Chromium(VI) bioremoval by Pseudomonas bacteria: role of microbial exudates for natural attenuation and biotreatment of Cr(VI) contamination

Laboratory batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate the role of microbial exudates, e.g., exopolymeric substance (EPS) and alginic acid, on microbial Cr(VI) reduction by two different Pseudomonas strains (P. putida P18 and P. aeuroginosa P16) as a method for treating subsurface environment contaminated with Cr(VI). Our results indicate that microbial exudates significantly enhanced microbial Cr(VI) reduction rates by forming less toxic and highly soluble organo-Cr(III) complexes despite the fact Cr(III) has a very low solubility under the experimental conditions studied (e.g., pH 7). The formation of soluble organo-Cr(III) complexes led to the protection of the cells and chromate reductases from inactivation. In systems with no organic ligands, soluble organo-Cr(III) end products were formed between Cr(III) and the EPS directly released by bacteria due to cell lysis. Our results also provide evidence that cell lysis played an important role in microbial Cr(VI) reduction by Pseudomonas bacteria due to the release of constitutive reductases that intracellularly and/or extracellularly catalyzed the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). The overall results highlight the need for incorporation of the release and formation of organo-Cr(III) complexes into reactive transport models to more accurately design and monitor in situ microbial remediation techniques for the treatment of subsurface systems contaminated with Cr(VI).     

Metal-Free Hydrogen-Bonded Polymers Mimic Noble Metal Electrocatalysts

The most active and efficient catalysts for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rely on platinum, a fact that increases the cost of producing hydrogen and thereby limits the widespread adoption of this fuel. Here, a metal-free organic electrocatalyst that mimics the platinum surface by implementing a high work function and incorporating hydrogen-affine hydrogen bonds is introduced. These motifs, inspired from enzymology, are deployed here as selective reaction centres. It is shown that the keto-amine hydrogen-bond motif enhances the rate-determining step in proton reduction to molecular hydrogen. The keto-amine-functionalized polymers reported herein evolve hydrogen at an overpotential of 190 mV. They share certain key properties with platinum: a similar work function and excellent electrochemical stability and chemical robustness. These properties allow the demonstration of one week of continuous HER operation without notable degradation nor delamination from the carrier electrode. Scaled continuous-flow electrolysis is reported and 1 L net molecular hydrogen is produced within less than 9 h using 2.3 mg of polymer electrocatalyst.     

Remote Sensing and GIS Innovation with Hydrologic Modelling for Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in Poorly Gauged Basins

Within the last two decades, modelling of rainfall–runoff has become an important topic in water resources assessment due to increasing water demand and energy, particularly in the determination of hydropower potential. In addition to remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS), with the development on satellite technologies, it becomes possible to asses rapid and economic solutions to determine a practical rainfall–runoff relation, particularly poorly gauged or ungauged basins. In this paper, Solakli Watershed which is located in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey is selected as the study area. To determine the hydroelectric water potential in a poorly gauged basin, basin boundary and area, minimum maximum and mean elevation, slope information of the basin have been derived from the digital elevation model (DEM) using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS) techniques. IRS P5 stereo satellite data with 2.5-m spatial resolution has been used for deriving the DEM. This DEM is used to produce the flow direction and flow accumulation maps of the basin. Afterward, synthetic drainage network is obtained with the analysis of these maps. Using topographical data such as area, mean basin elevation and limited point observations of rainfall data; a regression model was derived for the whole watershed. This regression model was validated on a sub-basin with satisfactory results using mean areal rainfall which was calculated isohyetal map produced by kriging method. Suggested hydropower station points are also determined.     

Printed multilayer superstructures of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes for electronic applications

We developed means to form multilayer superstructures of large collections of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) configured in horizontally aligned arrays, random networks, and complex geometries of arrays and networks on a wide range of substrates. The approach involves guided growth of SWNTs on crystalline and amorphous substrates followed by sequential, multiple step transfer of the resulting collections of tubes to target substrates, such as high-k thin dielectrics on silicon wafers, transparent plates of glass, cylindrical tubes and other curved surfaces, and thin, flexible sheets of plastic. Electrical measurements on dense, bilayer superstructures, including crossbars, random networks, and aligned arrays on networks of SWNTs reveal some important characteristics of representative systems. These and other layouts of SWNTs might find applications not only in electronics but also in areas such as optoelectronics, sensors, nanomechanical systems, and microfluidics.     

High-performance electronics using dense, perfectly aligned arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have many exceptional electronic properties. Realizing the full potential of SWNTs in realistic electronic systems requires a scalable approach to device and circuit integration. We report the use of dense, perfectly aligned arrays of long, perfectly linear SWNTs as an effective thin-film semiconductor suitable for integration into transistors and other classes of electronic devices. The large number of SWNTs enable excellent device-level performance characteristics and good device-to-device uniformity, even with SWNTs that are electronically heterogeneous. Measurements on p- and n-channel transistors that involve as many as approximately 2,100 SWNTs reveal device-level mobilities and scaled transconductances approaching approximately 1,000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and approximately 3,000 S m(-1), respectively, and with current outputs of up to approximately 1 A in devices that use interdigitated electrodes. PMOS and CMOS logic gates and mechanically flexible transistors on plastic provide examples of devices that can be formed with this approach. Collectively, these results may represent a route to large-scale integrated nanotube electronics.     

Experimental investigation on performance and emission characteristics of waste tire pyrolysis oil–diesel blends in a diesel engine

Disposal of waste tires is one of the most important problems that should be solved. This problem can be solved by considering waste tires for production of hydrogen or fuel for diesel engines. This paper presents the studies on the performance and emission characteristics of a four stroke, four cylinders, naturally aspirated, direct-injected diesel engine running with various blends of waste tire pyrolysis oil (WTPO) with diesel fuel. Fuel properties, engine performance, and exhaust emissions of WTPO and its blends were analyzed and compared with those of petroleum diesel fuel. The experimental results showed that WTPO–diesel blends indicated similar performance with diesel fuel in terms of torque and power output of the test engine. It was found that the blends of pyrolysis oil of waste tire WTPO10 can efficiently be used in diesel engines without any engine modifications.     

A microfluidic based differential plasmon resonance sensor

A new type of differential surface plasmon (SPR) sensor integrated with a microfluidic system is presented. The working principle of the microfluidic device is based on hydrodynamic modulation of two laminar streams inside a microchannel to provide periodic changes of the environment on the SPR sensor. The modulated reflectance is then demodulated using a lock-in amplifier. The presented sensor provides sensitivities of index of refraction about 4 × 10⁻⁸ RIU together with a 4 orders of magnitude dynamic range. This method demonstrates a sensitive detection scheme which could be used for label-free detection.