Sulfuric Treatment Research Articles

Construction of heterostructured Fe2O3/Fe7S8 hollow fibers to boost the electrochemical kinetics of lithium storage.

Heterostructured Fe2O3/Fe7S8 hollow fibers were rationally designed and synthesized via the electrospinning technique, followed by a calcination process and sulfuration treatment. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of the hollow structure and the built-in electric field induced by the heterostructure, the as-prepared Fe2O3/Fe7S8 composite anode exhibits high specific capacity (947 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g-1), excellent rate capability, and long-term cycling stability (730 mA h g-1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1).

Nanoscale sulfur alters the bacterial and eukaryotic communities of the tomato rhizosphere and their interactions with a fungal pathogen

Nanoformulations of sulfur have demonstrated the potential to enhance plant growth and reduce disease incidence when plants are confronted with pathogens. However, the impact of nanoscale sulfur on microbial communities in close contact with the plant root, known as the rhizosphere, remain poorly characterized. In this study, we investigate the impact of three formulations of sulfur; bulk sulfur, uncoated (pristine) sulfur nanoparticles, and stearic acid coated sulfur nanoparticles, on the rhizosphere of tomato plants. Tomato plants were additionally challenged by the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici. Employing bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, along with recently in-house designed peptide nucleic acid clamps to facilitate the recovery of microeukaryote sequences, we performed a comprehensive survey of rhizosphere microbial populations. We found the largest influence on the composition of the rhizosphere microbiome was the presence of the fungal pathogen. However, sulfur amendments also drove state changes in the rhizosphere populations; for example, enriching the relative abundance of the plant-beneficial sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Thiobacillus. Notably, when investigating the response of the rhizosphere community to the different sulfur amendments, there was a strong interaction between the fungal pathogen and sulfur treatments. This resulted in different bacterial and eukaryotic taxa being enriched in association with the different forms of sulfur, which was dependent on the presence of the pathogen. These data point to nano formulations of sulfur exerting unique shifts in the rhizosphere community compared to bulk sulfur, particularly in association with a plant pathogen, and have implications for the sustainable use of nanoscale strategies in sustainable agriculture.

Super-resolution fluorescence imaging of PEDOT:PSS films.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a popular conduction polymer and widely used in organic electronics, bioelectronics and printed electronics. It is believed that PEDOT:PSS has a core-shell colloidal structure dispersed in the formulation. However, the size and surface functional groups of the PEDOT:PSS dispersion and films remain to be visualized. Here, we have introduced the concept of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) to super-resolution imaging for designing the cationic probe TPE-4N+ and accomplished the nanoscale optical visualization of PEDOT:PSS films through reversible electrostatic interactions. Information on the PEDOT:PSS size and surface charge has been successfully collected via super-resolution imaging. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of PSS nanoparticles was observed to be approximately 30-40 nm. The super-resolution fluorescence imaging method can also be used to monitor the PEDOT:PSS film after acid treatment. It was observed that PSS chains were washed away when exposed to concentrated sulfuric acid, which explains why concentrated sulfuric acid treatment greatly improves the conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film. Super-resolution imaging is promising as an effective method for characterizing PEDOT:PSS films.

Biology of Apricot Bud Gall Mite, Acalitus phloeocoptes Determining the Emergence Time of the First Generation Using the Degree Day Model and Its Control

Nourpour, F., S. Aramideh, S. Mirfakhraie and H. Kamali. 2024. Biology of Apricot Bud Gall Mite, Acalitus phloeocoptes Determining the Emergence Time of the First Generation Using the Degree Day Model and Its Control. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(3): 275-280. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001255 The plum bud gall mite, Acalitus phloeocopte Nalepa (Acari: Trombidiformes) is one of the important pests of plum trees. The biology and control of this mite during the 2021-2022 period was investigated. The results obtained showed that this mite had four generations a year and spends the winter as adult female mite. The estimated degree days (DD) for the emergence of 50% of wintering mites with two temperature thresholds of 6.2 and 5.8°C degrees were calculated as 68.50 and 88.00 DD in 2021 and 72.00 and 90.50 DD in 2022, respectively. The number of new galls formed by this mite following different treatments such as volck oil (as winter oil), liquid sulfur, propargit, phenpyroxymit, abamectin, tetradifon and sunmite along with water as a control treatment was determined. The results showed that in 2021, the sulfur treatment led to the least number of new galls 14.22±0.53, whereas in 2022 abamectin gave the least number of new galls 17.70±1.32. The integrated pest/crop management including pruning and removing infested branches in winter, a foliar spray with 80% liquid sulfur at the end of winter before budding or spraying with abamectin using degree-days following 50% overwintering mite emergence from galls, gave the best results and is recommended for adoption by farmers. Keywords: Biology, degree day, plum bud mite, control, acaricides.

Promoting the four electrocatalytic reactions of OER/ORR/HER/MOR using a multi-component metal sulfide heterostructure for zinc-air batteries and water-splitting.

Multi-component metal sulfide heterostructures are promising for multi-functional catalytic activities. In this work, we fabricated a multi-component metal sulfide heterostructure (Co-S-INF, composed of Co3S4 and (Fe, Ni)9S8) with nanoflower morphology clustered with numerous nanosheets by the electrodeposition of cobalt on iron-nickel foam followed by hydrothermal sulfurization treatment. Co-S-INF possesses high multi-functional electrocatalytic properties toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In particular, the ORR potential at 10 mA cm-2 is 0.682 V, and the OER, HER, and MOR potentials at 100 mA cm-2 are 1.478 V, 0.289 V, and 1.417 V, respectively. By using Co-S-INF, the aqueous ZAB with an ultrahigh peak power density of 332.30 mW cm-2 and an overall water splitting (OWS) device with a low splitting voltage of 1.82 V at 100 mA cm-2 can be obtained. In addition, the OWS potential can be further decreased to 1.70 V at a current density of 100 mA cm-2 with the assistance of MOR at the anode accompanying the production of the high value-added formate. Our work opens the way for the application and development of multi-functional electrocatalysts.

The predatory mite Pronematus ubiquitus curbs Aculops lycopersici damage under greenhouse conditions.

The tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici, is a major worldwide pest infesting tomato crops for which only few control methods are available. At present, no commercialized beneficial organism has proven to be an effective biological control agent of the pest. As there is a strong need to develop alternatives to synthetic insecticides, we assessed the efficacy of an iolinid mite, Pronematus ubiquitus, as a preventive method against A. lycopersici in comparison with a curative treatment in a replicated experiment in the greenhouse. After pre-establishment of P. ubiquitus supplied with cattail pollen, followed by infestation of A. lycopersici, the predator was able to reduce pest populations by 98% as compared with control plants. Probably due to lack of food and high temperature, the number of P. ubiquitus decreased during the season and so the Eriophyid population rose, along with crop damage. The sulphur treatment could stop the progress of A. lycopersici, but their population levels remained high. Pronematus ubiquitus has great potential to prevent the establishment of the tomato russet mite. Even if a curative treatment affects the pest mite, the use of a preventive method is preferable as such insecticides/acaricides are harmful for beneficials and are applied after symptom appearance, when the pest pressure is already high. Despite the need to optimise management of the predator throughout the season, P. ubiquitus proved to be able to establish successfully on tomato plants. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Reclamation of abandoned magnesite site using amendments and plantation

This study aimed to determine the suitable reclamation ways of post‐mining magnesite. It was hypothesized that adding amendments and planting would decrease pH, increasing the nutrient availability and enhancing the soil microbial activity. Treatments included 200 g gypsum, 2 kg goat manure, and 200 g sulfur per square meter. Cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), black pine (Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold), and sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa L.) were planted. Before and after the treatments, samples were taken from each experimental unit and analyzed. Analysis of the data indicated that the pH had decreased by 0.6 and 0.5 units on the gypsum + sulfur‐ and gypsum + manure‐treated experimental units, respectively, compared to the other treated plots. In addition, using manure significantly increased the organic matter N, P, and K content, by 3‐fold, 2.5‐fold, 7.5‐fold, and 2.5‐fold, respectively, and enhanced microorganism activity. The sulfur + manure treatment increased microbial C and N approximately twofold. Because the manure, sulfur, and gypsum treatments improved the tailings conditions for plant growth, the use of these amendments for mine tailing reclamation was strongly recommended. Across all treatments, cedar and black pine demonstrated 83 and 77% survival rates for the first 3 years of afforestation, respectively. For the same period, the black locust survival rate was 35% lower than that of the other species. The gypsum + manure application increased seedling height growth by about 20% for all three species compared to the other treatments.

Response studies of nano-sulphur on nutrient uptake, sulphur fractions, yield and quality parameters of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

An attempt was made to study the response of nano-sulfur in groundnut using four levels of nano-sulfur (NS) and conventional sulfur (CS) fertilizers in a completely randomized block design and replicated thrice. The results indicated that application of nano-sulfur @ 30 kg S ha−1 recorded 0.76 mg root sulfur uptake plant−1, 40.5 mg shoot sulfur uptake plant−1, 14.9 mg kernel sulfur uptake plant−1, and 3.09 mg shell sulfur uptake plant−1 higher in comparison to conventional sulfur @ 40 kg S ha−1 recorded root, shoot, kernel and shell sulfur uptake of 0.53, 35.8, 11.4 and 2.46 mg plant−1, respectively. The highest pod yield was recorded at 12.4 g plant−1 with nano-sulfur application @ 30 kg S ha−1 when compared to conventional sulfur @ 40 kg S ha−1 registered at 10.7 g plant−1. Quality parameters such as oil, crude protein, methionine, cysteine, and total free amino acid content were recorded highest under nano-sulfur application @ 30 kg S ha−1 i.e. 48.3%, 27.2%, 3.44 mg g −1, 1.89 mg g−1 and 46.3 mg g−1 respectively whereas conventional sulfur @ same set of sulfur treatment observed (46.7% oil, 25.1% crude protein, 3.16 mg methionine g−1, 1.75 mg cysteine g−1, and 39.6 mg total free amino acids g−1. Finally, the results concluded that the application of nano-S @ 30 kg S ha−1 is sufficient to attain higher sulfur use efficiency with a reduction of sulfur fertilizer to the tune of 25% besides augmenting the soil sulfur reserve without harming the environment.

Germination biology of Hedysarum grandiflorum (Fabaceae) seeds under laboratory conditions

Germination biology of Hedysarum grandiflorum seeds research was conducted using seed material collected in one wild and one cultivated population growing in Rostov region and included an identification of seed laboratory germination degree, seed hardness, endogenic infection degree, and seed pathogens composition. A combinational dormancy type combining physical and non-deep physiological dormancy was identified in Hedysarum seeds. Stably high germination rates under laboratory conditions was demonstrated if mechanical scarification is used whereas efficiency of sulfuric acid treatment varies it relation to seeds harvest year and retention period. A proportion of hard seeds of H. grandiflorum is confirmed to increase during first three month of dry storage and then slowly decrease. A degree of Hedysarum seeds endogenic infection revealed is higher in wild population compared with seed material from cultivated plants. Micromycetes - facultative parasites and saprotrophs prevail among seed pathogens regarding their species diversity, and bacterial pathogens quantitatively.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SHALLOTS (Allium ascalonicum L) INFLUENCED BY SULFUR APPLICATION IN FLOATING CULTIVATION.

Floating agricultural cultivation presents a viable solution for cultivating in water-rich regions. Among the crops suitable for this system is shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.). This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of sulfur application on shallot plant characteristics (Allium ascalonicum L.) in floating cultivation. Conducted in May 2023 at the Faculty of Agriculture's research pond, Sriwijaya University, the research employed a completely randomized design with sulfur applications (S1: 0 kg ha-1, S2: 30 kg ha-1, S3: 60 kg ha-1, S4: 120 kg ha-1, S5: 240 kg ha-1). Results revealed that tuber diameter exhibited strong determination values (R2: 75%), leaf length, number of leaves, and number of tillers exhibited moderate determination values (R2: 51%, 57% and 56%, respectively), while the relative growth rate showed a weak determination value (R2: 40%). The 60 kg ha-1 sulfur treatment demonstrated the highest chlorophyll content.

Se as Eutectic Accelerator SPAN Cathode for K−S Batteries with Improved Specific Capacity and Reaction Kinetics

AbstractPotassium‐sulfur (K−S) batteries are regarded as the most promising energy storage applications due to its excellent specific capacity, widespread resources and low‐cost of potassium and sulfur. As a cathode material, the unique solid‐solid reaction mechanism of sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile) (SPAN) effectively restrains the shuttle effect and closes to 100 % for coulombic efficiency. However, the application of SPAN is still limited by its sluggish kinetics and inferior cycle performance. Herein, a SPAN with Se as eutectic accelerator (Se‐SPAN) was synthesized via vacuum melting and sulfurization treatments, Se not only enhances the reaction kinetics of S but also improves utilization rate of S. Compared to SPAN, the Se‐SPAN shows outstanding capacity of 1551 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 1311.3 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C. In addition, a superior cycle stability is acquired with a capacity retention of 87.4 % at 0.5 C for 100 cycles. Therefore, this work provides a strategy to design high performance electrode materials for K−S batteries.

Augmentin loaded functionalized halloysite nanotubes: A sustainable emerging nanocarriers for biomedical applications

Clay minerals such as Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), abundantly available green nanomaterial, exhibit a significant advantage in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, antibacterial and antimicrobials, tissue engineering or regeneration, etc. Because of the mesoporous structure and high absorbability, HNTs exhibit great potential as a nanocarrier in drug delivery applications. The sulfuric acid treatment enhances the surface area of the HNTs and thereby improves their drug-loading capacity by enlarging their lumen space/inner diameter. In the present investigation, based on the literature that supports the efficacy of drug loading after acid treatment, a dual treatment was performed to functionalize the HNTs surface. First, the HNTs were etched and functionalized using sulfuric acid. The acid-functionalized HNTs underwent another treatment using (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) to better interact the drug molecules with the HNTs surfaces for efficient drug loading. Augmentin, a potential drug molecule of the penicillin group, was used for HNTs loading, and their antibacterial properties, cytotoxicity, and cumulative drug release (%) were evaluated. Different characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR), confirm the loading of Augmentin to the APTES@Acid HNTs. TEM images confirm the effective loading of the drug molecule with the HNTs. The drug encapsulation efficiency shows 40.89%, as confirmed by the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Also, the Augmentin-loaded APTES@Acid HNTs exhibited good antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus and low cytotoxicity, as confirmed by the MTT assay. The drug release studies confirmed the sustainable release of Augmentin from the APTES@Acid HNTs. Hence, the treated HNTs can be considered as a potential nanocarrier for effectively delivering Augmentin and promoting enhanced therapeutic benefits.

Study of the Release of Agricultural Sulfur and Sulfur Associated with Natural Gas under the Influence of Different Temperatures, Incubation Times and Soil Texture

laboratory experiment was carried out to study the effect of temperature (25, 35, and 45 °C) and incubation duration (15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 days) with the addition of two sulfur sources (agricultural sulfur and sulfur associated with natural gas) at a level of 2000 mg S kg-1 in dissolved sulfur soil concentration in sandy loam and clay loam soils, with choosing the best temperature to be applied in the kinetic model of sulfur in soil. The temperature and incubation duration results indicated an increase in dissolved sulfur in the agricultural sulfur treatment in both study soils. Also, the 35 °C treatment gave the highest dissolved sulfur compared to the other temperatures, and the incubation period of 120 days recorded the highest amount of dissolved sulfur released. The dual interaction treatment of the sandy loam soil at a temperature of 35 °C and the fertilizer source (agricultural sulfur) gave the largest values of dissolved sulfur in the soil solution, which reached 12.60 mmol S L-1. While clay loam soil at a temperature of 35 °C gave agricultural sulfur the highest values, amounting to 30.68 mmol S L-1.

The Effect of some Soil Conditioners on the Readiness and Absorption of Nutrients

In the fall of 2022–2023, students from the Department of Plant Production at the Technical College / Musayyib, which is part of the Musayyib project area, conducted a potting experiment under the canopy of the college to investigate the impact of various soil conditioners on nutrient availability and uptake. The experiment followed a completely randomized block design (R.C.B.D.), with four replicates (1, 2, 3, 4 replicates) using four different soil conditioners (humic acid, agricultural sulfur, stucco and vermicompost waste). With 48 treatments across three replicates, we were able to compare means using the L.S.D. (0.05) test for statistical significance. The results showed that the readiness and absorption of nutritional elements were significantly affected by the overlap between the type of conditioners and the number of batches, that agricultural sulfur treatment was significantly superior compared to the rest of the treatments, and that the fourth batch was superior to the first.

Suppressing surface and bulk effect enables high efficiency solution-processed kesterite solar cells

Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) is a promising photovoltaic material due to its environmentally friendly composition and excellent photovoltaic performance. Unfortunately, open-circuit voltage (Voc) deficit and insufficient fill factor (FF) due to the interface and bulk carrier recombination have become major obstacle to further improve the device performance. A new effective strategy is proposed to simultaneously improve the front interface and suppress the CZTSSe absorber defects by introducing a thin ammonium sulfide layer on the absorber surface by a pre-soaking and spin-coating-annealing method. Through this strategy, the absorber surface is optimized by adding S and removing the secondary phase. At the same time, the diffusion of S into the bulk transforms the dominant deep VSe defect into shallower CuZn defect, which effectively reduces carrier recombination in the CZTSSe bulk and at the CZTSSe/CdS interface, prolongs minority carrier lifetime, facilitates carrier collection, and reduces charge loss. The optimized sulfurization treatment significantly improves VOC and FF to the point that device efficiency increases from 11.26% to 13.19%. These findings provide new insights into achieving higher efficiency in CZTSSe-based thin film solar cells by simultaneously optimizing the interface and bulk.

Recycling the Spent LiNi1- x - yMnxCoyO2 Cathodes for High-Performance Electrocatalysts toward Both the Oxygen Catalytic and Methanol Oxidation Reactions.

The traditional recycling methods of the spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs) involve the intricate and cumbersome steps. This work proposes a facile method of acid leaching followed by the sulfurization treatment to achieve the high Li leaching efficiency, and obtain high-performance multi-function electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction (ORR), oxygen evolution (OER), and methanol oxidation reactions (MOR) from the spent LIB ternary cathodes. By this method, the Li leaching efficiency from the spent LIB ternary cathode can reach 98.3%, and the transition metal sulfide heterostructures (LNMCO-H-450S) consisting MnS, NiS2, and NiCo2S4 phases can be obtained. LNMCO-H-450S shows the superior bifunctional oxygen catalytic activities with ORR half-wave potential of 0.763V and OER potential at 10mA cm-2 of 1.561V, surpassing most of the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. LNMCO-H-450S also demonstrates the superior MOR catalytic activity with the potential at 100mA cm-2 being 1.37V. Using LNMCO-H-450S as the oxygen catalyst, this work can construct the aqueous and solid-state zinc-air batteries with high power density of 309 and 257mW cm-2, respectively. This work provides a promising strategy for the efficient recovery of Li, and reutilization of Ni, Co, and Mn from the spent LIB ternary cathodes.

Universal pathway towards metal sulfides decorated 3D porous Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel for vapor-phase mercury removal

Utilization of monolithic mineral sulfide-based sorbent for the fix-bed elemental mercury (Hg0) removal is regarded as a predominant predicament in the field of Hg0 abatement. In this work, a general and facile route was exploited to establish CuS particles decorated 3D porous Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel via divalent Cu2+ cations induced assembly combined with subsequent high-temperature sulfurization treatment, during which, uniform CuS particles were homogeneously anchored throughout the Ti3C2Tx substrate. The obtained 3D CuS/Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel exhibited satisfactory textural property, hierarchical pore structure and strong interaction between Ti3C2Tx MXene and CuS. Meanwhile, the inherent restacking of Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet and serious agglomeration of CuS can also be effectively avoided in the formation of aerogel. Those structural advantages originating from this novel gelation process favorably contributes to satisfactory Hg0 mass transfer and sufficient utilization of CuS active ligands, which largely strengthens Hg0 removal performance and broadens the fix-bed application of mineral sulfides. Consequently, the Hg0 capture capacity and adsorption rate of CuS/Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogel reached 90596.4 g m−3 and 120.64 g m−3 min−1, respectively, far outbalancing those of the reported in-situ selenized copper foam with excellent Hg0 removal activity. The impressive Hg0 sequestration performance is attributed to its relatively large specific surface area, layered pore channel, and highly dispersed CuS particles, largely boosting Hg0 mass transfer and following sequestration. Moreover, other mineral sulfides/Ti3C2Tx MXene aerogels can also be constructed by just replacing divalent metal cations, which makes the initial effort towards the fix-bed utilization of mineral sulfides-based aerogel for vapor-phase Hg0 immobilization.

Effects and mechanism of Fe loading and sulfuric acid concentration on selective catalytic activity of SO42−-CeCO3F-CePO4

BackgroundA denitration catalyst with superior performance was prepared by loading Fe and sulfuric acid treatment, and its reaction mechanism was studied. MethodsThe transition metal Fe was loaded on SO42−-CeCO3F-CePO4 to prepare NH3-SCR denitration catalyst by impregnation. The best performing catalyst was explored by varying the loading ratio of Fe and the concentration of sulphuric acid. Significant findingsIn the range of 300∼400 ℃, the denitration rate reaches more than 90 %. The denitrification activity reaches 91.3 % at 350 ℃, and it has close to 100 % N2 selectivity at 100∼400℃. Appropriate concentrations of Fe and sulfuric acid can promote the full functioning of Ce on the surface of the support, exposing more strongly acid sites. The active substances such as Ce oxide, Fe oxide and Fe sulfate produced on the surface are better dispersed, which can provide more active sites and increase the reaction rate. Brønsted acid site generated by the P-O bond of phosphate in CePO4 was the main active site. At 350 ℃, the catalyst surface followes both the E-R mechanism and the L-H mechanism, and the two mechanisms participated in the denitration reaction.

Chemical and mechanical coating of sulfur on baby corn biochar and their role in soil Pb availability, uptake, and growth of tomato under Pb contamination

In recent ages, industrial revolution and natural weathering processes have been increasing lead (Pb) contamination in agricultural soils, therefore, green remediation technologies are becoming attractive and cost-effective. In the current pot study, 1% and 2% (w/w) application rates of sulfur (S) alone and novel chemo-mechanically S-modified baby corn biochars (CSB and MSB) were applied in a Pb-contaminated (500 mg/kg) soil to evaluate tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) growth, Pb uptake and its soil availability. The results from SEM-EDS and XRD patterns confirmed the S enrichment on the surface of baby-corn biochar. Further, Pb treatment alone imposed a significant reduction in biomass accumulation, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidative mechanism, root traits, and Pb-tolerance index because of increased soil Pb availability and its uptake, translocation and biological accumulation in various tissues of tomato. However, incorporation of lower rate of elemental S (1%) and higher rates of biochars, especially chemically S-modified biochar, CSB (2%) significantly improved dry biomass production, Pb-tolerance index, physiological attributes and antioxidative defense system of tomato plants. These results might be due to a prominent decrease in soil Pb availability by 37.5%, Pb concentration in shoot by 66.7% and root by 58.3%, soil to root transfer by 33.8%, and root to shoot transfer by 20.2% in tomato plants under 2% application rate of CSB, as compared with the Pb treatment without any amendment. Moreover, sulfur treatment induced a significant impact in reduction of soil pH (from 8.97-7.47) as compared to the biochar treatments under Pb-toxicity. The current findings provided an insight that 2% chemically S-modified biochar (CSB) has significant potential to improve the tomato growth by reducing Pb bioavailability in the Pb-contaminated soil, compared to the S alone and MSB amendments.

Effect of sulfuric residual acid on the physicochemical properties, thermal behavior, and decomposition kinetics of nitrocellulose

The acid remaining in the nitrocellulose (NC) during the production process have some influence on its structure and stability. Herein, physicochemical properties, thermal behavior, and decomposition kinetics of NC before and after sulfuric acid treatment were thoroughly investigated using a series of analytical instruments in this paper. It is found that the nitrogen content and relative molecular weight of NC-0.968% that undergoing impregnation with sulfuric acid and drying is decreased by 0.58% and 16% (decreasing rate), respectively, suggesting that the presence of excess sulfuric acid leads to denitrification of NC at room temperature as well as breakage of the glucoside bond, with a greater effect on the latter. Moreover, the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) indicate that the presence of sulfuric acid did not cause significant changes in the crystalline structure of NC, but severely damage the microscopic morphology, resulting in a large number of micropores appearing on its fiber surface, which enhances the hygroscopicity of NC. In addition, the combined Model-based kinetic results indicate that the decomposition reaction process of NC- 0.968% has a step one more than that of pure NC, which is attributed to the acid-catalyzed denitrification of NC and the breaking of glucoside bonds. Combined with the experimental results of TG-DSC-FITR, it shows that the presence of acid mainly affects the initial decomposition process of NC, while the fracture of the glucose ring frame and oxygen bridge in the NC molecular structure is more dependent on the action of NO2 and the decomposition temperature.