Valorization of solid digestate through biochar production for toluene adsorption and enhanced energy recovery as solid recovered fuel.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) transforms organic waste into biogas, aligning with circular economy principles; however, its byproduct, digestate, poses waste management challenges due to variable composition and potential heavy metal contamination. This study proposes an innovative dual-purpose approach to convert waste digestate and air pollutants into energy. Solid digestate was pyrolyzed to produce high-performance biochar for toluene adsorption and subsequent use as solid recovered fuel (SRF), effectively valorizing waste materials.

Single-step pyrolytic synthesis of ultra-microporous ammonialized biochar for carbon dioxide capture.

Carbon dioxide (CO) is a significant greenhouse gas that plays a pivotal role in driving global warming and climate change. Its primary sources stem from human activities, notably transportation, power generation, and industrial processes. Directly capturing CO emissions at their origins is widely recognized as a potent and efficient approach to reducing emissions.

Novel synthesis and application of biochar for controlling release and exposure of mercury in the farmland: From human health risk perspective.

Mercury (Hg)-contaminated farmlands have received wide attention because of the adverse risks posed to food security and human health. In addition, climate change altered the mobility of Hg in the soil, limiting soil productivity and nutrient bioavailability, hence elevating health risks. To adapt to these risks, pot experiments were employed to showcase the impacts of single-pyrolytic synthesized biochar with nitrogen and phosphorus impregnation (NPBC) on the nutrient accessibility, Hg immobilization, and human health risks, compared to pristine and control groups.

Mercury pollution control and Marphysa sanguinea bio-response in active-capped sediment with calcium alginate/activated carbon composite.

Anthropogenic and industrial activities have released large amounts of mercury (Hg) into the hydrosphere. Hg ultimately deposits in sediments and could be re-released into the water environment, threatening the ecological system. Active capping is considered a suitable remediation method due to its relatively low cost and in-situ decontamination feasibility.

High-selective platinum and palladium capture using polyamide 6: A potent material for platinum group metals' recovery from spent car catalytic converter.

Platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) are commonly integrated into automotive catalytic converters to convert harmful emissions into relatively safer substances. Their scarcity has resulted in the rapid development of an industry focused on their recovery. Polyamide 6 (PA6), a microplastic pollutant, is a common industrial material.

Assessment of sources and health risks of heavy metals in metropolitan household dust among preschool children: The LEAPP-HIT study.

The most common construction material used in Taiwan is concrete, potentially contaminated by geologic heavy metals (HMs). Younger children spend much time indoors, increasing HM exposure risks from household dust owing to their behaviors. We evaluated arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) concentrations in fingernails among 280 preschoolers between 2017 and 2023.

Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of mercury in contaminated soils and potential health risk to the kidneys and neurodevelopment of children in Taiwan.

Health risk assessments of exposure to mercury (Hg) from soils via ingestion and inhalation are indispensable for Taiwanese people living in the vicinity of Hg-contaminated sites. In this study, anthropogenic soils were collected from various polluted sources in Taiwan. In vitro oral and inhalation bioaccessible fractions of Hg were analyzed to avoid from overestimating the exposure risk.

Degradation of trichloroethylene by double dielectric barrier discharge (DDBD) plasma technology: Performance, product analysis and acute biotoxicity assessment.

Trichloroethylene is carcinogenic and poorly degraded by microorganisms in the environment. Advanced Oxidation Technology is considered to be an effective treatment technology for TCE degradation. In this study, a double dielectric barrier discharge (DDBD) reactor was established to decompose TCE.

Microbial community evolution and functional trade-offs of biofilm in odor treatment biofilters.

Biofilters inoculated with activated sludge are widely used for odor control in WWTP. In this process, biofilm community evolution plays an important role in the function of reactor and is closely related to reactor performance. However, the trade-offs in biofilm community and bioreactor function during the operation are still unclear.

Using recoverable sulfurized magnetic biochar for active capping to remediate multiple heavy metal contaminated sediment.

Due to anthropogenic activities, heavy metals are discharged into the hydrosphere and deposit onto the sediment. Heavy metals remobilize through physical disturbance and change in environmental conditions, posing a risk to environments and human health. Among several remediation methods, active layer capping is considered to be more feasible due to its financial and technical advantages; however, its long-term effects remain unknown.

Novel applications of vacuum distillation for heavy metals removal from wastewater, copper nitrate hydroxide recovery, and copper sulfide impregnated activated carbon synthesis for gaseous mercury adsorption.

Hydrometallurgical processing of electronic waste produces copper (Cu)-containing wastewater. Recycling of Cu is thus crucial, as it reduces the Cu impact on the environment, and increases Cu sustainability in industry. Vacuum distillation provides excellent performance in both metals removal from aqueous solution, metal recovery, and metal impregnation to porous material.

Microbial community regulation and performance enhancement in gas biofilters by interrupting bacterial communication.

Background: Controlling excess biomass accumulation and clogging is important for maintaining the performance of gas biofilters and reducing energy consumption. Interruption of bacterial communication (quorum quenching) can modulate gene expression and alter biofilm properties. However, whether the problem of excess biomass accumulation in gas biofilters can be addressed by interrupting bacterial communication remains unknown.

Boosting catalytic stability for VOCs removal by constructing PtCu alloy structure with superior oxygen activation behavior.

The elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the process of industry production is of great significance to improve the atmospheric environment. Herein the catalytic oxidation of the toluene and iso-hexane mixture, as the typical components from furniture paint industry, and the enhancement in the catalytic stability for toluene oxidation were investigated in detail. The formation rate of active oxygen species was very important for the development of the catalyst with high catalytic stability.

Associations of maternal food safety-related risk perceptions and protective behaviors with daily mercury intake and internal doses of Taiwanese women and their preschool children.

Mercury (Hg) is a well-known toxicant that can affect children's neurodevelopment. This study attempted to evaluate the internal dose of Hg in hair and fingernails and external Hg exposure from dietary consumption in 283 pairs of mothers and their children aged under 6 years in Taiwan. Mean Hg levels in hair and fingernail samples were 1.

Catalytic stability enhancement for pollutant removal via balancing lattice oxygen mobility and VOCs adsorption.

Manganese oxide supported Pt single atoms (Pt/MnO) are prepared by the molten salt method. Catalytic oxidation of toluene and iso-hexane, typical emissions from furniture paints industry, is tested. Pt/MnO shows poor and high catalytic stability for toluene and iso-hexane oxidation, respectively.

Estimation of Soil and Dust Ingestion Rates from the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Soil and Dust Model for Children in Taiwan.

This study focuses on estimating the probabilistic soil and dust ingestion rates for children under 3 years old by the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Soil and Dust (SHEDS-S/D) model developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Gaseous mercury re-emission from wet flue gas desulfurization wastewater aeration basins: A review.

Wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) simultaneously removes Hg and SO from coal-fired power plant flue gas streams. Hg re-emission occurs when the dissolved Hg(II) is converted to a volatile form (i.e.

A novel synthesis of sulfurized magnetic biochar for aqueous Hg(II) capture as a potential method for environmental remediation in water.

Due to public health threats resulting from mercury (Hg) and its distribution in the food chain, global restrictions have been placed on Hg use and emissions. Biochar is a porous, carbonaceous adsorbent typically derived from waste biomass or organic matter, making it an eco-friendly material for aqueous mercury (Hg(II)) control. Functionalization of biochar can improve performance in pollution control applications.

Effects of soil lead exposure and land use characteristics on neurodevelopment among children under 3 years of age in northern Taiwan.

Lead (Pb) exposure increases the risks of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Child-specific activities and land use scenarios may lead to elevated opportunities for Pb exposure through the soil. Therefore, we investigated hair and fingernail Pb concentrations among young children in northern Taiwan, in relation to soil Pb pollution and land use characteristics.

Emissions, measurement, and control of odor in livestock farms: A review.

Odor emissions from intensive livestock farms have attracted increased attention due to their adverse impacts on the environment and human health. Nevertheless, a systematic summary regarding the characteristics, sampling detection, and control technology for odor emissions from livestock farms is currently lacking. This paper compares the development of odor standards in different countries and summarizes the odor emission characteristics of livestock farms.

Mercury speciation and mass distribution of coal-fired power plants in Taiwan using different air pollution control processes.

In this study, the mercury (Hg) emission, speciation, and mass distribution of four coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) located at central, southern, and northern Taiwan with various types of air pollution control devices were investigated. Gaseous Hg in the coal-combustion flue gas was sampled by using the Ontario Hydro method, and the solid and liquid samples were collected for understanding the Hg mass balance. The experimental results showed that the total Hg concentrations in flue gases at the inlets of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) varied from 2.

Mercury vapor adsorption and sustainable recovery using novel electrothermal swing system with gold-electrodeposited activated carbon fiber cloth.

A novel electrothermal swing (ETS) system with gold-electrodeposited activated carbon fiber cloth (GE-ACFC) was developed to adsorb and sustainably recover low-concentration Hg. GE-ACFC with an Au growth time of 1200 s displayed the largest Hg adsorption capacity and >90% removal efficiency. The Hg adsorption of GE-ACFC was dominated by physisorption via Au amalgamation.