The effect of various treatment conditions on natural zeolites: Ion exchange, acidic, thermal and steam treatments

Two different natural zeolites having different phase compositions were obtained from different regions of Turkey and modified by ion-exchange (0.5 M NH4NO3) and acid leaching using 1 M HCl. The natural and modified samples were treated at low temperature (LT), high temperature (HT) and steam (ST) conditions and characterised by XRF, XRD, BET, FTIR, DR-UV-Vis, NH3-TPD and TGA. Ion-exchange with NH4+ of natural zeolites results in the exchange of the Na+ and Ca2+ cations and the partial exchange of the Fe3+ and Mg2+ cations. However, steam and acidic treatments cause significant dealumination and decationisation, as well as loss of crystalline, sintering of phases and the formation of amorphous material. The presence of mordenite and quartz phases in the natural zeolites increases the stability towards acid treatment, whereas the structure of clinoptilolite-rich zeolites is mostly maintained after high temperature and steam treatments. The natural and modified zeolites treated at high temperature and in steam were found to be less stable compared with synthetic zeolites, resulting in a loss of crystallinity, a decrease in the surface area and pore volume, a decrease in the surface acidity as well as dealumination, and decationisation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct spun aligned carbon nanotube web-reinforced proton exchange membranes for fuel cells

A new method combining electrospinning of SPEEK and direct spinning of CNT forests has been used to prepare sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK)/directly spinnable carbon nanotube (dsCNT) composite proton exchange membranes. The SPEEK/dsCNT membrane is more robust than SPEEK alone, and in a fuel cell significantly outperforms both SPEEK and the commercial Nafion 212 membranes.

Silica grain labelling and EDX spectroscopy; evidence for inter-grain diffusion of Pt(NH3)(4)(2+) species during Pt/SiO2 catalyst preparation by ionic exchange

Labelling of silica grains and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) in a TEM-FEG (field emission gun) were used to demonstrate the migration of Pt(NH3)(4)(2+) species from one grain to another during Pt/SiO2 catalyst preparation by the ion-exchange procedure.

Solid-state sodium-selective sensors based on screen-printed Ag/AgCl reference electrodes

The potentiometric and AC impedance characteristics of all solid-state sodium-selective electrodes based on planar screen-printed Ag/AgCl electrodes are described. Two solid-state designs have been investigated. The first was based on the deposition of a sodium-selective PVC membrane directly on top of a screen-printed Ag/AgCl electrode, The second design included a NaCl doped hydrogel layer, between the PVC and Ag\AgCl layers. The hydrogel provides a mechanism to relieve any blockage to charge transfer occurring when PVC membranes are used directly on top of Ag/AgCl and also improves adhesion between the two layers. Results suggest the electrodes display Fast ion exchange kinetics, low noise and drift. The performance compares favorably to that of a conventional ion-selective electrode with internal filling solution.

The adsorption, storage and release of nitric oxide using ion exchanged zeolites

Zeolites exchanged with transition metal cations Co2+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+ are capable of storing and delivering a large quantity of nitric oxide in a range of 1.2-2.7 mmolg(-1). The metal ion exchange impacts the pore volumes of zeolite FAU more significantly than LTA. The storage of NO mainly involves coordination of NO to metal cation sites. By exposing zeolites to a moisture atmosphere, the stored nitric oxide can be released. The NO release takes more than 2 hours for the NO concentration decreasing below similar to 5ppb in outlet gas. Its release rate can be controlled by tailoring zeolite frameworks and optimising release conditions.

Uranium removal from contaminated groundwater by synthetic resins

Synthetic resins are shown to be effective in removing uranium from contaminated groundwater. Batch and field column tests showed that strong-base anion-exchange resins were more effective in removing uranium from both near-neutral-pH (6.5)- and high-pH (8)-low-nitrate-containing groundwaters, than metal-chelating resins, which removed more uranium from acidic-pH (5)-high-nitrate-containing groundwater from the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Y-12 S-3 Ponds area in Tennessee, USA. Dowex 1-X8 and Purolite A-520E anion-exchange resins removed more uranium from high-pH (8)-low-nitrate-containing synthetic groundwater in batch tests than metal-chelating resins. The Dowex™ 21K anion-exchange resin achieved a cumulative loading capacity of 49.8 mg g^-1 before breakthrough in a field column test using near-neutral-pH (6.5)-low-nitrate-containing groundwater. However, in an acidic-pH (5)-high-nitrate-containing groundwater, metal-chelating resins Diphonix and Chelex-100 removed more uranium than anion-exchange resins. In 15 mL of acidic-pH (5)-high-nitrate-containing groundwater spiked with 20 mg L^-1 uranium, the uranium concentrations ranged from 0.95 mg L^-1 at 1-h equilibrium to 0.08 mg L^-1 at 24-h equilibrium for Diphonix and 0.17 mg L^-1 at 1-h equilibrium to 0.03 mg L^-1 at 24-h equilibrium for Chelex-100. Chelex-100 removed more uranium in the first 10 min in the 100 mL of acidic-(pH 5)-high-nitrate-containing groundwater (~5 mg L^-1 uranium); however, after 10 min, Diphonix equaled or out-performed Chelex-100. This study presents an improved understanding of the selectivity and sorption kenetics of a range of ion-exchange resins that remove uranium from both low- and high-nitrate-containing groundwaters with varying pHs..

Water quality impacts and palaeohydrogeology in the East Yorkshire Chalk Aquifer, UK

A large hydrochemical data-set for the East Yorkshire Chalk has been assessed. Controls on the distribution of water qualities within this aquifer reflect: water-rock interactions (affecting especially the carbonate system and associated geochemistry); effects of land-use change (especially where the aquifer is unconfined); saline intrusion and aquifer refreshening (including ion exchange effects); and aquifer overexploitation (in the semi-confined and confined zones of the aquifer). Both Sr and I prove useful indicators of groundwater ages, with I/Cl ratios characterising two sources of saline waters. The hydrochemical evidence clearly reveals the importance of both recent management decisions and palaeohydrogeology in determining the evolution and distribution of groundwater salinity within the artesian and confined zones of the aquifer. Waters currently encountered in the aquifer are identified as complex (and potentially dynamic) mixtures between modern recharge waters, modern seawater, and old seawaters which entered the aquifer many millennia ago.

First report of a novel plant lysozyme with both antifungal and antibacterial activities.

A novel lysozyme exhibiting antifungal activity and with a molecular mass of 14.4 kDa in SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was isolated from mung bean (Phaseolus mungo) seeds using a procedure that involved aqueous extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex, and high-performance liquid chromatography on POROS HS-20. Its N-terminal sequence was very different from that of hen egg white lysozyme. Its pI was estimated to be above 9.7. The specific activity of the lysozyme was 355 U/mg at pH 5.5 and 30 °C. The lysozyme exhibited a pH optimum at pH 5.5 and a temperature optimum at 55 °C. It is reported herein, for the first time, that a novel plant lysozyme exerted an antifungal action toward Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Pythium aphanidermatum, Sclerotium rolfsii, and Botrytis cinerea, in addition to an antibacterial action against Staphylococcus aureus.

Ionic liquids via reaction of the zwitterionic 1,3-dimethylimidazolium-2-carboxylate with protic acids. Overcoming synthetic limitations and establishing new halide free protocols for the formation of ILs

The previously reported preparation of 1,3-dimethylimidazolium salts by the reaction of 1,3-dialkylimidazolium-2-carboxylate zwitterions with protic acids has been reinvestigated in detail, leading to the identification of two competing reactions: isomerisation and decarboxylation. The ability to control both pathways allows this methodology to be used as an effective, green, waste-free approach to readily prepare a wide range of ionic liquids in high yields. Additionally, this reaction protocol opens new possibilities in the formation of other imidazolium salts, whose syntheses were previously either very expensive (due to ion exchange protocols involving metals like Ag) or difficult to achieve (due to multiple extractions and large quantities of hard to remove inorganic by-products).

Extraction of cesium ions from aqueous solutions using calix[4]arene-bis(tert-octylbenzo-crown-6) in ionic liquids

Solvent extraction of cesium ions from aqueous solution to hydrophobic ionic liquids without the introduction of an organophilic anion in the aqueous phase was demonstrated using calix[4]arene-bis(tert-octylbenzo-crown-6) (BOBCalixC6) as an extractant. The selectivity of this extraction process toward cesium ions and the use of a sacrificial cation exchanger (NaBPh4) to control loss of imidazolium cation to the aqueous solutions by ion exchange have been investigated.

Choline saccharinate and choline acesulfamate: Ionic liquids with low toxicities

Choline saccharinate and choline acesulfamate are two examples of hydrophilic ionic liquids, which can be prepared from easily available starting materials (choline chloride and a non-nutritive sweetener). The (eco)toxicity of these ionic liquids in aqueous solution is very low in comparison to other types of ionic liquids. A general method for the synthesis and purification of hydrophilic ionic liquids is presented. The method consists of a silver-free metathesis reaction, followed by purification of the ionic liquid by ion-exchange chromatography. The crystal structures show a marked difference in hydrogen bonding between the two ionic liquids, although the saccharinate and the acesulfamate anions show structural similarities. The optimized structures, the energetics, and the charge distribution of cation-anion pairs in the ionic liquids were studied by density functional theory (DFT) and second-order (Moller-Plesset) perturbation theory calculations. The occupation of the non-Lewis orbitals was considered to obtain a qualitative picture of the Lewis structures. The calculated interaction energies and the dipole moments for the ion pairs in the gas phase were discussed.

Evaluation of a new peat-based sorbent for metals capture

A new peat-based sorbent was evaluated for the capture of heavy metals from waste streams. The media is a pelletted blend of organic humic material targeted for the capture of soluble metals from industrial waste streams and stormwater. The metals chosen for the media evaluation were Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn due to their occurrence and abundance in waste streams and runoff. Sorption tests included an evaluation of the rate and extent of metals capture by the media, single versus multicomponent metals uptake, pH, anion influence, leaching effects and the effect of media moisture content on uptake rate and capacity. Isotherms of the sorption results showed that the presence of multiple metals increased the total sorption capacity of the media compared to the single component metal capacity; a result of site selectivity within the media. However the capacity for an individual metal in a multicomponent metal matrix was reduced compared to its single component capacity, due to competition for sites. Evidence of ion exchange behavior was observed but did not account for all metals capture. The media also provided a buffering action to counter the pH drop typically associated with metals capture.

Method for the in situ preparation of a single layer of zeolite Beta crystals on a molybdenum substrate for microreactor applications

A method for the hydrothermal synthesis of a single layer of zeolite Beta crystals on a molybdenum substrate for microreactor applications has been developed. Before the hydrothermal synthesis, the surface of the substrate was modified by an etching procedure that increases the roughness at the nanoscale level without completely eliminating the surface lay structure. Then, thin films of Al2O3 (170 nm) and TiO2 (50 nm) were successively deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the substrate. The internal Al2O3 film protects the Mo substrate from oxidation up to 550 degrees C in an oxidative environment. The high wettability of the external TiO2 film after UV irradiation increases zeolite nucleation on its surface. The role of the metal precursor (TiCl4 vs TiI4), deposition temperature (300 vs 500 degrees C), and film thickness (50 vs 100 nm) was investigated to obtain titania films with the slowest decay in the superhydrophilic behavior after UV irradiation. Zeolite Beta coatings with a Si/Al ratio of 23 were grown at 140 degrees C for 48 It. After ion exchange with a 10(-4) M cobalt acetate solution, the activity of the coatings was determined in the ammoxidation of ethylene to acetonitrile in a microstructured reactor. A maximum reaction rate of 220 mu mol C2H3N g(-1) s(-1) was obtained at 500 degrees C, with 42% carbon selectivity to acetonitrile. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.