Cancer Influences the Elemental Composition of the Myocardium More Strongly than Conjugated Linoleic Acids-Chemometric Approach to Cardio-Oncological Studies.

The aim of the study was to verify in a cardio-oncological model experiment if conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) fed to rats with mammary tumors affect the content of selected macro- and microelements in their myocardium. The diet of Sprague-Dawley females was supplemented either with CLA isomers or with safflower oil. In hearts of rats suffering from breast cancer, selected elements were analyzed with a quadrupole mass spectrometer with inductively coupled plasma ionization (ICP-MS). In order to better understand the data trends, cluster analysis, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were applied. Mammary tumors influenced macro- and microelements content in the myocardium to a greater extent than applied diet supplementation. Significant influences of diet (p = 0.0192), mammary tumors (p = 0.0200) and interactions of both factors (p = 0.0151) were documented in terms of Fe content. CLA significantly decreased the contents of Cu and Mn (p = 0.0158 and p = 0.0265, respectively). The level of Ni was significantly higher (p = 0.0073), which was more pronounced in groups supplemented with CLA. The obtained results confirmed antioxidant properties of CLA and the relationship with Se deposition. Chemometric techniques distinctly showed that the coexisting pathological process induced differences to the greater extent than diet supplementation in the elemental content in the myocardium, which may impinge on cardiac tissue's susceptibility to injuries.

Biorecovery of cobalt and nickel using biomass-free culture supernatants from Aspergillus niger.

In this research, the capabilities of culture supernatants generated by the oxalate-producing fungus Aspergillus niger for the bioprecipitation and biorecovery of cobalt and nickel were investigated, as was the influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on these processes. The removal of cobalt from solution was >90% for all tested Co concentrations: maximal nickel recovery was >80%. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of cobalt and nickel oxalate. In a mixture of cobalt and nickel, cobalt oxalate appeared to predominate precipitation and was dependent on the mixture ratios of the two metals. The presence of EPS together with oxalate in solution decreased the recovery of nickel but did not influence the recovery of cobalt. Concentrations of extracellular protein showed a significant decrease after precipitation while no significant difference was found for extracellular polysaccharide concentrations before and after oxalate precipitation. These results showed that extracellular protein rather than extracellular polysaccharide played a more important role in influencing the biorecovery of metal oxalates from solution. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy showed that aromatic protein-like and hydrophobic acid-like substances from the EPS complexed with cobalt but did not for nickel. The humic acid-like substances from the EPS showed a higher affinity for cobalt than for nickel.

Recovery of Lanthanum(III) and Nickel(II) Ions from Acidic Solutions by the Highly Effective Ion Exchanger.

The recovery of La(III) and Ni(II) ions by a macroporous cation exchanger in sodium form (Lewatit Monoplus SP112) has been studied in batch experiments under varying HNO3 concentrations (0.2-2.0 mol/dm3), La(III) and Ni(II) concentrations (25-200 mg/dm3), phase contact time (1-360 min), temperature (293-333 K), and resin mass (0.1-0.5 g). The experimental data revealed that the sorption process was dependent on all parameters used. The maximum sorption capacities were found at CHNO3 = 0.2 mol/dm3, m = 0.1 g, and T = 333 K. The kinetic data indicate that the sorption followed the pseudo-second order and film diffusion models. The sorption equilibrium time was reached at approximately 30 and 60 min for La(III) and Ni(II) ions, respectively. The equilibrium isotherm data were best fitted with the Langmuir model. The maximum monolayer capacities of Lewatit Monoplus SP112 were equal to 95.34 and 60.81 mg/g for La(III) and Ni(II) ions, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters showed that the sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, dynamic experiments were performed using the columns set. The resin regeneration was made using HCl and HNO3 solutions, and the desorption results exhibited effective regeneration. The ATR/FT-IR and XPS spectroscopy results indicated that the La(III) and Ni(II) ions were coordinated with the sulfonate groups.

A Comparative Study on Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Cr3+ Metal Ions Removal from Industrial Wastewaters by Chitosan-Based Composite Cryogels.

Materials coming from renewable resources have drawn recently an increased attention in various applications as an eco-friendly alternative in the synthesis of novel functional materials. Polysaccharides, with their prominent representative - chitosan (CS), are well-known for their sorption properties, being able to remove metal ions from dilute solutions either by electrostatic interactions or chelation. In this context, we proposed here a comparative study on Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Cr3+ metal ions removal from industrial wastewaters by CS-based composite cryogels using batch technique. The composite cryogels consisting of CS embedding a natural zeolite, namely clinoptilolite, were synthesized by cryogelation, and their sorption performance were compared to those of CS cryogels and of acid-activated zeolite. A deeper analysis of thermodynamics and kinetics sorption data was performed to get insights into the sorption mechanism of all metal ions onto sorbents. Based on the optimized sorption conditions, the removal of the above-mentioned ions from aqueous solutions by the composite sorbent using dynamic technique was also evaluated.

Potential use of Bacillus genera for metals removal from spent catalysts.

The aim of the present study was to isolate microorganisms able to tolerate Ni2+ and V5+ from different sites located close to a mineral mine in Guanajuato, Mexico, and then to evaluate their ability to remove metals contained in a spent catalyst. Seventeen isolates were obtained; among them seven presented a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) higher than 200 mg/L of Ni2+ and V5+ each. Nickel and Vanadium removal was evaluated in 9 K liquid medium added with spent catalyst at 16% (s/v) pulp density and incubated at 30 °C, 150 rpm for 7 days. Only three isolates which were coded as PRGSd-MS-2, MNSH2-AH-3, and MNSS-AH-4 showed a significant removal at the end of treatment corresponding in mg kg-1 (or percentage metal removal) of 138 (32%), 123 (29%), and 101 (24%) for Ni, respectively; and 557 (26%), 737 (34%), and 456 (21%) mg kg-1 for V, respectively. The same isolates were capable to remove also Al, Fe, As, and Mg at different extent. Cell morphology changes were observed, in comparison to the control system at the end of biological treatment as a higher quantity of spores for MNSH2-AH-3, 2 µm cells in pairs for MNSS-AH-4, also long chain-vegetative cells having inclusions into the cell surface were observed for PRGSd-MS-2. The three isolated microorganisms were identified by sequencing of the 16S gene as Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus sp, respectively, suggesting its potential use in the treatment of this solid industrial waste.

Selective separation of Cu, Ni and Ag from printed circuit board waste using an environmentally safe technique.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) make up a large part of e-waste and include high concentrations of high-value metals. Therefore, the recovery of these metals is interesting from both the environmental and economic points of view. Here, the extraction/separation of copper, nickel and silver from PCB leachate was studied using an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) formed by triblock copolymers with an electrolyte and water, which is in compliance with the principles of green chemistry. The best conditions for the selective extraction consisted of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (3.5 mmol kg-1) at pH = 6.0 in 6 sequential steps for the Cu(II), dimethylglyoxime (5.00 mmol kg-1) at pH = 9.0 for the Ni(II) and thiocyanate (5.20 mmol kg-1) at pH = 9.0 for the Ag(I). These conditions were applied sequentially for extraction of Cu, Ni and Ag from the PCB leachate, obtaining high separation factor (S) values between the analyte and the metallic concomitants (SCu,Ni = 1,460, SCu,Fe = 15,500, SCu,Ag = 15,900, SNi,Fe = 32,700, SNi,Ag = 34,700 and SAg,Fe = 4800). The maximum extraction percentages (%E) for Cu, Ni and Ag were 99.9%, 99.9% and 99.8%, respectively. After the extraction, a single step stripping process was performed, resulting in more than 82% of the ion available in a clean lower phase. For the first time, an ATPS has been used for sequential extraction of several metal analytes from a real sample.

Strengthening detoxication impacts of Coprinus comatus on nickel and fluoranthene co-contaminated soil by bacterial inoculation.

To develop an efficient and environmental-friendly approach to detoxicate nickel (Ni) and fluoranthene co-contaminated soil, the combined application of Coprinus comatus (C. comatus) with Serratia sp. FFC5 and/or Enterobacter sp. E2 was investigated. The pot experiment tested the influences of bacterial inoculation on the growth of C. comatus, content of Ni in C. comatus, Ni speciation in soil, fluoranthene dissipation, soil enzymatic activities, bacterial population and community structure. With the inoculation of bacteria, the fresh weights of C. comatus, concentration of Ni in C. comatus and the dissipation rates of fluoranthene were increased by 17.73-29.38%, 68.97-204.97% and 34.84-60.90%, respectively. Notably, results illustrated that the co-inoculation of FFC5 and E2 showed better effect in biomass enhancement, Ni accumulation and fluoranthene dissipation than solitary inoculation. Simultaneously, higher soil enzymatic and microbiological activities suggested that the integrated detoxication method of bacteria and C. comatus could improve soil quality. Therefore, we can infer that bacterial inoculation strengthened detoxication effect of C. comatus in Ni-fluoranthene co-contaminated soil, indicating that the combined application of C. comatus and bacteria can be an efficient alternative for detoxicating Ni and fluoranthene co-contaminated soil.

Effective adsorption of nickel (II) with Ulva lactuca dried biomass: isotherms, kinetics and mechanisms.

This study aimed to evaluate the Ni2+ ions adsorption capability of Ulva lactuca. The isotherms, kinetics and mechanisms for the adsorption of Ni2+ from aqueous solution by Ulva lactuca were also investigated. Influencing factors including initial pH, initial Ni2+ concentration, biomass, contact time were examined. The results indicate that the maximum Ni2+ adsorption capacity of 38.28 mg/g was obtained at pH 5, initial Ni2+ concentration 250 mg/L, biomass dosage 0.5 g/L and contact time 30 min. The adsorption can be well fitted with Langmuir isotherm, and the kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The parameters of thermodynamics verified that Ni2+ adsorption on Ulva lactuca was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Analyses of FT-IR, SEM-EDS and XPS indicate that carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on the surface of biomass are involved in Ni2+ adsorption. The dried biomass of Ulva lactuca can be a cost-effective and eco-friendly adsorbent for the removal of Ni2+ from wastewater.

Changes in the fractionation profile of Al, Ni, and Mo during bioleaching of spent hydroprocessing catalysts with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.

Spent hydroprocessing catalysts are known to contain a variety of potentially toxic metals and therefore studies on the bioavailability and mobility of these metals are critical for understanding the possible environmental risks of the spent catalysts. This study evaluates the different chemical fractions/forms of aluminium (Al), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo) in spent hydroprocessing catalyst and the changes they undergo during bioleaching with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. In the spent catalyst (prior to bioleaching), Al was primarily present in its residual form, suggesting its low environmental mobility. However, Ni comprised mainly an exchangeable fraction, indicating its high environmental mobility. Molybdenum was mainly in the oxidizable form (47.1%), which indicated that highly oxidizing conditions were required to liberate it from the spent catalyst. During bioleaching the exchangeable, reducible and oxidizable fractions of all the metals were leached, whereas the residual fractions remained largely unaffected. At the end of bioleaching process, the metals remaining in the bioleached sample were predominantly in the residual fraction (98.3-99.5%). The 'risk assessment code' (RAC) and IR analysis also demonstrated that the environmental risks of the bioleached residue were significantly lower compared to the untreated spent catalyst. The results of this study suggest that bioleaching is an effective method in removing the metals from spent catalysts and the bioleached residue poses little environmental risk.

Synthesis and application of surface-modified NiFe nanoparticles as a new magnetic nano adsorbent for the removal of nickel ions from aqueous solution.

Surface-modified magnetic Ni2.33Fe alloy nanoparticles were prepared using a hydrothermal method. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests demonstrated that the surface was successfully modified by sodium citrate. The surface-modified particles can be used for removing nickel ions from aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics studies were performed and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model successfully described the kinetic data. The diffusion model indicated the adsorption was regulated by both surface and intraparticle diffusion processes. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were adopted for the mathematical description of adsorption equilibrium, and it was found that the experimental data fitted very well to the Freundlich model.

Nickel accumulation in paddy rice on serpentine soils containing high geogenic nickel contents in Taiwan.

We investigated the extractability of nickel (Ni) in serpentine soils collected from rice paddy fields in eastern Taiwan to evaluate the bioavailability of Ni in the soils as well as for demonstrating the health risks of Ni in rice. Total Ni concentrations in the soils ranged were 70.2-2730 mg/kg (mean, 472 mg/kg), greatly exceeding the natural background content and soil control standard in Taiwan. Available Ni concentration only accounts for <10% of total soil Ni content; 0.1 N HCl-extractable Ni was the more suitable index for Ni bioavailability in the soil to rice than was diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Ni. The accumulation ability of rice roots was much higher than that of its shoots; however, compared with those reported previously, our brown and polished rice samples contained much higher Ni concentrations, within the ranges of 1.50-4.53 and 2.45-5.54 mg/kg, respectively. On the basis of the provisional tolerable Ni intake for adults recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), daily consumption of this rice can result in an excessive Ni intake.

Removal of Selected Metals from Wastewater Using a Constructed Wetland.

Removal of selected metals from municipal wastewater using a constructed wetland with a horizontal subsurface flow was studied. The objective of the work was to determine the efficiency of Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Sr, Li, and Rb removal, and to describe the main removal mechanisms. The highest removal efficiencies were attained for zinc and copper (89.8 and 81.5%, respectively). It is apparently due to the precipitation of insoluble sulfides (ZnS, CuS) in the vegetation bed where the sulfate reduction takes place. Significantly lower removal efficiencies (43.9, 27.7, and 21.5%) were observed for Li, Sr, and Rb, respectively. Rather, low removal efficiencies were also attained for Ni and Co (39.8 and 20.9%). However, the concentrations of these metals in treated water were significantly lower compared to Cu and Zn (e.g., 2.8 ± 0.5 and 1.7 ± 0.3 µg/l for Ni at the inflow and outflow from the wetland compared to 27.6 ± 12.0 and 5.1 ± 4.7 µg/l obtained for Cu, respectively). The main perspective of the constructed wetland is the removal of toxic heavy metals forming insoluble compounds depositing in the wetland bed. Metal uptake occurs preferentially in wetland sediments and is closely associated with the chemism of sulfur and iron.

Adsorptive removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous environment: A review.

Among various methods adsorption can be efficiently employed for the treatment of heavy metal ions contaminated wastewater. In this context the authors reviewed variety of adsorbents used by various researchers for the removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous environment. One of the objectives of this review article is to assemble the scattered available enlightenment on a wide range of potentially effective adsorbents for nickel(II) ions removal. This work critically assessed existing knowledge and research on the uptake of nickel by various adsorbents such as activated carbon, non-conventional low-cost materials, nanomaterials, composites and nanocomposites. The system's performance is evaluated with respect to the overall metal removal and the adsorption capacity. In addition, the equilibrium adsorption isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics data as well as various optimal experimental conditions (solution pH, equilibrium contact time and dosage of adsorbent) of different adsorbents towards Ni(II) ions were also analyzed. It is evident from a literature survey of more than 190 published articles that agricultural solid waste materials, natural materials and biosorbents have demonstrated outstanding adsorption capabilities for Ni(II) ions.

Comparison between Brazilian agro-wastes and activated carbon as adsorbents to remove Ni(II) from aqueous solutions.

This research was performed to find an alternative, low-cost, competitive, locally available and efficient adsorbent to treat nickel (Ni) containing effluents. For this purpose, several Brazilian agro-wastes like sugarcane bagasse (SCB), passion fruit wastes (PFW), orange peel (OP) and pineapple peel (PP) were compared with an activated carbon (AC). The adsorbents were characterized. Effects of fundamental factors affecting the adsorption were investigated using batch tests. Kinetic and equilibrium studies were performed using conventional models. It was verified that the adsorption was favored at pH of 6.0 for all agro-wastes, being dependent of the Ni speciation, point of zero charge and surface area of the adsorbents. The Ni removal percentage was in the following order: SCB > OP > AC > PFW > PP. From the kinetic viewpoint, the Elovich model was appropriate to fit the Ni adsorption onto SCB, while for the other adsorbents, the pseudo-first-order model was the most suitable. For all adsorbents, the Langmuir model was the more adequate to represent the equilibrium data, being the maximum adsorption capacities of 64.1 mg g(-1), 60.7 mg g(-1), 63.1 mg g(-1), 48.1 mg g(-1) and 64.3 mg g(-1) for SCB, PFW, OP, PP and AC, respectively. These results indicated that mainly SCB and OP can be used as alternative adsorbents to treat Ni containing effluents.

Sorption properties of an amorphous hydroxo titanate towards Pb(2+), Ni(2+), and Cu(2+) ions in aqueous solution.

Titanates may be selectively used as inorganic adsorbents for heavy metal ions owing to their stability and fast adsorption kinetics. Nevertheless, the synthesis of such materials usually requires extreme reaction conditions. In this work, a new titanium-based material was rapidly synthesized under mild laboratory conditions. The obtained amorphous hydroxo titanate was tested for heavy metal sorption through kinetic and equilibrium batch tests, which indicated that the new material had high adsorption rates and adsorption capacities towards Cu(2+), Ni(2+) and Pb(2) ions. Adsorption kinetics were pseudo-second order, and equilibrium data fitted the Langmuir isotherm model. The calculated maximum adsorption capacities of Cu(2+), Ni(2+) and Pb(2+) in deionized water were around 1 mmol g(-1), and they decreased for Cu(2+) and Ni(2+) in the presence of Na(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions, whereas the alkali metal ions did not influence Pb(2+) uptake. The efficiency of adsorption and recovery of lead ions were evaluated through column dynamic tests, by feeding the column with groundwater and tap water spiked with Pb(2+). The high performance of the hydroxo titanate over several cycles of retention and elution suggested that the product is potentially useful for the solid phase extraction of lead at trace levels in natural water samples, with potential use in metal pre-concentration for analytical applications.

Recovery of Nickel and Cobalt from Laterite Tailings by Reductive Dissolution under Aerobic Conditions Using Acidithiobacillus Species.

Biomining of sulfidic ores has been applied for almost five decades. However, the bioprocessing of oxide ores such as laterites lags commercially behind. Recently, the Ferredox process was proposed to treat limonitic laterite ores by means of anaerobic reductive dissolution (AnRD), which was found to be more effective than aerobic bioleaching by fungi and other bacteria. We show here that the ferric iron reduction mediated by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans can be applied to an aerobic reductive dissolution (AeRD) of nickel laterite tailings. AeRD using a consortium of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans extracted similar amounts of nickel (53-57%) and cobalt (55-60%) in only 7 days as AnRD using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The economic and environmental advantages of AeRD for processing of laterite tailings comprise no requirement for an anoxic atmosphere, 1.8-fold less acid consumption than for AnRD, as well as nickel and cobalt recovered in a ferrous-based pregnant leach solution (PLS), facilitating the subsequent metal recovery. In addition, an aerobic acid regeneration stage is proposed. Therefore, AeRD process development can be considered as environmentally friendly for treating laterites with low operational costs and as an attractive alternative to AnRD.

Removal of nickel(II) from aqueous solution using Citrus Limettioides peel and seed carbon.

The agricultural wastes like Citrus Limettioides peel and seed to be suitable precursor for the preparation of carbon [Citrus Limettioides peel carbon (CLPC) and seed carbon (CLSC)] has been explored in the present work, utilizing sulfuric acid as the activating agent. Adsorption studies were performed by varying contact time, solution pH, adsorbent dose and temperature. The equilibrium time for Ni(II) ions was determined as 4h and optimal pH was 4-7. Surface morphology and functionality of the CLPC and CLSC were characterized by SEM, EDX and FT-IR. The experimental data were analysed using the Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Redlich-Peterson, Sips and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption isotherm equations using nonlinear regression analysis. Equilibrium data were found to fit well in the Langmuir isotherm, which confirmed the monolayer coverage of Ni(II) ions. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of CLPC and CLSC was found to be 38.46 and 35.54 mg/g. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. The kinetic data followed pseudo-second order model with film diffusion process. The adsorbents were tested with Ni(II) plating wastewater in connection with the reuse and selectivity of the adsorbents.

Process optimization for Ni(II) removal from wastewater by calcined oyster shell powders using Taguchi method.

Waste oyster shells cause great environmental concerns and nickel is a harmful heavy metal. Therefore, we applied the Taguchi method to take care of both issues by optimizing the controllable factors for Ni(II) removal by calcined oyster shell powders (OSP), including the pH (P), OSP calcined temperature (T), Ni(II) concentration (C), OSP dose (D), and contact time (t). The results show that their percentage contribution in descending order is P (64.3%) > T (18.9%) > C (8.8%) > D (5.1%) > t (1.7%). The optimum condition is pH of 10 and OSP calcined temperature of 900 °C. Under the optimum condition, the Ni(II) can be removed almost completely; the higher the pH, the more the precipitation; the higher the calcined temperature, the more the adsorption. The latter is due to the large number of porosities created at the calcination temperature of 900 °C. The porosities generate a large amount of cavities which significantly increase the surface area for adsorption. A multiple linear regression equation obtained to correlate Ni(II) removal with the controllable factors is: Ni(II) removal(%) = 10.35 × P + 0.045 × T - 1.29 × C + 19.33 × D + 0.09 × t - 59.83. This equation predicts Ni(II) removal well and can be used for estimating Ni(II) removal during the design stage of Ni(II) removal by calcined OSP. Thus, OSP can be used to remove nickel effectively and the formula for removal prediction is developed for practical applications.

Sequential recovery of copper and nickel from wastewater without net energy input.

A novel bioelectrochemical system (BES) was designed to recover copper and nickel from wastewater sequentially. The BES has two chambers separated by a bipolar membrane and two cathodes. Firstly, the copper ions were reduced on a graphite cathode with electricity output, and then with an additional bias-potential applied, the nickel ions were recovered sequentially on a copper sheet with electricity input. In this design, nickel and copper can be recovered and separated sequentially on two cathodes. By adjusting the molar ratio of copper and nickel ions to 2.99:1 in wastewater, 1.40 mmol Cu²âº could be recovered with 143.78 J electricity outputs, while 50.68 J electricity was input for 0.32 mmol nickel reduction. The total energy output of copper recovery was far more than the electricity input of nickel reduction. The present technology provides a potential method for heavy metal ion separation and recovery.

[Preparation of Copper and Nickel from Metallurgical Waste Products with the Use of Acidophilic Chemolithotrophic Microorganisms].

The study concerns the leaching of copper, nickel, and cobalt from metallurgical production slag with trivalent iron sulphates prepared in the process of oxidation of bivalent iron ions with the use of associations of acidophilic chemolithotrophic microorganisms. At the same time, copper extraction in the solution reached 91.2%, nickel reached 74.9%, and cobalt reached 90.1%. Copper was extracted by cementation, and nickel as sulphate was extracted by electrolysis. Associations of microorganisms can then completely bioregenerate the solution obtained after leaching.