Nanoscale Fe(0) (nFe(0)) can detoxify Cr(VI)-bearing wastewater and groundwater, but rapid passivation is a negative factor for large-scale remediation applications. In this study, a magnetic FeS@Fe(0) hybrid material was fabricated by immobilization of iron sulfide (FeS) onto Fe(0) particles to improve the Cr(VI) removal capacity. The solid characterization confirmed that Fe(0) particles were encapsulated by amorphous iron monosulfide. The Cr(VI) uptake by FeS@Fe(0) hybrid particles was found to follow pseudo-second-order rate kinetics, and the Langmuir isotherm was most appropriate to describe Cr(VI) sorption. Meanwhile, the FeS@Fe(0) hybrid particles showed a much higher efficiency towards Cr(VI) sequestration compared to individual nFe(0). Moreover, the results of batch experiments with various adsorbent doses indicated that the reactivity of FeS@Fe(0) varies with different FeS-to-Fe(0) molar ratios. The reaction rate constants for Cr(VI) removal first increased with an increasing FeS-to-Fe(0) ratio from 0/1 to 1/9, and then decreased for the FeS-to-Fe(0) ratio increased further 1/5 or 1/3. For environmental parameters, there was a negative effect of increasing the solution pH and dissolved oxygen on Cr(VI) removal. Furthermore, a mechanistic analysis revealed that Cr(VI) reduction occurred predominantly at the solid-liquid interface, and that Fe(II) regenerated from FeS@Fe(0) corrosion may account for 52% of the Cr(VI) reduction, while electrons from Fe(0) and FeS account for the rest. After treatment, Cr(VI) was completely transformed and immobilized as solid Fe-Cr hydroxide precipitates, thus avoiding secondary contamination. The FeS@Fe(0) hybrid material has a better potential for treating Cr(VI)-bearing wastewater than nano Fe(0).

Considerable debate exists over the primary cause of increased antibiotic resistance (AR) worldwide. Evidence suggests increasing AR results from overuse of antibiotics in medicine and therapeutic and nontherapeutic applications in agriculture. However, pollution also can influence environmental AR, particularly associated with heavy metal, pharmaceutical, and other waste releases, although the relative scale of the “pollution” contribution is poorly defined, which restricts targeted mitigation efforts. The question is “where to study and quantify AR from pollution versus other causes to best understand the pollution effect”. One useful site is Cuba because industrial pollution broadly exists; antibiotics are used sparingly in medicine and agriculture; and multiresistant bacterial infections are increasing in clinical settings without explanation. Within this context, we quantified 13 antibiotic resistance genes (ARG; indicators of AR potential), 6 heavy metals, 3 antibiotics, and 17 other organic pollutants at 8 locations along the Almendares River in western Havana at sites bracketing known waste discharge points, including a large solid waste landfill and various pharmaceutical factories. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between sediment ARG levels, especially for tetracyclines and β-lactams (e.g., tet(M), tet(O), tet(Q), tet(W), bla_OXA), and sediment Cu and water column ampicillin levels in the river. Further, sediment ARG levels increased by up to 3 orders of magnitude downstream of the pharmaceutical factories and were highest where human population densities also were high. Although explicit links are not shown, results suggest that pollution has increased background AR levels in a setting where other causes of AR are less prevalent.

This paper discusses the sorbent properties of magnetic activated carbons and biochars produced by wet impregnation with iron oxides. The sorbents had magnetic susceptibilities consistent with theoretical predictions for carbon-magnetite composites. The high BET surface areas of the activated carbons were preserved in the synthesis, and enhanced for one low surface area biochar by dissolving carbonates. Magnetization decreased the point of zero charge. Organic compound sorption correlated strongly with BET surface areas for the pristine and magnetized materials, while metal cation sorption did not show such a correlation. Strong sorption of the hydrophobic organic contaminant phenanthrene to the activated carbon or biochar surfaces was maintained following magnetite impregnation, while phenol sorption was diminished, probably due to enhanced carbon oxidation. Copper, zinc and lead sorption to the activated carbons and biochars was unchanged or slightly enhanced by the magnetization, and iron oxides also contributed to the composite metal sorption capacity. While a magnetic biochar with 219 ± 3.7 m(2)/g surface area nearly reached the very strong organic pollutant binding capacity of the two magnetic activated carbons, a magnetic biochar with 68 ± 2.8 m(2)/g surface area was the best metal sorbent. Magnetic biochars thus hold promise as more sustainable alternatives to coal-derived magnetic activated carbons.

Poplar biochars from pyrolysis at temperatures of 300, 500 and 700 °C were modified with KOH and characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm studies. Adsorption experiments were carried out on the modified biochars to remove tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solution. The results showed that KOH modification could increase or decrease TC adsorption onto biochars depending on the different pyrolysis temperatures. Maximum adsorption capacities (q_e,m) of TC in modified biochar from a low pyrolysis temperature of 300 °C increased up to 21.17 mg g⁻¹ relative to 4.30 mg g⁻¹ in unmodified biochar of 300 °C (final TC concentrations were 8.83 and 25.70 mg L⁻¹, respectively). In contrast, q_e,m decreased from 7.37 and 11.63 mg L⁻¹ to 4.97 and 7.13 mg L⁻¹ in biochars from higher pyrolysis temperatures of 500 and 700 °C with and without modification, respectively, even with an increase in S_BET. The adsorption ability of biochar can remain over a wider range of pH in modified biochar relative to unmodified biochar. Further analysis indicated that there was a strong linear regression relationship between q_e,m and total functional oxygen groups using Bohem titration (n = 6, R² = 0.84), whereas no significant relationship was observed between q_e,m and S_BET in this experiment. The result suggested that KOH modification of biochar from a low pyrolysis temperature can enhance TC adsorption and can be used over a wide range of pH, which may be a good choice for disposal of organic pollutants in aqueous solution.

To assess the effectiveness of biochar and activated carbon (AC) for enhanced trace organic contaminant (TOrC) retention in stormwater infiltration systems, an approach combining forward-prediction modeling and laboratory verification experiments was employed. Batch and column tests were conducted using representative TOrCs and synthetic stormwater. Based on batch screening tests, two commercially available biochars (BN-biochar and MCG-biochar) and an AC were investigated. The AC exhibited the strongest sorption, followed by MCG-biochar and BN-biochar. Langmuir isotherms provided better fits to equilibrium data than Freundlich isotherms. Due to superior sorption kinetics, 0.2 wt % MCG-biochar in saturated sand columns retained TOrCs more effectively than 1.0 wt % BN-biochar. A forward-prediction intraparticle diffusion model based on the Langmuir isotherm adequately predicted column results when calibrated using only batch parameters, as indicated by a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. Case study simulations estimated that an infiltration basin amended with F300-AC or MCG-biochar could obtain sorption-retarded breakthrough times for atrazine of 54 or 5.8 years, respectively, at a 1 in./h infiltration rate. These results indicate that biochars or ACs with superior sorption capacity and kinetics can enhance TOrC retention in infiltration systems, and performance under various conditions can be predicted using results from batch tests.