Performance Evaluation of Ultra-Violet Light and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Synthetic Petroleum Wastewater: Kinetics of COD Removal.

In this study, the use of ultra-violet (UV) light with or without iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) for the degradation of synthetic petroleum wastewater was investigated. The IONPs was synthesised by sodium borohydride reduction of ferric chloride solution and was characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), x-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry (XRF), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The amount of degradation was evaluated by chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination. Experimental results show that the COD removal from synthetic petroleum wastewater by IONPs/UV system was more effective than they were independently. The combination of UV light at a wavelength of 254 nm, pH of 8, and 1.0 g of IONPs resulted in COD removal from 10.5% up to 95.5%. The photocatalytic degradation of synthetic petroleum wastewater is about 1.3-2.0 times faster in comparison to UV light only. The removal of COD from synthetic petroleum wastewater by UV light and IONPs follows the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with rate constant k ranging from 0.0133 min-1 to 0.0269 min-1. Consequently, this study has shown that the use of UV light in the presence of IONPs is favourable and effective for the removal of organic pollutants from petroleum refinery wastewater.

The conformational change of Plukenetia conophora oil derivatives and their acidic resistance, intra-fragment interactions, stability in different solvent media.

The synthesis of derivatives of bio-based lubricants from vegetable oil as an alternative to petroleum oil is significant due to the oil crisis, global warming, higher demand and serious environmental threat. In this study, the molecular properties of three derivatives of oil derived from Plukenetia conophora seeds, namely Plukenetia conophora oil (PK), rpoxidised Plukenetia conophora oil (EP) and poly(hydroxybutanethiol-ether) derivative of Plukenetia conophora oil (BP), were examined in acidic media and crystal form. The derivative BP has the highest resistance to acidic attack as evident from their poor interaction with acidic H3O+ from both HCl and HNO3. BP also has the best tendency of forming a crystal as evident from the lowest atomic diffusion in crystal model (L12). However, the result of the molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) analysis shows that BP has more electron-deficient surface compare to EP derivatives. The derivative BP is also found to have the lowest potential energy and higher root means square deviation (RMSD) of its atoms. Density clustering analysis further confirms that BP did not retain its most stable conformation for a longer period of simulation compared to PK and EP. The most visited conformation from the hierarchical and density clustering also corresponds to the minimum potential energy on the potential energy surface.Graphical abstract.

Intra-molecular electron communication, spectroscopic and conformational stability of the newly developed urethane modified polyetheramide coatings: Computational methods.

There have been constant research efforts towards the development of new and thermally stable resins, containing properties to outdoor usage, such as high quality of adhesion, as well as resistance to water and acid, amongst others. In this computational study, the spectroscopic properties were calculated, also the intramolecular electronic communication, susceptibility, as well as conformational changes in two monomers of potential resins, namely Albiziabenth oil polyetheramide (ABOPEtA) and urethanated Albiziabenth oil polyetheramide (UABOPEtA), as well as their precursor, namely hydroxylethyl albiziabenth oil amide (HEABOA). Many of these computed properties clearly show that the urethane linkage group in UABOPEtA acts as a strong electron withdrawing group, consequently causing the rest of the molecule to be more nucleophilic. This leads to an increase in the stability of UABOPEtA, as compared the rest of the molecules, as evidenced by an increase in the intramolecular energy of interaction, as well as negative values of the polarizability exaltation index (Γ). Further UABOPEtA is also associated with higher non-linear optical properties, in terms of the hyperpolarizabilities (ß) and increased aromaticity, than for molecules ABOPEtA and HEABOA. The conformational folding of molecule UABOPEtA is characterized by larger values of the bisphenol-A linkage bond angle C⋯C⋯C, contrary to the angle observed in molecule ABOPEtA. This is a direct effect of hiding the urethane unit in the cleft of the folded UABOPEtA, which clearly leads to an increase in the hydrophobicity of UABOPEtA.

Phenols, flame retardants and phthalates in water and wastewater - a global problem.

Organic pollutants in water and wastewater have been causing serious environmental problems. The arbitrary discharge of wastewater by industries, and handling, use, and disposal constitute a means by which phenols, flame retardants (FRs), phthalates (PAEs) and other toxic organic pollutants enter the ecosystem. Moreover, these organic pollutants are not completely removed during treatment processes and might be degraded into highly toxic derivatives, which has led to their occurrence in the environment. Phenols, FRs and PAEs are thus highly toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic, and are capable of disrupting the endocrine system. Therefore, investigation to understand the sources, pathways, behavior, toxicity and exposure to phenols, FRs and PAEs in the environment is necessary. Formation of different by-products makes it difficult to compare the efficacy of the treatment processes, most especially when other organic matters are present. Hence, high levels of phenols, FRs and PAEs removal could be attained with in-line combined treatment processes.