The main purpose of this work was to quantify and characterize chemically and morphologically the emission of soot particles from the open burning of several common solid waste including paperboard, wood, peel, chemical fiber, polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The experiment was conducted in a laboratory-scale open-burning combustor with a dilution sampling system to obtain soot particles. The thermogravimetric profiles (TGA) showed an increasing order of oxidation reactivity PE > PVC > fiber > paper ≈ peel > wood. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images revealed more detailed information about the morphology and the particle size of soot aggregates. Subsequent quantification of nanostructure by fringe analysis showed that plastics generated soot particles with the looser carbon layers with higher tortuosity compared to the three kind of biomass. Raman spectroscopy further confirms the observed differences. In addition, wood soot exhibited the highest content of C-OH group (17.5%) among the six samples (X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS), whereas PE and PVC soot exhibited the highest absorption peaks of aliphatic C-H groups (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FTIR). Comparative analysis revealed that the interlayer distance was more important on the evaluation of reactivity than soot morphologies. The present work concluded that the physiochemical characteristics of soot particles releasing during open burning are strongly depending on waste composition and provided new data for the understanding of soot emissions from open burning.Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to control weeds, pests and plant diseases. Antibiotics may be introduced to the agricultural environment by manure fertilizer or wastewater irrigation. Co-existence of antibiotics in field may lead to profound impacts on pesticide residue. In this study, the impacts of oxytetracycline on the environmental fate and metabolic profile of atrazine was investigated, and the disturbance of oxytetracycline on functional genes related to atrazine degradation in soils was also studied. Oxytetracycline could inhibit the degradation of atrazine significantly and prolong the half-life to 1.27 and 1.59 times longer at 5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg. Also, oxytetracycline altered the composition of atrazine metabolites, including three chloro-s-triazine metabolites (DEA, DIA, DDA) and three hydroxyl metabolites (OH-ATZ, OH-DEA, OH-DIA). Oxytetracycline decreased the ratio of hydroxyl metabolites, while increased the chloro-s-triazine metabolites which had higher toxicity and were easily leached in soil. Atrazine hydrolase genes atzA and trzN were down-regulated by oxytetracycline, which might decrease the hydroxyl metabolite formation and detoxification of atrazine. Oxytetracycline changed the degradation of atrazine and the composition of the metabolites probably by altering the soil microorganisms. The increased persistence and the percentage of the chloro-s-triazine metabolites induced by oxytetracycline might result in increased environmental problems.P-cresol is a highly toxic phenolic pollutant in coal chemical wastewater. The effective removal of p-cresol is of great significance to the ecological environment. In this study, the degradation of p-cresol by the Fe(III)-EDDS/H2O2 Fenton-like reaction modified by Mn2+ was investigated. The results showed that the removal rate of p-cresol could be significantly increased by the addition of Mn2+ under neutral and weakly alkaline conditions (pH 6.5-8.5). Acidic conditions (pH 3.5) were not conducive to the Fenton-like reaction. This is because a neutral or weakly alkaline environment is conducive to Mn2+-EDDS complex formation, which can produce O2·- to accelerate the reduction of Fe(III), and the efficiency of p-cresol degradation through a Fenton-like reaction catalyzed by the Fe(III)-EDDS complex is significantly improved. CX5461 In addition, the degradation of EDDS through ·OH was reduced by O2·-, which maintained and stabilized the Mn2+-EDDS complex and Fe(III)-EDDS complex. Under neutral conditions, the optimal dosage of Fe(III) is 0.7 mM, and the optimal molar ratios are EDDS/Fe(III) = 1 1, Mn2+/Fe(III) = 1 1, and H2O2/Fe(III) = 15 1. The addition of free radical clearance isopropanol and CHCl3 proved that ·OH was the main active substance in the p-cresol degradation process.Phosphate removal in water using biochar is widely investigated. Density functional theory was used to study the adsorption of phosphate (H2PO4-) on biochar in water after metal modification. Two types of metals, Mg and Ca, were used to modify the biochar structure, and the edge and metal adsorptions of H2PO4- were investigated on the modified biochar structure. Results were analyzed from the aspects of structural stability, adsorption energy, change in dipole moment, density of electronic states, and atoms in molecules analysis. The overall effect of metal-modified biochar materials on phosphate adsorption was stronger than that of unmodified biochar materials in terms of molecular level. The stability of the metal-modified structure by adding metal was low, and adsorption was prone to occur in this situation. The Ca-modified biochar showed better phosphate adsorption than the Mg-modified structure. Metal adsorption performed better than edge adsorption, proving that the modified metal in the biochar structure played a leading role in H2PO4- adsorption. Metal adsorption was mainly caused by electrostatic attraction, and edge adsorption was mainly caused by covalent bonding.Electro-Fenton (EF) technique has gained significant attention in recent years owing to its high efficiency and environmental compatibility for the degradation of organic pollutants and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The efficiency of an EF reaction relies primarily on the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via 2e─ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the generation of hydroxyl radicals (●OH). This could be achieved through an efficient cathode material which operates over a wide pH range (pH 3-9). Herein, the current progresses on the advancements of carbonaceous cathode materials for EF reactions are comprehensively reviewed. The insights of various materials such as, activated carbon fibres (ACFs), carbon/graphite felt (CF/GF), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, carbon aerogels (CAs), ordered mesoporous carbon (OMCs), etc. are discussed inclusively. Transition metals and hetero atoms were used as dopants to enhance the efficiency of homogeneous and heterogeneous EF reactions. Iron-functionalized cathodes widened the working pH window (pH 1-9) and limited the energy consumption.