scholarly journals Treatment of Alkaline Cr(VI)-Contaminated Leachate with an Alkaliphilic Metal-Reducing Bacterium

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (16) ◽  
pp. 5511-5518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew P. Watts ◽  
Tatiana V. Khijniak ◽  
Christopher Boothman ◽  
Jonathan R. Lloyd

ABSTRACTChromium in its toxic Cr(VI) valence state is a common contaminant particularly associated with alkaline environments. A well-publicized case of this occurred in Glasgow, United Kingdom, where poorly controlled disposal of a cementitious industrial by-product, chromite ore processing residue (COPR), has resulted in extensive contamination by Cr(VI)-contaminated alkaline leachates. In the search for viable bioremediation treatments for Cr(VI), a variety of bacteria that are capable of reduction of the toxic and highly soluble Cr(VI) to the relatively nontoxic and less mobile Cr(III) oxidation state, predominantly under circumneutral pH conditions, have been isolated. Recently, however, alkaliphilic bacteria that have the potential to reduce Cr(VI) under alkaline conditions have been identified. This study focuses on the application of a metal-reducing bacterium to the remediation of alkaline Cr(VI)-contaminated leachates from COPR. This bacterium, belonging to theHalomonasgenus, was found to exhibit growth concomitant to Cr(VI) reduction under alkaline conditions (pH 10). Bacterial cells were able to rapidly remove high concentrations of aqueous Cr(VI) (2.5 mM) under anaerobic conditions, up to a starting pH of 11. Cr(VI) reduction rates were controlled by pH, with slower removal observed at pH 11, compared to pH 10, while no removal was observed at pH 12. The reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) resulted in the precipitation of Cr(III) biominerals, which were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effectiveness of this haloalkaliphilic bacterium for Cr(VI) reduction at high pH suggests potential for its use as anin situtreatment of COPR and other alkaline Cr(VI)-contaminated environments.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jun Sun ◽  
Bin Xu ◽  
Yu Shi ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Hai-le Ma

The aim of this study was to develop a thermally and operationally stable trypsin through covalent immobilization onto chitosan magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 @CTS). The successful preparation of the Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which indicated that the prepared Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles have superparamagnetic properties, with an average size of approximately 17 nm. Then, trypsin was covalently immobilized onto the Fe3O4 @CTS nanoparticles at a high loading capacity (149.25 mg/g). The FTIR data demonstrated that the trypsin had undergone a conformational change compared with free trypsin, and the Michaelis constant (Km) and the maximum hydrolysis reaction rate (Vmax) showed that the trypsin immobilized on the Fe3O4 @CTS had a lower affinity for BAEE and lower activity compared with free trypsin. However, the immobilized trypsin showed higher activity than free trypsin at pH 6.0 and in alkaline conditions and retained more than 84% of its initial activity at 60°C after 8 h incubation. Its excellent performance across a broader pH range and high thermal stability, as well as its effective hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its reusability, make it more attractive than free trypsin for application in protein digestion.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2725
Author(s):  
Cyril Tlou Selepe ◽  
Sandile Surprise Gwebu ◽  
Thabo Matthews ◽  
Tebogo Abigail Mashola ◽  
Ludwe Luther Sikeyi ◽  
...  

Carbon nano-onions (CNOs) were successfully synthesized by employing the flame pyrolysis (FP) method, using flaxseed oil as a carbon source. The alcohol reduction method was used to prepare Pd/CNOs and Pd-Sn/CNOs electro-catalysts, with ethylene glycol as the solvent and reduction agent. The metal-nanoparticles were supported on the CNO surface without adjusting the pH of the solution. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images reveal CNOs with concentric graphite ring morphology, and also PdSn nanoparticles supported on the CNOs. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) patterns confirm that CNOs are amorphous and show the characteristic diffraction peaks of Pd. There is a shifting of Pd diffraction peaks to lower angles upon the addition of Sn compared to Pd/CNOs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results also confirm the doping of Pd with Sn to form a PdSn alloy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) displays oxygen, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and carbonyl, which facilitates the dispersion of Pd and Sn nanoparticles. Raman spectrum displays two prominent peaks of carbonaceous materials which correspond to the D and G bands. The Pd-Sn/CNOs electro-catalyst demonstrates improved electro-oxidation of methanol and ethanol performance compared to Pd/CNOs and commercial Pd/C electro-catalysts under alkaline conditions.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 581
Author(s):  
Gajanan S. Ghodake ◽  
Surendra K. Shinde ◽  
Ganesh D. Saratale ◽  
Rijuta G. Saratale ◽  
Min Kim ◽  
...  

The utilization of waste-paper-biomass for extraction of important α-cellulose biopolymer, and modification of extracted α-cellulose for application in enzyme immobilization can be extremely vital for green circular bio-economy. Thus, in this study, α-cellulose fibers were super-magnetized (Fe3O4), grafted with chitosan (CTNs), and thiol (-SH) modified for laccase immobilization. The developed material was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), HR-TEM energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses. Laccase immobilized on α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs (α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase) gave significant activity recovery (99.16%) and laccase loading potential (169.36 mg/g). The α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase displayed excellent stabilities for temperature, pH, and storage time. The α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase applied in repeated cycles shown remarkable consistency of activity retention for 10 cycles. After the 10th cycle, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs possessed 80.65% relative activity. Furthermore, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase shown excellent degradation of pharmaceutical contaminant sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The SMX degradation by α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase was found optimum at incubation time (20 h), pH (3), temperatures (30 °C), and shaking conditions (200 rpm). Finally, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase gave repeated degradation of SMX. Thus, this study presents a novel, waste-derived, highly capable, and super-magnetic nanocomposite for enzyme immobilization applications.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1512
Author(s):  
Yuhan Liu ◽  
Meiling Zhang ◽  
Jinjun Cheng ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Hui Kong ◽  
...  

Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (GRR) is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines in clinical practice, which has been applied to treat digestive system diseases for hundreds of years. GRR is preferred for anti-gastric ulcer, however, the main active compounds are still unknown. In this study, GRR was used as precursor to synthesize carbon dots (CDs) by a environment-friendly one-step pyrolysis process. GRR-CDs were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, cellular toxicity of GRR-CDs was studied by using CCK-8 in RAW264.7 cells, and the anti-gastric ulcer activity was evaluated and confirmed using mice model of acute alcoholic gastric ulcer. The experiment confirmed that GRR-CDs were the spherical structure with a large number of active groups on the surface and their particle size ranged from 2 to 10 nm. GRR-CDs had no toxicity to RAW264.7 cells at concentration of 19.5 to 5000 μg/mL and could reduce the oxidative damage of gastric mucosa and tissues caused by alcohol, as demonstrated by restoring expression of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide in serum and tissue of mice. The results indicated the explicit anti-ulcer activity of GRR-CDs, which provided a new insights for the research on effective material basis of GRR.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174751982098472
Author(s):  
Jun Yu ◽  
Ying Han ◽  
Guoqing Chen ◽  
Xiuzhen Xiao ◽  
Haifang Mao ◽  
...  

The effect of carbon nanotubes on the catalytic properties of Rh-Mn-Li/SiO2 catalysts was investigated for CO hydrogenation. The catalysts were comprehensively characterized by means of X-ray power diffraction, N2 sorption, transmission electron microscope, H2–temperature-programmed reduction, CO–temperature-programmed desorption, temperature-programmed surface reaction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that an appropriate amount of carbon nanotubes can be attached to the surface of the SiO2 sphere and can improve the Rh dispersion. Moderate Rh-Mn interaction can be obtained by doping with the appropriate amount of carbon nanotubes, which promotes the formation of strongly adsorbed CO and facilitates the progress of CO insertion, resulting in the increase in the selectivity of C2+ oxygenate synthesis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Pancotti ◽  
Dener Pereira Santos ◽  
Dielly Oliveira Morais ◽  
Mauro Vinícius de Barros Souza ◽  
Débora R. Lima ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of NiFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) which are widely used in the biomedical area. There is still limited knowledge how the properties of these materials are influenced by different chemical routes. In this work, we investigated the effect of heat treatment over cytotoxicity of cobalt and niquel ferrites NPs synthesized by sol-gel method. Then the samples were studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis (FTIR), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The average crystallite sizes of the particles were found to be in the range of 20–35 nm. The hemocompatibility (erythrocytes and leukocytes) was checked. Cytotoxicity results were similar to those of the control test sample, therefore suggesting hemocompatibility of the tested materials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4433
Author(s):  
Eun Sung Lee ◽  
Byung Seok Cha ◽  
Seokjoon Kim ◽  
Ki Soo Park

In recent years, fluorescent metal nanoclusters have been used to develop bioimaging and sensing technology. Notably, protein-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are attracting interest due to their excellent fluorescence properties and biocompatibility. Herein, we used an exosome template to synthesize AuNCs in an eco-friendly manner that required neither harsh conditions nor toxic chemicals. Specifically, we used a neutral (pH 7) and alkaline (pH 11.5) pH to synthesize two different exosome-based AuNCs (exo-AuNCs) with independent blue and red emission. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrated that AuNCs were successfully formed in the exosomes. Red-emitting exo-AuNCs were found to have a larger Stokes shift and a stronger fluorescence intensity than the blue-emitting exo-AuNCs. Both exo-AuNCs were compatible with MCF-7 (human breast cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer), and HT29 (human colon cancer) cells, although blue-emitting exo-AuNCs were cytotoxic at high concentrations (≥5 mg/mL). Red-emitting exo-AuNCs successfully stained the nucleus and were compatible with membrane-staining dyes. This is the first study to use exosomes to synthesize fluorescent nanomaterials for cellular imaging applications. As exosomes are naturally produced via secretion from almost all types of cell, the proposed method could serve as a strategy for low-cost production of versatile nanomaterials.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3191
Author(s):  
Arun Kumar Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Avishek Roy ◽  
Gourab Bhattacharjee ◽  
Sadhan Chandra Das ◽  
Abhijit Majumdar ◽  
...  

We report the surface stoichiometry of Tix-CuyNz thin film as a function of film depth. Films are deposited by high power impulse (HiPIMS) and DC magnetron sputtering (DCMS). The composition of Ti, Cu, and N in the deposited film is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). At a larger depth, the relative composition of Cu and Ti in the film is increased compared to the surface. The amount of adventitious carbon which is present on the film surface strongly decreases with film depth. Deposited films also contain a significant amount of oxygen whose origin is not fully clear. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) shows a Cu3N phase on the surface, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates a polycrystalline structure and the presence of a Ti3CuN phase.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 640
Author(s):  
Hideaki Sasaki ◽  
Keisuke Sakamoto ◽  
Masami Mori ◽  
Tatsuaki Sakamoto

CeO2-based solid solutions in which Pd partially substitutes for Ce attract considerable attention, owing to their high catalytic performances. In this study, the solid solution (Ce1−xPdxO2−δ) with a high Pd content (x ~ 0.2) was synthesized through co-precipitation under oxidative conditions using molten nitrate, and its structure and thermal decomposition were examined. The characteristics of the solid solution, such as the change in a lattice constant, inhibition of sintering, and ionic states, were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM−EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM)−EDS, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The synthesis method proposed in this study appears suitable for the easy preparation of CeO2 solid solutions with a high Pd content.


2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1123-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Oliveira ◽  
R. Vilar

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of column formation mechanisms in Al2O3–TiC ceramics micromachined using excimer lasers. Chemical and structural characterization of columns grown in Al2O3–TiC composite processed with 200 KrF laser pulses at 10 J/cm2 was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis. Fully developed columns consist of a core of unprocessed material surrounded by an outer layer of Al2TiO5, formed in oxidizing conditions, and an inner layer, formed in reducing conditions, composed of TiC and Al3Ti or an AlTi solid solution. Possible mechanisms of column formation are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document