Initial Concentration Research Articles

OPTIMIZATION ISSUES OF OIL-CONTAMINATED SITE BIOTECHNOLOGICAL CLEANING

The well-known two-factor regression model of the dependence of the rate of oil degradation in soil on factors such as the initial oil concentration and exposure time is analyzed. The functional relationship between these two factors is considered. Two optimization problems have been compiled to calculate the maximum value of the integral estimate of the rate of oil degradation on a variety of contaminated land plots. According to the solution of the first optimization problem, the maximum of this indicator is achieved in the presence of a linear increasing dependence of the initial concentration on the exposure time. The solution to the second problem showed the possibility of some displacement of the solution to the first problem along the ordinate.

Application of a new chitosan derivative for adsorption of copper (II) and oxyanions of chromium (VI)

This study describes the synthesis of a new bioadsorbent from chitosan using ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD) as a modifying agent and its successful application for removal of a cationic ion (copper (II) (Cu2+)) and oxyanions of chromium (VI) (Cr6+) from single-component aqueous systems. The new multifunctionalised chitosan derivative (C1) was produced through chemical modification of the primary hydroxyl function of chitosan with EDTAD to introduce carboxylic and tertiary amine functional groups, maintaining the secondary amines on the chitosan surface. Such a transformation was important not only to increase the adsorptive potential of chitosan but also to allow C1 to be used in acidic media, thus solving the problem of solubility of most chitosan derivatives. C1 was characterised by spectroscopic methods. The effects of solution pH, contact time and initial solute concentration on the removal of copper (II) and chromium (VI) by C1 were investigated in aqueous solutions. C1 showed an experimental maximum adsorption capacity of 106 mg/g for copper (II) and 194 mg/g for chromium (VI).

Nitrite Degradation by a Novel Marine Bacterial Strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa DM6: Characterization and Metabolic Pathway Analysis

High concentrations of nitrite in marine aquaculture wastewater not only pose a threat to the survival and immune systems of aquatic organisms but also contribute to eutrophication, thereby impacting the balance of coastal ecosystems. Compared to traditional physical and chemical methods, utilizing microorganism-mediated biological denitrification is a cost-effective and efficient solution. However, the osmotic pressure changes and salt-induced enzyme precipitation in high-salinity seawater aquaculture environments may inhibit the growth and metabolism of freshwater bacterial strains, making it more suitable to select salt-tolerant marine microorganisms for treating nitrite in marine aquaculture wastewater. In this study, a salt-tolerant nitrite-degrading bacterium, designated as DM6, was isolated from the seawater (salinity of 25–30‰) of Portunus trituberculatus cultivation. The molecular identification of strain DM6 was conducted using 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology. The impacts of various environmental factors on the nitrite degradation performance of strain DM6 were investigated through single-factor and orthogonal experiments, with the selected conditions considered to be the key factors affecting the denitrification efficiency of microorganisms in actual wastewater treatment. PCR amplification of key genes involved in the nitrite metabolism pathway of strain DM6 was conducted, including denitrification pathway-related genes narG, narH, narI, nirS, and norB, as well as assimilation pathway-related genes nasC, nasD, nasE, glnA, gltB, gltD, gdhB, and gdhA. The findings indicated that strain DM6 is classified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and exhibits efficient nitrite degradation even under a salinity of 35‰. The optimal nitrite degradation efficiency of DM6 was observed when using sodium citrate as the carbon source, a C/N ratio of 20, a salinity of 13‰, pH 8.0, and a temperature of 35 °C. Under these conditions, DM6 could completely degrade an initial nitrite concentration of 156.33 ± 1.17 mg/L within 36 h. Additionally, the successful amplification of key genes involved in the nitrite denitrification and assimilation pathways suggests that strain DM6 may possess both denitrification and assimilation pathways for nitrite degradation simultaneously. Compared to freshwater strains, strain DM6 demonstrates higher salt tolerance and exhibits strong nitrite degradation capability even at high concentrations. However, it may be more suitable for application in the treatment of wastewater from marine aquaculture systems during summer, high-temperature, or moderately alkaline conditions.

Preparation of CS-LS/AgNPs Composites and Photocatalytic Degradation of Dyes.

Synthetic dyes are prone to water pollution during use, jeopardizing biodiversity and human health. This study aimed to investigate the adsorption and photocatalytic assist potential of sodium lignosulfonate (LS) in in situ reduced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and chitosan (CS)-loaded silver nanoparticles (CS-LS/AgNPs) as adsorbents for Rhodamine B (RhB). The AgNPs were synthesized by doping LS on the surface of chitosan for modification. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to confirm the synthesis of nanomaterials. The adsorption and photocatalytic removal experiments of RhB were carried out under optimal conditions (initial dye concentration of 20 mg/L, adsorbent dosage of 0.02 g, time of 60 min, and UV power of 250 W), and the kinetics of dye degradation was also investigated, which showed that the removal rate of RhB by AgNPs photocatalysis can reach 55%. The results indicated that LS was highly effective as a reducing agent for the large-scale production of metal nanoparticles and can be used for dye decolorization. This work provides a new catalyst for the effective removal of dye from wastewater, and can achieve high-value applications of chitosan and lignin.

Lactic Acid Production by Enterococcus durans Is Improved by Cell Recycling and pH Control

Lactic acid bacteria are widely used because they produce lactic acid naturally, are resistant to acidic pH and a wide temperature range, and frequently produce lactic acid as a primary metabolite. In this study, Enterococcus durans isolated from buffalo milk was employed in lactic acid fermentation with the primary goal of obtaining fermentation parameters for an effective process enabling the use of lactose as an alternative carbon source. Fermentative parameters such as initial concentration of carbon source, dissolved oxygen concentration, cell recycling, and batch with pulse operation mode were studied to find the best conditions for L-(+)-lactic acid production. The association of 20 g·L−1 of lactose with 10 g·L−1 of glucose enabled the best bioconversion to lactic acid. Anaerobiosis did not contribute to increasing lactic acid production. Batch fermentation with cell recycling was the strategy that enhanced lactic acid production and lactose consumption, reaching 26.07 g·L−1, 0.36 g·L−1·h−1 of productivity and yielding about 0.86 g·g−1. It is fundamental to evaluate the parameters of lactic acid fermentation and provide efficient and sustainable production methods.

Electrocatalytic Degradation of Phenolic Wastewater Using a Zero-Gap Flow-Through Reactor Coupled with a 3D Ti/RuO2-TiO2@Pt Electrode.

In this study, the performance of a zero-gap flow-through reactor with three-dimensional (3D) porous Ti/RuO2-TiO2@Pt anodes was systematically investigated for the electrocatalytic oxidation of phenolic wastewater, considering phenol and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as the target pollutants. The optimum parameters for the electrochemical oxidation of phenol and 4-NP were examined. For phenol degradation, at an initial concentration of 50 mg/L, initial pH of 7, NaCl concentration of 10.0 g/L, current density of 10 mA/cm2, and retention time of 30 min, the degradation efficiency achieved was 95.05%, with an energy consumption of 15.39 kWh/kg; meanwhile, for 4-NP, the degradation efficiency was 98.42% and energy consumption was 19.21 kWh/kg (at an initial concentration of 40 mg/L, initial pH of 3, NaCl concentration of 10.0 g/L, current density of 10 mA/cm2, and retention time of 30 min). The electrocatalytic oxidation of phenol and 4-NP conformed to the pseudo-first-order kinetics model, and the k values were 0.2562 min-1 and 0.1736 min-1, respectively, which are 1.7 and 3.6-times higher than those of a conventional electrolyzer. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to verify the intermediates formed during the degradation of phenol or 4-NP and a possible degradation pathway was provided. The extremely narrow electrode distance and the flow-through configuration of the zero-gap flow-through reactor were thought to be essential for its lower energy consumption and higher mass transfer efficiency. The zero-gap flow-through reactor with a novel 3D porous Ti/RuO2-TiO2@Pt electrode is a superior alternative for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

A class of photosensitizer highly effective to control bacterial infection in plants even on rainy days with dim light

Bacterial infections of plants are widespread and highly virulent, causing serious economic losses in agricultural production worldwide. These infections become particularly prevalent during rainy weather, characterized by high humidity and low light intensity (about 2–10% of a sunny day). Here we identified a class of photosensitizers that were effective in inhibiting plant bacterial infections under rainy weather with dim light. One of these compounds, compound 1, demonstrated exceptional efficacy by eliminating more than 4 logs (99.99%) of either Xanthomonas perforans or Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc) strain at a concentration of 6.25 μM under rainy weather conditions with a light exposure of 28.51 J/cm2. For Clavibacter michiganensis (Cm), compound 1 demonstrated a comparable bactericidal effect at a lower concentration of 3.13 μM. Furthermore, compound 1 was effective in controlling plant leaf infections during rainy weather. Moreover, compound 1 exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on the biofilms pertinent to tomato spot disease and citrus canker under natural illumination on rainy days. Additionally, compound 1 displayed remarkable resilience to rain-wash on plant leaves, retaining 41.20% of its initial concentration following exposure to three simulated rain events. These findings provide a new strategy for plant pathogen disease management highlight its feasibility even during rainy weather.

ADSORPTION CAPACITY OF CARBONIZED TITONIA DIVERSIFOLIA TOWARDS Cd2+ AND CU2+ UNDER DIFFERENT pH, ADSORPTION CAPACITY AND CONCENTRATION

Adsorption studies were performed to investigate the adsorption capacity of carbonized Tithonia diversifolia towards heavy metal ions (Cd2+ and Cu2+) under different pH, contact time, concentration and temperature conditions. Cadmium metal concentrations at; 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, 100 ppm, 150 ppm and 200 ppm of metal solutions were prepared and the pH was adjusted to 5. The uptake of copper (II) increases as the pH of the solution increases; at pH 1, pH 2, pH 3, pH 4 and pH 5, percentage metal bound were 20.59, 48.47, 94.26 and 94.08% respectively, at pH 5 and pH 6, percentage metal bound dropped to 93.26, 92.62% respectively. The increase in the removal of copper as pH increases is attributed to the decrease in competition between proton and Cu2+ ion for the surface site. Cadmium study showed that the optimum binding pH is 5 while at pH 1, pH 2, pH 3, pH4 and pH 6, percentage bound were 25.59, 59.12, 96.76, 96.14 and 98.31% respectively. The percentage removal for cadmium (II) ion is low at pH 1 and remains high and almost constant at pH 6. The high binding power of cadmium (II) ion at the initial stage is attributed to the biomass having maximum binding sites available for interaction. Our findings showed that the amount of Cu+2 and Cd2+ adsorbed was found to vary with the initial solution pH, adsorbent dosage and concentration.

Study on the effect of humidity on formaldehyde emission parameters of wood-based panels

Wood-based panels are a significant source of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), crucial for managing indoor pollution. The emissions from wood-based panels are influenced by both intrinsic factors, including their composition and manufacturing process, and extrinsic environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity. In this paper, the emission of formaldehyde in plywood was studied under different temperature conditions (15°C, 23°C, 32°C and 37°C) and different humidity conditions (40%, 60% and 80%) by environmental chamber method. To understand the influence of relative humidity on the key parameters of panels from a mechanism perspective, this paper investigates the influence of relative humidity on the initial emittable concentration of formaldehyde, based on the hydrolysis reaction of urea-formaldehyde resin. Concurrently, the molecular dynamics and porous panels model were amalgamated to assess the influence of relative humidity on both the partition and diffusion coefficient. To simulate the emission process in a real environment, a control equation that allows for variations in both temperature and humidity is needed. This paper employs the method of variable separation to derive a simplified control equation. Subsequently, experimental data was utilized to validate the derived equation’s effectiveness within the practical indoor environmental range.

Efficiency of green synthesised carbon nanotubes from Moringa oleifera leaf extract as potential toxic metals adsorbent in polluted water

Abstract Among the many drawbacks of the current wastewater treatment systems are their high energy consumption and creation of harmful sludge. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are advantageous for the treatment of water due to their strong adsorption capacity and selectivity towards various pollutants. Thus, creating methods for treating water by producing CNTs from Moringa oleifera leaf extract can greatly help with the clean water problem. The synthesised material’s Ultra Visible (260–385 nm), FTIR (764–3295 cm−1) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) characterizations have demonstrated their CNTs characteristics. The repeatability testing yielded the %RSD values for Ca = 0.4, Cu = 0.24, Mg = 0.9, Pb = 1.06 and Zn = 0.36 which suggest that the AES approach demonstrated a high degree of precision. The findings show that the quantity of recovered metals increases with retention period. Mg > Cu > Zn > Ca > Pb was the order of the metal adsorption capacity throughout retention durations of 3, 6, 24, and 48 h. As the initial concentrations of the components under research were doubled and tripled, so were the removal capacities of CNTs increased which may be as a result of an increase in metal ions in the solution. The outcomes show how well the synthetic CNTs can remove heavy metals from wastewater.

Efficient removal of U(VI) from aqueous solution using poly(amidoxime-hydroxamic acid) functionalized graphene oxide.

The efficient development of selective materials for uranium recovery from wastewater and seawater is crucial for the utilization of uranium resources and environmental protection. The potential of graphene oxide (GO) as an effective adsorbent for the removal of environmental contaminants has been extensively investigated. Further modification of the functional groups on the basal surface of GO can significantly enhance its adsorption performance. In this study, a novel poly(amidoxime-hydroxamic acid) functionalized graphene oxide (pAHA-GO) was synthesized via free radical polymerization followed by an oximation reaction, aiming to enhance its adsorption efficiency for U(VI). A variety of characterization techniques, including SEM, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, and XPS, were employed to demonstrate the successful decoration of amidoxime and hydroxamic acid functional groups onto GO. Meanwhile, the adsorption of U(VI) on pAHA-GO was studied as a function of contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH, ionic strength, initial U(VI) concentration, and interfering ions by batch-type experiments. The results indicated that the pAHA-GO exhibited excellent reuse capability, high stability, and anti-interference ability. Specially, the U(VI) adsorption reactions were consistent with pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isothermal adsorption models. The maximum U(VI) adsorption capacity was evaluated to be 178.7mg/g at pH 3.6, displaying a higher U(VI) removal efficiency compared with other GO-based adsorbents in similar conditions. Regeneration of pAHA-GO did not significantly influence the adsorption towards U(VI) for up to four sequential cycles. In addition, pAHA-GO demonstrated good adsorption capacity stability when it was immersed in HNO3 solution at different concentrations (0.1-1.0mol/L) for 72h. pAHA-GO was also found to have anti-interference ability for U(VI) adsorption in seawater with high salt content at near-neutral pH condition. In simulated seawater, the adsorption efficiency was above 94% for U(VI) across various initial concentrations. The comprehensive characterization results demonstrated the involvement of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups in pAHA-GO in the adsorption process of U(VI). Overall, these findings demonstrate the feasibility of the pAHA-GO composite used for the capture of U(VI) from aqueous solutions.

Activation of periodate by biocarbon-supported multiple modified nanoscale iron for the degradation of bisphenol A in high-temperature aqueous solution.

As reported, the persistent toxic and harmful pollutant bisphenol A (BPA) from industrial emissions has been consistently found in aquatic environments inhabited by humans. Periodate (PI)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been employed to degrade BPA, although activating PI proves more challenging compared to other oxidants. A novel nano iron metal catalyst, sulfided nanoscale iron-nickel bimetallic nanoparticle supported on biocarbon (S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC) was synthesized and utilized to activate PI for the removal of BPA. The morphology, structure, and composition of S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), and fourier-transform infrared spectrum (FTIR). The catalyst demonstrates an excellent ability to activate PI, achieving a BPA removal efficacy of 86.4%, accompanied by a 33% reduction in total organic carbon (TOC) in the {S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC}/PI system. BPA degradation exhibited a significant change at the 5-min mark. In the first stage (0-5min), nonlinear dynamic fitting research, combined with scavenging experiments, unveiled the competitive degradation of pollutants primarily driven by iodate radical ( ), singlet oxygen , and hydroxyl radical ( ). The competitive dynamics aligned with the ExpAssoc model. The contribution rates of different active species during the second stage (5-120min) were calculated. The contributions of main species to BPA removal follow the order of > > throughout the entire process. The influence of various parameters, such as the dosage of S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC, initial PI concentration, BPA concentration, pH, temperature, and the presence of coexisting anions, was also examined. Finally, a plausible reaction mechanism in the system is proposed, suggesting that the {S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC}/PI system involves a heterogeneous synergistic reaction occurring primarily on the surface of S-(nFe0-Ni)/BC. Therefore, this study proposes a promising approach for PI-based AOPs to degrade organic pollutants, aiming to mitigate the irreversible harm caused by such pollutants to organisms and the environment.

Ciprofloxacin adsorption onto CNT loaded Pumice: Adsorption Modelling, kinetics, equilibriums and reusability studies

A novel CNT-derived Pumice adsorbent (P-CNT3) was successfully synthesized as an efficient adsorbent for Ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal from aqueous solutions. In present study, P-CNT3 composite synthesized by hydrothermal technique was loaded with multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) using sonification to remove CIP antibiotic. P-CNT3 composite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. Adsorption performance was studied by adjusting the pH, contact time, initial CIP concentration, temperature and adsorbent dosage in a batch reactor to obtain the maximum adsorption capacity (qm). The maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was achieved in 240 min at pH ≤ 5).The adsorption process of P-CNT3 followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.989) and sips isotherm model (R2 = 0.991), and qm to adsorb CIP was 28.6 mg/g. The illustrated adsorption mechanism shows that hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic and non-electrostatic interactions, suggests CIP adsorption. Over the temperature range of 298–318 K, the thermodynamic parameters ΔG°, ΔS° and ΔH° were calculated. The adsorption reactions were shown to be spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, activation energy suggested a physisorption mechanism for P-CNT3. In addition, regeneration study shows that the P-CNT3 can be reused five times with excellent results in CIP adsorption. Based on these findings, P-CNT3 can be considered a feasible low-cost adsorbent for CIP removal. Hence, the prepared P-CNT3 composite can be used as an inexpensive and a promising adsorbent for the removal of other pharmaceutical compounds.

Comparison of the bioaccumulation and biosorption of copper ions by Rhizopus delemar and Candida lipolytica

In this study, the bioaccumulation of Cu(II) ion by Rhizopus delemar and Candida lipolytica was investigated and the bioaccumulation and biosorption of Cu(II) ions by Candida lipolytica compared. The specific growth rate and the maximum microorganism concentration of both microorganisms increased with increasing initial molasses concentration whereas decreased with increasing initial Cu(II) ion concentrations up to 250 mg/L. Accoding to Monod equation, the maximum specific growth rate and saturation constant for C. lipolytica and R. delemar were determined as 0.335 h−1-32.330 g/L and 0.406 h−1-24.182 g/L, respectively. The bioaccumulation efficiencies of R. delemar and C. lipolytica were determined as 74.18% and 67.30% in the presence of 50 mg/L Cu(II), respectively. At pH 4.0, the maximum biosorption rate (4.72 mg/g min) and the biosorbed Cu(II) ion concentration (49.0 mg/L) were obtained for C. lipolytica and these values increased with increasing Cu(II) concentration. Cu(II) biosorption by C. lipolytica fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model and maximum adsorption capacity was found as 114.942 mg/g. The bioaccumulated Cu(II) was found to be 21.5 mg/g whereas the amounts of biosorbed Cu(II) were calculated as 53 mg/g by C. lipolytica at a concentration of 100 mg/L of Cu(II).

Comparison of modeling, optimization, and prediction of important parameters in the adsorption of cefixime onto sol-gel derived carbon aerogel and modified with nickel using ANN, RSM, GA, and SOLVER methods

Today, the main goal of many researchers is the use of high-performance, economically and industrially justified materials, as well as recyclable materials in removing organic and dangerous pollutants. For this purpose, sol-gel derived carbon aerogel modified with nickel (SGCAN) was used to remove Cefixime from aqueous solutions. The influence of important parameters in the cefixime adsorption onto SGCAN was modeled and optimized using artificial neural network (ANN), response surface methodology (RSM), genetic algorithm (GA), and SOLVER methods. R software was applied for this purpose. The design range of the runs for a time was in the range of 5 min–70 min, concentration in the range of 5 mg L−1 to 40 mg L−1, amount of adsorbent in the range of 0.05 g L−1 to 0.15 g L−1, and pH in the range of 2.0–11. The results showed that the ANN model due to lower Mean Squared Error (MSE), Sum of Squared Errors (SSE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) values and also higher R2 is a superior model than RSM. Also, due to the superiority of ANN over the RSM model, the optimum results were calculated based on GA. Based on GA, the highest Cefixime adsorption onto SGCAN was obtained in pH, 5.98; reaction time, 58.15 min; initial Cefixime concentration, 15.26 mg L−1; and adsorbent dosage, 0.11 g L−1. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cefixime onto SGCAN was determined to be 52 mg g−1. It was found the pseudo-second-order model has a better fit with the presented data.

Electrochemical oxidation degradation of xanthate and its mechanism: Effects of carbon chain length and electrolyte type

There are a lot of residual flotation reagents such as xanthate remaining in the mineral processing wastewater, which must be deeply removed for recycling or discharge. However, there are few studies using electrochemical oxidation to remove xanthate. This article employs the electrochemical oxidation method to treat simulated xanthate-containing wastewater, which investigates the mechanisms involved in removing four xanthate homologues under different electrolyte conditions. Results show that under 1 g/L of Na2SO4, current density of 40 mA/cm2, initial pH of 7.0, and initial concentration of xanthates 1 mM, four alkyl xanthates can be completely removed within 60 min. The COD removal and TOC removal can reach 71.42%–88.61% and 54.23%–81.50%, respectively. By contrast, NaCl electrolyte is more favorable for xanthate degradation. The generated SO42− concentration can reach 145.4 mg/L at 60min, resulting in the sulfur mineralization ratio (ηs) of 75.72%. Regardless of the electrolyte type, as the carbon chain length increases, the xanthate degradation rate accelerates, accompanied by higher COD and TOC removal. The results of UV–vis spectra and LC–MS indicate that intermediate substances such as xanthate peroxides and alcohols are first formed in the process, ultimately leading to the complete mineralization of small molecule substances such as SO42−, CO2, and H2O. The fate of S and Cl elements confirms it. EPR and probe fluorescence spectroscopy results indicate that in Na2SO4 electrolyte, the main active substances are ·OH and a small amount of SO4∙–. Additionally, the production of ·OH increases as the electrolysis time is prolonged. In NaCl electrolyte, ·OH undergoes a series of reactions with Cl− to convert into Cl∙ and active chlorine, which constitute the primary reactive oxygen species.

Photocatalytic Optical Hollow Fiber with Enhanced Visible-light-driven CO2 Reduction.

A visible-light-driven CO2 reduction optical fiber is fabricated using graphene-like nitrogen-doped composites and hollow quartz optical fibers to achieve enhanced activity, selectivity, and light utilization for CO2 photoreduction. The composites are synthesized from a lead-based metal-organic framework (TMOF-10-NH2) and g-C3N4 nanosheet (CNNS) via electrostatic self-assembly. The TMOF-10-NH2/g-C3N4 (TMOF/CNNS) photocatalyst with an S-type heterojunction is coated on optical fiber. The TMOF/CNNS coating, which has a bandgap energy of 2.15eV, has good photoinduced capability at the coating interfaces, high photogenerated electron-hole pair yield, and high charge transfer rate. The conduction band potential of the TMOF/CNNS coating is more negative than that for CO2 reduction. Moreover, TMOF facilitates the CO desorption on its surface, thereby improving the selectivity for CO production. High CO2 photoreduction and selectivity for CO production is demonstrated by the TMOF/CNNS-coated optical fiber with the cladding/core diameter of 2000/1000µm, 10 wt% TMOF in CNNS, coating thickness of 25µm, initial CO2 concentration of 90 vol%, and relative humidity of 88% RH under the excitation wavelength of 380-780nm. Overall, the photocatalytic hollow optical fiber developed herein provides an effective and efficient approach for the enhancement of light utilization efficiency of photocatalysts and selective CO2 reduction.

A normalized parameter for comparison of biofilm dispersants in vitro

Dispersal of infectious biofilms increases bacterial concentrations in blood. To prevent sepsis, the strength of a dispersant should be limited to allow the immune system to remove dispersed bacteria from blood, preferably without antibiotic administration. Biofilm bacteria are held together by extracellular polymeric substances that can be degraded by dispersants. Currently, comparison of the strength of dispersants is not possible by lack of a suitable comparison parameter. Here, a biofilm dispersal parameter is proposed that accounts for differences in initial biofilm properties, dispersant concentration and exposure time by using PBS as a control and normalizing outcomes with respect to concentration and time. The parameter yielded near-identical values based on dispersant-induced reductions in biomass or biofilm colony-forming-units and appeared strain-dependent across pathogens. The parameter as proposed is largely independent of experimental methods and conditions and suitable for comparing different dispersants with respect to different causative strains in particular types of infection.

Removal of lead from aqueous solution by magnetic modified dendrimer (Fe3O4@SiO2/(3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane@dendrimer/benzaldehyde)

Synthesis of a magnetite nanoadsorbent was reported in the study. In this regard, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer (with generation 10)-functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2/APTES ((3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane) was prepared, modified by benzaldehyde (BZ), and characterized by fourier-transfer-infrared (FTIR), vibrating-sample-magnetometer (VSM), field-emission-scanning-electron-microscope (FE-SEM), X-Ray-diffraction (XRD), thermal-gravimetric-analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. The nanoadsorbent with VSM value of 35.3 emu/g was used to investigate adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions and this process relied on the solution pH, lead concentration, nanoadsorbent dose, contact time, and temperature. The results revealed the maximum adsorption efficiency of 97.56% in pH = 6, initial lead concentration = 160 mg L−1, adsorbent dose of 15 mg, contact time = 60 min, and temperature = 45 °C. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic models of Pb(II) removal followed the Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order, respectively. The adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous, which was exhibited by the thermodynamic parameters. This research suggests that the nanoadsorbent can be considered for the other metal ions removal from wastewater treatment.

Data-Based Modeling, Multi-Objective Optimization and Multi-Criteria Decision Making of a Catalytic Ozonation Process for Degradation of a Colored Effluent

In the catalytic ozonation process (COP), the reactions are complex, and it is very difficult to determine the effect of different operating parameters on the degradation rate of pollutants. Data-based modeling tools, such as the multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network, can be useful in establishing the complex relationship of degradation efficiency with the operating variables. In this work, the COP of acid red 88 (AR88) with Fe3O4 nano catalyst was investigated in a semi-batch reactor and a MLP model was developed to predict the degradation efficiency (%DE) of AR88 in the range of 25 to 96%. The MLP model was trained using 78 experimental data having five input variables, namely, AR88 initial concentration, catalyst concentration, pH, inlet air flow rate and batch time (in the ranges of 150–400 mg L−1, 0.04–0.4 g L−1, 4.5–8.5, 0.5–1.90 mg min−1 and 5–30 min, respectively). Its optimal topology was obtained by changing the number of neurons in the hidden layer, the momentum and the learning rates to 7, 0.075 and 0.025, respectively. A high correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.98) was found between the experimental and predicted values by the MLP model. Simultaneous maximization of %DE and minimization of Fe3O4 concentration was carried out by multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) and the Pareto-optimal solutions were successfully obtained. The trade-off was analyzed through multi-criteria decision making, and one Pareto-optimal solution was selected. The developed model and optimal points are useful for treatment of AR88 wastewater.