Journal of Water and Environmental Nanotechnology

75-83

Authors: Taher Yousefi; Meisam Torab-Mostaedi; Amir Charkhi; Abolfazl Aghaei

An uptake of Cd(II) from aqueous solutions by ion exchange on Iranian natural zeolitic (TOSKA) has been studied. Experiments were carried out using batch method as a function of the initial concentration of metal ions, contact time, and temperature. The adsorbent is characterized using XRF, FTIR, TEM, and XRD. The TEM images showed that the zeolite particle sizes are reduced into the size range of less than 90 nm by means of ball milling. The characterization of sample indicates that the natural zeolite used in this study was classified into clinoptilolite. Equilibrium modelling data were fitted to linear Langmuir and Freundlich models. Thermodynamics parameters such as change in free energy (ΔG◦), enthalpy (ΔH◦) and entropy (ΔS◦) were also calculated. The negative values obtained for ΔG◦ indicated that the sorption of Cd(II) on natural zeolite was spontaneous at all studied concentrations. These results show that natural zeolites hold great potential to remove Cd(II) from industrial wastewater.

91-103

Authors: Smitha Vijayan; Divya Koilaparambil; Tijith K George; Jisha Manakulam Shaikmoideen

The present study establish extracellular production of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) using Fusarium solani, from medicinal plant Withania somnifera (L.) (ashwagandha) and it’s antibacterial and cytotoxicity effects. Biological- AgNP (Bio- AgNP) were synthesized by using fungal cell free extract and characterized by SEM, TEM, UV spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR and AFM analysis. Antibacterial properties were assayed by well diffusion and cytotoxicity by RBC lysis test and MTT assay respectively. X- ray diffraction and microscopic analysis revealed the well dispersed and crystalline nature of spherical nanoparticles with a calculated size ranging from 10 - 50 nm. The Bio-AgNP exhibited significant antibacterial properties in a range of 50-100 µgml-1 against the selected clinical pathogens Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The observed hemolysis of 3.906 % at 50 µg ml-1 suggested the safe therapeutic application of Bio - AgNP. MTT assay revealed that at the suggeseted concentration 69 % of cells are viable. These outcomes are extremely encouraging to utilize Bio-AgNP as a medication. Exploiting the endophytic organisms from therapeutic plants for improvement of nanomaterial is a uninvestigated and relatively novel territory. This may improve the likelihood in future to push the limit ahead in nanomedicine.

116-123

Authors: Eduarda Regina Carvalho ; Wilson Tadeu Lopes da Silva

A sensor system, adapted to evaluate tap water, was fabricated and tested. Interdigitated gold-coated microelectrodes were covered with various conducting polymers, single or mixed, under several different conditions. Polymer films were laid down by a self-assembly technique and their impedance was analyzed over a range of frequencies from 1Hz to 1MHz. Samples collected from different localities at São Paulo state (Brazil) were used. The results of sensorial system analyzed by Principal Component Analysis had allowed completing discrimination of tap water samples. Good discrimination between the sensors was observed when there was obtained a PCA with different samples, obtaining the total variance (PC1 = 62.03%; PC2 = 37.97%) of the observations. The sensorial system based in global selectivity using interdigitated electrode and nanostruturated conducting polymers allowed a statistical discrimination of sample waters of different locations. The future expectations are the upgrading of the system and implementation of a monitoring of tap water systems based nanostructured sensors.

135-144

Authors: Zahra Sarteep1 ; Azadeh Ebrahimian Pirbazari 1 2 ; Mohammad Ali Aroon

Hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles containing different amounts of silver were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM/EDX) techniques. XRD results showed prepared samples include 100% anatase phase. The presence of silver in TiO2 nanoparticle network was established by XRD, SEM/EDX and FT-IR techniques. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared catalysts was tested for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) under visible light.. The experiments demonstrated that 2,4-DCP was effectively degraded in the presence of Ag/TiO2 samples. It was confirmed that the presence of Ag on TiO2 catalysts could enhance the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-DCP in aqueous suspension. It was found that an optimal dosage of 1.68 wt% Ag in TiO2 achieved the fastest 2,4-DCP degradation (95% after 180 min irradiation) under the experimental conditions. On the basis of various characterizations of the photocatalysts, the reactions involved to explain the photocatalytic activity enhancement due to Ag doping include a better separation of photogenerated charge carriers. GC-MS analysis showed the major intermediates of 2,4-DCP degradation are simple acids like oxalic acid, acetic acid, etc. as the final products.