Evaluation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes performance in adsorption and desorption of hexavalent chromium

In this study, the removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been investigated as a function of adsorbent dosage, initial Cr(VI) concentration, initial pH, contact time and temperature. Low pH, low initial concentrations of Cr(VI), increasing contact time and high temperature were found as optimal conditions. A comparison of kinetics models applied to the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions on the MWCNTs was evaluated for the pseudo first-order, the pseudo second-order, and Elovich kinetics models, respectively. Pseudo second-order kinetics model was found to correlate the experimental data well. Equilibrium isotherms were measured experimentally and results show that data were fitted well by the BET model. Thermodynamic parameters were estimated and results suggest that the adsorption process is spontaneous, physical and endothermic. The reversibility of Cr(VI) adsorption onto MWCNTs by desorption process and the effect of operating factors such as regeneration solution characteristics, contact time and temperature on this process was investigated. Results show that MWCNTs are effective Cr(VI) adsorbents and can be reused through many cycles of regeneration without any high decreasing in their performance

Experimental Study of Influencing Factors and Kinetics in Catalytic Removal of Methylene Blue with TiO

Abstract In this research, degradation of methylene blue as a dye pollutant was investigated in the presence of TiO 2 nanopowders using photolysis and sonolysis systems separately and simultaneously. Effect of different parameters such as catalyst dosage, initial concentration of dye, UV power, pH and type of catalyst on the removal efficiency was ascertained. The results showed that basic pH is proper for the photocatalytic removal of the dye. Furthermore higher UV power and lower initial concentration of dye leads to higher removal percent. Moreover TiO 2 showed more photocatalytic activity than ZnO in the nanopowder form. The experimental kinetic data followed the pseudo-first order model in both photocatlytic and sonophotocatalytic processes but the rate constant of sonophotocatalysis is higher than it at photocatalysis process. Finally the reaction order of the rate law respect to nanocatalyst dosage in photocatalysis process is obtained 1.45. High activation energy of this process shows its high sensitivity to temperature

Nanotechnology and supercritical fluids

Supercritical fluid (SCF) technology has become an important tool of materials processing in the last two decades. Supercritical CO2 and H2O are extensively being used in the preparation of a great variety of nanomaterials. The interest in the preparation and application of nanometer size materials is increasing since they can exhibit properties of great industrial interest. Several techniques have been proposed to produce nanomaterials using supercritical fluids. These processes, taking advantage of the specific properties of supercritical fluids, are generally flexible, more simplified and with a reduced enviromental impact. The result is that nanomaterials with potentially better performances have been obtained. We propose a critical review of the supercritical based techniques applied to the production of nanoparticles materials.Keywords: Supercritical fluids; Nanoparticles; SCF technology; RESS; SAS

Determination of Kinetic and Equilibrium Parameters of Chromium Adsorption from Water with Carbon Nanotube Using Genetic Programming

In this paper Genetic Programming (GP) method was used to predict the removal of hexavalent chromium as one of main pollutant of wastewater using nanotube carbon as the adsorbent. One set of experimental data was chosen for this aim. The considered parameters as input of the network were adsorbent dosage, initial solution pH, initial concentration of Cr(VI), contact time and temperature and the output parameter of the network was final concentration of Cr(VI). GP applied for two groups of data, namely, kinetic and equilibrium and two correlations presented for these groups. The determined correlations using the GP had excellent precision. The correlations were used to determine appropriate model for both kinetic and equilibrium of adsorption. The results showed that the kinetic and equilibrium of adsorption fitted on the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models, respectively. Activation energy and enthalpy of adsorption were determined using the models

Nanotechnology for chemical engineers

The book describes the basic principles of transforming nano-technology into nano-engineering with a particular focus on chemical engineering fundamentals. This book provides vital information about differences between descriptive technology and quantitative engineering for students as well as working professionals in various fields of nanotechnology. Besides chemical engineering principles, the fundamentals of nanotechnology are also covered along with detailed explanation of several specific nanoscale processes from chemical engineering point of view. This information is presented in form of practical examples and case studies that help the engineers and researchers to integrate the processes which can meet the commercial production. It is worth mentioning here that, the main challenge in nanostructure and nanodevices production is nowadays related to the economic point of view. The uniqueness of this book is a balance between important insights into the synthetic methods of nano-structures and nanomaterials and their applications with chemical engineering rules that educates the readers about nanoscale process design, simulation, modelling and optimization. Briefly, the book takes the readers through a journey from fundamentals to frontiers of engineering of nanoscale processes and informs them about industrial perspective research challenges, opportunities and synergism in chemical Engineering and nanotechnology. Utilising this information the readers can make informed decisions on their career and business

Performance of graphene Oxide/SiO2 Nanocomposite-based: Antibacterial Activity, dye and heavy metal removal

Nanocomposite materials have been successfully applied to remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants from polluted water. The present study investigates the synthesis, characterizations, and adsorptive performances of graphene oxide/SiO2 nanocomposite-based adsorbent. Graphene oxide/SiO2 was used for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and Cr (VI) ion from wastewater. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity performance of synthesized nanocomposite was studied. The adsorption consideration has been performed by various adsorption parameters in our laboratory. X-ray crystallography (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) methods were applied in the characterization, morphological structure, crystallinity, and thermal stability of graphene oxide/SiO2. Maximum capacities of adsorption of graphene oxide/SiO2-based adsorbent had been evaluated by the Langmuir isotherm model for MB and Cr (VI) ion as 555.50 and 181.81 mg/g, respectively. Generally, adsorption experiments revealed that the performances of graphene oxide/SiO2 nanocomposite for all adsorbents have been found in the order MB > Cr (VI). Furthermore, antibacterial activity study against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria showed and proved that graphene oxide/SiO2 composite showed a remarkable ability to kill bacteria

Modeling and affinity maturation of an anti-CD20 nanobody: a comprehensive in-silico investigation

Abstract B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are the malignancies of lymphocytes. CD20 is a membrane protein, which is highly expressed on the cell surface of the B-cells in NHL. Treatments using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have resulted in failure in some cases. Nanobodies (NBs), single-domain antibodies with low molecular weights and a high specificity in antigen recognition, could be practical alternatives for traditional mAbs with superior characteristics. To design an optimized NB as a candidate CD20 inhibitor with raised binding affinity to CD20, the structure of anti-CD20 NB was optimized to selectively target CD20. The 3D structure of the NB was constructed based on the optimal templates (6C5W and 5JQH), and the key residues were determined by applying a molecular docking study. After identifying the key residues, some mutations were introduced using a rational protocol to improve the binding affinity of the NB to CD20. The rational mutations were conducted using the experimental design (Taguchi method). Six residues (Ser27, Thr28, Phe29, Ile31, Asp99, and Asn100) were selected as the key residues, and five residues were targeted for rational mutation (Trp, Phe, His, Asp, and Tyr). Based on the mutations suggested by the experimental design, two optimized NB structures were constructed. NB2 showed a remarkable binding affinity to CD20 in docking studies with a binding energy of − 853 kcal/mol. The optimized NB was further evaluated using molecular dynamics simulation. The results revealed that CDR1 (complementarity determining regions1) and CDR3 are essential loops for recognizing the antigen. NB2 could be considered as a potential inhibitor of CD20, though experimental evaluations are needed to confirm it

Oleylamine-modified impregnation method for the preparation of a highly efficient Ni/SiO2 nanocatalyst active in the partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas

In this research, a novel modified wet impregnation method has been successfully developed to synthesize 5% Ni/SiO2 nanocatalyst with high catalytic activity and stability for the partial oxidation of methane. Oleylamine was used as a capping agent in the impregnation solution to improve Ni dispersion and interaction with silica surfaces. The product was analyzed and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, N2 physisorption measurement and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and temperature- -programmed H2 reduction (H2-TPR). Partial oxidation of methane over the modified catalyst was performed in a continues-flow fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at 700°C. The modified catalyst showed 91% CH4 conversion, 86% H2 yield and 95% CO selectivity, and these results almost remained constant within 5 h reaction on stream. The excellent catalytic performance of the catalyst was reasonably attributed to the small and uniform distribution of Ni nanoparticles on the support, and structural characterization confirmed this conclusion