A Win-Win Combination to Inhibit Persistent Organic Pollutant Formation via the Co-Incineration of Polyvinyl Chloride E-Waste and Sewage Sludge.

Persistent organic pollutant inhibition in the combustion process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by prior addition of an inhibitor is currently being studied, reducing the emission of pollutants, and thus reducing the large amount of waste PVC destined for landfill. In this work, the use of sewage sludge (SS) as an alternative to chemical inhibitors to improve the quality emissions of the incineration of polyvinyl chloride waste (PVC e-waste) was studied and optimized. Different combustion runs were carried out at 850 °C in a laboratory tubular reactor, varying both the molar ratio R (0.

CO/CH and He/N Separation Properties and Water Permeability Valuation of Mixed Matrix MWCNTs-Based Cellulose Acetate Flat Sheet Membranes: A Study of the Optimization of the Filler Material Dispersion Method.

The main scope of this work is to develop nano-carbon-based mixed matrix cellulose acetate membranes (MMMs) for the potential use in both gas and liquid separation processes. For this purpose, a variety of mixed matrix membranes, consisting of cellulose acetate (CA) polymer and carbon nanotubes as additive material were prepared, characterized, and tested. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as filler material and diacetone alcohol (DAA) as solvent.

Synergistically integrated phosphonated poly(pentafluorostyrene) for fuel cells.

Modern electrochemical energy conversion devices require more advanced proton conductors for their broad applications. Phosphonated polymers have been proposed as anhydrous proton conductors for fuel cells. However, the anhydride formation of phosphonic acid functional groups lowers proton conductivity and this prevents the use of phosphonated polymers in fuel cell applications.

Novel Anion Exchange Membrane Based on Poly(Pentafluorostyrene) Substituted with Mercaptotetrazole Pendant Groups and Its Blend with Polybenzimidazole for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Applications.

In order to evaluate the performance of the anion exchange membranes in a vanadium redox flow battery, a novel anion exchange polymer was synthesized via a three step process. Firstly, 1-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-5-mercaptotetrazole was grafted onto poly(pentafluorostyrene) by nucleophilic F/S exchange. Secondly, the tertiary amino groups were quaternized by using iodomethane to provide anion exchange sites.

Equilibria and correlation of systems involving 1-hexyl-3-methylpyridinium trifluoromethanesulfonate.

Ionic liquids are being proposed for the improvement of many refinery-related applications where water and oil coexist. However, the lack of relevant thermodynamic data on equilibrium processes involving water, oil and an ionic liquid is a stumbling block. Phase diagrams of these systems are complex, with many different regions, especially when the ionic liquid is solid at room conditions.

Dechlorination of polyvinyl chloride electric wires by hydrothermal treatment using KCO in subcritical water.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste generation has significantly increased in recent years and their disposal is considered a major environmental concern. Removal techniques of chlorine from PVC waste are being studied to minimize a negative environmental impact. In this work, the use of KCO as an alkaline additive to improve the dechlorination efficiency (DE) in the hydrothermal degradation of PVC wires was studied.

Electrowinning of Iron from Spent Leaching Solutions Using Novel Anion Exchange Membranes.

In the Pyror process, electrowinning (EW) is used to recover acid and iron from spent leaching solutions (SLS), where a porous Terylene membrane acts as a separator between the cathode and anode. In this study, a novel anion exchange membrane (AEM)-based EW process is benchmarked against a process without and with a porous Terylene membrane by comparing the current efficiency, specific energy consumption (SEC), and sulfuric acid generation using an in-house constructed EW flow cell. Using an FAP-PK-130 commercial AEM, it was shown that the AEM-based process was more efficient than the traditional processes.

Hydrophobization of Tobacco Mosaic Virus to Control the Mineralization of Organic Templates.

The robust, anisotropic tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) provides a monodisperse particle size and defined surface chemistry. Owing to these properties, it became an excellent bio-template for the synthesis of diverse nanostructured organic/inorganic functional materials. For selective mineralization of the bio-template, specific functional groups were introduced by means of different genetically encoded amino acids or peptide sequences into the polar virus surface.

Performances of Anion-Exchange Blend Membranes on Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Anion exchange blend membranes (AEBMs) were prepared for use in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFBs). These AEBMs consisted of 3 polymer components. Firstly, PBI-OO (nonfluorinated PBI) or F6-PBI (partially fluorinated PBI) were used as a matrix polymer.

Comparative analysis of surface coating properties of five hydrophobins from Aspergillus nidulans and Trichoderma reseei.

Fungal hydrophobins are small amphiphilic proteins that self-assemble into monolayers on hydrophobic:hydrophilic interfaces and can be used for surface coatings. Because e.g.

Application of Novel Anion-Exchange Blend Membranes (AEBMs) to Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Both cation-exchange membranes and anion-exchange membranes are used as ion conducting membranes in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) are applied in vanadium redox flow batteries due to the high blocking property of vanadium ions via the Donnan exclusion effect. In this study, novel anion-exchange blend membranes (AEBMs) were prepared, characterized, and applied in VRFBs.

Volatile and semivolatile emissions from the pyrolysis of almond shell loaded with heavy metals.

Heavy metal-loaded almond shell was subjected to pyrolysis to understand the effect of the presence of different heavy metals on its thermal degradation. Pyrolysis behavior of native and metal-loaded samples was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Similar shapes of thermogravimetric curves indicate that the presence of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) did not change the main degradation pathways of almond shell.

Poly(vinylbenzylchloride) Based Anion-Exchange Blend Membranes (AEBMs): Influence of PEG Additive on Conductivity and Stability.

In view of the many possible applications such as fuel cells and electrolysers, recent interest in novel anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has increased significantly. However, their low conductivity and chemical stability limits their current suitability. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of several three- and four-component anion exchange blend membranes (AEBMs) is described, where the compositions have been systematically varied to study the influence of the AEBM's composition on the anion conductivities as well as chemical and thermal stabilities under strongly alkaline conditions.

Highly Sensitive Raman Spectroscopy with Low Laser Power for Fast In-Line Reaction and Multiphase Flow Monitoring.

In process analytics, the applicability of Raman spectroscopy is restricted by high excitation intensities or the long integration times required. In this work, a novel Raman system was developed to minimize photon flux losses. It allows specific reduction of spectral resolution to enable the use of Raman spectroscopy for real-time analytics when strongly increased sensitivity is required.

In vitro IFN-α release from IFN-α- and pegylated IFN-α-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and pegylated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles.

Aim: Interferon alpha (IFN-α) controlled release of nanoparticles was investigated under in vitro conditions.

Materials & Methods: IFN-α and pegylated IFN-α (PEG-IFN-α) were encapsulated by poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and pegylated PLGA (PEG-PLGA) copolymers using double emulsion solvent evaporation method.

Results: The size of resulting four nanoparticles (IFN-α in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acids), IFN-α in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol, PEG-IFN-α in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acids) and PEG-IFN-α in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol) was below 130 nm diameter.

Film Growth Rates and Activation Energies for Core-Shell Nanoparticles Derived from a CVD Based Aerosol Process.

Silica core-shell nanoparticles of about 60-120 nm with a closed outer layer of bismuth or molybdenum oxide of 1-10 nm were synthesized by an integrated chemical vapor synthesis/chemical vapor deposition process at atmospheric pressure. Film growth rates and activation energies were derived from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images for a deposition process based on molybdenum hexacarbonyl and triphenyl bismuth as respective coating precursors. Respective activation energies of 123 ± 10 and 155 ± 10 kJ/mol are in good agreement with the literature and support a deposition mechanism based on surface-induced removal of the precursor ligands.

Kinetic modeling of riboflavin biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis under production conditions.

To study the network dynamics of the riboflavin biosynthesis pathway and to identify potential bottlenecks in the system, an ordinary differential equation-based model was constructed using available literature data for production strains. The results confirmed that the RibA protein is rate limiting in the pathway. Under the conditions investigated, we determined a potential limiting order of the remaining enzymes under increased RibA concentration (>0.

Electrochemical membrane reactors for sustainable chlorine recycling.

Polymer electrolyte membranes have found broad application in a number of processes, being fuel cells, due to energy concerns, the main focus of the scientific community worldwide. Relatively little attention has been paid to the use of these materials in electrochemical production and separation processes. In this review, we put emphasis upon the application of Nafion membranes in electrochemical membrane reactors for chlorine recycling.

Continuous preparation of carbon-nanotube-supported platinum catalysts in a flow reactor directly heated by electric current.

In this contribution we present for the first time a continuous process for the production of highly active Pt catalysts supported by carbon nanotubes by use of an electrically heated tubular reactor. The synthesized catalysts show a high degree of dispersion and narrow distributions of cluster sizes. In comparison to catalysts synthesized by the conventional oil-bath method a significantly higher electrocatalytic activity was reached, which can be attributed to the higher metal loading and smaller and more uniformly distributed Pt particles on the carbon support.

EPR spectroscopic investigation of radical-induced degradation of partially fluorinated aromatic model compounds for fuel cell membranes.

EPR spectroscopic investigations of reactions between monomeric model compounds representing typical structural moieties of poly(aryl) ionomers and photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals are reported. Deoxygenated solutions of the model compounds (in a water/methanol mixture) containing hydrogen peroxide at defined pH values were exposed to UV light in the flow cell within the cavity of an EPR spectrometer. Spectra were analyzed by computer simulation and the formed radicals were assigned by comparing their g-factors and hyperfine coupling constants (hfccs) with those from the literature and from density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Flow through reactors for organic chemistry: directly electrically heated tubular mini reactors as an enabling technology for organic synthesis.

Until recently traditional heating in organic chemistry has been done with oil heating baths or using electric heat exchangers. With the advent of microwave equipment, heating by microwaves was rapidly introduced as standard method in organic chemistry laboratories, mainly because of the convenient possibility to operate at high temperature accompanied by accelerated reaction rates. In the present contribution we discuss the method of heating small, continuously operated reactors by passing electric current directly through the reactor wall as an enabling technology in organic chemistry.

Characterization of protein capacity of nanocation exchanger particles as filling material for functional magnetic beads for bioseparation purposes.

In this study we describe the synthesis and characterization of nanocation exchanger particles (NCEX) as the functional filling material for magnetic beads. Polystyrene NCEX particles were synthesized from styrene via a mini-emulsion polymerization. The coupling of cation exchanger groups was done with chlorosulfuric acid after the polymerization reaction.

Online LC-MS-MS process monitoring for optimization of biological treatment of wastewater containing azo dye concentrates.

A biological high-performance treatment process comprising two 40-L reactor compartments has been developed for purification and decoloration of concentrated textile wastewater containing up to 15 g L(-1) reactive dyestuff. The decoloration rate of 95% meets the requirements of German legislation for textile wastewater treatment. Successful process development and optimization was achieved by use of high-performance liquid chromatography, with diode-array and electrospray tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS-MS) detection, coupled with inline microfiltration membrane-sampling devices, applied online to bioreactors as a process analytical tool for the first time.