Crude soybean peroxidase (SBP), isolated from soybean seed coats (hulls) at unusually low concentrations, catalyses the oxidative polymerisation of hazardous aqueous benzidine and its 3,3′-dichloro, 3,3′-dimethyl and 3,3′-dimethoxy derivatives in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The optimum operating conditions for oxidation of 0·10 mM benzidine were investigated. At pH 5, the hydrogen peroxide-to-substrate concentration ratio was 1·5 and the minimum SBP concentration required to achieve at least 95% conversion of the benzidine in synthetic wastewater was 0·43 mU/ml. Progress curves were established for the conversion of the four substrates, and apparent first-order rate constants were derived. Enzyme-catalysed polymerisation with SBP and subsequent removal of the polymeric products generated can provide an alternative means to conventional methods for treating many aromatic wastewater pollutants, including the benzidines studied here.
Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) produced from biomass offers several advantages such as renewability and sustainability. The typical production process of FAME is accompanied by various impurities such as alcohol, soap, glycerol, and the spent catalyst. Therefore, the most challenging part of the FAME production is the purification process. In this work, a novel application of bulk liquid membrane (BLM) developed from conventional solvent extraction methods was investigated for the removal of glycerol from FAME. The extraction and stripping processes are combined into a single system, allowing for simultaneous solvent recovery whereby low-cost quaternary ammonium salt-glycerol-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) is used as the membrane phase.
... Show MorePolyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membrane blending NaX zeolite crystals as a hydrophilic additive was examined for zinc (II) and lead ions Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions. The effect of NaX zeolite content on the permeation flux and removal efficiency was studied. The results showed that adding zeolite to the polymer matrix enhanced the permeation flux. The permeation flux of all the zeolite/PES matrix membranes was higher than the pristine membrane. No significant improvement was observed in the removal of Zn (II) ions using all prepared membranes as the removal percentage did not raise above 29.2%. However, the removal percentage of Pb (II) ions was enhanced to 97% using a membrane containing 0.9%wt. zeolite. Also, it was
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa readily binds to different kind of abiotic surfaces and form biofilm. The ability of the bacterial species to form biofilm onto polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is associated with several economic, health and environmental problems. The effect of kind of water on ability of this bacterium to form biofilm is scanty in literature. In present study, the ability of different environmental isolates of P. aeruginosa to form biofilm onto polystyrene microtiter plate was evaluated. Furthermore, the effect of waters that collected from different sources on biofilm formation of this bacterium onto PVC was studied. Spectrophotometric method was used to check the ability of bacteria to form biofilm and evaluated the role of waters onto a
... Show MoreBackground: The miswak is a teeth cleaning twig made from a twig of the Salvadora persica tree (known as arak in Arabic).A traditional alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits. It also features prominently in Islamic hygienical jurisprudence. Materials and methods: Twenty maxillary first premolars were treated with the selected solutions which included siwak water extract (5%, 10%) and sodium fluoride 0.05% for 2minutes once daily for 20 days interval, deionized water was used as control negative. Then the concentration of the dissolved calcium ion in the etching solution of 2N HCL was measured. Results: The least amount of the dissolved calcium ion was registere
... Show MoreUltrasonic extraction is an inexpensive, simple and efficient alternative to conventional extraction techniques, as compared with other novel extraction techniques such as microwave-assisted extraction & supercritical fluid extraction techniques, the ultrasound apparatus is cheaper and its operation is easier. Ultrasound assisted extraction has risen rapidly in the latest decade, and for most applications it has proven to be effective compared to traditional extraction techniques. In this paper, a method of ultrasonic-assisted extraction was used to extract Inulin from tubers of Jerusalem artichoke, which have been reported to have several medicinal properties and uses. Inulin is a storage carbohydrate found in many plants especially
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of two adsorbent materials, Iraqi chicken eggshells (ESh) and activated carbon (AC) derived from ESh powder for the removal of a cationic dye (Janus green B; JGD) from aqueous solution. Activated carbon was synthesised from ESh using a simple chemical activation method using phosphoric acid as the activating agent. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbents were characterised by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and point of zero charge (pHpzc). The results of BET analysis confirmed th
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorptionefficiency of two adsorbent materials, Iraqi chicken eggshells (ESh)and activated carbon (AC) derived from ESh powder for theremoval of a cationic dye (Janus green B; JGD) from aqueoussolution. Activated carbon was synthesised from ESh usinga simple chemical activation method using phosphoric acid asthe activating agent. The physicochemical properties of the adsor-bents were characterised by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET)method, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), inductivelycoupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), andpoint of zero charge (pHpzc). The results of BET analysis confirmedthat AC has
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