No description available.

Researching efficient removal techniques is essential due to the toxicity of heavy metals, even at low concentrations, and their pervasiveness in a variety of environmental settings. According to WHO, Mercury is one of the most dangerous pollutants for human health. It causes severe damage to the ecosystem and other living beings. But because of its favorable physical-chemical properties, it has been widely used in the industrial activities. Unfortunately, several rivers and aquifers are getting contaminated by this hazardous chemical and inevitably putting importance on how to solve this problem. Most importantly a cost effective and environmentally friendly methods are needed to get a sustainable solution to this contamination. In this study Pinecones and pecan shells were chosen because of its abundance in nature and they are completely free of cost to get. Though some of the studies has been performed to remove some heavy metals by utilizing these two agricultural waste materials, none of the previous study investigated this two-potential bio-sorbents for removing Mercury from water solutions. In addition, there is a chance that metals and other ions will coexist in the environment, which is a complicated situation where there would be a competition among the ions for active cites on the sorbent surface. This study presents the effective removal of Hg2+ at a trace level concentration through adsorption on the grounded pinecones (PC), pecan shells (PS) and Chemically modified pinecones (PC), and pecan shells (PS). The FTIR analysis showed the functional group present in each specimen and pHPZC of each sample was determined to understand the surface chemistry and reactivity of the materials. Chemical modification might result in the increased surface area, porosity, functional groups as compared to the unmodified samples. The factors affecting adsorption efficiency were pH, adsorbent dosage, ionic strength, contact time and metal concentration. The Hg2+ removal efficiency in aqueous solution was found 90-92% for PS and APC, 92-95% for APS, and 80-85% for PC at room temperature with 1 mg/mL dose and pH their optimum pH condition. However, for unmodified PC and PS, the adsorption efficiency was less for all situation as compared to the acid modified PC and PS. The base activated PC and PS were found to be less effective than even the unmodified materials. Thus, results indicate that modification of PC and PS with Nitric acid (HNO3) increases metal adsorption efficiency as compared to unmodified samples. Furthermore, all of the materials tested found to be following the Freundlich's adsorption isotherm in aqueous solutions. Besides, ionic mercury can be readily converted to organic mercury through methylation, and as organic mercury builds up in the food chain, it is very harmful to human health even at a low level. Thus, to provide appropriate protection, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the maximum contamination level of mercury in drinking water at 2.0 ppb. As a result, it becomes very crucial to invent a very sensitive and selective approach for monitoring the low concentration of Hg2+ in the environment. This study aims to create an incredibly sensitive assay for the detection and quantification of Hg2+ (aq) using the single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS). The well-known thymine (T)-Hg2+-T complex forms when AuNPs modified with single-stranded DNA are exposed to Hg2+ (aq) and this formation causes AuNPs to aggregate. By determining the overall reduction in the number of identified AuNPs or NP aggregates the degree of aggregation can quantified. This spICP-MS-based approach has been reported to obtain a substantially lower detection limit of 0.031 part-per-trillion (155 fM) and a larger (10,000-fold) linear range up to 1 ppb when compared to most other Hg assays that use the similar principle of aggregation-dispersion with DNA modified AuNPs. Besides, this approach showed low interference from the sample matrix. Considering the aforementioned advantages, this study focuses on quantifying aqueous Hg2+ using single stranded DNA-gold nanoparticles conjugates with the help of single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS).

No description available.

No description available.

Metals sorption in soils is influenced by several factors, including pH, ionic strength, the presence of ionic composition or organic ligands, total amount of metals, and adsorbent loading. These conditions should be considered when evaluating metal sorption capacity of soil material or when applying laboratory results to field conditions. Metal sorption experiments were conducted on Bertie sandy and Starr-Dyke clay loam soils from long-term field studies in which soils received annual applications of copper-rich pig manure for 16 years. Adsorption of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn as affected by different background electrolytes at various concentrations was investigated. Electrolytes were Na+, Ca2+, or Al3+ in perchlorate solution, and their concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.5 molc L-1. Increasing ionic strength decreased metal adsorption capacity. Electrolyte cation composition had a greater effect on adsorption than did electrolyte concentration. The order of sensitivity to cation composition of the electrolyte was Zn > Cd > Cu > Pb, and this effect was greater in Bertie sandy loam than Starr-Dyke clay loam soils. Little difference in Cu and Pb adsorption was observed between Na+ and Ca2+ in background solution. Most added Cu was adsorbed at low concentrations regardless of pH, but at high concentrations Cu sorption was strongly related to solution pH. Increases in pH resulted in greater Cu sorption due to pH-dependent negative charges and precipitation. The USEPA recommends that soil systems receiving high metal loading rates be maintained at pH 6.5 or above because of the increased metal adsorption. However, pig manure applications to the Bertie soil resulted in greater Cu in soil solution than in control (no manure) soil at pH > 6.5 due to soluble organic matter. Using the Langmuir equation to determine adsorption maxima for soil systems does not always give adequate estimates of adsorption and values from the equations are highly dependent upon soil environmental parameters. Given the limitations in prediction of adsorption maxima, and given that the amount of nonsorbed metal is as important as the adsorbed amount, the isolines of metal remaining in soil solution were provided with a given set of soil environmental factors. / Ph. D.

Sorption of quaternary metal ions (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+) was carried out on lignite from the South Moravia. Following experiments were tested: kinetic sorption, dependence of sorption on pH, initial concentration, temperature, effect of electrolytes (KNO3 and NaCl) and desorption in deionized water. Sorption studies was carried out in quaternary mixtures and in the case of inicial concentration effect additional in a single-component solution. The batch sorption experiments was used. Sorption time was 24 hour, although concentration of ions was a near equilibrium after two hour. As the optimal pH was determined pH 5. The order of affinity by lignite was obtained Pb >> Cd > Zn > Cu for the sorption of metals in the single-component solution and the order was Pb > Cu > Zn > Cd for the sorption of mixture of metals. The maximum adsorptium capacities from single solutions were for Pb 97,82 mg/g, Cd 60,34 mg/g, Zn 49,88 mg/g and Cu 30,28 mg/g and in the case of ones from mixture solutions were for Pb 39,03 mg/g, Cu 25,94 mg/g, Zn 15,21 mg/g and Cd 5,18 mg/g. Experimental data have been analysed using Langmuir and Freundlich model. Thermodynamic values H°, S° and G° were calculated. Desorption test showed that desorption efficiency is 0–3 %. NaCl had the greatest influence on sorption from electrolytes. On the basis obtained results we can say that metals are binding to lignite in particular due to chemical interactions. Lignite is s suitable as a sorption material for metal ions especially in the field of low concentrations.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T19:24:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana_ sbizzaro.pdf: 1501907 bytes, checksum: 5610159e30f98d52848320f90146f751 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-12 / The agricultural sector has great influence in Brazilian economy. Furthermore, agricultural yield has been associated with pesticides application during crop cycle, which atrazine is applied for example, since it can cause environmental contamination when it does not reach its target. Thus, there are some essential and imperative options that can minimize contamination and negative impacts during agricultural practices. So, present study aimed at evaluating the ability of three biochars in atrazine adsorption. Therefore, three biochars produced from bamboo culm were used, whose species is Phyllostachys aurea, and temperature ranged at 350 ºC, 450 ºC and 550 ºC. The three studied biochars were named as BE350, BE450 and BE550. They were characterized based on their physical and chemical properties by elemental analysis, characterization of functional groups (Infrared Spectroscopy Fourier Transform - FTIR), surfaces morphology evaluation (Scanning Electron Microscopy - SEM) as well as specific surface area (ASEBET) and porosity. A kinetic study was carried out to determine the equilibrium period of adsorption process and the kinetic mechanism that controls such process. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were also modeled during this trial. Atrazine determination, after the adsorption test, was carried out by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The obtained analyses showed that the adsorption capacity of biochars decreased in the following order: BE 450> BE 350 > BE 550, and such capacity has been associated with the physical and chemical characteristics of biochars. The three studied biochars are well represented by the kinetic model of pseudo-second order. At last, all biochars have shown high affinity to adsorb atrazine; however, the biochar that was produced at 450 ºC has shown the highest adsorption capacity. / O setor agrícola possui grande destaque na economia brasileira, a produção agrícola está associada ao uso de pesticidas durante o ciclo das culturas, como é o caso da atrazina, que pode causar a contaminação do ambiente, quando não atinge seu alvo. Sendo assim, alternativas que minimizem as contaminações e impactos negativos da prática agrícola são essenciais e urgentes. Desta forma, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a capacidade de três biocarvões, em adsorver o herbicida atrazina. Para tanto, foram utilizados três biocarvões, produzidos a partir do colmo de bambu, da espécie Phyllostachys aurea à 350ºC, 450ºC e 550ºC, nomeados BE350, BE450 e BE550. Os biocarvões foram caracterizados quanto as propriedades físicas e químicas, por meio de análise elementar, caracterização de grupos funcionais (Espectroscopia de Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier - FTIR), avaliação da morfologia das superfícies (Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura - MEV), bem como, área superficial específica (ASEBET) e porosidade. Estudo cinético foi realizado, visando determinar o tempo de equilíbrio do processo de adsorção, bem como, o mecanismo cinético que controla o processo. Também foram modeladas isotermas de Langmuir e Freundlich. A determinação da atrazina, após os ensaios de adsorção, foi realizada por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Performance (CLAE). As análises realizadas apontaram que a capacidade de adsorção dos biocarvões diminuiu na ordem de BE 450 > BE 350 > BE 550, e tal capacidade está associada às características físicas e químicas dos biocarvões. Os três biocarvões são bem representados pelo modelo cinético de pseudo-segunda ordem. Todos biocarvões exibiram elevada afinidade para a adsorção do herbicida atrazina, contudo, o biocarvão produzido à 450 ºC demonstra maior capacidade de adsorção

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:47:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mariana_ sbizzaro.pdf: 1501907 bytes, checksum: 5610159e30f98d52848320f90146f751 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-12 / The agricultural sector has great influence in Brazilian economy. Furthermore, agricultural yield has been associated with pesticides application during crop cycle, which atrazine is applied for example, since it can cause environmental contamination when it does not reach its target. Thus, there are some essential and imperative options that can minimize contamination and negative impacts during agricultural practices. So, present study aimed at evaluating the ability of three biochars in atrazine adsorption. Therefore, three biochars produced from bamboo culm were used, whose species is Phyllostachys aurea, and temperature ranged at 350 ºC, 450 ºC and 550 ºC. The three studied biochars were named as BE350, BE450 and BE550. They were characterized based on their physical and chemical properties by elemental analysis, characterization of functional groups (Infrared Spectroscopy Fourier Transform - FTIR), surfaces morphology evaluation (Scanning Electron Microscopy - SEM) as well as specific surface area (ASEBET) and porosity. A kinetic study was carried out to determine the equilibrium period of adsorption process and the kinetic mechanism that controls such process. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were also modeled during this trial. Atrazine determination, after the adsorption test, was carried out by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The obtained analyses showed that the adsorption capacity of biochars decreased in the following order: BE 450> BE 350 > BE 550, and such capacity has been associated with the physical and chemical characteristics of biochars. The three studied biochars are well represented by the kinetic model of pseudo-second order. At last, all biochars have shown high affinity to adsorb atrazine; however, the biochar that was produced at 450 ºC has shown the highest adsorption capacity. / O setor agrícola possui grande destaque na economia brasileira, a produção agrícola está associada ao uso de pesticidas durante o ciclo das culturas, como é o caso da atrazina, que pode causar a contaminação do ambiente, quando não atinge seu alvo. Sendo assim, alternativas que minimizem as contaminações e impactos negativos da prática agrícola são essenciais e urgentes. Desta forma, o presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a capacidade de três biocarvões, em adsorver o herbicida atrazina. Para tanto, foram utilizados três biocarvões, produzidos a partir do colmo de bambu, da espécie Phyllostachys aurea à 350ºC, 450ºC e 550ºC, nomeados BE350, BE450 e BE550. Os biocarvões foram caracterizados quanto as propriedades físicas e químicas, por meio de análise elementar, caracterização de grupos funcionais (Espectroscopia de Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier - FTIR), avaliação da morfologia das superfícies (Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura - MEV), bem como, área superficial específica (ASEBET) e porosidade. Estudo cinético foi realizado, visando determinar o tempo de equilíbrio do processo de adsorção, bem como, o mecanismo cinético que controla o processo. Também foram modeladas isotermas de Langmuir e Freundlich. A determinação da atrazina, após os ensaios de adsorção, foi realizada por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Performance (CLAE). As análises realizadas apontaram que a capacidade de adsorção dos biocarvões diminuiu na ordem de BE 450 > BE 350 > BE 550, e tal capacidade está associada às características físicas e químicas dos biocarvões. Os três biocarvões são bem representados pelo modelo cinético de pseudo-segunda ordem. Todos biocarvões exibiram elevada afinidade para a adsorção do herbicida atrazina, contudo, o biocarvão produzido à 450 ºC demonstra maior capacidade de adsorção

Coal can be converted to different chemical products through processes such destructive distillation. The destructive distillation of coal yields coke as the main product with byproducts such as coal tar pitch (CTP). CTP has a wide range of applications, especially in the carbon-processing industries. Typical applications include the manufacture of anodes used in many electrochemical processes, as well as Söderberg electrodes used in different ferroalloy processes. Söderberg electrodes are made from the thermal treatment of Söderberg electrode paste. The Söderberg electrode paste is a mixture of CTP (binding material) and coke/calcined anthracite (filler). Söderberg electrodes are characterised by a baking isotherm temperature. This temperature is located in the baking zone of the Söderberg electrode system. In the baking zone, the liquid paste is transformed into a solid carbonaceous material. Knowing the baking isotherm temperature is essential as it will ensure the safe, profitable and continuous operation of submerged arc furnaces. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) was used in this study to determine the baking isotherm temperature of CTP samples. The baking isotherm temperature for all samples was found to lie between 450 and 475 °C irrespective of the initial chemical and physical composition of the CTP. TMA was also used to measure the dimensional changes that take place in the binding material (CTP) at temperatures above the baking isotherm. The dimensional changes of 12 CTP samples when heated from room temperature up to a maximum of 1300 °C were measured. The results indicated that all CTP samples shrank by approximately 14% in the first heating and cooling cycle. The second and third heating and cooling cycles gave a small change in dimensions of approximately 2% for all samples. The significant change in dimensions observed for all CTP samples during the first TMA thermal treatment cycle was attributed to the structural rearrangement that takes place within the carbonaceous material. The structural ordering of all CTP samples thermally treated was evaluated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). XRD is widely used in the determination of crystallinity/amorphousness of carbonaceous materials, interlayer distance (d-spacing), as well as the degree of ordering (DOG) in a given material. For comparison of structural ordering, XRD analysis was also performed on raw (as-received) CTPs, as well as CTPs thermally treated at 475 and 1300 °C. Prebaked electrode graphite was also analysed. From the XRD results, raw CTP was found to be amorphous with no significant ordering. The interlayer spacing (d002) for all raw CTP samples averaged 3.70 Å, compared to 3.37 Å for prebaked electrode graphite. CTPs thermally treated at 1300 °C had a d-spacing of 3.51 Å. The DOG of raw samples was found to be negative which was indicative of the amorphousness of the raw CTP. The DOG increased with an increase in thermal treatment temperature, as was seen from the DOG of CTPs thermally treated at 1300 °C, which was calculated to be approximately -81% for all 12 samples. The calculated DOG for prebaked electrode graphite was 81%. Prior to determining the baking isotherm temperature, as well as the changes in dimensions during thermal treatment, the chemical compositions of the 12 CTP samples were determined. In the chemical composition determination, fundamental properties such as softening point (SP), coking value (CV), toluene and quinoline insolubles (TI and QI, respectively) were evaluated. This was in addition to proximate and ultimate analysis. The information obtained from this diverse characterisation showed significant differences in the chemical composition of the 12 CTPs. By making use of multi-linear regression analysis (MLR), it was possible to predict or calculate less commonly determined characteristics (CV, TI and QI) from the more commonly obtained parameters (proximate and ultimate analysis parameters). It was found that MLR could be used successfully to calculate CV and TI, but less so for QI. Additional chemical composition of CTP was determined by analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Results from the FT-IR analysis showed that the spectra for all 12 raw CTPs were similar, with differences only being in the FT-IR band intensities. The differences in FT-IR band intensities were supported by NMR analysis data, which gave quantitative information on the different structural parameters found in all CTPs. The structural composition of CTPs changed during thermal treatment, as was shown by the FT-IR analysis performed on raw CTPs samples, CTPs thermally treated at 475, 700, 1000 and 1300 °C, as well as prebaked electrode graphite. / PhD (Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Coal can be converted to different chemical products through processes such destructive distillation. The destructive distillation of coal yields coke as the main product with byproducts such as coal tar pitch (CTP). CTP has a wide range of applications, especially in the carbon-processing industries. Typical applications include the manufacture of anodes used in many electrochemical processes, as well as Söderberg electrodes used in different ferroalloy processes. Söderberg electrodes are made from the thermal treatment of Söderberg electrode paste. The Söderberg electrode paste is a mixture of CTP (binding material) and coke/calcined anthracite (filler). Söderberg electrodes are characterised by a baking isotherm temperature. This temperature is located in the baking zone of the Söderberg electrode system. In the baking zone, the liquid paste is transformed into a solid carbonaceous material. Knowing the baking isotherm temperature is essential as it will ensure the safe, profitable and continuous operation of submerged arc furnaces. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) was used in this study to determine the baking isotherm temperature of CTP samples. The baking isotherm temperature for all samples was found to lie between 450 and 475 °C irrespective of the initial chemical and physical composition of the CTP. TMA was also used to measure the dimensional changes that take place in the binding material (CTP) at temperatures above the baking isotherm. The dimensional changes of 12 CTP samples when heated from room temperature up to a maximum of 1300 °C were measured. The results indicated that all CTP samples shrank by approximately 14% in the first heating and cooling cycle. The second and third heating and cooling cycles gave a small change in dimensions of approximately 2% for all samples. The significant change in dimensions observed for all CTP samples during the first TMA thermal treatment cycle was attributed to the structural rearrangement that takes place within the carbonaceous material. The structural ordering of all CTP samples thermally treated was evaluated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). XRD is widely used in the determination of crystallinity/amorphousness of carbonaceous materials, interlayer distance (d-spacing), as well as the degree of ordering (DOG) in a given material. For comparison of structural ordering, XRD analysis was also performed on raw (as-received) CTPs, as well as CTPs thermally treated at 475 and 1300 °C. Prebaked electrode graphite was also analysed. From the XRD results, raw CTP was found to be amorphous with no significant ordering. The interlayer spacing (d002) for all raw CTP samples averaged 3.70 Å, compared to 3.37 Å for prebaked electrode graphite. CTPs thermally treated at 1300 °C had a d-spacing of 3.51 Å. The DOG of raw samples was found to be negative which was indicative of the amorphousness of the raw CTP. The DOG increased with an increase in thermal treatment temperature, as was seen from the DOG of CTPs thermally treated at 1300 °C, which was calculated to be approximately -81% for all 12 samples. The calculated DOG for prebaked electrode graphite was 81%. Prior to determining the baking isotherm temperature, as well as the changes in dimensions during thermal treatment, the chemical compositions of the 12 CTP samples were determined. In the chemical composition determination, fundamental properties such as softening point (SP), coking value (CV), toluene and quinoline insolubles (TI and QI, respectively) were evaluated. This was in addition to proximate and ultimate analysis. The information obtained from this diverse characterisation showed significant differences in the chemical composition of the 12 CTPs. By making use of multi-linear regression analysis (MLR), it was possible to predict or calculate less commonly determined characteristics (CV, TI and QI) from the more commonly obtained parameters (proximate and ultimate analysis parameters). It was found that MLR could be used successfully to calculate CV and TI, but less so for QI. Additional chemical composition of CTP was determined by analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Results from the FT-IR analysis showed that the spectra for all 12 raw CTPs were similar, with differences only being in the FT-IR band intensities. The differences in FT-IR band intensities were supported by NMR analysis data, which gave quantitative information on the different structural parameters found in all CTPs. The structural composition of CTPs changed during thermal treatment, as was shown by the FT-IR analysis performed on raw CTPs samples, CTPs thermally treated at 475, 700, 1000 and 1300 °C, as well as prebaked electrode graphite. / PhD (Chemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014