Preparation of Sewage Sludge¿Based Activated Carbon for Hydrogen Sulphide Removal

[EN] The circular economy concept boosts the use of wastes as secondary raw materials in the EU renewable and sustainable framework. In wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), sludge is one of the most important wastes, and its management is being widely discussed in the last years. In this work, sewage sludge from WWTP was employed as raw material for producing activated carbon (AC) by physical-chemical activation. The prepared AC was subsequently tested for hydrogen sulphide removal in view of its further use in deodorization in a WWTP. The effects of the activation temperature and the chemical agent used (NaOH and KOH) during the activation process were studied. On the one hand, the characteristics of each AC fabricated were analysed in terms of BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) surface area, pore and micropore volume, pore diameter, surface morphology and zeta potential. On the other hand, BET isotherms were also calculated. Finally, both the prepared AC and a commercial AC were tested for H2S removal from a gas stream. Results demonstrated that the optimum physical and chemical activation temperature was 600 degrees C and 1000 degrees C, respectively, and the best activated agent tested was KOH. The prepared AC showed excellent properties (specific surface area around 300 m(2)/g) for H2S removal, even better efficiencies than those achieved by the tested commercial AC.Lujan Facundo, MJ.; Iborra-Clar, MI.; Mendoza Roca, JA.; Alcaina-Miranda, MI.; Maciá, AM.; Lardin, C.; Pastor, L.... (2020). Preparation of Sewage Sludge¿Based Activated Carbon for Hydrogen Sulphide Removal. Water Air & Soil Pollution. 231(4):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04518-wS1122314Andrade, S. N., Veloso, C. M., Fontan, R. C. I., Bonomo, R. C. F., Santos, L. S., Brito, M. J. P., & Diniz, G. A. (2018). Chemical-activated carbon from coconut (Cocos nucifera) endocarp waste and its application in the adsorption of beta lactoglobulin protein. Revista Mexicana de Ingenieria Quimica, 17(2), 463–475.APHA, AWWA, WEF. (2005). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. Washington.Arami-Niya, A., Daud, W. M. A. W., & Mjalli, F. S. (2010). Using granular activated carbon prepared from oil palm shell by ZnCl 2 and physical activation for methane adsorption. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 89, 197–203.Aslam, Z., Shawabkeh, R., Hussein, I., Al-Baghli, N., & Eic, M. (2015). Synthesis of activated carbon from oil fly ash for removal of H2S from gas stream. Applied Surface Science, 327, 107–115.Carrete, J., García, M., Rodríguez, J. R., Cabeza, O., & Varela, L. M. (2011). Theoretical model for moisture adsorption on ionic liquids: a modified Brunauer–Emmet–Teller isotherm approach. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 301, 118–122.Chen, C. L., Park, S. W., Su, J. F., Yu, Y. H., Heo, J. E., Kim, K. D., & Huang, C. P. (2019). The adsorption characteristics of fluoride on commercial activated carbon treated with quaternary ammonium salts (Quats). Science of the Total Environment, 693, 133605.Cheng, S., Zhang, L., Ma, A., Xia, H., Peng, J., Li, C., & Shu, J. (2018). Comparison of activated carbon and iron/cerium modified activated carbon to remove methylene blue from wastewater. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 65, 92–102.Chiavola, A. (2013). Textiles. Water Environment Research, 85, 1581–1600.De Falco, G., Montagnaro, F., Balsamo, M., Erto, A., Deorsola, F. A., Lisi, L., & Cimino, S. (2018). Synergic effect of Zn and Cu oxides dispersed on activated carbon during reactive adsorption of H 2 S at room temperature. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 257, 135–146.Dias, J. M., Alvim-Ferraz, M. C. M., Almeida, M. F., Rivera-Utrilla, J., & Sánchez-Polo, M. (2007). Waste materials for activated carbon preparation and its use in aqueous-phase treatment: a review. Journal of Environmental Management, 85, 833–846.Donald, J., Ohtsuka, Y., & Xu, C. C. (2011). Effects of activation agents and intrinsic minerals on pore development in activated carbons derived from a Canadian peat. Materials Letters, 65, 744–747.dos Reis, G. S., Mahbub, M. K. B., Wilhelm, M., Lima, E. C., Sampaio, C. H., Saucier, C., & Dias, S. L. P. (2016). Activated carbon from sewage sludge for removal of sodium diclofenac and nimesulide from aqueous solutions. Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 33(11), 3149–3161.Hadi, P., Xu, M., Ning, C., Lin, C. S. K., & McKay, G. (2015). A critical review on preparation, characterization and utilization of sludge-derived activated carbons for wastewater treatment. Chemical Engineering Journal, 260, 895–906.Kacan, E. (2016). Optimum BET surface areas for activated carbon produced from textile sewage sludges and its application as dye removal. Journal of Environmental Management, 166, 116–123.Kazak, O., Eker, Y. R., Bingol, H., & Tor, A. (2018). Preparation of chemically-activated high surface area carbon from waste vinasse and its efficiency as adsorbent material. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 272, 189–197.Kimura, K., Honoki, D., & Sato, T. (2017). Effective physical cleaning and adequate membrane flux for direct membrane filtration (DMF) of municipal wastewater: up-concentration of organic matter for efficient energy recovery. Separation and Purification Technology, 181, 37–43.Kuroda, S., Nagaishi, T., Kameyama, M., Koido, K., Seo, Y., & Dowaki, K. (2018). Hydroxyl aluminium silicate clay for biohydrogen purification by pressure swing adsorption: Physical properties, adsorption isotherm, multicomponent breakthrough curve modelling, and cycle simulation. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 43, 16573–16588.Ladavos, A. K., Katsoulidis, A. P., Iosifidis, A., Triantafyllidis, K. S., Pinnavaia, T. J., & Pomonis, P. J. (2012). The BET equation, the inflection points of N2 adsorption isotherms and the estimation of specific surface area of porous solids. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 151, 126–133.Lapham, D. P., & Lapham, J. L. (2017). Gas adsorption on commercial magnesium stearate: effects of degassing conditions on nitrogen BET surface area and isotherm characteristics. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 530, 364–376.Li, W. H., Yue, Q. Y., Gao, B. Y., Ma, Z. H., Li, Y. J., & Zhao, H. X. (2011). Preparation and utilization of sludge-based activated carbon for the adsorption of dyes from aqueous solutions. Chemical Engineering Journal, 171, 320–327.Li, F., Lei, T., Zhang, Y., Wei, J., & Yang, Y. (2015). Preparation, characterization of sludge adsorbent and investigations on its removal of hydrogen sulfide under room temperature. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 9(2), 190–196.Li, J., Xing, X., Li, J., Shi, M., Lin, A., Xu, C., Zheng, J., & Li, R. (2018). Preparation of thiol-functionalized activated carbon from sewage sludge with coal blending for heavy metal removal from contaminated water. Environmental Pollution, 234, 677–683.Li, D., Zhou, J., Wang, Y., Tian, Y., Wei, L., Zhang, Z., Qiao, Y., & Li, J. (2019). Effects of activation temperature on densities and volumetric CO2 adsorption performance of alkali-activated carbons. Fuel, 238, 232–239.Li, Y. H., Chang, F. M., Huang, B., Song, Y. P., Zhao, H. Y., & Wang, K. J. (2020). Activated carbon preparation from pyrolysis char of sewage sludge and its adsorption performance for organic compounds in sewage. Fuel, 266, 117053.Mininni, G., Blanch, A. R., Lucena, F., & Berselli, S. (2015). EU policy on sewage sludge utilization and perspectives on new approaches of sludge management. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22, 7361–7374.Pandiarajan, A., Kamaraj, R., Vasudevan, S., & Vasudevan, S. (2018). OPAC (orange peel activated carbon) derived from waste orange peel for the adsorption of chlorophenoxyacetic acid herbicides from water: adsorption isotherm, kinetic modelling and thermodynamic studies. Bioresource Technology, 261, 329–341.Peng, L., Dai, H., Wu, Y., Peng, Y., & Lu, X. (2018). A comprehensive review of the available media and approaches for phosphorus recovery from wastewater. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 229.Pezoti, O., Cazetta, A. L., Bedin, K. C., Souza, L. S., Martins, A. C., Silva, T. L., Santos Júnior, O. O., Visentainer, J. V., & Almeida, V. C. (2016). NaOH-activated carbon of high surface area produced from guava seeds as a high-efficiency adsorbent for amoxicillin removal: kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies. Chemical Engineering Journal, 288, 778–788.Ping, Q., Zheng, M., Dai, X., & Li, Y. (2020). Metagenomic characterization of the enhanced performance of anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge with CaO2 addition at ambient temperature: fatty acid biosynthesis metabolic pathway and CAZymes. Water Research, 170, 115309.Qiu, M., & Huang, C. (2015). Removal of dyes from aqueous solution by activated carbon from sewage sludge of the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Desalination and Water Treatment, 53, 3641–3648.Rawal, S., Joshi, B., & Kumar, Y. (2018). Synthesis and characterization of activated carbon from the biomass of Saccharum bengalense for electrochemical supercapacitors. The Journal of Energy Storage, 20, 418–426.Satya Sai, P. M., & Krishnaiah, K. (2005). Development of the pore-size distribution in activated carbon produced from coconut shell char in a fluidized-bed reactor. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 44, 51–60.Shen, F., Liu, J., Zhang, Z., Dong, Y., & Gu, C. (2018). Density functional study of hydrogen sulfide adsorption mechanism on activated carbon. Fuel Processing Technology, 171, 258–264.Sing, K. S. W., Everett, D. H., Haul, R. A. W., Moscou, L., Pierotti, R. A., Rouquerol, J., & Siemieniewska, T. (1985). Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 57.Sulaiman, N. S., Hashim, R., Mohamad Amini, M. H., Danish, M., & Sulaiman, O. (2018). Optimization of activated carbon preparation from cassava stem using response surface methodology on surface area and yield. Journal of Cleaner Production, 198, 1422–1430.Sun, K., Huang, Q., Chi, Y., & Yan, J. (2018). Effect of ZnCl2-activated biochar on catalytic pyrolysis of mixed waste plastics for producing aromatic-enriched oil. Waste Management, 81, 128–137.Tian, D., Xu, Z., Zhang, D., Chen, W., Cai, J., Deng, H., Sun, Z., & Zhou, Y. (2019). Micro–mesoporous carbon from cotton waste activated by FeCl3/ZnCl2: preparation, optimization, characterization and adsorption of methylene blue and eriochrome black T. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 269, 580–587.Wang, X., Zhu, N., & Yin, B. (2008). Preparation of sludge-based activated carbon and its application in dye wastewater treatment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 153, 22–27.Wang, N., Zhang, W., Cao, B., Yang, P., Cui, F., & Wang, D. (2018). Advanced anaerobic digested sludge dewaterability enhancement using sludge based activated carbon (SBAC) in combination with organic polymers. Chemical Engineering Journal, 350, 660–672.Wei Yu, K. S. (2018). Modeling gas adsorption in Marcellus shale using Langmuir and BET isotherms. In Shale gas and tight oil reservoir simulation (pp. 129–154).Ye, Y., Ngo, H. H., Guo, W., Liu, Y., Chang, S. W., Nguyen, D. D., Liang, H., & Wang, J. (2018). A critical review on ammonium recovery from wastewater for sustainable wastewater management. Bioresource Technology, 268, 749–758.Zhang, J. P., Sun, Y., Woo, M. W., Zhang, L., & Xu, K. Z. (2016). Preparation of steam activated carbon from black liquor by flue gas precipitation and its performance in hydrogen sulfide removal: experimental and simulation works. Revista Mexicana de Urología, 76, 395–404.Zhang, Y., Song, X., Xu, Y., Shen, H., & Kong, X. (2019). Utilization of wheat bran for producing activated carbon with high speci fi c surface area via NaOH activation using industrial furnace. Journal of Cleaner Production, 210, 366–375.Zhu, J., Li, Y. H., Xu, L., & Liu, Z. Y. (2018). Removal of toluene from waste gas by adsorption-desorption process using corncob-based activated carbons as adsorbents. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 165, 115–125

Evaluation of Convalescent Plasma for Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea

: In the wake of the recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in several African countries, the World Health Organization prioritized the evaluation of treatment with convalescent plasma derived from patients who have recovered from the disease. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma for the treatment of EVD in Guinea. : In this nonrandomized, comparative study, 99 patients of various ages (including pregnant women) with confirmed EVD received two consecutive transfusions of 200 to 250 ml of ABO-compatible convalescent plasma, with each unit of plasma obtained from a separate convalescent donor. The transfusions were initiated on the day of diagnosis or up to 2 days later. The level of neutralizing antibodies against Ebola virus in the plasma was unknown at the time of administration. The control group was 418 patients who had been treated at the same center during the previous 5 months. The primary outcome was the risk of death during the period from 3 to 16 days after diagnosis with adjustments for age and the baseline cycle-threshold value on polymerase-chain-reaction assay; patients who had died before day 3 were excluded. The clinically important difference was defined as an absolute reduction in mortality of 20 percentage points in the convalescent-plasma group as compared with the control group. : A total of 84 patients who were treated with plasma were included in the primary analysis. At baseline, the convalescent-plasma group had slightly higher cycle-threshold values and a shorter duration of symptoms than did the control group, along with a higher frequency of eye redness and difficulty in swallowing. From day 3 to day 16 after diagnosis, the risk of death was 31% in the convalescent-plasma group and 38% in the control group (risk difference, -7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -18 to 4). The difference was reduced after adjustment for age and cycle-threshold value (adjusted risk difference, -3 percentage points; 95% CI, -13 to 8). No serious adverse reactions associated with the use of convalescent plasma were observed. : The transfusion of up to 500 ml of convalescent plasma with unknown levels of neutralizing antibodies in 84 patients with confirmed EVD was not associated with a significant improvement in survival. (Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02342171.).<br/

CTACK a new pro-angiogenic factor for dermal endothelial cells

International audienc

CTACK a new pro-angiogenic factor for dermal endothelial cells

International audienc

Les Stalles de la Cathédrale de Rouen

Les stalles sculptées au xve siècle pour les chanoines de la cathédrale de Rouen offrent une vision très originale de la vie médiévale. Historiens, historiens de l’art et autres spécialistes ont étudié le chantier des menuisiers, les commanditaires et expertisé l’iconographie consacrée à des scènes de la Bible et de la vie quoditienne : les métiers, les proverbes, la musique. Ce trésor de la sculpture sur bois, classé par les Monuments historiques, dévoile enfin toute ses richesses grâce aux nombreuses photographies réalisées avant la tempête de 1999 et aux dessins de Langlois qui témoignent des stalles disparues. Ainsi illustré, cet ouvrage scientifique permettra aux passionnés de l’histoire et de son patrimoine de mieux connaître ce mobilier difficilement accessible et d’entrer dans un monde médiéval illustré pour les sièges de chanoines en prière. Une liste complète des miséricordes facilite la visite des stalles de la cathédrale

Ranolazine Improves Cardiac Diastolic Dysfunction Through Modulation of Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity

RATIONALE: Previously, we demonstrated that a deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive mouse model produces cardiac oxidative stress and diastolic dysfunction with preserved systolic function. Oxidative stress has been shown to increase late inward sodium current (I(Na)), reducing the net cytosolic Ca(2+) efflux. OBJECTIVE: Oxidative stress in the DOCA-salt model may increase late I(Na) resulting in diastolic dysfunction amenable to treatment with ranolazine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Echocardiography detected evidence of diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive mice that improved after treatment with ranolazine (E/E′, sham 31.9 ± 2.8, sham+ranolazine 30.2 ± 1.9, DOCA-salt 41.8 ± 2.6, and DOCA-salt+ranolazine 31.9 ± 2.6, p = 0.018). The end diastolic pressure volume relationship slope was elevated in DOCA-salt mice, improving to sham levels with treatment (sham 0.16 ± 0.01 vs. sham+ranolazine 0.18 ± 0.01 vs. DOCA-salt 0.23 ± 0.2 vs. DOCA-salt+ranolazine 0.17 ± 0.01 mm Hg/L, p < 0.005). DOCA-salt myocytes demonstrated impaired relaxation, τ, improving with ranolazine (DOCA-salt 0.18 ± 0.02, DOCA-salt + ranolazine 0.13 ± 0.01, Sham 0.11 ± 0.01, Sham + ranolazine 0.09 ± 0.02 s, p = 0.0004). Neither late I(Na) nor the Ca(2+) transients were different from sham myocytes. Detergent extracted fiber bundles from DOCA-salt hearts demonstrated increased myofilament response to Ca(2+) with glutathionylation of myosin binding protein C. Treatment with ranolazine ameliorated the Ca(2+) response and cross-bridge kinetics. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, diastolic dysfunction could be reversed by ranolazine, likely resulting from a direct effect on myofilaments, indicating that cardiac oxidative stress may mediate diastolic dysfunction through altering the contractile apparatus