Toward a mechanistic understanding of adsorption behavior of phenol onto a novel activated carbon composite.

In this research, the solid-liquid adsorption systems for MSAC (PbFe2O4 spinel-activated carbon)-phenol and pristine activated carbon-phenol were scrutinized from the thermodynamics and statistical physics (sta-phy) viewpoints. Experimental results indicated that MSAC composite outperformed pristine AC for the uptake of phenol from waste streams. By increasing the process temperature, the amount of phenol adsorbed onto both adsorbents, MSAC composite and pristine AC, decreased. Thermodynamic evaluations for MSAC demonstrated the spontaneous and exothermic characteristics of the adsorption process, while positive values of ΔG for pristine AC indicated a non-spontaneous process of phenol adsorption in all temperatures. In a mechanistic investigation, statistical physics modeling was applied to explore the responsible mechanism for phenol adsorption onto the MSAC composite and pristine AC. The single-layer model with one energy was the best model to describe the experimental data for both adsorbents. The adsorption energies of phenol onto both adsorbents were relatively smaller than 20 kJ/mol, indicating physical interactions. By increasing temperature from 298 to 358 K, the value of the absorbed amount of phenol onto the MSAC composite and pristine AC at saturation (Qsat) decreased from 158.94 and 138.91 to 115.23 and 112.34 mg/g, respectively. Mechanistic studies confirm the significant role of metallic hydroxides in MSAC to facilitate the removal of phenol through a strong interaction with phenol molecules, as compared with pristine activated carbon.

Copper distribution in surface and subsurface soil horizons.

The horizons of four natural soils were treated with Cu(2+) in an acid medium to study the retention capacity of Cu. The possible mineralogical changes arising because of the treatment were also studied. The soil properties and characteristics with the greatest influence on the metal retention and its distribution among the different soil fractions were determined. Crystalline phases of each horizon were determined by X-ray diffraction (XDR). The morphology, structural distribution and particle chemical composition of soil samples were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Cu distribution in the different geochemical phases of the soil was studied using a sequential extraction. The treatment led to an increase in the amorphous phases and the formation of new crystalline phases, such as rouaite (Cu2(NO3)(OH)3) and nitratine (NaNO3). Cu was also found superficially sorbed on amorphous hydroxy compounds of Fe that interact with albite, muscovite and gibbsite, and also on spherical and curved particles of aluminium clays. The largest amount of Cu retained was in an exchangeable form, and the smallest amount associated with the crystalline Fe oxides and residual fraction. In the surface horizons, the predominant Cu retention process is complexation in organomineral associations, while in the subsurface horizons it is adsorption.

Use of 3D-printers to create intensity-modulated radiotherapy compensator blocks.

Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) is an important tool for cancer treatment. It concentrates high radiation doses in complex target volumes, while sparing the surrounding tissues. IMRT is traditionally performed using Multileaf Collimators (MLC) or Compensator Blocks. The conventional way used to manufacture IMRT compensator blocks, which uses milling machines, is an important drawback over the MLC method, due to high operational and production costs. In this research, we developed a simpler alternative method to manufacture an IMRT compensator block from a fluency map generated by a commercial treatment planning system (TPS). This map was converted into a mold, and then printed using a 3D printer. The final IMRT compensator block was achieved by filling the mold with cerrobend alloy. To validate this method a quality assurance was performed using dosimetric films to compare the measured dose distributions to those predicted by the TPS system. This comparison showed a good agreement among 8 dose profiles from each situation, with a maximum RMS error of 8.84 % for the tested profiles. This suggests that the 3D printers can be effectively used to manufacture IMRT compensator blocks. The main advantage to this approach is that it can be fully conducted inside a radiotherapy facility, which results in lower costs and production times.