Electrodialysis performance strongly depends on the boundary layer near ion exchange membranes. The thickness of the boundary layer has not been clearly evaluated due to its substantial fluctuation around the spacer geometry. In this study, the boundary layer thickness was defined with three statistical parameters: the mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient between the two boundary layers facing across the spacer. The relationship between the current and potential under conditions of the competitive transport between mono- and di-valent cations was used to estimate the statistical parameters. An uncertainty model was developed for the steady-state ionic transport in a two-dimensional cell pair. Faster ionic separations were achieved with smaller means, greater standard deviations, and more positive correlation coefficients. With the increasing flow velocity from 1.06 to 4.24 cm/s in the bench-scale electrodialyzer, the best fit values for the mean thickness reduced from 40 to less than 10 μm, and the standard deviation was in the same order of magnitude as the mean. For the partitioning of mono- and di-valent cations, a CMV membrane was examined in various KCl and CaCl₂ mixtures. The equivalent fraction correlation and separation factor responded sensitively to the composition of the mixture; however, the selectivity coefficient was consistent over the range of aqueous-phase ionic contents between 5 and 100 mN and the range of equivalent fractions of each cation between 0.2 and 0.8. It was shown that small analytic errors in measuring the concentration of the mono-valent cation are amplified when estimating the selectivity coefficient. To minimize the effects of such error propagation, a novel method employing the least square fitting was proposed to determine the selectivity coefficient. Each of thermodynamic factors, such as the aqueous- and membrane-phase activity coefficients, water activity, and standard state, was found to affect the magnitude of the selectivity coefficient. The overlimiting current, occurring beyond the electroneutral limit, has not been clearly explained because of the difficulty in solving the singularly perturbed Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations. The steady-state Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations were converted into the Painlevé equation of the second kind (P[subscript II] equation). The converted model domain is explicitly divided into the space charge and electroneutral regions. Given this property, two mathematical formulae were proposed for the limiting current and the width of the space charge region. The Airy solution of the P[subscript II] equation described the ionic transport in the space charge region. By using a hybrid numerical scheme including the fixed point iteration and Newton Raphson methods, the P[subscript II] equation was successfully solved for the ionic transport in the space charge and electroneutral regions as well as their transition zone. Above the limiting current, the sum of the ionic charge in the aqueous-phase electric double layer and in the space charge region remains stationary. Thus, growth of the space charge region involves shrinkage of the aqueous-phase electric double layer. Based on this observation, a repetitive mechanism of expansion and shrinkage of the aqueous-phase electric double layer was suggested to explain additional current above the limiting current. / text

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:07:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrea Colombo.pdf: 2540597 bytes, checksum: 5361b16fecab0f39c969122aa444a7d5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this study the soybean hulls sorption potential in Cd2+ and Pb2+ in mono and binary component systems has been investigated at batch mode. In order to evaluate the effect of untreated and treated soybean hulls biomass, metal-bearing solution pH, sorption temperature, particle grain size, and agitation velocity on the improvement of the adsorption capacity of Cd2+ and Pb2+ cations, a series of adsorption preliminary tests, in duplicates, were performed. Regarding better sorption conditions, kinetic and equilibrium sorption experiments at batch mode were carried out for both mono and binary component systems. For preliminary and kinetic sorption experiments a series of 125 mL Erlenmeyer-type flask containing 300 mg dried soybean hulls in contact with 50 mL metal-bearing solutions at a 4 mequiv. L-1 concentration of Cd2+ and Pb2+ cations under controlled temperature and agitation velocity in a shaker. Regarding the equilibrium contact time, other sorption experiments, in duplicate, consisting of a series of mixture of 50 mL metal-bearing solutions and 50-1000 mg dried soybean hulls biomass were also performed under controlled temperature and agitation velocity in a shaker. In single component systems, a cation concentration of 4 mequiv. L-1 was tested, while in binary component systems three concentration combination in Cd2+-Pb2+bearing solutions were tested. After each sorption experiment, biosorbent was separated from metal solution by a 0.45 µm pore size membrane filtration system, performing then the determination of Cd and Pb concentrations in diluted liquid samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Sorption tests regarding untreated soybean hulls biomass, pH 5 for Cd2+ and pH 4 for Pb2+, 30oC sorption temperature, a mixture of different particle grain sizes, and 100 rpm agitation velocity have showed the best results on the biosorbent performance to sequestrate Cd2+ and Pb2+ cations from metal-bearing solutions. The kinetic test data have shown that the equilibrium was achieved at contact times of 120 and 180 min for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively. Meanwhile, 55 and 64% concentration reductions for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively, were also achieved. Furthermore, the pseudo-second order kinetic model has fitted better the sorption kinetic data for both tested divalent cations. The equilibrium sorption data for mono-component systems have been well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximum sorption capacity (qmax) of 0.5091 ± 0.0054 mequiv.g-1 and 0.6577 ± 0.0218 mequiv.g-1 for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively. Bicomponent equilibrium data were graphically represented by a 3D adsorption surface and modeled by a modified extended-to-multicomponent Langmuir-type isotherm, obtaining good fits. The results indicates that each component maximum capacity depends on the other species at the solution, inasmuch total adsorption capacity remains constant. Besides, a second component at the solution influences the isotherm curve shape. Thus, based on sorption results, untreated soybean hulls biomass is an alternative low-cost biosorbent to be applied in treatment systems of industrial effluents containing high concentration of Cd2+ and Pb2+ cations. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial da casca de soja no processo de biossorção, em sistema fechado batelada, das espécies metálicas cádmio (II) e chumbo (II) em soluções monocomponente e bicomponente. Foram realizados testes preliminares para verificar o efeito do tratamento no biossorvente, pH da solução, temperatura de sorção, granulometria do biossorvente e velocidade de agitação, na remoção dos íons metálicos. As melhores condições obtidas nos testes preliminares foram utilizadas nos testes cinéticos e de equilíbrio, monocomponente e bicomponente. Para os testes preliminares e cinéticos foram colocados, em frasco erlenmeyer de 125 mL, 300 mg de casca de soja em contato com 50 mL de solução com concentração de aproximadamente 4 mequiv.L-1 do íon metálico (cádmio ou chumbo). Para os testes de equilíbrio foram colocados, em frasco erlenmeyer de 125 mL, 50 a 1000 mg de biomassa com 50 mL de solução. No teste de equilíbrio monocomponente, a concentração inicial da solução foi em torno de 4 mequiv.L-1 do íon metálico (cádmio ou chumbo), e no bicomponente, as seguintes combinações de concentrações de cádmio e chumbo foram utilizadas: 4 - 4 mequiv L-1, 1 - 3 mequiv L-1; e 3 - 1 mequiv L-1. Todas as amostras foram mantidas com temperatura e agitação controladas por período pré-determinado. Em seguida, foram filtradas em membrana com tamanho dos poros de 0,45 µm, diluídas e analisadas em relação a concentração dos íons inicialmente presentes na solução por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica. Todos os testes foram realizados em duplicata. Os resultados dos testes preliminares mostraram que as melhores condições para biossorção dos íons cádmio e chumbo foram casca de soja sem tratamento (in natura), pH 4, temperatura de adsorção de 30°C, mistura granulométrica do biossorvente e velocidade de agitação 100 rpm. Nos testes cinéticos o tempo de equilíbrio foi de 120 min para o cádmio, com taxa de remoção de 55%, e de 180 min para o chumbo, com uma taxa de remoção de 64%. O modelo cinético de pseudosegunda ordem foi o que melhor representou os dados experimentais para ambos os íons metálicos. Aos dados de equilíbrio, o modelo que melhor se ajustou foi o de Langmuir cujos parâmetros q_max e b para os íons de Cd (pH 5) e Pb (pH 4) foram: 0,50910 ± 0,0054 mequiv.g-1 e 1,16236 ± 0,03242 L.mequiv-1 e 0,65773 ± 0,02181 mequiv.g-1 e 0,74735 ± 0,09479 L.mequiv-1. Os dados de equilíbrio, bicomponente, foram representados graficamente por meio da superfície de adsorção e modelados pelo modelo de Langmuir estendido modificado, obtendo-se bom ajuste. Os resultados mostraram que a máxima capacidade de cada espécie metálica é um parâmetro dependente de outra espécie da mistura, enquanto que a capacidade de adsorção total assume um valor constante. Além disso, a presença de outro metal em solução afetou a forma da curva da isoterma. Assim, pelos resultados obtidos pode-se afirmar que a casca de soja possui grande potencial para o tratamento de efluentes contendo cádmio e chumbo.

Pas de résumé en français / The goal of this research was the synthesis and spectroscopic, structural andphysical-chemical characterization of cyclic 6- and 7-membered hydroxamicacids, a tetrahydroxamic calix[4]arene-based tetrapodal receptor, and their metalcomplexes with trivalent and tetravalent metal cations. They were characterizedby several techniques such as 1H and 13C NMR, IR, and mass spectroscopies,single crystal X-ray analysis, and potentiometry. Cyclic hydroxamic acids arefound in a few mix siderophores but their coordination properties were stillunknown. The structural features of metal complexes formed with Fe(III),Ga(III), Ce(IV), Zr(IV), Hf(IV), U(IV) and U(VI) have been investigated both inthe solid state and in solution. The synthesis and complexation studies of anoriginal calix[4]arene-based tetrapodal receptor is described. Reactionparameters for all key steps in the synthetic route have been optimized. Thesingle X-ray crystal analysis of benzyl-protected receptor was obtained.Complexation studies with zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) evidenced theformation of two metal two ligand complexes rather than 1:1 species, whichwere shown to interact in solution with a third alkali cation

<p>U doktorskoj disertaciji evaluirani su interkorelacioni rezultati odnosa ključnih fizičko-hemijskih parametara i katjona metala u površinskoj vodi Dunava, Tise (na po tri selektovana reprezentativna lokaliteta) i kanala Dunav-Tisa-Dunav (na dva lokaliteta). U<br />Kanalu Dunav-Tisa-Dunav praćene su i rezidualne katjonske koncentracije metala u sedimentu. Na osnovu podataka prisutnosti katjona metala u heterogenom sistemu tečno/čvrsto izračunate su po prvi put konstante podeonih procesa za ispitivane katjone metala. Primenom multivarijantnih statističkih metoda analizirani su korelacioni odnosi između ključnih fizičko-hemijskih parametara i koncentracionih nivoa rezidula katjona teških, lakih i semimetala. Faktorskom analizom (PCA) i klaster analizom sa dendogramima tumačeni, analizirani i diskutovani su dobijeni rezultati. Za optimalnog uočavanja korelacionih odnosa primenjeno je unapređeno rangiranje određenih skupova podataka (interkorelacije ključnih fizičko-hemijskih parametara i rezidua katjona metala) i grafički prikazanih Haseovih dijagrama primenom DART softvera (Decision Analysis by Ranking Techniques) za definisani model procene uticaja raspodele katjona toksičnih metala u heterogenom sistemu tečno/čvrsto na kvalitet površinskih voda.</p> / <p>In the doctoral thesis are evaluated inter correlational results of key physicochemical parameters and metal cations in surface water of Danube, Tisa (on three selected representative sampling points) and canal Danube-Tisa-Danube (on two sampling sites). In the canal Danube-Tisa-Danube are also followed residual metal cations concentrations in sediment. Based on metal cations presence data in heterogeneous system liquid/solid for the first time partitioning processes constants are calculated for<br />selected metal cations. Appling multivariate statistical methods correlations between key physicochemical parameters and concentration levels of residual heavy, light and semimetals cations are analysed. Using factorial analyse (PCA) and cluster analyse with dendograms obtained results were interpreted, analysed and discussed. For optimal comprehension of correlations, advanced method ranking of finite order sets is applied (inter correlations key physicochemical parameters and residual metal cations) and graphically shown Hasse diagrams obtained by DART software (Decision Analysis by Ranking Techniques) for defined impact assessment model of toxic metal cations partitioning in heterogeneous system liquid/solid for surface water quality.</p>

This diploma thesis deals with application of evolutionary engineering on PHA producing bacterial strains. Two bacterial strains, Cupriavidus necator H16 and Halomonas halophila, were chosen for the evolutionary experiments. Copper cations (Cu2+) and sodium chloride (NaCl) were chosen as the selective pressure for C. necator H16; acetic acid (AA) and levulinic acid (LA) for Halomonas halophila. The adapted strains were during long-time evolutionary experiments characterized by GC-FID and SEC-MALS. The growth of the adapted strains was studied by the mean of optical density measurement. The amount of viable cells was determined by spectral FC after their expositon to selected stress factors. Specific enzyme activities of enzymes involved in citrate and glyoxalate cycle, enzymes generating NADPH, LA metabolism enzyme and PHA biosynthesis enzymes were determined. The adapted strains were compared with the wild-type of strains. The successfull adaptation of C. necator H16 adapted to Cu2+ was detected. Biomass and PHA production of both wild and adapted H. halophila strains cultivated in lignocellulosis waste were determined. It was found out that H. halophila adapted to the LA is capable of producing more PHA than the wild strain of this bacteria.

No description available.

<p dir="ltr">Metal speciation and structure can be influenced by the deposition method used during synthesis, interactions with the support, and by post-deposition treatments and reaction conditions experienced during its lifetime of carrying out a catalytic reaction. Supported metal particles of different size contain different surface structures and coordination environments, which may not only influence reaction rates but also the interconversion between agglomerated metallic domains and dispersed metal atom or ion sites. Here, we address the influence of post-deposition treatments and support properties on the structural interconversion of Pd and Cu on aluminosilicate chabazite (CHA) zeolites, Pt on gamma-alumina (γ-Al2O3), and Pd on amorphous oxides (γ-Al2O3, La-doped Al2O3, ΘΔ-Al2O3). The fundamental insights from these studies can be used to design catalysts used widely in automotive exhaust aftertreatment systems, including Pd-exchanged zeolites for passive NOx (x = 1,2) adsorbers (PNA), Cu-exchanged zeolites for NOx (x = 1,2) selective catalytic reduction (SCR), Pt/Al2O3 for NH3 oxidation, and Pd/oxides for three-way catalysts (TWC). Incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) and colloidal methods were used to prepare Pd nanoparticles deposited on CHA zeolites with distinct Pd nanoparticle sizes and distributions. These Pd-CHA samples were used to investigate the effects of Pd particle size distribution on structural interconversion between ion-exchanged Pd and agglomerated Pd domains under realistic operating conditions. Smaller Pd nanoparticles had larger fractions of agglomerated Pd that converted to ion-exchanged Pd2+ sites at fixed air treatment temperatures (598–973 K) and H2O pressures (2–6 kPa H2O), consistent with thermodynamic predictions from DFT calculations. Furthermore, the addition of H2O during air treatment of different Pd nanoparticles (2–14 nm) inhibited the formation of ion-exchanged Pd2+ (thermodynamics), but not the rate of redispersion (kinetics). This demonstrates that, regardless of Pd nanoparticle size, water vapor in automotive exhaust streams facilitate metal sintering in PNA applications. Aqueous-phase exchange of Cu on CHA zeolites with varying support properties (i.e., number of paired Al sites in the 6 membered ring) were used to prepare materials with distinct types and numbers of extraframework Cu species (Cu2+, CuOH+). These Cu-CHA materials were used to analyze Cu structural changes before and after exposure to hydrothermal aging conditions. In the absence of H2O, some Cu2+ sites condense to form binuclear Ox-bridged Cu species that can be reduced with H2 to form Cu-hydride sites and reject H2O, leading to a sub-stoichiometric H2 consumption (H2/Cu < 0.5). In the presence of H2O, all nominally isolated Cu2+ species convert to [CuOH]+ structures, which can subsequently be reduced by H2 to form a Cu-hydride and reject H2O, leading to stoichiometric H2 consumption (H2/Cu ~ 0.5). Furthermore, the presence of H2O led to reduction features in H2 temperature programmed reduction (TPR) profiles that were similar among Cu-CHA materials, regardless of the initial Cu2+ speciation, further supporting the proposal that all nominally isolated Cu2+ sites convert to a similar [CuOH]+ motif. This demonstrates how water influences Cu speciation on CHA materials of varying origin or treatment history, aiding in quantifying SCR-active isolated Cu ions and SCR-inactive Cu species (e.g., CuO, CuAl2O4). Pt supported on γ-Al2O3 were prepared with different average Pt particle sizes (2–13 nm) by increasing the temperature of post-deposition air treatment (523–873 K). This suite of materials was interrogated to isolate the effects of Pt particle size on NH3 oxidation rates and selectivities during conditions relevant to NH3 slip applications in diesel exhaust aftertreatment. For all Pt particle sizes, NH3 oxidation rates displayed a hysteresis with temperature, with high rates measured during temperature decreases than during temperature increases. Smaller Pt particles (2 nm) had lower rates (per surface Pt, quantified by CO chemisorption) than larger Pt particles (13 nm), signifying that NH3 oxidation is a structure-sensitive reaction. Furthermore, surfaces of Pt particles restructure under NH3 oxidation reaction conditions, influencing effective Pt oxidation states, surface structures (numbers and types of exposed Pt sites), and surface coverages of intermediates leading to the observed hysteresis in rate. These findings demonstrate that Pt particles undergo dynamic structural changes during reaction, influencing their ability to convert NH3 to environmentally benign products in NH3 slip applications. The influence of treatment conditions, support properties, and initial Pd particle size and distribution on the kinetics of nanoparticle sintering were investigated to identify which material properties allow maintaining high dispersion to maximize metal utilization for three way catalysts (TWC) during the conversion of regulated pollutants (CO, hydrocarbons, NOx). Pd was deposited by IWI methods to generate polydiserse particle size distributions, and using colloidal Pd nanoparticle solutions to generate monodisperse size distributions, onto various supports (γ-Al2O3, La-doped Al2O3, ΘΔ-Al2O3) and subjected to aging under oxidative and reductive conditions relevant for TWC operation. The average Pd particle size for all materials increased with treatment time under both reductive and oxidative environments. For samples prepared with IWI (i.e., log normal distribution of Pd particle sizes), reductive aging treatments led to higher sintering rates than oxidative treatments. In contrast, for samples prepared using colloidal Pd solutions (i.e., normal distribution of Pd particle sizes), oxidative aging treatments led to higher sintering rates than reduction treatments. Furthermore, after the same treatment condition and time, samples prepared with IWI resulted in higher average Pd particle sizes. These results indicate that more monodisperse initial Pd particle size distributions lead to lower sintering rates, providing guidance to design of supported metal TWCs with improved metal utilization during their lifetimes. Here, the combination of synthesis approaches to prepare a suite of model (e.g., powder) supported metal catalysts of varying structure and composition, interrogated using site and structural characterizations and steady-state and transient kinetic measurements, along with predictions from theoretical calculations, enabled unraveling the influence of material properties and gas environments that affect metal speciation, structure, and oxidation state in real-world aftertreatment systems that use more complex catalytic architectures (e.g., layered washcoats) and reactor designs (e.g., monoliths). This approach provides insights into the fundamental thermodynamic and kinetic factors influencing metal restructuring and interconversion under realistic conditions encountered in automotive exhaust aftertreatment applications, and the kinetic and mechanistic factors that underlie complex phenomena (e.g., reaction rate hysteresis) from data measured in the absence of hydrodynamic artifacts. The overall approach used in this work enabled development of synthesis-structure-function relationships on various metal supported catalysts for automotive exhaust aftertreatment applications, which can provide guidance for material design and treatment strategies to form and retain desired metal structures throughout the material lifetime, including synthesis, reaction, and regeneration treatments.</p>

No description available.

MT nucleation from γ-tubulin complexes, located at centrosome, is an essential step in the formation of MT cytoskeleton. In mammalian cells, -tubulin is encoded by two genes. We functionally characterized two γ-tubulin proteins and have found that both are functionally equivalent. γ-Tubulin 2 is able to substitute for γ-tubulin 1 in MT nucleation. However, we revealed that unlike TUBG1, TUBG2 expression is downregulated in mouse preimplantation development. Mast cells represent effectors of the allergy reaction. Their activation by antigen induces number of cellular processes such as degranulation, proliferation and cytoskeleton rearrangements. The regulatory mechanisms of MT reorganization during mast cell activation are unknown. We identified new signaling proteins, GIT1 and PIX that interact with - tubulin. Depletion of GIT1 or PIX leads to changes in MT nucleation. GIT1 is phosphorylated on tyrosine and associates with γ-tubulin in a Ca2+ -dependent manner. Our data suggested a novel signaling pathway for MT rearrangement in mast cells where tyrosine kinase-activated GIT1 and βPIX work in concert with Ca2+ signaling to regulate MT nucleation. We tested the capability of GIT1 and PIX to influence -tubulin function in more cell types. We found out that GIT1/βPIX signaling proteins together...