In this study, we prepared homemade fruit shell-activated carbon (SAC) with efficient adsorption of new pollutants and used it in the removal of methylene blue dye (MB) and ofloxacin antibiotic (OFL) in water. We fitted the experimental data for MB and OFL adsorption with isothermal and kinetic models and performed extensive characterization to study the properties of SAC. We also studied the effects of solution pH, dosage amount, initial concentration, and coexisting ions on the adsorption capacity. The results show that SAC has a rich pore structure, and electrostatic interactions are its main adsorption mechanism. Adjusting the solution pH by changing the SAC dosage and removing the K⁺, SO₄²⁻, and Cu²⁺ could increase the removal of MB and OFL to 99.9% and 97.6%, respectively. In addition, the adsorption capacity of SAC for MB remained at more than 50% of the initial state after three iterations of adsorption regeneration, showing a good regeneration ability. These results show the potential of SAC in replacing conventional activated carbon to remove new pollutants.

Municipal sludge is characterized by high organic matter content, high viscosity, and fine particles, resulting in poor dewatering performance. This article analyzes the composition and properties of municipal sludge, examines the factors affecting the dewatering performance of sludge and the mechanisms corresponding to each influencing factor, and introduces chemical conditioning in detail. Chemical conditioning includes flocculation conditioning, oxidation conditioning, acid-base conditioning, and aggregate conditioning. The principles and applications of existing sludge conditioning technologies are systematically analyzed. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different technologies, it is pointed out that the key to developing sludge conditioning technology lies in developing a more appropriate combination of the sludge conditioning and dewatering process according to the sludge quality of different municipal wastewater treatment plants, taking into account their local environment, input costs, subsequent sludge disposal methods, and other factors, and further optimizing the sludge dewatering process by developing new efficient and environmentally friendly sludge conditioning agents.