B. Cabal

Adsorption of naphthalene from aqueous solution on activated carbons obtained from bean pods

The preparation of activated carbons from bean pods waste by chemical (K(2)CO(3)) and physical (water vapor) activation was investigated. The carbon prepared by chemical activation presented a more developed porous structure (surface area 1580 m(2) g(-1) and pore volume 0.809 cm(3) g(-1)) than the one obtained by water vapor activation (258 m(2) g(-1) and 0.206 cm(3) g(-1)). These carbons were explored as adsorbents for the adsorption of naphthalene from water solutions at low concentration and room temperature and their properties are compared with those of commercial activated carbons. Naphthalene adsorption on the carbons obtained from agricultural waste was stronger than that of carbon adsorbents reported in the literature. This seems to be due to the presence of large amounts of basic groups on the bean-pod-based carbons. The adsorption capacity evaluated from Freundlich equation was found to depend on both the textural and chemical properties of the carbons. Naphthalene uptake on biomass-derived carbons was 300 and 85 mg g(-1) for the carbon prepared by chemical and physical activation, respectively. Moreover, when the uptake is normalized per unit area of adsorbent, the least porous carbon displays enhanced naphthalene removal. The results suggest an important role of the carbon composition including mineral matter in naphthalene retention. This issue remains under investigation.

Kinetics of naphthalene adsorption on an activated carbon: comparison between aqueous and organic media.

The purpose of this work was to explore the kinetics of naphthalene adsorption on an activated carbon from aqueous and organic solutions. Kinetic curves were fitted to different theoretical models, and the results have been discussed in terms of the nature and properties of the solvents, the affinity of naphthalene to the solutions, and the accessibility to the porosity of the activated carbon. Data was fitted to the pseudo-second order kinetic model with good correlation coefficients for all the solution media. The faster adsorption rate was obtained for the most hydrophobic solvent (heptane). The overall adsorption rate of naphthalene seems to be controlled simultaneously by external (boundary layer) followed by intraparticle diffusion in the porosity of the activated carbon when water, ethanol and cyclohexane are used as solvents. In the case of heptane, only two stages were observed (pore diffusion and equilibrium) suggesting that the limiting stage is the intraparticle diffusion. The low value of the boundary thickness supports this observation.

Importance of the Hydrophobic Character of Activated Carbons on the Removal of Naphthalene from the Aqueous Phase

A commercial activated carbon was systematically modified by heat treatment at 450°C and 850°C to obtain a series of carbons with various oxygen contents, porous structures and surface functionalities. The carbons were used to investigate the role of adsorbent properties on the removal of naphthalene from aqueous solution. The results confirmed that the adsorption of naphthalene depended strongly on the pore-size distribution of the adsorbent. DTG analysis of the exhausted samples indicated that adsorption forces were stronger in carbons with pores of dimensions close to those of naphthalene. Functionalization of the carbon also influenced its overall adsorption capacity, with uptake being favoured in carbons of a basic nature. The hydrophilic character of the carbons gave rise to strong water competition due to increasing polarity in the adsorbents. This polarity created hydration clusters that reduced the accessibility and affinity of naphthalene molecules to the inner pore structure.

Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of ZnO Containing Glasses

A new family of non-toxic biocides based on low melting point (1250°C) transparent glasses with high content of ZnO (15–40wt%) belonging to the miscibility region of the B2O3-SiO2-Na2O-ZnO system has been developed. These glasses have shown an excellent biocide activity (logarithmic reduction >3) against Gram- (E. coli), Gram+ (S. aureus) and yeast (C. krusei); they are chemically stable in different media (distilled water, sea-like water, LB and DMEN media) as well as biocompatible. The cytotoxicity was evaluated by the Neutral Red Uptake using NIH-3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast cells) and the cell viability was >80%. These new glasses can be considered in several and important applications in the field of inorganic non-toxic biocide agents such as medical implants, surgical equipment, protective apparels in hospitals, water purifications systems, food packaging, food storages or textiles.

Inhibitory Effect on In Vitro Streptococcus oralis Biofilm of a Soda-Lime Glass Containing Silver Nanoparticles Coating on Titanium Alloy

This paper reports the effect of soda-lime-glass-nAg coating on the viability of an in vitro biofilm of Streptococcus oralis. Three strains (ATCC 35037 and two clinical isolates from periodontitis patients) were grown on coated with glass, glass containing silver nanoparticles, and uncoated titanium alloy disks. Two different methods were used to quantify biofilm formation abilities: crystal violet staining and determination of viable counts. The influence of the surface morphology on the cell attachment was studied. The surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and using a profilometer. SEM was also used to study the formation and the development of biofilm on the coated and uncoated disks. At least a >99.7% inocula reduction of biofilm respect to titanium disks and also to glass coated disks was observed in the glass-nAg coated disks for all the studied strains. A quantitative evaluation of the release of silver was conducted in vitro to test whether and to what extend the biocidal agent (silver) could leach from the coating. These findings suggest that the biofilm formation of S. oralis strains is highly inhibited by the glass-nAg and may be useful for materials which require durable antibacterial effect on their surfaces, as it is the case of dental implants.

Heterogeneous precipitation of silver nanoparticles on kaolinite plates

Two different methods to obtain silver nanoparticles supported on kaolin crystals have been performed: the first one followed a thermal reduction and the second one a chemical reduction. In both cases, the silver nanoparticles with two different average particles size (ca.12 and 30 nm) were perfectly isolated and attached to the surface of the kaolin plates. The silver nanoparticles were localized mainly at the edge of the single crystal plates, the hydroxyl groups being the main centres of adsorption. The samples were fully characterized by XRD, UV-vis spectroscopy and TEM. The antimicrobial benefits of the composites were evaluated as antibacterial against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and antifungal activity against yeast. The results indicated a high antimicrobial activity for Escherichia coli JM 110 and Micrococcus luteus, while being inactive against yeast under our experimental conditions. The chemical analysis of Ag in the fermentation broths show that only a small portion of metal (<9 ppm) is released from the kaolin/metakaolin particles. Therefore, the risk of toxicity due to a high concentration of metal in the medium is minimized.

Improved phenol adsorption on carbons after mild temperature steam reactivation

The purpose of this work is to explore steam reactivation at moderate temperatures of activated carbon exhausted with phenol, a highly toxic compound frequently present in industrial wastewater. The spent carbon was treated with steam at various temperatures (450, 600 and 850 degrees C) and times (from 5 to 60 min). Promising results were obtained by applying moderate temperatures and times. Whereas at low temperatures the complete regeneration of the carbon is not accomplished, an almost quantitative desorption of the pollutant was achieved at 600 degrees C after exposure times below 30 min, with minimal damages in the porous network of the carbon. Further reutilization of the regenerated carbon resulted in a superior performance towards phenol uptake. The regeneration efficiency at 850 degrees C strongly depends on the time of reactivation, with an enhanced phenol uptake when short treatment times are applied. Prolonged duration of the regeneration treatment reduced phenol adsorption capacities, due to overreactivation of the carbon in the steam atmosphere, and to the blockage of the porous carbon network.

Nanocomposites of silver nanoparticles embedded in glass nanofibres obtained by laser spinning

Nanocomposites made of non-woven glass fibres with diameters ranging from tens of nanometers up to several micrometers, containing silver nanoparticles, were successfully fabricated by the laser spinning technique. Pellets of a soda-lime silicate glass containing silver nanoparticles with varying concentrations (5 and 10 wt%) were used as a precursor. The process followed to obtain the silver nanofibres did not agglomerate significantly the metallic nanoparticles, and the average particle size is still lower than 50 nm. This is the first time that glass nanofibres containing silver nanoparticles have been obtained following a process different from electrospinning of a sol-gel, thus avoiding the limitations of this method and opening a new route to composite nanomaterials. Antibacterial efficiency of the nanosilver glass fibres, tested against one of the most common gram negative bacteria, was greater than 99.99% compared to the glass fibres free of silver. The silver nanoparticles are well-dispersed not only on the surface but are also embedded into the uniform nanofibres, which leads to a long lasting durable antimicrobial effect. All these novel characteristics will potentially open up a whole new range of applications.

On the Adsorption Kinetics and Equilibrium of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons from Aqueous Solution

The purpose of the present work was to explore the removal of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, fluorene and acenaphtene) (PAHs) from aqueous solution onto an activated carbon. The adsorption performance of these compounds (both kinetic and equilibrium) has been discussed in terms of their chemical and physical properties. The results showed that the rate of adsorption was strongly dependent on the molecular size of the hydrocarbons. Thus, for example, steric hindrances associated with acenaphthene inhibited the accessibility of this compound to the high-energy sites. Under equilibrium conditions, the uptake seemed to be governed by the carbon–PAH affinity, as the lowest uptake was obtained for naphthalene which displayed the fastest adsorption rate. The interactions between the studied pollutants and the activated carbon seemed to be controlled by two factors, viz. aromaticity and water solubility. As a general rule, the higher the number of aromatic rings in the polycyclic hydrocarbon, the more favoured the adsorbate–carbon interactions. Analysis of the carbon after adsorption of the studied hydrocarbons indicated that the accessibility restrictions to the porosity of the carbon can also lead to weaker interactions with the activated carbon.

Antimicrobial activity of submicron glass fibres incorporated as a filler to a dental sealer.

Two types of antimicrobial glass fibers containing ZnO and CaO, with diameters ranging from tens of nanometers to 1 µm, were successfully fabricated by a laser spinning technique. The antimicrobial performance was corroborated according to ISO 20743:2013, by using gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, and yeast (Candida krusei) (more than 3 logs of reduction). The metabolic activity and endosomal system of eukaryotic cells were not altered by using eluents of CaO glass submicrometric fibers and ZnO fibers at 1 : 10 dilution as cellular media (viability rates over 70%). A dental material was functionalized by embedding ZnO nanofibers above the percolation threshold (20% wt), creating a three-dimensional (3D) fiber network that added an antimicrobial profile. This new ZnO glass fiber composite is proved non-cytotoxic and preserved the antimicrobial effect after immersion in human saliva. This is the first time that a fiber-reinforced liner with strong antimicrobial-activity has been created to prevent secondary caries. The potential of developing new fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) with antimicrobial properties opens up an extensive field of dental applications where most important diseases have an infectious origin.