Article
Environmental Sciences
Quan Chen, Yongji Ma, Jihong Dong, Ying Kong, Min Wu
Summary: This study investigates the binding of dissolved black carbon (DBC) with phenanthrene (Phen) through fluorescence quenching experiments. It was found that low concentrations of DBC can complex with high amounts of Phen per unit mass, while no significant difference was observed in the amount of bound Phen per unit amount of DBC at higher concentrations. The dominant mechanisms involved in this binding process include hydrophobic interactions, 7C-7C electron donor-acceptor (EDA), and chemical partition.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weijian Xu, Xinyi Hu, Yutao Shen, Hao Yu, Yinghong Zhu, Yanning Tong, Chaofeng Shen, Xinhua Xu, Liping Lou
Summary: This study found that high-temperature BC promotes electron release and [H] generation, enhancing electron utilization efficiency and promoting the dechlorination reaction of PCB1 on both nZVI/Pd particles and BC surfaces.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xueqing Gao, Xiaomeng Liu, Shujiao Yang, Wei Zhang, Haiping Lin, Rui Cao
Summary: This study reports a biology-inspired hybrid electrocatalyst that mimics the functions in natural photosynthesis, demonstrating outstanding performance in the oxygen evolution reaction. The catalyst achieves efficient oxygen evolution by constructing specialized channels for proton and electron transfer.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Olaf Brummel, Leon Jacobse, Alexander Simanenko, Xin Deng, Simon Geile, Olof Gutowski, Vedran Vonk, Yaroslava Lykhach, Andreas Stierle, Jorg Libuda
Summary: New diagnostic approaches are needed in the field of electrocatalysis. A versatile experimental setup combining two complementary in-situ techniques has been developed for simultaneous chemical and structural analysis of planar electrodes. The setup has been tested with a model study and shows a high potential for application in energy conversion and storage.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Changyin Zhu, Chenyan Xue, Mingquan Huang, Fengxiao Zhu, Guodong Fang, Dixiang Wang, Shaochong Liu, Ning Chen, Song Wu, Dongmei Zhou
Summary: Activated carbon (AC) is commonly used for pollutant removal due to its adsorption capacity, conductivity, and catalytic performance. This study found that AC can effectively mediate the oxidation of As(III) and the process is pH and oxygen concentration dependent. At pH 3.0, reactive species (H2O2 and center dot OH) contribute to As(III) oxidation, while at pH 9.5, As(III) is directly oxidized by O-2 via electron transfer from As(III) to O-2 mediated by carbon matrix under aerobic conditions. Pre-oxidation and cyclic experiments show that AC's ability to oxidize As(III) at pH 9.5 is sustainable and recyclable. This study provides new insights into pollutant oxidation by AC in the environment.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shu-Lin Meng, Chen Ye, Xu-Bing Li, Chen-Ho Tung, Li-Zhu Wu
Summary: The Odyssey of photochemistry involves manipulating electrons and protons in time, space, and energy. While single-electron photochemical transformations have achieved remarkable success, achieving multielectron and proton reactions is exponentially challenging. Optimizing light harvesting, accelerating consecutive electron transfer, manipulating catalyst-substrate interactions, and coordinating proton transfer kinetics are necessary to achieve selective bond formations. Tandem catalysis enables coordination between different photochemical events and catalytic transformations, facilitating multielectron redox chemistries and consecutive, value-added reactivities. Collaborative efforts in molecular and material design, mechanistic understanding, and theoretical modeling will unlock opportunities for multielectron and proton transformations with enhanced versatility, efficiency, selectivity, and scalability, ultimately leading to a more sustainable society.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xuhui Wei, Jiazang Chen
Summary: Due to the high potential barrier, the interfacial electron transfer between the semiconductor and the co-catalyst in a photocatalytic reaction is significantly slowed, leading to lower photon utilization. Photogenerated oxidative intermediates in the reaction further deplete electrons from the co-catalyst, exacerbating the issue. However, immobilizing the photocatalyst can reduce the potential barrier and increase electron selectivity, resulting in efficient and constant photon utilization.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Siying Fu, Xuefeng Ma, Shujun Wang, Qingbing Zha, Wangrong Wen, Bo Hu
Summary: The detection performance of carbon black (CB) for bisphenol A (BPA) can be greatly improved by using a surfactant of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The hydrophobic long-chain alkyl end of CTAB enhances the enrichment ability of BPA, while CB acts as an electron transmission bridge to accelerate electron transfer and improve sensor signal.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Marius Ciobanu, Carmen-Simona Jordan
Summary: The study introduces a new class of functional derivatives combining chromophore, molecular recognition, and liquid crystal properties. Nucleobases have been shown to significantly influence properties such as electron transfer rate and thermochromic behavior. The materials have potential applications due to these unique properties.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wu Yang, Lin Liu, Jiandong Guo, Shou-Guo Wang, Jia-Yong Zhang, Li-Wen Fan, Yu Tian, Li-Lei Wang, Cheng Luan, Zhong-Liang Li, Chuan He, Xiaotai Wang, Qiang-Shuai Gu, Xin-Yuan Liu
Summary: In this study, a strategy for catalytic enantioselective hydroxylation of prochiral dihydrosilanes is described. The reaction provides Si-chiral silanols with high enantioselectivity and excellent functional group compatibility. Furthermore, the obtained products exhibit high structural diversity and can be further transformed using established synthetic schemes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chao Qu, Na Ren, Shu-jun Zhang, Yan-gang Li, Shu-juan Meng, Xiao-hu Li, Shan-quan Wang, Da-wei Liang, An-ran Li
Summary: This study investigates the abatement of Triclosan (TCS) using a novel electro-oxidation (EO) process, showing that the process effectively degrades TCS with less harmful residues. Liquid chromatography combined mass (LC-MS) was used to identify the main intermediates of TCS during the process.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jinhang An, Sining Yun, Wei Wang, Kaijun Wang, Teng Ke, Jiayu Liu, Lijianan Liu, Yangyang Gao, Xiaoxue Zhang
Summary: The use of black phosphorus and black phosphorus modified by hydrogen peroxide as accelerants in microbial electrolysis cells coupled with anaerobic co-digestion systems can enhance methane production and carbon dioxide reduction. The MEC-AcoD system with a voltage of 0.6 V and 0.03 wt.% of MBP accelerant showed the highest methane yield (242.1 mL/g VS) and the lowest carbon dioxide yield (97.6 mL/g VS). The digestates using this accelerant exhibited superior thermal stability (46.2%) and total nutrient contents (44.5 g/kg).
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mengjie Chen, Si-Min Lu, Hao-Wei Wang, Yi-Tao Long
Summary: By statistically analyzing time-resolved current transients, we can quantitatively determine the dynamic chemical potential difference and interparticle communication between populations of large and small Ag NPs, enabling in situ investigation of chemical communication-dependent transformation kinetics of NPs in the photochemical process with the high sensitivity of stochastic collision electrochemistry, shedding light on designing nanomaterials.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weijian Xu, Jin Zhang, Yutao Shen, Hao Yu, KeZhen Chen, Yinghong Zhu, Chaofeng Shen, Liping Lou
Summary: Chemical degradation plays a crucial role in the remediation of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in soil/sediment. The adsorption state of HOCs on black carbon (BC) can affect their chemical degradability. The study found that different types of BC have varying effects on the degradation rate of HOCs, with BC900 showing the ability to directly transfer electrons and degrade over 90% of resistant-desorption-state PCB1. Additionally, BC may influence the longevity of nZVI/Ni, thus impacting its degradability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mehran Dadsetan, Ali Naseri, Murray J. Thomson
Summary: Carbon black oxidation is a post-treatment method that controls its properties for different applications. The study investigates the effect of particle size on oxidation pathway and rate by oxidizing three different sizes of carbon blacks. The diffusion-controlled burning model is validated for all samples oxidized at 800 degrees C in the presence of oxygen molecules. Under electron-beam irradiation, larger particles show a reduction in oxidation rate due to the breaking of atomic bonds and transformation to the graphitic structure. However, surface burning remains the dominant mode under electron-beam irradiation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mei-Mei Wang, Li-Juan Liu, Jia-Rui Xi, Ying Ding, Peng-Xi Liu, Liang Mao, Bing-Jie Ni, Wei-Kang Wang, Juan Xu
Summary: In this study, novel oxygen vacancies-enriched hollow ZnCo2O4 nanocages were synthesized for efficient peroxydisulfate activation. The incorporation of Zn into the lattice of Co3O4 increased the number of oxygen vacancies while preserving the morphology of the catalysts. The developed activation system showed resistance to environmental concentrations of Cl-, NO(3)(-), and humic acid, and demonstrated potential in the treatment of packaging wastewater with low ionic potential organic pollutants.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Lan Wu, Wei Wei, Zhijie Chen, Xueming Chen, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: The pursuit of producing alternative fuels has become more important due to the continuously rising energy prices and the growth in petroleum consumption. Utilizing long-chain alcohols (LCAs) yielded from anaerobic bioprocess as renewable energy is a promising strategy. A comprehensive understanding of the formations of LCAs and their possible precursors is currently needed, with a focus on metabolic platforms, inter-species interactions, and competing microbial reactions. Open-culture fermentation shows potential advantages over single-species fermentation for producing LCAs.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pengfei Huo, Ronghua Deng, Xueming Chen, Linyan Yang, Yiwen Liu, Lan Wu, Wei Wei, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: Instead of minimizing the production of nitrous oxide (N2O), this study aimed to recover N2O as a potential energy source from nitric oxide (NO) through a specific process. The researchers developed a mathematical model to describe the dynamics of N2O production and reduction and successfully validated it with experimental data. The model was then used to assess the potential of N2O recovery by altering certain factors. The results showed that high-purity N2O could be efficiently recovered from the system with specific conditions, making it a viable option for the treatment and resource utilization of NO-containing flue gas.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chen Wang, Wei Wei, Yu-Ting Zhang, Xueming Chen, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: This study proposes a strategy for mitigating the inhibitory effects of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) on anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) in wastewater treatment. The strategy involves using coconut shell-derived hydrochar to efficiently capture the existing PVC-MPs and PVC-NPs from AGS. The hydrochar increases methane production and enhances the protective capabilities of AGS against the negative effects of PVC-MPs and PVC-NPs. The hydrochar also has stronger adsorption capability for PVC-MPs and PVC-NPs compared to AGS. The findings demonstrate that hydrochar effectively alleviates the suppression on AGS caused by PVC-MPs and PVC-NPs, providing a novel strategy for improving wastewater treatment performance under the stress of microplastics and nanoplastics.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ronghua Deng, Pengfei Huo, Xueming Chen, Zhijie Chen, Linyan Yang, Yiwen Liu, Wei Wei, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: In this study, an integrated NO-based biological denitrification model was developed to describe the sequential reduction of NO in Fe(II)EDTA-NO using organic carbon as the electron donor. It was found that altering the substrate condition and reactor setup can enhance N2O recovery. Increasing the reactor's headspace volume was considered an ideal strategy to obtain high-purity N2O production.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Bing-Jie Ni, Kevin V. Thomas, Eun-Ju Kim
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tianyi Luo, Xiaohu Dai, Zhijie Chen, Lan Wu, Wei Wei, Qiuxiang Xu, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: This study reveals that polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics (MPs) have different impacts on the abundance and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in anaerobic sludge digestion. PVC MPs promote the acquisition of ARGs by human pathogen bacteria and functional microorganisms, while PE MPs do not. Horizontal gene flow (HGF) is observed to be a possible mechanism for new bacteria to acquire ARGs in MPs-stressed digester.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jin Qian, Rui Ma, Zhijie Chen, Gen Wang, Yichu Zhang, Yufei Du, Yongjun Chen, Taicheng An, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: To combat water pollution caused by rocket propellants, researchers have developed a recyclable CoFe-LDH/Ni foam composite as an activator for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to efficiently remove contaminants present in rocket propellants.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhijie Chen, Renji Zheng, Haiyuan Zou, Ranhao Wang, Changzhu Huang, Wei Dai, Wei Wei, Lele Duan, Bing-Jie Ni, Hong Chen
Summary: Designing efficient transition metal-based catalysts is crucial for energy-saving hydrogen production via urea-rich wastewater electrolysis. In this study, an iron-doped amorphous nickel boride electrocatalyst (aFe-NiB) was developed for urea oxidation reaction (UOR). The aFe-NiB catalyst exhibited higher activity and achieved a benchmark current density of 10 mA cm-2 at 1.298 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Furthermore, the aFe-NiB-assisted urine electrolyzer showed a 46 times higher H2 production rate compared to a water electrolyzer at 1.50 V. The study also revealed a crystallinity-dependent structure self-reconstruction process during UOR and proposed effective strategies to develop efficient UOR precatalysts with dual active sites.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yifeng Xu, Ying Gu, Lai Peng, Ning Wang, Shi Chen, Chuanzhou Liang, Yiwen Liu, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: Although moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) have shown excellent antibiotic removal potentials, the mechanisms underlying this process are still not well understood. This study investigated the removal of ciprofloxacin in an enriched nitrifying MBBR, revealing the significant contributions of biomass adsorption and microbial-induced biodegradation. The results showed that the presence of ammonium enhanced the biodegradation rate through ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB)-induced cometabolism, while heterotrophs played a minor role in ciprofloxacin biodegradation. The findings suggest the feasibility of nitrifying biofilm systems for efficient antibiotic removal from wastewater.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhijie Chen, Xingdong Shi, Jiaqi Zhang, Lan Wu, Wei Wei, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are widely present in urban waters, with NPs exhibiting distinct physicochemical features and stronger interactions with pollutants compared to MPs. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of NPs is more challenging, and their environmental fate and eco-impacts differ significantly from those of MPs. This review critically analyzes the difference between MPs and NPs in urban waters, discusses analytical challenges, fate, interactions with pollutants, and eco-impacts, and proposes future perspectives for size-dependent studies.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qing Wang, Ning Han, Zhangfeng Shen, Xue Li, Zhijie Chen, Yue Cao, Weimeng Si, Fagang Wang, Bing-Jie Ni, Vijay Kumar Thakur
Summary: This paper reviews the recent research status of MXene-based electrochemical (bio) sensors for detecting biomarkers, pesticides, and other aspects, and discusses the synthesis strategy and the effect of surface modification on various properties of MXenes.
NANO MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Maoshui Zhuo, Zhijie Chen, Xiaoqing Liu, Wei Wei, Yansong Shen, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: This paper discusses the application of three catalytic processes (photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and biocatalysis) in the management of microplastic pollution, and introduces the efficiency and catalytic mechanisms of different catalysts. It also proposes the development prospects for sustainable management of microplastic pollution.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi-Lu Sun, Han-Lin Wang, Huu Hao Ngo, Wenshan Guo, Bing-Jie Ni, Xue-Ning Zhang, Wei Wei
Summary: In this study, a comprehensive methodology was developed to design and operate S0AD bioreactors, effectively managing fluctuations in nitrogen removal efficiency caused by seasonal temperature variations. By establishing a mathematical model and considering influence factors, a pilot-scale bioreactor was designed to maintain a stable effluent nitrate concentration throughout the year, resulting in a substantial reduction in excessive nitrate removal, sulfur consumption, and sulfate production.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Seyed Masoud Parsa, Fatemeh Norozpour, Saba Momeni, Shahin Shoeibi, Xiangkang Zeng, Zafar Said, Wenshan Guo, Huu Hao Ngo, Bing-Jie Ni
Summary: The consumption of biologically-contaminated water annually leads to numerous deaths, especially among children in developing countries. Solar-based water desalination systems, with the use of nanomaterials, are considered effective in providing safe drinking water by eliminating biological contaminants. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of nanomaterial-assisted solar stills and solar interfacial evaporators in combating various forms of biological contamination, focusing on viruses and antimicrobial resistance pathogens. The potential transmission routes and importance of AMR pathogens in the environment and water bodies are also discussed.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
