Aziz ur Rehman

Removal of Congo Red from Aqueous Solution by Anion Exchange Membrane (EBTAC): Adsorption Kinetics and Themodynamics

The adsorption behavior of anionic dye congo red (CR) from aqueous solutions using an anion exchange membrane (EBTAC) has been investigated at room temperature. The effect of several factors including contact time, membrane dosage, ionic strength and temperature were studied. Kinetic models, namely pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, liquid film diffusion and Elovich models as well as Bangham and modified freundlich Equations, were employed to evaluate the experimental results. Parameters such as adsorption capacities, rate constant and related correlation coefficients for every model were calculated and discussed. The adsorption of CR on anion exchange membranes followed pseudo-second-order Kinetics. Thermodynamic parameters, namely changes in Gibbs free energy (∆G°), enthalpy (∆H°) and entropy (∆S°) were calculated for the adsorption of congo red, indicating an exothermic process.

Synthesis, characterization, and urease inhibition of 5-substituted-8-methyl-2H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-diones

Abstract5-Substituted-8-methyl-2H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-dione and its anilines, amino pyridines and hydrazides derivatives were prepared in a good to excellent yields. In the first step 8-methyl-2H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-dione (1) was prepared by reacting 4-methyl-2-aminopyridine, with diethylmalonate. Compounds substituted pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-diones (PPMDO) (2)–(17) were prepared by condensing 8-methyl-2H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine-2,4(3H)-dione in the presence of triethylorthoformte (TEF) and dimethylformamide (DMF), with respective amino components viz. 2-aminoacetophenone, 3-aminoacetophenone, 4-aminoacetophenone, 2,4,6-trimethylaniline, 2-fluoroaniline, 3-fluoroaniline, 4-fluoroaniline, 2-aminothiophenol, 2-amino-4-methylpyridine, 2-amino-5-methylpyridine, 2-amino-5-nitropyridine, Benzoic hydrazide, 4-nitrobenzoic hydrazide, 4-bromobenzoic hydrazide, 4-chlorobenzoic hydrazide and 4-hydroxybenzoic hydrazide, respectively. The chemical structures of all the compounds were elucidated by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and elemental analysis data. The synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro urease inhibition activity, by the phenol hypochlorite method. These compounds were found to exhibit either no or low to moderate or significant activity. The compounds (9) and (14) showed comparatively much higher activity. However, the compound (9) was found to be the most active one.Graphical abstractOf the synthesized compounds (2)–(17), two compounds (9) and (14) were found to be significantly more potent inhibitors of urease activity than the starting compound (1). The same two compounds also exhibited anti-urease activity comparable to thiourea, a standard urease inhibitor used in this study as a reference.

Design of Anion Exchange Membranes and Electrodialysis Studies for Water Desalination

Anion exchange membranes are highly versatile and nowadays have many applications, ranging from water treatment to sensing materials. The preparation of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) from brominated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,6-phenylene oxide) (BPPO) and methyl(diphenyl)phosphine (MDPP) for electrodialysis was performed. The physiochemical properties and electrochemical performance of fabricated membranes can be measured by changing MDPP contents in the membrane matrix. The influence of a quaternary phosphonium group associated with the removal of NaCl from water is discussed. The prepared membranes have ion exchange capacities (IEC) 1.09–1.52 mmol/g, water uptake (WR) 17.14%–21.77%, linear expansion ratio (LER) 7.96%–11.86%, tensile strength (TS) 16.66–23.97 MPa and elongation at break (Eb) 485.57%–647.98%. The prepared anion exchange membranes were employed for the electrodialytic removal of 0.1 M NaCl aqueous solution at a constant applied voltage. It is found that the reported membranes could be the promising candidate for NaCl removal via electrodialysis.

BPPO-Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Acid Recovery via Diffusion Dialysis

To reduce the environmental impact of acids present in various industrial wastes, improved and robust anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are highly desired. Moreover, they should exhibit high retention of salts, fast acid permeation and they should be able to operate with low energy input. In this work, AEMs are prepared using a facile solution-casting from brominated poly-(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (BPPO) and increasing amounts of 2-phenylimidazole (PI). Neither quaternary ammonium salts, nor ionic liquids and silica-containing compounds are involved in the synthesis. The prepared membranes showed an ion exchange capacity of 1.1–1.8 mmol/g, a water uptake of 22%–47%, a linear expansion ratio of 1%–6% and a tensile strength of 0.83–10.20 MPa. These membranes have potential for recovering waste acid via diffusion dialysis, as the acid dialysis coefficient (UH) at room temperature for HCl is in the range of 0.006–0.018 m/h while the separation factor (S) is in the range of 16–28, which are higher than commercial DF-120B membranes (UH = 0.004 m/h, S = 24).

Electroconductive Composites from Polystyrene Block Copolymers and Cu–Alumina Filler

Technological advancements and development of new materials may lead to the manufacture of sustainable energy-conducting devices used in the energy sector. This research attempts to fabricate novel electroconductive and mechanically stable nanocomposites via an electroless deposition (ELD) technique using electrically insulating materials. Metallic Cu is coated onto Al2O3 by ELD, and the prepared filler is then integrated (2–14 wt %) into a matrix of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene-graft-maleic anhydride (PS-b-(PE-r-B)-b-PS-g-MA). Considerable variations in composite phases with filler inclusion exist. The Cu crystallite growth onto Al2O3 was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) depicts a uniform Cu coating on Al2O3, while homogeneous filler dispersion is exhibited in the case of composites. The electrical behavior of composites is enhanced drastically (7.7 × 10−5 S/cm) upon incorporation of Cu–Al2O3 into an insulating polymer matrix (4.4 × 10−16 S/cm). Moreover, mechanical (Young’s modulus, tensile strength and % elongation at break) and thermal (thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)) properties of the nanocomposites also improve substantially. These composites are likely to meet the demands of modern high-strength electroconductive devices.

Breeding Wheat for Salt Tolerance and Stem Rust Resistance

Fast and effective hydroponics screening technique that could identify physiological variation in salinity tolerance of wheat was applied. A set of 442, previously unexplored wheat varieties/lines representing a wide range of genetic diversity was planted as control in ½ strength Hoagland’s nutrient media, whereas two sets of the same material were exposed to salt (NaCl) application under two treatments i.e., 10 dS m−1 and 20 dS m−1 for the first 2 years (2003–04 and 2004–05). For the third year (2005–06), more intensive stress was applied with salinity levels of 12.5 dS m−1 and 25 dS m−1. Salinity tolerance was defined as differences in biomass (root-shoot ratio) production in saline versus non-saline conditions over prolonged periods, of 3–4 weeks (seedling to pre booting stage). For this purpose parameters like shoot length, root length, shoot weight and root weight alongwith their relative ratios were measured. As a result of 3 year study 11 common salt tolerant varieties/lines were identified including Pasban-90, LU 26S, V-01078 (Seher 06) and V-01180. Under saline field conditions some of these lines like Gamdow-6, BAV 92//SAP/MON and Lakata-1 produced higher grain yield, whereas, Uqab-2000 was the best yielding in saline field conditions, although it was found non tolerant in hydroponic studies. Line Ning 8319 showed good resistance for stem rust comparable to Parula and Pavon. These selected lines are being used in specific breeding programs for the development of high yielding wheat varieties having high degree of salt tolerance and stem rust resistance.