scholarly journals Toxicology and Biodegradability of a Phthalate-Free and Bio-Based Novel Plasticizer

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
S. Simar-Mentières ◽  
F. Nesslany ◽  
M.-L. Sola ◽  
S. Mortier ◽  
J.-M. Raimbault ◽  
...  

Phthalate esters, mainly di-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), represent a class of chemicals primarily used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride in a wide range of domestic and industrial applications. These phthalate esters are low-toxicity environmental contaminants. To address these drawbacks, POLYSORB® ID 37, a blend of diesters obtained from esterification of isosorbide with plant-based fatty acids, was developed. The company can now offer PVC manufacturers a new product which competes with phthalates and other such chemicals. The market for plasticizers is very important, and ROQUETTE intends to provide a more sustainable and safer product. Isosorbide diester is bio-based (made from glucose and vegetable fatty acids). This plasticizer is registered in REACH regulation for high volumes (>1000 T/year). Risk assessment was obtained by conducting a wide range of biodegradability and toxicological protocols, using rodent models, according to established guidelines. Overall, all of the toxicological and biodegradability studies demonstrated that POLYSORB® ID 37 is nontoxic to mammalian life and is readily biodegradable.

2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hazel Gowland

The skills and knowledge required to carry out food allergen avoidance are becoming increasingly sophisticated. It is not enough to know the names of a handful of dishes which contain a known allergen as an ingredient. Many lifestyles now depend on food prepared away from the home. New product development has introduced a wide range of ingredients and dishes which are labour saving, exciting and innovative. Product traceability now depends on advanced technological support as it struggles to keep up with foods manufactured, prepared and served in ever more complex circumstances. Consumers are now faced with ‘a jungle of choices’. However, those individuals who need to avoid a known allergen, particularly in trace quantities, often find that the food choice deemed suitable is poor, and the information available inadequate or even dangerously misleading. There are two important groups for whom this situation is a major concern. Thousands of families with young children are forced to live with the possibility that everyday foods may be contaminated by a known allergen which could kill in minutes. They live on their nerves, reading every packet and resorting to hyperprotective childcare and vigilance. In addition, the youngest independent consumers, teenagers and those in their twenties, may have little first-hand experience of food preparation. They may be ill-equipped in food-allergen risk assessment. Sadly, those who die from anaphylaxis or allergen-triggered asthma are often in this age-group. Current initiatives to support consumers at risk include a recognised standard for manufacturers seeking to eliminate an allergen from their production, and the integration of food allergy into training for caterers and food standards enforcement professionals.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10241
Author(s):  
Jane Rudebusch ◽  
Brent B. Hughes ◽  
Katharyn E. Boyer ◽  
Ellen Hines

Southern sea otters have been actively managed for their conservation and recovery since listing on the federal Endangered Species Act in 1977. Still, they remain constrained to a geographically small area on the central coast of California relative to their former coast-wide range, with population numbers far below those of the estimated optimal sustainable population size. Species managers have discussed reintroducing southern sea otters into parts of their historic range to facilitate sustained population growth and geographic range expansion. San Francisco Bay (SFB), historically home to several thousand sea otters, is one location identified as a candidate release site for these reintroductions. The return of sea otters to SFB could bring benefits to local ecosystem restoration and tourism, in addition to spurring sea otter population growth to meet recovery goals. However, this is a highly urbanized estuary, so sea otters could also be exposed to serious anthropogenic threats that would challenge a successful reintroduction. In light of these potential detriments we performed a spatially-explicit risk assessment to analyze the suitability of SFB for southern sea otter reintroduction. We looked at threats to sea otters specific to SFB, including: the impacts of vessel traffic from commercial shipping, high-speed ferries, and recreational vessels; environmental contaminants of methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls; major oil spills; and commercial fishing. Factors that influenced the relative threat imposed by each stressor included the spatio-temporal extent and intensity of the stressor and its mitigation potential. Our analysis revealed the complex spatial and temporal variation in risk distribution across the SFB. The type and magnitude of anthropogenic risk was not uniformly distributed across the study area. For example, the central SFB housed the greatest cumulative risk, where a high degree of vessel traffic and other stressors occurred in conjunction. The individual stressors that contributed to this risk score varied across different parts of the study area as well. Whereas vessel traffic, particularly of fast ferries, was a high scoring risk factor in in the north and central bay, in the south bay it was environmental contaminants that caused greater risk potential. To help identify areas within the study area that managers might want to target for release efforts, the spatially-explicit risk map revealed pockets of SFB that could provide both suitable habitat and relatively low overall risk. However in some cases these were adjacent or in close proximity to identified high-risk portions of habitat in SFB. This predictive suitability and risk assessment can be used by managers to consider the spatial distribution of potential threats, and risk abatement that may be necessary for sea otters to re-occupy their historic home range in SFB.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ewen ◽  
Carlos Ayestaran Latorre ◽  
Arash Khajeh ◽  
Joshua Moore ◽  
Joseph Remias ◽  
...  

<p>Phosphate esters have a wide range of industrial applications, for example in tribology where they are used as vapour phase lubricants and antiwear additives. To rationally design phosphate esters with improved tribological performance, an atomic-level understanding of their film formation mechanisms is required. One important aspect is the thermal decomposition of phosphate esters on steel surfaces, since this initiates film formation. In this study, ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the thermal decomposition of phosphate esters with different substituents on several ferrous surfaces. On Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>(001) and α-Fe(110), chemisorption interactions between the phosphate esters and the surfaces occur even at room temperature, and the number of molecule-surface bonds increases as the temperature is increased from 300 to 1000 K. Conversely, on hydroxylated, amorphous Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>, most of the molecules are physisorbed, even at high temperature. Thermal decomposition rates were much higher on Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>(001) and particularly α-Fe(110) compared to hydroxylated, amorphous Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>. This suggests that water passivates ferrous surfaces and inhibits phosphate ester chemisorption, decomposition, and ultimately film formation. On Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>(001), thermal decomposition proceeds mainly through C-O cleavage (to form surface alkyl and aryl groups) and C-H cleavage (to form surface hydroxyls). The onset temperature for C-O cleavage on Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>(001) increases in the order: tertiary alkyl < secondary alkyl < primary linear alkyl ≈ primary branched alkyl < aryl. This order is in agreement with experimental observations for the thermal stability of antiwear additives with similar substituents. The results highlight surface and substituent effects on the thermal decomposition of phosphate esters which should be helpful for the design of new molecules with improved performance.</p>


Alloy Digest ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  

Abstract PLATINUM is a soft, ductile, white metal which can be readily worked either hot or cold. It has a wide range of industrial applications because of its excellent corrosion and oxidation resistance and its high melting point. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, and tensile properties. It also includes information on high temperature performance and corrosion resistance as well as forming, heat treating, machining, and joining. Filing Code: Pt-1. Producer or source: Matthey Bishop Inc..


Author(s):  
Sergei Soldatenko ◽  
Sergei Soldatenko ◽  
Genrikh Alekseev ◽  
Genrikh Alekseev ◽  
Alexander Danilov ◽  
...  

Every aspect of human operations faces a wide range of risks, some of which can cause serious consequences. By the start of 21st century, mankind has recognized a new class of risks posed by climate change. It is obvious, that the global climate is changing, and will continue to change, in ways that affect the planning and day to day operations of businesses, government agencies and other organizations and institutions. The manifestations of climate change include but not limited to rising sea levels, increasing temperature, flooding, melting polar sea ice, adverse weather events (e.g. heatwaves, drought, and storms) and a rise in related problems (e.g. health and environmental). Assessing and managing climate risks represent one of the most challenging issues of today and for the future. The purpose of the risk modeling system discussed in this paper is to provide a framework and methodology to quantify risks caused by climate change, to facilitate estimates of the impact of climate change on various spheres of human activities and to compare eventual adaptation and risk mitigation strategies. The system integrates both physical climate system and economic models together with knowledge-based subsystem, which can help support proactive risk management. System structure and its main components are considered. Special attention is paid to climate risk assessment, management and hedging in the Arctic coastal areas.


Author(s):  
Andrea Giacchero ◽  
Jacopo Moretti ◽  
Francesco Cesarone ◽  
Fabio Tardella

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (46) ◽  
pp. 4848-4860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anisha Anand ◽  
Gopinathan Manavalan ◽  
Ranju Prasad Mandal ◽  
Huan-Tsung Chang ◽  
Yi-Ru Chiou ◽  
...  

: The prevention and treatment of various infections caused by microbes through antibiotics are becoming less effective due to antimicrobial resistance. Researches are focused on antimicrobial nanomaterials to inhibit bacterial growth and destroy the cells, to replace conventional antibiotics. Recently, carbon dots (C-Dots) become attractive candidates for a wide range of applications, including the detection and treatment of pathogens. In addition to low toxicity, ease of synthesis and functionalization, and high biocompatibility, C-Dots show excellent optical properties such as multi-emission, high brightness, and photostability. C-Dots have shown great potential in various fields, such as biosensing, nanomedicine, photo-catalysis, and bioimaging. This review focuses on the origin and synthesis of various C-Dots with special emphasis on bacterial detection, the antibacterial effect of CDots, and their mechanism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 787-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Kieliszek ◽  
Kamil Piwowarek ◽  
Anna M. Kot ◽  
Katarzyna Pobiega

AbstractCellular biomass of microorganisms can be effectively used in the treatment of waste from various branches of the agro-food industry. Urbanization processes and economic development, which have been intensifying in recent decades, lead to the degradation of the natural environment. In the first half of the 20th century, problems related to waste management were not as serious and challenging as they are today. The present situation forces the use of modern technologies and the creation of innovative solutions for environmental protection. Waste of industrial origin are difficult to recycle and require a high financial outlay, while the organic waste of animal and plant origins, such as potato wastewater, whey, lignin, and cellulose, is dominant. In this article, we describe the possibilities of using microorganisms for the utilization of various waste products. A solution to reduce the costs of waste disposal is the use of yeast biomass. Management of waste products using yeast biomass has made it possible to generate new metabolites, such as β-glucans, vitamins, carotenoids, and enzymes, which have a wide range of industrial applications. Exploration and discovery of new areas of applications of yeast, fungal, and bacteria cells can lead to an increase in their effective use in many fields of biotechnology.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1711
Author(s):  
Heba A. Gad ◽  
Autumn Roberts ◽  
Samirah H. Hamzi ◽  
Haidy A. Gad ◽  
Ilham Touiss ◽  
...  

Jojoba is a widely used medicinal plant that is cultivated worldwide. Its seeds and oil have a long history of use in folklore to treat various ailments, such as skin and scalp disorders, superficial wounds, sore throat, obesity, and cancer; for improvement of liver functions, enhancement of immunity, and promotion of hair growth. Extensive studies on Jojoba oil showed a wide range of pharmacological applications, including antioxidant, anti-acne and antipsoriasis, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antipyretic, analgesic, antimicrobial, and anti-hyperglycemia activities. In addition, Jojoba oil is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in cosmetics for topical, transdermal, and parenteral preparations. Jojoba oil also holds value in the industry as an anti-rodent, insecticides, lubricant, surfactant, and a source for the production of bioenergy. Jojoba oil is considered among the top-ranked oils due to its wax, which constitutes about 98% (mainly wax esters, few free fatty acids, alcohols, and hydrocarbons). In addition, sterols and vitamins with few triglyceride esters, flavonoids, phenolic and cyanogenic compounds are also present. The present review represents an updated literature survey about the chemical composition of jojoba oil, its physical properties, pharmacological activities, pharmaceutical and industrial applications, and toxicity.


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