scholarly journals Thiol-Functionalization Carbonaceous Adsorbents for the Removal of Methyl-Mercury from Water in the ppb Levels

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Evgenios Kokkinos ◽  
Aggeliki Lampou ◽  
Ioannis Kellartzis ◽  
Dimitrios Karfaridis ◽  
Anastasios Zouboulis
Keyword(s):  
Methyl Mercury ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Esterification Reaction ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Isothermal Adsorption ◽  
Functionalized Materials ◽  
Toxic Pollutant ◽  
Thiol Functionalization

Mercury is a highly toxic pollutant of major public health concern, and human exposure is mainly related to the aqueous phase, where its dominant form is methyl-mercury (MeHg). In the current work, two carbon-based adsorbents, i.e., a commercial activated carbon and a sunflower seeds’ biochar, were modified by the introduction of thiol-active groups onto their surfaces for the MeHg removal from natural-like water in ppb concentration levels. The examined thiol-functionalization was a two-step process, since the raw materials were initially treated with nitric acid (6 N), which is a reagent that favors the formation of surface carboxyl groups, and subsequently by the thiol surface bonding groups through an esterification reaction in methanol matrix. The adsorbents’ capacity was evaluated toward the Hgtotal legislative regulation limit (1 μg/L) in drinking water (denoted as Q1). The respective isothermal adsorption results revealed an increased affinity between MeHg and thiol-functionalized materials, where the commercial carbon showed slightly higher capacity (0.116 μg Hg/mg) compared with the biochar (0.108 μg Hg/mg). This variation can be attributed to the respective higher surface area, resulting, also, to higher thiol groups loading. Regarding the proposed mechanism, it was proved that the S-Hg bond was formed, based on the characterization of the best performed saturated adsorbent.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Vanadium Dioxide Nanorods

2003 ◽  
Vol 788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Chen ◽  
Liqiang Mai ◽  
congsheng Jiang ◽  
Junfeng Peng ◽  
Qing Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vanadium Dioxide ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Hydrothermal Process ◽  
Hydrothermal Condition ◽  
Redox Titration ◽  
Functionalized Materials ◽  
Hrtem Micrographs ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACTVanadium dioxide nanorods (B phase) have been synthesized, for the first time, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as structure-directing template in hydrothermal condition. Morphology and structure of the sample were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, XPS, TG-DTA and redox titration. The results show that the products are VO2 (B) nanorods and they are 1∼2 μm in length. HRTEM micrographs reveal that they indeed form bundles of agglomerated smaller filaments with diameters ranging from 20 to 40 nm. This filament-like shape in the nanoscale dimension leads to the exposure of a large fraction of the atoms to the surface. Thus, these materials are promising candidates for the development of new functionalized materials. TG investigation shows that there are a weight loss of 2.21 % between 250∼400 °C corresponding to removal of the organic residuals and a weight gain at about 430 °C corresponding to oxidation of vanadium with low oxidation state. The simplicity of hydrothermal process, cheapness, and availability of raw materials are advantages favoring the scaling-up of nanorods.

Synthesis and Characterization of Thiol Functional Cyclic Carbonate

2015 ◽  
Vol 1095 ◽  
pp. 377-380
Author(s):  
Wen Cai Li ◽  
Huan Huan Zhang ◽  
Yan Ling Li ◽  
Chang Qing Fu
Keyword(s):  
Dimethyl Carbonate ◽  
Addition Reaction ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Cyclic Carbonate ◽  
Synthesis And Characterization ◽  
Esterification Reaction ◽  
Glycerol Carbonate ◽  
Michael Addition Reaction ◽  
Mild Conditions

(2-one-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl) methyl 3-mercaptopropanoate(DMMP), which can be used for Michael addition reaction, was synthesized through two simple routs. First, glycerol carbonate was synthesized under mild conditions without any solvent, using glycerol and dimethyl carbonate as raw materials by green chemistry way. Then DMMP was obtained by simple esterification reaction of glycerol carbonate and 3-mercaptopropionic acid. The structure of them was characterized by 1H NMR and FTIR.

Application of solid-phase immune electron microscopy to study physical and stability characteristics of enterically transmitted non-a, non-b hepatitis virus

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 80-81
Author(s):  
Charles D. Humphrey ◽  
E. H. Cook ◽  
Karen A. McCaustland ◽  
Daniel W. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Hepatitis A ◽  
Hepatitis A Virus ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Immune Electron Microscopy

Enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis (ET-NANBH) is a type of hepatitis which is increasingly becoming a significant world health concern. As with hepatitis A virus (HAV), spread is by the fecal-oral mode of transmission. Until recently, the etiologic agent had not been isolated and identified. We have succeeded in the isolation and preliminary characterization of this virus and demonstrating that this agent can cause hepatic disease and seroconversion in experimental primates. Our characterization of this virus was facilitated by immune (IEM) and solid phase immune electron microscopic (SPIEM) methodologies.Many immune electron microscopy methodologies have been used for morphological identification and characterization of viruses. We have previously reported a highly effective solid phase immune electron microscopy procedure which facilitated identification of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in crude cell culture extracts. More recently we have reported utilization of the method for identification of an etiologic agent responsible for (ET-NANBH).

scholarly journals Thermal Characterization of Recycled Materials for Building Insulation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3564
Author(s):  
Arnas Majumder ◽  
Laura Canale ◽  
Costantino Carlo Mastino ◽  
Antonio Pacitto ◽  
Andrea Frattolillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Natural Fibers ◽  
Thermal Characterization ◽  
Recycled Materials ◽  
Building Insulation ◽  
Operational Phase

The building sector is known to have a significant environmental impact, considering that it is the largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions of around 36% and is also responsible for about 40% of global energy consumption. Of this, about 50% takes place during the building operational phase, while around 10–20% is consumed in materials manufacturing, transport and building construction, maintenance, and demolition. Increasing the necessity of reducing the environmental impact of buildings has led to enhancing not only the thermal performances of building materials, but also the environmental sustainability of their production chains and waste prevention. As a consequence, novel thermo-insulating building materials or products have been developed by using both locally produced natural and waste/recycled materials that are able to provide good thermal performances while also having a lower environmental impact. In this context, the aim of this work is to provide a detailed analysis for the thermal characterization of recycled materials for building insulation. To this end, the thermal behavior of different materials representing industrial residual or wastes collected or recycled using Sardinian zero-km locally available raw materials was investigated, namely: (1) plasters with recycled materials; (2) plasters with natural fibers; and (3) building insulation materials with natural fibers. Results indicate that the investigated materials were able to improve not only the energy performances but also the environmental comfort in both new and in existing buildings. In particular, plasters and mortars with recycled materials and with natural fibers showed, respectively, values of thermal conductivity (at 20 °C) lower than 0.475 and 0.272 W/(m⋅K), while that of building materials with natural fibers was always lower than 0.162 W/(m⋅K) with lower values for compounds with recycled materials (0.107 W/(m⋅K)). Further developments are underway to analyze the mechanical properties of these materials.

scholarly journals Development and evaluation of two different lameness models in meat goats, a pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J Reppert ◽  
Michael D Kleinhenz ◽  
Abbie Viscardi ◽  
Shawnee R Montgomery ◽  
Alison R Crane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Plasma Cortisol ◽  
Interphalangeal Joint ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Distal Interphalangeal Joint ◽  
Livestock Species ◽  
Meat Goats ◽  
Distal Interphalangeal ◽  
Maximum Temperatures

Abstract Lameness is a serious health concern for livestock species. Understanding individual animal response to pain and characterization of lameness are critical when developing appropriate treatments. The objectives of this pilot study was to evaluate two different lameness models and measures for determining response to induced lameness in meat goats. Lameness was induced by intraarticular injection into the left hind lateral claw distal interphalangeal joint with either amphotericin B (Amp-B) or kaolin-carrageenan (K-C). Response to lameness was characterized by behavior scoring, visual lameness scoring (VLS), infrared thermography (IRT) of the affected digit, pressure mat gait analysis (PMT), and plasma cortisol (CORT) analysis. Lame goats had higher VLS compared to controls (P = 0.003). Maximum temperatures measured in hooves from lame vs control goats were significantly higher (P = 0.003). Pressure mat analysis demonstrated, when compared to controls, lame goats had decreased force (P = 0.013), impulse (P = 0.007), contact pressure (P = 0.007), and contact area of the left hind limb (P = 0.009). Mean CORT levels 4 and 6 h after lameness induction were higher in lame goats (P = 0.005, P = 0.01). The two lameness methods reliably induced lameness of varying severity in healthy meat goats.

scholarly journals A Methodology Based on FT-IR Data Combined with Random Forest Model to Generate Spectralprints for the Characterization of High-Quality Vinegars

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411
Author(s):  
José Luis P. Calle ◽  
Marta Ferreiro-González ◽  
Ana Ruiz-Rodríguez ◽  
Gerardo F. Barbero ◽  
José Á. Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Protected Designation Of Origin ◽  
Ft Ir

Sherry wine vinegar is a Spanish gourmet product under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Before a vinegar can be labeled as Sherry vinegar, the product must meet certain requirements as established by its PDO, which, in this case, means that it has been produced following the traditional solera and criadera ageing system. The quality of the vinegar is determined by many factors such as the raw material, the acetification process or the aging system. For this reason, mainly producers, but also consumers, would benefit from the employment of effective analytical tools that allow precisely determining the origin and quality of vinegar. In the present study, a total of 48 Sherry vinegar samples manufactured from three different starting wines (Palomino Fino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez wine) were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data were combined with unsupervised exploratory techniques such as hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), as well as other nonparametric supervised techniques, namely, support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF), for the characterization of the samples. The HCA and PCA results present a clear grouping trend of the vinegar samples according to their raw materials. SVM in combination with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) successfully classified 100% of the samples, according to the type of wine used for their production. The RF method allowed selecting the most important variables to develop the characteristic fingerprint (“spectralprint”) of the vinegar samples according to their starting wine. Furthermore, the RF model reached 100% accuracy for both LOOCV and out-of-bag (OOB) sets.

scholarly journals Genomic investigation of a dengue virus outbreak in Thiès, Senegal, in 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Gaye ◽  
Tolla Ndiaye ◽  
Mouhamad Sy ◽  
Awa B. Deme ◽  
Alphonse B. Thiaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Dengue Virus ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Local Circulation ◽  
Viral Genomes ◽  
Genomic Characterization ◽  
The City

AbstractDengue virus is a major and rapidly growing public health concern in tropic and subtropic regions across the globe. In late 2018, Senegal experienced its largest dengue virus outbreak to date, covering several regions. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of dengue virus (DENV) in Senegal. Here we report complete viral genomes from 17 previously undetected DENV cases from the city of Thiès. In total we identified 19 cases of DENV in a cohort of 198 individuals with fever collected in October and November 2018. We detected 3 co-circulating serotypes; DENV 3 was the most frequent accounting for 11/17 sequences (65%), 4 (23%) were DENV2 and 2 (12%) were DENV1. Sequences were most similar to recent sequences from West Africa, suggesting ongoing local circulation of viral populations; however, detailed inference is limited by the scarcity of available genomic data. We did not find clear associations with reported clinical signs or symptoms, highlighting the importance of testing for diagnosing febrile diseases. Overall, these findings expand the known range of DENV in Senegal, and underscore the need for better genomic characterization of DENV in West Africa.

scholarly journals Mineralogical and Microstructure Analysis for Characterization and Provenance of Ceramic Artifacts from Late Helladic Kastrouli Settlement, Delphi (Central Greece)

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Vayia Xanthopoulou ◽  
Ioannis Iliopoulos ◽  
Ioannis Liritzis
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Petrographic Analysis ◽  
Ceramic Assemblage ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Central Greece ◽  
High Calcium ◽  
Local Geology

The present study deals with the characterization of a ceramic assemblage from the Late Mycenaean (Late Helladic III) settlement of Kastrouli, at Desfina near Delphi, Central Greece using various analytical techniques. Kastrouli is located in a strategic position supervising the Mesokampos plateau and the entire peninsula and is related to other nearby coeval settlements. In total 40 ceramic sherds and 8 clay raw materials were analyzed through mineralogical, petrographic and microstructural techniques. Experimental briquettes (DS) made from clayey raw materials collected in the vicinity of Kastrouli, were fired under temperatures (900 and 1050 °C) in oxidizing conditions for comparison with the ancient ceramics. The petrographic analysis performed on thin sections prepared from the sherds has permitted the identification of six main fabric groups and a couple of loners. The aplastic inclusions recognized in all fabric groups but one confirmed the local provenance since they are related to the local geology. Fresh fractures of representative sherds were further examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDS) helping us to classify them into calcareous (CaO > 6%) and non-calcareous (CaO < 6%) samples (low and high calcium was noted in earlier pXRF data). Here, the ceramic sherds with broad calcium separation are explored on a one-to-one comparison on the basis of detailed mineralogical microstructure. Moreover, their microstructure was studied, aiming to estimate their vitrification stage. The mineralogy of all studied samples was determined by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), permitting us to test the validity of the firing temperatures revealed by the SEM analysis. The results obtained through the various analytical techniques employed are jointly assessed in order to reveal potters’ technological choices.

scholarly journals Characterization of Polysaccharidic Associations for Cosmetic Use: Rheology and Texture Analysis

Cosmetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tafuro ◽  
Alessia Costantini ◽  
Giovanni Baratto ◽  
Stefano Francescato ◽  
Laura Busata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Immersion Test ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Natural Polymers ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Textural Parameters ◽  
Complementary Techniques

As public attention on sustainability is increasing, the use of polysaccharides as rheological modifiers in skin-care products is becoming the first choice. Polysaccharide associations can be used to increase the spreading properties of products and to optimize their sensorial profile. Since the choice of natural raw materials for cosmetics is wide, instrumental methodologies are useful for formulators to easily characterize the materials and to create mixtures with specific applicative properties. In this work, we performed rheological and texture analyses on samples formulated with binary and ternary associations of polysaccharides to investigate their structural and mechanical features as a function of the concentration ratios. The rheological measurements were conducted under continuous and oscillatory flow conditions using a rotational rheometer. An immersion/de-immersion test conducted with a texture analyzer allowed us to measure some textural parameters. Sclerotium gum and iota-carrageenan imparted high viscosity, elasticity, and firmness in the system; carob gum and pectin influenced the viscoelastic properties and determined high adhesiveness and cohesiveness. The results indicated that these natural polymers combined in appropriate ratios can provide a wide range of different textures and that the use of these two complementary techniques represents a valid pre-screening tool for the formulation of green products.

scholarly journals The Influence of Cement Substitution by Biomass Fly Ash on the Polymer–Cement Composites Properties

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3079
Author(s):  
Beata Jaworska ◽  
Dominika Stańczak ◽  
Joanna Tarańska ◽  
Jerzy Jaworski
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Combustion Process ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Cement Composites ◽  
Cement Mortars ◽  
Mineral Additive ◽  
Biomass Fly Ash

The generation of energy for the needs of the population is currently a problem. In consideration of that, the biomass combustion process has started to be implemented as a new source of energy. The dynamic increase in the use of biomass for energy generation also resulted in the formation of waste in the form of fly ash. This paper presents an efficient way to manage this troublesome material in the polymer–cement composites (PCC), which have investigated to a lesser extent. The research outlined in this article consists of the characterization of biomass fly ash (BFA) as well as PCC containing this waste. The characteristics of PCC with BFA after 3, 7, 14, and 28 days of curing were analyzed. Our main findings are that biomass fly ash is suitable as a mineral additive in polymer–cement composites. The most interesting result is that the addition of biomass fly ash did not affect the rheological properties of the polymer–cement mortars, but it especially influenced its compressive strength. Most importantly, our findings can help prevent this byproduct from being placed in landfills, prevent the mining of new raw materials, and promote the manufacture of durable building materials.

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