In the event of uranium release into the environment due to an accident, confirming the presence of uranium contamination is difficult because uranium is a naturally occurring element. In this study, we developed a method based on X-ray fluorescence...
11 February 2018
The accuracy, repeatability and detection limits of the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer used in this study were tested to verify its suitability for rapid screening of cadmium in samples. Concentrations of cadmium in rice grai...
The demand for medicinal plants is on a rise due to their affordability, accessibility and relatively non-toxic nature. Combretum molle (Combretaceae) is used in African traditional medicine to treat a number of diseases. This study aimed to screen t...
Urban agriculture is a sustainable practice for communities to have access to healthy and affordable produce by reducing the energy costs of food production and distribution. While raised beds are often used in community gardens to ensure that soil q...
There is limited understanding of how lead (Pb) in spices affects blood lead levels (BLLs) in children. To address this gap, we employed complementary approaches. First, we purchased 20 ground cinnamon products and tested them for Pb using the Z-max...
Soil contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) poses a major environmental concern. The distribution and concentration of these elements can vary significantly in polluted areas, making detailed assessments crucial. A comprehensive analysis...
Ceria-supported vanadium catalysts were studied for H2S removal via partial and selective oxidation reactions at low temperature. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption at 77 K, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques, and X-ray f...
While high-throughput screening for protein crystallization conditions have rapidly evolved in the last few decades, it is also becoming increasingly necessary for the control of crystal size and shape as increasing diversity of protein crystallograp...
Telomerase represents an essential molecular machinery for tumor occurrence and progression and a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Sensitive and reliable analysis of telomerase activity is of significant importance for the diagnosis...
As the high value and the scarcity of large-flake graphite ore resources, it is in the best interest to maximize the amount of large flakes and minimize any processing that will reduce flake sizes. In the study, the mineralogy of an African graphite...
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging is a highly sensitive non-invasive imaging method for detection of small element quantities in objects, from human-sized scales down to single-cell organelles, using various X-ray beam sizes. Our aim was to investigat...
Oil shale is an important possible solution to the problem of energy in Jordan. To explore the technical and the economic feasibility of oil shale deposits, numerous samples are analyzed using the standard Fischer Assay (FA) method. However, it would...
The Montevive celestine mineral deposit, set in the Granada Basin in a marine evaporitic uppermost Tortonian–lowermost Messinian sequence, is the largest reserve in Europe of this economically important strontium ore. Currently, the mine has a...
A series of long-afterglow luminescent materials (SrAl2O4: Eu2+ (SAOE), SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ (SAOED) and SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+, Gd3+ (SAOEDG)) was synthesized via the combustion method. Temperature and concentration control experiments were conducted on...
A merocyanine dye as a p-toluenesulfonate salt was synthesized. The structure of the dye was characterized using IR, NMR, HR-MS and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The X-ray crystallographic studies revealed the formation of a stacked aggregate...
Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized starting from two aqueous extracts based on Artemisia absinthium L. leaf and stems, employing a simplest, eco-friendliness and low toxicity method—green synthesis. The nanoparticles were characterized b...
Iron beneficiation tailings from the Bayan Obo West Mine constitute a low-grade secondary rare-earth resource in which rare-earth minerals are finely disseminated and intricately intergrown with gangue. This study quantified the modes of occurrence o...
CsI(Tl) scintillation screens have been widely applied in X-ray nondestructive testing (NDT) because of their low cost, high scintillation efficiency, and fluorescence guide columnar microstructures. The effect of humidity exposure on the microstruct...
Trehalose conjugates of 3-hydroxychromone (3HC) dyes have previously been utilized as fluorescence labels to detect metabolically active mycobacteria with a view to facilitating point-of-care detection of mycobacterial pathogens, especially Mycobacte...
In this study, phosphate-based geopolymers obtained from two aluminosilicate precursors with different mineralogical compositions were investigated. The used experimental methods were X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption measureme...
Two folding screens by futurist artist Giacomo Balla (1871–1958) in the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum (the Netherlands) were investigated: Paravento con linea di velocità (1916–1917) and Paravento (1916/1917&nda...
The stabilization and upgrading of biomass and waste-derived pyrolysis oils requires development of reliable, active and low-cost upgrading catalysts. Basic natural materials can act as such catalysts and convert reactive oxygenates present in biomas...
Lateritic soils are widely used in tropical road infrastructure, yet their response to cement treatment depends strongly on the properties of the untreated material. This study examines three lateritic soils collected at Ndandut, Kafeng and Bantoum I...
Plant-derived residues are promising renewable feedstocks for bio-based building materials, but their suitability depends on structural, thermophysical, fire-related, and mineral characteristics. This study characterises ten plant residues—corn...
This study investigates spatial distribution and chemical elemental composition screening in soils in Rome (Italy) using X-ray fluorescence analysis. Fifty-nine soil samples were collected from various locations within the urban areas of the Rome mun...
Many factories were built and scattered around the farmlands in Taiwan due to inappropriate land use planning. Illegal effluent discharge of high concentration of metals from the nearby factories has been threatening the farmlands, causing damages to...
Herein, a series of novel long afterglow nanophosphors BaYAl3O7:Eu2+, Nd3+ was synthesized by the combustion method. The investigation encompassed the characterization of X-ray diffraction, morphology, chemical valence, elemental composition, and pho...
In this study, xanthine oxidase immobilized silica coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2-XO) were successfully prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscope, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and vibr...
Indigenous clays are widely used for facial skincare in South Africa, yet their suitability for cosmetic incorporation remains poorly characterised, particularly with respect to elemental safety. This study assessed two traditionally applied clays fo...
A novel amperometric biosensor for the determination of Al(III) based on the inhibition of the enzyme superoxide dismutase has been developed. The oxidation signal of epinephrine substrate was affected by the presence of Al(III) ions leading to a dec...
As precision polishing and post-processing advance, surface-layer absorptive defects in fused silica optics increasingly show random distribution, low quantity, and ultra-low concentration—making efficient, non-destructive inspection of large-a...
Heavy metals have become widespread urban pollutants, exposing vulnerable age groups such as children to potential risk. Specialists need feasible approaches that can routinely assist them in customizing options for sustainable and safer urban playgr...
Aerinite is a rare blue aluminosilicate mineral whose identification as a pigment in Pyrenean medieval artworks typically requires invasive microsampling. This study evaluates portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) as a noninvasive screening...
Khaidarkan, Batken Province, Kyrgyzstan is home to one of the world’s largest and last primary mercury mines. Doctors without Borders (MSF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Kyrgyzstan have found that the Batken region has an elevated rate of non-c...
Hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone (GVL) in polar solvents (n-butanol, 1,4-dioxane) to 1,4-pentanediol (PDO) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) was performed at 363–443 K in a fixed bed reactor under overall H2 pressure of 0.7–1.3 MPa...
Magneto-fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) promise compact, dual-readout nanomaterials; however, achieving pronounced photoluminescence alongside magnetic functionality in a simple, scalable formulation remains difficult, especially for emerging...
This paper describes a study for waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to characterise the plastic composition of different mixed plastic fractions. Most of the samples studied are currently excluded from material recycling and arise as...
Clays have been exploited in the manufacture of diverse products from ceramics to paints, pharmaceuticals, plastics, cosmetics, and more. Thus, they can be used in many industrial applications, showing good adsorbent ability thanks to their lamellar...
Countries with emerging legislation on the waste electrical and electric equipment (WEEE), but limited infrastructure, may find in other, more robust, systems the tools to develop adaptable and socioeconomically viable management schemes. Additives f...
Urban areas face numerous provocations, such as air, water, and soil contamination. Additionally, urban lakes have numerous beneficial services that contribute to urban sustainability. In urban aquatic ecosystems, X-ray fluorescence can provide compl...
In this study, we report the applicability of two different Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technologies for inspecting Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures. Sectional images of a LED were captured using a Spectral Domain OCT (SD-OCT) system and...
A continued interest in developing a low-cost, rapid screening method for quantifying Hg (II) and As (III) in biological samples stems from the toxic effects of human exposure to these heavy metal ions. This study reports the use of cysteine-capped g...
Illegal mining and the transboundary trade of poorly characterized mineral concentrates have expanded throughout the northwestern Amazonian Craton, particularly in eastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, and adjacent parts of northern Brazil. Materials...
Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is one of the main geochemical techniques employed in multi-elemental analysis screening for contaminated sites management. As the confidence of pXRF analyses are matrix-specific, efforts are made to provide studies...
Eggshell quality inspection plays a pivotal role in enhancing the commercial value of poultry eggs and ensuring their safety. It effectively enables the screening of high-quality eggs to meet consumer demand for premium egg products. This paper analy...
This research presents a novel methodology to classify copper tailings according to their potential as alkali-activated materials (AAMs) for construction applications. The methodology includes geochemical and mineralogical characterization via QEMSCA...
17 March 2015
Chronic exposure to lead remains a health concern in many urban areas; Sacramento, California is one example, with state surveillance data showing nearly 3% of screened children reported with blood lead levels over 4.5 μg/dL in 2009. To investigate t...
In the Republic of Macedonia, construction and demolition (C&D) waste is often dumped, underestimating the potential recycling and re-use as raw materials for civil engineering works and/or cement/ceramic industries. SAMCODE (Sustainable Approach...
To assess the environmental impact of uranium mining operations in southern Kazakhstan, the elemental and radionuclide composition of soil samples collected from settlements in the Kyzylorda Region was investigated. The analysis was carried out using...
Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) is a rapid and inexpensive method for soil analysis; however, analytical results are influenced by particle size effects and spectral interferences. The objective of this study was to optimise...
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