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Keywords: Arundo Donax; eco-friendly waste; oil recovery; sorption capacity; silane treatment; morphology; : ; ; ; EN Arundo Donax eco-friendly waste oil recovery sorption capacity silane treatment morphology ZH : 8230 8245 16 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction The giant reed I Arundo donax i L. (AD) is a perennial rhizomatous grass capable of adapting to different climatic conditions. A further improvement in the knowledge of the sorption behavior of treated AD fibers can be acquired by defining a sorption-geometrical parameter that links the absorption capability with the fiber shape. In more detail, the water absorption value at saturation for ADS-L fibers is about 13% higher than that of ADS-S fibers, although they present similar absorption values at the end of stage I. This confirms the high tendency to the pollutant diffusion within the fiber structure for larger size samples. Improved selectivity toward oil was highlighted due to surface silanization AD silanized fiber has maximum oil sorption capacity of almost 770 wt.% AD fiber is a suitable sustainable material in the oil sorption process. [Extracted from the article]

The assessment of the integrity of atmospheric storage tanks supports in preventing the release of dangerous substances with serious consequences for humans and the environment. In particular, the control of localised thickness losses in the bottom (due to pitting or other phenomena) is essential since these could lead to the perforation of the plates. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of operational parameters on the corrosion rate of the bottom of storage tanks containing hydrocarbons. The aggressiveness of the solution, the pH and the atmospheric temperature are the investigated parameters in order to evaluate the behaviour over the time of the material used to construct the bottom plates. Carbon steel is considered as reference material. Two different solutions (pH 4 and pH 2.5) are adopted to simulate the presence of impurities in the hydrocarbon. The results represent the starting point to obtain useful information to be used in statistical models for the derivation of the probability of the critical pit. This study has been conducted within the projects "Smart maintenance of industrial plants and civil structures using 4.0 monitoring technologies and prognostic approaches" (MAC4PRO) and "Combined data-driven and experience-driven approach to systemic risk analysis" (DRIVERS), funded by INAIL, and gave a contribution to the knowledge of the evolution of the deterioration mechanism aimed at extending the residual lifetime and the time before the next inspection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is focused on the design and preparation of polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) for potential applications for stannous cation sequestration from water. For this purpose, the membranes have been synthesized employing two polymeric matrices, namely, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA), properly enriched with different plasticizers. The novelty here proposed relies on the modification of the cited PIMs by selected extractants expected to interact with the target cation in the membrane bulk or onto its surface, as well as in the evaluation of their performances in the sequestration of tin(II) in solution through chemometric tools. The composition of both the membrane and the solution for each trial was selected by means of a D-Optimal Experimental Design. The samples such prepared were characterized by means of TG-DTA, DSC, and static contact angles investigations; their mechanical properties were studied in terms of tensile strength and elastic modulus, whereas their morphology was checked by SEM. The sequestering ability of the PIMs toward stannous cation was studied by means of kinetic and isotherm experiments using DP-ASV. The presence of tin in the membranes after the sequestration tests was ascertained by μ-ED-XRF mapping on selected samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the facile synthesis of SiO2@nitrized‐TiO2 nanocomposite (NST) by calcination of TiO2 xerogel with OctaAmmonium POSS® (N‐POSS; POSS=polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes). The as‐obtained nanoporous mixed oxide is constituted by uniformly distributed SiO2 and nitrized‐TiO2, where the silica component is present in an amorphous state and TiO2 in an anatase/rutile mixed phase (92.1 % vs. 7.9 %, respectively) with very small anatase crystallites (3.7 nm). The TiO2 lattice is nitrized both at interstitial and substitutional positions. NST features a negatively charged surface with a remarkable surface area (406 m2 g−1), endowed with special adsorption capabilities towards cationic dyes. Its photocatalytic behavior was tested by following the degradation of standard aqueous methylene blue and methyl orange solutions under UV and visible light irradiation, according to ISO 10678:2010. For comparison, analogous investigations were carried out on a silica‐free N−TiO2, obtained by using NH4Cl as nitrogen source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Replacement of damaged tissues by biomaterials after a disease or injury is one of the most interesting challenge in medical science. The proper approach in developing a new biomaterial for a specific application must include the evaluation of all aspects and available knowledge in the different fields of science necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the new component (e.g., a prosthetic implant) in a special environment (the human body). Starting from chemistry to know how to synthesize our material passing to physics and mechanics to understand how our material will act when stressed, going to biology to discover the reaction of the human body against this material and using mathematics to model and optimize our complex systems. In this concern, this paper reported an interdisciplinary approach used in developing a new material for biomedical application. The importance of the development of innovative teaching methods was also deeply discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noninvasive X‐ray micro‐computed tomography was applied for a complete quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cellular structure of composite foams constituted by a silicone matrix and a glass production waste filler. Composite foams with different glass filler weight content in the range 0–80% were synthesized and characterized. The tomographic analysis was employed in order to assess the structural heterogeneities, void fraction values, and bubble size distribution for all composite foams. The 3D micro‐CT images analysis, performed at different cross‐sections, highlighted heterogeneous cell growth or more elongated cells in the case of low and high filler content foams, respectively. Batch with 60% of glass filler was identified as a composite foam with effective void fraction values and relatively uniform spheroidal cellular structure (average sphericity 0.723 and diameter 0.107 mm). © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48718. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of titania content on the densification, the phase transformation, the microstructures, and mechanical properties of 50 wt% Al2O3‐50 wt% ZrO2 (12 mol% CeO2) was evaluated. Ceramic composites with different TiO2 content (0.27, 5, 10 wt%) were prepared by pressureless sintering at low temperature (1400°C) for 2 hours in air. Dense ceramic was obtained by adding 5 wt% of TiO2 loading to improved mechanical properties. The microstructure analysis provided lots of information about solid‐state reactivity in alumina‐zirconia‐titania ternary system. The content of TiO2 strongly affected the phases evolution and the grain growth during sintering. Furthermore, a significant effect on mechanical properties and fracture behavior was also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work investigates the influence of TiO 2 additions on sintering behavior of Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 (12 mol% CeO 2 ) and Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 (12 mol% CeO 2 ) ceramics for dental applications. Alumina-Titania, Zirconia-Titania and Titania-Alumina-Zirconia powder mixtures were uniaxially pressed and pressureless sintered at 1400 °C for 2 h. The phase composition and distribution, densification and microstructures of ceramic composites were evaluated by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). According to the results, an appreciable increase of alumina and zirconia density by adding only 0.27 wt% TiO 2 was observed. A continuous increase of density of alumina with titania was observed, while an opposite trend was found for zirconia. Furthermore, as indicated by XRD analysis, nano-TiO 2 addition has greatly influenced the phase composition and distribution, stimulating the formation of mixed phases in binary and ternary ceramics systems. SEM proved that TiO 2 content played major roles in controlling the porosity rate and geometry and the grain growth in different ceramic composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the facile synthesis of SiO 2 @nitrized-TiO 2 nanocomposite (NST) by calcination of TiO 2 xerogel with OctaAmmonium POSS® (N-POSS; POSS=polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes). The as-obtained nanoporous mixed oxide is constituted by uniformly distributed SiO 2 and nitrized-TiO 2 , where the silica component is present in an amorphous state and TiO 2 in an anatase/rutile mixed phase (92.1 % vs. 7.9 %, respectively) with very small anatase crystallites (3.7 nm). The TiO 2 lattice is nitrized both at interstitial and substitutional positions. NST features a negatively charged surface with a remarkable surface area (406 m 2  g -1 ), endowed with special adsorption capabilities towards cationic dyes. Its photocatalytic behavior was tested by following the degradation of standard aqueous methylene blue and methyl orange solutions under UV and visible light irradiation, according to ISO 10678:2010. For comparison, analogous investigations were carried out on a silica-free N-TiO 2 , obtained by using NH 4 Cl as nitrogen source., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)