scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Removal with a Polyurethane Foam Composite

Author(s):  
Guilherme Pereira Schoeler ◽  
Thays França Afonso ◽  
Carolina Faccio Demarco ◽  
Victor dos Santos Barboza ◽  
Tito Roberto Sant'anna Cadaval ◽  
...  

Abstract The pandemic of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 disease) has been causing unprecedented health and economic impacts, alerting the world to the importance of basic sanitation and existing social inequalities. The risk of the spread and appearance of new diseases highlights the need for the removal of these pathogens through efficient techniques and materials. This study aimed to develop a polyurethane (PU) biofoam filled with dregs waste (leftover from the pulp and paper industry) for removal SARS-CoV-2 from the water. The biofoam was prepared by the free expansion method with the incorporation of 5wt% of dregs as a filler. For the removal assays, the all materials and its isolated phases were incubated for 24h with an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 viral suspension. Then, the RNA was extracted and the viral load was quantified using the quantitative reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) technique. The biofoam (polyurethane/dregs) reached a great removal percentage of 91.55%, whereas the isolated dregs waste was 99.03%, commercial activated carbon was 99.64%, commercial activated carbon/polyurethane was 99.30%, and neat PU foam reached was 99.96% for this same property and without statistical difference. Those new materials endowed with low cost and high removal efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 as alternatives to conventional adsorbents.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Pereira Schoeler ◽  
Thays França Afonso ◽  
Rafael de Avila Delucis ◽  
Benedict C Okeke ◽  
Robson Andreazza

Abstract Water bodies contaminated by heavy metals cause a series of severe environmental and health issues. Chromium compounds stand out as one of the main contaminants since they are widely used by several industries. The low efficiency of effluent treatment facilities and the expensive sanitation procedures needed to remove metals from the water lead to serious concerns about the water quality in Brazil. In this study, a rigid polyurethane foam incorporated with green liquor dregs waste was prepared by the free expansion method. The foam composite and its isolated phases were evaluated for removing Cr(III) from water. The isolated dregs removed 81.93% of the Cr(III), which yielded a removal capacity of 135.45 mg·g-1. Whereas, the foam composite displayed Cr(III) removal percentage and capacity of 36.15% and 58.50 mg·g-1, respectively. Results suggests that the hybrid material may be considered for selective removal and extraction of Cr(III) from contaminated water.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Renwei Lu ◽  
Xiaolong Ren ◽  
Chong Wang ◽  
Changzhen Zhan ◽  
Ding Nan ◽  
...  

Lithium-ion hybrid capacitors (LICs) are regarded as one of the most promising next generation energy storage devices. Commercial activated carbon materials with low cost and excellent cycling stability are widely used as cathode materials for LICs, however, their low energy density remains a significant challenge for the practical applications of LICs. Herein, Na0.76V6O15 nanobelts (NaVO) were prepared and combined with commercial activated carbon YP50D to form hybrid cathode materials. Credit to the synergism of its capacitive effect and diffusion-controlled faradaic effect, NaVO/C hybrid cathode displays both superior cyclability and enhanced capacity. LICs were assembled with the as-prepared NaVO/C hybrid cathode and artificial graphite anode which was pre-lithiated. Furthermore, 10-NaVO/C//AG LIC delivers a high energy density of 118.9 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 220.6 W kg−1 and retains 43.7 Wh kg−1 even at a high power density of 21,793.0 W kg−1. The LIC can also maintain long-term cycling stability with capacitance retention of approximately 70% after 5000 cycles at 1 A g−1. Accordingly, hybrid cathodes composed of commercial activated carbon and a small amount of high energy battery-type materials are expected to be a candidate for low-cost advanced LICs with both high energy density and power density.


Fermentation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Summerson ◽  
Claudia Gonzalez Viejo ◽  
Damir D. Torrico ◽  
Alexis Pang ◽  
Sigfredo Fuentes

The incidence and intensity of bushfires is increasing due to climate change, resulting in a greater risk of smoke taint development in wine. In this study, smoke-tainted and non-smoke-tainted wines were subjected to treatments using activated carbon with/without the addition of a cleaving enzyme treatment to hydrolyze glycoconjugates. Chemical measurements and volatile aroma compounds were assessed for each treatment, with the two smoke taint amelioration treatments exhibiting lower mean values for volatile aroma compounds exhibiting positive ‘fruit’ aromas. Furthermore, a low-cost electronic nose (e-nose) was used to assess the wines. A machine learning model based on artificial neural networks (ANN) was developed using the e-nose outputs from the unsmoked control wine, unsmoked wine with activated carbon treatment, unsmoked wine with a cleaving enzyme plus activated carbon treatment, and smoke-tainted control wine samples as inputs to classify the wines according to the smoke taint amelioration treatment. The model displayed a high overall accuracy of 98% in classifying the e-nose readings, illustrating it may be a rapid, cost-effective tool for winemakers to assess the effectiveness of smoke taint amelioration treatment by activated carbon with/without the use of a cleaving enzyme. Furthermore, the use of a cleaving enzyme coupled with activated carbon was found to be effective in ameliorating smoke taint in wine and may help delay the resurgence of smoke aromas in wine following the aging and hydrolysis of glycoconjugates.


2015 ◽  
Vol 659 ◽  
pp. 304-309
Author(s):  
Khemmakorn Gomonsirisuk ◽  
Thanakorn Wasanapiarnpong

Organic contaminated wastes water from petrochemical industries can be removed by adsorbent and photocatalyst. In this work, the degradation rate of phenol have been studied at different ratios of activated carbon/NaA zeolite composite materials coated with TiO2 photocatalyst which are easily to be fabricated into tubular shape by extrusion method. In addition, the foam-inserted composite can be floated on the surface of waste water for the higher phocatalyst activity. While the composite is the low cost adsorbent with high absorption and high ion exchange properties. In order to optimize the efficiency of material, the various ratios of activated carbon/NaA zeolite (3:1, 1:1 and 1:3) and amount of coated TiO2 on the specimen’s surface was studied by UV/Vis spectrophotometer which related to phenol concentration. Moreover the various amount of phenolic resins (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt%) at different reduction firing temperatures (600 and 650 °C) with soaking time of 1, 2 and 3 hours affected to the compressive strength of samples. For the characterization, XRD is used to characterize the phase and SEM is used to provide the morphology of the prepared composite materials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (18) ◽  
pp. 10913-10922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leland R. Widger ◽  
Megan Combs ◽  
Amit R. Lohe ◽  
Cameron A. Lippert ◽  
Jesse G. Thompson ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeshwar M. Shrestha ◽  
Margit Varga ◽  
Imre Varga ◽  
Amar P. Yadav ◽  
Bhadra P. Pokharel ◽  
...  

Activated carbons were prepared from Lapsi seed stone by the treatment with H2SO4 and HNO3 for the removal of Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution. Two activated carbon have been prepared from Lapsi seed stones by treating with conc.H2SO4 and a mixture of H2SO4 and HNO3 in the ratio of 1:1 by weight for removal of Ni(II) ions. Chemical characterization of the resultant activated carbons was studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Boehm titration which revealed the presence of oxygen containing surface functional groups like carboxyl, lactones and phenols in the carbons. The optimum pH for nickel adsorption is found to be 5. The adsorption data were better fitted with the Langmuir equations than Freundlich adsorption equation to describe the equilibrium isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ni (II) on the resultant activated carbons was 28.25.8 mg g-1 with H2SO4 and 69.49 mg g-1 with a mixture of H2SO4 and HNO3. The waste material used in the preparation of the activated carbons is inexpensive and readily available. Hence the carbons prepared from Lapsi seed stones can act as potential low cost adsorbents for the removal of Ni (II) from water. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jie.v9i1.10680Journal of the Institute of Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 166–174


1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-120
Author(s):  
Roberto M. Narbaitz ◽  
Frances Z. Parsons ◽  
Tsong-Yih Tzeng

Point-of-entry systems with granular activated carbon filters have been used extensively to provide safe water to rural homes with wells contaminated with synthetic organic chemicals. Because of the low cost of these systems, their design is generally based on the equilibrium column model, the isotherm data from the literature, and a scale-up factor. This paper analyzes the necessary scale-up factors for point-of-entry adsorbers based on fumigant adsorption data gathered through an extensive literature review. The fumigants evaluated are 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane, and ethylene dibromide. It was impossible to thoroughly assess the scale-up factors for 1,2-dichloropropane because of the limited data. Column data for the other two fumigants were sufficient to generate column loading lines, which can be used directly without resorting to scale-up factors. Column data showed that the scale-up factors are greatly affected by competitive adsorption with the naturally occurring background organic matter and by preloading of these organic matter. As these phenomena are not well understood, it is presently impossible to accurately predict the appropriate scale-up factors. A recommended design approach is outlined. Key words: adsorption, activated carbon, fumigants, point-of-entry.


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