The mechanics of biological tissue is largely determined by the mechanics of biopolymer networks such as the extracellular matrix on cellular scale or the cytoskeleton on subcellular scale. Micromechanical simulations of biopolymer networks have thus attracted increasing interest in the last years. Here we introduce a simulation framework for biopolymer networks based on a finite element model ...

The mechanical properties of biopolymers can be determined from a statistical analysis of the ensemble of shapes they exhibit when subjected to thermal forces. In practice, extracting information from fluorescence microscopy images can be challenging due to low signal/noise ratios and other artifacts. To address these issues, we develop a suite of tools for image processing and spectral data an...

10 The sorption behavior of the herbicides atrazine, alachlor and trifluralin on four sorbents (two 11 modified organoclays, one model sediment, and one natural sediment) in three water matrices 12 (synthetic water, natural groundwater and surface water) was investigated. The influence of 13 the sorbent and water matrix characteristics was elucidated. All adsorption isotherms fitted 14 well wit...

In the present study, a novel Ni(II) ion-imprinted sulfonate functionalized silica gel polymer was prepared with the surface imprinting technique by using nickel(II) as the template ion, grafted silica gel as the support, and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the functional monomer and crosslinker, respectively. The sorbent was cha...

A new hybrid sorbent in the form of round beads containing modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) waste immobilized in pectin and crosslinked with calcium ions was prepared. A previously obtained and characterized powdered poly(methyl methacrylate)-based sorbent was used. Batch and column studies on the new material's sorption-desorption properties were performed. Two kinetic models (pseudo-...

A new magnetic functionalized derivative of chitosan is synthesized and characterized for the sorption of metal ions (environmental applications and metal valorization). The chemical modification of the glycine derivative of chitosan consists of: activation of the magnetic support with epichlorohydrin, followed by reaction with either glycine to produce the reference material (i.e., Gly sorbent...

Chemically modified pullulan was evaluated for its sorption efficiency and selectivity to remove cadmium (Cd) from spiked high-hardness groundwater (GW). Pullulan esterified with succinic anhydride using dimethylaminopyridine showed a fairly high degree of substitution value as confirmed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Pullulan succinate (Pull-Suc) was converted into the sodium salt (Pull-Suc-Na). Th...

In this paper, we present a mathematical model that describes the calcination and sintering of calcium-based sorbents in furnace sorbent injection (FSI) conditions. We assumed that the sorbent decomposition follows a shrinking core model with a changing pore size distribution in every layer and we used a comprehensive mathematical model for sintering. Cylindrical and plate-like or slit pore geo...

This paper proposes improved guidelines for dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolation by solid phase extraction (SPE) with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (PPL) sorbent, which has become an established method for the isolation of DOM from natural waters, because of its ease of application and appreciable carbon recovery. Suwannee River water was selected to systematically study the effects of...

The stability of crude oil droplets formed by adding chemical dispersants can be considerably enhanced by the use of the biopolymer, hydrophobically modified chitosan. Turbidimetric analyses show that emulsions of crude oil in saline water prepared using a combination of the biopolymer and the well-studied chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500A) remain stable for extended periods in comparison to e...