SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-16DOI: 10.3390/separations11040119
Á. Santana-Mayor, G. D’Orazio, Salvatore Fanali, M. Rodríguez-Delgado, B. Socas-Rodríguez
{"title":"Combination of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents and Nano-Liquid Chromatography towards White Analytical Chemistry: A Practical Application","authors":"Á. Santana-Mayor, G. D’Orazio, Salvatore Fanali, M. Rodríguez-Delgado, B. Socas-Rodríguez","doi":"10.3390/separations11040119","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040119","url":null,"abstract":"In this work, a green and practical analytical method based on natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) as extraction agents and nano-liquid chromatography as a separation technique was developed. To demonstrate the applicability of the methodology, alkylphenols and bisphenol A were evaluated as model compounds in olive and sunflower oils as model fatty samples by liquid–liquid microextraction. With this aim, several NADES based on mixtures of choline chloride with glycerol, lactic, ascorbic, and citric acids or glycerol with amino acids were evaluated as potential extraction solvents. In addition, to select the most suitable stationary phase for the separation of this group of contaminants, some stationary phases were tested, including Pinnacle II phenyl, Cogent Bidentate C18™, and XBridge® C18. The last one provided the best performance with an analysis time of 11 min. To solve the problem of the compatibility of hydrophilic NADES with chromatographic systems without harming the solubility of analytes, different aqueous organic mixtures were tested. Methanol/water mixtures were the most suitable as an injection solvent. Finally, following the White Analytical Chemistry principles, different tools were used to evaluate the greenness, the practicality, and applicability of the method based on the Analytical Eco-Scale, the Analytical GREEnness metric approach, and the Blue Applicability Grade Index.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"21 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140697528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing Recovery of Ultra-Fine Magnetite from Low-Iron-Grade Cyanidation Tailings by Optimizing Flow Field Parameters of Low-Intensity Magnetic Separation (LIMS)","authors":"Yingjie Chen, Yaxiong Jiang, Yongjun Xian, Luzheng Chen","doi":"10.3390/separations11040120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040120","url":null,"abstract":"The characteristics of iron minerals in cyanidation tailings with a low iron grade were determined via chemical composition analysis, iron phase analysis, and mineral liberation analysis (MLA). The results showed that the cyanidation tailings contained 15.68% iron, mainly occurring in the form of magnetite (19.66%) and limonite (79.91%), in which 16.52% magnetite and 65.90% limonite particles were fully liberated. Most ultra-fine magnetite grains were adjacent and wrapped with limonite to form complex intergrowths, which resulted in low-efficiency magnetite recovery in low-intensity magnetic separation (LIMS) and adversely affected the downstream high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) process. Thus, in this work, the optimization of the flow field was proposed to enhance the separation of ultra-fine magnetite from the cyanidation tailings using pilot-scale LIMS separation, and the controllable parameters (including feed flow, separation gap, drum rotating speed, and solid weight) affecting ultra-fine magnetite capture were investigated. Under optimized conditions, a high-grade magnetite concentrate assaying 63.31% Fe with 86.46% magnetite recovery was produced, which, respectively, increased by 0.76% and 15.22%, compared with those obtained from industrial production. In addition, from the flow dynamics simulation, it was found that the magnetite particles in the −6 µm ultra-fine fraction were lost much more easily than those of coarser fractions due to the relatively enhanced hydrodynamic drag force acting on the particles compared with the magnetic force. However, this loss would be effectively reduced with the regulation and control of the flow field. The iron recoveries in the −16~+6 µm and −6 µm fractions of magnetite concentrate increased by 3.66% and 4.42%, respectively, under optimized hydrodynamic conditions. This research outcome provides a valuable reference for the economic and effective utilization of iron resources from such solid wastes.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"1 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140696485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-15DOI: 10.3390/separations11040118
N. Saafie, N. Sambudi, M. D. H. Wirzal, S. Sufian
{"title":"Correction: Saafie et al. Effect of Hydrothermal Conditions on Kenaf-Based Carbon Quantum Dots Properties and Photocatalytic Degradation. Separations 2023, 10, 137","authors":"N. Saafie, N. Sambudi, M. D. H. Wirzal, S. Sufian","doi":"10.3390/separations11040118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040118","url":null,"abstract":"There was an error in the original publication [...]","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"33 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140702301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-13DOI: 10.3390/separations11040117
M. Kondeva-Burdina, Aleksandar Shkondrov, G. Popov, V. Manov, I. Krasteva
{"title":"Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activity of an Extract from the Overground Parts of Phlomis russeliana Lag. ex Benth","authors":"M. Kondeva-Burdina, Aleksandar Shkondrov, G. Popov, V. Manov, I. Krasteva","doi":"10.3390/separations11040117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040117","url":null,"abstract":"An evaluation of the possible hepatotoxicity/hepatoprotective effects of a defatted extract of the above ground parts of Phlomis russeliana was conducted in vitro and in vivo. The extract was tested in vitro on hepatocytes alone and in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-bioactivation model. The same toxic substance was used for the in vivo evaluation on old Wistar rats. The extract was standardised via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) by the quantification of total flavonoids and verbascoside. Gallic acid equivalents were used to express the content of total phenolic compounds. The identification of flavonoids in this species was undertaken for the first time. The extract was not statistically hepatotoxic in vitro on the isolated rat hepatocytes. In the CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity model, the extract had a hepatoprotective effect, which was concentration-dependant (the highest at 50 µg/mL). An in vivo study on old rats confirmed the observed antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects. The histological findings were favourable for the rats, given the extract and CCl4 in combination. They had an unchanged organ structure, which is commensurable with these animals, treated with a combination of CCl4 and silymarin.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"105 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140707373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-12DOI: 10.3390/separations11040116
Guijiang Li, Wenze Xu
{"title":"Synthesis of Quaternary-Ammonium-Lignin-Based Ionic Liquids and Comparison of Extraction Behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) with 2-Ethylhexyl Phosphoric Acid Mono-2-Ethylhexyl Ester","authors":"Guijiang Li, Wenze Xu","doi":"10.3390/separations11040116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040116","url":null,"abstract":"The escalating demand for cobalt in modern industry necessitates the recycling or extraction of this resource for sustainable development. Despite the abundance of lignin in nature, its utilization remains low, highlighting the need to enhance its value-added potential. This study focuses on the synthesis of quaternary ammonium lignin (QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) as ionic liquid (QP–IL) compounds for the extraction of metal ions. A comparison of the extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution between QP–IL and P507 revealed varying extraction ratios under different conditions, with QP–IL demonstrating a higher cobalt extractability than P507. Furthermore, under identical conditions, QP–IL exhibited superior Co/Ni separation performance (βCo/Ni) compared to P507. Ultimately, QP–IL proved to be more effective than P507 in separating cobalt from mixed solutions.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140710069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-08DOI: 10.3390/separations11040115
Faryal Fatima, Sana Fatima, Hongbo Du, R. Kommalapati
{"title":"An Evaluation of Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration Pretreatment on the Performance of Reverse Osmosis for Recycling Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastewater","authors":"Faryal Fatima, Sana Fatima, Hongbo Du, R. Kommalapati","doi":"10.3390/separations11040115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040115","url":null,"abstract":"To implement sustainable water resource management, the industries that produce a huge amount of wastewater are aiming to recycle wastewater. Reverse osmosis (RO) is an advanced membrane process that can produce potable water from wastewater. However, the presence of diverse pollutants in the wastewater necessitates effective pretreatment to ensure successful RO implementation. This study evaluated the efficiency of microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) as two pretreatment methods prior to RO, i.e., MF-RO and UF-RO, for recycling poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSWW). The direct treatment of PSWW with RO (direct RO) was also considered for comparison. In this study, membrane technology serves as a post treatment for PSWW, which was conventionally treated at Sanderson Farm. The results demonstrated that all of the processes, including MF-RO, UF-RO, and direct RO treatment of PSWW, rejected 100% of total phosphorus (TP), over 91.2% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 87% of total solids (TSs). Total nitrogen (TN) levels were reduced to 5 mg/L for MF-RO, 4 mg/L for UF-RO, and 9 mg/L for direct RO. In addition, the pretreatment of PSWW with MF and UF increased RO flux from 46.8 L/m2 h to 51 L/m2 h, an increase of approximately 9%. The product water obtained after MF-RO, UF-RO, and direct RO meets the required potable water quality standards for recycling PSWW in the poultry industry. A cost analysis demonstrated that MF-RO was the most economical option among membrane processes, primarily due to MF operating at a lower pressure and having a high water recovery ratio. In contrast, the cost of using RO without MF and UF pretreatments was approximately 2.6 times higher because of cleaning and maintenance expenses related to fouling. This study concluded that MF-RO is a preferable option for recycling PSWW. This pretreatment method would significantly contribute to environmental sustainability by reusing well-treated PSWW for industrial poultry purposes while maintaining cost efficiency.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"43 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140729811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-07DOI: 10.3390/separations11040113
M. Ibrahim, Abdelrahman Y. Sherif, D. Alshora, Badr S. Alsaadi
{"title":"A Robust and Reliable UPLC Method for the Simultaneous Quantification of Rosuvastatin Calcium, Glibenclamide, and Candesartan Cilexetil","authors":"M. Ibrahim, Abdelrahman Y. Sherif, D. Alshora, Badr S. Alsaadi","doi":"10.3390/separations11040113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040113","url":null,"abstract":"Metabolic syndrome is an associated condition that occurs together and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. These conditions include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high body mass index (BMI) in terms of cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Most of the elderly population may administer three drugs to control the above conditions. Therefore, this study aims to develop an analytical assay for the precise analysis of three components and to formulate a Self-Nanoemulsifying Drug-Delivery System (SNEDDS) loaded with three drugs: Rosuvastatin Calcium (RC; antilipidemic), Glibenclamide (GB; antidiabetic), and Candesartan Cilexetil (CC; antihypertensive). A design of the experiment was developed at a level of 32, and the influence of column temperature and flow rate was studied in terms of retention time, peak area, peak asymmetry, and resolution. The assay was subjected to several studies to ensure its validation. Under the optimized conditions—column temperature at 50 °C and flow rate at 0.25 mL/min—the three drugs, RC, GB, and CC, are separated. Their retention times are 0.840, 1.800, and 5.803 min, respectively. The assay was valid in terms of linearity, accuracy, and precision. Moreover, the developed assay shows a good tolerance against any change in the condition. The assay was tested also to separate the drugs in a pharmaceutical formulation as SNEDDs. The assay successfully separates the drug with a good resolution.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"52 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140733638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-07DOI: 10.3390/separations11040114
Yang Chen, Ziwei Liao, Zhe Wang, Wanyin Shi, Jian Xu
{"title":"Isolation and Identification of Bitter Compounds in Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.) Based on Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography, UPLC-Q-TOF/MS and Electronic Tongue","authors":"Yang Chen, Ziwei Liao, Zhe Wang, Wanyin Shi, Jian Xu","doi":"10.3390/separations11040114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040114","url":null,"abstract":"As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.) is commonly used to treat common diseases, for example, esophageal cancer and myasthenia gravis. Furthermore, ginseng is also processed into a functional food additive that is utilized to improve the freshness of chicken soup and make health wine. Unfortunately, ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.) has already shown a noticeable bitterness during its application process. In this research, the bitter substances in ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Mey.) after two common preparation processes (water extraction and ethanol extraction) were separated, purified and identified by preparative high performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC), high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) and an electronic tongue. The results indicated that compared with the other four bitter compounds, the ginsenoside Rb1 had the highest bitterness value, followed by 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg2, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rf and ginsenoside Rb3. Upon the evaluation of results to reduce the bitterness of ginseng extract, we found that the composite embedding system of chitosan adsorption in the ginseng carrageenan gel microsphere (K/MC/MCG) could effectively reduce the bitterness.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"54 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140733380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-05DOI: 10.3390/separations11040112
Á. Fazekas, T. Gyulavári, Á. Ágoston, László Janovák, Judit Kopniczky, Zsuzsanna László, G. Veréb
{"title":"Enhanced Photocatalytic and Filtration Performance of TiO2-Ag Composite-Coated Membrane Used for the Separation of Oil Emulsions","authors":"Á. Fazekas, T. Gyulavári, Á. Ágoston, László Janovák, Judit Kopniczky, Zsuzsanna László, G. Veréb","doi":"10.3390/separations11040112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040112","url":null,"abstract":"Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were coated with TiO2 and TiO2-Ag to enhance their efficiency for oil-in-water emulsion separation. The photocatalytic activities of the two modified membranes and their filtration performances were compared in detail. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the TiO2-Ag composite was proved using a methyl orange (MO) solution (c = 10−5 M) and a crude oil emulsion (c = 50 mg·L−1). The TiO2-Ag-coated membrane reduced the MO concentration by 87%, whereas the TiO2-modified membrane reached only a 46% decomposition. The photocatalytic reduction in the chemical oxygen demand of the emulsion was also ~50% higher using the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane compared to that of the TiO2-coated membrane. The photoluminescence measurements demonstrated a reduced electron/hole recombination, achieved by the Ag nanoparticle addition (TiO2-Ag), which also explained the enhanced photocatalytic activity. A significant improvement in the oil separation performance with the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane was also demonstrated: a substantial increase in the flux and flux recovery ratio (up to 92.4%) was achieved, together with a notable reduction in the flux decay ratio and the irreversible filtration resistance. Furthermore, the purification efficiency was also enhanced (achieving 98.5% and 99.9% COD and turbidity reductions, respectively). Contact angle, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were carried out to explain the results. SEM and AFM images revealed that on the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane, a less aggregated, more continuous, homogeneous, and smoother nanolayer was formed due to the ~50% more negative zeta potential of the TiO2-Ag nanocomposite compared to that of the TiO2. In summary, via Ag addition, a sufficiently hydrophilic, beneficially negatively charged, and homogeneous TiO2-Ag-coated PVDF membrane surface was achieved, which resulted in the presented advantageous filtration properties beyond the photocatalytic activity enhancement.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"4 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140739547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
SeparationsPub Date : 2024-04-03DOI: 10.3390/separations11040111
F. Buthmann, Jan Hohlmann, Mareen Neuwald, Gerhard Schembecker
{"title":"Optimizing Chromatographic Separation with Redosing: Effects on Separation Efficiency of a Model System in Centrifugal Partition Chromatography","authors":"F. Buthmann, Jan Hohlmann, Mareen Neuwald, Gerhard Schembecker","doi":"10.3390/separations11040111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11040111","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates and optimizes chromatographic separation in a Centrifugal Partition Chromatograph. Therefore, a model system is separated in a single-disc rotor. The occurring loss of the stationary phase lowers the separation efficiency over time. We introduced a new mode of operation, called the redosing of the stationary phase, to counteract this hydrodynamic phenomenon. Experiments with redosing at an optimized operating point demonstrate almost constant separation performance over 12 h, reducing solvent consumption by 45% and increasing chromatographic resolution by 37%. The improvement in retention by 69% contributes to this enhancement. Accordingly, reference experiments without redosing were conducted as a benchmark, highlighting the automated mode’s benefits, as mentioned.","PeriodicalId":510456,"journal":{"name":"Separations","volume":"78 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140747400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}