Structured fibrous carbon-based catalyst for continuous nitrate removal from natural water

[EN] Bimetallic (Pd–Cu, Pd–Sn) nanoparticles supported on structured fibrous carbons (activated carbon fibers and carbon nanofibers grown on sintered metal fibers) were tested in nitrate removal of natural polluted water by hydrogen (a batch and continuous mode). Dependence of the activity/selectivity on catalyst chemical composition, promoter nature and metal particle size was studied. Sn-modified Pd nanoparticles showed higher N2 selectivity as compared to Cu-modified ones. The structured (Pd–Sn) nanoparticles supported on carbon nanofibers grown on Inconel sintered metal fibers demonstrated the best catalytic performance in an open flow reactor, providing optimal hydrodynamics properties.This work was carried out with the financial support of the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 226347.Yuranova, T.; Franch Martí, C.; Palomares Gimeno, AE.; García-Bordejé, E.; Kiwi-Minsker, L. (2012). Structured fibrous carbon-based catalyst for continuous nitrate removal from natural water. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 123-124:221-228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2012.04.007S221228123-12

Effect of pH on the Nitrite Hydrogenation Mechanism over Pd/Al2O3 and Pt/Al2O3: Details Obtained with ATR-IR Spectroscopy

It is well-known that activity and selectivity to N2 during nitrite hydrogenation over noble metal catalysts in water depend on the pH of the solution, but mechanistic understanding is lacking. Attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy is an ideal tool to perform detailed studies on catalytic surfaces in water. In this paper, the influence of pH was studied on adsorption and subsequent hydrogenation of nitrite in water between pH 5 and 9 over Pd/Al2O3 and Pt/Al2O3, using ATR-IR spectroscopy. On both catalysts, pH clearly influenced the surface coverage and reaction rates of intermediates. For Pt/Al2O3, lowering the pH induced the increasing surface coverage of key reaction intermediates like NOsteps1620 cm−1 and “HNO”(ads)1540 cm−1, as well as increased hydrogenation rates, explaining the higher TOF at lower pH as reported in the literature. For Pd/Al2O3, the effect of pH on selectivity is controlled by the rate constants of the formation and hydrogenation of the most stable reaction intermediates to N2 (NO(ads)1720 cm−1) and NH4+ (NH2(ads)1510 cm−1)

In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging-Based Evaluation of Doxorubicin Anticancer Treatment in Combination with the Herbal Medicine Black Cohosh

As a substitution for hormone replacement therapy, many breast cancer patients use black cohosh (BC) extracts in combination with doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy. In this study, we evaluated the viability and survival of BC- and DOX-treated MCF-7 cells. A preclinical model of MCF-7 xenografts was used to determine the influence of BC and DOX administration on tumor growth and metabolism. The number of apoptotic cells after incubation with both DOX and BC was significantly increased (~100%) compared to the control. Treatment with DOX altered the potential of MCF-7 cells to form colonies; however, coincubation with BC did not affect this process. In vivo, PET-CT imaging showed that combined treatment of DOX and BC induced a significant reduction in both metabolic activity (29%) and angiogenesis (32%). Both DOX and BC treatments inhibited tumor growth by 20% and 12%, respectively, and combined by 57%, vs. control. We successfully demonstrated that BC increases cytotoxic effects of DOX, resulting in a significant reduction in tumor size. Further studies regarding drug transport and tumor growth biomarkers are necessary to establish the underlying mechanism and potential clinical use of BC in breast cancer patients