scholarly journals Facile Synthesis of Visible Light-Induced g-C3N4/Rectorite Composite for Efficient Photodegradation of Ciprofloxacin

Materials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiming Sun ◽  
Xiangwei Zhang ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
Xiongbo Dong ◽  
Jie Xu ◽  
...  

A novel kind of g-C3N4/rectorite composite with high visible-light photoactivity was developed via a mild and cost effective two-step process. Ciprofloxacin (CIP), a typical antibiotic, was applied to evaluate the photoactivity of the received catalysts. Furthermore, the by-products of CIP photodegradation were analyzed and the possible degradation pathways were also discussed. Compared with bare photocatalysts, the received composite possessed well reusability and higher photoactivity towards CIP. According to the characterization analysis results, layered g-C3N4 was successfully immobilized on layered rectorite, which could not only promote its adsorption capacity but also provide more reactive sites for CIP adsorption and photodegradation. Compared with bare g-C3N4, the photoactivity of the prepared composite was significantly enhanced. The enhancement should be mainly due to the lower recombination rate of photogenerated carriers and the improved adsorption capacity toward CIP. This study demonstrated that the obtained g-C3N4/rectorite composite should be a promising alternative material in wastewater treatment.

RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (77) ◽  
pp. 73522-73526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deyong Wu ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
Yuanbin Tan ◽  
Caolong Li

NiS/CdS nanocomposites with good visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity were successfully prepared via a facile two-step process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3238
Author(s):  
Min Liu ◽  
Guangxin Wang ◽  
Panpan Xu ◽  
Yanfeng Zhu ◽  
Wuhui Li

In this study, the Ag3PO4/SnO2 heterojunction on carbon cloth (Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC) was successfully fabricated via a facile two-step process. The results showed that the Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC heterojunction exhibited a remarkable photocatalytic performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB), under visible light irradiation. The calculated k values for the degradation of RhB and MB over Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC are 0.04716 min−1 and 0.04916 min−1, which are higher than those calculated for the reactions over Ag3PO4/SnO2, Ag3PO4/CC and SnO2/CC, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could mainly be attributed to the improved separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, after the formation of the Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC heterojunction. Moreover, carbon cloth with a large specific surface area and excellent conductivity was used as the substrate, which helped to increase the contact area of dye solution with photocatalysts and the rapid transfer of photogenerated electrons. Notably, when compared with the powder catalyst, the catalysts supported on carbon cloth are easier to quickly recycle from the pollutant solution, thereby reducing the probability of recontamination.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 801
Author(s):  
Maria Detopoulou ◽  
Agathi Ntzouvani ◽  
Filio Petsini ◽  
Labrini Gavriil ◽  
Εlizabeth Fragopoulou ◽  
...  

Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a proinflammatory lipid mediator, plays a crucial role in the formation of the atherosclerotic plaque. Therefore, the inhibition of endothelium inflammation by nutraceuticals, such as PAF inhibitors, is a promising alternative for preventing cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a new functional yogurt enriched with PAF inhibitors of natural origin from olive oil by-products on PAF metabolism. Ninety-two apparently healthy, but mainly overweight volunteers (35–65 years) were randomly allocated into three groups by block-randomization. The activities of PAF’s biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes were measured, specifically two isoforms of acetyl-CoA:lyso-PAF acetyltransferase (LPCATs), cytidine 5′-diphospho-choline:1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PAF-CPT) and two isoforms of platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase in leucocytes (PAF-AH) and plasma (lipoprotein associated phospholipase-A2, LpPLA2). The intake of the enriched yogurt resulted in reduced PAF-CPT and LpPLA2 activities. No difference was observed in the activities of the two isoforms of lyso PAF-AT. In conclusion, intake of yogurt enriched in PAF inhibitors could favorably modulate PAF biosynthetic and catabolic pathways.


Author(s):  
Yan Pan ◽  
Shining Li ◽  
Qianwu Chen ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Tao Cheng ◽  
...  

Stimulated by the dramatical service demand in the logistics industry, logistics trucks employed in last-mile parcel delivery bring critical public concerns, such as heavy cost burden, traffic congestion and air pollution. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are a promising alternative tool in last-mile delivery, which is however limited by insufficient flight range and load capacity. This paper presents an innovative energy-limited logistics UAV schedule approach using crowdsourced buses. Specifically, when one UAV delivers a parcel, it first lands on a crowdsourced social bus to parcel destination, gets recharged by the wireless recharger deployed on the bus, and then flies from the bus to the parcel destination. This novel approach not only increases the delivery range and load capacity of battery-limited UAVs, but is also much more cost-effective and environment-friendly than traditional methods. New challenges therefore emerge as the buses with spatiotemporal mobility become the bottleneck during delivery. By landing on buses, an Energy-Neutral Flight Principle and a delivery scheduling algorithm are proposed for the UAVs. Using the Energy-Neutral Flight Principle, each UAV can plan a flying path without depleting energy given buses with uncertain velocities. Besides, the delivery scheduling algorithm optimizes the delivery time and number of delivered parcels given warehouse location, logistics UAVs, parcel locations and buses. Comprehensive evaluations using a large-scale bus dataset demonstrate the superiority of the innovative logistics UAV schedule approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khee Chung Hui ◽  
Hazwani Suhaimi ◽  
Nonni Soraya Sambudi

Abstract Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is commonly used as a photocatalyst in the removal of organic pollutants. However, weaknesses of TiO2 such as fast charge recombination and low visible light usage limit its industrial application. Furthermore, photocatalysts that are lost during the treatment of pollutants create the problem of secondary pollutants. Electrospun-based TiO2 fiber is a promising alternative to immobilize TiO2 and to improve its performance in photodegradation. Some strategies have been employed in fabricating the photocatalytic fibers by producing hollow fibers, porous fibers, composite TiO2 with magnetic materials, graphene oxide, as well as doping TiO2 with metal. The modification of TiO2 can improve the absorption of TiO2 to the visible light area, act as an electron acceptor, provide large surface area, and promote the phase transformation of TiO2. The improvement of TiO2 properties can enhance carrier transfer rate which reduces the recombination and promotes the generation of radicals that potentially degrade organic pollutants. The recyclability of fibers, calcination effect, photocatalytic reactors used, operation parameters involved in photodegradation as well as the commercialization potential of TiO2 fibers are also discussed in this review.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4545
Author(s):  
Sudharsan Sadhasivam ◽  
Omer Barda ◽  
Varda Zakin ◽  
Ram Reifen ◽  
Edward Sionov

Patulin (PAT) and citrinin (CTN) are the most common mycotoxins produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus species and are often associated with fruits and fruit by-products. Hence, simple and reliable methods for monitoring these toxins in foodstuffs are required for regular quality assessment. In this study, we aimed to establish a cost-effective method for detection and quantification of PAT and CTN in pome fruits, such as apples and pears, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with spectroscopic detectors without the need for any clean-up steps. The method showed good performance in the analysis of these mycotoxins in apple and pear fruit samples with recovery ranges of 55–97% for PAT and 84–101% for CTN, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) of PAT and CTN in fruits were 0.006 µg/g and 0.001 µg/g, while their limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.018 µg/g and 0.003 µg/g, respectively. The present findings indicate that the newly developed HPLC method provides rapid and accurate detection of PAT and CTN in fruits.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haihui Yu ◽  
Bing Wei ◽  
Junping Wang ◽  
Sai Zeng ◽  
Haiqi Zhao ◽  
...  

A novel type of photocatalyst SiW12/α-Fe2O3 created by combining SiW12 NPs and α-Fe2O3 nanorings was synthesized through “step to step” method. The structure, composition, morphology and the interaction between SiW12...


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1814
Author(s):  
Min Seong Kim ◽  
Sean Seungwon Lee

Drill and blast is the most cost-effective excavation method for underground construction, however, vibration and noise, induced by blasting, have been consistently reported as problems. Cut blasting has been widely employed to reduce the blast-induced problems during underground excavation. We propose that the large hole boring method using the state-of-the-art MSP (Multi-setting smart-investigation of the ground and pre-large hole boring) machine (“MSP method”) can efficiently improve vibration reduction. The MSP machine will be used to create 382 mm diameter empty holes at the tunnel cut area for this purpose. This study assessed the efficiency of the MSP method in reducing blast-induced vibration in five blasting patterns using a cylinder-cut, which is a traditional cut blasting method. The controlled blasting patterns using the MSP method demonstrated up to 72% reduction in blast-induced vibration, compared to the base case, Pattern B, where only cylinder-cut and smooth blasting method were applied. Therefore, the MSP method proves to be a promising alternative for blasting in sensitive urban areas where non-vibration excavation techniques were initially considered. Geological characteristics of 50 m beyond the excavation face can be acquired through the proposed real-time boring data monitoring system together with a borehole alignment tracking and ground exploration system. The obtained geological information will be a great help in preparing alternative designs, and scheduling of construction equipment and labour during the tunnel construction.


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