Filtration Time Research Articles

Optimization Study on the Filtration Loss of Water Based Drilling Fluid using Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) Shells Cellulose

The key process parameters for the filtration loss of water-based drilling fluid (WBDF), using Arachishypogaea shells cellulose (AHSC) were optimized using the two-level-two factor full factorial design of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). This research reveals the key outcomes of investigations, carried out on the formulation of a sustainable drilling fluid system, where AHSC is used as a fluid loss additive having no toxicity and high biodegradability. The characterization and pre-treatment of the AHSC used were carried out. Meanwhile, the result of the proximate analysis revealed that the AHSC had 70.40% cellulose, which is a good additive for drilling mud formulation that displays related functions as some of the foreign fluid loss polymers like polyanionic cellulose used in producing drilling muds. It was established that, additive concentration and filtration time had significant effects on WBDF formulation and performance while the optimum results were obtained as: 6g, 15 minutes and 11.58ml for additive concentration, filtration time and filtration loss, respectively. This investigation showed the suitability of AHSC as fluid loss additive that is cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative in this challenging phase of the hydrocarbon exploration industry.

Prediction of the impact of benzo[a]pyrene on shallow groundwater during natural infiltration of reclaimed water-receiving rivers: A case study of Liangshui, China

The quality of groundwater along rivers is greatly affected by long-term infiltration from surface water, especially reclaimed water-receiving rivers. To predict the degree of influence of contaminated river water on groundwater quality, the spatiotemporal distribution and migration evolution prediction of benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P) was monitored and simulated by Hydrus-coupled Groundwater Modeling Systems (GMS) model in terms of reclaimed water-receiving Liangshui River. The prediction results indicated the goodness-of-fit of this coupled model, according to the model efficiency (E: 0.78–0.93), the mean absolute error (MAE: 0.01–0.32 m) and the root-mean-square error (RMSE: 0.06–0.35 m). The vertical infiltration rate of B(a)P in the vadose zone was 0.102 m-1, which was only 0.73% that of water. B(a)P penetrated the 16 m depth vadose zone for 63 years owing to the attenuation function of adsorption and biodegradation, with contribution ratios of 78.4% and 19.3%, respectively. However, once B(a)P intersects with groundwater, the migration of B(a)P is dominated by horizontal migration due to downward movement along the groundwater flow direction. The migration rate of B(a)P in groundwater was 6.65 m/y in the horizontal direction, which was 2.42 and 16.22 times higher than the dispersion rate in the longitudinal and vertical directions, respectively. The spatiotemporal distribution indicated that the B(a)P concentration decreased with the crow-fly distance from river with attenuation rate constants of 1.19 × 10−4, 3.05 × 10−4, and 3.67 × 10−3 m−1 over horizontal, longitudinal, and vertical direction, respectively, which were negatively correlated with migration rate. However, the B(a)P content increased over the extension of infiltration time with an accumulation rate of 7.3 × 10−2 d−1. The migration and accumulation of B(a)P induced potential health risks to groundwater-based drinking water safety, which resulted in the groundwater safety utilization range decreasing from 450 m, 283 m, and 20.1 m–583 m, 338 m, and 28.2 m far from the river over the horizontal, longitudinal, and vertical directions, respectively, 20 years later. This study provides a numerical modeling solution for the viable spatiotemporal evolution of B(a)P in groundwater and an effective decision-making tool for the safe utilization of groundwater as drinking water.

A simple and efficient protocol for transient transformation of sliced grape berries.

Grape is an economically important crop but recalcitrant to Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation and in vitro regeneration. Here, we have developed a protocol for transient transformation of grapes by investigating the effects of explant pre-culture and duration of vacuum infiltration on transformation efficiency. Using sliced grape berries of "Shine-Muscat" (Vitis labrusca × Vitis vinifera) between the end of fruit expansion phase and the mature stage as explants, we firstly compared the effect of pre-culture explants into a susceptible state (incubation on Murashige and Skoog (MS) agar plate in the dark at 25 ± 1°C for 48h) with no pre-culture and then tested different vacuum infiltration times on transformation efficiency using β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter system. Pre-culture increased the susceptibility of explants to the agrobacteria infection and increased transient transformation efficiency as assessed by histochemical GUS activity, with intense blue coloration compared with the faint staining observed in the non-susceptible explants. Using a Circulating Water Vacuum Pump system to facilitate agrobacteria entry into berry cells, we tested vacuum durations of 5, 10, and 15min and observed that transformation efficiency increased with vacuum duration of infiltration. These results were confirmed by relative gene expression of GUS transgene as assessed by RT-qPCR and GUS activity assay. To further confirm the usefulness of our protocol, we transiently transformed grape berries with the hydrogen peroxide sensor gene VvHPCA3, and this was confirmed by gene expression analysis as well as increased sensitivity of the explants to hydrogen peroxide treatment. Overall, this study has resulted in a simple but efficient transient transformation protocol for grape berries and would be a valuable tool for the rapid testing of gene function and the study of key regulatory networks in this important crop.

Nutrient recovery from wastewater treatment by ultrafiltration membrane for water reuse in view of a circular economy perspective

The study aims to recover nitrogen from wastewater by employing ultrafiltration membrane in water reuse for agriculture purpose. To such aim, a new reclaimed water quality index (RWQI) is proposed and applied including an innovative protocol for its assessment. Specifically, the influence of filtration and backwashing times for an ultrafiltration system aimed to nutrient recovery has been analyzed. The final goal was to pin down the trade-off between operation costs and effluent quality. Results show that backwashing time play a crucial role in reducing the operation costs; indeed, low values (i.e., 0.5 min) lead to an increase in the number of required chemical cleanings and consequently operation costs (namely, up to 0.042 €/m3). The compromise among effluent quality and operation costs has been obtained for 7 min and 1 min, filtration and backwashing, respectively.

H1N1 influenza virus dose dependent induction of dysregulated innate immune responses and STAT1/3 activation are associated with pulmonary immunopathological damage

ABSTRACT Influenza A virus (IAV) infection poses a substantial challenge and causes high morbidity and mortality. Exacerbated pulmonary inflammatory responses are the major causes of extensive diffuse alveolar immunopathological damage. However, the relationship between the extent of cytokine storm, neutrophils/macrophages infiltration, and different IAV infection dose and time still needs to be further elucidated, and it is still unclear whether the signal transduction and transcriptional activator 1/3 (STAT1/3) signalling pathway plays a beneficial or detrimental role. Here, we established a mouse model of high- and low-dose pH1N1 infection. We found that pH1N1 infection induced robust and early pathological damage and cytokine storm in an infection dose- and time-dependent manner. High-dose pH1N1 infection induced massive and sustained recruitment of neutrophils as well as a higher ratio of M1:M2, which may contribute to severe lung immunopathological damage. pH1N1 infection activated dose- and time-dependent STAT1 and STAT3. Inhibition of STAT1 and/or STAT3 aggravated low-dose pH1N1 infection, induced lung damage, and decreased survival rate. Appropriate activation of STAT1/3 provided survival benefits and pathological improvement during low-dose pH1N1 infection. These results demonstrate that high-dose pH1N1 infection induces robust and sustained neutrophil infiltration, imbalanced macrophage polarization, excessive and earlier cytokine storm, and STAT1/3 activation, which are associated with pulmonary dysregulated proinflammatory responses and progress of acute lung injury. The severe innate immune responses may be the threshold at which protective functions give way to immunopathology, and assessing the magnitude of host innate immune responses is necessary in adjunctive immunomodulatory therapy for alleviating influenza-induced pneumonia.

Moving environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies from benchtop to the field using passive sampling and PDQeX extraction

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has shown great promise as an effective, non‐invasive monitoring method for marine biomes. However, long filtration times and the need for state‐of‐the‐art laboratories are restricting sample replication and in situ species detections. Methodological innovations, such as passive filtration and self‐contained DNA extraction protocols, have the potential to alleviate these issues. We explored the implementation of passive sampling and a self‐contained DNA extraction protocol by comparing fish diversity obtained from active filtration (1 L; 0.45 μm cellulose nitrate [CN] filters) to five passive substrates, including 0.45 μm CN filters, 5 μm nylon filters, 0.45 μm positively charged nylon filters, artificial sponges, and fishing net. Fish diversity was then compared between the PDQeX Nucleic Acid Extractor and the conventional Qiagen DNeasy Blood & Tissue protocol. Experiments were conducted in both a controlled mesocosm and in situ at the Portobello Marine Laboratory, New Zealand. No significant differences in fish diversity were observed among active filtration and more porous passive materials (artificial sponges and fishing net) for both the mesocosm and harbor waters. For the in situ comparison, all passive filter membranes detected a significantly lower number of fish species, resulting from partial sample drop‐out. While no significant differences in fish eDNA signal diversity were observed between either DNA extraction methods in the mesocosm, the PDQeX system was less effective at detecting fish for the in situ comparison. Our results demonstrate that a passive sampling approach using porous substrates can be effectively implemented to capture eDNA from seawater, eliminating vacuum filtration processing. The large variation in efficiency observed among the five substrate types, however, warrants further optimization of the passive sampling approach for routine eDNA applications. The PDQeX system can extract high‐abundance DNA in a mesocosm with further optimization to detect low‐abundance eDNA from the marine environment.

The Development of Polymeric Composite Membrane Containing Plant Waste Derived Activated Carbon and TiO2 for Raw Petroleum Refinery Wastewater Treatment

Petroleum industry results in a huge amount of harmful oily wastewater that must be properly treated. The fabricated composite membrane comprising polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), cassava peel-derived activated carbon (AC), and TiO2 was then developed for treating raw petroleum refinery wastewater containing high loading of organic and inorganic pollutants. This study applied different ratios of AC/TiO2 by 0, 1, 2, and 3% in the membrane fabrication solution to study the effect of composite ratio on the quality of permeate, fouling rate, and membrane tensile strength. The experimental work found that the ratio of AC/TiO2 by 3% in the composite membrane outperformed the other ratios. The additives addition by 3% could achieve more than 40, 71, 40, and 67.5% of COD, oil, BOD5, and phenol removal efficiency, respectively. It also reached a lower flux decline by 25% within 250 min of filtration time. Hermia’s model was then applied to study the fouling mechanism occurring during membrane operation. Additionally, it was indicated that membrane tensile strength was also influenced by composite ratio, where higher PVDF amount resulted in higher membrane tensile strength. Overall, this study concluded that composite membrane could be a reliable alternative for treating raw industrial wastewater to existing wastewater treatment technologies. Further research related to the composite membrane integration system with other treatment techniques can then be conducted to lengthen membrane lifespan and improve the permeate quality.

The chitosan cembrane cffectiveness of Anadara granosa clam shells to remove total coliform in greywater

Clam shell is a solid trash that has a rough texture, difficult to digest, and polluting the environment. Blood clam shells (Anadara granosa) contain chitin, which is converted into antimicrobial chitosan. The purpose of this study was to see the effectiveness of chitosan membrane from blood clam shells in reducing total coliform bacteria in household greywater. This study was carried out using experimental research method design. This research focused on household greywater waste. The chitosan concentrations on the membrane varied between 2.5% and 3.5% with filtration times of 20 and 60 minutes. The Anova Quadratic model test was further used to examine the data. Chitosan was separated from the shell of the blood clam at peak angles of 19.66° and 26.04° according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization. It was obtained that chitosan membrane, with a concentration of 3.5% and a filtering duration of 60 minutes, provided the highest percentage of total coliform bacteria reduction of 99.9%. The conclusion of this study is that blood clam shells used as chitosan membranes can reduce total coliform bacteria in household greywater waste.

Rebuilding A Collapsed Bivalve Population, Restoring Seagrass Meadows, and Eradicating Harmful Algal Blooms In A Temperate Lagoon Using Spawner Sanctuaries

During the past century, bivalve populations across the globe have collapsed, resulting in negative ecosystem consequences due to their outsized impact on shallow estuaries. In response, there has been strong interest in the restoration of marine bivalve populations. Here, we present a decade-long restoration effort that sought to rebuild a collapsed (99.5% reduction in harvest) and recruitment-limited population of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) in Shinnecock Bay, NY, USA, using spawner sanctuaries: no-harvest zones where adults were planted at high densities (~27 m-2). Between 2012 to 2019, more than 3.2 million clams were planted in 64 discrete sanctuary plots (~1,850 m2each) located in zones with maximal larval retention and sediment and seawater characteristics that would maximize the conditioning and spawning of adults. Hydrodynamic models, quantification of hard clam larvae, and spatial recruitment patterns demonstrated larvae spawned within sanctuaries were transported to regions where clam densities significantly increased 18-fold over seven years (2015-2021;p<0.001) and harvests significantly increased more than 16-fold over nine years (2012-2021;p<0.0001). Increases in populations and harvests were caused by smaller clams recruited within the time frame of the creation of spawner sanctuaries. Higher clam densities caused biological filtration times of the bay to decrease from up to three months at the start of the project to as low as 10 days in 2021. Concurrently, concentrations of the harmful brown tide alga,Aureococcus anophagefferens, and chlorophyllasignificantly decreased (p<0.005) while water clarity and the extent of seagrass beds significantly increased (p<0.05). Increases in clam landings and improvements in water quality were not observed in adjacent lagoonal estuaries where restoration did not occur. Given these outcomes and the global need for rebuilding marine life, the implementation of spawner sanctuaries using the criteria set forth herein may be a promising approach for restoring hard clam and other bivalve populations in estuaries elsewhere.

Three-term formulation to describe infiltration in water-repellent soils

Modeling infiltration in water-repellent soils is difficult, as the underlying processes remain poorly quantified. However, recent work has adapted the Beerkan Soil Transfer Parameter (BEST) algorithm to include an exponential correction term for characterizing these types of soils. The original BEST-WR (WR = Water Repellent) method used a two-term approximate expansion of the Haverkamp quasi-exact implicit model. However, the BEST-WR method can have considerable inaccuracy, particularly as the time of infiltration and the soil water repellency increase. Here, we extended the BEST-WR model by adapting a three-term approximation of the Haverkamp quasi-exact implicit model to water-repellent soils. We then tested the new method using analytical data. For highly water-repellent soils, the proposed method had better performance when estimating soil sorptivity (S) and soil saturated conductivity (Ks), with respective errors of less than 1.5 % and 8 %, compared to relative errors of more than 10 % and 30 % with the two-term BEST-WR method. We also tested both approaches with experimental data. The two methods provided similar estimates for hydraulic parameters, with linear correlations between methods of R2 = 0.84 for S and R2 = 0.88 for Ks. Initial infiltration was not well modeled by either the two-term or three-term model for 33 tests, thus revealing limitations in the applied exponential model that we used to account for soil repellency. Nonetheless, the proposed three-term expression provided better fits than the two-term model for most of the infiltration runs, meaning that this new approach is more robust when modeling infiltration processes in water-repellent soils.

Effect of Microplastics on Soil Water Infiltration and Evaporation

In order to explore the influences of microplastics with different abundances (0.5%, 1%, and 2% of the dry weight of the soil) and different types (PP, PVC, and PE) on the moisture infiltration and evaporation of the soil, we adopted the method of indoor soil column simulation to elaborate the influences of the microplastics with different abundances and different types on the moisture accumulated infiltration time, moisture containing rate, wetting front, and evaporation characteristics, among which the A1, A2, and A3; Q1, Q2, and Q3; and Z1, Z2, and Z3 respectively represented the experimental number of PE, PVC, and PP under the abundances of 0.5%, 1%, and 2%. The influences of the microplastics with different types and different abundances on the moisture infiltration and evaporation of the soil showed obvious differentiation. Under the same types of conditions, when the abundances of the microplastics increased, the accumulated infiltration time also increased significantly. However, under the occurrence condition of the microplastics of different types but the same abundances, the accumulated infiltration time of the PP experiment group>that of the PVC experiment group>that of the PE experiment group>that of the blank experiment group. Under the occurrence condition of microplastics, the maximum moisture rate of the soil basically appeared at the depth from 10 to 25 cm, and the CK of the blank group appeared at the depth from 20-25 cm. Within the same infiltration time, when the abundances of the microplastics increased, the moving distance and the moving rate of wetting front of the soil decreased accordingly. When the infiltration time was 60 minutes, the wetting moving distances of A1, A2, and A3; Q1, Q2, and Q3; and Z1, Z2, and Z3, respectively, decreased 4.38%, 8.76%, and 10.58%; 7.30%, 10.22%, and 14.60%; and 10.95%, 13.14%, and 15.33% compared to those of the CK groups, among which the influence of PP microplastics was the most significant. The occurrence of the microplastics had a prohibition function to the moisture evaporation of the soil; when the microplastics had the same types, the accumulated amount of the soil decreased with the increase in abundance. When evaporating for 27 hours, the accumulated evaporation amount of the experiment soil column of PP, PVC, and PE microplastics with the added abundances of 2% respectively decreased 22.9%, 19.4%, and 13.3% compared to that in the CK. The Rose evaporation model relatively truly reflected the changing situation of the soil accumulated evaporation amount with time under the occurrence situation of the microplastics. This research can provide a theoretical basis for the changing study of the soil moisture movement under the occurrence condition of microplastics.

Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (PECAM/CD31) Blockade Modulates Neutrophil Recruitment Patterns and Reduces Infarct Size in Experimental Ischemic Stroke

The infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/RI) has been implicated as a critical component of inflammatory damage following ischemic stroke. However, successful blockade of PMN transendothelial migration (TEM) in preclinical studies has not translated to meaningful clinical outcomes. To investigate this further, leukocyte infiltration patterns were quantified, and these patterns were modulated by blocking platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM), a key regulator of TEM. LysM-eGFP mice and microscopy were used to visualize all myeloid leukocyte recruitment following ischemia/reperfusion. Visual examination showed heterogeneous leukocyte distribution across the infarct at both 24 and 72 hours after I/RI. A semiautomated process was designed to precisely map PMN position across brain sections. Treatment with PECAM function-blocking antibodies did not significantly affect total leukocyte recruitment but did alter their distribution, with more observed at the cortex at both early and later time points (24 hours: 89% PECAM blocked vs. 72% control; 72 hours: 69% PECAM blocked vs. 51% control). This correlated with a decrease in infarct volume. These findings suggest that TEM, in the setting of I/RI in the cerebrovasculature, occurs primarily at the cortical surface. The reduction of stroke size with PECAM blockade suggests that infiltrating PMNs may exacerbate I/RI and indicate the potential therapeutic benefit of regulating the timing and pattern of leukocyte infiltration after stroke.

Effects of trimethylaluminum vapor pressure and exposure time on inorganic loading in vapor phase infiltrated PIM-1 polymer membranes

Vapor phase infiltration (VPI) is a post-polymerization modification method for infusing inorganic clusters into a polymer to create organic-inorganic hybrid materials with properties that are unique from the parent polymer. The properties of these hybrid materials can vary with the amount of VPI generated inorganic loading. However, the relationship between VPI processing conditions and inorganic loading is still not fully understood. In this paper, the effects of VPI dose pressure and exposure time on inorganic loading are explored using the technologically relevant membrane material known as “polymer of intrinsic microporosity 1” (PIM-1). At sufficiently low dose pressures and infiltration times (i.e., before saturation), inorganic loading can be controlled with both vapor pressure and exposure time. However, inorganic loading appears to saturate for this system when the polymer's functional groups become fully populated with bound VPI precursors. These experimental results can be understood with the use of a recently developed reaction-diffusion model for VPI. Critical to applying this model to these post-deposition measurements is re-normalizing the mass loading to the total number of functional groups in the polymer.

Effect of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose on Water and Salt Transport Characteristics of Saline-Alkali Soil in Xinjiang, China.

The scientific use of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to improve the production capacity of saline–alkali soil is critical to achieve green agriculture and sustainable land use. It serves as a foundation for the scientific use of CMC to clarify the water and salt transport characteristics of CMC-treated soil. In this study, a one-dimensional soil column infiltration experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different CMC dosages (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g/kg) on the infiltration characteristics, infiltration model parameters, water and salt distribution, and salt leaching of saline–alkali soil in Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the final cumulative infiltration of CMC-treated soil increased by 8.63–20.72%, and the infiltration time to reach the preset wetting front depth increased by 1.02–3.96 times. The sorptivity (S) in the Philip infiltration model and comprehensive shape coefficient (α) in the algebraic infiltration model showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with CMC dosage, revealing a quadratic polynomial relationship. The algebraic model could accurately simulate the water content profile of CMC-treated soil. CMC enhanced the soil water holding capacity and salt leaching efficiency. The average soil water content, desalination rate, and leaching efficiency were increased by 5.18–15.54%, 21.17–57.15%, and 11.61–30.18%, respectively. The effect of water retention and salt inhibition on loamy sand was the best when the CMC dosage was 0.6 g/ kg. In conclusion, the results provide a theoretical basis for the rational application of CMC to improve saline–alkali soil in arid areas.

Two-dimensional cellulose acetate membrane-supported mesoporous silica nanosheets for efficient nanosize-based molecules separation

Membrane separation technology plays an important role in nanosize-based molecules separation. The two-dimensional mesoporous membranes have attracted considerable attention for nanosize-based molecules separation. In this work, unsupported mesoporous silica nanosheets (MSNS) were prepared by the growth of template at the water/n-hexane interface using surfactant of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles as templates. During the preparation process, the surfactant CTAB was removed to obtain pure two-dimensional MSNS through be washed with ethanol, followed by freeze-drying. The two-dimensional MSNS had uniform nano-pores structure, ultra-thin thickness and high surface area. The pore diameter of MSNS could be controlled by changing the concentration of n-hexane (4–10 nm). By depositing 0.50 mg of MSNS on cellulose acetate (CA) membrane, the CA-MSNS membrane could be used to purify nanosize-based molecules (such as proteins). When the CA-MSNS membranes was used to filter cytochrome c (cyt c) solution and ovalbumin (OVA) solution respectively, 93.46% of cyt c and 47.27% of OVA could pass the CA-MSNS membranes. However, after four times of filtration, OVA molecules were almost completely blocked and cyt c with purity of 99% could be obtained. Moreover, 92.23% of OVA molecules could be recycled through the elution from the surface of CA-MSNS membranes. The results indicated that two-dimensional CA-MSNS membranes had great application potential in the purification of nanosize-based molecules.

Performance of expanded perlite as granular bed filtration media: Effect on coal pyrolytic products

Granular bed filtration is considered one of the most promising engineering solutions to the dust removal from high temperature coal pyrolytic vapors. Expanded perlite as filtration media was studied in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor to understand its effect on pyrolysis products. Factors including filtration temperature, filtration time, dust accumulation and regeneration effect were investigated. The results show that there is around 12.9 % reduction in tar yield even under an optimized temperature of 550 °C after filtration bed. Dust accumulation would further promote tar cracking reactions. Coke deposition on the perlite increases with filtration time, which causes further reduction in tar yield. The redox cycle between filtration and regeneration significantly alters the properties of perlite. It is found that carbon deposition on perlite is alleviated in the initial cycles due to the formation of potassium carbonate. And the extent of tar cracking becomes weak. With the cycle numbers further increasing, the situation is inversed. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to explore the mechanisms behind the findings. Potassium and transition metals such as iron contained in perlite may make significant contributions.

Water and salt transport characteristics in a soil column in the presence of a low-permeable body

Soil water infiltration is an important factor affecting surface runoff, soil erosion, and soil solute transmission. Increasing soil infiltration reduces runoff and erosion. The presence of low-permeable body in soil can enhance soil infiltration capacity. However, different depths of low-permeable body have unknown effects on water infiltration and salt transfer. In this work, we evaluated the effects of low-permeable body with varied depths (control (CK), 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 cm) on silty loam soil water and salt movement using 15 soil columns (23 cm internal diameter, 50 cm length). Experimental results showed that low-permeable body increased infiltration rate and wetting front migration rate. Infiltration rate and wetting front propulsion rate decreased with the increase of the burial depth. Compared with the CK, when the depth of wetting front reached 20 cm, the infiltration time of 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 cm burial depth treatment was shortened by 72.24%, 56.29%, 44.61%, and 31.01%, respectively. Simultaneously, the existence of low-permeable body led to the increase of soil water content and salt content in the same soil layer, which indicated that the low-permeable body enhanced the soil holding capacity and reduced the salt leakage to the deep soil. Furthermore, the Philip’s model and the algebraic model were used to describe the infiltration process. Fitting results showed that the sorptivity in the Philip’s model increased with burial depth, while the comprehensive shape coefficient in the algebraic model decreased. Therefore, this study provides a reference for the application of low-permeable body in the improving soil infiltration capacity and controlling salt transport.

Evaluation of a Nanohybrid Membrane (PSF/ZnO) Efficiency in Natural Organic Matter Removal From Water

Background: Natural organic matter (NOM) in drinking water sources has always been regarded as a precursor for the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and carcinogenic properties. This study aimed to fabricate and characterize a nanohybrid ultrafiltration membrane (PSF/ZnO) to evaluate its efficiency in NOM removal from water. Methods: Nanohybrid membranes with ratios of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4% w/w of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated using the phase inversion method and characterized by the contact angle, AFM, FTIR, and SEM analyses. In this study, the effects of initial humic acid (HA) concentration, operating pressure, pH, and filtration time were examined on the HA removal efficiency and pure water flux through the membrane. Results: The results showed that addition of the ZnO NPs to the PSF membrane reduced the contact angle on the PSF/ZnO nanohybrid membrane’s surface. According to FE-SEM images, increasing the ZnO concentration changed the porous structure of the membranes from a spongy, teardrop shape to a finger-like channel structure. The FTIR analysis revealed an increase in the hydrophilicity of the membrane due to the presence of hydroxyl functional groups in ZnO. AFM images indicated an increase in the surface roughness of nanoparticle-containing membranes. It was found that an increase in the concentration of the ZnO NPs (0-4% w/w) increased HA removal efficiency (43.63-83.4%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the use of the PSF/ZnO nanohybrid membranes increased HA removal efficiency and pure water flux passing through the membrane.

The Impact of Different Rose Bengal Formulations on Corneal Thickness and the Efficacy of Rose Bengal/Green Light Corneal Cross-linking in the Rabbit Eye.

To examine central corneal thickness (CCT) changes during in vivo rose bengal-green light corneal cross-linking (RG-CXL) and compare the CXL efficacy of different rose bengal formulations. After epithelium removal, the right eyes of rabbits were immersed in rose bengal solution prepared by different solvents (water, phosphate buffered saline, dextran, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulos [HPMC]) for 2 or 20 minutes, then the rose bengal distribution in the corneal stroma was analyzed by confocal fluorescence detection. During the RG-CXL process, the CCT was measured at seven time points. The left eyes served as the untreated control group. Corneal enzymatic resistance and corneal biomechanics were tested to compare the RG-CXL efficacy. The rose bengal infiltration depths were 120 and 200 µm for the 2- and 20-minute groups, respectively. CCT increased significantly after infiltration, then decreased significantly in the first 200 seconds of irradiation and decreased slowly for the next 400 seconds. The CCT of the 20-minute groups was significantly thicker than that of the 2-minute groups (P < .0001). All RG-CXL treatments improved the corneal enzymatic resistance and corneal biomechanics, with the effects being greater in the 20-minute groups. The inclusion of 1.1% HPMC in the rose bengal formulation helped to maintain CCT during irradiation while not affecting either the infiltration of rose bengal or the efficacy of RG-CXL. Within the range studied, RG-CXL efficacy increased with infiltration time. The incorporation of a 20-minute infiltration of 0.1% rose bengal-1.1% HPMC into the RG-CXL procedure may further improve the safety of the treatment and its prospects for clinical use. [J Refract Surg. 2022;38(7):450-458.].

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ ДИСПЕРСНОСТИ ИЗВЛЕЧЕНИЙ И МИКРОЭЛЕМЕНТОГО СОСТАВА В РАСТИТЕЛЬНОМ СЫРЬЕ ДЕРЕЗЫ ОБЫКНОВЕННОЙ

Abstract. This paper presents the original study results of the fruits elemental composition and the infusions dispersed characteristics of Lycium barbarum L. in order to develop approaches to the standardization of promising plant materials. The Lycium belongs to the flowering division, class – dicotyledonous, family – Solanaceae (Solanaceae), tribe – Lycieae. The Lycium fruits – red oblong-ovate berries, 8-18 mm. To determine the weight loss from drying (11.5%), the fruits were dried for 4 hours at 60 °C in a BINDER FD oven. The dried fruits were analyzed by X-ray (XFA) for the content of chemical elements. The elements K, Cl, P, Ca, S, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br were found, with the K high values content (C,%). The fruits were also used to prepare water extracts, the holding time of which in a boiling water bath was 15, 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Dispersed characteristics (hydrodynamic radius d, nm, zeta potential ξ, mV, dimensional spectra of sub- and supramicron particles) in extracts were studied by DLS and LALLS methods. To remove the microns range particles from extracts there were used an inert membrane filter (Millex GV, d of pores = 0.22 m). The average particle size varies from 254 nm to 557 nm depending on the time of infusion and filtration. The 15 minutes infusion showed the smallest average particle size, the 90 minutes infusion - the largest ones. The infusion sizes decrease by about 2 times when passing through Millex filter. All infusions have a polydispersity index (PDI) value of less than 0.6 and are characterized by colloidal stability (zeta potential from -23 to -27 mV). The LALLS method demonstrated the presence of 50 m particles, the content of which decreases after passing through 0.22 m system. The proposed methods of analysis make it possible to standardize promising plant raw materials for pharmaceutical use.