Batch adsorptive removal of Fe(III), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions in aqueous and aqueous organic–HCl media by Dowex HYRW2-Na Polisher resin as adsorbents

AbstractOf the metal ions in tap, Nile, waste and sea water samples and some ores were carried out. Removal of heavy metal ions such as Fe(III), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Mg(II), and Pb(II) from water and wastewater is obligatory in order to avoid water pollution. Batch shaking adsorption experiments to evaluate the performance of nitric and hydrochloric acid solutions in the removal of metal ions by cation exchange resin at the same conditions for both, such as the effect of initial metal ion concentration, different proportions of some organic solvents, H+-ion concentrations and reaction temperature on the partition coefficients. The metal adsorption for the cation exchanger was found to be significant in different media for both nitric and hydrochloric acids, i.e., the adsorption up take of metal ions presented in this work is very significant depending on the characteristics of ions and on the external concentrations of solute. The presence of low ionic strength or low concentration of acids does have a significant adsorption of metal ions on ion-exchange resin. The results show that the ion exchanger could be employed for the preconcentration, separation and the determination

Biomass Mediated Synthesis of ZnO and ZnO/GO for the Decolorization of Methylene Blue under Visible Light Source

: In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) as well as ZnO/GO (zinc oxide/graphene oxide) were successfully synthesized. The Carica papaya leaf extract was used to synthesize ZnO and oil palm empty fruit bunch biomass to obtain graphene, which was further used to obtain graphene oxide. The samples were characterized through a variety of analytical methods such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–Visible spectroscopy in order to understand their morphology, size, structural phase purity, functional groups and optical properties. Various peaks such as O-H, Zn-OH and Zn-O were found in the case of ZnO. Some additional peaks, such as C-C and C=C, were also been detected while analyzing the sample by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results of the XRD and SEM studies demonstrated that the synthesized material shows the crystalline nature of the substance in the case of ZnO, and the crystallinity decreases for ZnO/GO. The average crystallite size was found to 80.0 nm for ZnO and 74.0 nm for ZnO/GO. Further, a red shift was shown in the case of ZnO/GO, which was indicated by the UV–Vis absorption spectrum. In the TEM analysis, the particles were shown to be nanosized. For instance, the highest number of particles was found in the range of 100 to 120 nm in the case of ZnO, while 80–100 nm sized particles were found for ZnO/GO. Using synthesized ZnO and ZnO/GO, the decolorization of methylene blue was found to be 64% and 91%, respectively

Biophysical, Biochemical, and Molecular Docking Investigations of Anti-Glycating, Antioxidant, and Protein Structural Stability Potential of Garlic.

Garlic has been reported to inhibit protein glycation, a process that underlies several disease processes, including chronic complications of diabetes mellitus. Biophysical, biochemical, and molecular docking investigations were conducted to assess anti-glycating, antioxidant, and protein structural protection activities of garlic. Results from spectral (UV and fluorescence) and circular dichroism (CD) analysis helped ascertain protein conformation and secondary structure protection against glycation to a significant extent. Further, garlic showed heat-induced protein denaturation inhibition activity (52.17%). It also inhibited glycation, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation as well as lent human serum albumin (HSA) protein structural stability, as revealed by reduction in browning intensity (65.23%), decrease in protein aggregation index (67.77%), and overall reduction in cross amyloid structure formation (33.26%) compared with positive controls (100%). The significant antioxidant nature of garlic was revealed by FRAP assay (58.23%) and DPPH assay (66.18%). Using molecular docking analysis, some of the important garlic metabolites were investigated for their interactions with the HSA molecule. Molecular docking analysis showed quercetin, a phenolic compound present in garlic, appears to be the most promising inhibitor of glucose interaction with the HSA molecule. Our findings show that garlic can prevent oxidative stress and glycation-induced biomolecular damage and that it can potentially be used in the treatment of several health conditions, including diabetes and other inflammatory diseases

High carbon-resistant nickel supported on yttria–zirconia catalysts for syngas production by dry reforming of methane: The promoting effect of cesium

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a highly researched process for conversion of methane into syngas that consumes the greenhouse gas (CO2). In this work, the promotional effect of cesium on yttria-zirconia-supported nickel catalysts is studied, for the first time, in DRM. Cs loading was varied from 0.5 to 4.0 wt% and fresh materials were characterized by N2 sorption, XRD, TPR, and TEM, while spent catalysts were examined by TEM, Raman spectroscopy, and TGA after catalytic testing. Interestingly, cesium improved carbon resistance of the catalysts. It was shown that addition of up to 1.0 wt% Cs resulted in formation of 13–14 nm nanoparticles in strong interaction with the support, which prevented their sintering during reaction. In this case, hydrogen yield exceeded 75% after 420 min on stream, and this value was higher than those reported in literature for the same loading of other promoters like cerium and barium. However, as the amount of cesium surpassed 1.0 wt%, catalytic performance was lowered, even below that of Cs-free sample and this can be assigned to a possible coverage of active sites by excess cesium. An optimum range of 0.5–1.0 wt% was thus determined for a good performance in dry reforming of methane

Synthetic, Mesomorphic, and DFT Investigations of New Nematogenic Polar Naphthyl Benzoate Ester Derivatives

Four new non-symmetrical derivatives based on central naphthalene moiety, 4-((4–(alkoxy)phenyl) diazenyl)naphthalen–1–yl 4–substitutedbenzoate (In/x), were prepared, and their properties were investigated experimentally and theoretically. The synthesized materials bear two wing groups: an alkoxy chain of differing proportionate length (n = 6 and 16 carbons) and one terminal attached to a polar group, X. Their molecular structures were elucidated via elemental analyses and FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) were carried out to evaluate their mesomorphic properties. The results of the experimental investigations revealed that all the synthesized analogues possess only an enantiotropic nematic (N) mesophase with a high thermal stability and broad range. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were in accordance with the experimental investigations and revealed that all prepared materials are to be linear and planar. Moreover, the rigidity of the molecule increased when an extra fused ring was inserted into the center of the structural shape, so its thermal and geometrical parameters were affected. Energy gap predictions confirmed that the I16/c derivative is more reactive than other compounds

Induced Nematic Phase of New Synthesized Laterally Fluorinated Azo/Ester Derivatives

A new series of laterally fluorinated mesomorphic compounds, namely 2-fluoro-4-((4-(alkyloxy)phenyl)diazenyl)phenyl 4-substitutedbenzoate (Inx) were prepared and evaluated for their mesophase behavior. The synthesized series constitutes five members that possess different terminally attached polar groups (X). Their molecular structures were confirmed by elemental analyses and both FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. Examination of the prepared derivatives was conducted via experimental and theoretical tools. Mesomorphic investigations were carried by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC and POM measurements indicated that except for the un-substituted analogue, all other derivatives were purely nematogenic, possessing their nematic (N) mesophase enantiotropically. This is to say that insertions of terminal polar substituents on their mesogenic structures induced the N phase. In addition, the location of lateral and terminal polar moieties played a considerable role in achieving good thermal N stability. Computational calculations were investigated to determine the deduced optimized molecular structures. Theoretical data indicated that both size and polarity of the terminal substituent (X) have essential impact on the thermal parameters and optical properties of possible geometries

Design of Liquid Crystal Materials Based on Palmitate, Oleate, and Linoleate Derivatives for Optoelectronic Applications

Herein, liquid crystalline derivatives based on palmitate, oleate, and linoleate moieties with azomethine cores were synthesized, and their physical, chemical, optical, and photophysical properties were investigated in detail. The mesomorphic activity of these materials was examined through polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The observed results revealed that the stability of the thermal mesophase depends on the terminal polar as well as on the fatty long-chain substituents. Purely smectogenic phases were detected in all three terminal side chains. A eutectic composition with a low melting temperature and a broad smectic A range was found by constructing a binary phase diagram and addressing it in terms of the mesomorphic temperature range. The energy bandgap of the palmitate-based derivative (Ia) was determined as 3.95 eV and slightly increased to 4.01 eV and 4.05 eV for the oleate (Ib) and linoleate (Ic) derivatives, respectively. The optical constants (n, κ, εr, and εi) were extracted from the fitting of measured spectroscopic ellipsometer data. The steady-state spectra of these samples exhibited a broad emission in the range 400–580 nm, which was found to be blue shifted to 462 nm for both Ib and Ic derivatives. The average fluorescence decay lifetime of the Ia derivative was found to be 598 ps, which became faster for the Ib and Ic derivatives and slower for the sample with a chloride end polar group

Tailored Ni-MgO catalysts: unveiling temperature-driven synergy in CH₄-CO₂ reforming

This study examines nickel catalysts on two different supports—magnesium oxide (MgO) and modified MgO (with 10 wt.% MOx; M = Ti, Zr, Al)—for their effectiveness in the dry reforming of methane. The reactions were conducted at 700 °C in a tubular microreactor. The study compares the best-performing catalyst with a reference catalyst (5Ni/MgO) by conducting dry reforming of methane at different reaction temperatures. The catalysts are evaluated using surface area, porosity, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, thermogravimeter, and temperature-programmed techniques. The 5Ni/MgO + ZrO2 catalyst demonstrates inferior catalytic activity due to insufficient active sites. On the other hand, the 5Ni/MgO + TiO2 catalyst shows limited catalytic excellence due to excessive coke deposits, which are six times higher than other catalysts. The 5Ni/MgO and 5Ni/MgO + Al2O3 catalysts have the richest basic and acidic profiles, respectively. The 5Ni/MgO + Al2O3 catalyst is superior to other catalysts due to its stronger metal–support interaction on the expanded surface and the efficient diffusion of carbon on its less crystalline surface. At 700 °C, this catalyst achieves 73% CH4 conversion, and at 800 °C, it reaches 83% conversion. This study emphasizes the crucial role of the reaction temperature in reducing carbon deposition and enhancing the efficiency of the reforming process.<br/