Environmental Reactions of Air-Quality Protection on Eco-Friendly Iron-Based Catalysts

A series of iron functionalized hydroxyapatite (Fe/HAP) samples with different metal loading (2 < wt.% Fe < 13) was prepared by a flash ionic exchange procedure from iron(III) nitrate as precursor and tested in some environmental air-quality protection reactions such as the catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 (NH3-SCR), catalytic oxidation of NH3 (NH3-SCO) and catalytic N2O decomposition. The catalytic performances of the Fe/HAP catalysts were determined under flow conditions as a function of temperature and using reactant concentrations typical of polluting gaseous emissions from industrial vents. Physico-chemical characterization with various techniques of study (UV-DR and Mössbauer spectroscopies, NH3 titration, N2-physisorption, and XRPD analyses) provided valuable information on Fe-speciation, acidity, morphology, and structure of the samples. In general, highly dispersed Fe3+ centers were the predominant species, irrespective of Fe-loading, while just low percentage (≤15%) of FexOy nanoclusters (2 < size/nm < 4) was detected on the samples. As expected, the differences in iron concentration produced a diversified effect of both catalyst properties and catalytic activity, comprising the conversion and selectivity profiles, different for each reaction considered. The obtained results indicate a good potentiality for the eco-friendly Fe-catalysts for some environmental reactions of air protection.Fil: Greta Galloni, Melissa. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Campisi, Sebastiano. Università degli Studi di Milano; ItaliaFil: Marchetti, Sergio Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas "Dr. Jorge J. Ronco". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Gervasini, Antonella. Università degli Studi di Milano; Itali

Valorization of lignocellulosic biomass into sustainable materials for adsorption and photocatalytic applications in water and air remediation

An exponential rise in global pollution and industrialization has led to significant economic and environmental problems due to the insufficient application of green technology for the chemical industry and energy production. Nowadays, the scientific and environmental/industrial communities push to apply new sustainable ways and/or materials for energy/environmental applications through the so-called circular (bio)economy. One of today’s hottest topics is primarily valorizing available lignocellulosic biomass wastes into valuable materials for energy or environmentally related applications. This review aims to discuss, from both the chemistry and mechanistic points of view, the recent finding reported on the valorization of biomass wastes into valuable carbon materials. The sorption mechanisms using carbon materials prepared from biomass wastes by emphasizing the relationship between the synthesis route or/and surface modification and the retention performance were discussed towards the removal of organic and heavy metal pollutants from water or air (NOx, CO2, VOCs, SO2, and Hg0). Photocatalytic nanoparticle–coated biomass-based carbon materials have proved to be successful composites for water remediation. The review discusses and simplifies the most raised interfacial, photonic, and physical mechanisms that might take place on the surface of these composites under light irradiation. Finally, the review examines the economic benefits and circular bioeconomy and the challenges of transferring this technology to more comprehensive applicationsOpen access funding provided by Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Authors are thankful for the support from Grant PID2021-123665OBI00 and TED2021-129343B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by “ERDF A way of making Europe”, by the “European Union” or by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”. Dr Ridha Djellabi acknowledges Maria Zambrano Grants-2021URV-MZ-1

Fast and efficient piezo-photocatalytic mineralization of ibuprofen by BiOBr nanosheets under solar light irradiation

ABSTRACT: In the present work, the piezoelectric-like behavior of BiOBr nanosheets was utilized to suppress the recombination of photoexcited charges. The piezo-photocatalytic properties of an easily synthesized photocatalyst were tested for the degradation of ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Under ultrasound and solar light irradiation, the reaction rate for ibuprofen mineralization was found to be higher in the BiOBr nanosheets compared with those from the individual photocatalysis and piezocatalysis approaches, respectively. A percentage of synergy higher than 60% was calculated, resulting in the achievement of complete mineralization in less than 30 min. Based on the results, a possible piezo-photocatalytic mechanism, based on the separation of photoinduced charges and the formation of highly active radicals, has been proposed. Furthermore, various scavengers were used to identify the active species by trapping holes and radicals generated during the piezo-photocatalytic degradation process. The main transformation products formed during both photo- and piezo-photodegradation processes were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS), and the ibuprofen degradation pathway was proposed. The very promising results offer an advantageous approach to drug mineralization without the need for costly materials or expensive processes

Search for pair production of vector-like quarks in leptonic final states in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search is presented for vector-like $\mathrm{T}$ and $\mathrm{B}$ quark-antiquark pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Data were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016-2018, with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Events are separated into single-lepton, same-sign charge dilepton, and multilepton channels. In the analysis of the single-lepton channel a multilayer neural network and jet identification techniques are employed to select signal events, while the same-sign dilepton and multilepton channels rely on the high-energy signature of the signal to distinguish it from standard model backgrounds. The data are consistent with standard model background predictions, and the production of vector-like quark pairs is excluded at 95% confidence level for $\mathrm{T}$ quark masses up to 1.54 TeV and $\mathrm{B}$ quark masses up to 1.56 TeV, depending on the branching fractions assumed, with maximal sensitivity to decay modes that include multiple top quarks. The limits obtained in this search are the strongest limits to date for $\mathrm{T} \overline{\mathrm{T}}$ production, excluding masses below 1.48 TeV for all decays to third generation quarks, and are the strongest limits to date for $\mathrm{B} \overline{\mathrm{B}}$ production with $\mathrm{B}$ quark decays to tW.A search is presented for vector-like T and B quark-antiquark pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Data were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016–2018, with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. Events are separated into single-lepton, same-sign charge dilepton, and multi-lepton channels. In the analysis of the single-lepton channel a multilayer neural network and jet identification techniques are employed to select signal events, while the same-sign dilepton and multilepton channels rely on the high-energy signature of the signal to distinguish it from standard model backgrounds. The data are consistent with standard model background predictions, and the production of vector-like quark pairs is excluded at 95% confidence level for T quark masses up to 1.54 TeV and B quark masses up to 1.56 TeV, depending on the branching fractions assumed, with maximal sensitivity to decay modes that include multiple top quarks. The limits obtained in this search are the strongest limits to date for $\textrm{T}\overline{\textrm{T}}$ production, excluding masses below 1.48 TeV for all decays to third generation quarks, and are the strongest limits to date for $\textrm{B}\overline{\textrm{B}}$ production with B quark decays to tW.[graphic not available: see fulltext]A search is presented for vector-like T and B quark-antiquark pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Data were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016-2018, with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{-1}$. Events are separated into single-lepton, same-sign charge dilepton, and multilepton channels. In the analysis of the single-lepton channel a multilayer neural network and jet identification techniques are employed to select signal events, while the same-sign dilepton and multilepton channels rely on the high-energy signature of the signal to distinguish it from standard model backgrounds. The data are consistent with standard model background predictions, and the production of vector-like quark pairs is excluded at 95% confidence level for T quark masses up to 1.54 TeV and B quark masses up to 1.56 TeV, depending on the branching fractions assumed, with maximal sensitivity to decay modes that include multiple top quarks. The limits obtained in this search are the strongest limits to date for $\mathrm{T\overline{T}}$ production, excluding masses below 1.48 TeV for all decays to third generation quarks, and are the strongest limits to date for $\mathrm{B\overline{B}}$ production with B quark decays to tW

Search for pair production of vector-like quarks in leptonic final states in proton-proton collisions at s \sqrt{s} = 13 TeV

A search is presented for vector-like T and B quark-antiquark pairs produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Data were collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016–2018, with an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$. Events are separated into single-lepton, same-sign charge dilepton, and multi-lepton channels. In the analysis of the single-lepton channel a multilayer neural network and jet identification techniques are employed to select signal events, while the same-sign dilepton and multilepton channels rely on the high-energy signature of the signal to distinguish it from standard model backgrounds. The data are consistent with standard model background predictions, and the production of vector-like quark pairs is excluded at 95% confidence level for T quark masses up to 1.54 TeV and B quark masses up to 1.56 TeV, depending on the branching fractions assumed, with maximal sensitivity to decay modes that include multiple top quarks. The limits obtained in this search are the strongest limits to date for $\textrm{T}\overline{\textrm{T}}$ production, excluding masses below 1.48 TeV for all decays to third generation quarks, and are the strongest limits to date for $\textrm{B}\overline{\textrm{B}}$ production with B quark decays to tW.[graphic not available: see fulltext