Influence of Cholesterol on the Oxygen Permeability of Membranes: Insight from Atomistic Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Dotson, Rachel J; Smith, Casey R; Bueche, Kristina; Angles, Gary; Pias, Sally C

2017-06-06

Cholesterol is widely known to alter the physical properties and permeability of membranes. Several prior works have implicated cell membrane cholesterol as a barrier to tissue oxygenation, yet a good deal remains to be explained with regard to the mechanism and magnitude of the effect. We use molecular dynamics simulations to provide atomic-resolution insight into the influence of cholesterol on oxygen diffusion across and within the membrane. Our simulations show strong overall agreement with published experimental data, reproducing the shapes of experimental oximetry curves with high accuracy. We calculate the upper-limit transmembrane oxygen permeability of a 1-palmitoyl,2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine phospholipid bilayer to be 52 ± 2 cm/s, close to the permeability of a water layer of the same thickness. With addition of cholesterol, the permeability decreases somewhat, reaching 40 ± 2 cm/s at the near-saturating level of 62.5 mol % cholesterol and 10 ± 2 cm/s in a 100% cholesterol mimic of the experimentally observed noncrystalline cholesterol bilayer domain. These reductions in permeability can only be biologically consequential in contexts where the diffusional path of oxygen is not water dominated. In our simulations, cholesterol reduces the overall solubility of oxygen within the membrane but enhances the oxygen transport parameter (solubility-diffusion product) near the membrane center. Given relatively low barriers to passing from membrane to membrane, our findings support hydrophobic channeling within membranes as a means of cellular and tissue-level oxygen transport. In such a membrane-dominated diffusional scheme, the influence of cholesterol on oxygen permeability is large enough to warrant further attention. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The hydraulic permeability of blood clots as a function of fibrin and platelet density.

Science.gov (United States)

Wufsus, A R; Macera, N E; Neeves, K B

2013-04-16

Interstitial fluid flow within blood clots is a biophysical mechanism that regulates clot growth and dissolution. Assuming that a clot can be modeled as a porous medium, the physical property that dictates interstitial fluid flow is the hydraulic permeability. The objective of this study was to bound the possible values of the hydraulic permeability in clots formed in vivo and present relationships that can be used to estimate clot permeability as a function of composition. A series of clots with known densities of fibrin and platelets, the two major components of a clot, were formed under static conditions. The permeability was calculated by measuring the interstitial fluid velocity through the clots at a constant pressure gradient. Fibrin gels formed with a fiber volume fraction of 0.02-0.54 had permeabilities of 1.2 × 10(-1)-1.5 × 10(-4)μm(2). Platelet-rich clots with a platelet volume fraction of 0.01-0.61 and a fibrin volume fraction of 0.03 had permeabilities over a range of 1.1 × 10(-2)-1.5 × 10(-5)μm(2). The permeability of fibrin gels and of clots with platelet volume fraction of platelet volume fraction of >0.2 were modeled as a Brinkman medium of coarse solids (platelets) embedded in a mesh of fine fibers (fibrin). Our data suggest that the permeability of clots formed in vivo can vary by up to five orders of magnitude, with pore sizes that range from 4 to 350 nm. These findings have important implications for the transport of coagulation zymogens/enzymes in the interstitial spaces during clot formation, as well as the design of fibrinolytic drug delivery strategies. Copyright © 2013 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recovery of ammonia and phosphate minerals from swine wastewater using gas-permeable membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Gas-permeable membrane technology is useful to recover ammonia from liquid manures. In this study, phosphorus (P) recovery via magnesium chloride precipitation was enhanced by combining it with ammonia recovery through gas-permeable membranes. Anaerobically digested swine effluent containing approx...

Patterning of super-hydrophobic structures on permeable sensor membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelt, van S.; Eggermont, J.; Frijns, A.J.H.; Dietzel, A.H.; Colin, S; Morini, GL; Brandner, JJ

2012-01-01

For a disposable smart food monitoring system, a gas sensor membrane is needed that isolates the sensor surface from (dust) particles water droplets. At the same time, this membrane must have a high permeability, a sufficiently fast response times and should be water repellent to avoid blocking of

Pb2+ Modulates Ca2+ Membrane Permeability In Paramecium

Science.gov (United States)

Bernal-Martínez, Juan; Ortega Soto, Arturo

2004-09-01

Intracellular recording experiments in current clamp configuration were done to evaluate whether Pb2+ modulates ionic membrane permeability in the fresh water Paramecium tetraurelia. It was found that Pb2+ triggers in a dose-dependent manner, a burst of spontaneous action potentials followed by a robust and sustained after hyper-polarization. In addition, Pb2+ increased the frequency of firing the spontaneous Ca2+-Action Potential and also, the duration of Ca2+-Action Potential, in a dose and reversibly-dependent manner. These results suggest that Pb2+ increases calcium membrane permeability of Paramecium and probably activates a calcium-dependent-potassium conductance in the ciliate.

Hydrogen concentration control utilizing a hydrogen permeable membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keating, S.J. Jr.

1976-01-01

The concentration of hydrogen in a fluid mixture is controlled to a desired concentration by flowing the fluid through one chamber of a diffusion cell separated into two chambers by a hydrogen permeable membrane. A gradient of hydrogen partial pressure is maintained across the membrane to cause diffusion of hydrogen through the membrane to maintain the concentration of hydrogen in the fluid mixture at the predetermined level. The invention has particular utility for the purpose of injecting into and/or separating hydrogen from the reactor coolant of a nuclear reactor system

Robust High Performance Aquaporin based Biomimetic Membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helix Nielsen, Claus; Zhao, Yichun; Qiu, C.

2013-01-01

on top of a support membrane. Control membranes, either without aquaporins or with the inactive AqpZ R189A mutant aquaporin served as controls. The separation performance of the membranes was evaluated by cross-flow forward osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO) tests. In RO the ABM achieved a water......Aquaporins are water channel proteins with high water permeability and solute rejection, which makes them promising for preparing high-performance biomimetic membranes. Despite the growing interest in aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes (ABMs), it is challenging to produce robust and defect...... permeability of ~ 4 L/(m2 h bar) with a NaCl rejection > 97% at an applied hydraulic pressure of 5 bar. The water permeability was ~40% higher compared to a commercial brackish water RO membrane (BW30) and an order of magnitude higher compared to a seawater RO membrane (SW30HR). In FO, the ABMs had > 90...

The effects of heavy metal ions on the chlorophyll content and cell membrane permeability of charophytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Hualong; Chen Hao; Dong Bin; Qing Renwei

2001-01-01

The authors studied the effects of several heavy metal ions in different concentrations (Cd 2+ , Hg 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cr 6+ ) on the chlorophyll content and cell membrane permeability of Chara vulgaris L. It was discovered that the effects of heavy metal ions on the chlorophyll content and cell membrane permeability of Chara vulgaris L. changed with their different concentration. The trend was that the chlorophyll content and cell membrane permeability were decreased with the increase of the heavy metal ions. The degree of chlorophyll content affected was Cr 6+ , Cd 2+ , Hg 2+ , Pb 2+ , and that of cell membrane permeability affected was Cd 2+ , Cr 6+ , Hg 2+ , Pb 2+

Estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity and air permeability from soil physical properties using state-space analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, Tjalfe; Møldrup, Per; Nielsen, Don

2003-01-01

and gaseous chemicals in the vadose zone. In this study, three modeling approaches were used to identify the dependence of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-S) and air permeability at -100 cm H2O soil-water potential (k(a100)) on soil physical properties in undisturbed soil: (i) Multiple regression, (ii......) ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average) modeling, and (iii) State-space modeling. In addition to actual soil property values, ARIMA and state-space models account for effects of spatial correlation in soil properties. Measured data along two 70-m-long transects at a 20-year old constructed......Estimates of soil hydraulic conductivity (K) and air permeability (k(a)) at given soil-water potentials are often used as reference points in constitutive models for K and k(a) as functions of moisture content and are, therefore, a prerequisite for predicting migration of water, air, and dissolved...

Experimental Validation of a Permeability Model for Enrichment Membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orellano, Pablo; Brasnarof, Daniel; Florido Pablo

2003-01-01

An experimental loop with a real scale diffuser, in a single enrichment-stage configuration, was operated with air at different process conditions, in order to characterize the membrane permeability.Using these experimental data, an analytical geometric-and-morphologic-based model was validated.It is conclude that a new set of independent measurements, i.e. enrichment, is necessary in order to fully characterize diffusers, because of its internal parameters are not univocally determinated with permeability experimental data only

Enhancing the intestinal membrane permeability of zanamivir: a carrier mediated prodrug approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Sheeba Varghese; Gupta, Deepak; Sun, Jing; Dahan, Arik; Tsume, Yasuhiro; Hilfinger, John; Lee, Kyung-Dall; Amidon, Gordon L

2011-12-05

The purpose of this study was to improve the membrane permeability and oral absorption of the poorly permeable anti-influenza agent, zanamivir. The poor oral bioavailability is attributed to the high polarity (cLogP ∼ -5) resulting from the polar and zwitterionic nature of zanamivir. In order to improve the permeability of zanamivir, prodrugs with amino acids were developed to target the intestinal membrane transporter, hPepT1. Several acyloxy ester prodrugs of zanamivir conjugated with amino acids were synthesized and characterized. The prodrugs were evaluated for their chemical stability in buffers at various pHs and for their transport and tissue activation by enzymes. The acyloxy ester prodrugs of zanamivir were shown to competitively inhibit [(3)H]Gly-Sar uptake in Caco-2 cells (IC(50): 1.19 ± 0.33 mM for L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir). The L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir exhibited ∼3-fold higher uptake in transfected HeLa/hPepT1 cells compared to wild type HeLa cells, suggesting, at least in part, carrier mediated transport by the hPepT1 transporter. Further, enhanced transcellular permeability of prodrugs across Caco-2 monolayer compared to the parent drug (P(app) = 2.24 × 10(-6) ± 1.33 × 10(-7) cm/s for L-valyl prodrug of zanamivir), with only parent zanamivir appearing in the receiver compartment, indicates that the prodrugs exhibited both enhanced transport and activation in intestinal mucosal cells. Most significantly, several of these prodrugs exhibited high intestinal jejunal membrane permeability, similar to metoprolol, in the in situ rat intestinal perfusion system, a system highly correlated with human jejunal permeability. In summary, this mechanistic targeted prodrug strategy, to enhance oral absorption via intestinal membrane carriers such as hPepT1, followed by activation to parent drug (active pharmaceutical ingredient or API) in the mucosal cell, significantly improves the intestinal epithelial cell permeability of zanamivir and has the

Selectively gas-permeable composite membrane and process for production thereof

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okita, K.; Asako, S.

1984-01-01

A selectively gas-permeable composite membrane and a process for producing said composite membrane are described. The composite membrane comprises a polymeric material support and a thin membrane deposited on the support, said thin membrane being obtained by glow discharge plasma polymerization of an organosilane compound containing at least one double bond or triple bond. Alternatively, the composite membrane comprises a polymeric material support having an average pore diameter of at least 0.1 micron, a hardened or cross-linked polyorganosiloxane layer on the support, and a thin membrane on the polyorganosiloxane layer, said thin membrane being obtained by plasma polymerization due to glow discharge of an organosilane compound containing at least one double bond or triple bond

Towards a Biohybrid Lung: Endothelial Cells Promote Oxygen Transfer through Gas Permeable Membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Menzel, Sarah; Finocchiaro, Nicole; Donay, Christine; Thiebes, Anja Lena; Hesselmann, Felix; Arens, Jutta; Djeljadini, Suzana; Wessling, Matthias; Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Jockenhoevel, Stefan; Cornelissen, Christian Gabriel

2017-01-01

In patients with respiratory failure, extracorporeal lung support can ensure the vital gas exchange via gas permeable membranes but its application is restricted by limited long-term stability and hemocompatibility of the gas permeable membranes, which are in contact with the blood. Endothelial cells lining these membranes promise physiological hemocompatibility and should enable prolonged application. However, the endothelial cells increase the diffusion barrier of the blood-gas interface and thus affect gas transfer. In this study, we evaluated how the endothelial cells affect the gas exchange to optimize performance while maintaining an integral cell layer. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were seeded on gas permeable cell culture membranes and cultivated in a custom-made bioreactor. Oxygen transfer rates of blank and endothelialized membranes in endothelial culture medium were determined. Cell morphology was assessed by microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Both setups provided oxygenation of the test fluid featuring small standard deviations of the measurements. Throughout the measuring range, the endothelial cells seem to promote gas transfer to a certain extent exceeding the blank membranes gas transfer performance by up to 120%. Although the underlying principles hereof still need to be clarified, the results represent a significant step towards the development of a biohybrid lung.

Mass transfer rate through liquid membranes: interfacial chemical reactions and diffusion as simultaneous permeability controlling factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danesi, P.R.; Horwitz, E.P.; Vandegrift, G.F.; Chiarizia, R.

1981-01-01

Equations describing the permeability of a liquid membrane to metal cations have been derived taking into account aqueous diffusion, membrane diffusion, and interfacial chemical reactions as simultaneous permeability controlling factors. Diffusion and chemical reactions have been coupled by a simple model analogous to the one previously described by us to represent liquid-liquid extraction kinetics. The derived equations, which make use of experimentally determined interfacial reaction mechanisms, qualitatively fit unexplained literature data regarding Cu 2+ transfer through liquid membranes. Their use to predict and optimize membrane permeability in practical separation processes by setting the appropriate concentration of the membrane carrier [LIX 64 (General Mills), a commercial β-hydroxy-oxime] and the pH of the aqueous copper feed solution is briefly discussed. 4 figures

Gyroid Nanoporous Membranes with Tunable Permeability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Li; Schulte, Lars; Clausen, Lydia D.

2011-01-01

-linked 1,2-polybutadiene (1,2-PB) membranes with uniform pores that, if needed, can be rendered hydrophilic. The gyroid porosity has the advantage of isotropic percolation with no need for structure prealignment. Closed (skin) or opened (nonskin) outer surface can be simply realized by altering...... the effective diffusion coefficients of a series of antibiotics, proteins, and other biomolecules; solute permeation is discussed in terms of hindered diffusion. The combination of uniform bulk morphology, isotropically percolating porosity, controlled surface chemistry, and tunable permeability is distinctive...

Enhanced recovery of ammonia from swine manure anaerobic digester effluent using gas-permeable membranes and aeration

Science.gov (United States)

Atmospheric ammonia pollution from livestock wastes can be reduced using gas-permeable membrane technology by converting ammonia contained in the manure into ammonium salt for use in fertilizers. In this study, gas-permeable membrane technology was enhanced using aeration combined with nitrificatio...

Hydraulic Performance of Lined Permeable Pavement Systems in the Built Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Støvring

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The hydraulic performance of permeable pavement (PP systems has been well demonstrated when based on full or partial on-site infiltration, while there is only limited research on lined PP systems built to provide detention and volume reduction by evaporation only. In this study, we tested the performance of commercially available PP components when constructed as lined PP systems with un-throttled discharge to explore basic hydraulic function in a real-life-setting. Four types of PP surface products and three types of sub-base aggregates were tested in six unique combinations, built as side-by-side parking lots into an existing parking area, each stall having a size of 25 m2 and 0.5 m of depth with individual lining. Based on 12 months of monitoring precipitation and discharge from each stall, total volume reduction ranged from 3% to 37%. Analysis of up to 22 single events, representing return periods of up to two years, revealed marked detention capacities, expressed as median volume reduction of 40%, spanning 27–69% and median lag time of 1:38 h, spanning 0:39–3:16 h, across all stalls. The considerable range in hydraulic properties can be ascribed to both surface and sub-base properties.

Convection due to an unstable density difference across a permeable membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Puthenveettil, Baburaj A.; Arakeri, Jaywant H.

We study natural convection driven by unstable concentration differences of sodium chloride (NaCl) across a horizontal permeable membrane at Rayleigh numbers (Ra) of 1010 to 1011 and Schmidt number (Sc)=600. A layer of brine lies over a layer of distilled water, separated by the membrane, in square-cross-section tanks. The membrane is permeable enough to allow a small flow across it at higher driving potentials. Based on the predominant mode of transport across the membrane, three regimes of convection, namely an advection regime, a diffusion regime and a combined regime, are identified. The near-membrane flow in all the regimes consists of sheet plumes formed from the unstable layers of fluid near the membrane. In the advection regime observed at higher concentration differences (Bb) show a common log-normal probability density function at all Ra. We propose a phenomenology which predicts /line{lambda}_b sqrt{Z_w Z_{V_i}}, where Zw and Z_{V_i} are, respectively, the near-wall length scales in Rayleighnard convection (RBC) and due to the advection velocity. In the combined regime, which occurs at intermediate values of C/2)4/3. At lower driving potentials, in the diffusion regime, the flux scaling is similar to that in turbulent RBC.

Subsurface imaging of water electrical conductivity, hydraulic permeability and lithology at contaminated sites by induced polarization

Science.gov (United States)

Maurya, P. K.; Balbarini, N.; Møller, I.; Rønde, V.; Christiansen, A. V.; Bjerg, P. L.; Auken, E.; Fiandaca, G.

2018-05-01

At contaminated sites, knowledge about geology and hydraulic properties of the subsurface and extent of the contamination is needed for assessing the risk and for designing potential site remediation. In this study, we have developed a new approach for characterizing contaminated sites through time-domain spectral induced polarization. The new approach is based on: (1) spectral inversion of the induced polarization data through a reparametrization of the Cole-Cole model, which disentangles the electrolytic bulk conductivity from the surface conductivity for delineating the contamination plume; (2) estimation of hydraulic permeability directly from the inverted parameters using a laboratory-derived empirical equation without any calibration; (3) the use of the geophysical imaging results for supporting the geological modelling and planning of drilling campaigns. The new approach was tested on a data set from the Grindsted stream (Denmark), where contaminated groundwater from a factory site discharges to the stream. Two overlapping areas were covered with seven parallel 2-D profiles each, one large area of 410 m × 90 m (5 m electrode spacing) and one detailed area of 126 m × 42 m (2 m electrode spacing). The geophysical results were complemented and validated by an extensive set of hydrologic and geologic information, including 94 estimates of hydraulic permeability obtained from slug tests and grain size analyses, 89 measurements of water electrical conductivity in groundwater, and four geological logs. On average the IP-derived and measured permeability values agreed within one order of magnitude, except for those close to boundaries between lithological layers (e.g. between sand and clay), where mismatches occurred due to the lack of vertical resolution in the geophysical imaging. An average formation factor was estimated from the correlation between the imaged bulk conductivity values and the water conductivity values measured in groundwater, in order to

Determination of hydraulic conductivity coefficient in NSD site, Serpong, based on in-situ permeability test method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heri Syaeful; Sucipta

2013-01-01

In line with the increase of amount of radioactive waste, PTLR-BATAN plans to build the Near Surface Disposal (NSD) facility, especially in the preliminary stages is the Demo Plant of NSD facility. NSD is a low to medium level radioactive waste storage concept. Most important aspect in the site study for planning NSD is hydrogeological aspect especially related to the migration of radionuclides to the environment. In the study of radionuclide migration, a preliminary parameter which is required to know is the hydraulic conductivity in order to deliver the soil and rock hydraulic conductivity values in the site then conducted the in-situ permeability test. Based on the test, obtained soil and rock hydraulic conductivity values ranging from 10 -6 to 10 -2 cm/sec. The greatest hydraulic conductivity value located in the gravelly silt soil units which is in the site, constitute as aquifer, with depth ranging from 8 - 24 m, with hydraulic conductivity value reached 10 -2 cm/sec. (author)

Open-source CFD model for optimization of forward osmosis and reverse osmosis membrane modules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gruber, Mathias Felix; Aslak, Ulf; Hélix-Nielsen, Claus

2016-01-01

Osmotic membrane separation processes are based on using semi-permeable membranes to remove solutes from a given feed solution. This can happen either as Reverse Osmosis (RO) where a hydraulic pressure is applied to drive separation across the membrane, or as Forward Osmosis (FO) where osmotic...

Calcium reduces the sodium permeability of luminal membrane vesicles from toad bladder. Studies using a fast-reaction apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chase, H.S. Jr.; Al-Awqati, Q.

1983-01-01

Regulation of the sodium permeability of the luminal membrane is the major mechanism by which the net rate of sodium transport across tight epithelia is varied. Previous evidence has suggested that the permeability of the luminal membrane might be regulated by changes in intracellular sodium or calcium activities. To test this directly, we isolated a fraction of the plasma membrane from the toad urinary bladder, which contains a fast, amiloride-sensitive sodium flux with characteristics similar to those of the native luminal membrane. Using a flow-quench apparatus to measure the initial rate of sodium efflux from these vesicles in the millisecond time range, we have demonstrated that the isotope exchange permeability of these vesicles is very sensitive to calcium. Calcium reduces the sodium permeability, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration is 0.5 microM, well within the range of calcium activity found in cells. Also, the permeability of the luminal membrane vesicles is little affected by the ambient sodium concentration. These results, when taken together with studies on whole tissue, suggest that cell calcium may be an important regulator of transepithelial sodium transport by its effect on luminal sodium permeability. The effect of cell sodium on permeability may be mediated by calcium rather than by sodium itself

Effects of an elastic membrane on tube waves in permeable formations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, H; Johnson, D

1996-10-01

In this paper, the modified properties were calculated for tube wave propagation in a fluid-filled borehole penetrating a permeable rock due to the presence of a mudcake which forms on the borehole wall. The mudcake was characterized by an impermeable elastic layer. The mudcake partial sealing mechanism was simulated using a finite membrane stiffness. Consequently, it was shown that the mudcake can reduce, but not eliminate, the permeability effects on the tube wave slowness and attenuation. Moreover, this paper discusses a variety of values for the relevant parameters especially the mudcake thickness and membrane stiffness. The important combinations of mudcake parameters were clarified by using an analytic expression for the low-frequency limit.

Calculating the permeability coefficients of mixed matrix membranes of polydimethylsiloxane and silicalite crystals to various ethanol-water solutions using molecular simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

The permeability coefficients of mixed matrix membranes of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and silicalite crystal are taken as the sum of the permeability coefficients of membrane components each weighted by their associated mass fraction. The permeability coefficient of a membrane c...

Electrically Driven Ion Separations in Permeable Membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruening, Merlin [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

2017-04-21

Membranes are attractive for a wide range of separations due to their low energy costs and continuous operation. To achieve practical fluxes, most membranes consist of a thin, selective skin on a highly permeable substrate that provides mechanical strength. Thus, this project focused on creating new methods for forming highly selective ultrathin skins as well as modeling transport through these coatings to better understand their unprecedented selectivities. The research explored both gas and ion separations, and the latter included transport due to concentration, pressure and electrical potential gradients. This report describes a series of highlights of the research and then provides a complete list of publications supported by the grant. These publications have been cited more than 4000 times. Perhaps the most stunning finding is the recent discovery of monovalent/divalent cation and anion selectivities around 1000 when modifying cation- and anion-exchange membranes with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). This discovery builds on many years of exciting research. (Citation numbers refer to the journal articles in the bibliography.)

Selective imipenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with diminished outer membrane permeability.

OpenAIRE

Studemeister, A E; Quinn, J P

1988-01-01

The permeability of the outer membranes of imipenem-susceptible and imipenem-resistant clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated by the liposome swelling assay. Sugars and cephaloridine penetrated rapidly, whereas imipenem penetrated poorly into liposomes constructed from porin-rich outer membrane fractions of the resistant isolates.

Low Permeable Hydrocarbon Polymer Electrolyte Membrane for Vanadium Redox Flow Battery.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Ho-Young; Moon, Geon-O; Jung, Seunghun; Kim, Hee Tak; Kim, Sang-Chai; Roh, Sung-Hee

2017-04-01

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) confirms the life span of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). Products from Dupont, Nafion membrane, is mainly used for PEM in VRFB. However, permeation of vanadium ion occurs because of Nafion’s high permeability. Therefore, the efficiency of VRFB decreases and the prices becomes higher, which hinders VRFB’s commercialization. In order to solve this problem, poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) is sulfonated for the preparation of low-priced hydrocarbon polymer electrolyte membrane. sPPO membrane is characterized by fundamental properties and VRFB cell test.

Electromagnetic Monitoring of Hydraulic Fracturing: Relationship to Permeability, Seismicity, and Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Thiel, Stephan

2017-09-01

Hydraulic fracking is a geoengineering application designed to enhance subsurface permeability to maximize fluid and gas flow. Fracking is commonly used in enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), tight shale gas, and coal seam gas (CSG) plays and in CO_2 storage scenarios. Common monitoring methods include microseismics and mapping small earthquakes with great resolution associated with fracture opening at reservoir depth. Recently, electromagnetic (EM) methods have been employed in the field to provide an alternative way of direct detection of fluids as they are pumped in the ground. Surface magnetotelluric (MT) measurements across EGS show subtle yet detectable changes during fracking derived from time-lapse MT deployments. Changes are directional and are predominantly aligned with current stress field, dictating preferential fracture orientation, supported by microseismic monitoring of frack-related earthquakes. Modeling studies prior to the injection are crucial for survey design and feasibility of monitoring fracks. In particular, knowledge of sediment thickness plays a fundamental role in resolving subtle changes. Numerical forward modeling studies clearly favor some form of downhole measurement to enhance sensitivity; however, these have yet to be conclusively demonstrated in the field. Nevertheless, real surface-based monitoring examples do not necessarily replicate the expected magnitude of change derived from forward modeling and are larger than expected in some cases from EGS and CSG systems. It appears the injected fluid volume alone cannot account for the surface change in resistivity, but connectedness of pore space is also significantly enhanced and nonlinear. Recent numerical studies emphasize the importance of percolation threshold of the fracture network on both electrical resistivity and permeability, which may play an important role in accounting for temporal changes in surface EM measurements during hydraulic fracking.

Exploration of permeability and antifouling performance on modified cellulose acetate ultrafiltration membrane with cellulose nanocrystals.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Jinling; Zhang, Guoquan; Zhang, Hanmin; Yang, Fenglin

2017-10-15

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were introduced into cellulose diacetate (CDA) matrix via immerged phase-inversion process, aiming to improve the filtration and antifouling performance of CNCs/CDA blending membrane. The effects of CNCs on membrane morphologies, hydrophilicity, permeability and antifouling property were investigated. Results showed that the incorporation of CNCs into CDA membrane could effectively enhance the permeability and antifouling property of CNCs/CDA blending membrane by optimizing membrane microstructure and improving membrane hydrophilicity. A high pure water flux of 173.8L/m 2 h was achieved for the CNCs/CDA blending membrane at 200KPa, which is 24 times that of the CDA membrane (7.2L/m 2 h). The bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption amount of the CNCs/CDA blending membrane decreased about 48% compared to that of the CDA membrane. Additionally, the CNCs/CDA blending membrane exhibited better antifouling performance with the flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 89.5% after three fouling cycles, compared to 59.7% for the CDA membrane. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance

KAUST Repository

Dorin, Rachel Mika

2014-01-01

Using a combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation, isoporous ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from four poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) triblock terpolymers with similar block volume fractions but varying in total molar mass from 43 kg/mol to 115 kg/mol to systematically study the effect of polymer size on membrane structure. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to probe terpolymer solution structure in the dope. All four triblocks displayed solution scattering patterns consistent with a body-centered cubic morphology. After membrane formation, structures were characterized using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and filtration performance tests. Membrane pore densities that ranged from 4.53 × 1014 to 1.48 × 1015 pores/m 2 were observed, which are the highest pore densities yet reported for membranes using self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation. Hydraulic permeabilities ranging from 24 to 850 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and pore diameters ranging from 7 to 36 nm were determined from permeation and rejection experiments. Both the hydraulic permeability and pore size increased with increasing molar mass of the parent terpolymer. The combination of polymer characterization and membrane transport tests described here demonstrates the ability to rationally design macromolecular structures to target specific performance characteristics in block copolymer derived ultrafiltration membranes. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transport parameters for the modelling of water transport in ionomer membranes for PEM-fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, Frank; Eigenberger, Gerhart

2004-01-01

The water transport number (drag coefficient) and the hydraulic permeability were measured for Nafion. The results show a significant increase of both parameters with increasing water content indicating that they are strongly influenced by the membrane microstructure. Based on these experimental studies a new model approach to describe water transport in the H 2 -PEFC membrane is presented. This approach considers water transport by electro-osmosis caused by the proton flux through the membrane and by osmosis caused by a gradient in the chemical potential of water. It is parametrized by the measured data for the water transport number and the hydraulic permeability of Nafion. First simulation results applying this approach to a one-dimensional model of the H 2 -PEFC show good agreement with experimental data. Therefore, the developed model can be used for a new insight into the dominating mechanisms of water transport in the membrane

Carbon-based building blocks for alcohol dehydration membranes with disorder-enhanced water permeability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boffa, Vittorio; Etmimi, H.; Mallon, P.E.

2017-01-01

Graphene oxide (GO) thin films have demonstrated outstanding water permeability and excellent selectivity towards organic molecules and inorganic salts, unlocking a new exciting direction in the development of nanofiltration, desalination and pervaporation membranes. However, there are still high......-HAL membranes promising devices for alcohol dehydration technologies....

Water permeability of acinar cell membranes in the isolated perfused rabbit mandibular salivary gland.

Science.gov (United States)

Steward, M C; Seo, Y; Rawlings, J M; Case, R M

1990-01-01

1. The diffusive water permeability of epithelial cell membranes in the perfused rabbit mandibular salivary gland was measured at 37 degrees C by a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation method using an extracellular relaxation reagent, gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd(DTPA)). 2. In glands perfused with a HEPES-buffered solution containing 10 mmol l-1 Gd(DTPA), the spin-lattice (T1) relaxation of the water protons showed two exponential components. The water compartment responsible for the slower component corresponded in magnitude to 71 +/- 5% of the wet weight of the gland, and was attributed to the exchangeable intracellular water of the acinar cells. 3. The rate constant for water efflux from the cells was estimated to be 4.1 +/- 0.1 s-1 which would be consistent with a diffusive membrane permeability (Pd) of approximately 3 x 10(-3) cm s-1. Stimulation with acetylcholine (10(-6) mol l-1) did not cause any detectable change in membrane water permeability. 4. Since the basolateral membrane probably provides the main pathway for water efflux, the osmotic water permeability of this barrier (expressed per gland) was estimated to be less than 6.2 cm3 s-1. This would be insufficient to account for the generation of a near-isosmotic fluid at the flow rates observed during secretion, and suggests that a substantial fraction of the flow of water occurs via a paracellular route. PMID:1966053

Unsaturated hydraulic behaviour of a permeable pavement: Laboratory investigation and numerical analysis by using the HYDRUS-2D model

Science.gov (United States)

Turco, Michele; Kodešová, Radka; Brunetti, Giuseppe; Nikodem, Antonín; Fér, Miroslav; Piro, Patrizia

2017-11-01

An adequate hydrological description of water flow in permeable pavement systems relies heavily on the knowledge of the unsaturated hydraulic properties of the construction materials. Although several modeling tools and many laboratory methods already exist in the literature to determine the hydraulic properties of soils, the importance of an accurate materials hydraulic description of the permeable pavement system, is increasingly recognized in the fields of urban hydrology. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose techniques/procedures on how to interpret water flow through the construction system using the HYDRUS model. The overall analysis includes experimental and mathematical procedures for model calibration and validation to assess the suitability of the HYDRUS-2D model to interpret the hydraulic behaviour of a lab-scale permeable pavement system. The system consists of three porous materials: a wear layer of porous concrete blocks, a bedding layers of fine gravel, and a sub-base layer of coarse gravel. The water regime in this system, i.e. outflow at the bottom and water contents in the middle of the bedding layer, was monitored during ten irrigation events of various durations and intensities. The hydraulic properties of porous concrete blocks and fine gravel described by the van Genuchten functions were measured using the clay tank and the multistep outflow experiments, respectively. Coarse gravel properties were set at literature values. In addition, some of the parameters (Ks of the concrete blocks layer, and α, n and Ks of the bedding layer) were optimized with the HYDRUS-2D model from water fluxes and soil water contents measured during irrigation events. The measured and modeled hydrographs were compared using the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) index (varied between 0.95 and 0.99) while the coefficient of determination R2 was used to assess the measured water content versus the modelled water content in the bedding layer (R2 = 0.81 ÷ 0.87) . The

Bile salt-induced increases in duodenal brush-border membrane proton permeability, fluidity, and fragility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, D.L.; Hirst, B.H.

1990-01-01

Rabbit duodenal brush-border membrane vesicles were treated in vitro with deoxycholate, glycodeoxycholate, or taurodeoxycholate. Intravesicular [14C]glucose space at equilibrium, 0.54 microliters/mg protein, was reduced by exposure to the three bile salts in a concentration (0.1-5.0 mM)-dependent manner, equatable with increased membrane fragility. Net proton permeability (Pnet), determined by acridine orange fluorescence quenching, was increased from 6.3 x 10(-4) cm/sec in untreated vesicles, by approximately 120, 150, and 170%, by treatment with bile salts at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mM, respectively. The three bile salts were equipotent. The increases in membrane fragility and Pnet were not accompanied by significant increases in membrane fluidity, as assessed from steady-state and time-resolved diphenylhexatriene fluorescence anisotropy. The data demonstrate direct effects of bile salts on duodenal apical membrane fragility and proton permeability that are likely to be early events in bile salt-induced mucosal damage

Hydrogen solubility and permeability of Nb-W-Mo alloy membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awakura, Y.; Nambu, T.; Matsumoto, Y.; Yukawa, H.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → The concept for alloy design of Nb-based hydrogen permeable membrane has been applied to Nb-W-Mo ternary alloy in order to improve further the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen permeability. → The alloying effects of Mo on the hydriding properties of Nb-W alloy have been elucidated. → The addition of Mo and/or W into niobium improves the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement by reducing the dissolved hydrogen concentration in the alloy. → Nb-W-Mo alloy possesses excellent hydrogen permeability together with strong resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. - Abstract: The alloying effects of molybdenum on the hydrogen solubility, the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement and the hydrogen permeability are investigated for Nb-W-Mo system. It is found that the hydrogen solubility decreases by the addition of molybdenum into Nb-W alloy. As a result, the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement improves by reducing the hydrogen concentration in the alloy. It is demonstrated that Nb-5 mol%W-5 mol%Mo alloy possesses excellent hydrogen permeability without showing any hydrogen embrittlement when used under appropriate hydrogen permeation conditions, i.e., temperature and hydrogen pressures.

Quasi-equilibrium analysis of the ion-pair mediated membrane transport of low-permeability drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jonathan M; Dahan, Arik; Gupta, Deepak; Varghese, Sheeba; Amidon, Gordon L

2009-07-01

The aim of this research was to gain a mechanistic understanding of ion-pair mediated membrane transport of low-permeability drugs. Quasi-equilibrium mass transport analyses were developed to describe the ion-pair mediated octanol-buffer partitioning and hydrophobic membrane permeation of the model basic drug phenformin. Three lipophilic counterions were employed: p-toluenesulfonic acid, 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, and 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNAP). Association constants and intrinsic octanol-buffer partition coefficients (Log P(AB)) of the ion-pairs were obtained by fitting a transport model to double reciprocal plots of apparent octanol-buffer distribution coefficients versus counterion concentration. All three counterions enhanced the lipophilicity of phenformin, with HNAP providing the greatest increase in Log P(AB), 3.7 units over phenformin alone. HNAP also enhanced the apparent membrane permeability of phenformin, 27-fold in the PAMPA model, and 4.9-fold across Caco-2 cell monolayers. As predicted from a quasi-equilibrium analysis of ion-pair mediated membrane transport, an order of magnitude increase in phenformin flux was observed per log increase in counterion concentration, such that log-log plots of phenformin flux versus HNAP concentration gave linear relationships. These results provide increased understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ion-pair mediated membrane transport, emphasizing the potential of this approach to enable oral delivery of low-permeability drugs.

A computational assessment of the permeability and salt rejection of carbon nanotube membranes and their application to water desalination

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Michael; Corry, Ben

2016-01-01

Membranes made from nanomaterials such as nanotubes and graphene have been suggested to have a range of applications in water filtration and desalination, but determining their suitability for these purposes requires an accurate assessment of the properties of these novel materials. In this study, we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the permeability and salt rejection capabilities for membranes incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at a range of pore sizes, pressures and concentrations. We include the influence of osmotic gradients and concentration build up and simulate at realistic pressures to improve the reliability of estimated membrane transport properties. We find that salt rejection is highly dependent on the applied hydrostatic pressure, meaning high rejection can be achieved with wider tubes than previously thought; while membrane permeability depends on salt concentration. The ideal size of the CNTs for desalination applications yielding high permeability and high salt rejection is found to be around 1.1 nm diameter. While there are limited energy gains to be achieved in using ultra-permeable CNT membranes in desalination by reverse osmosis, such membranes may allow for smaller plants to be built as is required when size or weight must be minimized. There are diminishing returns in further increasing membrane permeability, so efforts should focus on the fabrication of membranes containing narrow or functionalized CNTs that yield the desired rejection or selection properties rather than trying to optimize pore densities. PMID:26712639

Recovery of ammonia and production of high-grade phosphates from side-stream digester effluents using gas-permeable membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Phosphorus recovery was combined with ammonia recovery using gas-permeable membranes. In a first step, the ammonia and alkalinity were removed from municipal side-stream wastewater using low-rate aeration and a gas-permeable membrane manifold. In a second step, the phosphorus was removed using magne...

Coxsackievirus protein 2B modifies endoplasmic reticulum membrane and plasma membrane permeability and facilitates virus release.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kuppeveld, F J; Hoenderop, J G; Smeets, R L; Willems, P H; Dijkman, H B; Galama, J M; Melchers, W J

1997-01-01

Digital-imaging microscopy was performed to study the effect of Coxsackie B3 virus infection on the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration and the Ca2+ content of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). During the course of infection a gradual increase in the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration was observed, due to the influx of extracellular Ca2+. The Ca2+ content of the ER decreased in time with kinetics inversely proportional to those of viral protein synthesis. Individual expression of protein 2B was sufficient to induce the influx of extracellular Ca2+ and to release Ca2+ from ER stores. Analysis of mutant 2B proteins showed that both a cationic amphipathic alpha-helix and a second hydrophobic domain in 2B were required for these activities. Consistent with a presumed ability of protein 2B to increase membrane permeability, viruses carrying a mutant 2B protein exhibited a defect in virus release. We propose that 2B gradually enhances membrane permeability, thereby disrupting the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and ultimately causing the membrane lesions that allow release of virus progeny. PMID:9218794

Anti-fouling and high water permeable forward osmosis membrane fabricated via layer by layer assembly of chitosan/graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Hasan; Rastgar, Masoud; Shakeri, Alireza

2017-08-01

To date, forward osmosis (FO) has received considerable attention due to its potential application in seawater desalination. FO does not require external hydraulic pressure and consequently is believed to have a low fouling propensity. Despite the numerous privileges of FO process, a major challenge ahead for its development is the lack of high performance membranes. In this study, we fabricated a novel highly-efficient FO membrane using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of positive chitosan (CS) and negative graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets via electrostatic interaction on a porous support layer. The support layer was prepared by blending hydrophilic sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) into polyethersulfone (PES) matrix using wet phase inversion process. Various characterization techniques were used to confirm successful fabrication of LbL membrane. The number of layers formed on the SPES-PES support layer was easily adjusted by repeating the CS and GO deposition cycles. Thin film composite (TFC) membrane was also prepared by the same SPES-PES support layer and polyamide (PA) active layer to compare membranes performances. The water permeability and salt rejection of the fabricated membranes were obtained by two kinds of draw solutions (including Na2SO4 and sucrose) under two different membrane orientations. The results showed that membrane coated by a CS/GO bilayers had water flux of 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than the TFC one. By increasing the number of CS/GO bilayers, the selectivity of the LbL membrane was improved. The novel fabricated LbL membrane showed better fouling resistance than the TFC one in the feed solution containing 200 ppm of sodium alginate as a foulant model.

Permeability of uncharged organic molecules in reverse osmosis desalination membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dražević, Emil; Košutić, Krešimir; Svalina, Marin; Catalano, Jacopo

2017-06-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are primarily designed for removal of salts i.e. for desalination of brackish and seawater, but they have also found applications in removal of organic molecules. While it is clear that steric exclusion is the dominant removal mechanism, the fundamental explanation for how and why the separation occurs remains elusive. Until recently there was no strong microscopic evidences elucidating the structure of the active polyamide layers of RO membranes, and thus they have been conceived as "black boxes"; or as an array of straight capillaries with a distribution of radii; or as polymers with a small amount of polymer free domains. The knowledge of diffusion and sorption coefficients is a prerequisite for understanding the intrinsic permeability of any organic solute in any polymer. At the same time, it is technically challenging to accurately measure these two fundamental parameters in very thin (20-300 nm) water-swollen active layers. In this work we have measured partition and diffusion coefficients and RO permeabilities of ten organic solutes in water-swollen active layers of two types of RO membranes, low (SWC4+) and high flux (XLE). We deduced from our results and recent microscopic studies that the solute flux of organic molecules in polyamide layer of RO membranes occurs in two domains, dense polymer (the key barrier layer) and the water filled domains. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ph responsive permeability and Ion- exchange characteristics of (PE/EPDM)-g-PMAA membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El- Awady, M.M.; El-Awady, N.I.; Eissa, A.M.

2005-01-01

Chemical grafting of methacrylic acid (MAA) on low density exchange membranes for recovery of different cations from their solutions was investigated. When the dialysis permeability of two solutes (glucose + urea) through the membrane were tested at different ph values and compared, glucose was found to be less efficient than urea for permeation through the membrane. The permeability response of such solute was noticed only at higher ph value (ph 8). The grafted film (membrane) with graft yield of 185% is experimentally adequate to permeate all molecules with radius of lower than 4.3 x 10 polyethylene blended with EPDM with a ratio (90/10) films was carried out using sodium bisulphite as initiator. Factors affecting grafting and the properties of the grafted films were studied in details and showed improved hydrophilic properties, good thermal stability and nearly unaffected strength properties which make them acceptable for practical uses.In the present work, the possibility of practical uses of such grafted films as ph-responsive membranes in a dialysis process and as ion--7 mm. Grafted membranes in different forms (COOH-form), (Na-methacrylate form) and (K methacrylate- form) were prepared to evaluate the membranes uptake selectivity to different mono, di-and trivalent cations from their solutions. The results obtained showed very good efficiency of the prepared membranes as compared with the values obtained for the commercial cation exchange resin (Dowex)

Achieving high permeability and enhanced selectivity for Angstrom-scale separations using artificial water channel membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yue-Xiao; Song, Woochul C; Barden, D Ryan; Ren, Tingwei; Lang, Chao; Feroz, Hasin; Henderson, Codey B; Saboe, Patrick O; Tsai, Daniel; Yan, Hengjing; Butler, Peter J; Bazan, Guillermo C; Phillip, William A; Hickey, Robert J; Cremer, Paul S; Vashisth, Harish; Kumar, Manish

2018-06-12

Synthetic polymer membranes, critical to diverse energy-efficient separations, are subject to permeability-selectivity trade-offs that decrease their overall efficacy. These trade-offs are due to structural variations (e.g., broad pore size distributions) in both nonporous membranes used for Angstrom-scale separations and porous membranes used for nano to micron-scale separations. Biological membranes utilize well-defined Angstrom-scale pores to provide exceptional transport properties and can be used as inspiration to overcome this trade-off. Here, we present a comprehensive demonstration of such a bioinspired approach based on pillar[5]arene artificial water channels, resulting in artificial water channel-based block copolymer membranes. These membranes have a sharp selectivity profile with a molecular weight cutoff of ~ 500 Da, a size range challenging to achieve with current membranes, while achieving a large improvement in permeability (~65 L m -2  h -1  bar -1  compared with 4-7 L m -2  h -1  bar -1 ) over similarly rated commercial membranes.

Hydraulically irreversible fouling on ceramic MF/UF membranes: comparison of fouling indices, foulant composition and irreversible pore narrowing

KAUST Repository

Shang, Ran; Vuong, Francois; Hu, Jingyi; Li, Sheng; Kemperman, Antoine J.B.; Nijmeijer, Kitty; Cornelissen, Emile R.; Heijman, Sebastiaan G.J.; Rietveld, Luuk C.

2015-01-01

The application of ceramic membranes in water treatment is becoming increasing attractive because of their long life time and excellent chemical, mechanical and thermal stability. However, fouling of ceramic membranes, especially hydraulically irreversible fouling, is still a critical aspect affecting the operational cost and energy consumption in water treatment plants. In this study, four ceramic membranes with pore sizes or molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 0.20 μm, 0.14 μm, 300 kDa and 50 kDa were compared during natural surface water filtration with respect to hydraulically irreversible fouling index (HIFI), foulant composition and narrowing of pore size due to the irreversible fouling. Our results showed that the hydraulically irreversible fouling index (HIFI) was proportional to the membrane pore size (r2=0.89) when the same feed water was filtrated. The UF membranes showed lower HIFI values than the MF membranes. Pore narrowing (internal fouling) was found to be a main fouling pattern of the hydraulically irreversible fouling. The internal fouling was caused by monolayer adsorption of foulants with different sizes that is dependent on the size of the membrane pore.

Hydraulically irreversible fouling on ceramic MF/UF membranes: comparison of fouling indices, foulant composition and irreversible pore narrowing

KAUST Repository

Shang, Ran

2015-05-06

The application of ceramic membranes in water treatment is becoming increasing attractive because of their long life time and excellent chemical, mechanical and thermal stability. However, fouling of ceramic membranes, especially hydraulically irreversible fouling, is still a critical aspect affecting the operational cost and energy consumption in water treatment plants. In this study, four ceramic membranes with pore sizes or molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 0.20 μm, 0.14 μm, 300 kDa and 50 kDa were compared during natural surface water filtration with respect to hydraulically irreversible fouling index (HIFI), foulant composition and narrowing of pore size due to the irreversible fouling. Our results showed that the hydraulically irreversible fouling index (HIFI) was proportional to the membrane pore size (r2=0.89) when the same feed water was filtrated. The UF membranes showed lower HIFI values than the MF membranes. Pore narrowing (internal fouling) was found to be a main fouling pattern of the hydraulically irreversible fouling. The internal fouling was caused by monolayer adsorption of foulants with different sizes that is dependent on the size of the membrane pore.

Combined Permeability Improvement Technology of High-pressure Hydraulic Slotting with Hydraulic Fracturing and Its Application%高压水力割缝和压裂联合增透技术及应用

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

秦江涛; 陈玉涛

2016-01-01

针对白皎煤矿突出煤层构造应力高、透气性系数低、瓦斯抽采效果差等问题,在238底板瓦斯抽采巷对B4煤层采用了水力割缝和压裂联合增透技术,应用结果表明该技术相比水力压裂技术和普通抽采技术提高了煤层透气性,瓦斯抽采纯量较水力压裂钻孔提高了1.33倍,瓦斯体积分数是普通抽采钻孔的2.76倍,联合增透钻孔汇总瓦斯体积分数保持在30%以上且无衰减,具有良好的抽采效果.%To counter the problems of high structural stress, low air permeability coefficient and poor gas drainage effect of the outburst coal seam in Baijiao Mine, the gas drainage test in B4 seam by 238 floor drainage roadway was carried out with the combined permeability improvement technology of high-pressure hydraulic slotting with hydraulic fracturing. The application results showed that this technology improved the permeability of the coal seam as compared to the hydraulic fracturing technology and the conventional gas drainage technology. The pure gas drainage volume increased 1. 33 times to that by hydraulic fracturing, the volume fraction of gas was 2. 76 times higher than that by the conventional drainage boreholes, the summary volume fraction of gas with the combined permeability improvement technology maintained over 30% without any attenuation, so this technology has good drainage effect.

Silver nanoparticles interact with the cell membrane and increase endothelial permeability by promoting VE-cadherin internalization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Xia; Shi, Junpeng; Zou, Xiaoyan; Wang, Chengcheng; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Hongwu, E-mail: hwzhang@iue.ac.cn

2016-11-05

Highlights: • Short-term exposure to AgNPs at low doses induces increase HUVECs monolayer permeability. • AgNPs interact with the cell membrane and increase endothelial permeability by promoting VE-Cadherin internalization. • Particle effect is a major factor leading to endothelial dysfunction. - Abstract: The toxicological risks of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted widespread attention, and many studies have been published that have contributed to understanding AgNPs-induced toxicity. However, little attention has been paid to the low-dose effects of AgNPs and the related toxicological mechanism is still unclear. Here, we show that short-term exposure to AgNPs at low doses induces a substantial increase in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) monolayer permeability, whereas Ag ions at low doses do not induce an observable increase in monolayer permeability. This effect is independent of oxidative stress and apoptosis. Scanning electron microscopy confirms that AgNPs adhere to the cell membrane after 1 h exposure. Furthermore, adhesion of AgNPs to the cell membrane can trigger vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin phosphorylation at Y658 followed by VE-cadherin internalization, which lead to the increase in endothelial monolayer permeability. Our data show that surface interactions of AgNPs with the cell membrane, in other words, the particle effect, is a major factor leading to endothelial dysfunction following low-dose and short-term exposure. Our findings will contribute to understanding the health effects and the toxicological mechanisms of AgNPs.

Effect of persistent high intraocular pressure on microstructure and hydraulic permeability of trabecular meshwork

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei Xi; Ren Lin; Xu Qiang; Liu Zhi-Cheng; Zheng Wei

2015-01-01

As the aqueous humor leaves the eye, it first passes through the trabecular meshwork (TM). Increased flow resistance in this region causes elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP), which leads to the occurrence of glaucoma. To quantitatively evaluate the effect of high IOP on the configuration and hydraulic permeability of the TM, second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy was used to image the microstructures of the TM and adjacent tissues in control (normal) and high IOP conditions. Enucleated rabbit eyes were perfused at a pressure of 60 mmHg to achieve the high IOP. Through the anterior chamber of the eye, in situ images were obtained from different depths beneath the surface of the TM. Porosity and specific surface area of the TM in control and high IOP conditions were then calculated to estimate the effect of the high pressure on the permeability of tissue in different depths. We further photographed the histological sections of the TM and compared the in situ images. The following results were obtained in the control condition, where the region of depth was less than 55 μm with crossed branching beams and large pores in the superficial TM. The deeper meshwork is a silk-like tissue with abundant fluorescence separating the small size of pores. The total thickness of pathway tissues composed of TM and juxtacanalicular (JCT) is more than 100 μm. After putting a high pressure on the inner wall of the eye, the TM region progressively collapses and decreases to be less than 40 μm. Fibers of the TM became dense, and the porosity at 34 μm in the high IOP condition is comparable to that at 105 μm in the control condition. As a consequent result, the permeability of the superficial TM decreases rapidly from 120 μm 2 to 49.6 μm 2 and that of deeper TM decreases from 1.66 μm 2 to 0.57 μm 2 . Heterogeneity reflected by descent in permeability reduces from 12.4 μm of the control condition to 3.74 μm of the high IOP condition. The persistently high IOP makes the

Biomimetic carriers mimicking leukocyte plasma membrane to increase tumor vasculature permeability

Science.gov (United States)

Palomba, R.; Parodi, A.; Evangelopoulos, M.; Acciardo, S.; Corbo, C.; De Rosa, E.; Yazdi, I. K.; Scaria, S.; Molinaro, R.; Furman, N. E. Toledano; You, J.; Ferrari, M.; Salvatore, F.; Tasciotti, E.

2016-10-01

Recent advances in the field of nanomedicine have demonstrated that biomimicry can further improve targeting properties of current nanotechnologies while simultaneously enable carriers with a biological identity to better interact with the biological environment. Immune cells for example employ membrane proteins to target inflamed vasculature, locally increase vascular permeability, and extravasate across inflamed endothelium. Inspired by the physiology of immune cells, we recently developed a procedure to transfer leukocyte membranes onto nanoporous silicon particles (NPS), yielding Leukolike Vectors (LLV). LLV are composed of a surface coating containing multiple receptors that are critical in the cross-talk with the endothelium, mediating cellular accumulation in the tumor microenvironment while decreasing vascular barrier function. We previously demonstrated that lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1) transferred onto LLV was able to trigger the clustering of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) on endothelial cells. Herein, we provide a more comprehensive analysis of the working mechanism of LLV in vitro in activating this pathway and in vivo in enhancing vascular permeability. Our results suggest the biological activity of the leukocyte membrane can be retained upon transplant onto NPS and is critical in providing the particles with complex biological functions towards tumor vasculature.

Abatement of ammonia emissions from digested manure using gas-permeable membranes

Science.gov (United States)

A new strategy to avoid ammonia emissions from anaerobically digested swine manure was tested using the gas-permeable membrane process. Evaluation of the efficiency of ammonia recovery from digestate as well as mitigation of ammonia emissions to the atmosphere were carried out. Digestate was colle...

Research on Permeability of Poly(ethylene) Terephthalate Track Membranes Modified in Plasma

CERN Document Server

Dmitriev, S N; Sleptsov, V V; Elinson, V M; Potrjasaj, V V

2001-01-01

The properties of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes subjected to the plasma RF-discharge treatment in air have been investigated. The effect of the treatment conditions in plasma on the structure and the properties of the membranes formed in the gas-discharge etching has been studied. It has been figured out that the influence of the air plasma on the membranes under study leads to a formation of asymmetric membranes with a higher flow rate, the structure and chemical composition of their superficial layer are changed. It is shown that the presence of the modified layer on the surface of the membranes causes changing their hydrodynamic characteristics - water permeability of the membranes treated in plasma in a greater degree depends upon {pH} of the filtered solution.

Diffusion studies on permeable nitroxyl spin probe through lipid bilayer membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benial, A. Milton Franklin; Meenakumari, V.; Ichikawa, Kazuhiro; Yamada, Ken-ichi; Utsumi, Hideo; Hyodo, Fuminori; Jawahar, A.

2014-01-01

Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies were carried out for 2mM 14 N labeled deutrated permeable 3- methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-pyrrolidine-1-oxyl (MC-PROXYL) in pure water, 1 mM, 2 mM, 3 mM and 4 mM concentration of MC-PROXYL in 300 mM concentration of liposomal solution by using a L-band ESR spectrometer. The ESR parameters such as linewidth, hyperfine coupling constant, g-factor, partition parameter and permeability were reported. The partition parameter and permeability values indicate the maximum spin distribution in the lipid phase at 2 mM concentration. This study illustrates that ESR can be used to differentiate between the intra and extra-membrane water by loading the liposome vesicles with a lipid-permeable nitroxyl spin probe. From the ESR results, the radical concentration was optimized as 2 mM in liposomal solution for ESR phantom studies and experiments

Evaluation of the membrane permeability (PAMPA and skin) of benzimidazoles with potential cannabinoid activity and their relation with the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS).

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Figueroa, M Javiera; Pessoa-Mahana, C David; Palavecino-González, M Elisa; Mella-Raipán, Jaime; Espinosa-Bustos, Cristián; Lagos-Muñoz, Manuel E

2011-06-01

The permeability of five benzimidazole derivates with potential cannabinoid activity was determined in two models of membranes, parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) and skin, in order to study the relationship of the physicochemical properties of the molecules and characteristics of the membranes with the permeability defined by the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. It was established that the PAMPA intestinal absorption method is a good predictor for classifying these molecules as very permeable, independent of their thermodynamic solubility, if and only if these have a Log P(oct) value permeability is conditioned on the solubility of the molecule so that it can only serve as a model for classifying the permeability of molecules that possess high solubility (class I: high solubility, high permeability; class III: high solubility, low permeability).

Hybrid biofilm-membrane bioreactor (Bf-MBR) for minimization of bulk liquid-phase organic substances and its positive effect on membrane permeability.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, F Y; Li, P; Li, J; Li, H J; Ou, Q M; Sun, T T; Dong, Z J

2015-12-01

Four biofilm membrane bioreactors (Bf-MBRs) with various fixed carrier volumes (C:M) were operated in parallel to investigate the effect of attached-growth mode biomass involvement to the change of liquid-phase organics characteristics and membrane permeability, by comparing with conventional MBR. The experiments displayed that C:M and co-existence of biofilm with suspended solids in Bf-MBRs resulted in slight difference in pollutants removal effectiveness, and in rather distinct biomass properties and bacterial activities. The membrane permeability and specific resistance of bulk suspension of Bf-MBRs related closely with the liquid-phase organic substance, including soluble microbial products (SMP) and biopolymer cluster (BPC). Compared with conventional MBR, Bf-MBR with proper C:M had a low total biomass content and food-chain, where biofilm formation and its dominance affected liquid-phase organics, especially through reducing their content and minimizing strongly and weakly hydrophobic components with small molecular weight, and thus to mitigate membrane fouling significantly. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The casting and mechanism of formation of semi-permeable polymer membranes in a microgravity environment

Science.gov (United States)

Vera, I.

The National Electric Company of Venezuela, C.A.D.A.F.E., is sponsoring the development of this experiment which represents Venezuela's first scientific experiment in space. The apparatus for the automatic casting of polymer thin films will be contained in NASA's payload No. G-559 of the Get Away Special program for a future orbital space flight in the U.S. Space Shuttle. Semi-permeable polymer membranes have important applications in a variety of fields, such as medecine, energy, and pharmaceuticals, and in general fluid separation processes such as reverse osmosis, ultra-filtration, and electro-dialysis. The casting of semi-permeable membranes in space will help to identify the roles of convection in determining the strucutre of these membranes.

Myxoviruses do not induce non-specific alterations in membrane permeability early on in infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, K.A.; Micklem, K.J.; Bogomolova, N.N.; Boriskin, Y.S.; Pasternak, C.A.

1983-01-01

The permeability characteristics of cells infected with myxoviruses have been studied by measuring the concentrative uptake of nutrients, the concentration of intracellular K + , and the maintenance of the Na + gradient across the plasma membrane. Cells either show no change at all (Sendai virus-infected BHK cells and measles virus-infected Vero cells) or they show a decreased ability to concentrate nutrients, while intracellular K + and the Na + gradient remain unchanged (Sendai and influenza virus-infected L-1210 cells, measles virus-infected lymphocytes and mumps virus-infected L-41 cells). In no case, therefore, was a change observed that resembles the non-specific increase in membrane permeability induced by haemolytic paramyxoviruses (35, 42) or the non-specific membrane leakiness postulated to take place in infected cells (8, 9). A preliminary account of some of these findings has been presented (39)

Research on permeability of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes modified in plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dmitriev, S.N.; Kravets, L.I.; Sleptsov, V.V.; Elinson, V.M.; Potryasaj, V.V.

2001-01-01

The properties of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes subjected to the plasma RF-discharge treatment in air have been investigated. The effect of the treatment conditions in plasma on the structure and the properties of the membranes formed in the gas-discharge etching has been studied. It has been figured out that the influence of the air plasma on the membranes under study leads to a formation of asymmetric membranes with a higher flow rate, the structure and chemical composition of their superficial layer are changed. It is shown that the presence of the modified layer on the surface of the membranes causes changing their hydrodynamic characteristics - water permeability of the membranes treated in plasma in a greater degree depends upon pH of the filtered solution. (author)

Hydraulic Shearing and Hydraulic Jacking Observed during Hydraulic Stimulations in Fractured Geothermal Reservoir in Pohang, Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Min, K. B.; Park, S.; Xie, L.; Kim, K. I.; Yoo, H.; Kim, K. Y.; Choi, J.; Yoon, K. S.; Yoon, W. S.; Lee, T. J.; Song, Y.

2017-12-01

Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) relies on sufficient and irreversible enhancement of reservoir permeability through hydraulic stimulation and possibility of such desirable change of permeability is an open question that can undermine the universality of EGS concept. We report results of first hydraulic stimulation campaign conducted in two deep boreholes in fractured granodiorite geothermal reservoir in Pohang, Korea. Borehole PX-1, located at 4.22 km, was subjected to the injection of 3,907 m3 with flow rate of up to 18 kg/s followed by bleeding off of 1,207 m3. The borehole PX-2, located at 4.35 km, was subjected to the injection of 1,970 m3 with flow rate of up to 46 kg/sIn PX-1, a sharp distinct decline of wellhead pressure was observed at around 16 MPa of wellhead pressure which was similar to the predicted injection pressure to induce hydraulic shearing. Injectivity interpretation before and after the hydraulic shearing indicates that permanent increase of permeability was achieved by a factor of a few. In PX-2, however, injectivity was very small and hydraulic shearing was not observed due possibly to the near wellbore damage made by the remedying process of lost circulation such as using lost circulation material during drilling. Flow rate of larger than 40 kg/s was achieved at very high well head pressure of nearly 90 MPa. Hydraulic jacking, that is reversible opening and closure of fracture with change of injection pressure, was clearly observed. Although sharp increase of permeability due to fracture opening was achieved with elevated injection pressure, the increased permeability was reversed with decreased injection pressure.Two contrasting response observed in the same reservoir at two different boreholes which is apart only 600 m apart provide important implication that can be used for the stimulation strategy for EGS.This work was supported by the New and Renewable Energy Technology Development Program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology

Permeability and Selectivity of PPO/Graphene Composites as Mixed Matrix Membranes for CO2 Capture and Gas Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riccardo Rea

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We fabricated novel composite (mixed matrix membranes based on a permeable glassy polymer, Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide (PPO, and variable loadings of few-layer graphene, to test their potential in gas separation and CO2 capture applications. The permeability, selectivity and diffusivity of different gases as a function of graphene loading, from 0.3 to 15 wt %, was measured at 35 and 65 °C. Samples with small loadings of graphene show a higher permeability and He/CO2 selectivity than pure PPO, due to a favorable effect of the nanofillers on the polymer morphology. Higher amounts of graphene lower the permeability of the polymer, due to the prevailing effect of increased tortuosity of the gas molecules in the membrane. Graphene also allows dramatically reducing the increase of permeability with temperature, acting as a “stabilizer” for the polymer matrix. Such effect reduces the temperature-induced loss of size-selectivity for He/N2 and CO2/N2, and enhances the temperature-induced increase of selectivity for He/CO2. The study confirms that, as observed in the case of other graphene-based mixed matrix glassy membranes, the optimal concentration of graphene in the polymer is below 1 wt %. Below such threshold, the morphology of the nanoscopic filler added in solution affects positively the glassy chains packing, enhancing permeability and selectivity, and improving the selectivity of the membrane at increasing temperatures. These results suggest that small additions of graphene to polymers can enhance their permselectivity and stabilize their properties.

Evaluation of the Membrane Permeability (PAMPA and Skin) of Benzimidazoles with Potential Cannabinoid Activity and their Relation with the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS)

OpenAIRE

Alvarez-Figueroa, M. Javiera; Pessoa-Mahana, C. David; Palavecino-González, M. Elisa; Mella-Raipán, Jaime; Espinosa-Bustos, Cristián; Lagos-Muñoz, Manuel E.

2011-01-01

The permeability of five benzimidazole derivates with potential cannabinoid activity was determined in two models of membranes, parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) and skin, in order to study the relationship of the physicochemical properties of the molecules and characteristics of the membranes with the permeability defined by the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. It was established that the PAMPA intestinal absorption method is a good predictor for classifying thes...

Synergistic permeability enhancing effect of lysophospholipids and fatty acids on lipid membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsen, Jesper; Mouritsen, O.G.; Jørgensen, K.

2002-01-01

The permeability-enhancing effects of the two surfactants, 1-paltnitoyl-2-lyso-sn-gycero-3-pllosplloclloline (lysoPPC) and palmitic acid (PA), on lipid membranes that at physiological temperatures are in the gel, fluid, and liquid-ordered phases were determined using the concentration-dependent s...

Research on water permeability of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes modified with plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kravets, L.I.; Dmitriev, S.N.; Sleptsov, V.V.; Elinson, V.M.; Potryasay, V.V.

2001-01-01

The properties of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes subjected to effect of plasma of the RF-discharge in air have been investigated. The influence conditions of a plasma treatment on the surface properties and hydrodynamic characteristics of the membranes has been studied. It has been found that the effect of the air plasma on the researched membranes results in a formation of asymmetric track membranes with a higher flow rate, the structure and chemical composition of their superficial layer are changed. It was shown that the availability of the modified layer on the membrane surface caused changing in their hydrodynamic characteristics - the water permeability of the membranes, processed in plasma, in a greater degree depends upon pH of a filtered solution. (author)

Removal of heavy metals in wastewater by using zeolite nano-particles impregnated polysulfone membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yurekli, Yilmaz, E-mail: yilmazyurekli@gmail.com

2016-05-15

Highlights: • NaX addition significantly enhanced water hydraulic permeability of the membrane. • Metal exchange capacity of the membrane increased with the NaX content. • Hybrid membrane was efficient for the solutions with low metal concentrations - Abstract: In this study, the adsorption and the filtration processes were coupled by a zeolite nanoparticle impregnated polysulfone (PSf) membrane which was used to remove the lead and the nickel cations from synthetically prepared solutions. The results obtained from X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis indicated that the synthesized zeolite nanoparticles, using conventional hydrothermal method, produced a pure NaX with ultrafine and uniform particles. The performance of the hybrid membrane was determined under dynamic conditions. The results also revealed that the sorption capacity as well as the water hydraulic permeability of the membranes could both be improved by simply tuning the membrane fabricating conditions such as evaporation period of the casting film and NaX loading. The maximum sorption capacity of the hybrid membrane for the lead and nickel ions was measured as 682 and 122 mg/g respectively at the end of 60 min of filtration, under 1 bar of transmembrane pressure. The coupling process suggested that the membrane architecture could be efficiently used for treating metal solutions with low concentrations and transmembrane pressures.

Recovery of ammonia from poultry litter using flat gas permeable membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Rothrock, M J; Szögi, A A; Vanotti, M B

2013-06-01

The use of flat gas-permeable membranes was investigated as components of a new process to capture and recover ammonia (NH3) in poultry houses. This process includes the passage of gaseous NH3 through a microporous hydrophobic membrane, capture with a circulating dilute acid on the other side of the membrane, and production of a concentrated ammonium (NH4) salt. Bench- and pilot-scale prototype systems using flat expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes and a sulfuric acid solution consistently reduced headspace NH3 concentrations from 70% to 97% and recovered 88% to 100% of the NH3 volatilized from poultry litter. The potential benefits of this technology include cleaner air inside poultry houses, reduced ventilation costs, and a concentrated liquid ammonium salt that can be used as a plant nutrient solution. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of temperature and anion species on CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 separation coefficient through ionic liquid membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jindaratsamee, Pinyarat; Shimoyama, Yusuke; Morizaki, Hironobu; Ito, Akira

2011-01-01

The permeability of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) through imidazolium-based ionic liquid membranes was measured by a sweep gas method. Six species of ionic liquids were studied in this work as follows: [emim][BF 4 ], [bmim][BF 4 ], [bmim][PF 6 ], [bmim][Tf 2 N], [bmim][OTf], and [bmim][dca]. The ionic liquids were supported with a polyvinylidene fluoride porous membrane. The measurements were performed at T = (303.15 to 343.15) K. The partial pressure difference between feed and permeate sides was 0.121 MPa. The permeability of the CO 2 increases with temperature for the all ionic liquid species. Base on solution diffusion theory, it can be explained that the diffusion coefficient of CO 2 in an ionic liquid affects the temperature dependence more strongly than the solubility coefficient. The greatest permeability was obtained with the [bmim][Tf 2 N] membrane. The membrane of [bmim][PF 6 ] presents the lowest permeability. The separation coefficient between CO 2 and N 2 through the ionic liquid membranes was also investigated at the volume fraction of CO 2 at feed side 0.10. The separation coefficient decreases with the increase of temperature for the all ionic liquid species. The membrane of [emim][BF 4 ] and [bmim][BF 4 ] gives the highest separation coefficient at constant temperature. The lowest separation coefficient was obtained from [bmim][Tf 2 N] membrane which presents the highest permeability of CO 2 .

Use of novel permeable membrane and air cathodes in acetate microbial fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pant, Deepak, E-mail: deepak.pant@vito.b [Separation and Conversion Technology, VITO - Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Boeretang 200, Mol 2400 (Belgium); Van Bogaert, Gilbert; De Smet, Mark; Diels, Ludo; Vanbroekhoven, Karolien [Separation and Conversion Technology, VITO - Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Boeretang 200, Mol 2400 (Belgium)

2010-11-01

In the existing microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the use of platinized electrodes and Nafion as proton exchange membrane (PEM) leads to high costs leading to a burden for wastewater treatment. In the present study, two different novel electrode materials are reported which can replace conventional platinized electrodes and can be used as very efficient oxygen reducing cathodes. Further, a novel membrane which can be used as an ion permeable membrane (Zirfon) can replace Nafion as the membrane of choice in MFCs. The above mentioned gas porous electrodes were first tested in an electrochemical half cell configuration for their ability to reduce oxygen and later in a full MFC set up. It was observed that these non-platinized air electrodes perform very well in the presence of acetate under MFC conditions (pH 7, room temperature) for oxygen reduction. Current densities of -0.43 mA cm{sup -2} for a non-platinized graphite electrode and -0.6 mA cm{sup -2} for a non-platinized activated charcoal electrode at -200 mV vs. Ag/AgCl of applied potential were obtained. The proposed ion permeable membrane, Zirfonwas tested for its oxygen mass transfer coefficient, K{sub 0} which was compared with Nafion. The K{sub 0} for Zirfon was calculated as 1.9 x 10{sup -3} cm s{sup -1}.

Relating transport modeling to nanofiltration membrane fabrication: Navigating the permeability-selectivity trade-off in desalination pretreatment

OpenAIRE

Labban, Omar; Lienhard, John H

2018-01-01

Faced with a pressing need for membranes with a higher permeability and selectivity, the field of membrane technology can benefit from a systematic framework for designing membranes with the necessary physical characteristics. In this work, we present an approach through which transport modeling is employed in fabricating specialized nanofiltration membranes, that experimentally demonstrate enhanced selectivity. Specifically, the Donnan-Steric Pore Model with dielectric exclusion (DSPM-DE) is...

Positive zeta potential of a negatively charged semi-permeable plasma membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Shayandev; Jing, Haoyuan; Das, Siddhartha

2017-08-01

The negative charge of the plasma membrane (PM) severely affects the nature of moieties that may enter or leave the cells and controls a large number of ion-interaction-mediated intracellular and extracellular events. In this letter, we report our discovery of a most fascinating scenario, where one interface (e.g., membrane-cytosol interface) of the negatively charged PM shows a positive surface (or ζ) potential, while the other interface (e.g., membrane-electrolyte interface) still shows a negative ζ potential. Therefore, we encounter a completely unexpected situation where an interface (e.g., membrane-cytosol interface) that has a negative surface charge density demonstrates a positive ζ potential. We establish that the attainment of such a property by the membrane can be ascribed to an interplay of the nature of the membrane semi-permeability and the electrostatics of the electric double layer established on either side of the charged membrane. We anticipate that such a membrane property can lead to such capabilities of the cell (in terms of accepting or releasing certain kinds of moieties as well regulating cellular signaling) that was hitherto inconceivable.

Gas-permeable hydrophobic tubular membranes for ammonia recovery in bio-electrochemical systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuntke, P.; Zamora, P.; Saakes, M.; Buisman, C.J.N.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

2016-01-01

The application of a gas-permeable hydrophobic tubular membrane in bio-electrochemical systems enables efficient recovery of ammonia (NH₃) from their cathode compartments. Due to a hydrogen evolution reaction at the cathode, no chemical addition was required to increase the pH for

Treatment of radioactive liquid wastes on semi-permeable membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonescu, M.; Deleanu, N.; Nechifor, G.

1997-01-01

At present, among the currently world-wide applied separation processes, those using membranes are thought to be most advanced due to their advantages: high efficiency, cost-effectiveness in application, universality of the utilized equipment, operation in non-destructive and non-polluting conditions. The most significant results of the treatment experiments are: - a reduction of more than 70% in the chemical oxygen consumption for the solution simulating the POD waste; - the solution simulating the secondary waste from decontamination by POD procedure, appear to be the best (with retentions of 88.5%, 76.5% and 65.7% for strontium, cobalt and manganese, respectively). Important reduction of costs and efficient technological schemes can be obtained by combining the semi-permeable membrane separation techniques with other efficient currently used procedures of separation, concentration and purification, adequate for given situations

Enhancement of Gene Silencing Effect and Membrane Permeability by Peptide-Conjugated 27-Nucleotide Small Interfering RNA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toshio Seyama

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Two different sizes of siRNAs, of which one type was 21-nucleotide (nt siRNA containing 2-nt dangling ends and the other type was 27-nt siRNA with blunt ends, were conjugated with a nuclear export signal peptide of HIV-1 Rev at the 5′-sense end. Processing by Dicer enzyme, cell membrane permeability, and RNAi efficiency of the peptide-conjugated siRNAs were examined. Dicer cleaved the peptide-conjugated 27-nt siRNA leading to the release of 21-nt siRNA, whereas the peptide-conjugated 21-nt siRNA was not cleaved. High membrane permeability and cytoplasmic localization was found in the conjugates. Moreover, the peptide-conjugated 27-nt siRNA showed increased potency of RNAi in comparison with the nonmodified 21-nt and 27-nt siRNAs, whereas the peptide-conjugated 21-nt siRNA showed decreased RNAi efficacy. This potent RNAi efficacy is probably owing to acceleration of RISC through recognition by Dicer, as well as to the improvement of cell membrane permeability and intracellular accumulation.

Pannexin 1 channels mediate 'find-me' signal release and membrane permeability during apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chekeni, Faraaz B; Elliott, Michael R; Sandilos, Joanna K; Walk, Scott F; Kinchen, Jason M; Lazarowski, Eduardo R; Armstrong, Allison J; Penuela, Silvia; Laird, Dale W; Salvesen, Guy S; Isakson, Brant E; Bayliss, Douglas A; Ravichandran, Kodi S

2010-10-14

Apoptotic cells release 'find-me' signals at the earliest stages of death to recruit phagocytes. The nucleotides ATP and UTP represent one class of find-me signals, but their mechanism of release is not known. Here, we identify the plasma membrane channel pannexin 1 (PANX1) as a mediator of find-me signal/nucleotide release from apoptotic cells. Pharmacological inhibition and siRNA-mediated knockdown of PANX1 led to decreased nucleotide release and monocyte recruitment by apoptotic cells. Conversely, PANX1 overexpression enhanced nucleotide release from apoptotic cells and phagocyte recruitment. Patch-clamp recordings showed that PANX1 was basally inactive, and that induction of PANX1 currents occurred only during apoptosis. Mechanistically, PANX1 itself was a target of effector caspases (caspases 3 and 7), and a specific caspase-cleavage site within PANX1 was essential for PANX1 function during apoptosis. Expression of truncated PANX1 (at the putative caspase cleavage site) resulted in a constitutively open channel. PANX1 was also important for the 'selective' plasma membrane permeability of early apoptotic cells to specific dyes. Collectively, these data identify PANX1 as a plasma membrane channel mediating the regulated release of find-me signals and selective plasma membrane permeability during apoptosis, and a new mechanism of PANX1 activation by caspases.

Silver ions increase plasma membrane permeability through modulation of intracellular calcium levels in tobacco BY-2 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Klíma, Petr; Laňková, Martina; Vandenbussche, Filip; Van Der Straeten, Dominique; Petrášek, Jan

2018-05-01

Silver ions increase plasma membrane permeability for water and small organic compounds through their stimulatory effect on plasma membrane calcium channels, with subsequent modulation of intracellular calcium levels and ion homeostasis. The action of silver ions at the plant plasma membrane is largely connected with the inhibition of ethylene signalling thanks to the ability of silver ion to replace the copper cofactor in the ethylene receptor. A link coupling the action of silver ions and cellular auxin efflux has been suggested earlier by their possible direct interaction with auxin efflux carriers or by influencing plasma membrane permeability. Using tobacco BY-2 cells, we demonstrate here that besides a dramatic increase of efflux of synthetic auxins 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), treatment with AgNO 3 resulted in enhanced efflux of the cytokinin trans-zeatin (tZ) as well as the auxin structural analogues tryptophan (Trp) and benzoic acid (BA). The application of AgNO 3 was accompanied by gradual water loss and plasmolysis. The observed effects were dependent on the availability of extracellular calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) as shown by comparison of transport assays in Ca 2+ -rich and Ca 2+ -free buffers and upon treatment with inhibitors of plasma membrane Ca 2+ -permeable channels Al 3+ and ruthenium red, both abolishing the effect of AgNO 3 . Confocal microscopy of Ca 2+ -sensitive fluorescence indicator Fluo-4FF, acetoxymethyl (AM) ester suggested that the extracellular Ca 2+ availability is necessary to trigger the response to silver ions and that the intracellular Ca 2+ pool alone is not sufficient for this effect. Altogether, our data suggest that in plant cells the effects of silver ions originate from the primal modification of the internal calcium levels, possibly by their interaction with Ca 2+ -permeable channels at the plasma membrane.

ABOUT CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PERCOLATION RATE OF MOISTURE THROUGH THE SEMI-PERMEABLE MEMBRANES AND THE STANDARD MEASUREMENTS OF THEIR PERMEABILITY OR EVAPORATIVE RESISTANCE

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В.Б. Роганков

2015-02-01

Full Text Available A variety of test methods to estimate the water vapour transmission (WVT-rate of thin membranes do not provide, unfortunately, the reliable basis to compare the permeability of different fabrics. Their results are crucially dependent on the details and construction of experimental methodologies as well as on the accepted by the different authors conditions of measurement. In this work, we propose the universal approach and demonstrate its adequate realization to compare the transport properties of any semi-permeable membranes measured by the conventional test-methods. The purpose is to avoid any confusion in such procedure of comparison. We have analysed below the WVT-rates measured by six alternative test-methods, which have been applied step-by-step to six different fabrics. In opposite to the widespread search for a pair correlation between the above results obtained by any two methods we treat them, in total, for each fabric in terms of the reduced variables. This approach is based on the novel concept of the moisture percolation (MP-rate which combines the diffusion and convective contributions in a transport process. It leads to the well-established general estimates of the normalized WVT-rates measured by the standard test-methods. Another advantage of the developed approach is its thermodynamic consistency, which offers the appropriate fluctuation model to take into account the porosity of any semi-permeable membranes.

Assessment of peritoneal membrane permeability by Tc-99m-excretion in patients undergoing CAPD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, B.K.; Senthilnathan, M.S.; Pradhan, P.K.; Jeloka, T.K.; Sharma, R.K.

2002-01-01

Full text: Among various conservative treatment modalities for end stage renal disease (ESRD), continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is increasingly being used in many centers. The success of CAPD depends largely on the permeable characteristics of the peritoneal membrane. Peritoneal Equilibration Test (PET), first described by Twardowski in 1987, is the most commonly used method for determination of peritoneal membrane characteristics. However, this test has several limitations. In order to find an alternative method for assessing peritoneal membrane characteristics we undertook this prospective study involving 20 patients. The main objective was to determine whether peritoneal excretion of intravenously applied Tc-99m-DTPA can be used for this purpose. 20 patients undergoing regular CAPD were included in this study. 370 MBq (10 mCi) of Tc-99m-DTPA was injected intravenously in the same standard preconditions as for the PET evaluation. A standard dose of 370 MBq (10 mCi) DTPA was kept and used later for calculations. At the end of 4 hours, a dialysate fluid sample was collected and the total dialysis effluent volume was measured. Excretion of Tc-99m-DTPA into the dialysate fluid as percentage of injected dose was calculated. Simultaneously standard PET values were determined. The peritoneal excretion of Tc-99m-DTPA ranged from 8 to 16 % of the injected dose depending upon the peritoneal membrane permeability. The patients were divided into following four groups depending upon DTPA excretion. High transporters (15 % and above); high average(12-15 %); low average (10-12 %); low transporters (10 % and less). When the results were compared with standard PET values, a good correlation could be established. We conclude that the radioisotope method using Tc-99m-DTPA can a good alternative technique to assess peritoneal membrane permeability. (author)

Captura de amonio procedente de estiercol mediante membranas permeables de gases (capture of ammonnia from turkey manure using gas-permeable membranes)

Science.gov (United States)

This paper, written in Spanish, describes the capture and recovery of gaseous ammonia from turkey manure using gas-permeable membranes technology with formation of stabilized ammonium salts. Bench experiments were carried out in Maryland using a pilot prototype system with turkey litter inside contr...

Capsid protein VP4 of human rhinovirus induces membrane permeability by the formation of a size-selective multimeric pore.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anusha Panjwani

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Non-enveloped viruses must deliver their viral genome across a cell membrane without the advantage of membrane fusion. The mechanisms used to achieve this remain poorly understood. Human rhinovirus, a frequent cause of the common cold, is a non-enveloped virus of the picornavirus family, which includes other significant pathogens such as poliovirus and foot-and-mouth disease virus. During picornavirus cell entry, the small myristoylated capsid protein VP4 is released from the virus, interacts with the cell membrane and is implicated in the delivery of the viral RNA genome into the cytoplasm to initiate replication. In this study, we have produced recombinant C-terminal histidine-tagged human rhinovirus VP4 and shown it can induce membrane permeability in liposome model membranes. Dextran size-exclusion studies, chemical crosslinking and electron microscopy demonstrated that VP4 forms a multimeric membrane pore, with a channel size consistent with transfer of the single-stranded RNA genome. The membrane permeability induced by recombinant VP4 was influenced by pH and was comparable to permeability induced by infectious virions. These findings present a molecular mechanism for the involvement of VP4 in cell entry and provide a model system which will facilitate exploration of VP4 as a novel antiviral target for the picornavirus family.

Aging time on the aluminum basic acetate gel and its influence on the membrane permeability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clar, C; Scian, A. N; Aglietti, E.F

2003-01-01

Alumina ceramic membranes are new materials with important applications in separation processes with low energy requirements, high selectivity and ability to work at high and low temperatures.The preparation of alumina ceramic membranes from hydrates or aluminum salts as precursors implies obtaining a system of controlled porosity with a suitable mechanical resistance as well as the densification of the material thanks to the stable phases remaining after the thermal treatment.The metal carboxylates are potential precursors for the deposition and the subsequent formation of oxides at low temperatures.Aluminum basic acetate gel was synthesised in this work from commercial pseudobohemite. The influence of the aging time on the composition, crystalline structure and transition temperatures of the phases on the carboxylate was studied by XRD and DTA-TG.From suspensions of this aged gel at different times alumina ceramic membranes were prepared by dipcoating on different α-Al 2 O 3 supports and the influence of aging on the permeability of those membranes face to N 2 was also studied. It was observed that this is a parameter to be considered as it determines the thickness, permeability and integrity of the membranes

Effect of non-solvents used in the coagulation bath on morphology of PVDF membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mônica Beatriz Thürmer

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to prepare a poly (vinylidene fluoride (PVDF membrane using different non-solvents in the coagulation bath for the phase inversion method. In order to increase the mechanical strength of membranes, facing the pressure of work, was used a macro-porous polyester support. The morphology and structure of the resulting membranes were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, porosity measurements, water and 1-octanol uptake, contact angle, pure water flux, hydraulic permeability and hydraulic resistance. The morphology and pure water flux changed significantly using ethanol (symmetric membrane and/or water (asymmetric membrane as the non-solvent. The symmetric membrane presented a high hydrophobic surface (water contact angle ~136º and a higher pure water flux and porosity than the asymmetric membrane, which presented a lower hydrophobicity surface (water contact angle ~90º. The morphologies obtained suggest different applications.

Crustal permeability

Science.gov (United States)

Gleeson, Tom; Ingebritsen, Steven E.

2016-01-01

Permeability is the primary control on fluid flow in the Earth’s crust and is key to a surprisingly wide range of geological processes, because it controls the advection of heat and solutes and the generation of anomalous pore pressures.  The practical importance of permeability – and the potential for large, dynamic changes in permeability – is highlighted by ongoing issues associated with hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbon production (“fracking”), enhanced geothermal systems, and geologic carbon sequestration.  Although there are thousands of research papers on crustal permeability, this is the first book-length treatment.  This book bridges the historical dichotomy between the hydrogeologic perspective of permeability as a static material property and the perspective of other Earth scientists who have long recognized permeability as a dynamic parameter that changes in response to tectonism, fluid production, and geochemical reactions. 

Arabidopsis annexin1 mediates the radical-activated plasma membrane Ca²+- and K+-permeable conductance in root cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Laohavisit, Anuphon; Shang, Zhonglin; Rubio, Lourdes; Cuin, Tracey A; Véry, Anne-Aliénor; Wang, Aihua; Mortimer, Jennifer C; Macpherson, Neil; Coxon, Katy M; Battey, Nicholas H; Brownlee, Colin; Park, Ohkmae K; Sentenac, Hervé; Shabala, Sergey; Webb, Alex A R; Davies, Julia M

2012-04-01

Plant cell growth and stress signaling require Ca²⁺ influx through plasma membrane transport proteins that are regulated by reactive oxygen species. In root cell growth, adaptation to salinity stress, and stomatal closure, such proteins operate downstream of the plasma membrane NADPH oxidases that produce extracellular superoxide anion, a reactive oxygen species that is readily converted to extracellular hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, OH•. In root cells, extracellular OH• activates a plasma membrane Ca²⁺-permeable conductance that permits Ca²⁺ influx. In Arabidopsis thaliana, distribution of this conductance resembles that of annexin1 (ANN1). Annexins are membrane binding proteins that can form Ca²⁺-permeable conductances in vitro. Here, the Arabidopsis loss-of-function mutant for annexin1 (Atann1) was found to lack the root hair and epidermal OH•-activated Ca²⁺- and K⁺-permeable conductance. This manifests in both impaired root cell growth and ability to elevate root cell cytosolic free Ca²⁺ in response to OH•. An OH•-activated Ca²⁺ conductance is reconstituted by recombinant ANN1 in planar lipid bilayers. ANN1 therefore presents as a novel Ca²⁺-permeable transporter providing a molecular link between reactive oxygen species and cytosolic Ca²⁺ in plants.

Bentonite Permeability at Elevated Temperature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine A. Daniels

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Repository designs frequently favour geological disposal of radioactive waste with a backfill material occupying void space around the waste. The backfill material must tolerate the high temperatures produced by decaying radioactive waste to prevent its failure or degradation, leading to increased hydraulic conductivity and reduced sealing performance. The results of four experiments investigating the effect of temperature on the permeability of a bentonite backfill are presented. Bentonite is a clay commonly proposed as the backfill in repository designs because of its high swelling capacity and very low permeability. The experiments were conducted in two sets of purpose-built, temperature controlled apparatus, designed to simulate isotropic pressure and constant volume conditions within the testing range of 4–6 MPa average effective stress. The response of bentonite during thermal loading at temperatures up to 200 °C was investigated, extending the previously considered temperature range. The results provide details of bentonite’s intrinsic permeability, total stress, swelling pressure and porewater pressure during thermal cycles. We find that bentonite’s hydraulic properties are sensitive to thermal loading and the type of imposed boundary condition. However, the permeability change is not large and can mostly be accounted for by water viscosity changes. Thus, under 150 °C, temperature has a minimal impact on bentonite’s hydraulic permeability.

Highly permeable polymeric membranes based on the incorporation of the functional water channel protein Aquaporin Z

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Manish; Grzelakowski, Mariusz; Zilles, Julie; Clark, Mark; Meier, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

The permeability and solute transport characteristics of amphiphilic triblock-polymer vesicles containing the bacterial water-channel protein Aquaporin Z (AqpZ) were investigated. The vesicles were made of a block copolymer with symmetric poly-(2-methyloxazoline)-poly-(dimethylsiloxane)-poly-(2-methyloxazoline) (PMOXA15-PDMS110-PMOXA15) repeat units. Light-scattering measurements on pure polymer vesicles subject to an outwardly directed salt gradient in a stopped-flow apparatus indicated that the polymer vesicles were highly impermeable. However, a large enhancement in water productivity (permeability per unit driving force) of up to ≈800 times that of pure polymer was observed when AqpZ was incorporated. The activation energy (Ea) of water transport for the protein-polymer vesicles (3.4 kcal/mol) corresponded to that reported for water-channel-mediated water transport in lipid membranes. The solute reflection coefficients of glucose, glycerol, salt, and urea were also calculated, and indicated that these solutes are completely rejected. The productivity of AqpZ-incorporated polymer membranes was at least an order of magnitude larger than values for existing salt-rejecting polymeric membranes. The approach followed here may lead to more productive and sustainable water treatment membranes, whereas the variable levels of permeability obtained with different concentrations of AqpZ may provide a key property for drug delivery applications. PMID:18077364

In vitro and in vivo activation of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore using triiodothyronine.

Science.gov (United States)

Endlicher, R; Drahota, Z; Červinková, Z

2016-06-20

Using a novel method for evaluating mitochondrial swelling (Drahota et al. 2012a) we studied the effect of calcium (Ca(2+)), phosphate (P(i)), and triiodothyronine (T(3)) on the opening of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore and how they interact in the activation of swelling process. We found that 0.1 mM P(i), 50 microM Ca(2+) and 25 microM T(3) when added separately increase the swelling rate to about 10 % of maximal values when all three factors are applied simultaneously. Our findings document that under experimental conditions in which Ca(2+) and P(i) are used as activating factors, the addition of T(3) doubled the rate of swelling. T(3) has also an activating effect on mitochondrial membrane potential. The T(3) activating effect was also found after in vivo application of T(3). Our data thus demonstrate that T(3) has an important role in opening the mitochondrial membrane permeability pore and activates the function of the two key physiological swelling inducers, calcium and phosphate ions.

Silicon nanopore membrane (SNM) for islet encapsulation and immunoisolation under convective transport

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Shang; Faleo, Gaetano; Yeung, Raymond; Kant, Rishi; Posselt, Andrew M.; Desai, Tejal A.; Tang, Qizhi; Roy, Shuvo

2016-03-01

Problems associated with islet transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) such as shortage of donor cells, use of immunosuppressive drugs remain as major challenges. Immune isolation using encapsulation may circumvent the use of immunosuppressants and prolong the longevity of transplanted islets. The encapsulating membrane must block the passage of host’s immune components while providing sufficient exchange of glucose, insulin and other small molecules. We report the development and characterization of a new generation of semipermeable ultrafiltration membrane, the silicon nanopore membrane (SNM), designed with approximately 7 nm-wide slit-pores to provide middle molecule selectivity by limiting passage of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the use of convective transport with a pressure differential across the SNM overcomes the mass transfer limitations associated with diffusion through nanometer-scale pores. The SNM exhibited a hydraulic permeability of 130 ml/hr/m2/mmHg, which is more than 3 fold greater than existing polymer membranes. Analysis of sieving coefficients revealed 80% reduction in cytokines passage through SNM under convective transport. SNM protected encapsulated islets from infiltrating cytokines and retained islet viability over 6 hours and remained responsive to changes in glucose levels unlike non-encapsulated controls. Together, these data demonstrate the novel membrane exhibiting unprecedented hydraulic permeability and immune-protection for islet transplantation therapy.

Enhanced permeability, selectivity, and antifouling ability of CNTs/Al2O3 membrane under electrochemical assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xinfei; Zhao, Huimin; Liu, Yanming; Quan, Xie; Yu, Hongtao; Chen, Shuo

2015-02-17

Membrane filtration provides effective solutions for removing contaminants, but achieving high permeability, good selectivity, and antifouling ability remains a great challenge for existing membrane filtration technologies. In this work, membrane filtration coupled with electrochemistry has been developed to enhance the filtration performance of a CNTs/Al2O3 membrane. The as-prepared CNTs/Al2O3 membrane, obtained by coating interconnected CNTs on an Al2O3 substrate, presented good pore-size tunability, mechanical stability, and electroconductivity. For the removal of a target (silica spheres as a probe) with a size comparable to the membrane pore size, the removal efficiency and flux at +1.5 V were 1.1 and 1.5 times higher, respectively, than those without electrochemical assistance. Moreover, the membrane also exhibited a greatly enhanced removal efficiency for contaminants smaller than the membrane pores, providing enhancements of 4 orders of magnitude and a factor of 5.7 for latex particles and phenol, respectively. These results indicated that both the permeability and the selectivity of CNTs/Al2O3 membranes can be significantly improved by electrochemical assistance, which was further confirmed by the removal of natural organic matter (NOM). The permeate flux and NOM removal efficiency at +1.5 V were about 1.6 and 3.0 times higher, respectively, than those without electrochemical assistance. In addition, the lost flux of the fouled membrane was almost completely recovered by an electrochemically assisted backwashing process.

Effects of transmembrane hydraulic pressure on performance of forward osmosis membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Coday, Bryan D; Heil, Dean M; Xu, Pei; Cath, Tzahi Y

2013-03-05

Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging membrane separation process that continues to be tested and implemented in various industrial water and wastewater treatment applications. The growing interests in the technology have prompted laboratories and manufacturers to adopt standard testing methods to ensure accurate comparison of membrane performance under laboratory-controlled conditions; however, standardized methods might not capture specific operating conditions unique to industrial applications. Experiments with cellulose triacetate (CTA) and polyamide thin-film composite (TFC) FO membranes demonstrated that hydraulic transmembrane pressure (TMP), common in industrial operation of FO membrane elements, could affect membrane performance. Experiments were conducted with three FO membranes and with increasing TMP up to a maximum of 50 psi (3.45 bar). The feed solution was a mixture of salts and the draw solution was either a NaCl solution or concentrated seawater at similar osmotic pressure. Results revealed that TMP minimally affected water flux, reverse salt flux (RSF), and solute rejection of the CTA membrane. However, water flux through TFC membranes might slightly increase with increasing TMP, and RSF substantially declines with increasing TMP. It was observed that rejection of feed constituents was influenced by TMP and RSF.

Acylation of salmon calcitonin modulates in vitro intestinal peptide flux through membrane permeability enhancement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trier, Sofie; Linderoth, Lars; Bjerregaard, Simon

2015-01-01

hypothesize that tailoring the acylation may be used to optimize intestinal translocation. This work aims to characterize acylated analogues of the therapeutic peptide salmon calcitonin (sCT), which lowers blood calcium, by systematically increasing acyl chain length at two positions, in order to elucidate...... to be optimal, as elongating the chain causes greater binding to the cell membrane but similar permeability, and we speculate that increasing the chain length further may decrease the permeability. In conclusion, acylated sCT acts as its own in vitro intestinal permeation enhancer, with reversible effects...... on Caco-2 cells, indicating that acylation of sCT may represent a promising tool to increase intestinal permeability without adding oral permeation enhancers....

Water and vapor permeability at different temperatures of poly (3-Hydroxybutyrate dense membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz H. Poley

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs are polymers produced from renewable resources with biodegradability and biocompatibility, being therefore attractive for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB is the most important polymer of this family by considering the biotechnology process of its synthesis. In the present study, dense films of PHB were prepared by casting from chloroform solutions (1% m/m. Permeability studies with water, methanol, ethanol and n-propanol were performed using the gravimetric method at different temperatures (from 50 ºC to 65 ºC. Results provide new data on permeability coefficients of PHB membranes.

Subsurface imaging of water electrical conductivity, hydraulic permeability and lithology at contaminated sites by induced polarization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maurya, P. K.; Balbarini, Nicola; Møller, I.

2018-01-01

At contaminated sites, knowledge about geology and hydraulic properties of the subsurface and extent of the contamination is needed for assessing the risk and for designing potential site remediation. In this study, we have developed a new approach for characterizing contaminated sites through time...... geological logs. On average the IP-derived and measured permeability values agreed within one order of magnitude, except for those close to boundaries between lithological layers (e.g. between sand and clay), where mismatches occurred due to the lack of vertical resolution in the geophysical imaging...

Decreased outer membrane permeability in imipenem-resistant mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

OpenAIRE

Trias, J; Dufresne, J; Levesque, R C; Nikaido, H

1989-01-01

The outer membrane of imipenem-resistant mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was shown to have decreased permeability to imipenem but not to cephaloridine. These experiments were performed with intact cells and liposomes containing imipenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase derived from Pseudomonas maltophilia, in both cases utilizing an imipenem concentration of 50 microM. In contrast, liposome swelling assays using imipenem at 8 mM detected no significant difference between the imipenem-resistant mu...

Recovery of ammonia from swine manure using gas-permeable membranes: Effect of aeration

Science.gov (United States)

Gas-permeable membranes can recover ammonia from manure, reducing pollution whilst converting ammonia into ammonium salt fertilizer. The process involves manure pH control to increase ammonium (NH4) recovery rate that is normally carried out using an alkali. In this study a new strategy to avoid the...

Predicting the impact of feed spacer modification on biofouling by hydraulic characterization and biofouling studies in membrane fouling simulators

KAUST Repository

Siddiqui, Amber

2016-12-22

Feed spacers are an essential part of spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membrane modules. Geometric modification of feed spacers is a potential option to reduce the impact of biofouling on the performance of membrane systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biofouling potential of two commercially available reference feed spacers and four modified feed spacers. The spacers were compared on hydraulic characterization and in biofouling studies with membrane fouling simulators (MFSs). The virgin feed spacer was characterized hydraulically by their resistance, measured in terms of feed channel pressure drop, performed by operating MFSs at varying feed water flow rates. Short-term (9 days) biofouling studies were carried out with nutrient dosage to the MFS feed water to accelerate the biofouling rate. Long-term (96 days) biofouling studies were done without nutrient dosage to the MFS feed water. Feed channel pressure drop was monitored and accumulation of active biomass was quantified by adenosine tri phosphate (ATP) determination. The six feed spacers were ranked on pressure drop (hydraulic characterization) and on biofouling impact (biofouling studies). Significantly different trends in hydraulic resistance and biofouling impact for the six feed spacers were observed. The same ranking for biofouling impact on the feed spacers was found for the (i) short-term biofouling study with nutrient dosage and the (ii) long-term biofouling study without nutrient dosage. The ranking for hydraulic resistance for six virgin feed spacers differed significantly from the ranking of the biofouling impact, indicating that hydraulic resistance of clean feed spacers does not predict the hydraulic resistance of biofouled feed spacers. Better geometric design of feed spacers can be a suitable approach to minimize impact of biofouling in spiral wound membrane systems.

Involvement of membrane lipids in radiation damage to potassium-ion permeability of Escherichia coli

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suzuki, S [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Inst. for Medical Science; Akamatsu, Y

1978-02-01

Radiation damage to K/sup +/ permeability of an unsaturated fatty acid auxotroph of E.coli grown with oleate or linolenate was investigated at different temperatures. A remarkable effect of radiation was observed at 0/sup 0/C with cells that had been grown in linolenate at 42/sup 0/C. This indicates that, besides protein, membrane lipids at least are involved in the radiation damage. The damage also seems to be affected by the fluidity of membrane lipids.

A study on H{sub 2}S permeability of CsHSO{sub 4} membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mbah, Jonathan; Wolan, John T. [Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620 (United States); Clean Energy Research Center, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33617 (United States); Krakow, Burton [Clean Energy Research Center, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33617 (United States); Stefanakos, Elias [Clean Energy Research Center, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33617 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33617 (United States)

2009-03-15

The gas permeability of H{sub 2}S gas at 150 C through ultra-thin cesium hydrogen sulfate (CsHSO{sub 4}) membranes has been investigated. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses indicate that CsHSO{sub 4} membrane is impermeable to H{sub 2}S gas under test conditions. The apparent micropore diameter of the membrane averaged between 9.5 and 11.5 Aa with a maximum permeance of 0.09 Barrer (6.75 x 10{sup -19} m{sup 2} s{sup -1} Pa{sup -1}). Atomic force microscope and X-ray diffraction analyses show respectively that the surface morphology and crystal structure of the membranes are preserved, with no adverse effect from prolonged exposure to H{sub 2}S gas. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis confirm over a 30% decrease in membrane resistance via an 80% reduction in membrane thickness. (author)

The future of hemodialysis membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Humes, H D; Fissell, W H; Tiranathanagul, K

2006-04-01

Hemodialytic treatment of patients with either acute or chronic renal failure has had a dramatic impact on the mortality rates of these patients. Unfortunately, this membrane-based therapy is still incomplete renal replacement, as the mortality and morbidity of these patients remain unacceptably high. Much progress must be made to improve the biocompatibility of hemodialysis membranes as well as their hydraulic and permselective properties to remove small solutes and 'middle molecules' in compact cartridges. The next directions of development will leverage materials and mechanical engineering technology, including microfluidics and nanofabrication, to further improve the clearance functions of the kidney to replicate glomerular permselectivity while retaining high rates of hydraulic permeability. The extension of membrane technology to biohybrid devices utilizing progenitor/stem cells will be another substantive advance for renal replacement therapy. The ability to not only replace solute and water clearance but also active reabsorptive transport and metabolic activity will add additional benefit to the therapy of patients suffering from renal failure. This area of translational research is rich in creative opportunities to improve the unmet medical needs of patients with either chronic or acute renal failure.

Diffusion studies on permeable nitroxyl spin probes through bilayer lipid membranes: A low frequency ESR study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meenakumari, V.; Benial, A. Milton Franklin; Utsumi, Hideo; Ichikawa, Kazuhiro; Yamada, Ken-ichi; Hyodo, Fuminori; Jawahar, A.

2015-01-01

Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies were carried out for permeable 2mM 14 N-labeled deutrated 3 Methoxy carbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-pyrrolidine-1-oxyl (MC-PROXYL) in pure water and 1mM, 2mM, 3mM, 4mM concentration of 14N-labeled deutrated MC-PROXYL in 400mM concentration of liposomal solution by using a 300 MHz ESR spectrometer. The ESR parameters such as linewidth, hyperfine coupling constant, g-factor, partition parameter and permeability were reported for these samples. The line broadening was observed for the nitroxyl spin probe in the liposomal solution. The line broadening indicates that the high viscous nature of the liposomal solution. The partition parameter and permeability values indicate the maximum diffusion of nitroxyl spin probes in the bilayer lipid membranes at 2 mM concentration of nitroxyl radical. This study illustrates that ESR can be used to differentiate between the intra and extra- membrane water by loading the liposome vesicles with a lipid-permeable nitroxyl spin probe. From the ESR results, the spin probe concentration was optimized as 2mM in liposomal solution for ESR phantom studies/imaging, invivo and invitro experiments

Hydrogen-permeable TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} membranes formed by chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Heung Yong; Nam, Suk Woo; Yoon, Sung Pil [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] [and others

1994-12-31

Thin films of TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} were deposited on the inner surface of the porous support tubes by the decomposition of tetraisopropyl titanate (TIPT) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) at atmospheric pressure. Dense and hydrogen-permeable membranes were formed at 400-600{degrees}C. The permeation rate of H{sub 2} through the membrane at 600{degrees}C was about 0.3 cm{sup 3}(STP)/min-cm{sup 2}-atm and H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} permeation ratio was above 1000. The permeation properties of the membranes were investigated at various deposition temperatures and TIPT/TEOS concentrations. Decomposition of TIPT alone at temperatures above 400{degrees}C produced porous crystalline TiO{sub 2} films which were not H{sub 2}-selective. Decomposition of TEOS, however produced H{sub 2}-permeable SiO{sub 2} films at 400-600{degrees}C but film deposition rate was very low. Addition of TIPT to the TEOS stream significantly accelerated the deposition rate and produced highly H{sub 2}-selective films. Increasing the TEPT/TEOS ratios increased the deposition rate. The TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} membranes have the permeation properties comparable to those of SiO{sub 2} membranes. The TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} membranes were stable and did not show significant densification during the treatment at high temperature.

Species transport mechanisms governing capacity loss in vanadium flow batteries: Comparing Nafion® and sulfonated Radel membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agar, Ertan; Knehr, K.W.; Chen, D.; Hickner, M.A.; Kumbur, E.C.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Species transport mechanisms are investigated in Nafion ® and s-Radel for VRFBs. • Unlike diffusion in Nafion ® , crossover in s-Radel is dominated by convection. • In particular, electro-osmotic convection is the dominant mode in s-Radel. • Change in direction of convection causes a lower crossover in s-Radel. • Hydraulic and electrokinetic permeability are as important as vanadium permeability. -- Abstract: In this study, a 2-D, transient vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) model was used to investigate and compare the ion transport mechanisms responsible for vanadium crossover in Nafion ® 117 and sulfonated Radel (s-Radel) membranes. Specifically, the model was used to distinguish the relative contribution of diffusion, migration, osmotic and electro-osmotic convection to the net vanadium crossover in Nafion ® and s-Radel. Model simulations indicate that diffusion is the dominant mode of vanadium transport in Nafion ® , whereas convection dominates the vanadium transport through s-Radel due to the lower vanadium permeability, and thus diffusivity of s-Radel. Among the convective transport modes, electro-osmotic convection (i.e., electro-osmotic drag) is found to govern the species crossover in s-Radel due to its higher fixed acid concentration and corresponding free ions in the membrane. Simulations also show that vanadium crossover in s-Radel changes direction during charge and discharge due to the change in the direction of electro-osmotic convection. This reversal in the direction of crossover during charge and discharge is found to result in significantly lower “net” crossover for s-Radel when compared to Nafion ® . Comparison of these two membranes also provides guidance for minimizing crossover in VRFB systems and underscores the importance of measuring the hydraulic and the electro-kinetic permeability of a membrane in addition to vanadium diffusion characteristics, when evaluating new membranes for VRFB applications

Enhanced Proton Conductivity and Methanol Permeability Reduction via Sodium Alginate Electrolyte-Sulfonated Graphene Oxide Bio-membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Shaari, N.; Kamarudin, S. K.; Basri, S.; Shyuan, L. K.; Masdar, M. S.; Nordin, D.

2018-03-01

The high methanol crossover and high cost of Nafion® membrane are the major challenges for direct methanol fuel cell application. With the aim of solving these problems, a non-Nafion polymer electrolyte membrane with low methanol permeability and high proton conductivity based on the sodium alginate (SA) polymer as the matrix and sulfonated graphene oxide (SGO) as an inorganic filler (0.02-0.2 wt%) was prepared by a simple solution casting technique. The strong electrostatic attraction between -SO3H of SGO and the sodium alginate polymer increased the mechanical stability, optimized the water absorption and thus inhibited the methanol crossover in the membrane. The optimum properties and performances were presented by the SA/SGO membrane with a loading of 0.2 wt% SGO, which gave a proton conductivity of 13.2 × 10-3 Scm-1, and the methanol permeability was 1.535 × 10-7 cm2 s-1 at 25 °C, far below that of Nafion (25.1 × 10-7 cm2 s-1) at 25 °C. The mechanical properties of the sodium alginate polymer in terms of tensile strength and elongation at break were improved by the addition of SGO.

In vitro and in vivo activation of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore using triiodothyronine

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Endlicher, R.; Drahota, Zdeněk; Červinková, Z.

2016-01-01

Roč. 65, č. 2 (2016), s. 321-331 ISSN 0862-8408 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GB14-36804G Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : rat liver mitochondria * membrane permeability transition pore * thyroid hormones Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.461, year: 2016

Characterization of NaA Zeolite Oxygen Permeable Membrane on TiO2/α-Al2O3 Composite Support

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhu Mengfu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The NaA zeolite membrane was synthesized on the surface of TiO2/α-Al2O3 composite support with TiO2 as modifier of α-Al2O3 porous tubular ceramic membrane support by crystallization method. The structure characterization indicated that the TiO2 of the support surface could effectively improve the surface properties of the support. It didn’t affect the crystallization of NaA synthesis liquid and synthesis process of NaA zeolite membrane. There were no obvious defects between the crystal particles with size of approximate 6μm. The perfect and complete membrane with thickness of approximate 15μm combined closely with support to connection together by TiO2 modified. The oxygen permeability of the membrane on TiO2/α-Al2O3 composite support improves of 47% compared with that of α-Al2O3 support. So the process of TiO2 modifying the surface of α-Al2O3 support should increase the oxygen permeability of the NaA zeolite membrane.

Measurement of Membrane Characteristics Using the Phenomenological Equation and the Overall Mass Transport Equation in Ion-Exchange Membrane Electrodialysis of Saline Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshinobu Tanaka

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The overall membrane pair characteristics included in the overall mass transport equation are understandable using the phenomenological equations expressed in the irreversible thermodynamics. In this investigation, the overall membrane pair characteristics (overall transport number , overall solute permeability , overall electro-osmotic permeability and overall hydraulic permeability were measured by seawater electrodialysis changing current density, temperature and salt concentration, and it was found that occasionally takes minus value. For understanding the above phenomenon, new concept of the overall concentration reflection coefficient ∗ is introduced from the phenomenological equation. This is the aim of this investigation. ∗ is defined for describing the permselectivity between solutes and water molecules in the electrodialysis system just after an electric current interruption. ∗ is expressed by the function of and . ∗ is generally larger than 1 and is positive, but occasionally ∗ becomes less than 1 and becomes negative. Negative means that ions are transferred with water molecules (solvent from desalting cells toward concentrating cells just after an electric current interruption, indicating up-hill transport or coupled transport between water molecules and solutes.

Development of a New Apparatus for Investigating Acoustic Effects on Hydraulic Properties of Low-Permeability Geo-Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajima, H.; Sawada, A.; Sugita, H.; Takeda, M.; Komai, T.; Zhang, M.

2006-12-01

Remediation of polluted soils and groundwater contaminated by heavy metals and non-aqueous phase liquids has been one of the challenging issues in the field of geo-environments. In-situ removal of the contaminants from low permeable soils, such as clay strata, is particularly difficult because of the low mobility, strong adsorption, and/or other various interactions within soils. Thus current remediation techniques, such as pump- and-treat method and even eletrokinetic method, generally suffer from low recovery rates and/or economically unacceptable long remediation periods. A perspective improvement in remediation technology is to couple the electrokinetic method with an application of acoustic waves. This so-called Electro-Acoustic Soil Decontamination (EASD) method has been proposed by Battelle Columbus Labs.(Muralidhara et al. 1990). Simultaneous application of an electric field and an acoustic field may produce a synergistic effect and result in further enhancement of water transport by electro-osmosis in principle, but there is still no fundamental data for the design of EASD method in practical applications. A number of investigations have shown that an application of acoustic waves can increase hydraulic conductivity and mobility of non-aqueous phase liquids in porous media. Most of the prior and ongoing researches in this area have been focused on increasing production from declining oil and gas reservoirs. During several field tests by the oil and gas industries, increases in oil production rates by 20% or more have been reported. However, underlying physical mechanisms for acoustically enhanced fluid transport are not adequately understood. In addition, majority of the past investigations has dealt with applications of large amplitude of acoustic waves to relatively permeable soils or fractured rocks, and there is little information if acoustic wave effectively enhances flow and contaminant transport for less permeable clayey soils. To evaluate the

Research on comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability%复杂地质低渗煤层水力压裂-割缝综合瓦斯增透技术研究

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

贾同千; 饶孜; 何庆兵; 宋润权; 白鑫

2017-01-01

Aiming at the problem of gas drainage in the coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability in Baijiao Coal Mine,the hydraulic fracturing technology was applied to carry out the regional gas permeability improvement,and its application effect was analyzed according to the situation of field gas drainage.Aiming at the blind area of regional gas permeability improvement by hydraulic fracturing,the technical measure of localized gas permeability improvement by hydraulic slotting was put forward,then the comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability was formed,and the field verification was conducted.The results showed that the average pure flow rate of gas drainage for three fracturing boreholes in the hydraulic fracturing zone increased by 15.8 times than that of regular single borehole gas drainage in 238 floor laneway,and the gas drainage concentration increased by 4％.The pure flow rate of gas drainage in the fractured area increased by 2.1 times than that of the comparison zone,but there existed the blind area by the regional measures of hydraulic fracturing due to the restriction of geological conditions such as fault and coal seam hardness.The gas concentration of drainage borehole in the hydraulic slotting permeability improvement zone increased by 4.9 times on the average,and the pure flow rate of gas increased by 3.3 times on the average.It has strong adaptability to different geological conditions,but the influence range of slotting is small,and the drainage time is short.The comprehensive gas permeability improvement technology by hydraulic fracturing and slotting in coal seam with complex geological conditions and low permeability integrates the advantages of hydraulic fracturing and slotting,and it has strong adaptability to coal seam with complex geological conditions,which improves the gas control level greatly.The field

Mitochondrial Membrane Permeability Inhibitors in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cory Trankle, MD

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Despite therapeutic advances, acute myocardial infarction (AMI remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. One potential limitation of the current treatment paradigm is the lack of effective therapies to optimize reperfusion after ischemia and prevent reperfusion-mediated injury. Experimental studies indicate that this process accounts for up to 50% of the final infarct size, lending it importance as a potential target for cardioprotection. However, multiple therapeutic approaches have shown potential in pre-clinical and early phase trials but a paucity of clear clinical benefit when expanded to larger studies. Here we explore this history of trials and errors of the studies of cyclosporine A and other mitochondrial membrane permeability inhibitors, agents that appeared to have a promising pre-clinical record yet provided disappointing results in phase III clinical trials.

Polyhydroxybutyrate Targets Mammalian Mitochondria and Increases Permeability of Plasmalemmal and Mitochondrial Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Elustondo, Pia A.; Angelova, Plamena R.; Kawalec, Michał; Michalak, Michał; Kurcok, Piotr; Abramov, Andrey Y.; Pavlov, Evgeny V.

2013-01-01

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a polyester of 3-hydroxybutyric acid (HB) that is ubiquitously present in all organisms. In higher eukaryotes PHB is found in the length of 10 to 100 HB units and can be present in free form as well as in association with proteins and inorganic polyphosphate. It has been proposed that PHB can mediate ion transport across lipid bilayer membranes. We investigated the ability of PHB to interact with living cells and isolated mitochondria and the effects of these interactions on membrane ion transport. We performed experiments using a fluorescein derivative of PHB (fluo-PHB). We found that fluo-PHB preferentially accumulated inside the mitochondria of HeLa cells. Accumulation of fluo-PHB induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization. This membrane depolarization was significantly delayed by the inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore - Cyclosporin A. Further experiments using intact cells as well as isolated mitochondria confirmed that the effects of PHB directly linked to its ability to facilitate ion transport, including calcium, across the membranes. We conclude that PHB demonstrates ionophoretic properties in biological membranes and this effect is most profound in mitochondria due to the selective accumulation of the polymer in this organelle. PMID:24086638

Magnetically controlled permeability membranes

KAUST Repository

Kosel, Jurgen

2013-10-31

A bioactive material delivery system can include a thermoresponsive polymer membrane and nanowires distributed within the thermoresponsive polymer membrane. Magnetic activation of a thermoresponsive polymer membrane can take place via altering the magnetization or dimensions of nanowires dispersed or ordered within the membrane matrix.

Magnetically controlled permeability membranes

KAUST Repository

Kosel, Jü rgen; Khashab, Niveen M.; Zaher, Amir

2013-01-01

A bioactive material delivery system can include a thermoresponsive polymer membrane and nanowires distributed within the thermoresponsive polymer membrane. Magnetic activation of a thermoresponsive polymer membrane can take place via altering the magnetization or dimensions of nanowires dispersed or ordered within the membrane matrix.

Membrane permeability of the human granulocyte to water, dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, propylene glycol and ethylene glycol.

Science.gov (United States)

Vian, Alex M; Higgins, Adam Z

2014-02-01

Granulocytes are currently transfused as soon as possible after collection because they rapidly deteriorate after being removed from the body. This short shelf life complicates the logistics of granulocyte collection, banking, and safety testing. Cryopreservation has the potential to significantly increase shelf life; however, cryopreservation of granulocytes has proven to be difficult. In this study, we investigate the membrane permeability properties of human granulocytes, with the ultimate goal of using membrane transport modeling to facilitate development of improved cryopreservation methods. We first measured the equilibrium volume of human granulocytes in a range of hypo- and hypertonic solutions and fit the resulting data using a Boyle-van't Hoff model. This yielded an isotonic cell volume of 378 μm(3) and an osmotically inactive volume of 165 μm(3). To determine the permeability of the granulocyte membrane to water and cryoprotectant (CPA), cells were injected into well-mixed CPA solution while collecting volume measurements using a Coulter Counter. These experiments were performed at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37°C for exposure to dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol. The best-fit water permeability was similar in the presence of all of the CPAs, with an average value at 21°C of 0.18 μmatm(-1)min(-1). The activation energy for water transport ranged from 41 to 61 kJ/mol. The CPA permeability at 21°C was 6.4, 1.0, 8.4, and 4.0 μm/min for dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol, respectively, and the activation energy for CPA transport ranged between 59 and 68 kJ/mol. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of polyamide-6/chitosan membranes for desalination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. EL-Gendi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This article deals with “developing novel polyamide-6/chitosan membranes for water desalting using wet phase inversion technique”, in which novel polyamide-6/chitosan membranes were prepared using an appropriate polymer concerning the national circumferences, along with the definition of different controlling parameters of the preparing processes and their effects on the characteristics of the produced membranes. Further, evaluation process of the fabricated sheets was undertaken. Preparation process was followed by assessment of the membrane structural characteristics; then the desalting performance of each prepared membrane was evaluated under different operating conditions in order to find the structure–property relationship. The results show that the membrane flux increases with the increase of operating pressure. The salt rejection and permeation flux have been enhanced this indicates that the chitosan (CS addition to the polyamide-6 (PA-6 membrane increases the membrane hydrophilic property. Hydraulic permeability coefficient is not stable and varies considerably with the operating pressure.

Ion permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane limits the maximum growth temperature of bacteria and archaea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Vossenberg, J.L C M; Ubbink-Kok, T.; Elferink, M.G.L.; Driessen, A.J.M.; Konings, W.N

1995-01-01

Protons and sodium ions are the most commonly used coupling ions in energy transduction in bacteria and archaea. At their growth temperature, the permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane of thermophilic bacteria to protons is high compared with that of sodium ions. In some thermophiles, sodium is

Influence of CO2 on electrophysiology and ionic permeability of the basolateral membrane of frog skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoddard, J.S.

1984-01-01

When short-circuited epithelia of frog skin bathed in an alkaline Ringer solution equilibrated with room air, are exposed to a Ringer solution equilibrated with 5% CO 2 , inhibition of transepithelial Na + transport is observed accompanied by a marked depolarization of the basolateral membrane voltage as measured with intracellular microelectrodes. To study further the mechanisms involved, basolateral membrane influxes and effluxes of 24 Na, 42 K, and 36 Cl were measured in control and CO 2 -treated isolated epithelia. In control epithelia, studies of the bidirectional 24 Na fluxes confirmed the existence of an important basolateral membrane permeability to Na + . In control epithelia, the apical membranes of the cells were found to be virtually impermeable to Cl - , while basolateral membranes were highly permeable to Cl - . Although CO 2 caused a partial inhibition of pump activity as assessed from decreases of pump-mediated Na + efflux and K + influx, CO 2 caused little or no change of the leak influx of Na + or K + . K + efflux was increased markedly with CO 2 resulting in a net loss of K + from the cells. Cl - influx was increased and Cl - efflux was decreased by CO 2 leading to a net influx of Cl - . Analysis of the data according to criteria involving changes of flux, ionic equilibrium potentials, mass and charge balance restrictions indicated that the principle changes involve a transient decrease in electrical conductance to K + with a concurrent increase in electrical conductance to HCO 3 - (OH - or H + ) of the basolateral membranes of the cells

Free flow zone electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing using a microfabricated glass device with ion permeable membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kohlheyer, D.; Besselink, G.A.J.; Schlautmann, Stefan; Schasfoort, Richardus B.M.

2006-01-01

This paper describes a microfabricated free-flow electrophoresis device with integrated ion permeable membranes. In order to obtain continuous lanes of separated components an electrical field is applied perpendicular to the sample flow direction. This sample stream is sandwiched between two sheath

Estimation of hydraulic permeability considering the micro morphology of rocks of the borehole YAXCOPOIL-1 (Impact crater Chicxulub, Mexico)

Science.gov (United States)

Mayr, S. I.; Burkhardt, H.; Popov, Yu.; Wittmann, A.

2008-04-01

Internal surface, formation factor, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)-T2 relaxation times and pore radius distributions were measured on representative core samples for the estimation of hydraulic permeability. Permeability is estimated using various versions of the classic Kozeny-Carman-equation (K-C) and a further development of K-C, the fractal PaRiS-model, taking into account the internal surface. In addition to grain and pore size distribution, directly connected to permeability, internal surface reflects the internal structure (“micro morphology”). Lithologies could be grouped with respect to differences in internal surface. Most melt rich impact breccia lithologies exhibit large internal surfaces, while Tertiary post-impact sediments and Cretaceous lithologies in displaced megablocks display smaller internal surfaces. Investigations with scanning electron microscopy confirm the correlation between internal surface and micro morphology. In addition to different versions of K-C, estimations by means of NMR, pore radius distributions and some gas permeability measurements serve for cross-checking and calibration. In general, the different estimations from the independent methods and the measurements are in satisfactory accordance. For Tertiary limestones and Suevites bulk with very high porosities (up to 35%) permeabilites between 10-14 and 10-16 m2 are found, whereas in lower Suevite, Cretaceous anhydrites and dolomites, bulk permeabilites are between 10-15 and 10-23 m2.

Tuning Liposome Membrane Permeability by Competitive Peptide Dimerization and Partitioning-Folding Interactions Regulated by Proteolytic Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Seng Koon; Sandén, Camilla; Selegård, Robert; Liedberg, Bo; Aili, Daniel

2016-02-01

Membrane active peptides are of large interest for development of drug delivery vehicles and therapeutics for treatment of multiple drug resistant infections. Lack of specificity can be detrimental and finding routes to tune specificity and activity of membrane active peptides is vital for improving their therapeutic efficacy and minimize harmful side effects. We describe a de novo designed membrane active peptide that partition into lipid membranes only when specifically and covalently anchored to the membrane, resulting in pore-formation. Dimerization with a complementary peptide efficiently inhibits formation of pores. The effect can be regulated by proteolytic digestion of the inhibitory peptide by the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-7, an enzyme upregulated in many malignant tumors. This system thus provides a precise and specific route for tuning the permeability of lipid membranes and a novel strategy for development of recognition based membrane active peptides and indirect enzymatically controlled release of liposomal cargo.

Clay nanoparticles effects on performance and morphology of poly(vinylidene fluoride membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. D. Morihama

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, a comparison between neat poly(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF membrane and composite (PVDF-Nanoclay and PVDF-PVP-Nanoclay membranes is presented. All membranes were synthesized by the phase inversion process, using 18% PVDF, n-methylpyrrolidone as solvent and water as the non-solvent. Demineralized water cross-flow permeation tests were conducted to evaluate the membranes performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM images of the membranes surface and cross-section and water contact angle measurements were used to estimate additives effects on membranes morphology. The results indicate that dopant addition affected membrane permeate flux and morphology. The 4% nanoclay composite membrane resulted in the highest ultrapure water permeability (0.9130 m³.m-2.h-1.MPa-1, lower hydraulic resistance (3.27´10+12.m-1, lower contact angle (87.1º and highest surface porosity (0.95%. Furthermore, it was verified that the membrane surface porosity increased with increasing clay nanoparticles concentrations. It was observed that the morphology of the membranes with clay nanoparticle addition is characterized by a thin surface layer, with macro-pores, a thin bottom layer, which has a sponge-like structure with micro-pores and a thick intermediate layer, with finger-like pores and macro-pores. It was also verified that the introduction of PVP promotes a denser morphology compared with membranes without it. Based on the SEM surface and cross-sectional images and permeability tests, it became evident that the internal pore morphology plays an important role in membrane performance, because the higher the frequency and extent of the finger-like pores in the intermediate layer the higher is the membrane permeability. These preliminary results indicated that the use of nanoclay as an additive for membrane casting is a promising procedure for improving membrane performance for water and wastewater treatment.

Determination of glucose exchange rates and permeability of erythrocyte membrane in preeclampsia and subsequent oxidative stress-related protein damage using dynamic-{sup 19}F-NMR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dickinson, Elizabeth, E-mail: elizabeth.dickinson@york.ac.uk [University of York, Department of Chemistry (United Kingdom); Arnold, John R. P. [Selby College (United Kingdom); Fisher, Julie [University of Leeds, School of Chemistry (United Kingdom)

2017-02-15

The cause of the pregnancy condition preeclampsia (PE) is thought to be endothelial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress. As abnormal glucose tolerance has also been associated with PE, we use a fluorinated-mimic of this metabolite to establish whether any oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in the erythrocyte membrane has increased cell membrane permeability. Data were acquired using {sup 19}F Dynamic-NMR (DNMR) to measure exchange of 3-fluoro-3-deoxyglucose (3-FDG) across the membrane of erythrocytes from 10 pregnant women (5 healthy control women, and 5 from women suffering from PE). Magnetisation transfer was measured using the 1D selective inversion and 2D EXSY pulse sequences, over a range of time delays. Integrated intensities from these experiments were used in matrix diagonalisation to estimate the values of the rate constants of exchange and membrane permeability. No significant differences were observed for the rate of exchange of 3-FDG and membrane permeability between healthy pregnant women and those suffering from PE, leading us to conclude that no oxidative damage had occurred at this carrier-protein site in the membrane.

Determination of glucose exchange rates and permeability of erythrocyte membrane in preeclampsia and subsequent oxidative stress-related protein damage using dynamic-"1"9F-NMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickinson, Elizabeth; Arnold, John R. P.; Fisher, Julie

2017-01-01

The cause of the pregnancy condition preeclampsia (PE) is thought to be endothelial dysfunction caused by oxidative stress. As abnormal glucose tolerance has also been associated with PE, we use a fluorinated-mimic of this metabolite to establish whether any oxidative damage to lipids and proteins in the erythrocyte membrane has increased cell membrane permeability. Data were acquired using "1"9F Dynamic-NMR (DNMR) to measure exchange of 3-fluoro-3-deoxyglucose (3-FDG) across the membrane of erythrocytes from 10 pregnant women (5 healthy control women, and 5 from women suffering from PE). Magnetisation transfer was measured using the 1D selective inversion and 2D EXSY pulse sequences, over a range of time delays. Integrated intensities from these experiments were used in matrix diagonalisation to estimate the values of the rate constants of exchange and membrane permeability. No significant differences were observed for the rate of exchange of 3-FDG and membrane permeability between healthy pregnant women and those suffering from PE, leading us to conclude that no oxidative damage had occurred at this carrier-protein site in the membrane.

Fine-Tuned Intrinsically Ultramicroporous Polymers Redefine the Permeability/Selectivity Upper Bounds of Membrane-Based Air and Hydrogen Separations

KAUST Repository

Swaidan, Raja

2015-08-20

Intrinsically ultramicroporous (<7 Å) polymers represent a new paradigm in materials development for membrane-based gas separation. In particular, they demonstrate that uniting intrachain “rigidity”, the traditional design metric of highly permeable polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), with gas-sieving ultramicroporosity yields high-performance gas separation membranes. Highly ultramicroporous PIMs have redefined the state-of-the-art in large-scale air (e.g., O2/N2) and hydrogen recovery (e.g., H2/N2, H2/CH4) applications with unprecedented molecular sieving gas transport properties. Accordingly, presented herein are new 2015 permeability/selectivity “upper bounds” for large-scale commercial membrane-based air and hydrogen applications that accommodate the substantial performance enhancements of recent PIMs over preceding polymers. A subtle balance between intrachain rigidity and interchain spacing has been achieved in the amorphous microstructures of PIMs, fine-tuned using unique bridged-bicyclic building blocks (i.e., triptycene, ethanoanthracene and Tröger’s base) in both ladder and semiladder (e.g., polyimide) structures.

Hydraulic Stability of Accropode Armour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, T.; Burcharth, H. F.; Frigaard, Peter

The present report describes the hydraulic model tests of Accropode armour layers carried out at the Hydraulics Laboratory at Aalborg University from November 1995 through March 1996. The objective of the model tests was to investigate the hydraulic stability of Accropode armour layers...... with permeable core (crushed granite with a gradation of 5-8 mm). The outcome of this study is described in "Hydraulic Stability of Single-Layer Dolos and Accropode Armour Layers" by Christensen & Burcharth (1995). In January/February 1996, Research Assistant Thomas Jensen carried out a similar study...

Hybrid MF and membrane bioreactor process applied towards water and indigo reuse from denim textile wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Couto, Carolina Fonseca; Marques, Larissa Silva; Balmant, Janine; de Oliveira Maia, Andreza Penido; Moravia, Wagner Guadagnin; Santos Amaral, Miriam Cristina

2018-03-01

This work investigates the application of a microfiltration (MF)-membrane bioreactor (MBR) hybrid process for textile dyeing process wastewater reclamation. The indigo blue dye was efficiently retained by the MF membrane (100%), which allows its recovery from the concentrate stream. MF promotes 100% of colour removal, and reduces the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity by about 65% and 25%, respectively, and improves the wastewater biodegradability. MF flux decline was mostly attributed to concentration polarization and the chemical cleaning was efficient enough to recover initial hydraulic resistance. The MBR provides to be a stable process maintaining its COD and ammonia removal efficiency (73% and 100%, respectively) mostly constant throughout and producing a permeate that meets the reuse criteria for some industry activities, such as washing-off and equipment washdown. The use of an MF or ultrafiltration (UF) membrane in the MBR does not impact the MBR performance in terms of COD removal. Although the membrane of MBR-UF shows permeability lower than MBR-MF membrane, the UF membrane contributes to a more stable operation in terms of permeability.

Hydrogeological evidence of low rock mass permeabilities in ordovician strata: Bruce nuclear site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beauheim, R.L.; Roberts, R.M.; Avis, J.D.; Heagle, D.

2011-01-01

One of the key attributes contributing to the suitability of the Bruce nuclear site to host a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for Low and Intermediate Level Waste (L&ILW) is the low permeability of the Ordovician host rock and of the overlying and underlying strata. The permeability of these rocks is so low that diffusion is a much more significant transport mechanism than advection. Hydrogeological evidence for the low permeability of the Ordovician strata comes from two principal sources, direct and indirect. Direct evidence of low permeability is provided by the hydraulic testing performed in deep boreholes, DGR-2 through DGR-6. Straddle-packer hydraulic testing was performed in 57 Ordovician intervals in these five holes. The testing provided continuous coverage using ~30-m straddle intervals of the Ordovician strata exposed in boreholes DGR-2, DGR-3, DGR-4, and DGR-5, while testing was targeted on discontinuous 10.2-m intervals in DGR-6. The average horizontal hydraulic conductivities of these intervals determined from the tests ranged from 2E-16 to 2E-10 m/s. The Lower Member of the Cobourg Formation, which is the proposed host formation for the DGR, was found to have a horizontal hydraulic conductivity of 4E-15 to 3E-14 m/s. The only horizontal hydraulic conductivity values measured that were greater than 2E-12 m/s are from the Black River Group, located at the base of the Ordovician sedimentary sequence. Indirect evidence of low permeability is provided by the observed distribution of hydraulic heads through the Ordovician sequence. Hydraulic head profiles, defined by hydraulic testing and confirmed by Westbay multilevel monitoring systems, show significant underpressures relative to a density-compensated hydrostatic condition throughout most of the Ordovician strata above the Black River Group, whereas the Black River Group is overpressured. Pressure differences of 1 MPa or more are observed between adjacent intervals in the boreholes. The observed

Impact of organic fractions identified by SEC and fluorescence EEM on the hydraulic reversibility of ultrafiltration membrane fouling by secondary effluents

KAUST Repository

Haberkampa, Jens

2011-05-01

Loss of membrane filtration performance due to organic fouling is still a significant drawback for the application of low-pressure membranes in tertiary wastewater treatment. The present study investigates the relevance of different organic fractions present in secondary effluents in terms of hydraulically reversible and irreversible fouling of hollow-fibre ultrafiltration membranes. A good correlation between the hydraulically reversible filtration resistance and the total organic biopolymer concentration according to size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was observed. Qualitatively biopolymers consist mainly of polysaccharides as well as proteins with high molecular weight. Polysaccharides are retained by the membrane pores, but can be removed by simple UF backwashing. On the other hand, fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) analysis indicates that the extent of the hydraulically irreversible fouling correlates with the presence of protein-like substances. Removal of protein-like substances by biological slow sand filtration or chemical coagulation results in the significant reduction of the hydraulically irreversible fouling, which is presumably due to proteins in the molecular range of biopolymers. In contrast to the comparatively low sensitivity of colorimetric methods for the analysis of proteins and polysaccharides, the combined application of size exclusion chromatography and fluorescence EEM analysis is a promising tool for the determination of the organic fouling propensity of secondary effluents. ©2011 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Impact of organic fractions identified by SEC and fluorescence EEM on the hydraulic reversibility of ultrafiltration membrane fouling by secondary effluents

KAUST Repository

Haberkampa, Jens; Ernst, Mathias; Paar, Hendrik; Pallischeck, Daniela; Amy, Gary L.; Jekel, Martin R.

2011-01-01

Loss of membrane filtration performance due to organic fouling is still a significant drawback for the application of low-pressure membranes in tertiary wastewater treatment. The present study investigates the relevance of different organic fractions present in secondary effluents in terms of hydraulically reversible and irreversible fouling of hollow-fibre ultrafiltration membranes. A good correlation between the hydraulically reversible filtration resistance and the total organic biopolymer concentration according to size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was observed. Qualitatively biopolymers consist mainly of polysaccharides as well as proteins with high molecular weight. Polysaccharides are retained by the membrane pores, but can be removed by simple UF backwashing. On the other hand, fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) analysis indicates that the extent of the hydraulically irreversible fouling correlates with the presence of protein-like substances. Removal of protein-like substances by biological slow sand filtration or chemical coagulation results in the significant reduction of the hydraulically irreversible fouling, which is presumably due to proteins in the molecular range of biopolymers. In contrast to the comparatively low sensitivity of colorimetric methods for the analysis of proteins and polysaccharides, the combined application of size exclusion chromatography and fluorescence EEM analysis is a promising tool for the determination of the organic fouling propensity of secondary effluents. ©2011 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Permeability Barrier and Microstructure of Skin Lipid Membrane Models of Impaired Glucosylceramide Processing

OpenAIRE

Sochorov?, Michaela; Sta?kov?, Kl?ra; Pullmannov?, Petra; Kov??ik, Andrej; Zbytovsk?, Jarmila; V?vrov?, Kate?ina

2017-01-01

Ceramide (Cer) release from glucosylceramides (GlcCer) is critical for the formation of the skin permeability barrier. Changes in ?-glucocerebrosidase (GlcCer?ase) activity lead to diminished Cer, GlcCer accumulation and structural defects in SC lipid lamellae; however, the molecular basis for this impairment is not clear. We investigated impaired GlcCer-to-Cer processing in human Cer membranes to determine the physicochemical properties responsible for the barrier defects. Minor impairment (...

Effect of Light-Activated Hypocrellin B on the Growth and Membrane Permeability of Gram-Negative Escherichia coli Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To investigate the effect of light-activated hypocrellin B on the growth and membrane permeability of Gram-negative bacteria. Methods. Escherichia coli (E. coli as a model bacterium of Gram-negative bacteria was incubated with various concentrations of hypocrellin B for 60 min and was subsequently irradiated by blue light with wavelength of 470 nm at the dose of 12 J/cm2. Colony forming units were counted and the growth inhibition rate of E. coli cells was calculated after light-activated hypocrellin B. Membrane permeability was measured using flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM with propidium iodide (PI staining. Bacterial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM. Reactive oxygen species in bacterial cells were measured using flow cytometry with DCFH-DA staining. Results. Significant growth inhibition rate of E. coli cells was observed after photodynamic action of hypocrellin B. Remarkable damage to the ultrastructure of E. coli was also observed by TEM. Flow cytometry and CLSM observation showed that light-activated hypocrellin B markedly increased membrane permeability of E. coli. Flow cytometry showed the intracellular ROS increase in E. coli treated by photodynamic action of hypocrellin B. Conclusion. Light-activated hypocrellin B caused intracellular ROS increase and structural damages and inhibited the growth of Gram-negative E. coli cells.

Permeability model of sintered porous media: analysis and experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Flórez Mera, Juan Pablo; Chiamulera, Maria E.; Mantelli, Marcia B. H.

2017-11-01

In this paper, the permeability of porous media fabricated from copper powder sintering process was modeled and measured, aiming the use of the porosity as input parameter for the prediction of the permeability of sintering porous media. An expression relating the powder particle mean diameter with the permeability was obtained, based on an elementary porous media cell, which is physically represented by a duct formed by the arrangement of spherical particles forming a simple or orthorhombic packing. A circular duct with variable section was used to model the fluid flow within the porous media, where the concept of the hydraulic diameter was applied. Thus, the porous is modeled as a converging-diverging duct. The electrical circuit analogy was employed to determine two hydraulic resistances of the cell: based on the Navier-Stokes equation and on the Darcýs law. The hydraulic resistances are compared between themselves and an expression to determine the permeability as function of average particle diameter is obtained. The atomized copper powder was sifted to reduce the size dispersion of the particles. The porosities and permeabilities of sintered media fabricated from powders with particle mean diameters ranging from 20 to 200 microns were measured, by means of the image analysis method and using an experimental apparatus. The permeability data of a porous media, made of copper powder and saturated with distilled water, was used to compare with the permeability model. Permeability literature models, which considers that powder particles have the same diameter and include porosity data as input parameter, were compared with the present model and experimental data. This comparison showed to be quite good.

Increase of radiation damage to potassium-ion permeability in E. coli cells with decrease in membrane fluidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, S.

1980-01-01

Membrane lipids of an auxotroph of E. coli requiring unsaturated fatty acid were manipulated by supplementing the growth medium with unsaturated fatty acids of different chain lengths and/or configurations, and the radiation damage to K + -permeability of the resulting modified cells was investigated in relation with factors influencing membrane fluidity, such as temperature and procaine. Radiation had greater effects on membranes supplemented with unsaturated fatty acids of the trans configuration with a longer chain than on those of the cis configuration with a shorter chain. Radiation damage also increased with decrease in temperature. Furthermore, procaine-treated membranes showed increased resistance to radiation. All these results indicate that the damage was affected by the physical character of membrane lipids and that it was greater in membranes with decreased fluidity. (author)

Fine-Tuned Intrinsically Ultramicroporous Polymers Redefine the Permeability/Selectivity Upper Bounds of Membrane-Based Air and Hydrogen Separations

KAUST Repository

Swaidan, Raja; Ghanem, Bader; Pinnau, Ingo

2015-01-01

Intrinsically ultramicroporous (<7 Å) polymers represent a new paradigm in materials development for membrane-based gas separation. In particular, they demonstrate that uniting intrachain “rigidity”, the traditional design metric of highly permeable

Hydraulic Permeability of Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Ion-Exchange Resin - Effects of Oxygen Uptake and Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Paul Allen

2009-01-01

An ion-exchange process, using spherical resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin is the baseline process for removing cesium from the dissolved salt solution in the high-level waste tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford site in Washington State. The RF resin is also being evaluated for use in the proposed Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) system, which is an alternative treatment option at DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS)in South Carolina. Testing at ORNL will determine the impact of radiation exposure and oxygen uptake by the RF resin on the hydraulic permeability of the resin. Samples of the resin will be removed periodically to measure physical properties (bead size and compressibility) and cesium capacity. The proposed full-scale treatment system at Hanford, the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), will use an ion-exchange column containing nominally 680 gal of resin, which will treat 30 gpm of waste solution. The ion-exchange column is designed for a typical pressure drop of 6 psig, with a maximum of 9.7 psig. The lab-scale column is 3-in. clear PVC pipe and is prototypic of the proposed Hanford column. The fluid velocity in the lab-scale test will be much higher than for the full-scale column, in order to generate the maximum pressure drop expected in that column (9.7 psig). The frictional drag from this high velocity will produce similar forces on the resin in the lab-scale column as would be expected at the bottom of the full-scale column. The chemical changes in the resin caused by radiation exposure and oxygen uptake are expected to cause physical changes in the resin that could reduce the bed porosity and reduce the hydraulic permeability of the resin bed. These changes will be monitored by measuring the pressure drop through the lab-scale column and by measuring the physical properties of samples of the resin. The test loop with the lab-scale column is currently being fabricated, and operation will start by late May. Testing will be completed by the

Effect of membranes on oxygen transfer rate and consumption within a newly developed three-compartment bioartificial liver device: Advanced experimental and theoretical studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilal-Alnaqbi, Ali; Mourad, Abdel-Hamid I; Yousef, Basem F

2014-01-01

A mathematical model is developed to predict oxygen transfer in the fiber-in-fiber (FIF) bioartificial liver device. The model parameters are taken from the constructed and tested FIF modules. We extended the Krogh cylinder model by including one more zone for oxygen transfer. Cellular oxygen uptake was based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The effect of varying a number of important model parameters is investigated, including (1) oxygen partial pressure at the inlet, (2) the hydraulic permeability of compartment B (cell region), (3) the hydraulic permeability of the inner membrane, and (4) the oxygen diffusivity of the outer membrane. The mathematical model is validated by comparing its output against the experimentally acquired values of an oxygen transfer rate and the hydrostatic pressure drop. Three governing simultaneous linear differential equations are derived to predict and validate the experimental measurements, e.g., the flow rate and the hydrostatic pressure drop. The model output simulated the experimental measurements to a high degree of accuracy. The model predictions show that the cells in the annulus can be oxygenated well even at high cell density or at a low level of gas phase PG if the value of the oxygen diffusion coefficient Dm is 16 × 10(-5) . The mathematical model also shows that the performance of the FIF improves by increasing the permeability of polypropylene membrane (inner fiber). Moreover, the model predicted that 60% of plasma has access to the cells in the annulus within the first 10% of the FIF bioreactor axial length for a specific polypropylene membrane permeability and can reach 95% within the first 30% of its axial length. © 2013 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Estimating soil hydraulic properties from soil moisture time series by inversion of a dual-permeability model

Science.gov (United States)

Dalla Valle, Nicolas; Wutzler, Thomas; Meyer, Stefanie; Potthast, Karin; Michalzik, Beate

2017-04-01

Dual-permeability type models are widely used to simulate water fluxes and solute transport in structured soils. These models contain two spatially overlapping flow domains with different parameterizations or even entirely different conceptual descriptions of flow processes. They are usually able to capture preferential flow phenomena, but a large set of parameters is needed, which are very laborious to obtain or cannot be measured at all. Therefore, model inversions are often used to derive the necessary parameters. Although these require sufficient input data themselves, they can use measurements of state variables instead, which are often easier to obtain and can be monitored by automated measurement systems. In this work we show a method to estimate soil hydraulic parameters from high frequency soil moisture time series data gathered at two different measurement depths by inversion of a simple one dimensional dual-permeability model. The model uses an advection equation based on the kinematic wave theory to describe the flow in the fracture domain and a Richards equation for the flow in the matrix domain. The soil moisture time series data were measured in mesocosms during sprinkling experiments. The inversion consists of three consecutive steps: First, the parameters of the water retention function were assessed using vertical soil moisture profiles in hydraulic equilibrium. This was done using two different exponential retention functions and the Campbell function. Second, the soil sorptivity and diffusivity functions were estimated from Boltzmann-transformed soil moisture data, which allowed the calculation of the hydraulic conductivity function. Third, the parameters governing flow in the fracture domain were determined using the whole soil moisture time series. The resulting retention functions were within the range of values predicted by pedotransfer functions apart from very dry conditions, where all retention functions predicted lower matrix potentials

Modelling of water permeability in cementitious materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guang, Ye; Lura, Pietro; van Breugel, K.

2006-01-01

This paper presents a network model to predict the permeability of cement paste from a numerical simulation of its microstructure. Based on a linked list pore network structure, the effective hydraulic conductivity is estimated and the fluid flow is calculated according to the Hagen-Poiseuille law....... The pressure gradient at all nodes is calculated with the Gauss elimination method and the absolute permeability of the pore network is calculated directly from Darcy's law. Finally, the permeability model is validated by comparison with direct water permeability measurements. According to this model...

底板巷水力冲孔卸压增透技术的研究与应用%Study and Application on Pressure Releasing and Permeability Improved Technology with Hydraulic Flushing in Floor Gateway

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

徐东方; 黄渊跃; 罗治顺; 杨献东

2013-01-01

In order to investigate the effect of the pressure releasing and permeability improved technology with hydraulic flushing in floor gateway to improve the seam permeability and to improve the gas drainage rate, a trial was conducted on the pressure releasing and permeability improved technology with hydraulic flushing in No. 1259(3) floor gateway of Puxijing.The results showed that the radius of the pressure releasing and permeability improvement with the hydraulic flushing borehole could reach 4~5 m and would be 1.6~2.0 times higher than the influence radius of the gas drainage with a conventional borehole. Within half month after the hydraulic flushing measures conducted, the average gas drainage concentration of the borehole was 2.77 times higher than the conventional borehole,the average gas flow value was 3.43 times higher than the conventional borehole,the effect of the pressure releasing and permeability improvement was relatively remarkable , the seam permeability was improved and the outburst danger was reduced.%为了考察底板巷水力冲孔卸压增透技术对增加煤层透气性,提高瓦斯抽采效果,在浦溪井1259(3)底板巷实施水力冲孔卸压增透技术试验.结果表明:水力冲孔卸压增透半径达到4～5m,为普通钻孔抽采影响半径的1.6～2.0倍；采取水力冲孔措施的半个月内,钻孔的平均瓦斯抽采浓度是普通钻孔的2.77倍,平均瓦斯流量是普通钻孔的3.43倍,卸压增透效果比较明显,提高了煤层透气性,降低了突出危险性.

Hydraulic gradients in rock aquifers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlblom, P.

1992-05-01

This report deals with fractured rock as a host for deposits of hazardous waste. In this context the rock, with its fractures containing moving groundwater, is called the geological barrier. The desired properties of the geological barrier are low permeability to water, low hydraulic gradients and ability to retain matter dissolved in the water. The hydraulic gradient together with the permeability and the porosity determines the migration velocity. Mathematical modelling of the migration involves calculation of the water flow and the hydrodynamic dispersion of the contaminant. The porous medium approach can be used to calculate mean flow velocities and hydrodynamic dispersion of a large number of fractures are connected, which means that a large volume have to be considered. It is assumed that the porous medium approach can be applied, and a number of idealized examples are shown. It is assumed that the groundwater table is replenished by percolation at a constant rate. One-dimensional analytical calculations show that zero hydraulic gradients may exist at relatively large distance from the coast. Two-dimensional numerical calculations show that it may be possible to find areas with low hydraulic gradients and flow velocities within blocks surrounded by areas with high hydraulic conductivity. (au)

Improving the performance of water desalination through ultra-permeable functionalized nanoporous graphene oxide membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Hosseini, Mostafa; Azamat, Jafar; Erfan-Niya, Hamid

2018-01-01

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the water desalination performance of nanoporous graphene oxide (NPGO) membranes. The simulated systems consist of a NPGO as a membrane with a functionalized pore in its center immersed in an aqueous ionic solution and a graphene sheet as a barrier. The considered NPGO membranes are involved four types of pore with different size and chemistry. The results indicated that the NPGO membrane has effective efficiency in salt rejection as well as high performance in water flux. For all types of pore with the radius size of 2.9-4.5 Å, the NPGO shows salt rejection of >89%. Functional groups on the surface and edge of pores have a great effect on water flux. To precisely understand the effect of functional groups on the surface of nanostructured membranes, nanoporous graphene was simulated under the same condition for comparison. Hydrophilic groups on the surface make the NPGO as an ultra-permeable membrane. As a result, the obtained water flux for NPGO was about 77% greater than graphene. Also, it was found that the water flux of NPGO is 2-5 orders of magnitude greater than other existing reverse osmosis membranes. Therefore, the investigated systems can be recommended as a model for the water desalination.

effective hydraulic conductivity for a soil of variable pore size

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

Keywords: hydraulic conductivity, soil, infiltration, permeability, water. 1. INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION. Accurate determination of hydraulic conductivity is very crucial for infiltration and runoff estimation. Factors which affect water infiltration in the soil include hydraulic conductivity, wetting front and soil.

The Effect of Micro-Channels in the MPL on the Predicted Membrane Water Content in a PEMFC – A Modeling Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berning, Torsten

2014-01-01

The micro-porous layer (MPL) in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is frequently believed to constitute a barrier for the liquid water owing to its low hydraulic permeability compared to the porous substrate. When micro-channels are carved into the MPL on the side facing the catalyst layer, liq...

Ion permeability of artificial membranes evaluated by diffusion potential and electrical resistance measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Shlyonsky, Vadim

2013-12-01

In the present article, a novel model of artificial membranes that provides efficient assistance in teaching the origins of diffusion potentials is proposed. These membranes are made of polycarbonate filters fixed to 12-mm plastic rings and then saturated with a mixture of creosol and n-decane. The electrical resistance and potential difference across these membranes can be easily measured using a low-cost volt-ohm meter and home-made Ag/AgCl electrodes. The advantage of the model is the lack of ionic selectivity of the membrane, which can be modified by the introduction of different ionophores to the organic liquid mixture. A membrane treated with the mixture containing valinomycin generates voltages from -53 to -25 mV in the presence of a 10-fold KCl gradient (in to out) and from -79 to -53 mV in the presence of a bi-ionic KCl/NaCl gradient (in to out). This latter bi-ionic gradient potential reverses to a value from +9 to +20 mV when monensin is present in the organic liquid mixture. Thus, the model can be build stepwise, i.e., all factors leading to the development of diffusion potentials can be introduced sequentially, helping students to understand the quantitative relationships of ionic gradients and differential membrane permeability in the generation of cell electrical signals.

Bacterial community succession during pig manure and wheat straw aerobic composting covered with a semi-permeable membrane under slight positive pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Shuangshuang; Fang, Chen; Sun, Xiaoxi; Han, Lujia; He, Xueqin; Huang, Guangqun

2018-07-01

Bacteria play an important role in organic matter degradation and maturity during aerobic composting. This study analyzed composting with or without a membrane cover in laboratory-scale aerobic composting reactor systems. 16S rRNA gene analysis was used to study the bacterial community succession during composting. The richness of the bacterial community decreased and the diversity increased after covering with a semi-permeable membrane and applying a slight positive pressure. Principal components analysis based on operational taxonomic units could distinguish the main composting phases. Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size analysis indicated that covering with a semi-permeable membrane reduced the relative abundance of anaerobic Clostridiales and pathogenic Pseudomonas and increased the abundance of Cellvibrionales. In membrane-covered aerobic composting systems, the relative abundance of some bacteria could be affected, especially anaerobic bacteria. Covering could effectively promote fermentation, reduce emissions and ensure organic fertilizer quality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retention behavior of flavonoids on immobilized artificial membrane chromatography and correlation with cell-based permeability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsopelas, Fotios; Tsagkrasouli, Maria; Poursanidis, Pavlos; Pitsaki, Maria; Vasios, George; Danias, Panagiotis; Panderi, Irene; Tsantili-Kakoulidou, Anna; Giaginis, Constantinos

2018-03-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) retention mechanism for a set of flavonoids and to evaluate the potential of IAM chromatography to model Caco-2 permeability. For this purpose, the retention behavior of 41 flavonoid analogs on two IAM stationary phases, IAM.PC.MG and IAM.PC.DD2, was investigated. Correlations between retention factors, logk w(IAM) and octanol-water partitioning (logP) were established and the role of hydroxyl groups of flavonoids to the underlying retention mechanism was explored. IAM retention and logP values were used to establish sound linear models with Caco-2 permeability (logP app ) taken from the literature. Both stepwise regression and multivariate analysis confirmed the contribution of hydrogen bond descriptors, as additional parameters in the either logk w(IAM) or logP models. Retention factors on both IAM stationary phases showed comparable performance with n-octanol-water partitioning towards Caco-2 permeability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of heterogeneity on the characterization of cell membrane compartments: I. Uniform size and permeability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Damien

2010-03-15

Observations of the motion of individual molecules in the membrane of a number of different cell types have led to the suggestion that the outer membrane of many eukaryotic cells may be effectively partitioned into microdomains. A major cause of this suggested partitioning is believed to be due to the direct/indirect association of the cytosolic face of the cell membrane with the cortical cytoskeleton. Such intimate association is thought to introduce effective hydrodynamic barriers into the membrane that are capable of frustrating molecular Brownian motion over distance scales greater than the average size of the compartment. To date, the standard analytical method for deducing compartment characteristics has relied on observing the random walk behavior of a labeled lipid or protein at various temporal frequencies and different total lengths of time. Simple theoretical arguments suggest that the presence of restrictive barriers imparts a characteristic turnover to a plot of mean squared displacement versus sampling period that can be interpreted to yield the average dimensions of the compartment expressed as the respective side lengths of a rectangle. In the following series of articles, we used computer simulation methods to investigate how well the conventional analytical strategy coped with heterogeneity in size, shape, and barrier permeability of the cell membrane compartments. We also explored questions relating to the necessary extent of sampling required (with regard to both the recorded time of a single trajectory and the number of trajectories included in the measurement bin) for faithful representation of the actual distribution of compartment sizes found using the SPT technique. In the current investigation, we turned our attention to the analytical characterization of diffusion through cell membrane compartments having both a uniform size and permeability. For this ideal case, we found that (i) an optimum sampling time interval existed for the analysis

Evaluation of permeable fractures in rock aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Bok Lee, Hang

2015-04-01

In this study, the practical usefulness and fundamental applicability of a self-potential (SP) method for identifying the permeable fractures were evaluated by a comparison of SP methods with other geophysical logging methods and hydraulic tests. At a 10 m-shallow borehole in the study site, the candidates of permeable fractures crossing the borehole were first determined by conventional geophysical methods such as an acoustic borehole televiwer, temperature, electrical conductivity and gamma-gamma loggings, which was compared to the analysis by the SP method. Constant pressure injection and recovery tests were conducted for verification of the hydraulic properties of the fractures identified by various logging methods. The acoustic borehole televiwer and gamma-gamma loggings detected the open space or weathering zone within the borehole, but they cannot prove the possibility of a groundwater flow through the detected fractures. The temperature and electrical conductivity loggings had limitations to detect the fractured zones where groundwater in the borehole flows out to the surrounding rock aquifers. Comparison of results from different methods showed that there is a best correlation between the distribution of hydraulic conductivity and the variation of the SP signals, and the SP logging can estimate accurately the hydraulic activity as well as the location of permeable fractures. Based on the results, the SP method is recommended for determining the hydraulically-active fractures rather than other conventional geophysical loggings. This self-potential method can be effectively applied in the initial stage of a site investigation which selects the optimal location and evaluates the hydrogeological property of fractures in target sites for the underground structure including the geothermal reservoir and radioactive waste disposal.

Membrane bioreactors for enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose; Idrolisi enzimatica del lattosio con bioreattori a membrana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pizzichini, M; Pilloton, R [ENEA, Casaccia (Italy). Area Energia e Innovazione; Pontecorvo, M; Mignogna, G; Fortunato, A; Beone, F

1993-03-01

Bioreactor systems obtained by cell or enzyme immobilization offer many advantages compared with native enzyme, intact cell systems or other biocatalysts. Thus, many attempts have been made to design and use new types of bioreactor systems in order to improve performance, enhance productivity and reduce environmental impacts. Membrane bioreactors, obtained by physical immobilization of biocatalysts, in polymeric membrane support, offer such practical advantages as: a continuous separation and transformation process with low product inhibition and suitable hydraulic configuration (backflushing recycling, ultrafiltrating). Specific membrane modules (Amicon VitaFiber), for bioreactor applications are being commercialized. Beta-galctosidase enzyme has successfully been immobilized in a hollow fiber and in ceramic modules to hydrolyze lactose in waste whey. This technical report presents the general properties and performances (permeability, washing procedures, hydraulic configurations, physical and chemical properties) of both, polymeric and ceramic supports, enzyme kinetics, physical and covalent immobilization, mathematical model of the bioreactor and on-line process monitoring.

Hydrogeology of rocks of low permeability: region studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llamas, M.R.

1985-01-01

Hydrogeological regional studies on low permeability rocks are rather scarce in comparison to similar studies on normal permeability rocks. Economic and technological difficulties to develop ground water from these terrains may be the main cause of this scarcity. Several facts may indicate that these studies will increase in the near future. First, the need to supply water to the people living in underdeveloped arid zones over extensive areas of low permeability rocks. Second, the relevant role that some low permeability large groundwater basins may play in conjunctive ground and surface-water use. And last but not least the feasibility of some low permeability rock areas as sites for nuclear waste repositories. Some specific difficulties in these regional studies may be: a) intrinsic difficulties in obtaining representative water samples and measuring hydraulic heads; b) scarcity of observation and/or pumping wells; c) important hydraulic head and chemical properties variations in a vertical direction; d) old groundwater ages; this may require paleohydrological considerations to understand certain apparent anomalies. In most of these regional studies hydrogeochemical methods and modelling (flow and mass transport) may be very valuable tools. 77 references, 7 figures

Micelle-template synthesis of hollow silica spheres for improving water vapor permeability of waterborne polyurethane membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Yan; Wang, Tong; Kang, Qiaoling; Shi, Chunhua; Ma, Jianzhong

2017-04-01

Hollow silica spheres (HSS) with special interior spaces, high specific surface area and excellent adsorption and permeability performance were synthesized via micelle-template method using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles as soft template and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as silica precursor. SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XRD, DLS and BET-BJH were carried out to characterize the morphology and structure of as-obtained samples. The results demonstrated that the samples were amorphous with a hollow structure and huge specific surface area. The growth of HSS was an inward-growth mechanism along template. Notably, we have provided a new and interesting fundamental principle for HSS materials by precisely controlling the ethanol-to-water volume ratio. In addition, the as-obtained HSS were mixed with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to prepare WPU/HSS composite membrane. Various characterizations (SEM, TEM, FT-IR and TGA) revealed the morphology, polydispersity and adherence between HSS and WPU. Performance tests showed that the introduction of HSS can improve the water vapor permeability of composite membrane, promoting its water resistance and mechanical performance at the same time.

A fractal analytical model for the permeabilities of fibrous gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Boqi; Fan, Jintu; Ding, Feng

2014-01-01

The study of water and gas transport through fibrous gas diffusion layer (GDL) is important to the optimization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, analytical models of dimensionless permeability, and water and gas relative permeabilities of fibrous GDL in PEMFCs are derived using fractal theory. In our models, the structure of fibrous GDL is characterized in terms of porosity, tortuosity fractal dimension (D T ), pore area fractal dimensions (d f ), water phase (d f,w ) and gas phase (d f,g ) fractal dimensions. The predicted dimensionless permeability, water and gas relative permeabilities based on the proposed models are in good agreement with experimental data and predictions of numerical simulations reported in the literature. The model reveals that, although water phase and gas phase fractal dimensions strongly depend on porosity, the water and gas relative permeabilities are independent of porosity and are a function of water saturation only. It is also shown that the dimensionless permeability decreases significantly with the increase of tortuosity fractal dimension. On the other hand, there is only a small decrease in the water and gas relative permeabilities when tortuosity fractal dimension increases. One advantage of the proposed analytical model is that it contains no empirical constant, which is normally required in past models

Microporous silica membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng

2012-01-01

Hydrothermal stability is a crucial factor for the application of microporous silica-based membranes in industrial processes. Indeed, it is well established that steam exposure may cause densification and defect formation in microporous silica membranes, which are detrimental to both membrane...... permeability and selectivity. Numerous previous studies show that microporous transition metal doped-silica membranes are hydrothermally more stable than pure silica membranes, but less permeable. Here we present a quantitative study on the impact of type and concentration of transition metal ions...... on the microporous structure, stability and permeability of amorphous silica-based membranes, providing information on how to design chemical compositions and synthetic paths for the fabrication of silica-based membranes with a well accessible and highly stabile microporous structure....

KB-R7943, a plasma membrane Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger inhibitor, blocks opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiczer, Brian M; Marcu, Raluca; Hawkins, Brian J

2014-01-31

The isothiourea derivative, KB-R7943, inhibits the reverse-mode of the plasma membrane sodium/calcium exchanger and protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury. The mechanism through which KB-R7943 confers protection, however, remains controversial. Recently, KB-R7943 has been shown to inhibit mitochondrial calcium uptake and matrix overload, which may contribute to its protective effects. While using KB-R7943 for this purpose, we find here no evidence that KB-R7943 directly blocks mitochondrial calcium uptake. Rather, we find that KB-R7943 inhibits opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in permeabilized cells and isolated liver mitochondria. Furthermore, we find that this observation correlates with protection against calcium ionophore-induced mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and cell death, without detrimental effects to basal mitochondrial membrane potential or complex I-dependent mitochondrial respiration. Our data reveal another mechanism through which KB-R7943 may protect against calcium-induced injury, as well as a novel means to inhibit the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A modified parallel artificial membrane permeability assay for evaluating the bioconcentration of highly hydrophobic chemicals in fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Jung-Hwan; Escher, Beate I

2008-03-01

Low cost in vitro tools are needed at the screening stage of assessment of bioaccumulation potential of new and existing chemicals because the number of chemical substances that needs to be tested highly exceeds the capacity of in vivo bioconcentration tests. Thus, the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) system was modified to predict passive uptake/ elimination rate in fish. To overcome the difficulties associated with low aqueous solubility and high membrane affinity of highly hydrophobic chemicals, we measured the rate of permeation from the donor poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS) disk to the acceptor PDMS disk through aqueous and PDMS membrane boundary layers and term the modified PAMPA system "PDMS-PAMPA". Twenty chemicals were selected for validation of PDMS-PAMPA. The measured permeability is proportional to the passive elimination rate constant in fish and was used to predict the "minimum" in vivo elimination rate constant. The in vivo data were very close to predicted values except for a few polar chemicals and metabolically active chemicals, such as pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene. Thus, PDMS-PAMPA can be an appropriate in vitro system for nonmetabolizable chemicals. Combination with metabolic clearance rates using a battery of metabolic degradation assays would enhance the applicability for metabolizable chemicals.

A process efficiency assessment of serum protein removal from milk using ceramic graded permeability microfiltration membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay-Marchand, D; Doyen, A; Britten, M; Pouliot, Y

2016-07-01

Microfiltration (MF) is a well-known process that can be used in the dairy industry to separate caseins from serum proteins (SP) in skim milk using membranes with a pore diameter of 0.1μm. Graded permeability ceramic membranes have been studied widely as means of improving milk fractionation by overcoming problems encountered with other MF membranes. The ideal operating parameters for process efficiency in terms of membrane selectivity, permeate flux, casein loss, SP transmission, energy consumption, and dilution with water remain to be determined for this membrane. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of transmembrane pressure (TMP), volumetric concentration factor (VCF), and diafiltration on overall process efficiency. Skim milk was processed using a pilot-scale MF system equipped with 0.72-m(2) graded permeability membranes with a pore size of 0.1μm. In the first experiment, in full recycle mode, TMP was set at 124, 152, 179, or 207 kPa by adjusting the permeate pressure at the outlet. Whereas TMP had no significant effect on permeate and retentate composition, 152 kPa was found to be optimal for SP removal during concentration and concentration or diafiltration experiments. When VCF was increased to 3×, SP rejection coefficient increased along with energy consumption and total casein loss, whereas SP removal rate decreased. Diafiltering twice allowed an increase in total SP removal but resulted in a substantial increase in energy consumption and casein loss. It also reduced the SP removal rate by diluting permeate. The membrane surface area required for producing cheese milk by blending whole milk, cream, and MF retentate (at different VCF) was estimated for different cheese milk casein concentrations. For a given casein concentration, the same quantity of permeate and SP would be produced, but less membrane surface area would be needed at a lower retentate VCF. Microfiltration has great potential as a process of adding value to conventional

Permeability of human placenta and fetal membranes to thyrotropin-stimulating hormone in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajoria, R; Fisk, N M

1998-05-01

We determined the placental transfer of TSH in an in vitro model of dually perfused isolated lobule in 28 human term placentas by adding varying concentrations (5-60 microIU mL(-1)) of TSH as a single bolus dose to the closed maternal circulation. Transmembrane transfer of TSH was also studied by adding 45 microIU mL(-1) to the maternal or fetal compartment of a dual chamber of fetal membranes in culture. Passage of freely diffusible markers creatinine and antipyrine were also studied in this model. TSH concentration was measured by third generation chemiluminescence assay with a sensitivity of 10 mIU mL(-1). In the perfusion experiments, at physiologic concentrations the slow decline of TSH in the maternal circulation was associated with a small linear increase in fetal levels to 0.11 +/- 0.04% of initial dose at 2 h. The placental transfer rate was 0.08 microIU min(-1). Increasing maternal concentrations of TSH were associated with proportional increases in transfer rate (y = 0.002x; R2 = 0.99) and placental uptake (y = 0.01x; R2 = 0.97). The placental permeability of TSH was 2.4 x 10(-4) mL min(-1) g(-1) and was proportional to its coefficients of diffusion in water and molecular size. The transmembrane transfer and permeability of TSH was comparable to those of the placenta. We conclude that TSH crosses the human term placenta and fetal membranes sparingly.

Proton permeability of membranes of Streptococcus faecalis and submitochondrial particles of rats after irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fomenko, B.S.; Pinchukova, V.A.

1977-01-01

It has been shown that at a changed, by HCl impulse, pH of Streptococcus faecalis suspension and submitochondrial liver particles (SLP) of rats, H + concentration decreases more rapidly in the irradiated bacteria and SLP than in the controls. The curves of energy dependence of accumulation of the penetrating ions were also displaced toward the alkaline zone depending on pH. These effects are suggested to be connected with an increased proton permeability of irradiated membranes

An intelligent detecting system for permeability prediction of MBR.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Honggui; Zhang, Shuo; Qiao, Junfei; Wang, Xiaoshuang

2018-01-01

The membrane bioreactor (MBR) has been widely used to purify wastewater in wastewater treatment plants. However, a critical difficulty of the MBR is membrane fouling. To reduce membrane fouling, in this work, an intelligent detecting system is developed to evaluate the performance of MBR by predicting the membrane permeability. This intelligent detecting system consists of two main parts. First, a soft computing method, based on the partial least squares method and the recurrent fuzzy neural network, is designed to find the nonlinear relations between the membrane permeability and the other variables. Second, a complete new platform connecting the sensors and the software is built, in order to enable the intelligent detecting system to handle complex algorithms. Finally, the simulation and experimental results demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of the proposed intelligent detecting system, underlying the potential of this system for the online membrane permeability for detecting membrane fouling of MBR.

Treatment for cracked and permeable Houston clay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vipulanandan, C.; Leung, M.

1991-01-01

In this study, the treatability of a field clay (obtained from Houston, Texas) and a clay-sand mixture to reduce their hydraulic conductivity was evaluated. Remolded field clay and clay-sand mixture with and without methanol contamination were treated to reduce their hydraulic conductivity by permeating very dilute grout solutions. The concentration of sodium silicate in the grout solution was 8%, while the solid content in the cement grout was 0.3%. The hydraulic conductivity of permeable Houston clay (hydraulic conductivity >10 -5 cm/sec) could be reduced to less than 10 -7 cm/sec (U.S. EPA limit for soil barriers) by permeating with a selected combination of grout solutions

Towards high water permeability in triazine-framework-based microporous membranes for dehydration of ethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yu Pan; Wang, Huan; Chung, Tai Shung

2015-01-01

The microstructural evolution of a series of triazine framework-based microporous (TFM) membranes under different conditions has been explored in this work. The pristine TFM membrane is in situ fabricated in the course of polymer synthesis via a facile Brønsted-acid-catalyzed cyclotrimerizaiton reaction. The as-synthesized polymer exhibits a microporous network with high thermal stability. The free volume size of the TFM membranes gradually evolved from a unimodal distribution to a bimodal distribution under annealing, as analyzed by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). The emergence of the bimodal distribution is probably ascribed to the synergetic effect of quenching and thermal cyclization reaction. In addition, the fractional free volume (FFV) of the membranes presents a concave trend with increasing annealing temperature. Vapor sorption tests reveal that the mass transport properties are closely associated with the free volume evolution, which provides an optimal condition for dehydration of biofuels. A promising separation performance with extremely high water permeability has been attained for dehydration of an 85 wt % ethanol aqueous solution at 45 °C. The study on the free volume evolution of the TFM membranes may provide useful insights about the microstructure and mass transport behavior of the microporous polymeric materials. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of impurities on hydrogen permeability through palladium alloy membrane at comparatively high pressure and temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Hiroshi; Konishi, Satoshi; Katsuta, Hiroji; Naruse, Yuji

1982-02-01

Palladium alloy membrane method is considered to be a useful technique for fusion reactor fuel purification process. To study the feasibility of this method, the effects of impurities on permeation characteristics of palladium alloy membrane were examined. Experiments were carried out at practical conditions: pressure; 120 - 1200 kPa, temperature; about 700 K. No poisoning effect on hydrogen permeability of commercial Pd-Ag (Au.Ru) alloy was observed for impurities such as NH 3 , CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , O 2 and N 2 , which were mixed with hyper-pure H 2 at low concentration level (10 - 10000 ppm). Deterioration occurred by contamination with oil vapor. However, regeneration of the membrane was easily performed by air baking followed by hydrogen reduction. Chemical reactions in the permeation cell were also examined. (author)

Dentin Permeability of Carious Primary Teeth

African Journals Online (AJOL)

primary dental pulp make it difficult to determine which modality offers the best ... The most common pathology of the dentine is dental caries. ... to evaluate dentine permeability is to calculate its hydraulic conductance (Lp) using fluid filtration ...

Thermo-osmosis in Membrane Systems: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Barragán, V. María; Kjelstrup, Signe

2017-06-01

We give a first review of experimental results for a phenomenon little explored in the literature, namely thermal osmosis or thermo-osmosis. Such systems are now getting increased attention because of their ability to use waste heat for separation purposes. We show that this volume transport of a solution or a pure liquid caused by a temperature difference across a membrane can be understood as a property of the membrane system, i. e. the membrane with its adjacent solutions. We present experimental values found in the literature of thermo-osmotic coefficients of neutral and hydrophobic as well as charged and hydrophilic membranes, with water and other permeant fluids as well as electrolyte solutions. We propose that the coefficient can be qualitatively explained by a formula that contains the entropy of adsorption of permeant into the membrane, the hydraulic permeability, and a factor that depends on the interface resistance to heat transfer. A variation in the entropy of adsorption with hydrophobic/hydrophilic membranes and structure breaking/structure making cations could then explain the sign of the permeant flux. Systematic experiments in the field are lacking and we propose an experimental program to mend this situation.

Arabidopsis SNAREs SYP61 and SYP121 coordinate the trafficking of plasma membrane aquaporin PIP2;7 to modulate the cell membrane water permeability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hachez, Charles; Laloux, Timothée; Reinhardt, Hagen; Cavez, Damien; Degand, Hervé; Grefen, Christopher; De Rycke, Riet; Inzé, Dirk; Blatt, Michael R; Russinova, Eugenia; Chaumont, François

2014-07-01

Plant plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) are aquaporins that facilitate the passive movement of water and small neutral solutes through biological membranes. Here, we report that post-Golgi trafficking of PIP2;7 in Arabidopsis thaliana involves specific interactions with two syntaxin proteins, namely, the Qc-SNARE SYP61 and the Qa-SNARE SYP121, that the proper delivery of PIP2;7 to the plasma membrane depends on the activity of the two SNAREs, and that the SNAREs colocalize and physically interact. These findings are indicative of an important role for SYP61 and SYP121, possibly forming a SNARE complex. Our data support a model in which direct interactions between specific SNARE proteins and PIP aquaporins modulate their post-Golgi trafficking and thus contribute to the fine-tuning of the water permeability of the plasma membrane. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

In situ determination of anisotropic permeability of clay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, H.; Soennke, J.; Morel, J.; Krug, S.

2011-01-01

Argillaceous formations are being considered as potential host rocks for repositories of radioactive waste in many countries. For this purpose, the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical properties of the clay stone are being widely investigated in the laboratories and in situ. However, clay stone behaves, due to its tectonic evolution of the formation, hydraulically and mechanically transversal isotropic. Argillite bedding or layering structure has been observed in the underground laboratories Mont Terri in the Switzerland and Meuse/Haute-Marne at Bure site in France. Conventional packer systems used for the borehole hydraulic characterisation cannot distinguish the difference between the properties parallel and perpendicular to the bedding. For this purpose, a new 'slot packer' system has been developed by the BGR. This type of new packer system is intensively tested in the BGR laboratory and the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory to judge the feasibility. The anisotropic ratio of the Opalinus clay defined by permeability value parallel to the bedding/permeability value perpendicular to the bedding is evaluated up to eight times to one order of magnitude within the HG-B experiment in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory. Within the cooperation between BGR and ANDRA, the 'slot packer' will be used for the measurement of anisotropic permeability of the Callovo-Oxfordian formation at the Bure site. (authors)

Effect of mixed γ-plus neutron-radiation on permeability to taurine of peripheral blood leukocyte membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dokshina, G.A.; Naumenko, L.A.

1980-01-01

A study was made of permeability to taurine of cellular membranes of peripheral blood leukocytes in vitro under normal conditions and 24 k following mixed γ-plus neutron-irradiation in a dose of 3.5 Gy. It was established that radiation increases the taurine content of cells. The protein content of leukocytes also increases probably due to a better sorption of serum proteins of blood

Increasing the permeability of Escherichia coli using MAC13243

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muheim, Claudio; Götzke, Hansjörg; Eriksson, Anna U.

2017-01-01

molecules that make the outer membrane of Escherichia coli more permeable. We identified MAC13243, an inhibitor of the periplasmic chaperone LolA that traffics lipoproteins from the inner to the outer membrane. We observed that cells were (1) more permeable to the fluorescent probe 1-N...

Argon and nitrogen beams influencing membrane permeate fluxes and microbial growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanichapichart, P.; Taweepreeda, W.; Choomgan, P.; Yu, L.D.

2010-01-01

Porous cellulose and dense chitosan membranes were bombarded with argon and nitrogen-ion beams using two energy levels, 30 and 120 keV, of the same fluency of 5x10 14 ions/cm 2 for a comparison study. The results revealed that both beam types reduced the hydraulic permeability of the membranes. Using a NaCl solution of 4000 ppm concentration as feed, the ability to reject salt of dense chitosan membrane was reduced only if it was pretreated with 120 keV nitrogen-ion beams. A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy study showed that molecular weight of chitosan was possibly decreased after the bombardment with 120 keV beams. The analysis of the cellulose membranes revealed that a dense structure was created without affecting the OH functional groups. This study found that only chitosan membranes possessed an anti-fungi property if being implanted with positive charges of nitrogen or argon ions of 120 keV.

Do phosphoinositides regulate membrane water permeability of tobacco protoplasts by enhancing the aquaporin pathway?

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaohong; Shatil-Cohen, Arava; Ben-Dor, Shifra; Wigoda, Noa; Perera, Imara Y; Im, Yang Ju; Diminshtein, Sofia; Yu, Ling; Boss, Wendy F; Moshelion, Menachem; Moran, Nava

2015-03-01

Enhancing the membrane content of PtdInsP 2 , the already-recognized protein-regulating lipid, increased the osmotic water permeability of tobacco protoplasts, apparently by increasing the abundance of active aquaporins in their membranes. While phosphoinositides are implicated in cell volume changes and are known to regulate some ion channels, their modulation of aquaporins activity has not yet been reported for any organism. To examine this, we compared the osmotic water permeability (P f) of protoplasts isolated from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cultured cells (NT1) with different (genetically lowered or elevated relative to controls) levels of inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) and phosphatidyl inositol [4,5] bisphosphate (PtdInsP2). To achieve this, the cells were transformed with, respectively, the human InsP3 5-phosphatase ('Ptase cells') or human phosphatidylinositol (4) phosphate 5-kinase ('PIPK cells'). The mean P f of the PIPK cells was several-fold higher relative to that of controls and Ptase cells. Three results favor aquaporins over the membrane matrix as underlying this excessive P f: (1) transient expression of the maize aquaporin ZmPIP2;4 in the PIPK cells increased P f by 12-30 μm s(-1), while in the controls only by 3-4 μm s(-1). (2) Cytosol acidification-known to inhibit aquaporins-lowered the P f in the PIPK cells down to control levels. (3) The transcript of at least one aquaporin was elevated in the PIPK cells. Together, the three results demonstrate the differences between the PIPK cells and their controls, and suggest a hitherto unobserved regulation of aquaporins by phosphoinositides, which could occur through direct interaction or indirect phosphoinositides-dependent cellular effects.

Microfluidic passive permeability assay using nanoliter droplet interface lipid bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nisisako, Takasi; Portonovo, Shiva A; Schmidt, Jacob J

2013-11-21

Membrane permeability assays play an important role in assessing drug transport activities across biological membranes. However, in conventional parallel artificial membrane permeability assays (PAMPA), the membrane model used is dissimilar to biological membranes physically and chemically. Here, we describe a microfluidic passive permeability assay using droplet interface bilayers (DIBs). In a microfluidic network, nanoliter-sized donor and acceptor aqueous droplets are alternately formed in cross-flowing oil containing phospholipids. Subsequently, selective removal of oil through hydrophobic pseudo-porous sidewalls induces the contact of the lipid monolayers, creating arrayed planar DIBs between the donor and acceptor droplets. Permeation of fluorescein from the donor to the acceptor droplets was fluorometrically measured. From the measured data and a simple diffusion model we calculated the effective permeabilities of 5.1 × 10(-6) cm s(-1), 60.0 × 10(-6) cm s(-1), and 87.6 × 10(-6) cm s(-1) with donor droplets at pH values of 7.5, 6.4 and 5.4, respectively. The intrinsic permeabilities of specific monoanionic and neutral fluorescein species were obtained similarly. We also measured the permeation of caffeine in 10 min using UV microspectroscopy, obtaining a permeability of 20.8 × 10(-6) cm s(-1). With the small solution volumes, short measurement time, and ability to measure a wide range of compounds, this device has considerable potential as a platform for high-throughput drug permeability assays.

Hydrology and Hydraulic Properties of a Bedded Evaporite Formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BEAUHEIM, RICHARD L.; ROBERTS, RANDALL M.

2000-01-01

The Permian Salado Formation in the Delaware Basin of New Mexico is an extensively studied evaporite deposit because it is the host formation for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a repository for transuranic wastes. Geologic and hydrologic studies of the Salado conducted since the mid-1970's have led to the development of a conceptual model of the hydrogeology of the formation that involves far-field permeability in anhydrite layers and at least some impure halite layers. Pure halite layers and some impure halite layers may not possess an interconnected pore network adequate to provide permeability. Pore pressures are probably very close to lithostatic pressure. In the near field around an excavation, dilation, creep, and shear have created and/or enhanced permeability and decreased pore pressure. Whether flow occurs in the far field under natural gradients or only after some threshold gradient is reached is unknown. If far-field flow does occur, mean pore velocities are probably on the order of a meter per hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of years. Flow dimensions inferred from most hydraulic-test responses are subradial, which is believed to reflect channeling of flow through fracture networks, or portions of fractures, that occupy a diminishing proportion of the radially available space, or through percolation networks that are not ''saturated'' (fully interconnected). This is probably related to the directional nature of the permeability created or enhanced by excavation effects. Inferred values of permeability cannot be separated from their associated flow dimensions. Therefore, numerical models of flow and transport should include heterogeneity that is structured to provide the same flow dimensions as are observed in hydraulic tests. Modeling of the Salado Formation around the WIPP repository should also include coupling between hydraulic properties and the evolving stress field because hydraulic properties change as the stress field changes

Genetic Manipulation of Outer Membrane Permeability: Generating Porous Heterogeneous Catalyst Analogs in Escherichia coli

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patel, TN; Park, AHA; Bantat, S

2014-12-01

The limited permeability of the E. coli outer membrane can significantly hinder whole-cell biocatalyst performance. In this study, the SARS coronavirus small envelope protein (SCVE) was expressed in E. coli cells previously engineered for periplasmic expression of carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity. This maneuver increased small molecule uptake by the cells, resulting in increased apparent CA activity of the biocatalysts. The enhancements in activity were quantified using methods developed for traditional heterogeneous catalysis. The expression of the SCVE protein was found to significantly reduce the Thiele moduli (phi), as well as increase the effectiveness factors (eta), effective diffusivities (D-e), and permeabilities (P) of the biocatalysts. These catalytic improvements translated into superior performance of the biocatalysts for the precipitation of calcium carbonate from solution which is an attractive strategy for long-term sequestration of captured carbon dioxide. Overall, these results demonstrate that synthetic biology approaches can be used to enhance heterogeneous catalysts incorporated into microbial whole-cell scaffolds.

“三软”煤层水力冲孔卸压增透技术研究%Study on pressure releasing and permeability improving technology with hydraulic flushing in “three soft”coal seam

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

何志龙; 孙谦; 宋大钊; 高勤琼

2015-01-01

针对糯东煤矿“三软”高瓦斯低透气性煤层易流变、难抽采的问题，提出了底板巷道穿层水力冲孔卸压增透技术，并在糯东煤矿11702掘进工作面进行了现场试验。结果表明：冲孔后比冲孔前抽采瓦斯浓度上升3．4倍，瓦斯抽采流量增加4．4倍，炮掘工作面回风流中的瓦斯（体积分数）由冲孔前0．8％的超限预警状态变成冲孔后的0．4％的安全范围，水力冲孔技术应用效果显著，在糯东煤矿取得了良好的卸压增透效果。%To solve the problem of easy rheology and hard drainage in"three soft"coal seam with high gas concentration and low permeability in Nuodong coal mine,the pressure releasing and permeability improving technology with hydraulic flushing in floor gateway was proposed,and corresponding field test at the No.11702 heading face of Nuodong coal mine was carried out.The re-sults show that the drained gas concentration after hydraulic flushing is 3.4 times as that without hydraulic flushing and the gas flow rate is increased by 4.4 times;and the gas concentration at the blasting working face changes from 0.8% (overrun warning state,before hydraulic flushing)to 0.4% (safety state,after hydraulic flushing).The application of hydraulic flushing technolo-gy is more effective and remarkable in releasing pressure and improving permeability in Nuodong coal mine.

[Correlation of substrate structure and hydraulic characteristics in subsurface flow constructed wetlands].

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Shao-Yuan; Song, Zhi-Xin; Ding, Yan-Li; You, Shao-Hong; He, Shan

2014-02-01

The correlation of substrate structure and hydraulic characteristics was studied by numerical simulation combined with experimental method. The numerical simulation results showed that the permeability coefficient of matrix had a great influence on hydraulic efficiency in subsurface flow constructed wetlands. The filler with a high permeability coefficient had a worse flow field distribution in the constructed wetland with single layer structure. The layered substrate structure with the filler permeability coefficient increased from surface to bottom could avoid the short-circuited flow and dead-zones, and thus, increased the hydraulic efficiency. Two parallel pilot-scale constructed wetlands were built according to the numerical simulation results, and tracer experiments were conducted to validate the simulation results. The tracer experiment result showed that hydraulic characteristics in the layered constructed wetland were obviously better than that in the single layer system, and the substrate effective utilization rates were 0.87 and 0.49, respectively. It was appeared that numerical simulation would be favorable for substrate structure optimization in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

In situ determination of anisotropic permeability of clay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, H.; Soennke, J.; Morel, J.; Krug, S.

2010-01-01

in clay stone is generally considered to have a depth of approximately 2 metres. Therefore, a 3-m borehole can also be used for both objects. Ail boreholes are drilled by using dry air technique and oriented parallel to the bedding plane, so that the permeability parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane can be tested only by turning the 'slot'. Hydraulic tests using gas as test medium are carried out immediately after the drilling of the holes. For evaluation of the measured data, the finite element program RockFlow has been used. The packer 'slot' with a width of 1 cm can also be simulated in the numerical model. Most of the measurements show a clear hydraulic anisotropy due to the bedding structure. As summary, following statements can be made: - Hydraulic anisotropy of clay medium can be determined using the developed 'slot packer' system with orientated applications. - The anisotropic ratio of the Opalinus Clay at Mont Terri (permeability parallel to the bedding/permeability perpendicular to the bedding) may be evaluated up to eight times to one order of magnitude. - Fractures in the excavation damaged zone around the underground opening in clay formations can be identified and especially the orientations of the fractures can be determined using the 'slot packer'. - The fracture permeability has a significant importance for the hydraulic characterisation of the near field. A double packer is sufficient to determine the permeability for this purpose. This tool can also be applied in fractured rock (e.g. granite) to determine the fracture orientation. (authors)

Selective and membrane-permeable small molecule inhibitors of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase reverse high fat diet-induced obesity in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Neelakantan, Harshini; Vance, Virginia; Wetzel, Michael D; Wang, Hua-Yu Leo; McHardy, Stanton F; Finnerty, Celeste C; Hommel, Jonathan D; Watowich, Stanley J

2018-01-01

There is a critical need for new mechanism-of-action drugs that reduce the burden of obesity and associated chronic metabolic comorbidities. A potentially novel target to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes is nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a cytosolic enzyme with newly identified roles in cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis. To validate NNMT as an anti-obesity drug target, we investigated the permeability, selectivity, mechanistic, and physiological properties of a series of small molecule NNMT inhibitors. Membrane permeability of NNMT inhibitors was characterized using parallel artificial membrane permeability and Caco-2 cell assays. Selectivity was tested against structurally-related methyltransferases and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) salvage pathway enzymes. Effects of NNMT inhibitors on lipogenesis and intracellular levels of metabolites, including NNMT reaction product 1-methylnicotianamide (1-MNA) were evaluated in cultured adipocytes. Effects of a potent NNMT inhibitor on obesity measures and plasma lipid were assessed in diet-induced obese mice fed a high-fat diet. Methylquinolinium scaffolds with primary amine substitutions displayed high permeability from passive and active transport across membranes. Importantly, methylquinolinium analogues displayed high selectivity, not inhibiting related SAM-dependent methyltransferases or enzymes in the NAD + salvage pathway. NNMT inhibitors reduced intracellular 1-MNA, increased intracellular NAD + and S-(5'-adenosyl)-l-methionine (SAM), and suppressed lipogenesis in adipocytes. Treatment of diet-induced obese mice systemically with a potent NNMT inhibitor significantly reduced body weight and white adipose mass, decreased adipocyte size, and lowered plasma total cholesterol levels. Notably, administration of NNMT inhibitors did not impact total food intake nor produce any observable adverse effects. These results support development of small molecule NNMT inhibitors as therapeutics to

Correlation of Gas Permeability in a Metal-Organic Framework MIL-101(Cr)-Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membrane with Free Volume Measurements by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS).

Science.gov (United States)

Jeazet, Harold B Tanh; Koschine, Tönjes; Staudt, Claudia; Raetzke, Klaus; Janiak, Christoph

2013-10-25

Hydrothermally stable particles of the metal-organic framework MIL-101(Cr) were incorporated into a polysulfone (PSF) matrix to produce mixed-matrix or composite membranes with excellent dispersion of MIL-101 particles and good adhesion within the polymer matrix. Pure gas (O2, N2, CO2 and CH4) permeation tests showed a significant increase of gas permeabilities of the mixed-matrix membranes without any loss in selectivity. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) indicated that the increased gas permeability is due to the free volume in the PSF polymer and the added large free volume inside the MIL-101 particles. The trend of the gas transport properties of the composite membranes could be reproduced by a Maxwell model.

The Multi-Porosity Multi-Permeability and Electrokinetic Natures of Shales and Their Effects in Hydraulic Fracturing of Unconventional Shale Reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, C.; Hoang, S. K.; Tran, M. H.; Abousleiman, Y. N.

2013-12-01

Imaging studies of unconventional shale reservoir rocks have recently revealed the multi-porosity multi-permeability nature of these intricate formations. In particular, the porosity spectrum of shale reservoir rocks often comprises of the nano-porosity in the organic matters, the inter-particle micro-porosity, and the macroscopic porosity of the natural fracture network. Shale is also well-known for its chemically active behaviors, especially shrinking and swelling when exposed to aqueous solutions, as the results of pore fluid exchange with external environment due to the difference in electro-chemical potentials. In this work, the effects of natural fractures and electrokinetic nature of shale on the formation responses during hydraulic fracturing are examined using the dual-poro-chemo-electro-elasticity approach which is a generalization of the classical Biot's poroelastic formulation. The analyses show that the presence of natural fractures can substantially increase the leak-off rate of fracturing fluid into the formation and create a larger region of high pore pressure near the fracture face as shown in Fig.1a. Due to the additional fluid invasion, the naturally fractured shale swells up more and the fracture aperture closes faster compared to an intrinsically low permeability non-fractured shale formation as shown in Fig.1b. Since naturally fractured zones are commonly targeted as pay zones, it is important to account for the faster fracture closing rate in fractured shales in hydraulic fracturing design. Our results also show that the presence of negative fixed charges on the surface of clay minerals creates an osmotic pressure at the interface of the shale and the external fluid as shown in Fig.1c. This additional Donnan-induced pore pressure can result in significant tensile effective stresses and tensile damage in the shale as shown in Fig.1d. The induced tensile damage can exacerbate the problem of proppant embedment resulting in more fracture closure

An overview on rod-bundle thermal-hydraulic analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha, W.T.

1980-01-01

Three methods used in rod-bundle thermal-hydraulic analysis are summarized. These methods are: (1) subchannel analysis, (2) porous medium formulation with volume porosity, surface permeability, distributed resistance and distributed heat source (sink) and, (3) bench-mark rod-bundle thermal-hydraulic analysis using a boundary-fitted coordinate system. Basic limitations and merits of each method are delineated. (orig.)

Crustal permeability: Introduction to the special issue

Science.gov (United States)

Ingebritsen, Steven E.; Gleeson, Tom

2015-01-01

The topic of crustal permeability is of broad interest in light of the controlling effect of permeability on diverse geologic processes and also timely in light of the practical challenges associated with emerging technologies such as hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas production (‘fracking’), enhanced geothermal systems, and geologic carbon sequestration. This special issue of Geofluids is also motivated by the historical dichotomy between the hydrogeologic concept of permeability as a static material property that exerts control on fluid flow and the perspective of economic geologists, geophysicists, and crustal petrologists who have long recognized permeability as a dynamic parameter that changes in response to tectonism, fluid production, and geochemical reactions. Issues associated with fracking, enhanced geothermal systems, and geologic carbon sequestration have already begun to promote a constructive dialog between the static and dynamic views of permeability, and here we have made a conscious effort to include both viewpoints. This special issue also focuses on the quantification of permeability, encompassing both direct measurement of permeability in the uppermost crust and inferential permeability estimates, mainly for the deeper crust.

Hydraulic fracturing of rock-fill dam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-Jie WANG

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The condition in which hydraulic fracturing in core of earth-rock fill dam maybe induced, the mechanism by which the reason of hydraulic fracturing canbe explained, and the failure criterion by which the occurrence of hydraulicfracturing can be determined, were investigated. The condition dependson material properties such as, cracks in the core and low permeability ofcore soil, and “water wedging” action in cracks. An unsaturated core soiland fast impounding are the prerequisites for the formation of “waterwedging” action. The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing can be explainedby fracture mechanics. The crack propagation induced by water pressuremay follow any of mode I, mode II and mixed mode I-II. Based on testingresults of a core soil, a new criterion for hydraulic fracturing was suggested,from which mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing in the core of rock-fill damwere discussed. The results indicated that factors such as angle betweencrack surface and direction of principal stress, local stress state at thecrack, and fracture toughness KIC of core soil may largely affect theinduction of hydraulic fracturing and the mode of the propagation of thecrack.The condition in which hydraulic fracturing in core of earth-rock fill dam maybe induced, the mechanism by which the reason of hydraulic fracturing canbe explained, and the failure criterion by which the occurrence of hydraulicfracturing can be determined, were investigated. The condition dependson material properties such as, cracks in the core and low permeability ofcore soil, and “water wedging” action in cracks. An unsaturated core soiland fast impounding are the prerequisites for the formation of “waterwedging” action. The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing can be explainedby fracture mechanics. The crack propagation induced by water pressuremay follow any of mode I, mode II and mixed mode I-II. Based on testingresults of a core soil, a new criterion for hydraulic fracturing

Experimental study of the permeability of concrete under variable thermal and hydric conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, W.

2011-01-01

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the variable thermal and hydric effect, with fissuration effect on the hydraulic behaviour of two concretes. Many experimental tests (saturation and permeability measurements, uniaxial and triaxial compressions tests) were carried out in order to investigate the temperature and saturation influence on the behaviour hydraulic on sound and micro-cracked concrete. Moreover, an experimental device for permeability measurement on macro-cracked concrete was realized, it allows to study the behaviour of macro-cracked of concrete confined and subjected to dry gas flow or very moist air at different temperatures. Multiaxial mechanical tests are coupled to the permeability measurements of sound concrete and micro-cracked by freezing and thawing, which allow to measuring the permeability under deviatoric load-unload with the effect of pre-cracking under stress. We also effectuated a test of relative permeability of concrete as a function of water saturation, subjected to drying and re-saturation, conditioning by the different relative humidity imposed. (author)

NMR studies of human blood cells in health and disease. I. Alterations of the plasma membrane water permeability of erythrocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katona, Eva; Doaga, I. O.; Radulet, Diana; Caplanusi, A.; Negreanu, Cezarina; Mihele, Denisa

1999-01-01

Alterations in pathological cases of the human erythrocyte membrane water permeability were investigated by using a Mn 2+ -doping 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The temperature dependence of the apparent water diffusional exchange through erythrocyte membranes in chronic hepatitis, diabetes, dyslipidemia and essential hypertension was measured and compared to healthy controls. Using moderate manganese concentrations (9-18 mM) and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequences with a large number of refocusing π pulses and short interpulse delay (100 μs) our values of the water exchange times (τ e ) across erythrocyte membranes, obtained within a 10 min time period following the moment of doping, were independent of the actual manganese concentration and the Arrhenius plot for water exchange was linear over the range of 22-42 deg C. A marked increase of the water exchange times values was observed in all studied disease states. In case of chronic hepatitis, diabetes and dyslipidemia the changes observed in transmembrane water exchange time were associated with significant increase in the apparent activation energy of the diffusional water permeability thus, pointing out alterations in the function of the erythrocyte water channel. (author)

NMR studies of human blood cells in health and disease. I. Alterations of the plasma membrane water permeability of erythrocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katona, Eva; Doaga, I O; Radulet, Diana [Department of Biophysics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, 8 Blvd. Eroilor Sanitari, POB 15-205, RO-76241 Bucharest (Romania); Caplanusi, A [Medical Biochemistry Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, 8 Blvd. Eroilor Sanitari, POB 15-205, RO-76241 Bucharest (Romania); Negreanu, Cezarina [Division of New Energy Conversion Methods, Institute of Research and Design for Thermoenergetic Equipment, ICPET-CERCETARE, Bucharest (Romania); Mihele, Denisa [Clinical Laboratory Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, 8 Blvd. Eroilor Sanitari, POB 15-205, RO-76241 Bucharest (Romania)

1999-07-01

Alterations in pathological cases of the human erythrocyte membrane water permeability were investigated by using a Mn{sup 2+}-doping {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The temperature dependence of the apparent water diffusional exchange through erythrocyte membranes in chronic hepatitis, diabetes, dyslipidemia and essential hypertension was measured and compared to healthy controls. Using moderate manganese concentrations (9-18 mM) and Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill pulse sequences with a large number of refocusing {pi} pulses and short interpulse delay (100 {mu}s) our values of the water exchange times ({tau}{sub e}) across erythrocyte membranes, obtained within a 10 min time period following the moment of doping, were independent of the actual manganese concentration and the Arrhenius plot for water exchange was linear over the range of 22-42 deg C. A marked increase of the water exchange times values was observed in all studied disease states. In case of chronic hepatitis, diabetes and dyslipidemia the changes observed in transmembrane water exchange time were associated with significant increase in the apparent activation energy of the diffusional water permeability thus, pointing out alterations in the function of the erythrocyte water channel. (author)

Recovery of ammonia from anaerobically digested manure using gas-permeable membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Cruz García-González

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N can be recovered from different types of wastewaters. Among these wastewaters, anaerobically digested swine manure (digestate has the highest N content in ammonia form (NH3. It is desirable to reduce N in digestate effluents to safely incorporate them in arable soil in N vulnerable zones (NVZ and to mitigate NH3 emissions during N land application. Additional benefit is to minimize inhibition of the anaerobic process by removing NH3 during the anaerobic digestion process. This work aimed to apply the gas-permeable membrane technology to evaluate ammonia (NH3 recovery from high-ammonia digested swine manure. Anaerobically digested swine manure with NH4+ content of 4,293 mg N L−1 was reduced by 91 % (to 381 mg N L−1 during the 32-day experiment. Although the results showed a total N recovery efficiency of 71 %, it is possible to increase this recovery efficiency to > 90 % by adjusting the area of the membrane system to match the high free ammonia concentration (FA in digested swine manure. Moreover, final digestate pH and alkalinity were kept around 8.1 and 8,923 mgCaCO3 L−1, which are convenient for the anaerobic process or incorporation in arable soil when the process is finished.

Intact plant MRI for the study of cell water relations, membrane permeability, cell-to-cell and long distance water transport

NARCIS (Netherlands)

As, van H.

2007-01-01

Water content and hydraulic conductivity, including transport within cells, over membranes, cell-to-cell, and long-distance xylem and phloem transport, are strongly affected by plant water stress. By being able to measure these transport processes non-invasely in the intact plant situation in

Hydrogen purifier module with membrane support

Science.gov (United States)

A hydrogen purifier utilizing a hydrogen-permeable membrane to purify hydrogen from mixed gases containing hydrogen is disclosed. Improved mechanical support for the permeable membrane is described, enabling forward or reverse differential pressurization of the membrane, which further stabilizes the membrane from wrinkling upon hydrogen uptake.

2012-07-24

A hydrogen purifier utilizing a hydrogen-permeable membrane to purify hydrogen from mixed gases containing hydrogen is disclosed. Improved mechanical support for the permeable membrane is described, enabling forward or reverse differential pressurization of the membrane, which further stabilizes the membrane from wrinkling upon hydrogen uptake.

Synthesis of ceramic hollow fiber supported zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes with high hydrogen permeability

KAUST Repository

Pan, Yichang; Wang, Bo; Lai, Zhiping

2012-01-01

Purification and recovery of hydrogen from hydrocarbons in refinery streams in the petrochemical industry is an emerging research field in the study of membrane gas separation. Hollow fiber membrane modules can be easily implemented into separation processes at the industrial scale. In this report, hollow yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) fiber-supported zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes were successfully prepared using a mild and environmentally friendly seeded growth method. Our single-component permeation studies demonstrated that the membrane had a very high hydrogen permeance (~15×10 -7mol/m 2sPa) and an ideal selectivity of H 2/C 3H 8 of more than 1000 at room temperature. This high membrane permeability and selectivity caused serious concentration polarization in the separation of H 2/C 3H 8 mixtures, which led to almost 50% drop in both the H 2 permeance and the separation factor. Enhanced mixing on the feed side could reduce the effect of the concentration polarization. Our experimental data also indicated that the membranes had excellent reproducibility and long-term stability, indicating that the hollow fiber-supported ZIF-8 membranes developed in this study have great potential in industry-scale separation of hydrogen. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Synthesis of ceramic hollow fiber supported zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes with high hydrogen permeability

KAUST Repository

Pan, Yichang

2012-12-01

Purification and recovery of hydrogen from hydrocarbons in refinery streams in the petrochemical industry is an emerging research field in the study of membrane gas separation. Hollow fiber membrane modules can be easily implemented into separation processes at the industrial scale. In this report, hollow yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) fiber-supported zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) membranes were successfully prepared using a mild and environmentally friendly seeded growth method. Our single-component permeation studies demonstrated that the membrane had a very high hydrogen permeance (~15×10 -7mol/m 2sPa) and an ideal selectivity of H 2/C 3H 8 of more than 1000 at room temperature. This high membrane permeability and selectivity caused serious concentration polarization in the separation of H 2/C 3H 8 mixtures, which led to almost 50% drop in both the H 2 permeance and the separation factor. Enhanced mixing on the feed side could reduce the effect of the concentration polarization. Our experimental data also indicated that the membranes had excellent reproducibility and long-term stability, indicating that the hollow fiber-supported ZIF-8 membranes developed in this study have great potential in industry-scale separation of hydrogen. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Characterization of the mechanical and hydraulic damage in the excavation damaged zone of MHM with gas permeability measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, D.

2008-09-01

water retention curve, the kinetic dehydration, the dehydration shrink and wetting crack in samples were measured and analyzed. The coefficient of hydraulic diffusion determined from the evolution of mass is about 5.10 -10 m 2 .s -1 . The gas permeability (k) under the isotropic stress of 5 MPa increases from 10 -21 to 10 -18 m 2 when the imposed relative humidity decreases from 98 % to 25 %. A quasi-linear relation between log(k) and Saturation has been observed and mathematically formulated. The gas permeability as a function of deviator stress has also been studied and the results confirm that the effect of the deviator is not evident, even when the deviator excesses the damage threshold. These results coincide with Zhang's observations on the same rock of MHM. The deformation and the acoustics velocity of samples have been traced during the tests and the microstructure of mudstone has been studied with the method of mercury intrusion. The factors influencing the measure of gas permeability, such as the Klinkenberg effect, the variation of saturation during the tests, the dissolution of gas in water and the water transformation due to the gas pressure, especially the leak tightness of the testing system, have been discussed in the study. (author)

Permeability and Diffusion Coefficients of Single Methyl Lactate Enantiomers in Nafion® and Cellophane Membranes Measured in Diffusion Cell.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hovorka, Š.; Randová, A.; Borbášová, T.; Sysel, P.; Vychodilová, Hana; Červenková Šťastná, Lucie; Brožová, Libuše; Žitka, Jan; Storch, Jan; Kačírková, Marie; Drašar, P.; Izák, Pavel

2016-01-01

Roč. 158, JAN 28 (2016), s. 322-332 ISSN 1383-5866 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP106/12/0569 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : diffusion coefficient measurement * permeability * nafion * cellophane * chirality of polymer membrane Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Impact factor: 3.359, year: 2016

A review on hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoir

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quanshu Li

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is widely accepted and applied to improve the gas recovery in unconventional reservoirs. Unconventional reservoirs to be addressed here are with very low permeability, complicated geological settings and in-situ stress field etc. All of these make the hydraulic fracturing process a challenging task. In order to effectively and economically recover gas from such reservoirs, the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fracturing in the heterogeneous fractured/porous media under such complicated conditions should be mastered. In this paper, some issues related to hydraulic fracturing have been reviewed, including the experimental study, field study and numerical simulation. Finally the existing problems that need to be solved on the subject of hydraulic fracturing have been proposed.

Stem sapwood permeability in relation to crown dominance and site quality in self-thinning fire-origin lodgepole pine stands.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Douglas E B; Silins, Uldis; Lieffers, Victor J

2003-08-01

Stem sapwood hydraulic permeability, tree leaf area, sapwood basal area, earlywood to latewood ratio of annual rings, radial variation in hydraulic permeability and stem hydraulic capacity were examined in dominant (D), codominant (CD) and suppressed (SP) lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.) trees growing on medium and poor sites. Hydraulic permeability on a sapwood area basis (ks) was lower in suppressed trees (0.71 x 10(-12) m2) compared to dominants (1.97 x 10(-12) m2) and codominants (1.79 x 10(-12) m2), and higher on medium than on poor sites. The leaf/sapwood area ratio (S) varied with crown dominance position (D > CD > SP) but not by site type. Leaf specific conductivity (kL) did not vary between crown classes or site types. The relationship between leaf area and stem hydraulic supply capacity (Q*) was strong, but differed among crown classes. Dominant trees and trees from the medium sites had a greater proportion of earlywood in outer rings of sapwood than suppressed trees. Sapwood permeability declined from the cambium to the sapwood-heartwood boundary in all samples, but the decline was more gradual in dominant trees compared to codominant and suppressed trees; differences in the radial variation in sapwood permeability may be related to differences in S. Sapwood permeability is positively related to crown dominance, whereas subdominant (CD and SP) trees have greater Q* in relation to leaf area, leading us to propose that this may give subdominant trees a survival advantage, slowing self-thinning.

Transdermal therapeutic system of narcotic analgesics using nonporous membrane (I) : Effect of the ethanol permeability on vinylacetate content of EVA membrane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, H.; Song, H.Y. [Chungnam National University, Taejon (Korea); Khang, G.S. [Chonbuk National University, Chonju (Korea); Lee, H.B. [Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Taejon (Korea)

1999-05-01

The fundamental properties of transdermal therapeutic patch as narcotic analgesics agent has been investigated. From the study of drug and ethanol release patterns from the fentanyl base (FB) patches through diffusion cell and hairless mouse skin, it was observed that the FB release patterns were largely affected by the content of vinyl acetate (VA) of ethylene-co-vinyl acetate (EVA) membrane, and volume fraction of ethanolic solution. Additionally, a variety of control membrane as a function of VA content were examined for swelling following equilibration with ethanolic solutions. Generally, ethanol was incorporated into a transdermal therapeutic device to enable the controlled delivery of enhancer and drug to the skin surface. In vitro skin permeation analysis of the control membrane showed that ethanol flux was linearly related to the ethanol volume fraction. This result was shown that drug permeability increased with increasing as the content of VA. But, the FB flux from saturated aqueous ethanol solutions increases until 80% ethanol volume fraction. Over 80% ethanol volume fraction, the FB flux through skin samples is independent of ethanol volume. These results showed that the decrease in skin permeation due to dehydration nis the dominant effect. 26 refs., 8 figs.

Nanoporous Membrane Technologies for Pathogen Collection, Separation, and Detection

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lee, Sang W; Shang, Hao; Lee, Gil U; Griffin, Matthew T; Fulton, Jack

2003-01-01

Partial contents: Nanoporous Membranes, Membrane Chemistries, Characterization of Membrane Chemistries,Protein Fouling, Collector,Gas and Liquid Permeabilities, Membrane Permeabilities in the Presence of Water...

Hydraulic tests for the Excavation Disturbed Zone in deep rock mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuoka, Eiken

1998-03-01

Investigation for characterization of rock properties of the Excavation Disturbed Zone (EDZ) were carried out in 250 m level drift of KAMAISHI Mine. As a part of this investigation, hydraulic tests in the two different sections which were excavated by normal and smooth blasting method respectively, were performed in the vicinity of a drift wall and floor. The test results are as follows, 1) The distribution of pore water pressure in two sections was different. 2) In this investigation, hydraulic test was performed at the different depth in the horizontal and vertical down hole. The variation of measured permeability with depth from the drift wall and floor showed different character. 3) The measured permeability in horizontal hole has no change with depth from drift wall, but in vertical down hole, the measured permeability in nearest part from the floor indicated the higher value compared to the permeability in deeper part. 4) In horizontal holes in two sections there was no difference of the measured permeabilities dependent on the excavation method. The higher permeability was obtained in the vertical hole in smooth blasting section compared to normal blasting section. (author)

Predicting permeability and electrical conductivity of sedimentary rocks from microgeometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlueter, E.M.; Cook, N.G.W.

1991-02-01

The determination of hydrologic parameters that characterize fluid flow through rock masses on a large scale (e.g., hydraulic conductivity, capillary pressure, and relative permeability) is crucial to activities such as the planning and control of enhanced oil recovery operations, and the design of nuclear waste repositories. Hydraulic permeability and electrical conductivity of sedimentary rocks are predicted from the microscopic geometry of the pore space. The cross-sectional areas and perimeters of the individual pores are estimated from two-dimensional scanning electron micrographs of rock sections. The hydraulic and electrical conductivities of the individual pores are determined from these geometrical parameters, using Darcy's law and Ohm's law. Account is taken of the fact that the cross-sections are randomly oriented with respect to the channel axes, and for possible variation of cross-sectional area along the length of the pores. The effective medium theory from solid-state physics is then used to determine an effective average conductance of each pore. Finally, the pores are assumed to be arranged on a cubic lattice, which allows the calculation of overall macroscopic values for the permeability and the electrical conductivity. Preliminary results using Berea, Boise, Massilon and Saint-Gilles sandstones show reasonably close agreement between the predicted and measured transport properties. 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Functionalized membranes for environmental remediation and selective separation

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Li

Membrane process including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) have provided numerous successful applications ranging from drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, to material recovery. The addition of functional moiety in the membranes pores allows such membranes to be used in challenging areas including tunable separations, toxic metal capture, and catalysis. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) MF membrane was functionalized with temperature responsive (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAAm) and pH responsive (polyacrylic acid, PAA) polymers. It's revealed that the permeation of various molecules (water, salt and dextran) through the membrane can be thermally or pH controlled. The introduction of PAA as a polyelectrolyte offers an excellent platform for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles (NPs) applied for degradation of toxic chlorinated organics with significantly increased longevity and stability. The advantage of using temperature and pH responsive polymers/hydrogels also includes the high reactivity and effectiveness in dechlorination. Further advancement on the PVDF functionalization involved the alkaline treatment to create partially defluorinated membrane (Def-PVDF) with conjugated double bounds allowing for the covalent attachment of different polymers. The PAA-Def-PVDF membrane shows pH responsive behavior on both the hydraulic permeability and solute retention. The sponge-like PVDF (SPVDF) membranes by phase inversion were developed through casting PVDF solution on polyester backing. The SPVDF membrane was demonstrated to have 4 times more surface area than commercial PVDF MF membrane, allowing for enhanced nanoparticles loading for chloro-organics degradation. The advanced functionalization method and process were also validated to be able to be scaled-up through the evaluation of full-scale functionalized membrane provided by Ultura Inc. California, USA. Nanofiltration (NF

Data Analytics of Hydraulic Fracturing Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jovan Yang [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Viswanathan, Hari [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, Jeffery [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Middleton, Richard [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-08-11

These are a set of slides on the data analytics of hydraulic fracturing data. The conclusions from this research are the following: they proposed a permeability evolution as a new mechanism to explain hydraulic fracturing trends; they created a model to include this mechanism and it showed promising results; the paper from this research is ready for submission; they devised a way to identify and sort refractures in order to study their effects, and this paper is currently being written.

Steady-state flow in a rock mass intersected by permeable fracture zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindbom, B.

1986-12-01

Level 1 of HYDROCOIN consists of seven well-defined test problems. This paper is concerned with Case 2, which is formulated as a generic groundwater flow situation often found in crystalline rock with highly permeable fracture zones in a less permeable rock mass. The case is two-dimensional and modelled with 8-noded, isoparametric, rectangular elements. According to the case definition, calculations of hydraulic head and particle tracking are performed. The computations are carried out with varying degree of discretisation in order to analyse possible impact on the result with respect to nodal density. Further calculations have been performed mainly devoted to mass balance deviations and how these are affected by permeability contrasts, varying degree of spatial discretisation and distortion of finite elements. The distribution of hydraulic head in the domain is less sensitive to differences in nodal density than the trajectories. The hydraulic heads show similar behaviour for three meshes with varying degrees of discretisation. The particle tracking seems to be more sensitive to the level of discretisation. The results obtained with a coarse and medium mesh indicate completely different solutions for one of the pathlines. The coarse mesh is too sparsely discretised for the specified problem. The local mass balance is evaluated for seven runs. The mass balance deviation seems to be considerably more sensitive to the level of discretisation than to both permeability contrasts and deformation of elements. The permeability contrasts between the rock mass and fracture zones vary from a factor of 1000 to 1 (homogeneous properties) with increments of a factor of 10. These calculations in fact give better mass balance with increasing permeability contrasts, contrary to what could be expected. (orig./HP)

Thermal loading of bentonite. Impact on hydromechanics and permeability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zihms, Stephanie G.; Harrington, Jon [British Geological Survey, Nickerhill Keyworth (United Kingdom)

2015-07-01

Due to its favorable properties, in particular, low permeability and swelling capacity, bentonite has been favored as an engineered barrier and backfill material for the geological storage of radioactive waste. To ensure safe long-term performance it is important to understand any changes in these properties when the material is subject to heat emitting waste. As such, this study will investigate the hydro-mechanical response of bentonite under multi-step thermal loading subject to a constant volume boundary condition. The experimental set up allows continuous measurements of hydraulic and mechanical response during each phase of the thermal cycle. The constant volume cell was placed inside an oven and connected to a hydraulic system with the water reservoir located externally. A pressure gradient of 4 MPa was placed across the sample for the duration of the test in order to map the evolution of permeability. After initial hydration of the bentonite, in this case signified by reaching the asymptote in total stress, the temperature was raised in 20 C increments from 20 to 80 C followed by a final 10 C step to reach 90 C. Each temperature was held constant for at least 7-10 days to allow the stresses and hydraulic transients to equilibrate. This data set will provide an insight into the hydromechanical behavior of the bentonite and the evolution of its permeability when exposed to elevated temperatures.

Processes And Apparatus For Inhibiting Membrane Bio-fouling

KAUST Repository

Missimer, Thomas M.

2012-12-20

Certain embodiments are directed to a process and apparatus for cleaning and/or regeneration of permeable or semipermeable membranes comprising modulating pressure of a feed stream feeding the permeable or semipermeable membrane and providing intermittent pressure pulses for cleaning and/or regeneration of the permeable or semipermeable membrane.

Processes And Apparatus For Inhibiting Membrane Bio-fouling

KAUST Repository

Missimer, Thomas M.; Ng, Kim Choon; Amy, Gary

2012-01-01

Certain embodiments are directed to a process and apparatus for cleaning and/or regeneration of permeable or semipermeable membranes comprising modulating pressure of a feed stream feeding the permeable or semipermeable membrane and providing intermittent pressure pulses for cleaning and/or regeneration of the permeable or semipermeable membrane.

Simulation of photobioreaction for hydrogen production in membrane bioreactor with an optical fiber

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yanxia; Li, Jing

2018-05-01

A generalized lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for porous media is adopted to simulate the hydrodynamics and mass transport combined with biodegradation in membrane bioreactor with a circular optical fiber. The LB model is coupled with a multi-block scheme, as well as non-equilibrium extrapolation method for boundary condition treatment. The effect of porosity and permeability (represented by Darcy number Da) of biofilm on flow and concentration fields are investigated. The performance of biodegradation is evaluated by substrate consumption efficiency. Higher porosity and permeability of biofilm facilitate mass transport of substance and enhance the metabolic activity of bacteria in biofilm, which results in the optimal biodegradation performance is obtained under the condition of Da = 0.001 and ɛ =0.3. For further increasing of these parameters, the substrate consumption efficiency decreases due to the inhibition effect of substrate and shorter hydraulic retention time. Furthermore, the LB results coincide with experimental results, demonstrating that the LB model for porous media is available to optimize the membrane bioreactor for efficient biodegradation.

Correlation of Gas Permeability in a Metal-Organic Framework MIL-101(Cr)–Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membrane with Free Volume Measurements by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS)

Science.gov (United States)

Jeazet, Harold B. Tanh; Koschine, Tönjes; Staudt, Claudia; Raetzke, Klaus; Janiak, Christoph

2013-01-01

Hydrothermally stable particles of the metal-organic framework MIL-101(Cr) were incorporated into a polysulfone (PSF) matrix to produce mixed-matrix or composite membranes with excellent dispersion of MIL-101 particles and good adhesion within the polymer matrix. Pure gas (O2, N2, CO2 and CH4) permeation tests showed a significant increase of gas permeabilities of the mixed-matrix membranes without any loss in selectivity. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) indicated that the increased gas permeability is due to the free volume in the PSF polymer and the added large free volume inside the MIL-101 particles. The trend of the gas transport properties of the composite membranes could be reproduced by a Maxwell model. PMID:24957061

On the methanol permeability through pristine Nafion {sup registered} and Nafion/PVA membranes measured by different techniques. A comparison of methodologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molla, S.; Compan, V. [Departmento de Termodinamica Aplicada, Escuela de Ingenieria Tecnica Industrial (ETSII), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Instituto Tecnologico de la Energia (ITE), Av. Juan de la Cierva 24, 46980 Paterna, Valencia (Spain); Luis Lafuente, S. [Departmento de Quimica Organica, Universidad Jaume I, 12072 Castellon (Spain); Prats, J. [Departmento de Termodinamica Aplicada, Escuela de Ingenieria Tecnica Industrial (ETSII), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia (Spain)

2011-12-15

Methanol crossover through polymer electrolyte membranes is a critical issue and causes an important reduction of performance in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Measuring the evolution of CO{sub 2} gas in the cathode is a common method to determine the methanol crossover under real operating conditions, although an easier and simpler method is preferable for the screening of membranes during their step of development. In this sense, this work has been focused on the ex situ characterization of the methanol permeability in novel nanofiber-reinforced composite Nafion/PVA membranes for DMFC application by means of three different experimental procedures: (a) potentiometric method, (b) gas chromatography technique, and (c) measuring the density. It was found that all these methods resulted in comparable results and it was observed that the incorporation of the PVA nanofiber phase within the Nafion {sup registered} matrix causes a remarkable reduction of the methanol permeability. The optimal choice of the most suitable technique depends on the accuracy expected for the methanol concentration, the availability of the required instrumental, and the complexity of the procedure. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Role of different biodegradable polymers on the permeability of ciprofloxacin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandra Kanti Chakraborti

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Since permeability across biological membranes is a key factor in the absorption and distribution of drugs, drug permeation characteristics of three oral suspensions of ciprofloxacin were designed and compared. The three suspensions of ciprofloxacin were prepared by taking biodegradable polymers such as carbopol 934, carbopol 940, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC. The permeability study was performed by using a Franz diffusion cell through both synthetic cellulose acetate membrane and excised goat gastrointestinal membranes in acidic as well as alkaline pH. To know the permeability of drug from control/formulations through different membranes in acidic/alkaline pH, cumulative percentage drug permeation, apparent permeability (Papp, flux, and enhancement ratio (ER were calculated. Considering Papp and flux values of all formulations, it is evident that formulation containing HPMC was the most beneficial for improving permeation and diffusivity of ciprofloxacin even after 16 h. Hence, this preparation may be considered as the most suitable formulation to obtain prolonged release action of the drug. The ER values of all formulations, through excised goat intestinal mucosal membrane in alkaline pH, were higher than those formulations through goat stomach mucosal membrane in acidic pH. Enhancement ratio values of those formulations indicate that the permeability of the drug was more enhanced by the polymers in the intestinal part, leading to more bioavailability and prolonged action in that portion of the gastrointestinal tract. It may also be concluded from our results that HPMC containing formulation was the best suspension, which may show effective controlled release action. Even carbopol containing formulations might also produce controlled release action.

A technique to investigate the mechanism of uniform corrosion in the presence of a semi-permeable membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, F.

1987-01-01

A technique to investigate the mechanism of uniform corrosion in the presence of a semi-permeable membrane is described. For both the anodic and cathodic half-reactions three possible rate-determining steps are considered: transport of species through the bulk solution diffusion layer, transport of species through the membrane and the electrochemical reaction itself. The technique is based on the measurement of the corrosion potential, E CORR , of a rotating disc electrode under steady-state conditions. The variation of E CORR with the oxidant concentration, the thickness of the diffusion layer and the membrane thickness is used to identify the rate-determining step for each half-reaction. This technique should be of use in the study of the corrosion behaviour of candidate materials for nuclear waste disposal containers. An understanding of the mechanism of uniform corrosion will enable confident predictions to be made concerning the long-term behaviour of such containers

Impact of electroviscosity on the hydraulic conductance of the bordered pit membrane: a theoretical investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Michael; Pagay, Vinay; Stroock, Abraham D

2013-10-01

In perfusion experiments, the hydraulic conductance of stem segments ( ) responds to changes in the properties of the perfusate, such as the ionic strength ( ), pH, and cationic identity. We review the experimental and theoretical work on this phenomenon. We then proceed to explore the hypothesis that electrokinetic effects in the bordered pit membrane (BPM) contribute to this response. In particular, we develop a model based on electroviscosity in which hydraulic conductance of an electrically charged porous membrane varies with the properties of the electrolyte. We use standard electrokinetic theory, coupled with measurements of electrokinetic properties of plant materials from the literature, to determine how the conductance of BPMs, and therefore , may change due to electroviscosity. We predict a nonmonotonic variation of with with a maximum reduction of 18%. We explore how this reduction depends on the characteristics of the sap and features of the BPM, such as pore size, density of chargeable sites, and their dissociation constant. Our predictions are consistent with changes in observed for physiological values of sap and pH. We conclude that electroviscosity is likely responsible, at least partially, for the electrolyte dependence of conductance through pits and that electroviscosity may be strong enough to play an important role in other transport processes in xylem. We conclude by proposing experiments to differentiate the impact of electroviscosity on from that of other proposed mechanisms.

Hydrogen permeability through metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pisarev, A.A.; Tsvetkov, I.V.; Marenkov, E.D.; Yarko, S.S.

2011-01-01

The mechanisms of hydrogen permeability through one-layer and multi-layer membranes are considered. The effect of surface roughness, crystal defects, cracks and pores is described. Mathematical description of the processes is given [ru

Hydraulic fracture diagnostic: recent advances and their impact; Analyses de la fracturation hydraulique: progres recents et leur impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolhart, St.L. [GRI, United States (United States)

2000-07-01

The use of hydraulic fracturing has grown tremendously since its introduction over 50 years ago. Most wells in low permeability reservoirs are not economic without hydraulic fracture stimulation. Hydraulic fracturing is also seeing increasing use in high permeability applications. The success of this technology can be attributed to the great strides made in three areas: hydraulic fracture theory and modeling, improved surface and subsurface equipment and advanced fluid systems and proppers. However, industry still has limited capabilities when it comes to determining the geometry of the created hydraulic fracture. This limitation, in turn places limits on the continued improvement of hydraulic fracturing as a means to optimize productivity and recovery. GRI's Advanced Hydraulic Fracture Diagnostics Program has developed two new technologies, microseismic hydraulic fracture mapping and downhole tilt-meter hydraulic fracture mapping, to address this limitation. These two technologies have been utilized to improve field development and reduce hydraulic fracturing costs. This paper reviews these technologies and presents case histories of their use. (author)

Response of exfoliated human buccal epithelium cells to combined gamma radiation, microwaves, and magnetic field exposure estimated by changes in chromatin condensation and cell membrane permeability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. А. Kuznetsov

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Modulation of the biological effects produced by ionizing radiation (IR using microwave and magnetic fields has important theoretical and practical applications. Response of human buccal epithelium cells to different physical agents (single and combined exposure to 0.5–5 Gy γ-radiation (60Co; microwaves with the frequency of 36.64 GHz and power densities of 0.1 and 1 W/m2, and static magnetic field with the intensity of 25 mT has been investigated. The stress response of the cells was evaluated by counting heterochromatin granules quantity (HGQ in the cell nuclei stained with orcein. Membrane permeability was assessed by the percentage of cells stained with indigocarmine (cells with damaged membrane. The increase of heterochromatin granules quantity (HGQ, i.e. chromatin condensation was detected at the doses of 2 Gy and higher. Changes in the cell membrane permeability to indigocarmine expressed the threshold effect. Membrane permeability reached the threshold at the doses of 2–3 Gy for the cells of different donors and did not change with the increase of the dose of γ-radiation. Cells obtained from different donors revealed some individual peculiarities in their reaction to γ-radiation. The static magnetic field and microwaves applied before or after γ-radiation decreased its impact, as revealed by means of HGQ assessment.

Polymeric membrane materials: new aspects of empirical approaches to prediction of gas permeability parameters in relation to permanent gases, linear lower hydrocarbons and some toxic gases.

Science.gov (United States)

Malykh, O V; Golub, A Yu; Teplyakov, V V

2011-05-11

Membrane gas separation technologies (air separation, hydrogen recovery from dehydrogenation processes, etc.) use traditionally the glassy polymer membranes with dominating permeability of "small" gas molecules. For this purposes the membranes based on the low free volume glassy polymers (e.g., polysulfone, tetrabromopolycarbonate and polyimides) are used. On the other hand, an application of membrane methods for VOCs and some toxic gas recovery from air, separation of the lower hydrocarbons containing mixtures (in petrochemistry and oil refining) needs the membranes with preferable penetration of components with relatively larger molecular sizes. In general, this kind of permeability is characterized for rubbers and for the high free volume glassy polymers. Data files accumulated (more than 1500 polymeric materials) represent the region of parameters "inside" of these "boundaries." Two main approaches to the prediction of gas permeability of polymers are considered in this paper: (1) the statistical treatment of published transport parameters of polymers and (2) the prediction using model of ≪diffusion jump≫ with consideration of the key properties of the diffusing molecule and polymeric matrix. In the frames of (1) the paper presents N-dimensional methods of the gas permeability estimation of polymers using the correlations "selectivity/permeability." It is found that the optimal accuracy of prediction is provided at n=4. In the frames of the solution-diffusion mechanism (2) the key properties include the effective molecular cross-section of penetrating species to be responsible for molecular transportation in polymeric matrix and the well known force constant (ε/k)(eff i) of {6-12} potential for gas-gas interaction. Set of corrected effective molecular cross-section of penetrant including noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe), permanent gases (H(2), O(2), N(2), CO), ballast and toxic gases (CO(2), NO(,) NO(2), SO(2), H(2)S) and linear lower hydrocarbons (CH(4

Permeability of different size waste particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Gavelytė

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The world and life style is changing, but the most popular disposal route for waste is landfill globally until now. We have to think about waste prevention and preparing for re-use or recycling firstly, according to the waste disposal hierarchy. Disposed waste to the landfill must be the last opportunity. In a landfill, during waste degradation processes leachate is formed that can potentially cause clogging of bottom drainage layers. To ensure stability of a landfill construction, the physical properties of its components have to be controlled. The hydrology of precipitation, evaporation, runoff and the hydraulic performance of the capping and liner materials are important controls of the moisture content. The water balance depends also on the waste characteristics and waste particle size distribution. The aim of this paper is to determine the hydraulic permeability in a landfill depending on the particle size distribution of municipal solid waste disposed. The lab experiment results were compared with the results calculated with DEGAS model. Samples were taken from a landfill operated for five years. The samples particle sizes are: >100 mm, 80 mm, 60 mm, 40 mm, 20 mm, 0.01 mm and <0.01 mm. The permeability test was conducted using the column test. The paper presents the results of experiment and DEGAS model water permeability with waste particle size.

Adsorption of amylase enzyme on ultrafiltration membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beier, Søren; Enevoldsen, Ann Dorrit; Kontogeorgis, Georgios

2007-01-01

A method to measure the static adsorption on membrane surfaces has been developed and described. The static adsorption of an amylase-F has been measured on two different ultrafiltration membranes, both with a cut-off value of 10 kDa (a PES membrane and the ETNA10PP membrane, which is a surface......-modified PVDF membrane). The adsorption follows the Langmuir adsorption theory. Thus, the static adsorption consists of monolayer coverage. The static adsorption is expressed both as a permeability drop and an adsorption resistance. From the adsorption isotherms the maximum static permeability drops...... and the maximum static adsorption resistances are determined. The maximum static permeability drop for the hydrophobic PES membrane is 75 % and the maximum static adsorption resistance is 0.014 m2hbar/L. The maximum static permeability drop for the hydrophilic surface-modified PVDF membrane (ETNA10PP) is 23...

Octopus microvasculature: permeability to ferritin and carbon.

Science.gov (United States)

Browning, J

1979-01-01

The permeability of Octopus microvasculature was investigated by intravascular injection of carbon and ferritin. Vessels were tight to carbon while ferritin penetrated the pericyte junction, and was found extravascularly 1-2 min after its introduction. Vesicles occurred rarely in pericytes; fenestrae were absent. The discontinuous endothelial layer did not consitute a permeability barrier. The basement membrane, although retarding the movement of ferritin, was permeable to it; carbon did not penetrate the basement membrane. Evidence indicated that ferritin, and thus similarly sized and smaller water soluble materials, traverse the pericyte junction as a result of bulk fluid flow. Comparisons are made with the convective (or junctional) and slower, diffusive (or vesicular) passage of materials known to occur across the endothelium of continuous capillaries in mammals. Previous macrophysiological determinations concerning the permeability of Octopus vessels are questioned in view of these findings. Possible reasons for some major structural differences in the microcirculatory systems of cephalopods and vertebrates are briefly discussed.

高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术%Combined permeability improved technology with high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change cracking

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

秦江涛; 陈玉涛; 黄文祥

2017-01-01

针对白皎煤矿地质构造复杂、构造应力大、煤层透气性差、抽采瓦斯效果差的问题,提出了高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术,分析了水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透技术的原理;并在238底板巷对B4煤层进行了联合增透对比试验研究.试验结果表明:试验区域煤层透气性显著提高,单孔初抽瓦斯体积分数分别是高压水力压裂试验区域和普通抽采试验区域平均瓦斯体积分数的1.70、3.48倍;瓦斯抽采纯量较水力压裂区域和普通抽采区域分别提高了1.49、3.04倍;抽采65 d以后,高压水力压裂和二氧化碳相变致裂联合增透区域汇总瓦斯体积分数仍保持在40％以上,抽采效果良好,该技术可供类似矿井借鉴.%According to the problems of complicated geological tectonics,high tectonic stress,poor seam permeability and poor gas drainage effect in Baijiao Mine,a permeability improved technology combined with a high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change cracking was provided and the principle of the hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide combined permeability improved technology was analyzed.A comparison experiment study was conducted on the combined permeability improvement of No.B4 Seam in No.238 floor gateway.The experiment results showed that the permeability of the seam in the technical experiment area was remarkably improved and the initial drained gas volume fraction of a single borehole was 1.70 times and 3.48 times higher than the average volume fractions of the high pressure hydraulic fracturing area and the conventional gas drainage trial area individually.The gas drainage pure volume was improved by 1.49 and 3.04 times higher than the hydraulic fracturing area and the conventional gas drainage area individually.After 65 days of the gas drainage operation,the total gas volume fraction of the high pressure hydraulic fracturing and carbon dioxide phase change

Comparative field permeability measurement of permeable pavements using ASTM C1701 and NCAT permeameter methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hui; Kayhanian, Masoud; Harvey, John T

2013-03-30

Fully permeable pavement is gradually gaining support as an alternative best management practice (BMP) for stormwater runoff management. As the use of these pavements increases, a definitive test method is needed to measure hydraulic performance and to evaluate clogging, both for performance studies and for assessment of permeability for construction quality assurance and maintenance needs assessment. Two of the most commonly used permeability measurement tests for porous asphalt and pervious concrete are the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) permeameter and ASTM C1701, respectively. This study was undertaken to compare measured values for both methods in the field on a variety of permeable pavements used in current practice. The field measurements were performed using six experimental section designs with different permeable pavement surface types including pervious concrete, porous asphalt and permeable interlocking concrete pavers. Multiple measurements were performed at five locations on each pavement test section. The results showed that: (i) silicone gel is a superior sealing material to prevent water leakage compared with conventional plumbing putty; (ii) both methods (NCAT and ASTM) can effectively be used to measure the permeability of all pavement types and the surface material type will not impact the measurement precision; (iii) the permeability values measured with the ASTM method were 50-90% (75% on average) lower than those measured with the NCAT method; (iv) the larger permeameter cylinder diameter used in the ASTM method improved the reliability and reduced the variability of the measured permeability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing hydrophilicity and water permeability of PET track-etched membranes by advanced oxidation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korolkov, Ilya V.; Mashentseva, Anastassiya A.; Güven, Olgun; Zdorovets, Maxim V.; Taltenov, Abzal A.

2015-01-01

In this study we present results on the application of advanced oxidation systems for effective and non-toxic oxidation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes (PET TeMs) to improve their wettability and water transport properties. Two oxidizing systems: H 2 O 2 under UV irradiation (H 2 O 2 /UV) and Fenton system under visible light (Fenton/H 2 O 2 /Vis) were compared. The surface of functionalized PET TeMs was characterized by using colorimetric assay, contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results clearly showed that water permeability of PET TeMs treated with H 2 O 2 /UV was improved by 28 ± 5% compared with etched-only membrane, the same parameter was found to increase by 13 ± 4% in the case of Fenton/H 2 O 2 /Vis treatment. The proposed oxidation technique is very simple, environment friendly and not requiring special equipment or expensive chemicals. The surface hydrophilicity of the membranes stored for 360 days in air between paper sheets was analyzed by contact angle test, colorimetric assay to measure concentration of carboxylic groups on the surface with toluidine blue and XPS analysis. The hydrophilic properties of oxidized PET TeMs were found to be stable for a long period of time.

Microporous membranes from polyamide 6/national clay nanocomposites - Part 2: microstructural and permeability evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leite, Amanda M.D.; Araujo, Edcleide M.; Lira, Helio de L.; Paz, Rene Anisio da; Medeiros, Vanessa da Nobrega

2014-01-01

Organic/inorganic hybrid membranes of polyamide 6 and mineral clay containing layers of silicate were prepared and compared to those of the pure polymer. Use was made of an as-received sodium clay from industry and another organophilized with ammonium quaternary salts (Dodigen and Cetremide). The salts make the clays surface hydrophobic and improve their incorporation into the polymer matrix in the molten state. Membranes were prepared with these nanocomposites using the immersion-precipitation technique with formic acid as a solvent, and precipitation in a water bath as non-solvent. The acid concentration in the solution containing the polymer and the hybrids was varied to study its influence in morphology and permeability of the membranes. An asymmetric morphology consisting of a filter skin and a porous support was observed, with pores both on the surface and in the cross section being affected by the different salts. This asymmetric morphology was also affected significantly by the acid concentration, with thicker filter skins for higher concentrations. The acid concentration affected the pores size and their distribution. The clay particles probably acted as a barrier to the flow. The permeating flux for the two acid concentrations varied as a function of the distinct morphologies. (author)

Enhancing hydrophilicity and water permeability of PET track-etched membranes by advanced oxidation process

Science.gov (United States)

Korolkov, Ilya V.; Mashentseva, Anastassiya A.; Güven, Olgun; Zdorovets, Maxim V.; Taltenov, Abzal A.

2015-12-01

In this study we present results on the application of advanced oxidation systems for effective and non-toxic oxidation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes (PET TeMs) to improve their wettability and water transport properties. Two oxidizing systems: H2O2 under UV irradiation (H2O2/UV) and Fenton system under visible light (Fenton/H2O2/Vis) were compared. The surface of functionalized PET TeMs was characterized by using colorimetric assay, contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results clearly showed that water permeability of PET TeMs treated with H2O2/UV was improved by 28 ± 5% compared with etched-only membrane, the same parameter was found to increase by 13 ± 4% in the case of Fenton/H2O2/Vis treatment. The proposed oxidation technique is very simple, environment friendly and not requiring special equipment or expensive chemicals. The surface hydrophilicity of the membranes stored for 360 days in air between paper sheets was analyzed by contact angle test, colorimetric assay to measure concentration of carboxylic groups on the surface with toluidine blue and XPS analysis. The hydrophilic properties of oxidized PET TeMs were found to be stable for a long period of time.

The exhibition to ozone diminishes the adherence and increases the membrane permeability of macrophages alveolar of rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, J.

2000-01-01

Ozone gas is generated photochemically in areas with high levels of automotive or industrial emissions, and causes irritation and inflammation of the airways if inhaled. Rat alveolar macrophages were obtained by lung lavage from male Sprague Dawley rats and used as a model to assess ozone induced cell damage (0,594 ppm for up to 60 minutes). Ozone exposure caused loss of cell adherence to a polystyrene substrate and increased membrane permeability, as noted by increases in specific 51 Cr release and citoplasmic calcium levels. The results indicate that the cell membrane is a target for ozone damage. Elevations of cytoplasmic calcium could mediate other macrophage responses to ozone , including eicosanoid and nitric oxide production, with concomitant decreases in phagocytic ability and superoxide production. (Author) [es

Membrane dynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bendix, Pól Martin

2015-01-01

Current topics include membrane-protein interactions with regard to membrane deformation or curvature sensing by BAR domains. Also, we study the dynamics of membrane tubes of both cells and simple model membrane tubes. Finally, we study membrane phase behavior which has important implications...... for the lateral organization of membranes as wells as for physical properties like bending, permeability and elasticity...

Membrane fouling mechanism of biofilm-membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR): Pore blocking model and membrane cleaning.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Wenxiang; Tang, Bing; Ding, Jie; Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Zhien

2018-02-01

Biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) is considered as an important wastewater treatment technology that incorporates advantages of both biofilm and MBR process, as well as can alleviate membrane fouling, with respect to the conventional activated sludge MBR. But, to be efficient, it necessitates the establishment of proper methods for the assessment of membrane fouling. Four Hermia membrane blocking models were adopted to quantify and evaluate the membrane fouling of BF-MBR. The experiments were conducted with various operational conditions, including membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure (TMP). Good agreement between cake formation model and experimental data was found, confirming the validity of the Hermia models for assessing the membrane fouling of BF-MBR and that cake layer deposits on membrane. Moreover, the influences of membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure on the Hermia pore blocking coefficient of cake layer were investigated. In addition, the permeability recovery after membrane cleaning at various operational conditions was studied. This work confirms that, unlike conventional activated sludge MBR, BF-MBR possesses a low degree of membrane fouling and a higher membrane permeability recovery after cleaning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Permeability of hydrogen isotopes through Pd-Ag membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Hiroshi

1981-01-01

This paper represents the permeabilities, diffusion coefficients and isotope effects for hydrogen and deuterium through Pd-25 wt.% Ag alloy tubes The feed gas H 2 or D 2 flowing into the permeation cell was preheated before it reached to the outer surface of the permeation tube made of palladium-silver alloy. Permeation time lag method could be successfully carried out with the present apparatus to measure both permeability and diffusion coefficient. The square-root pressure dependence for the permeation of hydrogen isotopes was observed. The observed systematic temperature dependence indicates that the approximation of the Arrhenius' relation was effective within this experimental conditions. Some tendency of permeation fluxes in relation to the reciprocal temperature, 1/T, was seen. The permeability ratio was larger than the square root of isotopic mass ratio, and it decreased with temperature rise. On the contrary, the diffusion coefficient ratio was much smaller than the square root of isotopic mass ratio. (Kato, T.)

Research in Water Permeability of Poly(ethylene) Terephthalate Track Membranes Modified by Polymerization of Dimethylaniline under the Action of Direct Current Discharge

CERN Document Server

Kravets, L I; Drachev, A I

2004-01-01

The properties of poly(ethylene) terephthalate track membranes modified by polymerization of dimethylaniline in a discharge of direct current are investigated. The influence of conditions of plasma treatment on the basic characteristics of the membranes (pore size, wettability, surface charge, water permeability) is studied. It is shown that under the action of discharge, a polymeric layer is formed on the membrane surface that can swell in solutions with low pH values. It has been found that the degree of the swelling stipulated by the conformation transfer of macromolecules of the deposited polymeric layer depends upon the size of relative magnification of the mass of the membrane during its plasma treatment. It is also shown that the obtained membranes can reversibly react to changing the pH of solution and applied pressure.

Effect of pore structure on chemico-osmotic, diffusion and hydraulic properties of mud-stones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeda, M.; Manaka, M.; Ito, K.; Miyoshi, S.; Tokunaga, T.

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. An in-situ experiment by Neuzil (2000) has obtained the substantial proof of chemical osmosis in natural clayey formation. Chemical osmosis in clayey formations has thus received attention in recent years in the context of geological disposal of radioactive waste. Chemical osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane driven by the difference of chemical potentials between solutions to compensate the difference of water potentials, increasing the other potential differences, such as the pressure difference. Accordingly, the chemical osmosis could generate localized, abnormal fluid pressures in geological formations where formation media act as semi-permeable membranes and groundwater salinity is not uniform. Without taking account of the chemical osmosis, groundwater flow modeling may mislead the prediction of the groundwater flow direction. Therefore the possibility of chemical osmosis needs to be identified for potential host formations for radioactive waste repositories. The chemico-osmotic property of formation media is an essential parameter to identify the possibility of chemical osmosis in the formation; however, the diffusion and hydraulic properties are also fundamental parameters to estimate the duration of chemical osmosis since they control the spatial variation of salinity and the dissipation of osmotically induced pressures. In order to obtain the chemico-osmotic, diffusion and hydraulic parameters from a rock sample, this study developed a laboratory experimental system capable of performing chemical osmosis and permeability experiments. A series of experiments were performed on mud-stones. The chemico-osmotic parameter of each rock sample was further interpreted by the osmotic efficiency model proposed by Bresler (1973) to examine the pore structure inherent in rocks. Diatomaceous and siliceous mud-stone samples were obtained from drill cores taken from the Koetoi and Wakkanai

Hydrogeology and geochemistry of low-permeability oil-shales - Case study from HaShfela sub-basin, Israel

Science.gov (United States)

Burg, Avihu; Gersman, Ronen

2016-09-01

Low permeability rocks are of great importance given their potential role in protecting underlying aquifers from surface and buried contaminants. Nevertheless, only limited data for these rocks is available. New appraisal wells drilled into the oil shale unit (OSU) of the Mt. Scopus Group in the HaShfela sub-basin, Central Israel, provided a one-time opportunity for detailed study of the hydrogeology and geochemistry of this very low permeability unit. Methods used include: slug tests, electrical logs, televiewer imaging, porosity and permeability measurements on core samples, chemical analyses of the rock column and groundwater analyses. Slug tests yielded primary indication to the low permeability of the OSU despite its high porosity (30-40%). Hydraulic conductivities as low as 10-10-10-12 m/s were calculated, using both the Hvorslev and Cooper-Bredehoeft-Papadopulos decoding methods. These low conductivities were confirmed by direct measurements of permeability in cores, and from calculations based on the Kozeny-Carman approach. Storativity was found to be 1 · 10-6 and specific storage - 3.8 · 10-9 m-1. Nevertheless, the very limited water flow in the OSU is argued to be driven gravitationally. The extremely slow recovery rates as well as the independent recovery of two adjacent wells, despite their initial large head difference of 214 m, indicate that the natural fractures are tight and are impermeable due to the confining stress at depth. Laboratory measured permeability is similar or even higher than the field-measured values, thereby confirming that fractures and bedding planes do not form continuous flow paths. The vertical permeability along the OSU is highly variable, implying hydraulic stratification and extremely low vertical hydraulic conductivity. The high salinity of the groundwater (6300-8000 mgCl/L) within the OSU and its chemical and isotopic compositions are explained by the limited water flow, suggesting long residence time of the water

Membrane fouling of forward osmosis (FO) membrane for municipal wastewater treatment: A comparison between direct FO and OMBR.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yan; Tian, Jiayu; Zhao, Zhiwei; Shi, Wenxin; Liu, Dongmei; Cui, Fuyi

2016-11-01

In this work, membrane fouling behavior in a direct forward osmosis (FO) and an osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) for municipal wastewater treatment was systematically investigated and compared. During the long-term operation, much severer flux decline was observed for the direct FO than that for the OMBR. The cake layer was found to be much thicker, together with large amounts of microorganisms growing on the membrane surface in direct FO. Interestingly, no obvious attachment of microorganisms on the membrane surface was observed in the OMBR. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and excitation emission matrices (EEM) analyses showed the polysaccharides and proteins were the dominant organic foulants in the fouling layer, and the quantity of the organic substances was also higher in direct FO than that in OMBR. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) results indicated the main inorganic elements in the fouling layer were Ca, Mg, Fe and P, all of which exhibited higher relative percentages in direct FO than that in OMBR. The occurrence of higher contents of microorganisms, organic foulants and inorganic elements in the cake layer caused a higher filtration resistance for the FO membrane in the direct FO. Although more severe membrane fouling was identified in direct FO, the hydraulic and chemical cleaning was more effective on recovering the water permeability of the membrane in direct FO than that in OMBR. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydraulic characterization of " Furcraea andina

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera-Velasquez, M. F.; Fallico, C.; Molinari, A.; Santillan, P.; Salazar, M.

2012-04-01

The present level of pollution, increasingly involving groundwaters, constitutes a serious risk for environment and human health. Therefore the remediation of saturated and unsaturated soils, removing pollutant materials through innovative and economic bio-remediation techniques is more frequently required. Recent studies on natural fiber development have shown the effectiveness of these fibers for removal of some heavy metals, due to the lignin content in the natural fibers which plays an important role in the adsorption of metal cations (Lee et al., 2004; Troisi et al., 2008; C. Fallico, 2010). In the context of remediation techniques for unsaturated and/or saturated zone, an experimental approach for the hydraulic characterization of the "Furcraea andina" (i.e., Cabuya Blanca) fiber was carried out. This fiber is native to Andean regions and grows easily in wild or cultivated form in the valleys and hillsides of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Fibers of "Furcraea andina" were characterized by experimental tests to determine their hydraulic conductivity or permeability and porosity in order to use this medium for bioremediation of contaminated aquifer exploiting the physical, chemical and microbial capacity of natural fiber in heavy metal adsorption. To evaluate empirically the hydraulic conductivity, laboratory tests were carried out at constant head specifically on the fibers manually extracted. For these tests we used a flow cell (used as permeameter), containing the "Furcraea andina" fibers to be characterized, suitably connected by a tygon pipe to a Marriott's bottle, which had a plastic tube that allow the adjustment of the hydraulic head for different tests to a constant value. By this experiment it was also possible to identify relationships that enable the estimation of permeability as a function of density, i.e. of the compaction degree of the fibers. Our study was carried out for three values of hydraulic head (H), namely 10, 18, and 25 cm and for each

Sandwich-structured hollow fiber membranes for osmotic power generation

KAUST Repository

Fu, Feng Jiang; Zhang, Sui; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2015-01-01

In this work, a novel sandwich-structured hollow fiber membrane has been developed via a specially designed spinneret and optimized spinning conditions. With this specially designed spinneret, the outer layer, which is the most crucial part of the sandwich-structured membrane, is maintained the same as the traditional dual-layer membrane. The inner substrate layer is separated into two layers: (1) an ultra-thin middle layer comprising a high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) additive to enhance integration with the outer polybenzimidazole (PBI) selective layer, and (2) an inner-layer to provide strong mechanical strength for the membrane. Experimental results show that a high water permeability and good mechanical strength could be achieved without the expensive post treatment process to remove PVP which was necessary for the dual-layer pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membranes. By optimizing the composition, the membrane shows a maximum power density of 6.23W/m2 at a hydraulic pressure of 22.0bar when 1M NaCl and 10mM NaCl are used as the draw and feed solutions, respectively. To our best knowledge, this is the best phase inversion hollow fiber membrane with an outer selective PBI layer for osmotic power generation. In addition, this is the first work that shows how to fabricate sandwich-structured hollow fiber membranes for various applications. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

Sandwich-structured hollow fiber membranes for osmotic power generation

KAUST Repository

Fu, Feng Jiang

2015-11-01

In this work, a novel sandwich-structured hollow fiber membrane has been developed via a specially designed spinneret and optimized spinning conditions. With this specially designed spinneret, the outer layer, which is the most crucial part of the sandwich-structured membrane, is maintained the same as the traditional dual-layer membrane. The inner substrate layer is separated into two layers: (1) an ultra-thin middle layer comprising a high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) additive to enhance integration with the outer polybenzimidazole (PBI) selective layer, and (2) an inner-layer to provide strong mechanical strength for the membrane. Experimental results show that a high water permeability and good mechanical strength could be achieved without the expensive post treatment process to remove PVP which was necessary for the dual-layer pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) membranes. By optimizing the composition, the membrane shows a maximum power density of 6.23W/m2 at a hydraulic pressure of 22.0bar when 1M NaCl and 10mM NaCl are used as the draw and feed solutions, respectively. To our best knowledge, this is the best phase inversion hollow fiber membrane with an outer selective PBI layer for osmotic power generation. In addition, this is the first work that shows how to fabricate sandwich-structured hollow fiber membranes for various applications. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

Hydraulic behaviour of a representative structural volume for containment buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jason, Ludovic; Pijaudier-Cabot, Gilles; Ghavamian, Shahrokh; Huerta, Antonio

2007-01-01

For particular structures like containment buildings of nuclear power plants, the study of the hydraulic behaviour is of great concern. These structures are indeed the third barrier used to protect the environment in case of accidents. The evolution of the leaking rate through the porous medium is closely related to the changes in the permeability during the ageing process of the structure. It is thus essential to know the relation between concrete degradation and the transfer property when the consequences of a mechanical loading on the hydraulic behaviour have to be evaluated. A chained approach is designed for this purpose. The mechanical behaviour is described by an elastic plastic damage formulation, where damage is responsible for the softening evolution while plasticity accounts for the development of irreversible strains. The drying process is evaluated according to a non-linear equation of diffusion. From the knowledge of the damage and the degree of saturation, a relation is proposed to calculate the permeability of concrete. Finally, the non-homogeneous distribution of the hydraulic conductivity is included in the hydraulic problem which is in fact the association of the mass balance equation for gas phase and Darcy law. From this methodology, it is shown how an indicator for the hydraulic flows can be deduced

Biomimetic membranes and methods of making biomimetic membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Rempe, Susan; Brinker, Jeffrey C.; Rogers, David Michael; Jiang, Ying-Bing; Yang, Shaorong

2016-11-08

The present disclosure is directed to biomimetic membranes and methods of manufacturing such membranes that include structural features that mimic the structures of cellular membrane channels and produce membrane designs capable of high selectivity and high permeability or adsorptivity. The membrane structure, material and chemistry can be selected to perform liquid separations, gas separation and capture, ion transport and adsorption for a variety of applications.

Frictional stability-permeability relationships for fractures in shales

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yi; Elsworth, Derek; Wang, Chaoyi; Ishibashi, Takuya; Fitts, Jeffrey P.

2017-03-01

There is wide concern that fluid injection in the subsurface, such as for the stimulation of shale reservoirs or for geological CO2 sequestration (GCS), has the potential to induce seismicity that may change reservoir permeability due to fault slip. However, the impact of induced seismicity on fracture permeability evolution remains unclear due to the spectrum of modes of fault reactivation (e.g., stable versus unstable). As seismicity is controlled by the frictional response of fractures, we explore friction-stability-permeability relationships through the concurrent measurement of frictional and hydraulic properties of artificial fractures in Green River shale (GRS) and Opalinus shale (OPS). We observe that carbonate-rich GRS shows higher frictional strength but weak neutral frictional stability. The GRS fracture permeability declines during shearing while an increased sliding velocity reduces the rate of permeability decline. By comparison, the phyllosilicate-rich OPS has lower friction and strong stability while the fracture permeability is reduced due to the swelling behavior that dominates over the shearing induced permeability reduction. Hence, we conclude that the friction-stability-permeability relationship of a fracture is largely controlled by mineral composition and that shale mineral compositions with strong frictional stability may be particularly subject to permanent permeability reduction during fluid infiltration.

Permeability recovery of fouled forward osmosis membranes by chemical cleaning during a long-term operation of anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactors treating low-strength wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinhua; Hu, Taozhan; Wang, Zhiwei; Li, Xiufen; Ren, Yueping

2017-10-15

Anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactor (AnOMBR) has gained increasing interests in wastewater treatment owing to its simultaneous recovery of biogas and water. However, the forward osmosis (FO) membrane fouling was severe during a long-term operation of AnOMBRs. Here, we aim to recover the permeability of fouled FO membranes by chemical cleaning. Specifically speaking, an optimal chemical cleaning procedure was searched for fouled thin film composite polyamide FO (TFC-FO) membranes in a novel microfiltration (MF) assisted AnOMBR (AnMF-OMBR). The results indicated that citric acid, disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-2Na), hydrochloric acid (HCl), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) had a low cleaning efficiency of less than 15%, while hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) could effectively remove foulants from the TFC-FO membrane surface (almost 100%) through oxidizing the functional group of the organic foulants and disintegrating the colloids and microbe flocs into fine particles. Nevertheless, the damage of H 2 O 2 to the TFC-FO membrane was observed when a high cleaning concentration and a long duration were applied. In this case, the optimal cleaning conditions including cleaning concentration and time for fouled TFC-FO membranes were selected through confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and the flux recovery rate. The results suggested that the optimal cleaning procedure for fouled TFC-FO membranes was use of 0.5% H 2 O 2 at 25 °C for 6 h, and after that, the cleaned TFC-FO membrane had the same performance as a virgin one including water flux and rejection for organic matters and phosphorus during the operation of AnMF-OMBR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The successful use of transverse hydraulic fractures from horizontal wellbores

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosby, D. G.; Yang, Z.; Rahman, S. S. [New South Wales Univ., NSW (Australia)

1998-12-31

Since a significant proportion of the world`s recoverable hydrocarbon resources exist in reservoirs possessing permeabilities of less than one milli-Darcy (mD), some form of permeability enhancement or stimulation is necessary if the hydrocarbons are to be exploited economically. Multi-stage, transversely fractured horizontal wellbores are shown to have the potential to greatly increase production from low permeability formations. To overcome the problems caused by near-wellbore tortuosity, common to wells with multiple fracturing from the same perforated interval, a criterion was devised which predicts the wellbore pressures to initiate secondary multiple transverse hydraulic fractures in close proximity to primary fractures. The criterion, confirmed by laboratory experiments, demonstrates that transversely fractured horizontal wellbores have limited capacities to resist the initiation of multiple fractures from adjacent perforations. This characteristic can be used in designing hydraulic fracture treatments to establish injection pressure limits or threshold pressures, above which additional multiple fractures will initiate and propagate from the wellbore. 23 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs.

Effect of confining pressure on permeability behavior of Beishan granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Like; Li Yunfeng; Zhao Xingguang; Tan Guohuan

2012-01-01

By using of the Electro-Hydraulic Servo-controlled Rock Mechanics Testing System (MTS 815.04) in the University of Hong Kong, a series of permeability tests were performed on specimens of Beishan granite at different confining pressures. The result indicates that: (1) there is a decrease of permeability due to progressive closure of initial microcracks and the corresponding volumetric strain is compressive when the confining pressures increase from 2.5 MPa to 15 MPa, (2) when the confining pressures decrease from 15 MPa to 2.5 MPa, there is an increase of permeability in this stage in relation with the volumetric dilation. (authors)

Permeability of shale at elevated temperature and pressure: Test methodology and preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myer, L.R.; Christian, T.L.

1987-05-01

A method of measuring the hydraulic conductivity of low permeability shale as a function of pressure and temperature has been developed and successfully demonstrated. Measurements have been performed on samples of Green River Formation up to a temperature of 140 0 C. For flow parallel to bedding hydraulic conductivities increased nonlinearly from 1.75 x 10 -16 m/s (1.6 x 10 -23 m 2 ) at 25 0 C, to 5.6 x 10 -15 m/s (1.4 x 10 -22 m 2 ) at 140 0 C. This increase in permeability with temperature may reflect an increase in microcrack porosity resulting from the heating

Optimum permeability for a cement based backfill material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, F.; Wittmann, F.H.; Iriya, K.

1989-01-01

In Switzerland it is planned to dispose low- and intermediate radioactive waste (LLW/ILW) in an underground repository. Between the materials present in a repository different chemical reactions may occur. Due to radiolytic decomposition, microbiological degradation and corrosion gas (mainly hydrogen) may be produced. The release of gas can cause the build-up of pressure in the cavern and finally lead to the formation of cracks and/or serious damage in the concrete structure or host rock. Through cracks a contamination of the groundwater and the biosphere could be possible. This investigation develops a suitable cement based material which can be used as backfill for the repository. Besides other aspects mentioned later a suitable backfill material has to be characterized by a certain minimum gas permeability and a as low as possible hydraulic conductivity. On the one hand gas permeability is necessary to release gas overpressure and on the other hand a low hydraulic conductivity should prevent leaching of backfill materials and contamination of the environment

Role of different biodegradable polymers on the permeability of ciprofloxacin

OpenAIRE

Chakraborti, Chandra Kanti; Sahoo, Subhashree; Behera, Pradipta Kumar

2014-01-01

Since permeability across biological membranes is a key factor in the absorption and distribution of drugs, drug permeation characteristics of three oral suspensions of ciprofloxacin were designed and compared. The three suspensions of ciprofloxacin were prepared by taking biodegradable polymers such as carbopol 934, carbopol 940, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The permeability study was performed by using a Franz diffusion cell through both synthetic cellulose acetate membrane and...

In situ and laboratory measurements of very low permeability in the Tournemine argilites (Aveyron). Comparison of methodologies and scale effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boisson, J.Y.; Cabrera, J.

1998-01-01

At the request of the Institut de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire (IPSN - Institute of Nuclear Safety and Protection), ANTEA visited the Tournemire site (Aveyron) to carry out an hydraulic characterization of the 200 m-thick Toarcian and Domerian formations accessible by tunnel. Permeability measurements were made using the borehole pulse-test method either in the global hole or perpendicular to more permeable fractured zones. The tests yielded an approximate value for the hydraulic head and an order of magnitude for the permeability at 1 to 10 metre scale (10 -11 to 10 -13 m/s). A borehole was then equipped for a long-duration (6 months) measurement of the hydraulic head in the rock body. Laboratory measurements were made on 4 cm-diameter core samples taken from different boreholes. The tests, carried out under triaxial stress, required preliminary saturation-consolidation of the test samples. Through applying steady-state flow or hydraulic pulse, it was possible to measure a permeability in order of 10 -14 m/s for the matrix of the clayey material. The difference between laboratory and in situ values is explained by the presence of fractures in the rock body. Moreover, it seems that the hydraulic conditions of measurement in the field around the hole could have an influence on the final result. (authors)

Enhancing hydrophilicity and water permeability of PET track-etched membranes by advanced oxidation process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korolkov, Ilya V.; Mashentseva, Anastassiya A. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Ibrahimov Str., 1, 050032 Almaty (Kazakhstan); The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satpaev Str., 5, 010008 Astana (Kazakhstan); Güven, Olgun [Department of Chemistry, Hacettepe University, 06800 Beytepe, Ankara (Turkey); Zdorovets, Maxim V. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Ibrahimov Str., 1, 050032 Almaty (Kazakhstan); The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satpaev Str., 5, 010008 Astana (Kazakhstan); Taltenov, Abzal A. [The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satpaev Str., 5, 010008 Astana (Kazakhstan)

2015-12-15

In this study we present results on the application of advanced oxidation systems for effective and non-toxic oxidation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes (PET TeMs) to improve their wettability and water transport properties. Two oxidizing systems: H{sub 2}O{sub 2} under UV irradiation (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/UV) and Fenton system under visible light (Fenton/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Vis) were compared. The surface of functionalized PET TeMs was characterized by using colorimetric assay, contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results clearly showed that water permeability of PET TeMs treated with H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/UV was improved by 28 ± 5% compared with etched-only membrane, the same parameter was found to increase by 13 ± 4% in the case of Fenton/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/Vis treatment. The proposed oxidation technique is very simple, environment friendly and not requiring special equipment or expensive chemicals. The surface hydrophilicity of the membranes stored for 360 days in air between paper sheets was analyzed by contact angle test, colorimetric assay to measure concentration of carboxylic groups on the surface with toluidine blue and XPS analysis. The hydrophilic properties of oxidized PET TeMs were found to be stable for a long period of time.

Thermoporoelastic effects during heat extraction from low-permeability reservoirs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salimzadeh, Saeed; Nick, Hamidreza M.; Zimmerman, R. W.

2018-01-01

Thermoporoelastic effects during heat extraction from low permeability geothermal reservoirs are investigated numerically, based on the model of a horizontal penny-shaped fracture intersected by an injection well and a production well. A coupled formulation for thermo-hydraulic (TH) processes...... in EGS projects. Therefore, using the undrained thermal expansion coefficient for the matrix may overestimate the volumetric strain of the rock in low-permeability enhanced geothermal systems, whereas using a drained thermal expansion coefficient for the matrix may underestimate the volumetric strain...

Evaluation of transport properties of nanofiltration membranes exposed to radioactive liquid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Elizabeth E.M.; Barbosa, Celina C.R.; Bastos, Edna T.R., E-mail: eemo@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeira, RJ (Brazil); Afonso, Julio C., E-mail: Julio@iq.ufrj.br [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica. Dept. de Quimica Analitica

2011-07-01

The application of membrane separation processes (PSM) for treatment of radioactive waste requires the selection of a suitable membrane for the treatment of waste, as the membrane will be directly exposed to the radioactive liquid waste, and also exposed to ionizing radiation. The nanofiltration membrane is most suitable for treatment of radioactive waste, since it has high rejection of multivalent ions. Usually the membranes are made of polymers and depending on the composition of the waste, type and dose of radiation absorbed may be changes in the structure of the membrane, resulting in loss of its transport properties. We tested two commercial nanofiltration membranes: NF and SW Dow/Filmtec. The waste liquid used was obtained in the process of conversion of uranium hexafluoride gas to solid uranium dioxide, known as 'carbonated water'. The membranes were characterized as their transport properties (hydraulic permeability, permeate flux and salt rejection) before and after their immersion in the waste for 24 hours. The surface of the membranes was also evaluated by SEM and FTIR. It was observed that in both the porosity of the membrane selective layer was altered, but not the membrane surface charge, which is responsible for the selectivity of the membrane. The NF membranes and SW showed uranium ion rejection of 64% and 55% respectively. (author)

Polyethersulfone/clay membranes and its water permeability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavalho, Thamyres Cardoso de; Medeiros, Vanessa da Nobrega; Araujo, Edcleide Maria de; Lira, Helio Lucena; Leite, Amanda Melissa Damiao

2017-01-01

Membranes can be considered polymeric or inorganic films that function as a semipermeable barrier to filtration on a molecular scale, separating two phases and restricting, totally or partially, the transportation of one or more chemical species (solute) present in the solution. Therefore, the aim of this work is to produce polyethersulfone membranes (PES) and polyethersulfone/clay by phase inversion technique and evaluate the presence of clay in obtaining membranes for wastewater treatment. The used solvent was dimethylformamide (DMF) and clays were Brasgel PA (MMT) and Cloisite Na (CL Na) in the proportion of 3 to 5% (wt.). By Xray diffraction (XRD), the membranes with 3% of MMT and CL Na clays apparently had partially exfoliated structures. For the composition with 5% of CL Na a small peak was observed, which indicates that this is possibly an intercalated structure or microcomposite. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), visualizes that the pure surface of the pure PES membrane a structure apparently without pores was observed in the used magnification and without roughness surface when compared to membranes with clay. The measurements of contact angle indicated that the inclusion of clay altered the wetting ability of the membranes. The flow with distilled water for all membranes started high and over time reached a stabilization level. Thus, it can be concluded that the presence and the content of clay altered the morphology of the membrane, contributing to an increase in water flow. (author)

Permeability of gypsum samples dehydrated in air

Science.gov (United States)

Milsch, Harald; Priegnitz, Mike; Blöcher, Guido

2011-09-01

We report on changes in rock permeability induced by devolatilization reactions using gypsum as a reference analog material. Cylindrical samples of natural alabaster were dehydrated in air (dry) for up to 800 h at ambient pressure and temperatures between 378 and 423 K. Subsequently, the reaction kinetics, so induced changes in porosity, and the concurrent evolution of sample permeability were constrained. Weighing the heated samples in predefined time intervals yielded the reaction progress where the stoichiometric mass balance indicated an ultimate and complete dehydration to anhydrite regardless of temperature. Porosity showed to continuously increase with reaction progress from approximately 2% to 30%, whilst the initial bulk volume remained unchanged. Within these limits permeability significantly increased with porosity by almost three orders of magnitude from approximately 7 × 10-19 m2 to 3 × 10-16 m2. We show that - when mechanical and hydraulic feedbacks can be excluded - permeability, reaction progress, and porosity are related unequivocally.

GOHAL!: sustainable membranes for alcohol dehydration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boffa, Vittorio

2017-01-01

the pristine graphene oxide membrane. The enhanced water permeability along with the good water/ethanol selectivity makes the GO-HAL membranes promising devices for alcohol dehydration technologies. This study provides a new basis for the rational design of the future generation of GO-based membranes......Treat, H2020-MSCA-RISE-2014 (n. 64555). [1] V. Boffa et. al., Carbon-based building blocks for alcohol dehydration membranes with disorder-enhanced water permeability, Carbon, under review....

Calcium permeability of the T lymphocyte plasma membrane: counteraction of phorbol ester and A23187

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Csermely, P.; Szamel, M.; Somogyi, J.

1986-01-01

The intracellular calcium concentration (Ca/sub i/) of T lymphocytes was measured using the fluorescent indicator quin2. Different ionophores effectively enhanced the Ca permeability of the plasma membrane. The effective concentration of the ionophores required for permeabilization increased in the order of ionomycin, A23187 and X537-A (lasalocid-A). 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in submicromolar concentrations did not change Ca/sub i/. The addition of TPA immediately before the A23187-permeabilization did not alter the Ca ionophoretic effect of A23187. However, prolonged incubation with TPA decreased the efficiency of A23187 permeabilizing the plasma membrane for calcium ions. This effect was concentration and time dependent, being maximal at TPA concentrations higher than 10 nM with a preincubation time of 1.5 hours. TPA induced relative A23187 insensitivity is most probably not due to a direct effect of TPA on the ionophore as it is concentration and time dependent. Moreover the fluorescence and fluorescence polarization of A23187 as well as the energy transfer between the tryptophan groups of the membrane proteins and A23187 showed no significant change during incubation with TPA. These results indicate that membrane fluidity changes or A23187 immobilization also do not play a prominent role in the explanation of the phenomenon. However the supposed intracellular heavy metal content of T lymphocyte might be a possible source of the TPA induced relative insensitization towards A23187.

Investigation of stormwater quality improvements utilizing permeable friction course (PFC).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

This report describes research into the water quality and hydraulics of the Permeable Friction Course (PFC). : Water quality monitoring of 3 locations in the Austin area indicates up to a 90 percent reduction in pollutant : discharges from PFC compar...

Modeling multidomain hydraulic properties of shrink-swell soils

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Ryan D.; Abou Najm, Majdi R.; Rupp, David E.; Selker, John S.

2016-10-01

Shrink-swell soils crack and become compacted as they dry, changing properties such as bulk density and hydraulic conductivity. Multidomain models divide soil into independent realms that allow soil cracks to be incorporated into classical flow and transport models. Incongruously, most applications of multidomain models assume that the porosity distributions, bulk density, and effective saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil are constant. This study builds on a recently derived soil shrinkage model to develop a new multidomain, dual-permeability model that can accurately predict variations in soil hydraulic properties due to dynamic changes in crack size and connectivity. The model only requires estimates of soil gravimetric water content and a minimal set of parameters, all of which can be determined using laboratory and/or field measurements. We apply the model to eight clayey soils, and demonstrate its ability to quantify variations in volumetric water content (as can be determined during measurement of a soil water characteristic curve) and transient saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks (as can be measured using infiltration tests). The proposed model is able to capture observed variations in Ks of one to more than two orders of magnitude. In contrast, other dual-permeability models assume that Ks is constant, resulting in the potential for large error when predicting water movement through shrink-swell soils. Overall, the multidomain model presented here successfully quantifies fluctuations in the hydraulic properties of shrink-swell soil matrices, and are suitable for use in physical flow and transport models based on Darcy's Law, the Richards Equation, and the advection-dispersion equation.

Effects of the hydraulic conductivity of the matrix/macropore interface on cumulative infiltrations into dual-permeability media

Science.gov (United States)

Lassabatere, L.; Peyrard, X.; Angulo-Jaramillo, R.; Simunek, J.

2009-12-01

Modeling of water infiltration into the vadose zone is important for better understanding of movement of water-transported contaminants. There is a great need to take into account the soil heterogeneity and, in particular, the presence of macropores or cracks that could generate preferential flow. Several mathematical models have been proposed to describe unsaturated flow through heterogeneous soils. The dual-permeability model (referred to as the 2K model) assumes that flow is governed by Richards equation in both porous regions (matrix and macropores). Water can be exchanged between the two regions following a first-order rate law. Although several studies have dealt with such modeling, no study has evaluated the influence of the hydraulic conductivity of the matrix/macropore interface on water cumulative infiltration. And this is the focus of this study. An analytical scaling method reveals the role of the following main parameters for given boundary and initial conditions: the saturated hydraulic conductivity ratio (R_Ks), the water pressure scale parameter ratio (R_hg), the saturated volumetric water content ratio (R_θs), and the shape parameters of the water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions. The last essential parameter is related to the interfacial hydraulic conductivity (Ka) between the macropore and matrix regions. The scaled 2K flow equations were solved using HYDRUS-1D 4.09 for the specific case of water infiltrating into an initially uniform soil profile and a zero pressure head at the soil surface. A sensitivity of water infiltration was studied for different sets of scale parameters (R_Ks, R_hg, R_θs, and shape parameters) and the scaled interfacial conductivity (Ka). Numerical results illustrate two extreme behaviors. When the interfacial conductivity is zero (i.e., no water exchange), water infiltrates separately into matrix and macropore regions, producing a much deeper moisture front in the macropore domain. In the opposite case

Syntheses of prodrug-type phosphotriester oligonucleotides responsive to intracellular reducing environment for improvement of cell membrane permeability and nuclease resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Junsuke; Samezawa, Yusuke; Ochi, Yosuke; Wada, Shun-Ichi; Urata, Hidehito

2017-07-15

We synthesized prodrug-type phosphotriester (PTE) oligonucleotides containing the six-membered cyclic disulfide moiety by using phosphoramidite chemistry. Prodrug-type oligonucleotides named "Reducing-Environment-Dependent Uncatalyzed Chemical Transforming (REDUCT) PTE oligonucleotides" were converted into natural oligonucleotides under cytosol-mimetic reductive condition. Furthermore, the REDUCT PTE oligonucleotides were robust to nuclease digestion and exhibited good cell membrane permeability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Hydraulic Retention Time on the Performance of a Membrane Bioreactor Treating Municipal Wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hadi Falahati

2017-09-01

Full Text Available There is an increasing demand for effluents of higher quality from wastewater treatment plants due to the more stringent quality standards as well as the increasing pressure on water resources worldwide, which calls for effluent recycle and reuse. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs have been recently gaining rapid popularity as a promising technology for wastewater treatment. In order to improve the quality of the effluent from Shiraz wastewater treatment plant, an on-site pilot-scale membrane bioreactor was operated for 9 months. The pilot plant built at Shiraz wastewater treatment plant consisted of an aerobic reactor and a membrane compartment containing one submerged hollow fiber membrane module. In this study, eleven different aerobic hydraulic retention times (HRT ranging from 2 to 12 hours were tested to determine the membrane capacity and to investigate the performance of the system in removing total ammonia nitrogen, organic matter, total suspended solids, and turbidity.The system recorded a perfectly stable removal efficiency over the whole experimental period, except for the 2-hour aerobic HRT, so that its COD and BOD reductions exceeded 95% and 99%, respectively. Moreover, the system achieved complete nitrification in a stable manner during the whole study period, except for the 2-hour aerobic operation period. TSS concentration was almost zero and turbidity was less than 1 NTU. Membrane capacity measurements showed an average flux of 5.5 Lm-2h-1 with a mean trans-membrane pressure difference of 30 kPa. Results showed that the MBR outperformed the conventional sewage treatment processes. Additionally, it was not affected by aerobic HRT changes (12, 10, 8, 6, 4, and 3h. Based on the effluent qulity, teh system may be recommended for application toward water reuse in industrial and agricultural settings

The solubility-permeability interplay and its implications in formulation design and development for poorly soluble drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahan, Arik; Miller, Jonathan M

2012-06-01

While each of the two key parameters of oral drug absorption, the solubility and the permeability, has been comprehensively studied separately, the relationship and interplay between the two have been largely ignored. For instance, when formulating a low-solubility drug using various solubilization techniques: what are we doing to the apparent permeability when we increase the solubility? Permeability is equal to the drug's diffusion coefficient through the membrane times the membrane/aqueous partition coefficient divided by the membrane thickness. The direct correlation between the intestinal permeability and the membrane/aqueous partitioning, which in turn is dependent on the drug's apparent solubility in the GI milieu, suggests that the solubility and the permeability are closely associated, exhibiting a certain interplay between them, and the current view of treating the one irrespectively of the other may not be sufficient. In this paper, we describe the research that has been done thus far, and present new data, to shed light on this solubility-permeability interplay. It has been shown that decreased apparent permeability accompanies the solubility increase when using different solubilization methods. Overall, the weight of the evidence indicates that the solubility-permeability interplay cannot be ignored when using solubility-enabling formulations; looking solely at the solubility enhancement that the formulation enables may be misleading with regards to predicting the resulting absorption, and hence, the solubility-permeability interplay must be taken into account to strike the optimal solubility-permeability balance, in order to maximize the overall absorption.

Enhancing recovery of ammonia from swine manure anaerobic digester effluent using gas-permeable membrane technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dube, P J; Vanotti, M B; Szogi, A A; García-González, M C

2016-03-01

Gas-permeable membrane technology is useful to recover ammonia from manure. In this study, the technology was enhanced using aeration instead of alkali chemicals to increase pH and the ammonium (NH4(+)) recovery rate. Digested effluents from covered anaerobic swine lagoons containing 1465-2097 mg NH4(+)-N L(-1) were treated using submerged membranes (0.13 cm(2) cm(-3)), low-rate aeration (120 mL air L-manure(-1) min(-1)) and nitrification inhibitor (22 mg L(-1)) to prevent nitrification. The experiment included a control without aeration. The pH of the manure with aeration rose from 8.6 to 9.2 while the manure without aeration decreased from 8.6 to 8.1. With aeration, 97-99% of the NH4(+) was removed in about 5 days of operation with 96-98% recovery efficiency. In contrast, without aeration it took 25 days to treat the NH4(+). Therefore, the recovery of NH4(+) was five times faster with the low-rate aeration treatment. This enhancement could reduce costs by 70%. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Polyurethane Membranes Modified with Isopropyl Myristate as a Potential Candidate for Encapsulating Electronic Implants: A Study of Biocompatibility and Water Permeability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepen Paul

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Medical polyurethanes have shown good bio-stability and mechanical properties and have been used as coating for implantable medical devices. However, despite their excellent properties, they are relatively permeable to liquid water and water vapour which is a drawback for electronic implant encapsulation. In this study polyether polyurethanes with different soft segment molecular weights were modified by incorporating isopropyl myristate (IPM, as a hydrophobic modifying agent, and the effect of IPM on water resistant and biocompatibility of membranes were investigated. IPM changed the surface properties of the polyurethane film and reduced its surface energy. Polyurethane films were found to be stable with IPM concentrations of 1–5 wt% based upon their chemistry; however it leached out in BSA at higher concentrations. Though, low concentrations of IPM reduced both liquid water and water vapour permeability; at higher IPM content liquid permeability did not improved significantly. In general, the polyurethane materials showed much lower water permeability compared with currently used silicone packaging material for electronic implants. In addition, cytotoxicity assessment of IPM containing polyurethanes showed no evidence of cytotoxcity up to 5 wt% IPM.

Hydraulically amplified PZT mems actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, Robin R.

2004-11-02

A hydraulically amplified microelectromechanical systems actuator. A piece of piezoelectric material or stacked piezo bimorph is bonded or deposited as a thin film. The piece is operatively connected to a primary membrane. A reservoir is operatively connected to the primary membrane. The reservoir contains a fluid. A membrane is operatively connected to the reservoir. In operation, energizing the piezoelectric material causing the piezoelectric material to bow. Bowing of the piezoelectric material causes movement of the primary membrane. Movement of the primary membrane results in a force in being transmitted to the liquid in the reservoir. The force in the liquid causes movement of the membrane. Movement of the membrane results in an operating actuator.

Gas and Water Permeability of Concrete

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Villar, M. V.; Martin, P. L.; Romero, F. J.; Gutierrez-Rodirgo, V.; Barcala, J. M.

2012-11-01

The gas pressure of concrete samples was measured in an unsteady-state equipment working under low injection pressures and in a newly fine tuned steady-state setup working under different pressures. These measurements allowed the estimation of the intrinsic and relative gas permeability of the concrete and of the effect of boundary conditions on them. Permeability decreased with water content, but it was also greatly affected by the hydraulic history of concrete, i.e. if it had been previously dried or wetted. In particular, and for a given degree of saturation, the gas permeability of concrete previously saturated was lower than if the concrete had been just air dried or saturated after air drying. In any case, the gas permeability was about two orders of magnitude higher than the liquid water permeability (10-16 vs. 10-18 m2), probably due to the chemical reactions taking place during saturation (carbonation). The relative gas permeability of concrete increased sharply for water degrees of saturation smaller than 50%. The boundary conditions also affected the gas permeability, which seemed to be mostly conditioned by the back pressure and the confining pressure, increasing as the former increased and decreasing as the latter increased, i.e. decreasing as the effective pressure increased. Overall the increase of pressure head or injection pressure implied a decrease in gas permeability. External,microcracking during air-drying could not be ruled out as responsible for the decrease of permeability with confining pressure. The apparent permeability obtained applying the Klinkenberg method for a given effective pressure was only slightly smaller than the average of all the values measured for the same confining pressure range. For this reason it is considered that the Klinkenberg effect was not relevant in the range of pressures applied. (Author) 37 refs.

Kinetics of the flash-induced P515 response in relation to the H+-permeability of the membrane bound ATPase in spinach chloroplasts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peters, R.L.; van Kooten, O.; Vredenberg, W.J.

1985-08-01

The effect of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) on the kinetics of the flash-induced P515 response and on the activity of the ATPase was investigated in isolated spinach chloroplasts. It was found that after the addition of 5 X 10(-8)mol DCCD the rate of ATP hydrolysis induced by a period of 60 sec illumination was decreased to less than 5% of its original value. At this concentration, hardly any effect, if at all, could be detected on the kinetics of the flash-induced P515 response, neither in dark-adapted nor in light-activated chloroplasts. It was concluded that the presence of concentrations of DCCD, sufficiently high to affect the ATPase activity, does not affect the kinetics of the flash-induced P515 response. Since DCCD decreases the H+ permeability of the membrane-bound ATPase, it was concluded that this permeability coefficient for protons is not an important factor in the regulation of the flash-induced membrane potential and, therefore, does not affect the kinetics of the flash-induced P515 response.

Polymer Inclusion Membranes with Strip Dispersion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yueh-Hsien Li

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The present work investigated the permeation of indium ions through a polymer inclusion membrane (PIM, prepared with cellulose triacetate (CTA as the base polymer, tris(2-butoxyethyl phosphate (TBEP as the plasticizer and di-(2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA as the extractant. With 5 M HCl aqueous solution as the strip solution, we observed an initial indium permeability of 2.4 × 10−4 m/min. However, the permeability decreases with time, dropping to about 3.4 × 10−5 m/min after 200 min of operation. Evidence was obtained showing that hydrolysis of CTA occurred, causing a dramatic decrease in the feed pH (protons transported from strip to feed solutions and a loss of extractant and plasticizer from the membrane, and then leading to the loss of indium permeability. To alleviate the problem of hydrolysis, we proposed an operation scheme called polymer inclusion membranes with strip dispersion: dispersing the strip solution in extractant-containing oil and then bringing the dispersion to contact with the polymer membrane. Since the strong acid was dispersed in oil, the membrane did not directly contact the strong acid at all times, and membrane hydrolysis was thus alleviated and the loss of indium permeability was effectively prevented. With the proposed scheme, a stable indium permeability of 2.5 × 10−4 m/min was obtained during the whole time period of the permeation experiment.

Membranes, methods of making membranes, and methods of separating gases using membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, W. S. Winston

2012-10-02

Membranes, methods of making membranes, and methods of separating gases using membranes are provided. The membranes can include at least one hydrophilic polymer, at least one cross-linking agent, at least one base, and at least one amino compound. The methods of separating gases using membranes can include contacting a gas stream containing at least one of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2S, and HCl with one side of a nonporous and at least one of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2S, and HCl selectively permeable membrane such that at least one of CO.sub.2, H.sub.2S, and HCl is selectively transported through the membrane.

Interaction of abscisic acid with phospholipid membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stillwell, W.; Brengle, B.; Hester, P.; Wassall, S.T.

1989-01-01

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is shown, under certain conditions, to greatly enhance the permeability of phospholipid bilayer membranes to the nonelectrolyte erythritol (followed spectrophotometrically by osmotic swelling) and the anion carboxyfluorescein (followed by fluorescence). The hormone is ineffective with single- and mixed-component phosphatidylcholine membranes in the liquid-crystalline or gel states. In contrast, substantial ABA-induced permeability is measured for two-component membranes containing lipids with different polar head groups or containing phosphatidylcholines with different acyl chains at temperatures where gel and liquid-crystalline phases coexist. Despite the large ABA-induced enhancement in bilayer permeability, no evidence for a substantial change at the molecular level was seen in the membranes by magnetic resonance techniques. 13 C NMR spin-lattice relaxation times, T 1 , in sonicated unilamellar vesicles and ESR of spin-labeled fatty acids intercalated into membranes showed negligible effect on acyl chain order and dynamics within the bilayer, while 31 P NMR of sonicated unilamellar vesicles indicated negligible effect on molecular motion and conformation in the head-group region. The authors propose that, instead of causing a general nonspecific perturbation to the membrane, the hormone acts at membrane defects formed due to mismatch in molecular packing where two different head groups or acyl chain states interface. Increased membrane disruption by ABA at these points of membrane instability could then produce an enhancement in permeability

On the Mechanism(s of Membrane Permeability Transition in Liver Mitochondria of Lamprey, Lampetra fluviatilis L.: Insights from Cadmium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena A. Belyaeva

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Previously we have shown that opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in its low conductance state is the case in hepatocytes of the Baltic lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis L. during reversible metabolic depression taking place in the period of its prespawning migration when the exogenous feeding is switched off. The depression is observed in the last year of the lamprey life cycle and is conditioned by reversible mitochondrial dysfunction (mitochondrial uncoupling in winter and coupling in spring. To further elucidate the mechanism(s of induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in the lamprey liver, we used Cd2+ and Ca2+ plus Pi as the pore inducers. We found that Ca2+ plus Pi induced the high-amplitude swelling of the isolated “winter” mitochondria both in isotonic sucrose and ammonium nitrate medium while both low and high Cd2+ did not produce the mitochondrial swelling in these media. Low Cd2+ enhanced the inhibition of basal respiration rate of the “winter” mitochondria energized by NAD-dependent substrates whereas the same concentrations of the heavy metal evoked its partial stimulation on FAD-dependent substrates. The above changes produced by Cd2+ or Ca2+ plus Pi in the “winter” mitochondria were only weakly (if so sensitive to cyclosporine A (a potent pharmacological desensitizer of the nonselective pore added alone and they were not sensitive to dithiothreitol (a dithiol reducing agent. Under monitoring of the transmembrane potential of the “spring” lamprey liver mitochondria, we revealed that Cd2+ produced its decrease on both types of the respiratory substrates used that was strongly hampered by cyclosporine A, and the membrane potential was partially restored by dithiothreitol. The effects of different membrane permeability modulators on the lamprey liver mitochondria function and the seasonal changes in their action are discussed.

Laminar oxy-fuel diffusion flame supported by an oxygen-permeable-ion-transport membrane

KAUST Repository

Hong, Jongsup

2013-03-01

A numerical model with detailed gas-phase chemistry and transport was used to predict homogeneous fuel conversion processes and to capture the important features (e.g., the location, temperature, thickness and structure of a flame) of laminar oxy-fuel diffusion flames stabilized on the sweep side of an oxygen permeable ion transport membrane (ITM). We assume that the membrane surface is not catalytic to hydrocarbon or syngas oxidation. It has been demonstrated that an ITM can be used for hydrocarbon conversion with enhanced reaction selectivity such as oxy-fuel combustion for carbon capture technologies and syngas production. Within an ITM unit, the oxidizer flow rate, i.e., the oxygen permeation flux, is not a pre-determined quantity, since it depends on the oxygen partial pressures on the feed and sweep sides and the membrane temperature. Instead, it is influenced by the oxidation reactions that are also dependent on the oxygen permeation rate, the initial conditions of the sweep gas, i.e., the fuel concentration, flow rate and temperature, and the diluent. In oxy-fuel combustion applications, the sweep side is fuel-diluted with CO2, and the entire unit is preheated to achieve a high oxygen permeation flux. This study focuses on the flame structure under these conditions and specifically on the chemical effect of CO2 dilution. Results show that, when the fuel diluent is CO2, a diffusion flame with a lower temperature and a larger thickness is established in the vicinity of the membrane, in comparison with the case in which N2 is used as a diluent. Enhanced OH-driven reactions and suppressed H radical chemistry result in the formation of products with larger CO and H2O and smaller H2 concentrations. Moreover, radical concentrations are reduced due to the high CO2 fraction in the sweep gas. CO2 dilution reduces CH3 formation and slows down the formation of soot precursors, C2H2 and C2H4. The flame location impacts the species diffusion and heat transfer from the

Radioactive rare gas separation using a separation cell with two kinds of membrane differing in gas permeability tendency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohno, Masayoshi; Ozaki, Osamu; Sato, Hajime; Kimura, Shoji; Miyauchi, Terukatsu.

1977-01-01

A separation cell embodying two kinds of membrane-porous and nonporous, i.e. differing in gas permeability - has a separation factor higher than possible with a conventional separation cell with a single kind of membrane. The performance of such separation cells and of cascades constituted thereof are analyzed theoretically and measured experimentally for different conditions of operation, to determine the applicability of the concept to the separation of rare gases from gaseous waste out of nuclear plants. Theoretical considerations indicate that, in a cascade composed of symmetric separation cells, the separation performance can be improved by recycling part of the effluent from a cell back through the same cell (recycling cascade). It is shown that its performance is better than with the arrangement of diverting another effluent several stages upstream. With the recycling cascade, the symmetric separation recycling rate is determined by the depletion separation and enrichment separation factors relevant to the respective membranes. The separation performance of a 9-stage recycling cascade composed of separation cells with silicone rubber tubular membranes and cellulose acetate tubular membranes is derived for a case of Kr separation from N 2 -Kr mixture. The experimental data coincide well with the analytical results. From both the experimental and the analytical results, it is found that the attainable separation coefficient per stage of the cascade comes to average approximately 0.97. (auth.)

Comparison of under-pressure and over-pressure pulse tests conducted in low-permeability basalt horizons at the Hanford Site, Washington State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorne, P.D.; Spane, F.A. Jr.

1984-10-01

Over-pressure pulse tests (pressurized slug tests have been widely used by others for hydraulic characterization of low-permeability ( -8 m/sec) rock formations. Recent field studies of low-permeability basalt horizons at the Hanford Site, Washington, indicate that the under-pressure pulse technique is also a viable test method for hydraulic characterization studies. For over-pressure pulse tests, fluid within the test system is rapidly pressurized and the associated pressure decay is monitored as compressed fluid within the test system expands and flows into the test formation. Under-pressure pulse tests are conducted in a similar manner by abruptly decreasing the pressure of fluid within the test system, and monitoring the associated increase in pressure as fluid flows from the formation into the test system. Both pulse test methods have been used in conjunction with other types of tests to determine the hydraulic properties of selected low-permeability basalt horizons at Hanford test sites. Results from both pulse test methods generally provide comparable estimates of hydraulic properties and are in good agreement with those from other tests

Effects of subsoil compaction on hydraulic properties and preferential flow in a Swedish clay soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mossadeghi-Björklund, M; Arvidsson, J.; Keller, Thomas

2016-01-01

in saturated hydraulic conductivity, air permeability and number of macropores at the second site. At this site, the traffic also significantly reduced the strength of preferential flow, presumably due to compaction-induced disruption of macropore continuity. In apparent contrast, some previous studies have shown......Soil compaction by vehicular traffic modifies the pore structure and soil hydraulic properties. These changes potentially influence the occurrence of preferential flow, which so far has been little studied. Our aim was to study the effect of compaction on soil hydraulic and transport properties...... transport derived from non-reactive tracer breakthrough curves and measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and air permeability at the field moisture content (Ka). Although the traffic treatment did not cause any compaction effects at one of the two sites, it did result in significant reductions...

Contribution of liver mitochondrial membrane-bound glutathione transferase to mitochondrial permeability transition pores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hossain, Quazi Sohel; Ulziikhishig, Enkhbaatar; Lee, Kang Kwang; Yamamoto, Hideyuki; Aniya, Yoko

2009-01-01

We recently reported that the glutathione transferase in rat liver mitochondrial membranes (mtMGST1) is activated by S-glutathionylation and the activated mtMGST1 contributes to the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore and cytochrome c release from mitochondria [Lee, K.K., Shimoji, M., Quazi, S.H., Sunakawa, H., Aniya, Y., 2008. Novel function of glutathione transferase in rat liver mitochondrial membrane: role for cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Toxcol. Appl. Pharmacol. 232, 109-118]. In the present study we investigated the effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS), generator gallic acid (GA) and GST inhibitors on mtMGST1 and the MPT. When rat liver mitochondria were incubated with GA, mtMGST1 activity was increased to about 3 fold and the increase was inhibited with antioxidant enzymes and singlet oxygen quenchers including 1,4-diazabicyclo [2,2,2] octane (DABCO). GA-mediated mtMGST1 activation was prevented by GST inhibitors such as tannic acid, hematin, and cibacron blue and also by cyclosporin A (CsA). In addition, GA induced the mitochondrial swelling which was also inhibited by GST inhibitors, but not by MPT inhibitors CsA, ADP, and bongkrekic acid. GA also released cytochrome c from the mitochondria which was inhibited completely by DABCO, moderately by GST inhibitors, and somewhat by CsA. Ca 2+ -mediated mitochondrial swelling and cytochrome c release were inhibited by MPT inhibitors but not by GST inhibitors. When the outer mitochondrial membrane was isolated after treatment of mitochondria with GA, mtMGST1 activity was markedly increased and oligomer/aggregate of mtMGST1 was observed. These results indicate that mtMGST1 in the outer mitochondrial membrane is activated by GA through thiol oxidation leading to protein oligomerization/aggregation, which may contribute to the formation of ROS-mediated, CsA-insensitive MPT pore, suggesting a novel mechanism for regulation of the MPT by mtMGST1

Gas phase fractionation method using porous ceramic membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Reid A.; Hill, Jr., Charles G.; Anderson, Marc A.

1996-01-01

Flaw-free porous ceramic membranes fabricated from metal sols and coated onto a porous support are advantageously used in gas phase fractionation methods. Mean pore diameters of less than 40 .ANG., preferably 5-20 .ANG. and most preferably about 15 .ANG., are permeable at lower pressures than existing membranes. Condensation of gases in small pores and non-Knudsen membrane transport mechanisms are employed to facilitate and increase membrane permeability and permselectivity.

Accurate control testing for clay liner permeability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitchell, R J

1991-08-01

Two series of centrifuge tests were carried out to evaluate the use of centrifuge modelling as a method of accurate control testing of clay liner permeability. The first series used a large 3 m radius geotechnical centrifuge and the second series a small 0.5 m radius machine built specifically for research on clay liners. Two permeability cells were fabricated in order to provide direct data comparisons between the two methods of permeability testing. In both cases, the centrifuge method proved to be effective and efficient, and was found to be free of both the technical difficulties and leakage risks normally associated with laboratory permeability testing of fine grained soils. Two materials were tested, a consolidated kaolin clay having an average permeability coefficient of 1.2{times}10{sup -9} m/s and a compacted illite clay having a permeability coefficient of 2.0{times}10{sup -11} m/s. Four additional tests were carried out to demonstrate that the 0.5 m radius centrifuge could be used for linear performance modelling to evaluate factors such as volumetric water content, compaction method and density, leachate compatibility and other construction effects on liner leakage. The main advantages of centrifuge testing of clay liners are rapid and accurate evaluation of hydraulic properties and realistic stress modelling for performance evaluations. 8 refs., 12 figs., 7 tabs.

Proton conductive montmorillonite-Nafion composite membranes for direct ethanol fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiu-Wen; Wu, Nan; Shi, Chun-Qing; Zheng, Zhi-Yuan; Qi, Hong-Bin; Wang, Ya-Fang

2016-12-01

The preparation of Nafion membranes modified with montmorillonites is less studied, and most relative works mainly applied in direct methanol fuel cells, less in direct ethanol fuel cells. Organic/inorganic composite membranes are prepared with different montmorillonites (Ca-montmorillonite, Na-montmorillonite, K-montmorillonite, Mg-montmorillonite, and H-montmorillonite) and Nafion solution via casting method at 293 K in air, and with balance of their proton conductivity and ethanol permeability. The ethanol permeability and proton conductivity of the membranes are comparatively studied. The montmorillonites can well decrease the ethanol permeability of the membranes via inserted them in the membranes, while less decrease the proton conductivities of the membranes depending on the inserted amount and type of montmorillonites. The proton conductivities of the membranes are between 36.0 mS/cm and 38.5 mS/cm. The ethanol permeability of the membranes is between 0.69 × 10-6 cm2/s and 2.67 × 10-6 cm2/s.

NOVEL CERAMIC MEMBRANE FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE CARBON DIOXIDE SEPARATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, Jun-ichi; Yang, Zhaohui; Lin, Jerry Y.S.

2002-01-01

A new CO 2 semi-permeable dense inorganic membrane consisting of a porous metal phase and molten carbonate was proposed. A simple direct infiltration method was used to synthesize the metal-carbonate dual-phase membrane. Hermetic (gas-tight) dual phase membrane was successfully obtained. Permeation data showed that nitrogen or helium is not permeable through the membrane (only CO 2 , with O 2 can permeate through the membrane based on transport mechanism)

An XFEM Model for Hydraulic Fracturing in Partially Saturated Rocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salimzadeh Saeed

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is a complex multi-physics phenomenon. Numerous analytical and numerical models of hydraulic fracturing processes have been proposed. Analytical solutions commonly are able to model the growth of a single hydraulic fracture into an initially intact, homogeneous rock mass. Numerical models are able to analyse complex problems such as multiple hydraulic fractures and fracturing in heterogeneous media. However, majority of available models are restricted to single-phase flow through fracture and permeable porous rock. This is not compatible with actual field conditions where the injected fluid does not have similar properties as the host fluid. In this study we present a fully coupled hydro-poroelastic model which incorporates two fluids i.e. fracturing fluid and host fluid. Flow through fracture is defined based on lubrication assumption, while flow through matrix is defined as Darcy flow. The fracture discontinuity in the mechanical model is captured using eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM while the fracture propagation criterion is defined through cohesive fracture model. The discontinuous matrix fluid velocity across fracture is modelled using leak-off loading which couples fracture flow and matrix flow. The proposed model has been discretised using standard Galerkin method, implemented in Matlab and verified against several published solutions. Multiple hydraulic fracturing simulations are performed to show the model robustness and to illustrate how problem parameters such as injection rate and rock permeability affect the hydraulic fracturing variables i.e. injection pressure, fracture aperture and fracture length. The results show the impact of partial saturation on leak-off and the fact that single-phase models may underestimate the leak-off.

Na⁺ Recirculation and Isosmotic Transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Erik Hviid; Møbjerg, N

2006-01-01

of the absorbate. Mathematical modeling reproducing bioelectric and hydrosmotic properties of small intestine and proximal tubule, respectively, predicts a significant range of observations such as isosmotic transport, hyposmotic transport, solvent drag, anomalous solvent drag, the residual hydraulic permeability...... in proximal tubule of AQP1 (-/-) mice, and the inverse relationship between hydraulic permeability and the concentration difference needed to reverse transepithelial water flow. The model reproduces the volume responses of cells and lateral intercellular space (lis) following replacement of luminal Na...... external baths. Hyperosmolarity of lis is governed by the hydraulic permeability of the apical plasma membrane and tight junction with 6-7 mOsm in small intestine and

A polygeneration from a dual-gas partial catalytic oxidation coupling with an oxygen-permeable membrane reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Yanhong; Huang, Yi; Gong, Minhui; Li, Wenying; Feng, Jie; Yi, Qun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A new polygeneration system (PL-PCO-OPMR) to DME/methanol/power is proposed. • Exergeo-economic analysis is adopted to disclose the performance of systems. • Key technological conditions and parameters for PL-PCO-OPMR are optimized. • PL-PCO-OPMR shows high energy efficiency and low CO_2 emission. • PL-PCO-OPMR is an attractive way for high efficient and clean use of COG and CGG. - Abstract: Polygeneration system, typically involving chemicals/fuels and electricity co-production, is a promising technology for the sustainable development of energy and environment. In this study, a new polygeneration system based on coal and coke oven gas (COG) inputs for co-production of dimethyl ether (DME)/methanol and electricity is proposed. In the new system, an appropriate syngas for the synthesis of DME is from coal gasified gas (CGG) reforming of COG coupled with an oxygen-permeable membrane reactor, in which both COG and CGG reforming process and fuel combustion process are incorporated, which reduces exergy destruction in the whole reforming process. In order to obtain the best performance of CO_2 reduction, energy saving and economic benefit, the key operation parameters of the proposed process are analyzed and optimized. The new system is compared with the process based on CH_4/CO_2 dry reforming, in terms of exergy efficiency, exergy cost and CO_2 emissions. Through the new system, the exergy efficiency can be increased by 7.8%, the exergy cost can be reduced by 0.88 USD/GJ and the CO_2 emission can be reduced by 0.023 kg/MJ. These results suggest that the polygeneration system from CGG and COG partial catalytic oxidation coupling with an oxygen-permeable membrane reactor (PL-PCO-OPMR) would be a more attractive way for highly efficient and clean use of CGG and COG.

Permeability of highly compacted bentonite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pusch, R.

1980-12-01

The object of the study was the water flow through the bentonite which is caused by hydraulic gradients. The study comprised laboratory tests and theoretical considerations. It was found that high bulk densities reduced the permeability to very low values. It was concluded that practically impervious conditions prevail when the gradients are low. Thus with a regional gradient of 10 -2 and a premeability of 10 -13 m/s the flow rate will not be higher than approximately 1 mm in 30 000 years. (G.B.)

The mechanism and field test of permeability improvement by hydraulic flushing in three-soft and single coal seam%“三软”单一煤层水力冲孔卸压增透机理及现场试验

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

冯文军; 苏现波; 王建伟; 秦俊宾; 李贤忠

2015-01-01

Hydraulic flushing is the most effective way for high-efficient extraction in three-soft coal seam. In this paper, the mechanism was studied by laboratory experiment, theoretical analysis and field test for pressure relief and permeability improvement in three-soft coal seam after hydraulic flushing. The coupling experiment of stress and strain-coal structure-permeability revealed the evolution of permeability along with the change of the structure and stress, and found that permeability of soft coal was improved on a large scale after pressure relief. Based on Hoek-Brown criterion theory, the numerical simulation results show that the relief range increased significantly af-ter hydraulic flushing in coal. The hydraulic flushing tests using self-developed machine for gas drainage borehole in 21141 floor drainage tunnel of Daping Mine shows, the machine made hydraulic flushing more secure and effi-cient, and made it possible to repair the old drainage borehole . The field tests fully tested the reliability of the equipment and the accuracy of the above theoretical analysis, and improved the extraction efficiency significantly.%水力冲孔是实现“三软”煤层瓦斯高效抽采的有效途径之一。通过应力应变–煤体结构–渗透率的耦合实验，揭示了“三软”煤层渗透率随煤体结构和应力变化的演化规律，发现软煤在卸压后渗透率得到大规模提升。以Hoek-Brown准则为理论依据，通过数值模拟，发现水力冲孔出煤后的卸压增透范围显著增加。采用自主研发的“瓦斯抽采孔水力作业机”，在郑煤集团大平煤矿21141底板抽放巷进行了水力冲孔试验，使得水力冲孔更加安全、高效，并使得老孔的修复成为现实。现场试验充分检验了装备的可靠性和理论分析的准确性，显著提高了煤层瓦斯的抽采效率。

Capacity of textile filters for wastewater Treatment at changeable wastewater level – a hydraulic model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Spychała

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to describe in a mathematical manner the hydraulic capacity of textile filters for wastewater treatment at changeable wastewater levels during a period between consecutive doses, taking into consideration the decisive factors for flow-conditions of filtering media. Highly changeable and slightly changeable flow-conditions tests were performed on reactors equipped with non-woven geo-textile filters. Hydraulic conductivity of filter material coupons was determined. The dry mass covering the surface and contained in internal space of filtering material was then indicated and a mathematical model was elaborated. Flow characteristics during the highly changeable flow-condition test were sensitivity to differentiated values of hydraulic conductivity in horizontal zones of filtering layer. During the slightly changeable flow-conditions experiment the differences in permeability and hydraulic conductivity of different filter (horizontal zones height regions were much smaller. The proposed modelling approach in spite of its simplicity provides a satisfactory agreement with empirical data and therefore enables to simulate the hydraulic capacity of vertically oriented textile filters. The mathematical model reflects the significant impact of the filter characteristics (textile permeability at different filter height and operational conditions (dosing frequency on the textile filters hydraulic capacity.

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES IN RELATION WITH SOIL PERMEABILITY IN THE AREA OF VELIKA GORICA WELL FIELD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Kovač

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic parameters affects behaviour of various ions in soils. The goal of this paper was to get better understanding of relationship between physical and chemical properties and soil permeability at the location of case study profile Velika Gorica, based on the physical and chemical data. Soil profile is situated in the Eutric Cambisol of the Zagreb aquifer, Croatia. Zagreb aquifer represents the only source of potable water for inhabitants of the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County. Based on the data obtained from particle size analysis, soil hydraulic parameters and measured water content, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values were calculated for the estimation of soil profile permeability. Soil water retention curves and unsaturated hydraulic conductivities are very similar for all depths because soil content does not change significantly through the depth. Determination of anions and cations on soil samples was performed using the method of ion chromatography. Results showed decrease of ions concentrations after 0.6 m depth. SAR distribution in the soil profile shows that SAR values are not significantly changing at the soil profile. The highest CEC and EC values are determined in horizon Bw developed in 0.6 m depth which is consistent with highest SAR value and ions concentrations. All results suggest that physical and chemical properties of investigated profile are in relationship with soil permeability.

Proton conductive montmorillonite-Nafion composite membranes for direct ethanol fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Xiu-Wen; Wu, Nan; Shi, Chun-Qing; Zheng, Zhi-Yuan; Qi, Hong-Bin; Wang, Ya-Fang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Composite membranes are prepared with different montmorillonites and nafion solution. • Proton conductivities of the composite membranes are between 36.0 mS/cm and 38.5 mS/cm. • Ethanol permeability is between 0.69 × 10"−"6 cm"2/s and 2.67 × 10"−"6 cm"2/s. • Water uptake is approximately 24.30 mass%. - Abstract: The preparation of Nafion membranes modified with montmorillonites is less studied, and most relative works mainly applied in direct methanol fuel cells, less in direct ethanol fuel cells. Organic/inorganic composite membranes are prepared with different montmorillonites (Ca-montmorillonite, Na-montmorillonite, K-montmorillonite, Mg-montmorillonite, and H-montmorillonite) and Nafion solution via casting method at 293 K in air, and with balance of their proton conductivity and ethanol permeability. The ethanol permeability and proton conductivity of the membranes are comparatively studied. The montmorillonites can well decrease the ethanol permeability of the membranes via inserted them in the membranes, while less decrease the proton conductivities of the membranes depending on the inserted amount and type of montmorillonites. The proton conductivities of the membranes are between 36.0 mS/cm and 38.5 mS/cm. The ethanol permeability of the membranes is between 0.69 × 10"−"6 cm"2/s and 2.67 × 10"−"6 cm"2/s.

Analysis and interpretation of borehole hydraulic tests in deep boreholes: principles, model development, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickens, J.F.; Grisak, G.E.; Avis, J.D.; Belanger, D.W.

1987-01-01

A review of the literature on hydraulic testing and interpretive methods, particularly in low-permeability media, indicates a need for a comprehensive hydraulic testing interpretive capability. Physical limitations on boreholes, such as caving and erosion during continued drilling, as well as the high costs associated with deep-hole rigs and testing equipment, often necessitate testing under nonideal conditions with respect to antecedent pressures and temperatures. In these situations, which are common in the high-level nuclear waste programs throughout the world, the interpretive requirements include the ability to quantitatively account for thermally induced pressure responses and borehole pressure history (resulting in a time-dependent pressure profile around the borehole) as well as equipment compliance effects in low-permeability intervals. A numerical model was developed to provide the capability to handle these antecedent conditions. Sensitivity studies and practical applications are provided to illustrate the importance of thermal effects and antecedent pressure history. It is demonstrated theoretically and with examples from the Swiss (National Genossenschaft fuer die Lagerung radioaktiver Abfaelle) regional hydrogeologic characterization program that pressure changes (expressed as hydraulic head) of the order of tens to hundreds of meters can results from 1 0 to 2 0 C temperature variations during shut-in (packer isolated) tests in low-permeability formations. Misinterpreted formation pressures and hydraulic conductivity can also result from inaccurate antecedent pressure history. Interpretation of representative formation properties and pressures requires that antecedent pressure information and test period temperature data be included as an integral part of the hydraulic test analyses

Extended geothermal potential of clastic aquifers by hydraulic stimulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldkamp, J.G.; Pluymaekers, M.P.D.; Wees, J.D.A.M.

2014-01-01

We evaluated the implications of hydraulic stimulation in a Dutch context for low permeability clastic aquifers at a depth of 2000 to 4000 m, whose transmissivity has been mapped in the framework of the Dutch subsurface information system on geothermal energy in the Netherlands. For the simulation

Rectification of the water permeability in COS-7 cells at 22, 10 and 0°C.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana B Peckys

Full Text Available The osmotic and permeability parameters of a cell membrane are essential physico-chemical properties of a cell and particularly important with respect to cell volume changes and the regulation thereof. Here, we report the hydraulic conductivity, L(p, the non-osmotic volume, V(b, and the Arrhenius activation energy, E(a, of mammalian COS-7 cells. The ratio of V(b to the isotonic cell volume, V(c iso, was 0.29. E(a, the activation energy required for the permeation of water through the cell membrane, was 10,700, and 12,000 cal/mol under hyper- and hypotonic conditions, respectively. Average values for L(p were calculated from swell/shrink curves by using an integrated equation for L(p. The curves represented the volume changes of 358 individually measured cells, placed into solutions of nonpermeating solutes of 157 or 602 mOsm/kg (at 0, 10 or 22°C and imaged over time. L(p estimates for all six combinations of osmolality and temperature were calculated, resulting in values of 0.11, 0.21, and 0.10 µm/min/atm for exosmotic flow and 0.79, 1.73 and 1.87 µm/min/atm for endosmotic flow (at 0, 10 and 22°C, respectively. The unexpected finding of several fold higher L(p values for endosmotic flow indicates highly asymmetric membrane permeability for water in COS-7. This phenomenon is known as rectification and has mainly been reported for plant cell, but only rarely for animal cells. Although the mechanism underlying the strong rectification found in COS-7 cells is yet unknown, it is a phenomenon of biological interest and has important practical consequences, for instance, in the development of optimal cryopreservation.

Effects of Streptococcus sanguinis Bacteriocin on Cell Surface Hydrophobicity, Membrane Permeability, and Ultrastructure of Candida Thallus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengli Ma

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Candida albicans (C.a and Candida tropicalis (C.t were treated with Streptococcus sanguinis bacteriocin (S.s bacteriocin, respectively; the bacteriostatic dynamics of S.s bacteriocin, their effects on cell surface hydrophobicity, leakage of inorganic phosphorus and macromolecular substance, cytosolic calcium concentration, and ultrastructure changes of Candida thallus were detected and analyzed. The results showed that inhibitory effect of S.s bacteriocin on C.a and C.t reached peak level at 24 h, the cell-surface hydrophobicity decreased significantly (P < 0.05 after S.s bacteriocin treatment, and there was leakage of cytoplasmic inorganic phosphorus and macromolecular substance from C.a and C.t; cytosolic calcium concentration decreased greatly. After 24 h treatment by S.s bacteriocin, depressive deformity and defect could be found in the cell surface of C.a and C.t; the thallus displayed irregular forms: C.a was shrunken, there was unclear margins abutting upon cell wall and cell membrane, nucleus disappeared, and cytoplasm was inhomogeneous; likewise, C.t was first plasmolysis, and then the cytoplasm was shrunk, the ultrastructure of cell wall and cell membrane was continuously damaged, and the nucleus was karyolysis. It was illustrated that S.s bacteriocin had similar antifungal effect on C.a and C.t; their cell surface hydrophobicity, membrane permeability, and ultrastructure were changed significantly on exposure to S.s bacteriocin.

Enhanced CAH dechlorination in a low permeability, variably-saturated medium

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, J.P.; Sorenson, K.S.; Peterson, L.N.; Brennan, R.A.; Werth, C.J.; Sanford, R.A.; Bures, G.H.; Taylor, C.J.; ,

2002-01-01

An innovative pilot-scale field test was performed to enhance the anaerobic reductive dechlorination (ARD) of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) in a low permeability, variably-saturated formation. The selected technology combines the use of a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique with enhanced bioremediation through the creation of highly-permeable sand- and electron donor-filled fractures in the low permeability matrix. Chitin was selected as the electron donor because of its unique properties as a polymeric organic material and based on the results of lab studies that indicated its ability to support ARD. The distribution and impact of chitin- and sand-filled fractures to the system was evaluated using hydrologic, geophysical, and geochemical parameters. The results indicate that, where distributed, chitin favorably impacted redox conditions and supported enhanced ARD of CAHs. These results indicate that this technology may be a viable and cost-effective approach for remediation of low-permeability, variably saturated systems.

Characterizing the Performance of Gas-Permeable Membranes as an Ammonia Recovery Strategy from Anaerobically Digested Dairy Manure.

Science.gov (United States)

Fillingham, Melanie; VanderZaag, Andrew; Singh, Jessica; Burtt, Stephen; Crolla, Anna; Kinsley, Chris; MacDonald, J Douglas

2017-10-07

Capturing ammonia from anaerobically digested manure could simultaneously decrease the adverse effects of ammonia inhibition on biogas production, reduce reactive nitrogen (N) loss to the environment, and produce mineral N fertilizer as a by-product. In this study, gas permeable membranes (GPM) were used to capture ammonia from dairy manure and digestate by the diffusion of gaseous ammonia across the membrane where ammonia is captured by diluted acid, forming an aqueous ammonium salt. A lab-scale prototype using tubular expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) GPM was used to (1) characterize the effect of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) concentration, temperature, and pH on the ammonia capture rate using GPM, and (2) to evaluate the performance of a GPM system in conditions similar to a mesophilic anaerobic digester. The GPM captured ammonia at a rate between 2.2 to 6.3% of gaseous ammonia in the donor solution per day. Capture rate was faster in anaerobic digestate than raw manure. The ammonia capture rate could be predicted using non-linear regression based on the factors of total ammonium nitrogen concentration, temperature, and pH. This use of membranes shows promise in reducing the deleterious impacts of ammonia on both the efficiency of biogas production and the release of reactive N to the environment.

Inhibition of free radical scavenging enzymes affects mitochondrial membrane permeability transition during growth and aging of yeast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Deryabina, Yulia; Isakova, Elena; Sekova, Varvara; Antipov, Alexey; Saris, Nils-Erik L

2014-12-01

In this study, we investigated the change in the antioxidant enzymes activity, cell respiration, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impairment of membrane mitochondria permeability in the Endomyces magnusii yeasts during culture growth and aging. We showed that the transition into stationary phase is the key tool to understanding interaction of these processes. This growth stage is distinguished by two-fold increase in ROS production and respiration rate as compared to those in the logarithmic phase. It results in induction of alternative oxidase (AO) in the stationary phase, decline of the main antioxidant enzymes activities, ROS-production, and mitochondria membrane permeability. Significant increase in the share of mitochondrial isoform of superoxide dismutase (SOD2) occurred in the stationary phase from 51.8% (24 h of cultivation) to 68.6% (48 h of cultivation). Upon blocking the essential ROS-scavenging enzymes, SODs and catalases (CATs) some heterogeneity of cell population was observed: 80-90% of cells displayed evident signs of early apoptosis (such as disorientation of mitochondria cristae, mitochondrial fragmentation and deformation of nuclear chromatine). However, 10-20% of the population were definitely healthy. It allowed to draw the conclusion that a complete system of cell antioxidant protection underlies normal mitochondria functioning while the E. magnusii yeasts grow and age. Moreover, this system provides unimpaired cell physiology under oxidative stress during culture aging in the stationary phase. Failures in mitochondria functions due to inhibition of ROS-scavenging enzymes of CATs and SODs could lead to damage of the cells and some signs of early apoptosis.

Dewatering of Yoghurt Using Permeable Membrane and Acrylic Superabsorbent Hydrogel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Ahmadpour

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Conventional processes of food dewatering, such as thermal, have undesirable and destruction effects on vitamins, aromatic compounds and pigments. In addition, they are accompanied with some technological complications and energy consumption. Thus, food concentration processes are directed to non-thermal techniques or methods with reduced heat effects. Superabsorbents are highly hydrophilic polymer networks which can absorb water and aqueous solutions some hundred times of their weights and retain them. These materials are subgroups of hydrogel family that are transformed into gels after absorbing water. In the present research, the possibilities of yoghurt dewatering using superabsorbents have been investigated for the first time in Iran and some remarkable results are obtained for this vital product. In the experiments carried out to investigate the effect of these absorbents on normal method of yoghurt concentration (use of permeable membrane, type of bed (wide and vertical and time are also studied. The percentage of total soluble solids and dry solids of dewatered samples were measured in different time intervals up to 180 min. The results showed that superabsorbent on a wide bed would reduce the concentration time to one third. In other words, in a certain time interval, more than 70% increase in yoghurt dry solids was observed compared to normal method. These results show that acrylic superabsorbent hydrogel can be applied as highly hydrophilic material in non-thermal food dewatering methods.

Polymeric molecular sieve membranes via in situ cross-linking of non-porous polymer membrane templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Zhen-An; Chai, Song-Hai; Nelson, Kimberly; Bi, Zhonghe; Chen, Jihua; Mahurin, Shannon M; Zhu, Xiang; Dai, Sheng

2014-04-16

High-performance polymeric membranes for gas separation are attractive for molecular-level separations in industrial-scale chemical, energy and environmental processes. Molecular sieving materials are widely regarded as the next-generation membranes to simultaneously achieve high permeability and selectivity. However, most polymeric molecular sieve membranes are based on a few solution-processable polymers such as polymers of intrinsic microporosity. Here we report an in situ cross-linking strategy for the preparation of polymeric molecular sieve membranes with hierarchical and tailorable porosity. These membranes demonstrate exceptional performance as molecular sieves with high gas permeabilities and selectivities for smaller gas molecules, such as carbon dioxide and oxygen, over larger molecules such as nitrogen. Hence, these membranes have potential for large-scale gas separations of commercial and environmental relevance. Moreover, this strategy could provide a possible alternative to 'classical' methods for the preparation of porous membranes and, in some cases, the only viable synthetic route towards certain membranes.

Uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters for structured soils

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, B.; Mohanty, B. P.; McGuire, J. T.

2012-01-01

Successful application of dual permeability models (DPM) to predict contaminant transport is contingent upon measured or inversely estimated soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters. The difficulty in unique identification of parameters for the additional macropore- and matrix-macropore interface regions, and knowledge about requisite experimental data for DPM has not been resolved to date. Therefore, this study quantifies uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters of experimental soil columns with different macropore distributions (single macropore, and low- and high-density multiple macropores). Uncertainty evaluation is conducted using adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (AMCMC) and conventional Metropolis-Hastings (MH) algorithms while assuming 10 out of 17 parameters to be uncertain or random. Results indicate that AMCMC resolves parameter correlations and exhibits fast convergence for all DPM parameters while MH displays large posterior correlations for various parameters. This study demonstrates that the choice of parameter sampling algorithms is paramount in obtaining unique DPM parameters when information on covariance structure is lacking, or else additional information on parameter correlations must be supplied to resolve the problem of equifinality of DPM parameters. This study also highlights the placement and significance of matrix-macropore interface in flow experiments of soil columns with different macropore densities. Histograms for certain soil hydraulic parameters display tri-modal characteristics implying that macropores are drained first followed by the interface region and then by pores of the matrix domain in drainage experiments. Results indicate that hydraulic properties and behavior of the matrix-macropore interface is not only a function of saturated hydraulic conductivity of the macroporematrix interface (Ksa) and macropore tortuosity (lf) but also of other parameters of the matrix and macropore domains.

Development of vinylic and acetylenic functionalized structures based on high permeable glassy polymers as membrane materials for gas mixtures separation

Science.gov (United States)

Roizard, D.; Kiryukhina, Y.; Masalev, A.; Khotimskiy, V.; Teplyakov, V.; Barth, D.

2013-03-01

There are several challenging separation problems in industries which can be solved with the help of membrane technologies. It is the case for instance of the purification of gas energy carriers (i.e. H2, CH4) from CO2 as well as the CO2 recovery from flue gas. Glassy polymers containing trimethylsilyl residues like poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) [PTMSP] and polyvinyltrimethylsilane [PVTMS] are known to exhibit good membrane properties for gas separation. This paper reports two ways of improving their performances based on the controlled introduction of selective groups - alkyl imidazomium salts (C4I) and polyethyleneglycol (M-PEG)- able to enhance CO2 selectivity. CO2 Isotherm sorption data and permeability measurements have shown that the membrane performances could be significantly improved when C4I and M-PEG were introduced as residues covalently bounded to the main polymer chain. Moreover the introduced bromine reactive centres could also be used to induce chemical crosslinking giving rise to more resistant and stable membranes to organic vapours. With the C4I groups, the CO2 sorption could be enhanced by a factor 4.4.

Measurement, with steady pressure rise, of the permeability of a gas through a porous membrane; Mesure, en montee continue de pression, de la permeabilite d'un gaz a travers une membrane poreuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davion, M [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1969-07-01

This study concerns a device for following the variations in the permeability of a gas across a porous membrane as a function of the average pressure, increasing steadily, which is applied to the membrane: P-bar; from these variations is deduced a value of an equivalent pore radius. A constant gas flow is introduced into an enclosure separated into two compartments by the membrane; the simultaneous variations of the pressure in the enclosure and of the pressure difference {delta} P between the two compartments are followed. After a transient period, {delta} P is given by an asymptotic expansion as a function of a dimensionless variable, w, whose expression includes several parameters (ratio of the compartment volumes, physical properties of the gas, pore radius, value of {delta} P in the steady state) and the variable pressure P. When w is large compared to unity, condition which gives an upper limit to the flow for a given membrane, the expansion is practically equal to its first term; the changes in {delta} P and in the permeability are then inversely proportional. The perturbing influences of various secondary effects (e. g. changes in the enclosure temperature) on the pore radius measurement have been estimated. (author) [French] Cette etude concerne un dispositif permettant de suivre les variations de permeabilite d'un gaz a travers une membrane poreuse en fonction de la pression moyenne, continument croissante, appliquee a cette membrane: P-bar; de ces variations se deduit la valeur d'un rayon de pore equivalent. Un debit de gaz constant est introduit dans une enceinte separee par la membrane en deux compartiments, et l'on suit les variations simultanees de la pression dans l'enceinte et de la difference de pression entre ces compartiments, {delta} P. A l'issue d'un stade transitoire, {delta}P est donne par un developpement asymptotique en fonction d'une variable sans dimensions, w, dont l'expression groupe plusieurs parametres (rapport des volumes des

Performances of nanofiltration and low pressure reverse osmosis membranes for desalination: characterization and modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Boussouga, Y. A.; Lhassani, A.

2017-03-01

The nanofiltration and the reverse osmosis processes are the most common techniques for the desalination of water contaminated by an excess of salts. In this present study, we were interested in the characterization of commercial, composite and asymmetric membranes of nanofiltration (NF90, NF270) and low pressure reverse osmosis (BW30LE). The two types of characterization that we opted for our study: (i) characterization of electrical proprieties, in terms of the surface charge of various membranes studied by the measurement of the streaming potential, (ii) hydrodynamic characterization in terms of hydraulic permeability with pure water, mass transfer and phenomenological parameters for each system membrane/salt using hydrodynamic approaches. The irreversible thermodynamics allowed us to model the observed retention Robs of salts (NaCl and Na2SO4) for the different membranes studied, to understand and to predict a good filtration with a membrane. A study was conducted on the type of mass transfer for each system membrane/salt: convection and diffusion. The results showed that all tested membranes are negatively charged for the solutions at neutral pH, this is explained by their material composition. The results also showed competitiveness between the different types of membranes. In view of that the NF remains effective in terms of selective retention with less energy consumption than LPRO.

Carbamazepine degradation using a N-doped TiO_2 coated photocatalytic membrane reactor: Influence of physical parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horovitz, Inna; Avisar, Dror; Baker, Mark A.; Grilli, Rossana; Lozzi, Luca; Di Camillo, Daniela; Mamane, Hadas

2016-01-01

Highlights: • UV–vis N-doped TiO_2 was deposited by sol-gel onto Al_2O_3 microfiltration membranes. • Coating decreased permeability by 50 and 12% for 200- and 800-nm Al_2O_3 membranes. • Flow through membrane results in higher reaction rates compared to flow on top. • Higher vis photocatalytic activity for N-doped TiO_2 vs. non-doped TiO_2 membranes. • Mass transfer is a critical parameter for the design of immobilized PMR. - Abstract: Commercial α-Al_2O_3 photocatalytic membranes with a pore size of 200 and 800-nm were coated with N-doped TiO_2 photocatalytic film using a sol-gel technique for concurrent bottom-up filtration and photocatalytic oxidation. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the deposited N-doped TiO_2 films are in the form of anatase with 78–84% coverage of the membrane surface. The concentration of N found by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was in the range of 0.3–0.9 atomic percentage. Membrane permeability after coating decreased by 50% and 12% for the 200- and 800-nm membrane substrates, respectively. The impact of operational parameters on the photocatalytic activity (PCA) of the N-doped TiO_2-coated membranes was examined in a laboratory flow cell based on degradation of the model micropollutant carbamazepine, using a solar simulator as the light source. The significant gap in degradation rate between flow through the membrane and flow on the surface of the membrane was attributed both to the hydraulic effect and in-pore PCA. N-doped TiO_2-coated membranes showed enhanced activity for UV wavelengths, in addition to activity under visible light. Experiments of PCA under varying flow rates concluded that the process is in the mass-transfer control regime. Carbamazepine removal rate increased with temperature, despite the decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration.

Proton conductive montmorillonite-Nafion composite membranes for direct ethanol fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Xiu-Wen, E-mail: wuxw2008@163.com [School of Science, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China); National Laboratory of Mineral Materials, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Wu, Nan; Shi, Chun-Qing; Zheng, Zhi-Yuan; Qi, Hong-Bin; Wang, Ya-Fang [School of Science, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Composite membranes are prepared with different montmorillonites and nafion solution. • Proton conductivities of the composite membranes are between 36.0 mS/cm and 38.5 mS/cm. • Ethanol permeability is between 0.69 × 10{sup −6} cm{sup 2}/s and 2.67 × 10{sup −6} cm{sup 2}/s. • Water uptake is approximately 24.30 mass%. - Abstract: The preparation of Nafion membranes modified with montmorillonites is less studied, and most relative works mainly applied in direct methanol fuel cells, less in direct ethanol fuel cells. Organic/inorganic composite membranes are prepared with different montmorillonites (Ca-montmorillonite, Na-montmorillonite, K-montmorillonite, Mg-montmorillonite, and H-montmorillonite) and Nafion solution via casting method at 293 K in air, and with balance of their proton conductivity and ethanol permeability. The ethanol permeability and proton conductivity of the membranes are comparatively studied. The montmorillonites can well decrease the ethanol permeability of the membranes via inserted them in the membranes, while less decrease the proton conductivities of the membranes depending on the inserted amount and type of montmorillonites. The proton conductivities of the membranes are between 36.0 mS/cm and 38.5 mS/cm. The ethanol permeability of the membranes is between 0.69 × 10{sup −6} cm{sup 2}/s and 2.67 × 10{sup −6} cm{sup 2}/s.

Effects of silica composition on gas permeability of ENR/PVC ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

At higher SiO2 loadings, the mechanical strength of the membrane decreased due to the agglomeration of SiO2 particles. Gas permeation test was done on ENR/PVC/SiO2 membranes using NO2 gas and CO2 gas. The permeability of both gasses increased with the amount of SiO2 added to the membrane, which attributed ...

FATE OF REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) MEMBRANES DURING OXIDATION BY DISINFECTANTS USED IN WATER TREATMENT: IMPACT ON MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCES

KAUST Repository

Maugin, Thomas

2013-12-01

Providing pretreatment prior RO filtration is essential to avoid biofouling and subsequent loss of membrane performances. Chlorine is known to degrade polymeric membrane, improving or reducing membrane efficiency depending on oxidation conditions. This study aimed to assess the impact of alternative disinfectant, NH2Cl, as well as secondary oxidants formed during chloramination of seawater, e.g. HOBr, HOI, or used in water treatment e.g. ClO2, O3, on membrane structure and performances. Permeability, total and specific rejection (Cl-, SO4 2-, Br-, Boron), FTIR profile, elemental composition were analyzed. Results showed that each oxidant seems to react differently with the membrane. HOCl, HOBr, ClO2 and O3 improved membrane permeability but decreased rejection in different extent. In comparison, chloramines resulted in identical trends but oxidized membrane very slowly. On the contrary, iodine improved membrane rejection e.g. boron, but decreased permeability. Reaction conducted with chlorine, bromine, iodine and chloramines resulted in the incorporation of halogen in the membrane structure. All oxidant except iodine were able to break amide bonds of the membrane structure in our condition. In addition, chloramine seemed to react with membrane differently, involving a potential addition of nitrogen. Chloramination of seawater amplified membrane performances evolutions due to generation of bromochloramine. Moreover, chloramines reacted both with NOM and membrane during oxidation in natural seawater, leading to additional rejection drop.

Optimizing aeration rates for minimizing membrane fouling and its effect on sludge characteristics in a moving bed membrane bioreactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahimi, Yousef; Torabian, Ali; Mehrdadi, Naser; Habibi-Rezaie, Mehran; Pezeshk, Hamid; Nabi-Bidhendi, Gholam-Reza

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → There is an optimum aeration rate in the MBMBR process compartments. → Optimum aeration rate maximizes nutrients removal. → Optimum aeration rate minimizes membrane fouling. → Both aeration rates in MBBR and membrane compartment can affect on membrane permeability. - Abstract: In MBR processes, sufficient aeration is necessary to maintain sustainable flux and to retard membrane fouling. Membrane permeability, sludge characteristics, nutrient removal and biomass growth at various air flow rates in the membrane and moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) compartments were studied in a pilot plant. The highest nitrogen and phosphorous removal rates were found at MBBR aeration rates of 151 and 85 L h -1 and a specific aeration demand per membrane area (SAD m ) of 1.2 and 0.4m air 3 m -2 h -1 , respectively. A linear correlation was found between the amount of attached biofilm and the nutrient removal rate. The aeration rate in the MBBR compartment and SAD m significantly influenced the sludge characteristics and membrane permeability. The optimum combination of the aeration rate in the MBBR compartment and SAD m were 151 L h -1 and 0.8-1.2m air 3 m membrane -2 h -1 , respectively.

Optimizing aeration rates for minimizing membrane fouling and its effect on sludge characteristics in a moving bed membrane bioreactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahimi, Yousef, E-mail: yrahimi@ut.ac.ir [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Torabian, Ali, E-mail: atorabi@ut.ac.ir [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mehrdadi, Naser, E-mail: mehrdadi@ut.ac.ir [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Habibi-Rezaie, Mehran, E-mail: mhabibi@khayam.ut.ac.ir [Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Pezeshk, Hamid, E-mail: pezeshk@khayam.ut.ac.ir [Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer, College of Science, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Nabi-Bidhendi, Gholam-Reza, E-mail: ghhendi@ut.ac.ir [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, No. 25 Qods St., Enghelab Ave., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-02-28

Research highlights: {yields} There is an optimum aeration rate in the MBMBR process compartments. {yields} Optimum aeration rate maximizes nutrients removal. {yields} Optimum aeration rate minimizes membrane fouling. {yields} Both aeration rates in MBBR and membrane compartment can affect on membrane permeability. - Abstract: In MBR processes, sufficient aeration is necessary to maintain sustainable flux and to retard membrane fouling. Membrane permeability, sludge characteristics, nutrient removal and biomass growth at various air flow rates in the membrane and moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) compartments were studied in a pilot plant. The highest nitrogen and phosphorous removal rates were found at MBBR aeration rates of 151 and 85 L h{sup -1} and a specific aeration demand per membrane area (SAD{sub m}) of 1.2 and 0.4m{sub air}{sup 3} m{sup -2} h{sup -1}, respectively. A linear correlation was found between the amount of attached biofilm and the nutrient removal rate. The aeration rate in the MBBR compartment and SAD{sub m} significantly influenced the sludge characteristics and membrane permeability. The optimum combination of the aeration rate in the MBBR compartment and SAD{sub m} were 151 L h{sup -1} and 0.8-1.2m{sub air}{sup 3}m{sub membrane}{sup -2} h{sup -1}, respectively.

Physical and hydraulic characteristics of bentonite-amended soil from Area 5, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albright, W.

1995-08-01

Radioactive waste requires significant isolation from the biosphere. Shallow land burial using low-permeability covers are often used to prevent the release of impounded material. This report details the characterization of a soil mixture intended for use as the low-permeability component of a radioactive waste disposal site. The addition of 6.5 percent bentonite to the sandy soils of the site reduced the value of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) by more than two orders of magnitude to 7.6 x 10- 8 cm/sec. Characterization of the soil mixture included measurements of grain density, grain size distribution, compaction, porosity, dry bulk density, shear strength, desiccation shrinkage, K s , vapor conductivity, air permeability, the characteristic water retention function, and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity by both experimental and numerical estimation methods. The ability of the soil layer to limit infiltration in a simulated application was estimated in a one-dimensional model of a landfill cover

Exploring bacterial outer membrane barrier to combat bad bugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghai, Ishan; Ghai, Shashank

2017-01-01

One of the main fundamental mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria comprises an effective change in the membrane permeability to antibiotics. The Gram-negative bacterial complex cell envelope comprises an outer membrane that delimits the periplasm from the exterior environment. The outer membrane contains numerous protein channels, termed as porins or nanopores, which are mainly involved in the influx of hydrophilic compounds, including antibiotics. Bacterial adaptation to reduce influx through these outer membrane proteins (Omps) is one of the crucial mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance. Thus to interpret the molecular basis of the outer membrane permeability is the current challenge. This review attempts to develop a state of knowledge pertinent to Omps and their effective role in antibiotic influx. Further, it aims to study the bacterial response to antibiotic membrane permeability and hopefully provoke a discussion toward understanding and further exploration of prospects to improve our knowledge on physicochemical parameters that direct the translocation of antibiotics through the bacterial membrane protein channels.

New membrane structures with proton conducting properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Casper Frydendal

if higher operating temperature is enabled. One approach to obtain improved membranes in the aspects of applicable operating temperature and methanol permeability, which has attracted considerable attention, is the formation of composites by distributing inorganic fillers into Nafion or alternative polymers...... temperature and high relative humidity can cause excessive swelling of the membranes, yielding insufficient mechanical properties and breakdown of membrane function. Moreover, in the case of the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC), their significant methanol permeability causes loss of efficiency. Higher...

Water permeability in human airway epithelium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peter Steen; Procida, Kristina; Larsen, Per Leganger

2005-01-01

Osmotic water permeability (P(f)) was studied in spheroid-shaped human airway epithelia explants derived from nasal polyps by the use of a new improved tissue collection and isolation procedure. The fluid-filled spheroids were lined with a single cell layer with the ciliated apical cell membrane ...

Carbamazepine degradation using a N-doped TiO{sub 2} coated photocatalytic membrane reactor: Influence of physical parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horovitz, Inna [School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); The Hydro-Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Geography and the Environment, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Avisar, Dror [The Hydro-Chemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Geography and the Environment, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Baker, Mark A.; Grilli, Rossana [The Surface Analysis Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Lozzi, Luca; Di Camillo, Daniela [Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L' Aquila, Via Vetoio, I-67100 L' Aquila (Italy); Mamane, Hadas, E-mail: hadasmg@post.tau.ac.il [School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel)

2016-06-05

Highlights: • UV–vis N-doped TiO{sub 2} was deposited by sol-gel onto Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} microfiltration membranes. • Coating decreased permeability by 50 and 12% for 200- and 800-nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} membranes. • Flow through membrane results in higher reaction rates compared to flow on top. • Higher vis photocatalytic activity for N-doped TiO{sub 2} vs. non-doped TiO{sub 2} membranes. • Mass transfer is a critical parameter for the design of immobilized PMR. - Abstract: Commercial α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} photocatalytic membranes with a pore size of 200 and 800-nm were coated with N-doped TiO{sub 2} photocatalytic film using a sol-gel technique for concurrent bottom-up filtration and photocatalytic oxidation. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the deposited N-doped TiO{sub 2} films are in the form of anatase with 78–84% coverage of the membrane surface. The concentration of N found by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was in the range of 0.3–0.9 atomic percentage. Membrane permeability after coating decreased by 50% and 12% for the 200- and 800-nm membrane substrates, respectively. The impact of operational parameters on the photocatalytic activity (PCA) of the N-doped TiO{sub 2}-coated membranes was examined in a laboratory flow cell based on degradation of the model micropollutant carbamazepine, using a solar simulator as the light source. The significant gap in degradation rate between flow through the membrane and flow on the surface of the membrane was attributed both to the hydraulic effect and in-pore PCA. N-doped TiO{sub 2}-coated membranes showed enhanced activity for UV wavelengths, in addition to activity under visible light. Experiments of PCA under varying flow rates concluded that the process is in the mass-transfer control regime. Carbamazepine removal rate increased with temperature, despite the decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration.

Pyroelectricity as a possible mechanism for cell membrane permeabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Sánchez, Tomás; Muscat, Adeline; Leray, Isabelle; Mir, Lluis M

2018-02-01

The effects of pyroelectricity on cell membrane permeability had never been explored. Pyroelectricity consists in the generation of an electric field in the surface of some materials when a change in temperature is produced. In the present study, tourmaline microparticles, which are known to display pyroelectrical properties, were subjected to different changes in temperature upon exposure to cells in order to induce an electric field at their surface. Then, the changes in the permeability of the cell membrane to a cytotoxic agent (bleomycin) were assessed by a cloning efficacy test. An increase in the permeability of the cell membrane was only detected when tourmaline was subjected to a change in temperature. This suggests that the apparition of an induced pyroelectrical electric field on the material could actually be involved in the observed enhancement of the cell membrane permeability as a result of cell electropermeabilization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes and Ion-Jelly® Membranes with [BMIM][DCA]: Comparison of Its Performance for CO2 Separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Couto

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, a supported ionic liquid membrane (SILM was prepared by impregnating a PVDF membrane with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ([BMIM][DCA] ionic liquid. This membrane was tested for its permeability to pure gases (CO2, N2 and O2 and ideal selectivities were calculated. The SILM performance was also compared to that of Ion-Jelly® membranes, a new type of gelled membranes developed recently. It was found that the PVDF membrane presents permeabilities for pure gases similar or lower to those presented by the Ion-Jelly® membranes, but with increased ideal selectivities. This membrane presents also the highest ideal selectivity (73 for the separation of CO2 from N2 when compared with SILMs using the same PVDF support but with different ionic liquids.

Modification of chitosan membranes with nanosilica particles as polymer electrolyte membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kusumastuti, Ella, E-mail: ella.kusuma@gmail.com; Siniwi, Widasari Trisna, E-mail: wsiniwi@gmail.com; Mahatmanti, F. Widhi; Jumaeri [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, State University of Semarang D6 Building 2" n" d floor, Sekaran Unnes Campus, Gunungpati, Semarang (Indonesia); Atmaja, Lukman; Widiastuti, Nurul [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Tenth November Institute of Technology Keputih ITS Campus, Sukolilo, Surabaya (Indonesia)

2016-04-19

Chitosan has been widely used as polymer matrix for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) application replacing Nafion which has shortcomings in terms of high methanol permeability that degrades the performance of fuel cells. Chitosan membranes modification is performed by adding nanosilica to prevent methanol transport through the membrane. Nanosilica is synthesized by sol-gel method and the particle diameter is obtained by analysis using Breunner Emmet Teller (BET) that is 6.59 nm. Nanosilica is mixed with chitosan solution to obtain nanosilica-chitosan as polymer electrolyte membrane. The membranes are synthesized through phase inversion method with nanosilica composition including 0; 0.5; 1; 2; 3; 5; and 10% w/w of chitosan. Characterization of the membranes indicate that the results of water swelling, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the membrane with 3% nanosilica respectively were 49.23%, 0.231 S/cm, and 5.43 x 10{sup −7} cm{sup 2}/s. Based on the results of membrane selectivity calculation, the optimum membrane is the composition of 3% nanosilica with value 5.91 x 105 S s cm{sup −3}. The results of functional groups analysis with FTIR showed that it was only physical interaction that occurred between chitosan and nanosilica since no significant changes found in peak around the wave number 1000-1250 cm{sup −-1}.

Effective permeability in micropores from molecular simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botan, A.; Vermorel, R.; Brochard, L.; Hantal, G.; Pellenq, R.

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. Despite many years' efforts and a large numbers of proposed models, the description of transport properties in clays is still an open question. The reason for this is that structurally clay is an extremely heterogeneous material. The pore size varies from a few to 20 angstroms for interlayer (micro) porosity, from 20 A to 500 A for interparticle (meso) porosity, and 500 A to μm and more for natural (macro) fractures. One further problem with the description of the transport properties is the presence of adsorption/desorption processes onto clay particles, which are coupled with swelling/shrinkage of the particles. Any volumetric changes in the particles affect the meso-pore aperture, and thus, the total permeability of the system. The various processes affecting the permeability occur on different spatial and temporal scales, that requires a multi-scale modeling approach. The most complete model to date is a dual porosity mode. Here the total flow is often written as a sum of the macropore flow and micropore flow. The flow through macro-pores is generally considered to be laminar and obeys Darcy's law, whereas flow through the matrix (micropore flow) may be modeled using Fick's law. The micropore flow involves both Knudsen and surface diffusion mechanisms. An accurate accounting of adsorption-desorption processes or the consideration of binary mixture greatly complicate analytical description. The goal of this study is to improve macro-scale model, the dual porosity model, for the transport properties of fluids in micropores from molecular simulations. The main idea is that we reproduce an experimental set-up used for permeability measurements, as illustrated in Figure 1. High density and low density regions are settled at each end of the membrane that allows to attain a steady flow. The densities in these regions are controlled by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation; the molecular motions are described by

Permeability of the small intestine after intra-arterial injection of histamine-type mediators and irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kingham, J.G.C.; Loehry, C.A.

1976-01-01

Permeability and selectivity of rabbit small intestine were estimated by a perfusion technique after intra-arterial injection of histamine-type mediators and an intestinal dose of 1.5 Mr gamma irradiation. It was shown that the histamine-type mediators caused an increase in capillary permeability which produced an overall moderate increase in transmucosal permeability with a moderate loss of selectivity. Local intestinal irradiation caused a very marked increase in permeability and a profound loss of selectivity. It was felt that this was produced partly by an increase in capillary permeability but largely by damage to the epithelial basement membrane. It is concluded that the intestinal capillary endothelium is both rate-limiting and selective, though not to a major degree in either case. The epithelial basement membrane, however, appears to be both rate-limiting and markedly selective. (author)

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 2 expression modulates cell roughness and membrane permeability: An atomic force microscopy study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth R Cattaneo

Full Text Available In mammalian cells, de novo glycerolipid synthesis begins with the acylation of glycerol-3-phosphate, catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPAT. GPAT2 is a mitochondrial isoform primarily expressed in testis under physiological conditions, and overexpressed in several types of cancers and cancer-derived human cell lines where its expression contributes to the tumor phenotype. Using gene silencing and atomic force microscopy, we studied the correlation between GPAT2 expression and cell surface topography, roughness and membrane permeability in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, we analyzed the glycerolipid composition by gas-liquid chromatography. GPAT2 expression altered the arachidonic acid content in glycerolipids, and the lack of GPAT2 seems to be partially compensated by the overexpression of another arachidonic-acid-metabolizing enzyme, AGPAT11. GPAT2 expressing cells exhibited a rougher topography and less membrane damage than GPAT2 silenced cells. Pore-like structures were present only in GPAT2 subexpressing cells, correlating with higher membrane damage evidenced by lactate dehydrogenase release. These GPAT2-induced changes are consistent with its proposed function as a tumor-promoting gene, and might be used as a phenotypic differentiation marker. AFM provides the basis for the identification and quantification of those changes, and demonstrates the utility of this technique in the study of cancer cell biology.

Permeability of salt-crystal interfaces to brine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilpatrick, L.O.; Baes, C.F. Jr.; Shor, A.J.; Canonico, C.M.

1982-06-01

To investigate the movement of brine along grain boundaries in polycrystalline salt, measurements have been made of the radial flow of brine through the interface between cylindrical salt crystals under axial stresses to 140 bar and temperatures to 80 0 C. For constant conditions, the total flow of brine showed a linear dependence on the logarithm of time, and the reciprocal permeability increased linearly with time. Loss of salt from the interface by pressure solution effects was more than enough to account for the decrease in the apparent thickness of the interface (i.e., that which may be estimated for an interface of the same permeability formed by plane parallel surfaces). This apparent thickness, initially as large as 10 μm, decreased to as little as 0.2 μm with exposure to stress and flowing brine. It decreased quickly with sudden increases in axial stress and usually increased, though not reversibly, with decreases in stress. The rate of increase in the reciprocal permeability with time was roughly proportional to the stress and to the square of the hydraulic pressure drop. Assuming similar apparent thicknesses for the grain boundaries in polycrystalline salt, permeabilities are predicted that are quite consistent with the low values reported for stressed core specimens

Coupled Fracture and Flow in Shale in Hydraulic Fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, J. W.; Mori, H.; Viswanathan, H.

2014-12-01

Production of hydrocarbon from shale requires creation and maintenance of fracture permeability in an otherwise impermeable shale matrix. In this study, we use a combination of triaxial coreflood experiments and x-ray tomography characterization to investigate the fracture-permeability behavior of Utica shale at in situ reservoir conditions (25-50 oC and 35-120 bars). Initially impermeable shale core was placed between flat anvils (compression) or between split anvils (pure shear) and loaded until failure in the triaxial device. Permeability was monitored continuously during this process. Significant deformation (>1%) was required to generate a transmissive fracture system. Permeability generally peaked at the point of a distinct failure event and then dropped by a factor of 2-6 when the system returned to hydrostatic failure. Permeability was very small in compression experiments (fashion as pressure increased. We also observed that permeability decreased with increasing fluid flow rate indicating that flow did not follow Darcy's Law, possibly due to non-laminar flow conditions, and conformed to Forscheimer's law. The coupled deformation and flow behavior of Utica shale, particularly the large deformation required to initiate flow, indicates the probable importance of activation of existing fractures in hydraulic fracturing and that these fractures can have adequate permeability for the production of hydrocarbon.

In-situ permeability measurements with direct push techniques: Phase II topical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowry, W.; Mason, N.; Chipman, V.; Kisiel, K.; Stockton, J.

1999-01-01

This effort designed, fabricated, and field tested the engineering prototype of the Cone Permeametertrademark system. The integrated system includes the instrumented penetrometer probe, air and water pumps, flowrate controls, flow sensors, and a laptop-controlled data system. All of the equipment is portable and can be transported as luggage on airlines. The data system acquired and displays the process measurements (pressures, flows, and downhole temperature) in real time and calculates the resulting permeability. The measurement probe is a 2 inch diameter CPT rod section, incorporating a screened injection zone near the lower end of the rod and multiple sensitive absolute pressure sensors embedded in the probe at varying distances from the injection zone. Laboratory tests in a large test cell demonstrated the system's ability to measure nominally 1 Darcy permeability soil (30 to 40 Darcy material had been successfully measured in the Phase 1 effort). These tests also provided a shakedown of the system and identified minor instrument problems, which were resolved. Supplemental numerical modeling was conducted to evaluate the effects of layered permeability (heterogeneity) and anisotropy on the measurement system's performance. The general results of the analysis were that the Cone Permeameter could measure accurately, in heterogeneous media, the volume represented by the sample port radii if the outer pressure ports were used. Anisotropic permeability, while readily analyzed numerically, is more complicated to resolve with the simple analytical approach of the 1-D model, and will need further work to quantify. This phase culminated in field demonstrations at the DOE Savannah River Site. Saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements were completed at the D-Area Coal Pile Runoff Basin, and air permeability measurements were conducted at the M Area Integrated Demonstration Site and the 321 M area. The saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements were the most

Ozone alteration of membrane permeability in Chlorella. I. Permeability of potassium ion as measured by 86Rubidium tracer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heath, R.L.; Frederick, P.E.

1979-01-01

The addition of ozone to a suspension of Chlorella sorokiniana causes a rapid loss of K + , as measured by efflux of 86 Rb from prelabeled cells. The efflux of the tracer is stimulated some 15 to 20 times over that of the control. For about 100 microliters per liter ozone, about 25 minutes (6 x 10 -8 moles O 3 delivered per minute) of exposure are required for a 50% depletion of the intracellular K + . The stimulation of K + efflux is nearly linearly dependent upon the amount of ozone delivered into the solution. Following short pulses of ozone (lasting 1 to 5 minutes), efflux rates return to the control level but only after about 15 minutes. While influx of K + is ultimately inhibited by ozone, at low concentrations or for short exposure times the tracer influx is stimulated 100 to 200%. Ozone stimulation of an active pump mechanism is unlikely in view of a concomitant decrease in respiration. Thus, this influx may represent movement of K + along its electrochemical gradient. Assuming that influx and efflux are in steady-state according to the Goldman equation, it was calculated that the membrane potential for K + of -80 to -90 millivolts in control cells drops to -40 millivolts with ozone exposure and is accompanied by a calculated increased permeability to K + of 2- to 3-fold. 25 references, 6 figures

Apolipoprotein L1 confers pH-switchable ion permeability to phospholipid vesicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Jonathan; Pozzi, Nicola; Oliva, Jonathan; Edwards, John C

2017-11-03

Apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) is a human serum protein conferring resistance to African trypanosomes, and certain ApoL1 variants increase susceptibility to some progressive kidney diseases. ApoL1 has been hypothesized to function like a pore-forming colicin and has been reported to have permeability effects on both intracellular and plasma membranes. Here, to gain insight into how ApoL1 may function in vivo , we used vesicle-based ion permeability, direct membrane association, and intrinsic fluorescence to study the activities of purified recombinant ApoL1. We found that ApoL1 confers chloride-selective permeability to preformed phospholipid vesicles and that this selectivity is strongly pH-sensitive, with maximal activity at pH 5 and little activity above pH 7. When ApoL1 and lipid were allowed to interact at low pH and were then brought to neutral pH, chloride permeability was suppressed, and potassium permeability was activated. Both chloride and potassium permeability linearly correlated with the mass of ApoL1 in the reaction mixture, and both exhibited lipid selectivity, requiring the presence of negatively charged lipids for activity. Potassium, but not chloride, permease activity required the presence of calcium ions in both the association and activation steps. Direct assessment of ApoL1-lipid associations confirmed that ApoL1 stably associates with phospholipid vesicles, requiring low pH and the presence of negatively charged phospholipids for maximal binding. Intrinsic fluorescence of ApoL1 supported the presence of a significant structural transition when ApoL1 is mixed with lipids at low pH. This pH-switchable ion-selective permeability may explain the different effects of ApoL1 reported in intracellular and plasma membrane environments. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Tritiated 2-deoxy-D-glucose as a probe for cell membrane permeability studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walum, E.; Peterson, A.

1982-01-01

Tritiated 2-deoxy-D-glucose was taken up and phosphorylated by cultured cells of neuronal (NIE 115), glial (138 MG), muscle (L 6) and liver (BRL 123) origin. Upon perfusion the cells slowly released 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate. The following values for rate constants, half-lives, and activation energies for the efflux were obtained: NIE 115: 0.0048 min -1 , 143 min, and 72 kJ mol -1 ; 138 MG: 0.0013 min -1 , 547 min, and 85 kJ mol -1 ; L 6: 0.0022 min -1 , 311 min, and 60 kJ mol -1 ; and BRL 123: 0.0013 min -1 , 528 min and 63 kJ mol -1 . When the cultures were perfused with buffer containing Triton X-100 a time- and concentration-dependent increase in the rate of efflux of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate was obtained. It is suggested that 2-deoxy-D-[ 3 H]glucose can be used as a probe in studies of general cell membrane permeability changes

Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles as a draw solute in forward osmosis membrane process for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Heeman; Lee, Kune Woo; Moon, Jei Kwon

2013-01-01

These wastes contain about 0.3 ∼ 0.8 wt% of boric acid. It is known that reverse osmosis (RO) membrane can eliminate boron at high pH and boron of 40 ∼ 90% can be removed by RO membrane in pH condition. RO uses hydraulic pressure to oppose, and exceed, the osmotic pressure of an aqueous feed solution containing boric acid. As an emerging technology forward osmosis (FO) has attracted growing interest in wastewater treatment and desalination because FO operates at low or no hydraulic pressures. FO is a membrane process in which water flows across a semi-permeable membrane from a feed solution of lower osmotic pressure to a draw solution of higher osmotic pressure. However, the challenges of FO still lie in the fabrication of eligible FO membranes and the readily separable draw solutes of high osmotic pressures. Superparamagnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles can be separated from water by an external magnet field easily. If Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles are coated with highly soluble organic substances, thus they can be used as a draw solute by concurrently generating high osmotic pressure and easy separation. The carboxylated polyglycerol coated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized. The nanoparticles were about 50 nm in diameter and showed the good colloidal stability in aqueous solution. The osmolality and osmotic pressure were enough high to be used as a draw solute in FO. For the future work, we will investigate the performance of our magnetic draw solute in FO to remove boron in the simulated liquid waste

The solubility-permeability interplay in using cyclodextrins as pharmaceutical solubilizers: mechanistic modeling and application to progesterone.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahan, Arik; Miller, Jonathan M; Hoffman, Amnon; Amidon, Gregory E; Amidon, Gordon L

2010-06-01

A quasi-equilibrium mass transport analysis has been developed to quantitatively explain the solubility-permeability interplay that exists when using cyclodextrins as pharmaceutical solubilizers. The model considers the effects of cyclodextrins on the membrane permeability (P(m)) as well as the unstirred water layer (UWL) permeability (P(aq)), to predict the overall effective permeability (P(eff)) dependence on cyclodextrin concentration (C(CD)). The analysis reveals that: (1) UWL permeability markedly increases with increasing C(CD) since the effective UWL thickness quickly decreases with increasing C(CD); (2) membrane permeability decreases with increasing C(CD), as a result of the decrease in the free fraction of drug; and (3) since P(aq) increases and P(m) decreases with increasing C(CD), the UWL is effectively eliminated and the overall P(eff) tends toward membrane control, that is, P(eff) approximately P(m) above a critical C(CD). Application of this transport model enabled excellent quantitative prediction of progesterone P(eff) as a function of HP beta CD concentrations in PAMPA assay, Caco-2 transepithelial studies, and in situ rat jejunal-perfusion model. This work demonstrates that when using cyclodextrins as pharmaceutical solubilizers, a trade-off exists between solubility increase and permeability decrease that must not be overlooked; the transport model presented here can aid in striking the appropriate solubility-permeability balance in order to achieve optimal overall absorption. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Regional myocardial flow and capillary permeability-surface area products are nearly proportional.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, J H; Martin, G V; Raymond, G M; Bassingthwaighte, J B

1994-08-01

Analyses of data on the transcapillary exchange and cellular uptake in the normal heart have generally been based on the assumption that local membrane conductances and volumes of distribution are everywhere the same. The question is whether such an assumption is justified in view of the marked (sixfold) heterogeneity of local blood flows per gram tissue. The method was to estimate both flow and capillary membrane permeability-surface area products (PS) locally in the heart. For each of five dogs running on a sloped treadmill, the deposition of tracer microspheres and of [131I]iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA), after left atrial injection, was determined in 256 pieces of left ventricular myocardium by killing the animals at approximately 100 s after radiotracer injection. A hydraulic occluder stopped the flow to a portion of the myocardium supplied by the left circumflex coronary artery 30 s before tracer injection. Regional flows ranged from 0.1 to 7.0 ml.g-1.min-1. IPPA extractions ranged from 20 to 49%. Using the known flows, we assumed the applicability of an axially distributed blood-tissue exchange model to estimate the PS for the capillary (PSc) and the parenchymal cell. It was impossible to explain the data if the PSc values for membrane transport were uniform throughout the organ. Rather, the only reasonable descriptors of the data required that local PSc values increase with local flow, almost in proportion. Current methods of analysis using data based on deposition methods need to be revised to take into account the near proportionality of PS to flow for at least some substrates.

Cocrystals of Hydrochlorothiazide: Solubility and Diffusion/Permeability Enhancements through Drug-Coformer Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanphui, Palash; Devi, V Kusum; Clara, Deepa; Malviya, Nidhi; Ganguly, Somnath; Desiraju, Gautam R

2015-05-04

Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) is a diuretic and a BCS class IV drug with low solubility and low permeability, exhibiting poor oral absorption. The present study attempts to improve the physicochemical properties of the drug using a crystal engineering approach with cocrystals. Such multicomponent crystals of HCT with nicotinic acid (NIC), nicotinamide (NCT), 4-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), succinamide (SAM), and resorcinol (RES) were prepared using liquid-assisted grinding, and their solubilities in pH 7.4 buffer were evaluated. Diffusion and membrane permeability were studied using a Franz diffusion cell. Except for the SAM and NIC cocrystals, all other binary systems exhibited improved solubility. All of the cocrystals showed improved diffusion/membrane permeability compared to that of HCT with the exception of the SAM cocrystal. When the solubility was high, as in the case of PABA, NCT, and RES cocrystals, the flux/permeability dropped slightly. This is in agreement with the expected interplay between solubility and permeability. Improved solubility/permeability is attributed to new drug-coformer interactions. Cocrystals of SAM, however, showed poor solubility and flux. This cocrystal contains a primary sulfonamide dimer synthon similar to that of HCT polymorphs, which may be a reason for its unusual behavior. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out in all cases to determine whether a correlation exists between cocrystal permeability and drug-coformer interactions.

Correcting underestimation of optimal fracture length by modeling proppant conductivity variations in hydraulically fractured gas/condensate reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akram, A.H.; Samad, A. [Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX (United States)]|[Schlumberger, Houston, TX (United States)

2006-07-01

A study was conducted in which a newly developed numerical simulator was used to forecast the productivity of a hydraulically fractured well in a retrograde gas-condensate sandstone reservoir. The effect of condensate dropout was modeled in both the reservoir and the proppant pack. The type of proppant and the stress applied to it are among the factors that determine proppant conductivity in a single-phase flow. Other factors include the high velocity of gas and the presence of liquid in the proppant pack. It was concluded that apparent proppant permeability in a gas condensate reservoir varies along the length of the hydraulic fracture and depends on the distance from the wellbore. It will increase towards the tip of the fracture where liquid ratio and velocity are lower. Apparent proppant permeability also changes with time. Forecasting is most accurate when these conditions are considered in the simulation. There are 2 problems associated with the use of a constant proppant permeability in a gas condensate reservoir. The first relates to the fact that it is impossible to obtain a correct single number that will mimic the drawdown of the real fracture at a particular rate without going through the process of determining the proppant permeability profile in a numerical simulator. The second problem relates to the fact that constant proppant permeability yields an optimal fracture length that is too short. Analytical modeling does not account for these complexities. It was determined that the only way to accurately simulate the behaviour of a hydraulic fracture in a high rate well, is by advanced numerical modeling that considers varying apparent proppant permeability in terms of time and distance along the fracture length. 10 refs., 2 tabs., 16 figs., 1 appendix.

Influence of local porosity and local permeability on the performances of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akiki, Tilda [Universite Saint Esprit Kaslik (Lebanon); Universite de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard, FCLAB Institute for Research on Fuel Cell Systems, 90010 Belfort (France); Charon, Willy; Iltchev, Marie-Christine; Kouta, Raed [Universite de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard, FCLAB Institute for Research on Fuel Cell Systems, 90010 Belfort (France); Accary, Gilbert [Universite Saint Esprit Kaslik (Lebanon)

2010-08-15

In the literature, many models and studies focused on the steady-state aspect of fuel cell systems while their dynamic transient behavior is still a wide area of research. In the present paper, we study the effects of mechanical solicitations on the performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as well as the coupling between the physico-chemical phenomena and the mechanical behavior. We first develop a finite element method to analyze the local porosity distribution and the local permeability distribution inside the gas diffusion layer induced by different pressures applied on deformable graphite or steel bipolar plates. Then, a multi-physical approach is carried out, taking into account the chemical phenomena and the effects of the mechanical compression of the fuel cell, more precisely the deformation of the gas diffusion layer, the changes in the physical properties and the mass transfer in the gas diffusion layer. The effects of this varying porosity and permeability fields on the polarization and on the power density curves are reported, and the local current density is also investigated. Unlike other studies, our model accounts for a porosity field that varies locally in order to correctly simulate the effect of an inhomogeneous compression in the cell. (author)

High temperature transport properties of polyphosphazene membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiangyang Zhou; Chalkova, E. [Pennsylvania State University (United States). The Energy Institute; Weston, J.; Lvov, S.N. [Pennsylvania State University (United States). The Energy Institute; Pennsylvania State University (United States). Department of Energy and Geo-Environment Engineering; Hofmann, M.A.; Ambler, C.M.; Allcock, H.R. [Pennsylvania State University (United States). Department of Chemistry

2003-06-30

Experimental methods for studying the conductivity and methanol permeability of proton conductive polymers over a wide range of temperatures have been developed. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of several polymer electrolyte membranes including sulfonated and phosphonated poly[(aryloxy)phosphazenes] was determined at temperatures up to 120 {sup o}C. Nafion 117 membranes were tested using the same methods in order to determine the reliability of the methods. Although the conductivities of the polyphosphazene membranes were either similar to or lower than that of the Nafion 117 membranes, they continue to hold promise for fuel cell applications. We observed similar activation energies of proton conduction for Nafion 117, and for sulfonated and phosphonated polyphosphazene membranes. However, the methanol permeability of a sulfonated membrane was about 8 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature although the values were comparable at 120 {sup o}C. The permeability of a phosphonated phosphazene derivative was about 40 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature and about 9 times lower at 120 {sup o}C. This is a significant improvement over the behavior of Nafion 117. (author)

High temperature transport properties of polyphosphazene membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Xiangyang; Weston, Jamie; Chalkova, Elena; Hofmann, Michael A.; Ambler, Catherine M.; Allcock, Harry R.; Lvov, Serguei N

2003-06-30

Experimental methods for studying the conductivity and methanol permeability of proton conductive polymers over a wide range of temperatures have been developed. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of several polymer electrolyte membranes including sulfonated and phosphonated poly[(aryloxy)phosphazenes] was determined at temperatures up to 120 deg. C. Nafion 117 membranes were tested using the same methods in order to determine the reliability of the methods. Although the conductivities of the polyphosphazene membranes were either similar to or lower than that of the Nafion 117 membranes, they continue to hold promise for fuel cell applications. We observed similar activation energies of proton conduction for Nafion 117, and for sulfonated and phosphonated polyphosphazene membranes. However, the methanol permeability of a sulfonated membrane was about 8 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature although the values were comparable at 120 deg. C. The permeability of a phosphonated phosphazene derivative was about 40 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature and about 9 times lower at 120 deg. C. This is a significant improvement over the behavior of Nafion 117.

High temperature transport properties of polyphosphazene membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Xiangyang; Weston, Jamie; Chalkova, Elena; Hofmann, Michael A.; Ambler, Catherine M.; Allcock, Harry R.; Lvov, Serguei N.

2003-01-01

Experimental methods for studying the conductivity and methanol permeability of proton conductive polymers over a wide range of temperatures have been developed. The proton conductivity and methanol permeability of several polymer electrolyte membranes including sulfonated and phosphonated poly[(aryloxy)phosphazenes] was determined at temperatures up to 120 deg. C. Nafion 117 membranes were tested using the same methods in order to determine the reliability of the methods. Although the conductivities of the polyphosphazene membranes were either similar to or lower than that of the Nafion 117 membranes, they continue to hold promise for fuel cell applications. We observed similar activation energies of proton conduction for Nafion 117, and for sulfonated and phosphonated polyphosphazene membranes. However, the methanol permeability of a sulfonated membrane was about 8 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature although the values were comparable at 120 deg. C. The permeability of a phosphonated phosphazene derivative was about 40 times lower than that of the Nafion 117 membrane at room temperature and about 9 times lower at 120 deg. C. This is a significant improvement over the behavior of Nafion 117

Spanish experience in the use of synthetic geo membranes for hydraulic works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanco Fernandez, M.; Leiro Lopez, A.

2014-01-01

The Spanish institution Centro de Estudios y Experimentacion de Obras Publicas (CEDEX) has studied for decades the behaviour of geosynthetic products, specially the polymeric geosynthetic barriers used as waterprofing systems of different hydraulic works, mainly in reservoirs. Both in geotextiles or related products and in geomembranes, initial characteristics are determined; besides of that, periodic controls along the service life are performers in geomembranes. The monitoring of more than two hundred hydraulic structure hydraulic structures requires technical inspection, taking samples and replacing them, experimental tests and recommendations, with the purpose of increasing security and durability in hydraulic structures. Because of that, the Spanish experience in this field of technology is presented along this paper. (Author)

Experimental Investigation on Hydraulic Properties of Granular Sandstone and Mudstone Mixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Ma

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The caved zone during longwall mining has high permeability, resulting in a mass of groundwater storage which causes a threat of groundwater inrush hazard to the safe mining. To investigate the hazard mechanism of granular sandstone and mudstone mixture (SMM in caved zone, this paper presents an experimental study on the effect of sandstone particle (SP and mudstone particle (MP weight ratio on the non-Darcy hydraulic properties evolution. A self-designed granular rock seepage experimental equipment has been applied to conduct the experiments. The variation of particle size distribution was induced by loading and water seepage during the test, which indicated that the particle crushing and erosion properties of mudstone were higher than those of sandstone. Porosity evolution of SMM was strongly influenced by loading (sample height and SP/MP weight ratio. The sample with higher sample height and higher weight ratio of SP achieved higher porosity value. In particular, a non-Darcy equation, for hydraulic properties (permeability κ and non-Darcy coefficient ζ calculation, was sufficient to fit the relation between the hydraulic gradient and seepage velocity. The test results indicated that, due to the absence and narrowing of fracture and void during loading, the permeability κ decreases and the non-Darcy coefficient ζ increases. The variation of the hydraulic properties of the sample within the same particle size and SP/MP weight ratio indicated that groundwater inrush hazard showed a higher probability of occurrence in sandstone strata and crushed zone (e.g., faults. Moreover, isolated fractures and voids were able to achieve the changeover from self-extension to interconnection at the last loading stage, which caused the fluctuation tendency of κ and ζ. Fluctuation ability in mudstone was higher than that in sandstone. The performance of an empirical model was also investigated for the non-Darcy hydraulic properties evolution prediction of

Hydraulic fracturing in granite under geothermal conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Solberg, P.; Lockner, D.; Byerlee, J.D.

1980-01-01

The experimental hydraulic fracturing of granite under geothermal conditions produces tensile fracture at rapid fluid injection rates and shear fracture at slow injection rates and elevated differential stress levels. A sudden burst of acoustic emission activity accompanies tensile fracture formation whereas the acoustic emission rate increases exponentially prior to shear fracture. Temperature does not significantly affect the failure mechanism, and the experimental results have not demonstrated the occurrence of thermal fracturing. A critical result of these experiments is that fluid injection at intermediate rates and elevated differential stress levels increases permeability by more than an order of magnitude without producing macroscopic fractures, and low-level acoustic emission activity occurs simultaneously near the borehole and propagates outward into the specimen with time. Permeability measurements conducted at atmospheric pressure both before and after these experiments show that increased permeability is produced by permanent structural changes in the rock. Although results of this study have not demonstrated the occurrence of thermal fracturing, they suggest that fluid injection at certain rates in situ may markedly increase local permeability. This could prove critical to increasing the efficiency of heat exchange for geothermal energy extraction from hot dry rock. ?? 1980.

Self-potential observations during hydraulic fracturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, Jeffrey R.; Glaser, Steven D.

2007-09-13

The self-potential (SP) response during hydraulic fracturing of intact Sierra granite was investigated in the laboratory. Excellent correlation of pressure drop and SP suggests that the SP response is created primarily by electrokinetic coupling. For low pressures, the variation of SP with pressure drop is linear, indicating a constant coupling coefficient (Cc) of -200 mV/MPa. However for pressure drops >2 MPa, the magnitude of the Cc increases by 80% in an exponential trend. This increasing Cc is related to increasing permeability at high pore pressures caused by dilatancy of micro-cracks, and is explained by a decrease in the hydraulic tortuosity. Resistivity measurements reveal a decrease of 2% prior to hydraulic fracturing and a decrease of {approx}35% after fracturing. An asymmetric spatial SP response created by injectate diffusion into dilatant zones is observed prior to hydraulic fracturing, and in most cases this SP variation revealed the impending crack geometry seconds before failure. At rupture, injectate rushes into the new fracture area where the zeta potential is different than in the rock porosity, and an anomalous SP spike is observed. After fracturing, the spatial SP distribution reveals the direction of fracture propagation. Finally, during tensile cracking in a point load device with no water flow, a SP spike is observed that is caused by contact electrification. However, the time constant of this event is much less than that for transients observed during hydraulic fracturing, suggesting that SP created solely from material fracture does not contribute to the SP response during hydraulic fracturing.

Prospects and problems of dense oxygen permeable membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendriksen, P.V.; Larsen, P.H.; Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg

2000-01-01

The prospects of using mixed ionic/electronic conducting ceramics for syngas production in a catalytic membrane reactor are analysed. Problems relating to limited thermodynamic stability and poor dimensional stability of candidate materials are addressed, The consequences for these problems......, of flux improving measures like minimization of membrane thickness and minimization of the losses due to oxygen exchange over the membrane surfaces, are discussed. The analysis is conducted on two candidate materials: La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta and SrFeCo0.5Ox. Finally. experimental investigations...

Impacts of operating conditions and solution chemistry on osmotic membrane structure and performance

KAUST Repository

Wong, Mavis C.Y.

2012-02-01

Herein, we report on changes in the performance of a commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, imparted by varied operating conditions and solution chemistries. Changes to feed and draw solution flow rate did not significantly alter the CTA membrane\\'s water permeability, salt permeability, or membrane structural parameter when operated with the membrane skin layer facing the draw solution (PRO-mode). However, water and salt permeability increased with increasing feed or draw solution temperature, while the membrane structural parameter decreased with increasing draw solution, possibly due to changes in polymer intermolecular interactions. High ionic strength draw solutions may de-swell the CTA membrane via charge neutralization, which resulted in lower water permeability, higher salt permeability, and lower structural parameter. This observed trend was further exacerbated by the presence of divalent cations which tends to swell the polymer to a greater extent. Finally, the calculated CTA membrane\\'s structural parameter was lower and less sensitive to external factors when operated in PRO-mode, but highly sensitive to the same factors when the skin layer faced the feed solution (FO-mode), presumably due to swelling/de-swelling of the saturated porous substructure by the draw solution. This is a first attempt aimed at systematically evaluating the changes in performance of the CTA membrane due to operating conditions and solution chemistry, shedding new insight into the possible advantages and disadvantages of this material in certain applications. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Characterization of the Respiration-Induced Yeast Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore

OpenAIRE

Bradshaw, Patrick C.; Pfeiffer, Douglas R.

2013-01-01

When isolated mitochondria from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidize respiratory substrates in the absence of phosphate and ADP, the yeast mitochondrial unselective channel, also called the yeast permeability transition pore (yPTP), opens in the inner membrane dissipating the electrochemical gradient. ATP also induces yPTP opening. yPTP opening allows mannitol transport into isolated mitochondria of laboratory yeast strains, but mannitol is not readily permeable throug...

Plasma Membrane Ca2+-Permeable Channels are Differentially Regulated by Ethylene and Hydrogen Peroxide to Generate Persistent Plumes of Elevated Cytosolic Ca2+ During Transfer Cell Trans-Differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui-ming; van Helden, Dirk F; McCurdy, David W; Offler, Christina E; Patrick, John W

2015-09-01

The enhanced transport capability of transfer cells (TCs) arises from their ingrowth wall architecture comprised of a uniform wall on which wall ingrowths are deposited. The wall ingrowth papillae provide scaffolds to amplify plasma membranes that are enriched in nutrient transporters. Using Vicia faba cotyledons, whose adaxial epidermal cells spontaneously and rapidly (hours) undergo a synchronous TC trans-differentiation upon transfer to culture, has led to the discovery of a cascade of inductive signals orchestrating deposition of ingrowth wall papillae. Auxin-induced ethylene biosynthesis initiates the cascade. This in turn drives a burst in extracellular H2O2 production that triggers uniform wall deposition. Thereafter, a persistent and elevated cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration, resulting from Ca(2+) influx through plasma membrane Ca(2+)-permeable channels, generates a Ca(2+) signal that directs formation of wall ingrowth papillae to specific loci. We now report how these Ca(2+)-permeable channels are regulated using the proportionate responses in cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration as a proxy measure of their transport activity. Culturing cotyledons on various combinations of pharmacological agents allowed the regulatory influence of each upstream signal on Ca(2+) channel activity to be evaluated. The findings demonstrated that Ca(2+)-permeable channel activity was insensitive to auxin, but up-regulated by ethylene through two independent routes. In one route ethylene acts directly on Ca(2+)-permeable channel activity at the transcriptional and post-translational levels, through an ethylene receptor-dependent pathway. The other route is mediated by an ethylene-induced production of extracellular H2O2 which then acts translationally and post-translationally to up-regulate Ca(2+)-permeable channel activity. A model describing the differential regulation of Ca(2+)-permeable channel activity is presented. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on

Strength and permeability tests on ultra-large Stripa granite core

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorpe, R.; Watkins, D.J.; Ralph, W.E.; Hsu, R.; Flexser, S.

1980-09-01

This report presents the results of laboratory tests on a 1 meter diameter by 2 meters high sample of granitic (quartz monzonite) rock from the Stripa mine in Sweden. The tests were designed to study the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the rock. Injection and withdrawal permeability tests were performed at several levels of axial stress using a borehole through the long axis of the core. The sample was pervasively fractured and its behavior under uniaxial compressive stress was very complicated. Its stress-strain behavior at low stresses was generally similar to that of small cores containing single healed fractures. However, this large core failed at a peak stress of 7.55 MPa, much less than the typical strength measured in small cores. The complex failure mechanism included a significant creep component. The sample was highly permeable, with flows-per-unit head ranging from 0.11 to 1.55 cm 2 /sec. Initial application of axial load caused a decrease in permeability, but this was followed by rapid increase in conductivity coincident with the failure of the core. The hydraulic regime in the fracture system was too intricate to be satisfactorily modeled by simple analogs based on the observed closure of the principal fractures. The test results contribute to the data base being compiled for the rock mass at the Stripa site, but their proper application will require synthesis of results from several laboratory and in situ test programs

Permeability optimization and performance evaluation of hot aerosol filters made using foam incorporated alumina suspension.

Science.gov (United States)

Innocentini, Murilo D M; Rodrigues, Vanessa P; Romano, Roberto C O; Pileggi, Rafael G; Silva, Gracinda M C; Coury, José R

2009-02-15

Porous ceramic samples were prepared from aqueous foam incorporated alumina suspension for application as hot aerosol filtering membrane. The procedure for establishment of membrane features required to maintain a desired flow condition was theoretically described and experimental work was designed to prepare ceramic membranes to meet the predicted criteria. Two best membranes, thus prepared, were selected for permeability tests up to 700 degrees C and their total and fractional collection efficiencies were experimentally evaluated. Reasonably good performance was achieved at room temperature, while at 700 degrees C, increased permeability was obtained with significant reduction in collection efficiency, which was explained by a combination of thermal expansion of the structure and changes in the gas properties.

Using nanocomposite materials technology to understand and control reverse osmosis membrane compaction

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, Mary Theresa M.; Nygaard, Jodie M.; Ghosh, Asim K.; Hoek, Eric M.V.

2010-01-01

Composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of polyamide thin films over pure polysulfone and nanocomposite-polysulfone support membranes. Nanocomposite support membranes were formed from amorphous non-porous silica and crystalline microporous zeolite nanoparticles. For each hand-cast membrane, water flux and NaCl rejection were monitored over time at two different applied pressures. Nanocomposite-polysulfone supported RO membranes generally had higher initial permeability and experienced less flux decline due to compaction than pure polysulfone supported membranes. In addition, observed salt rejection tended to increase as flux declined from compaction. Crosssectional SEM images verified significant reduction in thickness of pure polysulfone supports, whereas nanocomposites better resisted compaction due to enhanced mechanical stability imparted by the nanoparticles. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the mechanistic relationship between support membrane compaction and observed changes in water flux and salt rejection. As the support membrane compacts, skin layer pore constriction increased the effective path length for diffusion through the composite membranes, which reduced both water and salt permeability identically. However, experimental salt permeability tended to decline to a greater extent than water permeability; hence, the observed changes in flux and rejection might also be related to structural changes in the polyamide thin film. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using nanocomposite materials technology to understand and control reverse osmosis membrane compaction

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, Mary Theresa M.

2010-10-01

Composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of polyamide thin films over pure polysulfone and nanocomposite-polysulfone support membranes. Nanocomposite support membranes were formed from amorphous non-porous silica and crystalline microporous zeolite nanoparticles. For each hand-cast membrane, water flux and NaCl rejection were monitored over time at two different applied pressures. Nanocomposite-polysulfone supported RO membranes generally had higher initial permeability and experienced less flux decline due to compaction than pure polysulfone supported membranes. In addition, observed salt rejection tended to increase as flux declined from compaction. Crosssectional SEM images verified significant reduction in thickness of pure polysulfone supports, whereas nanocomposites better resisted compaction due to enhanced mechanical stability imparted by the nanoparticles. A conceptual model was proposed to explain the mechanistic relationship between support membrane compaction and observed changes in water flux and salt rejection. As the support membrane compacts, skin layer pore constriction increased the effective path length for diffusion through the composite membranes, which reduced both water and salt permeability identically. However, experimental salt permeability tended to decline to a greater extent than water permeability; hence, the observed changes in flux and rejection might also be related to structural changes in the polyamide thin film. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The skin migratory stage of the schistosomulum of Schistosoma mansoni has a surface showing greater permeability and activity in membrane internalisation than other forms of skin or mechanical schistosomula.

Science.gov (United States)

DE Jesus Jeremias, Wander; DA Cunha Melo, Jose Renan; Baba, Elio Hideo; Coelho, Paulo Marcos Zech; Kusel, John Robert

2015-08-01

Skin schistosomula can be prepared by collecting them after isolated mouse skin have been penetrated by cercariae in vitro. The schistosomula can also migrate out of isolated mouse skin penetrated by cercariae in vitro and from mouse skin penetrated by cercariae in vivo. Schistosomula can also be produced from cercariae applied through a syringe or in a vortex. When certain surface properties of the different forms of schistosomula were compared, those migrating from mouse skin penetrated by cercariae in vivo or in vitro had greatly increased permeability to membrane impermeant molecules such as Lucifer yellow and high molecular weight dextrans. These migrating forms also possessed surfaces which showed greatly enhanced uptake into internal membrane vesicles of the dye FM 143, a marker for endocytosis. This greatly enhanced activity and permeability of the surfaces of tissue migrating schistosomula is likely to be of great importance in the adaptation to the new host.

Hydraulic testing around Room Q: Evaluation of the effects of mining on the hydraulic properties of Salado Evaporites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Domski, P.S.; Upton, D.T. [INTERA, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Beauheim, R.L. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-03-01

Room Q is a 109-m-long cylindrical excavation in the Salado Formation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. Fifteen boreholes were drilled and instrumented around Room Q so that tests could be conducted to determine the effects of room excavation on the hydraulic properties of the surrounding evaporate rocks. Pressure-buildup and pressure-pulse tests were conducted in all of the boreholes before Room Q was mined. The data sets from only eight of the boreholes are adequate for parameter estimation, and five of those are of poor quality. Constant-pressure flow tests and pressure-buildup tests were conducted after Room Q was mined, producing eleven interpretable data sets, including two of poor quality. Pre-mining transmissivities interpreted from the three good-quality data sets ranged from 1 x 10{sup -15} to 5 x 10{sup -14} m{sup 2}/s (permeability-thickness products of 2 x 10{sup -22} to 9 x 10{sup -21} m{sup 3}) for test intervals ranging in length from 0.85 to 1.37 m. Pre-mining average permeabilities, which can be considered representative of undisturbed, far-field conditions, were 6 x 10{sup -20} and 8 x 10{sup -20} m{sup 2} for anhydrite, and 3 x 10{sup -22} m{sup 2} for halite. Post-mining transmissivities interpreted from the good-quality data sets ranged from 1 x 10{sup -16} to 3 x 10{sup -13} m{sup 2}/s (permeability-thickness products of 2 x 10{sup -23} to 5 x 10{sup -20} m{sup 3}). Post-mining average permeabilities for anhydrite ranged from 8 x 10{sup -20} to 1 x 10{sup -19} m{sup 2}. The changes in hydraulic properties and pore pressures that were observed can be attributed to one or a combination of three processes: stress reduction, changes in pore connectivity, and flow towards Room Q. The effects of the three processes cannot be individually quantified with the available data.

Hydraulic testing around Room Q: Evaluation of the effects of mining on the hydraulic properties of Salado Evaporites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domski, P.S.; Upton, D.T.; Beauheim, R.L.

1996-03-01

Room Q is a 109-m-long cylindrical excavation in the Salado Formation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. Fifteen boreholes were drilled and instrumented around Room Q so that tests could be conducted to determine the effects of room excavation on the hydraulic properties of the surrounding evaporate rocks. Pressure-buildup and pressure-pulse tests were conducted in all of the boreholes before Room Q was mined. The data sets from only eight of the boreholes are adequate for parameter estimation, and five of those are of poor quality. Constant-pressure flow tests and pressure-buildup tests were conducted after Room Q was mined, producing eleven interpretable data sets, including two of poor quality. Pre-mining transmissivities interpreted from the three good-quality data sets ranged from 1 x 10 -15 to 5 x 10 -14 m 2 /s (permeability-thickness products of 2 x 10 -22 to 9 x 10 -21 m 3 ) for test intervals ranging in length from 0.85 to 1.37 m. Pre-mining average permeabilities, which can be considered representative of undisturbed, far-field conditions, were 6 x 10 -20 and 8 x 10 -20 m 2 for anhydrite, and 3 x 10 -22 m 2 for halite. Post-mining transmissivities interpreted from the good-quality data sets ranged from 1 x 10 -16 to 3 x 10 -13 m 2 /s (permeability-thickness products of 2 x 10 -23 to 5 x 10 -20 m 3 ). Post-mining average permeabilities for anhydrite ranged from 8 x 10 -20 to 1 x 10 -19 m 2 . The changes in hydraulic properties and pore pressures that were observed can be attributed to one or a combination of three processes: stress reduction, changes in pore connectivity, and flow towards Room Q. The effects of the three processes cannot be individually quantified with the available data

Role of Gamma Radiation and Some Natural Products in Alteration of Bacterial Outer Membrane Porins Permeability for Uptake of Certain Antibiotics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Bastawisy, H.S.

2015-01-01

Membrane permeability is the first step involved in resistance of bacteria to an antibiotic. The bacterial outer membrane proteins (OMPs) that constitute porins play role in the definition of intrinsic resistance in Gram negative bacilli that is altered under antibiotic pressure. It has been noted that the response to prolonged exposure to increasing levels of antibiotic cause major changes in the permeability of the bacterium due to down regulation of porins and over expression of efflux pumps. In this study a total of 92 bacterial isolates of different species were isolated from different sites of cancer and non cancer patients; the microorganisms were identified using API system. The susceptibility test was carried out for all the isolates to detect the multidrug resistant isolates; from this test eleven strains were selected for further studies. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the eleven strains against some selected antibiotics acting on the inhibition of cell wall synthesis before and after in vitro gamma irradiation was carried out. The obtained results showed a clear increase in the number of resistant isolates after irradiation as compared to those before irradiation. The efficacy of the citrus fruits (Citrus limon, Citrus paradise, Citrus reticulate and Citrus sinensis) was tested to improve the performance of the tested antibiotics by increasing its permeability through the porin channels. The dried crushed citrus fruits peels were decontaminated by gamma irradiation at 700 Gray; then the aqueous extract of the citrus fruits were prepared to test its antimicrobial activity against the selected bacterial strains. The obtained results revealed that the aqueous extracts of different citrus fruits peels did not show any antibacterial activities against six bacterial isolates (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 44, Enterbacter cloacae 51, Escherichia coli 52, Pseudomonas fluorescens 64, Klebsiella pneumoniae 78 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 90). Therefore, these six

Permeability of skin and oral mucosa to water and horseradish peroxidase as related to the thickness of the permeability barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squier, C.A.; Hall, B.K.

1985-01-01

The permeability of porcine skin and keratinized and nonkeratinized oral mucosa to tritium-labeled water and horseradish peroxidase (HRPO) was determined using perfusion chambers. Small blocks from each tissue were also incubated with HRPO and the extent of penetration visualized microscopically; this enabled measurements to be made of the thickness of the permeability barrier to this water-soluble tracer. Results obtained after inverting the oral mucosa in the chambers or adding metabolic inhibitors indicated that both compounds diffuse across the tissue. The permeability constants derived directly in the study showed that skin was less permeable than oral mucosa and that the floor of the mouth was significantly more permeable than all other regions. When these constants were normalized in terms of a standard permeability barrier thickness and the different tissues compared, the values obtained for skin were again less than those of the oral regions but, of these, the buccal mucosa was significantly higher. The difference in permeability between epidermis and keratinized oral epithelium may be due to differences in the volume density of membrane-coating granules known to exist between the tissues; differences between the oral mucosal regions may reflect differences in the nature of the intercellular barrier material

Changes in sapwood permeability and anatomy with tree age and height in the broad-leaved evergreen species Eucalyptus regnans.

Science.gov (United States)

England, Jacqueline R; Attiwill, Peter M

2007-08-01

Increases in plant size and structural complexity with increasing age have important implications for water flow through trees. Water supply to the crown is influenced by both the cross-sectional area and the permeability of sapwood. It has been hypothesized that hydraulic conductivity within sapwood increases with age. We investigated changes in sapwood permeability (k) and anatomy with tree age and height in the broad-leaved evergreen species Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell. Sapwood was sampled at breast height from trees ranging from 8 to 240 years old, and at three height positions on the main stem of 8-year-old trees. Variation in k was not significant among sampling height positions in young trees. However, k at breast height increased with tree age. This was related to increases in both vessel frequency and vessel diameter, resulting in a greater proportion of sapwood being occupied by vessel lumina. Sapwood hydraulic conductivity (the product of k and sapwood area) also increased with increasing tree age. However, at the stand level, there was a decrease in forest sapwood hydraulic conductivity with increasing stand age, because of a decrease in the number of trees per hectare. Across all ages, there were significant relationships between k and anatomy, with individual anatomical characteristics explaining 33-62% of the variation in k. There was also strong agreement between measured k and permeability predicted by the Hagen-Poiseuille equation. The results support the hypothesis of an increase in sapwood permeability at breast height with age. Further measurements are required to confirm this result at other height positions in older trees. The significance of tree-level changes in sapwood permeability for stand-level water relations is discussed.

Lysosomal membrane permeability stimulates protein aggregate formation in neurons of a lysosomal disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Micsenyi, Matthew C; Sikora, Jakub; Stephney, Gloria; Dobrenis, Kostantin; Walkley, Steven U

2013-06-26

Protein aggregates are a common pathological feature of neurodegenerative diseases and several lysosomal diseases, but it is currently unclear what aggregates represent for pathogenesis. Here we report the accumulation of intraneuronal aggregates containing the macroautophagy adapter proteins p62 and NBR1 in the neurodegenerative lysosomal disease late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2 disease). CLN2 disease is caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme tripeptidyl peptidase I, which results in aberrant lysosomal storage of catabolites, including the subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase (SCMAS). In an effort to define the role of aggregates in CLN2, we evaluated p62 and NBR1 accumulation in the CNS of Cln2(-/-) mice. Although increases in p62 and NBR1 often suggest compromised degradative mechanisms, we found normal ubiquitin-proteasome system function and only modest inefficiency in macroautophagy late in disease. Importantly, we identified that SCMAS colocalizes with p62 in extra-lysosomal aggregates in Cln2(-/-) neurons in vivo. This finding is consistent with SCMAS being released from lysosomes, an event known as lysosomal membrane permeability (LMP). We predicted that LMP and storage release from lysosomes results in the sequestration of this material as cytosolic aggregates by p62 and NBR1. Notably, LMP induction in primary neuronal cultures generates p62-positive aggregates and promotes p62 localization to lysosomal membranes, supporting our in vivo findings. We conclude that LMP is a previously unrecognized pathogenic event in CLN2 disease that stimulates cytosolic aggregate formation. Furthermore, we offer a novel role for p62 in response to LMP that may be relevant for other diseases exhibiting p62 accumulation.

Cisplatin impairs rat liver mitochondrial functions by inducing changes on membrane ion permeability: Prevention by thiol group protecting agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Custodio, Jose B.A.; Cardoso, Carla M.P.; Santos, Maria S.; Almeida, Leonor M.; Vicente, Joaquim A.F.; Fernandes, Maria A.S.

2009-01-01

Cisplatin (CisPt) is the most important platinum anticancer drug widely used in the treatment of head, neck, ovarian and testicular cancers. However, the mechanisms by which CisPt induces cytotoxicity, namely hepatotoxicity, are not completely understood. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of CisPt on rat liver mitochondrial functions (Ca 2+ -induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), mitochondrial bioenergetics, and mitochondrial oxidative stress) to better understand the mechanism underlying its hepatotoxicity. The effect of thiol group protecting agents and some antioxidants against CisPt-induced mitochondrial damage was also investigated. Treatment of rat liver mitochondria with CisPt (20 nmol/mg protein) induced Ca 2+ -dependent mitochondrial swelling, depolarization of membrane potential (ΔΨ), Ca 2+ release, and NAD(P)H fluorescence intensity decay. These effects were prevented by cyclosporine A (CyA), a potent and specific inhibitor of the MPT. In the concentration range of up to 40 nmol/mg protein, CisPt slightly inhibited state 3 and stimulated state 2 and state 4 respiration rates using succinate as respiratory substrate. The respiratory indexes, respiratory control ratio (RCR) and ADP/O ratios, the ΔΨ, and the ADP phosphorylation rate were also depressed. CisPt induced mitochondrial inner membrane permeabilization to protons (proton leak) but did not induce significant changes on mitochondrial H 2 O 2 generation. All the effects induced by CisPt on rat liver mitochondria were prevented by thiol group protecting agents namely, glutathione (GSH), dithiothreitol (DTT), N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and cysteine (CYS), whereas superoxide-dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate (ASC) were without effect. In conclusion, the anticancer drug CisPt: (1) increases the sensitivity of mitochondria to Ca 2+ -induced MPT; (2) interferes with mitochondrial bioenergetics by increasing mitochondrial inner membrane permeabilization to

Stable catalyst layers for hydrogen permeable composite membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Way, J. Douglas; Wolden, Colin A

2014-01-07

The present invention provides a hydrogen separation membrane based on nanoporous, composite metal carbide or metal sulfide coated membranes capable of high flux and permselectivity for hydrogen without platinum group metals. The present invention is capable of being operated over a broad temperature range, including at elevated temperatures, while maintaining hydrogen selectivity.

The solubility-permeability interplay and oral drug formulation design: Two heads are better than one.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahan, Arik; Beig, Avital; Lindley, David; Miller, Jonathan M

2016-06-01

Poor aqueous solubility is a major challenge in today's biopharmaceutics. While solubility-enabling formulations can significantly increase the apparent solubility of the drug, the concomitant effect on the drug's apparent permeability has been largely overlooked. The mathematical equation to describe the membrane permeability of a drug comprises the membrane/aqueous partition coefficient, which in turn is dependent on the drug's apparent solubility in the GI milieu, suggesting that the solubility and the permeability are closely related, exhibit a certain interplay between them, and treating the one irrespectively of the other may be insufficient. In this article, an overview of this solubility-permeability interplay is provided, and the available data is analyzed in the context of the effort to maximize the overall drug exposure. Overall, depending on the type of solubility-permeability interplay, the permeability may decrease, remain unchanged, and even increase, in a way that may critically affect the formulation capability to improve the overall absorption. Therefore, an intelligent design of solubility-enabling formulation needs to consider both the solubility afforded by the formulation and the permeability in the new luminal environment resulting from the formulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of preparation conditions on properties and permeability of chitosan-sodium hexametaphosphate capsules.

Science.gov (United States)

Angelova, N; Hunkeler, D

2001-01-01

Capsules were obtained by interpolymer complexation between chitosan (polycation) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SMP, oligoanion). The effect of the preparation conditions on the capsule characteristics was evaluated. Specifically, the influence of variables such as pH, ionic strength, reagent concentration, and additives on the capsule permeability properties was investigated using dextran as a model permeant. The capsule membrane permeability was found to increase by decreasing the chitosan/SMP ratio as well as adding mannitol to the oligoanion recipient bath. Increasing the ionic strength or the pH of the initial chitosan solution was also found to enhance the membrane permeability, moving the membrane exclusion limit to higher values. Generally, the capsules prepared tinder all tested conditions had a relatively low permeability which rarely exceeded a molecular cut-off of 40 kD based on dextran standards. Furthermore, the diffusion rate showed a strong temporal dependence, indicating that the capsules prepared under various conditions exhibit different apparent pore size densities on the surface. The results indicated that, in order to obtain the desired capsule mass-transfer properties, the preparation conditions should be carefully considered and adjusted. Adding a polyol as well as low salt amount (less than 0.15%) is preferable as a means of modulating the diffusion characteristics, without disturbing the capsule mechanical stability.

Wetting phase permeability in a partially saturated horizontal fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholl, M.J.; Glass, R.J.

1994-01-01

Fractures within geologic media can dominate the hydraulic properties of the system. Therefore, conceptual models used to assess the potential for radio-nuclide migration in unsaturated fractured rock such as that composing Yucca Mountain, Nevada, must be consistent with flow processes in individual fractures. A major obstacle to the understanding and simulation of unsaturated fracture flow is the paucity of physical data on both fracture aperture structure and relative permeability. An experimental procedure is developed for collecting detailed data on aperture and phase structure from a transparent analog fracture. To facilitate understanding of basic processes and provide a basis for development of effective property models, the simplest possible rough-walled fracture is used. Stable phase structures of varying complexity are created within the horizontal analog fracture. Wetting phase permeability is measured under steady-state conditions. A process based model for wetting phase relative permeability is then explored. Contributions of the following processes to reduced wetting phase permeability under unsaturated conditions are considered: reduction in cross-sectional flow area, increased path length, localized flow restriction, and preferential occupation of large apertures by the non-wetting phase

A fractal model for predicting permeability and liquid water relative permeability in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) of PEMFCs

Science.gov (United States)

He, Guangli; Zhao, Zongchang; Ming, Pingwen; Abuliti, Abudula; Yin, Caoyong

In this study, a fractal model is developed to predict the permeability and liquid water relative permeability of the GDL (TGP-H-120 carbon paper) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), based on the micrographs (by SEM, i.e. scanning electron microscope) of the TGP-H-120. Pore size distribution (PSD), maximum pore size, porosity, diameter of the carbon fiber, pore tortuosity, area dimension, hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, the thickness of GDL and saturation are involved in this model. The model was validated by comparison between the predicted results and experimental data. The results indicate that the water relative permeability in the hydrophobicity case is much higher than in the hydrophilicity case. So, a hydrophobic carbon paper is preferred for efficient removal of liquid water from the cathode of PEMFCs.

Membrane barriers for radon gas flow restrictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archibald, J.F.

1984-08-01

Research was performed to assess the feasibility of barrier membrane substances, for use within mining or associated high risk environments, in restricting the diffusion transport of radon gas quantities. Specific tests were conducted to determine permeability parameters of a variety of membrane materials with reference to radon flow capabilities. Tests were conducted both within laboratory and in-situ emanation environments where concentrations and diffusion flows of radon gas were known to exist. Equilibrium radon gas concentrations were monitored in initially radon-free chambers adjacent to gas sources, but separated by specified membrane substances. Membrane barrier effectiveness was demonstrated to result in reduced emanation concentrations of radon gas within the sampling chamber atmosphere. Minimum gas concentrations were evidenced where the barrier membrane material was shown to exhibit lowest radon permeability characteristics

Effect of membrane hydrophilization on ultrafiltration performance for biomolecules separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susanto, H.; Roihatin, A.; Aryanti, N.; Anggoro, D.D.; Ulbricht, M.

2012-01-01

This paper compares the performance of different hydrophilization methods to prepare low fouling ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. The methods include post-modification with hydrophilic polymer and blending of hydrophilic agent during either conventional or reactive phase separation (PS). The post-modification was done by photograft copolymerization of water-soluble monomer, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA), onto a commercial polyethersulfone (PES) UF membrane. Hydrophilization via blend polymer membrane with hydrophilic additive was performed using non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). In reactive PS method, the cast membrane was UV-irradiated before coagulation. The resulting membrane characteristic, the performance and hydrophilization stability were systematically compared. The investigated membrane characteristics include surface hydrophilicity (by contact angle /CA/), surface chemistry (by FTIR spectroscopy), and surface morphology (by scanning electron microscopy). The membrane performance was examined by investigation of adsorptive fouling and ultrafiltration using solution of protein or polysaccharide or humic acid. The results suggest that all methods could increase the hydrophilicity of the membrane yielding less fouling. Post-modification decreased CA from 44.8 ± 4.2 o to 37.8 ± 4.2 o to 42.5 ± 4.3 o depending on the degree of grafting (DG). The hydrophilization via polymer blend decreased CA from from 65 deg. to 54 deg. for PEG concentration of 5%. Nevertheless, decreasing hydraulic permeability was observed after post-modification as well as during polymer blend modification. Stability examination showed that there was leaching out of modifier agent from the membrane matrix prepared via conventional PS after 10 days soaking in both water and NaOH. Reactive PS could increase the stability of the modifier agent in membrane matrix. Highlights: ► We compared different methods to prepare low fouling ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. �

Modelling of fast hydrogen permeability of alloys for membrane gas separation

Science.gov (United States)

Zaika, Yu. V.; Rodchenkova, N. I.

2017-05-01

The method of measuring the specific hydrogen permeability is used to study various alloys that are promising for gas separation installations. The nonlinear boundary value problem of hydrogen permeability complying with the specific features of the experiment and its modifications taking into account the high transfer rate is presented. Substantial difference from the quasi-equilibrium model (Richardson approximation in the assumption of the equilibrium Sieverts' law near the surface) has been discussed. The model is tested on published experimental data on Ta77Nb23 alloy.

Microporous Organic Materials for Membrane-Based Gas Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Xiaoqin; Zhu, Guangshan

2018-01-01

Membrane materials with excellent selectivity and high permeability are crucial to efficient membrane gas separation. Microporous organic materials have evolved as an alternative candidate for fabricating membranes due to their inherent attributes, such as permanent porosity, high surface area, and good processability. Herein, a unique pore-chemistry concept for the designed synthesis of microporous organic membranes, with an emphasis on the relationship between pore structures and membrane performances, is introduced. The latest advances in microporous organic materials for potential membrane application in gas separation of H 2 , CO 2 , O 2 , and other industrially relevant gases are summarized. Representative examples of the recent progress in highly selective and permeable membranes are highlighted with some fundamental analyses from pore characteristics, followed by a brief perspective on future research directions. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Durability of Selected Membrane Materials when Exposed to Chlorine Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eikeland, Marianne Soerflaten

2001-03-01

This thesis is focusing on the durability of selected membrane materials when exposed to chlorine gas in the temperature range 30-100{sup o}C. Studies of the changes of membrane separation properties and the mechanisms promoting these changes have been studied. The selected membrane materials were poly(dimethylsioxane) (PDMS), Fluorel, fluorosilicone, and blends of PDMS and Fluorel. The thesis is organised in seven chapters. The first chapter gives an introduction to the background of the work. The second chapter presents the theory for gas separation using dense rubbery membranes. The properties of the selected membrane materials are presented in chapter three. The fourth chapter describes degradation mechanisms for polymeric materials in general and for the selected membrane materials in particular. Presentation of the experimental work is given in chapter five, while the results with discussions are presented in chapter six. The conclusions and recommendations for further studies are given in chapter seven. Five appendixes are attached: Appendix A describes the calculations of permeability and solubility coefficients and the accuracy of the experimental measurements. Appendix B summarises the measured values in tables and Appendix C describes the analytical methods. Appendix D gives the properties of the gases used in the experiments. Appendix E is the article ''Durability of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) when Exposed to Chlorine Gas'', submitted to the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. Highly crosslinked PDMS was found to have an initial high permeability for chlorine gas and a high Cl{sub 2}/O{sub 2} selectivity. However when exposed to chlorine gas the permeability decreased significantly. Crosslinking of the PDMS polymer chain and chlorination of the polymer gave a denser polymer structure and thus lower permeability. Fluorel showed very low permeabilities and selectivities for the gases in question and was thus not interesting for this

Pneumatic and hydraulic microactuators: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Volder, Michaël; Reynaerts, Dominiek

2010-01-01

The development of MEMS actuators is rapidly evolving and continuously new progress in terms of efficiency, power and force output is reported. Pneumatic and hydraulic are an interesting class of microactuators that are easily overlooked. Despite the 20 years of research, and hundreds of publications on this topic, these actuators are only popular in microfluidic systems. In other MEMS applications, pneumatic and hydraulic actuators are rare in comparison with electrostatic, thermal or piezo-electric actuators. However, several studies have shown that hydraulic and pneumatic actuators deliver among the highest force and power densities at microscale. It is believed that this asset is particularly important in modern industrial and medical microsystems, and therefore, pneumatic and hydraulic actuators could start playing an increasingly important role. This paper shows an in-depth overview of the developments in this field ranging from the classic inflatable membrane actuators to more complex piston–cylinder and drag-based microdevices. (topical review)

Grapevine acclimation to water deficit: the adjustment of stomatal and hydraulic conductance differs from petiole embolism vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochberg, Uri; Bonel, Andrea Giulia; David-Schwartz, Rakefet; Degu, Asfaw; Fait, Aaron; Cochard, Hervé; Peterlunger, Enrico; Herrera, Jose Carlos

2017-06-01

Drought-acclimated vines maintained higher gas exchange compared to irrigated controls under water deficit; this effect is associated with modified leaf turgor but not with improved petiole vulnerability to cavitation. A key feature for the prosperity of plants under changing environments is the plasticity of their hydraulic system. In the present research we studied the hydraulic regulation in grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) that were first acclimated for 39 days to well-watered (WW), sustained water deficit (SD), or transient-cycles of dehydration-rehydration-water deficit (TD) conditions, and then subjected to varying degrees of drought. Vine development under SD led to the smallest leaves and petioles, but the TD vines had the smallest mean xylem vessel and calculated specific conductivity (k ts ). Unexpectedly, both the water deficit acclimation treatments resulted in vines more vulnerable to cavitation in comparison to WW, possibly as a result of developmental differences or cavitation fatigue. When exposed to drought, the SD vines maintained the highest stomatal (g s ) and leaf conductance (k leaf ) under low stem water potential (Ψ s ), despite their high xylem vulnerability and in agreement with their lower turgor loss point (Ψ TLP ). These findings suggest that the down-regulation of k leaf and g s is not associated with embolism, and the ability of drought-acclimated vines to maintain hydraulic conductance and gas exchange under stressed conditions is more likely associated with the leaf turgor and membrane permeability.

Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) affects pollen tube growth via modulating putative Ca2+-permeable membrane channels and is coupled to negative regulation on glutamate decarboxylase

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guang-Hui; Zou, Jie; Feng, Jing; Peng, Xiong-Bo; Wu, Ju-You; Wu, Ying-Liang; Palanivelu, Ravishankar; Sun, Meng-Xiang

2014-01-01

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is implicated in pollen tube growth, but the molecular and cellular mechanisms that it mediates are largely unknown. Here, it is shown that exogenous GABA modulates putative Ca2+-permeable channels on the plasma membranes of tobacco pollen grains and pollen tubes. Whole-cell voltage-clamp experiments and non-invasive micromeasurement technology (NMT) revealed that the influx of Ca2+ increases in pollen tubes in response to exogenous GABA. It is also demonstrated that glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the rate-limiting enzyme of GABA biosynthesis, is involved in feedback controls of Ca2+-permeable channels to fluctuate intracellular GABA levels and thus modulate pollen tube growth. The findings suggest that GAD activity linked with Ca2+-permeable channels relays an extracellular GABA signal and integrates multiple signal pathways to modulate tobacco pollen tube growth. Thus, the data explain how GABA mediates the communication between the style and the growing pollen tubes. PMID:24799560

Influence of hydraulic retention time on UASB post-treatment with UF membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Salazar-Peláez, M L; Morgan-Sagastume, J M; Noyola, A

2011-01-01

A pilot UASB reactor coupled with an external ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was operated under three different hydraulic retention times (HRT) for domestic wastewater treatment. The aim was to assess the HRT influence on system performance and fouling. The highest concentrations of COD, total solids, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) in UASB effluent and permeate were found when the UASB reactor was operated under the lowest HRT studied (4 hours); although the fulfillment of Mexican Standard for wastewater reclamation was not compromised. This fact could be attributed to the higher shear stress forces inside the UASB reactor when it was operated at low HRT, which promoted the release of biopolymeric substances in its effluent. Besides, the fouling propensity in the UASB effluent was worsened with HRT reduction, by increasing the fouling rate and the specific cake resistance. Based on these results, it is recommended to avoid operating the UASB reactor at low HRTs (less than 4 hours) in order to control SMP and EPS fouling potential. The results presented also suggest that HRT reduction has a detrimental effect on performance and fouling.

Modeling hydraulic conductivity and swelling pressure of several kinds of bentonites affected by concentration of saline water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Yukihisa; Hasegawa, Takuma; Nakamura, Kunihiko

2007-01-01

In case of construction of repository for radioactive waste near the coastal area, the effect of brine on hydraulic conductivity of bentonite as an engineering barrier should be considered because it is known that the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite increases with increasing in salt concentration of water. Thus, the effect of salinity of water on hydraulic conductivity of bentonite has been conducted experimentally. However, it is necessary to elucidate and to model the mechanism of the phenomenon because various kinds of bentonites may possibly be placed in various salinity of salt water. In this study, a model for evaluating permeability of compacted bentonite is proposed considering a) increase in number of sheets of montomorillonite crystal because of cohesion, b) decrease in viscosity of water in interlayer between sheets of montmorillonite crystal. Quantitative evaluation method for permeability of several kinds of bentonite under brine is proposed based on the model mentioned above. (author)

Temperature-sensitive porous membrane production through radiation co-grafting of NIPAAm on/in PVDF porous membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qi; Zhu Zhiyong; Yang Xiaomin; Chen Xiliang; Song Yufeng

2007-01-01

N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer was grafted on and in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) micro-pore membrane by γ-irradiation. The influence of irradiation and reaction conditions on the grafting yield was investigated in detail. The chemical structure of NIPAAm-grafted PVDF (NIPAAm-g-PVDF) membrane was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra measurements. The morphology of the sample surface as well as the cross-section before and after grafting was characterized by scanning electron microscope. The temperature sensitive properties of the membrane were monitored by measuring the conductance as well as the water flux through the sample thickness. The results show that the membrane exhibits clearly temperature-sensitive permeability to water as expected, i.e. the permeability of water changes dramatically as the temperature goes over the lower critical solution temperature of NIPAAm

Low permeability volcanics in the Canary Islands (Spain)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Custodio, E.

1985-01-01

The Canary Islands, about 2000 km to the SW of continental Spain, are fully volcanic, from mid Miocene to recent. The permeability of the formations depends very much on the age and lithology. In most instances young, pervious basalts are devoid of water due to their altitude and most water abstraction works must go into the underlaying, much less pervious, older formations. Long water galleries or large diameter wells fitted with a crown of horizontal bores are able to catch significant quantities of water from formations which permeability is less than 0.1 m/day. The anisotropic behavior of the formations, specially due to the injection of subvertical dykes parallel to the coast, explains the high hydraulic gradient found, up to 0.15, and the relative high yield of the wells and galleries. The specific yield of the volcanics is fairly high, about 0.02 to 0.05, thus allowing the use of reserves to supply the demand. Conventional finite-difference models give a sound picture of the groundwater behavior but preliminary adjustments of the hydraulic parameters need the study of simplified cross-sections. The study of the chemical characteristics of groundwater is a key factor in the understanding of groundwater flow. The discussion refers mainly to Lanzarote, Tenerife and Gran Canaria Islands, but some comment will use information from other islands. 23 references, 10 figures, 2 tables

Impacts of operating conditions and solution chemistry on osmotic membrane structure and performance

KAUST Repository

Wong, Mavis C.Y.; Martinez, Kristina; Ramon, Guy Z.; Hoek, Eric M.V.

2012-01-01

Herein, we report on changes in the performance of a commercial cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, imparted by varied operating conditions and solution chemistries. Changes to feed and draw solution flow rate did not significantly alter the CTA membrane's water permeability, salt permeability, or membrane structural parameter when operated with the membrane skin layer facing the draw solution (PRO-mode). However, water and salt permeability increased with increasing feed or draw solution temperature, while the membrane structural parameter decreased with increasing draw solution, possibly due to changes in polymer intermolecular interactions. High ionic strength draw solutions may de-swell the CTA membrane via charge neutralization, which resulted in lower water permeability, higher salt permeability, and lower structural parameter. This observed trend was further exacerbated by the presence of divalent cations which tends to swell the polymer to a greater extent. Finally, the calculated CTA membrane's structural parameter was lower and less sensitive to external factors when operated in PRO-mode, but highly sensitive to the same factors when the skin layer faced the feed solution (FO-mode), presumably due to swelling/de-swelling of the saturated porous substructure by the draw solution. This is a first attempt aimed at systematically evaluating the changes in performance of the CTA membrane due to operating conditions and solution chemistry, shedding new insight into the possible advantages and disadvantages of this material in certain applications. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles as a draw solute in forward osmosis membrane process for the treatment of radioactive liquid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Heeman; Lee, Kune Woo; Moon, Jei Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

These wastes contain about 0.3 ∼ 0.8 wt% of boric acid. It is known that reverse osmosis (RO) membrane can eliminate boron at high pH and boron of 40 ∼ 90% can be removed by RO membrane in pH condition. RO uses hydraulic pressure to oppose, and exceed, the osmotic pressure of an aqueous feed solution containing boric acid. As an emerging technology forward osmosis (FO) has attracted growing interest in wastewater treatment and desalination because FO operates at low or no hydraulic pressures. FO is a membrane process in which water flows across a semi-permeable membrane from a feed solution of lower osmotic pressure to a draw solution of higher osmotic pressure. However, the challenges of FO still lie in the fabrication of eligible FO membranes and the readily separable draw solutes of high osmotic pressures. Superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles can be separated from water by an external magnet field easily. If Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles are coated with highly soluble organic substances, thus they can be used as a draw solute by concurrently generating high osmotic pressure and easy separation. The carboxylated polyglycerol coated Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized. The nanoparticles were about 50 nm in diameter and showed the good colloidal stability in aqueous solution. The osmolality and osmotic pressure were enough high to be used as a draw solute in FO. For the future work, we will investigate the performance of our magnetic draw solute in FO to remove boron in the simulated liquid waste.

Effect of hydraulic retention time and sludge recirculation on greenhouse gas emission and related microbial communities in two-stage membrane bioreactor treating solid waste leachate.

Science.gov (United States)

Nuansawan, Nararatchporn; Boonnorat, Jarungwit; Chiemchaisri, Wilai; Chiemchaisri, Chart

2016-06-01

Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and responsible microorganisms during the treatment of municipal solid waste leachate in two-stage membrane bioreactor (MBR) was investigated. The MBR system, consisting of anaerobic and aerobic stages, were operated at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 5 and 2.5days in each reactor under the presence and absence of sludge recirculation. Organic and nitrogen removals were more than 80% under all operating conditions during which CH4 emission were found highest under no sludge recirculation condition at HRT of 5days. An increase in hydraulic loading resulted in a reduction in CH4 emission from anaerobic reactor but an increase from the aerobic reactor. N2O emission rates were found relatively constant from anaerobic and aerobic reactors under different operating conditions. Diversity of CH4 and N2O producing microorganisms were found decreasing when hydraulic loading rate to the reactors was increased. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-ZIF-8 Membrane for Wastewater Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, N. A.; Wirzal, M. D. H.; Nordin, N. A. H.; Halim, N. S. Abd

2018-04-01

Nowadays, the water shortage problem following the urbanization and increasing pollution of natural water source have increased the awareness to treat wastewater. Membrane filtration is often used in wastewater treatment plants to filter out more residual activated sludge from aeration process in the secondary stage. However, fouling is the main concern due to the fact it can happen to any membrane application. Antifouling properties in membrane can be improved by blending membranes with fillers or additives to make them more hydrophilic. This study aims to improve the antifouling properties in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes while optimizing the loading of Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) fillers; at different loading (2.0 wt. %, 4.0 wt. %, 6.0 wt. %, 8.0 wt. % and 10.0 wt. %). Manual hand-casting of flat sheet membrane was done and the fabricated membranes were tested for their filterability against pure water and domestic wastewater. Both permeability tests showed that PVDF with 8% ZIF-8 membrane was the most permeable with a pure water and wastewater permeability of 150 L/m2.h.bar and 94 L/m2.h.bar, respectively. The pure water permeability of PVDF with 8% ZIF-8 membrane increases for about 130% compared to the pure PVDF membrane. The turbidity test of the initial feed and final permeate of wastewater, PVDF with 8% ZIF-8 membrane also gave out the highest reduction rate at 87%, which is 36% higher than that of pure PVDF membrane. It can be deduced that 8% of ZIF-8 is the ideal loading to PVDF in improving its antifouling properties to be used in domestic wastewater treatment.

Effect of operation parameters on the flux stabilization of gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system for decentralized water supply.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xiaobin; Ding, An; Qu, Fangshu; Jia, Ruibao; Chang, Haiqing; Cheng, Xiaoxiang; Liu, Bin; Li, Guibai; Liang, Heng

2016-08-01

A pilot-scale gravity-driven membrane (GDM) filtration system under low gravitational pressure without any pre-treatment, backwash, flushing, or chemical cleaning was carried out to investigate the effect of operation parameters (including operation pressure, aeration mode, and intermittent filtration) on the effluent quality and permeability development. The results revealed that GDM system exhibited an efficient performance for the removal of suspended substances and organic compounds. The stabilization of flux occurred and the average values of stable flux were 6.6, 8.1, and 8.6 Lm(-2) h(-1) for pressures of 65, 120, and 200 mbar, respectively. In contrast, flux stabilization was not observed under continuous and intermittent aeration conditions. However, aeration (especially continuous aeration) was effective to improve flux and alleviate membrane fouling during 1-month operation. Moreover, intermittent filtration would influence the stabilization of permeate flux, resulting in a higher stable flux (ranging from 6 to 13 Lm(-2) h(-1)). The stable flux significantly improved with the increase of intermittent period. Additionally, GDM systems exhibited an efficient recovery of flux after simple physical cleaning and the analyses of resistance reversibility demonstrated that most of the total resistance was hydraulic reversible resistance (50-75 %). Therefore, it is expected that the results of this study can develop strategies to increase membrane permeability and reduce energy consumption in GDM systems for decentralized water supply.

Gas separation performance of carbon molecular sieve membranes based on 6FDA-mPDA/DABA (3:2) polyimide.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Wulin; Zhang, Kuang; Li, Fuyue Stephanie; Zhang, Ke; Koros, William J

2014-04-01

6FDA-mPDA/DABA (3:2) polyimide was synthesized and characterized for uncross-linked, thermally crosslinked, and carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes. The membranes were characterized with thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and gas permeation tests. Variations in the d spacing, the formation of pore structures, and changes in the pore sizes of the CMS membranes were discussed in relation to pyrolysis protocols. The uncross-linked polymer membranes showed high CO2 /CH4 selectivity, whereas thermally crosslinked membranes exhibited significantly improved CO2 permeability and excellent CO2 plasticization resistance. The CMS membranes showed even higher CO2 permeability and CO2 /CH4 selectivity. An increase in the pyrolysis temperature resulted in CMS membranes with lower gas permeability but higher selectivity. The 550 °C pyrolyzed CMS membranes showed CO2 permeability as high as 14 750 Barrer with CO2 /CH4 selectivity of approximately 52. Even 800 °C pyrolyzed CMS membranes still showed high CO2 permeability of 2610 Barrer with high CO2 /CH4 selectivity of approximately 118. Both polymer membranes and the CMS membranes are very attractive in aggressive natural gas purification applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fifteen-year Assessment of a Permeable Reactive Barrier for Treatment of Chromate and Trichloroethylene in Groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

The fifteen-year performance of a granular iron, permeable reactive barrier (PRB; Elizabeth City, North Carolina) is reviewed with respect to contaminant treatment (hexavalent chromium and trichloroethylene) and hydraulic performance. Due to in-situ treatment of the chromium sou...

Groundwater movement through mudrocks - measurement and interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brightman, M.A.; Alexander, J.; Gostelow, T.P.

1987-12-01

The parameters which require measurement to determine the fluxes through mudrocks are groundwater head, hydraulic conductivity, porosity, tortuosity, groundwater chemistry, and the semi-permeable membrane properties of the mudrock. A series of measurements have been made at the Harwell Research Site to assess the occurrence and magnitude of the different fluxes across mudrocks. Head measurements have been made through perforations in the mudrocks, and the results broadly fit the previously conceived groundwater flow pattern. Measurement of the chemical potential of groundwaters is straightforward in the aquifers but more difficult in the mudrocks. If mudrocks do not behave as semi-permeable membranes then diffusion will be a more important solute transport process than advection. If mudrocks behave as ideal semi-permeable membranes the relative magnitude of advective and osmotic groundwater flows is largely dependent on the chemical potential gradient. If mudrocks behave as non-ideal semi-permeable membranes then the relative importance of the mechanisms is chiefly determined by the degree of ideality of the membrane. (author)

Finite element simulations of interactions between multiple hydraulic fractures in a poroelastic rock

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salimzadeh, Saeed; Usui, Tomoya; Paluszny, Adriana

2017-01-01

A fully coupled three-dimensional finite-element model for hydraulic fractures in permeable rocks is presented, and used to investigate the ranges of applicability of the classical analytical solutions that are known to be valid in limiting cases. This model simultaneously accounts for fluid flow...

Physical–chemical properties, separation performance, and fouling resistance of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration membranes

KAUST Repository

Hoek, Eric M.V.; Ghosh, Asim K.; Huang, Xiaofei; Liong, Monty; Zink, Jeffrey I.

2011-01-01

Herein we report on the formation and characterization of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration (UF) membranes hand-cast by nonsolvent induced phase inversion. We evaluated nanometer-to-micrometer sized inorganic fillers (silver, copper, silica, zeolite, and silver-zeolite) materials with polysulfone (PSf) as the polymeric dispersing matrix. In general, mixed-matrix membranes were rougher, more hydrophilic, and more mechanically robust. Only sub-micron zeolite-PSf mixed-matrix membranes exhibited simultaneous improvements in water permeability and solute selectivity; all other mixed-matrix membranes were more permeable, but less selective due to defects associated with poor polymer-filler binding. Protein and bacterial fouling resistance of mixed-matrix membranes containing silver, zeolite, and silver-zeolite nanoparticles were compared to a low-fouling, poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) UF membrane. Zeolite and silver containing membranes exhibited better protein fouling resistance (due to higher hydrophilicity), whereas silver and silver-zeolite based membranes produce better bacterial fouling resistance due to antimicrobial properties. Overall, zeolite-PSf and silver exchanged zeolite-PSf membranes offered the best combination of improved permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance - superior to the commercial PAN membrane. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Physical–chemical properties, separation performance, and fouling resistance of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration membranes

KAUST Repository

Hoek, Eric M.V.

2011-12-01

Herein we report on the formation and characterization of mixed-matrix ultrafiltration (UF) membranes hand-cast by nonsolvent induced phase inversion. We evaluated nanometer-to-micrometer sized inorganic fillers (silver, copper, silica, zeolite, and silver-zeolite) materials with polysulfone (PSf) as the polymeric dispersing matrix. In general, mixed-matrix membranes were rougher, more hydrophilic, and more mechanically robust. Only sub-micron zeolite-PSf mixed-matrix membranes exhibited simultaneous improvements in water permeability and solute selectivity; all other mixed-matrix membranes were more permeable, but less selective due to defects associated with poor polymer-filler binding. Protein and bacterial fouling resistance of mixed-matrix membranes containing silver, zeolite, and silver-zeolite nanoparticles were compared to a low-fouling, poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) UF membrane. Zeolite and silver containing membranes exhibited better protein fouling resistance (due to higher hydrophilicity), whereas silver and silver-zeolite based membranes produce better bacterial fouling resistance due to antimicrobial properties. Overall, zeolite-PSf and silver exchanged zeolite-PSf membranes offered the best combination of improved permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance - superior to the commercial PAN membrane. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Functionalization of a Membrane Sublayer Using Reverse Filtration of Enzymes and Dopamine Coating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Jianquan; Meyer, Anne S.; Mateiu, Ramona Valentina

2014-01-01

High permeability, high enzyme loading, and strong antifouling ability are the desired features for a biocatalytic membrane to be used in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR). To achieve these goals, the membrane sublayer was enriched with laccase by reverse filtration in this case, and the result......High permeability, high enzyme loading, and strong antifouling ability are the desired features for a biocatalytic membrane to be used in an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR). To achieve these goals, the membrane sublayer was enriched with laccase by reverse filtration in this case...

Periodic Hydraulic Testing for Discerning Fracture Network Connections

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, M.; Le Borgne, T.; Bour, O.; Guihéneuf, N.; Cole, M.

2015-12-01

Discrete fracture network (DFN) models often predict highly variable hydraulic connections between injection and pumping wells used for enhanced oil recovery, geothermal energy extraction, and groundwater remediation. Such connections can be difficult to verify in fractured rock systems because standard pumping or pulse interference tests interrogate too large a volume to pinpoint specific connections. Three field examples are presented in which periodic hydraulic tests were used to obtain information about hydraulic connectivity in fractured bedrock. The first site, a sandstone in New York State, involves only a single fracture at a scale of about 10 m. The second site, a granite in Brittany, France, involves a fracture network at about the same scale. The third site, a granite/schist in the U.S. State of New Hampshire, involves a complex network at scale of 30-60 m. In each case periodic testing provided an enhanced view of hydraulic connectivity over previous constant rate tests. Periodic testing is particularly adept at measuring hydraulic diffusivity, which is a more effective parameter than permeability for identify the complexity of flow pathways between measurement locations. Periodic tests were also conducted at multiple frequencies which provides a range in the radius of hydraulic penetration away from the oscillating well. By varying the radius of penetration, we attempt to interrogate the structure of the fracture network. Periodic tests, therefore, may be uniquely suited for verifying and/or calibrating DFN models.

Investigation of severe UF membrane fouling induced by three marine algal species

KAUST Repository

Merle, Tony

2016-02-06

Reducing membrane fouling caused by seawater algal bloom is a challenge for regions of the world where most of their freshwater is produced by seawater desalination. This study aims to compare ultrafiltration (UF) fouling potential of three ubiquitous marine algal species cultures (i.e., Skeletonena costatum-SKC, Tetraselmis sp.-TET, and Hymenomonas sp.-HYM) sampled at different phases of growth. Results showed that flux reduction and irreversible fouling were more severe during the decline phase as compared to the exponential phase, for all species. SKC and TET were responsible for substantial irreversible fouling but their impact was significantly lower than HYM. The development of a transparent gel layer surrounding the cell during the HYM growth and accumulating in water is certainly responsible for the more severe observed fouling. Chemical backwash with a standard chlorine solution did not recover any membrane permeability. For TET and HYM, the Hydraulically Irreversible Fouling Index (HIFI) was correlated to their biopolymer content but this correlation is specific for each species. Solution pre-filtration through a 1.2 μm membrane proved that cells and particulate algal organic matter (p-AOM) considerably contribute to fouling, especially for HYM for which the HIFI was reduced by a factor of 82.3.

Large-scale hydraulic structure of a seismogenic fault at 10 km depth (Gole Larghe Fault Zone, Italian Southern Alps)

Science.gov (United States)

Bistacchi, Andrea; Di Toro, Giulio; Smith, Steve; Mittempergher, Silvia; Garofalo, Paolo

2014-05-01

The definition of hydraulic properties of fault zones is a major issue in structural geology, seismology, and in several applications (hydrocarbons, hydrogeology, CO2 sequestration, etc.). The permeability of fault rocks can be measured in laboratory experiments, but its upscaling to large-scale structures is not straightforward. For instance, typical permeability of fine-grained fault rock samples is in the 10-18-10-20 m2 range, but, according to seismological estimates, the large-scale permeability of active fault zones can be as high as 10-10 m2. Solving this issue is difficult because in-situ measurements of large-scale permeability have been carried out just at relatively shallow depths - mainly in oil wells and exceptionally in active tectonic settings (e.g. SAFOD at 3 km), whilst deeper experiments have been performed only in the stable continental crust (e.g. KTB at 9 km). In this study, we apply discrete fracture-network (DFN) modelling techniques developed for shallow aquifers (mainly in nuclear waste storage projects like Yucca Mountain) and in the oil industry, in order to model the hydraulic structure of the Gole Larghe Fault Zone (GLFZ, Italian Southern Alps). This fault, now exposed in world-class glacier-polished outcrops, has been exhumed from ca. 8 km, where it was characterized by a well-documented seismic activity, but also by hydrous fluid flow evidenced by alteration halos and precipitation of hydrothermal minerals in veins and along cataclasites. The GLFZ does not show a classical seal structure that in other fault zones corresponds to a core zone characterized by fine-grained fault rocks. However, permeability is heterogeneous and the permeability tensor is strongly anisotropic due to fracture preferential orientation. We will show with numerical experiments that this hydraulic structure results in a channelized fluid flow (which is consistent with the observed hydrothermal alteration pattern). This results in a counterintuitive situation

The Influence of Hydraulic Fracturing on Carbon Storage Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Pengcheng; Settgast, Randolph R.; Hao, Yue; Morris, Joseph P.; Ryerson, Frederick J.

2017-12-01

Conventional principles of the design and operation of geologic carbon storage (GCS) require injecting CO2 below the caprock fracturing pressure to ensure the integrity of the storage complex. In nonideal storage reservoirs with relatively low permeability, pressure buildup can lead to hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir and caprock. While the GCS community has generally viewed hydraulic fractures as a key risk to storage integrity, a carefully designed stimulation treatment under appropriate geologic conditions could provide improved injectivity while maintaining overall seal integrity. A vertically contained hydraulic fracture, either in the reservoir rock or extending a limited height into the caprock, provides an effective means to access reservoir volume far from the injection well. Employing a fully coupled numerical model of hydraulic fracturing, solid deformation, and matrix fluid flow, we study the enabling conditions, processes, and mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing during CO2 injection. A hydraulic fracture's pressure-limiting behavior dictates that the near-well fluid pressure is only slightly higher than the fracturing pressure of the rock and is insensitive to injection rate and mechanical properties of the formation. Although a fracture contained solely within the reservoir rock with no caprock penetration, would be an ideal scenario, poroelastic principles dictate that sustaining such a fracture could lead to continuously increasing pressure until the caprock fractures. We also investigate the propagation pattern and injection pressure responses of a hydraulic fracture propagating in a caprock subjected to heterogeneous in situ stress. The results have important implications for the use of hydraulic fracturing as a tool for managing storage performance.

Exploring bacterial outer membrane barrier to combat bad bugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghai I

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Ishan Ghai,1 Shashank Ghai2 1School of Engineering and Life Sciences, Jacobs University, Bremen, 2Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany Abstract: One of the main fundamental mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria comprises an effective change in the membrane permeability to antibiotics. The Gram-negative bacterial complex cell envelope comprises an outer membrane that delimits the periplasm from the exterior environment. The outer membrane contains numerous protein channels, termed as porins or nanopores, which are mainly involved in the influx of hydrophilic compounds, including antibiotics. Bacterial adaptation to reduce influx through these outer membrane proteins (Omps is one of the crucial mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance. Thus to interpret the molecular basis of the outer membrane permeability is the current challenge. This review attempts to develop a state of knowledge pertinent to Omps and their effective role in antibiotic influx. Further, it aims to study the bacterial response to antibiotic membrane permeability and hopefully provoke a discussion toward understanding and further exploration of prospects to improve our knowledge on physicochemical parameters that direct the translocation of antibiotics through the bacterial membrane protein channels. Keywords: antibiotics, Gram-negative bacteria, cell envelope, protein channels, nanopores, influx, antibiotic resistance

Three-dimensional characterization of microporosity and permeability in fault zones hosted in heterolithic succession

Science.gov (United States)

Riegel, H. B.; Zambrano, M.; Jablonska, D.; Emanuele, T.; Agosta, F.; Mattioni, L.; Rustichelli, A.

2017-12-01

The hydraulic properties of fault zones depend upon the individual contributions of the damage zone and the fault core. In the case of the damage zone, it is generally characterized by means of fracture analysis and modelling implementing multiple approaches, for instance the discrete fracture network model, the continuum model, and the channel network model. Conversely, the fault core is more difficult to characterize because it is normally composed of fine grain material generated by friction and wear. If the dimensions of the fault core allows it, the porosity and permeability are normally studied by means of laboratory analysis or in the other case by two dimensional microporosity analysis and in situ measurements of permeability (e.g. micro-permeameter). In this study, a combined approach consisting of fracture modeling, three-dimensional microporosity analysis, and computational fluid dynamics was applied to characterize the hydraulic properties of fault zones. The studied fault zones crosscut a well-cemented heterolithic succession (sandstone and mudstones) and may vary in terms of fault core thickness and composition, fracture properties, kinematics (normal or strike-slip), and displacement. These characteristics produce various splay and fault core behavior. The alternation of sandstone and mudstone layers is responsible for the concurrent occurrence of brittle (fractures) and ductile (clay smearing) deformation. When these alternating layers are faulted, they produce corresponding fault cores which act as conduits or barriers for fluid migration. When analyzing damage zones, accurate field and data acquisition and stochastic modeling was used to determine the hydraulic properties of the rock volume, in relation to the surrounding, undamaged host rock. In the fault cores, the three-dimensional pore network quantitative analysis based on X-ray microtomography images includes porosity, pore connectivity, and specific surface area. In addition, images were

Biomimetic aquaporin membranes coming of age

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tang, Chuyang; Wang, Zhining; Petrinić, Irena

2015-01-01

Membrane processes have been widely used for water purification because of their high stability, efficiency, low energy requirement and ease of operation. Traditional desalting membranes are mostly dense polymeric films with a "trade off" effect between permeability and selectivity. Biological...

Sterilization of heparinized cuprophan hemodialysis membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ten Hoopen, Hermina W.M.; Hinrichs, W.L.J.; Hinrichs, W.L.J.; Engbers, G.H.M.; Feijen, Jan

1996-01-01

The effects of sterilization of dry heparinized Cuprophan hemodialysis membranes by means of ethylene oxide (EtO) exposure, gamma irradiation, or steam on the anticoagulant activity and chemical characteristics of immobilized heparin and the permeability of the membrane were investigated.

Hydraulic Testing of Silurian and Ordovician Strata at the Bruce Site

Science.gov (United States)

Beauheim, R. L.; Avis, J. D.; Chace, D. A.; Roberts, R. M.; Toll, N. J.

2009-05-01

Ontario Power Generation is proposing a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for the long-term management of its Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (L&ILW) within a Paleozoic-age sedimentary sequence beneath the Bruce Site near Tiverton, Ontario, Canada. The concept envisions that the DGR would be excavated at a depth of approximately 680 m within the Ordovician Cobourg Formation, a massive, dense, argillaceous limestone. A key attribute of the Bruce site is the extremely low permeabilities associated with the thick Ordovician carbonate and argillaceous bedrock formations that will host and enclose the DGR. Such rock mass permeabilities are thought sufficiently low to contribute toward or govern a diffusion-dominated transport regime. To support this concept, hydraulic testing was performed in 2008 and 2009 in two deep boreholes at the proposed repository site, DGR-3 and DGR-4. The hydraulic testing was performed using a straddle-packer tool with a 30.74-m test interval. Sequential tests were performed over the entire open lengths of the boreholes from the F Unit of the Silurian Salina Formation into the Ordovician Gull River Formation, a distance of approximately 635 m. The tests consisted primarily of pressure-pulse tests, with a few slug tests performed in several of the higher permeability Silurian units. The tests are analyzed using the nSIGHTS code, which allows the entire pressure history a test interval has experienced since it was penetrated by the drill bit to be included in the test simulation. nSIGHTS also allows the model fit to the test data to be optimized over an n-dimensional parameter space to ensure that the final solution represents a true global minimum rather than simply a local minimum. The test results show that the Ordovician-age strata above the Coboconk Formation (70+ m below the Cobourg) have average horizontal hydraulic conductivities of 1E-13 m/s or less. Coboconk and Gull River hydraulic conductivities are as high as 1E-11 m

Poly(vinylbenzyl sulfonic acid)-grafted poly(ether ether ketone) membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, Mi-Lim; Choi, Jisun; Woo, Hyun-Su; Kumar, Vinod; Sohn, Joon-Yong; Shin, Junhwa, E-mail: shinj@kaeri.re.kr

2014-02-15

Highlights: • PEEK-g-PVBSA, a polymer electrolyte membrane was prepared by a radiation grafting technique. • Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), an aromatic hydrocarbon polymer was used as a grafting backbone film. • The water uptake, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of the membranes were evaluated. • PEEK-g-PVBSA membranes show considerably lower methanol permeability compared to a Nafion membrane. -- Abstract: In this study, an aromatic hydrocarbon based polymer electrolyte membrane, poly(vinylbenzyl sulfonic acid)-grafted poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK-g-PVBSA), has been prepared by the simultaneous irradiation grafting of vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) monomer onto a PEEK film and subsequent sulfonation. Each chemical conversion was monitored by FT-IR and SEM–EDX instruments. The physicochemical properties including IEC, water uptake, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were also investigated and found that the values of these properties increase with the increase of degree of grafting. It was observed that the IEC values of the prepared PEEK-g-PVBSA membranes with 32%, 58%, and 80% DOG values were 0.50, 1.05, and 1.22 meq/g while the water uptakes were 14%, 20%, and 21%, respectively. The proton conductivities (0.0272–0.0721 S/cm at 70 °C) were found to be somewhat lower than Nafion 212 (0.126 S/cm at 70 °C) at a relative humidity of 90%. However, the prepared membranes showed a considerably lower methanol permeability (0.61–1.92 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 2}/s) compared to a Nafion 212 membrane (5.37 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 2}/s)

Modified SPEEK membranes for direct ethanol fuel cell

KAUST Repository

Maab, Husnul; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2010-01-01

/PI homogeneous blends. The membranes were characterized concerning their water and ethanol solution uptake, water and ethanol permeability in pervaporation experiments and their performance in DEFC tests. The ethanol permeabilities for the CMS-coated (180 nm

Water and nonelectrolyte permeability of isolated rat hepatocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alpini, G.; Garrick, R.A.; Jones, M.J.; Nunes, R.; Tavoloni, N.

1986-01-01

We have measured the diffusive permeability coefficients of isolated rat hepatocytes to 3 H 2 O, [ 14 C]urea, [ 14 C]erythritol, [ 14 C]mannitol, [ 3 H]sucrose, and [ 3 H]inulin, employing a technique previously developed for erythrocytes (Redwood et al., J. Gen. Physiol 64:706-729, 1974). Diffusion coefficients for the tracer molecules were measured in packed hepatocytes, supernatant fluid, and intracellular medium (lysed hepatocytes) and were calculated assuming one-dimensional semi-infinite diffusion through a homogeneous medium. By applying the series-parallel pathway model, the following permeability coefficients (10(-5) cm/sec) for the hepatocyte plasma membrane were obtained. 3 H 2 O, 98.6 +/- 18.4; [ 14 C]urea, 18.2 +/- 5.3; [ 14 C]erythritol, 4.8 +/- 1.6; [ 14 C]mannitol, 3.1 +/- 1.4; [ 3 H]sucrose, 0; [ 3 H]inulin, 0. These results indicate that isolated rat hepatocytes are highly permeable to water and polar nonelectrolytes, when compared with other transporting epithelia. This relatively high cellular permeability is consistent with a model in which nonelectrolyte permeation is via an aqueous pathway of equivalent pore diameter of 8-12 A. The finding that [ 14 C]erythritol and [ 14 C]mannitol cross the hepatocyte plasma membrane indicates that these molecules enter the bile canaliculus through the transcellular route. Conversely, the failure of [ 3 H]sucrose and [ 3 H]inulin to permeate the hepatocyte in the isolated condition supports the concept that biliary entry of these large carbohydrates, at least that fraction which cannot be accounted for by a vesicular mechanism, must occur via the transjunctional shunt pathway

Radiation-induced damage of membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonei, Shuji

1977-01-01

An outline of membranous structure was stated, and radiation-induced damage of membranes were surveyed. By irradiation, permeability of membranes, especially passive transportation mechanism, was damaged, and glycoprotein in the surface layers of cells and the surface layer structures were changed. The intramembranous damage was induced by decrease of electrophoresis of nuclear mambranes and a quantitative change of cytochrome P450 of microsomal membranes of the liver, and peroxidation of membranous lipid and SH substitute damage of membranous protein were mentioned as the mechanism of membranous damage. Recovery of membranous damage depends on radiation dose and temperature, and membranous damage participates largely in proliferation death. (tsunoda, M.)

Evaluation of permeability and non-Darcy flow in vuggy macroporous limestone aquifer samples with lattice Boltzmann methods

Science.gov (United States)

Sukop, Michael C.; Huang, Haibo; Alvarez, Pedro F.; Variano, Evan A.; Cunningham, Kevin J.

2013-01-01

Lattice Boltzmann flow simulations provide a physics-based means of estimating intrinsic permeability from pore structure and accounting for inertial flow that leads to departures from Darcy's law. Simulations were used to compute intrinsic permeability where standard measurement methods may fail and to provide better understanding of departures from Darcy's law under field conditions. Simulations also investigated resolution issues. Computed tomography (CT) images were acquired at 0.8 mm interscan spacing for seven samples characterized by centimeter-scale biogenic vuggy macroporosity from the extremely transmissive sole-source carbonate karst Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida. Samples were as large as 0.3 m in length; 7–9 cm-scale-length subsamples were used for lattice Boltzmann computations. Macroporosity of the subsamples was as high as 81%. Matrix porosity was ignored in the simulations. Non-Darcy behavior led to a twofold reduction in apparent hydraulic conductivity as an applied hydraulic gradient increased to levels observed at regional scale within the Biscayne aquifer; larger reductions are expected under higher gradients near wells and canals. Thus, inertial flows and departures from Darcy's law may occur under field conditions. Changes in apparent hydraulic conductivity with changes in head gradient computed with the lattice Boltzmann model closely fit the Darcy-Forchheimer equation allowing estimation of the Forchheimer parameter. CT-scan resolution appeared adequate to capture intrinsic permeability; however, departures from Darcy behavior were less detectable as resolution coarsened.

Structure and properties of permeable fine-fibrous materials fabricated of powders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fedorchenko, I M; Kostornov, A G; Kirichenko, O V; Guzhva, N S [AN Ukrainskoj SSR, Kiev. Inst. Problem Materialovedeniya

1982-09-01

Effect of main structural characteristics of fine fibrous materials (FFM) of nickel and Ni-Cr, Ni-Mo, Ni-Cr-Mo, Ni-Fe-Cr, Ni-Fe alloys on their hydraulic and mechanical properties was studied. FFM was produced by sintering of polymer fibers filled with metal powders and converted to felts. It was shown, that the level of permeable material properties increases with reduction of filament diameter.

Structure and properties of permeable fine-fibrous materials fabricated of powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedorchenko, I.M.; Kostornov, A.G.; Kirichenko, O.V.; Guzhva, N.S.

1982-01-01

Effect of main structural characteristicf of fine fibrous materials (FFM) of nickel and Ni-Cr, Ni-Mo, Ni-Cr-Mo, Ni-Fe-Cr, Ni-Fe alloys on their hydraulic and mechanical properties was studied. FFM was produced by sintering of polymer fibers filled with metal powders and converted to felts. It was shown, that the level of permeable material properties increases with reduction of filament diameter

Experimental study of very low permeability rocks using a high accuracy permeameter