A novel ammonia—carbon dioxide forward (direct) osmosis desalination process

A novel forward (direct) osmosis (FO) desalination process is presented. The process uses an ammonium bicarbonate draw solution to extract water from a saline feed water across a semi-permeable polymeric membrane. Very large osmotic pressures generated by the highly soluble ammonium bicarbonate draw solution yield high water fluxes and can result in very high feed water recoveries. Upon moderate heating, ammonium bicarbonate decomposes into ammonia and carbon dioxide gases that can be separated and recycled as draw solutes, leaving the fresh product water. Experiments with a laboratory-scale FO unit utilizing a flat sheet cellulose tri-acetate membrane demonstrated high product water flux and relatively high salt rejection. The results further revealed that reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are not suitable for the FO process because of relatively low product water fluxes attributed to severe internal concentration polarization in the porous support and fabric layers of the RO membrane.     

Interaction of fullerene (C60) nanoparticles with humic acid and alginate coated silica surfaces: measurements, mechanisms, and environmental implications

The deposition kinetics of fullerene (C60) nanoparticles onto bare silica surfaces and surfaces precoated with humic acid and alginate are investigated over a range of monovalent (NaCI) and divalent (CaCl2) salt concentrations using a quartz crystal microbalance. Because simultaneous aggregation of the fullerene nanoparticles occurs, especially at higher electrolyte concentrations, we normalize the observed deposition rates by the corresponding favorable (transport-limited) deposition rates to obtain the attachment efficiencies, alpha. The deposition kinetics of fullerene nanoparticles onto bare silica surfaces are shown to be controlled by electrostatic interactions and van der Waals attraction, consistent with the classical particle deposition behavior where both favorable and unfavorable deposition regimes are observed. The presence of dissolved humic acid and alginate in solution leads to significantly slower deposition kinetics due to steric repulsion. Precoating the silica surfaces with humic acid and alginate exerts similar steric stabilization in the presence of NaCl. In the presence of CaCl2, the deposition kinetics of fullerene nanoparticles onto both humic acid- and alginate-coated surfaces are relatively high, even at relatively low (0.3 mM) calcium concentration. This behavior is attributed to the macromolecules undergoing complex formation with calcium ions, which reduces the charge and steric influences of the adsorbed macromolecular layers.     

Influence of Copper Addition and Temperature on the Kinetics of Austempering in Ductile Iron

Austempered ductile iron (ADI) is a material that exhibits excellent mechanical properties because of its special microstructure, combining ferrite and austenite supersaturated with carbon. Two ADI alloys, Fe-3.5 pct C-2.5 pct Si and Fe-3.6 pct C-2.7 pct Si-0.7 pct Cu, austempered for various times at 623 K (350 °C) and 673 K (400 °C) followed by water quenching, were investigated. The first ferrite needles nucleate mainly at the graphite/austenite interface. The austenite and ferrite weight fractions increase with the austempering time until stabilization is reached. The increase in the lattice parameter of the austenite during austempering corresponds to an increase of carbon content in the austenite. The increase in the ferrite weight fraction is associated with a decrease in microhardness. As the austempering temperature increases, the ferrite weight fraction decreases, the high carbon austenite weight fraction increases, but the carbon content in the latter decreases. Copper addition increases the high carbon austenite weight fraction. The results are discussed based on the phases composing the Fe-2Si-C system.     

Field and laboratory investigations of inactivation of viruses (PRD1 and MS2) attached to iron oxide-coated quartz sand

Field and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate inactivation of viruses attached to mineral surfaces. In a natural gradient transport field experiment, bacteriophage PRD1, radiolabeled with 32P, was injected into a ferric oxyhydroxide-coated sand aquifer with bromide and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates. In a zone of the aquifer contaminated by secondary sewage infiltration, small fractions of infective and 32P-labeled PRD1 broke through with the bromide tracer,followed bythe slow release of 84% of the 32P activity and only 0.011% of the infective PRD1. In the laboratory experiments, the inactivation of PRD1, labeled with 35S (protein capsid), and MS2, dual radiolabeled with 35S (protein capsid) and 32P (nucleic acid), was monitored in the presence of groundwater and sediment from the contaminated zone of the field site. Release of infective viruses decreased at a much faster rate than release of the radiolabels, indicating that attached viruses were undergoing surface inactivation. Disparities between 32P and 35S release suggest that the inactivated viruses were released in a disintegrated state. Comparison of estimated solution and surface inactivation rates indicates solution inactivation is approximately 3 times as fast as surface inactivation. The actual rate of surface inactivation may be substantially underestimated owing to slow release of inactivated viruses.     

The Influence of Vacuum,Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen on Ceria and Zinc Doped Ceria - Electron Spin Resonance Study

The effects of heating in vacuum, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen on cerium (IV) oxide and zinc oxide-doped cerium (IV) oxide were investigated by ESR, and a difference in the behavior of the signals obtained for the two preparations was observed. The signal decrease g = 1.940 and g = 1.961 was faster and was obtainable at lower temperatures for the doped oxide than for the undoped sample. The effect of oxygen on these samples is reported and a mechanism is proposed.     

Staphylococcus aureus leucocidin, a virulence factor in bovine mastitis

The involvement of Staphylococcus aureus exosecretions in bovine udder infection (Younis et al. 2003) suggests that four different monomer protein bands appearing between 36 and 31 kDa, are associated with the severity of the cow's infection response. Three out of these four bands have been identified by means of protein sequencing. Band B, with a MW of 35 kDa was identified as Panton-Valentaine leucocidin LukF'-PV chain- Staph. aureus; band C, with a MW of 32 kDa was identified as leucocidin chain LukM precursor- Staph. aureus; and band D was found to be similar, but not identical, to phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C-X. Bands B and C were purified by gel filtration using FPLC. The ability of these proteins to induce udder inflammation in vivo, and proliferation response in vitro and cytokine secretion were tested for both the crude exosecretions and purified bands. Three cows were inoculated intracisternally, with three quarters receiving either 0.007-0.008 mg (as total proteins) of Staph. aureus FR2449/1 bacterial exosecretion, pooled fraction 39-41 (bands B and C), or culture broth medium. The fourth quarter was left free as a control. Quarters that received fraction 39-41 of Staph. aureus FR2449/1, exhibited induced inflammation, which was indicated by increased somatic cell count and enhanced NAGase activity that was significantly higher than that of the original Staph. aureus FR2449/1 bacterial exosecretion. Proliferation tests of bovine blood lymphocytes in vitro showed that the pooled fraction 39-41 stimulated bovine proliferation of mononuclear cells much more than the original Staph. aureus FR2449/1 bacterial exosecretion. Secretion of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and IL-8 was in accordance with the contents of LukF'-PV and LukM precursor in the exosecretions. The results suggest that LukM/ LukF' induce inflammation into the udder by a mechanism similar to that of LPS or by a unique mechanism(s) which requires further investigation.     

Cake-enhanced concentration polarization: a new fouling mechanism for salt-rejecting membranes

Results from well-controlled colloidal fouling experiments with reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes suggest the existence of a new source of flux decline for salt-rejecting membranes-cake-enhanced osmotic pressure. The physical mechanisms leading to this enhanced osmotic pressure are a combination of hindered back-diffusion of salt ions and altered cross-flow hydrodynamics within colloidal deposit layers, which lead to an enhanced salt concentration polarization layer. A model that accounts for both hindered diffusion of salt ions and altered hydrodynamics within colloidal deposit ("cake") layers is presented. The model successfully links permeate flux and salt rejection to cake-enhanced concentration polarization and provides new insight into the mechanisms through which salt-rejecting membranes foul. Experimental data support the model calculations and highlight the role of enhanced concentration polarization phenomena in the performance (i.e., water flux and salt rejection) of polymeric thin-film composite RO/NF membranes in environmental applications.