Search Results (3)

Microcellular injection-molded polypropylene/oyster shell nano-powder (PP/OSP) composites show potential as adsorbent materials for reducing toxic metal ion contamination in groundwater. This study investigates the material properties of PP/OSP composites and evaluates their Pb(II) adsorption performance in aqueous media. The effects of key operational parameters, including contact time, pH, and initial Pb(II) concentration, were examined to determine the optimal conditions for heavy metal remediation. The composites were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and TGA to assess their crystalline structure, surface morphology, functional groups, and thermal stability, respectively. Adsorption isotherm analysis indicated that the Pb(II) uptake behavior followed both the Freundlich and Temkin models. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process was best described by the pseudo-first-order model. The maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(II) removal was determined to be 13.89 mg/g. Full article

Excess nitrate ions should be avoided in agriculture as they are absorbed by plants and ingested by humans, which can have serious effects on soil and groundwater. In this study, environmentally friendly bamboo flour and nano-sized oyster shells were used as adsorbents. The equilibrium time for nitrate adsorption was found to be short, less than five minutes, and the treatment temperature had little effect on adsorption. The adsorption capacity and adsorption mechanism were investigated using experiments and adsorption isotherms. Bamboo powder treated with magnesium chloride (Mg bamboo), crushed oyster shell (oyster shell), and hydrogel induced with sodium alginate (hydrogel) were used. The maximum adsorption of nitrate ions on the magnesium-treated bamboo flour was estimated to be 399 mg NO₃⁻/g by the Dubin–Radushakevich equation (correlation coefficient 0.84), with the Langmuir (correlation coefficient 0.91) and Freundlich (correlation coefficient 0.91) equations also fitting relatively well. The D-R equation (correlation coefficient 0.938) and Freundlich equation (correlation coefficient 0.943) also fitted oyster shells relatively well. The maximum adsorption was estimated at 354 mg NO₃⁻/g. In oyster shell treatments where phosphate and nitrate ions were present, it was observed that both substances were adsorbed simultaneously. For the hydrogels, only the D-R equation (correlation coefficient 0.944) and the Freundlich isotherm were applicable. The maximum adsorption was estimated at 156 mg/g. Full article

Oyster shells are rich in calcium, and thus, the potential use of waste shells is in the production of calcium phosphate (CaP) minerals for osteopathic biomedical applications, such as scaffolds for bone regeneration. Implanted scaffolds should stimulate the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into osteoblasts. In this study, oyster shells were used to produce nano-grade hydroxyapatite (HA) powder by the liquid-phase precipitation. Then, biphasic CaP (BCP) bioceramics with two different phase ratios were obtained by the foaming of HA nanopowders and sintering by two different two-stage heat treatment processes. The different sintering conditions yielded differences in structure and morphology of the BCPs, as determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis. We then set out to determine which of these materials were most biocompatible, by co-culturing with iPSCs and examining the gene expression in molecular pathways involved in self-renewal and differentiation of iPSCs. We found that sintering for a shorter time at higher temperatures gave higher expression levels of markers for proliferation and (early) differentiation of the osteoblast. The differences in biocompatibility may be related to a more hierarchical pore structure (micropores within macropores) obtained with briefer, high-temperature sintering. Full article