Design and Mechanical Compatibility of Nylon Bionic Cancellous Bone Fabricated by Selective Laser Sintering

In order to avoid the stress shielding phenomenon in orthopedic bionic bone implantation, it is necessary to consider the design of mechanical compatible implants imitating the host bone. In this study, we developed a novel cancellous bone structure design method aimed at ensuring the mechanical compatibility between the bionic bone and human bone by means of computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis technology (specifically, finite element modeling (FEM)). An orthogonal lattice model with volume porosity between 59% and 96% was developed by means of CAD. The effective equivalent elastic modulus of a honeycomb structure with square holes was studied by FEM simulation. With the purpose of verifying the validity of the cancellous bone structure design method, the honeycomb structure was fabricated by selective laser sintering (SLS) and the actual equivalent elastic modulus of the honeycomb structure was measured with a uniaxial compression test. The experimental results were compared with the FEM values and the predicted values. The results showed that the stiffness values of the designed structures were within the acceptable range of human cancellous bone of 50-500 MPa, which was similar to the stiffness values of human vertebrae L1 and L5. From the point of view of mechanical strength, the established cellular model can effectively match the elastic modulus of human vertebrae cancellous bone. The functional relationship between the volume porosity of the nylon square-pore honeycomb structure ranging from 59% to 96% and the effective elastic modulus was established. The effect of structural changes related to the manufacture of honeycomb structures on the equivalent elastic modulus of honeycomb structures was studied quantitatively by finite element modeling

Comparison of Adsorption Capacity and Removal Efficiency of Strontium by Six Typical Adsorption Materials

The rapid development and application of nuclear technology have been accompanied by the production of large amounts of radioactive wastes, of which Sr is a typical nuclide. In this study, six typical materials with strong adsorption properties, namely activated carbon, kaolin, montmorillonite, bentonite, zeolite, and attapulgite, were selected. Their adsorption mechanisms were investigated by analyzing their adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, micromorphologies, element contents, specific surface areas, crystal structures, and functional groups. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency of Sr by the six adsorbents can be ranked as zeolite, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, activated carbon, and kaolin, among which the maximum adsorption capacity of zeolite was 4.07 mg/g. Based on the adsorption kinetic and thermodynamic fitting results, the adsorption of Sr by zeolites, bentonite and attapulgite is consistent with Langmuir model, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption process of Sr (II) by montmorillonite, activated carbon and kaolinite is consistent with the Freundlich model and corresponds to non-uniform adsorption. The main mechanisms of the six materials are physical adsorption, ion exchange and complexation. In summary, zeolite, bentonite, and attapulgite, especially zeolite, are highly effective for the treatment of radioactive wastewater containing strontium and have great application value in the treatment of radioactive wastes

Comparison of Adsorption Capacity and Removal Efficiency of Strontium by Six Typical Adsorption Materials

The rapid development and application of nuclear technology have been accompanied by the production of large amounts of radioactive wastes, of which Sr is a typical nuclide. In this study, six typical materials with strong adsorption properties, namely activated carbon, kaolin, montmorillonite, bentonite, zeolite, and attapulgite, were selected. Their adsorption mechanisms were investigated by analyzing their adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics, micromorphologies, element contents, specific surface areas, crystal structures, and functional groups. The results showed that the adsorption efficiency of Sr by the six adsorbents can be ranked as zeolite, bentonite, attapulgite, montmorillonite, activated carbon, and kaolin, among which the maximum adsorption capacity of zeolite was 4.07 mg/g. Based on the adsorption kinetic and thermodynamic fitting results, the adsorption of Sr by zeolites, bentonite and attapulgite is consistent with Langmuir model, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption process of Sr (II) by montmorillonite, activated carbon and kaolinite is consistent with the Freundlich model and corresponds to non-uniform adsorption. The main mechanisms of the six materials are physical adsorption, ion exchange and complexation. In summary, zeolite, bentonite, and attapulgite, especially zeolite, are highly effective for the treatment of radioactive wastewater containing strontium and have great application value in the treatment of radioactive wastes

Assessment of bioremediation potential of metal contaminated soils (Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) by earthworms from their tolerance, accumulation and impact on metal activation and soil quality: A case study in South China

International audienceThis study was aimed to evaluate the potential of four earthworm species commonly found in South China for the bioremediation of soils contaminated by Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn. Survival rates and metal accumulation of Eisenia fetida, Amynthas morrisi, A. robustus and A. corticis and changes in soil physico-chemical properties were investigated in a 60-day incubation experiment with a metal-polluted soil. At the end of the experiment, the survival rates of E. fetida, A. morrisi and A. robustus were significantly higher than that of A. corticis. Principal component analysis showed that earthworm activity improved soil quality with the averaging soil quality index being 0.66, 0.64, 0.56, 0.53, and 0.12 for the A. corticis, A. morrisi, A. robustus, E. fetida, and control treatments, respectively. The highest total available Cd, Cu, and Pb in casts were found in the treatment with A. morrisi, and this species accumulated the smallest amount of metals. Results indicate that A. morrisi may be the best candidate for earthworm-assisted bioremediation of metal contaminated soils in South China