Methylene blue removal with ZnO coated montmorillonite: thermodynamic, kinetic, isotherm and artificial intelligence studies.

In this study, montmorillonite clay was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles. The study's primary aim is to investigate the adsorption properties of zinc oxide coated montmorillonite adsorbent against methylene blue (MB), and determine ZnO's effectiveness in adsorption. First, the surface properties of the ZnO-coated montmorillonite (ZnO/MMT) adsorbent were determined by FTIR Spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM/EDS. In the adsorption studies, the effects of different parameters such as contact time (5-150 min), adsorbent dosage (0.05-0.5 g), initial concentration (50-200 mg/L), temperature (298-318 K), and initial pH (4-12) were investigated. In addition, a fuzzy model was developed by using adsorption parameters so that the removal rates could be calculated more quickly. Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium results were explained by the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The highest adsorption capacity was calculated as 384.62 mg/g at 318 K. The enthalpy value was calculated as 2.16 kJ/mol. The entropy value was calculated as 0.04 kJ/mol K. The negative entropy value in the thermodynamic parameters calculated at all temperatures shows that the adsorption was spontaneous. According to the data we obtained, ZnO/MMT nanoparticles can be successfully applied for MB removal from aqueous solutions.

Due to its advantages such as high removal efficiency, ease of use and adsorbent recovery, the use of montmorillonite mineral (MMT) for the removal of dyestuffs in water has become widespread. But, up to the best of our knowledge, the role of ZnO in a composite of ZnO/MMT has not been reported for the removal of MB. To eliminate this deficiency, we first obtained a zinc oxide-coated montmorillonite (ZnO/MMT) adsorbent in our study. As an effective material for the adsorption of organic pollutants, a fuzzy model with an abundant, available and, low-cost Zinc oxide coated montmorillonite adsorbent was used for the first time. It has been observed that the adsorption level is comparable with some other materials previously studied in the literature.

Oleander Poisoning as an Example of Self-Medication Attempt.

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing interest in herbal products as a self-medication method in recent years. Some plant extracts either turn into drugs over time or are consumed directly without treatment. One of these plants is Nerium oleander L., which is a potentially lethal plant, since it has cardiac glycosides. However, numerous researches of its extracts have been performed against cancer cell lines in recent literature. This contradiction leads to misinterpretation and induces the prevalence of intoxication or fatal cases. CASE REPORT: This case is associated with an oleander-poisoned patient, who was admitted to the Emergency unit 20 hours after the first dose, and 8 hours after the second dose. Although she lives in a metropolis and has a higher level of education and numerous hospital facilities available, she had decided to take self-medication for her Hashimoto's thyroiditis and malignant thyroid disease which was caused by her apprehensive thoughts. Oleandrin was detected in the urine at a concentration of 3.2 ng/mL and in the serum at a concentration of 8.4 ng/mL by chromatographic analysis at the time of admission. CONCLUSION: This case represents the misunderstanding of herbal treatments by the community. Promoting awareness of the potential toxicity of this plant among the public may help to reduce the incidence of poisoning due to Nerium species.