Application of Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Micro-extraction Using Mean Centering of Ratio Spectra Method for Trace Determination of Mercury in Food and Environmental Samples

In the present study, dispersive liquid–liquid micro-extraction has been applied for trace extraction and determination of mercury (Hg) ions in environmental samples. The mean centering of ratio spectra method was used to optimize the experimental parameters affecting the extraction of Hg. The factors influencing the extraction procedure such as type and volume of extracting and disperser solvent, concentration of chelating reagent, pH, salt effect, and centrifuge time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the limit of detection of the method was 0.15 μg l^?1 and enrichment factor was 39. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.5–100 μg l^?1 with a correlation of determination (R ²) of 0.998. The relative standard deviation for determination of 40 μg l^?1 of Hg(II) was 2.6 % (n?=?5). The proposed method was applied for the determination of Hg in pine leaf, sea and river fish, sand, and water samples as indicators of environmental pollution and cigarette with satisfactory analytical results. In comparison with other methods, the proposed method is very simple, easy, rapid, and sensitive for determination of Hg at trace levels in complex matrices.     

Harmonic analysis of environmental time series with missing data or irregular sample spacing

The Lomb periodogram and discrete Fourier transform are described and applied to harmonic analysis of two typical data sets, one air quality time series and one water quality time series. The air quality data is a 13 year series of 24 hour average particulate elemental carbon data from the IMPROVE station in Washington, D.C. The water quality data are from the stormwater monitoring network in Milwaukee, WI and cover almost 2 years of precipitation events. These data have irregular sampling periods and missing data that preclude the straightforward application of the fast Fourier transform (FFT). In both cases, an anthropogenic periodicity is identified; a 7-day weekday/ weekend effect in the Washington elemental carbon series and a 1 month cycle in several constituents of stormwater. Practical aspects of application of the Lomb periodogram are discussed, particularly quantifying the effects of random noise. The proper application of the FFT to data that are irregularly spaced with missing values is demonstrated on the air quality data. Recommendations are given when to use the Lomb periodogram and when to use the FFT.     

Effect of Gamma Radiation on the Mechanical Properties of Urea-Treated Rice Straw Polypropylene Composites

Rice straw (RS) polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared in the different ratios of 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60 and 50:50 (RS wt% : PP wt%) by extrusion moulding and hot press compression technique and investigated the mechanical properties like tensile strength (TS), bending strength (BS), impact strength (IS) and elongations at break (Eb%) of the composites. RS was soaked in the different ratios of urea solution and it was observed that 1% urea-treated RS content composites exhibited better mechanical properties. Gamma-irradiated RSPP composites showed superior performance. Water uptake and degradation studies of composites were also monitored.     

Distributional uncertainty analysis and robust optimization in spatially heterogeneous multiscale process systems

Multiscale models have been developed to simulate the behavior of spatially‐heterogeneous porous catalytic flow reactors, i.e., multiscale reactors whose concentrations are spatially‐dependent. While such a model provides an adequate representation of the catalytic reactor, model‐plant mismatch can significantly affect the reactor's performance in control and optimization applications. In this work, power series expansion (PSE) is applied to efficiently propagate parametric uncertainty throughout the spatial domain of a heterogeneous multiscale catalytic reactor model. The PSE‐based uncertainty analysis is used to evaluate and compare the effects of uncertainty in kinetic parameters on the chemical species concentrations throughout the length of the reactor. These analyses reveal that uncertainty in the kinetic parameters and in the catalyst pore radius have a substantial effect on the reactor performance. The application of the uncertainty quantification methodology is illustrated through a robust optimization formulation that aims to maximize productivity in the presence of uncertainty in the parameters. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2374–2390, 2016     

Synthesis of Lead(II) Minoxidil Coordination Polymer: A New Precursor for Lead(II) Oxide and Lead(II) Hydroxyl Bromide

A new lead(II) coordination polymer, [PbBr₂(C₉H₁₅N₅O)]_n (1), where C₉H₁₅N₅O is (2,4-diamino-6-piperidine-1-yl) pyrimidine N-oxide (minoxidil) is synthesized and characterized. Polymer 1 is synthesized in methanol by sonochemical and hydrothermal methods from lead(II) acetate, KBr and the minoxidil ligand. The crystal structure of [PbBr₂(C₉H₁₅N₅O)]_n indicates a syndiotactic coordination polymer. The Pb(II) atom lies on a mirror plane; the mirror plane is perpendicular to the pyrimidine ring bisecting the piperidine ring. N–H···O intramolecular and C–H···Br, N–H···N strong intermolecular interactions were observed. Micro-rods of PbO and nano-plates of PbOHBr were prepared by thermal decomposition of the nano-structured [PbBr₂(C₉H₁₅N₅O)]_n as a precursor. Characterization of the products was carried out using X-ray crystallography, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and thermal analysis. The sonochemical method resulted in a significant reduction of reaction time, reaction temperature and particle sizes of the products.     

Improving the prediction of tensile failure in unidirectional fibre composites by introducing matrix shear yielding

A Monte Carlo simulation is established to predict the failure strain of unidirectional fibre composites. The effect of matrix shear yielding of a high performance epoxy resin is introduced into the model through load sharing factors between the fibres adjacent to fibre-break(s). Strain concentration factors (SCF) of fibres are obtained using Finite Element Methods (FEM) in a three dimensional multi-fibre unit cell containing one, two and three adjoining fibre-break(s). The tensile strains of the surviving adjacent fibres are intensified as a function of their distances from the fracture. A statistical simulation is carried out to predict the failure strain of a single layer of unidirectional (UD) fibre composites with the thickness of the fibre ineffective length. Using the weakest link theory, the ultimate failure strain of a real size UD composite is predicted.