The competitive heavy metal removal by hydroxyethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) copolymer and its sodium salt: The effect of copper content on the adsorption capacity

Summary Crosslinked hydroxyethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) (HEC-g-pAA) graft copolymer was prepared by grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) using [Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆]/HNO₃ initiator system in the presence of poly(ethyleneglycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) crosslinking agent in 1:1 (v/v) mixture of methanol and water at 30 °C. Carboxyl content of copolymer was determined by neutralization of –COOH groups with NaOH solution and sodium salt of copolymer (HEC-g-pAANa) was swelled in distilled water in order to determine the equilibrium swelling value of copolymer. Both dry HEC-g-pAA and swollen HEC-g-pAANa copolymers were used in the heavy metal ion removal from three different aqueous ion solutions as follows: a binary ion solution with equal molar contents of Pb²⁺and Cd²⁺, a triple ion solution with equal molar contents of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺, and a triple ion solution with twice Cu²⁺molar contents of Pb²⁺and Cd²⁺. Higher removal values on swollen HEC-g-pAANa were observed in comparison to those on dry polymer. The presence of Cu²⁺decreased the adsorption values for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions on both types of HEC copolymer. However, with further increase in Cu²⁺ content both dry and swollen copolymers became apparently selective to Cu²⁺ removal and Cu²⁺ removal values exceeded the sum of adsorption values for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Maximum metal ion removal capacities were 1.79 and 0.85 mmol Me²⁺/g_polymer on swollen HEC-g-pAANa and dry HEC-g-pAA, respectively.     

Energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Turkey: Empirical analysis and future projection based on an economic growth

In this study, Turkey's energy sector was overviewed during the period of 1970–2002. The total energy consumption (TEC) was modeled by using the economic growth (proxied by gross national product—GNP) and population increase, which are the two important factors to determine the energy consumption for developing countries. In addition, the relationship between the TEC and total CO₂ (TCO₂) emission was studied. For this purpose, regression analysis was performed and the strong relationship between TEC and TCO₂ (R²=0.998$R^2=0.998$) was modeled. Also, results showed that a regression model can be used to predict the TEC from the country population and the GNP with high confidence (R²=0.996$R^2=0.996$).     

Heterogeneities during the formation of poly(sodium acrylate) hydrogels

Summary In situ fluorescence and light scattering techniques were used to study the formation of heterogeneities during the free-radical crosslinking polymerization of sodium acrylate (NaAc) in the presence of N,N'-methylene(bisacrylamide) (BAAm) as a crosslinker. Pyranine was used as a fluorescence probe in the experiments. The reactions were carried out at room temperature and at a monomer concentration of 20.6 w/v% in water. It was found that the gel forming system became turbid at the start of the reaction; continuing polymerization and crosslinking reactions turned the opaque gels into slightly opaque and finally transparent gels. Two peaks were observed both in the scattered and emitted light intensities versus the reaction time plots. The first peak corresponds to the formation and growth of the phase separated domains whereas the second peak reflects the macrogelation point in the reaction system. Received: 14 June 1999/Revised version: 10 October 1999/Accepted: 10 October 1999     

Electrochemical genosensor based on colloidal gold nanoparticles for the detection of Factor V Leiden mutation using disposable pencil graphite electrodes

Electrochemical genosensors for the detection of the Factor V Leiden mutation from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons using the oxidation signal of colloidal gold (Au) is described. A pencil graphite electrode (PGE) modified with target DNA, when hybridized with complementary probes conjugated to Au nanoparticles, responded with the appearance of a Au oxide wave at approximately +1.20 V. Specific probes were immobilized onto the Au nanoparticles in two different modes: (a) Inosine-substituted probes were covalently attached from their amino groups at the 5' end using N-(3-dimethylamino)propyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (NHS) as a coupling agent onto a carboxylate-terminated l-cysteine self-assembled monolayer (SAM) preformed on the Au nanoparticles, and (b) probes with a hexanethiol group at their 5' phosphate end formed a SAM on Au nanoparticles. The genosensor relies on the hybridization of the probes with their complementary targets, which are covalently immobilized at the PGE surface. Au-tagged 23-mer capture probes were challenged with the synthetic 23-mer target, 131-base single-stranded DNA or denatured 256-base polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicon. The appearance of the Au oxidation signal shortened the assay time and simplified the detection of the Factor V Leiden mutation from PCR amplified real samples. The discrimination between the homozygous and heterozygous mutations was also established by comparing the peak currents of the Au signals. Numerous factors affecting the hybridization and nonspecific binding events were optimized. The detection limit for the PCR amplicons was found to be as low as 0.78 fmol; thus, it is suitable for point-of-care applications.     

A computer-based system for environmental impact assessment (EIA) applications to energy power stations in Turkey: ÇEDINFO

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a tool for decision makers to take into account the possible effects of a proposed project on the environment and is also a process for collecting the data related to a project design and project area. Different techniques are used for the EIA process. In recent years, including the design and development of databases, classification systems, computer models and expert systems have been used extensively in impact assessment studies. Knowledge-based systems referred to as expert systems and different computer-based systems are an emerging technology in information processing and are becoming increasingly useful tools in different applications areas including EIA studies. Their use for EIA has been quite limited in developing countries, because of the constraints on resources, particularly in expertise and data.

In this study, a knowledge-based software—ÇEDINFO—developed by authors was introduced. ÇEDINFO to be used for EIA practices on energy-generating stations was designed based on the legal EIA process in Turkey. According to the EIA Regulation enacted in Turkey in 1993, energy-generating stations (thermal power station, hydraulic station, nuclear station) in different categories require mandatory EIA reports duly approved by The Ministry of Environment and Forestry before their construction. ÇEDINFO primarily aims to provide educational support for EIA practices and decision-makers on energy-generating stations.     

Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid on cellulose: Reaction kinetics of copolymerization

Acrylic acid (AA) was grafted to cellulose by using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) initiator in aqueous nitric acid solution at 30, 50, 70, and 90°C during reaction periods of 30 to 180 minutes. About 45% of the AA was polymerized at 90°C after 180 minutes. The grafted polymer and homopolymer were isolated by acetone from the reaction mixture, dried, and subjected to Soxhlet extraction with dioxane to separate the homopolymer, poly(acrylic acid), from the graft copolymer. The water absorption capacities and grafting values of grafted cellulose were also determined. The maximum grafting yield was obtained at 30°C. It was also observed that polyacrylic acid-grafted cellulose produced at 30°C had the highest water retention capacity. The time dependence of AA conversion allowed calculation of first-order reaction rate constants. These rate constants were then used to determine apparent activation energies. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 929–934, 1997     

The chemical synthesis and characterizations of silver-doped polyaniline: role of silver–solvent interactions

Polymer Bulletin - In this work, we successfully synthesized silver-doped polyaniline (NPANI-Ag-X; X represents I− and BF4− dopants,) by using chemical oxidation polymerization in...     

Phenolic resin binder for the production of metallurgical quality briquettes from coke breeze: Part III the effect of the type of acidic hardeners on the quality of the formed coke and the possibility to avoid the curing stage to produce metallurgical briquettes with enough strength

In order to avoid the curing stage in formed coke production, the effects of hardeners, on the tensile strength of the briquettes bonded with resole binders of F / P = 2.0 and N / P ratios ranging 0.1–0.5, were studied. The raw briquettes were produced by mixing the resole binders containing these hardeners, with the coke breeze. They were hardened at room temperature for 24 h and also at 200 °C for 2 h. The briquettes were also produced from the resole binders of the same N / P but containing no hardener, and cured at 200 °C for 2 h. The tensile strengths of the briquettes were measured. H₃PO₄ resulted in the briquettes having the lowest tensile strength under any conditions investigated. H₂SO₄ and p-TSA hardeners were found to be unsuitable for the aim of this investigation, because they could not fully harden the briquettes at room temperature. ATP resulted in the briquettes of the highest tensile strength of 52.13 MPa, with the resole binder of N / P = 0.1 after 24 h hardening at room temperature but resulted in briquettes of relatively lower tensile strength when the N / P ratio of resoles was increased. By blending ATP and p-TSA it became possible to produce formed coke with sufficient tensile strength by hardening them at room temperature.