Acid Soaking Research Articles

Effect of Seed Size and Different Pretreatment Methods on Germination of Albizia zygia (DC.) J. F. Macbr

Albizia zygia produces valuable timber which has received some level of prominence in the international market. However, the seeds are dormant, and the tree species remain undomesticated. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed size and presowing on the germination of Albizia zygia in a nursery. Seeds were grouped into four categories in regard to their length, small (≤0.5 cm), medium (> 0.5 < 0.8 cm), large (≥0.8 cm), and mixture of small, medium, and large seeds. The seeds were subjected to five main seed pretreatment methods, namely, soaking in sulphuric acid (H2SO4) for 2 minutes, mechanical scarification, soaking in hot water for 5 minutes, soaking in cold water for 24 hours, and control where seeds were sown without any treatment. The results indicate that combination of mechanical scarification and large seeds produced the highest (100%) germination. Hot water treatment was effective in large seeds producing 69.0% germination. The increased germination for mechanically scarified seeds suggests that seed dormancy in Albizia zygia is mainly due to its hard seed coat. Therefore, it is recommended to farmers to adopt use of mechanical scarification and large seeds, since it is safe and effective.

Green preparation of hierarchical porous C/SiOx composites from coal gangue as anodes for Li-ion batteries

This study proposes a facile, economical, and eco-friendly strategy to prepare high stability and capacity C/SiOx composites with porous reticular cross-linked structures using solid waste coal gangue. The obtained C/SiOx composites exhibit a high reversible capacity of 1175.8 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, with coulombic efficiency of >99.8%. Likewise, a high capacity of 430 mAh/g retains after 700 cycles at 2.0 A/g demonstrating it has an excellent reversible performance. Taking full advantage of acid soaking waste liquid, hot alkali treatment waste liquid and washing waste liquid of C/SiOx composite materials，a success was achieved in preparing metal hydroxide, low specific surface area SiO2 microspheres and NPK compound fertilizer. Moreover, the target of zero discharge and zero pollution was achieved by the ethanol and distilled water recycle during the new preparation process.

Facile Fabrication of Multi-Hydrogen Bond Self-Assembly Poly(MAAc-co-MAAm) Hydrogel Modified PVDF Ultrafiltration Membrane to Enhance Anti-Fouling Property.

In this work, a facile preparation method was proposed to reduce natural organics fouling of hydrophobic membrane via UV grafting polymerization with methacrylic acid (MAAc) and methyl acrylamide (MAAm) as hydrophilic monomers, followed by multihydrogen bond self-assembly. The resulting poly(vinylidene fluoride)-membranes were characterized with respect to monomer ratio, chemical structure and morphology, surface potential, and water contact angle, as well as water flux and organic foulants ultrafiltration property. The results indicated that the optimal membrane modified with a poly(MAAc-co-MAAm) polymer gel layer derived from a 1:1 monomer ratio exhibited superior hydrophilicity and excellent gel layer stability, even after ultrasonic treatment or soaking in acid or alkaline aqueous solution. The initial water contact angle of modified membranes was only 36.6° ± 2.9, and dropped to 0° within 13 s. Moreover, flux recovery rates (FRR) of modified membranes tested by bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA) solution, respectively, were all above 90% after one-cycle filtration (2 h), significantly higher than that of the pure membrane (70–76%). The total fouling rates (Rt) of the pure membrane for three foulants were as high as 47.8–56.2%, while the Rt values for modified membranes were less than 30.8%. Where Rt of BSA dynamic filtration was merely 10.7%. The membrane designed through grafting a thin-layer hydrophilic hydrogel possessed a robust antifouling property and stability, which offers new insights for applications in pure water treatment or protein purification.

The effects of surface treatment methods on properties of recycled concrete aggregates

In developing countries like India, a large quantity of construction and demolition waste is generated every year. Hence the disposal of this waste in large quantity has become a serious problem as it requires huge space for dumping. Considering the state of our country's infrastructure, it will be required to discover new sources of aggregate for the manufacture of concrete in the future due to rising demand and a relatively limited quantity of natural aggregate. One good solution is to obtain Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) from the material that have been previously used in construction. Natural aggregates have different characteristics than RCA. The existence of mortars in RCA is one of the primary reasonsfor RCA's lower quality when compared to natural aggregates. In this paper various treatments like water washing, heating and acid soaking are used for removal of attached mortar and enhance the properties of RCA. Following the RCA treatment, mix designs for M35 and M40 concrete grades were created, and the characteristics of the concrete were evaluated and compared to natural aggregate concrete. Concrete mixes are prepared using recycled aggregate, recycled aggregate treated with HCL, recycled aggregate obtained after heating treatment and natural aggregate. These aggregates physical and mechanical characteristics, as well as their strength and performanceare determined. However, results show that there is improvement in properties such as workability, split tensile strength and compressive strength when treated aggregates were used.

English

The effect of seed presowing treatment on Guibortia coleosperma and Amblygonocarpus andongensis was investigated. Seeds of both species were subjected to four experiments, containing 10 levels of presowing treatments: mechanical scarification, soaking in concentrated sulphuric acid (for 15, 30, 45 and 60 min), immersion in boiling water (for 1, 3 and 5 min), and soaking in boiling water (and cooling down for 24 h) and the control. The germination data were subjected to ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD test to separate significantly different treatment means. The highest germination in G. coleosperma was recorded: mechanical scarified seeds, those soaked in sulphuric acid (15, 30, 45 and 60 min), hot water (and cooling down for 24 h) and the control seeds. For A. andongensis, seeds treated with mechanical scarification, exposure to sulphuric acid (15, 30, 45 and 60 min) and boiling water (1 min) had higher percent germination than the controls. Key words: Germination mean time, germination percentage, pre-treatment, scarification.

CORR Insights®: Does Local Zoledronate Applied to Pasteurized Bone Autografts Improve the Likelihood of Union of Graft-Host Junctions after Limb-sparing Surgery?

CORR Insights®: Does Local Zoledronate Applied to Pasteurized Bone Autografts Improve the Likelihood of Union of Graft-Host Junctions after Limb-sparing Surgery?

Removal of cadmium from rice grains by acid soaking and quality evaluation of decontaminated rice

Contamination of rice by cadmium (Cd) is threatening a large population in China. In this study, we report that soaking rice grains in a hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution can remove Cd to a desirable extent. The results indicated that the degree of Cd removal was up to 45%∼85% at different soaking times and concentrations of HCl (0.06 M ∼ 0.18 M), which was found to be logarithmically correlated with the reaction time at the optimized liquid–solid ratio of 1:2. Three HCl concentration-dependent mathematical models were established, which revealed various optimal soaking conditions depending on the initial Cd contamination. Four Cd-contaminated rice grain samples with different degrees of contamination were then tested based on the mathematical models, and the final Cd content was reduced to an acceptable extent. Moreover, the physicochemical and food properties of rice flours and rice grains after Cd removal were evaluated to highlight their potential applications.

ARATICUM ACCESSIONS: EFFECT OF GIBBERELLIC ACID CONCENTRATIONS AND SOAKING TIMES ON SEED DORMANCY OVERCOMING1

ABSTRACT The germination process of the Annona sylvatica A.St.-Hil becomes difficult because the seeds have physical and physiological numbness. Although, the objective was to evaluate the effect the gibberellic acid can have in overcoming this physiological process. So that, aimed to evaluate the effect of the gibberellic acid in the overcoming dormancy of araticum seeds. Two different projects were developed simultaneously (plants germination in the laboratory and emergence of seedlings in seed). At the laboratory, the experimental design used was completely casualized in factorial scheme 4 x 4. Evaluating the physiological aspect of the germination and vigor. The germination of the seeds presented superior performance when they were immersed in 1200 mg.L-1 of GA3, in 24 h of imbibition, reaching 67% of germination. In the emergence of seedlings in seed, the experimental design used was to randomize blocks in factorial scheme 4 x 5 (four accesses x five periods of immersion). After 110 days, evaluating physiological aspects of emergence and vigor. The emergence varied between 32 to 45% (accesses A1 and A3) in a period of 15 to 24 h (accesses A1 and A3 or A4). High concentration and longer period of soaking in gibberellic acid promote a bigger germination of the araticum seeds. There is a difference between the accesses of the species, necessary to evaluate before being collected, and in the present study the accesses A3 is promising for harvest.

Utilization of Waste Clam Shell as Cost-Effective Catalyst for Heterogeneous Biodiesel Production

In this work, a cost-effective and environmental catalyst derived from waste clam shell was prepared and investigated in transesterification for biodiesel production. Waste clam shell was treated by acid soaking and then muffles calcinating. The reaction process was conduct in presence of rapeseed oil and methanol using clam shell as catalyst at 65 °C. Using control variable method to investigate the effects of reaction factors including calcination temperature, molar ration of methanol to rapeseed oil, catalyst amounts, reaction time. The result shows that the as-prepared CaO had great performance in the solid base catalytic production of biodiesel. The physical features of the as-prepared CaO derived from clam shell were characterized by using FT-IR, CO2-TPD, XRD, SEM and BET techniques.

Effects of acid leaching treatment of soda‐lime silicate glass on crack initiation and fracture

AbstractWater or acid soaking surface treatments have been shown to increase the mechanical strength of soda‐lime silicate (SLS) glasses. This increase in strength has traditionally been attributed to effects related to residual stress or changes in fracture resistance. In this work, we report experimental data that cannot be explained based on the existing knowledge of glass surface mechanics. In dry environments, annealed and acid‐leached SLS surfaces have comparable crack initiation stress and fracture stress as measured by Hertzian indentation and biaxial bending tests, respectively. Yet, in the presence of humidity, acid‐leached surfaces have higher failure stress than the annealed surfaces. This apparent enhancement in the crack resistance of the acid‐leached surface of SLS glass in humid environments supports the hypothesis that acid‐leached surface chemistry can lower the transport kinetics of molecular water to critical flaws.

Effect of pressure cooking alone and in combination with other treatments on shrimp allergic protein, tropomyosin.

Shrimp allergen, tropomyosin is a highly heat stable allergen a common causative of shrimp allergy in sensitive individuals. Effect of house hold pressure cooking on immunogenicity of shrimp allergen, topomyosin from Metapenaeus dobsoni was investigated in both shrimp extract and peeled shrimp by extending the time of pressure cooking to 5, 10 and 20min. Soaked shrimps in salt, baking soda, papain and acetic acid along with pressure cooking was also investigated. In the case of extracts, IgE activity was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased and the tropomyosin band was absent in the immunoblott using pooled sera of shrimp sensitive individuals. While in the case of whole peeled shrimp, IgE activity was significantly (p < 0.05) increased and the tropomyosin band was retained in the immunoblott analysis which indicates the retention of allerginicity in the peeled shrimp. Although pressure cooked shrimp after soaking in acetic acid didn't show significant (p > 0.05) difference to that of without soaking, the tropomyosin band was observed to be very faint or absent in SDS PAGE and immunoblott analysis which indicated the effective reduction in allegenicity of whole peeled shrimp.

THE EFFECT OF THREE PRETREATMENTS ON BREAKING SEED DORMANCY OF BAOBAB (ADANSONIA DIGITATA L.)

Objective: Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is a native tree that is found in African savannas, it is a member of family ‘Malvaceae’. The tree is found in Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and in different regions of western Madagascar. Seed dormancy is the most limiting factor for some plants propagation. Dormancy allows seeds to separate from their mother plant and survive dispersal, over distance, and time before growth recommences. This study was aimed to determine the effect of three pre-treatments on breaking the seed dormancy of Adansonia digitata L., a multi-purpose and indigenously endangered tree.&#x0D; Methods: The study was carried out in the greenhouse of the Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Nigeria. The three pre-treatments are: Soaking in hot water (100°C) for 5, 10, 15, and 20 min; and soaking in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrochloric acid (HCL) concentrations (100%, 75%, 50%, and 25%) for 5, 10, 15, and 20 min. Untreated seeds served as control. These were laid out in a complete randomized design with three replications. Data were collected on germination percentage, germination rate, day of emergence, and the average seedlings height.&#x0D; Results: The result showed that earliest mean days of emergence (7 days) were observed in seeds subjected to hot water treatment at 15 min. It also showed the highest rate of germination and percentage 6 (100%). On the other hand, the effect of acids (H2SO4 and HCL) pre-treatments on the seeds gave a fair result (16.66–33.33%), untreated seeds did not germinate.&#x0D; Conclusion: All the pre-treatments used in the study were found to be effective. However, soaking of seeds in hot water (100°C) pre-treatment for 15 min is recommended for breaking the seed dormancy of A. digitata.

Highly Strong and Solvent-Resistant Cellulose Nanocrystal Photonic Films for Optical Coatings.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are powerful photonic building blocks for the fabrication of biosourced colored films. A combination of the advantages of self-assembled CNCs and multiple templating agents offers access to the development of novel physicochemical sensors, structural coatings, and optic devices. However, due to the inherent brittleness and water instability of CNC-derived materials, their further applications are widely questionable and restrictive. Here, a soft polymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was introduced into the rigid CNC system to balance molecular interactions, whereafter two hard/soft nanocomposites were fastened through a cross-linking reaction of glutaraldehyde (GA), resulting in a highly flexible, water-stable, and chiral nematic CNC composite film through an evaporation-induced self-assembly technique. For a 1.5 wt % GA-cross-linked 70 wt % CNC loading film, its treatment with harsh hydrophilic exposure (soaking in a strong acid, strong base, and seawater) and various organic solvents show exceptional solvent-resistant abilities. Furthermore, the film can even withstand a weight of 167 g cm-2 without failure, which is a highly stiff and durable character. Importantly, the film remains a highly ordered chiral nematic organization, being able to act as a highly transparent substrate for selective reflection of left-handed circularly polarized light, preparing fully covered and patterned full-color coatings on various substrates. Our work paves the way for applications in low-cost, durable, and photonic cellulosic coatings.

In situ construction of pomegranate-like γ-[Li]-Ce2S3@ c-SiO2 as high-temperature and acid tolerant red pigment

Development of non-toxic, high-temperature and acid tolerant red pigment is of significance for ceramic decoration. Here, we report a microemulsion and controlled calcination route to prepare pomegranate-like microscale particles consisting of inlaid Li-doped γ-Ce2S3 red pigment in cristobalite (c-SiO2) subunits (pomegranate-like γ-[Li]-Ce2S3@c-SiO2) with greatly improved high-temperature stability and acid corrosion resistance. The key of this method is to synthesize the precursors of γ-[Li]-Ce2S3@c-SiO2 during microemulsion process, which is particularly sensitive to synthesis conditions. The optimum parameters in terms of orthogonal experiment are the Ce/Si mole ratio of 1:9, 45 °C of reaction temperature, and 4.5 ml of ammonia (25.0 wt%). When the precursor above is treated by sulfurization and calcination, the obtained pomegranate-like γ-[Li]-Ce2S3@c-SiO2 exhibits outstanding properties. After soaking in concentrated hydrochloric acid (12.0 mol/L) for 24 h followed by calcining at 900 °C in air, the pomegranate-like γ-[Li]-Ce2S3@c-SiO2 still shows a bright red color. These excellent performances are primarily attributed to the outer dense c-SiO2 coating, which plays a key role in successfully preventing the inner γ-[Li]-Ce2S3 from acid and thermal corrosion. The high-temperature stability and anti-acid corrosion highlight the promise of its potential for commercial red ceramic pigments.

In-situ growth of double-layered polyaniline composite membrane for organic solvent nanofiltration

• PANI composite OSN membrane with TFC structure fabricated by in-situ growth method. • Membrane performance optimization by adjusting in-situ polymerization parameters. • Excellent ethanol permeance and dye rejection due to double-layered PANI structure. • Excellent chemical and physical stabilities of PANI composite OSN membrane. • Excellent long-term stability and anti-fouling ability during 12 h filtration. The trade-off between permeability and rejection limits the widespread application of organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) membrane. As a promising membrane materials, polyaniline (PANI) has drawn increasing attention owing to its easy synthesis and excellent chemical stability. Nowadays, the reported PANI-based OSN membranes were fabricated by phase inversion process together with chemical crosslinking treatment. In this work, a novel double-layered polyaniline (PANI) composite OSN membrane was firstly developed through in-situ polymerization of aniline onto hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) porous substrate. The separation performances of PANI/HPAN composite membrane were optimized by varying aniline concentration, polymerization time and oxidant:aniline ratio. The double-layered PANI/HPAN composite membrane prepared with 0.2 M aniline, 1 h polymerization and 1:4 oxidant:aniline ratio displayed ethanol permeance of 14.9 L∙m −2 ∙h −1 ∙bar −1 and rose bengal rejection of 98.1%. The membrane performance with the solvents including methanol, isopropanol, 1-butanol, acetone, n-hexane, and toluene were also tested, showing a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 500 ∼ 600 g∙mol −1 . In addition, the double-layered PANI/HPAN composite membrane maintained excellent and stable performance under strong acid soaking, ultrasonic vibration and continuous filtration

Characterization of recycled aggregate by the combined method: Acid soaking and mechanical grinding technique

Every year, large quantities of construction and demolition waste are generated in India, which is a mixture of different grades of concrete. Such waste disposal required an immense amount of land and induced ecological pollution as well. Globally, researchers are trying to substitute coarse aggregate in concrete with recycled aggregate (RA). In the present paper, construction & demolition (C&D) waste was obtained from nearby the Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology, Guna. Where, due to the up-gradation of National Highway-3, a massive amount of building structures is demolished. In this work, a newly invented technique called pre-soaking in mild acetic acid (3%), followed by mechanical grinding using the Los Angeles abrasion machine for various durations was proposed for RA treatment. To assess the quality of RA, basic properties were studied, such as gradation, structure, abrasion value, crushing value, impact value, bulk density, and water absorption. Strength and durability properties of concrete made with RA were also studied. The improvement in RA’s quality after 72 h of pre-soaking in mild acetic acid (3%) followed by 7 min of mechanical grinding in a Los Angeles abrasion machine was observed optimum duration of treatment based on laboratory work. Strength and durability properties were also studied for concrete made with RA with different natural aggregate (NA) replacement levels (NA). The compressive and split tensile strength increased by 17.11% and 14.03%, respectively, in RAC compared to natural aggregate concrete (NAC) at the 100% replacement level. The innovative proposed technique is an effective one to implement in the field to produce RA to meet the construction industry’s demands.

Study on performance change of phenolic resin impregnated graphite in acid environment

Phenolic impregnated graphite is a new kind of material with higher corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. In the chemical industry, it is often used to make containers and pipes containing strong acid and alkali medium. In this paper, the working conditions of impregnated graphite materials in the actual production were simulated in the laboratory, and the. mechanical properties and material characterization of impregnated graphite after soaking in sulfuric acid at different temperatures were compared. The results show that the tensile strength of phenolic resin impregnated graphite decreases with the increase of immersion temperature under the action of acid medium and temperature; the results of thermogravimetric analysis show that the inner phenolic resin expands and extrudes graphite particles to produce internal stress, and the graphite particles will fall off partially, but the chemical structure of phenolic resin does not change.

Characteristics of micro-fracturing in shales induced by dilute acid

The utilization of acid has been approved as a potential approach to enhance Stimulated Reservoir Volume (SRV) by creating secondary pores and microfractures in shale reservoirs. This paper proposed an acid soaking technique to quantify the generation of microfracturing behaviors. Two types of core samples from distinct shale depositional environments, namely Longmaxi carbonate-rich, and Yanchang clay-rich shale were emphasized. Hydrochloric acid (15% + 3%KCL) was utilized to treat the shale samples for a period of 2 h. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were performed to correlate the individual mineral phases. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and X-ray fluorescence tests (XRF) were utilized, to quantify the elemental analysis of the distinct mineral phases. For post acidizing test conditions, three different types of microfractures, namely stress-induced micro-fractures, acid dissolution micro-fractures, and acid shrinkage micro-fractures were observed. For the clay-rich shale, the stress-induced microfractures were more prominent within the Kaolinite and the boundary edges of the Chlorite/Biotite regions. Whereas, shrinkage micro-fractures dominated the chlorite regions. The Longmaxi carbonate-rich shale, on the other hand, revealed more evidence of the creation of acid dissolution microfractures within Anhydrite, calcite, illite, and organic matter regions. According to the ICP-OES and XRF test results, the clay-rich shale sample underwent excessive ionic imbibition, as well as an ion dislodgment mechanism. However, the carbonate-rich shale experienced only the ion dislodgment mechanism from the shale interface. No ions reverted to the shale sample as the electric equilibrium was established. This paper would contribute immensely to the classification of different micro-fracturing features, and their characteristics for the distinct shale mineralogies.

The dormancy breaking of garlic seeds through thermal shock storage methods and soaking in gibberellin acid

Garlic seed production is constrained by a long dormancy period, which is 5-6 months. This study aimed to analyses the effect of thermal shock storage methods and soaking in gibberellin acid on the dormancy breaking of garlic seeds. Raw material used in this study was garlic bulbs variety Sangga Sembalun. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with treatments of storage temperature (low temperature / 12-14°C, high temperature / 38-42°C + low temperature / 12-14°C, high temperature / 38-42°C + room temperature / 28-30°C, and room temperature) and gibberellin acid concentration (0, 125, 250, 375 ppm), with two replications. Total storage duration was 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that storage temperature was significantly different of their germination (p<0.05). Storage of garlic seeds by the thermal shock method can shorten the dormancy period from 5-6 months to 12 weeks. Germination capacity resulting from combination of high temperature (38-42°C) storage for 6 weeks and low temperature (12-14°C) for 6 weeks (a total of 12 weeks) is higher than continuous storage of low temperature and room temperature without requiring the addition gibberellin acid.

Preliminary studies on Tephrosia species: Effect of seed treatments on germination

Germination tests were conducted on the seeds of three species of Tephrosia (T. bracteolata, T. candida, and T. linearis) to investigate potential seedling establishment and possible pre-treatments to improve seed germination. Pre-culture treatments were: i) No treatment (control), ii) rubbed in sand paper, iii) soaking in boiled water for 30 seconds, iv) for 3 minutes, v) for 5 minutes, vi) soaking in concentrated sulphuric acid, and vii) soaking in water for 24 hours. After treatment, a total of two hundred and fifty seeds (5 replicates each of 50 seeds) were cultured on moist filter paper for 15 days. Cumulative percentage germination, percentage dormant seeds and germination rates were calculated. Seeds of all the species of Tephrosia exhibited innate dormancy at varying levels, but most pronounced in T. linearis. Soaking seeds in boiled water for 30 seconds to 5 minutes resulted in higher seed germination (p&lt;0.05) than other pre-culture seed treatments in all the genotypes. Percentage hard seeds were also minimal in seeds treated this way, indicating effective dormancy alleviation in Tephrasia by these treatments. From the trial, soaking seeds in boiled water for 30 seconds is recommended as treatment of Tephrosia seeds to enhance germination and optimal potential seedling establishment.