Amination of biochar surface from watermelon peel for toxic chromium removal enhancement

Watermelon peel residues were used to produce a new biochar by dehydration method. The new biochar has undergone two methods of chemical modification and the effect of this chemical modification on its ability to adsorb Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solution has been investigated. Three biochars, Melon-B, Melon-BO-NH_2 and Melon-BO-TETA, were made from watermelon peel via dehydration with 50% sulfuric acid to give Melon-B followed by oxidation with ozone and amination using ammonium hydroxide to give Melon-BO-NH_2 or Triethylenetetramine(TETA) to give Melon-BO-TETA. The prepared biochars were characterized by BET, BJH,SEM, FT-IR, TGA, DSC and EDAX analyses. The highest removal percentage of Cr(VI) ions was 69% for Melon-B,98% for Melon-BO-NH_2 and 99% for Melon-BO-TETA biochars of 100 mg·L~(-1) Cr(VI) ions initial concentration and 1.0 g·L~(-1) adsorbents dose. The unmodified biochar(Melon-B) and modified biochars(Melon-BO-NH_2 and Melon-BO-TETA) had maximum adsorption capacities(Qm) of 72.46, 123.46, and 333.33 mg·g~(-1), respectively.The amination of biochar reduced the pore size of modified biochar, whereas the surface area was enhanced.The obtained data of isotherm models were tested using different error function equations. The Freundlich,Tempkin and Langmuir isotherm models were best fitted to the experimental data of Melon-B, Melon-BO-NH_2 and Melon-BO-TETA, respectively. The adsorption rate was primarily controlled by pseudo-second–order rate model. Conclusively, the functional groups interactions are important for adsorption mechanisms and expected to control the adsorption process. The adsorption for the Melon-B, Melon-BO-NH_2 and Melon-BO-TETA could be explained for acid–base interaction and hydrogen bonding interaction.     

Al2O3/Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia Hollow‐Fiber Membrane Incorporated with Iron Oxide for Pb(II) Removal

Removal by absorptive ceramic membranes can simultaneously absorb and separate metal ions from water. Alumina/yttria‐stabilized zirconia (Al₂O₃/YSZ) hollow‐fiber membranes, fabricated using phase inversion and sintering process, were deposited with iron oxide by an in‐situ hydrothermal process. The results showed that α‐Fe₂O₃ was produced and incorporated across the membranes. A reduction in flux was recorded with the deposition of α‐Fe₂O_3. However, it improved the adsorption capacity for heavy metal adsorption. The adsorption‐separation test demonstrated that the optimized membrane is able to completely remove Pb(II) ions after two hours.     

Sucralfate attenuates gastric mucosal lesions and increased vascular permeability induced by ischaemia and reperfusion in rats

Recent evidence suggests that oxygen-derived free radicals are involved in mediating gastric microvascular and parenchymal cell injuries induced by ischaemia and reperfusion. Therefore, the effect of the locally acting anti-ulcer drug, sucralfate, was studied on ischaemia and reperfusion (e.g. induced gastric lesions, intraluminal bleeding, changes in vascular permeability and non-protein sulfhydryl levels in the rat stomach). Allopurinol was used as a known standard antioxidant drug. Rats were subjected to 30 min of gastric ischaemia in the presence of 100 mmol/L hydrochloric acid and reperfusion periods of 15, 30 or 60 min duration. The gastric lesions were assessed microscopically under an inverted microscope. The vascular permeability was quantified by measuring the extravasated Evans blue in the stomach. There were significantly greater numbers of gastric lesions, intraluminal bleeding and leakage of Evans blue during all reperfusion periods as compared with those of ischaemia, with maximum effects occurring at 60 min following reperfusion. Pretreatment with sucralfate (31.25-250 mg/kg, p.o.) or allopurinol (12.5-50 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before the procedure, dose-dependently reduced the gastric lesions, intraluminal bleeding, and decreased the vascular permeability induced by ischaemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, sucralfate dose-dependently reverses the ischaemia and reperfusion-induced depletion of mucosal non-protein sulfhydryl levels and inhibited the superoxide radical production in both cell-free xanthine-xanthine oxidase and in the stimulated polymorphonuclear cellular systems. These results suggest that the protection produced by sucralfate against gastric injury may be due to its antioxidant effects.     

Bronchiolo-alveolar cell carcinoma with apparent response to chemotherapy to anti-tuberculosis

Pigmented vulvar lesions were observed in a child during a sexual abuse evaluation. Gross examination of the lesions appeared most consistent with bowenoid papulosis; however, biopsy confirmed the lesions to be pigmented apocrine hamartomas. To our knowledge, these rare and benign tumors have never been described as pigmented, but should be added to the differential diagnosis of pigmented vulvar lesions.