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In this study, biochar derived from chestnut shells was synthesized through pyrolysis at varying temperatures from 300 °C to 900 °C. The study unveiled that the pyrolysis temperature is pivotal in defining the physical and chemical attributes of biochar, notably its adsorption capabilities and its role in activating peracetic acid (PAA) for the efficient removal of acetaminophen (APAP) from aquatic environments. Notably, the biochar processed at 900 °C, referred to as CN900, demonstrated an exceptional adsorption efficiency of 55.8 mg g -1 , significantly outperforming its counterparts produced at lower temperatures (CN300, CN500, and CN700). This enhanced performance of CN900 is attributed to its increased surface area, improved micro-porosity, and a greater abundance of oxygen-containing functional groups, which are a consequence of the elevated pyrolysis temperature. These oxygen-rich functional groups, such as carbonyls, play a crucial role in facilitating the decomposition of the O-O bond in PAA, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through electron transfer mechanisms. This investigation contributes to the development of sustainable and cost-effective materials for water purification, underscoring the potential of chestnut shell-derived biochar as an efficient adsorbent and catalyst for PAA activation, thereby offering a viable solution for environmental cleanup efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study presents the synthesis of a novel composite catalyst, ZIF-67, doped on sodium bicarbonate-modified biochar derived from kumquat peels (ZIF-67@KSB3), for the enhanced activation of peracetic acid (PAA) in the degradation of acetaminophen (APAP) in aqueous solutions. The composite demonstrated a high degradation efficiency, achieving 94.3% elimination of APAP at an optimal condition of 200 mg L -1 catalyst dosage and 0.4 mM PAA concentration at pH 7. The degradation mechanism was elucidated, revealing that superoxide anion (O 2 •- ) played a dominant role, while singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) and alkoxyl radicals (R-O • ) also contributed significantly. The degradation pathways of APAP were proposed based on LC-MS analyses and molecular electrostatic potential calculations, identifying three primary routes of transformation. Stability tests confirmed that the ZIF-67@KSB3 catalyst retained an 86% efficiency in APAP removal after five successive cycles, underscoring its durability and potential for application in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The adsorption process of inorganic arsenic (As) plays an important role in its mobility, bioavailability, and toxicity in the river environment. In this work, the adsorption of dissolved arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) by microplastics (MPs) pellets (polystyrene (PS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE)), river sediment, and their mixture were investigated to assess the adsorption affinities and mechanism. The adsorption kinetics showed slow and mild rising zones from the natural behavior of the chemical adsorption. The results indicated that both MP characteristics and water properties played a significant role in the adsorption behavior of inorganic As species. The As adsorption equilibrium was modeled well by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and partly fitted with the Sips model suggesting that both mono-layer and multi-layer adsorption occurred during adsorption The spontaneous adsorption process for both As(III) and As(V) was evidenced by the adsorption thermodynamics. The maximum adsorption capacities of As(III) and As(V) reached 143.3 mg/kg and 109.8 mg/kg on PS in deionized water, which were higher than those on sediment-PS mixture (119.3 mg/kg, 99.2 mg/kg), which were all lower than on sediment alone (263.3 mg/kg, 398.7 mg/kg). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis identified that As(III) and As(V) interaction with sediment surface functional groups was the main adsorption mechanism from surface complexation and coordination. Two functional groups of polystyrene (-NH 2 , -OH) were mainly involved in the adsorption of inorganic As species on PS, while -COO- and -OH functional groups contributed to the adsorption mechanism of inorganic As species on LDPE. The findings provide valuable insight on the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of As(III) and As(V) in river systems in the presence of MPs particles. Both PS and LDPE were shown to be less effective than river sediment in the adsorption of As species from water, which provides a different perspective in understanding the scale of MPs impact in pollutant transport in the aquatic environment., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this study, sunflower seed husk biochar prepared by ZnCl 2 -activated and hydrothermal carbonization (HZSF) was studied for its effectiveness in removing tetracycline (TC) from an aqueous solution. The physical and chemical properties of materials were characterized by different methods of surface analysis. The specific surface area of HZSF is significantly enhanced over 1200 times compared with non-modified biochar (HZSF: 1578.3 m 2 ·g -1 , SF-700: 1.3 m 2 ·g -1 ), which has an enhancement effect on the TC adsorption capacity. The HZSF showed that the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models could properly characterize the adsorption processes. In the Langmuir isotherm model, HZSF exhibited effective adsorption performance with q max of 673.0 mg·g -1 at 298 K for 24 h. The possible mechanisms for the adsorption process were the monolayer, chemical adsorption, and the participation of strong intermolecular forces. In general, HZSF has the potential to be a useful adsorbent for the elimination of antibiotics from water-based solutions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, the unnecessary overuse of antibiotics has increased globally, resulting in antibiotic contamination of water, which has become a significant environmental concern. This study aims to examine the adsorption behavior of antibiotics (Tetracycline TC, Ciprofloxacin CIP, Ibuprofen IBP, and Sulfamethoxazole SMX) onto H 3 PO 4 -activated sunflower seed husk biochar (PSF). The results demonstrated that H 3 PO 4 could enhance the specific surface area (378.8 m 2 /g) and create a mesoporous structure of biochar. The adsorption mechanism was investigated using kinetic models, isotherms, and thermodynamics. The maximum adsorption capacities (q max ) of TC, CIP, SMX, and IBP are 429.3, 361.6, 251.3, and 251.1 mg g -1 , respectively. The adsorption mechanism of antibiotics on PSF was governed by complex mechanisms, including chemisorption, external diffusion, and intraparticle diffusion. This research provides an environmentally friendly method for utilizing one of the agricultural wastes for the removal of a variety of antibiotics from the aquatic environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research reports the presence of species Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and cylindrospermopsin (CYN) in the Huong River and the relationship between species with environmental factors to find a scientific basis for predicting the risk of pollution of the species and CYN in waters. Strains of C. raciborskii isolated from the river were also identified as potentially toxin-producing through the determination of the presence of toxins in the cultures by ELISA; the presence of the genes involved by PCR confirms the CYN-producing ability of species C. raciborskii from this water body. Our results have confirmed the presence of toxic cyanobacteria C. raciborskii in the Huong River. C. raciborskii from the Huong River are mostly solitary, straight trichomes. Analyses of all C. raciborskii strains from the Huong River by ELISA for cylindrospermopsin were positive. The contents of cylindrospermopsin (CYN) in each strain were different, ranging from 5.25 ng mg -1 wet weight in CR1DD to 70.83 ng mg -1 wet weight in CR1NY. PCR analysis confirmed that the genes involved in the production of this cyanotoxin were present in C. raciborskii. The relationship between densities and toxicity showed a correlation coefficient R of 0.88. This was a relatively high positive correlation index, indicating the close links between densities and toxins: toxin CYN concentrations increased when C. raciborskii densities increased.

The calcined layered double hydroxides (cLDHs) Ti-doped and undoped MgFe for this study were prepared by co-precipitation method followed by calcination at 500 °C. The as-prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS) techniques and tested for adsorption and photodegradation (including photocatalytic and photo-Fenton-like) of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation. In the range of studied operating conditions, the as-prepared samples exhibited excellent photo-Fenton-like activity, leading to more than 80-95% degradation of 2,4,5-T at initial concentration of 100 mg L(-1) with 4 g calcined LDHs per liter, was accomplished in 360 min, while 2,4,5-T half-life time was as short as 99-182 min. The kinetics of adsorption and photodegradation of 2,4,5-T were also discussed. These results offered a green, low cost and high efficiency photocatalyst for environmental remediation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One of the problems in drinking water that raises concern over the world is that millions of people still have to use arsenic-contaminated water. There is a worldwide need to develop appropriate technologies to remove arsenic from water for household and community water supply systems. In this study, a new material namely iron oxide coated sponge (IOCSp) was developed and used to remove arsenic (As) from contaminated groundwater in Vietnam. The results indicated that IOCSp has a high capacity in removing both As (V) and As (III). The adsorption capacity of IOCSp was up to 4.6 mg As/g IOCSp, showing better than many other materials. It was observed from a pilot study that a small quantity of IOCSp (180 g) could reduce As concentration of 480 microg/L in 1.5 m3 of contaminated natural water to below 40 microg/L. In addition, an exhausted IOCSp, containing a large amount of arsenic (up to 0.42 wt %) could safely be disposed through the solidification/stabilization with cement. Addition of fly ash also reduced the amount of arsenic in the leachate.