A combined photolytic–electrolytic system for the simultaneous recovery of copper and degradation of phenol or 4-chlorophenol in mixed solutions

The effects of the presence of copper on the photooxidation of phenol and 4-chlorophenol and of the presence of the phenols on the recovery of copper by electrodeposition are studied in three systems: a photolytic cell in the presence and absence of TiO2 as a catalyst or H2O2 as an oxidant; an electrolytic cell and a combined photolytic – electrolytic system. The optimum system for the simultaneous removal of copper and destruction of the phenols which overcomes the effects of copper-phenol reactions is a combined system with concentrator electrode technology incorporated into the electrolytic cell. This combined system achieves > 99% removal of copper and destruction of phenol or 4-chlorophenol in an 8 h period.EPSRC/Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme (ETBPP) and Fluid Dynamic International Ltd. for a grant under the Link (WMR03) programme

Simultaneous recovery of metals and degradation of organic species: Copper and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T)

In mixed wastewater streams, the presence of metal ions can retard the destruction of organic contaminants and the efficiency of recovery of the metal is reduced by the presence of organic species. The reduction in the efficiency of these methods is due to the formation of complexes between the organic species and the metal ions in solution. Results are presented for copper - 2,4,5-T system in which both effects occur. A photolytic cell alone can achieve the complete degradation of 2,4,5-T, in the presence of TiO2 or H2O2, at pH 3.5. The addition of Cu(II) ions, however, retard the degradation of 2,4,5-T and complete mineralization of 2,4,5-T was not achieved and the system also leaves Cu(II) ions in solution. An electrolytic cell alone can be used to recover copper in pH range 1.5 – 4.5 but is not capable of achieving complete disappearance of 2,4,5-T by anodic oxidation. A combined photolytic – electrolytic system is capable of achieving simultaneous destruction of 2,4,5-T and recovery of copper from mixed wastewater streams at pH 3.5. The percentage destruction of 2,4,5-T and the recovery of copper can be increased further by using a combined photolytic and an activated carbon concentrator cell system. This system can achieve the simultaneous recovery of copper and the degradation of 2,4,5-T without the use of an additional oxidants or catalysts.Pakistan High Commissio

Concentrator cell methodology in the regeneration and recycle of chromium etching solutions using membrane technology

The regeneration of chromium (VI) and the recovery of etched copper from chromium etching solutions by electrodialysis is improved by the addition of a concentrator cell, using ion exchange resins or activated carbon cloth as concentrator media, in the catholyte chamber. The maximum percentages for the regeneration of chromium and recovery of copper in these systems is however less than 80 and 90% respectively because of the competition between the processes of oxidation of Cr(III) and electrodeposition of copper. A novel combination of electrolysis with electrodialysis and concentrator cell technology is developed that achieves 92.1% chromium regeneration and 90.4% copper recovery.EPSRC/DTI through the Link WMR03 programme and to Fluid Dynamics International Ltd. for financial support

Removal of Oxytetracycline Using Polymer Coated Magnetıc Nanopartıcular Activated Carbon: Synthesıs, Characterisation and adsorption isotherms and kinetics studies

Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). In the presented study, the removal of oxytetracycline (OTC) from aqueous solution by adsorption was investigated onto active carbon (AC), magnetic activated carbon (MagAC), styrene-butadiene styrene magnetic activated carbon (SBS/MagAC) and poly charbon magnetic activated carbon (PC/MagAC). The process optimization was carried by investigating the effects of pH, temperature, solid-liquid ratio, adsorbent type and initial concentrations. The data showed that adsorption reached equilibrium in as little as one hour. less adsorption at low pH values and more at approximately 5.0 values. However, all the materials performed well at room temperature when the situation is examined in terms of kinetics. It was also observed that AC, MagAC and PC/MagAC are more effective than SBS/MagAC and the initial concentration decreased from 100 ppm to 20 ppm with adsorbents. In addition, at lower concentrations, when 25ppm and 50 ppm were used , it was obsedved to 2.5 ppm and 5.0ppm values. The kinetic results presented that pseudo-second-order model (r2 ⩾ 0.99) was more effective than that of pseudo-first-order model (r2 < 0.90). Also, Intra-particle kinetic model in adsorption process exhibited two different stages with diffusion of inter-particle and external diffusion. Adsorption isotherms for all adsorbents were fitted to Langmuire models more effectively than Freundlich models (r2 ⩾ 0.99). Thermodynamics parameters were also calculated. It is seen that OTC can be removed more easily from the aqueous medium by using magnetic and polymeric material.Research Project Coordination Unit. Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University

Ureterolithiasis after Cohen re-implantation – case report

BACKGROUND: In the past decades, the widespread use of cross-trigonal ureteral reimplants for the treatment of children with vesicoureteral reflux has resulted in a large population of patients with transversely lying ureters. As this population gets older they will consequently be entering an age group at higher risk for stone and urothelial cancer formation. If ureteroscopy becomes necessary, the transverse position of the ureter makes ureteric access often impossible. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a young man who not only suffered from urolithiasis due to hyperparathyroidism, but also further jeopardized his treatment by omitting the fact that as a child he underwent Cohen reimplantation of the right ureter. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the particular difficulties the endoscopist may face in this group of patients. Patients with difficult ureteric access, abnormal anatomy, or those with known cross-trigonal ureteric reimplantations should be managed in a specialised endourology unit

REMOVAL OF PHENOL USING POLYMER COATED MAGNETIC NANOPARTICULAR ACTIVATED CARBON

Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Phenol is a toxic organic pollutant which is present in many industrial effluent streams originating from petrochemical industry, ceramic production process, wood plants and resin manufacturing plants. Phenol is difficult to remove from most wastewater effluent streams. In the presented study, phenol removal from wastewater sample was investigated using the adsorption method. The experiments were conducted to investigate the adsorption performance of activated carbon (AC), magnetic activated carbon (MagAC), styrenebutadiene styrene magnetic activated carbon (SBS/MagAC) and poly charbonat magnetic activated carbon (PC/MagAC) samples. The effects of various parameters, for example, temperature, solid-liquid ratio, adsorbent type, initial phenol concentrations and solution pH were investigated under similar experimental conditions. The results showed that the maximum adsorption of 98-99% was achieved at low pH values with the use of both AC and MagAC adsorbent materials. It was also found that the polymer coated magnetic materials did not perform very well at high pH values. The experimental data also showed that MagAC and SBS/MagAC were more effective than AC and PC/MagAC to remove phenol. In conclusion, we found that phenol can be removed more easily from the aqueous medium by using both magnetic and polymeric materials.Muğla Sıtkı Koçman Üniversity, Research Project Coordination Unit, project (19/081/01/1/1)

Impacts of projected precipitation changes on sugar beet yield in Eastern England

Projected increasing temperatures and reduced summer rainfall in the UK pose a sustainability and food security challenge for the agricultural industry. This study investigates the potential impact of precipitation changes on Eastern England sugar beet yield. Precipitation data over Eastern England from weather stations (1971-2000) and a range of CMIP5 climate models (“historical” for 1971-2000; and RCP45 and RCP85 for 2021-2050) were examined. A good agreement was found between the observations and the overlapping model grid cell. The study then investigated the impact of likely future rainfall changes on yield by applying controlled watering regimes informed by the CMIP5 projections 10 to 150 sugar beet plants grown in a greenhouse – the use of CMIP5 projections in this way is a first. Watering regimes that represent “present day” and “future” precipitation characteristics were calculated: 0.46L of water was applied every other day to each plant in the “present day” category; 0.39L was applied every other day to each plant in the “future” category. This reflects the 16% reduction in future rainfall that was calculated from the climate models. Results from the greenhouse experiment showed a statistically significant (p<0.01) reduction in soil moisture in the “future” category, which was related to a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction in mean tuber wet mass: mean of 360g for “present day”; and 319g for “future”. The results for dry mass were less significant (p=0.11) but indicated a reduction in the future category (95.2g vs. 88.2g). These findings imply a potential yield reduction of 11% by 2050. 2

Growth factor restriction impedes progression of wound healing following cataract surgery: identification of VEGF as a putative therapeutic target

Secondary visual loss occurs in millions of patients due to a wound-healing response, known as posterior capsule opacification (PCO), following cataract surgery. An intraocular lens (IOL) is implanted into residual lens tissue, known as the capsular bag, following cataract removal. Standard IOLs allow the anterior and posterior capsules to become physically connected. This places pressure on the IOL and improves contact with the underlying posterior capsule. New open bag IOL designs separate the anterior capsule and posterior capsules and further reduce PCO incidence. It is hypothesised that this results from reduced cytokine availability due to greater irrigation of the bag. We therefore explored the role of growth factor restriction on PCO using human lens cell and tissue culture models. We demonstrate that cytokine dilution, by increasing medium volume, significantly reduced cell coverage in both closed and open capsular bag models. This coincided with reduced cell density and myofibroblast formation. A screen of 27 cytokines identified nine candidates whose expression profile correlated with growth. In particular, VEGF was found to regulate cell survival, growth and myofibroblast formation. VEGF provides a therapeutic target to further manage PCO development and will yield best results when used in conjunction with open bag IOL designs

Surface TRAIL decoy receptor-4 expression is correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells. Despite this promising feature, TRAIL resistance observed in cancer cells seriously challenged the use of TRAIL as a death ligand in gene therapy. The current dispute concerns whether or not TRAIL receptor expression pattern is the primary determinant of TRAIL sensitivity in cancer cells. This study investigates TRAIL receptor expression pattern and its connection to TRAIL resistance in breast cancer cells. In addition, a DcR2 siRNA approach and a complementary gene therapy modality involving IKK inhibition (AdIKKβKA) were also tested to verify if these approaches could sensitize MCF7 breast cancer cells to adenovirus delivery of TRAIL (Ad5hTRAIL). METHODS: TRAIL sensitivity assays were conducted using Molecular Probe's Live/Dead Cellular Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit following the infection of breast cancer cells with Ad5hTRAIL. The molecular mechanism of TRAIL induced cell death under the setting of IKK inhibition was revealed by Annexin V binding. Novel quantitative Real Time RT-PCR and flow cytometry analysis were performed to disclose TRAIL receptor composition in breast cancer cells. RESULTS: MCF7 but not MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells displayed strong resistance to adenovirus delivery of TRAIL. Only the combinatorial use of Ad5hTRAIL and AdIKKβKA infection sensitized MCF7 breast cancer cells to TRAIL induced cell death. Moreover, novel quantitative Real Time RT-PCR assays suggested that while the level of TRAIL Decoy Receptor-4 (TRAIL-R4) expression was the highest in MCF7 cells, it was the lowest TRAIL receptor expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, conventional flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that TRAIL resistant MCF7 cells exhibited substantial levels of TRAIL-R4 expression but not TRAIL decoy receptor-3 (TRAIL-R3) on surface. On the contrary, TRAIL sensitive MDA-MB-231 cells displayed very low levels of surface TRAIL-R4 expression. Furthermore, a DcR2 siRNA approach lowered TRAIL-R4 expression on surface and this sensitized MCF7 cells to TRAIL. CONCLUSION: The expression of TRAIL-R4 decoy receptor appeared to be well correlated with TRAIL resistance encountered in breast cancer cells. Both adenovirus mediated IKKβKA expression and a DcR2 siRNA approach sensitized MCF7 breast cancer cells to TRAIL