Multi-functional micromotor: microfluidic fabrication and water treatment application

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 4220-4224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anqi Chen ◽  
Xue-hui Ge ◽  
Jian Chen ◽  
Liyuan Zhang ◽  
Jian-Hong Xu

We developed a microfluidic approach to simultaneously incorporate various catalysts into the micromotor in a one-step process. This provides the micromotor with self-propelled, magnetic and water treatment functions, which should benefit a wide range of applications.

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1447-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Monteil ◽  
Nathalie Bar ◽  
Agnès Bee ◽  
Didier Villemin

Wastewater cleaning strategies based on the adsorption of materials are being increasingly considered, but the wide variety of organic pollutants at low concentrations still makes their removal a challenge. The hybrid material proposed here consists of a zwitterionic polyethylenimine polymer coating a magnetic core. Polyethylenimine is phosphonated at different percentages by a one-step process and used to coat maghemite nanoparticles. It selectively extracts high amounts of cationic and anionic contaminants over a wide range of pH values, depending on the adjustable number of phosphonate groups introduced on the polymer. After recovering the nanoparticles with a magnet, pollutants are quantitatively released by repeated washing with low amounts of pH-adjusted water. The material can be reused many times without noticeable loss of efficiency and is designed to resist high temperatures, oxidation and harsh conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 329-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tereza Neuma de Castro Dantas ◽  
Yasmine Ísis Fernandes do Nascimento ◽  
Afonso Avelino Dantas Neto ◽  
Maria Carlenise Paiva de Alencar Moura ◽  
Tatiane de Andrade Maranhão

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Höfken ◽  
Katharina Zähringer ◽  
Franz Bischof

A novel agitating system has been developed which allows for individual or combined operation of stirring and aeration processes. Basic fluid mechanical considerations led to the innovative hyperboloid design of the stirrer body, which ensures high efficiencies in the stirring and the aeration mode, gentle circulation with low shear forces, excellent controllability, and a wide range of applications. This paper presents the basic considerations which led to the operating principle, the technical realization of the system and experimental results in a large-scale plant. The characteristics of the system and the differences to other stirring and aeration systems are illustrated. Details of the technical realization are shown, which conform to the specific demands of applications in the biological treatment of waste water. Special regard is given to applications in the upgrading of small compact waste water treatment plants.


Processes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
Minghan Luo ◽  
Wenjie Xu ◽  
Xiaorong Kang ◽  
Keqiang Ding ◽  
Taeseop Jeong

The ultraviolet photochemical degradation process is widely recognized as a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable technology for water treatment. This study integrated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a photoreactive kinetic model to investigate the effects of flow characteristics on the contaminant degradation performance of a rotating annular photoreactor with a vacuum-UV (VUV)/UV process performed in continuous flow mode. The results demonstrated that the introduced fluid remained in intensive rotational movement inside the reactor for a wide range of inflow rates, and the rotational movement was enhanced with increasing influent speed within the studied velocity range. The CFD modeling results were consistent with the experimental abatement of methylene blue (MB), although the model slightly overestimated MB degradation because it did not fully account for the consumption of OH radicals from byproducts generated in the MB decomposition processes. The OH radical generation and contaminant degradation efficiency of the VUV/UV process showed strong correlation with the mixing level in a photoreactor, which confirmed the promising potential of the developed rotating annular VUV reactor in water treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Barbieri ◽  
Ioritz Sorzabal Bellido ◽  
Alison J. Beckett ◽  
Ian A. Prior ◽  
Jo Fothergill ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this work, we introduce a one-step strategy that is suitable for continuous flow manufacturing of antimicrobial PDMS materials. The process is based on the intrinsic capacity of PDMS to react to certain organic solvents, which enables the incorporation of antimicrobial actives such as salicylic acid (SA), which has been approved for use in humans within pharmaceutical products. By combining different spectroscopic and imaging techniques, we show that the surface properties of PDMS remain unaffected while high doses of the SA are loaded inside the PDMS matrix. The SA can be subsequently released under physiological conditions, delivering a strong antibacterial activity. Furthermore, encapsulation of SA inside the PDMS matrix ensured a diffusion-controlled release that was tracked by spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy, Attenuated Total Reflectance IR (ATR-IR), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The biological activity of the new material was evaluated directly at the surface and in the planktonic state against model pathogenic bacteria, combining confocal laser scanning microscopy, electron microscopy, and cell viability assays. The results showed complete planktonic inhibition for clinically relevant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and a reduction of up to 4 orders of magnitude for viable sessile cells, demonstrating the efficacy of these surfaces in preventing the initial stages of biofilm formation. Our approach adds a new option to existing strategies for the antimicrobial functionalisation of a wide range of products such as catheters, wound dressings and in-dwelling medical devices based on PDMS.


Author(s):  
Stanley Chinedu Mamah ◽  
Pei Sean Goh ◽  
Ahmad Fauzi Ismail ◽  
Nor Diyana Suzaimi ◽  
Lukka Thuyavan Yogarathinam ◽  
...  

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1651
Author(s):  
Cristina Arqueros ◽  
Félix Zamora ◽  
Carmen Montoro

Global population growth and water resource scarcity are significant social problems currently being studied by many researchers focusing on finding new materials for water treatment. The aim is to obtain quality water suitable for drinking and industrial consumption. In this sense, an emergent class of crystalline porous materials known as Covalent-Organic Frameworks (COFs) offers a wide range of possibilities since their structures can be designed on demand for specific applications. Indeed, in the last decade, many efforts have been made for their use in water treatment. This perspective article aims to overview the state-of-the-art COFs collecting the most recent results in the field for water detection of pollutants and water treatment. After the introduction, where we overview the classical design strategies on COF design and synthesis for obtaining chemically stable COFs, we summarize the different experimental methodologies used for COFs processing in the form of supported and free-standing membranes and colloids. Finally, we describe the use of COFs in processes involving the detection of pollutants in water and wastewater treatment, such as the capture of organic compounds, heavy metals, and dyes, the degradation of organic pollutants, as well as in desalination processes. Finally, we provide a perspective on the field and the potential technological use of these novel materials.


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