In situ Growth of Zeolite Imidazole Frameworks (ZIF-67) on Carbon Cloth for the Application of Oxygen Reduction Reactions and Microbial Fuel Cells.

Developing high surface area catalysts is an effective strategy to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the application of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). This can be achieved by developing a catalyst based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) because they offer a porous active site for ORR. In this work, a novel in situ growth of 2D shell nanowires of ZIF-67 as a template for N-doped carbon (Co/NC) via a carbonization route was developed to enhance the ORR performance.

Removal of ciprofloxacin antibiotic pollutants from wastewater using nano-composite adsorptive membranes.

The emergence of antibiotics in water has been globally recognized as a critical pollution issue. Antibiotics (such as Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) pose a serious threat to humans and to the ecosystem due to its accumulation in water sources which can lead to chronic health problems and endanger aquatic life. It is therefore crucial to properly remove them from water.

Removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater using microbial fuel cell.

Removal efficiency of gold from a solution of pure tetrachloroaurate ions was investigated using microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. The effects of type of catholyte solution and initial gold concentration on the removal efficiency were considered. Due to its presence at high levels in the gold wastewater, the effect of copper ions on the removal efficiency of the gold ions was also studied.

A Review on the Development of an Integer System Coupling Forward Osmosis Membrane and Ultrasound Waves for Water Desalination Processes.

This review considers the forward osmosis (FO) membrane process as one of the feasible solutions for water desalination. Different aspects related to the FO process are reviewed with an emphasis on ultrasound assisted FO membrane processes. The different types of membranes used in FO are also reviewed and discussed; thus, their configuration, structure and applications are considered.

High energy storage quasi-solid-state supercapacitor enabled by metal chalcogenide nanowires and iron-based nitrogen-doped graphene nanostructures.

Transition metal selenides (TMS) have excellent research prospects and significant attention in supercapacitors (SCs) owing to their high electrical conductivity, superior electrochemical activity and excellent structural stability. However, the commercial utilization of TMS remains challenge due to their elaborate synthesis. Present study designed a hierarchical cobalt selenide (CoSe) nanowire array on Ni-foam to serve as a positive electrode for asymmetric SCs (ASCs).

Emerging contaminants in the water bodies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): A critical review.

Many emerging contaminants (ECs) are not currently removed by conventional water treatment methods and consequently, often reach the aquatic environment. In the absence of proper management strategies, ECs can accumulate in water bodies, which poses potential environmental and health risks. This paper critically reviews, for the first time, the reported occurrence and treatment of ECs in the Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) region.

Synthesis of Mesoporous/Macroporous Microparticles Using Three-Dimensional Assembly of Chitosan-Functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes and Their Performance in the Adsorptive Removal of Oil Droplets from Water.

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were assembled into mesoporous/macroporous microparticles (c-g-HNTs MPs) using Pickering template-assisted approach. To unravel the stabilization mechanism in Pickering emulsion form, several emulsions and microparticles were prepared at various conditions and visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The prepared c-g-HNTs MPs were used to treat emulsified oil solutions resulting in a maximum removal efficiency of 94.

Pyrolysis of poly(vinyl chloride) and-electric arc furnacedust mixtures.

An investigation into the pyrolysis kinetics of PVC mixed with electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) was performed. Mixtures of both materials with varying PVC ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3) were prepared and pyrolyzed in a nitrogen atmosphere under dynamic heating conditions at different heating rates (5, 10, 30 and 50 °C/min). The pyrolysis process proceeded through two main decomposition steps; the first step involved the release of HCl which reacted with the metal oxides present in the dust, subsequently forming metal chlorides and water vapor.

Bench-scale and packed bed sorption of methylene blue using treated olive pomace and charcoal.

A combination of olive pomace after solvent extraction and charcoal produced from the solid waste of olive oil press industry was used as an adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions. Batch tests showed that up to 80% of dye was removed when the dye concentration was 10 mg/ml and the sorbent concentration was 45 mg/ml. An increase in the olive pomace concentration resulted in greater dye removal from aqueous solution, and an increase in MB dye concentration at constant adsorbent concentration increased the dye loading per unit weigh of adsorbent.

Use of artificial neural network black-box modeling for the prediction of wastewater treatment plants performance.

A reliable model for any wastewater treatment plant is essential in order to provide a tool for predicting its performance and to form a basis for controlling the operation of the process. This would minimize the operation costs and assess the stability of environmental balance. This process is complex and attains a high degree of nonlinearity due to the presence of bio-organic constituents that are difficult to model using mechanistic approaches.

Adsorption of phenol by bentonite.

The potential of bentonite for phenol adsorption from aqueous solutions was studied. Batch kinetics and isotherm studies were carried out to evaluate the effect of contact time, initial concentration, pH, presence of solvent, and the desorption characteristics of bentonite. The adsorption of phenol increases with increasing initial phenol concentration and decreases with increasing the solution pH value.

Rheological characteristics of microbial suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus.

The rheological properties of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus have been investigated. The apparent viscosity of the bacterial suspensions has been measured at different conditions. The results showed that the bacterial suspensions' apparent viscosity increased with increasing biomass concentration of each of these strains.

Predictions of binary sorption isotherms for the sorption of heavy metals by pine bark using single isotherm data.

The adsorption of three heavy metal ions by pine bark was studied. The study was divided into two parts; single component adsorption of the metals Cu2+, Cd2+ and Ni2+ and bisolute adsorption of the three binary systems Cu2+-Cd2+, Cu2+-Ni2+ and Cd2+-Ni2+. Extended Langmuir model, extended Freundlich model.

Sorption of copper and nickel by spent animal bones.

Animal bone is able to adsorb copper and nickel ions from their single aqueous solutions. It was noted that a decrease in the sorbent concentration with constant copper or nickel concentration, or an increase in the copper or nickel concentration with a constant sorbent concentration resulted in a higher metal loading per unit weight of the sorbent. Increase in the initial pH of the metal solution resulted in an increase in the metals uptake per unit weight of the sorbent.

Adsorption of copper and chromium by Aspergillus carbonarius.

Aspergillus carbonarius NRC 401121 adsorbs some copper and chromium from their solutions. The amount of the adsorbed metal per unit of biomass increased with a decrease in the biomass concentration. The increases in the initial concentrations of metals and pH of the solutions resulted in an increase in copper and chromium uptake.

The effect of phosphate concentration on phytase production and the reduction of phytic acid content in canola meal by Aspergillus carbonarius during a solid-state fermentation process.

The use of canola meal, an abundant side-product of canola oil processing in Canada, as animal feed is hampered by high phytic acid levels that reduce metal cation availability. Aspergillus carbonarius grows well in a solid canola meal medium, produces phytase and reduces the phytic acid content to zero. Inorganic phosphate addition at a concentration of 1 mg and 5 mg/110 g solid-state culture system results in better growth of the microorganism, higher rates and levels of phytase production, and faster reduction of phytic acid content.

Phytase production and decrease of phytic acid content in canola meal byAspergillus carbonarius in solid-state fermentation.

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) usingAspergillus carbonarius with canola meal as a substrate showed that production of phytase was associated with growth; maximum activity was achieved after 72 h. Apparent 25% and 10% increases in the protein content of the canola meal were noticed after 48 h and 72 h, respectively but total carbohydrate concentration had fallen by 25% by the end of fermentation. The rate of decrease of phytic acid content was optimum with a moisture content between 53% and 60%; homogenization of the inoculum for 120 s led to the greatest biomass and lowest phytic acid content.