The present invention provides novel chromatographic materials, e.g., for chromatographic separations, processes for their preparation and separations devices containing the chromatographic materials. The preparation of the inorganic/organic hybrid materials of the invention wherein a surrounding material is condensed on a superficially porous hybrid core material will allow for families of different hybrid packing materials to be prepared from a single core hybrid material. Differences in hydrophobicity, ion-exchange capacity, chemical stability, surface charge or silanol activity of the surrounding material may be used for unique chromatographic separations of small molecules, carbohydrates, antibodies, whole proteins, peptides, and/or DNA.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a carbon dioxide absorbent and to the absorbent manufactured by the method. The method comprises: (A) a step of preparing a slurry composition including a carrier composition containing a support, an inorganic binder, and a solvent; (B) a step of preparing solid particles by spray drying the thus-prepared slurry composition; (C) a step of manufacturing a carrier by dry calcining the thus-prepared solid particles; and (D) a step of receiving an amine compound into the pores of the thus-manufactured carrier. According to the absorbent of the present invention, an absorbing reaction and a regenerating reaction at a low temperature range (less than or equal to 100° C. may be conducted, and therefore, the cost for capturing CO.sub.2 in a dry capturing process may be expected to decrease.

Methods that include providing and reacting a solid support and an alkali-stable ligand derived from an immunoglobulin-binding bacterial protein to form a separation matrix having covalently coupled alkali-stable ligands; and washing with a wash solution comprising at least 10 mM of an alkali metal hydroxide.

Provided herein is a composition comprising high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres, as well as a process for making the same. Also provided is a composition comprising carbon nanotubes and high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres, wherein said high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres are dispersed in said carbon nanotubes. Further provided is a method for making a filter comprising carbon nanotubes, wherein said carbon nanotubes comprise high surface area titanium dioxide nanospheres dispersed therein, as well as filters so produced, and a method of photo-regenerating the filters.

A fiber is provided as a substrate for a functional nanostructure (coated fiber), composed of (a) a fiber substrate; (b) a reactive dye conjugating moiety covalently bound to the fiber substrate; (c) a bonding agent covalently bound to the reactive dye conjugating moiety; and (d) the functional nanostructure bound to the bonding agent. A method of making the coated fiber is also provided, involving the following steps in any order: covalently binding the reactive dye conjugating moiety to the fiber; covalently binding a bonding agent to the reactive dye conjugating moiety; and binding the functional nanostructure to the bonding agent. The nanostructures are tenaciously attached to the fibers, resisting very rough treatments, and can be made using inexpensive and widely available reactive dyes under non-stringent synthesis conditions.

Solid nanocomposite material comprising nanoparticles of a hexacyanometallate or octacyanometallate of an alkali metal and of a transition metal, of formula [Alk.sup.+.sub.x]M.sup.n+[M′(CN).sub.m].sup.z− in which Alk is an alkali metal, x is 1 or 2, M is a transition metal, n is 2 or 3, M′ is a transition metal, m is 6 or 8, z is 3 or 4, attached to at least one surface of a porous inorganic solid support, in which the nanoparticles are attached by adsorption to the at least one surface of the solid support, and in which the surface is a basic surface. Method for preparing this material. Method for extracting at least one metal cation from a liquid medium containing it, wherein the liquid medium is brought into contact with the material.

The invention relates to a composite textile consisting of natural and/or synthetic and/or artificial fibres and lignocellulosic particles entangled between said fibres, comprising more than 30 wt. % of said lignocellulosic particles. The invention also relates to the method for the production thereof and to the uses of same.

Methods of forming a nanocomposite of a base material and a plurality of nanoparticles are provided. In embodiments, the method comprises combining a first input stream of flowing fluid comprising a base material having nucleation sites, a second input stream of flowing fluid comprising a nanoparticle precursor material, and a third input stream of flowing fluid comprising a nanoparticle nucleation agent, to form an output stream of flowing fluid; heating or sonicating or both heating and sonicating the output stream for a period of time; and collecting a nanocomposite formed within the fluid of the output stream, the nanocomposite comprising the base material and a plurality of nanoparticles directly anchored onto a surface of the base material via the nucleation sites. The nanocomposites are also provided.

A filtration device selectively removes hydrophobic waste from wastewater while leaving other water and surfactant components, which may then be recycled to a point of use. The wastewater treatment system may comprise a filtration unit and filtration media. The filtration unit may comprise a housing having an inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of a point of use and configured to receive a wastewater stream from the point of use for treatment, and an outlet in fluid communication with an inlet of the point of use and configured to deliver filtrate to the point of use. The filtration media may be positioned within the housing. The filtration media may comprise an oleophilic foam substrate and a hydrophobic coating on the oleophilic foam substrate. The filtration media may be configured to separate a hydrophobic component from the wastewater stream to produce filtrate comprising water and surfactant.

Method for manufacturing an inert solid support with optionally functionalised carbon nanotubes (CNTs), comprising the steps of: i) providing an inert solid support and at least one catalytic metal associated with, or absorbed in, or adsorbed/deposited on, said support, said metal being optionally selected from among the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum and combinations thereof; ii) supplying a source of gaseous, liquid or solid carbon to the catalytic metal; iii) through chemical vapor deposition (CVD), depositing at least part of the carbon source at the catalytic metal as CNTs, stably connected to the inert solid support. The present invention further regards an inert solid support and a separation method.