Recent Innovations in Chemical Engineering (Formerly Recent Patents on Chemical Engineering) - Volume 12, Issue 3, 2019

The great chemical affinity of molecular iodine towards several macromolecules and innumerable polymers allows the formation of macromolecule/polymer-iodine complexes, usually commensurate with the desired uses and applications. In many instances, the formation of such complexes occurs through a charge-transfer mechanism. The strength of the ensued complex is more accentuated by the presence of heteroatoms (nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur) and the π-conjugation induced moieties within the chemical structure of the polymer. A wide range of polymers with high specific surface areas and large total pore volumes are excellent candidates for iodine adsorption, suggesting their use in the removal of radioactive iodine in nuclear power plants. The recent results of iodine uptake by polysaccharides such as starch, chitin, chitosan, alginate, and cellulose are but novelties. Complexing vinyl polymers such as poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl pyridine), poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl chloride), poly(acrylonitrile), and polyacrylics, with molecular iodine revealed special chemistry, giving rise to polyiodide ions (In -) as the actual complexing agents. Carbon allotropes (graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbons) and polyhydrocarbons are prone to interact with molecular iodine. The treatment of a broad set of polymers and macromolecules with molecular iodine is but a doping process that ends up with useful materials of enhanced properties such conductivity (electrical, ionic, thermal); in some cases, the obtained materials were of engineering applications. Complexation and doping materials with iodine are also aimed at ensuring the antimicrobial activity, particularly, for those intended for medical uses. In several cases, the impact of the iodine doping of polymer is the alteration of its morphology, as is the case of the disruption of the graphitic morphology of the graphene or graphene oxide.

Green scale inhibitor has the characteristics of high-efficiency, multifunctional, non-toxic and biodegradable, so it is widely used in water treatment. Some scale inhibitors such as polyaspartic acid type, polyepoxysuccinic acid type and poly Valley are reviewed in this paper. By investigating green scale inhibitors, it is proposed that the complexes of amino acid scale inhibitors and their copolymers should be the focus of future research. The development direction of new green scale inhibitors is pointed out, which provides reference and basis for the research and development of new water treatment scale inhibitors in the future.

Functionalized mesoporous materials are widely used in the environmental field due to their excellent adsorption and catalytic properties. The materials with different functions are obtained by modifying mesoporous materials. In this paper, the preparation methods of functional mesoporous materials with functional groups, metal doping and acid modified were presented. This review focused on the main features and applied prospects of functionalized mesoporous materials under three producing methods. Recent advances of functionalized mesoporous materials in the fields of adsorption and catalysis have been summarized. Adsorption mainly refers to the treatment of heavy metals, organic contaminant, dyestuff and CO2. Finally, the trends and application foreground of functionalized mesoporous materials were elaborated in this paper, which provided reference and guidance for the development of functional mesoporous materials.

Background: In the present study copper nanosuspension was prepared from Incinerated Copper Powder (ICP) by top down media milling. Glycyrrhiza glabra (GG) and Gum Acacia (GA) were used as stabilizers in the formulation. Methods: Box Behnken Design was used to investigate the effect of formulation and process variables on particle size and zeta potential and optimize their ratio to get target product profile. The ratio of GA and GG to ICP was varied along with milling time and its speed. Further the prepared nanosuspensions were solidified using spray drying. Results: The particle size was found to be decreased with the increase in GG to ICP ratio, milling time and milling speed, whereas, reverse effect on particle size was observed with an increase in GA to ICP ratio. The zeta potential was found to be increased with the increase in GG to CB ratio and milling speed and it decreased with the increase in GA to ICP ratio and milling time. The obtained value for particle size was 117.9 nm and zeta potential were -9.46 mV which was in close agreement with the predicted values by the design which was, 121.86 nm for particle size and -8.07 mV for zeta potential respectively. This indicated the reliability of optimization procedure. The percentage drug loading of copper in the nanosuspension was 88.26%. The micromeritic evaluation of obtained spray dried nanoparticles revealed that the particles were having good flow and compactibility. Conclusion: It can be concluded that application of media milling, design of experiment and spray drying have offered very good copper nanosuspension that has the potential to be scaled up on industrial scale.