Research

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Degradation of Tetracycline Using a Magnetic Gadolinium-Decorated Nanoplatform: A Peroxidase Biomimetic System with Fenton-Like Catalysis

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Water 2023, 15(7), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071419 - 05 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1190

Abstract

Pharmaceutical pollutants such as tetracycline (TC) pose a growing global threat to aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. Developing new methods for the degradation of these pollutants would be a significant advancement in their management. The progress in the development of synthetic enzymes based on [...] Read more.

Pharmaceutical pollutants such as tetracycline (TC) pose a growing global threat to aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. Developing new methods for the degradation of these pollutants would be a significant advancement in their management. The progress in the development of synthetic enzymes based on nanomaterials has resulted in their replacement for natural enzymes with higher performance quality. In this work, a magnetite/Gd³⁺/β-cyclodextrin nanoplatform was prepared and used for TC degradation for the first time. The characterization studies were carried out using various methods, including SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The peroxidase-mimic activity of the synthesized nanoplatform was evaluated using a colorimetric assay. Kinetic parameters, including K_m and V_max, were obtained using TMB (3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine) and H₂O₂. The results indicated that prepared particles had a lower K_m value than horseradish peroxidase (HRP), which confirmed the higher affinity of the prepared nanoplatform toward its substrates. We also demonstrated that our recyclable nanoplatform (3 mg/mL) was able to degrade 82% of TC (4.5 mM) in 85 min without any initiator such as light or ultrasonic waves. Collectively, these results confirmed the high affinity of the synthesized nanoplatform toward desired substrates, including TC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Malaysian Crude Oils and Measurement of ASP Flooded Water in Oil Emulsion Stability and Viscosity in Primary Separator

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Nor Erniza Mohammad Rozali

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Sabih Qamar

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Abdulnour Ali Jazem Ghanim

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Dobrochna Ginter-Kramarczyk

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Stanislaw Legutko

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Izabela Kruszelnicka

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Saifur Rahman

Water 2023, 15(7), 1290; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15071290 - 24 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1364

Abstract

With the application of chemical enhanced oil recovery methods, water separation is a major issue in a production facility. Oil/water separation is suppressed with a stable emulsion. The present study evaluated the impact of different emulsifiers in enhanced oil recovery. The effectiveness of [...] Read more.

With the application of chemical enhanced oil recovery methods, water separation is a major issue in a production facility. Oil/water separation is suppressed with a stable emulsion. The present study evaluated the impact of different emulsifiers in enhanced oil recovery. The effectiveness of each additive such as an alkali, surfactant, or polymer on the stability of the emulsion was anticipated using laser scattering to measure the emulsion’s stability. An artificial neural network was applied to predict the effectiveness of the additives on stabilization/destabilization and to assess how alkali/surfactants, surfactant/polymers, and polymer/surfactants affect the separation profiles. Measurements of the viscosity and zeta potential of residual emulsion clarify that the increase in surfactant makes the emulsion stable and became unstable with the increase in the alkali and polymer. The droplet zeta potential was within −i9~−i5 mV. The absolute value of the zeta potential decreased at a high polymer concentration with a low surfactant concentration resulting in fast flocculence phenomena. With an increase in the surfactant concentration and the presence of high alkali, the droplet’s absolute zeta potential demonstrated an increase in the repulsion force in the emulsions. The study also focuses on the carbon number distribution, wax appearance temperature (WAT) and wax content of four crude oil samples from different field locations (Miri, Angsi, Penara and Dulang). Findings show that crude oil samples with higher mol percent of carbon distribution from C₂₀ to C₄₀ (paraffinic composition) contains higher wax content, wt% and subsequently results in higher wax appearance temperature (WAT). This is obviously shown by the crude oil sample from Penara field. Further similar investigation on other field locations will assist in characterizing the paraffinic composition in Malaysian oil basins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Catalytic Degradation of the Inflammatory Drug Diclofenac Sodium in Water by Fe²⁺/Persulfate, Fe²⁺/Peroxymonosulfate and Fe²⁺/H₂O₂ Processes: A Comparative Analysis

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Water 2023, 15(5), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15050885 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1226

Abstract

Diclofenac sodium was extensively used for treating arthritis, osteoarthritis and skeletal muscular injuries, which ultimately caused troubles for aquatic organisms as well as human beings. In this study, homogeneous catalytic advanced oxidation processes, including Fe²⁺/persulfate, Fe²⁺/peroxymonosulfate and Fe²⁺ [...] Read more.

Diclofenac sodium was extensively used for treating arthritis, osteoarthritis and skeletal muscular injuries, which ultimately caused troubles for aquatic organisms as well as human beings. In this study, homogeneous catalytic advanced oxidation processes, including Fe²⁺/persulfate, Fe²⁺/peroxymonosulfate and Fe²⁺/H₂O₂, were used for the degradation of diclofenac sodium in water, without using UV-C light. About 89, 82 and 54% DCF sodium was decomposed by Fe²⁺/persulfate, Fe²⁺/peroxymonosulfate and Fe²⁺/H₂O₂, respectively, in 60 min. The degradation of diclofenac sodium followed the pseudo first-order kinetics, in all cases. The degradation efficiency of diclofenac sodium was significantly affected in the presence of various anions, such as NO₃⁻, HCO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻. The mineralization studies revealed 62, 45 and 32% total carbon removal by Fe²⁺/persulfate, Fe²⁺/peroxymonosulfate and Fe²⁺/H₂O₂, respectively, in 60 min. In addition, the degradation byproducts of diclofenac sodium were determined by FTIR analysis. The results revealed that the Fe²⁺/oxidant system, particularly Fe²⁺/persulfate, was a promising technology for the elimination of toxic pharmaceuticals, such as diclofenac sodium, from the water environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Potential of Adsorption of Diverse Environmental Contaminants onto Microplastics

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Water 2022, 14(24), 4086; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14244086 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

Microplastics are regarded as vectors of hazardous contaminants due to their ability to adsorb xenobiotic chemicals. This has led to increased interest in the risk of previously neglected microplastic contaminants in the aquatic environment. Here, we assessed the possibility of transferring chemical contaminants [...] Read more.

Microplastics are regarded as vectors of hazardous contaminants due to their ability to adsorb xenobiotic chemicals. This has led to increased interest in the risk of previously neglected microplastic contaminants in the aquatic environment. Here, we assessed the possibility of transferring chemical contaminants to microplastics by evaluating the adsorption performance of (in)organic pollutants on various types of microplastics (polystyrene, PS; polyethylene terephthalate, PET; high-density polyethylene, HDPE; and low-density polyethylene, LDPE;). Considering the toxicity and polarity of each pollutant, dyes (BB9 and RR120) and heavy metals (Cd(II), Pb(II), As(III), and As(V)) were selected for the adsorption experiments. Dye was found to be adsorbed through physical adsorption. The adsorption capacity of microplastics for RR120 and BB9 was the highest for HDPE-1 and LDPE-1, respectively. Additionally, the smaller the size of the microplastics, the higher the adsorbed amounts. The main adsorption mechanism of heavy metals was found to be through physical and chemical adsorption. And adsorption mechanism of dye depends on physical adsorption. Thus, the adsorption of microplastic contaminants was affected more by the condition than by the type of microplastics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Biogas Production from Palm Oil Mill Effluent Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Integrated with the Aerated Condition

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Reni Desmiarti

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Maulana Yusup Rosadi

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Ariadi Hazmi

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Muhammad Miftahur Rahman

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Nofri Naldi

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Joni Aldilla Fajri

Water 2022, 14(22), 3774; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223774 - 20 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1664

Abstract

In this study, the performance of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with the aerated condition at discharge voltages of 15, 20, and 25 kV on the production of biogas; CH₄, H₂, CO, and CO₂ and the removal of COD [...] Read more.

In this study, the performance of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with the aerated condition at discharge voltages of 15, 20, and 25 kV on the production of biogas; CH₄, H₂, CO, and CO₂ and the removal of COD and BOD from POME were investigated. The experimental results showed that the aerated condition with a rate of 2.5 L/min at a high voltage (25 kV) produced CH_4, CO, and CO₂ that was 9.4, 21.5, and 19.6 times higher than the non-aerated one, respectively. The maximum cumulative volume of CH₄, H₂, CO, and CO₂ was 95.4 ± 8.92, 0.94 ± 0.71, 3.06 ± 0.73, and 2.45 ± 0.35 mL/mg COD, respectively, under the aerated condition at 25 kV and the experimental data fit well with the polynomial regression (R² > 95) for the initial biogas production. The decrease in COD and BOD was greatly affected by the high discharge voltage under the aerated condition, resulting in a high removal rate. These findings suggest that good performance was observed when the DBD was integrated with the aerated condition under the optimum discharge voltage. The study can give information on the optimum condition in a laboratory scale to produce CH₄, H_2, CO, and CO₂, as well as the reduction of organic pollutants from POME. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Efficient Arsenate Decontamination from Water Using MgO-Itsit Biochar Composite: An Equilibrium, Kinetics and Thermodynamic Study

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Mayeen Uddin Khandaker

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Water 2022, 14(21), 3559; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213559 - 05 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1096

Abstract

(1) Background: In this investigation, a composite of MgO nanoparticles with Itsit biochar (MgO-IBC) has been used to remove arsenate from contaminated water. The reduced adsorption capacity of biochar (IBC), due to loss of functionalities under pyrolysis, is compensated for with the composite [...] Read more.

(1) Background: In this investigation, a composite of MgO nanoparticles with Itsit biochar (MgO-IBC) has been used to remove arsenate from contaminated water. The reduced adsorption capacity of biochar (IBC), due to loss of functionalities under pyrolysis, is compensated for with the composite MgO-IBC. (2) Methods: Batch scale adsorption experiments were conducted by using MgO-IBC as an adsorbent for the decontamination of arsenate from water. Functional groups, elemental composition, surface morphology, and crystallinity of the adsorbent were investigated by using FTIR, EDX, SEM and XRD techniques. The effect of pH on arsenate adsorption by MgO-IBC was evaluated in the pH range of 2 to 8, whereas the temperature effect was investigated in the range of 303 K to 323 K. (3) Results: Both pH and temperature were found to significantly influence the overall adsorption efficiency of MgO-IBC for arsenate adsorption with lower pH and higher temperature being suitable for higher arsenate adsorption. A kinetics study of arsenate adsorption confirmed an equilibrium time of 240 min and a pseudo-second-order model well-explained the kinetic adsorption data, whereas the Langmuir model best fitted with the equilibrium arsenate adsorption data. The spontaneity and the chemisorptive nature of arsenate adsorption was confirmed by enthalpy, entropy, and activation energy. Comparison of adsorbents in the literature with the current study indicates that MgO-IBC composite has better adsorption capacity for arsenate adsorption than several previously explored adsorbents. (4) Conclusions: The higher adsorption capacity of MgO-IBC confirms its suitability and efficient utilization for the removal of arsenate from water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Efficiency of Adsorption and Photodegradation of Composite TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ and Industrial Wastes in Cyanide Removal

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Blanca Margarita Amaro-Medina

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Antonia Martinez-Luevanos

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Ma. de Jesus Soria-Aguilar

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Marco Antonio Sanchez-Castillo

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Sofia Estrada-Flores

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Francisco Raul Carrillo-Pedroza

Water 2022, 14(21), 3502; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213502 - 02 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1421

Abstract

This research focused on the evaluation of the Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ composite and two industrial wastes, a kaolin (Clay-K) and a blast furnace sludge (BFS), as adsorbents and/or photocatalytic materials to enhance the removal of cyanide from aqueous solutions. Cyanide [...] Read more.

This research focused on the evaluation of the Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ composite and two industrial wastes, a kaolin (Clay-K) and a blast furnace sludge (BFS), as adsorbents and/or photocatalytic materials to enhance the removal of cyanide from aqueous solutions. Cyanide adsorption tests were conducted in the absence of light. In contrast, cyanide photodegradation tests were conducted under three types of irradiations: visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, and natural sunlight. For the latter case, two irradiance conditions were evaluated. Cyanide adsorption from aqueous phases was similar for Clay-K and TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ materials, which adsorbed almost twice as much cyanide compared to the BFS sample. The differences observed in cyanide removal were explained in terms of the material’s surface area and chemical composition, and a complexation of cyanide ions with surface metals was suggested as the most feasible adsorption mechanism. The set of cyanide photodegradation experiments promoted, in general, higher cyanide removal from the aqueous solution compared to the adsorption processes. Under the conditions used in this study and when using Clay-K and BFS as promoters, cyanide photodegradation progressively enhanced with the following radiations: visible light < UV light ~ UV+solar ≤ Visible+solar. In the case of the TiO₂/Fe₂O₃ composite, cyanide photodegradation increased in the following order: UV light < visible light < UV+solar ~ Visible+solar. Clearly, solar radiation had a significant effect on promoting cyanide removal. For experiments conducted with natural sunlight, the set with irradiance of 600–800 W/m² exhibited the highest cyanide removal percentage, and the BFS had the best performance among the three tested samples over a period of 2 h. Results showed the benefit of using industrial wastes to remove cyanide from aqueous solutions and illustrates remediation of industrial effluents is potentially feasible within the framework of a circular economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by UV-254 nm Radiation for the Degradation of Crystal Violet

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Muhammad Usman Hameed

Water 2022, 14(21), 3440; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213440 - 29 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1395

Abstract

Water is a precious natural resource. Unfortunately, bodies of water become polluted by waste, such as untreated wastewater and detritus, along with oil spills, with minimum or no consideration for their limited capacity to renew themselves. Among these pollutants, dyes are harmful as [...] Read more.

Water is a precious natural resource. Unfortunately, bodies of water become polluted by waste, such as untreated wastewater and detritus, along with oil spills, with minimum or no consideration for their limited capacity to renew themselves. Among these pollutants, dyes are harmful as they are persistent and not biodegradable in nature. The present study demonstrates the removal of crystal violet (CV), a toxic cationic dye, by using three systems: Peroxymonosulfate (PMS), UV-254 nm radiation and UV/P5MS. The effects of various parameters, such as the effects of the initial dose of crystal violet, initial concentration of PMS, pH, typical inorganic ions, etc., were also investigated. The effect of pH was investigated in the range of 1.92–12.07. Similarly, the effect of various anions such as NO₂^•−, HCO₃^•−, CO₃^•2−, SO₄^•2− and CH₃COO^•− was investigated for the degradation of target pollutants. The order of degradation of crystal violet was UV/PMS > PMS > UV with removal efficiencies of 97%, 76% and 42%, respectively, at reaction times of 60 min. The degradation of crystal violet was enhanced significantly at a pH range of 10.52–12.07. Electrical energy per order (EE/O) values for UV/PMS, PMS and UV were calculated to be 1.68, 3.62 and 48.96 KWh/m³/order, respectively. The addition of inorganic ions inhibited the removal of CV in the order of SO₄^•2− > NO₂^•− > HCO₃^•− > CO₃^•2− > CH₃COO^•−. Moreover, the kinetic studies on the degradation of CV by the UV-254 nm, PMS, and UV/PMS systems, were also carried out and found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The study revealed that oxidation processes are most efficacious for the removal of organic dyes from wastewater. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Wastewater Treatment from Decontamination to Energy Production)

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