Amounts Of Zn Research Articles

Evaluating the impact of ZnO doping on electrical and thermal properties of calcium-aluminosilicate oxynitride glass-ceramics

This study aimed to investigate the impact of ZnO content on the structure, thermal, and electrical properties of oxynitride glass-ceramic(s) within the Ca–Al–Si–O–N (CASON) system. The base glass had the composition of Ca7Al14Si17O52N7, with ZnO additions ranging from 3 to 15 % by weight. A pristine Ca7Al14Si17O52N7 glass was successfully prepared by melt-quenching technique followed by converted into glass-ceramic by incorporating various amounts of ZnO using the field-assisted sintering technique. XRD and FESEM analysis confirmed that increasing the amount of Zn increases the crystallinity in the glass matrix. The observed crystalline phases were formed mostly from ZnO and showed higher conductivity than the remaining dielectric matrix. IR spectra confirmed the presence of bands correlated with the presence of Zn and suggested the progressive depolymerization of the silicate-aluminate network as a consequence of increasing Zn content. Density values varied between 2.75 and 2.94 gcm−3 and increased with increasing the Zn content in the glass-ceramic. The thermal expansion and thermal conductivity values increased and decreased, respectively, with the increase of Zn content in the matrix. The electrical properties of the samples were investigated using impedance spectroscopy over a wide range of frequencies (10 mHz to 1 MHz) and temperatures (153 K–623 K). The results showed that in the glass without ZnO and glass-ceramic(s) with a small addition of ZnO, the conductivity is mainly dominated by the transfer of oxygen ions and, to a small extent, by the presence of electronic conductivity. As the ZnO content increases, continuous conduction paths are formed between the ZnO crystallites, and the electrical conductivity increases rapidly and becomes dominated by electron transfer.

Application of soil magnetometry and geochemical methods to investigate soil contamination with antimony

The aim of the study was an assessment of the pollution level and identification of the antimony sources in soils in areas subjected to industrial anthropopressure from: transport, metallurgy and electrical waste recycling. The combination of soil magnetometry, chemical analyzes using atomic spectrometry (ICP-OES and ICP-MS), Sb fractionation analysis, statistical analysis (Pearson’s correlation matrix, factor analysis) as well as Geoaccumulation Index, Pollution Load Index, and Sb/As factor allowed not only the assessment of soil contamination degree, but also comprehensive identification of different Sb sources. The results indicate that the soil in the vicinity of the studied objects was characterized by high values of magnetic susceptibility and thus, high contents of potentially toxic elements. The most polluted area was in the vicinity of electrical waste processing plants. Research has shown that the impact of road traffic and wearing off brake blocks, i.e. traffic anthropopression in general, has little effect on the surrounding soil in terms of antimony content. Large amounts of Pb, Zn, As and Cd were found in the soil collected in the vicinity of the heap after the processing of zinc–lead ores, the average antimony (11.31 mg kg−1) content was lower in the vicinity of the heap than in the area around the electrical and electronic waste processing plant, but still very high. Antimony in the studied soils was demobilized and associated mainly with the residual fraction.

Cd(II) and Zn(II) adsorption on lignite‐derived humic substances and cattle manure biochar

AbstractExcessive industrial release of trace elements may pose a great risk to the environment. Conventional remediation treatments have considerable limitations, making less expensive new technologies an important research area. Batch experiments were conducted at room temperature to investigate the use of two lignite‐derived humic products (nano‐humus and humic powder) and a cattle manure biochar as adsorbents in the removal of cadmium and zinc from laboratory synthesized water. Nano‐humus was most effective in adsorbing Cd(II), wherein 89% adsorption was rapidly achieved in 15 min. The adsorbed amount of Cd(II) and Zn(II) both increased with initial metal ion concentrations from 25 to 125 mg L−1. Despite being produced from the same sources, nano‐humus and humic powder showed different properties and adsorption behaviors. The adsorption mechanism of nano‐humus followed the Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, indicating multilayer chemisorption. Humic powder followed the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model, although it had a low isotherm model fit, implying chemisorption‐dominated adsorption. Cattle manure biochar followed the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo‐first‐order kinetics model, suggesting diffusion‐dominated multilayer adsorption. Of the three adsorbents tested, nano‐humus had greatest potential as an effective and inexpensive material for metal remediation.

Zinc phytotoxicity and cationic micronutrients contents in quinoa as influenced by high Zn levels and soil amendments

Contamination of soils with heavy metals (HMs) is a serious concern due to the non-biodegradability and accumulation of these metals in living organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of fish scale powder, chitin, and chitosan in reducing zinc (Zn) accumulation of quinoa grown on Zn-polluted soil. A 3*4 factorial greenhouse trial was conducted with three levels of Zn contamination (0, 100, and 200 mg kg−1) and four types of amendment (control, and 0.15% of each fish scale powder, chitin, and chitosan). The quinoa seeds were sown in soil treated with Zn contamination and amendments. Results showed that application of amendments especially chitosan increased shoot and root dry weight and greenness index of quinoa leaf. While high soil Zn levels decreased cationic micronutrients uptake in quinoa shoot, chitosan addition desirably enhanced cationic micronutrients uptake in quinoa shoot. Overall, amendment addition significantly decreased Zn concentration and uptake in plant; the highest decrease was observed following the application of chitosan. Although the application of high Zn levels significantly increased the values of phytoextraction efficiency, application of chitin and chitosan significantly decreased it. The value of translocation factor was lower than one, demonstrating that a large amount of Zn was stabilized in the root tissues, while a small amount of this metal was transferred to aboveground parts of quinoa. Results of this study revealed that fish scales derivatives were effective in preventing Zn toxicity and at the same time increasing cationic micronutrients contents of quinoa grown on HMs-polluted soil.

Potentially toxic metals in road dust: An assessment of ecological and health risks at Woldia and Kobo towns in North Wollo, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in the environment threatens the ecosystem and human well-being. This study investigated the amounts of Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Cr, as well as the associated health and ecological risks. Thirty samples of roadside dust were collected in the northern Ethiopian towns of Woldia and Kobo. The collected samples were digested using acid digestion method and the levels of heavy metals were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The results showed that the average concentrations of HMs were 0.103 (As)-7.6 (Cd) and 0.083 (Cd)-3.80 (Fe) mg/kg in Woldia and Kobo, respectively. All the HM concentrations investigated in this study were lower than the average global concentration, except for Hg in both towns and Cd in Woldia town. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the heavy metal concentration showed a significant difference across each sampling site, while Ni and Hg did not show a significant difference. The hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) values of all HMs for adults and children through the three exposure routes were lower than 1, which means that they had a low likelihood of noncarcinogenic risks. The pollution index, geoaccumulation index, ecological risk index, integrated pollution index and risk index parameters were used to estimate the ecological risk. The results demonstrated that the pollution level mainly varied between low and moderate levels, except in Woldia, which is highly polluted by Cd metal that further detailed research is highly recommended to find out the sources of this metal.

Alkyl substituents control the Cd2+-selectivity of fluorescence enhancement in N,N’-bis(2-quinolylmethyl)ethylenediamine derivatives

The TriMeOBQDMEN (N,N’-bis(5,6,7-trimethoxy-2-quinolylmethyl)-N,N’-dimethylethylenediamine) has been reported as a Cd2+-selective fluorescence sensor (IZn/ICd = 22 % in the presence of 1 equiv. of metal ion) in DMF-H2O (1:1). Replacing the N-methyl substituents of TriMeOBQDMEN with isopropyl, benzyl, and phenyl groups decreases the metal binding affinity of the compound. Among them, the isopropyl derivative, TriMeOBQDIEN (N,N’-bis(5,6,7-trimethoxy-2-quinolylmethyl)-N,N’-diisopropylethylenediamine), exhibits improved Cd2+-selectivity (IZn/ICd = 7 % and 4 % in the presence of 1 and 20 equiv. of metal ion, respectively), partly due to the Zn2+-specific fluorescence decrease in the presence of excess amount of Zn(ClO4)2. Such a fluorescence decrease was not seen in DMF-HEPES buffer (1:1), as well as employing Zn(NO3)2 or ZnCl2 in DMF-H2O. These experimental observations were explained by the generation of proton in the presence of excess Zn(ClO4)2.

Total and Extractable Micronutrients in Tropical Acid Soils of Lampung, Indonesia

ABSTRACT The study aimed to determine the total and available amounts of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in the humid tropical acid soils of Lampung, Indonesia, and to identify the key factors affecting them. Topsoil samples were taken from 10 agricultural fields and 6 natural fields in 16 sub-districts of Lampung, Indonesia. The average total contents of Fe (26.36 g kg−1), Cu (8.97 mg kg−1), and Zn (53.24 mg kg−1) are generally below the world-soil average contents and those in other acid soils, which may be due to eluviation of Fe, Cu, and Zn into subsoil induced by high rainfall and the low natural contents of especially Cu and Zn in the parent rocks (acid volcanic rocks and sandstone). In contrast, the average total Mn content (1.20 g kg−1) is 2 to 8 times higher than that commonly found in acid soils and the world-soil average content, indicating that the parent materials may contain high Mn-bearing minerals. The total Fe, Mn, and Zn are positively correlated to the clay content, exchangeable-Ca and -Mg, and exchangeable-Mg, respectively, whereas the total Cu has no correlation to any soil properties. The amounts of available Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn account for on average 0.38%, 6.20%, 21.50%, and 4.40% of the total contents, respectively. Around 6%, 12.5%, and 56% of the soil samples exhibit Mn, Cu, and Zn deficiency, respectively, and 25% face Fe toxicity. Total Fe and Mn are the main factors determining available Fe and Mn, respectively, whereas exchangeable-Mg and organic-C content mainly control available Cu and Zn, respectively.

Zn promoted GaZrOx Ternary Solid Solution Oxide Combined with SAPO-34 Effectively Converts CO2 to Light Olefins with Low CO Selectivity.

We proposed a new strategy for CO2 hydrogenation to prepare light olefins by introducing Zn into GaZrOx to construct ZnGaZrOx ternary oxides, which was combined with SAPO-34 to prepare a high-performance ZnGaZrOx/SAPO-34 tandem catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to light olefins. By optimizing the Zn doping content, the ratio and mode of the two-phase composite, and the process conditions, the 3.5 %ZnGaZrOx/SAPO-34 tandem catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance and good high-temperature inhibition of the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The catalyst achieved 26.6 % CO2 conversion, 82.1 % C2 =-C4 = selectivity and 11.8 % light olefins yield. The ZnGaZrOx formed by introducing an appropriate amount of Zn into GaZrOx significantly enhanced the spillover H2 effect and also induced the generation of abundant oxygen vacancies to effectively promote the activation of CO2. Importantly, the RWGS reaction was also significantly suppressed at high temperatures, with the CO selectivity being only 46.1 % at 390 °C.

In Vitro and In Vivo Analysis of the Mg-Ca-Zn Biodegradable Alloys.

The objective of this work was to analyze the in vitro and in vivo tests of a novel Mg-based biodegradable alloy-Mg-0.5%Ca-with various amounts of Zn (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 wt.%). In terms of in vitro biocompatibility, MTT and Calcein-AM cell viability assays, performed on the MG-63 cell line through the extract method, revealed that all five alloy extracts are non-cytotoxic at an extraction ratio of 0.025 g alloy per mL of cell culture medium. In the in vivo histological analysis, Mg-0.5Ca-1.5Zn demonstrated exceptional potential for stimulating bone remodeling and showed excellent biocompatibility. It was observed that Mg-0.5Ca-0.5Zn, Mg-0.5Ca-1.5Zn, and Mg-0.5Ca-3Zn displayed good biocompatibility. Furthermore, the histological examination highlighted the differentiation of periosteal cells into chondrocytes and subsequent bone tissue replacement through endochondral ossification. This process highlighted the importance of the initial implant's integrity and the role of the periosteum. In summary, Mg-0.5Ca-1.5Zn stands out as a promising candidate for bone regeneration and osseointegration, supported by both in vitro and in vivo findings.

A comparative study of calcium oxide nanoparticle and its ferrite (CaO/Fe2O3) nanocomposite for removal of zinc and nickel from electroplating effluent

Electroplating effluent contains many heavy metals including Zinc (Zn) and Nickel (Ni) are some of the crucial metals which exist in high concentrations. Calcium Oxide nanoparticles (CaONPs) and CaO/Fe2O3 nanocomposite (CaO/Fe2O3NC) were synthesized to evaluate the feasibility of Zn (II) and Ni (II) removal from wastewater. CaO NPs were successfully synthesized from waste eggshells by the sol–gel process while the chemical precipitation method was used for the synthesis of CaO NC. The morphology of the prepared material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), DLS, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Batch studies were performed to assess the effect of pH, time, and adsorbent dose on the adsorption efficiency of the nanoparticle and nanocomposite for Zn (II) and Ni (II) removal. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) was used to monitor the amount of Zn (II) and Ni (II) ions in the aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of both metal ions increases with an increase in pH, with maximum adsorption occurring at pH 8. An optimum dose of 75 mg/L was observed with both CaO nanoparticle and CaO/Fe2O3 nanocomposite to remove Zn (II) and Ni (II) while equilibrium was achieved after 1 h. The high adsorption capacity makes these adsorbents a promising candidate for removal of metal ions from electroplating effluent.

Heavy metal sorption on struvite recovered from livestock wastewaters and release properties of granular forms.

Phosphorus recovery from wastewater is receiving more attention due to its non-renewable property. As copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) usually occur in livestock wastewater, this study focused on metal sorption in struvite from swine wastewater and the release properties of granular struvite in solution with varying pH conditions (2, 4, 7). The results demonstrated pH values presented a slightly decreasing trend with increasing Cu/Zn ratio, and Zn exhibited higher sorption performance on struvite crystals than that of Cu. Under the high content of metals in the wastewater, Cu/Zn ratios in the wastewater contributed to varying metal binding forms and mechanisms, resulting in the difference in the leaching properties of nutrients and metal. For the granular struvite manufactured with the adhesion of alginate, the P release percentage achieved 30.3-40.5% after 96h in the wastewater of pH 2, whereas they were only 5.63-8.92% and 1.05-1.50% in the wastewater of pH 4 and 7, respectively. Acid wastewater contributed to the release of two metals, and the release amount of Zn was higher than that of Cu, which is associated with their sorption capacity in crystals. During the latter soil leaching test of adding granular struvite, the NH4+-N and PO43--P concentration in the effluent ranged from 0.34 to 1.26 and 0.62 to 2.56mg/L after 96h, respectively. However, the Cu and Zn could not be measured due to lower than the detection limit under varying treatments. Struvite might be accompanied by quicker metal leaching and slower nutrient leaching when surface sorption dominates in wastewater with lower metal concentrations.

Biomass yield and metal phytoextraction efficiency of Salix and Populus clones harvested at different rotation lengths in the field experiment

BackgroundPhytoextraction belongs to environmentally well-accepted remediation technologies to remove metals from contaminated soils. Due to long-time requirement, sufficient data for proper phytoextraction evaluation are missing. Four clones of fast-growing trees: two willow species (S1), Salix viminalis L. (Salix schwerinii E.L.Wolf × S. viminalis) × S. viminalis) and (S2)—Salix smithiana (Salix × smithiana Willd.), and two poplar clones (P1), Populus Max-4 (Populus nigra L. × Populus maximowiczii A. Henry) and (P2) Wolterson (P. nigra L.) were cultivated under field conditions at medium-to-high Cd and Pb, and low Zn soil contamination to assess trees’ long-term ability of biomass production and removal of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). The biomass yield and PTE uptake were measured during 8 years of regular growth under three rotation lengths: four harvests following 2-year periods (4 × 2y), two harvests in 4-year periods (2 × 4y), and one harvest representing 8 years of growth (1 × 8y).ResultsIn most cases, the highest annual dry biomass yield was achieved with a 2 × 4y rotation (P1 = 20.9 t ha−1 y−1, S2 = 18.4 t ha−1y−1), and the yield decreased in order 2 × 4y > 1 × 8y > 4 × 2y of harvesting periods. Only clone S1 showed a different pattern. The differences in biomass yield substantially affected the PTE phytoextraction. The greatest amount of Cd and Zn was removed by willow S2, with the highest biomass yield, and the strongest ability to accumulate PTEs. With 2 × 4y rotation, S2 removed a substantial amount of Cd (9.07%) and Zn (3.43%) from the topsoil horizon (0–20 cm) and 5.62% Cd and 2.04% Zn from horizon 20–40 cm; phytoextraction rate was slightly lower for 1 × 8y rotation. The poplar P1 removed the most Pb in the 1 × 8y rotation, but the overall Pb phytoextraction was negligible. The results indicated that lignin and cellulose contents increased, and hemicellulose content decreased with increased concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in poplars wood.ConclusionsThe data confirmed that phytoextraction over longer harvest periods offered promising results for removing Cd from medium- to high-level contaminated soils; however, the ability of Pb removal was extremely low. The longer harvest period should be more economically feasible.Graphical

The effect of heavy precipitation on the leaching of heavy metals from tropical coastal legacy tailings

The continued growth in demand for mineral resources has led to a large amount of mining wastes, which is a major challenge in the context of carbon neutrality and climate change. In this study, runoff migration, batch leaching, and column experiments were used to investigate the short-, medium-, and long-term leaching of heavy metals from legacy tailings, respectively; the cumulative metal release kinetic equations were established, and the long-term effects of tailings leaching were verified by HYDRUS-1D. In runoff migration experiments, surface dissolution of tailings and the co-migration of adsorbed soil particles by erosion were the main carriers in the early stages of leachate formation (Mn ∼ 65 mg/L and SO42- up to 2697.2 mg/L). Batch leaching tests showed that the concentration of heavy metals in soil leached by acid rain were 0.1 ∼ 22.0 μg/L for Cr, 0.7 ∼ 26.0 μg/L for Cu, 4.8 ∼ 5646.0 μg/L for Mn, 0.3 ∼ 232.4 μg/L for Ni, and 1.3 ∼ 448.0 μg/L for Zn. The results of column experiments indicated that some soluble components and metals with high mobility showed a significant decreasing trend at cumulative L/S ≤ 2. Additionally, the metals have higher leaching rates under TCLP conditions, as shown by Mn > Co > Zn > Cd > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cr. The fitting results of Langmuir equation were closer to the cumulative release of metals in the real case, and the release amounts of Mn, Zn, Co, and Ni were higher with 55, 5.84, 2.66, and 2.51 mg/kg, respectively. The water flow within tailings affects the spatial distribution of metals, which mainly exist in relatively stable chemical fractions (F3 + F4 + F5 > 90 %) after leaching. Numerical simulation verified that Mn in leachate has reached 8 mg/L at a scale of up to 100 years. The research results are expected to provide technical basis for realizing the resource utilization of tailings in the future.

Effects of Zn loading on ZnxCo1−xCo2O4 spinel catalysts for low-temperature catalytic decomposition of N2O in the presence of inhibitors

The recent advancement of NH3-based fuel demands the development of catalysts that can decompose N2O at low temperatures and are stable against various inhibitors. Zn-doped cobalt spinel (ZnxCo1−xCo2O4) catalysts have demonstrated superior activity for N2O decomposition at low temperatures. However, their optimization and deactivation mechanisms with respect to Zn loading when inhibitors are present require further investigation. Herein, we reviewed the effects of Zn loading on catalysts at low temperatures without or with the presence of inhibitors (3 vol% O2, 6 vol% H2O, 200 ppm NO). The results showed that adding an appropriate amount of Zn into Co3O4 spinel catalysts improves their N2O decomposition activity. The Zn-induced enhancement of the catalysts’ redox properties, and reducibility was the underlying mechanism behind the activity promotion. The presence of structural defects created through the addition of Zn enhanced the catalyst’s resistance to O2. The deactivation by H2O and NO upon the addition of Zn could be correlated with the reduced availability of surface Co species and Co2+ as adsorption-active sites and the stronger bond of Co with –NO, respectively. This study underscores the importance of controlling the Zn loading as a bulk redox promoter in ZnxCo1−xCo2O4 spinel catalysts for practical applications.

Influence of Mulberry Leaf Powder Additive on Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Wheat and Rice Flour Butter Cookies.

People of all age groups consume cookies every day. Consumers' preferences for cookies supplemented with functional plant raw materials have recently increased. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the influence of a mulberry leaf additive on the proximate and mineral compositions, total phenolic and total chlorophyll content, antioxidant activity, and the hardness and color properties of butter cookies. Wheat and rice flour butter cookies were prepared by replacing the flour with mulberry leaf powder at 0, 4, 8, and 12% (w/w). The results revealed that the investigated chemical and physical characteristics of butter cookies depend on the flour used (rice or wheat) and the addition of mulberry leaf powder. Wheat and rice flour cookies with 12% mulberry leaf powder had the significantly highest contents of fiber (20.34 and 20.23%, respectively), ash (1.73 and 1.75%, respectively), K (170.22 and 160.22 mg 100 g-1, respectively), and Ca (170.45 and 160.68 mg 100 g-1, respectively). The rice flour cookies enriched with 12% leaf powder had the greatest amounts of total phenolics (1.48 mg 100 g-1), Zn (12.25 mg kg-1), Mn (6.28 mg kg-1), Cu (1.95 mg kg-1), and antioxidant activity (67.98%). However, the wheat cookies without mulberry leaf powder contained the most B (9.12 mg kg-1), while the no-added rice cookies contained the most Fe (14.30 mg kg-1). Replacing flour with leaf powder increased the cookies' hardness and decreased their lightness. In conclusion, enriching butter cookies with freeze-dried mulberry leaves can improve their nutritional value and antioxidant activity.

Distribution of trace and rare earth elements in the estuary of Ría de Huelva (SW Spain): Field data and geochemical modeling

The geochemistry of the Ría de Huelva estuary (Spain) has been widely studied owing to its unique conditions due to mixing of acid mine drainage (AMD), river water and seawater, which have been aggravated by the existence of an adjacent phosphate fertilizer plant and its associated phosphogypsum stack.To better understand the complex geochemistry of the overall estuarine system, we make use of (1) measured concentrations of relevant trace elements (rare earth elements (REEs) and metal(loid)s) in the sediments and waters of the estuary and (2) geochemical modeling which combines mixing and adsorption processes.Our study sheds light on the elemental distribution in the sediments and water in the water-mixing area. As seawater neutralizes the acidity of the river water (pH increases to 6.2) colloids of Fe- and Al-oxyhydroxysulphates (schwertmannite and basaluminite, respectively) precipitate as concentrations of aqueous Fe and Al increase. These phases have a high adsorption capacity and play a critical role in the geochemistry of the aquatic system by retaining Cu, Pb, Cr, As, P, REEs and smaller amounts of Zn, Co, Ni and Mn. The geochemical model reproduces the behaviour of the aqueous REEs, requiring high S/L ratios at pH ≥ 3.5 and participation of sediments and colloids in the reactions to match the field data.The evaluation of the effect of the adjacent phosphogypsum stack on the estuarine geochemistry shows that the stack has a notorious impact on the geochemistry of the surrounding estuarine environment owing to the release of high quantities of phosphate.

Modulation of Adverse Health Effects of Environmental Cadmium Exposure by Zinc and Its Transporters.

Zinc (Zn) is the second most abundant metal in the human body and is essential for the function of 10% of all proteins. As metals cannot be synthesized or degraded, they must be assimilated from the diet by specialized transport proteins, which unfortunately also provide an entry route for the toxic metal pollutant cadmium (Cd). The intestinal absorption of Zn depends on the composition of food that is consumed, firstly the amount of Zn itself and then the quantity of other food constituents such as phytate, protein, and calcium (Ca). In cells, Zn is involved in the regulation of intermediary metabolism, gene expression, cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and antioxidant defense mechanisms. The cellular influx, efflux, subcellular compartmentalization, and trafficking of Zn are coordinated by transporter proteins, solute-linked carriers 30A and 39A (SLC30A and SLC39A), known as the ZnT and Zrt/Irt-like protein (ZIP). Because of its chemical similarity with Zn and Ca, Cd disrupts the physiological functions of both. The concurrent induction of a Zn efflux transporter ZnT1 (SLC30A1) and metallothionein by Cd disrupts the homeostasis and reduces the bioavailability of Zn. The present review highlights the increased mortality and the severity of various diseases among Cd-exposed persons and the roles of Zn and other transport proteins in the manifestation of Cd cytotoxicity. Special emphasis is given to Zn intake levels that may lower the risk of vision loss and bone fracture associated with Cd exposure. The difficult challenge of determining a permissible intake level of Cd is discussed in relation to the recommended dietary Zn intake levels.

Heavy metal accumulation in root and shoot tapioca plant biomass grown in agriculture land situated around the magnesite mine tailings

Heavy metal pollution in soil has emerged as a major environmental concern. This can be attributed to human activities such as mining, modern agriculture, and industrialization. This study was conducted to determine how heavy metals spread from mine tailings to surrounding farmland. Metal absorption and accumulation were also investigated in the root and shoot biomass of tapioca crops grown in those farmlands. Metal concentrations in MTAS1 were 85.3 ± 1.2, 45.8 ± 1.5, 134.8 ± 1.7, 92.4 ± 2.2, and 78.95 ± 1.4 mg kg-1, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations in MTAS2 and MTAS3 were found to be 79.62 ± 1.6, 75.4 ± 1.5, 41.31 ± 1.1, 47.8 ± 1.6, 142.5 ± 2.1, 128.4 ± 1.4, 86.2 ± 1.9, 79.5 ± 1.3, and 83.4 ± 1.2 mg kg-1, respectively. Tapioca crop shoot and root biomass grown at these metal polluted sites absorbed and accumulated significant amounts of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, and Mn. Notably, the metal content of the tapioca crop's root and shoot biomass exceeded national standards.

Self‐Converted Scaffold Enables Dendrite‐Free and Long‐Life Zn‐Ion Batteries

AbstractZn‐ion batteries are fascinating owing to their inherent safety and high theoretical capacity. However, dendrite‐free growth is challenging, limiting highly stable plating for long‐life batteries. Herein, a new, conceptual ultra‐stable self‐converted scaffold (SCS) Zn anode is reported that enables dendrite‐free plating by guiding the deposition of Zn to specific areas. The SCS is naturally transformed from a zincophilic yet resistive nucleation seed. As a sufficient amount of Zn is plated onto these nucleation seeds, they undergo self‐conversion into a resistive scaffold, thereby losing their Zn affinity, and effectively directing the Zn plating toward the less resistive basal plane by repelling the electrons. The unique electrode demonstrates exceptional stability, effectively controlling dendrite‐free growth for thicknesses of up to 120 µm even in open‐plating environments with an impressive areal capacity of 60 mAh cm−2. Moreover, in full cell configuration, the SCS shows a superior long cycle‐life of 3000 cycles. The newly discovered dendrite‐free plating mechanism is also demonstrated.

A novel zirconium glyphosine carbon nanotube composite for fast and ultraeffective In(Ⅲ) capture

Extraction of In(Ⅲ) from the tail liquid of zinc ore which possesses the large amounts of Zn(Ⅱ) and the characteristics of highly acidity, remains a critical challenge. Adsorption method can be considered as an effective and green strategy to recovery In(Ⅲ). However, the adsorption capacity of mostly reported adsorbents is unsatisfactory toward In(Ⅲ) in the acidic environment. In this work, an effective In(Ⅲ) trap is developed by using a mild, simple strategy that introduces zirconium glyphosine coordination networks in situ loaded on carbon nanotube. Benefiting from the characteristics of abundant carboxyl and phosphate groups, excellent hydrophilicity and thermal stability, the resultant zirconium glyphosine carbon nanotube composite (xZrGP-CNT) exhibits remarkable adsorption capacity (193.72 mg g-1) toward In(Ⅲ) under pH 2.5 exceeded most of the reported adsorbents, and its adsorption behavior is consistent with pseudo-second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. In addition, the obtained 2ZrGP-CNT shows prominent kinetics that reaches equilibrium only within 2 h, superior selectivity and excellent regeneration performance for In(Ⅲ) capture, which indicates the highly encouraging potential for the recovery of In(Ⅲ) in practical ore fluids. Our work poses a new way to recovery of In(Ⅲ) under acidic environments with superior adsorption performance and broadens the potential of organocphosphonates for recovering In(Ⅲ).