Conversion of biomass residual to acid-modified bio-chars for efficient adsorption of organic pollutants from industrial phosphoric acid: an experimental,kinetic and thermodynamic study

ABSTRACT

This study reports the removal of organic matters from phosphoric acid using waste-produced bio-charcoal structures. Particularly, the freshly made bio-char species via pyrolysis and two sub-driven acids activated charcoals were applied during the removal process. The treated charcoal with hydrochloric and nitric acids had attained a higher adsorption rate for organic matters than that of the non-treated one. Removal percentages of 70% and 60% were, respectively, attained by acid-modified chars. The kinetics of the adsorption process was fitted via pseudo-first/second-order and Morris–Weber models. The thermodynamic parameters of the presented sorption process indicate that organic matter removal has been endothermic, physical and spontaneous.     

Carnosic Acid Encapsulated in Albumin Nanoparticles Induces Apoptosis in Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cells

Carnosic acid (CA) is a natural phenolic compound with several biomedical actions. This work was performed to study the use of CA-loaded polymeric nanoparticles to improve the antitumor activity of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and colon cancer cells (Caco-2). CA was encapsulated in bovine serum albumin (BSA), chitosan (CH), and cellulose (CL) nanoparticles. The CA-loaded BSA nanoparticles (CA-BSA-NPs) revealed the most promising formula as it showed good loading capacity and the best release rate profile as the drug reached 80% after 10 h. The physicochemical characterization of the CA-BSA-NPs and empty carrier (BSA-NPs) was performed by the particle size distribution analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and zeta potential. The antitumor activity of the CA-BSA-NPs was evaluated by measuring cell viability, apoptosis rate, and gene expression of GCLC, COX-2, and BCL-2 in MCF-7 and Caco-2. The cytotoxicity assay (MTT) showed elevated antitumor activity of CA-BSA-NPs against MCF-7 and Caco-2 compared to free CA and BSA-NPs. Moreover, apoptosis test data showed an arrest of the Caco-2 cells at G₂/M (10.84%) and the MCF-7 cells at G2/M (4.73%) in the CA-BSA-NPs treatment. RT-PCR-based gene expression analysis showed an upregulation of the GCLC gene and downregulation of the BCL-2 and COX-2 genes in cells treated with CA-BSA-NPs compared to untreated cells. In conclusion, CA-BSA-NPs has been introduced as a promising formula for treating breast and colorectal cancer.     

Mechanism of solid-state eutectoid transformation in an aluminium-zinc alloy

The growth rate of pearlite during isothermal transformation of an aluminium-zinc eutectoid has been determined experimentally. Different theoretical models, assuming either volume or boundary diffusion of zinc to be a rate controlling mechanism for the eutectoid transformation, have been applied. With volume diffusion models, the calculated growth rates were lower than the experimental growth rates by a factor of three orders of magnitude. Reasonable agreement between the calculated and experimental growth rates has been obtained on applying the boundary diffusion models. The activation energy for boundary diffusion of zinc in the aluminium-zinc alloy was estimated to be ≅11.6 kcals/mole.     

Removal of nickel ions by adsorption on nano-bentonite: Equilibrium,kinetics, and thermodynamics

Nano-bentonite was used as an adsorbent to remove nickel ions from aqueous solutions. Experimental investigation was carried out to identify the effect of pH, contact time, initial concentration, and adsorbent dose of Ni(II). Equilibrium data were described by and fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich models. Results showed that the optimum conditions for the removal of the Ni(II) are initial concentration 100 mg/L, adsorbent dose 0.5 g, and pH 6. Surface morphology and functionality of nano-bentonite were characterized by SEM and FTIR. The kinetics data were more accurately described by pseudo-second-order model. The intra-particle diffusion model gave multi-linear curves, so more than one step controlled the adsorption process. Nano-bentonite removed nickel with maximum adsorption capacity of 39.06 mg/g (30°C, pH) and thermodynamic data indicated that adsorption reaction is spontaneous and of an endothermic nature.     

Chemistry of Phosphorus Ylides. Part 40. Synthesis of Pyrazoles by the [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Diazo Compounds with Wittig Reagents as Antimicrobial Compounds

A comparative study between the reactions of active phosphacumulenes and stabilized phosphonium ylides on some diazo compounds have been performed. A number of substituted phosphanylidene spiro pyrazoles have been synthesized from the reaction of the active phosphacumulenes and the diazo derivatives. On the other hand, treatment of the diazo substrates with the stabilized phosphonium ylides led to the formation of the corresponding ylidenes and diazenyl phosphanylidenes. The antimicrobial activities for the new compounds are also reported.     

New explicit approximate solution of MHD viscoelastic boundary layer flow over stretching sheet

In this paper, the study the momentum and heat transfer characteristics in an incompressible electrically conducting non‐Newtonian boundary layer flow of a viscoelastic fluid over a stretching sheet. The partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer characteristics are converted into highly nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations by similarity transformations. The resultant coupled highly nonlinear ordinary differential equations are solved by means of, homotopy analysis method (HAM) for constructing an approximate solution of heat transfer in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) viscoelastic boundary layer flow over a stretching sheet with non‐uniform heat source. The proposed method is a strong and easy to use analytic tool for nonlinear problems and does not need small parameters in the equations. The HAM solutions contain an auxiry parameter, which provides a convenient way of controlling the convergence region of series solutions. The results obtained here reveal that the proposed method is very effective and simple for solving nonlinear evolution equations. The method is straightforward and concise, and it can also be applied to other nonlinear evolution equations in physics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Waste generated bio-char supported co-nanoparticles of nickel and cobalt oxides for efficient adsorption of uranium and organic pollutants from industrial phosphoric acid

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The ultimate usage of phosphoric acid is declared in food and fertilizers industries. Therefore, purification of commercial phosphoric from their...     

IL-21 as a Predictor of Sustained Virologic Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) catalyze the introduction of a double bond into acyl chains. Two FAD groups have been identified in plants: acyl-acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) and acyl-lipid or membrane-bound FAD. The former catalyze the conversion of 18:0 to 18:1 and to date have only been identified in plants. The latter are found in eukaryotes and bacteria and are responsible for multiple desaturations. In this study, we identified 82 desaturase gene and protein sequences from 10 grass species deposited in GenBank that were analyzed using bioinformatic approaches. Subcellular localization predictions of desaturase family revealed their localization in plasma membranes, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticula, and mitochondria. The in silico mapping showed multiple chromosomal locations in most species. Furthermore, the presence of the characteristic histidine domains, the predicted motifs, and the finding of transmembrane regions strongly support the protein functionality. The identification of putative regulatory sites in the promotor and the expression profiles revealed the wide range of pathways in which fatty acid desaturases are involved. This study is an updated survey on desaturases of grasses that provides a comprehensive insight into diversity and evolution. This characterization is a necessary first step before considering these genes as candidates for new biotechnological approaches.     

Citrus aurantium L. Active Constituents,Biological Effects and Extraction Methods. An Updated Review

Citrus genus is a prominent staple crop globally. Long-term breeding and much hybridization engendered a myriad of species, each characterized by a specific metabolism generating different secondary metabolites. Citrus aurantium L., commonly recognized as sour or bitter orange, can exceptionally be distinguished from other Citrus species by unique characteristics. It is a fruit with distinctive flavor, rich in nutrients and phytochemicals which possess different health benefits. This paper presents an overview of the most recent studies done on the matter. It intends to provide an in-depth understanding of the biological activities and medicinal uses of active constituents existing in C. aurantium. Every plant part is first discussed separately with regards to its content in active constituents. All extraction methods, their concepts and yields, used to recover these valuable molecules from their original plant matrix are thoroughly reported.     

Chemistry of Phosphonium Ylides. Part 39: Facile Synthesis of Aziridine,Pyridine, Pyrolotriazole Chromenones and Azaphosphinin Chromenones as Antitumor Agents

The reaction of 4‐azido‐2‐oxo‐2H‐chromene‐3‐carbaldehyde with the active nucleophilic phosphacumulenes yielded the corresponding phosphanylidene‐aziridines and chromeno‐pyrolo‐triazoles. On the other hand, the reaction of the allylic phosphonium ylide, hexaphenylcarbodiphosphorane with the azido compound, was also undertaken. In this case, the phosphanylidene‐chromeno‐triazinone was obtained. Further assessment of these new compounds against (breast: MCF‐7 and liver: HPEG2) human solid tumor cell lines is necessary.