Ppm Oil Research Articles

Performance Evaluation of Rankiya (Grewia venusta) as a Polymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery-Polymer Flooding

Polymer Flooding is an enhanced oil recovery method where high-molecular-weight polymers are added into the injected water, in order to increase the viscosity of injection fluid, improve volumetric sweep efficiency, and finally increase the oil recovery factor. Most research studies focused on the use of partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM), xanthan gum, SPG, HEC as flooding fluid. This work focused on investigating the potential of natural polymer - Grewia venusta plant tree in formulating flooding fluid for polymer flooding operation. The polymer was prepared from the mucilage extracted from the inner stem bark of Grewia venusta. Rheological characterization shows that the formulated Grewia venusta mucilage (GVM)-based flooding fluid maintained high viscosity under very high salinity, also exhibits shear thinning behaviour which obeys power law model with fluid behaviour index n = 0.32 and consistency index K= 6.3 at highest GVM concentration of 3000 ppm, similarly revealed that GVM-based flooding fluid was stable when subjected to high salinity of 130,000 ppm and temperature, up to 90 oC an inconsequential decrease in viscosity was experienced. These indicate its potential in enhancing oil recovery process. Core flooding analysis was carried out on an outcrop core sample with porosity and permeability of 26.1% and 218 mD respectively. Core flooding analysis revealed that: with increase in GVM concentration of 500, 750, 1000 and 2000 ppm oil recovered against time were 55.1%, 62.6%, 69.2% and 72.9% respectively, beyond 2000 ppm GVM concentration (optimum concentration), increase in polymer concentration did not bring about an increase in oil recovery, this finally resulted to an incremental recovery of 29% original oil in place (OOIP).

Antifouling performance enhancement of PES membranes using hydrophilic nanoparticles of poly(dopamine-acrylate) for oil/water separation

Polydopamine-acrylate (P(A-D)x) nanoparticles were blended with polyethersulfone (PES) to fabricate a high-performance hybrid ultrafiltration (UF) membrane for the separation of water from oily wastewater. In tris-alkaline buffer solution at room temperature, P(A-D)x nanoparticles were synthesized by intramolecular Michael addition of dopamine with acrylic acid (AA) monomers. Hybrid PES membranes were prepared using P(A-D)x at 0.05–0.4 wt% and characterized using various assays including Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and water contact angle (WCA). The membranes showed a significant increase in hydrophilicity, water permeability, and oil rejection (R). The primary and secondary pure water fluxes of the membrane with 0.2 wt% P(A-D)0.25 were 45% and 110.78% higher than those of neat PES membrane, respectively. For 3300 ppm oil feed solution, water flux during water/oil separation increased by 107%, while the oil rejection (R) remained at 99.08%. The surface of membrane was markedly hydrophilic, with a WCA about 40°, much lower than that of the neat PES membrane (80.67°). UF hybrid membranes also showed a remarkable reduction in oil adhesion on the membrane surface as well as superior antifouling performance for membranes containing 0.2 wt% P(A-D)0.25, flux recovery ratio (FRR) = 84.88 ± 3.27%, reversible fouling (Rr) = 51.12 ± 1.09%, and irreversible fouling (Rir) = 15.12 ± 3.27%. In addition, the pure water flux was 446% higher than that of the unmodified membrane after five cycles (900 minutes).

Advancing hyper-crosslinked materials with high efficiency and reusability for oil spill response

Developing materials with high efficiency for recovering oil to mitigate the environmental impact of oil spills has always been a challenging task. A commercial melamine formaldehyde sponge was coated with an optimised superhydrophobic/superoleophilic hyper-crosslinked polymer and applied to the removal of crude oil from oil-in-water emulsions for the improvement of oil spill clean-up processes. The high surface area, porosity, hydrophobicity, and selectivity of oil over water made the hyper-crosslinked polymer coated sponge (HPCS) an ideal sorbent for efficient oil/water separation. The system was able to strip crude oil from water emulsions of 1000 ppm to a negligible level of 2 ppm oil with minimal amounts of the HPCS material. More importantly, the HPCS material could be reused via a simple mechanical compression process, and the uptake capacity was retained over ten cycles. For five cycles of oil adsorption/mechanical compression the HPCS was able to provide water filtrate with oil concentrations of under 15 ppm. This is an effective and economical recovery system, removing the need for consistent solvent washing and drying processes. These results suggest that the HPCS is a promising material for oil/water separation and recovery under challenging conditions.

Fluoroalkylsilane grafted FeOOH nanorods impregnated PVDF-co-HFP membranes with enhanced wetting and fouling resistance for direct contact membrane distillation

Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) is a versatile thermal-driven membrane separation technique that can be used for seawater distillation and water recovery. Initially, the central composite design was used to optimize the concentration/molecular weight of pore former and operating feed/permeate flow rates. Further, a dual modification strategy was used to fabricate robust hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-co-HFP) membranes- (i) incorporation of fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) grafted FeOOH nanorods (F-g-FeOOH) into the membrane and (ii) surface coating of the membrane with FAS. The membrane with 0.015 wt% FeOOH nanorods (M2) displayed the highest water contact angle (132 ± 1.6ᵒ) with more than 99.98% salt rejection for 10,000 ppm NaCl solution (ΔT= 60 ℃ & feed/permeate flow rate = 20 L/h). The M2 membrane exhibited stable performance, and no pore wetting could be observed even when the feed contained polyhydric alcohol (5 wt% propylene glycol) or surfactant (80 ppm sodium dodecyl sulfate). The M2 membrane also displayed a stable permeate flux of 3.5 L/m2h and a total organic carbon rejection > 96% for up to 12 h for a saline feed (10,000 ppm NaCl) containing hexadecane/water emulsion (100 ppm oil). The prepared membranes were also determined to be suitable for long-term seawater desalination and exhibited a stable permeate flux of 10 L/m2h for 60 h with permeate conductivity < 5 µS/cm. The facile fabrication strategy holds the potential to be further explored to prepare membranes with excellent anti-wetting and anti-fouling properties.

Outstanding Separation Performance of Oil-in-Water Emulsions with TiO2/CNT Nanocomposite-Modified PVDF Membranes

Membrane filtration is an effective technique for separating micro- and nano-sized oil droplets from harmful oil-contaminated waters produced by numerous industrial activities. However, significant flux reduction discourages the extensive application of this technology; therefore, developing antifouling membranes is necessary. For this purpose, various titanium dioxide/carbon nanotube (TiO2/CNT) nanocomposites (containing 1, 2, and 5 wt.% multi-walled CNTs) were used for the modification of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafilter (250 kDa) membrane surfaces. The effects of surface modifications were compared in relation to the flux, the filtration resistance, the flux recovery ratio, and the purification efficiency. TiO2/CNT2% composite modification reduced both irreversible and total filtration resistances the most during the filtration of 100 ppm oil emulsions. The fluxes were approximately 4-7 times higher compared to the unmodified PVDF membrane, depending on the used transmembrane pressure (510, 900, and 1340 L/m2h fluxes were measured at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 MPa pressures, respectively). Moreover, the flux recovery ratio (up to 68%) and the purification efficiency (95.1-99.8%) were also significantly higher because of the surface modification, and the beneficial effects were more dominant at higher transmembrane pressures. TiO2/CNT2% nanocomposites are promising to be applied to modify membranes used for oil-water separation and achieve outstanding flux, cleanability, and purification efficiency.

Synergistic effects of silica derived granite dust and MoS2 on oil-water separation performances of mixed matrix PES membrane

Membrane separation technology has been widely examined for the treatment of oily wastewater owing to its numerous advantages, including high efficiency, energy saving, compact structure, and ease of operation. However, the overall performance of membrane separation highly depends on the membrane properties such as hydrophilicity and morphology structure. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used to increase membrane hydrophilicity and fouling resistance. In this work, silica derived from granite dust (GD) via the sol–gel method was hydrothermally treated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and used for the fabrication of MoS2-silica-PES mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). The synthesis of MoS2-silica composite was first confirmed via XRD analysis. Then, 1.0 wt% of MoS2-silica was blended into the PES casting solution, and the flat sheet membrane was cast by controlling the thickness of about 100 μm. The MoS2-silica-PES MMMs were then subjected to chemical, hydrophilicity and surface morphology studies. It was found that the addition of silica into MoS2 leads to a notable improvement in hydrophilicity and water flux as compared to bare PES and MoS2-PES membranes. The performance of MoS2-silica-PES membrane was then evaluated for oil–water separation using 1000 ppm oil concentrations at 1 bar and room temperature. The membrane was first compacted for 2 h at 2 bar before the oil–water separation test to maintain a stable flux. It was found that there was a substantial increase in the oil–water flux of the composite membranes (from 3.25 LMH to 41.68 LMH) when silica was added. This was due to the enhancement in membrane properties and morphology structure. Generally, the oil rejection of the MoS2-silica-PES MMMs fabricated in this work was maintained above 95 %. This study indicates that the fabricated MoS2-silica-PES MMMs have excellent potential for commercial applications. Using silica-derived granite dust offers an opportunity to lower the cost of the membrane.

A Comparison between Various Polymeric Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment via Membrane Distillation Process.

Oily wastewater (OW) is detrimental towards the environment and human health. The complex composition of OW needs an advanced treatment, such as membrane technology. Membrane distillation (MD) gives the highest rejection percentage of pollutants in wastewater, as the membrane only allows the vapor to pass its microporous membrane. However, the commercial membranes on the market are less efficient in treating OW, as they are prone to fouling. Thus, the best membrane must be identified to treat OW effectively. This study tested and compared the separation performance of different membranes, comparing the pressure-driven performance between the membrane filtration and MD. In this study, several ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes (NFS, NFX, XT, MT, GC and FILMTEC) were tested for their performance in treating OW (100 ppm). The XT and MT membranes (UF membrane) with contact angles of 70.4 ± 0.2° and 69.6 ± 0.26°, respectively, showed the best performance with high flux and oil removal rate. The two membranes were then tested for long-term performance for two hours with 5000 ppm oil concentration using membrane pressure-filtration and MD. The XT membrane displayed a better oil removal percentage of &gt;99%. MD demonstrated a better removal percentage; the flux reduction was high, with average flux reduction of 82% compared to the membrane pressure-filtration method, which experienced a lower flux reduction of 25%. The hydrophilic MT and XT membranes have the tendency to overcome fouling in both methods. However, for the MD method, wetting occurred due to the feed penetrating the membrane pores, causing flux reduction. Therefore, it is important to identify the performance and characteristics of the prepared membrane, including the best membrane treatment method. To ensure that the MD membrane has good anti-fouling and anti-wetting properties, a simple and reliable membrane surface modification technique is required to be explored. The modified dual layer membrane with hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties is expected to produce effective separation in MD for future study.

Produced oily water treatment efficiency by polyester fiber deep bed filter (phase two: Extended filter length and long duration)

The petroleum industry generates a massive amount of oily water discharge from oil/water separators.Oily water will cause a major environmental risk if not treated before discharge. The challenge is to propose a suitable low-maintenance cheap treatment method.This study represents a second phase of testing polyester fibers as deep bed filtration media to treat produced oily water. The previous first phase study investigated the efficiency of the polyester fiber by conducting short-duration filtration tests using 40 cm polyester fiber filters.Two suggestions from the first phase study can be deduced: to optimize the oil removal efficiency of polyester fiber filters in long-duration field processes. Use either a large number of short filters with low flow capacity or less number of long filters with high flow capacity. The two methods were employed and tested separately in this study.The results of both methods clearly showed the ability of the polyester fiber deep bed filters to produce high-quality brine of less than 5 ppm oil concentration. The polyester fibers filter was proven to be a competitor with the existing materials used in the industry.

Sprečavanje korozije ploča od mekog čelika potopljenih u morsku vodu ekstraktom ulja nekih prirodnih proizvoda

The hull plates of the ship made of mild steel (MS) are always in contact with seawater are always in contact with aggressive ions such as chloride ions present in seawater.The corrosion resistance of the hull plates of the ship made of mild steel has been investigated by polarization study. Sandalwood oil extract containing 5 g each of Cardamom (disambiguation), Clove (disambiguation), Nutmeg, India Sambrani (loban), Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver and Camphor was used as corrosion inhibitor along with Trisodium citrate (TSC), sodium dihydrogen phosphate (SDP) and Zn2+. The corrosion resistance was measured in the absence and presence of various inhibitor systems: Trisodium citrate (TSC) 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system, sodium dihydrogen phosphate (SDP) 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system, Oil coated (3days) MS, Oil coated (3days) MS +TSC 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50 ppm system and Oil coated (3days) MS +SDP100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50 ppm system were used. It is observed that when mild steel is immersed in SW+TSC 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system , the corrosion resistance of MS increases. When mild steel is immersed in SW+ SDP 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system , the corrosion resistance of MS increases. When mild steel is immersed in Oil coated (3days) MS in Sea water system , the corrosion resistance of MS increases. When mild steel is immersed in Oil coated (3days) MS in SW+TSC 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system , the corrosion resistance of MS increases. When mild steel is immersed in Oil coated (3 days) MS in SW+ SDP 100 ppm+ Zn2+ 50ppm system , the corrosion resistance of MS increases. This is revealed by the fact that there is increase in LPR value and decrease in corrosion current value. The corrosion potential is shifted to anodic side. This indicates that in this inhibitor system, the anodic reaction of metal dissolution is controlled predominantly. This implies that these inhibitor systems may be coated on mild steel surface used as hull plates to prevent corrosion of mild steel in sea water.

The Biodegradation of Dispersed Oil Does Not Induce Toxicity

ABSTRACT The acute toxicity of dispersed oil is well understood, and oil dilutes to levels below those of acute concern within hours of dispersion whether oil is dispersed by waves or by lower energy turbulence in the presence of chemical dispersants. Once dispersed, the hydrocarbon components of the spilled oil are degraded promptly by the native microbes in seawater, typically with an apparent half-life of 7–30 days even under Arctic conditions. Nevertheless, concern has been raised that this biodegradation might increase the oil's acute toxicity by generating and releasing toxic by-products. We show here, using Americamysis bahia as the test species, that this does not occur when dispersed oil is present at environmentally-relevant concentrations (initially 3 ppm oil dispersed with Corexit 9500 at a dispersant to oil ratio of 1:20). The guidelines for this toxicity test mandate a temperature of 26 ± 1C, rather warmer than the temperature of collection of the seawater from the New Jersey shore that we used as our experimental medium, so it is not surprising that biodegradation was especially rapid with a half-life for the loss of detectable hydrocarbons of approximately 4 days. We conducted sequential 4-day acute toxicity tests for 20 days, by which time the indigenous microorganisms had removed almost 80% of the detectable hydrocarbons in the lightly weathered crude oil. We saw no mortality in any of the five sequential tests.

Comparative studies on Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHS) in some edible oil (shea butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil) sold in Nigeria

Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ever-present lipophilic substances, having varying levels of concentration in edible oils. Shea butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are used in Africa as component of traditional ointment. The study evaluated the concentration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in Shea butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector. The polyaromatic hydrocarbons identified and quantified are: napthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenapthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene for Shea butter samples; napthalene, acenaphthene, phenanthrene, anthracene, pyrene for coconut oil samples while palm kernel oil samples have napthalene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene,fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene, The concentration of the sum of PAHs of Shea butter ranged from 7.63 - 44.71 ppm, coconut oil samples 7.81 - 19.24 ppm and palm kernel oil samples 25.09 - 71.55 ppm. Shea butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil samples have concentration of benzo(a)pyrene above the set maximum permissible limit as revealed in the study. It is important that further research on the reduction and/or elimination of PAHs in Shea butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil be developed.&#x0D; Keywords: Edible oil, Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, Benzo(a)pyrene, Carcinogenic, Medicinal

Effects of phytogenic substances on growth and biofilm formation of Escherichia coli and Salmonella field isolates

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of garlic oil, cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, thymol, and thyme oil on growth and biofilm formation of Escherichia coli and Salmonella serotypes, including field isolates from livestock animals. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using broth micro-dilution method. Biofilm biomass was assessed by measuring the attached biomass with microtiter plate assay and crystal violet (CV) staining. The strongest antimicrobial effects on E. coli serotypes were observed for thymol at 150 ppm, followed by carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde at 300 ppm and thyme oil at 600 ppm. Similar results were obtained with Salmonella serotypes except for carvacrol (MIC value at 150 ppm). Garlic oil showed no growth inhibition on serotypes of E. coli and Salmonella up to 10000 ppm. Cinnamaldehyde proved to be the most effective substance in reducing E. coli CV-biofilm formation at sub-MIC level with a threshold concentration of 5 ppm, followed by carvacrol, thymol, and thyme oil at 40 ppm and garlic oil at 10000 ppm. CV-biofilm formation of Salmonella serotypes at sub-MIC level was clearly reduced with 40 ppm cinnamaldehyde and 80 ppm carvacrol, thymol, and thyme oil. No reduction of CV-biofilm formation was observed with garlic oil. The present study demonstrates a strong antibacterial activity of cinnamaldehyde, carvacrol, thymol, and thyme oil. Similar response of field isolates and type strains to these phytogenics suggests a general effect within the bacterial species tested. All four substances were also able to reduce CV-biofilm formation at sub-MIC level. Investigating phytogenics with bacterial field isolates contributes to the development of feed additives as alternatives to antibiotics in animal feed to increase productivity and animal welfare in modern livestock production.

Removal of Oil Content from Oil-Water Emulsions Using Iron Oxide/Bentonite Nano Adsorbents

Water scarcity is a challenge that is faced worldwide to secure sustainable good quality water resources. Produced water, associated with the production of gas and oil, usually comes as oil contaminated water, creating real problems in water resources’ management. Removing oil content from produced water is crucial to meet the discharge limits set by governmental legislation. Nanocomposites have attracted attention as potential adsorbents due to their high ability to remove oil content from produced water. In this work, Iron oxide/Bentonite nanocomposites (Fe3O4/Bent NC) were synthesized using ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation methods and evaluated them for oil removal from emulsified oil solutions. SEM, EDS, TEM, XRD, FTIR and VSM were used to characterize the synthesized nanocomposites, confirming the successful formation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4/Bent NC. In addition, the characterization analysis showed that iron oxide nanoparticles were uniformly distributed over bentonite surface with a particle size of 13.55 nm. Performance analysis of oil removal using synthesized Fe3O4/Bent NC was carried out by assessing the effect of Nano-adsorbent dosage, oil initial concentration, adsorption time, and solution pH using batch experiments. A removal percentage of 67% after 90 minutes using only 0.1 grams at 100 ppm oil concentration was obtained. The experimental data were described by Langmuir isotherm model, which suggests a monolayer adsorption of oil onto synthesized Fe3O4/Bent NC. The kinetics data were best described using pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Overall, this study confirms the applicability of Fe3O4/Bent NC as a feasible adsorbent for oil removal from produced water.

Bridging and discharge mechanisms of cellulose impurities in transformer oil under DC voltage

Cellulose impurities seriously threaten the insulating performance of oil-pressboard insulation. In this paper, we investigate the bridging and discharge mechanisms of cellulose impurities in transformer oil under DC voltage. The results show that under the non-uniform DC electric field, the cellulose impurities are mainly subjected to forces including gravity, buoyancy, dielectrophoretic force and drag force, among which the dielectrophoretic force dominates the bridging of the impurities. By studying the leakage current of dry (moisture 8 ppm) and wet (moisture 26 ppm) oil samples with and without cellulose bridges, deductions are made that the coexistence of cellulose and water in oil leads to the formation of a cellulose-water bridge, which increases the leakage current within the oil, causing a heating effect and gasifying the water on the bridge. Further analysis indicates that when the amount of gasified water exceeds the permeation channel threshold, the cellulose-water bridge transforms into a cellulose-gas bridge. Final oil breakdown happens along this gaseous bridge.

EFFECT OF SOME ESSENTIAL OILS, SALTS AND SALICYLIC ACID ON REDUCING DECAY, KEEPING QUALITY AND PROLONGING SHELF-LIFE OF CANINO APRICOT FRUITS

The present study was conducted on fruits harvested from 12 years old Canino apricot trees grown in a private orchard situated at Dinoushr village, El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Al-Gharbia Governorate, Egypt during 2017and 2018 seasons to study the effect of essential oils and some salts on reducing decay, maintain quality and prolonging shelf-life of Canino apricot fruits. Canino apricot fruits were dipped inessential oil: Thyme oil at 100 ppm, Spearmint oil at 1000 ppm, Clove oil at 1000 ppm, Eucalyptus oil at 1000 ppm and Mustard oil at 1000 ppm, and salts: K2CO3 at 2%, KHCO3 at 2%, CaCl2 at 3% and Salicylic acid at 2%as well as distilled water (control) for 5 min. The treated fruits were stored at 0±1°C with 90 – 95 % RH. for 28 days. The data showed that the weight loss, decay and respiration rate of the Canino apricot fruits were decreased significantly by the use of Eucalyptus, Spearmint and Clove oils. Also, applications of Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Clove and K2CO3were effective in maintaining firmness, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, soluble solids content and SSC/acid ratio of Canino apricot fruits during cold storage period. Accordingly, Eucalyptus oil, Spearmint oil and Cloves oil are more effective in reducing weight loss, decay and respiration rate as well as maintaining overall quality of Canino apricot fruits under cold storage conditions for 28 days, as compared to other treatments.

Performance evaluation of a ceramic-based photocatalytic membrane reactor for treatment of oily wastewater

Discharge of untreated oily wastewaters could bring about dire consequences, such as environmental catastrophes. In order to address this problem, a Photocatalytic membrane reactor (PMR) comprised of TiO2/γ-Al2O3-modified ceramic membrane was prepared for treatment of synthetic oily wastewater under UV illumination. The structure, morphology and phase composition of the layer of modified membranes were characterized through analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) images. The main influencing parameters on permeate flux and total organic carbon (TOC) removal were: flow rate, transmembrane pressure (TMP), TiO2 photocatalysts and feed oil concentration. Additionally, photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/γ-Al2O3-modified ceramic membrane was investigated. It was found that TOC removal efficiency of the TiO2/γ-Al2O3-modified ceramic membrane upon UV illumination considerably improved. The average permeate fluxes of the TiO2/γ-Al2O3-modified ceramic membrane for 500 and 1000 ppm oil as feed were around 1053 and 966 L/m2.h, respectively, under the applied 1.5 bar TMP and flow rate of 32.16 ml/min. Significant removal efficiencies higher than 90 % were achieved under the mentioned conditions. The experimental results achieved through this research enable us to develop the opportunity for oily wastewater treatment and its responsible disposal on a large-scale for environmentally-friendly purposes.

Effect of Decomposed Crushed Seeds, Oil Cakes and Deoiled Cakes of Neem on Growth and Development of Maize (Zea mays)

An experiment was conducted to study the “Effect of decomposed crushed seeds, oil cakes and deoiled cakes of neem on maize (Zea mays)” under the greenhouse condition. The three forms of neem cakes were subjected to decomposition for a period of 30, 60 and 90 days in a plastic containers of capacity five kg. The chemical composition of deoiled cake was 4.51 % N, 0.79 % P, 1.40 % K, 57 ppm Zn, 640 ppm Fe, 1.40 ppm Ca and oil content 1.09 % while in oil cake and crushed seeds 4.21 and 3.99 % N, 0.71 and 0.64 % P, 1.30 and 1.10 % K, 49 and 43 ppm Zn, 630 and 633 ppm Fe, 1.40 and 1.30 ppm Ca and oil content 10.27 and 22.53 % respectively. The Plant height, root length, fresh weight, dry weight and chlorophyll (SPAD) has increased by increasing number of days of decomposition and the significant increase was observed in deoiled cake at 90 days of decomposition as compare to oil cake and crushed seeds at 30, 60 and 90 days of decomposition.

Macro-corrugated and nano-patterned hierarchically structured superomniphobic membrane for treatment of low surface tension oily wastewater by membrane distillation

A hierarchically assembled superomniphobic membrane with three levels of reentrant structure was designed and fabricated to enable effective treatment of low surface tension, hypersaline oily wastewaters using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The overall structure is a combination of macro corrugations obtained by surface imprinting, with the micro spherulites morphology achieved through the applied phase inversion method and nano patterns obtained by fluorinated Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) coating. This resulted in a superomniphobic membrane surface with remarkable anti-wetting properties repelling both high surface tension water and low surface tension oils. Measurements of contact angle (CA) with DI water, an anionic surfactant, oil, and ethanol demonstrated a robust wetting resistance against low surface tension liquids showing both superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity. CA values of 160.8 ± 2.3° and 154.3 ± 1.9° for water and oil were obtained, respectively. Calculations revealed a high liquid-vapor interface for the fabricated membrane with more than 89% of the water droplet contact area being with air pockets entrapped between adjacent SiNPs and only 11% come into contact with the solid membrane surface. Moreover, the high liquid-vapor interface imparts the membrane with high liquid repellency, self-cleaning and slippery effects, characterized by a minimum droplet-membrane interaction and complete water droplet bouncing on the surface within only 18 ms. When tested in DCMD with synthetic hypersaline oily wastewaters, the fabricated superomniphobic membrane demonstrated stable, non-wetting MD operation over 24 h, even at high concentrations of low surface tension 1.0 mM Sodium dodecyl sulfate and 400 ppm oil, potentially offering a sustainable option for treatment of low surface tension oily industrial wastewater.

Enhanced performance of salt-induced Pluronic F127 and bentonite blended polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration membrane for the processing of oilfield produced water

Pluronic F127 blended polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes using different loading of inorganic salts (like NaCl, KCl, NH4Cl, MgCl2 and CaCl2) in casting solution involving N-methyl-pyrrolidone solvent are prepared for the cleaning of oilfield produced water with 200 ppm oil concentration. The effect of salt loading in casting solution on the performance of blended PVC membranes is studied by determining the thermodynamic and kinetic effect, membrane hydrophilicity, morphology, pure water flux, oilfield produced water permeate flux, oil rejection and fouling resistance ability. A better performing membrane is obtained using KCl in polymer casting solution involving PVC-14.0 (g), NMP-80.0 (g), Pluronic F127-5.0 (g) and KCl-1.0 (g) with enhanced (i) pure water flux (i.e., 607.8 L m−2 h-1), (ii) produced water permeate flux (i.e., 265.7 L m−2 h-1) and (iii) oil rejection (> 92.8 %) with higher fouling resistance (i.e., flux recover ratio > 71.65 %) when trans membrane pressure is kept at 100 kPa, compared to PVC UF membranes involving CaCl2, MgCl2, NaCl and NH4Cl salts in casting solution. The addition of bentonite nanoclay in Pluronic F127 and KCl-induced PVC casting solution has a significant impact to improve the UF performance and results super-hydrophilic membrane with water contact angle < 10°. An enhancement in pure water and oilfield produced water permeate flux by 42.25 % and 37.61 %, respectively, with oil rejection > 92.0 % is obtained over UF membrane without bentonite.

In vitro Analysis of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae and Comparative Study of Protein Profiling under Biotic Stress

Bacterial blight of pomegranate caused by X. axonopodis pv. Punicae (XAP) assumed epidemic form and resulted in economic burden on farmers. In the current study the pathogen infected samples were collected and the isolated XAP was identity and confirmed through the morphological, biochemical characterization and Pathogenicity test. Bacterium was reisolated from infected plant to prove Koch’s postulates. Efficacy of different chemicals and oils were tested by disc diffusion assay and turbidometrically. Bronopol 3000 ppm (25.6±1.6 mm) and Clove oil (18.0±0.7 mm) formed highest zone of inhibition Turbidometri showed the highest O.D. (0.908 nm) by Copper oxy chloride and Neem oil showed maximum inhibition of growth with O.D. (0.842 nm). Biotic stress (pathogen) induced protein response was studies by using SDS-PAGE method after protein extraction from XAP, healthy P. granatum L. and infected P. granatum L. The protein band pattern showed the unique band no. 2 (Mol.Wt.66000 Da) in infected P. granatum L. as compared to the banding pattern of XAP and healthy P. granatum L. The over expressed protein due to biotic stress could be useful as a marker for detection of the disease at the early stage and for control of the diseases after knowing the biochemical significance of the protein.