High Concentrations Of Sodium Ions Research Articles

Transformation behavior of hazardous jarosite into recyclable hematite in a solution with high concentrations of K+ and Na+

Iron in the leaching solution with high K+ and Na+ concentrations was usually precipitated as the typical hazardous and toxic jarosite residues. However, this method of treatment has been greatly restricted by increasingly strict environmental regulations. Here we propose that iron can be precipitated from the solution with high K+ and Na+ concentrations as recyclable hematite products by adjusting the concentration ratio of sodium and potassium ions in the solution. The transformation behavior of jarosite into hematite in high concentration potassium ion and sodium ion solution was explained based on collision theory. The results indicated that in instances where the concentration ratio of Na+/K+ is ≥ 4:1, the iron present in the solution can be effectively precipitated as a recyclable hematite product, as opposed to forming the conventional hazardous jarosite residue, even under conditions where the potassium ion concentration reaches levels as high as 4 g/L. On the other hand, thermodynamic and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that at a temperature of 185 °C, the decomposition transformation of Na-jarosite (32.64 kJ and 7.25 eV) is more energetically advantageous compared to that of K-jarosite (61.07 kJ and 15.31 eV). The results were verified by the leaching solution from smelting industry. The iron content in the residues is above 58%, the sulfur content is below 4%, the zinc content is below 1%, and the total iron concentration in the supernatant is about 4 g/L, reaching the production index of the smelting industry. The green, environmentally friendly, and recyclable separation of iron in a solution with high concentrations of potassium and sodium ions is achieved, which is of great significance for the treatment of iron-containing solution and wastewater in the chemical industry and metallurgy fields.

The impact of seawater ions on urea decomposition and calcium carbonate precipitation in the MICP process

As an environmentally friendly biotechnology, the microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) provides a new approach to repair concrete cracks. Most existing studies focused on finding a suitable environment for bacteria to induce as much calcium carbonate as possible, but the effect of actual concrete service environment on the repair of concrete cracks was usually ignored. This work compared the repair quality of cracked specimens via MICP with the original Sporosarcina (Sp.) pasteurii strain and salt-tolerant Sp. pasteurii strain in the deionized water and simulated seawater. Then the adverse effects of seawater ions on the MICP process was investigated. The results showed that the permeability coefficient of repaired specimens was 175.7 % higher, and the bond strength between the calcium carbonate and concrete surface was lower in the simulated seawater as compared with the deionized water environment. The high concentration of sodium, chloride, magnesium, and sulfate ions in the seawater led to the decrease of the urea decomposition rate and calcium carbonate yield rate, which further induced the decreased super-saturation of calcium carbonate and the conversion of the calcium carbonate crystal form from calcite to vaterite. Besides, the salt-tolerant strain with a high salt adaptability showed a higher repair ability in the simulated seawater as compared with the original strain.

Association of hypertension in pregnancy with serum electrolyte disorders in late pregnancy among Cameroonian women

Multiple electrolyte disorders, including sodium, potassium and calcium disorders, have been associated with hypertension in pregnancy. Most of these studies failed to evaluate the combined effect of low and high sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride ion concentrations on hypertension in pregnancy. This study evaluates the combined effect of these ion categories (low, normal, high) on hypertension in pregnancy. Biochemical ion assays and blood pressure measurements were carried out on 1074 apparently healthy pregnant women in late third trimester. Serum potassium, sodium, chloride, and ionised calcium were measured by ion-selective electrode potentiometry, while total plasma calcium was measured by absorption spectrophotometry. Hypertension in pregnancy was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. The prevalence of hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, hypochloraemia, ionised hypocalcaemia and total hypocalcaemia in late pregnancy was 1.30 [0.78–2.18]%, 3.55 [2.60–4.84]%, 1.96 [1.28–2.97]%, 1.49 [0.92–2.21]% and 43.58 [40.64–46.56]%, respectively. Hypernatraemia, hyperkalaemia, hyperchloraemia, ionised hypercalcaemia and total hypercalcaemia were found in 1.49 [0.92–2.41]%, 2.34 [1.59–3.43]%, 4.38 [3.31–5.77]%, 39.94 [37.06–42.90]%, 2.79 [1.96–3.96]% of the participants, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension in pregnancy was 7.17 [5.77–8.87]%. When ion categories were considered in multiple logistic regression, only ionised and total calcium had significant associations with hypertension in pregnancy. Women with ionised hypercalcaemia had lower odds of hypertension in pregnancy (AOR = 0.50 [0.29–0.87], p-value = 0.015), and women with total hypocalcaemia had higher odds of hypertension in pregnancy (AOR = 1.99 [1.21–3.29], p-value = 0.007), compared to women with ionised and total normocalcaemia, respectively. Increasing kalaemia was associated significantly with higher odds of hypertension in pregnancy; however, kalaemia below and above the normal concentrations had no significant association with hypertension. Nonetheless, participants with kalaemia ≤ 3.98 mmol/L, had lower odds of hypertension in pregnancy compared with those with higher kalaemia (OR = 0.40 [0.24–0.66], p-value = 0.0003). Calcium disorders remain the most frequent electrolyte disorders in pregnancy. When normal cut-offs are considered for calcium and other ions, only ionised and total calcium influence the occurrence of hypertension in pregnancy. Kalaemia seems to affect hypertension in pregnancy but primarily within its normal concentrations. Serum electrolyte follow-up is indispensable for a proper pregnancy follow-up.

Zein-enhanced sodium alginate/thiostannate microsphere adsorbent Zein@SA/KBS for efficient removal of cesium from wastewater

Although efficient removal of Cs from wastewater is of great importance because of the nuclear energy sustainable development and public health, removing cesium is challenging for the high concentrations of sodium and potassium ions coexist. In this work, we synthesized the first novel bismuth-doped layered tin sulfide (KBS) and applied it to the efficient green adsorption of liquid cesium resources. KBS could reach the adsorption equilibrium for Cs+ within only 2 min with a theoretical adsorption capacity of 425.55 mg/g. Furthermore, the adsorption performance remained reliable after 10 cycles of use. The structure and properties of KBS were explained at the molecular level by DFT calculations, and the calculated results were in sound agreement with the experimental data. Meanwhile, in this study, the material was reinforced and shaped by the electrostatic interaction of Zein and sodium alginate hydrogel, and finally, Zein@SA/KBS spherical composite adsorbent was obtained. The problem of the difficult recovery of adsorbent and the secondary contamination was solved. The adsorption performance of Zein@SA/KBS on Cs+ was better than most composite adsorbents and showed reliable stability. Therefore, the new microspherical adsorbent (Zein@SA/KBS) has great potential for industrial application in removing radioactive cesium from wastewater.

A Novel Composite Hydrogel Material for Sodium Removal and Potassium Provision.

Sodium ions are commonly found in natural water sources, and their high concentrations can potentially lead to adverse effects on both the water sources and soil quality. In this study, we successfully synthesized potassium polyacrylate (KMAA) hydrogel through free radical polymerization and evaluated its capability to remove sodium ions from and supply potassium ions to aqueous solutions. To assess its performance, inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP) was employed to analyze the sodium ion removal capacity and potassium ion exchange capability of the KMAA hydrogel at various initial sodium ion concentrations and pH values. The results demonstrated that the KMAA hydrogel exhibited remarkable efficiency in removing sodium ions and providing potassium ions. At pH 7, the maximum adsorption capacity for sodium ions was measured at 70.7 mg·g-1. The Langmuir model, with a correlation coefficient of 0.98, was found to be more suitable for describing the adsorption process of sodium ions. Moreover, at pH 4, the maximum exchange capacity for potassium ions reached 243.7 mg·g-1. The Freundlich model, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99, was deemed more appropriate for characterizing the ion exchange behavior of potassium ions. In conclusion, the successfully synthesized KMAA hydrogel demonstrates superior performance in removing sodium ions and supplying potassium ions, providing valuable insights for addressing high sodium ion concentrations in water sources and facilitating potassium fertilizer supply.

Assay of short-chain carboxylic acids in plasma and urine using gas chromatography after extractive alkylation.

After extractive alkylation combined with plasma deproteinization, we used gas chromatography to assay for short-chain carboxylic acids from formic acid to valeric acid in plasma and urine. It was possible to provide highly sensitive analysis with 0.1-3.4µg/mL as the limit of detection for plasma and 0.6-8.0µg/mL for urine, with a correlation coefficient of 1.000 for the linear regression calibration curves. For plasma, deproteinization using ultrafiltration before extractive alkylation resulted in a higher sensitivity for acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids compared with the method without deproteinization. The concentrations of formic acid and acetic acid were determined to be 6µg/mL and 10µg/mL, respectively, in the tested plasma, and 22µg/mL and 32µg/mL, respectively, in the tested urine. Concentrations from propionic acid to valeric acid were ≤ 1.3µg/mL. In addition, high concentrations of sulfate, phosphate, hydrogen carbonate, ammonium, and/or sodium ions did not remarkably inhibit the derivatization of carboxylic acids, although hydrogen carbonate ions significantly inhibited that of formic acid.

A two-step green liquid-liquid extraction strategy for selective lithium recovery and application to seawater

Efficiently harvesting lithium from seawater remains a challenge due to the extremely dilute concentration of lithium ions (Li+) and the existence of many foreign metal ions that are far more abundant. Here, a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (HDES)-based two-step liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) strategy is developed for the first time that realizes the separation of dilute Li+ (<1 mg/L) from solutions with a high concentration of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium ions. This strategy contains the removal of divalent cations and selective recovery of Li+, which minimizes the influence of coexisting metal ions. In the first LLE step, the unwanted divalent cations are removed with a negligible loss of Li+ by the bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate/kerosene (DEHPA/KERO) system. Then, the DEHPA/HDES system can selectively extract Li+ from monovalent cations. All solvents used are readily available and low cost with methyltrioctylammonium chloride and decanoic acid at a 1:2 mol ratio (N8881Cl/2DecA) as the main extractant. Extraction equilibrium is reached within 10 s. The single extraction efficiency of Li+ is 66.4%, and the separation coefficient of lithium and sodium (βLi/Na) reaches 11.6 at the optimized extraction conditions. Finally, the proposed two-step LLE strategy is applied to the simulated seawater. The extraction performance of N8881Cl/2DecA-DEHPA was not significantly weakened after being reused ten times.

Bio-Saline Agriculture Modeling, Using Saline Water for Irrigation Purposes

Climate change effects increase the scarcity of irrigation water and deterioration of its quality, which affects the crop water requirements. Researchers were studying the water recycling technique and finding about other possible renewable water resources for irrigation, they conclude that saline water can be used to meet part of the irrigation water needs for many crops under special field management, because there are many crops have a high tolerance to the salinity without decreasing in the yield. The current study aims to evaluate the economic yield of saline drainage water in irrigation. A computer program (Fıuat Ujaj) using Visual Basic language was constructed to use the largest possible amount of drainage water for irrigation after removing the toxic effects and then calculates the relative yield of the selected crops. The Main Outflow Drain (MOD) in Iraq was selected as a saline water resource which has 4.63 dS m-1 Electrical Conductivity (EC). This saline water contained high concentrations of chlorine and sodium ions. MFUP results showed that toxic effect of these ions can be removed by diluting with 35% of the nearby river water. MFUP results showed that the crops with high and medium tolerance to salinity give an acceptable yield ratio when they were irrigated with diluted water (35%) to remove toxicity effects only, while the dilution increases for crops of medium sensitivity, but the acceptable yield of sensitive crops is not achieved except with fresh river water. If the crop production is lower than the economically acceptable limit, another 5% of the river water will be added to mitigate, and the dilution process continues until the percentage of the river water become 80% of the irrigation water. If the required product is not achieved, then the program instructs to irrigate this crop with the river water only.

A stable anthraquinone-derivative cathode to develop sodium metal batteries: The role of ammoniates as electrolytes

Rechargeable sodium metal batteries constitute a cost-effective option for energy storage although sodium shows some drawbacks in terms of reactivity with organic solvents and dendritic growth. Here we demonstrate that an organic dye, indanthrone blue, behaves as an efficient cathode material for the development of secondary sodium metal batteries when combined with novel inorganic electrolytes. These electrolytes are ammonia solvates, known as liquid ammoniates, which can be formulated as NaI·3.3NH3 and NaBF4·2.5NH3. They impart excellent stability to sodium metal, and they favor sodium non-dendritic growth linked to their exceedingly high sodium ion concentration. This advantage is complemented by a high specific conductivity. The battery described here can last hundreds of cycles at 10 C while keeping a Coulombic efficiency of 99% from the first cycle. Because of the high capacity of the cathode and the superior physicochemical properties of the electrolytes, the battery can reach a specific energy value as high as 210 W h kg−1IB, and a high specific power of 2.2 kW kg−1IB, even at below room temperature (4 °C). Importantly, the battery is based on abundant and cost-effective materials, bearing promise for its application in large-scale energy storage.

Physicochemical analysis of wastewater generated from a coating industry in Mauritius

The coating industry is one of the most important consumers of water and chemicals and consequently is a major water polluter in Mauritius. The focus of this study was to characterise wastewater generated by a coating industry in Mauritius. The objectives were to develop a wastewater sampling strategy and to analyse the pollutant parameters as per Mauritian regulations. The wastewater samples were analysed for physicochemical properties and metal abundances over a period of 6months. The physicochemical parameters analysed were pH, electrical conductivity (EC), true colour, total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate, phosphate, sulphate and free chlorine. The wastewater samples were also analysed for metal ions such as sodium, potassium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel and zinc. The results of the physicochemical parameters indicated the presence of biologically resistant organic matters in all the wastewater samples with elevated values of BOD5 and COD, and low biodegradability index, respectively. The coating industry wastewater samples were acidic and saline in nature. Moreover, they presented high concentrations of TSS, free chlorine and sodium ions compared to standard limits promulgated by the Mauritian Government. Spearman's rank correlation matrix with non-linear regression analysis showed significant associations among the measured parameters which were found to have a common origin in the coating industry wastewater. This research will be useful for regular monitoring and setting up an adequate coating industry wastewater treatment for the potential reuse in production processes in Mauritius.

Evaluation of Groundwater Quality by Water Quality Index During Successive Periodic Intervals in the Selected Villages of Gara Mandal of Srikakulam District in Andhra Pradesh

The quality of groundwater is assessed using the Water Quality Index method and it is pertinently helpful to transfer the complex data into usable data. In this research study the WQI values have been estimated for each water sample (in total, 66 samples have been collected) based on 9 water quality parameters at periodic intervals in May 2015, 2016 and 2017 in the villages of Gara Mandal of Srikakulam District in Andhra Pradesh. The overall results disclosed that 50-54% of the groundwater samples (WQI lies between 100-200) showed poor quality and 10-13% of water samples (WQI lies between 200-300) showed very poor quality in successive periodic intervals. An assessment of measured physicochemical parameters of 66 sample sites has shown that the majority of the groundwater samples have a high concentration of calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and sulfate ions beyond the desirable limits of BIS and WHO standards. Correlation matrix show a strong positive correlation existing between the calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride and sulfate ions pointing out that groundwater in this region has been contaminated more by these components due to anthropogenic activities and over-exploitation. Hence, in the study region, suitable treatment of water is necessary before consumption, this is because maximum parts of the sampling points have a high WQI value.

Influence of sea salt on the interfacial adhesion of bitumen–aggregate systems by molecular dynamics simulation

• Sea salt damaged bitumen’s original colloidal structure by disaggregating asphaltenes. • Saturates played the major role by most extensively diffusing to the surface of silica. • SARA fractions’ redistribution was driven by water with ions only acting as catalysts. • Number of SARA fractions in model decreased the adhesion energy in all environments. • Spatiotemporal distribution of SARA fractions at the interface determined the adhesion. This research investigated the influence of sea salt on the adhesion properties of bitumen–aggregate systems by molecular dynamics simulations in order to fundamentally understand the mechanism of damage in the seawater environment. The seawater environment was simulated by high concentrations of chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, and calcium ions in water. Bitumen was represented by 3-, 4-, and 12-component models using the COMPASS force field, while the bitumen–seawater–aggregate interfacial model was discontinued by a vacuum layer of 60 Å in thickness. The results demonstrated that the presence of seawater affected the adhesion by facilitating the molecular migrations of bitumen components and by weakening the agglomeration of asphaltene. Consequently, this gradually damaged the colloidal structure of bitumen in the interfacial zone. Saturates played a dominant role in the adhesion in the seawater environment because they were the most likely to diffuse away from the silica surface. Besides the composition of bitumen, the spatiotemporal distribution of its components in the region of the interface was also identified as extremely important for the interpretation of the intrinsic factors which control the adhesion behaviour of thesesystems.

Microbial fuel cell for simultaneous caffeine removal and bioelectricity generation under various operational conditions in the anodic and cathodic chambers

A series of studies of the effects of operational parameters including organic substrate loading concentration, initial caffeine concentration, circuit connection, external resistance and salinity were carried out to evaluate the optimal performance of a double chambered microbial fuel cell for the treatment of caffeine. The increment of organic substrate loading concentration at anode increased the maximum power density from 7.84 ± 0.59 to 14.18 ± 0.87 mW m−2 but deteriorated the removal efficiency of caffeine in which only half of the removal efficiency of caffeine attained at 72 h at 1.500 g L−1 acetate (46.28 ± 3.66 %) than that of 0.375 g L−1 (96.89 ± 0.48 %). Initial caffeine concentration of 20 mg L−1 (95.31 ± 1.83 %) achieved 2.40-fold higher removal efficiency of caffeine than that of 50 mg L−1 (39.58 ± 2.83 %) at 48 h as saturated caffeine molecules hindered the oxygen reduction reaction and thus, fewer hydroxyl radicals were produced for the decomposition of caffeine. An optimal external resistance of 1000 Ω exhibited the best performance in terms of pollutants removal efficiency and power generation than that of 500 and 5000 Ω. Sodium chloride concentration of 0.580 g L−1 produced the highest maximum power density of 11.78 ± 0.68 but reduced to 8.26 ± 0.41 mW m−2 at 0.696 g L−1 as high concentration of sodium ions caused dehydration of anodophilic cells which decreased the electron transfer ability of electrochemically active bacteria.

The Effects of Sodium Ions on Ligand Binding and Conformational States of G Protein-Coupled Receptors-Insights from Mass Spectrometry.

The use of mass spectrometry to investigate proteins is now well established and provides invaluable information for both soluble and membrane protein assemblies. Maintaining transient noncovalent interactions under physiological conditions, however, remains challenging. Here, using nanoscale electrospray ionization emitters, we establish conditions that enable mass spectrometry of two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) from buffers containing high concentrations of sodium ions. For the Class A GPCR, the adenosine 2A receptor, we observe ligand-induced changes to sodium binding of the receptor at the level of individual sodium ions. We find that antagonists promote sodium binding while agonists attenuate sodium binding. These findings are in line with high-resolution X-ray crystallography wherein only inactive conformations retain sodium ions in allosteric binding pockets. For the glucagon receptor (a Class B GPCR) we observed enhanced ligand binding in electrospray buffers containing high concentrations of sodium, as opposed to ammonium acetate buffers. A combination of native and -omics mass spectrometry revealed the presence of a lipophilic negative allosteric modulator. These experiments highlight the advantages of implementing native mass spectrometry, from electrospray buffers containing high concentrations of physiologically relevant salts, to inform on allosteric ions or ligands with the potential to define their roles on GPCR function.

High concentrations of sodium and chloride ions have opposing effects on the growth of the xerophyte Pugionium cornutum under saline conditions

AbstractBackground: The research on plant salt tolerance has mainly focused on Na+, but Cl− has been relatively neglected. Previous studies have found that the xerophyte Pugionium cornutum, an important forage grass in the arid and semi‐arid regions of northwestern China, could synergistically accumulate high quintiles of Na+ and Cl− in its shoots under NaCl treatments. However, the separate effects of these ions on the adaptation of P. cornutum to saline conditions have not been investigated.Aims: In this study, the response of P. cornutum to Na+ and Cl− was analyzed.Methods: Four‐week‐old seedlings were treated with additional 50 mM NaCl, Na+‐specific solution containing 50 mM Na+ with a mix of , H2 , and as counter anions, and Cl−‐specific solution containing 50 mM Cl− with a mix of K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ as counter cations.Results: Compared with the normal growth condition irrigated with Hoagland solution, the Na+‐specific solution severely impaired the growth and photosynthesis of P. cornutum due to the high accumulation of Na+ in shoots and the deterioration of tissue K+ homeostasis; while the Cl−‐specific solution significantly increased shoot fresh and dry biomass. The Cl−‐specific solution could also increase the turgor pressure in leaves for enhancing osmotic adjustment, which should be mainly attributed to the large accumulation of Cl−, since the concentrations of other ions, including K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, H2 , and , in tissues under Cl−‐specific treatment were maintained at the same levels as those observed under the normal condition.Conclusions: P. cornutum displays an excellent tolerance to moderate Cl− but not to Na+, and the large accumulation of Cl− should play a positive role in stimulating the growth of P. cornutum under salt stress.

Stabilization of DNA by sodium and magnesium ions during the synthesis of DNA-bridged gold nanoparticles

Nanostructures synthesized using DNA-conjugated gold nanoparticles have a wide range of applications in the field of biosensorics. The stability of the DNA duplex plays a critical role as it determines the final geometry of these nanostructures. The main way to control DNA stability is to maintain a high ionic strength of the buffer solution; at the same time, high salt concentrations lead to an aggregation of nanoparticles. In this study, by means of the instrumentality of DNA-bridged seeds using tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as a soft reducing agent the dumbbell-like gold nanoparticles up to 35 nm were synthesized with a high concentration of sodium ions of up to 100 mM and magnesium ions up to 1 mM. We also examined at the atomic level the details of the effect of the gold nanoparticle surface, as well as Na+ and Mg2+ ions, on the stability of nucleotide pairs located in close proximity to the grafting site.

Transient Dynamics of Archaea and Bacteria in Sediments and Brine Across a Salinity Gradient in a Solar Saltern of Goa, India.

The microbial fluctuations along an increasing salinity gradient during two different salt production phases – initial salt harvesting (ISH) phase and peak salt harvesting (PSH) phase of Siridao solar salterns in Goa, India were examined through high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes on Illumina MiSeq platform. Elemental analysis of the brine samples showed high concentration of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl–) ions thereby indicating its thalassohaline nature. Comparison of relative abundance of sequences revealed that Archaea transited from sediment to brine while Bacteria transited from brine to sediment with increasing salinity. Frequency of Archaea was found to be significantly enriched even in low and moderate salinity sediments with their relative sequence abundance reaching as high as 85%. Euryarchaeota was found to be the dominant archaeal phylum containing 19 and 17 genera in sediments and brine, respectively. Phylotypes belonging to Halorubrum, Haloarcula, Halorhabdus, and Haloplanus were common in both sediments and brine. Occurence of Halobacterium and Natronomonas were exclusive to sediments while Halonotius was exclusive to brine. Among sediments, relative sequence frequency of Halorubrum, and Halorhabdus decreased while Haloarcula, Haloplanus, and Natronomonas increased with increasing salinity. Similarly, the relative abundance of Haloarcula and Halorubrum increased with increasing salinity in brine. Sediments and brine samples harbored about 20 and 17 bacterial phyla, respectively. Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Chloroflexi were the common bacterial phyla in both sediments and brine while Firmicutes were dominant albeit in sediments alone. Further, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria were observed to be the abundant class within the Proteobacteria. Among the bacterial genera, phylotypes belonging to Rubricoccus and Halomonas were widely detected in both brine and sediment while Thioalkalispira, Desulfovermiculus, and Marinobacter were selectively present in sediments. This study suggests that Bacteria are more susceptible to salinity fluctuations than Archaea, with many bacterial genera being compartment and phase-specific. Our study further indicated that Archaea rather than Bacteria could withstand the wide salinity fluctuation and attain a stable community structure within a short time-frame.

Individual and additive stress impacts of Na+ and Cl‾ on proline metabolism and nitrosative responses in rice

It is well-established that plants accumulate high concentrations of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl‾) ions when subjected to salinity stress. However, little is known about individual or relative toxic impacts of these ions and whether they exert additive impacts under NaCl. Most of the investigations have historically been directed to decode Na+-toxicity, and as a result deeper understandings about Cl‾-toxicity are lacking. In this study, the extent to which sodium and chloride ions contribute in inducing nitrosative responses and proline metabolism is shown in two rice cultivars, one tolerant (Panvel-3) and one sensitive (Sahyadri-3). Equimolar (100 mM) concentrations of Na+, Cl‾ and NaCl (EC ≈ 10 dSm−1) reduced biomass production in both the cultivars in following manner NaCl > Na+>Cl‾. Na+ and NaCl treatments displaced K+, however, the tolerant cultivar maintained low Na+/K+ levels. Hyper-accumulation of Na+ may apparently be attributed for the reduced plant growth and biomass accumulation, and higher lipid-peroxidation. Nitric oxide and nitrate reductase were more responsive to NaCl followed by Na+ and Cl‾, respectively. The expression patterns of key-genes involved in proline biosynthesis and degradation confirmed the involvement of proline in better performance of salt tolerant cultivar under stresses, with higher responsiveness to NaCl and then Na+ and Cl‾ treatments. Principal component analysis revealed correlations in proline metabolism and nitrosative responses under ionic stresses and confirmed the closeness of NaCl and Na+ stresses. Overall, amongst the individual ions, Na+ induced higher toxicity than Cl‾ and both these ions exerted additive stress impacts under NaCl treatment.

Fabrication and Characterization of Polysorbate/Ironmolybdophosphate Nanocomposite: Ion Exchange Properties and pH-responsive Drug Carrier System for Methylcobalamin

Background: Nanocomposites are of great interest due to their competency to show multifunctional properties. They have been recently given much attention due to their credibility to offer the synergistic feature of organic material with those of inorganic constituents. Different types of nanocomposites have been prepared to date and are being used for different applications. The delivery of drugs in the human body at a particular site was one of the major problems in the medicinal field. The nanocomposite formulations can be used to provide controlled release and they can be combined with ligands for targeted drug delivery. Applications of the nanocomposites as ion exchangers are also increasing at a faster rate. Due to this, they help in the softening of the water. They can also be easily recharged by washing them with a solution containing a high concentration of sodium ions. In the present paper, we have worked on the synthesis and applications of the polysorbate/ironmolybdophosphate (PS/FMP) nanocomposite. Methods: Polysorbate/ironmolybdophosphate (PS/FMPS) was synthesized by co-precipitation method in the presence of polysorbate. The material was well characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, (FTIR) scanning transmission microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Physicochemical properties of material were studied in detail. Drug delivery behavior of polysorbate/ironmolybdophosphate was investigated by using methylcobalamin as a test drug. Results: The polysorbate/ironmolybdophosphate nanocomposite show enhanced Na+ ion exchange capacity of 2.1 meq/g. It has been revealed that PS/FMP nanocomposite was thermally stable as it retained the ion exchange capacity of 40.4 % at 400°C. An optimum concentration of sodium nitrate (eluent) was found to be 1.0 M for the complete removal of H+ ions from the PS/FMP column. The optimum volume of sodium nitrate (eluent) was found to be 230 mL. The FTIR spectra showed the changes in intensities of characteristic peaks in PS/FMP and in drug loaded on PS/FMP nanocomposite. The characteristic peak at 1043-1061 cm-1 was observed for ionic phosphate stretching, 560-567 cm-1 for iron group and 959 cm-1 due to molybdate present in the material. The additional peak at 3390 cm-1 and 1711 cm-1 were due to -OH and C=O stretching due to the presence of these groups in the structure of polysorbate. The peak present at 430 cm-1 might be due to the presence of Co-O stretching of methylcobalamin. The XRD results confirmed the semicrystalline structure of FMP and PS/FMP. Scanning electron micrographs results revealed the beaded surface of FMP changes to fibrous surface in case of PS/FMP nanocomposite. The TEM images indicate the appearance of smooth surfactant layer on the surface of FMP. The size of the nanocomposite is between 10- 70 nm. The drug loading efficiency and encapsulation efficiency were found to be 35.2%. and 60.4%, respectively. The cumulative drug release of methylcobalamin was studied for the PS/FMP nanocomposite. The order of drug release was found to be pH 9.4 (54.6%) &gt; pH 7.4 (46.4%) &gt; saline (pH 5.7) (36.2%) &gt; pH 2.2 (33.9%). The release at pH 9.4 was higher. As the pH of medium changes from acidic to basic i.e. 2.2 - 9.4, there is an appreciable increase in drug release from the PS/FMP nanocomposite due to the presence of more OH- ions resulting in neutralization of cationic nanocomposite and thus increasing the rate of drug release by ion exchange process and matrix deterioration. : The novel nanocomposite PS/FMP has been synthesized by a simple co-precipitation method. The increase in Na+ ion exchange capacity for nanocomposite is due to the binding of organic part (Polysorbate) with inorganic ironmolybdophosphate. The physiochemical properties of PS/FMP were found to be superior. Fourier transform infrared spectra of PS/FMP and drug loaded PS/FMP confirmed the formation of materials. The SEM results indicated the surface of synthesized FMP is bead-like appearance whereas the beaded surface of FMP changes to fibrous surface on the addition of polysorbate thus indicated the fabrication of nanocomposite. The cumulative drug release of methylcobalamin was studied and the order of drug release was found to be pH 9.4 &gt; pH 7.4 &gt; saline (pH 5.7) &gt; pH 2.2. Thus PS/FMP is a promising multifunctional nanocomposite.

Accelerated chemical conversion of metal cations dissolved in seawater-based reject brine solution for desalination and CO2 utilization

A new desalination and carbon utilization method was developed using all of three major cations dissolved in seawater-based industrial wastewater (i.e., calcium, magnesium, and sodium). Here, three types of metal-based inorganic substances could be produced and utilized without additional energy requirements for precipitation reactions. Calcium and magnesium were separated in the form of hydroxide precipitates. Using a 30 wt% aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) solution, carbon dioxide was captured and reacted with the hydroxides to produce calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. After Ca2+ and Mg2+ separation, sodium chloride was used to produce sodium bicarbonate based on the characteristics of primary alkanolamines mixed with a high concentration of sodium ions. The entire process produced 0.3819, 0.2549, and 0.4579 mol of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were conducted to investigate their crystal structure. Moreover, FT-IR spectroscopy was utilized to investigate the ionic species under Na+-rich conditions.