A selective pressurized liquid extraction procedure (SPLE) was developed for a fast determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in sediment. The final method was performed at 100 degrees C with heptane/dichloromethane (90:10, v/v) as extraction solvent for 2x5 min. Sulfuric acid impregnated silica was placed downstream of the sample in the extraction cell to remove interfering components. This s...

Dicarboxylic organic acids have properties that differ from those of sulfuric acid during hydrolysis of lignocellulose. To investigate the effects of different acid catalysts on the hydrolysis and degradation of biomass compounds over a range of thermochemical pretreatments, maleic, oxalic and sulfuric acids were each used at the same combined severity factor (CSF) values during hydrolysis. Xyl...

An efficient method for purification of Yard-Glass Shaped Boron Nitride NanoTubes (YG-BNNTs) fabricated via a Chemical Vapour Reaction (CVR) route has been developed. Impurities including carbon, Boron Nitride (BN), and Fe species in the pristine YG-BNNT sample are removed by a combined physical and chemical procedure which involv<e...

This study investigated the relationship between solubility and chemical speciation of plant nutritional elements (K, Ca, Si) in wood ash treated with a dilute solution sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid. The diluted solutions were added to fly (FA) collected from power plant, untreated acid-treated FAs analyzed for their contents K, Si. crystalline phases identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD)...

We report a room-temperature photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly (photo-PISA) of 2hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) in the presence of silica nanoparticles using a poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (mPEG) macromolecular chain transfer agent (macro-CTA). Hybrid vesicles loaded with silica nanoparticles were obtained by this one-pot approach. The solids content of the polymer ves...

Based on the first National Study of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP) and the U.S. Geological Survey database of coal quality, we show that the prevalence of CWP in seven coal mine regions correlates with levels of bioavailable iron (BAI) in the coals from that particular region (correlation coefficient r = 0.94, p < 0.0015). CWP prevalence is also correlated with contents of pyritic sulfur (...

Silica nanoparticles linked through ionic liquid-like molecules are synthesized by two routes. The first approach utilized a bis(trialkoxysilyl)-substituted imidazolium iodide to link the silica nanoparticles. In the second approach, the silica nanoparticles were first modified by 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane and N-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)imidazole and then coupled through nucleophilic subst...

Fuel ethanol can be produced from bamboo by concentrated sulfuric acid hydrolysis followed by continuous ethanol fermentation. To reduce the environmental impact of this process, treatment of the stillage, reuse of the sulfuric acid and reduction of the process water used were studied. The total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of stillage decreased from 29,688 to 269 mg/l by thermophilic met...

The present study aims to develop zirconia-Silica sand nanoparticles composites through powder processing route and to study the physical properties, mechanical properties and microstructure of the composites. Zirconia based silica sand nanoparticles composite with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% were developed through powder processing technique and sintered at 1500°C for two hours. A decreasing trend o...

PURPOSE The effects of particle size on the tissue distribution and excretion kinetics of silica nanoparticles and their biological fates were investigated following a single oral administration to male and female rats. METHODS Silica nanoparticles of two different sizes (20 nm and 100 nm) were orally administered to male and female rats, respectively. Tissue distribution kinetics, excretion ...