Recycling of styrofoam waste: synthesis, characterization and application of novel phenyl thiosemicarbazone surface

An attempt has been made to recycle Styrofoam waste to a novel functional polymer, Phenyl thiosemicarbazone surface (PTS). Polystyrene (PS) obtained from Styrofoam waste was acetylated and then condensed to PTS by reacting it with 4-Phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide ligand and characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Synthesized PTS was applied successfully for the treatment of lead contaminated water by batch extraction method. Sorption variables were optimized (pH 8, adsorbent dose 53mg, initial Pb(II) ion concentration 10mgl-1 and agitation time 90min) by factorial design approach. Lead uptake by PTS was found much sensitive to the pH of Pb(II) ion solution. The maximum removal (99.61%) of Pb(II) ions was achieved at optimum conditions. The Langmuir and D-R isotherm study suggested the monolayer, favorable (RL=0.0001-0.01) and chemisorption (E=20.41š0.12kJmol-1) nature of the adsorption process. The sorption capacity of PTS was found to be 45.25š0.69mgg-1. The FT-IR spectroscopy study showed the involvement of nitrogen and sulphur of thiosemicarbazone moiety of PTS for the uptake of Pb(II) ions by fi ve membered chelate formation

Recycling of styrofoam waste: synthesis, characterization and application of novel phenyl thiosemicarbazone surface

An attempt has been made to recycle Styrofoam waste to a novel functional polymer, Phenyl thiosemicarbazone surface (PTS). Polystyrene (PS) obtained from Styrofoam waste was acetylated and then condensed to PTS by reacting it with 4-Phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide ligand and characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Synthesized PTS was applied successfully for the treatment of lead contaminated water by batch extraction method. Sorption variables were optimized (pH 8, adsorbent dose 53mg, initial Pb(II) ion concentration 10mgl-1 and agitation time 90min) by factorial design approach. Lead uptake by PTS was found much sensitive to the pH of Pb(II) ion solution. The maximum removal (99.61%) of Pb(II) ions was achieved at optimum conditions. The Langmuir and D-R isotherm study suggested the monolayer, favorable (RL=0.0001-0.01) and chemisorption (E=20.41š0.12kJmol-1) nature of the adsorption process. The sorption capacity of PTS was found to be 45.25š0.69mgg-1. The FT-IR spectroscopy study showed the involvement of nitrogen and sulphur of thiosemicarbazone moiety of PTS for the uptake of Pb(II) ions by fi ve membered chelate formation

Development of 2-acetylpyridine-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone functionalized polymeric resin for the preconcentration of metal ions prior to their ultratrace determinations by MIS-FAAS

2-Acetylpyridine-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (APPT) ligand was incorporated onto Amberlite XAD-2 resin through an azo spacer and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, TGA, and SEM analysis. The synthesized resin was used for the preconcentration of Pb(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions. The sorbed metal ions were eluted with 10 mL of 2.0 mol L-1 HCl and determined by microsample injection coupled flame atomic spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). The recoveries of studied metal ions were ≥ 95.1% with RSD ≥ 4.0% at optimum pH 8; resin amount, 300 mg; flow rates, 2.0 mL min-1 (of eluent) and 3.0 mL min-1 (sample solution). The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantifications (LOQ) of the studied metal ions were 0.11, 0.05, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, and 0.03; and 0.37, 0.17, 0.21, 0.13, 0.31, and 0.10 μg L-1, respectively, with a preconcentration factor of 500 for the 6 studied metal ions. The total saturation capacity of the resin was 0.36, 1.20, 1.50, 1.61, 1.07, and 0.71 mmol g-1, respectively. © TÜBİTAK

Nutrient evaluation of 'Sindhri' mango orchards at two growth stages

Proper mango nutrition at bud initiation, flowering and fruiting stages is critical for the health of mango trees and may affect the quality and yield of fruit. This study evaluates the nutrient composition in leaf tissue of 'Sindhri' mango orchards in Shaheed Benazirabad district, Sindh, Pakistan, at two growth stages. Two orchards, 25-30 years old, were selected for the experiment. Leaf-tissue samples were collected from 12 mango trees from each orchard twice a year, once at bud initiation during December and then after harvest of mango during July in the following year. About 2030 recently matured leaves (third leaf from the top) were collected from each tree to represent the canopy and combined into a single sample. Soil samples were also collected from around each tree and underneath the canopy at 0-30 cm soil depth and combined for each tree. The soil samples were analysed for texture, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, organic matter, Kjeldahl's N and ABDTPA-P and K contents. The leaf samples were analysed for Kjeldahl's N, and P and K by wet digestion with a nitric acid/perchloric acid (5:1) mixture. This study on NPK nutrition status of 'Sindhri' mango indicated that the N fertilization regime conducted by the mango growers at both sites was adequate for mango nutrition, while P and K nutrition required adjustments to meet mango nutrition requirements. Inherent fertility status also had a bearing on the mango nutrition status, particularly in the after-harvest samples. It is proposed to design further studies focusing not only on NPK but also on micronutrients, particularly B and Zn, which are reported to be deficient in many soils of Sindh province

Synthesis and characterisation of novel chelating resin for selective preconcentration and trace determination of Pb(II) ions in aqueous samples by innovative microsample injection system coupled flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam waste (white pollutant) was utilised for the synthesis of novel chelating resin i.e. EPS-N = N-?-Benzoin oxime (EPS-N = N-Box). The synthesised resin was characterised by FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. A selective method for the preconcentration of Pb(II) ions on EPS-N = N-Box resin packed in mini-column was developed. The sorbed Pb(II) ions were eluted with 5.0 mL of 2.0 mol L-1 HCl and determined by microsample injection system coupled flame atomic absorption spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). The average recovery of Pb(II) ions was achieved 95.5% at optimum parameters such as pH 7, resin amount 400 mg, flow rates 1.0 mL min-1 (of eluent) and3.0 mL min-1 (of sample solution). The total saturation capacity of the resin, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Pb(II) ions were found to be 30 mg g-1, 0.033 µg L-1 and 0.107 µg L-1, respectively with preconcentration factor of 300. The accuracy, selectivity and validation of the method was checked by analysis of sea water (BCR-403), wastewater (BCR-715) and Tibet soil (NCS DC-78302) as certified reference materials (CRMs). The proposed method was applied successfully for the trace determination of Pb(II) ions in aqueous samples. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor ; Francis