Adsorption dynamique en phase liquide sur charbon actif : comparaison et simplification de différents modèles

L'adsorption en phase liquide sur charbon actif est un sujet très travaillé sur le plan expérimental et de plus en plus dans le domaine de la modélisation. Les tentatives de description des courbes de percée ou de fuite des filtres montrant la saturation du matériau adsorbant remontent aux travaux de BOHART et ADAMS en 1920. D'autres équations avec d'autres approximations ont été proposées par la suite (THOMAS 1944 ; DOLE et KLOLZ 1946), HUTCHINS (1973) ; plus récemment, WOLBORSKA (1989) ou CLARK (1987) ont proposé d'autres modèles. Nous avons essayé de faire le point sur ces différents modèles, de montrer leurs origines communes, souvent à partir des équations de BOHART et ADAMS, les approximations apportées limitant leur domaine d'application, les grandeurs qu'ils permettent de déterminer : capacité maximum d'adsorption, constante cinétique d'adsorption, vitesse de déplacement du front d'adsorption. De tous ces modèles, un seul (CLARK 1987) permet une bonne représentation des courbes de percée. Nous en avons proposé une linéarisaüon qui facilite la détermination des paramètres nécessaires au calcul des courbes de fuite. Tous ces modèles ont été testés sur les résultats expérimentaux obtenus pour l'adsorption d'un tensioactif anionique : le décylsulfonate de sodium et ceci sur cinq petites colonnes de hauteurs différentes de charbon actif. Le modèle de CLARK a également été appliqué à des résultats obtenus au laboratoire (El HANI, 1987) sur l'adsorption et la dégradation biologique des acides humiques sur un filtre de charbon de 1m de haut, sur une période beaucoup plus longue (1 mois) et avec des lavages du filtre. Ce modèle permet de calculer la part qui n'est pas simplement de l'adsorption rapide (dégradation biologique et adsorption lente).Low concentrations of organic contaminants are not easily removed by conventional treatment methods, but activated carbon bas a good affinity for various organics and is used in batch or column reactors.Much has been written concerning the prediction of the performance of powdered activated carbon (PAC) ; adsorptive capacity and equilibrium isotherms determined in « batch » reactor are proposed to simulate the performance of PAC for single or bisolute systems (DUSART et al. 1990, SMITH 1991). Some investigators have attempted to simulate column performance with mathematical models and the aim of this work is to present the principal models and verify how the different models are applied to break-through curves ; parameters which can be evaluated by the different equations will also be compared.As early as 1920 BOHART and ADAMS presented differential equations which govern the dynamics of the adsorption of vapours and gases on fixed beds and the final result, applied to the liquid-solid phase, yields the kinetic adsorption rate (k) and the maximum adsorption capacity (No) (eq. 3). By transposition to the liquid phase, we have calculated the concentration distribution in the bed (eq. 5) by using the kinetic constant k and the maximum adsorption capacity No obtained by equation 4; it was noted that only the low concentration range of the break-through curve can be used. Some approximations from DOLE and KLOTZ (1946) lead to the « Bed Depth/Service-Time (BDST) equation 7 proposed by HUTCHINS (1973) ; the service time of a column tb has a linear relationship with the bed depth Z (fig.3). The activated carbon efficiency No can be estimated and the adsorption rate constant calculated from the slope and the y-intercept.Recently, WOLBORSKA (1989) proposed a rectilinear equation InC/Co = At + B (eq. 10) for the initial segment of the break-through curve. The form of this equation is similar to equation (4) obtained tram the BOHART-ADAMS hypothesis. The mass transfer coefficient, ßa, the maximum adsorption capacity and the migration velocity v (eq.9) of the concentration fronts can be calculated from the constants A and B.The model developed by CLARK (1987) is based on the use of e mass-transfer concept in combination with the Freundlich isotherm (fig.4). The originality of this modal, in comparison to the others, consists in the existence of the equilibrium concentration Ce and the driving force equilibrium « C-Ce ». The general equation is equation (14). Two parameters A and r are determined by regression equations ; we proposed a simple method to calculate A and r by a linearization of the preceding equation (eq. 14). This is equation (16) In [(Co/C)n-1 -1] = In A -rt.Sodium decanesulfonate at a concentration of 20 mg ·l-1 was used as influent and activated powdered carton (200 ≤ ø ≤ 315 µm) as the fixed bed adsorbent layer to illustrate the comparison between the different models. The linear flow rates were 3.0 m . h-1 and the five columns tested were 3.1 ; 4.0 ; 7.5 ; 10.2 ; 12.5 cm high with a 1.45 cm2 cross section. The Freundlich isotherm equation (fig. 4) obtained in a batch system for an equilibrium time (t = 24 h for this activated carbon) gives a « n value » equal to 2.38.Figure 2 presents the experimental break-through curves obtained for the different bed heights ; by using equations (4 or 10) in the system (In C/Co, t) they are represented on the same figure by the dotted line. The agreement is only for the low values of C in the break-through curves.The coefficients A and B (table 1) are determined from the straight lines obtained with the low break-curve concentrations (fig. 1). The kinetic coefficient Sa, and the maximum capacity adsorption No are shown in table 1. The No value is similar to those obtained from the other equations. The migration velocity of the concentration fronts (r = 0,133 cm · h-1) is in good agreement with the experimental value (0,128 cm · h-1).The linearized Clark equation (16) gives a good representation of experimental results (fig. 6) alter the determination of A and r parameters (fig. 5 and table 2). With the use of the two parameters, the break-through curves have been recalculated (fig.6) and compared to experimental results. Their is good agreement. The A parameter is related to the depth Z of the adsorbant : A = Bez ·. B value can be determined with the different columns (fig.7).The Clark model can be applied to filers which have a biological activity ; the results obtained in the laboratory by EL HANI (1987) for the adsorption of humic acids (10 mg · l-1) on a 1m granular activated carton bed were analyzed by the Clark equation (fig. 8). The initial concentrations of humic acids are never obtained in the effluent because of biological degradation and/or slow adsorption in mesopores. From the difference in the area of the two curves, it is possible to calculate the supplementary biological degradation. For 95 cm of activated carbon in the column and after 800 h, the biological degradation represents 55 % of the total elimination. The percentage is constant alter 35 cm depth of the activated carton in agreement with the electon microscopy study that showed that the flora was only present in the 10 first centimeters.The use of this model is facilitated by our linearization and the case of particular phenomena : biological degradation or desorption. in the case of successive muld adsorbates fixation (REYDEMANEUF et al. to be published) can be studied and compared to the only adsorption phenomena.In conclusion, nome of the tested models lead to different parameters by using low break-through curve concentrations or others with the whole range of experimental points, but only one (CLARK) gives a good description of the break-through curves in our actual knowledge

Penicillin-binding proteins of protoplast and sporoplast membranes of Streptomyces griseus strains

Membrane-bound penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) of two Streptomyces griseus strains that sporulate well in liquid and solid medium have been investigated during the course of their life-cycle. The PBP patterns were analyzed by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and fluorography. One strain (No. 45 H) has only a single band (mol wt: 27,000) in early log phase, and two additional PBPs of higher mol wt (69,000 and 80,000) in the late log phase. The other strain (No. 2682) possessed two bands with mol wts 27,000 and 38,000 which did not change during its vegetative phase. In strain No. 2682, a new PBP with a mol wt of 58,000 appeared in spore membranes while one of those (mol wt 38,000) present in mycelial membranes disappeared. Our results suggest that appearance of the new PBP in the spore may be associated with the sporulation process. The major PBP band (mol wt: 27,000) present in all stages of the life cycle of these strains, may be characteristic of S. griseus while the other PBPs reflect certain stages of the life cycle. A new method was developed for the production of spore protoplasts by consecutive enzymatic treatments.

Elimination de colorants de l'industrie textile par des sciures de bois

L'élimination de la couleur de rejets de petites industries textiles peut être réalisée à l'aide de sciures d'essences de bois diverses dont le choix est fait après étude de leur relargage dans l'eau (couleur et DCO); les sciures de chêne, de châtaignier, de pin Douglas conduisent à des relargages de substances fortement colorées correspondant à des DCO d'environ 60 mg d'oxygène par gramme de sciures sèches et ceci en réacteur discontinu. Par contre, les sciures de hêtre, bouleau, sapin et peuplier relarguent nettement moins de produits colorés ou non et conduisent à des DCO plus faibles, excepté pour le bouleau (30 mg d'O2.g-1).Le pH de l'eau est également modifié par addition de sciures et l'on obtient des valeurs de pH d'équilibre atteint en 10 min., de 4,3; 5; 5,8 et 7 pour le bouleau, le sapin, le hêtre et le peuplier respectivement.L'élimination de colorants à 25 mg.l-1 dans l'eau par des doses de sciures de 50 g.-1 pour 2 h de temps de contact, montre qu'une meilleure décoloration (98 à 100 %) est obtenue pour le colorant cationique Basic Red 22 avec les quatre sciures sélectionnées, qu'avec les colorants anioniques (ou acides) dont les valeurs de rétention, variables selon les sciures (de 4 à 8 %) peuvent être très bonnes également.Les isothermes d'adsorption permettent de déterminer les capacités d'adsorption à saturation; à titre d'exemple, des valeurs de 0,1 à 0,2 mmol.g-1 sont obtenues sur des sciures de peuplier et de hêtre pour le colorant BR 22 et de 4 à 8.10- mmol.g-1 pour le colorant anionique Acid Blue 25, sur ces mêmes sciures. Contrairement à d'autres matériaux, on observe que les résultats obtenus ne dépendent que très peu de la température (entre 15 et 35 °C).Une étude dynamique sur colonne confirme les écarts pour les deux types de colorants, mais les résultats dépendent de la vitesse de passage : des pourcentages d'élimination de 0,4 à 1 % en masse peuvent être obtenus pour l'AB 25 le BR 22 sur la sciure de hêtre. Il faut cependant signaler que les produits minéraux et organiques contenus dans les effluents colorés industriels diminuent l'efficacité des sciures par rapport à leur efficacité sur des solutions de colorants purs.Anticipated water pollution regulations require textile dye industries to reduce substantially the amount of colour in their effluents. One possible method of colour removal is through adsorption techniques. The most commonly used adsorbent for treatment of textile effluents is activated carbon. The capability of sawdust for removing colour was recognised some time ago (POOTS et al. 1978; ABO-ELELA and EL-DIB, 1987; ASFOUR et al., 1985) as were those of peat and of charred woollen fiber treatments (PERINEAU et al., 1983). Sawdust has recently received more attention (ASFOUR et al., 1985) owing to its economic advantages when the sawmills are near the textile mills. In order to measure the real efficacy of some types of sawdust, evaluation of the released coloured products and their influence on the effluent water pH are never described. The aim of the present work is to study and evaluate the behaviour of types of sawdust from Limousin woods (released COD and pH of solutions) and the discolouring power of the selected sawdust (beech, poplar, birch and fir trees) with respect to textile dyes in dilute solutions and industrial effluents.MATERIALS AND METHODSExperiments were conducted using sawdust from beech, chestnut, poplar, oak, birch, fir and Douglas pine, in doses of 50 g.l-1 of water. The industrial sawdust particle site was between 0.5 - 1.5 mm.The dyestuffs used in all the experiments are reported in table 1. The initial concentration of colouring matter was 25 mg.l-1 and determined spectrophotometrically at maximum absorbance wavelength. In a batch system the time required for equilibrium was 2 hours (or less).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONKinetic rejections of the sawdust are shown in figure 1; four types of sawdust are suitable : beech, poplar, birch, and fir were selected for further experiments. The absorbance depends on the wavelength and becomes maximum near UV range (as shown in fig. 2 and 3). The COD of the released products is particularly important for chestnut, oak, Douglas pine (60 mg.O2.g-1; table 2) and also for birch (31 mg.O2.g-1). These data have never been mentioned in published works where the wood was not submitted to any form of pre-treatment.Sawdust contains some acidic or basic groups that modify the pH of water (fig. 6, 7) which becomes more acidic; the phenomenon can be used to neutralize textile fixing effluents loaded with carbonate ions (pH : 10). Batch results (table 3) indicate that the tour selected types of sawdust give good colour removal for the 8 dyes; particularly, the cationic dye : Basic Red 22 is discoloured with very good yield (96 to 99.5 %) on beech and on birch sawdust.A variation of temperature between 15 and 35 °C does not change significantly the adsorption results and at pH = 2, the release decreases (table 2) and the adsorption increases (table 4).Equilibrium conditions of adsorption of basic and acidic dyes on four types of dust were studied using the Langmuir equation; this equation was also used for the determination of the « ultimate capacity » Г∞ and the equilibrium constant K (STUMM and MORGAN, 1981). The resulting Г∞ and K for some dyes (AB 25, BR 22, NLB) on fir, beech, poplar, and birch sawdust are given in table 5. The best results were obtained for the cationic dye BR 22 which showed an ultimate capacity of 0.210 and 0.06 mmol.g-1 on beech and on birch sawdust respectively. [The result for other dyes is in the order of 0.005 mmol.g-1]. The results obtained by extrapolation of the linearized Langmuir equation are somewhat different from those obtained by the experimental saturation curve (fig. 8) for BR 22 on polar sawdust. For AB 25, the saturation curve shows a great increase of the adsorption capacity for concentrated solutions (2 - 2.25 g.l-1), this is probably due to a micellary process as shown on figure 9 : the critical micellary concentration is between 1.5 and 3.3 g.1-1.DYNAMIC STUDYFlow tests using small columns (3 - 7 cm of height) are used with beech sawdust for determining the breakthrough curves (rate : 1.03 m.h-1). The concentrations of AB 25, BR 22 and their mixture are 25 mg.l-1 (close to industrial waste-water concentration). The adsorption capacity deduced from the « Bed Depth Service Time » model is 0.4 % and 0.8 % for each dye respectively.Glass columns (4 cm diameter) containing 20 g or 30 g of beech sawdust were also used. The values of adsorption for a rate of 3.1 m.h-1 are 0.45 mg.g-1 (0.04 %) for AB 25 and 13 mg.g-1 (1.3 %) for BR 22. Approximately 650 litres of this dye can be treated by this sawdust (fig. 10 and 11).Industrial effluents (unknown composition) are less discoloured, probably due to the presence of many other compounds.Batch experiments adsorption of dyes on wood sawdust can lead to different measurements of the efficiency of the sawdust depending on rejection by the adsorbent of chemical species in the bulk solution. These substances modify the pH, the adsorbance of the solution and the amount of adsorbed dyes by competitive reaction

A critical role for ATF2 transcription factor in the regulation of E-selectin expression in response to non-endotoxin components of Neisseria meningitidis

Vascular injury is a serious complication of sepsis due to the gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. One of the critical early steps in initiating this injury is via the interaction of leucocytes, particularly neutrophils, with adhesion molecules expressed on inflamed endothelium. We have previously demonstrated that both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and non-LPS components of meningococci can induce very high levels of expression of the vascular endothelial cell adhesion molecule E-selectin, which is critical for early tethering and capture of neutrophils onto endothelium under flow. Using an LPS-deficient strain of meningococcus, we showed that very high levels of expression can be induced in primary endothelial cells, even in the context of weak activation of the major host signal transduction factor [nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)]. In this study, we show that the particular propensity for N. meningitidis to induce high levels of expression is regulated at a transcriptional level, and demonstrate a significant role for phosphorylation of the ATF2 transcription factor, likely via mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, on the activity of the E-selectin promoter. Furthermore, inhibition of E-selectin expression in response to the lpxA- strain by a p38 inhibitor indicates a significant role of a p38-dependent MAPK signalling pathway in ATF2 activation. Collectively, these data highlight the role that LPS and other bacterial components have in modulating endothelial function and their involvement in the pathogenesis of meningococcal sepsis. Better understanding of these multiple mechanisms induced by complex stimuli such as bacteria, and the specific inflammatory pathways they activate, may lead to improved, focused interventions in both meningococcal and potentially bacterial sepsis more generally

Regular graphs of large girth and arbitrary degree

For every integer d > 9, we construct infinite families {G_n}_n of d+1-regular graphs which have a large girth > log_d |G_n|, and for d large enough > 1,33 log_d |G_n|. These are Cayley graphs on PGL_2(q) for a special set of d+1 generators whose choice is related to the arithmetic of integral quaternions. These graphs are inspired by the Ramanujan graphs of Lubotzky-Philips-Sarnak and Margulis, with which they coincide when d is prime. When d is not equal to the power of an odd prime, this improves the previous construction of Imrich in 1984 where he obtained infinite families {I_n}_n of d+1-regular graphs, realized as Cayley graphs on SL_2(q), and which are displaying a girth > 0,48 log_d |I_n|. And when d is equal to a power of 2, this improves a construction by Morgenstern in 1994 where certain families {M_n}_n of 2^k+1-regular graphs were shown to have a girth > 2/3 log_d |M_n|.Comment: (15 pages) Accepted at Combinatorica. Title changed following referee's suggestion. Revised version after reviewing proces

DIGITAL EARTH OBSERVATION INFRASTRUCTURES AND INITIATIVES: A REVIEW FRAMEWORK BASED ON OPEN PRINCIPLES

Recent years have seen a tremendous increase of digital Earth Observation (EO) infrastructures, which provide web-based environments for accessing and processing data in a highly automated and scalable way. However, the current landscape of EO infrastructures and initiatives is fragmented, with various levels of user on-boarding and uptake success. The current work aims to make sense of this complex landscape by providing two main contributions. First, it offers a classification scheme used to review and analyse more than 150 EO infrastructures and initiatives. Then, adopting a user-centric perspective, the main limitations and obstacles currently faced by users when working with the existing EO platforms are identified. For each of these limitations, we propose a number of good practices that could benefit, from a user point of view, the design and functioning of EO platforms. Some technological enablers, i.e. specific resources (such as software components, standards and data encodings) that emerged from the analysis as holding a great potential for improving the usability of existing EO platforms, are finally listed. The work aims to provide a first scientific insight on how to best design and operate EO platforms to maximise the benefits of their user communities

Site-directed mutagenesis of conserved inverted repeat sequences in the xylanase C promoter region from Streptomyces sp EC3

Streptomyces sp. EC3, a strain which was originally isolated from cattle manure compost, was shown to possess a strong xylanolytic activity. One of the genes responsible for this activity, xlnC, encodes a secreted xylanase. In the native strain, as in the heterologous host S. lividans, expression of xlnC was detectable in the presence of xylan but not in the presence of glucose. Induction by xylan was shown to take place at the transcriptional level. The transcriptional start site of xlnC was mapped and likely -35 (5'-TTGACA-3') and -10 (5'-GAGAAC-3') motifs were identified. In order to localise putative conserved regulatory sequences, the promoter regions of xylanase-encoding genes from various Streptomyces species were aligned. This alignment revealed the existence of three sets of quite well conserved palindromic AT rich sequences called boxes 1, 2 and 3. Box 3 (5'-CGAAA N TTTCG-3') is the farthest away from the promoter region (150-200 bp). A shorter version of this palindrome (5'-GAAA NN TTTC-3') or (5'-CGAAA-3') constitutes box 1, which is located just upstream of the putative -35 promoter sequence. Box 2, located 5-7 bp upstream of box 1, comprises a shorter palindrome than box 3, with inverted polarity [5'-(G/C)TTTC (N) GAAA(G/C)-3']. The putative regulatory role of the conserved inverted repeats in boxes 2 and 3 in the promoter region of the xlnC gene from Streptomyces sp. EC3, was assessed. These boxes were modified by site-directed mutagenesis, and the mutant promoter regions, as well as the wild-type promoter region, were separately fused to a beta-lactamase reporter gene. Analysis of the expression patterns of these fusions in cultures grown in the presence of glucose, xylan or both carbon sources demonstrated that these motifs were cis -acting negative regulatory elements, each playing a specific role in the regulation of xlnC expression. Box 3 was shown to be critical for the establishment of repression of xlnC expression by glucose, whereas box 2 was shown to play an important role in the induction of xlnC expression by xylan.Peer reviewe

The penicillin receptor in Streptomyces

Kinetics and optical studies of Streptomyces DD-carboxypeptidases-transpeptidases led to the conclusion that the donor, acceptor, and penicillin sites on these enzymes are different but not independent and that penicillin acts as a modifier of the conformation of the protein. In the presence of penicillin, the penicillin-sensitive enzymes would be frozen in a conformation that prevents catalytic activity

Template-based Fault Injection Analysis of Block Ciphers

We present the first template-based fault injection analysis of FPGA-based block cipher implementations. While template attacks have been a popular form of side-channel analysis in the cryptographic literature, the use of templates in the context of fault attacks has not yet been explored to the best of our knowledge. Our approach involves two phases. The first phase is a profiling phase where we build templates of the fault behavior of a cryptographic device for different secret key segments under different fault injection intensities. This is followed by a matching phase where we match the observed fault behavior of an identical but black-box device with the pre-built templates to retrieve the secret key. We present a generic treatment of our template-based fault attack approach for SPN block ciphers, and illustrate the same with case studies on a Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA-based implementation of AES-128

Progressive Purkinje Cell Degeneration in tambaleante Mutant Mice Is a Consequence of a Missense Mutation in HERC1 E3 Ubiquitin Ligase

The HERC gene family encodes proteins with two characteristic domains: HECT and RCC1-like. Proteins with HECT domains have been described to function as ubiquitin ligases, and those that contain RCC1-like domains have been reported to function as GTPases regulators. These two activities are essential in a number of important cellular processes such as cell cycle, cell signaling, and membrane trafficking. Mutations affecting these domains have been found associated with retinitis pigmentosa, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and cancer. In humans, six HERC genes have been reported which encode two subgroups of HERC proteins: large (HERC1-2) and small (HERC3-6). The giant HERC1 protein was the first to be identified. It has been involved in membrane trafficking and cell proliferation/growth through its interactions with clathrin, M2-pyruvate kinase, and TSC2 proteins. Mutations affecting other members of the HERC family have been found to be associated with sterility and growth retardation. Here, we report the characterization of a recessive mutation named tambaleante, which causes progressive Purkinje cell degeneration leading to severe ataxia with reduced growth and lifespan in homozygous mice aged over two months. We mapped this mutation in mouse chromosome 9 and then performed positional cloning. We found a G⇔A transition at position 1448, causing a Gly to Glu substitution (Gly483Glu) in the highly conserved N-terminal RCC1-like domain of the HERC1 protein. Successful transgenic rescue, with either a mouse BAC containing the normal copy of Herc1 or with the human HERC1 cDNA, validated our findings. Histological and biochemical studies revealed extensive autophagy associated with an increase of the mutant protein level and a decrease of mTOR activity. Our observations concerning this first mutation in the Herc1 gene contribute to the functional annotation of the encoded E3 ubiquitin ligase and underline the crucial and unexpected role of this protein in Purkinje cell physiology