Studies on Physicochemical Properties of Biofield Treated 2,4-Dichlorophenol

What is it about?

The chlorinated phenols are widely used in chemical industries for the manufacturing of herbicides, insecticides, etc. However, due to consistent use they create hazards to the environment. This study was designed to use an alternative method i.e. biofield energy treatment and analyse its impact on the physicochemical properties of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), which are the important factors related to its degradation. The 2,4-DCP sample was treated with Mr. Trivedi’s biofield energy and analyzed as compared to the untreated 2,4-DCP sample (control) using various analytical techniques. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed up to 19.4% alteration in the lattice parameters along with approximately 1.8% alteration in the molecular weight, unit cell volume and density of the treated sample. The crystallite size of treated sample was increased and found as 215.24 nm as compared to 84.08 nm in the control sample. Besides, the thermal study results showed an alteration in the thermal stability profile of the treated sample as compared to the control. The differential scanning calorimetry studies revealed the decrease in the thermal decomposition temperature from 137.9°C (control) to 131.94°C in the treated sample along with 92.19% alteration in the quantity of heat absorbed during the process. Moreover, the thermogravimetric analysis showed that onset temperature of degradation was decreased, while the percent weight loss of the sample was increased from 59.12% to 71.74% in the treated sample as compared to the control. However, the Fourier transform infrared and UV-visible spectroscopic studies did not show any significant alteration in the spectra of the treated sample as compared to the control. Hence, the overall studies revealed the impact of biofield energy treatment on the physical and thermal properties of the 2,4-DCP sample.

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Why is it important?

The chlorinated derivatives of phenols are an important class of pollutants that originate from the industrial chemicals [1]. They are non-biodegradable and hence remain in the environment for a longer duration. 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a widely used chlorinated phenol that comes under the category of industrial toxic compounds and listed by United State Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) as primary pollutants [2, 3]. 2,4-DCP is used as a precursor in the synthesis of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), an herbicide. Other uses include as a wood preservative, insecticide, plant growth regulator, etc. [4, 5]. However, due to the consistent use, it poses hazards to the environment hence, these toxic and bio-resistant compounds need to be removed from the environment or transformed into some other form that are less harmful. When a chemical enters the environment, it distributes itself in the different compartments viz. air, water, soil and living organisms. Moreover, the distribution, as well as degradation of the chemical from these compartments, were decided by the physicochemical properties of that chemical. These properties include molecular weight, solubility, volatilization, and polarity, etc. [6, 7]. The environmental fate of 2,4-DCP from the aquatic surface and the soil surface is expected through the volatilization process [8, 9]. Its molecules reach in the atmosphere through the process of volatilization where they degraded by reacting with the photochemically produced free radicals [10]. However, this process is slow and not suitable for high concentration of pollutants. Recently, several processes are designed for making this process fast that include advanced oxidation processes [11], but they are not very much cost- effective. Therefore, it is of great significance to search an alternative strategy that can help in the fast degradation of these chemicals from the environment in a cost effective manner. Biofield energy treatment is recently known for its ability in altering the physicochemical properties of several metals and organic compounds [12, 13]. Biofield energy is scientifically related to the human energy field that is formed by the body in the surrounding space. This energy field is generated by the physical and thought processes of the human body and its interaction with the environment [14]. The living organisms are regularly exchanging this energy with the surroundings to maintain themselves [15]. The biofield energy and its interaction with the environment are used by the practitioners as the healing therapies. Its effectiveness was reported in the reduction of tension, anxiety and pain. Moreover, these therapies are considered as complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) by National Institute of Health (NIH)/National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). It was believed that the healers/practitioners channel the energy from the environment and direct it towards certain target [16-18]. Thus, the human has the ability to harness the energy from the environment and can transmit it to any living or non-living object(s) around the Globe. By absorbing this energy, the object will respond in a useful way. This process is known as biofield energy treatment. Mr. Trivedi is well known to possess a unique biofield energy treatment (The Trivedi Effect®). The impact of his biofield energy treatment has been reported for causing alterations in various research field viz. agriculture, microbiology, biotechnology [19, 20], and materials science [12, 13]. Hence, the present study was designed to analyse the impact of the biofield energy treatment on the various physicochemical properties of the 2,4-DCP using different analytical methods viz. X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy.

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