Production of a new adsorbent from Moroccan oil shale by chemical activation and its adsorption characteristics for U and Th bearing species

New adsorbents were prepared from Moroccan oil shale of Tarfaya (layer R3) by chemical activation with sulphuric acid diluted at 80%. The influence of activation temperature, atmosphere gas, holding time in oven and weight ratio of sulphuric acid to precursor was investigated by determination of yield of adsorbents and adsorption capacity of methylene blue. The best adsorbent properties were found for a particular combination of the chosen parameters: temperature and time of activation respectively equal to 250$^{\circ}$C and 2 hours, the gas vector being nitrogen (N$_{2})$. The adsorption capacity for methylene blue and specific surface (S$_{\rm BET})$ of the new adsorbent were equal to 300 mg/g and 270 m$^{2}$/g respectively. The batch mode experiment was used to explore the feasibility of this adsorbent for removal of radionuclides (U and Th) from aqueous solution. Applicability of the adsorbent was examined for synthetic solution prepared from hydrated uranyl nitrate (UO$_{2}$(NO$_{3})_{2}$.6H$_{2}$O) and hydrated thorium nitrate (Th(NO$_{3})_{4}$.5H$_{2}$O). The parameters of adsorption for the two radioelements were determined by application of the Langmuir, Freundlich and Elovich models

Phosphoric acid activation of Morrocan oil shale of Timahdit: Influence of the experimental conditions on yield and surface area of adsorbents

The use of Moroccan oil shale for the preparation of adsorbents by chemical activation with phosphoric acid is analysed. The results indicate that this material is promising for this application. The effect of different conditions of preparation on the yield and surface area is discussed. These parameters are H$_{3}$PO$_{4}$/shale weight ratio, carbonisation temperature, carbonisation time and concentration of H$_{3}$PO$_{4}$

Production of activated carbon from a new precursor: Molasses

Activated carbon has been prepared from molasses, a natural precursor of vegetable origin resulting from the sugar industry in Morocco. The preparation of the activated carbon from the molasses has been carried out by impregnation of the precursor with sulfuric acid, followed by carbonization. The adsorption capacity, the BET surface area, and the pore volume of the activated carbon were determined. The micropore volume was assessed by Dubinin- Radushkevich (DR) equation. The activated materials are mainly microporous and show the type I isotherm of the Brunauer classification for nitrogen adsorption. The activation in steam yielded a carbon that contains both micropores and supermicropores. Analysis of the nitrogen isotherm by BET and DR methods established that most of obtained carbons are highly microporous, with high surface areas (${\ge} 1200$ m$^{2}$/g) and very low mesoporosity

Effect of mineral matter and phenol in supercritical extraction of oil shale with toluene

In the present work, Tarfaya oil shale was subjected to supercritical toluene extraction. The experimental results obtained show clearly that the mineral matter and phenol have a significant effect on the yield and the composition of the obtained oil

Elaboration and Characterization of Porous Materials from Moroccan Natural Resources: Application to Industrial Wastewater Treatment

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Identification of NUB1 as a Suppressor of Mutant Huntingtin Toxicity via Enhanced Protein Clearance

Huntington’s disease is caused by expanded CAG in HTT, conferring toxic gain of function to mutant HTT (mHTT) protein. Reducing mHTT levels is postulated as a strategy for therapeutic intervention. We conducted genome-wide RNAi screens for genes modifying mHTT levels and identified 13 hits. Ten were tested in vivo in a Drosophila Huntington’s disease model and 6 exhibited activity consistent with in vitro screening. Among these, NUB1 overexpression lowered mHTT in neuronal models, and rescued mHTT-induced death. NUB1 reduces mHTT level by enhancing poly-ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of mHTT protein. The process requires CUL3 and the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 necessary for CUL3 activation. As a potential approach to modulate NUB1 for treatment, interferon beta (IFNβ) lowered mHTT and rescued neuronal toxicity via induction of NUB1. Thus, we have identified genes modifying endogenous mHTT using high-throughput screening and demonstrate NUB1 as an exemplar entry point for therapeutic intervention of Huntington’s disease