Graphene oxide and its application as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment

Graphene oxide, particularly as magnetic particles, has recently been used as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment in applications such as heavy metals separation (mercury, cadmium, copper, chromium, arsenic) and also organics (antibiotics, dyes, i.e. Reactive black 5, etc.). Selected examples will be given in the present review—mostly from the literature. The following themes are examined among others: the synthesis route (impregnation, co‐precipitation), kinetics of adsorption, thermodynamics, isotherm studies and applications in comparison with other adsorbents. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Review of the indirect citations paradigm: theory and practice of the assessment of papers,authors and journals

The family of indicators presented in this paper includes indices created by taking into account not only the direct but also the indirect impact of citations and references. Three types of citation graphs are presented, namely, the Paper-Citation graph, the Author-Citation graph and the Journal-Citation graph, along with different methods for constructing them. In addition, the concept of generations of citations is examined in detail, again by presenting various methods for defining them found in the literature. Finally, a number of indirect indicators for papers, authors and journals are discussed, which among others, include PageRank, CiteRank, indirect h-index and the EigenFactor score.     

Malic acid: A novel processing aid for thermoplastic starch/poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) compounding and blown film extrusion

The processing of polysaccharide‐based polymer compounds represents a major challenge because these materials behave considerably different compared to their petro‐based counterparts. Especially in the manufacture of thermoplastic starch (TPS)–polyester films by means of blown film extrusion, an increase in the natural material proportion generally leads to processing difficulties. In addition, higher TPS contents adversely affect mechanical material characteristics. The present study focuses on the effect of malic acid (MA) on processing parameters and on the quality of TPS/poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) films. The MA enantiomers d (+) and l (–) as well as the racemate were applied at various concentrations (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 wt %). Results indicate that the addition of racemic MA at concentrations of 0.2% and 0.4% significantly improved the processibility of TPS. Simultaneously, positive effects such as improved ductility and water sorption characteristics were found. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45539.     

Rapid Methods for Frying Oil Quality Determination: Evaluation with Respect to Legislation Criteria

This work focuses on the evaluation of commercially available rapid methods for determining frying oil quality. Five rapid methods differing in principle were selected: FOM320 (Ebro), PCT120 (3M), LRSM (3M), Fritest (Merck) and Viscofrit (Viscofrit). The performance of the methods was examined by use of 184 oil samples produced by controlled frying experiments. Twelve series of frying experiments (45 batches each) were performed in which the oil type (palm, sunflower and olive) and the food type (potatoes, zucchini and minced beef meat) varied. Control thermal oxidation experiments with the same oil types were also performed. Results of the rapid methods were compared to results of analytical methods determining legislation criteria. Namely, the total polar compounds and total polymer compounds were determined using High Pressure Size Exclusion Chromatography with and without prior separation of the polar fraction. Furthermore, determination of the free fatty acid concentration, acidity, viscosity and level of oxidation of the oils using UV spectroscopy were carried out. Principal component analysis and linear regression analysis were used in order to assess the obtained results. Comparison of the results of the rapid methods with the analytical ones showed differences in most examined cases. For many of the examined rapid methods the agreement of the results versus those of analytical methods depended on the food-oil combination used in the frying experiments.     

Integrated surveillance of Salmonella along the food chain using existing data and resources in British Columbia,Canada

Integrated surveillance of pathogens along the food chain and the multidisciplinary investigation of food hazards are considered international best practices. Integrated surveillance of Salmonella was initiated in British Columbia (BC), Canada in 2006. The objectives of this paper were 1) to describe the BC integrated surveillance experience, 2) to present findings from the integrated surveillance of Salmonella, and 3) to identify the components that enabled the program. Data about BC animal, food and human Salmonella isolates from 2006 to 2010 (n = 5003) were centrally collated and analysed. Among chickens, chicken meat and humans, the most common serotypes identified were S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium and S. Heidelberg. An increase in S. Enteritidis in all three sectors in 2007–9 led to a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral investigation. An evaluation of the integrated surveillance program helped identify four critical program elements: dedicated people, cross-sectoral sharing and integration of data, multi-disciplinary analysis and interpretation of findings, and collaborative multi-sectoral response. Ongoing challenges include lack of resources and infrastructure to sustain the program.