Sample records for alkaline borohydride treatment

  1. Alkaline sodium borohydride gel as a hydrogen source for PEMFC or an energy carrier for NaBH 4-air battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, B. H.; Li, Z. P.; Chen, L. L.

    In this preliminary study, we tried to use sodium polyacrylate as the super absorbent polymer to form alkaline NaBH 4 gel and explored its possibilities for borohydride hydrolysis and borohydride electro-oxidation. It was found that the absorption capacity of sodium polyacrylate decreased with increasing NaBH 4 concentration. The formed gel was rather stable in the sealed vessel but tended to slowly decompose in open air. Hydrogen generation from the gel was carried out using CoCl 2 catalyst precursor solutions. Hydrogen generation rate from the alkaline NaBH 4 gel was found to be higher and impurities in hydrogen were less than that from the alkaline NaBH 4 solution. The NaBH 4 gel also successfully powered a NaBH 4-air battery.

  2. Intrinsic borohydride fuel cell/battery hybrid power sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Jian; Fang, Bin; Wang, Chunsheng; Currie, Kenneth

    The electrochemical oxidation behaviors of NaBH 4 on Zn, Zn-MH, and MH (metal-hydride) electrodes were investigated, and an intrinsic direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC)/battery hybrid power source using MH (or Zn-MH) as the anode and MnO 2 as the cathode was tested. Borohydride cannot be effectively oxidized on Zn electrodes at the Zn oxidation potential because of the poor electrocatalytic ability of Zn for borohydride oxidation and the high overpotential, even though borohydride has the same oxidation potential of Zn in an alkaline solution. The borohydride can be electrochemically oxidized on Ni and MH electrodes through a 4e reaction at a high overpotential. Simply adding borohydride into an alkaline electrolyte of a Zn/air or MH/air battery can greatly increase the capacity, while an intrinsic DBFC/MH(or Zn)-MnO 2 battery can deliver a higher peak power than regular DBFCs.

  3. Direct synthesis of calcium borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Ronnebro, Ewa Carin Ellinor [Dublin, CA; Majzoub, Eric H [Pleasanton, CA

    2009-10-27

    A method is disclosed for directly preparing an alkaline earth metal borohydride, i.e. Ca(BH.sub.4).sub.2, from the alkaline earth metal hydride and the alkaline earth metal boride. The borohydride thus prepared is doped with a small portion of a metal chloride catalyst compound, such as RuCl.sub.3, TiCl.sub.3, or a mixture of TiCl.sub.3 and palladium metal. The process provides for mechanically mixing the dry reagents under an inert atmosphere followed by charging the mixed materials with high pressure hydrogen at about 70 MPa while heating the mixture to about 400.degree. C. The method is relatively simple and inexpensive and provides reversible hydride compounds which are free of the usual contamination introduced by prior art wet chemical methods.

  4. Destabilized and catalyzed borohydride for reversible hydrogen storage

    DOEpatents

    Mohtadi, Rana F [Northville, MI; Zidan, Ragaiy [Aiken, SC; Gray, Joshua [Aiken, SC; Stowe, Ashley C [Knoxville, TN; Sivasubramanian, Premkumar [Aiken, SC

    2012-02-28

    A process of forming a hydrogen storage material, including the steps of: providing a borohydride material of the formula: M(BH.sub.4).sub.x where M is an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal and 1.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.2; providing an alanate material of the formula: M.sub.1(AlH.sub.4).sub.x where M.sub.1 is an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal and 1.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.2; providing a halide material of the formula: M.sub.2Hal.sub.x where M.sub.2 is an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal or transition metal and Hal is a halide and 1.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.4; combining the borohydride, alanate and halide materials such that 5 to 50 molar percent from the borohydride material is present forming a reaction product material having a lower hydrogen release temperature than the alanate material.

  5. Introducing catalyst in alkaline membrane for improved performance direct borohydride fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Haiying; Lin, Longxia; Chu, Wen; Jiang, Wei; He, Yan; Shi, Qiao; Deng, Yonghong; Ji, Zhenguo; Liu, Jiabin; Tao, Shanwen

    2018-01-01

    A catalytic material is introduced into the polymer matrix to prepare a novel polymeric alkaline electrolyte membrane (AEM) which simultaneously increases ionic conductivity, reduces the fuel cross-over. In this work, the hydroxide anion exchange membrane is mainly composed of poly(vinylalcohol) and alkaline exchange resin. CoCl2 is added into the poly(vinylalcohol) and alkaline exchange resin gel before casting the membrane to introduce catalytic materials. CoCl2 is converted into CoOOH after the reaction with KOH solution. The crystallinity of the polymer matrix decreases and the ionic conductivity of the composite membrane is notably improved by the introduction of Co-species. A direct borohydride fuel cell using the composite membrane exhibits an open circuit voltage of 1.11 V at 30 °C, which is notably higher than that of cells using other AEMs. The cell using the composite membrane achieves a maximum power density of 283 mW cm-2 at 60 °C while the cell using the membrane without Co-species only reaches 117 mW cm-2 at the same conditions. The outstanding performance of the cell using the composite membrane benefits from impregnation of the catalytic Co-species in the membrane, which not only increases the ionic conductivity but also reduces electrode polarization thus improves the fuel cell performance. This work provides a new approach to develop high-performance fuel cells through adding catalysts in the electrolyte membrane.

  6. A composite of borohydride and super absorbent polymer for hydrogen generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Z. P.; Liu, B. H.; Liu, F. F.; Xu, D.

    To develop a hydrogen source for underwater applications, a composite of sodium borohydride and super absorbent polymer (SAP) is prepared by ball milling sodium borohydride powder with SAP powder, and by dehydrating an alkaline borohydride gel. When sodium polyacrylate (NaPAA) is used as the SAP, the resulting composite exhibits a high rate of borohydride hydrolysis for hydrogen generation. A mechanism of hydrogen evolution from the NaBH 4-NaPAA composite is suggested based on structure analysis by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of water and NiCl 2 content in the precursor solution on the hydrogen evolution behavior are investigated and discussed.

  7. Chemical bonding analysis on amphoteric hydrogen - alkaline earth ammine borohydrides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiruthika, S.; Ravindran, P.

    2018-04-01

    Usually the ions in solid are in the positive oxidation states or in the negative oxidation state depending upon the chemical environment. It is highly unusual for an ion having both positive as well as negative oxidation state in a particular compound. Structural analysis suggest that the alkaline earth ammine borohydrides (AABH) with the chemical formula M (BH4)2(NH3)2 (M = Mg, Ca, or Sr) where hydrogen is present in +1 and -1 oxidation states. In order to understand the oxidation states of hydrogen and also the character of chemical bond present in AABH we have made charge density, electron localization function, Born effective charge, Bader effective charge, and density of states analyses using result from the density functional calculations. Our detailed analyses show that hydrogen is in amphoteric behavior with hydrogen closer to boron is in negative oxidation state and that closer to nitrogen is in the positive oxidation state. Due to the presence of finite covalent bonding between the consitutents in AABH the oxidation state of hydrogen is non-interger value. The confirmation of the presence of amphtoric behavior of hydrogen in AABH has implication in hydrogen storage applications.

  8. Electrochemical research in chemical hydrogen storage materials: Sodium borohydride and organotin hydrides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLafferty, Jason

    Chemical storage of hydrogen involves release of hydrogen in a controlled manner from materials in which the hydrogen is covalently bound. Sodium borohydride and aminoborane are two materials given consideration as chemical hydrogen storage materials by the US Department of Energy. A very significant barrier to adoption of these materials as hydrogen carriers is their regeneration from "spent fuel," i.e., the material remaining after discharge of hydrogen. In this thesis, some research directed at regeneration of sodium borohydride and aminoborane is described. For sodium borohydride, electrochemical reduction of boric acid and sodium metaborate (representing spent fuel) in alkaline, aqueous solution has been investigated. Similarly to literature reports (primarily patents), a variety of cathode materials were tried in these experiments. Additionally, approaches directed at overcoming electrostatic repulsion of borate anion from the cathode, not described in the previous literature for electrochemical reduction of spent fuels, have been attempted. A quantitative analytical method for measuring the concentration of sodium borohydride in alkaline aqueous solution has been developed as part of this work and is described herein. Finally, findings from stability tests for sodium borohydride in aqueous solutions of several different compositions are reported. For aminoborane, other research institutes have developed regeneration schemes involving tributyltin hydride. In this thesis, electrochemical reduction experiments attempting to regenerate tributyltin hydride from tributyltin chloride (a representative by-product of the regeneration scheme) are described. These experiments were performed in the non-aqueous solvents acetonitrile and 1,2-dimethoxyethane. A non-aqueous reference electrode for electrolysis experiments in acetonitrile was developed and is described.

  9. Direct synthesis of magnesium borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Ronnebro, Ewa Carin Ellinor [Kennewick, WA; Severa, Godwin [Honolulu, HI; Jensen, Craig M [Kailua, HI

    2012-04-03

    A method is disclosed for directly preparing an alkaline earth metal borohydride, i.e. Mg(BH.sub.4).sub.2, from the alkaline earth metal boride MgB.sub.2 by hydrogenating the MgB.sub.2 at an elevated temperature and pressure. The boride may also be doped with small amounts of a metal chloride catalyst such as TiCl.sub.3 and/or NiCl.sub.2. The process provides for charging MgB.sub.2 with high pressure hydrogen above at least 70 MPa while simultaneously heating the material to about 350.degree. C. to about 400.degree. C. The method is relatively simple and inexpensive and provides a reversible hydride compound having a hydrogen capacity of at least 11 wt %.

  10. Method for producing a borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kong, Peter C [Idaho Falls, ID

    2008-09-02

    A method for producing a borohydride is described and which includes the steps of providing a source of borate; providing a material which chemically reduces the source of the borate to produce a borohydride; and reacting the source of borate and the material by supplying heat at a temperature which substantially effects the production of the borohydride.

  11. Method for producing a borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kong, Peter C.

    2010-06-22

    A method for producing a borohydride is described that includes the steps of providing a source of borate; providing a material that chemically reduces the source of the borate to produce a borohydride; and reacting the source of the borate and the material by supplying heat at a temperature that substantially effects the production of the borohydride.

  12. Sodium Borohydride/Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells For Space Application

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Valdez, T. I.; Deelo, M. E.; Narayanan, S. R.

    2006-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation examines Sodium Borohydride and Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells as they are applied to space applications. The topics include: 1) Motivation; 2) The Sodium Borohydride Fuel Cell; 3) Sodium Borohydride Fuel Cell Test Stands; 4) Fuel Cell Comparisons; 5) MEA Performance; 6) Anode Polarization; and 7) Electrode Analysis. The benefits of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant and benefits of sodium borohydride as a fuel are also addressed.

  13. Evaluation of anode (electro)catalytic materials for the direct borohydride fuel cell: Methods and benchmarks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olu, Pierre-Yves; Job, Nathalie; Chatenet, Marian

    2016-09-01

    In this paper, different methods are discussed for the evaluation of the potential of a given catalyst, in view of an application as a direct borohydride fuel cell DBFC anode material. Characterizations results in DBFC configuration are notably analyzed at the light of important experimental variables which influence the performances of the DBFC. However, in many practical DBFC-oriented studies, these various experimental variables prevent one to isolate the influence of the anode catalyst on the cell performances. Thus, the electrochemical three-electrode cell is a widely-employed and useful tool to isolate the DBFC anode catalyst and to investigate its electrocatalytic activity towards the borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) in the absence of other limitations. This article reviews selected results for different types of catalysts in electrochemical cell containing a sodium borohydride alkaline electrolyte. In particular, propositions of common experimental conditions and benchmarks are given for practical evaluation of the electrocatalytic activity towards the BOR in three-electrode cell configuration. The major issue of gaseous hydrogen generation and escape upon DBFC operation is also addressed through a comprehensive review of various results depending on the anode composition. At last, preliminary concerns are raised about the stability of potential anode catalysts upon DBFC operation.

  14. 40 CFR 721.1878 - Alkali metal alkyl borohydride (generic).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkali metal alkyl borohydride... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1878 Alkali metal alkyl borohydride (generic). (a) Chemical substance... alkali metal alkyl borohydride (PMN P-00-1089) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  15. 40 CFR 721.1878 - Alkali metal alkyl borohydride (generic).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Alkali metal alkyl borohydride... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.1878 Alkali metal alkyl borohydride (generic). (a) Chemical substance... alkali metal alkyl borohydride (PMN P-00-1089) is subject to reporting under this section for the...

  16. Density functional theory based screening of ternary alkali-transition metal borohydrides: A computational material design project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hummelshøj, J. S.; Landis, D. D.; Voss, J.; Jiang, T.; Tekin, A.; Bork, N.; Dułak, M.; Mortensen, J. J.; Adamska, L.; Andersin, J.; Baran, J. D.; Barmparis, G. D.; Bell, F.; Bezanilla, A. L.; Bjork, J.; Björketun, M. E.; Bleken, F.; Buchter, F.; Bürkle, M.; Burton, P. D.; Buus, B. B.; Calborean, A.; Calle-Vallejo, F.; Casolo, S.; Chandler, B. D.; Chi, D. H.; Czekaj, I.; Datta, S.; Datye, A.; DeLaRiva, A.; Despoja, V.; Dobrin, S.; Engelund, M.; Ferrighi, L.; Frondelius, P.; Fu, Q.; Fuentes, A.; Fürst, J.; García-Fuente, A.; Gavnholt, J.; Goeke, R.; Gudmundsdottir, S.; Hammond, K. D.; Hansen, H. A.; Hibbitts, D.; Hobi, E.; Howalt, J. G.; Hruby, S. L.; Huth, A.; Isaeva, L.; Jelic, J.; Jensen, I. J. T.; Kacprzak, K. A.; Kelkkanen, A.; Kelsey, D.; Kesanakurthi, D. S.; Kleis, J.; Klüpfel, P. J.; Konstantinov, I.; Korytar, R.; Koskinen, P.; Krishna, C.; Kunkes, E.; Larsen, A. H.; Lastra, J. M. G.; Lin, H.; Lopez-Acevedo, O.; Mantega, M.; Martínez, J. I.; Mesa, I. N.; Mowbray, D. J.; Mýrdal, J. S. G.; Natanzon, Y.; Nistor, A.; Olsen, T.; Park, H.; Pedroza, L. S.; Petzold, V.; Plaisance, C.; Rasmussen, J. A.; Ren, H.; Rizzi, M.; Ronco, A. S.; Rostgaard, C.; Saadi, S.; Salguero, L. A.; Santos, E. J. G.; Schoenhalz, A. L.; Shen, J.; Smedemand, M.; Stausholm-Møller, O. J.; Stibius, M.; Strange, M.; Su, H. B.; Temel, B.; Toftelund, A.; Tripkovic, V.; Vanin, M.; Viswanathan, V.; Vojvodic, A.; Wang, S.; Wellendorff, J.; Thygesen, K. S.; Rossmeisl, J.; Bligaard, T.; Jacobsen, K. W.; Nørskov, J. K.; Vegge, T.

    2009-07-01

    We present a computational screening study of ternary metal borohydrides for reversible hydrogen storage based on density functional theory. We investigate the stability and decomposition of alloys containing 1 alkali metal atom, Li, Na, or K (M1); and 1 alkali, alkaline earth or 3d/4d transition metal atom (M2) plus two to five (BH4)- groups, i.e., M1M2(BH4)2-5, using a number of model structures with trigonal, tetrahedral, octahedral, and free coordination of the metal borohydride complexes. Of the over 700 investigated structures, about 20 were predicted to form potentially stable alloys with promising decomposition energies. The M1(Al/Mn/Fe)(BH4)4, (Li/Na)Zn(BH4)3, and (Na/K)(Ni/Co)(BH4)3 alloys are found to be the most promising, followed by selected M1(Nb/Rh)(BH4)4 alloys.

  17. On the purity assessment of solid sodium borohydride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Botasini, Santiago; Méndez, Eduardo

    2012-01-01

    Since sodium borohydride has become extensively used as chemical hydrogen storage material in fuel cells, many techniques have been proposed to assess the purity of this substance. However, all of them are developed in aqueous media, where the reagent is unstable. In addition, its hygroscopic nature was difficults in any attempt to make precise quantifications. The present work compares three different methods, namely, voltammetric, titrimetric, and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in order to assess the purity of sodium borohydride, using an expired and a new sodium borohydride samples as references. Our results show that only the FTIR measurements provide a simple and semi-quantitative means to assess the purity of sodium borohydride due to the fact that it is the only one that measures the sample in the solid state. A comparison between the experimental data and theoretical calculation reveals the identification of the absorption bands at 1437 cm-1 of sodium metaborate and 2291 cm-1 of sodium borohydride which represent a good fingerprint for the qualitative assessment of the sample quality.

  18. Platinum- and membrane-free swiss-roll mixed-reactant alkaline fuel cell.

    PubMed

    Aziznia, Amin; Oloman, Colin W; Gyenge, Előd L

    2013-05-01

    Eliminating the expensive and failure-prone proton exchange membrane (PEM) together with the platinum-based anode and cathode catalysts would significantly reduce the high capital and operating costs of low-temperature (<373 K) fuel cells. We recently introduced the Swiss-roll mixed-reactant fuel cell (SR-MRFC) concept for borohydride-oxygen alkaline fuel cells. We now present advances in anode electrocatalysis for borohydride electrooxidation through the development of osmium nanoparticulate catalysts supported on porous monolithic carbon fiber materials (referred to as an osmium 3D anode). The borohydride-oxygen SR-MRFC operates at 323 K and near atmospheric pressure, generating a peak power density of 1880 W m(-2) in a single-cell configuration by using an osmium-based anode (with an osmium loading of 0.32 mg cm(-2)) and a manganese dioxide gas-diffusion cathode. To the best of our knowledge, 1880 W m(-2) is the highest power density ever reported for a mixed-reactant fuel cell operating under similar conditions. Furthermore, the performance matches the highest reported power densities for conventional dual chamber PEM direct borohydride fuel cells. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Catalyzed borohydrides for hydrogen storage

    DOEpatents

    Au, Ming [Augusta, GA

    2012-02-28

    A hydrogen storage material and process is provided in which alkali borohydride materials are created which contain effective amounts of catalyst(s) which include transition metal oxides, halides, and chlorides of titanium, zirconium, tin, and combinations of the various catalysts. When the catalysts are added to an alkali borodydride such as a lithium borohydride, the initial hydrogen release point of the resulting mixture is substantially lowered. Additionally, the hydrogen storage material may be rehydrided with weight percent values of hydrogen at least about 9 percent.

  20. Tailoring the properties of ammine metal borohydrides for solid-state hydrogen storage.

    PubMed

    Jepsen, Lars H; Ley, Morten B; Filinchuk, Yaroslav; Besenbacher, Flemming; Jensen, Torben R

    2015-04-24

    A series of halide-free ammine manganese borohydrides, Mn(BH4 )2 ⋅nNH3 , n=1, 2, 3, and 6, a new bimetallic compound Li2 Mn(BH4 )4 ⋅6NH3 , and the first ammine metal borohydride solid solution Mg1-x Mnx (BH4 )2 ⋅6NH3 are presented. Four new crystal structures have been determined by synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction and the thermal decomposition is systematically investigated for all the new compounds. The solid-gas reaction between Mn(BH4 )2 and NH3 provides Mn(BH4 )2 ⋅6NH3 . The number of NH3 per Mn has been varied by mechanochemical treatment of Mn(BH4 )2 ⋅6NH3 -Mn(BH4 )2 mixtures giving rise to increased hydrogen purity for n/m≤1 for M(BH4 )m ⋅nNH3 . The structures of Mg(BH4 )2 ⋅3NH3 and Li2 Mg(BH4 )4 ⋅6NH3 have been revisited and new structural models are presented. Finally, we demonstrate that ammonia destabilizes metal borohydrides with low electronegativity of the metal (χp <∼1.6), while metal borohydrides with high electronegativity (χp >∼1.6) are generally stabilized. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Seventh Topical Report on The Reactions of Borohydrides and Aluminohydrides with Wolfram (VI) Halides and Eighth Topical Report on Preparation and Properties of Thorium Borohydride

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bragdon, Robert W.

    1950-11-08

    (1) A comprehensive investigation of methods for the preparation of hydrides of wolfram has been made. A wolfram (IV) hydride-aluminum hydride mixture has been prepared and its N{sub H} and thermal stability determined for its evaluation as a nuclear radiation shield material. Aluminum borohydride has been shown to reduce wolfram (VI) chloride to a subchloride. The alkali borohydrides also reduce hexavalent wolfram, but in no case has a wolfram borohydride been isolated. (2) An investigation of the chemical and physical properties of thorium borohydride, which pertain to its use as alow-temperature nuclear radiatin shield, is presented. Values are taken frommore » the literature when available and are supplemented where necessary by our experimental investigation.« less

  2. Preparation method of Ni@Pt/C nanocatalyst affects the performance of direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell: Improved power density and increased catalytic oxidation of borohydride.

    PubMed

    Hosseini, Mir Ghasem; Mahmoodi, Raana

    2017-08-15

    The Ni@Pt/C electrocatalysts were synthesized using two different methods: with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and without SDS. The metal loading in synthesized nanocatalysts was 20wt% and the molar ratio of Ni: Pt was 1:1. The structural characterizations of Ni@Pt/C electrocatalysts were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The electrocatalytic activity of Ni@Pt/C electrocatalysts toward BH 4 - oxidation in alkaline medium was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry (CP), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that Ni@Pt/C electrocatalyst synthesized without SDS has superior catalytic activity toward borohydride oxidation (22016.92Ag Pt -1 ) in comparison with a catalyst prepared in the presence of SDS (17766.15Ag Pt -1 ) in NaBH 4 0.1M at 25°C. The Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) used in fuel cell set-up was fabricated with catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) technique. The effect of Ni@Pt/C catalysts prepared with two methods as anode catalyst on the performance of direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell was studied. The maximum power density was obtained using Ni@Pt/C catalyst synthesized without SDS at 60°C, 1M NaBH 4 and 2M H 2 O 2 (133.38mWcm -2 ). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Method of generating hydrogen gas from sodium borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kravitz, Stanley H.; Hecht, Andrew M.; Sylwester, Alan P.; Bell, Nelson S.

    2007-12-11

    A compact solid source of hydrogen gas, where the gas is generated by contacting water with micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in the presence of a catalyst, such as cobalt or ruthenium. The micro-disperse particles can have a substantially uniform diameter of 1-10 microns, and preferably about 3-5 microns. Ruthenium or cobalt catalytic nanoparticles can be incorporated in the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride, which allows a rapid and complete reaction to occur without the problems associated with caking and scaling of the surface by the reactant product sodium metaborate. A closed loop water management system can be used to recycle wastewater from a PEM fuel cell to supply water for reacting with the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in a compact hydrogen gas generator. Capillary forces can wick water from a water reservoir into a packed bed of micro-disperse fuel particles, eliminating the need for using an active pump.

  4. Solid Aluminum Borohydrides for Prospective Hydrogen Storage.

    PubMed

    Dovgaliuk, Iurii; Safin, Damir A; Tumanov, Nikolay A; Morelle, Fabrice; Moulai, Adel; Černý, Radovan; Łodziana, Zbigniew; Devillers, Michel; Filinchuk, Yaroslav

    2017-12-08

    Metal borohydrides are intensively researched as high-capacity hydrogen storage materials. Aluminum is a cheap, light, and abundant element and Al 3+ can serve as a template for reversible dehydrogenation. However, Al(BH 4 ) 3 , containing 16.9 wt % of hydrogen, has a low boiling point, is explosive on air and has poor storage stability. A new family of mixed-cation borohydrides M[Al(BH 4 ) 4 ], which are all solid under ambient conditions, show diverse thermal decomposition behaviors: Al(BH 4 ) 3 is released for M=Li + or Na + , whereas heavier derivatives evolve hydrogen and diborane. NH 4 [Al(BH 4 ) 4 ], containing both protic and hydridic hydrogen, has the lowest decomposition temperature of 35 °C and yields Al(BH 4 ) 3 ⋅NHBH and hydrogen. The decomposition temperatures, correlated with the cations' ionic potential, show that M[Al(BH 4 ) 4 ] species are in the most practical stability window. This family of solids, with convenient and versatile properties, puts aluminum borohydride chemistry in the mainstream of hydrogen storage research, for example, for the development of reactive hydride composites with increased hydrogen content. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Nanoconfinement in activated mesoporous carbon of calcium borohydride for improved reversible hydrogen storage.

    PubMed

    Comănescu, Cezar; Capurso, Giovanni; Maddalena, Amedeo

    2012-09-28

    Mesoporous carbon frameworks were synthesized using the soft-template method. Ca(BH(4))(2) was incorporated into activated mesoporous carbon by the incipient wetness method. The activation of mesoporous carbon was necessary to optimize the surface area and pore size. Thermal programmed absorption measurements showed that the confinement of this borohydride into carbon nanoscaffolds improved its reversible capacity (relative to the reactive portion) and performance of hydrogen storage compared to unsupported borohydride. Hydrogen release from the supported hydride started at a temperature as low as 100 °C and the dehydrogenation rate was fast compared to the bulk borohydride. In addition, the hydrogen pressure necessary to regenerate the borohydride from the dehydrogenation products was reduced.

  6. Method of Manufacturing Micro-Disperse Particles of Sodium Borohydride

    DOEpatents

    Kravitz, Stanley H.; Hecht, Andrew M.; Sylwester. Alan P.; Bell, Nelson S.

    2008-09-23

    A compact solid source of hydrogen gas, where the gas is generated by contacting water with micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in the presence of a catalyst, such as cobalt or ruthenium. The micro-disperse particles can have a substantially uniform diameter of 1-10 microns, and preferably about 3-5 microns. Ruthenium or cobalt catalytic nanoparticles can be incorporated in the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride, which allows a rapid and complete reaction to occur without the problems associated with caking and scaling of the surface by the reactant product sodium metaborate. A closed loop water management system can be used to recycle wastewater from a PEM fuel cell to supply water for reacting with the micro-disperse particles of sodium borohydride in a compact hydrogen gas generator. Capillary forces can wick water from a water reservoir into a packed bed of micro-disperse fuel particles, eliminating the need for using an active pump.

  7. Coupling alkaline pre-extraction with alkaline-oxidative post-treatment of corn stover to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentability.

    PubMed

    Liu, Tongjun; Williams, Daniel L; Pattathil, Sivakumar; Li, Muyang; Hahn, Michael G; Hodge, David B

    2014-04-03

    A two-stage chemical pretreatment of corn stover is investigated comprising an NaOH pre-extraction followed by an alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) post-treatment. We propose that conventional one-stage AHP pretreatment can be improved using alkaline pre-extraction, which requires significantly less H2O2 and NaOH. To better understand the potential of this approach, this study investigates several components of this process including alkaline pre-extraction, alkaline and alkaline-oxidative post-treatment, fermentation, and the composition of alkali extracts. Mild NaOH pre-extraction of corn stover uses less than 0.1 g NaOH per g corn stover at 80°C. The resulting substrates were highly digestible by cellulolytic enzymes at relatively low enzyme loadings and had a strong susceptibility to drying-induced hydrolysis yield losses. Alkaline pre-extraction was highly selective for lignin removal over xylan removal; xylan removal was relatively minimal (~20%). During alkaline pre-extraction, up to 0.10 g of alkali was consumed per g of corn stover. AHP post-treatment at low oxidant loading (25 mg H2O2 per g pre-extracted biomass) increased glucose hydrolysis yields by 5%, which approached near-theoretical yields. ELISA screening of alkali pre-extraction liquors and the AHP post-treatment liquors demonstrated that xyloglucan and β-glucans likely remained tightly bound in the biomass whereas the majority of the soluble polymeric xylans were glucurono (arabino) xylans and potentially homoxylans. Pectic polysaccharides were depleted in the AHP post-treatment liquor relative to the alkaline pre-extraction liquor. Because the already-low inhibitor content was further decreased in the alkaline pre-extraction, the hydrolysates generated by this two-stage pretreatment were highly fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that were metabolically engineered and evolved for xylose fermentation. This work demonstrates that this two-stage pretreatment process is well suited for

  8. Coupling alkaline pre-extraction with alkaline-oxidative post-treatment of corn stover to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentability

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background A two-stage chemical pretreatment of corn stover is investigated comprising an NaOH pre-extraction followed by an alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) post-treatment. We propose that conventional one-stage AHP pretreatment can be improved using alkaline pre-extraction, which requires significantly less H2O2 and NaOH. To better understand the potential of this approach, this study investigates several components of this process including alkaline pre-extraction, alkaline and alkaline-oxidative post-treatment, fermentation, and the composition of alkali extracts. Results Mild NaOH pre-extraction of corn stover uses less than 0.1 g NaOH per g corn stover at 80°C. The resulting substrates were highly digestible by cellulolytic enzymes at relatively low enzyme loadings and had a strong susceptibility to drying-induced hydrolysis yield losses. Alkaline pre-extraction was highly selective for lignin removal over xylan removal; xylan removal was relatively minimal (~20%). During alkaline pre-extraction, up to 0.10 g of alkali was consumed per g of corn stover. AHP post-treatment at low oxidant loading (25 mg H2O2 per g pre-extracted biomass) increased glucose hydrolysis yields by 5%, which approached near-theoretical yields. ELISA screening of alkali pre-extraction liquors and the AHP post-treatment liquors demonstrated that xyloglucan and β-glucans likely remained tightly bound in the biomass whereas the majority of the soluble polymeric xylans were glucurono (arabino) xylans and potentially homoxylans. Pectic polysaccharides were depleted in the AHP post-treatment liquor relative to the alkaline pre-extraction liquor. Because the already-low inhibitor content was further decreased in the alkaline pre-extraction, the hydrolysates generated by this two-stage pretreatment were highly fermentable by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that were metabolically engineered and evolved for xylose fermentation. Conclusions This work demonstrates that this two

  9. Rotating disk electrode study of borohydride oxidation in a molten eutectic electrolyte and advancements in the intermediate temperature borohydride battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Andrew; Gyenge, Előd L.

    2017-08-01

    The electrode kinetics of the NaBH4 oxidation reaction (BOR) in a molten NaOH-KOH eutectic mixture is investigated by rotating disk electrode (RDE) voltammetry on electrochemically oxidized Ni at temperatures between 458 K and 503 K. The BH4- diffusion coefficient in the molten alkali eutectic together with the BOR activation energy, exchange current density, transfer coefficient and number of electrons exchanged, are determined. Electrochemically oxidized Ni shows excellent BOR electrocatalytic activity with a maximum of seven electrons exchanged and a transfer coefficient up to one. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals the formation of NiO as the catalytically active species. The high faradaic efficiency and BOR rate on oxidized Ni anode in the molten electrolyte compared to aqueous alkaline electrolytes is advantageous for power sources. A novel molten electrolyte battery design is investigated using dissolved NaBH4 at the anode and immobilized KIO4 at the cathode. This battery produces a stable open-circuit cell potential of 1.04 V, and a peak power density of 130 mW cm-2 corresponding to a superficial current density of 160 mA cm-2 at 458 K. With further improvements and scale-up borohydride molten electrolyte batteries and fuel cells could be integrated with thermal energy storage systems.

  10. Method of recycling lithium borate to lithium borohydride through diborane

    DOEpatents

    Filby, Evan E.

    1976-01-01

    This invention provides a method for the recycling of lithium borate to lithium borohydride which can be reacted with water to generate hydrogen for utilization as a fuel. The lithium borate by-product of the hydrogen generation reaction is reacted with hydrogen chloride and water to produce boric acid and lithium chloride. The boric acid and lithium chloride are converted to lithium borohydride through a diborane intermediate to complete the recycle scheme.

  11. Experimental advances and preliminary mathematical modeling of the Swiss-roll mixed-reactant direct borohydride fuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aziznia, Amin; Oloman, Colin W.; Gyenge, Előd L.

    2014-11-01

    The Swiss-roll single-cell mixed reactant (SR-MRFC) borohydride - oxygen fuel cell equipped with Pt/carbon cloth 3D anode and either MnO2 or Ag gas-diffusion cathodes is investigated by a combination of experimental studies and preliminary mathematical modeling of the polarization curve. We investigate the effects of four variables: cathode side metallic mesh fluid distributor, separator type (Nafion 112® vs. Viledon®), cathode catalyst (MnO2 vs. Ag), and the hydrophilic pore volume fraction of the gas-diffusion cathode. Using a two-phase feed of alkaline borohydride solution (1 M NaBH4 - 2 M NaOH) and O2 gas in an SR-MRFC equipped with Pt/C 3D anode, MnO2 gas diffusion cathode, Viledon® porous diaphragm, expanded mesh cathode-side fluid distributor, the maximum superficial power density is 2230 W m-2 at 323 K and 105 kPa(abs). The latter superficial power density is almost 3.5 times higher than our previously reported superficial power density for the same catalyst combinations. Furthermore, with a Pt anode and Ag cathode catalyst combination, a superficial power density of 2500 W m-2 is achieved with superior performance durability compared to the MnO2 cathode. The fuel cell results are substantiated by impedance spectroscopy analysis and preliminary mathematical model predictions based on mixed potential theory.

  12. The crystal chemistry of inorganic metal borohydrides and their relation to metal oxides.

    PubMed

    Černý, Radovan; Schouwink, Pascal

    2015-12-01

    The crystal structures of inorganic homoleptic metal borohydrides are analysed with respect to their structural prototypes found amongst metal oxides in the inorganic databases such as Pearson's Crystal Data [Villars & Cenzual (2015). Pearson's Crystal Data. Crystal Structure Database for Inorganic Compounds, Release 2014/2015, ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, USA]. The coordination polyhedra around the cations and the borohydride anion are determined, and constitute the basis of the structural systematics underlying metal borohydride chemistry in various frameworks and variants of ionic packing, including complex anions and the packing of neutral molecules in the crystal. Underlying nets are determined by topology analysis using the program TOPOS [Blatov (2006). IUCr CompComm. Newsl. 7, 4-38]. It is found that the Pauling rules for ionic crystals apply to all non-molecular borohydride crystal structures, and that the latter can often be derived by simple deformation of the close-packed anionic lattices c.c.p. and h.c.p., by partially removing anions and filling tetrahedral or octahedral sites. The deviation from an ideal close packing is facilitated in metal borohydrides with respect to the oxide due to geometrical and electronic considerations of the BH4(-) anion (tetrahedral shape, polarizability). This review on crystal chemistry of borohydrides and their similarity to oxides is a contribution which should serve materials engineers as a roadmap to design new materials, synthetic chemists in their search for promising compounds to be prepared, and materials scientists in understanding the properties of novel materials.

  13. Self-Printing on Graphitic Nanosheets with Metal Borohydride Nanodots for Hydrogen Storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yongtao; Ding, Xiaoli; Zhang, Qingan

    2016-08-01

    Although the synthesis of borohydride nanostructures is sufficiently established for advancement of hydrogen storage, obtaining ultrasmall (sub-10 nm) metal borohydride nanocrystals with excellent dispersibility is extremely challenging because of their high surface energy, exceedingly strong reducibility/hydrophilicity and complicated composition. Here, we demonstrate a mechanical-force-driven self-printing process that enables monodispersed (~6 nm) NaBH4 nanodots to uniformly anchor onto freshly-exfoliated graphitic nanosheets (GNs). Both mechanical-forces and borohydride interaction with GNs stimulate NaBH4 clusters intercalation/absorption into the graphite interlayers acting as a ‘pen’ for writing, which is accomplished by exfoliating GNs with the ‘printed’ borohydrides. These nano-NaBH4@GNs exhibit favorable thermodynamics (decrease in ΔH of ~45%), rapid kinetics (a greater than six-fold increase) and stable de-/re-hydrogenation that retains a high capacity (up to ~5 wt% for NaBH4) compared with those of micro-NaBH4. Our results are helpful in the scalable fabrication of zero-dimensional complex hydrides on two-dimensional supports with enhanced hydrogen storage for potential applications.

  14. Method of recycling lithium borate to lithium borohydride through methyl borate

    DOEpatents

    Filby, Evan E.

    1977-01-01

    This invention provides a method for the recycling of lithium borate to lithium borohydride which can be reacted with water to generate hydrogen for utilization as a fuel. The lithium borate by-product of the hydrogen generation reaction is reacted with hydrogen chloride and water to produce boric acid and lithium chloride. The boric acid and lithium chloride are converted to lithium borohydride through a methyl borate intermediate to complete the recycle scheme.

  15. Self-Printing on Graphitic Nanosheets with Metal Borohydride Nanodots for Hydrogen Storage

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yongtao; Ding, Xiaoli; Zhang, Qingan

    2016-01-01

    Although the synthesis of borohydride nanostructures is sufficiently established for advancement of hydrogen storage, obtaining ultrasmall (sub-10 nm) metal borohydride nanocrystals with excellent dispersibility is extremely challenging because of their high surface energy, exceedingly strong reducibility/hydrophilicity and complicated composition. Here, we demonstrate a mechanical-force-driven self-printing process that enables monodispersed (~6 nm) NaBH4 nanodots to uniformly anchor onto freshly-exfoliated graphitic nanosheets (GNs). Both mechanical-forces and borohydride interaction with GNs stimulate NaBH4 clusters intercalation/absorption into the graphite interlayers acting as a ‘pen’ for writing, which is accomplished by exfoliating GNs with the ‘printed’ borohydrides. These nano-NaBH4@GNs exhibit favorable thermodynamics (decrease in ∆H of ~45%), rapid kinetics (a greater than six-fold increase) and stable de-/re-hydrogenation that retains a high capacity (up to ~5 wt% for NaBH4) compared with those of micro-NaBH4. Our results are helpful in the scalable fabrication of zero-dimensional complex hydrides on two-dimensional supports with enhanced hydrogen storage for potential applications. PMID:27484735

  16. Understanding oscillatory phenomena in molecular hydrogen generation via sodium borohydride hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Budroni, M A; Biosa, E; Garroni, S; Mulas, G R C; Marchettini, N; Culeddu, N; Rustici, M

    2013-11-14

    The hydrolysis of borohydride salts represents one of the most promising processes for the generation of high purity molecular hydrogen under mild conditions. In this work we show that the sodium borohydride hydrolysis exhibits a fingerprinting periodic oscillatory transient in the hydrogen flow over a wide range of experimental conditions. We disproved the possibility that flow oscillations are driven by supersaturation phenomena of gaseous bubbles in the reactive mixture or by a nonlinear thermal feedback according to a thermokinetic model. Our experimental results indicate that the NaBH4 hydrolysis is a spontaneous inorganic oscillator, in which the hydrogen flow oscillations are coupled to an "oscillophor" in the reactive solution. The discovery of this original oscillator paves the way for a new class of chemical oscillators, with fundamental implications not only for testing the general theory on oscillations, but also with a view to chemical control of borohydride systems used as a source of hydrogen based green fuel.

  17. Development of an on-board H2 storage and recovery system based on lithium borohydride.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-02-28

    Alkali metal borohydrides based on sodium and lithium, NaBH4 and LiBH4, have been evaluated as a potential hydrogen storage and recovery system for on-board vehicle use. The borohydride salts could be dissolved in water, followed by a hydrolytic reac...

  18. Tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride semiclathrate: a hybrid material for hydrogen storage.

    PubMed

    Shin, Kyuchul; Kim, Yongkwan; Strobel, Timothy A; Prasad, P S R; Sugahara, Takeshi; Lee, Huen; Sloan, E Dendy; Sum, Amadeu K; Koh, Carolyn A

    2009-06-11

    In this study, we demonstrate that tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride [(n-C(4)H(9))(4)NBH(4)] can be used to form a hybrid hydrogen storage material. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements verify the formation of tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride semiclathrate, while Raman spectroscopic and direct gas release measurements confirm the storage of molecular hydrogen within the vacant cavities. Subsequent to clathrate decomposition and the release of physically bound H(2), additional hydrogen was produced from the hybrid system via a hydrolysis reaction between the water host molecules and the incorporated BH(4)(-) anions. The additional hydrogen produced from the hydrolysis reaction resulted in a 170% increase in the gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity, or 27% greater storage than fully occupied THF + H(2) hydrate. The decomposition temperature of tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride semiclathrate was measured at 5.7 degrees C, which is higher than that for pure THF hydrate (4.4 degrees C). The present results reveal that the BH(4)(-) anion is capable of stabilizing tetraalkylammonium hydrates.

  19. Improvement of energy conversion efficiency and power generation in direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell: The effect of Ni-M core-shell nanoparticles (M = Pt, Pd, Ru)/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes on the cell performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hosseini, M. G.; Mahmoodi, R.

    2017-12-01

    In this study, core@shell nanoparticles with Ni as a core material and Pt, Pd and Ru as shell materials are synthesized on multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as catalyst support using the sequence reduction method. The influence of Ni@Pt, Ni@Pd and Ni@Ru core@shell nanoparticles on MWCNT toward borohydride oxidation in alkaline solution is investigated by various three-electrode electrochemical techniques. Also, the impact of these anodic electrocatalysts on the performance of direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DBHPFC) is evaluated. The structural and morphological properties of electrocatalysts are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of three electrode investigations show that Ni@Pd/MWCNT has excellent catalytic activity since borohydride oxidation current density on Ni@Pd/MWCNT (34773.27 A g-1) is 1.37 and 9.19 times higher than those of Ni@Pt/MWCNT (25347.27 A g-1) and Ni@Ru/MWCNT (3782.83 A g-1), respectively. Also, the energy conversion efficiency and power density of DBHPFC with Ni@Pd/MWCNT (246.82 mW cm-2) increase to 34.27% and 51.53% respect to Ni@Pt/MWCNT (162.24 mW cm-2) and Ni@Ru/MWCNT (119.62 mW cm-2), respectively. This study reveals that Ni@Pd/MWCNT has highest activity toward borohydride oxidation and stability in fuel cell.

  20. Characterization of radiation damage to DNA by reaction with borohydride.

    PubMed Central

    Schellenberg, K A; Shaeffer, J; Nichols, R K; Gates, D

    1981-01-01

    Irradiation of aqueous solutions of native calf thymus DNA with x-rays produced functional groups that reacted with sodium borohydride. The DNA was labeled with tritium from NaB3H4 to the extent of 2.0 x 10(-10) atom/dalton/rad. The presence of cysteamine or other radical scavengers, or saturation of the solution with nitrogen during irradiation decreased the labeling. After mild acid hydrolysis, the major tritium-containing moiety was identical with 2,3-dihydroxy-2-methylpropanoic acid in all chromatographic systems tested. The suggested mechanism of labeling involved reduction by borohydride of the potential aldehyde at carbon 6 of thymine glycol residues present in the irradiated DNA. PMID:7279674

  1. Investigation of platinum and palladium as potential anodic catalysts for direct borohydride and ammonia borane fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olu, Pierre-Yves; Deschamps, Fabien; Caldarella, Giuseppe; Chatenet, Marian; Job, Nathalie

    2015-11-01

    Platinum and palladium are investigated as anodic catalysts for direct borohydride and direct ammonia borane fuel cells (DBFC and DABFC). Half-cell characterizations performed at 25 °C using NH3BH3 or NaBH4 alkaline electrolytes demonstrate the lowest open-circuit potential and highest electrocatalytic activity for the NH3BH3 alkaline electrolyte for Pd and Pt rotating disk electrodes, respectively. Voltammograms performed in fuel cell configuration at 25 °C confirm this trend: the highest open circuit voltage (1.05 V) and peak power density (181 mW·cm-2) are monitored for DABFC using Pd/C and Pt/C anodes, respectively. Increasing the temperature heightens the peak power density (that reaches 420 mW·cm-2 at 60 °C for DBFC using Pt/C anodes), but strongly generates gas from the fuel hydrolysis, hindering the overall fuel cells performances. The anode texture strongly influences the fuel cell performances, highlighting: (i) that an open anode texture is required to efficiently circulate the anolyte and (ii) the difficulty to compare potential anodic catalysts characterized using different fuel cell setups within the literature. Furthermore, TEM imaging of Pt/C and Pd/C catalysts prior/post DBFC and DABFC operation shows fast degradation of the carbon-supported nanoparticles.

  2. Modification of the Selectivity Properties of Tubular Ceramic Membranes after Alkaline Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Dutournié, Patrick; Limousy, Lionel; Anquetil, Jérôme

    2017-01-01

    This work focuses on the selectivity modification of ceramic membranes after a mild alkaline treatment. Filtration of pure salt-water solutions was carried out with commercial titania membranes before and after the treatment. After treatment, the rejection of NaF significantly decreased, while the rejection of NaCl and NaBr increased. Additionally, NaI and Na2SO4 remained close to zero. Pore size and electrical charge being almost unchanged, only significant modifications in the dielectric effects can explain this modification of selectivity. Therefore, the surface chemistry and the interaction (nature and magnitude) with the solvent and with the species present in the solution appear to be modified by the alkaline treatment. This trend is also illustrated by discussing the electric and the dielectric properties that were numerically identified before and after treatment. The alkaline treatment significantly decreased the apparent dielectric constant of NaCl-water solution in the pore, highlighting the rejection of sodium chloride. Contrariwise, the modification of the surface chemistry increased the apparent dielectric constant of NaF-water solution by promoting fluoride transmission. PMID:29160802

  3. Modification of the Selectivity Properties of Tubular Ceramic Membranes after Alkaline Treatment.

    PubMed

    Dutournié, Patrick; Limousy, Lionel; Anquetil, Jérôme; Déon, Sébastien

    2017-11-21

    This work focuses on the selectivity modification of ceramic membranes after a mild alkaline treatment. Filtration of pure salt-water solutions was carried out with commercial titania membranes before and after the treatment. After treatment, the rejection of NaF significantly decreased, while the rejection of NaCl and NaBr increased. Additionally, NaI and Na₂SO₄ remained close to zero. Pore size and electrical charge being almost unchanged, only significant modifications in the dielectric effects can explain this modification of selectivity. Therefore, the surface chemistry and the interaction (nature and magnitude) with the solvent and with the species present in the solution appear to be modified by the alkaline treatment. This trend is also illustrated by discussing the electric and the dielectric properties that were numerically identified before and after treatment. The alkaline treatment significantly decreased the apparent dielectric constant of NaCl-water solution in the pore, highlighting the rejection of sodium chloride. Contrariwise, the modification of the surface chemistry increased the apparent dielectric constant of NaF-water solution by promoting fluoride transmission.

  4. Prophylactic treatment with alkaline phosphatase in cardiac surgery induces endogenous alkaline phosphatase release.

    PubMed

    Kats, Suzanne; Brands, Ruud; Hamad, Mohamed A Soliman; Seinen, Willem; Scharnhorst, Volkher; Wulkan, Raymond W; Schönberger, Jacques P; Oeveren, Wim van

    2012-02-01

    Laboratory and clinical data have implicated endotoxin as an important factor in the inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass. We assessed the effects of the administration of bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase (bIAP), an endotoxin detoxifier, on alkaline phosphatase levels in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. A total of 63 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were enrolled and prospectively randomized. Bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase (n=32) or placebo (n=31) was administered as an intravenous bolus followed by continuous infusion for 36 hours. The primary endpoint was to evaluate alkaline phosphatase levels in both groups and to find out if administration of bIAP to patients undergoing CABG would lead to endogenous alkaline phosphatase release. No significant adverse effects were identified in either group. In all the 32 patients of the bIAP-treated group, we found an initial rise of plasma alkaline phosphatase levels due to bolus administration (464.27±176.17 IU/L). A significant increase of plasma alkaline phosphatase at 4-6 hours postoperatively was observed (354.97±95.00 IU/L) as well. Using LHA inhibition, it was shown that this second peak was caused by the generation of tissue non specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP-type alkaline phosphatase). Intravenous bolus administration plus 8 hours continuous infusion of alkaline phosphatase in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass results in endogenous alkaline phosphatase release. This endogenous alkaline phosphatase may play a role in the immune defense system.

  5. First-principles investigations of ionic conduction in Li and Na borohydrides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varley, Joel; Heo, Tae-Wook; Ray, Keith; Bonev, Stanimir; Wood, Brandon

    Recent experimental studies have identified a family of alkali borohydride materials that exhibit superionic transition temperatures approaching room temperature and ionic conductivities exceeding 0.1 S/cm-1, making them highly promising solid electrolytes for next-generation batteries. Despite the rapid advances in improving the superionic conductivity in these materials, an understanding of the exact mechanisms driving the transport remains unknown. Here we use ab initio molecular dynamics calculations to address this issue by characterizing the diffusivity of the Li and Na species in a representative set of closoborane ionic conductors. We investigate both the Na and Li-containing borohydrides with icosahedral (B12H12) and double-capped square antiprism (B10H10) anion species and discuss the trends in ionic conductivity as a function of stoichiometry and the incorporation of various dopants. Our results support the borohydrides as a subset of a larger family of very promising solid electrolytes and identify strategies to improving the conductivity in these materials. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  6. Transcriptome Exploration in Leymus chinensis under Saline-Alkaline Treatment Using 454 Pyrosequencing

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Yepeng; Wang, Fawei; Wang, Nan; Dong, Yuanyuan; Liu, Qi; Zhao, Lei; Chen, Huan; Liu, Weican; Yin, Hailong; Zhang, Xiaomei; Yuan, Yanxi; Li, Haiyan

    2013-01-01

    Background Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. is a high saline-alkaline tolerant forage grass genus of the tribe Gramineae family, which also plays an important role in protection of natural environment. To date, little is known about the saline-alkaline tolerance of L. chinensis on the molecular level. To better understand the molecular mechanism of saline-alkaline tolerance in L. chinensis, 454 pyrosequencing was used for the transcriptome study. Results We used Roche-454 massive parallel pyrosequencing technology to sequence two different cDNA libraries that were built from the two samples of control and under saline-alkaline treatment (optimal stress concentration-Hoagland solution with 100 mM NaCl and 200 mM NaHCO3). A total of 363,734 reads in control group and 526,267 reads in treatment group with an average length of 489 bp and 493 bp were obtained, respectively. The reads were assembled into 104,105 unigenes with MIRA sequence assemable software, among which, 73,665 unigenes were in control group, 88,016 unigenes in treatment group and 57,576 unigenes in both groups. According to the comparative expression analysis between the two groups with the threshold of “log2 Ratio ≥1”, there were 36,497 up-regulated unegenes and 18,218 down-regulated unigenes predicted to be the differentially expressed genes. After gene annotation and pathway enrichment analysis, most of them were involved in stress and tolerant function, signal transduction, energy production and conversion, and inorganic ion transport. Furthermore, 16 of these differentially expressed genes were selected for real-time PCR validation, and they were successfully confirmed with the results of 454 pyrosequencing. Conclusions This work is the first time to study the transcriptome of L. chinensis under saline-alkaline treatment based on the 454-FLX massively parallel DNA sequencing platform. It also deepened studies on molecular mechanisms of saline-alkaline in L. chinensis, and constituted a

  7. The Concept about the Regeneration of Spent Borohydrides and Used Catalysts from Green Electricity

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Cheng-Hong; Chen, Bing-Hung

    2015-01-01

    Currently, the Brown-Schlesinger process is still regarded as the most common and mature method for the commercial production of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). However, the metallic sodium, currently produced from the electrolysis of molten NaCl that is mass-produced by evaporation of seawater or brine, is probably the most costly raw material. Recently, several reports have demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing green electricity such as offshore wind power to produce metallic sodium through electrolysis of seawater. Based on this concept, we have made improvements and modified our previously proposed life cycle of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and ammonia borane (NH3BH3), in order to further reduce costs in the conventional Brown-Schlesinger process. In summary, the revision in the concept combining the regeneration of the spent borohydrides and the used catalysts with the green electricity is reflected in (1) that metallic sodium could be produced from NaCl of high purity obtained from the conversion of the byproduct in the synthesis of NH3BH3 to devoid the complicated purification procedures if produced from seawater; and (2) that the recycling and the regeneration processes of the spent NaBH4 and NH3BH3 as well as the used catalysts could be simultaneously carried out and combined with the proposed life cycle of borohydrides.

  8. Influence of the concentration of borohydride towards hydrogen production and escape for borohydride oxidation reaction on Pt and Au electrodes - experimental and modelling insights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olu, Pierre-Yves; Bonnefont, Antoine; Braesch, Guillaume; Martin, Vincent; Savinova, Elena R.; Chatenet, Marian

    2018-01-01

    The Borohydride Oxidation Reaction (BOR), the anode reaction in a Direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), is complex and still poorly understood, which impedes the development and deployment of the DBFC technology. In particular, no practical electrocatalyst is capable to prevent gaseous hydrogen generation and escape from its anode upon operation, which lowers the fuel-efficiency of the DBFC and raises safety issues in operation. The nature of the anode electrocatalysts strongly influences the hydrogen escape characteristics of the DBFC, which demonstrates how important it is to isolate the BOR mechanism in conditions relevant to DBFC operation. In this paper, from a selected literature review and BOR experiments performed in differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) in a wide range of NaBH4 concentration (5-500 mM), a microkinetic model of the BOR for both Pt and Au surfaces is proposed; this model takes into account the hydrogen generation and escape.

  9. Isotopic Exchange in Porous and Dense Magnesium Borohydride.

    PubMed

    Zavorotynska, Olena; Deledda, Stefano; Li, Guanqiao; Matsuo, Motoaki; Orimo, Shin-ichi; Hauback, Bjørn C

    2015-09-01

    Magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH4)2) is one of the most promising complex hydrides presently studied for energy-related applications. Many of its properties depend on the stability of the BH4(-) anion. The BH4(-) stability was investigated with respect to H→D exchange. In situ Raman measurements on high-surface-area porous Mg(BH4 )2 in 0.3 MPa D2 have shown that the isotopic exchange at appreciable rates occurs already at 373 K. This is the lowest exchange temperature observed in stable borohydrides. Gas-solid isotopic exchange follows the BH4(-) +D˙ →BH3D(-) +H˙ mechanism at least at the initial reaction steps. Ex situ deuteration of porous Mg(BH4)2 and its dense-phase polymorph indicates that the intrinsic porosity of the hydride is the key behind the high isotopic exchange rates. It implies that the solid-state H(D) diffusion is considerably slower than the gas-solid H→D exchange reaction at the surface and it is a rate-limiting steps for hydrogen desorption and absorption in Mg(BH4)2. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Sewage sludge disintegration by combined treatment of alkaline+high pressure homogenization.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yuxuan; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Ma, Weifang; Wu, Hao; Ma, Boqiang

    2012-11-01

    Alkaline pretreatment combined with high pressure homogenization (HPH) was applied to promote sewage sludge disintegration. For sewage sludge with a total solid content of 1.82%, sludge disintegration degree (DD(COD)) with combined treatment was higher than the sum of DD(COD) with single alkaline and single HPH treatment. NaOH dosage ⩽0.04mol/L, homogenization pressure ⩽60MPa and a single homogenization cycle were the suitable conditions for combined sludge treatment. The combined sludge treatment showed a maximum DD(COD) of 59.26%. By regression analysis, the combined sludge disintegration model was established as 11-DD(COD)=0.713C(0.334)P(0.234)N(0.119), showing that the effect of operating parameters on sludge disintegration followed the order: NaOH dosage>homogenization pressure>number of homogenization cycle. The energy efficiency with combined sludge treatment significantly increased compared with that with single HPH treatment, and the high energy efficiency was achieved at low homogenization pressure with a single homogenization cycle. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Effects of an Alkaline Treatment on the Ferroelectric Properties of Poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) Films

    DOE PAGES

    Kim, Yeontae; Hong, Seungbum; Oh, Sehoon; ...

    2015-06-30

    The effects of an alkaline treatment on the ferroelectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymer films are investigated. The alkaline treatment resulted in a small change in the surface roughness but no significant change in the grain shape or size of P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer films, as evidenced by both scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images. However, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that the alkaline etchant of a KOH solution reacted with P(VDF-TrFE) films to decrease the number of C-F bonds while creating new carbon conjugated double bonds, which decreased the remanent polarization of the P(VDF-TrFE) films. These resultsmore » can improve our understanding of the degradation mechanism of an alkaline treatment.« less

  12. Electrocatalysis of borohydride oxidation: a review of density functional theory approach combined with experimental validation.

    PubMed

    Escaño, Mary Clare Sison; Arevalo, Ryan Lacdao; Gyenge, Elod; Kasai, Hideaki

    2014-09-03

    The electrocatalysis of borohydride oxidation is a complex, up-to-eight-electron transfer process, which is essential for development of efficient direct borohydride fuel cells. Here we review the progress achieved by density functional theory (DFT) calculations in explaining the adsorption of BH4(-) on various catalyst surfaces, with implications for electrocatalyst screening and selection. Wherever possible, we correlate the theoretical predictions with experimental findings, in order to validate the proposed models and to identify potential directions for further advancements.

  13. Electrocatalysis of borohydride oxidation: a review of density functional theory approach combined with experimental validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sison Escaño, Mary Clare; Lacdao Arevalo, Ryan; Gyenge, Elod; Kasai, Hideaki

    2014-09-01

    The electrocatalysis of borohydride oxidation is a complex, up-to-eight-electron transfer process, which is essential for development of efficient direct borohydride fuel cells. Here we review the progress achieved by density functional theory (DFT) calculations in explaining the adsorption of BH4- on various catalyst surfaces, with implications for electrocatalyst screening and selection. Wherever possible, we correlate the theoretical predictions with experimental findings, in order to validate the proposed models and to identify potential directions for further advancements.

  14. A theoretical study of the structure and stability of borohydride on 3d transition metals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arevalo, Ryan Lacdao; Escaño, Mary Clare Sison; Gyenge, Elod; Kasai, Hideaki

    2012-12-01

    The adsorption of borohydride on 3d transition metals (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) was studied using first principles calculations within spin-polarized density functional theory. Magnetic effect on the stability of borohydride is noted. Molecular adsorption is favorable on Co, Ni and Cu, which is characterized by the strong s-dzz hybridization of the adsorbate-substrate states. Dissociated adsorption structure yielding one or two H adatom fragments on the surface is observed for Cr, Mn and Fe.

  15. Synthesis and Characterization of Methylammonium Borohydride

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Graham, Kathryn R.; Bowden, Mark E.; Kemmitt, Tim

    2011-01-06

    A new borohydride, [CH3NH3]+[BH4]-, has been synthesised by the metathesis of CH3NH3X and MBH4 in methylamine in order to determine its behaviour in comparison to ammonium borohydride [NH4]+[BH4]-. The introduction of methyl groups is expected to disrupt the hydrogen bonding network of [NH4]+[BH4]- and in turn alter the hydrogen release properties. Room temperature X-ray diffraction studies have shown that [CH3NH3]+[BH4]- adopts a tetragonal unit cell with lattice parameters of a = 4.9486 Å and b = 8.9083 Å. The room temperature structure shows considerable hydrogen mobility similar to that observed in NH3BH3. The kinetics and thermodynamics of these reactions havemore » been investigated and show hydrogen release follows a similar pathway to that of [NH4]+[BH4]-. Both compounds decompose slowly at room temperature and rapidly at ca. 40 °C to form the diammoniate of diborane or the methylated analogue [BH2(CH3NH2)2]+BH4-. The first stage of decomposition has been further investigated by means on in-situ X-ray diffraction and solid state 11B NMR spectroscopy, and appears to occur in the absence of any detectable intermediates to form crystalline [BH2(CH3NH2)2]+BH4-. [(CH3)2NH2]+[BH4]- and [BH2{(CH3)2NH}2]+BH4- have also been synthesised by analogous routes, indicating a more general applicability of the synthetic method.« less

  16. Inactivation of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores by alkaline hydrolysis applied to medical waste treatment.

    PubMed

    Pinho, Sílvia C; Nunes, Olga C; Lobo-da-Cunha, Alexandre; Almeida, Manuel F

    2015-09-15

    Although alkaline hydrolysis treatment emerges as an alternative disinfection/sterilization method for medical waste, information on its effects on the inactivation of biological indicators is scarce. The effects of alkaline treatment on the resistance of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores were investigated and the influence of temperature (80 °C, 100 °C and 110 °C) and NaOH concentration was evaluated. In addition, spore inactivation in the presence of animal tissues and discarded medical components, used as surrogate of medical waste, was also assessed. The effectiveness of the alkaline treatment was carried out by determination of survival curves and D-values. No significant differences were seen in D-values obtained at 80 °C and 100 °C for NaOH concentrations of 0.5 M and 0.75 M. The D-values obtained at 110 °C (2.3-0.5 min) were approximately 3 times lower than those at 100 °C (8.8-1.6 min). Independent of the presence of animal tissues and discarded medical components, 6 log10 reduction times varied between 66 and 5 min at 100 °C-0.1 M NaOH and 110 °C-1 M NaOH, respectively. The alkaline treatment may be used in future as a disinfection or sterilization alternative method for contaminated waste. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. First-principles studies of phase stability and crystal structures in Li-Zn mixed-metal borohydrides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yongli; Zhang, Yongsheng; Wolverton, C.

    2013-07-01

    We address the problem of finding mixed-metal borohydrides with favorable thermodynamics and illustrate the approach using the example of LiZn2(BH4)5. Using density functional theory (DFT), along with the grand-canonical linear programming method (GCLP), we examine the experimentally and computationally proposed crystal structures and the finite-temperature thermodynamics of dehydrogenation for the quaternary hydride LiZn2(BH4)5. We find the following: (i) For LiZn2(BH4)5, DFT calculations of the experimental crystal structures reveal that the structure from the neutron diffraction experiments of Ravnsbæk is more stable [by 24 kJ/(mol f.u.)] than that based on a previous x-ray study. (ii) Our DFT calculations show that when using the neutron-diffraction structure of LiZn2(BH4)5, the recently theoretically predicted LiZn(BH4)3 compound is unstable with respect to the decomposition into LiZn2(BH4)5+LiBH4. (iii) GCLP calculations show that even though LiZn2(BH4)5 is a combination of weakly [Zn(BH4)2] and strongly (LiBH4) bound borohydrides, its decomposition is not intermediate between the two individual borohydrides. Rather, we find that the decomposition of LiZn2(BH4)5 is divided into a weakly exothermic step [LiZn2(BH4)5→2Zn+(1)/(5)LiBH4+(2)/(5)Li2B12H12+(36)/(5)H2] and three strong endothermic steps (12LiBH4→10LiH+Li2B12H12+13H2; Zn+LiH→LiZn+(1)/(2)H2; 2Zn+Li2B12H12→2LiZn+12B+6H2). DFT-calculated ΔHZPET=0K values for the first three LiZn2(BH4)5 decomposition steps are -19, +37, +74 kJ/(mol H2), respectively. The behavior of LiZn2(BH4)5 shows that mixed-metal borohydrides formed by mixing borohydrides of high and low thermodynamics stabilities do not necessarily have an intermediate decomposition tendency. Our results suggest the correct strategy to find intermediate decomposition in mixed-metal borohydrides is to search for stable mixed-metal products such as ternary metal borides.

  18. Fuel cell system with sodium borohydride as hydrogen source for unmanned aerial vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Kyunghwan; Kim, Taegyu; Lee, Kiseong; Kwon, Sejin

    In this study, we design and fabricate a fuel cell system for application as a power source in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The fuel cell system consists of a fuel cell stack, hydrogen generator, and hybrid power management system. PEMFC stack with an output power of 100 W is prepared and tested to decide the efficient operating conditions; the stack must be operated in the dead-end mode with purge in order to ensure prolonged stack performance. A hydrogen generator is fabricated to supply gaseous hydrogen to the stack. Sodium borohydride (NaBH 4) is used as the hydrogen source in the present study. Co/Al 2O 3 catalyst is prepared for the hydrolysis of the alkaline NaBH 4 solution at room temperature. The fabricated Co catalyst is comparable to the Ru catalyst. The UAV consumes more power in the takeoff mode than in the cruising mode. A hybrid power management system using an auxiliary battery is developed and evaluated for efficient energy management. Hybrid power from both the fuel cell and battery powers takeoff and turning flight operations, while the fuel cell supplies steady power during the cruising flight. The capabilities of the fuel-cell UAVs for long endurance flights are validated by successful flight tests.

  19. Synthesis and thermal decomposition behaviors of magnesium borohydride ammoniates with controllable composition as hydrogen storage materials.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yanjing; Liu, Yongfeng; Li, You; Gao, Mingxia; Pan, Hongge

    2013-02-01

    An ammonia-redistribution strategy for synthesizing metal borohydride ammoniates with controllable coordination number of NH(3) was proposed, and a series of magnesium borohydride ammoniates were easily synthesized by a mechanochemical reaction between Mg(BH(4))(2) and its hexaammoniate. A strong dependence of the dehydrogenation temperature and purity of the released hydrogen upon heating on the coordination number of NH(3) was elaborated for Mg(BH(4))(2)·xNH(3) owing to the change in the molar ratio of H(δ+) and H(δ-), the charge distribution on H(δ+) and H(δ-), and the strength of the coordinate bond N:→Mg(2+). The monoammoniate of magnesium borohydride (Mg(BH(4))(2)·NH(3)) was obtained for the first time. It can release 6.5% pure hydrogen within 50 minutes at 180 °C. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Simulating the synthesis and thermodynamic characteristics of the desolvation of lanthanide borohydride tris-Tetrahydrofuranates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gafurov, B. A.; Mirsaidov, I. U.; Nasrulloeva, D. Kh.; Badalov, A.

    2013-10-01

    Lanthanide borohydride tris-tetrahydrofuranates (Ln(BH4) · 3THF, where THF is tetrahydrofuran and Ln is La, Nd, Sm, Gd, Er, Yb, and Lu) is synthesized via the exchange reaction of lanthanide(III) chloride and sodium borohydride in THF. It is found that synthesis proceeds according to a stepwise mechanism and the product of the reaction (lanthanide borohydride) initiates the process. The two-step character of the desolvation of Ln(BH4)3 · 3THF under steady-state conditions in the temperature range of 300 to 400 K is determined through X-ray phase and chemical analyses, tensiometry, and gas volumetry. It is established that one mole and then two moles of THF are removed from the initial sample at the first and second steps, respectively. Equations for barograms are obtained and the thermodynamic characteristics of desolvation of Ln(BH4)3 · 3THF under study are calculated. Gibbs energy values of the stages of process are determined semi-empirically. The law of its change for the entire series of Ln(BH4)3 · 3THF is determined with the emergence of the tetrad effect.

  1. Effect of Proteolysis with Alkaline Protease Following High Hydrostatic Pressure Treatment on IgE Binding of Buckwheat Protein.

    PubMed

    Lee, Chaeyoon; Lee, Wonhui; Han, Youngshin; Oh, Sangsuk

    2017-03-01

    Buckwheat is a popular food material in many Asian countries and it contains major allergenic proteins. This study was performed to analyze the effects of hydrolysis with alkaline protease following high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment on the IgE binding of buckwheat protein. Extracted buckwheat protein was treated with HHP at 600 MPa for 30 min and hydrolyzed with alkaline protease for 240 min. IgE binding was examined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with serum samples from 14 patients who were allergic to buckwheat. Depending on the serum samples, HHP treatment of buckwheat protein without enzymatic hydrolysis decreased the IgE binding by 8.9% to 73.2% or increased by 31% to 78%. The IgE binding of buckwheat protein hydrolyzed with alkaline protease decreased by 73.8% to 100%. The IgE binding of buckwheat protein hydrolyzed with alkaline protease following HHP treatment decreased by 83.8% to 100%. This suggested that hydrolysis with alkaline protease following HHP treatment could be applied to reduce the IgE binding of buckwheat protein. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  2. Alkaline peroxide treatment of ECF bleached softwood kraft pulps. Part 1. characterizing the effect of alkaline peroxide treatment on carboxyl groups of fibers

    Treesearch

    Zheng Dang; Thomas Elder; Arthur J. Ragauskas

    2007-01-01

    The influence of alkaline peroxide treatment has been characterized on elementally chlorine-free (ECF) bleached softwood (SW) kraft pulp. The results indicate that fiber charge increased with an increase in peroxide charge: a maximum fiber charge increment of 16.6% was obtained with 8.0% more peroxide charge on oven-dried (0.d.) pulp at 60.0°C. Two primary bleaching...

  3. Synthesis, structure and properties of bimetallic sodium rare-earth (RE) borohydrides, NaRE(BH4)4, RE = Ce, Pr, Er or Gd.

    PubMed

    Payandeh GharibDoust, SeyedHosein; Ravnsbæk, Dorthe B; Černý, Radovan; Jensen, Torben R

    2017-10-10

    Formation, stability and properties of new metal borohydrides within RE(BH 4 ) 3 -NaBH 4 , RE = Ce, Pr, Er or Gd is investigated. Three new bimetallic sodium rare-earth borohydrides, NaCe(BH 4 ) 4 , NaPr(BH 4 ) 4 and NaEr(BH 4 ) 4 are formed based on an addition reaction between NaBH 4 and halide free rare-earth metal borohydrides RE(BH 4 ) 3 , RE = Ce, Pr, Er. All the new compounds crystallize in the orthorhombic crystal system. NaCe(BH 4 ) 4 has unit cell parameters of a = 6.8028(5), b = 17.5181(13), c = 7.2841(5) Å and space group Pbcn. NaPr(BH 4 ) 4 is isostructural to NaCe(BH 4 ) 4 with unit cell parameters of a = 6.7617(2), b = 17.4678(7), c = 7.2522(3) Å. NaEr(BH 4 ) 4 crystallizes in space group Cmcm with unit cell parameters of a = 8.5379(2), b = 12.1570(4), c = 9.1652(3) Å. The structural relationships, also to the known RE(BH 4 ) 3 , are discussed in detail and related to the stability and synthesis conditions. Heat treatment of NaBH 4 -Gd(BH 4 ) 3 mixture forms an unstable amorphous phase, which decomposes after one day at RT. NaCe(BH 4 ) 4 and NaPr(BH 4 ) 4 show reversible hydrogen storage capacity of 1.65 and 1.04 wt% in the fourth H 2 release, whereas that of NaEr(BH 4 ) 4 continuously decreases. This is mainly assigned to formation of metal hydrides and possibly slower formation of sodium borohydride. The dehydrogenated state clearly contains rare-earth metal borides, which stabilize boron in the dehydrogenated state.

  4. One-step process of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment of wheat straw for improving the enzymatic saccharification.

    PubMed

    Sun, Shaolong; Zhang, Lidan; Liu, Fang; Fan, Xiaolin; Sun, Run-Cang

    2018-01-01

    To increase the production of bioethanol, a two-step process based on hydrothermal and dilute alkaline treatment was applied to reduce the natural resistance of biomass. However, the process required a large amount of water and a long operation time due to the solid/liquid separation before the alkaline treatment, which led to decrease the pure economic profit for production of bioethanol. Therefore, four one-step processes based on order of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment have been developed to enhance concentration of glucose of wheat straw by enzymatic saccharification. The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluated effect for different one-step processes by analyzing the physicochemical properties (composition, structural change, crystallinity, surface morphology, and BET surface area) and enzymatic saccharification of the treated substrates. In this study, hemicelluloses and lignins were removed from wheat straw and the morphologic structures were destroyed to various extents during the four one-step processes, which were favorable for cellulase absorption on cellulose. A positive correlation was also observed between the crystallinity and enzymatic saccharification rate of the substrate under the conditions given. The surface area of the substrate was positively related to the concentration of glucose in this study. As compared to the control (3.0 g/L) and treated substrates (11.2-14.6 g/L) obtained by the other three one-step processes, the substrate treated by one-step process based on successively hydrothermal and alkaline treatment had a maximum glucose concentration of 18.6 g/L, which was due to the high cellulose concentration and surface area for the substrate, accompanying with removal of large amounts of lignins and hemicelluloses. The present study demonstrated that the order of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment had significant effects on the physicochemical properties and enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw. The one

  5. Treatment of Alkaline Cr(VI)-Contaminated Leachate with an Alkaliphilic Metal-Reducing Bacterium.

    PubMed

    Watts, Mathew P; Khijniak, Tatiana V; Boothman, Christopher; Lloyd, Jonathan R

    2015-08-15

    Chromium in its toxic Cr(VI) valence state is a common contaminant particularly associated with alkaline environments. A well-publicized case of this occurred in Glasgow, United Kingdom, where poorly controlled disposal of a cementitious industrial by-product, chromite ore processing residue (COPR), has resulted in extensive contamination by Cr(VI)-contaminated alkaline leachates. In the search for viable bioremediation treatments for Cr(VI), a variety of bacteria that are capable of reduction of the toxic and highly soluble Cr(VI) to the relatively nontoxic and less mobile Cr(III) oxidation state, predominantly under circumneutral pH conditions, have been isolated. Recently, however, alkaliphilic bacteria that have the potential to reduce Cr(VI) under alkaline conditions have been identified. This study focuses on the application of a metal-reducing bacterium to the remediation of alkaline Cr(VI)-contaminated leachates from COPR. This bacterium, belonging to the Halomonas genus, was found to exhibit growth concomitant to Cr(VI) reduction under alkaline conditions (pH 10). Bacterial cells were able to rapidly remove high concentrations of aqueous Cr(VI) (2.5 mM) under anaerobic conditions, up to a starting pH of 11. Cr(VI) reduction rates were controlled by pH, with slower removal observed at pH 11, compared to pH 10, while no removal was observed at pH 12. The reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) resulted in the precipitation of Cr(III) biominerals, which were characterized using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (TEM-EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effectiveness of this haloalkaliphilic bacterium for Cr(VI) reduction at high pH suggests potential for its use as an in situ treatment of COPR and other alkaline Cr(VI)-contaminated environments. Copyright © 2015, Watts et al.

  6. Removal of metallic Al and Al/Zn alloys in MSWI bottom ash by alkaline treatment.

    PubMed

    Xuan, Dongxing; Poon, Chi Sun

    2018-02-15

    In order to reduce the leaching of pollutants and remove the Al and Zn/Al alloy from municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWIBA), an optimized alkaline pre-treatment procedure was developed in this study. The influences of alkaline conditions on the removal rate of Al and Zn/Al alloy were investigated, including [OH] - concentration, temperature, particle size, liquid/solid ratio and treatment duration. The experimental results showed that the optimized alkaline pre-treatment conditions to efficiently remove the Al and Zn/Al alloy was by using a minimum of 1.0mol/l [OH] - , at 55°C and with a minimal liquid/solid ratio of 5. The removal rate of Al and Zn/Al alloy followed an S-shape curve, in which the slow beginning stage was attributed to the protection of the oxidation layer and the quenched product around the Al and Al/Zn alloy. After 3h of the optimized alkaline pre-treatment, the leaching of Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn of the treated MSWIBA was reduced by more than 90% of that of the original MSWIBA. The alkali-silica reaction test further indicated that the expansion of concrete prepared with the pre-treated MSWIBA was significantly reduced and there was no macro-crack or spalling damage on the surface of the tested specimens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Temperature-mediated phase transformation, pore geometry and pore hysteresis transformation of borohydride derived in-born porous zirconium hydroxide nanopowders

    PubMed Central

    Nayak, Nadiya B.; Nayak, Bibhuti B.

    2016-01-01

    Development of in-born porous nature of zirconium hydroxide nanopowders through a facile hydrogen (H2) gas-bubbles assisted borohydride synthesis route using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and novel information on the temperature-mediated phase transformation, pore geometry as well as pore hysteresis transformation of in-born porous zirconium hydroxide nanopowders with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) isotherm and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images are the main theme of this research work. Without any surfactants or pore forming agents, the borohydride derived amorphous nature of porous powders was stable up to 500 °C and then the seed crystals start to develop within the loose amorphous matrix and trapping the inter-particulate voids, which led to develop the porous nature of tetragonal zirconium oxide at 600 °C and further sustain this porous nature as well as tetragonal phase of zirconium oxide up to 800 °C. The novel hydrogen (H2) gas-bubbles assisted borohydride synthesis route led to develop thermally stable porous zirconium hydroxide/oxide nanopowders with an adequate pore size, pore volume, and surface area and thus these porous materials are further suggested for promising use in different areas of applications. PMID:27198738

  8. A new family of metal borohydride guanidinate complexes: Synthesis, structures and hydrogen-storage properties

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, Hui, E-mail: huiwu@nist.gov; Zhou, Xiuquan; Rodriguez, Efrain E.

    We report on a new class of complex hydrides: borohydride guanidinate complexes (MBH{sub 4}·nCN{sub 3}H{sub 5}, M=Li, Mg, and Ca). They can be prepared via facile solid-state synthesis routes. Their crystal structures were successfully determined using a combination of X-ray diffraction, first-principles calculations and neutron vibrational spectroscopy. Among these compounds, Mg(BH{sub 4}){sub 2}·6CN{sub 3}H{sub 5} is composed of large complex Mg[CN{sub 3}H{sub 5}]{sub 6}{sup 2+} cations and surrounding BH{sub 4}{sup -} ions, while Ca(BH{sub 4}){sub 2}·2CN{sub 3}H{sub 5} possesses layers of corner-sharing Ca[BH{sub 4}]{sub 4}(CN{sub 3}H{sub 5}){sub 2} octahedra. Our dehydrogenation results show that ≈10 wt% hydrogen can be releasedmore » from MBH{sub 4}·nCN{sub 3}H{sub 5} (M=Li, Mg, and Ca) at moderate temperatures with minimal ammonia and diborane contamination thanks to the synergistic effect of C-N bonds from guanidine and hydridic H from borohydrides leading to a weakening of the N-H bonds, thus impeding ammonia gas liberation. Further tuning the dehydrogenation with different cation species indicates that Mg(BH{sub 4}){sub 2}·nCN{sub 3}H{sub 5} can exhibit the optimum properties with nearly thermally neutral dehydrogenation and very high purity hydrogen release. - Graphical abstract: A new family of complex hydrides: borohydride guanidinates, was developed with diverse crystal structures and remarkable hydrogen storage properties. - Highlights: • A new family of complex hydrides, borohydride guanidinate complexes, are synthesized. • Their diverse crystal structures are determined using combined characterizations. • These compounds can release ~10 wt% pure H{sub 2} at moderate temperatures. • Dehydrogenation thermodynamics and H{sub 2} purity can be tuned by varying cation species.« less

  9. An ammonia-stabilized mixed-cation borohydride: synthesis, structure and thermal decomposition behavior.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yanjing; Liu, Yongfeng; Wu, Hui; Zhou, Wei; Gao, Mingxia; Pan, Hongge

    2014-01-07

    We demonstrate the synthesis, crystal structure and thermal decomposition behavior of a novel ammonia-stabilized mixed-cation borohydride where the NH3 groups enable the coexistence of Li and Mg cations as an "assistant". Li2Mg(BH4)4·6NH3, which is comprised of orderly arranged Mg[NH3]6(2+) ammine complexes and Li2[BH4]4(2-) complex anions, was synthesized by the mechanochemical reaction between Mg(BH4)2·6NH3 and LiBH4. This novel compound crystallizes in a tetragonal P4(3)2(1)2 (No. 96) structure with lattice parameters a = b = 10.7656(8) Å and c = 13.843(1) Å with very short dihydrogen bonds, which determine a very low onset temperature of 80 °C for hydrogen release and are also responsible for the nucleation of Li2Mg(BH4)4·3NH3 as a decomposition intermediate. Mechanistic investigations on the thermal decomposition showed that the H(δ+)-H(δ-) combination in the ammonia-stabilized mixed-cation borohydride was significantly enhanced due to the strengthened Mg-N bonds. Upon heating, 11.02 moles of H2 (equivalent to 11.1 wt%) and 3.07 moles of NH3 are evolved from one mole of Li2Mg(BH4)4·6NH3 with a three-step reaction. The insights into the formation mechanism of ammonia-stabilized mixed-cation borohydride and the role played by NH3 group are very useful as a guideline for the design and synthesis of novel B-N-based materials with high hydrogen content.

  10. The potential of alkaline phosphatase as a treatment for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.

    PubMed

    Peters, Esther; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Pickkers, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a high attributable mortality and an increased risk of developing chronic kidney failure in survivors. As a successful therapy is, as yet, unavailable, a pharmacological treatment option is clearly warranted. Recently, two small phase II clinical trials demonstrated beneficial renal effects of bovine-derived alkaline phosphatase administration in critically ill patients with sepsis-associated AKI. The rationale behind the renal protective effects remains to be fully elucidated, but is likely to be related to dephosphorylation and thereby detoxification of detrimental molecules involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis-associated AKI. A potent candidate target molecule might be endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) from the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, which is associated with the development of sepsis and becomes nontoxic after being dephosphorylated by alkaline phosphatase. Another target of alkaline phosphatase could be adenosine triphosphate, a proinflammatory mediator released during cellular stress, which can be converted by alkaline phosphatase into the tissue-protective and anti-inflammatory molecule adenosine. Human recombinant alkaline phosphatase, a recently developed replacement for bovine-derived alkaline phosphatase, has shown promising results in the preclinical phase. As its safety and tolerability were recently confirmed in a phase I clinical trial, the renal protective effect of human recombinant alkaline phosphatase in sepsis-associated AKI shall be investigated in a multicenter phase II clinical trial starting at the end of this year. 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  11. Treatment of cells with alkaline borate buffer extends the capability of interphase FISH mapping.

    PubMed

    Yokota, H; van den Engh, G; Mostert, M; Trask, B J

    1995-01-20

    Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been shown to be a means to map DNA sequences relative to each other in the 100 kb to 1-2 Mb genomic-separation range. At distances below 0.1 Mb, probe sites are infrequently resolved in interphase chromatin. In the 0.1- to 1-Mb range, interphase chromatin can be modeled as a freely flexible chain. The mean square interphase distance between two probes is proportional to the genomic separation between the probes on the linear DNA molecule. Above 1-2 Mb, the relationship between interphase distance and genomic separation changes abruptly and appears to level off. We have used alkaline-borate treatment to expand the capability of interphase FISH mapping. We show here that alkaline-borate treatment increases nuclear diameter, the interphase distance between probes on homologous chromosomes, and the distance between probes on the same chromosome. We also show that the mean square distance between hybridization sites in borate-treated nuclei is proportional to genomic separation up to 4 Mb. Thus, alkaline-borate treatment enhances the capability of interphase FISH mapping by increasing the absolute distance between probes and extending the range of the simple relationship between interphase distance and genomic separation.

  12. Treatment of cells with alkaline borate buffer extends the capability of interphase FISH mapping

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yokota, H.; Van Den Engh, G.; Mostert, M.

    1995-01-20

    Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been shown to be a means to map DNA sequences relative to each other in the 100 kb to 1-2 Mb genomic-separation range. At distances below 0.1 Mb, probe sites are infrequently resolved in interphase chromatin. In the 0.1- to 1-Mb range, interphase chromatin can be modeled as a freely flexible chain. The mean square interphase distance between two probes is proportional to the genomic separation between the probes on the linear DNA molecule. Above 1-2 Mb, the relationship between interphase distance and genomic separation changes abruptly and appears to level off. Wemore » have used alkaline-borate treatment to expand the capability of interphase FISH mapping. We show here that alkaline-borate treatment increases nuclear diameter, the interphase distance between probes on homologous chromosomes, and the distance between probes on the same chromosome. We also show that the mean square distance between hybridization sites in borate-treated nuclei is proportional to genomic separation up to 4 Mb. Thus, alkaline-borate treatment enhances the capability of interphase FISH mapping by increasing the absolute distance between probes and extending the range of the simple relationship between interphase distance and genomic separation. 31 refs., 5 figs.« less

  13. Alkaline treatment of high-solids sludge and its application to anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Li, Chenchen; Li, Huan; Zhang, Yuyao

    2015-01-01

    High-solids anaerobic digestion is a promising new process for sludge reduction and bioenergy recovery, requiring smaller digestion tanks and less energy for heating, but a longer digestion time, than traditional low-solids anaerobic digestion. To accelerate this process, alkaline sludge disintegration was tested as a pretreatment method for anaerobic digestion of high-solids sludge. The results showed that alkaline treatment effectively disintegrated both low-solids sludge and high-solids sludge, and treatment duration of 30 min was the most efficient. The relation between sludge disintegration degree and NaOH dose can be described by a transmutative power function model. At NaOH dose lower than 0.2 mol/L, sludge disintegration degree remained virtually unchanged when sludge total solids (TS) content increased from 2.0 to 11.0%, and decreased only slightly when sludge TS increased to 14.2%. Although high-solids sludge required a slightly higher molarity of NaOH to reach the same disintegration level of low-solids sludge, the required mass of NaOH actually decreased due to sludge thickening. From the view of NaOH consumption, sludge TS of 8-12% and a NaOH dose of 0.05 mol/L were optimum conditions for alkaline pretreatment, which resulted in a slight increase in accumulative biogas yield, but a decrease by 24-29% in digestion time during the subsequent anaerobic digestion.

  14. Borohydride Reduction of Estrone: Demonstration of Diastereoselectivity in the Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aditya, Animesh; Nichols, David E.; Loudon, G. Marc

    2008-01-01

    This experiment presents a guided-inquiry approach to the demonstration of diastereoselectivity in an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. Chiral hindered ketones such as estrone, undergo facile reduction with sodium borohydride in a highly diastereoselective manner. The diastereomeric estradiols produced in the reaction can be analyzed and…

  15. A Microwave-Assisted Reduction of Cyclohexanone Using Solid-State-Supported Sodium Borohydride

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Lori L.; Kittredge, Kevin W.

    2005-01-01

    The reduction of carbonyl groups by sodium borohydride though is a well-known reaction in most organic lab texts, a difficulty for an instructor adopting this reaction in a student lab is that it is too long. Using a microwave assisted organic synthesis solves this difficulty and one such reaction, which is the microwave-assisted reduction of…

  16. Biological treatment of refinery spent caustics under halo-alkaline conditions.

    PubMed

    de Graaff, Marco; Bijmans, Martijn F M; Abbas, Ben; Euverink, Gert-J W; Muyzer, Gerard; Janssen, Albert J H

    2011-08-01

    The present research demonstrates the biological treatment of refinery sulfidic spent caustics in a continuously fed system under halo-alkaline conditions (i.e. pH 9.5; Na(+)= 0.8M). Experiments were performed in identical gas-lift bioreactors operated under aerobic conditions (80-90% saturation) at 35°C. Sulfide loading rates up to 27 mmol L(-1)day(-1) were successfully applied at a HRT of 3.5 days. Sulfide was completely converted into sulfate by the haloalkaliphilic sulfide-oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Influent benzene concentrations ranged from 100 to 600 μM. At steady state, benzene was removed by 93% due to high stripping efficiencies and biodegradation. Microbial community analysis revealed the presence of haloalkaliphilic heterotrophic bacteria belonging to the genera Marinobacter, Halomonas and Idiomarina which might have been involved in the observed benzene removal. The work shows the potential of halo-alkaliphilic bacteria in mitigating environmental problems caused by alkaline waste. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Effect of alkaline treatment of pure titanium and its alloys on the bonding strength of dental veneering resins.

    PubMed

    Ban, Seiji

    2003-07-01

    Commercially pure titanium (cpTi), Ti6Al4V, an experimental beta-type titanium (Ti 53.4 wt%, Nb 29 wt %, Ta 13 wt %, and Zr 4.6 wt %), and 12% AuPdAg alloy plates were sandblasted, cleaned in water, and dried. cpTi plates were treated with nine alkaline treatments that differed in the type of alkali, alkaline concentration, soaking temperature, soaking time, and heating temperature. cpTi plates that were only sandblasted or sandblasted and oxidized at 600 degrees C for 1 h in air were also prepared. Finally, the bonding strengths of 11 kinds of surface-treated cpTi to resin were measured using a pull-shear bonding method after immersion in physiologic saline solution at 37 degrees C for 24 h. The bonds of the standard alkaline-treated cpTi and two titanium alloys to resins were 1.5-1.9 times stronger than those of sandblasted specimens (p < 0.01), but no significant effects of the alkaline treatment were observed on the 12% AuPdAg alloy. The greatest bonding strengths were found for cpTi treated with NaOH and KOH and then heated at 600 degrees C (p < 0.01). In conclusion, alkaline treatment is a simple, effective surface modification of titanium that improves bonding to veneering resin. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Volcano Plot for Bimetallic Catalysts in Hydrogen Generation by Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koska, Anais; Toshikj, Nikola; Hoett, Sandra; Bernaud, Laurent; Demirci, Umit B.

    2017-01-01

    In the field of "hydrogen energy", sodium borohydride (NaBH[subscript 4]) is a potential hydrogen carrier able to release H[subscript 2] by hydrolysis in the presence of a metal catalyst. Our laboratory experiment focuses on this. It is intended for thirdyear undergraduate students in order to have hands-on laboratory experience through…

  19. Effect of halideions on the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of methylene blue for borohydride-reduced silver colloid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Xiao; Gu, Huaimin; Liu, Fang

    2011-01-01

    The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrum of methylene blue (MB) was studied when adding a range of halideions to borohydride-reduced silver colloid. The halideions such as chloride, bromide and iodide were added as aggregating agents to study the effects of halideions on SERS spectroscopy of MB and observe which halideion gives the greatest enhancement for borohydride-reduced silver colloids. The SERS spectra of MB were also detected over a wide range of concentrations of halideions to find the optimum concentration of halideions for SERS enhancement. From the results of this study, the intensity of SERS signal of MB was enhanced significantly when adding halideions to the colloid. Among the three kinds of halideions, chloride gives the greatest enhancement on SERS signal. The enhancement factors for MB with optimal concentration of chloride, bromide and iodide are 3.44×104, 2.04×104, and 1.0×104, respectively. The differences of the SERS spectra of MB when adding different kinds and concentrations of halideions to the colloid may be attributed to the both effects of extent of aggregation of the colloid and the modification of silver surface chemistry. The purpose of this study is to further investigate the effect of halideions on borohydride-reduced silver colloid and to make the experimental conditions suitable for detecting some analytes in high efficiency on rational principles.

  20. Process optimization of ultrasound-assisted alcoholic-alkaline treatment for granular cold water swelling starches.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Bo; Liu, Jianli; Gao, Weidong

    2017-09-01

    This paper reports on the process optimization of ultrasonic assisted alcoholic-alkaline treatment to prepare granular cold water swelling (GCWS) starches. In this work, three statistical approaches such as Plackett-Burman, steepest ascent path analysis and Box-Behnken design were successfully combined to investigate the effects of major treatment process variables including starch concentration, ethanol volume fraction, sodium hydroxide dosage, ultrasonic power and treatment time, and drying operation, that is, vacuum degree and drying time on cold-water solubility. Results revealed that ethanol volume fraction, sodium hydroxide dosage, applied power and ultrasonic treatment time were significant factors that affected the cold-water solubility of GCWS starches. The maximum cold-water solubility was obtained when treated at 400W of applied power for 27.38min. Optimum volume fraction of ethanol and sodium hydroxide dosage were 66.85% and 53.76mL, respectively. The theoretical values (93.87%) and the observed values (93.87%) were in reasonably good agreement and the deviation was less than 1%. Verification and repeated trial results indicated that the ultrasound-assisted alcoholic-alkaline treatment could be successfully used for the preparation of granular cold water swelling starches at room temperatures and had excellent improvement on the cold-water solubility of GCWS starches. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Spectroscopic study of surface enhanced Raman scattering of caffeine on borohydride-reduced silver colloids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiaomin; Gu, Huaimin; Shen, Gaoshan; Dong, Xiao; Kang, Jian

    2010-06-01

    The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of caffeine on borohydride-reduced silver colloids system under different aqueous solution environment has been studied in this paper. The relative intensity of SERS of caffeine significantly varies with different concentrations of sodium chloride and silver particles. However, at too high or too low concentration of sodium chloride and silver particle, the enhancement of SERS spectra is not evident. The SERS spectra of caffeine suggest that the contribution of the charge transfer mechanism to SERS may be dominant. The chloride ions can significantly enhance the efficiency of SERS, while the enhancement is selective, as the efficiency in charge transfer enhancement is higher than in electromagnetic enhancement. Therefore, it can be concluded that the active site of chloride ion locates on the bond between the caffeine and the silver surface. In addition, the SERS spectra of caffeine on borohydride-reduced and citrate-reduced silver colloids are different, which may be due to different states caffeine adsorbed on silver surface under different silver colloids.

  2. New hydrogen-rich ammonium metal borohydrides, NH4[M(BH4)4], M = Y, Sc, Al, as potential H2 sources.

    PubMed

    Starobrat, A; Jaroń, T; Grochala, W

    2018-03-26

    Three metal-ammonium borohydrides, NH4[M(BH4)4] M = Y, Sc, Al, denoted 1, 2, 3, respectively, were prepared via a low temperature mechanochemical synthesis and characterized using PXRD, FTIR and TGA/DSC/MS. The compounds 1 and 2 adopt the P21/c space group while the compound 3 crystallizes in an orthorhombic unit cell (Fddd). The first decomposition step of all three derivatives of ammonium borohydride has the maximum rate at 48 °C, 53 °C and 35 °C for 1, 2 and 3, respectively, which are comparable to that for NH4BH4 (53 °C). The thermal decomposition of these metal-ammonium borohydrides is a multistep process, with predominantly exothermic low-temperature stages. The compound 1 decomposes via known Y(BH4)3, however, some of the solid decomposition products of the other two compounds have not been fully identified. In the system containing compound 2, a new, more dense polymorph of the previously reported LiSc(BH4)4 has been detected as the intermediate of slow decomposition at room temperature.

  3. A Guided-Inquiry Approach to the Sodium Borohydride Reduction and Grignard Reaction of Carbonyl Compounds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenberg, Robert E.

    2007-01-01

    The guided-inquiry approach is applied to the reactions of sodium borohydride and phenyl magnesium bromide with benzaldehyde, benzophenone, benzoic anhydride, and ethyl benzoate. Each team of four students receives four unknowns. Students identify the unknowns and their reaction products by using the physical state of the unknown, an…

  4. ISSUES WITH ALKALINE TREATMENT OF SLUDGE

    EPA Science Inventory

    This presentation begins with a discussion of the use of lime and other alkaline materials from the very earliest times to the present for killing bacteria, viruses and parasites and for controlling odors in wastewaters and sludge. It answers the question "How did EPA arrive at i...

  5. New chemical hydrogen storage materials exploiting the self-sustaining thermal decomposition of guanidinium borohydride.

    PubMed

    Groshens, Thomas J; Hollins, Richard A

    2009-06-07

    Guanidinium borohydride (GBH) was structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and found to release more than 10 wt% H(2) as a fairly pure stream during a self-sustaining thermal decomposition reaction both with and without additives that were identified to reduce the concentration of the main ammonia impurity and control the reaction sustainability.

  6. Novel Co(OH)2 with cotton-like structure as anode material for alkaline secondary batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, W.; Liao, Y. L.; Qiu, S. J.; Chu, H. L.; Zou, Y. J.; Xiang, C. L.; Zhang, H. Z.; Xu, F.; Sun, L. X.

    2018-01-01

    The cotton-like Co(OH)2 (S-Co(OH)2) was successfully synthesized and its electrochemical performance was systematically investigated. S-Co(OH)2 was prepared through the “destruction” of the newly formed colloid Co(OH)2 by the reduction using sodium borohydride. The crystal structure and surface morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Used as an anode material for alkaline secondary batteries, S-Co(OH)2 sample exhibited better cycle stability, higher electrochemical capacity, and higher rate performance than those of conventional β-Co(OH)2. At a discharge current density of 100 mA/g, the initial discharge capacity of S-Co(OH)2 is 549.3 mAh/g and the discharge capacity is still sustained to be 329.2 mAh/g after 100 charge-discharge cycles with a capacity retention of 59.9%.

  7. Physicochemical Properties of Defatted Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) Seed Flour after Alkaline Treatment.

    PubMed

    Eiamwat, Jirawat; Wanlapa, Sorada; Kampruengdet, Sukit

    2016-03-31

    Rambutan seeds were subjected to SC-CO₂ extraction at 35 MPa, 45 °C to obtain defatted rambutan seed flour. Its physicochemical properties before and after treatment with alkali solution using 0.075 N NaOH were investigated. Alkali-treated flour had a significant increment in bulk density, swelling power, water adsorption capacity, emulsion capacity and stability but a reduction in turbidity, solubility and oil absorption capacity. Pasting measurements showed peak viscosity, breakdown, setback and final viscosity increased significantly for the alkali-treated flour, while pasting temperature decreased. The alkaline treatment decreased the least gelation concentration, but increased the apparent viscosity.

  8. By-Product Carrying Humidified Hydrogen: An Underestimated Issue in the Hydrolysis of Sodium Borohydride.

    PubMed

    Petit, Eddy; Miele, Philippe; Demirci, Umit B

    2016-07-21

    Catalyzed hydrolysis of sodium borohydride generates up to four molecules of hydrogen, but contrary to what has been reported so far, the humidified evolved gas is not pure hydrogen. Elemental and spectroscopic analyses show, for the first time, that borate by-products pollute the stream as well as the vessel. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. An innovative sewage sludge reduction by using a combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic process with thermal-alkaline treatment and sludge recirculation.

    PubMed

    Cho, Hyun Uk; Park, Sang Kyu; Ha, Jeong Hyub; Park, Jong Moon

    2013-11-15

    Lab-scale High Efficiency Digestion (HED) systems containing a Mesophilic Anaerobic Reactor (MAR), Thermophilic Aerobic Reactor (TAR), liquid/solid separation unit, and thermal-alkaline treatment were developed to evaluate the efficiencies of sludge reduction and methane production. The HED process was divided into three phases to examine the influence of sludge pretreatment and pretreated sludge recirculation using TCOD and VSS reduction, COD solubilization, and methane production. The VSS removal with a solid/liquid separation unit, sludge recirculation, and thermal-alkaline treatment drastically increased up to 95% compared to the feed concentration. In addition, the results of COD solubilization and VSS/TSS showed that the solubilization of cells and organic matters by the thermal-alkaline treatment was highly increased, which was also consistent with the SEM images. In particular, the methane production rate increased 24-fold when the feed sludge and recirculated sludge were pretreated together. Collectively, the HED experiments performed with sludge recirculation and thermal-alkaline treatment demonstrated that the HED systems can be successfully employed for highly efficient sewage sludge reduction and methane gas production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Development of a pH/alkalinity treatment model for applications of the lampricide TFM to streams tributary to the Great Lakes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bills, Terry D.; Boogaard, Michael A.; Johnson, David A.; Brege, Dorance C.; Scholefield, Ronald J.; Westman, R. Wayne; Stephens, Brian E.

    2003-01-01

    It has long been known that the toxicity of the lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is influenced by chemical and physical properties of water. As the pH, conductivity, and alkalinity of water increase, greater concentrations of TFM are required to kill sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) larvae. Consequently, the concentration of TFM required for effective treatment varies among streams. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) and sea lamprey larvae were exposed to a series of TFM concentrations in a continuous-flow diluter for 12 h. Twenty five exposures were conducted at various water alkalinities and pHs that treatment personnel encounter during lampricide treatments. Survival/mortality data were analyzed for lampricide concentrations that produced 50 and 99.9% mortality (LC50 and LC99.9) for sea lamprey larvae and 25 and 50% mortality (LC25 and LC50) for brown trout. Linear regression analyses were performed for each set of tests for each selected alkalinity by comparing the 12-h post exposure LC99.9 sea lamprey data and LC25 brown trout data at each pH. Mortality data from on-site toxicity tests conducted by lampricide control personnel were compared to predicted values from the pH/alkalinity prediction model. Of the 31 tests examined, 27 resulted in the LC100s (lowest TFM concentration where 100% mortality of sea lamprey was observed after 12 h of exposure) falling within 0.2 mg/L of the predicted sea lamprey minimum lethal (LC99.9) range. The pH/alkalinity prediction model provides managers with an operational tool that reduces the amount of TFM required for effective treatment while minimizing the impact on non-target organisms.

  11. A new family of metal borohydride guanidinate complexes: Synthesis, structures and hydrogen-storage properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Hui; Zhou, Xiuquan; Rodriguez, Efrain E.; Zhou, Wei; Udovic, Terrence J.; Yildirim, Taner; Rush, John J.

    2016-10-01

    We report on a new class of complex hydrides: borohydride guanidinate complexes (MBH4·nCN3H5, M=Li, Mg, and Ca). They can be prepared via facile solid-state synthesis routes. Their crystal structures were successfully determined using a combination of X-ray diffraction, first-principles calculations and neutron vibrational spectroscopy. Among these compounds, Mg(BH4)2·6CN3H5 is composed of large complex Mg[CN3H5]62+ cations and surrounding BH4- ions, while Ca(BH4)2·2CN3H5 possesses layers of corner-sharing Ca[BH4]4(CN3H5)2 octahedra. Our dehydrogenation results show that ≈10 wt% hydrogen can be released from MBH4·nCN3H5 (M=Li, Mg, and Ca) at moderate temperatures with minimal ammonia and diborane contamination thanks to the synergistic effect of C-N bonds from guanidine and hydridic H from borohydrides leading to a weakening of the N-H bonds, thus impeding ammonia gas liberation. Further tuning the dehydrogenation with different cation species indicates that Mg(BH4)2·nCN3H5 can exhibit the optimum properties with nearly thermally neutral dehydrogenation and very high purity hydrogen release.

  12. Net alkalinity and net acidity 2: Practical considerations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kirby, C.S.; Cravotta, C.A.

    2005-01-01

    The pH, alkalinity, and acidity of mine drainage and associated waters can be misinterpreted because of the chemical instability of samples and possible misunderstandings of standard analytical method results. Synthetic and field samples of mine drainage having various initial pH values and concentrations of dissolved metals and alkalinity were titrated by several methods, and the results were compared to alkalinity and acidity calculated based on dissolved solutes. The pH, alkalinity, and acidity were compared between fresh, unoxidized and aged, oxidized samples. Data for Pennsylvania coal mine drainage indicates that the pH of fresh samples was predominantly acidic (pH 2.5-4) or near neutral (pH 6-7); ??? 25% of the samples had pH values between 5 and 6. Following oxidation, no samples had pH values between 5 and 6. The Standard Method Alkalinity titration is constrained to yield values >0. Most calculated and measured alkalinities for samples with positive alkalinities were in close agreement. However, for low-pH samples, the calculated alkalinity can be negative due to negative contributions by dissolved metals that may oxidize and hydrolyze. The Standard Method hot peroxide treatment titration for acidity determination (Hot Acidity) accurately indicates the potential for pH to decrease to acidic values after complete degassing of CO2 and oxidation of Fe and Mn, and it indicates either the excess alkalinity or that required for neutralization of the sample. The Hot Acidity directly measures net acidity (= -net alkalinity). Samples that had near-neutral pH after oxidation had negative Hot Acidity; samples that had pH < 6.3 after oxidation had positive Hot Acidity. Samples with similar pH values before oxidation had dissimilar Hot Acidities due to variations in their alkalinities and dissolved Fe, Mn, and Al concentrations. Hot Acidity was approximately equal to net acidity calculated based on initial pH and dissolved concentrations of Fe, Mn, and Al minus the

  13. A Comparison of Alkaline Water and Mediterranean Diet vs Proton Pump Inhibition for Treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.

    PubMed

    Zalvan, Craig H; Hu, Shirley; Greenberg, Barbara; Geliebter, Jan

    2017-10-01

    Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a common disorder with protean manifestations in the head and neck. In this retrospective study, we report the efficacy of a wholly dietary approach using alkaline water, a plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, and standard reflux precautions compared with that of the traditional treatment approach of proton pump inhibition (PPI) and standard reflux precautions. To determine whether treatment with a diet-based approach with standard reflux precautions alone can improve symptoms of LPR compared with treatment with PPI and standard reflux precautions. This was a retrospective medical chart review of 2 treatment cohorts. From 2010 to 2012, 85 patients with LPR that were treated with PPI and standard reflux precautions (PS) were identified. From 2013 to 2015, 99 patients treated with alkaline water (pH >8.0), 90% plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, and standard reflux precautions (AMS) were identified. The outcome was based on change in Reflux Symptom Index (RSI). Recorded change in the RSI after 6 weeks of treatment. Of the 184 patients identified in the PS and AMS cohorts, the median age of participants in each cohort was 60 years (95% CI, 18-82) and 57 years (95% CI, 18-93), respectively (47 [56.3%] and 61 [61.7%] were women, respectively). The percentage of patients achieving a clinically meaningful (≥6 points) reduction in RSI was 54.1% in PS-treated patients and 62.6% in AMS-treated patients (difference between the groups, 8.05; 95% CI, -5.74 to 22.76). The mean reduction in RSI was 27.2% for the PS group and 39.8% in the AMS group (difference, 12.10; 95% CI, 1.53 to 22.68). Our data suggest that the effect of PPI on the RSI based on proportion reaching a 6-point reduction in RSI is not significantly better than that of alkaline water, a plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, and standard reflux precautions, although the difference in the 2 treatments could be clinically meaningful in favor of the dietary approach. The

  14. Process for production of a borohydride compound

    DOEpatents

    Allen, Nathan Tait; Butterick, III, Robert; Chin, Arthur Achhing; Millar, Dean Michael; Molzahn, David Craig

    2014-08-19

    A process for production of a borohydride compound M(BH.sub.4).sub.y. The process has three steps. The first step combines a compound of formula (R.sup.1O).sub.yM with aluminum, hydrogen and a metallic catalyst containing at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, vanadium, tantalum and iron to produce a compound of formula M(AlH.sub.3OR.sup.1).sub.y, wherein R.sup.1 is phenyl or phenyl substituted by at least one alkyl or alkoxy group; M is an alkali metal, Be or Mg; and y is one or two; wherein the catalyst is present at a level of at least 200 ppm based on weight of aluminum. The second step combines the compound of formula M(AlH.sub.3OR.sup.1).sub.y with a borate, boroxine or borazine compound to produce M(BH.sub.4).sub.y and a byproduct mixture containing alkali metal and aluminum aryloxides. The third step separates M(BH.sub.4).sub.y from the byproduct mixture.

  15. Correlation between thermodynamical stabilities of metal borohydrides and cation electronegativites: First-principles calculations and experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamori, Yuko; Miwa, Kazutoshi; Ninomiya, Akihito; Li, Haiwen; Ohba, Nobuko; Towata, Shin-Ichi; Züttel, Andreas; Orimo, Shin-Ichi

    2006-07-01

    The thermodynamical stabilities for the series of metal borohydrides M(BH4)n ( M=Li , Na, K, Cu, Mg, Zn, Sc, Zr, and Hf; n=1-4 ) have been systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. The results indicated that an ionic bonding between Mn+ cations and [BH4]- anions exists in M(BH4)n , and the charge transfer from Mn+ cations to [BH4]- anions is a key feature for the stability of M(BH4)n . A good correlation between the heat of formation ΔHboro of M(BH4)n and the Pauling electronegativity of the cation χP can be found, which is represented by the linear relation, ΔHboro=248.7χP-390.8 in the unit of kJ/mol BH4 . In order to confirm the predicted correlation experimentally, the hydrogen desorption reactions were studied for M(BH4)n ( M=Li , Na, K, Mg, Zn, Sc, Zr, and Hf), where the samples of the later five borohydrides were mechanochemically synthesized. The thermal desorption analyses indicate that LiBH4 , NaBH4 , and KBH4 desorb hydrogen to hydride phases. Mg(BH4)2 , Sc(BH4)3 , and Zr(BH4)4 show multistep desorption reactions through the intermediate phases of hydrides and/or borides. On the other hand, Zn(BH4)2 desorbs hydrogen and borane to elemental Zn due to instabilities of Zn hydride and boride. A correlation between the desorption temperature Td and the Pauling electronegativity χP is observed experimentally and so χP is an indicator to approximately estimate the stability of M(BH4)n . The enthalpy change for the desorption reaction, ΔHdes , is estimated using the predicted ΔHboro and the reported data for decomposed product, ΔHhyd/boride . The estimated ΔHdes show a good correlation with the observed Td , indicating that the predicted stability of borohydride is experimentally supported. These results are useful for exploring M(BH4)n with appropriate stability as hydrogen storage materials.

  16. Optical properties of humic substances and CDOM: effects of borohydride reduction.

    PubMed

    Ma, Jiahai; Del Vecchio, Rossana; Golanoski, Kelli S; Boyle, Erin S; Blough, Neil V

    2010-07-15

    Treatment of Suwanee River humic (SRHA) and fulvic (SRFA) acids, a commercial lignin (LAC), and a series of solid phase extracts (C18) from the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB extracts) with sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)), a selective reductant of carbonyl-containing compounds including quinones and aromatic ketones, produces a preferential loss of visible absorption (> or = 50% for SRFA) and substantially enhanced, blue-shifted fluorescence emission (2- to 3-fold increase). Comparison of the results with those obtained from a series of model quinones and hydroquinones demonstrates that these spectral changes cannot be assigned directly to the absorption and emission of visible light by quinones/hydroquinones. Instead, these results are consistent with a charge transfer model in which the visible absorption is due primarily to charge transfer transitions arising among hydroxy- (methoxy-) aromatic donors and carbonyl-containing acceptors. Unlike most of the model hydroquinones, the changes in optical properties of the natural samples following NaBH(4) reduction were largely irreversible in the presence of air and following addition of a Cu(2+) catalyst, providing tentative evidence that aromatic ketones (or other similar carbonyl-containing structures) may play a more important role than quinones in the optical properties of these materials.

  17. Systematic review of the association between dietary acid load, alkaline water and cancer.

    PubMed

    Fenton, Tanis R; Huang, Tian

    2016-06-13

    To evaluate the evidence for a causal relationship between dietary acid/alkaline and alkaline water for the aetiology and treatment of cancer. A systematic review was conducted on published and grey literature separately for randomised intervention and observational studies with either varying acid-base dietary intakes and/or alkaline water with any cancer outcome or for cancer treatment. Incidence of cancer and outcomes of cancer treatment. 8278 citations were identified, and 252 abstracts were reviewed; 1 study met the inclusion criteria and was included in this systematic review. No randomised trials were located. No studies were located that examined dietary acid or alkaline or alkaline water for cancer treatment. The included study was a cohort study with a low risk of bias. This study revealed no association between the diet acid load with bladder cancer (OR=1.15: 95% CI 0.86 to 1.55, p=0.36). No association was found even among long-term smokers (OR=1.72: 95% CI 0.96 to 3.10, p=0.08). Despite the promotion of the alkaline diet and alkaline water by the media and salespeople, there is almost no actual research to either support or disprove these ideas. This systematic review of the literature revealed a lack of evidence for or against diet acid load and/or alkaline water for the initiation or treatment of cancer. Promotion of alkaline diet and alkaline water to the public for cancer prevention or treatment is not justified. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  18. Hydrogen generation from catalytic hydrolysis of alkaline sodium borohydride solution using attapulgite clay-supported Co-B catalyst

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Hongjing; Guo, Qingjie; Xu, Dongyan

    An attapulgite clay-supported cobalt-boride (Co-B) catalyst used in portable fuel cell fields is prepared in this paper by impregnation-chemical reduction method. The cost of attapulgite clay is much lower compared with some other inert carriers, such as activated carbon and carbon nanotube. Its microstructure and catalytic activity are analyzed in this paper. The effects of NaOH concentration, NaBH 4 concentration, reacting temperature, catalyst loadings and recycle times on the performance of the catalysts in hydrogen production from alkaline NaBH 4 solutions are investigated. Furthermore, characteristics of these catalysts are carried out in SEM, XRD and TEM analysis. The high catalytic activity of the catalyst indicates that it is a promising and practical catalyst. Activation energy of hydrogen generation using such catalysts is estimated to be 56.32 kJ mol -1. In the cycle test, from the 1st cycle to the 9th cycle, the average hydrogen generation rate decreases gradually from 1.27 l min -1 g -1 Co-B to 0.87 l min -1 g -1 Co-B.

  19. Treatment of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis with a sublethal concentration of trisodium phosphate or alkaline pH induces thermotolerance.

    PubMed

    Sampathkumar, Balamurugan; Khachatourians, George G; Korber, Darren R

    2004-08-01

    The responses of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis to a sublethal dose of trisodium phosphate (TSP) and its equivalent alkaline pH made with NaOH were examined. Pretreatment of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis cells with 1.5% TSP or pH 10.0 solutions resulted in a significant increase in thermotolerance, resistance to 2.5% TSP, resistance to high pH, and sensitivity to acid and H(2)O(2). Protein inhibition studies with chloramphenicol revealed that thermotolerance, unlike resistance to high pH, was dependent on de novo protein synthesis. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of total cellular proteins from untreated control cells resolved as many as 232 proteins, of which 22 and 15% were absent in TSP- or alkaline pH-pretreated cells, respectively. More than 50% of the proteins that were either up- or down-regulated by TSP pretreatment were also up- or down-regulated by alkaline pH pretreatment. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE analysis of detergent-insoluble outer membrane proteins revealed the up-regulation of at least four proteins. Mass spectrometric analysis showed the up-regulated proteins to include those involved in the transport of small hydrophilic molecules across the cytoplasmic membrane and those that act as chaperones and aid in the export of newly synthesized proteins by keeping them in open conformation. Other up-regulated proteins included common housekeeping proteins like those involved in amino acid biosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. In addition to the differential expression of proteins following TSP or alkaline pH treatment, changes in membrane fatty acid composition were also observed. Alkaline pH- or TSP-pretreated cells showed a higher saturated and cyclic to unsaturated fatty acid ratio than did the untreated control cells. These results suggest that the cytoplasmic membrane could play a significant role in the induction of thermotolerance and resistance to other stresses following TSP

  20. The Removal of Cu (II) from Aqueous Solution using Sodium Borohydride as a Reducing Agent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sithole, N. T.; Ntuli, F.; Mashifana, T.

    2018-03-01

    The removal and recovery of metals from wastewater has been a subject of significant importance due the negative impact these toxic metals have on human health and the environment as a result of water and soil pollution. Increased use of the metals and chemicals in the process industries has resulted in generation of large quantity of effluents that contains high level of toxic metals and other pollutants. The objective of this work was to recover of Cu in its elemental form as metallic powder from aqueous solution using NaBH4 as a reducing agent. Reductive precipitation was achieved in a batch reactor at 65°C using Cu powder as a seeding material. This study also investigated the effect of concentration of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a reducing agent. The amount of NaBH4 was varied based on mole ratios which are 1:1, 1:0.25 and 1:0.1 to recover Cu from synthetic wastewater. The results obtained showed that sodium borohydride is an effective reducing agent to recover Cu from wastewater. The optimum concentration of NaBH4 that gives the best results the 1:1 molar ratio with over 99% Cu removal.

  1. Carbonate addition--an effective remedy against poor activated sludge settling properties and alkalinity conditions in small wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Wett, B; Eladawy, A; Becker, W

    2003-01-01

    The impact of marble powder on the performance of small seasonal treatment plants dealing with high ammonia concentrated wastewater has been investigated. The carbonate has been added to one of two parallel lab-scale SBR-systems as an alkalinity depot and a bio-carrier. The focus of the monitoring program was put on the measurement of carbon fractions in the liquid and the solid phase and on the alkalinity conditions. Monitoring results show a significant correlation between carbonate dosage (and corresponding inorganic carbon concentration and pH-value) and sludge volume index and nitrification rate.

  2. Hydrolysis and regeneration of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) - A combination of hydrogen production and storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, W.; Ouyang, L. Z.; Liu, J. W.; Yao, X. D.; Wang, H.; Liu, Z. W.; Zhu, M.

    2017-08-01

    Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis is a promising approach for hydrogen generation, but it is limited by high costs, low efficiency of recycling the by-product, and a lack of effective gravimetric storage methods. Here we demonstrate the regeneration of NaBH4 by ball milling the by-product, NaBO2·2H2O or NaBO2·4H2O, with MgH2 at room temperature and atmospheric pressure without any further post-treatment. Record yields of NaBH4 at 90.0% for NaBO2·2H2O and 88.3% for NaBO2·4H2O are achieved. This process also produces hydrogen from the splitting of coordinate water in hydrated sodium metaborate. This compensates the need for extra hydrogen for generating MgH2. Accordingly, we conclude that our unique approach realizes an efficient and cost-effective closed loop system for hydrogen production and storage.

  3. De Novo Transcriptional Analysis of Alfalfa in Response to Saline-Alkaline Stress.

    PubMed

    An, Yi-Min; Song, Li-Li; Liu, Ying-Rui; Shu, Yong-Jun; Guo, Chang-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Saline-alkaline stress, caused by high levels of harmful carbonate salts and high soil pH, is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity. Alfalfa is a widely cultivated perennial forage legume with some tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, especially to saline-alkaline stress. To elucidate the mechanism underlying plant saline-alkaline tolerance, we conducted transcriptome analysis of whole alfalfa seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solutions for 0 day (control), 1 day (short-term treatment), and 7 days (long-term treatment) using ion torrent sequencing technology. A transcriptome database dataset of 53,853 unigenes was generated, and 2,286 and 2,233 genes were differentially expressed in the short-term and long-term treatment, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed 14 highly enriched pathways and demonstrated the differential response of metabolic pathways between the short-term and long-term treatment. The expression levels of 109 and 96 transcription factors were significantly altered significantly after 1 day and 7 days of treatment, respectively. Specific responses of peroxidase, flavonoids, and the light pathway component indicated that the antioxidant capacity was one of the central mechanisms of saline-alkaline stress tolerance response in alfalfa. Among the 18 differentially expressed genes examined by real time PCR, the expression levels of eight genes, including inositol transporter, DNA binding protein, raffinose synthase, ferritin, aldo/keto reductase, glutathione S-transferase, xyloglucan endotrans glucosylase, and a NAC transcription factor, exhibited different patterns in response to saline and alkaline stress. The expression levels of the NAC transcription factor and glutathione S-transferase were altered significantly under saline stress and saline-alkaline stress; they were upregulated under saline-alkaline stress and downregulated under salt stress. Physiology assays showed an increased concentration of reactive oxygen

  4. De Novo Transcriptional Analysis of Alfalfa in Response to Saline-Alkaline Stress

    PubMed Central

    An, Yi-Min; Song, Li-Li; Liu, Ying-Rui; Shu, Yong-Jun; Guo, Chang-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Saline-alkaline stress, caused by high levels of harmful carbonate salts and high soil pH, is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity. Alfalfa is a widely cultivated perennial forage legume with some tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, especially to saline-alkaline stress. To elucidate the mechanism underlying plant saline-alkaline tolerance, we conducted transcriptome analysis of whole alfalfa seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solutions for 0 day (control), 1 day (short-term treatment), and 7 days (long-term treatment) using ion torrent sequencing technology. A transcriptome database dataset of 53,853 unigenes was generated, and 2,286 and 2,233 genes were differentially expressed in the short-term and long-term treatment, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed 14 highly enriched pathways and demonstrated the differential response of metabolic pathways between the short-term and long-term treatment. The expression levels of 109 and 96 transcription factors were significantly altered significantly after 1 day and 7 days of treatment, respectively. Specific responses of peroxidase, flavonoids, and the light pathway component indicated that the antioxidant capacity was one of the central mechanisms of saline-alkaline stress tolerance response in alfalfa. Among the 18 differentially expressed genes examined by real time PCR, the expression levels of eight genes, including inositol transporter, DNA binding protein, raffinose synthase, ferritin, aldo/keto reductase, glutathione S-transferase, xyloglucan endotrans glucosylase, and a NAC transcription factor, exhibited different patterns in response to saline and alkaline stress. The expression levels of the NAC transcription factor and glutathione S-transferase were altered significantly under saline stress and saline-alkaline stress; they were upregulated under saline-alkaline stress and downregulated under salt stress. Physiology assays showed an increased concentration of reactive oxygen

  5. [Effects of alkaline fertilizer on cadmium content in rice and paddy soil.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Liang Liang; Fan, Xiao Lin; Zhang, Li Dan; Liu, Fang

    2016-03-01

    A field plot trial was conducted at Songbai Village, Chenzhou, Hunan Province to exa-mine the effects of alkaline fertilizer with and without combination application of bacterial regent on cadmium accumulation in rice and paddy soil. Compared with the conventional fertilizer, the alkaline fertilizer reduced the available cadmium content in soil at the tillering, filling and the harvest stages by 8.3%, 6.7% and 16.4% respectively. Compared with the Cd content in soil before transplanting, it was reduced by 7.2% at harvest time in alkaline fertilizer treatment, while increased by 11.0% in the conventional fertilizer treatment. The available cadmium content in soil was increased by 1.2% to 23.3% by bacterial regent. Compared with the conventional fertilizer, the cadmium content of root, stem sheath, leaf, grain and brown rice of the alkaline fertilizer treatment reduced by 54.9%, 56.6%, 41.8%, 62.7% and 67.6% respectively. The alkaline fertilizer treatment combined with bacterial regent increased the cadmium content of brown rice by 63.2%. It was concluded that the alkaline fertilizer could significantly reduce the available cadmium content in both soil and the different organs of the rice, however, when it was combined with bacterial regent together, the effect of alkaline fertilizer to reduce Cd content of brown rice would be declined.

  6. Clonal Integration Enhances the Performance of a Clonal Plant Species under Soil Alkalinity Stress

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Juanjuan; Chen, Jishan; Zhang, Yingjun

    2015-01-01

    Clonal plants have been shown to successfully survive in stressful environments, including salinity stress, drought and depleted nutrients through clonal integration between original and subsequent ramets. However, relatively little is known about whether clonal integration can enhance the performance of clonal plants under alkalinity stress. We investigated the effect of clonal integration on the performance of a typical rhizomatous clonal plant, Leymus chinensis, using a factorial experimental design with four levels of alkalinity and two levels of rhizome connection treatments, connected (allowing integration) and severed (preventing integration). Clonal integration was estimated by comparing physiological and biomass features between the rhizome-connected and rhizome-severed treatments. We found that rhizome-connected treatment increased the biomass, height and leaf water potential of subsequent ramets at highly alkalinity treatments but did not affect them at low alkalinity treatments. However, rhizome-connected treatment decreased the root biomass of subsequent ramets and did not influence the photosynthetic rates of subsequent ramets. The biomass of original ramets was reduced by rhizome-connected treatment at the highest alkalinity level. These results suggest that clonal integration can increase the performance of clonal plants under alkalinity stress. Rhizome-connected plants showed dramatically increased survival of buds with negative effects on root weight, indicating that clonal integration influenced the resource allocation pattern of clonal plants. A cost-benefit analysis based on biomass measures showed that original and subsequent ramets significantly benefited from clonal integration in highly alkalinity stress, indicating that clonal integration is an important adaptive strategy by which clonal plants could survive in local alkalinity soil. PMID:25790352

  7. Bonding strength and durability of alkaline-treated titanium to veneering resin.

    PubMed

    Ban, Seiji; Kadokawa, Akihiko; Kanie, Takahito; Arikawa, Hiroyuki; Fujii, Koichi; Tanaka, Takuo

    2004-09-01

    The shear bonding strengths of a veneering resin to polished, sandblasted, and retention bead-cast commercially pure titanium (cpTi) plates with and without alkaline treatment were measured before and after thermal cycling. The bonding strengths to polished cpTi with and without alkaline treatment decreased remarkably with thermal cycling (p<0.01). The bonding strength to sandblasted cpTi with alkaline treatment at 5,000 thermal cycles showed no significant differences from those before thermal cycling (p>0.05), and those at 20,000 thermal cycles showed values which were quite small (p<0.01). On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the bonding strengths of veneering resin to retention bead-cast cpTi in all conditions (p>0.05). These results suggested that although alkaline treatment is a simple and effective surface modification technique for titanium improving adhesion to resin due to formation of tight-fine rutile particles, it does not provide sufficient bonding durability for long-period restorations.

  8. VSL#3 probiotic upregulates intestinal mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase and reduces inflammation.

    PubMed

    Soo, I; Madsen, K L; Tejpar, Q; Sydora, B C; Sherbaniuk, R; Cinque, B; Di Marzio, L; Cifone, M Grazia; Desimone, C; Fedorak, R N

    2008-03-01

    Alkaline sphingomyelinase, an enzyme found exclusively in bile and the intestinal brush border, hydrolyzes sphingomyelin into ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate, thereby inducing epithelial apoptosis. Reduced levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase have been found in premalignant and malignant intestinal epithelia and in ulcerative colitis tissue. Probiotic bacteria can be a source of sphingomyelinase. To determine the effect of VSL#3 probiotic therapy on mucosal levels of alkaline sphingomyelinase, both in a mouse model of colitis and in patients with ulcerative colitis. Interleukin-10 gene-deficient (IL10KO) and wild type control mice were treated with VSL#3 (10(9) colony-forming units per day) for three weeks, after which alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was measured in ileal and colonic tissue. As well, 15 patients with ulcerative colitis were treated with VSL#3 (900 billion bacteria two times per day for five weeks). Alkaline sphingomyelinase activity was measured through biopsies and comparison of ulcerative colitis disease activity index scores obtained before and after treatment. Lowered alkaline sphingomyelinase levels were seen in the colon (P=0.02) and ileum (P=0.04) of IL10KO mice, as compared with controls. Treatment of these mice with VSL#3 resulted in upregulation of mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity in both the colon (P=0.04) and the ileum (P=0.01). VSL#3 treatment of human patients who had ulcerative colitis decreased mean (+/- SEM) ulcerative colitis disease activity index scores from 5.3+/-1.8946 to 0.70+/-0.34 (P=0.02) and increased mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity. Mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity is reduced in the intestine of IL10KO mice with colitis and in humans with ulcerative colitis. VSL#3 probiotic therapy upregulates mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity.

  9. Assessment of integrated process based on hydrothermal and alkaline treatments for enzymatic saccharification of sweet sorghum stems.

    PubMed

    Sun, Shao-Long; Sun, Shao-Ni; Wen, Jia-Long; Zhang, Xue-Ming; Peng, Feng; Sun, Run-Cang

    2015-01-01

    In this study, sweet sorghum stem was subjected to hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) and alkaline post-treatment to enhance its saccharification ratio by reducing its recalcitrance. The results showed that the HTP (110-210°C, 0.5-2.0h) significantly degraded hemicelluloses, and the pretreatment at the temperature higher than 190°C led to the partial degradation of the cellulose. As compared to the sole HTP, the integrated process removed most of lignin and hemicelluloses, which incurred a higher cellulose saccharification ratio. Under an optimum condition evaluated (HTP at 170°C for 0.5h and subsequent 2% NaOH treatment), 77.5% saccharification ratio was achieved, which was 1.8, 2.0 and 5.5 times as compared to the only HTP pretreated substrates, alkaline treated substrates alone and the raw material without pretreatment, respectively. Clearly, the integrated process can be considered as a promising approach to achieve an efficient conversion of lignocellulose to fermentable glucose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. The Discovery-Oriented Approach to Organic Chemistry. 6. Selective Reduction in Organic Chemistry: Reduction of Aldehydes in the Presence of Esters Using Sodium Borohydride

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baru, Ashvin R.; Mohan, Ram S.

    2005-01-01

    A discovery-oriented lab experiment is developed that illustrates the chemoselective nature of reductions using sodium borohydride. Products are of sufficient purity to allow analysis by spectroscopy without further purification.

  11. Volatile Fatty Acids Production from Codigestion of Food Waste and Sewage Sludge Based on β-Cyclodextrins and Alkaline Treatments

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xue; Liu, Xiang; Chen, Si; Wu, Shuyan

    2016-01-01

    Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are preferred valuable resources, which can be produced from anaerobic digestion process. This study presents a novel technology using β-cyclodextrins (β-CD) pretreatment integrated alkaline method to enhance VFAs production from codigestion of food waste and sewage sludge. Experiment results showed that optimized ratio of food waste to sewage sludge was 3 : 2 because it provided adequate organic substance and seed microorganisms. Based on this optimized ratio, the integrated treatment of alkaline pH 10 and β-CD addition (0.2 g/g TS) performed the best enhancement on VFAs production, and the maximum VFAs production was 8631.7 mg/L which was 6.13, 1.38, and 1.57 times higher than that of control, initial pH 10, and 0.2 g β-CD/g TS treatment, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrolysis rate of protein and polysaccharides was greatly improved in integration treatment, which was 1.18–3.45 times higher than that of other tests. Though the VFAs production and hydrolysis of polymeric organics were highly enhanced, the primary bacterial communities with different treatments did not show substantial differences. PMID:28096735

  12. Volatile Fatty Acids Production from Codigestion of Food Waste and Sewage Sludge Based on β-Cyclodextrins and Alkaline Treatments.

    PubMed

    Yang, Xue; Liu, Xiang; Chen, Si; Liu, Guangmin; Wu, Shuyan; Wan, Chunli

    2016-01-01

    Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are preferred valuable resources, which can be produced from anaerobic digestion process. This study presents a novel technology using β -cyclodextrins ( β -CD) pretreatment integrated alkaline method to enhance VFAs production from codigestion of food waste and sewage sludge. Experiment results showed that optimized ratio of food waste to sewage sludge was 3 : 2 because it provided adequate organic substance and seed microorganisms. Based on this optimized ratio, the integrated treatment of alkaline pH 10 and β -CD addition (0.2 g/g TS) performed the best enhancement on VFAs production, and the maximum VFAs production was 8631.7 mg/L which was 6.13, 1.38, and 1.57 times higher than that of control, initial pH 10, and 0.2 g β -CD/g TS treatment, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrolysis rate of protein and polysaccharides was greatly improved in integration treatment, which was 1.18-3.45 times higher than that of other tests. Though the VFAs production and hydrolysis of polymeric organics were highly enhanced, the primary bacterial communities with different treatments did not show substantial differences.

  13. Electromembrane recycling of highly mineralized alkaline blowdown water from evaporative water treatment plants at thermal power stations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chichirova, N. D.; Chichirov, A. A.; Lyapin, A. I.; Minibaev, A. I.; Silov, I. Yu.; Tolmachev, L. I.

    2016-12-01

    Thermal power stations (TPS) are the main source of highly mineralized effluents affecting the environment. An analysis of their water systems demonstrates that alkaline effluents prevail at TPSs. Extraction of an alkali from highly mineralized effluents can make the recycling of effluents economically feasible. A method is proposed of electromembrane recycling of liquid alkaline highly mineralized wastes from TPSs. The process includes electromembrane apparatuses of two types, namely, a diffusion dialysis extractor (DDE) intended for extraction of the alkali from a highly mineralized solution having a complex composition and an electrodialysis concentrator for increasing the concentration of the extracted solution to a value suitable for use in water treatment plants at TPSs. For implementation of the first process (i.e. the extraction of alkali from alkaline-salt solution) various membranes from various manufacturers were studied: CM-PAD and AM-PAD (Ralex, Czechia), MK-40, MA-40, MA-41, MA-414, and MB-2 (OOO OKhK "Shchekinoazot", Russia), AR103-QDF and CR61-CMP (Ionies Inc., USA). The experiments demonstrate that the acceptable degree of separation of the alkali and the salt is achieved in a pair of cation-exchange membranes with the efficiency of separation being higher without an electric field. The highest efficiency was attained with Russian-made membranes (MK-40, OOO OKhK "Shchekinoazot"). A full scale experiment on recycling of highly-mineralized blowdown water from the evaporating water treatment system at the Kazan cogeneration power station No. 3 (TETs-3) was performed in a pilot unit consisting of two electromembrane apparatuses made by UAB "Membraninės Technologijos LT". In the experiments every ton of blowdown water yielded 0.1 t of concentrated alkaline solution with an alkali content of up to 4 wt % and 0.9 t of the softened salt solution suitable for the reuse in the TPS cycle. The power rate is 6 kWh / ton of blowdown water.

  14. Acid transformation of bauxite residue: Conversion of its alkaline characteristics.

    PubMed

    Kong, Xiangfeng; Li, Meng; Xue, Shengguo; Hartley, William; Chen, Chengrong; Wu, Chuan; Li, Xiaofei; Li, Yiwei

    2017-02-15

    Bauxite residue (BR) is a highly alkaline solid hazardous waste produced from bauxite processing for alumina production. Alkaline transformation appears to reduce the environmental risk of bauxite residue disposal areas (BRDAs) whilst potentially providing opportunities for the sustainable reuse and on-going management of BR. Mineral acids, a novel citric acid and a hybrid combination of acid-gypsum treatments were investigated for their potential to reduce residue pH and total alkalinity and transform the alkaline mineral phase. XRD results revealed that with the exception of andradite, the primary alkaline solid phases of cancrinite, grossular and calcite were transformed into discriminative products based on the transformation used. Supernatants separated from BR and transformed bauxite residue (TBR) displayed distinct changes in soluble Na, Ca and Al, and a reduction in pH and total alkalinity. SEM images suggest that mineral acid transformations promote macro-aggregate formation, and the positive promotion of citric acid, confirming the removal or reduction in soluble and exchangeable Na. NEXAFS analysis of Na K-edge revealed that the chemical speciation of Na in TBRs was consistent with BR. Three acid treatments and gypsum combination had no effect on Na speciation, which affects the distribution of Na revealed by sodium STXM imaging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Complex metal borohydrides: multifunctional materials for energy storage and conversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohtadi, Rana; Remhof, Arndt; Jena, Puru

    2016-09-01

    With the limited supply of fossil fuels and their adverse effect on the climate and the environment, it has become a global priority to seek alternate sources of energy that are clean, abundant, and sustainable. While sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen can meet the world’s energy demand, considerable challenges remain to find materials that can store and/or convert energy efficiently. This topical review focuses on one such class of materials, namely, multi-functional complex metal borohydrides that not only have the ability to store sufficient amount of hydrogen to meet the needs of the transportation industry, but also can be used for a new generation of metal ion batteries and solar cells. We discuss the material challenges in all these areas and review the progress that has been made to address them, the issues that still need to be resolved and the outlook for the future.

  16. Complex metal borohydrides: multifunctional materials for energy storage and conversion.

    PubMed

    Mohtadi, Rana; Remhof, Arndt; Jena, Puru

    2016-09-07

    With the limited supply of fossil fuels and their adverse effect on the climate and the environment, it has become a global priority to seek alternate sources of energy that are clean, abundant, and sustainable. While sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen can meet the world's energy demand, considerable challenges remain to find materials that can store and/or convert energy efficiently. This topical review focuses on one such class of materials, namely, multi-functional complex metal borohydrides that not only have the ability to store sufficient amount of hydrogen to meet the needs of the transportation industry, but also can be used for a new generation of metal ion batteries and solar cells. We discuss the material challenges in all these areas and review the progress that has been made to address them, the issues that still need to be resolved and the outlook for the future.

  17. Phosphatidylinositol anchor of HeLa cell alkaline phosphatase

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jemmerson, R.; Low, M.G.

    1987-09-08

    Alkaline phosphatase from cancer cells, HeLa TCRC-1, was biosynthetically labeled with either /sup 3/H-fatty acids or (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine as analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography of immunoprecipitated material. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) released a substantial proportion of the /sup 3/H-fatty acid label from immunoaffinity-purified alkaline phosphatase but had no effect on the radioactivity of (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine-labeled material. PI-PLC also liberated catalytically active alkaline phosphatase from viable cells, and this could be selectively blocked by monoclonal antibodies to alkaline phosphatase. However, the alkaline phosphatase released from /sup 3/H-fatty acid labeled cells by PI-PLC was not radioactive. By contrast,more » treatment with bromelain removed both the /sup 3/H-fatty acid and the (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine label from purified alkaline phosphatase. Subtilisin was also able to remove the (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine label from the purified alkaline phosphatase. The /sup 3/H radioactivity in alkaline phosphatase purified from (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine-labeled cells comigrated with authentic (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine by anion-exchange chromatography after acid hydrolysis. The data suggest that the /sup 3/H-fatty acid and (/sup 3/H)ethanolamine are covalently attached to the carboxyl-terminal segment since bromelain and subtilisin both release alkaline phosphatase from the membrane by cleavage at that end of the polypeptide chain. The data are consistent with findings for other proteins recently shown to be anchored in the membrane through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol structure and indicate that a similar structure contributes to the membrane anchoring of alkaline phosphatase.« less

  18. High-pressure x-ray diffraction study on lithium borohydride using a synchrotron radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakano, S.; Nakayama, A.; Kikegawa, T.

    2008-07-01

    Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) was compressed up to 10 GPa using a diamond-anvil-cell to investigate its high-pressure structure. In-situ x-ray diffraction profiles indicated a pressure-induced transformation at 1.1 GPa, which was consistent with the previous experimental observation such as Raman scattering spectroscopy. The high-pressure phase was indexed on a tetragonal symmetry of P42/mmc, which was not corresponding some structural models proposed by previous calculation studies. An unknown substance (presumably another Li-B-H compound), which was contained in the starting material, also transformed into its high-pressure phase at 0.6 GPa without any relation to the transformation of LiBH4.

  19. Effect of alkalinity on nitrite accumulation in treatment of coal chemical industry wastewater using moving bed biofilm reactor.

    PubMed

    Hou, Baolin; Han, Hongjun; Jia, Shengyong; Zhuang, Haifeng; Zhao, Qian; Xu, Peng

    2014-05-01

    Nitrogen removal via nitrite (the nitrite pathway) is more suitable for carbon-limited industrial wastewater. Partial nitrification to nitrite is the primary step to achieve nitrogen removal via nitrite. The effect of alkalinity on nitrite accumulation in a continuous process was investigated by progressively increasing the alkalinity dosage ratio (amount of alkalinity to ammonia ratio, mol/mol). There is a close relationship among alkalinity, pH and the state of matter present in aqueous solution. When alkalinity was insufficient (compared to the theoretical alkalinity amount), ammonia removal efficiency increased first and then decreased at each alkalinity dosage ratio, with an abrupt removal efficiency peak. Generally, ammonia removal efficiency rose with increasing alkalinity dosage ratio. Ammonia removal efficiency reached to 88% from 23% when alkalinity addition was sufficient. Nitrite accumulation could be achieved by inhibiting nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) by free ammonia (FA) in the early period and free nitrous acid in the later period of nitrification when alkalinity was not adequate. Only FA worked to inhibit the activity of NOB when alkalinity addition was sufficient. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Anaerobic digestion of thermal-alkaline-pretreated cephalosporin bacterial residues for methane production.

    PubMed

    Li, Guixia; Zhong, Weizhang; Wang, Rui; Chen, Jiaqi; Li, Zaixing

    2017-08-01

    Optimum anaerobic conditions of cephalosporin bacterial residues after thermal-alkaline pretreatment were determined by orthogonal experiments. And through biochemical methane potential tests (BMPs) for cephalosporin bacterial residues, the ability for bacterial degradation of cephalosporin was also evaluated. The thermal-alkaline pretreatment with the optimum values of 6% NaOH at 105 °C for 15 min significantly improved digestion performance. With the thermal-alkaline pretreatment, the specific methane yield of the pretreated cephalosporin bacterial residue increased by 254.79% compared with that of the un-pretreated cephalosporin bacterial residue. The results showed that anaerobic digestion of thermal-alkaline-pretreated cephalosporin bacterial residues could be one of the options for efficient methane production and waste treatment. This work investigates the thermal-alkaline pretreatment of cephalosporin bacterial residues, which can increase their methane yield by 254.79% compared with no pretreatment. The digestion performance is significantly improved under the condition of 6% NaOH at 105 °C for 15 min. The results show that anaerobic digestion of thermal-alkaline-pretreated cephalosporin bacterial residues could be one of the options for efficient methane production and waste treatment.

  1. Ethanol production from bamboo using mild alkaline pre-extraction followed by alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Zhaoyang; Wen, Yangbing; Kapu, Nuwan Sella

    2018-01-01

    A sequential two-stage pretreatment process comprising alkaline pre-extraction and alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment (AHP) was investigated to convert bamboo carbohydrates into bioethanol. The results showed that mild alkaline pre-extraction using 8% (w/w) sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 100°C for 180min followed by AHP pretreatment with 4% (w/w) hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) was sufficient to generate a substrate that could be efficiently digested with low enzyme loadings. Moreover, alkali pre-extraction enabled the use of lower H 2 O 2 charges in AHP treatment. Two-stage pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with only 9FPU/g cellulose led to the recovery of 87% of the original sugars in the raw feedstock. The use of the pentose-hexose fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae SR8u strain enabled the utilization of 95.7% sugars in the hydrolysate to reach 4.6%w/v ethanol titer. The overall process also enabled the recovery of 62.9% lignin and 93.8% silica at high levels of purity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Oxidation behavior of Cr(III) during thermal treatment of chromium hydroxide in the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metal chlorides.

    PubMed

    Mao, Linqiang; Gao, Bingying; Deng, Ning; Liu, Lu; Cui, Hao

    2016-02-01

    The oxidation behavior of Cr(III) during the thermal treatment of chromium hydroxide in the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metal chlorides (NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2) was investigated. The amounts of Cr(III) oxidized at various temperatures and heating times were determined, and the Cr-containing species in the residues were characterized. During the transformation of chromium hydroxide to Cr2O3 at 300 °C approximately 5% of the Cr(III) was oxidized to form intermediate compounds containing Cr(VI) (i.e., CrO3), but these intermediates were reduced to Cr2O3 when the temperature was above 400 °C. Alkali and alkaline earth metals significantly promoted the oxidation of Cr(III) during the thermal drying process. Two pathways were involved in the influences the alkali and alkaline earth metals had on the formation of Cr(VI). In pathway I, the alkali and alkaline earth metals were found to act as electron transfer agents and to interfere with the dehydration process, causing more intermediate Cr(VI)-containing compounds (which were identified as being CrO3 and Cr5O12) to be formed. The reduction of intermediate compounds to Cr2O3 was also found to be hindered in pathway I. In pathway II, the alkali and alkaline earth metals were found to contribute to the oxidation of Cr(III) to form chromates. The results showed that the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals significantly increases the degree to which Cr(III) is oxidized during the thermal drying of chromium-containing sludge. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Alkaline thermal sludge hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Neyens, E; Baeyens, J; Creemers, C

    2003-02-28

    The waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment of wastewater produces excess sludge which needs further treatment prior to disposal or incineration. A reduction in the amount of excess sludge produced, and the increased dewaterability of the sludge are, therefore, subject of renewed attention and research. A lot of research covers the nature of the sludge solids and associated water. An improved dewaterability requires the disruption of the sludge cell structure. Previous investigations are reviewed in the paper. Thermal hydrolysis is recognized as having the best potential to meet the objectives and acid thermal hydrolysis is most frequently used, despite its serious drawbacks (corrosion, required post-neutralization, solubilization of heavy metals and phosphates, etc.). Alkaline thermal hydrolysis has been studied to a lesser extent, and is the subject of the detailed laboratory-scale research reported in this paper. After assessing the effect of monovalent/divalent cations (respectively, K(+)/Na(+) and Ca(2+)/Mg(2+)) on the sludge dewaterability, only the use of Ca(2+) appears to offer the best solution. The lesser effects of K(+), Na(+) and Mg(2+) confirm previous experimental findings. As a result of the experimental investigations, it can be concluded that alkaline thermal hydrolysis using Ca(OH)(2) is efficient in reducing the residual sludge amounts and in improving the dewaterability. The objectives are fully met at a temperature of 100 degrees C; at a pH approximately 10 and for a 60-min reaction time, where all pathogens are moreover killed. Under these optimum conditions, the rate of mechanical dewatering increases (the capillary suction time (CST) value is decreased from approximately 34s for the initial untreated sample to approximately 22s for the hydrolyzed sludge sample) and the amount of DS to be dewatered is reduced to approximately 60% of the initial untreated amount. The DS-content of the dewatered cake will be increased from 28 (untreated) to 46

  4. Alkaline phosphatase for treatment of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury: a prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Introduction To evaluate whether alkaline phosphatase (AP) treatment improves renal function in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI), a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock with evidence of AKI was performed. Methods Thirty-six adult patients with severe sepsis or septic shock according to Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria and renal injury defined according to the AKI Network criteria were included. Dialysis intervention was standardized according to Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative consensus. Intravenous infusion of alkaline phosphatase (bolus injection of 67.5 U/kg body weight followed by continuous infusion of 132.5 U/kg/24 h for 48 hours, or placebo) starting within 48 hours of AKI onset and followed up to 28 days post-treatment. The primary outcome variable was progress in renal function variables (endogenous creatinine clearance, requirement and duration of renal replacement therapy, RRT) after 28 days. The secondary outcome variables included changes in circulating inflammatory mediators, urinary excretion of biomarkers of tubular injury, and safety. Results There was a significant (P = 0.02) difference in favor of AP treatment relative to controls for the primary outcome variable. Individual renal parameters showed that endogenous creatinine clearance (baseline to Day 28) was significantly higher in the treated group relative to placebo (from 50 ± 27 to 108 ± 73 mL/minute (mean ± SEM) for the AP group; and from 40 ± 37 to 65 ± 30 mL/minute for placebo; P = 0.01). Reductions in RRT requirement and duration did not reach significance. The results in renal parameters were supported by significantly more pronounced reductions in the systemic markers C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, LPS-binding protein and in the urinary excretion of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 and Interleukin-18 in AP-treated patients relative to placebo. The Drug Safety Monitoring

  5. Multiscale Alterations in Sugar Cane Bagasse and Straw Submitted to Alkaline Deacetylation

    DOE PAGES

    Lima, Cleilton S.; Rabelo, Sarita C.; Ciesielski, Peter N.; ...

    2018-01-31

    Alkaline deacetylation has emerged as a promising chemistry for pretreatments performed prior to enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. This process avoids complex pressurized reactors and opens new opportunities for lignin covalorization. In this work, we evaluate the chemical and morphological response of sugar cane bagasse and straw submitted to alkaline treatments. Alkaline solutions for deacetylation (0.4% w/w NaOH, 70 degrees C, 3 h) as well as proximal conditions (0.1-0.7% NaOH, 55-85 degrees C, 1-5 h) chosen by 23 experimental design were evaluated. The deacetylation treatment removes ~90% of the acetyl groups and 20-30% of the lignin from both bagasse andmore » straw, while removal of ~20% of the xylan and glucan is observed in straw, but not in bagasse. Considering nanoscale structural alterations, neither cellulose cocrystallization (evaluated by X-ray diffraction) nor formation of lignin aggregates (evaluated by thermoporometric signature) are observed after the alkaline conditions, in contrast to observations after hydrothermal treatments. Furthermore, calorimetric thermoporometry as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopies show substantial introduction of nanoscale porosity and loosening of the tissue and cell wall structures, indicating desirable mechanical weakening and gains in enzyme accessibility. These results provide fundamental and practical knowledge for biorefineries based on alkaline deacetylation of sugar cane bagasse and straw.« less

  6. Multiscale Alterations in Sugar Cane Bagasse and Straw Submitted to Alkaline Deacetylation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lima, Cleilton S.; Rabelo, Sarita C.; Ciesielski, Peter N.

    Alkaline deacetylation has emerged as a promising chemistry for pretreatments performed prior to enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. This process avoids complex pressurized reactors and opens new opportunities for lignin covalorization. In this work, we evaluate the chemical and morphological response of sugar cane bagasse and straw submitted to alkaline treatments. Alkaline solutions for deacetylation (0.4% w/w NaOH, 70 degrees C, 3 h) as well as proximal conditions (0.1-0.7% NaOH, 55-85 degrees C, 1-5 h) chosen by 23 experimental design were evaluated. The deacetylation treatment removes ~90% of the acetyl groups and 20-30% of the lignin from both bagasse andmore » straw, while removal of ~20% of the xylan and glucan is observed in straw, but not in bagasse. Considering nanoscale structural alterations, neither cellulose cocrystallization (evaluated by X-ray diffraction) nor formation of lignin aggregates (evaluated by thermoporometric signature) are observed after the alkaline conditions, in contrast to observations after hydrothermal treatments. Furthermore, calorimetric thermoporometry as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopies show substantial introduction of nanoscale porosity and loosening of the tissue and cell wall structures, indicating desirable mechanical weakening and gains in enzyme accessibility. These results provide fundamental and practical knowledge for biorefineries based on alkaline deacetylation of sugar cane bagasse and straw.« less

  7. Co-administration of α-lipoic acid and glutathione is associated with no significant changes in serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase or γ-glutamyltranspeptidase levels during the treatment of neuroborreliosis with intravenous ceftriaxone.

    PubMed

    Puri, Basant K; Hakkarainen-Smith, Jaana S; Derham, Anne; Monro, Jean A

    2015-09-01

    While pharmacotherapy with intravenous ceftriaxone, a third-generation cephalosporin, is a potential treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis, there is concern that it can cause the formation of biliary sludge, leading to hepatobiliary complications such as biliary colic, jaundice and cholelithiasis, which are reflected in changes in serum levels of bilirubin and markers of cholestatic liver injury (alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase). It has been suggested that the naturally occurring substances α-lipoic acid and glutathione may be helpful in preventing hepatic disease. α-Lipoic acid exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities in the liver, while glutathione serves as a sulfhydryl buffer. The aim of this study was to determine whether co-administration of α-lipoic acid and glutathione is associated with significant changes in serum levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase during the treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis with long-term intravenous ceftriaxone. Serum levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase were measured in 42 serologically positive Lyme neuroborreliosis patients before and after long-term treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone (2-4 g daily) with co-administration of oral/intravenous α-lipoic acid (600 mg daily) and glutathione (100 mg orally or 0.6-2.4 g intravenously daily). None of the patients developed biliary colic and there were no significant changes in serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase or γ-glutamyltranspeptidase levels over the course of the intravenous ceftriaxone treatment (mean length 75.0 days). Co-administration of α-lipoic acid and glutathione is associated with no significant changes in serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase or γ-glutamyltranspeptidase levels during the treatment of neuroborreliosis with intravenous ceftriaxone.

  8. Plasma membranes modified by plasma treatment or deposition as solid electrolytes for potential application in solid alkaline fuel cells.

    PubMed

    Reinholdt, Marc; Ilie, Alina; Roualdès, Stéphanie; Frugier, Jérémy; Schieda, Mauricio; Coutanceau, Christophe; Martemianov, Serguei; Flaud, Valérie; Beche, Eric; Durand, Jean

    2012-07-30

    In the highly competitive market of fuel cells, solid alkaline fuel cells using liquid fuel (such as cheap, non-toxic and non-valorized glycerol) and not requiring noble metal as catalyst seem quite promising. One of the main hurdles for emergence of such a technology is the development of a hydroxide-conducting membrane characterized by both high conductivity and low fuel permeability. Plasma treatments can enable to positively tune the main fuel cell membrane requirements. In this work, commercial ADP-Morgane® fluorinated polymer membranes and a new brand of cross-linked poly(aryl-ether) polymer membranes, named AMELI-32®, both containing quaternary ammonium functionalities, have been modified by argon plasma treatment or triallylamine-based plasma deposit. Under the concomitant etching/cross-linking/oxidation effects inherent to the plasma modification, transport properties (ionic exchange capacity, water uptake, ionic conductivity and fuel retention) of membranes have been improved. Consequently, using plasma modified ADP-Morgane® membrane as electrolyte in a solid alkaline fuel cell operating with glycerol as fuel has allowed increasing the maximum power density by a factor 3 when compared to the untreated membrane.

  9. Plasma Membranes Modified by Plasma Treatment or Deposition as Solid Electrolytes for Potential Application in Solid Alkaline Fuel Cells

    PubMed Central

    Reinholdt, Marc; Ilie, Alina; Roualdès, Stéphanie; Frugier, Jérémy; Schieda, Mauricio; Coutanceau, Christophe; Martemianov, Serguei; Flaud, Valérie; Beche, Eric; Durand, Jean

    2012-01-01

    In the highly competitive market of fuel cells, solid alkaline fuel cells using liquid fuel (such as cheap, non-toxic and non-valorized glycerol) and not requiring noble metal as catalyst seem quite promising. One of the main hurdles for emergence of such a technology is the development of a hydroxide-conducting membrane characterized by both high conductivity and low fuel permeability. Plasma treatments can enable to positively tune the main fuel cell membrane requirements. In this work, commercial ADP-Morgane® fluorinated polymer membranes and a new brand of cross-linked poly(aryl-ether) polymer membranes, named AMELI-32®, both containing quaternary ammonium functionalities, have been modified by argon plasma treatment or triallylamine-based plasma deposit. Under the concomitant etching/cross-linking/oxidation effects inherent to the plasma modification, transport properties (ionic exchange capacity, water uptake, ionic conductivity and fuel retention) of membranes have been improved. Consequently, using plasma modified ADP-Morgane® membrane as electrolyte in a solid alkaline fuel cell operating with glycerol as fuel has allowed increasing the maximum power density by a factor 3 when compared to the untreated membrane. PMID:24958295

  10. Alkaline phosphatase: a possible treatment for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury in critically ill patients.

    PubMed

    Peters, Esther; Heemskerk, Suzanne; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Pickkers, Peter

    2014-06-01

    Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disease in the intensive care unit and accounts for high morbidity and mortality. Sepsis, the predominant cause of AKI in this setting, involves a complex pathogenesis in which renal inflammation and hypoxia are believed to play an important role. A new therapy should be aimed at targeting both these processes, and the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, with its dual mode of action, might be a promising candidate. First, alkaline phosphatase is able to reduce inflammation through dephosphorylation and thereby detoxification of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), which is an important mediator of sepsis. Second, adenosine triphosphate, released during cellular stress caused by inflammation and hypoxia, has detrimental effects but can be converted by alkaline phosphatase into adenosine with anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective effects. These postulated beneficial effects of alkaline phosphatase have been confirmed in animal experiments and two phase 2a clinical trials showing that kidney function improved in critically ill patients with sepsis-associated AKI. Because renal inflammation and hypoxia also are observed commonly in AKI induced by other causes, it would be of interest to investigate the therapeutic effect of alkaline phosphatase in these nephropathies as well. Copyright © 2014 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Wax removal for accelerated cotton scouring with alkaline pectinase.

    PubMed

    Agrawal, Pramod B; Nierstrasz, Vincent A; Klug-Santner, Barbara G; Gübitz, Georg M; Lenting, Herman B M; Warmoeskerken, Marijn M C G

    2007-03-01

    A rational approach has been applied to design a new environmentally acceptable and industrially viable enzymatic scouring process. Owing to the substrate specificity, the selection of enzymes depends on the structure and composition of the substrate, i.e. cotton fibre. The structure and composition of the outer layers of cotton fibre has been established on the basis of thorough literature study, which identifies wax and pectin removal to be the key steps for successful scouring process. Three main issues are discussed here, i.e. benchmarking of the existing alkaline scouring process, an evaluation of several selected acidic and alkaline pectinases for scouring, and the effect of wax removal treatment on pectinase performance. It has been found that the pectinolytic capability of alkaline pectinases on cotton pectin is nearly 75% higher than that of acidic pectinases. It is concluded that an efficient wax removal prior to pectinase treatment indeed results in improved performance in terms of hydrophilicity and pectin removal. To evaluate the hydrophilicity, the structural contact angle (theta) was measured using an auto-porosimeter.

  12. Acidity and alkalinity in mine drainage: Theoretical considerations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kirby, Carl S.; Cravotta,, Charles A.

    2004-01-01

    Acidity, net acidity, and net alkalinity are widely used parameters for the characterization of mine drainage, but these terms are not well defined and are often misunderstood. Incorrect interpretation of acidity, alkalinity, and derivative terms can lead to inadequate treatment design or poor regulatory decisions. We briefly explain derivations of theoretical expressions of three types of alkalinities (caustic, phenolphthalein, and total) and acidities (mineral, CO2, and total). Theoretically defined total alkalinity is closely analogous to measured alkalinity and presents few practical interpretation problems. Theoretically defined “CO2- acidity” is closely related to most standard titration methods used for mine drainage with an endpoint pH of 8.3, but it presents numerous interpretation problems, and it is unfortunately named because CO2 is intentionally driven off during titration of mine-drainage samples. Using the proton condition/massaction approach and employing graphs for visualization, we explore the concept of principal components and how to assign acidity contributions to solution species, including aqueous complexes, commonly found in mine drainage. We define a comprehensive theoretical definition of acidity in mine drainage on the basis of aqueous speciation at the sample pH and the capacity of these species to undergo hydrolysis to pH 8.3. This definition indicates the computed acidity in milligrams per liter (mg L-1 ) as CaCO3 (based on pH and analytical concentrations of dissolved FeIII , FeII , Mn, and Al in mg L-1 ): Aciditycomputed = 50. (10(3-pH) + 3.CFeIII/55.8 + 2.CFeII/55.8 + 2.CMn/54.9 + 3.CAl/27.0) underestimates contributions from HSO4 - and H+ , but overestimates the acidity due to Fe3+. These errors tend to approximately cancel each other. We demonstrate that “net alkalinity” is a valid mathematical construction based on theoretical definitions of alkalinity and acidity. We demonstrate that, for most mine-drainage solutions, a

  13. Combined treatment of alkaline and disperser for improving solubilization and anaerobic biodegradability of dairy waste activated sludge.

    PubMed

    Uma Rani, R; Kaliappan, S; Adish Kumar, S; Rajesh Banu, J

    2012-12-01

    An investigation into the influence of combined alkaline and disperser pretreatment on sludge disintegration was studied. The effects of four variables, alkalines (NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)(2)), treatment time (15-180 min), pH (8-11) and rpm (4000-24,000) were investigated. The effect of sludge pretreatment was evaluated by COD solubilization, suspended solids reduction and biogas production. The best performances, in terms of COD solubilization, SS reduction and biogas production, were the ones that occurred for specific energy input of 4544 kJ kg(-1) TS for NaOH at pH10, were found to be 24%, 23.3% and 76%, higher than the control, respectively. Not only the increase in biogas production was investigated, excluding protein hydrolysis was also performed successfully by this combined pretreatment even at low specific energy input. Thus, this chemo-mechanical is an effective method for enhancement of biodegradability and it laid the basis to produce higher biogas quantities, to improve clean energy generation from WAS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Osteoblast Differentiation on Collagen Scaffold with Immobilized Alkaline Phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Jafary, F; Hanachi, P; Gorjipour, K

    2017-01-01

    In tissue engineering, scaffold characteristics play an important role in the biological interactions between cells and the scaffold. Cell adhesion, proliferation, and activation depend on material properties used for the fabrication of scaffolds. In the present investigation, we used collagen with proper characteristics including mechanically stability, biodegradability and low antigenicity. Optimization of the scaffold was done by immobilization of alkaline phosphatase on the collagen surface via cross-linking method, because this enzyme is one of the most important markers of osteoblast, which increases inorganic phosphate concentration and promote mineralization of bone formation. Alkaline phosphatase was immobilized on a collagen surface by 1-ethyl-3-(dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride, as a reagent. Then, rat mesenchymal stem cells were cultured in osteogenic medium in control and treated groups. The osteogenesis-related genes were compared between treatments (differentiated cells with immobilized alkaline phosphatase/collagen scaffold) and control groups (differentiated cells on collagen surface without alkaline phosphatase) on days 3 and 7 by quantitative real-time PCR (QIAGEN software). Several genes, including alkaline phosphatase, collagen type I and osteocalcine associated with calcium binding and mineralization, showed upregulation in expression during the first 3 days, whereas tumor necrosis factor-α, acting as an inhibitor of differentiation, was down-regulated during osteogenesis. Collagen scaffold with immobilized alkaline phosphatase can be utilized as a good candidate for enhancing the differentiation of osteoblasts from mesenchymal stem cells.

  15. A study on alkaline heat treated Mg-Ca alloy for the control of the biocorrosion rate.

    PubMed

    Gu, X N; Zheng, W; Cheng, Y; Zheng, Y F

    2009-09-01

    To reduce the biocorrosion rate by surface modification, Mg-Ca alloy (1.4wt.% Ca content) was soaked in three alkaline solutions (Na(2)HPO(4), Na(2)CO(3) and NaHCO(3)) for 24h, respectively, and subsequently heat treated at 773K for 12h. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy results revealed that magnesium oxide layers with the thickness of about 13, 9 and 26microm were formed on the surfaces of Mg-Ca alloy after the above different alkaline heat treatments. Atomic force microscopy showed that the surfaces of Mg-Ca alloy samples became rough after three alkaline heat treatments. The in vitro corrosion tests in simulated body fluid indicated that the corrosion rates of Mg-Ca alloy were effectively decreased after alkaline heat treatments, with the following sequence: NaHCO(3) heatedalkaline heat treated Mg-Ca alloy samples induced toxicity to L-929 cells during 7days culture.

  16. Use of ozone and hydrogen peroxide in the post-treatment of UASB treated alkaline fruit cannery effluent.

    PubMed

    Sigge, G O; Britz, T J; Fouri, P C; Barnardt, C A; Strydom, R

    2001-01-01

    UASB treatment of cannery effluents was shown to be feasible. However, the treated effluent still does not allow direct discharge to a water system and a further form of post-treatment is necessary to reduce the COD to lower than the legal limit of 75 mg/l. The use of ozone, hydrogen peroxide and granular activated carbon were used singly or in combination to assess the effectiveness as post-treatment options for the UASB treated alkaline fruit cannery effluent. Colour reduction in the effluent ranged from 15% to 92% and COD reductions of 26-91% were achieved. Combinations of ozone and hydrogen peroxide gave better results than either oxidant singly. The best results were achieved by combining ozone, hydrogen peroxide and granular activated carbon, and COD levels were reduced to levels sufficiently below the 75 mg/l limit.

  17. Characterization of alkaline hydroxide-preserved whole poultry as a dry byproduct meal.

    PubMed

    Shafer, D J; Burgess, R P; Conrad, K A; Prochaska, J F; Carey, J B

    2001-11-01

    Studies were conducted to examine the chemical preservation of whole broiler carcasses by using aqueous alkaline hydroxide solutions. Conversion of the preserved carcasses and solutions into an acceptable poultry byproduct meal was examined. Carcasses and alkaline solutions at a 1:1 ratio were blended and freeze-dried to produce a high fat whole poultry byproduct meal. The dry meal was analyzed for nutrient composition, true metabolizable energy, and amino acid content. Viable bacteria were not recovered after inoculation of the experimental meal with Salmonella enteritidis. The meal was incorporated at 5 and 10% of chick starter diets. Chicks found the meal-containing diets acceptable. Feed consumption, water consumption, BW, and mortality were not significantly different among the dietary treatments in either of the two feeding trials. Necropsy samples revealed no pathological or histological differences attributable to consumption of the alkaline poultry byproduct and blood serum evaluation found no variation in blood chemistry. Alkaline treatment of whole broiler carcasses was an effective preservation method and acceptable as a dry poultry byproduct meal.

  18. Passive aerobic treatment of net-alkaline, iron-laden drainage from a flooded underground anthracite mine, Pennsylvania, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cravotta, C.A.

    2007-01-01

    This report evaluates the results of a continuous 4.5-day laboratory aeration experiment and the first year of passive, aerobic treatment of abandoned mine drainage (AMD) from a typical flooded underground anthracite mine in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. During 1991-2006, the AMD source, locally known as the Otto Discharge, had flows from 20 to 270 L/s (median 92 L/s) and water quality that was consistently suboxic (median 0.9 mg/L O2) and circumneutral (pH ??? 6.0; net alkalinity >10) with moderate concentrations of dissolved iron and manganese and low concentrations of dissolved aluminum (medians of 11, 2.2, and <0.2 mg/L, respectively). In 2001, the laboratory aeration experiment demonstrated rapid oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe 2+) without supplemental alkalinity; the initial Fe2+ concentration of 16.4 mg/L decreased to less than 0.5 mg/L within 24 h; pH values increased rapidly from 5.8 to 7.2, ultimately attaining a steady-state value of 7.5. The increased pH coincided with a rapid decrease in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) from an initial value of 10 -1.1atm to a steady-state value of 10-3.1atm. From these results, a staged aerobic treatment system was conceptualized consisting of a 2 m deep pond with innovative aeration and recirculation to promote rapid oxidation of Fe2+, two 0.3 m deep wetlands to facilitate iron solids removal, and a supplemental oxic limestone drain for dissolved manganese and trace-metal removal. The system was constructed, but without the aeration mechanism, and began operation in June 2005. During the first 12 months of operation, estimated detention times in the treatment system ranged from 9 to 38 h. However, in contrast with 80-100% removal of Fe2+ over similar elapsed times during the laboratory aeration experiment, the treatment system typically removed less than 35% of the influent Fe2+. Although concentrations of dissolved CO2 decreased progressively within the treatment system, the PCO2 values for treated effluent

  19. β₂ adrenergic receptor activation suppresses bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-induced alkaline phosphatase expression in osteoblast-like MC3T3E1 cells.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Takayuki; Ezura, Yoichi; Hayata, Tadayoshi; Moriya, Shuichi; Shirakawa, Jumpei; Notomi, Takuya; Arayal, Smriti; Kawasaki, Makiri; Izu, Yayoi; Harada, Kiyoshi; Noda, Masaki

    2015-06-01

    β adrenergic stimulation suppresses bone formation in vivo while its actions in osteoblastic differentiation are still incompletely understood. We therefore examined the effects of β2 adrenergic stimulation on osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells focusing on BMP-induced alkaline phosphatase expression. Morphologically, isoproterenol treatment suppresses BMP-induced increase in the numbers of alkaline phosphatase-positive small foci in the cultures of MC3T3-E1 cells. Biochemically, isoproterenol treatment suppresses BMP-induced enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase in a dose-dependent manner. Isoproterenol suppression of alkaline phosphatase activity is observed even when the cells are treated with high concentrations of BMP. With respect to cell density, isoproterenol treatment tends to suppress BMP-induced increase in alkaline phosphatase expression more in osteoblasts cultured at higher cell density. In terms of treatment protocol, continuous isoproterenol treatment is compared to cyclic treatment. Continuous isoproterenol treatment is more suppressive against BMP-induced increase in alkaline phosphatase expression than cyclic regimen. At molecular level, isoproterenol treatment suppresses BMP-induced enhancement of alkaline phosphatase mRNA expression. Regarding the mode of isoproterenol action, isoproterenol suppresses BMP-induced BRE-luciferase activity. These data indicate that isoproterenol regulates BMP-induced alkaline phosphatase expression in osteoblast-like MC3T3E1 cells. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Analysis of differentially expressed genes and adaptive mechanisms of Prunus triloba Lindl. under alkaline stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jia; Wang, Yongqing; Li, Qingtian

    2017-01-01

    Prunus triloba Lindl. is a naturally salt-alkaline-tolerant plant with several unique characteristics, and it can be used as the rootstock of Chinese plum ( Prunus salicina Lindl.) in saline-alkaline soils. To comprehensively investigate the alkaline acclimation mechanisms in P. triloba , a series of analyses were conducted under alkaline stress, including analyses of the kinetics of molecular and physiological changes, and leaf microstructure. To understand the kinetics of molecular changes under short-term alkaline stress, we used Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform to identify alkaline stress-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in P. triloba . Approximately 53.0 million high-quality clean reads were generated from 59.6 million raw reads, and a total of 124,786 unigenes were obtained after de novo assembly of P. triloba transcriptome data. After alkaline stress treatment, a total of 8948 unigenes were identified as DEGs. Based on these DEGs, a Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was conducted, suggesting that 28 genes may play an important role in the early alkaline stress response. In addition, analysis of DEGs with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that pathways were significant at different treatment time points. A significant positive correlation was found between the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results and the RNA-Seq data for seven alkaline-related genes, confirming the reliability of the RNA-Seq results. Based on physiological analysis of P. triloba in response to long-term alkaline stress, we found that the internal microstructures of the leaves of P. triloba changed to adapt to long-term alkaline stress. Various physiological indexes indicated that the degree of membrane injury increased with increasing duration of alkaline stress, affecting photosynthesis in P. triloba seedlings. This represents the first investigation into the physiology and transcriptome of P. triloba in response to alkaline stress. The results

  1. Structural elucidation of sorghum lignins from an integrated biorefinery process based on hydrothermal and alkaline treatments.

    PubMed

    Sun, Shao-Long; Wen, Jia-Long; Ma, Ming-Guo; Sun, Run-Cang

    2014-08-13

    An integrated process based on hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) (i.e., 110-230 °C, 0.5-2.0 h) and alkaline post-treatment (2% NaOH at 90 °C for 2.0 h) has been performed for the production of xylooligosaccharide, lignin, and digestible substrate from sweet sorghum stems. The yield, purity, dissociation mechanisms, structural features, and structural transformations of alkali lignins obtained from the integrated process were investigated. It was found that the HTP process facilitated the subsequent alkaline delignification, releasing lignin with the highest yield (79.3%) and purity from the HTP residue obtained at 190 °C for 0.5 h. All of the results indicated that the cleavage of the β-O-4 linkages and degradation of β-β and β-5 linkages occurred under the harsh HTP conditions. Depolymerization and condensation reactions simultaneously occurred at higher temperatures (≥ 170 °C). Moreover, the thermostability of lignin was positively related to its molecular weight, but was also affected by the inherent structures, such as β-O-4 linkages and condensed units. These findings will enhance the understanding of structural transformations of the lignins during the integrated process and maximize the potential utilizations of the lignins in a current biorefinery process.

  2. Mineralogical, petrological and geochemical aspects of alkaline and alkaline-carbonatite associations from Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morbidelli, L.; Gomes, C. B.; Beccaluva, L.; Brotzu, P.; Conte, A. M.; Ruberti, E.; Traversa, G.

    1995-12-01

    A general description of Mesozoic and Tertiary (Fortaleza) Brazilian alkaline and alkaline-carbonatite districts is presented with reference to mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry and geochronology. It mainly refers to scientific results obtained during the last decade by an Italo-Brazilian research team. Alkaline occurrences are distributed across Brazilian territory from the southern (Piratini, Rio Grande do Sul State) to the northeastern (Fortaleza, Ceará State) regions and are mainly concentrated along the borders of the Paraná Basin generally coinciding with important tectonic lineaments. The most noteworthy characteristics of these alkaline and alkaline-carbonatite suites are: (i) prevalence of intrusive forms; (ii) abundance of cumulate assemblages (minor dunites, frequent clinopyroxenites and members of the ijolite series) and (iii) abundance of evolved rock-types. Many data demonstrate that crystal fractionation was the main process responsible for magma evolution of all Brazilian alkaline rocks. A hypothesis is proposed for the genesis of carbonatite liquids by immiscibility processes. The incidence of REE and trace elements for different major groups of lithotypes, belonging both to carbonatite-bearing and carbonatite-free districts, are documented. Sr and preliminary Nd isotopic data are indicative of a mantle origin for the least evolved magmas of all the studied occurrences. Mantle source material and melting models for the generation of the Brazilian alkaline magma types are also discussed.

  3. Alkaline "Permanent" Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pacey, Antony

    1991-01-01

    Discussion of paper manufacturing processes and their effects on library materials focuses on the promotion of alkaline "permanent" paper, with less acid, by Canadian library preservation specialists. Standards for paper acidity are explained; advantages of alkaline paper are described, including decreased manufacturing costs; and…

  4. Bacterial treatment of alkaline cement kiln dust using Bacillus halodurans strain KG1.

    PubMed

    Kunal; Rajor, Anita; Siddique, Rafat

    2016-01-01

    This study was conducted to isolate an acid-producing, alkaliphilic bacterium to reduce the alkalinity of cement industry waste (cement kiln dust). Gram-positive isolate KG1 grew well at pH values of 6-12, temperatures of 28-50°C, and NaCl concentrations of 0-16% and thus was further screened for its potential to reduce the pH of an alkaline medium. Phenotypic characteristics of the KG1 isolate were consistent with those of the genus Bacillus, and the highest level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity was found with Bacillus halodurans strain DSM 497 (94.7%). On the basis of its phenotypic characteristics and genotypic distinctiveness from other phylogenetic neighbors belonging to alkaliphilic Bacillus species, the isolated strain was designated B. halodurans strain KG1, with GenBank accession number JQ307184 (= NCIM 5439). Isolate KG1 reduced the alkalinity (by 83.64%) and the chloride content (by 86.96%) of cement kiln dust and showed a potential to be used in the cement industry for a variety of applications. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  5. Acidity and Alkalinity in mine drainage: Practical considerations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cravotta, III, Charles A.; Kirby, Carl S.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, we emphasize that the Standard Method hot peroxide treatment procedure for acidity determination (hot acidity) directly measures net acidity or net alkalinity, but that more than one water-quality measure can be useful as a measure of the severity of acid mine drainage. We demonstrate that the hot acidity is related to the pH, alkalinity, and dissolved concentrations of Fe, Mn, and Al in fresh mine drainage. We show that the hot acidity accurately indicates the potential for pH to decrease to acidic values after complete oxidation of Fe and Mn, and it indicates the excess alkalinity or that required for neutralization of the sample. We show that the hot acidity method gives consistent, interpretable results on fresh or aged samples. Regional data for mine-drainage quality in Pennsylvania indicated the pH of fresh samples was predominantly acidic (pH 2.5 to 4) or near neutral (pH 6 to 7); approximately 25 percent of the samples had intermediate pH values. This bimodal frequency distribution of pH was distinctive for fully oxidized samples; oxidized samples had acidic or near-neutral pH, only. Samples that had nearneutral pH after oxidation had negative hot acidity; samples that had acidic pH after oxidation had positive hot acidity. Samples with comparable pH values had variable hot acidities owing to variations in their alkalinities and dissolved Fe, Mn, and Al concentrations. The hot acidity was comparable to net acidity computed on the basis of initial pH and concentrations of Fe, Mn, and Al minus the initial alkalinity. Acidity computed from the pH and dissolved metals concentrations, assuming equivalents of 2 per mole of Fe and Mn and 3 per mole of Al, was comparable to that computed on the basis of aqueous species and FeII/FeIII. Despite changes in the pH, alkalinity, and metals concentrations, the hot acidities were comparable for fresh and aged samples. Thus, meaningful “net” acidity can be determined from a measured hot acidity or by

  6. Alkaline-Earth-Catalyzed Dehydrocoupling of Amines and Boranes

    PubMed Central

    Liptrot, David J; Hill, Michael S; Mahon, Mary F; Wilson, Andrew S S

    2015-01-01

    Dehydrocoupling reactions between the boranes HBpin and 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane and a range of amines and anilines ensue under very mild reaction conditions in the presence of a simple β-diketiminato magnesium n-butyl precatalyst. The facility of the reactions is suggested to be a function of the Lewis acidity of the borane substrate, and is dictated by resultant pre-equilibria between, and the relative stability of, magnesium hydride and borohydride intermediates during the course of the catalysis. PMID:26360523

  7. Electrocatalysis of carbon black- or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-functionalized activated carbon nanotubes-supported Pd-Tb towards methanol oxidation in alkaline media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Li; Wang, Yi; Li, An; Yang, Yunshang; Tang, Qinghu; Cao, Hongbin; Qi, Tao; Li, Changming

    2014-07-01

    The Pd-Tb/C catalysts with different Pd/Tb ratios were synthesized by a simple simultaneous reduction reaction with sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. The structure and morphology of those catalysts had been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrocatalytic performance of those catalysts for methanol oxidation in alkaline media was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and CO stripping experiments. It is found that the 20%Pd-1%Tb/C catalyst has a higher catalytic activity than the 20%Pd/C catalyst, but the effect of Tb cannot be explained by a bi-functional mechanism. According to the X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses, it is suggested that the higher content of metallic Pd caused by the addition of Tb contributes to the better catalytic activity of 20%Pd-1%Tb/C. Based on the good electrocatalytic performance of 20%Pd-1%Tb/C, the 20%Pd-1%Tb catalyst supported on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)-functionalized activated carbon nanotubes was prepared, and it exhibits a better catalytic activity. The improvement mainly results from the further increase of metallic Pd due to the presence of PDDA.

  8. Chiral Compounds and Green Chemistry in Undergraduate Organic Laboratories: Reduction of a Ketone by Sodium Borohydride and Baker's Yeast

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pohl, Nicola; Clague, Allen; Schwarz, Kimberly

    2002-06-01

    We describe an integrated set of experiments for the undergraduate organic laboratory that allows students to compare and contrast biological and chemical means of introducing chirality into a molecule. The racemic reduction of ethyl acetoacetate with sodium borohydride and the same reduction in the presence of a tartaric acid ligand are described, and a capillary gas chromatography column packed with a chiral material for product analysis is introduced. The results of these two hydride reactions are compared with the results of a common undergraduate experiment, the baker's yeast reduction of ethyl acetoacetate.

  9. FT–Raman investigation of bleaching of spruce thermomechanical pulp

    Treesearch

    U.P. Agarwal; L.L. Landucci

    2004-01-01

    Spruce thermomechanical pulp was bleached initially by alkaline hydrogen peroxide and then by sodium dithionite and sodium borohydride. Near-infrared Fourier-transform–Raman spectroscopy revealed that spectral differences were due primarily to coniferaldehyde and p-quinone structures in lignin, new direct evidence that bleaching removes p-quinone structures. In...

  10. Fungal pretreatment of willow sawdust and its combination with alkaline treatment for enhancing biogas production.

    PubMed

    Alexandropoulou, Maria; Antonopoulou, Georgia; Fragkou, Efsevia; Ntaikou, Ioanna; Lyberatos, Gerasimos

    2017-12-01

    In this study fungal pretreatment of willow sawdust (WSD) via the white rot fungi Leiotrametes menziesii and Abortiporus biennis was studied and the effect on fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass and biochemical methane potential (BMP), was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and IR spectroscopy were used to investigate the changes in the structural characteristics of the pretreated WSD. Fungal pretreatment results revealed that A. biennis is more attractive, since it resulted in higher lignin degradation and lower holocellulose uptake. Samples of the 14th and 30th d of cultivation (i.e. the middle and the end of the pretreatment experiment) with both fungi were used for BMP tests and the effect of pretreatment duration was also evaluated. BMP increase by 31 and 43% was obtained due to the cultivation of WSD with A. biennis, for 14 and 30 d, respectively. In addition, combination of biological (after 30 d of cultivation) with alkaline (NaOH 20 g/100 gTS) pretreatment was performed, in order to assess the effect of the chemical agent on biologically pretreated WSD, in terms of lignocellulosic content and BMP. Combination of alkaline with fungal pretreatment led to high lignin degradation for both fungi, while the cellulose and hemicellulose removal efficiencies were higher for combined alkaline and L. menziesii pretreatment. The maximum BMP was observed for the combined alkaline and A. biennis pretreatment and was 12.5 and 50.1% higher than the respective alkaline and fungal pretreatment alone and 115% higher than the respective BMP of raw WSD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Trends in Syntheses, Structures, and Properties for Three Series of Ammine Rare-Earth Metal Borohydrides, M(BH4)3·nNH3 (M = Y, Gd, and Dy).

    PubMed

    Jepsen, Lars H; Ley, Morten B; Černý, Radovan; Lee, Young-Su; Cho, Young Whan; Ravnsbæk, Dorthe; Besenbacher, Flemming; Skibsted, Jørgen; Jensen, Torben R

    2015-08-03

    Fourteen solvent- and halide-free ammine rare-earth metal borohydrides M(BH4)3·nNH3, M = Y, Gd, Dy, n = 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, and 1, have been synthesized by a new approach, and their structures as well as chemical and physical properties are characterized. Extensive series of coordination complexes with systematic variation in the number of ligands are presented, as prepared by combined mechanochemistry, solvent-based methods, solid-gas reactions, and thermal treatment. This new synthesis approach may have a significant impact within inorganic coordination chemistry. Halide-free metal borohydrides have been synthesized by solvent-based metathesis reactions of LiBH4 and MCl3 (3:1), followed by reactions of M(BH4)3 with an excess of NH3 gas, yielding M(BH4)3·7NH3 (M = Y, Gd, and Dy). Crystal structure models for M(BH4)3·nNH3 are derived from a combination of powder X-ray diffraction (PXD), (11)B magic-angle spinning NMR, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The structures vary from two-dimensional layers (n = 1), one-dimensional chains (n = 2), molecular compounds (n = 4 and 5), to contain complex ions (n = 6 and 7). NH3 coordinates to the metal in all compounds, while BH4(-) has a flexible coordination, i.e., either as a terminal or bridging ligand or as a counterion. M(BH4)3·7NH3 releases ammonia stepwise by thermal treatment producing M(BH4)3·nNH3 (6, 5, and 4), whereas hydrogen is released for n ≤ 4. Detailed analysis of the dihydrogen bonds reveals new insight about the hydrogen elimination mechanism, which contradicts current hypotheses. Overall, the present work provides new general knowledge toward rational materials design and preparation along with limitations of PXD and DFT for analysis of structures with a significant degree of dynamics in the structures.

  12. Alkaline phosphatase protein increases in response to prednisolone in HeLa cells.

    PubMed Central

    Hanford, W C; Kottel, R H; Fishman, W H

    1981-01-01

    Quantification of term-placental alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme protein in HeLa TCRC-1 cells grown in the presence and absence of prednisolone indicates that there is a net increase in amount of enzyme-specific protein in prednisolone-stimulated cells. In a similar analysis of HeLa D98AH2 cells, prednisolone treatment causes the appearance of term-placental alkaline phosphatase protein and the loss of the intestinal isoenzyme protein. These results support the interpretation that the response of these cells to corticosteroids is the net accumulation of alkaline phosphatase protein rather than the modification of pre-existing enzyme to a more active state. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. PMID:7340849

  13. A comparison of sodium borohydride as a fuel for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and for direct borohydride fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wee, Jung-Ho

    Two types of fuel cell systems using NaBH 4 aqueous solution as a fuel are possible: the hydrogen/air proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) which uses onsite H 2 generated via the NaBH 4 hydrolysis reaction (B-PEMFC) at the anode and the direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) system which directly uses NaBH 4 aqueous solution at the anode and air at the cathode. Recently, research on these two types of fuel cells has begun to attract interest due to the various benefits of this liquid fuel for fuel cell systems for portable applications. It might therefore be relevant at this stage to evaluate the relative competitiveness of the two fuel cells. Considering their current technologies and the high price of NaBH 4, this paper evaluated and analyzed the factors influencing the relative favorability of each type of fuel cell. Their relative competitiveness was strongly dependent on the extent of the NaBH 4 crossover. When considering the crossover in DBFC systems, the total costs of the B-PEMFC system were the most competitive among the fuel cell systems. On the other hand, if the crossover problem were to be completely overcome, the total cost of the DBFC system generating six electrons (6e-DBFC) would be very similar to that of the B-PEMFC system. The DBFC system generating eight electrons (8e-DBFC) became even more competitive if the problem of crossover can be overcome. However, in this case, the volume of NaBH 4 aqueous solution consumed by the DBFC was larger than that consumed by the B-PEMFC.

  14. A direct borohydride fuel cell with a polymer fiber membrane and non-noble metal catalysts.

    PubMed

    Yang, Xiaodong; Liu, Yongning; Li, Sai; Wei, Xiaozhu; Wang, Li; Chen, Yuanzhen

    2012-01-01

    Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) and Pt-based catalysts are two crucial components which determine the properties and price of fuel cells. Even though, PEM faces problem of fuel crossover in liquid fuel cells such as direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), which lowers power output greatly. Here, we report a DBFC in which a polymer fiber membrane (PFM) was used, and metal oxides, such as LaNiO₃ and MnO₂, were used as cathode catalysts, meanwhile CoO was used as anode catalyst. Peak power density of 663 mW·cm⁻² has been achieved at 65°C, which increases by a factor of 1.7-3.7 compared with classic DBFCs. This fuel cell structure can also be extended to other liquid fuel cells, such as DMFC.

  15. Sodic alkaline stress mitigation by exogenous melatonin in tomato needs nitric oxide as a downstream signal.

    PubMed

    Liu, Na; Gong, Biao; Jin, Zhiyong; Wang, Xiufeng; Wei, Min; Yang, Fengjuan; Li, Yan; Shi, Qinghua

    2015-08-15

    The present study was designed to determine the interactive effect of exogenous melatonin and nitric oxide (NO) on sodic alkaline stress mitigation in tomato seedlings. It was observed that exogenous melatonin treatment elevated NO levels in alkaline-stressed tomato roots. However, exogenous NO had little effects on melatonin levels. Importantly, melatonin-induced NO generation was accompanied by increased tolerance to alkaline stress. Chemical scavenging of NO reduced melatonin-induced alkaline stress tolerance and defense genes' expression. However, inhibition of melatonin biosynthesis had a little effect on NO-induced alkaline stress tolerance. These results strongly suggest that NO, acting as a downstream signal, is involved in the melatonin-induced tomato tolerance to alkaline stress. This process creates a new signaling pathway for improving stress tolerance in plant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  16. Efficacy of Alkaline Hydrolysis as an Alternative Method for Treatment and Disposal of Infectious Animal Waste.

    PubMed

    Kaye, Gordon; Weber, Peter; Evans, Ann; Venezia, Richard

    1998-05-01

    The efficacy of alkaline hydrolysis as an alternative for incineration or autoclaving during treatment and disposal of infectious waste was evaluated by testing for the destruction of samples of pure cultures of selected infectious microorganisms during digestion of 114 to 136-kg loads of animal carcasses in an animal tissue digestor at the Albany Medical College. Ten milliliter samples of pure cultures of each microorganism were divided among 3 dialysis bags made from narrow diameter dialysis tubing, and each of these bags was placed inside another dialysis bag made from larger diameter dialysis tubing. Each double-bagged sample was suspended from the cover of the carcass basket of the tissue digestor so that it was completely covered by hot alkaline digestion solution during the carcass digestion process. The following organisms were required by the New York State Department of Health as representative pathogens for testing sterilization capabilities of the procedure: Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium fortuitum, Candida albicans, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus fumigatus, Mycobacterium bovis BCG, MS-2 bacteriophage, and Giardia muris. Animal carcasses included pigs, sheep, rabbits, dogs, rats, mice, and guinea pigs. The tissue digestor was operated at 110 to 120 C and approximately 15 lb/in2 (gauge) for 18 h before the system was allowed to cool to 50 C and dialysis bags were retrieved and submitted for microbial culture. None of the samples obtained from the dialysis bags after the digestion process yielded indicator bacteria or yeast. Giardia cysts were completely destroyed; only small fragments of what appeared to be cyst wall could be recognized with light microscopic examination. No plaque-forming units were detected with MS-2 bacteriophage after digestion. Samples of the hydrolyzate also did not yield growth on culture media. Animal carcasses were completely solubilized and digested, with only the inorganic components of the bones

  17. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator contributes to reacidification of alkalinized lysosomes in RPE cells.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ji; Lu, Wennan; Guha, Sonia; Baltazar, Gabriel C; Coffey, Erin E; Laties, Alan M; Rubenstein, Ronald C; Reenstra, William W; Mitchell, Claire H

    2012-07-15

    The role of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in lysosomal acidification has been difficult to determine. We demonstrate here that CFTR contributes more to the reacidification of lysosomes from an elevated pH than to baseline pH maintenance. Lysosomal alkalinization is increasingly recognized as a factor in diseases of accumulation, and we previously showed that cAMP reacidified alkalinized lysosomes in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. As the influx of anions to electrically balance proton accumulation may enhance lysosomal acidification, the contribution of the cAMP-activated anion channel CFTR to lysosomal reacidification was probed. The antagonist CFTR(inh)-172 had little effect on baseline levels of lysosomal pH in cultured human RPE cells but substantially reduced the reacidification of compromised lysosomes by cAMP. Likewise, CFTR activators had a bigger impact on cells whose lysosomes had been alkalinized. Knockdown of CFTR with small interfering RNA had a larger effect on alkalinized lysosomes than on baseline levels. Inhibition of CFTR in isolated lysosomes altered pH. While CFTR and Lamp1 were colocalized, treatment with cAMP did not increase targeting of CFTR to the lysosome. The inhibition of CFTR slowed lysosomal degradation of photoreceptor outer segments while activation of CFTR enhanced their clearance from compromised lysosomes. Activation of CFTR acidified RPE lysosomes from the ABCA4(-/-) mouse model of recessive Stargardt's disease, whose lysosomes are considerably alkalinized. In summary, CFTR contributes more to reducing lysosomal pH from alkalinized levels than to maintaining baseline pH. Treatment to activate CFTR may thus be of benefit in disorders of accumulation associated with lysosomal alkalinization.

  18. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator contributes to reacidification of alkalinized lysosomes in RPE cells

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Ji; Lu, Wennan; Guha, Sonia; Baltazar, Gabriel C.; Coffey, Erin E.; Laties, Alan M.; Rubenstein, Ronald C.; Reenstra, William W.

    2012-01-01

    The role of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in lysosomal acidification has been difficult to determine. We demonstrate here that CFTR contributes more to the reacidification of lysosomes from an elevated pH than to baseline pH maintenance. Lysosomal alkalinization is increasingly recognized as a factor in diseases of accumulation, and we previously showed that cAMP reacidified alkalinized lysosomes in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. As the influx of anions to electrically balance proton accumulation may enhance lysosomal acidification, the contribution of the cAMP-activated anion channel CFTR to lysosomal reacidification was probed. The antagonist CFTRinh-172 had little effect on baseline levels of lysosomal pH in cultured human RPE cells but substantially reduced the reacidification of compromised lysosomes by cAMP. Likewise, CFTR activators had a bigger impact on cells whose lysosomes had been alkalinized. Knockdown of CFTR with small interfering RNA had a larger effect on alkalinized lysosomes than on baseline levels. Inhibition of CFTR in isolated lysosomes altered pH. While CFTR and Lamp1 were colocalized, treatment with cAMP did not increase targeting of CFTR to the lysosome. The inhibition of CFTR slowed lysosomal degradation of photoreceptor outer segments while activation of CFTR enhanced their clearance from compromised lysosomes. Activation of CFTR acidified RPE lysosomes from the ABCA4−/− mouse model of recessive Stargardt's disease, whose lysosomes are considerably alkalinized. In summary, CFTR contributes more to reducing lysosomal pH from alkalinized levels than to maintaining baseline pH. Treatment to activate CFTR may thus be of benefit in disorders of accumulation associated with lysosomal alkalinization. PMID:22572847

  19. Combined alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment of sludge before aerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Jin, Yiying; Li, Huan; Mahar, Rasool Bux; Wang, Zhiyu; Nie, Yongfeng

    2009-01-01

    Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these two methods were investigated. The evaluation was based on the quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in the pretreated sludge as well as the degradation of organic matter in the subsequent aerobic digestion. For WAS samples with combined pretreatment, the released COD levels were higher than those with ultrasonic or alkaline pretreatment alone. When combined with the ultrasonic treatment, NaOH treatment was more efficient than Ca(OH)2 for WAS solubilization. The COD levels released in various sequential options of combined NaOH and ultrasonic treatments were in the the following descending order: simultaneous treatment > NaOH treatment followed by ultrasonic treatment > ultrasonic treatment followed by NaOH treatment. For simultaneous treatment, low NaOH dosage (100 g/kg dry solid), short duration (30 min) of NaOH treatment, and low ultrasonic specific energy (7500 kJ/kg dry solid) were suitable for sludge disintegration. Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic (42.5%) or with NaOH pretreatment (43.5%) in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.

  20. A data-driven approach for the study of coagulation phenomena in waste lubricant oils and its relevance in alkaline regeneration treatments.

    PubMed

    Pinheiro, C T; Ascensão, V R; Reis, M S; Quina, M J; Gando-Ferreira, L M

    2017-12-01

    Coagulation phenomena can occur in certain types of waste lubricant oils (WLO) during regeneration processes involving alkaline treatments, causing plant shutdowns. In this context, this study addresses the nature of the compounds responsible for the coagulation phenomena after the alkaline treatment. For such, an empirical test was developed to assess the coagulation behaviour of WLO, consisting in the addition of KOH to the WLO followed by heating under stirring conditions. This test was performed on 133 samples and four coagulation classes were identified: A; B1; B2 and C. Moreover, a physicochemical characterization of WLO was carried out regarding viscosity at 40°C, saponification number (SN), total acid number (TAN), surface tension, water content, elemental analysis and functional groups (FTIR). 56 samples of fresh lubricant oils for different applications were also characterized and their properties assessed and compared. Multivariate methods were applied to WLO to discriminate among coagulation classes based on FTIR spectra. It was found that coagulation classes A and B1 exhibit statistically similar patterns for all properties determined. Spectral discriminating analysis did not reveal discriminant peaks for class B1 samples, and the presence of specific additives was pointed as the possible factor underlying the increase in viscosity in this oils. Class B2 presents the absence of additives and oxidation products as differentiating features. In addition, B2 samples showed lower TAN SN, and lower concentration of some elements. Lubricants from gear or hydraulic applications can give rise to this class of WLO. Oils of Class C are mainly composed by synthetic ester type base oils, which hamper regeneration processes using alkaline pretreatments. In future studies, WLO type A and B1 can be classified as a single class. The coagulation phenomena classification becomes A - negative, B - precipitate formation and C - positive. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B

  1. Alkaline pH sensor molecules.

    PubMed

    Murayama, Takashi; Maruyama, Ichiro N

    2015-11-01

    Animals can survive only within a narrow pH range. This requires continual monitoring of environmental and body-fluid pH. Although a variety of acidic pH sensor molecules have been reported, alkaline pH sensor function is not well understood. This Review describes neuronal alkaline pH sensors, grouped according to whether they monitor extracellular or intracellular alkaline pH. Extracellular sensors include the receptor-type guanylyl cyclase, the insulin receptor-related receptor, ligand-gated Cl- channels, connexin hemichannels, two-pore-domain K+ channels, and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels. Intracellular sensors include TRP channels and gap junction channels. Identification of molecular mechanisms underlying alkaline pH sensing is crucial for understanding how animals respond to environmental alkaline pH and how body-fluid pH is maintained within a narrow range. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Power ultrasound irradiation during the alkaline etching process of the 2024 aluminum alloy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moutarlier, V.; Viennet, R.; Rolet, J.; Gigandet, M. P.; Hihn, J. Y.

    2015-11-01

    Prior to any surface treatment on an aluminum alloy, a surface preparation is necessary. This commonly consists in performing an alkaline etching followed by acid deoxidizing. In this work, the use of power ultrasound irradiation during the etching step on the 2024 aluminum alloy was studied. The etching rate was estimated by weight loss, and the alkaline film formed during the etching step was characterized by glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The benefit of power ultrasound during the etching step was confirmed by pitting potential measurement in NaCl solution after a post-treatment (anodizing).

  3. Alkaline battery operational methodology

    DOEpatents

    Sholklapper, Tal; Gallaway, Joshua; Steingart, Daniel; Ingale, Nilesh; Nyce, Michael

    2016-08-16

    Methods of using specific operational charge and discharge parameters to extend the life of alkaline batteries are disclosed. The methods can be used with any commercial primary or secondary alkaline battery, as well as with newer alkaline battery designs, including batteries with flowing electrolyte. The methods include cycling batteries within a narrow operating voltage window, with minimum and maximum cut-off voltages that are set based on battery characteristics and environmental conditions. The narrow voltage window decreases available capacity but allows the batteries to be cycled for hundreds or thousands of times.

  4. Ascorbic acid induces alkaline phosphatase, type X collagen, and calcium deposition in cultured chick chondrocytes.

    PubMed

    Leboy, P S; Vaias, L; Uschmann, B; Golub, E; Adams, S L; Pacifici, M

    1989-10-15

    During the process of endochondral bone formation, proliferating chondrocytes give rise to hypertrophic chondrocytes, which then deposit a mineralized matrix to form calcified cartilage. Chondrocyte hypertrophy and matrix mineralization are associated with expression of type X collagen and the induction of high levels of the bone/liver/kidney isozyme of alkaline phosphatase. To determine what role vitamin C plays in these processes, chondrocytes derived from the cephalic portion of 14-day chick embryo sternae were grown in the absence or presence of exogenous ascorbic acid. Control untreated cells displayed low levels of type X collagen and alkaline phosphatase activity throughout the culture period. However, cells grown in the presence of ascorbic acid produced increasing levels of alkaline phosphatase activity and type X collagen mRNA and protein. Both alkaline phosphatase activity and type X collagen mRNA levels began to increase within 24 h of ascorbate treatment; by 9 days, the levels of both alkaline phosphatase activity and type X collagen mRNA were 15-20-fold higher than in non-ascorbate-treated cells. Ascorbate treatment also increased calcium deposition in the cell layer and decreased the levels of types II and IX collagen mRNAs; these effects lagged significantly behind the elevation of alkaline phosphatase and type X collagen. Addition of beta-glycerophosphate to the medium increased calcium deposition in the presence of ascorbate but had no effect on levels of collagen mRNAs or alkaline phosphatase. The results suggest that vitamin C may play an important role in endochondral bone formation by modulating gene expression in hypertrophic chondrocytes.

  5. Treatment of a high-strength sulphate-rich alkaline leachate using an anaerobic filter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Z.; Banks, C.J.

    2007-07-01

    The research looks at the feasibility of treating an alkaline sulphate-rich leachate arising from the co-disposal of municipal solid waste with cement kiln dust by means of an anaerobic filter (AF). This type of leachate with a high sulphate concentration is commonly prohibited for discharge to sewer and requires an on-site treatment solution. The AF used had a working volume of 4 l and contained reticulated polyurethane foam as the biomass support material. The filters were operated over a 152 day experimental period during which the COD loading onto the filter was increased from 0.76 to 7.63 kg COD m{supmore » -3} d{sup -1}. In the early stages of operation at low loading, soluble sulphides accumulated that inhibited methanogenic activity. This was restored by dosing FeCl{sub 3} to the reactor. The continued dosing allowed efficient COD removal of between 75% and 90% until the nominal retention time in the reactor was 3 days, at which point reactor performance declined significantly. The main mechanism for COD removal was by sulphate-reducing bacteria, which also resulted in up to 88% sulphate removal from the leachate. The average methane generation rate was 0.10 l g{sup -1} COD removed. The results indicate the potential for using this approach as a pre-treatment that could significantly reduce the COD load to a second stage treatment process, but problems associated with the implementation of the technology at a larger scale have been identified.« less

  6. A direct borohydride fuel cell with a polymer fiber membrane and non-noble metal catalysts

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xiaodong; Liu, Yongning; Li, Sai; Wei, Xiaozhu; Wang, Li; Chen, Yuanzhen

    2012-01-01

    Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) and Pt-based catalysts are two crucial components which determine the properties and price of fuel cells. Even though, PEM faces problem of fuel crossover in liquid fuel cells such as direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), which lowers power output greatly. Here, we report a DBFC in which a polymer fiber membrane (PFM) was used, and metal oxides, such as LaNiO3 and MnO2, were used as cathode catalysts, meanwhile CoO was used as anode catalyst. Peak power density of 663 mW·cm−2 has been achieved at 65°C, which increases by a factor of 1.7–3.7 compared with classic DBFCs. This fuel cell structure can also be extended to other liquid fuel cells, such as DMFC. PMID:22880160

  7. Quaternized polymeric microgels as metal free catalyst for H2 production from the methanolysis of sodium borohydride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahiner, Nurettin; Sengel, Sultan Butun

    2016-12-01

    Polymeric microgels derived from tris(2-amino ethyl)amine (TAEA) and glycerol diglycidyl ether as p(TAEA-co-GDE) via microemulsion polymerization techniques are protonated by 0.5 M HCl treatment as p(TAEA-co-GDE)-HCl). These microgels are then exposed to anion exchange reactions with differ ionic liquid forming salts, such as potassium thiocyanate (PTC), sodium dicyanamide (SDCA), ammonium hexafluorophosphate (AHFP), and sodium tetrafluoroborate (STFB) in aqueous medium for the preparation of p(TAEA-co-GDE) based ionic liquid colloidal microgels. These anions exchanged p(TAEA-co-GDE) ionic liquid colloids (ILCs) are directly used as catalyst for hydrogen (H2) generation from the methanol solution of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). Various parameters affecting the H2 production rate such as the catalyst types, NaBH4 amount, and the temperature are investigated. It is found that the methanolysis of NaBH4 catalyzed by p(TAEA-co-GDE)-HCl obeys the first order reaction kinetic. The activation energy, enthalpy and entropy of the protonated p(TAEA-co-GDE) microgels are calculated and found as the 30.37 kJ mol-1, 27.96 kJ mol-1, and -148.08 J mol-1 K-1, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrogen generation rate of 3018 mL min-1 g-1 catalyzed by p(TAEA-co-GDE)-HCl catalyst is attained.

  8. Anodes for alkaline electrolysis

    DOEpatents

    Soloveichik, Grigorii Lev [Latham, NY

    2011-02-01

    A method of making an anode for alkaline electrolysis cells includes adsorption of precursor material on a carbonaceous material, conversion of the precursor material to hydroxide form and conversion of precursor material from hydroxide form to oxy-hydroxide form within the alkaline electrolysis cell.

  9. Evaluation of alkaline electrolyzed water to replace traditional phosphate enhancement solutions: Effects on water holding capacity, tenderness, and sensory characteristics.

    PubMed

    Rigdon, Macc; Hung, Yen-Con; Stelzleni, Alexander M

    2017-01-01

    Sixty-four pork loins were randomly assigned to one of four treatments to evaluate the use of alkaline electrolyzed reduced water as a replacement for traditional enhancement solutions. Treatments included: alkaline electrolyzed reduced water (EOH; pH≈11.5), EOH plus 2.5% potassium-lactate (EOK), industry standard (IS; 0.35% sodium tri-polyphosphate, 0.14% sodium chloride, 2.5% potassium-lactate), and no enhancement (CON). After enhancement (targeting 110%) and rest period, chops were cut (2.54-cm) to test treatment effects on water holding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and sensory attributes. Despite its alkaline nature EOH chops exuded more water (P<0.05) than EOK, IS, or CON chops. Control chops were similar (P>0.05) to EOK, however CON and EOK both lost more moisture (P<0.05) than IS. The use of alkaline electrolyzed reduced water did not improve WBSF or sensory characteristics compared to IS treated chops. As a stand-alone enhancement solution alkaline electrolyzed reduced water was not a suitable replacement for industry standard solutions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Surfactant-enhanced alkaline flooding: Buffering at intermediate alkaline pH

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rudin, J.; Wasan, D.T.

    1993-11-01

    The alkaline flooding process involves injecting alkaline agents into the reservoir to produce more oil than is produced through conventional waterflooding. The interaction of the alkali in the flood water with the naturally occurring acids in the reservoir oil results in in-situ formation of soaps, which are partially responsible for lowering IFT and improving oil recovery. The extent to which IFT is lowered depends on the specific oil and injection water properties. Numerous investigators have attempted to clarify the relationship between system chemical composition and IFT. An experimental investigation of buffered alkaline flooding system chemistry was undertaken to determine themore » influence of various species present on interfacial tension (IFT) as a function of pH and ionic strength. IFT was found to go through an ultralow minimum in certain pH ranges. This synergism results from simultaneous adsorption of un-ionized and ionized acid species on the interface.« less

  11. Ultrahigh figure-of-merit for hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride using ternary metal catalysts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Lunghao; Ceccato, R.; Raj, R.

    We report further increase in the figure-of-merit (FOM) for hydrogen generation from NaBH 4 than reported in an earlier paper [1], where a sub-nanometer layer of metal catalysts are deposited on carbon nanotube paper (CNT paper) that has been functionalized with polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic film. Ternary, Ru-Pd-Pt, instead of the binary Pd-Pt catalyst used earlier, together with a thinner CNT paper is shown to increase the figure-of-merit by up to a factor of six, putting is above any other known catalyst for hydrogen generation from NaBH 4. The catalysts are prepared by first impregnating the functionalized CNT-paper with solutions of the metal salts, followed by reduction in a sodium borohydride solution. The reaction mechanism and the catalyst efficiency are described in terms of an electric charge transfer, whereby the negative charge on the BH 4 - ion is exchanged with hydrogen via the electronically conducting SiCN/CNT substrate [1].

  12. Methods to Stabilize and Destabilize Ammonium Borohydride

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nielsen, Thomas K.; Karkamkar, Abhijeet J.; Bowden, Mark E.

    2013-01-21

    Ammonium borohydride, NH4BH4, has a high hydrogen content of ρm = 24.5 wt% H2 and releases 18 wt% H2 below T = 160 °C. However, the half-life of bulk NH4BH4 at ambient temperatures, ~6 h, is insufficient for practical applications. The decomposition of NH4BH4 (ABH2) was studied at variable hydrogen and argon back pressures to investigate possible pressure mediated stabilization effects. The hydrogen release rate from solid ABH2 at ambient temperatures is reduced by ~16 % upon increasing the hydrogen back pressure from 5 to 54 bar. Similar results were obtained using argon pressure and the observed stabilization may bemore » explained by a positive volume of activation in the transition state leading to hydrogen release. Nanoconfinement in mesoporous silica, MCM-41, was investigated as alternative means to stabilize NH4BH4. However, other factors appear to significantly destabilize NH4BH4 and it rapidly decomposes at ambient temperatures into [(NH3)2BH2][BH4] (DADB) in accordance with the bulk reaction scheme. The hydrogen desorption kinetics from nanoconfined [(NH3)2BH2][BH4] is moderately enhanced as evidenced by a reduction in the DSC decomposition peak temperature of ΔT = -13 °C as compared to the bulk material. Finally, we note a surprising result, storage of DADB at temperature < -30 °C transformed, reversibly, the [(NH3)2BH2][BH4] into a new low temperature polymorph as revealed by both XRD and solid state MAS 11B MAS NMR. TA & AK are thankful for support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. A portion of the research was performed using EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated by Battelle.« less

  13. Priming effect of abscisic acid on alkaline stress tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings.

    PubMed

    Wei, Li-Xing; Lv, Bing-Sheng; Wang, Ming-Ming; Ma, Hong-Yuan; Yang, Hao-Yu; Liu, Xiao-Long; Jiang, Chang-Jie; Liang, Zheng-Wei

    2015-05-01

    Saline-alkaline stress is characterized by high salinity and high alkalinity (high pH); alkaline stress has been shown to be the primary factor inhibiting rice seedling growth. In this study, we investigated the potential priming effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on tolerance of rice seedlings to alkaline stress simulated by Na2CO3. Seedlings were pretreated with ABA at concentrations of 0 (control), 10, and 50 μM by root-drench for 24 h and then transferred to a Na2CO3 solution that did not contain ABA. Compared to control treatment, pretreatment with ABA substantially improved the survival rate of rice seedlings and increased biomass accumulation after 7 days under the alkaline condition. ABA application at 10 μM also alleviated the inhibitory effects of alkaline stress on the total root length and root surface area. Physiologically, ABA increased relative water content (RWC) and decreased cell membrane injury degree (MI) and Na(+)/K(+) ratios. In contrast, fluridone (an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor) decreased the RWC and increased MI in shoots under the alkaline conditions. These data suggest that ABA has a potent priming effect on the adaptive response to alkaline stress in rice and may be useful for improving rice growth in saline-alkaline paddy fields. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. Alkaline hydrothermal conversion of fly ash filtrates into zeolites 2: utilization in wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Somerset, Vernon; Petrik, Leslie; Iwuoha, Emmanuel

    2005-01-01

    Filtrates were collected using a codisposal reaction wherein fly ash was reacted with acid mine drainage. These codisposal filtrates were then analyzed by X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry for quantitative determination of the SiO2 and Al2O3 content. Alkaline hydrothermal zeolite synthesis was then applied to the filtrates to convert the fly ash material into zeolites. The zeolites formed under the experimental conditions were faujasite, sodalite, and zeolite A. The use of the fly ash-derived zeolites and a commercial zeolite was explored in wastewater decontamination experiments as it was applied to acid mine drainage in different dosages. The concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cd, As, and Pb metal ions in the treated wastewater were investigated. The results of the treatment of the acid mine drainage with the prepared fly ash zeolites showed that the concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cd, and Hg were decreased as the zeolite dosages of the fly ash zeolite (FAZ1) increased.

  15. Minimising alkalinity and pH spikes from Portland cement-bound Bauxsol (seawater-neutralized red mud) pellets for pH circum-neutral waters.

    PubMed

    Despland, Laure M; Clark, Malcolm W; Aragno, Michel; Vancov, Tony

    2010-03-15

    Bauxsol reagents (powder, slurry, or pellet forms) are powerful tools in environmental remediation and water and sewage treatment However, when used in circum-neutral water treatments, cement-bound Bauxsol pellets produce a sustained pH and alkalinity spike due to the presence of unreacted CaO in the cement binder. This study developed a pellet treatment system to minimize the alkalinity/pH spike. The recipe for pelletization consisted of Bauxsol powder, ordinary Portland cement (OPC), hydrophilic fumed silica, aluminum powder, a viscosity modifier, and water. Several batches (including different ratios and sizes) were run using modified makeup waters (H(2)0 + CO(2) or NaHCO(3)) or curing brines (CO(2), NaHCO(3), or Mg/CaCl(2)). Alkalinity, pH stability, and slake durability tests were performed on pellets before and/or after curing. The best result for reducing the alkalinity/pH spike was obtained from a MgCl(2), CaCl(2) bath treatment using a Bauxsol:cement ratio of 2.8:1 (pH 8.28; alkalinity 75.1 mg/L) for a 100 g batch or 245:1 (pH 8.05; alkalinity 35.4 mg/L) for a 1 kg batch. Although brine curing does provide a control on pH/alkalinity release, the pellets may still contain unreacted CaO. Therefore, a freshwater rinse of pellets before treating circum-neutral waters is recommended as is the continued investigation of alternative pellet binders.

  16. Mechanical properties of untreated and alkaline treated fibers from zalacca midrib wastes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raharjo, Wahyu Purwo; Soenoko, Rudy; Purnowidodo, Anindito; Choiron, Mochammad Agus; Triyono

    2016-03-01

    The environmental concern has been raised due to the abundance of waste from synthetic materials which cannot be biodegraded after their life-time. It provides opportunity to exploit natural resources which are neglected. For example, midrib wastes from zalacca plants after cutting are able to utilize as composite reinforcement. The aim of this research was to characterize the mechanical properties of zalacca midrib fibers. As other ones, zalacca midrib fibers consisted of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which their compositions were 42.54, 34.35 and 28.01 % respectively. To raise their cellulose content, the zalacca fibers were alkaline treated by immersion in the sodium hydroxide for 2 hours and rinsing in the distilled water. The concentration of sodium hydroxide was varied 1 and 5%. To investigate the influence of alkaline treatment, the mechanical testing and morphological analysis was performed. The tensile testing was done to obtain ultimate strength, elastic modulus and strain to fracture. The surface morphology of fibers was observed by SEM. The average ultimate tensile strength of zalacca fibers ranged from 182.12 MPa (untreated) to 417.94 MPa (5%NaOH treated). The diameter measurement showed that the alkaline treatment reduce the average fiber diameters due to the decline of the hemicellulose and lignin content as fiber matrix. This caused the increase of the tensile strength and elastic modulus due to the reduction of diameters as divider meanwhile the cellulose content as structural supporter of the fibers was relatively constant. From the SEM analysis, it was shown that the alkaline treatment reduced the fiber matrix so that its surface morphology became rougher due to the microfibrils appearance.

  17. Effect of alkaline addition on anaerobic sludge digestion with combined pretreatment of alkaline and high pressure homogenization.

    PubMed

    Fang, Wei; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Jin, Shuguang; Li, Dongyi; Zhang, Meixia; Xu, Xiangzhe

    2014-09-01

    To improve anaerobic digestion efficiency, combination pretreatment of alkaline and high pressure homogenization was applied to pretreat sewage sludge. Effect of alkaline dosage on anaerobic sludge digestion was investigated in detail. SCOD of sludge supernatant significantly increased with the alkaline dosage increase after the combined pretreatment because of sludge disintegration. Organics were significantly degraded after the anaerobic digestion, and the maximal SCOD, TCOD and VS removal was 73.5%, 61.3% and 43.5%, respectively. Cumulative biogas production, methane content in biogas and biogas production rate obviously increased with the alkaline dosage increase. Considering both the biogas production and alkaline dosage, the optimal alkaline dosage was selected as 0.04 mol/L. Relationships between biogas production and sludge disintegration showed that the accumulative biogas was mainly enhanced by the sludge disintegration. The methane yield linearly increased with the DDCOD increase as Methane yield (ml/gVS)=4.66 DDCOD-9.69. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Pediatric reference intervals for alkaline phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Zierk, Jakob; Arzideh, Farhad; Haeckel, Rainer; Cario, Holger; Frühwald, Michael C; Groß, Hans-Jürgen; Gscheidmeier, Thomas; Hoffmann, Reinhard; Krebs, Alexander; Lichtinghagen, Ralf; Neumann, Michael; Ruf, Hans-Georg; Steigerwald, Udo; Streichert, Thomas; Rascher, Wolfgang; Metzler, Markus; Rauh, Manfred

    2017-01-01

    Interpretation of alkaline phosphatase activity in children is challenging due to extensive changes with growth and puberty leading to distinct sex- and age-specific dynamics. Continuous percentile charts from birth to adulthood allow accurate consideration of these dynamics and seem reasonable for an analyte as closely linked to growth as alkaline phosphatase. However, the ethical and practical challenges unique to pediatric reference intervals have restricted the creation of such percentile charts, resulting in limitations when clinical decisions are based on alkaline phosphatase activity. We applied an indirect method to generate percentile charts for alkaline phosphatase activity using clinical laboratory data collected during the clinical care of patients. A total of 361,405 samples from 124,440 patients from six German tertiary care centers and one German laboratory service provider measured between January 2004 and June 2015 were analyzed. Measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity was performed on Roche Cobas analyzers using the IFCC's photometric method. We created percentile charts for alkaline phosphatase activity in girls and boys from birth to 18 years which can be used as reference intervals. Additionally, data tables of age- and sex-specific percentile values allow the incorporation of these results into laboratory information systems. The percentile charts provided enable the appropriate differential diagnosis of changes in alkaline phosphatase activity due to disease and changes due to physiological development. After local validation, integration of the provided percentile charts into result reporting facilitates precise assessment of alkaline phosphatase dynamics in pediatrics.

  19. Lignin preparation from oil palm empty fruit bunches by sequential acid/alkaline treatment--A biorefinery approach.

    PubMed

    Medina, Jesus David Coral; Woiciechowski, Adenise; Zandona Filho, Arion; Noseda, Miguel D; Kaur, Brar Satinder; Soccol, Carlos Ricardo

    2015-10-01

    Lignin is an important raw material for the sustainable biorefineries and also the forerunner of high-value added products, such as biocomposite for chemical, pharmaceutical and cement industries. Oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) were used for lignin preparation by successive treatment with 1% (w/w) H2SO4 at 121°C for 60 min and 2.5% NaOH at 121°C for 80 min resulting in the high lignin yield of 28.89%, corresponding to 68.82% of the original lignin. The lignin obtained was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results indicated a lignin with molecular masses ramping from 4500 kDa to 12,580 kDa. FTIR and NMR of these lignins showed more syringyl and p-hydroxyphenyl than guaiacyl units. Moderate acid/alkaline treatment provided lignin with high industrial potential and acid hydrolyzates rich in fermentable sugars and highly porous cellulosic fibers. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Alkaline phosphatase as a treatment of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.

    PubMed

    Peters, Esther; van Elsas, Andrea; Heemskerk, Suzanne; Jonk, Luigi; van der Hoeven, Johannes; Arend, Jacques; Masereeuw, Rosalinde; Pickkers, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Currently there are no pharmacological therapies licensed to treat sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI). Considering the high incidence and mortality of sepsis-associated AKI, there is an urgent medical need to develop effective pharmacological interventions. Two phase II clinical trials recently demonstrated beneficial effects of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AP). In critically ill patients with sepsis-associated AKI, treatment with AP reduced the urinary excretion of tubular injury biomarkers and plasma markers of inflammation, which was associated with improvement of renal function. The dephosphorylating enzyme, AP, is endogenously present in the renal proximal tubule apical membrane but becomes depleted during ischemia-induced AKI, thereby possibly contributing to further renal damage. The exact mechanism of action of AP in AKI is unknown, but might be related to detoxification of circulating lipopolysaccharide and other proinflammatory mediators that lose their proinflammatory effects after dephosphorylation. Alternatively, tissue damage associated with systemic inflammation might be attenuated by an AP-mediated effect on adenosine metabolism. Adenosine is a signaling molecule that has been shown to protect the body from inflammation-induced tissue injury, which is derived through dephosphorylation of ATP. In this Perspectives article, we discuss the clinical activity of AP and its putative molecular modes of action, and we speculate on its use to treat and possibly prevent sepsis-associated AKI.

  1. The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health?

    PubMed Central

    Schwalfenberg, Gerry K.

    2012-01-01

    This review looks at the role of an alkaline diet in health. Pubmed was searched looking for articles on pH, potential renal acid loads, bone health, muscle, growth hormone, back pain, vitamin D and chemotherapy. Many books written in the lay literature on the alkaline diet were also reviewed and evaluated in light of the published medical literature. There may be some value in considering an alkaline diet in reducing morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases and further studies are warranted in this area of medicine. PMID:22013455

  2. Dairy products and the French paradox: Could alkaline phosphatases play a role?

    PubMed

    Lallès, Jean-Paul

    2016-07-01

    The French paradox - high saturated fat consumption but low incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality - is still unresolved and continues to be a matter of debate and controversy. Recently, it was hypothesised that the high consumption of dairy products, and especially cheese by the French population might contribute to the explanation of the French paradox, in addition to the "(red) wine" hypothesis. Most notably this would involve milk bioactive peptides and biomolecules from cheese moulds. Here, we support the "dairy products" hypothesis further by proposing the "alkaline phosphatase" hypothesis. First, intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), a potent endogenous anti-inflammatory enzyme, is directly stimulated by various components of milk (e.g. casein, calcium, lactose and even fat). This enzyme dephosphorylates and thus detoxifies pro-inflammatory microbial components like lipopolysaccharide, making them unable to trigger inflammatory responses and generate chronic low-grade inflammation leading to insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity, known risk factors for CVD. Various vitamins present in high amounts in dairy products (e.g. vitamins A and D; methyl-donors: folate and vitamin B12), and also fermentation products such as butyrate and propionate found e.g. in cheese, all stimulate intestinal alkaline phosphatase. Second, moulded cheeses like Roquefort contain fungi producing an alkaline phosphatase. Third, milk itself contains a tissue nonspecific isoform of alkaline phosphatase that may function as IAP. Milk alkaline phosphatase is present in raw milk and dairy products increasingly consumed in France. It is deactivated by pasteurization but it can partially reactivate after thermal treatment. Experimental consolidation of the "alkaline phosphatase" hypothesis will require further work including: systematic alkaline phosphatase activity measurements in dairy products, live dairy ferments and

  3. Hot-Alkaline DNA Extraction Method for Deep-Subseafloor Archaeal Communities

    PubMed Central

    Terada, Takeshi; Hoshino, Tatsuhiko; Inagaki, Fumio

    2014-01-01

    A prerequisite for DNA-based microbial community analysis is even and effective cell disruption for DNA extraction. With a commonly used DNA extraction kit, roughly two-thirds of subseafloor sediment microbial cells remain intact on average (i.e., the cells are not disrupted), indicating that microbial community analyses may be biased at the DNA extraction step, prior to subsequent molecular analyses. To address this issue, we standardized a new DNA extraction method using alkaline treatment and heating. Upon treatment with 1 M NaOH at 98°C for 20 min, over 98% of microbial cells in subseafloor sediment samples collected at different depths were disrupted. However, DNA integrity tests showed that such strong alkaline and heat treatment also cleaved DNA molecules into short fragments that could not be amplified by PCR. Subsequently, we optimized the alkaline and temperature conditions to minimize DNA fragmentation and retain high cell disruption efficiency. The best conditions produced a cell disruption rate of 50 to 80% in subseafloor sediment samples from various depths and retained sufficient DNA integrity for amplification of the complete 16S rRNA gene (i.e., ∼1,500 bp). The optimized method also yielded higher DNA concentrations in all samples tested compared with extractions using a conventional kit-based approach. Comparative molecular analysis using real-time PCR and pyrosequencing of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes showed that the new method produced an increase in archaeal DNA and its diversity, suggesting that it provides better analytical coverage of subseafloor microbial communities than conventional methods. PMID:24441163

  4. The role of remediation, natural alkalinity sources and physical stream parameters in stream recovery.

    PubMed

    Kruse, Natalie A; DeRose, Lisa; Korenowsky, Rebekah; Bowman, Jennifer R; Lopez, Dina; Johnson, Kelly; Rankin, Edward

    2013-10-15

    Acid mine drainage (AMD) negatively impacts not only stream chemistry, but also aquatic biology. The ultimate goal of AMD treatment is restoration of the biological community, but that goal is rarely explicit in treatment system design. Hewett Fork in Raccoon Creek Watershed, Ohio, has been impacted by historic coal mining and has been treated with a calcium oxide doser in the headwaters of the watershed since 2004. All of the acidic inputs are isolated to a 1.5 km stretch of stream in the headwaters of the Hewett Fork watershed. The macroinvertebrate and fish communities have begun to recover and it is possible to distinguish three zones downstream of the doser: an impaired zone, a transition zone and a recovered zone. Alkalinity from both the doser and natural sources and physical stream parameters play a role in stream restoration. In Hewett Fork, natural alkaline additions downstream are higher than those from the doser. Both, alkaline additions and stream velocity drive sediment and metal deposition. Metal deposition occurs in several patterns; aluminum tends to deposit in regions of low stream velocity, while iron tends to deposit once sufficient alkalinity is added to the system downstream of mining inputs. The majority of metal deposition occurs upstream of the recovered zone. Both the physical stream parameters and natural alkalinity sources influence biological recovery in treated AMD streams and should be considered in remediation plans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Characterization and quantification of biochar alkalinity.

    PubMed

    Fidel, Rivka B; Laird, David A; Thompson, Michael L; Lawrinenko, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Lack of knowledge regarding the nature of biochar alkalis has hindered understanding of pH-sensitive biochar-soil interactions. Here we investigate the nature of biochar alkalinity and present a cohesive suite of methods for its quantification. Biochars produced from cellulose, corn stover and wood feedstocks had significant low-pK a organic structural (0.03-0.34 meq g -1 ), other organic (0-0.92 meq g -1 ), carbonate (0.02-1.5 meq g -1 ), and other inorganic (0-0.26 meq g -1 ) alkalinities. All four categories of biochar alkalinity contributed to total biochar alkalinity and are therefore relevant to pH-sensitive soil processes. Total biochar alkalinity was strongly correlated with base cation concentration, but biochar alkalinity was not a simple function of elemental composition, soluble ash, fixed carbon, or volatile matter content. More research is needed to characterize soluble biochar alkalis other than carbonates and to establish predictive relationships among biochar production parameters and the composition of biochar alkalis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Effect of alkaline microwaving pretreatment on anaerobic digestion and biogas production of swine manure.

    PubMed

    Yu, Tao; Deng, Yihuan; Liu, Hongyu; Yang, Chunping; Wu, Bingwen; Zeng, Guangming; Lu, Li; Nishimura, Fumitake

    2017-05-10

    Microwave assisted with alkaline (MW-A) condition was applied in the pretreatment of swine manure, and the effect of the pretreatment on anaerobic treatment and biogas production was evaluated in this study. The two main microwaving (MW) parameters, microwaving power and reaction time, were optimized for the pretreatment. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of alkaline microwaving process for manure pretreatment at various values of pH and energy input. Results showed that the manure disintegration degree was maximized of 63.91% at energy input of 54 J/g and pH of 12.0, and variance analysis indicated that pH value played a more important role in the pretreatment than in energy input. Anaerobic digestion results demonstrated that MW-A pretreatment not only significantly increased cumulative biogas production, but also shortened the duration for a stable biogas production rate. Therefore, the alkaline microwaving pretreatment could become an alternative process for effective treatment of swine manure.

  7. 21 CFR 864.7660 - Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. 864.7660... Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. (a) Identification. A leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test is a device used to identify the enzyme leukocyte alkaline phosphatase in neutrophilic granulocytes (granular...

  8. 21 CFR 864.7660 - Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. 864.7660... Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. (a) Identification. A leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test is a device used to identify the enzyme leukocyte alkaline phosphatase in neutrophilic granulocytes (granular...

  9. 21 CFR 864.7660 - Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. 864.7660... Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test. (a) Identification. A leukocyte alkaline phosphatase test is a device used to identify the enzyme leukocyte alkaline phosphatase in neutrophilic granulocytes (granular...

  10. Sulfur-oxidizing autotrophic and mixotrophic denitrification processes for drinking water treatment: elimination of excess sulfate production and alkalinity requirement.

    PubMed

    Sahinkaya, Erkan; Dursun, Nesrin

    2012-09-01

    This study evaluated the elimination of alkalinity need and excess sulfate generation of sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification process by stimulating simultaneous autotrophic and heterotrophic (mixotrophic) denitrification process in a column bioreactor by methanol supplementation. Also, denitrification performances of sulfur-based autotrophic and mixotrophic processes were compared. In autotrophic process, acidity produced by denitrifying sulfur-oxidizing bacteria was neutralized by the external NaHCO(3) supplementation. After stimulating mixotrophic denitrification process, the alkalinity need of the autotrophic process was satisfied by the alkalinity produced by heterotrophic denitrifiers. Decreasing and lastly eliminating the external alkalinity supplementation did not adversely affect the process performance. Complete denitrification of 75 mg L(-1) NO(3)-N under mixotrophic conditions at 4 h hydraulic retention time was achieved without external alkalinity supplementation and with effluent sulfate concentration lower than the drinking water guideline value of 250 mg L(-1). The denitrification rate of mixotrophic process (0.45 g NO(3)-N L(-1) d(-1)) was higher than that of autotrophic one (0.3 g NO(3)-N L(-1) d(-1)). Batch studies showed that the sulfur-based autotrophic nitrate reduction rate increased with increasing initial nitrate concentration and transient accumulation of nitrite was observed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Induction of alkaline phosphatase in the inflamed intestine: a novel pharmacological target for inflammatory bowel disease.

    PubMed

    Sánchez de Medina, Fermín; Martínez-Augustin, Olga; González, Raquel; Ballester, Isabel; Nieto, Ana; Gálvez, Julio; Zarzuelo, Antonio

    2004-12-15

    This study demonstrates the upregulation of alkaline phosphatase and the mechanisms involved in experimental colitis. All models of ileal and colonic inflammation examined, which were characterized by significant oxidative stress and neutrophil infiltration, resulted in an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity which was attributable to both epithelial cells and cells of the lamina propria, mainly leukocytes. The increase in alkaline phosphatase sensitivity to the inhibitors levamisole and homoarginine, together with changes in the apparent molecular size and in the sialization of the enzyme, indicated a change in the isoform expressed. An increase in tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase expression was observed by Western blotting. Treatment with the bone/kidney alkaline phosphatase inhibitor levamisole or a monoclonal antibody resulted in significant protection from colonic inflammation. Taken together, these results indicate that the kidney isoform is a marker of intestinal inflammation and that it might even constitute a target for pharmacological intervention.

  12. Root Damage under Alkaline Stress Is Associated with Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.).

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Liu, Xiao-Long; Zhang, Rui-Xue; Yuan, Hai-Yan; Wang, Ming-Ming; Yang, Hao-Yu; Ma, Hong-Yuan; Liu, Duo; Jiang, Chang-Jie; Liang, Zheng-Wei

    2017-01-01

    Alkaline stress (high pH) severely damages root cells, and consequently, inhibits rice ( Oryza sativa L.) seedling growth. In this study, we demonstrate the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in root cells under alkaline stress. Seedlings of two rice cultivars with different alkaline tolerances, 'Dongdao-4' (moderately alkaline-tolerant) and 'Jiudao-51' (alkaline-sensitive), were subjected to alkaline stress simulated by 15 mM sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ). Alkaline stress greatly reduced seedling survival rate, shoot and root growth, and root vigor. Moreover, severe root cell damage was observed under alkaline stress, as shown by increased membrane injury, malondialdehyde accumulation, and Evan's Blue staining. The expression of the cell death-related genes OsKOD1 , OsHsr203j , OsCP1 , and OsNAC4 was consistently upregulated, while that of a cell death-suppressor gene, OsBI1 , was downregulated. Analysis of the ROS contents revealed that alkaline stress induced a marked accumulation of superoxide anions ([Formula: see text]) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in rice roots. The application of procyanidins (a potent antioxidant) to rice seedlings 24 h prior to alkaline treatment significantly alleviated alkalinity-induced root damage and promoted seedling growth inhibition, which were concomitant with reduced ROS accumulation. These results suggest that root cell damage, and consequently growth inhibition, of rice seedlings under alkaline stress is closely associated with ROS accumulation. The antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase increased under alkaline stress in the roots, probably in response to the cellular damage induced by oxidative stress. However, this response mechanism may be overwhelmed by the excess ROS accumulation observed under stress, resulting in oxidative damage to root cells. Our findings provide physiological insights into the molecular mechanisms of alkalinity-induced damage to

  13. Enhanced activity of Au-Fe/C anodic electrocatalyst for direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Lanhua; Wei, Wei; Zhao, Caixian; Tian, Li; Liu, Jing; Wang, Xianyou

    2015-07-01

    Carbon supported Au-Fe bimetallic nanocatalysts (Au-Fe/C) are facilely prepared via a modified NaBH4 reduction method in aqueous solution at room temperature, and used as the anode electrocatalyst of direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DBHFC). The physical and electrochemical properties of the Au-Fe/C electrocatalysts are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), rotating disc electrode (RDE) voltammetry, chronoamperometry (CA), chronopotentiometry (CP), and fuel cell test. The results show that Au-Fe/C catalysts display higher catalytic activity for the direct electrooxidation of BH4- than carbon supported pure Au nanocatalyst (Au/C), especially Au50Fe50/C catalyst presents the highest catalytic activity among all as-prepared catalysts. Besides, the single DBHFC with Au50Fe50/C anode and Au/C cathode obtains the maximum power density as high as 34.9 mW cm-2 at 25 °C.

  14. Nucleotide sequences encoding a thermostable alkaline protease

    DOEpatents

    Wilson, David B.; Lao, Guifang

    1998-01-01

    Nucleotide sequences, derived from a thermophilic actinomycete microorganism, which encode a thermostable alkaline protease are disclosed. Also disclosed are variants of the nucleotide sequences which encode a polypeptide having thermostable alkaline proteolytic activity. Recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide may be obtained by culturing in a medium a host cell genetically engineered to contain and express a nucleotide sequence according to the present invention, and recovering the recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide from the culture medium.

  15. ALT1, a Snf2 Family Chromatin Remodeling ATPase, Negatively Regulates Alkaline Tolerance through Enhanced Defense against Oxidative Stress in Rice

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Mingxin; Wang, Ruci; Wang, Juan; Hua, Kai; Wang, Yueming; Liu, Xiaoqiang; Yao, Shanguo

    2014-01-01

    Alkaline salt stress adversely affects rice growth, productivity and grain quality. However, the mechanism underlying this process remains elusive. We characterized here an alkaline tolerant mutant, alt1 in rice. Map-based cloning revealed that alt1 harbors a mutation in a chromatin remodeling ATPase gene. ALT1-RNAi transgenic plants under different genetic background mimicked the alt1 phenotype, exhibiting tolerance to alkaline stress in a transcript dosage-dependent manner. The predicted ALT1 protein belonged to the Ris1 subgroup of the Snf2 family and was localized in the nucleus, and transcription of ALT1 was transiently suppressed after alkaline treatment. Although the absorption of several metal ions maintained well in the mutant under alkaline stress, expression level of the genes involved in metal ions homeostasis was not altered in the alt1 mutant. Classification of differentially expressed abiotic stress related genes, as revealed by microarray analysis, found that the majority (50/78) were involved in ROS production, ROS scavenging, and DNA repair. This finding was further confirmed by that alt1 exhibited lower levels of H2O2 under alkaline stress and tolerance to methyl viologen treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that ALT1 negatively functions in alkaline tolerance mainly through the defense against oxidative damage, and provide a potential two-step strategy for improving the tolerance of rice plants to alkaline stress. PMID:25473841

  16. Carbon-encapsulated nickel-cobalt alloys nanoparticles fabricated via new post-treatment strategy for hydrogen evolution in alkaline media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Hailing; Youliwasi, Nuerguli; Zhao, Lei; Chai, Yongming; Liu, Chenguang

    2018-03-01

    This paper addresses a new post-treatment strategy for the formation of carbon-encapsulated nickel-cobalt alloys nanoparticles, which is easily controlled the performance of target products via changing precursor composition, calcination conditions (e.g., temperature and atmosphere) and post-treatment condition. Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified by the as-obtained carbon-encapsulated mono- and bi-transition metal nanoparticles exhibit excellent electro-catalytic activity for hydrogen production in alkaline water electrolysis. Especially, Ni0.4Co0.6@N-Cs800-b catalyst prepared at 800 °C under an argon flow exhibited the best electrocatalytic performance towards HER. The high HER activity of the Ni0.4Co0.6@N-Cs800-b modified electrode is related to the appropriate nickel-cobalt metal ratio with high crystallinity, complete and homogeneous carbon layers outside of the nickel-cobalt with high conductivity and the synergistic effect of nickel-cobalt alloys that also accelerate electron transfer process.

  17. Mathematical Modeling and Optimization Studies on Development of Fuel Cells for Multifarious Applications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-05-12

    multicomponent steady-state model for liquid -feed solid polymer electrolyte DBFCs. These fuel cells use sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in alkaline media...layers, diffusion layers and the polymer electrolyte membrane for a liquid feed DBFC. Diffusion of reactants within and between the pores is accounted...projected for futuristic portable applications. In this project we developed a three- dimensional, multicomponent steady-state model for liquid -feed solid

  18. Redistribution of wastewater alkalinity with a microbial fuel cell to support nitrification of reject water.

    PubMed

    Modin, Oskar; Fukushi, Kensuke; Rabaey, Korneel; Rozendal, René A; Yamamoto, Kazuo

    2011-04-01

    In wastewater treatment plants, the reject water from the sludge treatment processes typically contains high ammonium concentrations, which constitute a significant internal nitrogen load in the plant. Often, a separate nitrification reactor is used to treat the reject water before it is fed back into the plant. The nitrification reaction consumes alkalinity, which has to be replenished by dosing e.g. NaOH or Ca(OH)(2). In this study, we investigated the use of a two-compartment microbial fuel cell (MFC) to redistribute alkalinity from influent wastewater to support nitrification of reject water. In an MFC, alkalinity is consumed in the anode compartment and produced in the cathode compartment. We use this phenomenon and the fact that the influent wastewater flow is many times larger than the reject water flow to transfer alkalinity from the influent wastewater to the reject water. In a laboratory-scale system, ammonium oxidation of synthetic reject water passed through the cathode chamber of an MFC, increased from 73.8 ± 8.9 mgN/L under open-circuit conditions to 160.1 ± 4.8 mgN/L when a current of 1.96 ± 0.37 mA (15.1 mA/L total MFC liquid volume) was flowing through the MFC. These results demonstrated the positive effect of an MFC on ammonium oxidation of alkalinity-limited reject water. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Systemic and local effects of long-term exposure to alkaline drinking water in rats

    PubMed Central

    Merne, Marina ET; Syrjänen, Kari J; Syrjänen, Stina M

    2001-01-01

    Alkaline conditions in the oral cavity may be caused by a variety of stimuli, including tobacco products, antacids, alkaline drinking water or bicarbonate toothpaste. The effects of alkaline pH on oral mucosa have not been systematically studied. To assess the systemic (organ) and local (oral mucosal) effects of alkalinity, drinking water supplemented with Ca(OH)2 or NaOH, with pH 11.2 or 12 was administered to rats (n = 36) for 52 weeks. Tissues were subjected to histopathological examination; oral mucosal biopsy samples were also subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses for pankeratin, CK19, CK5, CK4, PCNA, ICAM-1, CD44, CD68, S-100, HSP 60, HSP70, and HSP90. At completion of the study, animals in the study groups had lower body weights (up to 29% less) than controls despite equal food and water intake, suggesting a systemic response to the alkaline treatment. The lowest body weight was found in rats exposed to water with the highest pH value and starting the experiment when young (6 weeks). No histological changes attributable to alkaline exposure occurred in the oral mucosa or other tissues studied. Alkaline exposure did not affect cell proliferation in the oral epithelium, as shown by the equal expression of PCNA in groups. The up-regulation of HSP70 protein expression in the oral mucosa of rats exposed to alkaline water, especially Ca(OH)2 treated rats, may indicate a protective response. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) positivity was lost in 6/12 rats treated with Ca(OH)2 with pH 11.2, and loss of CD44 expression was seen in 3/6 rats in both study groups exposed to alkaline water with pH 12. The results suggest that the oral mucosa in rats is resistant to the effects of highly alkaline drinking water. However, high alkalinity may have some unknown systemic effects leading to growth retardation, the cause of which remains to be determined. PMID:11493345

  20. Systemic and local effects of long-term exposure to alkaline drinking water in rats.

    PubMed

    Merne, M E; Syrjänen, K J; Syrjänen, S M

    2001-08-01

    Alkaline conditions in the oral cavity may be caused by a variety of stimuli, including tobacco products, antacids, alkaline drinking water or bicarbonate toothpaste. The effects of alkaline pH on oral mucosa have not been systematically studied. To assess the systemic (organ) and local (oral mucosal) effects of alkalinity, drinking water supplemented with Ca(OH)2 or NaOH, with pH 11.2 or 12 was administered to rats (n = 36) for 52 weeks. Tissues were subjected to histopathological examination; oral mucosal biopsy samples were also subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses for pankeratin, CK19, CK5, CK4, PCNA, ICAM-1, CD44, CD68, S-100, HSP 60, HSP70, and HSP90. At completion of the study, animals in the study groups had lower body weights (up to 29% less) than controls despite equal food and water intake, suggesting a systemic response to the alkaline treatment. The lowest body weight was found in rats exposed to water with the highest pH value and starting the experiment when young (6 weeks). No histological changes attributable to alkaline exposure occurred in the oral mucosa or other tissues studied. Alkaline exposure did not affect cell proliferation in the oral epithelium, as shown by the equal expression of PCNA in groups. The up-regulation of HSP70 protein expression in the oral mucosa of rats exposed to alkaline water, especially Ca(OH)2 treated rats, may indicate a protective response. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) positivity was lost in 6/12 rats treated with Ca(OH)2 with pH 11.2, and loss of CD44 expression was seen in 3/6 rats in both study groups exposed to alkaline water with pH 12. The results suggest that the oral mucosa in rats is resistant to the effects of highly alkaline drinking water. However, high alkalinity may have some unknown systemic effects leading to growth retardation, the cause of which remains to be determined.

  1. Evaluation of High Solids Alkaline Pretreatment of Rice Straw

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Yu-Shen; Zheng, Yi; Yu, Chao Wei; Dooley, Todd M.; Jenkins, Bryan M.

    2010-01-01

    Fresh-harvested, air-dried rice straw was pretreated at a water content of 5 g H2O/g straw using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and compared to pretreatment at 10 g H2O/g straw by hydrated lime (Ca(OH)2). Full factorial experiments including parallel wash-only treatments were completed with both sources of alkali. The experiments were designed to measure the effects of alkaline loading and pretreatment time on delignification and sugar yield upon enzymatic hydrolysis. Reaction temperature was held constant at 95°C for lime pretreatment and 55°C for NaOH pretreatment. The range of delignification was 13.1% to 27.0% for lime pretreatments and was 8.6% to 23.1% for NaOH pretreatments. Both alkaline loading and reaction time had significant positive effects (p < 0.001) on delignification under the design conditions, but only alkaline loading had a significant positive effect on enzymatic hydrolysis. Treatment at higher temperature also improved delignification; delignification with water alone ranged from 9.9% to 14.5% for pretreatment at 95°C, but there was little effect observed at 55°C. Post-pretreatment washing of biomass was not necessary for subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Maximum glucose yields were 176.3 mg/g dried biomass (48.5% conversion efficiency of total glucose) in lime-pretreated and unwashed biomass and were 142.3 mg/g dried biomass (39.2% conversion efficiency of total glucose) in NaOH-pretreated and unwashed biomass. PMID:20440580

  2. Nucleotide sequences encoding a thermostable alkaline protease

    DOEpatents

    Wilson, D.B.; Lao, G.

    1998-01-06

    Nucleotide sequences, derived from a thermophilic actinomycete microorganism, which encode a thermostable alkaline protease are disclosed. Also disclosed are variants of the nucleotide sequences which encode a polypeptide having thermostable alkaline proteolytic activity. Recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide may be obtained by culturing in a medium a host cell genetically engineered to contain and express a nucleotide sequence according to the present invention, and recovering the recombinant thermostable alkaline protease or recombinant polypeptide from the culture medium. 3 figs.

  3. High performance polymer chemical hydrogel-based electrode binder materials for direct borohydride fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choudhury, Nurul A.; Ma, Jia; Sahai, Yogeshwar; Buchheit, Rudolph G.

    Novel, cost-effective, high-performance, and environment-friendly electrode binders, comprising polyvinyl alcohol chemical hydrogel (PCH) and chitosan chemical hydrogel (CCH), are reported for direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs). PCH and CCH binders-based electrodes have been fabricated using a novel, simple, cost-effective, time-effective, and environmentally benign technique. Morphologies and electrochemical performance in DBFCs of the chemical hydrogel binder-based electrodes have been compared with those of Nafion ® binder-based electrodes. Relationships between the performance of binders in DBFCs with structural features of the polymers and the polymer-based chemical hydrogels are discussed. The CCH binder exhibited better performance than a Nafion ® binder whereas the PCH binder exhibited comparable performance to Nafion ® in DBFCs operating at elevated cell temperatures. The better performance of CCH binder at higher operating cell temperatures has been ascribed to the hydrophilic nature and water retention characteristics of chitosan. DBFCs employing CCH binder-based electrodes and a Nafion ®-117 membrane as an electrolyte exhibited a maximum peak power density of about 589 mW cm -2 at 70 °C.

  4. Silver nanoparticles-containing dual-function hydrogels based on a guar gum-sodium borohydride system

    PubMed Central

    Dai, Lei; Nadeau, Ben; An, Xingye; Cheng, Dong; Long, Zhu; Ni, Yonghao

    2016-01-01

    Dual-function hydrogels, possessing both stimuli-responsive and self-healing properties, have recently attracted attention of both chemists and materials scientists. Here we report a new paradigm using natural polymer (guar gum, GG) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4), for the preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-containing smart hydrogels in a simple, fast and economical way. NaBH4 performs as a reducing agent for AgNPs synthesis using silver nitrate (AgNO3) as the precursor. Meanwhile, sodium metaborate (NaBO2) (from NaBH4) behaves as a cross-linking agent between GG molecular chains. The AgNPs/GG hydrogels with excellent viscoelastic properties can be obtained within 3 min at room temperature without the addition of other cross-linkers. The resultant AgNPs/GG hydrogels are flowable and injectable, and they possess excellent pH/thermal responsive properties. Additionally, they exhibit rapid self-healing capacity. This work introduces a facile and scale-up way to prepare a class of hydrogels that can have great potential to biomedical and other industrial applications. PMID:27819289

  5. Effects of prolonged exposure to moderate static magnetic field and its synergistic effects with alkaline pH on Enterococcus faecalis.

    PubMed

    Fan, Wei; Huang, Zhuo; Fan, Bing

    2018-02-01

    Static magnetic field (SMF) has been shown to biologically affect various microorganisms, but its effects on Enterococcus faecalis, which is associated with multiple dental infections, have not been reported yet. Besides, Enterococcus faecalis was found to be resistant to the alkaline environment provided by a major dental antimicrobial, calcium hydroxide. Therefore, the antibacterial activity of prolonged exposure to moderate SMF (170 mT) and its possible synergistic activity with alkaline pH (pH = 9) were evaluated in the study. The ability to form a biofilm under these conditions was examined by crystal violet assay. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to evaluate the relative expression of stress (dnaK and groEL) and virulence (efaA, ace, gelE and fsrC) related genes. As the results indicated, cell proliferation was inhibited after 120 h of SMF exposure. What's more, the combined treatment of SMF and alkaline pH showed significantly improved antimicrobial action when compared to single SMF and alkaline pH treatment for more than 24 h and 72 h respectively. However, the ability to form a biofilm was also enhanced under SMF and alkaline pH treatments. SMF can induce stress response by up-regulating the expression of dnaK and elevate virulence gene expression (efaA and ace). These responses were more significant and more genes were up-regulated including groEL, gelE and fsrC when exposed to SMF and alkaline pH simultaneously. Hence, combination of SMF and alkaline pH could be a promising disinfection strategy in dental area and other areas associated with Enterococcus faecalis infections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Evaluation of Alkaline Cleaner Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Partz, Earl

    1998-01-01

    Alkaline cleaners used to process aluminum substrates have contained chromium as the corrosion inhibitor. Chromium is a hazardous substance whose use and control are described by environmental laws. Replacement materials that have the characteristics of chromated alkaline cleaners need to be found that address both the cleaning requirements and environmental impacts. This report will review environmentally friendly candidates evaluated as non-chromium alkaline cleaner replacements and methods used to compare those candidates one versus another. The report will also list characteristics used to select candidates based on their declared contents. It will also describe and evaluate methods used to discriminate among the large number of prospective candidates.

  7. Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Regulates Tight Junction Protein Levels

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Wei; Hu, Dong; Huo, Haizhong; Zhang, Weifeng; Adiliaghdam, Fatemeh; Morrison, Sarah; Ramirez, Juan M; Gul, Sarah S; Hamarneh, Sulaiman R; Hodin, Richard A

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) plays a pivotal role in maintaining gut health and well-being. Oral supplementation with IAP in mice improves gut barrier function and prevents luminal proinflammatory factors from gaining access to the circulation. In this study, we sought to explore the relationship between IAP and tight junction protein (TJP) expression and function. STUDY DESIGN The effect of IAP deletion on TJP levels was studied in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) generated from IAP-knockout and wild type mice. Regulation of TJPs by IAP was assayed in the human colon cancer Caco-2 and T84 cells by overexpressing the human IAP gene. Tight junction protein levels and localization were measured by using RT q-PCR and antibodies targeting the specific TJPs. Finally, the effect of IAP on inflammation-induced intestinal permeability was measured by in vitro trans-well epithelial electrical resistance (TEER). RESULTS Intestinal alkaline phosphatase gene deletion in MEFs resulted in significantly lower levels of ZO-1, ZO-2, and Occludin compared with levels in wild-type control cells; IAP over-expression in Caco-2 and T84 cells resulted in approximate 2-fold increases in the mRNA levels of ZO-1 and ZO-2. The IAP treatment ameliorated lipopolysaccharide-induced increased permeability in the Caco-2 trans-well system. Furthermore, IAP treatment preserved the localization of the ZO-1 and Occludin proteins during inflammation and was also associated with improved epithelial barrier function. CONCLUSIONS Intestinal alkaline phosphatase is a major regulator of gut mucosal permeability and appears to work at least partly through improving TJP levels and localization. These data provide a strong foundation to develop IAP as a novel therapy to maintain gut barrier function. PMID:27106638

  8. Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Regulates Tight Junction Protein Levels.

    PubMed

    Liu, Wei; Hu, Dong; Huo, Haizhong; Zhang, Weifeng; Adiliaghdam, Fatemeh; Morrison, Sarah; Ramirez, Juan M; Gul, Sarah S; Hamarneh, Sulaiman R; Hodin, Richard A

    2016-06-01

    Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) plays a pivotal role in maintaining gut health and well-being. Oral supplementation with IAP in mice improves gut barrier function and prevents luminal proinflammatory factors from gaining access to the circulation. In this study, we sought to explore the relationship between IAP and tight junction protein (TJP) expression and function. The effect of IAP deletion on TJP levels was studied in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) generated from IAP-knockout and wild type mice. Regulation of TJPs by IAP was assayed in the human colon cancer Caco-2 and T84 cells by overexpressing the human IAP gene. Tight junction protein levels and localization were measured by using RT q-PCR and antibodies targeting the specific TJPs. Finally, the effect of IAP on inflammation-induced intestinal permeability was measured by in vitro trans-well epithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Intestinal alkaline phosphatase gene deletion in MEFs resulted in significantly lower levels of ZO-1, ZO-2, and Occludin compared with levels in wild-type control cells; IAP overexpression in Caco-2 and T84 cells resulted in approximate 2-fold increases in the mRNA levels of ZO-1 and ZO-2. The IAP treatment ameliorated lipopolysaccharide-induced increased permeability in the Caco-2 trans-well system. Furthermore, IAP treatment preserved the localization of the ZO-1 and Occludin proteins during inflammation and was also associated with improved epithelial barrier function. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase is a major regulator of gut mucosal permeability and appears to work at least partly through improving TJP levels and localization. These data provide a strong foundation to develop IAP as a novel therapy to maintain gut barrier function. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Microscale Interface Synthesis of Ni-B Amorphous Nanoparticles from NiSO4 by Sodium Borohydride Reduction in Microreactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Lei; Peng, Jinhui; Meng, Binfang; Li, Wei; Liu, Bingguo; Luo, Huilong

    2016-09-01

    Amorphous nanoparticles have attracted a large amount of interest due to their superior catalytic activity and unique selectivity. The Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles were synthesized from aqueous reduction of NiSO4 by sodium borohydride in microscale interface at room temperature. The size, morphology, elemental compositions, and the chemical composition on the surface of Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All the results showed that the synthesized particles are Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles with uniform in size distribution and having good dispersion. The mean particle diameter of Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles was around 9 nm. The present work provides an alternative synthesis route for the Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles.

  10. Root Damage under Alkaline Stress Is Associated with Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Hui; Liu, Xiao-Long; Zhang, Rui-Xue; Yuan, Hai-Yan; Wang, Ming-Ming; Yang, Hao-Yu; Ma, Hong-Yuan; Liu, Duo; Jiang, Chang-Jie; Liang, Zheng-Wei

    2017-01-01

    Alkaline stress (high pH) severely damages root cells, and consequently, inhibits rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling growth. In this study, we demonstrate the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in root cells under alkaline stress. Seedlings of two rice cultivars with different alkaline tolerances, ‘Dongdao-4’ (moderately alkaline-tolerant) and ‘Jiudao-51’ (alkaline-sensitive), were subjected to alkaline stress simulated by 15 mM sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Alkaline stress greatly reduced seedling survival rate, shoot and root growth, and root vigor. Moreover, severe root cell damage was observed under alkaline stress, as shown by increased membrane injury, malondialdehyde accumulation, and Evan’s Blue staining. The expression of the cell death-related genes OsKOD1, OsHsr203j, OsCP1, and OsNAC4 was consistently upregulated, while that of a cell death-suppressor gene, OsBI1, was downregulated. Analysis of the ROS contents revealed that alkaline stress induced a marked accumulation of superoxide anions (O2•-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in rice roots. The application of procyanidins (a potent antioxidant) to rice seedlings 24 h prior to alkaline treatment significantly alleviated alkalinity-induced root damage and promoted seedling growth inhibition, which were concomitant with reduced ROS accumulation. These results suggest that root cell damage, and consequently growth inhibition, of rice seedlings under alkaline stress is closely associated with ROS accumulation. The antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase increased under alkaline stress in the roots, probably in response to the cellular damage induced by oxidative stress. However, this response mechanism may be overwhelmed by the excess ROS accumulation observed under stress, resulting in oxidative damage to root cells. Our findings provide physiological insights into the molecular mechanisms of alkalinity-induced damage to root cells, and

  11. Potential benefits of pH 8.8 alkaline drinking water as an adjunct in the treatment of reflux disease.

    PubMed

    Koufman, Jamie A; Johnston, Nikki

    2012-07-01

    At the cellular level, tissue-bound pepsin is fundamental to the pathophysiologic mechanism of reflux disease, and although the thresholds for laryngeal damage in laryngopharyngeal reflux and for esophageal damage in gastroesophageal reflux disease differ, both forms of damage are due to pepsin, which requires acid for its activation. In addition, human pepsin remains stable at pH 7.4 and may be reactivated by hydrogen ions from any source. Thus, most tap and bottled waters (typically pH 6.7 to 7.4) would not be expected to affect pepsin stability. The purposes of these in vitro studies were to investigate whether artesian well water containing natural bicarbonate (pH 8.8) might irreversibly denature (inactivate) human pepsin, and to establish its potential acid-buffering capacity. Laboratory studies were performed to determine whether human pepsin was inactivated by pH 8.8 alkaline water. In addition, the buffering capacity of the alkaline water was measured and compared to that of the two most popular commercially available bottled waters. The pH 8.8 alkaline water irreversibly inactivated human pepsin (in vitro), and its hydrochloric acid-buffering capacity far exceeded that of the conventional-pH waters. Unlike conventional drinking water, pH 8.8 alkaline water instantly denatures pepsin, rendering it permanently inactive. In addition, it has good acid-buffering capacity. Thus, the consumption of alkaline water may have therapeutic benefits for patients with reflux disease.

  12. Treatment of PCR products with exonuclease I and heat-labile alkaline phosphatase improves the visibility of combined bisulfite restriction analysis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Watanabe, Kousuke; Emoto, Noriko; Sunohara, Mitsuhiro

    2010-08-27

    Research highlights: {yields} Incubating PCR products at a high temperature causes smears in gel electrophoresis. {yields} Smears interfere with the interpretation of methylation analysis using COBRA. {yields} Treatment with exonuclease I and heat-labile alkaline phosphatase eliminates smears. {yields} The elimination of smears improves the visibility of COBRA. -- Abstract: DNA methylation plays a vital role in the regulation of gene expression. Abnormal promoter hypermethylation is an important mechanism of inactivating tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. Combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) is a widely used method for identifying the DNA methylation of specific CpG sites. Here, we report that exonucleasemore » I and heat-labile alkaline phosphatase can be used for PCR purification for COBRA, improving the visibility of gel electrophoresis after restriction digestion. This improvement is observed when restriction digestion is performed at a high temperature, such as 60 {sup o}C or 65 {sup o}C, with BstUI and TaqI, respectively. This simple method can be applied instead of DNA purification using spin columns or phenol/chloroform extraction. It can also be applied to other situations when PCR products are digested by thermophile-derived restriction enzymes, such as PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis.« less

  13. Preparation by alkaline treatment and detailed characterisation of empty hepatitis B virus core particles for vaccine and gene therapy applications.

    PubMed

    Strods, Arnis; Ose, Velta; Bogans, Janis; Cielens, Indulis; Kalnins, Gints; Radovica, Ilze; Kazaks, Andris; Pumpens, Paul; Renhofa, Regina

    2015-06-26

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) are one of the most powerful protein engineering tools utilised to expose immunological epitopes and/or cell-targeting signals and for the packaging of genetic material and immune stimulatory sequences. Although HBc VLPs and their numerous derivatives are produced in highly efficient bacterial and yeast expression systems, the existing purification and packaging protocols are not sufficiently optimised and standardised. Here, a simple alkaline treatment method was employed for the complete removal of internal RNA from bacteria- and yeast-produced HBc VLPs and for the conversion of these VLPs into empty particles, without any damage to the VLP structure. The empty HBc VLPs were able to effectively package the added DNA and RNA sequences. Furthermore, the alkaline hydrolysis technology appeared efficient for the purification and packaging of four different HBc variants carrying lysine residues on the HBc VLP spikes. Utilising the introduced lysine residues and the intrinsic aspartic and glutamic acid residues exposed on the tips of the HBc spikes for chemical coupling of the chosen peptide and/or nucleic acid sequences ensured a standard and easy protocol for the further development of versatile HBc VLP-based vaccine and gene therapy applications.

  14. Preparation by alkaline treatment and detailed characterisation of empty hepatitis B virus core particles for vaccine and gene therapy applications

    PubMed Central

    Strods, Arnis; Ose, Velta; Bogans, Janis; Cielens, Indulis; Kalnins, Gints; Radovica, Ilze; Kazaks, Andris; Pumpens, Paul; Renhofa, Regina

    2015-01-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) are one of the most powerful protein engineering tools utilised to expose immunological epitopes and/or cell-targeting signals and for the packaging of genetic material and immune stimulatory sequences. Although HBc VLPs and their numerous derivatives are produced in highly efficient bacterial and yeast expression systems, the existing purification and packaging protocols are not sufficiently optimised and standardised. Here, a simple alkaline treatment method was employed for the complete removal of internal RNA from bacteria- and yeast-produced HBc VLPs and for the conversion of these VLPs into empty particles, without any damage to the VLP structure. The empty HBc VLPs were able to effectively package the added DNA and RNA sequences. Furthermore, the alkaline hydrolysis technology appeared efficient for the purification and packaging of four different HBc variants carrying lysine residues on the HBc VLP spikes. Utilising the introduced lysine residues and the intrinsic aspartic and glutamic acid residues exposed on the tips of the HBc spikes for chemical coupling of the chosen peptide and/or nucleic acid sequences ensured a standard and easy protocol for the further development of versatile HBc VLP-based vaccine and gene therapy applications. PMID:26113394

  15. Preparation by alkaline treatment and detailed characterisation of empty hepatitis B virus core particles for vaccine and gene therapy applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strods, Arnis; Ose, Velta; Bogans, Janis; Cielens, Indulis; Kalnins, Gints; Radovica, Ilze; Kazaks, Andris; Pumpens, Paul; Renhofa, Regina

    2015-06-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) are one of the most powerful protein engineering tools utilised to expose immunological epitopes and/or cell-targeting signals and for the packaging of genetic material and immune stimulatory sequences. Although HBc VLPs and their numerous derivatives are produced in highly efficient bacterial and yeast expression systems, the existing purification and packaging protocols are not sufficiently optimised and standardised. Here, a simple alkaline treatment method was employed for the complete removal of internal RNA from bacteria- and yeast-produced HBc VLPs and for the conversion of these VLPs into empty particles, without any damage to the VLP structure. The empty HBc VLPs were able to effectively package the added DNA and RNA sequences. Furthermore, the alkaline hydrolysis technology appeared efficient for the purification and packaging of four different HBc variants carrying lysine residues on the HBc VLP spikes. Utilising the introduced lysine residues and the intrinsic aspartic and glutamic acid residues exposed on the tips of the HBc spikes for chemical coupling of the chosen peptide and/or nucleic acid sequences ensured a standard and easy protocol for the further development of versatile HBc VLP-based vaccine and gene therapy applications.

  16. Increased river alkalinization in the Eastern U.S.

    PubMed

    Kaushal, Sujay S; Likens, Gene E; Utz, Ryan M; Pace, Michael L; Grese, Melissa; Yepsen, Metthea

    2013-09-17

    The interaction between human activities and watershed geology is accelerating long-term changes in the carbon cycle of rivers. We evaluated changes in bicarbonate alkalinity, a product of chemical weathering, and tested for long-term trends at 97 sites in the eastern United States draining over 260,000 km(2). We observed statistically significant increasing trends in alkalinity at 62 of the 97 sites, while remaining sites exhibited no significant decreasing trends. Over 50% of study sites also had statistically significant increasing trends in concentrations of calcium (another product of chemical weathering) where data were available. River alkalinization rates were significantly related to watershed carbonate lithology, acid deposition, and topography. These three variables explained ~40% of variation in river alkalinization rates. The strongest predictor of river alkalinization rates was carbonate lithology. The most rapid rates of river alkalinization occurred at sites with highest inputs of acid deposition and highest elevation. The rise of alkalinity in many rivers throughout the Eastern U.S. suggests human-accelerated chemical weathering, in addition to previously documented impacts of mining and land use. Increased river alkalinization has major environmental implications including impacts on water hardness and salinization of drinking water, alterations of air-water exchange of CO2, coastal ocean acidification, and the influence of bicarbonate availability on primary production.

  17. Colloidal Au and Au-alloy catalysts for direct borohydride fuel cells: Electrocatalysis and fuel cell performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Atwan, Mohammed H.; Macdonald, Charles L. B.; Northwood, Derek O.; Gyenge, Elod L.

    Supported colloidal Au and Au-alloys (Au-Pt and Au-Pd, 1:1 atomic ratio) on Vulcan XC-72 (with 20 wt% metal load) were prepared by the Bönneman method. The electrocatalytic activity of the colloidal metals with respect to borohydride electro-oxidation for fuel cell applications was investigated by voltammetry on static and rotating electrodes, chronoamperometry, chronopotentiometry and fuel cell experiments. The fundamental electrochemical techniques showed that alloying Au, a metal that leads to the maximum eight-electron oxidation of BH 4 -, with Pd or Pt, well-known catalysts of dehydrogenation reactions, improved the electrode kinetics of BH 4 - oxidation. Fuel cell experiments corroborated the kinetic studies. Using 5 mg cm -2 colloidal metal load on the anode, it was found that Au-Pt was the most active catalyst giving a cell voltage of 0.47 V at 100 mA cm -2 and 333 K, while under identical conditions the cell voltage using colloidal Au was 0.17 V.

  18. Thermo-alkaline Treatment as a Practical Degradation Strategy To Reduce Indospicine Contamination in Camel Meat.

    PubMed

    Tan, Eddie T T; Yong, Ken W L; Wong, Siew-Hoon; D'Arcy, Bruce R; Al Jassim, Rafat; De Voss, James J; Fletcher, Mary T

    2016-11-09

    Ingestion of indospicine-contaminated camel and horse meat has caused fatal liver injury to dogs in Australia, and it is currently not known if such contaminated meat may pose a human health risk upon dietary exposure. To date, indospicine-related research has tended to focus on analytical aspects, with little information on post-harvest management of indospicine-contaminated meat. In this study, indospicine degradation was investigated in both aqueous solution and also contaminated meat, under a range of conditions. Aqueous solutions of indospicine and indospicine-contaminated camel meat were microwaved (180 °C) or autoclaved (121 °C) with the addition of food-grade additives [0.05% (v/v) acetic acid or 0.05% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate] for 0, 15, 30, and 60 min. An aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution demonstrated the greatest efficacy in degrading indospicine, with complete degradation after 15 min of heating in a microwave or autoclave; concomitant formation of indospicine degradation products, namely, 2-aminopimelamic and 2-aminopimelic acids, was observed. Similar treatment of indospicine-contaminated camel meat with aqueous sodium bicarbonate resulted in 50% degradation after 15 min of heating in an autoclave and 100% degradation after 15 min of heating in a microwave. The results suggest that thermo-alkaline aqueous treatment has potential as a pragmatic post-harvest handling technique in reducing indospicine levels in indospicine-contaminated meat.

  19. Binary Solvent Extraction of Tocols, γ-Oryzanol, and Ferulic Acid from Rice Bran Using Alkaline Treatment Combined with Ultrasonication.

    PubMed

    Truong, Hoa Thi; Luu, Phuong Duc; Imamura, Kiyoshi; Matsubara, Takeo; Takahashi, Hideki; Takenaka, Norimichi; Boi, Luu Van; Maeda, Yasuaki

    2017-06-21

    Alkaline treatment (Alk) combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) (Alk+UAE) was examined as a means of extracting tocols and γ-oryzanol from rice bran into an organic phase while simultaneously recovering ferulic acid into an aqueous phase. The tocols and γ-oryzanol/ferulic acid yields were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence and UV detection. The effects of extraction conditions were evaluated by varying the Alk treatment temperature and extraction duration. The maximum yields of tocols and γ-oryzanol were obtained at 25 °C over a time span of 30 min. When the temperature was increased to 80 °C, the yield of ferulic acid increased dramatically, whereas the recovery of γ-oryzanol slightly decreased. Employing the Alk+UAE procedure, the recovered concentrations of tocols, γ-oryzanol, and ferulic acid were in the ranges of 146-518, 1591-3629, and 352-970 μg/g, respectively. These results are in good agreement with those reported for rice bran samples from Thailand.

  20. Identification and characterization of miRNAs and targets in flax (Linum usitatissimum) under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses.

    PubMed

    Yu, Ying; Wu, Guangwen; Yuan, Hongmei; Cheng, Lili; Zhao, Dongsheng; Huang, Wengong; Zhang, Shuquan; Zhang, Liguo; Chen, Hongyu; Zhang, Jian; Guan, Fengzhi

    2016-05-27

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in responses to biotic and abiotic stress and have been characterized in a large number of plant species. Although flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most important fiber and oil crops worldwide, no reports have been published describing flax miRNAs (Lus-miRNAs) induced in response to saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. In this work, combined small RNA and degradome deep sequencing was used to analyze flax libraries constructed after alkaline-salt stress (AS2), neutral salt stress (NSS), alkaline stress (AS), and the non-stressed control (CK). From the CK, AS, AS2, and NSS libraries, a total of 118, 119, 122, and 120 known Lus-miRNAs and 233, 213, 211, and 212 novel Lus-miRNAs were isolated, respectively. After assessment of differential expression profiles, 17 known Lus-miRNAs and 36 novel Lus-miRNAs were selected and used to predict putative target genes. Gene ontology term enrichment analysis revealed target genes that were involved in responses to stimuli, including signaling and catalytic activity. Eight Lus-miRNAs were selected for analysis using qRT-PCR to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the miRNA-seq results. The qRT-PCR results showed that changes in stress-induced expression profiles of these miRNAs mirrored expression trends observed using miRNA-seq. Degradome sequencing and transcriptome profiling showed that expression of 29 miRNA-target pairs displayed inverse expression patterns under saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stresses. From the target prediction analysis, the miR398a-targeted gene codes for a copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, and the miR530 has been shown to explicitly target WRKY family transcription factors, which suggesting that these two micRNAs and their targets may significant involve in the saline, alkaline, and saline-alkaline stress response in flax. Identification and characterization of flax miRNAs, their target genes, functional annotations, and gene

  1. Posttranslational heterogeneity of bone alkaline phosphatase in metabolic bone disease.

    PubMed

    Langlois, M R; Delanghe, J R; Kaufman, J M; De Buyzere, M L; Van Hoecke, M J; Leroux-Roels, G G

    1994-09-01

    Bone alkaline phosphatase is a marker of osteoblast activity. In order to study the posttranscriptional modification (glycosylation) of bone alkaline phosphatase in bone disease, we investigated the relationship between mass and catalytic activity of bone alkaline phosphatase in patients with osteoporosis and hyperthyroidism. Serum bone alkaline phosphatase activity was measured after lectin precipitation using the Iso-ALP test kit. Mass concentration of bone alkaline phosphatase was determined with an immunoradiometric assay (Tandem-R Ostase). In general, serum bone alkaline phosphatase mass and activity concentration correlated well. The activity : mass ratio of bone alkaline phosphatase was low in hyperthyroidism. Activation energy of the reaction catalysed by bone alkaline phosphatase was high in osteoporosis and in hyperthyroidism. Experiments with neuraminidase digestion further demonstrated that the thermodynamic heterogeneity of bone alkaline phosphatase can be explained by a different glycosylation of the enzyme.

  2. Bovine Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Reduces Inflammation After Induction of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Mice.

    PubMed

    Fiechter, Danielle; Kats, Suzanne; Brands, Ruud; van Middelaar, Ben; Pasterkamp, Gerard; de Kleijn, Dominique; Seinen, Willem

    2011-10-01

    There has been increasing evidence suggesting that lipopolysaccharide or endotoxin may be an important activator of the innate immune system after acute myocardial infarction. Bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase reduces inflammation in several endotoxin mediated diseases by dephosphorylation of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase on reducing inflammation after acute myocardial infarction. Just before permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) artery to induce acute myocardial infarction in Balb/c mice, bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase (bIAP) was administrated intravenously. After 4 hours, mice were sacrificed and the inflammatory response was assessed. Acute myocardial infarction induced the production of different cytokines, which were measured in blood. Treatment with bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase resulted in a significant reduction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β and the chymase mouse mast cell protease-1. No difference in the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was observed between the control group and the bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase treated group. In a mouse model of permanent LAD coronary artery ligation, bIAP diminishes the pro-inflammatory responses but does not have an effect on the anti-inflammatory response in the acute phase after acute myocardial infarction.

  3. Alkaline polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cell applications.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yan-Jie; Qiao, Jinli; Baker, Ryan; Zhang, Jiujun

    2013-07-07

    In this review, we examine the most recent progress and research trends in the area of alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) development in terms of material selection, synthesis, characterization, and theoretical approach, as well as their fabrication into alkaline PEM-based membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) and the corresponding performance/durability in alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Respective advantages and challenges are also reviewed. To overcome challenges hindering alkaline PEM technology advancement and commercialization, several research directions are then proposed.

  4. Deciphering the protective role of spermidine against saline-alkaline stress at physiological and proteomic levels in tomato.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Hao; Zou, Zhi-Rong; Liu, Yi; Hu, Xiao-Hui

    2015-02-01

    In this research, the protective effect of spermidine (Spd) in mitigating saline-alkaline stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) at physiological and proteomic levels were examined. The results showed that saline-alkaline stress induced accumulation of H2O2 and O2(-*), and increased the activities of antioxidase (SOD, CAT, and POD). Spermidine efficiently alleviated the inhibitory role of saline-alkaline on plant growth and inhibited saline-alkaline stress-induced H2O2 and O2(-*) accumulation. Proteomics investigations of the leaves of tomato seedlings, responding to a 75 mM saline-alkaline solution and 0.25 mM Spd, were performed. Maps of the proteome of leaf extracts were obtained by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. An average of 49, 47 and 34 spots, which appeared repeatedly and that significantly altered the relative amounts of polypeptides by more than twofold, were detected for seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solution (S) compared to normal solution (CK), saline-alkaline plus spermidine (MS) compared to CK, or S versus MS, respectively. Thirty-nine of these proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and were classified into five functional categories, including energy and metabolism, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, protein metabolism, and stress-defense response. Proteomics analysis coupled with bioinformatics indicated that Spd treatment helps tomato seedlings combat saline-alkaline stress by modulating the defense mechanism of plants and activating cellular detoxification, which protect plants from oxidative damage induced by saline-alkaline stress. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Ultrafine polybenzimidazole (PBI) fibers. [separators for alkaline batteries and dfuel cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chenevey, E. C.

    1979-01-01

    Mats were made from ultrafine polybenzimidazole (PBI) fibers to provide an alternate to the use of asbestos as separators in fuel cells and alkaline batteries. To minimize distortion during mat drying, a process to provide a dry fibrid was developed. Two fibrid types were developed: one coarse, making mats for battery separators; the other fine, making low permeability matrices for fuel cells. Eventually, it was demonstrated that suitable mat fabrication techniques yielded fuel cell separators from the coarser alkaline battery fibrids. The stability of PBI mats to 45% KOH at 123 C can be increased by heat treatment at high temperatures. Weight loss data to 1000 hours exposure show the alkali resistance of the mats to be superior to that of asbestos.

  6. Severe Vaginal Burns in a 5-Year-Old Girl Due to an Alkaline Battery in the Vagina.

    PubMed

    Semaan, Alexander; Klein, Tobias; Vahdad, Mohammad Reza; Boemers, Thomas M; Pohle, Rebecca

    2015-10-01

    The ingestion or insertion of alkaline batteries in the body can cause severe damage to hollow organs. We report here a case of severe vaginal burns in a young patient caused by an alkaline battery. A 5-year-old girl presented to our outpatient department with pelvic pain and vaginal discharge. Further workup suggested the presence of a vaginal foreign body. Under general anesthesia, an alkaline battery was removed from her vagina, which showed severe burns with partial-thickness necrosis. Complete healing was confirmed at 3 months after initial presentation. In this rare case of an alkaline battery present in the vagina of a prepubescent girl, we discuss the available treatment and management options in comparison to similar previously reported cases. Copyright © 2015 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Net alkalinity and net acidity 1: Theoretical considerations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kirby, C.S.; Cravotta, C.A.

    2005-01-01

    Net acidity and net alkalinity are widely used, poorly defined, and commonly misunderstood parameters for the characterization of mine drainage. The authors explain theoretical expressions of 3 types of alkalinity (caustic, phenolphthalein, and total) and acidity (mineral, CO2, and total). Except for rarely-invoked negative alkalinity, theoretically defined total alkalinity is closely analogous to measured alkalinity and presents few practical interpretation problems. Theoretically defined "CO 2-acidity" is closely related to most standard titration methods with an endpoint pH of 8.3 used for determining acidity in mine drainage, but it is unfortunately named because CO2 is intentionally driven off during titration of mine-drainage samples. Using the proton condition/mass- action approach and employing graphs to illustrate speciation with changes in pH, the authors explore the concept of principal components and how to assign acidity contributions to aqueous species commonly present in mine drainage. Acidity is defined in mine drainage based on aqueous speciation at the sample pH and on the capacity of these species to undergo hydrolysis to pH 8.3. Application of this definition shows that the computed acidity in mg L -1 as CaCO3 (based on pH and analytical concentrations of dissolved FeII, FeIII, Mn, and Al in mg L -1):aciditycalculated=50{1000(10-pH)+[2(FeII)+3(FeIII)]/56+2(Mn)/ 55+3(Al)/27}underestimates contributions from HSO4- and H+, but overestimates the acidity due to Fe3+ and Al3+. However, these errors tend to approximately cancel each other. It is demonstrated that "net alkalinity" is a valid mathematical construction based on theoretical definitions of alkalinity and acidity. Further, it is shown that, for most mine-drainage solutions, a useful net alkalinity value can be derived from: (1) alkalinity and acidity values based on aqueous speciation, (2) measured alkalinity minus calculated acidity, or (3) taking the negative of the value obtained in a

  8. Francisella DnaK Inhibits Tissue-nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase*

    PubMed Central

    Arulanandam, Bernard P.; Chetty, Senthilnath Lakshmana; Yu, Jieh-Juen; Leonard, Sean; Klose, Karl; Seshu, Janakiram; Cap, Andrew; Valdes, James J.; Chambers, James P.

    2012-01-01

    Following pulmonary infection with Francisella tularensis, we observed an unexpected but significant reduction of alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme normally up-regulated following inflammation. However, no reduction was observed in mice infected with a closely related Gram-negative pneumonic organism (Klebsiella pneumoniae) suggesting the inhibition may be Francisella-specific. In similar fashion to in vivo observations, addition of Francisella lysate to exogenous alkaline phosphatase (tissue-nonspecific isozyme) was inhibitory. Partial purification and subsequent proteomic analysis indicated the inhibitory factor to be the heat shock protein DnaK. Incubation with increasing amounts of anti-DnaK antibody reduced the inhibitory effect in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, DnaK contains an adenosine triphosphate binding domain at its N terminus, and addition of adenosine triphosphate enhances dissociation of DnaK with its target protein, e.g. alkaline phosphatase. Addition of adenosine triphosphate resulted in decreased DnaK co-immunoprecipitated with alkaline phosphatase as well as reduction of Francisella-mediated alkaline phosphatase inhibition further supporting the binding of Francisella DnaK to alkaline phosphatase. Release of DnaK via secretion and/or bacterial cell lysis into the extracellular milieu and inhibition of plasma alkaline phosphatase could promote an orchestrated, inflammatory response advantageous to Francisella. PMID:22923614

  9. Francisella DnaK inhibits tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Arulanandam, Bernard P; Chetty, Senthilnath Lakshmana; Yu, Jieh-Juen; Leonard, Sean; Klose, Karl; Seshu, Janakiram; Cap, Andrew; Valdes, James J; Chambers, James P

    2012-10-26

    Following pulmonary infection with Francisella tularensis, we observed an unexpected but significant reduction of alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme normally up-regulated following inflammation. However, no reduction was observed in mice infected with a closely related gram-negative pneumonic organism (Klebsiella pneumoniae) suggesting the inhibition may be Francisella-specific. In similar fashion to in vivo observations, addition of Francisella lysate to exogenous alkaline phosphatase (tissue-nonspecific isozyme) was inhibitory. Partial purification and subsequent proteomic analysis indicated the inhibitory factor to be the heat shock protein DnaK. Incubation with increasing amounts of anti-DnaK antibody reduced the inhibitory effect in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, DnaK contains an adenosine triphosphate binding domain at its N terminus, and addition of adenosine triphosphate enhances dissociation of DnaK with its target protein, e.g. alkaline phosphatase. Addition of adenosine triphosphate resulted in decreased DnaK co-immunoprecipitated with alkaline phosphatase as well as reduction of Francisella-mediated alkaline phosphatase inhibition further supporting the binding of Francisella DnaK to alkaline phosphatase. Release of DnaK via secretion and/or bacterial cell lysis into the extracellular milieu and inhibition of plasma alkaline phosphatase could promote an orchestrated, inflammatory response advantageous to Francisella.

  10. Let's think in alkaline phosphatase at heart function.

    PubMed

    Martins, Maria João; Azevedo, Isabel

    2010-10-08

    In their recent paper, Cheung et al [B.M. Cheung, K.L. Ong, L.Y. Wong, Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase and peripheral arterial disease in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Int J Cardiol 2008 (Electronic publication ahead of print)] described a significant association between serum alkaline phosphatase levels and low ankle-brachial blood pressure index, a risk factor for cardiovascular pathology. We had verified that alkaline phosphatase is present at the rat heart, showing a distribution compatible with cardiomyocyte sarcoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, several drugs with cardiac effect were shown to interfere with heart alkaline phosphatase activity. We therefore propose that alkaline phosphatase may be a local regulator at heart function and a putative target for therapeutic interventions. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Alleviation of the effects of saline-alkaline stress on maize seedlings by regulation of active oxygen metabolism by Trichoderma asperellum.

    PubMed

    Fu, Jian; Liu, Zhihua; Li, Zuotong; Wang, Yufeng; Yang, Kejun

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the influence of Trichoderma asperellum on active oxygen production in maize seedlings under saline-alkaline stress conditions. Two maize cultivars were tested: 'Jiangyu 417' ('JY417'), which can tolerate saline-alkaline stress; and, 'Xianyu 335' ('XY335'), which is sensitive to saline-alkaline stress. The seedlings were grown on natural saline-alkaline soil (pH 9.30) in plastic pots. To each liter of saline-alkaline soil, 200 mL of T. asperellum spore suspension was applied; three fungal suspensions were used, namely, 1 × 103, 1 × 106, and 1 × 109 spores/L. A control with only the vehicle applied was also established, along with a second control in which untreated meadow soil (pH 8.23) was used. Root and leaf samples were collected when the seedlings had three heart-shaped leaves and the fourth was in the developmental phase. Physical and biochemical parameters related to oxidation resistance were assessed. The results indicated that the 'JY417' and 'XY335' seedlings showed different degrees of oxidative damage and differences in their antioxidant defense systems under saline-alkaline stress. As the spore density of the fungal suspension increased, the K+ and Ca2+ contents in the seedlings increased, but Na+ content decreased. Moreover, fungal treatment promoted the synthesis or accumulation of osmolytes, which enhanced the water absorbing capacity of the cells, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, enhanced the content of non-enzyme antioxidants, and reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Fungal treatment alleviated oxidative damage caused by the saline-alkaline stress in roots and leaves of the seedlings. The application of T. asperellum overcame the inhibitory effect of saline-alkaline soil stress on the growth of maize seedlings. In the present experiment, application with 1 × 109 spores/L gave the optimal results.

  12. CERDEC Fuel Cell Team: Military Transitions for Soldier Fuel Cells

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-10-27

    Fuel Cell (DMFC) (PEO Soldier) Samsung: 20W DMFC (CRADA) General Atomics & Jadoo: 50W Ammonia Borane Fueled PEMFC Current Fuel Cell Team Efforts...Continued Ardica: 20W Wearable PEMFC operating on Chemical Hydrides Spectrum Brands w/ Rayovac: Hydrogen Generators and Alkaline Fuel Cells for AA...100W Ammonia Borane fueled PEMFC Ultralife: 150W sodium borohydride fueled PEMFC Protonex: 250W RMFC and Power Manager (ARO) NanoDynamics: 250W SOFC

  13. Alkaline sorbent injection for mercury control

    DOEpatents

    Madden, Deborah A.; Holmes, Michael J.

    2003-01-01

    A mercury removal system for removing mercury from combustion flue gases is provided in which alkaline sorbents at generally extremely low stoichiometric molar ratios of alkaline earth or an alkali metal to sulfur of less than 1.0 are injected into a power plant system at one or more locations to remove at least between about 40% and 60% of the mercury content from combustion flue gases. Small amounts of alkaline sorbents are injected into the flue gas stream at a relatively low rate. A particulate filter is used to remove mercury-containing particles downstream of each injection point used in the power plant system.

  14. Alkaline sorbent injection for mercury control

    DOEpatents

    Madden, Deborah A.; Holmes, Michael J.

    2002-01-01

    A mercury removal system for removing mercury from combustion flue gases is provided in which alkaline sorbents at generally extremely low stoichiometric molar ratios of alkaline earth or an alkali metal to sulfur of less than 1.0 are injected into a power plant system at one or more locations to remove at least between about 40% and 60% of the mercury content from combustion flue gases. Small amounts of alkaline sorbents are injected into the flue gas stream at a relatively low rate. A particulate filter is used to remove mercury-containing particles downstream of each injection point used in the power plant system.

  15. Inorganic-organic separators for alkaline batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W. (Inventor)

    1978-01-01

    A flexible separator is reported for use between the electrodes of Ni-Cd and Ni-Zn batteries using alkaline electrolytes. The separator was made by coating a porous substrate with a battery separator composition. The coating material included a rubber-based resin copolymer, a plasticizer and inorganic and organic fillers which comprised 55% by volume or less of the coating as finally dried. One or more of the filler materials, whether organic or inorganic, is preferably active with the alkaline electrolyte to produce pores in the separator coating. The plasticizer was an organic material which is hydrolyzed by the alkaline electrolyte to improve conductivity of the separator coating.

  16. Oil recovery by alkaline waterflooding

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cooke, C.E. Jr.; Williams, R.E.; Kolodzie, P.A.

    1974-01-01

    Flooding of oil containing organic acids with alkaline water under favorable conditions can result in recovery of around 50% of the residual oil left in a watered-out model. A high recovery efficiency results from the formation of a bank of viscous water-in-oil emulsion as surface active agents (soaps) are created by reactions of base in the water with the organic acids in the oil. The type and amount of organic acids in the oil, the pH and salt content of the water, and the amount of fines in the porous medium are the primary factors which determine the amount ofmore » additional oil recovered by this method. Interaction of alkaline water with reservoir rock largely determines the amount of chemical needed to flood a reservoir. Laboratory investigations using synthetic oils and crude oils show the importance of oil-water and liquid-solid interfacial properties to the results of an alkaline waterflood. A small field test demonstrated that emulsion banks can be formed in the reservoir and that chemical costs can be reasonable in selected reservoirs. Although studies have provided many qualitative guide lines for evaluating the feasibility of alkaline waterflooding, the economic attractiveness of the process must be considered on an individual reservoir.« less

  17. Osteomalacia with low alkaline phosphatase: a not so rare condition with important consequences.

    PubMed

    Belkhouribchia, Jamal; Bravenboer, Bert; Meuwissen, Marije; Velkeniers, Brigitte

    2016-01-28

    Hypophosphatasia is a genetic disorder, characterised by a dysfunctional tissue-non-specific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase that impacts bone metabolism and predisposes to osteomalacia or rickets. The clinical presentation is very diverse, depending on the age of onset and the severity of the disease. Several forms of hypophosphatasia are recognised. We present a case of a 50-year-old woman with low impact fractures and loss of teeth at a young age. She also had a low alkaline phosphatase and was diagnosed with adult hypophosphatasia. Although the severe forms of hypophosphatasia are rather rare, the adult form is thought to occur quite frequently. As this condition is not well known by healthcare professionals, the time to diagnosis and initiation of adequate treatment is often postponed. When encountering a patient with low alkaline phosphatase, low bone density or a history of bone fractures, the possibility of hypophosphatasia should be considered. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

  18. Bovine Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Reduces Inflammation After Induction of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Fiechter, Danielle; Kats, Suzanne; Brands, Ruud; van Middelaar, Ben; Pasterkamp, Gerard; de Kleijn, Dominique; Seinen, Willem

    2011-01-01

    Background There has been increasing evidence suggesting that lipopolysaccharide or endotoxin may be an important activator of the innate immune system after acute myocardial infarction. Bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase reduces inflammation in several endotoxin mediated diseases by dephosphorylation of the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase on reducing inflammation after acute myocardial infarction. Methods Just before permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) artery to induce acute myocardial infarction in Balb/c mice, bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase (bIAP) was administrated intravenously. After 4 hours, mice were sacrificed and the inflammatory response was assessed. Acute myocardial infarction induced the production of different cytokines, which were measured in blood. Results Treatment with bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase resulted in a significant reduction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β and the chymase mouse mast cell protease-1. No difference in the production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was observed between the control group and the bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase treated group. Conclusion In a mouse model of permanent LAD coronary artery ligation, bIAP diminishes the pro-inflammatory responses but does not have an effect on the anti-inflammatory response in the acute phase after acute myocardial infarction. PMID:28357012

  19. Silicon Priming Created an Enhanced Tolerance in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Seedlings in Response to High Alkaline Stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Duo; Liu, Miao; Liu, Xiao-Long; Cheng, Xian-Guo; Liang, Zheng-Wei

    2018-01-01

    Alkaline stress as a result of higher pH usually triggers more severe physiological damage to plants than that of saline stress with a neutral pH. In the present study, we demonstrated that silicon (Si) priming of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) seedlings increased their tolerance to high alkaline stress situations. Gongnong No. 1 seedlings were subjected to alkaline stress simulated by 25 mM Na 2 CO 3 (pH 11.2). Alkaline stress greatly decreased the biomass and caused severe lodging or wilting of alfalfa seedlings. In contrast, the application of Si to alfalfa seedlings 36 h prior to the alkaline treatment significantly alleviated the damage symptoms and greatly increased the biomass and chlorophyll content. Because of being concomitant with increasing photosynthesis and water use efficiency, decreasing membrane injury and malondialdehyde content, and increasing peroxidase and catalase ascorbate activities in alfalfa leaves, thereby alleviating the triggered oxidative damage by alkaline stress to the plant. Furthermore, Si priming significantly decreased the accumulation of protein and proline content in alfalfa, thus reducing photosynthetic feedback repression. Si priming significantly accumulated more Na in the roots, but led to a decrease of Na accumulation and an increase of K accumulation in the leaves under alkaline stress. Meanwhile, Si priming decreased the accumulation of metal ions such as Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn in the roots of alfalfa seedlings under alkaline stress. Collectively, these results suggested that Si is involved in the metabolic or physiological changes and has a potent priming effect on the alkaline tolerance of alfalfa seedlings. The present study indicated that Si priming is a new approach to improve the alkaline tolerance in alfalfa and provides increasing information for further exploration of the alkaline stress response at the molecular level in alfalfa.

  20. Silicon Priming Created an Enhanced Tolerance in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Seedlings in Response to High Alkaline Stress

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Duo; Liu, Miao; Liu, Xiao-Long; Cheng, Xian-Guo; Liang, Zheng-Wei

    2018-01-01

    Alkaline stress as a result of higher pH usually triggers more severe physiological damage to plants than that of saline stress with a neutral pH. In the present study, we demonstrated that silicon (Si) priming of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings increased their tolerance to high alkaline stress situations. Gongnong No. 1 seedlings were subjected to alkaline stress simulated by 25 mM Na2CO3 (pH 11.2). Alkaline stress greatly decreased the biomass and caused severe lodging or wilting of alfalfa seedlings. In contrast, the application of Si to alfalfa seedlings 36 h prior to the alkaline treatment significantly alleviated the damage symptoms and greatly increased the biomass and chlorophyll content. Because of being concomitant with increasing photosynthesis and water use efficiency, decreasing membrane injury and malondialdehyde content, and increasing peroxidase and catalase ascorbate activities in alfalfa leaves, thereby alleviating the triggered oxidative damage by alkaline stress to the plant. Furthermore, Si priming significantly decreased the accumulation of protein and proline content in alfalfa, thus reducing photosynthetic feedback repression. Si priming significantly accumulated more Na in the roots, but led to a decrease of Na accumulation and an increase of K accumulation in the leaves under alkaline stress. Meanwhile, Si priming decreased the accumulation of metal ions such as Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn in the roots of alfalfa seedlings under alkaline stress. Collectively, these results suggested that Si is involved in the metabolic or physiological changes and has a potent priming effect on the alkaline tolerance of alfalfa seedlings. The present study indicated that Si priming is a new approach to improve the alkaline tolerance in alfalfa and provides increasing information for further exploration of the alkaline stress response at the molecular level in alfalfa. PMID:29896213

  1. Alkaline Phosphatase: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

    MedlinePlus

    ... Test Information → Alkaline Phosphatase URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/labtests/alkalinephosphatase.html Alkaline Phosphatase To ... 2017 Mar 13]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/liverfunctiontests/ Centers for ...

  2. Evaluation of sperm DNA quality in men presenting with testicular cancer and lymphoma using alkaline and neutral Comet assays.

    PubMed

    Kumar, K; Lewis, S; Vinci, S; Riera-Escamilla, A; Fino, M-G; Tamburrino, L; Muratori, M; Larsen, P; Krausz, C

    2018-01-01

    Despite more cancers in young men over the past two decades, improvements in therapies give a greater chance to live full lives following treatment. Sperm genomic quality is variable following cancer diagnosis, so its assessment is important if sperm cryopreservation is being considered. Here, we evaluated DNA damage using two DNA damage assays: an alkaline and for the first time, a neutral Comet assays in men presenting with testicular cancer (n = 19 for alkaline and 13 for neutral group) and lymphoma (n = 13 for alkaline and 09 for neutral group) compared with fertile donors (n = 20 for alkaline and 14 for neutral group). No significant differences were observed in any semen analysis parameters. In contrast, sperm DNA damage was higher in men with testicular cancer than in donors as assessed by both the alkaline (12.4% vs. 37.4%, p < 0.001) and neutral (7.5% vs. 13.4%; p < 0.05) Comet assays. Similar trends were observed in men with lymphoma. Here, sperm DNA damage was higher using both the alkaline (35.0% vs. 12.4%) and neutral (10.7% against 7.5% (p < 0.05) Comet assays. Moreover, the DNA strand breaks (particularly double-strand breaks) were significantly more prominent in men with cancer having abnormal seminal parameters than normozoospermic ones. This study showed that sperm DNA testing using alkaline and neutral Comet assays is more sensitive than semen analysis in detecting impaired sperm quality in men presenting with cancer. It may provide a useful adjunct when considering storage prior to cancer investigations and assisted reproductive techniques (ART)-based treatment. © 2017 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.

  3. 21 CFR 862.1050 - Alkaline phosphatase or isoenzymes test system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Alkaline phosphatase or isoenzymes test system... Test Systems § 862.1050 Alkaline phosphatase or isoenzymes test system. (a) Identification. An alkaline phosphatase or isoenzymes test system is a device intended to measure alkaline phosphatase or its isoenzymes...

  4. Viscosity of alkaline suspensions of ground black and white pepper samples: An indication or an identification of high dose radiation treatment?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schreiber, G. A.; Leffke, A.; Mager, M.; Helle, N.; Bögl, K. W.

    1994-11-01

    Forty-nine pepper samples were taken from retail food stores of different cities in Germany. Most of the black and all white pepper samples showed high viscosity values after jellification in alkaline solution. After irradiation with a γ-ray dose of 6 kGy, viscosity was largely reduced in each case. Some black pepper samples showed a low viscosity level already before irradiation. However, thermoluminescence analysis did not reveal any sign for irradiation treatment prior to examination. Furthermore, the low viscosity level of these samples could not be correlated with a low starch content. It is concluded that the viscosity levels of irradiated white pepper samples clearly reveal high dose irradiation treatment. In case of black peppers it is judged that the method can be used to screen for irradiated samples since it is fast, easy and cheap. However, a positive result should be confirmed by another technique, e.g. thermoluminescence.

  5. In vitro assessment of genotoxic effects of electric arc furnace dust on human lymphocytes using the alkaline comet assay.

    PubMed

    Garaj-Vrhovac, Vera; Orescanin, Visnja; Ruk, Damir; Gajski, Goran

    2009-02-15

    In vitro genotoxic effects of leachates of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) on human peripheral lymphocytes, assessed prior and following the treatment with a strong alkaline solution were investigated using the alkaline comet assay. Prior and following the treatment, lymphocytes were incubated with leachate of EAFD for 6 and 24 hours at 37 degrees C. Negative controls were also included. Mean values of the tail lengths established in the samples treated with the leachate stemming from the original dust for 6 and 24 hours, were 15.70 microm and 16.78 microm, respectively, as compared to 12.33 microm found in the control sample. Slight, but significant increase in the tail length was also found with the dust treated with a strong alkaline solution (13.37 microm and 13.60 microm). In case of high heavy metal concentrations (the extract of the original furnace dust), the incubation period was revealed to be of significance as well. The obtained results lead to the conclusion that alkaline comet assay could be used as a rapid, sensitive and low-cost tool when assessing genotoxicity of various waste materials, such as leachates of the electric arc furnace dust.

  6. Field measurement of alkalinity and pH

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barnes, Ivan

    1964-01-01

    The behavior of electrometric pH equipment under field conditions departs from the behavior predicted from Nernst's law. The response is a linear function of pH, and hence measured pH values may be corrected to true pH if the instrument is calibrated with two reference solutions for each measurement. Alkalinity titrations may also be made in terms of true pH. Standard methods, such as colorimetric titrations, were rejected as unreliable or too cumbersome for rapid field use. The true pH of the end point of the alkalinity titration as a function of temperature, ionic strength, and total alkalinity has been calculated. Total alkalinity in potable waters is the most important factor influencing the end point pH, which varies from 5.38 (0 ? C, 5 ppm (parts per million) HC0a-) to 4.32 (300 ppm HC0a-,35 ? C), for the ranges of variables considered. With proper precautions, the pH may be determined to =i:0.02 pH and the alkalinity to =i:0.6 ppm HCO3- for many naturally occurring bodies of fresh water.

  7. Diclofenac salts. III. Alkaline and earth alkaline salts.

    PubMed

    Fini, Adamo; Fazio, Giuseppe; Rosetti, Francesca; Angeles Holgado, M; Iruín, Ana; Alvarez-Fuentes, Josefa

    2005-11-01

    Diclofenac salts containing the alkaline and two earth alkaline cations have been prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDAX spectroscopy; and by thermal and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA): all of them crystallize as hydrate when precipitated from water. The salts dehydrate at room temperature and more easily on heating, but recovery the hydration, when placed in a humid environment. X-ray diffraction spectra suggest that on dehydration new peaks appear on diffractograms and the lattice of the salts partially looses crystallinity. This phenomenon is readily visible in the case of the calcium and magnesium salts, whose thermograms display a crystallization exotherm, before melting or decomposing at temperatures near or above 200 degrees C; these last salts appear to form solvates, when prepared from methanol. The thermogram of each salt shows a complex endotherm of dehydration about 100 degrees C; the calcium salt displays two endotherms, well separated at about 120 and 160 degrees C, which disappear after prolonged heating. Decomposition exotherms, before or soon after the melting, appear below 300 degrees C. The ammonium salt is thermally unstable and, when heated to start dehydration, dissociates and leaves acidic diclofenac.

  8. Temperature Dependence of Mineral Solubility in Water. Part 3. Alkaline and Alkaline Earth Sulfates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krumgalz, B. S.

    2018-06-01

    The databases of alkaline and alkaline earth sulfate solubilities in water at various temperatures were created using experimental data from the publications over about the last two centuries. Statistical critical evaluation of the created databases was produced since there were enough independent data sources to justify such evaluation. The reliable experimental data were adequately described by polynomial expressions over various temperature ranges. Using the Pitzer approach for ionic activity and osmotic coefficients, the thermodynamic solubility products for the discussed minerals have been calculated at various temperatures and represented by polynomial expressions.

  9. Temperature Dependence of Mineral Solubility in Water. Part 2. Alkaline and Alkaline Earth Bromides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krumgalz, B. S.

    2018-03-01

    Databases of alkaline and alkaline earth bromide solubilities in water at various temperatures were created using experimental data from publications over about the last two centuries. Statistical critical evaluation of the created databases was produced since there were enough independent data sources to justify such evaluation. The reliable experimental data were adequately described by polynomial expressions over various temperature ranges. Using the Pitzer approach for ionic activity and osmotic coefficients, the thermodynamic solubility products for the discussed bromide minerals have been calculated at various temperature intervals and also represented by polynomial expressions.

  10. Aggregation of nitroaniline in tetrahydrofuran through intriguing H-bond formation by sodium borohydride.

    PubMed

    Ganguly, Mainak; Mondal, Chanchal; Pal, Anjali; Pratik, Saied Md; Pal, Jaya; Pal, Tarasankar

    2014-07-07

    The participation of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in hydrogen bonding interactions and transient anion radical formation has been proved. Thus, the properties of NaBH4 are extended beyond the purview of its normal reducing capability and nucleophilic property. It is reported that ortho- and para-nitroanilines (NAs) form stable aggregates only in tetrahydrofuran (THF) in the presence of NaBH4 and unprecedented orange/red colorations are observed. The same recipe with nitrobenzene instead of nitroanilines (NAs) in the presence of NaBH4 evolves a transient rose red solution due to the formation of a highly fluorescent anion radical. Spectroscopic studies (UV-vis, fluorescence, RLS, Raman, NMR etc.) as well as theoretical calculations supplement the J-aggregate formation of NAs due to extensive hydrogen bonding. This is the first report where BH4(-) in THF has been shown to support such an aggregation process through H-bonding. It is further confirmed that stable intermolecular hydrogen bond-induced aggregation requires a geometrical match in both the nitro- and amino-functionalities attached to the phenyl ring with proper geometry. On the contrary, meta-nitroaniline remains as the odd man out and does not take part in such aggregation. Surprisingly, Au nanoparticles dismantle the J-aggregates of NA in THF. Explicit hydrogen bond formation in NA has been confirmed experimentally considering its promising applications in different fields including non-linear optics.

  11. A Comparative Study: Taxonomic Grouping of Alkaline Protease Producing Bacilli.

    PubMed

    Tekin, Nilgun; Cihan, Arzu Coleri; Karaca, Basar; Cokmus, Cumhur

    2017-03-30

    Alkaline proteases have biotechnological importance due to their activity and stability at alkaline pH. 56 bacteria, capable of growing under alkaline conditions were isolated and their alkaline protease activities were carried out at different parameters to determine their optimum alkaline protease production conditions. Seven isolates were showed higher alkaline protease production capacity than the reference strains. The highest alkaline protease producing isolates (103125 U/g), E114 and C265, were identified as Bacillus licheniformis with 99.4% and Bacillus mojavensis 99.8% based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, respectively. Interestingly, the isolates identified as Bacillus safensis were also found to be high alkaline protease producing strains. Genotypic characterizations of the isolates were also determined by using a wide range of molecular techniques (ARDRA, ITS-PCR, (GTG)5-PCR, BOX-PCR). These different techniques allowed us to differentiate the alkaliphilic isolates and the results were in concurrence with phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA genes. While ITS-PCR provided the highest correlation with 16S rRNA groups, (GTG)5-PCR showed the highest differentiation at species and intra-species level. In this study, each of the biotechnologically valuable alkaline protease producing isolates was grouped into their taxonomic positions with multi-genotypic analyses.

  12. Histopathological and Reproductive Evaluation in Male Rats Fed Jatropha curcas Seed Cake with or without Alkaline Hydrolysis and Subjected to Heat Treatment.

    PubMed

    Teixeira Sousa Moura, Laiane; Palomaris Mariano Souza, Domenica; Mendonça, Simone; de Aquino Ribeiro, José Antônio; Fernandes Sousa, Luciano; Tony Ramos, Adriano; Maiorka, Paulo César; de Araújo, Vera Lúcia; Mayumi Maruo, Viviane

    2017-01-01

    Jatropha curcas cake, a by-product of biodiesel production, is rich in protein and has potential to be used in livestock feed; however, the presence of antinutritional factors and phorbol esters limits its use. Thus, this study investigated toxicological and reproductive effects in male Wistar rats after subchronic exposure to J. curcas cake subjected to detoxification procedures. Rats were divided into seven groups ( n = 10) and treated for 60 days. The control group received commercial feed, while experimental groups received a diet containing 5% J . curcas cake nonhydrolyzed or hydrolyzed with 5 M NaOH. The cakes were unwashed or washed with ethanol or water and were autoclaved at 121°C for 30 minutes. Alkaline hydrolysis combined with ethanol washing decreased the phorbol ester concentration in the cake by 98%. Histopathological findings included diffuse degeneration of the liver and edema around the pulmonary vessels in the nonhydrolyzed groups. In addition, nontreated females mated with males of nonhydrolyzed unwashed group showed a decreased number of live fetuses and an increased placental weight. There were no signs of toxicity in rats given hydrolyzed cakes washed and unwashed, indicating that alkaline hydrolysis associated with heat treatment is an efficient method for detoxification of the J. curcas cake.

  13. Histopathological and Reproductive Evaluation in Male Rats Fed Jatropha curcas Seed Cake with or without Alkaline Hydrolysis and Subjected to Heat Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Palomaris Mariano Souza, Domenica; Mendonça, Simone; de Aquino Ribeiro, José Antônio; Fernandes Sousa, Luciano; Maiorka, Paulo César; Mayumi Maruo, Viviane

    2017-01-01

    Jatropha curcas cake, a by-product of biodiesel production, is rich in protein and has potential to be used in livestock feed; however, the presence of antinutritional factors and phorbol esters limits its use. Thus, this study investigated toxicological and reproductive effects in male Wistar rats after subchronic exposure to J. curcas cake subjected to detoxification procedures. Rats were divided into seven groups (n = 10) and treated for 60 days. The control group received commercial feed, while experimental groups received a diet containing 5% J. curcas cake nonhydrolyzed or hydrolyzed with 5 M NaOH. The cakes were unwashed or washed with ethanol or water and were autoclaved at 121°C for 30 minutes. Alkaline hydrolysis combined with ethanol washing decreased the phorbol ester concentration in the cake by 98%. Histopathological findings included diffuse degeneration of the liver and edema around the pulmonary vessels in the nonhydrolyzed groups. In addition, nontreated females mated with males of nonhydrolyzed unwashed group showed a decreased number of live fetuses and an increased placental weight. There were no signs of toxicity in rats given hydrolyzed cakes washed and unwashed, indicating that alkaline hydrolysis associated with heat treatment is an efficient method for detoxification of the J. curcas cake. PMID:28620618

  14. Investigation of the characteristics of a stacked direct borohydride fuel cell for portable applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Cheolhwan; Kim, Kyu-Jung; Ha, Man Yeong

    To investigate the possibility of the portable application of a direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC), weight reduction of the stack and high stacking of the cells are investigated for practical running conditions. For weight reduction, carbon graphite is adopted as the bipolar plate material even though it has disadvantages in tight stacking, which results in stacking loss from insufficient material strength. For high stacking, it is essential to have a uniform fuel distribution among cells and channels to maintain equal electric load on each cell. In particular, the design of the anode channel is important because active hydrogen generation causes non-uniformity in the fuel flow-field of the cells and channels. To reduce the disadvantages of stacking force margin and fuel maldistribution, an O-ring type-sealing system with an internal manifold and a parallel anode channel design is adopted, and the characteristics of a single and a five-cell fuel cell stack are analyzed. By adopting carbon graphite, the stack weight can be reduced by 4.2 times with 12% of performance degradation from the insufficient stacking force. When cells are stacked, the performance exceeds the single-cell performance because of the stack temperature increase from the reduction of the radiation area from the narrow stacking of cells.

  15. Coupling the Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Technology and The Gelation Technology to Maximize Oil Production

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Malcolm Pitts; Jie Qi; Dan Wilson

    2005-12-01

    tonguing gel producing the greatest amount. Higher oil recovery could have been due to higher differential pressures across cores. Aluminum citrate-polyacrylamide gels, chromium acetate-polyacrylamide gels, silicate-polymer, and chromium-xanthan gum gels did not alter an alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution's ability to produce incremental oil. Incremental oil was reduced with the resorcinol-formaldehyde gel system. Total waterflood plus chemical flood oil recovery sequence recoveries were generally similar. Performance and produced polymer evaluation of four alkaline-surfactant-polymer projects concluded that only one of the projects could have benefited from combining the alkaline-surfactant-polymer and gelation technologies. Cambridge, the 1993 Daqing, Mellott Ranch, and the Wardlaw alkaline-surfacant-polymer floods were studied. An initial gel treatment followed by an alkaline-surfactant-polymer flood in the Wardlaw field would have been a benefit due to reduction of fracture flow.« less

  16. The effect of alkaline treatment and fiber orientation on impact resistant of bio-composites Sansevieria trifasciata fiber/polypropylene as automotive components material

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shieddieque, Apang Djafar; Mardiyati, Suratman, Rochim; Widyanto, Bambang

    2018-04-01

    The increasing amount of car usage is causing an escalated amount of fuel consumption and CO2 emission. It implicates demand for the automotive industry to increase the efficiency of their products, One of the most effective ways to solve the issue is to find green weight light material for the interior automotive component. The Aim of this research was to investigate the effect of alkaline treatment and fiber orientation on the impact resistant of material bio- composite sansevieiria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene. In this research, bio-composites sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene was prepared with random fiber orientation and unidirectional orientation by using a hot press method with pressure 140 Bar and temperature 240°C. Fiber was taken from Sansevieria trifasciata by using mechanical retting. In this study, Sansevieria fiber was given alkaline treatment (mercerization) with NaOH 3% (w/w) solution at temperature 100°C for an hour. The fraction of fiber volume that were used in this experiment are 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. The impact test was conducted based on ASTM D 6110 - 04, and the fracture analysis was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The best result of impact toughness and fracture analysis were achieved by bio composite untreated and unidirectional sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene with fiber volume fraction of 15%, which was 48.092kJ/m2 for impact resistant. As compared to the impact toughness standard, which needed for interior automotive component, the impact toughness of sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene has fulfilled the standard of the interior material automotive industry. Therefore, this material can be potentially used as materials on the car exterior component.

  17. Zirconia coating stabilized super-iron alkaline cathodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Xingwen; Licht, Stuart

    A low-level zirconia coating significantly stabilizes high energy alkaline super-iron cathodes, and improves the energy storage capacity of super-iron batteries. Zirconia coating is derived from ZrCl 4 in an organic medium through the conversion of ZrCl 4 to ZrO 2. In alkaline battery system, ZrO 2 provides an intact shield for the cathode materials and the hydroxide shuttle through the coating sustains alkaline cathode redox chemistry. Most super-iron cathodes are solid-state stable, such as K 2FeO 4 and Cs 2FeO 4, but tend to be passivated in alkaline electrolyte due to the formation of Fe(III) over layer. Zirconia coating effectively enhances the stability of these super-iron cathodes. However, for solid-state unstable super-iron cathode (e.g. BaFeO 4), only a little stabilization effect of zirconia coating is observed.

  18. Global Variability and Changes in Ocean Total Alkalinity from Aquarius Satellite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fine, R. A.; Willey, D. A.; Millero, F. J., Jr.

    2016-02-01

    To document effects of ocean acidification it is important to have an understanding of the processes and parameters that influence alkalinity. Alkalinity is a gauge on the ability of seawater to neutralize acids. We use Aquarius satellite data, which allow unprecedented global mapping of surface total alkalinity as it correlates strongly with salinity and to a lesser extent with temperature. Spatial variability in total alkalinity and salinity exceed temporal variability, the latter includes seasonal and differences compared to climatological data. The northern hemisphere has more spatial and monthly variability in total alkalinity and salinity, while less variability in Southern Ocean alkalinity is due to less salinity variability and upwelling of waters enriched in alkalinity. Satellite alkalinity data are providing a global baseline that can be used for comparing with future carbon data, and for evaluating spatial and temporal variability and past trends. For the first time it is shown that recent satellite derived total alkalinity in the subtropics have increased as compared with climatological data; this is reflective of large scale changes in the global water cycle. Total alkalinity increases imply increased dissolution of calcareous minerals and difficulty for calcifying organisms to make their shells.

  19. Advanced oxidation of acridine orange by aqueous alkaline iodine.

    PubMed

    Azmat, Rafia; Qamar, Noshab; Naz, Raheela; Khursheed, Anum

    2016-11-01

    The advanced oxidation process is certainly used for the dye waste water treatment. In this continuation a new advanced oxidation via aqueous alkaline iodine was developed for the oxidation of acridine orange (AO) {3, 6 -bis (dimethylamino) acridine zinc chloride double salt}. Oxidation Kinetics of AO by alkaline solution of iodine was investigated spectrophotometrically at λ max 491 nm. The reaction was monitored at various operational parameters like several concentrations of dye and iodine, pH, salt electrolyte and temperature. The initial steps of oxidation kinetics followed fractional order reaction with respect to the dye while depend upon the incremental amount of iodine to certain extent whereas maximum oxidation of AO was achieved at high pH. Decline in the reaction rate in the presence of salt electrolyte suggested the presence of oppositely charged species in the rate determining step. Kinetic data revealed that the de-colorization mechanism involves triodate (I 3 - ) species, instead of hypoidate (OI - ) and hypiodous acid (HOI), in alkaline medium during the photo-excitation of hydrolyzed AO. Alleviated concentration of alkali result in decreasing of rate of reaction, clearly indicate that the iodine species are active oxidizing species instead of OH radical. Activation parameters at elevated temperatures were determined which revealed that highly solvated state of dye complex existed into solution. Reaction mixture was subjected to UV/Visible and GC mass spectrum analysis that proves the secondary consecutive reaction was operative in rate determining step and finally dye complex end into smaller fragments.

  20. Tricyclic coumarin sulphonate derivatives with alkaline phosphatase inhibitory effects: in vitro and docking studies.

    PubMed

    Iqbal, Jamshed; El-Gamal, Mohammed I; Ejaz, Syeda Abida; Lecka, Joanna; Sévigny, Jean; Oh, Chang-Hyun

    2018-12-01

    Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is an important isozyme of alkaline phosphatases, which plays different pivotal roles within the human body. Most importantly, it is responsible for maintaining the balanced ratio of phosphate and inorganic pyrophosphate, thus regulates the extracellular matrix calcification during bone formation and growth. The elevated level of TNAP has been linked to vascular calcification and end-stage renal diseases. Consequently, there is a need to search for highly potent and selective inhibitors of alkaline phosphatases (APs) for treatment of disorders associated with the over-expression of APs. Herein, a series of tricyclic coumarin sulphonate 1a-za with known antiproliferative activity, was evaluated for AP inhibition against human tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (h-TNAP) and human intestinal alkaline phosphatase (h-IAP). The methylbenzenesulphonate derivative 1f (IC 50  = 0.38 ± 0.01 μM) was found to be the most active h-TNAP inhibitor. Another 4-fluorobenzenesulphonate derivative 1i (IC 50  = 0.45 ± 0.02 μM) was found as the strongest inhibitor of h-IAP. Some of the derivatives were also identified as highly selective inhibitors of APs. Detailed structure-activity relationship (SAR) was investigated to identify the functional groups responsible for the effective inhibition of AP isozymes. The study was also supported by the docking studies to rationalise the most possible binding site interactions of the identified inhibitors with the targeted enzymes.

  1. Alkaline-assisted screw press pretreatment affecting enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw.

    PubMed

    Yan, Qingqi; Wang, Yumei; Rodiahwati, Wawat; Spiess, Antje; Modigell, Michael

    2017-02-01

    Screw press processing of biomass can be considered as a suitable mechanically based pretreatment for biofuel production since it disrupts the structure of lignocellulosic biomass with high shear and pressure forces. The combination with chemical treatment has been suggested to increase the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars. Within the study, the synergetic effect of alkaline (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) soaking and screw press pretreatment on wheat straw was evaluated based on, e.g., sugar recovery and energy efficiency. After alkaline soaking (at 0.1 M for 30 min) and sequential screw press pretreatment with various screw press configurations and modified screw barrel, the lignin content of pretreated wheat straw was quantified. In addition, the structure of pretreated wheat straw was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and measurement of specific surface area. It could be shown that removal of lignin is more important than increase of surface area of the biomass to reach a high sugar recovery. The rate constant of the enzymatic hydrolysis increased from 1.1 × 10 -3  1/h for the non-treated material over 2.3 × 10 -3  1/h for the alkaline-soaked material to 26.9 × 10 -3  1/h for alkaline-assisted screw press pretreated material, indicating a nearly 25-fold improvement of the digestibility by the combined chemo-mechanical pretreatment. Finally, the screw configuration was found to be an important factor for improving the sugar recovery and for reducing the specific energy consumption of the screw press pretreatment.

  2. Process for extracting technetium from alkaline solutions

    DOEpatents

    Moyer, Bruce A.; Sachleben, Richard A.; Bonnesen, Peter V.

    1995-01-01

    A process for extracting technetium values from an aqueous alkaline solution containing at least one alkali metal hydroxide and at least one alkali metal nitrate, the at least one alkali metal nitrate having a concentration of from about 0.1 to 6 molar. The solution is contacted with a solvent consisting of a crown ether in a diluent for a period of time sufficient to selectively extract the technetium values from the aqueous alkaline solution. The solvent containing the technetium values is separated from the aqueous alkaline solution and the technetium values are stripped from the solvent.

  3. Defluoridation of drinking water by combined electrocoagulation: effects of the molar ratio of alkalinity and fluoride to Al(III).

    PubMed

    Zhao, Hua-Zhang; Yang, Wei; Zhu, Jun; Ni, Jin-Ren

    2009-03-01

    The defluoridation efficiency (epsilon(F)) of electrocoagulation (EC) is closely related to the pH level of the F(-)-containing solution. The pH level usually needs to be adjusted by adding acid in order to obtain the highest epsilon(F) for the F(-)-containing groundwater. The use of combined EC (CEC), which is the combination of chemical coagulation with EC, was proposed to remove fluoride from drinking water for the first time in this study. The optimal scheme for the design and operation of CEC were obtained through experiments on the treatment of F(-)-containing groundwater. It was found, with OH(-) being the only alkalinity of the raw water, that the highest efficiency would be obtained when the molar ratio of alkalinity and fluoride to Al(III) (gamma(Alkalinity+F)) was controlled at 3.0. However, when the raw water contained HCO(3)(-) alkalinity, a correction coefficient was needed to correct the concentration of HCO(3)(-) to obtain the optimal defluoridation condition of gamma(Alkalinity+F)=3.0 for CEC. The correction coefficient of HCO(3)(-) concentration was concluded as 0.60 from the experiment. For the practical F(-)-containing groundwater treatment, CEC can achieve similar epsilon(F) as an acid-adding EC process. The consumption of aluminum electrode was decreased in CEC. The energy consumption also declined greatly in CEC, which is less than one third of that in the acid-adding EC process.

  4. Noncitrus alkaline fruit: a dietary alternative for the treatment of hypocitraturic stone formers.

    PubMed

    Baia, Leandro da Cunha; Baxmann, Alessandra Calábria; Moreira, Silvia Regina; Holmes, Ross Philip; Heilberg, Ita Pfeferman

    2012-09-01

    Fruits and vegetables are natural suppliers of potassium, bicarbonate, or bicarbonate precursors such as citrate, malate and others-hence, possessing potential effects on citraturia. We aimed to compare the acute effects of a noncitrus (melon) fruit vs citric ones (orange and lime) on citraturia and other lithogenic parameters. Two-hour urine samples were collected from 30 hypocitraturic stone-forming patients after an overnight fast and 2, 4, and 6 hours after the consumption of 385 mL (13 oz) of either freshly squeezed orange juice (n=10), freshly blended melon juice (n=10), or freshly squeezed lime juice (n=10). Urinary citrate, potassium, pH, and other lithogenic parameters were determined and net gastrointestinal alkali absorption (NGIA) was calculated. Potential renal acid load (PRAL) and pH from juices were determined. Significant and comparable increases of mean urinary citrate were observed in all groups, whereas mean urinary potassium, pH, and NGIA were significantly increased only after consumption of melon and orange juices. The pH of melon juice was higher and the PRAL value was more negative compared with orange juice, indicating a higher alkalinity. These findings suggested that melon, a noncitrus source of potassium, citrate, and malate, yielded an increase in urinary citrate excretion equivalent to that provided by orange, and hence represents another dietary alternative for the treatment of hypocitraturic stone-formers. Despite its low potassium content, lime also produced comparable increases in citraturia possibly because of its high citric acid content.

  5. Calixarene crown ether solvent composition and use thereof for extraction of cesium from alkaline waste solutions

    DOEpatents

    Moyer, Bruce A.; Sachleben, Richard A.; Bonnesen, Peter V.; Presley, Derek J.

    2001-01-01

    A solvent composition and corresponding method for extracting cesium (Cs) from aqueous neutral and alkaline solutions containing Cs and perhaps other competing metal ions is described. The method entails contacting an aqueous Cs-containing solution with a solvent consisting of a specific class of lipophilic calix[4]arene-crown ether extractants dissolved in a hydrocarbon-based diluent containing a specific class of alkyl-aromatic ether alcohols as modifiers. The cesium values are subsequently recovered from the extractant, and the solvent subsequently recycled, by contacting the Cs-containing organic solution with an aqueous stripping solution. This combined extraction and stripping method is especially useful as a process for removal of the radionuclide cesium-137 from highly alkaline waste solutions which are also very concentrated in sodium and potassium. No pre-treatment of the waste solution is necessary, and the cesium can be recovered using a safe and inexpensive stripping process using water, dilute (millimolar) acid solutions, or dilute (millimolar) salt solutions. An important application for this invention would be treatment of alkaline nuclear tank wastes. Alternatively, the invention could be applied to decontamination of acidic reprocessing wastes containing cesium-137.

  6. Alkaline tolerant dextranase from streptomyces anulatus

    DOEpatents

    Decker, Stephen R.; Adney, William S.; Vinzant, Todd B.; Himmel, Michael E.

    2003-01-01

    A process for production of an alkaline tolerant dextranase enzyme comprises culturing a dextran-producing microorganism Streptomyces anulatus having accession no. ATCC PTA-3866 to produce an alkaline tolerant dextranase, Dex 1 wherein the protein in said enzyme is characterized by a MW of 63.3 kDa and Dex 2 wherein its protein is characterized by a MW of 81.8 kDa.

  7. 40 CFR 420.110 - Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... alkaline cleaning subcategory. 420.110 Section 420.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Alkaline Cleaning Subcategory § 420.110 Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory... alkaline cleaning baths to remove mineral and animal fats or oils from the steel, and those rinsing...

  8. 40 CFR 420.110 - Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... alkaline cleaning subcategory. 420.110 Section 420.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Alkaline Cleaning Subcategory § 420.110 Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory... alkaline cleaning baths to remove mineral and animal fats or oils from the steel, and those rinsing...

  9. 40 CFR 420.110 - Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... alkaline cleaning subcategory. 420.110 Section 420.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Alkaline Cleaning Subcategory § 420.110 Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory... alkaline cleaning baths to remove mineral and animal fats or oils from the steel, and those rinsing...

  10. 40 CFR 420.110 - Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... alkaline cleaning subcategory. 420.110 Section 420.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Alkaline Cleaning Subcategory § 420.110 Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory... alkaline cleaning baths to remove mineral and animal fats or oils from the steel, and those rinsing...

  11. 40 CFR 420.110 - Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... alkaline cleaning subcategory. 420.110 Section 420.110 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION... Alkaline Cleaning Subcategory § 420.110 Applicability; description of the alkaline cleaning subcategory... alkaline cleaning baths to remove mineral and animal fats or oils from the steel, and those rinsing...

  12. Assessing ocean alkalinity for carbon sequestration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Renforth, Phil; Henderson, Gideon

    2017-09-01

    Over the coming century humanity may need to find reservoirs to store several trillions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from fossil fuel combustion, which would otherwise cause dangerous climate change if it were left in the atmosphere. Carbon storage in the ocean as bicarbonate ions (by increasing ocean alkalinity) has received very little attention. Yet recent work suggests sufficient capacity to sequester copious quantities of CO2. It may be possible to sequester hundreds of billions to trillions of tons of C without surpassing postindustrial average carbonate saturation states in the surface ocean. When globally distributed, the impact of elevated alkalinity is potentially small and may help ameliorate the effects of ocean acidification. However, the local impact around addition sites may be more acute but is specific to the mineral and technology. The alkalinity of the ocean increases naturally because of rock weathering in which >1.5 mol of carbon are removed from the atmosphere for every mole of magnesium or calcium dissolved from silicate minerals (e.g., wollastonite, olivine, and anorthite) and 0.5 mol for carbonate minerals (e.g., calcite and dolomite). These processes are responsible for naturally sequestering 0.5 billion tons of CO2 per year. Alkalinity is reduced in the ocean through carbonate mineral precipitation, which is almost exclusively formed from biological activity. Most of the previous work on the biological response to changes in carbonate chemistry have focused on acidifying conditions. More research is required to understand carbonate precipitation at elevated alkalinity to constrain the longevity of carbon storage. A range of technologies have been proposed to increase ocean alkalinity (accelerated weathering of limestone, enhanced weathering, electrochemical promoted weathering, and ocean liming), the cost of which may be comparable to alternative carbon sequestration proposals (e.g., $20-100 tCO2-1). There are still many

  13. Spurious testosterone laboratory results in a patient taking synthetic alkaline phosphatase (asfotase alfa).

    PubMed

    Sofronescu, Alina G; Ross, Meredith; Rush, Eric; Goldner, Whitney

    2018-04-27

    We report a case of discordant total and free testosterone values in a patient with hypogonadism and juvenile hypophosphatasia after he initiated treatment with asfotase alfa, recombinant tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Total testosterone was evaluated using immunoassay pre and post initiation of therapy with asfotase alfa, and free testosterone was evaluated using radioimmunoassay and LC-MS/MS while on asfotase alfa therapy. Total testosterone measured by immunoassay was normal prior to therapy with asfotase alfa, and was low post initiation of therapy. During the same time frame, free testosterone measured using RAI and total testosterone measured using LC-MS/MS were normal on asfotase alfa therapy. This suggests assay interference with the total testosterone immunoassay. When laboratory results are discordant or do not match the clinical impression, the possibility of assay interference should be considered. Alternative laboratory methods free of the interference should be selected to evaluate these patients. ALPL gene, Approved name: Alkaline phosphatase, liver/bone/kidney, Synonym: Tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSAP). Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Clinical utility of a wheat-germ precipitation assay for determination of bone alkaline phosphatase concentrations in patients with different metabolic bone diseases.

    PubMed

    Braga, V; Dorizzi, R; Brocco, G; Rossini, M; Zamberlan, N; Gatti, D; Adami, S

    1995-07-01

    Bone alkaline phosphatase was evaluated by wheat-germ lectin precipitation in several clinical conditions. The study included 33 premenopausal healthy women, 46 postmenopausal apparently healthy women, 19 growing children, 24 patients with Paget's disease, 31 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and 66 patients with hepatobiliary diseases. In postmenopausal women the mean T score (i.e.: the number of SD below or above the mean for premenopausal women) was 2.6 +/- 1.3 (SD) for bone alkaline phosphatase and 1.61 +/- 1.21 for total alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.001). The T score for bone alkaline phosphatase provided a better discrimination from normals for both Paget's disease (22.1 +/- 27.8 versus 12.8 +/- 16 p < 0.001) and primary hyperparathyroidism (8.2 +/- 4.3 versus 4.6 +/- 3.7 p < 0.005 for bone alkaline phosphatase and total alkaline phosphatase respectively). After treatment with intravenous bisphosphonate the percent decrease of bone alkaline phosphatase was larger than that of total alkaline phosphatase both in patients with Paget's disease (-46% versus -72% p < 0.01) and in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (-21% versus -47% p < 0.02) and an estimate of the precision (delta mean/SD of the delta mean) for bone alkaline phosphatase was 1.9-3.7 times higher than that of total alkaline phosphatase. In twelve osteoporotic patients treated for six months with oral alendronate the decrease in bone turnover was detected with significantly higher precision with bone alkaline phosphatase than with total alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  15. CHARACTERIZATION OF ACTINIDES IN SIMULATED ALKALINE TANK WASTE SLUDGES AND LEACHATES

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nash, Kenneth L.

    In this project, both the fundamental chemistry of actinides in alkaline solutions (relevant to those present in Hanford-style waste storage tanks), and their dissolution from sludge simulants (and interactions with supernatants) have been investigated under representative sludge leaching procedures. The leaching protocols were designed to go beyond conventional alkaline sludge leaching limits, including the application of acidic leachants, oxidants and complexing agents. The simulant leaching studies confirm in most cases the basic premise that actinides will remain in the sludge during leaching with 2-3 M NaOH caustic leach solutions. However, they also confirm significant chances for increased mobility of actinidesmore » under oxidative leaching conditions. Thermodynamic data generated improves the general level of experiemental information available to predict actinide speciation in leach solutions. Additional information indicates that improved Al removal can be achieved with even dilute acid leaching and that acidic Al(NO3)3 solutions can be decontaminated of co-mobilized actinides using conventional separations methods. Both complexing agents and acidic leaching solutions have significant potential to improve the effectiveness of conventional alkaline leaching protocols. The prime objective of this program was to provide adequate insight into actinide behavior under these conditions to enable prudent decision making as tank waste treatment protocols develop.« less

  16. Stainless steel anodes for alkaline water electrolysis and methods of making

    DOEpatents

    Soloveichik, Grigorii Lev

    2014-01-21

    The corrosion resistance of stainless steel anodes for use in alkaline water electrolysis was increased by immersion of the stainless steel anode into a caustic solution prior to electrolysis. Also disclosed herein are electrolyzers employing the so-treated stainless steel anodes. The pre-treatment process provides a stainless steel anode that has a higher corrosion resistance than an untreated stainless steel anode of the same composition.

  17. The effects of sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine irrigants on the antibacterial activities of alkaline media against Enterococcus faecalis.

    PubMed

    Ma, Jinglei; Tong, Zhongchun; Ling, Junqi; Liu, Hongyan; Wei, Xi

    2015-07-01

    Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), chlorhexidine (CHX) and calcium hydroxide are common intracanal medicaments. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of NaOCl and CHX on the antibacterial activities of alkaline media against Enterococcus faecalis. The survival rates of planktonic and biofilm E. faecalis were evaluated by plate counts after 1 min of pretreatment with NaOCl and CHX, and time-kill assays were then used to assess subsequent pH alkaline challenges. Dead and living cells in the E. faecalis biofilm were assessed with SYTO 9 and PI staining in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy following exposure to NaOCl or CHX and subsequent alkaline challenges by common root canal irrigation and dressing procedures. One minute of pretreatment with 2% CHX, 0.2% CHX, or 5.25% NaOCl in combination with a subsequent alkaline challenge significantly decreased planktonic E. faecalis survival rates, but pretreatment with 1% NaOCl did not. The E. faecalis biofilm survival rates were reduced in the subsequent alkaline challenge following CHX pretreatment but gradually increased following NaOCl pretreatment. Similarly, CLSM analysis revealed that the greatest proportions of dead E. faecalis cells in the biofilms were presented in the CHX and alkaline treatment group. CHX might be more effective in improving the antibacterial activities of alkaline root canal medicaments against E. faecalis than NaOCl during routine root canal therapy procedures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Effects of co-application of biosolids and water treatment residuals on corn growth and bioavailable phosphorus and aluminum in alkaline soils in egypt.

    PubMed

    Mahdy, A M; Elkhatib, E A; Fathi, N O; Lin, Z-Q

    2009-01-01

    The co-application of biosolids and water treatment residuals (WTRs) has been previously trialed to reduce excessive bioavailable P in the soil treated with biosolids. However, uncertainty still exists regarding the environmental consequences of the co-application of biosolids and WTRs, especially in alkaline soils in Egypt or the Middle East region. A greenhouse pot study was conducted with Egyptian alkaline soils to (i) quantify the effects of co-application of biosolids and drinking WTRs on biomass production of corn (Zea mays L. cultivar single hybrid 10), (ii) determine the co-application effects on Olsen-P and KCl-extractable Al in relation to their accumulation in plant tissues, and (iii) optimize the co-application ratio of biosolids to WTRs for the best yield and effective reduction of soil bioavailable P. The results show that, among the studied soils treated with 1% biosolids along with various rates of WTRs, the corn yield increased significantly (P < 0.01) with increasing WTR application rate from 0 to 3% (w/w), but decreased at 4% application rate. The corn yield also significantly correlated with soil water holding capacity that increased with the addition of WTRs. Phosphorus uptake by plants significantly (P < 0.01) increased when the biosolid application rate was increased from 1 to 3% in the three studied soils that were treated with 1, 2, or 3% WTRs. The application of 4% WTRs in the biosolid-amended soils resulted in a significant reduction in soil Olsen-P values, but without having observable phytotoxicity of metals (such as Al) to corn during the growth period. The effective co-application ratio of biosolids to WTRs, for increasing corn yield and minimizing the potential for bioavailable P in runoff, was approximately 1:1 at the application rate of 3% biosolids and 4% WTRs in the alkaline soils.

  19. Alkaline quinone flow battery.

    PubMed

    Lin, Kaixiang; Chen, Qing; Gerhardt, Michael R; Tong, Liuchuan; Kim, Sang Bok; Eisenach, Louise; Valle, Alvaro W; Hardee, David; Gordon, Roy G; Aziz, Michael J; Marshak, Michael P

    2015-09-25

    Storage of photovoltaic and wind electricity in batteries could solve the mismatch problem between the intermittent supply of these renewable resources and variable demand. Flow batteries permit more economical long-duration discharge than solid-electrode batteries by using liquid electrolytes stored outside of the battery. We report an alkaline flow battery based on redox-active organic molecules that are composed entirely of Earth-abundant elements and are nontoxic, nonflammable, and safe for use in residential and commercial environments. The battery operates efficiently with high power density near room temperature. These results demonstrate the stability and performance of redox-active organic molecules in alkaline flow batteries, potentially enabling cost-effective stationary storage of renewable energy. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  20. Technetium recovery from high alkaline solution

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nash, Charles A.

    2016-07-12

    Disclosed are methods for recovering technetium from a highly alkaline solution. The highly alkaline solution can be a liquid waste solution from a nuclear waste processing system. Methods can include combining the solution with a reductant capable of reducing technetium at the high pH of the solution and adding to or forming in the solution an adsorbent capable of adsorbing the precipitated technetium at the high pH of the solution.

  1. Effective alkaline metal-catalyzed oxidative delignification of hybrid poplar

    DOE PAGES

    Bhalla, Aditya; Bansal, Namita; Stoklosa, Ryan J.; ...

    2016-02-09

    Background: Strategies to improve copper-catalyzed alkaline hydrogen peroxide (Cu-AHP) pretreatment of hybrid poplar were investigated. These improvements included a combination of increasing hydrolysis yields, while simultaneously decreasing process inputs through (i) more efficient utilization of H 2O 2 and (ii) the addition of an alkaline extraction step prior to the metal-catalyzed AHP pretreatment. We hypothesized that utilizing this improved process could substantially lower the chemical inputs needed during pretreatment. Results: Hybrid poplar was pretreated utilizing a modified process in which an alkaline extraction step was incorporated prior to the Cu-AHP treatment step and H 2O 2 was added batch-wise overmore » the course of 10 h. Our results revealed that the alkaline pre-extraction step improved both lignin and xylan solubilization, which ultimately led to improved glucose (86 %) and xylose (95 %) yields following enzymatic hydrolysis. An increase in the lignin solubilization was also observed with fed-batch H 2O 2 addition relative to batch-only addition, which again resulted in increased glucose and xylose yields (77 and 93 % versus 63 and 74 %, respectively). Importantly, combining these strategies led to significantly improved sugar yields (96 % glucose and 94 % xylose) following enzymatic hydrolysis. In addition, we found that we could substantially lower the chemical inputs (enzyme, H 2O 2, and catalyst), while still maintaining high product yields utilizing the improved Cu-AHP process. This pretreatment also provided a relatively pure lignin stream consisting of ≥90 % Klason lignin and only 3 % xylan and 2 % ash following precipitation. Two-dimensional heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (2D HSQC) NMR and size-exclusion chromatography demonstrated that the solubilized lignin was high molecular weight (Mw ≈ 22,000 Da) and only slightly oxidized relative to lignin from untreated poplar. In conclusion: This study demonstrated that the fed

  2. Calcic amphiboles in calc-alkaline and alkaline magmas: thermobarometric and chemometric empirical equations valid up to 1,130°C and 2.2 GPa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ridolfi, Filippo; Renzulli, Alberto

    2012-05-01

    The following article presents constraints of the stability of Mg-rich (Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) > 0.5) calcic amphibole in both calc-alkaline and alkaline magmas, testing of previous thermobarometers, and formulation of new empirical equations that take into consideration a large amount of literature data (e.g. more than one thousand amphibole compositions among experimental and natural crystals). Particular care has been taken in choosing a large number of natural amphiboles and selecting quality experimental data from literature. The final database of experimental data, composed of 61 amphiboles synthesized in the ranges of 800-1,130°C and 130-2,200 MPa, indicates that amphibole crystallization occurs in a horn-like P- T stability field limited by two increasing curves (i.e. the thermal stability and an upper limit), which should start to bend back to higher pressures. Among calcic amphiboles, magnesiohornblendes and tschermakitic pargasites are only found in equilibrium with calc-alkaline melts and crystallize at relatively shallow conditions ( P up to ~1 GPa). Kaersutite and pargasite are species almost exclusively found in alkaline igneous products, while magnesiohastingsite is equally distributed in calc-alkaline and alkaline rocks. The reliability of previous amphibole applications was checked using the selected experimental database. The results of this testing indicate that none of the previous thermobarometers can be successfully used to estimate the P, T and fO2 in a wide range of amphibole crystallization conditions. Multivariate least-square analyses of experimental amphibole compositions and physico-chemical parameters allowed us to achieve a new thermobarometric model that gives reasonably low uncertainties ( T ± 23.5°C, P ± 11.5%, H2Omelt ± 0.78wt%) for calc-alkaline and alkaline magmas in a wide range of P- T conditions (up to 1,130°C and 2,200 MPa) and ΔNNO values (±0.37 log units) up to 500 MPa. The AK-[4]Al relation in amphibole can be readily

  3. Valorization of lignin and cellulose in acid-steam-exploded corn stover by a moderate alkaline ethanol post-treatment based on an integrated biorefinery concept.

    PubMed

    Yang, Sheng; Zhang, Yue; Yue, Wen; Wang, Wei; Wang, Yun-Yan; Yuan, Tong-Qi; Sun, Run-Cang

    2016-01-01

    Due to the unsustainable consumption of fossil resources, great efforts have been made to convert lignocellulose into bioethanol and commodity organic compounds through biological methods. The conversion of cellulose is impeded by the compactness of plant cell wall matrix and crystalline structure of the native cellulose. Therefore, appropriate pretreatment and even post-treatment are indispensable to overcome this problem. Additionally, an adequate utilization of coproduct lignin will be important for improving the economic viability of modern biorefinery industries. The effectiveness of moderate alkaline ethanol post-treatment on the bioconversion efficiency of cellulose in the acid-steam-exploded corn stover was investigated in this study. Results showed that an increase of the alcoholic sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration from 0.05 to 4% led to a decrease in the lignin content in the post-treated samples from 32.8 to 10.7%, while the cellulose digestibility consequently increased. The cellulose conversion of the 4% alcoholic NaOH integrally treated corn stover reached up to 99.3% after 72 h, which was significantly higher than that of the acid steam exploded corn stover without post-treatment (57.3%). In addition to the decrease in lignin content, an expansion of cellulose I lattice induced by the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treatment played a significant role in promoting the enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stover. More importantly, the lignin fraction (AL) released during the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treatment and the lignin-rich residue (EHR) remained after the enzymatic hydrolysis of the 4% alcoholic NaOH post-treated acid-steam-exploded corn stover were employed to synthesize lignin-phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins. The plywoods prepared with the resins exhibit satisfactory performances. An alkaline ethanol system with an appropriate NaOH concentration could improve the removal of lignin and modification of the crystalline structure of cellulose in acid

  4. Discomfort from an Alkaline Formulation Delivered Subcutaneously in Humans

    PubMed Central

    Ward, W. Kenneth; Castle, Jessica R.; Branigan, Deborah L.; Massoud, Ryan G.; Youssef, Joseph El

    2013-01-01

    Background and Objective There is a paucity of data regarding tolerability of alkaline drugs administered subcutaneously. The aim of this study was to assess the tolerability of alkaline preparations of human albumin delivered subcutaneously to healthy humans. Methods We compared the tolerability of neutral versus alkaline (pH 10) formulations of human albumin in ten volunteers. With an intent to minimize the time required to reach physiological pH after injection, the alkaline formulation was buffered with a low concentration of glycine (20 mmol/L). Each formulation was given at two rates: over 5 seconds and over 60 seconds. A six-point scale was used to assess discomfort. Results For slow injections, there was a significant difference between pH 7.4 and pH 10 injections (0.4 ± 0.2 vs 1.1 ± 0.2, mean ± SEM; p = 0.025), though the degree of discomfort at pH 10 injections was only ‘mild or slight’. For fast injections, the difference between neutral and alkaline formulations was of borderline significance. Inflammation and oedema, as judged by a physician, were very minimal for all injections, irrespective of pH. Conclusion For subcutaneous drug administration (especially when delivered slowly), there was more discomfort associated with alkaline versus neutral formulations of albumin, though the discomfort was mild. This study suggests that there is little discomfort and inflammation resulting from subcutaneous administration of protein drugs formulated with weak buffers at alkaline pH. PMID:22568666

  5. Safety of an alkalinizing buffer designed for inhaled medications in humans.

    PubMed

    Davis, Michael D; Walsh, Brian K; Dwyer, Scott T; Combs, Casey; Vehse, Nico; Paget-Brown, Alix; Pajewski, Thomas; Hunt, John F

    2013-07-01

    Airway acidification plays a role in disorders of the pulmonary tract. We hypothesized that the inhalation of alkalinized glycine buffer would measurably alkalinize the airways without compromising lung function or causing adverse events. We evaluated the safety of an inhaled alkaline glycine buffer in both healthy subjects and in subjects with stable obstructive airway disease. This work includes 2 open-label safety studies. The healthy controls were part of a phase 1 safety study of multiple inhalations of low-dose alkaline glycine buffer; nebulized saline was used as a comparator in 8 of the healthy controls. Subsequently, a phase 2 study in subjects with stable obstructive airway disease was completed using a single nebulized higher-dose strategy of the alkaline inhalation. We studied 20 non-smoking adults (10 healthy controls and 10 subjects with obstructive airway disease), both at baseline and after inhalation of alkaline buffer. We used spirometry and vital signs as markers of clinical safety. We used changes in fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH as surrogate markers of airway pH modification. Alkaline glycine inhalation was tolerated by all subjects in both studies, with no adverse effects on spirometric parameters or vital signs. Airway alkalinization was confirmed by a median increase in EBC pH of 0.235 pH units (IQR 0.56-0.03, P = .03) in subjects after inhalation of the higher-dose alkaline buffer (2.5 mL of 100 mmol/L glycine). Alkalinization of airway lining fluid is accomplished with inhalation of alkaline glycine buffer and causes no adverse effects on pulmonary function or vital signs.

  6. Inhibition of microbiological sulfide oxidation by methanethiol and dimethyl polysulfides at natron-alkaline conditions.

    PubMed

    van den Bosch, Pim L F; de Graaff, Marco; Fortuny-Picornell, Marc; van Leerdam, Robin C; Janssen, Albert J H

    2009-06-01

    To avoid problems related to the discharge of sulfidic spent caustics, a biotechnological process is developed for the treatment of gases containing both hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol. The process operates at natron-alkaline conditions (>1 mol L(-1) of sodium- and potassium carbonates and a pH of 8.5-10) to enable the treatment of gases with a high partial CO(2) pressure. In the process, methanethiol reacts with biologically produced sulfur particles to form a complex mixture predominantly consisting of inorganic polysulfides, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS). The effect of these organic sulfur compounds on the biological oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur was studied with natron-alkaliphilic bacteria belonging to the genus Thioalkalivibrio. Biological oxidation rates were reduced by 50% at 0.05 mM methanethiol, while for DMDS and DMTS, this was estimated to occur at 1.5 and 1.0 mM, respectively. The inhibiting effect of methanethiol on biological sulfide oxidation diminished due to its reaction with biologically produced sulfur particles. This reaction increases the feasibility of biotechnological treatment of gases containing both hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol at natron-alkaline conditions.

  7. Bacillus licheniformis SA03 Confers Increased Saline-Alkaline Tolerance in Chrysanthemum Plants by Induction of Abscisic Acid Accumulation.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Cheng; Zhu, Lin; Xie, Yue; Li, Feiyue; Xiao, Xin; Ma, Zhongyou; Wang, Jianfei

    2017-01-01

    Soil saline-alkalization is a major abiotic stress that leads to low iron (Fe) availability and high toxicity of sodium ions (Na + ) for plants. It has recently been shown that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance the ability of plants to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency. However, the possible involvement of PGPR in improving saline-alkaline tolerance of plants and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bacillus licheniformis (strain SA03) on the growth of Chrysanthemum plants under saline-alkaline conditions. Our results revealed that inoculation with SA03 alleviated saline-alkaline stress in plants with increased survival rates, photosynthesis and biomass. The inoculated plants accumulated more Fe and lower Na + concentrations under saline-alkaline stress compared with the non-inoculated plants. RNA-Sequencing analyses further revealed that SA03 significantly activated abiotic stress- and Fe acquisition-related pathways in the stress-treated plants. However, SA03 failed to increase saline-alkaline tolerance in plants when cellular abscisic acid (ABA) and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis were inhibited by treatment with fluridone (FLU) and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO), respectively. Importantly, we also found that NO acted downstream of SA03-induced ABA to activate a series of adaptive responses in host plants under saline-alkaline stress. These findings demonstrated the potential roles of B. licheniformis SA03 in enhancing saline-alkaline tolerance of plants and highlighted the intricate integration of microbial signaling in regulating cellular Fe and Na + accumulation.

  8. TMC-1 mediates alkaline sensation in C. elegans through nociceptive neurons

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiang; Li, Guang; Liu, Jie; Liu, Jianfeng; Xu, X.Z. Shawn

    2016-01-01

    Noxious pH triggers pungent taste and nocifensive behavior. While the mechanisms underlying acidic pH sensation has been extensively characterized, little is known about how animals sense alkaline pH in the environment. TMC genes encode a family of evolutionarily conserved membrane proteins, whose functions are largely unknown. Here, we characterize C. elegans TMC-1 which was suggested to form a Na+-sensitive channel mediating salt chemosensation. Interestingly, we find that TMC-1 is required for worms to avoid noxious alkaline environment. Alkaline pH evokes an inward current in nociceptive neurons, which is primarily mediated by TMC-1 and to a lesser extent by the TRP channel OSM-9. However, unlike OSM-9 which is sensitive to both acidic and alkaline pH, TMC-1 is only required for alkali-activated current, revealing a specificity for alkaline sensation. Ectopic expression of TMC-1 confers alkaline sensitivity to alkali-insensitive cells. Our results identify an unexpected role for TMCs in alkaline sensation and nociception. PMID:27321925

  9. 40 CFR 721.9680 - Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Alkaline titania silica gel (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.9680 Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name). (a) Chemical substance... alkaline titania silica gel (PMN P-95-529) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant...

  10. 40 CFR 721.9680 - Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Alkaline titania silica gel (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.9680 Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name). (a) Chemical substance... alkaline titania silica gel (PMN P-95-529) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant...

  11. 40 CFR 721.9680 - Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Alkaline titania silica gel (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.9680 Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name). (a) Chemical substance... alkaline titania silica gel (PMN P-95-529) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant...

  12. 40 CFR 721.9680 - Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkaline titania silica gel (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.9680 Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name). (a) Chemical substance... alkaline titania silica gel (PMN P-95-529) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant...

  13. 40 CFR 721.9680 - Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Alkaline titania silica gel (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.9680 Alkaline titania silica gel (generic name). (a) Chemical substance... alkaline titania silica gel (PMN P-95-529) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant...

  14. Dynamic Properties of the Alkaline Vesicle Population at Hippocampal Synapses

    PubMed Central

    Röther, Mareike; Brauner, Jan M.; Ebert, Katrin; Welzel, Oliver; Jung, Jasmin; Bauereiss, Anna; Kornhuber, Johannes; Groemer, Teja W.

    2014-01-01

    In compensatory endocytosis, scission of vesicles from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm is a prerequisite for intravesicular reacidification and accumulation of neurotransmitter molecules. Here, we provide time-resolved measurements of the dynamics of the alkaline vesicle population which appears upon endocytic retrieval. Using fast perfusion pH-cycling in live-cell microscopy, synapto-pHluorin expressing rat hippocampal neurons were electrically stimulated. We found that the relative size of the alkaline vesicle population depended significantly on the electrical stimulus size: With increasing number of action potentials the relative size of the alkaline vesicle population expanded. In contrast to that, increasing the stimulus frequency reduced the relative size of the population of alkaline vesicles. Measurement of the time constant for reacification and calculation of the time constant for endocytosis revealed that both time constants were variable with regard to the stimulus condition. Furthermore, we show that the dynamics of the alkaline vesicle population can be predicted by a simple mathematical model. In conclusion, here a novel methodical approach to analyze dynamic properties of alkaline vesicles is presented and validated as a convenient method for the detection of intracellular events. Using this method we show that the population of alkaline vesicles is highly dynamic and depends both on stimulus strength and frequency. Our results implicate that determination of the alkaline vesicle population size may provide new insights into the kinetics of endocytic retrieval. PMID:25079223

  15. Alkaline β-fructofuranosidases of tuberous roots: Possible physiological function.

    PubMed

    Ricardo, C P

    1974-12-01

    Alkaline invertase of roots of carrot (Daucus carota L.) did not hydrolyze raffinose while the acid invertase from the same tissue showed with this sugar ca. 60% of the activity found with sucrose. The activity of the two invertases was inhibited by fructose to a different extent, the K i value being ca. 4×10(-2) M and 3×10(-1)M, respectively, for the alkaline and the acid invertases from the roots of both carrot and turnip (Brassica rapa L.). It is proposed that fructose inhibition of acid invertase is of no physiological significance but that, in contrast, hexoses might regulate the activity of alkaline invertase.Comparing several species and cultivars, it was found that the content of reducing sugars and the activity of alkaline invertase of mature tuberous roots showed a positive correlation. This indicates that alkaline invertase may participate in the regulation of the hexose level of the cell, as was previously suggested for sugar-cane. A scheme is presented which proposes a way of participation of alkaline invertase in such a regulation, assuming that this enzyme is located in the cytoplasm and acid invertase is membrane-bound and mainly located at the cell surface.

  16. Overexpression of Human Bone Alkaline Phosphatase in Pichia Pastoris

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, Laurel; Malone, Christine, C.; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    The Pichiapastoris expression system was utilized to produce functionally active human bone alkaline phosphatase in gram quantities. Bone alkaline phosphatase is a key enzyme in bone formation and biomineralization, yet important questions about its structural chemistry and interactions with other cellular enzymes in mineralizing tissues remain unanswered. A soluble form of human bone alkaline phosphatase was constructed by deletion of the 25 amino acid hydrophobic C-terminal region of the encoding cDNA and inserted into the X-33 Pichiapastoris strain. An overexpression system was developed in shake flasks and converted to large-scale fermentation. Alkaline phosphatase was secreted into the medium to a level of 32mgAL when cultured in shake flasks. Enzyme activity was 12U/mg measured by a spectrophotometric assay. Fermentation yielded 880mgAL with enzymatic activity of 968U/mg. Gel electrophoresis analysis indicates that greater than 50% of the total protein in the fermentation is alkaline phosphatase. A purification scheme has been developed using ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. We are currently screening crystallization conditions of the purified recombinant protein for subsequent X-ray diffraction analyses. Structural data should provide additional information on the role of alkaline phosphatase in normal bone mineralization and in certain bone mineralization anomalies.

  17. Alkaline DNA fragmentation, DNA disentanglement evaluated viscosimetrically and sister chromatid exchanges, after treatment in vivo with nitrofurantoin.

    PubMed

    Parodi, S; Pala, M; Russo, P; Balbi, C; Abelmoschi, M L; Taningher, M; Zunino, A; Ottaggio, L; de Ferrari, M; Carbone, A; Santi, L

    1983-07-01

    Nitrofurantoin was not positive as a carcinogen in long term assays. In vitro it was positive in some short term tests and negative in others. We have examined Nitrofurantoin for its capability of inducing DNA damage in vivo. With the alkaline elution technique, Nitrofurantoin appeared clearly positive in all the tissues examined (liver, kidney, lung, spleen and bone marrow). In the liver we also observed some cross-linking effect. In bone marrow cells Nitrofurantoin was also clearly positive in terms of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) induction. DNA damage in vivo was also examined with a viscosimetric method, more sensitive than alkaline elution. With this method the results were essentially negative, suggesting that the two methods detect different types of damage. In view of its positivity in many organs and in two short term tests in vivo, the carcinogenic potential of Nitrofurantoin should be reconsidered.

  18. Alkaline pH induces IRR-mediated phosphorylation of IRS-1 and actin cytoskeleton remodeling in a pancreatic beta cell line.

    PubMed

    Deyev, Igor E; Popova, Nadezhda V; Serova, Oxana V; Zhenilo, Svetlana V; Regoli, Marì; Bertelli, Eugenio; Petrenko, Alexander G

    2017-07-01

    Secretion of mildly alkaline (pH 8.0-8.5) juice to intestines is one of the key functions of the pancreas. Recent reports indicate that the pancreatic duct system containing the alkaline juice may adjoin the endocrine cells of pancreatic islets. We have previously identified the insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) that is expressed in islets as a sensor of mildly alkaline extracellular media. In this study, we show that those islet cells that are in contact with the excretory ducts are also IRR-expressing cells. We further analyzed the effects of alkaline media on pancreatic beta cell line MIN6. Activation of endogenous IRR but not of the insulin receptor was detected that could be inhibited with linsitinib. The IRR autophosphorylation correlated with pH-dependent linsitinib-sensitive activation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), the primary adaptor in the insulin signaling pathway. However, in contrast with insulin stimulation, no protein kinase B (Akt/PKB) phosphorylation was detected as a result of alkali treatment. We observed overexpression of several early response genes (EGR2, IER2, FOSB, EGR1 and NPAS4) upon alkali treatment of MIN6 cells but those were IRR-independent. The alkaline medium but not insulin also triggered actin cytoskeleton remodeling that was blocked by pre-incubation with linsitinib. We propose that the activation of IRR by alkali might be part of a local loop of signaling between the exocrine and endocrine parts of the pancreas where alkalinization of the juice facilitate insulin release that increases the volume of secreted juice to control its pH and bicabonate content. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  19. Contemporaneous eruption of calc-alkaline and alkaline lavas in a continental arc (Eastern Mexican Volcanic Belt): chemically heterogeneous but isotopically homogeneous source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carrasco-Núñez, Gerardo; Righter, Kevin; Chesley, John; Siebert, Lee; Aranda-Gómez, José Jorge

    2005-11-01

    Nearly contemporaneous eruption of alkaline and calc-alkaline lavas occurred about 900 years BP from El Volcancillo paired vent, located behind the volcanic front in the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB). Emission of hawaiite (Toxtlacuaya) was immediately followed by calc-alkaline basalt (Río Naolinco). Hawaiites contain olivine microphenocrysts (Fo67-72), plagioclase (An56-60) phenocrysts, have 4-5 wt% MgO and 49.6-50.9 wt% SiO2. In contrast, calc-alkaline lavas contain plagioclase (An64-72) and olivine phenocrysts (Fo81-84) with spinel inclusions, and have 8-9 wt% MgO and 48.4-49.4 wt% SiO2. The most primitive lavas in the region (Río Naolinco and Cerro Colorado) are not as primitive as parental melts in other arcs, and could represent either (a) variable degrees of melting of a subduction modified, garnet-bearing depleted mantle source, followed by AFC process, or (b) melting of two distinct mantle sources followed by AFC processes. These two hypotheses are evaluated using REE, HFSE, and Sr, Os and Pb isotopic data. The Toxtlacuaya flow and the Y & I lavas can be generated by combined fractional crystallization and assimilation of gabbroic granulite, starting with a parental liquid similar to the Cerro Colorado basalt. Although calc-alkaline and alkaline magmas commonly occur together in other areas of the MVB, evidence for subduction component in El Volcancillo magmas is minimal and limited to <1%, which is a unique feature in this region further from the trench. El Volcancillo lavas were produced from two different magma batches: we surmise that the injection of calc-alkaline magma into an alkaline magma chamber triggered the eruption of hawaiites. Our results suggest that the subalkaline and hawaiitic lavas were formed by different degrees of partial melting of a similar, largely depleted mantle source, followed by later AFC processes. This model is unusual for arcs, where such diversity is usually explained by melting of heterogeneous (enriched and depleted) and

  20. Hydroxide Self-Feeding High-Temperature Alkaline Direct Formate Fuel Cells.

    PubMed

    Li, Yinshi; Sun, Xianda; Feng, Ying

    2017-05-22

    Conventionally, both the thermal degradation of the anion-exchange membrane and the requirement of additional hydroxide for fuel oxidation reaction hinder the development of the high-temperature alkaline direct liquid fuel cells. The present work addresses these two issues by reporting a polybenzimidazole-membrane-based direct formate fuel cell (DFFC). Theoretically, the cell voltage of the high-temperature alkaline DFFC can be as high as 1.45 V at 90 °C. It has been demonstrated that a proof-of-concept alkaline DFFC without adding additional hydroxide yields a peak power density of 20.9 mW cm -2 , an order of magnitude higher than both alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells and alkaline direct methanol fuel cells, mainly because the hydrolysis of formate provides enough OH - ions for formate oxidation reaction. It was also found that this hydroxide self-feeding high-temperature alkaline DFFC shows a stable 100 min constant-current discharge at 90 °C, proving the conceptual feasibility. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. When can ocean acidification impacts be detected from decadal alkalinity measurements?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carter, B. R.; Frölicher, T. L.; Dunne, J. P.; Rodgers, K. B.; Slater, R. D.; Sarmiento, J. L.

    2016-04-01

    We use a large initial condition suite of simulations (30 runs) with an Earth system model to assess the detectability of biogeochemical impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on the marine alkalinity distribution from decadally repeated hydrographic measurements such as those produced by the Global Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP). Detection of these impacts is complicated by alkalinity changes from variability and long-term trends in freshwater and organic matter cycling and ocean circulation. In our ensemble simulation, variability in freshwater cycling generates large changes in alkalinity that obscure the changes of interest and prevent the attribution of observed alkalinity redistribution to OA. These complications from freshwater cycling can be mostly avoided through salinity normalization of alkalinity. With the salinity-normalized alkalinity, modeled OA impacts are broadly detectable in the surface of the subtropical gyres by 2030. Discrepancies between this finding and the finding of an earlier analysis suggest that these estimates are strongly sensitive to the patterns of calcium carbonate export simulated by the model. OA impacts are detectable later in the subpolar and equatorial regions due to slower responses of alkalinity to OA in these regions and greater seasonal equatorial alkalinity variability. OA impacts are detectable later at depth despite lower variability due to smaller rates of change and consistent measurement uncertainty.

  2. Structural studies of human alkaline phosphatase in complex with strontium: Implication for its secondary effect in bones

    PubMed Central

    Llinas, Paola; Masella, Michel; Stigbrand, Torgny; Ménez, André; Stura, Enrico A.; Le Du, Marie Hélène

    2006-01-01

    Strontium is used in the treatment of osteoporosis as a ranelate compound, and in the treatment of painful scattered bone metastases as isotope. At very high doses and in certain conditions, it can lead to osteomalacia characterized by impairment of bone mineralization. The osteomalacia symptoms resemble those of hypophosphatasia, a rare inherited disorder associated with mutations in the gene encoding for tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP). Human alkaline phosphatases have four metal binding sites—two for zinc, one for magnesium, and one for calcium ion—that can be substituted by strontium. Here we present the crystal structure of strontium-substituted human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), a related isozyme of TNAP, in which such replacement can have important physiological implications. The structure shows that strontium substitutes the calcium ion with concomitant modification of the metal coordination. The use of the flexible and polarizable force-field TCPEp (topological and classical polarization effects for proteins) predicts that calcium or strontium has similar interaction energies at the calcium-binding site of PLAP. Since calcium helps stabilize a large area that includes loops 210–228 and 250–297, its substitution by strontium could affect the stability of this region. Energy calculations suggest that only at high doses of strontium, comparable to those found for calcium, can strontium substitute for calcium. Since osteomalacia is observed after ingestion of high doses of strontium, alkaline phosphatase is likely to be one of the targets of strontium, and thus this enzyme might be involved in this disease. PMID:16815919

  3. Purification and characterization of an alkaline protease Prot 1 from Botrytis cinerea : biodetergent catalyst assay.

    PubMed

    Abidi, Ferid; Limam, Ferid; Marzouki, M Nejib

    2007-01-01

    Alkaline thiol protease named Prot 1 was isolated from a culture filtrate of Botrytis cinerea. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography. Thus, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity with specific activity of 30-fold higher than that of the crude broth. The purified alkaline protease has an apparent molecular mass of 43 kDa under denaturing conditions as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The native molecular mass (45 kDa), determined by gel filtration, indicated that the alkaline protease has a monomeric form. The purified protease was biochemically characterized. The enzyme is active at alkaline pH and has a suitable and high thermostability. The optimal pH and temperature for activity were 9.0-10.0 and 60 degrees C, respectively. This protease was stable between pH 5.0 and 12.0. The enzyme retained 85% of its activity by treatment at 50 degrees C over 120 min; it maintained 50% of activity after 60 min of heating at 60 degrees C. Furthermore, the protease retained almost complete activity after 4 wk storage at 25 degrees C. The activity was significantly affected by thiol protease inhibitors, suggesting that the enzyme belongs to the alkaline thiol protease family. With the aim on industrial applications, we focused on studying the stability of the protease in several conditions. Prot 1 activity was not affected by ionic strength and different detergent additives, and, thus, the protease shows remarkable properties as a biodetergent catalyst.

  4. Characterization of Human Bone Alkaline Phosphatase in Pichia Pastoris

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malone, Christine C.; Ciszak, Eva; Karr, Laurel J.

    1999-01-01

    A soluble form of human bone alkaline phosphatase has been expressed in a recombinant strain of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. We constructed a plasmid containing cDNA encoding for human bone alkaline phosphatase, with the hydrophobic carboxyl terminal portion deleted. Alkaline phosphatase was secreted into the medium to a level of 32mg/L when cultured in shake flasks, and enzyme activity was 12U/mg, as measured by a spectrophotometric assay. By conversion to a fermentation system, a yield of 880mg/L has been achieved with an enzyme activity of 968U/mg. By gel electrophoresis analysis, it appears that greater than 50% of the total protein in the fermentation media is alkaline phosphatase. Although purification procedures are not yet completely optimized, they are expected to include filtration, ion exchange and affinity chromatography. Our presentation will focus on the purification and crystallization results up to the time of the conference. Structural data should provide additional information on the role of alkaline phosphatase in normal bone mineralization and in certain bone mineralization anomalies.

  5. Transcriptome analysis of genes involved in defense against alkaline stress in roots of wild jujube (Ziziphus acidojujuba)

    PubMed Central

    Tian, Shan; Wang, Bei; Zhao, Xusheng

    2017-01-01

    Wild jujube (Ziziphus acidojujuba Mill.) is highly tolerant to alkaline, saline and drought stress; however, no studies have performed transcriptome profiling to study the response of wild jujube to these and other abiotic stresses. In this study, we examined the tolerance of wild jujube to NaHCO3-NaOH solution and analyzed gene expression profiles in response to alkaline stress. Physiological experiments revealed that H2O2 content in leaves increased significantly and root activity decreased quickly during alkaline of pH 9.5 treatment. For transcriptome analysis, wild jujube plants grown hydroponically were treated with NaHCO3-NaOH solution for 0, 1, and 12 h and six transcriptomes from roots were built. In total, 32,758 genes were generated, and 3,604 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. After 1 h, 853 genes showed significantly different expression between control and treated plants; after 12 h, expression of 2,856 genes was significantly different. The expression pattern of nine genes was validated by quantitative real-time PCR. After gene annotation and gene ontology enrichment analysis, the genes encoding transcriptional factors, serine/threonine-protein kinases, heat shock proteins, cysteine-like kinases, calmodulin-like proteins, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers were found to be closely involved in alkaline stress response. These results will provide useful insights for elucidating the mechanisms underlying alkaline tolerance in wild jujube. PMID:28976994

  6. Contemporaneous alkaline and calc-alkaline series in Central Anatolia (Turkey): Spatio-temporal evolution of a post-collisional Quaternary basaltic volcanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dogan-Kulahci, Gullu Deniz; Temel, Abidin; Gourgaud, Alain; Varol, Elif; Guillou, Hervé; Deniel, Catherine

    2018-05-01

    This study focuses on spatio-temporal evolution of basaltic volcanism in the Central Anatolian post-collisional Quaternary magmatic province which developed along a NE-SW orientation in Turkey. This magmatic province consists of the stratovolcanoes Erciyes (ES) and Hasandag (HS), and the basaltic volcanic fields of Obruk-Zengen (OZ) and Karapınar (KA). The investigated samples range between basic to intermediate in composition (48-56 wt% SiO2), and exhibit calc-alkaline affinity at ES whereas HS, OZ and KA are alkaline in composition. Based on new Ksbnd Ar ages and major element data, the oldest basaltic rock of ES is 1700 ± 40 ka old and exhibits alkaline character, whereas the youngest basaltic trachyandesite is 12 ± 5 ka old and calc-alkaline in composition. Most ES basaltic rocks are younger than 350 ka. All samples dated from HS are alkaline basalts, ranging from 543 ± 12 ka to 2 ± 7 ka old. With the exception of one basalt, all HS basalts are 100 ka or younger in age. Ksbnd Ar ages range from 797 ± 20 ka to 66 ± 7 ka from OZ. All the basalt samples are alkaline in character and are older than the HS alkaline basalts, with the exception of the youngest samples. The oldest and youngest basaltic samples from KA are 280 ± 7 ka and 163 ± 10 ka, respectively, and are calc-alkaline in character. Based on thermobarometric estimates samples from OZ exhibit the highest cpx-liqidus temperature and pressure. For all centers the calculated crystallization depths are between 11 and 28 km and increase from NE to SW. Multistage crystallization in magma chamber(s) located at different depths can explain this range in pressure. Harker variation diagrams coupled with least-squares mass balance calculations support fractional crystallization for ES and, to lesser extend for HS, OZ and KA. All basaltic volcanic rocks of this study are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE). The lack of negative anomalies for high field

  7. Bacillus licheniformis SA03 Confers Increased Saline–Alkaline Tolerance in Chrysanthemum Plants by Induction of Abscisic Acid Accumulation

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Cheng; Zhu, Lin; Xie, Yue; Li, Feiyue; Xiao, Xin; Ma, Zhongyou; Wang, Jianfei

    2017-01-01

    Soil saline-alkalization is a major abiotic stress that leads to low iron (Fe) availability and high toxicity of sodium ions (Na+) for plants. It has recently been shown that plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can enhance the ability of plants to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency. However, the possible involvement of PGPR in improving saline–alkaline tolerance of plants and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bacillus licheniformis (strain SA03) on the growth of Chrysanthemum plants under saline–alkaline conditions. Our results revealed that inoculation with SA03 alleviated saline–alkaline stress in plants with increased survival rates, photosynthesis and biomass. The inoculated plants accumulated more Fe and lower Na+ concentrations under saline–alkaline stress compared with the non-inoculated plants. RNA-Sequencing analyses further revealed that SA03 significantly activated abiotic stress- and Fe acquisition-related pathways in the stress-treated plants. However, SA03 failed to increase saline–alkaline tolerance in plants when cellular abscisic acid (ABA) and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis were inhibited by treatment with fluridone (FLU) and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO), respectively. Importantly, we also found that NO acted downstream of SA03-induced ABA to activate a series of adaptive responses in host plants under saline–alkaline stress. These findings demonstrated the potential roles of B. licheniformis SA03 in enhancing saline–alkaline tolerance of plants and highlighted the intricate integration of microbial signaling in regulating cellular Fe and Na+ accumulation. PMID:28706529

  8. Rapid changes in water hardness and alkalinity: Calcite formation is lethal to Daphnia magna.

    PubMed

    Bogart, Sarah J; Woodman, Samuel; Steinkey, Dylan; Meays, Cindy; Pyle, Greg G

    2016-07-15

    There is growing concern that freshwater ecosystems may be negatively affected by ever-increasing anthropogenic inputs of extremely hard, highly alkaline effluent containing large quantities of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), CO3(2-), and HCO3(-) ions. In this study, the toxicity of rapid and extreme shifts in water hardness (38-600mg/L as CaCO3) and alkalinity (30-420mg/L as CaCO3) to Daphnia magna was tested, both independently and in combination. Within these ranges, where no precipitation event occurred, shifts in water hardness and/or alkalinity were not toxic to D. magna. In contrast, 98-100% of D. magna died within 96h after exposure to 600mg/L as CaCO3 water hardness and 420mg/L as CaCO3 alkalinity (LT50 of 60h with a 95% CI of 54.2-66.0h). In this treatment, a CaCO3 (calcite) precipitate formed in the water column which was ingested by and thoroughly coated the D. magna. Calcite collected from a mining impacted stream contained embedded organisms, suggesting field streams may also experience similar conditions and possibly increased mortality as observed in the lab tests. Although further investigation is required to determine the exact fate of aquatic organisms exposed to rapid calcite precipitation in the field, we caution that negative effects may occur more quickly or at lower concentrations of water hardness and alkalinity in which we observed effects in D. magna, because some species, such as aquatic insects, are more sensitive than cladocerans to changes in ionic strength. Our results provide evidence that both calcite precipitation and the major ion balance of waters should be managed in industrially affected ecosystems and we support the development of a hardness+alkalinity guideline for the protection of aquatic life. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Structural Analysis of Alkaline β-Mannanase from Alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. N16-5: Implications for Adaptation to Alkaline Conditions

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Yueju; Zhang, Yunhua; Cao, Yang; Qi, Jianxun; Mao, Liangwei; Xue, Yanfen; Gao, Feng; Peng, Hao; Wang, Xiaowei; Gao, George F.; Ma, Yanhe

    2011-01-01

    Significant progress has been made in isolating novel alkaline β-mannanases, however, there is a paucity of information concerning the structural basis for alkaline tolerance displayed by these β-mannanases. We report the catalytic domain structure of an industrially important β-mannanase from the alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. N16-5 (BSP165 MAN) at a resolution of 1.6 Å. This enzyme, classified into subfamily 8 in glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5), has a pH optimum of enzymatic activity at pH 9.5 and folds into a classic (β/α)8-barrel. In order to gain insight into molecular features for alkaline adaptation, we compared BSP165 MAN with previously reported GH5 β-mannanases. It was revealed that BSP165 MAN and other subfamily 8 β-mannanases have significantly increased hydrophobic and Arg residues content and decreased polar residues, comparing to β-mannanases of subfamily 7 or 10 in GH5 which display optimum activities at lower pH. Further, extensive structural comparisons show alkaline β-mannanases possess a set of distinctive features. Position and length of some helices, strands and loops of the TIM barrel structures are changed, which contributes, to a certain degree, to the distinctly different shaped (β/α)8-barrels, thus affecting the catalytic environment of these enzymes. The number of negatively charged residues is increased on the molecular surface, and fewer polar residues are exposed to the solvent. Two amino acid substitutions in the vicinity of the acid/base catalyst were proposed to be possibly responsible for the variation in pH optimum of these homologous enzymes in subfamily 8 of GH5, identified by sequence homology analysis and pK a calculations of the active site residues. Mutational analysis has proved that Gln91 and Glu226 are important for BSP165 MAN to function at high pH. These findings are proposed to be possible factors implicated in the alkaline adaptation of GH5 β-mannanases and will help to further understanding of alkaline

  10. Alkaline nanoparticle coatings improve resin bonding of 10-methacryloyloxydecyldihydrogenphosphate-conditioned zirconia.

    PubMed

    Qian, Mengke; Lu, Zhicen; Chen, Chen; Zhang, Huaiqin; Xie, Haifeng

    Creating an alkaline environment prior to 10-methacryloyloxydecyldihydrogenphosphate (MDP) conditioning improves the resin bonding of zirconia. The present study evaluated the effects of four alkaline coatings with different water solubilities and pH values on resin bonding of MDP-conditioned zirconia. Two alkaline nanoparticle coatings were studied in particular. Thermodynamics calculations were performed to evaluate the strengths of MDP-tetragonal phase zirconia chemical bonds at different pH values. Zirconia surfaces with and without alkaline coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; alkaline coatings included NaOH, Ca(OH) 2 , nano-MgO, and nano-Zr(OH) 4 . A shear bond strength (SBS) test was performed to evaluate the effects of the four alkaline coatings on bonding; the alkaline coatings were applied to the surfaces prior to conditioning the zirconia with MDP-containing primers. Gibbs free energies of the MDP-tetragonal zirconia crystal model coordination reaction in different pH environments were -583.892 (NaOH), -569.048 [Ca(OH) 2 ], -547.393 (MgO), and -530.279 kJ/mol [Zr(OH) 4 ]. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the alkaline coatings improved bonding in the following order: NaOH > Ca(OH) 2 > MgO > Zr(OH) 4 . Statistical analysis of SBS tests showed a different result. SBSs were significantly different in groups that had different alkaline coatings, but it was not influenced by different primers. All four alkaline coatings increased SBS compared to control groups. Of the four coatings, nano-Zr(OH) 4 and -MgO showed higher SBS. Therefore, preparing nano-Zr(OH) 4 or -MgO coatings prior to conditioning with MDP-containing primers may potentially improve resin bonding of zirconia in the clinic.

  11. Alkaline nanoparticle coatings improve resin bonding of 10-methacryloyloxydecyldihydrogenphosphate-conditioned zirconia

    PubMed Central

    Qian, Mengke; Lu, Zhicen; Chen, Chen; Zhang, Huaiqin; Xie, Haifeng

    2016-01-01

    Creating an alkaline environment prior to 10-methacryloyloxydecyldihydrogenphosphate (MDP) conditioning improves the resin bonding of zirconia. The present study evaluated the effects of four alkaline coatings with different water solubilities and pH values on resin bonding of MDP-conditioned zirconia. Two alkaline nanoparticle coatings were studied in particular. Thermodynamics calculations were performed to evaluate the strengths of MDP-tetragonal phase zirconia chemical bonds at different pH values. Zirconia surfaces with and without alkaline coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy dispersive spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; alkaline coatings included NaOH, Ca(OH)2, nano-MgO, and nano-Zr(OH)4. A shear bond strength (SBS) test was performed to evaluate the effects of the four alkaline coatings on bonding; the alkaline coatings were applied to the surfaces prior to conditioning the zirconia with MDP-containing primers. Gibbs free energies of the MDP-tetragonal zirconia crystal model coordination reaction in different pH environments were −583.892 (NaOH), −569.048 [Ca(OH)2], −547.393 (MgO), and −530.279 kJ/mol [Zr(OH)4]. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the alkaline coatings improved bonding in the following order: NaOH > Ca(OH)2 > MgO > Zr(OH)4. Statistical analysis of SBS tests showed a different result. SBSs were significantly different in groups that had different alkaline coatings, but it was not influenced by different primers. All four alkaline coatings increased SBS compared to control groups. Of the four coatings, nano-Zr(OH)4 and -MgO showed higher SBS. Therefore, preparing nano-Zr(OH)4 or -MgO coatings prior to conditioning with MDP-containing primers may potentially improve resin bonding of zirconia in the clinic. PMID:27785013

  12. Kinetic Release of Alkalinity from Particle-Containing Oil-in-Water Emulsions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muller, K.; Chapra, S. C.; Ramsburg, A.

    2014-12-01

    Oil-in-water emulsions are typically employed during remediation to promote biotic reduction of contaminants. Emulsions, however, hold promise for encapsulated delivery of many types of active ingredients required for successful site remediation or long-term site stewardship. Our research is currently focused on using alkalinity-containing particles held within oil-in-water emulsions to sustain control of subsurface pH. Here we describe results from laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling conducted to quantify the kinetics associated with the emulsion delivery and alkalinity release process. Kinetically stable oil-in-water emulsions containing (~60 nmCaCO3 or ~100 nm MgO particles) were previously developed using soybean oil and Gum Arabic as a stabilizing agent. Batch and column experiments were employed to assess the accessibility and release of the alkalinity from the emulsion. Successive additions of HCl were used in batch systems to produce several pH responses (pH rebounds) that were subsequently modeled to elucidate release mechanisms and rates for varying emulsion compositions and particle types. Initial results suggest that a linear-driving-force model is generally able to capture the release behavior in the batch system when the temporally-constant, lumped mass-transfer coefficient is scaled by the fraction of particle mass remaining within the droplets. This result suggests that the rate limiting step in the release process may be the interphase transfer of reactive species at the oil-water interface. 1-d column experiments were also completed in order to quantify the extent and rate of alkalinity release from emulsion droplets retained in a sandy medium. Alkalinity release from the retained droplets treated a pH 4 influent water for 25-60 pore volumes (the duration depended on particle type and mass loading), and the cessation in treatment corresponded to exhaustion of the particle mass held within the oil. Column experiments were simulated

  13. Low-heat, mild alkaline pretreatment of switchgrass for anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Jin, Guang; Bierma, Tom; Walker, Paul M

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment under mild heat conditions (100°C or 212°F) on the anaerobic co-digestion of switchgrass. The effects of alkaline concentration, types of alkaline, heating time and rinsing were evaluated. In addition to batch studies, continuous-feed studies were performed in triplicate to identify potential digester operational problems caused by switchgrass co-digestion while accounting for uncertainty due to digester variability. Few studies have examined anaerobic digestion of switchgrass or the effects of mild heating to enhance alkaline pretreatment prior to biomass digestion. Results indicate that pretreatment can significantly enhance digestion of coarse-ground (≤ 0.78 cm particle size) switchgrass. Energy conversion efficiency as high as 63% was observed, and was comparable or superior to fine-grinding as a pretreatment method. The optimal NaOH concentration was found to be 5.5% (wt/wt alkaline/biomass) with a 91.7% moisture level. No evidence of operational problems such as solids build-up, poor mixing, or floating materials were observed. These results suggest the use of waste heat from a generator could reduce the concentration of alkaline required to adequately pretreat lignocellulosic feedstock prior to anaerobic digestion.

  14. Cation exchange properties of zeolites in hyper alkaline aqueous media.

    PubMed

    Van Tendeloo, Leen; de Blochouse, Benny; Dom, Dirk; Vancluysen, Jacqueline; Snellings, Ruben; Martens, Johan A; Kirschhock, Christine E A; Maes, André; Breynaert, Eric

    2015-02-03

    Construction of multibarrier concrete based waste disposal sites and management of alkaline mine drainage water requires cation exchangers combining excellent sorption properties with a high stability and predictable performance in hyper alkaline media. Though highly selective organic cation exchange resins have been developed for most pollutants, they can serve as a growth medium for bacterial proliferation, impairing their long-term stability and introducing unpredictable parameters into the evolution of the system. Zeolites represent a family of inorganic cation exchangers, which naturally occur in hyper alkaline conditions and cannot serve as an electron donor or carbon source for microbial proliferation. Despite their successful application as industrial cation exchangers under near neutral conditions, their performance in hyper alkaline, saline water remains highly undocumented. Using Cs(+) as a benchmark element, this study aims to assess the long-term cation exchange performance of zeolites in concrete derived aqueous solutions. Comparison of their exchange properties in alkaline media with data obtained in near neutral solutions demonstrated that the cation exchange selectivity remains unaffected by the increased hydroxyl concentration; the cation exchange capacity did however show an unexpected increase in hyper alkaline media.

  15. A macro-enzyme cause of an isolated increase of alkaline phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Cervinski, Mark A; Lee, Hong Kee; Martin, Isabella W; Gavrilov, Dimitar K

    2015-02-02

    Macroenzyme complexes of serum enzymes and antibody can increase the circulating enzymatic activity and may lead to unnecessary additional testing and procedures. Laboratory physicians and scientists need to be aware of techniques to identify macroenzyme complexes when suspected. To investigate the possibility of a macro-alkaline phosphatase in the serum of a 74 year old male with persistently increased alkaline phosphatase we coupled a protein A/G agarose affinity chromatography technique with isoenzyme electrophoresis to look for the presence of macro-alkaline phosphatase. The majority of the alkaline phosphatase activity in the patient's serum sample was bound to the column and only a minor fraction (25%) of alkaline phosphatase activity was present in the column flow-through. The alkaline phosphatase activity was also found to co-elute with the immunoglobulins in the patient sample. The alkaline phosphatase activity in a control serum sample concurrently treated in the same manner did not bind to the column and was found in the column flow-through. The use of protein A/G agarose affinity chromatography is a rapid and simple method that can be applied to the investigation of other macro-enzyme complexes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Effective treatment of alkaline Cr(VI) contaminated leachate using a novel Pd-bionanocatalyst: Impact of electron donor and aqueous geochemistry

    PubMed Central

    Watts, Mathew P.; Coker, Victoria S.; Parry, Stephen A.; Thomas, Russell A.P.; Kalin, Robert; Lloyd, Jonathan R.

    2015-01-01

    Palladium catalysts offer the potential for the effective treatment of a variety of priority reducible pollutants in natural waters. In this study, microbially synthesized magnetite nanoparticles were functionalized with Pd(0), creating a highly reactive, magnetically recoverable, nano-scale catalyst (Pd-BnM). This was then investigated for the treatment of model Cr(VI) contaminated solutions at a range of pH values, and also alkaline Cr(VI) contaminated leachates from chromite ore processing residue (COPR); a contaminant issue of global concern. The sample of COPR used in this study was obtained from a site in Glasgow, UK, where extensive Cr(VI) contamination has been reported. In initial experiments Pd-BnM was supplied with H2 gas or formate as electron donors, and Cr(VI) removal from model synthetic solutions was quantified at various pH values (2–12). Effective removal was noted at neutral to environmentally relevant alkaline (pH 12) pH values, while the use of formate as an electron donor resulted in loss of performance under acidic conditions (pH 2). Reaction kinetics were then assessed with increasing Pd-BnM loading in both model pH 12 Cr(VI) solutions and the COPR leachate. When formate was used as the electron donor for Pd-BnM, to treat COPR leachate, there was significant inhibition of Cr(VI) removal. In contrast, a promotion of reaction rate, was observed when H2 was employed. Upon sustained reaction with model Cr(VI) solutions, in the presence of excess electron donor (formate or H2), appreciable quantities of Cr(VI) were removed before eventual inactivation of the catalyst. Faster onset of inactivation was reported in the COPR leachates, removing 4% and 64% of Cr(VI) observed from model Cr(VI) solutions, when formate and H2 were used as electron donors, respectively. XAS, TEM-EDX and XPS analysis of the catalysts that had been inactivated in the model solution, showed that the surface had an extensive covering of reduced Cr(III), most likely as a Cr

  17. Alkalinity-salinity relationship in the Chesapeake Bay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cintrón Del Valle, S. M.; Najjar, R.; Herrmann, M.; Goldberger, S.; Stets, E.

    2016-12-01

    Estuaries are a significant source of atmospheric CO2, a major greenhouse gas. However, it is not known whether the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, is a source or sink of CO2. Extensive pH measurements in the Bay offer the possibility of estimating the air-water CO2 flux if robust relationships between alkalinity, the acid neutralizing capacity of a water body, and salinity can be established. Here we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the alkalinity-salinity relationship in the Chesapeake Bay based on more than 18,000 alkalinity measurements made between 1985 and 2015. It was found that seven segments of the Bay could be grouped into three different linear functions, suggesting that alkalinity is conserved in the Bay and has properties that change depending on the freshwater endmember (the riverine source). The highest freshwater endmember was 1.21 mol m-3 for the Potomac River, the lowest one was 0.41 mol m-3 for the York and Rappahannock Rivers, and an intermediate freshwater endmember was 0.79 mol m-3 for the remaining four segments. For some segments, most notably the Potomac River, the scatter of the data increases with decreasing salinity, which is due, in part, to seasonal and interannual variations in the freshwater endmember.

  18. Alkaline Activator Impact on the Geopolymer Binders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Błaszczyński, Tomasz Z.; Król, Maciej R.

    2017-10-01

    Concrete structures are constantly moving in the direction of improving the durability. Durability depends on many factors, which are the composition of concrete mix, the usage of additives and admixtures and the place, where material will work and carry the load. The introduction of new geopolymer binders for geopolymer structures adds a new aspect that is type of used activator. This substance with strongly alkaline reaction is divided because of the physical state, the alkaline degree and above all the chemical composition. Taking into account, that at present the geopolymer binders are made essentially from waste materials or by-products from the combustion of coal or iron ore smelting, unambiguous determination of the effect of the activator on the properties of the geopolymer material requires a number of trials, researches and observation. This paper shows the influence of the most alkaline activators on the basic parameters of the durability of geopolymer binders. In this study there were used highly alkaline hydroxides, water glasses and granules, which are waste materials in a variety of processes taking place in chemical plants. As the substrate of geopolymer binders there were used fly ash which came from coal and high calcareous ash from the burning of lignite.

  19. Enhanced coproduction of hydrogen and methane from cornstalks by a three-stage anaerobic fermentation process integrated with alkaline hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Xi-Yu; Liu, Chun-Zhao

    2012-01-01

    A three-stage anaerobic fermentation process including H(2) fermentation I, H(2) fermentation II, methane fermentation was developed for the coproduction of hydrogen and methane from cornstalks. Hydrogen production from cornstalks using direct microbial conversion by Clostridium thermocellum 7072 was markedly enhanced in the two-stage thermophilic hydrogen fermentation process integrated with alkaline treatment. The highest total hydrogen yield from cornstalks in the two-stage fermentation process reached 74.4 mL/g-cornstalk. The hydrogen fermentation effluents and alkaline hydrolyzate were further used for methane fermentation by anaerobic granular sludge, and the total methane yield reached 205.8 mL/g-cornstalk. The total energy recovery in the three-stage anaerobic fermentation process integrated with alkaline hydrolysis reached 70.0%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Synthesis and evaluation of benzo[b]thiophene derivatives as inhibitors of alkaline phosphatases.

    PubMed

    Li, Lina; Chang, Lei; Pellet-Rostaing, Stéphane; Liger, François; Lemaire, Marc; Buchet, René; Wu, Yuqing

    2009-10-15

    Presence of basic calcium phosphate in knee joints of osteoarthritis patients could be prevented by inhibiting tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) activity. Levamisole or the L stereoisomer of tetramisole (a known TNAP inhibitor) has been used as a treatment for curing rheumatoid arthritis but its therapeutical use is limited due to side effects. We report the synthesis and the TNAP inhibition property of benzo[b]thiophene derivatives, among which benzothiopheno-tetramisole and benzothiopheno-2,3-dehydrotetramisole, which could be involved in a drug therapy for osteoarthritis. Two water soluble racemic benzothiopheno-tetramisole and -2,3-dehydrotetramisole with apparent inhibition constants K(i)=85+/-6 microM and 135+/-3 microM (n=3) comparable to that of enantiomeric levamisole 93+/-4 microM were found. Several novel derivatives showed more pronounced inhibition properties towards intestinal alkaline phosphatase than TNAP.

  1. A method for making an alkaline battery electrode plate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chida, K.; Ezaki, T.

    1983-01-01

    A method is described for making an alkaline battery electrode plate where the desired active substances are filled into a nickel foam substrate. In this substrate an electrolytic oxidation reduction occurs in an alkaline solution containing lithium hydroxide.

  2. Elevated serum level of human alkaline phosphatase in obesity.

    PubMed

    Khan, Abdul Rehman; Awan, Fazli Rabbi; Najam, Syeda Sadia; Islam, Mehboob; Siddique, Tehmina; Zain, Maryam

    2015-11-01

    To investigate a correlation between serum alkaline phosphatase level and body mass index in human subjects. The comparative cross-sectional study was carried out at the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad, Pakistan, from April 2012 to June 2013. Blood serum alkaline phosphatase levels were estimated and the subjects were divided into three sub-groups on the basis of their body mass. normal weight (<25kg/m2), overweight (25-27kg/m2) and obese (>27kg/m2) subjects. The serum samples were used for the estimation of clinically important biochemical parameters, using commercial kits on clinical chemistry analyser. Of the 197 subjects, 97(49%) were obese and 100(51%) were non-obese. The serum alkaline phosphatase level increased in obese (214±6.4 IU/L) compared to the non-obese subjects (184.5±5 IU/L). Furthermore, a significant linear relationship (r=0.3;p-0.0001) was found between serum alkaline phosphatase and body mass index. Other biochemical variables were not correlated to the body mass index. Over activity and higher amounts of alkaline phosphatase were linked to the development of obesity.

  3. Anti-neovascular effect of chondrocyte-derived extracellular matrix on corneal alkaline burns in rabbits.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hye Sook; Lee, Ji Hyun; Kim, Chae Eun; Yang, Jae Wook

    2014-06-01

    We investigated the effect of a chondrocyte-derived extracellular matrix (CDECM) on experimental corneal alkaline burns in rabbits. Corneal neovascularization (NV) was induced by applying an 8-mm filter paper soaked in 1 N NaOH to the right central corneas of rabbits for 1 minute. Ten days later, the rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: the alkaline burn group, the CDECM transplantation group, and the human amniotic membrane (HAM) transplantation group. The left eyes were used as controls. CDECM and HAM were transplanted onto the corneal surface to completely cover the resected area and were subsequently sutured. On the 10th day after transplantation, the structural changes of the cornea were analyzed histologically. We examined the effects of CDECM on clinical NV features and on the expression of corneal NV markers. The alkaline burn produced significant NV and increased the corneal thickness. On day 10 after transplantation, the thickness, NV and opacity of the cornea were markedly decreased in the CDECM group (p < 0.001). However, the HAM transplantation group did not exhibit improvements in these clinical parameters, and there were no significant differences relative to the burn group. In addition, the use of CDECM improved the healing of the cornea following the alkaline burn by disrupting the corneal epithelial proliferation and reducing the fibrotic changes of the stroma. The hallmarks of NV were significantly induced in the subepithelium by the alkaline burn, and these levels were also suppressed by CDECM. The CDECM suppressed corneal NV by inhibiting nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation by blocking the PKC and Akt signaling pathways. CDECM transplantation was markedly effective in healing alkali-burned corneas by modulating the translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus, thereby representing a promising material for the noninvasive treatment of ocular surface disease.

  4. Co3O4 nanowires as efficient catalyst precursor for hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride hydrolysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Lei; Cao, Xurong; Ma, Maixia; Lu, Yanhong; Wang, Dongsheng; Zhang, Suling; Wang, Qian

    Hydrogen generation from the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride has many advantages, and therefore, significant research has been undertaken on the development of highly efficient catalysts for this purpose. In our present work, Co3O4 nanowires were successfully synthesized as catalyst precursor by employing SBA-15 as a hard template. For material characterization, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and N2 adsorption isotherms were employed, respectively. To measure the catalyst activity, typical water-displacement method was carried out. Using a reaction solution comprising 10wt.% NaBH4 and 2wt.% NaOH, the hydrogen generation rate (HGR) was observed to be as high as 7.74L min-1 g-1 at 25∘C in the presence of Co3O4 nanowires, which is significantly higher than that of CoB nanoparticles and commercial Co3O4 powder. Apparent activation energy was calculated to be 50.9kJ mol-1. After recycling the Co3O4 nanowires six times, HGR was decreased to be 72.6% of the initial level.

  5. Polyvinyl alcohol battery separator containing inert filler. [alkaline batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W.; Hsu, L. C.; Manzo, M. A. (Inventor)

    1981-01-01

    A cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol battery separator is disclosed. A particulate filler, inert to alkaline electrolyte of an alkaline battery, is incorporated in the separator in an amount of 1-20% by weight, based on the weight of the polyvinyl alcohol, and is dispersed throughout the product. Incorporation of the filler enhances performance and increases cycle life of alkaline batteries when compared with batteries containing a similar separator not containing filler. Suitable fillers include titanates, silicates, zirconates, aluminates, wood floor, lignin, and titania. Particle size is not greater than about 50 microns.

  6. Aqueous sodium borohydride induced thermally stable porous zirconium oxide for quick removal of lead ions

    PubMed Central

    Nayak, Nadiya B.; Nayak, Bibhuti B.

    2016-01-01

    Aqueous sodium borohydride (NaBH4) is well known for its reducing property and well-established for the development of metal nanoparticles through reduction method. In contrary, this research paper discloses the importance of aqueous NaBH4 as a precipitating agent towards development of porous zirconium oxide. The boron species present in aqueous NaBH4 play an active role during gelation as well as phase separated out in the form of boron complex during precipitation, which helps to form boron free zirconium hydroxide [Zr(OH)4] in the as-synthesized condition. Evolved in-situ hydrogen (H2) gas-bubbles also play an important role to develop as-synthesized loose zirconium hydroxide and the presence of intra-particle voids in the loose zirconium hydroxide help to develop porous zirconium oxide during calcination process. Without any surface modification, this porous zirconium oxide quickly adsorbs almost hundred percentages of toxic lead ions from water solution within 15 minutes at normal pH condition. Adsorption kinetic models suggest that the adsorption process was surface reaction controlled chemisorption. Quick adsorption was governed by surface diffusion process and the adsorption kinetic was limited by pore diffusion. Five cycles of adsorption-desorption result suggests that the porous zirconium oxide can be reused efficiently for removal of Pb (II) ions from aqueous solution. PMID:26980545

  7. Production of bioethanol and value added compounds from wheat straw through combined alkaline/alkaline-peroxide pretreatment.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Zhaoyang; Wen, Yangbing; Li, Guodong

    2018-07-01

    An efficient scheme was developed for the conversion of wheat straw (WS) into bioethanol, silica and lignin. WS was pre-extracted with 0.2 mol/L sodium hydroxide at 30 °C for 5 h to remove about 91% of initial silica. Subsequently, the alkaline-pretreated solids were subjected to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment with 40 mg hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )/g biomass at 50 °C for 7 h to prepare highly digestible substrate. The results of enzymatic hydrolysis demonstrated that the sequential alkaline-AHP pretreated WS was efficiently hydrolyzed at 10% (w/v) solids loading using an enzyme dosage of 10 mg protein/g glucan. The total sugar conversion of 92.4% was achieved. Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) was applied to produce ethanol from the two-stage pretreated substrate using Saccharomyces cerevisiae SR8u strain. Ethanol with concentration of 31.1 g/L was produced. Through the proposed process, about 86.4% and 54.1% of the initial silica and lignin were recovered, respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize (Zea mays L.) lines

    PubMed Central

    Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.; Williams, Daniel L.; Magee, Timothy D.; Kaeppler, Shawn M.; de Leon, Natalia; Hodge, David B.

    2015-01-01

    A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA) content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. This indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment. PMID:25871649

  9. Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize ( Zea mays L.) lines

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.; ...

    2015-02-20

    A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA)more » content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Also, another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. In conclusion, this indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment« less

  10. Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize ( Zea mays L.) lines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.

    A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA)more » content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Also, another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. In conclusion, this indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment« less

  11. Biogenic nano-magnetite and nano-zero valent iron treatment of alkaline Cr(VI) leachate and chromite ore processing residue

    PubMed Central

    Watts, Mathew P.; Coker, Victoria S.; Parry, Stephen A.; Pattrick, Richard A.D.; Thomas, Russell A.P.; Kalin, Robert; Lloyd, Jonathan R.

    2015-01-01

    Highly reactive nano-scale biogenic magnetite (BnM), synthesized by the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, was tested for the potential to remediate alkaline Cr(VI) contaminated waters associated with chromite ore processing residue (COPR). The performance of this biomaterial, targeting aqueous Cr(VI) removal, was compared to a synthetic alternative, nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI). Samples of highly contaminated alkaline groundwater and COPR solid waste were obtained from a contaminated site in Glasgow, UK. During batch reactivity tests, Cr(VI) removal from groundwater was inhibited by ∼25% (BnM) and ∼50% (nZVI) when compared to the treatment of less chemically complex model pH 12 Cr(VI) solutions. In both the model Cr(VI) solutions and contaminated groundwater experiments the surface of the nanoparticles became passivated, preventing complete coupling of their available electrons to Cr(VI) reduction. To investigate this process, the surfaces of the reacted samples were analyzed by TEM-EDX, XAS and XPS, confirming Cr(VI) reduction to the less soluble Cr(III) on the nanoparticle surface. In groundwater reacted samples the presence of Ca, Si and S was also noted on the surface of the nanoparticles, and is likely responsible for earlier onset of passivation. Treatment of the solid COPR material in contact with water, by addition of increasing weight % of the nanoparticles, resulted in a decrease in aqueous Cr(VI) concentrations to below detection limits, via the addition of ⩾5% w/w BnM or ⩾1% w/w nZVI. XANES analysis of the Cr K edge, showed that the % Cr(VI) in the COPR dropped from 26% to a minimum of 4–7% by the addition of 5% w/w BnM or 2% w/w nZVI, with higher additions unable to reduce the remaining Cr(VI). The treated materials exhibited minimal re-mobilization of soluble Cr(VI) by re-equilibration with atmospheric oxygen, with the bulk of the Cr remaining in the solid fraction. Both nanoparticles exhibited a considerable

  12. Biogenic nano-magnetite and nano-zero valent iron treatment of alkaline Cr(VI) leachate and chromite ore processing residue

    DOE PAGES

    Watts, Mathew P.; Coker, Victoria S.; Parry, Stephen A.; ...

    2014-12-11

    Highly reactive nano-scale biogenic magnetite (BnM), synthesized by the Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens, was tested for the potential to remediate alkaline Cr(VI) contaminated waters associated with chromite ore processing residue (COPR). The performance of this biomaterial, targeting aqueous Cr(VI) removal, was compared to a synthetic alternative, nano-scale zero valent iron (nZVI). Samples of highly contaminated alkaline groundwater and COPR solid waste were obtained from a contaminated site in Glasgow, UK. During batch reactivity tests, Cr(VI) removal from groundwater was inhibited by ~25% (BnM) and ~50% (nZVI) when compared to the treatment of less chemically complex model pH 12 Cr(VI) solutions.more » In both the model Cr(VI) solutions and contaminated groundwater experiments the surface of the nanoparticles became passivated, preventing complete coupling of their available electrons to Cr(VI) reduction. To investigate this process, the surfaces of the reacted samples were analyzed by TEM-EDX, XAS and XPS, confirming Cr(VI) reduction to the less soluble Cr(III) on the nanoparticle surface. In groundwater reacted samples the presence of Ca, Si and S was also noted on the surface of the nanoparticles, and is likely responsible for earlier onset of passivation. Treatment of the solid COPR material in contact with water, by addition of increasing weight % of the nanoparticles, resulted in a decrease in aqueous Cr(VI) concentrations to below detection limits, via the addition of ≥5% w/w BnM or ≥1% w/w nZVI. XANES analysis of the Cr K edge, showed that the % Cr(VI) in the COPR dropped from 26% to a minimum of 4–7% by the addition of 5% w/w BnM or 2% w/w nZVI, with higher additions unable to reduce the remaining Cr(VI). The treated materials exhibited minimal re-mobilization of soluble Cr(VI) by re-equilibration with atmospheric oxygen, with the bulk of the Cr remaining in the solid fraction. Both nanoparticles exhibited a considerable

  13. Room temperature micro-hydrogen-generator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gervasio, Don; Tasic, Sonja; Zenhausern, Frederic

    A new compact and cost-effective hydrogen-gas generator has been made that is well suited for supplying hydrogen to a fuel-cell for providing base electrical power to hand-carried appliances. This hydrogen-generator operates at room temperature, ambient pressure and is orientation-independent. The hydrogen-gas is generated by the heterogeneous catalytic hydrolysis of aqueous alkaline borohydride solution as it flows into a micro-reactor. This reactor has a membrane as one wall. Using the membrane keeps the liquid in the reactor, but allows the hydrogen-gas to pass out of the reactor to a fuel-cell anode. Aqueous alkaline 30 wt% borohydride solution is safe and promotes long application life, because this solution is non-toxic, non-flammable, and is a high energy-density (≥2200 W-h per liter or per kilogram) hydrogen-storage solution. The hydrogen is released from this storage-solution only when it passes over the solid catalyst surface in the reactor, so controlling the flow of the solution over the catalyst controls the rate of hydrogen-gas generation. This allows hydrogen generation to be matched to hydrogen consumption in the fuel-cell, so there is virtually no free hydrogen-gas during power generation. A hydrogen-generator scaled for a system to provide about 10 W electrical power is described here. However, the technology is expected to be scalable for systems providing power spanning from 1 W to kW levels.

  14. Understanding short-chain fatty acids accumulation enhanced in waste activated sludge alkaline fermentation: kinetics and microbiology.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Peng; Chen, Yinguang; Zhou, Qi; Zheng, Xiong; Zhu, Xiaoyu; Zhao, Yuxiao

    2010-12-15

    Most of the studies on sewage sludge treatment in literature were conducted for methane generation under acidic or near neutral pH conditions. It was reported in our previous studies that the accumulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the preferred carbon source of biological wastewater nutrient removal, was significantly enhanced when sludge was fermented under alkaline conditions, but the optimal pH was temperature-dependent (pH 10 at ambient temperature, pH 9 at mesophilic, and pH 8 at thermophilic), and the maximal SCFAs yields were in the following order: thermophilic pH 8 > mesophilic pH 9 > ambient pH 10 > ambient uncontrolled pH. In this study the kinetic and microbiological features of waste activated sludge fermented in the range of pH 7-10 were investigated to understand the mechanism of remarkably high SCFAs accumulation under alkaline conditions. The developed sludge alkaline fermentation model could be applied to predicate the experimental data in either batch or semicontinuous sludge alkaline fermentation tests, and the relationships among alkaline pH, kinetic parameters, and SCFAs were discussed. Further analyses with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and PCR-based 16S rRNA gene clone library indicated that both the ratio of bacteria to archaea and the fraction of SCFAs producer accounting for bacteria were in the sequence of thermophilic pH 8 > mesophilic pH 9 > ambient pH 10 > ambient uncontrolled pH, which was in correspondence with the observed order of maximal SCFAs yields.

  15. Alkaline and non-aqueous proton-conducting pouch-cell batteries

    DOEpatents

    Young, Kwo-hsiung; Nei, Jean; Meng, Tiejun

    2018-01-02

    Provided are sealed pouch-cell batteries that are alkaline batteries or non-aqueous proton-conducing batteries. A pouch cell includes a flexible housing such as is used for pouch cell construction where the housing is in the form of a pouch, a cathode comprising a cathode active material suitable for use in an alkaline battery, an anode comprising an anode active material suitable for use in an alkaline battery, an electrolyte that is optionally an alkaline or proton-conducting electrolyte, and wherein the pouch does not include or require a safety vent or other gas absorbing or releasing system as the anode active material and the cathode active material do not increase the internal atmospheric pressure any more than 2 psig during cycling. The batteries provided function contrary to the art recognized belief that such battery systems were impossible due to unacceptable gas production during cycling.

  16. ATP catabolism by tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase contributes to development of ARDS in influenza-infected mice.

    PubMed

    Woods, Parker S; Doolittle, Lauren M; Hickman-Davis, Judy M; Davis, Ian C

    2018-01-01

    Influenza A viruses are highly contagious respiratory pathogens that are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide on an annual basis. We have shown previously that influenza infection of mice leads to increased ATP and adenosine accumulation in the airway lumen. Moreover, we demonstrated that A 1 -adenosine receptor activation contributes significantly to influenza-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, we found that development of ARDS in influenza-infected mice does not require catabolism of ATP to adenosine by ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73). Hence, we hypothesized that increased adenosine generation in response to infection is mediated by tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), which is a low-affinity, high-capacity enzyme that catabolizes nucleotides in a nonspecific manner. In the current study, we found that whole lung and BALF TNAP expression and alkaline phosphatase enzymatic activity increased as early as 2 days postinfection (dpi) of C57BL/6 mice with 10,000 pfu/mouse of influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1). Treatment at 2 and 4 dpi with a highly specific quinolinyl-benzenesulfonamide TNAP inhibitor (TNAPi) significantly reduced whole lung alkaline phosphatase activity at 6 dpi but did not alter TNAP gene or protein expression. TNAPi treatment attenuated hypoxemia, lung dysfunction, histopathology, and pulmonary edema at 6 dpi without impacting viral replication or BALF adenosine. Treatment also improved epithelial barrier function and attenuated cellular and humoral immune responses to influenza infection. These data indicate that TNAP inhibition can attenuate influenza-induced ARDS by reducing inflammation and fluid accumulation within the lung. They also further emphasize the importance of adenosine generation for development of ARDS in influenza-infected mice.

  17. The impact of pH on floc structure characteristic of polyferric chloride in a low DOC and high alkalinity surface water treatment.

    PubMed

    Cao, Baichuan; Gao, Baoyu; Liu, Xin; Wang, Mengmeng; Yang, Zhonglian; Yue, Qinyan

    2011-11-15

    The adjustment of pH is an important way to enhance removal efficiency in coagulation units, and in this process, the floc size, strength and structure can be changed, influencing the subsequent solid/liquid separation effect. In this study, an inorganic polymer coagulant, polyferric chloride (PFC) was used in a low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and high alkalinity surface water treatment. The influence of coagulation pH on removal efficiency, floc growth, strength, re-growth capability and fractal dimension was examined. The optimum dosage was predetermined as 0.150 mmol/L, and excellent particle and organic matter removal appeared in the pH range of 5.50-5.75. The structure characteristics of flocs formed under four pH conditions were investigated through the analysis of floc size, effect of shear and particle scattering properties by a laser scattering instrument. The results indicated that flocs formed at neutral pH condition gave the largest floc size and the highest growth rate. During the coagulation period, the fractal dimension of floc aggregates increased in the first minutes and then decreased and larger flocs generally had smaller fractal dimensions. The floc strength, which was assessed by the relationship of floc diameter and velocity gradient, decreased with the increase of coagulation pH. Flocs formed at pH 4.00 had better recovery capability when exposed to lower shear forces, while flocs formed at neutral and alkaline conditions had better performance under higher shear forces. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Atomic hydrogen in. gamma. -irradiated hydroxides of alkaline-earth elements

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Spitsyn, V.I.; Yurik, T.K.; Barsova, L.I.

    1982-04-01

    Atomic hydrogen is an important intermediate product formed in the radiolysis of compounds containing X-H bonds. H atoms have been detected in irradiated matrices of H/sub 2/ and inert gases at 4/sup 0/K, in irradiated ice and frozen solutions of acids in irradiated salts and in other systems. Here results are presented from a study of the ESR spectra of H atoms generated in polycrystalline hydroxides of alkaline-earth elements that have been ..gamma..-irradiated at 77/sup 0/K, after preliminary treatment at various temperatures. For the first time stabilization of atomic hydrogen in ..gamma..-irradiated polycrystalline alkaline-earth element hydroxides has been detected. Dependingmore » on the degree of dehydroxylation, several types of hydrogen atoms may be stabilized in the hydroxides, these hydrogen atoms having different radiospectroscopic parameters. In the magnesium-calcium-strontium-barium hydroxide series, a regular decrease has been found in the hfi constants for H atoms with the cations in the immediate surroundings. A direct proportionality has been found between the parameters ..delta..A/A/sub 0/ and the polarizability of the cation.« less

  19. 40 CFR 434.40 - Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... alkaline mine drainage subcategory. 434.40 Section 434.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... BPT, BAT, BCT LIMITATIONS AND NEW SOURCE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Alkaline Mine Drainage § 434.40 Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  20. 40 CFR 434.40 - Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... alkaline mine drainage subcategory. 434.40 Section 434.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... BPT, BAT, BCT LIMITATIONS AND NEW SOURCE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Alkaline Mine Drainage § 434.40 Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  1. 40 CFR 434.40 - Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... alkaline mine drainage subcategory. 434.40 Section 434.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... BPT, BAT, BCT LIMITATIONS AND NEW SOURCE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Alkaline Mine Drainage § 434.40 Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are...

  2. 40 CFR 434.40 - Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... alkaline mine drainage subcategory. 434.40 Section 434.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., BCT LIMITATIONS AND NEW SOURCE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Alkaline Mine Drainage § 434.40 Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to...

  3. 40 CFR 434.40 - Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... alkaline mine drainage subcategory. 434.40 Section 434.40 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL..., BCT LIMITATIONS AND NEW SOURCE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Alkaline Mine Drainage § 434.40 Applicability; description of the alkaline mine drainage subcategory. The provisions of this subpart are applicable to...

  4. Orogenic potassic mafic magmatism, a product of alkaline-peraluminous mixing ? Variscan 'calc-alkaline' rocks from the Central Iberian and Ossa Morena Zones, Central Spain.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scarrow, Jane H.; Cambeses, Aitor; Bea, Fernando; Montero, Pilar; Molina, José F.; Moreno, Juan Antonio

    2013-04-01

    Orogenic magmatic rocks provide information about mantle and crust melt-generation and -interaction processes. In this context, minor potassic mafic stocks which are formed of enriched mantle and crustal components and are common as late-orogenic intrusions in granitic plutons give insight into the timing of new crust formation and crustal recycling. Potassic mafic stocks are prevalent, albeit low volume, constituents of granite batholiths all through the European Variscan (350-280 Ma). In the Central Iberia Zone, Spanish Central System, crustal-melt, S-type, granitoid plutons are intruded by minor concomitant ultramafic-intermediate appinitic-vaugneritic stocks. Notwithstanding their whole-rock calc-alkaline composition, the stocks apparently did not have a subduction-related origin. Recent studies have attributed their genesis to mixing of alkaline mantle and peraluminous crustal melts. Their primary alkaline character, as indicated by amphibole and biotite mineral chemistry data, points, rather, towards an extension-related genesis. In the Ossa Morena Zone, south of the Central Iberian Zone, the igneous rocks also have a whole-rock calc-alkaline composition which has been considered to be the result of northward subduction of the South Portuguese Zone. Nevertheless, identification of a 'sill' of significant volume of mafic magma in the middle crust, the ´IBERSEIS reflective body', in a seismic profile across the Ossa Morena and South Portuguese Zones has cast doubt upon the calc-alkaline magmatism-subduction model; leading, instead, to the magmatism being attributed to intra-orogenic extension related to a mantle plume active from 340 Ma to 330 Ma. The aim here, then, is to reinvestigate the petrogenesis and age of the calc-alkaline rocks of the Ossa Morena Zone to determine their tectonomagmatic context be it subduction-, plume- or extension-related, and establish what they may reveal about mantle-crust interactions. Focussing, initially, on the Valencia del

  5. Alkaline flooding for enhanced oil recovery

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gittler, W.E.

    1983-09-01

    There are over 12 active projects of varying size using one of 3 major types of alkaline agents. These include sodium silicate, caustic soda, and soda ash. Among the largest pilots currently is the THUMS project in the Wilmington field, California. Plans called for the injection of a 4% weight concentration of sodium orthosilicate over a 60% PV. Through the first 3 yr, over 27 million bbl of chemicals have been injected. Gulf Oil is operating several alkaline floods, one of which is located off shore in the Quarantine Bay field, Louisiana. In this pilot, sodium hydroxide in a weightmore » concentration of 5 to 12% is being injected. Belco Petroleum Corp. has reported that their pilot operating in the Isenhour Unit in Wyoming is using a .5% weight concentration of soda ash in conjunction with a polymer. Other uses for alkaline agents in chemical flooding include the use of silicate as a preflush or sacrificial agent in micellar/polymer and surfactant recovery systems. In addition, caustic has been tested in the surface-mixed caustic emulsion process while orthosilicate has been tested in a recovery method known as mobility-controlled caustic floods.« less

  6. Alkaline Phosphatase, Soluble Extracellular Adenine Nucleotides, and Adenosine Production after Infant Cardiopulmonary Bypass

    PubMed Central

    Davidson, Jesse A.; Urban, Tracy; Tong, Suhong; Twite, Mark; Woodruff, Alan

    2016-01-01

    Rationale Decreased alkaline phosphatase activity after infant cardiac surgery is associated with increased post-operative cardiovascular support requirements. In adults undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, alkaline phosphatase infusion may reduce inflammation. Mechanisms underlying these effects have not been explored but may include decreased conversion of extracellular adenine nucleotides to adenosine. Objectives 1) Evaluate the association between alkaline phosphatase activity and serum conversion of adenosine monophosphate to adenosine after infant cardiac surgery; 2) assess if inhibition/supplementation of serum alkaline phosphatase modulates this conversion. Methods and Research Pre/post-bypass serum samples were obtained from 75 infants <4 months of age. Serum conversion of 13C5-adenosine monophosphate to 13C5-adenosine was assessed with/without selective inhibition of alkaline phosphatase and CD73. Low and high concentration 13C5-adenosine monophosphate (simulating normal/stress concentrations) were used. Effects of alkaline phosphatase supplementation on adenosine monophosphate clearance were also assessed. Changes in serum alkaline phosphatase activity were strongly correlated with changes in 13C5-adenosine production with or without CD73 inhibition (r = 0.83; p<0.0001). Serum with low alkaline phosphatase activity (≤80 U/L) generated significantly less 13C5-adenosine, particularly in the presence of high concentration 13C5-adenosine monophosphate (10.4μmol/L vs 12.9μmol/L; p = 0.0004). Inhibition of alkaline phosphatase led to a marked decrease in 13C5-adenosine production (11.9μmol/L vs 2.7μmol/L; p<0.0001). Supplementation with physiologic dose human tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase or high dose bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase doubled 13C5-adenosine monophosphate conversion to 13C5-adenosine (p<0.0001). Conclusions Alkaline phosphatase represents the primary serum ectonucleotidase after infant cardiac surgery and low post

  7. Alkaline Phosphatase, Soluble Extracellular Adenine Nucleotides, and Adenosine Production after Infant Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

    PubMed

    Davidson, Jesse A; Urban, Tracy; Tong, Suhong; Twite, Mark; Woodruff, Alan; Wischmeyer, Paul E; Klawitter, Jelena

    2016-01-01

    Decreased alkaline phosphatase activity after infant cardiac surgery is associated with increased post-operative cardiovascular support requirements. In adults undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, alkaline phosphatase infusion may reduce inflammation. Mechanisms underlying these effects have not been explored but may include decreased conversion of extracellular adenine nucleotides to adenosine. 1) Evaluate the association between alkaline phosphatase activity and serum conversion of adenosine monophosphate to adenosine after infant cardiac surgery; 2) assess if inhibition/supplementation of serum alkaline phosphatase modulates this conversion. Pre/post-bypass serum samples were obtained from 75 infants <4 months of age. Serum conversion of 13C5-adenosine monophosphate to 13C5-adenosine was assessed with/without selective inhibition of alkaline phosphatase and CD73. Low and high concentration 13C5-adenosine monophosphate (simulating normal/stress concentrations) were used. Effects of alkaline phosphatase supplementation on adenosine monophosphate clearance were also assessed. Changes in serum alkaline phosphatase activity were strongly correlated with changes in 13C5-adenosine production with or without CD73 inhibition (r = 0.83; p<0.0001). Serum with low alkaline phosphatase activity (≤80 U/L) generated significantly less 13C5-adenosine, particularly in the presence of high concentration 13C5-adenosine monophosphate (10.4μmol/L vs 12.9μmol/L; p = 0.0004). Inhibition of alkaline phosphatase led to a marked decrease in 13C5-adenosine production (11.9μmol/L vs 2.7μmol/L; p<0.0001). Supplementation with physiologic dose human tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase or high dose bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase doubled 13C5-adenosine monophosphate conversion to 13C5-adenosine (p<0.0001). Alkaline phosphatase represents the primary serum ectonucleotidase after infant cardiac surgery and low post-operative alkaline phosphatase activity leads to

  8. Alkaline Capacitors Based on Nitride Nanoparticles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aldissi, Matt

    2003-01-01

    High-energy-density alkaline electrochemical capacitors based on electrodes made of transition-metal nitride nanoparticles are undergoing development. Transition- metal nitrides (in particular, Fe3N and TiN) offer a desirable combination of high electrical conductivity and electrochemical stability in aqueous alkaline electrolytes like KOH. The high energy densities of these capacitors are attributable mainly to their high capacitance densities, which, in turn, are attributable mainly to the large specific surface areas of the electrode nanoparticles. Capacitors of this type could be useful as energy-storage components in such diverse equipment as digital communication systems, implanted medical devices, computers, portable consumer electronic devices, and electric vehicles.

  9. Method of increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth sorbents

    DOEpatents

    Shearer, J.A.; Turner, C.B.; Johnson, I.

    1980-03-13

    A system and method for increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth carbonates to scrub sulfur dioxide produced during the fluidized bed combustion of coal in which partially sulfated alkaline earth carbonates are hydrated in a fluidized bed to crack the sulfate coating and convert the alkaline earth oxide to the hydroxide. Subsequent dehydration of the sulfate-hydroxide to a sulfate-oxide particle produces particles having larger pore size, increased porosity, decreased grain size and additional sulfation capacity. A continuous process is disclosed.

  10. Method of increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth sorbents

    DOEpatents

    Shearer, John A.; Turner, Clarence B.; Johnson, Irving

    1982-01-01

    A system and method for increasing the sulfation capacity of alkaline earth carbonates to scrub sulfur dioxide produced during the fluidized bed combustion of coal in which partially sulfated alkaline earth carbonates are hydrated in a fluidized bed to crack the sulfate coating and convert the alkaline earth oxide to the hydroxide. Subsequent dehydration of the sulfate-hydroxide to a sulfate-oxide particle produces particles having larger pore size, increased porosity, decreased grain size and additional sulfation capacity. A continuous process is disclosed.

  11. Effects of an acid/alkaline treatment on the release of antioxidants and cellulose from different agro-food wastes.

    PubMed

    Vadivel, Vellingiri; Moncalvo, Alessandro; Dordoni, Roberta; Spigno, Giorgia

    2017-06-01

    The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the release of both antioxidants and cellulosic fibre from different agro-food wastes. Cost-effective and easily available agro-food residues (brewers' spent grains, hazelnut shells, orange peels and wheat straw) were selected and submitted to a double-step acid/alkaline fractionation process. The obtained acid and alkaline liquors were analysed for total phenols content and antioxidant capacity. The final fibre residue was analysed for the cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose content. The total phenols content and antioxidant capacity of the acid liquors were higher than the alkaline hydrolysates. Orange peels and wheat straw gave, respectively, the highest (19.70±0.68mg/g dm ) and the lowest (4.70±0.29mg/g dm ) total phenols release. Correlation between antioxidant capacity of the liquors and their origin depended on the analytical assay used to evaluate it. All the acid liquors were also rich in sugar degradation products (mainly furfural). HPLC analysis revealed that the most abundant phenolic compound in the acid liquors was vanillin for brewers' spent grains, hazelnut shells and wheat straw, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid for orange peels. Wheat straw served as the best raw material for cellulose isolation, providing a final residue with a high cellulose content (84%) which corresponded to 45% of the original cellulose. The applied process removed more than 90% of the hemicellulose fraction in all the samples, while delignification degree ranged from 67% (in hazelnut shells), to 93% (in brewers' spent grains). It was not possible to select a unique raw material for the release of highest levels of both total phenols and cellulose. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Increasing Alkalinity Export from Large Russian Arctic Rivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drake, T.; Zhulidov, A. V.; Gurtovaya, T. Y.; Spencer, R. G.

    2017-12-01

    Riverine carbonate alkalinity (HCO3- and CO32-) sourced from chemical weathering of minerals on land represents a significant sink for atmospheric CO2 over geologic timescales. The flux of alkalinity from rivers in the Arctic depends on precipitation, permafrost extent and thaw, groundwater flow paths, and surface vegetation, all of which are changing under a warming climate. Here we show that over the past four decades, the export of alkalinity from the Ob' and Yenisei Rivers has more than doubled. The increase is likely due to a combination of increasing precipitation and permafrost thaw in the watersheds, which lengthens hydrologic flow paths and increases residence time in soils. These trends have broad implications for the rate of carbon sequestration on land and the delivery of buffering capacity to the Arctic Ocean.

  13. Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Alkaline Stress in Malus hupehensis Rehd. by Regulating the Biosynthesis of Polyamines.

    PubMed

    Gong, Xiaoqing; Shi, Shuting; Dou, Fangfang; Song, Yi; Ma, Fengwang

    2017-09-13

    Since melatonin was identified in plants decades ago, much attention has been devoted to discovering its role in plant science. There is still a great deal to learn about the functional importance of melatonin, as well as its functional mode. In this paper, we examine the role of melatonin treatment in the response of Malus hupehensis Rehd. to alkaline conditions. Stressed seedlings showed chlorosis and suppressed growth. However, this phenotype was ameliorated when 5 µM melatonin was added to the irrigation solution. This supplementation was also associated with a reduction in cell membrane damage and maintenance of a normal root system architecture. Fewer reactive oxygen species (ROS) were accumulated due to the enhanced scavenging activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase. In addition, alkaline-stressed seedlings that received the melatonin supplement accumulated more polyamines compared with untreated seedlings. Transcript levels of six genes involved in polyamine synthesis, including SAMDC1 , - 3 , and - 4 , and SPDS1 , - 3 , and - 5 , - 6 , were upregulated in response to melatonin application. All of these results demonstrate that melatonin has a positive function in plant tolerance to alkaline stress because it regulates enzyme activity and the biosynthesis of polyamines.

  14. Serum creatinine and alkaline phosphatase levels are associated with severe chronic periodontitis.

    PubMed

    Caúla, A L; Lira-Junior, R; Tinoco, E M B; Fischer, R G

    2015-12-01

    Periodontitis may alter systemic homeostasis and influence creatinine and alkaline phosphatase levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between severe chronic periodontitis and serum creatinine and alkaline phosphatase levels. One hundred patients were evaluated, 66 with severe chronic periodontitis (test group) and 34 periodontally healthy controls (control group). Medical, demographic and periodontal parameters were registered. Blood sample was collected after an overnight fast and serum creatinine and alkaline phosphatase levels were determined. There were significant differences between test and control groups in ethnicity, gender and educational level (p < 0.05). Patients with periodontitis showed a lower mean creatinine level (p < 0.05) and higher mean alkaline phosphatase level (p < 0.001) than the control group. There were significant correlations between periodontal parameters and serum creatinine and alkaline phosphatase levels. Severe chronic periodontitis was associated to lower creatinine and higher alkaline phosphatase levels. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Quantitation of Alkaline Phosphatase Isoenzymes Using Agarose Containing Wheat Germ Lectin

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-01

    Gunshot M 40 179 150 16 13 0 Altered Mental Status M 39 1683 1650 0 33 0 Anemia, Chronic Dis. F 82 220 156 27 37 0 Arthritis , Rheumatoid M 70 79 26 0 53 0...34 5 Alkaline Phosphatase Isoenzyme Study on 210 Patients with Elevated Total Alkaline Phosphatase...46 6 Alkaline Phosphatase Isoenzyme Clinical Correlation Summary on 6 Distinct Disease Categories Containing 131 Patients

  16. Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize (Zea mays L.) lines.

    PubMed

    Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D; Williams, Daniel L; Magee, Timothy D; Kaeppler, Shawn M; de Leon, Natalia; Hodge, David B

    2015-07-01

    A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA) content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. This indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  17. Ocean alkalinity and the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caldeira, K. G.; Rampino, Michael R.

    1988-01-01

    A biogeochemical cycle model resolving ocean carbon and alkalinity content is applied to the Maestrichtian and Danian. The model computes oceanic concentrations and distributions of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Sigma-CO2. From these values an atmospheric pCO2 value is calculated, which is used to estimate rates of terrestrial weathering of calcite, dolomite, and calcium and magnesium silicates. Metamorphism of carbonate rocks and the subsequent outgassing of CO2 to the atmosphere are parameterized in terms of carbonate rock reservoir sizes, total land area, and a measure of overall tectonic activity, the sea-floor generation rate. The ocean carbon reservoir computed by the model is used with Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) C-13 data to estimate organic detrital fluxes under a variety of ocean mixing rate assumptions. Using Redfield ratios, the biogenic detrital flux estimate is used to partition the ocean carbon and alkalinity reservoirs between the mixed layer and deep ocean. The calcite flux estimate and carbonate ion concentrations are used to determine the rate of biologically mediated CaCO3 titration. Oceanic productivity was severely limited for approximately 500 kyr following the K/T boundary resulting in significant increases in total ocean alkalinity. As productivity returned to the ocean, excess carbon and alkalinity was removed from the ocean as CaCO3. Model runs indicate that this resulted in a transient imbalance in the other direction. Ocean chemistry returned to near-equilibrium by about 64 mybp.

  18. Skin permeability enhancement by Bacillus subtilis alkaline protease: Application to transdermal drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Nounou, Mohamed I; Zaghloul, Taha I; Ahmed, Nehal A; Eid, Amira A; El-Khordagui, Labiba K

    2017-08-30

    Enzymes may offer great potentials in topical pharmaceutical applications provided that treatment conditions are controlled for efficacy and safety. In this study, the effect of alkaline protease produced by recombinant Bacillus subtilis cells on the ex-vivo permeability of rabbit ear skin was investigated under different conditions of enzyme activity (5-60 units) and exposure time (15-60min). Data for transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and permeation of a hydrophilic dye, rhodamine B (Rb), indicated biphasic activity-dependent and exposure time-dependent skin permeability. Maximum effects were obtained at 20 proteolytic units and 30min exposure. Findings proved consistent with histopathological changes indicating progressive stratum corneum (SC) loss and disruption of the dermo-epidermal junction at 20 units and up to 30min exposure time followed by dermal hyalinization at longer exposure. This was associated with progressive loss of skin hair. Applying the identified pretreatment conditions to transdermal delivery of vardenafil in a gel base across dorsal rat skin indicated a significant increase in plasma levels at 30 and 60min with minimal histopathological changes 5days post enzyme treatment. Accordingly, the recombinant B. subtilis alkaline protease offers promise as a pharmaceutical enzyme for transdermal drug delivery bioenhancement and dermatological applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Block Copolymers for Alkaline Fuel Cell Membrane Materials

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-07-30

    temperature fuel cells including proton exchange membrane fuel cell ( PEMFC ) and alkaline fuel cell (AFC) with operation temperature usually lower than 120...advantages over proton exchange membrane fuel cells ( PEMFCs ) resulting in the popularity of AFCs in the US space program.[8-11] The primary benefit AFC...offered over PEMFC is better electrochemical kinetics on the anode and cathode under the alkaline environment, which results in the ability to use

  20. The Chemistry of Paper Preservation Part 4. Alkaline Paper.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Henry A.

    1997-01-01

    Discusses the problem of the inherent instability of paper due to the presence of acids that catalyze the hydrolytic degradation of cellulose. Focuses on the chemistry involved in the sizing of both acid and alkaline papers and the types of fillers used. Discusses advantages and problems of alkaline papermaking. Contains 48 references. (JRH)

  1. Removal of plutonium and americium from alkaline waste solutions

    DOEpatents

    Schulz, Wallace W.

    1979-01-01

    High salt content, alkaline waste solutions containing plutonium and americium are contacted with a sodium titanate compound to effect removal of the plutonium and americium from the alkaline waste solution onto the sodium titanate and provide an effluent having a radiation level of less than 10 nCi per gram alpha emitters.

  2. Enhanced decomposition of 1,4-dioxane in water by ozonation under alkaline condition.

    PubMed

    Tian, Gui-Peng; Wu, Qian-Yuan; Li, Ang; Wang, Wen-Long; Hu, Hong-Ying

    2014-01-01

    1,4-Dioxane is a probable human carcinogenic and refractory substance that is widely detected in aquatic environments. Traditional wastewater treatment processes, including activated sludge, cannot remove 1,4-dioxane. Removing 1,4-dioxane with a reaction kinetic constant of 0.32 L/(mol·s) by using ozone, a strong oxidant, is difficult. However, under alkaline environment, ozone generates a hydroxyl radical (•OH) that exhibits strong oxidative potential. Thus, the ozonation of 1,4-dioxane in water under different pH conditions was investigated in this study. In neutral solution, with an inlet ozone feed rate of 0.19 mmol/(L·min), the removal efficiency of 1,4-dioxane was 7.6% at 0.5 h, whereas that in alkaline solution was higher (16.3-94.5%) within a pH range of 9-12. However, the removal efficiency of dissolved organic carbon was considerably lower than that of 1,4-dioxane. This result indicates that several persistent intermediates were generated during 1,4-dioxane ozonation. The pseudo first-order reaction further depicted the reaction of 1,4-dioxane. The obvious kinetic constants (kobs) at pH 9, 10, 11 and 12 were 0.94, 2.41, 24.88 and 2610 L/(mol·s), respectively. Scavenger experiments on radical species indicated that •OH played a key role in removing 1,4-dioxane during ozonation under alkaline condition.

  3. Alkaline earth filled nickel skutterudite antimonide thermoelectrics

    DOEpatents

    Singh, David Joseph

    2013-07-16

    A thermoelectric material including a body centered cubic filled skutterudite having the formula A.sub.xFe.sub.yNi.sub.zSb.sub.12, where A is an alkaline earth element, x is no more than approximately 1.0, and the sum of y and z is approximately equal to 4.0. The alkaline earth element includes guest atoms selected from the group consisting of Be, Mb, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra and combinations thereof. The filled skutterudite is shown to have properties suitable for a wide variety of thermoelectric applications.

  4. 40 CFR 721.4668 - Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.4668 Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions. (a... hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions (PMN P-94-1557) is subject to reporting under...

  5. 40 CFR 721.4668 - Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.4668 Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions. (a... hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions (PMN P-94-1557) is subject to reporting under...

  6. 40 CFR 721.4668 - Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.4668 Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions. (a... hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions (PMN P-94-1557) is subject to reporting under...

  7. 40 CFR 721.4668 - Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.4668 Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions. (a... hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions (PMN P-94-1557) is subject to reporting under...

  8. 40 CFR 721.4668 - Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.4668 Hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions. (a... hydrated alkaline earth metal salts of metalloid oxyanions (PMN P-94-1557) is subject to reporting under...

  9. Reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride using buffered alkaline ascorbic acid.

    PubMed

    Lin, Ya-Ting; Liang, Chenju

    2015-10-01

    Alkaline ascorbic acid (AA) was recently discovered as a novel in-situ chemical reduction (ISCR) reagent for remediating chlorinated solvents in the subsurface. For this ISCR process, the maintenance of an alkaline pH is essential. This study investigated the possibility of the reduction of carbon tetrachloride (CT) using alkaline AA solution buffered by phosphate and by NaOH. The results indicated that CT was reduced by AA, and chloroform (CF) was a major byproduct at a phosphate buffered pH of 12. However, CT was completely reduced by AA in 2M NaOH without CF formation. In the presence of iron/soil minerals, iron could be reduced by AA and Fe(2+) tends to precipitate on the mineral surface to accelerate CT degradation. A simultaneous transfer of hydrogenolysis and dichloroelimination would occur under phosphate buffered pH 12. This implies that a high alkaline environment is a crucial factor for maintaining the dominant pathway of two electron transfer from dianionic AA to dehydroascorbic acid, and to undergo dichloroelimination of CT. Moreover, threonic acid and oxalic acid were identified to be the major AA decomposition products in alkaline solutions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Transition from alkaline to calc-alkaline volcanism during evolution of the Paleoproterozoic Francevillian basin of eastern Gabon (Western Central Africa)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thiéblemont, Denis; Bouton, Pascal; Préat, Alain; Goujou, Jean-Christian; Tegyey, Monique; Weber, Francis; Ebang Obiang, Michel; Joron, Jean Louis; Treuil, Michel

    2014-11-01

    We report new geochemical data for the volcanic and subvolcanic rocks associated with the evolution of the Francevillian basin of eastern Gabon during Paleoproterozoic times (c. 2.1-2 Ga). Filling of this basin has proceeded through four main sedimentary or volcano-sedimentary episodes, namely FA, FB, FC and FD. Volcanism started during the FB episode being present only in the northern part of the basin (Okondja sub-basin). This volcanism is ultramafic to trachytic in composition and displays a rather constant alkaline geochemical signature. This signature is typical of a within-plate environment, consistent with the rift-setting generally postulated for the Francevillian basin during the FB period. Following FB, the FC unit is 10-20 m-thick silicic horizon (jasper) attesting for a massive input of silica in the basin. Following FC, the FD unit is a c. 200-400 m-thick volcano-sedimentary sequence including felsic tuffs and epiclastic rocks. The geochemical signatures of these rocks are totally distinct from those of the FB alkaline lavas. High Th/Ta and La/Ta ratios attest for a calc-alkaline signature and slight fractionation between heavy rare-earth suggests melting at a rather low pressure. Such characteristics are comparable to those of felsic lavas associated with the Taupo zone of New Zealand, a modern ensialic back-arc basin. Following FD, the FE detrital unit is defined only in the Okondja region, probably associated with a late-stage collapse of the northern part of the basin. It is suggested that the alkaline to calc-alkaline volcanic transition reflects the evolution of the Francevillian basin from a diverging to a converging setting, in response to the onset of converging movements in the Eburnean Belt of Central Africa.

  11. Exogenous alkaline phosphatase treatment complements endogenous enzyme protection in colonic inflammation and reduces bacterial translocation in rats.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Moya, P; Ortega-González, M; González, R; Anzola, A; Ocón, B; Hernández-Chirlaque, C; López-Posadas, R; Suárez, M D; Zarzuelo, A; Martínez-Augustin, O; Sánchez de Medina, F

    2012-08-01

    Alkaline phosphatase (AP) inactivates bacterial lipopolysaccharide and may therefore be protective. The small intestine and colon express intestinal (IAP) and tissue nonspecific enzyme (TNAP), respectively. The aim of this study was to assess the therapeutic potential of exogenous AP and its complementarity with endogenous enzyme protection in the intestine, as evidenced recently. IAP was given to rats by the oral or intrarectal route (700U/kgday). Oral budesonide (1mg/kgday) was used as a reference treatment. Treatment with intrarectal AP resulted in a 54.5% and 38.0% lower colonic weight and damage score, respectively, and an almost complete normalization of the expression of S100A8, LCN2 and IL-1β (p<0.05). Oral AP was less efficacious, while budesonide had a more pronounced effect on most parameters. Both oral and intrarectal AP counteracted bacterial translocation effectively (78 and 100%, respectively, p<0.05 for the latter), while budesonide failed to exert a positive effect. AP activity was increased in the feces of TNBS colitic animals, associated with augmented sensitivity to the inhibitor levamisole, suggesting enhanced luminal release of this enzyme. This was also observed in the mouse lymphocyte transfer model of chronic colitis. In a separate time course study, TNAP was shown to increase 2-3 days after colitis induction, while dextran sulfate sodium was a much weaker inducer of this isoform. We conclude that exogenous AP exerts beneficial effects on experimental colitis, which includes protection against bacterial translocation. AP of the tissue-nonspecific isoform is shed in higher amounts to the intestinal lumen in experimental colitis, possibly aiding in intestinal protection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Alkalinity production in intertidal sands intensified by lugworm bioirrigation.

    PubMed

    Rao, Alexandra M F; Malkin, Sairah Y; Montserrat, Francesc; Meysman, Filip J R

    2014-07-05

    Porewater profiles and sediment-water fluxes of oxygen, nutrients, pH, calcium, alkalinity, and sulfide were measured in intertidal sandflat sediments from the Oosterschelde mesotidal lagoon (The Netherlands). The influence of bioturbation and bioirrigation by the deep-burrowing polychaete Arenicola marina on the rates and sources of benthic alkalinity generation was examined by comparing measurements in intact and defaunated sediment cores before and after the addition of A. marina in summer and fall 2011. Higher organic matter remineralization rates, shallower O 2 penetration, and greater sediment-water solute fluxes were observed in summer, consistent with higher sediment community metabolic rates at a higher temperature. Lugworm activity stimulated porewater exchange (5.1 × in summer, 1.9 × in fall), organic matter remineralization (6.2 × in summer, 1.9 × in fall), aerobic respiration (2.4 × in summer, 2.1 × in fall), alkalinity release (4.7 × in summer, 4.0 × in fall), nutrient regeneration, and iron cycling. The effects of lugworm activity on net sediment-water fluxes were similar but more pronounced in summer than in fall. Alkalinity release in fall was entirely driven by metabolic carbonate dissolution, while this process explained between 22 and 69% of total alkalinity production in summer, indicating the importance of other processes in this season. By enhancing organic matter remineralization and the reoxidation of reduced metabolites by the sediment microbial community, lugworm activity stimulated the production of dissolved inorganic carbon and metabolic acidity, which in turn enhanced metabolic CaCO 3 dissolution efficiency. In summer, evidence of microbial long distance electron transport (LDET) was observed in defaunated sediment. Thus, alkalinity production by net carbonate dissolution was likely supplemented by anaerobic respiration and LDET in summer.

  13. Chapter A6. Section 6.6. Alkalinity and Acid Neutralizing Capacity

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rounds, Stewart A.; Wilde, Franceska D.

    2002-01-01

    Alkalinity (determined on a filtered sample) and Acid Neutralizing Capacity (ANC) (determined on a whole-water sample) are measures of the ability of a water sample to neutralize strong acid. Alkalinity and ANC provide information on the suitability of water for uses such as irrigation, determining the efficiency of wastewater processes, determining the presence of contamination by anthropogenic wastes, and maintaining ecosystem health. In addition, alkalinity is used to gain insights on the chemical evolution of an aqueous system. This section of the National Field Manual (NFM) describes the USGS field protocols for alkalinity/ANC determination using either the inflection-point or Gran function plot methods, including calculation of carbonate species, and provides guidance on equipment selection.

  14. Characterization of rice starch and protein obtained by a fast alkaline extraction method.

    PubMed

    Souza, Daiana de; Sbardelotto, Arthur Francisco; Ziegler, Denize Righetto; Marczak, Ligia Damasceno Ferreira; Tessaro, Isabel Cristina

    2016-01-15

    This study evaluated the characteristics of rice starch and protein obtained by a fast alkaline extraction method on rice flour (RF) derived from broken rice. The extraction was conducted using 0.18% NaOH at 30°C for 30min followed by centrifugation to separate the starch rich and the protein rich fractions. This fast extraction method allowed to obtain an isoelectric precipitation protein concentrate (IPPC) with 79% protein and a starchy product with low protein content. The amino acid content of IPPC was practically unchanged compared to the protein in RF. The proteins of the IPPC underwent denaturation during extraction and some of the starch suffered the cold gelatinization phenomenon, due to the alkaline treatment. With some modifications, the fast method can be interesting in a technological point of view as it enables process cost reduction and useful ingredients obtention to the food and chemical industries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Extracellular Alkalinization as a Defense Response in Potato Cells.

    PubMed

    Moroz, Natalia; Fritch, Karen R; Marcec, Matthew J; Tripathi, Diwaker; Smertenko, Andrei; Tanaka, Kiwamu

    2017-01-01

    A quantitative and robust bioassay to assess plant defense response is important for studies of disease resistance and also for the early identification of disease during pre- or non-symptomatic phases. An increase in extracellular pH is known to be an early defense response in plants. In this study, we demonstrate extracellular alkalinization as a defense response in potatoes. Using potato suspension cell cultures, we observed an alkalinization response against various pathogen- and plant-derived elicitors in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also assessed the defense response against a variety of potato pathogens, such as protists ( Phytophthora infestans and Spongospora subterranea ) and fungi ( Verticillium dahliae and Colletotrichum coccodes ). Our results show that extracellular pH increases within 30 min in proportion to the number of pathogen spores added. Consistently with the alkalinization effect, the higher transcription level of several defense-related genes and production of reactive oxygen species was observed. Our results demonstrate that the alkalinization response is an effective marker to study early stages of defense response in potatoes.

  16. Hydrothermal Alkalinity in Central Nepal Rivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, M. J.; Derry, L. A.

    2002-12-01

    Numerous hot springs flow along the base of the Himalayan front, at or near the Main Central Thrust, in the Narayani drainage of central Nepal. The springs are found in a narrow zone characterized by rapid uplift and high incision rates. In this zone, hot rocks are brought to the near-surface where they interact with meteoric waters to produce the hydrothermal system. Water-rock interaction produces springs with high solute loads (TDS up to 8000 mg/L.) The springs drive significant chemical anomalies (e.g. Cl, Na, K and Ge) in the rivers that flow through the hydrothermal zone In order to quantify the impact the springs have on the river chemistry, the spring discharge must be estimated. Direct measurement of the spring discharge is difficult, as the springs often flow within the stream bed itself or are inaccessible. We take advantage of the wide disparity in stream vs. hydrothermal [Ge] to calculate spring discharge by chemical mass balance. The hot springs have [Ge] up to 684 nmol/kg and Ge/Si ratios from 200 to 1000 μmol/mol while river waters have [Ge] near 0.15 nmol/kg and Ge/Si ratios near 0.5 μmol/mol, typical of non-polluted rivers. The discharge calculated from the Ge mass balance for individual springs ranges from 0.03 x 106 to 5.6 x 106 m3/yr, and accounts for a small percentage of the total river discharge (0.03% to 1.9%). The hot spring discharge for all of central Nepal is around 1.5x108 m3/yr, 0.5% of the Narayani river discharge. Distinguishing between silicate and carbonate sources is important to assessing the role of weathering on atmospheric CO2 levels and the relative contributions of silicate and carbonate alkalinity in central Nepal rivers are still not well resolved. The hot springs derive up to 100% of their alkalinity from silicate sources. Using the discharge estimates for the springs, we find that the sum of the silicate alkalinity fluxes from all the spring systems is 2.8 x 108 mol/yr. This implies that the hot springs deliver around

  17. Beneficial role of spermidine in chlorophyll metabolism and D1 protein content in tomato seedlings under salinity-alkalinity stress.

    PubMed

    Hu, Lipan; Xiang, Lixia; Li, Shuting; Zou, Zhirong; Hu, Xiao-Hui

    2016-04-01

    Polyamines are important in protecting plants against various environmental stresses, including protection against photodamage to the photosynthetic apparatus. The molecular mechanism of this latter effect is not completely understood. Here, we have investigated the effects of salinity-alkalinity stress and spermidine (Spd) on tomato seedlings at both physiological and transcriptional levels. Salinity-alkalinity stress decreased leaf area, net photosynthetic rate, maximum net photosynthetic rate, light saturation point, apparent quantum efficiency, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll a:chlorophyll b relative to the control. The amount of D1 protein, an important component of photosystem II, was reduced compared with the control, as was the expression of psbA, which codes for D1. Expression of the chlorophyll biosynthesis gene porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) was reduced following salinity-alkalinity stress, whereas the expression of Chlase, which codes for chlorophyllase, was increased. These negative physiological effects of salinity-alkalinity stress were alleviated by exogenous Spd. Expression of PBGD and psbA were enhanced, whereas the expression of Chlase was reduced, when exogenous Spd was included in the stress treatment compared with when it was not. The protective effect of Spd on chlorophyll and D1 protein content during stress may maintain the photosynthetic apparatus, permitting continued photosynthesis and growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Jinpengchaoguan) under salinity-alkalinity stress. © 2015 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  18. The origin of life in alkaline hydrothermal vents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sojo, V.; Herschy, B.; Whicher, A.; Camprubí, E.; Lane, N.

    2016-12-01

    The origin of life remains one of Science's greatest unresolved questions. The answer will no doubt involve almost all the basic disciplines, including Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology, and Biology. Chiefly, it is the link between the latter two that must be elucidated: how geochemistry gave rise to biochemistry. Serpentinizing systems such as alkaline hydrothermal vents offer the most robust combination of conditions to have hosted the origin of life on the early Earth, while bearing many parallels to modern living cells. Stark gradients of concentration, pH, oxidation/reduction, and temperature provided the ability to synthesise and concentrate organic products, drive polymerisation reactions, and develop an autotrophic lifestyle independent of foreign sources of organics. In the oxygen-depleted waters of the Hadean, alkaline vents would have acted as electrochemical flow reactors, in which alkaline fluids saturated in H2 mixed with the relatively acidic CO2-rich waters of the ocean, through interconnected micropores made of thin inorganic walls containing catalytic Fe(Ni)S minerals. Perhaps not coincidentally, the unit cells of these Fe(Ni)S minerals closely resemble the active sites of crucial ancestral bioenergetic enzymes. Meanwhile, differences in pH across the thin barriers produced natural proton gradients similar to those used for carbon fixation in modern archaea and bacteria. At the earliest stages, the problem of the origin of life is the problem of the origin of carbon fixation. I will discuss work over the last decade that suggests several possible hypotheses for how simple one-carbon molecules could have given rise to more complex organics, particularly within a serpentinizing alkaline hydrothermal vent. I will discuss the perplexing differences in carbon and energy metabolism in methanogenic archaea and acetogenic bacteria, thought to be the earliest representatives of each domain, to propose a possible ancestral mechanism of CO2 reduction in

  19. Role of the Group 2 Mrp sodium/proton antiporter in rapid response to high alkaline shock in the alkaline- and salt-tolerant Dietzia sp. DQ12-45-1b.

    PubMed

    Fang, Hui; Qin, Xiao-Yu; Zhang, Kai-Duan; Nie, Yong; Wu, Xiao-Lei

    2018-04-01

    The six- and seven-subunit Na + /H + antiporters (Mrp) are widely distributed in bacteria. They are reported to be integral for pH homeostasis in alkaliphilic bacteria when adapting to high pH environments. In this study, operons encoding for the six-subunit Na + /H + antiporters were found in the genomes of all studied Dietzia strains, which have different alkaline-resistant abilities. Disruption of the operon in the strain Dietzia sp. DQ12-45-1b which leads to declined growth in presence of hypersaline and alkaline conditions suggested that the six-subunit Na + /H + antiporter played an important role in hypersaline and alkaline resistance. Although the complexes DqMrp from DQ12-45-1b (strain with high alkaline resistance) and DaMrp from D. alimentaria 72 T (strain with low alkaline resistance) displayed Na + (Li + )/H + antiport activities, they functioned optimally at different pH levels (9.0 for DQ12-45-1b and 8.0 for 72 T ). While both antiporters functioned properly to protect Escherichia coli cells from salt shock, only the DqMrp-containing strain survived the high alkaline shock. Furthermore, real-time PCR results showed that the expression of mrpA and mrpD induced only immediately after DQ12-45-1b cells were subjected to the alkaline shock. These results suggested that the expression of DqMrp might be induced by a pH gradient across the cell membrane, and DqMrp mainly functioned at an early stage to respond to the alkaline shock.

  20. Isonicotinohydrazones as inhibitors of alkaline phosphatase and ecto-5'-nucleotidase.

    PubMed

    Channar, Pervaiz Ali; Shah, Syed Jawad Ali; Hassan, Sidra; Nisa, Zaib Un; Lecka, Joanna; Sévigny, Jean; Bajorath, Jürgen; Saeed, Aamer; Iqbal, Jamshed

    2017-03-01

    A series of isonicotinohydrazide derivatives was synthesized and tested against recombinant human and rat ecto-5'-nucleotidases (h-e5'NT and r-e5'NT) and alkaline phosphatase isozymes including both bovine tissue-non-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-TNAP) and tissue-specific calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (c-IAP). These enzymes are implicated in vascular calcifications, hypophosphatasia, solid tumors, and cancers, such as colon, lung, breast, pancreas, and ovary. All tested compounds were active against both enzymes. The most potent inhibitor of h-e5'NT was derivative (E)-N'-(1-(3-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3j), whereas derivative (E)-N'-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3g) exhibited significant inhibitory activity against r-e5'NT. In addition, the derivative (E)-N'-(4'-chlorobenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3a) was most potent inhibitor against calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase and the derivative (E)-N'-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (3g) was found to be most potent inhibitor of bovine tissue-non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, putative binding modes of potent compounds against e5'NT (human and rat e5'NT) and AP (including b-TNAP and c-IAP) were determined computationally. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  1. Effects of the surface modification of silver nanoparticles on the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of methylene blue for borohydride-reduced silver colloid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Xiao; Gu, Huaimin; Kang, Jian; Yuan, Xiaojuan; Wu, Jiwei

    2010-12-01

    The paper further investigated the relationship between the modification of the surface chemistry and the enhancement mechanisms of borohydride-reduced silver particles (BRSC). The bands of residual ions die down while the anomalous bands increase gradually with the increasing of the concentration of Cl - and Br -. It means the residual ions are displaced gradually by the added Cl - or Br - and the two halides can lead to the aggregation of the BRSC to a certain extent. However, the most strongly binding anions - I -, cannot cause any aggregation of silver particles. From the detection of methylene blue (MB), the relationship between the modification of silver surface chemistry and the enhancement mechanisms was discussed. Chloride gives the greatest enhancement while the iodide gives the lowest enhancement among the different kinds of anions. There are also some anomalous bands in the SERS spectra of MB, and these anomalous bands were given rational explanation in this paper.

  2. Protection against Experimental Cryptococcosis following Vaccination with Glucan Particles Containing Cryptococcus Alkaline Extracts.

    PubMed

    Specht, Charles A; Lee, Chrono K; Huang, Haibin; Tipper, Donald J; Shen, Zu T; Lodge, Jennifer K; Leszyk, John; Ostroff, Gary R; Levitz, Stuart M

    2015-12-22

    A vaccine capable of protecting at-risk persons against infections due to Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii could reduce the substantial global burden of human cryptococcosis. Vaccine development has been hampered though, by lack of knowledge as to which antigens are immunoprotective and the need for an effective vaccine delivery system. We made alkaline extracts from mutant cryptococcal strains that lacked capsule or chitosan. The extracts were then packaged into glucan particles (GPs), which are purified Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell walls composed primarily of β-1,3-glucans. Subcutaneous vaccination with the GP-based vaccines provided significant protection against subsequent pulmonary infection with highly virulent strains of C. neoformans and C. gattii. The alkaline extract derived from the acapsular strain was analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the most abundant proteins were identified. Separation of the alkaline extract by size exclusion chromatography revealed fractions that conferred protection when loaded in GP-based vaccines. Robust Th1- and Th17-biased CD4(+) T cell recall responses were observed in the lungs of vaccinated and infected mice. Thus, our preclinical studies have indicated promising cryptococcal vaccine candidates in alkaline extracts delivered in GPs. Ongoing studies are directed at identifying the individual components of the extracts that confer protection and thus would be promising candidates for a human vaccine. The encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans and its closely related sister species, Cryptococcus gattii, are major causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in immunocompromised persons. This study reports on the preclinical development of vaccines to protect at-risk populations from cryptococcosis. Antigens were extracted from Cryptococcus by treatment with an alkaline solution. The extracted antigens were then packaged into glucan particles, which are hollow

  3. Alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells stably working at 80 °C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Hanqing; Li, Qihao; Hu, Meixue; Xiao, Li; Lu, Juntao; Zhuang, Lin

    2018-06-01

    Alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells are a new class of polymer electrolyte fuel cells that fundamentally enables the use of nonprecious metal catalysts. The cell performance mostly relies on the quality of alkaline polymer electrolytes, including the ionic conductivity and the chemical/mechanical stability. For a long time, alkaline polymer electrolytes are thought to be too weak in stability to allow the fuel cell to be operated at elevated temperatures, e.g., above 60 °C. In the present work, we report a progress in the state-of-the-art alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cell technology. By using a newly developed alkaline polymer electrolyte, quaternary ammonia poly (N-methyl-piperidine-co-p-terphenyl), which simultaneously possesses high ionic conductivity and excellent chemical/mechanical stability, the fuel cell can now be stably operated at 80 °C with high power density. The peak power density reaches ca. 1.5 W/cm2 at 80 °C with Pt/C catalysts used in both the anode and the cathode. The cell works stably in a period of study over 100 h.

  4. Alkaline Hydrolysis/Polymerization of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene: Characterization of Products by 13C and 15N NMR

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thorn, K.A.; Thorne, P.G.; Cox, L.G.

    2004-01-01

    Alkaline hydrolysis has been investigated as a nonbiological procedure for the destruction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in explosives contaminated soils and munitions scrap. Nucleophilic substitutions of the nitro and methyl groups of TNT by hydroxide ion are the initial steps in the alkaline degradation of TNT. Potential applications of the technique include both in situ surface liming and ex situ alkaline treatment of contaminated soils. A number of laboratory studies have reported the formation of an uncharacterized polymeric material upon prolonged treatment of TNT in base. As part of an overall assessment of alkaline hydrolysis as a remediation technique, and to gain a better understanding of the chemical reactions underlying the hydrolysis/polymerization process, the soluble and precipitate fractions of polymeric material produced from the calcium hydroxide hydrolysis of unlabeled and 15N-labeled TNT were analyzed by elemental analysis and 13C and 15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Spectra indicated that reactions leading to polymerization included nucleophilic displacement of nitro groups by hydroxide ion, formation of ketone, carboxyl, alcohol, ether, and other aliphatic carbons, conversion of methyl groups to diphenyl methylene carbons, and recondensation of aromatic amines and reduced forms of nitrite, including ammonia and possibly hydroxylamine, into the polymer. Compared to the distribution of carbons in TNT as 14% sp 3- and 86% sp2-hybridized, the precipitate fraction from hydrolysis of unlabeled TNT contained 33% sp3- and 67% sp 2-hybridized carbons. The concentration of nitrogen in the precipitate was 64% of that in TNT. The 15N NMR spectra showed that, in addition to residual nitro groups, forms of nitrogen present in the filtrate and precipitate fractions include aminohydroquinone, primary amide, indole, imine, and azoxy, among others. Unreacted nitrite was recovered in the filtrate fraction. The toxicities and susceptibilities to

  5. Remediation of aged diesel contaminated soil by alkaline activated persulfate.

    PubMed

    Lominchar, M A; Santos, A; de Miguel, E; Romero, A

    2018-05-01

    The present work studies the efficiency of alkaline activated persulfate (PS) to remediate an aged diesel fuel contaminated soil from a train maintenance facility. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration in soil was approximately 5000mgkg -1 with a ratio of aliphatic:aromatic compounds of 70:30. Aromatic compounds were mainly naphtalenes and phenanthrenes. The experiments were performed in batch mode where different initial concentrations of persulfate (105mM, 210mM and 420mM) and activator:persulfate ratios (2 and 4) were evaluated, with NaOH used as activator. Runs were carried out during 56days. Complete TPH conversion was obtained with the highest concentration of PS and activator, whereas in the other runs the elimination of fuel ranged between 60 and 77%. Besides, the abatement of napthalenes and phenantrenes was faster than aliphatic reduction (i. e. after 4days of treatment, the conversions of the aromatic compounds were around 0.8 meanwhile the aliphatic abatements were 0.55) and no aromatic oxidation intermediates from naphtalenes or phenantrenes were detected. These results show that this technology is effective for the remediation of aged diesel in soil with alkaline pH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. The application of alkaline lysis and pressure cycling technology in the differential extraction of DNA from sperm and epithelial cells recovered from cotton swabs.

    PubMed

    Nori, Deepthi V; McCord, Bruce R

    2015-09-01

    This study reports the development of a two-step protocol using pressure cycling technology (PCT) and alkaline lysis for differential extraction of DNA from mixtures of sperm and vaginal epithelial cells recovered from cotton swabs. In controlled experiments, in which equal quantities of sperm and female epithelial cells were added to cotton swabs, 5 min of pressure pulsing in the presence of 0.4 M NaOH resulted in 104 ± 6% recovery of female epithelial DNA present on the swab. Following the pressure treatment, exposing the swabs to a second 5-min alkaline treatment at 95 °C without pressure resulted in the selective recovery of 69 ± 6% of the sperm DNA. The recovery of the vaginal epithelia and sperm DNA was optimized by examining the effect of sodium hydroxide concentration, incubation temperature, and time. Following the alkaline lysis steps, the samples were neutralized with 2 M Tris (pH 7.5) and purified with phenol-chloroform-isoamyl alcohol to permit downstream analysis. The total processing time to remove both fractions from the swab was less than 20 min. Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis of these fractions obtained from PCT treatment and alkaline lysis generated clean profiles of female epithelial DNA and male sperm DNA for 1:1 mixtures of female and male cells and predominant male profiles for mixtures up to 5:1 female to male cells. By reducing the time and increasing the recovery of DNA from cotton swabs, this new method presents a novel and potentially useful procedure for forensic differential extractions.

  7. Coupling the Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Technology and The Gelation Technology to Maximize Oil Production

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Malcolm Pitts; Jie Qi; Dan Wilson

    2005-10-01

    Gelation technologies have been developed to provide more efficient vertical sweep efficiencies for flooding naturally fractured oil reservoirs or more efficient areal sweep efficiency for those with high permeability contrast ''thief zones''. The field proven alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology economically recovers 15% to 25% OOIP more oil than waterflooding from swept pore space of an oil reservoir. However, alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology is not amenable to naturally fractured reservoirs or those with thief zones because much of injected solution bypasses target pore space containing oil. This work investigates whether combining these two technologies could broaden applicability of alkaline-surfactant-polymer flooding into these reservoirs. A priormore » fluid-fluid report discussed interaction of different gel chemical compositions and alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions. Gel solutions under dynamic conditions of linear corefloods showed similar stability to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions as in the fluid-fluid analyses. Aluminum-polyacrylamide, flowing gels are not stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions of either pH 10.5 or 12.9. Chromium acetate-polyacrylamide flowing and rigid flowing gels are stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. Rigid flowing chromium acetate-polyacrylamide gels maintained permeability reduction better than flowing chromium acetate-polyacrylamide gels. Silicate-polyacrylamide gels are not stable with subsequent injection of either a pH 10.5 or a 12.9 alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution. Chromium acetate-xanthan gum rigid gels are not stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. Resorcinol-formaldehyde gels were stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. When evaluated in a dual core configuration, injected fluid flows into the core with the greatest effective permeability to the injected fluid. The same gel stability trends to

  8. Cementitious porous pavement in stormwater quality control: pH and alkalinity elevation.

    PubMed

    Kuang, Xuheng; Sansalone, John

    2011-01-01

    A certain level of alkalinity acts as a buffer and maintains the pH value in a stable range in water bodies. With rapid urban development, more and more acidic pollutants flow to watersheds with runoff and drop alkalinity to a very low level and ultimately degrade the water environment. Cementitious porous pavement is an effective tool for stormwater acidic neutralization. When stormwater infiltrates cement porous pavement (CPP) materials, alkalinity and pH will be elevated due to the basic characteristics of cement concrete. The elevated alkalinity will neutralize acids in water bodies and maintain the pH in a stable level as a buffer. It is expected that CPP materials still have a certain capability of alkalinity elevation after years of service, which is important for CPP as an effective tool for stormwater management. However, few previous studies have reported on how CPP structures would elevate runoff alkalinity and pH after being exposed to rainfall-runoff for years. In this study, three groups of CPP specimens, all exposed to rainfall-runoff for 3 years, were used to test the pH and alkalinity elevation properties. It was found that runoff pH values were elevated from 7.4 to the range of 7.8-8.6 after infiltrating through the uncoated specimens, and from 7.4 to 8.5-10.7 after infiltrating through aluminum-coated specimens. Runoff alkalinity elevation efficiencies are 11.5-14.5% for uncoated specimens and 42.2% for coated specimens. The study shows that CPP is an effective passive unit operation for stormwater acid neutralization in our built environment.

  9. Increased performance of hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells under alkaline conditions.

    PubMed

    Rago, Laura; Baeza, Juan A; Guisasola, Albert

    2016-06-01

    This work reports the first successful enrichment and operation of alkaline bioelectrochemical systems (microbial fuel cells, MFC, and microbial electrolysis cells, MEC). Alkaline (pH=9.3) bioelectrochemical hydrogen production presented better performance (+117%) compared to conventional neutral conditions (2.6 vs 1.2 litres of hydrogen gas per litre of reactor per day, LH2·L(-1)REACTOR·d(-1)). Pyrosequencing results of the anodic biofilm showed that while Geobacter was mainly detected under conventional neutral conditions, Geoalkalibacter sp. was highly detected in the alkaline MFC (21%) and MEC (48%). This is the first report of a high enrichment of Geoalkalibacter from an anaerobic mixed culture using alkaline conditions in an MEC. Moreover, Alkalibacter sp. was highly present in the anodic biofilm of the alkaline MFC (37%), which would indicate its potentiality as a new exoelectrogen. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Heavy metals stabilization in medical waste incinerator fly ash using alkaline assisted supercritical water technology.

    PubMed

    Jin, Jian; Li, Xiaodong; Chi, Yong; Yan, Jianhua

    2010-12-01

    This study investigated the process of aluminosilicate formation in medical waste incinerator fly ash containing large amounts of heavy metals and treated with alkaline compounds at 375 degrees C and examined how this process affected the mobility and availability of the metals. As a consequence of the treatments, the amount of dissolved heavy metals, and thus their mobility, was greatly reduced, and the metal leaching concentration was below the legislative regulations for metal leachability. Moreover, this process did not produce a high concentration of heavy metals in the effluent. The addition of alkaline compounds such as sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate can prevent certain heavy metal ions dissolving in water. In comparison with the alkaline-free condition, the extracted concentrations of As, Mn, Pb, Sr and Zn were decreased by about 51.08, 97.22, 58.33, 96.77 and 86.89% by the addition of sodium hydroxide and 66.18, 86.11, 58.33, 83.87 and 81.91% by the addition of sodium carbonate. A mechanism for how the formation of aluminosilicate occurred in supercritical water and affected the mobility and availability of the heavy metals is discussed. The reported results could be useful as basic knowledge for planning new technologies for the hydrothermal stabilization of heavy metals in fly ash.

  11. Microbial community succession in alkaline, saline bauxite residue: a cross-refinery study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santini, T.; Malcolm, L. I.; Tyson, G. W.; Warren, L. A.

    2015-12-01

    Bauxite residue, a byproduct of the Bayer process for alumina refining, is an alkaline, saline tailings material that is generally considered to be inhospitable to microbial life. In situ remediation strategies promote soil formation in bauxite residue by enhancing leaching of saline, alkaline pore water, and through incorporation of amendments to boost organic matter content, decrease pH, and improve physical structure. The amelioration of chemical and physical conditions in bauxite residue is assumed to support diversification of microbial communities from narrow, poorly functioning microbial communities towards diverse, well-functioning communities. This study aimed to characterise microbial communities in fresh and remediated bauxite residues from refineries worldwide, to identify (a) whether initial microbial communities differed between refineries; (b) major environmental controls on microbial community composition; and (c) whether remediation successfully shifts the composition of microbial communities in bauxite residue towards those found in reference (desired endpoint) soils. Samples were collected from 16 refineries and characterised using 16S amplicon sequencing to examine microbial community composition and structure, in conjunction with physicochemical analyses. Initial microbial community composition was similar across refineries but partitioned into two major groups. Microbial community composition changes slowly over time and indicates that alkalinity and salinity inhibit diversification. Microbially-based strategies for in situ remediation should consider the initial microbial community composition and whether the pre-treatment of chemical properties would optimise subsequent bioremediation outcomes. During in situ remediation, microbial communities become more diverse and develop wider functional capacity, indicating progression towards communities more commonly observed in natural grassland and forest soils.

  12. Effects of low-alkalinity binders on stabilization/solidification of geogenic As-containing soils: Spectroscopic investigation and leaching tests.

    PubMed

    Li, Jiang-Shan; Wang, Lei; Cui, Jin-Li; Poon, Chi Sun; Beiyuan, Jingzi; Tsang, Daniel C W; Li, Xiang-Dong

    2018-08-01

    The low-alkalinity stabilization/solidification (S/S) treatment of the soil containing high concentrations of geogenic As by physical encapsulation is considered as a proper management before land development; however, the choice of an effective binder and the leaching potential of As remain uncertain. In this study, the influence of S/S binders (cement blended with fuel ash (FA), furnace bottom ash (FBA), or ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)) on the speciation and leaching characteristics of geogenic As was studied. The results of X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed the reduced amount of calcium silicate hydrate phase and the decrease in oxidation state of As(V)-O on the surface of Fe(III) oxides/hydroxides in the low-alkalinity S/S treated soils. This might be due to the binder incorporation and change in pH conditions, which slightly affected the As-Fe interaction and increased the non-specifically sorbed species of As. Therefore, the S/S treatment increased the leachability and bioaccessibility of geogenic As to varying degree but decreased the phyto-extractable As. The S/S treatment by cement incorporating 25% of class C fly ash (O4C1) could achieve comparable or better performance, while reducing the risk assessment code (RAC) to a greater extent compared to that of using cement only. This study illustrates the effectiveness and limitations of low-alkalinity binders (e.g., O4C1) for geogenic As immobilization and encapsulation, which provides a new insight for determining the appropriate S/S binder in soil remediation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Energetics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Alkaline Hydrothermal Environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitadai, Norio

    2015-12-01

    Alkaline hydrothermal systems have received considerable attention as candidates for the origin and evolution of life on the primitive Earth. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the thermodynamic properties of amino acids, which are necessary components for life, at high temperatures and alkaline pH. These properties were estimated using experimental high-temperature volume and heat capacity data reported in the literature for several amino acids, together with correlation algorithms and the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers (HKF) equations of state. This approach enabled determination of a complete set of the standard molal thermodynamic data and the revised HKF parameters for the 20 protein amino acids in their zwitterionic and ionization states. The obtained dataset was then used to evaluate the energetics of amino acid syntheses from simple inorganic precursors (CO2, H2, NH3 and H2S) in a simulated alkaline hydrothermal system on the Hadean Earth. Results show that mixing between CO2-rich seawater and the H2-rich hydrothermal fluid can produce energetically favorable conditions for amino acid syntheses, particularly in the lower-temperature region of such systems. Together with data related to the pH and temperature dependences of the energetics of amino acid polymerizations presented in earlier reports, these results suggest the following. Hadean alkaline hydrothermal settings, where steep pH and temperature gradients may have existed between cool, slightly acidic Hadean ocean water and hot, alkaline hydrothermal fluids at the vent-ocean interface, may be energetically the most suitable environment for the synthesis and polymerization of amino acids.

  14. Energetics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Alkaline Hydrothermal Environments.

    PubMed

    Kitadai, Norio

    2015-12-01

    Alkaline hydrothermal systems have received considerable attention as candidates for the origin and evolution of life on the primitive Earth. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the thermodynamic properties of amino acids, which are necessary components for life, at high temperatures and alkaline pH. These properties were estimated using experimental high-temperature volume and heat capacity data reported in the literature for several amino acids, together with correlation algorithms and the revised Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers (HKF) equations of state. This approach enabled determination of a complete set of the standard molal thermodynamic data and the revised HKF parameters for the 20 protein amino acids in their zwitterionic and ionization states. The obtained dataset was then used to evaluate the energetics of amino acid syntheses from simple inorganic precursors (CO2, H2, NH3 and H2S) in a simulated alkaline hydrothermal system on the Hadean Earth. Results show that mixing between CO2-rich seawater and the H2-rich hydrothermal fluid can produce energetically favorable conditions for amino acid syntheses, particularly in the lower-temperature region of such systems. Together with data related to the pH and temperature dependences of the energetics of amino acid polymerizations presented in earlier reports, these results suggest the following. Hadean alkaline hydrothermal settings, where steep pH and temperature gradients may have existed between cool, slightly acidic Hadean ocean water and hot, alkaline hydrothermal fluids at the vent-ocean interface, may be energetically the most suitable environment for the synthesis and polymerization of amino acids.

  15. Development of an alkaline/surfactant/polymer compositional reservoir simulator

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bhuyan, D.

    1989-01-01

    The mathematical formulation of a generalized three-dimensional compositional reservoir simulator for high-pH chemical flooding processes is presented in this work. The model assumes local thermodynamic equilibrium with respect to both reaction chemistry and phase behavior and calculates equilibrium electrolyte and phase compositions as a function of time and position. The reaction chemistry considers aqueous electrolytic chemistry, precipitation/dissolution of minerals, ion exchange reactions on matrix surface, reaction of acidic components of crude oil with the bases in the aqueous solution and cation exchange reactions with the micelles. The simulator combines this detailed reaction chemistry associated with these processes with the extensivemore » physical and flow property modeling schemes of an existing chemical flood simulator (UTCHEM) to model the multiphase, multidimensional displacement processes. The formulation of the chemical equilibrium model is quite general and is adaptable to simulate a variety of chemical descriptions. In addition to its use in the simulation of high-pH chemical flooding processes, the model will find application in the simulation of other reactive flow problems like the ground water contamination, reinjection of produced water, chemical waste disposal, etc. in one, two or three dimensions and under multiphase flow conditions. In this work, the model is used to simulate several hypothetical cases of high-pH chemical floods, which include cases from a simple alkaline preflush of a micellar/polymer flood to surfactant enhanced alkaline-polymer flooding and the results are analyzed. Finally, a few published alkaline, alkaline-polymer and surfactant-alkaline-polymer corefloods are simulated and compared with the experimental results.« less

  16. Analysis of serum corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme in dogs with hepatobiliary diseases.

    PubMed

    Kojima, K; Ohno, K; Kanemoto, H; Goto-Koshino, Y; Fukushima, K; Tsujimoto, H

    2017-05-01

    To reveal the relationship between canine corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme activity and hepatobiliary diseases. Retrospective analysis of the relationship between serum corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase activity and diagnosis, serum cortisol concentration and alanine transferase activity in dogs with hepatobiliary diseases. Dogs with a history of glucocorticoid administration were excluded. Seventy-two dogs with hepatobiliary diseases were analysed. The serum corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase concentration was increased in dogs with hepatobiliary diseases. There was no correlation between serum cortisol concentration and serum corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase percentage or activity. Dogs with hepatobiliary disease can exhibit high serum alkaline phosphatase activity even if the dogs have not been administrated glucocorticoids and the serum cortisol concentration is normal. © 2017 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

  17. Proteomic analysis of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in neutral and alkaline conditions.

    PubMed

    Gonzales-Siles, Lucia; Karlsson, Roger; Kenny, Diarmuid; Karlsson, Anders; Sjöling, Åsa

    2017-01-07

    Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major cause of diarrhea in children and travelers to endemic areas. Secretion of the heat labile AB 5 toxin (LT) is induced by alkaline conditions. In this study, we determined the surface proteome of ETEC exposed to alkaline conditions (pH 9) as compared to neutral conditions (pH 7) using a LPI Hexalane FlowCell combined with quantitative proteomics. Relative quantitation with isobaric labeling (TMT) was used to compare peptide abundance and their corresponding proteins in multiple samples at MS/MS level. For protein identification and quantification samples were analyzed using either a 1D-LCMS or a 2D-LCMS approach. Strong up-regulation of the ATP synthase operon encoding F1Fo ATP synthase and down-regulation of proton pumping proteins NuoF, NuoG, Ndh and WrbA were detected among proteins involved in regulating the proton and electron transport under alkaline conditions. Reduced expression of proteins involved in osmotic stress was found at alkaline conditions while the Sec-dependent transport over the inner membrane and outer membrane protein proteins such as OmpA and the β-Barrel Assembly Machinery (BAM) complex were up-regulated. ETEC exposed to alkaline environments express a specific proteome profile characterized by up-regulation of membrane proteins and secretion of LT toxin. Alkaline microenvironments have been reported close to the intestinal epithelium and the alkaline proteome may hence represent a better view of ETEC during infection.

  18. Coupling the Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Technology and the Gelation Technology to Maximize Oil Production

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Malcolm Pitts; Jie Qi; Dan Wilson

    2005-12-01

    Gelation technologies have been developed to provide more efficient vertical sweep efficiencies for flooding naturally fractured oil reservoirs or reservoirs with different sand lenses with high permeability contrast. The field proven alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology economically recovers 15% to 25% OOIP more crude oil than waterflooding froin swept pore space of an oil reservoir. However, alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology is not amenable to naturally fractured reservoirs or reservoirs with high permeability contrast zones because much of injected solution bypasses target pore space containing oil. This work investigates whether combining these two technologies could broaden applicability of alkaline-surfactant-polymer flooding into these reservoirs. Fluid-fluid interaction withmore » different gel chemical compositions and alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution with pH values ranging from 9.2 to 12.9 have been tested. Aluminum-polyacrylamide gels are not stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions at any pH. Chromium-polyacrylamide gels with polymer to chromium ion ratios of 25 or greater were stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions if solution pH was 10.6 or less. When the polymer to chromium ion was 15 or less, chromium-polyacrylamide gels were stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions with pH values up to 12.9. Chromium-xanthan gum gels were stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions with pH values of 12.9 at the polymer to chromium ion ratios tested. Silicate-polyacrylamide, resorcinol-formaldehyde, and sulfomethylated resorcinol-formaldehyde gels were also stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions with pH values ranging from 9.2 to 12.9. Iron-polyacrylamide gels were immediately destroyed when contacted with any of the alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions with pH values ranging from 9.2 to 12.9. Gel solutions under dynamic conditions of linear corefloods showed similar stability to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions

  19. The Glycine soja NAC transcription factor GsNAC019 mediates the regulation of plant alkaline tolerance and ABA sensitivity.

    PubMed

    Cao, Lei; Yu, Yang; Ding, Xiaodong; Zhu, Dan; Yang, Fan; Liu, Beidong; Sun, Xiaoli; Duan, Xiangbo; Yin, Kuide; Zhu, Yanming

    2017-10-01

    Overexpression of Gshdz4 or GsNAC019 enhanced alkaline tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. We proved that Gshdz4 up-regulated both GsNAC019 and GsRD29B but GsNAC019 may repress the GsRD29B expression under alkaline stress. Wild soybean (Glycine soja) has a high tolerance to environmental challenges. It is a model species for dissecting the molecular mechanisms of salt-alkaline stresses. Although many NAC transcription factors play important roles in response to multiple abiotic stresses, such as salt, osmotic and cold, their mode of action in alkaline stress resistance is largely unknown. In our study, we identified a G. soja NAC gene, GsNAC019, which is a homolog of the Arabidopsis AtNAC019 gene. GsNAC019 was highly up-regulated by 50 mM NaHCO 3 treatment in the roots of wild soybean. Further investigation showed that a well-characterized transcription factor, Gshdz4 protein, bound the cis-acting element sequences (CAATA/TA), which are located in the promoter of the AtNAC019/GsNAC019 genes. Overexpression of Gshdz4 positively regulated AtNAC019 expression in transgenic Arabidopsis, implying that AtNAC019/GsNAC019 may be the target genes of Gshdz4. GsNAC019 was demonstrated to be a nuclear-localized protein in onion epidermal cells and possessed transactivation activity in yeast cells. Moreover, overexpression of GsNAC019 in Arabidopsis resulted in enhanced tolerance to alkaline stress at the seedling and mature stages, but reduced ABA sensitivity. The closest Arabidopsis homolog mutant plants of Gshdz4, GsNAC019 and GsRD29B containing athb40, atnac019 and atrd29b were sensitive to alkaline stress. Overexpression or the closest Arabidopsis homolog mutant plants of the GsNAC019 gene in Arabidopsis positively or negatively regulated the expression of stress-related genes, such as AHA2, RD29A/B and KIN1. Moreover, this mutation could phenotypically promoted or compromised plant growth under alkaline stress, implying that GsNAC019 may contribute to alkaline stress

  20. Use of copper-silver ionization for the control of legionellae in alkaline environments at health care facilities.

    PubMed

    Dziewulski, David M; Ingles, Erin; Codru, Neculai; Strepelis, John; Schoonmaker-Bopp, Dianna

    2015-09-01

    There are multiple treatment options for the control of legionellae in premise hot water systems. Water chemistry plays a role in the efficacy of these treatments and should be considered when selecting a treatment. This study demonstrated the efficacy of copper-silver ionization (CSI) under alkaline water conditions in 2 health care facilities. Monitoring for copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) ions was performed, and the corresponding percentage of positive Legionella cultures was monitored. Low Legionella colony forming units (CFU), with a mean <10 CFU/100 mL, and ≤30% positive culture for each sampling period, along with no recurrent disease, were considered indicative of control. CSI treatment was shown to reduce both the number of CFU found and the percentage of samples found to be culture positive. After treatment was established, culture positivity was, for example, reduced from 70% (>10(3) CFU/100 mL) to consistently <30% (38 CFU/100 mL). Control of legionellae in premise water systems may be a complex process requiring long-term assessments for adequate control. This work found that CSI could be successful in controlling Legionella under alkaline water conditions, and the evidence suggests that Ag ions are responsible for the control of Legionella pneumophila 1, L pneumophila 6, and L anisa. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Alkaline Phosphatases in the Complex Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorders.

    PubMed

    Bover, Jordi; Ureña, Pablo; Aguilar, Armando; Mazzaferro, Sandro; Benito, Silvia; López-Báez, Víctor; Ramos, Alejandra; daSilva, Iara; Cozzolino, Mario

    2018-02-14

    Alkaline phosphatases (APs) remove the phosphate (dephosphorylation) needed in multiple metabolic processes (from many molecules such as proteins, nucleotides, or pyrophosphate). Therefore, APs are important for bone mineralization but paradoxically they can also be deleterious for other processes, such as vascular calcification and the increasingly known cross-talk between bone and vessels. A proper balance between beneficial and harmful activities is further complicated in the context of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this narrative review, we will briefly update the complexity of the enzyme, including its different isoforms such as the bone-specific alkaline phosphatase or the most recently discovered B1x. We will also analyze the correlations and potential discrepancies with parathyroid hormone and bone turnover and, most importantly, the valuable recent associations of AP's with cardiovascular disease and/or vascular calcification, and survival. Finally, a basic knowledge of the synthetic and degradation pathways of APs promises to open new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of the CKD-Mineral and Bone Disorder (CKD-MBD) in the near future, as well as for other processes such as sepsis, acute kidney injury, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, metabolic syndrome or, in diabetes, cardiovascular complications. However, no studies have been done using APs as a primary therapeutic target for clinical outcomes, and therefore, AP's levels cannot yet be used alone as an isolated primary target in the treatment of CKD-MBD. Nonetheless, its diagnostic and prognostic potential should be underlined.

  2. Evaluating Growth of Zeolites on Fly Ash in Hydro-Thermally Heated Low Alkaline Solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jha, Bhagwanjee; Singh, D. N.

    2017-12-01

    Fly ash has been well established materials for synthesis of zeolites, under hydrothermally heated aqueous NaOH solution. Efficacy of such technique is reported to be improved when high molarity of NaOH is used. Consequently, highly alkaline waste solution, as by-product, is generally disposed of in the surrounding, which may contaminate the environment. In this context, less alkaline NaOH solution may become a safer option, which has not been tried in the past as per the literature. With this in view, the present study demonstrates effectiveness of the 0.5 M NaOH solution and critically monitors transition on the fly ash after hydrothermal treatment. As an enhancement over previous researchers, such activation of the fly ash finally results in remarkable morphological and mineralogical growth on the bulk material (the residue), which comprises of new nano-sized crystals (the zeolites Na-P1 and natrolite), after 24 h of activation of the fly ash.

  3. Effect of aluminum phosphate on alkaline phosphatase activity of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria.

    PubMed

    Ramalingam, N; Prasanna, B Gowtham

    2006-09-01

    The impact of insoluble phosphorus such as aluminum and rock phosphate on alkaline phosphatase activity of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria was assessed. Polyurethane foam immobilized Nodularia recorded the highest alkaline phosphatase activity of 9.04 (m. mol p-nitrophenol released h(-1) mg(-1) protein) in vitro. A higher concentration of aluminum phosphate was recorded a 25% reduction in alkaline phosphatase activity, ammonia content, and available phosphorus in culture filtrate of polyurethane foam immobilized cyanobacteria. In general, immobilized cyanobacteria exhibited a higher alkaline phosphatase activity in rock phosphate than aluminum phosphate.

  4. Alternative Alkaline Conditioning of Amidoxime Based Adsorbent for Uranium Extraction from Seawater

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Das, S.; Liao, W. -P.; Flicker Byers, M.

    2016-04-20

    Alkaline conditioning of the amidoxime based adsorbents is a significant step in the preparation of the adsorbent for uranium uptake from seawater. The effects of various alkaline conditioning parameters such as the type of alkaline reagent, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated with respect to uranium adsorption capacity from simulated seawater (spiked with 8 ppm uranium) and natural seawater (from Sequim Bay, WA). An adsorbent (AF1) was prepared at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory by radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP) with acrylonitrile and itaconic acid onto high-surface-area polyethylene fibers. For the AF1 adsorbent, sodium hydroxide emerged as a better reagentmore » for alkaline conditioning over potassium hydroxide, which has typically been used in previous studies, because of higher uranium uptake capacity and lower cost over the other candidate alkaline reagents investigated in this study. Use of sodium hydroxide in place of potassium hydroxide is shown to result in a 21-30% decrease in the cost of uranium recovery.« less

  5. Potential effects of desalinated water quality on the operation stability of wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Lew, Beni; Cochva, Malka; Lahav, Ori

    2009-03-15

    Desalinated water is expected to become the major source of drinking water in many places in the near future, and thus the major source of wastewater to arrive at wastewater treatment plants. The paper examines the effect of the alkalinity value with which the water is released from the desalination plant on the alkalinity value that would develop within the wastewater treatment process under various nitrification-denitrification operational scenarios. The main hypothesis was that the difference in the alkalinity value between tap water and domestic wastewater is almost exclusively a result of the hydrolysis of urea (NH(2)CONH(2), excreted in the human urine) to ammonia (NH(3)), regardless of the question what fraction of NH(3(aq)) is transformed to NH(4)(+). Results from a field study show that the ratio between the alkalinity added to tap water when raw wastewater is formed (in meq/l units) and the TAN (total ammonia nitrogen, mole/l) concentration in the raw wastewater is almost 1:1 in purely domestic sewage and close to 1:1 in domestic wastewater streams mixed with light industry wastewaters. Having established the relationship between TAN and total alkalinity in raw wastewater the paper examines three theoretical nitrification-denitrification treatment scenarios in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The conclusion is that if low-alkalinity desalinated water constitutes the major water source arriving at the WWTP, external alkalinity will have to be added in order to avoid pH drop and maintain process stability. The results lead to the conclusion that supplying desalinated water with a high alkalinity value (e.g. > or =100 mg/l as CaCO(3)) would likely prevent the need to add costly basic chemicals in the WWTP, while, in addition, it would improve the chemical and biological stability of the drinking water in the distribution system.

  6. Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-protein conjugates for preparation and immunoassay of antibodies.

    PubMed

    Glushkov, Andrey N; Kostyanko, Mikhail V; Cherno, Sergey V; Vasilchenko, Ilya L

    2002-04-01

    The method is described dealing with the synthesis of conjugates protein-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), highly soluble in water, stable without special stabilizers and containing the minimum quantity of cross-linked products. The reaction of protein with PAH containing an aldehyde group, has been carried out in an alkaline solution, and stabilization of the conjugate has been achieved by reduction with sodium borohydride in the presence of a compound blocking the formation of an insoluble polymeric fraction. The efficiency of synthesized conjugates for the induction and immunoassay of Abs to PAH for benzo[a]pyrene is shown.

  7. Heterologous expression, biochemical characterization, and overproduction of alkaline α-amylase from Bacillus alcalophilus in Bacillus subtilis

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Alkaline α-amylases have potential applications for hydrolyzing starch under high pH conditions in the starch and textile industries and as ingredients in detergents for automatic dishwashers and laundries. While the alkaline α-amylase gains increased industrial interest, the yield of alkaline α-amylases from wild-type microbes is low, and the combination of genetic engineering and process optimization is necessary to achieve the overproduction of alkaline α-amylase. Results The alkaline α-amylase gene from Bacillus alcalophilus JN21 (CCTCC NO. M 2011229) was cloned and expressed in Bacillus subtilis strain WB600 with vector pMA5. The recombinant alkaline α-amylase was stable at pH from 7.0 to 11.0 and temperature below 40°C. The optimum pH and temperature of alkaline α-amylase was 9.0 and 50°C, respectively. Using soluble starch as the substrate, the Km and Vmax of alkaline α-amylase were 9.64 g/L and 0.80 g/(L·min), respectively. The effects of medium compositions (starch, peptone, and soybean meal) and temperature on the recombinant production of alkaline α-amylase in B. subtilis were investigated. Under the optimal conditions (starch concentration 0.6% (w/v), peptone concentration 1.45% (w/v), soybean meal concentration 1.3% (w/v), and temperature 37°C), the highest yield of alkaline α-amylase reached 415 U/mL. The yield of alkaline α-amylase in a 3-L fermentor reached 441 U/mL, which was 79 times that of native alkaline α-amylase from B. alcalophilus JN21. Conclusions This is the first report concerning the heterologous expression of alkaline α-amylase in B. subtilis, and the obtained results make it feasible to achieve the industrial production of alkaline α-amylase with the recombinant B. subtilis. PMID:21978209

  8. Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Electrolytes: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Prospective Solutions.

    PubMed

    Mahmood, Nasir; Yao, Yunduo; Zhang, Jing-Wen; Pan, Lun; Zhang, Xiangwen; Zou, Ji-Jun

    2018-02-01

    Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium is currently a point of focus for sustainable development of hydrogen as an alternative clean fuel for various energy systems, but suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics due to additional water dissociation step. So, the state-of-the-art catalysts performing well in acidic media lose considerable catalytic performance in alkaline media. This review summarizes the recent developments to overcome the kinetics issues of alkaline HER, synthesis of materials with modified morphologies, and electronic structures to tune the active sites and their applications as efficient catalysts for HER. It first explains the fundamentals and electrochemistry of HER and then outlines the requirements for an efficient and stable catalyst in alkaline medium. The challenges with alkaline HER and limitation with the electrocatalysts along with prospective solutions are then highlighted. It further describes the synthesis methods of advanced nanostructures based on carbon, noble, and inexpensive metals and their heterogeneous structures. These heterogeneous structures provide some ideal systems for analyzing the role of structure and synergy on alkaline HER catalysis. At the end, it provides the concluding remarks and future perspectives that can be helpful for tuning the catalysts active-sites with improved electrochemical efficiencies in future.

  9. Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Electrolytes: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Prospective Solutions

    PubMed Central

    Mahmood, Nasir; Yao, Yunduo; Zhang, Jing‐Wen; Pan, Lun; Zhang, Xiangwen

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium is currently a point of focus for sustainable development of hydrogen as an alternative clean fuel for various energy systems, but suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics due to additional water dissociation step. So, the state‐of‐the‐art catalysts performing well in acidic media lose considerable catalytic performance in alkaline media. This review summarizes the recent developments to overcome the kinetics issues of alkaline HER, synthesis of materials with modified morphologies, and electronic structures to tune the active sites and their applications as efficient catalysts for HER. It first explains the fundamentals and electrochemistry of HER and then outlines the requirements for an efficient and stable catalyst in alkaline medium. The challenges with alkaline HER and limitation with the electrocatalysts along with prospective solutions are then highlighted. It further describes the synthesis methods of advanced nanostructures based on carbon, noble, and inexpensive metals and their heterogeneous structures. These heterogeneous structures provide some ideal systems for analyzing the role of structure and synergy on alkaline HER catalysis. At the end, it provides the concluding remarks and future perspectives that can be helpful for tuning the catalysts active‐sites with improved electrochemical efficiencies in future. PMID:29610722

  10. Interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and oil-water interfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Jian; Li, Yanyan; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Yue

    2018-03-01

    The interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and n-hexane-water interfaces was investigated using interfacial tension, dilatational rheology and dynamic light scattering. Additionally, different adsorption models which are Langmuir, Frumkin, Reorientation-A and Reorientation-R were used to fitting the data of equilibrium interfacial tension for further understanding the interfacial behavior of alkaline protease. Data fitting of the equilibrium interfacial tension was achieved by IsoFit software. The results show that the molecules arrangement of the alkaline protease at the n-hexane-water interface is more tightly than at the air-water interface. The data were further analyzed to indicate that the hydrophobic chains of alkaline protease penetrate into oil phase deeper than the air phase. Also data indicate that the electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions at the n-hexane-water interface are stronger than at the air-water interface within molecules of the alkaline protease. Based on comprehensive analysis of the adsorption kinetics and interfacial rheological properties, interfacial structures mechanism of alkaline protease at n-hexane-water and air-water interfaces was proposed.

  11. Alkaline hydrolysis/polymerization of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene:  Characterization of products by 13C and 15N NMR

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thorn, Kevin A.; Thorne, Philip G.; Cox, Larry G.

    2004-01-01

    Alkaline hydrolysis has been investigated as a nonbiological procedure for the destruction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in explosives contaminated soils and munitions scrap. Nucleophilic substitutions of the nitro and methyl groups of TNT by hydroxide ion are the initial steps in the alkaline degradation of TNT. Potential applications of the technique include both in situ surface liming and ex situ alkaline treatment of contaminated soils. A number of laboratory studies have reported the formation of an uncharacterized polymeric material upon prolonged treatment of TNT in base. As part of an overall assessment of alkaline hydrolysis as a remediation technique, and to gain a better understanding of the chemical reactions underlying the hydrolysis/polymerization process, the soluble and precipitate fractions of polymeric material produced from the calcium hydroxide hydrolysis of unlabeled and 15N-labeled TNT were analyzed by elemental analysis and 13C and 15N nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Spectra indicated that reactions leading to polymerization included nucleophilic displacement of nitro groups by hydroxide ion, formation of ketone, carboxyl, alcohol, ether, and other aliphatic carbons, conversion of methyl groups to diphenyl methylene carbons, and recondensation of aromatic amines and reduced forms of nitrite, including ammonia and possibly hydroxylamine, into the polymer. Compared to the distribution of carbons in TNT as 14% sp3- and 86% sp2-hybridized, the precipitate fraction from hydrolysis of unlabeled TNT contained 33% sp3- and 67% sp2-hybridized carbons. The concentration of nitrogen in the precipitate was 64% of that in TNT. The 15N NMR spectra showed that, in addition to residual nitro groups, forms of nitrogen present in the filtrate and precipitate fractions include aminohydroquinone, primary amide, indole, imine, and azoxy, among others. Unreacted nitrite was recovered in the filtrate fraction. The toxicities and susceptibilities to

  12. Sequential eruption of alkaline and sub-alkaline magmas from a small monogenetic volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Needham, A. J.; Lindsay, J. M.; Smith, I. E. M.; Augustinus, P.; Shane, P. A.

    2011-04-01

    Rangitoto Volcano is the youngest and largest eruptive centre in the monogenetic intraplate Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF). The stratigraphy of Rangitoto pyroclastic deposits that have been preserved in swamps on nearby Motutapu Island and in Lake Pupuke on the mainland reveals that the volcano erupted twice; radiocarbon dating of 10 samples from the two tephra units in the swamps indicates eruption ages of 553 ± 7 and 504 ± 5 Cal years BP, for the lower and upper tephra layers, respectively. Geochemistry of the lava field and various scoria cones on Rangitoto Island itself reveals two distinct compositional groups: an alkaline olivine basalt group (that correlates geochemically with the lower tephra layer) and a group that is sub-alkaline and transitional to tholeiite (that correlates geochemically with the upper tephra layer). Based on this data, we infer that, following a phreatomagmatic vent-clearing phase, the early magmatic eruption of Rangitoto Volcano was Strombolian in character and produced an alkaline olivine basalt scoria cone and an associated thick ash deposit on nearby Motutapu Island. This was followed by a time gap of up to several decades, after which a second eruptive phase built the current summit scoria cone together with an encircling lava field. We suggest this later, sub-alkaline eruptive period was associated with the deposition of the thin upper tephra layer on Motutapu Island. The two suites of Rangitoto samples are chemically quite distinct, and each is associated with a distinct parental composition. Trace element modelling indicates the alkaline and sub-alkaline parental melts could have been derived by ~ 1 and 6 wt.% partial melting of an anhydrous garnet peridotite source at ~ 80 and 65 km depth, respectively. The compositional range within each suite is similar, and can be explained by mainly olivine together with minor clinopyroxene fractionation within a relatively simple conduit system in which mixing and mingling were not

  13. Alkaline Earth Core Level Photoemission Spectroscopy of High-Temperature Superconductors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vasquez, R.

    1993-01-01

    This paper examines photoemission measurements of the alkaline Earth core levels of high-temperature superconductors and related materials, models that seek to explain the large negative shifts observed relative to the corresponding alkaline Earth metals, and the effect of lattice site disorder on the core level spectra and the presence or absence of intrinsic surface peaks.

  14. CARINA alkalinity data in the Atlantic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Velo, A.; Perez, F. F.; Brown, P.; Tanhua, T.; Schuster, U.; Key, R. M.

    2009-08-01

    Data on carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged to a new database: CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic). These data have gone through rigorous quality control (QC) procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for most of the measured parameters in the CARINA data base were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the data products, i.e. three merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions; Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Out of a total of 188 cruise entries in the CARINA database, 98 were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean and of these, 75 cruises report alkalinity values. Here we present details of the secondary QC on alkalinity for the Atlantic Ocean part of CARINA. Procedures of quality control, including crossover analysis between cruises and inversion analysis of all crossover data are briefly described. Adjustments were applied to the alkalinity values for 16 of the cruises in the Atlantic Ocean region. With these adjustments the CARINA database is consistent both internally as well as with GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal accuracy of the CARINA-ATL alkalinity data to be 3.3 μmol kg-1. The CARINA data are now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation.

  15. CARINA alkalinity data in the Atlantic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Velo, A.; Perez, F. F.; Brown, P.; Tanhua, T.; Schuster, U.; Key, R. M.

    2009-11-01

    Data on carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged to a new database: CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic). These data have gone through rigorous quality control (QC) procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for most of the measured parameters in the CARINA data base were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the data products, i.e. three merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions; Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Out of a total of 188 cruise entries in the CARINA database, 98 were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean and of these, 75 cruises report alkalinity values. Here we present details of the secondary QC on alkalinity for the Atlantic Ocean part of CARINA. Procedures of quality control, including crossover analysis between cruises and inversion analysis of all crossover data are briefly described. Adjustments were applied to the alkalinity values for 16 of the cruises in the Atlantic Ocean region. With these adjustments the CARINA database is consistent both internally as well as with GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal accuracy of the CARINA-ATL alkalinity data to be 3.3 μmol kg-1. The CARINA data are now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation.

  16. Reduction of nitrobenzene with alkaline ascorbic acid: Kinetics and pathways.

    PubMed

    Liang, Chenju; Lin, Ya-Ting; Shiu, Jia-Wei

    2016-01-25

    Alkaline ascorbic acid (AA) exhibits the potential to reductively degrade nitrobenzene (NB), which is the simplest of the nitroaromatic compounds. The nitro group (NO2(-)) of NB has a +III oxidation state of the N atom and tends to gain electrons. The effect of alkaline pH ranging from 9 to 13 was initially assessed and the results demonstrated that the solution pH, when approaching or above the pKa2 of AA (11.79), would increase reductive electron transfer to NB. The rate equation for the reactions between NB and AA at pH 12 can be described as r=((0.89±0.11)×10(-4) mM(1-(a+b))h(-1))×[NB](a=1.35±0.10)[AA](b=0.89±0.01). The GC/MS analytical method identified nitrosobenzene, azoxybenzene, and azobenzene as NB reduction intermediates, and aniline (AN) as a final product. These experimental results indicate that the alkaline AA reduction of NB to AN mainly proceeds via the direct route, consisting of a series of two-electron or four-electron transfers, and the condensation reaction plays a minor route. Preliminary evaluation of the remediation of spiked NB contaminated soils revealed that maintenance of alkaline pH and a higher water to soil ratio are essential for a successful alkaline AA application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Intestinal alkaline phosphatase to treat necrotizing enterocolitis.

    PubMed

    Biesterveld, Ben E; Koehler, Shannon M; Heinzerling, Nathan P; Rentea, Rebecca M; Fredrich, Katherine; Welak, Scott R; Gourlay, David M

    2015-06-15

    Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) activity is decreased in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and IAP supplementation prevents NEC development. It is not known if IAP given after NEC onset can reverse the course of the disease. We hypothesized that enteral IAP given after NEC induction would not reverse intestinal injury. NEC was induced in Sprague-Dawley pups by delivery preterm followed by formula feedings with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and hypoxia exposure and continued up to 4 d. IAP was added to feeds on day 2 until being sacrificed on day 4. NEC severity was scored based on hematoxylin and eosin-stained terminal ileum sections, and AP activity was measured using a colorimetric assay. IAP and interleukin-6 expression were measured using real time polymerase chain reaction. NEC pups' alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity was decreased to 0.18 U/mg compared with controls of 0.57 U/mg (P < 0.01). Discontinuation of LPS and hypoxia after 2 d increased AP activity to 0.36 U/mg (P < 0.01). IAP supplementation in matched groups did not impact total AP activity or expression. Discontinuing LPS and hypoxia after NEC onset improved intestinal injury scores to 1.14 compared with continued stressors, score 2.25 (P < 0.01). IAP supplementation decreased interleukin-6 expression two-fold (P < 0.05), though did not reverse NEC intestinal damage (P = 0.5). This is the first work to demonstrate that removing the source of NEC improves intestinal damage and increases AP activity. When used as a rescue treatment, IAP decreased intestinal inflammation though did not impact injury making it likely that IAP is best used preventatively to those neonates at risk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Ethylene Inhibits Root Elongation during Alkaline Stress through AUXIN1 and Associated Changes in Auxin Accumulation.

    PubMed

    Li, Juan; Xu, Heng-Hao; Liu, Wen-Cheng; Zhang, Xiao-Wei; Lu, Ying-Tang

    2015-08-01

    Soil alkalinity causes major reductions in yield and quality of crops worldwide. The plant root is the first organ sensing soil alkalinity, which results in shorter primary roots. However, the mechanism underlying alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report that alkaline conditions inhibit primary root elongation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings by reducing cell division potential in the meristem zones and that ethylene signaling affects this process. The ethylene perception antagonist silver (Ag(+)) alleviated the inhibition of root elongation by alkaline stress. Moreover, the ethylene signaling mutants ethylene response1-3 (etr1-3), ethylene insensitive2 (ein2), and ein3-1 showed less reduction in root length under alkaline conditions, indicating a reduced sensitivity to alkalinity. Ethylene biosynthesis also was found to play a role in alkaline stress-mediated root inhibition; the ethylene overproducer1-1 mutant, which overproduces ethylene because of increased stability of 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID SYNTHASE5, was hypersensitive to alkaline stress. In addition, the ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor cobalt (Co(2+)) suppressed alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation. We further found that alkaline stress caused an increase in auxin levels by promoting expression of auxin biosynthesis-related genes, but the increase in auxin levels was reduced in the roots of the etr1-3 and ein3-1 mutants and in Ag(+)/Co(2+)-treated wild-type plants. Additional genetic and physiological data showed that AUXIN1 (AUX1) was involved in alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation. Taken together, our results reveal that ethylene modulates alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root growth by increasing auxin accumulation by stimulating the expression of AUX1 and auxin biosynthesis-related genes. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  19. Survival and stress responses of E. coli exposed to alkaline cleaners

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of alkaline cleaners commonly used in food processing environments on survival and stress responses of the foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7. Alkaline cleaners containing either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and hypochlorite had gre...

  20. Alternative alkaline conditioning of amidoxime based adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater

    DOE PAGES

    Das, Sadananda; Liao, Wei -Po; Byers, Maggie Flicker; ...

    2015-10-18

    Alkaline conditioning of the amidoxime based adsorbents is a significant step in the preparation of the adsorbent for uranium uptake from seawater. The effects of various alkaline conditioning parameters such as the type of alkaline reagent, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated with respect to uranium adsorption capacity from simulated seawater (spiked with 8 ppm uranium) and natural seawater (from Sequim Bay, WA). An adsorbent (AF1) was prepared at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory by radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP) with acrylonitrile and itaconic acid onto high-surface-area polyethylene fibers. For the AF1 adsorbent, sodium hydroxide emerged as a better reagentmore » for alkaline conditioning over potassium hydroxide, which has typically been used in previous studies, because of higher uranium uptake capacity and lower cost over the other candidate alkaline reagents investigated in this study. Furthermore, the use of sodium hydroxide in place of potassium hydroxide is shown to result in a 21–30% decrease in the cost of uranium recovery.« less

  1. Alternative alkaline conditioning of amidoxime based adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Das, Sadananda; Liao, Wei -Po; Byers, Maggie Flicker

    Alkaline conditioning of the amidoxime based adsorbents is a significant step in the preparation of the adsorbent for uranium uptake from seawater. The effects of various alkaline conditioning parameters such as the type of alkaline reagent, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated with respect to uranium adsorption capacity from simulated seawater (spiked with 8 ppm uranium) and natural seawater (from Sequim Bay, WA). An adsorbent (AF1) was prepared at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory by radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP) with acrylonitrile and itaconic acid onto high-surface-area polyethylene fibers. For the AF1 adsorbent, sodium hydroxide emerged as a better reagentmore » for alkaline conditioning over potassium hydroxide, which has typically been used in previous studies, because of higher uranium uptake capacity and lower cost over the other candidate alkaline reagents investigated in this study. Furthermore, the use of sodium hydroxide in place of potassium hydroxide is shown to result in a 21–30% decrease in the cost of uranium recovery.« less

  2. Crystallization and alkaline hydrolysis of poly(3- hydroxybutyrate) films probed by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Tapadiya, Asish; Vasanthan, Nadarajah

    2017-09-01

    Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a microbially synthesized polymer, which is often purified by alkaline treatment. The effect of microstructure on alkaline hydrolysis has been studied by varying concentration of base and the temperature. The morphologies of PHB films before and after degradation were evaluated using DSC and FTIR spectroscopy. The hydrolytic degradation study by weight loss measurement revealed that the crystallinity of PHB greatly decreased the hydrolytic ability of PHB. The crystallization of PHB and the effect of base on hydrolysis was investigated by time dependent FTIR spectroscopy. The normalized absorbance of 3010cm -1 and 1183cm -1 were used to characterize the crystalline and the amorphous phases of PHB. FTIR spectroscopy reveal that the extent of hydrolysis decreased with increasing crystallinity. The crotonic acid was detected as a major product after hydrolysis, confirmed by UV/Visible and proton NMR spectroscopy. The normalized absorbance of the crystalline band at 3010cm -1 band remained constant, suggesting that there is no significant change in crystallinity with degradation. The normalized amorphous band at 1183cm -1 showed a decrease in absorbance ratio, suggesting degradation of the amorphous phase. Our data suggests that alkaline hydrolysis depends on concentration of base and the crystallinity of PHB. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The viability of MCM-41 as separator in secondary alkaline cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meskon, S. R.; Othman, R.; Ani, M. H.

    2018-01-01

    The viability of MCM-41 membrane as a separator material in secondary alkaline cell is investigated. The inorganic membrane was employed in an alkaline nickel-zinc system. MCM-41 mesoporous material consists of arrays of hexagonal nano-pore channels. The membrane was synthesized using sol-gel route from parent solution comprising of quarternary ammonium surfactant, cethyltrimethylammonium bromide C16H33(CH3)3NBr (CTAB), hydrochloric acid (HCl), deionized water (H2O), ethanol (C2H5OH), and tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS). Both the anodic zinc/zinc oxide and cathodic nickel hydroxide electrodeposited film were coated with MCM-41 membrane. The Ni/MCM-41/Zn alkaline cell was then subjected to 100-cycle durability test and the structural stability of MCM-41 separator throughout the progression of the charge-discharge cycles is studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis on the dismantled cell shows that MCM-41 began to transform to lamellar MCM-50 on the 5th cycle and transformed almost completely on the 25th cycle. The phase transformation of MCM-41 hexagonal structure into gel-like MCM-50 prevents the mesoporous cell separator from diminished in the caustic alkaline surround. This work has hence demonstrated MCM-41 membrane is viable to be employed in secondary alkaline cells.

  4. Two Pore Channel 2 (TPC2) Inhibits Autophagosomal-Lysosomal Fusion by Alkalinizing Lysosomal pH*

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Yingying; Hao, Bai-Xia; Graeff, Richard; Wong, Connie W. M.; Wu, Wu-Tian; Yue, Jianbo

    2013-01-01

    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal degradation pathway, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), one of the most potent Ca2+ mobilizing messengers, elicits Ca2+ release from lysosomes via the two pore channel 2 (TPC2) in many cell types. Here we found that overexpression of TPC2 in HeLa or mouse embryonic stem cells inhibited autophagosomal-lysosomal fusion, thereby resulting in the accumulation of autophagosomes. Treatment of TPC2 expressing cells with a cell permeant-NAADP agonist, NAADP-AM, further induced autophagosome accumulation. On the other hand, TPC2 knockdown or treatment of cells with Ned-19, a NAADP antagonist, markedly decreased the accumulation of autophagosomes. TPC2-induced accumulation of autophagosomes was also markedly blocked by ATG5 knockdown. Interestingly, inhibiting mTOR activity failed to increase TPC2-induced autophagosome accumulation. Instead, we found that overexpression of TPC2 alkalinized lysosomal pH, and lysosomal re-acidification abolished TPC2-induced autophagosome accumulation. In addition, TPC2 overexpression had no effect on general endosomal-lysosomal degradation but prevented the recruitment of Rab-7 to autophagosomes. Taken together, our data demonstrate that TPC2/NAADP/Ca2+ signaling alkalinizes lysosomal pH to specifically inhibit the later stage of basal autophagy progression. PMID:23836916

  5. Amelioration of an Ultisol profile acidity using crop straws combined with alkaline slag.

    PubMed

    Li, Jiu-yu; Masud, M M; Li, Zhong-yi; Xu, Ren-kou

    2015-07-01

    The acidity of Ultisols (pH <5) is detrimental to crop production. Technologies should be explored to promote base saturation and liming effect for amelioration of Ultisol pH. Column leaching experiments were conducted to investigate the amelioration effects of canola straw (CS) and peanut straw (PS) in single treatment and in combination whether with alkaline slag (AS) or with lime on Ultisol profile acidity. The treatment without liming materials was set as control, and the AS and lime in single treatment are set for comparison. Results indicated that all the liming materials increase soil profile pH and soil exchangeable base cations at the 0-40-cm depth, except that the lime had amelioration effect just on 0 to 15-cm profile. The amelioration effect of the liming materials on surface soil acidity was mainly dependent on the ash alkalinity in organic materials or acid neutralization capacity of inorganic materials. Specific adsorption of sulfate (SO4(2-)) or organic anions, decarboxylation of organic acids/anions, and the association of H(+) with organic anions induced a "liming effect" of crop residues and AS on subsoil acidity. Moreover, SO4(2-) and chloride (Cl(-)) in PS, CS, and AS primarily induced base cations to move downward to subsoil and exchange with exchangeable aluminum (Al(3+)) and protons (H(+)). These anions also promoted the exchangeable Al to leach out of the soil profile. The CS was more effective than PS in decreasing soil acidity in the subsoil, which mainly resulted from higher sulfur (S) and Cl content in CS compared to PS. The CS combined with AS was the better amendment choice in practical agricultural systems.

  6. Grace DAKASEP alkaline battery separator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giovannoni, R. T.; Lundquist, J. T.; Choi, W. M.

    1987-01-01

    The Grace DAKASEP separator was originally developed as a wicking layer for nickel-zinc alkaline batteries. The DAKASEP is a filled non-woven separator which is flexible and heat sealable. Through modification of formulation and processing variables, products with a variety of properties can be produced. Variations of DAKASEP were tested in Ni-H2, Ni-Zn, Ni-Cd, and primary alkaline batteries with good results. The properties of DAKASEP which are optimized for Hg-Zn primary batteries are shown in tabular form. This separator has high tensile strength, 12 micron average pore size, relatively low porosity at 46-48 percent, and consequently moderately high resistivity. Versions were produced with greater than 70 percent porosity and resistivities in 33 wt percent KOH as low as 3 ohm cm. Performance data for Hg-Zn E-1 size cells containing DAKASEP with the properties shown in tabular form, are more reproducible than data obtained with a competitive polypropylene non-woven separator. In addition, utilization of active material is in general considerably improved.

  7. The Origin of Life in Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents.

    PubMed

    Sojo, Victor; Herschy, Barry; Whicher, Alexandra; Camprubí, Eloi; Lane, Nick

    2016-02-01

    Over the last 70 years, prebiotic chemists have been very successful in synthesizing the molecules of life, from amino acids to nucleotides. Yet there is strikingly little resemblance between much of this chemistry and the metabolic pathways of cells, in terms of substrates, catalysts, and synthetic pathways. In contrast, alkaline hydrothermal vents offer conditions similar to those harnessed by modern autotrophs, but there has been limited experimental evidence that such conditions could drive prebiotic chemistry. In the Hadean, in the absence of oxygen, alkaline vents are proposed to have acted as electrochemical flow reactors, in which alkaline fluids saturated in H2 mixed with relatively acidic ocean waters rich in CO2, through a labyrinth of interconnected micropores with thin inorganic walls containing catalytic Fe(Ni)S minerals. The difference in pH across these thin barriers produced natural proton gradients with equivalent magnitude and polarity to the proton-motive force required for carbon fixation in extant bacteria and archaea. How such gradients could have powered carbon reduction or energy flux before the advent of organic protocells with genes and proteins is unknown. Work over the last decade suggests several possible hypotheses that are currently being tested in laboratory experiments, field observations, and phylogenetic reconstructions of ancestral metabolism. We analyze the perplexing differences in carbon and energy metabolism in methanogenic archaea and acetogenic bacteria to propose a possible ancestral mechanism of CO2 reduction in alkaline hydrothermal vents. Based on this mechanism, we show that the evolution of active ion pumping could have driven the deep divergence of bacteria and archaea.

  8. Alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells using an anion exchange membrane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsuoka, Koji; Iriyama, Yasutoshi; Abe, Takeshi; Matsuoka, Masao; Ogumi, Zempachi

    Alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells using an OH-form anion exchange membrane and polyhydric alcohols were studied. A high open circuit voltage of ca. 800 mV was obtained for a cell using Pt-Ru/C (anode) and Pt/C (cathode) at 323 K, which was about 100-200 mV higher than that for a DMFC using Nafion ®. The maximum power densities were in the order of ethylene glycol > glycerol > methanol > erythritol > xylitol. Silver catalysts were used as a cathode catalyst to fabricate alkaline fuel cells, since silver catalyst is almost inactive in the oxidation of polyhydric alcohols. Alkaline direct ethylene glycol fuel cells using silver as a cathode catalyst gave excellent performance because higher concentrations of fuel could be supplied to the anode.

  9. Elucidating Performance Limitations in Alkaline-Exchange- Membrane Fuel Cells

    DOE PAGES

    Shiau, Huai-Suen; Zenyuk, Iryna V.; Weber, Adam Z.

    2017-07-15

    Water management is a serious concern for alkaline-exchange-membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) because water is a reactant in the alkaline oxygen-reduction reaction and hydroxide conduction in alkaline-exchange membranes is highly hydration dependent. Here in this article, we develop and use a multiphysics, multiphase model to explore water management in AEMFCs. We demonstrate that the low performance is mostly caused by extremely non-uniform distribution of water in the ionomer phase. A sensitivity analysis of design parameters including humidification strategies, membrane properties, and water transport resistance was undertaken to explore possible optimization strategies. Furthermore, the strategy and issues of reducing bicarbonate/carbonate buildup inmore » the membrane-electrode assembly with CO 2 from air is demonstrated based on the model prediction. Overall, mathematical modeling is used to explore trends and strategies to overcome performance bottlenecks and help enable AEMFC commercialization.« less

  10. Utilization of phosphorus loaded alkaline residue to immobilize lead in a shooting range soil.

    PubMed

    Yan, Yubo; Qi, Fangjie; Seshadri, Balaji; Xu, Yilu; Hou, Jiexi; Ok, Yong Sik; Dong, Xiaoli; Li, Qiao; Sun, Xiuyun; Wang, Lianjun; Bolan, Nanthi

    2016-11-01

    The alkaline residue generated from the production of soda ash using the ammonia-soda method has been successfully used in removing phosphorus (P) from aqueous solution. But the accumulation of P-containing solid after P removal is an undesirable menace to the environment. To achieve the goal of recycling, this study explored the feasibility of reusing the P loaded alkaline residue as an amendment for immobilization of lead (Pb) in a shooting range soil. The main crystalline phase and micromorphology of amendments were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy-electron dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) methods. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), sequential extraction procedure, and physiologically based extraction test (PBET) were employed to evaluate the effectiveness of Pb immobilization in soil after 45 d incubation. Treatment with P loaded alkaline residue was significantly effective in reducing the TCLP and PBET extractable Pb concentrations in contrast to the untreated soil. Moreover, a positive change in the distribution of Pb fractions was observed in the treated soil, i.e., more than 60% of soil-Pb was transformed to the residual fraction compared to the original soil. On the other hand, P loaded amendments also resulted in a drastic reduction in phytoavailable Pb to the winter wheat and a mild release of P as a nutrient in treated soil, which also confirmed the improvement of soil quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. COUPLING THE ALKALINE-SURFACTANT-POLYMER TECHNOLOGY AND THE GELATION TECHNOLOGY TO MAXIMIZE OIL PRODUCTION

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Malcolm Pitts; Jie Qi; Dan Wilson

    2005-04-01

    Gelation technologies have been developed to provide more efficient vertical sweep efficiencies for flooding naturally fractured oil reservoirs or more efficient areal sweep efficiency for those with high permeability contrast ''thief zones''. The field proven alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology economically recovers 15% to 25% OOIP more oil than waterflooding from swept pore space of an oil reservoir. However, alkaline-surfactant-polymer technology is not amenable to naturally fractured reservoirs or those with thief zones because much of injected solution bypasses target pore space containing oil. This work investigates whether combining these two technologies could broaden applicability of alkaline-surfactant-polymer flooding into these reservoirs. A priormore » fluid-fluid report discussed interaction of different gel chemical compositions and alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions. Gel solutions under dynamic conditions of linear corefloods showed similar stability to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions as in the fluid-fluid analyses. Aluminum-polyacrylamide, flowing gels are not stable to alkaline-surfactant-polymer solutions of either pH 10.5 or 12.9. Chromium acetate-polyacrylamide flowing and rigid flowing gels are stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. Rigid flowing chromium acetate-polyacrylamide gels maintained permeability reduction better than flowing chromium acetate-polyacrylamide gels. Silicate-polyacrylamide gels are not stable with subsequent injection of either a pH 10.5 or a 12.9 alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution. Chromium acetate-xanthan gum rigid gels are not stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. Resorcinol-formaldehyde gels were stable to subsequent alkaline-surfactant-polymer solution injection. When evaluated in a dual core configuration, injected fluid flows into the core with the greatest effective permeability to the injected fluid. The same gel stability trends to

  12. Advanced technology for extended endurance alkaline fuel cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W.; Martin, R. A.

    1987-01-01

    Advanced components have been developed for alkaline fuel cells with a view to the satisfaction of NASA Space Station design requirements for extended endurance. The components include a platinum-on-carbon catalyst anode, a potassium titanate-bonded electrolyte matrix, a lightweight graphite electrolyte reservoir plate, a gold-plated nickel-perforated foil electrode substrate, a polyphenylene sulfide cell edge frame material, and a nonmagnesium cooler concept. When incorporated into the alkaline fuel cell unit, these components are expected to yield regenerative operation in a low earth orbit Space Station with a design life greater than 5 years.

  13. Injection of sodium borohydride and nzvi solutions into homogeneous sands: H2 gas production and implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohammed, O.; Mumford, K. G.; Sleep, B. E.

    2016-12-01

    Gases are commonly introduced into the subsurface via external displacement (drainage). However, gases can also be produced by internal drainage (exsolution). One example is the injection of reactive solutions for in situ groundwater remediation, such as nanoscale zero-valent iron (nzvi), which produces hydrogen gas (H2). Effective implementation of nzvi requires an understanding of H2 gas generation and dynamics, and their effects on aqueous permeability, contaminant mass transfer and potential flow diversion. Several studies have reported using excess sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in nzvi applications to promote complete reaction and to ensure uniform nzvi particle growth, which also produces H2 gas. The aim of this study was to visualize and quantify H2 produced by exsolution from the injection of NaBH4 and nzvi solutions into homogeneous sands, and to investigate the reduction of hydraulic conductivity caused by the H2 gas and the subsequent increase in hydraulic conductivity as the gas dissolved. Bench-scale experiments were performed using cold (4 °C) NaBH4 solutions injected in sand packed in a 22 cm × 34 cm × 1 cm flow cell. The injected solution was allowed to warm to room temperature, for controlled production of a uniform distribution of exsolved gas. A light transmission method was used to quantify gas production and dissolution over time. The results indicate a reduction of hydraulic conductivity due to the existence of H2 and increased hydraulic conductivity as H2 gas dissolves, which could be represented using traditional relative permeability expressions. Additional experiments were performed in the flow cell to compare H2 gas exsolving from nzvi and NaBH4 solutions injected as either a point injection or a well injection. The results indicated greater amounts of H2 gas produced when injecting nzvi solutions prepared with high concentrations of excess NaBH4. H2 gas pooling at the top of the flow cell, and H2 gas trapped near the injection point

  14. Response to alkaline stress by root canal bacteria in biofilms.

    PubMed

    Chávez de Paz, L E; Bergenholtz, G; Dahlén, G; Svensäter, G

    2007-05-01

    To determine whether bacteria isolated from infected root canals survive alkaline shifts better in biofilms than in planktonic cultures. Clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus paracasei, Olsenella uli, Streptococcus anginosus, S. gordonii, S. oralis and Fusobacterium nucleatum in biofilm and planktonic cultures were stressed at pH 10.5 for 4 h, and cell viability determined using the fluorescent staining LIVE/DEAD BacLight bacterial viability kit. In addition, proteins released into extracellular culture fluids were identified by Western blotting. Enterococcus faecalis, L. paracasei, O. uli and S. gordonii survived in high numbers in both planktonic cultures and in biofilms after alkaline challenge. S. anginosus, S. oralis and F. nucleatum showed increased viability in biofilms compared with planktonic cultures. Alkaline exposure caused all planktonic cultures to aggregate into clusters and resulted in a greater extrusion of cellular proteins compared with cells in biofilms. Increased levels of DnaK, HPr and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase were observed in culture fluids, especially amongst streptococci. In general, bacteria isolated from infected roots canals resisted alkaline stress better in biofilms than in planktonic cultures, however, planktonic cells appeared to use aggregation and the extracellular transport of specific proteins as survival mechanisms.

  15. Xylan extraction from pretreated sugarcane bagasse using alkaline and enzymatic approaches.

    PubMed

    Sporck, Daniele; Reinoso, Felipe A M; Rencoret, Jorge; Gutiérrez, Ana; Del Rio, José C; Ferraz, André; Milagres, Adriane M F

    2017-01-01

    New biorefinery concepts are necessary to drive industrial use of lignocellulose biomass components. Xylan recovery before enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucan component is a way to add value to the hemicellulose fraction, which can be used in papermaking, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Hemicellulose removal can also facilitate subsequent cellulolytic glucan hydrolysis. Sugarcane bagasse was pretreated with an alkaline-sulfite chemithermomechanical process to facilitate subsequent extraction of xylan by enzymatic or alkaline procedures. Alkaline extraction methods yielded 53% (w/w) xylan recovery. The enzymatic approach provided a limited yield of 22% (w/w) but produced the xylan with the lowest contamination with lignin and glucan components. All extracted xylans presented arabinosyl side groups and absence of acetylation. 2D-NMR data suggested the presence of O -methyl-glucuronic acid and p -coumarates only in enzymatically extracted xylan. Xylans isolated using the enzymatic approach resulted in products with molecular weights (Mw) lower than 6 kDa. Higher Mw values were detected in the alkali-isolated xylans. Alkaline extraction of xylan provided a glucan-enriched solid readily hydrolysable with low cellulase loads, generating hydrolysates with a high glucose/xylose ratio. Hemicellulose removal before enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulosic fraction proved to be an efficient manner to add value to sugarcane bagasse biorefining. Xylans with varied yield, purity, and structure can be obtained according to the extraction method. Enzymatic extraction procedures produce high-purity xylans at low yield, whereas alkaline extraction methods provided higher xylan yields with more lignin and glucan contamination. When xylan extraction is performed with alkaline methods, the residual glucan-enriched solid seems suitable for glucose production employing low cellulase loadings.

  16. Pleiotropic effects of mutations involved in the regulation of Escherichia coli K-12 alkaline phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Morris, H; Schlesinger, M J; Bracha, M; Yagil, E

    1974-08-01

    Induction of alkaline phosphatase in wild-type Escherichia coli K-12 leads to the appearance of three new proteins in addition to alkaline phosphatase in the periplasmic space of the bacteria. These proteins are detected in autoradiograms of sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electropherograms of extracts from cells labeled with [(35)S]methionine. Studies with constitutive mutants defective in the three genes phoS, phoT, and phoR that have been shown to regulate alkaline phosphatase synthesis indicate that the three periplasmic proteins are coregulated with alkaline phosphatase. A mutant that has a deletion in the alkaline phosphatase structural gene phoA produces the three proteins, but a newly discovered mutant phoB that has a defect in the expression of alkaline phosphatase fails to produce the three proteins. phoB mutants are shown here to be unable to make detectable amounts of alkaline phosphatase polypeptides, as measured by immunoprecipitins or acrylamide gel electropherograms. On the basis of these results we suggest a new model for the regulation of alkaline phosphatase biosynthesis. In this model, a ternary complex composed of phoB(+) and phoR(+) gene products and an internal metabolite functions as a positive control element to regulate the transcription of several cistrons coding for periplasmic proteins.

  17. Hydrolysis of alkaline pretreated banana peel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fatmawati, A.; Gunawan, K. Y.; Hadiwijaya, F. A.

    2017-11-01

    Banana peel is one of food wastes that are rich in carbohydrate. This shows its potential as fermentation substrate including bio-ethanol. This paper presented banana peel alkaline pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The pretreatment was intended to prepare banana peel in order to increase hydrolysis performance. The alkaline pretreatment used 10, 20, and 30% w/v NaOH solution and was done at 60, 70 and 80°C for 1 hour. The hydrolysis reaction was conducted using two commercial cellulose enzymes. The reaction time was varied for 3, 5, and 7 days. The best condition for pretreatment process was one conducted using 30% NaOH solution and at 80°C. This condition resulted in cellulose content of 90.27% and acid insoluble lignin content of 2.88%. Seven-day hydrolysis time had exhibited the highest reducing sugar concentration, which was7.2869 g/L.

  18. Approach of describing dynamic production of volatile fatty acids from sludge alkaline fermentation.

    PubMed

    Wang, Dongbo; Liu, Yiwen; Ngo, Huu Hao; Zhang, Chang; Yang, Qi; Peng, Lai; He, Dandan; Zeng, Guangming; Li, Xiaoming; Ni, Bing-Jie

    2017-08-01

    In this work, a mathematical model was developed to describe the dynamics of fermentation products in sludge alkaline fermentation systems for the first time. In this model, the impacts of alkaline fermentation on sludge disintegration, hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis processes are specifically considered for describing the high-level formation of fermentation products. The model proposed successfully reproduced the experimental data obtained from five independent sludge alkaline fermentation studies. The modeling results showed that alkaline fermentation largely facilitated the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes and severely inhibited methanogenesis process. With the pH increase from 7.0 to 10.0, the disintegration, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes respectively increased by 53%, 1030%, and 30% while methane production decreased by 3800%. However, no substantial effect on hydrolysis process was found. The model also indicated that the pathway of acetoclastic methanogenesis was more severely inhibited by alkaline condition than that of hydrogentrophic methanogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Synthetic wastewaters treatment by electrocoagulation to remove silver nanoparticles produced by different routes.

    PubMed

    Matias, M S; Melegari, S P; Vicentini, D S; Matias, W G; Ricordel, C; Hauchard, D

    2015-08-15

    Nanoscience is a field that has stood out in recent years. The accurate long-term health and environmental risks associated with these emerging materials are unknown. Therefore, this work investigated how to eliminate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from synthetic effluents by electrocoagulation (EC) due to the widespread use of this type of nanoparticle (NP) in industry and its potential inhibition power over microorganisms responsible for biological treatment in effluent treatment plants. Synthesized AgNPs were studied via four different routes by chemical reduction in aqueous solutions to simulate the chemical variations of a hypothetical industrial effluent, and efficiency conditions of the EC treatment were determined. All routes used silver nitrate as the source of silver ions, and two synthesis routes were studied with sodium citrate as a stabilizer. In route I, sodium citrate functioned simultaneously as the reducing agent and stabilizing agent, whereas route II used sodium borohydride as a reducing agent. Route III used D-glucose as the reducing agent and sodium pyrophosphate as the stabilizer; route IV used sodium pyrophosphate as the stabilizing agent and sodium borohydride as the reducing agent. The efficiency of the EC process of the different synthesized solutions was studied. For route I, after 85 min of treatment, a significant decrease in the plasmon resonance peak of the sample was observed, which reflects the efficiency in the mass reduction of AgNPs in the solution by 98.6%. In route II, after 12 min of EC, the absorbance results reached the detection limit of the measurement instrument, which indicates a minimum reduction of 99.9% of AgNPs in the solution. During the 4 min of treatment in route III, the absorbance intensities again reached the detection limit, which indicates a minimum reduction of 99.8%. In route IV, after 10 min of treatment, a minimum AgNP reduction of 99.9% was observed. Based on these results, it was possible to verify that

  20. Genome Sequence of the Alkaline-Tolerant Cellulomonas sp. Strain FA1

    DOE PAGES

    Cohen, Michael F.; Hu, Ping; Nguyen, My Vu; ...

    2015-06-18

    We present the genome of the cellulose-degrading Cellulomonas sp. strain FA1 isolated from an actively serpentinizing highly alkaline spring. Knowledge of this genome will enable studies into the molecular basis of plant material degradation in alkaline environments and inform the development of lignocellulose bioprocessing procedures for biofuel production.

  1. Effect of alkaline material on phytotoxicity and bioavailability of Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in stabilized sewage sludge.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hongling; Ma, Guofeng; Sun, Lina; Li, Huiying

    2017-07-16

    The availability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals in sewage sludge is the key restrictive factor that limits sludge application. In this study, municipal sewage sludge was stabilized by alkaline slag or coal fly ash, then the leaching characteristic and fraction distributions of Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn were studied, and their effects on seed germination, root length, and plant accumulating were compared. The results showed that mixed sewage sludge with alkaline slag and coal fly ash decreased the percentage of available heavy metals in sewage sludge. The percentage of exchangeable Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in stabilized sewage sludge (S1-S4) was 1.50-8.67 times lower than that in SS-only treatment. Leachate Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn from stabilized SS was much lower than the limit threshold. The addition of alkaline materials to SS reduced the inhibitory effect on seed germination and root growth. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant negative correlation between pH and available heavy metals, while a significant positive correlation between the percentage of exchangeable fraction of heavy metals, the leaching potential, tissue concentration and accumulation of heavy metal and toxicity for seed germination was observed.

  2. Shedding light on the paradox of high alkaline phosphatase utilization at high end-product concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baltar, F.; Lundin, D.; Palovaara, J.; Reinthaler, T.; Herndl, G. J.; Pinhassi, J.

    2016-02-01

    Alkaline phosphatase (APase) activity is supposed to be regulated by the concentration of its endproduct, decreasing with increasing inorganic phosphate (Pi) concentrations. Since Pi is readily available in the deep ocean, APase activity would be expected to be low. However, high APase activities at high Pi concentrations have been found in the deep Indian and Atlantic Ocean. To understand how APase activities are regulated and what mechanisms are responsible for its regulation we performed microcosm experiments with mesopelagic North Atlantic waters. Treatments consisted of enrichment with either ammonium or organic carbon, and were compared to unamended controls. We assessed changes in prokaryotic abundance, APase, leucine aminopeptidase, heterotrophic production, dark CO2 fixation and community gene expression (metatranscriptomics) between treatments and control. In the organic matter enrichments, APase increased along with all measured rates, whereas only dark CO2 fixation and APase were enhanced in the ammonium enrichment. In the organic matter enrichment, genes for heterotrophic metabolism were strongly upregulated, whereas genes for ammonia oxidation and CO2 fixation were upregulated in the ammonium treatment. In both treatments, the Pho regulon -a global regulatory mechanism involved in bacterial Pi management- was also upregulated, including genes encoding alkaline phosphatases. The activation of the Pho regulon seemed to be related to cross-activation by nonpartner histidine kinases, and/or the activation of genes involved in the regulation of elemental balance during catabolic processes. Increased C or N bioavailability thus appear to elicit a Pi deficiency inside cells and activate the Pho regulon. These results indicate possible ways (e.g. pulses of C or N or changes in elemental ratios) in which APase can be activated irrespectively of the environmental Pi concentration.

  3. Properties of whey protein isolates extruded under acidic and alkaline conditions.

    PubMed

    Onwulata, C I; Isobe, S; Tomasula, P M; Cooke, P H

    2006-01-01

    Whey proteins have wide acceptance and use in many products due to their beneficial nutritional properties. To further increase the amount of whey protein isolates (WPI) that may be added to products such as extruded snacks and meats, texturization of WPI is necessary. Texturization changes the folding of globular proteins to improve interaction with other ingredients and create new functional ingredients. In this study, WPI pastes (60% solids) were extruded in a twin-screw extruder at 100 degrees C with 4 pH-adjusted water streams: acidic (pH 2.0 +/- 0.2) and alkaline (pH 12.4 +/- 0.4) streams from 2 N HCl and 2 N NaOH, respectively, and acidic (pH 2.5 +/- 0.2) and alkaline (pH 11.5 +/- 0.4) electrolyzed water streams; these were compared with WPI extruded with deionized water. The effects of water acidity on WPI solubility at pH 7, color, microstructure, Rapid Visco Analyzer pasting properties, and physical structure were determined. Alkaline conditions increased insolubility caused yellowing and increased pasting properties significantly. Acidic conditions increased solubility and decreased WPI pasting properties. Subtle structural changes occurred under acidic conditions, but were more pronounced under alkaline conditions. Overall, alkaline conditions increased denaturation in the extruded WPI resulting in stringy texturized WPI products, which could be used in meat applications.

  4. Detergent alkaline proteases: enzymatic properties, genes, and crystal structures.

    PubMed

    Saeki, Katsuhisa; Ozaki, Katsuya; Kobayashi, Tohru; Ito, Susumu

    2007-06-01

    Subtilisin-like serine proteases from bacilli have been used in various industrial fields worldwide, particularly in the production of laundry and automatic dishwashing detergents. They belong to family A of the subtilase superfamily, which is composed of three clans, namely, true subtilisins, high-alkaline proteases, and intracellular proteases. We succeeded in the large-scale production of a high-alkaline protease (M-protease) from alkaliphilic Bacillus clausii KSM-K16, and the enzyme has been introduced into compact heavy-duty laundry detergents. We have also succeeded in the industrial-scale production of a new alkaline protease, KP-43, which was originally resistant to chemical oxidants and to surfactants, produced by alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. strain KSM-KP43 and have incorporated it into laundry detergents. KP-43 and related proteases form a new clan, oxidatively stable proteases, in subtilase family A. In this review, we describe the enzymatic properties, gene sequences, and crystal structures of M-protease, KP-43, and related enzymes.

  5. Miocene calc-alkaline heritage in the pliocene postcollisional volcanism of monte arci (Sardinia, Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cioni, Roberto; Clocchiatti, Robert; Di Paola, Giovanni M.; Santacroce, Roberto; Tonarini, Sonia

    1982-10-01

    At Monte Arci alkaline (hawaiites to trachytes), subalkaline with a marked calc-alkaline character (basalts to dacites) and rhyolitic lavas were erupted almost simultaneously in Late Pliocene time. Major- and trace-element chemistry, microprobe mineralogy and isotopic data suggest a partial melting origin for both rhyolites and subalkaline rocks. Different sources are however inferred for two rock series: homogeneous, calc-alkaline in nature for subalkaline rocks; unhomogeneous, richer in 87Sr, for rhyolitic ones. Crystal fractionation differentiation from subcrustal alkali-basalts should have been the main process in the genesis of alkaline rocks. Large-scale contaminations with rhyolitic and/or alkaline rocks are evident in many of these lavas. Such a complicated magmatic association characterizes an area where volcanism related to post-collisional tensional movements in Pliocene time superimposes to Middle Miocene calc-alkaline basic volcanism related to previous subduction processes. The Pliocene volcanic history of Monte Arci emphasizes the influence of the paleogeodynamic environment on the nature of magmas erupted in post-continental collision areas, that are frequently difficult to arrange in the usual schemas connecting magma composition with tectonic setting.

  6. MERCURIC CHLORIDE CAPTURE BY ALKALINE SORBENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper gives results of bench-scale mechanistic studies of mercury/sorbent reactions that showed that mercuric chloride (HgC12) is readily adsorbed by alkaline sorbents, which may offers a less expensive alternative to the use of activated carbons. A laboratory-scale, fixed-b...

  7. Serum alkaline phosphatase negatively affects endothelium-dependent vasodilation in naïve hypertensive patients.

    PubMed

    Perticone, Francesco; Perticone, Maria; Maio, Raffaele; Sciacqua, Angela; Andreucci, Michele; Tripepi, Giovanni; Corrao, Salvatore; Mallamaci, Francesca; Sesti, Giorgio; Zoccali, Carmine

    2015-10-01

    Tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, promoting arterial calcification in experimental models, is a powerful predictor of total and cardiovascular mortality in general population and in patients with renal or cardiovascular diseases. For this study, to evaluate a possible correlation between serum alkaline phosphatase levels and endothelial function, assessed by strain gauge plethysmography, we enrolled 500 naïve hypertensives divided into increasing tertiles of alkaline phosphatase. The maximal response to acetylcholine was inversely related to alkaline phosphatase (r=−0.55; P<0.001), and this association was independent (r=−0.61; P<0.001) of demographic and classical risk factors, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum phosphorus and calcium, C-reactive protein, and albuminuria. At multiple logistic regression analysis, the risk of endothelial dysfunction was ≈3-fold higher in patients in the third tertile than that of patients in the first tertile. We also tested the combined role of alkaline phosphatase and serum phosphorus on endothelial function. The steepness of the alkaline phosphatase/vasodilating response to acetylcholine relationship was substantially attenuated (P<0.001) in patients with serum phosphorus above the median value when compared with patients with serum phosphorus below the median (−5.0% versus −10.2% per alkaline phosphatase unit, respectively), and this interaction remained highly significant (P<0.001) after adjustment of all the previously mentioned risk factors. Our data support a strong and significant inverse relationship between alkaline phosphatase and endothelium-dependent vasodilation, which was attenuated by relatively higher serum phosphorus levels.

  8. Ocean Acidification: Coccolithophore's Light Controlled Effect on Alkalinity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dobbins, W.

    2015-12-01

    Coccolithophorids, which play a significant role in the flux of calcite and organic carbon from the photic region to deeper pelagic and benthic zones, are potentially far more useful than siliceous phytoplankton for ocean fertilization projects designed to sequester CO2. However, the production of H+ ions during calcification (HCO3 + Ca+ —> CaCO3 + H+) has resulted in localized acidification around coccolithophore blooms. It has been hypothesized that under the correct light conditions photosynthesis could proceed at a rate such that CO2 is removed in amounts equimolar or greater than the H+ produced by calcification, allowing stable or increasing alkalinity despite ongoing calcification. Previously, this effect had not been demonstrated under laboratory conditions. Fifteen Emiliania huxleyi cultures were separated into equal groups with each receiving: 0, 6, 12, 18, or 24 hours of light each day for 24 days. Daily pH, cell density, and temperature measurements revealed a strong positive correlation between light exposure and pH, and no significant decline in pH in any of the cultures. Alkalinity increases were temperature independent and not strongly correlated with cell density, implying photosynthetic removal of carbon dioxide as the root cause. The average pH across living cultures increased from 7.9 to 8.3 over the first week and changed little for the reminder of the 24-day period. The results demonstrate coccolithophorids can increase alkalinity across a broad range of cell densities, despite the acidification inherent to the calcification process. If the light-alkalinity effect reported here proves scalable to larger cultures, Emiliania huxleyi are a strong candidate for carbon sequestration via targeted ocean fertilization.

  9. Alkaline phosphatase as a screening test for osteomalacia.

    PubMed

    Chinoy, Muhammad Amin; Javed, Muhammad Imran; Khan, Alamzeb; Sadruddin, Nooruddin

    2011-01-01

    Vitamin D deficiency remains common in children and adults in Pakistan despite adequate sunlight exposure. Diagnosis in adults is usually delayed and is made following pathological fractures that result in significant morbidity. The objective of this study was to see whether Serum Alkaline Phosphatase levels could be used as a screening test for osteomalacia. The Study was conducted at Fatima Hospital, Baqai Medical University, Gadap, Karachi, between July 2002 and June 2005. Serum calcium levels are commonly used to screen patients suspected of osteomalacia, and raised serum alkaline phosphatase (SALP) is considered a diagnostic finding. We used SALP to screen patients who presented with back or non-specific aches and pain of more than six months duration. Three hundred thirty-four (334) patients were screened of which 116 (35%) had raised SALP. Osteomalacia was diagnosed in 92 (79.3%) of these 116 either by plain radiographs, bone biopsy or isotope bone scan. Fifty-four (53.4%) of the 101 cases had a normal level of serum calcium. Osteomalacia is likely to be missed if only serum calcium is used to screen patients. Serum Alkaline Phosphate should be used as the preferred method for screening these patients.

  10. Ethylene Inhibits Root Elongation during Alkaline Stress through AUXIN1 and Associated Changes in Auxin Accumulation1

    PubMed Central

    Li, Juan; Xu, Heng-Hao; Liu, Wen-Cheng; Zhang, Xiao-Wei

    2015-01-01

    Soil alkalinity causes major reductions in yield and quality of crops worldwide. The plant root is the first organ sensing soil alkalinity, which results in shorter primary roots. However, the mechanism underlying alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report that alkaline conditions inhibit primary root elongation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings by reducing cell division potential in the meristem zones and that ethylene signaling affects this process. The ethylene perception antagonist silver (Ag+) alleviated the inhibition of root elongation by alkaline stress. Moreover, the ethylene signaling mutants ethylene response1-3 (etr1-3), ethylene insensitive2 (ein2), and ein3-1 showed less reduction in root length under alkaline conditions, indicating a reduced sensitivity to alkalinity. Ethylene biosynthesis also was found to play a role in alkaline stress-mediated root inhibition; the ethylene overproducer1-1 mutant, which overproduces ethylene because of increased stability of 1-AMINOCYCLOPROPANE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID SYNTHASE5, was hypersensitive to alkaline stress. In addition, the ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor cobalt (Co2+) suppressed alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation. We further found that alkaline stress caused an increase in auxin levels by promoting expression of auxin biosynthesis-related genes, but the increase in auxin levels was reduced in the roots of the etr1-3 and ein3-1 mutants and in Ag+/Co2+-treated wild-type plants. Additional genetic and physiological data showed that AUXIN1 (AUX1) was involved in alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation. Taken together, our results reveal that ethylene modulates alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root growth by increasing auxin accumulation by stimulating the expression of AUX1 and auxin biosynthesis-related genes. PMID:26109425

  11. Improving enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of wheat straw through sequential autohydrolysis and alkaline post-extraction.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xinxing; Huang, Chen; Zhai, Shengcheng; Liang, Chen; Huang, Caoxing; Lai, Chenhuan; Yong, Qiang

    2018-03-01

    In this work, a two-step pretreatment process of wheat straw was established by combining autohydrolysis pretreatment and alkaline post-extraction. The results showed that employing alkaline post-extraction to autohydrolyzed wheat straw could significantly improve its enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency from 36.0% to 83.7%. Alkaline post-extraction lead to the changes of the structure characteristics of autohydrolyzed wheat straw. Associations between enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and structure characteristics were also studied. The results showed that the factors of structure characteristics such as delignification, xylan removal yield, crystallinity, accessibility and hydrophobicity are positively related to enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency within a certain range for alkaline post-extracted wheat straw. The results demonstrated that autohydrolysis coupled with alkaline post-extraction is an effective and promising method to gain fermentable sugars from biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Proposal for management and alkalinity transformation of bauxite residue in China.

    PubMed

    Xue, Shengguo; Kong, Xiangfeng; Zhu, Feng; Hartley, William; Li, Xiaofei; Li, Yiwei

    2016-07-01

    Bauxite residue is a hazardous solid waste produced during the production of alumina. Its high alkalinity is a potential threat to the environment which may disrupt the surrounding ecological balance of its disposal areas. China is one of the major global producers of alumina and bauxite residue, but differences in alkalinity and associated chemistry exist between residues from China and those from other countries. A detailed understanding of the chemistry of bauxite residue remains the key to improving its management, both in terms of minimizing environmental impacts and reducing its alkaline properties. The nature of bauxite residue and the chemistry required for its transformation are still poorly understood. This review focuses on various transformation processes generated from the Bayer process, sintering process, and combined Bayer-sintering process in China. Problems associated with transformation mechanisms, technical methods, and relative merits of these technologies are reviewed, while current knowledge gaps and research priorities are recommended. Future research should focus on transformation chemistry and its associated mechanisms and for the development of a clear and economic process to reduce alkalinity and soda in bauxite residue.

  13. Influence of surface properties on the mechanism of H2S removal by alkaline activated carbons.

    PubMed

    Yan, Rong; Chin, Terence; Ng, Yuen Ling; Duan, Huiqi; Liang, David Tee; Tay, Joo Hwa

    2004-01-01

    Alkaline activated carbons are widely used as adsorbents of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), one of the major odorous compounds arising from sewage treatment facilities. Although a number of studies have explored the effects of various parameters, mechanisms of H2S adsorption by alkaline carbons are not yet fully understood. The major difficulty seems to lie in the fact that little is known with certainty about the predominant reactions occurring on the carbon surface. In this study, the surface properties of alkaline activated carbons were systematically investigated to further exploit and better understand the mechanisms of H2S adsorption by alkaline activated carbons. Two commercially available alkaline activated carbons and their representative exhausted samples (8 samples collected at different height of the column after H2S breakthrough tests) were studied. The 8 portions of the exhausted carbon were used to represent the H2S/carbon reaction process. The surface properties of both the original and the exhausted carbons were characterized using the sorption of nitrogen (BET test), surface pH, Boehm titration, thermal and FTIR analysis. Porosity and surface area provide detailed information about the pore structure of the exhausted carbons with respect to the reaction extent facilitating the understanding of potential pore blockages. Results of Boehm titration and FTIR both demonstrate the significant effects of surface functional groups, and identification of oxidation products confirmed the different mechanisms involved with the two carbons. From the DTG curves of thermal analysis, two well-defined peaks representing two products of surface reactions (i.e., sulfur and sulfuric acid) were observed from the 8 exhausted portions with gradually changing patterns coinciding with the extent of the reaction. Surface pH values of the exhausted carbons show a clear trend of pH drop along the reaction extent, while pH around 2 was observed for the bottom of the bed indicating

  14. Alkaline precipitation in Bahia Blanca, Argentina

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Piccolo, M.C.; Perillo, G.M.E.; Varela, P.

    1988-02-01

    The spatial, meteorological, and seasonal factors associated with precipitation pH in Bahia Blanca and its surroundings are presented. From April 1984 to April 1985, 85 rain events were studied from 12 sites that represent significant land-use sectors of the city. Mean pH for all sites ranged from 6.5 to 7.2. The area is characterized by alkaline precipitation since most stations reported maximum values in excess of 7.6. The highest values of pH were observed under the influence of continental air masses, which have traveled over the pampas soil, thus introducing large amounts of alkaline cations. The lowest pH values weremore » obtained during the winter season when marine advection introduces high concentrations of spray. Stations located close to the estuary and the industrial park present the larger effect of sea spray but also of the incidence of an incipient atmospheric contamination.« less

  15. Electroless deposition of nickel-boron coatings using low frequency ultrasonic agitation: Effect of ultrasonic frequency on the coatings.

    PubMed

    Bonin, L; Bains, N; Vitry, V; Cobley, A J

    2017-05-01

    The effect of ultrasound on the properties of Nickel-Boron (NiB) coatings was investigated. NiB coatings were fabricated by electroless deposition using either ultrasonic or mechanical agitation. The deposition of Ni occurred in an aqueous bath containing a reducible metal salt (nickel chloride), reducing agent (sodium borohydride), complexing agent (ethylenediamine) and stabilizer (lead tungstate). Due to the instability of the borohydride in acidic, neutral and slightly alkaline media, pH was controlled at pH 12±1 in order to avoid destabilizing the bath. Deposition was performed in three different configurations: one with a classical mechanical agitation at 300rpm and the other two employing ultrasound at a frequency of either 20 or 35kHz. The microstructures of the electroless coatings were characterized by a combination of optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The chemistry of the coatings was determined by ICP-AES (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Atomic Emission Spectrometry) after dissolution in aqua regia. The mechanical properties of the coatings were established by a combination of roughness measurements, Vickers microhardness and pin-on-disk tribology tests. Lastly, the corrosion properties were analysed by potentiodynamic polarization. The results showed that low frequency ultrasonic agitation could be used to produce coatings from an alkaline NiB bath and that the thickness of coatings obtained could be increased by over 50% compared to those produced using mechanical agitation. Although ultrasonic agitation produced a smoother coating and some alteration of the deposit morphology was observed, the mechanical and corrosion properties were very similar to those found when using mechanical agitation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Alkaline phosphatase activity of water column fractions and seagrass in a tropical carbonate estuary, Florida Bay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koch, Marguerite S.; Kletou, Demetris C.; Tursi, Rosanna

    2009-08-01

    Few phosphorus-depleted coastal ecosystems have been examined for their ability to hydrolyze phosphomonoesters. We examined seasonal (August 2006-April 2007) alkaline phosphatase activity in Florida Bay, a phosphorus-limited shallow estuary, using fluorescent substrate at low concentrations (≤2.0 μM). In situ dissolved inorganic and organic phosphorus levels and phosphomonoester concentrations were also determined. Water column alkaline phosphatase activity was partitioned into two particulate size fractions (>1.2 and 0.2-1.2 μm) and freely dissolved enzymes (<0.2 μm). Water column alkaline phosphatase activity was also compared to leaf and epiphyte activity of the dominant tropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum. Our results indicate: (1) potential alkaline phosphatase activity in Florida Bay is high compared to other marine ecosystems, resulting in rapid phosphomonoester turnover times (˜2 h). (2) Water column alkaline phosphatase activity dominates, and is split equally between particulate and dissolved fractions. (3) Alkaline phosphatase activity was highest during cyanobacterial blooms, but not when normalized to chl a. These results suggest that dissolved, heterotrophic and autotrophic alkaline phosphatase activity is stimulated by phytoplankton blooms. (4) The dissolved alkaline phosphatase activity is relatively constant, while the particulate activity is seasonally and spatially dynamic, typically associated with phytoplankton blooms. (5) Phosphomonoester concentrations throughout the bay are low, even though potential hydrolysis rates are high. We propose that bioavailable dissolved organic P is hydrolyzed by dissolved and microbial alkaline phosphatase enzymes in Florida Bay. High alkaline phosphatase activity in the bay is also promoted by long hydraulic residence times. This background activity is primarily driven by carbon and phosphorus limitation of microorganisms, and regeneration of enzymes associated with cell lysis. Pulses of inorganic

  17. Chemically durable polymer electrolytes for solid-state alkaline water electrolysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Eun Joo; Capuano, Christopher B.; Ayers, Katherine E.; Bae, Chulsung

    2018-01-01

    Generation of high purity hydrogen using electrochemical splitting of water is one of the most promising methods for sustainable fuel production. The materials to be used as solid-state electrolytes for alkaline water electrolyzer require high thermochemical stability against hydroxide ion attack in alkaline environment during the operation of electrolysis. In this study, two quaternary ammonium-tethered aromatic polymers were synthesized and investigated for anion exchange membrane (AEM)-based alkaline water electrolyzer. The membranes properties including ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, swelling degree, and anion conductivity were studied. The membranes composed of all C-C bond polymer backbones and flexible side chain terminated by cation head groups exhibited remarkably good chemical stability by maintaining structural integrity in 1 M NaOH solution at 95 °C for 60 days. Initial electrochemical performance and steady-state operation performance were evaluated, and both membranes showed a good stabilization of the cell voltage during the steady-state operation at the constant current density at 200 mA/cm2. Although both membranes in current form require improvement in mechanical stability to afford better durability in electrolysis operation, the next generation AEMs based on this report could lead to potentially viable AEM candidates which can provide high electrolysis performance under alkaline operating condition.

  18. Alkaline phosphatase activity in gingival crevicular fluid during canine retraction.

    PubMed

    Batra, P; Kharbanda, Op; Duggal, R; Singh, N; Parkash, H

    2006-02-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate alkaline phosphatase activity in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement in humans. Postgraduate orthodontic clinic. Ten female patients requiring all first premolar extractions were selected and treated with standard edgewise mechanotherapy. Canine retraction was done using 100 g sentalloy springs. Maxillary canine on one side acted as experimental site while the contralateral canine acted as control. Gingival crevicular fluid was collected from mesial and distal of canines before initiation of canine retraction (baseline), immediately after initiation of retraction, and on 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st day and the alkaline phosphatase activity was estimated. The results show significant (p < 0.05) changes in alkaline phosphatase activity on the 7th, 14th and 21st day on both mesial and distal aspects of the compared experimental and control sides. The peak in enzyme activity occurred on the 14th day of initiation of retraction followed by a significant fall in activity especially on the mesial aspect. The study showed that alkaline phosphatase activity could be successfully estimated in the GCF using calorimetric estimation assay kits. The enzyme activity showed variation according to the amount of tooth movement.

  19. Long-term evolution of highly alkaline steel slag drainage waters.

    PubMed

    Riley, Alex L; Mayes, William M

    2015-07-01

    The disposal of slag generated by the steel industry can have negative consequences upon the surrounding aquatic environment by the generation of high pH waters, leaching of potentially problematic trace metals, and rapid rates of calcite precipitation which smother benthic habitats. A 36-year dataset was collated from the long-term ambient monitoring of physicochemical parameters and elemental concentrations of samples from two steel slag leachate-affected watercourses in northern England. Waters were typified by elevated pH (>10), high alkalinity, and were rich in dissolved metals (e.g. calcium (Ca), aluminium (Al), and zinc (Zn)). Long-term trend analysis was performed upon pH, alkalinity, and Ca concentration which, in addition to Ca flux calculations, were used to highlight the longevity of pollution arising as a result of the dumping and subsequent leaching of steel slags. Declines in calcium and alkalinity have been modest over the monitoring period and not accompanied by significant declines in water pH. If the monotonic trends of decline in alkalinity and calcium continue in the largest of the receiving streams, it will be in the region of 50-80 years before calcite precipitation would be expected to be close to baseline levels, where ecological impacts would be negligible.

  20. The Effect of Alkaline Concentration on Coconut Husk Crystallinity and the Yield of Sugars Released

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sangian, H. F.; Widjaja, A.

    2018-02-01

    This work was to analyze the effect of alkaline concentration on coconut coir husk crystallinity and sugar liberated enzymatically. The data showed that the employing of alkaline on lignocellulose transformed the crystallinity. The XRD peaks increased highly which indicated that cellulose was more opened and exposed. After pretreatment, the chemical compositions (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) were changed significantly. The employing 1% alkaline, the cellulosic content inclined if compared to that of non-pretreatment. When the alkaline concentration was added to 4%, the cellulose was decreased slightly which indicated that a part of cellulose and hemicellulose was dissolved into solution. It was found the alkaline pretreatment influenced by the biochemical reaction of treated substrates in producing the reducing sugars. The amounts of sugar liberated enzymatically of coconut husk treated by 1% and 4% alkaline increased to 0.26, and 0.24 g sugar/g (cellulose+hemicellulose), respectively, compared to that of native solid recorded at 0.18 g sugar/g (cellulose+hemicellulose).

  1. Effects of alkalinity sources on the stability of anaerobic digestion from food waste.

    PubMed

    Chen, Shujun; Zhang, Jishi; Wang, Xikui

    2015-11-01

    This study investigated the effects of some alkalinity sources on the stability of anaerobic digestion (AD) from food waste (FW). Four alkalinity sources, namely lime mud from papermaking (LMP), waste eggshell (WES), CaCO3 and NaHCO3, were applied as buffer materials and their stability effects were evaluated in batch AD. The results showed that LMP and CaCO3 had more remarkable effects than NaHCO3 and WES on FW stabilization. The methane yields were 120.2, 197.0, 156.2, 251.0 and 194.8 ml g(-1) VS for the control and synergistic digestions of CaCO3, NaHCO3, LMP and WES added into FW, respectively. The corresponding final alkalinity reached 5906, 7307, 9504, 7820 and 6782 mg l(-1), while the final acidities were determined to be 501, 200, 50, 350 and 250 mg l(-1), respectively. This indicated that the synergism between alkalinity and inorganic micronutrients from different alkalinity sources played an important role in the process stability of AD from FW. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Improvement of selective removal of heavy metals in cyanobacteria by NaOH treatment.

    PubMed

    Nagase, Hiroyasu; Inthorn, Duangrat; Oda, Aiko; Nishimura, Jun; Kajiwara, Yumiko; Park, Myong-Oku; Hirata, Kazumasa; Miyamoto, Kazuhisa

    2005-04-01

    In the freshwater cyanobacterium, Tolypothrix tenuis, treatment with 0.1 M NaOH increased its Cd-selective adsorption ability in the presence of Ca(2+) or Mg(2+). The selective adsorption was also achieved by other alkaline treatments. Energy-distributed spectroscopy analysis revealed that Cd(2+) was found mainly on the surface of non-treated cells, whereas it was distributed throughout the cell after NaOH treatment. The alkaline treatment was effective in increasing the selective adsorption ability of the cyanobacterium for other bivalent heavy metals such as Cu(2+), Pb(2+) and Zn(2+). The treatment was also applicable to Anabaena variabilis and Microcystis aeruginosa, which are typical cyanobacteria causing algal blooms. The main binding site of Cd(2+) in NaOH-treated cells is assumed to be the carboxyl groups because the binding ability of the cells was diminished by the esterification of carboxyl groups. These results suggest that alkaline treatment of cyanobacteria is a useful technique for producing biosorbents having highly specific binding abilities for heavy metals.

  3. Phytoextraction of rhenium by lucerne (Medicago sativa) and erect milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens) from alkaline soils amended with coal fly ash.

    PubMed

    He, Honghua; Dong, Zhigang; Pang, Jiayin; Wu, Gao-Lin; Zheng, Jiyong; Zhang, Xingchang

    2018-07-15

    Coal fly ash (CFA) is an industrial waste generated in huge amounts worldwide, and the management of CFA has become an environmental concern. Recovery of valuable metals from CFA is one of the beneficial reuse options of CFA. Rhenium (Re) is one of the rarest metals in the Earth's crust and one of the most expensive metals of strategic significance in the world market. A CFA at the Jungar Thermal Power Plant, Inner Mongolia, China, contains more Re than two alkaline soils in the surrounding region. Pot experiments were undertaken to grow lucerne (Medicago sativa) and erect milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens) in a loessial soil and an aeolian sandy soil amended with different rates (5%, 10%, 20%, and 40%) of CFA. The results show that plant growth was considerably enhanced and Re concentration in plants was significantly increased when CFA was applied to the alkaline soils at rates of ≤20%; while in some cases plant growth was also markedly enhanced by the 40% CFA treatment, which increased plant Re concentration the most of all treatments. Both lucerne and erect milkvetch showed potential for phytoextracting Re from CFA-amended alkaline soils. Using CFA for soil amendment not only offers a potential solution for the waste disposal problem of CFA, but the phytoextraction of Re by both lucerne and erect milkvetch may also bring an economic profit in the future. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Cyanide Degradation under Alkaline Conditions by a Strain of Fusarium solani Isolated from Contaminated Soils

    PubMed Central

    Dumestre, A.; Chone, T.; Portal, J.; Gerard, M.; Berthelin, J.

    1997-01-01

    Several cyanide-tolerant microorganisms have been selected from alkaline wastes and soils contaminated with cyanide. Among them, a fungus identified as Fusarium solani IHEM 8026 shows a good potential for cyanide biodegradation under alkaline conditions (pH 9.2 to 10.7). Results of K(sup14)CN biodegradation studies show that fungal metabolism seems to proceed by a two-step hydrolytic mechanism: (i) the first reaction involves the conversion of cyanide to formamide by a cyanide-hydrolyzing enzyme, cyanide hydratase (EC 4.2.1.66); and (ii) the second reaction consists of the conversion of formamide to formate, which is associated with fungal growth. No growth occurred during the first step of cyanide degradation, suggesting that cyanide is toxic to some degree even in cyanide-degrading microorganisms, such as F. solani. The presence of organic nutrients in the medium has a major influence on the occurrence of the second step. Addition of small amounts of yeast extract led to fungal growth, whereas no growth was observed in media containing cyanide as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. The simple hydrolytic detoxification pathway identified in the present study could be used for the treatment of many industrial alkaline effluents and wastes containing free cyanide without a prior acidification step, thus limiting the risk of cyanhydric acid volatilization; this should be of great interest from an environmental and health point of view. PMID:16535647

  5. Effect of Trichoderma viride biofertilizer on ammonia volatilization from an alkaline soil in Northern China.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xia; Xu, Shengjun; Wu, Shanghua; Feng, Shugeng; Bai, Zhihui; Zhuang, Guoqiang; Zhuang, Xuliang

    2018-04-01

    Ammonia (NH 3 ) volatilization is one of the primary pathways of nitrogen (N) loss from soils after chemical fertilizer is applied, especially from the alkaline soils in Northern China, which results in lower efficiency for chemical fertilizers. Therefore, we conducted an incubation experiment using an alkaline soil from Tianjin (pH8.37-8.43) to evaluate the suppression effect of Trichoderma viride (T. viride) biofertilizer on NH 3 volatilization, and compared the differences in microbial community structure among all samples. The results showed that viable T. viride biofertilizer (T) decreased NH 3 volatilization by 42.21% compared with conventional fertilizer ((CK), urea), while nonviable T. viride biofertilizer (TS) decreased NH 3 volatilization by 32.42%. NH 3 volatilization was significantly higher in CK and sweet potato starch wastewater (SPSW) treatments during the peak period. T. viride biofertilizer also improved the transfer of ammonium from soil to sweet sorghum. Plant dry weights increased 91.23% and 61.08% for T and TS, respectively, compared to CK. Moreover, T. viride biofertilizer enhanced nitrification by increasing the abundance of ammonium-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The results of high-throughput sequencing indicated that the microbial community structure and composition were significantly changed by the application of T. viride biofertilizer. This study demonstrated the immense potential of T. viride biofertilizer in reducing NH 3 volatilization from alkaline soil and simultaneously improving the utilization of fertilizer N by sweet sorghum. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Short-Term Effect of Vermicompost Application on Biological Properties of an Alkaline Soil with High Lime Content from Mediterranean Region of Turkey

    PubMed Central

    Uz, Ilker; Tavali, Ismail Emrah

    2014-01-01

    This study was conducted to investigate direct short-term impact of vermicompost on some soil biological properties by monitoring changes after addition of vermicompost as compared to farmyard manure in an alkaline soil with high lime content from semiarid Mediterranean region of Turkey. For this purpose, mixtures of soil and organic fertilizers in different doses were incubated under greenhouse condition. Soil samples collected in regular intervals were analyzed for biological parameters including dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, alkaline phosphatase activities, and total number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria. Even though soil dehydrogenase activity appeared to be dose-independent based on overall evaluation, organic amendments were found to elevate dehydrogenase activity when sampling periods are evaluated individually. β-glucosidase, urease, alkaline phosphatase activity, and aerobic mesophilic bacterial numbers in vermicompost treatments fluctuated but remained significantly above the control. A slight but statistically significant difference was detected between organic amendments in terms of urease activity. Vermicompost appeared to more significantly increase bacterial number in soil. Clearly, vermicompost has a potential to be used as an alternative to farmyard manure to improve and maintain soil biological activity in alkaline calcareous soils from the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Further studies are needed to assess its full potential for these soils. PMID:25254238

  7. Space Shuttle Upgrades: Long Life Alkaline Fuel Cell

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McCurdy, Kerri

    2004-01-01

    NASA has utilized the alkaline fuel cell technology to provide electrical power for manned launch vehicles such as Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle. The current Shuttle alkaline fuel cells are procured from UTC Fuel Cells, a United Technologies Company. The alkaline fuel cells are very reliable but the operating life is limited to 2600 hours due to voltage degradation of the individual cells. The main limiting factor in the life of the cells is corrosion of the cell's fiberglass/epoxy frame by the aqueous potassium hydroxide electrolyte. To reduce operating costs, the orbiter program office approved the Long Life Alkaline Fuel Cell (LLAFC) program as a shuttle upgrade in 1999 to increase the operating life of the fuel cell powerplant to 5000 hours. The LLAFC program incorporates improving the cell by extending the length of the corrosion path, which reduces the cell frame corrosion. UTCFC performed analysis to understand the fundamental mechanisms that drive the cell frame corrosion. The analysis indicated that the corrosion path started along the bond line between the cathode and the cell frame. Analysis also showed that the oxygen available at the cathode, the catalyst on the electrode, and the electrode substrate all supported or intensified the corrosion. The new cell design essentially doubled the corrosion path to mitigate the problem. A 10-cell stack was tested for 5000 hours during the development phase of this program to verify improved cell performance. A complete 96-cell stack was then tested for 5000 hours during the full manned-space qualification phase of this program. Additional upgrades to the powerplant under this program are: replacing the aluminum body in the pressure regulator with stainless steel to reduce corrosion, improving stack insulator plate with improved resistance to stress failure and improved temperature capability, and replacing separator plate elastomer seals with a more durable material and improved seal retention.

  8. Alkaline degradation studies of anion exchange polymers to enable new membrane designs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nunez, Sean Andrew

    Current performance targets for anion-exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells call for greater than 95% alkaline stability for 5000 hours at temperatures up to 120 °C. Using this target temperature of 120 °C, an incisive 1H NMR-based alkaline degradation method to identify the degradation products of n-alkyl spacer tetraalkylammonium cations in various AEM polymers and small molecule analogs. Herein, the degradation mechanisms and rates of benzyltrimethylammonium-, n-alkyl interstitial spacer- and n-alkyl terminal pendant-cations are studied on several architectures. These findings demonstrate that benzyltrimethylammonium- and n-alkyl terminal pendant cations are more labile than an n-alkyl interstitial spacer cation and conclude that Hofmann elimination is not the predominant mechanism of alkaline degradation. Additionally, the alkaline stability of an n-alkyl interstitial spacer cation is enhanced when combined with an n-alkyl terminal pendant. Interestingly, at 120 °C, an inverse trend was found in the overall alkaline stability of AEM poly(styrene) and AEM poly(phenylene oxide) samples than was previously shown at 80 °C. Successive small molecule studies suggest that at 120 °C, an anion-induced 1,4-elimination degradation mechanism may be activated on styrenic AEM polymers bearing an acidic alpha-hydrogen. In addition, an ATR-FTIR based method was developed to assess the alkaline stability of solid membranes and any added resistance to degradation that may be due to differential solubilities and phase separation. To increase the stability of anion exchange membranes, Oshima magnesate--halogen exchange was demonstrated as a method for the synthesis of new anion exchange membranes that typically fail in the presence of organolithium or Grignard reagents alone. This new chemistry, applied to non-resinous polymers for the first time, proved effective for the n-akyl interstitial spacer functionalization of poly(phenylene oxide) and poly(styrene- co

  9. Transformation of glucocorticoid receptors bound to the antagonist RU 486: Effects of alkaline phosphatase

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gruol, D.J.; Wolfe, K.A.

    1990-08-28

    RU 486 is a synthetic steroid that binds avidly to glucocorticoid receptors without promoting their transformation into activated transcription factors. A significant part of this behavior has been shown to be due to a failure of the RU 486 bound receptor to be efficiently released from a larger (sedimenting at 8-9 S) multimeric complex containing the 90-kDa heat shock protein. The studies have found that in vitro at 15{degree}C the RU 486-receptor was slowly released from the 8-9S complex and converted into a DNA binding protein by a process that could be blocked by sodium fluoride. Moreover, this transition wasmore » significantly accelerated by treatment with alkaline phosphatase. High-resolution anion-exchange chromatography showed that the profile of receptor subspecies released from the 8-9S complex was different for the RU 486 bound receptor when compared to the receptor occupied by the agonist triamcinolone acetonide. Production of the earliest eluting receptor form (peak A) was inhibited with RU 486. Treatment of the Ru 486-receptor with alkaline phosphatase increased the formation of the peak A subspecies as well as the capacity of receptor to bind DNA-cellulose. Taken together, the results indicate that phosphorylation of the receptor or a tightly bound factor contributes to defining the capacity with which individual steroids can promote dissociation of the 8-9S complex and conversion of the glucocorticoid receptor into a DNA-binding protein.« less

  10. Syntheses and structures of alkaline earth metal bis(diphenylamides).

    PubMed

    Gärtner, Martin; Fischer, Reinald; Langer, Jens; Görls, Helmar; Walther, Dirk; Westerhausen, Matthias

    2007-06-11

    Various preparative procedures are employed in order to synthesize alkaline earth metal bis(diphenylamides) such as (i) metalation of HNPh2 with the alkaline earth metal M, (ii) metalation of HNPh2 with MPh2, (iii) metathesis reaction of MI2 with KNPh2, (iv) metalation of HNPh2 with PhMI in THF, and (v) metathesis reaction of PhMI with KNPh2 followed by a dismutation reaction yielding MPh2 and M(NPh2)2. The magnesium compounds [(diox)MgPh2]infinity (1) and (thf)2Mg(NPh2)2 (2) show tetracoordinate metal atoms, whereas in (dme)2Ca(NPh2)2 (3), (thf)4Sr(NPh2)2 (4), and (thf)4Ba(NPh2)2 (5) the metals are 6-fold coordinated. Additional agostic interactions between an ipso-carbon of one of the phenyl groups of the amide ligand and the alkaline earth metal atom lead to unsymmetric coordination of the NPh2 anions with two strongly different M-N-C angles in 3-5.

  11. Spongy Raney nickel hydrogen electrodes for alkaline fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomida, Tahei; Nakabayashi, Ichiro

    1989-11-01

    Spongy Raney nickel catalysts for use as hydrogen electrodes of fuel cells were prepared by a new method. In this method molten aluminum was sprayed on both sides of a spongy plate of nickel as substrate with an acetylene-oxygen flame gun. Then, the spongy nickel electrodes were activated by alloying at a given temperature of from 550 to 750 C, and leaching the aluminum from the alloy in alkaline solution. This type of catalyst showed good thermal and electrical conductivity and also mechanical strength by itself. Its polarization resistance was very low, and the characteristics of the electrodes improved with increase in the temperature of heat-treatment for alloying. The finding that activity depended on the alloying temperature was consistent with observations by scanning electron microscope on the surface textures of catalysts alloyed at different temperatures.

  12. Comparison of enteral and parenteral methods of urine alkalinization in patients receiving high-dose methotrexate.

    PubMed

    Rouch, Jamie A; Burton, Bradley; Dabb, Alix; Brown, Vicky; Seung, Amy H; Kinsman, Katharine; Holdhoff, Matthias

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Hyperhydration and urinary alkalinization is implemented with all high-dose (HD)-methotrexate infusions to promote excretion and prevent precipitation of methotrexate in the renal tubules. Our institution utilized enteral alkalinizing agents (sodium bicarbonate tablets and sodium citrate/citric acid solution) to alkalinize the urine of patients receiving HD-methotrexate during a parenteral sodium bicarbonate and sodium acetate shortage. The purpose of this study is to establish the safety and efficacy of the enteral route for urine alkalinization. Methods A single-center, retrospective, cohort study was conducted comparing cycles of HD-methotrexate using enteral alkalinizing agents to parenteral sodium bicarbonate. The primary objective was to compare the time, in hours, from administration of first inpatient administered dose of alkalinizing agent to time of achieving goal urine pH. Secondary objectives evaluated total dose of sodium bicarbonate required to achieve goal urine pH, time from start of urine alkalinizing agent until time of achieving methotrexate level safe for discharge, and toxicities associated with methotrexate and the alkalinizing agents. Results A total of 118 patients were included in this study, equally divided into two cohorts based on parenteral versus enteral routes of administration. No statistical difference was determined between the two cohorts regarding time to goal urine pH (6.5 h versus 7.9 h, P = 0.051) or regarding time to methotrexate level deemed safe for discharge (63.5 h versus 62.5 h, p = 0.835). There were no significant differences in methotrexate-induced toxicities. Conclusion Our study found enteral routes of urine alkalinization to be a viable alternative to the traditional parenteral sodium bicarbonate, especially during parenteral sodium bicarbonate and acetate shortages.

  13. Dissociation Energies of the Alkaline Earth Monofluorides

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    BLUE, GARY D.; GREEN, JOHN W.; EHLERT, THOMAS C.

    1963-08-24

    New results and theoretical calculations are presented that indicate consistently high dissocintion energies for all the alkaline earth monofluorides. Experimental results were obtained by utilizing a mass spectrometer to analyze the vapors from a heated Ta Knudsen cell containing an alkaline earth fluoride salt with Al present as a reducing agent. Ionization efficiency curves were obtained and temperature dependence investigations were made to determine the molecular precursor of the ions observed. Values of the equilibrium constants at different temperatures were used together with the free-energy functions to calculate the third law heats of reaction at 298 deg K. Data aremore » tabulated for the heats of various reactions for Al--MF2 systems with M = Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba, and dissociation energies of MF molecules by various methods for Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba. (C.H.)« less

  14. Fully automated synthesis of 4-[18F]fluorobenzylamine based on borohydride/NiCl2 reduction.

    PubMed

    Way, Jenilee; Wuest, Frank

    2013-04-01

    4-[(18)F]Fluorobenzylamine ([(18)F]FBA) is an important building block for the synthesis of (18)F-labeled compounds. Synthesis of [(18)F]FBA usually involves application of strong reducing agents like LiAlH4 which is challenging to handle in automated synthesis units (ASUs). Therefore, alternative methods for the preparation of [(18)F]FBA compatible with remotely-controlled syntheses in ASUs are needed. (18)F]FBA was prepared in a remotely-controlled synthesis unit (GE TRACERlab™ FX) based on Ni(II)-mediated borohydride exchange resin (BER) reduction of 4-[(18)F]fluorobenzonitrile ([(18)F]FBN). [(18)F]FBA was used for the synthesis of novel thiol-reactive prosthetic group 4-[(18)F]fluorobenzyl)maleimide [(18)F]FBM and Hsp90 inhibitor 17-(4-[(18)F]fluorobenzylamino)-17-demethoxy-geldanamycin [(18)F] GA. [(18)F]FBA could be prepared in high radiochemical yield greater than 80% (decay-corrected) within 60min. In a typical experiment, 7.4GBq of [(18)F]FBA could be obtained in high radiochemical purity of greater than 95% starting from 10GBq of cyclotron-produced n.c.a. [(18)F]fluoride. [(18)F]FBA was used for the preparation of 4-[(18)F]fluorobenzyl)maleimide as a novel prosthetic group for labeling of thiol groups as demonstrated with tripeptide glutathione. [(18)F]FBA was also used as building block for the syntheses of small molecules as exemplified by the preparation of Hsp90 inhibitor 17-(4-[(18)F]fluorobenzylamino)-17-demethoxy-geldanamycin. The described remotely-controlled synthesis of [(18)F]FBA will significantly improve the availability of [(18)F]FBA as an important and versatile building block for the development of novel (18)F-labeled compounds containing a fluorobenzylamine moiety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Alkaline approach to treating cooling towers for control of Legionella pneumophila

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    States, S.J.; Conley, L.F.; Towner, S.G.

    1987-08-01

    Earlier field and laboratory studies have shown that Legionella species survive and multiply in the pH range 5.5 to 9.2. Additionally, the technical feasibility of operating cooling towers at elevated alkalinities and pH has previously been documented by published guidelines. The guidelines indicate that these conditions facilitate corrosion control and favor chlorine persistence which enhances the effectiveness of continuous chlorination in biofouling control. This information suggest that control of Legionella species in cooling towers can be accomplished by operating the towers under alkaline conditions. To test this possibility, we collected water samples over a period of months from a hospitalmore » cooling tower. The samples were analyzed for a variety of chemical parameters. Subsamples were pasteurized and inoculated with non-agar-passaged Legionella pneumophila which had been maintained in tap water. Correlation of subsequent Legionella growth with corresponding pH and alkalinity values revealed statistically significant inverse associations. These data support the hypothesis that operating cooling towers outside of the optimal conditions for Legionella growth (e.g., at elevated alkalinities and a pH greater than 9) may be a useful approach to controlling growth in this habitat.« less

  16. An alkaline active xylanase: insights into mechanisms of high pH catalytic adaptation.

    PubMed

    Mamo, Gashaw; Thunnissen, Marjolein; Hatti-Kaul, Rajni; Mattiasson, Bo

    2009-09-01

    The alkaliphilic bacterium, Bacillus halodurans S7, produces an alkaline active xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8), which differs from many other xylanases in being operationally stable under alkaline conditions as well as at elevated temperature. Compared to non-alkaline active xylanases, this enzyme has a high percent composition of acidic amino acids which results in high ratio of negatively to positively charged residues. A positive correlation was observed between the charge ratio and the pH optima of xylanases. The recombinant xylanase was crystallized using a hanging drop diffusion method. The crystals belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and the structure was determined at a resolution of 2.1 A. The enzyme has the common eight-fold TIM-barrel structure of family 10 xylanases; however, unlike non-alkaline active xylanases, it has a highly negatively charged surface and a deeper active site cleft. Mutational analysis of non-conserved amino acids which are close to the acid/base residue has shown that Val169, Ile170 and Asp171 are important to hydrolyze xylan at high pH. Unlike the wild type xylanase which has optimum pH at 9-9.5, the triple mutant xylanase (V169A, I170F and D171N), which was constructed using sequence information of alkaline sensitive xylanses was optimally active around pH 7. Compared to non-alkaline active xylanases, the alkaline active xylanases have highly acidic surfaces and fewer solvent exposed alkali labile residues. Based on these results obtained from sequence, structural and mutational analysis, the possible mechanisms of high pH stability and catalysis are discussed. This will provide useful information to understand the mechanism of high pH adaptation and engineering of enzymes that can be operationally stable at high pH.

  17. Metabolic effect of alkaline additives and guanosine/gluconate in storage solutions for red blood cells.

    PubMed

    D'Alessandro, Angelo; Reisz, Julie A; Culp-Hill, Rachel; Korsten, Herbert; van Bruggen, Robin; de Korte, Dirk

    2018-04-06

    Over a century of advancements in the field of additive solutions for red blood cell (RBC) storage has made transfusion therapy a safe and effective practice for millions of recipients worldwide. Still, storage in the blood bank results in the progressive accumulation of metabolic alterations, a phenomenon that is mitigated by storage in novel storage additives, such as alkaline additive solutions. While novel alkaline additive formulations have been proposed, no metabolomics characterization has been performed to date. We performed UHPLC-MS metabolomics analyses of red blood cells stored in SAGM (standard additive in Europe), (PAGGSM), or alkaline additives SOLX, E-SOL 5 and PAG3M for either 1, 21, 35 (end of shelf-life in the Netherlands), or 56 days. Alkaline additives (especially PAG3M) better preserved 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Deaminated purines such as hypoxanthine were predictive of hemolysis and morphological alterations. Guanosine supplementation in PAGGSM and PAG3M fueled ATP generation by feeding into the nonoxidative pentose phosphate pathway via phosphoribolysis. Decreased urate to hypoxanthine ratios were observed in alkaline additives, suggestive of decreased generation of urate and hydrogen peroxide. Despite the many benefits observed in purine and redox metabolism, alkaline additives did not prevent accumulation of free fatty acids and oxidized byproducts, opening a window for future alkaline formulations including (lipophilic) antioxidants. Alkalinization via different strategies (replacement of chloride anions with either high bicarbonate, high citrate/phosphate, or membrane impermeant gluconate) results in different metabolic outcomes, which are superior to current canonical additives in all cases. © 2018 AABB.

  18. Alkaline solution absorption of carbon dioxide method and apparatus

    DOEpatents

    Hobbs, D.T.

    1991-01-01

    Disclosed is a method for measuring the concentration of hydroxides (or pH) in alkaline solutions, using the tendency of hydroxides to adsorb CO{sub 2}. The method comprises passing CO{sub 2} over the surface of an alkaline solution in a remote tank before and after measurements of the CO{sub 2} concentration. Comparison of the measurements yields the adsorption fraction from which the hydroxide concentration can be calculated using a correlation of hydroxide or pH to adsorption fraction. A schematic is given of a process system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. 2 figs.

  19. Exploring crystalline-structural variations of cellulose during alkaline pretreatment for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis.

    PubMed

    Ling, Zhe; Chen, Sheng; Zhang, Xun; Xu, Feng

    2017-01-01

    The study aimed to explore the crystallinity and crystalline structure of alkaline pretreated cellulose. The enzymatic hydrolysis followed by pretreatment was conducted for measuring the efficiency of sugar conversion. For cellulose Iβ dominated samples, alkaline pretreatment (<8wt%) caused increased cellulose crystallinity and depolymerized hemicelluloses, that were superimposed to affect the enzymatic conversion to glucose. Varying crystallite sizes and lattice spacings indicated the separation of cellulose crystals during mercerization (8-12wt% NaOH). Completion of mercerization was proved under higher alkaline concentration (14-18wt% NaOH), leading to distortion of crystalline cellulose to some extent. Cellulose II crystallinity showed a stimulative impact on enzymatic hydrolysis due to the weakened hydrophobic interactions within cellulose chains. The current study may provide innovative explanations for enhanced enzymatic digestibility of alkaline pretreated lignocellulosic materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Process for treating alkaline wastes for vitrification

    DOEpatents

    Hsu, Chia-lin W.

    1995-01-01

    A process for treating alkaline wastes for vitrification. The process involves acidifying the wastes with an oxidizing agent such as nitric acid, then adding formic acid as a reducing agent, and then mixing with glass formers to produce a melter feed. The nitric acid contributes nitrates that act as an oxidant to balance the redox of the melter feed, prevent reduction of certain species to produce conducting metals, and lower the pH of the wastes to a suitable level for melter operation. The formic acid reduces mercury compounds to elemental mercury for removal by steam stripping, and MnO.sub.2 to the Mn(II) ion to prevent foaming of the glass melt. The optimum amounts of nitric acid and formic acid are determined in relation to the composition of the wastes, including the concentrations of mercury (II) and MnO.sub.2, noble metal compounds, nitrates, formates and so forth. The process minimizes the amount of hydrogen generated during treatment, while producing a redox-balanced feed for effective melter operation and a quality glass product.

  1. Process for treating alkaline wastes for vitrification

    DOEpatents

    Hsu, C.L.W.

    1995-07-25

    A process is described for treating alkaline wastes for vitrification. The process involves acidifying the wastes with an oxidizing agent such as nitric acid, then adding formic acid as a reducing agent, and then mixing with glass formers to produce a melter feed. The nitric acid contributes nitrates that act as an oxidant to balance the redox of the melter feed, prevent reduction of certain species to produce conducting metals, and lower the pH of the wastes to a suitable level for melter operation. The formic acid reduces mercury compounds to elemental mercury for removal by steam stripping, and MnO{sub 2} to the Mn(II) ion to prevent foaming of the glass melt. The optimum amounts of nitric acid and formic acid are determined in relation to the composition of the wastes, including the concentrations of mercury (II) and MnO{sub 2}, noble metal compounds, nitrates, formates and so forth. The process minimizes the amount of hydrogen generated during treatment, while producing a redox-balanced feed for effective melter operation and a quality glass product. 4 figs.

  2. Prebiotic Synthesis of Glycine from Ethanolamine in Simulated Archean Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xianlong; Tian, Ge; Gao, Jing; Han, Mei; Su, Rui; Wang, Yanxiang; Feng, Shouhua

    2017-12-01

    Submarine hydrothermal vents are generally considered as the likely habitats for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth. In recent years, a novel hydrothermal system in Archean subseafloor has been proposed. In this model, highly alkaline and high temperature hydrothermal fluids were generated in basalt-hosted hydrothermal vents, where H2 and CO2 could be abundantly provided. These extreme conditions could have played an irreplaceable role in the early evolution of life. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the abiotic synthesis of amino acids, which are indispensable components of life, at high temperature and alkaline condition. This study aims to propose a new method for the synthesis of glycine in simulated Archean submarine alkaline vent systems. We investigated the formation of glycine from ethanolamine under conditions of high temperature (80-160 °C) and highly alkaline solutions (pH = 9.70). Experiments were performed in an anaerobic environment under mild pressure (0.1-8.0 MPa) at the same time. The results suggested that the formation of glycine from ethanolamine occurred rapidly and efficiently in the presence of metal powders, and was favored by high temperatures and high pressures. The experiment provides a new pathway for prebiotic glycine formation and points out the phenomenal influence of high-temperature alkaline hydrothermal vents in origin of life in the early ocean.

  3. Prebiotic Synthesis of Glycine from Ethanolamine in Simulated Archean Alkaline Hydrothermal Vents.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xianlong; Tian, Ge; Gao, Jing; Han, Mei; Su, Rui; Wang, Yanxiang; Feng, Shouhua

    2017-12-01

    Submarine hydrothermal vents are generally considered as the likely habitats for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth. In recent years, a novel hydrothermal system in Archean subseafloor has been proposed. In this model, highly alkaline and high temperature hydrothermal fluids were generated in basalt-hosted hydrothermal vents, where H 2 and CO 2 could be abundantly provided. These extreme conditions could have played an irreplaceable role in the early evolution of life. Nevertheless, sufficient information has not yet been obtained for the abiotic synthesis of amino acids, which are indispensable components of life, at high temperature and alkaline condition. This study aims to propose a new method for the synthesis of glycine in simulated Archean submarine alkaline vent systems. We investigated the formation of glycine from ethanolamine under conditions of high temperature (80-160 °C) and highly alkaline solutions (pH = 9.70). Experiments were performed in an anaerobic environment under mild pressure (0.1-8.0 MPa) at the same time. The results suggested that the formation of glycine from ethanolamine occurred rapidly and efficiently in the presence of metal powders, and was favored by high temperatures and high pressures. The experiment provides a new pathway for prebiotic glycine formation and points out the phenomenal influence of high-temperature alkaline hydrothermal vents in origin of life in the early ocean.

  4. Advanced inorganic separators for alkaline batteries

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W. (Inventor)

    1982-01-01

    A flexible, porous battery separator comprising a coating applied to a porous, flexible substrate is described. The coating comprises: (1) a thermoplastic rubber-based resin which is insoluble and unreactive in the alkaline electrolyte; (2) a polar organic plasticizer which is reactive with the alkaline electrolyte to produce a reaction product which contains a hydroxyl group and/or a carboxylic acid group; and (3) a mixture of polar particulate filler materials which are unreactive with the electrolyte, the mixture comprising at least one first filler material having a surface area of greater than 25 meters sq/gram, at least one second filler material having a surface area of 10 to 25 sq meters/gram, wherein the volume of the mixture of filler materials is less than 45% of the total volume of the fillers and the binder, the filler surface area per gram of binder is about 20 to 60 sq meters/gram, and the amount of plasticizer is sufficient to coat each filler particle. A method of forming the battery separator is also described.

  5. Induction of rat alkaline phosphatase isozymes bearing a glycan-phosphatidylinositol anchor modified by in vivo treatment with a benzimidazole derivative linked to ethylbenzene.

    PubMed

    Harada, T; Koyama, I; Sato, K; Komoda, T

    2000-10-01

    Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is detected in soluble-form as a result of translocation from the membrane site by cleavage at the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol moiety (GPI anchor). It is known that membrane-bound ALP (mALP) can be detected in serum in certain pathological and physiological conditions, and that it can be solubilized in vitro to soluble-ALP (sALP) by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC), phospholipase D, bile salt, detergent, etc. We observed a marked increase in ALP activity in the serum of rats given a benzimidazole derivative by gavage, and detected it as slow-migrating ALPs (SM-ALPs), which were mALP-like but resistant to PIPLC and n-butanol treatment on disc PAGE. On the other hand, ficin treatment made SM-ALPs shift to the sALP position. The molecular size of the SM-ALPs was smaller than that of sALP on sodium dodecyl sulphide-polyacrylamide slab-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and immunoreactivity revealed the intestinal type. SM-ALPs were also detected in the duodenum and jejunum. The main sugar chain structure of SM-ALPs was the biantennary complex-type, which was coincided with intestinal sALP sugar chain. These results suggest that intestinal ALPs induced by the benzimidazole derivative were modified in their C-terminus or GPI anchor region and modification of this region may also participate in translocation into the bloodstream.

  6. Alkaline Comet Assay for Assessing DNA Damage in Individual Cells.

    PubMed

    Pu, Xinzhu; Wang, Zemin; Klaunig, James E

    2015-08-06

    Single-cell gel electrophoresis, commonly called a comet assay, is a simple and sensitive method for assessing DNA damage at the single-cell level. It is an important technique in genetic toxicological studies. The comet assay performed under alkaline conditions (pH >13) is considered the optimal version for identifying agents with genotoxic activity. The alkaline comet assay is capable of detecting DNA double-strand breaks, single-strand breaks, alkali-labile sites, DNA-DNA/DNA-protein cross-linking, and incomplete excision repair sites. The inclusion of digestion of lesion-specific DNA repair enzymes in the procedure allows the detection of various DNA base alterations, such as oxidative base damage. This unit describes alkaline comet assay procedures for assessing DNA strand breaks and oxidative base alterations. These methods can be applied in a variety of cells from in vitro and in vivo experiments, as well as human studies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  7. Urbanization accelerates long-term salinization and alkalinization of fresh water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaushal, S.; Duan, S.; Doody, T.; Haq, S.; Smith, R. M.; Newcomer Johnson, T. A.; Delaney Newcomb, K.; Gorman, J. K.; Bowman, N.; Mayer, P. M.; Wood, K. L.; Belt, K.; Stack, W.

    2017-12-01

    Human dominated land-use increases transport a major ions in streams due to anthropogenic salts and accelerated weathering. We show long-term trends in calcium, magnesium, sodium, alkalinity, and hardness over 50 years in the Baltimore metropolitan region and elsewhere. We also examine how major ion concentrations have increased significantly with impervious surface cover in watersheds across land use. Base cations show strong relationships with acid anions, which illustrates the coupling of major biogeochemical cycles in urban watersheds over time. Longitudinal patterns in major ions can also show increasing trends from headwaters to coastal waters, which suggests coupled biogeochemical cycles over space. We present new results from manipulative experiments and long-term monitoring across different urban regions regarding patterns and processes of salinization and alkalinization. Overall, our work demonstrates that urbanization dramatically increases major ions, ionic strength, and pH over decades from headwaters to coastal waters, which impacts the integrity of aquatic life, infrastructure, drinking water, and coastal ocean alkalinization.

  8. Alkaline flocculation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum induced by brucite and calcite

    DOE PAGES

    Vandamme, Dries; Pohl, Philip I.; Beuckels, Annelies; ...

    2015-08-20

    Alkaline flocculation holds great potential as a low-cost harvesting method for marine microalgae biomass production. Alkaline flocculation is induced by an increase in pH and is related to precipitation of calcium and magnesium salts. In this study, we used the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum as model organism to study alkaline flocculation of marine microalgae cultured in seawater medium. Flocculation started when pH was increased to 10 and flocculation efficiency reached 90% when pH was 10.5, which was consistent with precipitation modeling for brucite or Mg(OH) 2. Compared to freshwater species, more magnesium is needed to achieve flocculation (>7.5 mM). Zeta potentialmore » measurements suggest that brucite precipitation caused flocculation by charge neutralization. When calcium concentration was 12.5 mM, flocculation was also observed at a pH of 10. Furthermore, zeta potential remained negative up to pH 11.5, suggesting that precipitated calcite caused flocculation by a sweeping coagulation mechanism.« less

  9. Mineral Carbonation Potential of CO2 from Natural and Industrial-based Alkalinity Sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilcox, J.; Kirchofer, A.

    2014-12-01

    Mineral carbonation is a Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) technology where gaseous CO2 is reacted with alkaline materials (such as silicate minerals and alkaline industrial wastes) and converted into stable and environmentally benign carbonate minerals (Metz et al., 2005). Here, we present a holistic, transparent life cycle assessment model of aqueous mineral carbonation built using a hybrid process model and economic input-output life cycle assessment approach. We compared the energy efficiency and the net CO2 storage potential of various mineral carbonation processes based on different feedstock material and process schemes on a consistent basis by determining the energy and material balance of each implementation (Kirchofer et al., 2011). In particular, we evaluated the net CO2 storage potential of aqueous mineral carbonation for serpentine, olivine, cement kiln dust, fly ash, and steel slag across a range of reaction conditions and process parameters. A preliminary systematic investigation of the tradeoffs inherent in mineral carbonation processes was conducted and guidelines for the optimization of the life-cycle energy efficiency are provided. The life-cycle assessment of aqueous mineral carbonation suggests that a variety of alkalinity sources and process configurations are capable of net CO2 reductions. The maximum carbonation efficiency, defined as mass percent of CO2 mitigated per CO2 input, was 83% for CKD at ambient temperature and pressure conditions. In order of decreasing efficiency, the maximum carbonation efficiencies for the other alkalinity sources investigated were: olivine, 66%; SS, 64%; FA, 36%; and serpentine, 13%. For natural alkalinity sources, availability is estimated based on U.S. production rates of a) lime (18 Mt/yr) or b) sand and gravel (760 Mt/yr) (USGS, 2011). The low estimate assumes the maximum sequestration efficiency of the alkalinity source obtained in the current work and the high estimate assumes a sequestration efficiency

  10. Electrochemical Behavior of Sulfur in Aqueous Alkaline Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mamyrbekova, Aigul; Mamitova, A. D.; Mamyrbekova, Aizhan

    2018-03-01

    The kinetics and mechanism of the electrode oxidation-reduction of sulfur on an electrically conductive sulfur-graphite electrode in an alkaline solution was studied by the potentiodynamic method. To examine the mechanism of electrode processes occurring during AC polarization on a sulfur-graphite electrode, the cyclic polarization in both directions and anodic polarization curves were recorded. The kinetic parameters: charge transfer coefficients (α), diffusion coefficients ( D), heterogeneous rate constants of electrode process ( k s), and effective activation energies of the process ( E a) were calculated from the results of polarization measurements. An analysis of the results and calculated kinetic parameters of electrode processes showed that discharge ionization of sulfur in alkaline solutions occurs as a sequence of two stages and is a quasireversible process.

  11. Application of adipose-derived stem cells on scleral contact lens carrier in an animal model of severe acute alkaline burn.

    PubMed

    Espandar, Ladan; Caldwell, Delmar; Watson, Richard; Blanco-Mezquita, Tomas; Zhang, Shijia; Bunnell, Bruce

    2014-07-01

    To evaluate the therapeutic effect of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) overlaid on a scleral contact lens (SCL) carrier in a rabbit model of ocular alkaline burn. After inducing alkaline burn in 11 New Zealand white rabbits, hASCs cultured on SCLs were placed on the right eye of 5 rabbits, SCLs without cells were used in 5, and no treatment was applied in 1 eye. Each eye was examined and photographed for corneal vascularization, opacities, and epithelial defect in week 1, 2, and 4 after surgery. After 1 month, rabbits were killed and the corneas were removed and cut in half for electron and light microscopy examination. Human adipose-derived stem cells were attached to SCL surface and confluent easily. Human adipose-derived stem cells on SCL eyes showed smaller epithelial defect, less corneal opacity, corneal neovascularization relative to SCL eyes. Both groups showed no symblepharon. However, the cornea in the untreated eye was melted in 2 weeks and developed severe symblepharon. Human adipose-derived stem cells on SCL can reduce inflammation and corneal haziness in severe ocular alkaline burn injury in rabbits.

  12. Application of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells on Scleral Contact Lens Carrier in an Animal Model of Severe Acute Alkaline Burn

    PubMed Central

    Espandar, Ladan; Caldwell, Delmar; Watson, Richard; Blanco-Mezquita, Tomas; Zhang, Shijia; Bunnell, Bruce

    2015-01-01

    Purpose To evaluate the therapeutic effect of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) overlaid on a scleral contact lens (SCL) carrier in a rabbit model of ocular alkaline burn. Materials and Methods After inducing alkaline burn in 11 New Zealand white rabbits, hASCs cultured on SCLs were placed on the right eye of 5 rabbits, SCLs without cells were used in 5, and no treatment was applied in 1 eye. Each eye was examined and photographed for corneal vascularization, opacities, and epithelial defect in week 1, 2, and 4 after surgery. After 1 month, rabbits were killed and the corneas were removed and cut in half for electron and light microscopy examination. Results Human adipose-derived stem cells were attached to SCL surface and confluent easily. Human adipose-derived stem cells on SCL eyes showed smaller epithelial defect, less corneal opacity, corneal neovascularization relative to SCL eyes. Both groups showed no symblepharon. However, the cornea in the untreated eye was melted in 2 weeks and developed severe symblepharon. Conclusion Human adipose-derived stem cells on SCL can reduce inflammation and corneal haziness in severe ocular alkaline burn injury in rabbits. PMID:24901976

  13. The levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and soluble epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (ECD/HER-2) in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma during clinical treatment.

    PubMed

    Rychłowska-Pruszyńska, Magdalena; Gajewska, Joanna; Ambroszkiewicz, Jadwiga; Karwacki, Marek; Szamotulska, Katarzyna

    2018-01-01

    Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and the extracelluar domain of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ECD/HER-2) measurements in pediatric patients with osteosarcoma as prospective prognostic and predictive markers for monitoring the treatment and early detection of disease recurrence. Material and methods: We studied 22 patients (5 girls, 17 boys) aged 7-20 years with osteosarcoma (OS) treated at the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw. All the patients were evaluated for the serum levels of BALP and ECD/HER-2 before treatment, during pre- and postoperative chemotherapy and after the completion of treatment. Healthy children (n=22) were the reference group. The levels of BALP and ECD/HER-2 were measured using immunoenzymatic methods. Results: The values of BALP and ECD/HER-2 proteins were higher (p<0.01; p<0.05, respectively) in patients with osteosarcoma at the time of diagnosis compared with the control group. The values of both markers significantly decreased during chemotherapy in most patients with remission. In contrast to ECD/HER-2, the value of BALP after therapy was higher in patients with progression than with remission (p<0.001). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the different pattern of BALP and ECD/HER-2 proteins during clinical treatment in patients with osteosarcoma. Higher values of BALP may characterize the progression of the disease and unfavourable prognosis. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm the prognostic values of BALP and ECD/HER-2 proteins in this group of patients.

  14. Capacity enhancement of aqueous borohydride fuels for hydrogen storage in liquids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schubert, David; Neiner, Doinita; Bowden, Mark

    2015-10-01

    In this work we demonstrate enhanced hydrogen storage capacities through increased solubility of sodium borate product species in aqueous media achieved by adjusting the sodium (NaOH) to boron (B(OH) 3) ratio, i.e., M/B, to obtain a distribution of polyborate anions. For a 1:1 mole ratio of NaOH to B(OH) 3, M/B = 1, the ratio of the hydrolysis product formed from NaBH 4 hydrolysis, the sole borate species formed and observed by 11B NMR is sodium metaborate, NaB(OH) 4. When the ratio is 1:3 NaOH to B(OH) 3, M/B = 0.33, a mixture of borate anions is formed and observedmore » as a broad peak in the 11B NMR spectrum. The complex polyborate mixture yields a metastable solution that is difficult to crystallize. Given the enhanced solubility of the polyborate mixture formed when M/B = 0.33 it should follow that the hydrolysis of sodium octahydrotriborate, NaB 3H 8, can provide a greater storage capacity of hydrogen for fuel cell applications compared to sodium borohydride while maintaining a single phase. Accordingly, the hydrolysis of a 23 wt% NaB 3H 8 solution in water yields a solution having the same complex polyborate mixture as formed by mixing a 1:3 molar ratio of NaOH and B(OH) 3 and releases >8 eq of H 2. By optimizing the M/B ratio a complex mixture of soluble products, including B 3O 3(OH) 5 2-, B 4O 5(OH) 4 2-, B 3O 3(OH) 4-, B 5O 6(OH) 4- and B(OH) 3, can be maintained as a single liquid phase throughout the hydrogen release process. Consequently, hydrolysis of NaB 3H 8 can provide a 40% increase in H 2 storage density compared to the hydrolysis of NaBH 4 given the decreased solubility of sodium metaborate. The authors would like to thank Jim Sisco and Paul Osenar of Protonex Inc. for useful discussion regarding liquid hydrogen storage materials for portable power applications and the U.S. DoE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office for their continued interest in liquid hydrogen storage carriers. Pacific Northwest

  15. Release kinetics of esterified p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid from rice straw in mild alkaline solution.

    PubMed

    Linh, Tran Ngoc; Fujita, Hirokata; Sakoda, Akiyoshi

    2017-05-01

    The release kinetics of esterified p-coumaric acid (PCA) and ferulic acid (FA) from rice straw under a mild alkaline condition were investigated to collect fundamental data for the design of a recovery process. The results showed that the straw size, NaOH concentration, and temperature were the key parameters governing release kinetics. The analysis demonstrated that FA is released considerably faster than PCA. The close relationship between lignin and the PCA dissolution indicates a reciprocal and/or simultaneous release. Moreover, PCA is broadly distributed in the lignin network but tends to be located more densely in the lignin fraction which is not easily solubilized by alkaline treatment. In contrast, the release of FA is strongly affected by removal of lignin fraction which is easily solubilized. These results suggest that the release kinetics are controlled by the accessibility of NaOH to their ester sites in the lignin/hemicellulose network, and by their localization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Alkaline phosphatase activity in salivary gland cells of Rhodnius neglectus and R. prolixus (Hemiptera, Triatominae).

    PubMed

    Lima-Oliveira, A P M; Alevi, K C C; Anhê, A C B; Azeredo-Oliveira, M T V

    2016-07-29

    Alkaline phosphatase activity was detected in salivary gland cells of the Rhodnius neglectus Lent, 1954, and R. prolixus Stal, 1859, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 (etiological agent of Chagas disease) and T. rangeli Tejera, 1920 (pathogenic to insect). The Gomori technique was used to demonstrate alkaline phosphatase activity. Alkaline phosphatase activity was observed throughout the entire gland, with an increased activity in the posterior region of the principal gland. In particular, phosphatase activity was found in the nucleolar corpuscles, suggesting a relationship with the rRNA transcription and ribosomal biogenesis. Alkaline phosphatase was also detected in the nuclear membrane and nuclear matrix, suggesting an association with the nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of ribonucleoproteins and the mechanisms of cell cycle and DNA replication, respectively. This study highlights the importance of alkaline phosphatase in the salivary gland of R. prolixus and R. neglectus and emphasizes its importance in secretory activity. Secretory activity is directly involved in hematophagy and, consequently, in development during metamorphosis. The observed presence of alkaline phosphatase suggests its involvement in the production of saliva allowing feeding of these insects that are important vectors of Chagas disease.

  17. Relation of placental alkaline phosphatase expression in human term placenta with maternal and offspring fat mass.

    PubMed

    Hirschmugl, Birgit; Crozier, Sarah; Matthews, Nina; Kitzinger, Eva; Klymiuk, Ingeborg; Inskip, Hazel M; Harvey, Nicholas C; Cooper, Cyrus; Sibley, Colin P; Glazier, Jocelyn; Wadsack, Christian; Godfrey, Keith M; Desoye, Gernot; Lewis, Rohan M

    2018-06-13

    Alkaline phosphatase is implicated in intestinal lipid transport and in the development of obesity. Placental alkaline phosphatase is localised to the microvillous plasma membrane of the placental syncytiotrophoblast at the maternal-fetal interface, but its role is unclear. We investigated the relations of placental alkaline phosphatase activity and mRNA expression with maternal body composition and offspring fat mass in humans. Term human placentas from the UK Birthright cohort (n = 52) and the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS) (n = 95) were studied. In the Birthright cohort, alkaline phosphatase activity was measured in placental microvillous plasma membrane vesicles. In the SWS, alkaline phosphatase mRNA was measured using Nanostring. Alkaline phosphatase gene expression was compared to other lipid-related genes. In Birthright samples placental microvillous plasma membrane alkaline phosphatase activity was positively associated with maternal triceps skinfold thickness and BMI (β = 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01-0.06) and β = 0.02 (0.00-0.03) µmol/mg protein/min per SD, P = 0.002 and P = 0.05, respectively) after adjusting for potential confounders. In SWS samples placental alkaline phosphatase mRNA expression in term placenta was positively associated with maternal triceps skinfold (β = 0.24 (0.04, 0.44) SD/SD, P = 0.02), had no association with neonatal %fat mass (β = 0.01 (-0.20 to 0.21) SD/SD, P = 0.93) and was negatively correlated with %fat mass at ages 4 (β = -0.28 (-0.52 to -0.04) SD/SD, P = 0.02), 6-7 (β = -0.25 (-0.49 to -0.02) SD/SD, P = 0.03) years. When compared with placental expression of other genes, alkaline phosphatase expression was positively related to genes including the lysophosphatidylcholine transporter MFSD2A (major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A, P < 0.001) and negatively related to genes including the fatty acid transport proteins 2 and 3 (P = 0.001, P < 0

  18. Endurance test and evaluation of alkaline water electrolysis cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Burke, K. A.; Schubert, F. H.

    1981-01-01

    Utilization in the development of multi-kW low orbit power systems is discussed. The following technological developments of alkaline water electrolysis cells for space power application were demonstrated: (1) four 92.9 cm2 single water electrolysis cells, two using LST's advanced anodes and two using LST's super anodes; (2) four single cell endurance test stands for life testing of alkaline water electrolyte cells; (3) the solid performance of the advanced electrode and 355 K; (4) the breakthrough performance of the super electrode; (5) the four single cells for over 5,000 hours each significant cell deterioration or cell failure. It is concluded that the static feed water electrolysis concept is reliable and due to the inherent simplicity of the passive water feed mechanism coupled with the use of alkaline electrolyte has greater potential for regenerative fuel cell system applications than alternative electrolyzers. A rise in cell voltage occur after 2,000-3,000 hours which was attributed to deflection of the polysulfone end plates due to creepage of the thermoplastic. More end plate support was added, and the performance of the cells was restored to the initial performance level.

  19.  Alkaline phosphatase normalization is a biomarker of improved survival in primary sclerosing cholangitis.

    PubMed

    Hilscher, Moira; Enders, Felicity B; Carey, Elizabeth J; Lindor, Keith D; Tabibian, James H

    2016-01-01

     Introduction. Recent studies suggest that serum alkaline phosphatase may represent a prognostic biomarker in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis. However, this association remains poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance and clinical correlates of alkaline phosphatase normalization in primary sclerosing cholangitis. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with a new diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis made at an academic medical center. The primary endpoint was time to hepatobiliaryneoplasia, liver transplantation, or liver-related death. Secondary endpoints included occurrence of and time to alkaline phosphatase normalization. Patients who did and did not achieve normalization were compared with respect to clinical characteristics and endpoint-free survival, and the association between normalization and the primary endpoint was assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards analyses. Eighty six patients were included in the study, with a total of 755 patient-years of follow-up. Thirty-eight patients (44%) experienced alkaline phosphatase normalization within 12 months of diagnosis. Alkaline phosphatase normalization was associated with longer primary endpoint-free survival (p = 0.0032) and decreased risk of requiring liver transplantation (p = 0.033). Persistent normalization was associated with even fewer adverse endpoints as well as longer survival. In multivariate analyses, alkaline phosphatase normalization (adjusted hazard ratio 0.21, p = 0.012) and baseline bilirubin (adjusted hazard ratio 4.87, p = 0.029) were the only significant predictors of primary endpoint-free survival. Alkaline phosphatase normalization, particularly if persistent, represents a robust biomarker of improved long-term survival and decreased risk of requiring liver transplantation in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

  20. Nature of immobilization surface affects antibody specificity to placental alkaline phosphatase.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Mukesh; Khan, Imran; Sinha, Subrata

    2015-01-01

    Retention of native conformation of immobilized protein is essential for various applications including selection and detection of specific recombinant antibodies (scFvs). Placental alkaline phosphatase (PAP), an onco-fetal antigen expressed on the surface of several tumors, was immobilized on supermagnetic particles for selection of recombinant antibodies from a human phage display antibody library. The isolated antibodies were found to be cross-reactive to either of the isozymes of alkaline phosphatase, i.e., bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) or intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) and could not be used for tumor targeting. A specific anti-PAP monoclonal antibody H17E2 was tested for retention of specificity under these conditions. Binding of the antibody to magnetic beads conjugated IAP and BAP along with PAP and the ability of the two isozymes to inhibit its binding to PAP depicted the loss of isozyme specificity of the antibody. However, the antibody retained its specificity to PAP immobilized on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) surface. Enzyme activity was observed on both surfaces. This demonstrates that nature of immobilization may affect antigen-antibody binding in subtle ways, resulting in alteration of conformation of the epitopes. This may have consequences for determining the specificity of antibody binding for proteins that share a high degree of homology.