The Development of a New Phosphogypsum-Based Construction Material: A Study of the Physicochemical, Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a waste (or by-product) of the production of phosphoric acid, a basic constituent in the manufacturing of modern fertilizers. The annual production of phosphogypsum in Tunisia is currently estimated to be 10 million tons. Its storage in slag in close proximity to production plants generates pollution problems; however, valorization may be a solution.

Water Extraction of Tannins from Aleppo Pine Bark and Sumac Root for the Production of Green Wood Adhesives.

The extraction of condensed tannins from Aleppo pine bark and sumac roots () was examined in near industrial conditions, using a water medium in the presence of 2% NaHCO and 0.5% NaHSO at two different temperatures (70 °C and at 100 °C). The tannins extracts were recovered in high yields (~25% of Aleppo pine and ~30% for sumac) with high phenolic contents (>75%).

Nicotine-induced oxidative stress, testis injury, AChE inhibition and brain damage alleviated by Mentha spicata.

Nicotine mediates some of the injurious effects caused by consuming tobacco products. The aim of this work is to investigate the protective effects of Mentha spicata extract (ME) supplementation on the testis and brain of nicotine-induced oxidative damage rats. ME extract showed interesting hydrogen peroxide-scavenging activity.

Treatment of heavy metal polluted industrial wastewater by a new water treatment process: ballasted electroflocculation.

This laboratory study investigated the parameters efficiency of the new technology: ballasted electro-flocculation (BEF) using aluminum (Al) electrodes to remove cadmium and zinc from industrial mining wastewater (MWW). The principle of the BEF process is based on the use of micro-sand and polymer together to increase the weight of the flocs and the rate at which they settle is radically changing the electrocoagulation-electroflocculation settling methodology. Based on the examination of the operation parameters one by one, the best removal percentage was obtained at a current intensity of 2A, a the flow rate of 20L/h, a micro-sand dose of 6g/L, a polyéthylèneimine (PEI) polymer dose of 100mg, the contact times of 30min, a stirring speed of 50 RPM, a monopolar configuration of the electrodes, and an electrodes number of 10.

Organosolv Lignin-Based Wood Adhesive. Influence of the Lignin Extraction Conditions on the Adhesive Performance.

Ethanol organosolv alfa grass lignins were extracted in the presence of sulfuric acid or Lewis acids (Sc(OTf)₃, FeCl₃) as catalysts and subjected to a comprehensive structural characterization by solid state C NMR, GPC, MALDI-TOF, and ASAP-MS/MS. The impact of the severity of the treatment and of the nature of the acid catalyst on the recovered lignin structure was investigated. The lignins isolated at high severity were highly recondensed and partly composed of regular structures composed of furan-like rings.

Removal of barium and strontium from aqueous solution using zeolite 4A.

The adsorption efficiency of Sr(2+) and Ba(2+) from aqueous solutions by zeolite 4A was investigated. Adsorption studies were carried out both in single and binary component systems. The single ion equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to three isotherm models: Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich.

Anodic oxidation of o-nitrophenol on BDD electrode: variable effects and mechanisms of degradation.

The electrochemical oxidation of pesticide, o-nitrophenol (ONP) as one kind of pesticide that is potentially dangerous and biorefractory, was studied by galvanostatic electrolysis using boron-doped diamond (BDD) as anode. The influence of several operating parameters, such as applied current density, supporting electrolyte, and initial pH value, was investigated. The best degradation occurred in the presence of Na2SO4 (0.

Influence of physico-chemical treatment on the subsequent biological process treating paper industry wastewater.

The present paper presents the main results of the biodegradation study of paper industry wastewater through physico-chemical treatment. Indeed, around 60% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal can be achieved by electroflocculation treatment. Furthermore, a removal efficiency of the COD of almost 91% has been obtained by biological treatment, with activated amount of sludge for 24 h of culture.