Removal of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution by Mixture of Reused Silica Gel Desiccant and Natural Sand or Eggshell Waste.

The purpose of this work was to develop, characterize and test new low-cost materials suitable for removing methylene blue dye from water and wastewater by adsorption. The solid materials consisted of silica gel powder (SG), silica gel mixed with eggshell powder (SG-ES) and a mixture of silica gel with sand from the western Iraqi desert (SG-SI). The samples were milled by using an electrical mixer and a ball mill, followed by a drying step.

Can electrocoagulation technology be integrated with wastewater treatment systems to improve treatment efficiency?

Considerable amounts of domestic and industrial wastewater that should be treated before reuse are discharged into the environment annually. Electrocoagulation is an electrochemical technology in which electrical current is conducted through electrodes, it is mainly used to remove several types of wastewater pollutants, such as dyes, toxic materials, oil content, chemical oxygen demand, and salinity, individually or in combination with other processes. Electrocoagulation technology used in hybrid systems along with other technologies for wastewater treatment are reviewed in this work, and the articles reviewed herein were published from 2018 to 2021.

Valorization of β-Chitin Extraction Byproduct from Cuttlefish Bone and Its Application in Food Wastewater Treatment.

The nontoxicity, worldwide availability and low production cost of cuttlefish bone products qualify them an excellent biocoagulant to treat food industry wastewater. In this study, cuttlefish bone liquid waste from the deproteinization step was used as a biocoagulant to treat food industry wastewater. This work concerns a waste that has never before been investigated.

Scandium Recovery Methods from Mining, Metallurgical Extractive Industries, and Industrial Wastes.

The recovery of scandium (Sc) from wastes and various resources using solvent extraction (SX) was discussed in detail. Moreover, the metallurgical extractive procedures for Sc recovery were presented. Acidic and neutral organophosphorus (OPCs) extractants are the most extensively used in industrial activities, considering that they provide the highest extraction efficiency of any of the valuable components.

Using Fly Ash Wastes for the Development of New Building Materials with Improved Compressive Strength.

Fly ash wastes (silica, aluminum and iron-rich materials) could be smartly valorized by their incorporation in concrete formulation, partly replacing the cement. The necessary binding properties can be accomplished by a simple procedure: an alkali activation process, involving partial hydrolysis, followed by gel formation and polycondensation. The correlations between the experimental fly ash processing conditions, particle characteristics (size and morphology) and the compressive strength values of the concrete prepared using this material were investigated by performing a parametric optimization study to deduce the optimal processing set of conditions.

Novel Liquid Chitosan-Based Biocoagulant for Treatment Optimization of Fish Processing Wastewater from a Moroccan Plant.

A novel liquid chitosan-based biocoagulant for treating wastewater from a Moroccan fish processing plant was successfully prepared from shrimp shells (), the most abundant fish by-products in the country. The shells were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy. Using chitosan without adding acetic acid helps to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

Green Chemistry in the Extraction of Natural Dyes from Colored Food Waste, for Dyeing Protein Textile Materials.

The beetroot peels can be a sustainable source of betalains that can dye the wool materials through green processes based on low water and energy consumption. Green chemistry in the extraction of betalains from colored food waste/peels from red beetroot involved the use of water as a solvent, without other additives. In order for the extract obtained to be able to dye the wool, it was necessary to functionalize betalains or even the wool.

Sustainable Functionalization of PAN to Improve Tinctorial Capacity.

This study may open a new way to obtain the coloration of a polymer during functionalization. Two polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymers in the form of textile fibers ( and ) were subjected to functionalization treatments in order to improve the dyeing capacity. The functionalizations determined by an organo-hypervalent iodine reagent developed in situ led to fiber coloration without using dyes.

Polystyrene-FeO-MWCNTs Nanocomposites for Toluene Removal from Water.

In this research, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized by oxidation with strong acids HNO, HSO, and HO. Then, magnetite/MWCNTs nanocomposites were prepared and polystyrene was added to prepare polystyrene/MWCNTs/magnetite (PS:MWCNTs:Fe) nanocomposites. The magnetic property of the prepared nano-adsorbent PS:MWCNTs:Fe was successfully checked.

Cesium and barium removal from aqueous solutions in the presence of humic acid and competing cations by a Greek bentonite from Kimolos Island.

The Cs- and Ba-sorption, onto bentonite from Kimolos island (Cyclades, Greece) was investigated in aqueous solutions in the presence of Na, Ca and humic acid. Batch experiments were performed using as tracers Cs and Ba and γ-ray spectroscopy. The sorption significantly depended on initial concentration, ionic strength and temperature of the solutions.

Novel Hybrid Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Functionalization, Characterization, and Their Application in the Uptake of Scandium (III)Ions from Aqueous Media.

The aim of this study was to prepare novel supramolecular hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) that can selectively separate and recover scandium metal ions, Sc(III), from an aqueous phase based on molecular recognition technology (MRT). Moreover, this approach is fully compatible with green chemistry principles. In this work, natural amorphous silica (SiO) nanoparticles were prepared by a precipitation method from Iraqi rice husk (RH) followed by surface modification with 3-amino-propyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as coupling agent and Kryptofix 2.

Investigation of a biosystem based on Arthrospira platensis for air revitalisation in spacecrafts: Performance evaluation through response surface methodology.

Arthrospira platensis is featured as a promising microalgae candidate for the development of the biosystems for air revitalisation in spacecrafts and life support in space. An enhanced configuration of a sparged type photobioreactor (PBR), containing 5 L of A. platensis culture, which was equipped with an external LED lighting tube around the reactor, was used in this study.

Environmental assessment of physical-chemical features of Lake Nasser, Egypt.

Lake Nasser is one of the largest man-made lakes on earth. It has a vital importance to Egypt for several decades because of the safe water supply of the country. Therefore, the water quality of the Lake Nasser must be profoundly investigated, and physico-chemical parameter changes of the water of the Lake Nasser should be continuously monitored and assessed.

Modified Jordanian zeolitic tuff in hydrocarbon removal from surface water.

This work aims to investigate the potential of Jordanian raw zeolitic tuff (RZT) as oil adsorbent for oil-contaminated water. As hydrophobic properties are the primary determinants of effective oil adsorbents, the hydrophobicity of RZT was enhanced by dealumination process; since the degree of hydrophobicity of zeolites is directly dependent on their aluminum content. The microemulsion modification of the dealuminated zeolitic tuff (TZT) was also applied to increase its hydrophobicity.

A Technical Approach to the Evaluation of Radiofrequency Radiation Emissions from Mobile Telephony Base Stations.

During the last two decades, the number of macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas emitting radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in residential areas has increased significantly, and therefore much more attention is being paid to RF EMR and its effects on human health. Scientific field measurements of public exposure to RF EMR (specifically to radio frequency radiation) from macrocell mobile telephony base station antennas and RF electromagnetic field (EMF) intensity parameters in the environment are discussed in this article. The research methodology is applied according to the requirements of safety norms and Lithuanian Standards in English (LST EN).

Phytoextraction of Cd and Zn as single or mixed pollutants from soil by rape (Brassica napus).

This paper analyses the capacity of the rape (Brassica napus) to extract Cd and Zn from the soil and the effect of these metals on the morphometric parameters of the plant (length, weight, surface area, fractal dimension of leaves). Rape plants were mostly affected by the combined toxicity of the Cd and Zn mixture that caused a significant reduction in the rate of seed germination, the plant biomass quantity and the fractal dimension. In the case of Cd soil pollution, the bioaccumulation factor (BAF), bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) as well as the heavy metal root-to-stalk translocation factor (TF) were determined.

Fractional Factorial Design Study on the Performance of GAC-Enhanced Electrocoagulation Process Involved in Color Removal from Dye Solutions.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of main factors and interactions on the color removal performance from dye solutions using the electrocoagulation process enhanced by adsorption on Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). In this study, a mathematical approach was conducted using a two-level fractional factorial design () for a given dye solution. Three textile dyes: Acid Blue 74, Basic Red 1, and Reactive Black 5 were used.

A solid-contact ion selective electrode for copper(II) using a succinimide derivative as ionophore.

All-solid-state sensors with polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based membranes using off-the-shelf N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and succinimide (Succ) ionophores were prepared using DOP (dioctyl phthalate) and NPOE (ortho-nitrophenyloctyl ether) as plasticizers. Good responses were obtained when NHS was used. The potentiometric response of the proposed electrode is independent of pH over the range 2-6.

Ionic liquids supported on magnetic nanoparticles as a sorbent preconcentration material for sulfonylurea herbicides prior to their determination by capillary liquid chromatography.

A magnetic material based on N-methylimidazolium ionic liquid and Fe(3)O(4) magnetic nanoparticles incorporated in a silica matrix has been used to extract and preconcentrate sulfonylurea herbicides, such as thifensulfuron methyl (TSM), metsulfuron methyl (MSM), triasulfuron (TS), tribenuron methyl (TBM) and primisulfuron methyl (PSM) from polluted water samples, prior to their analysis by capillary liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (DAD). Under the optimum conditions, this method allows the determination of TSM, MSM, TS, TBM and PSM in a linear range between 5 and 100 ng mL(-1), with relative standard deviation values lower than 5.3% (n = 10), in all cases.

Characterization and remediation of soils contaminated with uranium.

Environmental contamination caused by radionuclides, in particular by uranium and its decay products is a serious problem worldwide. The development of nuclear science and technology has led to increasing nuclear waste containing uranium being released and disposed in the environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the techniques for the remediation of soils polluted with radionuclides (uranium in particular), considering: the chemical forms of uranium, including depleted uranium (DU) in soil and other environmental media, their characteristics and concentrations, and some of the effects on environmental and human health; research issues concerning the remediation process, the benefits and results; a better understanding of the range of uses and situations for which each is most appropriate.