Impact of Cations (Na+, K+, Mg+2) and Anions (F-, Cl-, SO42-) Leaching from Filters Packed with Natural Zeolite and Ferric Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment

Natural zeolites have been employed to adsorb contaminants in water. This study is aimed to evaluate the cation and anion leaching from the zeolite after the wastewater was passed through filters packed with a natural zeolite (heulandite-CaAl₂Si₇O₁₈·6H₂O). Eight treatments were evaluated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial treatment design. Factor A was the zeolite with two levels: 127 g and 80.4 g. Factor B was the nanoparticles with two levels: one bag (3.19 g) and two bags (6.39 g); and Factor C was the use of a magnet: with and without. There were two replications; hence, a total of 16 filters were employed. The water was obtained from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWTP). The cations (Na⁺, K⁺; Mg⁺² and Ca⁺²) and anions (F⁻, Cl⁻ and SO₄²⁻) were measured before (influent = IW) and after filtering (effluent = EW) three times. All treatments leached the cations Na⁺ (EW in a range of 175 to 232 ppm), K⁺ (EW in a range of 15.4 to 33.2 ppm), and Mg⁺² (EW in a range of 7.40 to 10.8 ppm) but did not leach Ca⁺². Likewise, the treatments leached the anions F⁻ (EW in a range of 7.59 to 8.87 ppm), Cl⁻ (EW in a range of 85.9 to 120 ppm), and SO₄²⁻ (EW in a range of 139 to 146 ppm). We conclude that this natural zeolite leaches cations (except Ca⁺²) and anions in MWTP passed through filters. Therefore, its application in wastewater treatment should be considered for purposes such as agriculture and animal production and not for drinking water.

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone targeted poly(methyl vinyl ether maleic acid) nanoparticles for doxorubicin delivery to MCF-7 breast cancer cells

The purpose of this study was to design a targeted anti-cancer drug delivery system for breast cancer. Therefore, doxorubicin (DOX) loaded poly(methyl vinyl ether maleic acid) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by ionic cross-linking method using Zn(2+) ions. To optimise the effect of DOX/polymer ratio, Zn/polymer ratio, and stirrer rate a full factorial design was used and their effects on particle size, zeta potential, loading efficiency (LE, %), and release efficiency in 72 h (RE72, %) were studied. Targeted NPs were prepared by chemical coating of tiptorelin/polyallylamin conjugate on the surface of NPs by using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carboiimid HCl as cross-linking agent. Conjugation efficiency was measured by Bradford assay. Conjugated triptorelin and targeted NPs were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The cytotoxicity of DOX loaded in targeted NPs and non-targeted ones were studied on MCF-7 cells which overexpress luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptors and SKOV3 cells as negative LHRH receptors using Thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay. The best results obtained from NPs prepared by DOX/polymer ratio of 5%, Zn/polymer ratio of 50%, and stirrer rate of 960 rpm. FTIR spectrum confirmed successful conjugation of triptorelin to NPs. The conjugation efficiency was about 70%. The targeted NPs showed significantly less IC50 for MCF-7 cells compared to free DOX and non-targeted NPs.

The Diffusion of Charged Particles in Collisional Plasmas: Free and Ambipolar Diffusion at Low and Moderate Pressures

The interpretation of measurements of the properties of weakly ionized plasmas in terms of diffusion of electrons and ions is reviewed both critically and tutorially. A particular effort is made to tie together various aspects of charged particle diffusion phenomena in quiescent, partially ionized plasmas. The concepts of diffusion length and effective diffusion coefficient and the treatment of partially reflecting boundaries are developed in the limit of the space-charge-free motion of the electrons or ions. A simplified derivation of the screening length for space charge electric fields is followed by a review of the conventional derivation of diffusion in the ambipolar limit. A discussion of the scaling parameters of the ratio of the diffusion length to the screening length and the ratio of the diffusion length to the ion mean-free-path leads to a map used to correlate published models covering the complete range of these parameters. The models of measurements of the diffusion of electrons, several types of positive ions, and negative ions are reviewed. The role of diffusion in the decay of charged particle densities and wall currents during the afterglow of a discharge is then considered. The effects of collapse of the space charge field and of diffusion cooling are reviewed. Finally, the application of the diffusion models to a number of different discharges is discussed.