Environmental application of rice straw in energy production and potential adsorption of uranium and heavy metals

The sustainable development of agricultural waste is nowadays a main strategy in producing neutral CO₂ energy and metal removal technologies. In Egypt, large amounts of rice straw are annually burnt in the open air causing severe air pollution that could be directed to co-firing and adsorption technologies. On bench scale, rice straw was positively contributed in a clean and smokeless co-firing process with methanol due to the oxidizing effect of the alcohol. The co-firing temperature control is vital to develop the adsorptive character of the residual ash and to avoid prolonged time needed to improve the physical properties of the rice straw if applied directly as a biosorbent. The consumed methanol in the process ranges from 0.15 to 0.3 liter per each kg of straw depending on its compaction. The grossed heat value from such process may drive steam generator for electricity. The residual ash was subsequently cross-linked in uranium and heavy metals adsorption tests from solutions. The porous texture of the residual ash and the amorphous nature of the silica along with potassium content provide a suitable condition for uranium immobilization especially if phosphorus or vanadium exist. The resulted chemical precipitate is analogues in composition to meta-ankoleite (KUO₂PO₄·3H₂O) or hydrated carnotite (K₂(UO₂)₂V₂O₈)·1-3H₂O respectively. The XRD data of the latter form show an enhancement in crystallinity of the amorphous precipitate with the heated samples.     

On the deformation of linear r-fields

We study the question: For which (r,n) can a linear r-field on the (n-1)-sphere in an n-dimensional real linear space be deformed through a continuous path of linear r-fields into an orthonormal r-field. We provide complete answers for the cases: (r,n)=(2,4),(3,4), and provide several partial results for the cases (r,n)=(2,2m), where m is an even integer satisfying m4. Characterizations of linear r-fields are pivotal in the investigation.     

Computational study of osmabenzyne: The solvent effects on the structure and spectroscopic properties (IR,NMR)

In this article, the structural, electronic, and spectroscopic properties of osmabenzyne Os{≡CC(SiH₃)=C(CH₃)C(SiH₃)=CH}Cl₂(PH₃)₂ are explored in the gas phase and five solvents. The effects of solvents on the structural parameters, frontier orbital energies, and spectroscopic parameters of the complex are elucidated using the polarizable continuum model. The wavenumbers of selected IR-active vibrations in different solvents are obtained and correlated with the Kirkwood–Bauer–Magat equation. In addition, thermodynamic parameters of solvation are calculated for the complex. ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts are estimated using the gauge-invariant atomic orbital method.     

Polytetrafluoroethylene Sputtered PES Membranes for Membrane Distillation: Influence of RF Magnetron Sputtering Conditions

Thin films of fluorocarbon were deposited on polyethersulfone membranes via argon plasma sputtering of a poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) target in an RF magnetron plasma reactor. The obtained deposited ultrathin coatings had nanoscale roughnesses and high degrees of fluorination. The intensity of fluorine atom in plasma environment during fluorocarbon deposition was investigated. Depending on the deposition conditions comprising working gas pressure, applied RF power, and distance between the target and the substrate, polymeric films with different chemical compositions and/or morphologies were obtained. The morphologies of the films were analyzed by means of SEM, XPS, and AFM. The results suggested that the sputtered film deposited at a higher pressure and longer target–substrate distance and moderate RF power had a surface composition and chemical structure closer to those of the PTFE film. The treated hydrophobic PES membranes with water contact angles as high as 115° were applied for the first time in an air gap membrane distillation setup for removal of benzene as a volatile organic compound from water. The results showed that the plasma-treated membranes have a comparable or superior performance to that of commercial PTFE used in membrane distillation with similar permeate flux and separation factor after 20 h long term performance.     

Fiber optic-linear array detection spectrophotometry in combination with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for preconcentration and determination of copper

In this research, simple, rapid and efficient method, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined fiber optic -linear array detection spectrophotometry (FO-LADS) was developed using a cylindrical micro-cell for preconcentration and determination of Cu(II) in samples. DLLME and FO-LADS methods have good matching conditions for being combined since FO-LADS is a suitable method for the determination of analytes in low volume of the remained phase obtained after DLLME. Molar absorptivity of complex Cu with (4-benzylp iperidineditiocarbamate potassium salt) (BPDC) was determined as 2.75 × 10⁴ L mol^-1 cm^-1 at 7nmax = 436 nm. Under the optimum conditions the calibration graph was linear in the rage of 2–70 fug L^-1 with detection limit of 0.34 fug L^-1. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of Cu(II) in real water samples and human urine sample.     

A surprising method for green extraction of essential oil from dry spices: Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity

Without adding any solvent or water, we proposed a novel and green approach for the extraction of secondary metabolites from dried plant materials. This "solvent, water and vapor free" approach based on a simple principle involves the application of microwave irradiation and earth gravity to extract the essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity (MDG) has been compared with a conventional technique, hydrodistillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Essential oils isolated by MDG were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by HD, but MDG was better than HD in terms of rapidity (45min versus 300min), energy saving, and cleanliness. The present apparatus permits fast and efficient extraction, reduces waste, avoids water and solvent consumption, and allows substantial energy savings.     

Robust adaptive synchronization for a general class of uncertain chaotic systems with application to Chua's circuit

The synchronization problem for a general class of uncertain chaotic systems is addressed. The underlying systems may be perturbed by unknown time-varying parameters, unstructured uncertainties, and external disturbances. Meanwhile, the time-varying parameters and disturbances are neither required to be periodic nor to have known bounds. Assuming the disturbances are L(2) signals, an adaptive control incorporated with H(∞) control technique is employed to construct a robust adaptive synchronization algorithm. Then, removing such assumption, a novel adaptive-based method is developed to achieve the goal of synchronization. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, such methods are applied to solve the synchronization problem of uncertain chaotic Chua's circuits.     

Maxima and minima of the displacement components for the Lamb modes

This paper revisits the vanishing of the transverse component of the particle displacement vector in free surfaces of an isotropic homogeneous plate, for both symmetric and antisymmetric Lamb waves. Drawing on well-known analytical expressions from Viktorov's book [(1967) Rayleigh and Lamb Waves: Physical Theory Applications, Chap. II, pp. 67-121], two distinct frequency-thickness product expressions, in cases where this vanishing occurs, are derived: one for the symmetric modes and another for the antisymmetric modes. At these frequency-thickness products, phase and group velocities have appreciable values which are discussed herein. It appears that these velocities depend on the transverse bulk wave velocity only. This is the specific condition of the Lame? modes. Moreover, theoretical and experimental investigations of displacements in the surface of a plate in air have been carried out. The theoretical part shows that the normal and transverse displacements have, respectively, a local maximum and a local minimum in the vicinity of these frequency-thickness products. The experimental part corroborates the presence of the local maximum of the S(0) Lamb mode for various materials.