scholarly journals A Simple Low-Cost Method to Prepare Lignocellulose-Based Composites for Efficient Removal of Cd(II) from Wastewater

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Wen ◽  
Yong Ji ◽  
Shifeng Zhang ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Gaotang Cai

The fabrication of functional lignocellulose-based materials has drawn considerable attention because it acts as a green separation/absorption material owing to its multi-porous mesostructure. In this study, a surface functionalized lignocellulose-based adsorbent for the highly efficient capture of Cd(II) ions was prepared through facile in situ co-deposition of wood waste-derived saw powder (SP) in the presence of tannic acid (TA) and aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) mixed aqueous solution. The SP was first modified using TA-APTES coating to synthesize the functional SP substrate (SP-(TA-APTES)). The SP-(TA-APTES) hybrids served as reactive platforms, which enabled further decoration with amino-rich polyethylenimine (PEI) due to the outstanding secondary reactions of the TA-APTES layer. The surface morphology of the resulting SP-(TA-APTES)-PEI (SP-TAPI) composites were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Significantly, the combined advantages of the lignocellulosic skeleton, the layer-particle structure, and the hybrid coating contributed to the enhanced adsorption capacity of Cd(II) (up to 22.66 mg/g at pH = 5.0). This removal capacity was higher than that of most reported agricultural waste-based or lignocellulose-based materials. The Cd(II) adsorption mechanism of the surface-modified SP-TAPI composites was studied in detail. These results provide new insights into the high value-added utilization of agricultural waste for water purification applications.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Zequine ◽  
Fangzhou Wang ◽  
Xianglin Li ◽  
Deepa Guragain ◽  
S.R. Mishra ◽  
...  

The urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is a possible solution to solve the world’s energy crisis. Fuel cells have been used in the UOR to generate hydrogen with a lower potential compared to water splitting, decreasing the costs of energy production. Urea is abundantly present in agricultural waste and in industrial and human wastewater. Besides generating hydrogen, this reaction provides a pathway to eliminate urea, which is a hazard in the environment and to people’s health. In this study, nanosheets of CuCo2O4 grown on nickel foam were synthesized as an electrocatalyst for urea oxidation to generate hydrogen as a green fuel. The synthesized electrocatalyst was characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electroactivity of CuCo2O4 towards the oxidation of urea in alkaline solution was evaluated using electrochemical measurements. Nanosheets of CuCo2O4 grown on nickel foam required the potential of 1.36 V in 1 M KOH with 0.33 M urea to deliver a current density of 10 mA/cm2. The CuCo2O4 electrode was electrochemically stable for over 15 h of continuous measurements. The high catalytic activities for the hydrogen evolution reaction make the CuCo2O4 electrode a bifunctional catalyst and a promising electroactive material for hydrogen production. The two-electrode electrolyzer demanded a potential of 1.45 V, which was 260 mV less than that for the urea-free counterpart. Our study suggests that the CuCo2O4 electrode can be a promising material as an efficient UOR catalyst for fuel cells to generate hydrogen at a low cost.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Lv

The removal efficiency and mechanism of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution on semi-decomposed maize straw biochars pyrolyzed at 300 to 600 °C were investigated. The removal of Cr(VI) by the biochars decreased with pyrolysis temperature increasing from 300 to 600 °C, and the maximum removal capacity of Cr(VI) for maize straw biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C was 91 mg/g at pH 2.0. The percentage removal of Cr(VI) rapidly decreased with pH increasing from 2.0 to 8.0, with the maximum (>99.9%) at pH 2.0. The variation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) concentrations in the solution after reaction showed that Cr(VI) concentration decreased while Cr(III) increased and the equilibrium was reached after 48 h, while the redox potential after reaction decreased due to Cr(VI) reduction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) semi-quantitative analysis showed that Cr(III) accounted for 75.7% of the total Cr bound to maize straw biochar, which indicated reductive adsorption was responsible for Cr(VI) removal by the biochars. Cr(VI) was firstly adsorbed onto the positively charged biochar surface and reduced to Cr(III) by electrons provided by oxygen-containing functional groups (e.g., C=O), and subsequently part of the converted Cr(III) remained on the biochar surface and the rest released into solution. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) data indicated the participation of C=O, Si–O, –CH2 and –CH3 groups in Cr(VI) removal by the biochars. This study showed that maize straw biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 2 h was one low-cost and efficient adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution.


Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1641
Author(s):  
Lorena Alcaraz ◽  
Dayana Nathaly Saquinga ◽  
Floralba López ◽  
Lola De Lima ◽  
Francisco J. Alguacil ◽  
...  

The preparation of a low-cost cellulose-based bioadsorbent from cellulosic material extracted from rose stems (CRS) was carried out; rose stems are considered agricultural waste. After the required pretreatment of this waste and further treatment with an acidic mixture of acetic and nitric acids, the CRS product was produced. The resulting bioadsorbent was characterized by several techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, which revealed diffraction maxima related to the cellulose structure, whose calculated crystallinity index (CrI) was 75%. In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) showed signs of acetylation of the sample. The thermal properties of the solid were also evaluated through Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed cellulose fibers before and after the adsorption process, and some particles with irregular shapes were also observed. The CRS bioadsorbent was used for the effective adsorption of valuable Tb(III) from an aqueous solution. The adsorption data showed a good fit to the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models; however, chemisorption was not ruled out. Finally, desorption experiments revealed the recovery of terbium ions with an efficiency of 97% from the terbium-loaded bioadsorbent.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 581
Author(s):  
Gajanan S. Ghodake ◽  
Surendra K. Shinde ◽  
Ganesh D. Saratale ◽  
Rijuta G. Saratale ◽  
Min Kim ◽  
...  

The utilization of waste-paper-biomass for extraction of important α-cellulose biopolymer, and modification of extracted α-cellulose for application in enzyme immobilization can be extremely vital for green circular bio-economy. Thus, in this study, α-cellulose fibers were super-magnetized (Fe3O4), grafted with chitosan (CTNs), and thiol (-SH) modified for laccase immobilization. The developed material was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), HR-TEM energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses. Laccase immobilized on α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs (α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase) gave significant activity recovery (99.16%) and laccase loading potential (169.36 mg/g). The α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase displayed excellent stabilities for temperature, pH, and storage time. The α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase applied in repeated cycles shown remarkable consistency of activity retention for 10 cycles. After the 10th cycle, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs possessed 80.65% relative activity. Furthermore, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase shown excellent degradation of pharmaceutical contaminant sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The SMX degradation by α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase was found optimum at incubation time (20 h), pH (3), temperatures (30 °C), and shaking conditions (200 rpm). Finally, α-Cellulose-Fe3O4-CTNs-Laccase gave repeated degradation of SMX. Thus, this study presents a novel, waste-derived, highly capable, and super-magnetic nanocomposite for enzyme immobilization applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4433
Author(s):  
Eun Sung Lee ◽  
Byung Seok Cha ◽  
Seokjoon Kim ◽  
Ki Soo Park

In recent years, fluorescent metal nanoclusters have been used to develop bioimaging and sensing technology. Notably, protein-templated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are attracting interest due to their excellent fluorescence properties and biocompatibility. Herein, we used an exosome template to synthesize AuNCs in an eco-friendly manner that required neither harsh conditions nor toxic chemicals. Specifically, we used a neutral (pH 7) and alkaline (pH 11.5) pH to synthesize two different exosome-based AuNCs (exo-AuNCs) with independent blue and red emission. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrated that AuNCs were successfully formed in the exosomes. Red-emitting exo-AuNCs were found to have a larger Stokes shift and a stronger fluorescence intensity than the blue-emitting exo-AuNCs. Both exo-AuNCs were compatible with MCF-7 (human breast cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer), and HT29 (human colon cancer) cells, although blue-emitting exo-AuNCs were cytotoxic at high concentrations (≥5 mg/mL). Red-emitting exo-AuNCs successfully stained the nucleus and were compatible with membrane-staining dyes. This is the first study to use exosomes to synthesize fluorescent nanomaterials for cellular imaging applications. As exosomes are naturally produced via secretion from almost all types of cell, the proposed method could serve as a strategy for low-cost production of versatile nanomaterials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-184
Author(s):  
A. Yu. Teterin ◽  
Yu. A. Teterin ◽  
K. Yu. Maslakov ◽  
E. N. Murav’ev ◽  
V. F. Solinov ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Abdul Kaiyum ◽  
Naim Ahmed ◽  
Arif Alam ◽  
M Shamimur Rahman

Abstract Yttrium (Y) doped and pure Titanium Di-oxide (TiO2) thin films were prepared by using spin coater. The coater was set up in laboratory with low cost investment. The films were calcined at 450 °C for 1 hour. For characterization, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were carried out. LCR Bridge - GW Instek LCR-821 was used for gas sensing applications. XPS showed that the change of electronic structure due to Y doping. SEM and AFM analysis were carried out to determine the surface morphology of the films. Yttrium (Y) decreased the crystallite size of the films and increased the surface roughness and porosity value, which was very good for many sensing applications. Gas sensing property of the deposited films were improved by the incorporation of yttrium impurities and the sensing property improved almost two times than pure TiO2 thin film. Different researches have been done their research related to this topic but no one researchers provide a precise explanation of their results, authors of this research have tried to do that. Moreover the films were prepared by a simple spin coater to reduce the production cost also.


Author(s):  
Abhinav Shandilya ◽  
Ayush Gupta ◽  
Deepak Verma

The growing awareness about sustainable development, environmental ecology and new legislations has led researchers to focus attention on bio fibres reinforced composites. In this field research has been done on many fibres but fibres such as banana, coir, bagasse, jute have gained importance in the recent decades. The main advantage of the natural fibre based composites materials being their low cost, easy availability, low density, acceptable specific properties, ease of separation, enhanced energy recovery, C02 neutrality, biodegradability and recyclability in nature. The attention is being given to the development of natural fibre composites is to explore value-added application avenues for their use and also for a sustainable and economical use of easily available natural material in hand. Agricultural waste is a very good example of such naturally available material and it can also be used to prepare composite materials for commercial use this has a very significant advantage over other natural fibres as its abundance and because of almost no cost.


Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 2817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zhan ◽  
Lei Xiong ◽  
Fang Liu ◽  
Chenying Li

In this study, we proposed a novel and facile method to modify the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles and investigated the influence of the surface-modified TiO2 nanoparticles as an additive in a polyurethane (PU) coating. The hyperbranched polymers (HBP) were grafted on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles via the thiol-yne click chemistry to reduce the aggregation of nanoparticles and increase the interaction between TiO2 and polymer matrices. The grafting of HBP on the TiO2 nanoparticles surface was investigated by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The thermal and mechanical properties of nanocomposite coatings containing various amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles were measured by dynamic mechanical thermal (DMTA) and tensile strength measurement. Moreover, the surface structure and properties of the newly prepared nanocomposite coatings were examined. The experimental results demonstrate that the incorporation of the surface-modified TiO2 nanoparticles can improve the mechanical and thermal properties of nanocomposite coatings. The results also reveal that the surface modification of TiO2 with the HBP chains improves the nanoparticle dispersion, and the coating surface shows a lotus leaf-like microstructure. Thus, the functional nanocomposite coatings exhibit superhydrophobic properties, good photocatalytic depollution performance, and high stripping resistance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3566
Author(s):  
Hyo Kyeong Kim ◽  
Sun-Wook Jeong ◽  
Jung Eun Yang ◽  
Yong Jun Choi

As concerns about public health and environmental problems regarding contamination by toxic substances increase worldwide, the development of a highly effective and specific treatment method is imperative. Although physicochemical arsenic treatment methods have been developed, microbial in vivo remediation processes using live cell fabricated nanoparticles have not yet been reported. Herein, we report the development of magnetic iron nanoparticles immobilized an extremophilic microorganism, Deinococcus radiodurans R1, capable of removing toxic arsenic species. First, in vivo synthesis of magnetic iron nanoparticles was successfully achieved with the D. radiodurans R1 strain and characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Second, the maximum removal capacity of the magnetic iron nanoparticle-immobilized D. radiodurans R1 strain (DR-FeNPs) for arsenic [As(V)] was evaluated under the optimized conditions. Finally, the removal capacity of DR-FeNPs in the presence of various competitive anions was also investigated to simulate the practical application. More than 98% of As(V) was efficiently removed by DR-FeNPs within 1 h, and the removal efficiency was stably maintained for up to 32 h (98.97%). Furthermore, the possibility of recovery of DR-FeNPs after use was also suggested using magnets as a proof-of-concept.


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