Optimization of an Alkylpolyglucoside-Based Dishwashing Detergent Formulation.

The aim of this work was to formulate and optimize the washing performance of an alkylpolyglucoside-based dishwashing detergent. The liquid detergent was formulated with five ingredients of commercial origin: anionic (linear sodium alkylbenzenesulfonate and sodium laurylethersulfate), nonionic (C12–C14 alkylpolyglucoside) and zwitterionic (a fatty acid amide derivative with a betaine structure) surfactants, and NaCl for viscosity control. In addition to the plate test, other properties were investigated including ‘‘cloud point’’, viscosity, and emulsion stability. Statistical analysis software was used to generate a central composite experimental design. Then, a second order design and analysis of experiments approach, known as the Response Surface Methodology, was set up to investigate the effects of the five components of the formulation on the studied properties in the region covering plausible component ranges. The method proved to be efficient for locating the domains of concentrations where the desired properties were met

Genotypic characterization of indigenous Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium sullae by rep- PCR, RAPD and ARDRA analyses

The rhizobia, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Rhizobium sullae, which fix nitrogen in root nodules of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and sulla (Hedysarum sp.) forage legumes, respectively, were isolated from rootnodules and soils from Morocco. We used three PCR-based techniques namely, rep-PCR, RAPD and ARDRA techniques for genotypic characterization of 10 isolates of S. meliloti and R. sullae, in order toidentify rapid and reliable techniques for applications in population genetic analysis of these species. The analysis revealed characteristic banding patterns for S. meliloti and R. sullae isolates by all the three techniques, even though the isolates are from a narrow geographic region in Morocco. Furthermore, the results showed that the rep-PCR with REP and ERIC primers was more efficient than RAPD and ARDRA technique for genotyping S. meliloti isolates; and rep-PCR with REP primers and the ARDRA technique with restriction enzyme HinfI, were more efficient than the other rep-PCR and RAPD-PCR techniques for genotyping R. sullae isolates

Glycerol Valorization in Liquid Phase for the Production of Glycolic Acid

International audienc

Valorisation d’alcools légers issus de la biomasse pour la chimie fine

National audienc

A new tetragonal silicate mineral occurring as inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds

Aluminium is one of a small group of elements-Si, Mg, Fe, Al, Ca and O-that form the bulk of the Earth's mantle. In the upper mantle, Al is largely contained in minerals with a garnet structure. But the mineral transformations associated with the breakdown of garnet structures in the uppermost lower mantle have been a matter of uncertainty(1-9). Here we report the discovery of a new aluminous mineral, present as inclusions in diamonds of lower-mantle origin found at Sao Luiz, Brazil(10). This phase has a stoichiometric garnet composition similar to pyrope-almandine but has a distinct tetragonal structure (space group I (4) over bar 2d), and is here referred to by the acronym TAPP (tetragonal almandine-pyrope phase). Although TAPP has not been recognized in experimental studies, we suggest that it is nevertheless a primary rather than retrogressive phase and has a limited stability held in relatively aluminous bulk compositions in the uppermost lower mantle. TAPP, like garnet, would lead to relatively low densities for basic rocks compared with peridotites (assumed to be the dominant mantle rocks), and we suggest therefore that it may play an important role in determining density differences and the dynamics of segregation between ultrabasic and basic compositions in the mantle(7,11,12)