Zerovalent nickel nanoparticles performance towards Cr(VI) adsorption in polluted water.

Heavy metals are one of the most common types of pollutants in ground water due to their wide sources, non-degradability and high toxicity. Many traditional wastewater treatments were not capable of removing enough such contaminants in order to meet quality standards. Nanosized zerovalent transition metals have emerged as a great candidate for ground water remediation, due to their simplicity and low fabrication cost, furthermore they can comply with simple chemical synthesis.

Synthesis of NdAlO Nanoparticles and Evaluation of the Catalytic Capacity for Biodiesel Synthesis.

Biodiesel synthesis was carried out via heterogeneous catalysis of canola oil with nanoparticles of a mixed oxide based on rare earths. The catalyst synthesis (NdAlO) was carried out based on the method proposed by Pechini for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) analysis was performed on the nanoparticle precursor gel in order to establish the optimum conditions for its calcination, with these being of 800 °C over 24 h.