Removal of Lead (II) Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Eggplant Peels Activated Charcoal

The eggplant peel activated charcoal (EPPAC) was investigated as an adsorbent for the removal of lead II ions from aqueous solution. Three methods were tested for the production of eggplant peel activated charcoal (EPPAC) from eggplant peel charcoal (EPPC), yielding three different products; EPPAC-1, EPPAC-2, and EPPAC-3. The difference among the three methods lies in the primary physical mixing of the EPPC with the activating agent (potassium hydroxide) before heating the mixture in a furnace for activation. The removal efficiency of lead II ions by the three adsorbents was 57.7%, 70.0%, and 60.0% for EPPAC-1, EPPAC-2, and EPPPAC-3, respectively. The optimized activation parameters for EPPAC-2 were: activation time 2 hours, activation temperature 700°C, and activation ratio 1:2 (EPPAC: KOH). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that EPPAC-2 has the most porous structure. The surface area of EPPAC-2 was measured to be 739 m²/g. Adsorption kinetics of lead (II) is best described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with second order rate constant of 1.70 × 10^?3 g/mg.h at room temperature. The adsorption of lead on EPPAC-2 is found to follow the Langmuir isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 1.4 × 10² mg/g.     

Surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone from the surface of PP film

This article presents the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) from PP film modified with an initiator layer composed of ? OSn(Oct) groups. This method consists of two steps: (1) Sn(Oct)₂ exchanged with the hydroxyl groups on the surface of PP film, forming the ? OSn(Oct) groups bonded on the surface; (2) surface‐initiated ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐CL with the ? OSn(Oct) groups. The initiator layer is characterized by attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR), contact angles, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The growth of PCL chains from the initiator layer through ring‐opening polymerization is successfully achieved. ATR‐FTIR, XPS, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) are also used to characterize the grafted film. XPS results reveal that the PCL chains cover the surface of PP film after 4 h. The SEM images reveal that the PCL chain clusters grow into regular spheroidal particles, which can be changed into other different morphology by treated with different solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Removal of nitro aromatic compounds and sulfite acid from distillate of 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene red water using modified porous polystyrene microspheres

To remove the nitro aromatic compounds (NACs) and SO₃^2? from distillate of 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) red water, the carboxylated and aminated polystyrene (PSt) microspheres were used as adsorbents. GC‐MS and HPLC analysis were used to determine the types and concentrations of NACs before and after adsorption. The carboxylated PSt, which was prepared by modifying PSt with phthlandione (PA), could remove the neutral NACs including 2,6‐dinitrotoluene (2,6‐DNT), 2,4‐dinitrotoluene (2,4‐DNT), 1,3,5‐trinitrobenzene (1,3,5‐TNB), and 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (2,4,6‐TNT), with the acid 2,4‐dinitrophenol (2,4‐DNP) and SO₃^2? remained in the distillate. The aminated PSt that was synthesized by activating PSt with chloroacetyl chloride follow by reaction with 1,2‐ethanediamine (EDA) could remove all the NACs and SO₃^2?. The results suggested that EDA‐PSt adsorbed the NACs though multimode interactions, i.e., hydrogen bond and electrostatic attraction. After adsorption using EDA‐PSt, chemical oxygen demand (COD) was reduced from 86.1 to 11.2 mg L^?1, and a colorless, transparent, and nontoxic solution with neutral pH value was obtained. Five grams of EDA‐PSt could purify 1600 cm³ of distillate of TNT red water, and the adsorbents could be recycled by elution with methanol to desorb the neutral NACs followed by elution with 0.1 mol L^?1 NaOH to wash off 2,4‐DNP and SO₃^2?. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Removal of aqueous phenol and 2‐chlorophenol with purified soybean peroxidase and raw soybean hulls

In this study, the removal of phenol and 2‐chlorophenol using soybean seed‐hulls in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is demonstrated. The performance of a stirred membrane reactor containing soluble purified SBP was compared with a batch stirred reactor containing raw soybean seed‐hulls. The purified enzyme reactor proved to be ineffective while excellent results were obtained with the crude seed‐hulls for the removal of phenol and 2‐chlorophenol. Four sequential batch reactors containing raw seed‐hulls achieved greater than 96% removal of phenol with a retention time of 20 min in each reactor. A single batch reactor containing raw seed‐hulls was effective in removing greater than 98.5% of 2‐chlorophenol (initially at 1000 ppm) in less than 15 min. The performance of these reactors is comparable to existing HRP‐based technology. The stability of the soybean peroxidase (SBP) enzyme was also examined in the presence of detergents (SDS, Tween 20 and Triton X‐100). Low concentrations of the detergents significantly increased the enzyme activity and higher concentrations of detergents (up to 20% w/v) did not inactivate the SBP enzyme. These results demonstrate that SBP has good potential for the treatment of phenol contaminated solutions. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Solubilization of phthalocyanines into methanol with fluoroalkyl end‐capped N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)‐ and N,N‐dimethyl‐acrylamide oligomers

Self‐assembled molecular aggregates of fluoroalkyl end‐capped N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)‐ and N,N‐dimethyl‐acrylamide oligomers in methanol were found to interact with phthalocyanines as guest molecules to exhibit good solubility. On the other hand, the corresponding nonfluorinated oligomers were not effective in solubilizing phthalocyanines under similar conditions. In these oligomers, fluorinated N‐(1,1‐dimethyl‐3‐oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomers were more effective in solubilizing phthalocyanines in methanol. Self‐assemblies formed by fluorinated oligomer‐phthalocyanine complexes are applied to the surface modifications of polystyrene (PS), and the modified PS surface exhibited not only a strong oleophobicity imparted by fluorine but also good hydrophilicity. Thus, these fluorinated molecular aggregate‐phthalocyanine systems are suggested to have high potential for new fluorinated functional materials through their excellent properties imparted by fluorine and phthalocyanines. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 521–525, 2004     

Simultaneous graft copolymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate and acrylic acid onto polydimethylsiloxane surfaces using a two‐step plasma treatment

Acrylic acid (AAc) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) mixtures were simultaneously grafted onto the surfaces of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films using a two‐step oxygen plasma treatment (TSPT). The first step of this method includes: oxygen plasma pretreatment of the PDMS films, immersion in HEMA/AAc mixtures, removal from the mixtures, and drying. The second step was carried out by plasma copolymerization of preadsorbed reactive monomers on the surfaces of dried pretreated films. The effects of pretreatment and polymerization time length, monomer concentration, and ratio on peroxide formation and graft amount were studied. The films were characterized by attenuated total reflection Furrier transformer infrared (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), zeta potential, surface tension, and water contact angle measurements. The ATR‐FTIR spectrum of the modified film after alkaline treatment showed the two new characteristic bands of PHEMA and PAAc. Both increase the polar part of surface tension (γ_p) after grafting and the evaluation of surface charge at pH 1.8, 7, and 12 confirmed the presence of polar groups on the surface of grafted films with a mixture of HEMA/AAc. Morphological studies using both AFM and SEM evaluation illustrated various amounts of grafted copolymer on the surface of PDMS films. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Effects of plasma treatment on biocompatibility of poly[(L‐lactide)‐co‐(ϵ‐caprolactone)] and poly[(L‐lactide)‐co‐glycolide] electrospun nanofibrous membranes

Poly[(l ‐lactide)‐co ‐(? ‐caprolactone)] (PLCL) and poly[(l ‐lactide)‐co ‐glycolide] (PLGA) copolymers are widely used in neural guide tissue regeneration. In this research, the surface modification of their hydrophilicity was achieved using plasma treatment. Attachment and proliferation of olfactory ensheathing cells on treated electrospun membranes increased by 26 and 32%, respectively, compared to the untreated PLCL and PLGA counterparts. Cells cultivated on both the PLCL and PLGA membranes showed high viability (>95%) and healthy morphologies with no evidence of cytotoxic effects. Cells grown on treated electrospun fibres displayed significant increases in mitochondrial activity and reductions in membrane leakage when compared to untreated samples. The results suggested that plasma treatment of the surface of the polymers enhanced both cell viability and growth without incurring any cytotoxic effects. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Recycling of PET waste using 3‐amino‐1‐propanol by conventional or microwave irradiation and synthesis of bis‐oxazin there from

There is a growing interest in recycling of post‐consumer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste for both environmental and economic reasons. PET in the form of disposable soft drink bottle waste was subjected to depolymerization via aminolysis using excess of 3‐amino‐1‐propanol under soxhlet by conventional heating as well as microwave irradiation using catalyst sodium acetate or potassium sulfate. The product obtained was characterized after purification by using melting point, IR spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimeter and was found to be bis‐(3‐hydroxy propyl) terephthalamide (BHPTA). The BHPTA thus obtained was subjected to cyclization reaction using thionyl chloride to obtain bis‐oxazin under conditions of ambient temperature. Bis‐oxazin has applications in polymer synthesis as a chain extender or a cross linking agent. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis of polysiloxane with 5,5‐dimethylhydantoin‐based N‐halamine pendants for biocidal functionalization of polyethylene by supercritical impregnation

An N‐halamine precursor 3‐(3‐hydroxypropyl)‐5,5‐dimethylhydantoin (HPDMH) has been synthesized. The N‐halamine precursor was reacted with poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) to produce a biocidal polysiloxane with 5,5‐dimethylhydantoin‐based N‐halamine pendants through silane alcoholysis and subsequent chlorination of hydantoin ring with tert‐butyl hypochlorite. The N‐halamine polysiloxane was impregnated into inert polyethylene (PE) fibers and formed a 68‐nm coating layer in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) for antibacterial application. The PE fibers before and after impregnation were characterized by XPS and SEM. The N‐halamine polysiloxane impregnated PE samples provided effective biocidal activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli compared with unmodified ones that did not display obvious antibacterial activities. The coating layer on PE substrate was stable toward washing cycles, storage, and UV irradiation and the rechargeability of lost active chlorines was good. The scCO₂ impregnation approach uses environmentally friendly CO₂ as solvent and can be applied to both reactive and nonreactive substrates since it does not require covalent bonds to tether biocidal moieties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44721.     

Utilization of waste gas containing methyl chloride from 2,2‐dichlorovinyldimethyl‐phosphate (DDVP) production

Methyl chloride is a major waste in the production of 2,2‐dichlorovinyldimethylphosphate (DDVP) and its emissions need to be treated for environmental protection. The use of methyl chloride as a raw material for several industrial products is a solution to reduce the effects of the pollutant. Quantitative methyl chloride conversions into both methanol and 2‐methoxynaphthalene have been investigated and the milestones of full‐scale industrial applications are given. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of chromium (VI) from aqueous solutions using poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) beads

Sorption of hexavalent chromium ions from aqueous solution by poly 4‐vinyl pyridine [Poly(4‐VP)] was studied. The batch method was applied for adsorption processes. The effects of initial ion concentration, time, pH and temperature on adsorption were investigated. A treatment time of 60 min was found to be sufficient to reach equilibrium. pH 3.0 was found as the optimum pH value for the process. The maximum adsorption performance was achieved at 86.7 mg g^?1 using 500 mg L^?1 Cr (VI) solutions. The process of adsorption of Cr (VI) was explained by Langmuir isotherm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2865–2870, 2006     

Synergistic extraction of rare earths(III) from chloride medium with mixtures of 1‐phenyl‐3‐methyl‐4‐benzoyl‐pyrazalone‐5 and di‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2‐ethylhexylphosphonate

The synergistic effect of 1‐phenyl‐3‐methyl‐4‐benzoyl‐pyrazalone‐5 (HPMBP, HA) and di‐(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2‐ethylhexylphosphonate (DEHEHP, B) in the extraction of rare earths (RE) from chloride solutions has been investigated. Under the experimental conditions used, there was no detectable extraction when DEHEHP was used as a single extractant while the amount of RE(III) extracted by HPMBP alone was also low. But mixtures of the two extractants at a certain ratio had very high extractability for all the RE(III). For example, the synergistic enhancement coefficient was calculated to be 9.35 for Y³⁺, and taking Yb³⁺ and Y³⁺ as examples, RE³⁺ is extracted as RE(OH)A₂.B. The stoichiometry, extraction constants and thermodynamic functions such as Gibbs free energy change ΔG (?17.06 kJ mol^?1), enthalpy change ΔH (?35.08 kJ mol^?1) and entropy change ΔS (?60.47 J K^?1 mol^?1) for Y³⁺ at 298 K were determined. The separation factors (SF) for adjacent pairs of rare earths were calculated. Studies show that the binary extraction system not only enhances the extraction efficiency of RE(III) but also improves the selectivity, especially between La(III) and the other rare earth elements. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Statistical optimization of process parameters for the production of vanillic acid by solid‐state fermentation of groundnut shell waste using response surface methodology

BACKGROUND: Vanillic acid is a flavoring agent and also serves as precursor for vanillin production. Culture medium and fermentation condition for the single step production of vanillic acid from Phanerochaete chrysosporium using lignocellulosic waste as a substrate under solid state fermentation (SSF) were optimized using response surface methodology. RESULTS: The process parameters were chosen by borrowing methodology, and L‐asparagine, pH and moisture content of the solid medium during SSF were identified as the most significant variables. The optimum value of selected variable and their mutual interactions were determined by response surface methodology. The result demonstrated that a yield of 73.58 mg vanillic acid g^?1 substate was predicted under optimum conditions (L‐asparagine 5.98 mmol L^?1 (2.37 mg g^?1 groundnut shell), pH of solid medium 4.51 and moisture content 74.83%). The predicted response was experimentally validated and resulted in a maximum vanillic acid yield of 73.69 mg g^?1 after 8 days of SSF. CONCLUSION: The optimization of fermentation variables resulted in a maximum 10‐fold increase in vanillic acid yield compared with that observed under sub‐optimal conditions (from 7.2 mg g^?1 to 73.69 mg g^?1). Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Oxidative chemical polymerization of 3, 4‐ethylenedioxythiophene and its applications in antistatic coatings

The oxidative chemical polymerization of 3, 4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was conducted at room temperature in the presence of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) as the doping agent, sodium supersulphate (Na₂S₂O₈) and ferric sulphate(Fe₂(SO₄)₃) as the compound oxidant and deionized water as the solvent. In order to remove sodium ion (Na⁺), ferric ion (Fe³⁺), and sulfate ion (SO4^2?), certain amount of ion exchanger was added after 24 h, the dark blue poly(3, 4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT)/PSS solution was obtained. The influence of different proportions of EDOT and PSS, different proportions of EDOT and the compound oxidant, different stirring rates on the morphology, and surface resistivity were discussed. The influence of pH value of the PEDT/PSS solution, the coating thickness, and soak time on the surface resistivity was investigated. Recipe and experimental conditions were optimized and the PEDT/PSS solution was obtained with excellent performance which has relatively low in surface resistance, good water tolerance, and light transmittance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Alcoholysis of waste fats with 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol using Candida antarctica lipase A in large‐scale tests

Commercial native lipase A from Candida antarctica was used to produce alkyl esters through the alcoholysis of (waste) fats with 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol. The process was carried out in batch stirred tank reactors (from 100 mL up to 3000 L). The content of alkyl esters in reaction mixtures was determined by gradient HPLC using an evaporative light scattering detector and the reaction progress was controlled by determining the ratio of the palmitic acid ester peak area to the oleic acid ester peak area in HPLC chromatograms. The results show that alcoholysis is the favoured reaction in presence of excess water and water‐insoluble alcohols in comparison with hydrolysis (fatty acid content <5%). The optimum amount of water for the alcoholysis was found to be 80–100% of the amount of fat. In the presence of low quantities of water both alcoholysis and hydrolysis are slow. Conversion rate increases with increasing temperature to 65–70 °C. Based on these results a large‐scale test to produce 3000 L of alkyl ester (to be used as lubricant coolant) was carried out. The experiments have proved that alcoholysis is completed after about 7–10 h depending on temperature.     

Removal of chromium,copper, and nickel ions using bidentate polymeric ligand derived from 4‐aminophenol and salicylaldehyde

The monomer 5‐(4‐acryloyloxyphenylazo)salicylaldehyde [5,4‐APASAL] was prepared and polymerized in dimethylformamide (DMF) at 70°C using benzoyl peroxide as free radical initiator. Poly5‐(4‐acryloyloxyphenylazo) salicylaldehyde [poly(5,4‐APASAL)] was characterized by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic technique. The molecular weight of the polymer was determined by gel permeation chromatography method. Cu(II), Ni(II), Cr(III), and Cr(VI) complexes of poly(5,4‐APASAL) were prepared. Elemental analysis of polychelates suggests that the metal to ligand ratio is about 1 : 2. The polymer metal complexes were also characterized by XRD, magnetic moment, and thermal analysis. The effect of pH and electrolyte concentration in the metal uptake behavior of the polymer was also studied. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012