Chemically bonded multiwalled carbon nanotubes as efficient material for solid phase extraction of some metal ions in food samples

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes chemically functionalized with 2-((3-silylpropylimino) methyl) phenol (SPIMP-MWCNT) and successfully applied for the solid phase extraction (SPE) of some metal ions in food samples. The influences of the analytical parameters including pH, amounts of solid phase, eluent conditions (type, volume and concentrations), sample volume and interference of some metal ions on the recoveries of ions Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, Fe²⁺, Ni²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ion were investigated. The metal ions retained on SPIMP-MWCNT was eluted using 6?mL of 4?mol?L^?1 HNO₃ solution and their content was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) with recoveries more than 95% and relative standard deviations (n?=?5) between 2.4–3.4% for both reproducibility and repeatability. The detection limit of this metal ions was between 1.0–2.6?ng?mL^?1 (3S _b , n?=?10) and their preconcentration factor was 100, while their loading capacity was above 32.9?mg?g^?1 of SPIMP-MWCNT. The proposed method was successfully applied for the preconcentration and determination of analytes in different samples.     

Ligandless-ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry for simultaneous determination of heavy metals in water samples

In this study, a simple and efficient method of ligandless-ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (LL-USAEME) followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) has been developed for simultaneous extraction, preconcentration and determination of manganese, cadmium, cobalt and nickel in water samples. In the proposed approach, tetrachloroethylene was selected as extraction solvent. The effect of important experimental factors such as volume of extraction solvent, pH, sonication time, salt concentration, and temperature was investigated by using a fractional factorial design (2^5?1) to identify important factors and their interactions. In the next step, a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied for optimisation of significant factors. The obtained optimal conditions were: 30?µL for extraction solvent, 12 for pH, 5?min for sonication time, and 5% w/v for salt concentration. The limits of detections (LODs) for Cd(II), Co(II), Mn(II) and Ni(II) were 0.20, 0.13, 0.21 and 0.28?µg?L^?1, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSD, C?=?200.0?µg?L^?1, n?=?9) were between 3.4–7.5% and the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.25 to 1000.0?µg?L^?1 for Mn, 0.5–1000.0?µg?L^?1 for Co and Ni and 1.0–250.0?µg?L^?1 for Cd. The determination coefficients (R ²) of the calibration curves for the analytes were in the range of 0.993 to 0.999. The proposed method was validated by using two certified reference materials, and also the method was applied successfully for the determination of heavy metals in different real water samples.     

Capillary electrophoretic separation of serum proteins of workers occupationally exposed to heavy metals

Metallurgy processes are associated with many hazardous and toxic factors, including heavy metals. Exposure to heavy metals can cause damage to different organs, which can be observed through variation in the concentration of proteins in serum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in a serum protein profile of copper smelters exposed to As, Cd and Pb ions, and xenobiotics present in tobacco smoke. A 2.3-fold higher Pb concentration in the blood and a 2.8-fold greater As concentration have been observed in the urine of non-smoking smelters compared to a control group. In the blood of smoking smelters, Cd concentration was 2-fold higher than in non-smoking ones. Serum proteins were separated by capillary electrophoresis, and in the group of non-smoking smelters, a higher amount of α₁-globulins was observed. In the group of smoking smelters, fewer α₁-globulins were noted. Furthermore, a greater amount of α₂-globulins in the serum of smoking and non-smoking workers in relation to the control group was revealed. A positive correlation between the concentration of Cd in the blood and the content of a fraction containing α₁- and α₂-globulins was revealed. Urine Cd concentration was found to be negatively associated with the α₁- and α₂-globulins fraction. Observed abnormalities in the proteins profiles of smelters can be important markers when assessing exposure to heavy metals and in the early diagnosis of diseases caused by them.     

Chemical Characterization of Silage Effluents and their Influence on Soil Bound Heavy Metals

Abstract

Silage effluents, generated during silaging of various crops, are produced in high amounts in cattle breeding farms. Due to their acidity and high content of dissolved organic matter, they are causing disposal problems. On the other hand, their ability to mobilise soil bound trace elements (i.e. heavy metals) might be useful for the decontamination of polluted soils.

With an aim to perform metal leaching studies, silage effluents from various ensiled crops (maize, rape, grass, clover, sugar-beet leaves) were collected from Bavarian farms and analysed for their main inorganic and organic constituents. Important TOC sources (TOC concentrations from 13.9 to 53.6 gl^?1) are short chain aliphatic acids (concentrations between 235 and 638 mM·D1^?1; predominant compound: lactic acid), amino acids (ranging from 22.8 to 151 mM·D1^?1) and polypeptides (concentrations from 3.8 to 20.0 g·D1^?1).

The release of heavy metals from two adsorbents (bentonite and peat) and from a polluted soil under the influence of silage effluents was studied in batch tests. The leaching efficiencies for the soil bound metals increase following the order: sugar-beet leaves < clover < maize < rape < grass. The extraction rates obtained with grass silage juice are: Cd 74.7%, Zn 55.7%, Cu 53.5%, Ni 38.9%, Cr 12.7% and Pb 8.9%. After neutralisation the leaching rates dropped, with the exception of copper.     

Pine Needles (Pinus Sylvestris) as a Bioindicator of Sulphur and Heavy Metal Deposition in the Area Around a Pulp and Paper Mill Complex at Kemi,Northern Finland

Abstract

The determination of sulphur and heavy metals in plants is an integral part of many environmental studies. Pine needles (Pinus Sylvestris) have proved to be suitable air quality indicators for pollutants, especially for sulphur. This study was carried out in the vicinity of Kemi, a town situated on the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland. An industrial complex comprising two pulp and paper mills is located in the centre of the area. Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris) needles were collected from 29 sampling sites. The samples were dried, homogenized and digested with nitric acid. The concentrations of the elements S, Fe, Zn, Ca, V, and Pb were determined by ICP-AES. According to our results pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) appear to be an ideal bioindicator and sampling material for identifying and assessing atmospheric sulphur pollution derived from pulp and paper mills and can complement the information provided by plant mapping studies around pulp and paper mills.     

酰胺接枝ACF的制备及其在处理水体中重金属Cu2+的应用

利用聚丙烯腈基活性碳纤维(PAN-ACF)表面存在的羧基与氯化亚砜SOCl2发生酰氯化反应后与乙二胺110℃加热回流在其表面接枝胺基、酰胺基团对其进行改性,用傅立叶转换红外光谱仪(FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)对改性前后活性碳纤维的表面结构和元素结合态及含量变化进行了表征,并将改性后的活性碳纤维(NH-ACF)应用于水体中Cu2+离子的去除处理,用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱仪(ICP-AES)检测被处理溶液中的Cu2+离子浓度变化,进而得出Cu2+离子在NH-ACF上的最大吸附量qmax.结果表明,NH-ACF比未改性处理的PAN-ACF对Cu2+吸附去除能力具有显著的优势,前者约为后者的1.5倍.     

Development of highly sensitive chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay based on the anti-recombinant HC subunit of botulinum neurotoxin type A monoclonal antibodies

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most poisonous substances ever known. The early detection of these toxins could bear more time for appropriate medical intervention. The standard method for detecting BoNTs is the mouse bioassay, which is time consuming (up to 4 days) and requires a large number of laboratory animals. The immunologic detection methods could detect the toxins within a day, but most of these methods are less sensitive compared with the mouse bioassay due to the lack of high-affinity antibodies. Recently, the recombinant H_C subunit of botulinum neurotoxin type A (rAH_C) was expressed as an effective vaccine against botulism, indicating that the rAH_C could be an effective immunogen that raises the monoclonal antibody (mAb) for detecting BoNT/A. After immunized BALB/c mice with rAH_C, 56 mAbs were generated. Two of these mAbs were selected to establish a highly sensitive sandwich chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA), in which FMMU-BTA-49 and FMMU-BTA-22 were used as capture antibody and detection antibody, respectively. The calculated limit of detection (LOD) based on molecular weight of rAH_C and BoNT/A reached 0.45 pg mL⁻¹. This CLEIA can be used in the detection of BoNT/A in matrices such as milk and beef extract. This method has 20–40 fold lower LOD than that of the mouse bioassay and takes only 3 h to complete the detection, indicating that it can be used as a valuable method to detect and quantify BoNT/A.     

稠油中饱和烃复杂混合物成分解析及其意义

利用两根极性不同的毛细柱,在全二维气相色谱上分析辽河油田遭受严重生物降解形成的稠油饱和烃组分,可以将传统色谱分析时形成的“基线鼓包”即不可分辨的复杂混合物（Unresolved Complex Mixtures）分开．根据饱和烃全二维气相色谱谱图的族分离特点和瓦片效应,结合飞行时间质谱提供的质谱信息初步解析不可分辨的复杂混合物主要成分．发现常规色谱分析时形成的所谓“基线鼓包”是由成千上万、含量相对较低的不同取代基的环状化合物组成,这些化合物在一维色谱上以分子量递增的顺序排列,在二维色谱上以极性的差异或者环的多少排列．C24之前的第一组不可分辨的复杂混合物主要由环己烷为基本单元的单环、双环和三环烷烃类化合物组成,信噪比在100以上的化合物数量约为饱和烃总数量的75％,质量分数是饱和烃总量的80％以上,是饱和烃的主要组成部分．C24之后出现的第二组不可分辨的复杂混合物主要由四个环或者五个环为基本单元的化合物组成,信噪比在100以上的化合物数量约为饱和烃总数量的17％,质量分数是饱和烃总量的0．5％．对稠油中这些不可分辨的复杂混合物的解析有助于对其成因机理的认识和高效开采方案的制定．     

三次采油用重烷基苯磺酸盐表面活性剂的协同效应

三次采油用重烷基苯磺酸盐表面活性剂的协同效应     

澜沧江中上游流域矿区土壤重金属含量的调查

为了解澜沧江中上游流域矿区的开采和利用对周围生态环境的影响因素,通过选择对该矿区中3种重金属污染物Pb、Cd、Mn进行了调查和实验。确定澜沧江中上游流域的相应采样面,通过湿消化法处理样品,原子吸收光谱法测定了重金属的含量,并作了重金属污染评价。结果表明,澜沧江中上游流域矿区土壤Cd平均值为21.89 mg/kg,超标率为100%,土壤中重金属含量由高到低为Cd,Mn,Pb,重金属之间相关性不显著(P>0.05)。研究区土壤已经被严重污染,单项污染指数由高到低为Cd(21),Pb(0.87),Mn(0.81)。可见澜沧江中上游流域矿区土壤中Pb、Cd、Mn的污染已经呈现出了危害人群健康的趋势,其中Pb、Cd污染最严重,对于重金属污染应采取综合治理措施。