Array of MIP-Based Sensor for Fruit Maturity Assessment

Traditionally, fruits are harvested through conventional methods which are based on smell, texture and harvesting time. This analytical technique has many disadvantages in terms of objectivity and subjectivity. By determining various fruits volatile released during pre-matured until matured period, one can actually selectively establish the exact time of a fruit to ripe. The aromatic volatile compounds emitted by Harumanis mango were analyzed using GCMS and found that terpenes hydrocarbon e.g. limonene, α-pinene, β-pinene, α-terpinene, γ-terpinene and 3-carene are the major volatiles that released by the ripe mango. In this work, MIP (Molecularly Imprint Polymer) based sensor array were fabricated and tuned to mango aroma volatiles. HyperChem software simulation is used to obtain key information such as the Binding Energy (ΔE) between the template and the functional monomer that lead to the stable MIP. Designing the MIP using HyperChem is an advantage into saving time and cost compare to trial and error experimental methods. Array of different MIPs template e.g. limonene, α-pinene and β-pinene were synthesis and coated onto the surface of QCMs (Quartz Crystal Microbalance) followed by polymerization and removal of templates molecules that will leave the cavity of selective templates. These QCM arrays are able to distinguish between different terpenes gases released by maturity and ripeness mango due to its selectivity and sensitivity properties of sensor response. The findings of this study is a great breakthrough for the agricultural sector as volatile sensing of chemical markers could determine the optimal harvest time of the local fruits and ensuring the quality and standards.     

Mass transfer and benzene removal from air using latex rubber tubing and a hollow-fiber membrane module

A dense-phase latex rubber tube and a polyporous propylene hollow-fiber membrane module (HFMM) were investigated for control of benzene-contaminated gas streams. The abiotic mass flux observed through the latex tube was 3.9–13 mg/(min·m²) for 150 ppm of benzene at various gas and liquid flow rates, while a 100-fold lower mass flux was observed in the HFMM. After seeding with an aromatic-degrading culture enriched from activated sludge, the observed removal was 80% of 150 ppm, corresponding toa mass flux of 45 mg/(min·m²). The observed mass flux through the HFMM during biofiltration also rose, to 0.4 mg/(min·m²). Because the HFMM had a 50-fold higher surface area than the latex tube, the observed ben zene removal was 99.8%. Compared to conventional biofilters, the two reactors had modest elimination capacities, 2.5–18 g/(m³·h) in the latex tube membrane bioreactor and 4.8–58 g/(m³·h) in the HFMM. Although the HFMM had a higher elimination capacity, the gas-phase pressure drop was much greater.     

Advanced oxidation of aromatic VOCs using a pilot system with electron beam–catalyst coupling

The decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a pilot system of electron beam (EB)–catalyst coupling was investigated. Two aromatic VOCs, toluene (1800 ppmC) and o-xylene (1500 ppmC), were irradiated with a dose range of 0–10 kGy at room temperature. The removal efficiencies for toluene and o-xylene were 92.4% and 94.5%, respectively, under a 10 kGy absorbed dose condition, which were higher than the results of 45.7% and 52.3% when EB-only was used, respectively. The CO₂ selectivity approached 100% for both toluene and o-xylene using the EB-catalyst coupling system, while the concentrations of O₃ formed were 0.02 ppm (toluene) and 0.003 ppm (o-xylene) at 10 kGy. The aerosol concentration was also measured as 43.2 μg/m³ (toluene) and 53.4 μg/m³ (o-xylene) at 10 kGy absorbed dose.     

Application of passive sampling technique in monitoring research on quality of atmospheric air in the area of Tczew,Poland

This paper presents the results of atmospheric air quality research in Tczew (adjacent to the Vistula River) on the content of BTEX compounds. procedure applied during the sampling of the analytes from the air used the passive sampling technique (diffusive passive sampler, Radiello^®). For determination of BTEX compounds in atmospheric air, two-stage thermal desorption technique combined with gas chromatography (TD-GC-FID) was applied.

Research was conducted from March to December 2011. The annual average concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and total xylenes determined in atmospheric air for the monitoring period were: 0.87 μg m^–3, 2.9 μg m^–3, 1.3 μg m^–3 and 5.9 μg m^–3, respectively. In order to pre-identify potential sources of emissions of BTEX compounds, statistical analysis was carried out. This determined interactions between specified concentration levels of BTEX compounds in atmospheric air for the monitored area.     

Performance of fibrous bed bioreactor for treating odorous gas

A fibrous bed bioreactor was used for treatment of odorous volatile fatty acid (VFA). The effect of gaseous VFA (acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) mass loading on the bioreactor performance was investigated. The VFA degrading microbial culture was selected from activated sludge by the three VFAs using a shake-flask culture. The selected microorganisms were then immobilized in a biofilter using cotton fabric as packing material. In the biofiltration experiment, the inlet gas flow rates ranged from 1 to 4 L/min, the total VFA concentrations ranged from 0.10 to 0.43 g/m³, and the resulting total mass loadings of VFA studied ranged from 9.7 to 104.3 g/m³/h. At total mass loading of 104.3 g/m³/h, the VFA removal efficiency was 87.7%. Higher removal efficiencies (>90%) were achieved at mass loadings below 50.3 g/m³/h.     

Viscometric, Acoustical and Spectroscopic Investigation of β-Pinene with Benzene, Toluene, m-Xylene and Mesitylene at 303.15, 308.15 and 313.15 K and Atmospheric Pressure

The densities (ρ), viscosities (η), ultrasonic speeds (u) and spectroscopic data of binary mixtures of benzene, toluene, m-xylene and mesitylene with β-pinene as a common component, over the whole composition range of mole fraction of β-pinene including those of pure components, have been measured at 303.15, 308.15 and 313.15 K, except for the spectroscopic study where the temperature was maintained at 298.15 K. The experimental results deviation in viscosity, deviation in ultrasonic velocity, isentropic compressibility and deviation in isentropic compressibility are discussed in terms of molecular interactions between unlike molecules. The variation of these excess parameters indicates the presence of weak interactions between β-pinene and benzene, toluene, m-xylene and mesitylene molecules. Moreover, the viscosity data are discussed in terms of interaction parameters. The theoretical ultrasonic speed was computed using the Nomoto model, ideal mixing relation, Jacobson’s free length theory and compared with the experimentally measured values. The experimental values are also discussed in terms of FTIR spectroscopy.     

Improved energy compensation for time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A model for improved energy compensation in time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry has been developed and tested. This model includes effects of both the acceleration and drift region on mass resolution for surface desorption TOP mass spectrometers that employ ion mirrors to improve mass resolution. Appropriate placement of an additional stage onto the conventional one- and two-stage mirrors provides compensation for flight time spreads, caused by initial ion kinetic energy distributions, in both regions. Experimental results that validate the model calculations are presented for a modified commercial two-stage ion mirror. For example, m/?m for Na⁺ was improved from ～ 100 to ～ 200 using only a 200-eV drift energy and a 58-cm drift path.     

Isolation and Screening of Microorganisms for R-(+)-Limonene and (−)-β-Pinene Biotransformation

This work is focused on the biotransformation of R-(+)-limonene and (?)-β-pinene to bioflavor production. To carry out the present study, 405 microorganisms were tested for their ability to bioconvert the substrates. From the isolated microorganisms, 193 were selected in the prescreening using mineral medium for limonene degradation. At the screening step, eight strains were able to convert R-(+)-limonene and 15 to transform (?)-β-pinene, both in α-terpineol. The highest concentration in α-terpineol from R-(+)-limonene was about 3,450 mg/L for Penicillium sp. isolated from eucalyptus steam. From (?)-β-pinene, the highest product concentration of 675.5 mg/L was achieved using an Aspergillus sp. strain isolated from orange tree stem.     

Preparation of a transparent thin-film photocatalyst for elimination of VOC

A transparent and highly porous thin-film photocatalyst was prepared using the dipcoating method with the thermal decomposition of titanium alkoxide complex. The photocatalyst film obtained was formed with aggregated nano-sized TiO₂ single anatase crystals, and this film had a large surface area. Film thickness was 0.2–4.4 μm. A thick film (about 4.4 μm thickness) was also transparent. The average specific surface area of the film was ca. 70 m²/g. The crystalline phase of TiO₂ was anatase alone for calcinations over 400°C. The photocatalytic ability of the films was almost equal to the same weight of P25 on coated glass plates. The films decomposed 100 ppm of toluene and p-xylene (using a 1-1 size batch-type photo-reactor).     

Production of vibrationally excited OH in chemiluminescent reactions of ozone with monoterpenes

Emission from vibrationally excited OH molecules (Meinel bands) has been observed in chemiluminescent gas-phase reactions of ozone with myrcene, α-phellandrene, α-pinene, limonene and linallol. In addition emission from HCHO(¹A₂) and methylglyoxal(³A_u) has also been identified in reactions with myrcene, α-pinene and α-phellandrene.     

Palladium catalyzed transformations of monoterpenes: stereoselective deuteriation and oxidative dimerization of camphene

Camphene undergoes a highly regio and stereoselective palladium catalyzed deuteriation in deuteriated acetic acid solutions of Pd(OAc)₂. NMR reveals that an outward oriented vinylic hydrogen is selectively exchanged for ²H, resulting in 90% camphene-d₁ (ca. 100% stereoselectivity) and 10% camphene-d₂ at 75% conversion of camphene (6 h, 25 °C). Neither π-allyl nor π-olefin palladium complexes are formed in detectable concentrations during the reaction, whereas palladium hydride (singlet at −6.86 ppm) and palladium deuteride (singlet at −6.78 ppm) intermediates have been detected by ¹H and ²H NMR, respectively. At higher temperature, oxidative coupling of camphene readily occurs giving the (E,E)-diene, i.e., bis(3,3-dimethyl-2-norbornylidene)ethane, which formally originates by abstracting the outward oriented vinylic hydrogens and coupling the resulting fragments of two camphene molecules. The reaction is catalytic at palladium in the Pd(OAc)₂-LiNO₃(cat)-O₂ and Pd(OAc)₂-benzoquinone systems. Similar mechanisms for the deuteriation and oxidative coupling of camphene are proposed, which involve the formation of σ-vinyl palladium hydride intermediates. No deuteriation neither oxidative coupling of limonene, myrcene and β-pinene were observed under the same conditions.     

Ternary liquid–liquid equilibria for (water + terpene + 1-propanol or 1-butanol) systems at the temperature 298.15 K

Liquid–liquid equilibria and tie-lines for the ternary (water + 1-propanol + α-pinene, β-pinene or limonene) and (water + 1-butanol + α-pinene, β-pinene or limonene) mixtures have been measured at T = 298.15 K. The experimental ternary liquid–liquid equilibrium data have been successfully represented using the additional ternary parameters as well as the binary parameters in terms of the extended and modified UNIQUAC models.     

Removal of organics from produced water by reverse osmosis using MFI-type zeolite membranes

Separation of an organics/water mixture was carried out by reverse osmosis using an α-alumina-supported MFI-type zeolite membrane. The organic rejection performance is strongly dependent on the ionic species and dynamic size of dissolved organics. The membrane showed high rejection efficiency for electrolytes such as pentanoic acid. An organic rejection of 96.5% with a water flux of 0.33 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ was obtained for 100 ppm pentanoic acid solution at an operation pressure of 2.76 MPa. For non-electrolyte organics, separation efficiency is governed by the molecular dynamic size; the organics with larger molecular dynamic size show higher separation efficiency. The zeolite membrane gives an organic rejection of 99.5% and 17% for 100 ppm toluene and 100 ppm ethanol, respectively, with a water flux of 0.03 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, 0.31 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ at an operation pressure of 2.76 MPa. It was observed that organic rejection and water flux were affected by the organic concentration. As pentanoic acid concentration increased from 100 ppm to 500 ppm, both organic rejection and water flux decreased slightly.     

Solution-phase synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbon as resonant-gravimetric sensing material for room-temperature H_2S detection

H_2S can cause multiple diseases and poses a great threat to human health.However,the precise detection of extremely toxic H_2S at room temperature is still a great challenge.Here,a facile solvent evaporation induced aggregating assembly(EIAA) method has been applied for the production of ordered mesoporous carbon(OMCs) in an acidic THF/H_2 O solution with high-molecular-weight poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene(PEO-b-PS) copolymers as the structure-directing agent,formaldehyde and resorcinol as carbon precursors.Along with the continuous evaporation of THF from the mixed solution,cylindrical micelles are formed in the solution and further assemble into highly ordered mesostructure.The obtained OMCs possesses a two-dimensional(2 D) hexagonal mesostructure with uniform and large pore diameter(～19.2 nm),high surface area(599 m~2/g),and large pore volume(0.92 cm~3/g).When being used as the resonant cantilever gas sensor for room-temperature H_2S detection,the OMCs has delivered not only a superior gas sensing performance with ultrafast re s ponse(14 s) and recovery(21 s) even at low concentration(2 ppm) but also an excellent selectivity toward H_2S among various common interfering gases.Moreover,the limit of detection is better than 0.2 ppm,indicating its potential application in environmental monitoring and health protection.     

Development of a method for the monitoring of odor‐causing compounds in atmospheres surrounding wastewater treatment plants

This study describes the development of an analytical method based on active collection in a multisorbent Tenax TA/Carbograph 1TD tube, followed by thermal desorption and GC‐MS for the determination of 16 volatile organic compounds in air samples. The analyzed compounds include ozone precursors and odor‐causing compounds belonging to different chemical families (sulfur‐ and nitrogen‐containing compounds, aldehydes, and terpenes). Two types of sorbents were tested and desorption conditions (temperature, time, and sampling, and desorption flow) were evaluated. External calibration was carried out using the multisorbent bed. Method detection limits in the range 0.2–2.0 μg m^?3 for 1 L samples were obtained. The method was applied for determining the target compounds in air samples from two different wastewater treatment plants. Most compounds were detected and toluene, limonene, and nonanal were found in particularly high concentrations with maximum values of 438, 233, and 382 μg m^?3, respectively.     

A kinetic study and application of electro-Fenton process for the remediation of aqueous environment containing toluene in a batch reactor

In this work, the degradation and mineralization of toluene (TOL) in synthetic wastewater were studied by electro-Fenton process in a batch reactor. Also the impact of operational factors such as applied current, electrolysis time, concentration of TOL and Ferrous ion have been explored on the removal of toluene. In optimum conditions, the removal efficiency of TOL and total organic carbon (TOC) were 94.5 and 32.3% after 60 min of reaction. Based on the kinetic study the pseudo first-order rate constant for the removal of toluene and TOC was obtained at k = 5.90 × 10^?2 and 9.8 × 10^?3 min^?1, respectively.     

Simulation of the Radiation-Chemical Conversion of Mercury Vapor in Power-Plant Flue Gases in the Presence of Hydrogen Chloride

The effect of HCl on the conversion of mercury vapor in the electron-beam treatment of power-plant flue gases for removing nitrogen and sulfur oxides was investigated. A kinetic scheme for the process consists of the liquid-phase oxidation of Hg by O₃molecules and OH radicals followed by the adsorption of liquid-phase oxidation products on soot particles, which are removed from the gas flow using filters. It was found that almost complete removal of mercury vapor is attained at typical radiation doses and process temperatures at soot concentrations higher than 100 g/m³(STP). At a soot concentration lower than 100 g/m³(STP) and an HCl concentration higher than 50 mg/m³(STP) in the gas phase, biologically active HgCl₂is formed in considerable amounts.     

The influence of water on the isomerization of α-pinene in a supercritical aqueous-alcoholic solvent

The influence of water as a cosolvent and catalyst of the isomerization of α-pinene in a supercritical aqueous-alcoholic (ethanol) solvent was studied experimentally. At T = 657 K and p = 230 atm, an increase in the concentration of water in the reaction mixture was found to increase the rate of the reaction and its selectivity with respect to the desired product, limonene. Water exhibited the properties of an acid catalyst because of its ionization. Mathematical experimental data processing was performed to evaluate and separate the contributions of the radical and ionic paths to the total rate of the reactions that occurred during the thermal isomerization of α-pinene.     

Phenolic profile,antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory activity of Anethum graveolens L. essential oil

This study reports the chemical composition, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Anethum graveolens essential oil and its main compounds. The essential oil was obtained from the aerial parts of the plant by hydrodistillation and analysed by using GC/MS. α-Phellandrene (19.12%), limonene (26.34%), dill ether (15.23%), sabinene (11.34%), α-pinene (2%), n-tetracosane (1.54%), neophytadiene (1.43%), n-docosane (1.04), n-tricosane (1%), n-nonadecane (1%), n-eicosane (0.78%), n-heneicosane (0.67%), β-myrcene (0.23%) and α-tujene (0.21%) were found to be the major constituents of the oil. A. graveolens oil exhibit a higher activity in each antioxidant system with a special attention for β-carotene bleaching test (IC₅₀: 15.3 μg/mL) and reducing power (EC₅₀: 11.24 μg/mL). The TLC-bioautography screening and fractionation resulted in the separation of the main antioxidant compounds, which were identified as limonene (45%) and sabinene (32%). The essential oil and its main compounds exhibited a potent NO-scavenging effect and inhibited the expression of inducible NO synthase.     

紫外光解强化生物滤塔去除疏水性α-蒎烯的传质及降解动力学分析

利用紫外光解（UV）作为预处理工艺来强化生物过滤塔（BF）和生物滴滤塔（BTF）对疏水性化合物α-蒎烯的去除,基于试验数据对滤塔内α-蒎烯的传质行为和微生物活性进行了模型和理论分析.Michaelis-Menten动力学分析表明,α-蒎烯在UV-BTF内的气相饱和常数为1.0gm-3,是其在BTF内的20倍,而α-蒎烯在BF内的气相饱和常数略大于UV-BF内相应数值.UV-BTF的理论临界进气浓度为555.22mgm-3,高于其他处理系统.微生物代谢活性和比耗氧速率分析表明,UV-BTF内的微生物世代时间明显缩短,α-蒎烯及其光解产物的最大比耗氧速率分别达到了1.16、0.34、0.41和0.25mgO2mg-1DWh-1,略高于其他处理系统中相应数值的150%-200%.以上模型拟合数据从理论上说明UV光解工艺能减轻α-蒎烯在BTF内的传质抑制效应,进而提高整体宏观去除能力;但是由于BF工艺的自身特性和累积臭氧的毒害效应,UV光解不适合作为BF的预处理工艺.