Kinetic Investigation of Reaction Between Colemanite Ore and Methanol

In the field of industry, it is very important that boron compounds are produced from boron ores. The aim of this study was to investigate the dissolution kinetics with carbon dioxide of colemanite in methanol medium in a pressure reactor and to derive an alternative process for producing boron compounds. Reaction temperature, stirring speed, solid/liquid ratio, pressure, and particle size were selected as parameters for the dissolution rate of colemanite. It was found that the dissolution rate increased with increase in pressure and reaction temperature, and with decrease in particle size and solid/liquid ratio. No effect of stirring speed was observed on conversion. The dissolution kinetics of colemanite were examined using both heterogeneous and homogeneous reaction models, and it was determined that the reaction rate can be described by a second-order pseudo-homogeneous reaction model. The activation energy was found to be 51.4 kJ/mol.     

Stepwise optimisation of enzyme production in solid state fermentation of waste bread pieces

When it is not consumed, bread presents a major source of food waste, both in terms of the amount and its economic value. However, bread also possesses the characteristics of an ideal substrate for solid state fermentation. Yet nearly all wasted bread ends up in landfill sites, where it is converted into methane by anaerobic digestion. Governments are finally taking action and, according to the EU Landfill Directive, for example, biodegradable municipal waste disposed into landfills must be decreased to 35% of 1995 levels, by 2020. Solid state fermentation of waste bread for the production of value added products is a novel idea, which could help with the achievement of this target. In this study, glucoamylase and protease production from waste bread pieces, via solid state fermentation, was investigated in detail. The optimum fermentation conditions for enzyme production were evaluated as, 20 mm particle size, 1.8 (w/w, db) initial moisture ratio, and duration of 144 h. Under these conditions, glucoamylase and protease activities reached up to 114.0 and 83.2 U/g bread (db), respectively. This study confirms that waste bread could be successfully utilised as a primary raw material in cereal based biorefineries.     

Synergistic effects of sono-alkaline pretreatment on anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge

The individual and combined effects of alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment on both physical and chemical properties and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge (WAS) were investigated comprehensively in this study. The experimental results showed that both disintegration and anaerobic biodegradability of WAS were significantly improved by the combination of alkaline and ultrasonic (sono-alkaline) pretreatment. Besides, it was determined that the hydraulic retention time in anaerobic digester can be shortened by half using this combined pretreatment. However, it was also determined that sono-alkaline pretreatment was not feasible economically due to its high energy requirement.     

The preparation of core–shell Al2O3/Ni composite powders by electroless plating

Core–shell nanostructured Ni-coated Al₂O₃ composite powders were synthesised by using the electroless plating method. The influence of the chemical components and powder concentration in the Ni coating was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that the concentration of the plating components plays an important role in the formation of core–shell Al₂O₃/Ni composite powders. The nickel content in the composite powders could be effectively controlled by adjusting the nickel chloride content and the concentration of NaH₂PO₂·H₂O in the plating solution. The nanostructure of the crystalline Ni coatings was observed to be very attractive for achieving good bonding between ceramic particles and matrices for composite production.     

Effect of clinoptilolite filler on the physical and mechanical properties of polypropylene

This study aims to investigate the mechanical and physical properties of polypropylene (PP) filled by natural zeolite. For this purpose, a natural zeolite (at 1–6 wt% filler loadings) with two different particle sizes was used. Two different kinds of silane coupling agents (3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, GAPTES and 3‐glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, GPTMS) at three different volume ratios were used to improve the zeolite compatibility with PP and to improve the mechanical properties of composites. Fillers and PP were compounded with a twin screw extruder, and the composites were moulded with injection moulding press. The samples were subjected to mechanical tests (i.e., impact and tensile tests) and physical tests (i.e., hardness, density, and melt flow index, MFI). The physical test results showed that the levels of hardness and density of both unmodified and modified zeolite‐filled PP composites were higher compared with neat PP. The MFI values of composites were decreased by increasing zeolite loading level. Composites including GAPTES modified zeolite showed improved yield strength, impact strength and stiffness compared with composites filled with unmodified zeolite particles. POLYM. COMPOS. 34:1396–1403, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Naphtha derived from polyolefins

Conversion of polyolefins (HDPE, LDPE and PP) into feedstock naphtha was investigated by hydroliquefaction process. Hydroliquefaction experiments were carried out under cold hydrogen pressure of 5 MPa at the temperatures between 375 and 450 °C in absence and presence of catalyst. Two types commercial catalysts were used, a hydrocracking catalyst (DHC-8) and a hydrogenation catalyst (HYDROBON). The effect of temperature and catalyst type on product yields and composition of gas and liquid products was investigated. The temperature was the main effect in hydroliquefaction. DHC-8 showed good cracking activity, but it gave the liquid product containing high olefin content same as thermal run. Although HYDROBON catalyst produced the sufficient amount of liquid (and naphtha fraction) at the higher temperature, it gave the liquid product with very low olefin content. The naphtha fractions obtained from polyolefins under the optimal hydrocracking conditions were analyzed by PIONA instrument to determine the hydrocarbon groups. PIONA analysis showed that the naphtha obtained from hydroliquefaction over HYDROBON catalyst could be used as a petrochemical feedstock. However, the naphtha obtained in presence of DHC-8 catalyst, which is to be used a feedstock, was needed further hydrogenation treatment.     

Enhanced Catalytic,Antibacterial and Anti-cancer Activities of Erythromycin Capped Gold Nanoparticles

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - In this study, the nanosized spherical erythromycin capped gold nanoparticles (eryth-Au(0)NPs) were fabricated for the first time....     

Integrative Analysis of Metabolomic,Proteomic and Genomic Data to Reveal Functional Pathways and Candidate Genes for Drip Loss in Pigs

The aim of this study was to integrate multi omics data to characterize underlying functional pathways and candidate genes for drip loss in pigs. The consideration of different omics levels allows elucidating the black box of phenotype expression. Metabolite and protein profiling was applied in Musculus longissimus dorsi samples of 97 Duroc × Pietrain pigs. In total, 126 and 35 annotated metabolites and proteins were quantified, respectively. In addition, all animals were genotyped with the porcine 60 k Illumina beadchip. An enrichment analysis resulted in 10 pathways, amongst others, sphingolipid metabolism and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, with significant influence on drip loss. Drip loss and 22 metabolic components were analyzed as intermediate phenotypes within a genome-wide association study (GWAS). We detected significantly associated genetic markers and candidate genes for drip loss and for most of the metabolic components. On chromosome 18, a region with promising candidate genes was identified based on SNPs associated with drip loss, the protein “phosphoglycerate mutase 2” and the metabolite glycine. We hypothesize that association studies based on intermediate phenotypes are able to provide comprehensive insights in the genetic variation of genes directly involved in the metabolism of performance traits. In this way, the analyses contribute to identify reliable candidate genes.     

Removal of Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) from water using modified pine bark

This paper describes the removal of Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions using chemically modified pine barks (Pinus nigra). In this article, effects of chemical modification methods on the adsorption capacity have been investigated. Changes of the surface properties were examined by the FTIR, SEM and zeta potential analyses. HCl, NaOH, Fenton reactive, polymerization, acetone, ethanol, chloroform, tetra ethylene glycol, diethyl ether and glycol were used for modification processes. Maximum adsorption capacities were obtained by modification with NaOH (13-20 mg/g), Fenton (12-17 mg/g) and polymerization (12-16.5 mg/g). These modification processes also decreased Chemical Oxygen Demand of water from 1820 mg/L for raw pine barks to 35 mg/L for NaOH modified barks. Adsorption capacities of adsorbents increased from 2 mg/g to 20 mg/g as a result of modification that accordingly increase adsorbent surface activity.     

Soluble semi-conductive chelate polymers containing Cr(III) in the backbone: Synthesis, characterization, optical, electrochemical, and electrical properties

Soluble kinds of coordination polymers containing Cr(III) ion in the backbone were synthesized. Structures of the polymers were characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Thermal degradation data were obtained by TG-DTA and DSC techniques. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were carried out and the HOMO-LUMO energy levels and electrochemical band gaps were calculated. Additionally, the optical band gaps (E_g) were determined by using UV-vis spectra of the materials. Electrical conductivity measurements of doped (with iodine) and undoped polymers related to temperature were carried out by four-point probe technique using a Keithley 2400 electrometer. Measurements were made by using the polymeric films deposited on ITO glass plate by dip-coating method. Also, absorption spectra of doped polymeric films were recorded by a single beam spectrophotometer showing that doping procedure causes shifting in absorption spectra. Their abilities of processing in gas sensors were also discussed. According to obtained results the synthesized chelate polymers are semi-conductors having polyconjugated structures. Also, P-2 is the most electro-conductive polymer among the synthesized, while P-1 is the most thermally stable one.