Convection-aided collection of metal ions using chelating porous flat-sheet membranes

Chelating porous membranes were prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization of an epoxy-group-containing monomer onto a polyethylene flat sheet and subsequent conversion of the epoxy group to an iminodiacetate group as a chelate-forming group. The chelating group density on the resultant porous flat-sheet membrane of 1.0 mol/kg was comparable to that of commercially available chelating beads. The pure water permeability of the membrane was 40% that of the trunk porous membrane, which was used for microfiltration. During the permeation of a copper chloride solution through the membrane, diffusional mass-transfer resistance of copper ion was negligible, since the ion was transported by convective flow through the pore. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the membranes were measured as a function of dose of electron-beam irradiation, the degree of grafting, and the chelating group density to determine an applicable range for practical use.     

An observation of palladium membrane formation on a porous stainless steel substrate by electroless deposition

The membranes made of palladium and its alloys are used for the extraction of high quality hydrogen from a mixture of gases. Most of recent research is focused on the development technologies for depositing a durable ultra-thin palladium membrane on a porous substrate in order to assure a good mechanical support and maximize the flux of hydrogen permeation. The formation of a palladium membrane deposited on a porous stainless steel substrate by an electroless process is recorded and described in this paper. The palladium deposition progress around the pore area at the surface of the substrate in the initial stages is illustrated. A bridge model is presented to describe the membrane formation around the pore area of the substrate. This model, together with the micrographs showing the deposition progress on the pore areas, will lead to the control of the deposition process for a membrane fabrication as well as the design and modification of a substrate.     

Facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on urea-based porous organic polymers and its catalytic properties in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling

By using urea linked porous organic polymers as template, a new nano palladium catalyst with low Pd loading can be easily prepared (1.0 wt% Pd only). Although such less amount of Pd was contained in this new catalyst, it is still an effective catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of aryl iodines and aryl boric acids, affording biphenyl products in excellent yields with outstandingly enhanced turnover numbers (up to 10,536) under green solvent (water).     

A hollow-fiber membrane extraction process for recovery and separation of lactic acid from aqueous solution

An energy-efficient hollow-fiber membrane extraction process was successfully developed to separate and recover lactic acid produced in fermentation. Although many fermentation processes have been developed for lactic acid production, and economical method for lactic acid recovery from the fermentation broth is still needed. Continuous extraction of lactic acid from a simulated aqueous stream was achieved by using Alamine 336 in 2-octanol contained in a hollow-fiber membrane extractor. In this process, the extractant was simultaneously regenerated by stripping with NaOH in a second membrane extractor, and the final product is a concentrated lactate salt solution. The extraction rate increased linearly with an increase in the Alamine 336 content in the solvent (from 5 to 40%). Increasing the concentration of the undissociated lactic acid in the feed solution by either increasing the lactate concentration (from 5 to 40 g/L) or decreasing the solution pH (from 5.0 to 4.0) also increased the extraction rate. Based on these observations, a reactive extraction model with a first-order reaction mechanism for both lactic acid and amine concentrations was proposed. The extraction rate also increased with an increase in the feed flow rate, but not the flow rates of solvent and the stripping solution, suggesting that the process was not limited by diffusion in the liquid films or membrane pores. A mathematical model considering both diffusion and chemical reaction in the extractor and back extractor was developed to simulate the process. The model fits the experimental data well and can be used in scale up design of the process.     

Separation of U and Pu in spent nuclear fuel sample using anion-exchange-group-introduced porous polymer sheet for ICP-MS determination

Anion-exchange porous sheets were prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization and subsequent chemical modifications. A diethylamino (DEA) group as an anion-exchange group was introduced into the polymer chain grafted onto a porous sheet. The DEA group-introduced porous sheet was cut into disks 13 mm in diameter and 3 mm in thickness to fit an empty cylindrical cartridge (DEA cartridge). The DEA sheet had a DEA group of 3.4 mol/kg of the DEA-group-containing porous sheet and a linear velocity of 46 m/h at a permeation pressure of 0.1 MPa at 298 K. The adsorption capacity of the DEA cartridge for FeCl₄⁻ as a model ion in equilibrium with 1 g-Fe(III)/L in 10 M HCl was 0.17 mmol-Fe(III)/DEA cartridge. No Pu leakage during the permeation of 5 mL of 10 M HCl-0.1 M HNO₃ containing Pu ionic species through the DEA cartridge was observed irrespective of the permeation rate ranging from 0.3 to 80 mL/min. A solution containing known amounts of ²³³U, ²⁴⁰Pu, and ²⁴¹Am in 10 M HCl-0.1 M HNO₃ was loaded onto the DEA cartridge. U and Pu were retained on the DEA cartridge, while Am was allowed to pass through the DEA cartridge. Subsequently, 7 M HNO₃ and 1 M HCl as eluents were permeated to elute U and Pu from the DEA cartridge, respectively. The decontamination factor of U in a Pu fraction, defined by dividing the activity of U in the feed solution by that of U in the Pu fraction, was 2.7 × 10⁵, which is desirable for the highly accurate ICP-MS determination of Pu for samples containing both U and Pu. The method using the DEA cartridge was validated by measuring isotopic compositions and quantities of U and Pu in a spent nuclear fuel sample by double-focusing magnetic sector ICP-MS.     

High-speed recovery of germanium in a convection-aided mode using functional porous hollow-fiber membranes

A porous hollow-fiber membrane capable of recovery of germanium from a liquid stream was prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization of an epoxy-group-containing vinyl monomer, glycidyl methacrylate, and subsequent functionalization with 2,2'-iminodiethanol, di-2-propanolamine, N-methylglucamine, and 3-amino-1,2-propanediol. The functional group density was as high as 1.4 mol per kg of the resultant hollow fiber. The polymer chains containing functional groups surrounding the pores enabled a high-speed recovery of germanium during permeation of a germanium oxide (GeO2) solution through the pores of the hollow fiber. Because of a negligible diffusional mass-transfer resistance, germanium concentration changes with the effluent volume, i.e., breakthrough curves, overlapped irrespective of the residence time of the solution, which ranged from 0.37 to 3.7 s across the hollow fiber. After repeated use of adsorption and elution, the adsorption capacity did not deteriorate.     

Adsorption of graphene oxide/chitosan porous materials for metal ions

Porous graphene oxide/chitosan（PGOC） materials were prepared by a unidirectional freeze-drying method.Their porous structure,mechanical property and adsorption for metal ions were investigated.The results show that the incorporation of graphene oxide（GO） significantly increased the compressive strength of the PGOC materials.The saturated adsorption capacity of Pb²⁺ increased about 31%,up to 99 mg/g when 5 wt%GO was incorporated These biodegradable,nontoxic,efficient PGOC materials will be a potential adsorbent for metal ions in aqueous solution.     

Adsorption of nucleic acid bases on clays: an investigation using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and FT-IR spectroscopy

In the present paper, the adsorption of nucleic acid bases (A, adenine; C, cytosine; U, uracil; and T, thymine) on clays (bentonite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite) was studied at different pH (2.00 and 7.20). It should be pointed out there is no reported study of adsorption of nucleic acid bases on clays using seawater (with the major elements), and a wide range of pH. The main finding of this study was that the ratio of A and T adsorbed on clays ranged from 4.68 to 25.1, much higher than the ratio of their occurrence in organisms ranging from 0.95 to 1.05. The weaker adsorption of U and T on clays raises the question of the possibility of a genetic code based on purines only. The FT-IR spectra at pH 2.00 showed that the interaction of A, C, T, and U with the clays occurs through positively charged, protonated groups. Correspondence: Dr. Dimas A. M. Zaia, Departamento de Química-CCE, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, 86051-990 Londrina-PR, Brazil.     

Modified liquid displacement method for determination of pore size distribution in porous membranes

A new method called constant pressure liquid displacement method (CPLM) was developed and tested to measure the pore size distribution of porous membranes. The permeability, defined as a ratio of the flow rate to the pressure applied, used to be assumed constant either for a conventional liquid displacement method or for a bubble point method, leading to the erroneous interpretation of the pore size distribution. However, it was possible to eliminate such an assumption by measuring the flow rates experimentally at a standard low pressure through the pores penetrated with a permeating liquid according to the proposed method. The pore size distribution for a hydrophobic PVDF membrane was successfully measured by the CPLM and compared with those measured by two different methods such as the conventional liquid displacement method and the mercury intrusion method.     

Permeability control of metal ions using temperature- and pH-sensitive gel membranes

Temperature- and pH-sensitive copolymer gels were synthesized by the simultaneously occurring radiation-induced polymerization and self-bridging of acryloyl- -proline methyl ester (A-ProOMe) with acrylic acid (AAc) in aqueous solutions. The gel swelling behavior and the metal permeation characteristic of its gel membrane were investigated with regard to very slight changes of temperature and pH. The pH threshold of the swelling of a copoly(A-ProOMe/AAc, 70/30 mol%) gel in the range of 5–30°C lay in the region between pH 4.0 and 5.0. The permeability results of metal ions showed that at 40°C the gel membrane blocks the permeation of lithium (Li) and cesium (Cs) ions at pH values lower than 4.75 and 4.60, respectively. The permselectivity (P_Li/Cs value) of the two metal ions at 30°C was also studied and, as a result, its value was obtained to be 1.33 at pH 4.65 and 30°C. This permeation study indicates that the selective metal separation of copoly(A-ProOMe/AAc) gel membranes can be controlled by changing temperature and pH values.     

中空纤维液相微萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定儿童玩具中6种致敏香豆素类化合物

建立了超高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定儿童玩具中6种致敏香豆素类化合物(香豆素、7-甲基香豆素、7-甲氧基香豆素、7-乙氧基-4-甲基香豆素、4,6-二甲基-8-叔丁基香豆素和六氢香豆素)的分析方法。样品前处理采用中空纤维液相微萃取技术,优化后的萃取实验条件为:萃取剂正辛醇,搅拌速度700 r/min,萃取时间50 min,氯化钠加入量0.7 g。萃取液经ACQUITY UPLC BEH Phenyl色谱柱(150 mm×2.1 mm,1.7μm)分离,目标化合物在电喷雾离子源正离子模式下电离,采用多反应监测模式进行定性定量分析。结果表明,6种致敏香豆素类化合物的定量限为2μg/kg(7-乙氧基-4-甲基香豆素、4,6-二甲基-8-叔丁基香豆素)或10μg/kg(香豆素、六氢香豆素、7-甲基香豆素、7-甲氧基香豆素),在10~120μg/kg范围内不同加标水平下的平均回收率为70.8%~118.9%,相对标准偏差为0.19%~16.34%(n=6)。该法准确、灵敏、可靠,适用于玩具产品的实际检验工作和产品质量控制。     

Simulation of an ultrafiltration process of bovine serum albumin in hollow-fiber membranes

This work presents a numerical simulation of an ultrafiltration process of bovine serum albumin in solution, using hollow-fiber membranes. Such membranes are constituted of tiny polymer cylinders disposed in a tube-and-shell arrangement. The concentrate flows through the interior of the fibers and the pure solvent is recovered in the shell, assuming perfect solute rejection. In modeling the process, the flow of concentrate inside the fibers was considered to be laminar, with constant density, viscosity and solute diffusivity. Axial diffusion and angular effects were ignored. The model combines the effect of concentration polarization and adsorption, which are the two main limiting phenomena in ultrafiltration processes. The pressure on the shell side was considered constant and inside the fibers a linear pressure profile, dependent on the axial position, was adopted. The solution of the problem was achieved with the method of orthogonal collocation, with adequate choice of the weight function in the radial direction. In the axial direction, a finite-difference method was used. The numerical results were compared with experimental data available in the literature.     

Preconcentrative separation of palladium(II) using palladium(II) ion-imprinted polymer particles formed with different quinoline derivatives and evaluation of binding parameters based on adsorption isotherm models

Palladium(II) ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) materials were synthesized by thermally polymerizing the ternary complexes of palladium(II) with amino (AQ) or hydroxy (HQ) or mercapto (MQ) derivatives of quinoline and 4-vinyl-pyridine. The functional and crosslinking monomers used during polymerization were 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). 2,2′-Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and 2-methoxy ethanol were used as the initiator and porogen, respectively. The resulting polymer materials were dried in an oven at 80 °C, ground and sieved to obtain IIP particles which were then subjected to leaching with 50% (v/v) HCl to obtain the leached palladium(II) IIP particles. Control polymer (CP) particles were also prepared by following the above procedure described for IIP particles. The CP particles, unleached and leached AQ-based IIP particles were then characterized by IR, XRD and microanalysis studies. Analytical studies such as preconcentration of palladium(II) from dilute aqueous solutions and separation studies in the presence of selected noble and base metals which co-exist with palladium(II) in its ore or mineral deposits were systematically studied using CP and IIP particles and are compared. AQ-based IIP particles gave higher percent extraction and selectivity coefficients compared to HQ- or MQ-based IIP particles. Five replicate determinations of 25 μg of palladium(II) present in 500 ml of aqueous solution, when subjected to preconcentration and determination by iodide-Rhodamine 6G procedure gave a mean absorbance of 0.104 with a relative standard deviation of 2.25%. The detection limit corresponding to three times the standard deviation of the blank was found to be 5.0 μg of palladium(II) per litre. The rebinding studies using AQ-, HQ- and MQ-based IIPs were carried out and were fitted to the different adsorption isotherm models, viz. Langmuir (L), Freundlich (F) and Langmuir-Freundlich (LF). These adsorption models were used for the evaluation of binding parameters and in elucidating the nature and type of bonding in the IIPs. The results of rebinding experiments showed discrimination between the three IIPs based on the donor atoms of the ligands.     

Gas hydrate equilibrium dissociation conditions in porous media using two thermodynamic approaches

We employ two thermodynamic approaches, based on the equal fugacities and the equal activities, to predict the gas hydrate equilibrium dissociation conditions in the porous media. The predictions are made for the hydrate systems, CH₄/H₂O, C₂H₆/H₂O, C₃H₈/H₂O, CO₂/H₂O, CH₄/CO₂/H₂O, C₃H₈/CH₄/C₂H₆/H₂O, and CH₄/CH₃OH/H₂O. For the non-hydrate phase, we used the Trebble–Bishnoi equation in the fugacity approach and the Soave–Redlich–Kwong equation in the activity approach. For the hydrate phase, the van der Waals–Platteeuw model incorporated with the capillary model of Llamedo et al. [M. Llamedo, R. Anderson, B. Tohidi, Am. Mineral. 89 (2004) 1264–1270] was used in the two approaches. The predictions are found to be in satisfactory to good agreement with the experimental data. The predictive ability of the fugacity approach is better than that of the activity approach.     

Predicting adsorption isotherms of asphaltenes in porous materials

In this paper we present a molecular thermodynamics approach for the modeling of adsorption isotherms of asphaltenes adsorbed on Berea sandstone, Bedford limestone and dolomite rock, using a model for bulk asphaltenes precipitation and a quasi-two-dimensional approach for confined fluids [E. Buenrostro-González, C. Lira-Galeana, A. Gil-Villegas, J. Wu, AIChE J., 50 (2004) 2552–2570; A. Martínez, M. Castro, C. McCabe A. Gil-Villegas, J. Chem. Phys. 126 (2007) 074707, respectively], both based on the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory for Potentials of Variable Range [A. Gil-Villegas, A. Galindo, P.J. Whitehead, S.J. Mills, G. Jackson, A.N. Burgess, J. Chem. Phys. 106 (1997) 4168–4186]. The theory is applied to model adsorption isotherms from experimental data of asphaltenes extracted from a dead sample of heavy crude oil from a Mexican reservoir. The theoretical results give the right Langmuir Type II adsorption isotherms observed experimentally. The model requires the determination of ten molecular parameters related to the size of the particles and the square-well potentials used to describe the particle–surface and particle–particle interactions at the bulk and adsorbed phases. Nine parameters are taken from previous published results about the behavior of asphaltenes in bulk phases and the adsorption of several molecular fluids onto activated carbon and graphite surfaces. The remaining parameter, the energy strength of the particle–surface interaction, is adjusted to reproduce the experimental data, obtaining values that are consistent with Molecular Mechanics calculations for asphaltenes adsorbed on different surfaces and solutions. Although the agreement between theory and experiments shows some deviations at low bulk concentrations, the model reproduces adsorption data at high concentrations where other semi-empirical approaches fail.     

Continuous production of succinic acid by a fumarate-reducing bacterium immobilized in a hollow-fiber bioreactor

Enterococcus faecalis RKY1, a fumarate-reducing bacterium, was immobilized in an asymmetric hollow-fiber bioreactor (HFBR) for the continuous production of succinic acid. The cells were inoculated into the shell side of the HFBR, which was operated in transverse mode. Since the pH values in the HFBR declined during continuous operation to about 5.7, it was necessary to change the feed pH from 7.0 to 8.0 after 24 h of operation in order to enhance production of succinic acid. During continuous operation with a medium containing fumarate and glycerol, the productivity of succinate was 3.0–10.9 g/(L·h) with an initial concentration of 30 g/L of fumarate, 4.9–14.9 g/(L·h) with 50 g/L of fumarate, and 7.2–17.1 g/(L·h) with 80 g/L of fumarate for dilution rates between 0.1 and 0.4 h⁻¹. The maximum productivity of succinate obtained by the HFBR (17.1 g of succinate /[L·h]) was 1.7 times higher than that of the batch bioconversions (9.9 g of succinate /[L·h]) with 80 g/L of fumarate. Furthermore, the long-term stability of the HFBR was demonstrated with a continuously efficient production of succinate for more than 15 d (360 h).     

Modification of hydrolyzed lignin in acidic and basic media

The content of reactive groups such as OH, CO, and COOH was increased by modifying hydrolyzed lignin with sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide. The increase was confirmed by IR spectral analysis. The sorptive capacity of the resulting hydrolyzed lignin derivatives was increased sharply by base activation. __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 70–72, January–February, 2006.     

Synthesis of membrane adsorbers via surface initiated ATRP of 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate from microporous PVDF membranes

Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization(SI-ATRP) was used to tether poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)(PDMAEMA) onto microporous PVDF membranes in order to synthesize membrane adsorbers for protein adsorption. The alkaline treatment and bromine addition reaction were used to anchor ATRP initiators on membrane surface. Then PDMAEMA was grafted from the membrane surface via SI-ATRP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) revealed the chemical composition and surface topography of the PVDF-g-PDMAEMA membrane surfaces. These results showed that PDMAEMA was grafted from the membrane surface successfully and a grafting yield as high as 1500 μg/cm2 was achieved. The effects of the grafting time and the density of initiators on the static and dynamic binding capacity of bovine serum albumin(BSA) were systematically investigated. Both the static and dynamic binding capacities increase with the bromination and polymerization time. However, the benefits of the initiator density on binding capacities are limited by the graft density of PDMAEMA chains.     

Supercritical fluid solid chromatography using novel porous glassy carbon. Evaluation of retention mechanisms

The use of a porous glassy carbon (PGC) material as a packed-column SFC stationary phase has been previously demonstrated [1]. The material is further characterized in terms of its retention characteristics. The effects of variations in mobile phase composition, pressure, and temperature conditions are evaluated. Variation of temperature and pressure yielded expected results, specifically, decreased solute capacity factors with increased mobile phase density. The choice of supercritical fluid mobile phase allows the most notable control of solute retention; this was evaluated by adding low percentages of organic modifiers of varying molecular weights to the supercritical carbon dioxide mobile phase. PGC-SFC provides reversed phase characteristics similar to those found for PGC-HPLC. Porous glassy carbon has selectivity characteristics previously unavailable in supercritical fluid chromatography. Use of porous glassy carbon in supercritical fluid chromatography may provide distinct advantages in difficult analytical separations, allowing separations of molecules with only slight structural differences.     

Structural characterisation of heat-treated anodic alumina membranes prepared using a simplified fabrication process

A facile method for forming porous anodic alumina membranes based on one-step anodising in sulphuric acid is reported. A flat and well-ordered basal surface incorporating uniformly sized pores was obtained without the need for electrolytic polishing. Excess metallic aluminium was removed from the film using a saturated solution of iodine in methanol. The high-temperature properties of the oxide ceramic membranes were investigated using thermal analysis, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. At 970 °C the amorphous alumina crystallises to γ-Al₂O₃ with the release of SO₂ and O₂. Finally at 1228 °C the alumina converts into the thermodynamically preferred phase, corundum. The pore structure of the oxide membrane was found to be very stable at elevated temperatures, suggesting applications in materials synthesis, catalysis and gas separation.