No abstract

No abstract

From waste came forth surfactants: Humic acid like substances isolated from 0-60 day-old compost display excellent surface activity and solvent properties. These biosurfactants were used to solubilize a dye in water below and above their critical micellar concentration. The biosurfactant unimers appear to have higher dye-solubilizing power than the corresponding micelles.Humic acid like substances isolated from compost show potential as chemical auxiliaries. In the present study, three surfactant samples were obtained from green waste composted for 0-60 days to assess aging effects of the source on the properties of the products. The surface activity, dye solubility enhancement, and chemical nature of these substances were compared. No differences in performance were established among the samples. They lower water surface tension and enhance the dye solubility upon increasing their concentration. However, the ratio of soluble dye to added surfactant is higher in the premicellar than in the postmicellar concentration region. Structural investigations indicated the humic acid like substances to be amphiphiles with molecular weights in the range of 1-3 x 10(5) g mol(-1). The surfactant samples were also compared to sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, polyacrylic acid, and soil and water humic substances. The results encourage the application of compost as a source of low-cost biosurfactant.

A sol–gel‐derived microporous ceramic membrane with an exceptionally low permeability for CO2 from gaseous streams was developed and characterized. The sols were prepared from a mixture of niobium and silicon alkoxide precursors by acid‐catalyzed synthesis. Microporous films were formed by coating asymmetric γ‐alumina disks with the polymeric sol (Si/Nb=3:1), followed by calcination at 500 °C. The membrane consists of a 150‐nm‐thick layer with a Si/Nb atomic ratio of about 1.5. The single‐gas permeance of small gas molecules such as H2, CH4, N2, and SF6 decreases steadily with kinetic diameter. Hydrogen, helium, and carbon dioxide follow an activated transport mechanism through the membrane. The permeance of CO2 in this membrane is much lower than that in pure silica, and its behavior deviates strongly from the general trend observed with the other gases. This is attributed to a relatively strong interaction between CO2 and adsorption sites in the niobia–silica membrane.