 mg/g) adsorb 0.71 mg/g and 0.56 mg/g Cr(VI), respectively. The adsorption kinetics are fitted well by pseudo second-order equation. The adsorption isotherms of cationic polymer/bentonites to Cr( VI) are fitted well by the Langmuir equation.