Evaluation of omphacite and iron-coated omphacite as a water filtration medium

In this study, omphacite media were modified by roasting at high temperature. The optimal preparation conditions were as follows: the pH value was 1, concentration of FeCl3 was 2 mol/L, roasting temperature was 450 °C and roasting time was 2 h. The specific surface area, scanning electron microscopy, and EDS analysis were used to compare the unmodified and modified omphacite, and a dynamic filtration experiment was performed to treat the slightly polluted water. The analysis of characterization results revealed that, the surface structure of the modified omphacite filter media has changed greatly. Its surface is rough and potholes have increased, and the specific surface area and adsorption capacity are significantly increased. Results of the dynamic filtration experiment revealed that the average removal efficiencies of organic matter, TOC, and turbidity by quartz sand were 21.17%, 2.2%, and 94.5%. The average removal efficiencies of organic matter, TOC, and turbidity by unmodified omphacite were 23.46%, 26.7%, and 95.2%. The average removal efficiencies of organic matter, TOC, and turbidity by modified omphacite were 50.35%, 45.5%, and 96.3%. On the whole, the filtration performance of the modified omphacite filter column is the best among three filter columns, and the recovery of the backwashing performance is also better. HIGHLIGHT At present, no application of omphacite in sewage has been found.The development of omphacite filtration technology can not only provide new market hot spots for minerals in the East China Sea area, but also have a very positive value for improving water treatment technology and enhancing water treatment efficiency.It is the intersection of mineral processing and environmental science.

Filtration characteristics of garnet media before and after modification

High-temperature calcination was used to modify garnet media. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential analysis, and a static adsorption experiment on humic acid removal were carried out to compare unmodified garnet and traditional quartz sand. Fitting adsorption isotherm of the media before and after modification was conducted to determine the adsorption type, and a dynamic filtration experiment was performed to treat micro-polluted water. Results of the characterization analysis and the static adsorption experiment revealed that, compared with the smooth surface of unmodified garnet, the surface of modified garnet media was covered with Fe2O3, which showed a rough concave-convex structure with a specific area that was 2.44 times larger than that of unmodified garnet. The removal efficiency of organic matter after modification increased from 2.5–4.5% to 51.7–63.1%, and the adsorption capacity increased 11–24 times. The adsorption type of the modified garnet media belongs to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption mode, while that of the original media belongs to the Freundlich adsorption mode. Results of the dynamic filtration experiment revealed that the effect of modified garnet media on turbidity, CODMn, and UV254 removal was better than that of unmodified garnet and traditional quartz sand.

Synthesis of cobalt doped mesoporous silica by using the rice husks as both silicon source and template with its catalytic oxidation of 2-methyl pyridine

Cobalt doped mesoporous silica (Co-SiO2) was prepared using the rice husks as both silicon source and template. Structural characterization of the catalysts was done by various techniques, such as Xray diffraction, FT-IR, N2 adsorption/desorption, and scanning electron microscopy. Co-SiO2 was used as a catalyst for the oxidation of 2-methyl pyridine and exhibited high substrate conversion (94.6%) and good product (2-pyridinecarboxylic acid) selectivity (92.4%). It even exhibited higher selectivity than Co-MTiO2, Co-MCM-41, Co-SBA-15. Fast hot catalyst filtration experiment proved that the catalyst acted as a heterogeneous one and it can be reused with almost the same activity.

Effect of Grain Size and Nutrient Feeding on the Treatment Potential of Biofilters for Treatment of De-Icing Chemicals

Biofilter application for treatment of stormwater containing de-icing chemicals commonly applied in airports, propylene glycol and potassium formate, was investigated. Lab-scale adsorption tests using filter media made of crushed clay (Filtralite) and granular activated carbon showed that adsorption was unsuitable for removal of propylene glycol and potassium formate. Column filtration experiment testing two different crushed clay size ranges was conducted. The results showed that DOC removal was dependent on a number of factors. This study investigated the impact of filter depth, nutrients addition, and filtration rate. DOC removal suggested that DOC degradation occurred on the top filter layer. It was shown that the most active separation occurred in the first ~20 cm of filter depth. This was confirmed by results from water quality analysis (i.e. DOC removal and ATP measurement) and calculations based on a filtration performance analysis (Iwasaki model) and filter hydraulic evaluation (Lindquist diagram). It was shown that for the highest C:N:P ratio tested (molar ratio of 24:7:1), 50-60% DOC removal was achieved. Addition of nutrients was found important and determining the biofilter performance.

Characterization of ultrafiltration of undiluted and diluted stored urine

Urine ultrafiltration (UF) was studied in terms of flux, permeability, resistance and fouling. Two types of samples were used: stored urine representing the feedstock obtained from urine diversion dry toilets; and diluted stored urine representing the feedstock obtained from urinals. Three different filtration experiment sets were adopted in this study. For the first case, pressure was set in an ascending order, i.e. from 10 to 60 kPa during filtration of stored urine. For the second case, pressure was set in a descending order, i.e. from 60 to 10 kPa for the same feed stream. The third case involved filtration of diluted urine with pressure in ascending order, i.e. from 10 to 60 kPa. The results indicated that diluted urine had higher flux than undiluted urine with maximum values of 43 and 26 L·m−2·h−1 respectively. Cake formation was the dominating fouling mechanism during urine filtration with a contribution of about 90% to the total hydraulic resistance. The contribution of chemically irreversible fouling was low (−2%), unless operating from high to low pressures. Indeed, irreversible fouling appeared to be greater during the experiments starting at higher pressure. Although undiluted urine had a higher fouling potential compared to diluted urine, the specific cake resistance was higher for diluted urine, probably due to a denser cake caused by lower particle sizes in that sample. The permeate obtained after urine filtration had much lower suspended solids content compared to the feedstock, with rejections up to 99%. The concentration of the ionic species remained unchanged, and 75% of the organic compounds and dissolved solids remained in the permeate. Urine UF could then be used as pre-treatment to remove suspended solids.