A non-traditional energy transfer process in CWPO heterogeneous reaction for wastewater treatment

Research Progress on Magnetic Catalysts and Its Application in Hydrogen Production Area

The noncontact heating technology of IH targets heat directly where it is needed through the electromagnetic energy adsorption and conversion of magnetic materials. Unlike conventional heating methods, the heat generated by electromagnetic induction of magnetic materials can be applied directly into the reactor without heating the entire device; this new heating method is not only more energy efficient but also safer, cleaner and more sustainable if renewable electricity is adopted; moreover, magnetic catalysts can be recovered and reused by separating chemical reactants and products from the catalyst by the application of a magnetic field, and it can provide the required heat source for the reaction without altering its catalytic properties. Magnetic catalysts with an electric field have been applied to some industrial areas, such as the preparation of new materials, catalytic oxidation reactions, and high-temperature heat absorption reactions. It is a trend that is used in the hydrogen production process, especially the endothermic steam reforming process. Therefore, in this paper, the heat release mechanism, properties, preparation methods and the application of magnetic catalysts were presented. Highlights of the application and performance of magnetic catalysts in the hydrogen production area were also discussed.

Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation degradation of magenta wastewater and preparation of FeOCl/montmorillonite

The iron oxychloride/pillared montmorillonite (FeOCl/MMT) catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation method and solid melting method. Various characterization techniques were used to analyze the microscopic morphology and structure of a series of catalysts. Moreover, the catalysts were used to treat magenta-simulated dye wastewater through catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) degradation. The magenta removal rate and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate of the magenta-simulated dye wastewater were used to evaluate the catalytic performance of the catalyst, and the optimal catalyst preparation conditions were selected. The results showed that the solid melting method was more favorable to the preparation of the catalyst, and the COD removal rate of wastewater can reach 70.8% when the FeOCl load was 3%. Moreover, 96.2% of the magenta in the solution was removed. The COD removal rate of the magenta wastewater decreased by only 12.4% after the catalyst was repeatedly used six times, indicating that the catalyst has good activity and stability. The Fermi equation can simulate the reaction process of the catalyst treating magenta wastewater at high temperature.

Engineering Iron Oxide Nanocatalysts by a Microwave-Assisted Polyol Method for the Magnetically Induced Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Advanced oxidation processes constitute a promising alternative for the treatment of wastewater containing organic pollutants. Still, the lack of cost-effective processes has hampered the widespread use of these methodologies. Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles stand as a great alternative since they can be engineered by different reproducible and scalable methods. The present study consists of the synthesis of single-core and multicore magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles by the microwave-assisted polyol method and their use as self-heating catalysts for the degradation of an anionic (acid orange 8) and a cationic dye (methylene blue). Decolorization of these dyes was successfully improved by subjecting the catalyst to an alternating magnetic field (AMF, 16 kA/m, 200 kHz). The sudden temperature increase at the surface of the catalyst led to an intensification of 10% in the decolorization yields using 1 g/L of catalyst, 0.3 M H₂O₂ and 500 ppm of dye. Full decolorization was achieved at 90 °C, but iron leaching (40 ppm) was detected at this temperature leading to a homogeneous Fenton process. Multicore nanoparticles showed higher degradation rates and 100% efficiencies in four reusability cycles under the AMF. The improvement of this process with AMF is a step forward into more sustainable remediation techniques.

Carboxylic acid recovery from Fischer–Tropsch aqueous product by fractional freezing

About half of the product from iron-based high-temperature Fischer–Tropsch synthesis is an aqueous product containing dissolved oxygenates. Volatile oxygenates can be recovered by distillation, but the bulk of the carboxylic acids remain in the water, which is called acid water. Fractional freezing was explored as a process for producing a more concentrated carboxylic acid solution from which the carboxylic acids could be recovered as petrochemical products, while concomitantly producing a cleaner wastewater. Solid–liquid equilibrium data were collected for aqueous solutions of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. A synthetic Fischer–Tropsch acid water mixture (0.70 wt% acetic acid, 0.15 wt% propionic acid, and 0.15 wt% butyric acid) was prepared and the liquid phase concentrations of the acid species at solid–liquid equilibrium were determined. Control experiments with material balance closure on each of the carboxylic acid species were performed at selected conditions. Having more than one carboxylic acid species present in the mixture meaningfully changed the solid–liquid equilibrium versus temperature of the system. The carboxylic acids partitioned between the solid phase and the liquid phase and a practical design would require multiple duty-controlled solid–liquid equilibrium stages, with most of the separation taking place in the temperature range 0 to − 5 °C.