A facile synthesis of graphene oxide/locust bean gum hybrid aerogel for water purification.

Graphene oxide/locust bean gum (GO/LBG) aerogels, synthesized in an ice crystal template without using any chemical modifiers, were used for the treatment of water pollution. Various characterization results showed that GO/LBG aerogel exhibited a network-like three-dimensional (3D) structure with large specific surface area. The adsorption data revealed that GO/LBG aerogels with GO/LBG mass ratio of 1:4 (GO/LBG-1 aerogels) exhibited more prominent adsorption properties for Rhodamine-B (RhB, 514.5 mgg-1) than Indigo Carmine (IC, 134.6 mgg-1). Simultaneously, GO/LBG-1 aerogels could selectively remove RhB from a binary mixed solution of RhB-IC dyes. Furthermore, GO/LBG-1 aerogels also displayed excellent reusability and could still reach 92.4 % after ten cycles. Based on the above results, GO/LBG-1 aerogel could be considered as an ideal adsorbent with potential application value for removing water-soluble RhB from wastewater.

Production of Tyrian purple indigoid dye from tryptophan in Escherichia coli.

Tyrian purple, mainly composed of 6,6'-dibromoindigo (6BrIG), is an ancient dye extracted from sea snails and was recently demonstrated as a biocompatible semiconductor material. However, its synthesis remains limited due to uncharacterized biosynthetic pathways and the difficulty of regiospecific bromination. Here, we introduce an effective 6BrIG production strategy in Escherichia coli using tryptophan 6-halogenase SttH, tryptophanase TnaA and flavin-containing monooxygenase MaFMO. Since tryptophan halogenases are expressed in highly insoluble forms in E. coli, a flavin reductase (Fre) that regenerates FADH2 for the halogenase reaction was used as an N-terminal soluble tag of SttH. A consecutive two-cell reaction system was designed to overproduce regiospecifically brominated precursors of 6BrIG by spatiotemporal separation of bromination and bromotryptophan degradation. These approaches led to 315.0 mg l-1 6BrIG production from tryptophan and successful synthesis of regiospecifically dihalogenated indigos. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that 6BrIG overproducing cells can be directly used as a bacterial dye.

Structural and biochemical characterization of an extremely thermostable FMN-dependent NADH-indigo reductase from Bacillus smithii.

The FMN-dependent NADH-indigo reductase gene from the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus smithii was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed enzyme functioned as a highly thermostable indigo reductase that retained complete activity even after incubation at 100 °C for 10 min. Furthermore, B. smithii indigo reductase exhibited high stability over a wider pH range and longer storage periods compared with indigo reductases previously identified from other sources. The enzyme catalyzed the reduction of various azo compounds and indigo carmine. The crystal structures of the wild-type enzyme in complex with FMN/N-cyclohexyl-2-aminoethanesulfonate (CHES) and the Y151F mutant enzyme in complex with FMN were determined by the molecular replacement method and refined at resolutions of 1.97 and 1.95 Å, respectively. Then, indigo carmine molecule was modeled into the active site using the molecular docking simulation and the binding mode of indigo carmine was elucidated. In addition, the structure of B. cohnii indigo reductase, which is relatively less stable than B. smithii indigo reductase, was constructed by homology modeling. The factor contributing to the considerably higher thermostability of B. smithii indigo reductase was analyzed by comparing its structure with that of B. cohnii indigo reductase, which revealed that intersubunit aromatic interactions (F105-F172' and F172-F105') may be responsible for the high thermostability of B. smithii indigo reductase. Notably, site-directed mutagenesis results showed that F105 plays a major role in the intersubunit aromatic interaction.

Karaya gum-graft-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) gel: An efficient adsorbent for removal of ionic dyes from water.

In the present study, a novel hydrogel based on the polysaccharide, 'Karaya gum' has been synthesised by graft copolymerization and evaluated as an adsorbent for the removal of ionic dyes from aqueous solution. The hydrogel was made by simultaneous grafting and cross linking of Karaya gum using 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide via microwave irradiation. The graft copolymer gel was characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM techniques. The swelling of the gel studied in buffer media of varying pH revealed a pH responsive behaviour with a maximum swelling in neutral pH and a minimum swelling at pH 1.2. The temperature dependent swelling study indicated 40 °C as the lowest critical solution temperature. Kinetic studies indicated the swelling to be a second order process with Fickian diffusion as the water transport mechanism. The adsorption studies indicated maximum adsorption capacity of 89.28 and 101.42 mg/g towards methylene blue and indigo carmine respectively. The dye adsorption data is found to fit well with pseudo- second order kinetic model and the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The adsorption was found to be a multistep process with surface adsorption followed by intraparticle diffusion. Thermodynamic studies revealed the adsorption of dyes to be spontaneous.

Chitin nanowhisker (ChNW)-functionalized electrospun PVDF membrane for enhanced removal of Indigo carmine.

In this study, an active functional adsorbent membrane developed by combining both hydrophilic bio polymer filler such as chitin nanowhiskers (ChNW) which contains two functional groups and a hydrophobic polymer matrix such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) using electrospinning technique. Here ChNW were successfully extracted by excluding proteins and mineral and well characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. The optimized combination of PVDF/ChNW (15%:1%) membrane was fabricated and well characterized using SEM, water contact angle and FTIR spectroscopy. There was a remarkable difference in contact angle observed for PVDF/ChNW (22.72°) compared to neat PVDF (93.1°) membrane. Ultimately the membrane used for indigo carmine (IC) adsorption and an enhanced removal efficiency (88.9%) and adsorption capacity (72.6mgg-1) were observed compared to neat PVDF. In the future, the overall idea can make leads to various applications such as proteins, virus and hormones adsorption from the contaminated sources.

An efficient adsorption of indigo carmine dye from aqueous solution on mesoporous Mg/Fe layered double hydroxide nanoparticles prepared by controlled sol-gel route.

A new approach for removal of indigo carmine blue (IC) dye which is extensively used in jeans manufacture was successfully performed on novel mesoporous [LDH] nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel route using CTAB as shape and pore directing agent. The physicochemical features were monitored by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformer infra-red (FTIR), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm, Field emission electron microscope (FESEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The influence of reaction parameters affecting dye adsorption including contact time, initial dye concentration, pH and temperature were investigated. Textural analysis and HRTEM images indicate the existence of mesoporous spherical nanoparticles of size = 26 nm connected to each other's and embedded large numbers of mesopores of average pore radius = 43.5 Å. A successful adsorption of IC on LDH nanoparticles of surface area = 85.6 m2/g at various pH with maximum adsorption capacity = 62.8 mg/g at pH = 9.5. Langmuir model is more favorable to describe the adsorption of IC rather than Freundlich model which reflecting the preferential formation of monolayer on the surface of LDH. Both film diffusion and the intraparticle diffusion affect the dye adsorption. The values of enthalpy change (ΔH) for and (ΔS) are + 28.18 and + 0.118 kJ/mol, respectively indicating that the removal process is endothermic. The results indicated that LDH nanoparticles conserved a good activity even after five consecutive cycles of reuse. Our results suggest that mesoporous LDH nanoparticles are considered a potential novel adsorbent for remediation of wastewater containing IC.

[Determination of indigo and brilliant blue in different types of food products by high performance liquid chromatography with solid phase extraction].

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatographic( SPE-HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of indigo and brilliant blue in different types of food products. METHODS: The artificial colors in food products were extracted by acetonitrile / water and purified by WAX SPE cartridges, The separation was achieved using a Waters Symmetry C_(18)( 5 µm, 4. 6 mm × 250 mm) column and a binary gradient mobile phase of methanol and 0. 02 mol/L ammonium acetate solution, detected by HPLC-PDA. RESULTS: The validated analytical method showed that there was a good linearity in the range of 0. 05- 20. 00 µg/mL for both indigo and brilliant blue( r > 0. 999). The lowest detection limits of indigo and brilliant blue were 0. 04 and 0. 02 mg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries were among 81. 8%- 101. 1%, with relative standard deviation( RSD) of 2. 1%- 4. 9%( n =6) for both artificial colors. CONCLUSION: The method has high selectivity, high sensitivity, good recovery and reproducibility. It is suitable to simultaneously monitor indigo and brilliant blue in several types of food products based on the food classification system of GB 2760-2014.

CuO embedded chitosan spheres as antibacterial adsorbent for dyes.

Chitosan/copper oxide (CS/CuO) composite spheres were prepared by simple mixing of CuO nanomaterials in CS solution followed by dropwise addition to NH4OH solution. The characterizations of all the prepared spheres were carried out by FESEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, and FTIR analyses while the thermal properties were analyzed by TGA. Further the ability of composite spheres was tested as an easily removable pollutant adsorbent from water containing different dyes and compared with pure CS. Composite spheres were found to be the best adsorbent when applied to remove indigo carmine (IC), congo red (CR) and methyl orange (MO) from water. Amongst the three dyes, CS/CuO composite spheres were more selective toward MO adsorption. CS/CuO composite spheres also displayed significant antibacterial activity by inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth. Thus the fabricated composite spheres can be used as a biosorbent in the future.

Degradation of organic dyes by Si/SiOx core-shell nanowires: Spontaneous generation of superoxides without light irradiation.

Recently, silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been proven to be highly active in the photocatalysis of dye degradation. However, the unstable hydrogen-terminated surface and the need for constant light irradiation hinder their extensive use. In this work, a stable silica shell was intentionally formed on the surface of SiNWs to produce Si/SiOx core-shell silicon nanowires (S-SiNWs). Light-illuminated or not, S-SiNWs showed almost identical degradation ability for the degradation of indigo carmine (IC) in both conditions, which meant neither hydrogen termination nor light irradiation was a prerequisite for the degradation activity of S-SiNWs. UV/Vis spectroscopy and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry showed that IC was converted into isatin sulfonic acid in this process. Quenching studies and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that this bleaching ability was highly dependent on superoxides. A possible mechanism was accordingly suggested. In addition, the recently discovered reductase-like activity of SiNWs can be explained by the superoxides generation.

TiO2 immobilized on Manihot carbon: optimal preparation and evaluation of its activity in the decomposition of indigo carmine.

Applications of carbon-TiO2 materials have attracted attention in nanotechnology due to their synergic effects. We report the immobilization of TiO2 on carbon prepared from residues of the plant Manihot, commercial TiO2 and glycerol. The objective was to obtain a moderate loading of the anatase phase by preserving the carbonaceous external surface and micropores of the composite. Two preparation methods were compared, including mixing dry precursors and immobilization using a glycerol slurry. The evaluation of the micropore blocking was performed using nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The results indicated that it was possible to use Manihot residues and glycerol to prepare an anatase-containing material with a basic surface and a significant SBET value. The activities of the prepared materials were tested in a decomposition assay of indigo carmine. The TiO2/carbon eliminated nearly 100% of the dye under UV irradiation using the optimal conditions found by a Taguchi L4 orthogonal array considering the specific surface, temperature and initial concentration. The reaction was monitored by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and LC-ESI-(Qq)-TOF-MS, enabling the identification of some intermediates. No isatin-5-sulfonic acid was detected after a 60 min photocatalytic reaction, and three sulfonated aromatic amines, including 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid, 2-(2-amino-5-sulfophenyl)-2-oxoacetic acid and 2-amino-5-sulfobenzoic acid, were present in the reaction mixture.

A comparative study on properties of synthesized MgO with different templates.

Magnesium oxide powders have been prepared by simple method using different templates as Hexamine (T1), alkylate-hexamine salt (T2) and alkylate-dihexamine salt (T3). The annealed products were systematically investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Visible absorption. It was found that the formation of nanoparticle could involved the role of performed "nucleus" and used template to control the growth rate of nucleuses. The results were shown that different templates affect on the size and species of particles. In this study, the crystallite size of the MgO products were in a range from 4 to 7 nm. The optical band gap of MgO nanoparticles was in the range 4.27-4.77 eV. The morphology of MgO was nanospheres or nanokongelemere-like. In this investigation photocatalytic degradation of Indigo carmine (IC) in water was studied. The effects of some parameters such as pH, amount of catalyst, initial concentration of dye were examined.

Modern industrial and pharmacological applications of indigo dye and its derivatives--a review.

Plant sources, chemical properties, bioactivities, as well as the synthesis of indigo dye and its derivatives, are reviewed in this paper. These compounds were chosen because of their significant benefits and scope of application as both coloring agents in the textile industry and as pharmacologically active natural products. Their use in traditional chinese medicine (TCM) has directed the attention of European researchers and medical doctors alike. The preparation of indigoferous plants--Indigo naturalis is currently about to be introduced into the European Pharmacopoeia.

Improved photocatalytic activity of CdSe-nanocomposites: effect of Montmorillonite support towards efficient removal of Indigo Carmine.

To ascertain the contribution of adsorptive capacity of Montmorillonite (MMT) towards photocatalytic process, CdSe-MMT nanocomposites are explored for adsorptive removal of Indigo Carmine (IC). The nanocomposites are prepared via two approaches: (a) in-situ formation and (b) wet impregnation of CdSe onto MMT support. XRD analysis of composites suggested the proper dispersion of CdSe nanoparticles in MMT clay matrix with spherical morphology of 5-10nm sized CdSe nanoparticles. These nanocomposites are employed for photocatalytic degradation of IC under visible light at various IC concentrations and different amount of catalyst. Kinetics of IC is found to be of pseudo-second order with 10% in-situ and 50% loaded nanocomposites exhibiting better photocatalytic activity at 1.0 g L(-)(1) catalyst and 100 mg L(-)(1)of IC. Dynamics of its adsorptive removal on the composite surface evaluated by employing error estimation tools clearly suggest that Redlich-Peterson and Flory-Huggins adsorption isotherms effectively describe the multi-layer process. It is observed that spontaneous, exothermic chemisorption process occurring on the surface indeed enhances photocatalytic activity. Moreover, such a feature is also found to be associated with diffusion of IC within mesoporous structure of MMT that subsequently favors pore-diffusion controlled adsorption process. IR spectral analysis demonstrated that IC molecule is degraded on the catalyst surface. Light or oxygenated species induced photocorrosion of CdSe is suppressed due to its composite formation with MMT that results in 620 ppm removal of IC during successive cycles; a feature ascribed as improved photocatalytic activity for CdSe nanoparticles.

[Powder modification technology used for the preparation of the hydrophilic decoction pieces of indigo naturalis and the modification principle].

The hydrophilicity of the normal decoction pieces (NDP) of Indigo Naturalis is not good, therefore, it is not suit for decoctions. In this paper, powder modification technology is used and some NDP and alcohol are ground together in the vibromill to prepare the hydrophilic decoction pieces (HDP) of Indigo Naturalis. Initially, the properties of NDP, ultrafine decoction pieces (UDP) and HDP are compared, the hydrophilicity of UDP was promoted slightly, that of HDP is promoted dramatically. Then, three batches of Indigo Naturalis are prepared to HDP separately, but there is no obvious difference in the contact angle. Furthermore, the size distribution, surface area and micro-shape of HDP are bigger than that of UDP and smaller than NDP. The contents of indigo and indirubin in three decoction pieces are the same, as well as the species of inorganic substance, although there is a little difference in the proportion of five inorganic substances. The fact suggests the change of physical state and the qualitative and quantitative change of organism and inorganic substances are not the main factors to influence the hydrophilicity. In addition, hydroxyl, methylene and methyl can be identified at the wavenumber of 3 356 cm(-1) and 1 461 cm(-1) in infrared spectrum; the content of alcohol in HDP is 0.67% measured by gas chromatogram. The stability of HDP in the heating condition is studied, the fact suggests the hydrophilic effect of HDP at 40 degrees C is relatively stable. All above research suggests that the alcohol is the main factor to influence the hydrophilicity and maybe the intermolecular force which fixed alcohol molecule on the surface of Indigo Naturalis is the basic principle to produce the hydrophilicity.

Electrochemical oxidation of bio-refractory dye in a simulated textile industry effluent using DSA electrodes in a filter-press type FM01-LC reactor.

This work presents a study on degradation of indigo carmine dye in a filter-press type FM01-LC reactor using Sb2O5-doped Ti/IrO2-SnO2 dimensionally stable anode (DSA) electrodes. Micro- and macroelectrolysis studies were carried out using solutions of 0.8 mM indigo carmine in 0.05 M NaCl, which resemble blue denim laundry industrial wastewater. Microelectrolysis results show the behaviour of DSA electrodes in comparison with the behaviour of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. In general, dye degradation reactions are carried out indirectly through active chlorine generated on DSA, whereas in the case of BDD electrodes more oxidizing species are formed, mainly OH radicals, on the electrode surface. The well-characterized geometry, flow pattern and mass transport of the FM01-LC reactor used in macroelectrolysis experiments allowed the evaluation of the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on the chlorine-mediated degradation rate. Four values of Reynolds number (Re) (93, 371, 464 and 557) at four current densities (50, 100, 150 and 200 A/m2) were tested. The results show that the degradation rate is independent of Re at low current density (50 A/m2) but becomes dependent on the Re at high current density (200 A/m2). This behaviour shows the central role of mass transport and the reactor parameters and design. The low energy consumption (2.02 and 9.04 kWh/m3 for complete discolouration and chemical oxygen demand elimination at 50 A/m2, respectively) and the low cost of DSA electrodes compared to BDD make DSA electrodes promising for practical application in treating industrial textile effluents. In the present study, chlorinated organic compounds were not detected.

Redox tuning and species distribution in Maya Blue-type materials: a reassessment.

Maya Blue-type specimens prepared from indigo (1 wt %) plus kaolinite, montmorillonite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and silicalite are studied. Liquid chromatography with diode array detection, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and pyrolysis-silylation gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of the extracts from these specimens combined with spectral and solid-state voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electrochemical microscopy techniques provide evidence for the presence of a significant amount of dehydroindigo and isatin accompanying indigo and other minority organic compounds in all samples. Solid-state electrochemistry data permits the estimatation of indigo loading in archeological Maya Blue, which is in the range of 0.2 to 1.5 wt %. These results support a view of 'genuine' Maya Blue-type materials as complex polyfunctional organic-inorganic hybrids.

Magnetic composites based on metallic nickel and molybdenum carbide: a potential material for pollutants removal.

New magnetic composites based on metallic nickel and molybdenum carbide, Ni/Mo(2)C, have been produced via catalytic chemical vapor deposition from ethanol. Scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the CVD process occurs in a single step. This process involves the reduction of NiMo oxides at different temperatures (700, 800 and 900°C) with catalytic deposition of carbon from ethanol producing molybdenum carbide on Ni surface. In the absence of molybdenum the formation of Ni/C was observed. The magnetic molybdenum carbide was successfully used as pollutants removal by adsorption of sulfur and nitrogen compounds from liquid fuels and model dyes such as methylene blue and indigo carmine. The dibenzothiofene adsorption process over Ni/Mo(2)C reached approximately 20 mg g(-1), notably higher than other materials described in the literature and also removed almost all methylene blue dye. The great advantage of these carbide composites is that they may be easily recovered magnetically and reused.

Removal of organic pollutants in model water and thermal wastewater using clay minerals.

Water treatment method was developed for the removal of different anionic dyes such as methyl orange and indigo carmine, and also for thymol applying sodium bentonite and cationic surfactant - hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) - or polyelectrolytes (polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, poly-DADMAC and poly-amines). The removal efficiency of these model substrates was examined in model water using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, HPLC and TOC analysis. The clay mineral and HTAB were added in one step to the polluted model water in Jar-test experiments. The influence of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the applied clay mineral and the presence of polyaluminium chloride coagulant (BOPAC) were also tested for the water treatment process. The structures of the in situ produced and pre-prepared organoclay composites were compared by XRD analysis. The rapid formation of organoclay adsorbents provided very efficient removal of the dyes (65-90 % in 3-10 mg/L TOC(0) range) with 200 mg/L sodium bentonite dose, however thymol was less efficiently separated. Adsorption efficiencies of the composites were compared at different levels of ion exchange such as at 40, 60 and 100 %. In the case of thymol, the elimination of inorganic carbon from the model water before the TOC analysis resulted in some loss of the analysed volatile compound therefore the HPLC analysis was found to be the most suitable tool for the evaluation of the process. This one-step adsorption method using in situ formed organoclay was better performing than the conventional process in which the montmorillonite-surfactant composite is pre-preapared and subsequently added to the polluted water. The purification performance of this method was also evaluated on raw and artificially polluted thermal wastewater samples containing added thymol.

Adsorption-desorption studies of indigocarmine from industrial effluents by using deoiled mustard and its comparison with charcoal.

Deoiled mustard obtained from local oil mills has been used as an inexpensive and effective adsorbent for the removal of indigocarmine dye from industrial effluents. The influence of various factors on the adsorption capacity has been studied by batch experiments. The adsorption studies validate both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees, and DeltaS degrees for the adsorption process were calculated, which indicated the feasibility of the adsorption process. Desorption profiles revealed that a significant portion (85%) could be desorbed from deoiled mustard by using 30% glycerol as eluting agent.

Removal of acidic indigo carmine textile dye from aqueous solutions using radiation induced cationic hydrogels.

This study examined the removal of acidic indigo carmine dyes from aqueous solutions using cationic hydrogels. Irradiated hydrogels were investigated as a new sorbent for dye removal from aqueous solution. Poly(N,N-Diethylamino ethyl methacrylate) [poly(DEAEMA)] hydrogels were prepared by radiation polymerisation of N,N-diethylamino ethyl methacrylate [DEAEMA] monomer in the presence of cross-linking agent, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate [EGDMA], and used for the removal of acidic indigo carmine textile dye. The adsorption of dyes was examined using a batch sorption technique. The effects of pH, time and initial dye concentration on the adsorption capacity of hydrogels were investigated. Maximum gelation ratio was 98.2% at irradiation dose of 5.3 kGy. Maximum equilibrium volume swelling, V/V(0), value was 21.3 at pH 2.8. Maximum amount of adsorbed indigo carmine onto hydrogels was 96.7 mg dye/g gel at pH 2.8, 21 h of adsorption time and 120 mg/L initial dye solution. Swelling and adsorption capacity increased with decreasing of pH. Compared with Congo red, amounts of adsorbed indigo carmine are much higher than those of Congo red. Langmuir isotherm model was the best fit for these poly(DEAEMA) hydrogels-indigo carmine systems.