Environmental Water Pollution Research Articles

Mg doped TiO2 thin films: Optical, dielectric, photocatalytic, magnetic and antibacterial studies

The sol-gel dip-coating route was utilized to synthesize Mg-doped TiO2 thin films with Mg doping concentration (2,4,6,8 and 10) wt.%. The prepared films were transparent, homogeneous, and compact. The development of the anatase phase was confirmed by the diffraction peaks of XRD spectra. The size of crystallites was observed to be reduced from 12.08 to 11.82 nm when the dopant concentration was increased. The dielectric behavior of all thin films was standard. The AC conductivity was used to investigate the barrier height, the density of localized states at the Fermi level, and the hopping distance. Ferromagnetism was observed for Mg-doped TiO2 thin films. The antibacterial activity of Mg-doped TiO2 was optimal and can be applied in nanomedicines. According to the findings, Mg replaced Ti in the TiO2 lattice and produced new energy levels, lowering the bandgap of the doped films. Furthermore, increasing the Mg content caused the optical absorption of the films to shift from the ultraviolet to the visible range. The research indicated that doping a little amount of Mg into TiO2 thin film can increase visible light absorption, making it a promising material for use in solar cells to capture solar radiation. Mg-doped TiO2 exhibited favourable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue at a concentration of 10 wt% Mg. Methylene blue was degraded in the presence of sunlight, making it a promising material for water treatment and environmental pollution. Mg-doped TiO2 thin films can also be used as CO gas sensors.

Dynamic simulation of the water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) based on a new nexus in arid zone: A case study in Ningxia, China

‘Quantity-type’ water shortages and ‘quality-type’ water shortages are important factors that constrain the security and coordinated development of regional water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) system, especially in arid areas where water is scarce. Therefore, it is of great significance to accurately identify the coupling and mutual feedback effects of the WEFN on different types of water resources demand. This information can be used to understand the regional WEFN and alleviate pressure on regional water resources. In this study, a new relationship diagram of the WEFN system was formed with the incorporation of the water footprint (WF), which can characterize a system's water demand, water source type, water pollution amount and pollution type. Based on this nexus, a WEFN system feedback model suitable for arid regions was established using the system dynamics approach. Taking Ningxia, China, as a case study, six future scenarios were designed, and the development trends of the WEFN system under different development scenarios were simulated to explore the impact of different policies on the WEFN. Finally, practical suggestions to promote the synergistic development of WEFN systems were proposed. The results indicate that the rational distinction between ‘quantity-type’ and ‘quality-type’ water resources can effectively alleviate the regional water stress and promote the coordinated development of water, energy and food. And the water security is the main factor that constrains the coordinated development of the WEFN system in Ningxia. Incorporating water environmental pollution policies into the water subsystem is necessary. Furthermore, the resource saving scenario and energy production restructuring adjustment scenario can effectively alleviate the energy security problems that has resulted from rapid economic development. In addition, Ningxia urgently needs to optimize its food production structure to address a continuous reduction in the food security index.

Synergistic enhancement of redox pairs and functional groups for the removal of phenolic organic pollutants by activated PMS using silica-composited biochar: Mechanism and environmental toxicity assessment

In present work, a novel catalyst of cobalt supported on silica-composited biochar (Co@ACFA-BC) derived from fly ash and agricultural waste was synthesized. A series of characterizations confirmed that Co3O4 and Al/Si–O compounds were successfully embedded on the surface of biochar, which triggered superior catalytic activity for PMS activation towards phenol degradation. Particularly, the Co@ACFA-BC/PMS system could completely degrade phenol in the wide pH range, and was almost unaffected by environmental factors including humic acid (HA), H2PO4−, HCO3−, Cl−, and NO3−. Further quenching experiment and EPR analysis proved that both radical (SO4·-, ·OH, O2·-) and non-radical (1O2) pathways were involved in the catalytic reaction system, and the excellent PMS activation was attributed to the electron pair cycling of Co2+/Co3+ and the active sites provided by Si–O–O and Si/Al–O bonds on the catalyst surface. Meanwhile, the carbon shell effectively inhibited the leaching of metal ions, enabling the Co@ACFA-BC catalyst to maintain excellent catalytic activity after four cycles. Finally, biological acute toxicity assay demonstrated that the toxicity of phenol could be significantly reduced after being treated by Co@ACFA-BC/PMS. Overall, this work provides a promising strategy for solid waste valorization and a feasible methodology for green and efficient treatment of refractory organic pollutants in water environment.

A novel PAN/GO electrospun nanocomposite fibrous membranes with rich amino groups for highly efficient adsorption of Au(III)

The wastewater containing Au(III) is directly discharged into the natural environment, resulting in a serious waste of resources and pollution of water environment. Therefore, it has profound significance to efficiently remove and recover Au(III) from industrial wastewater. Hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (HPEI), as a non-toxic polymer, rich in primary and secondary amine groups, which have strong affinity for metal ions. However, the application of HPEI as an adsorbent in water system is limited by the fact that it is water-soluble and difficult to separate and recover. In this study, using graphene oxide (GO) grafted with HPEI as additive and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as matrix, PAN/GO-HPEI electrospun nanocomposite fibrous membranes were synthesized by electrospinning, and then grafted with HPEI by chemical graft reaction to obtain HPEI-g-PAN/GO-HPEI electrospun nanocomposite fibrous membranes, which were employed as adsorbent to adsorb Au(III) in aqueous solution. Benefitting from the existence of rich amino groups in the HPEI-g-PAN/GO-HPEI, the HPEI-g-PAN/GO-HPEI had highly efficient adsorption for Au(III) and the maximum adsorption capacity was 2893.33 mg·g−1. Significantly, the adsorbed Au(III) could be reduced to Au(I) and irregular flakes and granular Au elemental attached to the adsorbent in the adsorption process. Moreover, the HPEI-g-PAN/GO-HPEI had excellent adsorption selectivity for Au(III). Therefore, the HPEI-g-PAN/GO-HPEI has potential applications as a promising adsorbent for highly efficient recovery of Au(III) in wastewater.

The response of non-point source pollution to land use change and risk assessment based on model simulation and grey water footprint theory in an agricultural river basin of Yangtze River, China

Non-point source (NPS) pollution has gradually become the main source of water environmental pollution with the rapid economic development during the recent decades, especially for the economically developed Yangtze River Basin of China. Due to rapid urbanization, the pressure of the water environment in the Poyang Lake basin (PYLB) has been increasing. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations of NPS pollution loads including total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the PYLB during the period 2003–2012 were firstly investigated by using the SWAT; then the changes in NPS pollution loads under different land use types were identified by using the SWAT, land use transition matrix, statistical analysis and scenario analysis methods; finally, the NPS pollution risk assessment were achieved by means of the grey water footprint theory. The results showed that the NPS pollution loads in the PYLB were concentrated from April to June with a large inter-annual variability. The Gan River basin contributed the largest proportion of pollutants entering into the Poyang lake while the Xiu River basin produced the smallest pollution loads. Under the background of the policy of “Grain for Green Project” since 2002, the areas of cultivated land, grassland and bare land decreased during the period 2000–2010, while those of forest land and settlement increased. As the main source of NPS pollution, the area of cultivated land has decreased, while the unit load intensity under cultivated land has significantly increased. By calculating the annual GWF of TN and TP loads and their corresponding WPL, which all showed an upward trend. The results obtained in this study have practical significance for reducing the NPS pollution loads in the PYLB and controlling the environmental pollution in the Yangtze River.

3D-printing-assisted fabrication of hierarchically structured biomimetic surfaces with dual-wettability for water harvesting

Freshwater acquisition methods under various environments are required because water scarcity has intensified worldwide. Furthermore, as water is an essential resource for humans, a freshwater acquisition method that can be utilized even under harsh conditions, such as waterless and polluted water environments, is highly required. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted hierarchically structured surface with dual-wettability (i.e., surface with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic region) for fog harvesting was developed by mimicking the biological features (i.e., cactus spines and elytra of Namib Desert beetles) that have effective characteristics for fog harvesting. The cactus-shaped surface exhibited self-transportation ability of water droplet, derived from the Laplace pressure gradient. Additionally, microgrooved patterns of the cactus spines were implemented using the staircase effect of 3D printing. Moreover, a partial metal deposition method using wax-based masking was introduced to realize the dual wettability of the elytra of the Namib Desert beetle. Consequently, the proposed surface exhibited the best performance (average weight of 7.85 g for 10 min) for fog harvesting, which was enhanced by the synergetic effect between the Laplace pressure gradient and surface energy gradient. These results support a novel freshwater production system that can be utilized even in harsh conditions, such as waterless and polluted water environments.

Development of a methodological approach for determination of environmental risks of water bodies pollution across industrially developed territories (as exemplified by the rivers of City of Kharkiv)

The study’s relevance consists in the need to determine the prospects for achieving a good environmental condition of Ukrainian water bodies in accordance with the Water Framework Directive of the European Union on establishing the framework of the Community's activities in the field of water policies. The question on ability to achieve the set goals is related to assessment of the environmental risks of surface water pollution by chemical substances. The purpose of the research is to develop new approaches to identification of the risks of surface rivers' water pollution across industrially developed territories. The study was carried out using the data of hydrochemical observations of the Lopan and the Kharkiv rivers. The rivers are located inside City of Kharkiv and exposed to pollution both by industrial discharges and municipal wastes. The work is based on application of a probabilistic approach aimed at determining quantitative indicators of the environmental risks using statistical distribution of such indicators. The scientific novelty consists in offering a method to determine modified water pollution indices and pollution risk indicators specifically for biogenic substances and heavy metals. This allows evaluating the prospects of ensuring a good environmental condition despite surface water pollution from various sources. The research results in presenting a method of building a scale for qualitative and quantitative assessment of environmental risks and their consequences. It relies upon semantical match of the gradations of aquatic environment quality indicators and chemical contamination risk indicators. The study that covers the Kharkiv and the Lopan rivers showed a close relationship between environmental risk indicators and water pollution indices. The revealed dependencies made it possible to harmonize the semantic gradation of aquatic environment quality scales and risk scales. Practical application of the developed methodology implies only calculation of the modified index of pollution by heavy metals or biogenic substances based on the observation data and establishing a possible risk zone and a corresponding environmental situation according to the environmental risk scale. The proposed approaches are recommended for use when determining environmental pollution risks across industrially developed territories of different countries.

Fabrication and optimization of paper chips from calcinated Fe-MOFs for rapid and in situ visual detection of tetracyclines in water environments

Antibiotics such as tetracyclines (TCs) have become a major threat to ecosystem safety and human health, as their abuse has caused the occurrence and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes. Currently, there is still a lack of convenient in situ methods for the detection and monitoring of TC pollution in actual water systems. This research reports a paper chip based on the complexation of iron-based metal organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) and TCs for rapid and in situ visual detection of representative oxytetracycline (OTC) pollution in water environments. The optimized complexation sample NH2-MIL-101(Fe)− 350 obtained by calcination at 350 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity and was then used for paper chip fabrication by printing and surface modification. Notably, the paper chip demonstrated a detection limit as low as 17.11 nmol L−1 and good practicability in reclaimed water, aquaculture wastewater, and surface water systems, with OTC recovery rates of 90.6–111.4%. More importantly, the presence of dissolved oxygen (9.13–12.7 mg L−1), chemical oxygen demand (0.52–12.1 mg L−1), humic acid (< 10 mg L−1), Ca2+, Cl–, and HPO42– (< 0.5 mol L−1) had negligible interference on the detection of TCs by the paper chip. Therefore, this work has developed a promising method for rapid and in situ visual monitoring of TC pollution in actual water environments.

Kinetically Inert Macrocyclic Europium(III) Receptors for Phosphate.

The significant role that phosphate plays in environmental water pollution and biomedical conditions such as hyperphosphatemia highlights the need to develop robust receptors that can sequester the anion effectively and selectively from complex aqueous media. Toward that goal, four macrocyclic tris-bidentate 1,2-hydroxypyridonate (HOPO) europium(III) complexes containing either a cyclen, cyclam, TACN, or TACD ligand cap were synthesized and evaluated as phosphate receptors. The solubility of EuIII-TACD-HOPO in water was insufficient for luminescent studies. Whereas EuIII-cyclen-HOPO is eight coordinate with two inner-sphere water molecules, both EuIII-cyclam-HOPO and EuIII-TACN-HOPO are nine coordinate with three inner-sphere water molecules, suggesting that the two coordination states are very close in energy. As observed previously with linear analogues of tripodal HOPO complexes, there is no relationship between the number of inner-sphere water molecules and the affinity of the complex for phosphate. Whereas all three complexes do bind phosphate, EuIII-cyclen-HOPO has the highest affinity for phosphate with the anion displacing both of its inner-sphere water molecules. On the other hand, only one or two of the three inner-sphere water molecules of EuIII-TACN-HOPO and EuIII-cyclam-HOPO are displaced by phosphate, respectively. All three complexes are highly selective for phosphate over other anions, including arsenate. All three complexes are highly stable. EuIII-cyclen-HOPO and, to a lesser extent, EuIII-TACN-HOPO are more kinetically inert than the linear EuIII-Ser-HOPO. EuIII-cyclam-HOPO, on the other hand, is not. This study highlights the significant effect that minor changes in the ligand cap can have on both the ligand exchange rate and affinity for phosphate of tripodal 1,2-dihydroxypyridinonate complexes.

Freezing degradation of the anticonvulsant oxcarbazepine by bromate in water ice under sunlight irradiation

Ice plays a crucial role in contaminant transformation in seasonally ice-covered waters. In this study, the characteristics and mechanisms of an emerging contaminant oxcarbazepine (OXC) degradation by a disinfection by-product bromate (BrO3–) in ice were explored via combined experiments and theoretical calculations. Results showed that 74.0 % and 86.4 % of OXC was degraded by BrO3– in ice after 140 min in dark and 120 min under solar irradiation, respectively, while the reaction was negligible in water. The oxidation-reduction potential of BrO3– solution at 1000 μmol L−1 was 56.9 % higher than that at 50 μmol L−1. The oxidation-reduction potential of BrO3– solution at pH 2 was 14.8 %–109.5 % higher than those at other pH values. Enhanced OXC degradation by BrO3– in ice could be attributed to increased BrO3– oxidation capacity resulting from locally elevated BrO3– and H+ concentrations. Hypobromous acid (HOBr), •OH, and Br• generated by direct photolysis under solar irradiation further promoted the OXC degradation in ice. Br• formed by the direct photolysis of accumulated HOBr under solar irradiation caused the generation of bromine-containing degradation products. Bromine-containing degradation products possessed higher potential toxicities, which could contribute to increase the secondary pollution of water environment.

Sensitive measurement of silver ions in environmental water samples integrating magnetic ion-imprinted solid phase extraction and carbon dot fluorescent sensor

Increasing use of silver in various fields has caused Ag+ pollution in water environment, taking great threats to people's health. As a consequence, establishing rapid and reliable methods for sensitive determination of Ag+ is of great significance. Fluorescent (FL) sensors based on carbon dots (CDs), an excellent carbonaceous nanomaterial with strong and stable fluorescence, have absorbed extensive attentions in analysis of pollutants due to its advantages of carbon sources being readily available, low cost, easy operation and fast response. Moreover, ion-imprinting is a better way to increase the selectivity of the proposed method. Present work described an effective method for the sensitive measurement of silver ion in water samples in combination with magnetic ion-imprinted solid phase extraction and CDs based fluorescent sensor, which took full advantages of easy separation and high enrichment of magnetic solid phase extraction, high selectivity of ion-imprinting technology, and sensitivity and rapid response of fluorescent sensor from CDs. Sulfur-doped CDs derived from dithizone and magnetic ion-imprinted nanomaterial were prepared, and characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope, etc. Magnetic Ag+ imprinted nanomaterial based solid phase extraction was employed for separating and enriching Ag+ from water samples. The significant parameters were optimized in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the proposed method provided good linearity in the range of 0.01–0.4 µmol/L and low detection limit of 3 nmol/L. The reliability of the proposed method was validated with real water samples, and the results demonstrated that the proposed method was simple, robust, selective and sensitive detection tool for Ag+ in real water samples.

The application of DNA nanotechnology to trace water environmental pollution

The application of DNA nanotechnology to trace water environmental pollution

Fish-gill inspired multifunctional nanofibrous membrane for efficient demulsification and pollutant sorption

Importance of multifunctional membranes for efficient purification of contaminated oily wastewater is globally realized due to depleting fresh water sources and environmental pollution. Electrospun superwettable membranes with heterostructures have attracted attention because of their versatile features, high surface area and multifunctionality. Herein, fish gill inspired superhydrophilic nanofibrous membranes of selective wettability were prepared using zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-8) decoration. A unique near-gel resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning was employed to produce core-sheath structured nanofibrous membranes comprised of crosslinked polystyrene (PS) as the core and crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based sheath. An in-situ growth of ZIF-8 over the fibrous membrane's surface ensured retaining membrane's superhydrophilicity and underwater oleophobic behaviour and captured oil droplets to demulsify various oil/water emulsions during separation. ZIF-8 based biomimetic membrane achieved higher emulsion separation efficiency (98.9%) toward surfactant stabilized emulsions as compared to undecorated membrane. The membranes were also developed to attain multifunctionality via variation in ZIF-8 growth process. The membrane was evaluated for emulsion separation under various environmental conditions and its reusability up to 5 separation cycles. The controlled growth of ZIF-8 also facilitated heavy metal ion removal (85% at 100 ppb concentration) along with emulsion separation. The effect of growth loading on sorption capacity was evaluated in different oils and organic solvents. The membrane with high ZIF-8 growth showed excellent sorption capacity (4000%) toward toluene with consistent sorption up to 5 cycles of sorption-desorption. Overall, this study demonstrated a facile strategy to create multifunctional nanofibrous membrane through emulsion electrospinning, which can effectively be used in efficient emulsion separation, heavy metal ion removal and oil sorption.

Preparation of dual-use GPTES@ZnO photocatalyst from waste warm filter cake and evaluation of its synergic photocatalytic degradation for air-water purification

Organic pollutants are the most critical threats to the health of air and water resources. On this basis, fabricating a photocatalytic acrylic film with dual-use (i.e. removing benzene from air and MB/MO dyes from water) was aimed in this research. For this purpose, waste warm filter cake (WWFC) was used to extract zinc from it. Zinc element was separated from WWFC by a basic leaching method and acidified to prepare zinc oxide nanoparticles. In the following, a simple hydrothermal method was used to increase the surface functionality of the extracted ZnO nanoparticles in order to establish active reaction sites for reaction to silane coupling agent and increase in the holes that were prepared during photo-excitation. Thereafter, the nanoparticles were modified with 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTES) at different concentrations. The band gap of the modified nanoparticles decreased from 3.25 to 3.1 eV by surface modification. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO nanoparticles was assessed by degradation of MB and MO aqueous solution (50 ppm) under simulated UV/Visible irradiations. MB and MO were degraded 91 and 60% under UV light and 65 and 50% under visible light after 150 min of irradiation. The photo degradation rate increased after adding carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) surfactant to methylene blue and adding cocamide-dea (CDE-G) surfactant to methyl orange. The results confirmed that the green surfactants improve the dispersion and surface interaction of the modified nanoparticles in the dyes solution and cause more electron charge transfer which creates effective photocatalytic sites. The prepared nanocomposite films were placed in a photo-reactor to remove gaseous benzene from air under UV/visible irradiation. Gas chromatography (GC) results showed that the modified nanoparticles removed up to 35.25 and 20.34% of benzene from air. Colorimetric analysis (ΔE*) showed that the acrylic film contained modified nanoparticles degraded 91 and 82% of MB, and 85 and 76% of MO under UV/visible lights, respectively. In the end, it can be said that these photocatalytic films are able to remove environmental pollution in air and water.

Micro-hole array sprayer combined with an organic membrane to assist LIBS (MASOM-LIBS): A novel highly sensitive detection method for dissolved trace heavy metals in water

The development of highly sensitive and rapid detection technology for heavy metal elements in water is of great significance to the monitoring of water environmental pollution, sewage discharge control and other application fields. As an alternative detection method with great potential in the above fields, LIBS technology still has some problems that need to be solved. To improve the sensitivity and efficiency of LIBS detection of trace metals in water, a new method Micro-hole Array Sprayer combined with an Organic Membrane to assist LIBS (MASOM-LIBS) was proposed in this study. In this method, water samples were transformed into a large number of micrometer droplets by a micro-hole array injection device and were sprayed onto a rotating polypropylene organic film. After natural drying, LIBS analysis was performed. The test results of the mixed solution show that plasma with lower electron density and higher electron temperature can be obtained after full drying, the signal intensity will be stronger, and the stability can be reduced to less than 1%. The experimental results of Cu, Cd, Mn, Pb, Cr and Sr as target elements show that the LODs of the MASOM-LIBS method for most elements is less than 0.1 mg/L when the detection time is less than 3 min, which has certain advantages over similar LIBS methods. If the detection time is increased appropriately, the LODs of this method is even expected to be reduced to less than 0.01 mg/L. These results indicate that MASOM-LIBS is a feasible method to improve the sensitivity and speed of the detection of trace heavy elements in liquid samples and can facilitate the wide application of LIBS in water quality monitoring. In view of the short detection time, high sensitivity and low LODs of MASOM-LIBS, this method is expected to be developed into a water trace heavy metal detection technology with fully automatic, real-time, highly sensitive and multi-element detection technology in the future.

Study on the Coordination of New Urbanization and Water Ecological Civilization and Its Driving Factors: Evidence from the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

For sustainable development of the world, it is crucial to solve the problems related to water environment pollution, water shortage, and the inefficient utilization of water resources during the process of urbanization in developing countries. At present, scholars mainly focus on the measurement of new urbanization (NU) and the water ecological civilization (WEC) level and the coordination relationship between NU and ecological civilization. However, there have been few studies on the coordination relationship between NU and WEC and its driving factors. We take the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) in China as a case study, construct the indicator system of NU and WEC, analyze the current situation of NU and WEC in the YREB, and study the coordination state of NU and WEC in the YREB from 2011 to 2020 by using a state coordination function. We further examine the factors driving the coordination of NU and WEC by employing a two-way fixed-effects model. The results show the following: (1) The growth rate of NU and WEC in the YREB shows a fluctuating upward trend, where there is significant heterogeneity between the upper reaches, the middle reaches, and the lower reaches of the YREB. (2) The static coordination degree of NU and WEC in the YREB shows a trend of fluctuating upwards and then falling, and the dynamic coordination degree deviated from the coordinated development trajectory from 2018 to 2020. The classification of the static coordination degree of various regions in the YREB gradually becomes obvious with significant spatial aggregation characteristics, and the dynamic coordination degree of various regions has significant heterogeneity. (3) The opening-up degree, foreign direct investment, population growth, and urban–rural income gap are not advantageous to the coordination degree, while the marketization level, industrial structure, and human capital are advantageous to the coordination degree, but the regression coefficients of the latter two are not significant. The regional regression results show that the impacts of driving factors on the coordination degree have obvious heterogeneity. The research results provide a new idea and method that can be used by developing countries similar to the YERB to control water pollution, improve the ecological environment, alleviate water shortages, and improve the level of WEC in the process of NU.

Environmental Preservation and Water Pollution from the Islamic Perspective

Islam is a religion of peace, security, and prosperity for all beings in our surroundings. This paper aims to discuss environmental and water pollution according to Islamic views. The study of environmental protection, environmental control, preservation, and balance of nature is something that is urgent from an Islamic point of view. This research is qualitative research that obtains data from primary and secondary sources, namely books, articles, journals, and papers. Data were analyzed inductively, deductively, and comparatively regarding Islamic sources and environmental science. After that, all data was collected and recorded descriptively. This study concludes that Islamic law strictly prohibits all actions that can damage and destroy the environment. The environment must be maintained and monitored as best as possible from the occurrence of something that can damage it. The term damage is often repeated by Allah SWT in the Qur'an to show that it is something that is important to understand and must be fully paid attention to in order to ensure environmental sustainability. Environmental damage comes from human actions that clearly damage this earth and human beings themselves. Human behavior is usually influenced by desire regardless of the consequences for the environment. The research also argues that Islamic law is very concerned about protecting the environment and prohibits strict environmental encroachment and if there are parties who pollute air resources, they can be prosecuted. This paper contributes to environmental preservation according to the Islamic perspective.

Advance Progress on Luminescent Sensing of Nitroaromatics by Crystalline Lanthanide-Organic Complexes.

Water environment pollution is becoming an increasingly serious issue due to industrial pollutants with the rapid development of modern industry. Among many pollutants, the toxic and explosive nitroaromatics are used extensively in the chemical industry, resulting in environmental pollution of soil and groundwater. Therefore, the detection of nitroaromatics is of great significance to environmental monitoring, citizen life and homeland security. Lanthanide-organic complexes with controllable structural features and excellent optical performance have been rationally designed and successfully prepared and used as lanthanide-based sensors for the detection of nitroaromatics. This review will focus on crystalline luminescent lanthanide-organic sensing materials with different dimensional structures, including the 0D discrete structure, 1D and 2D coordination polymers and the 3D framework. Large numbers of studies have shown that several nitroaromatics could be detected by crystalline lanthanide-organic-complex-based sensors, for instance, nitrobenzene (NB), nitrophenol (4-NP or 2-NP), trinitrophenol (TNP) and so on. The various fluorescence detection mechanisms were summarized and sorted out in the review, which might help researchers or readers to comprehensively understand the mechanism of the fluorescence detection of nitroaromatics and provide a theoretical basis for the rational design of new crystalline lanthanide-organic complex-based sensors.

Effect of endogenetic dissolved organic matter on tetracycline adsorption by biochar.

The endogenetic biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (BDOM) might interact with pollutants in the environment. In this study, tetracycline (TC) was selected as the representative pollutant, and corn straw biochar (pyrolyzed at 300 °C) was used as the adsorbent. Through batch experiments and microscopic characterization, the releasing kinetics of BDOM and its effect on TC adsorption on biochar were investigated. The results showed that BDOM with weaker aromaticity and higher molecular weight was preferentially released. BDOM release led to the decrease of specific surface area (from 4.02 to 1.83 m2/g), mesopore number, and aromaticity of biochar (H/C increased from 0.80 to 0.91) and consequently weakened the pore filling of TC on biochar, hydrophobic interaction, and π-π EDA (electron donor receptor) interaction between biochar and TC. In addition, the released BDOM could form a complex with TC in solution to prevent TC adsorption on biochar. Overall, the change in the structural properties of biochar caused by BDOM release had a greater impact on the inhibition of TC adsorption than that of BDOM and TC complexation in this study. Through EEM-PRARFAC, BDOM contained about 63% humic acid-like fluorescent component and 37% tryptophan-like fluorescent component; the former (logKb values were 7.31 and 6.48, respectively) had a stronger binding strength with TC than the latter (logKb was 6.45). The findings of this study could provide some useful evidence for the removal of organic pollutants in soil and water environments and biochar application in pollution remediation.

Triboelectrification Catalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Water Environment

With the rapid development of industrialization, more and more organic pollutants are entering the water environment, rendering the treatment of organic pollutants a key issue in protecting it. Therefore, finding a convenient and effective method for degrading organic pollutants in water is of great importance. Triboelectrification is known as the process of charge transfer during the friction process. It is always accompanied by the energy level transition of electrons or holes, making it a potential method for catalytic degradation, which we refer to as triboelectrification catalysis. In this study, a set of experimental equipment was developed. The device is composed of a mechanical system, a control system, and a measurement system that can realize the quantitative measurement of the triboelectrification catalysis under different friction pairs, different loads, and different contact frequencies. Using the developed device, we observed stable triboelectrification catalytic degradation. This study performed triboelectrification catalytic experiments on various organic compounds including methyl orange, rhodamine, and tetracycline. The results revealed that these three organic compounds were degraded by 39%, 15%, and 20%, respectively, within three hours of being under the influence of triboelectrification catalysis. Subsequently, this study conducted triboelectrification catalytic experiments using materials with different triboelectric capacities. This study found that the triboelectric capacity significantly impacted the triboelectrification catalytic degradation rate, providing further evidence for the mechanism of triboelectrification catalysis. Additionally, this study found that SiO2 and Al2O3, which also utilize electrons as the primary carrier for triboelectrification, are capable of catalyzing the degradation of a methyl orange solution. Therefore, this study suggests that the triboelectrification catalysis is a versatile and widely applicable method for treating organic pollutants in water. With a broad range of catalyst sources and the ability to effectively degrade various organic pollutants, it shows promise as a solution for the problem of water pollution.