Salt-coated air oxidation nanodiamond surface purification with a photoluminescence spectroscopy quality control.

Emerging fields of quantum technologies and biomedical applications demand pure nanodiamonds (NDs) with well-defined surface chemistry. Therefore, an inexpensive, scalable and eco-friendly ND surface purification technology is required. In this study, we report our method, salt-coated air oxidation (SCAO) thermal annealing, to achieve uniform purification of a ND surface without the loss of diamond material.

Research on Thermodynamic Characteristics of the Saturated Flue Gas Waste Heat Recovery to Reduce Turbine Extraction Steam.

The saturated flue gas is difficult to recover and use as low-grade waste heat in a coal-fired power plant. The absorption heat pump is important equipment for recovering low-grade waste heat. In this article, the saturated flue gas waste heat is recovered to reduce the turbine extraction steam of low-pressure heaters.

Stimulated boson-peak light scattering in an aqueous suspension of spherical nanoparticles of amorphous SiO of similar sizes.

A forward-directed high-efficiency stimulated inelastic light scattering was detected in an aqueous suspension of spherical nanoparticles (nanoballs) of amorphous SiO2 of similar sizes (0.25 μm) with a concentration of 1013 cm-3. In the stimulated scattering spectrum, there was an intense forward directed Stokes component with a frequency shift of 0.

Conversion of Oyster Shell Waste to Amendment for Immobilising Cadmium and Arsenic in Agricultural Soil.

A bulky waste, oyster shell (OS), was calcinated at 400-800°C to produce Ca-rich products (OS-OS) to reduce the human health risk of soil cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As). Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET method were used to characterize OS and its calcined products. OS and OS-OS removed little Cd and As from water, whereas OS removed 1508 mg Cd or 514 mg As per kg of OS from solutions of 1032 mg Cd/L or 257 mg As/L via adsorption and precipitation.

Stimulated Raman scattering of light in suspension of diamond microparticles in ethanol and in water.

The spectra of stimulated Raman scattering of light in ethanol and in water suspensions containing diamond microparticles with sizes 0.2-0.3 μm were investigated.

Biochar Modified by Nano-manganese Dioxide as Adsorbent and Oxidant for Oxytetracycline.

Biochar has limited capacity to adsorb oxytetracycline (OTC). Here we have used bamboo willow biochar (BC) as a carrier to produce nMnO-loaded biochars (MBC) by a co-precipitation method. Their chemical compositions, morphological features, specific surface area, and surface functional groups were observed or determined.

A Soluble Humic Substance for the Simultaneous Removal of Cadmium and Arsenic from Contaminated Soils.

With abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, a humic substance (HS) has a high potential to remediate soils contaminated by heavy metals. Here, HS was first extracted from a leonardite and analyzed for its chemical compositions and spectroscopic characteristics. Then it was assessed for its ability as a washing agent to remove Cd and As from three types of soils (red soil, black soil, and fluvo-aquic soil) that were spiked with those contaminants (Cd: 40.

Assessing the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the molecular properties and copper sorption capacity of a halophyte biochar.

The capacity of biochar to take up heavy metals from contaminated soil and water is influenced by the pyrolysis temperature. We have prepared three biochar samples from Jerusalem artichoke stalks (JAS) by pyrolysis at 300, 500 and 700 °C, denoted as JAS300, JAS500, and JAS700, respectively. A variety of synchrotron-based techniques were used to assess the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the molecular properties and copper (Cu) sorption capacity of the samples.

Carbon-coated montmorillonite nanocomposite for the removal of chromium(VI) from aqueous solutions.

A carbon-coated montmorillonite nanocomposite (CMt), obtained by hydrothermal carbonization of montmorillonite suspension in glucose, was used to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The distribution and speciation of Cr immobilized by CMt were assessed by transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and scanning transmission soft X-ray microscopy (STXM). The variation in the functional groups and molecular structures of CMt was also investigated.

Tonifying Qi and activating blood circulation in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine: their effects in patients with myocardial infarction.

Objective: To investigate the effects of tonifying Qi and activating blood circulation (SQABC), a method in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), on end-point events in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in this retrospective cohort study.

Methods: Clinical data were obtained from the medical records of patients with acute MI (AMI), both during hospitalization and follow-up, and included general demographic information (age, gender, and contact information), TCM regimens used, and end-point events.

Results: A total of 1596 patients with AMI were enrolled to this study, but data of only 1210 cases are accessible till follow-up.

Pyrolysis Temperature-Dependent Changes in the Characteristics of Biochar-Borne Dissolved Organic Matter and Its Copper Binding Properties.

The dissolved organic matter (DOM) samples from biochars produced from Jerusalem artichoke stalks by pyrolysis at 300, 500, and 700 °C were characterized using a combination of spectroscopic techniques. Additionally, the binding affinities (long K) and the complexation capacities (C) of the DOM samples with Cu(II) were calculated to assess their Cu binding properties. The biochar-borne DOM contained mainly humic-like components (C1-C3) with a small amount of a protein-like component (C4).

Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in patients with acute myocardial infarction suffering from diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To investigate the ""real world"" effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in patients with acute myocardial infarction suffering from diabetes mellitus (AMI+DM patients).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. During hospitalization, the ""exposure group"" was defined as patients who had a TCM injection for ≥ 7 d.

Leonardite-derived humic substances are great adsorbents for cadmium.

Adsorption is an important mechanism to immobilize cadmium (Cd) in soil, for which humic substances have a potential. However, commercial humic substances are either very acidic (pH = 2) or alkaline/Na-enriched, making them less suitable for use in acid and saline soils. Here, we used leonardite to produce humic adsorbents HA (pH = 4.

Humic substances as a washing agent for Cd-contaminated soils.

Cost-effective and eco-friendly washing agents are in demand for Cd contaminated soils. Here, we used leonardite-derived humic substances to wash different types of Cd-contaminated soils, namely, a silty loam (Soil 1), a silty clay loam (Soil 2), and a sandy loam (Soil 3). Washing conditions were investigated for their effects on Cd removal efficiency.