ABSTRACT
Vertisols occupy approximately 1,200,000 ha in Northern Cameroon. Their richness in smectites allows for the production of "bleaching earths" necessary for refining palm oil, and their effluent is used for leachate treatment. In the present work, two mineral acids (HCl and H2SO4) were compared, and the most efficient acid with the lowest cost was determined for use in industrial applications. Under similar experimental conditions (ratio of acid solution/clay mass = 5/1, temperature = 97 °C, stirring time = 4 h), the quantity of cations (Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+) solubilised during acid activation, palm oil discolouration rate by each activated sample and the financial cost of 5 L of acid solution that is required for the acid activation of one kilogram of smectite clay were compared. It was found that 2N H2SO4 was more efficient than 1N HCl and 1N H2SO4, considering palm oil bleaching efficiency and cost. The filtrate collected after the acid activation of vertisols was rich in H+ (2.04.10-1M), Fe2+ (2.8.10-3M), Fe3+ (4.2.10-2M) and Al3+ (9.2.10-2M) ions. One gram of smectite clay material produced 9 mL of this filtrate that was used for the treatment of leachate from a controlled landfill. The leachate colour decreased from 4262 to 285 PtCo units, while the corresponding chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased from 802 to 128 mg/L. Thus, the most effective acid for industrial bleaching earth production from vertisol is 2N H2SO4 acid.
ABSTRACT
Heterogeneous single-site catalysts consist of isolated, well-defined, active sites that are spatially separated in a given solid and, ideally, structurally identical. In this review, the potential of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as platforms for the development of heterogeneous single-site catalysts is reviewed thoroughly. In the first part of this article, synthetic strategies and progress in the implementation of such sites in these two classes of materials are discussed. Because these solids are excellent playgrounds to allow a better understanding of catalytic functions, we highlight the most important recent advances in the modelling and spectroscopic characterization of single-site catalysts based on these materials. Finally, we discuss the potential of MOFs as materials in which several single-site catalytic functions can be combined within one framework along with their potential as powerful enzyme-mimicking materials. The review is wrapped up with our personal vision on future research directions.
ABSTRACT
The scalable and environmentally-friendly synthesis of mixed Fe(III)/M(II) (M = Ni, Co, Mg) polycarboxylate porous MOFs based on the Secondary Building Unit approach is reported. A combination of in situ infrared spectroscopy, (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrometry and adsorption microcalorimetry confirms the direct accessibility of the iron(III) and metal(II) sites under low temperature activation conditions.