Ammonia Extraction Research Articles

Biofuel Resources Plan: Theoretical Case Assessment of Automotive Industries

Crude oil exhaustion and greenhouse emissions have remained a global concern till date. Domestic production of biofuel blends and micro-emulsion as substitutes for conventional fuel in tackling greenhouse gas emission has challenges like feedstock inadequacy, fuel-energy content, compatibility, oxidation stability and other automotive fuel property issues. Strategies to address these issues are discussed in this study. Case study of Nigeria shows that an annual conversion rate of 6.9/3.3% (2.1: 1) of cassava wastes will meet its E10/E5 blend from local production capacity. An effort has been made to correlate existing ethanol and biodiesel yields, ƐѱE and ƐѱB with expected oil yield as a function of gasoline and diesel shares, αE and αB per hectare of cultivation, to generate total oil yield per desired short and medium term biofuel targets utilizing selected feedstock at applicable yield bounds. A typical E10 gasohol from cassava will need 16,133 and 28,543 hectares from cassava plantation to meet its annual short and medium term biofuel targets. The r2-square value of 0.6402 for CF/SPeel and 0.9044 for CF/SPulp is an indication that more litre/tonne volume of ethanol could be produced from CF/SPeel except for in consistency when ammonia extract and urea are used as nitrogen source. Specific energy for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) from daily production capacity equivalence of E10 per annum is estimated at 2.34GWh/Kg. Biofuel and fuel cells are good alternatives to explore as replacement of fossil fuel in automotive application.

Electrochemically Selective Ammonia Extraction from Nitrate by Coupling Electron- and Phase-Transfer Reactions at a Three-Phase Interface.

As an attractive alternative to the Haber-Bosch process, an electrochemical process for nitrate (NO3-) reduction to ammonia (NH3) has made great strides in the development of advanced electrocatalysts to suppress the unavoidable H2 evolution reaction (HER) and side production of N2. However, isochronous NH3 separation and recovery from the mother liquor, especially wastewaters, are awfully neglected in state-of-the-art electrochemical systems. Here, we designed electrochemical three-phase interfaces constructed by a CoP cathode and a flat-sheet gas membrane to achieve NO3- reduction to ammonia and simultaneous NH3 recovery in the form of (NH4)2SO4 from wastewaters. The partial current density for ammonia yield and its recovery rate were 37.3 mA cm-2 and 306 g NH3-N m-2 day-1, respectively, accompanying 100% NO3- removal and 99.7% NH3 extraction. By favoring the originally unfavored side reaction HER, it served as the driving force for NH3 separation from the wastewater through gas stripping and membrane separation at the three-phase interfaces. Unexpectedly, the timely NH3 separation could also promote the reduction of NO3- to ammonia due to the release of much more active sites. From these, we envision that the present electrochemical process can be routinely employed as an effective strategy to address energy and environmental issues with NH3 recovery from NO3- wastewater.

Liposomes to Augment Dialysis in Preclinical Models: A Structured Review.

In recent years, a number of groups have been investigating the use of “empty” liposomes with no drug loaded as scavengers both for exogenous intoxicants and endogenous toxic molecules. Preclinical trials have demonstrated that repurposing liposomes to sequester such compounds may prove clinically useful. The use of such “empty” liposomes in the dialysate during dialysis avoids recognition by complement surveillance, allowing high doses of liposomes to be used. The “reach” of dialysis may also be increased to molecules that are not traditionally dialysable. We aim to review the current literature in this area with the aims of increasing awareness and informing further research. A structured literature search identified thirteen papers which met the inclusion criteria. Augmenting the extraction of ammonia in hepatic failure with pH-gradient liposomes with acidic centres in peritoneal dialysis is the most studied area, with work progressing toward phase one trials. Liposomes used to augment the removal of exogenous intoxicants and protein-bound uraemic and hepatic toxins that accumulate in these organ failures and liposome-supported enzymatic dialysis have also been studied. It is conceivable that liposomes will be repurposed from the role of pharmaceutical vectors to gain further indications as clinically useful nanomedical antidotes/treatments within the next decade.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Global Warming Potential from a Woody Ornamental Production System Using a Soilless Growing Substrate

This research aimed to estimate methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes and subsequent global warming potential (GWP) for a Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) bark-based substrate production system. The fir bark-based substrate had controlled release fertilizer (CRF) incorporated with differing amounts of surface-applied fertilizer. In a nursery study and greenhouse experiment, gas flux samples were regularly collected. Total cumulative N2O emissions and GWP were greatest from the greenhouse treatment with the most surface-applied fertilizer. A regression model indicated that significant predictors of N2O flux were the pour-through extract ammonium (NH4-N) and nitrate (NO3-N) concentrations, volumetric water content (VWC), and substrate temperature. The net CH4 flux was negligible for all treatments during both studies. The N2O-N seasonal emission factor was 2.58–3.08, greater than for soil-grown California horticultural crops. These results indicate that N2O is the major greenhouse gas from a soilless substrate and should be the focus of mitigation efforts.

Utilization of Bidirectional Cation Transport in a Thin Film Composite Membrane: Selective Removal and Reclamation of Ammonium from Synthetic Digested Sludge Centrate via an Osmosis-Distillation Hybrid Membrane Process.

Selective removal and resource recovery of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) from high-strength ammonium waste streams is of practical importance for biological wastewater treatment and environmental protection. In this study, we demonstrate the simultaneous removal and reclamation of ammonium from synthetic digested sludge centrate via a novel osmosis-distillation hybrid membrane (ODHM) process. Using NaHCO3 as the draw solute, ammonium diffuses from the synthetic centrate to the draw solution by utilizing the bidirectional cation transport nature of the thin film composite (TFC) membrane. Then, NH4+ is converted to gaseous NH3 at 60 °C and recovered by a sweeping gas membrane distillation (SGMD) process. Herein, the bidirectional transport of monovalent cations in the osmotic process, selectivity of TFC membranes for different cations, and recovery of the draw solution following the extraction of ammonia through the SGMD process were systematically investigated. The removal of NH4+-N from the synthetic centrate achieved 21.34% during a 6-h continuous operation of the ODHM system, with ammonium fluxes through the TFC and SGMD membranes at 1.39 and 0.57 mol m-2 h-1, respectively. A secondary interfacial polymerization was proposed to further enhance ammonium transport through the TFC membrane. Results reported here highlight the potential of the ODHM process for the selective removal and reclamation of ammonium from ammonium-rich waste streams.

Pre-treatment Strategies for Value Addition in Poultry Litter.

We studied different pre-treatments of poultry litter aiming to add economic value to this residue. Strategies were applied to extract ammonium nitrogen with the aim of allowing its further use as fertilizer, and to promote the hydrolysis and solubilization of lignocellulosic components with the aim of facilitating its subsequent conversion to biogas. Ammonia extraction was performed by solubilization in water in a one-step process and by successive extraction steps (3 times 60 min). Successive extractions presented greater removal of total ammonia nitrogen than did one-step extraction, solubilizing about 36% of the ammonia in water. In parallel pre-treatment using ultrasound was performed to increase carbon bioavailability for anaerobic digestion. Using this tool, 24.7 g kg−1 of total organic carbon and 13.0 g kg−1 of total reducing sugars were solubilized, employing 10% dry mass sample amount, 100% amplitude ultrasound at frequency of 20 kHz amplitude and 2.5 min of treatment (energy input of 299 ± 7 kJ L−1; 3,822 ± 95 kJ kg−1). Anaerobic digestion of ultrassound pre-treated biomass was evaluated using a biological biogas production assay, and an increase of 10% of biogas production was obtained compared to untreated samples (147.9 and 163.0 mL g−1 for crude and pre-treated PL, respectively). The findings suggest that these are environmentally friendly and sustainable strategies to add economic value to poultry litter, reducing the environmental impacts of improper disposal.

Coupling electrochemical ammonia extraction and cultivation of methane oxidizing bacteria for production of microbial protein

Conventional treatment of residual resources relies on nutrient removal to limit pollution. Recently, nutrient recovery technologies have been proposed as more environmentally and energetically efficient strategies. Nevertheless, the upcycling of recovered resources is typically limited by their quality or purity. Specifically, nitrogen extracted from residual streams, such as anaerobic digestion (AD) effluents and wastewaters, could support microbial protein production. In this context, this study was performed as a proof-of-concept to combine nitrogen recovery via electrochemical reactors with the production of high quality microbial protein via cultivation of methanotrophs. Two types of AD effluents, i.e., cattle manure and organic fraction of municipal solid waste, and urine were tested to investigate the nitrogen extraction efficiency. The results showed that 31–51% of the nitrogen could be recovered free of trace chemicals from residual streams depending on the substrate and voltage used. Based on the results achieved, higher nitrogen concentration in the residual streams resulted in higher nitrogen flux between anodic and cathodic chambers. Results showed that the extraction process has an energy demand of 9.97 (±0.7) - 14.44 (±1.19) kWh/kg-N, depending on the substrate and operating conditions. Furthermore, a mixed-culture of methanotrophic bacteria could grow well with the extracted nitrogen producing a total dry weight of 0.49 ± 0.01 g/L. Produced biomass contained a wide range of essential amino acids making it comparable with conventional protein sources.

Ammonia recovery from human urine as liquid fertilizers in hollow fiber membrane contactor: Effects of permeate chemistry

The production of the existing nitrogen fertilizer is costly and less environmental-friendly. Various green technologies are currently emerging toward providing alternative options. In this study, a liquid/liquid hydrophobic hollow-fiber membrane contactor was employed at ambient temperature and natural urine pH ~ 9.7 to recover ammonium fertilizers from human urine. Results showed that permeate side chemistry was one of the major factors affecting the ammonia mass transfer. The study on the ammonia capturing performance of diluted sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, and DI water confirmed that acid type, acid concentration, and permeate side operating pH were the most important parameters affecting the ammonia capturing tendency. Sulfuric acid was slightly better in capturing more ammonia than other acid types. The study also identified increasing acid concentration didn’t necessarily increase ammonia mining tendency because there was always one optimum concentration value at which maximum ammonia extraction was possible. The best permeate side operating pH to extract ammonia for fertilizer purposes was selected based on the dissociation equilibrium of different types of acids. Accordingly, the analysis showed that the membrane process has to be operated at pH > 3 for sulfuric acid, between 3.5 to 11.5 for phosphoric acid, and above 0.5 for nitric acid so as to produce their respective high-quality liquid ammonium sulfate, ammonium monophosphate/diphosphate, and ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Therefore, permeate side acid concentration, pH, and acid type has to always be critically optimized before starting the ammonia mining experiment.

Process of ammonia removal from anaerobic digestion and associated ammonium sulphate production: Pilot plant demonstration

A process for the continuous extraction of ammonia from anaerobic digesters is proposed. In this process, a portion of the sludge treated in the digesters is continuously withdrawn and transferred to a thin film evaporator (TFE) unit, where the ammonia is stripped through a biogas stream. The ammonia-rich biogas is treated with a sulfuric acid/water solution in a reactive absorption unit, with production of ammonium sulphate. The chemistry of a CH4/CO2/NH3 gas phase in thermodynamic equilibrium with a liquid sulfuric acid/water solution is investigated theoretically, with focus on the simultaneous absorption of CO2 and NH3 into the liquid phase. Pilot plant experimental data confirm the theoretical results. Further pilot plant experimental results obtained during on-off cycles of the stripping equipment demonstrate that, when the TFE unit is off, ammonia concentration in the digestate rises quickly, while, when the stripping equipment is turned on again, ammonia concentration drops down. On average, during the 180 days of pilot plant experimentation, 4.1 g N–NH4 per kg of sludge fed to the digester, i.e. 19.3 g N–NH4 per kg of total solids (TS) fed to the digester, are stripped from digestate and recovered as ammonium sulphate, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed concept.

Selective electrodialysis for simultaneous but separate phosphate and ammonium recovery

ABSTRACT Nutrients were extracted from digester supernatant sampled from a full-scale enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) wastewater treatment plant. A four-compartment selectrodialysis setup was used to extract ammonium and phosphate in two separate compartments. The initial phosphate recovery rate was measured to be 0.072 mmol m−2 s−1 and the initial ammonium recovery rate was measured to be 1.31 mmol m–2 s–1. The ammonium recovery rate was 18 times higher than that for phosphate, whereas the molar concentration of ammonium in the feed was 10 times higher than that of phosphate. An average recovery of 72 ± 1% and 90 ± 10% for ammonium and phosphate was observed after 3 h of operation. A monovalent anion selective (MVA) membrane was used to avoid ammonium and reduce the concentration of monovalent anions in the phosphorus stream. The pH in the phosphorus stream was kept at 10 so phosphate did not pass the MVA membrane. A membrane area of 26 m2 per m3 digester supernatant was required to recover 70% of phosphate and ammonium for the digester supernatant that contained 6 mM phosphate and 105 mM ammonium.

Biofabrication of size-controlled ZnO nanoparticles using various capping agents and their cytotoxic and antitermite activity

ABSTRACT Herein, monodisperse Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been fabricated by green adeptness with and without using capping agents. The different capping agents used include Syzygium cumini leaves extract, starch and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The UV/Vis analysis showed an exciton absorption band in the range of 370–385 nm for all NPs. The SEM analysis showed that average particle size of all ZnO NPs was consistent with that which was calculated by using the Debye-Scherrer equation also by using effective mass model approach. The XRD analysis has confirmed their crystalline nature and monodisperse size distribution. The Photoluminescence spectrum (PL) indicated the presence of surface defects on ZnO nanoparticles, which are the` driving force in the efficient photocatalysis of brilliant green dye showing 89.33% degradation efficiency after 2 h. The plant-mediated ZnO NPs were an efficient antimicrobial agent against P. aeruginosa, E. coli, A.baumannii and K. pneumoniae strains; however, all fungal strains including P. chrysogenum, A. niger, T. citrinoviride, A. fumigatus were resistant to ZnO NPs at all concentrations. Furthermore, they showed a strong antitermite activity against Heterotermes indicola workers and soldiers with a 100% mortality rate in 24 h.

Modeling of heat and mass transfer in vacuum membrane distillation for ammonia separation

Ammonia is both a contaminant and valuable commodity as chemical. The extraction of ammonia from wastewater was proven technically feasible using membrane distillation (MD). However, the fundamental separation mechanisms of ammonia in MD is not well understood, due to the complexity related to the binary transport and solution chemistry. This study aimed to develop a numerical model for the first time to describe the ammonia and vapour binary transport across hollow fibre membrane in single-stage vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). The key model constants were obtained based on measured membrane properties and unique ammonia chemistry. The modelling results indicated that the ammonia concentration factor into the permeate was strongly correlated with feed temperature at fixed pH but not sensitive to feed concentration. The trade-off between ammonia selectivity and membrane flux indicated a suitable temperature range of 40–45 °C for efficient extraction. The predicted gas pressure of ammonia-vapour mixture showed a slow increase of process driving force and membrane flux with feed temperature. While the averaged process driving force decreased as fibre length increased, indicating an optimal length for maximum permeate production. The predicted permeate gas and membrane surface temperatures were identical along fibre length, indicating minimal conductive heat loss and hence high thermal efficiency (>90%) for ammonia extraction.

HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA AQUEOUS EXTRACT AMELIORATES THIOACETAMIDE-INDUCED HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY IN GUINEA PIGS: ROLE OF AMMONIA EXTRACTION

The current work assessed the preventive and therapeutic potential of Hibiscus sabdariffa “HS” aqueous extract (HSE) on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced hepatic encephalopathy (HE) associated with the acute liver injury. Method: guinea pigs were divided into: Group 1 (Control group n=24) which wasfurther subdivided into 4 subgroups; Group “1-a” (non-treated); Group “1-b” given HSE for 3 days and sacrificed on the 4th day; Group “1-c” given TAA for 3 days and sacrificed on the 4th day; Group “1-d” given the TAA doses for 3 days and sacrificed on the 7th day; Group 2 (Preventive) given TAA and HSE doses concurrently for 3 days and sacrificed on the 4th day. Group 3 (Therapeutic) given 3-days TAA followed by 3-days HSE doses and sacrificed on the 7th day. Results: Preventive and therapeutic HSE resulted in significant amelioration of the TAA-induced hepatic encephalopathy with faster recovery of animals on the 7th day associated with significant improvement in the biochemical parameters of liver injury including the ammonia extraction ratio indicating functional hepatic improvement. In addition, there was a significant improvement in brain edema. Conclusion: HSE has both preventive and therapeutic effects on TAA-induced hepatic encephalopathy and liver injury in guinea pigs

Equilibrium Modeling for Solvent Extraction of Nickel and Ammonia from Alkaline Media with the Extractant LIX84-I

Equilibrium Modeling for Solvent Extraction of Nickel and Ammonia from Alkaline Media with the Extractant LIX84-I

Sequential Aqueous Ammonia Extraction and LiCl/N,N-Dimethyl Formamide Pretreatment for Enhancing Enzymatic Saccharification of Winter Bamboo Shoot Shell.

Effective utilization of winter bamboo shoot shell (BSS) is of great interest, since BSS provides a renewable and inexpensive bioresource for the production of biofuels. In this study, an effective combination pretreatment by the sequential aqueous ammonia (25wt%) extraction at 50°C for 24h and LiCl/N,N-dimethyl formamide (LiCl/DMF) (6wt% of LiCl) pretreatment at 50°C for 8h was used for pretreating BSS. SEM, FTIR, and XRD results indicated that combination pretreatment could effectively remove lignin and change the crystal structure of cellulose for promoting enzymatic saccharification. Additionally, significant linear correlations were found about solid recovery-delignification (R 2=0.9235), delignification-reducing sugars (R 2=0.9552), and delignification-hemicellulose removal (R 2=0.9779) during the combination pretreatment. The reducing sugars and glucose from the hydrolysis of 100g/L pretreated BSS could be obtained at 72.3 and 40.5g/L, respectively. Using the recovered BSS-hydrolysates containing 20-50g/L glucose as carbon source, the ethanol yields at 48h could be obtained at 84.5-86.1% of the theoretical yield. In conclusion, the sequential ammonia extraction and LiCl/DMF pretreatment has high potential application in future.

Equilibrium Modeling of the Extraction of Copper and Ammonia from Alkaline Media with the Extractant LIX84I

Equilibrium Modeling of the Extraction of Copper and Ammonia from Alkaline Media with the Extractant LIX84I

Removal of Lithium Citrate from H3A for Determination of Plant Available P

The soil extractant, H3A, has undergone several iterations to extract calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), ammonium (NH4-N) and nitrate (NO3-N) under ambient soil conditions. Few soil extractants currently used by commercial and university soil testing laboratories can perform multi-nutrient extraction without over- or under-estimating at least one nutrient. Soil pH and plant root exudates have a strong influence on nutrient availability and H3A was developed to mimic soil conditions. Lithium citrate was previously used in the H3A formulation, but resulted in a cloudy supernatant in some samples, complicating laboratory analyses. In this study, we removed lithium citrate and compared the nutrients extracted from the modified (H3A-4) to the established (H3A-3) solutions. We found that the new extractant, H3A-4, produced a clear supernatant even in soils with low pH and high iron and aluminum concentrations. H3A-4 accurately predicts plant available nutrients and is a viable choice for commercial and laboratory settings due to its ease of use.

Modeling of Equilibria for the Solvent Extraction of Ammonia with LIX84I

Modeling of Equilibria for the Solvent Extraction of Ammonia with LIX84I

A norovirus detection architecture based on isothermal amplification and expanded genetic systems

Noroviruses are the major cause of global viral gastroenteritis with short incubation times and small inoculums required for infection. This creates a need for a rapid molecular test for norovirus for early diagnosis, in the hope of preventing the spread of the disease. Non-chemists generally use off-the shelf reagents and natural DNA to create such tests, suffering from background noise that comes from adventitious DNA and RNA (collectively xNA) that is abundant in real biological samples, especially feces, a common location for norovirus. Here, we create an assay that combines artificially expanded genetic information systems (AEGIS, which adds nucleotides to the four in standard xNA, pairing orthogonally to A:T and G:C) with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to amplify norovirus RNA at constant temperatures, without the power or instrument requirements of PCR cycling. This assay was then validated using feces contaminated with murine norovirus (MNV). Treating stool samples with ammonia extracts the MNV RNA, which is then amplified in an AEGIS-RT-LAMP where AEGIS segments are incorporated both into an internal LAMP primer and into a molecular beacon stem, the second lowering background signaling noise. This is coupled with RNase H nicking during sample amplification, allowing detection of as few as 10 copies of noroviral RNA in a stool sample, generating a fluorescent signal visible to human eye, all in a closed reaction vessel.

A novel approach to Lab-In-Syringe Head-Space Single-Drop Microextraction and on-drop sensing of ammonia

A novel approach to the automation technique Lab-In-Syringe, also known as In-Syringe Analysis, is proposed which utilizes a secondary inlet into the syringe void, used as a size-adaptable reaction chamber, via a channel passing through the syringe piston. This innovative approach allows straightforward automation of head-space single-drop microextraction, involving accurately controlled drop formation and handling, and the possibility of on-drop analyte quantification.The syringe was used in upside-down orientation and in-syringe magnetic stirring was carried out, which allowed homogenous mixing of solutions, promotion of head-space analyte enrichment, and efficient syringe cleaning.The superior performance of the newly developed system was illustrated with the development of a sensitive method for total ammonia determination in surface waters. It is based on head-space extraction of ammonia into a single drop of bromothymol blue indicator created inside the syringe at the orifice of the syringe piston channel and on-drop sensing of the color change via fiber optics. The slope of the linear relationship between absorbance and time was used as the analytical signal.Drop formation and performance of on-drop monitoring was further studied with rhodamine B solution to give a better understanding of the system's performance.A repeatability of 6% RSD at 10 μmol L−1 NH3, a linear range of up to 25 μmol L−1 NH3, and a limit of detection of 1.8 μmol L−1 NH3 were achieved. Study of interferences proved the high robustness of the method towards humic acids, high sample salinity, and the presence of detergents, thus demonstrating the method superiority compared to the state-of-the-art gas-diffusion methods. A mean analyte recovery of 101.8% was found in analyzing spiked environmental water samples.