Publications by authors named "Izabela Polowczyk"

This paper presents the properties of a novel polyampholyte resin synthesized through the phosphinomethylation of diethylenetriamine. The resin, derived from inexpensive and safe building blocks, avoids the typical crude-oil resin matrix, such as poly(DVB), offering a notable advantage over commercially available solutions. Moreover, the synthesis process is straightforward and environmentally benign, aligning with the principles of sustainability and environmental protection.

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  • The study focuses on removing hazardous boron ions from water using soil minerals like gibbsite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite as adsorbents, which are crucial for protecting the environment and human health.
  • Researchers analyzed how these minerals interact with boron in the presence of polyethylenimine (PEI), including various conditions like pH and initial boron concentration.
  • Results showed that PEI significantly improved boron's adsorption capacity on these minerals, enhancing removal efficiency from 65% to around 80%.
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Lipopeptides, derived from microorganisms, are promising surface-active compounds known as biosurfactants. However, the high production costs of biosurfactants, associated with expensive culture media and purification processes, limit widespread industrial application. To enhance the sustainability of biosurfactant production, researchers have explored cost-effective substrates.

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This study investigated the sorption of Ni(ii) ions from an aqueous solution using novel, synthetic amino-hypophosphite polyampholyte resin (AHP) in a batch adsorption system. The removal of Ni(ii) ions was determined as a function of pH (2.0-8.

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is a cosmopolitan genus of bacteria found in soil, water, organic matter, plants and animals and known for the production of glycolipid and lipopeptide biosurfactants. In this study bacteria (laboratory collection number 28E) isolated from soil collected in Spitsbergen were used for biosurfactant production. 16S rRNA sequencing and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) revealed that this isolate belongs to the species .

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The aim of this research was to determine the adsorption-desorption, surface, electrokinetic, and stability properties of aqueous suspensions of iron-containing minerals in the presence of anionic polyacrylamide (AN PAM) and lead(II) ions. Three minerals found in the soil environment, akaganeite, goethite, and magnetite, were synthesized based on the precipitation method. The interaction mechanism of heavy metal ions with polymer flocculant, which are adsorbed on the soil mineral particles, was proposed.

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The amino-hypophosphite polyampholyte (AHP) obtained from cheap and safe building blocks lacks a typical ion-scavenger matrix derived from crude-oil intermediates like poly(divinylbenzene), which is an advantage to commercial solutions. AHP is characterised by sorption capacity comparable to some ion scavengers available on the market, as it was found that its maximum capacity in the temperature range from 298 K to 328 K varies between 114 and 146 mg Cu(II) g of dry AHP. The possible application of the AHP in the Cu(II) removal process from galvanic effluent was investigated.

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Although numerous studies have been implemented on identifying the impact of acoustic waves on mineral beneficiation, its fundamental aspects remain unclear in the literature. The present work, for the first time, systematically investigates the role of ultrasound pre-treatment (UPT) in the carbonaceous copper-bearing shale flotation. To this end, conditioning was carried out at different powers of applied ultrasound.

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In this paper, we describe an application of mono- and dirhamnolipid homologue mixtures of a biosurfactant as a green agent for destabilisation of a dolomite suspension. Properties of the biosurfactant solution were characterised using surface tension and aggregate measurements to prove aggregation of rhamnolipids at concentrations much lower than the critical micelle concentration. Based on this information, the adsorption process of biosurfactant molecules on the surface of the carbonate mineral dolomite was investigated, and the adsorption mechanism was proposed.

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Pollution by heavy metal ions in aqueous systems gained researchers attention gradually. Toxic metal ions were always present in the environment and the living organisms could get used to specific concentrations of contaminants with given time, however, sudden concentration rise we are observing can make it impossible for the living organisms to adapt. Many ion removal technologies were developed and optimised over the years to cope with this problem, including chemical precipitation, adsorption, membrane filtration and ion-exchange.

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  • Schwertmannite is gaining popularity as an adsorbent due to its good sorption properties and simple synthesis, particularly for adsorbing Cr(VI) from water.
  • The study compared two methods of synthesizing schwertmannite (Fe hydrolysis and Fe oxidation) by analyzing their physical characteristics and adsorption performance under various conditions.
  • Results indicated that both types of schwertmannite effectively remove Cr(VI), with maximum adsorption capacities of 42.97 mg·g for Fe hydrolysis and 17.54 mg·g for Fe oxidation, primarily through ion exchange mechanisms.
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This study presents a new, simple way to obtain mesoporous calcite structures via a green method using an eco-friendly surface-active compound, surfactin, as a controlling agent. The effects of synthesis time and surfactin concentration were investigated. The obtained structures were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) coupled with gas mass spectrometry (QMS) analysis.

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Observing flora and fauna, it can be said that nature is a great architect. Nature can create amazing structures with unique properties that may find potential applications in industry. This phenomenon is why the biomimetic synthesis of calcium carbonate with various polymorphs, sizes and morphologies using natural biomolecules, such as proteins and polysaccharides, has become an interesting topic in recent years.

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  • Removal of arsenic from water is a significant global issue, and this study examines the use of iron oxides-hydroxides (specifically akaganeite) as effective adsorbents for arsenic removal.
  • The research compares two types of akaganeite: a synthetic one and a modified version, assessing their performance based on factors like pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial arsenic concentration.
  • The findings indicate that both types obey the Langmuir adsorption model, with the maximum arsenic removal capacities being 148.7 mg/g for synthetic akaganeite and 170.9 mg/g for the modified version, suggesting their potential effectiveness in treating arsenic-contaminated water.
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Calcium carbonate is an important component in exoskeletons of many organisms. The synthesis of calcium carbonate was performed by mixing dimethyl carbonate and an aqueous solution of calcium chloride dihydrate. The precipitation product was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements.

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Three β-hydroxynaphthylamides (morpholine, pyrrolidine and dimethylamine derivatives) have been synthesized and their conformational state was analyzed by NMR, X-ray and DFT calculations. In aprotic solution the molecules contain intramolecular OHO hydrogen bonds, which change into intermolecular ones in solid state. The energy barriers for the amide group rotation around the CN bond were estimated from the line shape analysis of (1)H and (13)C NMR signals.

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The paper presents the results of our investigation on the effect of the molecular structure of organic vapors on the characteristics of resistive chemical gas sensors. The sensors were based on tin dioxide and prepared by means of thick film technology. The electrical and catalytic examinations showed that the abstraction of two hydrogen atoms from the organic molecule and formation of a water in result of reaction with a chemisorbed oxygen ion, determine the rate of oxidation reactions, and thus the sensor performance.

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The aim of this work is to investigate the application of fly ash adsorbent for removal of arsenite ions from dilute solution (100-1,000 ppm). Experiments were carried out using material from the "Turów" (Poland) brown-coal-burning power plant, which was wetted, then mixed and tumbled in a granulator to form spherical agglomerates. Measurements of arsenic adsorption from aqueous solution were carried out at room temperature and natural pH of fly ash agglomerates, in either a shaken flask or circulating column, to compare two different methods of contacting solution with adsorbent.

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