Search results for: batch splitting
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 768

Search results for: batch splitting

258 Use of Carica papaya as a Bio-Sorbent for Removal of Heavy Metals in Wastewater

Authors: W. E. Igwegbe, B. C. Okoro, J. C. Osuagwu

Abstract:

The study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of reducing the concentrations of heavy metals in waste water using Pawpaw (Carica papaya) wood as a bio-sorbent. The heavy metals considered include; zinc, cadmium, lead, copper, iron, selenium, nickel, and manganese. The physiochemical properties of carica papaya stem were studied. The experimental sample was obtained from a felled trunk of matured pawpaw tree. Waste water for experimental use was prepared by dissolving soil samples collected from a dump site at Owerri, Imo state in water. The concentration of each metal remaining in solution as residual metal after bio-sorption was determined using Atomic absorption Spectrometer. The effects of ph, contact time and initial heavy metal concentration were studied in a batch reactor. The results of Spectrometer test showed that there were different functional groups detected in the carica papaya stem biomass. Optimum bio-sorption occurred at pH 5.9 with 5g/100ml solution of bio-sorbent. The results of the study showed that the treated wastewater is fit for irrigation purpose based on Canada wastewater quality guideline for the protection of Agricultural standard. This approach thus provides a cost effective and environmentally friendly option for treating waste water.

Keywords: biomass, bio-sorption, Carica papaya, heavy metal, wastewater

Procedia PDF Downloads 345
257 The Distribution, Productivity and Conservation of Camphor Tree, Dryobalanops Aromatica in West Coast of Sumatra, Indonesia

Authors: Aswandi Anas Husin, Cut Rizlani Kholibrina

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Harvesting camphor resin has been carried out since the beginning of civilization on the west coast of Sumatra. Oil or crystals that containing borneol are harvested from the camphor tree (Dryobalanops aromatica). Non-timber forest products are utilized for the manufacture of fragrances, antiseptics, anti-inflammatory, analgesic as well as effective for the treatment of blocked arteries. Based on exploration on the west coast of Sumatra, these endemic tree species were found remaining growing in groups on small spots in the lowlands to the hills. Some populations are found at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level in Kadabuhan, Jongkong and Sultan Daulat in Subulussalam district, Singkohor and Lake Paris in Aceh Singkil district, and Sirandorung and Manduamas in the north of Barus, Central Tapanuli district. These multi-purpose tree species was also identified as being able to adapt to the Singkil Peat Swamp. The decline in tree population has a direct impact on reducing their productivity. Conventionally, the crystals are harvested by cutting and splitting the stem into wooden blocks. In this way about 1.5-2.5 kg of crystals are obtained with various qualities. Camphor retrieval can also be done by making a notch on a standing tree trunk and collecting liquid resin (ombil) that is removed from the injured resin channel. Twigs and leaves also contain borneol. The aromatic content in this section opens opportunities for the supply of borneol through the distillation process. Vegetative propagation technology is needed to overcome the limitations of available seeds. This breeding strategy for vulnerable species starts with gathering genetic material from various provenances which are then used to support the provision of basic populations, breeding populations, multiplication populations and production populations for extensive development of camphor tree plantations

Keywords: camphor, conservation, natural borneol, productivity, vulnerable species

Procedia PDF Downloads 99
256 Performance Evaluation of a Spouted Bed Bioreactor (SBBR) for the Biodegradation of 2, 4 Dichlorophenol

Authors: Taghreed Al-Khalid, Muftah El-Naas

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As an economical and environmentally friendly technology, biological treatment has been shown to be one of the most promising approaches for the removal of numerous types of organic water pollutants such as Chlorophenols, which are hazardous pollutants commonly encountered in wastewater generated by the petroleum and petrochemical industries. This study aimed at evaluating the performance of a spouted bed bioreactor (SBBR) for aerobic biodegradation of 2, 4 dichlorophenol (DCP) by a commercial strain of Pseudomonas putida immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel particles. The SBBR is characterized by systematic intense mixing, resulting in improvement of the biodegradation rates through reducing the mass transfer limitations. The reactor was evaluated in both batch and continuous mode in order to evaluate its hydrodynamics in terms of stability and response to shock loads. The SBBR was able to maintain a stable operation and recovered quickly to its normal operating mode once the shock load had been removed. In comparison to a packed bed reactor bioreactor, the SBBR proved to be more efficient and more stable, achieving a removal percentage and throughput of 80% and 1414 g/m3day, respectively. In addition, the biodegradation of chlorophenols was mathematically modeled using a dynamic modeling approach in order to assess reaction and mass transfer limitations. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the use of the PVA immobilization technique for the biodegradation of phenols.

Keywords: biodegradation, 2, 4 dichlorophenol, immobilization, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel

Procedia PDF Downloads 156
255 Synthesis and Applications of Biosorbent from Barley Husk for Adsorption of Heavy Metals and Bacteria from Water

Authors: Sudarshan Kalsulkar, Sunil S. Bhagwat

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Biosorption is a physiochemical process that occurs naturally in certain biomass which allows it to passively concentrate and bind contaminants onto its cellular structure. Activated carbons (AC) are one such efficient biosorbents made by utilizing lignocellulosic materials from agricultural waste. Steam activated carbon (AC) was synthesized from Barley husk. Its synthesis parameters of time and temperature were optimized. Its physico-chemical properties like density, surface area, pore volume, Methylene blue and Iodine values were characterized. BET surface area was found to be 42 m²/g. Batch Adsorption tests were carried out to determine the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) for various metal ions. Cd+2 48.74 mg/g, Pb+2 19.28 mg/g, Hg+2 39.1mg/g were the respective qmax values. pH and time were optimized for adsorption of each ion. Column Adsorptions were carried for each to obtain breakthrough data. Microbial adsorption was carried using E. coli K12 strain. 78% reduction in cell count was observed at operating conditions. Thus the synthesized Barley husk AC can be an economically feasible replacement for commercially available AC prepared from the costlier coconut shells. Breweries and malting industries where barley husk is a primary waste generated on a large scale can be a good source for bulk raw material.

Keywords: activated carbon, Barley husk, biosorption, decontamination, heavy metal removal, water treatment

Procedia PDF Downloads 389
254 Selective Electrooxidation of Ammonia to Nitrogen Gas on the Crystalline Cu₂O/Ni Foam Electrode

Authors: Ming-Han Tsai, Chihpin Huang

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Electrochemical oxidation of ammonia (AEO) is one of the highly efficient and environmentally friendly methods for NH₃ removal from wastewater. Recently, researchers have focused on non-Pt-based electrodes (n-PtE) for AEO, aiming to evaluate the feasibility of these low-cost electrodes for future practical applications. However, for most n-PtE, NH₃ is oxidized mainly to nitrate ion NO₃⁻ instead of the desired nitrogen gas N₂, which requires further treatment to remove excess NO₃⁻. Therefore, developing a high N₂ conversion electrode for AEO is highly urgent. In this study, we fabricated various Cu₂O/Ni foam (NF) electrodes by electrodeposition of Cu on NF. The Cu plating bath contained different additives, including cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyamide acid (PAA), and sodium alginate (SA). All the prepared electrodes were physically and electrochemically investigated. Batch AEO experiments were conducted for 3 h to clarify the relation between electrode structures and N₂ selectivity. The SEM and XRD results showed that crystalline platelets-like Cu₂O, particles-like Cu₂O, cracks-like Cu₂O, and sheets-like Cu₂O were formed in the Cu plating bath by adding CTAC, SDS, PAA, and SA, respectively. For electrochemical analysis, all Cu₂O/NF electrodes revealed a higher current density (2.5-3.2 mA/cm²) compared to that without additives modification (1.6 mA/cm²). At a constant applied potential of 0.95 V (vs Hg/HgO), the Cu₂O sheet (51%) showed the highest N₂ selectivity, followed by Cu₂O cracks (38%), Cu₂O particles (30%), and Cu₂O platelet (18%) after 3 h reaction. Our result demonstrated that the selectivity of N₂ during AEO was surface structural dependent.

Keywords: ammonia, electrooxidation, selectivity, cuprous oxide, Ni foam

Procedia PDF Downloads 64
253 Effect of Feed Additives, Allium sativum and Argana spinosa Oil on the Growth of Rainbow Trout Fingerlings (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Authors: El Hassan Abba, Touria Hachi, Mhamed Khaffou, Nezha El Adel, Abdelkhalek Zraouti, Hassan ElIdrissi

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The present study has the overall objective of studying the effect of garlic and Argan oil on the growth of Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings at the Ras El Ma (Azrou) salmon farming station during the 2023 production period. The fingerlings were distributed in seven tanks at a rate of 1000 per lot. The first control tank (B0) received only the feed without additives. Tanks B1, B2, B3, and B4 received garlic as a feed additive at a rate of 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% respectively. The fingerlings in tanks B5 and B6, in addition to 2.5% garlic, received 5 and 10ml argon oil, respectively. During this two-month experiment, the weight growth of the fingerlings and the physico-chemical parameters of the water that are favorable for fry rearing (hydrogen potential, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and electrical conductivity) were monitored. The weight growth of fingerlings receiving garlic was positive (mean weight: 4.95g, 5.43g, 5.13g, and 5.06g) compared with control fingerlings (mean weight: 3.88g). The maximum average weight was obtained with 1.5% garlic (average weight: 5.43g). The addition of 5 and 10ml of argon oil to B5 and B6 resulted in a slight increase in weight for the B5 fingerlings (5.37g) compared with the B4 control fingerlings (mean weight: 5.06g) but a minor decrease for the B6 batch (4.73g). The experimental results showed that the use of these feed additives had a positive effect on growth and yield, regardless of the quantities used.

Keywords: Oncorhychus mykiss, fry, feed additive, garlic, argon oil, weight growth

Procedia PDF Downloads 55
252 Structural, Vibrational, Magnetic, and Electronic Properties of La₂MMnO₆ Double Perovskites with M = Ni, Co, and Zn

Authors: Hamza Ouachtouk, Amine Harbi, Said Azerblou, Youssef Naimi, El Mostafa Tace

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This study delves into the structural, vibrational, magnetic, and electronic properties of La₂MMnO₆ double perovskites, where M denotes Ni, Co, and Zn. Recognized for their versatile ionic configurations within the A and B sub-lattices, double perovskite oxides have attracted considerable interest due to their extensive array of physical properties, which include multiferroic behavior, colossal magnetoresistance, and ferroelectric/piezoelectric functionalities. These materials are pivotal for energy-related technologies like solid oxide fuel cells and water-splitting catalysis, attributed to their superior oxygen ion transport and storage capabilities. This research places particular emphasis on La₂NiMnO₆ and La₂CoMnO₆, known for their distinct magnetic, electric, and multiferroic properties, and extends the investigation to La₂ZnMnO₆, synthesized via high-temperature solid-state chemistry. This addition aims to ascertain the impact of zinc substitution on these properties. Structural analysis through X-ray diffraction has confirmed a monoclinic structure within the P2₁/n space group. Comprehensive vibrational studies utilizing infrared and Raman spectroscopy, alongside additional XRD assessments, provide a detailed examination of the dynamic and electronic behaviors of these compounds. The results underscore the significant role of chemical composition in modulating their functional properties. Comparatively, this study highlights that zinc substitution notably alters the electronic and magnetic responses, which could enhance the applicability of these materials in advanced energy technologies. This expanded analysis not only reinforces our understanding of La₂MMnO₆'s physical characteristics but also highlights its potential applications in the next generation of energy solutions.

Keywords: double perovskites, structural analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, magnetic properties, electronic properties, high-temperature solid-state chemistry, La₂MMnO₆, monoclinic structure, x-ray diffraction

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251 Sustained-Release Persulfate Tablets for Groundwater Remediation

Authors: Yu-Chen Chang, Yen-Ping Peng, Wei-Yu Chen, Ku-Fan Chen

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Contamination of soil and groundwater has become a serious and widespread environmental problem. In this study, sustained-release persulfate tablets were developed using persulfate powder and a modified cellulose binder for organic-contaminated groundwater remediation. Conventional cement-based persulfate-releasing materials were also synthesized for the comparison. The main objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate the release rates of the remedial tablets; (2) obtain the optimal formulas of the tablets; and (3) evaluate the effects of the tablets on the subsurface environment. The results of batch experiments show that the optimal parameter for the preparation of the persulfate-releasing tablet was persulfate:cellulose = 1:1 (wt:wt) with a 5,000 kg F/cm2 of pressure application. The cellulose-based persulfate tablet was able to release 2,030 mg/L of persulfate per day for 10 days. Compared to cement-based persulfate-releasing materials, the persulfate release rates of the cellulose-based persulfate tablets were much more stable. Moreover, since the tablets are soluble in water, no waste will be produced in the subsurface. The results of column tests show that groundwater flow would shorten the release time of the tablets. This study successfully developed unique persulfate tablets based on green remediation perspective. The efficacy of the persulfate-releasing tablets on the removal of organic pollutants needs to be further evaluated. The persulfate tablets are expected to be applied for site remediation in the future.

Keywords: sustained-release persulfate tablet, modified cellulose, green remediation, groundwater

Procedia PDF Downloads 262
250 Adsorption and Kinetic Studies on Removal of NH3-N from Wastewater onto 2 Different Nanoparticles Loaded Coconut Coir

Authors: Khushboo Bhavsar, Nisha K. Shah, Neha Parekh

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The status of wastewater treatment needs a novel and quick method for treating the wastewater containing ammoniacal nitrogen. Adsorption behavior of ammoniacal nitrogen from wastewater using the nanoparticles loaded coconut coir was investigated in the present work. Manganese Oxide (MnO2) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were prepared and used for the further adsorption study. Manganese nanoparticles loaded coconut coir (MNLCC) and Zinc nanoparticles loaded coconut coir (ZNLCC) were prepared via a simple method and was fully characterized. The properties of both MNLCC and ZNLCC were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Adsorption characteristics were studied using batch technique considering various parameters like pH, adsorbent dosage, time, temperature and agitation time. The NH3-N adsorption process for MNLCC and ZNLCC was thoroughly studied from both kinetic and equilibrium isotherm view-points. The results indicated that the adsorption efficiency of ZNLCC was better when compared to MNLCC. The adsorption kinetics at different experimental conditions showed that second order kinetic model best fits ensuring the monovalent binding sites existing in the present experimental system. The outcome of the entire study suggests that the ZNLCC can be a smart option for the treatment of the ammoniacal nitrogen containing wastewater.

Keywords: ammoniacal nitrogen, MnO2, Nanoparticles, ZnO

Procedia PDF Downloads 333
249 Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenolic Compounds in Wastewater Using Magnetically Recoverable Catalyst

Authors: Ahmed K. Sharaby, Ahmed S. El-Gendy

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Phenolic compounds (PCs) exist in the wastewater effluents of some industries such as oil refinery, pharmaceutical and cosmetics. Phenolic compounds are extremely hazardous pollutants that can cause severe problems to the aquatic life and human beings if disposed of without treatment. One of the most efficient treatment methods of PCs is photocatalytic degradation. The current work studies the performance of composite nanomaterial of titanium dioxide with magnetite as a photo-catalyst in the degradation of PCs. The current work aims at optimizing the synthesized photocatalyst dosage and contact time as part of the operational parameters at different initial concentrations of PCs and pH values in the wastewater. The study was performed in a lab-scale batch reactor under fixed conditions of light intensity and aeration rate. The initial concentrations of PCs and the pH values were in the range of (10-200 mg/l) and (3-9), respectively. Results of the study indicate that the dosage of the catalyst and contact time for total mineralization is proportional to the initial concentrations of PCs, while the optimum pH conditions for highly efficient degradation is at pH 3. Exceeding the concentration levels of the catalyst beyond certain limits leads to the decrease in the degradation efficiency due to the dissipation of light. The performance of the catalyst for degradation was also investigated in comparison to the pure TiO2 Degussa (P-25). The dosage required for the synthesized catalyst for photocatalytic degradation was approximately 1.5 times that needed from the pure titania.

Keywords: industrial, optimization, phenolic compounds, photocatalysis, wastewater

Procedia PDF Downloads 296
248 Highly Selective Conversion of CO2 to CO on Cu Nanoparticles

Authors: Rauf Razzaq, Kaiwu Dong, Muhammad Sharif, Ralf Jackstell, Matthias Beller

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Carbon dioxide (CO2), a key greenhouse gas produced from both anthropogenic and natural sources, has been recently considered to be an important C1 building-block for the synthesis of many industrial fuels and chemicals. Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 using a heterogeneous system is regarded as an efficient process for CO2 valorization. In this regard CO2 reduction to CO via the reverse water gas shift reaction (RWGSR) has attracted much attention as a viable process for large scale commercial CO2 utilization. This process can generate syn-gas (CO+H2) which can provide an alternative route to direct CO2 conversion to methanol and/or liquid HCs from FT reaction. Herein, we report a highly active and selective silica supported copper catalyst with efficient CO2 reduction to CO in a slurry-bed batch autoclave reactor. The reactions were carried out at 200°C and 60 bar initial pressure with CO2/H2 ratio of 1:3 with varying temperature, pressure and fed-gas ratio. The gaseous phase products were analyzed using FID while the liquid products were analyzed by using FID detectors. It was found that Cu/SiO2 catalyst prepared using novel ammonia precipitation-urea gelation method achieved 26% CO2 conversion with a CO and methanol selectivity of 98 and 2% respectively. The high catalytic activity could be attributed to its strong metal-support interaction with highly dispersed and stabilized Cu+ species active for RWGSR. So, it can be concluded that reduction of CO2 to CO via RWGSR could address the problem of using CO2 gas in C1 chemistry.

Keywords: CO2 reduction, methanol, slurry reactor, synthesis gas

Procedia PDF Downloads 301
247 High Power Thermal Energy Storage for Industrial Applications Using Phase Change Material Slurry

Authors: Anastasia Stamatiou, Markus Odermatt, Dominic Leemann, Ludger J. Fischer, Joerg Worlitschek

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The successful integration of thermal energy storage in industrial processes is expected to play an important role in the energy turnaround. Latent heat storage technologies can offer more compact thermal storage at a constant temperature level, in comparison to conventional, sensible thermal storage technologies. The focus of this study is the development of latent heat storage solutions based on the Phase Change Slurry (PCS) concept. Such systems promise higher energy densities both as refrigerants and as storage media while presenting better heat transfer characteristics than conventional latent heat storage technologies. This technology is expected to deliver high thermal power and high-temperature stability which makes it ideal for storage of process heat. An evaluation of important batch processes in industrial applications set the focus on materials with a melting point in the range of 55 - 90 °C. Aluminium ammonium sulfate dodecahydrate (NH₄Al(SO₄)₂·12H₂O) was chosen as the first interesting PCM for the next steps of this study. The ability of this material to produce slurries at the relevant temperatures was demonstrated in a continuous mode in a laboratory test-rig. Critical operational and design parameters were identified.

Keywords: esters, latent heat storage, phase change materials, thermal properties

Procedia PDF Downloads 273
246 Orange Peel Derived Activated Carbon /Chitosan Composite as Highly Effective and Low-Cost Adsorbent for Adsorption of Methylene Blue

Authors: Onur Karaman, Ceren Karaman

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In this study, the adsorption of Methylene Blue (MB), a cationic dye, onto Orange Peel Derived Activated Carbon (OPAC) and chitosan(OPAC/Chitosan composite) composite (a low-cost absorbent) was carried out using a batch system. The composite was characterised using IR spectra, XRD, FESEM and Pore size studies. The effects of initial pH, adsorbent dose rate and initial dye concentration on the initial adsorption rate, capacity and dye removal efficiency were investigated. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to define the adsorption equilibrium of dye-adsorbent system mathematically and it was decided that the Langmuir model was more suitable to describe the adsorption equilibrium for the system. In addition, first order, second order and saturation type kinetic models were applied to kinetic data of adsorption and kinetic constants were calculated. It was concluded that the second order and the saturation type kinetic models defined the adsorption data more accurately. Finally, the evaluated thermodynamic parameters of adsorption show a spontaneous and exothermic behavior. Overall, this study indicates OPAC/Chitosan composite as an effective and low-cost adsorbent for the removal of MB dye from aqueous solutions.

Keywords: activated carbon, adsorption, chitosan, methylene blue, orange peel

Procedia PDF Downloads 266
245 Quality Characteristics of Cured Dried Camel Meat Formulated with Different Medicinal Plants as Natural Preservatives

Authors: H. S. Aljabeili, E. A. Abd El-Hady, M. M. Abd El-Razik, M. Abd Elgadir

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The aim of the study is determining the quality characteristics of produced curing and dried camel meat contained some medicinal plants of thyme, rosemary, clove and ginger as natural preservatives. Camel meat samples were sliced and divided into five batches, one batch recorded as control sample was treated by the curing mixture (2.5%) contained the following ingredients: black pepper 1 gm, cumin 0.4 gm, spices mixture 0.5 gm, dried onion 3 gm, dried garlic 0.5 gm and salt 2 gm. To evaluate the effect of different natural preservatives sources of thyme, rosemary, clove and ginger, 3.0% of the aforementioned natural preservatives was mixed with the aforementioned curing mixture and used for curing the four batches of sliced camel meat. After curing process, cured sliced camel meat (control and treated with the natural preservatives) were conducting to drying process at 35 ± 3 °C for 36 h in a drying cabinet. The quality characteristics of prepared dried camel meat were evaluated such as chemical composition, microbiological characteristics and sensory characteristics. Based on the microbiological and sensory characteristics, it could be suggested that the selected medicinal plants specially thyme and rosemary could be used as natural preservatives for preparing semi dry camel meat without negative effects.

Keywords: curing, dried camel meat, medicinal plants, natural preservatives, quality characteristics

Procedia PDF Downloads 201
244 The Effectiveness of Video Clips to Enhance Students’ Achievement and Motivation on History Learning and Facilitation

Authors: L. Bih Ni, D. Norizah Ag Kiflee, T. Choon Keong, R. Talip, S. Singh Bikar Singh, M. Noor Mad Japuni, R. Talin

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The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of video clips to enhance students' achievement and motivation towards learning and facilitating of history. We use narrative literature studies to illustrate the current state of the two art and science in focused areas of inquiry. We used experimental method. The experimental method is a systematic scientific research method in which the researchers manipulate one or more variables to control and measure any changes in other variables. For this purpose, two experimental groups have been designed: one experimental and one groups consisting of 30 lower secondary students. The session is given to the first batch using a computer presentation program that uses video clips to be considered as experimental group, while the second group is assigned as the same class using traditional methods using dialogue and discussion techniques that are considered a control group. Both groups are subject to pre and post-trial in matters that are handled by the class. The findings show that the results of the pre-test analysis did not show statistically significant differences, which in turn proved the equality of the two groups. Meanwhile, post-test analysis results show that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental group and the control group at an importance level of 0.05 for the benefit of the experimental group.

Keywords: Video clips, Learning and Facilitation, Achievement, Motivation

Procedia PDF Downloads 125
243 Systematic Review of Current Best Practice in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Authors: Zahra R. Almansoor

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Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are the main treatment methods used for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) under the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Yet many patients are left with residual symptoms or remit, so several other therapeutic approaches have been explored. Objective: The objective was to systematically review the available literature regarding the treatment efficacy of current and potential approaches and diagnostic strategies. Method: First, studies were examined concerning diagnosis, prognosis, and influencing factors. Then, one reviewer conducted a systematic search of six databases using stringent search terms. Results of studies exploring the efficacy of treatment interventions were analysed and compared separately for adults and children. This review was limited to randomised controlled trials (RCT’s) conducted from 2016 onwards, and an improved Y-BOCS (Yale- Brown obsessive compulsive scale) score was the primary outcome measure. Results: Technology-based interventions including internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) were deemed as potentially effective. Discrepancy remains about the benefits of SSRI use past one year, but potential medication adjuncts include amantadine. Treatments such as association splitting and family and mindfulness strategies also have future potential. Conclusion: A range of potential therapies exist, either as treatment adjuncts to current interventions or as sole therapies. To further improve efficacy, it may be necessary to remodel the current NICE stepped-care model, especially regarding the potential use of lower intensity, cheaper treatments, including iCBT. Although many interventions show promise, further research is warranted to confirm this.

Keywords: family and group treatment, mindfulness strategies, novel treatment approaches, standard treatment, technology-based interventions

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242 Effect of Drying Condition on the Wheat Germ Stability Using Fluidized-Bed Dryer

Authors: J. M. Hung, J. S. Chan, M. I. Kuo, D. S. Chan, C. P. Lu

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Wheat germ is a by-product obtained from wheat milling and it contains highly concentrated nutrients. Due to highly lipase and lipoxygenase activities, wheat germ products can easily turn into rancid flavor and cause a short life. The objective of this study is to control moisture content and retard lipid hydrolysis by fluidized-bed drying. The raw wheat germ of 2 kg was dried with a vertical batch fluidized bed with the following varying conditions, inlet air temperature of 50, 80 and 120°C, inlet air velocity of 3.62 m/s. The experiment was designed to obtain a final product at around 40°C with water activity of 0.3 ± 0.1. Changes in the moisture content, water activity, enzyme activity of dried wheat germ during storage were measured. Results showed the fluidized-bed drying was found to reduce moisture content, water activity and lipase activity of raw wheat germ. After drying wheat germ, moisture content and water activity were between 5.8% to 7.2% and 0.28 to 0.40 respectively during 12 weeks of storage. The variation range of water activity indicated to retard lipid oxidation. All drying treatments displayed inactivation of lipase, except for drying condition of 50°C which showed relative high enzyme activity. During storage, lipase activity increased slowly during the first 6 weeks of storage and reached a plateau for another 6 weeks. As a result, using a fluidized-bed dryer was found to be effective drying technique in improving storage stability of wheat germ.

Keywords: wheat germ, fluidized-bed dryer, storage, lipase, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 250
241 Monitoring of Sustainability of Extruded Soya Product TRADKON SPC-TEX in Order to Define Expiration Date

Authors: Radovan Čobanović, Milica Rankov Šicar

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New attitudes about nutrition impose new styles, and therefore a neNew attitudes about nutrition impose new styles, and therefore a new kind of food. The goal of our work was to define the shelf life of new extruded soya product with minimum 65% of protein based on the analyses. According to the plan it was defined that a certain quantity of the same batch of new product (soybean flakes) which had predicted shelf life of 2 years had to be stored for 24 months in storage and analyzed at the beginning and end of sustainability plan on instrumental analyses (heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins) and every month on sensory analyses (odor, taste, color, consistency), microbiological analyses (Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, sulfite-reducing clostridia, Listeria monocytogenes), chemical analyses (protein, ash, fat, crude cellulose, granulation) and at the beginning on GMO analyses. All analyses were tested according to: sensory analyses ISO 6658, Salmonella spp ISO 6579, Escherichia coli ISO 16649-2, Enterobacteriaceae ISO 21528-2, sulfite-reducing clostridia ISO 15213 and Listeria monocytogenes ISO 11290-2, chemical and instrumental analyses Serbian ordinance on the methods of physico-chemical analyses and GMO analyses JRC Compendium. The results obtained after the analyses which were done according to the plan during the 24 months indicate that are no changes of products concerning both sensory and chemical analyses. As far as microbiological results are concerned Salmonella spp was not detected and all other quantitative analyses showed values <10 cfu/g. The other parameters for food safety (heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins) were not present in analyzed samples and also all analyzed samples were negative concerning genetic testing. On the basis of monitoring the sample under defined storage conditions and analyses of quality control, GMO analyses and food safety of the sample during the shelf within two years, the results showed that all the parameters of the sample during defined period is in accordance with Serbian regulative so that indicate that predicted shelf life can be adopted.w kind of food. The goal of our work was to define the shelf life of new extruded soya product with minimum 65% of protein based on the analyses. According to the plan it was defined that a certain quantity of the same batch of new product (soybean flakes) which had predicted shelf life of 2 years had to be stored for 24 months in storage and analyzed at the beginning and end of sustainability plan on instrumental analyses (heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins) and every month on sensory analyses (odor, taste, color, consistency), microbiological analyses (Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, sulfite-reducin clostridia, Listeria monocytogenes), chemical analyses (protein, ash, fat, crude cellulose, granulation) and at the beginning on GMO analyses. All analyses were tested according: sensory analyses ISO 6658, Salmonella spp ISO 6579, Escherichia coli ISO 16649-2, Enterobacteriaceae ISO 21528-2, sulfite-reducing clostridia ISO 15213 and Listeria monocytogenes ISO 11290-2, chemical and instrumental analyses Serbian ordinance on the methods of physico-chemical analyses and GMO analyses JRC Compendium. The results obtained after the analyses which were done according to the plan during the 24 months indicate that are no changes of products concerning both sensory and chemical analyses. As far as microbiological results are concerned Salmonella spp was not detected and all other quantitative analyses showed values <10 cfu/g. The other parameters for food safety (heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins) were not present in analyzed samples and also all analyzed samples were negative concerning genetic testing. On the basis of monitoring the sample under defined storage conditions and analyses of quality control, GMO analyses and food safety of the sample during the shelf within two years, the results showed that all the parameters of the sample during defined period is in accordance with Serbian regulative so that indicate that predicted shelf life can be adopted.

Keywords: extruded soya product, food safety analyses, GMO analyses, shelf life

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240 Fabrication of Porous Materials for the Removal of Lead from Waste Water

Authors: Marcia Silva, Jayme Kolarik, Brennon Garthwait, William Lee, Hai-Feng Zhang

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Adsorption of lead by a natural porous material was studied to establish a baseline for the removal of heavy metals from drinking and waste water. Samples were examined under different conditions such as solution pH, solution concentration, solution temperature, and exposure time. New materials with potentially enhanced adsorption properties were developed by functionalizing the surface of the natural porous material to fabricate graphene based coated and sulfide based treated porous material. The functionalized materials were characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Solution pH effect on removal efficiency has been investigated in acidic (pH = 4), neutral (pH = 6) and basic (pH = 10) pH levels. All adsorbent materials showed highest adsorption capacities at neutral pH levels. Batch experiment was employed to assess the efficacy for the removal of lead with the sorption kinetics and the adsorption isotherms being determined for the natural and treated porous materials. The addition of graphene-based and sulfide-based materials increased the lead removal capacity of the natural clean porous material. Theoretical calculations confirmed pseudo-second order model as kinetic mechanism for lead adsorption for all adsorbents.

Keywords: heavy metals, ion exchange, adsorption, water remediation

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239 Dynamic Fault Diagnosis for Semi-Batch Reactor Under Closed-Loop Control via Independent RBFNN

Authors: Abdelkarim M. Ertiame, D. W. Yu, D. L. Yu, J. B. Gomm

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In this paper, a new robust fault detection and isolation (FDI) scheme is developed to monitor a multivariable nonlinear chemical process called the Chylla-Haase polymerization reactor when it is under the cascade PI control. The scheme employs a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) in an independent mode to model the process dynamics and using the weighted sum-squared prediction error as the residual. The recursive orthogonal Least Squares algorithm (ROLS) is employed to train the model to overcome the training difficulty of the independent mode of the network. Then, another RBFNN is used as a fault classifier to isolate faults from different features involved in the residual vector. The several actuator and sensor faults are simulated in a nonlinear simulation of the reactor in Simulink. The scheme is used to detect and isolate the faults on-line. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the scheme even the process is subjected to disturbances and uncertainties including significant changes in the monomer feed rate, fouling factor, impurity factor, ambient temperature and measurement noise. The simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method.

Keywords: Robust fault detection, cascade control, independent RBF model, RBF neural networks, Chylla-Haase reactor, FDI under closed-loop control

Procedia PDF Downloads 475
238 Continuous Processing Approaches for Tunable Asymmetric Photochemical Synthesis

Authors: Amanda C. Evans

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Enabling technologies such as continuous processing (CP) approaches can provide the tools needed to control and manipulate reactivities and transform chemical reactions into micro-controlled in-flow processes. Traditional synthetic approaches can be radically transformed by the application of CP, facilitating the pairing of chemical methodologies with technologies from other disciplines. CP supports sustainable processes that controllably generate reaction specificity utilizing supramolecular interactions. Continuous photochemical processing is an emerging field of investigation. The use of light to drive chemical reactivity is not novel, but the controlled use of specific and tunable wavelengths of light to selectively generate molecular structure under continuous processing conditions is an innovative approach towards chemical synthesis. This investigation focuses on the use of circularly polarized (cp) light as a sustainable catalyst for the CP generation of asymmetric molecules. Chiral photolysis has already been achieved under batch, solid-phase conditions: using synchrotron-sourced cp light, asymmetric photolytic selectivities of up to 4.2% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) have been reported. In order to determine the optimal wavelengths to use for irradiation with cp light for any given molecular building block, CD and anisotropy spectra for each building block of interest have been generated in two different solvents (water, hexafluoroisopropanol) across a range of wavelengths (130-400 nm). These spectra are being used to support a series of CP experiments using cp light to generate enantioselectivity.

Keywords: anisotropy, asymmetry, flow chemistry, active pharmaceutical ingredients

Procedia PDF Downloads 133
237 MLProxy: SLA-Aware Reverse Proxy for Machine Learning Inference Serving on Serverless Computing Platforms

Authors: Nima Mahmoudi, Hamzeh Khazaei

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Serving machine learning inference workloads on the cloud is still a challenging task at the production level. The optimal configuration of the inference workload to meet SLA requirements while optimizing the infrastructure costs is highly complicated due to the complex interaction between batch configuration, resource configurations, and variable arrival process. Serverless computing has emerged in recent years to automate most infrastructure management tasks. Workload batching has revealed the potential to improve the response time and cost-effectiveness of machine learning serving workloads. However, it has not yet been supported out of the box by serverless computing platforms. Our experiments have shown that for various machine learning workloads, batching can hugely improve the system’s efficiency by reducing the processing overhead per request. In this work, we present MLProxy, an adaptive reverse proxy to support efficient machine learning serving workloads on serverless computing systems. MLProxy supports adaptive batching to ensure SLA compliance while optimizing serverless costs. We performed rigorous experiments on Knative to demonstrate the effectiveness of MLProxy. We showed that MLProxy could reduce the cost of serverless deployment by up to 92% while reducing SLA violations by up to 99% that can be generalized across state-of-the-art model serving frameworks.

Keywords: serverless computing, machine learning, inference serving, Knative, google cloud run, optimization

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236 Evaluation of Urban-Rural Integration of Characteristic Towns in Yunnan Province

Authors: Huang Yong, Chen Qianting, Zhao Shurong

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In order to identify the role and effect of Characteristic Towns as an important means to promote urban-rural integration, this paper uses Flow Theory and complex network analysis methods to jointly construct the identification path of urban-rural integration capabilities of Characteristic Towns. Take the National Characteristic Towns of Yunnan Province as the empirical objects to identify their role laws. The study found that in the implementation of the National Characteristic Town Project in Yunnan Province, (1) the population is more susceptible to the impact of the Characteristic Town Project than the technical elements, but the stability is poor; (2) The flow capacity of urban and rural technical elements is weak, and the quality of the enterprise cooperation network in general; (3) Compared with the batch of Characteristic Towns in 2016, its ability to promote urban-rural integration is higher in 2017; (4) The role of the Characteristic Town Project on urban-rural integration focuses on the improvement of the number of urban and rural flow elements. This paper analyzes the mode of the role of Characteristic Towns on urban-rural integration from the perspective of ‘flow,’ establishes a research paradigm for evaluating the role of Characteristic Towns in urban-rural integration capabilities, and builds a path for the application of Characteristic Towns to support the realization of urban-rural integration goals.

Keywords: characteristic town, urban-rural integration, flow theory, complex network analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 108
235 Bioremoval of Malachite Green Dye from Aqueous Solution Using Marine Algae: Isotherm, Kinetic and Mechanistic Study

Authors: M. Jerold, V. Sivasubramanian

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This study reports the removal of Malachite Green (MG) from simulated wastewater by using marine macro algae Ulva lactuca. Batch biosorption experiments were carried out to determine the biosorption capacity. The biosorption capacity was found to be maximum at pH 10. The effect of various other operation parameters such as biosorbent dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time and agitation was also investigated. The equilibrium attained at 120 min with 0.1 g/L of biosorbent. The isotherm experimental data fitted well with Langmuir Model with R² value of 0.994. The maximum Langmuir biosorption capacity was found to be 76.92 mg/g. Further, Langmuir separation factor RL value was found to be 0.004. Therefore, the adsorption is favorable. The biosorption kinetics of MG was found to follow pseudo second-order kinetic model. The mechanistic study revealed that the biosorption of malachite onto Ulva lactuca was controlled by film diffusion. The solute transfer in a solid-liquid adsorption process is characterized by the film diffusion and/or particle diffusion. Thermodynamic study shows ΔG° is negative indicates the feasibility and spontaneous nature for the biosorption of malachite green. The biosorbent was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and elemental analysis (CHNS: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur). This study showed that Ulva lactuca can be used as promising biosorbent for the removal of MG from wastewater.

Keywords: biosorption, Ulva lactuca, wastewater, malachite green, isotherm, kinetics

Procedia PDF Downloads 131
234 Green Amphiphilic Nanostructures from CNSL

Authors: Ermelinda Bloise, Giuseppe Mele

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In recent years, Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) has received great attention from researchers because it is an abundant waste material from the agri-food industry that fits perfectly into the idea of reusing waste from renewable resources for the production of new functional materials. The different components of this waste showed a certain chemical versatility and, above all, various biological activities. Take advantage of their surface-active capacity in particular conditions, various amphiphilic nanostructures have been prepared through sustainable chemical processes using cardanol (CA) and anacardic acid (AA) as two main components of the CNSL. In-batch solvent-free method has been developed to obtain new versatile green nanovesicles capable of effectively incorporating and stabilizing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic bioactive molecules. Furthermore, these nanosystems have shown antioxidant and cytotoxic properties and, in vitroinvestigations, established that they efficiently taken-up some human cells. With the idea of meeting the principles of green chemistry, even more, some improvements of the synthetic procedure have been implemented in terms of milder temperature and pH conditions, producing one-component nanovesicles, in which the AA and CA-derivatives are the sole building block of the green nanosystems. Finally, a new experimental approach has been carried out by a microfluidic route, with the advantage to operate at continuous flows, with a reduced amount of reagents, waste, and at lower temperatures, ensuring the achievement of size-monodisperse amphiphilic nanostructures that do not need further purification steps.

Keywords: bioactive nanosystems, bio-based renewables, cashew oil, green nanoformulations

Procedia PDF Downloads 63
233 Adsorptive Performance of Surface Modified Montmorillonite in Vanadium Removal from Real Mine Water

Authors: Opeyemi Atiba-Oyewo, Taile Y. Leswfi, Maurice S. Onyango, Christian Wolkersdorfer

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This paper describes the preparation of surface modified montmorillonite using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br) for the removal of vanadium from mine water. The adsorbent before and after adsorption was characterised by Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the amount of vanadium adsorbed was determined by ICP-OES. The batch adsorption method was employed using vanadium concentrations in solution ranging from 50 to 320 mg/L and vanadium tailings seepage water from a South African mine. Also, solution pH, temperature and sorbent mass were varied. Results show that the adsorption capacity was affected by solution pH, temperature, sorbent mass and the initial concentration. Electrical conductivity of the mine water before and after adsorption was measured to estimate the total dissolved solids in the mine water. Equilibrium isotherm results revealed that vanadium sorption follows the Freundlich isotherm, indicating that the surface of the sorbent was heterogeneous. The pseudo-second order kinetic model gave the best fit to the kinetic experimental data compared to the first order and Elovich models. The results of this study may be used to predict the uptake efficiency of South Africa montmorillonite in view of its application for the removal of vanadium from mine water. However, the choice of this adsorbent for the uptake of vanadium or other contaminants will depend on the composition of the effluent to be treated.

Keywords: adsorption, vanadium, modified montmorillonite, equilibrium, kinetics, mine water

Procedia PDF Downloads 405
232 Finite-Sum Optimization: Adaptivity to Smoothness and Loopless Variance Reduction

Authors: Bastien Batardière, Joon Kwon

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For finite-sum optimization, variance-reduced gradient methods (VR) compute at each iteration the gradient of a single function (or of a mini-batch), and yet achieve faster convergence than SGD thanks to a carefully crafted lower-variance stochastic gradient estimator that reuses past gradients. Another important line of research of the past decade in continuous optimization is the adaptive algorithms such as AdaGrad, that dynamically adjust the (possibly coordinate-wise) learning rate to past gradients and thereby adapt to the geometry of the objective function. Variants such as RMSprop and Adam demonstrate outstanding practical performance that have contributed to the success of deep learning. In this work, we present AdaLVR, which combines the AdaGrad algorithm with loopless variance-reduced gradient estimators such as SAGA or L-SVRG that benefits from a straightforward construction and a streamlined analysis. We assess that AdaLVR inherits both good convergence properties from VR methods and the adaptive nature of AdaGrad: in the case of L-smooth convex functions we establish a gradient complexity of O(n + (L + √ nL)/ε) without prior knowledge of L. Numerical experiments demonstrate the superiority of AdaLVR over state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, we empirically show that the RMSprop and Adam algorithm combined with variance-reduced gradients estimators achieve even faster convergence.

Keywords: convex optimization, variance reduction, adaptive algorithms, loopless

Procedia PDF Downloads 33
231 Assessment of Adsorption Properties of Neem Leaves Wastes for the Removal of Congo Red and Methyl Orange

Authors: Muhammad B. Ibrahim, Muhammad S. Sulaiman, Sadiq Sani

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Neem leaves were studied as plant wastes derived adsorbents for detoxification of Congo Red (CR) and Methyl Orange (MO) from aqueous solutions using batch adsorption technique. The objectives involved determining the effects of the basic adsorption parameters are namely, agitation time, adsorbent dosage, adsorbents particle size, adsorbate loading concentrations and initial pH, on the adsorption process as well as characterizing the adsorbents by determining their physicochemical properties, functional groups responsible for the adsorption process using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersion X – ray spectroscopy (EDS). The adsorption behaviours of the materials were tested against Langmuir, Freundlich, etc. isotherm models. Percent adsorption increased with increase in agitation time (5 – 240 minutes), adsorbent dosage (100-500mg), initial concentration (100-300mg/L), and with decrease in particle size (≥75μm to ≤300μm) of the adsorbents. Both processes are dye pH-dependent, increasing or decreasing percent adsorption in acidic (2-6) or alkaline (8-12) range over the studied pH (2-12) range. From the experimental data the Langmuir’s separation factor (RL) suggests unfavourable adsorption for all processes, Freundlich constant (nF) indicates unfavourable process for CR and MO adsorption; while the mean free energy of adsorption

Keywords: adsorption, congo red, methyl orange, neem leave

Procedia PDF Downloads 335
230 Material and Parameter Analysis of the PolyJet Process for Mold Making Using Design of Experiments

Authors: A. Kampker, K. Kreisköther, C. Reinders

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Since additive manufacturing technologies constantly advance, the use of this technology in mold making seems reasonable. Many manufacturers of additive manufacturing machines, however, do not offer any suggestions on how to parameterize the machine to achieve optimal results for mold making. The purpose of this research is to determine the interdependencies of different materials and parameters within the PolyJet process by using design of experiments (DoE), to additively manufacture molds, e.g. for thermoforming and injection molding applications. Therefore, the general requirements of thermoforming molds, such as heat resistance, surface quality and hardness, have been identified. Then, different materials and parameters of the PolyJet process, such as the orientation of the printed part, the layer thickness, the printing mode (matte or glossy), the distance between printed parts and the scaling of parts, have been examined. The multifactorial analysis covers the following properties of the printed samples: Tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, elongation at break, surface quality, heat deflection temperature and surface hardness. The key objective of this research is that by joining the results from the DoE with the requirements of the mold making, optimal and tailored molds can be additively manufactured with the PolyJet process. These additively manufactured molds can then be used in prototyping processes, in process testing and in small to medium batch production.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, design of experiments, mold making, PolyJet, 3D-Printing

Procedia PDF Downloads 234
229 Removal of Heavy Metals Pb, Zn and Cu from Sludge Waste of Paper Industries Using Biosurfactant

Authors: Nurul Hidayati

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Increasing public awareness of environmental pollution influences the search and development of technologies that help in clean up of organic and inorganic contaminants such as metals. Sludge waste of paper industries as toxic and hazardous material from specific source contains Pb, Zn, and Cu metal from waste soluble ink. An alternative and eco-friendly method of remediation technology is the use of biosurfactants and biosurfactant-producing microorganisms. Soil washing is among the methods available to remove heavy metal from sediments. The purpose of this research is to study effectiveness of biosurfactant with concentration = CMC for the removal of heavy metals, lead, zinc and copper in batch washing test under four different biosurfactant production by microbial origin. Pseudomonas putida T1(8), Bacillus subtilis 3K, Acinetobacter sp, and Actinobacillus sp was grown on mineral salt medium that had been already added with 2% concentration of molasses that it is a low cost application. The samples were kept in a shaker 120 rpm at room temperature for 3 days. Supernatants and sediments of sludge were separated by using a centrifuge and samples from supernatants were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The highest removal of Pb was up to 14,04% by Acinetobacter sp. Biosurfactant of Pseudomonas putida T1(8) have the highest removal for Zn and Cu up to 6,5% and 2,01% respectively. Biosurfactants have a role for removal process of the metals, including wetting, contact of biosurfactant to the surface of the sediments and detachment of the metals from the sediment. Biosurfactant has proven its ability as a washing agent in heavy metals removal from sediments, but more research is needed to optimize the process of removal heavy metals.

Keywords: biosurfactant, removal of heavy metals, sludge waste, paper industries

Procedia PDF Downloads 297