Bacterial infections accompanied by aggravated bacterial resistance in surrounding environment and healthcare facilities have remained threatening to public health, which demands developing efficient and safe disinfection methods devoid of the overuse of antibiotics. Here, in an attempt to build photocatalytic bacterial inactivation strategy, copper doped BiOBr (Cu@BOB) with modulated morphologies were obtained via solvothermal synthesis. As compared to that of BOB-sheet, the enhanced doping efficiency of Cu2+ was found in Cu@BOB-sphere. Meanwhile, the latter possesses more (110) facet exposure, oxygen vacancy and efficient separation of e-/h+ pairs, leading to its superior photocatalytic antibacterial effect under visible light. Particularly, singlet oxygen, photo-induced holes and electrons were shown to be mainly involved in the photocatalytic disinfection process, which may disrupt cellular structures of Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Finally, transcriptomic analysis of MRSA treated with Cu@BOB-sphere revealed that not only the oxidative stress were triggered and the ribosome biosynthesis, translation, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism were interrupted in MRSA, but genes related to virulence factor generation were down-regulated, pointing to the effective role of Cu@BOB-sphere to minimize drug-resistance. Therefore, the constructed visible light-responsive Cu@BOB photocatalyst of controllable morphology paves an ecofriendly and efficient strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria.
{"title":"Morphological modulation of copper-doped BiOBr nanomaterial with improved visible light photocatalytic activity for drug-resistant bacteria elimination","authors":"Jing Yang, Huan Luo, Kaiting He, Xiaoxiao Dong, Xinyi Zhu, Xiaoyu Jia, Ling Cai, Xinye Ni, Jin Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132981","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial infections accompanied by aggravated bacterial resistance in surrounding environment and healthcare facilities have remained threatening to public health, which demands developing efficient and safe disinfection methods devoid of the overuse of antibiotics. Here, in an attempt to build photocatalytic bacterial inactivation strategy, copper doped BiOBr (Cu@BOB) with modulated morphologies were obtained via solvothermal synthesis. As compared to that of BOB-sheet, the enhanced doping efficiency of Cu<sup>2+</sup> was found in Cu@BOB-sphere. Meanwhile, the latter possesses more (110) facet exposure, oxygen vacancy and efficient separation of e<sup>-</sup>/h<sup>+</sup> pairs, leading to its superior photocatalytic antibacterial effect under visible light. Particularly, singlet oxygen, photo-induced holes and electrons were shown to be mainly involved in the photocatalytic disinfection process, which may disrupt cellular structures of <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E. coli</em>)<em>,</em> and <em>Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus</em> (<em>MRSA</em>). Finally, transcriptomic analysis of <em>MRSA</em> treated with Cu@BOB-sphere revealed that not only the oxidative stress were triggered and the ribosome biosynthesis, translation, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism were interrupted in <em>MRSA</em>, but genes related to virulence factor generation were down-regulated, pointing to the effective role of Cu@BOB-sphere to minimize drug-resistance. Therefore, the constructed visible light-responsive Cu@BOB photocatalyst of controllable morphology paves an ecofriendly and efficient strategy to combat drug-resistant bacteria.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143814234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-10DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132866
Joona Nieminen, Alma Liukkonen, Anni Valassaari, Arto Pihlajamäki, Mika Mänttäri
Improvement of cellulosic ultrafiltration membrane durability was studied. With no protective modifications, the commercial regenerated cellulose membrane showed notable signs of degradation when in contact with lake water for several days. The most evident signs of degradation were increasing permeate fluxes and decreasing model substance retentions. TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) −mediated oxidation of the membranes and charge-adhered coatings offered differing degrees of protection. Mere TEMPO-oxidation and consecutive coating with either poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PDADMAC/PSS) or microfibrillar cellulose slightly improved the durability, whereas the poly(vinyl amine)/poly(acrylic acid) (PVAm/PAA) coating system made the membrane stable enough that any signs of degradation could not be observed during the testing period. The performed modifications did not alter the substrate membrane filtration properties significantly. The most notable changes were attributed to the [PVAm/PAA]1 coating that reduced both pure water permeance and molecular weight cut-off value by approximately 10%. It is suggested that the [PVAm/PAA]1 coating was sufficiently tight to block the cellulose-degrading substances that were present. Nevertheless, the structure was loose enough to sustain the desired properties of the substrate membrane. In concentrating filtrations, said coating mitigated flux decrease and the coated membrane had better filtration capacity than the non-coated alternatives
{"title":"Coatings for protecting cellulosic ultrafiltration membranes from degradation during humic surface water purification","authors":"Joona Nieminen, Alma Liukkonen, Anni Valassaari, Arto Pihlajamäki, Mika Mänttäri","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132866","url":null,"abstract":"Improvement of cellulosic ultrafiltration membrane durability was studied. With no protective modifications, the commercial regenerated cellulose membrane showed notable signs of degradation when in contact with lake water for several days. The most evident signs of degradation were increasing permeate fluxes and decreasing model substance retentions. TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) −mediated oxidation of the membranes and charge-adhered coatings offered differing degrees of protection. Mere TEMPO-oxidation and consecutive coating with either poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PDADMAC/PSS) or microfibrillar cellulose slightly improved the durability, whereas the poly(vinyl amine)/poly(acrylic acid) (PVAm/PAA) coating system made the membrane stable enough that any signs of degradation could not be observed during the testing period. The performed modifications did not alter the substrate membrane filtration properties significantly. The most notable changes were attributed to the [PVAm/PAA]<sub>1</sub> coating that reduced both pure water permeance and molecular weight cut-off value by approximately 10%. It is suggested that the [PVAm/PAA]<sub>1</sub> coating was sufficiently tight to block the cellulose-degrading substances that were present. Nevertheless, the structure was loose enough to sustain the desired properties of the substrate membrane. In concentrating filtrations, said coating mitigated flux decrease and the coated membrane had better filtration capacity than the non-coated alternatives","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143814239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-10DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132965
Na Feng , Xin Guo , Mengmeng Chen , Xushuai Chen , Chen Li , Luke Yan , Peng Yang , Jia Kong
The widespread use of liquid polymers leads to significant waste and environmental pollution due to their leakage into water, and their removal is challenging due to their high viscosity, low fluidity, and strong adhesion. In this study, we introduce a superpolymphobic amyloid-like protein (ALP) coating for the removal of liquid polymers from water. The composite ALP coating, composed of phase-transitioned lysozyme and oxidized cellulose nanocrystals, was applied to a stainless-steel mesh. This ALP-coated mesh demonstrated excellent underwater superpolymphobicity with a polymer contact angle of 167.7 ± 1.1° and a sliding angle of 1.3 ± 0.1°. The coated mesh effectively repelled various liquid polymers (such as polydimethylsiloxane, epoxy resins, and silicone oils), enabling efficient separation of polymer/water mixtures with a separation efficiency of 99.49 %. The coating exhibited remarkable mechanical and chemical stability, maintaining its performance after multiple cycles of use and stringent durability tests, including bending, sandpaper abrasion, ultrasonic treatment, tape peeling, flushing, and exposure to acidic or alkaline solutions. The ALP coating can be applied to commercially available pre-filters, resulting in the production of pure water free from polymer contaminants. Furthermore, the coating can be regenerated for infinite recycling by simply spraying it on. This approach demonstrates direct applicability for retrofitting existing water purification systems, exhibiting enhanced biocompatibility and superior mechanical stability while providing a simple, mild, and scalable strategy to address polymer contamination in aquatic ecosystems.
液态聚合物的广泛使用会导致大量废物和环境污染,因为它们会渗漏到水中,而由于它们的高粘度、低流动性和强粘附性,清除它们是一项挑战。在本研究中,我们介绍了一种超疏水淀粉样蛋白(ALP)涂层,用于去除水中的液态聚合物。由相变溶菌酶和氧化纤维素纳米晶体组成的复合 ALP 涂层被应用于不锈钢网。这种涂有 ALP 涂层的钢网表现出优异的水下超疏水性能,其聚合物接触角为 167.7 ± 1.1°,滑动角为 1.3 ± 0.1°。涂层网能有效排斥各种液态聚合物(如聚二甲基硅氧烷、环氧树脂和硅油),从而实现聚合物/水混合物的高效分离,分离效率高达 99.49%。该涂层具有出色的机械和化学稳定性,在经过多次循环使用和严格的耐久性测试(包括弯曲、砂纸磨损、超声波处理、胶带剥离、冲洗以及暴露于酸性或碱性溶液中)后仍能保持其性能。ALP 涂层可用于市售的预过滤器,从而生产出不含聚合物污染物的纯水。此外,只需简单喷涂,涂层即可再生,实现无限循环。这种方法直接适用于改造现有的净水系统,具有更强的生物相容性和卓越的机械稳定性,同时提供了一种简单、温和、可扩展的策略来解决水生生态系统中的聚合物污染问题。
{"title":"Underwater superpolymphobic amyloid-like protein coating for polymer separation","authors":"Na Feng , Xin Guo , Mengmeng Chen , Xushuai Chen , Chen Li , Luke Yan , Peng Yang , Jia Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132965","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132965","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread use of liquid polymers leads to significant waste and environmental pollution due to their leakage into water, and their removal is challenging due to their high viscosity, low fluidity, and strong adhesion. In this study, we introduce a superpolymphobic amyloid-like protein (ALP) coating for the removal of liquid polymers from water. The composite ALP coating, composed of phase-transitioned lysozyme and oxidized cellulose nanocrystals, was applied to a stainless-steel mesh. This ALP-coated mesh demonstrated excellent underwater superpolymphobicity with a polymer contact angle of 167.7 ± 1.1° and a sliding angle of 1.3 ± 0.1°. The coated mesh effectively repelled various liquid polymers (such as polydimethylsiloxane, epoxy resins, and silicone oils), enabling efficient separation of polymer/water mixtures with a separation efficiency of 99.49 %. The coating exhibited remarkable mechanical and chemical stability, maintaining its performance after multiple cycles of use and stringent durability tests, including bending, sandpaper abrasion, ultrasonic treatment, tape peeling, flushing, and exposure to acidic or alkaline solutions. The ALP coating can be applied to commercially available pre-filters, resulting in the production of pure water free from polymer contaminants. Furthermore, the coating can be regenerated for infinite recycling by simply spraying it on. This approach demonstrates direct applicability for retrofitting existing water purification systems, exhibiting enhanced biocompatibility and superior mechanical stability while providing a simple, mild, and scalable strategy to address polymer contamination in aquatic ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"367 ","pages":"Article 132965"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143819973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132956
Yunhui Han , Gonghua Peng , Xiangfei Zeng , Huimin Yang , Ling Hu , Qian Liang , Fan Lin , Shaoqin Chen , Xingyu Luo , Jun Luo , Haiyin Gang , Qingyuan Dong , Jiancheng Shu , Mengjun Chen
The separation and recovery of key metals are essential for the sustainable recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs). In this paper, a three-compartment electrolysis is proposed to achieve the direct separation of multiple components in a one-step process through the application of an electric field. In the middle compartment, lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) material dissolves and separates from graphite. Simultaneously, Ni-Co alloy deposits at the cathode, while MnO2 synthesizes at the anode. Additionally, Li+ concentrates and subsequently precipitates as Li2CO3 through chemical precipitation in the electrolyte. As a result, the leaching efficiencies of Ni, Co, Mn, and Li in spent lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (SNCM) materials reach 94.30 %, 90.78 %, 98.19 %, and 94.33 %, respectively, in the middle compartment within 6 h at 80 ℃. Meanwhile, the recovery rates for Ni, Co, and Mn are 87.22 %, 81.50 %, and 48.89 %, respectively. The proportions of Ni and Co in the Ni-Co alloy are 33.42 % and 44.82 %, respectively. Li2CO3 with a purity greater than 95 % is recovered from the electrolyte through simple concentration and precipitation. For every 1 kg of SNCM electrode powder recovered, the carbon emissions from the three-compartment electrolysis and electrolyte reuse are 3.81 kg CO2 eq. and −3.47 kg CO2 eq., resulting in economic benefits of $0.25 and $2.06, respectively. This approach enables the simultaneous separation and recovery of multiple metals in a single step, addressing the growing demand for critical energy metals.
{"title":"Recovery of Ni-Co alloy, MnO2, graphite and Li2CO3 from spent ternary lithium-ion batteries through three-compartment electrolysis","authors":"Yunhui Han , Gonghua Peng , Xiangfei Zeng , Huimin Yang , Ling Hu , Qian Liang , Fan Lin , Shaoqin Chen , Xingyu Luo , Jun Luo , Haiyin Gang , Qingyuan Dong , Jiancheng Shu , Mengjun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The separation and recovery of key metals are essential for the sustainable recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIBs). In this paper, a three-compartment electrolysis is proposed to achieve the direct separation of multiple components in a one-step process through the application of an electric field. In the middle compartment, lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) material dissolves and separates from graphite. Simultaneously, Ni-Co alloy deposits at the cathode, while MnO<sub>2</sub> synthesizes at the anode. Additionally, Li<sup>+</sup> concentrates and subsequently precipitates as Li<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> through chemical precipitation in the electrolyte. As a result, the leaching efficiencies of Ni, Co, Mn, and Li in spent lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (SNCM) materials reach 94.30 %, 90.78 %, 98.19 %, and 94.33 %, respectively, in the middle compartment within 6 h at 80 ℃. Meanwhile, the recovery rates for Ni, Co, and Mn are 87.22 %, 81.50 %, and 48.89 %, respectively. The proportions of Ni and Co in the Ni-Co alloy are 33.42 % and 44.82 %, respectively. Li<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> with a purity greater than 95 % is recovered from the electrolyte through simple concentration and precipitation. For every 1 kg of SNCM electrode powder recovered, the carbon emissions from the three-compartment electrolysis and electrolyte reuse are 3.81 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq. and −3.47 kg CO<sub>2</sub> eq., resulting in economic benefits of $0.25 and $2.06, respectively. This approach enables the simultaneous separation and recovery of multiple metals in a single step, addressing the growing demand for critical energy metals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"367 ","pages":"Article 132956"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132918
Wenchao Ji , Mingzhu Ren , Hefei Jin , Yu Lou , Shuzhen Wang , Xingjun Fan , Salma Tabassum
This study explores the Ball milling-assisted synthesis of attapulgite-rice husk biochar composites (5 %ATP/BBC) to remove formaldehyde (HCHO) efficiently. The composite was fabricated to enhance surface area and increase exposure to functional groups, which are crucial for adsorption. The experimental findings showed that 5 %ATP/BBC effectively removes HCHO, with a maximum theoretical static adsorption capacity of 0.260 mg/g and a dynamic adsorption capacity of 141.048 mg/g, surpassing both BBC500 and BC500. Chemical adsorption was the predominant process, and the adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Further X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated that formaldehyde molecules were incorporated onto the biochar surface, as evidenced by changes in C=O and C–C bonds. Molecular-level investigations through density functional theory (DFT) and Bader charge analysis revealed that adsorption involves charge redistribution, with ATP playing a key role as an active site. These findings were confirmed by charge density difference (CDD) analysis, which demonstrated charge transfer during adsorption. The results show that 5 % ATP/BBC can be a sustainable and practical material for HCHO removal, offering valuable insights into developing advanced adsorbents for environmental applications.
{"title":"Ball milling-assisted synthesis of attapulgite-rice husk biochar composites for efficient formaldehyde removal: Experimental and computational insights","authors":"Wenchao Ji , Mingzhu Ren , Hefei Jin , Yu Lou , Shuzhen Wang , Xingjun Fan , Salma Tabassum","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the Ball milling-assisted synthesis of attapulgite-rice husk biochar composites (5 %ATP/BBC) to remove formaldehyde (HCHO) efficiently. The composite was fabricated to enhance surface area and increase exposure to functional groups, which are crucial for adsorption. The experimental findings showed that 5 %ATP/BBC effectively removes HCHO, with a maximum theoretical static adsorption capacity of 0.260 mg/g and a dynamic adsorption capacity of 141.048 mg/g, surpassing both BBC500 and BC500. Chemical adsorption was the predominant process, and the adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Further X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated that formaldehyde molecules were incorporated onto the biochar surface, as evidenced by changes in C=O and C–C bonds. Molecular-level investigations through density functional theory (DFT) and Bader charge analysis revealed that adsorption involves charge redistribution, with ATP playing a key role as an active site. These findings were confirmed by charge density difference (CDD) analysis, which demonstrated charge transfer during adsorption. The results show that 5 % ATP/BBC can be a sustainable and practical material for HCHO removal, offering valuable insights into developing advanced adsorbents for environmental applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"367 ","pages":"Article 132918"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the CO2 desorption process, solid acid catalysts with high surface area and abundant acid sites have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing CO2-rich amine regeneration efficiency. Herein, we designed a hierarchical HZSM-5 catalyst modified with a bimetallic combination of Ni and Ce using a one-step synthesis method to accelerate CO2 desorption rate. The optimized catalyst exhibited a high mesoporous specific surface, abundant acid sites, and excellent stability, leading to a remarkable 55.8% increase in the CO2 desorbed amount. Cyclic tests demonstrated sustained catalytic performance, with no significant decline in CO2 desorption performance over multiple cycles. Furthermore, the HZ-NiCe (3:2) catalyst exhibited broad applicability across various typical blended amine systems. This work provides a novel synthesis strategy for promoting the catalytic efficiency for economical CO2 desorption and further decreasing the cost of CO2 capture.
{"title":"Synergistic Ni-Ce Dual sites in hierarchical HZSM-5: Breaking the energy-efficiency bottleneck in CO2-rich amine regeneration","authors":"Qiang Sun, Hongxia Gao, Lianbo Liu, Niu Liu, Min Xiao, Teerawat Sema, Shaofei Wang, Zhiwu Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132962","url":null,"abstract":"In the CO<sub>2</sub> desorption process, solid acid catalysts with high surface area and abundant acid sites have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing CO<sub>2</sub>-rich amine regeneration efficiency. Herein, we designed a hierarchical HZSM-5 catalyst modified with a bimetallic combination of Ni and Ce using a one-step synthesis method to accelerate CO<sub>2</sub> desorption rate. The optimized catalyst exhibited a high mesoporous specific surface, abundant acid sites, and excellent stability, leading to a remarkable 55.8% increase in the CO<sub>2</sub> desorbed amount. Cyclic tests demonstrated sustained catalytic performance, with no significant decline in CO<sub>2</sub> desorption performance over multiple cycles. Furthermore, the HZ-NiCe (3:2) catalyst exhibited broad applicability across various typical blended amine systems. This work provides a novel synthesis strategy for promoting the catalytic efficiency for economical CO<sub>2</sub> desorption and further decreasing the cost of CO<sub>2</sub> capture.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"245 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132958
Wubin Liao , Peng Liao , Zheng Wang , Chenggang Ci , Shiwei Xie
The dephosphorylation of N-containing phosphonates is crucial for mitigating their potential ecological risks and enabling phosphorus resource recovery. Here, we first show that the electrochlorination process outperforms other advanced oxidation methods in terms of conversion efficiency and rate constants for orthophosphate production. The high efficacy of electrochlorination process is primarily attributed to the generation of hypochlorous acid (HClO) under neutral pH conditions, as substantiated by a combination of speciation analysis, quantitative assessments, and quenching experiments. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculation and LC-MS measurements show that the degradation of nitrilotris-methylenephosphonic acid (NTMP) by HClO occurs spontaneously, with a preferential cleavage of the CP bond over the CN bond, thereby facilitating the efficiency of the dephosphorylation reaction. Altogether, our findings provide key insights into the role of reactive chlorine species in the degradation of N-containing phosphonates, offering valuable evidence for the development of next-generation, more effective phosphorus recovery strategies.
{"title":"New insight to phosphonate degradation by electrochlorination: Hypochlorous acid dominated dephosphorylation through selective attacking CP bond","authors":"Wubin Liao , Peng Liao , Zheng Wang , Chenggang Ci , Shiwei Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The dephosphorylation of N-containing phosphonates is crucial for mitigating their potential ecological risks and enabling phosphorus resource recovery. Here, we first show that the electrochlorination process outperforms other advanced oxidation methods in terms of conversion efficiency and rate constants for orthophosphate production. The high efficacy of electrochlorination process is primarily attributed to the generation of hypochlorous acid (HClO) under neutral pH conditions, as substantiated by a combination of speciation analysis, quantitative assessments, and quenching experiments. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculation and LC-MS measurements show that the degradation of nitrilotris-methylenephosphonic acid (NTMP) by HClO occurs spontaneously, with a preferential cleavage of the C<img>P bond over the C<img>N bond, thereby facilitating the efficiency of the dephosphorylation reaction. Altogether, our findings provide key insights into the role of reactive chlorine species in the degradation of N-containing phosphonates, offering valuable evidence for the development of next-generation, more effective phosphorus recovery strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"367 ","pages":"Article 132958"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132944
Su Yan, Sicheng Zhang, Qirun Han, Decheng Jin, Xiaoyu Yong, Jun Zhou, Xueying Zhang
Waste activated sludge (WAS) is promising for treating selenium laden wastewater by converting selenite to low-toxicity Se0. However, WAS reduction capacity is limited for practical application. This study for the first time introduced stepwise declining bioreactor hydraulic retention time (HRT) strategy to enhance WAS activity. A pilot-scale internal circulation (IC) reactor was selected to cultivate WAS due to its high biomass retention and mass transfer. Acetate was used as electron donor and carbon source for selenite reduction. At 168 h–12 h HRTs, IC removed 93.62 %–98.68 % of selenite, but the efficiency dropped to 81.65 %–10.53 % at 6 h–1 h HRTs. Stepwise declining HRT from 108 h to 3 h screened high-rate selenite-reducing consortia with stronger selenite tolerance (∼21 mM). The maximum specific activity reached 3.53 ± 0.21 m mol Se g−1 VSS h−1 at 12 h HRT. WAS had good electrochemical activity at HRTs ≥ 6h. The dominant selenite reducers were family Rhodobacteraceae, Rhodocyclacea, Comamonadaceae, and Chitinophagaceae at 168 h HRT, while shifting to Pseudomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae, and Rhizobiaceae at shorter HRTs of 12 h–1 h. Function predication suggested selenite reduction was contributed by electron transport-linked phosphorylation and detoxification pathways, which displayed different response to HRT changes. Overall, IC reactor is promising for remediating selenite laden wastewater and stepwise declining HRT can selectively cultivate high-rate selenite-reducing consortia from WAS.
{"title":"Biological treatment of selenite laden wastewater by a high-rate internal circulation (IC) reactor: Role of hydraulic retention time","authors":"Su Yan, Sicheng Zhang, Qirun Han, Decheng Jin, Xiaoyu Yong, Jun Zhou, Xueying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132944","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132944","url":null,"abstract":"Waste activated sludge (WAS) is promising for treating selenium laden wastewater by converting selenite to low-toxicity Se<sup>0</sup>. However, WAS reduction capacity is limited for practical application. This study for the first time introduced stepwise declining bioreactor hydraulic retention time (HRT) strategy to enhance WAS activity. A pilot-scale internal circulation (IC) reactor was selected to cultivate WAS due to its high biomass retention and mass transfer. Acetate was used as electron donor and carbon source for selenite reduction. At 168 h–12 h HRTs, IC removed 93.62 %–98.68 % of selenite, but the efficiency dropped to 81.65 %–10.53 % at 6 h–1 h HRTs. Stepwise declining HRT from 108 h to 3 h screened high-rate selenite-reducing consortia with stronger selenite tolerance (∼21 mM). The maximum specific activity reached 3.53 ± 0.21 m mol Se g<sup>−1</sup> VSS h<sup>−1</sup> at 12 h HRT. WAS had good electrochemical activity at HRTs ≥ 6h. The dominant selenite reducers were family <em>Rhodobacteraceae</em>, <em>Rhodocyclacea</em>, <em>Comamonadaceae</em>, and <em>Chitinophagaceae</em> at 168 h HRT, while shifting to <em>Pseudomonadaceae</em>, <em>Comamonadaceae</em>, and <em>Rhizobiaceae</em> at shorter HRTs of 12 h–1 h. Function predication suggested selenite reduction was contributed by electron transport-linked phosphorylation and detoxification pathways, which displayed different response to HRT changes. Overall, IC reactor is promising for remediating selenite laden wastewater and stepwise declining HRT can selectively cultivate high-rate selenite-reducing consortia from WAS.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132941
Peter Osei Ohemeng, Yanliang Huang, Robert Godin
Carbon nitride (CNx) has recently gained widespread attention as a greener material for water remediation. The inherent biocompatibility of CNx coupled with its adsorption and photocatalytic abilities underscore its potential utilization to overcome the major challenge of arsenic (As) contamination in water. Nonetheless, CNx typically exhibits poor dispersibility in aqueous media, suppressing its effectiveness as both adsorbent and photocatalyst. Herein, we present the use of CNx and its modified counterpart as effective agents for remediating As(III) and As(V) in water. Our results reveal that both benchmark CNx (CNx0) and the modified CNx (CNx50) exhibit promising As remediation effectiveness driven by adsorption. CNx0 exhibits strong affinity for As(III) with an adsorption effectiveness of 89 %, whereas CNx50 demonstrates an adsorption effectiveness of 76 % for As(V). Notably, CNx50 outperforms CNx0 in the photoconversion of As(III) into As(V) under simulated solar irradiation and quasi-monochromatic irradiation due to its lower amount of trapped charges and improved water dispersibility. In fact, the more toxic As(III) species is remediated by CN50 with an efficiency of 95 %, through the combination of photooxidation and adsorption. Overall, this study emphasizes, for the first time, the potential of CNx to integrate both photocatalysis and adsorption processes for As remediation, providing a simplistic approach to addressing As contamination in water.
{"title":"Arsenic (III) and (V) remediation in water using a particulate photocatalytic carbon nitride (CNx) system","authors":"Peter Osei Ohemeng, Yanliang Huang, Robert Godin","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132941","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132941","url":null,"abstract":"Carbon nitride (CN<sub>x</sub>) has recently gained widespread attention as a greener material for water remediation. The inherent biocompatibility of CN<sub>x</sub> coupled with its adsorption and photocatalytic abilities underscore its potential utilization to overcome the major challenge of arsenic (As) contamination in water. Nonetheless, CN<sub>x</sub> typically exhibits poor dispersibility in aqueous media, suppressing its effectiveness as both adsorbent and photocatalyst. Herein, we present the use of CN<sub>x</sub> and its modified counterpart as effective agents for remediating As(III) and As(V) in water. Our results reveal that both benchmark CN<sub>x</sub> (CN<sub>x0</sub>) and the modified CN<sub>x</sub> (CN<sub>x50</sub>) exhibit promising As remediation effectiveness driven by adsorption. CN<sub>x0</sub> exhibits strong affinity for As(III) with an adsorption effectiveness of 89 %, whereas CN<sub>x50</sub> demonstrates an adsorption effectiveness of 76 % for As(V). Notably, CN<sub>x50</sub> outperforms CN<sub>x0</sub> in the photoconversion of As(III) into As(V) under simulated solar irradiation and quasi-monochromatic irradiation due to its lower amount of trapped charges and improved water dispersibility. In fact, the more toxic As(III) species is remediated by CN<sub>50</sub> with an efficiency of <span><span style=\"\"></span><span data-mathml='<math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\"><mo is=\"true\">&#x2265;</mo></math>' role=\"presentation\" style=\"font-size: 90%; display: inline-block; position: relative;\" tabindex=\"0\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" height=\"2.086ex\" role=\"img\" style=\"vertical-align: -0.466ex;\" viewbox=\"0 -697.5 778.5 898.2\" width=\"1.808ex\" xmlns:xlink=\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink\"><g fill=\"currentColor\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"0\" transform=\"matrix(1 0 0 -1 0 0)\"><g is=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#MJMAIN-2265\"></use></g></g></svg><span role=\"presentation\"><math xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML\"><mo is=\"true\">≥</mo></math></span></span><script type=\"math/mml\"><math><mo is=\"true\">≥</mo></math></script></span> 95 %, through the combination of photooxidation and adsorption. Overall, this study emphasizes, for the first time, the potential of CN<sub>x</sub> to integrate both photocatalysis and adsorption processes for As remediation, providing a simplistic approach to addressing As contamination in water.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"241 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-09DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132822
Jing-Hua Tzeng, Chih-Huang Weng, Li-Ting Yen, Gulomjon Gaybullaev, Che-Jui Chang, Mark Daniel G. de Luna, Yao-Tung Lin
The authors regret that Figure 4 of their published article (Separation and Purification Technology, 274 (2021) 118979) contained unintended images in a-2 and a-3 due to an oversight during figure preparation. The corrected version of Figure 4, with accurate images for a-2 and a-3, is provided below. This correction does not affect the interpretation of results or conclusions presented in the paper. The authors sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Inactivation of pathogens by visible light photocatalysis with nitrogen-doped TiO2 and tourmaline-nitrogen co-doped TiO2” [Sep. Purif. Technol. 274 (2021) 118979]","authors":"Jing-Hua Tzeng, Chih-Huang Weng, Li-Ting Yen, Gulomjon Gaybullaev, Che-Jui Chang, Mark Daniel G. de Luna, Yao-Tung Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2025.132822","url":null,"abstract":"The authors regret that Figure 4 of their published article (Separation and Purification Technology, 274 (2021) 118979) contained unintended images in a-2 and a-3 due to an oversight during figure preparation. The corrected version of Figure 4, with accurate images for a-2 and a-3, is provided below. This correction does not affect the interpretation of results or conclusions presented in the paper. The authors sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.<span><figure><span><img alt=\"\" height=\"318\" src=\"https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S1383586625014194-fx1.jpg\"/><ol><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download high-res image (334KB)</span></span></span></li><li><span><span>Download: <span>Download full-size image</span></span></span></li></ol></span></figure></span>","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143806390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}