Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was prepared by blending polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with ZnO nanoparticle (ZnO-Np) and acetone as additives, and then used to treat peat water. The influence of PVC and ZnO-Np concentration on membrane morphology and humic substance rejection were studied. The experimental results showed that the increase of PVC and ZnO-Np concentration in the membrane solution enlarged the pore size of the UF membrane. Agglomeration of particles was found when 2 wt.% of ZnO-Np was added into the membrane solution. The addition of 10 wt.% of PVC concentration and 1 wt.% of ZnO-Np resulted in peat water flux above 100 Lm−2h−1 and average humic substance removal of 61%. When the concentration of PVC and ZnO-Np was increased to 12 and 2 %wt, the humic substance rejection was decreased to 40%. More irreversible fouling occurred in the UF-PVC membrane that prepared by low PVC and high ZnO-NP concentration, which is indicated by the low value of the FRR.
Abstract-The biosorbent α-keratin-alginate (KA) was prepared by using the encapsulation technique in CaCl 2 2 % (w/v) solution. The biosorbent was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The extent of adsorption was found to be a function of the composition of α-keratin and alginate, the pH of solution and contact time. The optimum adsorption of Fe ions in aqueous solution was found at the composition of α-keratin and alginate of 1:2 (w/w), the pH at 7.0 and contact time at 60 minutes. The adsorption of Fe ions on KA biosorbent was comparatively higher than α-keratin and alginate only. The adsorption capacity of KA biosorbent has the maximum adsorption capacity of 658.4 mg/g while biosorbent α-keratin and alginate are 464.7 mg/g and 528.1 mg/g, respectively. Adsorption of Fe ions in aqueous solution followed the Freundlich adsorption isotherm, and the dynamic adsorption model could be described through a pseudo-second order kinetics.
In this research, composite polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration (PVC-UF) membrane was used for peat water treatment. The UF membrane was prepared by mixing polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene glycol (PEG400), ZnO, acetone, and N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC). The concentration of PVC was varied from 10 to 14 wt.%, while the PEG400 was varied from 0 to 15 wt.%. The concentration of acetone and ZnO was fixed at four (4) wt.% and two (2) wt.%, respectively. Immersion precipitation method was used to form the membrane structure. The experimental results showed that higher humic substance rejection (>50%) was achieved when 12 wt.% PVC and 10% wt.% PEG was added into the polymer solution. The permeate flux of the membrane was above 100 L/m−2h−1.Higher rejection of humic substances was obtained at an operating pressure of 30 psig.
Curcumin has various bio-functional properties; however, curcumin poor bioavailability reduces its efficacy. Nanoemulsion delivery system is an alternative method improving curcumin bioavailability in which surfactant and oil used, play an important role in determining nanoemulsion properties. Several studies on curcumin nanoemulsions apply synthetic surfactants which can be harmful if they are added excessively. This study aims to use a natural emulsifying agent, namely okra mucilage extract (OME), and determine its effectiveness as co surfactant. OME is safe to use as an emulsifying agent because it is natural, harmless, safe, biodegradable and eco-friendly. Liquid-liquid and microwave extraction methods were used to obtain OME which was further identified using Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Meanwhile, sonication method was used to produce curcumin nano-emulsion (CurN). The particle size and polydispersity index of curcumin nano-emulsion were measured using Particle Size Analyzer (PSA) with Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) technique, while the morphology of the nanoemulsion was observed using a Digital Imaging Microscope and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM). The results showed that the addition of 0.0160 g OME at a ratio of 1:5 (OME: Tween 80) in the preparation of 5 mL of CurN was able to reduce the particle size and polydispersity index from 740.80 ± 9.70 nm to 289.20 ± 2.23 and 0.340 ± 0.005 to 0.165 ± 0.008 respectively. OME increased the encapsulation efficiency from 77.93 ± 6.59% to 87.17 ± 1.12% which was confirmed by the augmentation of the fluorescence intensity of curcumin from 192.82 to 388.55. The addition of OME also maintained the stability of the CurN up to 14 days of storage at 4°C.
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