Dataset in the production of composite clay-zeolite membranes made from naturally occurring clay minerals

The data presented in this article are generated as part of the research article entitled “from a naturally occurring material (clay mineral) to the production of porous ceramic membranes” (Elgamouz and Tijani, 2018) [1]. This article describe how clays as very abundant versatile materials that have many properties not available in pure materials namely, silica, alumina and zirconia can be used for the preparation of ceramic membranes (Karaborni et al., 1996; Oun et al., 2017; Hollanders et al., 2016; de Oliveira Henriques et al., 2017) [2–5]. This paper presents data obtained at different stages of the fabrication of a clay-zeolite composite ceramic membrane made from a largely available clay from the central region of Morocco (Meknes). The data include the characterization of the clay powder using XRD, FTIR, thermogravimetric (TGA and TDA) analysis of the clay powder. The data of porosity, mesoporosity, specific surface area, volumes of the pores, volumes of mesopores, diameters of the pores using mercury intrusion porosimetry and adsorption desorption of nitrogen data that was computed from BET and BJH theories of the clay supports at different firing temperatures (700, 750, 800, 850 and 900 °C). Data obtained from measurement of nitrogen permeation of support alone and that of the silicalite membranes are also represented

COVID-19 chloroquine drug detection using novel, highly sensitive SnO2-based electrochemical sensor

A highly sensitive, selective, stable, and cost-effective SnO2-based electrochemical sensor is reported for the detection of chloroquine phosphate (CQP). Hydrothermal synthesis is used to synthesize SnO2 nanoparticles, which are mixed with graphite and form a highly electrochemically active composite. The SnO2 nanoparticles and SnO2/graphite composite are fully characterized physico- and electrochemically. Using the optimal SnO2/graphite composite, an excellent analytical performance is demonstrated with an electrode sensitivity of 35.7 µA/µM.cm2, a linear range of 0.1–23.3 µM, and limits of detection and quantification of 0.01 µM and 0.04 µM, respectively. High CQP selectivity with minimal interference at 100 × concentration of interferents is shown. The sensor is also highly repeatable and reproducible with RSD of 2.46 % and 1.86 %, respectively, and can retain > 85 % of its activity upon storage. The validity of the new sensor for real sample analysis is shown by applying it to CQP tablets using the standard addition method, obtaining an excellent percentage recovery of ∼ 102 %. The low cost, facile processing, and superior performance of the SnO2/graphite electrode make it an up-and-coming candidate for the commercial electrochemical detection of CQP and other small molecules

Copper enhanced guanine electrochemical signal for nucleic acids detection in municipal tertiary wastewater

An electroanalytical method is developed for guanine detection based on its electrochemical oxidation on a clay-modified carbon paste electrode (clay-CPE). The electrochemical guanine signal is found to be significantly enhanced upon its complexation with Cu2+ ions. Cu2+-guanine complex formation is studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy and electrochemical pulse voltammetry at different ratios, with 1:2 Cu2+:guanine found to be the optimal stoichiometry. The clay modifier and the electrode are fully characterized using electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, and X-ray diffractometry. The analytical method is fully optimized regarding the electrolyte, technique, and electrochemical parameters. A calibration curve is built obtaining a linear range of 0.1–45 µM, a limit of detection of 0.16 µM, a limit of quantification of 0.54 µM, and a sensitivity of 1.1 µA/µM, which are among the best reported so far and achieved with an environmentally friendly and low-cost method. Our system is very selective with minimal interference in the presence of interferents with concentrations as high as 100× that of guanine. The Cu2+-mediated clay-CPE-based analytical method is applied for the detection of nucleic acid in real-life wastewater, which is critical to achieving efficient wastewater treatment. This demonstrates the applicability of our method for environmental purposes and opens the door for other applications as well, such as diagnostics

Preparation and characterization of clay based ceramic porous membranes and their use for the removal of lead ions from synthetic wastewater with an insight into the removal mechanism

The present study explores the use of local clay from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to prepare porous ceramic membranes (flat disk shape) for the purpose of removing toxic heavy metals from contaminated water. Four distinct ceramic membranes, crafted from locally sourced clay and incorporated with activated carbon and graphite, underwent careful and thorough preparation. The initial set of membranes was subjected to open-air sintering, resulting in the creation of mACA and mGrA membranes. Concurrently, a second set of meticulously prepared membranes underwent sintering under inert nitrogen conditions, yielding the formation of mACI and mGrI membranes, respectively. Prior to making the membranes, the clay material was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The clay presented the lowest weight loss compared to AC and Gr, implying that these two materials could be used as porogen agents. The X-ray fluorescence results indicated that the natural clay contained 65.5 wt% of silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminium oxide (Al2O3), and iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3) falling within the class C category of clays according to ASTM. The FTIR analysis showed different clay regions allocated to various stretching and deformation vibrations of hydroxide, organic fraction, and (Si, Al, Fe)–O groups. The XRD analysis revealed the presence of kaolinite, illite, smectite and calcite phyllite phases in the clay mineral. The membranes were characterized using FESEM, with those containing AC (used as porogen) exhibiting large pores clearly visible on the surface, and were tested for the removal of lead (Pb2+) ions from synthetic wastewater. The removal efficiencies of the membranes were 33 %, 75.2 %, 100 % and 100 % for mACA, mACI, mGrA and mGrI respectively after 100 min operation. The wettability of the membranes was found to follow the order mACI < mACA < mGrI < mGrA, which corroborated well with water fluxes of 7, 8, 112 and 214 L h−1 m−2 recorded after 60 min duration and 1.0 bar applied pressure. The mechanisms of filtration of Pb2+ ions were adsorption for the AC-based membranes (mACA, mACI) and a combination of adsorption and size exclusion for the Gr-based membranes (mGrA, mGrI)