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Search results for: semi-volatile organic compounds
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Understainding solid-phase microextraction: key factors influencing the extraction process and trends in improving the technique
PublicationAnalytical chemists are faced with the daunting challenges of accurately monitoring the state of the environment and the processes taking place in it and of determining an enormous range of analytes often present in trace and ultratrace amounts in sample matrixes with complex or variable compositions. Further challenges are presented by the need to introduce new methodologies into current analytical practice and equipment to comply...
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The exposure to UV filters: Prevalence, effects, possible molecular mechanisms of action and interactions within mixtures
PublicationSubstances that can absorb sunlight and harmful UV radiation such as organic UV filters are widely used in cosmetics and other personal care products. Since humans use a wide variety of chemicals for multiple purposes it is common for UV filters to co-occur with other substances either in human originating specimens or in the environment. There is increasing interest in understanding such co-occurrence in form of potential synergy, antagonist,...
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Solventless and solvent-minimized sample preparation techniques for determining currently used pesticides in water samples: A review
PublicationThe intensification of agriculture means that increasing amounts of toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. The pesticides generally applied nowadays are regarded as some of the most dangerous contaminants of the environment. Their presence in the environment, especially in water, is hazardous because they cause human beings to become more susceptible to disease. For these reasons, it is essential to...
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Carbon nanowalls: A new versatile graphene based interface for laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry detection of small compounds in real samples.
PublicationCarbon nanowalls, vertically aligned graphene nanosheets, attract attention owing to their tunable band-gap, high conductivity, high mechanical robustness, high optical absorbance and other remarkable properties. In this paper, we report for the first time, the use of hydrophobic boron-doped carbon nanowalls (CNWs) for laser desorption/ionization of small compounds and their subsequent detection by mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). The...
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Influence of alkaline and oxidative pre-treatment of waste corn cobs on biohydrogen generation efficiency via dark fermentation
PublicationStages of waste corn cobs processing leading to the production of biohydrogen via dark fermentation are presented and discussed in this paper. Firstly, the effects of pretreatment conditions i.e. alkaline, alkaline-oxidizing and Fenton oxidizing pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass on the removal of lignin were examined. The solid residue obtained in the first stage was subjected to saccharification by means of enzymatic hydrolysis....
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Determination of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables using QuEChERS sample preparation method
PublicationThe intensive development of agriculture means that more and more toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering the environment. Because of their widespread use, environmental stability, selective toxicity and bioaccumulative capability, pesticides belong to the most hazardous substances contaminating the environment. They are particularly dangerous in fruits and vegetables, because they are one of the reasons why people are...
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In-situ monitoring of electropolymerization processes at boron-doped diamond electrodes by Mach-Zehnder interferometer
PublicationIn this work, the Mach-Zehnder interferometer was designed to monitor the electrochemical processes conducted at boron-doped diamond electrode surface. The diamond electrodes were synthesized via Microwave Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition on optical grade quartz glass. The achieved transmittance in working are of diamond electrodes reached 55 %. A cage system-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer was used which allowed the...
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Fate and significance of phthalates and bisphenol A in liquid by-products generated during municipal solid waste mechanical-biological pre-treatment and disposal
PublicationSamples of liquid by-products generated by municipal solid waste plants (MSWPs) were tested for the presence of phthalates (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA). The results indicated that the wastewater generated during mechanical (sorting unit - SU) and biological (composting unit - CU) pre-treatment (MBT) of residual (mixed) solid waste is a significant source of these compounds. The concentrations of PAEs (up to 32222 lg/L) and BPA...
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Synthesis of amides under microwave irradiation
PublicationAmides belong to the most important carboxylic acid derivatives. They are constituents of natural compounds like peptides and proteins. They found applications in many branches of science and industry, especially in pharmaceutical and polymer science. Conventional procedures for amide preparation involve reaction between amine and carboxylic acid or their more active derivatives such as acid chlorides, acid anhydrides or esters....
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Meconium analysis as a promising diagnostic tool for monitoring fetal exposure to toxic substances: Recent trends and perspectives
PublicationPrenatal exposure to toxic substances is an important public health problem. Many biological specimens obtained from the fetus or mother are used for biomonitoring. Each material reflects exposure in a specific time period and has different advantages and disadvantages in terms of accuracy, time window of detection and cost/benefit ratio. Recently, meconium has become the matrix of choice in toxicology screening for detecting exposure...
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Measurement of activity coefficients at infinite dilution of organic solutes in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-1,4-diaza[2.2.2]bicyclooctanium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide using gas–liquid chromatography
PublicationBased on gas–liquid chromatography (GLC) retention data, activity coefficients at infinite dilution of 39 different solutes in the ionic liquid 1-hexyl-1,4-diaza[2.2.2]bicyclooctanium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([HDABCO][NTf2]) have been determined. Measurements covered a broad range of types of organic solutes including alkanes, alcohols, ketones, benzene derivatives and McReynold’s compounds. Activity coefficients were...
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Silica-Based Ionogels: Nanoconfined Ionic Liquid-Rich Fibers for Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography–Barrier Discharge Ionization Detection
PublicationIn this work, hybrid silica-based materials with immobilized ionic liquids (ILs) were prepared by sol–gel technology and evaluated as solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coatings. High loadings of the IL 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4MIM][TFSI]) were confined within the hybrid network. Coatings composition and morphology were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive...
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Recent developnents in wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands in Poland
PublicationNowadays more than 100 constructed wetlands are in operation in Poland. Most of them are one stage wetland systems with horizontal subsurface flow. Such constructed wetlands ensure efficient removal of organic matter (BOD5, CODCr) and suspended solids but efficiency of nitrogen compounds removal in many cases is insufficient.In the period from 1995 to 2003 measurements of removal of contaminations in 11 individual pilot household...
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Comparison of classical and modern approach of determination of highly polar compounds by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry
PublicationAbstract: Sugars and sugar alcohols are known as highly polar compounds. Four analytes were taken into consideration for comparison of classical and modern approach of separation of highly polar substances. Mannitol was chosen as an example of simple sugar alcohol, sucrose and lactulose as examples of disaccharides and structural isomers, raffinose as an example of complex trisaccharide. Raffinose was also used as internal standard...
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Application of deep eutectic solvents for separation and determination of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants
PublicationThe medicinal plants industry, particularly in regard to products rich in biologically active substances for maintaining health, has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade, with sales of over-the-counter drugs containing these substances growing by billions of dollars. Attention has thus also been paid to the safety and effectiveness of these medicines. We are currently witnessing a rapid increase in the number of publications...
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Properties and determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables
PublicationThe intensive development of agriculture means that more and more toxic organic and inorganic compounds are entering theenvironment. Because of their widespread use, stability, selective toxicity and bioaccumulation, pesticides are among the mosttoxic substances contaminating the environment. They are particularly dangerous in fruit and vegetables, by which people areexposed to them. It is therefore crucial to monitor pesticide...
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Extraction with environmentally friendly solvents
PublicationThe ever-increasing demand for determining compounds at low concentration levels in complex matrices requires a preliminary step of analytes isolation/enrichment in order to employ a detection technique characterized by high sensitivity at low LOQ. Sample preparation is considered as crucial part of analytical procedures. Previously the parameter of “greenness” is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic...
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The Hydrolysis of Slowly Biodegradable Substrate in Activated Sludge
PublicationIn a present work a novel procedure, based on the standard batch tests and pretreatment of wastewater sample with coagulation-flocculation method, was proposed to evaluate the effects of hydrolysis of slowly biodegradable substrate (Xs) on biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes in activated sludge systems. The study was conducted at two large BNR wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in northern Poland: "Wschod" in Gdansk and...
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Ultrasound assisted extraction
PublicationThe use of green and sustainable extraction techniques is very popular topic in the multidisciplinary area of chemistry, biology and technology. There is no doubt that extraction constitutes a very important step of analytical procedures of separation, detection, identification and determination of wide spectrum analytes from samples characterized by complex and very often nonhomogeneous composition of matrix. Traditional techniques...
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Comparison of the Efficiency of Hetero- and Homogeneous Catalysts in Cellulose Liquefaction
PublicationBiomass liquefaction is a well-known and extensively described process. Hydrothermal processes are well understood and can be used in the fuel industry. The use of organic solvents can result in full-fledged products for use in the synthesis of polyurethanes. The plastics industry, including polyurethanes, is targeting new, more environmentally friendly solutions. One of these is the replacement of petrochemical polyols with compounds...
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Physicochemical properties of Mn1.45Co1.45Cu0.1O4 spinel coating deposited on the Crofer 22 H ferritic steel and exposed to high-temperature oxidation under thermal cycling conditions
PublicationThe Crofer 22 H ferritic steel substrate was coated with an Mn1.45Co1.45Cu0.1O4 spinel by means of electrophoresis. After high-temperature oxidation under thermal cycling conditions, the physicochemical properties of the obtained system were evaluated. During 48-h cycles that involved heating the samples up to temperatures of either 750 or 800 °C, the oxidation kinetics of both coated and unmodified steel approximately obeyed...
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Elicitation strategies for the improvement of essential oil content in Rhododendron tomentosum (Ledum palustre) bioreactor-grown microshoots
PublicationRhododendron tomentosum Harmaja, previously Ledum palustre L., is a fragrant plant growing in swampy areas, which is characterized by well-known repellent properties and the anti-arthritic potential. In the present study, R. tomentosum microshoots cultivated in RITA® bioreactor, providing the alternative, environment-independent source of the valuable essential oil, were treated for 7 days with copper and nickel salts, methyl jasmonate,...
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Migration of trace elements and radioisotopes to various fractions of solid wastes generated as a result of the sewage sludge incineration process
PublicationThe research was aimed at providing new knowledge in the field of chemical characteristics of solid waste generated in the process of combustion of sewage sludge in fluidized bed furnaces. The research material consisted of disposed fluidized beds (DFB), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and air pollution control residues (APC) from three Polish installations for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. Natural radionuclides as well as anthropogenic...
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Molecular transformation of dissolved organic matter in manganese ore-mediated constructed wetlands for fresh leachate treatment
PublicationThe organic matter (OM) and nitrogen in Fresh leachate (FL) from waste compression sites pose environmental and health risks. Even though the constructed wetland (CW) can efficiently remove these pollutants, the molecular-level transformations of dissolved OM (DOM) in FL remain uncertain. This study reports the molecular dynamics of DOM and nitrogen removal during FL treatment in CWs. Two lab-scale vertical-flow CW systems were...
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Mercury in suspended matter of the Gulf of Gdańsk: Origin, distribution and transport at the land–sea interface
PublicationThe coastal regions of inland seas are particularly vulnerable to Hg pollution. An important carrier of toxic Hg in the marine environment is suspended matter originating from multiple sources. The present study was conducted in the Gulf...
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Overcoming carboxylic acid inhibition by granular consortia in high-load liquefied food waste fermentation for efficient lactate accumulation
PublicationGranular sludge, a self-aggregating spherical biofilm, possesses better stability compared to flocculent sludge under extreme conditions. This study compared the ability of anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) and flocculent waste activated sludge (WAS) to convert food waste (FW) into highly-valuable optically active lactic acid (LA), a central and versatile intermediate platform molecule. Different loadings (30–60 g volatile suspended...
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Seasonal contributions of nutrients from small urban and agricultural watersheds in northern Poland
PublicationDiffuse sources of pollution like agricultural or urban runoff are important factors in determining the quality of surface waters, although they are more difficult to monitor thanpointsources.Theobjectiveofourstudywastoverifyassumptionsthattheinflow from agricultural nutrient sources is higher than from urbanized ones. It has been done by comparing the nutrients and organic matter concentrations and loads for three small streams...
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Novel Structures and Applications of Graphene-Based Semiconductor Photocatalysts: Faceted Particles, Photonic Crystals, Antimicrobial and Magnetic Properties
PublicationGraphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and their composites with various compounds/materials have high potential for substantial impact as cheap photocatalysts, which is essential to meet the demands of global activity, offering the advantage of utilizing “green” solar energy. Accordingly, graphene-based materials might help to reduce reliance on fossil fuel supplies and facile remediation routes to achieve clean environment...
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Levels of 13 multi-class pesticide residues in Polish honeys determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS
PublicationLevels of 13 pesticides in 40 honey samples form Poland are reported. A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the LC-ESI-MS/MS determination of multi-class pesticide residues in honey samples. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) on a diatomaceous earth support (requiring the use of small amounts of organic solvent), followed by chromatographic separation on a C18 column and gradient elution were employed. The method quantifies...
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Synthesis of 5-Substituted 1H-Tetrazoles from Nitriles in the Presence of Heterogeneous Catalyst
PublicationTetrazoles are five-membered heterocyclic compounds containing in their rings four nitrogen atoms. They have wide applications as corrosion inhibitors, analytical reagents, high-energy materials and gas generating compositions. Tetrazoles also play important role in coordination chemistry as ligands and in medicinal chemistry as metabolically stable surrogates for carboxylic acids. In recent years, investigation of new method of...
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Characterization of home-made and regional fruit wines by evaluation of correlation between selected chemical parameters
PublicationSince the last decade of the 20th century, there has been rising interest in the production of fruit wines, as evidenced by the high number of published papers and books covering this matter. When aiming to produce quality fruit wines, it is essential to evaluate the analytical parameters of the beverage. In this context, there are a large number of analyses for the evaluation of wines and fruit wines. This article characterizes...
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Chemical composition of shells from red (Strongylocentrotus franciscanum) and green (Strongylocentrotus droeba-chiensis) sea urchin
PublicationThe shells from red and green sea urchins accounted for 47.9 and 40.7% of their body weights, respectively. The red and green sea urchin shells contained 91.08 and 90.77% minerals and 4.06 and 4.99% proteins, respectively. The shells did not contain any chitin. Sea urchin shells had a relatively large amount of naphthoquinone pigments, 121 mg per 100 g in red and 163 mg per 100 g in green species. The small quantities of glucosamine...
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New empirical correlations for the viscosity of selected organic phase change materials
PublicationAlthough there are many methods and instruments for measuring viscosity, it is still difficult to determine a reliable value of the dynamic viscosity of complex chemicals such as paraffins and fatty acids. This is due to the complex and heterogeneous structure of these compounds in the case of commercial products. On the other hand, the measuring instrument should be selected very carefully, including its measuring principle and...
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Sea spray as a secondary source of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants? - Conclusions from a comparison of seven fresh snowfall events in 2019 and 2021
PublicationSecondary sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) gain in importance worldwide as primary sources decline. In this work, we aim to determine whether sea spray may be a secondary source of chlorinated POPs to the terrestrial Arctic, since a similar mechanism was proposed there only for the more water-soluble POPs. To this end, we have determined polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides concentrations in fresh...
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Deep eutectic solvent-based shaking-assisted extraction for determination of bioactive compounds from Norway spruce roots
PublicationPolyphenolic compounds play an essential role in plant growth, reproduction, and defense mechanisms against pathogens and environmental stresses. Extracting these compounds is the initial step in assessing phytochemical changes, where the choice of extraction method significantly influences the extracted analytes. However, due to environmental factors, analyzing numerous samples is necessary for statistically significant results,...
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Green adsorbents and solvents in food analysis
PublicationGreen analytical chemistry aims to minimize the negative impact of analytical procedures on the environment and human health. This can be achieved through the use of non-toxic and environmentally friendly reagents. Classical green solvents include water, ethanol, acetone, and supercritical fluids. Water has been used for the extraction of water-soluble compounds (sugars, amino acids). Ethanol and acetone have been used for the...
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Concentrations and loads of DOC, phenols and aldehydes in a proglacial arctic river in relation to hydro-meteorological conditions. A case study from the southern margin of the Bellsund Fjord – SW Spitsbergen
PublicationClimate warming accelerates the melting and thawing of cryosphere components. Therefore, it favours the release of contaminants stored in High-Arctic glaciers for many years. The rate of land-based glacier retreat is of particular importance for the hydrological regime of glacial rivers, but also for the chemical composition of their waters. In this study, we examined 84 surface water samples collected during a period of 42 days...
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Non-Isocyanate-Based Waterborne Polyurethanes
PublicationNon-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) are a greener alternative for the conventional polyurethanes synthesized using toxic and moisture-sensitive di- or polyisocyanates. The most often described method of NIPU synthesis involves the reaction of five-membered cyclic carbonates with amines, and resulting polymers containing primary and secondary hydroxyl groups (so they are also known as polyhydroxyurethanes), which can be further...
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Time window based features extraction from temperature modulated gas sensors for prediction of ammonia concentration
PublicationElectronic gas recognition systems, in literature commonly referred as electronic noses, enable the recognition of a type and a concentration of various volatile compounds. Typical electronic gas-analyzing device consists of four main elements, namely, gas delivery subsystem, an array of gas sensors, data acquisition and power supply circuits and data analysis software. The commercially available metal-oxide TGS sensors are widely...
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Enabling simultaneous redox transformation of toxic chromium(VI) and arsenic(III) in aqueous media—A review
PublicationSimultaneous conversion of most harmful As(III) and Cr(VI) to their less toxic counterparts is environmentally desirable and cost-effective. It has been confirmed that simultaneous oxidation of As(III) to As(V) and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) can occur via free radical or mediated electron transfer processes. While Cr(VI) is reduced by reacting with H•, eaq−, photoelectron directly or undergoing ligand exchange with H2O2 and...
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What should we know when choosing feather, blood, egg or preen oil as biological samples for contaminants detection? A non-lethal approach to bird sampling for PCBs, OCPs, PBDEs and PFASs
PublicationBirds are considered as good bio-monitors and they can provide highly valuable data about the level of contamination in their habitat. During the design of biomonitoring studies one of the first issues after choosing species is the choice of biological material. Non-lethally collected samples have recently been gaining greater attention as they offer several ethical and practical advantages. However, not all sample matrices are...
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FTIR spectroscopic and thermogravimetric characterization of ground tyre rubber devulcanized by microwave treatment
PublicationIn this work, the phenomena involved in the microwave devulcanization of ground tyre rubber (GTR) were investigated. Three types of GTR with different content of organic compounds (elastomers, plasticizers, etc.), carbon black and ash have been studied. The chemical structure of GTR before and after a microwave devulcanization process was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)...
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Removal of persistant organic pollutants from landfill leachates treated in three constructed wetland systems
PublicationThe objective of the study was assessment of occurrence and removal of two groups of persistent organic pollutants: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in landfill leachate (LL) treated in three constructed wetland systems (CWs) of different construction and flow regime. Two subsurface flow systems (SSF) were analyzed: one with horizontal flow and the second one consisting of two vertical...
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A biochemical multi-species quality model of a drinking water distribution system for simulation and design
PublicationDrinking Water Distribution Systems (DWDSs) play a key role in sustainable development of modern society. They are classified as critical infrastructure systems. This imposes a large set of highly demanding requirements on the DWDS operation and requires dedicated algorithms for on-line monitoring and control to tackle related problems. Requirements on DWDS availability restrict the usability of the real plant in the design phase....
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Sizes of iron hydroxide particles formed during ferric coagulation processes
PublicationThe aim of the study was to apply laser granulometer for measuring sizes of particles formed in iron-based coagulation process in water, which did not contain significant amounts of organic compounds. The research was conducted using tap water, obtained from underground sources. Iron sulfate in doses of 2.0–10.0 mgFe L–1 was added to water. During initial stage of flocculation, iron hydroxide particles reached dimensions between...
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MXenes Antibacterial Properties and Applications: A Review and Perspective
PublicationThe mutations of bacteria due to the excessive use of antibiotics, and generation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have made the development of new antibacterial compounds a necessity. MXenes have emerged as biocompatible transition metal carbide structures with extensive biomedical applications. This is related to the MXenes’ unique combination of properties, including multifarious elemental compositions, 2D-layered structure,...
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Habitat-related patterns of soft-bottom macrofaunal assemblages in a brackish, low-diversity system (southern Baltic Sea)
PublicationCoastal areas provide a high variety of sedimentary habitats that influence the structure of resident fauna even on small geographical scales. Therefore, examinations of spatial variations in benthic assemblages require background knowledge of the environmental and biotic heterogeneity of habitats in order to understand ecological processes in such areas. The effect of habitat-related abiotic and biological variables on macrofaunal...
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Improving in-situ biomethanation of sewage sludge under mesophilic conditions: Performance and microbial community analysis
PublicationThis research investigated the application of in-situ biological hydrogen methanation within a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system under mesophilic conditions, with sewage sludge used as the substrate. Two CSTRs with an effective capacity of 5 L were installed and loaded with inoculum sludge with a volatile solid (VS) concentration of 1.2–1.5 %. They were fed mixed waste sludge with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.5...
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Nanoparticle-assisted biohydrogen production from pretreated food industry wastewater sludge: Microbial community shifts in batch and continuous processes
PublicationBiohydrogen production from industrial waste has gained a significant attention as a sustainable energy source. In this study, the enrichment of biohydrogen production from pretreated dissolved air flotation (DAF) sludge, generated from food industry wastewater treatment plants, was investigated using SiO2@Cu-Ag dendrites cor- e–shell nanostructure (NS). The effect of NS on the changes of the microbial community and biohydrogen...
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Chemical characterization of wild populations of Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) for the content of their bioactive compounds
PublicationThe wild species belonging to Brassica oleracea complex species (n=9) are widespread in the Mediterranean basin and represent the relative species of several vegetable crops, such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage. They are characterized by the high level of bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates (GLSs), known for their benefits for human health. Four accessions were evaluated: B. macrocarpa (BM) from Favignana (Trapani),...