Ian R. Hardin

One-Step Photochemical Synthesis of Permanent, Nonleaching, Ultrathin Antimicrobial Coatings for Textiles and Plastics

Antimicrobial copolymers of hydrophobic N-alkyl and benzophenone containing polyethylenimines were synthesized from commercially available linear poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), and covalently attached to surfaces of synthetic polymers, cotton, and modified silicon oxide using mild photo-cross-linking. Specifically, these polymers were applied to polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polyethylene, cotton, and alkyl-coated oxide surfaces using solution casting or spray coating and then covalently cross-linked rendering permanent, nonleaching antimicrobial surfaces. The photochemical grafting of pendant benzophenones allows immobilization to any surface that contains a C-H bond. Incubating the modified materials with either Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli demonstrated that the modified surfaces had substantial antimicrobial capacity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (>98% microbial death).

Determination of biodegradation products from sulfonated dyes by Pleurotus ostreatususing capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry

Microbial treatment of environmental pollutants including dyes with white rot fungi has received wide attention as a potential alternative for conventional methods in wastewater treatment. The degradation products from dyes and mechanism underlying fungal degradation of dyes is desirable to be understood. Capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was used in this study to determine biodegradation products of 4-[(4-hydroxyphenyl)azo]-benzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt (4HABA) and Acid Orange 7 (C.I. 15510), produced by a white rot fungus, Pleurotus ostreatus. Two major degradation products, benzenesulfonic acid and 4-hydroxy-benzenesulfonic acid, from both sulfonated compounds, were identified and their kinetic profiles in biodegradation were followed by CE-MS. Another product, 1,2-naphthoquinone, from Acid Orange 7 was identified using HPLC. Formation of these products in fungal degradation is discussed.

Determination of the degradation products of selected sulfonated phenylazonaphthol dyes treated by white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus by capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry.

The removal of water-soluble sulphonated phenylazonaphthol dye effluents generated by textile industries is an important issue in wastewater treatment. Microbial treatment of environmental pollutants including dyes, with white rot fungi has received wide attention as a potential alternative for conventional methods in wastewater treatment. Three sulphonated phenylazonaphthol dyes with similar molecular structures Acid Orange 7, Acid Orange 8 and Mordant Violet 5 were selected and degraded by the white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. Chemical instrumental analysis methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) were used to identify the degraded dyes. Mordant Violet 5 had two degradation pathways when degraded by P. ostreatus. The first degradation pathway for Mordant Violet 5 was for trans structure and the cis-Mordant Violet 5 followed the second pathway. Acid Orange 8 and Acid Orange 7 had the same degradation mechanism as the first degradation mechanism for Mordant Violet 5, that is cleavage of azo bond at the naphthalene ring side where benzenesulfonic acid and 1,2-naphthoquinone are formed.

Effects of hardness and alkalinity in culture and test waters on reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia

Ceriodaphnia dubia were cultured in four reconstituted water formulations with hardness and alkalinity concentrations ranging from soft to the moderately hard water that is required by whole-effluent toxicity (WET) testing methods for culturing test organisms. The effects of these culture formulations alone and in combination with two levels of Cl-, SO4(2-), and HCO3- on reproduction of C. dubia were evaluated with the standard three-brood test. Reproduction was significantly reduced when test waters had lower hardness than culture waters. However, reproduction was not significantly different when animals cultured in low-hardness waters were exposed to moderately hard waters. The hardness of the culture water did not significantly affect the sensitivity of C. dubia to the three anions. Conversely, increased hardness in test waters significantly reduced the toxicities of Cl- and SO4(2-), with HCO3- toxicity following the same pattern. Alkalinity exhibited no consistent effect on Cl- and SO4(2-) toxicity. The physiological stress of placing animals cultured in moderately hard water into softer test waters might contribute to marginal failures of otherwise nontoxic effluents. The standard WET protocol should be revised to allow the culture of C. dubia under lower hardness conditions to better represent local surface water chemistries.

Observed and predicted reproduction of Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate†

Chronic toxicities of Cl(-), SO(4) (2-), and HCO(3) (-) to Ceriodaphnia dubia were evaluated in low- and moderate-hardness waters using a three-brood reproduction test method. Toxicity tests of anion mixtures were used to determine interaction effects and to produce models predicting C. dubia reproduction. Effluents diluted with low- and moderate-hardness waters were tested with animals acclimated to low- and moderate-hardness conditions to evaluate the models and to assess the effects of hardness and acclimation. Sulfate was significantly less toxic than Cl(-) and HCO(3) (-) in both types of water. Chloride and HCO(3) (-) toxicities were similar in low-hardness water, but HCO(3) (-) was the most toxic in moderate-hardness water. Low acute-to-chronic ratios indicate that toxicities of these anions will decrease quickly with dilution. Hardness significantly reduced Cl(-) and SO(4) (2-) toxicity but had little effect on HCO(3) (-). Chloride toxicity decreased with an increase in Na(+) concentration, and HCO(3) (-) toxicity may have been reduced by the dissolved organic carbon in effluent. Multivariate models using measured anion concentrations in effluents with low to moderate hardness levels provided fairly accurate predictions of reproduction. Determinations of toxicity for several effluents differed significantly depending on the hardness of the dilution water and the hardness of the water used to culture test animals. These results can be used to predict the contribution of elevated anion concentrations to the chronic toxicity of effluents; to identify effluents that are toxic due to contaminants other than Cl(-), SO(4) (2-), and HCO(3) (-); and to provide a basis for chemical substitutions in manufacturing processes.

Environmentally sound textile dyeing technology with nanofibrillated cellulose

We have developed a sustainable dyeing technology with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) fibers that would decrease the amount of water, salt and alkali used in cotton dyeing by one order of magnitude, but with comparable dyeing performance to a conventional exhaust dyeing method.

Durable antimicrobial textiles: types, finishes and applications

Abstract: Because natural fibers are part of the evolved natural world, they all have organisms that will attack them and break them down. Although synthetic fibers have less natural microbial enemies, they too can be subject to attack by microorganisms. Ideal antimicrobial agents should be effective against a broad spectrum of agents, be durable, have low toxicity, be compatible with other finishes, and be easy to apply. Among the finishes that are used to impart durable antimicrobial properties to fibers and fabrics are metals and metal ions, quaternary ammonium compounds, chitosan, and regenerable halamines. Although durable antimicrobials are increasingly popular for the consumer market, questions regarding their use will continue to rise regarding their effect on the evolution of resistant microbes.