Recovery of Zinc by LIX 984N‐C from Electroplating Rinse Bath Solution

The development of a complete solvent extraction process at the laboratory scale for recovering zinc from the zinc electroplating first rinse bath solution (alkali solution) containing ～1.9 g/L zinc (ZEFRBS) by a solvent extraction route using LIX 984N‐C, which is a new SX reagent developed by Cognis, and dissolved in commercial kerosene was investigated. By using LIX 984N‐C, an electrolyte from ZEFRBS with ～12 g/L zinc content, which was addable to the alkali zinc electroplating bath, was generated by 10 vol.% LIX 984N‐C in commercial kerosene at the O/A ratio of 1/4 and equilibrium pH value of 8.00 ± 0.05 with a two‐stage countercurrent extraction, and stripping of the loaded organic by a strip solution with 150 g/L sulfuric acid and with the O/A ratio of 1.5 at a two‐stage countercurrent stripping process. A new complete flow sheet of 10 vol.% LIX 984N‐C process for the recovery of zinc from ZEFRBS has been demonstrated.     

Kinetic Investigation of Reaction Between Colemanite Ore and Methanol

In the field of industry, it is very important that boron compounds are produced from boron ores. The aim of this study was to investigate the dissolution kinetics with carbon dioxide of colemanite in methanol medium in a pressure reactor and to derive an alternative process for producing boron compounds. Reaction temperature, stirring speed, solid/liquid ratio, pressure, and particle size were selected as parameters for the dissolution rate of colemanite. It was found that the dissolution rate increased with increase in pressure and reaction temperature, and with decrease in particle size and solid/liquid ratio. No effect of stirring speed was observed on conversion. The dissolution kinetics of colemanite were examined using both heterogeneous and homogeneous reaction models, and it was determined that the reaction rate can be described by a second-order pseudo-homogeneous reaction model. The activation energy was found to be 51.4 kJ/mol.     

Rheological and Microscopic Properties of Fat Blends with Similar Solid Fat Content but Different Trans Composition

In this study, two different groups of fat samples were prepared in a way that samples of each group had different trans fatty acid (TFA) composition but similar solid fat content (SFC). Samples of the first group (named group A) had TFA between 0.0 and 56.23 %, while the samples of the second group (group B) contained trans isomers ranging from 0.0 to 44.4 %. A polarized microscope was used to monitor the differences between the samples in terms of crystal size and crystal number during isothermal crystallization. In general, increasing TFA resulted in formation of larger crystals in a shorter time. Similar findings were also observed when small deformation time and frequency sweep experiments were conducted. A higher TFA content led to higher complex modulus values during isothermal crystallization. On the other hand, when the samples were stored at 4 °C for 48 h, the samples with the lower trans isomer had higher hardness values.     

Recent advances in the preparation of functionalized polysulfones

This review summarizes the studies related to chemical functionalization of polysulfones used in many different applications such as membranes with special functions, nanocomposites, biofilm formation, fuel cells etc. reported in recent years from the literature since 2000. Various strategies have been applied for the functionalization of polysulfones. One strategy is to add desired functionality into starting monomers in the solution containing the main components of commercial polysulfones, the aromatic dihalide sulfone and bisphenol monomers, or to functionalize the related monomers before the condensation. Another approach is to form difunctional polysulfone oligomers. Then, functional groups can be utilized to react with monomers or other polymers to obtain functional polymers or block copolymers. The most applied method is post‐modification of commercially available polysulfones by incorporation of functional groups to their aromatic groups and their use in the formation of graft polymers or polysulfone‐based networks. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

OBTAINING SCARLET SAGE (SALVIA COCCINEA) EXTRACT THROUGH HOMOGENIZER- AND ULTRASOUND-ASSISTED EXTRACTION METHODS

Scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea) leaves were extracted with water, ethanol, methanol, and aqueous mixtures of those solvents by homogenizer-assisted extraction (HAE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) methods, which are novel technologies used for this purpose. The best results were compared with those obtained by the conventional Soxhlet method (SM). Total phenolic content was expressed in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per g of dried leaf. Free radical scavenging activity for the antioxidant capacity was tested by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The greatest amount of extraction was achieved by pure water with the value of 368.87 mg/g dried matter and the highest total phenolic content was observed by 100% methanol as 43.18 mg-GAE/g dried matter, both obtained by the HAE method. The mint leaves extracted by SM exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity, with a value of 90.55% for inhibition of DPPH radical.     

Evaluation of antibacterial effects of contemporary orthodontic bonding materials

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of five orthodontic bonding materials commonly used in orthodontics. Materials and Methods: The antibacterial effects of five orthodontic bonding materials were evaluated against Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus salivarius by direct contact test (DCT). Using the DCT technique, quintet specimens of Transbond XT, Blugloo, Grengloo, Light Bond, and Opal Bond were applied to the bottom and the walls of the five wells of a 96-microtiter plate with a height of 2 mm. Samples were prepared in two sets: 1-day samples and 7-day samples. Ten microliters of bacterial suspension were added to each well for direct contact with each material for 1h at 37 °C. Bacterial growth was then measured in a microplate spectrophotometer hourly at 600 nm for 24 h. Five uncoated wells with identical inoculum sizes served as positive controls. The data obtained at the end of 24 h was statistically analyzed with one-way ANOVA, and post hoc comparisons were done using Tamhane’s T2 test. Results: Blugloo generally showed better antibacterial activity than the other materials. Transbond XT did not show any antibacterial activity. There was a statistically significant difference between Transbond XT and Light Bond in the 1-day sample against S. mutans (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found among the other groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Blugloo had the most potent antibacterial activity against S. salivarious.     

The preparation of core–shell Al2O3/Ni composite powders by electroless plating

Core–shell nanostructured Ni-coated Al₂O₃ composite powders were synthesised by using the electroless plating method. The influence of the chemical components and powder concentration in the Ni coating was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that the concentration of the plating components plays an important role in the formation of core–shell Al₂O₃/Ni composite powders. The nickel content in the composite powders could be effectively controlled by adjusting the nickel chloride content and the concentration of NaH₂PO₂·H₂O in the plating solution. The nanostructure of the crystalline Ni coatings was observed to be very attractive for achieving good bonding between ceramic particles and matrices for composite production.     

Stepwise optimisation of enzyme production in solid state fermentation of waste bread pieces

When it is not consumed, bread presents a major source of food waste, both in terms of the amount and its economic value. However, bread also possesses the characteristics of an ideal substrate for solid state fermentation. Yet nearly all wasted bread ends up in landfill sites, where it is converted into methane by anaerobic digestion. Governments are finally taking action and, according to the EU Landfill Directive, for example, biodegradable municipal waste disposed into landfills must be decreased to 35% of 1995 levels, by 2020. Solid state fermentation of waste bread for the production of value added products is a novel idea, which could help with the achievement of this target. In this study, glucoamylase and protease production from waste bread pieces, via solid state fermentation, was investigated in detail. The optimum fermentation conditions for enzyme production were evaluated as, 20 mm particle size, 1.8 (w/w, db) initial moisture ratio, and duration of 144 h. Under these conditions, glucoamylase and protease activities reached up to 114.0 and 83.2 U/g bread (db), respectively. This study confirms that waste bread could be successfully utilised as a primary raw material in cereal based biorefineries.     

Synergistic effects of sono-alkaline pretreatment on anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge

The individual and combined effects of alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment on both physical and chemical properties and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge (WAS) were investigated comprehensively in this study. The experimental results showed that both disintegration and anaerobic biodegradability of WAS were significantly improved by the combination of alkaline and ultrasonic (sono-alkaline) pretreatment. Besides, it was determined that the hydraulic retention time in anaerobic digester can be shortened by half using this combined pretreatment. However, it was also determined that sono-alkaline pretreatment was not feasible economically due to its high energy requirement.     

Alginate/BSA/montmorillonite composites with enhanced protein entrapment and controlled release efficiency

Novel pH sensitive alginate–protein–clay composite beads were investigated for the in vitro oral delivery of the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed that BSA enter between layers of montmorillonite (MMT) by expanding interlayer distance and finally an exfoliated structure forms in the alginate hydrogel. MMT incorporation increases protein entrapment efficiency to 78%, compared to 40% of conventional alginate beads. The release ratio of BSA from composite beads is 9–13% depending on MMT contents after around a 2 h stay in gastric fluid. More importantly, no BSA release is detected until 60–90 min after the first contact time of beads with gastric solution. The presence of clay in alginate beads prevents burst release in higher pH of intestine by slowing release rate of BSA to 45–55% within around 9 h, resulting in a potential matrix for intestinal release of protein drugs.