Optimization of Extraction Conditions of Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Activated Sludge

[Objective] To explore the optimal extraction conditions of extracellular polymeric substances （EPS） from activated sludge. [Method] The efficiency of five methods （H2SO4, formaldehyde-NaOH, mixing, heating and NaOH） on the extraction of EPS was investigated comparatively. The optimal extraction conditions of the most suitable method were determined. [Result] NaOH method is most effective in extracting EPS with less DNA contamination and shortened extraction period. The optimal extraction condition was pH of 11, extraction time of 10 min and agitation speed of 80-120 r/min. [Conclusion] The determined optimal extraction condition provided theoretical basis for EPS study.

Functions and behaviors of activated sludge extracellular polymeric substances (EPS): a promising environmental interest

Extracellular polymeric substances （EPS） are the predominant constituents of activated sludge and represent up to 80% of the mass of activated sludge. They play a crucial role in the flocculation, settling and dewatering of activated sludge. Furthermore, EPS also show great efficiency in binding heavy metals. So EPS are key factors influencing reduction in sludge volume and mass, as well as activity and utilization of sludge. EPS are of considerable environmental interest and hundreds of articles on EPS have been published abroad, while information on EPS in China is limited. In this paper, results of over 60 publications related to constituents and characteristics of EPS and their influences on flocculation, settling and dewatering of sludge are compiled and analyzed. Metal-binding ability of EPS is also discussed, together with a brief consideration of possible research interests in the future.

Relationship between polymerization degree and cementitious activity of iron ore tailings

The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between the polymerization degree and cememitious activity of iron ore tailings. In light of the poor usage of iron ore tailings, stockpile samples from Tangshan were studied in terms of their ability to become cementitious materials. Compound thermal activation was used to improve the cementitious properties of the tailings, while analyzing methods, such as X-ray diffraction （XRD）, infrared spectroscopy （IR）, nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR）, and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer （XPS）, were employed to study the changes in phase and structure under different activation conditions. The results reveal clear relationships between the binding energies of Si2p and O 1 s, polymerization degree, and cementitious activity of iron ore tailings.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMER-BASED SPHERICAL ACTIVATED CARBONS

A series of spherical activated carbons(SACs)with different pore structures were prepared from chloromethylated polydivinylbenzene by ZnCl_2 activation.The effects of activation temperature and retention time on the yield and textural properties of the resulting SACs were studied.All the SACs are generated with high yield of above 65% and exhibit relatively high mesopore fraction(me%)of 35.7%-43.6% compared with conventional activated carbons.The sample zlc28 prepared at 800℃for 2 h has the largest BET surf...

Estimation of the Isotherms of Phenol on Activated Carbons and Polymeric Adsorbents under Supercritical Condition

A method named as 'volume-expanding and pressure-reducing adsorption' is proposed. It can be used to measure the isotherms under supercritical condition. The adsorption isotherms of phenol on activated carbons and polymeric adsorbents are estimated and compared respectively for the systems of 'phenol-activated carbon-supercritical fluid CO2' and 'phenol-polymeric adsorbent-supercritical fluid CO2'. The results show that the amount of phenol adsorbed on the activated carbons and the polymeric adsorbents under the supercritical condition is much less than that under the general condition, which can be utilized to develop a technology regenerating the activated carbon with supercritical fluid. Moreover, the effects of ethyl alcohol, used as the third component, on the isotherms of phenol on the activated carbons and polymeric adsorbents under the supercritical condition are also investigated.

C-H bond activation of propane on Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) in Ga/H-ZSM-5 and its mechanistic implications

Propane dehydrogenation(PDH)on Ga/H-ZSM-5 catalysts is a promising reaction for propylene production,while the detail mechanism remains debatable.Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) stabilized by framework Al pairs have been identified as the most active species in Ga/H-ZSM-5 for PDH in our recent work.Here we demonstrate a strong correlation between the PDH activity and a fraction of Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) species corresponding to the infrared GaH band of higher wavenumber(GaHHW)in reduced Ga/H-ZSM-5,instead of the overall Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) species,by employing five H-ZSM-5 supports sourced differently with comparable Si/Al ratio.This disparity in Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) species stems from their differing capacity in completing the catalytic cycle.Spectroscopic results suggest that PDH proceeds via a two-step mechanism:(1)C-H bond activation of propane on H-Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) species(rate determining step);(2)β-hydride elimination of adsorbed propyl group,which only occurs on active Ga_(2)O_(2)^(2+) species corresponding to GaHHW.

Electrochemical Performance of Nickel Hydroxide/Activated Carbon Supercapacitors Using a Modified Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Alkaline Polymer Electrolyte

Polyvinyl alcohol （PVA）-sodium polyacrylate （PAAS）-KOH-H2O alkaline polymer electrolyte film with high ionic conductivity was prepared by a solution-casting method. Polymer Ni（OH）2/activated carbon （AC） hybrid supercapacitors with different electrode active material mass ratios （positive to negative） were fabricated using this alkaline polymer electrolyte, nickel hydroxide positive electrodes, and AC negative electrodes. Galvanostatic charge/ discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） methods were used to study the electrochemical performance of the capacitors, such as charge/discharge specific capacitance, rate charge/discharge ability, and charge/discharge cyclic stability. Experimental results showed that with the decreasing of active material mass ratio m（Ni（OH）2）/m（AC）, the charge/discharge specific capacitance increases, but the rate charge/discharge ability and the charge/discharge cyclic stability decrease.

STUDY ON THE MECHANISM OF 1-OCTENE ZIEGLER-NATTA POLYMERIZATION BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE CENTERS

The number of active centers (C_p)-t and k_p-t profiles of Solvay type TiCl_3 - AlR_3 (R=C_2H_5, i-C_4H_9) or Stauffer AA TiCl_3-Al (C_2H_5)_3 catalyzed 1-octene polymerization were determined by using an acetyl chloride quenching method as well as kinetic data. The results show that in the studied systems k_p decreases when C_p increases, indicating the presence of two or more types of different active centers. The C_(p^(-t)) plots of the Solvay TiCl_3-AlR_3 systems show the presence of both stable active centers and unstable centers which decay in the polymerization process. The phenomena are explained based on a model of active center plurality. The increases of C_p in the induction periods are also discussed.

Synthesis of optically active polymers bearing amino acid moieties by atom transfer radical polymerization

We report here an approach toward the synthesis of optically active polyacrylamide bearing amino acid moieties, poly[Nmethacryloyl L-leucine methyl ester] （PMALM）, with controlled average number molecular weight （Mn） and relatively narrow polydispersity index （PDI, Mw/Mn 〈 1.3） by atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP） using initiating system methyl 2-bromopropionate/CuBr/tris（2-dimethylaminoethyl） amine. The optical properties of the resulting polymers were evaluated from specific optical rotation value and CD spectra.

A NEW ACTIVE DIESTER FOR SELECTIVE POLYMERIZATION TO FORM FUNCTIONAL POLYAMIDES

A new synthetic route to polyamides and hydroxyl polyamides was established, based on the selecting (?)-acylation of three novel typical active diesters: the active diester of N-hydroxy- (?) 4-epoxy-5-cyclohexene-2, 3-dicarboximide( HOEC), such as N, N'-(temphthaloyldioxy) bis(1, 4- epoxy - 5 - cyclohexene- 2, 3 - dicarboximide.) ( PBOEC), N, N'- ( isophthaloyl - dioxy) bis (1,4-epoxy-5-cyclohexene-2, 3-dicarboximide)(IPBOEC) and N, N' -(adipoyldioxy) his (1,4-epoxy-5-cyclohexene-2, 3-dicarboximide) ( ADOEC)with aliphatic diamines and 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane. The polycondensation occurs at room temperature in solution without added catalyst. Dipolar aprotic solvents which include dimethyl sulfoxide, N- methyl - 2- pyrrolidone and dimethylformamide were used as solvents for polymerization. The selective N-acylation of two active diesters was performed as a model reaction study.

[(NHC)CrCl(μ-Cl)(THF)]_2 and(NHC)_2CrCl_2(NHC=1,3-Diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazole-2-ylidene):Syntheses,Structures,and Polymerization Activities

The preparation of divalent chromium N-heterocyclic carbene（NHC,1,3-diisopropyl4,5-dimethylimidazole-2-ylidene） compounds is reported.The reaction of 1：1 molar ratio of NHC with CrCl2 led to an isolation of [（NHC）CrCl（μ-Cl）（THF）]2（1）,while that of 2：1 ratio resulted in the formation of（NHC）2CrCl2（2）.1 can be considered as an intermediate in the formation of 2 and further converted into 2 by the addition of another equiv.of NHC.The reaction of 2 with CpNa afforded an ion pair compound [（NHC）2CrCp]＋[Cp]-（3）,indicating a strong coordination ability of NHC supplanting one of the ionic Cr-Cp bonding.In combination of methylalumoxane（MAO） as cocatalyst 1 and 2 both are active for catalyzing ethylene polymerization.

Propylene Polymerization by TiCl_4 Supported on Mg(OEt)_2 Activating with Ethanol/CO_2 System

In the preparation of catalyst for propylene polymerization, the Mg(OEt) 2 support was activated with ethanol/CO 2 system followed by solidification, and treated with TiCl 4 in the presence of ethylbenzoate as an internal donor(ID). The chemical compositions of the activated support and the prepared catalyst were examined in detail. During the dissolution of Mg(OEt) 2 support in ethanol medium with CO 2 bubbling, the structure of support changed to magnesium hydrocarbyl carbonate, (CH 3CH 2O) 2- x Mg(O (C O) OCH 2CH 3) x ( x = 1,2). The content of carbonated CO 2 in the activated support was dependent on the heat treatment in the solidification of support. In the preparation procedure of polymerization catalyst, the activated support was treated with TiCl 4 so that the structure of support was converted to MgCl 2 with the incorporation of ID. The polymerization behavior of the pre-pared catalyst was also studied in the presence of phenyltriethoxysilane as an external donor.

Monte Carlo Simulation of Propylene Polymerization (Ⅰ) Effects of Impurity on Propylene Polymerization

A comprehensive mechanism for propylene polymerization was proposed by considering the effects of main impurities in the material on propylene polymerization. According to the proposed mechanism, Monte Carlo simulation was employed to investigate the polymerization kinetics in order to determine the effects of the main impurities on the polymerization. Significant influences of the main impurities on the rate, number-average degree and controlling capability of hydrogen of the polymerization were analyzed.

Oxidative co-dehydrogenation of ethane and propane over h-BN as an effective means for C-H bond activation and mechanistic investigations

Hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN)is a highly selective catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkanes to produce the corresponding alkenes.Despite intense recent research effort,many aspects of the reaction mechanism,such as the observed supra-linear reaction order of alkanes,remain unresolved.In this work,we show that the introduction of a low concentration of propane in the feed of ethane oxidative dehydrogenation is able to enhance the C_(2)H_(6) conversion by 47%,indicating a shared reaction intermediate in the activation of ethane and propane.The higher activity of propane makes it the dominant radical generator in the oxidative co-dehydrogenation of ethane and propane(ODEP).This unique feature of the ODEP renders propane an effective probe molecule to deconvolute the two roles of alkanes in the dehydrogenation chemistry,i.e.,radical generator and substrate.Kinetic studies indicate that both the radical generation and the dehydrogenation pathways exhibit a first order kinetics toward the alkane partial pressure,leading to the observed second order kinetics of the overall oxidative dehydrogenation rate.With the steady-state approximation,a radical chain reaction mechanism capable of rationalizing observed reaction behaviors is proposed based on these insights.This work demonstrates the potential of ODEP as a strategy of both activating light alkanes in oxidative dehydrogenation on BN and mechanistic investigations.

Redox active polymer metal chelates for use in flexible symmetrical supercapacitors:Cobalt-containing poly(acrylic acid)polymer electrolytes

The novel polymer metal chelate electrolytes(polychelates)were prepared by incorporation of cobalt sulfate(Co)into poly(acrylic acid)(PAA)host matrix.Quasi-solid state supercapacitor devices were fabricated using polychelates,PAA-Co X(X:3,5,7,and 10)where X represents the doping fraction(w/w)of Co in PAA.All polymer metal electrolytes were showed excellent bending-stretching properties,thermal stability and electrochemical durability with an optimum ionic conductivity of 3.15×10^(-4) S cm^(-1).Hierarchically porous activated carbon and nano-sized conductive carbon were used to form carbon composite symmetrical device electrodes.The electric double-layer capacitor(EDLC)and redox reactions of Co-incorporated polychelates at the interfaces of porous activated carbon provided an optimum specific capacitance of 341.33 F g^(-1) with a device of PAA-Co7,which is at least 15 times enhancement compared to the device of pristine PAA.The PAA-Co7 device also provided energy density of 21.25 Wh kg^(-1) at a power density of 117.69 W kg^(-1).A prolonged cyclic stability of the device exhibited superior capacitive performance after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles and the maintained 90%of its initial performance.In addition,the supercapacitor with a dimension of 1.5 cm×3 cm containing PAA-Co7 successfully operated the red-blue-green(RGB)LED light.

Site-specific deposition creates electron-rich Pd atoms for unprecedented C-H activation in aerobic alcohol oxidation

Here,we demonstrate a photochemical strategy to site-specifically deposit Pd atoms on Au nanoparticles.The high-sensitivity low-energy ion scattering spectra combined with the X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal that the surface electronic structure of Pd can be continuously regulated by tailoring the Pd-to-Au molar ratio and the location of Pd atoms in Au Pd nanoparticles.It is revealed that electron-rich Pd atoms are considerably more active than the net Pd atoms in aerobic alcohol oxidation.Remarkably,the catalyst with the most electron-rich Pd sites(binding energy downshift:1.0 e V)exhibits an extremely high turnover frequency(~500000 h-1 vs 12000 h-1 for that with net Pd atoms)for solvent-free selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol,which is,to the best of our knowledge,the highest value ever reported.Kinetic studies reveal that electron-rich Pd atoms can accelerate the oxidation of benzyl alcohol by facilitating C-H cleavage,as indicated by the significant reduction in the activation energy as compared to net Pd atoms.

Conjugation of a zwitterionic polymer with dimethyl chains to lipase significantly increases the enzyme activity and stability

Enzyme-polymer conjugates are complex molecules with great practical significance.This work was designed to develop a novel enzyme-polymer conjugate by covalently coupling a zwitterionic polymer with side dimethyl chains(pID)to Candida rugosa lipase(CRL)via the reaction between the anhydrides of polymer chains with the amino groups of the enzyme.The resulting two CRL-pID conjugates with different pID grafting densities were investigated in term of the catalytic activity,stability and structural changes.In comparison with native CRL,both the CRL conjugates displayed 2.2 times higher activity than the native enzyme,and showed an increase in the maximum reaction rate(V_(max))and a decrease in the Michaelis constant(K_(m)),thus resulting in about three-fold increases in the catalytic efficiency(k_(cat)/K_(m)).These are mainly attributed to the activation of lipase by the hydrophobic alky side chains.Moreover,the thermostability and pH tolerance of the lipase conjugates were significantly enhanced due to the stabilizing effect of the zwitterion moieties.For instance,a five-fold increase of the enzyme half-life at 50℃ for the high-pID conjugated CRL was observed.Spectroscopic studies reveal that the pID conjugation protected the enzyme in the changes in its microenvironment and conformation,well correlating with enhanced activity and stability of lipase conjugates.The findings indicate that enzyme conjugation to the zwitterionic polymer is promising for improving enzyme performance and deserves further development.

A Mechanistic Switch in C-H Bond Activation by Elusive Fe^(V)(O)(TAML)Reaction Intermediate:A Theoretical Study

The divergent behavior of C-H bond oxidations of aliphatic substrates compared to those of aromatic substrates shown in Gupta’s experiment was mechanistically studied herein by means of density functional theory calculations.Our calculations reveal that such difference is caused by different reaction mechanisms between two kinds of substrates(the aliphatic cyclohexane,2,3-dimethylbutane and the aromatic toluene,ethylbenzene and cumene).For the aliphatic substrates,C-H oxidation by the oxidant Fe^(V)(O)(TAML)is a hydrogen atom transfer process;whereas for the aromatic substrates,C-H oxidation is a proton-coupled electron transfer(PCET)process with a proton transfer character on the transition state,that is,a proton-coupled electron transfer process holding a proton transfer-like transition state(PCET(PT)).This difference is caused by the strongπ-πinteractions between the tetra-anionic TAML ring and the phenyl ring of the aromatic substrates,which has a“pull”effect to make the electron transfer from substrates to the Fe=O moiety inefficient.

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Antitumor Activity of a New Coordination Polymer [Cd(C_(14)H_(10)N_3O_5)_2(C_5H_5N)_2]_n

A new cadmium coordination polymer,[Cd（C14H10N3O5）2（C5H5N）2]n,has been synthesized by the reaction of 2-hydroxy-N＇-（4-nitrobenzoyl）benzohydraizide with cadmium acetate in pyridine and ethanol mixture solution.Its molecular structure was characterized by elemental analysis,IR spectra and X-ray crystal structure determination.Crystal data for this compound：tetragonal,space group I41/a,Mr=871.10,a=16.960（6）,b=16.960（6）,c=28.612（6） ,V= 8230（4）3,Z=8,Dc=1.406 g·m-3 and F（000）=3536.the final R=0.0326,wR=0.0847 for 2682 observed reflections with I 〉 2σ（I） and R=0.0460,wR=0.0896 for all reflections.In the molecular structure of the complex,the cadmium atoms are coordinated to four N and two O atoms forming a slightly distorted octahedral geometry.The intermolecular hydrogen bonds link the neighboring molecules to form a coordination polymer which was then evaluated for its anti-tumor activities against two kinds of cell lines （K562 and BGC） by MTT method.A preliminary bioactivity study indicates that the complex has distinct inhibitory effect on K562 cell lines.