Separation and adsorption properties of poly styrene‐graft‐ethyl methacrylate copolymer for zinc,copper, and cobalt ions in water samples

In this article, separation and adsorption properties of poly styrene‐graft‐ethyl methacrylate copolymer for zinc, copper, and cobalt ions in water samples were investigated. For this aim, some experimental and analytical parameters such as solution pH, sample flow rate, type of eluting agent, and sample solution volume were optimized. The adsorbed metal ions on polymeric resin were eluted with 5 ml of 2 mol l^?1 HNO₃ and they were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. In optimized conditions, the adsorption capacities for Zn, Cu, and Co were obtained as 6.8, 5.2, and 7.5 mg g^?1, respectively. The detection limits were calculated as 0.82 μg l^?1 for Zn, 1.24 μg l^?1 for Cu, and 0.68 μg l^?1 for Co from standard deviation of the blank (50 ml, pH 5.8) measurements 10 replicates. The relative standard deviation of recoveries for seven replicate analyses of Zn, Cu, and Co ions (50 ml of 0.10 mg l^?1) were found as 2.4, 2.8, and 1.5%, respectively. The accuracy of method was checked with certified reference material (NIST SRM 1643e, trace elements in water) and the developed method was successfully applied to tap water, commercial drinking water, and mineral water samples. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1555–1559, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Carbonaceous microsphere-based superabsorbent polymer as filler for coating of NPK fertilizer: Fabrication,properties, swelling,and nitrogen release characteristics

Recently, the use of controlled release fertilizers in agriculture has resulted in huge benefits in plant growth and cultivation. Superabsorbent polymer (SAP)-coated fertilizers have the added advantage in retaining water in soil after irrigation and also reduce the nutrient release rate from soil in a controlled manner. This study aimed to produce a nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium (NPK) fertilizer coated with superabsorbent carbonaceous microspheres polymer (SPC) by inverse suspension polymerization method with water-retention and controlled release properties. Two sets of experiments were conducted: (1) three different weight percentages and (2) different materials. NPK coated with SPC showed increasing water-retention ability with respect to carbon microsphere percentages and retains >80% water at the 30th day of experiment compared with pure NPK and NPK coated with SAP. The slow release behavior of all samples was investigated by induced coupled plasma mass spectrometry spectrometry and results showed that NPK coated with SAP and SPC has a low release rate with <50% nutrient release compared with uncoated NPK at the 30th day. The release mechanism kinetics of NPK coated with SAP and SPC were studied based on the Kosmeyer–Peppas model. The mechanisms approached Fickian diffusion-controlled release as the n value for both samples was less than 0.5. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48396.     

Gain clamping in two-stage L-band EDFA using a broadband FBG

A gain-clamped long wavelength band erbium-doped fiber amplifier (L-band EDFA) with an improved gain characteristic is demonstrated by simply adding a broadband conventional band (C-band) fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a two-stage amplifier system. The FBG reflects backward C-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from the second stage back into the system to clamp the gain. The gain is clamped at about 22.4 dB with a gain variation below 0.4 dB for input signal powers of -40 to -15 dBm. Compared with an unclamped amplifier of similar noise figure values, the small signal gain has improved by 2.4 dB due to the FBG which blocks the backward propagating ASE. At wavelengths from 1570 to 1600 nm, gain of the clamped amplifier varies from 19.4 to 26.7 dB. The corresponding noise figure varies by /spl plusmn/0.35 dB around 5 dB, which is not much different compared to that of the unclamped amplifier.     

Heavy metal ions removal from wastewater using electrocoagulation processes: A comprehensive review

A vast number of publications have investigated the application of electrocoagulation (EC) process in heavy metal ions removal from wastewaters. Most of these studies were simple lab-scale using synthetic wastewater with the absence of holistic and systematic approach to consider the process complexity. This comprehensive review considers the fundamental aspects of EC processes such as mechanisms, kinetic models, and isotherm models used by different researchers. Furthermore, the impact of the main design and process operational parameters on the removal efficiency is discussed and analyzed. Many concluding remarks and perspectives are stated to give insights for possible future investigations.     

Enzymatic membrane reactors: the determining factors in two separate phase operations

A two separate phase‐enzymatic membrane reactor is an attractive process since it has a large interfacial area and exchange surfaces, simultaneous reaction and separation and other benefits. Many factors influence its successful operation, and these include characteristics of the enzyme, membrane, circulating fluids and reactor operations. Although the operating conditions are the main factor, other factors must be considered before, during or after its application. At the initial stage of reactor development, the solubility of substrates and products, type of operation, membrane material and size, enzyme preparation and loading procedure, and cleanliness of the recirculated fluids should be specified. The immobilization site, reactor arrangement, dissolved or no‐solvent operation, classic or emulsion operation and immobilized or suspended enzyme(s) are determined later. Some factors still need further studies. Utilization of the technology is described for use from multigram‐ to plant‐scale capacity to process racemic and achiral compounds. The racemates were resolved primarily by kinetic resolution, but dynamic kinetic resolution has been exploited. The technology focused on hydrolytic reactions, but esterification processes were also exploited. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Feature-based representation for manufacturing planning

Improved integration using product models in a computer aided design and manufacture environment implies that there is an enhanced need to provide information support across a wide range of applications. In a typical situation concerned with mechanical products, these applications are likely to include detail design, process planning and assembly planning. Features have frequently been used to support these and other applications individually, but single feature representations that simultaneously meet the information needs of a number of applications are unusual. Assembly and process planning are two important aspects of an integrated design and manufacture system, and a formal structure for their representation in a feature-based design system is presented. Features are considered to be machined volumes and are described in a hierarchical taxonomy that is designed to be useful across a range of machined components. The assembly structure is also defined hierarchically with the (machining) features forming the basic entities in the assembly. Assembly relationships among features are defined in the form of mating relationships that are carried by the features. A set of mating relationships between pairs of features has been defined after having studied the literature and a number of engineering products. An integrated data structure containing process planning information from earlier research work and the assembly mating relationships is presented and forms the basis of class definitions for each level in the assembly hierarchy. Object-oriented programming techniques have been used to implement a prototype system using the ACIS solid modelling kernel. The research has illustrated the feasibility of using a single feature representation to support a number of activities within a computer integrated manufacturing environment.     

Microwave-Assisted Pretreatment of Sago Palm Bark

Three types of microwave-assisted diluted solvents were employed using 0.1 N H₂SO₄ (MSA), 0.1 N NaOH (MSH), and 0.01 N NaHCO₃ (MSB). These solvents were evaluated as possible pretreatment routes for sago palm bark (SPB) with their effects on the pretreated substrate. A variety of analyses, consisting of fiber analysis, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were performed to understand the pretreatment effects on the chemical and physical characteristics of SPB and pretreatment liquor. The thermal analysis has revealed that higher hemicellulose degradation was also found in MSA pretreatment. In the analyses of the pretreatment liquid for the extracted monomeric sugar, a higher amount of glucose was found (9 mg/g) using MSH pretreatment and the highest xylose level was found (4 mg/g) using MSA pretreatment. The analysis of the formation of inhibitors has shown that acetic acid was only found in the MSH pretreatment.