Washing Solution Research Articles

Washing solution of tissue biopsy compared with paraffin-embedded tissue for NSCLC gene test.

e21104 Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer related death, whose targeted therapy is precisely based on gene type. Gene diagnosis is as important as pathological diagnosis and driver gene mutations should be detected as soon as possible. There are generally a few sources to obtain patients’ deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), such as paraffin tissue of tumor, cytological specimens from bronchoalveolar fluid or pleural effusion, free DNA from blood, hydrothorax, ascite, or cerebrospinal fluid. Our research aims to find out whether washing solution of lung mass biopsy in double distilled water is feasible for detecting gene mutation, and whether its gene type is consistent with that from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of paraffin tissue. Methods: 25 clinically diagnosed NSCLC patients from Department of Oncology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were collected. We used double distilled water to wash the CT-guided percutaneous pulmonary mass biopsy, which was processed to extract DNA. DNA samples were tested for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation by amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR. 6 of them as well as all 25 paraffin tissue samples were tested for large panel gene mutations by NGS. The gene type consistency between washing solution and paraffin tissue was analyzed by GraphPad Prism V9.4.1. Results: 16 of 25 washing solution DNA samples tested by ARMS-PCR were EGFR mutation positive, including 9 cases of EGFR exon19 deletion, 5 cases of EGFR exon21 L858R, and 2 cases of EGFR exon21 L858R and T790M. Other 9 of 25 samples were EGFR mutation negative. 17 of 25 paraffin tissue samples tested by NGS were EGFR mutation positive, including 9 cases of EGFR exon19 deletion, 7 cases of EGFR exon21 L858R, and 1 case of EGFR exon21 L858R with T790M. There was one washing solution sample showed no EGFR mutation while its tissue sample showed EGFR exon21 L858R. Compared to NGS on paraffin tissue, the sensibility of ARMS-PCR on washing solution was 94.1%. The specificity was 100%, positive predictive value was 100%, negative predictive value was 88.9%, accuracy rate was 96.0%, misdiagnosis rate was 0, and omission diagnostic rate was 5.9%. EGFR types of 6 washing solution samples tested by NGS were exactly the same as that by ARMS-PCR and that of paraffin tissue samples by NGS. The time to obtain gene result was significantly different. ARMS-PCR of washing solution took 1 day, NGS of washing solution took around 7 days, while pathological examination and NGS of paraffin-embedded tissue took around 14 days. Conclusions: The washing solution of CT-guided percutaneous lung mass biopsy in double distilled water is feasible to obtain EGFR type rapidly and efficiently for NSCLC. It is the fastest method to get patients’ gene type at present. Thus, the washing solution of biopsy could be a new DNA source for NSCLC gene test and making decision on targeted therapy ahead of time.

Determination of four aflatoxins in feeds by high throughput automated immunoaffinity magnetic beads purification-ultra performance liquid chromatography

Aflatoxin (AFT) is an extremely toxic and highly toxic carcinogenic substance. This is particularly problematic due to the risk of aflatoxin contamination in raw feed materials and products during production, transportation, and storage. In this study, immunoaffinity magnetic beads (IMBs) were prepared for the purification of four aflatoxins (aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2)). The aflatoxin contents were then determined rapidly and accurately using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). More specifically, the coupling ratio of magnetic beads (MBs) to the aflatoxin monoclonal antibody was initially optimized, wherein an MB volume of 1 mL and an antibody content of 2.0 mg was found to meet the purification requirements of this method. The magnetic properties of the MBs and the IMBs were then investigated using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. As a result, the maximum saturation super magnetizations of the MBs and the IMBs were determined to be 28.61 and 23.22 emu/g, respectively, indicating that the saturation magnetization intensity of the IMBs was reduced by coupling with a non-magnetic antibody. However, the saturation magnetization intensity remained sufficiently high to permit magnetic separation from the solution. In addition, the appearance of the IMBs was examined using a biomicroscope, and it was clear that the magnetic cores were wrapped in agarose gel. Furthermore, the reaction time between the IMBs and the aflatoxins was investigated, and the optimal reaction time for meeting the purification requirements was determined to be 2 min. The stability of the IMBs was then evaluated under refrigerated storage conditions at 4 ℃. It was found that the prepared IMBs maintained a high aflatoxin enrichment capacity for at least eight months. Through the examination of three different extraction solutions, a mixture of acetonitrile and water (70∶30, v/v) was found to be optimal for the extraction of aflatoxins from the feed samples. Moreover, five sample dilutions and purification effects were also examined, and phosphate-buffered saline (containing 0.5% Tween-20) was selected as the preferred sample dilutant. With the optimized conditions, the effectiveness of using IMB for the purification of different feed samples was investigated. The resulting UPLC chromatogram showed no spurious peaks close to the target peaks, demonstrating a good purification performance. Following matrix spiking (5, 20, and 40 μg/kg, calculated based on AFB1) of the four feed samples (i. e., soybean meal, distillers dried grains with solubles, pig feed, and chicken feed), the spiked recoveries of the four aflatoxins ranged from 91.1% to 119.4% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of <6.9%. In addition, the inter-day precision was 4.5% to 7.5%, and the method exhibited a good reproducibility. Subsequently, the developed method was used to detect AFB1 using reference materials. The test value was 18.6 μg/kg with an accuracy of 110.3%, thereby constituting satisfactory results. Upon testing 21 randomly purchased feed samples using this method, four of these samples contained AFB1, and the test results obtained using the developed method and stable isotope dilution LC-MS/MS were comparable. It was therefore apparent that the IMB purification method combined with UPLC analysis exhibited a good accuracy for aflatoxin determination. Thus, an automatic purification system was established to facilitate the operation and use of IMBs. This system was able to purify 24 samples simultaneously in 30 min. An IMB purification kit for was also designed and produced for aflatoxin detection in feed samples. The kit contained the sample dilutant, IMBs, the washing solution, and the eluent. After extraction of the feed sample, the extraction solution was added to the sample wells provided in the kit, and the purification system automatically completed the steps of aflatoxin enrichment, impurity washing, and elution of the target toxin. It should be noted that the purification process does not require the operator to manually add the solution, thereby simplifying operation. Overall, the purification method established in this study achieved the high-throughput and automatic purification of the four aflatoxins in feed samples.

Heavy metals removal from soil/sediments washing effluents via biocompatible aqueous two-phase systems

The generation of high amounts of soil/sediment washing solutions is one of the main concerns faced in ex situ treatment techniques, so in the present research, we have demonstrated the suitability of an organic salt like sodium potassium tartrate to efficiently promote phase segregation in a model soil washing solution containing biodegradable non-ionic-surfactants (Tween 80 and Tergitol 15S9) and heavy metals (copper, zinc, and cadmium), after a preliminary screening of the demixing effect of different inorganic and organic salts like ammonium nitrate, ammonium acetate and sodium potassium tartrate. The aqueous two-phase systems were characterized in depth at room temperature by defining the immiscibility region and correlating the experimental data with three empirical equations, and the results were discussed in the light of a thermodynamic function like the Gibbs free energy of hydration. Then, the applicability to extract the abovementioned metal ions was researched after TLs determination, observing high heavy metals extraction percentage (over 80 % in some cases). The extraction process was included in the soil washing process at real scale and it was simulated by means of the software SuperPro Designer, that makes up a valuable tool to ease the analysis of the technical viability of the proposed strategy.

Effects of washing solution temperature on the biocompatibility and mechanical properties of 3D-Printed dental resin material

The use of digital manufacturing, particularly additive manufacturing using three-dimensional (3D) printing, is expanding in the field of dentistry. 3D-printed resin appliances must undergo an essential process, post-washing, to remove residual monomers; however, the effect of the washing solution temperature on the biocompatibility and mechanical properties remains unclear. Therefore, we processed 3D-printed resin samples under different post-washing temperatures (without temperature control (N/T), 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C) for different durations (5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min) and evaluated the degree of conversion rate, cell viability, flexural strength, and Vickers hardness. Increasing the washing solution temperature significantly improved the degree of conversion rate and cell viability. Conversely, increasing the solution temperature and time decreased the flexural strength and microhardness. This study confirmed that the washing temperature and time influence the mechanical and biological properties of the 3D-printed resin. Washing 3D-printed resin at 30 °C for 30 min was most efficient to maintain optimal biocompatibility and minimize changes of mechanical properties.

Development of a potassium-based soil washing solution using response surface methodology for efficient removal of cesium contamination in soil

The overuse of chelating soil washing agents for removal of heavy metal can release soil nutrients and negatively affect organisms. Therefore, developing novel washing agents that can overcome these shortcomings is necessary. In this study, we tested potassium as a main solute of novel washing agent for cesium-contaminated field soil, owing to the physicochemical similarities between potassium and cesium. Response surface methodology was combined with a four-factor, three-level Box–Behnken design to determine the superlative washing conditions of the potassium-based solution for the removal of cesium from the soil. The parameters that were considered were the following: potassium concentration, liquid-to-soil ratio, washing time, and pH. Twenty-seven sets of experiments were conducted using the Box–Behnken design, and a second-order polynomial regression equation model was obtained from the results. Analysis of variance proved the significance and goodness of fit of the derived model. Three-dimensional response surface plots displayed the results of each parameter and their reciprocal interactions. The washing conditions that achieved the highest cesium removal efficiency (81.3%) in field soil contaminated at 1.47 mg/kg were determined to be the following: a potassium concentration of 1 M, a liquid-to-soil ratio of 20, washing time of 2 h, and a pH of 2.

Remediation of soils contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons through soil washing with surfactant solutions

ABSTRACT Soil fulfils vital functions for life on Earth and so, just like water and air, its protection from all sources of contamination is a major concern. However, the extensive use of petroleum derived products, either as energy sources or as commodities, leads to important environmental liabilities. Ex situ soil washing is a technology to concentrate contaminants, allowing soil cleaning and the reuse of extracted petroleum derived products. This work focuses on the optimization of ex situ soil washing process using surfactants, introducing an evaluation of the washing solution recycling and its after use safe disposal, promoting the reduction of raw materials, energy and water resources costs. Two surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), were tested in the decontamination of an artificially contaminated soil with engine lubricant oil waste. The optimization of the washing conditions, such as stirring speed, liquid–solid ratio, number of washing stages, and surfactant concentration, was carried out using a design of experiments (DOE) software, so that the maximum extraction efficiency of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) was achieved. A TPH removal efficiency of (80.7 ± 3.2)% was obtained with Tween 80 after 5 h of washing and (90.7 ± 2.8)% with SDS after 2 h at 200 rpm on an orbital shaker with a liquid to solid ratio (L/S) of 15. The potential for reuse of the washing solutions was evaluated. Finally, the discharge of the washing solution was considered using activated carbon to remove the surfactants and ensure its safe disposal.

Immobilization potential of Cr through Ultrasonic-assisted water washing in MSWI fly ash and evaluation of carbon capture and product reuse in its washing liquid

This study, a method was proposed under room temperature, atmospheric pressure, additive-free, and ultrasound was used as a strengthening method to promote the original gehlenite in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) to fix soluble chromium (Cr). At the same time, CO2 was captured, and calcium salts were recovered by using the washing solution's alkaline and high calcium ion properties. Firstly, the reaction time (t), ultrasonic power (w), magnetic stirring rate (rpm), and liquid-solid ratio (L/S) of ultrasonic-assisted water washing were studied by single factor experiment. The results shown that the ultrasonic power had the most significant effect on the fixation effect of Cr, and the optimal parameters are 50 min, 800w, 500 rpm, and 8 L / kg, respectively. The fixation rate of Cr was more than 99.64%. Subsequent carbonation experiments on the washing waste liquid showed that under the flow rate of 200 ml/min of carbon dioxide gas flow, the calcium ions in the solution can be recovered in the form of calcium salts. This study provides an effective MSWI FA treatment process, which can realize the resource utilization of MSWI FA and has the potential to adsorb CO2 and recover calcium salts efficiently.

Antimicrobial Activity of Syzygium polyanthum Wight (Walp.) Extract against Foodborne Pathogens in Food: A Potential Antimicrobial Agent for Natural Food Washing Solution

Developments of natural preservatives derived from plant sources instead of chemical preservatives are gaining more attention nowadays. In this study, the effect of Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp.] leaves extract against foodborne pathogens on raw chicken meat and cherry tomato was evaluated using the method of washing treatment by extract solution. Results found that Syzygium polyanthum (Wight) Walp. leaves extract have significant effect (P &lt;0.05) in reduction of foodborne pathogens in all tested food samples at 5 mg/mL of extract for 5 min soaking period. Moreover, S. polyanthum extract (10 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml) able to reduce yeast, mould and E. coli in raw meat chicken after storing at 4 ± 2°C for 5 days and reduce Pseudomonas species in cherry tomato after storing for 15 days at 4 ± 2°C. Antimicrobial property of S. polyanthum might be due to the presence of pyrogallol, β-Sitosterol, phytol, hexadecanoic acid, gallic acid, bergenin, quercetin 3-(6''-galloylgalactoside), madecassic acid, quillaic acid and asiatic acid that were detected by GC-MS and LC-MS. In conclusion, S. polyanthum extract exhibited antimicrobial activity, thus it has potential to be developed as antimicrobial agent for natural food washing solution.

Phenanthrene removal from a spent sediment washing solution in a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor

The issue of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widespread in marine sediments involving ecological systems and human health. Sediment washing (SW) has proven to be the most effective remediation approach for sediments polluted by PAHs, such as phenanthrene (PHE). However, SW still raises waste handling concerns due to a considerable amount of effluents generated downstream. In this context, the biological treatment of a PHE- and ethanol-containing spent SW solution can represent a highly efficient and environmentally-friendly strategy, but its knowledge is still scarce in scientific literature and no studies have so far been conducted in continuous mode. Therefore, a synthetic PHE-polluted SW solution was biologically treated in a 1 L aerated continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor for 129 days by evaluating the effect of different pH values, aeration flowrates and hydraulic retention times as operating parameters over five successive phases. A PHE removal efficiency of up to 75–94% was achieved by an acclimated PHE-degrading consortium mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota and Firmicutes phyla through biodegradation following the adsorption mechanism. PHE biodegradation, mainly occurring via the benzoate route due to the presence of PAH-related-degrading functional genes and a phthalate accumulation up to 46 mg/L, was also accompanied by a reduction of dissolved organic carbon and ammonia nitrogen above 99% in the treated SW solution.

Physicochemical properties of grass carp surimi as affected by pH and NaCl concentration during washing

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of various pHs and NaCl concentrations on physicochemical properties of surimi from grass carp during washing. Surimi protein recovery was higher with 0.25% and 0.5% NaCl at the pH 5 or 7 than that with other pHs and NaCl concentrations, while the highest recovery was obtained with 0.25% NaCl at the pH 7. It decreased protein recovery and salt-soluble protein of surimi as NaCl increased by more than 1.0% during washing. The water-soluble protein content was significantly higher at the pH 3 than at other pHs, while the SDS-PAGE of surimi protein exhibited intense sarcoplasmic protein bands at the pH 3. There were significantly fewer hydrophobic groups of actomyosin treated with 0.25% NaCl at the pH 5 or 7 than that with other pHs and NaCl concentrations in washing solution. The α-helix of actomyosin was increased with the increase of NaCl during washing. In general, the washing with 0.25%−0.5% NaCl at the pH 5–7 could significantly increase the yield of surimi from grass carp.

Remediation of Micro-Pollution in an Alkaline Washing Solution of Fly Ash Using Simulated Exhaust Gas: Parameters and Mechanism

Currently, there is an urgent need to remediate heavy metals (HMs) and high alkalinity in the washing solution of fly ash (FA). This study investigated the remediation with simulated exhaust gases of two CO2 partial pressure and revealed the removal efficiency of target pollutants, mainly including Pb ions. The results verify that under the preferred conditions of 25 °C and 15 mL/min flow rate, bubbling two kinds of simulated flue gases could efficiently remove 97.9–99.2% of Pb ions. Moreover, the initial 40 min removal of Pb ions fits in a way with a pseudo-first-order equation. Based on the thermodynamic parameters, we infer that the removal of Pb ions was a spontaneous, exothermic, and entropy-decreasing process. Furthermore, residual HMs and terminal pH after remediation of the FA washing solution basically met the regulatory threshold values of the integrated wastewater discharge standard in China (GB 8978−1996). Additionally, the particles obtained from the washing solution of FA were identified as CaCO3, which was mainly composed of vaterite and calcite crystalline. This study provides a fundamental guide for remediating multiple pollutants in the washing solution of FA and simultaneously sequestrating carbon emissions from power plants and industries.

Washing Bottom Sediment for The Removal of Arsenic from Contaminated Italian Coast

Among various forms of anthropogenic pollution, the release of toxic metals in the environment is a global concern due to the high toxicity of these metals towards living organisms. In the last 20 years, sediment washing has gained increasing attention thanks to its capability to remove toxic metals from contaminated matrices. In this paper, we propose a Response Surface Methodology method for the washing of selected marine sediments of the Bagnoli-Coroglio Bay (Campania region, Italy) polluted with arsenic and other contaminants. We focused our attention on different factors affecting the clean-up performance (i.e., liquid/solid ratio, chelating concentration, and reaction time). The highest As removal efficiency (i.e., &gt;30 μg/g) was obtained at a liquid/solid ratio of 10:1 (v/w), a citric acid concentration of 1000 mM, and a washing time of 94.22 h. Based on these optimum results, ecotoxicological tests were performed and evaluated in two marine model species (i.e., Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Aliivibrio fischeri), which were exposed to the washing solutions. Reduced inhibition of the model species was observed after nutrient addition. Overall, this study provides an effective tool to quickly assess the optimum operating conditions to be set during the washing procedures of a broad range of marine sediments with similar physicochemical properties (i.e., grain size and type of pollution).

Ziegler Natta catalyst by precipitation of soluble precursor in different synthesis conditions

Catalysts for the polymerization of ethylene were created through the use of a solution based catalyst precursor that incorporated magnesium ethoxide-titanium tetra butoxide. A novel chlorinating agent, ethyl aluminum sesquichloride (EASC), was utilized for the precipitation of the catalyst. The resulting catalysts were then evaluated through a range of analytical techniques, including FTIR, FE-SEM, BET, particle size analysis, and elemental analysis. The chlorination reaction temperatures and EASC/Mg molar ration were changed, and the final catalysts were investigated and polymerized (ZMC 1–3). The formation of the Mg-Cl bond was detected in all catalysts by FTIR. FE-SEM images of the catalysts revealed rectangular crystalline structures surrounded by an amorphous sub-grain material. All of the catalysts have a similar concentration of titanium, with only a minor portion of the titanium being removed due to decanting, Most of the primary titanium is placed on the catalyst support independent of the change in the synthesis procedure. The results showed that chlorination at a higher temperature (110 °C) made the catalyst with smaller particle size, narrower PSD, higher surface area, and higher activity. The findings indicated that increasing the temperature of chlorination at 110 °C resulted in the production of catalysts with smaller particle size, more narrow particle size distribution, increased surface area, and improved activity. Reducing the amount of EASC by half at 110 °C provides an adequate amount of Cl atoms for catalyst preparation and reduces the amount of required washing solution. In the following, the effect of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as an alkoxy electron donor before and after precipitation was examined and named ZMC 4 and ZMC 5 respectively. Then catalyst was investigated in homo and copolymerization of ethylene/1-butene. As a result, the catalyst activity decreased in the presence of an electron donor, and the kinetic algorithm changed from decay to the buildup type. The activity drop was less in ZMC 5, the density and DSC analysis showed that the comonomer distribution was better in ZMC 4.

A new evaluation system of iron bioavailability in seaweed

In marine ecosystems, the avid binding of iron (Fe) to organic ligands influences Fe bioavailability in seaweed. This study aimed to elucidate Fe's biological availability to seaweed and develop a simple and rapid bioassay method as a new evaluation system. Undaria pinnatifida was used as a model seaweed species and the actual seaweed samples were collected using the 0.5 m × 0.5 m quadrat from the Mashike Bay area of Hokkaido, Japan. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements were utilized as an index to evaluate the biological -effectiveness of Fe and compared with the results of culture tests based on growth. The effect of Fe content on media, pre-culture, concentrations and types of chelating and reducing agents in clearing solutions, cleaning time, Fe removal effect, and resistance to seaweed were systematically optimized to obtain the maximum efficacy of the washing solution. A bioassay was developed to evaluate the Fe environment by combining chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. The findings suggest that the tolerance of seaweeds to the wash solution is strongly influenced by the concentrations of the chelating and reducing agents than their types. Washing with 0.02 M Ti-Citrate/EDTA solution for 80 s was the most effective in terms of maximum Fe removal with minimum cell damage. The application of pre-culture and chemical pre-treatment methods under Fe deficiency to the culture strain confirmed the maximum reproducibility in the culture test. Finally, the developed method was applied to actual seaweed samples and was found to be applicable to many seaweed species. However, the method was less robust for some seaweed species and depended on the seaweed growth stage.

Dissipation of Four Typical Insecticides on Strawberries and Effects of Different Household Washing Methods

The dissipation patterns of chlorfenapyr, cyenopyrafen, indoxacarb, and spirotetramat on strawberries and the effects of different household washing methods were investigated. A risk assessment was also conducted by monitoring the insecticide residues detected. The concentrations ranged from 0.011 to 0.27 mg/kg for chlorfenapyr, 0.064 to 0.99 mg/kg for cyenopyrafen, 0.042 to 0.53 mg/kg for indoxacarb, and from 0.25 to 1.3 mg/kg for spirotetramat, which were all below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) reported. Soaking the fruit in solution and then rinsing with running water (B) led to better residue removal (40.9 ± 23.7%) than only soaking in solution (A) (24.7 ± 22.5%). However, neither method decreased chlorfenapyr concentrations, suggesting that the physical-chemical properties of chlorfenapyr could also affect its removal on strawberries. Regarding the different washing solutions in method B, 3% vinegar (removal efficiency: 48.7%) and 3% salt (45.7%) were the most efficient, followed by 3% green tea (38.9%), and tap water only (24.6%). Additionally, the estimated risk quotients (RQs) for strawberry consumption for women were about 1.5 times higher than those observed for men, but both were lower than 1, suggesting minimal risk to humans.

Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Soil Using Soil Washing Techniques

Heavy metals are discharged into the soil around us from various anthropogenic sources and also by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc. In most cases, industrialization can be pointed to as the reason behind soil pollution. Contamination of soil leads to large-scale environmental degradation and health impacts. Many investigators have studied techniques for removing heavy metals from soil. Soil washing is an emerging area that can be implemented for this purpose. Studies were carried out in the controlled conditions of a laboratory environment to determine the suitability of soil-washing techniques for removing lead from polluted land. The results showing the influence of various parameters in soil washing, such as duration of washing, molar strength of the solution used, the weight ratio of soil to wash solution, etc., are presented in this paper. Batch studies were conducted to investigate the performance of chelating agents such as Na2EDTA, HCl, HNO3 and CaCl2 with regard to the removal of lead from artificially contaminated locally available soil. Based on the batch studies, it is observed that the strength of the washing solution, the proportion of soil and solution, the period of agitation, etc. influence the removal of contaminants. Based on the studies, it is concluded that, while recommending soil washing using chelating agents for remediating lead-contaminated soils, it is essential to identify the influencing parameters and determine the optimum conditions so that higher removal can be achieved without any adverse effect.

The efficacy of soil washing for the remediation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the field.

This paper aims to describe the performance of a soil washing plant (SWP) for remediating a per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)-contaminated soil with a high clay content (61%). The SWP used both physical and chemical processes; fractionation of the soil particles by size and partitioning of PFASs into the aqueous phase to remove PFASs from the soil. Contaminated water was treated in series with granulated activated carbon (GAC) and ion-exchange resin and reused within the SWP. Approximately 2200t (dry weight) of PFAS-contaminated soil was treated in 25 batches of 90t each, with a throughput of approximately 11t soil/hr. Efficiency of the SWP was measured by observed decreases in total and leachable concentrations of PFASs in the soil. Average removal efficiencies (RE) were up to 97.1% for perfluorocarboxylic acids and 94.9% for perfluorosulfonic acids. REs varied among different PFASs depending on their chemistry (functional head group, carbon chain length) and were independent of the total PFAS concentrations in each soil batch. Mass balance analysis found approximately 90% of the PFAS mass in the soil was transferred to the wash solution and >99.9% of the PFAS mass in the wash solution was transferred onto the GAC without any breakthrough.

Zero-Waste Approach for Heavy Metals' Removal from Water with an Enhanced Multi-Stage Hybrid Treatment System.

The aim of the work was to develop a zero-waste technological solution for hybrid removal of heavy metals from river sediments. The proposed technological process consists of sample preparation, sediment washing (a physicochemical process for sediment purification), and purification of the wastewater produced as a by-product. A suitable solvent for heavy metal washing and the effectiveness of heavy metal removal were determined by testing EDTA and citric acid. The process for removing heavy metals from the samples worked best with citric acid when the 2% sample suspension was washed over a 5-h period. The method was chosen of the adsorption of heavy metals from the exhausting washing solution on natural clay. Analyses were performed of the three main heavy metals, Cu(II), Cr(VI), and Ni(II), in the washing solution. Based on the laboratory experiments, a technological plan was prepared for the purification of 100,000 tons of material per year.

Comprehensive lipidome of human plasma using minimal sample manipulation by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

The present work shows comprehensive chromatographic methods and MS conditions that have been developed based on the chemical properties of each lipid subclass to detect low-abundance molecular species.This study shows that the developed methods can detect low- and/or very-low-abundant lipids like phosphatidic acid (PA) in the glycerophospholipid (GP) method; dihydroceramide (dhCer) and dihydrosphingosine/sphinganine (dhSPB) in the sphingolipid (SP)method; and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), LPI, LPG and sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPBP) in the lysolipid method. An optimised method for the extraction of lysolipids in plasma is used in addition to Folch extraction. Then, four chromatographic methods coupled with mass spectrometry using targeted and untargeted approaches are described here. Three of the methods use a tertiary pumping system to enable the inclusion of a gradient for analyte separation (pumps A and B) and an isocratic wash (pump C).This wash solution elutes interfering compounds that could cause background signal in the subsequent injections, reducing column lifetime. Semi-quantitative values for 37 lipid subclasses are reported for a plasma sample (NIST SRM 1950). Furthermore, the methods presented here enabled the identification of 338 different lipid molecular species for GPs (mono- and diacyl-phospholipds),SPs, sterols and glycerolipids. The methods have been validated, and the reproducibility is presented here. The comprehensive analysis of the lipidome addressed here of glycerolipids, GPs, sterols and SPs is in good agreement with previously reported results, in the NIST SRM 1950 sample, by other laboratories.Ten lipid subclasses LPS, LPI, alkyl-lysophosphatidic acid/alkenyl-lysophosphatidic acid, alkyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine/alkenyl-lysophosphatidylethanolamine, dhCer (d18:0), SPB (d18:1), dhSPB (d18:0) and SPBP (d18:2) have been detected using this comprehensive method and are uniquely reported here.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and diverse potential invertebrate vectors predominantly interact opportunistically

Some small animals migrate with the help of other, more mobile animals (phoresy) to leave short-lived and resource-poor habitats. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans lives in ephemeral habitats such as compost, but has also been found associated with various potential invertebrate vectors. Little research has been done to determine if C. elegans is directly attracted to these invertebrates. To determine whether C. elegans is attracted to compounds and volatile odorants of invertebrates, we conducted chemotaxis experiments with the isopods Porcellio scaber, Oniscus asellus, and Armadillidium sp. and with Lithobius sp. myriapods, Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, and Arion sp. slugs as representatives of natural vectors. Because phoresy is an important escape strategy in nature, especially for dauer larvae of C. elegans, we examined the attraction of the natural C. elegans isolate MY2079 in addition to the laboratory-adapted strain N2 at the dauer and L4 stage. We found that DMSO washing solution of Lithobius sp. and the odor of live D. melanogaster attracted C. elegans N2 L4 larvae. Surprisingly, the natural isolate MY2079 was not attracted to any invertebrate during either the dauer or L4 life stages and both C. elegans strains were repelled by various compounds from O. asellus, P. scaber, Armadillidium sp., Lithobius sp., and Arion sp. feces. We hypothesize that this is due to defense chemicals released by the invertebrates. Although compounds from Lithobius sp. and D. melanogaster odorants were mildly attractive, the lack of attraction to most invertebrates suggests a predominantly opportunistic association between C. elegans and invertebrate vectors.