Synthesis of mesoporous silica from geothermal water.

Mesoporous silica was successfully synthesized for the first time using geothermal water from the Onuma Geothermal Power Plant, Akita Prefecture, Japan. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as an organic template for the synthesis. CTAB with a concentration of 2.

Adsorption Behavior of Divalent Metal Ions onto Surface-functionalized Mesoporous Silicate MCM-41 Having Schiff Base Structure.

Surface functionalized mesoporous silicates, MCM-41s, having 3-(2-pyridylmethylideneimino)propyl group (PI-MCM-41) or 3-(2-quinolylmethylideneimino)propyl group (QI-MCM-41) were prepared via Schiff base reaction, and the adsorption behavior of metal ions onto the modified MCM-41s was investigated. The function groups on the modified MCM-41 surface were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis. The metal ions examined, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, were quantitatively adsorbed on the PI-MCM-41 and QI-MCM-41, except for Mn.

Rosette-like Layered Double Hydroxides: Adsorbent Materials for the Removal of Anionic Pollutants from Water.

Rosette-like layered double hydroxide (LDH) crystals with interlayer CO anions were synthesized by the reaction of Mg(NO), Al(NO), and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) at 140 °C over 4 days. Crystals as large as 20 μm were produced when using a specific range of HMT concentrations. The substitution of CO interlayer ions with ClO or Cl anions was achieved by the addition of perchloric acid or hydrochloric acid, respectively, to dispersion of material in methanol.

Uptake of cesium and strontium ions by artificially altered phlogopite.

Potassium (K(+)) phlogopite was transformed to a vermiculite-like mineral through a topotactic reaction under acidic conditions (pH 2) followed by hydrothermal treatment with Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), and Al(3+) cations. The resulting Na(+)-, Mg(2+)-, Ca(2+)-, and Al(3+)-altered phlogopites (Phl) denoted as Na-Phl, Mg-Phl, Ca-Phl, and Al-Phl, respectively. Na-Phl, Mg-Phl, and Ca-Phl all exhibited the same high adsorption capacity as natural vermiculite and the absorption of Cs(+) and Sr(2+) ions on these materials followed the Langmuir model.

Geomaterials: their application to environmental remediation.

Geomaterials are materials inspired by geological systems originating from the billion years long history of the Earth. This article reviews three important classes of geomaterials. The first one is smectites-layered silicates with a cation-exchange capacity.

Novel long-term immobilization method for radioactive iodine-129 using a zeolite/apatite composite sintered body.

The amount of radioactive iodine generated from nuclear power plants is expected to increase with the proliferation of nuclear energy production, and long-term immobilization methods for such radioactive elements need to be developed to make nuclear energy sustainable. The standard immobilization method of radioactive elements, vitrification, is not very effective for radioactive iodine-129 because of the low solubility of iodine in silicate melts, its very high volatility at standard vitrification process temperatures, and its instability in the alkaline environment of deep geological layers below 300 m. We have developed a novel three-phase ceramic composite produced by a sintering process.

Integrins induce expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 via focal adhesion kinase in mesangial cells.

Background: Integrins are major adhesion receptors that not only regulate cytoskeletal organization, but also trigger a variety of intracellular signal transduction pathways. We examined the effects of increased extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation on monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression, which is known to play an important role in the progression of various glomerular diseases.

Methods: MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression in cultured rat mesangial cells (MC) attached to ECM proteins were examined by reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting, respectively.