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This study aims to explore the possibility of using magnetic biochar composite (MBCC) derived from Heglig tree bark (HTB) powder (agricultural solid waste) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe₂O₄, CFO) for oil spill removal from seawater surface.

One-pot co-precipitation route was used to synthesize MBCC. The prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The densities of the prepared materials were also estimated. Crude, diesel engine and gasoline engine oils were used as seawater pollutant models. The gravimetric oil removal (GOR) method was used for removing oil spills from seawater using MBCC as a sorbent material.

The obtained results revealed that the prepared materials (CFO and MBCC) were able to remove the crude oil and its derivatives from the seawater surface. Besides, when the absorbent amount was 0.01 g, the highest GOR values for crude oil (31.96 ± 1.02 g/g) and diesel engine oil (14.83 ± 0.83 g/g) were obtained using MBCC as an absorbent. For gasoline engine oil, the highest GOR (27.84 ± 0.46 g/g) was attained when CFO was used as an absorbent.

Oil spill removal using MBCC derived from cobalt ferrite and HTB. Using tree bark as biomass (eco-friendly, readily available and low-cost) for magnetic biochar preparation also is a promising method for minimizing agricultural solid wastes (e.g. HTB) and obtaining value-added-products.

The purpose of this research is to assess the removal of oil spills from the seawater surface as well as the antibacterial activity of ZnFe₂O₄-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, cationic surfactant) magnetic nanoparticles (ZFO-CTAB MNPs).

A CTAB-assisted sol–gel method was used to synthesize ZFO-CTAB MNPs. X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used for ZFO-CTAB MNPs characterization. Also, the magnetic force and apparent density of ZFO-CTAB MNPs were determined. The oil spill cleanup was investigated by using the gravimetric oil removal (GOR) technique, which used ZFO-CTAB MNPs as oil absorbent material and four oil samples (crude, diesel, gasoline and used oil) as oil spill models. The antibacterial activity of ZFO-CTAB MNPs against Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) was investigated by using the optical density method.

The results revealed that, when the amount of ZFO-CTAB was 0.01 g, gasoline oil had the highest GOR (51.80 ± 0.88 g/g) and crude oil had the lowest (11.29 ± 0.82 g/g). Furthermore, for Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ZFO-CTAB MNPs inhibited bacterial growth with a higher percentage (94.24%–95.63%).

The applications of ZFO-CTAB MNPs in the cleanup of oil spills from aqueous solutions, as well as their antibacterial activity. The results showed that ZFO-CTAB MNPs are a promising material for removing oil spills from bodies of water as well as an antibacterial agent against Gram-negative bacterial strains.

This paper aims to investigation of processes for Pb²⁺ elimination from water/wastewater as a significant public health issue in many parts of world. The removal of Pb²⁺ ions by various nanocomposites has been explained from water/wastewaters. ZnO-based nanocomposites, as eco-friendly nanoparticles with unique physicochemical properties, have received increased attention to remove Pb²⁺ ions from water/wastewaters.

In this review, different ZnO-based nanocomposites were reviewed for their application in the removal of Pb²⁺ ions from the aqueous solution, typically for wastewater treatment using methodology, such as adsorption. This review focused on the ZnO-based nanocomposites for removing Pb²⁺ ions from water and wastewaters systems.

The ZnO-based nanocomposite was prepared by different methods, such as electrospinning, hydrothermal/alkali hydrothermal, direct precipitation and polymerization. Depending on the preparation method, various types of ZnO-based nanocomposites like ZnO-metal (Cu/ZnO, ZnO/ZnS, ZnO/Fe), ZnO-nonmetal (PVA/ZnO, Talc/ZnO) and ZnO-metal/nonmetal (ZnO/Na-Y zeolite) were obtained with different morphologies. The effects of operational parameters and adsorption mechanisms were discussed in the review.

The findings may be greatly useful in the application of the ZnO-based nanocomposite in the fields of organic and inorganic pollutants adsorption.

The present study is novel, because it investigated the morphological and structural properties of the synthesized ZnO-based nanocomposite using different methods and studied the capability of green-synthesized ZnO-based nanocomposite to remove Pb²⁺ ions as water contaminants.

The current review can be used for the development of environmental pollution control measures.

This paper reviews the rapidly developing field of nanocomposite technology.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze nano zero-valent iron (nZVI)-activated carbon/Nickel (nZVI-AC/Ni) by a novel method. The synthesized adsorbent was used to degrade reactive orange 16 (RO 16) azo dye.

The optimum conditions for the highest removal of RO 16 dye were determined. Characterization of nZVI-AC/Ni was done by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The nZVI-AC/Ni were used for the removal of dye RO 16 and the parameters affecting were discussed such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and concentration of dye. To investigate the variables and interaction between them, an analysis of variance test was performed.

The characterization results show that the synthesis of nZVI-AC/Ni caused no aggregation of nanoparticles. The maximum dye removal efficiency of 99.45% occurred at pH 4, the adsorbent dosage = 0.1 gL-1 and the dye concentration of 10 mgL-1. Among various algorithms of feed-forward backpropagation neural network, Levenberg–Marquardt with mean square error (MSE) = 9.86 × 10^–22 in layer = 5 and the number of neurons = 9 was selected as the best algorithm. On the other hand, the MSE of the radial basis function model was 0.2159 indicating the good ability of the model to predict the percentage of dye removal.

There are two main innovations. One is that the novel nZVI-AC/Ni was prepared successfully. The other is that the optimized conditions were obtained for the removal of RO 16 dye from an aqueous solution. Furthermore, to the best of the knowledge, no study has ever investigated the removal of RO 16 by nZVI-AC/Ni produced.

The purpose of this study is to prepare a new adsorbent activated carbon immobilized on polystyrene (ACPS) for uranium (VI) and thorium (IV) removal from an aqueous solution. Activated carbon (AC) was derived from biochar material by chemical activation to increase the active sites on its surface and enhance the adsorption capacity. Activated carbon (AC) was immobilized on polystyrene (PS) to improve the physical properties and facilitate separation from the working solution. A feasibility study for the adsorption of uranium (VI) and thorium (IV) on the new adsorbent (ACPS) has been achieved. Adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics models of the adsorption process were used to describe the reaction mechanism.

Activated carbon was synthesized from biochar charcoal by 2 M H₂SO₄. Activated carbon was immobilized on the pretreatment polystyrene by hydrothermal process forming new adsorbent (ACPS). Characterization studies were carried out by scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Different factors affect the adsorption process as pH, contact time, solid/liquid ratio, initial concentration and temperature. The adsorption mechanism was explained according to kinetic, isothermal and thermodynamic studies. Also, the regeneration of spent ACPS was studied.

The experimental results showed that pH and equilibrium time of the best adsorption were 6.0 and 60 min for U(VI), 4.0 and 90 min for Th(IV), (pH_PZC = 3.4). The experimental results fit well with pseudo-second order, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich models proving the chemisorption and heterogenous adsorption reaction. Adsorption thermodynamics demonstrated that the adsorption process is exothermic and has random nature of the solid/liquid interface. In addition, the regeneration of spent ACPS research showed that the adsorbent has good chemical stability. According to the comparative study, ACPS shows higher adsorption capacities of U(VI) and Th(IV) than other previous bio-adsorbents.

This study was conducted to improve the chemical and physical properties of bio-charcoal purchased from the local market to activated carbon by hydrothermal method. Activated carbon was immobilized on polystyrene forming new adsorbent ACPS for eliminating U(VI) and Th(IV) from aqueous solutions.

This paper aims to focus on the preparation of Kevlar fiber (KF) and alkaline hydrolyzed KF (KF-H) to improve the dispersed condition of polyaniline (PAn), as the aggregation of PAn would lead to some adsorption sites buried. And then the materials were used to enrich anionic dye Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution.

The materials (KF@PAn and KF-H@PAn) were designed by means of “diffusion-interfacial-polymerization” under mild condition as high affinity due to the structural properties of PAn, KF and KF-H. The dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was validated according to adsorption efficiency for CR.

The content of PAn introduced was not beyond 20 wt.%, while adsorption capacity for CR was significantly enhanced by 4–8 times (on the basis of kinetic data) according to the calculation only by the content of PAn due to KF and alkaline hydrolyzed KF exhibited almost no adsorption for CR, indicating dispersed situation of PAn coating was greatly enhanced and more active sites exposed, which was favorable for the adsorption process. Presence of NaCl would exhibit a more or less positive effect on CR uptake, suggesting the materials could be used for high salt environment.

The investigated means of dispersed degree of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H are the further and future investigation.

This study will provide a method to improve the dispersed situation of PAn and a theoretical support to treat anionic dyes from aqueous solution especially for salt environment.

The results showed that the dispersed condition of PAn on the surface of KF and KF-H was greatly improved. According to the adsorption capacities for CR, it can be concluded that part of adsorption sites were buried due to the aggregation of PAn, and introduction of KF and KF-H, buried adsorption sites decreased greatly. This study will provide a method to decrease buried adsorption sites of PAn and a contribution for their convenient application in wastewater treatment especially for high salt environment.

In addition to agriculture, energy production, and industries, potable water plays a significant role in many fields, further increasing the demand for potable water. Purification and desalination play a major role in meeting the need for clean drinking water. Clean water is necessary in different areas, such as agriculture, industry, food industries, energy generation and in everyday chores.

The authors have used the different search engines like Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed to find the relevant articles and prepared this mini review.

The various stages of water purification include coagulation and flocculation, coagulation, sedimentation and disinfection, which have been discussed in this mini review. Using nanotechnology in wastewater purification plants can minimize the cost of wastewater treatment plants by combining several conventional procedures into a single package.

In society, we need to avail clean water to meet our everyday, industrial and agricultural needs. Purification of grey water can meet the clean water scarcity and make the environment sustainable.

This mini review will encourage the researchers to find out ways in water remediation to meet the need of pure water in our planet and maintain sustainability.

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/poly[acrylic acid (AAc)-co-acrylamide (AM)] composite hydrogel was prepared by radical copolymerization in the presence of Fe³⁺ freezing-thawing method. The swelling behavior of the hydrogel was investigated. The novel synthesized hydrogel was used as an adsorbent for the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. In this paper, methylene blue and maxilon blue 5G were selected as representative cationic dyes. In addition, adsorption isotherm models were used to describe the dye adsorption process.

The prepared composite hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy and UV–visible.

The prepared hydrogel exhibited excellent adsorption ability for both dyes. Various experimental conditions affecting the dye adsorption were explored to achieve maximum removal of both dyes. In addition, adsorption isotherm models were used to describe the dye adsorption process.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, synthesis of PVA/poly(AAc-co-AM) composite hydrogel in the presence of Fe³⁺ and investigation of the removal of methylene blue and maxilon blue 5G dyes is done for the first time successfully.

The epoxy resins need to be added with flame retardant to ensure safety in practical applications. There were a lot of highly toxic substances in the flame retardant used in the past, which caused greater harm to human body and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to propose a research on the synthesis of new phosphorous-containing flame retardant and the properties of flame retardant epoxy resins.

The flame retardant intermediate DOPO was synthesized using o-phenylphenol as the substrate. The intermediate was mixed with D4Vi under certain conditions to synthesize a new phosphorous-containing flame retardant. The flame retardant was added to the epoxy resins to prepare the flame retardant epoxy resins.

The experimental results show that the synthetic new phosphorous-containing flame retardant is far less harmful than the flame retardant used in the past and has extremely low toxicity, which is suitable for use in practical projects.

The new phosphorus-containing flame retardant synthesized by forms a more uniform and dense carbon layer in the combustion process, which well protects the underlying materials, thus improving the flame retardancy of epoxy resin materials. The harm of the new phosphorus-containing flame retardant is far less than that of ordinary flame retardant. The flame retardant used in the past has very low toxicity and is suitable for practical engineering.

The purpose of this study was to prepare carboxylated attapulgite (APT-COOH) and then be used as one of the ligands to prepare metal organic framework (MOF) hybrid materials to reduce the cost of MOF materials and improve the dispersed condition of APT. And then the materials were used to enrich anionic dye Congo red from aqueous solution.

The MOF hybrid materials were designed by means of facile reflux method rather than hydrothermal method, characterized by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer and pore structure. The dispersed degree of APT-COOH in the MOF materials was validated according to adsorption efficiency for Congo red.

Due to introduction of APT-COOH, the microenvironment of the MOF materials changed, leading to different adsorption behaviors. Compared to the MOF material without APT-COOH, the adsorption capacities of the hybridized MOF materials with different amounts of APT-COOH introduced increased by 4.58% and 15.55%, respectively, as the initial concentration of Congo red solution of 300 mg/L. Meantime, hybridized MOF materials were suitable to remove Congo red with low concentration, while the MOF material without APT-COOH was appropriate to enrich Congo red with high concentration.

The microstructure of MOF hybrid materials in detail is the further and future investigation.

This study will provide a method to reduce the cost of MOF materials and a theoretical support to treat anionic dyes from aqueous solution.

APT-COOH was prepared and used as one of the ligands to synthesize MOF material to improve the dispersed degree of APT-COOH and reduce the cost of the MOF materials. The adsorption efficiency was greatly enhanced with low concentration of Congo red solution, and the results indicated that hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, and p-p conjugation were involved in the adsorption process. The prepared MOFs materials exhibited excellent adsorption efficiency, which made the present materials highly promising and potentially useful in practical application as adsorbents to enrich anionic dyes such as Congo red from aqueous solution.