Inorganic Salt Solutions Research Articles

Sludge Reduction and Surface Investigation in Electrochemical Machining by Complexing and Reducing Agents

Electrochemical machining (ECM) is widely applied to manufacture parts with complex geometries, used in electronic components and the automotive, military, and aeronautics industries. These parts have a surface shaped by controlled anodic dissolution at high current density levels, using a neutral solution of inorganic salts (i.e., NaCl or NaNO3) as the electrolyte. Such conditions generate a high amount of sludge that deposits onto the surfaces of equipment, devices, cathodes, and working pieces, requiring daily and complicated sludge management during the series production in the industry. Thus, the main goal of the present work is to propose a simple way to reduce sludge generation in the ECM industrial process. To do so, complexing (EDTA) or reducing (ascorbic acid) agents were added to the electrolyte composition, creating parallel reactions to keep the metallic ions from precipitating. The complexing agent EDTA resulted in a 30% reduction in sludge mass, using an alkaline solution (pH > 10.0). The reducing agent, ascorbic acid, resulted in a 90% reduction in sludge mass, using an acidic solution (pH < 5.0). This sludge reduction has the potential to contribute significantly to increasing equipment, devices, and cathode lifetime, as well as reducing costs associated with centrifuge or filter maintenance (sludge removal from electrolyte) and increasing the productivity of industrial ECM processes.

Synthesis of Ag and Cu nanoparticles by plasma discharge in inorganic salt solutions

Abstract In recent years, nanoparticles have emerged as an important player in a broad range of applications, especially thanks to recent advances in their synthesis. The silver and copper nanoparticles are often used due to their antibacterial and fungicidal activities, and this article presents the results of the nanoparticle synthesis using electrical glow discharge generated directly in a volume of their salt solutions. Therefore, there is no influence of air (i.e. reactive nitrogen species) as it is usual in other commonly used approaches. Nanoparticles were prepared under various experimental conditions, and they were characterized by ultraviolet/visible spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. Particles were produced without any surfactant or stabilizing agent, and some of them showed higher resistance against agglomeration during their short-term (days) storage. The nanoparticle formation mechanism was confirmed by the fast camera imaging. Thus, the developed approach can be applied for simple environmentally friendly nanoparticle production for various applications.

Inorganic salt recrystallization strategy for achieving ultralong room temperature phosphorescence through structural confinement and aluminized reconstruction

Achieving highly efficient and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) with ultralong lifetime is critical for the multi-purpose applications of phosphorescent materials. In this work, we propose an inorganic salt heating recrystallization strategy to simultaneously improve the lifetime, quantum efficiency, and stability of phosphorescent scandium/leucine microspheres (Sc/Leu-MSs). Inorganic salt-treated Sc/Leu-MSs are obtained by simply heating and drying inorganic salt solution containing Sc/Leu-MSs, which can achieve a maximum lifetime increase of 4.42-times from 208.37 ms (Sc/Leu-MSs) to 920.08 ms (Al2(SO4)3-treated Sc/Leu-MSs), accompanied by a RTP intensity increase up to 24.08-times. The enhancement mechanism of RTP efficiency is attributed to the stabilization of triplet excitons caused by inorganic salt coating that suppresses molecular motion and isolates oxygen on the one hand, and the efficient intersystem crossing promoted by aluminized reconstruction-caused duplex heavy atom effects on the other hand. This study provides new design principle and a facile strategy to construct RTP materials with ultralong lifetime, high phosphorescent quantum efficiency, and high stability for promising applications such as anti-counterfeiting and light emitting diodes.

Sensing System for Mixed Inorganic Salt Solution Based on Improved Double Label Coupling RFID

As a crucial part in sewage, high-salt wastewater contains abundant corrosive components and heavy metal elements, which makes it difficult for invasive monitoring. Therefore, based on coupling Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tags, this paper proposes a non-invasive monitoring method for concentration of inorganic salt in sewage. In this method, Cole-Cole model and Slit Cylindrical Capacitance(SCC) model are combined to explore the relationship between capacitance of RFID and concentration of inorganic salt in sewage pipeline. A New Efficient Levenberg-Marquardt(NELM) algorithm is used for regression between relative permittivity and concentration of inorganic salt categorically. Then, measurement data is processed under modified relative permittivity mixing rule of electrolyte and solvent. Finally the concentration of each component in the multi-component inorganic salt wastewater are obtained. Experimental results show that the maximal relative error (MRE) and average relative error(ARE) of single inorganic salt solution are 1.1% and 0.5%, while mixed solution are 2.6% and 1.89%. Such results indicate significant improvement comparing with previous works. Great potential of RFID in working sewage monitoring is sufficiently confirmed.

Glutamine, proline, and isoleucine support maturation and fertilisation of bovine oocytes

Successful in-vitro production of bovine embryos relies on meiotic maturation of oocytes in vitro (IVM) before they can be fertilised. High levels of IVM are currently achieved using a complex medium that contains all 20 common amino acids, namely TCM199, but can also be achieved using a simple inorganic salt solution containing non-essential amino acids, proline, and glutamine. Further simplification of the amino acid content of medium used for IVM could lead to a more defined medium that provides reproducible IVM. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine the minimal amino acid requirements for bovine oocyte nuclear maturation, as measured by progression to metaphase II (MII) of meiosis. Supplementation of a simple medium composed of inorganic salts (M1 medium) with multiple amino-acid combinations showed that M1 containing glutamine, proline, and isoleucine resulted in nuclear maturation comparable to that of TCM199 (57.4 ± 3.4% vs 67% ± 1.7%, respectively) but was reduced when cystine (Cys2) to that seen with M1 alone (38.0 ± 2.2%). Viability of oocytes matured in this simplified medium was equal to those matured in TCM199 since the same proportion of zygotes with 2 pronuclei were observed following fertilisation in medium containing no amino acids (33.9 ± 6.5% vs 33.3 ± 3.6%, respectively). Addition of glutamine, proline and isoleucine to fertilisation medium also increased the proportion of zygotes but did not increase blastocyst development rates. Thus, a defined medium containing only glutamine, proline and isoleucine is sufficient for oocyte maturation and successful fertilisation.

The effect of inorganic salt modification of sludge on the performance of sludge-coal water slurry

Coal water slurry (CWS) is a coal-based liquid fuel with the characteristics of high efficiency and low pollution. Municipal sludge, as a substantial solid waste, is of increasing attention due to the severe environmental pollution and difficult disposal. In this study, sludge is modified by inorganic salt solution and then used to prepare salt-modified sludge coal water slurry (SSCWS). The results showed that the sludge modified by KCl and AlCl3 can reduce the viscosity of CWS. While low concentration of CaCl2 tends to slightly increase the viscosity of CWS and higher concentration of CaCl2 can reduce the viscosity. It was found that among the three salts used in the experiment, the higher the cation valence state is, the easier and more the dispersant molecules are adsorbed on the surface of coal or sludge particles to improve the dispersion of coal and sludge particles, which was the main reason for improving the slurryability of SSCWS.

Application of a novel and green temperature-responsive deep eutectic solvent system to simultaneously extract and separate different polar active phytochemicals from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill

In the present study, a novel and green temperature-responsive deep eutectic solvent (TRDES) system was developed and applied for the simultaneous extraction and separation of different polar active phytochemicals from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. The TRDES, consisting of amino alcohols and phenolic compounds, was chosen as the switching medium, and an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) type switchable solvent was obtained by adding an inorganic salt solution. The switchable phase diagram was plotted based on the relationship between the phase change temperature, the concentration and the amount of sodium chloride solution. Under optimal parameters, the yields with TRDES for different polar active phytochemicals (lignanoids and polysaccharides) from the dried fruit of Schisandra chinensis (DFSC) were 1.62 ∼ 1.17-fold and 1.39-fold to those with conventional solvents. Also, the TRDES system was still effective on extraction of DFSC lignanoids and polysaccharides after four cycles of extraction. The separated polysaccharides and lignanoids both had strong antioxidant activities with IC50 values of 1.92 mg/ mL and 0.10 mg/ mL against 2,2′-Azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS), respectively. The extraction mechanism of TRDES was postulated by Density functional theory (DFT) calculations the hydrogen bonding in TRDES was the main factor to the higher extraction yield. This temperature-responsive deep eutectic solvent could be widely used for the efficient extraction and separation of multi-polar components. As a green and recyclable solvents, TRDES has great potential for the lower cost production from plants.

Evaluation of Selected Cellulose Macromolecular Properties after Its Chemical Treatment Using Size Exclusion Chromatography.

This work evaluates the effect of using selected inorganic chemicals as the main components of waterborne wood preservative systems on the degradation of the cellulose constituent in wood from model samples. The polymeric properties of cellulose and the homogeneity of the degradation process primarily reflect very well the degree of cellulose deterioration. Whatman papers, as pure cellulose model samples, were impregnated with 10 different 5 wt% solutions of inorganic salts and distilled water and consequently subjected to wet-thermal accelerated aging (T = 85 °C, RH = 65%, for 30 days). The samples were then derivatized to cellulose tricarbanilates (CTCs) through two different procedures (by precipitation in a methanol-water mixture/by evaporation of pyridine from the reaction mixture) and finally analyzed using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Chemically treated and aged cellulose samples showed different changes in the degree of polymerization (DP) and polydispersity (PD) in terms of untreated non-aged standard caused by different ongoing degradation reactions, such as dehydration, hydrolysis, oxidation, and crosslinking. In general, the lowest degradation rate after treatment by chemicals and after accelerated aging was observed in samples treated by borates, NaCl, and ZnSO4·7H2O. The greatest depolymerization after treatment and after accelerated aging was caused by sulphates containing NH4+, Cu2+, and Fe3+ cations, with aging by NH4Cl and (NH4)2HPO4-treated samples also leading to significant depolymerization. The higher DP values are linked to the precipitated method of CTC preparation, though not for chlorides and phosphates. PD is also generally higher in precipitated and aged samples and is heavily influenced by the presence of low molecular weight products. This paper brings new insights regarding the complex evaluation of the polymeric properties of degraded cellulose by considering all important factors affecting the sample and the analysis itself through the use of statistics. From the statistical point of view, the influences of all factors (solution, aging, method) and their interactions (except aging*method) on DP are statistically significant. The influence of the sample processing method used for analysis of the desired results becomes important mainly in practice. This work recommends the evaporation method for more accurate description of more degraded cellulose.

Development of serum-free and grain-derived-nutrient-free medium using microalga-derived nutrients and mammalian cell-secreted growth factors for sustainable cultured meat production

Considering the amount of global resources and energy consumed, and animal welfare issues associated with traditional meat production, cultured meat production has been proposed as a solution to these problems and is attracting worldwide attention. Cultured meat is produced by culturing/proliferating animal muscle cells in vitro. This process requires significant amounts of culture medium, which accounts to a major portion of the production cost. Furthermore, it is composed of nutrients derived from grains and heterotrophic microorganisms and fetal bovine serum (FBS), which will impact the sustainability of cultured meat in future. Here, we developed a novel medium containing nutrients extracted from microalga and cell-secreted growth factors. First, rat liver epithelial RL34 cells were cultured by adding Chlorella vulgaris extract (CVE) to inorganic salt solution. The supernatant, containing the RL34 cell-secreted growth factors, was used as the conditioned medium (CM). This CM, with CVE added as a nutrient source, was applied to primary bovine myoblast cultures. This serum-free and grain-derived-nutrient-free medium promoted the proliferation of bovine myoblasts, the main cell source for cultured beef. Our findings will allow us to take a major step toward reducing production costs and environmental impacts, leading to an expansion of the cultured meat market.

Методика оптического детектирования метана волоконно-оптическом сенсором при применении фотокаталитического нанокомпозита ZnO-SnO-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=--Fe-=SUB=-2-=/SUB=-O-=SUB=-3-=/SUB=-

The possibility of detection of methane using fiber-optical sensor with ZnO-SnO2-Fe2O3 photocatalyst was demonstrated. Photocatalytic composite sensor element was prepared by non-isothermal polymer-salt method from solutions of inorganic metal salts and polyvinylpyrrolidone. Optical detection is carrying out by Bragg diffraction grating of fiber-optical sensor at the temperature variations during photocatalytic methane oxidation.

Characteristics of nano-sized composites based on rare earth orthoferrites and hematite

Photocatalysts based on orthoferrites of rare earth elements are used to neutralize a number of harmful substances and organic dyes under the influence of visible light, which makes them to promise the introduction of resource-saving water purification technologies. The thermal-gravimetric analysis, X-ray phase analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy was used to study nanoscale samples of orthoferrites of rare earth elements and hematite obtained by the chemical precipitation of aqueous solutions of inorganic salts of ferrum with lanthanides (La, Er, Sm, Dy, Nd, Yb ) and Y in a weakly alkaline environment and subsequent heat treatment of sediments at 800 and 1100 °C. It was found that during the simultaneous precipitation of hydroxide phases of ferrum and REE, their transformation under the influence of temperature is spatially separated due to the differences in the temperatures of phase transformations and the hydrogen index of the precipitation of precursor phases. It is shown that, depending on the chemical composition of the initial solutions, goethite is formed in the temperature range of 190-250 °C, and the formation of hematite takes place at 425-450 °C. Dehydroxylation of lanthanum hydroxide is observed at 300-330 °С, and the formation of lanthanum oxides continues in the range from 390 to 900 °С. The perovskite phase crystallizes at 960 °C. Using the X-ray phase analysis method, it was established that hematite and a mixture of REE oxygen phases are present in the sediments heat-treated at 800 °C. At 1100 °C, the structure of perovskite and hematite with particle sizes from 25 to 40 nm was identified in the composition of the powders. It was determined that the removal of auxiliary substances takes place at temperatures of 650-770 °C and no impurities of K, Na, S, Cl, or C in the powders fired at 1100 °C. Hematite and perovskite particles are well crystallized and form fragile aggregates, the specific surface area of the samples is several m2/h.

Optimization of Medium Components for Fed-Batch Fermentation Using Central Composite Design to Enhance Lichenysin Production by Bacillus licheniformis Ali5

Lichenysin, an amphiphilic biosurfactant with structural and physicochemical properties similar to surfactin, is produced by Bacillus licheniformis. Its low toxicity, good environmental compatibility, solubilization, foaming, emulsification and detergent activities have led to a wide range of applications in agricultural biocontrol, enhanced oil recovery, foaming agents for cosmetics and detergents for household cleaning products. However, despite the extraordinary surface-active properties and potential applications of lichenysin, the number of wild bacteria found so far is relatively low. Low titers and high costs are the main limiting factors for widespread industrial applications. In this study, a factorial design was used to optimize the composition of the medium for the production of lichenysin by Bacillus licheniformis Ali5. Firstly, the solutions of carbon, nitrogen, amino acids, inorganic salts and trace elements in the medium were evaluated in flasks using a single-factor optimization method. Meanwhile, the operating conditions were optimized in the same way. Afterwards, a partial factorial design was used to investigate the effect of six variables (five medium compositions and inoculum size) on lichenysin production. Based on the results obtained, the concentrations of sucrose and ammonium nitrate and the inoculum size were considered to be important for lichenysin production. Subsequently, a full factorial design was used to optimize these three variables. The optimized medium composition were sucrose 19.8 g/L, NH4NO3 3.9 g/L, K2HPO4·3H2O 4.0 g/L, MgSO4·7H2O 0.6 g/L, FeSO4·7H2O 0.1 g/L, CaCl2 0.01 g/L, NaCl 3.0, trace elements 1.2 mL/L. Finally, the titer of lichenysin after fed-batch fermentation reached 1425.85 mg/L, which was approximately 5.5 times higher than the titer of lichenysin from the original medium. Consequently, the method was further demonstrated to be suitable for lichenysin production.

Electrical Conductivity of Thin Film SrTi0.8Fe0.2O3−δ-Supported Sr0.98Zr0.95Y0.05O3−δ Electrolyte

Thin films of Sr0.98Zr0.95Y0.05O3−δ (SZY) electrolyte were grown on porous supporting SrTi0.8Fe0.2O3−δ electrodes by the chemical solution deposition method from a low-viscous solution of inorganic salts. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The gas-tightness of the films was evaluated using the differential-pressure method. The across-plane electrical conductivity of 1 mm thick SZY film was measured by impedance spectroscopy and compared to that of a massive ceramic sample. The revealed difference in electrical properties of the film and massive SZY samples indicates that diffusional interaction between the film and the substrate influences the performance of the supported electrolyte.

Aqueous Supramolecular Co-Assembly of Anionic and Cationic Photoresponsive Stiff-Stilbene Amphiphiles.

Fabrication of macroscopic soft functional materials, such as macroscopic photoresponsive soft materials and artificial muscles, can be commonly prepared by charge screening of supramolecular assemblies with inorganic salt solutions using a shear-flow method. However, some of the charged end-groups of photoresponsive molecular amphiphiles cannot be stabilized with inorganic salt solutions to fabricate macroscopic soft materials. Stiff stilbene amphiphiles (SAs) functionalized with anionic phosphite and cationic quaternary ammonium end groups are designed and synthesized and their photochemical and supramolecular assembly properties are determined. Supramolecular co-assembly of anionic and cationic nanotubes of SAs allows to transform into nanoribbons, confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, critical aggregation concentration, and Zeta potential measurements. Nanoribbons of anionic and cationic SAs can be prepared into macroscopic soft materials with inorganic salt solutions and surprisingly also with deionized water. The macroscopic soft material of anionic and cationic SAs can be stabilized at low concentration ≈5mm. Meanwhile, the photoresponsiveness of the macroscopic soft materials is retained to provide macroscopic morphological change upon photoirradiation. These results exhibit the feasibility in fabrication of macroscopic functional soft materials from supramolecular assembly across multiple length-scale without help of inorganic salts and offer ample opportunity in developing future soft supramolecular robotic systems.

Evaluation of deep eutectic solvent pretreatment towards efficacy of enzymatic saccharification using multivariate analysis techniques

In this paper, deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass was analysed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) methods to determine correlations between the pretreatment process variables and assess their significance level. The analysis was conducted on the dataset containing 103 experimental observations and 32 variables. Both PCA and selected PLS model (M4) had substantial prediction power and prediction relevance, as exhibited by their good cumulative explained variance (R2cum, 0.787) and cumulative predicted variance (Q2cum, 0.524) for six principal components of PCA model, and explained variance of independent variable (R2Xcum, 0.781), explained variance of dependent variable (R2Ycum, 0.803) and cumulative predicted variance (Q2cum, 0.776) for the best PLS model. The results of PCA and PLS analyses revealed that the most significant variables for DES pretreatment were severity factor , temperature, type of antisolvent, particle size, agitation intensity and type of hydrogen bond donor (HBD) of the DES. The use of carboxylic acid and hydroxy acid HBD was associated with higher glucose yield and shorter duration of saccharification . The models also showed that enzymatic saccharification was more efficient when organic solvent or inorganic salt solution was used as antisolvent for lignocellulose regeneration. Usage of water as antisolvent was associated with reduced glucose yield during saccharification. Another notable outcome of this work was that intensive stirring during pretreatment had negative effect on glucose yield due to the shear thickening properties of DESs. This work provided a systematic analysis of DES pretreatment process of lignocellulosic biomass using PCA and PLS methods that allowed better understanding of the factors affecting the pretreatment process. • Multivariate analysis of PCA and PLS were used to study DES pretreatment. • The models had high predictive accuracy with good R2Xcum, R2Ycum, Q2cum values. • SF, antisolvent, particle size, agitation and HBD had great impact on pretreatment. • Long p-time, low t, AS (organic, inorganic), HBD (–COOH, –OH) favored pretreatment. • High agitation intensity and large particle size led to poor pretreatment.

Preparation of biomass film from waste biomass energy corn stalk under carbon neutralization strategy

With the rapid development of society and the shortage of non-renewable resources, the effective use of renewable resources has become the focus of people's attention. As an important food source, corn produces a large amount of waste biomass resource corn stalks in its production process. Based on the carbon neutralization strategy, this paper uses corn stover as raw material to efficiently prepare corn stover full-component membranes (CSWM). CSWM is a more environmentally friendly biomass film than commonly used plastic films. Different from the traditional technology, corn straw was used to prepare membrane materials without separating straw cellulose. Corn stover powder was dissolved in four inorganic salt solutions prepared by lithium bromide (LiBr), calcium bromide (CaBr2), zinc bromide (ZnBr2) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2), respectively. The effects of inorganic salt solution concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time on the dissolution rate were investigated, and the optimal dissolution conditions were obtained as follows: 65%, 130 ℃, 45 min; 75%, 130 ℃, 45 min; 75%, 80 ℃, 45 min; 70%, 80 ℃, 45 min, respectively. The prepared four CSWM all have good mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and high porosity. Measured properties were as follows: tensile s trength (21.7–35.5 MPa), elongation at break (6.7–8.6%), water contact angle (0–72°), water content (34.61–45.48%), and porosity (70.95–83.24%). Infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in corn stover meal reacted with the inorganic solution. Corn stover can be dissolved in inorganic salt solution to make membrane material. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that CSWM films produced from the four inorganic salt solutions were generally smooth and free of obvious holes or folds. The advantage of this technology is that corn stover can be prepared as membrane material in a short time and through simple experimental operation. The whole experiment is close to the "carbon neutral" process, which helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and achieve the purpose of environmentally friendly and high-value utilization of corn stalks. Potential applications for CSWM include building and finishing materials, medical equipment, food processing and packaging, and industrial and municipal wastewater treatment.

Optimizing NH4+ Storage Capability of Nickel Ferrocyanide by Regulating Coordination Anion in Aqueous Electrolytes

AbstractWill anions in electrolytes affect the electrochemical properties of Prussian blue analogues for aqueous ammonium ion batteries? In this study, the electrochemical reaction between nickel ferrocyanide and ammonium ions is investigated in three common inorganic ammonium salt solutions [NH4NO3, NH4Cl, and (NH4)2SO4]. The results suggest that at the same NH4+ concentration, nickel ferrocyanide exhibits different electrochemical performances. The as‐prepared nickel ferrocyanide contains two phases, which are rhombohedral phase and cubic phase. Rhombohedral phase of nickel ferrocyanide has a high reactivity in 0.5 M (NH4)2SO4 solution during cycling while cubic phase shows good performance in 1 M NH4NO3 and 1 M NH4Cl electrolyte. It should be noted that the performance of cubic phase is superior to rhombohedral phase in kinetic consideration. Additionally, due to the strong coordination ability of chloride, nickel ferrocyanide exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance in 1 M NH4NO3 solution, rather than 1 M NH4Cl electrolyte.

Observation and analysis of stimulated Raman scattering derived from saturated aqueous solutions of inorganic salts

Frequency conversion based on stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is an effective and appealing method for generating new laser wavelengths. We report the generation of SRS derived from NO3−, SO42−, and CO32− stretching vibrations in three kinds of saturated aqueous solutions of inorganic salts (NaNO3, MgSO4, and K2CO3), pumped by a 532 nm frequency-doubled Nd: YAG laser. The maximal conversion efficiencies of SRS in three kinds of saturated aqueous solutions were measured, which correspond to ∼11%, 7%, and 5.5%, respectively. The 1st–3rd Stokes Raman and total conversion efficiencies were calculated using Raman coupled equations. Also, we analyze and discuss the affecting factors on the conversion efficiency of Stokes Raman. This work will be significant for future applications of SRS in obtaining new laser wavelengths in solutions.

Construction and Characterization of an Intergeneric Fusant That Degrades the Fungicides Chlorothalonil and Carbendazim.

Bordetella sp. CTN-16 (GenBank FJ598326) can degrade chlorothalonil (CTN) but not carbendazim (MBC), and Microbacterium sp. MBC-3 (GenBank OK667229) can degrade MBC but not CTN. A functional strain BD2 was obtained by protoplast fusion of CTN-16 and MBC-3 to generate a fusant with improved degradation efficiency of CTN and MBC. Fusant-BD2 with eighth transfer on a medium containing CTN and two antibiotics was obtained. To identify and confirm the genetic relationship between parental strains and fusion strain BD2, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences analysis were carried out. SEM analysis illustrated BD2 and its parents had some slight differences in the cell morphology. Fusant-BD2 not only possessed the same bands as parental strains but also had its specific bands analyzed through RAPD. The genetic similarity indices for BD2 and its parental strains CTN-16 and MBC-3 are 0.571 and 0.428, respectively. The degradation rates of CTN and MBC were 79.8% and 65.2% in the inorganic salt solution containing 50 mg·L−1 CTN and 50 mg·L−1 MBC, respectively, and the degradation efficiencies were better than the parental strains CTN-16 and MBC-3. This study provides a prospect for the application of fusion strain BD2 in bioremediation of CTN and MBC contaminated sites.

Recovery of Model Pharmaceutical Compounds from Water and Organic Solutions with Alginate-Based Composite Membranes.

In this work, we combined the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and further cross-linking by cations towards the preparation of nanofiltration membranes based on sodium alginate, a biodegradable, natural polymer. Acetone, ethanol, toluene, and hexane were used as non-solvents, and cations of calcium, silver, and aluminum—for polymer cross-linking, respectively. Results showed the precipitation strength of non-solvent played a noticeable role in the membrane’s performance; for instance, the toluene permeability changed by four orders of magnitude with the decrease of precipitation strength of the non-solvent: acetone (Ptoluene = 0.1 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1) < ethanol (3 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1) < hexane (41 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1) < toluene (415 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1). It was shown that simultaneous precipitation and crosslinking in aqueous solutions AlCl3 or AgNO3 must be used in the preparation of alginate membranes for the highly selective recovery of pharmaceutical compounds from organic media. These membranes show rejection R = 90–93% of substances with MW = 626 g/mol and ethanol permeability PEtOH = 1.5–2.5 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1. For the highly selective recovery of pharmaceutical compounds from water, the method of obtaining membranes must be changed. Precipitation in toluene and then crosslinking in aqueous solutions of AlCl3 or AgNO3 must be used sequentially instead of simultaneous precipitation and crosslinking in aqueous solutions of the same inorganic salts. The permeability of such membranes varied from 0.44 to 7.8 kg∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1 depending on the crosslinking cation in the alginate. The rejection of model substances with MW 350 and 626 g/mol were on the level of 99%. Alginate membranes can be used to solve separation problems in the pharmaceutical field, for example, to isolate antibiotics from their extractants and remove the same antibiotics from aqueous pharmaceutical waste to prevent their accumulation in the environment and the emergence of resistant genes and bacteria.