Chromium supplemented carbohydrate diets for Cirrhinus mrigala: effects on body composition, gut enzyme activity and hematological parameters

A ninety days nutritional trial was directed to explore the effects of dietary chromium on body composition, gut enzyme activity and physiological status of Cirrhinus mrigala by using G & NG corn. Six experimental diets were prepared by using different levels of chromium chloride hexahydrate (0, 0.2, 0.4 mg/kg, each with G & NG corn). For this experimental trial, 480 fingerlings, irrespective of sex were distributed in six aquariums each with replicate. Results revealed that gelatinized corn along with increasing level of Cr2Cl3.6H2O have a positive impact upon body composition of fish. Hematology was positively correlated with chromium chloride hexahydrate supplementation in gelatinized corn. Amylase gut enzyme also showed significant (P<0.05) increase in group fed with chromium chloride hexahydrate supplemented diet (G corn). However, corn with chromium chloride hexahydrate supplementation did not revealed any significant impact on gut protease enzyme activity. From these results it can be concluded that both chromium chloride hexahydrate and gelatinized corn in fish feed are very beneficial to improve body composition, enzymes activity and physiological health status of fish.

The behavior of hydrothermally synthesized hematite nanorods prepared on spin coated seed layers

Herein we report on the effect of varied spin-coated seed layer concentrations of Iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O) on the photoelectrochemical performance of hydrothermally synthesized hematite nanorods. The seed layers were prepared from 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.11, and 0.13 M concentrations of FeCl3.6H2O. The nanorods were vertically aligned with slight inclinations over the seed layers with the two lowest molar concentrations (0.05 and 0.07 M) of FeCl3.6H2O. A further increase in seed layer concentrations transformed the nanorods as they grew over others and agglomerated into clusters. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy demonstrated uniform hematite crystalline peaks for all the samples. All samples absorbed highly in the visible region within an onset absorption edge wavelength ranging from 624 to 675 nm. Overall, the nanorods synthesized over the lowest seed layer concentration of 0.05 M of FeCl3.6H2O exhibited the highest photocurrent density of 0.077 mA/cm2 at 1.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. The results obtained provide important information about the structural, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of hematite nanorods synthesized over varied seed layer concentrations. This is a key contribution in understanding and enhancing the hematite nanorods performance for photocatalytic applications.

Features of the crystallization of AlCl3·6H2O in the system AlCl3 – MeClx – HCl – H2O

A laboratory setup has been developed to study the regularities of crystallization of aluminium chloride hexahydrate from hydrochloric acid solutions. The influence of the AlCl3 content in the initial solution, the consumption of gaseous HCl, and the behavior of impurities on the crystallization of AlCl3·6H2O from aluminium chloride solutions of leaching cinder obtained as a result of chlorinating ash burning from thermal power plants in Kazakhstan have been studied. The behavior of impurity metals in the process of crystallization of aluminium chloride solution has been studied, and their distribution between the products of the crystallization process has been established. It is shown that aluminium chloride content in the solution decreases with an increase in the consumption of hydrochloric acid. It was found that under the conditions of crystallization of AlCl3·6H2O, all impurities, except for barium, pass by 98% into the mother liquor. To reduce barium and other impurities in the obtained crystals of AlCl3·6H2O, it is proposed to carry out multiple washing of the crystals with hydrochloric acid (32% HCl). It has been shown that a decrease in the acidity of the washing solution from pH = 10 to pH = 5.5 ensures the isolation of ACH crystals with a minimum content of impurity metals, ppm: 3-5 Ca; 3-6 Fe; 1-3 Mg; 0.1-0.5 Ti; 1-3 Na; 20-30 P2O5. The moisture content of the obtained crystals is 4-5%; the particle size is 400-900 microns. As a result of mathematical processing, regression equations were constructed that adequately predict aluminium chloride content in the solution and its extraction into crystalline hydrate, depending on the consumption of hydrochloric acid. The optimal parameters of the crystallization process have been established: Т = 60 ºС, HCl concentration in the solution - 26-30%, HCl gas consumption = 0.5 l/min, duration 1 hour.

Sustainable Silicon and High Purity Alumina Production from Secondary Silicon and Aluminium Raw Materials through the Innovative SisAl Technology

Calcium aluminate slag produced by the aluminothermic reduction of silica is tested as a candidate raw material for the hydrometallurgical production of pure aluminium chloride hexahydrate (ACH) through leaching with hydrochloric acid. The crystallization of ACH follows by sparging the pregnant liquor with hydrochloric gas. Almost total extraction of Al is achieved with the use of azeotropic HCl acid solution (5.9 M) at 80 °C and 1 h retention time. A pregnant liquor with approximately 20 wt% AlCl3 is produced as a base for ACH crystallization by sparging it with gaseous HCl. The ACH produced is re-dissolved and crystallized three to four times until high purity is achieved. High purity ACH acts as a precursor for producing High Purity Alumina (HPA), a high added value material used in LEDs and lithium-ion batteries and other niche applications.

Chemically Dual-Modified Biochar for the Effective Removal of Cr(VI) in Solution

Here, a dual-modification strategy using KMnO4 (potassium permanganate) and AlCl3·6H2O (aluminum chloride, hexahydrate) as co-modifiers to improve the Cr(VI) removal capacity of K2CO3 activated biochar is introduced. As a result, the dual-modified biochar with KMnO4 and AlCl3·6H2O has the calculated adsorption energy of −0.52 eV and −1.64 eV for HCrO4−, and −0.21 eV and −2.01 eV for Cr2O72−. The Al2O3 (aluminum oxide) and MnO (manganese oxide) embedded on the surface of dual-modified biochar bring more Cr(VI) absorption sites comparing to single-modified biochar, resulting in a maximum Cr(VI) saturated adsorption capacity of 152.86 mg g−1. The excellent removal performance is due to the synthetic effect of electrostatic attraction, reduction reaction, complexation reaction, and physical adsorption. The experimental results also indicated that the spontaneous adsorption process agreed well with the pseudo-second order and Langmuir models. This dual-modification strategy is not limited to the treatment of Cr(VI) with biochar, and may also be incorporated with the treatment of other heavy metals in aqueous environment.

Synthesis and Characterization of NiFe2O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Application

NiFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized by co-precipitation of iron (III) chloride hexahydrate and nickel (II) chloride hexahydrate in the solution containing 45% hydrazine at 80∘C. Phase, morphology, oxidation state and magnetic properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). In this research, pure NiFe2O4 MNPs synthesized in the solution with the pH of 10 with saturation magnetization of 49.839[Formula: see text]emu/g were detected and were able to be used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) application with very high contrast. Highlights:[Formula: see text] NiFe2O4 is used as magnetic nanoparticles. [Formula: see text] They have an excellent saturation magnetization. [Formula: see text] The promising material is used for magnetic resonance imaging application.

A Study of Cordierite Ceramics Synthesis From domestic kaolin

This work aims to study the effect of chlorine ion on the formation of the cordierite phase (2MgO.2Al2O3.5SiO2) from domestic kaolin at various calcined temperatures.. The cordierite phase was synthesized by a solid-state reaction technique from the mixture of kaolin, aluminum nitrate nonahydrate (Al(NO3)3.9H2O), and magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MgCl2.6H2O) which was designed to the stoichiometric composition of cordierite in the absence and presence of chlorine ion (NH4Cl). The structure and formation of cordierite phase were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric - differential thermal analysis (TG-DSC). Phase composition of samples calcined at various temperatures was calculated by using Match! (Version 3.7.0) software. It is noteworthy that the presence of chlorine ion in the mixture declined the formation temperature of cordierite by 50 °C. The cordierite phase was calculated to be 61.3 wt.% and 5.5 wt.% at 1150 °C for the present and absent chlorine ion, respectively. The presence of chlorine ion affected the cordierite formation rate and suppressed the temperature of formation. Cordierite phase could be obtained up to 89.6 wt.% at 1250 °C and 30 wt.% NH4Cl. This investigation found that cordierite ceramic could be synthesized from domestic kaolin at lower temperature by using NH4Cl additive.

Application of Modified Spent Mushroom Compost Biochar (SMCB/Fe) for Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solution

The public is already aware that nitrate pollution caused by nutrient runoff from farms is harmful to aquatic life and human health, and there is an urgent need for a product/technology to solve this problem. A biochar adsorbent was synthesized and used to remove nitrate ions from aqueous media based on spent mushroom compost (SMC), pre-treated with iron (III) chloride hexahydrate and pyrolyzed at 600 °C. The surface properties and morphology of SMCB/Fe were investigated using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of main parameters such as the adsorbent dosages, pH of the solutions, contact times, and ion concentrations on the efficiency of nitrate removal was investigated. The validity of the experimental method was examined by the isothermal adsorption and kinetic adsorption models. The nitrate sorption kinetics were found to follow the pseudo-second-order model, with a higher determination coefficient (0.99) than the pseudo-first-order (0.86). The results showed that the maximum percentage of nitrate adsorption was achieved at equilibrium pH 5–7, after 120 min of contact time, and with an adsorbent dose of 2 g L−1. The highest nitrate adsorption capacity of the modified adsorbent was 19.88 mg g−1.