Electrochemical treatment of cotton textile-based dyeing effluent

The electrochemical treatment (ECT) of textile wastewater was carried out in a 1.5 dm³ electrolyte batch reactor using iron electrodes. With the four plate configurations, a current density (CD) of 89.2 A/m² and a pH value of 8.5 were found to be optimal, at which maximum reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour achieved were 86% and 79%, respectively. Loss of 0.0666 kg/m³ iron electrode and 18.44 kWh/m³ power consumption was observed during ECT with a maximum COD reduction of 79%. The settling characteristics of electrochemically treated effluents as well as the characteristics of foam and residue were also analysed.     

Targeting Efficiency and Biodistribution of Zoledronate Conjugated Docetaxel Loaded Pegylated PBCA Nanoparticles for Bone Metastasis

In an attempt to improve tumor localization of docetaxel (DTX)‐loaded nanoparticles (NPs), zoledronic acid (ZOL) is used as a ligand to target bone metastasis. DTX‐loaded ZOL‐conjugated polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated polybutyl cyanoacrylate (PBCA) NPs are prepared using an anionic polymerization technique. PBCA‐PEG‐ZOL NPs are subjected to cytotoxic assay in both BO2 and MCF‐7 cell lines. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by the PBCA‐PEG‐ZOL NPs are studied. Quantitative cellular uptake, NP uptake route characterization, confocal microscopy and IPP/ApppI levels are performed. PBCA‐PEG‐ZOL NPs show an enhanced cytotoxic effect in both BO2 as well as MCF‐7 cell lines due to higher uptake following ZOL‐mediated endocytosis. The molecular basis of apoptosis reveals the involvement of a cytoplasmic protein in activating the programmed cell death pathway. Route characterization studies reveal that PBCA‐PEG‐ZOL NPs uptake is not completely blocked even by using both inhibitors (genistein and phenyl arsinoxide) simultaneously, conferring that uptake is not entirely based upon clathrin or caveolae. PBCA‐PEG‐ZOL NPs showed 7 and 5.3 times increase in IPP and ApppI production, in comparison to ZOL treatment, and 138 times higher than the control group in MCF‐7 cell line. In BO2 cell line, after treatment with NPs, IPP was 5.35 times higher than ZOL solution. No ApppI in BO2 cell line after treatment with NPs and ZOL solution was found. NP distribution in tumor infected bone is also significantly high in comparison to the normal bone at any time point. It is concluded that ZOL‐conjugated NPs provide an efficient and targeted delivery of DTX, with synergistic effects. Thus, these NPs present a promising treatment in the near future, by actively targeting metastatic tumor.     

Improved 3-dimensional DV-hop localization algorithm based on information of nearby nodes

DV-Hop, a range-free localization algorithm, has been one of the most popular localization algorithm. It is easy and inexpensive to implement. Therefore, in the literature, many improved variants of this algorithm exist. However, poor location accuracy and higher power consumption by DV-Hop algorithm always open new avenues for research on this algorithm and makes it a favorite among the researchers. In this paper, we have proposed an Improved 3-Dimensional DV-Hop algorithm based on the information of nearby nodes (I3D-DVLAIN). In the algorithm, by calculating hopsize at the unknown nodes, we eliminate one communication among the nodes, which reduces power consumption in the network. The hopsize calculation and location estimation is done by using only the nearby anchor nodes, which minimizes the network usage and decreases the computational effort. For the selection of nearby anchor nodes, we introduce a new method. Further, for localization, a novel method is used for solving the system of distance equations that restricts propagation of inherent error in the distance and increases localization accuracy. Furthermore, by mathematically analyzing the propagation of error in solving the system of equations, we prove the superiority of I3D-DVLAIN over other compared algorithms. The results obtained through simulation and complexity analysis of the computation and communication further strengthens our observations about the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

     

Physicochemical Treatment of Distillery Wastewater—A Review

A distillery industry which represents an important segment of the world economy is amongst the highly polluting industries after the paper industries. Spent wash (SW) generated from distilleries have a very high chemical oxygen demand (COD) (i.e., 20,000–50,000 mg/dm³) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) (i.e., 7000–50,000 mg/dm³), while the COD and BOD values depend on the raw material used. If it is discharged to water-receiving bodies without treatment, it may damage the aquatic system. Apart from causing water pollution, unpleasant odor of effluent spreads several kilometers around the distillery. The untreated/partially treated effluent if discharged in the land makes it infertile. Environmental issues have become one of the important factors controlling the growth of distillery industries. Therefore, it is very necessary to investigate the efficient and cost-effective processes to treat SW. The physicochemical processes are still not being applied in many distilleries, which are possible to have feasible remediation technologies to combat environmental pollution. In the present review article, different physicochemical technologies like coagulation, flocculation, electrocoagulation, thermolysis, wet oxidation, and adsorption as well as biological treatment for the wastewater of distillery industries have been presented. The distillery wastewater management is also discussed.     

Electrochemical Treatment of Rice Grain‐Based Distillery Biodigester Effluent

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color reduction of biodigester effluent (BDE) in a batch electrocoagulation (EC) reactor were investigated using an iron electrode. The effects of various parameters such as pH, current density, electrode gap, and electrolysis time were evaluated. Energy requirement and electrode loss were found to be functions of the pH. The settling and filterability characteristics of the treated solution were best at low pH. The results demonstrate that EC can be employed in rice grain‐based distilleries to reduce the pollution load. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the residues obtained from the EC‐treated BDE may be used as fuel.