Rachida Maachi

Effect of pH and salinity on the emulsifying capacity and naphthalene solubility of a biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens

A biosurfactant with a low critical micelle concentration, CMC (290 mg L(-1)), was produced by a Pseudomonas fluorescens strain using olive oil. Measurements of surface tension and emulsification index (E24) showed a positive effect on alkaline pH and a high level of tolerance to ionic strength of the product. Above the CMC, naphthalene solubility was affected by biosurfactant concentration (3-7 times its aqueous solubility), pH and salinity; for 0.5-1.5 g L(-1) of biosurfactant, pH 7 and no salinity, naphthalene solubility was about 7-fold its aqueous solubility. The solubility reached a saturation value (205 mg L(-1)) when biosurfactant concentration exceeded 1.5 g L(-1). For alkaline pH or high salinity (above 10%) the solubility decreased by more than 50%. The weight solubilization ratio decreased from 0.63 to 0.015 for increasing biosurfactant concentration up to 1.5 g L(-1), alkaline pH or high salinity; and reached a constant value for 4.0 g L(-1) biosurfactant irrespective of pH and salinity (in the range of 0.02-0.05 g L(-1)). In all cases, the solubility of naphthalene in water was enhanced by the biosurfactant addition, showing its potential for application in bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination in extreme environments.

Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) on the new hetero-system CuAl2O4/TiO2.

Visible light driven HCrO(4)(-) reduction was successfully achieved over the new hetero-system CuAl(2)O(4)/TiO(2). The spinel, elaborated by nitrate route, was characterized photo electrochemically. The optical gap was found to be 1.70 eV and the transition is directly allowed. The conduction band (-1.05 V(SCE)) is located below that of TiO(2), more negative than the HCrO(4)(-)/Cr(3+) level (+0.58 V(SCE)) yielding a thermodynamically feasible chromate reduction upon visible illumination. CuAl(2)O(4) is stable against photo corrosion by holes consumption reaction involving salicylic acid which favors the charges separation. There is a direct correlation between the dark adsorption and the photo activity. A reduction of more than 95% of chromate was achieved after 3 h irradiation at pH 2 with an optimal mass ratio (CuAl(2)O(4)/TiO(2)) equal to 1/3. The reduction follows a first order kinetic with a half life of ∼1 h and a quantum yield of 0.11% under polychromatic light. Prolonged illumination was accompanied by a deceleration of the Cr(VI) reduction thanks to the competitive water discharge. The hydrogen evolution, an issue of energetic concern, took place with a rate of 3.75 cm(3) (g catalyst)(-1) h(-1).

Valorization of Inula viscosa waste extraction, modeling of isotherm, and kinetic for the tartrazine dye adsorption

The aim of this study was the tartrazine dye removal from aqueous solutions using a solid waste from the essential oil extraction of Inula viscosa. Experiments carried out in batch mode showed that the adsorption depended on physical parameters such as pH, adsorbent dose, initial pollutant concentration, and temperature. The results of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion X-ray indicated that the potential to adsorb tartrazine dye onto I. viscosa was related to the adsorbent structure. The nature of the surface groups on the adsorbent was determined from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and specific surface area. The dye retention was found to be pH-dependent and the tartrazine adsorption decreased with increasing pH over the pH range (1-6). The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models were used to analyze the adsorption behavior. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be ~43.1 mg g−1 at pH 2 and 298 K. Dye adsorption kinetic was well described by a pseudo-second-order model. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of tartrazine was spontaneous and endothermic, and the process was governed by physisorption owing to the low enthalpy. Therefore, I. viscosa is promising as a low-cost adsorbent for the dye removal from aqueous solutions.

Photocatalytic treatment of petroleum industry wastewater using recirculating annular reactor: comparison of experimental and modeling

In this study, the treatment of petroleum wastewater has been investigated by applying heterogeneous photocatalytic process using a recirculating annual reactor. An attempt has been made to study the effect of operating parameters such as TiO2 load, initial concentration of the pollutant, emitted photonic flux, and pH of the solution. The degradation efficiency of toluene and benzene, as target molecules, was studied. In fact, result showed that the toluene is better degraded alone than when it is in a mixture. The rate of elimination of toluene separately was 89.5%, while it was 76.19 and 79.55% in the binary (toluene/benzene) and the ternary mixtures (toluene/benzene/xylene), respectively. Moreover, the mineralization of the solution decreased more rapidly when toluene was pure with a rate of 83.13% compared to binary and ternary mixtures. A mathematical model is proposed taking into account the parameters influencing the process performances. The mass transfer step, the degradation, and the mineralization kinetics of the pollutants were defined as model parameters. To build the model, mass balances are written in bulk region and catalyst phase (solid phase). The degradation mechanism on solid phase is divided in two stages. Firstly, the removal of toluene gives an equivalent intermediate (EI). Secondly, EI is oxidized into carbon dioxide (CO2). This approach gives a good agreement between modeling and empirical data in terms of degradation and mineralization. It also allows for the simulation of toluene kinetics without knowing the plausible chemical pathway. A satisfactory fit with experimental data was obtained for the degradation and mineralization of toluene.