Ion Exchange In Solution Research Articles

Influence of boric acid on the speciation of iron (III) in aqueous solutions

During the work, the speciation of iron (III) was studied at the concentration of ~ 1∙10–5 mol/dm3 in aqueous solutions in the presence of boric acid at a concentration of 5–20 g/dm3 in a wide pH range using ion exchange, ultrafiltration and centrifugation methods. The regions of existence of ionic and nonionic forms of iron (III) were determined by ion exchange in solutions with different boric acid concentrations. Experimental data have shown that the pH of the onset of iron (III) colloid formation shifts in the presence of boric acid. The formation of complex compounds of iron (III) with polyborate ions in the neutral – slightly alkaline pH region was established by ultrafiltration and centrifugation. As shown in the paper, the increase in the concentration of boric acid in solution leads to the increase in the region of existence of the supposed complexes. The identified features of the behavior of iron (III) in solutions containing boric acid determine the possibility of using ion exchange and membrane separation methods for purifying solutions. Information about the physical-chemical properties of various metal-ions can provide optimal conditions for the purification of liquid radioactive waste at various nuclear industry facilities.

Effect of Fine Particle Content on Solution Flow and Mass Transfer of Ion-Adsorption-Type Rare Earth Ores

Fine particle content significantly affects the in situ leaching of ion-adsorption-type rare earth ores. This study investigated the effect of fine particle content on solution flow and mass transfer in leaching. The results showed that with the increase in fine particle content, the peak concentration and peak time of rare earth increased. When the fine particle content exceeded 20%, all ion-exchangeable-phase rare earth ions could be replaced with a low dosage of the leaching solution. The leachate flow rate exhibited multi-stage variation, influenced by solution permeation, ion exchange, and fluctuations in accumulated liquid height. A mass transfer analysis showed that a higher fine particle content corresponded to a smaller plate height and a larger plate number of theoretical plates. As fine particle content increased, the final rising height of capillary water decreased, with rising rates varying across different stages for the samples. Moreover, an increase in fine particle content from 5% to 20% resulted in a 94% decrease in the samples’ permeability coefficients. A mechanism analysis showed that when the fine particle content was higher, the fine particles were embedded in the gaps between coarse particles, and the ore particles in the sample were arranged continuously, resulting in a lower permeability coefficient. Then, the leaching solution could penetrate uniformly, which was beneficial for reducing leaching blind spots and improving leaching efficiency. However, excessive fine particle content might have detrimental effects. Based on these results and considering actual mining conditions, the optimal fine particle content for rare earth leaching is 20%.

Electrochemical difference between single‐ and poly‐crystalline LaF3 for a compact and low‐price fluoride ion sensor

AbstractFluoride ion sensor electrodes that use polycrystalline LaF3 prepared by low‐temperature sintering can reduce sensor size and fabrication costs; however, decreasing the sintering temperature deteriorates sensor performance. Further, it is unclear why the performance of polycrystalline LaF3 prepared at low temperatures is inferior to that of the single‐crystal LaF3. Thus, in this study, we investigated factors that deteriorate sensor response under low sintering temperatures, such as solution penetration, fluorine conductivity, and ion exchange. To this end, LaF3 was prepared by changing the sintering temperature, and the electrical characteristics and sensor performance were evaluated and compared with those of the single‐crystal LaF3. The sensor performances of LaF3 sintered at 900 °C (−9.3 mV/dec) and 1000 °C (−5.8 mV/dec) were inferior to that of a single‐crystal LaF3 (−49.9 mV/dec). LaF3 prepared by sintering over 800 °C achieved fluorine removal and showed lower ion conductivity and ion exchange compared to that of the single‐crystal LaF3. LaF3 sintered at 700 °C did not show a sensor response because of solution penetration into the through‐pore. Our results confirmed that solution penetration, ion conductivity, and ion exchange influence the sensor performance of LaF3. Finally, we discussed approaches to achieve high sensor performance with LaF3 prepared by low‐temperature sintering. The proposed approaches are expected to contribute to expanding the utility of fluoride ion sensor electrodes with LaF3.

Mechanisms and site requirements for NO and NH3 oxidation on Cu/SSZ-13

Two series of Cu/SSZ-13 catalysts were synthesized via aqueous solution and solid-state ion exchange using SSZ-13 supports of varying Si/Al ratios. The isolated and multinuclear Cu content of these catalysts were determined by H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). Multinuclear Cu in these catalysts, including in situ Cu-dimers formed from ZCuIIOH coupling and permanent CuO clusters, are active species for dry NO oxidation. NH3 oxidation on these catalysts follows an internal SCR (i-SCR) mechanism, i.e., a portion of NH3 is first oxidized to NO, then NO is selectively reduced by the remaining NH3 to N2. NH3 oxidation displays distinct kinetic behavior below ∼300 °C and above ∼400 °C. At low temperature the results indicate that NH3-solvated mobile Cu-ions are the active centers. CuO clusters, when present, also contribute to the low temperature activity by catalyzing NH3 oxidation to NO. At high temperature, in situ Cu-dimers and CuO clusters catalyze NH3 oxidation to NO, and isolated Cu-ions catalyze SCR to realize the cascade turnovers. For both NO and NH3 oxidation, Cu-dimers balanced by framework charges of close proximity appear to be more active than Cu-dimers balanced by distant framework charges. However, the former Cu-dimers are less stable than the latter and tend to split into monomers in the presence of vicinal Brønsted acid sites. Via density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the i-SCR mechanism for low temperature NH3 oxidation, i.e., the energetic favorability for the involvement of the NO intermediate, is justified. The DFT results also agree with experimental data that the formation of Cu-dimers from ZCuIIOH dimerization is essential for NH3 oxidation at high temperature.

Nb-Based Oxides As High Power Negative Electrode Materials

Today, one of the main challenges of lithium-ion batteries is to have the ability to charge faster and to provide high power during longer periods, thus allowing a larger development of intermittent electric power sources [1]. The actual negative electrode materials (graphite and silicon mainly) cannot sustain such high rate capabilities. In this work, we are therefore investigated some materials of the plentiful family of niobium-based oxides. A presentation of old and interesting structures will be briefly reviewed. As an example, the case of KTiNbO5 will be discussed and proposed as efficient negative electrode materials for next generation of lithium ion batteries.The layered KTiNbO5 with a two-dimensional framework represents a playground to produce a large range of closely related phases.[2] The protonated HTiNbO5 analogue is obtained by ion exchange in acidic solution and it preserves a layered structure with a smaller interlayer distance. After dehydration of HTiNbO5 at 400°C, the so-obtained Ti2Nb2O9 phase displays a 2D arrangement with empty channels unlike tunnels of H(K)TiNbO5.In this work, all the synthesized phases were studied as negative electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries. Tested in 1M LiPF6 in EC/DMC between 1.0V and 3.0V vs Li/Li+, these phases have shown different electrochemical behaviors. When HTiNbO5 exhibits a typical plateau during the charge/discharge experiment corresponding to a biphasic phenomenon, lithiation of Ti2Nb2O9 is governed by a solid—solution mechanism. For a better understanding of the charge storage mechanism, we have combined electrochemical experiments with in situ XRD measurements. We have shown that multielectron redox and corner/edge sharing system of Ti/Nb octaedra are at the origin of an interesting capacity of more than 100 mAh.g-1 at a rate of 0.2 A.g-1. A good observed cyclability (< 500 cycles) is in accordance with in situ XRD results showing a reversible behavior of the structure during cycling. Another synthesis method, using Chimie Douce techniques, leads to nanoparticules for both HTiNbO5 and Ti2Nb2O9 and allows an increase of the electrochemical performance of these materials. References : [1] Choi, C. et al, Nature Rev. Mat. 5, 5-19 (2020).[2] A. D. Wadsley, Acta Cryst. 623, 17-41 (1964).

Cu-doped bioactive glass with enhanced in vitro bioactivity and antibacterial properties

This work aimed to optimize, produce and characterize Cu-doped bioactive glasses which are antibacterial without the addition of antibiotics obtained via ion exchange in an aqueous solution. According to morphological, compositional and structural analyses, 0.001 M was selected as the most optimal concentration of the ion exchange solution. The doped glass was then compared to the undoped one to investigate the effect of Cu-doping on the glass surface composition and bioactivity. Cu-doping was found to enhance the bioactivity kinetics and the following hydroxyapatite formation, evidenced by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements. Besides that, the zeta potential titration measurements confirmed that the Cu-doping did not alter the surface chemical stability of the glass both in the inflammatory and physiological pH range. Moreover, the leaching ability of Cu2+-ions, both in physiological and inflammatory-mimicking conditions, was measured, followed by an in-depth study of the antibacterial properties, using two protocols to distinguish between the antiadhesive, antibacterial, and antibiofilm effects. For both protocols, a reduction of metabolic activity and Colony-Forming Unit after 24 h against Staphylococcus aureus Multi-Drug resistance strain was evidenced. These results showed that Cu-doped glass could show potential as a bioactive and antibacterial surface for bone surgery applications.

Minimizing Energy Barrier in Intermediate Connection Layer for Monolithic Tandem WPeLEDs with Wide Color Gamut

AbstractPerovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs) show promising prospects in the wide color gamut display owing to their ultra‐narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM). However, up to now, all perovskite white LEDs integrated by standard red, green, and blue perovskite emitters, namely, monolithic white PeLEDs (WPeLEDs), have been rarely reported, owing to facing some issues, e.g., solvent incompatibility in solution technique, ion exchange, and energy transfer between different emission centers. Herein, centered on these issues, an optimal intermediate connection layer (ICL) of Po‐T2T/LiF/Ag/HAT‐CN/MoO3 is adopted to successfully develop monolithic tandem multicolor PeLEDs and WPeLEDs for the first time. The multicolor PeLEDs can achieve the best external quantum efficiency of 1.8% and the highest luminance of 4844 cd m−2. Besides, the red/green/blue (R/G/B) monolithic tandem WPeLED shows a standard white International Commission on Illumination coordinate of (0.33, 0.33) and achieves an extremely wide color gamut reaching National Television Standards Committee of 130%. This study is the first to realize the standard R/G/B co‐electroluminescence in a monolithic perovskite device and offers a feasible strategy for developing wide‐color gamut perovskite displays.

Effects of ion-exchange on the pervaporation performance and microstructure of NaY zeolite membrane

Pervaporation performance of NaY zeolite membranes is improved by ion-exchange with di-valent nitrate salt. Different nitrate salts, including Co(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2, Zn(NO3)2, Ca(NO3)2, Cu(NO3)2, KNO3, and AgNO3, have great effects on the channel structure and water affinity of the NaY zeolite membrane. When the concentration of nitrate salt, ion-exchange temperature and time are 0.1 mol·L−1, 50 °C and 2 h, the ion-exchange degree order of NaY zeolites is Ag+ > K+ > Ca2+> Zn2+ ≫ Co2+ > Mg2+. Especially, Ag+ and K+ cation exchange degree of NaY zeolites are achieved to 96.54% and 82.77% in this work. BET surface, total pore capacity, pore size distribution and water contact angle of the ion-exchanged NaY zeolites are all disordered by mono- and di-valent cations. Di-valent nitrate salt is favor for increasing the dehydration performance of NaY zeolite membranes by ion-exchange. When the ion-exchange solution is Zn(NO3)2, the total flux variation and separation factor variation of the NaY membrane (M-5) are −45% and 230% for separation of 10% (mass) H2O/EtOH mixture by pervaporation, and the ion-exchanged membranes showed good reproducibility.

Mesoscopic Process Simulation of In Situ Leaching of Ionic Rare Earth Based on NMRI Technology

In order to simulate and calculate the leaching process of ionic rare earths more realistically, a digital model of ionic rare earths with real size, shape, seepage channel, and pore ratio and distribution at the mesoscopic scale was constructed based on nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) technology. And the in situ leaching mining process was simulated and calculated by using three control equations of solution seepage, ion exchange, and solute migration. The reliability of the NMRI model was verified by the results of the indoor column leaching experiment, and the influence of the injection intensity and leaching agent concentration on the leaching of rare earth ions was analyzed. The results show that there are dominant seepage channels in the ore body, and the rare earth ion exchange reaction and migration in the dominant channel area are completed first. By analyzing the leaching results of rare earth ions under the working conditions of different injection strengths and different concentrations of leaching agent, the results show that the injection strength and the concentration of leaching agent have an obvious promoting effect on the leaching of rare earth ions in a certain range. The injection strength of 0.5~1.0 mL/min and the concentration of 0.20~0.25 mol/L leaching agent are considered to be more economical in practical engineering.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GROUNDWATER OF INTERMOUNTAIN BASIN OF KORÇA IN ALBANIA AND IMPLICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

Korça intermountain basin is the largest of its kind in Albania and from the hydrogeological point of view represents a semiclosed intermountain basin developed in Pliocene-Holocene granular unconsolidated deposits, which maximal thickness is about 300 m. The aquifer consists of intergranular gravelly to sandy layers containing artesian groundwater and the drilling wells are free flowing on most of the basin surface. The main recharge of the intergranular aquifer comes mainly from the rivers and torrents flowing from mountain gorges around the Korça Plain. The natural groundwater drainage of Korça basin is realized through the vertical leakage in the area of the former Maliq marsh. Hydrochemistry of the aquifers show the presence of four main hydrochemical facies which are related mainly to the hydrochemistry of the recharge sources and to the solution processes and ion exchange. In the central part of the basin the water supply wells of the cities Korça and Maliq are located. The natural renewable groundwater resources of the basin are relatively restricted, but the volume resources (or static water resources) are abundant (about 1.1 × 10–9 m3). The perspective of their exploitation is very important, but respecting the “basin yield” concept that is defined as the maximum rate of withdrawal that can be sustained by the hydrogeological system of groundwater basin without causing unacceptable changes to any other environmental component of the basin. To face the problems related to the intensification of the groundwater pumping systematic observations of the hydraulic reaction of the basin and of the possible groundwater quality deterioration and other negative environmental impacts must be organized. The purpose of the present study is for the first time to analyze the abundant basin wide hydrogeological data and to evaluate: (1) geometry and hydraulic parameters of the aquifers: (2) groundwater hydrodynamic conditions; (3) their chemical composition and (4) the natural groundwater resources and the possibility to intensify the groundwater pumping in close relation to the environmental impact.

Synthesis of zeolite-geopolymer composites with high zeolite content for Pb(II) removal by a simple two-step method using fly ash and metakaolin

Zeolite-geopolymer composites synthesized using industrial solid waste have mechanical strength, high specific surface area and cation exchange ability. This self-supporting adsorbent can replace natural heulandite zeolite to remove metal ions. In this study, a zeolite-geopolymer composite with a high zeolite content was synthesized by a simple two-step process using fly ash and metakaolin as raw materials. The compressive capacity, pore structure and adsorption ability for Pb(II) in the solution of the composite were analyzed and compared with natural heulandite zeolite. Through the two-step synthesis, the dynamic conditions of zeolite crystallization and geopolymer solidification were determined, and the zeolite-geopolymer composite with 57.5% zeolite A content and 6.42 MPa compressive strength was successfully prepared. The composite had hierarchical pore sizes, including microporous, mesoporous and macroporous pores, and its specific surface area was larger than that of natural heulandite zeolite. The Pb(II) adsorption capacity of the composite could reach 446.73 mg/g through ion exchange and hydroxyl reactions in solution, which was higher than the value of 323.37 mg/g for natural heulandite zeolite. Therefore, zeolite-geopolymer composites with high zeolite content synthesized by the simple two-step method can be used as self-supporting adsorbents to replace natural heulandite zeolites for removing metal ions from water.

The choice of an environmentally oriented technology for water softening at water treatment facilities

The processes of softening drinking water have been studied quite widely, and the technologies used have a wide range of equipment used and aggregation capabilities. The development of membrane technologies provides virtually unlimited technological possibilities for water treatment [1], and classical ion exchange solutions are also widely used, more in industry [2]. Of course, the use of such solutions is associated with certain and considerable operating costs. At the same time, it is a well-known fact that modern softening systems require not only qualified and timely maintenance, but also form wastewater flows. Utilization of the generated wastewater can be a difficult task to solve, despite the advantages of membrane and ion exchange technologies in the processes of drinking water treatment, since water supply organizations are usually underfunded due to the social function of the water supply tariff [3]. This article shows the possibility of implementing environmental technology to reduce water hardness without the formation of associated wastewater. Softening in a suspended layer of sand refers to modern methods of reagent softening of water. These are the so-called devices of intensified softening.

Niobium Oxides: A New Path to Achieving High-Power Batteries? the Case of H-Ti-Nb Oxide System

Today, one of the main challenges of lithium-ion batteries is to have the ability to charge faster and to provide high power during longer periods, thus allowing a larger development of intermittent electric power sources [1]. The actual negative electrode materials (graphite and silicon mainly) cannot sustain such high rate capabilities. We are therefore investigating a family of titanoniobate oxides, such as KTiNbO5, HTiNbO5, and Ti2Nb2O9, and proposing them as efficient negative electrode materials for next generation lithium ion batteries.The layered KTiNbO5 with a two-dimensional framework represents a playground to produce a large range of closely related phases [2]. The protonated HTiNbO5 analogue is obtained by ion exchange in acidic solution and it preserves a layered structure with a smaller interlayer distance. After dehydration of HTiNbO5 at 400°C, the so-obtained Ti2Nb2O9 phase displays a 2D arrangement with empty channels unlike tunnels of H(K)TiNbO5 [3]. Afterwards, by acido/basic reduction, exfoliation of HTiNbO5 into TiNbO5 - single nanosheets (NS) followed by their restacking, results in a material with smaller particles size and higher specific surface area as shown in Figure 1.a.In this work, all the synthesized phases were studied as negative electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries. Tested in 1M LiPF6 in ED/DMC between 1.0V and 3.0V vs Li/Li+, these phases have shown different electrochemical behaviors (Figure 1.b). When HTiNbO5 exhibits a typical plateau during the charge/discharge experiment corresponding to a biphasic phenomenon, Ti2Nb2O9 show a solid—solution mecanism. For a better understanding of the charge storage mechanism, we have combined electrochemical experiments with in situ XRD measurements. We have shown that multielectron redox and corner/edge sharing system of Ti/Nb octaedra are at the origin of an interesting capacity of more than 100 mAh.g-1 at a rate of 0.2 A.g-1. A good observed cyclability (< 1000 cycles) is in accordance with in situ XRD results showing a reversible behavior of the structure during cycling. Another synthesis method, using Chimie Douce techniques, leads to nanoparticules for both HTiNbO5 SG and Ti2Nb2O9 SG and allows an increase of the electrochemical performance of these materials, will also be discussed in this presentation. Figure 1

Perovskite Nanocrystals with Tunable Fluorescent Intensity during Anion Exchange for Dynamic Optical Encryption.

Perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have demonstrated their potential use in many applications such as optical encryption because of their excellent optical properties. However, the optical encryption using PNCs is mainly based on the formation of static patterns with luminescence on/off switching. In this work, we demonstrated that the capping ligands play an important role in tuning the luminescence intensity of the PNCs during ion exchange. The surfactant, oleylamine (OAm), is essential in shifting the luminescence color of the PNCs from green to yellow during the ion exchange. In the absence of OAm, the luminescence in the green and yellow regions is quenched during the ion exchange and the luminescence is recovered in the red region by adding trioctylphosphine (TOP) into the ion-exchange solution. On the basis of these findings, we proposed a dynamic optical encryption strategy using PNCs with different capping ligands by tuning the luminescence intensity. The encoded message is hidden in the green pattern at the beginning, shown during the ion exchange, and erased when the pattern is completely converted from a green color to a red color after the ion exchange ends. This dynamic encryption strategy enhances the security level and is compatible with human eye-perceivable patterns and binary coding algorithms.

Catalytic site requirements for N2O decomposition on Cu-, Co-, and Fe-SSZ-13 zeolites

N2O decomposition is investigated on Cu, Co and Fe-exchanged SSZ-13 zeolite catalysts at relatively low metal loadings. The catalysts are synthesized by solution ion exchange, and subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programed-reduction by H2 (H2-TPR), temperature-programed-reaction of N2O (N2O-TPR) coupled with in-situ transmission FTIR, and finally steady-state flow reaction tests. At low N2O pressures (<0.05 kPa), all catalysts display pseudo first-order kinetics. From Arrhenius analysis, Cu and Fe-SSZ-13 display very different apparent activation energies but similar pre-exponential factors, suggesting their similar reaction mechanisms. N2O decomposition follows a dual-site mechanism, occurring on dimeric M-O-M sites in these catalysts, and O2 is formed by the combination of two O ad-atoms from two vicinal metal sites. Under low N2O pressure (0.05 kPa) and first-order kinetic regime, the reaction is limited by N-O cleavage on bare metal active sites. In comparison to Cu-SSZ-13, the much higher N2O decomposition rate over Fe-SSZ-13 is attributed to the much lower activation barriers for the N-O cleavage step. N2O decomposition occurs on isolated Co2+ ions in Co-SSZ-13. The rate-limiting step is N-O cleavage on an O-occupied Co site in the low-pressure first order kinetic regime. This single-site mechanism leads to much higher pre-exponential factors as compared to the dual-site mechanism. This beneficial factor for reaction rate enhancement, however, is compromised by the much higher activation barriers over this catalyst.

The photocatalytic rate of ZnO supported onto natural zeolite nanoparticles in the photodegradation of an aromatic amine.

Aniline and its derivate are critical environmental pollutants, and thus, the introduction of an eco-friendly catalyst for removing them is an important research future. The ZnO supported on the ball-mill prepared clinoptilolite nanoparticles (CNPs) was prepared via an ion-exchange process followed by the calcination process. The amount of loaded ZnO in the ZnO-CNP (CZ) samples varied as 0.54, 0.63, 0.72, and 0.86 meq/g as the Zn(II) concentration in the ion-exchange solution varied from 0.1 to 0.5 M. The ZnO-CNP catalyst was briefly characterized by XRD, FTIR, and DRS techniques. The pHpzc value for the various ZnO-CNPs was about 7.1 that had no change with the ZnO loading. By applying the Scherrer equation on the XRD results, a nano-dimension of about 50 nm was obtained for the catalyst. Bandgap energy of the ZnO-CNP samples was estimated by applying the Kubelka-Munk equation on the DRS reflectance spectra. The value for the CZ2 catalyst was about 3.64 eV. The supported ZnO-CNP sample was then used in the photodegradation of 2,4-dichloroaniline (DCA). Raw zeolite showed a relatively low photocatalytic activity. The degradation efficiency was followed by recording the absorbance of the DCA solution by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The effects of the essential critical operating factors on the degradation efficiency were kinetically studied by applying the Hinshelwood equation to the results. The ZnO-CNP catalyst with 2 w% ZnO showed the best photocatalytic rate in the optimal conditions of 0.75 g/L, CDCA: 15 ppm, and the initial pH: 5.8. Finally, HPLC analysis of the blank and the photodegraded DCA solutions at 180 and 300 min confirmed 74 and 87% of DCA molecules were degraded during these times. The results confirm that supported ZnO onto clinoptilolite caused enhanced photocatalytic activity because the zeolite internal electrical field prevents the e-/h+ recombination.

Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in the presence of ZnS, NiS and ZnS/NiS supported Clinoptilolite under UV irradiation: experimental and neural network modelling

ABSTRACT The Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), catalysed by nanosized ZnS, NiS and ZnS/NiS photocatalysts, was studied under UV irradiation. ZnS, NiS and ZnS/NiS nanoparticles were incorporated onto Iranian natural Clinoptilolite (CP) zeolite by calcination of Zn+2and Ni+2 ion-exchanged Clinoptilolite. The photocatalysts were characterised by the TEM, FT-IR, XRD, DRS, UV-VIS, HPLC and COD methods. The average particle size of different photocatalysts incorporated onto CP was calculated through XRD analyzes between 70–40 µm. The degradation extent of TNT was investigated by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, COD and HPLC. The influence of pH, concentration of TNT in aqueous solution, contact time, amount of photocatalysts and concentration of ion exchange solution on the degradation efficiency has also been studied. After 160 minutes of photocatalytic degradation experiments, the highest degradation (88.5%) was recorded at a concentration of 55 mg.L−1 of TNT and the lowest degradation (37.9%) at pH = 7. It has been revealed that0.075 g ZnS7.1%/NiS2.7%nanoCP (NCP)photocatalyst at pH = 11, with 55 mg.L−1 TNT solution was the optimum parameters of the experiment. A feed-forward Artificial neural network (ANN) was employed to predict the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)based on a set of experimental tests. The results indicated that the ANN model prediction and experimental data have excellent accordance and the model can be used for prediction of photocatalytic degradation efficiency. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the concentration of TNT has a considerable effect on degradation efficiency (about 26.19%).

Cochineal carmine adsorbed on layered zinc hydroxide salt applied on mortadella to improve color stability

The pink/reddish color meat products characteristic of cured meat without the curing salts is a meat industry demand to serve consumers who are looking for healthy foods with the usual sensory characteristics. This study aimed to obtain and characterize a hybrid dye and use it as a replacer for curing salt in the production of pink/red color in mortadella stored for 40 days. A layered zinc hydroxide salt (ZHN) was obtained by alkaline precipitation to immobilize and increase cochineal carmine stability, obtaining the hybrid dye (ZHN-carmine) by ion exchange in aqueous solution. The ZHN-carmine was subjected to ultrasound to increase color intensity and reduce the amount of application. ZHN, cochineal carmine and ZHN-carmine were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The ZHN-carmine was used in the mortadella elaboration traditionally prepared with nitrite/nitrate and/or carmine. In the characterization it was observed that carmine dye was adsorbed on the lamellar compound surface and over the mortadella storage, it ensures a more stable pink/reddish color than the others product formulations. A more intense color with lower L* and higher a* values was observed for mortadella added of ZHN-carmine ultrasound-assisted. Therefore, the lamellar matrix adsorbed with cochineal carmine may a suitable and useful alternative to obtain the pink/reddish color characteristic of cooked meat products by applying a natural hybrid dye.

Permeability and Adsorption–Desorption Behavior of Rare Earth in Laboratory Leaching Tests

In order to investigate the influence of the ion exchange process on the permeability of rare earth ore bodies in the leaching process, a laboratory-scale comparative experiment with ammonium sulfate solution and deionized (DI) water as leaching solutions is conducted. Compared with the DI water leaching test, the permeability coefficient of the rare earth ore sample leached by the ammonium sulfate solution gradually decreases at the beginning and then increases with the completion of leaching. The physical and morphological evolutions of rare earth ore samples in this comparative experiment are also monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy. It is concluded that the change in the permeability coefficient arises from the adsorption–desorption of a large number of clay microparticles, resulting in a dynamic evolution of pore structures. Further mechanism analysis suggests that the change in internal ionic strength caused by ion exchange and leaching solution seepage promotes the adsorption–desorption behavior of clay microparticles.

Poly(ether sulfone)s with pendent imidazolium for anion exchange membranes via click chemistry

A new monomer, propargyl-1-methylimidazolium bromide, is synthesized. A series of poly(ether sulfone)s with pendent imidazolium (PES-Im-x) are synthesized from poly(ether sulfone)s with azide via nucleophilic polycondensation, bromination, and azidation, which are then reacted with propargyl-1-methylimidazolium bromide via click chemistry. The membranes are prepared sequentially via solution casting and ion exchange, which exhibit good alkaline stability under basic and elevated temperature conditions. The micro-phase separation of the membranes is observed on transmission electron microscopy. The conductivities of the membranes achieve in the range of 3.53 × 10−2 to 5.76 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 80 °C, which are related to the introduction of dense imidazolium groups on the side chains of the polymers. The designed structure facilitates the aggregation and transport of the ions in the membranes. The membrane electrode assembly based on PES-Im-38 with a power density of 18.0 mW cm−2 at 60 °C is obtained. In addition, all these membranes show good dimensional stability and thermal stability. It is demonstrated that click reaction may provide a viable strategy for the further preparation of high performance anion exchange membranes.