Phenolic content, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities of the edible halophyte Suaeda fruticosa Forssk

Suaeda fruticosa is an edible and medicinal halophyte known for its hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic activities. In this study, novel biological activities of the shoot extracts related to their phenolics were investigated. Results showed an appreciable total phenolic (31.8 mg GAE/g DW) in shoot extracts. The estimation of antioxidant capacities using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC method) and a cell based-assay (WS1) of four extracts (hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water) showed that shoot methanol extract exhibit the highest antioxidant activities. The same extract displayed the utmost anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) release, by 66.4% at 160 μg/ml in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Besides, the dichloromethane extract showed the highest anticancer activity against human lung carcinoma (A-549) and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines (DLD-1, Caco-2 and HT-29) with specificity against DLD-1 (IC₅₀ = 10 ± 1 μg/ml). These findings demonstrate the remarkable potentiality of this edible halophyte as valuable source of antioxidants which exhibit original and interesting anti-inflammatory and anticancer capacities.     

Changes in volatile compounds and oil quality with malaxation time of Tunisian cultivars of Olea europea

While there has been considerable work examining the effect of malaxation time on different characteristics of olive oils, there have been few that deal with all the major aspects. Here, the influence of malaxation time was evaluated using major local Tunisian (cv. Chemlali and Chetoui) cultivars. Standard characteristics were measured as well as detailed analyses of volatile compounds were conducted. Headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) was applied to the analysis of volatile compounds of virgin olive oils from Chemlali and Chetoui varieties with differing malaxation time. Twenty‐seven compounds were characterised by GC‐FID and GC–MS. Compounds belonging mainly to alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones and hydrocarbons chemical classes characterized the volatile profile. Significant differences in the proportion of volatiles from oils of different malaxation time were detected. The results suggest that besides genetic factors, malaxation time influences volatile formation. The main variables that were affected by malaxation time were the total amount of phenols and composition of the volatile compounds. At malaxation time of 30 min, Chemlali and Chetoui olive oils presented the highest total phenol content (244.19 and 877.63 mg kg^?1, respectively), while the lowest content was observed at 60 min from regardless of cultivars. In turn, this influenced the oxidative stability and peroxide value. It was also clear that the cultivars behaved differently and this prevented general conclusions being made for all of the quality characteristics.     

Effects of finishing processes on the fatigue life improvements of electro-machined surfaces of tool steel

Machining the EN X160CrMoV12 tool steel by electro-discharge machining (EDM) process generates significant modifications of microgeometrical, microstructural and mechanical properties of the upper layers of the machined components. In this paper, the role of these modifications in controlling the stability, under cyclic loading, of the propagation of the crack networks generated by EDM is discussed. High cycle fatigue tests (2?×?10⁶ cycles) show that the presence of these cracks in brittle layers, i.e. white layer, quenched the martensitic layer, and a field of tensile residual stresses (+750?MPa) results in a loss of 34% of endurance limit comparatively with the endurance evaluated for the milled state that generates crack-free surfaces. It is shown, in this work, that the detrimental effect of these crack networks can be controlled by putting in compression the upper layers of the EDM surfaces. Indeed the application of wire brushing to EDM surfaces generates compressive residual stresses (???100?MPa) that stabilise the crack networks propagation and therefore restores to the EDM surfaces their endurance limit value corresponding to the milled state. Moreover, removing the crack networks by polishing generates a stabilised residual stress value of ???130?MPa. This results in an improvement rate of about 70% of the endurance limit comparatively with the EDM state and of 26% in comparison to the milled state. These rates could be further increased by the application of the wire brushing process to the polished surfaces that reached 75% and 30% comparatively to the EDM and milling states respectively. In this case, a stabilised surface residual stress of about ???150?MPa was measured on the specimen surfaces.     

Extraction and Destruction of Organics in Wastewater Using Ozone-Loaded Solvent

Originally developed as a heat exchange fluid, Volasil 245 (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) has been found to dissolve 10 times more ozone than water does. This article proposes and investigates the extraction of wastewater contaminants to ozone-loaded Volasil 245 as a means of providing rapid treatment. In a series of bench-scale tests, the effectiveness of ozone-loaded Volasil 245 contact was compared with that of conventional gas contact. Tests were conducted with respect to a range of organic compounds: namely, phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2,3-dichlorophenol, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, o-nitrotoluene, and nitrobenzene. Contact with the ozone-loaded solvent was suggested to be the more rapid technique, reducing aqueous concentrations by at least 85% within 30 s. In the case of 2-chlorophenol, Volasil 245 contact was shown to require just ~0.5 min to achieve a residual aqueous fraction of 5%, as opposed to ~4.5 min of gas contact. However, water/solvent interfacial mass transfer resistance was suggested to limit the degree of aqueous decontamination ultimately achieved.     

Soil aquifer treatment of artificial wastewater under saturated conditions

A 2000 mm long saturated laboratory soil column was used to simulate soil aquifer treatment under saturated conditions to assess the removal of chemical and biochemical oxygen demand (COD and BOD), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen and phosphate, using high strength artificial wastewater. The removal rates were determined under a combination of constant hydraulic loading rates (HLR) and variable COD concentrations as well as variable HLR under a constant COD. Within the range of COD concentrations considered (42 mg L⁻¹-135 mg L⁻¹) it was found that at fixed hydraulic loading rate, a decrease in the influent concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen and phosphate improved their removal efficiencies. At the high COD concentrations applied residence times influenced the redox conditions in the soil column. Long residence times were detrimental to the removal process for COD, BOD and DOC as anoxic processes and sulphate reduction played an important role as electron acceptors. It was found that total COD mass loading within the range of 911 mg d⁻¹-1780 mg d⁻¹ applied as low COD wastewater infiltrated coupled with short residence times would provide better effluent quality than the same mass applied as a COD with higher concentration at long residence times. The opposite was true for organic nitrogen where relatively high concentrations coupled with long residence time gave better removal efficiency.     

Ozone catalysed with solids as an advanced oxidation process for landfill leachate treatment.

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) of wastewater is gaining both research and industrial interests. It is proved to be an advanced oxidation process since it involves hydroxyl radicals as oxidation species. Few studies have been carried out to test HCO in the treatment of landfill leachates. This work has been carried out to test three types of catalysts: activated carbon (AC), expanded perlite (EP) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) combined with ozone at 80 g/m3 gas concentration for the treatment of a leachate generated by Jebel Chakir landfill site near Tunis-capital of Tunisia. The work has shown a reduction in COD of about 45% and an increase in biodegradability (BOD5/COD) from 0.1 to 0.34. A catalyst concentration of 0.7 g/L was found optimal for the treatment of the leachate.     

A robust shock and noise model for the manufacturing of molded LDPE foams

The article concerns the injection manufacturing process of molded foam sheets and their intrinsic shock and noise performances. The main goal is to optimize the physical performances of molded plastic foams at an early stage in their design and manufacturing. The effects of injection process parameters on the properties of molded LDPE foams are investigated. The input optimization parameters considered are: injection temperature, mold temperature, injection speed, plasticization back pressure, and screw rotation speed during the plasticization phase. The output optimization parameters considered are: density, shock absorption, and acoustic absorption. The experimental design method made use of the Taguchi table and central composition design. This allows us to identify simplified mathematical models for input/output and to detect the most influential input in the injection process. We conclude by validating the models and their robustness. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Kinetic study of the manganese‐based catalytic hydrogen peroxide oxidation of a persistent azo‐dye

BACKGROUND: The discharge of synthetic dyes by the textile industry into the environment poses concerns due to their persistence and toxicity. New efficient treatment processes are required to effectively degrade these dyes. The aim of this work was to study the degradation of a persistent dye (Drimarene Brilliant Reactive Red K‐4BL, C.I.147) using H₂O₂ oxidation catalysed by an Mn(III)‐saltren catalyst and to develop a kinetic model for this system. RESULTS: Dye oxidation with H₂O₂ was significantly improved by the addition of the catalyst. As the pH was increased from 3 to 10, the oxidation rates increased significantly. The kinetic model developed in this study was found to adequately explain the experimental results. In particular, dye oxidation can be described at high pH by pseudo‐first‐order kinetics. A Michaelis–Menton type equation was developed from the model and was found to adequately describe the effect of H₂O₂ and catalyst concentrations on the apparent pseudo‐first‐order rate constant. Optimum catalyst and H₂O₂ concentrations of 500 mg L^?1 and 6.3 g L^?1, respectively, were found to give maximum reaction rates. CONCLUSION: Catalytic H₂O₂ oxidation was found to be effective for the removal of persistent dye and the results obtained in this work are of significance for design and scale‐up of a treatment process. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry