Differential Pulse Voltammetry as an Alternative Method for Tracking Hydrochlorothiazide Electrolytic Degradation

This study aims to compare differential pulse voltammetry as a tracking method with chromatography and photometry. The three methods were used to track the degradation of the model compound hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) where 250ml of 0.50mM HCT solution (pH of 3.50 and ionic strength of 0.010M) was electrolyzed with 50.0mAmp constant current. The degradation process demonstrated great fit (R2 >0.99) with pseudo-first-order kinetics when the three tracking methods were utilized. However, different rate constants were reported for these methods: 0.032min-1, 0.016 min-1, and 0.0052min-1 for the chromatographic, photometric, and voltammetric techniques, respectively. The observed variation was attributed to the nature of the utilized probing methods. The differential pulse voltammetry is promising as an electrolytic decomposition tracking method; however, the working probe to target pollutants needs to be improved.

Immobilization of heavy Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous discharges

Jordanian sand deposits are naturally available in enormous amounts, located in Sweileh area, West Amman, which are mainly composed of low costs constituents from silica, Kaolin Clay, and metal oxides. A novel and simple methodology is presented for preparation, characterization, and behavior assessment of the potential nano-Kaolinite/ Silica oxides composites (nKSOC), for the immobilization of heavy Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions’ discharges. In this study, the synthesis of nKSOC composites was conducted from the Jordanian sand deposits, mechanically reduced in size and then chemically acid-activated at room temperature, for the scope of wastewater purification through adsorption of heavy Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from an aqueous medium. The synthesized nKSOC were subjected to analytical techniques; X-ray diffraction (XRD) and size reduction, to deduce their appropriate characterizations. Key parameters, considered for the enhancement of the adsorption technique, were pH, initial metal ions concentration, contact time, sorbent's dosage, and temperature. Experimental data were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, for the prediction of the adsorption behavior. Langmuir isotherms reproduce the experimental data with a maximum adsorption capacity of 172.4 (mg/gadsorbent) and 158.7 (mg/gadsorbent) for Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively, under unchangeable conditions of the constant temperature of 303K and slightly acidic pH in the range of 5.5 - 6. The adsorption of heavy metal ions was spontaneous and endothermic; (∆Ho) (7.47 kJ/mol) and 7.87 (kJ/mol) for Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively, and with negative Gibbs free energy (∆Go), the adsorption process is performed under mild conditions. In virtue of these remarkable findings, nKSOC could be effectively used as a low-prized adsorbent to uptake heavy Pb(II) and Cd (II) metals from aqueous waste media.

Precipitation of Solid Waste in Olive Mill Wastewater by Coagulation using Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

This study aimed to use a chemical coagulant to treat Olive Mill Wastewater (OMW) in such a way as to improve and expedite the process of precipitating the solid waste material present in the wastewater. This process is of extreme importance in harvesting the solid material that can be used as domestic or industrial fuel material and as a supplement to animal feed. The chemical coagulant used in this study was calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The effect of the addition of this coagulant on some physical properties of olive mill wastewater (OMW) such as pH, electrical conductance (EC), the precipitated amount of the total suspended solids (TSS), and the higher heating value (HHV) of the precipitated solids was studied. It was found that small amounts of CaCO3 need to be added to affect the operation. The study results showed that the optimum value to be used was around three wt/wt %.

Evaluation of Physical and Chemical Properties of Poultry Sludge and its Suitability for Reuse in Agricultural and Non-Agricultural Applications

Disposal of poultry sludge is one of the great challenges facing cities because of very strict requirements for landfilling and the scarcity of space for landfills. The present study was therefore aimed at evaluating the physical and chemical properties of poultry sludge and its suitability for reuse in agricultural and non-agricultural applications. Three samples were collected from sludge at the wastewater treatment plant of Al-Thuraya slaughterhouse in Al-Mafraq District, Jordan. The physical and biochemical properties of these samples were analyzed. Also, elemental composition and heat value were determined. The results indicated that poultry sludge had a slightly alkaline pH and a total moisture content of 20%, as well as an average total solid of 80%. The dry solid sludge had a volatile solid content of 94.9% and 5.1% of ash. Also, dry sludge had a high protein content (62 %) followed by carbohydrate (20%) and fiber (17%), with fat being around 1%. The major elements in the sludge were carbon (65.5%) followed by nitrogen (16%), phosphorous (5 %) and sulfur (2%). Heavy metal concentrations in dry sludge ranged from 0.01 to 2 mg/kg. These heavy metal concentrations were well below the safe limits recommended by legislators for sludge used as a fertilizer. The findings from this study revealed that dry poultry sludge offers a wide range of potential uses as fertilizer, animal feed and a source of energy, and it should be considered as a potentially valuable and sustainable resource rather than a waste product.

Methane Dissociation Over the Rh-Decorated Ni(100) Surface: A Density Functional Theory Investigation

The mechanism of methane dissociation on an Rh-decorated Ni(100) surface has been investigated Using density functional theory. The study includes the determination of the most stable adsorbate/adsorbent configurations of the species associated with subsequent reactions and generating the energy surface for 𝐶𝐻4 dissociation process. The Rhdecorated Ni(100) surface was found to be more favorable for the process than the NiRh(111) configuration, mainly due to lower the activation energy of 𝐶𝐻 decomposition reaction by 48.5%, leading to a higher conversion of 𝐶𝐻4 to carbon and hydrogen

Process Safety Management Strategies and Risk Assessment

The benefits of achieving excellent process safety prevent or mitigate incidents. Well, the decision-making process has a benefit on risk reduction. This paper guides how an effective system can be established to develop methods and models for mandatory safety and a healthful workplace. The success of health and safety management depends on the discipline, commitment, and participation of all employees to ensure the success of management strategies and ensure the reduction of significant risks. The sustainability challenges are increasingly by evaluating risk and process safety due to the differences in the knowledge and experiences. Failure Mode and Effective Analysis (FMEA) combined with risk management principles provide an overall assessment to express the deviation that might occur in the process before failure and distinguish the importance of risk factors. This article intended to provide a method for integrating an organization's safety and health regardless of its size and work contributed to regulations and requirements. The benefits to implementing this model in the company will show returns in the investment. The main challenges include identification and discussion of the potential risks, in addition, to the collaborative of researchers between environmental protection and process system leading to the reliability and better understanding of the existing safety concepts.

Study Of The Stability Of Water-In-Oil Emulsion Intended for the Extraction of Heavy Metals Application: Copper Ions

This work aims to optimize the parameters that affect the stability of a W/O emulsion to exploit it in the extraction of heavy metals contained in the liquid effluents. The study of the emulsion stability shows that; an emulsification time of 10 minutes, a surfactant concentration of Span80 equal to 3% (w/w), an extractant concentration of Triethylamine N(CH2CH3)3 equal to 5% (w/w), an internal phase concentration of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) of 0.75M, a volume ratio of membrane phase to internal phase of 1, a volume ratio of external phase to the emulsion of 20 and a stirring speed of 180 rpm; lead to the formation of a very stable emulsion with a very low rupture rate of around 1.92% after one hour of contact time. The results of extraction of copper ions revealed that under the best operational conditions, the extraction yield was closed to 93.33% for 20% extractant content, a contact time of 12 minutes, and an initial concentration of copper ions of 400 ppm. The application of this new membrane matrix based on phosphoric acid used as inner phase, sorbitan monooleate as a surfactant, and Triethylamine as extractant has been proven effective for extracting copper ions in water.

Influence of Temperature on CO₂ and H₂S Corrosion Rates of Steel Pipelines Using Alloy-Select Software in the Lebanese Oil and Gas Offshore Environment

By referring to the fact that corrosion rates alter upon variation of different conditions and no research relevant to Lebanon address corrosion issues yet, this study was conducted based on accurate Lebanese offshore data and water composition. Based on "Alloy Select Software", identifying the most suitable material from different alloys was revealed, which turned out to be Copper and Aluminum based alloys. Moreover, corrosion rates were detected under different conditions of Temperature, CO₂, and H₂S and then repeated in the presence of a corrosion inhibitor. Results of these studies proved the significant influence of high temperature accompanied with high CO₂ percentage. However, different results concerning low temperature with different percentages of H₂S were obtained.