Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

Preparation of Authigenic Pyrite from Methane-bearing Sediments for In Situ Sulfur Isotope Analysis Using SIMS
Published on: August 31, 2017
Construction of Brönsted sites on pyrite surface via plasma technology for efficient hydrolysis of microcystins-LR
Qing Zhang1, Yuting He1, Jing Zhang1
1College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Engineering Research Center of Eco-Environment in Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Ministry of Education, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.
Abstract:
Enhancing the catalytic hydrolysis efficiency of microcystins (MCs) at ambient temperature has been a persistent challenge in water treatment. We employed N2/low-temperature plasma technology to modify the surface of natural pyrites (NP), and the resulting nitrogen-modified pyrites (NPN) with a nanorod structure and new Fe-Nx sites are more efficient for the hydrolysis of microcystins-LR (MC-LR). Kinetic experiments revealed that NPN exhibited significantly higher hydrolysis activity (kobs = 0.1471 h-1) than NP (0.0914 h-1). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) for the intermediates produced by hydrolyzing MC-LR, in situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis unfolded that the Fe and N atoms of Fe-Nx sites on the surface act of NPN as Lewis acid and Brönsted basic respectively, selectively breaking amide bond on MC-LR molecule. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of plasma technology in modifying mineral materials to enhance their catalytic activity, providing a new method for eliminating MCs in practical water treatment.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Microbial Leaching
Acid Mine Drainage

