Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137127
Ming Zhang, Jiacheng Li, Lijun Wu, Tian Liang, Jian Liu, Lu Wang
Acetamiprid (ACE) can accumulate in the environment through the food chain, potentially endanger human health. In this experiment, zinc‑cobalt bimetallic metal organic framework (Zn/Co MOF) was synthesized and used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the removal of ACE from water. The degradation efficiency of ACE could achieve approximately 96.93% after 90 min. Through the synergistic effect of Zn and Co bimetallic sites, ACE was degraded via a Fenton-like reaction, while reactive oxygen species (SO4·-, ·OH, O2·-, and 1O2) participated in the process. The high catalytic activity of Zn/Co MOF led to the degradation of ACE through the formation of a series of low-toxicity intermediates, and partial mineralization to CO2 and H2O. In addition, Zn/Co MOF remained effective under broad pH conditions (pH 5–11) and temperatures (5–45 °C). This system had excellent degradation effects in actual water, with degradation rates of 95.42% and 95.18% after 90 min in the Pai River and Liren Lake, respectively. With its high catalytic performance, the Zn/Co MOF is expected to become an ideal catalyst that could be used to remove pesticide residues in water.
{"title":"One-step hydrothermal synthesis of Zn/Co MOF for efficiently activating PMS to degrade organic pollutants in water: The reaction kinetics and mechanism","authors":"Ming Zhang, Jiacheng Li, Lijun Wu, Tian Liang, Jian Liu, Lu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137127","url":null,"abstract":"Acetamiprid (ACE) can accumulate in the environment through the food chain, potentially endanger human health. In this experiment, zinc‑cobalt bimetallic metal organic framework (Zn/Co MOF) was synthesized and used to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the removal of ACE from water. The degradation efficiency of ACE could achieve approximately 96.93% after 90 min. Through the synergistic effect of Zn and Co bimetallic sites, ACE was degraded via a Fenton-like reaction, while reactive oxygen species (SO<sub>4</sub><sup>·-</sup>, ·OH, O<sub>2</sub><sup>·-</sup>, and <sup>1</sup>O<sub>2</sub>) participated in the process. The high catalytic activity of Zn/Co MOF led to the degradation of ACE through the formation of a series of low-toxicity intermediates, and partial mineralization to CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O. In addition, Zn/Co MOF remained effective under broad pH conditions (pH 5–11) and temperatures (5–45 °C). This system had excellent degradation effects in actual water, with degradation rates of 95.42% and 95.18% after 90 min in the Pai River and Liren Lake, respectively. With its high catalytic performance, the Zn/Co MOF is expected to become an ideal catalyst that could be used to remove pesticide residues in water.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"83 1","pages":"137127"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135564","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 : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137138
Roberta Y.N. Reis, Alberto Rodríguez-Gómez, Caio V.S. Almeida, Lucia H. Mascaro, Manuel A. Rodrigo
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas commonly found in industrial emissions, posing serious environmental and operational risks. This work proposes an innovative photoelectrocatalytic strategy for the simultaneous degradation of gaseous H2S and the generation of green hydrogen (H2) under flux conditions. The system integrates gas-liquid absorption with electrochemical and photoelectrochemical oxidation, employing a WO3 photoanode and a stainless steel cathode separated by a proton exchange membrane. The performance of the electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic configurations was systematically evaluated regarding H2S removal efficiency, hydrogen production, and energy consumption. The photoelectrocatalytic process exhibited superior activity, achieving a degradation of 8.2 mg S with a Coulombic efficiency of 3600 mg S Ah−1 for H2S oxidation and a Faradaic efficiency of 60% for H2 evolution at an applied current density of 0.33 mA cm−2. Illumination with a 10 W high-power blue LED significantly increased charge separation and reduced the cell potential, resulting in higher energy efficiency. Post-reaction characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated partial sulfur deposition on the WO3 surface and the presence of oxidized sulfur species. Overall, the results demonstrate that photoelectrocatalysis under optimized conditions offers an efficient and sustainable route for simultaneous H2S reduction and hydrogen generation, providing a promising dual-purpose platform for environmental remediation and renewable energy production.
硫化氢（H2S）是一种剧毒腐蚀性气体，常见于工业排放中，具有严重的环境和操作风险。这项工作提出了一种创新的光电催化策略，用于在通量条件下同时降解气态H2S和生成绿色氢（H2）。该系统将气液吸收与电化学和光电化学氧化相结合，采用WO3光阳极和由质子交换膜分离的不锈钢阴极。系统地评估了电催化和光催化构型对H2S的去除效率、产氢量和能耗。光电催化过程表现出优异的活性，在0.33 mA cm−2的电流密度下，H2S氧化的库仑效率为3600 mg S Ah−1，降解8.2 mg S，氢气析出的法拉第效率为60%。10 W高功率蓝色LED的照明显著增加了电荷分离，降低了电池电位，从而提高了能源效率。反应后的x射线光电子能谱（XPS）表征表明，WO3表面有部分硫沉积，并且存在氧化硫。综上所述，优化条件下的光电催化为同时还原H2S和制氢提供了一条高效、可持续的途径，为环境修复和可再生能源生产提供了一个有前景的双用途平台。
{"title":"Enhancing hydrogen sulfide removal through photoelectrochemistry with WO3 photoanodes under blue LED irradiation","authors":"Roberta Y.N. Reis, Alberto Rodríguez-Gómez, Caio V.S. Almeida, Lucia H. Mascaro, Manuel A. Rodrigo","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137138","url":null,"abstract":"Hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas commonly found in industrial emissions, posing serious environmental and operational risks. This work proposes an innovative photoelectrocatalytic strategy for the simultaneous degradation of gaseous H<sub>2</sub>S and the generation of green hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) under flux conditions. The system integrates gas-liquid absorption with electrochemical and photoelectrochemical oxidation, employing a WO<sub>3</sub> photoanode and a stainless steel cathode separated by a proton exchange membrane. The performance of the electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic configurations was systematically evaluated regarding H<sub>2</sub>S removal efficiency, hydrogen production, and energy consumption. The photoelectrocatalytic process exhibited superior activity, achieving a degradation of 8.2 mg S with a Coulombic efficiency of 3600 mg S Ah<sup>−1</sup> for H<sub>2</sub>S oxidation and a Faradaic efficiency of 60% for H<sub>2</sub> evolution at an applied current density of 0.33 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>. Illumination with a 10 W high-power blue LED significantly increased charge separation and reduced the cell potential, resulting in higher energy efficiency. Post-reaction characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated partial sulfur deposition on the WO<sub>3</sub> surface and the presence of oxidized sulfur species. Overall, the results demonstrate that photoelectrocatalysis under optimized conditions offers an efficient and sustainable route for simultaneous H<sub>2</sub>S reduction and hydrogen generation, providing a promising dual-purpose platform for environmental remediation and renewable energy production.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101344","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 : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137136
Cheng Tang, Jie Hu, Tingting Yue, Xiufeng Hu, Wei Yu, Hui Lei
Seawater desalination is a crucial approach to addressing global freshwater scarcity, especially in coastal and arid regions. Pervaporation (PV) offers high salt rejection and strong fouling resistance, but conventional PV membranes often suffer from limited permeate flow rates and temperature polarization. In this study, solar energy was integrated with PV by incorporating graphene oxide (GO) as a photothermal material to directly heat the membrane surface, thereby reducing energy consumption and enhancing permeation flux. The composite membrane comprises an electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support layer, a GO-based intermediate layer crosslinked with polyethyleneimine (PEI), and a sodium alginate (SA) selective top layer. The GO interlayer converts the solar energy into localized heat and enhances surface wettability, facilitating the development of a uniform and ultrathin SA separation layer, while concurrently enhancing the structural stability of the membrane. By optimizing GO loading and SA thickness, the membrane structure was tailored to increase permeate flux and maintain high salt rejection. The optimized SA(10)/PEI-GO(250)/PAN membrane delivered a stable water flux averaging 2.9–3.0 kg/m2·h, while maintaining a salt removal efficiency above 99.9%. Extended operational trials validated the long-term reliability of the system. These findings highlight the feasibility of solar-driven PV (SPV) composites as a low-energy and eco-friendly approach to saline water treatment.
{"title":"Harnessing Photothermal graphene oxide interlayers for high-flux solar-driven pervaporation desalination","authors":"Cheng Tang, Jie Hu, Tingting Yue, Xiufeng Hu, Wei Yu, Hui Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137136","url":null,"abstract":"Seawater desalination is a crucial approach to addressing global freshwater scarcity, especially in coastal and arid regions. Pervaporation (PV) offers high salt rejection and strong fouling resistance, but conventional PV membranes often suffer from limited permeate flow rates and temperature polarization. In this study, solar energy was integrated with PV by incorporating graphene oxide (GO) as a photothermal material to directly heat the membrane surface, thereby reducing energy consumption and enhancing permeation flux. The composite membrane comprises an electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support layer, a GO-based intermediate layer crosslinked with polyethyleneimine (PEI), and a sodium alginate (SA) selective top layer. The GO interlayer converts the solar energy into localized heat and enhances surface wettability, facilitating the development of a uniform and ultrathin SA separation layer, while concurrently enhancing the structural stability of the membrane. By optimizing GO loading and SA thickness, the membrane structure was tailored to increase permeate flux and maintain high salt rejection. The optimized SA(10)/PEI-GO(250)/PAN membrane delivered a stable water flux averaging 2.9–3.0 kg/m<sup>2</sup>·h, while maintaining a salt removal efficiency above 99.9%. Extended operational trials validated the long-term reliability of the system. These findings highlight the feasibility of solar-driven PV (SPV) composites as a low-energy and eco-friendly approach to saline water treatment.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"1 1","pages":"137136"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135567","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 : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137123
Chongjia Fang, Haixin Guo, Xinhua Qi
Solar-driven interfacial steam generation (ISSG) has emerged as an attractive option for decentralized desalination, as it localizes heat at the air-water interface, achieving high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies. Biomass-derived hydrogels are an intrinsically sustainable material. The combination of its rich functional groups, hierarchical porous structure, and water-polymer interactions leads to the formation of an extended three-dimensional evaporation interface, thereby enabling rapid capillary transport and active salt management. The present paper reviews the structure, properties, and performance of biomass hydrogel evaporators, establishing a framework that combines cross-linking chemistry (including physical cross-linking, covalent cross-linking, and dynamic covalent cross-linking) and network structures (including bi-networks, interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs), and semi-IPNs) with the integration of device-level structures, such as bifacial, gradient, bionic, and micro-channel systems, as well as multilayer systems. This framework can be used to rationally target evaporation rate, energy efficiency, hypersaline tolerance and durability. We summarize how intrinsic functionalities, external functionalization (e.g. carboxylation, sulfonation and quaternization) and the careful addition of photothermal, ion-regulating and reinforcing fillers work together to increase spectral absorption, control ion transport via charge/porosity gradients and stabilize long-term operation. In addition to materials design, we identify the following bottlenecks: non-standardized testing, thermal accounting, and mechanical and chemical stability under extreme salinity and temperature. Based on these findings, we propose the following priorities: green, scalable fabrication; ‘strong’ dynamic bonds for adaptive resilience; and integrated modules that pair desalination with antibiofouling or photocatalytic polishing toward zero-liquid-discharge water management. This framework presents a feasible roadmap for developing robust, field-ready hydrogel evaporators by integrating sustainable chemistry with performance-guided architecture.
{"title":"Biomass-derived hydrogel evaporators for interfacial solar steam generation: crosslinking chemistry, hierarchical network architecture, and device-level strategies for salt-tolerant desalination","authors":"Chongjia Fang, Haixin Guo, Xinhua Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137123","url":null,"abstract":"Solar-driven interfacial steam generation (ISSG) has emerged as an attractive option for decentralized desalination, as it localizes heat at the air-water interface, achieving high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiencies. Biomass-derived hydrogels are an intrinsically sustainable material. The combination of its rich functional groups, hierarchical porous structure, and water-polymer interactions leads to the formation of an extended three-dimensional evaporation interface, thereby enabling rapid capillary transport and active salt management. The present paper reviews the structure, properties, and performance of biomass hydrogel evaporators, establishing a framework that combines cross-linking chemistry (including physical cross-linking, covalent cross-linking, and dynamic covalent cross-linking) and network structures (including bi-networks, interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs), and semi-IPNs) with the integration of device-level structures, such as bifacial, gradient, bionic, and micro-channel systems, as well as multilayer systems. This framework can be used to rationally target evaporation rate, energy efficiency, hypersaline tolerance and durability. We summarize how intrinsic functionalities, external functionalization (e.g. carboxylation, sulfonation and quaternization) and the careful addition of photothermal, ion-regulating and reinforcing fillers work together to increase spectral absorption, control ion transport via charge/porosity gradients and stabilize long-term operation. In addition to materials design, we identify the following bottlenecks: non-standardized testing, thermal accounting, and mechanical and chemical stability under extreme salinity and temperature. Based on these findings, we propose the following priorities: green, scalable fabrication; ‘strong’ dynamic bonds for adaptive resilience; and integrated modules that pair desalination with antibiofouling or photocatalytic polishing toward zero-liquid-discharge water management. This framework presents a feasible roadmap for developing robust, field-ready hydrogel evaporators by integrating sustainable chemistry with performance-guided architecture.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"23 1","pages":"137123"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115976","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 : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137132
Kamatchi Rubini, Triveni Rajashekhar Mandlimath
This study mainly focuses on the development of magnetic vanadium oxide (IVO) reinforced by sodium alginate (Alg) to form hydrogel beads. The as-prepared hydrogel beads were characterized before and after the adsorption of tetracycline (TC) by several spectro-analytical techniques, including powder XRD, FE-SEM, TGA, and XPS. The maximum adsorption densities of 3.254 mmol/g on IVO@Alg hydrogel beads were calculated by a non-linear Langmuir adsorption isotherm. This value is one of the record-high adsorption densities among the materials reported in the literature. The chemical interaction between the adsorbent and adsorbate was confirmed by the kinetic models. The IVO@Alg hydrogel beads were independent of the pH conditions, and they could be used in the extensive pH range from 3 to 12 and were highly selective in the coexistence of binary organic solutions. After seven repeated cycle studies, the studied material showed excellent stability, confirmed by PXRD and FE-SEM analysis. The XPS analysis of TC adsorbed on IVO@Alg hydrogel beads revealed the presence of N-is the indication of successful adsorption of TC onto the IVO@Alg hydrogel beads. The material was also tested with the waters collected from the fields and found that the material is highly selective and suitable for practical applications. This adsorbent stands out as the optimal choice for eliminating TC with high stability from water, due to its remarkable adsorption capacity and simplicity of separation, attributed to its distinctive characteristics.
{"title":"Sodium alginate sustained magnetic vanadate hydr(oxide) hydrogel beads for robust, selective, and record-high uptake of tetracycline from waters","authors":"Kamatchi Rubini, Triveni Rajashekhar Mandlimath","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137132","url":null,"abstract":"This study mainly focuses on the development of magnetic vanadium oxide (IVO) reinforced by sodium alginate (Alg) to form hydrogel beads. The as-prepared hydrogel beads were characterized before and after the adsorption of tetracycline (TC) by several spectro-analytical techniques, including powder XRD, FE-SEM, TGA, and XPS. The maximum adsorption densities of 3.254 mmol/g on IVO@Alg hydrogel beads were calculated by a non-linear Langmuir adsorption isotherm. This value is one of the record-high adsorption densities among the materials reported in the literature. The chemical interaction between the adsorbent and adsorbate was confirmed by the kinetic models. The IVO@Alg hydrogel beads were independent of the pH conditions, and they could be used in the extensive pH range from 3 to 12 and were highly selective in the coexistence of binary organic solutions. After seven repeated cycle studies, the studied material showed excellent stability, confirmed by PXRD and FE-SEM analysis. The XPS analysis of TC adsorbed on IVO@Alg hydrogel beads revealed the presence of N-is the indication of successful adsorption of TC onto the IVO@Alg hydrogel beads. The material was also tested with the waters collected from the fields and found that the material is highly selective and suitable for practical applications. This adsorbent stands out as the optimal choice for eliminating TC with high stability from water, due to its remarkable adsorption capacity and simplicity of separation, attributed to its distinctive characteristics.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"44 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101345","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 : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137042
Juqing Lou, Jinhao Zhu, Mengru Han, Dong Che, Qi Su, Zihang Zhu, Jingxuan chen
To address sludge retention time (SRT) conflicts in traditional nitrogen/phosphorus removal, and low C/N ratio in wastewater, an iron‑carbon micro-electrolysis (IC-ME) coupled oxygen-limited sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) was developed. Using the synergistic growth of immobilized biofilm and suspended sludge, dual-SRT microorganisms were enriched, forming a nitrifiers-denitrifiers‑phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) synergistic metabolic system. Results showed that under low C/N (2.5:1), dissolved oxygen (DO) = 1.6 ± 0.3 mg/L, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies stably exceeded 94.5% and 89%, respectively. IC-ME enhanced phosphorus removal via precipitates. The anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) were promoted while nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were inhibited. A spatial zoning of “outer nitrification-inner denitrification/anammox” with significantly increased abundance of iron-metabolizing genus Spirochaeta and Ignavibacterium was built. DO gradient and iron‑carbon microenvironment synergy drove functional bacteria dynamics, forming an efficient network. The results provide an innovative chemical-biological solution for simultaneous nitrogen/phosphorus removal in low-C/N municipal wastewater.
{"title":"Integrated oxygen-limited sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) process coupled with iron‑carbon micro-electrolysis: Simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance and mechanism","authors":"Juqing Lou, Jinhao Zhu, Mengru Han, Dong Che, Qi Su, Zihang Zhu, Jingxuan chen","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137042","url":null,"abstract":"To address sludge retention time (SRT) conflicts in traditional nitrogen/phosphorus removal, and low C/N ratio in wastewater, an iron‑carbon micro-electrolysis (IC-ME) coupled oxygen-limited sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) was developed. Using the synergistic growth of immobilized biofilm and suspended sludge, dual-SRT microorganisms were enriched, forming a nitrifiers-denitrifiers‑phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) synergistic metabolic system. Results showed that under low C/N (2.5:1), dissolved oxygen (DO) = 1.6 ± 0.3 mg/L, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies stably exceeded 94.5% and 89%, respectively. IC-ME enhanced phosphorus removal via precipitates. The anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) were promoted while nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were inhibited. A spatial zoning of “outer nitrification-inner denitrification/anammox” with significantly increased abundance of iron-metabolizing genus <em>Spirochaeta</em> and <em>Ignavibacterium</em> was built. DO gradient and iron‑carbon microenvironment synergy drove functional bacteria dynamics, forming an efficient network. The results provide an innovative chemical-biological solution for simultaneous nitrogen/phosphorus removal in low-C/N municipal wastewater.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"184 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101346","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 : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137105
Smrutiranjan Nayak, Wei-Kai Hung, T.M. Subrahmanya, Shalligito Habetamu Abebe, R.D. Hope T. Cayron, Hannah Faye M. Austria, Wei-Song Hung, Chien-Chieh Hu, Kueir-Rarn Lee, Juin-Yih Lai
The growing demand for sustainable chemical and pharmaceutical processes has increased the need for efficient organic solvent recovery and solute separation to minimize solvent waste and environmental impact. Graphene oxide (GO)-based lamellar membranes are promising candidates for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) due to their subatomic thickness, tunable nanochannels, and excellent molecular sieving capability. Nevertheless, pure GO membranes typically exhibit limited flux, excessive swelling, and structural instability in aggressive solvents. To overcome these limitations, this study developed a novel GP2Fe100 nanocomposite membrane through pressure driven self-assembly of pyromellitic acid (PMA)-coordinated Fe3O4 nanoparticles intercalated within GO lamellae. The synergistic coordination of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with PMA precisely tuned the d-spacing while suppressing hydration-induced swelling, imparting exceptional chemical and mechanical robustness. Under dead-end operation, the GP2Fe100 membrane exhibited good solvent flux together with dye removal efficiency above 97% for Congo red (CR) and Methyl blue (MB) in both aqueous and organic media. It also achieved high CR removal (≥ 94.30%) from harsh solvents like N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and N, N-dimethylpyrrolidone (NMP), and efficient separation of the pharmaceutical oxytetracycline dihydrate (OTC) from water and DMF. Long-term filtration (72 h) confirmed stable flux and consistent OTC (in water) and CR (in ethanol) rejection. In cross-flow mode, the membrane maintained CR and MB rejection above 98.80% with enhanced water flux and consistent OTC rejection of 97.16% across four conjugative cycles. Outstanding Pressure resistance both in dead end and cross flow filtration, and antifouling performance (flux recovery >96%) further highlights its durability. Overall, GP2Fe100 membrane provides a highly effective platform for OSN-based solvent recovery and pharmaceutical/dye removal.
{"title":"Pyromellitic acid-coordinated Fe3O4 nanoparticles-mediated GO lamellar membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration and wastewater treatment","authors":"Smrutiranjan Nayak, Wei-Kai Hung, T.M. Subrahmanya, Shalligito Habetamu Abebe, R.D. Hope T. Cayron, Hannah Faye M. Austria, Wei-Song Hung, Chien-Chieh Hu, Kueir-Rarn Lee, Juin-Yih Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137105","url":null,"abstract":"The growing demand for sustainable chemical and pharmaceutical processes has increased the need for efficient organic solvent recovery and solute separation to minimize solvent waste and environmental impact. Graphene oxide (GO)-based lamellar membranes are promising candidates for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) due to their subatomic thickness, tunable nanochannels, and excellent molecular sieving capability. Nevertheless, pure GO membranes typically exhibit limited flux, excessive swelling, and structural instability in aggressive solvents. To overcome these limitations, this study developed a novel GP<sub>2</sub>Fe<sub>100</sub> nanocomposite membrane through pressure driven self-assembly of pyromellitic acid (PMA)-coordinated Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles intercalated within GO lamellae. The synergistic coordination of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles with PMA precisely tuned the d-spacing while suppressing hydration-induced swelling, imparting exceptional chemical and mechanical robustness. Under dead-end operation, the GP<sub>2</sub>Fe<sub>100</sub> membrane exhibited good solvent flux together with dye removal efficiency above 97% for Congo red (CR) and Methyl blue (MB) in both aqueous and organic media. It also achieved high CR removal (≥ 94.30%) from harsh solvents like <em>N</em>, <em>N</em>-dimethylformamide (DMF) and <em>N</em>, <em>N</em>-dimethylpyrrolidone (NMP), and efficient separation of the pharmaceutical oxytetracycline dihydrate (OTC) from water and DMF. Long-term filtration (72 h) confirmed stable flux and consistent OTC (in water) and CR (in ethanol) rejection. In cross-flow mode, the membrane maintained CR and MB rejection above 98.80% with enhanced water flux and consistent OTC rejection of 97.16% across four conjugative cycles. Outstanding Pressure resistance both in dead end and cross flow filtration, and antifouling performance (flux recovery >96%) further highlights its durability. Overall, GP<sub>2</sub>Fe<sub>100</sub> membrane provides a highly effective platform for OSN-based solvent recovery and pharmaceutical/dye removal.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"12 1","pages":"137105"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115868","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 : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137122
Pandi Kalimuthu, Gopi Kalaiyarasan, Jinho Jung, Diwakar Tiwari
Polyethylene terephthalate-derived carbon dots (PET-CDs) were interfaced with Fe2O3 to develop a visible-light PET-CDs/Fe2O3 photocatalyst for tetracycline (TC) removal. Waste PET bottles were upcycled via a peroxide-free route, enabling oxidant-free operation. The photocatalyst forms a defect-rich, mesoporous carbon-dot network with uniformly dispersed Fe2O3 nanoparticles, enhancing adsorption and interfacial charge transport. This study demonstrates efficient TC removal at a relatively high initial concentration (C₀ = 100 mg L−1) under visible light (λ > 420 nm) without added oxidants. The optimized PET-CDs/Fe2O3 (0.4) reaches 98.2% TC removal. Kinetics follow a pseudo-first-order model, and blank tests confirm negligible photolysis and dark adsorption. The TOC and LC-MS results show rapid degradation followed by slower oxidation. Mineralization is substantial, with TOC decreasing from 100 to 34 mg L−1 at 4 h and reaching 89.6% removal at 10 h. The PET-CDs/Fe2O3 photocatalyst operates across pH 3–11. Phosphate reduces activity by competitive site blocking. At least 80% efficiency is retained over repeated cycles. Convergent evidence supports an S-scheme pathway rather than a type-II junction. DRS-Tauc analysis and band alignment indicate favorable energetic offsets and interfacial band bending. Steady-state PL shows selective quenching of PET-CDs emission with enhanced red Fe2O3 or interfacial emission. Transient photocurrent and EIS Nyquist plots reveal enhanced charge separation and reduced charge-transfer resistance. Scavenger tests and ESR identify h+ and •O2− as dominant species, with •OH secondary. LC-MS tracking shows early functional-group loss products at m/z 417 and 402, followed by lower-mass fragments (m/z 301–231 and 189–72), confirming stepwise oxidation toward mineralization.
{"title":"Upcycled PET carbon dots build an S-scheme Fe2O3 heterojunction photocatalyst for visible-light degradation of tetracycline","authors":"Pandi Kalimuthu, Gopi Kalaiyarasan, Jinho Jung, Diwakar Tiwari","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137122","url":null,"abstract":"Polyethylene terephthalate-derived carbon dots (PET-CDs) were interfaced with Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> to develop a visible-light PET-CDs/Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> photocatalyst for tetracycline (TC) removal. Waste PET bottles were upcycled via a peroxide-free route, enabling oxidant-free operation. The photocatalyst forms a defect-rich, mesoporous carbon-dot network with uniformly dispersed Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles, enhancing adsorption and interfacial charge transport. This study demonstrates efficient TC removal at a relatively high initial concentration (<em>C₀</em> = 100 mg L<sup>−1</sup>) under visible light (λ > 420 nm) without added oxidants. The optimized PET-CDs/Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (0.4) reaches 98.2% TC removal. Kinetics follow a pseudo-first-order model, and blank tests confirm negligible photolysis and dark adsorption. The TOC and LC-MS results show rapid degradation followed by slower oxidation. Mineralization is substantial, with TOC decreasing from 100 to 34 mg L<sup>−1</sup> at 4 h and reaching 89.6% removal at 10 h. The PET-CDs/Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> photocatalyst operates across pH 3–11. Phosphate reduces activity by competitive site blocking. At least 80% efficiency is retained over repeated cycles. Convergent evidence supports an S-scheme pathway rather than a type-II junction. DRS-Tauc analysis and band alignment indicate favorable energetic offsets and interfacial band bending. Steady-state PL shows selective quenching of PET-CDs emission with enhanced red Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> or interfacial emission. Transient photocurrent and EIS Nyquist plots reveal enhanced charge separation and reduced charge-transfer resistance. Scavenger tests and ESR identify h<sup>+</sup> and •O<sub>2</sub><sup>−</sup> as dominant species, with •OH secondary. LC-MS tracking shows early functional-group loss products at <em>m</em>/<em>z</em> 417 and 402, followed by lower-mass fragments (m/z 301–231 and 189–72), confirming stepwise oxidation toward mineralization.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101347","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}
The reduction of fluoride concentration in wastewater to ultra-low levels remains a significant challenge, as conventional aluminum-based coagulation suffers from low efficiency at trace levels and high chemical consumption. Herein, a novel magnetic adsorption-coagulation (MAC) process was developed in this study to address this limitation by integrating a lanthanum carbonate/Fe3O4 composite (LC-Fe3O4) as a magnetic seed with polyaluminum chloride (PAC). Sole LC-Fe3O4 adsorbent exhibited a high fluoride adsorption capacity of 215.3 mg F/g (pH 7, 298 K, 0.1 g/L, 24 h), fitting well with Langmuir and Freundlich models and following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It maintained robust performance across a wide pH range (5.0–9.0) and exhibiting strong selectivity toward fluoride even in the presence of competing HCO3−, CO32−, SO42−, and NO3− anions, whereas PO43− significantly interfered. This study revealed that the mechanisms of fluoride removal during LC-Fe3O4 adsorption process mainly included ligand exchange, electrostatic attraction, and inner-sphere complexation with La3+ sites. When applied for treating real secondary effluent, this novel MAC process achieved simultaneous and efficient removal of both fluoride and turbidity. Under optimized conditions, fluoride and turbidity removal efficiencies reached 69.12% and 95.2%, respectively, significantly outperforming sole coagulation. This enhancement might be attributed to the synergistic effects of adsorption on the magnetic seeds and the formation of denser and separable flocs. Furthermore, the LC-Fe3O4 seed showed excellent regenerability and reusability over multiple cycles, underscoring the practical potential of the MAC strategy for advanced wastewater treatment.
{"title":"A novel magnetic adsorption–coagulation system using lanthanum carbonate/Fe3O4 composite adsorbent for simultaneous efficient removal of turbidity and fluoride","authors":"Shan Wang, Xinyan Zhang, Changlong Yan, Yao Zhang, Kefeng Zhang, Baoyou Shi, Jinhu Liu, Haotian Hao, Xin Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137125","url":null,"abstract":"The reduction of fluoride concentration in wastewater to ultra-low levels remains a significant challenge, as conventional aluminum-based coagulation suffers from low efficiency at trace levels and high chemical consumption. Herein, a novel magnetic adsorption-coagulation (MAC) process was developed in this study to address this limitation by integrating a lanthanum carbonate/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> composite (LC-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) as a magnetic seed with polyaluminum chloride (PAC). Sole LC-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> adsorbent exhibited a high fluoride adsorption capacity of 215.3 mg F/g (pH 7, 298 K, 0.1 g/L, 24 h), fitting well with Langmuir and Freundlich models and following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It maintained robust performance across a wide pH range (5.0–9.0) and exhibiting strong selectivity toward fluoride even in the presence of competing HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2−</sup>, SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>, and NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> anions, whereas PO<sub>4</sub><sup>3−</sup> significantly interfered. This study revealed that the mechanisms of fluoride removal during LC-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> adsorption process mainly included ligand exchange, electrostatic attraction, and inner-sphere complexation with La<sup>3+</sup> sites. When applied for treating real secondary effluent, this novel MAC process achieved simultaneous and efficient removal of both fluoride and turbidity. Under optimized conditions, fluoride and turbidity removal efficiencies reached 69.12% and 95.2%, respectively, significantly outperforming sole coagulation. This enhancement might be attributed to the synergistic effects of adsorption on the magnetic seeds and the formation of denser and separable flocs. Furthermore, the LC-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> seed showed excellent regenerability and reusability over multiple cycles, underscoring the practical potential of the MAC strategy for advanced wastewater treatment.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"58 1","pages":"137125"},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115867","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 : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137080
Qiang Zheng, Qiong Sun, Fuxin Yang, Houzhang Tan, Xiaopo Wang
To address the limitations of traditional amine absorbents for CO2 capture, this work prepared deep eutectic solvents (DESs) using 2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrimidine (DBN) as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), and diaminoethane (DETA)/3-aminopropanol (AP) as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs). The CO2 absorption-desorption performance was investigated under varied molar ratios, temperatures, and water contents. Key physicochemical properties (thermal stability, density, viscosity) were characterized, and the absorption mechanism was elucidated via experimental techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These 2 types of DESs achieve maximum saturated absorption capacities of 0.234 and 0.199 g CO2/g DES at 313.15 K, respectively. They have distinct reaction pathways (carbamate for DBN-DETA based DESs and carbonate/bicarbonate for DBN-AP based DESs). Their regeneration energy consumption was 2.3437 and 1.9130 GJ/t CO2, much lower than that of the traditional aqueous amines, demonstrating promising potential as efficient, low-energy CO2 capture absorbents.
为了解决传统胺类吸收剂捕集CO2的局限性，本研究以2,3,4,6,7,8-六氢吡罗[1,2-a]嘧啶（DBN）为氢键受体（HBA），二氨基乙烷(DETA)/3-氨基丙醇（AP）为氢键供体（HBDs）制备了深度共晶溶剂（DESs）。考察了不同摩尔比、温度和含水量对CO2吸附解吸性能的影响。通过实验技术和密度泛函理论（DFT）计算，表征了其主要的物理化学性质（热稳定性、密度、粘度），并阐明了其吸附机理。在313.15 K下，这两种DES的最大饱和吸收容量分别为0.234和0.199 g CO2/g DES。它们具有不同的反应途径（氨基甲酸酯为DBN-DETA基DESs，碳酸盐/碳酸氢盐为DBN-AP基DESs）。其再生能耗分别为2.3437 GJ/t CO2和1.9130 GJ/t CO2，远低于传统水胺的再生能耗，作为高效、低能耗的CO2捕集吸收剂具有广阔的应用前景。
{"title":"Superbase based deep eutectic solvents for high-efficiency carbon capture and characterization-derived insights","authors":"Qiang Zheng, Qiong Sun, Fuxin Yang, Houzhang Tan, Xiaopo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137080","url":null,"abstract":"To address the limitations of traditional amine absorbents for CO<sub>2</sub> capture, this work prepared deep eutectic solvents (DESs) using 2,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydropyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrimidine (DBN) as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), and diaminoethane (DETA)/3-aminopropanol (AP) as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs). The CO<sub>2</sub> absorption-desorption performance was investigated under varied molar ratios, temperatures, and water contents. Key physicochemical properties (thermal stability, density, viscosity) were characterized, and the absorption mechanism was elucidated via experimental techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These 2 types of DESs achieve maximum saturated absorption capacities of 0.234 and 0.199 g CO<sub>2</sub>/g DES at 313.15 K, respectively. They have distinct reaction pathways (carbamate for DBN-DETA based DESs and carbonate/bicarbonate for DBN-AP based DESs). Their regeneration energy consumption was 2.3437 and 1.9130 GJ/t CO<sub>2</sub>, much lower than that of the traditional aqueous amines, demonstrating promising potential as efficient, low-energy CO<sub>2</sub> capture absorbents.","PeriodicalId":427,"journal":{"name":"Separation and Purification Technology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146101353","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}
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