Utilization of Agricultural Waste in Treating Water Pollutants

This study investigated the applicability of chemically (phosphoric acid) activated bagasse pith and date pits in the adsorption of water pollutants. The textural properties including porous parameters, monolayer equivalent surface area, total pore volumes, average pore radius, Methylene blue number and other physic-chemical characterization were investigated. The activated carbons were analyzed for moisture content, ash content. Ultimate analysis was done by using CHNS analyzer (Cairo University, Micro-analytical Center). To investigate the effect of phosphoric acid on the raw material, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermo gravimetric (DTG) recordings were determined. The adsorption of heavy metals as pollutants, including Co, Sr, Cu, Cs, Pb, Cd, Ni, Fe, Zn, was studied in a batch experiments. Comparison of date pits activated carbon with commercial activated carbon was done, and the results indicated that using of prepared activated carbon for removal of Co, Sr, Cu, Cs, Pb, Cd, Ni,  Fe, Zn was  more effective than commercial activated carbon

Protective Role of Commiphora molmol Extract against Liver and Kidney Toxicity Induced by Carbon Tetrachloride in Mice

Purpose: To explore the protective role of Mirazid® (MRZ), a mixture extracted from Commiphora molmol Engler (Burseraceae), against toxicity induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4).Method: Forty male Swiss albino mice were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 was control and included mice which were injected with normal saline; group 2 was positive control and included mice that had no treatment for 17 days followed by intraperitoneal (i.p) injection of 200 mg/kg/day MRZ for 7 consecutive days; groups 3 and 4 included mice which were injected intraperitoneally (i.p) with 0.8 mL/kg of 30 % CCl4 on days 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16; animals of group 4 were then post treated with 200 mg/kg/day MRZ for 7 consecutive days. At the end of the experiment, the mice were euthanized and subjected to a complete necropsy. Hematological and biochemical parameters were assessed. To estimate the histological changes, liver and kidney sections were exposed to microscopic examination.Results: The levels of leucocytes, granulocytes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, urea, creatinine, cholesterol and triglycerides showed a significant increase (p ˂ 0.05) while the levels of lymphocytes, platelets counts, total protein and albumin showed a significant decrease (p ˂ 0.05) in CCl4-injected mice when compared with the control groups, respectively. Histological observation of the liver and kidney showed necrotic areas with cellular infiltration and atrophied renal glomerulei with degenerated renal tubule lining, respectively. Mice that were treated with MRZ after CCl4 showed that the levels of lymphocytes, ALT, AST and albumin had insignificant change (p > 0.05) compared with the control groups, respectively.Conclusion: MRZ partially ameliorates the toxicity induced by CCl4 in mice by improving ALT, AST and protein profiles. Therefore, further investigations are required to figure out its antioxidant potential in order to ascertain if it can be used as an antioxidant drug.Keywords: Carbon tetrachloride, Mirazid®, Toxicity, Biochemical, Heamatological, Lipid profile, Liver and kidney function

ETIOLOGY OF FUNGI ASSOCIATED WITH GRAPEVINE DECLINE AND THEIR PATHOLOGICAL POTENTIAL

Decline of grapevine due to soil borne fungi was surveyed during 2013- 2015 summer growing seasons at El-Fayoum, El-Gharbeia and El-Beheira governorates, Egypt, Syndromes of declined grapevine plants included growth retardant of shoot system and root-rot as well as decrease of grapevine fruit yield  quality. Isolation trails from root of declined trees of different grapevine cultivars i.e., superior, flame seedless, King robi and crimson was carried out. The most soil borne fungi associated with root-rotted grapevine were Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend, Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Rhizoctonia solaniKuhn and Macrophomina phaseolina(Tassi) Gold. Fusarium spp. are the main fungal associated with different infection types of declined root of grapevine either a singly or in combination with B. theobromae or R. solani as second infection type and third infection type with B. theobromae + R. solani. Under soil artificially infested with 5% (w/w) of each fungal isolates inocula of fourteen isolates obtained were varied for causing wilt and root-rot symptoms of grapevine trees and reducing growth parameters plant height, root length, root size, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root than the control. Botrydiplodia theobromae isolate No. (7)was the most caused root-rot and disease severity of shoot and root of grapevine plant(100%)  followed by Fusarium avenacum caused (87.5%) of root –rot and disease severity of shoot and root. Fouthermore, Fusarium avenacum isolate was the most fungal isolate in reducing growth parameters expect root length.  This is first record that Fusarium avenacum as a causal organism causing root rot disease of grapevine in Egypt

Some biological responses of the diatom Nitzschia closterium (W. Smith) to copper and zinc

Some biological responses of the marine diatom Nitzschia closterium to copper and zinc were studied. The species was isolated from the Gulf of Suez and grown in liquid culture with enriched filtered seawater over a maximum period of 10 days. The results indicated that low concentrations of copper (1 and 5 μg.l-1) and zinc (10, 20 and 50 μg.l-1) stimulated the growth, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll-a,c and carotenoids), total soluble proteins as well as 02-evolution in photosynthesis and dark respiration (02uptake) of the diatom as compared with the control culture. Whereas, higher concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 300 μg.l-1 copper and 100, 200, 300, 400 and 600 μg.l-1 zinc inhibited the above metabolic processes of the organism (taking into consideration that the culture treated with 10 μg.l-1 zinc produced the same O2-uptake as in the control culture). Statistically, there exists reverse correlation between the different concentrations of copper and zinc and the metabolic processes of Nitzschia closterium as proved with linear regression equations

A Mechanistic Study of Carbonic Anhydrase Enhanced Calcite Dissolution

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been shown to promote calcite dissolution (Liu, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2001.tb00531.x; Subhas et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703604114), and understanding the catalytic mechanism will facilitate our understanding of the oceanic alkalinity cycle. We use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly observe calcite dissolution in CA‐bearing solution. CA is found to etch the calcite surface only when in extreme proximity (~1 nm) to the mineral. Subsequently, the CA‐induced etch pits create step edges that serve as active dissolution sites. The possible catalytic mechanism is through the adsorption of CA on the calcite surface, followed by proton transfer from the CA catalytic center to the calcite surface during CO2 hydration. This study shows that the accessibility of CA to particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) in the ocean is critical in properly estimating oceanic CaCO3 and alkalinity cycles

A Mechanistic Study of Carbonic Anhydrase Enhanced Calcite Dissolution

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been shown to promote calcite dissolution (Liu, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2001.tb00531.x; Subhas et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703604114), and understanding the catalytic mechanism will facilitate our understanding of the oceanic alkalinity cycle. We use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly observe calcite dissolution in CA‐bearing solution. CA is found to etch the calcite surface only when in extreme proximity (~1 nm) to the mineral. Subsequently, the CA‐induced etch pits create step edges that serve as active dissolution sites. The possible catalytic mechanism is through the adsorption of CA on the calcite surface, followed by proton transfer from the CA catalytic center to the calcite surface during CO2 hydration. This study shows that the accessibility of CA to particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) in the ocean is critical in properly estimating oceanic CaCO3 and alkalinity cycles

Intensification of the Rate of Diffusion-controlled Electrochemical and Catalytic Reactions at a Helical Coil by a Fixed Bed Turbulence Promoter

Intensifications of the rate of diffusion-controlled electrochemical and catalytic reactions taking place at the outer surface of a helical coil imbedded in an inert fixed bed of cylinders acting as turbulence promoters was studied using the electrochemical technique. The technique involved measuring the limiting current of the cathodic reduction of K3Fe(CN)6 in a large excess of NaOH as a supporting electrolyte. The variables studied were solution velocity, packing cylinder diameter, helical coil tube diameter, and physical properties of the solution. The rate of mass transfer at the outer surface of the coil was found to increase with increasing solution velocity and decreasing packing cylinder diameter, helical coil tube diameter was found to have a little effect on the rate of mass transfer. The data were correlated with the dimensionless equation Sh = 7.14*10(-4) *Sc(0.33)*Re(0.52) *(dp/d)(-2.32) Implication of the above equation for the design and operation of the present reactor was pointed out. The potential importance of using the inner surface of the coil as a builtin heat transfer facility for conducting exothermic electrochemical and catalytic reactions requiring rapid cooling was highlighted. The possibility of using multiple imbedded coaxial helical coils of different coil diameter in practical catalytic reactors to increase their rate of production was noted