Microcalorimetric qualitative analysis of biofilm development in porous media used in wastewater treatment by constructed wetland

In wastewater treatment by constructed wetland, the biodegradation capability of the biomass developed in the soil is one of the most important factors. For this kind of treatment unit, soil properties are studied to improve its filtration capacity and hydraulic residence time of the wastewater. The impact of soil properties like porosity and soil components on biomass development and biodegradation capacity seem to be less studied certainly due to the complexity of microbial identification techniques currently used. The study presented here is a preliminary work to validate that calorimetric technique could be a tool in the understanding of biodegradation capacity of wastewater treatment processes. Biofilm is preliminary developed in columns filled with different porous materials of well known porosity and constitutive components. These columns are fed with the same continuous flow of synthetic solution (C, N, and P) as a substrate amending during 3 weeks. Then each week, 2 mL samples of porous media from these columns are analyzed in isothermal calorimeter for 48 h. Net heat flow is recorded before and after substrate injection. This work results in the definition of the procedure for batch experiments in calorimeter for wastewater process efficiency. The results of these experiments show that the microbial reaction due to substrate amendment is highly depending on the porous material used for biofilm growth. Indeed calorimetric signals recorded lead to conclude that biofilm grown on plastic beads has a faster and more intensive reaction to glucose amendment than biofilm grown on glass beads. At least, two glass beads samples analyzed in the calorimeter after the same duration of feeding with synthetic solution have very different response to glucose or synthetic solution.     

由柔性双吡唑配体构筑的两个多酸基化合物

利用水热合成方法合成了两个新的Keggin基有机-无机杂化化合物:[Cu(H2bdpm)2(H2PMo12O40)]·3H2O(1)和[Ag(H2bdpm)2Na2(H2O)3(HSi W12O40)]·3H2O(2),并通过元素分析、红外光谱和X-射线单晶衍射方法确定了两个化合物的晶体结构。结构分析表明化合物1属于三斜晶系,P-1空间群,晶胞参数a=12.827(7)nm,b=12.888(7)nm,c=19.345(11)nm,α=80.414(10)°,β=89.761(10)°,γ=78.477(10)°,V=3088.6(3)nm3。化合物2属于三斜晶系,P-1空间群,晶胞参数a=12.958(5)nm,b=12.965(5)nm,c=19.522(7)nm,α=80.731(6)°,β=89.284(6)°,γ=78.047(7)°,V=3166(2)nm3。化合物1展示了一个由Keggin型多酸和[Cu(H2bdpm)2]+亚单元相互连接而形成的一维链结构;化合物2中包含一个Si W12-Na构筑的无机链,而[Ag(H2bdpm)]+亚单元上下交替共价键连到该无机链上,进一步稳固了一维链的结构。标题化合物的光催化降解亚甲基蓝实验表明,目标化合物具有光催化性能,可作为潜在的无机-有机杂化功能材料。     

Membranes based on non-synthetic (natural) polymers for wastewater treatment

During the last decades, rising environmental concerns about the widespread usage of petroleum-based synthetic polymers has caused naturally occurring polymers to gain momentous. As a biocompatible and environmentally friendly alternative, bio-based polymers are continuously gaining new domains of application in drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, membrane technology, bio-sensor devices, etc. There is an increasing number of scientists who have applied various kinds of biopolymers, such as cellulose, chitin, starch, and alginate to fabricate fully or semi-biodegradable membranes for wastewater treatment. Beside biocompatibility, biopolymers combine many attractive features such as hydrophilicity and functionalizability that makes them great candidates to enhance the performance of composite membranes to effectively purify water from hazardous pollutants. On the other hand, elevating thermo-mechanical and chemical stability of these bio-based materials by introducing new organic and inorganic additives is another main focus area. This review is concerned with 1) introducing the promising feature of biopolymers that can be used as a raw material to synthesize membranes for water treatment, 2) proposing a comprehensive categorization of these membranes based on their structure, and 3) discussing the performance of these membranes in eliminating various kinds of contaminants from effluents and their strength and weakness points.     

Combined biologic (anaerobic-aerobic) and chemical treatment of starch industry wastewater

A combined biologic and chemical treatment of high-strength (total chemical oxygen demand [CODtot] up to 20 g/L), strong nitrogenous (total N up to 1 g/L), and phosphoric (total P up to 0.4 g/L) starch industry wastewater was investigated at laboratory-scale level. As a principal step for COD elimination, upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor performance was investigated at 30 degrees C. Under hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of about 1 d, when the organic loading rates were higher than 15 g of COD/(L.d), the CODtot removal varied between 77 and 93%, giving effluents with a COD/N ratio of 4-5:1, approaching the requirements of subsequent denitrification. The activated sludge reactor operating in aerobic-anoxic regime (HRT of about 4 d, duration of aerobic and anoxic phases of 30 min each) was able to remove up to 90% of total nitrogen and up to 64% of COD tot from the anaerobic effluents under 17-20 degrees C. The coagulation experiments with Fe(III) showed that 1.4 mg of resting hardly biodegradable COD and 0.5 mg of phosphate (as P) could be removed from the aerobic effluents by each milligram of iron added.     

Chromium(III) determination without sample treatment by batch and flow injection potentiometry

A new and easy device for direct detection of chromium(III) in batch and flow analysis without previous oxidation/reduction or preconcentration steps of samples is designed and evaluated. For this purpose a potentiometric sensor with solid state membrane based on carbon paste matrix is developed. The sensor is modified with di(2-hydroxyphenylimino)ethane and the principal analytical parameters of the potentiometric response in batch and flow analysis are optimized and calculated. Optimal detection limits (1.4 × 10⁻⁷ M in static mode and 5.4 × 10⁻⁷ M in on-line analysis) and selectivity to trivalent chromium are obtained in both analysis modes. The use of this device to direct detection of chromium(III) in real samples is tested using a sediment Certified Reference Material. Chromium(III) determination is also carried out with successful results in environmental samples such as extracts from soils used as barriers in landfills and industrial samples such as waste waters from electroplating industries.     

Enhanced operation of a wastewater treatment process by periodic forcing input

This paper considers investigating the performance of a wastewater treatment plant consisting of a bioreactor with recycle followed by a clarifier under forced feed circulation. A previously developed dynamic model for the process is used to conduct the performance analysis. The static version of the model was utilized first to determine the optimal productivity conditions for the process. Numerical optimization is used to design the feed periodic function. The parameters of the feed cyclic functions are determined which resulted in improved productivity and substrate consumption. The improvement in productivity is marginal and is satisfactory for substrate conversion compared to that of the optimal condition and to the steady state condition, which corresponds to the average value of the periodic function.     

Greener analytical method for the determination of copper(II) in wastewater by micro flow system with optical sensor

Greener analytical method using micro flow system for the determination of Cu(II) in wastewater samples was designed and investigated. The micro flow system consisted of a planar glass chip with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) top plate and fixed with fiber optic probe as optical sensor for monitoring of Cu(II) that reacted with 2-carboxy-2′-hydroxy-5′-sulfoformazyl benzene (zincon) on the chip at 605 nm. This design gave a satisfied sensitivity with a linear calibration graph over the range of 0.1-3.0 μg mL⁻¹ of Cu(II) and correlation coefficient 0.9991. The percentage relative standard deviation was 2.5 for 10-replicate measurements and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1 μg mL⁻¹. This system has been successfully applied to the determination of Cu(II) in wastewaters from electroplating industry with less reagents and samples consumption and diminutive waste generation.     

Monitoring super- and subsurface oxygen on Ag(210) by high energy resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy: subsurface diffusion and segregation

We report on a high energy resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy plus supersonic molecular beam investigation of O/Ag(210). Two components are detected in the O1s spectra upon O2 adsorption, at binding energies EB=527.7 and 529.6 eV. The former peak persists up to 470 K, while the latter one decreases abruptly above 280 K. Comparison with a previous vibrational spectroscopy investigation on the same system (L. Vattuone, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2003, 90, 228302) allows to assign both features to atomic oxygen. The low-energy peak is identified with adatoms, while the other is correlated to O atoms in subsurface sites. A minor contribution at the same binding energy, due to carbonates, is quantified by inspection of the C1s region and shows a different temperature behavior with respect to oxygen. Oxygen segregation into the subsurface region is observed when heating the crystal in the presence of supersurface oxygen.     

Experiment of subcritical water (Fenton) oxidation treatment of methyl vanillin wastewater

In this paper the oxidative degradation process of methyl vanillin wastewater was studied by the subcritical water oxidation (HCWO) technology. A subcritical Fenton oxidation (HCFO) system formed while Fe²⁺ was added as a catalyst. The oxidation degradation kinetics of methyl vanillin wastewater was also studied. The results showed that the suitable process conditions for degradation of methyl vanillin wastewater by HCWO were as follows: temperature of 340 ​°C, pressure of 24 ​MPa, oxidant multiple of 1.5, residence time of 217.3 ​s (flow rate of 2.0 ​mL ​min^-1). For methyl vanillin wastewater, the HCFO system has no obvious advantages compared to the HCWO system. The activation energy (Ea) of HCWO oxidized methyl vanillin wastewater reaction was 32.6 ​kJ ​mol^-1, and the pre-exponential factor A was 5.64 s^-1.     

Tuning the activity of Pt(111) for oxygen electroreduction by subsurface alloying

To enable the development of low temperature fuel cells, significant improvements are required to the efficiency of the Pt electrocatalysts at the cathode, where oxygen reduction takes place. Herein, we study the effect of subsurface solute metals on the reactivity of Pt, using a Cu/Pt(111) near-surface alloy. Our investigations incorporate electrochemical measurements, ultrahigh vacuum experiments, and density functional theory. Changes to the OH binding energy, ΔE(OH), were monitored in situ and adjusted continuously through the subsurface Cu coverage. The incorporation of submonolayer quantities of Cu into Pt(111) resulted in an 8-fold improvement in oxygen reduction activity. The most optimal catalyst for oxygen reduction has an ΔE(OH) ≈ 0.1 eV weaker than that of pure Pt, validating earlier theoretical predictions.     

Determination of copper(II) in wastewater by electroplating samples using a PVC-membrane copper(II)-selective electrode

A PVC membrane containing 4-amino-6-methyl-1,2,4-triazin-3,5-dithione (AMTD) as a suitable ionophore, exhibits a Nernstian response for Cu²⁺ ions over a wide concentration range up to 1 × 10⁻¹ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ M, with a detection limit of 7.5 × 10⁻⁷ M in the pH range 3.0–7.5. It has a fast response time (<15 s) and can be used for at least 12 weeks without any major deviation in the potential. The electrode revealed a very good selectivity with respect to all common alkali, alkaline-earth, transition, and heavy-metal ions. It was successfully applied to the recovery of copper ions from wastewater. The electrode was also used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Cu(II) ions with EDTA. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A chiral SrSi2 (srs) superstructure constructed by a dual interaction system showing isotropic electrical conductivity

Most porous conductive frameworks are highly anisotropic in their structures thus leading to anisotropic charge transport. Here we report a supramolecular self-assembly which is constructed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π ···π interactions. This material features a chiral, porous, cubic framework structure with π-stacked helical columns along all of the three Cartesian coordinates. As a result, isotropic charge transport with an electrical conductivity(σ) of 2.1 × 10^–7S/cm is...     

Magnetic studied of a binuclear Cu(II) complex constructed from Cu(II) macrocyclic complex

A new binuclear copper(II) compound [(CuL)₂(Tpha)](ClO₄)₂ · 4H₂O (I), where L = 1,3,6,9,11,14-hexaazatricyclo[12.2.1.1^6,9]octadecane, Tpha = terephthalate dianion, has been constructed and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Crystal analysis denotes that complex I crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2₁/c with a = 11.115(2), b = 13.185(3), c = 16.184(3) Å and β = 105.68(3)°. Magnetic measurements confirm that I present an antiferromagnetic interaction between the paramagnetic ions.     

A novel biosensor for sterigmatocystin constructed by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) modified with aflatoxin-detoxifizyme (ADTZ)

Sterigmatocystin, ST, is carcinogenic mycotoxin with toxicity second to aflatoxins, contaminated in foods- and feeds-stuff widely. A three-electrode system was employed to examine the response character of the covalently united ADTZ-MWNTs electrode to ST, and the results indicated that an oxidation peak of ST was observed at about +400 mv, the linear detection range of ST was from 4.16 x 10(-5) mg/ml (0.13 microM) to 1.33 x 10(-3) mg/ml (4.29 microM) with the detection limit at 0.13 microM. Compared to the corresponding results obtained from the MWNTs modified electrode that ADTZ was directly sediment (adsorbed) on it, the sensitivity of ours had been improved by two orders of magnitude, which could provide some important data to further research.     

A self-assembled porphyrin-based dimeric capsule constructed by a Pd(II)-pyridine interaction which shows efficient guest inclusion

Novel self-assembled molecular capsules were constructed from two moles of pyridine-containing porphyrin derivatives and four moles of Pd(II) complexes utilizing a pyridine-Pd(II) interaction. The (1)H NMR spectral studies established that these self-assembled molecular capsules 5 and 6 have a highly symmetrical D(4)(h)() structure as well as a large inside cavity. It was shown that molecular capsule 6 can include a large bipyridine guest by a two-point simultaneous pyridine-Zn(II) interaction.     

Three copper(II) complexes constructed from a new 1,3,5-triazine derivative ligand

Three new complexes {[Cu(dpdapt)(Hhbd)] · 6H₂O}_n (1) (dpdapt = N,N′-di(2-pyridyl)-2,4-diamino-6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine, Hhbd = 2-hydroxybutanedioicate dianion), [Cu(dpdapt)(SO₄)] · 2H₂O (2) and [Cu(dpdapt)(oxa)] · H₂O (3) (oxa = oxalate dianion) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The non-covalent interactions of π–π stacking and hydrogen bonding extend complexes 1–3 into supramolecular architectures, where 1 self-assembles into a 1D polymeric chain by dicarboxylate bridges and exhibits a 3D framework with 1D open channels, while complexes 2 and 3 display 2D wavelike networks. Interestingly, in 1, the host framework encapsulates hexameric water clusters that are connected into 1D arrays by supramolecular association along the 1D open channels. The UV/vis, IR spectra, fluorescence and TG analysis for complexes 1, 2 and 3 are also discussed.     

Designed cyanide- and phenoxide-bridged Fe(III)Mn(III) single-molecule magnet constructed by highly blocked paramagnetic precursors

A tetranuclear Fe(III)(2)Mn(III)(2) compound was prepared using highly blocked precursors. The well-isolated molecular entity associated with appropriate magnetic anisotropy allows for single-molecule magnet behavior.     

A ring-like coordination structure constructed by Cu(II) and bis(2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)ethyl)ether ligand

The reaction of bis(2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)ethyl)ether (L) with CuCl₂ in CH₃OH/CHCl₃ solution gives a novel 24-membered ring-like coordination structure which has been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that [Cu₂L₂Cl₄] crystallizes in the triclinic, space group $P\bar 1$ . The ring-like structure is consisted of two ligands with two copper ions coordinated to the pyridyl nitrogen atoms from two ligands respectively. The largest diameters of the planarshaped dinuclear ring are about 12.7 Å. The adjacent ring-like units are linked via C-H…O hydrogen bonds to generate an infinite linear chain, which are further linked by C-H…Cl hydrogen bonds and weak intermolecular interactions to form a three-dimensional network.     

A homochiral diamond framework constructed from Fe(III) and Mn(II) oxo-clusters supported by Sb(III) tartrate scaffolds

A homochiral diamond framework was obtained by using a secondary building unit (SBU) comprising an oxo-cluster containing 4Fe(III) and 3Mn(II) ions supported by Sb(3)O tartrate scaffolds. A fully protonated tetratopic cation, tetrakis(4-pyridyloxymethylene)methane (TPOM), acts as a template to arrange the clusters on a diamond lattice.     

Potentiometric flow injection determination of manganese(II) by using a hexacyanoferrate(III)-hexacyanoferrate(II) potential buffer

A highly sensitive potentiometric flow injection analysis method for the determination of manganese(II), utilizing a redox reaction with hexacyanoferrate(III) in near neutral media containing ammonium citrate is described. The analytical method is based on the detection of the change in potential of a flow-through type redox electrode detector, resulting from the composition change of an [Fe(CN)₆]³⁻-[Fe(CN)₆]⁴⁻ potential buffer solution. A linear relationship between the potential change (peak height) and the concentration of manganese(II) was found. Manganese(II) in a wide concentration range from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁷ M could be determined by appropriately altering the concentration of the potential buffer from 10⁻³ to 10⁻⁵ M. The lower detection limit of manganese(II) was determined to be 1×10⁻⁷ M. The sampling rate and relative standard deviation were 20 h⁻¹ and 1.9% (n=8) for 6×10⁻⁶ M manganese(II), respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of manganese(II) in actual soil samples obtained from tea fields. Analytical results obtained by the proposed method were in good agreement with those obtained by an atomic absorption spectrophotometric method.