Copper recovery from aqueous solution by a modified industrial polymer

The use of a new material (MFPAN) for copper remotion from aqueous solution is reported. An industrial fibber polymer (FPAN) was modified by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to include tetrazole moieties, as pendant groups. A minimum ratio Cu/MPFAN is required to enable precipitation, suggesting a pseudo stoichiometry. Both polymer and metal can be quantitatively recovered from the precipitate by acidification. This recovery ensures a recyclable use of this new material.     

Media coverage of the ‘UK flooding crisis’: a social panorama

A disaster referred to by the press as the ‘UK flooding crisis’ occurred between December 2015 and January 2016. This study employed three different levels of analysis to identify a multidimensional perspective adopted in the disaster reporting of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). These levels revealed details about the social actors and their interactions. The set of news exposed diverse viewpoints on the crisis, from loss and damage to distinct affected subgroups to the various social engagement actions of aid and the multiplicity of technical response measures. The conclusions highlight considerable social amplitude in the BBC's coverage; however, owing to the reductionist approach of this media communicator, the field of action involving different social actors was not very clear in the content of the news, particularly with regard to cohesion, conflict/obstruction, and concernthe concept of crisis in its essence. In addition, the paper suggests new questions for future reports. 1     

Hydrocarbons characterization in coastal sediments of the Argentine Patagonia using the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy

Hydrocarbons in Patagonian sediments were analyzed to evaluate their biogenic or petrogenic origins. Structural determination by ¹H-NMR spectrometry and principal component analysis (PCA) show that the first two principal components accounted for more than 75.7% of the variance. The results indicate that biogenic hydrocarbons have mainly linear hydrocarbon chains and polar groups (high H₂, H₄, H₅, and H_COOH), while petrogenic hydrocarbons show more branched chains and mainly mono-aromatic components, e.g., crude oil (high H₁, H_1A, and H₃) or mainly poly-aromatic components (high H₄, and H_2A) in weathering oil.     

A SCREENING MODEL FOR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: Techniques of optimization and simulation are merged to select the most efficient arrangement of components for regional water resources development and management. Application is made to the Elkhorn River Basin in Nebraska. The Basin extends over 7,000 square miles and includes 184 proposed reservoirs. Structure sizes, locations and operating policies are selected for optimal plans based on economic efficiency and regional development. Results indicate that substantial savings in time and costs over conventional planning techniques are effected. Agreement between model output and agency design values was noted.