Optimization of Response Surface Methodology for Removal of Cadmium Ions from Wastewater using Low Cost Materials

This study goal to the ability of using low cost materials representing thermestone and aluminum solid wastes in water filtration by using a pilot plant constructed in wastewater treatment plant to remove cadmium II ion. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) used to optimize the optimal parameters that affecting the performance of filter units, these parameters are time, Cd (II) concentration, and filtration rate. These optimized parameters were 9 hr., 5 ppm, 10 l/hr. with removal efficiency of Cd (II) for A-Filter, T-Filter, S-Filter, and A-T-S-Filter was 94%, 95%, 86.8% and 90%, respectively. The result shows that the T-filter has higher cadmium removal efficiency than A-filter, S-filter and S-T-A- filter. While A-filter has a higher removal efficiency of cadmium than the S-filter and S-T-A- filter. While the S-T-A- filter has higher efficiency than S- filter. The result obtained from RSM was good Agreement with the result of experiments. As a result, the optimized process in this paper can be widely utilized with high removal ratio of Cd (II) ions from wastewater samples

Nanomaterials as transmitters of non-viral gene vectors: A review

With the rapid development of nanotechnology in the recent decade, novel DNA and RNA delivery systems for gene therapy have become available that can be used instead of viral vectors. These non-viral vectors can be made of a variety of materials, including inorganic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, liposomes, protein and peptide-based nanoparticles, as well as nanoscale polymeric materials. They have as advantages over viral vectors a decreased immune response, and additionally offer flexibility in design, allowing them to be functionalized and targeted to specific sites in a biological system with low cytotoxicity.gene therapy keeps hopes a life for the treatment of a wide range of diseases such as cancer, nano particles are now known as promising carriers for the effective and safe vectors of genes to specific cells or tissues. This could provide alternative therapies for conventional approaches that use viruses as gene carriers. The expression of genetic material such as DNA, RNA into cells and tissues has raised considerable hopes for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. But getting nucleic acids into the cell also faces challenges. These challenges are less for non-virus carriers as a gene and drug vectors method than for viral or free vectors and are therefore considered less risky and more appropriate. of expanding nonverbal nano carriers, we will look at a few of these nano carriers, penicillin, PEI, PLGA, silica, block copolymer, Quantum dot, gold nano particles, and common carbon nano tubes. Problems include the use of nano particles such as polymer nano particles, liposomes, solid lipid particles, in targeted gene vectors will be investigated. Gene-based therapy is the intentional modulation of gene expression in specific cells to treat pathological conditions. This modulation is accomplished by introducing exogenous nucleic acids such as DNA, mRNA, small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA) or antisense oligonucleotides. Given the large size and the negative charge of these macromolecules, their delivery is typically mediated by carriers or vectors. In this Review, we introduce the biological barriers to gene delivery in vivo and discuss recent advances in material sciences, nanotechnology and nucleic acid chemistry that have yielded promising non-viral delivery systems, some of which are currently undergoing testing in clinical trials. The diversity of these systems highlights the recent progress of gene-based therapy using non-viral approaches

Investigation of effective parameters in the production of alumina gel through the sol-gel method

Sol-gel chemistry is currently applied as one of the most widely used methods for synthesis of nanoparticles. In this method hydrolysis and poly-condensation reactions occur when the gel precursors are mixed with water and catalyst. The further condensation of sol particles into a three-dimensional network produces a gel. There are several parameters that effect on gelation time such as the molar ratio of alkoxide to water, the rate of hydrolysis, the type and amount of catalyst used, initial concentration of precursors and the temperature of hydrolysis and drying. Encapsulated solvent can be removed from a gel by either evaporative drying or supercritical drying. Where the resulting solids are known as a xerogel and an aerogel, respectively. During the drying process due to the surface tension of the liquid, a capillary pressure gradient is built in the pore walls, which is able to collapse most part of the pore volume. The volume shrinkage may be prevented by supercritical drying. The strength, thermal stability, pore structure and morphology of aerogels are keys to success for wider applications such as catalyst supports, thermal and acoustic insulators and adsorbents. Among catalyst support materials, alumina became popular recently due to its highly thermal and chemical stability and higher porosity. In the present study, synthesis of alumina gel as a support for nano-catalysts through hydrolysis of aluminum tri-sec-butoxide (ASB) in ethanol was investigated. The gel synthesis was carried out at 32 and 60 °C with different concentrations of water and precursor and different types and amounts of acid as catalyst. Rate of gel formation, efficiency of hydrolysis and polymerization and amount of gel production were measured and discussed. Results showed that acid addition around 0.2 ml and water to ASB malar ratio of 2 at 60 °C maximized the amount of gel produced and minimized the gelation time. Then, the alumina gel that synthesized at optimum conditions was dried by two different methods, at atmospheric pressure and temperature and at supercritical conditions of carbon dioxide and the results of Scanning Electron Microscopy were compared