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Three-dimensional (3D) extrusion-based bioprinting is widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to create cell-incorporated constructs or scaffolds based on the extrusion technique. One critical issue in 3D extrusion-based bioprinting is printability or the capability to form and maintain reproducible 3D scaffolds from bioink (a mixture of biomaterials and cells). Research shows that printability can be affected by many factors or parameters, including those associated with the bioink, printing process, and scaffold design, but these are far from certain. This review highlights recent developments in the printability assessment of extrusion-based bioprinting with a focus on the definition of printability, printability measurements and characterization, and printability-affecting factors. Key issues and challenges related to printability are also identified and discussed, along with approaches or strategies for improving printability in extrusion-based bioprinting., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Focusing on one of the critical challenges in 3D bioprinting called “printability”. • Investigating factors, including those associated with bioink, printing process, and scaffold design affecting printability. • Highlights the recent development in the discovery of printability for the extrusion bioprinting. • Providing a systematic review on “how printability is measured and characterized”. • Identifying key challenges in the printability discovery.

Graphic abstract Sunscreen safety and efficacy is generally evaluated based upon the properties of the individual chemicals in a formulation. However, the photostability of sunscreens has been shown to be highly dependent on the mixture of chemicals present. To better understand how sunscreen formulation influences stability, and to establish a foundation for probing the influence of zinc oxide additives, we formulated five different small-molecule based ultraviolet-filter (UV-filter) mixtures with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15. These mixtures contained active ingredients approved in either the United States or European Union and were designed to represent formulations of actual products on the market. We evaluated the photostability and toxicity of these mixtures in the absence and presence of zinc oxide after UV exposure for two hours. Changes in UV absorbance were minimal for all five small-molecule-based mixtures without zinc oxide. The presence of either micro- or nano-sized zinc oxide caused significant small-molecule photodegradation and the degraded mixtures exhibited higher levels of toxicity in embryonic zebrafish assays. This study suggests that caution must be taken when formulating sunscreens containing both zinc oxide and small-molecule UV-filters to avoid unintended consequences during use. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43630-021-00101-2.

Vine tea has been used as an herbal tea by several ethnic minorities for hundreds of years in China. Flavonoids, a kind of indispensable component in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, are identified to be the major metabolites and bioactive ingredients in vine tea. Interestingly, vine tea exhibits a wide range of significant bioactivities including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antidiabetic, neuroprotective and other activities, but no toxicity. These bioactivities, to some extent, enrich the understanding about the role of vine tea in disease prevention and therapy. The health benefits of vine tea, particularly dihydromyricetin and myricetin, are widely investigated. However, there is currently no comprehensive review available on vine tea. Therefore, this report summarizes the most recent studies investigating bioactive constituents, pharmacological effects and possible mechanisms of vine tea, which will provide a better understanding about the health benefits and preclinical assessment of novel application of vine tea., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Vine tea has been consumed as a folk herbal tea for hundreds of years. • Flavonoids were the major bioactive ingredients in vine tea. • Dihydromyricetin and myricetin are major bioactives in vine tea. • Vine tea exhibits a wide range of significant bioactivities. • Vine tea may be a potential, functional herbal tea.

Until today, most wool and cotton fabrics are dyed with synthetic dyes such as reactive, acid, etc. which are generally non-environmentally friendly. In this study, wool and cotton fabrics were dyed using as a bio-based dye Beta Vulgaris L. The dyeing experiments were performed both without using chemicals and using metal salts such as iron, tin, chrome, zinc, alum and copper to increase the dyeing strength. The SEM and the FTIR data of the fabrics were collected and evaluated at the end of the trials. At the same time, dyed fabric's color efficiencies (K/S) and CIE L*a*b* color values were measured on a reflectance spectrophotometer. Moreover, the color fastness properties of all dyed samples such as washing, rubbing, light were also tested. The results are satisfactory. The dyeing and test results showed that the performance of dyeability of the cotton and wool fabrics with Beta Vulgaris L. could be greatly influenced by the used mordant and its application method.

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is performed to analyse the microstructural state of a reference CuCrZr material with carefully controlled heat treatments, small-scale manufacturing mock-ups of assemblies and high-heat-flux-exposed mock-ups. The work demonstrates that SANS can be used for millimetre-scale analysis of small engineering components with minimal surface preparation., Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is performed to analyse the microstructural state of a reference CuCrZr material with carefully controlled heat treatments, small-scale manufacturing mock-ups of assemblies and high-heat-flux-exposed mock-ups for fusion reactor components. The information derived from the SANS data corresponds well to existing literature data based on microscopic-scale techniques, but is obtained at millimetre scale with minimal surface preparation. The manufacturing method and high-heat-flux testing conditions are confirmed to have little impact on the microstructural properties, demonstrating the validity of these treatments for scaled-up reactor components.

This article focuses on the challenges of hit finding and data reduction in serial crystallography (SX). An effective and reliable Bragg-peak-finding method, called robust peak finder (RPF), has been developed. RPF is based on the principle of robust statistics and can be used for SX data analysis., A peak-finding algorithm for serial crystallography (SX) data analysis based on the principle of ‘robust statistics’ has been developed. Methods which are statistically robust are generally more insensitive to any departures from model assumptions and are particularly effective when analysing mixtures of probability distributions. For example, these methods enable the discretization of data into a group comprising inliers (i.e. the background noise) and another group comprising outliers (i.e. Bragg peaks). Our robust statistics algorithm has two key advantages, which are demonstrated through testing using multiple SX data sets. First, it is relatively insensitive to the exact value of the input parameters and hence requires minimal optimization. This is critical for the algorithm to be able to run unsupervised, allowing for automated selection or ‘vetoing’ of SX diffraction data. Secondly, the processing of individual diffraction patterns can be easily parallelized. This means that it can analyse data from multiple detector modules simultaneously, making it ideally suited to real-time data processing. These characteristics mean that the robust peak finder (RPF) algorithm will be particularly beneficial for the new class of MHz X-ray free-electron laser sources, which generate large amounts of data in a short period of time.

A computational method that directly translates the scattering peak information to crystalline domain shapes and orientations is presented. The method is demonstrated at a synchrotron beamline with a standard X-ray scattering setup., Characterization of thin films is of paramount importance for evaluating material processing outcomes/efficiency as well as establishing structure–property/performance relationships. This article introduces grazing-incidence diffraction tomography (GID tomography), a technique that combines grazing-incidence X-ray scattering and computed tomography to quantitatively determine the dimension and orientation of crystalline domains in thin films without restrictions on the beam coherence, substrate type or film thickness. This computational method extends the capability of synchrotron beamlines by utilizing standard X-ray scattering experiment setups.

Graphic abstract The interaction of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with the immune system has not yet been sufficiently elucidated even though they belong to the most investigated and exploited group of nanomaterials. This study aimed to evaluate immunomodulatory effect of four different AgNPs on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs). Fresh hPBMCs were exposed to the small sized (~ 10 nm) AgNPs immediately after isolation from the whole blood of healthy volunteers. The study considered coating-, time- and dose-dependent response of hPBMSc and stimulation of both early and intermediate activation of lymphocytes and monocytes using flow cytometry. The AgNPs differed in surface charge and were stabilised with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), poly-L-lysine (PLL), bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium (AOT) or blood serum albumin (BSA). Response of hPBMCs to coating agents and ionic Ag form was evaluated to distinguish their effect from the AgNPs action as they may be released from the nanosurface. There was no significant effect of any tested AgNPs on relative count of hPBMCs subpopulations. The T-cells and monocytes were not activated after treatment with AgNPs, but the highest concentration of PLL- and BSA-AgNPs decreased density of CD4 and CD8 markers on T-helper and T-cytotoxic cells, respectively. The same AgNPs activated B- and NK-cells. Ionic Ag activated T-, B- and NK-cells, but at very higher concentration, whereas only PLL exhibited immunomodulatory activity. This study evidenced immunomodulatory activity of AgNPs that may be fine-tuned by the design of their surface functionalization. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00775-021-01898-0.

Soil in situ remediation, such as washing, always produces much sludge that has the characteristics of a high fine particle proportion, high moisture content, and high metal content. Problems such ...

In light of the intriguing potential of anti-angiogenic approach in suppressing choroidal neovascularization, we attempted to elaborate synthetic gene delivery systems encapsulating anti-angiogenic plasmid DNA as alternatives of clinical antibody-based therapeutics. Herein, block copolymer of cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lysine-thiol) [RGD-PEG-PLys(thiol)] with multifunctional components was tailored in manufacture of core-shell DNA delivery nanoparticulates. Note that the polycationic PLys segments were electrostatically complexed with anionic plasmid DNA into nanoscaled core, and the tethered biocompatible PEG segments presented as the spatial shell (minimizing non-specific reactions in biological milieu). Furthermore, the aforementioned self-assembly was introduced with redox-responsive disulfide crosslinking due to the thiol coupling. Hence, reversible stabilities, namely stable in extracellular milieu but susceptible to disassemble for liberation of the DNA payloads in intracellular reducing microenvironment, were verified to facilitate transcellular gene transportation. In addition, RGD was installed onto the surface of the proposed self-assemblies with aim of targeted accumulation and internalization into angiogenic endothelial cells given that RGD receptors were specifically overexpressed on their cytomembrane surface. The proposed anti-angiogenic DNA therapeutics were validated to exert efficient expression of anti-angiogenic proteins in endothelial cells and elicit potent inhibition of ocular neovasculature post intravitreous administration. Hence, the present study approved the potential of gene therapy in treatment of choroidal neovascularization. In light of sustainable gene expression properties of DNA therapeutics, our proposed synthetic gene delivery system inspired prosperous potentials in long-term treatment of choroidal neovascularization, which should be emphasized to develop further towards clinical translations., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

Decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by converting to higher-valued product has become of interest. Hydrogen (H2) is an important feedstock required in thermochemical conversion of CO2 to chemicals such as methanol. The cost and availability of H2 affect the cost of CO2 conversion. This study is focused on the process simulation of H2 production from ethanol feedstock. Steam reforming of ethanol is compared with dehydrogenation of ethanol to H2 with valued products including ethyl acetate and acetaldehyde. Form this study, steam reforming of ethanol presents the lowest cost of H2 production at 1.58 USD/kg H2 while dehydrogenation of ethanol presents the cost at 3.24 and 1.97 USD/kg H2, respectively. Although presenting the lowest cost, steam reforming of ethanol provides a net positive CO2 emission in the overall CO2 conversion to methanol process. In contrast, ethanol dehydrogenation to H2 and byproducts, ethyl acetate and acetaldehyde, promotes a net negative CO2 emission of −819.20 kg/ton methanol and −5.42 kg/ton methanol, respectively. The results present a decreasing CO2 emission with an increasing cost of H2 production.

Coated microneedles (MNs) are widely used for delivering biopharmaceuticals. In this study, a novel gel encapsulated coated MNs (GEC-MNs) was developed. The water-soluble drug coating was encapsulated with sodium alginate (SA) in situ complexation gel. The manufacturing process of GEC-MNs was optimized for mass production. Compared to the water-soluble coated MNs (72.02% ± 11.49%), the drug delivery efficiency of the optimized GEC-MNs (88.42% ± 6.72%) was steadily increased, and this improvement was investigated through in vitro drug release. The sustained-release of BSA was observed in vitro permeation through the skin. The rhIFNα-1b GEC-MNs was confirmed to achieve biosafety and 6-month storage stability. Pharmacokinetics of rhIFNα-1b in GEC-MNs showed a linearly dose-dependent relationship. The AUC of rhIFNα-1b in GEC-MNs (4.51 ng/ml·h) was bioequivalent to the intradermal (ID) injection (5.36 ng/ml·h) and significantly higher than water-soluble coated MNs (3.12 ng/ml·h). The rhIFNα-1b elimination half-life of GEC-MNs, soluble coated MNs, and ID injection was 18.16, 1.44, and 2.53 h, respectively. The complexation-based GEC-MNs have proved to be more efficient, stable, and achieve the sustained-release of water-soluble drug in coating MNs, constituting a high value to biopharmaceutical., Graphical abstract In the coated microneedle produced by the layer-by-layer coating method, the water-soluble drug-containing coating is encapsulated by the complexation-based gel (GEC-MNs). After GEC-MNs are applied to the skin, the release rate of the drug is reduced by the outer layer of the gel. The pharmacokinetic results of rh-IFNα-1b showed that compared with intradermal injection and water-soluble coated microneedles, the sustained release was achieved in GEC-MNs.Image, graphical abstract

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a wastewater effluent that is generated from palm oil milling. Treatment of POME, especially using biological treatment methods, is a challenge as it contains high amounts of organic and sulfur compounds, and it is highly acidic. In this research, the effects of zero-valent iron (ZVI) on the enhancement of methane production from POME via anaerobic digestion were investigated. Furthermore, to identify the reactor operation modes that were suitable for the addition of ZVI, anaerobic digestion of POME was tested in three reaction configurations: batch reactor, fed-batch reactor, and continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). In the batch mode, where acidic POME was fed with 16 g/L of ZVI dose just once, methane production increased by 74%. However, as the oxidation of ZVI under anaerobic conditions led to the production of hydroxyl ions, the pH of the medium continuously increased from approximately 7 to 9, which is not suitable for methanogenesis. In the fed-batch mode that involved intermittent feeding of acidic POME, the pH of the culture media was maintained at 6.8. This is because the extra hydroxyl ions generated from the oxidation reaction of ZVI tended to neutralize the acids in the feeding substrate. In addition, ZVI promoted the production of methane from POME and increased the average methane content in biogas from 62% to 76%. In the CSTR mode, which involved continuous feeding of acidic POME, ZVI increased methane production by 86% (from 1.79 to 3.32 L/day), methane content in biogas from 60 to 75%, and total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) removal efficiency from 78 to 89 to 88–95%. Thus, the addition of ZVI can be a potential strategy for in-situ methane enrichment of biogas by anaerobic digestion of POME. This is because ZVI acts as a buffer for acid generation and provides extra electrons, ferrous ions, and ferric ions, which promote key microbial activities in the anaerobic digestion process.

Membrane scaling problems can limit broad applications of electrodialysis (ED) for nutrients recovery from wastewater. In this study, we investigated the calcium- and magnesium-scale precipitation ...

Lignin, the term commonly used in literature, represents a group of heterogeneous aromatic compounds of plant origin. Protolignin or lignin in the cell wall is entirely different from the commercially available technical lignin due to changes during the delignification process. In this paper, we assess the status of lignin valorization in terms of commercial products. We start with existing knowledge of the lignin/protolignin structure in its native form and move to the technical lignin from various sources. Special attention is given to the patents and lignin-based commercial products. We observed that the technical lignin-based commercial products utilize coarse properties of the technical lignin in marketed formulations. Additionally, the general principles of polymers chemistry and self-assembly are difficult to apply in lignin-based nanotechnology, and lignin-centric investigations must be carried out. The alternate upcoming approach is to develop lignin-centric or lignin first bio-refineries for high-value applications; however, that brings its own technological challenges. The assessment of the gap between lab-scale applications and lignin-based commercial products delineates the challenges lignin nanoparticles-based technologies must meet to be a commercially viable alternative.

The production of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) has emerged as a way to overcome the highly variable and complex molecular structure of lignin. It can offer morphological control of the lignin polymer, allowing the formation of stable LNP dispersions in aqueous media, while increasing the potential of lignin for high‐value applications. However, the polydispersity and morphology of LNPs varies depending on the lignin grade and preparation method, and a systematic comparison using different technical lignins is lacking. In this study, it was attempted to find a green fabrication method with a distinct solvent fractionation of lignin to prepare LNPs using three different technical lignins as starting polymers: BLN birch lignin (hardwood, BB), alkali Protobind 1000 (grass, PB), and kraft LignoBoost (softwood, LB). For that, three anti‐solvent precipitation approaches to prepare LNPs were systematically compared: 70 % aqueous ethanol, acetone/water (3 : 1) and NaOH as the lignin solvent, and water/aqueous HCl as the anti‐solvent. Among all these methods, the acetone/water (3 : 1) approach allowed production of homogeneous and monodisperse LNPs with a negative surface charge and also spherical and smooth surfaces. Overall, the results revealed that the acetone/water (3 : 1) method was the most effective approach tested to obtain homogenous, small, and spherical LNPs from the three technical lignins. These LNPs exhibited an improved stability at different ionic strengths and a wider pH range compared to the other preparation methods, which can greatly increase their application in many fields, such as pharmaceutical and food sciences., Choose your path: A green fabrication route is discovered to prepare homogeneous and monodisperse lignin nanoparticles with spherical and smooth surfaces, using three different technical lignins as starting polymers. Results show that the acetone/water (3 : 1) method is the most effective approach to obtain such lignin nanoparticles, which can greatly increase their application in many fields (e. g., pharmaceutical and food sciences).

Enzymatic treatments have gained popularity in the textile industry because of environmental friendly and energy conserving alternatives. Advancement in biotechnology and modification of enzymes has been focused based on various textile process applications. All the manufacturing steps of textile chemical processing, enzymes are using for implementations of the green technology to meet up the challenge of fourth industrial revolution. In this category, amylases, peroxidase used for desizing and bleaching, cellulase activates for bio polishing and denim finishing. This chapter summarizes the current developments of enzyme technology and highlights the environment-friendly and sustainable enzymatic textile processing in the textile industry.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in developing cost‐efficient, fast, and user‐friendly 17O enrichment protocols to help to understand the structure and reactivity of materials by using 17O NMR spectroscopy. Here, we show for the first time how ball milling (BM) can be used to selectively and efficiently enrich the surface of fumed silica, which is widely used at industrial scale. Short milling times (up to 15 min) allowed modulation of the enrichment level (up to ca. 5 %) without significantly changing the nature of the material. High‐precision 17O compositions were measured at different milling times by using large‐geometry secondary‐ion mass spectrometry (LG‐SIMS). High‐resolution 17O NMR analyses (including at 35.2 T) allowed clear identification of the signals from siloxane (Si−O−Si) and silanols (Si−OH), while DNP analyses, performed by using direct 17O polarization and indirect 17O{1H} CP excitation, agreed with selective labeling of the surface. Information on the distribution of Si−OH environments at the surface was obtained from 2D 1H−17O D‐HMQC correlations. Finally, the surface‐labeled silica was reacted with titania and using 17O DNP, their common interface was probed and Si−O−Ti bonds identified., A fast, user‐friendly17O enrichment approach by ball milling was developed to selectively enrich the surface of fumed silica. A variety of high‐resolution solid‐state 17O NMR experiments (ultra‐high magnetic field (35.2 T), 17O MQMAS, 2D 17O−1H D‐HMQC, 17O DNP), demonstrate that siloxane and different silanol bonds present at the surface, including H‐bonded and isolated silanols, can be labeled and characterized in detail.

Funder: CSC Cambridge Scholarship, In this study, we evaluate the suitability of using DC-biased aluminium resonators as low-frequency kinetic inductance detectors capable of operating in the frequency range of 50–120 GHz. Our analysis routine for supercurrent-biased resonators is based on the Usadel equations and gives outputs including density of states, complex conductivities, transmission line properties, and quasiparticle lifetimes. Results from our analysis confirm previous experimental observations on resonant frequency tuneability and retention of high quality factor. Crucially, our analysis suggests that DC-biased resonators demonstrate significantly suppressed superconducting density of states gap. Consequently these resonators have lower frequency detection threshold and are suitable materials for low-frequency kinetic inductance detectors.

Thermodynamic data indicate that the oxidation of oxygenated organic species originating from biomass instead of water at the anode of an electrolysis cell should allow decreasing the cell voltage below 1.23 V. Biosourced alcohols, polyols, sugars, lignocellulosic compounds, and their derivatives are then electroreformed to produce clean hydrogen at the cathode and compounds at the anode of electrolysis cells. The reported studies highlight the main challenges to make electroreforming a future industrial process: higher reaction kinetics and hydrogen evolution rate; better selectivity of anode catalysts toward the formation of CO2 or added-value compounds; and utilization of nonstrategical metals. An attractive solution to decrease hydrogen production costs and to make bankable other economic activities consists in directly valuing wastes from agriculture/forestry (lignocellulosic raw materials) and/or wastes from biofuel industries.

Microbial treatment of natural fibers is a preferred alternatives in ramie degumming process as compared to conventional chemical degumming technology with alkaline treatment at high temperature. Usually, it is difficult to degrade the noncellulosic components of ramie bast completely with a single strain in the mono-culturing degumming system. Microbial coculture strategy has been widely used in biotechnology, especially in the degradation of biological materials. In the present study, five strains for ramie degumming were identified as Dickeya dadantii strain DCE-01, Bacillus subtilis strain 1101, Bacillus sp. B6, Bacillus cereus strain B7, and Bacillus cereus strain B8 by sequencing of 16 S rRNA genes. Enzymatic activities characterization, ramie degumming experiments with mono-culturing systems, and the evaluation of strain compatibility showed that group DCE-01/B7 were the most suitable pairs for the construction of bacterial coculturing system. After preliminary optimization of coculturing fermentation condition, the weight loss weight ratio of ramie fibers was 27%, which was increased 13.6% and 8.9% while compared to mono-culturing systems of strain B7 and DCE-01 respectively. These data highlighted the benefit of microbial coculture strategy in the application of ramie degumming process, and indicated a higher-efficiency alternative for the microbial degumming in the textile industry.

The results of the 2018 commissioning and experimental campaigns of the new High Power Laser Facility on the Energy-dispersive X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (ED-XAS) beamline ID24 at the ESRF are presented., Results of the 2018 commissioning and experimental campaigns of the new High Power Laser Facility on the Energy-dispersive X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (ED-XAS) beamline ID24 at the ESRF are presented. The front-end of the future laser, delivering 15 J in 10 ns, was interfaced to the beamline. Laser-driven dynamic com­pression experiments were performed on iron oxides, iron alloys and bismuth probed by online time-resolved XAS.

The possibility of using waste cotton and cotton/polyester yarns to remove lead and chromium ions from polluted water was investigated in this work. Structural, morphological, and adsorption properties of yarns were determined by iodine sorption, water retention scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and streaming potential method for determination of an isoelectric point. It was found that the presence of polyester component negatively affects adsorption capacity, through the reduced porosity of cotton/polyester yarn surface, increased surface, and structural crystallinity. Relatively fast adsorption of lead and chromium ions from binary mixture onto cotton and cotton/polyester yarns follows the pseudo-second order kinetic, while equilibrium data fitted better with the Langmuir isotherm model, with maximal adsorption capacity from 259.0 to 824.7 mu g/g. Although, cotton yarn shows slightly higher maximal adsorption capacities, both cotton and cotton/polyester yarns can be utilized as cheap and highly efficient adsorbents for removal of lead and chromium ions from water.

During use, textile items can develop unpleasant odors that arise from many different sources, both internal and external to the human body. Laundering is not always effective at removing odors, with odor potentially building up over time due to incomplete removal of soils and odorous compounds and/or malodors transferred during the laundering process. Textile odor can lead to consumer dissatisfaction, particularly as there are high expectations that clothing and textile products meet multiple aesthetic and functional needs. The problem of odor in textiles is complex and multi-faceted, with odorous volatile compounds, microorganisms, and precursors to odor, such as sweat, being transferred to, and retained by, fabrics. This article reviews the literature that specifically relates to odor within textiles. Methods for evaluating odor in textiles, including methods for collecting odor on textile substrates, as well as sensory and instrumental methods of odor detection, were reviewed. Literature that examined differences among fabrics that varied by fabric properties were reviewed. As well, the effectiveness of specific odor controlling finishing technologies to control malodor within textiles was also examined.

In this work, the aim was to study the influence of cellulose Kraft pulps, natural rubber latex, and metakaolin in the optimization of the values of flexural strength and water absorption of cementitious composites through the design of experiments (central composite design) at 28 days of age. According to the design of experiments, the composite with 1.252% cellulose, 1.126% latex and 37.06% metakaolin presented the optimized value of the modulus of elasticity (21.89 GPa). In addition, an increase in the values of modulus of elasticity for composites with lower cellulose contents was observed. Latex and metakaolin provided small variations in the modulus of elasticity. For water absorption, only cellulose exhibited significant interference. Thus, lower values of water absorption were found for lower concentrations of cellulose. The optimized composite that showed less water absorption was with 1.5% cellulose, 0.02% latex, and 4% metakaolin, with 10.28% absorption. In view of the results obtained, it was concluded that the use of central composite design, the molding method adopted, and the limits of constituents used allowed the optimization the values studied responses (modulus of elasticity, and absorption).

Hydrazine is an important chemical reagent, which has been widely used in chemical industry. However, the extensive usage of N2H4 poses a potential threat to water and air safety due to its good water solubility, strong volatility and high toxicity. Therefore, the rapid and reliable detection of hydrazine is of great significance. In this work, a cationic organic dye (probe) based on coumarin fluorophore with double emission wavelength (λex =390 nm, λem = 650/450 nm) was developed successfully. In aqueous solution, this probe can reliably detect hydrazine in a broad concentration range (2.05–996 μM) and a wide acidity range (pH 5–11) by the ratio-type fluorescence signal (F450/F650), and the detection time is about 20 min. Besides, it is worth pointing out that the test papers prepared by impregnating the organic dye on ordinary filter paper can realize the visual detection of hydrazine in water, beverages and gas within 2 min, showing excellent specificity and wide practicability.

Honeycomb-like zinc oxide structures were prepared on the surface of cellulosic materials including cotton fabric fiber and filter paper fiber through plasma treatment followed by wet chemical reaction, the effect of plasma treatment is to increase the wettability and reactivity of cellulosic materials, so that the zinc oxide can nucleate and grow into a honeycomb-like structure on the cellulose fibers. The superhydrophobic surface was then obtained by modifying stearic acid on the zinc oxide structure. The microstructure, chemical composition and state, and wettability of the cellulosic materials were studied in detail. After the modification, the water contact angle and water sliding angle of the modified cotton fabric were 151° and 3.4°, respectively, and those of the modified filter paper is 154° and 4.5°, which indicates super-hydrophobicity. Due to the structural characteristics of zinc oxide-stearic acid structure, the superhydrophobic structure can maintain superhydrophobic performance in strong acidic or strong alkaline environments or after ultrasonic vibration treatment. Further, superhydrophobic modified cotton fabric and filter paper can be used for oil–water separation and adsorption of oil droplets in aqueous solution, and the oil–water separation efficiency is greater than 90%. This method of superhydrophobic modification of cellulosic materials has broad application prospects.

Intelligent responsive microcarriers have emerged as a promising class of biomaterials for therapeutic delivery and tissue regeneration, since they can respond to external stimuli and release the loaded drugs in an active manner. Among various available stimuli, near‐infrared (NIR) light is particularly attractive because it can penetrate biotic tissues with sufficient intensity and minimal damage. In this work, a kind of photoresponsive delivery microcarriers (PDMs) is developed using microfluidics. The microcarriers consist of NIR‐absorbing graphene oxide, thermosensitive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), and biocompatible gelatin methacrylate. Under NIR light, the PDMs exhibit an evident volume shrinkage and effectively trigger the drug release. After the NIR light is switched off, the shrunken microcarriers return to their original size. This reversible process can be stably repeated for many cycles. An in vitro experiment demonstrates that the NIR‐radiated PDMs can actively release vascular endothelial growth factors and improve the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The results from the in vivo experiment also show an obvious photothermal effect and superior therapeutic efficacy of these PDMs in a rat model of tissue defects. These features make the PDMs an excellent drug delivery system and represent a great potential for clinical applications in tissue repair., Photoresponsive delivery microcarriers are developed using microfluidics, which consist of graphene oxide, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), and gelatin methacrylate. These microcarriers can actively respond to near‐infrared light and release the encapsulated drugs according to the irradiation frequency. After being implanted into a rat model of abdominal wall defects, they also exhibit potential value in tissue repair.

In quest of meeting the requirements of sustainable development, coupling zero valent iron (ZVI) with microorganisms has attracted extensive attentions for enhancing biological wastewater and sludge treatment in terms of microbial growth, nutrients removal, and resources recovery. Given to the significant role of ZVI playing in biological wastewater and sludge treatment, a thorough evaluation of the associated interactions among ZVI and microorganisms is necessary to further scale-up the application of ZVI-based biotechnologies. To this end, this review comprehensively summarizes the mechanisms of ZVI for enhancing nutrients removal (i.e., C, N, S and P) in several typical biological wastewater treatment processes, discusses the role of ZVI in improving the excess sludge reduction by dewatering or anaerobic digestion for methane production, and analyzes the feasibility of recovering phosphorus from anaerobic sludge digestion system in the form of vivianite through using ZVI. Knowledge gaps regarding the application of ZVI in sludge or wastewater treatment are also identified in this review to facilitate the further development of the ZVI-based biological technology.

The exploitation of natural quarries generates a high amount of waste as a result of the extraction, screening and segmentation processes. These usually inert wastes are not typically reused and end up in landfills. There is an urgent need for sustainable solutions aiming at the valorisation of these mineral wastes through the development of innovative products with greater added value and active functionalities. In this work, the applicability of different mineral wastes was tested on the development of advanced active ecocomposites. Several formulations/ conditions, using green epoxy and polyester matrixes, were assessed in order to determine the reasonable production parameters. Additionally, two different antibacterial agents were added and the efficacy was tested. The overall mechanical performance of the ecocomposite was evaluated during every stage of development. The combination of dried sludge and green epoxy resin (SE_70), containing 70% of mineral waste, revealed to be most promising composition with interesting mechanical properties (tensile strength 91.63 ± 3.31 (MPa); strain (%) 0.69 ± 0.05; and Young’s modulus (GPa) 13.65 ± 0.64). The functionalization of these samples was successful and the antibacterial activity was confirmed. However, the active agent affected the short-term mechanical properties. Nevertheless, the QUV® accelerated weathering test confirmed that the main long-term properties were unaffected. Thus, it is concluded that mineral waste from quarry activities can be use in the development of new sustainable added value advanced products., This work was supported by Operational Programme “Regional Azores 2014–2020”, through project Basalt Waste Composite (ACORES01-0247-FEDER-000013), Portugal.

In this work, a novel delignification process was proposed for the fractionation of invasive species such as Acacia dealbata wood. Organosolv process catalyzed with an acidic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate was evaluated to obtain cellulose-enriched solids and liquid fractions rich in hemicelluloses derived compounds and lignin. Under selected operating conditions (190 °C, 60% ethanol, 60 min of reaction time and 0.6 g 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate/g wood), high solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses and cellulose recovery (87.5%, 88.7% and 88.3%, respectively), with a pulp yield of 43.1% were achieved. Moreover, 62.6 % of lignin was recovered by precipitation from the black liquor (composed mainly by 4.43 g xylose/L, 7.66 g furfural/L and 3.59 g acetic acid/L). In addition, enzymatic digestibility of delignified wood was also assayed. Overall, this work presents an alternative biorefinery scheme based in the use of environmentally friendly solvent and catalyst for selective fractionation of A. dealbata wood., The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish “Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness” (Project CTQ2017-82962-R) and from “Xunta de Galicia” (GRC ED431C 2018/47 and Centro Singular de Investigación Biomédica “CINBIO”). These projects are partially funded by the FEDER Program of the European Union (“Unha maneira de facer Europa”). A. Romaní thanks BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

A method for subtracting the pairwise correlations of a pressure-transmitting medium from neutron pair distribution functions obtained under hydro­static compression is presented and applied to Ni, MgO and α-quartz., High pressure is a powerful thermodynamic tool for exploring the structure and the phase behaviour of the crystalline state, and is now widely used in conventional crystallographic measurements. High-pressure local structure measurements using neutron diffraction have, thus far, been limited by the presence of a strongly scattering, perdeuterated, pressure-transmitting medium (PTM), the signal from which contaminates the resulting pair distribution functions (PDFs). Here, a method is reported for subtracting the pairwise correlations of the commonly used 4:1 methanol:ethanol PTM from neutron PDFs obtained under hydro­static compression. The method applies a molecular-dynamics-informed empirical correction and a non-negative matrix factorization algorithm to recover the PDF of the pure sample. Proof of principle is demonstrated, producing corrected high-pressure PDFs of simple crystalline materials, Ni and MgO, and benchmarking these against simulated data from the average structure. Finally, the first local structure determination of α-quartz under hydro­static pressure is presented, extracting compression behaviour of the real-space structure.

This chapter presents the study on pollutant removal in palm oil mill effluent using chitosan as natural coagulant. Up until today, palm oil mill effluent (POME) considered one of the significant sources of environmental pollution. The characteristics of POME include contaminating the source of drinking water, which also harmful to the aquatic ecosystem by creating a highly acidic environment or causing eutrophication. With increasing public awareness of environmental pollution, it creates the need to address this issue. Chitosan is non-polluting food-based anionic and biodegradable biopolymer that are environmentally friendly useful in wastewater treatment. The critical parameter to determine the effectiveness of pollutants removal is chemical oxygen demand, color, and total suspended solids. This chapter also presents and discusses some of the significant findings to provide proper understandings and implications in this topic.

Environmental concern for our planet has changed significantly over time due to climate change, caused by an increasing population and the subsequent demand for electricity, and thus increased power generation. Considering that natural gas is regarded as a promising fuel for such a purpose, the need to integrate carbon capture technologies in such plants is becoming a necessity, if gas power plants are to be aligned with the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere, through understanding the capturing efficacy of different absorbents under different operating conditions. Therefore, this study provided for the first time the comparison of available absorbents in relation to amine solvents (MEA, DEA, and DEA) CO2 removal efficiency, cost, and recirculation rate to achieve Climate change action through caron capture without causing absorbent disintegration. The study analyzed Flue under different amine-based solvent solutions (monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)), in order to compare their potential for CO2 reduction under different operating conditions and costs. This was simulated using ProMax 5.0 software modeled as a simple absorber tower to absorb CO2 from flue gas. Furthermore, MEA, DEA, and MDEA adsorbents were used with a temperature of 38 &deg, C and their concentration varied from 10 to 15%. Circulation rates of 200&ndash, 300 m3/h were used for each concentration and solvent. The findings deduced that MEA is a promising solvent compared to DEA and MDEA in terms of the highest CO2 captured, however, it is limited at the top outlet for clean flue gas, which contained 3.6295% of CO2 and less than half a percent of DEA and MDEA, but this can be addressed either by increasing the concentration to 15% or increasing the MEA circulation rate to 300 m3/h.

[EN] Nitrogen recovery technologies such as the hollow fibre membrane contactor are now being developed. However, an economic analysis is needed prior to their full-scale application in wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to analyse the economic and environmental aspects of scaling-up this method. To achieve it, a full-scale 40,000 m3·day¿1-wastewater treatment plant influent flow rate was simulated jointly with a membrane contactor plant to evaluate the minimum costs of optimum operating conditions of membrane contactors (pH, feed flow rate and membrane surface). The optimum conditions for treating 600 m3·day¿1 of reject water was found to be 10 pH, 0.08 m3·s¿1 feed flow rate and 10,580 m2 of membrane surface, obtaining a 4% nitrogen ammonia sulphate solution. The results indicated capital (membrane modules and pumps) and operating costs (reagents and energy) of 0.0095 €·m¿3 and a profit of 0.0090 €·m¿3, including energy savings in terms of aeration and sales of the recovered ammonia sulphate, with the added benefit of reducing CO2-eq by 10.3 tons per day., This research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO projects CTM2014-54980-C2-1/2-R and CTM2017-86751-C2-1/2-R) with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as well as the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia via a pre-doctoral FPI fellowship to the first author.

We investigated the use of dielectric layers produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as an approach to strain mitigation in composite silicon/superconductor devices operating at cryogenic temperatures. We show that the addition of an ALD layer acts to reduce the strain of spins closest to silicon/superconductor interface where strain is highest. We show that appropriately biasing our devices at the hyperfine clock transition of bismuth donors in silicon, we can remove strain broadening and that the addition of ALD layers left T 2 (or temporal inhomogeneities) unchanged in these natural silicon devices.

Calculating polarizabilities of large clusters with first-principles techniques is challenging because of the unfavorable scaling of computational cost with cluster size. To address this challenge, we demonstrate that polarizabilities of large hydrogenated silicon clusters containing thousands of atoms can be efficiently calculated with machine learning methods. Specifically, we construct machine learning models based on the smooth overlap of atomic positions (SOAP) descriptor and train the models using a database of calculated random-phase approximation polarizabilities for clusters containing up to 110 silicon atoms. We first demonstrate the ability of the machine learning models to fit the data and then assess their ability to predict cluster polarizabilities using k-fold cross validation. Finally, we study the machine learning predictions for clusters that are too large for explicit first-principles calculations and find that they accurately describe the dependence of the polarizabilities on the ratio of hydrogen to silicon atoms and also predict a bulk limit that is in good agreement with previous studies.

International audience; The microbial electrochemical snorkel (MES) is a low-cost, low-maintenance technology that could considerably reduce wastewater treatment costs by reducing the need for aeration. An MES is a single electrode. The lower part, in the anoxic zone of the bioreactor, oxidizes organic matter by transferring electrons to the electrode. The upper part, in the oxic zone, releases the electrons by reducing dissolved oxygen. This study gives new insights into the correlation between the MES potential, the concentration of dissolved oxygen and COD abatement, thus enabling practical rules to be extracted for running the MES in optimal conditions, particularly for adjusting the aeration zone and frequency. Here, aeration promoted the cathodic reaction and increased the MES potential to a maximum (0.0 to 0.1 V/SCE). After aeration stopped, the potential dropped to a minimum (< -0.4 V/SCE). With 26 cm high MESs, sequential aeration at the top was not sufficient to support an effective cathodic zone, while aeration at the bottom was detrimental to the formation of the microbial anode. With MESs 48 cm high and aeration set up in the highest quarter, 30 minutes of aeration every 4.5 hours gave potential variations that were stable for weeks. The MESs continued to oxidize organic matter 30 minutes after the aeration had stopped. In this period, the MESs removed 3 to 6.3 times more COD than the control reactors. Increasing the electrode capacitance is therefore suggested as an effective way to further decrease the aeration cost by decreasing the aeration frequency.

A novel acylation approach suited to rapid bulk thermoplasticization of lignocellulose without solvents was previously demonstrated by the authors in benchtop batch studies. The method relies upon a benzethonium chloride/sulfuric acid functionalizing agent at low concentrations to act as a wetting agent for the wood pulp, similar to an ionic liquid, yet binds to the lignocellulose ester as a flow aid in the final thermoplastic. The present investigation evaluates the approach in a residence time-limited (45–90 s) continuous twin-screw reactor, where intensive mixing and heat were found to yield high acylation. The modified lignocellulose exhibited desired thermoplasticity by being melt moldable without the need for plasticizers and maintained much of the excellent stiffness of cellulose, demonstrating a maximum flexural modulus of 5.4 GPa and tensile modulus of 1.8 GPa. The influence of extrusion conditions on thermoplasticity was examined by a Design of Experiments (DOE) analysis.

The EU has the ambitious goal to transition from linear to circular economy. In circular economy, the old saying of “one’s waste is the other’s treasure” is being implemented. In this chapter, valorisation of industrial side streams, traditionally branded as waste, is discussed with respect to their applications as raw materials for new adsorptive products – geopolymers (GP) and alkali-activated materials (AAM) – as adsorbents in wastewater treatment. The chemical nature and structure of materials generally have great influence on GP/AAM adsorption capability. The approaches used for the raw materials preparation (chemical or physical) prior geopolymerization to increase the adsorption capacity of the final products will be discussed. Adsorption properties and performance of GPs/AAMs towards various contaminants are described, and the latest research on testing those materials as water remediation are reviewed. Special attention is paid to regeneration of exhausted materials and available resource recovery options that the regeneration approach opens. New forms of geopolymer adsorbent such as foams or core-shell structures are described and in the last part of the chapter, a short economic evaluation of resource recovery models is provided.

The palm oil industry is the leading source of palm oil waste fibers. The disposal of palm oil waste fibers by burning or dumping causes environmental issues such as the emission of CO2 and a diminution in soil fertility. Natural fiber reuse in construction materials such as concrete, mortar and adobe bricks as reinforcement provides a possible eco-friendly solution for fiber waste management. Palm oil flower fibers (POFL) obtained from palm oil empty fruit bunches and palm oil fruit fibers (POFR) obtained from palm oil fruit are two important types of palm oil fibers. Valorization of palm oil fibers requires a detailed analysis of their physical, chemical and mechanical characteristics. In this research, tropical palm oil flower and palm oil fruit fibers from Mexico were studied. Fiber extraction, preparation and testing were performed to observe their characteristics, which include water absorption, density, length, section estimation, chemical composition, thermal conductivity, thermal analysis (ATG) and tensile strength. The length, diameter and density of natural fibers have a significant influence on the strength and quality of composite materials. The characteristics of fibers vary with their chemical composition. Mechanical testing of palm oil fibers indicates a large variation in the tensile strength of palm oil flower and fruit fibers. Both palm oil flower and palm oil fruit fibers exhibit bilinear tensile load–deflection behavior associated with the alignment of cellulose along their fiber axis. The thermal characteristics of fibers indicate low thermal stability and thermal conductivity, which are essential for their use in building materials.

International audience; To improve membrane fouling management, the NaClO-assisted backwash has been developed to improve permeability maintenance and reduce the need for intensive chemical cleanings. This study is aimed to focus on the efficiency of NaClO-assisted backwash in real UF pilot scale and with periodic classic backwash (CB) and air backwash (AB). The impacts on hydraulic filtration performance, physicochemical properties of membrane material under different addition frequencies of NaClO, and the performance of chlorinated CB and AB will be discussed. In result, 10 mg Cl2 L−1 NaClO addition in backwash water is confirmed to greatly improve the overall filtration performance and backwash cleaning efficiency. One condition stands out from the other due to better control of irreversible fouling, less NaClO consumption in 10 years prediction, sustainable and adaptable filtration performance, and less potential damage on the physicochemical properties of the membrane. Additionally, it can be inferred from this experiment that frequent contact with NaClO induced some degradation on the PES-made UF membrane surface properties. To retain the best state of UF membrane on anti-fouling and qualified production, the optimized condition with more frequent NaClO contact was not suggested for long-term filtration.

Currently, due to the rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization in developing countries, a large volume of wastewater is produced from industries that contain chemicals generating high environmental risks affecting human health and the economy if not treated properly. Consequently, the development of a sustainable low-cost wastewater treatment approach has attracted more attention of policymakers and scientists. The present review highlights the recent applications of biochar in removing organic and inorganic pollutants present in industrial effluents. The recent modes of preparation, physicochemical properties and adsorption mechanisms of biochar in removing organic and inorganic industrial pollutants are also reviewed comprehensively. Biochar showed high adsorption of industrial dyes up to 80%. It also discusses the recent application and mechanism of biochar-supported photocatalytic materials for the degradation of organic contaminants in wastewater. We reviewed also the possible optimizations (such as the pyrolysis temperature, solution pH) allowing the increase of the adsorption capabilities of biochar leading to organic contaminants removal. Besides, increasing the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar was seen to lead to an increase in its surface area, while it decreases their amount of oxygen-containing functional groups, consequently leading to a decrease in the adsorption of metal (loid) ions present in the medium. Finally, the review suggests that more research should be carried out to optimize the main parameters involved in biochar production and its regeneration methods. Future efforts should be also carried out towards process engineering to improve its adsorption capacity to increase the economic benefits of its implementation.

Nanocellulose has great potential in the pulp and paper industry, but current nanocellulose production methods require high energy. One way to achieve energy efficient production of nanocellulose is to develop a large-scale process of separating small fibers (fines) from large fibers. In this study, a laboratory mill was used to produce moderately refined (30.8% fines) and highly refined (81.8% fines) Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft (BEK) pulp. Refined samples were subjected to flotation separation, and separation efficiency was quantified by fines recovery and fines enrichment ratio. At high pH (11.9), with a surfactant concentration of 0.15 mM, the surface tension of the air–water interface was 44 mN/m and the Sauter mean diameter of the bubbles in the froth was 0.948 mm. These conditions provide the required froth stability and low bubble size to achieve selective separation of fines. Maximum recoveries of 80.4% and 43.0% were achieved at pH 11.9 and 1.0 wt% for moderately refined and highly refined pulp, respectively. Maximum enrichment ratios of 4.33 and 4.37 were observed for moderately refined and heavily refined pulp at pH 11.9 and 1.5 wt%, respectively. The aspect ratio of float fibers increased by 14% and 18% for moderately and highly refined BEK, respectively. Flotation was shown to be controlled by the viscosity and surface charge of the pulp suspension. Viscosity and zeta potential values were maximised at pH 11.9 and 1.0–1.5 wt% pulp solids, promoting agglomeration of long fibers and enhanced fines separation. Experimental results were found to be statistically significant via ANOVA. Fines were shown to have analogous properties to commercial nanocellulose. This study demonstrates that size-selective fiber flotation is governed by pulp suspension rheology and fluid flow hydrodynamics, and that flotation represents a promising technology for fines separation and production of a sustainable nanocellulose substitute.

Deacetylated xylan molecules with a low degree of branching can form crystals with water molecules, namely xylan hydrate crystals (XHC), leading to a low water solubility but other unique properties of xylan. However, cutting-edge applications of XHC have never been explored. Surface modified carboxymethylated xylan hydrate crystals (CmXhc) with great amphiphilic and rheological properties were produced through appropriate control of degree of substitution. Nanoscale CmXhc was successfully produced through ultrasonic treatments. Nanoscale CmXhc showed an ability to disperse multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in water with a recorded high CNT concentration of 40 mg/mL and a high dispersion efficiency of 91.7%. The CmXhc can also act as an anchoring agent to bind CNT to paper surfaces making the high concentration dispersion as a conductive paper coating or printing ink. The CmXhc-dispersed MWCNT coated paper demonstrated a high conductivity, specific capacity and capacitance stability, although subject to tuning for improvements, serving as a potential paper-based electrode for supercapacitors.

The multi analytical study of historical objects is a complex part from an instrument which can help the restorers to recognize the materials, as well as their state of conservation, facilitating the selection of the appropriate method of conservation and/or restoration. This study concentrates the potential use of non-destructive and non-invasive techniques (optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, Infrared microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, as well as some methods used to evaluate the general characteristics, such as surface pH and UV photography) in deciphering the long-gone recipes for paper and inks manufacturing from 17th century Transylvania, multicultural centre of erudition. Beside the information obtained regarding the paper support (surface pH, details regarding the cellulose fibers, as well as potential fillers used for paper manufacturing, as well as the nature of the stains present on the document), the performed study reveals a very interesting detail regarding the inks used, respectively the use of mixed recipes, including more than a single pigment.

Nowadays, black liquor, the liquid residue from cooking step in pulp industry is burnt to produce energy for the plant. But as the pulp mills have energy in excess, higher added values applications for black liquor may be looked for. Hydrothermal treatment offers a good opportunity as it is well suited for this kind of wet feedstock. It may be used to depolymerize organic compounds or produce syngas for biofuels applications. The objective of this study is to combine phenols and biofuel production by extracting the small organic molecules formed at moderate temperature prior to complete gasification of black liquor. Hydrothermal experiments from 225 °C to 600 °C have been performed on sulfur-free black liquor in batch reactor. At 280 °C phenol, guaiacol and syringol were found in their highest quantity: 5% of the initial lignin (which represented 6 wt% of the liquid black liquor) could be converted into these three compounds.

Organosolv processes provide access to less degraded and higher purity lignins. However, these are rarely applied to softwood species with high lignin contents and complex condensed structures. We are presenting here the results of an optimized organosolv process, allowing for a high extraction yield of organosolv lignin from black spruce (Picea mariana), while preserving a good solid cellulose recovery. Optimized conditions are 70% ethanol liquor with a ratio of 1:10 (wood:liquor) and 5% FeCl3·6H2O as catalyst, treated in a Parr reactor for 90 min at 180 °C. The cellulosic pulp was then extracted with pure ethanol to recover the 2nd lignin. This 2nd lignin was darker in colour and denser than the 1st lignin obtained by precipitation from residual liquor. The other lignin properties were almost identical. The total lignin recovery averaged at 74% (with a purity of 97%), the highest result for lignin recovery from softwoods published so far.

The extensive use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products, medicine, and industry leads to their release into the environment. Thus, a characterization of the concentration, size, fate, and toxicity of AgNPs under environmental conditions is required. In this study, we present the characterization and optimization of an asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) system coupled with UV/Vis spectrophotometer and dynamic light scattering (DLS) detector as a powerful tool for the size separation and multi-parameter characterization of AgNPs in complex matrices. The hyphenated AF4-UV/Vis-DLS system was first characterized using individual injections of the different size fractions. We used electrostatically stabilized AgNPs of 20-, 50-, and 80-nm nominal diameters coated with lipoic acid. We investigated the effect of applied cross-flows, carrier solutions, focus times, and quantity of injected particles on the nature of the AF4 fractograms and on the integrity of the AgNPs. Best size separation of a 1:1 mixture of 20- and 80-nm AgNPs was achieved using cross-flows of 0.5 and 0.7 mL/min with 1 mM NaCl and 0.05% v/v Mucasol as carrier solutions. We also researched the behavior of AgNPs in natural waters using the hyphenated AF4-UV/Vis-DLS system, under determined optimal conditions. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This research was supported by a Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (grant agreement number PIEF-GA-2012-329575) and the EU research project “ExPloTect-Ex-situ, near-real-time explosive compound detection in sea- water”co-funded by the EMFF programme of the European Union [grant agreement number 863693]. P.L. is supported by a Beatriz Galindo Senior Fellowship (BG20/00104) from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain, and University of Lleida. F.G. acknowledges the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy [OCEANSensor project; Funding Agreement 03SX459A] for funding.

Lignocellulose, as the most abundant type of inedible biomass, is considered as a promising renewable feedstock for making fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, its complex structure makes most of current biorefinery processes suffer from low resource utilization rates, high energy consumption or ill-defined market orientation of the obtained products. Here, we propose and evaluate the EXA (Ethanol, Xylose, Adhesive) biorefinery strategy based on current xylose industry. This process integrates four conversion and separation stages to consecutively produce ethanol, xylose, and adhesive with total carbon utilization of 79.6%. The key innovation is the establishment of an easy-to-operate process for direct production of high-quality adhesive from a lignin-rich liquid fraction that makes the overall process significantly more sustainable. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) shows that the revenue of proposed EXA process increases more than 110 times compares with the current process and life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrates a much lower CO2 footprint from an environmental burden per unit of revenue perspective.