Abstract:The study on biochar derived from plant biomass for environmental applications is attracting more and more attention. Twelve sets of biochar were obtained by treating four phytoremediation plants, Salix rosthornii Seemen, Thalia dealbata, Vetiveria zizanioides, and Phragmites sp., sequentially through pyrolysis at 500 °C in a N 2 environment, and under different temperatures (500, 600, and 700 °C) in a CO 2 environment. The cation exchange capacity and specific surface area of biochar varied with both plant species and pyrolysis temperature. The magnesium (Mg) content of biochar derived from T. dealbata (TC) was obviously higher than that of the other plant biochars. This biochar also had the highest sorption capacity for phosphate and ammonium. In terms of biomass yields, adsorption capacity, and energy cost, T. dealbata biochar produced at 600 °C (TC600) is the most promising sorbent for removing contaminants (N and P) from aqueous solution. Therefore, T. dealbata appears to be the best candidate for phytoremediation application as its biomass can make a good biochar for environmental cleaning.
An ultrastable Zn-MOF shows recyclable and multi-responsive sensing for Cr(iii), Cr(vi) and 4-nitrophenol in an aqueous system with high selectivity and sensitivity.
Recently, in order to improve the energy conversion efficiency of direct polyol fuel cells, the engineering of effective Pd‐ and/or Pt‐based electrocatalysts to rupture CC bonds has received increasing attention. Here, an example is shown to synthesize highly uniform sub‐10 nm Pd‐Cu‐Pt twin icosahedrons by controlling the nucleation phase. Because of the synergies of the electronic effect, synergistic effect, geometric effect, and abundant surface active sites originating from the formation of near surface alloy and special icosahedral shape, the Pd‐Cu‐Pt twin icosahedrons exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance in glycerol electrocatalysis at the operating temperature of direct alcohol fuel cells (70 °C) in KOH electrolyte. The Pd50.2Cu38.4Pt11.4 icosahedrons show mass activities of 9.7 A mg−1Pd+Pt and 13.7 A mg−1Pd. Furthermore, the Pd50.2Cu38.4Pt11.4 icosahedrons demonstrate long‐term durability in current–time test for 36 000 s and high in situ anti‐CO poisoning performance. In addition, the introduction of CO can enhance electro‐oxidation endurance on Pd50.2Cu38.4Pt11.4 icosahedrons, and the peak mass activity can reach to 14.4 A mg−1Pd+Pt. The in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra indicate that the Pd50.2Cu38.4Pt11.4 icosahedrons possess a high capacity to break CC bonds and may efficiently convert glycerol into CO2, thus improving the utilization efficiency of energy‐containing molecule glycerol.
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