Ml Of Aqueous Solution Research Articles

Graphene oxide-induced CuO reduction in TiO2/CaTiO3/Cu2O/Cu composites for photocatalytic degradation of drugs via peroxymonosulfate activation

Contamination of water bodies is a global environmental and human health issue. Conventional water treatment systems cannot efficiently eliminate organic contaminants, particularly drugs. Photocatalysis is a promising, environmentally friendly oxidation process for the removal of such compounds. A key point is the choice of material to be used as photocatalyst. Here, TiO2/CaTiO3/Cu2O/Cu composites were fabricated by adding different amounts (x) of graphene oxide (GO) (x wt% = 1, 3, and 5 %) to CaCu3Ti4O12 powder using the solid-state synthesis method. The produced pellets were sintered under inert nitrogen atmosphere at 1100 °C for 3 h. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the Cu metal amount was increased upon GO addition, and the UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that the spectral response was extended to the visible range. Then, high performance liquid chromatography assessment of paracetamol degradation by a photocatalytic cell using TiO2/CaTiO3/Cu2O/Cu composites with different GO amounts showed that the removal efficiency was increased upon introduction of 0.5 mM peroxymonosulfate (PMS) as active component to generate SO4‾ radicals. After 3 h under visible light, 96 % of 10 ppm paracetamol was degraded by the composite with 3 % of GO (1 cm2 surface photocatalyst) compared with 50 % by the composite without GO in the same experimental conditions (PMS in 210 mL of aqueous solution). Free radical trapping and the acute toxicity of potential degradation by-products were also investigated. Our results indicate that TiO2/CaTiO3/Cu2O/Cu with 3 % GO displays long-term stability and durability for the photocatalytic removal of pharmaceutical pollutants from wastewater.

Determination of Zinc and Magnesium in Food Samples via Cloud Point Extraction using Brilliant Green as a Reagent

In this article, we present a sensitive and efficient method for the separation and determination of Zinc (II) and Magnesium (II) ions using a combination of liquid ion exchange and cloud point extraction (CPE). The process includes converting these ions into metal ion complexes by using EDTA at pH 10. These complexes are then bound electrostatically with Brilliant Green (BG) to form ion pair association complexes, which are subsequently transferred into a cloud point layer. The study involved optimizing the extraction conditions, including the EDTA concentration, temperature, heating duration, and surfactant volume. The concentration of EDTA for achieving higher extraction efficiency is 1×10-4 M in the presence of 100 μg of Zn(II) and Mg(II) per 10 mL of aqueous solution using 1×10-4 M of BG. The solutions should be heated at 85°C for Zn(II) and 80°C for Mg(II) for 20 minutes. The optimal volume of surfactants is 0.5 mL of Triton X-100 for Zn(II) and 0.6 mL for Mg(II). The study also includes an analysis of the impact of electrolytes and interferences and the spectrophotometric identification of Zn(II) and Mg(II) in various samples.

Elicitor Activity of Low-Molecular-Weight Alginates Obtained by Oxidative Degradation of Alginates Extracted from Sargassum muticum and Cystoseira myriophylloides.

Alginates extracted from two Moroccan brown seaweeds and their derivatives were investigated for their ability to induce phenolic metabolism in the roots and leaves of tomato seedlings. Sodium alginates (ALSM and ALCM) were extracted from the brown seaweeds Sargassum muticum and Cystoseira myriophylloides, respectively. Low-molecular-weight alginates (OASM and OACM) were obtained after radical hydrolysis of the native alginates. Elicitation was carried out by foliar spraying 20 mL of aqueous solutions (1 g/L) on 45-day-old tomato seedlings. Elicitor capacities were evaluated by monitoring phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, polyphenols, and lignin production in the roots and leaves after 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment. The molecular weights (Mw) of the different fractions were 202 kDa for ALSM, 76 kDa for ALCM, 19 kDa for OACM, and 3 kDa for OASM. FTIR analysis revealed that the structures of OACM and OASM did not change after oxidative degradation of the native alginates. These molecules showed their differential capacity to induce natural defenses in tomato seedlings by increasing PAL activity and through the accumulation of polyphenol and lignin content in the leaves and roots. The oxidative alginates (OASM and OACM) exhibited an effective induction of the key enzyme of phenolic metabolism (PAL) compared to the alginate polymers (ALSM and ALCM). These results suggest that low-molecular-weight alginates may be good candidates for stimulating the natural defenses of plants.

Dispersion liquid microextraction of fluoroquinolones

The dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin with chromatographic detection was developed. The optimization of dispersive microextraction was carried out, and the optimal parameters were determined as follows: 5 ml of aqueous solution; 70 l of chloroform; 500 l of isopropanol; extraction time of 5 min; centrifugation time of 5 min; and pH 7.0–9.0. The concentration range was 4.0–100 g/ml, and the limit of detection was not exceeded 1.5 g/ml. The microextraction method was tested on mineral water samples by the standard addition method. The obtained results indicate sufficient accuracy and reproducibility of the developed method. The relative standard deviation does not exceed 2%.

Functionalization of chitosan biopolymer using two dimensional metal-organic frameworks and MXene for rapid, efficient, and selective removal of lead (II) and methyl blue from wastewater

The efficient elimination of lead (II) and methyl blue from aqueous media was a critical problem for humans. The removal of dyes and heavy metals, especially methylene blue and lead, from wastewater is essential for human health and the environment, and utilizing a suitable adsorbent to attain this goal is highly desirable. In the present study first time, chitosan biopolymer was functionalized using Two Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks (Ni3(HITP)2) and MXene for efficient, rapid, and selective removal of lead (II) and Methyl blue. To obtain an adsorbent (Ni3(HITP)2/MXene/CS), 1 g of chitosan (biopolymer) and Metal-Organic Frameworks were added in MXene dark-colored suspension and ultrasonically dispersed for 25 min. The batch sorption was carried out, and sorption behavior was analyzed. Batch sorption procedures were conducted to explore the sorption of Pb2+ and MB by Ni3(HITP)2/MXene/CS composite in 25 mL of aqueous solutions. The adsorbent utilized in the present experiments was 10 mg. The effect of the initial concentration of Pb2+ and MB was explored in the range of 10–400 mg L−1. Composite (Ni3(HITP)2/MXene/CS) had excellent sorption performance in the range of pH= 3–6 for lead (II) and pH= 2–9 for methyl blue. The maximum adsorption capacity for lead (II) was 448.93 mg g− 1 at 298 K, 400.59 mg g− 1 at 308 K, and 305.80 mg g− 1 at 318 K. In contrast, the maximum sorption capability for methyl blue was 424.99 mg g− 1 at 298 K, 354.03 mg g− 1 at 308 K, and 251.78 mg g− 1 at 318 K. The sorption of lead (II) and methyl blue on Ni3(HITP)2/MXene/CS composite conformed to pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir model. These outcomes verified that Ni3(HITP)2/MXene/CS composite was selectivity efficient, and quick removal of Methylene blue and lead from wastewater, which is of practical importance.

THE PROPERTIES OF SONICATED IMMERSION GROWN HEMATITE FILMS AT VARIOUS ANNEALING TEMPERATURES

In this research, hematite (α-Fe2O3) film was synthesised to study the effect of annealing temperature on its crystallinity, optical and electrical properties. Through a sonicated solution immersion technique, hematite films were deposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. In the synthesis process, 0.2 M ferric chloride (FeCl3·6H2O) was used as a precursor, 0.2 M urea (NH2CONH2) as the stabilizer, and de-ionized (DI) water as a solvent to produce 200 ml of aqueous solution. During the annealing treatment, we varied the temperatures at 350 ºC, 450 ºC and 500 ºC. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed the presence of peaks of 2θ angles between 20° to 90°, corresponding to (104), (110), (214), (125) and (128) planes, which exhibited crystalline structures of rhombohedral with diffraction peaks of hematite phase (α-Fe2O3). Optical characterisations showed that the transmittances of all samples were close to 100% in the high wavelength level of the visible light region, which is close to the infrared spectrum. Absorption of hematite samples was found to be more than 0.6 a.u. in the low wavelength level of the visible light region close to the ultraviolet spectrum and close to 0 in the high wavelength level of the visible light region close to the infrared spectrum. A sample with an annealing temperature of 500 °C has the lowest transmission and the highest absorbance in the visible region due to dim pigments in the hematite film.

Plastic sieve equipped two-syringe assisted magnetic colloidal gel for dispersive solid-phase extraction of manganese in tea samples

In this study, a simple and effective analytical method was described for the determination of manganese in a spectrometric system. For this purpose, a plastic sieve fitted between two syringes was used as a dispersive solid phase extraction tool. The extraction of manganese was performed by using a magnetic colloidal gel (MCG), which was formed by mixing cobalt magnetic nanoparticle (Co-MNP) and deep eutectic solvent. All experimental parameters of the method including Co-MNP amount in MCG, MCG volume, cycle number for pressurized mixing in the two-syringe system and eluent type/volume in the desorption step were carefully evaluated in order to find the best experimental conditions for efficient extraction/preconcentration of manganese. The detection limit was calculated as 4.0 ng/mL for manganese extracted by 150 µL of MCG from 8.0 mL of aqueous solution at pH 10 with 8 cycles of pressurized mixing. In order to validate the applicability and the accuracy of the developed system, the optimum conditions were applied to jasmine tea samples. The tea samples were analyzed using the standard addition method and the manganese the manganese content were found in the range of 133 – 245 ng/mL. The obtained results showed that the developed method is applicable, accurate and feasible for the determination of manganese at trace levels.

Effect of time, pH, and temperature on kinetics for adsorption of methyl orange dye into the modified nitrate intercalated MgAl LDH adsorbent

• Nitrate intercalated MA LDH nanopowder was synthesized using coprecipitation method under refluxing condition. • The adsorption of MO dye onto MA LDH reached equilibrium within 1 hour and exhibited saturation adsorption of 583 mg/g. • Adsorption kinetics and isotherm were governed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. The present work evaluated the potential of nitrate intercalated pristine MgAl layered double hydroxide (MA LDH) powder, for adsorption of methyl orange (MO) dye from an aqueous solution for reducing health hazards. Nitrate intercalated pristine MA LDH was synthesized in the particle size range between 60 and 120 nm by co-precipitation method in nitrogen atmosphere using reflux process. MO dye was adsorbed into MA LDH by the process of anion exchange to promote formation of MO intercalated MA LDH (MAMO LDH). Both MA LDH and MAMO LDH powders were characterized using XRD, FTIR, FESEM, and TGA analysis. In the adsorption process, all effective parameters such as adsorbent dose, adsorption time, temperature, pH, and MO dye concentration were studied in the batch process using UV visible spectroscopy. It was observed that the pH and temperature of the dye solution exerted a major impact on the kinetics of adsorption of MO dye into 10 mg of MA LDH. The adsorption kinetics at different temperatures such as 25, 40, and 50 °C were investigated, and found that pseudo second order kinetic fitted well with the kinetic data. Maximum adsorption percentage of MO dye into MA LDH nanoparticles hardly varied with an increase in temperature as suggested by 98.22% of MO adsorption at 25 °C as opposed to 98.66% adsorption at 40 and 50 °C within a maximum of 1-hour incubation time from 50 ml of aqueous solution containing 0.03 mg/ml of MO dye. Upto three regeneration cycles, nitrate intercalated MA LDH dye showed no significant decrease in adsorption capacity of MO dye from its aqueous solution. The adsorption isotherm was measured at a temperature of 40 °C and indicated that the Langmuir isotherm model fitted well with experimental data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 583 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters, such as high negative value of ΔG and positive value of ΔH suggested that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.

Adsorption Properties and Mechanism of Attapulgite to Graphene Oxide in Aqueous Solution.

In order to remove toxic graphene oxide (GO) from aqueous solution, attapulgite (ATP) was used as adsorbent to recycle it by adsorption. In this paper, the effects of different pH, adsorbent mass, GO concentration, time and temperature on the adsorption of GO by attapulgite were studied, and the adsorption performance and mechanism were further explored by XRD, AFM, XPS, FTIR, TEM and SEM tests. The results show that when T = 303 K, pH = 3, and the GO concentration is 100 mg/L in 50 mL of aqueous solution, the removal rate of GO by 40 mg of attapulgite reaches 92.83%, and the partition coefficient Kd reaches 16.31. The adsorption kinetics results showed that the adsorption equilibrium was reached at 2160 min, and the adsorption process could be described by the pseudo-second-order adsorption equation, indicating that the adsorption process was accompanied by chemical adsorption and physical adsorption. The isotherm and thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of GO by attapulgite is more consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model, and the reaction is a spontaneous endothermic process. The analysis shows that attapulgite is a good material for removing GO, which can provide a reference for the removal of GO in an aqueous environment.

Treatment with Candida albicans biotherapic influences in vitro fungal adhesion to Ma-104 cells

Background: Oral candidiasis is an opportunist fungal infection in humans, mainly caused by Candida albicans. It occurs when the host presents an imbalance in the immune system and Candida spp., normally found in human flora, become able to develop the infection [1]. This disease is very common in HIV patients, and in all individuals that present immunossupression, such as patients treated with chemotherapy. Considering this scenario, the development of new medicines to treat oral candidiasis is mandatory.
 
 Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate citotoxicity, morphology and quantify the adhesion rates of C. albicans to biotherapic-treated Ma104 cells.
 
 Methodology: The biotherapic was prepared following the Roberto Costa technique and Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopeia protocol [2]. Briefly, biotherapic 1X was prepared with 1 mL of aqueous solution containing 108 yeasts of living Candida albicans plus 9 ml of sterile distilled water. This solution was submmited to 100 mechanical succussions. Biotherapic 2X was obtained after addition of 1 ml of 1X solution in 9 ml of sterile distilled water and it was also submitted to 100 mechanical succussions. This procedure was repeated until biotherapic 30X was obtained. As a control, sterile dynamized water (30X) was used. The inhibition of fungal growth induced by biotherapic was evaluated by MTT method after 24 hours of treatment. The morphological aspects of Ma104-biotherapic-treated cells were analyzed by Giemsa staining after 5, 10 and 60 days, and compared with control groups (water 30X and untreated cells). Additionally, Ma104 cells were treated during 5 and 30 days with biotherapic in parallel with respective controls, and the index adhesion of yeast cells was quantified. 
 
 Results: The biotherapic was not able to reduce the viability of treated C. albicans when compared with controls. On the other hand, Ma104 treated cells presented important morphological alterations after 60 days, such as: cytoplasmic vacuoles, halos around the nucleolus and elongation of the plasmatic membrane. These changes were not observed in ,untreated cells nor in ones treated with water 30X. The adhesion index to Ma104 cells was reduced around 27% after 5 and 30 days of treatment when compared to controls. 
 
 Conclusion: These results showed that the biotherapic did not present any citotoxicity, but was able to modify the morphological aspects of Ma-104 cells. Additionally, the interaction between host cells and ethilogic agent is directly influenced by biotherapic treatment, suggesting a promising antifungal potential of this medicine.

Adsorption and determination of Lead in water and human urine samples based on Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) MOF as polycaprolactone nanocomposite by suspension micro solid phase extraction coupled to UV–VIS spectroscopy

Today, the safety of water resource is the most important challenges which was reported by health and environment organizations. Water pollution can be created by hazardous contaminants of environmental pollutions. Lead as a heavy metal has carcinogenic effects in humans. Metal organic framework (MOF) is a highly porous material with different application. The Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) is a good candidate of MOF based on zinc metal (Zn-MOF) with potential adsorption/extraction. In this work, Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) MOF as polycaprolactone (PCL) nanocomposite were applied for lead adsorption/extraction from 50 mL of aqueous solution by ultra-assisted dispersive suspension-micro-solid phase extraction procedure (USA-S- µ-SPE) at pH=8. The samples were characterized by the FTIR, the XRD analysis, the FE-SEM and the BET surface area. The effect of parameters was investigated on lead absorption before determined by UV–VIS spectroscopy. The linear range, the detection limit (LOD) and enrichment factor of adsorbent were obtained 0.05-1 mg L-1, 0.25 μg L-1 and 48.7, respectively (r = 0.9992, RSD%=3.65). The absorption capacity of Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) MOF for 50 mg L-1 of standard lead solution were obtained 133.8 mg g-1 for 0.25 g of adsorbent. The results indicate that this nanocomposite can have a good potential to develop different adsorbents.

Visible Light Driven Degradation of Terephthalic Acid: Optimization of Energy Demand by Light Modulation Techniques

Aims: The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of light modulation parameters on the degradation of terephthalic acid, an organic model pollutant, within a heterogeneous photocatalytic system under visible light. For this purpose, a fixed bed photocatalytic reactor, irradiated by white-light LEDs matrix controlled by a system for light dimming, was used. The bed consisted of a nitrogen-doped titania photocatalyst deposited on polystyrene pellets. Background: Wastewater containing TPA can be treated into conventional aerobic biological units. However, the mineralization of TPA is slow and inefficient and its presence negatively influences the biodegradation efficiency because this pollutant inhibits microbial growth. Nowadays, innovative technologies named advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as heterogeneous photocatalysis with UV and visible light, ozonation, and Fenton oxidation, have gained popularity for effective organic destruction of TPA from wastewater. The heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation process of the TPA under visible light is the most advantageous process in terms of both fixed and operating costs. Objective: In this work, the successful application of light modulation techniques for degradation of TPA using a photocatalytic system with supported visible active photocatalysts (N-doped TiO2) immobilized on polystyrene pellets is reported. In particular, sinusoidal lighting has been used analyzing the influence of the period of oscillation and the amplitude of light modulation on the reaction kinetics, in such a way as to minimize the times and energy costs for the process. Methods: To evaluate the influence of light modulation on the efficiency of the TPA removal, a discontinuous system composed of a Recirculating Photocatalytic Fixed Bed Reactor (RPFBR) irradiated by a matrix of white light LEDs was used. The flat geometry of the photoreactor guarantees the efficient excitation of the photocatalyst. An amount of 250 mL of aqueous solution with the initial TPA concentration of 12.5 ppm was applied in the photocatalytic tests lasting 180 min of irradiation fixed or sinusoidal modulated. Results: The results show that the variation of the oscillation period of the sinusoidal modulation has a pertinent influence on the photodegradation of TPA and a maximum value of the apparent kinetic constant, 0.0045 min-1 is found when the period of oscillation is 0.24 s. The sinusoidal modulation with optimal amplitude occurs with current between 50-200 mA, that shows the highest value of the apparent kinetic constant equal to 0.0046 min-1. The optimal sinusoidal modulation, as a consequence is with current between 50-200 mA and period of 0.24 s. From the data collected from the tests, it is possible to evaluate the energy cost necessary to obtain the reduction of 90% of the terephthalic acid in 1 m3 of polluted water for each modulation (E E/O), and compare these values with other tests for TPA degradation reported in the literature. The internal comparison with the three systems of literature shows that the optima sinusoidal modulation of LEDs matrix permits a strong reduction in the electrical energy consumption. Conclusion: Photocatalytic tests have demonstrated the improvement of the process energy efficiency using the light modulation technique. A further confirmation of the advantage of light modulation was obtained by comparing the energy costs required for the abatement of 90% of the terephthalic acid in 1m 3 of the photocatalytic system. Finally, a mathematical model for photocatalytic degradation of terephthalic acid within the recirculating fixed bed photocatalytic reactor, irradiated by white-light LEDs was developed.

In-Vessel Headspace Liquid Phase Microextraction Coupled to Spectrophotometry for Iodate Determination

A new, highly sensitive and selective method for the spectrophotometric determination of iodate is developed based on the in-vessel mode of headspace liquid phase microextraction (IV-HS-LPME). The approach involves converting iodate to vapor iodine with excess of iodide and extracting it into a 50 μL of 1 % potassium iodide, which exposed to the headspace in a specially designed vessel. The extraction proceeds from 8 mL of aqueous solution containing 0.24 mmol L-1 of iodide and 0.5 mol L-1 of Na2SO4 after injection of 2 mL of 25 % H2SO4. The complete equilibrium is established after the aqueous solution stirred at 1200 rpm for 20 minutes. After that, the triiodide complex formed in the acceptor phase is withdrawn with a microsyringe and transferred to a 50 μL quartz micro cell with a 10 mm path length, where the absorbance is measured at 288 or 350 nm. The calibration graph is linear (r2 = 0.9998) in the range of 4 to 180 μg L-1 (as IO3-) with a detection limit of 1.5 μg L-1. The developed method has a high precision of 0.5 – 1.4 %. It was successfully applied to the determination of iodate in table salt, sea, and mineral water samples.

Life-Inspired Endogenous Dynamic Behavior of Lipid Droplet-like Microcompartments in Artificial Adipocyte-like Structures

Chemical systems that can replicate cellular behaviors are gaining increasing attention and are being used to study various biological processes. Here, a protein- or amylose-based assembly at an oi...

Bismuth-Doped Nano Zerovalent Iron: A Novel Catalyst for Chloramphenicol Degradation and Hydrogen Production.

In this study, we showed that doping bismuth (Bi) at the surface of Fe0 (Bi/Fe0, bimetallic iron system)—synthesized by a simple borohydride reduction method—can considerably accelerate the reductive degradation of chloramphenicol (CHP). At a reaction time of 12 min, 62, 68, 74, 95, and 82% degradation of CHP was achieved with Fe0, Bi/Fe0-1 [1% (w/w) of Bi], Bi/Fe0-3 [3% (w/w) of Bi], Bi/Fe0-5 [5% (w/w) of Bi], and Bi/Fe0-8 [8% (w/w) of Bi], respectively. Further improvements in the degradation efficiency of CHP were observed by combining the peroxymonosulfate (HSO5–) with Bi/Fe0-5 (i.e., 81% by Bi/Fe0-5 and 98% by the Bi/Fe0-5/HSO5– system at 8 min of treatment). Interestingly, both Fe0 and Bi/Fe0-5 showed effective H2 production under dark conditions that reached 544 and 712 μM by Fe0 and Bi/Fe0-5, respectively, in 70 mL of aqueous solution containing 0.07 g (i.e., at 1 g L–1 concentration) of the catalyst at ambient temperature.

Site- and Spatial-Selective Integration of Non-noble Metal Ions into Quantum Dots for Robust Hydrogen Photogeneration

Summary Artificial photosystems consisting of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and non-noble metal ions (e.g., Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+) show intrinsic advantages in efficient and cost-effective hydrogen (H2) evolution. However, well-controlled integration of these metal ions into ultra-small QDs is a major challenge. Here, we present a two-step strategy to realize site- and spatial-selective integration of earth-abundant Fe2+ ions in CdSe QDs; i.e., CdSe QDs are modified with a thin and anisotropic ZnS shell, and partial Zn2+ ions are selectively substituted by Fe2+ via cation exchange. The anisotropic ZnS layer not only passivates CdSe core but also works as an ideal medium to intimately anchor Fe2+. The multifunctional CdSe/Zn1−xFexS QD exhibits extraordinary activity and stability toward H2 photogeneration. Specifically, more than 880 mL (∼39,300 μmol) H2 gas is produced from 6 mL of aqueous solution during a consecutive 172 h (>1 week) experiment, thus achieving a turnover number of >600,000 per QD.

Enhanced azo dye removal in aqueous solution by H2O2 assisted non-thermal plasma technology

Abstract The focus of the present study is to assess the performances of H 2 O 2 assisted non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology for the degradation of the Acid Orange 7 textile azo dye in aqueous solution. The reactor configuration used during the experiments was the “dielectric barrier discharge” (DBD). The comparison between DBD (only non-thermal plasma) and H 2 O 2 /DBD system (in the presence of H 2 O 2 in the solution) was also performed. The experimental tests were carried out using 100 mL of aqueous solution with an initial Acid Orange 7 concentration equal to 10 mg/L, in the presence of oxygen as process gas in the DBD reactor operating with 20 kV of applied voltage. The results demonstrated that in presence of only oxygen in the DBD reactor, a discoloration and simultaneous mineralization of about 60% was obtained after only 2.5 min, while the addition of H 2 O 2 enhanced the dye degradation rate, obtaining in the same a discoloration and simultaneous mineralization of about 80%. The higher degradation rate achieved by adding H 2 O 2 could be attributed to the presence of higher amounts of hydroxyl radicals in DBD reactor. A deeply study on the influence of the main macroscopic parameters such as O 2 flow rate, H 2 O 2 and Acid Orange 7 initial concentration has been assessed in order to find the optimal operating conditions for the H 2 O 2 /DBD system. The kinetic evaluation and the energy yield study were performed under specific experimental condition. If compared with traditional AOPs, the results obtained with the H 2 O 2 /DBD system, showed that this technology is faster and extremely efficient and consequently very promising for the removal of Acid Orange 7 azo dye in aqueous solutions.

Deep eutectic solvent combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction as high efficient extractive media for extraction and quality evaluation of Herba Epimedii

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was successfully developed and fully validated to simultaneously determine Icarrin, IcarisidⅡ, Epimcdin A, Epimcdin B and Epimcdin C for the quality evaluation of Herba Epimedii. Twelve kinds of DESs were initially screened, and then the effective extraction was achieved by the tailor-made DES consisting of the mixture of l-proline and ethylene glycol with the molar ratio of 1:4 in this study. The optimal conditions were further optimized by the orthogonal experimental design (OED). 0.2 g sample powder was ultrasonic extracted by using 4.00 mL of aqueous solution containing 70 % (v/v) the above DES for 45 min, resulting to the optimum extraction efficiency. The FT-IR and NMR spectra showed the chemical structural characteristic correlation between l-proline and ethylene glycol, and could infer the formation of hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl group of ethylene glycol and the nitrogen atom of l-proline. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was further processed for the quality evaluation of Herba Epimedii. Finally, DES could be used to distinguish different origins and different kinds of Herba Epimedii, and to evaluate the quality of Herba Epimedii. This method provided good linearity, precision and accuracy. The recoveries of the five main bioactive flavonoids in Herba Epimedii were within the range of 88.5–107.7 % (RSD less than 3.4 %). Compared to the traditional extraction method of Icarin in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition), the solvent consumption was decreased by 80 % and the extraction time was shortened by 25 %, leading to more efficient and more convenient of this DES-UAE method. This work indicated that DES would be a promising high effective solvent for the analytical sample preparations of plant herbs, and it might have a broad application in the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines.

The Aqueous Solution of Antibiotics Norfloxacin for Total Protein Contents in the Fifth Instar Larvae of Silkworm, Bombyx mori (L) (Double Hybrid Race) [(CSR2XCSR27)] x [(CSR6XCSR26)

The quality of food material supplied decide the quality of silky cocoon spun by the larval instars of silkworm, Bombyx mori (L). The present attempt deals with utilization of aqueous solution of Norfloxacin for treating the leaves of mulberry, Morus alba (L). Two concentrations of Norfloxacin were selected for the attempt. Two concentrations of Norfloxacin include 50 mg per liter (50 ppm) and 100 mg per liter (100 ppm). The solution was prepared by adding powder antibiotic in distilled water and made the required concentration. 400 ml of aqueous solution of Norfloxacin were used to treat 100 grams of leaves of mulberry, Morus alba (L) for feeding the group of hundred larval instars for each attempt of feeding. Treated mulberry leaves were fed to the fifth larval instars. The feeding the larvae with treated leaves was carried for first four days. Four feedings were given for each day. For each feeding hundred grams of leaves (for the group of hundred larvae) were used. The larvae fed with untreated control & water treated control leaves were also maintained. Through the use of silk glands; fat bodies and haemolymph, bioassay of total protein was carried out on fifth day. The total protein content of silk glands; fat bodies and haemolymph was found improved 61.519 to 114.667; 79.928 to 90.055 and 30.983 to 31.010 percents respectively through feeding the fifth instars of silkworm, Bombyx mori (L) (Double Hybrid Race) leaves of mulberry, Morus alba (L) treated with aqueous solution of Norfloxacin antibiotics.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of parabens from pharmaceuticals andpersonal care products prior to their determination using HPLC-DAD

Dispersive liquid--liquid microextraction followed by a back-extraction step was combined with HPLC-DAD for the determination of four parabens (i.e. methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butylparaben). Optimum extraction conditions were found as follows: 225 $\mu $L of chloroform, 0.75 mL of ethanol, 7.5 mL of aqueous solution and within an extraction time of 15 s. Back-extraction into 100 $\mu $L of 50 mM sodium hydroxide solution within 20 s resulted in a reversed-phase HPLC-compatible extract. The analytes were separated at 20 $^{\circ}$C using methanol (A) and water (B), 40:60 (A:B, v/v) as the mobile phase, a flow rate of 1.0 mL min$^{-1}$ and an injection volume of 20 $\mu $L. DAD was set at 258 nm to monitor the analytes. Limits of detection and quantitation were as low as 0.1 and 0.3 $\mu $g mL$^{-1}$, respectively. Coefficients of determination (R$^{2})$ were higher than 0.9950 and percentage relative recoveries were found in the range of 86.5-114.5% for the four parabens from pharmaceuticals and personal care products.