A New Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane Synthesized by Integrating of Powdered Activated Carbon for Treatment of Stabilized Leachate

Stabilized landfill leachate contains a wide variety of highly concentrated non-biodegradable organics, which are extremely toxic to the environment. Though numerous techniques have been developed for leachate treatment, advanced membrane filtration is one of the most environmentally friendly methods to purify wastewater effectively. In the current study, a novel polymeric membrane was produced by integrating powdered activated carbon (PAC) on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to synthesize a thin membrane using the phase inversion method. The membrane design was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The fabricated membrane was effectively applied for the filtration of stabilized leachate using a cross-flow ring (CFR) test. The findings suggested that the filtration properties of fabricated membrane were effectively enhanced through the incorporation of PAC. The optimum removal efficiencies by the fabricated membrane (14.9 wt.% PVDF, 1.0 wt.% PAC) were 35.34, 48.71, and 22.00% for COD, colour and NH3-N, respectively. Water flux and transmembrane pressure were also enhanced by the incorporated PAC and recorded 61.0 L/m2·h and 0.67 bar, respectively, under the conditions of the optimum removal efficiency. Moreover, the performance of fabricated membranes in terms of pollutant removal, pure water permeation, and different morphological characteristics were systematically analyzed. Despite the limited achievement, which might be improved by the addition of a hydrophilic additive, the study offers an efficient way to fabricate PVDF-PAC membrane and to optimize its treatability through the RSM tool

Evaluation of Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge at UNRWA Schools in Gaza Strip about the Action Research Concepts and Process

In this study, the availability of action research knowledge was measured among teachers of mathematics in schools belongs to Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza Strip. The study sample consisted of 241 male and female teachers, where the study sample contained (25%) of the total study population, which consists of (972) active teacher during the current study time (second semester- 2019/2020). It was found that the sample has a strong knowledge about the action research concepts. Moreover, it was confirmed that there are no significant differences attributed to the variables of gender, training programs, and educational qualification. Meanwhile, the results showed that there is a significant effect by the teacher’s age and cumulative experience on the teachers’ knowledge of action research. Based on the findings, the challenges and obstacles that prevent teachers or limit their ability to perform action research must be studied and thus an attempt should be made to overcome those obstacles in order to push the teacher to perform the action research.</jats:p

Treatment of Tropical stabilized landfill leachate by Adsorption using Powdered Activated Carbon: Isothermal and Kinetic Studies

Abstract This study investigates the adsorption removal capacity of chemical oxygen demand (COD), color, and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N) from Sahom stabilized landfill in Kampar, Malaysia by powdered activated carbon (PAC). The effects of shaking speed, contact time, dosage of activated carbon and pH level on the adsorption performance were tested in a batch equilibrium study. Equilibrium data was favorably descried by Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for COD, color and NH3-N were 27.7 mg/g, 172.4 PtCo/g and 4.76 mg/g, respectively and achieved at the optimum conditions of: shaking speed 250 rpm, contact time 4 hours, PAC dosage 4 g/100 ml leachate, and at pH = 9. Effluent’s average removal efficiency was found to be 66.00, 87.63 and 25.89% for COD, color, and NH3-N, respectively. Based on the kinetic data, the adsorption process was controlled by chemisorption as it agreed satisfactorily with the Pseudo-second order model. The regeneration of activated carbon was done thermally via microwave heating. The recovery efficiency for COD, color and NH3-N were found to be 85.47%, 92.65% and 59.53%, respectively. The results revealed the feasibility of PAC adsorbent for the adsorptive treatment of landfill leachate.</jats:p

A New Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane Synthesized by Integrating of Powdered Activated Carbon for Treatment of Stabilized Leachate

Stabilized landfill leachate contains a wide variety of highly concentrated non-biodegradable organics, which are extremely toxic to the environment. Though numerous techniques have been developed for leachate treatment, advanced membrane filtration is one of the most environmentally friendly methods to purify wastewater effectively. In the current study, a novel polymeric membrane was produced by integrating powdered activated carbon (PAC) on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to synthesize a thin membrane using the phase inversion method. The membrane design was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The fabricated membrane was effectively applied for the filtration of stabilized leachate using a cross-flow ring (CFR) test. The findings suggested that the filtration properties of fabricated membrane were effectively enhanced through the incorporation of PAC. The optimum removal efficiencies by the fabricated membrane (14.9 wt.% PVDF, 1.0 wt.% PAC) were 35.34, 48.71, and 22.00% for COD, colour and NH3-N, respectively. Water flux and transmembrane pressure were also enhanced by the incorporated PAC and recorded 61.0 L/m2·h and 0.67 bar, respectively, under the conditions of the optimum removal efficiency. Moreover, the performance of fabricated membranes in terms of pollutant removal, pure water permeation, and different morphological characteristics were systematically analyzed. Despite the limited achievement, which might be improved by the addition of a hydrophilic additive, the study offers an efficient way to fabricate PVDF-PAC membrane and to optimize its treatability through the RSM tool.</jats:p