Cyclodextrins: a new efficient absorbent to treat waste gas streams

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the air provoke health and environmental concerns. This paper focuses on the absorption method to treat industrial polluted air loaded with VOCs. The key variable of this treatment being the choice of a suitable liquid absorbent, the aim of this research work is to investigate the effectiveness and the regeneration of a new potential family of absorbent: cyclodextrins (CDs). All CDs derivatives tested are able to decrease the Henry's law constant of toluene: a reduction of volatility up to 95% may be obtained, depending on CD nature and concentration. Moreover, absorption experiments show that beta-CD, which presents the highest absorption ability, is 250 time more efficient than water. The absorption efficiency is not totally correlated with static experiments, suggesting that, in addition to Henry's law constants and inclusion compounds stability, toluene diffusion into such solutions has to be taken into account. It is also to be noted that salt and pH variations seem to have little influence on the absorption capacity of CDs, which may be of great interest for industrial applications. Finally, since production of solid compounds was not observed during these experiments and since temperature decreases the capture ability in a drastic way, regeneration of the washing solution can be achieved by heating the solution in combination with air stripping.     

Influence of Relative Humidity and Ozone on the Sampling of Volatile Organic Compounds on Carbotrap/Carbosieve Adsorbents

By using a dynamic dilution system, the atmospheric measurement of 11 selected toxics VOCs (ethylene, acetylene, propene, 1-butene, 1,3-butadiene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m+p-xylene) from the list WHO of 1996 and TO-14 method of US EPA by preconcentration by thermal desorption (TD), analysis by gas chromatography (GC), identification and quantification with a flame ionisation detector (FID) was developed and validated in term of metrology, especially the techniques of sampling of these VOCs with adsorbents cartridges "Air Toxics" when used with an "UMEG sampler" equipped in the inlet with a nafion membrane. In particular the influence of climatic conditions (temperature and relative humidity) and the influence of chemical factors like ozone, on the representativity of sampling were studied. Experiments made with various humidities showed that the addition of a nafion membrane in the inlet of the sampling system was required. Without this membrane, losses of compounds were observed for RH >50%. With this membrane, storage for 2 weeks in a refrigerator, as for canisters, did not induce a loss of compounds. No significative decrease of concentrations of the studied VOCs after 14 days storage, which are known to react with ozone, were observed with an ozone concentrations of 55 ppb. One explanation is that nafion membrane, placed in the inlet of the sampler, will neutralize ozone before entering the sampling tubes. This observation is in accordance with literature which states that the sampling of VOCs on Carbotrap cartridges without ozone scrubber induce a loss of compounds.     

Biosensors for detection of mercury in contaminated soils

Biosensors based on whole bacterial cells and on bacterial heavy metal binding protein were used to determine the mercury concentration in soil. The soil samples were collected in a vegetable garden accidentally contaminated with elemental mercury 25 years earlier. Bioavailable mercury was measured using different sensors: a protein-based biosensor, a whole bacterial cell based biosensor, and a plant sensor, i.e. morphological and biochemical responses in primary leaves and roots of bean seedlings grown in the mercury-contaminated soil. For comparison the total mercury concentration of the soil samples was determined by AAS. Whole bacterial cell and protein-based biosensors gave accurate responses proportional to the total amount of mercury in the soil samples. On the contrary, plant sensors were found to be less useful indicators of soil mercury contamination, as determined by plant biomass, mercury content of primary leaves and enzyme activities.     

An investigation of the origin and mobility of phosphorus in freshwater sediments from Bort-Les-Orgues Reservoir, France

In order to assess the origin and the potential mobility of phosphorus (P) in the sediment of the Bort-Les-Orgues Reservoir, France, two sequential extraction schemes, i.e., the SMT (modified Williams method) and the Golterman schemes, were compared. Finally, the potential mobility of P in this sediment was estimated from results of sequential extraction. The SMT method appeared to be more satisfactory than the Golterman method, which is in accordance with results from a study currently carried out in the framework of the European programme Standards, Measurements and Testing. Iron-bound P and organic P were the dominant forms of P in the sediment; these forms are likely to be released at the sediment/water interface in case of anoxia and could diffuse into the water column, thus increasing the risk of eutrophication in this sensitive reservoir. The P stock (330 +/- 66 t) is not negligible and should be taken into account in any restoration project of the reservoir. The SMT procedure seems promising and will provide, in the near future, a valuable tool for water managers in the field of lake restoration.     

A spatial-statistical approach for modeling the effect of non-point source pollution on different water quality parameters in the Velhas river watershed--Brazil

In this article, a methodology for evaluating the effect of land use/land cover on the quality of nearby stream water in a semiarid environment is described and tested on a large watershed in Southeastern Brazil. The approach aims at identifying the width of the riparian area having the strongest effect on different water quality parameters. The land use/land cover data were generated from remotely sensed data while water quality point data were supplied by a government agency. Testing was conducted for both the rainy and dry seasons in an effort to understand the direct effect of surface runoff. The approach combines cartographic modelling using a geographical information system (GIS) and statistics to establish the strength of the relationship between water quality, land use and the distance from the stream. Results suggest a strong relationship between land use/land cover and turbidity, nitrogen and fecal coliforms. They also suggest that each of these parameters has a unique behavior when distance from the stream is considered. Finally, although it was expected that the models would apply better during the wet season, some parameters had the opposite behavior and displayed a better fit during the dry season.     

Preparation of solar-enhanced AlZnO@carbon nano-substrates for remediation of textile wastewaters

Photoactive aluminum doped ZnO(AlZnO) was synthesized by sol-gel method.After that,AlZnO photocatalyst was deposited on five carbon-based materials(CBMs) using ultrasonic route followed by solid-state mixing using ball mill.The CBMs used were poly aniline(PANI),carbon nitride(CN),carbon nanotubes(CNT),graphene(G),and carbon nanofibers(CNF).The crystal phases,elemental compositions,morphological,and optical properties of the AlZnO@CBMs composites were investigated.Experimental results revealed that two of AlZnO@CBMs composites exhibited superior bleaching efficiency(100% removal) and photocatalytic stability(three cycles) for 50 μmol/L Methylene Blue(MB) contaminated water after 60 min irradiation in visible light at pH 6.5,0.7% H_2O_2,and 5 g/L inorganic salts.Under optimum conditions,AlZnO@CBMs nanocomposites were employed for the treatment of mixed dyestuffs composed of MB,Methyl Orange(MO),Astrazone Blue FRR(BB 69),and Rhodamine B(RhB) dyes under dark,ultraviolet,visible,and direct sunlight.For mixed dyestuffs,the AlZnO@G achieved the highest dye sorption capacity(60.91 μmol dye stuffs/g) with kinetic rate 8.22 × 10~(-3) min~(-1) in 90 min via multi-layer physisorption(Freundlich isotherm) on graphene sheet.In additions,AlZnO@CN offered the highest photo-kinetic rate(K_(photo)) of～54.1 × 10~(-3) min~(-1)(93.8% after 60 min) under direct sunlight.Furthermore,the selective radical trapping experiment confirmed that the holes and oxidative superoxide radicals are crucial on dyes photodegradation pathway.Owing to their superior performance,AlZnO@G and AlZnO@CN nanocomposites can offer an effective in-situ solar-assisted adsorption/photocatalytic remediation of textile wastewater effluents.     

Prospective maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin screening for the risk of fetal chromosome anomalies and of subsequent fetal and neonatal deaths

A prospective study of maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) measurement for the selection of pregnancies with an increased risk of fetal trisomy 21 was undertaken in 24 000 pregnancies from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1990. Maternal serum was sampled at 15-18 weeks of gestation. hCG was measured in one laboratory, with one technique. This ‘hCG high level’ technique was developed for this screening. Amniocentesis was offered to each woman with a maternal serum hCG level above the cut-off. The follow-up of the pregnancies is known in 92 per cent of cases. The combination of hCG values and maternal age gave a detection efficiency of 63 per cent for trisomy 21 with rates of amniocentesis of 30 per cent for patients aged 37 years, 20 per cent for patients aged 35 or 36 years, and 5 per cent for patients under 35 years of age. Based on this prospective study, an individual risk was calculated combining the serum hCG value and maternal age. Seventy-four per cent of trisomy 13, trisomy 18, triploidy, and 5p- deletion were detected either in the same selected group of women or in combination with ultrasonography performed when hCG values were very low. The follow-up study showed that women who had high or low hCG values represented a group at high risk for fetal or perinatal death.     

Oxidative co-treatment using hydrogen peroxide with anaerobic digestion of excess municipal sludge.

The effect of an oxidative co-treatment on anaerobic digestion of a mixture of primary and waste activated sludge was investigated. The oxidant used in this study was hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A maximum improvement in solid destruction of 15.2% was achieved in the overall process, with a dosage of 2.0 g H2O2/g influent volatile suspended solids (VSS(influent)). All configurations operated at this dosage also showed statistically significant increases in solids removal. A statistically significant enhancement in overall solids destruction was observed for the lower oxidant dosage (0.5 H2O2/g VSS(influent)). Surprisingly, for 1.0 g H2O2/g VSS(influent), only one of the three configurations involving oxidative co-treatment showed significant increases in solids destruction. Special attention was paid to the performance of this process relative to fecal coliforms destruction. Class A biosolids were obtained for all the different hydrogen peroxide dosages used when oxidative co-treatment is combined with a two-stage anaerobic digestion process.     

Kinetics and mechanism of nitrite oxidation by hypochlorous acid in the aqueous phase

The rate coefficient for the reaction of nitrite with hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid has been studied using spectrophotometric measurements. The reaction rate has been determined in a wide range of H(+) concentration (5< or =-log[H(+)]< or =11). The kinetics were carried out as a function of NO(2)(-), H(+) and total hypochlorite ([HOCl](total)=[HOCl]+[ClO(-)]+[ClNO(2)]) concentrations. The observed overall rate law is described by: -d[HClO](T)dt=[a[NO(2)(-)](2)+b[NO(2)(-)]][H(+)](2)c+d[H(+)]+e[NO(2)(-)][H(+)](2)[HOCl](total)At T=298 K and in Na(2)SO(4) at an ionic strength (I=1.00 M), we obtained using a nonlinear fitting procedure: a=(1.83+/-0.36)x10(7) s(-1), b=(1.14+/-0.23)x10(5) Ms(-1), c=(1.12+/-0.17)x10(-13) M, d=(1.43+/-0.29)x10(-6) M(2) and e=(1.41+/-0.28)x10(3) M where the errors represent 2sigma. According to the overall rate law, a/b=k(1)/k(3), b/e=k(3), c=K(w), d/c=K(a), d=K(a)K(w) and e=K(1)K(a). In Na(2)SO(4) at an ionic strength (I=1.00 M), the values of K(1) and K(a) are (1.1+/-0.1)x10(-4) and 1.28x10(7) M(-1), respectively. A mechanism is proposed for the NO(2)(-) oxidation which involves the reversible initial step: NO(2)(-)+HOCl left harpoon over right harpoon ClNO(2)+OH(-) (K(1)), while ClNO(2) undergoes the two parallel reactions: attack by NO(2)(-) (k(1)) and hydrolysis (k(3)). ClNO(2) and N(2)O(4) are proposed as important intermediates as they control the mechanism. The rate coefficients k(1) and k(3) have been determined at different ionic strengths in NaCl and Na(2)SO(4). The influence of the ionic strength and ionic environment has been studied in this work.