Optimization of metal bio-acid leaching from mobile phone printed circuit boards using natural organic acids and H2O2

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - With increased popularity and technological innovation, more and more electric and electronic equipment wastes (e-wastes) are being generated....     

Design and optimization of new La1−xCexNi1−yFeyO3 (x,y = 0–0.4) nano catalysts in dry reforming of methane

The paper reports the production of syngas from dry reforming of methane (DRM) over La_1?xCe_xNi_1?yFe_yO₃ (x, y = 0–0.4) perovskites. A series of La_1?xCe_xNi_1?yFe_yO₃ were designed by central composite design (CCD) and synthesized by a sol–gel auto combustion method. Artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used to determine the relationship between preparation and operational parameters on the performance of the catalysts in the DRM process. Nickel mole fraction, lanthanum mole fraction, calcination temperature, and reaction temperature were considered as input variables, and conversion of methane was considered as the output variable. An ANN model with nine neurons in the hidden layer was the suitable in predicting conversion of methane. The genetic algorithm (GA) was subsequently used to determine the optimal preparation condition for enhancing the conversion of methane. La_0.6Ce_0.4Ni_0.99Fe_0.01O₃ catalyst, calcined at 756°C was obtained to be the most active catalyst owing to the optimal composition of nickel and lanthanum in the catalyst formulation.     

Comparative phytotoxicity of ZnO nanoparticles,ZnO microparticles,and Zn2+ on rapeseed (Brassica napus L.): investigating a wide range of concentrations

The effects of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), ZnO microparticles (MPs), and zinc ions (Zn²⁺) on some growth parameters of rapeseed (Brassica napus) seedlings have been studied. The growth inhibition by ZnO NPs was not stronger than that by ZnO MPs while treatment with Zn²⁺ inhibition was clearly stronger.     

Effect of TiC Nanoparticles Reinforcement in Coir Fiber Based Bio/Synthetic Epoxy Hybrid Composites: Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The present investigation was performed to study the effect of titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles and coir fiber as hybrid reinforcements on the...     

Refugees,water balance,and water stress: Lessons learned from Lebanon

Ambio - The Syrian crisis caused a massive influx of displaced people into neighboring countries, with Lebanon hosting the highest per capita number of refugees (3:10). Water remains the most...     

A new strategy for determination of hydroxylamine and phenol in water and waste water samples using modified nanosensor

A carbon paste electrode modified with p-chloranil and carbon nanotubes was used for the sensitive and selective voltammetric determination of hydroxylamine (HX) and phenol (PL). The oxidation of HX at the modified electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperommetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The values of the catalytic rate constant (k), and diffusion coefficient (D) for HX were calculated. Square wave voltammetric peaks current of HX and PL increased linearly with their concentrations at the ranges of 0.1–172.0 and 5.0–512.0 μmol L^?1, respectively. The detection limits for HX and PL were 0.08 and 2.0 μmol L^?1, respectively. The separation of the anodic peak potentials of HX and PL reached to 0.65 V, using square wave voltammetry. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for the determination of HX and PL in water and wastewater samples.     

The effect of EDDS and citrate on the uptake of lead in hydroponically grown Matthiola flavida

Root and shoot lead concentrations and the impact of chelating agents on these were investigated in two populations of the novel metallophyte Matthiola flavida. Plants were exposed in hydroponics to Pb(NO₃)₂, supplied alone, or in combination with citric acid, or EDDS. When supplied at concentrations expected to bind about 95% of the Pb in a solution containing 1-μM Pb (1000 μM citrate or 3.1 μM EDDS, respectively), the root and shoot Pb concentrations were dramatically lowered, in comparison with a 1-μM free ionic Pb control exposure. A 1-mM EDDS + 1-μM Pb treatment decreased the plants’ Pb concentrations further, even to undetectable levels in one population. At 100 μM Pb in a 1-mM EDDS-amended solution the Pb concentration increased strongly in shoots, but barely in roots, in comparison with the 1-μM Pb + 1-mM EDDS treatment, without causing toxicity symptoms. Further increments of the Pb concentration in the 1-mM EDDS-amended solution, i.e. to 800 and 990 μM, caused Pb hyperaccumulation, both in roots and in shoots, associated with a complete arrest of root growth and foliar necrosis. M. flavida seemed to be devoid of constitutive mechanisms for uptake of Pb-citrate or Pb-EDDS complexes. Hyperaccumulation of Pb-EDDS occurred only at high exposure levels. Pb-EDDS was toxic, but is much less so than free Pb. Free EDDS did not seem to be toxic at the concentrations tested.     

Simultaneous determination of hydroxylamine and phenol using a nanostructure-based electrochemical sensor

The electrochemical oxidation of hydroxylamine on the surface of a carbon paste electrode modified with carbon nanotubes and 2,7-bis(ferrocenyl ethyl)fluoren-9-one is studied. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward hydroxylamine and phenol were investigated. The results showed an efficient catalytic activity of the electrode for the electro-oxidation of hydroxylamine, which leads to lowering its overpotential. The modified electrode exhibits an efficient electron-mediating behavior together with well-separated oxidation peaks for hydroxylamine and phenol. Also, the modified electrode was used for determination of hydroxylamine and phenol in some real samples.