Luteolin from Flos Chrysanthemi and its derivatives: New small molecule Bcl-2 protein inhibitors.

Over-expression of the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic proteins is closely related to tumorigenesis and associated with drug resistance. Here we report that luteolin, a main substance found in Flos Chrysanthemi, directly binds to and shows inhibitory activity against the Bcl-2 protein. We studied the binding mode of luteolin and its derivatives with target proteins, their structure-activity relationship, and their effect on the human leukemia cell line HL-60. The results suggest that luteolin and its derivatives with a benzyl group introduced to the B ring, are new small molecule Bcl-2 protein inhibitors, and their anti-tumor activity is likely related to their effect on the Bcl-2 protein.

Identification and effective regulation of scarb1 gene involved in pigmentation change in autotetraploid Carassius auratus.

The autotetraploid Carassius auratus (4nRR, 4 n=200, RRRR) is derived from whole-genome duplication of Carassius auratus red var. (RCC, 2 n=100, RR). In the current study, we demonstrated that chromatophores and pigment changes directly caused the coloration and variation of 4nRR skin (red in RCC, brownish-yellow in 4nRR). To further explore the molecular mechanisms underlying coloration formation and variation in 4nRR, we performed transcriptome profiling and molecular functional verification in RCC and 4nRR. Results revealed that scarb1, associated with carotenoid metabolism, underwent significant down-regulation in 4nRR. Efficient editing of this candidate pigment gene provided clear evidence of its significant role in RCC coloration. Subsequently, we identified four divergent scarb1 homeologs in 4nRR: two original scarb1 homeologs from RCC and two duplicated ones. Notably, three of these homeologs possessed two highly conserved alleles, exhibiting biased and allele-specific expression in the skin. Remarkably, after precise editing of both the original and duplicated scarb1 homeologs and/or alleles, 4nRR individuals, whether singly or multiply mutated, displayed a transition from brownish-yellow skin to a cyan-gray phenotype. Concurrently, the proportional areas of the cyan-gray regions displayed a gene-dose correlation. These findings illustrate the subfunctionalization of duplicated scarb1, with all scarb1 genes synergistically and equally contributing to the pigmentation of 4nRR. This is the first report concerning the functional differentiation of duplicated homeologs in an autopolyploid fish, substantially enriching our understanding of coloration formation and change within this group of organisms.

A novel process for separation of polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride and polymethyl methacrylate waste plastics by froth flotation.

A novel process was proposed for separation of ternary waste plastics by froth flotation. Pretreatment of plastics with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution was conducted to aid flotation separation of polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plastics. The effect of pretreatment parameters including KMnO4 concentration, treatment time, temperature and stirring rate on flotation recovery were investigated by single factor experiments. Surface treatment with KMnO4 changes selectively the flotation behavior of PC, PVC and PMMA, enabling separation of the plastics by froth flotation. Mechanism of surface treatment was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS). Effect of frother concentration and flotation time on flotation behavior of plastic mixtures was further studied for flotation separation. The optimized conditions for separation of PC are KMnO4 concentration 2mmolL-1, treatment time 10min, temperature 60°C, stirring rate 300rpm, flotation time 1min and frother concentration 17.5mgL-1. Under optimum conditions, PVC and PMMA mixtures are also separated efficiently by froth flotation associated with KMnO4 treatment. The purity of PC, PVC and PMMA is up to 100%, 98.41% and 98.68%, while the recovery reaches 96.82%, 98.71% and 98.38%, respectively. Economic analysis manifests remarkable profits of the developed process. Reusing KMnO4 solution is feasible, enabling the process greener.

Surface treatment with Fenton for separation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and polyvinylchloride waste plastics by flotation.

Surface treatment with Fenton was applied to flotation separation of acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). After treatment, the floatability of ABS has a dramatic decrease, while the floatability of PVC is not affected. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra were recorded to ascertain the mechanism of Fenton treatment. FT-IR and XPS analysis confirms that the introduction of oxygen-containing group occurs on the surface of ABS. The optimum conditions are molar ration (H2O2:Fe2+) 10000, H2O2 concentration 0.4M/L, pH 5.8, treatment time 2min and temperature 25°C, frother concentration 15mg/L and flotation time 3min. Particle sizes and mixing ratios were also investigated. Plastic mixtures of ABS and PVC with different particle sizes and mixing ratios can be effectively separated. The purity of ABS and PVC are up to 100% and 99.78%, respectively; the recovery of ABS and PVC are up to 99.89% and 100%, respectively. A practical, environmentally friendly and effective reagent, namely Fenton, was originally applied to surface treatment of ABS and PVC waste plastics for flotation separation of their mixtures.

Ammonia modification for flotation separation of polycarbonate and polystyrene waste plastics.

A promising method, ammonia modification, was developed for flotation separation of polycarbonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS) waste plastics. Ammonia modification has little effect on flotation behavior of PS, while it changes significantly that of PC. The PC recovery in the floated product drops from 100% to 3.17% when modification time is 13min and then rises to 100% after longer modification. The mechanism of ammonia modification was studied by contact angle, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. Contact angle of PC indicates the decline of PC recovery in the floated product is ascribed to an increase in surface wettability. FT-IR and XPS spectra suggest that ammonia modification causes chemical reactions occurred on PC surface. Flotation behavior of ammonia-modified PC and PS was investigated with respect to flotation time, frother concentration and particle sizes. Flotation separation of PC and PS waste plastics was conducted based on the flotation behavior of single plastic. PC and PS mixtures with different particle sizes are separated efficiently, implying that the technology possesses superior applicability to particle sizes of plastics. The purity of PS and PC is up to 99.53% and 98.21%, respectively, and the recovery of PS and PC is larger than 92.06%. A reliable, cheap and effective process is proposed for separation of PC and PS waste plastics.

Separation of polyethylene terephthalate from municipal waste plastics by froth flotation for recycling industry.

Recycling is an effective way to manage plastic wastes and receives considerable attention. Since plastic mixtures are difficult to recycle because of their intrinsic characteristics, separation of mixed plastics is the key problem for recycling. Separation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from municipal waste plastics (MWP) by froth flotation combined with alkaline pretreatment was investigated for recycling industry. The effect of process variables was estimated by L9 (3(4)) orthogonal array of experiments and single factor experiments. The optimum conditions of alkaline pretreatment are 10 wt% sodium hydroxide, 20 min and 70°C. After alkaline pretreatment under optimum conditions, flotation separation PET from acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride was achieved with high purity and efficiency. The purity of PET is up to 98.46% and the recovery is above 92.47%. A flow sheet of separation PET from MWP by a combination of froth flotation and sink float separation was designed. This study facilitates industrial application of plastics flotation and provides technical insights into recycling of waste plastics.

Flotation separation of waste plastics for recycling-A review.

The sharp increase of plastic wastes results in great social and environmental pressures, and recycling, as an effective way currently available to reduce the negative impacts of plastic wastes, represents one of the most dynamic areas in the plastics industry today. Froth flotation is a promising method to solve the key problem of recycling process, namely separation of plastic mixtures. This review surveys recent literature on plastics flotation, focusing on specific features compared to ores flotation, strategies, methods and principles, flotation equipments, and current challenges. In terms of separation methods, plastics flotation is divided into gamma flotation, adsorption of reagents, surface modification and physical regulation.

Interfacial interactions between plastic particles in plastics flotation.

Plastics flotation used for recycling of plastic wastes receives increasing attention for its industrial application. In order to study the mechanism of plastics flotation, the interfacial interactions between plastic particles in flotation system were investigated through calculation of Lifshitz-van der Waals (LW) function, Lewis acid-base (AB) Gibbs function, and the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek potential energy profiles. The results showed that van der Waals force between plastic particles is attraction force in flotation system. The large hydrophobic attraction, caused by the AB Gibbs function, is the dominant interparticle force. Wetting agents present significant effects on the interfacial interactions between plastic particles. It is found that adsorption of wetting agents promotes dispersion of plastic particles and decreases the floatability. Pneumatic flotation may improve the recovery and purity of separated plastics through selective adsorption of wetting agents on plastic surface. The relationships between hydrophobic attraction and surface properties were also examined. It is revealed that there exists a three-order polynomial relationship between the AB Gibbs function and Lewis base component. Our finding provides some insights into mechanism of plastics flotation.

Flotability and flotation separation of polymer materials modulated by wetting agents.

The surface free energy, surface tension and contact angles were performed to investigate the properties of wetting agents. Adsorption of wetting agents changes wetting behavior of polymer resins. Flotability of polymer materials modulated by wetting agents was studied, and wetting agents change significantly flotability of polymer materials. The flotability decreases with increasing the concentration of wetting agents, and the wetting ability is lignin sulfonate (LS)>tannic acid (TA)>methylcellulose (MC)>triton X-100 (TX-100) (from strong to weak). There is significant difference in the flotability between polymer resins and plastics due to the presence of additives in the plastics. Flotation separation of two-component and multicomponent plastics was conducted based on the flotability modulated by wetting agents. The two-component mixtures can be efficiently separated using proper wetting agent through simple flotation flowsheet. The multicomponent plastic mixtures can be separated efficiently through multi-stage flotation using TA and LS as wetting agents, and the purity of separated component was above 94%, and the recovery was more than 93%.

Boiling treatment of ABS and PS plastics for flotation separation.

A new physical method, namely boiling treatment, was developed to aid flotation separation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polystyrene (PS) plastics. Boiling treatment was shown to be effective in producing a hydrophilic surface on ABS plastic. Fourier Transform Infrared analysis was conducted to investigate the mechanism of boiling treatment of ABS. Surface rearrangement of polymer may be responsible for surface change of boiling treated ABS, and the selective influence of boiling treatment on the floatability of boiling treated plastics may be attributed to the difference in the molecular mobility of polymer chains. The effects of flotation time, frother concentration and particle size on flotation behavior of simple plastic were investigated. Based on flotation behavior of simple plastic, flotation separation of boiling treatment ABS and PS with different particle sizes was achieved efficiently. The purity of ABS and PS was up to 99.78% and 95.80%, respectively; the recovery of ABS and PS was up to 95.81% and 99.82%, respectively. Boiling treatment promotes the industrial application of plastics flotation and facilitates plastic recycling.

Separation of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene waste plastics by froth flotation combined with ammonia pretreatment.

The objective of this research is flotation separation of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) waste plastics combined with ammonia pretreatment. The PC and ABS plastics show similar hydrophobicity, and ammonia treatment changes selectively floatability of PC plastic while ABS is insensitive to ammonia treatment. The contact angle measurement indicates the dropping of flotation recovery of PC is ascribed to a decline of contact angle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates reactions occur on PC surface, which makes PC surface more hydrophilic. Separation of PC and ABS waste plastics was conducted based on the flotation behavior of single plastic. At different temperatures, PC and ABS mixtures were separated efficiently through froth flotation with ammonia pretreatment for different time (13 min at 23 °C, 18 min at 18 °C and 30 min at 23 °C). For both PC and ABS, the purity and recovery is more than 95.31% and 95.35%, respectively; the purity of PC and ABS is up to 99.72% and 99.23%, respectively. PC and ABS mixtures with different particle sizes were separated effectively, implying that ammonia treatment possesses superior applicability.

Floatability of polymer materials modulated by frothers.

Flotation tests of 35 polymer materials were carried out to investigate their floatability modulated by frothers. Results of flotation tests demonstrated that polymer resins and soft PVC showed high floatability, floatability of hard PVC plastics was relatively low and was related to the frothers, and there exists significant difference in the floatability of different post-consumer plastics. Flotation rate of post-consumer plastics varies from 0% to 100%. Furthermore, three-category low-energy surface (LES) was defined based on the hydrophile index of the materials involved in this paper, and an adsorption model was proposed to explain the results of flotation and to discuss the floatability of polymer materials modulated by frothers. Frother molecules are prone to adsorb on the surface of bubble rather than LES at relatively low concentration, bubble adsorbed by frother molecules is prone to approach first-category LES rather than third-category LES, and the structure of liquid film is formed on the first-category LES at large concentration. Floatability of polymer materials modulated by frothers is further discussed: frothers increase the floatability of the first-category LES but decrease the floatability of the third-category LES, while the floatability of the second-category LES is related to the type of frothers.