Effect of backwashing on perchlorate removal in fixed bed biofilm reactors

The influence of backwashing on biological perchlorate reduction was evaluated in two laboratory scale fixed bed biofilm reactors using 1- or 3-mm glass beads as support media. Influent perchlorate concentrations were 50 microg/L and acetate was added as the electron donor at a concentration of 2 mg C/L. Perchlorate removal was evaluated at various influent dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. Complete perchlorate removal was achieved with an influent DO concentration of 1mg/L resulting in bulk phase DO concentrations below the detection limit of 0.01 mg/L. The influence of increasing influent DO concentrations for 12 h periods was evaluated before and after individual backwash events. Partial perchlorate removal was achieved with an influent DO concentration of 3.5 mg/L before a strong backwash (bulk phase DO concentrations of approximately 0.2mg/L), while no perchlorate removal was observed after the strong backwash at the same influent DO level (bulk phase DO concentrations of approximately 0.8 mg/L). The immediate effect of backwashing depended on influent DO concentrations. With influent DO concentrations of 1 mg/L, strong backwashing resulted in a brief (<12 h) increase of effluent perchlorate concentrations up to 20 microg/L; more pronounced effects were observed with influent DO concentrations of 3mg/L. Daily weak backwashing had a small and, over time, decreasing negative influence on perchlorate reduction, while daily strong backwashing ultimately resulted in the breakdown of perchlorate removal with influent DO concentrations of 3 mg/L.     

Comparative study of arsenic removal by iron using electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation

This research studied As(III) and As(V) removal during electrocoagulation (EC) in comparison with FeCl₃ chemical coagulation (CC). The study also attempted to verify chlorine production and the reported oxidation of As(III) during EC. Results showed that As(V) removal during batch EC was erratic at pH 6.5 and the removal was higher-than-expected based on the generation of ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) during EC. As(V) removal by batch EC was equal to or better than CC at pH 7.5 and 8.5, however soluble Fe²⁺ was observed in the 0.2-μm membrane filtrate at pH 7.5 (10-45%), and is a cause for concern. Continuous steady-state operation of the EC unit confirmed the deleterious presence of soluble Fe²⁺ in the treated water. The higher-than-expected As(V) removals during batch mode were presumed due to As(V) adsorption onto the iron rod oxyhydroxides surfaces prior to the attainment of steady-state operation. As(V) removal increased with decreasing pH during both CC and EC, however EC at pH 6.5 was anomalous because of erratic Fe²⁺ oxidation. The best adsorption capacity was observed with CC at pH 6.5, while lower but similar adsorption capacities were observed at pH 7.5 and 8.5 with CC and EC. A comparison of As(III) adsorption showed better removals during EC compared with CC possibly due to a temporary pH increase during EC. In contrast to literature reports, As(III) oxidation was not observed during EC, and As(III) adsorption onto iron hydroxides during EC was only 5-30% that of As(V) adsorption. Also in contrast to literature, significant Cl₂ was not generated during EC, in fact, the rods actually produced a significant chlorine demand due to reduced iron oxides on the rod. Although Cl₂ generation and As(III) oxidation are possible using a graphite anode, a combination of graphite and iron rods in the same EC unit did not produce As(III) oxidation. However, a two-stage process (graphite anode followed by iron anode in separate chambers) was effective in As(III) oxidation and removal. The competing ions, silica and phosphate interfered with As(V) adsorption during both CC and EC. However, the degree of interference depends on the concentration and presence of other competing ions. In particular, the presence of silica lowered the effect of phosphate with increasing pH due to silica’s own significant effect at high pHs.     

Ion Exchange Technology in Spent Fuel Reprocessing

Solvent extraction is the major unit operation employed in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The operation yields three streams; fission product waste, uranium product and plutonium product. Ion exchange is primarily used in reprocessing as a tail-end method to concentrate and isolate the plutonium product stream. This review will describe the details of plutonium recovery and purification by both cation- and anion-exchange processing. A brief overview of miscellaneous uses of ion-exchange employed in reprocessing will also be given.     

Influence of monovalent cations and CuO nanoparticles on X-nanozeolite in uranium anionic species separation from contaminated drinking water

The main purpose of this work was the modification of NaX nanozeolite using copper oxide nanoparticles and various monovalent cations such as K~+, Cs~+, and Ag~+in order to make the negatively charged zeolite surface accessible for anionic forms of uranium which are the most dominant species of uranium in the contaminated radioactive waters at natural p H. Various methods such as the X-ray fluorescence(XRF), X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), and atomic absorption spectroscopy(AAS) were used to characterize the final synthesized absorbents. Batch technique was used to study the adsorption behavior of uranium ions from polluted drinking water by Na X nanozeolite and its modified forms. In order to better understand the performance of them, the results were compared with those that were obtained for synthesizing bulk NaX zeolite and Na-form of clinoptilolite natural zeolite. Preliminary results indicated that uranium sorption increased as the loading level of CuO nanoparticles on NaX nanozeolite increased from 2.1 wt% to 11.2 wt%. In addition,from the obtained data, an increase in uranium removal efficiency resulted as charge/ionic radius ratio of exchanged cation decreased. Also, the effect of contact time, solid–liquid ratio, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption process was studied. It is worth mentioning that, in this study, the sorption of uranium was performed under natural conditions of pH and the presence of competing cations and anions which are available in drinking waters.     

Nonparametric predictive inference in reliability

We introduce a recently developed statistical approach, called nonparametric predictive inference (NPI), to reliability. Bounds for the survival function for a future observation are presented. We illustrate how NPI can deal with right-censored data, and discuss aspects of competing risks. We present possible applications of NPI for Bernoulli data, and we briefly outline applications of NPI for replacement decisions. The emphasis is on introduction and illustration of NPI in reliability contexts, detailed mathematical justifications are presented elsewhere.     

Influence of Some Hofmeister Anions on the Krafft Temperature and Micelle Formation of Cetylpyridinium Bromide in Aqueous Solution

In this work, the effect of some Hofmeister anions on the Krafft temperature (T_K) and micelle formation of cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) have been studied. The results show that more chaotropic anions increase, while the less chaotropic ones lower the T_K of the surfactant. More chaotropic I^? and SCN^? form contact ion pairs with the cetylpyridinium ion and reduce the electrostatic repulsion between the CPB molecules. As a result, these ions show salting‐out behavior, with a consequent increase in the T_K. In contrast, less chaotropic Cl^? and NO₃^? increase the activity of free water molecules and enhance hydration of CPB molecules, showing a decrease in the T_K. A rather unusual behavior was observed in the case of SO₄^2? and F^?. These strong kosmotropes shift from their usual position in the Hofmeister series and behave like moderate chaotropes, lowering the T_K of the surfactant. Because of the high charge density and the strong tendency for hydration these ions preferentially remain in the bulk. Rather than forming contact ion pairs, these ions stay away from the CPB molecules, decreasing the T_K of the surfactant. In term of decreasing the T_K, the ions follow the order NO₃^? > SO₄^2? > Cl^? > F^? > Br^? > SCN^? > I^?. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant decreases significantly in the presence of these ions due to the screening of the micelle surface charge by the excess counterions. The decreasing trend of the CMC in the presence of the salts follows the order SCN^? > I^? > SO₄^2? > NO₃^? > Br^? > Cl^? > F^?.     

一种释放负离子面膜的研制

论述了一种负离子面膜的研制过程。在面膜的制作过程中通过适当的途径加进负离子添加剂,从而使负离子在皮肤表面发挥还原性作用,使已经氧化的皮肤还原,恢复健康状态。通过多次实验,所得产品负离子释放量超过了700个/cm3,具有释放负离子稳定持久、发射远红外线、杀菌、消毒、保健等功效,达到了健康要求。     

离子色谱法同时测定降水中的常见水溶性阴离子

文章研究了用离子色谱法直接测定降水中阴离子的色谱条件、线性范围。实验研究表明,Fˉ、Clˉ、NO3ˉ、SO42ˉ方法的最小检出限分别为:0.006、0.012、0.020、0.037 mg/L;相对标准偏差均在10%以下,加标回收率为95.9%～102.4%。用离子色谱法直接测定大气降水中的阴离子,操作简单、快捷,具有可靠的准确度和良好的精密度,且灵敏度高,实验结果令人满意。     

层间阴离子对铝代Ni(OH)_2质子扩散系数的影响

采用化学共沉淀法制备了层间分别含有SO42-和NO3-的铝取代氢氧化镍样品。应用X-射线衍射(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)和循环伏安法(CV)对样品的微观结构和质子扩散系数进行了比较。结果表明,两样品均为α-相氢氧化镍,其中层间含有NO3-的铝代氢氧化镍比层间含有SO42-的铝代氢氧化镍具有更好的结晶特性;循环伏安测试表明,层间含有NO3-的铝代氢氧化镍比层间含有SO42-的铝代氢氧化镍具有更好的电化学反应可逆性和更高的质子传递系数。     

Recognition of chiral carboxylic anions by artificial receptors

Many carboxylic molecules, ranging from drugs to flavors and fragrances, contain chiral centers. As a consequence, research has been carried out in order to design and synthesize artificial receptors for carboxylic anions. Many problems have to be solved for binding anions. The results obtained in the binding of carboxylic anions by guanidine, secondary ammonium and metal-center have been selected. The last part of this review focuses on chiral recognition of carboxylic anions by organic and metal-based chiral receptors.