Select metal adsorption by activated carbon made from peanut shells

Agricultural by-products, such as peanut shells, contribute large quantities of lignocellulosic waste to the environment each growing season; but few, if any, value-added uses exist for their disposal. The objective of this study was to convert peanut shells to activated carbons for use in adsorption of select metal ions, namely, cadmium (Cd2+), copper (Cu2+), lead (Pb2+), nickel (Ni2+) and zinc (Zn2+). Milled peanut shells were pyrolyzed in an inert atmosphere of nitrogen gas, and then activated with steam at different activation times. Following pyrolysis and activation, the carbons underwent air oxidation. The prepared carbons were evaluated either for adsorption efficiency or adsorption capacity; and these parameters were compared to the same parameters obtained from three commercial carbons, namely, DARCO 12x20, NORIT C GRAN and MINOTAUR. One of the peanut shell-based carbons had metal ion adsorption efficiencies greater than two of the three commercial carbons but somewhat less than but close to Minotaur. This study demonstrates that peanut shells can serve as a source for activated carbons with metal ion-removing potential and may serve as a replacement for coal-based commercial carbons in applications that warrant their use.     

Accelerated ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae with addition of activated carbon

Fermentation with the addition of activated carbon at 100 g l^–1 promoted the glucose consumption and ethanol production rates of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by 1.3 and 1.1 times, respectively. With fermentation using spent medium, the consumption rate was maintained at 90% of that in the fresh medium with the addition of activated carbon, while the rate without any addition decreased to about 70%.     

pH effects on the adsorption of saxitoxin by powdered activated carbon

Increasing occurrence of cyanotoxins in surface waters worldwide pose significant problems, including those for drinking water utilities. In this study, the removal of saxitoxin (STX) from three different powdered activated carbons (PACs) was studied. STX is one of the most toxic paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), albeit not the most prevalent. The results showed that a wide range of non-electrostatic and electrostatic interactions appeared to play a role in the sorption of STX on PAC, depending on the solution pH, NOM concentration, and other factors. A bituminous coal-based PAC, that was studied in greatest detail, showed a trend of increasing sorption capacity for STX with increasing pH. NOM appeared to significantly inhibit adsorption when the pH was nearly neutral (e.g. 7.05), yet it had less effect at higher pH levels of 8.2 and 10.7.     

Prediction of adsorption from multicomponent solutions by activated carbon using single-solute parameters

The adsorption of 3 barbiturates—phenobarbital, mephobarbital, and primidone—from simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), without pancreatin, by activated carbon was studied using the rotating bottle method. The concentrations of each drug remaining in solution at equilibrium were determined with the aid of a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system employing a reversed-phase column. The competitive Langmuir-like model, the modified competitive Langmuir-like model, and the LeVan-Vermeulen model were each fit to the data. Excellent agreement was obtained between the experimental and predicted data using the modified competitive Langmuir-like model and the LeVan-Vermeulen model. The agreement obtained from the original competitive Langmuir-like model was less satisfactory. These observations are not surprising because the competitive Langmuir-like model assumes that the capacities of the adsorbates are equal, while the other 2 models take into account the differences in the capacities of the components. The results of these studies indicate that the adsorbates employed are competing for the same binding sites on the activated carbon surface. The results also demonstrate that it is possible to accurately predict multicomponent adsorption isotherms using only single-solute isotherm parameters. Such prediction is likely to be useful for improving in vivo/in vitro correlations.     

Ammonia adsorption in a fixed bed of activated carbon

The rise in atmospheric pollution caused by gases such as ammonia has led many researchers to conduct studies aimed at decreasing or treating the emissions of such polluting gases. The present work attempted to study the adsorption of ammonia in the fixed bed of activated carbon as a means to treat its emissions. The effects of the initial concentration of ammonia (C0) and of the bed temperature (TL) on the adsorption of ammonia by the activated carbon were also considered. Adsorption capacity of activated carbon was determined using data from the breakthrough curves and from a balance of mass in the bed. Adsorption capacities were obtained employing the Langmuir and Freudlich isotherms. The results showed that within the NH3 concentration range of 600-2400 ppm, adsorption capacity varied from 0.6 to 1.8 mg NH3/g carbon at 40 degrees C, from 0.2 to 0.7 mg NH3/g carbon at 80 degrees C and from 0.15 to 0.35 mg NH3/g carbon at 120 degrees C. These numbers highlight the tendency toward a lower adsorption capacity with the decrease in temperature. As to mass of the bed, this latter variable had no significant influence over adsorption capacity.     

Removal of reactive dyes from wastewater by adsorption on coir pith activated carbon

The removal efficiency of activated carbon prepared from coir pith towards three highly used reactive dyes in textile industry was investigated. Batch experiments showed that the adsorption of dyes increased with an increase in contact time and carbon dose. Maximum de-colorisation of all the dyes was observed at acidic pH. Adsorption of dyes was found to follow the Freundlich model. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption followed first order and the values of the Lagergren rate constants of the dyes were in the range of 1.77 x 10(-2)-2.69 x 10(-2)min(-1). The column experiments using granular form of the carbon (obtained by agglomeration with polyvinyl acetate) showed that adsorption efficiency increased with an increase in bed depth and decrease of flow rate. The bed depth service time (BDST) analysis carried out for the dyes indicated a linear relationship between bed depth and service time. The exhausted carbon could be completely regenerated and put to repeated use by elution with 1.0M NaOH. The coir pith activated carbon was not only effective in removal of colour but also significantly reduced COD levels of the textile wastewater.     

Efficient utilization of Eucheuma denticulatum hydrolysates using an activated carbon adsorption process for ethanol production in a 5-L fermentor

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - A total monosaccharide concentration of 37.8 g/L and 85.9% conversion from total fermentable monosaccharides of 44.0 g/L from...     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by adsorption onto activated carbon

Laboratory scale experiments were carried out to produce and characterise biofuel from tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) oil. Transesterification of tigernut oil afforded methyl and ethyl esters, which had fuel properties similar to common biofuels, hence tigernut could be utilised as an alternative renewable energy resource.     

Removal of molybdate from water by adsorption onto ZnCl2 activated coir pith carbon

Removal and recovery of molybdate from aqueous solution was investigated using ZnCl2 activated carbon developed from coir pith. Studies were conducted to delineate the effects of contact time, adsorbent dose, molybdate concentration, pH and temperature. Two theoretical adsorption isotherms, namely, Langmuir and Freundlich were used to describe the experimental results. The Langmuir adsorption capacity (Q0) was found to be 18.9 mg molybdate/g of the adsorbent. Adsorption followed second order kinetics. Studies were performed at different pH values to find out the pH at which maximum adsorption occurred. The pH effect and desorption studies showed that ion exchange and chemisorption mechanism were involved in the adsorption process. Thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaG0, DeltaH0 and DeltaS0 for the adsorption were evaluated. Effect of foreign ions on adsorption of molybdate has been examined. The results showed that ZnCl2 activated coir pith carbon was effective for the removal and recovery of molybdate from water.     

Critical factors affecting ethanol production by immobilized Pichia stipitis using corn cob hemicellulosic hydrolysate

Fermentation of xylose from hydrolysate of acid-treated corn cob by Pichia stipitis is inhibited by acetic acid and lignin derivatives. In the present study, we have designed and implemented an immobilized cell culture for xylose to ethanol conversion from acid-treated corn cob hydrolysate without the removal of fermentation inhibitors. In this study, cultivations of suspended and immobilized Pichia were compared in terms of ethanol yield and productivity to investigate whether the cell immobilization could improve resistance to inhibitors. Cell immobilization clearly favored the fermentative metabolism in nondetoxified corn cob hydrolysate leading to an improvement of twofold ethanol productivity as compared to that achieved with suspension culture. Calcium alginate as an immobilization matrix was selected to immobilize Pichia cells. Concentrations of sodium alginate, calcium chloride, and fermentor agitation speed were optimized for ethanol production using statistical method. Statistical analysis showed that agitation speed had maximum influence on ethanol production by immobilized Pichia cells. In comparison to suspension culture, immobilization had a positive impact on the fermentative metabolism of Pichia, improving the ethanol yield from 0.40 to 0.43?g/g and productivity from 0.31 to 0.51?g/L/h for acid-treated corn cob hydrolysate.     

Simulation study of methanol and ethanol adsorption on graphitized carbon black

GCMC simulations are applied to the adsorption of sub-critical methanol and ethanol on graphitized carbon black at 300 K. The carbon black was modelled both with and without carbonyl functional groups. Large differences are seen between the amounts adsorbed for different carbonyl configurations at low pressure prior to monolayer coverage. Once a monolayer has been formed on the carbon black, the adsorption behaviour is similar between the model surfaces with and without functional groups. Simulation isotherms for the case of low carbonyl concentrations or no carbonyls are qualitatively similar to the few experimental isotherms available in the literature for methanol and ethanol adsorption on highly graphitized carbon black. Isosteric heats and adsorbed phase heat capacities are shown to be very sensitive to carbonyl configurations. A maximum is observed in the adsorbed phase heat capacity of the alcohols for all simulations but is unrealistically high for the case of a plain graphite surface. The addition of carbonyls to the surface greatly reduces this maximum and approaches experimental data with carbonyl concentration as low as 0.09 carbonyls/nm².     

Physicochemical and biological factors affecting atmospheric methane oxidation in gray forest soils

The decline of methane oxidizing activities in gray forest soil upon its conversion into arable land was shown to be caused by major changes in biotic and physicochemical properties of soil. Using the method of immune serums, methane-oxidizing bacteria were detected in both forest and agricultural soils, but their populations differed significantly in both abundance and composition. In the forest soil, the number of methanotrophs was an order of magnitude higher than in arable soil, amounting to 3.5 × 10⁸ and 0.24 × 10⁸ cells/g soil, respectively. All methane-oxidizing bacteria identified in the forest soil belonged to the genus Methylocystis, and 94% of these were represented by a single species, M. parvus. The arable soil was dominated by type I methanotrophs (Methylobacter and Methylomonas, 67.6%), occurring along with bacteria of the genus Methylocystis. In addition, arable soil is characterized by a low content of microbial biomass, lower porosity and water resistance of soil aggregates, and the predominance of nitrogen mineralization processes over those of nitrogen immobilization. These factors can also contribute to lower rates of methane oxidation in arable soil as compared to forest soil.__________Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 74, No. 2, 2005, pp. 255–260.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kravchenko, Semenov, Kuznetsova, Bykova, Dulov, Pardini, Gispert, Boeckx, Cleemput, Galchenko.     

Degradation of phenol by a defined mixed culture immobilized by adsorption on activated carbon and sintered glass

Summary A defined mixed culture of the yeast Cryptococcus elinovii H1 and the bacterium Pseudomonas putida P8 was immobilized by adsorption on activated carbon and sintered glass, respectively. Depending on its adsorption capacity for phenol the activated carbon system could completely degrade 17 g/l in batch culture, whereas the sintered glass system was able to degrade phenol up to 4 g/l. During semicontinuous degradation of phenol (1 g/l) both systems reached constant degradation times with the fourth batch that lasted 8 h when using the activated carbon system and 10 h in the sintered glass system. In the course of continuous degradation of phenol the activated carbon system reached a maximum degradation rate of 9.2 g l^–1 day^–1 compared to 6.4 g l^–1 day^–1degraded by the sintered glass system. 2-Hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde could be identified and quantitatively determined as a metabolite of phenol degradation by P. putida P8. Increased membrane permeability under the influence of phenol was demonstrated by the examination of K⁺ efflux from P. putida P8. Offprint requests to: H.-J. Rehm     

Energetic factors affecting carbon dioxide fixation in isolated chloroplasts

Light- and HCO₃⁻-saturated (10 millimolar) rates of O₂ evolution (120 to 220 micromoles O₂ per milligram chlorophyll per hour), obtained with intact spinach chloroplasts, are decreased up to 3-fold by changes in assay conditions such as omission of catalase from the medium, the use of high (≥1 millimolar) inorganic phosphate, inclusion of NO₂⁻ as an electron acceptor, or bright illumination at low partial pressures of O₂. These inhibitions may be reversed by addition of uncoupling levels of NH₄Cl or of antimycin concentrations that partially block cyclic electron transfer between cytochrome b₆ and cytochrome f. Measurements of the pH gradient across the thylakoid membrane with the fluorescent probe, 9-aminoacridine, indicate that changes in ΔpH are sufficient to account for both the inhibited and restored rates of electron transport. It follows that the rate of HCO₃⁻-saturated photosynthesis may be restricted by a proton gradient back pressure under these conditions.     

Prediction of adsorption from multicomponent solutions by activated carbon using single-solute parameters. Part II--Proposed equation

Prediction of multicomponent adsorption is still one of the most challenging problems in the adsorption field. Many models have been proposed and employed to obtain multicomponent isotherms from single-component equilibrium data. However, most of these models were based on either unrealistic assumptions or on empirical equations with no apparent definition. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a multicomponent adsorption model based on a thermodynamically consistent equation, and to validate that model using experimental data. Three barbiturates--phenobarbital, mephobarbital, and primidone--were combined to form a ternary system. The adsorption of these barbiturates from simulated intestinal fluid (without pancreatin) by activated carbon was studied using the rotating bottle method. The concentrations, both before and after the attainment of equilibrium, were determined with a high-performance liquid chromatography system employing a reversed-phase column. The proposed equation and the competitive Langmuir-like equation were both fit to the data. A very good correlation was obtained between the experimental data and the calculated data using the proposed equation. The results obtained from the original competitive Langmuir-like model were less satisfactory. These results suggest that the proposed equation can successfully predict the trisolute isotherms of the barbituric acid derivatives employed in this study.     

Bioregeneration of granular activated carbon in simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation of chlorophenols

The objectives of this study are to obtain the time courses of the amount of chlorophenol adsorbed onto granular activated carbon (GAC) in the simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation processes involving 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), respectively, and to quantify the bioregeneration efficiency of GAC loaded with 4-CP and 2,4-DCP by direct measurement of the amount of chlorophenol adsorbed onto GAC. Under abiotic and biotic conditions, the time courses of the amount of chlorophenol adsorbed onto GAC at various GAC dosages for the initial 4-CP and 2,4-DCP concentrations below and above the biomass acclimated concentrations of 300 and 150 mg/L, respectively, were determined. The results show that the highest bioregeneration efficiency was achieved provided that the initial adsorbate concentration was lower than the acclimated concentration. When the initial adsorbate concentration was higher than the acclimated concentration, the highest bioregeneration efficiency was achieved if excess adsorbent was used.     

Preparation of peptide mixture with high Fischer ratio from protein hydrolysate by adsorption on activated carbon.

A peptide mixture with a high Fischer ratio (a molar ratio of Val + Leu + Ile to Phe + Tyr) was prepared by the adsorptive separation of a casein hydrolysate by activated carbon. The effects of the pH and ethanol content of the hydrolysate on the Fischer ratio and on the yield of the resulting peptide mixture were examined. A peptide mixture with the Fischer ratio of 31.6 was obtained at pH 2.5 without the addition of ethanol. The Fischer ratio was close to the ratio of the infusion solution of free amino acids that is now used for patients with liver diseases.     

湿地碳排放及其影响因素

湿地生态系统在全球碳循环中起着重要作用.湿地独特的土壤、水文和植被条件,使得其在低氧环境下能不断累积碳,并同时释放大量温室气体——CH4和CO2,因此湿地的碳排放近年来成为全球气候变化研究关注的重点问题.湿地的土壤状况、水文条件及植被类型的不同导致湿地CH4和CO2的排放具有极强的时空变异性.土壤温度与CH4和CO2排放呈正相关关系;水位条件对湿地温室气体的排放有一定影响,在一定范围内,土壤的厌氧环境导致CH4排放量增大,CO2排放量减小;植被影响到温室气体产生、氧化和排放各个方面,因物种而异.