Chlorine dioxide (ClO) has been used as a disinfectant in water treatment for a long time, and its use for micropollutant abatement in wastewater has recently been suggested. Surprisingly, a mechanistic understanding of ClO reactions in (waste)water matrices is largely lacking. The present study contributes to this mechanistic understanding by performing a detailed investigation of ClO reactions with organic matter using phenol as a surrogate for reactive phenolic moieties. A concept for indirectly determining HOCl using 2- and 4-bromophenol was developed. The reaction of phenol with ClO formed chlorite (62 ± 4% per ClO consumed) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) (42 ± 3% per ClO consumed). The addition of ClO to wastewater (5 × 10 M ClO) resulted in 40% atenolol and 47% metoprolol transformation. The presence of the selective HOCl scavenger glycine largely diminished their transformation, indicating that atenolol and metoprolol were transformed by a fast reaction with HOCl (e.g., k (atenolol + HOCl) = 3.5 × 10 M s) that formed in ClO reactions with the wastewater matrix. The formation of HOCl may thus increase the number of transformable micropollutants in ClO applications. However, chlorine related byproducts may also be formed.
The joint introduction explores the history of academic understanding of “the secular” within the field of Religious Studies. We also introduce our two case studies.
The term “secular” has long been interpreted in academia either as opposition towards religion or as a neutral position. As a Western concept deeply entangled with Christianity, its application to non-Christian and non-Western societies is highly contested. In our second case study, we focus on media discourse around Nepali democracy as a secular (dharmanirapekṣa) state. The discourse understands dharmanirapekṣa as neutrality or indifference towards all religions, but the idea of opposition is lacking. Secularism is attacked as a Western concept threatening Nepali culture or welcomed as a tool in the fight for recognition of different groups after centuries of domination under high-caste Hindu rule.
This conclusion summarises and compares the two preceding case studies: “Secular Voices on Air: The British Debate on Thought for the Day” (Tim Karis) and “The Understanding of dharmanirapekṣa (“secular”) in the Nepali Online Newspaper Nagarik” (Johanna Buss).
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