Toxicity and Biodegradability Behavior of Xenobiotic Chemicals Before and After Ozonation: A Case Study with Commercial Textile Tannins

Ozonation of a natural tannin (NT; COD_o?=?1195 mg/L; TOC_o?=?342 mg/L; BOD_5,o?=?86 mg/L) and a synthetic tannin ST; COD_o?=?465 mg/L; TOC_o?=?55 mg/L; BOD_5,o?=?6 mg/L) being frequently applied in the polyamide dyeing process was investigated. Synthetic wastewater samples containing these tannins individually were prepared and subjected to ozonation at varying ozone doses (625– 1250 mgO₃/L wastewater), at pH?=?3.5 (the application pH of tannins) and pH?=?7.0 at an ozone dose of 1125 mgO₃/L wastewater. The collective environmental parameters COD, TOC, BOD₅, UV₂₅₄ and UV₂₈₀ (UV absorbance at 254 nm and 280 nm, representing aromatic and unsaturated moieties, respectively) were followed during ozonation. Changes in the biodegradability of the tannins were evaluated in terms of BOD₅ measurements conducted before and after ozonation. In addition, activated sludge inhibition tests employing heterotrophic biomass were run to elucidate the inhibitory effect of raw and ozonated textile tannins towards activated sludge biomass. Partial oxidation (45% COD removal at an ozone dose of 750 mg O₃/L wastewater and pH?=?3.5) of ST was sufficient to achieve elimination of its inhibitory effect towards heterotrophic biomass and acceptable biodegradability improvement, whereas the inhibitory effect and biodegradability of NT could not be reduced via ozonation under the same reaction conditions.     

Characterization of Double-Junction GaAsP Two-Color LED Structure

The structural, optical, electrical and electrical–optical properties of a double-junction GaAsP light-emitting diode (LED) structure grown on a GaP (100) substrate by using a molecular beam epitaxy technique were investigated. The p–n junction layers of GaAs_1?xP_x and GaAs_1?yP_y, which form the double-junction LED structure, were grown with two different P/As ratios. High-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), photoluminescence (PL), and current–voltage (I–V) measurements were used to investigate the structural, optical and electrical properties of the sample. Alloy composition values (x, y) and some crystal structure parameters were determined using HRXRD measurements. The phosphorus compositions of the first and second junctions were found to be 63.120% and 82.040%, respectively. Using PL emission peak positions at room temperature, the band gap energies (E_g) of the first and second junctions were found to be 1.867 eV and 2.098 eV, respectively. In addition, the alloy compositions were calculated by Vegard’s law using PL measurements. The turn-on voltage (V_on) and series resistance (R_s) of the device were obtained from the I–V measurements to be 4.548 V and 119 Ω, respectively. It was observed that the LED device emitted in the red (664.020 nm) and yellow (591.325 nm) color regions.     

WiSEGATE: Wireless Sensor Network Gateway framework for internet of things

With internet of things vision, computing systems get the ubiquity of real world. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology plays a critical role for the construction of this paradigm. Hence, WSN technology should be adapted to support interoperability with the commodity internet entities. Since technological background of WSN and IP networks do not fit each other, this effort is not a straightforward process. In this paper, we introduce WiSEGATE which addresses end-to-end reliable interconnection problem between multiple internet entities and sensor nodes. WiSEGATE is a prototype of a new web server which supports three tier service scheme with a data acquisition mechanism of WSN to access the physical data in particular locations in the real world. In WiSEGATE, an interconnection gateway handles operations required for the interoperability. Since this gateway maintains reliable TCP/IP connections of the interconnected entities, the resource constraint sensor nodes on WSN do not require a TCP/IP stack for handling end-to-end connections. A lightweight service layer is implemented on a sensor node for operations required by the interconnection. The strength and novelty of the model lies in the fact that this lightweight service layer relieves extra memory usage for end-to-end connection management. For determining limits of the proposed model, firstly, we examined the steps for request/response mechanism and modeled the gateway as a queueing system. By doing this, we derive a definition of the request traffic. For proof of concept, we performed comprehensive tests in simulation and real testbed environments for WLAN connection. WiSEGATE can achieve reasonable response times up to 80 simultaneous connections from remote entities to WSN when WLAN PER is less than 0.2.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of aluminum powder-filled high-density polyethylene composites

Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and modulus of elasticity of aluminum powder-filled high-density polyethylene composites are investigated experimentally in the range of filler content 0–33% by volume for thermal conductivity and 0–50% by volume for mechanical properties. Experimental results from thermal conductivity measurements show a region of low particle content, 0–12% by volume, where the particles are distributed homogeneously in the polymer matrix and are not interacting with each other; in this region most of the thermal conductivity models for two-phase systems are applicable. At higher particle content, the filler tends to form ag-glomerates and conductive chains resulting in a rapid increase in thermal conductivity. The model developed by Agari and Uno estimates the thermal conductivity in this region. Tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with increasing aluminum particles content, which is attributed to the introduction of discontinuities in the structure. Modulus of elasticity increased up to around 12% volume content of aluminum particles. Einstein's equation, which assumes perfect adhesion between the filler particles and the matrix, explains the experimental results in this region quite well. For particle content higher than 30%, a decrease in the modulus of elasticity is observed which may be attributed to the formation of cavities around filler particles during stretching in tensile tests. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for rapid comparative analysis of Bacillus and Micrococcus isolates

The identification of foodborne microorganisms and their endospores in food products are important for food safety. The present work compares Bacillus (Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus circulans and Bacillus subtilis) and Micrococcus (Micrococcus luteus) species with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Our results show that there are several characteristic peaks belonging to both the Micrococcus and Bacillus species which can be used for the identification of these foodborne bacteria and their endospores. For Micrococcus species, a new band was observed at 1338 cm⁻¹ which may be due to acetate oxidation via the carboxylic acid cycle. The bands at 1313 cm⁻¹ and 1256 cm⁻¹ can be explained by an exopolymer formation and the other bands at 1074 cm⁻¹ and 550 cm⁻¹, may be due to the glycogen-like storage material in Micrococcus spp. There are also characteristic peaks at 993 cm⁻¹ and 801 cm⁻¹ for these bacterial species. Different Bacillus species also showed characteristic peaks at 1000–500 cm⁻¹ region. Dipicolinic acid (DPA) bands at ∼728 cm⁻¹ and ∼703 cm⁻¹ seen only in B. circulans were the marker of an endospore formation.     

Production of poly(lactic acid)/organoclay nanocomposite scaffolds by microcompounding and polymer/particle leaching

Organoclay reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend based porous nanocomposite scaffolds are prepared by microcompounding/injection molding and subsequent polymer (PVA)/particle (NaCl) leaching method. The objective of the study is to investigate the effect of clay content on the properties of scaffolds for tissue engineering. It is revealed from X‐ray diffraction and TEM studies that incorporation of PVA to PLA matrix as a polymeric porogen enhance the state of dispersion of clay particles resulting in an exfoliated structure. The porosities of all the scaffolds are higher than 70% and the pores are well‐interconnected as observed by SEM. The addition of clay to the scaffolds improves the compressive modulus. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis shows that T_g of neat‐PLA is shifted to lower values when it is compounded with PVA. As a result, it is demonstrated that the method applied in this work can be a good candidate for production of polymeric scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Photothermal Characterization of Nanocomposites Based on High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Filled with Expanded Graphite

The effective thermophysical and optical properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE) filled with 50???m and 5???m particle sizes of expanded graphite (EG50, EG5) are characterized. The methods used were front- and back-detection modulated photothermal radiometry (FD-, BD-PTR) and BD-flash IR thermography. Results were interpreted according to one-dimensional heat diffusion models. The absolute thermal diffusivity was determined at low frequency from FD- and BD-PTR spectra, while the volumetric heat capacity, the thermal effusivity, and the optical absorption coefficient were determined from broad-band FD-PTR spectra. The directly obtained diffusivity values compare well with those calculated from the heat capacity and thermal effusivity, and with BD-flash results. The errors caused by the finite absorption coefficient of diluted samples are also evaluated and corrected for. A particle-size effect with the opposite influence on thermal and optical properties has been observed. Heat transport parameters of HDPE/EG composites are significantly enhanced (factor of 3 to 4 in thermal diffusivity) at low particle charge before reaching saturation above a 0.10 particle volume fraction. These features are explained in the framework of effective medium models by strongly non-spherical EG particles.     

Epoxy‐ and polyester‐based composites reinforced with glass,carbon and aramid fabrics: Measurement of heat capacity and thermal conductivity of composites by differential scanning calorimetry

The primary purpose of the study is to investigate the temperature dependence of heat capacity and thermal conductivity of composites having different fiber/matrix combinations by means of heat‐flux differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The materials used as samples in this study were epoxy‐ and polyester‐based composites. Noncrimp stitched glass, carbon, and aramid fabric were used as reinforcements for making unidirectional composites. For the heat capacity measurements the composite sample and a standard material are separately subjected to same linear temperature program. By recording the heat flow rate into the composite sample as a function of temperature, and comparing it with the heat flow rate into a standard material under the same conditions, the temperature dependence of heat capacity of the composite sample is determined. Measurements were carried out over a wide range of temperatures from about 20 to 250°C. The differential scanning calorimeter was adapted to perform the thermal conductivity measurements in the direction perpendicular to the fiber axis over the temperature range of 45–235°C. The method used in this study utilizes the measurement of rate of heat flow into a sensor material during its first‐order phase transition to obtain the thermal resistance of a composite material placed between the sensor material and the heater in the DSC. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

FTIR and SEM analysis of polyester‐ and epoxy‐based composites manufactured by VARTM process

Polyester‐ and epoxy‐based composites containing glass and carbon fibers were manufactured using a vacuum‐assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses were conducted to determine the interaction between fibers and matrix material. The results indicate that strong interaction was observed between carbon fiber and epoxy resin. However, weak interactions between remaining fiber‐matrix occur. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was also performed to take some information about strength of interaction between fibers and matrix material. From SEM micrographs, it is concluded that the findings in SEM analysis support to that obtained in FTIR analysis. Another aim of the present work was to investigate the influence of matrix on composite properties. Hence, the strengths of composites having same reinforcement but different matrix systems in axial tension and transverse tension were compared. Short beam shear test has been conducted to characterize the interfacial strength in the composites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008