Integrating novel (thermophilic aerobic membrane reactor-TAMR) and conventional (conventional activated sludge-CAS) biological processes for the treatment of high strength aqueous wastes.

A combination of thermophilic aerobic membrane reactor (TAMR) and conventional activated sludge (CAS) was studied by means of two pilot plants at semi-industrial scale in order to simulate the new configuration adopted in a full-scale facility for the treatment of high strength aqueous wastes. Aqueous wastes with high contents of organic pollutants were treated by means of the TAMR technology, progressively increasing the organic load (3-12 kgCOD m-3 d-1). A mixture of municipal wastewater and thermophilic permeate was fed to the CAS plant. The main results are the following: achievement of a high COD removal yield by both the TAMR (78%) and the CAS (85%) plants; ammonification of the organic nitrogen under thermophilic conditions and subsequent mesophilic nitrification; capacity of the downstream mesophilic process to complete the degradation of the organic matter partially obtained by the TAMR process and precipitation of phosphorus as vivianite and carbonatehydroxylapatite in the TAMR plant.

Kaolinite in pharmaceutics and biomedicine.

Kaolinite Al2Si2O5(OH)4 is an abundant and inexpensive geomaterial regarded as one of the most common clay minerals in the earth's crust and the most widespread phase among the other kaolin polymorphs (halloysite, dickite and nacrite). Structurally, it is a hydrous aluminum phyllosilicate member belonging to the dioctahedral 1:1 kaolin mineral group. The particle size of the pseudohexagonal kaolinite platelets is normally <2µm (if compared to a human red blood cell of a typical diameter 6.2-8.2µm or to a virus particle of about 50nm diameter). The kaolinite platelets, either stacked together with a common booklet-like shape in a highly ordered structure (well crystallized) or disordered structure (poorly crystallized), consist of layers considered as a strong dipole of hydrophobic siloxane surface dominated by negative charges, and the other hydrophilic aluminol surface carries positive charges. Kaolinite has been used in many pharmaceutical applications as excipient or active ingredient, because it exhibits excellent physical, chemical and surface physicochemical properties. In addition to their classical pharmaceutical uses, kaolinite and its derivatives have been recently considered as a promising material in many biomedical innovation areas such as drug, protein and gene delivery based on the high interaction capacities with organic and biochemical molecules, bioadhesion and cellular uptake. Pharmaceutical kaolin grades are considerably demanded for usage as excipient in formulations of solid and semi-solid dosage forms. The most important functionalities of kaolin used as excipient are reported as diluent, binder, disintegrant, pelletizing and granulating, amorphizing, particle film coating, emulsifying and suspending agent. Because of its uninjured bioactivity, kaolinite has been also used as active agent for treatment of some common diseases. It can be topically administered as hemostatic agent, dermatological protector, anti-inflammatory agent and in pelotherapy, or orally as gastrointestinal protector, and antibacterial, antiviral, detoxification or antidiarrheal agent. With these premises, the future of kaolinite in health-care uses is strongly interesting, especially in the development of pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In biomedicinal investigations, it can be considered as a promising natural geomaterial for designing new derivatives that can contribute in the trials of discovering new therapeutic systems and treatment pathways of global challenge diseases such as cancer, viruses, antibiotic resistant bacteria, alzheimer, chronic skeletomuscular and geriatric diseases.

Hydrological processes at Inle Lake (Southern Shan State, Myanmar) inferred from hydrochemical, mineralogical and isotopic data.

A one-year hydrochemical and isotopic monitoring was conducted at the Inle Lake, the second largest lake in Myanmar, also considering sediment samples. Lake waters are characterised by low electrical conductivities (236-489 µS/cm), neutral to alkaline pH (7.36-9.26), oxidising Eh (329-457 mV) and Ca-Mg-HCO3 facies. Stable isotopes indicate that lake waters are only slightly affected by evaporation, are fully flushed yearly and are not stratified. Carbonate equilibria dominate the lake water hydrochemistry. In summer, photosynthetic activity and temperature increase induce calcite precipitation, as testified by its high content in the sediments, up to 97 %, and by its isotopic composition. The short residence time and endogenic calcite precipitation likely prevent the accumulation of contaminants and nutrients in lake waters. This study suggests a high resilience of the system to anthropogenic disturbances and demonstrates the sediment potential for the reconstruction of the environmental evolution in time and for the anthropogenic impact assessment.

Interaction of naproxen with noncrystalline acetyl beta- and acetyl gamma-cyclodextrins in the solid and liquid state.

Randomly acetylated, amorphous beta-cyclodextrin (AcbetaCd) and gamma-cyclodextrin (AcgammaCd), having an average substitution degree per anhydroglucose unit, respectively, of 1.1 and 0.95 (approximately 7.7 acetyl residues per macrocycle), were investigated for their interactions in the solid and liquid state with naproxen (NAP). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), supported by X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), of NAP-AcbetaCd and NAP-AcgammaCd blends revealed an apparent decrease in drug crystallinity which was related to a heating-induced solid-state interaction between the drug and each carrier. A solubility of approximately 0.40 NAP mass fraction in amorphous AcbetaCd and amorphous AcgammaCd at room temperature was determined. Phase-solubility analysis at 25, 37, and 45 degrees C accounted for A(L)-type inclusion complexation of NAP with AcbetaCd (K(1:1,25 degrees C)=4.5(4) x 10(3) l mol(-1)) and AcgammaCd (K(1:1,25 degrees C)=0.80(7) x 10(3) l mol(-1)) and revealed a solubilizing efficiency of AcbetaCd toward NAP approximately 4 times that of AcgammaCd. Equimolar drug-carrier combinations prepared from the respective blends by grinding, kneading, coevaporation and freeze-drying were characterized by DSC and XRD and tested for dissolution rate of NAP using the dispersed amount and continuous flow through methods. The best performance in terms of dissolution rate enhancement (approximately 23 times and approximately 10 times the dissolution efficiency of pure drug in the dispersed amount and continuous flow through tests, respectively) was displayed by the NAP-AcbetaCd colyophilized product.