Evaluation of a Constructed Optical Coherence Tomography System

The objective of this work is to design and construct an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, beside the comparison of the efficiency of this system with other tomography systems, like Photoacoustic system, to evaluate its operation. Michelson interferometer was designed; which represent the heart of the system. Two types of laser sources were used; they were He-Ne laser with wavelength of 632.8 nm and semiconductor laser with wavelengths of (700) nm. Performance of the constructed system was completed by receiving the interference fringes by an optical detector, which was connected to the display unit. Digital oscilloscope, with Fourier transformation, was used to display the signal information in frequency domain. Also CCD camera was used to give two & three dimensional images for the studied samples. The constructed system can be used for many purposes, for examples: measurement of the thickness and determination of the optical properties for different samples. The samples studied by the constructed OCT system were: glass slides, polymer\ pyrex\ carbon coating, layers of onion. To prove the good performance of the constructed OCT system the results were compared with other results gained by a Photoacoustic system for the polymer sample. The comparison proved that the constructed OCT system is operated efficiently and correctly

Insights into Kinetics of Magnesium Removal by Titain Yellow Supported on Classic Thiourea-Formaldehyde Resin

It was evaluated for the adsorption behavior and the underlying kinetics of magnesium sorption on Titian yellow (TY) supported on thiourea-formaldehyde resin (TF). The results of analyzing sorption behavior showed that the sorption environment had different effects on the sorption of Mg(II) ions. It could be found that pH had the best sorption effect on Mg(II) ions, The maximum adsorption capacity of Mg was 19.45 mg g−1 when it was at initial pH = 10.5. Under the optimal conditions, the maximum sorption capacities of Mg(II) ions was 19.45 mg g−1. Therefore, TF-TY was found to be a most efficient adsorbent for Mg(II) removal from water.</p

Effect of agitation mode (mechanical, ultrasound and microwave) on uranium sorption using amine- and dithizone-functionalized magnetic chitosan hybrid materials

International audienceMagnetic chitosan nanoparticles, activated by glycidyl methacrylate, can be functionalized by grafting diethylenetriamine (DETA) and dithizone for improving U(VI) sorption at pH around 5. The physicochemical properties of the materials have been characterized by a wide variety of analytical techniques. Uranyl sorption increases with the pH (progressive deprotonation of amine and sulfur groups). Uptake kinetics are controlled by the agitation mode: the equilibrium time is reduced while using ultrasonic treatment (especially at highest frequency: 80 kHz): the cavitation effect improves the accessibility to internal reactive groups (sorption capacity is increased). The diffusivity coefficient is increased by 4–5 times. In the case of microwave, the sorption capacity is significantly reduced (especially for R-Dithizone, down to 0.8 mmol U g−1) because of temperature increase, which limits the sorption (exothermic mechanism). Mass transfer is tremendously enhanced: equilibrium time is less than 60 s (30 min for ultrasonic treatment and 120 min with mechanical agitation). Sorption capacity at monolayer saturation (Langmuir) decreases with increasing the temperature from 2.20 to 1.74 mmol U g−1 for R-Amine (from 1.77 to 1.22 mmol U g−1 for R-Dithizone). The sorption enthalpy is close to −19.7 kJ mol−1 for R-Amine (with positive entropy change, ΔS°) and −34.2 kJ mol−1 for R-Dithizone (negative ΔS°). Metal desorption is highly efficient using 0.3 M Na2CO3 /0.1 M H2O2 solution. Metal desorption is instantaneous (less than 1 min) and complete when using microwave treatment. The ultrasonic treatment allows improving desorption efficiency and decreasing the concentration of the eluent compared with mechanical agitation. The process is successfully applied for uranyl separation from the leachates of marine sediments, especially in the presence of Complexon III (masking agent)

A biogenic tunable sorbent produced from upcycling of aquatic biota-based materials functionalized with methylene blue dye for the removal of chromium(VI) ions

International audienceThe valorization of algal biomass and bi-valve shells allows synthesizing, in the presence of urea, a sorbent highly efficient for methylene blue (MB) sorption (sorption capacity: 1.5 mmol MB g−1 at pH 5.8). The dye-functionalized sorbent shows enhanced sorption properties for Cr(VI) recovery at pH 3. The sorption isotherm is fitted by the Langmuir equation: maximum sorption capacity reaches 8.53 mmol Cr g−1 (for MB-loading: 1.5 mmol g−1). Different mechanisms may be involved such as the electrostatic attraction of anionic species, chelation on reactive groups, reduction of Cr(VI) into Cr(III). Under selected experimental conditions, the sorption is achieved within less than 60 m. The kinetic profiles are controlled by the pseudo-second order rate equation. Alkaline NaCl solutions effciently desorb chromate while maintaining a good stability of the dye (negligible release). Therefore, the sorption and desorption performances are maintained remarkably stable for at least 5 sorption/desorption cycles. The sorbent is successfully applied for chromate recovery from Cr(VI)–spiked solutions (tap water and wastewater from petrochemical unit) with limited loss in sorption performances. The sorbent is characterized by BET, TGA, FTIR, SEM, EDX and zetametry to help in the understanding of binding mechanisms and sorption performances

2-Mercaptobenzimidazole derivative of chitosan for silver sorption – Contribution of magnetite incorporation and sonication effects on enhanced metal recovery

International audienceThe recycling of precious and strategic metals from secondary resources (including E-wastes) is of critical importance for the recovery of scarce metals widely used in High-Tech devices. Therefore, the development of efficient and selective sorbents is of great importance. The grafting of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole onto chitosan microparticles allows developing highly selective sorbents. The incorporation of magnetite particles is also a strategic aspect for facilitating the use and recovery of microparticles. Sonication (at two different frequencies: 37 kHz and 80 kHz) shows high potential for improving both kinetic and thermodynamic aspects associated with silver uptake on 2-MBI-chitosan materials. Sorption capacities as high as 3 mmol Ag g−1 can be obtained with contact times as low as 20–30 min. The sorption isotherms are successfully fitted by the Langmuir and the Sips equations, while the kinetic profiles are modeled using the pseudo-second order rate equation and the resistance to intraparticle diffusion. The sorption process is exothermic: the sonication (and the frequency of sonic generator) strongly changes the thermodynamic parameters. The sonication also speeds up metal desorption, which is highly efficient using acidic thiourea solutions: the sonication allows also reducing the concentration of thiourea in the eluent required for complete silver elution. The sorbent shows remarkable stability is terms or sorption and desorption for five successive recycling runs. The acid leachates of printed circuit board are efficiently treated with the 2-MBI-chitosan sorbent for the recovery, enrichment and separation of precious metals (Ag, Au and Pd) from base metals (major elements: iron copper, aluminum, tin)

Magnetic metal oxide-organic framework material for ultrasonic-assisted sorption of titan yellow and rose bengal from aqueous solutions

International audienceThiourea-formaldehyde (TF) resin is prepared by polycondensation of its two precursors; the incorporation of pre-formed magnetite particles allows synthesizing a magnetic derivative of TF (MTF). These materials are applied to the sorption of two dyes (titan yellow, TY, and rose bengal, RB). Ultrasonic treatment (UT) is tested as an alternative to mechanical agitation (MA). The two sorbents are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, vibrating-sample magnetometry, BET surface area analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared and NMR spectroscopy, zetametry. Sorption properties are compared for TF and MTF under both MA and UT; considering pH effect, uptake kinetics (modeled using the pseudo-second order rate equation, and resistance to intraparticle diffusion), sorption isotherms (fitted by the Langmuir and Sips equations), the effect of competitor ions, and the desorption efficiency. Optimum sorption occurs at pH 3 (balance between (a) the electrostatic interactions between protonated groups (sorbent) and anionic forms of the dyes, and (b) the competitor effects of counter anions). UT strongly decreases the contact time required for reaching equilibrium (from 240 min to 30 min). UT increases the sorption capacities: in the range 0.3–0.6 mmol dye g−1 (MA) up to 0.9–1 mmol dye g−1. The magnetic core does not change kinetics, while it increases TF sorption capacities for both TY and RB. Under UT, the maximum sorption capacities are comparable for TF and MTF; however, the affinity of MTF remains higher than TF for the two dyes. Alkaline NaCl solutions completely desorb the dyes; UT decreases both the contact time and the NaCl concentration required for achieving the complete desorption of loaded dyes. The sorbents are recycled with high stability in sorption performance for at least five cycles

Development of phosphoryl-functionalized algal-PEI beads for the sorption of Nd(III) and Mo(VI) from aqueous solutions – Application for rare earth recovery from acid leachates

International audienceAlginate-PEI beads are functionalized by phosphorylation and applied for the sorption of Nd(III) and Mo(VI). The successful grafting of phosphoryl groups (as tributyl phosphate derivative) is characterized by FTIR and XPS analysis, elemental analysis, titration (pHPZC), TGA, BET and SEM-EDX analyses. The multi-functional characteristics of the sorbent (i.e., carboxylic, hydroxyl, amine and phosphate groups) contribute in the binding of metal ions having different physicochemical behaviors. The sorption of Nd(III) is strongly increased by phosphorylation, while for Mo(VI) the enhancement is rather limited. Optimum sorption occurs at pH 3–4: maximum sorption capacity reaches up to 1.46 mmol Nd(III) g−1 and 2.09 mmol Mo(VI) g−1; sorption isotherms are fitted by the Langmuir equation. The equilibrium is reached within 30–40 min and the kinetic profiles are simulated by the pseudo-first order rate equation. The coefficients of the effective diffusivity are close to the self-diffusivity of Nd(III) and Mo(VI) in water; as a confirmation of the limited impact of resistance to intraparticle diffusion in the kinetic control. The sorbent is selective for Nd(III) over Mo(VI) and other alkali-earth or base metals (at pH close to 2.5–3). Metals can be readily desorbed using 0.2 M HCl/0.5 M CaCl2 as the eluent. The loss in sorption does not exceed 5% at the fifth cycle, while desorption remains complete. A series of treatments (including acidic leachate, cementation, precipitation, sorption and elution) is successfully applied for the recovery of rare earths from Egyptian ore; with enrichment in the oxalate precipitate of Nd(III), Gd(III), Sm(III) and Eu(III)

Response surface methodological optimization of batch Cu(II) sorption onto succinic acid functionalized SiO2 nanoparticles

Functionalizing nanosilica (n-SiO2) particles with suitable active organic moiety leads to the formation of surfaces with precisely controlled physical and chemical characteristics. In this work, a novel nanosorbent (31±2.4 nm) namely succinic acid functionalized nanosilica (n-SiO2@SA) was synthesized via a simple protocol using microwave irradiation to remove Cu(II) ions from aqueous media. The successful functionalization of n-SiO2 was confirmed by FTIR while the thermal stability of n-SiO2@SA is investigated by TGA study. Other techniques including, HRTEM, DLS and zeta-potential were utilized to investigate the chemical, surface and morphological properties of the fabricated n-SiO2@SA. The response surface methodology (RSM) combined with 3-level, 3-factorial Box–Behnken design (BBD) were applied to optimize the multivariable sorption system using data obtained from 17 batch runs to reach 98.9% of Cu(II) ion removal. The predicted optimal conditions were: contact time = 30 min, pH = 7.1, initial Cu(II) concentration = 317.5 mg L−1 and sorbent dose = 15 mg at which the maximum sorption capacities for n-SiO2 and n-SiO2@SA were 209.3 and 386.4 mg g−1, respectively at 25 oC supporting the validity of functionalization process. Non-linear regression and linear least-squares methods confirm the suitability of Langmuir model to describe the experimental endothermic, feasible and chemisorption data, while the normalized standard deviation Δq% recommends the pseudo second-order kinetic model to represent the kinetic data. Real Cu-contaminated wastewaters were used to examine n-SiO2@SA nanosorbent for removing Cu(II) ions.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author