Activated charcoal and baking soda to reduce odor associated with extensive blistering disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakravarthi, Arun; Srinivas, C R; Mathew, Anil C

2008-01-01

Skin disease leading to extensive blistering and loss of skin is associated with a characteristic smell. Odor can cause physiologic disturbances such as increase in heart rate and respiratory rate. It can also cause nausea and vomiting and is disturbing to bystanders. To test odor reducing capability of activated charcoal. In this blinded experimental study we used putrefied amniotic membrane to produce odor and studied the effectiveness of activated charcoal and soda-bi-carbonate to reduce odor. Statistical analysis with Kruskal Wall's Chi Square Test and Man Whitney U test showed significant reduction of odor using activated charcoal by itself or along with soda-bi-carbonate. We recommend the usage of activated charcoal with/without soda bicarbonate as an inexpensive practical measure to reduce foul odor associated with extensive skin loss.

Activated charcoal and baking soda to reduce odor associated with extensive blistering disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chakravarthi Arun

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Skin disease leading to extensive blistering and loss of skin is associated with a characteristic smell. Odor can cause physiologic disturbances such as increase in heart rate and respiratory rate. It can also cause nausea and vomiting and is disturbing to bystanders. Aims: To test odor reducing capability of activated charcoal. Methods: In this blinded experimental study we used putrefied amniotic membrane to produce odor and studied the effectiveness of activated charcoal and soda-bi-carbonate to reduce odor. Results: Statistical analysis with Kruskal Wall′s Chi Square Test and Man Whitney U test showed significant reduction of odor using activated charcoal by itself or along with soda-bi-carbonate. Conclusion: We recommend the usage of activated charcoal with/without soda bicarbonate as an inexpensive practical measure to reduce foul odor associated with extensive skin loss.

Determination of gold in natural waters by neutron activation-#betta#-spectrometry after preconcentration on activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, T.W.; Ellis, J.; Florence, T.M.

1983-01-01

A method for the determination of gold at very low levels in waters is presented. The method involves batchwise pre-concentration of gold from 1 l of water at pH 3-4 onto 0.1 g of activated charcoal by shaking for 5 min and subsequent treatment of the activated charcoal by instrumental neutron activation-#betta#-spectrometry. Activated charcoal quantitatively adsorbs ionic and colloidal gold from solutions prepared with distilled water and also from natural surface waters spiked and equilibrated with these two forms of gold. Three ion-exchange resins were evaluated for pre-concentration purposes; ionic gold removal was quantitative but colloidal gold removal was incomplete. Electrodeposition at a carbon fibre electrode gave similar results. The charcoal pre-concentration technique was tested on solutions containing 198 Au tracer and a total gold concentration of 1 μg l - 1 . The limit of detection of total gold (ionic and colloidal) for the carbon adsorption/neutron activation-#betta#-spectrometry procedure is 0.3 ng l - 1 . The method was used to determine gold in surface waters from auriferous regions. (Auth.)

Lead Testing in Soil Contaminated with Pesticides and Reducing its Effects by the Activity of Activated Charcoal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devesh Chand Thakur

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Lead poisoning is classically defined as exposure to high levels of lead typically associated with severe health effects, but being a heavy metal which is potentially toxic, if present at even minor concentrations, it is of great concern to environmentalists and medical professionals alike. Activated charcoal has been known to adsorb heavy metals and thus, was used in this study as well. Aim: The main aim of this study was to decrease the lead content of agricultural soil which is attributed to the use of pesticides containing lead by using activated charcoal. Material and Methods: The lead contamination in agricultural soil and plant dry mass samples which increases due to the effect of pesticides was detected by using Field Portable X-Ray Fluroscence (FP-XRF spectrophotometer. Soil was taken in plastic trays and the plants were grown and watered daily. The collected ground water was also tested. For the estimation of lead in water samples, Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (GFAAS was employed. Results: This study suggested the remediation of soil lead content by using activated charcoal. The study also revealed that activated charcoal not only adsorbs lead but also inhibits the accumulation of lead in ground water. Conclusion: This study promotes a cost effective process to treat agricultural lands polluted with leaded pesticides. Water purifiers, refrigerator etc. contain varying amounts of activated charcoal, after usage of these appliances it can be recycled and used as a source of activated charcoal. This can be applied in pesticide contaminated fields either in the form of slurry or by spraying.

The charcoal storage disaster. The Lusaka charcoal supply stabilization project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalumiana, O.S.; Hibajene, S.H.; Ellegaard, A.

1998-01-01

The aims of the project were to study the charcoal price development and market structure, assess the possibility to purchase 'excess' charcoal during the dry season and finally to implement an experimental storage facility. While the experimental storage could never be large enough to actually affect the charcoal price structure other than very locally, several important aspects of charcoal storage could be learnt, for example: the structure of the market in which charcoal producers and traders operate; logistics of charcoal storage; commercial risks of charcoal storage; the role of government in charcoal storage; an update of the charcoal price structure and development in Lusaka; and an indication of daily charcoal trade in Lusaka's different markets. The experimental storage showed that there are several practical problems associated with storing charcoal. Storage involves more handling of the charcoal than common trade, which reduces the quality. Termites attacks the bags. Exposure to the sun and the (slight) rains that fell caused covering and packaging material to disintegrate, and the charcoal to become soft and friable. This type of charcoal was not in demand by the traders and urban consumers. Almost half of the charcoal stored was unsellable, causing the project to be a commercial disaster. Marketing costs were underestimated. The absence of a retail organization forced the project to sell to retailers to a large extent. These obviously needed a profit margin visavis the final customers, and so charcoal had to be sold below cost. Distribution of charcoal directly to the consumers in residential areas was tried but proved to be too costly. From the commercial point of view charcoal storage does not appear to be an activity which can attract free entrepreneurs, due to the impossibility of predicting the rains and thus the supply situation. This suggests that the only feasible actor to venture into storage would be the government, with the argument that the

The charcoal storage disaster. The Lusaka charcoal supply stabilization project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalumiana, O.S. [Department of Energy (Zambia); Hibajene, S.H. [Ministry of Energy and Water Development (Zambia); Ellegaard, A. [Stockholm Environment Inst. (Sweden)

1998-12-31

The aims of the project were to study the charcoal price development and market structure, assess the possibility to purchase `excess` charcoal during the dry season and finally to implement an experimental storage facility. While the experimental storage could never be large enough to actually affect the charcoal price structure other than very locally, several important aspects of charcoal storage could be learnt, for example: the structure of the market in which charcoal producers and traders operate; logistics of charcoal storage; commercial risks of charcoal storage; the role of government in charcoal storage; an update of the charcoal price structure and development in Lusaka; and an indication of daily charcoal trade in Lusaka`s different markets. The experimental storage showed that there are several practical problems associated with storing charcoal. Storage involves more handling of the charcoal than common trade, which reduces the quality. Termites attacks the bags. Exposure to the sun and the (slight) rains that fell caused covering and packaging material to disintegrate, and the charcoal to become soft and friable. This type of charcoal was not in demand by the traders and urban consumers. Almost half of the charcoal stored was unsellable, causing the project to be a commercial disaster. Marketing costs were underestimated. The absence of a retail organization forced the project to sell to retailers to a large extent. These obviously needed a profit margin visavis the final customers, and so charcoal had to be sold below cost. Distribution of charcoal directly to the consumers in residential areas was tried but proved to be too costly. From the commercial point of view charcoal storage does not appear to be an activity which can attract free entrepreneurs, due to the impossibility of predicting the rains and thus the supply situation. This suggests that the only feasible actor to venture into storage would be the government, with the argument that the

Theoretical and experimental study of radon measurement with designing and calibration domestic canister with active charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urosevic, V.; Nikezic, D.; Zekic, R.

2005-01-01

Radon concentration in air may change significantly large variation due to atmospheric variation. Measurement with active charcoal can be inaccurate because the variation in radon concentration. We made model to simulate radon measurements with active charcoal in order to optimize and improve integration characteristic. A numerical method and computer code based on the method of finite elements is developed for the case of variable radon concentration in air. This program simulates radon adsorption by the activated charcoal bed, enabling determination of sensitivity. The dependence of sensitivity on different parameters, such as temperature, thickness of the charcoal, etc. was studied using this program. Using results of theoretical investigation we designed and calibrated our canister with active charcoal for radon measurements. (author)

Dose-dependent adsorptive capacity of activated charcoal for gastrointestinal decontamination of a simulated paracetamol overdose in human volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gude, Anne-Bolette Jill; Hoegberg, Lotte Christine Groth; Riis Angelo, Helle

2010-01-01

The amount of activated charcoal needed to treat drug overdoses has arbitrarily been set at a charcoal-drug ratio of 10:1. Recent in vitro studies have shown a larger adsorptive capacity for activated charcoal when used in a model of paracetamol overdose. In the present study, we investigated...... whether this reserve capacity exists in vivo. This is clinically relevant in cases of large overdoses or if the full standard dose of 50 g activated charcoal cannot be administered. We performed a randomized, cross-over study (n = 16). One hour after a standard breakfast, 50 mg/kg paracetamol...... was administered, followed 1 hr later by an activated charcoal-Water slurry containing 50 (control), 25 or 5 g activated charcoal. The areas under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) for paracetamol were used to estimate the efficacy of each activated charcoal dose. The AUC of the 25-g dose was found...

Performance improvements on passive activated charcoal 222Rn samplers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Suxia

1996-01-01

Improvements have been made on passive activated charcoal 222 Rn samplers with sintered metal filters. Based on the samplers of good adaptability to temperature and humidity developed before, better charcoal was selected to further improve their performance in radon absorption ability and moisture-resistance. And charcoal quantity in samplers was strictly controlled. The integration time constant of the improved samplers was about 4.3 days. As the sampler was combined with gamma spectrometer to measure radon concentration, the calibration factor was 0.518 min -1 ·Bq -1 ·m 3 for samplers of 7 days exposure time, and the minimum detectable concentration 0.28 Bq·m -3 if counting time for both background and sample is 1000 minutes. The improved samplers are suited to accurately determine the indoor and outdoor average radon concentration under conditions of great variation in temperature and humidity

Liquid phase adsorption behavior of inulin-type fructan onto activated charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kecheng; Liu, Song; Xing, Ronge; Yu, Huahua; Qin, Yukun; Li, Pengcheng

2015-05-20

This study describes liquid phase adsorption characteristics of inulin-type fructan onto activated charcoal. Batch mode experiments were conducted to study the effects of pH, contact time, temperature and initial concentration of inulin. Nearly neutral solution (pH 6-8) was favorable to the adsorption and the equilibrium was attained after 40 min with the maximum adsorption Qmax 0.182 g/g (adsorbate/adsorbent) at 298 K. The experimental data analysis indicated that the adsorption process fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R(2) = 1) and Langmuir isotherms model (R(2) > 0.99). Thermodynamic parameters revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic with a physical nature. Inulin desorption could reach 95.9% using 50% ethanol solution and activated charcoal could be reused without significant losses in adsorption capacity. These results are of practical significance for the application of activated charcoal in the production and purification of inulin-type fructan. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commercial Charcoal Characterisation For Water Purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saryati; Sumardjo; Sutisna; Handayani, Ari; Suprapti, Siti

2001-01-01

In order to provide a drinking water purification substance, has been studied the charcoal characterisation that based on a porous profile and an adsorption properties of the charcoal. There were using the commercial charcoal like wood charcoals, coconut shell charcoals and activated charcoals. The porous profile was studied by using an electron microscope SEM-EDX and the adsorption properties was studied by using the water sample simulation that contains several metal ions. The concentration of all ions was ten times greater that the maximum ions concentration that permissible in the drinking water. From the grain surface microscopic analysis was shown that the pore structure of the wood charcoal was more regular than the coconut shell charcoal. Mean while the activated charcoal has pore more than wood and coconut shell charcoal. Grains size was not an adsorption parameter. The absorptivitas charcoal was affected by pH solution, but this effect was not linear proportion. There are no significant deference in the adsorptivitas among the tree charcoals that has been studied for Al 3 + , Cr 3+ , Ag 1 +, and Pb 2+ ions the adsorption was large enough (> 60%), for Mn 2+ , Fe 3+ , Se 4+ , Cd 2+ and Ba 2+ ions was 20%-60% dan for Mg 2+ , Na 1+ , Ca 2+ , and Zn 2+ ions was less than 20 %. Generally the wood and coconut shell charcoal absorptivity in the pH 4 solutions was lower than in the pH 5-7 solutions

ACTIVATED CARBON (CHARCOAL OBTAINING . APPLICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florin CIOFU

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The activated carbon is a microporous sorbent with a very large adsorption area that can reach in some cases even 1500sqm / gram. Activated carbon is produced from any organic material with high carbon content: coal, wood, peat or moor coal, coconut shells. The granular activated charcoal is most commonly produced by grinding the raw material, adding a suitable binder to provide the desired hardness and shape. Enabling coal is a complete process through which the raw material is fully exposed to temperatures between 600-900 degrees C, in the absence of oxygen, usually in a domestic atmosphere as gases such as nitrogen or argon; as material that results from this process is exposed in an atmosphere of oxygen and steam at a temperature in the interval from 600 - 1200 degrees C.

Adsorption and Pore of Physical-Chemical Activated Coconut Shell Charcoal Carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Budi, E.; Umiatin, U.; Nasbey, H.; Bintoro, R. A.; Wulandari, Fi; Erlina, E.

2018-04-01

The adsorption of activated carbon of coconut shell charcoal on heavy metals (Cu and Fe) of the wastewater and its relation with the carbon pore structure was investigated. The coconut shell was pyrolized in kiln at temperature about 75 - 150 °C for about 6 hours to produce charcoal and then shieved into milimeter sized granule particles. Chemical activation was done by immersing the charcoal into chemical solution of KOH, NaOH, HCl and H3PO4, with various concentration. The activation was followed by physical activation using horizontal furnace at 400°C for 1 hours in argon gas environment with flow rate of 200 kg/m3. The surface morphology of activated carbon were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Wastewater was made by dissolving CuSO4.5H2O and FeSO4.7H2O into aquades. The metal adsorption was analized by using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The result shows that in general, the increase of chemical concentration cause the increase of pore number of activated carbon due to an excessive chemical attack and lead the increase of adsorption. However it tend to decrease as further increasing in chemical activator concentration due to carbon collapsing. In general, the adsorption of Cu and Fe metal from wastewater by activated carbon increased as the activator concentration was increased.

Molecular and structural properties of polymer composites filled with activated charcoal particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tahir, Dahlang, E-mail: dtahir@fmipa.unhas.ac.id; Bakri, Fahrul [Department of Physics, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245 Indonesia (Indonesia); Liong, Syarifuddin [Department of Chemistry, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245 Indonesia (Indonesia)

2016-03-11

We have studied the molecular properties, structural properties, and chemical composition of composites by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, respectively. FTIR spectra shows absorption band of hydroxyl group (-OH), methyl group (-CH{sub 3}) and aromatic group (C-C). The absorption band for aromatic group (C-C) shows the formation of carbonaceous in composites. XRF shows chemical composition of composites, which the main chemicals are SO{sub 3}, Cl, and ZnO. The loss on ignition value (LOI) of activated charcoal indicates high carbonaceous matter. The crystallite size for diffraction pattern from hydrogel polymer is about 17 nm and for activated charcoal are about 19 nm. The crystallite size of the polymer is lower than that of activated charcoal, which make possible of the particle from filler in contact with each other to form continuous conducting polymer through polymer matrix.

Quantitative measurement of 222Rn in water by the activated charcoal passive collector method: 1. The effect of water in a collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoneda, Minoru; Inoue, Yoriteru; Yoshimoto, Keizo

1994-01-01

The activated charcoal passive collector method can be applied to measure the concentration of 222 Rn in river water. The 222 Rn collector is composed of dry activated charcoal sealed in a polyethylene bag. However, we found it very difficult to keep activated charcoal in a collector dry during the period the collector was left in a river. The degree of dampness and the time lapsed when activated charcoal became wet were thought to affect the quantity of 222 Rn collected. First, we studied the effect of some parameters in the activated charcoal passive collector method qualitatively in three experiments. We found that the quantity of 222 Rn collected in a collector was not so sensitive to the quantity of activated charcoal in the collector or the thickness of polyethylene film under the condition of wet activated charcoal, and that wet activated charcoal accumulated less 222 Rn than dry activated charcoal. We present some equations which could explain how much 222 Rn was collected in a collector when activated charcoal was submerged directly in water and when activated charcoal was packed in a polyethylene bag but completely wet. These equations were proved effective by being compared with the results of the other experiments. Finally, we recommended some conditions which proved useful when measuring at an actual river

Study on radon concentration monitoring using activated charcoal canisters in high humidity environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yuexing; Wang Haijun; Yang Yifang; Qin Sichang; Wang Zhentao; Zhang Zhenjiang

2009-01-01

The effects of humidity on the sensitivity using activated charcoal canisters for measuring radon concentrations in high humidity environments were studied. Every canister filled with 80 g of activated charcoal, and they were exposed to 48 h or 72 h in the relative humidity of 68%, 80%, 88% and 96% (28 degree C), respectively. The amount of radon absorbed in the canisters was determined by counting the gamma rays from 214 Pb and 214 Bi (radon progeny). The results showed that counts decreased with the increase of relative humidity. There was a negative linear relationship between count and humidity. In the relative humidity range of 68%-96%, the sensitivity of radon absorption decreased about 2.4% for every 1% (degree)rise in humidity. The results also showed that the exposure time of the activated charcoal canisters should be less than 3 days. (authors)

Dose Determination of Activated Charcoal in Management of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To assess the doses of activated charcoal currently used in the management of acute amitriptyline-induced drug poisoning and explore the possibility of using lower doses. Methods: Albino male Wistar rats, weighing 200 ± 20 g, were used for the study. The animals were divided into four groups of eight animals ...

Efficiency of moso bamboo charcoal and activated carbon for adsorbing radioactive iodine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chien, Chuan-Chi; Huang, Ying-Pin; Wang, Wie-Chieh [ITRI South, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tainan (China); Chao, Jun-Hsing; Wei, Yuan-Yao [Nuclear Science and Technology Development Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu (China)

2011-02-15

Preventing radioactive pollution is a troublesome problem but an urgent concern worldwide because radioactive substances cause serious health-related hazards to human being. The adsorption method has been used for many years to concentrate and remove radioactive pollutants; selecting an adequate adsorbent is the key to the success of an adsorption-based pollution abatement system. In Taiwan, all nuclear power plants use activated carbon as the adsorbent to treat radiation-contaminated air emission. The activated carbon is entirely imported; its price and manufacturing technology are entirely controlled by international companies. Taiwan is rich in bamboo, which is one of the raw materials for high-quality activated carbon. Thus, a less costly activated carbon with the same or even better adsorptive capability as the imported adsorbent can be made from bamboo. The objective of this research is to confirm the adsorptive characteristics and efficiency of the activated carbon made of Taiwan native bamboo for removing {sup 131}I gas from air in the laboratory. The study was conducted using new activated carbon module assembled for treating {sup 131}I-contaminated air. The laboratory results reveal that the {sup 131}I removal efficiency for a single-pass module is as high as 70%, and the overall efficiency is 100% for four single-pass modules operated in series. The bamboo charcoal and bamboo activated carbon have suitable functional groups for adsorbing {sup 131}I and they have greater adsorption capacities than commercial activated carbons. Main mechanism is for trapping of radioiodine on impregnated charcoal, as a result of surface oxidation. When volatile radioiodine is trapped by potassium iodide-impregnated bamboo charcoal, the iodo-compound is first adsorbed on the charcoal surface, and then migrates to iodide ion sites where isotope exchange occurs. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Gallium-67 activated charcoal: a new method for preparation of radioactive capsules for colonic transit study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Kai-Yuan; Tsai, Shih-Chuan; Lin, Wan-Yu.

2003-01-01

Indium-111 is currently the radionuclide of choice for colonic transit study. However, it is expensive and not available in many hospitals. Technetium-99m has been proposed for colonic transit study but the short half-life has limited its use. Gallium-67 citrate is inexpensive and available in most countries. Most importantly, it has a suitable half-life for colonic transit study. Attempts have been made in some studies to use 67 Ga citrate to label activated charcoal, but the results have not been good because of poor stability. In this study, we successfully labelled activated charcoal with 67 Ga citrate by adding alcohol and 5% glucose solution. To evaluate the in vitro stability, the 67 Ga-activated charcoal was incubated in a milieu mimicking the intestinal content, containing lipase, trypsin and glycochenodeoxycholate at different pH values (6.0, 7.0, 7.4 and 8.0) and for different durations (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h). For the in vivo study, the 67 Ga-activated charcoal was loaded into a commercial empty enteric capsule. Colonic transit scintigraphy was performed in five volunteers, including three healthy people and two constipated patients, after intake of the radioactive capsule. Images were obtained at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24h, 48 h, 72 h etc. until no radioactivity was detected in the bowel. Our data show that the in vitro stability of 67 Ga-activated charcoal was good. The labelling efficiency still exceeded 91% at 96 h at pH values of 6.0, 7.0 and 7.4. In the group with a pH value of 8.0, the labelling efficiency gradually fell during the 4-day incubation but was still higher than 88% at the end of the fourth day. In the in vivo study, most capsules disintegrated in the caecum/colon region, and the 67 Ga-activated charcoal mixed very well with bowel content. In addition, the radioactive charcoal could be detected clearly on the 72-h image, which is very important for the evaluation of colonic transit time in patients with constipation. In

Review of the adsorption of radioactive krypton and xenon on activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underhill, D.W.; Moeller, D.W.

1981-01-01

This report summarizes the results of a critical review of the published literature on the adsorption of radioactive krypton and xenon on activated charcoal. This review, which was supported by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, showed that (a) individual charcoals have a wide range of adsoprtion coefficients and therefore the performance of a given bed is heavily dependent on the quality of the charcoal it contains; (b) because of the detrimental effects of mass transfer on noble gas adsorption, consideration should be given to including this factor in developing technical specifications for adsorption beds; and (c) additional research is needed on the determination of the inter-relationship of moisture and temperature and their effects on adsorption bed performance

Radon removal from gaseous xenon with activated charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abe, K.; Hieda, K.; Hiraide, K.; Hirano, S.; Kishimoto, Y.; Kobayashi, K.; Koshio, Y. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Liu, J.; Martens, K. [Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Moriyama, S. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Nakahata, M. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Nishiie, H.; Ogawa, H.; Sekiya, H.; Shinozaki, A. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Suzuki, Y. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Takachio, O.; Takeda, A.; Ueshima, K.; Umemoto, D. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); and others

2012-01-01

Many low background experiments using xenon need to remove radioactive radon to improve their sensitivities. However, no method of continually removing radon from xenon has been described in the literature. We studied a method to remove radon from xenon gas through an activated charcoal trap. From our measurements we infer a linear relationship between the mean propagation velocity v{sub Rn} of radon and v{sub Xe} of xenon in the trap with v{sub Rn}/v{sub Xe}=(0.96{+-}0.10) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} at -85 Degree-Sign C. As the mechanism for radon removal in this charcoal trap is its decay, knowledge of this parameter allows us to design an efficient radon removal system for the XMASS experiment. The verification of this system found that it reduces radon by a factor of 0.07, which is in line with its expected average retention time of 14.8 days for radon.

Activated charcoal-alum-zeolite improve the water quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saryati; Sutisna; Sumarjo; ZL, Wildan; Wahyuningsih; Suprapti, Siti

2002-01-01

The composite of charcoal-tawas-zeolite has been studied to improve a drinking water quality. This study was doing to find the optimum composition in preparation of a simple technology og bath and small volume drinking treatment this treatment consist of coagulation, floculation, precipitation, ion exchange and adsorption. The improvement of water quality has been observed from a turbidity, a permanganate number and a quality of Cu, Cd, Pb, Al ions and coli bactery containing in the water after processing. It has been concluded that the composite materials has an ability to decrease the turbidity more than its components. The starch addition in the composite can be accelerate water clarity process. By this composite the turbidity, the permanganate number and the coli bacteria in the water can be decreased significantly. The optimum composite composition is 1000 mg activated charcoal, 1000 mg zeolite, 60 mg tawas, 40 mg natrium bicarbonate and 50 mg starch with grains size less than 80 mesh

Gallium-67 activated charcoal: a new method for preparation of radioactive capsules for colonic transit study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Kai-Yuan [Department of Radiological Technology, ChungTai Institute of Health Sciences and Technology, Taichung (Taiwan); Tsai, Shih-Chuan [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua (Taiwan); Lin, Wan-Yu. [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 160 Taichung Harbor Road, Section 3, 40705, Taichung (Taiwan)

2003-06-01

Indium-111 is currently the radionuclide of choice for colonic transit study. However, it is expensive and not available in many hospitals. Technetium-99m has been proposed for colonic transit study but the short half-life has limited its use. Gallium-67 citrate is inexpensive and available in most countries. Most importantly, it has a suitable half-life for colonic transit study. Attempts have been made in some studies to use {sup 67}Ga citrate to label activated charcoal, but the results have not been good because of poor stability. In this study, we successfully labelled activated charcoal with {sup 67}Ga citrate by adding alcohol and 5% glucose solution. To evaluate the in vitro stability, the {sup 67}Ga-activated charcoal was incubated in a milieu mimicking the intestinal content, containing lipase, trypsin and glycochenodeoxycholate at different pH values (6.0, 7.0, 7.4 and 8.0) and for different durations (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h). For the in vivo study, the {sup 67}Ga-activated charcoal was loaded into a commercial empty enteric capsule. Colonic transit scintigraphy was performed in five volunteers, including three healthy people and two constipated patients, after intake of the radioactive capsule. Images were obtained at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24h, 48 h, 72 h etc. until no radioactivity was detected in the bowel. Our data show that the in vitro stability of {sup 67}Ga-activated charcoal was good. The labelling efficiency still exceeded 91% at 96 h at pH values of 6.0, 7.0 and 7.4. In the group with a pH value of 8.0, the labelling efficiency gradually fell during the 4-day incubation but was still higher than 88% at the end of the fourth day. In the in vivo study, most capsules disintegrated in the caecum/colon region, and the {sup 67}Ga-activated charcoal mixed very well with bowel content. In addition, the radioactive charcoal could be detected clearly on the 72-h image, which is very important for the evaluation of colonic transit time in patients

Wildfire Activity Across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary in the Polish Basin: Evidence from New Fossil Charcoal & Carbon-isotope Data

Science.gov (United States)

Pointer, R.; Belcher, C.; Hesselbo, S. P.; Hodbod, M.; Pieńkowski, G.

2017-12-01

New fossil charcoal abundance and carbon-isotope data from two sedimentary cores provide new evidence of extreme environmental conditions in the Polish Basin during the Latest Triassic to Earliest Jurassic. Sedimentary cores from the Polish Basin provide an excellent record of terrestrial environmental conditions across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary, a time of climatic extremes. Previous work has shown that the marine realm was affected by a large perturbation to the carbon cycle across the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary (manifested by large negative and positive carbon-isotope excursions) and limited records of charcoal abundance and organic geochemistry have indicated important changes in fire regime in the coeval ecosystems. Here we present two new carbon-isotope records generated from fossil plant matter across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, and present new charcoal records. The charcoal abundance data confirm that there was variation in wildfire activity during the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic in the Polish Basin. Peaks in the number of fossil charcoal fragments present occur in both sedimentary cores, and increases in fossil charcoal abundance are linked to wildfires, signalling a short-lived rise in wildfire activity. Fossil charcoal abundance does not appear to be fully controlled by total organic matter content, depositional environment or bioturbation. We argue that increased wildfire activity is likely caused by an increase in ignition of plant material as a result of an elevated number of lightning strikes. Global warming (caused by a massive input of carbon into the atmosphere, as indicated by carbon-isotope data) can increase storm activity, leading to increased numbers of lightning strikes. Previous Triassic-Jurassic Boundary wildfire studies have found fossil charcoal abundance peaks at other northern hemisphere sites (Denmark & Greenland), and concluded that they represent increases in wildfire activity in the earliest Jurassic. Our new charcoal and

The effect of food and ice cream on the adsorption capacity of paracetamol to high surface activated charcoal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høgberg, Lotte Christine Groth; Angelo, Helle Riis; Christophersen, Anne Bolette

2003-01-01

, the reductions compared to control (Hoegberg et al. 2002) varied between 11% and 26%. Even though a reduction in drug adsorption to activated charcoal was observed when food mixture or ice cream was added, the remaining adsorption capacity of both types of activated charcoal theoretically was still able......The effect of added food mixture (as if food was present in the stomach of an intoxicated patient) or 4 different types of ice cream (added as a flavouring and lubricating agent) on the adsorption of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to 2 formulations of activated charcoal was determined in vitro......, and paracetamol were mixed with either food mixture or ice cream followed by one hr incubation. The maximum adsorption capacity of paracetamol to activated charcoal was calculated using Langmuirs adsorption isotherm. Paracetamol concentration was analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography. In the presence...

In vitro adsorption of sodium pentobarbital by SuperChar, USP and Darco G-60 activated charcoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curd-Sneed, C.D.; Parks, K.S.; Bordelon, J.G.; Stewart, J.J.

1987-01-01

This study was designed to examine the in vitro adsorption of sodium pentobarbital by three activated charcoals. Solutions of sodium pentobarbital (20 mM) were prepared in distilled water and in 70% sorbitol (w/v). Radiolabeled ( 14 C) sodium pentobarbital was added to each solution to serve as a concentration marker. Two ml of each drug solution was added to test tubes containing 40 mg of either Darco G-60, USP, or SuperChar activated charcoal. The drug-charcoal mixtures were incubated at 37 degrees C for O, 2.5, 5, 7.5 or 10 min. Equilibrium, indicated by a constant percentage of drug bound for two consecutive time periods, was established immediately for the aqueous mixtures and for Darco G-60 in sorbitol. The time to equilibrium was prolonged for USP (2.5 min) and SuperChar (5 min) in the presence of sorbitol. In the second series of experiments, solutions of sodium pentobarbital (1.25 to 160 mM) were prepared in either distilled water or sorbitol. Amount of drug bound by 10 to 320 mg of activated charcoal within a 10 min incubation period was determined. Scatchard analysis determined maximum binding capacity (Bmax) and dissociation constants (Kd) for each activated charcoal. In water, Bmax (mumoles/gm) was greatest for SuperChar (1141), followed by USP (580) and Darco G-60 (381), while the Kd's did not differ. Sorbitol did not change the Bmax or Kd of USP or Darco G-60, but the additive significantly decreased the Bmax (717) and increased the Kd for SuperChar (3.3 to 10.1 mM). The results suggest that relative binding capacity of activated charcoal is directly proportional to surface area, and that sorbitol significantly reduces sodium pentobarbital binding to SuperChar

Pharmacokinetics of digoxin cross-reacting substances in patients with acute yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana) poisoning, including the effect of activated charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Darren M; Southcott, Emma; Potter, Julia M; Roberts, Michael S; Eddleston, Michael; Buckley, Nick A

2008-01-01

Intentional self-poisonings with seeds from the yellow oleander tree (Thevetia peruviana) are widely reported. Activated charcoal has been suggested to benefit patients with yellow oleander poisoning by reducing absorption and/or facilitating elimination. Two recent randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of activated charcoal reported conflicting outcomes in terms of mortality. The effect of activated charcoal on the pharmacokinetics of Thevetia cardenolides has not been assessed. This information may be useful for determining whether further studies are necessary. Serial blood samples were obtained from patients enrolled in a RCT assessing the relative efficacy of single dose (SDAC) and multiple doses (MDAC) of activated charcoal compared to no activated charcoal (NoAC). The concentration of Thevetia cardenolides was estimated using a digoxin immunoassay. The effect of activated charcoal on cardenolide pharmacokinetics was compared between treatment groups using the AUC24, the 24h Mean Residence Time (MRT24), and regression lines obtained from serial concentration points adjusted for exposure. Erratic and prolonged absorption patterns were noted in each patient group. The apparent terminal half-life was highly variable, with a median time of 42.9h. There was a reduction in MRT24 and the apparent terminal half-life estimated from linear regression in patients administered activated charcoal compared to the control group (NoAC). This effect was approximately equal in patients administered MDAC or SDAC. Activated charcoal appears to favourably influence the pharmacokinetic profile of Thevetia cardenolides in patients with acute self-poisoning, which may have clinical benefits. Given the conflicting clinical outcomes noted in previous RCTs, this mechanistic data supports the need for further studies to determine whether a subgroup of patients (eg. those presenting soon after poisoning) will benefit from activated charcoal. PMID:17164695

The determination, by x-ray-fluorescence spectrometry, of gold in activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Austen, C.E.

1977-01-01

A rapid method is described for the determination of gold in activated charcoal by X-ray-fluorescence spectrometry. Compensation for matrix effects is achieved by means of platinum that is added for use as an internal standard. Calibration is achieved by use of a series of synthetic standards that are made by the spiking of barren charcoal with gold and platinum. The limit of determination is about 8 p.p.m. of gold, and the relative standard deviation is 1,2 per cent at a concentration level of 2300 p.p.m

Effect of activated charcoal, abscisic acid and polyethylene glycol on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2010-06-21

Jun 21, 2010 ... Generation of horse chestnut somatic embryos is commonly achieved by transferring embryo- genic tissue onto an ABA, PEG and manitol-containing maturation media (Capuana and Deberg, 1997). Activated charcoal is commonly used in tissue culture media to darken the immediate media surroundings ...

SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND ENERGY INCREASE INTAKE OF MEDITERRANEAN SHRUBS BY SHEEP AND GOATS

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Jozo Rogošić

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Utilization of the Mediterranean shrubby vegetation is often limited by secondary compounds, such as terpenes, which at too high concentrations can adversely affect forage intake and animal health. Ingesting compounds such as activated charcoal and energy can ameliorate the negative effects of secondary compounds and enable animals to eat more shrubs. Thus, our objectives were to determine if supplemental charcoal, energy and numbers of shrub species offered influenced intake of shrubs by sheep and goats. We conducted three experiments each with 12 lambs and 12 kids (6 activated charcoal vs. 6 controls. In the first experiment, we initially offered three shrubs (Juniperus phoenicea, Helichrysum italicum and Juniperus oxicedrus, then in the second one, two shrubs (Juniperus phoenicea and Helichrysum italicum, and finally one shrub (Juniperus phoenicea in the third experiment. In all three experiments (Exp. 1, P<0.001; Exp. 2, P < 0.0003 and Exp. 3, P < 0.03, supplemental charcoal and energy had a positive effect on total shrub intake for both lambs and kids. Kids ate more shrubs than lambs did in all three experiments (P<0.01. Regardless of experiment, both species of animals showed a numerical decrease in total shrub intake, with or without supplemental charcoal and energy, as the number of shrub species on offer decreased. Our findings support the hypothesis that biochemical diversity plays an important role in diet selection, thus enabling animals to better meet their nutritional needs and avoid toxicity.

Influence of the particle size of activated charcoal on labeling efficiency with 67Ga-citrate for colonic transit study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan-Yu Lin; Shih-Chuan Tsai; Kai-Yuan Cheng; Bor-Tsung Hsieh

2008-01-01

Indium-111 and 99m Tc have been proposed for colonic transit study, but 111 In is expensive and the half-life of 99m Tc is too short for the study. Gallium-67 citrate is inexpensive and has a suitable half-life. In our previous study, we successfully labeled 67 Ga-citrate activated charcoal, and the labeling efficiency exceeded 91% after a 96 hour incubation period. In this work, we evaluated the influence of the size of activated charcoal particles on the labeling efficiency with 67 Ga-citrate. The data showed that the influence of particle size on the labeling efficiency of activated charcoal with 67 Ga was insignificant. Both sizes of activated charcoal particles can be used for labeling with 67 Ga in colonic transit study. (author)

Refinement of the charcoal meal study by reduction of the fasting period.

Science.gov (United States)

Prior, Helen; Ewart, Lorna; Bright, Jonathan; Valentin, Jean-Pierre

2012-05-01

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether a shorter fasting period than the one historically employed for the charcoal meal test, could be used when measuring gastric emptying and intestinal transit within the same animal, and to ascertain whether the scientific outcome would be affected by this benefit to animal welfare. Rats and mice were fasted for 0, 3, 6 or 18 hours before the oral administration of vehicle or atropine. One hour later, the animals were orally administered a charcoal meal, then 20 minutes later, they were killed and the stomach and small intestine were removed. Intestinal transit time (the position of the charcoal front as a percentage of the total length of the small intestine) and relative gastric emptying (weight of stomach contents) were measured. Rats and mice fasted for six hours showed results for gastric emptying and intestinal transit which were similar to those obtained in animals fasted for 18 hours. Reducing the fasting period reduced the body weight loss in both species, and mice on shorter fasts could be group-housed, as hunger-induced fighting was lessened. Therefore, a fasting period of six hours was subsequently adopted for charcoal meal studies at our institution. 2011 FRAME.

Effect of ethanol and pH on the adsorption of acetaminophen (paracetamol) to high surface activated charcoal, in vitro studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høgberg, Lotte Christine Groth; Angelo, Helle R; Christophersen, A Bolette

2002-01-01

BACKGROUND: Paracetamol (acetaminophen) intoxication often in combination with ethanol, is seen commonly in overdose cases. Doses of several grams might be close to the maximum adsorption capacity of the standard treatment dose (50g) of activated charcoal. The aim of this study was to determine...... the maximum adsorption capacity for paracetamol for two types of high surface-activated charcoal [Carbomix and Norit Ready-To-Use (not yet registered trademark in Denmark) both from Norit Cosmara, Amersfoort, The Netherlands] in simulated in vivo environments: At pH 1.2 (gastric environment), at pH 7.......2 (intestinal environment), and with and without 10% ethanol. METHODS: Activated charcoal, at both gastric or intestinal pHs, and paracetamol were mixed, resulting in activated charcoal-paracetamol ratios from 10:] to 1:1. In trials with ethanol, some of the gastric or intestinal fluid was replaced...

An acute oral intoxication with haloperidol decanoate.

Science.gov (United States)

Dekkers, Bart G J; Eck, Ruben J; Ter Maaten, Jan C; Touw, Daniël J

2017-09-01

Haloperidol decanoate is a typical antipsychotic drug used as maintenance therapy for schizophrenia and mood disorders formulated as an ester for intramuscular injection. Cases of oral haloperidol decanoate intoxications have not been described in literature. In this report, we present for the first time a case of an oral ingestion of haloperidol decanoate of a young woman who presented to the emergency department following an intentional oral ingestion of 1 ampoule of haloperidol decanoate 100mg. At presentation, she had a bilateral rest tremor of both hands and mild hypothermia. No other obvious signs of an intoxication were observed. She was treated with a single dose of activated charcoal and laxative and was admitted to the intensive care for rhythm monitoring and observation. During the night the QTc interval increased to 453ms, but stayed within the normal range. Haloperidol plasma levels increased as well, but also stayed within therapeutic ranges. These findings indicate that treatment with oral activated charcoal was sufficient to prevent any serious events. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of weathering on impregnated charcoal performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deitz, V.R.

1977-10-01

Commercial activated charcoals have been exposed to known contaminants under controlled laboratory conditions and also to large volumes of outdoor air and each sample then evaluated for methyl iodide penetration. There is strong evidence that the interaction of water vapor and the charcoal is a significant factor in the degradation of the charcoals when the relative humidity is 70% and greater. The laboratory air mixtures studied were water vapor, water vapor and sulfur dioxide, water vapor and ozone, and water vapor and carbon monoxide. The charcoal in each of the four 0.5-in. layers making up the 2-in. test bed was degraded by the contaminants, but the first layer was influenced most. For the same charcoal the cumulative effect during one, two, and three months of weathering with outdoor air led to a progressive increase in methyl iodide penetration. The experimentation is being extended to additional commercial charcoals and to additional contaminant species in the laboratory experiments

Fabrication of Activated Rice Husk Charcoal by Slip Casting as a Hybrid Material for Water Filter Aid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuaprakone, T; Wongphaet, N; Wasanapiarnpong, T

2011-01-01

Activated charcoal has been widely used as an odor absorbent in household and water purification industry. Filtration equipment for drinking water generally consists of four parts, which are microporous membrane (porous alumina ceramic or diatomite, or porous polymer), odor absorbent (activated carbon), hard water treatment (ion exchange resin), and UV irradiation. Ceramic filter aid is usually prepared by slip casting of alumina or diatomite. The membrane offers high flux, high porosity and maximum pore size does not exceed 0.3 μm. This study investigated the fabrication of hybrid activated charcoal tube for water filtration and odor absorption by slip casting. The suitable rice husk charcoal and water ratio was 48 to 52 wt% by weight with 1.5wt% (by dry basis) of CMC binder. The green rice husk charcoal bodies were dried and fired between 700-900 deg. C in reduction atmosphere. The resulting prepared slip in high speed porcelain pot for 60 min and sintered at 700 deg. C for 1 h showed the highest specific surface area as 174.95 m 2 /g. The characterizations of microstructure and pore size distribution as a function of particle size were investigated.

Fabrication of Activated Rice Husk Charcoal by Slip Casting as a Hybrid Material for Water Filter Aid

Science.gov (United States)

Tuaprakone, T.; Wongphaet, N.; Wasanapiarnpong, T.

2011-04-01

Activated charcoal has been widely used as an odor absorbent in household and water purification industry. Filtration equipment for drinking water generally consists of four parts, which are microporous membrane (porous alumina ceramic or diatomite, or porous polymer), odor absorbent (activated carbon), hard water treatment (ion exchange resin), and UV irradiation. Ceramic filter aid is usually prepared by slip casting of alumina or diatomite. The membrane offers high flux, high porosity and maximum pore size does not exceed 0.3 μm. This study investigated the fabrication of hybrid activated charcoal tube for water filtration and odor absorption by slip casting. The suitable rice husk charcoal and water ratio was 48 to 52 wt% by weight with 1.5wt% (by dry basis) of CMC binder. The green rice husk charcoal bodies were dried and fired between 700-900 °C in reduction atmosphere. The resulting prepared slip in high speed porcelain pot for 60 min and sintered at 700 °C for 1 h showed the highest specific surface area as 174.95 m2/g. The characterizations of microstructure and pore size distribution as a function of particle size were investigated.

Fabrication of Activated Rice Husk Charcoal by Slip Casting as a Hybrid Material for Water Filter Aid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuaprakone, T; Wongphaet, N; Wasanapiarnpong, T, E-mail: tonggogo@hotmail.com [Research Unit of Advanced Ceramic, Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok (Thailand)

2011-04-15

Activated charcoal has been widely used as an odor absorbent in household and water purification industry. Filtration equipment for drinking water generally consists of four parts, which are microporous membrane (porous alumina ceramic or diatomite, or porous polymer), odor absorbent (activated carbon), hard water treatment (ion exchange resin), and UV irradiation. Ceramic filter aid is usually prepared by slip casting of alumina or diatomite. The membrane offers high flux, high porosity and maximum pore size does not exceed 0.3 {mu}m. This study investigated the fabrication of hybrid activated charcoal tube for water filtration and odor absorption by slip casting. The suitable rice husk charcoal and water ratio was 48 to 52 wt% by weight with 1.5wt% (by dry basis) of CMC binder. The green rice husk charcoal bodies were dried and fired between 700-900 deg. C in reduction atmosphere. The resulting prepared slip in high speed porcelain pot for 60 min and sintered at 700 deg. C for 1 h showed the highest specific surface area as 174.95 m{sup 2}/g. The characterizations of microstructure and pore size distribution as a function of particle size were investigated.

Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Almond Charcoal Activated with Zinc Chloride

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Mohsen Arbabi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Nitrate is one of the most important contaminants in aquatic environments that can leached to water resources from various sources such as sewage, fertilizers and decomposition of organic waste. Reduction of nitrate to nitrite in infant’s blood stream can cause “blue baby” disease in infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nitrate removal from aqueous solutions using modified almond charcoal with zinc chloride. Materials &Methods: This study is an experimental survey. At the first charcoal almond skins were prepared in 5500C and then modified with ZnCl2. Morphologies and characterization of almond shell charcoal were evaluated by using FTIR, EDX, BET and FESEM. Adsorption experiments were conducted with 500 ml sample in Becker. The nitrate concentration removal, contact time, pH and charcoal dosage were investigated. The central composite design method was used to optimizing the nitrate removal process. The results analyzed with ANOVA test. Results: The best condition founded in 48 min, 1250 ppm, 125 mg/l and 3 for retention time, primary nitrate concentration, charcoal dosage and pH respectively. The results showed that the nitrate removal decreases with increasing pH. Modification of skin charcoal is show increasing of nitrate removal from aquatic solution. Conclusion: In this study, the maximum nitrate removal efficiency for raw charcoal and modified charcoal was determined 15.47% and 62.78%, respectively. The results showed that this method can be used as an effective method for removing nitrate from aqueous solutions.

Charcoal as a capture material for silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment

Science.gov (United States)

McGillicuddy, Eoin; Morrison, Liam; Cormican, Martin; Morris, Dearbháile

2017-04-01

Background: The reported antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has led to their incorporation into numerous consumer products including; textiles, domestic appliances, food containers, cosmetics, paints, medical and medicinal products. The AgNPs incorporated into these products can be released into the environment and aquatic system during their production, use and end of life disposal. In the aquatic environment, uncertainties surround the concentration, fate and effects of AgNPs. The aim of this project is to examine charcoal as a potential material for capture of silver nanoparticles from the aquatic environment. Material/methods: Activated charcoal is a commonly used filter material and was selected for this project to determine its suitability as a capture material for AgNPs in water samples. Activated charcoal (Norit® CA1 (Sigma-Aldrich)) was exposed to 100 ppb, 25 nm PVP coated AgNPs (nanoComposix) prepared in Milli-Q water. These solutions were exposed to unaltered charcoal granules for 20 hours after which the decrease of silver in the solution was measured using ICP-MS. In order to improve the removal, the surface area of the charcoal was increased firstly by grinding with a pestle and mortar and secondly by milling the charcoal. The milled charcoal was prepared using an agate ball mill running at 500 rpm for 5 minutes. The activated charcoal was then exposed to samples containing 10 ppb AgNPs. Results: In the initial tests, approximately 10% of the silver was removed from the water samples using the unaltered activated charcoal granules. Further experiments were carried out to compare the unaltered granules with the ground and milled charcoal. These tests were carried out similarly to the previous test however lower concentration of 10 ppb was used. After 20 hours of exposure the granule samples, as previously, showed approximately a 10% reduction in silver content with the ground charcoal giving approximately 30% reduction in silver

Development of activated charcoal impregnated air sampling filter media : their characteristics and use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.A.; Ramarathinam, K.; Gupta, S.K.; Deshingkar, D.S.; Kishore, A.G.

1975-01-01

Because of its low maximum permissible concentration in air, air-borne radioiodine must be accurately monitored in contaminated air streams, in the working environment and handling facilities, before release to the environment from the nuclear facilities. Activated charcoal impregnated air sampling filter media are found to be most suitable for monitoring airborne iodine-131. Because of its simplicity and reproducible nature in assessment of air-borne radioactive iodine, the work on the development of such media was undertaken in order to find a suitable substitute for imported activated charcoal impregnated air sampling filter media. Eight different media of such type were developed, evaluated and compared with two imported media. Best suitable medium is recommended for its use in air-borne iodine sampling which was found to be even better suited than imported media of such type. (author)

The retention of radioactive noble gases in nuclear power stations by means of activated charcoal delay systems. A status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, H.J.

1983-01-01

Since the beginning of the 1970s off-gas systems using activated charcoal have been used in BWRs and PWRs to minimize the release of radioactive noble gases and the resultant exposure of the environment. In practice, the power-related noble gas emission rate achieved is 1-10 Ci/MWa in the case of BWRs and 0.1-1 Ci/MWa for PWRs. The systems are relatively simple in design and operators state that they are easy and cheap to run. The activated charcoal used shows no signs of becoming spent and, if protected from humidity, retains its full efficiency. On the basis of the information to hand it has never been necessary to replace it. Experience to date suggests that a charge of activated charcoal can last the life of the facility as a whole. All knowledge and experience gained so far indicate that off-gas systems using activated delay systems for BWR facilities are indispensable and must therefore be considered an integral part of such facilities. Capital expenditure amounts to approximately 1% of the total cost and should, therefore, not be unacceptable. In PWRs off-gas systems using pressure vessels as delay trains are in competition with off-gas systems based on activated charcoal delay systems. The activated charcoal systems have proved themselves and their use, which involves capital expenditure equivalent to approximately of 0.5% to the overall cost, can be recommended without reservation

Use of Activated Charcoal for 220Rn Adsorption for Operations Associated with the Uranium Deposit in the Auxiliary Charcoal Bed at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, R.L.

1999-01-01

Measurements have been collected with the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of activated charcoal for the removal of 220 Rn from process off-gas at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A series of bench-scale tests were performed at superficial flow velocities of 10, 18, 24, and 33 cm/s (20, 35, 47, and 65 ft/min) with a continuous input concentration of 220 Rn in the range of 9 x 10 3 pCi/L. In addition, two tests were performed at the MSRE facility by flowing helium through the auxiliary charcoal bed uranium deposit. These tests were performed so that the adsorptive effectiveness could be evaluated with a relatively high concentration of 220 Rn. In addition to measuring the effectiveness of activated charcoal as a 220 Rn adsorption media, the source term for available 220 Rn in the deposit is actually available for removal and that the relative activity of fission gases is very small when compared to 220 Rn. The measurement data were then used to evaluate the expected effectiveness of a proposed charcoal adsorption bed consisting of a right circular cylinder having a diameter of 43 cm and a length of 91 cm (17 in. I.D. x 3 ft.). The majority of the measurement data predicts an overall 220Rn activity reduction factor of about 1 x 10 9 for such a design; however, two measurements collected at a flow velocity of 18 cm/s (35 ft/min) indicated that the reduction factor could be as low as 1 x 10 6 . The adsorptive capacity of the proposed trap was also evaluated to determine the expected life prior to degradation of performance. Taking a conservative vantage point during analysis, it was estimated that the adsorption effectiveness should not begin to deteriorate until a 220 Rn activity on the order of 10 10 Ci has been processed. It was therefore concluded that degradation of performance would likely occur as the result of causes other than filling by radon progeny

Different carbonization process of bamboo charcoal using Gigantochloa Albociliata

Science.gov (United States)

Isa, S. S. M.; Ramli, M. M.; Halin, D. S. C.; Anhar, N. A. M.; Hambali, N. A. M. A.

2017-09-01

Bamboo charcoal has attracted a lot of interests due to their microporous structure, high surface area and great adsorption properties. Some of the applications utilizing this material focused on these advantages such as water purification, electromagnetic wave absorber and blood purification. However, these advantages really depend on the carbonization and activation process of bamboo charcoal. The production must be carried out in properly control environment with precise temperatures and timing. This paper report the production of bamboo charcoal using Gigantochloa Albociliata in controlled environment at 500 °C for 1 hour (lab-prepared). Then the material was characterized for their dispersibility and adsorption behaviour. Furthermore, the bamboo charcoal that was produced commercially, by company, was also characterized and compared. The results show, bamboo charcoal produced by lab-prepared has similar qualities with the commercial bamboo charcoal.

A comparative study of reverse osmosis and activated charcoal, two inexpensive and very effective ways to remove waterborne radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, K.T.; Mose, D.G.; Mushrush, G.W.

1994-01-01

A two year comparative study of waterborne radon removal reveals that reverse osmosis is consistently more effective than the use of activated charcoal. Reverse osmosis is a process by which water is forced under a pressure sufficient to overcome osmotic pressure through a semipermeable membrane, leaving behind impurities. Removal effectiveness for dissolved organic, dissolved ionic and suspended impurities are typically above 90%. Systems designed for home use to remove impurities from water dispensed at a convenient tap cost about $2000 and commonly consist of a sediment filter, a carbon prefilter, and a reverse osmosis container. A tank of activated charcoal can work equally well, and cost $500-$1000. However, the tank of charcoal becomes measurably enriched in gamma-emitters

Zambian charcoal production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chidumayo, E.N.

1993-01-01

The recovery of miombo woodlands following clearance for woodfuel is being monitored at four sites in central Zambia. Charcoal production removes 50% of the total woody biomass and the woodland regenerates from a pool of stunted old seedlings and stumps of cut trees. Productivity is correlated to tree density before felling. Clearing of successive regrowth miombo does not appear to affect productivity. Annual wood biomass increment in unmanaged regrowth miombo is estimated at 2-3 t/ha pa of which about 1.1 t is cord wood suitable for charcoal production. However, the charcoal spots within the deforested area are severely impacted by the carbonization process which destroys soil structure, seedlings and root stocks. Woodland regeneration on such spots is protracted. Fortunately, charcoal spots only cover 2-3% of the deforested area. The concern about land degradation due to deforestation caused by woodfuel harvesting for urban charcoal in the miombo woodland region of central and southern Africa is not supported by the results of this study. (author)

The addition of salt in the water media containing zeolite and active charcoal on closed system transportation of gourami fish fry Osphronemus goramy Lac.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kukuh Nirmala

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Transportation of fish fry with high density in closed system will reduce levels of O2, increasing CO2 and NH3, will also elevate the fish stress so that increase fish mortality. To reduce the effects of increased CO2 and NH3 can be applied by using zeolite and activated charcoal, while to reduce the fish stress is through the addition of salt. This study aims to determine the dose of salt added into the water containing zeolite and activated charcoal in a closed transportation system with a high fry density for 72 hours. The study was conducted two stages, namely the preliminary study and the primary study. The preliminary study involved the observation of the survival rate of fish fry during fasting, oxygen consumption rate of fish fry, the rate of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN excretion of fish fry, and the adsorption capacity of TAN by zeolite and activated charcoal. In the primary study, fry transport simulations was carried out for 72 hours in the laboratory. Gourami fry (body length of 4 cm and body weight of 1.7 g with the fry density of 50 fish/L were placed in the packing bag which has been filled with zeolite as much as 20 g/L and activated charcoal as much as 10 g/L. The study used a completely randomized design with five treatments and two replications: A: blank (without zeolite, activated charcoal, and salt, B: control (20 g/L zeolite+10 g/L activated charcoal, C: 20 g/L zeolite+10 g/L activated charcoal and 1 g/L salt, D: 20 g/L zeolite+10 g/L activated charcoal and 3 g/L of salt, and E: 20 g/ L zeolite+10 g/L activated charcoal and 5 g/L salt. The results of preliminary study showed that the survival rate of fish fry was 100% and active swimming for five days without food, the level of oxygen consumption as much as 1340.28 mgO2, produce NH3 as much as 22.64 mg/L, while zeolite and activated charcoal adsorbs >50% of TAN in time of 120 seconds. In the primary study, the survival rate of fish fry during the 72-hour transportation for

Advanced Electrocardiogram Analysis in the Amitriptyline-poisoned Pig Treated with Activated Charcoal Haemoperfusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jansen, Tejs; Hoegberg, Lotte C.G.; Eriksen, Thomas

2018-01-01

Coated activated charcoal haemoperfusion (CAC-HP) does not reduce the plasma concentration in amitriptyline (AT)-poisoned pigs. The aim of this non-blinded, randomized, controlled animal trial was to determine if CAC-HP reduces the pathological ECG changes caused by AT poisoning. Fourteen female...

Effects of growth regulators and activated charcoal for the micropropagation improvement of Dendrobium friedericksianum Rchb.f.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasertsongskun, S. and

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The effects of different concentrations of growth regulators and activated charcoal on micropropagation were studied. Seedlings of orchid, Dendrobium friedericksianum Rchb.f, cultured on Vacin and Went medium containing 1.0 mg/l α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA and 1.0 mg/l kinetin (KN significantly yielded per cultured plant, the highest average number of leaves (4.40, roots (8.30, shoot length (1.67 centimeters and fresh weight (0.23 grams. Particularly when activated charcoal was added (0.3% w/v the average number of leaves, roots, shoot length and fresh weight per cultured plant increased. Percentage survival of the plantlet after 21 days of transplantation was 85%.

Towards the use of small amounts of activated charcoal along with well-type NaI(Tl) detector for indoor radon measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Azmi, D.

2006-01-01

The feasibility of using small quantities of activated charcoal and a 7.6 cm x 7.6 cm NaI(Tl) well-type detector was investigated for indoor radon measurements. Vials, filled with 10 g of charcoal, were exposed for different indoor radon concentration levels typical of Kuwait dwellings. After exposure, the vials were sealed and kept for 3 h to allow radon to come into radioactive equilibrium with its progenies and were then analysed by gamma-ray spectrometry using the well-type NaI(Tl) detector. The variation of radon absorption by the vials filled with charcoal with exposure time was also studied. A comparative study of the present technique with the standard technique of using 70 g charcoal canisters and flat NaI detector was also performed. After establishing the suitability of the technique, the charcoal vials were then used to investigate the effect of air-ventilation on the concentration levels of the indoor radon. Results show that there is a reduction in the radon concentration level (up to 25%) when the air-ventilation system was switched on. The paper presents the results of the study on the feasibility of combining small amounts of activated charcoal with a well-type NaI(Tl) detector in the measurement of indoor radon concentrations. (authors)

Research report: Charcoal type used for hookah smoking influences CO production.

Science.gov (United States)

Medford, Marlon A; Gasier, Heath G; Hexdall, Eric; Moffat, Andrew D; Freiberger, John J; Moon, Richard E

2015-01-01

A hookah smoker who was treated for severe carbon monoxide poisoning with hyperbaric oxygen reported using a different type of charcoal prior to hospital admission, i.e., quick-light charcoal. This finding led to a study aimed at determining whether CO production differs between charcoals commonly used for hookah smoking, natural and quick-light. Our hypothesis was that quick-light charcoal produces significantly more CO than natural charcoal. A medium-sized hookah, activated charcoal filter, calibrated syringe, CO gas analyzer and infrared thermometer were assembled in series. A single 9-10 g briquette of either natural or quick-light charcoal was placed atop the hookah bowl and ignited. CO output (ppm) and temperature (degrees C) were measured in three-minute intervals over 90 minutes. The mean CO levels produced by quick-light charcoal over 90 minutes was significantly higher (3728 ± 2028) compared to natural charcoal (1730 ± 501 ppm, p = 0.016). However, the temperature was significantly greater when burning natural charcoal (292 ± 87) compared to quick-light charcoal (247 ± 92 degrees C, p = 0.013). The high levels of CO produced when using quick-light charcoals may be contributing to the increase in reported hospital admissions for severe CO poisoning.

Preparation of reusable conductive activated charcoal plate as a new electrode for industrial wastewater treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ayoubi-Feiz, Baharak; Aber, Soheil [University of Tabriz, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-10-15

A conductive activated charcoal plate (ACP) was prepared from a low-cost, abundant, and non-conductive charcoal. The prepared ACP was characterized using N{sub 2} adsorption/desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the charcoal and the ACP was 0.58m{sup 2} g{sup -1} and 461.67m{sup 2} g{sup -1}, respectively. The ACP was employed in textile wastewater treatment using electrosorption process. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to design the experiments. The decolorization efficiency of 76% at optimum conditions of voltage=450mV, pH=4, and contact time=120 min indicated that the ACP has promising potential to decolorize textile wastewater. Moreover, the results of the kinetic analyses demonstrated that wastewater treatment followed pseudo-first order kinetic model. The ACP electrode could be regenerated and reused effectively at five successive cycles of electrosorption/electrodesorption.

Production of active charcoal and characteristic of volatile organic compounds in condensate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalik, V.; Knoskova, L.

2005-01-01

In the last decade a production of charcoal and products from charcoal has been taking on an important position in a field of environmental technologies. Technological process of the production of charcoal is accompanied by formation of fluid and gaseous elements. These elements are ranked as pollutants from the legal point of view. There are mainly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and other oxide compounds from the chemical point of view. Particularly acetic acid, methanol, 2-furaldehyde. Then aliphatic alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, esters and other groups of substances. Law limits the quantity and concentration of these essentials emitted into the open air. This matter has to be taken care of during the production of charcoal. It is usually solved by condensation cooling and following burning gases and steams. Condensate is industrially processed or smaller technologies handle with it similar to taking care of wastewater. (authors)

Producing charcoal from wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pogorelov, V.A.

1983-01-01

Experimental works to use wood wastes for producing charcoal are examined, which are being conducted in the Sverdlovsk assembly and adjustment administration of Soyuzorglestekhmontazh. A wasteless prototype installation for producing fine charcoal is described, along with its subsequent briqueting, which is made on the basis of units which are series produced by the factories of the country. The installation includes subassemblies for preparing and drying the raw material and for producing the charcoal briquets. In the opinion of specialists, the charcoal produced from the wastes may be effectively used in ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy and in the production of pipes.

Study on a charcoal-based monitor for Rn-220 in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Yiqiao; Solomon, S.B.

1993-01-01

Activated charcoal has been used in both passive monitors (Cohen, Pondy et al. 1987) and active monitors (Solomon and Gan, 1989) for the measurements of 222 Rn in air. Cooled, charcoal-impregnated filters, viewed in-situ by a solid state alpha detector, have been used for 220 Rn-in-breath studies. In general, γ ray counting of 220 Rn samples collected on activated charcoal has not been used. This paper describes the development and calibration of a charcoal based monitor designed to measure 220 Rn levels down to a lower limit of 10 Bq m -3 over sampling periods of 4 to 15 h. The activity of 212 Pb (10.6 h) produced from 220 Rn (55.6 s) collected in an activated charcoal-based sampler is 1/700 the total 220 Rn activity. A typical Hp-Ge detector has a MDL for a two-hours count of approximately 0.1 Bq of 212 Pb for the 239 keV γ-ray. For a MDL of 10 Bq·m -3 of 220 Rn in air, a volume of at least 7 m 3 must be sampled, assuming no breakthrough. The present charcoal-based 220 Rn monitor is designed to maximize the path length through the activated charcoal while sufficient cross-sectional area is retained to allow flow rates up to 0.03 m 3 ·kg -1 is packed into a specially designed aluminum container. The container is modeled on a Marinelli beaker to maximize the counting efficiency, while the sample flow through the chambers of the monitor is optimized to maintain radial symmetry. experiments demonstrated that 94% of 220 Rn was adsorbed by the charcoal in the monitor under a flow rate of 0.03 m 3 ·min -1 at 25 degree C and 85%. RH in 15 h. The monitor is designed to fit over a 70 mm diameter Hp-Ge detector. Preliminary measurements of 220 Rn in two buildings and a cave, using the active monitors and 'grabing' samples under a flow rate of 0.03 m 3 ·min -1 and a period of 4 h, indicated concentrations of between 18.6 and 142.0 Bq·m 3

Separation of radionuclides from gas by sorption on activated charcoal and inorganic sorbents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kepak, F.

1988-01-01

The review deals with the sorption and ion exchange of gaseous radionuclides on activated charcoal and on inorganic sorbents. It presents the physical and chemical characteristics of radionuclides, the sources of gaseous forms of radionuclides as well as the composition of radioactive gases from some nuclear facilities. 79 refs. (author)

The Influence of Coconut Water and Activated Charcoal in MS Medium on In Vitro Callus Regeneration of Dendrobium sp. Cultivar Bertha Chong Orchids

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Dessi Novita Sari

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Dendrobium is one of the most commercial orchids. In Vitro technique is one of solution to fulfill the market demand of Dendrobium. Organic matters, such as coconut water, and activated charcoal are often given to in vitro medium to regenerate orchids callus. The addition of activated charcoal is not only adsorbing toxic substances but also organic matters. The aimof this researchistofindthe best combination for callus regeneration medium. The research was conducted at the Biological Cell and Molecular Laboratory, Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty of Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh since March to November 2013. The method used is experimental with Completely Randomized Factorial Design with two factor; treatments of coconut water and activated charcoal. The result showed that the combinationof 150mL/Lcoconut waterand2,0g/Lactivated charcoal is the best resultbecauseit is the onlytreatment that have capability in producingplantletswithin60days.

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kabir, Ehsanul [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki-Hyun, E-mail: khkim@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, H.O. [Korea Basic Science Institute, Seoul Center, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-30

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 {mu}g kg{sup -1} (As) to 118 mg kg{sup -1} (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabir, Ehsanul; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Yoon, H.O.

2011-01-01

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 μg kg -1 (As) to 118 mg kg -1 (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Confirmatory research program: effects of atmospheric contaminants on commercial charcoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellamy, R.R.; Dietz, V.R.

1979-01-01

The increased use of activated charcoals in engineered-safety-feature and normal ventilation systems of nuclear power stations to continually remove radioiodine from flowing air prior to release to the environment has added importance to the question of the effect of atmospheric contaminants on the useful life of the charcoal. In January of 1977 the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) began an investigation to determine the extent to which atmospheric contaminants in ambient concentrations degrade the efficiency of various commercially-available charcoals for removing methyl iodide. The approach employed by NRL is two-fold. First, charcoal samples are exposed to unmodified outdoor air for periods of one to nine months, then examined for methyl iodide retention, increase in weight, and the pH of water extract. The atmospheric contaminants are identified by the NRL Air Quality Monitoring Station, and concentrations of the various contaminants (ozone, SO 2 , NO 2 , CO 2 , methane and total hydrocarbons) are also available. Second, additional charcoal samples are exposed to the same pollutants under controlled laboratory conditions in various pollutant combinations. Results indicate that the water vapor-charcoal interaction is an important factor in the degradation of the commercial charcoals. Laboratory results indicate the pollutant sulfur dioxide plus water vapor can result in significant charcoal deterioration, as did ozone plus water vapor. Conversely, carbon monoxide did not appear to affect the charcoal. Also, differences were observed for various charcoals

Removal of Dissolved Cadmium by Adsorption onto Walnut and Almond Shell Charcoal: Comparison with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC

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Mohsen Saeedi

2009-06-01

Full Text Available In the present study, adsorption of dissolved Cadmium (Cd onto walnut and almond shell charcoal and the standard granular activated carbon (GAC has been investigated and compared. The effect of pH value, initial concentration of dissolved Cadmium and amount of adsorbent on the adsorption of Cd by the mentioned adsorbents were investigated. Results showed that the adsorption process was highly dependent on pH. Maximum Cd removal was achieved when the final pH of the mixture fell within 6.5-7. Adsorption test results revealed that Cd adsorption on the studied adsorbents could be better described by Longmuir isotherm. Maximum Cd removal efficiencies were obtained by walnut shell charcoal (91%, almond shell charcoal (85%, and GAC (81%.

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex

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Law Chi-kin

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men, they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. Methods Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20–59 were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. Results Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. Conclusion The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific.

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Chi-kin; Leung, Candi M C

2012-07-06

Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men), they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20-59) were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific.

Temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides among the working age population in Hong Kong SAR: the influence of economic activity status and sex

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Charcoal burning in a sealed room has recently emerged as the second most common suicide means in Hong Kong, causing approximately 200 deaths each year. As charcoal burning suicide victims have a unique sociodemographic profile (i.e., predominantly economically active men), they may commit suicide at specific times. However, little is known about the temporal patterns of charcoal burning suicides. Methods Suicide data from 2001 to 2008 on victims of usual working age (20–59) were obtained from the registered death files of the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong. A total of 1649 cases of charcoal burning suicide were analyzed using a two-step procedure, which first examined the temporal asymmetries in the incidence of suicide, and second investigated whether these asymmetries were influenced by sex and/or economic activity status. Poisson regression analyses were employed to model the monthly and daily patterns of suicide by economic activity status and sex. Results Our findings revealed pronounced monthly and daily temporal variations in the pattern of charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong. Consistent with previous findings on overall suicide deaths, there was an overall spring peak in April, and Monday was the common high risk day for all groups. Although sex determined the pattern of variation in charcoal burning suicides, the magnitude of the variation was influenced by the economic activity status of the victims. Conclusion The traditional classification of suicide methods as either violent or nonviolent tends to elide the temporal variations of specific methods. The interaction between sex and economic activity status observed in the present study indicates that sex should be taken into consideration when investigating the influence of economic activity status on temporal variations of suicide. This finding also suggests that suicide prevention efforts should be both time- and subgroup-specific. PMID:22770504

The effect of activated charcoal on drug exposure in healthy volunteers: a meta-analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jürgens, G; Hoegberg, L C Groth; Graudal, N A

2009-01-01

The objective of the study was to estimate the effect of activated charcoal (AC) administered during the first 6 h after drug intake and the effect of drug properties on drug exposure. Sixty-four controlled studies were integrated in a meta-analysis. AC administered 0-5 min after administration...

Evaluation of photocatalytic activities of supported catalysts on NaX zeolite or activated charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brites-Nóbrega, Fernanda F. de [Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900 Maringá, PR (Brazil); Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Polo, Aldino N.B.; Benedetti, Angélica M. [Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000 Toledo, PR (Brazil); Leão, Mônica M.D. [Sanitary and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Campus Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Slusarski-Santana, Veronice, E-mail: veronice.santana@unioeste.br [Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (UNIOESTE), Rua da Faculdade, 645, CEP 85903-000 Toledo, PR (Brazil); Fernandes-Machado, Nádia R.C. [Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Av. Colombo, 5790, CEP 87020-900 Maringá, PR (Brazil)

2013-12-15

Highlights: • The synergic effect between ZnO and NaX was positive, which increased its activity. • The best results were obtained at pH 3 and 9 with ZnO/NaX and at pH 3 with Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}/AC. • High degradation and considerable mineralization were attained with 10% ZnO/NaX. • ZnO and Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} supported on NaX and AC are promising alternatives as photocatalysts. -- Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of ZnO and Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} catalysts, both supported on NaX zeolite and activated charcoal (AC). The synergistic effect between oxide and support and the influence of solution pH (3, 7 and 9) on photocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 5G (C.I. 222) were analyzed. The catalysts Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}/NaX, Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}/AC and ZnO/NaX, ZnO/AC with 5 and 10% (wt%) were prepared by wet impregnation. The results showed that the catalysts exhibit quite different structural and textural properties. The synergic effect between ZnO and NaX support was higher than that with the activated charcoal, showing that these catalysts were more efficient. The most photoactive catalyst was 10% ZnO/NaX which showed 100% discoloration of the dye solution at pH 3, 7 and 9 after 0.5, 5 and 2 h of irradiation, respectively. The hydrolytic nature of zeolite favored the formation of surface hydroxyl radicals, which increased the activity of the photocatalyst. Thus, catalysts supported on NaX zeolite are promising for use in photocatalysis.

Charcoal anatomy of forest species

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Graciela Inés Bolzon de Muñiz1

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Vegetal charcoal retains the anatomical structure of the wood and may permit its botanical identification, which depends on species characteristics, the charcoal fragments size and preservation state. Anatomical characterization of ten forest species charcoal was done envisaging the identification and control of illegal charcoal. Differences between gymnosperms and angiosperms are evident in carbonized wood. Vessel diameter was statistically different between wood and charcoal in Vatairea guianensis, Mezilaurus itauba, Calophyllum brasiliense e Qualea cf. acuminata, and vessel frequency in Vatairea guianensis, Manilkara huberi, Qualea cf. acuminata e Simarouba amara. The anatomical structure from wood, in general aspects, is constant during carbonization process using temperature of 450°C, being possible to identify the material by using its cellular components.

Adsorption of heavy metal ions by activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujikawa, Mitsuo

1978-01-01

The adsorption effect was measured for several kinds of heavy metal ions, Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ , Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ by passing them through activated charcoal beds and changing the pH values of solutions. The test procedure is to keep the pH value of solution more than 10 at first, filter heavy metal hydroxide deposit, measure the remaining ion concentration in filtrate, and also test the influence of the addition of alkali to each kind of ions. The individual test procedure for each kind of ions is explained. As for the Cd ions, after the detailed experimental procedure is explained, the adsorption characteristic line is shown as the relation between the adsorption quantity and the equilibrium concentration of Cd 2+ . The similar test procedure and the adsorption characteristic lines are shown and evaluated about Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ . These lines are all linear, but have different adsorption quantity and inclination in relation to heavy metal ion concentration. Concerning the influence of pH to adsorption, the characteristics of pH increase are presented, when alkali is added by various quantities to Zn 2+ , Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ . The pH of Pb 2+ increased to about 10 by adding 0.4 cc alkali and saturates, but the pH of the other ions did not saturate by adding less than 1.5 cc alkali. When the water containing heavy metals are treated, Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ are removed almost satisfactorily by passing them through active charcoal filters and keeping pH at 10. The experimental concentrations are 0.05 ppm at pH 10 in Cd, 0.86 ppm at 10.3 in Pb, 0 ppm at pH 9.6 in Cu, 0.06 ppm at pH 8.8 and 12.4 ppm at pH 9.8 in Zn. (Nakai, Y.)

ECONOMICAL PLANS EFFECTS ON CHARCOAL PRICES

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José Luiz Pereira Rezende

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Energy is essential for human needs satisfaction. With the evolution of machinery, man becomes more and more dependent on the energy stocked in fossil fuels, comparatively to the primitive economy. Wood charcoal is a thermal-reducer used in Brazilian pig iron and steel industries, and its price is formed in an oligopsonic market. Over time, the charcoal prices have varied in function of endogenous and exogenous factors, needing, therefore, to be deflated so that they can be compared in two or more points in time. This work analyzed the variations of charcoal real prices, in national currency; compared and analyzed the real charcoal price in nominal and in real US Dollar and; analyzed the real prices of charcoal, comparatively to the real oil prices. The analyses were accomplished in the period from January 1975 to December 2002. The time series of charcoal prices, in domestic currency were deflated using IGP-DI, considering august, 1994=100, and charcoal prices were also converted to American dollar and deflated using CPI, considering the period 1982-84=100. It was compared, then, the real and nominal charcoal prices. It concluded that the real charcoal prices in Brazilian domestic currency, or in American dollar, presented a decreasing tendency along time. The inflationary disarray, in the 80´s and the first half of the 90 ´s, provoked a big price variation in the period; from the beginning the XXI century, charcoal prices were more influenced by the exchange rate; in the energy crisis period, charcoal prices suffered big changes that, however, did not persist along time.

Preparation Of Charcoal Using Agricultural Wastes | Bogale ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusion: As compared to wood charcoal the charcoal briquette produced from agricultural wastes are economical, environmentally friendly, healthy (no smoke at all) and reduce impact of deforestation. Key words: Pollution, deforestation, extruder, carbonizer, wood charcoal, briquette charcoal, agricultural wastes, ...

Production of activated charcoal beads or green moldnings useful in stationary or fluidized bed uses rotary stirrer(s) for mixing carbonaceous powder with binder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2000-01-01

In the production of activated charcoal beads or green moldings by mixing carbonaceous powder with a binder, mixing is carried out in a stirred vessel with rotary stirrer(s).......In the production of activated charcoal beads or green moldings by mixing carbonaceous powder with a binder, mixing is carried out in a stirred vessel with rotary stirrer(s)....

Soil particles reworking evidences by AMS 14C dating of charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carcaillet, C.

2001-01-01

Soil charcoal dating is a time proxy for soil pedogenesis. I test the stratification hypothesis by AMS 14 C dating of charcoal fragments from soil profiles between 1700 and 1900 m with respect to altitude within the Alps. The charcoal fragments are around 1 mm in size. There is no age/depth relationship for charcoal particles of the size millimeter. The results are discussed in light of the role of soil fauna, up-rooting and colluvial processes. Although biotic pedoturbation is poorly described in mountain and sub-alpine elevation, I hypothesize that this process is very active and plays a major role on the soil functioning. (author)

Adsorption equilibria of krypton, xenon, nitrogen and their mixtures on Molecular Sieve 5A and activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munakata, Kenzo; Nishikawa, Masabumi; Fukumatsu, Teruki; Yamatsuki, Satoshi; Tanaka, Kenji

1999-01-01

The adsorption equilibria of Kr, Xe and N 2 , which are constituents of the off-gas from nuclear reprocessing processes, on representative adsorbents (Molecular Sieve 5A (MS5A) and activated charcoal) were studied. Adsorption experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 77 to 323 K using a packed bed column. The adsorption isotherms for the activated charcoal adsorbent were successfully correlated by the vacancy solution model. The adsorption isotherms for the MS5A adsorbent were properly correlated by the Langmuir model and the vacancy solution model. The adsorption experiments for the binary component systems (Kr-Xe, Kr-N 2 systems) were also performed, and the results suggest that the coexistence of Xe greatly inhibits the adsorption of Kr. The coexistence of large amounts of N 2 was also found to inhibit the adsorption of Kr. The experimental results for the adsorption equilibrium of binary component systems on the activated charcoal adsorbent were well reproduced by the vacancy solution model without parameter fitting. The binary adsorption equilibrium on the MS5A adsorbent is rather well predicted by the ideal adsorbed solution model without parameter fitting. The use of the vacancy solution model for this adsorption system requires the optimization of parameters, but the binary adsorption equilibrium is well reproduced with the optimized parameters. (author)

The synthesis of corncobs (zea mays) active charcoal and water hyacinth (eichornia crassipes) adsorbent to adsorb Pb(II) with it’s analysis using solid-phase spectrophotometry (sps)

Science.gov (United States)

Saputro, S.; Masykuri, M.; Mahardiani, L.; Kurniastuti, D.

2018-03-01

This research aim to examine the effect of the combination between corncobs and water hyacinth to adsorb lead (II), the most effective combination have determined by compared the ratio of corncobs adsorbent and water hyacinth to the increasing adsorption of the Pb(II), prove the effectiveness of the solid-phase spectrophotometry (sps) to determine the levels of Pb(II) as the result of the corncobs active charcoal adsorption and water hyacinth in the level of µg/L. The research method used is experimental method. The data collecting technique is carried out by several stages, which are carbonization using muffle furnace at a temperature of 350°C for 1.5 hours, activation of the corncobs charcoal and water hyacinth using HCl 1M and HCl 5M activator, contacting the adsorbent of corncobs active charcoal and water hyacinth with liquid waste simulation of Pb(II) using variation of corncobns and water hyacinth, 1:0; 0:1; 1:1; 2:1; 1:2, analysis of Pb(II) using an sps, characterization of corncobs active charcoal adsorbent and water hyacinth using FTIR. Research results show that the combined effect of activated charcoal corncobs and water hyacinth can increase the ability of the adsorbent to absorb Pb(II), the optimum adsorbent mass ratio of 1:1 with the absorption level of 90.33%, SPS is an effective method to analyze the decreasing level of Pb(II) as the adsorbtion result of the corncobs active charcoal and water hyacinth in the level of µg/L, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.06 µg/L.

The adsorption of argon, krypton and xenon on activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underhill, D.W.

1996-01-01

Charcoal adsorption beds are commonly used to remove radioactive noble gases from contaminated gas streams. The design of such beds requires the adsorption coefficient for the noble gas. Here an extension of the Dubinin-Radushkevich theory of adsorption is developed to correlate the effects of temperature, pressure, concentration, and carrier gas on the adsorption coefficients of krypton, xenon, and argon on activated carbon. This model is validated with previously published adsorption measurements. It accurately predicts the equilibrium adsorption coefficient at any temperature and pressure if the potential energies of adsorption, the micropore volume, and the van der Waals constants of the gases are known. 18 refs., 4 figs

TAXATION IN CHARCOAL PRODUCTION

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Christian Rainier Imaña

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In past decades, the Brazilian tax burden has been the subject of discussion and analysis in the academic, political and social arena. In 2008, Brazilian tax burden reached the tax level from OECD countries, although the social issue in Brazil is in lower level than those countries. This paper has analyzed the tax burden from charcoal production. Eleven kinds of taxes were analyzed: IRPJ, ITR, CSLL, COFINS, PIS, TF, TCFA, TFAMG, ECRRA, INSS and FGTS. The tax burden for the production of charcoal was 9.76%. There was no municipal tax for charcoal. State taxes accounted 10% of the tax burden, the rest are federal taxes. COFINS was responsible for the largest tax burden: 3%, which confirms the Brazilian tax system is very non progressive. In Minas Gerais, Brazilian tax on goods and services (ICMS is deferred, the charcoal buyer has the obligation to collect this tax. This means the steel company accounts for the total burden of ICMS.

Measurement of radon-222 concentration in environment sampled within short time using charcoal detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamasaki, Tadashi; Sekiyama, Shigenobu; Tokin, Mina; Nakayasu, Yumiko; Watanabe, Tamaki.

1994-01-01

The concentration of 222 Rn in air sampled within a very short period of time was measured using activated charcoal as the adsorber. The detector is the plastic canister containing mixture of the activated charcoal and the silica gel. The radon gas was adsorbed in the charcoal in the radon chamber at the temperature of 25degC. A little amount of liquid scintillation cocktail was added into the vial of liquid scintillation counter with the canister. The radon in the charcoal was extracted in the liquid scintillation cocktail. Alpha particles emitted from radon and its daughter nuclei in the cocktail were detected using the liquid scintillation counter. Present method has advantages of not only short sampling time of air but also adsorption of radon in charcoal under a constant temperature. The concentration of radon in air down to 2 Bq/m 3 could be detected. A kinetic model for adsorption of radon in the charcoal is also presented. The ratio of radon concentration in the charcoal to that in air under the equilibrium state of adsorption was estimated to be from 6.1 to 6.8 m 3 /kg at the temperature of 25degC. (author)

The ageing and poisoning of charcoal used in nuclear plant air cleaning systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broadbent, D.

1986-01-01

Ageing and Poisoning are terms which are used to describe the in-service deterioration or weathering of activated charcoals used to remove radioiodine from air cleaning systems. This paper describes an investigation aimed at identifying the relative importance of the two effects and at comparing the resistance to weathering of potassium iodide (KI) impregnated charcoal with triethylene diamine (TEDA) impregnated charcoal. Some preliminary results are given on the rates of oxidative ageing of charcoals as a function of temperature and relative humidity. The effect on charcoal performance of organic poisons has been examined by measuring the index of performance (k-factor) of charcoals preloaded with a range of organic solvents. Finally the combined effect of oxidative ageing and organic poisoning has been measured using realistic operating conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The in-service deterioration of charcoal in air cleaning systems can be accounted for by a combination of oxidative ageing and poisoning by airborne organic solvents. (author)

The analysis of charcoal in peat and organic sediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.D. Mooney

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The abundance of charcoal in sediments has been interpreted as a ‘fire history’ at about 1,000 sites across the globe. This research effort reflects the importance of fire in many ecosystems, and the diversity of processes that can be affected by fire in many landscapes. Fire appears to reflect climate through the intermediary of vegetation, but arguably responds faster than vegetation to climate change or variability. Fire and humans are also intricately linked, meaning that the activity of fire in the past is also of relevance to prehistoric and historic human transitions and to contemporary natural resource management. This article describes recent advances in the analysis of charcoal in peat and other sediments, and offers a simple method for the quantification of larger charcoal fragments (>100 µm and a standardised method for the quantification of microscopic charcoal on pollen slides. We also comment on the challenges that the discipline still faces.

Charcoal production and environmental degradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosier, R.H.

1993-01-01

This paper examines the environmental impacts of continued tree harvesting for charcoal production to supply the urban areas in Tanzania. Woodlands appear to recover relatively well following harvesting for charcoal production. Selective harvesting, where the high quality, low cost fuel production species and specimens are culled first from a piece of land, serves to maintain the viability of the woodlands resource while providing charcoal. This recovery period can be prolonged through any number of human induced activities, such as heavy grazing, multiple burns and extended cultivation periods. At the same time, post-harvest management techniques, such as coppice management, sprout protection and fertilization, can also improve the ability of woodlands to recover following harvesting. The environmental history of a given area determines why certain areas continue to be strong suppliers of woodfuel while others are not. For example, Shinyanga started from a low productivity base and has been degraded by successive waves of tree harvesting compounded by heavy grazing pressure. It is this multiple complex of pressures over a long period of time on land which is intrinsically of low productivity, and not the harvesting of woodlands for fuels, which has led to the environmental degradation in these areas. (author)

Influence of activated charcoal amendment to contaminated soil on dieldrin and nutrient uptake by cucumbers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilber, Isabel [Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick (Switzerland); Wyss, Gabriela S., E-mail: gabriela.wyss@fibl.or [Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick (Switzerland); Maeder, Paul [Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick (Switzerland); Bucheli, Thomas D. [Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART, Reckenholzstr. 191, CH-8046 Zuerich (Switzerland); Meier, Isabel; Vogt, Lea; Schulin, Rainer [Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zuerich, Universitaetstr. 16, CH-8092 Zuerich (Switzerland)

2009-08-15

Activated charcoal (AC) amendments have been suggested as a promising, cost-effective method to immobilize organic contaminants in soil. We performed pot experiments over two years with cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in agricultural soil with 0.07 mg kg{sup -1} of weathered dieldrin and 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg AC per kg soil. Dieldrin fresh weight concentrations in cucumber fruits were significantly reduced from 0.012 to an average of 0.004 mg kg{sup -1}, and total uptake from 2 to 1 mug in the 800 mg kg{sup -1} AC treatment compared to the untreated soil. The treatment effects differed considerably between the two years, due to different meteorological conditions. AC soil treatments did neither affect the availability of nutrients to the cucumber plants nor their yield (total fruit wet weight per pot). Thus, some important prerequisites for the successful application of AC amendments to immobilize organic pollutants in agricultural soils can be considered fulfilled. - The addition of activated charcoal to soil reduced dieldrin residues in cucumbers and did not affect nutrients availability.

Influence of activated charcoal amendment to contaminated soil on dieldrin and nutrient uptake by cucumbers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilber, Isabel; Wyss, Gabriela S.; Maeder, Paul; Bucheli, Thomas D.; Meier, Isabel; Vogt, Lea; Schulin, Rainer

2009-01-01

Activated charcoal (AC) amendments have been suggested as a promising, cost-effective method to immobilize organic contaminants in soil. We performed pot experiments over two years with cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in agricultural soil with 0.07 mg kg -1 of weathered dieldrin and 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg AC per kg soil. Dieldrin fresh weight concentrations in cucumber fruits were significantly reduced from 0.012 to an average of 0.004 mg kg -1 , and total uptake from 2 to 1 μg in the 800 mg kg -1 AC treatment compared to the untreated soil. The treatment effects differed considerably between the two years, due to different meteorological conditions. AC soil treatments did neither affect the availability of nutrients to the cucumber plants nor their yield (total fruit wet weight per pot). Thus, some important prerequisites for the successful application of AC amendments to immobilize organic pollutants in agricultural soils can be considered fulfilled. - The addition of activated charcoal to soil reduced dieldrin residues in cucumbers and did not affect nutrients availability.

Radon determination by activated charcoal adsorption and liquid scintillation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, F.O.; Canoba, A.C.

1998-01-01

A passive diffusion method for the determination of radon concentration has been optimised and calibrated. The device consists of a scintillation vial containing activated charcoal, a diffusion barrier and a desiccant agent. The response to diverse atmospheric humidity and variable exposure intervals was studied. The result is a detector, which is independent of atmospheric humidity for at least (up to) 7 days of exposure. The method was compared with electret detectors (US EPA) with very satisfactory results. The advantages of this method are its simplicity, low cost, low detection limit, the total automatization of the measurement and its total independence of humidity to measure in a wide range of radon concentrations. (author) [es

Adsorption Properties and Potential Applications of Bamboo Charcoal: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isa S.S.M.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Bamboo charcoal was produced by pyrolysis or carbonization process with extraordinary properties such as high conductivity, large surface area and adsorption property. These properties can be improved by activation process that can be done thermally or chemically. In this paper, carbonization and activation process of bamboo, its structural and adsorption properties will be presented. Herein, the adsorption properties of bamboo charcoal that has fully utilized in solar cell as the electrode, adsorbent for water purification and electromagnetic wave absorber are reviewed.

Development of the charcoal adsorption technique for determination of radon content in natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paewpanchon, P.; Chanyotha, S.

2017-01-01

A technique for the determination of the radon concentration in natural gas using charcoal adsorption has been developed to study the effects of parameters that influence the adsorption efficiency of radon onto activated charcoal. Several sets of experiments were conducted both in the laboratory and in an actual natural gas field for comparison. The results show that the adsorption capability of radon onto activated charcoal varies inversely with temperature, hydrocarbon concentration and the humidity contained within the natural gas. A technique utilizing dry ice as a coolant was found to be the most effective for trapping radon in natural gas samples at the production site. A desiccant can be used to remove moisture from the sampling gas. The technique described here increases the adsorption efficiency of activated charcoal by 10-20% compared to our previous study. (authors)

Combined paracetamol and amitriptyline adsorption to activated charcoal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoegberg, Lotte Christine Groth; Groenlykke, Thor Buch; Abildtrup, Ulla

2010-01-01

Objectives. High-gram drug doses seen in multiple-drug poisonings might be close to the adsorption capacity of activated charcoal (AC). The aim was to determine the maximum adsorption capacities (Q(m)) of amitriptyline and paracetamol, separately and in combination, to AC. Methods. ACs (Carbomix......® and Norit Ready-To-Use) were tested in vitro. At pH 1.2 and pH 7.2, 0.250 g AC and paracetamol and/or amitriptyline were mixed and incubated. The AC: drug ratios were 10:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1. The mixed-drug adsorption vials contained the same AC: paracetamol ratios, but amitriptyline was added as fixed...... Ready-To-Use. The tested pH differences had minor effect on the adsorption. The mixed-drug adsorption showed about 40% Q(m) reduction of each drug with increasing amounts of drug/g AC, but the total gram of drug adsorbed to AC was increased compared to one-drug conditions. Conclusion. The adsorption...

The influence of pH, temperature and hydrolyzate concentration on the removal of volatile and nonvolatile compounds from sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate treated with activated charcoal before or after vacuum evaporation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.C.L.B. Rodrigues

2001-09-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the influence of pH, temperature and degree of hydrolyzate concentration on the removal of volatile and nonvolatile compounds from sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate treated with activated charcoal before or after the vacuum evaporation process. Furfural and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural were almost totally removed in all the experiments, irrespective of pH and temperature and whether the charcoal was added before or after the vacuum evaporation process. Adding activated charcoal before the vacuum evaporation process favored the removal of phenolic compounds for all values of pH. Acetic acid, on the contrary, was most effectively removed when the activated charcoal was added after the vacuum evaporation process at an acid pH (0.92 and at the highest degree of hydrolyzate concentration (f=4. However, addition of activated charcoal before or after vacuum evaporation at an acid pH (0.92 and at the highest degree of hydrolyzate concentration (f=4 favored the removal of both acetic acid and phenolic compounds.

In Vitro Study of Adsorption Kinetics of Dextromethorphan Syrup onto Activated Charcoal in Simulated Gastric and Intestinal Fluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shobha Regmi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Adsorption kinetics of dextromethorphan (DXM syrup in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids onto activated charcoal (AC were investigated in an in vitro model. The adsorption studies were performed as a function of time, initial concentration, and temperature. The quantification of DXM adsorbed onto AC was obtained from the Langmuir adsorption isotherms using HPLC. The maximum adsorption capacities (at 95% confidence limits of AC for DXM were 111.615 [106.38; 126.85] mg in simulated intestinal environment (pH 6.8 and 78.314 [86.206; 70.422] mg in simulated gastric environment (pH 1.2. The adsorption capacity of AC for DXM in simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2 was not significantly different from the adoption capacity of AC for DXM in simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.8. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics behavior of dextromethorphan onto AC followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Our results show that AC in therapeutically acceptable doses can be beneficial in the majority of oral overdose of DXM.

In vitro adsorption of oxalic acid and glyoxylic acid onto activated charcoal, resins and hydrous zirconium oxide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholtens, R.; Scholten, J.; de Koning, H. W.; Tijssen, J.; ten Hoopen, H. W.; Olthuis, F. M.; Feijen, J.

1982-01-01

Patients suffering from primary hyperoxaluria show elevated plasma concentrations of oxalic acid and glyoxylic acid. The in vitro adsorption of these compounds into activated charcoal, a series of neutral and ion exchange resins and onto hydrous zirconium oxide has been investigated. Hydrous

A survey of the effect of explants type, plant growth regulators and activated charcoal on callus induction in Papaver bracteatum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahman Hosseini

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Callus culture is necessary for production of suspension cell culture in plant breeding programs. Regarding to the application of Papaver bracteatum as an important medicinal plant in production of benzophenantridine alkaloids, this study was performed to find the most suitable hormone combination and explant type for achieving to high percentage of callus induction fresh weight and somatic embryogenesis in this plant. For this purpose, hypocotyl explants were cultured in ½MS media containing active charcoal (2 and 4 mgL-1 in combination of different concentrations of NAA, 2,4-D (0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 mgL-1 and BA (0, 0.1 and 0.5 mgL-1. The seed explants were cultured in same treatments without active charcoal. Also, somatic embryogesis induction using seed explants in ½MS media containing different concentrations of NAA and 2,4-D (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mgL-1 with BA 0.5 mgL-1 were investigated. The results showed that the highest percentage of callus induction (43.6%, 54% in hypocotyls explants were obtained in the ½MS media containing 2 mgL-1 active charcoal and 2 mgL-1 2,4-D and 5 mgL-1 NAA in companion with BA 0.5 mgL-1 respectively. The maximum callus induction (84% was obtained in ½MS medium with 1 mgL-1 2,4-D without active charcoal. The highest callus fresh weight (0.35% was obtained in MS media with 0.5 mgL-1 2,4-D andthe maximum rate of somatic embryogenesis induction (77% was observed in ½MS media containing 1 mgL-1 2,4-D with 0.5 mgL-1 BA.

Charcoal filter testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyons, J. [Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)

1997-08-01

In this very brief, informal presentation, a representative of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission outlines some problems with charcoal filter testing procedures and actions being taken to correct the problems. Two primary concerns are addressed: (1) the process to find the test method is confusing, and (2) the requirements of the reference test procedures result in condensation on the charcoal and causes the test to fail. To address these problems, emergency technical specifications were processed for three nuclear plants. A generic or an administrative letter is proposed as a more permanent solution. 1 fig.

Browns Ferry charcoal adsorber incident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mays, G.T.

1979-01-01

The article reviews the temperature excursion in the charcoal adsorber beds of the Browns Ferry Unit 3 off-gas system that occurred on July 17, 1977. Significant temperature increases were experienced in the charcoal adsorber beds when charcoal fines were ignited by the ignition of a combustible mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in the off-gas system. The Browns Ferry off-gas system is described, and events leading up to and surrounding the incident are discussed. The follow-up investigation by Tennessee Valley Authority and General Electric Company personnel and their recommendations for system and operational modifications are summarized

Measurements of 222Rn flux with charcoal coanisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Countess, R.J.

1977-01-01

Methods used to measure the 222 Rn flux from the ground are discussed. The most common method is the direct accumulation of radon in a closed container resting on the soil surface. An aliquot of the air is transferred from the accumulator either to an ionization chamber or to an alpha scintillation flask for radon analysis. An alternate method consists of entraining the radon emanating from a small area of the ground in an airstream moving in a closed system through a charcoal trap or cold trap. At the end of the sampling period, the trap is sealed and returned to the laboratory where the radon is transferred into an evacuated scintillation flask for analysis. Still another method consists of adsorbing radon in a layer of granular, activated charcoal spread directly on the ground. For analysis, the charcoal is bagged and the 0.61-MeV gamma activity of 214 Bi (RaC) is measured in a gamma spectrometer. These last two methods have the disadvantage that some radon may be lost in transfer prior to analysis. In an improved method, which is simpler than the preceding methods and eliminates this transfer problem, a modified U.S. Army M11 gas mask canister containing activated charcoal is placed directly in contact with the emanating surface and after an exposure period from several hours to several days, depending on the anticipated flux density, the canister is removed from the surface and counted directly in a gamma spectrometer. In addition to precluding losses in sample transfer, a major advantage is that numerous measurements can be made inexpensively due to the low cost of the canisters and their ease of deployment and recovery

Use of activated charcoal in a solid-phase extraction technique for analysis of pesticide residues in tomatoes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaipper, Beatriz I.A.; Madureira, Luiz A.S. [Santa Catarina Univ., Florianopolis, SC (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica]. E-mail: madureira@qmc.ufsc.br; Corseuil, Henry X. [Santa Catarina Univ., Florianopolis, SC (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Sanitaria

2001-07-01

The present work describes extraction and purification methods that were developed to determine and to monitor the content of organophosphorus pesticides in tomato crops from the agricultural district of Florianopolis, Brazil. SPE technique with activated charcoal was used for purification and recovery of the pesticides methamidophos, acephate, malation and methyl parathion. The solvents used for sample extraction and elution were chosen after several comparative tests. Best results were achieved using ethyl acetate for extraction and dichloromethane - ethyl acetate (7:3) for elution. Average recoveries from the matrices fortified with 0.20 to 0.60 {mu}g g{sup -1} ranged from 85.2 to 100 % with overall coefficients of variation of 1.3 to 6.3 %. The limits of detection of the method varied between 0.04 and 0.12 ng g{sup -1}. Activated charcoal demonstrated to be efficient for tomato matrix purification and for quantitative recovery of the analytes. (author)

Use of activated charcoal in a solid-phase extraction technique for analysis of pesticide residues in tomatoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaipper Beatriz I. A.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The present work describes extraction and purification methods that were developed to determine and to monitor the content of organophosphorus pesticides in tomato crops from the agricultural district of Florianópolis, Brazil. SPE technique with activated charcoal was used for purification and recovery of the pesticides methamidophos, acephate, malation and methyl parathion. The solvents used for sample extraction and elution were chosen after several comparative tests. Best results were achieved using ethyl acetate for extraction and dichloromethane - ethyl acetate (7:3 for elution. Average recoveries from the matrices fortified with 0.20 to 0.60 mug g-1 ranged from 85.2 to 100 % with overall coefficients of variation of 1.3 to 6.3 %. The limits of detection of the method varied between 0.04 and 0.12 ng g-1. Activated charcoal demonstrated to be efficient for tomato matrix purification and for quantitative recovery of the analytes.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARCOAL ADSORPTION TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINATION OF RADON CONTENT IN NATURAL GAS.

Science.gov (United States)

Paewpanchon, P; Chanyotha, S

2017-11-01

A technique for the determination of the radon concentration in natural gas using charcoal adsorption has been developed to study the effects of parameters that influence the adsorption efficiency of radon onto activated charcoal. Several sets of experiments were conducted both in the laboratory and in an actual natural gas field for comparison. The results show that the adsorption capability of radon onto activated charcoal varies inversely with temperature, hydrocarbon concentration and the humidity contained within the natural gas. A technique utilizing dry ice as a coolant was found to be the most effective for trapping radon in natural gas samples at the production site. A desiccant can be used to remove moisture from the sampling gas. The technique described here increases the adsorption efficiency of activated charcoal by 10-20% compared to our previous study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Performance study of coal-base charcoals for removing radioiodine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Yuying; Wu Yanwei; Guo Liangtian; Jia Ming; Lu Xueshi; Zhang Hong

1988-01-01

In authos' laboratory sveral types of domestic coal-base charcoals are selected and impregnated and examined for their main physical and chemical performances. The results show that under the test conditions the iodine-removing efficiencies of these impregnated coal-base charcoals charcoals are not poorer than that of the impregnated fruit-shell base charcoals (such as coconut shell charcoal) and most of their physical properties can satisfy the requirements of the nuclear grade charcoals assigned in USA standards. More detailed studies will be made in the next programme

Calibration of diffusion barrier charcoal detectors and application to radon sampling in dwellings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montero C, M.E.; Colmenero S, L.; Villalba, L.; Saenz P, J.; Cano J, A.; Moreno B, A.; Renteria V, M.; Herrera P, E.F.; Cruz G, S. De la; Lopez M, A.

2003-01-01

Some calibration conditions of diffusion barrier charcoal canister (DBCC) detectors for measuring radon concentration in air were studied. A series of functional expressions and graphs were developed to describe relationship between radon concentration in air and the activity adsorbed in DBCC, when placed in small chambers. A semi-empirical expression for the DBCC calibration was obtained, based on the detector integration time and the adsorption coefficient of radon on activated charcoal. Both, the integration time for 10 % of DBCC of the same batch, and the adsorption coefficient of radon for the activated charcoal used in these detectors, were experimentally determined. Using these values as the calibration parameters, a semi-empirical calibration function was used for the interpretation of the radon activities in the detectors used for sampling more than 200 dwellings in the major cities of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. (Author)

Calibration of diffusion barrier charcoal detectors and application to radon sampling in dwellings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montero C, M.E.; Colmenero S, L.; Villalba, L.; Saenz P, J.; Cano J, A.; Moreno B, A.; Renteria V, M.; Herrera P, E.F. [Cento de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados, S. C. Miguel de Cervantes 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, Chihuahua, (Mexico); Cruz G, S. De la [Facultad de Enfermeria y Nutriologia, Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua, Av. Politecnico Nacional 2714, Chihuahua, (Mexico); Lopez M, A. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apartado Postal 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

2003-07-01

Some calibration conditions of diffusion barrier charcoal canister (DBCC) detectors for measuring radon concentration in air were studied. A series of functional expressions and graphs were developed to describe relationship between radon concentration in air and the activity adsorbed in DBCC, when placed in small chambers. A semi-empirical expression for the DBCC calibration was obtained, based on the detector integration time and the adsorption coefficient of radon on activated charcoal. Both, the integration time for 10 % of DBCC of the same batch, and the adsorption coefficient of radon for the activated charcoal used in these detectors, were experimentally determined. Using these values as the calibration parameters, a semi-empirical calibration function was used for the interpretation of the radon activities in the detectors used for sampling more than 200 dwellings in the major cities of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. (Author)

Utilization of Bamboo Charcoal as Additives in Cakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronald O. Ocampo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Charcoal has been used for healing various diseases, as antidote to poisoning and as purifying agent to filtered water. This study is conducted to utilize charcoal as additives in making cakes. Specifically, it is intended to determine the acceptable level of charcoal when used as additives in the production of brownies, dark brown chocolate, and chiffon cakes. It can be concluded that an addition of 1 tablespoon of bamboo charcoal gave the highest sensory evaluation to brownies and 3 tablespoon to dark brown chocolate .The control ( no charcoal added is still the best treatment for chiffon cake.

Oral health practices among pregnant women in North Eastern Nigeria

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2011-08-27

Aug 27, 2011 ... Nigeria has not received the desired attention to the extent that even obstetricians hardly ... toothbrush and chewing stick and a few used charcoals. ... Variable. Number. Percentage. Nature of oral care. Toothbrush/paste. 264. 89.8. Chewing stick. 26. 8.8. Charcoal. 2. 0.7. Toothbrush+chewing stick. 2. 0.7.

Combined paracetamol and amitriptyline adsorption to activated charcoal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoegberg, Lotte Christine Groth; Groenlykke, Thor Buch; Abildtrup, Ulla

2010-01-01

Objectives. High-gram drug doses seen in multiple-drug poisonings might be close to the adsorption capacity of activated charcoal (AC). The aim was to determine the maximum adsorption capacities (Q(m)) of amitriptyline and paracetamol, separately and in combination, to AC. Methods. ACs (Carbomix......® and Norit Ready-To-Use) were tested in vitro. At pH 1.2 and pH 7.2, 0.250 g AC and paracetamol and/or amitriptyline were mixed and incubated. The AC: drug ratios were 10:1, 5:1, 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1. The mixed-drug adsorption vials contained the same AC: paracetamol ratios, but amitriptyline was added as fixed...... dose (0.080 g) to all samples. Drug concentrations in the liquid phase were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/UV-detection. Results. Q(m), amitriptyline, were 0.49 g/g Carbomix® and 0.70 g/g Norit Ready-To-Use, and Q(m), paracetamol, were 0.63 g/g Carbomix® and 0.72 g/g Norit...

Effects of Carbonization Parameters of Moso-Bamboo-Based Porous Charcoal on Capturing Carbon Dioxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Hsing Huang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study experimentally analyzed the carbon dioxide adsorption capacity of Moso-bamboo- (Phyllostachys edulis- based porous charcoal. The porous charcoal was prepared at various carbonization temperatures and ground into powders with 60, 100, and 170 meshes, respectively. In order to understand the adsorption characteristics of porous charcoal, its fundamental properties, namely, charcoal yield, ash content, pH value, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET surface area, iodine number, pore volume, and powder size, were analyzed. The results show that when the carbonization temperature was increased, the charcoal yield decreased and the pH value increased. Moreover, the bamboo carbonized at a temperature of 1000°C for 2 h had the highest iodine sorption value and BET surface area. In the experiments, charcoal powders prepared at various carbonization temperatures were used to adsorb 1.854% CO2 for 120 h. The results show that the bamboo charcoal carbonized at 1000°C and ground with a 170 mesh had the best adsorption capacity, significantly decreasing the CO2 concentration to 0.836%. At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, the Moso-bamboo-based porous charcoal exhibited much better CO2 adsorption capacity compared to that of commercially available 350-mesh activated carbon.

Charcoal from paper sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobayashi, M

1980-03-06

Paper sludge containing less than or equal to 50% water is mixed with coffee shells and greater than or equal to 1 almond shells, orange skin, walnut shells, or bean jam waste, compacted, and dry distilled at 300-600 degrees to prepare charcoal. Thus, 1 ton of paper sludge was mixed with 100 kg each of coffee shells, almond shells, orange skin, and walnut shells; compacted and dry distilled 24 hours at approximately 450 degrees. The calorific value of the charcoal produced was approximately 7300 kcal/kg.

CHARCOAL-PRODUCING INDUSTRIES IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Science.gov (United States)

Charcoal workers in northeastern Brazil: Occupational risks and effects of exposure to wood smokeABSTRACTBrazil has the largest production of charcoal in the world, which is used mostly in the iron and steel industries. In most of the production sites, the process is ba...

Study of adsorption properties of impregnated charcoal for airborne iodine and methyl iodide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi-dong, L.; Sui-yuang, H.

1985-01-01

The adsorption characteristics of airborne radioiodine and methyl iodide on impregnated charcoal were investigated. The activated charcoal tested was made from home-made oil-palm shells, and KI and TEDA were used as impregnants. A new technique was used to plot the dynamic partial adsorption isotherm at challenge concentrations (concentration range of iodine: 1-20 ppm v/v). Some adsorption properties of the impregnated charcoal were estimated with the dynamic partial adsorption isotherm. The dependences of the adsorption capacity and penetration behavior for airborne iodine and methyl iodide on the ambient conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and superficial velocity) were studied

Methyl iodide trapping efficiency of aged charcoal samples from Bruce-A emergency filtered air discharge systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wren, J.C.; Moore, C.J.; Rasmussenn, M.T.; Weaver, K.R.

1999-01-01

Charcoal filters are installed in the emergency filtered air discharge system (EFADS) of multiunit stations to control the release of airborne radioiodine in the event of a reactor accident. These filters use highly activated charcoal impregnated with triethylenediamine (TEDA). The TEDA-impregnated charcoal is highly efficient in removing radioiodine from flowing airstreams. The iodine-removal efficiency of the charcoal is presumed to deteriorate slowly with age, but current knowledge of this effect is insufficient to predict with confidence the performance of aged charcoal following an accident. Experiments were performed to determine the methyl iodide removal efficiency of aged charcoal samples taken from the EFADS of Ontario Hydro's Bruce-A nuclear generating station. The charcoal had been in service for ∼4 yr. The adsorption rate constant and capacity were measured under post-loss-of-coolant accident conditions to determine the efficiency of the aged charcoal. The adsorption rate constants of the aged charcoal samples were observed to be extremely high, yielding a decontamination factor (DF) for a 20-cm-deep bed of the aged charcoal >1 X 10 15 . The results show that essentially no CH 3 I would escape from a 20-cm-deep bed of the aged charcoal and that the requirement for a DF of 1000 for organic iodides in the EFADS filters would be exceeded by a tremendous margin. With such high DFs, the release of iodine from a 20-cm-deep bed would be virtually impossible to detect. The adsorption capacities observed for the aged charcoal samples approach the theoretical chemisorption capacity of 5 wt% TEDA charcoal, indicating that aging in the EFADS for 4 yr has had a negligible impact on the adsorption capacity. The results indicate that the short- and long-term performances of the aged charcoal in the EFADS of Bruce-A following an accident would still far exceed performance requirements. (author)

Kinetics and adsorption isotherm of lactic acid from fermentation broth onto activated charcoal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seankham Soraya

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Activated charcoal was applied for the recovery of lactic acid in undissociated form from fermentation broth. Lactic acid was obtained from the fermentation of Lactobacillus casei TISTR 1340 using acid hydrolyzed Jerusalem artichoke as a carbon source. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm and kinetics for the lactic acid separation were investigated. The experimental data for lactic acid adsorption from fermentation broth were best described by the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second order kinetics with R2 values of 0.99. The initial adsorption rate was 41.32 mg/g⋅min at the initial lactic acid concentration of 40 g/L.

Adsorption Kinetics of Cd(ll and Pb(ll Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Bamboo-Based Activated Charcoal and Bamboo Dust

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stevens Azubuike Odoemelam

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The use of bamboo dust (BD and bamboo-based activated charcoal for adsorption of Pb(ll and Cd(ll ions from aqueous solutions were assessed in this work. The effect of contact time on the uptake of these metal ions was studied in batch process. The adsorption data were correlated with pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order and diffusivity kinetic models. Results show that pseudo second-order kinetic model gave the best description for the adsorption process. Kinetic studies further showed that the adsorption transport mechanism was particle-diffusion controlled for the adsorption process. Results obtained generally showed that lead(ll ions were better adsorbed onto both adsorbents as compared to cadmium(ll. Comparison of sorption capacity for the two adsorbents shows that bamboo-based activated charcoal exhibited better removal for the metal ions than the bamboo dust.

Respiratory health effects of occupational exposure to charcoal dust in Namibia

Science.gov (United States)

Kgabi, Nnenesi

2016-01-01

Background Charcoal processing activities can increase the risk of adverse respiratory outcomes. Objective To determine dose–response relationships between occupational exposure to charcoal dust, respiratory symptoms and lung function among charcoal-processing workers in Namibia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 307 workers from charcoal factories in Namibia. All respondents completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Spirometry was performed, ambient and respirable dust levels were assessed in different work sections. Multiple logistic regression analysis estimated the overall effect of charcoal dust exposure on respiratory outcomes, while linear regression estimated the exposure-related effect on lung function. Workers were stratified according to cumulative dust exposure category. Results Exposure to respirable charcoal dust levels was above occupational exposure limits in most sectors, with packing and weighing having the highest dust exposure levels (median 27.7 mg/m3, range: 0.2–33.0 for the 8-h time-weighted average). The high cumulative dust exposure category was significantly associated with usual cough (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1–4.0), usual phlegm (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.1–4.1), episodes of phlegm and cough (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.1–6.1), and shortness of breath. A non-statistically significant lower adjusted mean-predicted % FEV1 was observed (98.1% for male and 95.5% for female) among workers with greater exposure. Conclusions Charcoal dust levels exceeded the US OSHA recommended limit of 3.5 mg/m3 for carbon-black-containing material and study participants presented with exposure-related adverse respiratory outcomes in a dose–response manner. Our findings suggest that the Namibian Ministry of Labour introduce stronger enforcement strategies of existing national health and safety regulations within the industry. PMID:27687528

Chemical analysis and potential health risks of hookah charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elsayed, Yehya, E-mail: yelsayed@aus.edu; Dalibalta, Sarah, E-mail: sdalibalta@aus.edu; Abu-Farha, Nedal

2016-11-01

Hookah (waterpipe) smoking is a very common practice that has spread globally. There is growing evidence on the hazardous consequences of smoking hookah, with studies indicating that its harmful effects are comparable to cigarette smoking if not worse. Charcoal is commonly used as a heating source for hookah smoke. Although charcoal briquettes are thought to be one of the major contributors to toxicity, their composition and impact on the smoke generated remains largely unidentified. This study aims to analyze the elemental composition of five different raw synthetic and natural charcoals by using Carbon-Hydrogen-Nitrogen (CHN) analysis, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-Ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Elemental analysis showed that the raw charcoals contain heavy metals such as zinc, iron, cadmium, vanadium, aluminum, lead, chromium, manganese and cobalt at concentrations similar, if not higher than, cigarettes. In addition, thermal desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) was used to analyze the chemical composition of the smoke produced from burning the charcoal samples. The smoke emitted from charcoal was found to be the source of numerous compounds which could be hazardous to health. A total of seven carcinogens, 39 central nervous system depressants and 31 respiratory irritants were identified. - Highlights: • Hookah charcoals, mainly synthetic brands, contains trace/heavy metals in concentrations exceeding those in cigarettes. • The concentration of lead in synthetic charcoal briquettes may impose adverse effects on human health. • The amount of nitrogen in synthetic charcoal is comparable to that reported in cigarettes. • Chemical profiling of smoke emitted from hookah charcoal reveals many compounds associated with potential health risks.

Chemical analysis and potential health risks of hookah charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsayed, Yehya; Dalibalta, Sarah; Abu-Farha, Nedal

2016-01-01

Hookah (waterpipe) smoking is a very common practice that has spread globally. There is growing evidence on the hazardous consequences of smoking hookah, with studies indicating that its harmful effects are comparable to cigarette smoking if not worse. Charcoal is commonly used as a heating source for hookah smoke. Although charcoal briquettes are thought to be one of the major contributors to toxicity, their composition and impact on the smoke generated remains largely unidentified. This study aims to analyze the elemental composition of five different raw synthetic and natural charcoals by using Carbon-Hydrogen-Nitrogen (CHN) analysis, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-Ray spectrometry (SEM-EDS). Elemental analysis showed that the raw charcoals contain heavy metals such as zinc, iron, cadmium, vanadium, aluminum, lead, chromium, manganese and cobalt at concentrations similar, if not higher than, cigarettes. In addition, thermal desorption-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) was used to analyze the chemical composition of the smoke produced from burning the charcoal samples. The smoke emitted from charcoal was found to be the source of numerous compounds which could be hazardous to health. A total of seven carcinogens, 39 central nervous system depressants and 31 respiratory irritants were identified. - Highlights: • Hookah charcoals, mainly synthetic brands, contains trace/heavy metals in concentrations exceeding those in cigarettes. • The concentration of lead in synthetic charcoal briquettes may impose adverse effects on human health. • The amount of nitrogen in synthetic charcoal is comparable to that reported in cigarettes. • Chemical profiling of smoke emitted from hookah charcoal reveals many compounds associated with potential health risks.

[Adsorption mechanism of furfural onto modified rice husk charcoals].

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Yong; Wang, Xianhua; Li, Yunchao; Shao, Jing'ai; Yang, Haiping; Chen, Hanping

2015-10-01

To evaluate the absorptive characteristics of furfural onto biomass charcoals derived from rice husk pyrolysis, we studied the information of the structure and surface chemistry properties of the rice husk charcoals modified by thermal treatment under nitrogen and carbon dioxide flow and adsorption mechanism of furfural. The modified samples are labeled as RH-N2 and RH-CO2. Fresh rice husk charcoal sample (RH-450) and modified samples were characterized by elemental analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Boehm titration. The results show that fresh rice husk charcoal obtained at 450 degrees C had a large number of organic groups on its surface and poor pore structure. After the modification under nitrogen and carbon dioxide flow, oxygenic organics in rice husk charcoals decompose further, leading to the reduction of acidic functional groups on charcoals surface, and the increase of the pyrone structures of the basic groups. Meanwhile, pore structure was improved significantly and the surface area was increased, especially for the micropores. This resulted in the increase of π-π dispersion between the surfaces of rice husk charcoals and furfural molecular. With making comprehensive consideration of π-π dispersion and pore structure, the best removal efficiency of furfural was obtained by rice husk charcoal modified under carbon dioxide flow.

Theory and practice of radon monitoring with charcoal adsorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen, B L; Cohen, E S

1983-08-01

Because of interest in charcoal adsorption as an inexpensive radon monitoring technique that may be suitable for mass data collection, the theory of radon adsorption from air by a charcoal bed is developed, giving numerical estimates at all stages. The method is practical down to air concentrations of about 0.1 pCi/l. A simple charcoal bed is limited by the fact that its response is highly sensitive to the time interval before termination of the exposure, but two simple methods of avoiding this problem are developed. Simple methods for determining the diffusion constant for the charcoal being used, and for optimizing the depth of the charcoal bed, are presented.

Binding affinities of cationic dyes in the presence of activated charcoal and anionic surfactant in the premicellar region

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Ali, Farman; Ibrahim, Muhammad; Khan, Fawad; Bibi, Iram; Shah, Syed W. H.

2018-03-01

Binding preferences of cationic dyes malachite green and methylene blue in a mixed charcoal-sodium dodecyl sulfate system have been investigated using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The dye adsorption shows surfactant-dependent patterns, indicating diverse modes of interactions. At low surfactant concentration, a direct binding to charcoal is preferred. Comparatively greater quantities of surfactant lead to attachment of dye-surfactant complex to charcoal through hydrophobic interactions. A simple model was employed for determination of equilibrium constant K eq and concentration of dye-surfactant ion pair N DS for both dyes. The values of binding parameters revealed that malachite green was directly adsorbed onto charcoal, whereas methylene blue was bound through surfactant monomers. The model is valid for low surfactant concentrations in the premicellar region. These findings have significance for material and environmental sciences.

Domestic fuel question and the charcoal solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishna Rao, E G

1981-06-01

Domestic fuel for cooking forms one of the basic needs of human society. In India, the pressure of this need has exceeded the regeneration potential of the growing forests which supply a large proportion of this basic need. The pressure can be greatly relieved by converting wood to charcoal before it reaches the consumer. The present paper examines this aspect and reviews the modern methods of charcoal production on fuelwood resources. Besides being a choice domestic fuel, charcoal is a valuable raw material in various industries. Charcoal making industry can be established as a rural based industry (as part of community forestry projects) and would generate much needed cash income at grassroot level. The strategy would be important in dealing with the problem of chronic poverty at this level. (Refs. 5).

Radon adsorbed in activated charcoal- a simple and safe radiation source for teaching practical radioactivity in schools and colleges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Azmi, D.S.

2014-01-01

Simple procedures for teaching practical radioactivity are presented in a way that attracts students' attention and does not make them apprehensive about their safety. The radiation source is derived from the natural environment. It is based on the radioactivity of radon, an ubiquitous inert gas, and the adsorptive property of activated charcoal. Radon gas from ambient air in the laboratory was adsorbed into about 70 gram of activated charcoal inside metallic canisters. Gamma radiation was subsequently emitted from the canisters, following the radioactive decay of radon and its progenies. The intensities of the emitted gamma-rays were measured at suitable intervals using a NaI gamma-ray detector. The counts obtained were analysed and used to demonstrate the radioactive decay law and determine the half-life of radon. In addition to learning the basic properties of radioactivity, the students also get practical experience about the existence of natural sources of radiation in the environment. (author)

Evaluation of efficacy of mineral oil, charcoal, and smectite in a rat model of equine cantharidin toxicosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Qualls, H J; Holbrook, T C; Gilliam, L L; Njaa, B L; Panciera, R J; Pope, C N; Payton, M E

2013-01-01

The efficacy of orally administered therapeutics for the treatment of cantharidin intoxication has not been evaluated in controlled studies. To develop a model of acute cantharidin intoxication in laboratory rats and to evaluate in this model the relative efficacy of 3 gastrointestinal therapies used to treat equine cantharidin toxicosis. Sixty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats. A blinded, randomized, controlled study was performed on rats surgically implanted with telemetry transmitters for evaluating heart rate, locomotor activity, and body temperature. Orogastric administration of cantharidin was performed within 15 seconds before administration of mineral oil, activated charcoal, or smectite. Negative control groups received therapeutic agents alone. Urine was collected for cantharidin analysis. Rats were sacrificed 24 hours after intoxication, and tissues were collected for histopathologic evaluation. Data analysis included ANOVA procedures and contingency tables. Six of 8 cantharidin-intoxicated rats treated with mineral oil died; bradycardia and hypothermia developed in the animals of this group 0-8 hours after intoxication. Rats treated with mineral oil had higher urine cantharidin concentrations than rats receiving cantharidin alone or with smectite (P = .04). The most severe hypothermia (30.6°C ± 1.0) developed in rats administered mineral oil at 4-8 hours after intoxication, whereas those treated with charcoal (35.2°C ± 0.8) had mean body temperatures higher than all other treatment groups (P = .03). Survival times in the charcoal (P = .16) and smectite (P = .12) treatment groups were not statistically different from negative controls. Mineral oil is often used in the treatment of equine cantharidin toxicosis. Our findings suggest that mineral oil increases cantharidin absorption, worsening morbidity and fatality in rats. Copyright © 2013 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Evaluation of the activated charcoals and adsorption conditions used in the treatment of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate for xylitol production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Marton

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Xylitol has sweetening, anticariogenic and clinical properties that have attracted the attention of the food and pharmaceutical industries. The conversion of sugars from lignocellulosic biomass into xylitol by D-xylose-fermenting yeast represents an alternative to the chemical process for producing this polyol. A good source of D-xylose is sugarcane bagasse, which can be hydrolyzed with dilute acid. However, acetic acid, which is toxic to the yeast, also appears in the hydrolysate, inhibiting microbe metabolism. Xylitol production depends on the initial D-xylose concentration, which can be increased by concentrating the hydrolysate by vacuum evaporation. However, with this procedure the amount of acetic acid is also increased, aggravating the problem of cell inhibition. Hydrolysate treatment with powdered activated charcoal is used to remove or decrease the concentration of this inhibitor, improving xylitol productivity as a consequence. Our work was an attempt to improve the fermentation of Candida guilliermondii yeast in sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate by treating the medium with seven types of commercial powdered activated charcoals (Synth, Carbon Delta A, Carbon Delta G, Carbon 117, Carbon 118L, Carbon 147 and Carvorite, each with its own unique physicochemical properties. Various adsorption conditions were established for the variables temperature, contact time, shaking, pH and charcoal concentration. The experiments were based on multivariate statistical concepts, with the application of fractional factorial design techniques to identify the variables that are important in the process. Subsequently, the levels of these variables were quantified by overlaying the level curves, which permitted the establishment of the best adsorption conditions for attaining high levels of xylitol volumetric productivity and D-xylose-to-xylitol conversion. This procedure consisted in increasing the original pH of the hydrolysate to 7.0 with CaO and reducing it

Charcoal cuts the CO2-emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aakervik, Anne Lise.

1999-01-01

According to this article, bio carbon, or charcoal, may be the way out for the Norwegian processing industry in attempting to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. Norwegian ferro-alloy plants emit 3 million ton carbon dioxide per year, which comes from the use of coal and coke as reducing agents in the smelting process. If the fraction of bio carbon is increased by 15%, the emission of CO 2 may be reduced by about 1/2 million tonne per year. But the price of charcoal is much greater than that of fix C from coal and coke. Research is in progress on trying to produce bio carbon cheaper. Charcoal can be produced from all types of forest by pyrolysis. Waste heat from the pyrolysis can be sold and used for district heating. The most expensive part in the use of bio carbon will be timber felling and transport to the log pile. Small-scale and large-scale tests will be made to see if it is possible to make adequate charcoal from subarctic timber

Potency of bio-charcoal briquette from leather cassava tubers and industrial sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Citrasari, Nita; Pinatih, Tety A.; Kuncoro, Eko P.; Soegianto, Agoes; Salamun, Irawan, Bambang

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality of the bio-charcoal briquette with materials from leather cassava tubers and sludge of wastewater treatment plant. The first, bio-charcoal briquette analized stability test and compressive strength. Then, bio-charcoal briquette with best value analyzed for parameter including moisture content, ash content, calorific content, and burned test. The result briquette quality based on compressive strength for bio-charcoal briquettes carbonated water content between 3.8%-4.5% and non-carbonated bio-charcoal briquettes between 5.2%-7.6%. Bio-charcoal carbonation briquette ash content was between 5.30%-7.40% and non-carbonated bio-charcoal briquettes was between 6.86%-7.46%. Bio-charcoal carbonation levels briquettes heated between 578.2 calories/g-1837.7 calories/g and non carbonatedbio-charcoal briquettes between 858.1 calories/g-891.1 calories/g. Carbonated bio-charcoal burned test was between 48-63 minutes and non-carbonated bio-charcoal was between 22-42 minutes. Emissions resulted from the bio-charcoal briquettes for carbonated and non carbonated composition according to the government regulations ESDM No. 047 of 2006 which, at 128 mg/Nm3 and 139 mg/Nm3.

The charcoal-degradation nexus: contested 'fuelscapes' in the sub-Saharan drylands of northern Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Bergmann, Christoph; Petersen, Maike; Roden, Paul; Nüsser, Marcus

2017-04-01

Charcoal ranks amongst the most commercialized but least regulated commodities in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its prevalence as an energy source for cooking and heating, localized environmental and livelihood impacts of charcoal production are poorly understood so far. The identified research deficit is amplified by widespread negative views of this activity as a poverty-driven cause of deforestation and land degradation. However, the charcoal-degradation nexus is apparently more complicated, not least because the extraction of biomass from already degraded woodlands can also be interpreted as an appropriate option under given management regimes. In order to better calibrate existing research agendas to site-specific geographies of charcoal production, we propose a re-conceptualization of such energy landscapes as 'fuelscapes' with complex material and social dimensions. The concept is tested with reference to a case study in Central Pokot, northern Kenya, where charcoal production only began in the early 1990's. Based on the assumption that the fine line between sustainable land management and degradation in dryland energy landscapes is not only highly variable but also increasingly contested, our study combines the knowledge input of different stakeholders with longitudinal time series of remote sensing data. Based on the results of our interdisciplinary analyses, we outline an integrated tool for the co-operative monitoring and management of prevailing degradation processes against the background of diversified livelihood activities in sub-Saharan drylands.

Production of charcoal briquettes from biomass for community use

Science.gov (United States)

Suttibak, S.; Loengbudnark, W.

2018-01-01

This article reports of a study on the production of charcoal briquettes from biomass for community use. Manufacture of charcoal briquettes was done using a briquette machine with a screw compressor. The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of biomass type upon the properties and performance of charcoal briquettes. The biomass samples used in this work were sugarcane bagasse (SB), cassava rhizomes (CR) and water hyacinth (WH) harvested in Udon Thani, Thailand. The char from biomass samples was produced in a 200-liter biomass incinerator. The resulting charcoal briquettes were characterized by measuring their properties and performance including moisture content, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash contents, elemental composition, heating value, density, compressive strength and extinguishing time. The results showed that the charcoal briquettes from CR had more favorable properties and performance than charcoal briquettes from either SB or WH. The lower heating values (LHV) of the charcoal briquettes from SB, CR and WH were 26.67, 26.84 and 16.76 MJ/kg, respectively. The compressive strengths of charcoal briquettes from SB, CR and WH were 54.74, 80.84 and 40.99 kg/cm2, respectively. The results of this research can contribute to the promotion and development of cost-effective uses of agricultural residues. Additionally, it can assist communities in achieving sustainable self-sufficiency, which is in line with our late King Bhumibol’s economic sufficiency philosophy.

Temperature calibration formula for activated charcoal radon collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, Alexandre; Le, Thiem Ngoc; Iimoto, Takeshi; Kosako, Toshiso

2011-01-01

Radon adsorption by activated charcoal collectors such as PicoRad radon detectors is known to be largely affected by temperature and relative humidity. Quantitative models are, however, still needed for accurate radon estimation in a variable environment. Here we introduce a temperature calibration formula based on the gas adsorption theory to evaluate the radon concentration in air from the average temperature, collection time, and liquid scintillation count rate. On the basis of calibration experiments done by using the 25 m 3 radon chamber available at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan, we found that the radon adsorption efficiency may vary up to a factor of two for temperatures typical of indoor conditions. We expect our results to be useful for establishing standardized protocols for optimized radon assessment in dwellings and workplaces. - Research highlights: → The temperature effect on radon adsorption is proportional to αe β/T . → The calibration formula is CF(T,t)=3.1x10 -5 e (2887)/((T+273)) [1-e -0.080t ]. → The radon adsorption efficiency varies up to a factor of two for T = 8.5-31 o C. → The average temperature is suitable for estimating CF(T,t) in a fluctuating environment.

Temperature calibration formula for activated charcoal radon collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, Alexandre, E-mail: alexandre.cooper@gmail.co [Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032 (Japan); Le, Thiem Ngoc [Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission, 59 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Iimoto, Takeshi; Kosako, Toshiso [Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032 (Japan)

2011-01-15

Radon adsorption by activated charcoal collectors such as PicoRad radon detectors is known to be largely affected by temperature and relative humidity. Quantitative models are, however, still needed for accurate radon estimation in a variable environment. Here we introduce a temperature calibration formula based on the gas adsorption theory to evaluate the radon concentration in air from the average temperature, collection time, and liquid scintillation count rate. On the basis of calibration experiments done by using the 25 m{sup 3} radon chamber available at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan, we found that the radon adsorption efficiency may vary up to a factor of two for temperatures typical of indoor conditions. We expect our results to be useful for establishing standardized protocols for optimized radon assessment in dwellings and workplaces. - Research highlights: {yields} The temperature effect on radon adsorption is proportional to {alpha}e{sup {beta}/T}. {yields} The calibration formula is CF(T,t)=3.1x10{sup -5}e{sup (2887)/((T+273))} [1-e{sup -0.080t}]. {yields} The radon adsorption efficiency varies up to a factor of two for T = 8.5-31 {sup o}C. {yields} The average temperature is suitable for estimating CF(T,t) in a fluctuating environment.

Radon Adsorbed in Activated Charcoal--A Simple and Safe Radiation Source for Teaching Practical Radioactivity in Schools and Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Azmi, Darwish; Mustapha, Amidu O.; Karunakara, N.

2012-01-01

Simple procedures for teaching practical radioactivity are presented in a way that attracts students' attention and does not make them apprehensive about their safety. The radiation source is derived from the natural environment. It is based on the radioactivity of radon, a ubiquitous inert gas, and the adsorptive property of activated charcoal.…

Interaction of atomic hydrogen with charcoal at 77 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorodetsky, A.E.; Vnukov, S.P.; Zalavutdinov, R.Kh.; Zakharov, A.P.; Buryak, A.K.; Ulyanov, A.V.; Federici, G.; Day, Chr.

2005-01-01

Charcoal is a working material of sorption cryopumps in the ITER project. The interaction of thermal hydrogen molecules and atoms with charcoal has been analyzed by TDS (77-300 K) and sorption measurements at 77 K. A stream quartz reactor with an H 2 RF discharge was used for the production of H atoms. The ratio of H and H 2 in the gas mixture in the afterglow zone was ∼10 -4 , hydrogen flow and inlet pressure were 6.9 sccm and 30 Pa, respectively. After exposure in the H/H 2 mixture during 1 hour the marked change in the shape of the TD spectra and decrease of the charcoal sorption capacity for hydrogen and nitrogen were detected. A wide spectrum of hydrocarbon fragments formed at 77 K was registered by mass-spectrometry at charcoal heating up to 700 K. The specific adsorption volume of charcoal, which was measured by N 2 adsorption at 77 K, decreased directly as amount of H atoms passed through the section with charcoal. (author)

Comparative removal of congo red dye from water by adsorption on grewia asiatica leaves, raphanus sativus peels and activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, R.; Abbas, A.; Murtaza, S.; Mahmud, T.; Waheed-uz-Zaman; Salman, M.; Shafiq, U.

2012-01-01

Water treatment by adsorption methodology is being evolved in recent years. Various researchers are searching new adsorbents for water treatment which can replace activated charcoal. In the following study, the efficiency of removing Congo Red dye from water using two novel adsorbents, i.e. Raphanus sativus (Radish) peels and Grewia asiatica (Phalsa) leaves was evaluated and compared with activated charcoal. The adsorption process is carried out batch wise by using different concentrations of the aqueous dye solution with different adsorbent doses, agitation rate, varying contact time intervals, at a range of initial pH values and at different temperatures. Various chemicals were used for enhancing the adsorption capacity of adsorbents. The suitability of the adsorbent for using it is tested by fitting the adsorption data on Langmuir isotherm. The results showed that the Phalsa leaves powder is more effective adsorbent than Reddish peels for removing Congo Red dye from water. It can be used for removing Congo Red dye from waste water. (author)

Selection of design parameters of diffusion barrier in a passive 222Rn sampler based on activated charcoal adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Suxia

1992-01-01

A method concerning selection of design parameters of diffusion barrier in a passive 222 Rn sampler based on activated charcoal adsorption. The proper parameter value of diffusion barrier is obtained by means of linearization of 222 Rn adsorption versus the exposure time. Thus, the influence of temperature on measured results may be greatly decreased, and higher sensitivity of the detector may be maintained

Analysis for iodide in groundwater by x-ray fluorescence spectrometry after collection as silver iodide on activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howe, P.T.

1980-01-01

The report describes the determination of microgram quantities of iodide in water by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The iodide is concentrated by precipitation as silver iodide on activated charcoal. If a 60-mL sample is available, a concentration of 0.12 mg/L can be detected. Precision (2σ) at the 1-mg/L level is +- 0.08 mg/L. (auth)

Effects of Charcoal Addition on the Properties of Carbon Anodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asem Hussein

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Wood charcoal is an attractive alternative to petroleum coke in production of carbon anodes for the aluminum smelting process. Calcined petroleum coke is the major component in the anode recipe and its consumption results in a direct greenhouse gas (GHG footprint for the industry. Charcoal, on the other hand, is considered as a green and abundant source of sulfur-free carbon. However, its amorphous carbon structure and high contents of alkali and alkaline earth metals (e.g., Na and Ca make charcoal highly reactive to air and CO2. Acid washing and heat treatment were employed in order to reduce the reactivity of charcoal. The pre-treated charcoal was used to substitute up to 10% of coke in the anode recipe in an attempt to investigate the effect of this substitution on final anode properties. The results showed deterioration in the anode properties by increasing the charcoal content. However, by adjusting the anode recipe, this negative effect can be considerably mitigated. Increasing the pitch content was found to be helpful to improve the physical properties of the anodes containing charcoal.

Back to charcoal?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Areklett, Ivar

2002-01-01

The ferro-alloy industry is currently evaluating the feasibility of using charcoal rather than fossil coal and coke. This is to avoid the emission of climate gases. Ferro-alloys are used in a wide variety of important products. However, the climate gas carbon dioxide is formed during their production. Oxides are the raw material in the production of these alloys. For the Norwegian company Elkem, the starting point is quartz, SiO 2 . The only reducing agent strong enough to break the bond between silicon and oxygen is solid carbon, which reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, the climate gas. Cleaning the waste gases is too expensive to be relevant, as they are very voluminous and have low concentration of CO 2 . The carbon source currently used by the ferro-alloy industry is fossil coal or coke, which can be replaced by charcoal by burning what is not carbon in the wood so that the result is coal with a high carbon fraction. Although the burning of charcoal is not free of CO 2 emission, biological material containing carbon will over time emit CO 2 to the atmosphere anyhow. Thus, CO 2 emission from biomass does not count in the climate accounts. With rational forest management, the use of biomass implies sustainable climate policy. The ferro-alloy industry is currently exempt from climate taxes, but this situation may not last long, which is why the sector is now considering biomass

Behavior of highly radioactive iodine on charcoal in moist air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorenz, R.A.; Manning, S.R.; Martin, W.J.

1976-01-01

The behavior of highly radioactive iodine adsorbed on charcoal exposed to moist air (110 torr water vapor partial pressure) was investigated in a series of six experiments. The amount of radioactive 130 I on the well-insulated 28-cm 3 bed ranged from 50 to 570 Ci, and the relative humidity was 47 percent at the bed inlet temperature of 70 0 C. Radioactive iodine was released from the test beds at a continuous fractional release rate of approximately 7 x 10 -6 /hr for all types of charcoal tested. The chemical form of the released iodine was such that it was very highly penetrating with respect to the nine different types of commercial impregnated charcoals tested in backup collection beds. Two types of silver-nitrate-coated adsorption materials behaved similarly to the charcoals. Silver-exchanged type 13-X molecular sieve adsorbers were 20 to 50 times more efficient for adsorbing the highly penetrating iodine, but not as efficient as normally found for collecting methyl iodide. The chemical form of the highly penetrating iodine was not determined. When the moist air velocity was decreased from 28.5 fpm (25 0 C) to as low as 0.71 fpm (25 0 C), the charcoal bed temperature rose slowly and reached the ignition temperature in three of the experiments. At 0.71 fpm (25 0 C) the ignited charcoal beds reached maximum temperatures of 430 to 470 0 C because of the limited oxygen supply. The charcoal exposed for four years at Oak Ridge ignited at 283 0 C compared with 368 0 C for unused charcoal from the same batch. Two of the experiments used charcoal containing 1 or 2 percent TEDA (triethylene-diamine) and a proprietary flame retardant. The oxidation and ignition behavior of these charcoals did not appear to be affected adversely by the presence of the TEDA

Retrofitting of activated charcoal filters in the iodine removal system of Cirus reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arora, M.K.; Thomas, Shibu; Ullas, O.P.; Sharma, V.K.; Singh, Kapil Deo S.

2002-01-01

Full text: The emergency exhaust system for removal of iodine in the 40 MWt Cirus reactor consisted of a caustic scrubber followed by a bank of silver-coated copper mesh filters. The latter filter elements are no longer commercially available, and moreover, there is need to upgrade the system to meet the current safety norms. An iodine removal system based on activated charcoal adsorbers has been selected for this purpose. The design of the system ensures high iodine removal efficiency and thermal safety of the filters for a postulated accident condition beyond design basis accident. The new iodine removal system has been retrofitted during the current refurbishing programme of Cirus and it has been commissioned and tested satisfactorily

Metabolite Profiling of Feces and Serum in Hemodialysis Patients and the Effect of Medicinal Charcoal Tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Sixiu; Liang, Shanshan; Liu, Hua; Chen, Lei; Sun, Lingshuang; Wei, Meng; Jiang, Hongli; Wang, Jing

2018-05-22

Recently, the colon has been recognized as an important source of various uremic toxins in patients with end stage renal disease. Medicinal charcoal tablets are an oral adsorbent that are widely used in patients with chronic kidney disease in China to remove creatinine and urea from the colon. A parallel fecal and serum metabolomics study was performed to determine comprehensive metabolic profiles of patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). The effects of medicinal charcoal tablets on the fecal and serum metabolomes of HD patients were also investigated. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to investigate the fecal and serum metabolic profiles of 20 healthy controls and 31 HD patients before and after taking medicinal charcoal tablets for 3 months. There were distinct metabolic variations between the HD patients and healthy controls both in the feces and serum according to multivariate data analysis. Metabolic disturbances of alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism figured prominently in the serum. However, in the feces, alterations of tryptophan metabolism, lysine degradation and beta-alanine metabolism were pronounced, and the levels of several amino acids (leucine, phenylalanine, lysine, histidine, methionine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) were increased dramatically. Nineteen fecal metabolites and 21 serum metabolites were also identified as biomarkers that contributed to the metabolic differences. Additionally, medicinal charcoal treatment generally enabled the serum and fecal metabolomes of the HD patients to draw close to those of the control subjects, especially the serum metabolic profile. Parallel fecal and serum metabolomics uncovered the systematic metabolic variations of HD patients, especially disturbances in amino acid metabolism in the colon. Medicinal charcoal tablets had an impact on the serum and fecal metabolomes of HD patients, but their exact effects still need to be studied further

Determination of the attrition resistance of granular charcoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietz, V.R.

1979-01-01

A laboratory procedure has been developed to evaluate the attrition of granular adsorbent charcoals on passing an air flow through the bed. Two factors observed in plant operations were selected as relevant: (1) the characteristic structural vibrations in plant scale equipment (motors, fans, etc.) that are transmitted to charcoal particles and cause the particles to move and rub each other, and (2) the rapid air flow that results in the movement of the attrited dust. In the test a container for charcoal [50 mm diameter and 50 mm high] was vibrated at a frequency of 60 Hz and at a constant energy input manually controlled using a vibration meter in the acceleration mode. Simultaneously, air was applied and exited through glass fiber filter paper. The quantity of dust trapped on the exit filter was then determined, either optically or gravimetrically. The dust formed per minute (attrition coefficient) was found to approach a constant value. The plateau-values from sequential determinations varied with the source of the charcoal; a 5-fold difference was found among a large variety of commercial products. The first testing of a sample released the excess dust accumulated in previous handling of the charcoal. The plateau values were then attained in the succeeding tests and these were characteristic of the material. The results were compared with those obtained for the same charcoals using older test methods such as the Ball and Pan Hardness Test described in RDTM16-1T

Nexusing Charcoal in South Mozambique: A Proposal To Integrate the Nexus Charcoal-Food-Water Analysis With a Participatory Analytical and Systemic Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Martins

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Nexus analysis identifies and explores the synergies and trade-offs between energy, food and water systems, considered as interdependent systems interacting with contextual drivers (e.g., climate change, poverty. The nexus is, thus, a valuable analytical and policy design supporting tool to address the widely discussed links between bioenergy, food and water. In fact, the Nexus provides a more integrative and broad approach in relation to the single isolated system approach that characterizes many bioenergy analysis and policies of the last decades. In particular, for the South of Mozambique, charcoal production, food insecurity and water scarcity have been related in separated studies and, thus, it would be expected that Nexus analysis has the potential to provide the basis for integrated policies and strategies focused on charcoal as a development factor. However, to date there is no Nexus analysis focused on charcoal in Mozambique, neither is there an assessment of the comprehensiveness and relevance of Nexus analysis when applied to charcoal energy systems. To address these gaps, this work applies the Nexus to the charcoal-food-water system in Mozambique, integrating national, regional and international studies analysing the isolated, or pairs of, systems. This integration results in a novel Nexus analysis graphic for charcoal-food-water relationship. Then, to access the comprehensiveness and depth of analysis, this Nexus analysis is critically compared with the 2MBio-A, a systems analytical and design framework based on a design tool specifically developed for Bioenergy (the 2MBio. The results reveal that Nexus analysis is “blind” to specific fundamental social, ecological and socio-historical dynamics of charcoal energy systems. The critical comparison also suggests the need to integrate the high level systems analysis of Nexus with non-deterministic, non-prescriptive participatory analysis tools, like the 2MBio-A, as a means to

Airborne radon-222 measurement by active sampling with charcoal adsorption and gamma-ray spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shizuma, Kiyoshi; Wen, Xiao-qiong; Fukami, Kenji; Iwatani, Kazuo; Hamanaka, Shun-ichi

1998-01-01

A simple method for measuring radon concentration in air is presented. Airborne radon is adsorbed in a charcoal bed by an active air sampling. In time, the adsorbed radon comes to attain radioactive equilibrium with its short-lived progeny 214 Pb. Utilizing this fact, radon concentration is derived from γ-ray measurement of 214 Pb. This method is estimated to be capable of detecting radon concentration in air down to 0.79 Bq·m -3 . The adsorption coefficient obtained with the method is compared with what is obtainable with passive sampling. Applications of this method to indoor and outdoor radon measurements are described. (author)

Charcoal as an alternative energy carrier. Pt. 2: Conversion of biomass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holstad, A

1978-12-01

Terrestrial biomass, residues from forestry, agriculture and farming can be converted by biochemical or thermochemical techniques to fuels. The charcoal yield depends on the raw materials, moisture contents, the temperature of carbonisation and the processing equipment. The yield is reduced by 2 - 3% when using softwood and furthermore with higher temperature of carbonisation. Generally charcoal contains 80 - 90% carbon, 0,5 - 10% ash and 7 - 30% volatile matter. Theoretically the following products are obtained when pyrolising wood: 34,7% Charcoal, 24,9% H/sub 2/O, 10,9% CO/sub 2/, 4,15 CO, 1,6% Methanol, 5,9% Acetic Acid and 17,9% Tar. Units for production of charcoal are large and small kilns, transportable Thomas retorts and Cornell retorts with a production of 1,3 - 6 tons charcoal/day, and the large Lambiotte retort, multiple-hearth furnaces and fluidized-bed reactors. Interesting is also the new equipment of Skogens Kol in Sweden. These large units have a production capacity of 16 - 80 tons charcoal/day. Important production parameters include charcoal yield, labour requirements, air pollution and cost. Based on these parameters the Cornell retort is considered the best unit for production of small quantities of charcoal and Skogens Kol seems to be the most interesting large unit. 17 drawings, 14 tables.

Determination of gold of No. 501 uranium deposits and soil samples by cold leaching gold in dilute aqua regia and collection on activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Maogen; Yao Liying.

1989-01-01

The gold determination method is described by cold leaching gold in dilute aqua regia and collection on activated charcoal and presents the results obtained in determining gold of uranium deposits and soil samples

Guides to manufacturing and marketing charcoal in the Northeastern States

Science.gov (United States)

Fred C. Simmons

1957-01-01

Charcoal manufacture has become the subject of a tremendous new interest in the Northeast in the past few years. In many communities, retailers have been unable to find enough charcoal to fill the demands - even though in the same localities there are large supplies of surplus wood that could be used in making charcoal. As a result of this unfilled demand, we have...

The determination of gold in activated charcoal by use of a loose-powder technique and x-ray-fluorescence spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balaes, A.M.E.

1984-01-01

The method of analysis described is applicable to samples of activated charcoal with a gold concentration of 15g/t and higher. The use of a loose-powder technique minimizes the time taken for the preparation of samples. A platinum internal standard is used for the correction for matrix effects and for differences that could be caused by the packing of the loose charcoal into liquid-sample cups. The precision of the method ranges from a relative standard deviation of 0,085 to 0,016 for concentrations of gold from 67 to 3800g/t respectively. The agreement between the recommended values for a set of reference samples and the values obtained by the X-ray-fluorescence method is better than 3 per cent. The overall time required for the analysis of ten samples and standards is approximately 1 hour. A detailed laboratory method and a computer programme for the calculations are given as appendices

Sorption and desorption behaviors of diuron in soils amended with charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xiang-Yang; Ying, Guang-Guo; Kookana, Rai S

2006-11-01

Charcoal derived from the partial combustion of vegetation is ubiquitous in soils and sediments and can potentially sequester organic contaminants. To examine the role of charcoal in the sorption and desorption behaviors of diuron pesticide in soil, synthetic charcoals were produced through carbonization of red gum (Eucalyptus spp.) wood chips at 450 and 850 degrees C (referred to as charcoals BC450 and BC850, respectively, in this paper). Pore size distribution analyses revealed that BC850 contained mainly micropores (pores approximately 0.49 nm mean width), whereas BC450 was essentially not a microporous material. Short-term equilibration (diuron in a soil amended with various amounts of charcoals of both types. The sorption coefficients, isotherm nonlinearity, and apparent sorption-desorption hysteresis markedly increased with increasing content of charcoal in the soil, more prominently in the case of BC850, presumably due to the presence of micropores and its relatively higher specific surface area. The degree of apparent sorption-desorption hystersis (hysteresis index) showed a good correlation with the micropore volume of the charcoal-amended soils. This study indicates that the presence of small amounts of charcoal produced at high temperatures (e.g., interior of wood logs during a fire) in soil can have a marked effect on the release behavior of organic compounds. Mechanisms of this apparent hysteretic behavior need to be further investigated.

Constructed wetland using corncob charcoal substrate: pollutants removal and intensification.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mao; Li, Boyuan; Xue, Yingwen; Wang, Hongyu; Yang, Kai

2017-09-01

To investigate the feasibility of using corncob charcoal substrate in constructed wetlands, four laboratory-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were built. Effluent pollutant (chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH 4 + -N, total phosphorus (TP)) concentrations during the experiment were determined to reveal pollutant removal mechanisms and efficiencies at different stages. In the stable stage, a VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration attained higher COD (95.1%), and NH 4 + -N (95.1%) removal efficiencies than a VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate (91.5% COD, 91.3% NH 4 + -N) under aeration, but lower TP removal efficiency (clay ceramisite 32.0% and corncob charcoal 40.0%). The VFCW with raw corncob substrate showed stronger COD emissions (maximum concentration 3,108 mg/L) than the corncob charcoal substrate (COD was lower than influent). The VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate performed much better than the VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration when the C/N ratio was low (C/N = 1.5, TN removal efficiency 36.89%, 4.1% respectively). These results suggest that corncob charcoal is a potential substrate in VFCWs under aeration with a unique self -supplying carbon source property in the denitrification process.

Numerical and analytical assessment of radon diffusion in various media and potential of charcoal as radon detector

Science.gov (United States)

Rybalkin, Andrey

Numerical assessments of radon diffusion together with analytical estimates for short-time and long-time exposure were the first objective of this thesis with the goal to demonstrate how radon propagates in various media. Theoretical predictions were compared to numerical simulations, and obtained values of total radon activities inside each material match quite well with the analytical estimates. These estimates, for activated and nonactivated charcoal, were then used to evaluate the possibility of designing a charcoal system to be used as a radon detector. Another objective was to use nonactivated charcoal samples and measure the level of radon accumulation, and use these data to estimate radon diffusion and adsorption coefficients. The analytical approach was developed to estimate these values. Radon adsorption coefficient in nonactivated charcoal was found to be from 0.2 to 0.4 m3/kg. Radon diffusion coefficient for nonactivated charcoal is in the range of 1.2×10-11 to 5.1×10-10 m2/s in comparison to activated charcoal with adsorption coefficient of 4 m3/kg and diffusion coefficient of 1.43×10-9 m2/s. The third objective was to use GEANT4 numerical code to simulate decay of 238U series and 222Rn in an arbitrary soil sample. Based on that model, the goal was to provide a guideline for merging GEANT4 radioactive decay modeling with the diffusion of radon in a soil sample. It is known that radon can be used as an earthquake predictor by measuring its concentration in groundwater, or if possible, along the faults. Numerical simulations of radon migration by diffusion only were made to estimate how fast and how far radon can move along the fault strands. Among the known cases of successful correlations between radon concentration anomalies and earthquake are the 1966 Tashkent and 1976 Songpan-Pingwu earthquakes. Thus, an idea of radon monitoring along the Wasatch Fault, using system of activated/nonactivated charcoals together with solid state radon detectors is

Production of charcoal from woods and bamboo in a small natural draft carbonizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tippayawong, Nakorn; Saengow, Nakarin; Chaiya, Ekarin

2010-07-01

There is a strong domestic market for charcoal in Thailand and many developing countries. Charcoal is usually made from biomass materials in small scale, simple kilns. Traditional charcoal making kilns adopts a process that is very inefficient, and damaging to the environment. In this work, an alternative charcoal reactor based on natural draft, pyrolysis gas burning concept was proposed and demonstrated. Tests with longan woods and bamboo showed that good quality charcoal can be produced in shorter time with lower pollution emissions, compared with traditional kilns. The proposed carbonizer proved to be suitable for small scale, charcoal production in rural area.

Assessment of household charcoal consumption in urban areas: the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... respondents used charcoal as their main source of energy for cooking followed by gas (16.9%). ... sources of energy in order to reduce pressure on natural forests for the supply of charcoal.

Physico-chemical characteristics and market potential of sawdust charcoal briquette

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akowuah, Joseph O.; Kemausuor, Francis [Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana). Dept. of Agricultural Engineering; Mitchual, Stephen J. [Univ. of Education, Winneba, Kumasi (Ghana). Dept. of Design and Technology Education

2012-11-01

In the absence of the widespread distribution of modern cooking fuels in developing countries, efforts are being made to utilise biomass residues which abound in most of these countries. This is intended to replace portions of firewood and charcoal and thereby reduce the cutting down of forests for fuel purposes. Briquettes from agro-residues have therefore been promoted as a better replacement to firewood and charcoals for heating, cooking and other industrial applications in both urban and rural communities. This study sought to assess the physico-chemical properties of charcoal briquettes produced in Ghana and also establish demand for and willingness of potential users to substitute charcoal and firewood with a charcoal briquette. A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the physicochemical characteristics of the briquettes. This was done prior to the distribution of the briquette to potential users to collaborate their views or otherwise on the handling and burning characteristics of the charcoal briquette. A survey was undertaken a week later using questionnaires to access the willingness of the potential users to use the briquettes. Sixty respondents were purposively selected from households and the hospitality industry for the survey. Results of the physico-chemical assessment of the briquettes were as follows: length (75 to 120 mm), moisture content (5.7% dry basis), density (1.1 g/cm{sup 3}), ash content (2.6%), fixed carbon (20.7%), volatile matter (71%) and calorific value (4,820 kcal/kg). Responses from the survey indicated that the briquette is easy to ignite, has a long burning time and has good heat output. Respondents also observed that the briquettes did not give off sparks and had less smoke and ash content as compared to the regular charcoal they often used. Finally, 93% of the respondents indicated their willingness to use the briquettes if the price was comparable to charcoal. (orig.)

Conceptual Analysis: The Charcoal-Agriculture Nexus to Understand the Socio-Ecological Contexts Underlying Varied Sustainability Outcomes in African Landscapes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miyuki Iiyama

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The production of charcoal is an important socio-economic activity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA. Charcoal production is one of the leading drivers of rural land-use changes in SSA, although the intensity of impacts on the multi-functionality of landscapes varies considerably. Within a given landscape, charcoal production is closely interconnected to agriculture production both as major livelihoods, while both critically depend on the same ecosystem services. The interactions between charcoal and agricultural production systems can lead to positive synergies of impacts, but will more often result in trade-offs and even vicious cycles. Such sustainability outcomes vary from one site to another due to the heterogeneity of contexts, including agricultural production systems that affect the adoption of technologies and practices. Trade-offs or cases of vicious cycles occur when one-off resource exploitation of natural trees for charcoal production for short-term economic gains permanently impairs ecosystem functions. Given the fact that charcoal, as an important energy source for the growing urban populations and an essential livelihood for the rural populations, cannot be readily substituted in SSA, there must be policies to support charcoal production. Policies should encourage sustainable technologies and practices, either by establishing plantations or by encouraging regeneration, whichever is more suitable for the local environment. To guide context-specific interventions, this paper presents a new perspective—the charcoal-agriculture nexus—aimed at facilitating the understanding of the socio-economic and ecological interactions of charcoal and agricultural production. The nexus especially highlights two dimensions of the socio-ecological contexts: charcoal value chains and tenure systems. Combinations of the two are assumed to underlie varied socio-economic and ecological sustainability outcomes by conditioning incentive mechanisms to affect

A Novel Activated-Charcoal-Doped Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Hybrid for Quasi-Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Outperforming Pt Electrode.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbab, Alvira Ayoub; Sun, Kyung Chul; Sahito, Iftikhar Ali; Qadir, Muhammad Bilal; Choi, Yun Seon; Jeong, Sung Hoon

2016-03-23

Highly conductive mesoporous carbon structures based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and activated charcoal (AC) were synthesized by an enzymatic dispersion method. The synthesized carbon configuration consists of synchronized structures of highly conductive MWCNT and porous activated charcoal morphology. The proposed carbon structure was used as counter electrode (CE) for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The AC-doped MWCNT hybrid showed much enhanced electrocatalytic activity (ECA) toward polymer gel electrolyte and revealed a charge transfer resistance (RCT) of 0.60 Ω, demonstrating a fast electron transport mechanism. The exceptional electrocatalytic activity and high conductivity of the AC-doped MWCNT hybrid CE are associated with its synchronized features of high surface area and electronic conductivity, which produces higher interfacial reaction with the quasi-solid electrolyte. Morphological studies confirm the forms of amorphous and conductive 3D carbon structure with high density of CNT colloid. The excessive oxygen surface groups and defect-rich structure can entrap an excessive volume of quasi-solid electrolyte and locate multiple sites for iodide/triiodide catalytic reaction. The resultant D719 DSSC composed of this novel hybrid CE fabricated with polymer gel electrolyte demonstrated an efficiency of 10.05% with a high fill factor (83%), outperforming the Pt electrode. Such facile synthesis of CE together with low cost and sustainability supports the proposed DSSCs' structure to stand out as an efficient next-generation photovoltaic device.

The pH-dependent adsorption of tributyltin to charcoals and soot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Liping; Borggaard, Ole K.; Marcussen, Helle; Holm, Peter E.; Bruun Hansen, Hans Christian

2010-01-01

Widespread use of tributyltin (TBT) poses a serious environmental problem. Adsorption by black carbon (BC) may strongly affect its behavior. The adsorption of TBT to well characterized soot and two charcoals with specific surface area in the range of 62-111 m 2 g -1 have been investigated with main focus on pH effects. The charcoals but not soot possess acidic functional groups. TBT adsorption reaches maximum at pH 6-7 for charcoals, and at pH > 6 for soot. Soot has between 1.5 and 15 times higher adsorption density (0.09-1.77 μmol m -2 ) than charcoals, but charcoals show up to 17 times higher sorption affinities than soot. TBT adsorption is successfully described by a new pH-dependent dual Langmuir model considering electrostatic and hydrophobic adsorption, and pH effects on TBT speciation and BC surface charge. It is inferred that strong sorption of the TBTOH species to BC may affect TBT toxicity. - Tributyltin adsorption to black carbon increases at increasing pH but charcoal exhibits electrostatic and hydrophobic adsorption, whereas soot only adsorbs hydrophobically.

Evaluation of usher wood and karkadeh stem for charcoal in Sudan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khristova, P. (Khartoum Univ. (Sudan)); Vergnet, L. (CTFT, 94 - Nogent s/Marne (France). Energie Div.)

1993-01-01

Two unusual biomass materials Hibiscus sabdariffa var. sabdariffa (karkadeh) stem and Calotropis procera (usher) wood were investigated in the laboratory as potential raw materials for charcoal making in Sudan. The materials were characterised physically and chemically and despite the low density and high bark-to-wood ratio by volume, good yields and quality of charcoal were predicted. The carbonization trials with a laboratory retort at conditions close to those of field metal kiln gave very good charcoal yields (35% for karkadeh and 38% for usher) with high energy transformation (58% and 62%, respectively). The karkadeh charcoal, except for a somewhat high ash content, was good for domestic uses (79% fixed carbon and 30.3 MJ kg[sup -1] heat value). The usher charcoal was better with respect to fixed carbon (86.5%) and gross heat value (32.4 MJ kg[sup -1]). Both charcoals were of low density (140-160 kg m[sup -3]) and further assessment of their economic suitability should be carried out under field conditions. The carbonization by-products were also collected and characterized by means of gas chromatography. (author)

Stratigraphic charcoal analysis on petrographic thin sections: Application to fire history in northwestern Minnesota

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, James S.

1988-07-01

Results of stratigraphic charcoal analysis from thin sections of varved lake sediments have been compared with fire scars on red pine trees in northwestern Minnesota to determine if charcoal data accurately reflect fire regimes. Pollen and opaque-spherule analyses were completed from a short core to confirm that laminations were annual over the last 350 yr. A good correspondence was found between fossil-charcoal and fire-scar data. Individual fires could be identified as specific peaks in the charcoal curves, and times of reduced fire frequency were reflected in the charcoal data. Charcoal was absent during the fire-suppression era from 1920 A.D. to the present. Distinct charcoal maxima from 1864 to 1920 occurred at times of fire within the lake catchment. Fire was less frequent during the 19th century, and charcoal was substantially less abundant. Fire was frequent from 1760 to 1815, and charcoal was abundant continuously. Fire scars and fossil charcoal indicate that fires did not occur during 1730-1750 and 1670-1700. Several fires occurred from 1640 to 1670 and 1700 to 1730. Charcoal counted from pollen preparations in the area generally do not show this changing fire regime. Simulated "sampling" of the thin-section data in a fashion comparable to pollen-slide methods suggests that sampling alone is not sufficient to account for differences between the two methods. Integrating annual charcoal values in this fashion still produced much higher resolution than the pollen-slide method, and the postfire suppression decline of charcoal characteristic of my method (but not of pollen slides) is still evident. Consideration of the differences in size of fragments counted by the two methods is necessary to explain charcoal representation in lake sediments.

The Marginalization of Sustainable Charcoal Production in the Policies of a Modernizing African Nation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nike Doggart

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Charcoal is the main cooking fuel for urban populations in many African countries. Urbanization and population growth are driving an increase in demand for charcoal, whilst deforestation reduces biomass stocks. Given increasing demand for charcoal, and decreasing availability of biomass, policies are urgently needed that ensure secure energy supplies for urban households and reduce deforestation. There is potential for charcoal to be produced sustainably in natural woodlands, but this requires supportive policies. Previous research has identified policy issues that have contributed to the charcoal sector remaining informal and environmentally destructive. In this paper, we describe how national policies in Tanzania on energy, forests, agriculture, land, and water, consider charcoal, and the degree to which they do, and do not, support sustainable charcoal production. The paper identifies policy gaps and a cross-sector tendency to marginalize natural forest management. By adopting a nexus approach, the paper highlights the inter-connections between sustainable charcoal production, ecosystem services, and trade-offs in the allocation of land, labor, and net primary production. In conclusion, sustainable charcoal production has been marginalized in multiple national policies. As a result, potential benefits of sustainable charcoal production are lost to multiple sectors.

Reduction in uptake by rice and soybean of aromatic arsenicals from diphenylarsinic acid contaminated soil amended with activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arao, Tomohito; Maejima, Yuji; Baba, Koji

2011-01-01

Activated charcoal (AC) amendment has been suggested as a promising method to immobilize organic contaminants in soil. We performed pot experiments with rice and soybean grown in agricultural soil polluted by aromatic arsenicals (AAs). The most abundant AA in rice grains and soybean seeds was methylphenylarsinic acid (MPAA). MPAA concentration in rice grains was significantly reduced to 2% and 3% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil in the first year of rice cultivation. In the second year, MPAA concentration in rice grains was significantly reduced to 15% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil. MPAA concentration in soybean seeds was significantly reduced to 44% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil. AC amendment was effective in reducing AAs in rice and soybean. - Highlights: → Pot experiments using agricultural soil contaminated with aromatic arsenicals (AAs). → Methylphenylarsinic acid (MPAA) was the most abundant AA in rice and soybean. → MPAA concentration in rice grains was dramatically reduced via 0.2% AC amendment. → MPAA concentration in soybean seeds was also reduced via 0.2% AC amendment. → AC amendment effectively reduced AAs in rice and soybean. - Activated charcoal amendment to soil contaminated with diphenylarsinic acid reduced aromatic arsenicals in rice and soybean.

Reduction in uptake by rice and soybean of aromatic arsenicals from diphenylarsinic acid contaminated soil amended with activated charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arao, Tomohito, E-mail: arao@affrc.go.jp [National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Soil Environmental Division, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8604 (Japan); Maejima, Yuji; Baba, Koji [National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Soil Environmental Division, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8604 (Japan)

2011-10-15

Activated charcoal (AC) amendment has been suggested as a promising method to immobilize organic contaminants in soil. We performed pot experiments with rice and soybean grown in agricultural soil polluted by aromatic arsenicals (AAs). The most abundant AA in rice grains and soybean seeds was methylphenylarsinic acid (MPAA). MPAA concentration in rice grains was significantly reduced to 2% and 3% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil in the first year of rice cultivation. In the second year, MPAA concentration in rice grains was significantly reduced to 15% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil. MPAA concentration in soybean seeds was significantly reduced to 44% in 0.2% AC treated soil compared to untreated soil. AC amendment was effective in reducing AAs in rice and soybean. - Highlights: > Pot experiments using agricultural soil contaminated with aromatic arsenicals (AAs). > Methylphenylarsinic acid (MPAA) was the most abundant AA in rice and soybean. > MPAA concentration in rice grains was dramatically reduced via 0.2% AC amendment. > MPAA concentration in soybean seeds was also reduced via 0.2% AC amendment. > AC amendment effectively reduced AAs in rice and soybean. - Activated charcoal amendment to soil contaminated with diphenylarsinic acid reduced aromatic arsenicals in rice and soybean.

The addition of charcoals to broiler diets did not alter the recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium during grow-out.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, K M; Bourassa, D V; Davis, A J; Freeman, M E; Buhr, R J

2016-03-01

Two experiments evaluated prebiotics added to feed on the recovery of Salmonella in broilers during grow-out and processing. In Experiment 1, "seeder" chicks were inoculated with Salmonella Typhimurium and placed with penmates. Treatments were: basal control diet, added 0.3% bamboo charcoal, 0.6% bamboo charcoal, or 0.12% Aromabiotic (medium chain fatty acids). The ceca from seeders and penmates were sampled to confirm Salmonella colonization at 3, 4, and 6 wk, and pen litter was sampled weekly. At 3 wk, charcoal fed chicks had significantly lower cecal recovery (37% lower) of Salmonella via direct plating but no differences at wk 4 or 6. At 6 wk, broilers fed Aromabiotic had no recovery of Salmonella from ceca with direct plating and significantly, 18%, lower recovery with enrichment. In Experiment 2, the treatments were: basal control diet, added 0.3% bamboo charcoal, 0.3% activated bamboo charcoal, or 0.3% pine charcoal. At placement, 2 seeders were challenged with Salmonella and commingled with penmates and ceca sampled at 1 and 2 wk, and ceca from 5 penmates/pen at 3 to 6 wk. Weekly, the pH of the crop and duodenum was measured from 1 penmate/pen and the litter surface sampled. At the end of grow-out broilers were processed. Results showed that penmates had colonized at 1 and 2 wk. Cecal Salmonella showed no differences except at 4 wk, when activated bamboo charcoal had a 18% lower recovery of Salmonella (enrichment) compared to the control (88%). Similar to Experiment 1, the recovery of Salmonella from the litter was not significantly different among treatments, however an overall decrease in recovery by 4 wk with direct plating reoccurred. The pH of the duodenum and the crop were not different among treatments. Crop pH (6.0) for all treatments were significantly higher at wk 1 compared to wk 2 to 6. Charcoals had minimal effect on Salmonella recovery in the ceca, but following defeathering, broilers fed charcoals had significantly lower Salmonella

The pH-dependent adsorption of tributyltin to charcoals and soot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang Liping, E-mail: fang@life.ku.d [Department of Basic Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C (Denmark); Borggaard, Ole K.; Marcussen, Helle; Holm, Peter E.; Bruun Hansen, Hans Christian [Department of Basic Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C (Denmark)

2010-12-15

Widespread use of tributyltin (TBT) poses a serious environmental problem. Adsorption by black carbon (BC) may strongly affect its behavior. The adsorption of TBT to well characterized soot and two charcoals with specific surface area in the range of 62-111 m{sup 2} g{sup -1} have been investigated with main focus on pH effects. The charcoals but not soot possess acidic functional groups. TBT adsorption reaches maximum at pH 6-7 for charcoals, and at pH > 6 for soot. Soot has between 1.5 and 15 times higher adsorption density (0.09-1.77 {mu}mol m{sup -2}) than charcoals, but charcoals show up to 17 times higher sorption affinities than soot. TBT adsorption is successfully described by a new pH-dependent dual Langmuir model considering electrostatic and hydrophobic adsorption, and pH effects on TBT speciation and BC surface charge. It is inferred that strong sorption of the TBTOH species to BC may affect TBT toxicity. - Tributyltin adsorption to black carbon increases at increasing pH but charcoal exhibits electrostatic and hydrophobic adsorption, whereas soot only adsorbs hydrophobically.

Fabrication and characterization of energy storing supercapacitor devices using coconut shell based activated charcoal electrode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, Amrita; Tripathi, S.K.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • CST with specific surface area of 1640 m 2 g −1 was synthesized using impregnation method. • XRD studies of CST confirm the formation of graphite and amorphous C. • EDLC cell has been successfully fabricated using CST as an electrode material having good energy and power density. - Abstract: In the present studies coconut shell based treated activated charcoal (CST) was synthesized by chemical activation method using KOH (potassium hydroxide) as an activating agent. Surface area analysis shows that CST has mesopores of size 3 nm having specific surface area of 1640 m 2 g −1 . Electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC) was fabricated using CST as an electrode material with blend polymer electrolyte having specific capacitance of 534 mF cm −2 (equivalent to single electrode specific capacitance of 356.2 F g −1 ). The corresponding energy and power density of 88.8 Wh kg −1 and 1.63 kW kg −1 , respectively, were achieved for EDLC

Utilization of radioanalytical methods for the determination of isotopes of U, Pu and Am in activated charcoal from IEA-R1 reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geraldo, Bianca; Marumo, Julio T.; Taddei, Maria Helena T.

2013-01-01

Activated charcoal is a radioactive waste arising from the water purification system of the nuclear research reactor. The management of this waste includes its characterization in order to identify and quantify the existing radionuclides, including those known as 'difficult-to-measure radionuclides' (RDM). The analysis of these RDM usually involves complex radiochemical costly and time consuming procedures for the purification and separation of them. The objective of this work was to define a methodology of sequential analysis of isotopes of U, Pu and Am, present in activated charcoal, evaluating chemical recovery, analysis time, quantity of radioactive waste generated and cost. Ion exchange and the chromatographic extraction methodologies were compared. Both methods showed high chemical recoveries, ranged from 74 and 100% for U, 76 and 100% for Pu and 87 and 100% for Am, demonstrating that these methods provide accurate and reliable results. However, chromatographic extraction method is more suitable for the determination of the radionuclides because it generates the smaller volume of waste and is more cost-effectively. (author)

Utilization of radioanalytical methods for the determination of isotopes of U, Pu and Am in activated charcoal from IEA-R1 reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geraldo, Bianca; Marumo, Julio T., E-mail: bgeraldo@ipen.br, E-mail: jtmarumo@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Taddei, Maria Helena T., E-mail: mhtaddei@cnen.gov.br [Laboratorio de Pocos de Caldas (LAPOC/CNEN-MG), Pocos de Caldas, MG (Brazil)

2013-07-01

Activated charcoal is a radioactive waste arising from the water purification system of the nuclear research reactor. The management of this waste includes its characterization in order to identify and quantify the existing radionuclides, including those known as 'difficult-to-measure radionuclides' (RDM). The analysis of these RDM usually involves complex radiochemical costly and time consuming procedures for the purification and separation of them. The objective of this work was to define a methodology of sequential analysis of isotopes of U, Pu and Am, present in activated charcoal, evaluating chemical recovery, analysis time, quantity of radioactive waste generated and cost. Ion exchange and the chromatographic extraction methodologies were compared. Both methods showed high chemical recoveries, ranged from 74 and 100% for U, 76 and 100% for Pu and 87 and 100% for Am, demonstrating that these methods provide accurate and reliable results. However, chromatographic extraction method is more suitable for the determination of the radionuclides because it generates the smaller volume of waste and is more cost-effectively. (author)

Assessment of radiation exposure of nuclear medicine staff using personal TLD dosimeters and charcoal detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez, F.; Garcia-Talavera, M.; Pardo, R.; Deban, L. [Valladolid Univ., Dept. de Quimica Analitica, Facultad de Ciencias (Spain); Garcia-Talavera, P.; Singi, G.M.; Martin, E. [Hospital Clinico Univ., Servicio de Medicina Nuclear, Salamanca (Spain)

2006-07-01

Although the main concern regarding exposure to ionizing radiation for nuclear medicine workers is external radiation, inhalation of radionuclides can significantly contribute to the imparted doses. We propose a new approach to assess exposure to inhalation of {sup 131}I based on passive monitoring using activated charcoal detectors. We compared the inhalation doses to the staff of a nuclear medicine department, based on the measurements derived from charcoal detectors placed at various locations, and the external doses monitored using personal TLD dosimeters. (authors)

Assessment of radiation exposure of nuclear medicine staff using personal TLD dosimeters and charcoal detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jimenez, F.; Garcia-Talavera, M.; Pardo, R.; Deban, L.; Garcia-Talavera, P.; Singi, G.M.; Martin, E.

2006-01-01

Although the main concern regarding exposure to ionizing radiation for nuclear medicine workers is external radiation, inhalation of radionuclides can significantly contribute to the imparted doses. We propose a new approach to assess exposure to inhalation of 131 I based on passive monitoring using activated charcoal detectors. We compared the inhalation doses to the staff of a nuclear medicine department, based on the measurements derived from charcoal detectors placed at various locations, and the external doses monitored using personal TLD dosimeters. (authors)

Soil charcoal from the plains to tundra in the Colorado Front Range

Science.gov (United States)

Sanford, R. L.; Licata, C.

2010-12-01

Throughout the forests of the central Rockies, soil charcoal from Holocene wildfires has been produced in response to wildland natural fire regimes. The extent and spatial distribution of soil charcoal production is poorly documented in this region, especially with regard to forests and shrublands at different elevations. Soil charcoal is a super-passive C pool derived from woody biomass that can be sequestered for millennia in forest soils. Recent research indicates that soil charcoal may promote enhanced soil fertility. Additionally, soil charcoal is an often overlooked component of soil C mass and flux. We hypothesize that differences in forest and shrubland fire regimes over the millennia have resulted in different soil charcoal amounts. Geospatial data were used to locate random sample plots in foothills shrublands (Cercocarpus montanus), and four forest types; ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and spruce-fir (Picea engelmannii - Abies lasiocarpa). Sample plots were stratified to occur with the mid 200 m elevation band of each vegetation type with east aspect, and 10-30% slope. Soils were sampled widely at 0-10 cm depth and analyzed for total soil C and soil charcoal C via chemical digestion and dry combustion techniques. Overall, soil charcoal is four times more abundant in spruce-fir forests than in foothills shrublands (1.9 +/- 0.92 Mg C/ha versus 0.54 +/- 0.44 Mg C/ha). Soil charcoal is also abundant in lodgepole pine and ponderosa pine soils (1.4 +/- 1.02 Mg C/ha and 1.4 +/- 0.54 Mg C/ha respectively) but is less plentiful in Douglas-fir soils (1.0 +/- 0.67). Spruce-fir forests have the most above ground biomass, slower decomposition rates and a less frequent mean fire return interval than the other four forests, hence it makes sense that high per-fire rates of charcoal production would occur in the spruce-fir zone, given large amounts of surface fuels at the time of fire. In contrast

Global charcoal mobilization from soils via dissolution and riverine transport to the oceans.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffé, Rudolf; Ding, Yan; Niggemann, Jutta; Vähätalo, Anssi V; Stubbins, Aron; Spencer, Robert G M; Campbell, John; Dittmar, Thorsten

2013-04-19

Global biomass burning generates 40 million to 250 million tons of charcoal every year, part of which is preserved for millennia in soils and sediments. We have quantified dissolution products of charcoal in a wide range of rivers worldwide and show that globally, a major portion of the annual charcoal production is lost from soils via dissolution and subsequent transport to the ocean. The global flux of soluble charcoal accounts to 26.5 ± 1.8 million tons per year, which is ~10% of the global riverine flux of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). We suggest that the mobilization of charcoal and DOC out of soils is mechanistically coupled. This study closes a major gap in the global charcoal budget and provides critical information in the context of geoengineering.

Short-Term Changes in Physical and Chemical Properties of Soil Charcoal Support Enhanced Landscape Mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Pyle, Lacey A.; Magee, Kate L.; Gallagher, Morgan E.; Hockaday, William C.; Masiello, Caroline A.

2017-11-01

Charcoal is a major component of the stable soil organic carbon reservoir, and the physical and chemical properties of charcoal can sometimes significantly alter bulk soil properties (e.g., by increasing soil water holding capacity). However, our understanding of the residence time of soil charcoal remains uncertain, with old measured soil charcoal ages in apparent conflict with relatively short modeled and measured residence times. These discrepancies may exist because the fate of charcoal on the landscape is a function not just of its resistance to biological decomposition but also its physical mobility. Mobility may be important in controlling charcoal landscape residence time and may artificially inflate estimates of its degradability, but few studies have examined charcoal vulnerability to physical redistribution. Charcoal landscape redistribution is likely higher than other organic carbon fractions owing to charcoal's low bulk density, typically less than 1.0 g/cm3. Here we examine both the physical and chemical properties of soil and charcoal over a period of two years following a 2011 wildfire in Texas. We find little change in properties with time; however, we find evidence of enhanced mobility of charcoal relative to other forms of soil organic matter. These data add to a growing body of evidence that charcoal is preferentially eroded, offering another explanation for variations observed in its environmental residence times.

Forestry policy and charcoal production in Senegal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribot, J.C.

1993-01-01

This paper examines the historical, social and political-economic dynamics of environmental policy implementation in Senegal's charcoal market. It explores the relationship between urban demand for charcoal and its rural environmental consequences. It focuses on the ways in which the social and political-economic relations within the market and between the market and state shape production, exchange, regulation, and ultimately the social and econological consequences of charcoal production and use. The article begins by characterizing the patterns of woodfuel supply and use in Senegal and by recounting the historical perception and response to environmental problems associated with the woodfuel trade. It describes the social and economic organization of production and exchange, followed by an analysis of policy implementation. It also shows that where social relations dominate production and exchange, environmental policy making and implementation will be an iterative process. Sustainable resource management is not implemented once and for ever, but will come and go. (author)

Modeling the Effects of Future Growing Demand for Charcoal in the Tropics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. J. Santos

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Global demand for charcoal is increasing mainly due to urban population in developing countries. More than half the global population now lives in cities, and urban-dwellers are restricted to charcoal use because of easiness of production, access, transport, and tradition. Increasing demand for charcoal, however, may lead to increasing impacts on forests, food, and water resources, and may even create additional pressures on the climate system. Here we assess how different charcoal scenarios based on the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSP relate to potential biomass supply. For this, we use the energy model TIMER to project the demand for fuelwood and charcoal for different socio-economic pathways for urban and rural populations, globally, and for four tropical regions (Central America, South America, Africa and Indonesia. Second, we assess whether the biomass demands for each scenario can be met with current and projected forest biomass estimated with remote sensing and modeled Net Primary Productivity (NPP using a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-GUESS. Currently one third of residential energy use is based on traditional bioenergy, including charcoal. Globally, biomass needs by urban households by 2100 under the most sustainable scenario, SSP1, are of 14.4 mi ton biomass for charcoal plus 17.1 mi ton biomass for fuelwood (31.5 mi ton biomass in total. Under SSP3, the least sustainable scenario, we project a need of 205 mi tons biomass for charcoal plus 243.8 mi ton biomass for fuelwood by 2100 (total of 450 mi ton biomass. Africa and South America contribute the most for this biomass demand, however, all areas are able to meet the demand. We find that the future of the charcoal sector is not dire. Charcoal represents a small fraction of the energy requirements, but its biomass demands are disproportionate and in some regions require a large fraction of forest. This could be because of large growing populations moving to urban areas

Rapid spread of suicide by charcoal burning from 2007 to 2011 in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ah-Rong; Ahn, Myung Hee; Lee, Tae Yeop; Park, Subin; Hong, Jin Pyo

2014-11-30

Despite rapid increase of suicide by charcoal burning within 5 years, little is known about the characteristics of charcoal burning suicide in Korea. This study aimed to examine the trends and risk factors in the spread of suicide using this method. We identified an association between media reporting of suicide by charcoal burning and its incidence. Data on suicide from 2007 to 2011 were obtained from the Korean National Statistical Office. Cross-correlation analysis was used. Increasing incidence of suicide by charcoal burning was correlated with higher education levels, male sex, and the latter half of the year. Victims of charcoal burning suicide were more likely to be young, male, single, highly educated, professional, urban-based, and to die between October and December. Internet reports of suicide via charcoal burning tended to precede the increased incidence of suicide using this method, but only during the early period of the suicide epidemic. Our findings suggest that one episode of heavy media coverage of a novel method, such as charcoal burning, is sufficient to increase the prevalence of suicide by that method even after media coverage decreases. These findings are expected to contribute to the prevention of increasing rates of suicide by charcoal burning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of charcoal amendment on adsorption, leaching and degradation of isoproturon in soils

Science.gov (United States)

Si, Youbin; Wang, Midao; Tian, Chao; Zhou, Jing; Zhou, Dongmei

2011-04-01

The effects of charcoal amendment on adsorption, leaching and degradation of the herbicide isoproturon in soils were studied under laboratory conditions. The adsorption data all fitted well with the Freundlich empirical equation. It was found that the adsorption of isoproturon in soils increased with the rate of charcoal amended (correlation coefficient r = 0.957 **, P isoproturon in leachate decreased with the increase of the amount of charcoal addition to soil column, while the retention of isoproturon in soils increased with an increase in the charcoal content of soil samples. Biodegradation was still the most significant mechanism for isoproturon dissipation from soil. Charcoal amendment greatly reduced the biodegradation of isoproturon in soils. The half-lives of isoproturon degradation ( DT50) in soils greatly extended when the rate of added charcoal inceased from 0 to 50 g kg - 1 (for Paddy soil, DT50 values increased from 54.6 to 71.4 days; for Alfisol, DT50 from 16.0 to 136 days; and for Vertisol, DT50 from 15.2 to 107 days). The degradation rate of isoproturon in soils was significantly negatively correlated with the amount of added charcoal. This research suggests that charcoal amendment may be an effective management practice for reducing pesticide leaching and enhancing its persistence in soils.

The influence of physical parameters on the adsorption of iodine 131 by activated charcoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billard, F.; Chevalier, G.; Caron, J.; Van Der Meersch, J.

1966-01-01

Following an outline of the means of generating iodine 131 in the gas phase and a brief description of the apparatus used, the authors analyse the experimental results obtained on the trapping of iodine 131 by activated charcoal. The efficiency depends concurrently on the relative humidity and the iodine concentration of the air. While it is independent of this concentration in dry air, it does not exceed 50 in moist air, whatever the bed depth, when the concentration is less than 1 mCi/m 3 , then it increases with the concentrations to reach values close to those obtained in dry air for concentrations of around 1000 Ci/m 3 . At the same time the efficiency of a dust filter with respect to iodine remains very low in dry air whatever the iodine concentration; in moist air this efficiency, which is high at low concentrations, decreases when the latter increases. In addition if a charcoal bed is divided into several beds, separated by an amount corresponding to a passage time of about a second, it is found that the efficiency of the whole is appreciably higher than that of the initial bed. These results appear to establish the existence of at least two forms of iodine, one molecular form and one particulate form probably formed by clusters, the forms equilibrium being functions of the relative concentrations of iodine and water vapour in the air. The third form evidence, a gaseous form compound, remains hypothetical; the experimental curves can be explained either by the molecular and particular forms reversibility or by the increase of clusters size with the relative humidity of the air. (authors) [fr

Ashes to ashes, charcoal to dust: micromorphological evidence for ash-induced disintegration of charcoal in Early Neolithic (LBK) soil features in Elsloo (The Netherlands)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huisman, D.J.; Braadbaart, F.; Wijk, I.M. van; Os, B.J.H. van

2012-01-01

Charcoal and other forms of charred organic material e an important part of the archaeological record e consist of benzenoids. Such components are unstable in basic or alkaline conditions. Since ashes are alkaline, this means that archaeological charcoal may have been disintegrated and lost if

Biocontrol of charcoal-rot of sorghum by actinomycetes isolated from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-12-12

Dec 12, 2011 ... Streptomyces but with different species in BLAST analysis. This study indicates that the selected actinomycetes have the potential for PGP and control of charcoal-rot disease in sorghum. Key words: Antagonistic actinomycetes, biocontrol, charcoal-rot, Macrophomina phaseolina. INTRODUCTION.

Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, Egypt: Pollen, microscopic charcoal, and the transition from natural to human-modified basin

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, J.-D.; Bernhardt, C.E.

2010-01-01

Pollen and microscopic charcoal examined in Holocene sediment core samples record major environmental modifications affecting Alexandria's Eastern Harbor through time. We assess whether such changes on Egypt's coastal margin were influenced primarily by natural, or natural plus human, or primarily human factors. We focus on (1) the times when pollen assemblages and microscopic charcoal content changed in the core, (2) how they changed, and (3) why this occurred. The analysis takes into account the core's stratigraphy, regional climate variability, human history, and local archaeological record. Four pollenmicroscopic charcoal zones are identified. The earliest change occurred at ca. 6000 YBP, during Egypt's earlier Predynastic (Neolithic) period, coinciding with a lithologic break from sand to muddy sand. Pollen during this time indicates a transition to a much drier climate rather than effects of human activity. The second change in pollen occurred 3600-2900 YBP, during a period of continued aridity with no lithologic variation in this core interval. Pollen (cereal taxa, agricultural weeds, grape) and a sharp increase in microscopic charcoal indicate that human activity became prevalent at least 700 y before Alexander the Great's arrival in this region, and these results highlight the transition from a largely natural climatecontrolled environment to one influenced by both climate and anthropogenic activity. The third shift up-core in pollen assemblages is dated at ca. 2300 YBP, at the boundary between a sand and mud unit. It coincides with construction by the Ptolemies of the Heptastadion between Alexandria and Pharos Island. From this time onward, harbor sediment in the nearly enclosed catchment basin indicates a near-continuous record of dominant proximal human activity. ?? 2010 Coastal Education and Research Foundation.

Charcoal production technologies: Environmental and socio-economic impacts with Brazilian examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paula Fernandes, M. de.

1991-01-01

The indirect use of solar energy through photosynthesis, wood and charcoal requires reforestation with fast-growing species to supply continuously charcoal for industrial and domestic needs. This concept, sometimes referred to as an energy farms, is the conversion of sunshine into food, fibre, furniture, paper and pulp products. It the charcoal production uses primitive, low-yield technologies, it endangers the economic viability of the wood energy source and causes negative environmental impacts. 19 refs, 4 figs, 3 tabs

Briquetting of Charcoal from Sesame Stalk

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Alula Gebresas

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the easy availability of wood in Ethiopia, wood charcoal has been the main source fuel for cooking. This study has been started on sesame stalk biomass briquetting which can potentially solve the health problems and shortage of energy, which consequently can solve deforestation. The result of the data collection shows that, using 30% conversion efficiency of carbonizer, it was found that more than 150,000 tonnes of charcoal can be produced from the available sesame stalk in Humera, a place in north Ethiopia. The clay binders that are mixed with carbonized sesame stalk were found to have 69 liquid limits; thus, the optimum amount of clay that should be added as a binder is 15%, which results in better burning and heat holding capacity and better heating time. The developed briquetting machine has a capacity of producing 60 Kg/hr but the carbonization kiln can only carbonize 3.1 Kg in 2 : 40 hours; hence, it is a bottle neck for the briquette production. The hydrocarbon laboratory analysis showed that the calorific value of the charcoal produced with 15% clay content is 4647.75 Cal/gm and decreases as clay ratio increases and is found to be sufficient energy content for cooking.

Environmentally friendly production of charcoal from empty fruit bunches using pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normah Mulop; Mohd Suffian Abdul Rahim

2000-01-01

Empty fruit bunches (EFB) from palm oil milling process are classified as palm oil waste. The EFB can be turned into valuable product such as charcoal, which can be processed further to activated carbon in order to solve some of the disposal problems. In this project, raw EFB was converted to charcoal by means of a pilot plant. A burner generating indirect heat controls the temperature of the process. The carbonization process was carried out in the absence of air at various temperatures and durations to find the optimum carbonization parameters. The study shows that the optimum operating, temperature for carbonization of EFB is 500 o C for the duration of 11/2 hours. The average fixed carbon content of the charcoal is 61.08. The high percentage of volatile matter is prevented from escaping into the air by trapping them in a series of cyclones. The double layered cyclones using water as the cooling medium, condense more volatile matter and reduces smoke exhaust. 50.7 % of ,gaseous product is condensed and 49.2 % is emitted to the atmosphere. The result is an environmental friendly pilot plant. (author)

Carbon sequestration and fertility after centennial time scale incorporation of charcoal into soil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Criscuoli

Full Text Available The addition of pyrogenic carbon (C in the soil is considered a potential strategy to achieve direct C sequestration and potential reduction of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we investigated the long term effects of charcoal addition on C sequestration and soil physico-chemical properties by studying a series of abandoned charcoal hearths in the Eastern Alps of Italy established in the XIX century. This natural setting can be seen as an analogue of a deliberate experiment with replications. Carbon sequestration was assessed indirectly by comparing the amount of pyrogenic C present in the hearths (23.3±4.7 kg C m(-2 with the estimated amount of charcoal that was left on the soil after the carbonization (29.3±5.1 kg C m(-2. After taking into account uncertainty associated with parameters' estimation, we were able to conclude that 80±21% of the C originally added to the soil via charcoal can still be found there and that charcoal has an overall Mean Residence Time of 650±139 years, thus supporting the view that charcoal incorporation is an effective way to sequester atmospheric CO2. We also observed an overall change in the physical properties (hydrophobicity and bulk density of charcoal hearth soils and an accumulation of nutrients compared to the adjacent soil without charcoal. We caution, however, that our site-specific results should not be generalized without further study.

Carbon sequestration and fertility after centennial time scale incorporation of charcoal into soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Criscuoli, Irene; Alberti, Giorgio; Baronti, Silvia; Favilli, Filippo; Martinez, Cristina; Calzolari, Costanza; Pusceddu, Emanuela; Rumpel, Cornelia; Viola, Roberto; Miglietta, Franco

2014-01-01

The addition of pyrogenic carbon (C) in the soil is considered a potential strategy to achieve direct C sequestration and potential reduction of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we investigated the long term effects of charcoal addition on C sequestration and soil physico-chemical properties by studying a series of abandoned charcoal hearths in the Eastern Alps of Italy established in the XIX century. This natural setting can be seen as an analogue of a deliberate experiment with replications. Carbon sequestration was assessed indirectly by comparing the amount of pyrogenic C present in the hearths (23.3±4.7 kg C m(-2)) with the estimated amount of charcoal that was left on the soil after the carbonization (29.3±5.1 kg C m(-2)). After taking into account uncertainty associated with parameters' estimation, we were able to conclude that 80±21% of the C originally added to the soil via charcoal can still be found there and that charcoal has an overall Mean Residence Time of 650±139 years, thus supporting the view that charcoal incorporation is an effective way to sequester atmospheric CO2. We also observed an overall change in the physical properties (hydrophobicity and bulk density) of charcoal hearth soils and an accumulation of nutrients compared to the adjacent soil without charcoal. We caution, however, that our site-specific results should not be generalized without further study.

Fabrication and characterization of energy storing supercapacitor devices using coconut shell based activated charcoal electrode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jain, Amrita; Tripathi, S.K., E-mail: sktripathi16@yahoo.com

2014-04-01

Highlights: • CST with specific surface area of 1640 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} was synthesized using impregnation method. • XRD studies of CST confirm the formation of graphite and amorphous C. • EDLC cell has been successfully fabricated using CST as an electrode material having good energy and power density. - Abstract: In the present studies coconut shell based treated activated charcoal (CST) was synthesized by chemical activation method using KOH (potassium hydroxide) as an activating agent. Surface area analysis shows that CST has mesopores of size 3 nm having specific surface area of 1640 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}. Electrochemical double layer capacitor (EDLC) was fabricated using CST as an electrode material with blend polymer electrolyte having specific capacitance of 534 mF cm{sup −2} (equivalent to single electrode specific capacitance of 356.2 F g{sup −1}). The corresponding energy and power density of 88.8 Wh kg{sup −1} and 1.63 kW kg{sup −1}, respectively, were achieved for EDLC.

Turbidity removal: Gravel and charcoal as roughing filtration media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josiah A. Adeyemo

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Roughing filtration is an important pre-treatment process for wastewater, because it efficiently separates fine solid particles over prolonged periods, without the addition of chemicals. For this study, a pilot plant was designed at Delmas Coal Mine in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The design and sizing of the pilot plant was guided by Wegelin’s design criteria. Gravel was used as a control medium because it is one of the most commonly used roughing filter media and because it was used in developing the criteria. We compared the performance of gravel as a filter medium to that of another locally available material, charcoal, for the removal of turbidity in wastewater. The pilot plant was monitored continuously for 90 days from commissioning until the end of the project. The overall performance of the roughing filter in turbidity removal, using gravel or charcoal, was considered efficient for the pre-treatment of waste water. Charcoal performed slightly better than gravel as a filter medium for the removal of turbidity, possibly because charcoal has a slightly higher specific surface area and porosity than gravel, which could enhance sedimentation and other filtration processes, such as adsorption, respectively.

Remediation of cadmium contaminated vertisol mediated by Prosopis charcoal and coir pith

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Palaninaicker Senthilkumar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Metal contamination of soil due to industrial and agricultural activities is increasingly becoming a global problem, thereby affecting animal and human life, thus rendering soil unsuitable for agricultural purposes. Remediation of cadmium (Cd contaminated soil (Vertisol using agricultural by products as source of organic amendments, Coir pith- a by-product of the coir industry and Prosopis charcoal- prepared by burning Prosopis plant wood (Prosopis juliflora L. was investigated. The alleviation potential of Prosopis charcoal and Coir pith on the negative effects of Cd in soil was evaluated in pot culture experiments with Vigna radiata as the test plant, a Cd accumulator. Cadmium addition to soil resulted in accumulation of Cd in all plant parts of V. radiata predominantly in roots. The influence of Cd in the presence and absence of organic amendments on the various biological and chemical parameters of the soil, on the levels of Cd accumulation and on the growth attributes of V. radiata has been assessed. Among the organic amendments, Prosopis charcoal was found to be more effective in reducing the bioavailable levels of Cd in the soil artificially spiked with Cd in graded concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 µg g-1 and its accumulation in V. radiata, thus resulting in an increase in the root, leaf and stem biomass. Coir pith, however, was effective in increasing the total mycorrhizal colonization of roots and second in reducing Cd levels in plants. Therefore, Prosopis charcoal was considered best for stabilization of Cd in soil.

COMBUSTION OF BIOMASS AND CHARCOAL MADE FROM BABASSU NUTSHELL

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Thiago de Paula Protásio

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, studies have examined the use of lignocellulosic wastes for energy generation. However, there is a lack of information on the combustibility of the residual biomass, especially the bark and charcoal of babassu nut. In this study, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, differential thermal analysis (DTA and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC were used to achieve the following objectives: to evaluate the combustion of the residual biomass from the babassu nut; to evaluate the combustion of charcoal produced from this biomass, considering different final carbonization temperatures; and to determine the effect of the final carbonization temperature on the thermal stability of charcoal and on its performance in combustion. Thermal analyses were performed in synthetic air. In order to evaluate the characteristics of charcoal combustion and fresh biomass, the ignition temperature (Ti, the burnout temperature (Tf, characteristic combustion index (S, ignition index (Di, time corresponding to the maximum combustion rate (tp, and ignition time (tig were considered. The combustion of the babassu nutshell occurred in three phases and it was observed that this lignocellulosic material is suitable for the direct generation of heat. The increase in the final carbonization temperature caused an increase in the ignition temperature, as well as in the burnout temperature, the ignition time and the time corresponding to the maximum combustion rate. The results indicate that the increase in the carbonization temperature causes a decrease in combustion reactivity and, consequently, the charcoals produced at lower temperatures are easier to ignite and exhibit better performance in ignition.

Inhalation Exposure to PM-Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Released from Barbecue Grills Powered by Gas, Lump Charcoal, and Charcoal Briquettes.

Science.gov (United States)

Badyda, Artur J; Widziewicz, Kamila; Rogula-Kozłowska, Wioletta; Majewski, Grzegorz; Jureczko, Izabela

2018-01-01

The present study seeks to define the possible cancer risk arising from the inhalation exposure to particle (PM)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in barbecue emission gases and to compare the risk depending on the type of fuel used for grill powering. Three types of fuel were compared: liquid propane gas, lump charcoal, and charcoal briquettes. PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-100 were collected during grilling. Subsequently, 16 PAHs congeners were extracted from the PM samples and measured quantitatively using gas chromatography. The content of PM-bound PAHs was used to calculate PAHs deposition in the respiratory tract using the multiple path particle dosimetry model. Finally, a probabilistic risk model was developed to assess the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) faced by people exposed to PAHs. We found a distinctly greater PAHs formation in case of grills powered by charcoal briquettes. The summary concentration of PAHs (Σ16PAH) ranged from inhale barbecue particles for 5 h a day, 40 days a year exceeds the acceptable level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We conclude that the type of heat source used for grilling influences the PM-bound PAHs formation. The greatest concentration of PAHs is generated when grilling over charcoal briquettes. Loading grills with food generates conspicuously more PAHs emissions. Traditional grilling poses cancer risk much above the acceptable limit, as opposed to much less risk involving gas powered grills.

Global charcoal mobilization from soils via dissolution and riverine transport to the oceans

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolf Jaffe; Yan Ding; Jutta Niggemann; Anssi V. Vahatalo; Aron Stubbins; Robert G. M. Spencer; John Campbell; Thorsten Dittmar

2013-01-01

Global biomass burning generates 40 million to 250 million tons of charcoal every year, part of which is preserved for millennia in soils and sediments. We have quantified dissolution products of charcoal in a wide range of rivers worldwide and show that globally, a major portion of the annual charcoal production is lost from soils via dissolution and subsequent...

Synthesis of activated charcoal supported Bi-doped TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite under solar light irradiation for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandraboss, V.L.; Kamalakkannan, J.; Senthilvelan, S., E-mail: dr_senthilvel@yahoo.co.in

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Particle size and band gap of TiO{sub 2} is decreased upon Bi doping. • Methylene blue is successfully degraded over Bi/TiO{sub 2} and AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2}. • AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2} is more active photocatalyst than TiO{sub 2} and Bi/TiO{sub 2}. • AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2} led to a maximum extension of the spectral wavelength. • AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2} with enhanced photocatalytic activity produced much more reactive ·OH. - Abstract: In this study, activated charcoal (AC) supported bismuth (Bi)-doped Titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) nanocomposite was synthesized by precipitation method. The photocatalytic activity of AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2} was investigated for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under solar light irradiation. The incorporation of Bi{sup 3+} into the TiO{sub 2} lattice shifts the absorbance of TiO{sub 2} to the visible region then the addition of high adsorption capacity activated charcoal to improve the efficiency of TiO{sub 2}. AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2} is found to be more efficient than Bi/TiO{sub 2} and undoped TiO{sub 2} for the degradation of MB under solar light irradiation. Surface morphology and bulk composition of the composite was obtained using high resolution-scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The crystal structure evolution and elemental composition were analyzed by combining Fourier transform-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption spectra show that the absorption edge for the composite with Bi{sup 3+} has red shift as compared with that of undoped TiO{sub 2}. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra demonstrated a decrease in the direct band gap of AC-Bi/TiO{sub 2}. BET surface area, pore radius and pore volume of the materials were calculated by applying the BET equation to the sorption isotherms. The production of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) on the surface of solar light irradiated materialswere detected by

Charcoal anatomy of Brazilian species. I. Anacardiaceae.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves, Thaís A P; Scheel-Ybert, Rita

2016-01-01

Anthracological studies are firmly advancing in the tropics during the last decades. The theoretical and methodological bases of the discipline are well established. Yet, there is a strong demand for comparative reference material, seeking for an improvement in the precision of taxonomic determination, both in palaeoecological and palaeoethnobotanical studies and to help preventing illegal charcoal production. This work presents descriptions of charcoal anatomy of eleven Anacardiaceae species from six genera native to Brazil (Anacardium occidentale, Anacardium parvifolium, Astronium graveolens, Astronium lecointei, Lithrea molleoides, Schinus terebenthifolius, Spondias mombin, Spondias purpurea, Spondias tuberosa, Tapirira guianensis, and Tapirira obtusa). They are characterized by diffuse-porous wood, vessels solitary and in multiples, tyloses and spiral thickenings sometimes present; simple perforation plates, alternate intervessel pits, rounded vessel-ray pits with much reduced borders to apparently simple; parenchyma paratracheal scanty to vasicentric; heterocellular rays, some with radial canals and crystals; septate fibres with simple pits. These results are quite similar to previous wood anatomical descriptions of the same species or genera. Yet, charcoal identification is more effective when unknown samples are compared to charred extant equivalents, instead of to wood slides.

Charcoal anatomy of Brazilian species. I. Anacardiaceae

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THAÍS A.P. GONÇALVES

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Anthracological studies are firmly advancing in the tropics during the last decades. The theoretical and methodological bases of the discipline are well established. Yet, there is a strong demand for comparative reference material, seeking for an improvement in the precision of taxonomic determination, both in palaeoecological and palaeoethnobotanical studies and to help preventing illegal charcoal production. This work presents descriptions of charcoal anatomy of eleven Anacardiaceae species from six genera native to Brazil (Anacardium occidentale, Anacardium parvifolium, Astronium graveolens, Astronium lecointei, Lithrea molleoides, Schinus terebenthifolius, Spondias mombin, Spondias purpurea, Spondias tuberosa, Tapirira guianensis, and Tapirira obtusa. They are characterized by diffuse-porous wood, vessels solitary and in multiples, tyloses and spiral thickenings sometimes present; simple perforation plates, alternate intervessel pits, rounded vessel-ray pits with much reduced borders to apparently simple; parenchyma paratracheal scanty to vasicentric; heterocellular rays, some with radial canals and crystals; septate fibres with simple pits. These results are quite similar to previous wood anatomical descriptions of the same species or genera. Yet, charcoal identification is more effective when unknown samples are compared to charred extant equivalents, instead of to wood slides.

Implications of Charcoal Briquette Produced by Local Communities on Livelihoods and Environment in Nairobi- Kenya

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M. Njenga

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The residents of Nairobi, Kenya, use 700 tonnes of charcoal per day, producing about88 tonnes of charcoal dust that is found in most of the charcoal retailing stalls that is disposed of inwater drainage systems or in black garbage heaps. The high costs of cooking fuel results in poorhouseholds using unhealthy materials such as plastic waste. Further, poor households are opting tocook foods that take a short time to prepare irrespective of their nutritional value. This articlepresents experiences with community self-help groups producing charcoal fuel briquettes fromcharcoal dust in poorer nieghbourhoods of Nairobi for home use and sale. Households thatproduced charcoal fuel briquettes for own use and those that bought them saved 70% and 30% ofmoney spent on cooking energy respectively. The charcoal fuel briquettes have been found to beenvironmentally beneficial since they produce less smoke and increase total cooking energy bymore than 15%, thereby saving an equivalent volume of trees that would be cut down for charcoal.Charcoal briquette production is a viable opportunity for good quality and affordable cooking fuel.Bioenergy and waste management initiatives should promote recovery of organic by-products forcharcoal briquette production.

Effects of p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid, arabinogalactan, and activated charcoal on microspore embryogenesis in kale.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, R Q; Zhang, Y; Tong, Y; Liu, Z Y; Wang, Y H; Feng, H

2015-04-27

To improve embryogenesis in microspore cultures of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC.), 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), arabinogalactan (AG), p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid (PCIB), and activated charcoal (AC) were added to the medium using four varieties of kale. The results showed that the addition of AG (0.1-0.2 g/L), AC (0.1-0.2 g/L) or a combination of 6-BA (0.1-0.2 mg/L) and NAA (0.1-0.2 mg/L) promoted embryo-genesis. Adding 40 μM PCIB or a combination of 40 μM PCIB and 0.2 g/L AC to NLN-13 medium at pH 5.8 effectively enhanced embryogenesis. Treatment with a combination of 40 μM PCIB and 10 mg/L AG gave the highest rate of embryonic induction, especially in genotype "Y007," which showed a twelve-fold increase in yield.

Fabrication and characterization of rice husk charcoal bio briquettes

Science.gov (United States)

Suryaningsih, S.; Nurhilal, O.; Yuliah, Y.; Salsabila, E.

2018-02-01

Rice husk is the outermost part of the rice seed which is a hard layer and a waste material from rice milling. Rice husk includes biomass that can be exploited for various requirements such as industrial raw materials as well as energy sources or fuel but only a small group of people use it. This research is conducted utilizing the rice husk as an alternative fuel by making it as a charcoal briquette. To make the treatment easy, firstly the rice husk biomass was converted into charcoal powder by carbonization method using two kinds of furnace which have different heating behavior. The best carbonization results are obtained from the furnace, which has a constant temperature heating behavior. The process of making briquettes is prepared by adding tapioca starch of 6% concentration by weight as charcoal adhesive and then printed with the aid of pressing tools using loads at 1,000 kg/cm2. The resulting briquette has a calorific value about 3.126 cal/g, mass density is 0.86 g/cm3 and compressive strength is about 2.02 kg/cm2, so that the bio-briquette of charcoal produced can be used as alternative energy to replace the fossil fuel for domestic or household purposes.

REDUCTION OF BENZO (A PYRENE IN CHARCOAL GRILLED DUCK MEAT BY MARINATING WITH ANDALIMAN (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium, DC FRUIT JUICE

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K. Sinaga

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The effect of andaliman fruit juice marination on the amounts of benzo (a pyrene in charcoal grilled duck meat were investigated in this research. Completely randomized design was used to determine the effect of 4 treatments of andaliman fruit juice concentration (w/v. Twenty four duck meat samples were devided into 4 treatment groups, those were 0% (I, 10% (II, 20% (III and 30% (IV. Each group consisted of 6 samples. Total Fat, Tio Barbituric Acid (TBA value and antioxidant activity were measured from all samples. The result showed there was no effect on total fat of duck meat. Antioxidant activity was 18.60 %, 18.06 %, 19.99 % and 7.54 % for andaliman fruit juice of 10%, 20%, 30% and 0%, respectively. TBA value was 1.03 %, 0.89 %, 0.09 % and 0.10 % for treatment II, III, IV and I, respectively. Antioxidant activity of andaliman fruit was decreased the amounts of Benzo (a pyrene of duckmeat. Charcoal duck meat without andaliman fruit produced 787 ng, it was higher than charcoal duck meat with andaliman fruit (295 ng.

Consumer Preferences for Coconut Shell Charcoal in Suburban Indonesia

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Pitri Yandri

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Suburbs in Indonesia are not only characterized by the presence of residential areas, but also trading activities. These activities exist in order to support the needs of residents for goods and/or services. The complicated process that involves pull and push factors causes the suburbs to be well-known as economically potential areas, especially for micro, small, medium and large enterprises. One example of the trading subsectors is restaurants, both micro enterprises with traditional management and franchises patterns with professional management. Most of these restaurants provide barbequed menus which consume shell coconut charcoal. Then the question arises, is the quality of those commodity is the only reason for the restaurants in using it? This paper presents the elaboration of the research on consumer preferences in a suburban area of the consumption of coconut shell charcoal. By using the Fishbein Model, it is concluded that the aspect of belief and price attribute are in the first rank, which shows that those commodity is an expensive fuel, while the second rank is quality. The rest are models and after-sales service, respectively. From the aspect of evaluation, the respondents believe that quality is in the first rank that should be improved in the future. The second is price and the rest are after-sales service, packaging and models, respectively.

Consumer Preferences for Coconut Shell Charcoal in Suburban Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pitri Yandri

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Suburbs in Indonesia are not only characterized by the presence of residential areas, but also trading activities. These activities exist in order to support the needs of residents for goods and/or services. The complicated process that involves pull and push factors causes the su-burbs to be well-known as economically potential areas, especially for micro, small, medium and large enterprises. One example of the trading subsectors is restaurants, both micro enterprises with traditional management and franchises patterns with professional management. Most of these restaurants provide barbequed menus which consume shell coconut charcoal. Then the question arises, is the quality of those commodity is the only reason for the restaurants in using it? This paper presents the elaboration of the research on consumer preferences in a suburban area of the consumption of coconut shell charcoal. By using the Fishbein Model, it is concluded that the aspect of belief and price attribute are in the first rank, which shows that those commodity is an expensive fuel, while the second rank is quality. The rest are models and after-sales service, respectively. From the aspect of evaluation, the respondents believe that quality is in the first rank that should be improved in the future. The second is price and the rest are after-sales service, packaging and models, respectively.

A passive radon dosimeter based on the combination of a track etch detector and activated charcoal

CERN Document Server

Deynse, A V; Poffijn, A

1999-01-01

The aim of this work is to test a combination of a Makrofol track detector with a new type of charcoal (Carboxen-564) to design a personal radon dosimeter. The intention is to use this dosimeter as a personal radon dosimeter to measure the monthly radon exposure in workplaces, especially when the occupancy is not exactly known. The proposed combination was exposed to low and high concentrations of radon in a large range of relative humidity (RH). For the optimal layer thickness, a charcoal bed of 2.2 mm, a specific track density of 5.1 tracks cm sup - sup 2 /kBq h m sup - sup 3 was obtained. For a monthly working exposure (170 h) at an average radon concentration of 100 Bq/m sup 3 , this means 87 tracks/cm sup 2 or 10 times the background of the Makrofol detector, with a statistical uncertainty of 15%.

Dermal exposure assessment to benzene and toluene using charcoal cloth pads

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wendel de Joode, B. van; Tielemans, E.; Vermeulen, R.; Wegh, H.; Kromhout, H.

2005-01-01

Charcoal cloth pads have been used to assess volatile chemicals on the skin in a laboratory setting; however, they have not yet been applied to measure dermal exposure in occupational settings. This study aimed at evaluating whether charcoal pads can be used to assess dermal exposure to benzene and

Validation of computer code TRAFIC used for estimation of charcoal heatup in containment ventilation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, D.H.; Datta, D.; Malhotra, P.K.; Ghadge, S.G.; Bajaj, S.S.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Standard Indian PHWRs are provided with a Primary Containment Filtration and Pump-Back System (PCFPB) incorporating charcoal filters in the ventilation circuit to remove radioactive iodine that may be released from reactor core into the containment during LOCA+ECCS failure which is a Design Basis Accident for containment of radioactive release. This system is provided with two identical air circulation loops, each having 2 full capacity fans (1 operating and 1 standby) for a bank of four combined charcoal and High Efficiency Particulate Activity (HEPA) filters, in addition to other filters. While the filtration circuit is designed to operate under forced flow conditions, it is of interest to understand the performance of the charcoal filters, in the event of failure of the fans after operating for some time, i.e., when radio-iodine inventory is at its peak value. It is of interest to check whether the buoyancy driven natural circulation occurring in the filtration circuit is sufficient enough to keep the temperature in the charcoal under safe limits. A computer code TRAFIC (Transient Analysis of Filters in Containment) was developed using conservative one dimensional model to analyze the system. Suitable parametric studies were carried out to understand the problem and to identify the safety of existing system. TRAFIC Code has two important components. The first one estimates the heat generation in charcoal filter based on 'Source Term'; while the other one performs thermal-hydraulic computations. In an attempt validate the Code, experimental studies have been carried out. For this purpose, an experimental set up comprising of scaled down model of filtration circuit with heating coils embedded in charcoal for simulating the heating effect due to radio iodine has been constructed. The present work of validation consists of utilizing the results obtained from experiments conducted for different heat loads, elevations and adsorbent

[Clinical presentation, therapeutic approach and outcomes in acute poisoning treated with activated charcoal. Are there differences between men and women?].

Science.gov (United States)

Amigó-Tadín, Montserrat; Nogué-Xarau, Santiago; Miró-Andreu, Oscar

2010-01-01

To determine whether there are gender-based differences in the clinical presentation, therapeutic approaches and outcomes in acute poisoning treated with activated charcoal. A descriptive study conducted in the Emergency Department of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona over the 7 years between the years 2001 and 2008. The study included poisoned patients who had received activated charcoal. The variables included, epidemiological data, clinical and toxicological presentation, therapeutic approach, time in emergency department and outcomes. A total of 575 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 37.8 (SD 14.8) years and 65.7% were females. No differences were observed between males and females with respect to age, number of drugs involved in the poisoning or the number of tablets ingested, but a higher prevalence of benzodiazepine poisoning was observed in females compared to males (69.8 vs. 61.2%; Ppoisoning was more common in males than in females (32.4 vs.18.8%; Ppoisoning was also more common in males than in females (7.9 vs. 3.2%; Ppoisonings, delays in care, hours of emergency department stay, treatment or outcome. Benzodiazepine poisoning was more prevalent in females than in males. Non-drug poisonings and alcohol combined with drug ingestion were more common in males. The clinical outcomes of the poisonings, delays in care, therapeutic requirements and admissions were similar between genders. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Activated Charcoal Hemoperfusion in the Treatment of Experimental Amitriptyline Poisoning in Pigs - The Effect on Amitriptyline Plasma Concentration and Hemodynamic Parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jansen, Tejs; Petersen, Henrik; Malskaer, Cecilie M

2017-01-01

Coated activated charcoal hemoperfusion (CAC-HP) is a well-known treatment modality. Case reports have revealed conflicting results about the efficacy of CAC-HP in the treatment of amitriptyline (AT) poisoning, and no randomised clinical trials have been identified in the literature. This study a...... of AT compared to standard treatment alone. We hypothesize that the effect of modern CAC-HP as a treatment modality in AT poisoned human patients may be inadequate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

Performance Evaluation of Waste Heat Recovery in a Charcoal Stove using a Thermo-Electric Module

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Nnamdi Judges Ajah

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Charcoal stoves have widespread use among the poorer households and outdoor food vendors in Nigeria. In order to improve the efficiency of charcoal stoves, various researches have tried integrating a thermoelectric module in the charcoal stove. The researches, however did not exploit the performance of the thermoelectric modules at different ambient temperatures. To evaluate the performance of thermoelectric integrated charcoal stoves in the sub-Saharan Africa, a self-powered, forced air induced thermoelectric charcoal stove experiment was carried out at five different ambient temperatures of 36ºC, 33ºC, 32ºC, 30ºC and 29ºC and an average fuel hotbed temperature of 1023.75ºC. The thermoelectric charcoal stove generated a maximum voltage of 5.25V at an ambient temperature of 29ºC. The least maximum voltage was generated at the highest ambient temperature of 36ºC. It was observed that the maximum voltage increased with decreasing ambient temperature, this could be attributed to the ambient air being used to cool the thermoelectric generator. Therefore, it could be said that the performance of a forced draft thermoelectric charcoal stove increases with decrease in ambient temperature.

The Impact of Charcoal Production on Forest Degradation: a Case Study in Tete, Mozambique

Science.gov (United States)

Sedano, F.; Silva. J. A.; Machoco, R.; Meque, C. H.; Sitoe, A.; Ribeiro, N.; Anderson, K.; Ombe, Z. A.; Baule, S. H.; Tucker, C. J.

2016-01-01

Charcoal production for urban energy consumption is a main driver of forest degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. Urban growth projections for the continent suggest that the relevance of this process will increase in the coming decades. Forest degradation associated to charcoal production is difficult to monitor and commonly overlooked and underrepresented in forest cover change and carbon emission estimates. We use a multi-temporal dataset of very high-resolution remote sensing images to map kiln locations in a representative study area of tropical woodlands in central Mozambique. The resulting maps provided a characterization of the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of charcoal production. Using an indirect approach we combine kiln maps and field information on charcoal making to describe the magnitude and intensity of forest degradation linked to charcoal production, including aboveground biomass and carbon emissions. Our findings reveal that forest degradation associated to charcoal production in the study area is largely independent from deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and that its impact on forest cover change is in the same order of magnitude as deforestation. Our work illustrates the feasibility of using estimates of urban charcoal consumption to establish a link between urban energy demands and forest degradation. This kind of approach has potential to reduce uncertainties in forest cover change and carbon emission assessments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Macro-particle charcoal C content following prescribed burning in a mixed-conifer forest, Sierra Nevada, California.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiechmann, Morgan L; Hurteau, Matthew D; Kaye, Jason P; Miesel, Jessica R

2015-01-01

Fire suppression and changing climate have resulted in increased large wildfire frequency and severity in the western United States, causing carbon cycle impacts. Forest thinning and prescribed burning reduce high-severity fire risk, but require removal of biomass and emissions of carbon from burning. During each fire a fraction of the burning vegetation and soil organic matter is converted into charcoal, a relatively stable carbon form. We sought to quantify the effects of pre-fire fuel load and type on charcoal carbon produced by biomass combusted in a prescribed burn under different thinning treatments and to identify more easily measured predictors of charcoal carbon mass in a historically frequent-fire mixed-conifer forest. We hypothesized that charcoal carbon produced from coarse woody debris (CWD) during prescribed burning would be greater than that produced from fine woody debris (FWD). We visually quantified post-treatment charcoal carbon content in the O-horizon and the A-horizon beneath CWD (> 30 cm diameter) and up to 60 cm from CWD that was present prior to treatment. We found no difference in the size of charcoal carbon pools from CWD (treatment means ranged from 0.3-2.0 g m-2 of A-horizon and 0.0-1.7 g m-2 of O-horizon charcoal) and FWD (treatment means ranged from 0.2-1.7 g m-2 of A-horizon and 0.0-1.5 g m-2 of O-horizon charcoal). We also compared treatments and found that the burn-only, understory-thin and burn, and overstory-thin and burn treatments had significantly more charcoal carbon than the control. Charcoal carbon represented 0.29% of total ecosystem carbon. We found that char mass on CWD was an important predictor of charcoal carbon mass, but only explained 18-35% of the variation. Our results help improve our understanding of the effects forest restoration treatments have on ecosystem carbon by providing additional information about charcoal carbon content.

Effect of Activated Charcoals and a Coupled Biochar on Growth of Crops%活性木炭材料及生物耦合炭对植物生长的影响

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

余仲东; 任争争; 彭少兵; 张帅

2014-01-01

选用活性石炭、椰壳活性炭和杉木活性炭3种活性木炭与杨凌地区3种不同利用型土壤(农耕土、雪松林下土和桃园土)组合测定生菜种苗萌发情况。然后用筛选出的杉木活性炭与内生细菌Bacillus sp.进行耦合,并测定该耦合炭的制备条件及对小麦生长的影响。结果表明：3种类型的土壤对生菜胚根均有一定的化感抑制作用,活性木炭及活性木炭-土壤交互作用对生菜生长影响差异显著,以杉木活性炭对农耕土和老桃园土改良效果显著,胚轴/胚根净炭作用率分别为178.8%/90.9%、178.9%/106.1%,酸性的活性石炭对雪松林下土生菜胚轴的生长有轻微抑制作用,净炭作用率为-120.7%。在此基础上,筛选出优良杉木活性木炭,并与内生细菌Bacillus sp.在40℃下热耦合30 min,再在27℃恒温培养1 d,获得优良的生物耦合炭。该生物耦合炭有较强的土壤持水能力,对小麦在质量分数为1%的高盐浓度下生长有显著促进作用。1250 g农耕土,加入3 g耦合炭处理组10 d高度生长促进率最大(37.3%,α=0.05)；加入6 g耦合炭处理组20 d生物量促进率最大(18.8%,α=0.05),6 g处理组对小麦生长促进效果最好。%Seedlings growth of Chinese lettuce were dated under combination of 3 kinds of activated charcoal and 3 use patterns of soil respectively in Yangling region. An activated fir charcoal was picked up for making coupled biochar with endophytic bacteria, Bacillus sp. , and the coupled fir biochar was further tested in pot planting with winter wheat. Results showed that of three charcoals, activated coal, activated coconut carbon and activated fir charcoal, significantly affected the growth of Chinese lettuce, as well as interactions between charcoal and soil. Fir charcoal showed 178. 8%/90. 9% and 178. 9%/106. 1% net carbon rate of promotion on hypocotyl/radicle of lettuce seedlings in agriculture soil and peach orchard soil respectively. Whereas, the

Comparing charcoal and zeolite reflection filters for volatile anaesthetics: A laboratory evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sturesson, Louise W; Frennström, Jan O; Ilardi, Marcella; Reinstrup, Peter

2015-08-01

A modified heat-moisture exchanger that incorporates a reflecting filter for use with partial rebreathing of exhaled volatile anaesthetics has been commercially available since the 1990 s. The main advantages of the device are efficient delivery of inhaled sedation to intensive care patients and reduced anaesthetic consumption during anaesthesia. However, elevated arterial CO2 values have been observed with an anaesthetic conserving device compared with a conventional heat and moisture exchanger, despite compensation for larger apparatus dead space. The objective of this study is to thoroughly explore the properties of two reflecting materials (charcoal and zeolites). A controlled, prospective, observational laboratory study. Lund University Hospital, Sweden, from December 2011 to December 2012. None. Three filters, with identical volumes, were compared using different volatile anaesthetics at different conditions of temperature and moisture. The filtering materials were charcoal or zeolite. Glass spheres were used as an inert control. Consumption of volatile anaesthetics using different reflecting materials in filters at different conditions regarding temperature and moisture. CO2 reflection by the filtering materials: glass spheres, charcoal or zeolite. Isoflurane consumption in an open system was 60.8 g h(-1). The isoflurane consumption in dry, warm air was 39.8 g h(-1) with glass spheres. Changing to charcoal and zeolite had a profound effect on isoflurane consumption, 11.8 and 10.7 g h(-1), respectively. Heating and humidifying the air as well as the addition of N2O created only minor changes in consumption. The percentage of isoflurane conserved by the charcoal filter was independent of the isoflurane concentration (0.5 to 4.5%). Reflection of sevoflurane, desflurane and halothane by the charcoal filter was similar to reflection of isoflurane. Both charcoal and zeolite filters had CO2 reflecting properties and end-tidal CO2 increased by 3 to 3.7% compared

Design, Fabrication and Installation of the Charcoal Filter Housing in RIPF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Jin; Lim, I. C.; Bang, H. S.

2008-05-01

In the Hot Cell Bank 3 of the Radioisotope Production Facility, production and dispense of I-131 solution and capsule that are used for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer are made. The original charcoal filter housings installed in 1994 and were utilized until the leakage of a very small amount of radio-iodine was found due to the erroneous installation of the charcoal filter in the filter housing. Thus the production of I-131 was discontinued until the repair and performance testing of the filter housing and the inspection by the regulatory body were finished. Although the production of I-131 was resumed, there was a desire for installing the brand-new charcoal filter housing which has an intrinsically safe design and no possibility of leakage. This report describes the design, fabrication and installation of brand-new charcoal filter housing. And also were described the dismantlement of the old housings, the assessment of the structural integrity of the shielding concrete wall and the installation of the shielding doors

Radiocarbon ages of soil charcoals from the southern Alps, Ticino, Switzerland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajdas, Irka; Schlumpf, Nadia; Minikus-Stary, Nicole; Hagedorn, Frank; Eckmeier, Eileen; Schoch, Werner; Burga, Conradin; Bonani, Georges; Schmidt, Michael W.I.; Cherubini, Paolo

2007-01-01

Radiocarbon dating of macroscopic charcoal is a useful tool for paleoclimatic and paleoecologic reconstructions. Here we present results of 14 C dating of charcoals found in charcoal-rich soils of Ticino and the Misox Valley (southern Switzerland) which indicate that the Late Glacial and early Holocene fires coincided with warm phases in the North Atlantic region and low lake levels in the Central Europe. Late Holocene charcoals found in these soils document an earlier than believed presence of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in southern Switzerland. Sweet chestnut trees play a key role in Mediterranean woodlands, and for longer than two millennia have been used as a food source. Based on palynological evidence it is commonly believed that in southern Switzerland C. sativa was first introduced 2000 years ago by the Romans, who cultivated it for wood and fruit production. Our results indicate that this tree species was present on the southern slopes of the Alps ∼1500 years earlier than previously assumed, and therefore was likely introduced independently from cultivation by the Romans

Environmental impact assessment of the charcoal production and utilization system in central Zambia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serenje, W.; Chidumayo, E.N.; Chipuwa, J.H.; Egneus, H.; Ellegaard, A.

1994-01-01

The present study is the outcome of the Zambia Charcoal Utilization Programme, which is based on cooperation that started in 1989 between the Department of Energy, Ministry of Energy and Water Development (then Ministry of Power, Transport and Communications) and the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI). The programme, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA), consists of a number of studies focusing on different aspects of the wood and charcoal industry in Zambia. Selection of this energy system for detailed study was based on the fact that wood provides the largest contribution to total energy supply in Zambia, and the fact that wood is a renewable resource that could be exploited on a sustainable basis if properly managed. The studies therefore range from those that look at sustainability of the natural forests exploited for charcoal, to those that deal with transportation and health aspects of charcoal production and use. The present report focuses on the environmental and socio-economic effects of charcoal production and use. 72 refs., 20 figs., 38 tabs

Baking sunflower hulls within an aluminum envelope in a common laboratory oven yields charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnal, Pablo Maximiliano

2015-01-01

Charcoals have been widely used by scientist to research the removal of contaminants from water and air. One key feature of charcoal is that it keeps macropores from the parent material - though anisotropically contracted - and can even develop meso- and micropores. However, the controlled thermochemical conversion of biomass into charcoal at laboratory scale normally requires special setups which involve either vacuum or inert gas. Those setups may not be affordable in research groups or educational institutions where the research of charcoals would be highly welcome. In this work, I propose a simple and effective method to steer the thermochemical process that converts sunflower hulls (SFH) into charcoal with basic laboratory resources. The carbonization method: •Place SFH in an airtight aluminum envelope.•Thermally treat SFH within the envelope in a common laboratory oven.•Open the envelope to obtain the carbonized sunflower hulls.

Adsorption of krypton from helium by low temperature charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, M.H.; Simmons, C.R.; Taylor, G.R.

1975-01-01

Adsorption of krypton from helium by charcoal at temperatures from -100 0 C to -140 0 C was experimentally investigated to verify adsorption system design methods and to determine effects of regeneration for the Gas Purification System of the Liquid-Metal Fast Breeder Reactor. Helium with two krypton concentrations, traced by krypton-85 at 0.0044 μCi/cm 3 , was passed through a 1/2-inch diameter, three-inch long trap packed with coconut charcoal. Breakthrough curves were measured by continuously recording the activity of the effluent gas using a sampler with a krypton-85 detection limit of about 5 x 10 -7 μCi/cm 3 . Experimental breakthrough curves with continuous feed for both concentrations and for superficial gas velocities of 5 to 28 cm/sec were closely fitted when the pore diffusion term was omitted from the Anzelius linear equilibrium adsorption model indicating that the adsorption process for this system was controlled by gas phase mass transport kinetics. Adsorption capacities determined in these experiments at -140 0 C agreed closely with published data. A discontinuity, however, was observed in the krypton adsorption coefficient between -100 and -120 0 C. This discontinuity may be caused by capillary condensation of krypton in the charcoal pores. Breakthrough times for pulse experiments at 400 ppM (vol.) krypton concentration were several times greater than breakthrough for continuous feed experiments at equivalent conditions. The differences in breakthrough times indicate that the adsorption isotherms are non-linear in this concentration range. Regeneration experiments showed that purging with helium at room temperature for 16 hours was inadequate, since lower breakthrough times were obtained after this treatment. Regeneration under vacuum at 100 0 C or 200 0 C for 16 hours resulted in satisfactory regeneration (i.e., no reduction in breakthrough times occurred in subsequent runs). (U.S.)

Modeling the Effects of Future Growing Demand for Charcoal in the Tropics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ferreira Dos Santos, M.J.; Dekker, S.C.; Daioglou, Vasileios; Braakhekke, M.C.; van Vuuren, Detlef

Global demand for charcoal is increasing mainly due to urban population in developing countries. More than half the global population now lives in cities, and urban-dwellers are restricted to charcoal use because of easiness of production, access, transport, and tradition. Increasing demand for

Reconstructions of Fire Activity in North America and Europe over the Past 250 Years: A comparison of the Global Charcoal Database with Historical Records

Science.gov (United States)

Magi, B. I.; Marlon, J. R.; Mouillot, F.; Daniau, A. L.; Bartlein, P. J.; Schaefer, A.

2017-12-01

Fire is intertwined with climate variability and human activities in terms of both its causes and consequences, and the most complete understanding will require a multidisciplinary approach. The focus in this study is to compare data-based records of variability in climate and human activities, with fire and land cover change records over the past 250 years in North America and Europe. The past 250 years is a critical period for contextualizing the present-day impact of human activities on climate. Data are from the Global Charcoal Database and from historical reconstructions of past burning. The GCD is comprised of sediment records of charcoal accumulation rates collected around the world by dozens of researchers, and facilitated by the PAGES Global Paleofire Working Group. The historical reconstruction extends back to 1750 CE is based on literature and government records when available, and completed with non-charcoal proxies including tree ring scars or storylines when data are missing. The key data sets are independent records, and the methods and results are independent of any climate or fire-model simulations. Results are presented for Europe, and subsets of North America. Analysis of fire trends from GCD and the historical reconstruction shows broad agreement, with some regional variations as expected. Western USA and North America in general show the best agreement, with departures in the GCD and historical reconstruction fire trends in the present day that may reflect limits in the data itself. Eastern North America shows agreement with an increase in fire from 1750 to 1900, and a strong decreasing trend thereafter. We present ideas for why the trends agree and disagree relative to historical events, and to the sequence of land-cover change in the regions of interest. Together with careful consideration of uncertainties in the data, these results can be used to constrain Earth System Model simulations of both past fire, which explicitly incorporate

Determination of Pb2+ metal ion level in liquid waste from adsorption process by combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal using solid-phase spectrophotometry (sps)

Science.gov (United States)

Saputro, S.; Masykuri, M.; Mahardiani, L.; Hidayah, AN

2018-03-01

This research are to find out the influence of adsorbent composition between rice husk and water hyacinth in decreasing of Pb2+ ion in simulation liquid waste; the optimumcomposition of combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal on Pb2+ ion adsorption; and theeffectivenessof SPS as a method to determine the decreasing level of Pb2+ ion in simulation liquid waste by combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal in µg/L level. Rice husk and water hyacinth carbonization using muffle furnace at 350°C for 1 hour. Rice husk charcoal activation in a 2 N NaOH solution and water hyacinth charcoal activated in a 5 M HCl solution. Contacting the combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal with a Pb2+ solution with variation of mass composition, 1:0 ; 0:1 ; 1:1 ; 1:2 and 2:1. Analysis of the Pb2+ ion level using SPS method. Characterization of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal using the FTIR. The results showed that the combination adsorbent composition of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal have an impact on decreasing Pb2+ ion level. The optimum composition of combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth charcoal on the adsorption Pb2+ ion is 1:2. SPS is an effective method to determine the decreasing Pb2+ ion in simulation liquid waste from the adsorption process by combination adsorbent of rice husk and water hyacinth in µg/L, with Limit of Detection (LOD) was 0,06 µg/L.

The charcoal trap: Miombo forests and the energy needs of people

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Muchinda Maurice

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study evaluates the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere resulting from charcoal production in Zambia. It combines new biomass and flux data from a study, that was conducted in a miombo woodland within the Kataba Forest Reserve in the Western Province of Zambia, with data from other studies. Results The measurements at Kataba compared protected area (3 plots with a highly disturbed plot outside the forest reserve and showed considerably reduced biomass after logging for charcoal production. The average aboveground biomass content of the reserve (Plots 2-4 was around 150 t ha-1, while the disturbed plot only contained 24 t ha-1. Soil carbon was not reduced significantly in the disturbed plot. Two years of eddy covariance measurements resulted in net ecosystem exchange values of -17 ± 31 g C m-2 y-1, in the first and 90 ± 16 g C m-2 in the second year. Thus, on the basis of these two years of measurement, there is no evidence that the miombo woodland at Kataba represents a present-day carbon sink. At the country level, it is likely that deforestation for charcoal production currently leads to a per capita emission rate of 2 - 3 t CO2 y-1. This is due to poor forest regeneration, although the resilience of miombo woodlands is high. Better post-harvest management could change this situation. Conclusions We argue that protection of miombo woodlands has to account for the energy demands of the population. The production at national scale that we estimated converts into 10,000 - 15,000 GWh y-1 of energy in the charcoal. The term "Charcoal Trap" we introduce, describes the fact that this energy supply has to be substituted when woodlands are protected. One possible solution, a shift in energy supply from charcoal to electricity, would reduce the pressure of forests but requires high investments into grid and power generation. Since Zambia currently cannot generate this money by itself, the country

The charcoal trap: Miombo forests and the energy needs of people.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutsch, Werner L; Merbold, Lutz; Ziegler, Waldemar; Mukelabai, Mukufute M; Muchinda, Maurice; Kolle, Olaf; Scholes, Robert J

2011-08-19

This study evaluates the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere resulting from charcoal production in Zambia. It combines new biomass and flux data from a study, that was conducted in a miombo woodland within the Kataba Forest Reserve in the Western Province of Zambia, with data from other studies. The measurements at Kataba compared protected area (3 plots) with a highly disturbed plot outside the forest reserve and showed considerably reduced biomass after logging for charcoal production. The average aboveground biomass content of the reserve (Plots 2-4) was around 150 t ha-1, while the disturbed plot only contained 24 t ha-1. Soil carbon was not reduced significantly in the disturbed plot. Two years of eddy covariance measurements resulted in net ecosystem exchange values of -17 ± 31 g C m-2 y-1, in the first and 90 ± 16 g C m-2 in the second year. Thus, on the basis of these two years of measurement, there is no evidence that the miombo woodland at Kataba represents a present-day carbon sink. At the country level, it is likely that deforestation for charcoal production currently leads to a per capita emission rate of 2 - 3 t CO2 y-1. This is due to poor forest regeneration, although the resilience of miombo woodlands is high. Better post-harvest management could change this situation. We argue that protection of miombo woodlands has to account for the energy demands of the population. The production at national scale that we estimated converts into 10,000 - 15,000 GWh y-1 of energy in the charcoal. The term "Charcoal Trap" we introduce, describes the fact that this energy supply has to be substituted when woodlands are protected. One possible solution, a shift in energy supply from charcoal to electricity, would reduce the pressure of forests but requires high investments into grid and power generation. Since Zambia currently cannot generate this money by itself, the country will remain locked in the charcoal trap such as many other

The immobilized NaHSO4·H2O on activated charcoal: a highly efficient promoter system for N-formylation of amines with ethyl formate

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Behzad Zeynizadeh

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The immobilized NaHSO4·H2O on activated charcoal was used as a highly efficient promoter system for facile N-formylation of amines with ethyl formate. All reactions were carried out in refluxing ethyl formate (54 ºC under mild conditions within 10-100 min to afford the product formamides in high to excellent yields (80-94%.

FTIR spectroscopy and reflectance of modern charcoals and fungal decayed woods: implications for studies of inertinite in coals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Y.; Bustin, R.M. [University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada). Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences

1998-09-01

The chemical and physical characteristics of laboratory produced charcoals, natural charcoals, fungal decayed woods and inertinite from a variety of Western Canadian coals were investigated using FTIR and standard petrologic techniques. The studies confirm and extend earlier work in showing that almost all inertinite macerals can be attributed to wildfire in peat swamps, and that variation in the petrological characteristics of inertinite are a product of temperature, duration of heating and the nature of the initial plant material. The relationships between reflectance and temperature, as well as heating duration of charcoal formation are established as a reference for the examination of inertinite, and the probable temperature of inertinite precursor (fossil charcoal) formation in paleo-widlfire. Fungi do not directly contribute to the formation of charcoal and inertinite apart from the fungal bodies themselves (funginite: sclerotia and hyphae) and perhaps by increasing the extent of shrinkage and cracking (increasing surface area) of the plant materials and thus susceptibility to charring. Evidence of fungal activity progressively decreases with increasing degree of charing in response to duration of heating or increased charing temperature. The reflectance values and FTIR spectral characteristics of inertinites in Western Canadian coal suggest that most inertinite formed by wildfires at temperatures over 400{degree}C. The great abundance of semifusinite in Western Canadian coal may reflect frequent but short duration wildfires in precursor peat swamps. 44 refs., 16 figs., 6 tabs.

Design of a PWR gaseous effluent treatment system combining delay-storage vessels, volume-reduction and activated-charcoal beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuyt, G.; Glibert, R.; Lahaye, J.P.

1986-01-01

The usual technique for the treatment of gaseous effluents is to store them in radioactive decay tanks and to carry out a range of operations such as recycling, volume-reduction and discharge. Although presenting undeniable advantages, this technique has a number of weaknesses which have become apparent with experience. This paper describes and analyses a system designed to alleviate these difficulties and to permit greater flexibility in gaseous effluent treatment, especially for power stations in the load-following mode of operation, by means of a combination of storage techniques and retention of short-lived isotopes in activated charcoal beds. The attractiveness of the proposed system is apparent from an analysis of operational, maintenance, safety and cost aspects. (author)

Carbon sequestration potential and physicochemical properties differ between wildfire charcoals and slow-pyrolysis biochars.

Science.gov (United States)

Santín, Cristina; Doerr, Stefan H; Merino, Agustin; Bucheli, Thomas D; Bryant, Rob; Ascough, Philippa; Gao, Xiaodong; Masiello, Caroline A

2017-09-11

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC), produced naturally (wildfire charcoal) and anthropogenically (biochar), is extensively studied due to its importance in several disciplines, including global climate dynamics, agronomy and paleosciences. Charcoal and biochar are commonly used as analogues for each other to infer respective carbon sequestration potentials, production conditions, and environmental roles and fates. The direct comparability of corresponding natural and anthropogenic PyC, however, has never been tested. Here we compared key physicochemical properties (elemental composition, δ 13 C and PAHs signatures, chemical recalcitrance, density and porosity) and carbon sequestration potentials of PyC materials formed from two identical feedstocks (pine forest floor and wood) under wildfire charring- and slow-pyrolysis conditions. Wildfire charcoals were formed under higher maximum temperatures and oxygen availabilities, but much shorter heating durations than slow-pyrolysis biochars, resulting in differing physicochemical properties. These differences are particularly relevant regarding their respective roles as carbon sinks, as even the wildfire charcoals formed at the highest temperatures had lower carbon sequestration potentials than most slow-pyrolysis biochars. Our results challenge the common notion that natural charcoal and biochar are well suited as proxies for each other, and suggest that biochar's environmental residence time may be underestimated when based on natural charcoal as a proxy, and vice versa.

Socio-economic impacts of charcoal production in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, Nigeria

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Olasimbo Olarinde

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Many households in developing countries experience low energy consumption and this make them depend upon wood fuels for their energy. This study examined socio-economic impacts of charcoal production in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State, Nigeria. Two Local Government Areas were selected based on the accessibility and the availability of charcoal farmers among ten Local Government Areas. Results show that 74% of the respondents were male while 26% were female that are into production of charcoal in the study area. 37.5% of the age range (41–50 of respondent produces more charcoal than other age range. The respondent did not go beyond primary school educationally and they are all married. However, respondents with over 11–20 years of experience in the production of charcoal have higher percentage of frequency. Some of the problem faced by the producers of charcoal in Oke Ogun area are scarcity of trees, wildfire, government disturbance and transportation. Trees commonly used for production are from inherited farms and most of the trees used are Butyrosopermum paradoxium, Dialium guineense, Terminalia glaucencens, Khaya ivorensis. Production is once in a month and later exported. Energy provision is a basic human need and consumption is closely related to the level of a country’s development.

A Model-Based Approach to Infer Shifts in Regional Fire Regimes Over Time Using Sediment Charcoal Records

Science.gov (United States)

Itter, M.; Finley, A. O.; Hooten, M.; Higuera, P. E.; Marlon, J. R.; McLachlan, J. S.; Kelly, R.

2016-12-01

Sediment charcoal records are used in paleoecological analyses to identify individual local fire events and to estimate fire frequency and regional biomass burned at centennial to millenial time scales. Methods to identify local fire events based on sediment charcoal records have been well developed over the past 30 years, however, an integrated statistical framework for fire identification is still lacking. We build upon existing paleoecological methods to develop a hierarchical Bayesian point process model for local fire identification and estimation of fire return intervals. The model is unique in that it combines sediment charcoal records from multiple lakes across a region in a spatially-explicit fashion leading to estimation of a joint, regional fire return interval in addition to lake-specific local fire frequencies. Further, the model estimates a joint regional charcoal deposition rate free from the effects of local fires that can be used as a measure of regional biomass burned over time. Finally, the hierarchical Bayesian approach allows for tractable error propagation such that estimates of fire return intervals reflect the full range of uncertainty in sediment charcoal records. Specific sources of uncertainty addressed include sediment age models, the separation of local versus regional charcoal sources, and generation of a composite charcoal record The model is applied to sediment charcoal records from a dense network of lakes in the Yukon Flats region of Alaska. The multivariate joint modeling approach results in improved estimates of regional charcoal deposition with reduced uncertainty in the identification of individual fire events and local fire return intervals compared to individual lake approaches. Modeled individual-lake fire return intervals range from 100 to 500 years with a regional interval of roughly 200 years. Regional charcoal deposition to the network of lakes is correlated up to 50 kilometers. Finally, the joint regional charcoal

Adsorption of methyl iodide on charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hidajat, K.; Aracil, J.; Kenney, C.N.

1990-01-01

The adsorption of non-radioactive methyl iodide has been measured experimentally over a range of conditions of concentration, and temperature on an activated charcoal. This is of interest since methyl iodide is formed from iodine fission products in gas cooled nuclear reactors. A mathematical model has also been developed which describes the rate of adsorption, under isothermal and linear adsorption isotherm conditions in a recycle adsorber. This model takes into account the resistance to adsorption caused by the surface adsorption, as well as the external and internal mass transfer resistances. The solution to the model for the recycle adsorber was obtained using a semidiscretisation method to reduce the partial differential equations to a system of stiff ordinary differential equations, and the resulting differential equations solved by a standard numerical technique. (author)

Parametric study on removal efficiency of impregnated activated charcoal and silver zeolite for radioactive methyl iodide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiomi, H.; Yuasa, Y.; Tani, A.; Ohki, M.; Nakagawa, T.

1983-01-01

The removal efficiency of impregnated activated charcoal and silver zeolite for radioactive methyl iodide is influenced by various parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, face velocity and packing density. This study is to evaluate the dependency of the removal efficiency on each parameter and these combined parameters, quantitatively. Four types of adsorbents, BC-727, AgX, CHC-50 and SS 208C 5KI 3 , were tested. From experimental data and mass transfer theory, an experimental equation for evaluating the removal efficiency of adsorbents was derived under a series of experiments for radioactive methyl iodine-131. It was concluded that the removal efficiency calculated from the experimental equation agreed well with the experimental value. Effects of experimental specific parameters, such as Pre-flow time, methyl iodide injection time and After-flow time, on the removal efficiency of adsorbent are also described

Development and Evaluation of Charcoal-Powered Bread Baking Oven

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Alimasunya E

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Charcoal-powered bread baking oven was developed and evaluated with functional efficiencies of 91.2% and 92.1% for baking dough of mass 0.5kg and 1.5 kg to bread at BP of 27.7minutes, 35.9 minutes with the baking temperature (BT of 153.8 oC and 165.9 oC respectively. Baking temperature-heating interval of the oven as computed at 100 oC at 20 minutes at charcoal emitted heat of 861000 KJ. The oven has the capacity of generating 455.9 oC at 270 minutes time interval. The oven has bread baking capacities of 56, 36, 28, 22 and 18 pieces of bread per batch operation using dough mass of 0.5kg, 0.75kg, 1.00kg, 1.250kg and 1.500kg respectively. It is sensitive to the baking time and temperature in relation to dough mass with resolution value of 0.22. Charcoal-powered oven, is cheap and efficient and can be used both in the rural and urban settlement for domestic consumption and smallscale business.

Rational synthesis of zerovalent iron/bamboo charcoal composites with high saturation magnetization

Science.gov (United States)

Mingshan Wu; Jianfeng Ma; Zhiyong Cai; Genlin Tian; Shumin Yang; Youhong Wang; Xing' e Liu

2015-01-01

The synthesis of magnetic biochar composites is a major new research area in advanced materials sciences. A series of magnetic bamboo charcoal composites (MBC800, MBC1000 and MBC1200) with high saturation magnetization (Ms) was fabricated in this work by mixing bamboo charcoal powder with an aqueous ferric chloride solution and subsequently...

Highly stable rice-straw-derived charcoal in 3700-year-old ancient paddy soil: evidence for an effective pathway toward carbon sequestration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Mengxiong; Yang, Min; Han, Xingguo; Zhong, Ting; Zheng, Yunfei; Ding, Pin; Wu, Weixiang

2016-01-01

Recalcitrant charcoal application is predicted to decelerate global warming through creating a long-term carbon sink in soil. Although many studies have showed high stability of charcoal derived from woody materials, few have focused on the dynamics of straw-derived charcoal in natural environment on a long timescale to evaluate its potential for agricultural carbon sequestration. Here, we examined straw-derived charcoal in an ancient paddy soil dated from ~3700 calendar year before present (cal. year BP). Analytical results showed that soil organic matter consisted of more than 25% of charcoal in charcoal-rich layer. Similarities in morphology and molecular structure between the ancient and the fresh rice-straw-derived charcoal indicated that ancient charcoal was derived from rice straw. The lower carbon content, higher oxygen content, and obvious carbonyl of the ancient charcoal compared with fresh rice straw charcoal implied that oxidation occurred in the scale of thousands years. However, the dominant aromatic C of ancient charcoal indicated that rice-straw-derived charcoal was highly stable in the buried paddy soil due to its intrinsic chemical structures and the physical protection of ancient paddy wetland. Therefore, it may suggest that straw charcoal application is a potential pathway for C sequestration considering its longevity.

The influence of production conditions, starting material and deposition environment on charcoal alteration in a tropical biome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ascough, Philippa; Bird, Michael; Meredith, Will; Large, David; Snape, Colin; Manion, Corinne

2014-05-01

Natural and anthropogenic burning events are a key link in the global carbon cycle, substantially influencing atmospheric CO2 levels, and consuming c.8700 teragrams yr-1 of dry biomass [1,2,3]. An important result of this process is charcoal, when lignocellulosic structures in biomass (e.g. wood) are converted to aromatic domains with high chemical stability. Charcoal is therefore not readily re-oxidized to CO2, with estimates of 5-7 ky for the half-life of charcoal carbon in soils [3,4]. Charcoal's high carbon content coupled with high environmental resistance has led to the concept of biochar as a valuable means of global carbon sequestration, capable of carbon offsets comparable to annual anthropogenic fuel emissions [5,6,7]. Charcoal is not, however, an environmentally inert substance, and at least some components of charcoal are susceptible to alteration in depositional environments. Despite the importance of charcoal in global carbon cycling, the mechanisms by which charcoal is altered in the environment remain, as yet, poorly understood. This fact limits our ability to properly incorporate both natural environmental charcoal and biochar into global carbon budgets. This study aimed to improve understanding of charcoal alteration in the environment by examining the influence of production conditions, starting material and deposition environment on the physical and chemical characteristics of charcoal at a field site in the Daintree rainforest. These factors have been identified as critical in determining the dynamics of charcoal in depositional environments [8,9] and climatic conditions at the field site (in Tropical Queensland, Australia) are likely to result in extensive alteration of charcoal. Charcoal from wood (Nothofagus spp.), algae (Enteromorpha spp.), and sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) biomass was produced at temperatures over 300-500°C and exposed to conditions of varying pH and vegetation cover. The effect of these variables on charcoal chemistry

In vivo experiments with powder charcoal haemoperfusion (filmadsorber) in a pig model of hepatic failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Berlo, G.M.W.; Groot, de G.H.; Schalm, S.W.; Jansen, P.P.; Vries, de E.H.; Fick, T.; Reuvers, C.; Boks, A.L.

1985-01-01

The filmadsorber, an experimental haemoperfusion column containing activated powder charcoal embedded in a colloidal film, has been tested in pigs with ischaemicnecrosis of the Iiver. Haemoperfusion with aflow of 200 mI/min was perfermed for a duration of 4 to 6 hours. Bile acid clearances varied

Reproducing the organic matter model of anthropogenic dark earth of Amazonia and testing the ecotoxicity of functionalized charcoal compounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Rodrigues Linhares

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to obtain organic compounds similar to the ones found in the organic matter of anthropogenic dark earth of Amazonia (ADE using a chemical functionalization procedure on activated charcoal, as well as to determine their ecotoxicity. Based on the study of the organic matter from ADE, an organic model was proposed and an attempt to reproduce it was described. Activated charcoal was oxidized with the use of sodium hypochlorite at different concentrations. Nuclear magnetic resonance was performed to verify if the spectra of the obtained products were similar to the ones of humic acids from ADE. The similarity between spectra indicated that the obtained products were polycondensed aromatic structures with carboxyl groups: a soil amendment that can contribute to soil fertility and to its sustainable use. An ecotoxicological test with Daphnia similis was performed on the more soluble fraction (fulvic acids of the produced soil amendment. Aryl chloride was formed during the synthesis of the organic compounds from activated charcoal functionalization and partially removed through a purification process. However, it is probable that some aryl chloride remained in the final product, since the ecotoxicological test indicated that the chemical functionalized soil amendment is moderately toxic.

Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of Bamboo-Charcoal-Supported Nano-ZnO Composites

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Yunlong ZHOU

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Nano-ZnO/bamboo charcoal composites were prepared by precipitation with bamboo charcoal as support. Nano-ZnO/bamboo charcoal composites were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. Photocatalytic degradation processes of methyl orange were studied. The results indicate that the structure of nano-ZnO is of the wurtzite type and the grain size is about 19-54 nm. The best preparation temperature for these composites is 500℃. The composites have better photocatalytic degradation ability than pure ZnO under UV irradiation. Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange with the composites obeys first-order kinetics, and the composites can be recycled.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.1.17397

Quality and energetic evaluation of the charcoal made of babassu nut residues used in the steel industry

OpenAIRE

Protásio, Thiago de Paula; Trugilho, Paulo Fernando; Mirmehdi, Seyedmohammad; Silva, Marcela Gomes da

2014-01-01

Brazil is the only country in the world that uses large scale charcoal in steel-making blast furnaces. Meantime, the monoculture plantations of Eucalyptus are not able to meet the demand for charcoal from the steel industries.Therefore, research is necessary, in order to use lignocellulosic residues for the production of charcoal with technological properties which are suitable for the reduction of iron ore. Given the above, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of charcoal ...

Long and Short-Term Effects of Fire on Soil Charcoal of a Conifer Forest in Southwest Oregon

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Brett Morrissette

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In 2002, the Biscuit Wildfire burned a portion of the previously established, replicated conifer unthinned and thinned experimental units of the Siskiyou Long-Term Ecosystem Productivity (LTEP experiment, southwest Oregon. Charcoal C in pre and post-fire O horizon and mineral soil was quantified by physical separation and a peroxide-acid digestion method. The abrupt, short-term fire event caused O horizon charcoal C to increase by a factor of ten to >200 kg C ha⁻¹. The thinned wildfire treatment produced less charcoal C than unthinned wildfire and thinned prescribed fire treatments. The charcoal formation rate was 1 to 8% of woody fuels consumed, and this percentage was negatively related to woody fuels consumed, resulting in less charcoal formation with greater fire severity. Charcoal C averaged 2000 kg ha⁻¹ in 0–3 cm mineral soil and may have decreased as a result of fire, coincident with convective or erosive loss of mineral soil. Charcoal C in 3–15 cm mineral soil was stable at 5500 kg C ha⁻¹. Long-term soil C sequestration in the Siskiyou LTEP soils is greatly influenced by the contribution of charcoal C, which makes up 20% of mineral soil organic C. This research reiterates the importance of fire to soil C in a southwestern Oregon coniferous forest ecosystem.

The Charcoal Trap: Miombo woodlands versus the energy needs of people

Science.gov (United States)

Merbold, Lutz; Maurice, Muchinda; Mukufute M, Mukelabai; J, Scholes Robert; Waldemar, Ziegler; L, Kutsch Werner

2010-05-01

Miombo woodlands cover the transition zone between the dry open savannas and the moist forests in Southern Africa and occupy the vast area of 2.7 Mio km2. These ecosystems are highly disturbed by deforestation, mostly for charcoal production. Charcoal has become the largest source to satisfy urban energy demands. Even though when charcoal is a less energy-efficient fuel compared to firewood but by having higher energy densities and thus being cheaper to transport. Over the last decades, charcoal production has become a full-time employment for migrant workers, resulting in very different and no longer sustainable deforestation patterns. Strategies to reduce the pressure on the miombo woodlands have to take aspects of employment and energy demand into account. The objectives of the study were to examine above- and belowground carbon losses from an intact miombo woodland (protected forest reserve) in comparison to a highly disturbed surrounding area due to charcoal production. Detection of changes in carbon concentrations and stocks were made possible by applying biomass- and soil inventories as well as the eddy-covariance method. These local results were up-scaled to countrywide estimates of carbon lost to the atmosphere by deforestation in addition to carbon losses fossil fuel combustion. The results show, that in the worst case scenario which does not assume any regeneration, a developing country as Zambia, can easily emit as much carbon per capita as a developed Western world country such as France, when deforestation is included in the national inventory (up to 9.1 t of CO2 per capita). However, regeneration is very probably when post-harvest disturbance is low. Further studies on miombo regeneration are highly demanded.

Apparatus for producing charcoal from fine lignocellulose wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babicki, R; Perzynski, B

1979-05-15

A continuous retort for the production of charcoal from sawdust, nut shells, wood chips, etc. consists of a cylindrical tower separated from the top into the drying, pyrolyzing, and cooling sections. Dry feed is introduced at the top where it is spread by stirrer blades on 2 trays kept at 120 degrees and 160 degrees by external heating. The feed falls through discharge slots into a 2nd section where it is contacted with a limited supply of hot air while the temperature rises to about 600 degrees. Hot charcoal is swept by stirrer blades toward discharge slots and falls into a 3rd section where it is cooled and discharged. Off gases are used for predrying the incoming feed, scrubbed, and vented through a stack.

Remediation of cadmium contaminated vertisol mediated by Prosopis charcoal and coir pith

OpenAIRE

Palaninaicker Senthilkumar; Duraisamy Prabha; Subpiramaniyan Sivakumar; Chandra Venkatasamy Subbhuraam

2015-01-01

Metal contamination of soil due to industrial and agricultural activities is increasingly becoming a global problem, thereby affecting animal and human life, thus rendering soil unsuitable for agricultural purposes. Remediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil (Vertisol) using agricultural by products as source of organic amendments, Coir pith- a by-product of the coir industry and Prosopis charcoal- prepared by burning Prosopis plant wood (Prosopis juliflora L.) was investigated. The allevi...

Surface changes of enamel after brushing with charcoal toothpaste

Science.gov (United States)

Pertiwi, U. I.; Eriwati, Y. K.; Irawan, B.

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine the surface roughness changes of tooth enamel after brushing with charcoal toothpaste. Thirty specimens were brushed using distilled water (the first group), Strong® Formula toothpaste (the second group), and Charcoal® Formula toothpaste for four minutes and 40 seconds (equivalent to one month) and for 14 minutes (equivalent to three months) using a soft fleece toothbrush with a mass of 150 gr. The roughness was measured using a surface roughness tester, and the results were tested with repeated ANOVA test and one-way ANOVA. The value of the surface roughness of tooth enamel was significantly different (penamel.

Effects of insulin-free plasma on the charcoal-separation method for radioimmunoassay of insulin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frayn, K N [Medical Research Council, Carshalton (UK). Toxicology Unit

1976-03-01

Radioimmunoassay of insulin in rat plasma using a popular method involving charcoal-separation of free and antibody-bound insulin was found to be unsatisfactory despite inclusion in standard tubes of insulin-free plasma prepared in either of two ways. Insulin-free plasma and untreated plasma had different effects on adsorption of free insulin to the charcoal. It was concluded that separation with charcoal is very sensitive to any prior treatment of the plasma. Particular care must be taken to ensure that hormone-free plasma is identical in all other respects to untreated plasma.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation and adsorption of methylene blue via TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals supported on graphene-like bamboo charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Fangjun; Liu, Wei, E-mail: wlscau@163.com; Qiu, Jielong; Li, Jinzhen; Zhou, Wuyi; Fang, Yueping; Zhang, Shuting, E-mail: zhangshuting@gmail.com; Li, Xin, E-mail: Xinliscau@yahoo.com

2015-12-15

Graphical abstract: - Abstract: In this study, a novel efficient photocatalytic nanomaterial, TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals supported on graphene-like bamboo charcoal, has been successfully synthesized via a facile multi-step process. The structural and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by different techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra (PL), Raman spectra and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activities under sunlight were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). The results indicated that the ternary hybrid photocatalysts exhibited much higher photocatalytic activities toward the degradation of MB than the pure TiO{sub 2} under UV light irradiation. Moreover, the optimum weight content of graphene-like bamboo charcoal in composite photocatalysts was 6 wt% for achieving the maximum photocatalytic degradation rate. The apparent rate constant of the best sample (0.0509 min{sup −1}) was about 3 times greater than that of the commercial P25 (0.0170 min{sup −1}). The adsorption and degradation kinetics of MB can be described by the pseudo-first-order model and apparent first-order kinetics model, respectively. The highly enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to the synergetic effect of graphene-like carbon and bamboo charcoal, which lead to the promoted charge separation and reduction reaction of oxygen, and enhanced adsorption capacities of MB, respectively. The composite photocatalysts displayed a high photochemical stability under repeated irradiation. This work may provide new insights and understanding on the graphene-like bamboo charcoal as an excellent support for photocatalyst nanoparticles to enhance their visible-light photocatalytic activity.

Charcoal from biomass residues of a Cryptomeria plantation and analysis of its carbon fixation benefit in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Yu-Jen; Hwang, Gwo-Shyong

2009-01-01

Charcoal production as an age-old industry not only supplies fuel in developing countries, in recent decades, it has also become a means of supplying new multifunctional materials for environmental improvement and agricultural applications in developed countries. These include air dehumidification and deodorization, water purification, and soil improvement due to charcoal's excellent adsorption capacity. Paradoxically, charcoal production might also help curb greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we made charcoal from discarded branches and tops of wood from a Cryptomeria plantation after thinning using a still-operational earthen kiln. Woody biomass was used as the carbonization fuel. The effect of carbonization on carbon fixation was calculated and its benefits evaluated. The results showed that the recovered fixed carbon reached 33.2%, i.e., one-third of the biomass residual carbon was conserved as charcoal which if left on the forest ground would decompose and turn into carbon dioxide, and based on a net profit of US$1.13 kg -1 for charcoal, an annual net profit of US$14,665 could be realized. Charcoaling thus appears to be a feasible alternative to promote reutilization of woody resides which would not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also provide potential benefits to regional economies in developing countries.

Has the woodfuel crisis returned? Urban charcoal consumption in Tanzania and its implications to present and future forest availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mwampamba, Tuyeni Heita

2007-01-01

By lumping together charcoal and firewood consumption to determine the threats to forests from widespread use of woodfuel energy in sub-Sahara African, studies have greatly underestimated the individual impact of charcoal. Where high consumption levels are coupled with poor forest management and negligible regulation of the charcoal trade, the threat of an impending crisis caused by charcoal alone needs to be revisited. This study uses a survey of 244 households in six Tanzanian cities to determine whether current consumption levels, charcoal production techniques and forest management practices are sufficient to meet present and future charcoal demand. Projections to year 2100 were made to determine whether forests can continue to meet future demand under 24 scenarios that capture the numerous uncertainties that exist of converting charcoal consumption into forest needed. The findings suggest that the scenarios containing median consumption levels, low kiln efficiencies and low replenishment of harvested forests could deplete forests on public land by 2028. Best-case scenarios occurred when the opposite conditions existed. The study concludes that charcoal consumption is a real threat to the long-term persistence of forests in Tanzania and proposes policy interventions for alleviating forest loss

Generic conditional clearance for very low level active charcoal generated in nuclear power plant operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Perales, J. J.; Burgos Gallego, J.; Alvarez Mir, F.; Luis de Diego, J.; Adrada Garcia, J.

1998-01-01

This report proposes a generic conditional exemption to the very low level active charcoal generated in the operation of a NPP. The project has been developed in two parts: a common one (applied to the stream to be exempted) and a specific one (specific to the NPP that fulfills already the common part requirements). The common project specifies the methodology and the disposal options. It provides derived exemption levels and maximum amount of activity the exemption of which be feasible, demonstrating the viability of their conventional management. The specific project of each NPP will develop the amount of waste to be managed and other details that supplement the previous project, adjusting to the methodology and disposal options in the common project. The proposed management suggestion consists in burning the waste in a coal-burning plant and disposing of the scum in a controlled landfill. The resultant radiological dose is considered negligible according to the document Safety Series N 89 of the IAEA. The calculation of the radiological dose associated to several stages has been carried out using the IMPACTS-BRC code, contained in NUREG/CR-3585 and NUREG/5517. The methodology used in the radiological dose evaluation is as recommended in the Safety Guide n. 7.8 of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council. (Author)

Does Management Matter?: Using MISR to Assess the Effects of Charcoal Production and Management on Woodland Regeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Wurster, K.

2008-12-01

In much of Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 75 percent of a rapidly growing urban population depends on charcoal as their primary source of energy for cooking. The high demand for charcoal has led many to believe that charcoal harvesting catalyzes widespread deforestation. The Senegalese government and international donors have initiated projects within protected areas to combat deforestation and created land management plans to sustainably harvest charcoal. To date, the effects of forest management techniques on forest sustainability are still in question. This research uses a multiphase approach integrating satellite analysis with field surveys to assess the effect of varying forest management strategies on forest regeneration and sustainability after charcoal harvesting. Phase I involved testing the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellites capability in detecting structural changes in vegetative cover caused by charcoal harvesting and production. Analysis of the MISR derived k(red) parameter showed MISR can consistently differentiate between forest cover types and successfully differentiates between sites at pre- and post-charcoal harvest stages. Phase II conducted forestry and social surveys comparing and contrasting local effects of land management, land use, and charcoal production on forest regeneration. Phase III uses the local surveys to validate and train the regional remote sensing data to assess the effectiveness of land management in promoting forest regeneration and sustainability after charcoal harvesting. Combining detailed local knowledge with the regional capabilities of MISR provide valuable insight into the factors that control woodland regeneration and sustainability. Preliminary results from phases II and III indicate that both field and remotely sensed variations in forest cover, tree regeneration, and land use change does not vary when compared against land management type. Final results will provide managers with additional

Adsorptive removal of SO{sub 2} from coal burning by bamboo charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Zengqiang; Qiu, Jianrong; Xiang, Jun; Zeng, Hancai [Huazhong Univ. of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China). Key Lab. of Coal Combustion

2013-07-01

Bamboo charcoal (BC) is an environmentally friendly, low-cost and renewable bioresource with porous structure. The adsorption property of bamboo charcoal for sulfur dioxide was investigated through a parametric study conducted with a bench-scale bed and mechanism study by BET, XPS, and temperature pro-grammed desorption (TPD). The varying parameters investigated include particle size of BC, moisture, oxygen, nitric oxide. The experimental data suggest that BC has a good adsorption potential for SO{sub 2}, which removal efficiency is greatly dependent upon the operation conditions. This study provides a good reference for BC to be used for SO{sub 2} removal in the actual flue gas over a wide range of conditions and further provided the preliminary experimental studies and theoretical discussion for bamboo charcoal to be used in multiple pollutants removing.

3D-nuclear heat generation in PCC-charcoal filter in TAPP-3 and 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaushal, Manish; Pradhan, A.S.; Kumar, A.N.

2006-01-01

This paper deals with the calculations of 3D nuclear heat generation profile in the charcoal filter and subsequently the commencement time of Primary Containment Cleanup (PCC) system of 540MWe Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). Fuel failure is predicted due to overheating of the fuel under loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) without Emergency Core Cooling System (LOCA without ECCS). Subsequently fission product gasses along with water vapours are released to Reactor Building (RB) atmosphere. Plate-out and water trapping mechanism stabilizes the concentration of significant fission products i.e. radioiodines in about 4 hours before being circulated through charcoal filters of Containment Cleanup system. After cleaning up the RB atmosphere, it is discharged to outside atmosphere through stack. The isotopes of radioiodine emit beta and gamma radiations. Gamma radiations are partly stopped within the charcoal and heat is generated. The part of gamma radiations escaping the bed produce heat in the adjacent beds also. PCC system can be operated, after 4 hours of LOCA, based on radioiodine concentration in RB atmosphere. During iodine removal, the iodine concentration in the charcoal filter goes through a peak value. Maximum heat is generated in the filter if PCC fans stops eventually when iodine concentration in the filter is maximum. Analysis done by TRAFIC code indicates that the system can be commenced after 7 hrs of LOCA so that desorption temperature of charcoal is not reached. Accuracy in estimating heat generation rates in charcoal helps in deciding commencement of the system after LOCA

Newspaper reporting and the emergence of charcoal burning suicide in Taiwan: A mixed methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying-Yeh; Tsai, Chi-Wei; Biddle, Lucy; Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas; Wu, Kevin Chien-Chang; Gunnell, David

2016-03-15

It has been suggested that extensive media reporting of charcoal burning suicide was a key factor in the rapid spread of this novel method in many East Asian countries. But very few empirical studies have explored the relationship between media reporting and the emergence of this new method of suicide. We investigated the changing pattern of media reporting of charcoal burning suicides in Taiwan during 1998-2002 when this method of suicide increased most rapidly, assessing whether the characteristics of media reporting were associated with the changing incidence of suicide using this method. A mixed method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis of newspaper content during 1998-2002 was used. We compared differences in reporting characteristics before and after the rapid increase in charcoal burning suicide. Point-biserial and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to quantify the associations between the media item content and changes in suicide rates. During the period when charcoal burning suicide increased rapidly, the number of reports per suicide was considerably higher than during the early stage (0.31 vs. 0.10). Detailed reporting of this new method was associated with a post-reporting increase in suicides using the method. Qualitative analysis of news items revealed that the content of reports of suicide by charcoal burning changed gradually; in the early stages of the epidemic (1999-2000) there was convergence in the terminology used to report charcoal burning deaths, later reports gave detailed descriptions of the setting in which the death occurred (2001) and finally the method was glamourized and widely publicized (2001-2002). Our analysis was restricted to newspaper reports and did not include TV or the Internet. Newspaper reporting was associated with the evolution and establishment of charcoal burning suicide. Working with media and close monitoring of changes in the incidence of suicide using a new method might help

Quality and energetic evaluation of the charcoal made of babassu nut residues used in the steel industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago de Paula Protásio

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Brazil is the only country in the world that uses large scale charcoal in steel-making blast furnaces. Meantime, the monoculture plantations of Eucalyptus are not able to meet the demand for charcoal from the steel industries.Therefore, research is necessary, in order to use lignocellulosic residues for the production of charcoal with technological properties which are suitable for the reduction of iron ore. Given the above, the objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of charcoal which was made with babassu nut shell and designed for utilization in the steel industry in the function of the final carbonization temperature. All three layers of babassu nut shell (epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp were used together. The initial temperature of the test was 100ºC and the final temperatures were: 450ºC, 550ºC, 650ºC, 750ºC and 850ºC. For the charcoals produced, the following properties were determined: apparent relative density, energy density and fixed carbon stock, in addition to chemical compositions (immediate and elemental and heating values (higher and lower. Charcoal made of babassu nut shell showed high values of apparent density and energy density, and has a potential to replace coal and wood charcoal in the steel industry. The effect of the final carbonization temperature was expressed for all characteristics evaluated, except for the nitrogen content. Babassu nut shell must be carbonized at temperatures higher than 550ºC, so that the charcoal produced can be used in steel-making blast furnaces.

Effect of charcoal on water purification

OpenAIRE

Suzuki, Hirotaka; Kawahigashi, Tatsuo

2014-01-01

[Abstract] A natural basin system purifies water through self-purification, but the water pollution load of a river might exceed its self-purification capacity. Charcoal, which is used for other uses aside from heating, such as air purification, was evaluated experimentally for water quality purification. The experiment described herein is based on simple water quality measurements. Some experimentally obtained results are discussed.

Adsorption of ammonium dinitramide (ADN) from aqueous solutions. 1. Adsorption on powdered activated charcoal.

Science.gov (United States)

Santhosh, G; Venkatachalam, S; Ninan, K N; Sadhana, R; Alwan, S; Abarna, V; Joseph, M A

2003-03-17

Investigations on the adsorption of ammonium dinitramide (NH(4)N(NO(2))(2)) (ADN) from aqueous solutions on powdered activated charcoal (PAC) were carried out in order to find out an effective and easier method of separating ADN from aqueous solutions. The effectiveness of PAC in the selective adsorption of ADN from aqueous solutions of ADN (ADN-F) and ADN in presence of sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) and nitrate (NO(3)(-)) ions (ADN-PS) was examined and compared using batch and column methods. The adsorption process follows both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms and the isotherm parameters for the models were determined. The observed data favor the formation of monolayer adsorption. The adsorption capacities were found to be 63.3, 119, 105.3 and 82 mg of ADN per g of PAC for ADN-F (batch), ADN-PS (batch), ADN-F (column) and ADN-PS (column), respectively. Break-through curves for ADN-F and ADN-PS were obtained for the optimization of separation of ADN from aqueous solutions. Elution curves were generated for the desorption of ADN from PAC using hot water as eluent. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science B.V.

Analysis of the thermal profiles and the charcoal gravimetric yield in three variations of rectangular brick

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Rogerio Lima Mota de; Alves Junior, Edson; Mulina, Bruno Henrique Oliveira; Borges, Valerio Luiz; Carvalho, Solidonio Rodrigues de [Federal University of Uberlandia - UFU, MG (Brazil). School of Mechanical Engineering - FEMEC], e-mails: rogerio@mecanica.ufu.br, edson@mec.ufu.br, vlborges@mecanica.ufu.br, srcarvalho@mecanica.ufu.br

2010-07-01

Charcoal assumes a major role in Brazilian economic scenario. The procedure for obtaining charcoal consists in carbonization of wood at certain specific temperatures in kilns. This ancient process has a few joined technologies and the kilns for such practice do not have any control instruments, in their great majority, becoming dependent on the ability of its operators. However, in recent decades several studies have been developed to improve the practice as well as the equipment that involve and control the stages of charcoal production. In this sense, this work proposes the analysis of the thermal profiles and the gravimetric yield in three variations of a rectangular brick kiln called RAC220: traditional (without any type of instrumentation), instrumented with thermal sensors (RTD PT100) and adapted with gasifier. The goal is to correlate temperature, gravimetric yield and quality of the produced charcoal. Immediate analyses were performed to determine the amount of fixed carbon, volatile gases and ashes contents in charcoal. Through such measurement procedures, together with statistical analysis, the aim is to identify an important tool to reduce the time of charcoal production and also contributes to minimize losses and to increase the thermal efficiency of the production process. (author)

Cultivo de embriões imaturos de citros em diferentes concentrações de carvão ativado e ácido giberélico Activated charcoal and giberellic acid concentrations on immature embryos culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edvan Alves Chagas

2005-12-01

Full Text Available Adição de carvão ativado e giberelina no meio de cultura podem proporcionar melhores condições no desenvolvimento de embriões imaturos de citros. Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de carvão ativado e GA3 (ácido giberélico no cultivo de embriões imaturos provenientes do cruzamento entre laranjeira 'Pêra Rio' x tangerineira 'Poncã'. Após 118 dias da polinização, frutos imaturos, com 3 a 4 cm de diâmetro, foram coletados, suas sementes removidas e tratadas com álcool (70% por cinco minutos, hipoclorito de sódio (2% por 20 minutos e, posteriormente, lavadas três vezes em água destilada e autoclavada. Em condições assépticas, os tegumentos das sementes foram separados, os embriões globulares excisados e inoculados em tubos de ensaio contendo 15 mL do meio MT, acrescido de carvão ativado (0; 0,5; 1; 1,5 e 2 g L-1 e GA3 (0; 0,01; 0,1; 1 e 10 mg L-1. Após a inoculação, os embriões permaneceram por 90 dias em sala de crescimento a 27+1ºC, fotoperíodo de 16 horas e irradiância de 32 mmol m-2 s-1. Maior comprimento da parte aérea foi obtido em meio MT, acrescido de 0,1 e 1 mg L-1 de GA3, combinado com 2 g L-1 de carvão ativado. Maior comprimento do sistema radicular, massa da matéria fresca e número de folhas de plântulas foram obtidos em meio MT, acrescido de 0,01 mg L-1 de GA3, na ausência de carvão ativado. A adição de carvão ativado influenciou na concentração de ácido giberélico acrescido no meio de cultura.Activated charcoal and gibberelin provides better conditions on development of citrus immature embryos. Activated charcoal and GA3 (gibberelic acid on 'Pêra Rio' sweet orange x 'Poncã' mandarin immature embryos culture was evaluated. After 118 days-pollination, imature fruits with 3 to 4 cm of diameter were collected, seeds removed and treated with alcohol (70% for five min., sodium hypoclorite (2% for 20 min. and three times washed with distilled and autoclaved water. In aseptic conditions, the teguments

Determination of the suitability of certain deciduous species for production of furfural and charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piotrowski, P.

1979-01-01

Determination of the suitability of chips of certain deciduous species for production of furfural and charcoal is discussed. The results of determination of suitability of unpeeled chips from cut branches (beech, birch, alder) and oak chips from wastes of production of furfural and also the suitability of cellolignin obtained from these chips for the production of charcoal are cited. An industrial unit of Swedish make equipped with a continuous hydrolyzer was used in hydrolysis tests of the deciduous chips. Unstripped birch, beech, and alder chips and oak chips from the wastes of wood processing contained 17-20 percent pentozanes and are suitable for industrial production of furfural. The content of substances soluble in an alcohol-benzene mixture in cellolignin from this feedstock was 21.1-30.5 percent. The amount of cellolignin obtained from chips of these species satisfied the demands of charcoal production. The charcoal yield was approximately 20 percent relative to the dry mass of carbonized cellolignin.

A passive integrating charcoal detector for indoor radon survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Lianqing; Ren Tianshan; Li Guiyun

1986-01-01

This paper describes the principle, design, calibration and characteristics of a passive integrating charcoal detector for measuring average radon concentration indoors. The uncertainties of the detector are also evaluated. Under conditions of room temperature at 17 deg C and relative humidity at 30%, the minimum limit of detection is 0.16 pCi/1 for 72 hours exposure. Besides higher sensitivity, the other advantages of this detector are passive, simple and less expensive. It requires no power and makes no noise and gives no interference to daily activities of the residents of dwellings being surveyed. Therefore the detector is suitable for a large-scale survey of radon levels indoors

[Effect of bio-charcoal on the trans of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil-plant system with composted sludge application].

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Li; Chen, Ying-xu; Wu, Wei-xiang; Ma, Hong-rui

2009-08-15

The effects of bio-charcoal acted as sludge-composting additive on soil characteristics and plant growth were studied. Compared with the treatment of composted sludge without bio-charcoal, soil cation exchange capacity in treatment of composted sludge with bio-charcoal increased over 5% and 10% respectively and soil nitrogen content increased 13% and 18% respectively for two kind soils. The composted sludge with bio-charcoal also resulted in 23% higher enhancement on ryegrass biomass and 8%-10% higher enhancement on ryegrass chlorophyll content. In addition, with the amendment of bio-charcoal, the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in composted sludge was decreased, which resulted in the lower absorption and accumulation of ryegrass to PAHs. Compared with the control, the PAHs concentration in ryegrass amended composted sludge with bio-charcoal decreased 27%-34%. The results indicated that composted sludge with bio-charcoal resulted in much more improvement on the plant growth as well as less negative effect on environment. Therefore, biocharcoal was in favor of the safe land application of sewage sludge.

Bio-charcoal production from municipal organic solid wastes

Science.gov (United States)

AlKhayat, Z. Q.

2017-08-01

The economic and environmental problems of handling the increasingly huge amounts of urban and/or suburban organic municipal solid wastes MSW, from collection to end disposal, in addition to the big fluctuations in power supply and other energy form costs for the various civilian needs, is studied for Baghdad city, the ancient and glamorous capital of Iraq, and a simple control device is suggested, built and tested by carbonizing these dried organic wastes in simple environment friendly bio-reactor in order to produce low pollution potential, economical and local charcoal capsules that might be useful for heating, cooking and other municipal uses. That is in addition to the solve of solid wastes management problem which involves huge human and financial resources and causes many lethal health and environmental problems. Leftovers of different social level residential campuses were collected, classified for organic materials then dried in order to be supplied into the bio-reactor, in which it is burnt and then mixed with small amounts of sugar sucrose that is extracted from Iraqi planted sugar cane, to produce well shaped charcoal capsules. The burning process is smoke free as the closed burner’s exhaust pipe is buried 1m underground hole, in order to use the subsurface soil as natural gas filter. This process has proved an excellent performance of handling about 120kg/day of classified MSW, producing about 80-100 kg of charcoal capsules, by the use of 200 l reactor volume.

Salts of the iodine oxyacids in the impregnation of adsorbent charcoal for trapping radioactive methyliodide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

A method of removing methyliodide 131 gas from the effluent of a reactor, comprises passing the effluent gas through a charcoal sorbent formed by first contacting charcoal with a liquid containing a hypoiodite obtained when an aqueous mixture of a first component comprising a salt of an iodine oxyacid selected from periodate, iodate and hypoiodite and a second component selected from iodine and/or an iodide salt is adjusted to a pH of about 10 by the addition of an inorganic base, and then contacting the resulting impregnated charcoal with a tertiary amine. (author)

Methyl iodide retention on charcoal sorbents at parts-per-million concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, G.O.; Vogt, G.J.; Kasunic, C.A.

1978-01-01

Breakthrough curves for charcoal beds challenged by air containing parts-per-million methyl iodide ( 127 I) vapor concentrations were obtained and analyzed. A goal of this research is to determine if sorbent tests at relatively high vapor concentrations give data that can be extrapolated many orders of magnitude to the region of interest for radioiodine retention and removal. Another objective is to identify and characterize parameters that are critical to the performance of a charcoal bed in a respirator cartridge application. Towards these ends, a sorbent test system was built that allows experimental variations of the parameters of challenge vapor concentration, volumetric flow rate, bed depth, bed diameter, and relative humidity. Methyl iodide breakthrough was measured at a limit of 0.002 ppM using a gas chromatograph equipped with a linearized electron capture detector. Several models that have been proposed to describe breakthrough curves were tested against experimental data. A variety of charcoals used or proposed for use in radioiodine air filtration systems have been tested against 25.7 ppM methyl iodide to obtain these parameters and protection (decomtamination) factors. Effects of challenge concentration, relative humidity, and bed diameter were also investigated. Significant challenge concentration dependence was measured (more efficiency at lower concentration) for two types of charcoals. Increased relative humidity greatly decreased breakthrough times for a given protection factor. Increased bed diameter greatly increased breakthrough times for a given protection factor. Implications of these effects for a test method are discussed

Penelitian Pembuatan Arang Bambu (Bamboo Charcoal pda Suhu Rendah untuk Produk Kerajinan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dwi Suheryanto

2016-04-01

Full Text Available AbstrakProses pengarangan terjadi bila ada suatu benda yang dipanasi sampai mencapai titik bakarnya sehingga benda terlihat membara, kemudian pemasukan oksigen dihentikan atau dibatasi agar benda tersebut tidak terbakar menjadi abu. Untuk melakukan uji coba penelitiaan pengarangan bambu menggunakan 2 jenis tungku, yaitu: tungku Tipe-1 tungku pengarangan suhu rendah (<120°C, dan tungku Tipe-2 tungku pengarangan suhu menengah 120°C -260°C, yang terbuat dari drum dengan Ǿ 35 cm. Bahan bambu yang digunakan terdiri dari 3 jenis bambu, yaitu; bambu cendani, petung, dan legi, dan produk bambu setengan jadi. Prosedur pengerjaan meliputi, penyiapan bahan (pemotongan dan seleksi, pengeringan, pengukuanr kandungan air awal, pengarangan, pengamatan proses pengarangan, dan identifikasi tingkat keberhasilan pengarangan. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui faktor yang mempengaruhi proses pengarangan dan kinerja tungku suhu rendah dan menengah. Dari hasil pengukuran kandungan air awal dari ke 3 jenis bambu yaitu dibawah 15%, sedangkan dari hasil pengamatan dan identifikasi pengarangan, pengarangan dengan menggunakan tungku Tipe-1, temperatur tertinggi rata-rata yang dapat dicapai 107,4 ºC dalam waktu 5 jam, dengan tingkat keberhasilan pengarang antara 60 % - 90 %, atau rata-rata 73 %;  dengan tungku Tipe-2, temperatur tertinggi rata-rata yang dapat dicapai 112,8 ºC dalam waktu 3,5 jam, dengan tingkat keberhasilan pengarang antara 50 % - 90 %, atau rata-rata 81 %. Kata kunci: arang bambu (bamboo charcoal, pengarangan, suhu, tungku pengarangan ABSTRACTA charcoal formation process occurs when an object is being heated until it reaches its burning point and smoldered, then the oxygen intake is stopped or restricted, so the object will not get burned into ashes. In this research, there are two tipes of furnaces being used, those are: Furnace Tipe-1, with low temperature (120°C and Furnace Tipe-2, with medium temperature (120°C 260�

Preparation of biomorphic SiC ceramic by carbothermal reduction of oak wood charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Junmin; Wang Jiping; Jin Zhihao

2004-01-01

Highly porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic with woodlike microstructure has been prepared at 1400-1600 deg. C by carbothermal reduction reaction of charcoal/silica composites in static argon atmosphere. These composites were fabricated by infiltrating silica sol into a porous biocarbon template from oak wood using a vacuum/pressure infiltration process. The morphology of resulting porous SiC ceramic, as well as the conversion mechanism of wood to porous SiC ceramic, have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Experimental results show that the biomorphic cellular morphology of oak wood charcoal is remained in the porous SiC ceramic with high precision that consists of β-SiC with traces of α-SiC. Silica in the charcoal/silica composites exists in the cellular pores in form of fibers and rods. The SiC strut material is formed by gas-solid reaction between SiO (g) and C (s) during the charcoal-to-ceramic conversion. The densification of SiC strut material may occur at moderate temperatures and holding time

Preparation of biomorphic SiC ceramic by carbothermal reduction of oak wood charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qian Junmin; Wang Jiping; Jin Zhihao

2004-04-25

Highly porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic with woodlike microstructure has been prepared at 1400-1600 deg. C by carbothermal reduction reaction of charcoal/silica composites in static argon atmosphere. These composites were fabricated by infiltrating silica sol into a porous biocarbon template from oak wood using a vacuum/pressure infiltration process. The morphology of resulting porous SiC ceramic, as well as the conversion mechanism of wood to porous SiC ceramic, have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Experimental results show that the biomorphic cellular morphology of oak wood charcoal is remained in the porous SiC ceramic with high precision that consists of {beta}-SiC with traces of {alpha}-SiC. Silica in the charcoal/silica composites exists in the cellular pores in form of fibers and rods. The SiC strut material is formed by gas-solid reaction between SiO (g) and C (s) during the charcoal-to-ceramic conversion. The densification of SiC strut material may occur at moderate temperatures and holding time.

Production of activated carbon from peanut hill using phosphoric acid and microwave activation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weerawat Clowutimon

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The optimum conditions for preparing activated carbon from peanut hulls by phosphoric acid and microwave activation were studied. Factors investigated in this study were temperature of carbonization at 300, 350, 400 and 450๐ C, and time of carbonization at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The optimum yield was observed that carbonization temperature of 400๐ C and time at 60 minutes, respectively. The yield of charcoal was 39% and the f ix carbon was 69%. Then the charcoal was activated by phosphoric acid and microwave irradiation, respectively. The effect of the weight per volume ratios of charcoal to activating acid (1:1, 1:2 and 2:1(W/V, microwave power at (activated 300, 500 and 700 watts, and activated time (30, 60 and 90 seconds were studied. The results showed that the optimum conditions for activating peanut charcoal were 1:2 (W/V charcoal per activating acid, microwave power 700 watts for 90 seconds. The results yielding maximum surface area by BET method was 303.1 m2 /g and pore volume was 0.140 cm3 /g. An efficiency of maximum iodine adsorption was 418 mg iodine/g activated carbon. Comparing the adsorption efficiency of non- irradiated and irradiated activated carbon, the efficiency of irradiated activated carbon improved up to 31%, due to its larger surface area and pore volume.

The practical management of bleedings during treatment with direct oral anticoagulants: the emergency reversal therapy

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Luca Masotti

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Bleeding represents the most feared complication of the new oral anticoagulants, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs, as well as all the antithrombotic therapies. During the acute phase of bleeding in patients taking anticoagulants, restoration of an effective hemostasis represents the cornerstone of practical management. While vitamin K antagonists are effectively and promptly reversed by specific antidotes such as prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs, fresh frozen plasma or vitamin K, it is still not clear how to manage the urgent reversal of DOACs during life-threatening or major bleedings due to the lack of specific antidotes. However, in vitro and ex vivo studies have suggested some potential strategies to reverse DOACs in clinical practice, other than general support measures that are always recommended. Activated charcoal could be used in subjects with DOAC-related bleedings presenting to the emergency department within two hours of the last oral intake. Non-activated or activated PCCs (FEIBA and recombinant activated Factor VII (raFVII seem to be the optimal strategy for urgent reversal of dabigatran, while non-activated PCCs seem to have efficacy in reversing rivaroxaban. Due to its low plasma protein binding, dabigatran could be also dialyzed in urgent cases. Clinically relevant non-major bleedings and minor bleedings should be treated with general and local measures, respectively, and, when necessary, with dose delay or drug withdrawal. In this article, the Authors describe the practical approach to bleedings occurring during DOACs treatment.

A Study of Polishing Feature of Ultrasonic-Assisted Vibration Method in Bamboo Charcoal

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Hsin-Min Lee

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Focusing on the feature of porosity in bamboo charcoal, this study applies the ultrasonic-assisted vibration method to perform surface polishing of the silicon wafer workpiece. The self-developed bamboo charcoal polishing spindle and ultrasonic- assisted vibration mechanism are attached to a single lapping machine. In the machining process, ultrasonic vibration enables the diamond slurry to smoothly pass through the microscopic holes of bamboo charcoal; the end of the bamboo charcoalis able to continue machining on the surface of the workpiece through the grasping force which exists in the microscopic holes. Under the polishing and machining parameters of ultrasonic-assisted vibration, with a diamond slurry concentration of 0.3%, the experimental results show a polishing time of 20 min, a loading of 25 N on the workpiece surface, a spindle speed of 1200 rpm, a vibration frequency of 30 kHz and the original surface roughness value of Ra 0.252 μm equals that of a mirror-like surface at Ra 0.017 μm. These research results prove that by using bamboo charcoal and ultrasonic-assisted vibration for polishing, a very good improvement can be achieved on the workpiece surface.

Development and application of charcoal sorbents for cryopumping fusion devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sedgley, D.W. (Grumman Corp., Bethpage, NY (USA). Space Systems Div.)

1989-06-01

Progress has been made in defining the capabilities of charcoal as the most promising absorbent to be used in cryopumps for fusion power application. The capabilities of alternative methods of cryopumping helium have been examined in a literature survey and by test, and the results are described here. Considerations include pumping speed, capacity to accumulate pumped gas, ease of reconditioning, use of alternative materials and tolerance to the fusion environment. Vacuum pumps for future fusion devices must handle large quantities of helium/hydrogen isotopes and other impurities. Cryopumps or turbomolecular pumps have demonstrated the capability on a small scale, and each has an important advantage: TMPs do not accumulate gases; cryopumps can separate helium from other effluents. This paper includes a review of a method for selecting charcoals for helium cryopumping, testing of a continuously operating cryopump system, and definition of a design that is based on the requirements of the Next European Torus. Tritium limits are satisfied. The pump design incorporates the charcoal sorbent system that has been recently developed and is based on a reasonable extrapolation of current state-of-the-art. Evaluation of alternative methods of separating helium and other gases led to selection of a movable barrier as the preferred solution. (orig.).

A case of recurrence-mimicking charcoal granuloma in a breast cancer patient: Ultrasound,CT, PET/CT and breast-specific gamma imaging findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Dae Woong; Park, Ji Yeon; Park, Noh Hyuck; Kim, Seon Jeong; Shin, Hyuck Jai; Lee, Jeong Ju [Myongji Hospital, Seonam University College of Medicine, Goyang (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Seong Yoon [Div. of Hematology-Oncology, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang (Korea, Republic of)

2016-07-15

Charcoal remains stable without causing a foreign body reaction and it may be used for preoperative localization of a non-palpable breast mass. However, cases of post-charcoal-marking granuloma have only rarely been reported in the breast, and a charcoal granuloma can be misdiagnosed as malignancy. Herein, we report the ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/CT, and breast-specific gamma imaging findings of recurrence-mimicking charcoal granuloma after breast conserving surgery, following localization with charcoal in a breast cancer patient.

Changes in fire regimes since the Last Glacial Maximum: an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Power, M.J. [University of Edinburgh, Institute of Geography, School of Geosciences, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Marlon, J.; Ortiz, N.; Bartlein, P.J.; Harrison, S.P.; Mayle, F.E.; Ballouche, A.; Bradshaw, R.H.W.; Carcaillet, C.; Cordova, C.; Mooney, S.; Moreno, P.I.; Prentice, I.C.; Thonicke, K.; Tinner, W.; Whitlock, C.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, Y.; Ali, A.A.; Anderson, R.S.; Beer, R.; Behling, H.; Briles, C.; Brown, K.J.; Brunelle, A.; Bush, M.; Camill, P.; Chu, G.Q.; Clark, J.; Colombaroli, D.; Connor, S.; Daniau, A.L.; Daniels, M.; Dodson, J.; Doughty, E.; Edwards, M.E.; Finsinger, W.; Foster, D.; Frechette, J.; Gaillard, M.J.; Gavin, D.G.; Gobet, E.; Haberle, S.; Hallett, D.J.; Higuera, P.; Hope, G.; Horn, S.; Inoue, J.; Kaltenrieder, P.; Kennedy, L.; Kong, Z.C.; Larsen, C.; Long, C.J.; Lynch, J.; Lynch, E.A.; McGlone, M.; Meeks, S.; Mensing, S.; Meyer, G.; Minckley, T.; Mohr, J.; Nelson, D.M.; New, J.; Newnham, R.; Noti, R.; Oswald, W.; Pierce, J.; Richard, P.J.H.; Rowe, C.; Sanchez Goni, M.F.; Shuman, B.N.; Takahara, H.; Toney, J.; Turney, C.; Urrego-Sanchez, D.H.; Umbanhowar, C.; Vandergoes, M.; Vanniere, B.; Vescovi, E.; Walsh, M.; Wang, X.; Williams, N.; Wilmshurst, J.; Zhang, J.H.

2008-06-15

Fire activity has varied globally and continuously since the last glacial maximum (LGM) in response to long-term changes in global climate and shorter-term regional changes in climate, vegetation, and human land use. We have synthesized sedimentary charcoal records of biomass burning since the LGM and present global maps showing changes in fire activity for time slices during the past 21,000 years (as differences in charcoal accumulation values compared to pre-industrial). There is strong broad-scale coherence in fire activity after the LGM, but spatial heterogeneity in the signals increases thereafter. In North America, Europe and southern South America, charcoal records indicate less-than-present fire activity during the deglacial period, from 21,000 to {proportional_to}11,000 cal yr BP. In contrast, the tropical latitudes of South America and Africa show greater-than-present fire activity from {proportional_to}19,000 to {proportional_to}17,000 cal yr BP and most sites from Indochina and Australia show greater-than-present fire activity from 16,000 to {proportional_to}13,000 cal yr BP. Many sites indicate greater-than-present or near-present activity during the Holocene with the exception of eastern North America and eastern Asia from 8,000 to {proportional_to}3,000 cal yr BP, Indonesia and Australia from 11,000 to 4,000 cal yr BP, and southern South America from 6,000 to 3,000 cal yr BP where fire activity was less than present. Regional coherence in the patterns of change in fire activity was evident throughout the post-glacial period. These complex patterns can largely be explained in terms of large-scale climate controls modulated by local changes in vegetation and fuel load. (orig.)

Impact of land-use and long-term (>150 years) charcoal accumulation on microbial activity, biomass and community structure in temperate soils (Belgium).

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, Brieuc; Cornelis, Jean-Thomas; Dufey, Joseph E.

2015-04-01

In the last decade, biochar has been increasingly investigated as a soil amendment for long-term soil carbon sequestration while improving soil fertility. On the short term, biochar application to soil generally increases soil respiration as well as microbial biomass and activity and affects significantly the microbial community structure. However, such effects are relatively short-term and tend to vanish over time. In our study, we investigated the long-term impact of charcoal accumulation and land-use on soil biota in temperate haplic Luvisols developed in the loess belt of Wallonia (Belgium). Charcoal-enriched soils were collected in the topsoil of pre-industrial (>150 years old) charcoal kilns in forest (4 sites) and cropland (5 sites). The topsoil of the adjacent charcoal-unaffected soils was sampled in a comparable way. Soils were characterized (pH, total, organic and inorganic C, total N, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, Na, cation exchange capacity and available P) and natural soil organic matter (SOM) and black carbon (BC) contents were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. After rewetting at pF 2.5, soils were incubated during 140 days at 20 °C. At 70 days of incubation, 10 g of each soil were freeze dried in order to measure total microbial biomass and community structure by PLFA analysis. The PLFA dataset was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) while soil parameters were used as supplementary variables. For both agricultural and forest soils, the respiration rate is highly related to the total microbial biomass (R²=0.90). Both soil respiration and microbial biomass greatly depend on the SOM content, which indicates that the BC pool is relatively inert microbiologically. Land-use explains most of the variance in the PLFA dataset, largely governing the first principal component of the ACP. In forest soils, we observe a larger proportion of gram + bacteria, actinomycetes and an increased bacteria:fungi ratio compared to cropland, where gram

Removal of microcystin-LR from drinking water using a bamboo-based charcoal adsorbent modified with chitosan.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hangjun; Zhu, Guoying; Jia, Xiuying; Ding, Ying; Zhang, Mi; Gao, Qing; Hu, Ciming; Xu, Shuying

2011-01-01

A new kind of low-cost syntactic adsorbent from bamboo charcoal and chitosan was developed for the removal of microcystin-LR from drinking water. Removal efficiency was higher for the syntactic adsorbent when the amount of bamboo charcoal was increased. The optimum dose ratio of bamboo charcoal to chitosan was 6:4, and the optimum amount was 15 mg/L; equilibrium time was 6 hr. The adsorption isotherm was non-linear and could be simulated by the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9337). Adsorption efficiency was strongly affected by pH and natural organic matter (NOM). Removal efficiency was 16% higher at pH 3 than at pH 9. Efficiency rate was reduced by 15% with 25 mg/L NOM (UV254 = 0.089 cm(-1)) in drinking water. This study demonstrated that the bamboo charcoal modified with chitosan can effectively remove microcystin-LR from drinking water.

Assessing the Efficacy of Restricting Access to Barbecue Charcoal for Suicide Prevention in Taiwan: A Community-Based Intervention Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ying-Yeh; Chen, Feng; Chang, Shu-Sen; Wong, Jacky; Yip, Paul S F

2015-01-01

Objective Charcoal-burning suicide has recently been spreading to many Asian countries. There have also been several cases involving this new method of suicide in Western countries. Restricting access to suicide means is one of the few suicide-prevention measures that have been supported by empirical evidence. The current study aims to assess the effectiveness of a community intervention program that restricts access to charcoal to prevent suicide in Taiwan. Methods and Findings A quasi-experimental design is used to compare method-specific (charcoal-burning suicide, non-charcoal-burning suicide) and overall suicide rates in New Taipei City (the intervention site, with a population of 3.9 million) with two other cities (Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, the control sites, each with 2.7 million residents) before (Jan 1st 2009- April 30th 2012) and after (May 1st 2012-Dec. 31st 2013) the initiation of a charcoal-restriction program on May 1st 2012. The program mandates the removal of barbecue charcoal from open shelves to locked storage in major retail stores in New Taipei City. No such restriction measure was implemented in the two control sites. Generalized linear regression models incorporating secular trends were used to compare the changes in method-specific and overall suicide rates before and after the initiation of the restriction measure. A simulation approach was used to estimate the number of lives saved by the intervention. Compared with the pre-intervention period, the estimated rate reduction of charcoal-burning suicide in New Taipei City was 37% (95% CI: 17%, 50%) after the intervention. Taking secular trends into account, the reduction was 30% (95% CI: 14%, 44%). No compensatory rise in non-charcoal-burning suicide was observed in New Taipei City. No significant reduction in charcoal-burning suicide was observed in the other two control sites. The simulation approach estimated that 91 (95%CI [55, 128]) lives in New Taipei City were saved during the 20

Adsorption of cadmium (II) ions from aqueous solution by a new low-cost adsorbent-Bamboo charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Fayuan [State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Qinghuayuan, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China); Wang Hui, E-mail: wanghui@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Qinghuayuan, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China); Ma Jianwei [State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Qinghuayuan, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-05-15

Batch adsorption experiments were conducted for the adsorption of Cd (II) ions from aqueous solution by bamboo charcoal. The results showed that the adsorption of Cd (II) ions was very fast initially and the equilibrium time was 6 h. High pH ({>=}8.0) was favorable for the adsorption and removal of Cd (II) ions. Higher initial Cd concentrations led to lower removal percentages but higher adsorption capacity. As the adsorbent dose increased, the removal of Cd increased, while the adsorption capacity decreased. Adsorption kinetics of Cd (II) ions onto bamboo charcoal could be best described by the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption behavior of Cd (II) ions fitted Langmuir, Temkin and Freundlich isotherms well, but followed Langmuir isotherm most precisely, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 12.08 mg/g. EDS analysis confirmed that Cd (II) was adsorbed onto bamboo charcoal. This study demonstrated that bamboo charcoal could be used for the removal of Cd (II) ions in water treatment.

Determinants of Charcoal Production Efficiency in Ibarapa North ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage and frequency and stochastic frontier production function. The study revealed that mean age of producers was 36 years; 96.9% were males and 3.1 were females. Majority of the producers (76.9%) had no formal training on how to produce charcoal, ...

Charcoal records reveal past occurrences of disturbances in the forests of the Kisangani region, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Tshibamba Mukendi, John; Hubau, Wannes; Ntahobavuka, Honorine; Boyemba Bosela, Faustin; De Cannière, Charles; Beeckman, Hans

2014-05-01

Past disturbances have modified local density, structure and floristic composition of Central African rainforests. As such, these perturbations represent a driving force for forest dynamics and they were presumably at the origin of present-day forest mosaics. One of the most prominent disturbances within the forest is fire, leaving behind charcoal as a witness of past forest dynamics. Quantification and identification of ancient charcoal fragments found in soil layers (= pedoanthracology) allows a detailed reconstruction of forest history, including the possible occurrence of past perturbations. The primary objective of this study is to present palaeoenvironmental evidence for the existence of past disturbances in the forests of the Kisangani region (Democratic Republic of the Congo) using a pedoanthracological approach. We quantified and identified charcoal fragments from pedoanthracological excavations in the Yangambi, Yoko, Masako and Kole forest regions. Charcoal sampling was conducted in pit intervals of 10 cm, whereby pottery fragments were also registered and quantified. Floristic identifications were conducted using former protocols based on wood anatomy, which is largely preserved after charcoalification. 14 excavations were conducted and charcoal was found in most pit intervals. Specifically, 52 out of 56 sampled intervals from the Yangambi forest contained charcoal, along with 47 pit intervals from the Yoko forest reserve, 34 pit intervals from the Masako forest and 16 from the Kole forest. Highest specific anthracomasses were recorded in Yoko (167 mg charcoal per kg soil), followed by Yangambi (133 mg/kg), Masako (71,89 mg/kg) and finally Kole (42,4 mg/kg). Charcoal identifications point at a manifest presence of the family of Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae). This family is characteristic for the tropical humid rainforest. The presence of charcoal fragments from these taxa, associated with pottery sherds on different depths within the profiles, suggests

Assessment of antidiarrhoeal activity of the methanol extract of Xylocarpus granatum bark in mice model.

Science.gov (United States)

Rouf, Razina; Uddin, Shaikh Jamal; Shilpi, Jamil Ahmad; Alamgir, Mahiuddin

2007-02-12

The methanol extract of Xylocarpus granatum bark was studied for its antidiarrhoeal properties in experimental diarrhoea, induced by castor oil and magnesium sulphate in mice. At the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg per oral, the methanol extract showed significant and dose-dependent antidiarrhoeal activity in both models. The extracts also significantly reduced the intestinal transit in charcoal meal test when compared to atropine sulphate (5 mg/kg; i.m.). The results showed that the extracts of Xylocarpus granatum bark have a significant antidiarrhoeal activity and supports its traditional uses in herbal medicine.

Effect of fermentation inhibitors in the presence and absence of activated charcoal on the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sung-Koo; Park, Don-Hee; Song, Se Hee; Wee, Young-Jung; Jeong, Gwi-Taek

2013-06-01

The acidic hydrolysis of biomass generates numerous inhibitors of fermentation, which adversely affect cell growth and metabolism. The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of fermentation inhibitors on growth and glucose consumption by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We also conducted in situ adsorption during cell cultivation in synthetic broth containing fermentation inhibitors. In order to evaluate the effect of in situ adsorption on cell growth, five inhibitors, namely 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, levulinic acid, furfural, formic acid, and acetic acid, were introduced into synthetic broth. The existence of fermentation inhibitors during cell culture adversely affects cell growth and sugar consumption. Furfural, formic acid, and acetic acid were the most potent inhibitors in our culture system. The in situ adsorption of inhibitors by the addition of activated charcoal to the synthetic broth increased cell growth and sugar consumption. Our results indicate that detoxification of fermentation media by in situ adsorption may be useful for enhancing biofuel production.

Studies on entrained DNPPA separation by charcoal adsorption from aqueous solutions generated during uranium recovery from strong phosphoric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, D.K.; Vijayalakshmi, R.; Singh, H.

2010-01-01

During the separation of metal ions by solvent extraction technique in hydrometallurgical operations, organic solvents either get entrained or dissolved in various types of aqueous streams, which need to be separated out to prevent environmental pollution and solvent loss. Generally entrained solvents are separated on plant scale by parallel plate separators or by froth floatation cells, while the dissolved solvents are recovered either by organic diluent wash or by charcoal adsorption. A novel process has been developed to recover uranium from merchant grade phosphoric acid (MGA) employing synergistic mixture of DNPPA (di-nonyl phenyl phosphoric acid ) and TOPO (tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide) dissolved in petrofin. After recovery of uranium, MGA has to be returned to the host company for the production of fertilizer. This MGA has to be free from any contamination due to DNPPA and TOPO. Separation of DNPPA and TOPO from MGA by diluent wash method has been reported. There is no information available in literature for the separation of DNPPA and TOPO from such aqueous streams by carbon adsorption. The present investigation describes the methodology based on charcoal adsorption study (batch and continuous column operation) to separate DNPPA from MGA. Three different types of charcoal namely coconut shell based, coal based and pelletized charcoal were evaluated for DNPPA separation from MGA containing 100 mg/L DNPPA. It was found that the % DNPPA adsorptions in single contact (0.5g C/50 ml) were 57, 34 and 10 in coconut shell, coal based and pelletised charcoal respectively. Based on the results, the coconut shell based charcoal was selected for further study. Adsorption of DNPPA by coconut shell based charcoal was investigated by carrying out the experiments with 50 ml MGA containing 770 mg/L DNPPA by adding 1 to 7 g charcoal respectively in separate beakers

Emissions of air toxics from a simulated charcoal kiln. Final report, October 1997--September 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemieux, P.M.

1999-06-01

The report gives results of experiments in a laboratory-scale charcoal kiln simulator to evaluate emissions of hazardous air pollutants from the production of charcoal in Missouri-type kilns. Fixed combustion gases were measured using continuous monitors. In addition, other pollutants, including methanol, volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, and particle emission rates and size distributions were measured using various techniques. Emissions of all pollutants are reported in units of grams emitted per unit mass of initial wood converted to charcoal. Two burn conditions--slow and fast--were examined. High levels of methanol, benzene, and fine particulate were emitted in all tests. The estimated emissions from the fast burn conditions were significantly higher than those from the slow burn conditions

Charcoal and siderurgy in Brazilian Amazonia: what environmental improvement paths? Example of the Carajas pole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piketty, Marie-Gabrielle; Fonseca Morello, Thiago; Bouillet, Jean-Pierre; Laclau, Jean-Paul; Behling, Maurel; Caldeira Pires, Armando; Oliveira Rodrigues, Thiago; Rousset, Patrick; Dufour, Thomas; Durieux, Laurent; Sist, Plinio; Vieira, Paulo; Lemenager, Tiphaine; Ernst, Guillaume

2011-05-01

The pig iron sector of Carajas, in the Brazilian Amazon, uses charcoal which is strongly criticized because of the charcoal production direct and indirect impacts on deforestation and forests degradation. This publication identifies and analyzes some alternatives to decrease the charcoal production environmental negative externalities and the main technical, economic and institutional factors that may limit their adoption. Several alternatives are possible, based on more efficient carbonization technologies, reforestation or afforestation of degraded lands, and, to a lesser extent, the use of reduced impact logging residues. Some of the alternatives are cost-efficient in the long term and financing support is available to promote their adoption. Land tenure and environmental regularization is a necessary pre-requisite for their expansion. (authors)

Conductometric Studies Of Adsorption Of Sulfide On Charcoal From Aqueous Solution

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Md. Rezwan Miah

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Adsorption of sulfide S2- from aqueous solution on commercial charcoal was studied using conductometric technique. A proportionally constant for concentration of S2- and its conductance was obtained by measuring conductance of S2- solution over a concentration range of 0.0005amp614850.02 M. The time-dependent measured conductance of S2- solution was converted to concentration using the obtained constant. The adsorption data were analyzed by both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. A surface coverage equal to 2.5 mg per gram of charcoal was obtained. The adsorption was found to follow first-order kinetics having rate constant equal to 2.65 amp61620 10amp614853 s-1.

Radioactive gas standby treatment apparatus with high efficiency rechargeable charcoal filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hickey, T.N.; Spulgis, I.S.

1975-01-01

Described is a standby gas treatment system for removal of radioactive release from a nuclear containment structure not only during normal purge operations but also in the event of a design basis accident. Ventiduct trains arranged in parallel so that one is redundant are each operative to extract dust in excess of 0.3 microns and adsorb radioactive iodine and compounds thereof at 99.9 percent plus efficiency. A rechargeable gasketless charcoal filter in each train can be filled or emptied without removing the filter enclosures per se. Laminar flow filter beds entirely encapsulate the gas stream to provide low gas velocity and even distribution across the charcoal cage without channeling, thereby securing long residence time

Anatomy Of Archaeological Wood Charcoals From Yenibademli Mound (Imbros), Western Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Yaman, B.

In this study, the qualitative and quantitative anatomy of six wood charcoals from an early Bronze Age settlement in the island Imbros (Gökçeada) were presented. Taxonomic identification on the basis of wood anatomy showed that two of them belong to the genus Quercus (section Ilex and cf Quercus), and four of them belong to the genus Pinus. Any fireplace is absent at the location of wood charcoals in G9 plan square. It appears that the woody branches on the horizontal roof of the building fell down to the floor after a big fire. It is most likely that the woody genera identified in the study were used for roof construction.

Evaluation of the Effects of Lime-bassanite-charcoal Amendment on the Immobilization of Cadmium in Contaminated Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shunhong; Yang, Yi; Li, Qian; Su, Zhen; Yuan, Cuiyu; Ouyang, Kun

2017-03-01

The effects of amendments, such as lime, bassanite, sodium phosphate, steel slag and charcoal, and their compounds on the immobilization of cadmium (Cd) are investigated. The lime-bassanite-charcoal compound shows the best remediation performance compared to other agents in conducted experiments. The optimum condition for lime-bassanite-charcoal application in contaminated soil is lime-bassanite-charcoal with a mass ratio of 1:1/3:2/3, a dose of 2% of the soil weight, and a liquid-to-solid ratio of 35%-40%; additionally, the agents should be added before water addition. The highest Cd removal rate was 58.94% (±1.19%) with a ∆pH of 0.23, which is much higher than the rates reported in previous studies. The compound amendment was used in a field experiment, demonstrating a Cd removal efficiency of 48.78% (±4.23), further confirming its effectiveness.

Oral health activities of early head start teachers directed toward children and parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kranz, Ashley M; Rozier, R Gary; Zeldin, Leslie P; Preisser, John S

2011-01-01

This cross-sectional study examined Early Head Start (EHS) teachers' oral health program activities and their association with teacher and program characteristics. Self-completed questionnaires were distributed to the staff in all EHS programs in North Carolina. Variables for dental health activities for parents (four items) and children (four items) were constructed as the sum of responses to a 0-4 Likert-type scale (never to very frequently). Ordinary least squares regression models examined the association between teachers' oral health program activities and modifiable teacher (oral health knowledge, values, self-efficacy, dental health training, perceived barriers to dental activities) and program (director and health coordinator knowledge and perceived barriers to dental activities) characteristics. Teachers in the parent (n=260) and child (n=231) analyses were a subset of the 485 staff respondents (98 percent response rate). Teachers engaged in child oral health activities (range = 0-16; mean = 9.0) more frequently than parent activities (range = 0-16; mean = 6.9). Teachers' oral health values, perceived oral health self-efficacy, dental training, and director and health coordinator knowledge were positively associated with oral health activities (P oral health activity in EHS programs is less than optimal. Several characteristics of EHS staff were identified that can be targeted with education interventions. Evidence for effectiveness of EHS interventions needs to be strengthened, but results of this survey provide encouraging findings about the potential effects of teacher training on their oral health practices.

Activated charcoal and graphite for the micropropagation of Cattleya bicolor Lindl. and a orchid double-hybrid ‘BLC Pastoral Innocence’=Carvão ativado e grafite para a micropropagação de Cattleya bicolor Lindl. e um duplo híbrido de orquídea ‘BLC Pastoral Innocence’

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudete Aparecida Mangolin

2012-04-01

Full Text Available No previous studies have investigated the use of graphite instead of activated charcoal in orchids. In this work, different concentrations of activated charcoal or graphite were added to KC medium to darken the culture medium and stimulate the in vitro propagation of Cattleya bicolor and of a double hybrid orchid (‘BLC Pastoral Innocence’. The seedlings were inoculated on growth regulator-free KC medium; the effects of activated charcoal (0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 g L-1 and graphite (0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, and 7.5 g L-1 concentrations were tested separately. Each flask contained fifteen seedlings, and the experiments had a randomised, two-way factorial design. The two tested variables were culture medium and illumination levels; eleven culture levels (different concentrations of graphite or activate charcoal and two illumination levels (14-hr photoperiod or continuous illumination were evaluated. Three replicates of each combination were utilised. After six months of culture, the average numbers of induced buds and roots per seedling were recorded for each concentration of activated charcoal or graphite. Whereas the largest number of buds in C. bicolor seedlings occurred on media containing 6.0 or 7.5 g L-1 graphite, the largest number of roots occurred on media containing 6.0 g L-1 activated charcoal. In the hybrid ‘BLC Pastoral Innocence’, the largest number of buds and roots was reported in medium with 4.5 g L-1 activated charcoal. When using graphite in place of activated charcoal, we obtained disparate the results in root formation that suggest that graphite is not a recommended substitute for activated charcoal.Nenhum estudo prévio tem investigado o uso de grafite como substituto do carvão ativado em orquídeas. No presente trabalho, concentrações diferentes de carvão ativado ou de grafite foram adicionadas ao meio KC para escurecer o meio de cultura e estimular a propagação in vitro de Cattleya bicolor e de um

Impact of charcoal waste application on the soil organic matter content and composition of an Haplic Cambisol from South Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

dos Anjos Leal, Otávio; Pinheiro Dick, Deborah; Cylene Lombardi, Kátia; Gonçalves Maciel, Vanessa

2014-05-01

In some regions in Brazil, charcoal is usually applied to the soil with the purpose to improve its fertility and its organic carbon (SOC) content. In Brazil, the use of charcoal waste from steel industry with agronomic purposes represents also an alternative and sustainable fate for this material. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of Eucalyptus charcoal waste application on the SOC content and on the soil organic matter (SOM) composition. Increasing doses of charcoal (0, 10, 20 and 40 Mg ha-1) were applied to an Haplic Cambisol, in Irati, South-Brazil. Charcoal was initially applied on the soil surface, and then it was incorporated at 10 cm with a harrow. Soil undisturbed and disturbed samples (four replicates) were collected in September 2011 (1 y and 9 months) after charcoal incorporation. Four soil depths were evaluated (0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm) and each replicate was composed by three subsamples collected within each plot. The soil samples were air dried, passed through a 9.51 mm sieve and thereafter through a 2.00 mm sieve. The SOC content and total N were quantified by dry combustion. The SOM was concentrated with fluoridric acid 10% and then the SOM composition was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis along the soil profile. The main impact of charcoal application occurred at the 0-5 cm layer of the area treated with the highest dose: SOC content increased in 15.5 g kg-1 in comparison to the soil without charcoal application. The intermediary doses also increased the SOC content, but the differences were not significant. No differences for N content were found in this soil depth. Further results were observed in the 10-20 cm soil depth, where the highest dose increased the SOC content and N content. Furthermore, this treatment increased the recalcitrance of the SOM, mainly at the 0-5 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers. No differences between doses of charcoal application were found in the 20-30 cm soil depth, suggesting

Unsustainable charcoal production as a contributing factor to woodland fragmentation in southeast Kenya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruuska, Eeva

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Drawing from a holistic research approach, this paper contributes to the studies of land cover change and sustainable development in Kenya, and to the planning of sustainable future in Dakatcha Woodland, SE Kenya. As an un-protected global hotspot for biodiversity, Dakatcha Woodland has suffered from unsustainable forest resource use. The relation of charcoal production to land cover change and its socio-economic impact are studied in detail. A supervised land cover classification formed using four SPOT satellite images from 2005/06 and 2011 revealed that the woodland is fragmenting and the Important Bird Area (IBA demarcation should be reconsidered. Through in-situ observation, household questionnaires and semi-structured expert interviews it was found that more than half of the 90 households assessed are involved in charcoal production which is higher figure than peer studies have suggested, and that the charcoal network offers income to many, but bears an negative impact on the environment. It was discovered that, like in Kenya, in Dakatcha Woodland, too, the demand for woodfuels (charcoal and fuelwood is one of the key drivers of deforestation and land degradation. As such, woodfuel energy is a cross cutting issue, tying together forest resources, livelihoods and sustainable development, and thus demands further research. Forest management of Dakatcha Woodland must be planned in accordance with all stakeholders in a sustainable manner, drawing from agroforestry and participatory forest management systems, and keeping environmental factors in mind for the maintenance of ecosystem services.

Preparing activated carbon from charcoal and investigation of the selective uranium adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuetahyali, C.; Eral, M.

2001-01-01

Preconcentration and separation procedures based on adsorption phenomena are important in nuclear and especially radiation chemistry, industry, medicine and daily life. Adsorption of uranium onto various solids is important from purification, environmental and radioactive waste disposal points of view . The treatment of aqueous nuclear waste solutions containing soluble metal ions requires concentration of the metal ions into smaller volume followed by recovery or secure disposal. For this purpose, many processes are being utilized such as precipitation, ion-exchange, solvent extraction and adsorption on solids etc. Interest in the adsorption of metal ions for recovery purposes has increased manyfold in recent years, because of its simplicity, selectivity and efficiency . The main advantage of adsorption is the separation of trace amount of elements from large volumes of solutions. In recent years, several studies have been made to recover radionuclides by adsorption using natural and synthetic adsorbents. Adsorption on charcoal is one of the most efficient techniques used in water treatment processes for the removal of organics and micropollutants from wastes and drinking waters. Adsorption processes have long been used in the removal of color, odor, and organic pollution. These processes are usually based on the use of activated carbon . Activated carbon consists mainly of carbon and is produced from every carbonaceous material. Activated carbon characterized by its high surface area and its wide distribution of porosity. The textural properties (surface area and porosity) of activated carbons play an important role in determining the capacity of the material in adsorption from aqueous solution. Chemistry of the surface is also important . Generally, activated carbons are mainly microporous, but in addition to micropores they contain meso- and macropores, which are very important in facilitating acces of the adsorbate molecules to the interior of carbon particles

Charcoal from a prehistoric copper mine in the Austrian Alps: dendrochronological and dendrological data, demand for wood and forest utilisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pichler, Thomas; Nicolussi, Kurt; Goldenberg, Gert; Hanke, Klaus; Kovács, Kristóf; Thurner, Andrea

2013-02-01

During prehistory fire-setting was the most appropriate technique for exploiting ore deposits. Charcoal fragments found in the course of archaeological excavations in a small mine called Mauk E in the area of Schwaz/Brixlegg (Tyrol, Austria) are argued to be evidence for the use of this technology. Dendrochronological analyses of the charcoal samples yielded calendar dates for the mining activities showing that the exploitation of the Mauk E mine lasted approximately one decade in the late 8th century BC. Dendrological studies show that the miners utilised stem wood of spruce and fir from forests with high stand density for fire-setting and that the exploitation of the Mauk E mine had only a limited impact on the local forests.

The contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007.

Science.gov (United States)

Law, C K; Yip, Paul S F; Caine, Eric D

2011-09-01

There has been scant research exploring the relationship between choice of method (means) of self-inflicted death, and broader social or contextual factors. The recent emergence and growth of suicide using carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning charcoal in an enclosed space (hereafter, "charcoal burning") was related to an increase in the overall suicide rate in Hong Kong. The growth of this method coincided with changing economic conditions. This paper expands upon previous work to explore possible relationships further. This study aims to discern the role of charcoal burning in overall suicide rate transition during times of both economic recession and expansion, as captured in the unemployment rate of Hong Kong, and to examine whether there was evidence of an effect from means-substitution. Age and gender specific suicide rates in Hong Kong by suicide methods from 1997 to 2007 were calculated. To model the transition of suicide rate by different methods, Poisson regression analyses were employed. Charcoal burning constituted 18.3% of all suicides, 88% of which involved individuals drawn from the middle years (25-59) of life. During both periods of rising and declining unemployment, charcoal burning played an important role in the changing suicide rates, and this effect was most prominent among for those in their middle years. Means-substitution was found among the married women during the period of rate advancement (1997-2003). Compared to others, working-age adults preferentially selected carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal burning.

Oral Hygiene. Learning Activity Package.

Science.gov (United States)

Hime, Kirsten

This learning activity package on oral hygiene is one of a series of 12 titles developed for use in health occupations education programs. Materials in the package include objectives, a list of materials needed, a list of definitions, information sheets, reviews (self evaluations) of portions of the content, and answers to reviews. These topics…

Masticatory muscle activity during deliberately performed oral tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farella, M; Palla, S; Erni, S; Gallo, L M; Michelotti, A

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate masticatory muscle activity during deliberately performed functional and non-functional oral tasks. Electromyographic (EMG) surface activity was recorded unilaterally from the masseter, anterior temporalis and suprahyoid muscles in 11 subjects (5 men, 6 women; age = 34.6 ± 10.8 years), who were accurately instructed to perform 30 different oral tasks under computer guidance using task markers. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, repeated measurements analysis of variance (ANOVA) and hierarchical cluster analysis. The maximum EMG amplitude of the masseter and anterior temporalis muscles was more often found during hard chewing tasks than during maximum clenching tasks. The relative contribution of masseter and anterior temporalis changed across the tasks examined (F ≥ 5.2; p ≤ 0.001). The masseter muscle was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) more active than the anterior temporalis muscle during tasks involving incisal biting, jaw protrusion, laterotrusion and jaw cupping, the difference being statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). The anterior temporalis muscle was significantly (p ≤ 0.01) more active than the masseter muscle during tasks performed in intercuspal position, during tooth grinding, and during hard chewing on the working side. Based upon the relative contribution of the masseter, anterior temporalis, and suprahyoid muscles, the investigated oral tasks could be grouped into six separate clusters. The findings provided further insight into muscle- and task-specific EMG patterns during functional and non-functional oral behaviors

Soil charcoal as long-term pyrogenic carbon storage in Amazonian seasonal forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Turcios, Maryory M; Jaramillo, Margarita M A; do Vale, José F; Fearnside, Philip M; Barbosa, Reinaldo Imbrozio

2016-01-01

Forest fires (paleo + modern) have caused charcoal particles to accumulate in the soil vertical profile in Amazonia. This forest compartment is a long-term carbon reservoir with an important role in global carbon balance. Estimates of stocks remain uncertain in forests that have not been altered by deforestation but that have been impacted by understory fires and selective logging. We estimated the stock of pyrogenic carbon derived from charcoal accumulated in the soil profile of seasonal forest fragments impacted by fire and selective logging in the northern portion of Brazilian Amazonia. Sixty-nine soil cores to 1-m depth were collected in 12 forest fragments of different sizes. Charcoal stocks averaged 3.45 ± 2.17 Mg ha(-1) (2.24 ± 1.41 Mg C ha(-1) ). Pyrogenic carbon was not directly related to the size of the forest fragments. This carbon is equivalent to 1.40% (0.25% to 4.04%) of the carbon stocked in aboveground live tree biomass in these fragments. The vertical distribution of pyrogenic carbon indicates an exponential model, where the 0-30 cm depth range has 60% of the total stored. The total area of Brazil's Amazonian seasonal forests and ecotones not altered by deforestation implies 65-286 Tg of pyrogenic carbon accumulated along the soil vertical profile. This is 1.2-2.3 times the total amount of residual pyrogenic carbon formed by biomass burning worldwide in 1 year. Our analysis suggests that the accumulated charcoal in the soil vertical profile in Amazonian forests is a substantial pyrogenic carbon pool that needs to be considered in global carbon models. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Use of wood anatomy to identify poisonous plants: Charcoal of Spirostachys africana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra J. Lennox

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Spirostachys africana Sond. (tamboti/tambotie is a woodland tree that is often found near water. It has a poisonous and purgative latex. The archaeological site of Sibudu, a rock shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, has evidence, from well-preserved charcoal and seeds, of past environments and wood use from approximately 77–38 thousand years ago (ka. As their uses and environmental indicators are different, it is critical to confidently distinguish among the three anatomically similar woods of the Euphorbiaceae: Spirostachys africana, Sclerocroton integerrimus and Shirakiopsis elliptica. A detailed anatomical study of reference and archaeological charcoal shows that xylem vessel width increases proportionally as vessel frequency decreases, from Spirostachys africana, Sclerocroton integerrimus to Shirakiopsis elliptica. Crystals of calcium oxalate are present in ray cells of Spirostachys africana, whereas silica bodies are present in ray cells of Sclerocroton integerrimus and Shirakiopsis elliptica. Using these features, the presence of Spirostachys africana was confirmed amongst hearth charcoal of the Spotty Camel layer, with an age of approximately 58 ka and of the Mottled Deposit occupational layer, with an age of approximately 49 ka. The presence of this charcoal, collected from ancient fireplaces or sieved from surrounding sediments, implies that people at Sibudu understood and used this poisonous tree to their advantage. We are encouraged in this view by the presence of many Cryptocarya woodii leaves found on the surface of 77-ka sedge bedding at Sibudu (Wadley L et al., Science. 2011;334:1388–1391. Cryptocarya woodii has insecticidal and larvacidal properties and members of the Laurel family are well known for their medicinal properties.

Quality of charcoal produced using micro gasification and how the new cook stove works in rural Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Njenga, Mary; Mahmoud, Yahia; Mendum, Ruth; Iiyama, Muyiki; Jamnadass, Ramni; Roing de Nowina, Kristina; Sundberg, Cecilia

2016-09-01

Wood based energy is the main source of cooking and heating fuel in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its use rises as the population increases. Inefficient cook stoves result in fuel wastage and health issues associated with smoke in the kitchen. As users are poor women, they tend not to be consulted on cook stove development, hence the need for participatory development of efficient woodfuel cooking systems. This paper presents the findings of a study carried out in Embu, Kenya to assess energy use efficiency and concentrations of carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter from charcoal produced using gasifier cook stoves, compared to conventional wood charcoal. Charcoal made from Grevillea robusta prunings, Zea mays cob (maize cob) and Cocos nucifera (coconut shells) had calorific values of 26.5 kJ g-1, 28.7 kJ g-1 and 31.7 kJ g-1 respectively, which are comparable to conventional wood charcoal with calorific values of 33.1 kJ g-1. Cooking with firewood in a gasifier cook stove and use of the resultant charcoal as by-product to cook another meal in a conventional charcoal stove saved 41% of the amount of fuel compared to cooking with firewood in the traditional three stone open fire. Cooking with firewood based on G. robusta prunings in the traditional open fire resulted in a concentration of fine particulate matter of 2600 μg m-3, which is more than 100 times greater than from cooking with charcoal made from G. robusta prunings in a gasifier. Thirty five percent of households used the gasifier for cooking dinner and lunch, and cooks preferred using it for food that took a short time to prepare. Although the gasifier cook stove is energy and emission efficient there is a need for it to be developed further to better suit local cooking preferences. The energy transition in Africa will have to include cleaner and more sustainable wood based cooking systems.

Development of a Metal Kiln for the Production of Charcoal from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Sustainable Development ... The study established that the design upon modification would be environmentally safe, viable and an economic alternative for ... Keywords: Production, Smoking, Charcoal, Kiln, Design ...

Radioactive gas standby treatment apparatus with high efficiency rechargeable charcoal filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hickey, T.N.; Spulgis, I.S.

1976-01-01

A description is given of a standby gas treatment system for removal of radioactive release from a nuclear containment structure not only during normal purge operations but also in the event of a design basis accident. Ventiduct trains arranged in parallel so that one is redundant are each operative to extract dust in excess of 0.3 microns and adsorb radioactive iodine and compounds thereof at 99.9 percent plus efficiency. A rechargeable gasketless charcoal filter in each train can be filled or emptied without removing the filter enclosures per se. Laminar flow filter beds entirely encapsulate the gas stream to provide low gas velocity and even distribution across the charcoal cage without channeling, thereby securing long residence time. 2 claims, 9 drawing figures

Salts of the iodine oxyacids in the impregnation of adsorbent charcoal for trapping radioactive methyliodide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deitz, V.R.; Blachly, C.H.

1977-01-01

Radioactive iodine and radioactive methyliodide can be more than 99.7 percent removed from the air stream of a nuclear reactor by passing the air stream through a 2-inch thick filter which is made up of impregnated charcoal prepared by contacting the charcoal with a solution containing KOH, iodine or an iodide, and an oxyacid, followed by contacting with a solution containing a tertiary amine. 3 claims

Effect of carbon black on thermal properties of charcoal and salacca leafstalk briquettes

Science.gov (United States)

Thassana, Chewa; Nuleg, Witoon

2017-08-01

In this work, the effect of a carbon black (CB) on the thermal properties of briquettes produced from the charcoal and the salacca leafstalk with and without CB have been investigated. Four thermal properties of a briquettes compose of the burning time, the calorific value, the percentage moisture (PMC) and an percentage ash content (PAC) were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. Our results were indicated that the sallacca leafstalk mix a carbon black is the long burning times, high heating but a few ash content. Results shown that the burning time and the calorific value of a charcoal, a charcoal with CB, the salacca leafstalk and the salacca leafstalk with carbon black particles is about 58, 63, 76, 81 minutes, and 10.33, 12.96, 13.12, 14.63 MJ/kg, respectively. In addition, the PMC and PAC were in range of 11.6 - 8.14% and 9.33 - 5.42%. So, we can conclude that a cabon black affect on the thermal properties of a briquettes and salacca leaftstalk mixed CB has been most suited for briquetting.

Production of charcoal briquettes from cotton stalk in malawi: methodology for feasibility studies using experiences in Sudan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onaji, P.B.; Siemons, R.V.

1993-01-01

The feasibility of charcoal production from cotton stalks in Malawi was studied based on experience from Sudan. The country relies considerably on biomass fuels. Of the total energy consumption in Malawi of 2.376 MTOE in 1989, 92% was met by biomass (fuelwood: 83.6% and charcoal: 8.3% Petroleum

USE OF POWDERED COCONUT CHARCOAL AS A TOXICITY IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION MANIPULATION FOR ORGANIC TOXICANTS IN MARINE SEDIMENTS

Science.gov (United States)

We report on a procedure using powdered coconut charcoal to sequester organic contaminants and reduce toxicity in sediments as part of a series of toxicity identification and evaluation (TIE) methods. Powdered coconut charcoal (PCC) was effective in reducing the toxicity of endos...

Antimicrobial activity of jasmine oil against oral microorganisms

Science.gov (United States)

Thaweboon, S.; Thaweboon, B.; Kaypetch, R.

2018-02-01

Jasmine sambac is a species of jasmine indigenous to the tropical and warm temperature regions in particular West and Southeast Asia. Essential oil extracted from the flowers of J. sambac has been shown to have anti-oxidant activity. However, very little information regarding antimicrobial activity especially oral microorganisms exists. Objective: To investigate antimicrobial effect of essential oil extracted from flowers of J. sambac against various oral microorganisms. Materials and Methods: Oral microbial strains used in the study were Streptococcus mutans KPSK2, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 5638, Lactobacillus casei ATCC 6363, Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical isolate), Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida krusei ATCC 6258, Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Candida tropicalis (clinical isolate), Candida glabrata ATCC 90030, Candida pseudotropicalis (clinical isolate) and Candida stellatoidia (clinical isolate). The potential of microbial growth inhibition of the oil was firstly screened by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and then the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by agar dilution method. Results: Jasmine oil showed antimicrobial activities against S. mutans, L. casei, E. coli and all strains of Candida species with the zones of inhibition ranging from 9 to 26 mm and MIC values of 0.19-1.56 %v/v. Conclusion: Results from the present study are scientific evidence to demonstrate that jasmine oil could be employed as a natural antimicrobial agent against oral microorganisms.

Emissions from street vendor cooking devices (charcoal grilling). Final report, January 1998--March 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.

1999-06-01

The report discusses a joint US/Mexican program to establish a reliable emissions inventory for street vendor cooking devices (charcoal grilling), a significant source of air pollutants in the Mexicali-Imperial Valley area of Mexico. Emissions from these devices, prevalent in the streets of Mexicali, Mexico, were investigated experimentally by measuring levels of particulate matter, particle size distributions, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, aldehydes, and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, emitted when meat is cooked on a grill over a charcoal fire. To investigate the emission rate, both beef and chicken were tested. Furthermore, both meats were marinated with a mixture similar to that used by the street vendors. Some tests were conducted with non-marinated beef for comparison. Two blank runs were performed sampling charcoal fires without meat. Finally, a simple control device, normally used in an exhaust fan to trap grease over a kitchen stove, was evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing emissions

Oral Hygiene. Instructor's Packet. Learning Activity Package.

Science.gov (United States)

Hime, Kirsten

This instructor's packet accompanies the learning activity package (LAP) on oral hygiene. Contents included in the packet are a time sheet, suggested uses for the LAP, an instruction sheet, final LAP reviews, a final LAP review answer key, suggested activities, additional resources (student handouts), student performance checklists for both…

Influence of beer marinades on the reduction of carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amines in charcoal-grilled pork meat.

Science.gov (United States)

Viegas, Olga; Moreira, Patrícia S; Ferreira, Isabel M P L V O

2015-01-01

The effect of beer marinades on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAs) was examined in charcoal-grilled pork. Pilsner, non-alcoholic pilsner and black beers (coded respectively as PB, P0B and BB) were assayed and unmarinated samples cooked under similar conditions provided reference HAs levels. Two thermic (PhIP and 4,8-DiMeIQx) and three pyrolytic HAs (Trp-P-1, AαC, MeAαC) were quantified in unmarinated meat samples. Marinating meat in beer resulted in a significant decrease of PhIP, Trp-P-1 and AαC (p beers reduced total HA formation in charcoal-grilled pork, black beer being the most efficient with a level of 90% inhibition. A strong positive correlation was observed between the inhibitory effect of beer on total HA formation and their antioxidant activity. Beer marinades mitigate the impact of consumption of well-done grilled pork meat reducing the formation of cooking carcinogens.

Efficiency and emissions of charcoal use in the improved Mbaula cookstove

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaoma, J.; Kasali, G.B.; Ellegaard, A.

1994-01-01

An improved chamber method was used to evaluate the thermal performance and emission characteristics of charcoal in an unvented cookstove known as the Improved Mbaula. Emission factors and rates for pollutants, burn rate and stove efficiency were determined. The pollutants that were continuously monitored were carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and respirable suspended particulates (RSP). Concentrations of CO, nitrogen oxides and RSP in the test chamber (a simulated kitchen) reached levels in excess of guidelines recommended in industrialized countries. Concentrations of SO 2 did not exceed known levels. If the test chamber actually is a good simulation of a common kitchen, the levels reached warrant concern for the health of people exposed, mostly women and children. Levels of pollution in actual kitchens will be assessed in a later study. The adjustable opening of the stove proved effective in regulating the burn rate. At half air input, burn rate decreased by about 40%, while emissions increased by about 60% compared to operation at full air input. Emissions of CO were 340 g/kg charcoal at full air input, which was taken to be the normal mode of operation. The average thermal efficiency (PHU) of the improved mbaula was 25% compared to 29% for the traditional charcoal stove. 16 refs, 4 figs, 12 tabs

Efficiency and emissions of charcoal use in the improved Mbaula cookstove

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaoma, J; Kasali, G B [Building and Industrial Minerals Research Unit, National Council for Scientific Research, (Zambia); Ellegaard, A [Stockholm Environment Inst. (Sweden)

1994-12-31

An improved chamber method was used to evaluate the thermal performance and emission characteristics of charcoal in an unvented cookstove known as the Improved Mbaula. Emission factors and rates for pollutants, burn rate and stove efficiency were determined. The pollutants that were continuously monitored were carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO{sub 2}), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}), and respirable suspended particulates (RSP). Concentrations of CO, nitrogen oxides and RSP in the test chamber (a simulated kitchen) reached levels in excess of guidelines recommended in industrialized countries. Concentrations of SO{sub 2} did not exceed known levels. If the test chamber actually is a good simulation of a common kitchen, the levels reached warrant concern for the health of people exposed, mostly women and children. Levels of pollution in actual kitchens will be assessed in a later study. The adjustable opening of the stove proved effective in regulating the burn rate. At half air input, burn rate decreased by about 40%, while emissions increased by about 60% compared to operation at full air input. Emissions of CO were 340 g/kg charcoal at full air input, which was taken to be the normal mode of operation. The average thermal efficiency (PHU) of the improved mbaula was 25% compared to 29% for the traditional charcoal stove. 16 refs, 4 figs, 12 tabs

Combustion characteristics of a charcoal slurry in a direct injection diesel engine and the impact on the injection system performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soloiu, Valentin; Lewis, Jeffery; Yoshihara, Yoshinobu; Nishiwaki, Kazuie

2011-01-01

The paper presents the research results pertaining to the renewable biomass charcoal-diesel slurries and their use as alternative fuels for combustion in diesel generating plants. The utilization of charcoal slurry fuel aims to reduce diesel oil consumption and would decrease fossil green house emissions into the atmosphere. The paper investigates the formulation, emulsification, sprays, combustion, injection system operation, and subsequent wear with charcoal-diesel slurries. In the research, cedar wood chips were used for the production of charcoal to be emulsified with diesel oil. The slurry's viscosity of 27 cP achieved the target ( o C. Charcoal slurry displayed a high vaporization rate of 75% by wt. at 300 o C. Engine investigations showed that the top combustion pressure at 1200 rpm and 100% load (7.8 brake mean effective pressure (bmep)) was 79 bar for diesel fuel and 78 bar for the charcoal slurry fuel. From the injection and heat release history was found an ignition delay of 1.7 ms for diesel that increased to 2.1 ms for the slurry fuel. A higher net heat release for charcoal slurry was observed, up to 180 J/crank angle degrees (CAD) compared with the diesel at 145 J/CAD The maximum combustion temperature reached 2300 K for diesel and 2330 K for slurry. The heat fluxes for both fuels have similar values and trends during the entire cycle showing the good compatibility of charcoal slurry with a diesel type combustion and low soot radiation. The exhaust temperatures were about 40-50 o C higher for charcoal slurry at 19 o before top dead center (BTDC) injection timing. The engine's bsfc increased as expected due to the lower heating value of the slurry fuel. The smoke Bosch no. was lower for the slurry fuel at any load, and is believed that the oxygen from the charcoal had a beneficial effect. The measured emissions of slurry fuel were better at 13 o BTDC than those of diesel fuel with the original engine settings and the remaining 6-10% oxygen content in

Attenuation of polychlorinated biphenyl sorption to charcoal by humic acids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koelmans, A.A.; Meulman, B.; Meijer, T.; Jonker, M.T.O.

2009-01-01

Strong sorption to black carbon may limit the environmental risks of organic pollutants, but interactions with cosorbing humic acid (HA) may interfere. We studied the attenuative effect of HA additions on the sorption of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to a charcoal. "Intrinsic" sorption to

Structural, morphological, and thermal characterization of kraft lignin and its charcoals obtained at different heating rates

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues Brazil, Tayra; Nunes Costa, Rogeria; Massi, Marcos; Cerqueira Rezende, Mirabel

2018-04-01

Biomass is a renewable resource that is becoming more import due to environmental concerns and possible oil crisis. Thus, optimizing its use is a current challenge for many researchers. Lignin, which is a macromolecule with complex chemical structure, valuable physicochemical properties, and varied chemical composition, is available in large quantities in pulp and paper companies. The objective of this work is the physicochemical characterization of two Kraft lignin samples with different purities, and the study of its thermal conversion into charcoal. The lignin characterization was based on chemical, TGA, DSC, FT-IR, particle sizes, and FEG-SEM analyses. These analyses show that the lignins are mainly composed of guaiacyl and syringyl units, with residues of 30–36 wt.%, in inert atmosphere, depending on the lignin purity. From these results, the more purified lignin with higher carbon yield (%C) was selected for charcoal production. The heat treatment (HT) for carbonization of lignin, at different times (90, 180, and 420 min), resulted in different %C (41–44 wt.%). Longer HT resulted in higher %C and in charcoals with smaller pore sizes. Nanopores (∼50 nm) are observed for the charcoal obtained with the longest HT.

[Anti-Candida activity of aroma candy and its protective activity against murine oral candidiasis].

Science.gov (United States)

Hayama, Kazumi; Takahashi, Miki; Suzuki, Motofumi; Ezawa, Kunio; Yamazaki, Masatoshi; Matsukawa, Taiji; Kishi, Akinobu; Sato, Nobuya; Abe, Shigeru

2015-01-01

A daily eatable candy that has possible protective activity against oral candidiasis was experimentally produced. The candy was made from reduced-maltose as main constituent and from several natural products, such as oligonol (depolymerized polyphenols derived from lychee), cinnamon (cassia), citral, and capric acid, which are known to have anti-Candida activity in vitro and in vivo. The candy effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of C. albicans, even when it was diluted 1,000 times with culture media. We assessed the protective activity of the candy against murine candidiasis. When 50μl of candy dissolved and diluted 4 times with water was administered 3 times into the oral cavity of Candida infected mice, the score of lesions on the Candida-infected tongues improved on day 2. These findings suggest that this candy has potential as food that provides protective activity against oral candidiasis.

Volatile compounds and odor preferences of ground beef added with garlic and red wine, and irradiated with charcoal pack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyung Haeng; Yun, Hyejeong; Lee, Ju Woon; Ahn, Dong Uk; Lee, Eun Joo; Jo, Cheorun

2012-01-01

Irradiation is the most efficient non-thermal technology for improving hygienic quality and extending the shelf-life of food products. One of the adverse effects of food irradiation, however, is off-flavor production, which significantly affects the sensory preferences for certain foods. In this study, garlic (5%, w/w) and red wine (1:1, w/w) were added to ground beef to increase the radiation sensitivity of pathogens and improve meat odor/flavor. Samples were irradiated at 0 or 5 kGy in the presence of charcoal pack. SPME-GC–MS analysis was performed to measure the changes in the volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of the samples. The amount of total volatile compounds produced from ground beef was greater when the sample was irradiated. When garlic and red wine were added to the ground beef, the amount of volatile compounds significantly increased, and the amount of volatile compounds increased even further after irradiation. However, when the samples were irradiated with charcoal pack, the amount of volatile compounds decreased significantly. Sensory evaluation indicated that charcoal pack significantly increased the odor preferences for both irradiated and non-irradiated ground beef added with garlic. These results indicated that addition of charcoal pack to ground beef could reduce off-odor problems induced by irradiation, and this effect was consistent even when certain additives such as garlic and red wine were added. - Highlights: ► Garlic and red wine were added to ground beef and irradiated at 5 kGy in the presence of charcoal pack. ► When the samples were irradiated with charcoal pack, the amount of volatile compounds decreased significantly and it affected sensory score. ► Thus, addition of charcoal pack to ground beef could reduce off-odor problems induced by irradiation. ► This effect was consistent when additives, such as garlic and red wine, were added into ground beef.

Holocene elemental, lead isotope and charcoal record from peat in southern Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Tudyka

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This article presents a mid-resolution elemental, isotopic and charcoal record from 10700 BC to AD 500 in a peat core located in Żyglin (southern Poland. The objective is to give insight into the proxies with emphasis on lead (Pb sources in this minerogenic peat deposit. During the Early Holocene (10700–7550 BC the average 206Pb/207Pb quotient was around 1.196. This isotopic signature is consistent with natural dust derived from long-distance soil and rock weathering. The Mid-Holocene period (7550–3200 BC shows a significant change in the peat accumulation conditions. The growth rate is approximately 0.04 mm yr-1 and the 206Pb/207Pb quotients are shifted toward values that are found in local galena ores. This is simultaneous with a significantly increased lead flux which further confirms local sources of material in this peat deposit. In the Late Holocene period (3200 BC–AD 500 a large quantity of charcoal particles with diameters ranging from 2 mm up to 3 cm is found; also, Pb, Zn and Cu fluxes reach their highest values. This period corresponds to the Eneolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, and human impact is recorded as charcoal.

Charcoal kiln sites, associated landscape attributes and historic forest conditions: DTM-based investigations in Hesse (Germany

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Marcus Schmidt

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background An examination of the distribution of ancient charcoal kiln sites in the forest landscape seems to be worthwhile, since general trends in the selection of suitable kiln site locations in the past might become obvious. In this way forest landscape elements with a more intense usage by charcoal burning can be identified. By doing this, we can expect to gain information on the former condition and tree species composition of woodland. Investigations on the spatial distribution of charcoal kiln sites in relation to landscape attributes are sparse, however, probably due to the high on-site mapping effort. The outstanding suitability of LiDAR-derived digital terrain models (DTMs for the detection of charcoal kiln sites has been recently proved. Hence, DTM-based surveys of charcoal kiln sites represent a promising attempt to fill this research gap. Methods Based on DTM-based surveys, we analyzed the spatial distribution of charcoal kiln sites in two forest landscapes in the German federal state of Hesse: Reinhardswald and Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. In doing so, we considered the landscape attibutes "tree species composition", “water supply status”, “nutrient supply status”, “soil complex classes”, “altitude”, “exposition”, and “inclination”. Results We found that charcoal kiln sites were established preferably on hillside locations that provided optimal growing and regeneration conditions for European beech (Fagus sylvatica due to their acidic brown soils and sufficient water supply. These results are in line with instructions for the selection of appropriate kiln site locations, found in literature from the 18th to the 19th century. Conclusions We conclude that there were well-stocked, beech-dominated deciduous forest stands in northern Hesse before 1800, particularly at poorly accessible hillside locations. These large stocks of beech wood were utilized by the governments of the different Hessian territories

Removal of Mn, Fe, Ni and Cu Ions from Wastewater Using Cow Bone Charcoal

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Liliana Giraldo

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Cow bone charcoal (CBC was synthesized and used for the removal of metals ions (manganese, iron, nickel and copper from aqueous solutions. Two different adsorption models were used for analyzing the data. Adsorption capacities were determined: copper ions exhibit the greatest adsorption on cow bone charcoal because of their size and pH conditions. Adsorption capacity varies as a function of pH. Adsorption isotherms from aqueous solution of heavy metals on CBC were determined. Adsorption isotherms are consistent with Langmuir´s adsorption model. Adsorbent quantity and immersion enthalpy were studied.

Adsorption characteristics of sulfur powder by bamboo charcoal to restrain sulfur allergies

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Wanxi Peng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Exposures to particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5 may influence the risk of birth defects and make you allergic, which causes serious harm to human health. Bamboo charcoal can adsorb harmful substances,that was of benefitto people’s health. In order to figure out the optimal adsorbtion condition and the intrinsic change of bamboo charcoal, five chemicals were adsorbed by bamboo charcoal and were analyzed by FT-IR. The optimal blast time was 80 min of Na2SO3, 100 min of Na2S2O8, 20 min of Na2SO4, 120 min of Fe2(SO43 and 60 min or 100 min of S. FT-IR spectra showed that bamboo charcoal had five characteristic peaks of SS stretch, H2O stretch, OH stretch, CO stretch or CC stretch, and NO2 stretch at 3850 cm−1, 3740 cm−1, 3430 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1, respectively. For Na2SO3, the peaks at 3850 cm−1, 3740 cm−1, 3430 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 20 min. For Na2S2O8, the peaks at 3850 cm−1, 3740 cm−1, 3430 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 40 min. For Na2SO4, the peaks at 3850 cm−1, 3740 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 40 min. For Fe2(SO43, the peaks at 3850 cm−1, 3740 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 120 min. For S, the peaks at 3850 cm−1 and 3740 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 40 min, the peaks at 1630 cm−1 and 1530 cm−1 achieved the maximum at 40 min. It proved that bamboo charcoal could remove sulfur powder from air to restrain sulfur allergies.

CHARCOAL PACKED FURNACE FOR LOW-TECH CHARRING OF BONE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, P.; Dahi, Elian

1997-01-01

A low-tech furnace for charring of raw bone using char coal is developed and tested. The furnace consists of a standard oil drum, fitted with simple materials as available in every market in small towns in developing counties. 80 kg of raw bone and 6 kg of charcoal are used for production of 50 kg...

Evaluation of adsorption capacity of acetaminophen on activated ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate varying dosage forms of activated charcoal obtained from community pharmacy outlets in Nigeria for their adsorption capacity when challenged with acetaminophen. Methods: Equilibruim kinetics of acetaminophen adsorption onto activated charcoal surface was determined via batch studies at ...

Prevalence of Acute Respiratory Infections in Women and Children in Western Sierra Leone due to Smoke from Wood and Charcoal Stoves

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Eldred Tunde Taylor

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Combustion of biomass fuels (wood and charcoal for cooking releases smoke that contains health damaging pollutants. Women and children are the most affected. Exposure to biomass smoke is associated with acute respiratory infections (ARI. This study investigated the prevalence of ARI potentially caused by smoke from wood and charcoal stoves in Western Sierra Leone, as these two fuels are the predominant fuel types used for cooking. A cross sectional study was conducted for 520 women age 15–45 years; and 520 children under 5 years of age in homes that burn wood and charcoal. A questionnaire assessing demographic, household and exposure characteristics and ARI was administered to every woman who further gave information for the child. Suspended particulate matter (SPM was continuously monitored in fifteen homes. ARI prevalence revealed 32% and 24% for women, 64% and 44% for children in homes with wood and charcoal stoves, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders for each group, the odds ratio of having suffered from ARI was similar for women, but remained large for children in homes with wood stoves relative to charcoal stoves (OR = 1.14, 95%CI: 0.71–1.82 and (OR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.31–3.13, respectively. ARI prevalence was higher for children in homes with wood stoves compared with homes with charcoal stoves, but ARI prevalence for both types of fuels is higher compared with reported prevalence elsewhere. To achieve a reduction in ARI would require switching from wood and charcoal to cleaner fuels.

What Does Psychological Autopsy Study Tell Us about Charcoal Burning Suicide--A New and Contagious Method in Asia?

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Sandra S. M.; Chiu, Helen F. K.; Chen, Eric Y. H.; Chan, Wincy S. C.; Wong, Paul W. C.; Chan, Cecilia L. W.; Law, Y. W.; Yip, Paul S. F.

2009-01-01

Charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong between 2002-2004 in the 15 to 59-year-old age group were investigated using the psychological autopsy method. The psychopathological profiles of charcoal burning suicides (N = 53) were compared against "other suicides" (N = 97). The two groups did not differ significantly in the prevalence of…

Research on removal of radioiodine by charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Wangchang; Huang Yuying; Wu Yianwei; Jia Ming; Guo Liangtian

1993-01-01

The major R and D work carried out in the CIRP laboratory on removal of radioiodine is introduced, which involves the adsorption performances of various kinds of fruit shell base and coal base charcoal impregnated with chemicals, the influence of various parameters, the technique of non-destructive test for commercial scale iodine adsorber, and the iodine samplers for both gross iodine and iodine in different forms. The experimental results have been applied to the design and test of iodine adsorber and the monitoring of airborne radioiodine

Diagnostic of the charcoal's productive and commercialize in the Pinar del Río's Integral Forest Company by matrix SWOT

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Van Anh Thi Nguyen

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to diagnose the situation productive of charcoal in Pinar del Río EFI by SWOT matrix (weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities which consists of the collection of information from different sources related to the production of charcoal and thus a screening of ideas and through the technical working group with the presence of specialists proceeded develop the matrix with all components was performed. The results of the assessment of the productive situation of charcoal indicate an unfavorable position, resulting in a strategy of adaptive type, conditioned by economic, political and cultural factors.

Spatial analysis of charcoal kiln remains in the former royal forest district Tauer (Lower Lusatia, North German Lowlands)

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Raab, Alexandra; Schneider, Anna; Bonhage, Alexander; Takla, Melanie; Hirsch, Florian; Müller, Frank; Rösler, Horst; Heußner, Karl-Uwe

2016-04-01

Archaeological excavations have revealed more than thousand charcoal kiln remains (CKRs) in the prefield of the active opencast lignite mine Jänschwalde, situated about 150 km SE of Berlin (SE Brandenburg, Germany). The charcoal was mainly produced for the ironwork Peitz nearby, which operated from the 16th to the mid-19th centuries. In a first approach, to estimate the dimension of the charcoal production, CKRs were mapped on shaded-relief maps (SRMs) derived from high-resolution LiDAR data (Raab et al. 2015). Subsequently, for a selected test area, identified CKRs on the SRMs were compared with archaeologically excavated CKRs in the field. This survey showed a considerably number of falsely detected sites. Therefore, the data was critically re-evaluated using additional relief visualisations. Further, we extended the CKR mapping to areas which are not archaeologically investigated. The study area, the former royal forest district Tauer, consists of two separate areas: the Tauersche Heide (c. 96 km2 area) N of Peitz and the area Jänschwalde (c. 32 km2 area) NE of Peitz. The study area is characterized by a flat topography. Different former and current anthropogenic uses (e.g., military training, solar power plant, forestry measures) have affected the study area, resulting in extensive disturbances of the terrain surface. The revised CKR abundance in the study area Jänschwalde was considerably smaller than the numbers produced by our first approach. Further, the CKR mapping revealed, that a total record of the CKRs is not possible for various reasons. Despite these limitations, a solid database can be provided for a much larger area than before. Basic statistic parameters of the CKR diameters and all comparative statistical tests were calculated using SPSS. To detect underlying spatial relationships in the CKR site distribution, we applied the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, a method to test for local spatial autocorrelation between neighbouring sites. The test is

Nanoscale charcoal powder induced saturable absorption and mode-locking of a low-gain erbium-doped fiber-ring laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Yung-Hsiang; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Lin, Gong-Ru

2013-01-01

Triturated charcoal nano-powder directly brushed on a fiber connector end-face is used for the first time as a fast saturable absorber for a passively mode-locked erbium-doped fiber-ring laser (EDFL). These dispersant-free charcoal nano-powders with a small amount of crystalline graphene phase and highly disordered carbon structure exhibit a broadened x-ray diffraction peak and their Raman spectrum shows the existence of a carbon related D-band at 1350 cm −1 and the disappearance of the 2D-band peak at 2700 cm −1 . The charcoal nano-powder exhibits a featureless linear absorbance in the infrared region with its linear transmittance of 0.66 nonlinearly saturated at 0.73 to give a ΔT/T of 10%. Picosecond mode-locking at a transform-limited condition of a low-gain EDFL is obtained by using the charcoal nano-powder. By using a commercial EDFA with a linear gain of only 17 dB at the saturated output power of 17.5 dB m required to initiate the saturable absorption of the charcoal nano-powder, the EDFL provides a pulsewidth narrowing from 3.3 to 1.36 ps associated with its spectral linewidth broadening from 0.8 to 1.83 nm on increasing the feedback ratio from 30 to 90%. This investigation indicates that all the carbon-based materials containing a crystalline graphene phase can be employed to passively mode-lock the EDFL, however, the disordered carbon structure inevitably induces a small modulation depth and a large mode-locking threshold, thus limiting the pulsewidth shortening. Nevertheless, the nanoscale charcoal passively mode-locked EDFL still shows the potential to generate picosecond pulses under a relatively low cavity gain. An appropriate cavity design can be used to compensate this defect-induced pulsewidth limitation and obtain a short pulsewidth. (letter)

PATHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR GENETIC STUDIES ON SOME SOYBEAN MUTANTS INDUCED BY GAMMA RAYS IN RELATION TO CHARCOAL ROT DISEASE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ASHRY, N.A.; EL-DEMERDASH, H.M.; ABD EL-RAHMAN, S.S.

2008-01-01

The Egyptian soybean cultivar Giza-22 was used to induce resistant mutants for charcoal rot disease using gamma rays. Sixteen mutants and their parental cultivar were evaluated in M3 generation for their agronomic traits and for resistance to charcoal rot disease. Four mutants showed superiority in their agronomic traits as compared with their parental cultivar. Three mutants were significantly resistant to the disease than their parental cultivar (Giza-22). These three resistant mutants showed non-significant improvement in their agronomic traits as compared with Giza-22 cultivar. DNA extractions from the three resistant mutants and their parent were used to test the differences on the molecular level. Seven random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers were used to detect RAPD markers related to charcoal rot resistance in soybean, and to differentiate these mutants. Six RAPD-primers showed molecular markers associated with resistance to charcoal rot in soybean, where five RAPD-primers could differentiate each of the three mutants from each other and from their parental cultivar

Amazon soil charcoal: Pyrogenic carbon stock depends of ignition source distance and forest type in Roraima, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva Carvalho, Lidiany C; Fearnside, Philip M; Nascimento, Marcelo T; Barbosa, Reinaldo I

2018-04-18

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) derived from charcoal particles (paleo + modern) deposited in the soil column has been little studied in the Amazon, and our understanding of the factors that control the spatial and vertical distribution of these materials in the region's forest soils is still unclear. The objective of this study was to test the effect of forest type and distance from the ignition source on the PyC stocks contained in macroscopic particles of soil charcoal (≥2 mm; 1 m depth) dispersed in ecotone forests of the northern Brazilian Amazon. Thirty permanent plots were set up near a site that had been occupied by pre-Columbian and by modern populations until the late 1970s. The sampled plots represent seasonal and ombrophilous forests that occur under different hydro-edaphic restrictions. Our results indicate that the largest PyC stock was spatially dependent on distance to the ignition source ( 50 cm) in seasonal forests was limited by hydro-edaphic impediments that restricted the occurrence of charcoal. These results suggest that PyC stocks derived from macroscopic charcoal particles in the soil of this Brazilian Amazon ecotone region are controlled by the distance from the ignition source of the fire, and that forest types with higher hydro-edaphic restrictions can inhibit formation and accumulation of charcoal. Making use of these distinctions reduces uncertainty and improves our ability to understand the variability of PyC stocks in forests with a history of fire in the Amazon. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A comparison of charcoal- and slag-based constructed wetlands for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (CW) with charcoal- or slag-based bed matrices were investigated for their potential use in remediating acid mine drainage (AMD). A CW is effectively a reactor in which some components of the wastewater are broken down by the organisms occurring within the CW, whilst others may ...

[Proteinase activity in Candida albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of immunocompromised patients, with oral candidiasis and in healthy subjects].

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Solís, Sandra E; Rueda-Gordillo, Florencio; Rojas-Herrera, Rafael A

2014-01-01

Candida albicans has a variety of virulence factors, including secreted aspartyl proteases, which are determinant factors in the pathogenesis of this yeast in immunocompromised patients. Proteinase activity was identified in C. albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of immunocompromised patients with cancer, diabetes and HIV+, with oral candidiasis and in healthy subjects. Two hundred and fifty C. albicans strains were analyzed, distributed in 5 different groups: patients with cancer, diabetes, HIV+, with oral candidiasis and healthy subjects. Proteolytic activity was identified in 46% of the strains from cancer patients, 54% from HIV+ patients, 60% from diabetics, 70% from oral candidiasis patients, and 42% from healthy subjects. Activity was higher in strains from immunocompromised and oral candidiasis patients than in healthy subjects. Differences were observed between the candidiasis-healthy, candidiasis-HIV+, and diabetic-healthy groups. No differences were observed between the oral candidiasis, diabetes and cancer patients, between the diabetes and HIV+ patients, or between the cancer patients, HIV+ patients and healthy subjects. The present results suggest that although secreted aspartyl proteases are important in the pathogenesis of C. albicans, their activity depends on host conditions. Copyright © 2012 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Reduction of irradiation off-odor and lipid oxidation in ground beef by α-tocopherol addition and the use of a charcoal pack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohn, S.H.; Jang, A.; Kim, J.K.; Song, H.P.; Kim, J.H.; Lee, M.; Jo, C.

2009-01-01

A combination of a charcoal pack during irradiation and α-tocopherol addition into ground beef was applied to eliminate an irradiation characteristic off-odor and to retard the lipid oxidation caused by the irradiation process. Ground beef was mixed with 200 ppm α-tocopherol and gamma irradiated with 0, 5, and 10 kGy with or without a charcoal pack present during the irradiation treatment. The pH of the control group was lower than that of α-tocopherol and charcoal pack treatment initially but increased rapidly and showed higher pH at day 7. Addition of α-tocopherol with or without charcoal pack addition showed lower 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values in irradiated ground beef at days 3 and 7 compared to those without addition. The color of ground beef was not significantly affected by the treatment. However, odor preference result showed that 10 kGy-irradiated ground beef with a combination of charcoal pack and α-tocopherol addition had higher scores than the control group regardless of irradiation. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis identified various volatile compounds that were created by irradiation of ground beef. These compounds were reduced or eliminated when a charcoal pack was used during the irradiation process. The results of the present study imply that combination of packaging with a charcoal pack during the irradiation process and addition of α-tocopherol into ground beef is a good method to effectively eliminate an irradiation off-odor and retard the lipid oxidation development in ground beef caused by irradiation

Reduction of irradiation off-odor and lipid oxidation in ground beef by {alpha}-tocopherol addition and the use of a charcoal pack

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sohn, S.H. [Busan Regional Food and Drug Administration, Busan 608-829 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, A. [National Institute of Animal Science, RDA, Suwon 441-706 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, J.K. [Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Service, Northern Marianas College, Saipan, MP 96950 (Korea, Republic of); Song, H.P. [Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, J.H. [Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Service, Northern Marianas College, Saipan, MP 96950 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, M. [Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921 (Korea, Republic of); Jo, C. [Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: cheorun@cnu.ac.kr

2009-02-15

A combination of a charcoal pack during irradiation and {alpha}-tocopherol addition into ground beef was applied to eliminate an irradiation characteristic off-odor and to retard the lipid oxidation caused by the irradiation process. Ground beef was mixed with 200 ppm {alpha}-tocopherol and gamma irradiated with 0, 5, and 10 kGy with or without a charcoal pack present during the irradiation treatment. The pH of the control group was lower than that of {alpha}-tocopherol and charcoal pack treatment initially but increased rapidly and showed higher pH at day 7. Addition of {alpha}-tocopherol with or without charcoal pack addition showed lower 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values in irradiated ground beef at days 3 and 7 compared to those without addition. The color of ground beef was not significantly affected by the treatment. However, odor preference result showed that 10 kGy-irradiated ground beef with a combination of charcoal pack and {alpha}-tocopherol addition had higher scores than the control group regardless of irradiation. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis identified various volatile compounds that were created by irradiation of ground beef. These compounds were reduced or eliminated when a charcoal pack was used during the irradiation process. The results of the present study imply that combination of packaging with a charcoal pack during the irradiation process and addition of {alpha}-tocopherol into ground beef is a good method to effectively eliminate an irradiation off-odor and retard the lipid oxidation development in ground beef caused by irradiation.

Oral glucose intake inhibits hypothalamic neuronal activity more effectively than glucose infusion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smeets, P.A.M.; Vidarsdottir, S.; Graaf, C. de; Stafleu, A.; Osch, M.J.P. van; Viergever, M.A.; Pijl, H.; Grond, J. van der

2007-01-01

We previously showed that hypothalamic neuronal activity, as measured by the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI signal, declines in response to oral glucose intake. To further explore the mechanism driving changes in hypothalamic neuronal activity in response to an oral glucose load,

Protease-activated receptor 2 modulates proliferation and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Eryani, Kamal; Cheng, Jun; Abé, Tatsuya; Maruyama, Satoshi; Yamazaki, Manabu; Babkair, Hamzah; Essa, Ahmed; Saku, Takashi

2015-07-01

Based on our previous finding that protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) regulates hemophagocytosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells, which induces their heme oxygenase 1-dependent keratinization, we have formulated a hypothesis that PAR-2 functions in wider activities of SCC cells. To confirm this hypothesis, we investigated immunohistochemical profiles of PAR-2 in oral SCC tissues and its functional roles in cell proliferation and invasion in SCC cells in culture. The PAR-2 expression modes were determined in 48 surgical tissue specimens of oral SCC. Using oral SCC-derived cell systems, we determined both gene and protein expression levels of PAR-2. SCC cell proliferation and invasive properties were also examined in conditions in which PAR-2 was activated by the synthetic peptide SLIGRL. PAR-2 was immunolocalized in oral SCC and carcinoma in situ cells, especially in those on the periphery of carcinoma cell foci (100% of cases), but not in normal oral epithelia. Its expression at both gene and protein levels was confirmed in 3 oral SCC cell lines including ZK-1. Activation of PAR-2 induced ZK-1 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. PAR-2-activated ZK-1 cells invaded faster than nonactivated ones. The expression of PAR-2 is specific to oral malignancies, and PAR-2 regulates the growth and invasion of oral SCC cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retro-binding thrombin active site inhibitors: identification of an orally active inhibitor of thrombin catalytic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwanowicz, Edwin J; Kimball, S David; Lin, James; Lau, Wan; Han, W-C; Wang, Tammy C; Roberts, Daniel G M; Schumacher, W A; Ogletree, Martin L; Seiler, Steven M

2002-11-04

A series of retro-binding inhibitors of human alpha-thrombin was prepared to elucidate structure-activity relationships (SAR) and optimize in vivo performance. Compounds 9 and 11, orally active inhibitors of thrombin catalytic activity, were identified to be efficacious in a thrombin-induced lethality model in mice.

Population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of escitalopram in overdose and the effect of activated charcoal

Science.gov (United States)

van Gorp, Freek; Duffull, Stephen; Hackett, L Peter; Isbister, Geoffrey K

2012-01-01

AIMS To describe the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PKPD) of escitalopram in overdose and its effect on QT prolongation, including the effectiveness of single dose activated charcoal (SDAC). METHODS The data set included 78 escitalopram overdose events (median dose, 140 mg [10–560 mg]). SDAC was administered 1.0 to 2.6 h after 12 overdoses (15%). A fully Bayesian analysis was undertaken in WinBUGS 1.4.3, first for a population pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis followed by a PKPD analysis. The developed PKPD model was used to predict the probability of having an abnormal QT as a surrogate for torsade de pointes. RESULTS A one compartment model with first order input and first-order elimination described the PK data, including uncertainty in dose and a baseline concentration for patients taking escitalopram therapeutically. SDAC reduced the fraction absorbed by 31% and reduced the individual predicted area under the curve adjusted for dose (AUCi/dose). The absolute QT interval was related to the observed heart rate with an estimated individual heart rate correction factor (α = 0.35). The heart rate corrected QT interval (QTc) was linearly dependent on predicted escitalopram concentration [slope = 87 ms/(mg l–1)], using a hypothetical effect-compartment (half-life of effect-delay, 1.0h). Administration of SDAC significantly reduced QT prolongation and was shown to reduce the risk of having an abnormal QT by approximately 35% for escitalopram doses above 200 mg. CONCLUSIONS There was a dose-related lengthening of the QT interval that lagged the increase in drug concentration. SDAC resulted in a moderate reduction in fraction of escitalopram absorbed and reduced the risk of the QT interval being abnormal. PMID:21883384

Assessing the spatial representability of charcoal and PAH-based paleofire records with integrated GIS, modelling, and empirical approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Vachula, R. S.; Huang, Y.; Russell, J. M.

2017-12-01

Lake sediment-based fire reconstructions offer paleoenvironmental context in which to assess modern fires and predict future burning. However, despite the ubiquity, many uncertainties remain regarding the taphonomy of paleofire proxies and the spatial scales for which they record variations in fire history. Here we present down-core proxy analyses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and three size-fractions of charcoal (63-150, >150 and >250 μm) from Swamp Lake, California, an annually laminated lacustrine archive. Using a statewide historical GIS dataset of area burned, we assess the spatial scales for which these proxies are reliable recorders of fire history. We find that the coherence of observed and proxy-recorded fire history inherently depends upon spatial scale. Contrary to conventional thinking that charcoal mainly records local fires, our results indicate that macroscopic charcoal (>150 μm) may record spatially broader (250 μm) may be a more conservative proxy for local burning. We find that sub-macroscopic charcoal particles (63-150 μm) reliably record regional (up to 150 km) changes in fire history. These results indicate that charcoal-based fire reconstructions may represent spatially broader fire history than previously thought, which has major implications for our understanding of spatiotemporal paleofire variations. Our analyses of PAHs show that dispersal mobility is heterogeneous between compounds, but that PAH fluxes are reliable proxies of fire history within 25-50 km, which suggests PAHs may be a better spatially constrained paleofire proxy than sedimentary charcoal. Further, using a linear discriminant analysis model informed by modern emissions analyses, we show that PAH assemblages preserved in lake sediments can differentiate vegetation type burned, and are thus promising paleoecological biomarkers warranting further research and implementation. In sum, our analyses offer new insight into the spatial dimensions of paleofire

Effects of false yam tuber meals and charcoal on broiler chicken ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The authors investigated the effects of replacing a portion of a commercial broiler feed with false yam tuber meals on broiler growth performance, feed conversion rate (FCR) and blood parameters. Furthermore, wood charcoal was added at various levels to the meals to explore their potential to attenuate toxic effects.

Size-dependent antibacterial activities of silver nanoparticles against oral anaerobic pathogenic bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhong; Rong, Kaifeng; Li, Ju; Yang, Hao; Chen, Rong

2013-06-01

Dental caries and periodontal disease are widespread diseases for which microorganism infections have been identified as the main etiology. Silver nanoparticles (Ag Nps) were considered as potential control oral bacteria infection agent due to its excellent antimicrobial activity and non acute toxic effects on human cells. In this work, stable Ag Nps with different sizes (~5, 15 and 55 nm mean values) were synthesized by using a simple reduction method or hydrothermal method. The Nps were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The antibacterial activities were evaluated by colony counting assay and growth inhibition curve method, and corresponding minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against five anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria and aerobic bacteria E. coli were determined. The results showed that Ag Nps had apparent antibacterial effects against the anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria and aerobic bacteria. The MIC values of 5-nm Ag against anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria A. actinomycetemcomitans, F. nuceatum, S. mitis, S. mutans and S. sanguis were 25, 25, 25, 50 and 50 μg/mL, respectively. The aerobic bacteria were more susceptible to Ag NPs than the anaerobic oral pathogenic bacteria. In the mean time, Ag NPs displayed an obvious size-dependent antibacterial activity against the anaerobic bacteria. The 5-nm Ag presents the highest antibacterial activity. The results of this work indicated a potential application of Ag Nps in the inhibition of oral microorganism infections.

Regional changes in charcoal-burning suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia from 1995 to 2011: a time trend analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu-Sen Chang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning barbecue charcoal reached epidemic levels in Hong Kong and Taiwan within 5 y of the first reported cases in the early 2000s. The objectives of this analysis were to investigate (i time trends and regional patterns of charcoal-burning suicide throughout East/Southeast Asia during the time period 1995-2011 and (ii whether any rises in use of this method were associated with increases in overall suicide rates. Sex- and age-specific trends over time were also examined to identify the demographic groups showing the greatest increases in charcoal-burning suicide rates across different countries.We used data on suicides by gases other than domestic gas for Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore in the years 1995/1996-2011. Similar data for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand were also extracted but were incomplete. Graphical and joinpoint regression analyses were used to examine time trends in suicide, and negative binomial regression analysis to study sex- and age-specific patterns. In 1995/1996, charcoal-burning suicides accounted for <1% of all suicides in all study countries, except in Japan (5%, but they increased to account for 13%, 24%, 10%, 7%, and 5% of all suicides in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore, respectively, in 2011. Rises were first seen in Hong Kong after 1998 (95% CI 1997-1999, followed by Singapore in 1999 (95% CI 1998-2001, Taiwan in 2000 (95% CI 1999-2001, Japan in 2002 (95% CI 1999-2003, and the Republic of Korea in 2007 (95% CI 2006-2008. No marked increases were seen in Malaysia, the Philippines, or Thailand. There was some evidence that charcoal-burning suicides were associated with an increase in overall suicide rates in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan (for females, but not in Japan (for males, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore. Rates of change in charcoal-burning suicide rate did not differ by sex/age group

Regional changes in charcoal-burning suicide rates in East/Southeast Asia from 1995 to 2011: a time trend analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shu-Sen; Chen, Ying-Yeh; Yip, Paul S F; Lee, Won Jin; Hagihara, Akihito; Gunnell, David

2014-04-01

Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning barbecue charcoal reached epidemic levels in Hong Kong and Taiwan within 5 y of the first reported cases in the early 2000s. The objectives of this analysis were to investigate (i) time trends and regional patterns of charcoal-burning suicide throughout East/Southeast Asia during the time period 1995-2011 and (ii) whether any rises in use of this method were associated with increases in overall suicide rates. Sex- and age-specific trends over time were also examined to identify the demographic groups showing the greatest increases in charcoal-burning suicide rates across different countries. We used data on suicides by gases other than domestic gas for Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore in the years 1995/1996-2011. Similar data for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand were also extracted but were incomplete. Graphical and joinpoint regression analyses were used to examine time trends in suicide, and negative binomial regression analysis to study sex- and age-specific patterns. In 1995/1996, charcoal-burning suicides accounted for <1% of all suicides in all study countries, except in Japan (5%), but they increased to account for 13%, 24%, 10%, 7%, and 5% of all suicides in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore, respectively, in 2011. Rises were first seen in Hong Kong after 1998 (95% CI 1997-1999), followed by Singapore in 1999 (95% CI 1998-2001), Taiwan in 2000 (95% CI 1999-2001), Japan in 2002 (95% CI 1999-2003), and the Republic of Korea in 2007 (95% CI 2006-2008). No marked increases were seen in Malaysia, the Philippines, or Thailand. There was some evidence that charcoal-burning suicides were associated with an increase in overall suicide rates in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan (for females), but not in Japan (for males), the Republic of Korea, and Singapore. Rates of change in charcoal-burning suicide rate did not differ by sex/age group in

Combining charcoal and elemental black carbon analysis in sedimentary archives: Implications for past fire regimes, the pyrogenic carbon cycle, and the human-climate interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Thevenon, Florian; Williamson, David; Bard, Edouard; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Beaufort, Luc; Cachier, Hélène

2010-07-01

This paper addresses the quantification of combustion-derived products in oceanic and continental sediments by optical and chemical approaches, and the interest of combining such methods for reconstructing past biomass burning activity and the pyrogenic carbon cycle. In such context, the dark particles > 0.2 µm 2 remaining after the partial digestion of organic matter are optically counted by automated image analysis and defined as charcoal, while the elemental carbon remaining after thermal and chemical oxidative treatments is quantified as black carbon (BC). The obtained pyrogenic carbon records from three sediment core-based case studies, (i) the Late Pleistocene equatorial Pacific Ocean, (ii) the mid-Holocene European Lake Lucerne, and (iii) the Late Holocene African Lake Masoko, are interpreted as proxy records of regional transportation mechanisms and biomass burning activities. The results show that the burial of dark carbon-rich particles in the 360 kyr-long record from the west equatorial Pacific is controlled by the combination of sea-level changes and low-latitude atmospheric circulation patterns (summer monsoon dynamics). However, the three fold increases in charcoal and BC sediment influxes between 53-43 and 12-10 kyr BP suggest that major shifts in fire activity occur synchronously with human colonization in the Indo/Pacific region. The coarse charcoal distribution from a 7.2 kyr record from Lake Lucerne in Switzerland closely matches the regional timing of major technical, land-use, and socio-economic changes during the Neolithic (between ca. 5.7 and 5.2 kyr BP and 4.9-4.5 kyr BP), the Bronze and Iron Ages (at ca. 3.3 and 2.4 kyr BP, respectively), and the industrialization (after AD 1838), pointing to the key impact of human activities on the sources, transportation processes and reservoirs of refractory carbon during the Holocene. In the tropical Masoko maar lake in Tanzania, where charcoal and BC records are highly sensitive to the local climate

Enzymatic Activity of Candida spp. from Oral Cavity and Urine in Children with Nephrotic Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Olczak-Kowalczyk, Dorota; Roszkowska-Blaim, Maria; Dąbkowska, Maria; Swoboda-Kopeć, Ewa; Gozdowski, Dariusz; Mizerska-Wasiak, Małgorzata; Demkow, Urszula; Pańczyk-Tomaszewska, Małgorzata

2017-01-01

Oral colonization with Candida spp. is not synonymous with a systemic active infection. The aim of the study was to evaluate enzymatic activity of Candida strains isolated from the oral cavity in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) and to compare it with the activity determined in urine. We studied 32 children with NS and 26 control healthy children. Children with NS were treated with glucocorticosteroids, cyclosporin A, mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine. In all children, API-ZYM enzymatic tests were performed to evaluate hydrolytic enzymes of Candida isolated from the oral cavity and in urine. Candida spp. were isolated from the oral cavity in 11 patients with NS (34.4%), all receiving immunosuppressive treatment. All strains produced valine arylamidase, 9 alpha-glucosidase (E16), and 9 N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (E18). A positive correlation between the presence of Candida in the oral cavity and E16 and E18 enzymatic activity in both oral cavity and urine was found. A dose of cyclosporin A had an effect on the enzymatic activity (p Candida invasion. The results of this study suggest that oral candida infection should be monitored in children with nephrotic syndrome, particularly those treated with immunosuppressive agents.

Oral sex, oral health and orogenital infections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajiv Saini

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Oral sex is commonly practiced by sexually active male-female and same-gender couples of various ages, including adolescents. The various type of oral sex practices are fellatio, cunnilingus and analingus. Oral sex is infrequently examined in research on adolescents; oral sex can transmit oral, respiratory, and genital pathogens. Oral health has a direct impact on the transmission of infection; a cut in your mouth, bleeding gums, lip sores or broken skin increases chances of infection. Although oral sex is considered a low risk activity, it is important to use protection and safer sex precautions. There are various methods of preventing infection during oral sex such as physical barriers, health and medical issues, ethical issues and oral hygiene and dental issues. The lesions or unhealthy periodontal status of oral cavity accelerates the phenomenon of transmission of infections into the circulation. Thus consequences of unhealthy or painful oral cavity are significant and oral health should be given paramount importance for the practice of oral sex.

Thoron Mitigation System based on charcoal bed for applications in thorium fuel cycle facilities (part 1): Development of theoretical models for design considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, B K; Sudeep Kumara, K; Karunakara, N; Gaware, J J; Sapra, B K; Mayya, Y S

2017-06-01

Regulating the environmental discharge of 220 Rn (historically known as thoron) and its decay products from thorium processing facilities is important for protection of environment and general public living in the vicinities. Activated charcoal provides an effective solution to this problem because of its high adsorption capacity to gaseous element like radon. In order to design and develop a charcoal based Thoron Mitigation System, a mathematical model has been developed in the present work for studying the 220 Rn transport and adsorption in a flow through charcoal bed and estimating the 220 Rn mitigation factor (MF) as a function of system and operating parameters. The model accounts for inter- and intra-grain diffusion, advection, radioactive decay and adsorption processes. Also, the effects of large void fluctuation and wall channeling on the mitigation factor have been included through a statistical model. Closed form solution has been provided for the MF in terms of adsorption coefficient, system dimensions, grain size, flow rate and void fluctuation exponent. It is shown that the delay effects due to intra grain diffusion plays a significant role thereby rendering external equilibrium assumptions unsuitable. Also, the application of the statistical model clearly demonstrates the transition from the exponential MF to a power-law form and shows how the occurrence of channels with low probability can lower mitigation factor by several orders of magnitude. As a part of aiding design, the model is further extended to optimise the bed dimensions in respect of pressure drop and MF. The application of the results for the design and development of a practically useful charcoal bed is discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

QA/QC For Radon Concentration Measurement With Charcoal Canister

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantelic, G.; Zivanovic, M.; Rajacic, M.; Krneta Nikolic, J.; Todorovic, D.

2015-01-01

The primary concern of any measuring of radon or radon progeny must be the quality of the results. A good quality assurance program, when properly designed and diligently followed, ensures that laboratory staff will be able to produce the type and quality of measurement results which is needed and expected. Active charcoal detectors are used for testing the concentration of radon in dwellings. The method of measurement is based on radon adsorption on coal and measurement of gamma radiation of radon daughters. Upon closing the detectors, the measurement was carried out after achieving the equilibrium between radon and its daughters (at least 3 hours) using NaI or HPGe detector. Radon concentrations as well as measurement uncertainties were calculated according to US EPA protocol 520/5-87-005. Detectors used for the measurements were calibrated by 226Ra standard of known activity in the same geometry. Standard and background canisters are used for QA and QC, as well as for the calibration of the measurement equipment. Standard canister is a sealed canister with the same matrix and geometry as the canisters used for measurements, but with the known activity of radon. Background canister is a regular radon measurement canister, which has never been exposed. The detector background and detector efficiency are measured to ascertain whether they are within the warning and acceptance limits. (author).

The forbidden fuel: Charcoal, urban woodfuel demand and supply dynamics, community forest management and woodfuel policy in Malawi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zulu, Leo Charles

2010-01-01

This article examines woodfuel policy challenges and opportunities in Malawi two decades after woodfuel-crisis narratives and counter-narratives. A nuanced examination of woodfuel supply, demand, use, and markets illuminated options to turn stagnant policies based on charcoal 'bans' and fuel-substitution into proactive, realistic ones acknowledging woodfuel dominance and its socio-economic importance. Findings revealed growing, spatially differentiated woodfuel deficits in southern and central Malawi and around Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe cities. Poverty, limited electricity access, reliability and generation exacerbated by tariff subsidies, and complex fuel-allocation decisions restricted energy-ladder transitions from woodfuels to electricity, producing an enduring urban-energy mix dominated by charcoal, thereby increasing wood consumption. Diverse socio-political interests prevented lifting of the charcoal 'ban' despite progressive forest laws. Despite implementation challenges, lessons already learnt, efficiency and poverty-reduction arguments, limited government capacity, growing illegal production of charcoal in forest reserves, and its staying power, make targeted community-based forest management (CBFM) approaches more practical for regulated, commercial production of woodfuels than the status quo. New differentiated policies should include commercial woodfuel production and licensing for revenue and ecological sustainability under CBFM or concessions within and outside selected reserves, an enterprise-based approaches for poverty reduction, smallholder/private tree-growing, woodfuel-energy conserving technologies, improved electricity supply and agricultural productivity.

Takano bamboo industry: The style material for the residence where bamboo charcoal was used; Takano chikuko: chikutan wo tsukatta jutakuyo choshitsuzai

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-30

Takano bamboo industry sold the style material 'Takebayashi, Saga' for the residence where bamboo charcoal was used. It is said that it can get equal effect in the amount of about 1 in three minutes even if it is compared with charcoal by the thing which it made use of the nature of the bamboo charcoal which it begins to vomit if water is inhaled and it is low for if humidity is pure. A back with the bamboo charcoal 1kg is laid 6 per 1m. It is laid under the floor of the house residence and the condominium, and it can be used easily in the errand, the existent residence as well. It was the space when the air humidity was 40-90%, and indoor humidity showed the numerical value, which faced though there was a change and which became stable in 60-70% as a result of actually doing an experiment in the house residence condominium. (translated by NEDO)

Uracil-ftorafur: an oral fluoropyrimidine active in colorectal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulkes, A; Benner, S E; Canetta, R M

1998-10-01

This review describes the early clinical development of uracil-ftorafur (UFT), an oral fluoropyrimidine, designed in 1978 by adding uracil to ftorafur. The review focuses on the treatment of colorectal cancer and summarizes the Japanese experience and the phase I and II trials performed in the United States and Europe. Clinical trials of UFT published in the Western world have included 581 patients with colorectal cancer. UFT has been administered in these trials as a single agent or biomodulated by leucovorin (LV). UFT was administered daily in split doses for periods that ranged from 14 to 28 days. The activity of oral UFT in large-bowel cancer when administered with oral LV (approximately 50 mg/dose) has resulted in objective response rates of approximately 40%. Response rates of approximately 25% (range, 17% to 39%) were reported when UFT was administered as a single agent or with lower doses of LV. The highest dose-intensities of UFT are achieved with 28-day schedules of administration. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of UFT with this schedule, when administered concomitantly with oral LV 150 mg daily, is 300 mg/m2 daily. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of UFT has generally been diarrhea. Other commonly described toxicities include nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and stomatitis. Myelosuppression occurs infrequently. Typically, hand-foot syndrome and neurologic toxicity are lacking. UFT is a fluoropyrimidine active in colorectal cancer. The oral route of administration and improved safety profile represent important advantages over both conventional and infusional fluorouracil (5-FU) regimens.

Measurement of dynamic adsorption coefficient of Xe on coconut charcoal in CO2 streams by gas-solid chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Xinxi; Huang Yuying; Li Wangchang

1984-01-01

This paper presents a method for measuring the dynamic adsorption coefficients of Xe on coconut charcoal II-2 in CO 2 carrier streams by SP-2305E gas chromatograph with the thermal conductivity cell. The adsorption column is made of stainless steel (diameter 4 x 240 mm) packed with 60-80 mesh coconut charcoal II-2. The CO 2 content in carrier streams is about 87%. Three groups of data of Xe dynamic adsorption coefficient were obtained at temperature 15.5 deg C, 31.5 deg C and 50.5 deg C by pulse injection respectively. Another group was obtained at temperature approx. 16 deg C by continueous injection. In addition, adsorption isotherms and adsorption isometrics were determined. In this experimental system, the adsorption heat of Xe on coconut charcoal II-2 is 2820 cal/mole

The influence of different pathogens on the lysozyme activity into tissues of rat oral cavity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. P. Levitsky

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Aim: To determine action of the different pathogens on the lysozyme activity into tissues of oral cavity and serum. Methods: The lysozyme activities was determined into oral mucosa cheek, tongue gum and serum of 158 white rats (11 series experiments. The pathogens were used: atropine, protamine sulfat, indometacyn, bee poison, hydrasine sulfat, cytostatic cyclofosfan, lincomycin, lipopolysaccharide, composition of antibiotic and omeprasol for ACBT Results: The  whole of pathogens decreased lysozyme activity (mean in 1,6-2,5 times into oral tissues and on 16 % into serum. The specific lowering of lysozyme activities (Δ%/mg pathogen was low most for lipopolysaccharide, especially after oral application usage (exceeding was in tens times. Conclusion: The lysozyme activity lowering may play significant role in pathogenesis of stomatologic diseases/ Lipopolysaccharide (LPS send lysozyme activity lowering most especially after oral application. Probably, the antilysozyme action of pathogens realize by LPS. The stomatogenic factor in pathogenesis and profilactic of noninfection diseases is important.

Review of the sustainability of the forest sector to produce charcoal from planted forests; Analise da sustentabilidade do setor florestal para producao de carvao vegetal a partir de florestas plantadas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, Thiago Oliveira [Fundacao de Tecnologia Florestal e Geoprocessamento (NUPA/FUNTEC), Brasilia, DF (Brazil). Nucleo de Projetos Ambientais

2008-07-01

Brazil is the world's greater producer of charcoal and most of this production takes care of to the siderurgical sector. Thus, one understands that the Brazilian steel is produced of sustainable form. However, such sustainability is not based only on a renewable energy source. The origin of the wood for the carbonization, if proceeding from planted forests or native bushes, is crucial factor in this analysis. Beyond the ambient dimension, the sustainability of the charcoal segment also is influenced by its social, economic and technological aspects. In this context, the present article searches, through the construction and the analysis of the diagnosis of the charcoal in Brazil, to evaluate the sustainability of the sector and to consider alternatives to reach it. The current model of production of charcoal in the country is unsustainable. The main adopted systems of carbonization in Brazil are low level technological with consequent decrease production. The activity is unhealthy, beyond having many cases of enslaved and infantile work. The coal of native forests is much cheaper and the fiscalization is poor, fact that discourages its production from planted forests. But if the vegetal coal will be understood as an energy solution for the siderurgical sector measures can be taken to search a model of sustainable production. (author)

The rise of fire: Fossil charcoal in late Devonian marine shales as an indicator of expanding terrestrial ecosystems, fire, and atmospheric change

Science.gov (United States)

Rimmer, Susan M.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Scott, Andrew C.; Cressler, Walter L.

2015-01-01

Fossil charcoal provides direct evidence for fire events that, in turn, have implications for the evolution of both terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. Most of the ancient charcoal record is known from terrestrial or nearshore environments and indicates the earliest occurrences of fire in the Late Silurian. However, despite the rise in available fuel through the Devonian as vascular land plants became larger and trees and forests evolved, charcoal occurrences are very sparse until the Early Mississippian where extensive charcoal suggests well-established fire systems. We present data from the latest Devonian and Early Mississippian of North America from terrestrial and marine rocks indicating that fire became more widespread and significant at this time. This increase may be a function of rising O2 levels and the occurrence of fire itself may have contributed to this rise through positive feedback. Recent atmospheric modeling suggests an O2 low during the Middle Devonian (around 17.5%), with O2 rising steadily through the Late Devonian and Early Mississippian (to 21–22%) that allowed for widespread burning for the first time. In Devonian-Mississippian marine black shales, fossil charcoal (inertinite) steadily increases up-section suggesting the rise of widespread fire systems. There is a concomitant increase in the amount of vitrinite (preserved woody and other plant tissues) that also suggests increased sources of terrestrial organic matter. Even as end Devonian glaciation was experienced, fossil charcoal continued to be a source of organic matter being introduced into the Devonian oceans. Scanning electron and reflectance microscopy of charcoal from Late Devonian terrestrial sites indicate that the fires were moderately hot (typically 500–600 °C) and burnt mainly surface vegetation dominated by herbaceous zygopterid ferns and lycopsids, rather than being produced by forest crown fires. The occurrence and relative abundance of fossil charcoal in

Orally active-targeted drug delivery systems for proteins and peptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiuying; Yu, Miaorong; Fan, Weiwei; Gan, Yong; Hovgaard, Lars; Yang, Mingshi

2014-09-01

In the past decade, extensive efforts have been devoted to designing 'active targeted' drug delivery systems (ATDDS) to improve oral absorption of proteins and peptides. Such ATDDS enhance cellular internalization and permeability of proteins and peptides via molecular recognition processes such as ligand-receptor or antigen-antibody interaction, and thus enhance drug absorption. This review focuses on recent advances with orally ATDDS, including ligand-protein conjugates, recombinant ligand-protein fusion proteins and ligand-modified carriers. In addition to traditional intestinal active transport systems of substrates and their corresponding receptors, transporters and carriers, new targets such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and β-integrin are also discussed. ATDDS can improve oral absorption of proteins and peptides. However, currently, no clinical studies on ATDDS for proteins and peptides are underway, perhaps due to the complexity and limited knowledge of transport mechanisms. Therefore, more research is warranted to optimize ATDDS efficiency.

Adsorption of actinides by chelating agents containing benzene rings, fixed on charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valentini Ganzerli, M.T.; Crespi Caramella, V.; Maggi, L.

1999-01-01

The focus of this paper is on the analysis of the actinides in the hydrosphere to study their environmental dispersion. The 8-hydroxyquinoline family and the benzohydroxamic acid have a complexing ability towards the actinides, even if in different oxidation states. Taking advantage of this ability, their salts with some organic acids or bases were prepared. In this way compounds were obtained easily incorporated into active charcoal. Only a small amount of the prepared adsorber may be equilibrated with large sample volumes. Subsequently it can be recovered by filtration. The adsorbed ions may be then re-dissolved with a small volume of the appropriate eluting solution. The 8-hydroxy-quinolines and the 8-hydroxyquinoline produced salts with the benzilic acid. These compounds similarly behave and show wide adsorption coefficients for solutions of pH higher than 3. The adsorption takes place by means of the formation of a complex of the actinide ion with the hydroxyquinoline moiety and also with the benzilic anion. Provided that the active extracting agent is not dissolved in a medium but fixed into a solid phase, the whole adsorption process may be regarded as a solvent extraction reaction. The benzohydroxamic acid was treated with the diphenylamine or with the tribenzylamine to obtain salts, later adsorbed into the charcoal. The adsorption of actinide ions seems to take place by means of a precipitation mechanism of the actinide ions with the hydroxamate ions for solution of pH higher than 3.5. Also in this case high values were obtained for the distribution coefficients. The actinide ions act similarly in the +4 or +6 oxidation state towards the prepared adsorber series. Therefore, it is possible to use only one adsorber to concentrate all actinides. Methods of analysis of actinides in the environment may be suitably set up and the concentration step based on these new prepared adsorber may improve the whole procedure. (authors)

Torrefaction of corncob to produce charcoal under nitrogen and carbon dioxide atmospheres.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shu-Xian; Chen, Chang-Zhou; Li, Ming-Fei; Xiao, Xiao

2018-02-01

Corncob was torrefied under nitrogen and carbon dioxide atmospheres at 220-300 °C, obtaining solid products with mass yields of 69.38-95.03% and 67.20-94.99% and higher heating values of 16.58-24.77 MJ/kg and 16.68-24.10 MJ/kg, respectively. The changes of physicochemical properties of the charcoal was evaluated by many spectroscopies, contact angle determination, and combustion test. Hemicelluloses were not detected for the torrefaction under the hard conditions. As the severity increased, C concentration raised while H and O concentrations reduced. Combustion test showed that the burnout temperature of charcoal declined with the elevation of reaction temperature, and torrefaction at a high temperature shortened the time for the whole combustion process. Base on the data, torrefaction at 260 °C under carbon dioxide was recommended for the torrefaction of corncob. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the antibacterial efficacy of bamboo charcoal/silver biological protective material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, F.-C. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, National Defense University (NDU), No. 190, Sanyuan 1st Street, Tahsi, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China); Wu, K.-H. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, National Defense University (NDU), No. 190, Sanyuan 1st Street, Tahsi, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: khwu@ccit.edu.tw; Liu, M.-J. [Department of Applied Chemistry, Chung Cheng Institute of Technology, National Defense University (NDU), No. 190, Sanyuan 1st Street, Tahsi, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China); Lin, W.-P. [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hu, M.-K. [School of Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

2009-01-15

Bamboo charcoal supporting silver (BC/Ag) was prepared by activation and chemical reduction. The BC/Ag composites were characterized by silver particle size and distribution, silver ion (Ag{sup +}) release and antibacterial properties. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) showed that the Ag particles were distributed uniformly on the BC matrix. The Ag particle size was found to be less than 150 nm based on TEM. The Ag content and surface morphology of the BC/Ag composites depended on the initial concentration of AgNO{sub 3}, and the higher the Ag content, the smaller the specific surface area obtained on the BC. The antibacterial effects of the BC/Ag composite powders were assessed from the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and by the plate-counting method, and an excellent antibacterial performance was discovered.

Carbon isotopes and charcoal in soils, vegetation changes and climate inferences in the southeastern Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pessenda, L.C.R.; Gouveia, S.E.M; Aravena, R; Boulet, R; Bendassolli, J.A

2001-01-01

The use of carbon isotopes in studies of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics have been applied to infer information about vegetation and climate changes during the late Quaternary (Schwartz et al., 1986; Pessenda et al., 1996). This approach had also been used in different areas in Brazil to document vegetation changes during the Holocene (Desjardins et al., 1996; Gouveia et al., 1997; Pessenda et al., 1998a, b, 2001) and late Pleistocene/Holocene (Freitas et al., 2001). The application of carbon isotopes is based on the different 13 C composition of C 3 and C 4 plants and its preservation in SOM. 13 C values of C 3 plant species range from approximately -32% o to -20% o PDB, with a mean of -27% o . In contrast, δ 13 C of C 4 species range from -17% o to -9% o with mean of -13% o . Thus, C 3 and C 4 plant species have distinct δ 13 C values and differ from each other by approximately 14% o (Boutton, 1991). The study of charcoal fragments found in sediments and soils also supplies information about climatic conditions. Charcoal distribution in the soil profiles can provide information about the occurrence of paleofires (Pessenda et al., 1996), possibly associated with drier climate periods and/or human disturbance. In this paper we report δ 13 C data of soil and 14 C dates on charcoal from five soil profiles collected under natural vegetation in the Parana and Sao Paulo states, southeastern Brazil. Carbon isotopes are used to evaluate vegetation changes during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Charcoal distribution in the soil and its dating are used to infer linkage between forest fires and climate changes and to establish the chronology (au)

Mini-cusab kiln for rapid small-scale manufacture of charcoal from scrub, coconut wood and coconut shells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Little, E C.S.

1978-05-01

Following the development and operation of the mini-cusab kiln in New Zealand, FAO tested it successfully in the South Pacific where there is a glut of coconut wood, which has a very high moisture content. It is based on a 44 gallon drum and its construction and subsequent operation are described. It is designed to be supplied continuously with fuel until full of charcoal. The kilns have air ducts which are sealed with plugs as the level of charcoal formed by the continuous fueling rises within the kiln.

The forbidden fuel. Charcoal, urban woodfuel demand and supply dynamics, community forest management and woodfuel policy in Malawi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zulu, Leo Charles [Michigan State University, Department of Geography, 103 Geography Building, East Lansing, MI 48823 (United States)

2010-07-15

This article examines woodfuel policy challenges and opportunities in Malawi two decades after woodfuel-crisis narratives and counter-narratives. A nuanced examination of woodfuel supply, demand, use, and markets illuminated options to turn stagnant policies based on charcoal 'bans' and fuel-substitution into proactive, realistic ones acknowledging woodfuel dominance and its socio-economic importance. Findings revealed growing, spatially differentiated woodfuel deficits in southern and central Malawi and around Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe cities. Poverty, limited electricity access, reliability and generation exacerbated by tariff subsidies, and complex fuel-allocation decisions restricted energy-ladder transitions from woodfuels to electricity, producing an enduring urban-energy mix dominated by charcoal, thereby increasing wood consumption. Diverse socio-political interests prevented lifting of the charcoal 'ban' despite progressive forest laws. Despite implementation challenges, lessons already learnt, efficiency and poverty-reduction arguments, limited government capacity, growing illegal production of charcoal in forest reserves, and its staying power, make targeted community-based forest management (CBFM) approaches more practical for regulated, commercial production of woodfuels than the status quo. New differentiated policies should include commercial woodfuel production and licensing for revenue and ecological sustainability under CBFM or concessions within and outside selected reserves, an enterprise-based approaches for poverty reduction, smallholder/private tree-growing, woodfuel-energy conserving technologies, improved electricity supply and agricultural productivity. (author)

The forbidden fuel: Charcoal, urban woodfuel demand and supply dynamics, community forest management and woodfuel policy in Malawi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zulu, Leo Charles, E-mail: zulu@msu.ed [Michigan State University, Department of Geography, 103 Geography Building, East Lansing, MI 48823 (United States)

2010-07-15

This article examines woodfuel policy challenges and opportunities in Malawi two decades after woodfuel-crisis narratives and counter-narratives. A nuanced examination of woodfuel supply, demand, use, and markets illuminated options to turn stagnant policies based on charcoal 'bans' and fuel-substitution into proactive, realistic ones acknowledging woodfuel dominance and its socio-economic importance. Findings revealed growing, spatially differentiated woodfuel deficits in southern and central Malawi and around Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe cities. Poverty, limited electricity access, reliability and generation exacerbated by tariff subsidies, and complex fuel-allocation decisions restricted energy-ladder transitions from woodfuels to electricity, producing an enduring urban-energy mix dominated by charcoal, thereby increasing wood consumption. Diverse socio-political interests prevented lifting of the charcoal 'ban' despite progressive forest laws. Despite implementation challenges, lessons already learnt, efficiency and poverty-reduction arguments, limited government capacity, growing illegal production of charcoal in forest reserves, and its staying power, make targeted community-based forest management (CBFM) approaches more practical for regulated, commercial production of woodfuels than the status quo. New differentiated policies should include commercial woodfuel production and licensing for revenue and ecological sustainability under CBFM or concessions within and outside selected reserves, an enterprise-based approaches for poverty reduction, smallholder/private tree-growing, woodfuel-energy conserving technologies, improved electricity supply and agricultural productivity.

Oral lipase activities and fat-taste receptors for fat-taste sensing in chickens.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawabata, Yuko; Kawabata, Fuminori; Nishimura, Shotaro; Tabata, Shoji

2018-01-01

It has been reported that a functional fat-taste receptor, GPR120, is present in chicken oral tissues, and that chickens can detect fat taste in a behavioral test. However, although triglycerides need to be digested to free fatty acids to be recognized by fat-taste receptors such as GPR120, it remains unknown whether lipase activities exist in chicken oral tissues. To examine this question, we first cloned another fat-taste receptor candidate gene, CD36, from the chicken palate. Then, using RT-PCR, we determined that GPR120 and CD36 were broadly expressed in chicken oral and gastrointestinal tissues. Also by RT-PCR, we confirmed that several lipase genes were expressed in both oral and gastrointestinal tissues. Finally, we analyzed the lipase activities of oral tissues by using a fluorogenic triglyceride analog as a lipase substrate. We found there are functional lipases in oral tissues as well as in the stomach and pancreas. These results suggested that chickens have a basic fat-taste reception system that incorporates a triglycerides/oral-lipases/free fatty acids/GPR120 axis and CD36 axis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Production and Composition of Dissolved Black Carbon from Various Biochars and Environmentally-aged Charcoals

Science.gov (United States)

Bostick, K. W.; Zimmerman, A. R.; Hatcher, P.; Mitra, S.; Wozniak, A. S.

2016-12-01

Pyrogenic organic matter, or black carbon (BC), is the solid carbonaceous product of biomass pyrolysis. While solid BC represents a long-lived portion of the C cycle, it releases pyrogenic dissolved organic matter (py-DOM) which may be more susceptible to mineralization and transformation. This py-DOM may impact environmental and public health and likely controls exchange between terrestrial and aquatic BC pools. Benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs), produced by acid digestion of samples, are used as molecular markers for pyrogenic organic matter. Yet, we currently have a poor understanding of the controls on the production of py-DOM and its yield of BPCA compounds. In response, aqueous leaching time series experiments were carried out using a series of laboratory-made biochars and environmentally-aged charcoals. While non-charred oak biomass released 31.8 mg C/g (45% C loss), oak biochars prepared at low temperatures (250 and 400ºC), produced 9.9 and 2.6 mg C/g (11 and 2.3% C loss), respectively. Oak chars prepared at a higher temperatures (650ºC) leached only 1.85 mg C/g (1.5% C loss). In contrast, an environmentally-aged charcoal (30 y old cypress charcoal) leached 10.9% of its C. On average, 59% (ranging 38-80%) of oak pyrogenic DOC was converted into BPCAs, suggesting that oak py-DOM has a variably condensed aromatic proportion. However, much less BPCAs were generated by BC parent solids. In addition, trace amounts of BPCA were generated from non-pyrolyzed grass, oak wood, and compost leachates; these lend concern to the use of BPCAs as exclusive pyrogenic molecular markers. As expected, BPCA molecular distribution showed that condensation increased with pyrolysis temperature of solid biochars and their corresponding leachates. The comparison of these findings to 13C and 1H NMR spectra of charcoal parent solids and their leachates will further elucidate the chemistry and production mechanisms of py-DOM.

The association of trends in charcoal-burning suicide with Google search and newspaper reporting in Taiwan: a time series analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shu-Sen; Kwok, Simon Sai Man; Cheng, Qijin; Yip, Paul S F; Chen, Ying-Yeh

2015-09-01

Some East/Southeast Asian countries have experienced a rapid increase in suicide by charcoal burning over the past decade. Media reporting and Internet use were thought to contribute to the epidemic. We investigated the association between method-specific suicide incidence and both Internet search volume and newspaper reporting in Taiwan. Weekly data for suicide, suicide-related Google search volume, and the number of articles reporting suicide in four major newspapers in Taiwan during 2008-2011 were obtained. Poisson autoregressive regression models were used to examine the associations between these variables. In the fully adjusted models, every 10 % increase in Google searches was associated with a 4.3 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1-7.6 %] increase in charcoal-burning suicide incidence in the same week, and a 3.8 % (95 % CI 0.4-7.2 %) increase in the following week. A one-article increase in the United Daily was associated with a 3.6 % (95 % CI 1.5-5.8 %) increase in charcoal-burning suicide in the same week. By contrast, non-charcoal-burning suicide was not associated with Google search volume, but was associated with the Apple Daily's reporting in the preceding week. We found that increased Internet searches for charcoal-burning suicide appeared to be associated with a subsequent increase in suicide by this method. The prevention of suicide using emerging methods may include monitoring and regulating online information that provides details of these methods as well as encouraging Internet service providers to provide help-seeking information.

Nano-microdelivery systems for oral delivery of an active ingredient

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2014-01-01

A composition for oral delivery of one or more active ingredients in the form of a lipid nano-micro-delivery system comprising a lipid nano-micro-structure comprising at least one lipid and at least one active ingredient, said at least one active ingredient being immobilized in said lipid nano...

Antimicrobial activity of Aegiphila sellowiana Cham., Lamiaceae, against oral pathogens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcele A. Ferreira

Full Text Available The antimicrobial activity of Aegiphila sellowiana Cham., Lamiaceae, against oral pathogens is reported. The Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs for inhibiting the microorganisms growth were determined using the broth microdilution method from the CLSI M7-A7 protocol. Chlorhexidine was used as the positive control. The ethanol crude extract of the aerial parts of A. sellowiana exhibited activity against the microorganisms tested in this work; however, the activity decreased after partition with n-hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate. Among the tested fractions, the n-hexane fraction was found to be the most effective against the evaluated oral pathogens. GC-MS analysis of this latter fraction revealed that fatty acids esters, steroids, and aliphatic sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are its major constituents. These compounds may be responsible for the activity of the n-hexane fraction, but other chemical constituents of the dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and hydroalcoholic fraction may potentialize their activities in the crude extract.

Vegetation stability in the Southeastern Brazilian coastal area from 5500 to 1400 14C yr BP deduced from charcoal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheel-Ybert

2000-06-01

Charcoal analysis of six shell mounds showed that no major changes of the mainland vegetation ecosystem have taken place along the southeastern Brazilian coast (22 degrees 53'-22 degrees 57'S, 42 degrees 03'-42 degrees 33'W) from 5500 to 1400 14C yr BP. These shell mounds have been occupied by sedentary fisher-gatherer-hunters. Charcoal fragments retrieved from vertical profiles in the archaeological sites were examined; taxonomic determinations were based on a reference collection of charred woods and a program for computer-aided identification. Charcoal assemblages of all the studied sites present taxa from various restinga vegetation types, mangroves, xeromorphic coastal forest, and inland Atlantic Forest. The restinga ecosystem, characteristic of the Brazilian coast, is associated with sandy beach ridges; the restinga forest was much more abundant during the studied period than nowadays. The charcoal assemblages represent mainly the local vegetation; a regional reconstruction depends on the study of numerous sites. In the Cabo Frio region, open restinga taxa are more abundant in the Sambaqui do Forte, while forest elements are more important in the Sambaquis Salinas Peroano and Boca da Barra. The sites studied in the Arraial do Cabo (Sambaqui da Ponta da Cabeça) and in the Saquarema regions (Sambaquis da Pontinha and da Beirada) show that open restinga formations were locally predominant. A comparison of multivariate analysis applied to both charcoal assemblages and to phytosociological data of the extant vegetation showed a good correspondence between the charcoal spectra and the present vegetation. The high taxonomic diversity of archaeological charcoal samples and numerous fragments showing traces of decay before charring suggests that aleatory gathering of dead wood constituted the main source of firewood for fisher-gatherer-hunters populations. Condalia sp. was probably selected for cultural reasons.The only significant fluctuations on the charcoal

Soil charcoal analysis as a climato-stratigraphical tool: The key case of Cordillera Real, northern Andes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Pasquale, G. [Dipartimento di Arboricoltura Botanica e Patologia Vegetale, Universita di Napoli Federico II, Via Universita 100, 80055 Portici (Italy); Impagliazzo, S., E-mail: stefania.impagliazzo@unina.i [Dipartimento di Arboricoltura Botanica e Patologia Vegetale, Universita di Napoli Federico II, Via Universita 100, 80055 Portici (Italy); Lubritto, C. [CIRCE, Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, II Universita di Napoli, and INNOVA, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy); Marziano, M. [Dipartimento di Arboricoltura Botanica e Patologia Vegetale, Universita di Napoli Federico II, Via Universita 100, 80055 Portici (Italy); Passariello, I. [CIRCE, Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, II Universita di Napoli, and INNOVA, via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy); Ermolli, E. Russo [Dipartimento di Arboricoltura Botanica e Patologia Vegetale, Universita di Napoli Federico II, Via Universita 100, 80055 Portici (Italy)

2010-04-15

The present study represents the first attempt of reconstructing fire history through soil charcoal dating. The investigated area is located in the Guandera Biological Reserve (western Cordillera Real, northern Ecuador). Six AMS radiocarbon dating, performed at the base of five soil profiles allowed a fire phase to be identified during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. A strong correspondence was highlighted between the age of the Guandera fires and the El Abra stadial, which is considered the Younger Dryas equivalent in South America. This local evidence of fires contributes to define the geographic area in which the El Abra stadial was recorded and suggests a wider use of the soil charcoal analysis.

Soil charcoal analysis as a climato-stratigraphical tool: The key case of Cordillera Real, northern Andes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Pasquale, G.; Impagliazzo, S.; Lubritto, C.; Marziano, M.; Passariello, I.; Ermolli, E. Russo

2010-01-01

The present study represents the first attempt of reconstructing fire history through soil charcoal dating. The investigated area is located in the Guandera Biological Reserve (western Cordillera Real, northern Ecuador). Six AMS radiocarbon dating, performed at the base of five soil profiles allowed a fire phase to be identified during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. A strong correspondence was highlighted between the age of the Guandera fires and the El Abra stadial, which is considered the Younger Dryas equivalent in South America. This local evidence of fires contributes to define the geographic area in which the El Abra stadial was recorded and suggests a wider use of the soil charcoal analysis.

Evaluation of an educational activity in the oral health of students.

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Vj de A; Costa, S M; Zanin, L; Flório, F M

2017-02-01

To investigate the influence of educational activity in the school environment based on prescriptive and subjective oral health indicators. Cross-sectional, comparative study involving students between 9 and 12 years of age, from schools that have educational activities and those that do not, designated schools A and B. The oral health indicators used were the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) and the Community Periodontal Index (CPITN). Knowledge and attitudes with regard to oral health were evaluated using a structured questionnaire. A total of 289 schoolchildren took part, 50.5% from school A and 49.5% from school B, in the town of Montes Claros, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In school A, the schoolchildren's OHI-S was satisfactory for 9.6%, normal for 78.8% and deficient for 11.6%, while in school B, the respective percentages were 3.5%, 17.5% and 79% (chi-squared, P students in school A showed better CPITN results, namely lack of bleeding for 61.6%, the presence of bleeding for 29.5% and presence of tartar for 8.9%, while in school B, the respective results were 25.2%, 45.5% and 29.4% (chi-squared, P Students in school A achieved more correct answers in questions that evaluated knowledge of oral health. The account of daily use of dental floss in school A was 21.7% and in B, 3.6% (chi-squared, P school environment had a positive effect on oral health conditions, the consolidation of knowledge and incorporation of oral hygiene habits. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Utilization of maize cob biochar and rice husk charcoal as soil amendments for improving acid soil fertility and productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurhidayati

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The decline in soil fertility in agricultural land is a major problem that causes a decrease in the production of food crops. One of the causes of the decline in soil fertility is declining soil pH that caused the decline in the availability of nutrients in the soil. This study aimed to assess the influence of alternative liming materials derived from maize cob biochar and rice husk charcoal compared to conventional lime to improve soil pH, soil nutrient availability and maize production. The experiment used a factorial complete randomized design which consisting of two factors. The first factor is the type of soil amendment which consists of three levels (calcite lime, rice husk charcoal and cob maize biochar. The second factor is the application rates of the soil amendment consisted of three levels (3, 6 and 9 t/ha and one control treatment (without soil amendment. The results of this study showed that the application of various soil amendment increased soil pH, which the pH increase of the lime application was relatively more stable over time compared to biochar and husk charcoal. The average of the soil pH increased for each soil amendment by 23% (lime, 20% (rice husk charcoal and 23% (biochar as compared with control. The increase in soil pH can increase the availability of soil N, P and K. The greatest influence of soil pH on nutrient availability was shown by the relationship between soil pH and K nutrient availability with R2 = 0.712, while for the N by R2 = 0.462 and for the P by R2 = 0.245. The relationship between the availability of N and maize yield showed a linear equation. While the relationship between the availability of P and K with the maize yield showed a quadratic equation. The highest maize yield was found in the application of biochar and rice husk charcoal with a dose of 6-9 t/ha. The results of this study suggested that biochar and husk charcoal could be used as an alternative liming material in improving acid soil

Activated charcoal adsorber bed as a 222Rn hold up system for application in uranium mining industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudeep Kumara, K.; Karunakara, N.; Sahoo, B.K.; Gaware, J.J.; Sapra, B.K.; Mayya, Y.S.

2018-01-01

222 Rn, produced due to the decay of 226 Ra, can accumulate to high concentrations, and if adequate ventilation is not provided the workers may inhale the 222 Rn laden air, which would result in elevated inhalation dose in Uranium mining and milling operations. Similarly, in thorium mining and processing plants, the 220 Rn generated during monazite processing and thorium handling facility is of concern. In a previous publication it has been shown that adsorption in a flow-through charcoal bed offers an excellent method of alleviating the release of 220 Rn into occupational and public domain. In this paper we examine the utility of TMS as a 222 Rn hold up/delay system by evaluating its performance parameters such as breakthrough time (τ) and adsorption coefficient (K) at different flow rates

Evaluating the impact of water flotation and the state of the wood in archaeological wood charcoal remains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Otaegui, Amaia Arranz

2016-01-01

. The aim of this work is to evaluate the assemblage and to determine the factors that conditioned the preservation or disintegration of wood charcoal remains. In particular, attention is paid to the distribution of the alterations (e.g. vitrification, decayed wood) by taxa, and the proportions with which...... they are present before and after flotation. To test some of the patterns observed in the archaeological material a small-scale experiment on modern wood charcoal remains is carried out. The results enable a critic reconstruction of the type of vegetation and firewood gathering strategies at Tell Qarassa North...

Investigations of 131I concentration in indoor air using charcoal filters and gamma spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, H.W.; Pittauerova, D.; Foschepoth, S.; Poppe, B.

2008-01-01

Full text: Radiation protection standards require the recording of staff radiation dose in nuclear medicine thyroid radiotherapy. A commonly used method measures the 131 I thyroid activity externally with a gamma detector, followed by calculation of the committed equivalent thyroid dose. The main disadvantages are the low sensitivity and the uncertainty of the time of uptake, which can only be compensated by long measurement times and short measurement intervals. The measurements have to be applied to all staff members. An alternative can be provided by the measurement of the cumulated concentration of 131 I in indoor air using charcoal filters. The filters are placed in patient rooms at representative locations, exposed for several days and then investigated for absorbed 131 I activity. Both above mentioned disadvantages can be overcome: the measurement records the cumulated concentration history of the room and the obtained value can be used for dose calculation for all staff members knowing their working history. Standard charcoal filters (PicoRad vials, Accustar Labs, normally used for indoor radon measurements) were placed into patient rooms in a thyroid therapy department and exposed to room air for 72 hours. The vials were then subjected to high resolution low level gamma spectroscopy using a high purity germanium (hpGe) detector (50% relative efficiency, 10 cm lead shielding). Absolute activity determination was based on the net count rate in the 364 keV gamma peak and absolute counting efficiency obtained mathematically from detector and vial geometry using the commercial Labsocs (Canberra Inc.) program. Using the mean air activity/vial activity calibration factor obtained in a similar study pioneering this application, but using liquid scintillation spectroscopy as detection method (F. Jimenez et al, 2nd. European IRPA Congress, Paris 2006), mean air concentrations between 0.09 and 2.01 Bq/m 3 were found. The data correlated well with patient administered

Soil quality in a cropland soil treated with wood ash containing charcoal

Science.gov (United States)

Omil, Beatriz; Balboa, Miguel A.; Fonturbel, M. Teresa; Gartzia-Bengoetxea, Nahia; Arias-González, Ander; Vega, Jose A.; Merino, Agustin

2014-05-01

The strategy of the European Union "Europe 2020" states that by 2020, 20% of final energy consumption must come from renewables. In this scenario, there is an increasing use of biomass utilization for energy production. Indeed, it is expected that the production of wood-ash will increase in coming years. Wood ash, a mixture of ash and charcoal, generated as a by-product of biomass combustion in power plants, can be applied to soil to improve the soil quality and crop production. Since the residue contains significant content of charcoal, the application of mixed wood ash may also improve the SOM content and soil quality in the long term, in soils degraded as a consequence of intensive management. The objective of this study was asses the changes in SOM quality and soil properties in a degraded soils treated with wood ash containing charcoal. The study was carried out in a field devoted to cereal crops during the last decades. The soil was acidic (pH 4.5) with a low SOC content (3 %) and fine texture. The experiment was based on a randomised block design with four replicates. Each block included the following four treatments: Control, 16 Mg fly wood ash ha-1, 16 Mg mixed wood ash ha-1 (16 Mg) and 32 Mg mixed wood ash ha-1 (32 Mg). The application was carried out once. The ash used in the study was obtained from a thermal power plant and was mainly derived from the combustion of Pinus radiata bark and branches. The wood ash is highly alkaline (pH= 10), contains 10 % of highly condensed black carbon (atomic H/C ratio solid state 13C CPMAS NMR and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). These techniques were applied in bulk samples and aggregates of different sizes. The changes in microbial activity were studied by analysis of microbial biomass C and basal respiration. The soil bacterial community was studied by the Biolog method. Several physical properties, such soil aggregate distribution, hydraulic conductivity and available water contente were also determined

Prevalence of oral candidiasis in HIV/AIDS children in highly active antiretroviral therapy era. A literature analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaitán-Cepeda, Luis Alberto; Sánchez-Vargas, Octavio; Castillo, Nydia

2015-08-01

SummaryHighly active antiretroviral therapy has decreased the morbidity and mortality related to HIV infection, including oral opportunistic infections. This paper offers an analysis of the scientific literature on the epidemiological aspects of oral candidiasis in HIV-positive children in the combination antiretroviral therapy era. An electronic databases search was made covering the highly active antiretroviral therapy era (1998 onwards). The terms used were oral lesions, oral candidiasis and their combination with highly active antiretroviral therapy and HIV/AIDS children. The following data were collected from each paper: year and country in which the investigation was conducted, antiretroviral treatment, oral candidiasis prevalence and diagnostic parameters (clinical or microbiological). Prevalence of oral candidiasis varied from 2.9% in American HIV-positive children undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy to 88% in Chilean HIV-positive children without antiretroviral therapy. With respect to geographical location and antiretroviral treatment, higher oral candidiasis prevalence in HIV-positive children on combination antiretroviral therapy/antiretroviral therapy was reported in African children (79.1%) followed by 45.9% reported in Hindu children. In HIV-positive Chilean children on no antiretroviral therapy, high oral candidiasis prevalence was reported (88%) followed by Nigerian children (80%). Oral candidiasis is still frequent in HIV-positive children in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era irrespective of geographical location, race and use of antiretroviral therapy. © The Author(s) 2014.

Volatile compounds and odor preferences of ground beef added with garlic and red wine, and irradiated with charcoal pack

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyung Haeng; Yun, Hyejeong; Lee, Ju Woon; Ahn, Dong Uk; Lee, Eun Joo; Jo, Cheorun

2012-08-01

Irradiation is the most efficient non-thermal technology for improving hygienic quality and extending the shelf-life of food products. One of the adverse effects of food irradiation, however, is off-flavor production, which significantly affects the sensory preferences for certain foods. In this study, garlic (5%, w/w) and red wine (1:1, w/w) were added to ground beef to increase the radiation sensitivity of pathogens and improve meat odor/flavor. Samples were irradiated at 0 or 5 kGy in the presence of charcoal pack. SPME-GC-MS analysis was performed to measure the changes in the volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of the samples. The amount of total volatile compounds produced from ground beef was greater when the sample was irradiated. When garlic and red wine were added to the ground beef, the amount of volatile compounds significantly increased, and the amount of volatile compounds increased even further after irradiation. However, when the samples were irradiated with charcoal pack, the amount of volatile compounds decreased significantly. Sensory evaluation indicated that charcoal pack significantly increased the odor preferences for both irradiated and non-irradiated ground beef added with garlic. These results indicated that addition of charcoal pack to ground beef could reduce off-odor problems induced by irradiation, and this effect was consistent even when certain additives such as garlic and red wine were added.

The rapid determination of 230Th by preconcentration of charcoal absorbing N-1923

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Jiayuan; Wu Hanzhen.

1986-01-01

Investigation was made on concentration of 230 Th using charcoal, which had adsorbed amine N-1923 before hand. The separation of α-emitter U, Ra, Po also has been investigated. α-source was prepared by Powder-Pulp method. This method is simple, convenient and esay to operate

Oral and transdermal DL-methylphenidate-ethanol interactions in C57BL/6J mice: potentiation of locomotor activity with oral delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Guinevere H; Griffin, William C; Patrick, Kennerly S

2011-12-01

Many abusers of dl-methylphenidate co-abuse ethanol. The present animal study examined behavioral effects of oral or transdermal DL-methylphenidate in combination with a high, depressive dose of ethanol to model co-abuse. Locomotor activity of C57BL/6J mice was recorded for 3 h following dosing with either oral DL-methylphenidate (7.5 mg/kg) or transdermal DL-methylphenidate (Daytrana®;1/4 of a 12.5 cm(2) patch; mean dose 7.5 mg/kg), with or without oral ethanol (3 g/kg). Brains were enantiospecifically analyzed for the isomers of methylphenidate and the transesterification metabolite ethylphenidate. An otherwise depressive dose of ethanol significantly potentiated oral DL-methylphenidate induced increases in total distance traveled for the first 100 min (pbrain D-methylphenidate concentrations were significantly elevated by ethanol in both the oral (65% increase) and transdermal (88% increase) groups. The corresponding L-ethylphenidate concentrations were 10 ng/g and 130 ng/g. Stimulant induced motor activity in rodents may correlate with abuse liability. Potentiation of DL-methylphenidate motor effects by concomitant ethanol carries implications regarding increased abuse potential of DL-methylphenidate when combined with ethanol. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thermal Properties of Green Fuel Briquettes from Residue Corncobs Materials Mixed Macadamia Shell Charcoal Powder

Science.gov (United States)

Teeta, Suminya; Nachaisin, Mali; Wanish, Suchana

2017-09-01

The objective of this research was to produce green fuel briquettes from corncobs by adding macadamia shell charcoal powder. The study was sectioned into 3 parts: 1) Quality improvement of green fuel briquettes by adding macadamia; 2) Fuel property analysis based on ASTM standards and thermal fuel efficiency; and 3) Economics appropriateness in producing green fuel briquettes. This research produced green fuel briquettes using the ratio of corncobs weight and macadamia shell charcoal powder in 100:0 90:10 80:20 70:30 60:40 and 50:50 and pressing in the cold briquette machine. Fuel property analysis showed that green fuel briquettes at the ratio 50:50 produced maximum heating values at 21.06 Megajoule per kilogram and briquette density of 725.18 kilograms per cubic meter, but the percent of moisture content, volatile matter, ash, and fixed carbon were 10.09, 83.02, 2.17 and 4.72 respectively. The thermal efficiency of green fuel briquettes averaged 20.22%. Economics appropriateness was most effective where the ratio of corncobs weight to macadamia shell charcoal powder was at 50:50 which accounted for the cost per kilogram at 5.75 Baht. The net present value was at 1,791.25 Baht. Internal rate of return was at 8.62 and durations for a payback period of investment was at 1.9 years which was suitable for investment.

Stable carbon isotope ratios from archaeological charcoal as palaeoenvironmental indicators

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hall, G

2008-01-01

Full Text Available specific pyrolysis products, mostly furans and pyrans, and released (Steinbeiss et al., 2006). The removal of these compounds is driven by their relative chemical stability and strength of molecular cross bonds. Differences between how... to simulate natural burning conditions and left until completely charred. This produced charcoal under oxidizing (O2-rich) conditions. This process took less than 15 min for the largest disc (60 mm in diameter) and about five minutes for the smallest (30...

ENERGY CONVERSION FROM WOODY BIOMASS STUFF: POSSIBLE MANUFACTURE OF BRIQUETTED CHARCOAL FROM SAWMILL-GENERATED SAWDUST

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Roliadi

2006-07-01

Full Text Available There are three dominant kinds of wood industries in Indonesia which consume huge amount of  wood materials as well as generate considerable amount of  woody waste stuffs, i.e. sawmills, plywood, and pulp/paper. For the two latest industries, their wastes to great extent have been reutilized in the remanufacturing process, or burnt under controlled condition to supplement their energy needs in the corresponding factories, thereby greatly alleviating environmental negative impacts.  However, wastes from sawmills (especially sawdust still often pose a serious environmental threat, since they as of this occasion are merely dumped on sites, discarded to the stream, or merely burnt, hence inflicting dreadful stream as well as air pollutions. One way to remedy those inconveniences is by converting the sawdust into useful product, i.e. briquetted charcoal, as has been experimentally tried. The charcoal was at first prepared by carbonizing the sawdust wastes containing a mixture of the ones altogether from the sawing of seven particular Indonesia's wood species, and afterwards was shaped into the briquette employing various concentrations of starch binder at two levels (3.0 and 5.0 % and also various hydraulic pressures (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 kg/cm2.  Further, the effect of those variations was examined on the yield and qualities of the resulting briquetted charcoal. The results revealed that the most satisfactory yield and qualities of the briquetted sawdustcharcoal were acquired at 3 % starch binder concentration with 5.0 kg/cm2 hydraulic pressure. As such, the briquette qualities were as follows: density at 0.60 gram/cm3, tensile strength 15.27 kg/cm2, moisture content 2.58 %, volatile matter 23.35 %, ash content 4.10 %, fixed carbon 72.55 %, and calorific value 5,426 cal/gram. Those qualities revealed that the experimented briquetted sawdust charcoal could be conveniently used as biomass-derived fuel.

Green tea and its major polyphenol EGCG increase the activity of oral peroxidases.

Science.gov (United States)

Narotzki, Baruch; Levy, Yishai; Aizenbud, Dror; Reznick, Abraham Z

2013-01-01

Oral peroxidases (OPO) consist mainly of salivary peroxidase and myeloperoxidase and are involved in oral defense mechanisms. Salivary peroxidase is synthesized and secreted by salivary glands, whereas myeloperoxidase is found in polymorphonuclear leukocytes, which migrate into the oral cavity at gingival crevices. Green tea is the world's second most popular drink after water. Polyphenols are the most biologically active group of tea components. The purpose of our study was to elucidate the interaction between green tea & EGCG (Epigallocatechin 3-gallate), its main polyphenol and OPO. In previous studies we have shown that elderly trained people who drink green tea for 3 months, have a higher level of OPO activity compared to non-drinkers. Thus, we decided to extend our project in order to understand the above observations by studying the interaction of green tea and OPO both in vitro and in vivo. Addition of green tea and black tea infusions (50 μl/ml) and EGCG (50 μM) to saliva, resulted in a sharp rise of OPO activity +280% (p = 0.009), 54% (p = 0.04) and 42% (p = 0.009), respectively. The elevation of OPO activity due to addition of green tea and EGCG was in a dose dependent manner: r = 0.91 (p = 0.001) and r = 0.637 (p = 0.019), respectively. Also, following green tea infusion mouth rinsing, a rise of OPO activity was observed: +268% (p = 0.159). These results may be of great clinical importance, as tea consumer's oral epithelium may have better protection against the deleterious effects of hydroxyl radicals, produced by not removed hydrogen peroxides in the presence of metal ions. Higher OPO activity upon green tea drinking may provide an extra protection against oxidative stress in the oral cavity.

The efficiency of different types of wood charcoal on increasing carbon content on surfaces of low carbon steel in the pack carburizing process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narongsak Thammachot

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to compare the efficiency of five types of wood charcoal, eucalyptus, coconut shell, tamarind, bamboo and cassava root in increasing carbon content on surfaces of low carbon steel by the pack carburizing process. The experiment for pack carburized low carbon steel (grade AISI 1020 was conducted by using the different wood charcoals as carburizers, mixed with 10% limestone (by weight as the energizer. The carburizing temperature of 950°C, and carburizing times of 2, 4 and 6 hours were used in the experiment. After grinding, the specimens in each case were checked for carbon content by optical emission spectroscopy. Micro-Vickers hardness testing and microstructure inspections were carried out. The results of the experiment showed that the efficiency of eucalyptus charcoal as the carburizer (for increasing carbon content on surfaces of low carbon steel was higher than that of tamarind, cassava root, coconut shell and bamboo charcoals. The averages for carbon content were: 1.16, 1.06, 0.97, 0.83 and 0.77% respectively.

Adsorption of p-Nitrophenol (PNP) on new adsorbents prepared from diatomite and charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamdi, B.; Khelifa, N.; Chernai-Hamdi, S.; Hadjari, H.

2009-01-01

Increasing attention has been paid to mesoporous materials with high surface area and narrow pore size distribution because of their diverse applications (e. g., adsorbents, catalysts, and host materials). Inorganic composite materials (ICM) prepared by a mixture of natural diatomite (macroporous materials) and charcoal (microporous material) in particular operative conditions. (Author)

Forensic aspects of carbon monoxide poisoning by charcoal burning in Denmark, 2008-2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Pia Rude; Gheorghe, Alexandra; Lynnerup, Niels

2014-01-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation is a well-known method of committing suicide. There has been a drastic increase in suicide by inhalation of CO, produced from burning charcoal, in some parts of Asia, and a few studies have reported an increased number of these deaths in Europe. CO-related deaths c...

The wood charcoal production in the kingdom of Córdoba at the end of the Middle Ages: an example of exploitation of the Mediterranean mountain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier López Rider

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to investigate and explain, the practice of wood charcoal production in the kingdom of Córdoba during the Middle Ages Period. In the absence of anthracological studies; the documentary sources reveal the typology of existing charcoals, how this raw material was obtained, which its uses were, how it was transported to the city and in wich ways it was commercialized. Thanks to all this information we come to understand the importance of wood charcoal production for our ancestors, who have left us a carboniferous legacy we still use.

Pyrolysis of blended animal manures to produce combustible gas and value-added charcoal adsorbent

Science.gov (United States)

Blended swine solids, chicken litter, and rye grass were pyrolyzed using a skid-mounted sytem. Produced gas composition was analyzed for major hydrocarbons and S-containing compounds. Charcoal was analyzed for its surface functional groups, contact angles, HHV, and total element contents. Some of th...

Antibiofilm and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Houttuynia cordata Decoction for Oral Care

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Yasuko Sekita

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Dental biofilms that form in the oral cavity play a critical role in the pathogenesis of several infectious oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral candidiasis. Houttuynia cordata (HC, Saururaceae is a widely used traditional medicine, for both internal and external application. A decoction of dried HC leaves (dHC has long been consumed as a health-promoting herbal tea in Japan. We have recently reported that a water solution of HC poultice ethanol extract (wHCP exerts antimicrobial and antibiofilm effects against several important oral pathogens. It also exhibits anti-inflammatory effects on human keratinocytes. In our current study, we examined the effects of dHC on infectious oral pathogens and inflammation. Our results demonstrated that dHC exerts moderate antimicrobial effects against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and other oral microorganisms. dHC also exhibited antibiofilm effects against MRSA, Fusobacterium nucleatum (involved in dental plaque formation, and Candida albicans and inhibitory effects on interleukin-8, CCL20, IP-10, and GROα productions by human oral keratinocytes stimulated by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (a cause of periodontal disease, without cytotoxic effects. This suggests that dHC exhibits multiple activities in microorganisms and host cells. dHC can be easily prepared and may be effective in preventing infectious oral diseases.

Spectral analysis of charcoal on soils: Implications for wildland fire severity mapping methods

Science.gov (United States)

Alistair M. S. Smith; Jan U. H. Eitel; Andrew T. Hudak

2010-01-01

Recent studies in the Western United States have supported climate scenarios that predict a higher occurrence of large and severe wildfires. Knowledge of the severity is important to infer long-term biogeochemical, ecological, and societal impacts, but understanding the sensitivity of any severity mapping method to variations in soil type and increasing charcoal (char...

Non-radioactive determination of the penetration of methyl iodide through impregnated charcoals during dosing and purging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romans, J.B.; Deitz, V.R.

1979-01-01

A laboratory procedure is described using methyl iodide-127 which had the same linear flow of air (12.2 m/min) and contact time (0.25 sec.) as the RDT M16 Test Procedure. Only one-fourth of the charcoal was used (in a bed 2.54 cm diameter and 5.08 cm high) and the required dose of methyl iodide-127 was reduced from 5.25 to 1.31 mg. The inlet concentrations were determined with a gas chromatograph and the effluent concentrations with a modified microcoulombmeter. Two calibration procedures were used: (1) known vapor pressure of iodine crystals, and (2) quantitative pyrolysis of the methyl iodide-127 delivered from certified permeation tubes. Five charcoals and three impregnations were used in this study. Typical behaviors are given in 90% RH air with the charcoals either prehumidified for 16 hours at 90% RH or without the prehumidification. The breakthrough curves, concentration versus time, rose very slowly for the first 120 minutes and then more rapidly for an additional time. The lack of a dependence on the magnitude of the dose is compatible with a catalytic trapping mechanism. In the case of KI/sub x/ impregnations, there was excess emission of iodine during purging over that introduced as methyl iodide-127 which must have originated in the reservoir of iodine contained in the impregnation

Buccal swab, a minimally invasive method for the screening of oral cancer in active smokers

Science.gov (United States)

Suyatmi; Subiyantoro, P.; Indrakila, S.

2018-05-01

Smoking is the main risk factor for developing oral cancer. The previous study showed that there was a strong correlation between the length of smoking with the risk to develop oral cancer. Early detection of epithelial changes of oral mucosa will be a good prevention of the incidence of oral cancer among active smokers. This study evaluated the potential use of buccal swab for the screening of early signs of malignancy in active smokers. This study involved 80 participants including those who were smokers and non smokers. The buccal swab was conducted using sterile cytobrush. An epithelial smear was made from the buccal swab and stained with Papanicolaou’s technique. An cytomorphometric analysis was conducted by comparing the ratio of nuclear cell to cytoplasmic diameter (ND/CD) between the two groups. The mean of ND observed in this study were 8.963µ for active smokers and 7.991µ for non smokers groups. While the mean of CD were 58.249µ and 63.473µ for active smoker and non-smoker respectively. The mean of ND/CD ratio were 0.156 for active smokers and 0.129 for non smokers groups. This study detected a significant difference on the ND/CD ratio among active smokers vs non smokers (p<0.0001 95% CI = -0.040 – -0.014). In conclusion buccal swab could be a routine procedure to obtain sample for identification of changes in cells morphology to screen an early development of oral cancer.

Antibacterial photocatalytic activity of different crystalline TiO2 phases in oral multispecies biofilm.

Science.gov (United States)

Pantaroto, Heloisa N; Ricomini-Filho, Antonio P; Bertolini, Martinna M; Dias da Silva, José Humberto; Azevedo Neto, Nilton F; Sukotjo, Cortino; Rangel, Elidiane C; Barão, Valentim A R

2018-07-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) incorporation in biomaterials is a promising technology due to its photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. However, the antibacterial potential of different TiO 2 crystalline structures on a multispecies oral biofilm remains unknown. We hypothesized that the different crystalline TiO 2 phases present different photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. Three crystalline TiO 2 films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on commercially pure titanium (cpTi), in order to obtain four groups: (1) machined cpTi (control); (2) A-TiO 2 (anatase); (3) M-TiO 2 (mixture of anatase and rutile); (4) R-TiO 2 (rutile). The morphology, crystalline phase, chemical composition, hardness, elastic modulus and surface free energy of the surfaces were evaluated. The photocatalytic potential was assessed by methylene blue degradation assay. The antibacterial activity was evaluated on relevant oral bacteria, by using a multispecies biofilm (Streptococcus sanguinis, Actinomyces naeslundii and Fusobacterium nucleatum) formed on the treated titanium surfaces (16.5h) followed by UV-A light exposure (1h) to generate reactive oxygen species production. All TiO 2 films presented around 300nm thickness and improved the hardness and elastic modulus of cpTi surfaces (p0.05 vs. control). This study brings new insights on the development of extra oral protocols for the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 in oral biofilm-associated disease. Anatase and mixture-TiO 2 showed antibacterial activity on this oral bacterial biofilm, being promising surface coatings for dental implant components. Copyright © 2018 The Academy of Dental Materials. All rights reserved.

Microstructure of carbon derived from mangrove charcoal and its application in Li-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Tao; Luo Ruiying; Qiao Wenming; Yoon, Seong-Ho; Mochida, Isao

2010-01-01

In this study, the microstructure of mangrove-charcoal-derived carbon (MC) was studied using XRD, STM and TEM. MC was found to consist of aligned quasi-spherical structural units with diameters of around 5-20 nm. It shows typical hard carbon characteristics, including a strongly disoriented single graphene layer and BSU, formed by two or three graphene layers stacked nearly parallel. Some curved and faceted graphene layers, especially closed carbon nanoparticles with fullerene-like, were observed in the as-prepared samples. MC was also evaluated as an anodic material for Li-ion batteries. MC carbonized at 1000 deg. C possessed the highest available discharge capacity (below 0.5 V) of 335 mAh g -1 , the high first-cycle coulombic efficiency of 73.7%, good rate and cyclic capability and PC-based electrolyte compatibility. 7 Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of fully lithiated mangrove charcoal-derived carbons indicated the co-existence of three Li species.

Microstructure of carbon derived from mangrove charcoal and its application in Li-ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Tao [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100083 (China); Luo Ruiying, E-mail: ryluo@buaa.edu.c [School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100083 (China); Qiao Wenming [College of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Yoon, Seong-Ho; Mochida, Isao [Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2010-02-01

In this study, the microstructure of mangrove-charcoal-derived carbon (MC) was studied using XRD, STM and TEM. MC was found to consist of aligned quasi-spherical structural units with diameters of around 5-20 nm. It shows typical hard carbon characteristics, including a strongly disoriented single graphene layer and BSU, formed by two or three graphene layers stacked nearly parallel. Some curved and faceted graphene layers, especially closed carbon nanoparticles with fullerene-like, were observed in the as-prepared samples. MC was also evaluated as an anodic material for Li-ion batteries. MC carbonized at 1000 deg. C possessed the highest available discharge capacity (below 0.5 V) of 335 mAh g{sup -1}, the high first-cycle coulombic efficiency of 73.7%, good rate and cyclic capability and PC-based electrolyte compatibility. {sup 7}Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of fully lithiated mangrove charcoal-derived carbons indicated the co-existence of three Li species.

Using aerial photography to estimate wood suitable for charcoal in managed oak forests

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez-Mejía, D.; Gómez-Tagle, A.; Ghilardi, A.

2018-02-01

Mexican oak forests (genus Quercus) are frequently used for traditional charcoal production. Appropriate management programs are needed to ensure their long-term use, while conserving the biodiversity and ecosystem services, and associated benefits. A key variable needed to design these programs is the spatial distribution of standing woody biomass. A state-of-the-art methodology using small format aerial photographs was developed to estimate the total aboveground biomass (AGB) and aboveground woody biomass suitable for charcoal making (WSC) in intensively managed oak forests. We used tree crown area (CAap) measurements from very high-resolution (30 cm) orthorectified small format digital aerial photographs as the predictive variable. The CAap accuracy was validated using field measurements of the crown area (CAf). Allometric relationships between: (a) CAap versus AGB, and (b) CAap versus WSC had a high significance level (R 2 > 0.91, p < 0.0001). This approach shows that it is possible to obtain sound biomass estimates as a function of the crown area derived from digital small format aerial photographs.

Preconcentration and Determination of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs in Water Samples by Bamboo Charcoal-Based Solid-Phase Extraction Prior to Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

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Ze-Hui Deng

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this work, bamboo charcoal was used as solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the enrichment of six perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs in environmental water samples before liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The specific porous structure, high specific surface area, high porosity, and stability of bamboo charcoal were characterized. Several experimental parameters which considerably affect extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized in detail. The experimental data exhibited low limits of detection (LODs (0.01–1.15 ng/L, wide linear range (2–3 orders of magnitude and R ≥ 0.993 within the concentration range of 0.1–1000 ng/L, and good repeatability (2.7–5.0%, n = 5 intraday and 4.8–8.3%, n = 5 interday and reproducibility (5.3–8.0%, n = 3. Bamboo charcoal was successfully used for the enrichment and determination of PFAAs in real environmental water samples. The bamboo charcoal-based solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis possessed great potential in the determination of trace PFAA levels in environmental water samples.

Thoron Mitigation System based on charcoal bed for applications in thorium fuel cycle facilities (part 2): Development, characterization, and performance evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudeep Kumara, K; Sahoo, B K; Gaware, J J; Sapra, B K; Mayya, Y S; Karunakara, N

2017-06-01

Exposure due to thoron ( 220 Rn) gas and its decay products in a thorium fuel cycle facility handling thorium or 232 U/ 233 U mixture compounds is an important issue of radiological concern requiring control and mitigation. Adsorption in a flow-through charcoal bed offers an excellent method of alleviating the release of 220 Rn into occupational and public domain. In this paper, we present the design, development, and characterization of a Thoron Mitigation System (TMS) for industrial application. Systematic experiments were conducted in the TMS for examining the 220 Rn mitigation characteristics with respect to a host of parameters such as flow rate, pressure drop, charcoal grain size, charcoal mass and bed depth, water content, and heat of the carrier gas. An analysis of the experimental data shows that 220 Rn attenuation in a flow through charcoal bed is not exponential with respect to the residence time, L/U a (L: bed depth; U a : superficial velocity), but follows a power law behaviour, which can be attributed to the occurrence of large voids due to wall channeling in a flow through bed. The study demonstrates the regeneration of charcoal adsorption capacity degraded due to moisture adsorption, by hot air blowing technique. It is found that the mitigation factor (MF), which is the ratio of the inlet 220 Rn concentration (C in ) to the outlet 220 Rn concentration (C out ), of more than 10 4 for the TMS is easily achievable during continuous operation (>1000 h) at a flow rate of 40 L min -1 with negligible (evaluated for its long-term performance and overall effectiveness in mitigating 220 Rn levels in the workplace. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cryogenic adsorption of low-concentration hydrogen on charcoal, 5A molecular sieve, sodalite, ZSM-5 and Wessalith DAY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willms, R.S.

1993-01-01

The separation of low-concentration hydrogen isotopes from helium is a processing step that is required for ceramic lithium breeding blanket processing. Cryogenic adsorption is one method of effecting this separation. In this study live adsorbents were considered for this purpose: charcoal, 5A molecular sieve, UOP S-115, ZSM-5 and Wessalith DAY. The first two adsorbents exhibit good equilibrium loadings and are shown to be quite effective at adsorbing low-concentration hydrogen isotopes. The latter three adsorbents display considerably lower equilibrium loadings. This study concludes that by using either charcoal or 5A molecular sieve, cryogenic adsorption would be an effective means of separating hydrogen isotopes from helium

An Integrative Suicide Prevention Program for Visitor Charcoal Burning Suicide and Suicide Pact

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Paul W. C.; Liu, Patricia M. Y.; Chan, Wincy S. C.; Law, Y. W.; Law, Steven C. K.; Fu, King-Wa; Li, Hana S. H.; Tso, M. K.; Beautrais, Annette L.; Yip, Paul S. F.

2009-01-01

An integrative suicide prevention program was implemented to tackle an outbreak of visitor charcoal burning suicides in Cheung Chau, an island in Hong Kong, in 2002. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program. The numbers of visitor suicides reduced from 37 deaths in the 51 months prior to program implementation to 6 deaths in the 42…

Metal oxides, clay minerals and charcoal determine the composition of microbial communities in matured artificial soils and their response to phenanthrene.

Science.gov (United States)

Babin, Doreen; Ding, Guo-Chun; Pronk, Geertje Johanna; Heister, Katja; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid; Smalla, Kornelia

2013-10-01

Microbial communities in soil reside in a highly heterogeneous habitat where diverse mineral surfaces, complex organic matter and microorganisms interact with each other. This study aimed to elucidate the long-term effect of the soil mineral composition and charcoal on the microbial community composition established in matured artificial soils and their response to phenanthrene. One year after adding sterile manure to different artificial soils and inoculating microorganisms from a Cambisol, the matured soils were spiked with phenanthrene or not and incubated for another 70 days. 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer fragments amplified from total community DNA were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Metal oxides and clay minerals and to a lesser extent charcoal influenced the microbial community composition. Changes in the bacterial community composition in response to phenanthrene differed depending on the mineral composition and presence of charcoal, while no shifts in the fungal community composition were observed. The abundance of ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase genes was increased in phenanthrene-spiked soils except for charcoal-containing soils. Here we show that the formation of biogeochemical interfaces in soil is an ongoing process and that different properties present in artificial soils influenced the bacterial response to the phenanthrene spike. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Iminopyrimidinones: A novel pharmacophore for the development of orally active renin inhibitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKittrick, Brian A.; Caldwell, John P.; Bara, Thomas; Boykow, George; Chintala, Madhu; Clader, John; Czarniecki, Michael; Courneya, Brandy; Duffy, Ruth; Fleming, Linda; Giessert, Rachel; Greenlee, William J.; Heap, Charles; Hong, Liwu; Huang, Ying; Iserloh, Ulrich; Josien, Hubert; Khan, Tanweer; Korfmacher, Walter; Liang, Xian; Mazzola, Robert; Mitra, Soumya; Moore, Kristina; Orth, Peter; Rajagopalan, Murali; Roy, Sudipta; Sakwa, Samuel; Strickland, Corey; Vaccaro, Henry; Voigt, Johannes; Wang, Hongwu; Wong, Jesse; Zhang, Rumin; Zych, Andrew (Merck); (Albany MR)

2015-04-01

The development of renin inhibitors with favorable oral pharmacokinetic profiles has been a longstanding challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. As part of our work to identify inhibitors of BACE1, we have previously developed iminopyrimidinones as a novel pharmacophore for aspartyl protease inhibition. In this letter we describe how we modified substitution around this pharmacophore to develop a potent, selective and orally active renin inhibitor.

Knowledge, perceived skills and activities of nursing staff to support oral home care among older domiciliary care clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmi, Riikka; Tolvanen, Mimmi; Suhonen, Riitta; Lahti, Satu; Närhi, Timo

2018-04-25

Increasing number of older adults lives in their own homes, but needs help in many daily routines. Domiciliary care nursing staff (DCNS) is often needed to support oral home care. However, information of nursing staff's knowledge, skills and activity in this task is sparse. The study aimed to assess DCNS knowledge, perceived skills and activities to support oral home care of older domiciliary care clients. The study was conducted among DCNS in one of the largest cities in Finland. All DCNS members (n = 465) received a questionnaire with 14 multiple choice and open questions regarding the perceived skills, knowledge and activities of oral health guidance of older domiciliary care clients. In total, 115 (25%) DCNS members returned the questionnaires. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used to describe the samples and study variables. DCNS was categorised according to age and working years for group comparisons, which were assessed with chi-squared test. Knowledge concerning oral health was mostly on a high level. Around 50% of DCNS considered their knowledge regarding dental prosthesis hygiene as sufficient. Of the DCNS, 67% informed that they had received education on oral health care. However, over 50% of the DCNS had a need for further education in issues related to oral home care. DCNS were active in supporting most oral and prosthesis hygiene means, yet less in guidance concerning toothbrushing. Activity to support cleaning the interdental spaces was the weakest, in which only 12% of the respondents considered having average or excellent skills. Younger DCNS had better knowledge on oral home care due to recent education, but older staff members were more skilful in performing oral hygiene measures. There is a need for structured instructions and training on oral home care for DCNS. Oral home care should be taken into account more often and regularly. © 2018 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Efficacy of oral active ether lipid analogs of cidofovir in a lethal mousepox model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buller, R. Mark; Owens, Gelita; Schriewer, Jill; Melman, Lora; Beadle, James R.; Hostetler, Karl Y.

2004-01-01

Cidofovir (CDV) is a highly effective inhibitor of orthopoxvirus replication and may be used intravenously to treat smallpox or complications arising from the smallpox vaccine under an investigational new drug application (IND). However, CDV is absorbed poorly following oral administration and is inactive orally. To improve the bioavailability of CDV, others synthesized alkoxyalkanol esters of CDV and observed >100-fold more activity than unmodified CDV against cowpox, vaccinia, and variola virus (VARV) replication. These ether lipid analogs of CDV have high oral bioavailability in mice. In this study, we compared the oral activity of CDV with the hexadecyloxypropyl (HDP)-, octadecyloxyethyl-, oleyloxypropyl-, and oleyloxyethyl-esters of CDV in a lethal, aerosol ectromelia virus (ECTV) challenge model in A/NCR mice. Octadecyloxyethyl-CDV appeared to be the most potent CDV analog as a dose regimen of 5 mg/kg started 4 h following challenge completely blocked virus replication in spleen and liver, and protected 100% of A/NCR mice, although oral, unmodified CDV was inactive. These results suggest that this family of compounds deserves further evaluation as poxvirus antiviral

Oral microbiome and oral and gastrointestinal cancer risk

OpenAIRE

Ahn, Jiyoung; Chen, Calvin Y.; Hayes, Richard B.

2012-01-01

A growing body of evidence implicates human oral bacteria in the etiology of oral and gastrointestinal cancers. Epidemiological studies consistently report increased risks of these cancers in men and women with periodontal disease or tooth loss, conditions caused by oral bacteria. More than 700 bacterial species inhabit the oral cavity, including at least 11 bacterial phyla and 70 genera. Oral bacteria may activate alcohol and smoking-related carcinogens locally or act systemically, through c...

Genetic Architecture of Charcoal Rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) Resistance in Soybean Revealed Using a Diverse Panel

Science.gov (United States)

Charcoal rot disease caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is responsible for significant yield losses in soybean production. Among the methodologies available for controlling this disease, breeding for resistance is the most promising. Progress in breeding efforts has been slow due to the insufficient ...

Desulphurization characteristics of bamboo charcoal from sulfur solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengbo Ge

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Sulfur powder and sulfur dioxide (SO2 often floated in air, produced acid rain and algal blooms, and could cause diseases. Bamboo charcoal could have adsorption and filtration properties. In order to figure out the optimal adsorption condition and the intrinsic change of the bamboo charcoal, five chemicals were adsorbed by bamboo charcoal and were analyzed by FT-IR. Fe2(SO43’s, Na2SO4’s, Na2S2O8’s, S’s, and Na2SO3’s optimal adsorption condition was the concentration of 19 g/1000 g and stir time of 20 min, 21 g/1000 g and stir time of 60 min, 7 g/1000 g and stir time of 120 min, 11 g/1000 g and stir time of 120 min, 21 g/1000 g and stir time of 60 min, respectively. FT-IR spectra showed that for FT-IR spectra of Fe2(SO43, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435 cm−1 and 2925 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 60 min and the concentration was 19 g/1000 g, the transmissivity of the peaks at 1630 cm−1, 1060 cm−1 and 660 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 60 min and the concentration was 7 g/1000 g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2SO4, the transmissivity of the peaks at 1630 cm−1, 1060 cm−1 and 660 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 20 min and the concentration was 13 g/1000 g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2S2O8, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435 cm−1, 2925 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1060 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120 min and the concentration was 19 g/1000 g. For FT-IR spectra of S, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435 cm−1, 2925 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1060 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 20 min and the concentration was 11 g/1000 g, 17 g/1000 g and 21 g/1000 g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2SO3, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120 min and the concentration was 5 g/1000 g, the transmissivity of the peaks at 2925 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 1060 cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120 min and the concentration was 11 g/1000 g. In these states, the

Activation of the TREM-1 pathway in human monocytes by periodontal pathogens and oral commensal bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Varanat, M; Haase, E M; Kay, J G; Scannapieco, F A

2017-08-01

Periodontitis is a highly prevalent disease caused in part by an aberrant host response to the oral multi-species biofilm. A balance between the oral bacteria and host immunity is essential for oral health. Imbalances in the oral microbiome lead to an uncontrolled host inflammatory response and subsequent periodontal disease (i.e. gingivitis and periodontitis). TREM-1 is a signaling receptor present on myeloid cells capable of acting synergistically with other pattern recognition receptors leading to amplification of inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the activation of the TREM-1 pathway in the human monocyte-like cell line THP-1 exposed to both oral pathogens and commensals. The relative expression of the genes encoding TREM-1 and its adapter protein DAP12 were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The surface expression of TREM-1 was determined by flow cytometry. Soluble TREM-1 and cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results demonstrate that both commensal and pathogenic oral bacteria activate the TREM-1 pathway, resulting in a proinflammatory TREM-1 activity-dependent increase in proinflammatory cytokine production. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments from the cave A5-3 in Arsanjan, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomiyama, Shinji; Minami, Masayo; Nakamura, Toshio

2013-01-01

Modern humans (Homo-sapiens), who originated in East Africa about 200,000 years ago, migrated out of Africa about 130,000-60,000 years ago, dispersed in West Asia, and finally replaced Neanderthals in Europe and Asia. The region of West Asia, especially southern Iran, therefore, is very important to understand the evolution of modem humans. The Japan-Iran international research group, led by Professor Tsuneki of Tsukuba University, has investigated A5-3 cave in the Arsanjan archeological site in southern Iran since 2011. The sequence of layers in the cave is estimated to belong Middle Paleolithic to the Proto-Neolithic period, based on the type of lithic artifacts excavated. In this study, we measured AMS- 14 C dates of charcoal fragments collected from the layers to reveal the chronology of the Arsanjan site. Charcoal samples collected from surface layer to Layer 4 in Trench E5 (total 6 layers) and Layers 2 and 3 in Trench B3 (total 10 layers) in the A5-3 cave were used. In Trench E5, charcoal samples of surface layer were dated at modern, samples of Layer 1 at 300-115 BP, samples of Layer 2 at 26,750-26,370 BP, and one sample of Layer 3 and samples of Layer 4 were older than 14 C-detection limit. In Trench B3, charcoal samples of Layer 2 were dated at 36,500-35,300 BP, and one sample of Layer 3 was dated at 36,890±190 BP. The layers in both Trenches E5 and B3 had been considered to correspond to each other base on the type of lithic artifacts, but the 14 C results show that the layers of Trench B3 are about 10,000 BP older than those of Trench E5. Layers 2 and 3 in Trench B3 belong to the early Upper Paleolithic period, contemporary with the result reported for AH IV layer in Ghar-e Boof archeological site at Dasht-e Rostam region, southwestern Iran. This study is the second finding of use of these micro-blades at 37,000 BP in Iran, following the Ghar-e Boof site. Layer 4 in Trench B3 includes Middle Paleolithic artifacts, and so 37,000 BP obtained for Layer 3

PS-15: a potent, orally active antimalarial from a new class of folic acid antagonists.

Science.gov (United States)

Canfield, C J; Milhous, W K; Ager, A L; Rossan, R N; Sweeney, T R; Lewis, N J; Jacobus, D P

1993-07-01

A new, orally-active inhibitor of dihydrofolic acid reductase (DHFR), PS-15 (N-(3-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propyloxy)-N'-(1-methylethyl)- imidocarbonimidic diamide hydrochloride), has significant activity against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. It is not cross-resistant with other inhibitors of DHFR (e.g., pyrimethamine and cycloguanil). Although it bears similarities to proguanil, PS-15 represents a new antifolate class of drugs that we have named oxyguanils or hydroxylamine-derived biguanides. This compound displays intrinsic antimalarial activity and also is metabolized in vivo to WR99210, an extremely active triazine inhibitor of DHFR. When tested in vitro against drug-resistant clones of P. falciparum, PS-15 was more active than proguanil, and the putative metabolite, WR99210, was more active than the proguanil metabolite cycloguanil. The drug is also more active as well as less toxic than proguanil when administered orally to mice infected with P. berghei. When administered orally to Aotus monkeys infected with multidrug-resistant P. falciparum, PS-15 was more active than either proguanil or WR99210. In 1973, WR99210 underwent clinical trials for safety and tolerance in volunteers. The trials showed gastrointestinal intolerance and limited bioavailability; further development of the drug was abandoned. Because PS-15 has intrinsic antimalarial activity, is not cross-resistant with other DHFR inhibitors, and can be metabolized to WR99210 in vivo, oral administration of this new drug should circumvent the shortcomings and retain the advantages found with both proguanil and WR99210.

Screening for antibacterial and antibiofilm activity in Thai medicinal plant extracts against oral microorganisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Teanpaisan, Rawee; Kawsud, Pajaree; Pahumunto, Nuntiya; Puripattanavong, Jindaporn

2017-04-01

To evaluate the antibacterial activity of 12 ethanol extracts of Thai traditional herb against oral pathogens. The antibacterial activities were assessed by agar well diffusion, broth microdilution, and time-kill methods. Antibiofilm activity was investigated using a 3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl]-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium-bromide (MTT) assay. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprinting, and TLC-bioautography were used to determine the active antibacterial compounds. Piper betle showed the best antibacterial activities against all tested strains in the minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration, ranged from 1.04-5.21 mg/mL and 2.08-8.33 mg/mL, respectively. Killing ability depended on time and concentrations of the extract. P. betle extract acts as a potent antibiofilm agent with dual actions, preventing and eradicating the biofilm. The major constituent of P. betle extract was 4-chromanol, which responded for antibacteria and antibiofilm against oral pathogens. It suggests that the ethanol P. betle leaves extract may be used for preventing oral diseases.

Radon adsorption on present activated charcoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazankin, Yu.N.; Trofimov, A.M.; Mikhajlova, L.K.

1978-01-01

Radon adsorption from helium and air has been studied on modern activated carbons of SKT-1, SKT-2a, SKT-3, SKT-2b, SKT-6, PAU-1 within the temperature range from 100 to 80 deg. It has been shown that PAU-1 carbon has the highest activity with respect to radon in the temperature range studied. With decreasing temperature the adsorption coefficients increase sharply. It has been found that for the case of radon adsorption from helium the logarythm of the Henry coefficient linearly depends on the inverse value of absolute temperature. Adsorption of radon from air is inhibited and the above-cited relationship is deviated from linear. The results of calculating differential heats of radon and air adsorption as well as coefficients of radon and air separation on carbons are presented

Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Properties of Bamboo Charcoal/TiO2 Composites Using Four Sizes Powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Visible-light-active bamboo biochar/TiO2 composites were fabricated by the calcination method using C16H36O4Ti as the titanium source and bamboo powder with different sizes as the carbon source. The TiO2 nanoparticles were observed to disperse onto the surface of bamboo biochar fiber. The sizes of the bamboo powder played an important role in the microstructures and the properties of bamboo biochar/TiO2 composites. The bamboo biochar/TiO2 composites displayed the photocatalytic activities both under visible light irradiation and UV irradiation. The adsorption isotherms better fitted Freundlich isotherm models and the photodegradation reactions followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Bamboo charcoal/TiO2 composites exhibited high stability after up to four cycles. This research could pave the way for high-value applications of biomass in the environmental field.

Assessing land availability to produce biomass for energy: The case of Brazilian charcoal for steel making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piketty, Marie-Gabrielle; Wichert, Marcos; Fallot, Abigail; Aimola, Luis

2009-01-01

The paper discusses the availability of biomass in Brazil to supply charcoal to the steel industry on the bases of an initial global assessment of land potentially available for plantations and of Brazilian data that allows refining the assessment and specifying the issue of practical availability. Technical potentials are first assessed through a series of simple rules against direct competition with agriculture, forests and protected areas, and of quantitative criteria, whether geo-climatic (rainfall), demographic (population density) or legal (reserves). Institutional, social and economic factors are then identified and discussed so as to account for the practical availability of Brazilian biomass through six criteria. The ranking of nine Brazilian States according to these criteria brings out the necessary trade-offs in the selection of land for plantations that would efficiently supply charcoal to the steel industry. (author)

Dietary effect on mixed function P450 1A2 activity assayed by estimation of caffeine metabolism in man.

Science.gov (United States)

Kall, M A; Clausen, J

1995-10-01

Two studies were performed in order to evaluate cytochrome P450 1A2 mediated caffeine metabolism during different nutritional conditions. 1. In the first study, 23 healthy male non-smokers, mean age 25, changed from a customary mixed diet to a standard diet in 6 days. The 6 day's standard diet was based on bread, potatoes, rice and boiled meat. Thus, broccoli, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables, spinach, leeks, onion, parsley, grapefruit, toasted bread, fried and charcoal grilled food, smoked fish and meat, ham and sausages were avoided. 2. In the second study, 33 healthy non-smoking subjects, 24 men and nine women mean age 25 years, volunteered. The study was designed to compare a customary home dietary period with the 6 day period of low dietary P450 induction and with a 5 day supplementary dietary period, i.e. ingestion of known dietary inducers. None of the women were using oral contraceptives or were pregnant during the experimental period. In the period of diet supplementation, the volunteers received charcoal grilled hamburger as a supplement to the standard low induction diet for lunch for 5 days. The hamburgers were made with 150 g beef (18-20% fat) and were grilled on charcoal for 10 min on each side until they were 'well done'. In the present study P450 1A2 activity was estimated from the caffeine metabolic ratio, the so-called CYP 1A2 index:(AFMU + 1-MX + 1-MU/ 17 -DMU) of the caffeine metabolites formed after oral ingestion of 200 mg caffeine. Urine was collected 4-8 h after caffeine ingestion in study 1 and 5 h after caffeine ingestion in study 2. In study 1 the CYP 1A2 index decreased from 4.28 +/- 0.98 in the customary home dietary period to 3.87 +/- 0.69 in the standard dietary period corresponding to 10.6% (P hamburgers as a dietary supplement, the CYP 1A2 index increased to almost the same level as in the customary home dietary period. The index increased to 4.45 +/- 1.57 in the whole group of volunteers, corresponding to a 14.1% (P < 0

Development of hydroponic system using agriculture waste. 1. Characteristics of rice husk charcoal as growth medium and vegetable growth; Suiko saibai ni okeru haikibutsu riyo gijutsu no kaihatsu. 1. Momigara kutan no baichi to shite no tokucho to yasai no seiiku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Terazoe, H; Nakaya, K; Okano, T [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Tokyo (Japan)

1994-06-01

Experimental researches were made on rice husk charcoals processed to be used as culture media for hydroponics. Rice husk charcoals with a size of 1 mm or larger retaining the original shape of the rice husk, and with a size of smaller than 1 mm were made for use in the experiment. In the culture media made of these rice husk charcoals, the charcoal with a particle size greater than 1 mm had more air portion than water portion at 6 cm above the water level, and the charcoal with a particle size smaller than 1 mm had poor air permeability. According to the result of immersing the rice husk charcoal in a culture solution, phosphoric acid ion and manganese in the solution decreased by about 35% and calcium by about 10% in the duration of 120 minutes, as a result of having been adsorbed into the rice husk charcoal. On the other hand, chloride ion increased by about 80% and potassium and iron by about 30%, because of having been dissolved out from the charcoal. In cultivating spinach, butterhead lettuce and radish in the rice husk charcoal culture media, the culture medium with charcoal smaller than 1 mm resulted in harvest reduced by about 75% in spinach, and about 10% in butterhead lettuce. 15 refs., 13 figs., 11 tabs.

Direct identification of bacteria from charcoal-containing blood culture bottles using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wüppenhorst, N; Consoir, C; Lörch, D; Schneider, C

2012-10-01

Several protocols for direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) from positive blood cultures are currently used to speed up the diagnostic process of bacteraemia. Identification rates are high and results are accurate for the BACTEC™ system and for charcoal-free bottles. Only a few studies have evaluated protocols for charcoal-containing BacT/ALERT bottles reaching substantially lower identification rates. We established a new protocol for sample preparation from aerobic and anaerobic positive charcoal-containing BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles and measured the protein profiles (n = 167). Then, we integrated this protocol in the routine workflow of our laboratory (n = 212). During the establishment of our protocol, 74.3 % of bacteria were correctly identified to the species level, in 23.4 %, no result and in 2.4 %, a false identification were obtained. Reliable criteria for correct species identification were a score value ≥1.400 and a best match on rank 1-3 of the same species. Identification rates during routine workflow were 77.8 % for correct identification, 20.8 % for not identified samples and 1.4 % for discordant identification. In conclusion, our results indicate that MALDI-TOF MS is possible, even from charcoal-containing blood cultures. Reliable criteria for correct species identification are a score value ≥1.400 and a best match on rank 1-3 of a single species.

International Active Surveillance Study of Women Taking Oral Contraceptives (INAS-OC Study)

OpenAIRE

Dinger, Juergen C; Bardenheuer, Kristina; Assmann, Anita

2009-01-01

Abstract Background A 24-day regimen of contraceptive doses of drospirenone and ethinylestradiol (DRSP/EE 24d) was recently launched. This regimen has properties which may be beneficial for certain user populations (e.g., women suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder or acne). However, it is unknown whether this extended regimen has an impact on the cardiovascular risk associated with the use of oral contraceptives (OCs). The INternational Active Surveillance study of women taking Oral...

Carbon monoxide poisoning-induced cardiomyopathy from charcoal at a barbecue restaurant: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Jun; Chung, Yun Kyung; Kwak, Kyeong Min; Ahn, Se-Jin; Kim, Yong-Hyun; Ju, Young-Su; Kwon, Young-Jun; Kim, Eun-A

2015-01-01

Acute carbon monoxide poisoning has important clinical value because it can cause severe adverse cardiovascular effects and sudden death. Acute carbon monoxide poisoning due to charcoal is well reported worldwide, and increased use of charcoal in the restaurant industry raises concern for an increase in occupational health problems. We present a case of carbon monoxide poisoning induced cardiomyopathy in a 47-year-old restaurant worker. A male patient was brought to the emergency department to syncope and complained of left chest pain. Cardiac angiography and electrocardiography were performed to rule out acute ischemic heart disease, and cardiac markers were checked. After relief of the symptoms and stabilization of the cardiac markers, the patient was discharged without any complications. Electrocardiography was normal, but cardiac angiography showed up to a 40% midsegmental stenosis of the right coronary artery with thrombotic plaque. The level of cardiac markers was elevated at least 5 to 10 times higher than the normal value, and the carboxyhemoglobin concentration was 35% measured at one hour after syncope. Following the diagnosis of acute carbon monoxide poisoning induced cardiomyopathy, the patient's medical history and work exposure history were examined. He was found to have been exposed to burning charcoal constantly during his work hours. Severe exposure to carbon monoxide was evident in the patient because of high carboxyhemoglobin concentration and highly elevated cardiac enzymes. We concluded that this exposure led to subsequent cardiac injury. He was diagnosed with acute carbon monoxide poisoning-induced cardiomyopathy due to an unsafe working environment. According to the results, the risk of exposure to noxious chemicals such as carbon monoxide by workers in the food service industry is potentially high, and workers in this sector should be educated and monitored by the occupational health service to prevent adverse effects.

Biogas from mesophilic digestion of cow dung using charcoal and gelatin as additives

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Rashedul; Salam, Bodius; Rahman, Md Mizanur; Mamun, Abdullah Al

2017-06-01

Biogas, a source of renewable energy is produced from bacteria in the process of biodegradation of organic matter under anaerobic conditions. A research work was performed to find out the production of biogas from cow dung using charcoal and gelatin as additives. Five laboatory scale experimental set-up were constructed using 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% gelatin with cow dung as additive to perform the research work. For all the set-up 0.5% charcoal was also added. All the set-ups were made from 1-liter capacity conical flask. The amount of water and cow dung was used respectively 382 gm. and 318 gm. in every set-up. Total solid content was maintained 8% throughout all set-ups. The digesters were operated at ambient temperature of 26°-32°C. The total gas yield without using gelatin additive was found to be 12 L/kg cow dung. The maximum gas yield was found from 0.2% gelatin additive and 23% more as compared to without gelatin gas production. The retention time varied from 28 to 79 days for the experiments.

Determination of the suitability of chips from selected hardwoods for the production of furfural and charcoal. [Birches, beeches, oaks, alders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piotrowski, Z

1979-01-01

Debarked, cut beech, birch, alder, and oak residues from forestry and woodworking operations contain 16.56-19.73% pentosans and as such can be used for hydrolysis to furfural (I). The hydrolytic residue (mostly lignocellulose) can be carbonized at 400 degrees to charcoal. The hydrolysis is carried out continuously with steam at 250-300 degrees and 1.18 MPa. The residue chips are first soaked in water at 90 degrees for 4 hours and then fed into the hydrolyzer countercurrently to the steam. The yields of I are 5-6% and the yields of charcoal are approximately 20% on the chip weight.

Oral coinfection can stress peripheral lymphocyte to inflammatory activity in leprosy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Carolina Fragoso Motta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the intracellular profile of interleukin-2 (IL-2, interleukin-4 (IL-4, interleukin-10 (IL-10 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs from leprosy patients based on oral infections presence to determine whether these coinfections could be associated with pro-inflammatory activity in leprosy. METHODS: Leprosy patients regardless of clinical form and specific leprosy treatment (n=38 were divided into two groups: Group I - leprosy patients with oral infections (n=19, and Group II - leprosy patients without oral infections (n=19. Non-leprosy patients presenting oral infections were assigned to the control Group (n=10. Intracellular IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ production was evaluated by flow cytometry (FACS before and 7 days after controlling the oral infection in the Group I, before and 7 days after dental prophylaxis in the Group II, and during oral infection process in control Group. RESULTS: Low percentages of CD3+ lymphocytes bearing IL-2, IL-10 and IFN-γ were observed in the Group I and Group II at baseline and 7 days after therapy or prophylaxis compared to controls. Group I showed reduced percentages of IL-4 at baseline and 7 days after therapy compared to controls, or at baseline of Group II, and the Group II showed reduced percentages of CD3+ cells bearing IL-4 compared to control. An increase of the percentages of CD3+cells bearing IL-4 was observed in the Group I after the oral infections treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of oral infections favors the intracellular cytokines expression and, probably, the inflammatory reaction operating as a stimulatory signal triggering the leprosy reactions.

Age-related alteration of expression and function of TLRs and NK activity in oral candidiasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Oouchi, M; Hasebe, A; Hata, H; Segawa, T; Yamazaki, Y; Yoshida, Y; Kitagawa, Y; Shibata, K-I

2015-07-01

Roles of aging or immune responses mediated by Toll-like receptors and natural killer cell in the onset or progression of human candidiasis remain unclear. This study was designed to elucidate the roles using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors and patients with oral candidiasis. Subjects tested were healthy volunteers and patients who visited Dental Clinical Division of Hokkaido University Hospital. The patients with oral candidiasis included 39 individuals (25-89 years of age) with major complaints on pain in oral mucosa and/or dysgeusia. Healthy volunteers include students (25-35 years of age) and teaching staffs (50-65 years of age) of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Dental Medicine. Functions of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 were downregulated significantly and the natural killer activity was slightly, but not significantly downregulated in aged healthy volunteers compared with healthy young volunteers. Functions of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 and the natural killer activity were significantly downregulated in patients with oral candidiasis compared with healthy volunteers. Downregulation of functions of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 as well as natural killer activity is suggested to be associated with the onset or progression of oral candidiasis in human. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Oral health conditions affect functional and social activities of terminally-ill cancer patients

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, D.J.; Epstein, J.B.; Yao, Y.; Wilkie, D.J.

2013-01-01

Purpose Oral conditions are established complications in terminally-ill cancer patients. Yet despite significant morbidity, the characteristics and impact of oral conditions in these patients are poorly documented. The study objective was to characterize oral conditions in terminally-ill cancer patients to determine the presence, severity, and the functional and social impact of these oral conditions. Methods This was an observational clinical study including terminally-ill cancer patients (2.5–3 week life expectancy). Data were obtained via the Oral Problems Scale (OPS) that measures the presence of subjective xerostomia, orofacial pain, taste change, and the functional/social impact of oral conditions and a demographic questionnaire. A standardized oral examination was used to assess objective salivary hypofunction, fungal infection, mucosal erythema, and ulceration. Regression analysis and t test investigated the associations between measures. Results Of 104 participants, most were ≥50 years of age, female, and high-school educated; 45% were African American, 43% Caucasian, and 37% married. Oral conditions frequencies were: salivary hypofunction (98%), mucosal erythema (50%), ulceration (20%), fungal infection (36%), and other oral problems (46%). Xerostomia, taste change, and orofacial pain all had significant functional impact; poral ulcerations had significantly more orofacial pain with a social impact than patients without ulcers (p=.003). Erythema was significantly associated with fungal infection and with mucosal ulceration (pOral conditions significantly affect functional and social activities in terminally-ill cancer patients. Identification and management of oral conditions in these patients should therefore be an important clinical consideration. PMID:24232310