Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202506081
Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are promising for degrading organic pollutants in water treatment. Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) has gained attention due to its high oxidation efficiency, strong interference resistance, and low secondary pollution. In this study, a series of trimetallic-carbon composite ozone catalysts were prepared via an organic precursor calcination method using γ-Al2O3 as support. This method enhanced catalytic activity and mechanical strength while overcoming the limitations of carbon materials (low mechanical strength) and metal-based materials (poor mass transfer). The optimized catalyst, CA-FeCoCu, comprising Fe, Co, Cu, carbon, and alumina, exhibited excellent performance in phenol degradation and real industrial wastewater treatment. Characterization revealed that the synergistic effect of trimetals and the introduction of multiple carbon types increased specific surface area and hydroxyl radical (·OH) generation. In a pilot-scale fixed-bed reactor, the CA-FeCoCu/O3 system reduced COD from 120 mg·L−1 to below 40 mg·L−1, with an O3 consumption ratio (O/C) of less than 1, effectively lowering operational costs. This work provides a new strategy for developing efficient and stable heterogeneous O3 catalysts and offers a reference for the practical application of HCO in industrial wastewater treatment.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.3724/2097-213X.2025.JFCT.0024
This study investigates the thermochemical conversion behavior of microalgae pellets in a molten hydroxide salt (80% NaOH-20% Na2CO3) system and its influence on hydrogen production. By comparing temperature evolution, gas release characteristics, and structural evolution of pellets with and without molten salt, and integrating char alkalization experiments, the regulatory mechanism of molten salt on reaction pathways and hydrogen production was systematically analyzed. Results indicate that molten salt significantly enhances internal heat transfer efficiency, achieving a central heating rate of 177 °C/s, effectively alleviating thermal hysteresis. Concurrently, molten salt promotes pore development through penetration, erosion, and catalytic effects, resulting in a porosity increase of 53.2%–104.3% after 10 s of reaction. Conversion efficiency is markedly improved, with the dominant reaction pathway shifting to char alkalization after only 70 s. Furthermore, when heating rate is increased above 600 °C, hydrogen yield from char alkalization improves more significantly, primarily attributed to the synergistic promotion of molten salt catalysis and rapid heating on volatiles reforming. This study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding efficient hydrogen production from biomass in molten hydroxide salts.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3778-8
The global surge in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste demands urgent technological solutions that address both environmental persistence and resource recovery. Here, we present a triple-functionalization strategy that converts chlorinated plastic waste into high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes through molecular-level control of carbon architectures. Sequential dichlorination, sulfonation, and N-doping collaboratively reconfigure precursor reactivity, steering pyrolysis toward hierarchically porous hard carbon with tailored defect chemistry. Sulfonic groups stabilize 3D carbon skeletons during carbonization, enabling closed-pore formation with an average diameter of ~2.55 nm while N-doping expands interlayer spacing (0.382 nm) and creates adsorption-active pyrrolic-N sites. This defect-engineered synergy delivers unprecedented sodium storage metrics: 355 mAh g−1 reversible capacity at 0.1 A g−1 (95.4% of graphite’s Li-ion capacity), a capacity retention of 216 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 (70.1% capacity retention), and 188 mAh g−1 even at a high current density of 5.0 A g−1. Operando analyses reveal a potential-dependent storage hierarchy: surface-dominated adsorption transitions to intercalation/filling-dominated behavior with defect-buffered structural integrity. The process simultaneously achieves 25% carbon yield from PVC and avoids toxic dioxin emissions, establishing a scalable prototype for sustainable energy storage systems.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2025022502
The design of stable and efficient O3 catalysts is critical for advancing heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) in industrial wastewater treatment. In this study, various iron-based bimetallic oxides were synthesized, and Fe-Co bimetallic oxide (FeCo-O) was identified as the optimal catalyst through degradation experiments and structural characterization. FeCo-O exhibits a single spinel structure with abundant metal valence states and synergistic effects between Fe and Co. Compared to conventional O3 oxidation, the FeCo-O/O3 system enhanced organic pollutant degradation by 2–3 times, demonstrating broad applicability under neutral or weakly acidic/alkaline conditions. Characterization revealed that FeCo-O promotes O3 activation via enhanced inter-metal electron transfer on the catalyst surface, increasing the generation of highly oxidative free radicals (·OH, ·O2−) and thereby improving pollutant degradation efficiency. In treating real industrial wastewater, the FeCo-O/O3 system achieved excellent COD removal, indicating its potential for both pre-treatment and advanced treatment applications. This study provides theoretical and practical guidance for designing efficient catalytic ozonation catalysts.