Black jurema bark powder as new alternative material for treatment of water containing two toxic dyes / Emprego do pó da casca de jurema preta como uma nova alternativa para o tratamento de água contendo dois corantes tóxicos

Black jurema bark powder (BJBP) (Mimosa hostilis Benth) was studied for the removal of textile dyes Methylene Blue (MB) and Indigo Blue (IB) in water. The chemical and physical analysis of BJBP showed a heterogeneous surface with chemical groups capable to interact with MB and IB. The experiments were optimized for use of 1g of BJBP and stirring time of 3 minutes for IB, and 0.5g of BJBP and stirring time of 2 minutes for MB. The maximum adsorptive capacities for IB (115.21 mg/g) and MB (3.50 mg/g), obtained through the Langmuir Mathematical Model, were favorable for the use of BJBP as an adsorbent in water containing both dyes. The results obtained in this work suggest BJBP as a new alternative for the removal of IB and MB in aqueous medium. Besides, this work stimulates new studies to evaluate the BJBP adsorption capacity for other chemical pollutants.

ANÁLISE DO PÓ DA CASCA DE JUREMA PRETA (MIMOSA HOSTILIS BENTH) COMO ADSORVENTE DE CORANTES TÊXTEIS EM MEIO AQUOSO

Introdução: Com o advento da ampliação das indústrias e do desenvolvimento populacional, problemas ambientais tornaram-se cada vez mais recorrentes e graves. Destaca-se a quantidade de efluentes gerados pelas indústrias têxteis, que, caso não mitigados, podem causar sérios problemas relacionados à contaminação ambiental e risco à saúde humana. Dentre os corantes utilizados por indústrias têxteis, destaca-se o azul de metileno (MB), empregado como corante bacteriológico e como indicador químico e o Indigo Blue (IB), usado no tingimento de tecidos. Tendo em vista os problemas gerados pela emissão das corantes, tecnologias que permitam a remoção desses poluentes em água são de extrema importância para o cenário socioambiental. Nessa assertiva, existe o processo de adsorção, que quando aliado a adsorventes de baixo custo operacional se tornam uma alternativa viável de mitigação dos problemas gerados. Objetivo: O objetivo da pesquisa almejou avaliar o potencial do pó da casca de Jurema Preta (Mimosa hostilis Benth) (PCJ) em remover dois corantes têxteis diluídos em água. Material e métodos: Foram feitas análises espectrofotométricas e de microscopia. As Capacidades Máximas Adsortivas (CMA) para os corantes MB e IB foram obtidas através do Modelo Matemático de Langmuir, que permite verificar quantos gramas de corante se aderem a 1g de adsorvente. Resultados: As análises físico-químicas mostraram que este material possui superfície heterogênea (com reentrâncias) e grupamentos químicos capazes de interagir e retirar os poluentes químicos da água. As CMA se revelaram satisfatórias, como comparado e averiguado em outras bibliografias. Além disso, os resultados relacionados as análises demonstraram que é possível obter uma adsorção eficiente de MB e IB quando associados ao PCJ. Porém, notou-se menor CMA para MB (3,5 mg/g) em relação a IB (115,21 mg/g), e isso pode ocorrer, pois as interações físico-químicas entre IB e PCJ podem ser mais fortes que as interações entre PCJ e MB. Conclusão: Sendo assim, os resultados dessa pesquisa sugerem o PCJ como uma nova alternativa na remoção dos corantes MB e IB em meio aquoso, mas havendo necessidade de investigação de outros parâmetros.

Electrocoagulation Applied for Textile Dye Oxidation Using Iron Slag as Electrodes

The Indigo Blue dye is widely used in the textile industry, specifically in jeans dyeing, the effluents of which, rich in organic pollutants with recalcitrant characteristics, end up causing several environmental impacts, requiring efficient treatments. Several pieces of research have been conducted in search of effective treatment methods, among which is electrocoagulation. This treatment consists of an electrochemical process that generates its own coagulant by applying electric current on metallic electrodes, bypassing the use of other chemical products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential use of iron slag in the electrocoagulation of a synthetic effluent containing commercial dye Indigo Blue and the effluent from a textile factory. The quantified parameters were color, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity, sludge generation, phenol removal, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC). The electrocoagulation treatment presented a good efficiency in removing the analyzed parameters, obtaining average removal in the synthetic effluent of 85 % of color and 100 % of phenol after 25 min of electrolysis. For the effluent from the textile factory, average reductions of 80 % of color, 91 % of turbidity, 100 % of phenol, 55 % of COD, and 73 % of TOC were measured after 60 min of electrolysis. The results obtained demonstrate the potential of using iron slag as an electrode in the electrocoagulation process in order to reuse industrial waste and reduce costs in the treatment and disposal of solid waste.

Purple urine bag syndrome: When the urine turns purple – An under diagnosed spot diagnosis

The Purple Urine Bag Syndrome (PUBS) is a rare condition in which the urine turns purple. It may occur in Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) when bacteria metabolize dietary tryptophan to indole resulting in indigo (blue) and indirubin (red). This condition is mostly seen in elderly female patients with permanent urinary bladder catheterization. Patients, relatives and health professionals may be concerned about this discolouration, which is usually harmless. Medical management of PUBS involves frequent urinary bag change, antibiotic therapy and most importantly reassurance. We report an 89-years-old long-term catheterized female nursing home resident who was admitted to the emergency room because of a Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP). After a few days of inpatient treatment her urine bag turned purple. Antibiotic therapy continued and the indwelling urinary catheter was changed resulting in clear urine. Keywords: Purple urine bag syndrome (PUBS); purple discolouration; urinary tract infection (UTI); long-term catheterization.

An explanation of bleach wash on denim cotton fabrics

The process of giving denim special washed or vintage looks and color effects after stitching it into jeans or other garments. Different denim washing methods have been developed and used on various fabrics to produce a wide number of designs for fashionable denim garments and jeans over the last few decades. This study focused on the washing of denim fabrics with bleach and its effects on the denim fabrics. There were a total of three samples of three different structures of denim and bleached each sample in three different shades; light, medium, and dark. Among these samples, two samples were an indigo blue color, the composition of 98% cotton, 2% spandex, GSM–350 and 99% cotton, 1% spandex, GSM–330 respectively. KCI bleach for these two samples has found a good result. Another sample was black, 100% cotton, GSM–290. KCI bleach also applied on it but the result was not desired, bleaching results in a reddish effect over the fabrics, washed the remaining portion of the fabrics in caustic soda and got the desired result.

Maya Blue Used in Wall Paintings in Mexican Colonial Convents of the XVI Century

Maya blue is a well-known pre-Hispanic pigment, composed of palygorskite or sepiolite and indigo blue, which was used by various Mesoamerican cultures for centuries. There has been limited research about its continued use during the Viceroyalty period; therefore, the sixteenth century is the perfect period through which to study the continuity of pre-Hispanic traditions. The fact that the indigenous people were active participants in the construction and decoration of convents makes their wall paintings a good sampling material. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed in samples of blue found in convents across Puebla, Tlaxcala and Morelos in order to identify whether the numerous hues of blue were achieved with Maya blue or with other pigments. We found no copper (Cu) or cobalt (Co) with the XRF, so several pigments, such as azurite, smalt or verdigris, were discarded. With SEM, we discovered that the micromorphology of certain blues was clearly needle-shaped, suggesting the presence of palygorskite or sepiolite. In addition, we found silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) by using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in all blue samples, which also suggests the presence of these magnesium-rich clay minerals. With the XRD samples, we verified that the blues were produced with these two clay minerals, thus confirming that several wall paintings were manufactured with Maya blue. These findings confirm that this particular manmade pre-Hispanic pigment, Maya blue, was an important pigment prior to the Viceroyal period.

Síntese de membranas de fibra oca de Polisulfona/Alumina para o tratamento de água na presença do corante índigo blue

Motivado pelas necessidades tecnológicas e ambientais, os processos de separação por membranas têm exibido uma grande melhora em relação às técnicas tradicionais. Estes benefícios incentivam a aplicação de separações por membranas e estimulam o desenvolvimento em processos de purificação e esterilização nas indústrias farmacêutica e alimentícia, em geral. Além disso, elas são utilizadas no tratamento de água para uso industrial ou urbano, dessalinização, separação de gases, clarificação de sucos, hemodiálise e no tratamento de efluentes. Esta última, é a aplicação que este trabalho se destina, especialmente na separação de água dos corantes têxteis, isto é, o índigo blue. Dessa forma, foram sintetizadas membranas de polisulfona na forma de fibra oca, com teores variados de alumina, para uso no tratamento de efluentes. Foram avaliadas as características morfológicas, a hidrofilicidade, as medidas de fluxo e a medida de turbidez delas. As membranas foram produzidas pelo método da inversão de fase, via extrusão a frio, imersão - precipitação. Os resultados obtidos por filtração indicam que as partículas de alumina podem aumentar o fluxo de água melhorando a hidrofilicidade da membrana. Por MEV, foi verificada uma maior quantidade de poros, de tamanhos menores, com a inserção da alumina na polisulfona. Desse modo, por meio da análise do Turbidímetro, a quantidade de partículas suspensas de índigo blue na membrana com alumina foi menor, visto que os poros destas são menores e em maior quantidade, gerando uma maior remoção do corante. Assim, com o aumento do teor de alumina, foi melhorada a separação entre a água e o corante índigo blue.