Effects of Crude Rice Bran Oil Components on Alkali-Refining Loss

The effects of minor components in crude rice bran oil (RBO) including free fatty acids (FFA), rice bran wax (RBW), γ-oryzanol, and long-chain fatty alcohols (LCFA), on alkali refining losses were determined. Refined palm oil (PO), soybean oil (SBO) and sunflower oil (SFO) were used as oil models to which minor component present in RBO were added. Refining losses of all model oils were linearly related to the amount of FFA incorporated. At 6.8% FFA, the refining losses of all the model oils were between 13.16 and 13.42%. When <1.0% of LCFA, RBW and γ-oryzanol were added to the model oils (with 6.8% FFA), the refining losses were approximately the same, however, with higher amounts of LCFA greatly increased refining losses. At 3% LCFA, the refining losses of all the model oils were as high as 69.43–78.75%, whereas the losses of oils containing 3% RBW and γ-oryzanol were 33.46–45.01% and 17.82–20.45%, respectively.     

Production, composition and Pb2+ adsorption characteristics of capsular polysaccharides extracted from a cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa gelatinosa

Pb²⁺ adsorption by the living cells of the cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa gelatinosa was studied. Cyanobacterial cells with intact capsular polysaccharide (CPS) showed 5.7 times higher Pb adsorption capacity than that of cells without CPS. The adsorbed Pb was desorbed by EDTA, indicating that Pb²⁺ adsorption occurred mainly on cell surface. Production, sugar content and ability of CPS to remove Pb²⁺ were then studied in details. CPS production by G. gelatinosa increased when culture time was prolonged. The maximum CPS production was 35.43 mg g⁻¹ dry weight after 30-day cultivation. Xylose, arabinose, ribose, rhamnose, galactose, glucose, mannose and fructose were the neutral sugars presented in CPS of G. gelatinosa. Acidic sugars including galacturonic and glucuronic acids were also found in CPS. The amount and composition of G. gelatinosa's CPS varied according to its growth phase and culture conditions. The highest amount of acidic sugars was produced when cultured under low light intensity. The extracted CPS rapidly removed Pb²⁺ from the solution (82.22±4.82 mg Pb²⁺ per g CPS), directly demonstrating its roles in binding Pb²⁺ ions. Its ability to remove Pb²⁺ rapidly and efficiently, to grow under sub-optimal conditions (such as low pH and low light intensity), and to produce high amount of CPS with acidic sugars, leads us to conclude that G. gelatinosa is a potential viable bioadsorber for mildly acidic water contaminated with Pb²⁺.     

Synthesis and characterization of fullerene functionalized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and dehydrochlorinated PVC using atom Transfer Radical Addition and AIBN based fullerenation

The research presented details chemical modifications of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and its derivative, dehydrochlorinated PVC (DH‐PVC) through the use of two grafting techniques, namely a normal fullerenation, using AIBN (2,2′‐Azoisobutyronitrile), and the atom transfer radical addition (ATRA). The products were characterized and the presence of new FTIR peaks at 528 and 577 cm^?1 along with new ¹H‐NMR signal at 3.9 ppm, suggested that fullerenes has been grafted to the polymer molecules. Percentage of C₆₀ in the fullerene grated products determined by UV/Visible spectroscopy initially increased with the amount of fullerene used to a maximum value (～5.66 % wt) before decreasing again. It was also determined that the C₆₀ content of the fullerene grafted PVC product prepared by using ATRA, was notably greater than that obtained using the normal fullerenation approach, regardless of the amount of C₆₀ used. When the dehydrochlorinated PVC was used as the starting polymer for fullerenation, the fullerene grafted DH‐PVC using ATRA, was markedly insoluble in many common solvents (THF and dichlorobenzene). This was not the cases for the fullerene grafted DHPVC prepared via an AIBN based fullerenation. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity values of the modified PVC products determined by using a four‐point probe method were found to increase linearly with the amount of C₆₀ present. Overall our data suggest that the suitable and efficient techniques for grafting C₆₀ onto PVC and DHPVC chains are ATRA and AIBN‐based fullerenation, respectively. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2410–2421, 2013     

SYNTHESIS OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM JATROPHA SEED COAT AND APPLICATION TO ADSORPTION OF IODINE AND METHYLENE BLUE

This article provides evidence that jatropha seed coat residues can be used as a carbon source for preparing activated carbons that have good adsorption properties for iodine and methylene blue. Activated carbons were prepared using three different methods of activation, physical, chemical, and physico-chemical, for a range of activation temperatures (600°, 700°, 800°, and 900°C) and activation hold times (1, 2, and 3 h). The highest BET surface area (1479 m² g^?1) and the highest iodine adsorption (1511 mg g^?1) were obtained with physico-chemical activation at a temperature of 900°C and a hold time of 2 h. This activated carbon gave higher BET surface area and iodine adsorption than commercial activated carbon (1169.1 m² g^?1 and 1076 mg g^?1). The activated carbons prepared by physico-chemical activation at 900°C and 2 h were then tested for adsorption of methylene blue at a range of concentrations of methylene blue (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg L^?1). It was found that a Langmuir isotherm gave a better fit (R ² = 0.999) to the observed adsorptions than a Freundlich isotherm (R ² = 0.884). For the adsorption kinetics, a pseudo-second-order model gave a better fit (R ² > 0.998, Δq _e  = 3.7%) than a pseudo-first-order model (R ² ≈ 0.95, Δq _e  = 85.6%). These results suggest that chemisorption is the rate-controlling step for the adsorption of methylene blue. The experimental results show that jatropha seed coat is a lignocellulosic waste precursor for preparation of activated carbon that is an alternative source for preparation of commercial-grade activated carbons.     

Proteome analysis of Pithecellobium dulce seeds using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND: Pithecellobium dulce Benth. belongs to the Leguminosae family, which contains several members that are important components of human diets owing to their high protein content and quality. In this study the seed proteins from P. dulce were separated and identified using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE) and mass spectrometry respectively. RESULTS: The 2‐DE protein map revealed a total of 317 distinct protein spots, including a cluster of about 12 proteins located in the region of pI 5–6 with molecular masses of 55–97 kDa that accounted for more than 50% of the total proteins. Ninety‐six of the most abundant protein spots were analysed using nano liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), from which 27 were successfully identified through the query of acquired tandem mass spectral data used in MASCOT searching against a custom legume protein database. A further four proteins from the highly abundant protein cluster were putatively identified using mass spectrometry‐driven BLAST (MS‐BLAST) homology searches. CONCLUSION: This research has generated a 2‐DE proteome reference map for P. dulce seeds and used LC/MS/MS to characterise the proteins. The identification of proteins from P. dulce was carried out using the sequence database successively for MASCOT and MS‐BLAST homology‐based searches. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Decolorization of Rice Bran Oil Using Modified Kaolin

Measurements show that kaolin from Ranong, obtained from a major deposit in southern Thailand, can be modified to produce a material that is suitable for decolorizing rice bran oil. Its sorption properties were determined after various physical and chemical modifications of this kaolin. Physical modification was achieved by grinding via a planetary ball mill (300 rpm for 1 h), and this was followed by chemical treatment using sulfuric or oxalic acids. The optimum decolorization capacity (~80%) was achieved by using 2 M sulfuric acid. With oxalic acid, the best results were obtained with 0.7 M, but these were slightly lower than those obtained with 2 M sulfuric acid. Compared to the original kaolin sample, the specific surface area of the modified clay increased from ~13 to ~244 cm² g⁻¹, and the total pore volume from 0.06 to 0.43 cm³ g⁻¹. The pore size distribution curves show that most pores are in the mesoporous region with their diameters between 3.0–4.5 nm, and are suitable for adsorption of pigment molecules that are present in rice bran oil. Desorption and spectroscopic studies suggest that both electrostatic and chemical processes are involved in the interaction between pigments and active sites on the clay surface.     

Fabrication and properties of tricalcium phosphate/barium hexaferrite composites

Beta-tricalcium phosphate based composites containing particles of barium hexaferrite were fabricated. The beta-tricalcium phosphate fine powder was synthesized from egg shell and Ca₂P₂O₇ by a solid-state reaction technique. Effects of barium hexaferrite additive (0–3 vol%) on the properties of the composites were investigated. All samples showed a main phase of β-tricalcium phosphate, characterized by X-ray diffraction technique. The additive inhibited grain growth, but enhanced hardness of the composites. M–H hysteresis loops also showed an improvement in the magnetic behavior for higher barium hexaferrite content samples. However, in vitro bioactivity test indicated that the 2 vol% sample may be suitable for biological applications.