Buffing dust, generated from tannery industries, is a source of air pollution in Pakistan. Valorization of the waste into another useful material is important to deal with the environmental pollution, while reducing waste disposal costs in landfills. To demonstrate its technological strength, this work fabricates a thermal insulation material made of plaster of Paris and the buffing dust (from tanning waste) in the form of a composite with superior mechanical properties and low thermal conductivity. Buffing dust with concentrations ranging from 5 to 20% (w/w) were loaded in the composite. The samples synthesized were made slurry of plaster of Paris, buffing dust, and water at ambient temperature. The physico-mechanical properties of composite were analyzed. It was found that the composite had better thermal insulation properties than the panels of the plaster of Paris. Its thermal conductivity was reduced to 15% after adding buffing dust (20% w/w). All the materials had physico-chemical properties like tensile strength (0.02 MPa and 0.06 MPa), density (700-400 kg/m3), water absorption (5.2-8.6%) and thermal conductivity (0.17000-0.09218 W/m-K). Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the material was thermally stable at temperatures ranging from 145 to 177 °C, while FT-IR results revealed that the composite contained O-H, N-H, and CO functional groups. SEM analysis displayed that the composite's homogeneity was reduced with low voids due to buffing dust addition, while EDX analysis showed that the composite contained 23.62% of S, 26.76% of Ca, 49.2% of O and 0.42% of C. This implies that buffing dust could be recycled to manufacture heat insulation materials for construction sector to reduce air pollution, while minimizing energy consumption. By integrating the buffing dust from tanning waste and the plaster of Paris as a composite for construction sector, this work promotes the recycling of unused waste, while saving public funds. Instead of paying landfill fees and polluting soil, the waste may be recycled at lower cost, while reducing environmental damage.
Heavy metal contamination has increased over the globe, causing significant environmental issues owing to direct and indirect releases into water bodies. As a result, metal removal from water entities must be addressed soon. Various adsorbents such as MOFs and chitosan have demonstrated promising results in water treatment. The present study prepared a composite material (chitosan-UiO-66-glycidyl methacrylate MOF) by a microwave-assisted method. The structure and morphology of the chitosan-MOF composite were studied using FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, BET, FT-IR, and TGA techniques. In addition, the adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution onto the chitosan-MOF composite was analyzed in a batch study concerning pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage. The composite has a large surface area of 867 m2/g with a total pore volume of 0.51 cm3/g and thermal stability of up to 400 [Formula: see text]. Following an analysis of the adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics, the Langmuir model showed an excellent fit with the adsorption data (R2 = 0.99) and chi-squared (X2 = 3.609). The adsorption process was a spontaneous exothermic reaction and the pseudo-second-order rate equation fitted the kinetic profile well. Moreover, the composite is recyclable, retaining 83.45% of its removal effectiveness after 5 consecutive cycles, demonstrating it as a sustainable adsorbent for metal recovery. This study introduces a novel synthesized composite with enhanced recyclability and a higher potential for eliminating pollutants from industrial wastewater.
In this article, a combination of far field electrospinning (FFES) and free-radical polymerization has been used to create a unique platform for protein immobilization via the physical attachment of biomolecules to the surface of the fiber mats. The large specific surface area of the fibers with its tailored chemistry provides a desirable platform for effective analyte-surface interaction. The detailed analysis of protein immobilization on a newly developed bio-receptive surface plays a vital role to gauge its advantages in bio-diagnostic applications. We relied on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diameter range analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), along with thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), water-in-air contact angle analysis (WCA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study our developed platforms and to provide valuable information regarding the presence of biomolecular entities on the surface. Detailed analyses of the fiber mats before and after antibody immobilization have shown obvious changes on the surface of the bioreceptive surface including: (i) an additional peak corresponding to the presence of an antibody in TGA analysis; (ii) extra FTIR peaks corresponding to the presence of antibodies on the coated fiber platforms; and (iii) a clear alteration in surface roughness recorded by AFM analysis. Confirmation analyses on protein immobilization are of great importance as they underlay substantial grounds for various biosensing applications.
Textile wastewater laden with dyes has emerged as a source of water pollution. This possesses a challenge in its effective treatment using a single functional material. In respond to this technological constraint, this work presents multifunctional cotton fabrics (CFs) within a single, streamlined preparation process. This approach utilizes the adherence of Ag NPs (nanoparticles) using Si binder on the surface of CFs, resulting in Ag-coated CFs through a pad dry method. The prepared samples were characterized using scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray electroscopy (SEM-EDS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR). It was found that the FT-IR spectra of Ag NPs-coated CFs had peaks appear at 3400, 2900, and 1200 cm-1, implying the stretching vibrations of O-H, C-H, and C-O, respectively. Based on the EDX analysis, the presence of C, O, and Ag related to the coated CFs were detected. After coating the CFs with varying concentrations of Ag NPs (1%, 2% and 3% (w/w)), they were used to remove dyes. Under the same concentration of 10 mg/L and optimized pH 7.5 and 2 h of reaction time, 3% (w/w) Ag-coated CFs exhibited a substantial MB degradation of 98 %, while removing 95% of methyl orange, 85% of rhodamine B, and 96% of Congo red, respectively, following 2 h of Vis exposure. Ag NPs had a strong absorption at 420 nm with 2.51 eV of energy band gap. Under UV irradiation, electrons excited and produced free radicals that promoted dyes photodegradation. The oxidation by-products included p-dihydroxybenzene and succinic acid. Spent Ag-coated CFs attained 98% of regeneration efficiency. The utilization of Ag-coated CFs as a photocatalyst facilitated treated effluents to meet the required discharge standard of lower than 1 mg/L mandated by national legislation. The integration of multifunctional CFs in the treatment system presents a new option for tackling water pollution due to dyes.
The oil palm kernel shell biochar (OPKS-B) and oil palm kernel shell activated carbon (OPKS-AC) were used as a framework to entrap urea using adsorption method. Batch adsorption studies were performed to gauge the influence of contact time on the adsorption of urea onto both OPKS-B and OPKS-AC. To evaluate the physicochemical traits of the studied materials, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), N2-sorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), elemental analysis, differential thermal gravity (TG/DTG) and thermal gravity were applied. Result shows OPKS-AC has a better sorption capacity for urea compared to OPKS-B. The Langmuir isotherm model better justified the sorption isotherms of urea. For the adsorption process for both OPKS-B and OPKS-AC, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was picked as it best fitted the experimental sorption outcome with the superior R2 values of > 65.1% and > 74.5%, respectively. The outcome of the experiments showcased that the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of the OPKS-AC towards urea was 239.68 mg/g. OPKS-AC has showed promising attributes to be picked as an organic framework in the production of controlled release urea fertiliser for a greener and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
A series of fibrous aminated adsorbents for CO2 adsorption were prepared by covalent incorporation of poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) by graft copolymerization of GMA onto electron beam (EB) irradiated polyethylenepolypropylene (PE/PP) fibrous sheets and subsequent amination with ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), or tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The physico-chemical properties of the adsorbents were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. All the adsorbents displayed typic primary and secondary amine features combined with a decrease in both of crystallinity and surface area of PE/PP, and such a decrease was higher in adsorbents with longer aliphatic chain of the amine. Of all adsorbents, TEPA-containing fibres showed the highest CO2 adsorption capacity and thus was further investigated for CO2 capture from CO2/CH4 mixtures of different gas ratios under various pressures and temperatures. The selectivity of CO2 over CH4 and equilibrium isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics of the adsorption on the fibrous aminated adsorbent were all investigated. The Sips model was found to best fit the isotherm of CO2 adsorption suggesting the presence of a combination of monolayer and multilayer adsorptions. The adsorption kinetic data was found to best fit Elovich model reflecting chemisorption. The ΔG°, ΔS°, and ΔH° showed positive values suggesting that the adsorption of CO2 on the present fibrous adsorbent was non-spontaneous with an increase in randomness implying that the process was endothermic. Overall, it can be suggested that PE/PP-g-PGMA/TEPA adsorbent has a strong potential for separation of CO2 from NG.
The current study reports the synthesis of sustainable nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) using a wet chemical precipitation approach. The materials used in the green synthesis of nHAp were obtained from environmental biowastes such as HAp from eggshells and pectin from banana peels. The physicochemical characterization of obtained nHAp was carried out using different techniques. For instance, X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy were used to study the crystallinity and synthesis of nHAp respectively. In addition, the morphology and elemental composition of nHAP were studied using FESEM equipped with EDX. HRTEM showed the internal structure of nHAP and calculated its grain size which was 64 nm. Furthermore, the prepared nHAp was explored for its antibacterial and antibiofilm activity which has received less attention previously. The obtained results showed the potential of pectin-bound nHAp as an antibacterial agent for various biomedical and healthcare applications.
The potential of Hylocereus polyrhizus peel (HPP) as a new eco-friendly reinforcement for thermoplastic sago starch/agar composite (TPSS/agar) was investigated. The integration of HPP into TPSS/agar composite aimed to enhance its mechanical and thermal characteristics. The study employed Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), as well as mechanical, physical properties and soil burial testing to analyse the composites. The results showed a favourable miscibility between the matrix and filler, while at higher concentrations of HPP, the starch granules became more visible. The tensile and impact properties of the composites improved significantly after incorporating HPP at 20 wt%, with values of 12.73 MPa and 1.87 kJ/m2, respectively. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and initial decomposition temperature (Ton) decreased with the addition of HPP. The density of the composites reduced from 1.51 ± 0.01 to 1.26 ± 0.01 g/cm3 as the HPP amount increased. The environmental properties indicated that the composites can be composted, with weight loss accelerating from 35 to 60 % and 61 to 91 % by the addition of HPP in 2- and 4-weeks' time, respectively. The study demonstrates the potential of TPSS/agar/HPP composites as eco-friendly materials for various applications.
Spaceflight represents a complex environmental condition. Space mutagenesis breeding has achieved and marked certain results over the years. This method was employed in our previous studies in order to obtain improved germplasm of Isatis indigotica. This study is to determine the chemical changes in I. indigotica seeds carried after Chinese first spaceship (Shenzhou I). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), second derivative and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) correlation spectroscopy were used in analysis. Not much differences between the two spectra were found except the peaks in the range of 1500-1200 cm(-)(1) which was about 7 cm(-)(1) different and indicated the absorption could be initialed from different bonds. SP4 showed different derivative compared with C4 in the second derivative spectra of 1200-800 cm(-)(1). The stronger signal of 2DIR in SP4 indicated the protein content of the seed was changed after spaceflight. It is concluded that spaceflight provided an extreme condition that caused changes of chemical properties in I. indigotica.
This study explores the potential of crude lignin, extracted from coir fibers, an agricultural byproduct, as a sustainable filler in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biodegradable blends. To enhance compatibility with the PHBV matrix, lignin was chemically modified using acetic anhydride (AL) and propionic anhydride (PL). These modifications were confirmed through FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and TGA analyses. The blends were prepared via melt compounding in a twin-screw extruder, followed by compression molding, with lignin microfillers incorporated at 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt% of dried PHBV. The addition of modified lignins improved the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the blends, with the optimal performance observed at 5 wt%, attributed to enhanced interfacial bonding. Two-way ANOVA with Tukey tests (p ≤ 0.05) confirmed statistical significance. However, at 7 wt%, all blends exhibited reduced performance due to lignin agglomeration, confirmed by morphology and tensile tests. Both modifications provided desirable multi-functional properties, but propionylated lignin-based blends outperformed those with acetylated and raw lignins, due to more effective substitution of non-polar groups, which improved filler-matrix miscibility. Fracture surface analysis, topography, and thermal evaluations validated these observations. These findings highlight chemically modified lignins, as effective, sustainable fillers for eco-friendly biopolymer composites suitable for packaging applications.
In this study, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been assembled with poly(1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (P(VP-co-VAc)) gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) which have been incorporated with binary salt and an ionic liquid. The potential of this combination was studied and reported. The binary salt system GPEs was having ionic conductivity and power conversion efficiency (PCE) that could reach up to 1.90 × 10(-3) S cm(-1) and 5.53%, respectively. Interestingly, upon the addition of the ionic liquid, MPII into the binary salt system the ionic conductivity and PCE had risen steadily up to 4.09 × 10(-3) S cm(-1) and 5.94%, respectively. In order to know more about this phenomenon, the electrochemical impedance studies (EIS) of the GPE samples have been done and reported. Fourier transform infrared studies (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) have also been studied to understand more on the structural and thermal properties of the GPEs. The Nyquist plot and Bodes plot studies have been done in order to understand the electrochemical properties of the GPE based DSSCs and Tafel polarization studies were done to determine the electrocatalytic activity of the GPE samples.
The study reports on the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from wastepaper, as an environmental friendly approach of source material, which can be a high availability and low-cost precursor for cellulose nanomaterial processing. Alkali and bleaching treatments were employed for the extraction of cellulose particles followed by controlled-conditions of acid hydrolysis for the isolation of CNCs. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the cellulose particles extracted while Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed the presence of CNCs. The diameters of CNCs are in the range of 3-10nm with a length of 100-300nm while a crystallinity index of 75.9% was determined from X-ray diffraction analysis. The synthesis of this high aspect ratio of CNCs paves the way toward alternative reuse of wastepaper in the production of CNCs.
The present study investigates the chemical composition, solubility, and physical and mechanical properties of carbonate hydroxyapatite (CO3Ap) and silicon-substituted carbonate hydroxyapatite (Si-CO3Ap) which have been prepared by a simple precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques were used to characterize the formation of CO3Ap and Si-CO3Ap. The results revealed that the silicate (SiO4(4-)) and carbonate (CO3(2-)) ions competed to occupy the phosphate (PO4(3-)) site and also entered simultaneously into the hydroxyapatite structure. The Si-substituted CO3Ap reduced the powder crystallinity and promoted ion release which resulted in a better solubility compared to that of Si-free CO3Ap. The mean particle size of Si-CO3Ap was much finer than that of CO3Ap. At 750°C heat-treatment temperature, the diametral tensile strengths (DTS) of Si-CO3Ap and CO3Ap were about 10.8 ± 0.3 and 11.8 ± 0.4 MPa, respectively.
The structure of 2-acetyl-5-chlorothiophene (ACT) has been characterized by FT-IR, Raman and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The isomers, optimized geometric parameters, normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of ACT (C6H5ClOS) have been examined by the density functional theory, with the Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr functional and the 6-311+G(3df,p) basis set. Reliable vibrational assignments have been investigated by the potential energy distribution analysis. ACT crystallizes in monoclinic space group C2/c with the O,S-cis isomer. There is a good agreement between the theoretically predicted structural parameters and vibrational frequencies and those obtained experimentally.
In this study, oil palm mesocarp fiber (OPMF) was treated with superheated steam (SHS) in order to modify its characteristics for biocomposite applications. Treatment was conducted at temperatures 190-230 °C for 1, 2 and 3 h. SHS-treated OPMF was evaluated for its chemical composition, thermal stability, morphology and crystallinity. OPMF treated at 230 °C exhibited lower hemicellulose content (9%) compared to the untreated OPMF (33%). Improved thermal stability of OPMF was found after the SHS treatment. Moreover, SEM and ICP analyses of SHS-treated OPMF showed that silica bodies were removed from OPMF after the SHS treatment. XRD results exhibited that OPMF crystallinity increased after SHS treatment, indicating tougher fiber properties. Hemicellulose removal makes the fiber surface more hydrophobic, whereby silica removal increases the surface roughness of the fiber. Overall, the results obtained herewith suggested that SHS is an effective treatment method for surface modification and subsequently improving the characteristics of the natural fiber. Most importantly, the use of novel, eco-friendly SHS may contribute to the green and sustainable treatment for surface modification of natural fiber.
A series of binary tellurite based glasses (Bi(2)O(3))(x) (TeO(2))(100-) (x) was prepared by melt quenching method. The density, molar volume and refractive index increase when bismuth ions Bi(3+) increase, this is due to the increased polarization of the ions Bi(3+) and the enhanced formation of non-bridging oxygen (NBO). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show the bonding of the glass sample and the optical band gap, E(opt) decreases while the refractive index increases when the ion Bi(3+) content increases.
This paper reports a computational approach for analysis of FTIR spectra where peaks are detected, assigned and matched across samples to produce a peak table with rows corresponding to samples and columns to variables. The algorithm is applied on a dataset of 103 spectra of a broad range of edible oils for exploratory analysis and variable selection using Self Organising Maps (SOMs) and t-statistics, respectively. Analysis on the resultant peak table allows the underlying patterns and the discriminatory variables to be revealed. The algorithm is user-friendly; it involves a minimal number of tunable parameters and would be useful for analysis of a large and complicated FTIR dataset.
Crying is the most noticeable behavior of infancy. Infant cry signals can be used to identify physical or psychological status of an infant. Recently, acoustic analysis of infant cry signal has shown promising results and it has been proven to be an excellent tool to investigate the pathological status of an infant. This paper proposes short-time Fourier transform (STFT) based time-frequency analysis of infant cry signals. Few statistical features are derived from the time-frequency plot of infant cry signals and used as features to quantify infant cry signals. General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) is employed as a classifier for discriminating infant cry signals. Two classes of infant cry signals are considered such as normal cry signals and pathological cry signals from deaf infants. To prove the reliability of the proposed features, two neural network models such as Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Time-Delay Neural Network (TDNN) trained by scaled conjugate gradient algorithm are also used as classifiers. The experimental results show that the GRNN classifier gives very promising classification accuracy compared to MLP and TDNN and the proposed method can effectively classify normal and pathological infant cries.
The objective of the present investigation was to study the effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the in vitro dissolution of aceclofenac (AF) from molecular inclusion complexes. Aceclofenac molecular inclusion complexes in 1:1 and 1:2 M ratio were prepared using a kneading method. The in vitro dissolution of pure drug, physical mixtures, and cyclodextrin inclusion complexes was carried out. Molecular inclusion complexes of AF with β-CD showed a considerable increase in the dissolution rate in comparison with the physical mixture and pure drug in 0.1 N HCl, pH 1.2, and phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. Inclusion complexes with a 1:2 M ratio showed the maximum dissolution rate in comparison to other ratios. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry studies indicated no interaction between AF and β-CD in complexes in solid state. Molecular modeling results indicated the relative energetic stability of the β-CD dimer-AF complex as compared to β-CD monomer-AF. Dissolution enhancement was attributed to the formation of water soluble inclusion complexes with β-CD. The in vitro release from all the formulations was best described by first-order kinetics (R(2) = 0.9826 and 0.9938 in 0.1 N HCl and phosphate buffer, respectively) followed by the Higuchi release model (R(2) = 0.9542 and 0.9686 in 0.1 N HCl and phosphate buffer, respectively). In conclusion, the dissolution of AF can be enhanced by the use of a hydrophilic carrier like β-CD.
Fatty amides have been successfully synthesized from palm olein and urea by a one-step lipase catalyzed reaction. The use of immobilized lipase as the catalyst for the preparation reaction provides an easy isolation of the enzyme from the products and other components in the reaction mixture. The fatty amides were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) technique and elemental analysis. The highest conversion percentage (96%) was obtained when the process was carried out for 36 hours using urea to palm oil ratio of 5.2: 1.0 at 40 degrees C. The method employed offers several advantages such as renewable and abundant of the raw material, simple reaction procedure, environmentally friendly process and high yield of the product.