Search results for "Minerals"

Grafting suitability of Sicilian eggplant ecotypes onto Solanum torvum: Fruit composition, production and phenology

2013

The eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the most widely cultivated crops in tropical and temperate regions around the world and is suitable for propagation through grafting. In many parts of the world, grafting is a routine technique used in continuous cropping systems, because in the horticulture field is a sustainable technique that allows cultivators to overcome abiotic or biotic stress. The objective of this research was to evaluate the suitability at the grafting of four Sicilian eggplant ecotypes grown in open field in Sicily, Italy. Vegetables in general are a great source of minerals in the human diet and the eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) provides significant quantities of v…

Potentially harmfull elements accumulation in fumarolic alteration products at three hydrothermal systems of Greece

2018

Samples of efflorescences and encrustations of hydrothermal origin have been collected at three fumarolic areas in Greece. The three sites are Sousaki, Thiafi (Methana) and Kokkino Nero (Kos) and all belong to the South Aegean Active Volcanic Arc. Samples were analysed for their mineralogical (XRD and SEM-EDS) and chemical composition. Solutions obtained from both mineralization with HNO3 and leaching with distilled water, were analysed for major (ICP-OES), minor and trace metals (ICP-MS) and for sulfate contents (IC). Results show that their composition is mainly controlled by the petrological composition of the substrate (ultramafic rocks at Sousaki, felsic volcanic rocks at Methana and l…

Influence of Operational Strategies for the Recovery of Magnesium Hydroxide from Brines at a Pilot Scale

2022

The continuous depletion of minerals caused by land mining and the increase in their demand have pushed the development of novel sustainable technological processes for mineral recovery from unconventional sources. In this context, magnesium (Mg) has gained considerable attention for its peculiar properties and high relevance of its compounds, such as magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2. In the present work, the influence of several operating conditions on the Mg(OH)2 precipitation process was thoroughly investigated by adopting a novel multiple feed-plug flow reactor. The influence of (i) initial Mg2+ concentrations in the feed stream; (ii) brine and alkaline flow rates; and (iii) the product rec…

Effective magnesium recovery via seawater brines mining

In the last couple of decades, a rising interest has been focused on the research of novel and unconventional sources for mining minerals, such as industrial waste brines. As an example, brines are produced by desalination plants and discharged directly, or after being treated, into receiving water bodies possibly causing environmental concerns and renouncing the possibility to recover minerals [1,2]. Within this framework, the Water Mining WU-H2020 project aims at implementing an advanced Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) demo systems for the extraction of minerals and valuables products from industrial waste brines through a circular approach. The ZLD demo plant consists of: (i) Nano Filtration…

Reactive crystallisation process for magnesium recovery from concentrated brines

2014

Seawater brines, generated either by natural or anthropic processes, often cause significant environmental issues related to their disposal. A clear example is the case of brines from desalination plants, which can have severe environmental impacts on the receiving water body. On the other side, brines can represent a rich and appealing source of raw materials, especially when they are very concentrated, as it happens with bitterns (i.e. exhausted brines) produced in saltworks. In particular, magnesium concentration can reach values up to 30-40 kg/m3 of brine, which is 20-30 times that of typical seawater. An experimental campaign has been carried out in the present work for assessing the p…

Selenium and heavy metals content in some Mediterranean soils

2010

Abstract The study of metal contents in industrial, agricultural or/and polluted soils compared with natural or unpolluted soils is currently necessary to obtain reference values and to assess soil contamination. Nonetheless, very few works published appear in international journals on elements like Se, Li and Sr in Spanish soils. This study determines the total levels of Se, Li, Sr, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Zn, Fe, Mn and Ba in 14 natural (unpolluted) soils (Gypsisols, Leptosols, Arenosols and Acrisols), 14 agricultural soils (Anthrosols, Fluvisols and Luvisols), and 4 industrial–urban affected-surface soil horizons (Anthrosols and Fluvisols) of Eastern Spain. The geochemical baselin…

Green direct determination of mineral elements in artichokes by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence.

2015

Near infrared (NIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy were investigated to predict the concentration of calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc in artichoke samples. Sixty artichokes were purchased from different Spanish areas (Benicarlo, Valencia and Murcia). NIR and XRF spectra, combined with partial least squares (PLS) data treatment, were used to develop chemometric models for the prediction of mineral concentration. To obtain reference data, samples were mineralised and analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Coefficients of determination obtained for the regression between predicted values and reference ones for calcium, …

Capturing digital data of rock magnetic, gamma-ray and IR spectrometry for in-situ quality control and for the study of the physical–chemical regime …

2014

Abstract Residual kaolin deposits are operated on a worldwide basis. The majority of them is derived from chemical weathering of felsic rocks during the Cenozoic. This is true for the kaolin deposits on the western edge of the Bohemian Massif. Here this type of deposit provides industrial minerals for the ceramic industry in SE Germany. This raw material formed under tropical climatic conditions during the Miocene and Pliocene across a vast peneplain. Only within the Naab-Wondreb Depression, however, were economic accumulations preserved from erosion. Here near Tirschenreuth, kaolin has been mined since its discovery in 1830. The semi-consolidated regolith is composed of quartz and opaline …

Ciprofloxacin carrier systems based on hectorite/halloysite hybrid hydrogels for potential wound healing applications

2021

The design of multifunctional nanomaterials which can help the healing processes of skin, preventing the bacterial infections, is crucial for the development of suitable therapy for the treatment of chronic lesions. The use of clay minerals in wound healing applications is well documented since the prehistoric period and offers several advantages due to their intrinsic properties. Herein, we report the development of ciprofloxacin carrier systems based on hectorite/halloysite (Ht/Hal) hybrid hydrogels for potential wound healing applications. To achieve this objective firstly the ciprofloxacin molecules were loaded onto Hal by a supramolecular and covalent approach. The so obtained fillers …

Adsorption of dissolved organic matter on clay minerals as assessed by infra-red, CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy and low field T1 NMR relaxometry

2011

Abstract Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a very important environmental constituent due to its role in controlling factors for soil formation, mineral weathering and pollutant transport in the environment. Prediction of DOM physical–chemical properties is achieved by studying its chemical structure and spatial conformation. In the present study, dissolved organic matter extracted from compost obtained from the organic fraction of urban wastes (DOM-P) has been analysed by FT-IR, CPMAS 13C NMR spectroscopy and 1H T1 NMR relaxometry with fast field cycling (FFC) setup. While the first two spectroscopic techniques revealed the chemical changes of dissolved organic matter after adsorption eith…