The case of a minor salivary gland tumour, arising from the tongue, with nodal metastasis is presented. Biopsy of the tumour and fine-needle aspiration cytology of the neck swelling showed the presence of a clear cell carcinoma with evidence of nodal metastases. A commando operation was performed and the defect was reconstructed using a local tongue flap. The literature review indicated that the neoplasm was rare and its site of occurrence rather unusual.
A novel hydrous iron-nickel-manganese (HINM) trimetal oxide was successfully fabricated using oxidation and coprecipitation method for metalloid arsenite removal. The atomic ratio of Fe:Ni:Mn for this adsorbent is 3:2:1. HINM adsorbent was identified as an amorphous nanosized adsorbent with particle size ranged from 30 nm to 60 nm meanwhile the total active surface area and pore diameter of HINM area of 195.78 m2/g and 2.43 nm, respectively. Experimental data of arsenite adsorption is best fitted into pseudo-second order and Freundlich isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of arsenite onto HINM was 81.9 mg/g. Thermodynamic study showed that the adsorption of arsenite was a spontaneous and endothermic reaction with enthalpy change of 14.04 kJ/mol and Gibbs energy of -12 to -14 kJ/mol. Zeta potential, thermal gravimetric (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis were applied to elucidate the mechanism of arsenite adsorption by HINM. Mechanism of arsenite adsorption by HINM involved both chemisorption and physisorption based on the electrostatic attraction between arsenite ions and surface charge of HINM. It also involved the hydroxyl substitution by arsenite ions through the formation of inner-sphere complex. Reusability of HINM trimetal oxide was up to 89% after three cycles of testing implied that HINM trimetal oxide is a promising and practical adsorbent for arsenite.
Heavy metal contamination in aqueous system has attracted global attention due to the toxicity and carcinogenicity effects towards living bodies. Among available removal techniques, adsorptive removal by nanosized materials such as metal oxide, metal organic frameworks, zeolite and carbon-based materials has attracted much attention due to the large active surface area, large number of functional groups, high chemical and thermal stability which led to outstanding adsorption performance. However, the usage of nanosized materials is restricted by the difficulty in separating the spent adsorbent from aqueous solution. The shift towards the use of adsorptive composite membrane for heavy metal ions removal has attracted much attention due to the synergistic properties of adsorption and filtration approaches in a same chamber. Thus, this review critically discusses the development of nanoadsorbents and adsorptive nanocomposite membranes for heavy metal removal over the last decade. The adsorption mechanism of heavy metal ions by the advanced nanoadsorbents is also discussed using kinetic and isotherm models. The challenges and future prospect of adsorptive membrane technology for heavy metal removal is presented at the end of this review.
Photocatalytic technology offers powerful virus disinfection in wastewater via oxidative capability with minimum harmful by-products generation. This review paper aims to provide state-of-the-art photocatalytic technology in battling transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater. Prior to that, the advantages and limitations of the existing conventional and advanced oxidation processes for virus disinfection in water systems were thoroughly examined. A wide spectrum of virus degradation by various photocatalysts was then considered to understand the potential mechanism for deactivating this deadly virus. The challenges and future perspectives were comprehensively discussed at the end of this review describing the limitations of current photocatalytic technology and suggesting a realistic outlook on advanced photocatalytic technology as a potential solution in dealing with similar upcoming pandemics. The major finding of this review including discovery of a vision on the possible photocatalytic approaches that have been proven to be outstanding against other viruses and subsequently combatting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. This review intends to deliver insightful information and discussion on the potential of photocatalysis in battling COVID-19 transmission through wastewater.
Consumption of pathogenic contaminated water has claimed the lives of many people. Hence, this scenario has emphasized the urgent need for research methods to avoid, treat and eliminate harmful pathogens in wastewater. Therefore, effective water treatment has become a matter of utmost importance. Membrane technology offers purer, cleaner, and pathogen-free water through the water separation method via a permeable membrane. Advanced membrane technology such as nanocomposite membrane, membrane distillation, membrane bioreactor, and photocatalytic membrane reactor can offer synergistic effects in removing pathogen through the integration of additional functionality and filtration in a single chamber. This paper also comprehensively discussed the application, challenges, and future perspective of the advanced membrane technology as a promising alternative in battling pathogenic microbial contaminants, which will also be beneficial and valuable in managing pandemics in the future as well as protecting human health and the environment. In addition, the potential of membrane technology in battling the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was also discussed briefly.
Hollow fiber membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were prepared by incorporating varying concentrations of hydrophilic surface-modifying macromolecules (LSMM) and a constant amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG) additives. The membranes were fabricated by the dry-wet spinning technique. The prepared hollow fiber membranes were dip-coated by hydrophobic surface-modifying macromolecules (BSMM) as the final step fabrication. The additives combination is aimed to produce hollow fiber membranes with high flux permeation and high salt rejection in the matter of seawater desalination application. This study prepares hollow fiber membranes from the formulation of 18 wt. % of PVDF mixed with 5 wt. % of PEG and 3, 4, and 5 wt. % of LSMM. The membranes are then dip-coated with 1 wt. % of BSMM. The effect of LSMM loading on hydrophobicity, morphology, average pore size, surface porosity, and membrane performance is investigated. Coating modification on LSMM membranes showed an increase in contact angle up to 57% of pure, unmodified PVDF/PEG membranes, which made the fabricated membranes at least passable when hydrophobicity was considered as one main characteristic. Furthermore, The PVDF/PEG/4LSMM-BSMM membrane exhibits 161 °C of melting point as characterized by the DSC. This value indicates an improvement of thermal behavior shows so as the fabricated membranes are desirable for membrane distillation operation conditions range. Based on the results, it can be concluded that PVDF/PEG membranes with the use of LSMM and BSMM combination could enhance the permeate flux up to 81.32 kg·m-2·h-1 at the maximum, with stable salt rejection around 99.9%, and these are found to be potential for seawater desalination application.