Solvent Extraction of Copper from Sulfate–Chloride Solutions Using LIX 84-IC and LIX 860-IC

ABSTRACT

The effect of chloride ions on the copper extraction equilibria, the rate of extraction, copper/iron selectivity, and chloride extraction was studied for organic phases containing pure ketoxime (LIX 84-IC) and pure nonylaldoxime (LIX 860N-IC). In these systems, the used aqueous phase contained total chloride concentrations from 0 to 110 g/l. It was determined that the chloride ions in the aqueous solution had a large negative effect on the extraction equilibria for LIX 84-IC and a small effect for LIX 860N-IC. This deleterious effect is attributed to an increase in the hydrogen ion activity coefficient in the presence of chloride ions. The chloride accelerated the rate of copper extraction even though the reaction was fast in all the tested conditions. An increase in the temperature from 25°C to 35°C affected positively the extraction equilibria for LIX 84-IC.     

Mathematical foundations of moral preferences

One-shot anonymous unselfishness in economic games is commonly explained by social preferences, which assume that people care about the monetary pay-offs of others. However, during the last 10 years, research has shown that different types of unselfish behaviour, including cooperation, altruism, truth-telling, altruistic punishment and trustworthiness are in fact better explained by preferences for following one''s own personal norms—internal standards about what is right or wrong in a given situation. Beyond better organizing various forms of unselfish behaviour, this moral preference hypothesis has recently also been used to increase charitable donations, simply by means of interventions that make the morality of an action salient. Here we review experimental and theoretical work dedicated to this rapidly growing field of research, and in doing so we outline mathematical foundations for moral preferences that can be used in future models to better understand selfless human actions and to adjust policies accordingly. These foundations can also be used by artificial intelligence to better navigate the complex landscape of human morality.     

Effect of biological and chemical oxidation on the removal of estrogenic compounds (NP and BPA) from wastewater: an integrated assessment procedure

A major source of the wide presence of EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Compounds) in water bodies is represented by direct/indirect discharge of sewage. Recent scientific literature reports data about their trace concentration in water, sediments and aquatic organisms, as well as removal efficiencies of different wastewater treatment schemes. Despite the availability of a huge amount of data, some doubts still persist due to the difficulty in evaluating synergistic effects of trace pollutants in complex matrices. In this paper, an integrated assessment procedure was used, based on chemical and biological analyses, in order to compare the performance of two full scale biological wastewater treatment plants (either equipped with conventional settling tanks or with an ultrafiltration membrane unit) and tertiary ozonation (pilot scale).Nonylphenol and bisphenol A were chosen as model EDCs, together with the parent compounds mono- and di-ethoxylated nonylphenol (quantified by means of GC-MS). Water estrogenic activity was evaluated by applying the human breast cancer MCF-7 based reporter gene assay. Process parameters (e.g., sludge age, temperature) and conventional pollutants (e.g., COD, suspended solids) were also measured during monitoring campaigns.Conventional activated sludge achieved satisfactory removal of both analytes and estrogenicity. A further reduction of biological activity was exerted by MBR (Membrane Biological Reactor) as well as ozonation; the latter contributed also to decrease EDC concentrations.     

Assessment of daylight in rooms with different architectural features

Results are presented from a parametric study that assessed the amount of daylight in rooms with different architectural features: the orientation, window size and visible glazing transmittance, room depth, external obstruction angle and site. Annual lighting simulations were run in order to understand how the daylight availability within a space changes as a function of the architectural features. A sub-dataset of the full result database is examined in detail for north- and south-facing rooms in Turin, north-west Italy, with a visible glazing transmittance of 70%. Each feature is analysed for its influence on the daylighting conditions. A simple graphical tool is presented to promote an easier reading of the results. This was developed to provide a synthesis of information to the design team. It shows the influence of preliminary design solutions on the amount of indoor daylight. This allows a design team to assess indoor daylighting from the earliest design phases onwards and to determine which combinations of architectural features are able to provide high, acceptable or low daylight levels within a room.     

Study of the effect of processing conditions on the co‐injection of PBS/PBAT and PTT/PBT blends for parts with increased bio‐content

This work studies the effect of processing parameters on mechanical properties and material distribution of co‐injected polymer blends within a complex mold shape. A partially bio‐sourced blend of poly(butylene terephthalate) and poly(trimethylene terephthalate) PTT/PBT was used for the core, with a tough biodegradable blend of poly (butylene succinate) and poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) PBS/PBAT for the skin. A ½ factorial design of experiments is used to identify significant processing parameters from skin and core melt temperatures, injection speed and pressure, and mold temperature. Interactions between the processing effects are considered, and the resulting statistical data produced accurate linear models indicating that the co‐injection of the two blends can be controlled. Impact strength of the normally brittle PTT/PBT blend is shown to increase significantly with co‐injection and variations in core to skin volume ratios to have a determining role in the overall impact strength. Scanning electron microscope images were taken of co‐injected tensile samples with the PBS/PBAT skin dissolved displaying variations of mechanical interlocking occurring between the two blends. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41278.     

Investigating the Role of Conformational Effects on Laccase Stability and Hyperactivation under Stress Conditions

Fungal laccase from Steccherinum ochraceum 1833 displays remarkable stability under different harsh conditions: organic/buffer mixtures, thermal treatment, and microwave radiation. The behavior is particularly significant in the light of the sharp inactivation observed for two different fungal laccases. Laccase from S. ochraceum 1833 also displays hyperactivation under mild thermal treatment (60 °C). Molecular dynamics simulations at 80 °C explained how this laccase retains the geometry of the electron transfer pathway, thereby assuring electron transfer through the copper ions and thus maintaining its catalytic activity at high temperature. Spectroscopic studies revealed that the thermal activation corresponds to specific conformational changes in the protein. The results indicate that this laccase is potentially applicable under denaturing conditions that might be beneficial for the biotransformation of recalcitrant substrates.     

Putative Circulating MicroRNAs Are Able to Identify Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse and Severe Regurgitation

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) associated with severe mitral regurgitation is a debilitating disease with no pharmacological therapies available. MicroRNAs (miRNA) represent an emerging class of circulating biomarkers that have never been evaluated in MVP human plasma. Our aim was to identify a possible miRNA signature that is able to discriminate MVP patients from healthy subjects (CTRL) and to shed light on the putative altered molecular pathways in MVP. We evaluated a plasma miRNA profile using Human MicroRNA Card A followed by real-time PCR validations. In addition, to assess the discriminative power of selected miRNAs, we implemented a machine learning analysis. MiRNA profiling and validations revealed that miR-140-3p, 150-5p, 210-3p, 451a, and 487a-3p were significantly upregulated in MVP, while miR-223-3p, 323a-3p, 340-5p, and 361-5p were significantly downregulated in MVP compared to CTRL (p ≤ 0.01). Functional analysis identified several biological processes possible linked to MVP. In addition, machine learning analysis correctly classified MVP patients from CTRL with high accuracy (0.93) and an area under the receiving operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.97. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study performed on human plasma, showing a strong association between miRNAs and MVP. Thus, a circulating molecular signature could be used as a first-line, fast, and cheap screening tool for MVP identification.     

Weissella cibaria short-fermented liquid sourdoughs based on quinoa or amaranth flours as fat replacer in focaccia bread formulation

Production of the traditional Italian Focaccia bread (FcBread) requires reformulation to meet the new rules for healthier foods. We tested the applicability of a short-fermented (15 h) liquid sourdough (LS) (dough yield, DY, 250), obtained using quinoa (Q) or amaranth (Am) flour fermented with a Weissella cibaria strain (C43-11) producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) as fat replacer in yeast-leavened FcBread. The LSs were applied during the FcBread-making process at industrial pilot plant, reducing the added fat amount by 20% (FcBread-QLS and FcBread-AmLS) and products were compared with reference samples not containing EPS. All the products were analysed for physico-chemical properties (pH, TTA, organic acids, protein content and profile, instrumental colour), textural properties, sensory quality and glycemic index. The application of both pseudo-cereal-based W. cibaria LSs in FcBread allowed obtaining products with a reduced amount of fat, increased protein amount, mainly due to the albumin and glutenin/glutelin fractions, reduced glycemic index, improved texture and preserved in the traditional sensory profile of ‘focaccia’.     

Guidelines and recommendations for indoor use of fuel cells and hydrogen systems

Hydrogen energy applications often require that systems are used indoors (e.g., industrial trucks for materials handling in a warehouse facility, fuel cells located in a room, or hydrogen stored and distributed from a gas cabinet). It may also be necessary or desirable to locate some hydrogen system components/equipment inside indoor or outdoor enclosures for security or safety reasons, to isolate them from the end-user and the public, or from weather conditions.Using of hydrogen in confined environments requires detailed assessments of hazards and associated risks, including potential risk prevention and mitigation features. The release of hydrogen can potentially lead to the accumulation of hydrogen and the formation of a flammable hydrogen-air mixture, or can result in jet-fires. Within Hyindoor European Project, carried out for the EU Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking safety design guidelines and engineering tools have been developed to prevent and mitigate hazardous consequences of hydrogen release in confined environments. Three main areas are considered: Hydrogen release conditions and accumulation, vented deflagrations, jet fires and including under-ventilated flame regimes (e.g., extinguishment or oscillating flames and steady burns). Potential RCS recommendations are also identified.