Mineralogy and Sr–Nd isotopes of SPM and sediment from the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries: influence of weathering and anthropogenic contribution

Clay minerals and Sr–Nd isotopes of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and bottom sediment were investigated along transect stations of the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, western India to determine the provenance and role of estuarine processes on their distribution. Kaolinite and illite, followed by minor goethite, gibbsite and chlorite were present in SPM and bottom sediment at all stations, both during monsoon and pre-monsoon. Smectite occurred in traces at river end stations but its contents increased downstream in both estuaries. Smectite contents were much higher in Zuari than in Mandovi estuary. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios and ɛNd of SPM were higher than those in hinterland rocks and laterite soils. The Sr ratios were highest at river end stations of both estuaries and decreased sharply seaward. The Sm/Nd ratios of SPM and sediment were close to that of iron ore material flushed into the estuaries. The mean ɛNd of SPM and sediment were similar in both estuaries. It is suggested that the smectite is formed in coastal plains and its distribution downstream is controlled by lithology and drainage basin of rivers. Abundant kaolinite and high Sr ratios reflect chemical weathering and lateritization of source rocks. Sr isotopic ratios along transects are influenced by changes in salinity, organic matter and turbidity. High and near identical ɛNd values along transect stations of both estuaries suggest that the Nd isotopic compositions are influenced by the lateritization of source rocks and anthropogenic contribution of ore material

Impact of calcined temperatures on the crystalline parameters, morphological, energy band gap, electrochemical, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and hemolysis behavior of nanocrystalline tin oxide

To construct a battery, the precipitation-synthesized SnO2 products at 450 °C and 650 °C were separately taken and mixed with graphite as the anode and PbO2,V2O5, and graphite materials as cathode materials to make the pellets and examine their open circuit voltage (OCV) values. The microstrain, lattice parameter, and crystallite size values of the above-mentioned tin oxide compounds were obtained through Rietveld refinement-MAUD fit analysis. The microstrain and lattice parameter values of tin oxide were significantly varied at a higher calcined temperature. Surface particle grain growth was increased with the increased calcined temperature from 450 to 650°C as evidenced by FE-SEM study. Particle size distributions of SnO2 and polycrystalline behavior have been discussed with the aid of TEM analysis. From the UV-visible spectra, optical band gap (Eg) values reduced from 3.73 to 3.69 eV for the SnO2 products with an increase in calcined temperatures from 450 to 650 °C. The antimicrobial responses of the two different calcined SnO2 samples at 450 °C and 650 °C against two different bacterial pathogens (gram-positive-S. aureus and gram-negative-E.coli) were investigated. From the microbicidal assessment, a relatively higher diameter of the zone of inhibition (DZOI) of tin oxide at 650°C samples was measured to be 19 ± 2 mm and 21 ± 2 mm for S. aureus and E. Coli than the DZOI of SnO2 at 450 °C samples (15 ± 1 mm for S. aureus and 18 ± 1 mm for E. coli. DPPH scavenging activity at 100 μg/ml shows that SnO₂ calcined at 450 °C achieves 68 ± 1%, while SnO2 calcined at 650 °C exhibits a significantly higher activity of 86 ± 1%. A slight increase in hemolysis was observed for SnO2 calcined at 650°C, reaching 1.3% at higher concentrations, but overall, hemolysis remained below 5%, indicating high hemocompatibility