Sharif Digital Repository

A moving bed biofilm reactor with pre-denitrification configuration was fed with a synthetic wastewater containing high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia. By changing different variables including ammonium and COD loading, nitrification rate in the aerobic reactor and denitrification rate in the anoxic reactor were monitored. Changing the influent loading was achieved via adjusting the inlet COD (956-2,096 mg/L), inlet ammonium (183-438 mg/L), and hydraulic retention time of the aerobic reactor (8, 12, and 18 hours). The overall organic loading rate was in the range of 3.60-17.37 gCOD/m2·day, of which 18.5-91% was removed in the anoxic reactor depending on the operational conditions.... 

In the present work, the roles of inorganic oxide nanoparticles on the extraction efficiency of polyethylene terephthalate-based nanocomposites were extensively studied. Four fiber coatings based on polyethylene terephthalate nanocomposites containing different types of nanoparticles along with a pristine polyethylene terephthalate polymer were conveniently electrospun on stainless steel wires. The applicability of new fiber coatings were examined by headspace-solid phase microextraction of some environmentally important volatile organic compound such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX), as model compounds, from aqueous samples. Subsequently, the extracted analytes were... 

A highly efficient polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)-based nanocomposite containing nickel oxide nanoparticles was synthesized by electrospinning technique and used as a fiber coating for solid phase microextraction. The influential morphological parameters and capability of the prepared nanocomposite including the NiO content, the coating time, the PBT concentration and applied voltage were considered for optimization. The applicability of the synthesized fiber coating was examined by headspace solid phase micro extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry detection of some volatile organic compounds in aqueous samples. Among the synthesized nanocomposites and pristine PBT nanofibers,... 

An attempt was made to combine μ-solid phase extraction and headspace single drop microextraction techniques and use their advantages for trace determination of some volatile organic compounds in aqueous samples. After performing the two-step preconcentration approach, the desired analytes were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A resorcinol-formaldehyde-based xerogel was used as the extraction medium in the μ-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE) method. Then, the extracted BTEX was eluted with a rather large amount of methanol. To remove the laborious process including solvent evaporation and further reconstitution, which is usually accompanied by loss of analytes and accuracy,... 

This paper considers the modeling and control of a tubular fixed bed reactor with recycle stream for dimethyl ether (DME) production. For simulation purposes, a pseudo homogeneous model has been developed. By reactor simulation under steady state condition, effects of parameters such as feed rate, pressure and shell temperature are investigated. Using the steady state model, an optimizer that maximizes the reactor yield has been developed. For cooling the reactor, a steam drum that uses heat of reactions to produce steam was coupled with the reactor. Through dynamic simulation, system open loop response was obtained and two control loops were considered for controlling the reactor... 

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-selective ion monitoring (GC-MS-SIM) was applied to the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in water samples. The effect of main parameters affecting the extraction efficiency was studied simultaneously. From selected parameters, volume of extraction solvent, volume of dispersive solvent, and salt concentration were optimized by means of experimental design. The statistical parameters of the derived model were R 2=0.9987 and F=17.83. The optimal conditions were 42.0μL for extraction solvent, 0.30mL for disperser solvent and 5% (w/v) for sodium chloride. The calibration linear range... 

Background: Evidence is needed regarding the air pollutant components and their sources responsible for associations between particle mass concentrations and human cardiovascular outcomes. We previously found associations between circulating biomarkers of inflammation and mass concentrations of quasi-ultrafine particles ≤ 0.25 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM0.25) in a panel cohort study of 60 elderly subjects with coronary artery disease living in the Los Angeles Basin.Objectives: We reassessed biomarker associations with PM0.25 using new particle composition data.Methods: Weekly biomarkers of inflammation were plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor II... 

Quasi-ultrafine (quasi-UF) particulate matter (PM0.25) and its components were measured in indoor and outdoor environments at four retirement communities in Los Angeles Basin, California, as part of the Cardiovascular Health and Air Pollution Study (CHAPS). The present paper focuses on the characterization of the sources, organic constituents and indoor and outdoor relationships of quasi-UF PM. The average indoor/outdoor ratios of most of the measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hopanes, and steranes were close to or slightly lower than 1, and the corresponding indoor-outdoor correlation coefficients (R) were always positive and, for the most part, moderately strong (median R... 

In the present research, proton exchange membranes based on partially sulfonated poly (ether sulfone) (S-PES) with various degrees of sulfonation were synthesized. It was found that the increasing of sulfonation degree up to 40% results in the enhancement of water uptake, ion exchange capacity and proton conductivity properties of the prepared membranes to 28.1%, 1.59 meq g -1, and 0.145 S cm -1, respectively. Afterwards, nanocomposite membranes based on S-PES (at the predetermined optimum sulfonation degree) containing various loading weights of organically treated montmorillonite (OMMT) were prepared via the solution intercalation technique. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the... 

Volatile components of saffron from different regions of Iran were extracted by ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction (USE) and were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) was proposed for resolving the co-eluted GC-MS peak clusters into pure chromatograms and mass spectra. Multivariate curve resolution-objective function minimization (MCR-FMIN) and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least square (MCR-ALS) were successfully used for this purpose. The accuracy of the qualitative and quantitative results was improved considerably using SMCR techniques. Comparison of the results of saffron from different regions of Iran showed... 

A nano-composite material consisting of amine functionalized TiO 2-coated carbon nanotubes was prepared and used for glucose oxidase (GOx) absorption. The GOx bearing nanomaterial was fixed on a glassy carbon electrode to construct a novel biosensor for glucose determination. The direct electrochemistry of immobilized GOx and its electron transfer parameters at the modified glassy carbon electrode were reported. The apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ks) of GOx was estimated to be 3.5 s-1, which is higher than those reported previously. Amperometric detection of glucose resulted in a rapid (3 s) and stable response in the linear concentration range from 1.8 to 266 μM.... 

This study presents a new method to develop a thin controllable retarder/modulator with spatial axial symmetry by rotating a freely suspended of 4-Cyano-4-n-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) and N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA) liquid crystal films using mechanical method or as a liquid film motor  

The use of 1,3-bis(N-heterocyclic)carbene ligands with different alkyl wingtip groups (alkyl = methyl, isopropyl and tert-butyl) is an effective method for the palladium-catalysed direct S-arylation of methylphenyl sulfoxide and C-C coupling of various of aryl halides with alkenes. The reactions proceed in moderate to good yields. Interestingly, it is shown experimentally that, by using bulkier bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, more selective catalytic systems towards cis products in Heck coupling reactions can be achieved  

Superhydrophobic materials have attracted many attentions in recent years while their application in sample preparation remained almost intact. In this project, a rough surface of melamine formaldehyde foam was silanized by chemical deposition of trichloromethylsilane to form a highly porous and superhydrophobic material, presumably a suitable medium for extracting non–polar compounds such as benzene and its methyl derivatives. The prepared sorbent was packed in a needle for the headspace needle–trap microextraction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX). Major parameters associated with the extraction/desorption processes were considered for optimization. Under the optimized... 

The use of 1,3-bis(N-heterocyclic)carbene ligands with different alkyl wingtip groups (alkyl = methyl, isopropyl and tert-butyl) is an effective method for the palladium-catalysed direct S-arylation of methylphenyl sulfoxide and C–C coupling of various of aryl halides with alkenes. The reactions proceed in moderate to good yields. Interestingly, it is shown experimentally that, by using bulkier bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, more selective catalytic systems towards cis products in Heck coupling reactions can be achieved. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd  

A novel class of substituted quinazolines were prepared in good yields by a one-pot three-component reaction of isocyanides with adducts of anilines and tri- or dichloroacetonitrile, followed by intramolecular C-H activation, catalyzed by copper(I) iodide with l -proline as a ligand in acetonitrile at room temperature. © 2017 Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart .New York-Synlett  

An approach to access azaborininones (carbonyl-containing, boron-based heterocyclic scaffolds) using simple reagents and conditions from both organotrifluoroborates and boronic acids is described. An inexpensive, common reagent, SiO2, was found to serve as both a fluorophile and desiccant to facilitate the annulation process across three different azaborininone platforms. Computational analysis of some of the cores synthesized in this study was undertaken to compare the azaborininones with the analogous carbon-based heterocyclic systems. Computationally derived pKa values, NICS aromaticity calculations, and electrostatic potential surfaces revealed a unique isoelectronic/isostructural... 

We synthesized a titanium dioxide–polyaniline core–shell nanocomposite and implemented it as an efficient sorbent for the needle-trap extraction of some volatile organic compounds from urine samples. Polyaniline was synthesized, in the form of the emeraldine base, dissolved in dimethyl acetamide followed by diluting with water at pH 2.8, using the interfacial polymerization method. The TiO2 nanoparticles were encapsulated inside the conducting polymer shell, by adapting the in situ dispersing approach. The surface characteristics of the nanocomposite were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. After... 

The adsorptive removal of terephthalic acid (TPA) and p-toluic acid (p-tol) by metal organic frameworks (MOF) of Cu-BTC, Fe-BTC, MIL-101(Cr) and MIL-53(Al) was investigated in this study. The influence of various factors including solution pH, contact time, and initial concentration of TPA and p-tol solutions on the adsorption behavior was evaluated. Different adsorption isotherms and kinetic models were used to fit experimental adsorption data. It was found that the Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson adsorption isotherms were adequate to represent the experimental data (R2 > 0.97) and that the adsorption kinetics was well-represented by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 > 0.98). The zeta... 

In the present study, the performance of three moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) has been evaluated in series with anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) units for simultaneous removal of organic matter and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) from a synthetic wastewater with characteristics similar to those of a typical municipal wastewater. Response surface methodology based on central composite design was used to investigate the effects of nitrate recycle ratio, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) on the organic and nutrient removal and optimization process. The optimized values of influent COD, HRT, and R were 462 mg/L, 10 h, and 3.52, respectively. The...