Traitements d'effluents issus de l'industrie de la pêche par un procédé de coagulation/floculation

La présente étude porte sur le traitement physico-chimique d'un effluent industriel chargé d'encre de seiche issu de l'industrie de conditionnement des produits de la pêche. Différentes combinaisons de coagulant -floculant ont été étudiées. Le sulfate d'aluminium (SA), divers polyélectrolytes et certains adjuvants pulvérulents ont été utilisés. L'efficacité du traitement par coagulation-floculation a été analysée en suivant l'évolution de la turbidité et de la DCO résiduelle du surnageant.Les résultats de cette étude ont révélé qu'à pH 6-7, l'addition de SA à une concentration supérieure à 1000 mg.l-1 entraîne la coagulation des particules d'encre de seiche. L'addition d'un polyélectrolyte en association avec le SA permet de réduire la concentration requise en SA à environ 300 mg.l-1, tout en améliorant l'efficacité du processus de coagulation-floculation. Le recours à un adjuvant pulvérulent en combinaison avec le SA et un polyélectrolyte accroît notablement les performances du traitement et permet d'obtenir un effluent ayant une turbidité résiduelle de 7 NTU.The aim of this work was to compare the efficiency of a coagulation-flocculation process using different systems individually or in combination. The waste water used was an industrial cuttlefish effluent principally composed of colloidal particles from the cuttlefish. The initial turbidity and chemical oxygen demand were approximately 700 NTU and 22,000 mg×L-1 respectively. Two parameters were used to assess the process efficiency: the residual turbidity and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the supernatant.Three systems were investigated: aluminium sulphate (SA), polyelectrolytes and a ternary combination of SA-polyelectrolyte and colloidal microparticle adjuvant. Results demonstrated that at pH 6-7, SA caused some coagulation of the suspension, but the dosage required (about 1000 mg×L-1) far exceeded those conventionally used in water treatment. As a consequence, an appreciable amount of SA, which was above the authorised limits, remained in the supernatant. Indeed, adsorption isotherm measurements revealed that at pH 6.5-7 the residual proportion of SA attained was about 20%. The addition of polyelectrolytes in combination with SA allowed reduction of the SA dosage to 150 mg×L-1. Amongst the polymers tested, the cationic polymer was the most efficient. The ability to bring about flocculation was positively related to the molecular weight, which is in agreement with a bridging flocculation mechanism. Starch, a natural, low-cost polymer was also an efficient flocculent even though it is a non-charged polymer. The ability of starch to bring about a flocculation action was explained by its relatively low solubility, which leads to some aggregation of macromolecular chains that act as anchoring sites for the coagulated ink particles. With this system, a double treatment in the presence of 150 mg×L-1 SA and 25 mg×L-1 polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDMAC) or starch lead to a supernatant with a turbidity and COD of 150 NTU and 5500 mg×L-1 respectively.The third part of our study was concerned with the effect of the addition of an insoluble microparticle adjuvant in combination with SA and polyelectrolytes. Different components were investigated, but among them only colloidal silica and MgO bring about a significant enhancement of the flocculation process. This effect was explained by a bridging mechanism in which the adjuvant microparticles act as sites that favour the anchoring of the coagulated ink particles. Using a triple treatment in the presence of 150 mg×L-1 SA, 25 mg×L-1 PDMAC and 0.75 g×L-1 MgO removed about 95 % of the ink particles. The supernatant obtained was characterised by a low turbidity value (about 7 NTU) and a COD value about 2000 mg×L-1

TiO 2

Nanocomposites TiO2-CdS with different relative contents of CdS (molar ratios Cd/Ti = 0.02, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5) were studied. The structural, photophysical, and chemical properties were investigated using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, GSDR, and LIL. XRD and Raman results confirmed the presence of TiO2 and CdS with intensities dependent on the ratio Cd/Ti. The presence of CdSO4 was detected by XPS at the surface of all TiO2-CdS composites. The relative amount of sulphate was dependent on the CdS loading. Luminescence time-resolved spectra clearly proved the existence of an excitation transfer process from CdS to TiO2 through the luminescence emission from TiO2 after excitation of CdS at λexc=410 nm, where no direct excitation of TiO2 occurs. Photodegradation of a series of aromatic carboxylic acids—benzoic, salicylic, 4-bromobenzoic, 3-phenylpropionic, and veratric acids—showed a great enhancement in the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2-CdS composites, which is due, mainly, to the effect of the charge carriers’ increased lifetime. In addition, it was shown that the oxidation of CdS to CdSO4 did not result in the deactivation of the photocatalytic properties and even contributed to enhance the degradation efficiency

Prediction of outcome in individuals with diabetic foot ulcers: focus on the differences between individuals with and without peripheral arterial disease. The EURODIALE Study

Aims/hypothesis Outcome data on individuals with diabetic foot ulcers are scarce, especially in those with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). We therefore examined the clinical characteristics that best predict poor outcome in a large population of diabetic foot ulcer patients and examined whether such predictors differ between patients with and without PAD. Methods Analyses were conducted within the EURODIALE Study, a prospective cohort study of 1,088 diabetic foot ulcer patients across 14 centres in Europe. Multiple logistic regression modelling was used to identify independent predictors of outcome (i.e. non-healing of the foot ulcer). Results After 1 year of follow-up, 23% of the patients had not healed. Independent baseline predictors of non-healing in the whole study population were older age, male sex, heart failure, the inability to stand or walk without help, end-stage renal disease, larger ulcer size, peripheral neuropathy and PAD. When analyses were performed according to PAD status, infection emerged as a specific predictor of non-healing in PAD patients only. Conclusions/Interpretation Predictors of healing differ between patients with and without PAD, suggesting that diabetic foot ulcers with or without concomitant PAD should be defined as two separate disease states. The observed negative impact of infection on healing that was confined to patients with PAD needs further investigation

Value of risk scores in the decision to palliate patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm

Background: The aim of this study was to develop a 48-h mortality risk score, which included morphology data, for patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting to an emergency department, and to assess its predictive accuracy and clinical effectiveness in triaging patients to immediate aneurysm repair, transfer or palliative care. Methods: Data from patients in the IMPROVE (Immediate Management of the Patient With Ruptured Aneurysm: Open Versus Endovascular Repair) randomized trial were used to develop the risk score. Variables considered included age, sex, haemodynamic markers and aortic morphology. Backwards selection was used to identify relevant predictors. Predictive performance was assessed using calibration plots and the C-statistic. Validation of the newly developed and other previously published scores was conducted in four external populations. The net benefit of treating patients based on a risk threshold compared with treating none was quantified. Results: Data from 536 patients in the IMPROVE trial were included. The final variables retained were age, sex, haemoglobin level, serum creatinine level, systolic BP, aortic neck length and angle, and acute myocardial ischaemia. The discrimination of the score for 48-h mortality in the IMPROVE data was reasonable (C-statistic 0·710, 95 per cent c.i. 0·659 to 0·760), but varied in external populations (from 0·652 to 0·761). The new score outperformed other published risk scores in some, but not all, populations. An 8 (95 per cent c.i. 5 to 11) per cent improvement in the C-statistic was estimated compared with using age alone. Conclusion: The assessed risk scores did not have sufficient accuracy to enable potentially life-saving decisions to be made regarding intervention. Focus should therefore shift to offering repair to more patients and reducing non-intervention rates, while respecting the wishes of the patient and family

Paper functionalized with nanostructured TiO2/AgBr: Photocatalytic degradation of 2–propanol under solar light irradiation and antibacterial activity

A facile method to produce paper–TiO2 decorated with AgBr nanoparticles by a mild hydrothermal process at 140◦C was reported. The synthesis method was based on the immersion of the paper in a ready-made suspension of TiO2/AgBr, comprising TiO2 sol solution prepared in acidic conditions and AgBr solution (10−4 M). A paper–TiO2 sample was prepared and used as reference. The formation of crystalline phases of titanium oxide (TiO2) and silver bromide (AgBr) was demonstrated by XRD, Raman and EDX analyses. The surface morphology of the TiO2–AgBr was investigated by Field Effect Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE–SEM). The photocatalytic performances of the prepared material were evaluated in the degradation of 2-propanol in the gas phase, under simulated sunlight illumination. Its antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli) were also assessed. The efficiency of photodegradation and the anti-bacterial properties of paper–TiO2–AgBr were attributed to an improvement in the absorption of visible light, the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the low recombination of photogenerated charge carriers due to the synergistic effect between TiO2 and AgBr/Ag nanoparticles