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This study investigated the association between the decline of the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and several family-level and individual-level factors among 6- to 18-year-old Taiwanese children from 2012 to 2020.This study used data from the 2012 and 2020 Taiwan National Oral Health Survey of Children and Adolescents. Both surveys used similar methods and were performed in the same study age group. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on parents' sociodemographic background; the number of children in the family; oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; and children's dietary habits. Dental caries was recorded through standardized oral examinations. Multivariable multilevel zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were used to determine the association between family-level and individual-level factors and the DMFT index from 2012 to 2020.A total of 10 217 and 10 436 schoolchildren completed the oral examinations and questionnaires in the 2012 and 2020 surveys, respectively. The adjusted mean DMFT index of 12-year-old Taiwanese schoolchildren in 2020 was 2.01, denoting a significant decline from 2.50 in 2012 (adjusted mean ratio = 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17, 0.23, p .0001). Furthermore, children who often consumed sugar-rich drinks had a significantly higher risk (mean ratio = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10) of having DMFT than those who seldom consumed such drinks (p = .017).In the period of 2012-2020, the DMFT index among Taiwanese children significantly declined. Children who often consumed sugar-rich drinks had a higher DMFT index than those who seldom consumed such drinks. Our findings are valuable to paediatricians, dentists, nutritionists, and public health policymakers.

Municipal and industrial wastewater can be a potential source of magnesium. Therefore, the development of magnesium recovery technology can both release the burden of wastewater treatment and help ...

A bimetallic Fe-Cu catalyst was applied as a catalyst for heterogeneous Fenton reaction. Fluidized-bed crystallization of bimetallic catalyst supported by a silica seed (FeIII0.66CuI0.33 @SiO2) was conducted at specific hydraulic conditions. The deposited state of copper and iron of FeIII0.66CuI0.33@SiO2 were identified as Cu(I) and Fe(III), which could effectively catalyze H2O2 to form hydroxyls radical for the abatement and mineralization of benzoic acid under blue light irradiation (436 nm). The cupric species as an electron donor enabled the reductive dissolution of the deposited iron to drive a Fenton reaction. The blue light irradiation promoted the regeneration of Fe(III) to Fe(II) through the photoreduction mechanism. Operating parameters included Fe to Cu ratio (0.5–4), dose of H2O2 (0–4 mM), initial pH (3–7) and light intensity (0–10 mW/cm2). The photo Fenton process using FeIII0.66CuI0.33@SiO2 catalyst resulted in 86% of benzoic acid mineralization in 3 h.

Given the potential shortage of critical nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) predicted in the near future, nutrient recovery technologies have attracted wide attention from the sc...

Background Histone methyltransferase KMT2D is one of the most frequently mutated genes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and has been identified as an important pathogenic factor and prognostic marker. However, the biological relevance of KMT2D mutations on tumor microenvironment remains to be determined.Methods KMT2D mutations were assessed by whole-genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) in 334 patients and by targeted sequencing in 427 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. Their correlation with clinical outcomes and immune cell characteristics were evaluated. Underlying molecular mechanisms on tumor microenvironment were investigated both in vitro and in vivo.Results Among all 761 DLBCL patients, somatic mutations in KMT2D were observed in 143 (18.79%) patients and significantly associated with advanced Ann Arbor stage and MYC expression ≥ 40%, as well as inferior progression-free survival and overall survival. In B-lymphoma cells, the mutation or knockdown of KMT2D inhibited methylation of lysine 4 on histone H3 (H3K4), downregulated FBXW7 expression, activated NOTCH signaling pathway and downstream MYC/TGF-β1, resulting in alterations of tumor-induced regulatory T cell trafficking. In B-lymphoma murine models established with subcutaneous injection of SU-DHL-4 cells, xenografted tumors bearing KMT2D mutation presented lower H3K4 methylation, higher regulatory T cell recruitment, thereby provoking rapid tumor growth compared with wild-type KMT2D via FBXW7-NOTCH-MYC/TGF-β1 axis. Conclusions Our work thus contributed to the better understanding of aberrant histone methylation on tumor microenvironment as an alternative mechanism of tumor progression in DLBCL.

The environment is affected by agricultural, domestic, and industrial activities that lead to drastic problems such as global warming and wastewater generation. Wastewater pollution is of public concern, making the treatment of persistent pollutants in water and wastewater highly imperative. Several conventional treatment technologies have been applied to water and wastewater remediation, but each has numerous limitations. To address this issue, treatment using bimetallic systems has been extensively studied. Synergistic effects between the two metals are highly desirable because they usually offer enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability relative to their monometallic counterparts. In this study, a novel method to fabricate bimetallic Fe-Co catalyst supported on waste silica was investigated for the treatment of methylene blue dye as model pollutant. Under the optimum conditions of pHi 3.0, 3.0 mM H2O2, 1.0 g L-1 Fe-Co/SiO2 catalyst, and 20 mg L-1 initial dye concentration, the maximum response for the decoloration and mineralization efficiencies of methylene blue were 100% and 64.57%, respectively. Superoxide radical was unveiled to be the dominant reactive oxygen species in the photo-Fenton-like system over Fe-Co/SiO2 catalyst. Compared to the contrastive catalyst, the Fe-Co/SiO2 synthesized using fluidized-bed crystallization exhibited comparable decoloration and mineralization efficiencies, and relatively lower metal leaching.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) released from gold and coal mining contains a large quantity of heavy metals, thus being a threat to the surrounding ecosystem. The recovery of metals from AMD can both address the potential contamination and bring more economic profits. In this study, the sequential selective precipitation and fluidized bed homogeneous crystallization (FBHC) were integrated to recover iron(II) and Al(III) from real AMD wastewater. The selective precipitation of Fe was optimized by adjusting pH. The FBHC recovery of Al performed its best at pH 9.25 ± 0.2, molar ratio of [H2O2]/[Al(III)] = 2.0 and up-flow velocity (U) = 30.5 m/h. Iron(II) and Al(III) were recovered in the form of iron hydroxide (Fe(OH)3) and bayerite (α-Al(OH)3) pellets. Removal efficiencies were as high as 99.7% and 99.3% for Fe(II) and Al(III), respectively. A brief cost-benefit estimation was performed and showed that the estimated profit gained from field-scale recovery of Fe(II) and Al(III) would be $1.31/m3-AMD.

Advanced oxidation process is a promising technology for the treatment of azo dye wastewater, owing to its high degradation performance and less secondary contamination. Herein, the mineralization of azo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5) by the heterogeneous photo-Fenton process was investigated in a three-phase fluidized bed reactor. The waste iron oxide (denoted as BT) obtained from tannery wastewater process with Fenton’s reagent was selected as a heterogeneous catalyst. The introduction of BT to the UV/H2O2 process (UV/H2O2/BT) shows obviously higher mineralization efficiency because ferric complexes of carboxylic acid, the degradation intermediates of RB5, could be readily decomposed by UV irradiation. The decolorization was achieved by homogenous photo-Fenton reaction induced by leached iron, while the mineralization was contributed to heterogeneous oxidation. Under the conditions of 254 nm UV irradiation, 19.00 mM H2O2, 2.0 g L–1 catalyst loading and natural pH0 of 5.0, 90.2% TOC removal of RB5 could be achieved. The catalyst indicated an acceptable stability and reusability after four cycles. The proposed heterogeneous photo-Fenton process with stable performance is environmental-friendly for the mineralization of RB5.

Social stigma is inevitable for mentally ill patients, but how patients treat themselves is a priority for rehabilitation and an important buffer mechanism. This study thus aimed to measure the effectiveness of rehabilitation models for improving self-stigma. This quasi-experimental research design applied purposeful sampling. The participants (n = 250) were persons with mental illness who received rehabilitation treatment in central Taiwan. They were divided into community- (n = 170) and institution-based (n = 80) rehabilitation groups. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale was evaluated at the time of recruitment, and a follow-up was conducted after 1 and 3 months. A generalized estimation equation was used in data analysis to measure whether self-stigma improved with the rehabilitation model and time, and to test the effect of different rehabilitation models on participants’ self-stigma improvement. The study found that the self-stigma of patients receiving CBR improved more than that of those receiving IBR when behavioral problems, education, OT level, sex, and first-time self-stigma were controlled. Returning to the community is the goal of rehabilitation for patients with mental illness, but IBR still dominates the rehabilitation model in Taiwan. Thus, it is necessary to continue promoting CBR plans for future mental health policies.

Wastewater containing cobalt and copper comprised of plating wash water, plant wash water, and equipment cooling and wash water is generated in the electroplating industry. These metals can be detrimental to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Thus, it is necessary to treat electroplating wastewater to remove these toxic metals. Carbonate and hydroxide precipitation were utilized for the removal of Co(II) and Cu(II) from synthetic electroplating wastewater by jar tests in this work. The effects of solution pH, precipitant-to-metal ratio, and type of precipitant on the precipitation efficiency of cobalt and copper from the single- and co-contaminated systems were investigated. Carbonate precipitation achieved higher removal efficiency for both target metals in the single- and co-contaminated wastewater streams. Furthermore, it can operate at relatively low pH range of about 7.0-8.0. Cobalt in both pollutant systems was almost completely removed at pH 10.0 using both precipitant systems. Copper was found to be easily removed which was possibly brought about by precipitation-adsorption mechanism. The extent of the co-removal of cobalt with copper is significantly pH dependent. The effect of precipitant-to-metal ratio for cobalt and copper treatment varied in single- and co-contaminated streams. Carbonate precipitation led to lower sludge density than that of hydroxide precipitation.

The strong oxidant, persulfate (PS, S

An electrode made of loofah sponge derived activated carbon supported on nickel foam (AC/Ni) was successfully fabricated and used to remove ammonium ion (NH4+) from aqueous solution. A multilayer adsorption isotherm was used to describe ammonium electro-sorption on AC/Ni electrodes at different temperature, initial NH4+ concentration, and electrical field. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) results suggested that the electrical capacitance of AC/Ni electrodes, with the AC being prepared without preheating (OAC) or with low temperature heating (i.e., 300 AC), were higher than those prepared at high preheating temperature (i.e., 400 AC and 500 AC). Increasing the electro-sorption temperature from 10 to 50 °C decreased the monolayer NH4+ adsorption capacity from 5 to ca. 2–3 mg-N g−1, respectively. Background electrolyte, namely, sodium sulfate, exhibited significant competitive effect on the adsorption of ammonium ion at sodium ion concentration > 10−2 M. The activation energy and heat of adsorption were 9–23.2 kJ mol−1 and −3.7–−10.7 kJ mol−1, respectively, indicating a physisorption and exothermic adsorption characteristics. Based on the kinetics and thermodynamics analysis, there was slight increase in the activation energy with elevating preheating temperature, which increased the quantity of micro-pores and surface heterogeneity of the AC materials. Overall, results clearly demonstrated that carbon pyrolysis played a role on the capacitive charging behaviors of electrodes and the efficiency of NH4+ electro-sorption on the AC/Ni electrodes.

Summary Background Anthracycline dose optimisation in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma has rarely been tested. We aimed to find out whether R-CEOP70 was non-inferior to R-CHOP50 with less cardiotoxicity, and whether R-CEOP90 had a superior efficacy to R-CHOP50 or R-CEOP70 with acceptable toxic effects. Methods In this multicentre, phase 3, randomised, controlled study (NHL-001), patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma grade 3B were enrolled from 20 centres of the Multicenter Hematology–Oncology Programs Evaluation System in China. Young patients (16–60 years) were randomly assigned 1:1:1 (block size of six) to six courses of R-CHOP50, R-CEOP70, or R-CEOP90, and older patients (61–80 years) were assigned 1:1 (block size of four) to R-CHOP50 or R-CEOP70. Patients were randomly assigned using computer-assisted permuted-block randomisation. Investigators and patients were not masked to treatment assignment. In the R-CHOP50 group, patients were given rituximab 375 mg/m2 intravenously on day 0, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, and vincristine 1·4 mg/m2 (maximum dose 2 mg) intravenously on day 1, and prednisone 60 mg/m2 (maximum dose 100 mg) orally from day 1–5; in the R-CEOP70 group, epirubicin 70 mg/m2 replaced doxorubicin; and in the R-CEOP90 group, high dose epirubicin 90 mg/m2 replaced doxorubicin. All patients received two additional courses of rituximab 375 mg/m2 intravenously every 21 days. Consolidation radiotherapy was given to patients with bulky disease at diagnosis or residual disease at the end of treatment. The primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival. The non-inferiority margin for R-CEOP70 versus R-CHOP50 was defined by hazard ratio [HR] as the upper limit of its 95% CI being no greater than 1·50. Analysis of efficacy and safety were of the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01852435 . Findings From May 15, 2013, to March 16, 2016, a total of 648 patients were enrolled, including 404 (62%) young patients (R-CHOP50 [n=135], R-CEOP70 [n=134], or R-CEOP90 [n=135]), and 244 (38%) older patients (R-CHOP50 [n=122] or R-CEOP70 [n=122]). Four patients were excluded from the study for consent withdrawal and one patient for misdiagnosis before treatment. The 2-year progression-free survival in the R-CHOP50 group was 72·5% (95% CI 66·6–77·6) and in the R-CEOP70 group was 72·4% ([66·5–77·5]; HR 1·00 [0·73–1·38]; p=0·99). The non-inferiority was met and adverse events were similar between the two groups. Fewer patients in the R-CEOP70 group (14 [13%] of 110) presented with over 10% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) than those in the R-CHOP50 group (31 [29%] of 108) at 3 years after remission. For young patients, the 2-year progression-free survival in the R-CEOP90 group was 88·8% (82·1–93·1) and was significantly improved compared with the R-CHOP50 group (75·9% [67·7–82·3]; 0·44 [0·25–0·76]; p=0·0047) and the R-CEOP70 group (77·4% [69·4–83·7%]; 0·49 [0·27–0·86]; p=0·017). Grade 3–4 neutropenia occurred more frequently in the R-CEOP90 group (97 [72%] of 134) than in the R-CHOP50 group (87 [65%] of 133) and R-CEOP70 group (84 [63%] of 133) in young patients but without further increase of clinically significant infections. Fewer patients in the R-CEOP70 group (7 [11%] of 66) and in the R-CEOP90 group (10 [13%] of 79) presented with more than 10% decrease in LVEF than those in the R-CHOP50 group (17 [26%] of 66) at 3 years after remission. Interpretation R-CEOP70 could serve as an alternative regimen to R-CHOP50 with mild long-term cardiotoxicity. Young patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma might benefit from high-dose epirubicin. Epirubicin is an alternative drug to doxorubicin in regular R-CHOP with mild long-term cardiotoxicity. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program, Shanghai Commission of Science and Technology, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Gaofeng Clinical Medicine Grant Support, Multicenter Clinical Research Project by Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Clinical Research Plan of Shanghai Hospital Development Center, and Chang Jiang Scholars Program.

Tetrafluoroborate anion (BF4−) is found in the streams of flue-gas desulfurization and borosilicate glasses etching which deteriorates water quality through slow hydrolysis into boric acid and fluoride. Decomposition and electrocoagulation (EC) of BF4− were studied using metallic aluminum as the sacrificial electrode. The dissolved Al(III) from the anode could efficiently decompose BF4− in forms of fluoroaluminate complexes, and the derived boric acid and fluoride ion were removed by sweep flocculation. Major variables were investigated to optimize EC, including the reaction pH, initial concentration of BF4−, current density and electrolyte type. The mechanism of EC process was elucidated with the kinetics of consecutive reactions. Experimental results suggested that the removal of BF4− and total fluoride were less influenced by pH, and that of total boron reached a maximum at pH 8 which favored the surface complexation between borate species and EC precipitates. Under the conditions: [BF4−]0 = 9.3 mM, [NaCl] = 10 mM, pH = 8.0, current density = 5 mA/cm2, 98.3% of BF4− was decomposed and the removal of total fluoride and boron attained 98.2% and 74.1%, respectively within 3 h. EC using the Al electrode outperformed the conventional chemical coagulation and reduced the levels of BF4 , B(OH)3 and F− in aqueous solution synergically.

In this study, iron is removed from aqueous solution using a fluidized-bed crystallizer. Homogeneous oxyhydroxide pellets (FeOOH) were recovered at various value of pH, surface loading (L), and initial ferrous concentration to assess the treatability of iron-containing water. The optimal conditions for treating initial ferrous concentrations of 100–300 mg/L were L = 0.6 kg/m2/h (with 29 m/h of upflow velocity), a bed expansion of 50% and pH = 6.5 yielding the total iron removal (TR) of more than 99% and a corresponding iron crystallization ratio (CR) of 85%. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) revealed that the pellets consisted of a mixture of goethite (α-FeOOH) and lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) yielded images of pellets of up to 1 mm in diameter, which were assembled from FeOOH flakes with thicknessess of 0.2–0.4 µm.

Epigenetic alterations play an important role in tumor progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, the biological relevance of epigenetic gene mutations on tumor microenvironment remains to be determined. The core set of genes relating to histone methylation (KMT2D, KMT2C, EZH2), histone acetylation (CREBBP, EP300), DNA methylation (TET2), and chromatin remodeling (ARID1A) were detected in the training cohort of 316 patients by whole-genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) and in the validation cohort of 303 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL by targeted sequencing. Their correlation with peripheral blood immune cells and clinical outcomes were assessed. Underlying mechanisms on tumor microenvironment were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Among all 619 DLBCL patients, somatic mutations in KMT2D (19.5%) were most frequently observed, followed by mutations in ARID1A (8.7%), CREBBP (8.4%), KMT2C (8.2%), TET2 (7.8%), EP300 (6.8%), and EZH2 (2.9%). Among them, CREBBP/EP300 mutations were significantly associated with decreased peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratios, as well as inferior progression-free and overall survival. In B-lymphoma cells, the mutation or knockdown of CREBBP or EP300 inhibited H3K27 acetylation, downregulated FBXW7 expression, activated the NOTCH pathway, and downstream CCL2/CSF1 expression, resulting in tumor-associated macrophage polarization to M2 phenotype and tumor cell proliferation. In B-lymphoma murine models, xenografted tumors bearing CREBBP/EP300 mutation presented lower H3K27 acetylation, higher M2 macrophage recruitment, and more rapid tumor growth than those with CREBBP/EP300 wild-type control via FBXW7-NOTCH-CCL2/CSF1 axis. Our work thus contributed to the understanding of aberrant histone acetylation regulation on tumor microenvironment as an alternative mechanism of tumor progression in DLBCL.

The anthropogenic emission of boron to river has become a serious problem that deteriorates the water quality and endangers the ecosystem. Although boron is a micronutrient, it is toxic to plants, animals and humans upon exposure. In this review, we first present the sources of the boron-containing streams and their composition, and then summarize the recent progress of boron removal methods based on adsorption and coagulation systematically. The boron-spiked streams are produced from coal-fired and geothermal power plants, the manufacturing and the activities of oil/gas excavation and mining. The adsorbents for boron removal are classified into the ones functionalized by chelating groups, the ones on the basis of clays or metal oxide. Three subgroups reside in the coagulation approach: electrocoagulation, chemical precipitation and chemical oxo-precipitation. The hybrid technology that combines membrane process and adsorption/coagulation was covered as well. To provide a comprehensive view of each method, we addressed the reaction mechanism, specified the strength and weakness and summarized the progress in the past 5 years. Ultimately, the prospective for future research and the possible improvement on applicability and recyclability were proposed.

Background Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP)/CHOP-like chemotherapy is widely used in peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). Here we conducted a phase 2, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, comparing the efficacy and safety of CEOP/IVE/GDP alternating regimen with CEOP in newly diagnosed PTCL. Methods PTCL patients, except for anaplastic large cell lymphoma-anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive, were 1:1 randomly assigned to receive CEOP/IVE/GDP (CEOP, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, epirubicin 70 mg/m2, vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 [maximum 2 mg] on day 1, and prednisone 60 mg/m2 [maximum 100 mg] on days 1–5 every 21 days, at the first and fourth cycle; IVE, ifosfamide 2000 mg/m2 on days 1–3, epirubicin 70 mg/m2 on day 1, and etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1–3 every 21 days, at the second and fifth cycle; and GDP, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, cisplatin 25 mg/m2 on days 1–3, and dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1–4 every 21 days, at the third and sixth cycle) and CEOP (every 21 days for 6 cycles). Analysis of efficacy and safety was of the intent-to-treatment population. The primary endpoint was a complete response rate at the end of treatment. Meanwhile, whole exome sequencing and targeted sequencing were performed in 62 patients with available tumor samples to explore prognostic biomarkers in this cohort as an exploratory post hoc analysis. Results Among 106 patients, 53 each were enrolled to CEOP/IVE/GDP and CEOP. With 51 evaluable patients each in two groups, a complete response rate of the CEOP/IVE/GDP group was similar to that of the CEOP group (37.3% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.532). There was no difference in median progression-free survival (PFS; 15.4 months vs. 9.2 months, p = 0.122) or overall survival (OS; 24.3 months vs. 21.9 months, p = 0.178). Grade 3–4 hematological and non-hematological adverse events were comparable. Histone modification genes were most frequently mutated (25/62, 40.3%), namely KMT2D, KMT2A, SETD2, EP300, and CREBBP. Multivariate analysis indicated that CREBBP and IDH2 mutations were independent factors predicting poor PFS and OS (all p KMT2D predicting poor PFS (p = 0.002). Conclusions CEOP/IVE/GDP alternating regimen showed no remission or survival advantage to standard chemotherapy. Future clinical trials should aim to develop alternative regimen targeting disease biology as demonstrated by recurrent mutations in epigenetic factors. Trial registration The study was registered on ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02533700) on August 27, 2015.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO

Sulfide wastewater that is anthropogenically generated from industrial activities is highly corrosive, hazardous, and harms the natural ecosystem. This study uses a novel fluidized-bed homogeneous crystallization (FBHC) method to remove sulfide ions from an aqueous solution. Zinc is used as a precipitant to crystallize ZnS homogeneously in the FBHC reactor to reduce the sludge, which is commonly produced in a conventional chemical precipitation process. The optimal pH value, [Zn2+]0/[S2-]0 molar ratio, sulfide cross-sectional surface loading (L, kg-S/m2.hr), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) for the system are established, to optimize the sulfur removal efficiency. The maximum crystallization ratio and the total removal efficiency for sulfur are 97.7% and 98.8%, respectively, at pH = 5.4, a [Zn2+]0/[S2-]0 molar ratio of 1, a cross-sectional surface loading of 2.2 kg-S/m2.hr, and an HRT number of 6 with an initial sulfur concentration of 320 mg/L. The solid products are collected and identified as zinc sulfide (wurtzite) using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Magnetically separable spinel ferrites were created in an electrocoagulation (EC) process for removing boron from aqueous solution. Coprecipitates of NiFe2O4, CoFe2O4 and CuFe2O4 were obtained using sacrificial iron anodes (EC-Fe) in an electrolyte that contained transition metal salts (Ni, Co, Cu). The use of nickel chloride (NiCl2) as the supporting electrolyte yielded the highest boron removal since the maximum adsorption capacity of the resulting sludge was 28.9 mg-B/g. An EC that used iron and nickel as anodes (EC-Fe/Ni) in NaCl electrolyte was then employed to form nickel ferrite by electrochemical dissolution of ferrous (Fe(II)) and nickel (Ni(II)) ions, providing comparable removal efficiency but minimizing the residual level of Ni(II) in the treated water. The saturation magnetization of the precipitate that was produced in the EC-Fe/Ni system was 50.3 emu/g which exceeded that in the EC-Fe system with nickel chloride – 21.8 emu/g, indicating its outstanding magnetic separability. EC-Fe/Ni was optimized to remove 95% of boron from solution in 60 min with an initial boron concentration of 10 ppm at pH 8 and a current density of 3.75 mA/cm2.

The imidacloprid was mineralized by heterogeneous photo-Fenton process in a three-phase fluidized bed reactor using waste iron oxide as catalyst. The effects of catalyst loading, dosage of H2O2 and...

A nickel foam-supported Ni(OH)2/NiOOH electrode, synthesized in-situ at a specific electrode overpotential, was used to study the oxidation of ammonia in aqueous solution. Results of voltammetric analysis showed the formal potential of Ni(OH)2/NiOOH transition at +0.6 V (vs. Hg/HgO, pH 11) at which the current profile was improved by electron transfers of NH3 in the electrolyte. Selectivity of NH3 conversion to NO3− and N2 was evaluated by batch constant current experiments. Electrochemical parameters, including solution pH (6–12), temperature (20–40 °C), current density (0.2–3 mA cm−2), and initial NH3-N concentration (20–450 mg-L−1), that may affect ammonia oxidation toward nitrogen selectivity were studied. At constant current density of 1.5 mA cm−2A, ammonia removal reached 98.5% and NO3− was the major product at initial NH3-N concentration of 50 mg-L−1 in 7 h. By contrast, N2 evolution dominated at low current density ( 100 mg-L−1). A surface steady-state approach, with NH3 deprotonation as the rate-limiting step, provided the reaction pathways of NH3 conversion to molecular nitrogen byproduct.

Chemical oxo-precipitation (COP) is a modified precipitation process in which hydrogen peroxide is used to transform boric acid to perborate anions, which are precipitated with calcium salt under ambient conditions. To minimize the production of sludge, chemical oxo-precipitation was performed in a fluidized-bed reactor to reclaim boron as unseeded calcium perborate pellets. Several major experimental parameters, including effluent pH, calcium dosage, and surface loading that affected the degree of supersaturation and the efficiency of boron removal, were tested. A crystallization ratio of around 60% was attained under the following conditions: initial boron concentration = 1000 ppm, molar ratios of [Ca]/[B] = 0.6 and [H2O2]/[B] = 2, effluent pH = 10.6, bed height = 80 cm, and hydraulic retention time = 18 min. On the basis of the characterization of XRD, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy, the granules recovered were amorphous calcium perborates Ca(B(OH)3OOH)2 and CaB(OH)3OOB(OH)3.