A New Application of Solvent Extraction to Separate Copper from Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Producing Solutions for Electrochemical and Biological Recovery Processes

Over the last decade, AMD waters have gained more attention as a potential source of metals due to the emerging need to recover or recycle metals from secondary resources. Metals recovery supports sustainability and the development of a circular economy with benefits for resource conservation and the environment. In this study, five extractants (Acorga M5640, LIX 54, LIX 622, LIX 622 N, and LIX 864) diluted (15% (v/v)) in Shell GTL with 2.5% (v/v) octanol were compared and evaluated for Cu recovery from an extreme AMD sample (5.3?±?0.3 g/L Cu) collected at the inactive São Domingos Mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of Portugal. Of the five extractants, Acorga M5640 showed the best selective efficiency. Further tests showed that 30% (v/v) of this extractant was able to selectively extract ≈ 96.0% of the Cu from the AMD in one extraction step and all of the remaining Cu (to below detection) in three steps. Among the different stripping agents tested, 2 M sulfuric acid was the most efficient, with ≈ 99% of the Cu stripped, and the recyclability of the organic phase was confirmed in five successive cycles of extraction and stripping. Furthermore, contact time tests revealed that the extraction kinetics allows the transfer of ≈ 97% of the Cu in 15 min, and aqueous to organic phase ratios tests demonstrated a maximum loading capacity of ≈ 16 g/L Cu in the organic phase. Raising the concentration of Cu in the stripping solution (2 M sulfuric acid) to ≈ 46 g/L through successive striping steps showed the potential to recover elemental Cu using traditional electrowinning. Finally, a biological approach for Cu recovery from the stripping solution was evaluated by adding the supernatant of a sulfate-reducing bacteria culture to make different molar ratios of biogenic sulfide to copper; ratios over 1.75 resulted in precipitation of more than 95% of the Cu as covellite nanoparticles.

Graphical Abstract

     

Prevention of Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions by treatment with antibodies against tumor necrosis factor alpha

BACKGROUND: In patients with louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis infection), antimicrobial treatment is often followed by sudden fever, rigors, and persistent hypotension (Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions) that are associated with increases in plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6, and interleukin-8. We attempted to determine whether sheep polyclonal Fab antibody fragments against TNF-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha Fab) could suppress the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 49 patients with proven louse-borne relapsing fever. Immediately before the intramuscular injection of penicillin, the patients received an intravenous infusion of either anti-TNF-alpha Fab or a control solution. RESULTS: Ten of the 20 patients given anti-TNF-alpha Fab had Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions with rigors, as compared with 26 of the 29 control patients (P = 0.006). The controls had significantly greater mean maximal increases in temperature (1.5 vs. 0.8 degrees C, P < 0.001), pulse rate (31 vs. 13 per minute, P < 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (25 vs. 15 mm Hg, P < 0.003), as well as higher mean peak plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 (50 vs. 17 micrograms per liter) and interleukin-8 (2000 vs 205 ng per liter) (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Levels of TNF-alpha were undetectable after treatment with anti-TNF-alpha Fab. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with sheep anti-TNF-alpha Fab suppresses Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions that occur after penicillin treatment for louse-borne relapsing fever, reduces the associated increases in plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8, and may be useful in other forms of sepsis.     

Computing Bessel functions of the second kind in extreme parameter regimes

A useful method of computing the integral order Bessel functions of the second kind Y_n(x+iy) when either, the absolute value of the real part, or the imaginary part of the argument z=x+iy is small, is described. This method is based on computing the Bessel functions for extreme parameter regimes when x∼0 (or y∼0) and is useful because a number existing algorithms and methods fail to give correct results for small x or small y. The approximating equations are derived by expanding the Bessel function in Taylor series, are tested and discussed. The present work is a continuation of the previous one conducted in regard to the Bessel function of the first kind. The results of our formalism are compared to the available existing numerical methods used in Mathematica, IMSL, MATLAB, and the Amos library. Our numerical method is easy to implement, efficient, and produces reliable results. In addition, this method reduces the computation of the Bessel functions of the second complex argument to that of real argument which simplify the computation considerably.     

Some Considerations about the Kohau Rongorongo Script in the Light of a Statistical Analysis of the ‘Santiago Staff’

Abstract

This paper deals with the distributional analysis of a recurring pattern on the Easter Island artifact known as the ‘Santiago Staff’ (‘SS’ from now on). It has been claimed that the pattern known as “X?YZ,” arguably to be found in a repetitive fashion in a “recital of pairings,” conveys a model of procreation in line with the Old Rapanui sacral chants, thus giving a clue to a possible decipherment of the SS's document. According to Steven R. Fischer, the scholar who retrieved the pattern in question, the formula “X?YZ” consists of, “X”: the “copulator” God, “?”: the superlinear corresponding to the old Rapanui phrase “copulated with,” “Y”: the “copulatee” Goddess and finally, “Z”: the issue of their “copulation.” Under this assumption, and bearing in mind that Fischer did not offer any sort of count with regard to his claim, the structure “X?YZ” has been tested and replicated to “Atua-Mata-Riri,” viewed by some researchers to be a bilingual for the understanding of the alleged schematized pattern. The evidence encountered so far supports the view that the hypothesis cannot be true for all the KRR text of the ‘SS,’ specifically for sequences other than the “X?YZ” type, leaving many doubts in the minds of epigraphers and suggesting flaws in the method of decipherment. To the most evident degree, the message encrypted in the ‘SS,’ i.e., text I, is still resisting decoding by the scholars.     

Bessel function of the first kind with complex argument

A new method of computing integral order Bessel functions of the first kind J_n(z) when either the absolute value of the real part or the imaginary part of the argument z = x + iy is small, is described. This method is based on computing the Bessel functions from asymptotic expressions when x∼ 0 (or y ∼ 0). These expansions are derived from the integral definition of Bessel functions. This method is necessary because some existing algorithms and methods fail to give correct results for small x small y. In addition, our overall method of computing Bessel functions of any order and argument is discussed and the logarithmic derivative is used in computing these functions. The starting point of the backward recurrence relations needed to evaluate the Bessel function and their logarithmic derivatives are investigated in order to obtain accurate numerical results. Our numerical method, together with established techniques of computing the Bessel functions, is easy to implement, efficient, and produces reliable results for all z.     

Correction to: A New Application of Solvent Extraction to Separate Copper from Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Producing Solutions for Electrochemical and Biological Recovery Processes

Mine Water and the Environment -     

Experimental Analysis of the Aluminium Melting Process in Industrial Cold Crucible Furnaces

Metals and Materials International - One of the promising technology that guarantee the high-purity of the processed metal is induction skull melting. The quality of the melting process within such...     

Symptomatic treatment of neurolathyrism with tolperisone HCL (Mydocalm): a randomized double blind and placebo controlled drug trial

Birth hypoxia, asphyxia and ischemia have often been thought to be major causes of early hearing loss or deafness. The purpose of the present review is to focus on the role of these particular factors for perinatal auditory disorders. On the whole, only a small proportion of neonatal hearing loss is caused by perinatal factors. The exact etiology of neonatal hearing loss in children with complicated deliveries is difficult to evaluate due to the large number of causative factors that might be involved. After reviewing the literature covering the past 15-20 years, it is not possible to say that we understand the relative importance of different factors and their interactions. However, in the majority of studies, birth asphyxia is not correlated with hearing loss in babies with complicated deliveries Prolonged artificial ventilation, the presence of severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy or persistent pulmonary hypertension are important factors. The brain is more susceptible to anoxia than the ear and both are more likely to be damaged after prolonged pre-, peri- and postnatal hypoxia-ischemia than pure hypoxia during delivery. Perinatal hypoxia is more likely to cause a temporary hearing loss than a permanent one. Preterm babies are more vulnerable than term babies. The total number of risk factors, e.g. medicated by total length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit and length of artificial ventilation, is the best predictor of risk for hearing loss of perinatal origin. The similarities between hearing loss and cerebral palsy are pointed out; only 8% of the cases of cerebral palsy are considered to be caused by conditions during delivery.