Search

The present work aims to develop a class of “green” demulsifiers for effective demulsification process. In this respect, six chitosan-based nonionic surfactants were prepared by chemical modification of chitosan with two aliphatic fatty acids, namely, lauric and stearic. The products were then reacted with polyethylene glycol (PEG 400, 1000 and 2000 g/mol) to produce ether amides surfactants. The prepared surfactants were characterized by IR spectroscopy and their thermal properties were investigated. It was found that the thermal stability of the prepared surfactants increase by increasing the length of PEG chain. Surface properties of the prepared surfactants were calculated through surface tension measurements at different temperatures. Furthermore, the demulsification efficiency of the prepared surfactants was verified under different conditions. Also, maximum water separation was achieved at 45 °C, neutral medium and low salt concentration. Viscosity of crude oil before and after demulsification was used as a parameter for demulsification process. Moreover, the demulsification process achieved by the green demulsifiers was monitored by the optical microscope.

Although being nonrenewable, petroleum crude oil is still the main source of energy despite the extensive researches dealing with renewable sources of energy. It can be leaked into the surrounding environment during its production or processing or it can be spilled into water during transportation from the site of production to the site of processing. Such events result in great pollution to the neighboring environment. Therefore marine pollution with spilled oil attracts great public concern. Recently, a wide global awareness about different environmental issues has grown up with special attention to oil spills due to their wide environmental impacts. Several solutions were applied for the oil spill disasters. This work investigates the traditional, nontraditional, and the current progress in the materials used for removal of oil spills focusing on the green materials.

The preparation and evaluation of polymeric oil sorbent based on styrene acrylate ester and ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) are the main target of this work. In this respect, poly styrene-co-p-chlorometh...

In this work, the starch extracted from potato peels was modified with acrylic acid. Nanoparticles composed of modified starch polymer and Fe3O4 (modified potato starch-magnetic nanoparticles, MPS-MNPs) were synthesized. The prepared nanoadsorbents were used for selective exclusion of Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ , and Ni 2+ ions from water. They were characterized by different analytical instruments such as FTIR, TEM and XRD. Adsorption of all captured metal ions onto MPS-MNPs was observed to be reliant on temperature, pH and contact time. Clump adsorption balance was come to in 60 min and most extreme uptakes for Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Ni 2+ in non-aggressive adsorption mode were 100, 70 and 100 mgg −1 , respectively at 35 ◦C. In focused adsorption tests, PS-MNPs specially adsorbed Ni 2+ ions with an affinity order of Ni 2+ >Cu 2+ >Pb 2+ . The effect of monomer and initiator concentrations on grafting process was studied. Furthermore, the recyclability of PS-MNPs was investigated. Copyright © 2016 VBRI Press.

Three smart novel polystyrene-based hydrogel nanocomposites were introduced for recovery of some divalent heavy metals (Cu2+ ad Pb2+) from simulated solutions for industrial wastewater remediation. In this regard, magnetic nanoparticles were prepared then fabricated with polystyrene waste and a copolymer of acrylic acid and acrylamide in presence of an initiator/crosslinking system. The chemical amendment process was established by the IR spectroscopy and the prepared hydrogels were characterized by the AFM microscopy and XRD analysis. Moreover, the elimination efficacy of the prepared hydrogels was monitored for Cu2+ and Pb2+versus different temperatures and pH values in simulated solution. The data showed a direct relation between the contact time and the amount of the metal removed. Moreover, it was found that the removal efficiency decreases within the region between LCST of polyacrylamide and HCST of polystyrene. It was also proved that maximum metal removal was attained at neutral pH. The maximum removal was achieved by the hydrogel with minimum magnetite content with removal capacity of 128 mg/g of Cu2+ and 122 mg/g of Pb2+ in single removal experiments at optimum test conditions. In double removal experiments, the prepared hydrogels showed obvious selectivity towards Cu2+ ions. The reusability of the investigated hydrogels was examined at three swelling–deswelling cycles.

Ecological pollution is of great concern for human health and the environment. Numerous organic and inorganic pollutants usually discharged into the water caused carcinogenic or toxic effect for human and different life form. In this respect, this work aims to treat water contaminated by organic and inorganic waste using sorbent based on polystyrene. Therefore, two different series of adsorbent material were prepared; the first one included the preparation of polymeric sorbent from the reaction of styrene acrylate ester and alkyl acrylate. The second series involved syntheses of composite ion exchange resins of waste polystyrene and amorphous carbon thin film (WPS/ACTF) by solvent evaporation using micro emulsion polymerization. The produced ACTF/WPS nanocomposite was sulfonated to produce cation exchange resins ACTF/WPSS nanocomposite. The sorbents of the first series were characterized using FTIR, 1H NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. The thermal properties of the cross-linked sorbents were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, and the morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The removal of organic pollutant was determined through absorption tests in a various organic solvent. The chemical and crystalline structure of nanocomposite of second series has been proven by studies of FTIR spectrum, X-rays, thermal analysis, SEM and TEM analysis to study morphology of resins and ACTF that assembled with polystyrene chain. It is found that the composite resins ACTF/WPSS are thermally stable and show higher chemical stability than ion exchange WPSS resins. The composite resin was evaluated for calcium hardness removal. The result is evident that the ACTF/WPSS composite has more prominent inorganic pollutant removal than WPSS resin. So, we recommend the using of nanocomposite resin as new potential applications for water treatment process., {"references":["K, B., S. R and K. N (2016). \"Exploration of microporous bio-carbon scaffold for efficient utilization of sulfur in lithium-sulfur system.\" Electrochimica Acta 209: 171-182.","Jouhara, H., V. Anastasov and I. Khamis (2009). \"Potential of heat pipe technology in nuclear seawater desalination.\" Desalination 249(3): 1055-1061.","Abbas, A. (2006). \"Model predictive control of a reverse osmosis desalination unit.\" Desalination 194(1–3): 268-280.","Fathy, M., T. A. Moghny, M. A. Mousa, A.-H. A.-A. El-Bellihi and A. E. Awadallah (2016). \"Synthesis of Transparent Amorphous Carbon Thin Films from Cellulose Powder in Rice Straw.\" Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering: 1-9.","Mestre, A. S., A. Nabiço, P. L. Figueiredo, M. L. Pinto, M. S. C. S. Santos and I. M. Fonseca (2016). \"Enhanced clofibric acid removal by activated carbons: Water hardness as a key parameter.\" Chemical Engineering Journal 286: 538-548.","Gao, H., Z. Song, W. Zhang, X. Yang, X. Wang and D. Wang \"Synthesis of highly effective absorbents with waste quenching blast furnace slag to remove Methyl Orange from aqueous solution.\" Journal of Environmental Sciences.","Mallakpour, S. and E. Khadem (2016). \"Carbon nanotube–metal oxide nanocomposites: Fabrication, properties and applications.\" Chemical Engineering Journal 302: 344-367.","Mondal, S., K. Aikat and G. Halder (2016). \"Biosorptive uptake of ibuprofen by chemically modified Parthenium hysterophorus derived biochar: Equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics and modeling.\" Ecological Engineering 92: 158-172.","Fathy, M., T. Abdel Moghny, M. A. Mousa, A.-H. A.-A. El-Bellihi and A. E. Awadallah (2016). \"Absorption of calcium ions on oxidized graphene sheets and study its dynamic behavior by kinetic and isothermal models.\" Applied Nanoscience: 1-13.\n[10]\tAn, Z., H. Zhang, Q. Wen, Z. Chen and M. Du (2014). \"Desalination combined with copper (II) removal in a novel microbial desalination cell.\" Desalination 346: 115-121.\n[11]\tAtaollahi, N., K. Vezzù, G. Nawn, G. Pace, G. Cavinato, F. Girardi, P. Scardi, V. Di Noto and R. Di Maggio (2017). \"A Polyketone-based Anion Exchange Membrane for Electrochemical Applications: Synthesis and Characterization.\" Electrochimica Acta 226: 148-157.\n[12]\tVenugopal, K. and S. Dharmalingam (2014). \"Evaluation of synthetic salt water desalination by using a functionalized polysulfone based bipolar membrane electrodialysis cell.\" Desalination 344: 189-197.\n[13]\tAbdel-Azim Abdel-Azim, A., Abdul-Raheim, A. M., Atta Ayman, M., Brostow, W., &Datashvili, T. (2009) e-Polymers, 9:pp.1592.\n[14]\tMasqué, N., Galia, M., Marcé, R., & Borrull, F. (1998) J. Chromatogr. A, 803: 147-155. \n[15]\tYan, W., L. Wang, C. Chen, D. Zhang, A.-J. Li, Z. Yao and L.-Y. Shi (2016). \"Polystyrene Microspheres-Templated Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Hollow Spheres as Metal-Free Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction.\" Electrochimica Acta 188: 230-239.\n[16]\tLim, G.-T., H.-G. Jeong, I.-S. Hwang, D.-H. Kim, N. Park and J. Cho (2009). \"Fabrication of a silica ceramic membrane using the aerosol flame deposition method for pretreatment focusing on particle control during desalination.\" Desalination 238(1–3): 53-59.\n[17]\tJang, J., & Kim, B.-S. (2000) J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 77: 903-913.\n[18]\tZhou, M. H., & Cho, W. J. (2003) J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 89: 1818-1824.\n[19]\tRastegarpanah, A. and H. R. Mortaheb (2016). \"Surface treatment of polyethersulfone membranes for applying in desalination by direct contact membrane distillation.\" Desalination 377: 99-107.\n[20]\tSabir, A., A. Islam, M. Shafiq, A. Shafeeq, M. T. Z. Butt, N. M. Ahmad, K. Sanaullah and T. Jamil (2015). \"Novel polymer matrix composite membrane doped with fumed silica particles for reverse osmosis desalination.\" Desalination 368: 159-170.\n[21]\tKumar, R., A. F. Ismail, M. A. Kassim and A. M. Isloor (2013). \"Modification of PSf/PIAM membrane for improved desalination applications using Chitosan coagulation media.\" Desalination 317: 108-115.\n[22]\tSaleh, T. A., A. M. Muhammad and S. A. Ali (2016). \"Synthesis of hydrophobic cross-linked polyzwitterionic acid for simultaneous sorption of Eriochrome black T and chromium ions from binary hazardous waters.\" Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 468: 324-333.\n[23]\tMisra, B. M. (2007). \"Seawater desalination using nuclear heat/electricity- Prospects and challenges.\" Desalination 205(1–3): 269-278\n[24]\tJang, J., & Kim, B.-S. (2000) J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 77: 914-920.\n[25]\tCoday, B. D., L. Miller-Robbie, E. G. Beaudry, J. Munakata-Marr and T. Y. Cath (2015). \"Life cycle and economic assessments of engineered osmosis and osmotic dilution for desalination of Haynesville shale pit water.\" Desalination 369: 188-200.\n[26]\tEl-Manharawy, S. and A. Hafez (2003). \"A new chemical classification system of natural waters for desalination and other industrial uses.\" Desalination 156(1–3): 163-180."]}

The present work deals with the preparation of some oil sorbers based on cellulose derivatives to control petroleum oil spills. In this respect, hydroxypropyl cellulose HPC was used to synthesize hydroxypropyl cellulose acrylate HPCA macromonomer by esterification of HPC with acryloyl chloride. Then the produced HPCA monomer was copolymerized with octadecyl acrylate (ODA) in the presence of two types of crosslinkers to produce oil gel. The chemical structures of both HPC and HPCA were confirmed by using FTIR and 1 HNMR spectroscopic analysis. Whereas the thermal properties of the crosslinked oil absorbents were investigated using TGA. Furthermore, morphological properties of prepared crosslinked copolymers were studied using SEM. Several parameters were considered to evaluate the oil sorbers, such as: monomers feed ratio, type and concentration of the applied crosslinkers. Finally, the swelling efficiency of oil gel was thoroughly investigated in light and heavy oil. It observed that as the octadecyl acrylate content increased the oil absorbency also increased and reached a maximum value at monomer feed ratio 10/90 HPCA/ODA. It is found that the maximum oil absorbency measured with MBA at a monomer feed ratio 10/90 HPCA/ODA are 29.7 and 18.6 g/g for toluene and crude oil, respectively.

In this work, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) was used to synthesize hydroxypropylcellulose acrylate (HPCA) macromonomer by esterification of HPC with acryloyl chloride in homogenous solution of DMF. Then the produced HPCA monomer was copolymerized with ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) in presence of two types of crosslinkers to produce oil gel. Several parameters were considered, namely, monomers feed ratio, type and concentration of the applied crosslinkers. The chemical structures of both HPC and HPCA were confirmed by using FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopic analyses. Also, the thermal properties of the crosslinked oil absorbents were investigated by using TGA. Furthermore, morphological propoeries of these crosslinked sorbers were studied through SEM and their swelling efficiency was thoroughly investigated in heavy and light oil.

Bulk and suspension polymerization were used to prepare octadecyl acrylate/acrylic acid (ODA/AA) copolymers. AA content ranged from 0 to 90mol%. Divinyl benzene was used as a crosslinker at several concentrations (1, 4 and 10wt%). Isopropyl alcohol or dioctyl phthalate and methyl benzoate were used as the reaction solvents in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) as a dispersing agent and 2,2-azobis isobutyronitrile as the initiator. The polymers so prepared were coated onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) nonwoven (NWPET) fibers. The effects of copolymerization, feed composition, crosslinker concentration and reaction medium or solvent on morphology including porosity and the dynamic mechanical and swelling properties of the crosslinked polymers were determined. Swelling tests were performed in toluene and in 10% crude petroleum diluted with toluene. Bulk polymerization does not result in the formation of a continuous liquid absorbing material while suspension polymerization enables sorbers to be obtained with desired properties. Coating ODA/AA copolymers onto NWPET increases liquid absorption. c � 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

In using recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as a petroleum sorbent we tried to achieve two important objectives simultaneously. PET waste was glycolized using trimethylolpropane (TMp) or pentaerytheritol (PEr) to produce suitable polyol oligomers for polyurethane (PU) foams. The glycolysis was carried out in the presence of manganese acetate as a catalyst under normal pressure in m-cresol at 220 ◦ C. Producing polyols, PEr degraded PET into lower molecular weights than TMp. So prepared oligomers were reacted with 2,4-toluene diisocyanate providing several types of PU foam. The effect of various variables (polyol reactivity, water content, type of catalyst, isocyanate amount and surfactant) on the foam structure and properties were analyzed. Porosity of the PU foams was examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Foams based on glycolized TMp contain small uniform cells whereas other foams form less uniform cells with varying sizes including closed cells. Dynamic mechanical analysis gives much lower storage moduli for TMp-based PUs that for those based on PEr, an effectofdanglingethylenechainsintheformercase.TheglasstransitiontemperaturesTg arehigherwhenPErratherthanTMp is used. Our PU foams show good sorption properties and sufficient reusability. c � 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

The recent researches are moving to removal of the agricultural and industrial pollutants from sewage treatment and discuss the possibility of the re-use of this water for agricultural purposes. The chemical contaminants represent the most dangerous types of contaminants found in the water for a many reasons, they are non- biodegradable environmentally and their high toxicity at very low concentrations in addition to the cumulative impact in the bodies of living organisms. The most toxic heavy metals are lead, mercury and chromium. It was estimated that the estimated that global impact of lead is 18-22 million people and of mercury 15 to 19 million people at 2010 according to Blacksmith Institute’s World worst pollution problems. Contamination of the water resources with these elements, leads to polluting of the entire food chain and represents a real threat to the ecosystem. Thus, pure water shortage becomes a crucial problem worldwide. Among the most important research that can contribute to solving the problem of those related to water purification and improving the quality and re-use even in agriculture, for example, instead of wasted and discarded. There are many scientific methods applied in this regard. They include adsorption, precipitation, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, electrochemical treatments, membrane filtration, evaporation, flotation, and oxidation and biosorption processes. Some of these techniques however, have disadvantages such as incomplete metal removal, high reagent and energy requirements and generation of toxic sludge or other waste products. Among all these techniques, the adsorption is economically favorable and technically easy to separate. Instead of using commercial materials researchers have worked on inexpensive materials such as natural and agricultural products. Several works concerned the removal of heavy metals but the present work focuses on the sorbents based on biomass and their efficiency in removal of heavy metals from waste water.

Cinnamoyloxy ethyl methacrylate (CEMA) was copolymerized with different monomer feed ratios of octadecyl acrylate (ODA) and crosslinked using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator and N,N’,N”-trisacryloyl melanine (AM) or N,N’,N”,-trismethacryloylmelanine (MM) crosslinkers. The networks are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). For crosslinked CEMA/ODA copolymer sol fraction values are lower when MM is used rather than AM. The thermal stability of crosslinked network increases with increasing ODA concentration and also in the presence of MM crosslinker, a consequence of higher crosslinking density. SEM results show a porous structure; micropores are formed when ODA contents increases. According to DMA results, the flexibility of the network is enhanced by incorporation of MM rather than AM. Since our crosslinked networks are both flexible and porous, they are applicable as oil sorber networks to alleviate pollution from oil spills.

Oil sorbents—namely materials that can be used to extract oil after a spill—were fabricated from non-woven polyethylene terephthalate (NWPET) fibers modified by the adherence of crosslinked polymer coatings to the fiber surface. The NWPET fibers, which serve as a structural support for the applied functional coatings, were produced from recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. The oil absorbing coatings were comprised of crosslinked homopolymers and copolymers based on octadecyl acrylate (ODA), maleic anhydride (MA), and related esters of MA. The crosslinked polymer networks were synthesized by both suspension and bulk polymerization techniques using divinylbenzene (DVB) as the crosslinking agent. Efficacy of the coated NWPET fibers as oil sorbers was determined by oil absorption tests in toluene and in 10% crude oil in toluene. Rigidity, porosity and swelling of the crosslinked polymers were evaluated and correlated to the chemical structures, composition, and reaction media. Suspension polymerization yielded the desired morphology and function, providing higher porosity and in consequence a high absorption capacity.

In previous work crosslinked copolymers were prepared from cinnamoyloxy ethyl methacrylate (CEMA) and several monomers feed ratios of octadecyl acrylate (ODA). Networks so produced are both flexible and porous; we now report their swelling efficacies as a function of temperature in toluene and in crude petroleum. Network characteristics is presented including the polymer + solvent interaction parameter χ, effective crosslink density υe, equilibrium modulus of elasticity E, average molecular weight between crosslinks Mc and the theoretical crosslink density υt. These parameters are correlated with structures of the synthesized sorbers.