Fertilizer-driven FO and MD integrated process for shale gas produced water treatment: Draw solution evaluation and PAC enhancement.

It is a great challenge for effective treatment of shale gas produced water (SGPW), a typical industrial wastewater with complex composition. Single forward osmosis (FO) or membrane distillation (MD) process has been widely used for desalination of SGPW, with membrane fouling not well addressed. Fertilizer draw solution (DS) with high osmotic pressure is less likely to cause FO fouling and can be used for irrigation. An integrated process using fertilizer-driven FO (FDFO) and MD process was proposed for the first time for SGPW treatment, and characteristics of fertilizer DS and powdered activated carbon (PAC) enhancement were assessed. The DS using KCl and (NH4)2SO4 had high MD fluxes (36.8-38.8 L/(m2·h)) and low permeate conductivity (below 50 µS/cm), increasing the contact angle of the MD membrane by 113 % than that without FO, while the DS using MgCl2 and NH4H2PO4 produced a lower reverse salt flux (0.9-3.2 g/(m2·h)). When diluted DS was treated using PAC, the MD permeate conductivity was further reduced to 35 µS/cm without ammonia, and the membrane hydrophobicity was maintained to 71-83 % of the original. The mechanism of the FDFO-MD integrated process for mitigating MD fouling and improving permeate quality was analyzed, providing guidance for efficient SGPW treatment.

Research on carbon dioxide capture materials used for carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage technology: a review.

In recent years, climate change has increasingly become one of the major challenges facing mankind today, seriously threatening the survival and sustainable development of mankind. Dramatically increasing carbon dioxide concentrations are thought to cause a severe greenhouse effect, leading to severe and sustained global warming, associated climate instability and unwelcome natural disasters, melting glaciers and extreme weather patterns. The treatment of flue gas from thermal power plants uses carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, one of the most promising current methods to accomplish significant CO2 emission reduction. In order to implement the technological and financial system of CO2 capture, which is the key technology of CCUS technology and accounts for 70-80% of the overall cost of CCUS technology, it is crucial to create more effective adsorbents. Nowadays, with the development and application of various carbon dioxide capture materials, it is necessary to review and summarize carbon dioxide capture materials in time. In this paper, the main technologies of CO2 capture are reviewed, with emphasis on the latest research status of CO2 capture materials, such as amines, zeolites, alkali metals, as well as emerging MOFs and carbon nanomaterials. More and more research on CO2 capture materials has used a variety of improved methods, which have achieved high CO2 capture performance. For example, doping of layered double hydroxides (LDH) with metal atoms significantly increases the active site on the surface of the material, which has a significant impact on improving the CO2 capture capacity and performance stability of LDH. Although many carbon capture materials have been developed, high cost and low technology scale remain major obstacles to CO2 capture. Future research should focus on designing low-cost, high-availability carbon capture materials.

Research status, challenges and future prospects of renewable synthetic fuel catalysts for CO2 photocatalytic reduction conversion.

In recent years, with global climate change, the utilization of carbon dioxide as a resource has become an important goal of human society to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Among them, the catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to generate renewable fuels has received great attention. As one of these methods, photocatalysis has its unique properties and mechanism, which can only rely on sunlight without inputting other energy. It is an emerging discipline with great development prospects. The core of photocatalysis lies in the development of photocatalysts with high activity, high selectivity, low cost, and high durability. This review first introduces the background and mechanism of photocatalysis, then introduces various types of photocatalysts based on different substrates, and analyzes the methods and mechanisms to improve the activity and selectivity of photocatalysts. Finally, combining the plasmon effect with photocatalysis, the review analyzes the promoting effect of the plasmon effect on the photocatalytic carbon dioxide synthesis of renewable fuels, which provides a new idea for it.

Mapping the research on desulfurization wastewater: Insights from a bibliometric review (1991-2021).

Desulfurization wastewater in coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) is a great environmental challenge. This study aimed at the current status and future research trends of desulfurization wastewater by bibliometric analysis. The desulfurization wastewater featured with high sulfate (8000 mg/L), chlorite (8505 mg/L), magnesium (2882 mg/L) and calcium (969 mg/L) but low sodium (801.82 mg/L), and the concentrations of the main contaminants were critically summarized. There was an increasing trend in the annual publications of desulfurization wastewater in the period from 1991 to 2021, with an average growth rate of 15%. Water Science and Technology, Desalination and Water Treatment, Energy & Fuels, Chemosphere, and Journal of Hazardous Materials are the top 5 journals in this field. China was the most productive country (58.3% of global output) and the core country in the international cooperation network. Wordcloud analysis and keyword topic trend demonstrated that removal/treatment of pollutants dominated the global research in the field of desulfurization wastewater. The primary technologies for desulfurization wastewater treatment were systematically evaluated. The physicochemical treatment technologies occupied half of the total treatment methods, while membrane-based integrated processes showed potential applications for beneficial reuse. The challenges and outlook on desulfurization wastewater treatment for achieving zero liquid discharge are summarized.

Chinese herbal medicine Yanghe decoction for ankylosing spondylitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine is a commonly used traditional treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Among them, Yanghe decoction (YHD) has an obvious effect in relieving the symptoms of AS, but its efficacy is still controversial. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of YHD in the treatment of AS patients. METHODS: From the establishment to September 2020, we will search a total of 7 electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, WanFang, and the Chinese SinoMed Database. Two independent reviewers will search the database for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs), extract data, and evaluate the quality of the included RCTs. Data analysis will be processed by RevMan V.5.4 software. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of YHD in treating patients with AS.

Chinese herbal medicine Yanghe decoction for knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been widely used to treat knee osteoarthritis (KOA), among which Yanghe decoction (YHD) is one of the commonly used prescriptions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of YHD in the treatment of KOA. METHODS: Six databases, including Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database will be searched from their inception to July 2020. Two researchers will independently select studies, collect data and evaluate the quality of included studies. Statistical analysis will be processed by RevMan V.5.3 software. RESULTS: This study will provide an assessment of the current state of YHD in the treatment of KOA, aiming to show the efficacy and safety of YHD. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence to judge whether YHD is an effective intervention for KOA.

Safety of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic immune-mediated disease affecting the sacroiliac joints and the spine, manifesting with new bone formation and osteopenia. Five tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab, and golimumab) are available for the treatment of AS, however, the results for the safety of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of AS are not consistent. METHODS: In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the safety of TNF-α inhibitors compared with placebo in reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation of AS patients. Eight relevant articles including 2049 patients were included for this meta-analysis study. We observed that the incidence of adverse events (RR  =  1.22, 95% CI: 1.12-1.33; P  =  .501, I  =  0%) and injection-site reaction (RR  =  2.93, 95% CI: 2.02-4.23; P  =  .691, I  =  0%) in AS patients' treatment with TNF-α inhibitors was significantly higher than that with placebo. RESULTS: However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of serious adverse event, infection, serious infection, and discontinuations due to adverse event. TNF-α inhibitors may be a promising treatment for AS, but carries an increased incidence rate of adverse events and injection-site reaction. CONCLUSION: Due to the existence of the unstable factors, further studies need to be done to verify the result of this study.

Predictors of Ibandronate Efficacy for the Management of Osteoporosis: A Meta-Regression Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Aim of the present study was to identify the predictors of ibandronate efficacy in subjects with osteoporosis or decreased bone mineral density (BMD). METHOD: Several electronic databases were searched by using specific keywords for the acquisition of research articles reporting the efficacy of ibandronate in subjects with osteoporosis or decreased BMD. Metaregression analyses were carried out by using changes in the BMD of lumbar spine and total hip following ibandronate treatment as dependent (outcome) variables against several independent (explanatory) variables. RESULTS: Data were extracted from 34 studies (11,090 ibandronate treated subjects) which fulfilled eligibility criteria. A history of previous fracture/s was reported by 46% of these subjects. In overall population, longer treatment duration from 1 to 5 years, increasing age, history of previous fractures, lower baseline T score, and higher baseline levels of C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX) predicted higher ibandronate efficacy in improving BMD of the lumbar spine as well as of the total hip. Lower baseline levels of vitamin D and higher baseline levels of bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) predicted higher efficacy of ibandronate for lumbar spine only. In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or decreased BMD, in addition to above-mentioned predictors, better efficacy of ibandronate was also associated with increasing time since menopause for both lumbar spine and total hip and lower body weight for lumbar spine only. CONCLUSION: Longer treatment duration from 1 to 5 years, increasing age, lower baseline T scores, and higher serum CTX levels are identified as the predictors of better efficacy of ibandronate in the study subjects with osteoporosis or decreased BMD.