Electrochemical determination of thiabendazole pesticide extracted and preconcentrated from tomato samples by cloud point extraction.

A procedure for electroanalytical determination of the fungicide TBZ extracted and preconcentrated from tomatoes by the cloud-point extraction (CPE) technique was developed and validated in this work. The analytical technique used for this determination was HPLC coupled to an electrochemical detector (HPLC/EC), with a BDD electrode. The main variables of the CPE process were evaluated using a 24 full factorial design. The optimal condition of CPE was achieved by using Tergitol (19% v/v), NaCl (0.83 g), ultrasonic stirring time of 15 min and a temperature of 36 °C. Under these conditions, the preconcentration factor obtained was 5.7. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 2.7 × 10-8 mol L-1 (or 5.4 µg L-1) and 5.5 × 10-8 mol L-1 (or 11 µg L-1), respectively. The average recovery values varied from 80.7% to 115.1% and the precision (average of 3 days) was less than 15%, indicating the good accuracy and precision of the method developed here. Upon applying the method to examine commercial tomatoes, TBZ was detected in one of the three analyzed samples.

Combined use of coagulation (M. oleifera) and electrochemical techniques in the treatment of industrial paint wastewater for reuse and/or disposal.

In this work, water-based paint (WBP) wastewater was treated using a natural coagulant, Moringa oleifera aqueous extract (MOAE), fortified with Ca2+ (from nitrate and chloride salts). In order to improve the quality of the treated wastewater and render it suitable for disposal, an electrolytic flow process was associated with the wastewater treatment using a filter-press reactor with a boron doped diamond (BDD) electrode. The feasibility of the treatment was evidenced by the reuse of the treated wastewater in the production of a new paint (manufactured by the company supplying the raw wastewater), whose quality was compatible with the water used by the manufacturer. The best conditions for the coagulation-flocculation process involved the use of 80 mL of MOAE (50 g/L of MO and 0.125 mol/L of Ca2+) for every 1.0 L of wastewater at pH 6.5. The limiting current density (35 mA/cm2) and an electrolysis time of 90 min (charge passed of 3.68 A h/L) were used in the electrochemical treatment. Biotoxicity assays using the brine shrimp Artemia salina revealed that the mortality (in %) of microcrustaceans was reduced from 100% (raw wastewater) to only 11% at the end of the electrolysis process, in addition to eliminating the strong odor and 85% of the organic load. Moreover, microbiological tests showed that the number of mesophiles decreased by more than six orders of magnitude and there was no growth of thermotolerant coliforms (TC).

Treatment of paint manufacturing wastewater by coagulation/electrochemical methods: Proposals for disposal and/or reuse of treated water.

This paper describes and discusses an investigation into the treatment of paint manufacturing wastewater (water-based acrylic texture) by coagulation (aluminum sulfate) coupled to electrochemical methods (BDD electrode). Two proposals are put forward, based on the results. The first proposal considers the feasibility of reusing wastewater treated by the methods separately and in combination, while the second examines the possibility of its disposal into water bodies. To this end, parameters such as toxicity, turbidity, color, organic load, dissolved aluminum, alkalinity, hardness and odor are evaluated. In addition, the proposal for water reuse is strengthened by the quality of the water-based paints produced using the wastewater treated by the two methods (combined and separate), which was evaluated based on the typical parameters for the quality control of these products. Under optimized conditions, the use of the chemical coagulation (12 mL/L of Al2(SO4)3 dosage) treatment, alone, proved the feasibility of reusing the treated wastewater in the paint manufacturing process. However, the use of the electrochemical method (i = 10 mA/cm(2) and t = 90 min) was required to render the treated wastewater suitable for discharge into water bodies.

A multidimensional high performance liquid chromatography method coupled with amperometric detection using a boron-doped diamond electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim in bovine milk.

The development and validation of a multidimensional HPLC method using an on-line clean-up column coupled with amperometric detection employing a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode for the simultaneous determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in bovine milk are presented. Aliquots of pre-prepared skim-milk samples were directly injected into a RAM octyl-BSA column in order to remove proteins that otherwise would interfere with milk analysis. After exclusion of the milk proteins, SMX and TMP were transferred to the analytical column (an octyl column) and the separation of the compounds from one another and from other endogenous milk components was achieved. SMX and TMP were detected amperometrically at 1.25V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.0molL(-1) KCl). Results with good linearity in the concentration ranges 50-800 and 25-400microgL(-1) for SMX and TMP, respectively, were obtained and no fouling of the BDD electrode was observed within the experimental period of several hours. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 10% for both drugs and the obtained LOD values for SMX and TMP were 25.0 and 15.0microgL(-1), respectively.

Degradation of phenol using Co- and Co,F-doped PbO(2) anodes in electrochemical filter-press cells.

A comparative study on the electrooxidation of phenol in H(2)SO(4) medium using pure PbO(2) or F-, Co- and Co,F-doped PbO(2) electrodes in filter-press cells was carried out. The oxide films were obtained by galvanostatic electrodeposition using an electrolytic bath containing sodium lauryl sulfate as additive and Pb(2+), F(-), Co(2+) or Co(2+)+F(-), under magnetic stirring (to obtain 4-cm(2) electrodes) or ultrasound waves (to obtain 63-cm(2) electrodes). The best results were attained with PbO(2) electrodes doped with a low-Co content (1mM Co(2+) in the electrolytic bath) along with F(-): the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the total organic carbon content (TOC) of the simulated wastewaters were removed by about 75% and 50%, respectively. When pure PbO(2) electrodes were used, the COD and TOC removals were about 60% and 45%, respectively. For the smaller electrodes, an average current efficiency (ACE) and an energy consumption (EC) of about 16% and 70 kWh kg(COD)(-1), respectively, were obtained. For the larger electrodes, the ACE and EC values were about 18% and 105 kWh kg(COD)(-1), respectively. Stability tests of the electrodes showed that they are suitable for use in the electrochemical treatment of phenol wastewaters.

On the performance of Fe and Fe,F doped Ti-Pt/PbO2 electrodes in the electrooxidation of the Blue Reactive 19 dye in simulated textile wastewater.

The electrochemical performance of pure Ti-Pt/beta-PbO2 electrodes, or doped with Fe and F (together or separately), in the oxidation of simulated wastewaters containing the Blue Reactive 19 dye (BR-19), using a filter-press reactor, was investigated and then compared with that of a boron-doped diamond electrode supported on a niobium substrate (Nb/BDD). The electrooxidation of the dye simulated wastewater (volume of 0.1 l, with a BR-19 initial concentration of 25 mg l(-1)) was carried out under the following conditions: current density of 50 mA cm(-2), volume flow rate of 2.4 l h(-1), temperature of 25 degrees C and electrode area of 5 cm2. The performances of the electrodes in the dye decolorization were quite similar, achieving 100% decolorization, and in some cases 90% decolorization was achieved by applying only ca. 0.3 A h l(-1) (8 min of electrolysis). The reduction of the simulated wastewater organic load, monitored by its total organic carbon content (TOC), was greater for the Ti-Pt/beta-PbO2-Fe,F electrode obtained from an electrodeposition bath containing 1 mM Fe3+ and 30 mM F-. In this case, after 2 h of electrolysis the obtained TOC reduction was 95%, while for the pure beta-PbO2 and the Nb/BDD electrodes the reductions were 84% and 82%, respectively.