In one aspect, composite particles are described herein. A composite particle comprises a substrate, composite metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles supported by the substrate and an amphiphilic or hydrophilic component associated with the substrate, wherein the composite metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles comprise iron and at least one additional transition metal.

There is disclosed a method of improving water quality, the method comprising adding a pool of isolated Daphnia to a body of water such that the pool of isolated Daphnia is exposed to one or more contaminants which may be in the water. The pool of isolated Daphnia comprise Daphnia which have been resurrected from dormant Daphnia. The pool of isolated Daphnia are allowed to filter from the body of water at least a portion of said one or more contaminants to reduce the level of the one or more contaminants in the body of water. After a period of time, at least a portion of the Daphnia containing said one or more contaminants are removed from the body of water, thereby improving the water quality of the body of water.

A method and an arrangement for removing amine(s) from a thickener overflow of a mineral processing plant. The method includes supplying the thickener overflow to an electrocoagulation unit and subjecting the thickener overflow to electrocoagulation in order to separate at least some of the amine(s) as an electrocoagulation overflow and in order to form a residual process water as an electrocoagulation underflow, and removing the electrocoagulation overflow. The method is free of all of the following: a coagulant, a flocculant, an adsorbent and an additional flotation chemical.

Methods are provided for improved recovery of organic salts, such as ionic liquids or organic salts comprising quaternary organic cations, in an industrial alumina production process, such as the Bayer process. These methods include (i) using an organic salt for the removal of impurities in an industrial process for the production of alumina; (ii) subjecting the spent organic salt to a recycling operation that generates at least one exit stream having a measureable amount of the organic salt {e.g., by entrainment or by solubility of the organic salt in the exit stream); (iii) collecting and treating the exit stream (s) with an inorganic salt, in an amount effective to induce phase separation; and (iv) recovering the organic phase containing the recovered organic salt. These methods and compositions allow alumina refinery plants to use organic salts for removal of industrial process streams in an economical manner, due to the efficient recovery of the organic salt.

Highly mesoporous activated carbon products are disclosed with mesoporosities characterized by mesopore volumes of 0.7 to 1.0 cubic centimeters per gram or greater. Also disclosed are activated carbon products characterized by a Molasses Number of about 500 to 1000 or greater. Also disclosed are activated carbon products characterized by a Tannin Value of about 100 to 35 or less. The activated carbon products may be further characterized by total pore volumes of at least 0.85 cubic centimeters per gram and BET surface areas of at least about 800 square meters per gram. The activated carbon product may be derived from a renewable feedstock.

The present invention relates to a process for purifying a wastewater stream WW1 contaminated with nitrobenzene, comprising (I) stripping of the wastewater stream WW1 with a stripping gas SG1 in a continuously operated stripping column to obtain a wastewater stream WW2 which contains nitrobenzene in a concentration reduced relative to WW1 (c.sub.NB,WW2), (II) further purification of the wastewater stream WW2 in a wastewater treatment plant, wherein a target value (c.sub.NB,WW2,TARGET) is specified for the concentration of nitrobenzene in the wastewater stream WW2, which is greater than zero but takes into account the requirements of the wastewater treatment plant for the maximum content of nitrobenzene in the wastewater streams supplied thereto, wherein, for at least one combination of specified boundary conditions of (a) nitrobenzene concentration in WW1, (b) the temperature of WW1, and (c) the temperature of SG1, a set of linear mathematical relationships of the type m.sub.SG1=x.Math.m.sub.WW1 is stored in a database, which linear mathematical relationships define a range of concentrations of nitrobenzene in WW2, wherein the set comprises, in addition to a mathematical relationship (0) which corresponds to the target value c.sub.NB,WW2,TARGET, at least a first mathematical relationship (1) for a first value of c.sub.NB,WW2, which corresponds to 98% of the target value c.sub.NB,WW2,TARGET, and a second linear mathematical relationship (2) for a second value of c.sub.NB,WW2, which corresponds to 102% of the target value c.sub.NB,WW2,TARGET, and wherein the flow rate of the stripping gas is adapted to the flow rate of the wastewater WW1 such that the flow rate of WW1 is within a range of values (AB) that is generated by the first mathematical relationship (1) and the second mathematical relationship (2) at the respective flow rate of WW1, and controlling the concentration of nitrobenzene in WW2 (c.sub.NB,WW2) by adjusting the flow rate of stripping gas SG1 accordingly in the event of a measured actual value of this concentration which is outside a window of >98% to <102% of the target value.

Drying the effluent from the trinitrotoluene (TNT) purification process, known as red water, is described that uses spray drying in an efficient, improved, and safe manner. The characteristics of the obtained powder, the use thereof, and a packaged product containing said powder are further described. The proposed technique provides the use of lower temperatures at liquid incineration (<300° C. compared to 1000° C.), and also the fact that the main target material is not broken down, thereby not generating toxic fumes, and enabling the dry powder to be used for other applications.

Articles comprising pressure-sensitive adhesives and methods of their use for removing micro- and nanoplastic particles from various media, including wastewater effluent, laundry effluent, and indoor air, are disclosed.

A method for deep treatment of household waste leachate by a biochemical process is provided, including: arranging one anoxic tank and two aerobic tanks in series; introducing the household waste leachate into the primary anoxic reactor, and diluting the household waste leachate to an concentration acceptable to microorganisms; introducing the diluted household waste leachate into the primary aerobic reactor, and subjecting the diluted household waste leachate to an pre-nitrification reaction to obtain a reactant; introducing the reactant into the secondary aerobic reactor, and subjecting the reactant to a main nitrification reaction to convert ammonia nitrogen into nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen by nitrification of nitrobacteria; refluxing the nitrification liquid to the primary anoxic reactor, converting the nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen into nitrogen gas by denitrobacteria in the primary anoxic reactor, and discharging the nitrogen gas into atmosphere, thereby finishing an denitrification process.

The present invention discloses a solvent assisted cavitation process for the removal of pollutants from waste water comprising treating waste water in a batch or continuous process in a cavitation device fed with 1-10% of an immiscible solvent resulting in a reduction in concentration of ammoniacal nitrogen and/or COD in the waste water.