Total Particle Surface Area Research Articles

Towards an efficient metal energy carrier for zero–emission heating and power: Iron powder combustion

In this study, the metal cyclonic combustor (MC2) was utilized to investigate the formation of nanoparticles (nPMs) and NOx during the combustion of iron powder under varying input conditions of equivalence ratio and oxygen concentration. Findings unveiled a consistent trend: both nanoparticle and NOx formations exhibit a similar response to changes in input conditions. Specifically, as the input equivalence ratio was increased or the oxygen concentration decreased, a simultaneous reduction in the formation of these pollutants was observed. This suggests a common influence of these factors on both nanoparticle and NOx formation. Additionally, the research highlighted a critical parameter in maintaining a self-sustainable stationary flame: ensuring that the iron particles remained relatively close together, with a maximum particle-to-particle distance of approximately 0.5 mm or a minimum total iron particle surface area of at least 0.02 mm2 per mm3 volume burner for oxidizer oxygen concentrations ranging from 13.5 % to 21 %. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing the utilization of iron powder as a suitable option for burning in combustion processes and in the iron energy carrier cycle, enabling good energy conversion while minimizing environmental impacts. Novelty and Significance StatementThis study includes the first-ever measurements of nanoparticles and NOx formation during iron powder combustion at different input equivalence ratios and oxygen concentrations using a practical lab-scale burner. The concept can be adapted for commercial and industrial uses in heating and power. Furthermore, the findings of this study can be used to determine the optimum conditions for low emissions with a self-sustainable stationary flame during iron powder combustion, providing valuable insights into the combustion characteristics of iron powder and offering practical guidance for optimizing its combustion processes in the iron energy carrier cycle.

Multiscale modelling of nanoparticle toughening in epoxy: Effects of particle-matrix interface, particle size, and volume fraction

Toughening matrix materials by incorporating rigid nanoparticles has received significant interest for mitigating matrix microcracking in fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composites, particularly at cryogenic temperatures. Despite recent experimental observations indicating the effectiveness of nanoparticle toughening, a notable gap remains in understanding the effects of nanoparticle size and volume fraction, and particle-matrix interfacial properties, on toughening efficacy. To address this gap, a multiscale model has been developed which employs a high-fidelity micromechanical model to quantify the deformation and energy dissipation caused by the rigid nanoparticles under a triaxial strain state determined from a macroscopic elastoplastic analysis. The interface between the nanoparticle and the matrix is characterized by a cohesive zone model (CZM), revealing a size-dependent phenomenon distinct to nanoparticles, sharply contrasting with micrometre-sized particles. Furthermore, the results reveal, for the first time, an optimum particle size that maximizes the toughening effect for a given particle-matrix combination. The existence of an optimum size is ascribed to the incomplete particle debonding from the matrix as the particle radius approaches the critical separation distance of the CZM. This revelation challenges the prevailing belief that, for a fixed volume fraction of nanoparticles, the enhancement in toughness rises as the particle size decreases as a result of the increase in total particle surface area. The implications for enhancing cryogenic performance are explored.

Surface Chemistry and Specific Surface Area Rule the Efficiency of Gold Nanoparticle Sensitizers in Proton Therapy.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are currently the most studied radiosensitizers in proton therapy (PT) applicable for the treatment of solid tumors, where they amplify production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, it is underexplored how this amplification is correlated with the AuNPs' surface chemistry. To clarify this issue, we fabricated ligand-free AuNPs of different mean diameters by laser ablation in liquids (LAL) and laser fragmentation in liquids (LFL) and irradiated them with clinically relevant proton fields by using water phantoms. ROS generation was monitored by the fluorescent dye 7-OH-coumarin. Our findings reveal an enhancement of ROS production driven by I) increased total particle surface area, II) utilization of ligand-free AuNPs avoiding sodium citrate as a radical quencher ligands, and III) a higher density of structural defects generated by LFL synthesis, indicated by surface charge density. Based on these findings it may be concluded that the surface chemistry is a major and underexplored contributor to ROS generation and sensitizing effects of AuNPs in PT. We further highlight the applicability of AuNPs in vitro in human medulloblastoma cells.

Hemocompatibility of β-Cyclodextrin-Modified (Methacryloyloxy)ethyl Phosphorylcholine Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles.

Adsorbing toxins from the blood to augment membrane-based hemodialysis is an active area of research. Films composed of β-cyclodextrin-co-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine (p(PMβCD-co-MPC)) with various monomer ratios were formed on magnetic nanoparticles and characterized. Surface chemistry effects on protein denaturation were evaluated and indicated that unmodified magnetic nanoparticles greatly perturbed the structure of proteins compared to coated particles. Plasma clotting assays were conducted to investigate the stability of plasma in the presence of particles, where a 2:2 monomer ratio yielded the best results for a given total surface area of particles. Total protein adsorption results revealed that modified surfaces exhibited reduced protein adsorption compared to bare particles, and pure MPC showed the lowest adsorption. Immunoblot results showed that fibrinogen, α1-antitrypsin, vitronectin, prekallikrein, antithrombin, albumin, and C3 correlated with film composition. Hemocompatibility testing with whole blood illustrated that the 1:3 ratio of CD to MPC had a negative impact on platelets, as evidenced by the increased activation, reduced response to an agonist, and reduced platelet count. Other formulations had statistically significant effects on platelet activation, but no formulation yielded apparent adverse effects on hemostasis. For the first time, p(PMβCD-co-MPC)-coated MNP were synthesized and their general hemocompatibility assessed.

Structure optimization and selection of catalyst particle for highly efficient gas oil hydrodenitrogenation

In this work, a single particle model and particle-resolved reactor model are established at particle and reactor scales for HDN process of gas oil. In the aspects of optimal particle shape and size selection, the specific surface area of particle plays a decisive role at particle scale, while the interaction between reaction and diffusion resulting from the bed bulk density and total particle surface area is more crucial at reactor scale. In terms of selecting the optimal pore structure, the optimal pore diameter and porosity are found to be nonlinear correlated with particle specific surface area at particle and reactor scales, and the deviation is within an acceptable range. The optimal pore structures of HDN catalyst with given particle shape and size could be derived from the obtained correlation in the single particle model instead of the particle-resolved reactor model to greatly reduce the computational resources and time consumption.

1 (Nano)Particle Exposure, Acute Phase Response and Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract Particle inhalation is linked to diseases including cancer, COPD, fibrosis and cardiovascular disease. We propose a biological mechanism-of-action for particle-induced cardiovascular disease causally linking particle exposure to induction of acute phase response, which in turn is a known risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Inhalation and pulmonary deposition of particles induce inflammation, which is proportional to the total surface area of the pulmonary-deposited particles. In mice, inflammation is accompanied by an acute phase response, which is long-lasting for insoluble particles. Acute phase protein Serum Amyloid A (SAA) is among the most differentially expressed genes in lung tissue following particle exposure. SAA is causally implicated in atherosclerosis and both overexpression and pulmonary dosing of SAA promote plaque formation in ApoE-/- mice. In mice, we show that both soluble and insoluble metal fume particles induce acute phase response but with different time-dependence. Neutrophil influx, pulmonary Saa expression and SAA blood levels are highly correlated in mice and may be used as biomarkers of each other. In humans, controlled exposure to metal oxides and combustion particles induces dose-dependent increases in blood levels of SAA and C-reactive protein. Blood levels of acute phase proteins SAA and C-reactive protein are risk factors for cardiovascular disease in prospective, epidemiological studies. Nanoparticles have a higher specific surface area than larger particles with similar chemical composition, and consequently, nanoparticles are more hazardous than larger particles of similar chemical composition in relation to cardiovascular disease. This underscores cardiovascular disease as a particle-induced occupational disease.

Numerical simulation of interaction of cellular detonation wave with systems of inert porous filters

Numerical modeling of the interaction of cellular detonation in a hydrogen-air mixture with several systems of porous filters covering part of the channel was carried out. The main regimes of detonation propagation and the critical conditions for detonation failure in the filter systems were obtained for each system. A map of detonation regimes was constructed, from which it follows that with an increase in the concentration of particles in the filters, it is possible to increase the distance between the filters or reduce the number of filters in the system necessary to successfully suppress detonation. A comparison of various filter systems in terms of blockage ratio and the total surface area of particles was made, from which it was concluded that the system of two filters was the most efficient to suppress detonation.

Effects of particle shape and packing style on ethylene oxidation reaction using particle-resolved CFD simulation

Gaining in-depth insights into the effects of particle shapes and packing style on ethylene oxidation reaction is of paramount industrial importance. In this work, reactor models of five packing structures with different particle shapes and three packing structures with different packing styles are established by employing software Blender and COMSOL Multiphysics to explore how the reaction-diffusion behaviors affect ethylene oxidation process. The reliabilities of rigid body dynamics model and particle-resolved reactor model are verified by comparing simulated and experimental pressure drops and ethylene conversions. In all the five packing structures with laminar flow conditions, the high bed porosity and low total particle surface area for the trilobe packing structure give rise to the lowest pressure drop of 27.8 Pa/m, while the internal voids cutting mode provides the excellent heat transfer capacity for the Raschig ring packing structure and the highest ethylene conversion and thereby the highest bed temperature rise of 25.1 K for the four-hole cylinder packing structure. Based on these analyses, changing the packing style to the bottom-up Raschig ring - four hole cylinder packing structure would be a good strategy for the effectively lowered reactor temperature rise by 4.8 K together with the slightly reduced ethylene conversion.

Tailoring Pickering Double Emulsions by in Situ Particle Surface Modification

Fundamental studies on the formation and stability of Pickering double emulsions are crucial for their industrial applications. Available methods of double emulsion preparation involve multiple tedious steps and can formulate a particular type of double emulsion, that is, water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) or oil-in-water-in-oil (o/w/o). In this work, we proposed a simple single-step in situ surface modification method to stabilize different types of double emulsions using hematite and silica particle systems which involves the addition of oleic acid. In the emulsification studies, we use (i) a combination of hematite and oleic acid, which is termed the binary system, and (ii) a mixture of hematite and silica particles together with oleic acid, which is designated as the ternary system. The wettability of hematite particles is tuned by direct or sequential addition of oleic acid to the water-decane medium. The direct surface modification (which involves the addition of a known quantity of oleic acid to the oil-water mixtures at once) of hematite particles in both binary and ternary systems shows transitional phase inversion from oil-in-water (o/w) to water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions. However, sequential surface modification results in the transition of a single emulsion to double emulsions. In the case of the binary system, the sequential surface modification of the hematite-particle-stabilized o/w emulsion can be converted into double emulsions of o/w/o type. However, in the case of the ternary system, i.e., in the presence of silica particles, sequential surface modification of hematite particles stabilizes both single (o/w) and double (w/o/w and o/w/o) emulsions. The critical concentration of oleic acid required to form a double emulsion is observed to be dependent on the ratio of the surface area of the silica particle to the total surface area of particles (S) and mixing protocols. A study of the size distribution of oil and water droplets of double emulsions shows that droplet size can be controlled by oleic acid concentration and magnitude of S. The arrangements of the particles at interfaces are visualized by SEM imaging. In this way, we developed an easy and novel single-step method of double emulsion preparation and provide a strategy to tailor the formation of different types of emulsions with a single/binary particle system by sequential in situ surface modification of the particles.

STUDY OF THE POSSIBILITY OF OBTAINING DECORATIVE CONCRETE USING IRON OXIDE SLAG

The problem of the beneficial use of large-tonnage industrial waste is acute all over the world. The metallurgical industry is no exception. One of the actual areas of application of such slags is the construction industry. Often, slags have many impurities that adversely affect the quality of the materials from which they can be made. However, in a small amount they can be used as pigment dyes, which make it possible to obtain materials of an unusual color. Decorative concretes differ from ordinary "gray" concretes in that they give architectural expressiveness to products, primarily for finishing works (walls, floors). The selection of the composition of such concrete requires a thorough study of both the raw materials themselves, including slags, and the selected compositions based on them. The article presents studies of finely ground slag from gas cleaning of metallurgical production, including physical and chemical methods. The analysis of the influence of the multicomponent composition of metallurgical slag on the structure and properties of the future composition of concrete is given. It was revealed that almost all components of the slag do not have a positive effect on the hydraulic or pozzolanic activity of the binder during the formation of the structure of the cement stone. More than half of the constituent minerals of the slag contains iron-containing compounds, giving the slag a rich brown color. The slag has a slight plasticizing effect. The slag particles contribute to the release of water retained by the cement particles, and, hence, to an increase in the total specific surface area of the cement particles. This structure hydrates the cement gel faster, resulting in faster hydration and strength development. Therefore, it is advisable to use the studied slag as a finely ground pigment additive in the selection of binder and concrete compositions. The finely ground structure of the slag makes it possible to improve the capillary-porous structure of concrete, reduce the consumption of cement by 5-15 %, while obtaining concrete in terms of compressive strength of a class of at least B30. The compositions of the decorative binder were selected using slag and fine-grained decorative concrete based on it for decorative flooring. The best concrete composition has strength class B40 for rooms with high impact intensity.

Rapid adsorption of selenium removal using iron manganese-based micro adsorbent

Selenium in wastewater is of particular concern due to its increasing concentration, high mobility in water, and toxicity to organisms; therefore, this study was carried out to determine the removal efficiency of selenium using iron and manganese-based bimetallic micro-composite adsorbents. The bimetallic micro-composite adsorbent was synthesized by using the chemical reduction method. Micro-particles were characterized by using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for elemental analysis after adsorption, which confirms the adsorption of selenium on the surface of the micro-composite adsorbent, scanning electron microscopy, which shows particles are circular in shape and irregular in size, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller which results from the total surface area of particles were 59.345m2/g, Zeta particle size, which results from average particles size were 39.8 nm. Then it was applied to remove selenium ions in an aqueous system. The data revealed that the optimum conditions for the highest removal (95.6%) of selenium were observed at pH 8.5, adsorbent dosage of 25 mg, and contact time of 60 min, respectively, with the initial concentration of 1 ppm. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models match the experimental data very well. The results proved that bimetallic micro-composite could be used as an effective selenium adsorbent due to the high adsorption capacity and the short adsorption time needed to achieve equilibrium. Regarding the reusability of bimetallic absorbent, the adsorption and desorption percentages decreased from 50 to 45% and from 56 to 53%, respectively, from the 1st to the 3rd cycle.

Impact of LiF Particle Morphology on Overpotential and Structure of Li Metal Deposition

It has been widely suggested in literature that a lithium fluoride (LiF)-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) affects Coulombic efficiency (CE) of the Li metal anode used with liquid electrolytes. Yet, the influence of LiF on Li metal deposition has been challenging to examine. Herein, we developed a method to synthesize LiF nanoscale particles with tunable sizes (30–300 nm) on Cu electrodes by electrochemical reduction of fluorinated gases under controlled discharge rates and capacities. The impact of LiF nanoparticles on overpotential and morphology of Li deposition was further studied in a conventional carbonate electrolyte. By cyclic voltammetry, Li plating overpotentials exhibit a clear correlation with the total surface area of LiF particles. Additionally, Li metal deposits (10 μAh cm−2) nucleated under galvanostatic conditions (0.5 mA cm−2) on Cu/LiF showed increasing feature sizes with a lower average LiF particle size and higher coverage of LiF. However, no significant improvement in CE was observed for LiF-coated Cu. Our findings provide evidence that a particle-based mode of SEI fluorination can influence early-stage Li nucleation to a modest degree, and this effect is maximized when LiF is uniformly and densely distributed. However, sparser and larger LiF have vanishing or even detrimental effect on cycling performance.

Online measurement of soot formation distribution along time and axial in the volatile flames of coal and biomass using light scattering

In this paper, the online light scattering method, combined with the offline thermophoretic sampling particle diagnostic method, was used to measure the formation and evolution of soot during coal and biomass combustion along the time and axial. A light scattering measurement system that can accurately move vertically was constructed to measure the light scattering intensity along axial. The particle size distribution was obtained by the thermophoretic sampling particle diagnostic method. The results show that the scattered light intensity of sesame stalk flame is divided into three stages over time, namely the slow rising zone (zone I), the rapid rising zone (zone II), and the rapid decreasing zone (zone Ⅲ). The rising zone of sesame stalk is long and the decreasing zone is extremely short. The scattered light intensity of Shenhua coal flame is divided into two stages over time, namely the rising zone (zone I) and the decreasing zone (zone II). The rising zone and the decreasing zone of Shenhua coal are almost symmetrical. When the flame burns stably, a large amount of soot is formed at the height of H = 10 mm, and the soot mass of Shenhua coal is about twice that of sesame stalk, which is mainly due to the large difference in volatile components between the two. As the flame height rises, the soot mass drops rapidly at H = 10–30 mm. In the range of 10–20 mm, the soot mass has been decreased by 76.07% for Shenhua coal, and 51.71% for sesame stalk. When H > 30 mm, the soot mass of sesame stalk and Shenhua coal slowly decreases. It is due to the change in the total surface area of soot particles during the combustion process.

The first study on the effect of crocodile oil from Crocodylus siamensis on hepatic mitochondrial function for energy homeostasis in rats.

Background and Aim:Consumption of fatty acids (FA) can alter hepatic energy metabolism and mitochondrial function in the liver. Crocodile oil (CO) is rich in mono-and polyunsaturated FAs, which have natural anti-inflammatory and healing properties. In rat livers, we investigated the effect of CO on mitochondrial function for energy homeostasis.Materials and Methods:Twenty-one male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups at random. Group 1 rats were given sterile water (RO), Group 2 rats were given CO (3% v/w), and Group 3 rats were given palm oil (PO) (3% v/w). For 7 weeks, rats were given sterile water, CO, and PO orally. The researchers looked at body weight, food intake, liver weight, energy intake, blood lipid profiles, and mitochondria-targeted metabolites in the liver. The liver’s histopathology, mitochondrial architecture, and hydrolase domain containing 3 (HDHD3) protein expression in liver mitochondria were studied.Results:Body weight, liver weight, liver index, dietary energy intake, and serum lipid profiles were all unaffected by CO treatment. The CO group consumed significantly less food than the RO group. The CO group also had significantly higher levels of oxaloacetate and malate than the PO group. CO treatment significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis, as evidenced by a greater decrease in the total surface area of lipid particles than PO treatment. CO administration preserved mitochondrial morphology in the liver by upregulating the energetic maintenance protein HDHD3. Furthermore, chemical-protein interactions revealed that HDHD3 was linked to the energy homeostatic pathway.Conclusion:CO may benefit liver function by preserving hepatic mitochondrial architecture and increasing energy metabolic activity.

Enhancement of Proton Therapy Efficiency by Noble Metal Nanoparticles Is Driven by the Number and Chemical Activity of Surface Atoms

Proton-based radiotherapy is a modern technique for the treatment of solid tumors with significantly reduced side effects to adjacent tissues. Biocompatible nanoparticles (NPs) with high atomic numbers are known to serve as sensitizers and to enhance treatment efficacy, which is commonly believed to be attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, little systematic knowledge is available on how either physical effects due to secondary electron generation or the particle surface chemistry affect ROS production. Thereto, ligand-free colloidal platinum (Pt) and gold (Au) NPs with well-controlled particle size distributions and defined total surface area are proton-irradiated. A fluorescence-based assay is developed to monitor the formation of ROS using terephthalic acid as a cross-effect-free dye. The findings indicate that proton irradiation (PI)-induced ROS formation sensitized by noble metal NPs is driven by the total available particle surface area rather than particle size or mass. Furthermore, a distinctive material effect with Pt being more active than Au is observed which clearly indicates that the chemical reactivity of the NP surface is a main contributor to ROS generation upon PI. These results pave the way towards an in-depth understanding of the NP-induced sensitizing effects upon PI and hence a well-controlled enhanced therapy.

3D N-doped graphene/bismuth composite as an efficient catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

In recent years, the development of low-cost and reusable green catalysts to reduce the organic pollutant of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into the utilizable intermediate of 4-aminophenol (4-AP) had attracted more and more attention. Herein, we reported a facile strategy to synthesize 3D N-doped graphene/bismuth (NGR/Bi) composites with efficient catalytic properties for 4-NP reduction. TGA exhibited NGR/8Bi catalyst came close to reach the maximum load of Bi (weight ratio 67%). NGR/8Bi catalyst had an apparent rate constant of 0.595 min−1. After 8 min of catalytic reaction, the conversion of 4-NP reached 99.15%. Doped N facilitated the uniform distribution of Bi on graphene and improved the specific surface area and porosity of the catalyst, all of which contributed to the improvement of catalytic performance. The good reusability was attributed to that the microstructure of catalyst had not been changed significantly after used. The 3D network similar to aerogel made NGR/8Bi very easy to recycle and reuse. EPR spectra showed that H* active free radical was responsible for the conversion of 4-NP. This work revealed that the total surface area of metal particles in metal catalyst composites could affect catalytic performance essentially due to the surface plasma resonance effect.

Deployment of a mobile platform to characterize spatial and temporal variation of on-road fine particles in an urban area

Traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) pose a serious health hazard for residents and commuters in urban areas. In this study, a real-time mobile monitoring system was deployed in Taipei, a typical East Asian city with an overlap of high population density, traffic, and special structures (e.g., viaducts), to capture the on-road TRAPs at different times of the day. In general, black carbon, ultrafine particles (UFPs), CO concentrations, and lung deposition surface area (LDSA) were positively correlated with traffic flow, and for PM2.5, a more independent fluctuating concentration was observed. During rush-hour periods, the mean concentrations of UFPs, PM2.5, and LDSA were 6.12 × 104 ± 3.83 × 104 cm−3, 23 ± 8 μg/m3, and 2.29 × 102 ± 1.20 × 102 μm2/cm3, respectively. Additionally, the UFP number concentration and LDSA were two times higher along the high-traffic commuting route than along the lower traffic route. Pollutants tended to accumulate at sites near viaducts and high buildings and were significantly influenced by vehicle composition. In this study, the ratio of LDSA to total particle surface area concentration was used as an indicator of the degree of particle irregularity, which was directly related to aging during transport.

Multiple Technique Characterization of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Silica Abrasives Used in Chemical-Mechanical Planarization

The performance of chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries in the commercial fabrication of integrated circuits depends critically on the physical and chemical properties of abrasive particles used in CMP slurries. A host of analytical methods are used for characterizing the properties of CMP abrasive particles including spectroscopic,1,2 sedimentation,3 viscometric4 and fractionation5 techniques. One particular method, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS),1 has demonstrated significant versatility in this application due to its ability to simultaneously analyze the particle size distribution and the surface chemistry of abrasive particles in aqueous mixture containing small molecule CMP additives. The need for further characterization of these properties, especially the surface chemistry, is the product of the increasing use of nano-abrasives with reduced hydrodynamic diameters (< 20 nm) in CMP slurries in order to minimize surface defect creation during CMP processes. Incorporation of nano-abrasives in CMP slurries will promote surface chemistry-driven CMP additive adsorption on abrasive particles due to the increase in the total particle surface area as the hydrodynamic diameters of nano-abrasives decrease. The use of FCS in conjunction with the application of complementary techniques, such as dynamic light scattering and fluorescence lifetime analysis, is described in the presentation for the comprehensive characterization of the physical and chemical properties of representative silica abrasives used in CMP slurries.1. Jacobson, L.M.; Turner, D.K.; Wayman, A.; Rawat, A.; Carver, C.T..; Moinpour, M.; Remsen, E.E. “Characterization of Particle Size and Surface Adsorption for SiO2 Abrasives Used in Chemical Mechanical Planarization via Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy”, ECS J. Solid State Sci. Tech. 2015, 4, P5053-P5057.2. Marsh, J.L.; Wayman, A.E.; Smiddy, N.M.; Campbell, D.J.; Parker, J.C.; Bosma, W.B.; Remsen, E.E. “Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of the Adsorption of Pyridine Carboxylic Acids on Colloidal Ceria”, Langmuir 2017, 33 , 13224-13233.3. Kamiti, M.; Boldridge, D.; Ndoping, L.M.; Remsen, E.E. “Simultaneous Absolute Determination of Particle Size and Effective Density of sub-Micron Colloids by Disc Centrifuge Photosedimentometry”, Anal. Chem. 2012, 84, 10526−10530. 4. Boldridge, D.; Kamiti, M.; Remsen, E.E. “Avoiding the Spherical Particle Assumption: Fractal Particle Density, Size and Structure Characterization through Combined Sedimentation and Viscometry Measurements”, Anal. Chem. 2020, 92, 15034-15041.5. Williams, S.K.R.; Park, I.; Remsen, E.E.; Moinpour, M. “New Particle Metrology for CMP Slurries”, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 2007, 991, 249-251.

Kinetic and thermodynamic investigations of sewage sludge biochar in removal of Remazol Brilliant Blue R dye from aqueous solution and evaluation of residual dyes cytotoxicity

Biochar derived from sewage sludge has emerged as an alternative for sustainable utilization as a soil amendment. However, the use of sewage sludge biochar (SSB) has been less explored in the field of wastewater treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency of biochar prepared from sewage sludge at 450 °C (SSB-450), as an adsorbent for the removal of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) from an aqueous solution. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to characterize SSB-450, with maximum RBBR removal efficiency. The removal of RBBR from aqueous solution by SSB-450 was investigated in batch mode at varying adsorbent dose, contact time, initial RBBR dye concentration temperature and pH. The BET analysis showed the type IV isotherm that indicates the mesoporous structure of SSB-450. The total pore volume and BET specific surface area of SSB-450 particles were found to be 3.936 cm −3 /g and 12.447 m 2 /g, respectively. The RBBR dye adsorption ( q e ) at equilibrium by SSB-450 was found to increase from 8.56 to 80.6 mg g −1 with an increase in initial dye concentration from 10 to 100 mg L −1 . The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (qmax) was 126.59 mg/g of SSB-450, determined by the Langmuir adsorption model. At various RBBR dye concentrations (10 to 100 mg/g), the range of the separation factor ( R L ) was 0.98–0.9, which indicates the favourable adsorption of RBBR dye onto the surface of SSB-450. Besides, Evans blue and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining of Allium cepa L. roots germinated with dye solutions revealed that biochar treated residual RBBR was non-cytotoxic. • Sewage sludge biochar prepared at 450 °C (SSB-450) efficiently removed RBBR. • Type IV isotherm indicated the mesoporous structure of SSB-450. • Linear Langmuir model fitted well with equilibrium adsorption data. • Pseudo-second-order kinetics model best described adsorption of RBBR. • RBBR adsorption by SSB-450 was spontaneous and endothermic.

Experimental Study on Concrete Incorporating Date Seed As Partial Replacement Of Coarse Aggregates

In the world the most widely used material is concrete. It is the second most consumed substance after water in the world and plays a vital role in infrastructure and private buildings construction. Various waste materials like coconut shells, date seeds, rubber seed shell, palm kernel shells, etc. were studied by various researchers and replaced for coarse aggregate in concrete making. This study attempted to use Date Seeds as partial replacement with coarse aggregate in concrete. The mix design ratio 1:2:4 of cement, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate/date seeds was investigated in this study work only. Total 24 number of Cylinders of diameter and height of 4’×8’ were made. The 0%, 2%, 3% and 4% of Date Seed were replaced with Coarse aggregate. The physical properties of Date Seed, fine aggregate and coarse aggregate were determined. The specific gravity of DS was found to be 1.0 and water absorption was 24% for 48 hours. The bulk density value was 843 kg/m3 which was greater than the previous research works, the fineness modulus of DS, CA &amp; FA were 1.7, 2.18 and 3.08, respectively. Other important thing which was observed during this work that the DS were expanding on absorption of water. The workability of concrete was decreasing as the total surface area of coarser particles was increased. The results of compressive strengths were quite satisfied at 2% &amp; 3% replacement.