Water quality characteristics and reuse potential using adsorption as a post-treatment option for a full-scale hydrocyclone, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation system.

This study established a full-scale hybrid water treatment system combining a hydrocyclone, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation unit (HCFD) and evaluated its performance in treating anthropogenically impacted lake water. The HCFD system offered the stable and efficient treatment of fluctuating influent loadings, meeting most of the highest water reclamation quality criteria except for that of organic matter. Adsorption was subsequently examined as a post-treatment process for the HCFD effluent, which has not been examined in many previous studies. As the adsorbent for the post-treatment, pine bark, a locally available agricultural waste feedstock, was modified using H2O2 to maximize its adsorption capacity. The surface modification increased its adsorption capacity for organic matter by 53-112%. The HCFD system in conjunction with the synthesized adsorbent thus demonstrated the ability to meet the highest standards for all water quality parameters, highlighting their synergistic potential for enhancement of water treatment. Liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection and Fourier transform infrared analysis were then employed to determine the mechanisms involved in the removal of specific contaminants using the HCFD system and post-adsorption unit. While the HCFD system successfully eliminated particulate and colloidal matter (e.g., phosphorous and biopolymers with a high molecular weight) using centrifugal and floating separation with the aid of two complementary polymers, the post-adsorption unit effectively adsorbed small-sized dissolved substances (e.g., low molecular weight acids and building blocks) via surface functional groups (-CH, -OH, -CH2, C=O, C=C, and C=O) using van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, and π-π or n-π interactions.

IGF-I improves mitochondrial membrane potential during hypothermic storage of canine spermatozoa.

The aim of study was to evaluate the effects of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on canine sperm function during cooled and freeze-thaw storage. Extenders supplemented with different IGF-I concentrations (0, 100 and 200 ng/ml) were added to canine spermatozoa, and the sperm samples were stored at 4°C for 48 hr or freeze-thawed. Sperm motility, morphology, plasma-membrane integrity (PMI) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated. IGF-I had no effect on PMI or morphology during cooling and freeze-thawing. However, IGF-I alleviated the reduction in progressive motility and MMP caused by cooled storage and led to an improvement in MMP after freeze-thawing. In conclusion, IGF-I can be helpful to maintain progressive motility of canine spermatozoa during hypothermic storage via increased MMP.