Recycling lead from a zinc plant residue (ZPR) using brine leaching and cementation with aluminum powder.

This research investigated the treatment process of an Iranian zinc plant residue for recycling lead utilizing brine leaching and cementation with aluminum powder. Response surface modeling was employed for this purpose and accordingly, two quadratic mathematical models with R2 of 0.9058 and 0.9463 were identified for relationship between process parameters. The ANOVA and 3D response surface graphs exhibited that the leaching and cementation processes were significantly depended on the interactive effects between influential parameters. The interaction effects of liquid/solid ratio with NaCl concentration, temperature and stirring rate, and quadratic effect of NaCl concentration had the largest impact on the recovery. It was also distinguished that the most impressive parameters on the cementation performance were the linear effect of Al:Pb molar ratio, cementation time and temperature, and the quadratic impact of agitation rate. Additionally, numerical optimization was carried out by desirability function approach and the maximum leaching recovery of lead (77.14%) was achieved at 400 g/L NaCl concentration, 10 mL/g liquid/solid ratio, 300 rpm stirring speed, 50 °C temperature, and 60-min leaching time. Also, the highest cementation efficiency (74.97%) was determined after 75 min at 1.5 Al:Pb molar (stoichiometry) ratio, ~ 420 rpm agitation rate, and 50 °C temperature. Furthermore, thermodynamic conclusions implied an endothermic nature and good affinity of lead toward each two processes.

Leaching of copper and zinc from the tailings sample obtained from a porcelain stone mine: feasibility, modeling, and optimization.

This research was aimed to investigate the leaching behavior of zinc and copper from a porcelain stone tailings sample using RSM-CCD modeling. The synergetic and individual effects of five main factors including liquid/solid ratio, sulfuric acid concentration, agitation speed, leaching time, and temperature were examined on the recoveries of zinc and copper. For this purpose, two 2F1 models with R2 values of 0.9341 and 0.8693 were developed for the relationship between the leaching efficiencies of copper and zinc and effective terms, respectively. The results indicated that the leaching process was significantly influenced by the interactive effects between factors. The leaching recoveries increased by increasing all factors in the range studied. However, the recoveries were nearly independent of the agitation rate, indicating surface chemical reaction as the leaching kinetics controlling step. It was also found that the linear effect of temperature, the interaction effect of leaching time with liquid/solid ratio, and the interactive effect between sulfuric acid concentration and agitation rate had the greatest impact on the leaching rate of copper. Additionally, the linear effect of temperature and the interactive effect of temperature with agitation speed and liquid/solid ratio were distinguished to be the most effective factors on the recoveries of zinc. Moreover, the optimization was performed using desirability function approach, and the highest recoveries of copper (73.95%) and zinc (81.02%) were obtained at an acid concentration of 10%, 300 rpm agitation rate, 10 mL/g liquid/solid ratio, 35 °C temperature, and 75 min leaching time.

Improvement of functional recovery of transected peripheral nerve by means of chitosan grafts filled with vitamin E, pyrroloquinoline quinone and their combination.

Effects of vitamin E and pyrroloquinoline quinone on peripheral nerve regeneration were studied using a rat sciatic nerve transection model. Ninety male healthy White Wistar rats were divided into three experimental groups (n = 15), randomly: Sham-operation (SHAM), transected control (TC), chitosan conduit (Chit) and three treatment groups (Vit E, PQQ and PQQ + Vit E). In SHAM group after anesthesia, left sciatic nerve was exposed through a gluteal muscle incision and after homeostasis muscle was sutured. In Chit group left sciatic nerve was exposed the same way and transected proximal to tibio-peroneal bifurcation leaving a 10-mm gap. Proximal and distal stumps were each inserted into a chitosan tube. In treatment groups the tube was implanted the same way and filled with Vit E, PQQ and PQQ + Vit E. Each group was subdivided into three subgroups of six animals each and were studied 4, 8, 12 weeks after surgery. Functional and electrophysiological studies, and gastrocnemius muscle mass measurement confirmed faster and better recovery of regenerated axons in Vit E + PQQ combination compared to Vit E or PQQ solely (P < 0.05). Morphometric indices of regenerated fibers showed number and diameter of the myelinated fibers in PQQ + Vit E was significantly higher than in other treatment groups. In immunohistochemistry, location of reactions to S-100 in PQQ + Vit E was clearly more positive than in other treatment groups. Response to PQQ + Vit E treatment demonstrates that it influences and improves functional recovery of peripheral nerve regeneration.