Recently noted that the methylene blue cause severe central nervous system toxicity. It is essential to optimize the methylene blue from aqueous environment. In this study, a comparison of an optimization of methylene blue was investigated by using modified Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) bio-polymer hydrogel beads. A batch mode study was conducted using various parameters like time, dye concentration, bio-polymer dose, pH and process temperature. The isotherms, kinetics, diffusion and thermodynamic studies were performed for feasibility of the optimization process. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm equations were used for the prediction of isotherm parameters and correlated with dimensionless separation factor (RL). Pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order Lagegren's kinetic equations were used for the correlation of kinetic parameters. Intraparticle diffusion model was employed for diffusion of the optimization process. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) shows different absorbent peaks of Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) beads and the morphology of the bio-polymer material analyzed with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The TG & DTA studies show that good thermal stability with less humidity without production of any non-degraded products.
In this study, laundry wastewater filtration was studied using hydrophilic polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) modified polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes. The performances of PES/PVP membranes were assessed using commercial PES membrane with 10kDa in ultrafiltration. Operating parameters The influence of transmembrane pressure (TMP) and stirring speed on laundry wastewater flux was investigated. A higher permeate flux of 55.2L/m(2)h was obtained for modified PES membrane with high concentration of PVP at TMP of 500kPa and 750rpm of stirring speed. The separation efficiencies of membranes were also studied with respect to chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity and conductivity. Results showed that PES membrane with 10% of PVP had higher permeate flux, flux recovery and less fouling when compared with other membranes. Higher COD and TDS rejection of 88% and 82% were also observed for modified membranes due to the improved surface property of membranes. This indicated that modified PES membranes are suitable for the treatment of surfactant, detergent and oil from laundry wastewater.
β-glucans are soluble fibers found in cereal compounds, including barley, oats etc., as an active component. They are used as a dietary fiber to treat cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These polysaccharides are important because they can provide many therapeutic benefits related to their biological activity in human like inhibiting tumour growth, anti-inflammatory action, etc. All these activities were usually attached to their molecular weight, structure and degree of branching. The present manuscript reviews the background of β-glucan, its characterization techniques, the possible ways to extract β-glucan and mainly focuses on membrane-based purification techniques. The β-glucan separation methods using polymeric membranes, their operational characteristics, purification methods which may yield pure or crude β-glucan and structural analysis methods were also discussed. Future direction in research and development related to β-glucan recovery from cereal were also offered.
In this study, modified polyethersulfone (PES) and cellulose acetate (CA) membranes were used in the treatment of car wash effluent using ultrafiltration. Hydrophilic sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) and bentonite as nanoclay were used as additives for the PES and CA membrane modification. Performances of modified membranes were compared with commercial PES membrane with 10kDa molecular weight cut off (MWCO). The influencing parameters like stirrer speed (250-750rpm) and transmembrane pressure (100-600kPa) (TMP) were varied and their effects were studied as a function of flux. In the treatment of car wash effluent, a higher permeate flux of 52.3L/m(2)h was obtained for modified CA membrane at TMP of 400kPa and stirrer speed of 750rpm. In comparison with modified PES membrane and commercial PES membrane, modified CA membranes showed better performance in terms of flux and flux recovery ratio. The highest COD removal (60%) was obtained for modified CA membrane and a lowest COD removal (47%) was observed for commercial PES membrane. The modified membranes were better at removing COD, turbidity and maintained more stable flux than commercial PES membrane, suggesting they will provide better economic performance in car wash effluent reclamation.
A comprehensive overview of various modifications carried out on polymeric membranes for biomedical applications has been presented in this review paper. In particular, different methods of carrying out these modifications have been discussed. The uniqueness of the review lies in the sense that it discusses the surface modification techniques traversing the timeline from traditionally well-established technologies to emerging new techniques, thus giving an intuitive understanding of the evolution of surface modification techniques over time. A critical comparison of the advantages and pitfalls of commonly used traditional and emerging surface modification techniques have been discussed. The paper also highlights the tuning of specific properties of polymeric membranes that are critical for their increased applications in the biomedical industry specifically in drug delivery, along with current challenges faced and where the future potential of research in the field of surface modification of membranes.
Herbicides such as atrazine and humus substances such as fulvic acid are widely used in agricultural sector. They can be traced in surface and groundwater around the agriculture field at concentrations beyond the approved limit due to their mobility and persistence. Bismuth-based photocatalysts activated by visible light are potential materials for removing various organic pollutants from water bodies. These photocatalysts can also be suitable candidates for developing a hybrid membrane with anti-fouling properties. In this study, Bi2WO6 nanoparticles were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and integrated into the cellulose acetate (CA), polyetherimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSF) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymers via physical blending approach. The hybrid membranes were then characterized by FTIR, XPS and FESEM to confirm the chemical bonding, chemical composition and surface morphology of Bi2WO6. Thus, the pure water flux of CA (35.6 L m-2 h-1), PEI (46.56 L m-2 h-1), PSF (6.84 L m-2 h-1), and PVDF (68.47 L m-2 h-1) hybrid membranes has significantly enhanced than the pristine CA, PEI, PSF and PVDF membranes. The significant rejection of atrazine-fulvic acid was observed with hybrid membranes in the order of CA (84.1%) > PVDF (72.7%) > PEI (47.8%) > PSF (37.2%), and these membranes have shown an excellent flux recovery ratio than pristine membranes. Further, electrochemical quantification studies were performed to analyze the removal efficiency of atrazine-fulvic acid from water. In this present work, GO-modified SPE was employed for electrochemical sensing studies. The resultant CA hybrid membrane achieved removal efficiency of 84.08% for atrazine. It was observed that the Bi2WO6 established strong bonding with CA, and PVDF membranes, thus showing a significant removal efficiency and FRR than other hybrid and pristine membranes.