Hygiene Prevention in Clay Based Ceramic Tiles by Using the Phosphate Extracted from the Mines of Morocco and Its Effect on Technical Properties

This study offers a simple solution to manufacture ceramic tiles with good technical and hygienic properties in accordance with the ISO standards by integrating phosphate products into the formulation. For phosphate products, three grades were studied: HG-high grade, MG-medium grade and LG-low grade. It has shown, for ceramic tiles generated by dry pressing process and which contain these additives, that there is both an effect of the concentration and the nature of additive on technical and hygienic properties. Mechanical property was improved when the incorporate component is richer in P2O5. Only the use of HG-high grade and MG-medium grade as an additive at least 15% makes it possible to satisfy the mechanical requirement. The anti-biofilm effect of the natural phosphate (PN) as additives to manufacture ceramic tiles has been proven, it may prevent the bio adhesion and the biofilm formation by a percentage, which can reach up to at 75% for the HG-high grade and MG-medium grade. This solution could interest professionals and all users who care about the state of hygiene of their ceramic materials sensible to the formation of biofilm, like orthopedic implants, swimming pool tile…et

Hygiene Prevention in Clay Based Ceramic Tiles by Using the Phosphate Extracted from the Mines of Morocco and Its Effect on Technical Properties

This study offers a simple solution to manufacture ceramic tiles with good technical and hygienic properties in accordance with the ISO standards by integrating phosphate products into the formulation. For phosphate products, three grades were studied: HG-high grade, MG-medium grade and LG-low grade. It has shown, for ceramic tiles generated by dry pressing process and which contain these additives, that there is both an effect of the concentration and the nature of additive on technical and hygienic properties. Mechanical property was improved when the incorporate component is richer in P2O5. Only the use of HG-high grade and MG-medium grade as an additive at least 15% makes it possible to satisfy the mechanical requirement. The anti-biofilm effect of the natural phosphate (PN) as additives to manufacture ceramic tiles has been proven, it may prevent the bio adhesion and the biofilm formation by a percentage, which can reach up to at 75% for the HG-high grade and MG-medium grade. This solution could interest professionals and all users who care about the state of hygiene of their ceramic materials sensible to the formation of biofilm, like orthopedic implants, swimming pool tile…et

Enhancing Hygiene and Technical Properties of Ceramic Tiles through Moroccan Phosphate Additives

This study offers a simple solution to manufacture ceramic tiles with good technical and hygienic properties. This solution consists of integrating the phosphate product from Morocco in the industrial formulation of ceramic tiles, to produce materials in compliance with the criterion of the ISO standard. For phosphate products, three grades were studied: HG-high grade, MG-medium grade, and LG-low grade. The results show that for materials containing these additives, there is both an effect of the concentration and type of additive on technical and hygienic properties. The mechanical property is improved when the incorporated component was richer in P2O5. Only the use of HG-high grade and MG-medium grade as an additive at least 15% makes it possible to satisfy the mechanical requirement. The anti-biofilm effect of natural phosphate (PN) as an additive to manufacture ceramic tiles is confirmed, it may prevent bio adhesion and biofilm formation at almost 75% for the HG-high grade and MG-medium grade. This solution could interest professionals and all users who care about the state of hygiene of their ceramic materials sensible to the formation of biofilm, like orthopaedic implants, swimming pool tile…etc

Diagnostic de la Gestion des Effluens Liquides Hospitaliers de la Region de Casablanca-Settat

Les effluents liquides hospitaliers dans la région de Casablanca Settat sont marqués par l’absence de procédures de leur gestion. Ils sont évacués avec des volumes importants dans les réseaux collectifs d’assainissement, sans traitement préalable. Ces rejets contiennent des substances dangereuses chimiques et pathogènes ce qui constitue des menaces sérieuses de pollution et de détérioration de la santé des populations. Ce travail est une étude exploratoire sur les pratiques quis’exercent en matière de gestion des rejets liquides dans les établissements hospitaliers de la région de Casablanca-Settat. La méthodologie s’appuie sur 3 méthodes d’investigation à savoir ; (a) l’enquête par questionnaire auprès des personnels qui président et gèrent directement les effluents liquides hospitaliers via un questionnaire, (b) aussi l’estimation de la quantité des effluents déversés sur la base de la capacité litière fonctionnelle de tous les hôpitaux de la région ; et (c) enfin sur l’analyse systématique et reproductible des articles marocains traitant la problématique des effluents hospitaliers. Parmi lesrésultatssaillants de l’étude furent ;(a) le diagnostic des principales lacunes et dysfonctionnements en termes de gestion des effluents au niveau de la région Casablanca-Settat ; (b) la quantité énorme des effluents liquides hospitaliers déversés sans aucun traitement préalable ;(c) la mauvaise qualité des effluents liquides hospitaliers au Maroc ; (d) Même typologie des effluents liquides tant au niveau national qu’au niveau marocain ; Finalement, quelques recommandations furent formulées pour tracer les perspectives concourant vers une prise en charge durable de ces rejets.Hospital liquid effluents in the Casablanca Settat region are marked by the lack of procedures for their management. They are evacuated with large volumes in collective sanitation networks, without prior treatment. These releases contain chemical and pathogenic hazardous substances which constitutes serious threats of pollution and deterioration of populations. This work investigates practices in the management of liquid waste in hospitals in the Casablanca-Settat region. Our methodology is based on 3 investigation methods namely; (a) the questionnaire survey of personnel who directly manage and manage hospital liquid effluents via a questionnaire; (b) also the estimation of the quantity of effluents discharged on the basis of the functional litter capacity of all hospitals the region ; and (c) finally, the systematic analysis of Moroccan articles dealing with the issue of hospital effluents. Among the outstanding results of this study were: (a) the identification of the main deficiencies in terms of effluent management in the Casablanca-Settat region; (b) the enormous quantity of hospital liquid effluents discharged without any prior treatment, (c) the poor quality of hospital liquid effluents in Morocco; (d) Same typology of liquid effluents at both national and Moroccan levels; Finally, some recommendations wer

Étude de la formation de biofilms sur les surfaces de matériaux couramment utilisés dans les canalisations d'eau potable

Les biofilms se développant dans les canalisations d eau potable posent un réel problème de santé publique en sus des phénomènes de corrosion ou de pertes de charges qu ils occasionnent. Comprendre plus finement les mécanismes qui sous-tendent l adhésion bactérienne à un support abiotique permet de développer de nouvelles stratégies de lutte contre les biofilms. Notre travail constitue une contribution à la compréhension des mécanismes impliqués dans le processus de bioadhésion aux canalisations d eau potable à travers une évaluation des propriétés physico-chimiques (hydrophobicité, caractère acide-base et charge de surface) et structurales de la membrane bactérienne ainsi que des tests d adhésion. L impact de facteurs environnementaux tels que le pH, la force ionique ou la présence de chlore est étudié, et des modifications physico-chimiques des propriétés de surface des bactéries sont donc détectées et ont permis de mieux comprendre le rôle respectif joué par les interactions physico-chimiques non-spécifiques dans le phénomène d adhésion. Ces résultats sont complétés par une analyse structurale par la spectroscopie infrarouge qui a révélée l implication des constituants membranaire (essentiellement polysaccharidique) dans l adaptation bactérienne aux changements des conditions physico-chimiques du milieu. L approche théorique XDLVO est comparée aux résultats des tests d adhésion sur différents supports de canalisations d eau potable. Ceci a permis de préciser sa fiabilité à prédire la bioadhésion et les types d interactions successibles d intervenir lors de ce processus. Finalement, l adaptation structurale, l organisation et l architecture du biofilm développé sous différentes conditions physicochimiques et hydrodynamiques ont été évaluées en mode dynamique grâce à la spectroscopie infrarouge et la microscopie confocal; des différences sont révélées. Un marqueur précoce de la colonisation est proposéThe biofilms developed in drinking water pipelines pose a real problem of public health in addition of other corrosion phenomena or pressure losses. Improving our understanding of the mechanisms which are involved in bacterial adhesion to abiotic supports, must allow developing new strategies of fight against the biofilms. Our work constitutes a contribution to the comprehension of the mechanisms implied in the process of bioadhesion to the drinking water pipelines through the evaluation of the physicochemical surfaces properties (hydrophobicity, acid-base character and surface charges) and structural characterisation of the bacterial membrane as well as tests of adhesion. The impact of environmental factors such as the pH, the ionic force or the presence of chlorine is investigated on surface physicochemical properties of bacteria to allow a better understanding of the respective role played by the non-specific interactions in the adhesion phenomena. These results are completed by a structural analysis by infrared spectroscopy which reveals which membrane components are primarily implicated in the bacterial adaptation to the physicochemical changes of the medium. Attempts to correlate the theoretical approach XDLVO to the results of adhesion tests on various supports of drinking water pipelines are performed. This allows evaluating its efficacy to predict the bioadhesion and the types of interactions implicated during this process. Finally, the structural adaptation, the organization and the architecture of the biofilm developed under various physico-chemical and hydrodynamic conditions are evaluated in dynamic mode by infrared spectroscopy and confocal microscopy. This dynamic study allows proposing an early marker of colonisation which could help in the water networks monitoring.LORIENT-BU (561212106) / SudocSudocFranceF

MULTIPLE BIOMARKER RESPONSE IN THE MUSSEL, PERNA PERNA TO ASSESS THE MARINE QUALITY IN THE BIG CASABLANCA AREA

The aim of this study is to assess the marine environment quality in the Big Casablanca area. A number of biochemical markers were measured in the brown mussel, Perna perna, sampled from four sampling sites characterized by a different degree of contamination and human impacts. As biochemical indices; Catalase (CAT), Glutathione S-transferase (GST), Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), as well as Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Metallothioneine (MT) were evaluated in whole soft tissues of mussels collected from the selected sites. The biomarkers showed statistically significant differences at the polluted sites when compared to the control ones. Our data indicated that CAT and GST activity, MDA and MT concentration in whole mussel bodies, are a higher and significant (p < 0.05) in mussels collected at polluted sites when compared to specimen sampled from control ones. In contrary the response of AChE activity was significantly (p<0.05) inhibited in mussels from polluted sites when compared to control values. The multiple biomarker responses obtained for October 2010 and 2011, clearly demonstrate the potential presence of different contaminants in Site1 and Site2 reflecting the intensity of pollution in these areas

Adsorption of Cr(VI) by Mesoporous Pomegranate Peel Biowaste from Synthetic Wastewater under Dynamic Mode

This study aims to eliminate hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) ions from water using pomegranate peel (PGP) powder. Dynamic measurements are carried out to examine the influence of the operating factors on the adsorption efficiency and kinetics. The analyzed PGP is found to be amorphous with relatively high stability, contains hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, a pH of zero charge of 3.9, and a specific surface-area of 40.38 m2/g. Adsorption tests indicate that PGP exhibits excellent removal effectiveness for Cr(VI) reaching 50.32 mg/g while the adsorption process obeys the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic study favors the exothermic physical adsorption process. The influence of operating parameters like the flow rate (1 to 3 mL/min), bed height (25 to 75 mm), concentration (10 to 30 mg/L), and temperature (298 to 318 K) on the adsorption process are investigated in column mode. To assess the performance characteristics of the column adsorption data, a non-linear regression has been used to fit and analyze four different kinetic and theoretical models, namely, Bohart-Adams, Thomas model, Clark, and Dose response. The obtained experimental results were found to obey the Dose Response model with a coefficient of regression R2 greater than 0.977. This study proved the excellent efficiency in the treatment of chemical industry effluents by using cost-effect abundant biowaste sorbent. This research demonstrated great efficacy in the treatment of chemical industrial effluents by using an abundant, cost-effective biowaste sorbent, thereby achieving the UN SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) primary objective

OXIDATIVE STRESS BIOMARKERS IN MUSSELS SAMPLED FROM FOUR SITES ALONG THE MOROCCAN ATLANTIC COAST (BIG CASABLANCA)

Catalase (CAT) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in whole bodies of the mussel perna perna, collected from four stations along the Moroccan Atlantic coast (Big Casablanca area), were monitored to evaluate stress effects on mussels collected from the selected sites. The oxidative stress biomarkers showed statistically significant differences at the polluted sites when compared to the control ones. In general, our data indicated that CAT activity and MDA concentration are a higher and significant (p < 0.05) in mussels collected at polluted site when compared to specimen sampled from control ones. In conclusion, the oxidative stress biomarkers response obtained for October 2010 and 2011, clearly demonstrate the potential presence of different contaminants in Site 4 and Site 3 reflecting the intensity of pollution in these areas

Facile Synthesis and Electrochemical Characterization of Polyaniline@TiO₂-CuO Ternary Composite as Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications

This research reports the facile, controlled, low-cost fabrication, and evaluation of properties of polyaniline matrix deposited on titanium dioxide and copper(II) oxide ternary-composite (PANI@TiO2–CuO)-based electrode material for supercapacitor application. The process involves the preparation of CuO in the presence of TiO2 to form TiO2–CuO by a facile method, followed by in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer. The structural and physical properties were evaluated based on the results of FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron (TEM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and BET surface areas analysis. The results indicated that TiO2–CuO was dispersed uniformly in the PANI matrix. Owing to such dispersion of TiO2–CuO, the PANI@TiO2–CuO material exhibits dramatic improvements on thermal stability in comparison with the pure PANI. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) confirms the reversibility of PANI redox transitions for this optimized electrode material. Moreover, the results reveal that the specific capacitance of PANI@TiO2–CuO reaches 87.5% retention after 1500 cycles under 1.0 A g−1, with a better charge storage performance as compared to pure PANI and PANI@TiO2 electrodes. The preparation of PANI@TiO2–CuO with enhanced electrochemical properties provides a feasible route for promoting its applications in supercapacitors

Adsorption of Cr(VI) by Mesoporous Pomegranate Peel Biowaste from Synthetic Wastewater under Dynamic Mode

This study aims to eliminate hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) ions from water using pomegranate peel (PGP) powder. Dynamic measurements are carried out to examine the influence of the operating factors on the adsorption efficiency and kinetics. The analyzed PGP is found to be amorphous with relatively high stability, contains hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, a pH of zero charge of 3.9, and a specific surface-area of 40.38 m2/g. Adsorption tests indicate that PGP exhibits excellent removal effectiveness for Cr(VI) reaching 50.32 mg/g while the adsorption process obeys the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic study favors the exothermic physical adsorption process. The influence of operating parameters like the flow rate (1 to 3 mL/min), bed height (25 to 75 mm), concentration (10 to 30 mg/L), and temperature (298 to 318 K) on the adsorption process are investigated in column mode. To assess the performance characteristics of the column adsorption data, a non-linear regression has been used to fit and analyze four different kinetic and theoretical models, namely, Bohart-Adams, Thomas model, Clark, and Dose response. The obtained experimental results were found to obey the Dose Response model with a coefficient of regression R2 greater than 0.977. This study proved the excellent efficiency in the treatment of chemical industry effluents by using cost-effect abundant biowaste sorbent. This research demonstrated great efficacy in the treatment of chemical industrial effluents by using an abundant, cost-effective biowaste sorbent, thereby achieving the UN SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) primary objective