Preparation of cross-linked magnetic chitosan with quaternary ammonium and its application for Cr(VI) and P(V) removal

Pollutants that exist in anionic species are issues of concern in water treatment. Compared to cationic pollutants, the removal of anionic pollutants by adsorption is more difficult because most adsorbents carry predominantly negative charges in neutral and alkaline environments. In this study, a cross-linked chitosan derivative with quaternary ammonium and magnetic properties（QM-chitosan） was prepared and employed to remove chromium（VI） and phosphorus（V）（Cr（VI） and P（V）） from aqueous environments. The QM-chitosan was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry（FT-IR）,thermogravimetric analysis（TGA）, energy dispersive X-ray（SEM-EDX） and zeta potential.Batch experiments show that QM-chitosan can effectively remove Cr（VI） and P（V）, and the main mechanism was believed to be electrostatic interaction. A pseudosecond-order model was fitted to describe the kinetic processes of Cr（VI） and P（V） removal. The adsorption isotherms of both Cr（VI） and P（V） on the QM-chitosan were well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm equation. The saturated adsorption capacity of P（V）（2.783 mmol/g） was found to be higher than that of Cr（VI）（2.323 mmol/g）, resulting from the size of the H2PO-4ions being smaller than that of the HCr O-4ions. However, the theoretical calculation and experimental results showed that QM-chitosan had a stronger affinity for Cr（VI） than P（V）. The adsorption–desorption of the QM-chitosan was evaluated, and high regeneration rates were demonstrated.     

Game-theoretical model for the sustainable use of thermal water resources: the case of Ischia volcanic Island (Italy)

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The Island of Ischia, one of the Italian active volcanoes, is a famous tourist resort for spa treatments. Spas are supplied by withdrawals from groundwaters...     

Validation and global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method for fenamidone analysis in grapes and wines

Fenamidone is an imidazolinone fungicide recently introduced in viticulture practices. This work reports the validation and assessment of global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method to analyze fenamidone in grapes and wines. This method consists in a simple and fast liquid-liquid extraction step followed by chromatographic determination. Limits of detection for fenamidone in grapes and wines were, respectively, 0.05 mg/kg and 0.06 mg/L, precision was below 9.4% and average recovery was 89 ± 5%. In the concentration range from 0.05 to 1.00 mg/kg (or mg/L) of fenamidone, global uncertainty calculated following the EURACHEM/CITAC rules, and also by the Horwitz function, was below 25%. The EURACHEM/CITAC global uncertainty budget used gave lower estimates than those obtained from the Horwitz function.     

Tropospheric Sulfate Aerosol Formation Via Ion-Ion Recombination

ABSTRACT

We propose a source of aerosols in the lower atmosphere associated with the creation, growth, and recombination of ubiquitous cosmogenically generated ions. This particle source should be favorable in the relatively clean, stable marine boundary layer, providing a uniform, continuous fine particle generator in the presence of dimethylsulfide emissions. Through this mechanism, new sulfate aerosols can be formed at sulfuric acid vapor partial pressures well below the supersaturations required for homogeneous binary nucleation of sulfuric acid/water solutions, which is consistent with numerous observations of new particle formation under sub-saturated conditions. The evolving aerosols in turn control the acid vapor concentration and thus modulate the sizes of the precursor ions and the rate of new particle formation. A simple model representing this nonlinear coupled system predicts that the physical and chemical processes connecting ions, vapors, and aerosols effectively constrain the particle population to a relatively narrow range of values. This self-limiting behavior may explain in part the apparent stability of the marine sulfate aerosol, with mean concentrations of the order of several hundred per cubic centimeter.     

Air quality biomonitoring through pollen viability of Fabaceae

In this study, pollen viability and germination of three plant species, Cercis siliquastrum L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., and Spartium junceum L., belonging to the Fabaceae family, was evaluated in sites with different intensity of road traffic, constantly monitored with continuous analysers for air pollutants (carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)) by the Municipality of Catania. Two sites, in which road traffic was absent, were selected, too. The percentages of viable pollen by 2,3,5-trypheniltetrazolium chloride (TTC) test ranged from 59.0 to 90.2 % in C. siliquastrum, from 61.5 to 83.5 % in S. junceum and from 67.5 to 84.3 % in R. pseudoacacia. The percentages of germination varied from 41.0 to 72.7 % in C. siliquastrum, from 42.0 to 64.7 % in S. junceum and from 38.3 to 66.3 % in R. pseudoacacia. The highest percentages of viable pollens were found in no-road traffic stations by either TTC or germination tests, while the lowest values were detected in a site characterised by heavy road traffic. In the monitored period (2007–2009), pollen viability, germinability and tube length of C. siliquastrum resulted in a significant negative correlation to CO, SO₂ and NO₂, whereas data from TTC and germination tests on S. junceum and R. pseudoacacia pollens were not well correlated to air pollutants. The results showed that pollen viability, germination and tube growth in C. siliquastrum were affected by air pollution. S. junceum and R. pseudoacacia were not very influenced by air pollutants, suggesting a different pollen sensitivity of these species.