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Disposal of the pollutants arising from farming cattle and other livestock threatens the environment and public safety in diverse ways. Herein, we report on the synthesis of engineered biochars using cow dung as raw material, and investigating these biochars as antibacterial agents for water decontamination. By coating the biochars with N-halamine polymer and loading them with active chlorine (i.e., Cl+), we were able to regulate them on demand by tuning the polymer coating and bleaching conditions. The obtained N-halamine-modified biochars were found to be extremely potent against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. We also investigated the possibility of using these N-halamine-modified biochars for bacterial decontamination in real-world applications. Our findings indicated that a homemade filter column packed with N-halamine-modified biochars removed pathogenic bacteria from mining sewage, dairy sewage, domestic sewage, and artificial seawater. This proposed strategy could indicate a new way for utilizing livestock pollutants to create on-demand decontaminants.

IUCrJ 8(4), 665 - 677 (2021). doi:10.1107/S2052252521005297, The crystallization of recombinant proteins in living cells is an exciting new approach in structural biology. Recent success has highlighted the need for fast and efficient diffraction data collection, optimally directly exposing intact crystal-containing cells to the X-ray beam, thus protecting the in cellulo crystals from environmental challenges. Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) at free-electron lasers (XFELs) allows the collection of detectable diffraction even from tiny protein crystals, but requires very fast sample exchange to utilize each XFEL pulse. Here, an efficient approach is presented for high-resolution structure elucidation using serial femtosecond in cellulo diffraction of micometre-sized crystals of the protein HEX-1 from the fungus Neurospora crassa on a fixed target. Employing the fast and highly accurate Roadrunner II translation-stage system allowed efficient raster scanning of the pores of micro-patterned, single-crystalline silicon chips loaded with living, crystal-containing insect cells. Compared with liquid-jet and LCP injection systems, the increased hit rates of up to 30% and reduced background scattering enabled elucidation of the HEX-1 structure. Using diffraction data from only a single chip collected within 12 min at the Linac Coherent Light Source, a 1.8 Å resolution structure was obtained with significantly reduced sample consumption compared with previous SFX experiments using liquid-jet injection. This HEX-1 structure is almost superimposable with that previously determined using synchrotron radiation from single HEX-1 crystals grown by sitting-drop vapour diffusion, validating the approach. This study demonstrates that fixed-target SFX using micro-patterned silicon chips is ideally suited for efficient in cellulo diffraction data collection using living, crystal-containing cells, and offers huge potential for the straightforward structure elucidation of proteins that form intracellular crystals at both XFELs and synchrotron sources., Published by Chester

High quality, readable health information is vital to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the quality and readability of online COVID-19 information using 6 validated tools. This is a cross-sectional study. “COVID-19” was searched across the three most popular English language search engines. Quality was evaluated using the DISCERN score, Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria and Health On the Net Foundation Code of Conduct. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning-Fog Index. 41 websites were suitable for analysis. 9.8% fulfilled all JAMA criteria. Only one website was HONCode certified. Mean DISCERN score was 47.8/80 (“fair”). This was highest in websites published by a professional society/medical journal/healthcare provider. Readability varied from an 8th to 12th grade level. The overall quality of online COVID-19 information was “fair”. Much of this information was above the recommended 5th to 6th grade level, impeding access for many.

Coronavirus and its spread all over the world have been the most challenging crisis in 2020. Hospitals are categorized among the most vulnerable centers due to their presumably highest traffic of this virus. In this study, centrifugal isolation of coronavirus is successfully deployed for purifying hospitals’ air using air conditioners and ducts, suggesting an efficient setup. Numerical simulations have been used to testify the proposed setup due to the complexities of using experimental investigation such as high cost and clinical hazards of the airborne SARS-CoV-2 in the air. Results show that a 20-cm pipe with an inlet velocity of 4 m/s constitutes the best choice for the separation and purification of air from the virus. The proposed scalable method also efficiently separates larger particles, but it can separate smaller particles too. Numerical results also suggest installing the air purifying system on the floor of the hospitals’ room for maximum efficiency.

Research concerning the behavior of international linguistic minorities at institutions of higher education during disasters is very limited. Many international groups suffer from discrimination based on language (linguicism) during disasters-their stories are not being told, and their voices are not being heard. The main objective of our study is to develop new knowledge about disaster-related behaviors of international linguistic minorities at institutions of higher education with a view toward enhancing overall campus emergency planning. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze data; 62 subjects from the international community at University of Florida (UF), including foreign employees, international students, and foreign dependents, were surveyed shortly after the hurricane Dorian alert on campus. Additionally, 10 subjects from the UF international community were interviewed. The data analysis sought to provide insights into one main question: What were the key challenges facing international linguistic minorities at UF campus during the hurricane Dorian alert? Three comprehensive groups of challenges were found; disaster knowledge deficit and false perceptions, generic emergency communication, and inadequate disaster preparedness. The research findings provide insight into the experience of culturally different groups and offer practical and critical policy insights that help in developing more efficient disaster mitigation plans, and disaster risk-reduction strategies.

The advent of internet of things has opened the opportunities for people with disabilities, increased their inclusion and productivity in their living society. Most of the invented smart sensing devices including the wearable ones for users with speech impairments are expensive and not affordable for patients in the low income countries such as Egypt. Morse Glasses is a cost efficient wearable device based on IoT technology and a modified Morse code that tracks the patient’s eyes blinks and translates it into a generated speech. A sequence of Morse encoded alphabets/sentences along with the frequently used ones is displayed and heard on any android supported device that is installed Morse Glasses mobile application. With cost less than 30$, patients with motor neuron diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) can communicate easily with the others, express their needs and simply live their life normally.

The oil and gas business is serious business and involves millions of dollars so whatever mitigates flow assurance is taken seriously. One of such things is natural gas hydrates. Hydrates are crystalline solids formed when water under low temperatures and high pressures encapsulated natural gases (C1–C4). They form blockages and impede the flow of gas which can lead to the loss of millions of dollars and at times lead to personnel death. Mitigation of gas hydrates has always been with chemicals especially for areas like deep offshore where accessibility is difficult. The chemicals that are in use currently are generally synthetic, expensive and hazardous to lives and environment hence the need for readily available locally sourced materials that are eco-friendly. This study considers and screens a locally sourced surfactant from the plant family caricaceae’ Extract (CE) as a gas hydrate inhibitor in a locally fabricated 39.4-inch mini flow loop of ½ inch internal diameter (ID) which mimics the offshore environment. Various pressure plots (pressure versus time, initial and final pressure versus time and change in pressure versus time) show that the CE performed better than MEG with percentage volumes of gas left in the system for 0.01–0.05 wt% of the extract having values that ranged from 76.7 to 87.33, while volume left for MEG ranged between 70 and 74.67% (1–5 wt%). The CE performed better in small doses compared to those of MEG, in all weight percentages of study. Furthermore, the inhibition capacities which show the level of performance of the inhibitors was also used as a measure of inhibition for both inhibitors. The CE inhibited systems had values of 69.3, 80.7, 78.07, 79.82, and 83.3%, while that of the MEG inhibited system was 60.53, 55.26, 73.68, 72.81, and 66.67% for the various weight percentages considered. The CE should be developed as gas hydrate inhibitors due to its effectiveness and eco-friendliness.

Objective Pathology of the facet and sacroiliac (SI) joints contributes to 15% to 45% and 10% to 27% of lower back pain cases, respectively. Although tissue engineering may offer novel treatment options to patients suffering from cartilage degeneration in these joints, the tribological characteristics of the facet and SI joints have not been studied in either the human or relevant large animal models, which hinders the development of joint-specific cartilage implants. Design Cartilage was isolated from the knee, cervical facet, thoracic facet, lumbar facet, and SI joints of 6 skeletally mature Yucatan minipigs ( Sus scrofa). Tribological characteristics were assessed via coefficient of friction testing, interferometry, and immunohistochemistry for lubricin organization. Results Compared with the knee, the coefficient of friction was higher by 43% in the cervical facet, 77% in the thoracic facet, 37% in the lumbar facet, and 28% in the SI joint. Likewise, topographical features of the facet and SI joints varied significantly, ranging from a 114% to 384% increase and a 48% to 107% increase in global and local surface roughness measures, respectively, compared with the knee. Additionally, the amount of lubricin in the SI joint was substantially greater than in the knee. Statistical correlations among the various tribological parameters revealed that there was a significant correlation between local roughness and coefficient of friction, but not global roughness or the presence of lubricin. Conclusion These location-specific tribological characteristics of the articular cartilages of the spine will need to be taken into consideration during the development of physiologically relevant, functional, and durable tissue-engineered replacements for these joints.

This work aims to optimize the industrial extraction conditions of cellulose microfibers (CMFs) from Washingtonia palm fiber for application in starch bio-composite films. The CMF extraction was a mixed process that combines caustic soda treatment with hydrogen peroxide bleaching in a stirred thermostatic bath. To study the yield, whiteness index and α-cellulose content, three variables were selected; NaOH and H2O2 concentrations and treatment time. The optimum was determined using a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approach for samples treated for 70 min with 5.21% NaOH and 5.54% H2O2. The optimized CMF was used to produce Starch/CMF bio-composite films with higher mechanical and barrier performance, which increased by 300% and 31%, respectively. Moreover, its moisture absorption and water solubility decreased by about 24% and 26%, respectively after adding 20 wt% CMF. In fact, morphological results showed that the higher CMF in the Starch/CMF20 leads to the heterogeneous CMF distribution and agglomerates resulting in weakened starch films. As a result, the extracted CMF can be a competitive nanofabrication filler.

New novel biodegradable natural thermal insulation materials are manufactured from agro-waste materials such as date palm tree leaves and wheat straw fibers as a potential use in buildings’ insulat...

A new polymorph of 2,3,5,6-tetra­fluoro-7,7,8,8-tetra­cyano­quinodi­methane (F4TCNQ) has been characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and is presented in com­parison with the previously reported structure of the com­pound., During the course of research into the structure of 2,3,5,6-tetra­fluoro-7,7,8,8-tetra­cyano­quinodi­methane (F4TCNQ), C12F4N4, an important com­pound in charge-transfer and organic semiconductor research, a previously unreported polymorph of F4TCNQ was grown concomitantly with the known polymorph from a saturated solution of di­chloro­methane. The structure was elucidated using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and it was found that the new polymorph packs with mol­ecules in parallel layers, in a similar manner to the layered structure of F2TCNQ. The structure was analysed using Hirshfeld surface analysis, fingerprint plots and pairwise inter­action energies, and com­pared to existing data. The structure of a toluene solvate of F4TCNQ is also reported.

A quantitative analysis of the effect of strain on image reconstruction in Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging and ptychography reveals reconstruction artifacts caused by the limited spatial resolution. With the modulus homogenization constraint applied, the reconstruction artifacts are efficiently removed and an Fe–Al alloy sample with strong strain that features π phase steps due to anti-phase domain boundaries is successfully reconstructed., A quantitative analysis of the effect of strain on phase retrieval in Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging is reported. It is shown in reconstruction simulations that the phase maps of objects with strong step-like phase changes are more precisely retrieved than the corresponding modulus values. The simulations suggest that the reconstruction precision for both phase and modulus can be improved by employing a modulus homogenization (MH) constraint. This approach was tested on experimental data from a highly strained Fe–Al crystal which also features antiphase domain boundaries yielding characteristic π phase shifts of the (001) superlattice reflection. The impact of MH is significant and this study outlines a successful method towards imaging of strong phase objects using the next generation of coherent X-ray sources, including X-ray free-electron lasers.

Wax precipitation has become a serious problem for the petroleum industry. The problem occurs when there is equilibrium disturbance on the pressure and temperature as well as crude oil composition. Wax deposits will eventually result in restriction of the fluid flow inside the pipeline, and severe deposition will cause blockage. The chemical additives currently being implemented in the industry have various limitations including the high cost and the irreversible impact it has on the environment. Therefore, the use of cheaper organic wax inhibitor obtained from crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO) on the rheology and deposition of wax was investigated by using Chenor waxy crude oil from the Penyu basin, Pahang, Malaysia. To compare the efficiency of palm oil additives in inhibiting wax deposition, currently utilized chemical additives such as triethanolamine (TEA) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) were also examined. The pour point of the crude oil was determined using SETA cloud & cryostat, while the rheological behavior of the crude was determined using a rotational Fann viscometer. The results obtained from this study reveal that CPO and CPKO could be used to improve the flow of crude oil, especially when 1 wt.% CPO or when 0.5 wt. % CPKO is used. It was also noted that the palm-based additives were much more effective at reducing the viscosity of the Chenor crude oil than the commercial wax inhibitor tested (TEA and EVA).

The traditional method (TM) of dates syrup (dibs) extraction takes long extraction period and has poor productivity. The TM depends on putting heavyweights above the heap of dates at room temperature, and wait until dibs extraction. This study aims to design two innovative solar electro-thermal energy systems with hydraulic pressure to extract dates syrup. The electro-thermal systems were used to heat and circulate dates dibs extraction medium, while hydraulic pressure (6 ± 1 and 7 ± 1 bar) was used to squeeze dates instead of traditional weights. Solar water bath (SWB) and solar air bath with rocks storage bed (SABWRSB) were used to catalyst the extraction process. The syrup dibs quality and quantity from different methods were evaluated. For innovative methods, the dates temperature inside the extraction tank was about 49–54 °C. The efficiency of the SWB and SABWRSB for syrup extraction was 48.87% and 13.16%, respectively. Using SWB saved time about 38%, and increased the productivity by 28.75% and 36.66% at a pressure of 6 ± 1 and 7 ± 1 bar, respectively, compared to TM. Heating with SWB increased the productivity by 3.6% and 5.68% compared to SABWRSB at 6 ± 1 and 7 ± 1 bar, respectively. The SWB is recommended for providing the appropriate environment for the dates dibs extraction.

Rubber seeds are a by-product of rubber production and are rich in oil and protein. Upgrading of rubber seeds to produce proteins, oils and feedstock can generate additional revenue for rubber production and reduce waste. The present study investigates the effects of different pre-treatments and extraction methods to determine the optimal methods to produce oil and protein from rubber seed kernels. Mechanical expulsion using a screw press and solvent extraction using n-hexane were employed for oil separation. The highest oil recovery efficiency of 95.12% was obtained using rubber seed meal that was pre-dried at 105 ℃. The sequential water–alkaline treatment was ideal for achieving high protein recovery while reducing the protein denaturation that can result from high operating temperatures and organic solvent contact. Over 90% of the total protein from rubber seed kernels could be recovered. Separating oil from kernels using hexane followed by protein extraction from the meals by enzymatic treatment provides a suitable method for comprehensive utilization of rubber seeds.

One of the highest costs in bio-butanol production is the separation of butanol from the fermentation broth, which is composed of acetone, butanol, and ethanol. Instead of using butanol, researchers experimentally investigated the utilization of the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) mixture in gasoline and diesel engines to promising results. However, there has been no well-to-wheel (WTW) study to determine the life cycle energy balance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that covers the entire production process and use of ABE as a transportation fuel. In this study, the WTW analysis of ABE from two feedstocks (corn and corn stover-based) and their benefits in replacing a portion of gasoline or diesel with ABE is investigated. Results show that ABE could achieve 56–80% fossil fuel savings and 53–83% GHG emission reductions when compared to both gasoline and diesel. The WTW analysis indicated that ABE from both feedstocks has the potential to become as an alternative biofuel directly and as an additive blend for diesel or gasoline.

Recently, cryptographic literature has seen new block cipher designs such as PRESENT, GIFT or SKINNY that aim to be more lightweight than the current standard, i.e., AES. Even though AES family of block ciphers were designed two decades ago, they still remain as the de facto encryption standard, with AES-128 being the most widely deployed variant. In this work, we revisit the combined one-in-all implementation of the AES family, namely both encryption and decryption of each AES-128/192/256 as a single ASIC circuit. A preliminary version appeared in Africacrypt 2019 by Balli and Banik, where the authors design a byte-serial circuit with such functionality. We improve on their work by reducing the size of the compact circuit to 2268 GE through 1-bit-serial implementation, which achieves 38% reduction in area. We also report stand-alone bit-serial versions of the circuit, targeting only a subset of modes and versions, e.g., AES-192 and AES-256. Our results imply that, in terms of area, AES-192 and AES-256 can easily compete with the larger members of recently designed SKINNY family, e.g., SKINNY-128-256, SKINNY-128-384. Thus, our implementations can be used interchangeably inside authenticated encryption candidates such as SKINNY-AEAD/-HASH, ForkAE or Romulus in place of SKINNY.

Residual anionic polyacrylamide in polymer-flooding oil production wastewater results in the formation of a thermodynamically stable system. In this study, the effects of three different types of medicaments, namely, cationic, anionic and nonionic agents, in dynamic treatments, such as adding a position, dosage and combined processes of chemical addition, on the oil removal rate of sewage were examined. In the treatment with a single agent, the oil removal rate of the cationic agent CQY-1 and the nonionic agent CHF-2 was ≥ 97.8%. The charge characteristics of different ionic agents for the combined dosing treatment indicated that the oil removal rate was better than that of a single agent; the combined dosing ratio was 50 mg/L CHP-1 and 50 mg/L CHP-2. At 80 mg/L CQY-1, the oil removal rate of the dynamic process was ≥ 98.8%, and the dosage of CQY-1 was reduced from 200 mg/L to 50–150 mg/L, which corresponded to a decrease of 25.0%–75.0%. Therefore, the combined dosing process effectively reduced the single dosage.

The rapid increase in world’s population and growing industrialization are major sources of energy consumption, therefore energy demand is expanding continuously. The first-generationfeedstocklike maize, sugarcane, wheat,etc.can be used to producebioethanol, but due to food and feed security issues,first-generation feedstockcannot beused to producebioethanol.To overcome the feed and food security issue related to first-generationfeedstock, waste fruitcan beused to produce bioethanol.In this experiment, firstly the effect of pretreatment technique on glucose generationisobserved. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation(SSF)experiment carried outat a pH of 4.5 and temperature of 30°C for 48 hwithfermentation helping nutrientsusing Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A nearly equal amount of glucose concentration is observed from samplestreated with hot water, 1%H2SO4, 5%H2SO4,and without any pretreatment. SSF results also revealed that fermentation helping nutrientshasnosignificanteffecton the production of bioethanol at the same concentration. Second part of the experiment deals with the effect of solid loading rate, which is directly proportional to glucose concentration 10-20% (w/w) and time for fermentation (48-96 hours) on generation of bioethanolfrom fruit waste. Solid loadingrate and reaction time for SSF hada significant effect on the production of bioethanol. Optimized 41.19gL-1bioethanol concentration was observed with solid load rate of 20% (w/w) and fermentation period of 58.8 h.High yield ofbioethanolcan be achieved using fruit waste at domestic scale with minimum operational requirements

Background Even in the era of digital technology, several hospitals still rely on paper-based forms for data entry for patient admission, triage, drug prescriptions, and procedures. Paper-based forms can be quick and convenient to complete but often at the expense of data quality, completeness, sustainability, and automated data analytics. Digital forms can improve data quality by assisting the user when deciding on the appropriate response to certain data inputs (eg, classifying symptoms). Greater data quality via digital form completion not only helps with auditing, service improvement, and patient record keeping but also helps with novel data science and machine learning research. Although digital forms are becoming more prevalent in health care, there is a lack of empirical best practices and guidelines for their design. The study-based hospital had a definite plan to abolish the paper form; hence, it was not necessary to compare the digital forms with the paper form. Objective This study aims to assess the usability of three different interactive forms: a single-page digital form (in which all data input is required on one web page), a multipage digital form, and a conversational digital form (a chatbot). Methods The three digital forms were developed as candidates to replace the current paper-based form used to record patient referrals to an interventional cardiology department (Cath-Lab) at Altnagelvin Hospital. We recorded usability data in a counterbalanced usability test (60 usability tests: 20 subjects×3 form usability tests). The usability data included task completion times, System Usability Scale (SUS) scores, User Experience Questionnaire data, and data from a postexperiment questionnaire. Results We found that the single-page form outperformed the other two digital forms in almost all usability metrics. The mean SUS score for the single-page form was 76 (SD 15.8; P=.01) when compared with the multipage form, which had a mean score of 67 (SD 17), and the conversational form attained the lowest scores in usability testing and was the least preferred choice of users, with a mean score of 57 (SD 24). An SUS score of >68 was considered above average. The single-page form achieved the least task completion time compared with the other two digital form styles. Conclusions In conclusion, the digital single-page form outperformed the other two forms in almost all usability metrics; it had the least task completion time compared with those of the other two digital forms. Moreover, on answering the open-ended question from the final customized postexperiment questionnaire, the single-page form was the preferred choice.

Background Pain-related mobile apps targeting pain assessment commonly limit pain assessment to pain behaviors and physiological aspects. However, current guidelines state that pain assessment should follow the biopsychosocial model, clearly addressing biological, psychological, and social aspects of the pain experience. Existing reviews also highlight that pain specialists and end users are not commonly involved in the development process of mobile apps for pain assessment, negatively affecting the quality of the available apps. Objective This study aimed to develop a mobile app for pain assessment (AvaliaDor) and assess its usability, validity, reliability, and measurement error in a sample of real patients with chronic pain recruited from a physiotherapy clinic. Methods This study was divided into 2 phases: phase 1—development of the AvaliaDor app; and phase 2—assessment of the apps’ usability, reliability, measurement error, and validity. AvaliaDor was developed (phase 1) based on the literature and the recommendations of physiotherapists and patients with pain in cycles of evaluation, inclusion of recommendations, and reevaluation until no further changes were required. The final version of the app was then tested in patients with musculoskeletal pain attending a private physiotherapy practice (phase 2) who were asked to use the app twice on 2 consecutive days for reliability purposes. In addition, participants had to complete a set of paper-based scales (Brief Pain Inventory, painDETECT, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia), which were used to assess the validity (criterion validity and hypothesis testing) of the app, and the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire was used to assess its usability. Results The development process (phase 1) included 5 physiotherapists external to the research team and 5 patients with musculoskeletal pain, and it resulted in the creation of an app named AvaliaDor, which includes an assessment of pain intensity, location, and phenotype; associated disability; and the issues of pain catastrophizing and fear of movement. A total of 52 patients with pain (mean age 50.12 years, SD 11.71 years; 39 females) participated in phase 2 and used the app twice. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the scores on the paper-based scales and the app ranged between 0.81 and 0.93 for criterion validity and between 0.41 and 0.59 for hypothesis testing. Test-retest reliability was moderate to good (intraclass correlation coefficient between 0.67 and 0.90) and the score for usability was 1.16 (SD 0.27), indicating good usability. Conclusions A mobile app named AvaliaDor was developed to assess the intensity, location, and phenotype of pain; associated disability; and the issues of pain catastrophizing and fear of movement in a user-centered design process. The app was shown to be usable, valid, and reliable for assessing pain from a biopsychosocial perspective in a heterogeneous group of patients with pain. Future work can explore the long-term use of AvaliaDor in clinical contexts and its advantages for the assessment and management of patients with pain.

Rapid diagnosis by using small, simple, and portable devices could represent one of the best strategies to limit the damage and contain the spread of viral, bacterial or protozoa diseases, principally when they can be transmitted by air and are highly contagious, as some respiratory viruses are. The presence of antibodies in blood or serum samples is not the best option for deciding when a person must be quarantined to stop transmission of disease, given that cured patients have antibodies, so the best diagnosis methods rely on the use of nucleic acid amplification procedures. Here we present a very simple device and detection principle, based on paper discs coupled to contactless conductivity (C4D) sensors, can provide fast and easy diagnostics that are needed when an epidemic outbreak develops. The paper device presented here solves one of the main drawbacks that nucleic acid amplification tests have when they are performed outside of central laboratories. As the device is sealed before amplification and integrally disposed in this way, amplimers release cannot occur, allowing repetitive testing in the physician’s practice, ambulances, or other places that are not prepared to avoid cross-contamination of new samples. The use of very low volume samples allows efficient reagent use and the development of low cost, simple, and disposable point-of-care diagnostic systems., Author summary In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized Chagas Disease as a neglected tropical disease. Meanwhile the serological tests, recommended by WHO, can be performed for chronic disease diagnosis, the nucleic acid amplification tests must be performed for the detection of the acute phase of the disease. Although the existing laboratory diagnosis tests for Chagas Disease are sensitive and highly reproducible, they cannot be performed in rural, low infrastructure environments, where this disease prevails. In this sense, the use of simple and portable analytical devices may be able to offer an affordable solution to this problem, allowing fast sampling, diagnosis and treatment prescription in one simple and fast intervention, as the performed by short term medical missions. In this study we show for the first time a diagnosis test comprising low cost materials and employing a contactless and label-free conductivity detection system that is used to read the result of a nucleic acid amplification reaction. The test showed high sensitivity for Chagas Disease diagnosis showing the potential to be used in rural and low income places.

An instrument and software algorithm is described for the purpose of characterization of large single crystals at the Alignment Facility (ALF) of the ISIS spallation neutron source. We describe a method for both characterizing the quality of the sample and also aligning it in a particular scattering plane. We present a software package written for this instrument and demonstrate its utility by way of an example of the structural characterization of large singles crystals of Pb(Mg$_{1/3}$Nb$_{2/3}$)O$_{3}$. We suggest extensions and modifications of characterization instruments for future improved beamlines. It is hoped that this software will be used by the neutron user community for pre characterizing large single crystals for spectroscopy experiments and that future facilities will include such a facility as part of the spectroscopy suite at spallation neutron sources., (6 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Journal of Applied Crystallography); The software package can be found at https://github.com/CSTOCK3/ALF-Analysis-Software. Please email comments to the authors

The environmental threats posed by manmade composites during their disposal and depletion of fossil fuel resources have necessitated the application of ecofriendly materials for composite making. I...

Degumming is the dominant method for insolating lignocellulosic fibers in textile applications. Traditional alkaline degumming (TAL), as a common method, requires a high-concentration alkali and has been a severe challenge to the environment. In the research reported here, the possibility of innovative jute degumming by organic solvents 1-2 propylene glycol and a combination of additive green oxygen (GO-OS) was studied. The results revealed that fibers could be extracted by this system (under condition of 0.9% GO-OS, 180°C, 120 min), and obtained fibers with higher breaking tenacity (7.1 cN/dtex), yield (65.7%), breaking elongation (2.87%) and residual gum (11.7%), which all meet the requirement of the relevant Chinese Textile National Standards. Notably, the required reaction time (120 min) of the GO-OS system was 180 min shorter than that of the TAL method. Furthermore, the modifications introduced by the degumming effect on physicochemical aspects were characterized and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. This study provides a promising degumming method for separating jute lignocellulose without acid and alkali consumption.

Coal reserves at Mui and Taru in Kitui and Kilifi counties in Kenya are estimated to provide over 400 million tons. Being new discoveries, their properties were investigated using the ASTM standards, while the combustion characteristics were studied in a fluidized bed combustor (FBC). Proximate analyses of the Mui1, Mui2, and Taru coal samples were as follows: moisture content 3.75, 5.48, and 3.53%; volatile matter 59.25, 58.05, and 55.10%; ash content 9.25, 11.48, and 24.63%; and fixed carbon 27.80, 25.00, and 16.75%, respectively. Ultimate analysis for Mui1, Mui2, and Taru coal samples is as follows: sulphur wt.% 1.94, 1.89, and 1.07; carbon 65.68, 60.98, and 51.10%; hydrogen 5.97, 5.70, and 5.09%; nitrogen 0.92, 0.94, and 1.00%; and oxygen 11.62, 12.33, and 11.13%, respectively. Temperature–weight loss analysis showed that for Mui and Taru basin coal, devolatilization starts at 200°C and 250°C, and combustion was complete at 750°C and 650°C, respectively. The maximum temperature obtained in FBC was 855°C at 700 mm height, just above the point of fuel feed, while the minimum was 440°C at height of 2230 mm. Maximum pressure drop was 1.02 mbars at 150 mm, while minimum was 0.67 mbars at 700 mm from the base. Gross calorific values were Mui1 coal, 27090 kJ/kg (grade A), Mui2 coal, 25196 kJ/kg (grade B), and the Taru coal, 21016 kJ/kg (grade C). Flue gas analysis for Taru and Mui coal gave hydrogen sulfide as 20 ppm and 6 ppm, maximum carbon monoxide of 2000 ppm at 600°C, and a decrease in oxygen as combustion progressed to a minimum of 15%, followed by an increase to 20.3%, suggesting depletion of coal. Based on the findings, the coal samples were suitable for commercial use.

The application of natural dye in the textile industry is gaining popularity because of the increasing awareness of environmental effects, the ecological effects, and the pollution caused by synthe...

The potential for obtaining renewable energy from organic substrates such as food waste (FW) and biowaste has generated increasing interest in the anaerobic digestion process. Kinetic models are used to analyse the impact of different parameters on biological processes and thus, to optimize them to achieve and to increase the quality and quantity of biogas. This study presents an approximation of the pre-dimensioning of semi-continuous anaerobic reactors treating FW, based on: (i) biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays, in different conditions of substrate-inoculum ratio (S/I: 0.5 and 4.0 g volatile solid-VSsubstrate·g VSinoculum−1) and nutrients (with macro-nutrients (N and P) and micronutrients, only micronutrients (Ni, Co, Mo and Fe) and without nutrients), and (ii) the kinetic performance through three kinetic models (transfer function-TF, logistic function-LF and modified Gompertz-MG), using Pmax (maximum methane production) and Rmax (maximum rate of methane production) as kinetic parameters related to the hydraulic retention time. The best S/I ratios were below 1.0 gVSsubstrate·gVSinoculum−1 with nutrients. Although the three kinetic models obtained a good fit (R2 > 0.9 and RMSE

Foaming of mashes during distillation is a common problem encountered in spirit drink production. It has a negative impact on the purity of the final product. This research article presents the key aspects of foam accumulation in rye mashes during distillation. Foam accumulation was influenced by substrate characteristics and process parameters. The experiments showed that pentosan levels and thermal energy input were the crucial parameters for foam accumulation in rye mashes. Foam accumulation was significantly enhanced by higher pentosan levels, due to the higher viscosity imparted by pentosan. Hence, degradation of pentosans prior to distillation presents a way to reduce foam accumulation. In terms of thermal energy input, foam accumulation was significantly lower when the thermal energy input was reduced from 400 to 200 W/L. Substantial foaming only occurred in a narrow temperature range of 89.5 to 98.2 C. The results allowed for the first time to make recommendations to prevent problematic foam accumulation during distillation of rye mashes.

Cotton fabric is a commonly used textile because of its natural and healthy properties. The chemical structure of cotton consists cellulose with a ratio of over 90 %. Cellulose is a natural polymer and cotton fabric is a quiet useful textile because of its better moisture absorption, softness, and easy care properties. Moisture absorbtion property comes from the cellulosic structure of the fabric. However, its features such as being hydrophilic and inclinable to bacterial growth limits its application areas. Antibacterial cotton fabric may be used for hospital textiles such as hospital gowns, patient clothes, wound bandages; food packaging and storage textiles; home textiles like curtain, bed cover; clothing, etc. In this study, a novel environmentally friendly antibacterial cotton fabric was developed. Flame retardant zinc borate was used as antibacterial agent. For this purpose, zinc borate with a formula of ZnO·3B2O3·7H2O had been synthesized with wet chemical precipitation method and cotton fabric was treated with this material via sol-gel impregnation method. The impregnation method for cotton fabric provided a uniform distribution of zinc borate particles and processing the entire volume of the fiber. This method is also suitable for large quantity production processes. In the microbiological studies, Enterococcus which is commonly associated with the nosocomial infections and food spoilage was used. As a result, the antibacterial activity was observed in the fabrics treated with 0.1 mol·l−1 and 0.2 mol·l−1 concentration of zinc borate solutions.

This study was aimed to investigate the chemical composition and fuel potential of charcoal powder. In this study, charcoal powders were obtained from 3 sources. The first group was charcoal from industrial factories, consisting of charcoal from the biomass power plant (CBPP). The second group was charcoal from a by-product of agricultural products, consisting of rice husk coal (RHC), coconut-shell coal (CSC), corn cob coal (CCC), cassava stump coal (CStC), and eucalyptus bark coal (EuBC). The third group was charcoal from recycling vegetal coal, consisting of recycling eucalyptus coal (REuC) and recycling assorted wood coal (RAWC). The potential values of charcoal powder by proximate analysis revealed 5.3–50.8% ash content, 12.9–27.2% volatile matter, and 25–81% fixed carbon. The ultimate analysis indicated that the charcoal powder contained 28.23–90.44% carbon, 0–2.66% hydrogen, 0.06–2.01% nitrogen, and 0–18.27% oxygen, at dry basis condition. The fuel property revealed the heating value to range from 3,274 to 8,135 cal/g at dry basis condition. The overall results revealed that CCC, CSC, REuC, RAWC, and CBPP had a high potential for charcoal briquette production and could be used as the main ingredients, while CStC, EuBC, and RHC should be used as the secondary ingredients to meet the standard of charcoal briquette production.

Using the ‘deep image prior’ characteristic of generative neural networks, a post-processing method that mitigates the inter-slice crosstalk issue in multislice ptychography has been developed. Under certain scenarios, crosstalk can be suppressed effectively in slice images reconstructed using ptychographic diffraction data alone., Multislice ptychography is a high-resolution microscopy technique used to image multiple separate axial planes using a single illumination direction. However, multislice ptychography reconstructions are often degraded by crosstalk, where some features on one plane erroneously contribute to the reconstructed image of another plane. Here, the use of a modified ‘double deep image prior’ (DDIP) architecture is demonstrated in mitigating crosstalk artifacts in multislice ptychography. Utilizing the tendency of generative neural networks to produce natural images, a modified DDIP method yielded good results on experimental data. For one of the datasets, it is shown that using DDIP could remove the need of using additional experimental data, such as from X-ray fluorescence, to suppress the crosstalk. This method may help X-ray multislice ptychography work for more general experimental scenarios.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to establish a suitable procedure for dyeing and multifunctional finishing on 100% cotton using extracts of eucalyptus leaves in an eco-friendly manner. Design/methodology/approach Box–Behnken design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to optimise the conditions of extraction, dyeing and finishing. Phytochemical analysis was performed to determine the chemical constituents of the extracts. Colour strength, fastness properties were evaluated for dyed fabric samples. The effectiveness of eucalyptus leaves extract as an insect repellent, aroma, antibacterial finishing agent, was assessed. Pre-soaking and padding method was used for the application of active essential oil on the fabric. Findings Essential oil extracted from Eucalyptus globulus leaves have great repellent rate for insects to the extent of 90% and aroma intensity of 72% and antibacterial effect of 100% bacterial reduction up to five washings. The use of citric acid as cross-linking agent helps increase the durability of the finish. Natural dyeing to get light yellow shade is possible with extracts made with water, possessing good fastness properties. Research limitations/implications Scaling up the extraction process and soaking larger quantities of fabrics in extracted essential oil solution before the pad applications are considered limitations of this study. However, smaller pieces of fabrics can conveniently be handled in this process. It has tremendous potential for practising industrially, to get yellow-shaded multifunctional finished cotton textiles. Practical implications Protection against insects, including mosquitoes, bacteria with additional aroma on cotton will be of great use in day-to-day life for the wearer. Social implications Eco-friendly, renewable sources of ingredients from the plant were used to obtain protection against pathogenic or odour-causing microorganisms using this hygiene finish with multiple end uses. Originality/value This original work enables conducting dyeing and multifunctional finishing together in a single stage, which otherwise takes a number of steps, consuming large quantities of water, chemicals and energy to impart similar effects on cotton.

A promising approach for supplementing petroleum-derived fuels to support reductions in green-house gas emissions is to convert abundant biomass feedstocks into renewable carbon-rich oils using pyr...

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is a major by-product of the sugarcane industry and one of the most common renewable and sustainable cellulosic materials for various industrial applications. As the world moves toward bioeconomy and green chemistry for sustainable growth, SCB is seen as a valuable bioresource. The cellulose component of SCB at 40–50% serves as a precursor for producing value-added products such as cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibers and microcrystalline cellulose. Some applications of cellulosic materials from SCB, emerging markets and future prospects in the nanocellulose industry are discussed. Most studies on cellulose from SCB focused only on the extraction and isolation of micro and nanomaterials. This presents opportunity for researchers and industry players to invest efforts and capital into further applications of cellulosic materials from SCB, as a renewable and sustainable product source.

Two modulated structures of the Hyp-1–ANS complex with different unit-cell dimensions and contents were analyzed in (3+1)D superspace, revealing that they are very similar if not the same higher-dimensional structure with a slight shift in the q vector being responsible for the differences observed in 3D space., Two commensurately modulated structures (PDB entries 4n3e and 6sjj) were solved using translational noncrystallographic symmetry (tNCS). The data required the use of large supercells, sevenfold and ninefold, respectively, to properly index the reflections. Commensurately modulated structures can be challenging to solve. Molecular-replacement software such as Phaser can detect tNCS and either handle it automatically or, for more challenging situations, allow the user to enter a tNCS vector, which the software then uses to place the components. Although this approach has been successful in solving these types of challenging structures, it does not make it easy to understand the underlying modulation in the structure or how these two structures are related. An alternate view of this problem is that the atoms and associated parameters are following periodic atomic modulation functions (AMFs) in higher dimensional space, and what is being observed in these supercells are the points where these higher dimensional AMFs intersect physical 3D space. In this case, the two 3D structures, with a sevenfold and a ninefold superstructure, seem to be quite different. However, describing those structures within the higher dimensional superspace approach makes a strong case that they are closely related, as they show very similar AMFs and can be described with one unique (3+1)D structure, i.e. they are two different 3D intersections of the same (3+1)D structure.

The article provides an overview of studies on the causes of the formation of hydrogen sulfide in anaerobic conditions of urban sewage systems and methods for neutralizing toxic reagent sulfur-containing compounds. It is noted that the presence of sulfur compounds and organic components in sewage flow leads to the formation and release of hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere of settlements. Three main categories of methods for purifying sewage wastewater from hydrogen sulfide are presented. In this work, a complex alumina-ferrous coagulant has been developed from Kazakh raw materials. Based on natural ferruginous diatomite and middlings of sintered alumina, a complex alumina-ferrous coagulant has been synthesized, which is effective in purifying wastewater from hydrogen sulfide, accelerating the processes of sedimentation and clarification of sewage slurries. Experimental results also show that with the supply of increased amounts of coagulant, oil and oil films disappear from the surface of the cylinder, an almost complete purification of effluents from hydrogen sulfide compounds occurs, and the color of the liquid part is greatly reduced. In addition, the advantage of the developed reagent is that it is presented in the form of fine powder and can be easily dosed and added to a canalization pump station to interact with diluted hydrogen sulfide and be transported to sewage fields. Compared to other proposed methods in previous works, the reagent is suitable to be used directly in sewage systems such as sewage waters treatment plants and collectors to prevent hydrogen sulfide emission into the air atmosphere of populated areas, as well as at city sewage water treatment stations after air tanks and before secondary clarifiers to obtain better purified water suitable for watering agricultural plants.

Decades have passed, facing the energy crisis and environmental pollution and researching various possible solutions to tackle them. The use of renewable sources and sustainable development processes is continuously under study to substitute conventional fossil fuels for environmental benefit. Amongst these, hydrogen is thought to be an ideal energy source with almost no hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide emissions and high energy output. Among the hydrogen production techniques, dark fermentation (DF) is a promising option for hydrogen production as it is less costly and has more energy recovery potential. The current study was designed to test the ability of kitchen waste, like potato peels, which is a common waste coming out of kitchens worldwide. The experiment demonstrates that the acidic pH of 4.5 at 40 °C yields maximum hydrogen in the bench-scale batch reactor. Hydrogen production from potato waste feedstock using sewage sludge inoculum has not been reported at this scale before. The actual results and their significance analysis by ANOVA also confirmed that fermentative hydrogen production from waste potato peels using sewage sludge inoculum is possible at a mesophilic temperature in a bench-scale batch fermenter.

Textiles are frequently used in bookbinding or for attaching pendent seals and thus they are an integral part of archival and library items. Any part of these items can be contaminated by various microorganisms. Consequently, it is often necessary to include disinfection procedures in the initial stages of the conservation process. Primarily, the agents employed in conservation must not harm the treated material. This work was concerned with monitoring the effect of selected disinfectant agents (ethylene oxide, Septonex®, glutaraldehyde, Bacillol® AF, butanol vapours, Acticide® MV, silver nanoparticles, Chiroseptol®) on the properties and long-term stability of natural textile fibres (cotton and silk). The disinfected textiles were subjected to three kinds of artificial ageing (dry heat, moist heat, and light) and their properties were determined by means of the total colour difference, thread tensile strength and the limiting viscosity number.

Food waste is a major issue in the context of pollution, climate change, and the future circular economy. Composting kitchen waste is a promising method to recycle elements, yet the efficiency of composting is limited, calling for new processes that degrade rapidly and thoroughly organic matter. Here, we built a rapid laboratory-scale aerobic composting system, equipped with a water bath fueled with either solar energy, or electricity under low sunlight. We tested compositing with and without energy. Results show that only three days are needed to raise the temperature to over 45 °C by energy composting in winter, leading to notable increases in pH, total nitrogen, and cation exchange capacity after 7 days. Composting materials were thoroughly decomposed and mature in 10 days, displaying pH of 7.5, ratio of total organic carbon to total nitrogen of 9.9, cation exchange capacity of 65.61 cmol kg−1, and germination index of 80.4%. Overall, energy composting starts biodegradation quickly in 2 days, reduces effectively the inhibition from some waste compounds, decomposes organic substances well, and yields mature compost.

The energy crisis is a major challenge for the 21st century due to fossil fuel depletion. Biomass, the waste material from plants or animals containing renewable and abundant carbon resources, is considered as an ideal alternative for fossil fuels. Glucose, as a building unit of cellulose, is the most widely used monosaccharide that has wide applications ranging from pharmaceuticals and food industries. The conversion of biomass-derived glucose has become a major and multidisciplinary field of research. Various catalytic transformation processes have been used in the thermochemical conversion of glucose. Numerous nanocatalysts have been developed to selectively convert biomass-derived glucose into fine chemicals. This review mainly summarizes the recent achievements of developing catalytic systems for glucose conversion into high-value chemicals. The catalyst structure–activity relationships and underlying reaction mechanisms are also discussed.

The exploitation of an efficient method for direct conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into various high valuable chemicals remains a huge challenge in the chemical industry. Here, mechanocatalyt...

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on health by exhibiting quantitative and qualitative effects on intestinal microflora and/or modification of the immune system. A strain is consid�ered probiotic if it demonstrates a series of clinically proven health benefits. In recent years, the number of studies related to the antioxidant properties of probiotics has significantly increased. Antioxidants are substances that inhibit the degree of oxidation of molecules and cause the transformation of radicals into inactive derivatives. The incorrect or inefficient antioxidant mechanisms results in oxidative stress and may occur in the course of many diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease or damage to the heart, brain or transplanted organs. Correct functioning of antioxidant mechanisms seems to be crucial for the proper function�ing of our body; therefore, probiotics should be carefully investigated for potential antioxidant properties.

In this study, silver-doped natural mulberry fibers were successfully obtained by the dip-coating technique. Arrays of material consisting of synthetic compounds (organic as well as inorganic) are being utilized to impart antimicrobial functionality to textiles. Therefore, the current study for the first time attempted to establish an innovative class of textiles made up of silver-doped natural mulberry fibers. This fabric will be utilized for the fabrication of antimicrobial socks. The morphology, physicochemical and antibacterial characteristics of Ag-doped mulberry fibers were scanned via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and antibacterial testing. SEM analysis evidently demonstrated uniform distribution of Ag on mulberry fibers and the outcome of XRD and FTIR analyses authenticated assimilation of Ag in the Ag-doped mulberry composite. The Ag-doped mulberry fibers revealed venerable antibacterial action against representative bacterium E. coli. The antibacterial analysis lead to the conclusion that the Ag-doped mulberry fiber textile has an enhanced bactericidal effect owing to the synergism of Ag and mulberry compounds. Moreover, Ag imparted an anti-odor effect on mulberry fiber. These distinctive organic–inorganic fibrous composite socks are antimicrobial, odor free and skin and environment friendly. Thus, this study recommends the use of Ag-doped mulberry fibers as a future material for the preparation of durable antibacterial new generation socks. These composite fibers can also be used as textile material for clothes such as sportswear and for medical purposes; for instance, bedcovers in hospital beds, etc.

Agricultural wastes are a big source for environmental pollution so it’s a good choice to recycle them so as to get an environmental and economic benefit. The purpose of this research is to determine the possibility of recycling two types of agriculture wastes obtained from wheat and sugarcane cultivation in addition to broken glass (cullet) as raw materials for ceramic wall tiles production. The used agriculture wastes are the agricultural residue obtained from wheat and sugarcane cultivation. The experimental work starts with performing XRF and sieve analysis for all raw materials. Ceramic wall tiles specimens were made with dimensions 110.4 × 55.4 × 8 mm3 using 27 MPa dry pressing then dried at 120 oC overnight, then fired using firing temperatures equal to 1100 oC or 1150 oC during 15 min soaking time. Water absorption, apparent porosity, and mechanical properties were done to compare them with ISO standards. According to the previous experimental work, it was found that the samples with the composition (10% Cullet, 15% Wheat ash straw, 20% sugarcane) for samples that fired at 1150 oC or (10% Cullet, 13% Wheat ash straw, 18% sugarcane) for samples that fired at 1100 oC has the optimum properties.

Treatment of the textile effluent becomes complex due to the high color, organic load, dissolved solids content, and toxicity of the textile effluents. An optimized pre-ozonation treatment has been...

Due to the growing demand for energy in the present-day world, it is obligatory to look for alternative sources of renewable energy. The derivation of power from microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has developed at the vanguard of the alternative source of renewable energy through the concomitant treatment of wastewater. Hence, the process development of MFC is obligatory for creating a sustainable source of renewable energy through the treatment of wastewater. To that end, an attempt was taken in the present study for sustainable power generation from single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC) using Pseudomonas aeruginosa-MTCC-7814. The experiments were carried out in a batch process for 15 days with real dairy wastewater (RDW) having initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 8000 mg/L. The open-circuit voltage (OCV) found after 72 h of batch operation was 658 mV, which was maximum within the batch operation. The columbic efficiency (CE) of the batch process was found to be 46.59%. The maximum specific growth rate (μmax) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-MTCC-7814 was found to be 0.432 day−1 during batch operation. However, saturation constant (Ks) and inhibition coefficient (Ki) were calculated as 608.74 mg/L, and 6582 mg/L, respectively. The maximum current density (Imax) and saturation constant (Kc) predicted from batch kinetics study were 132 mA/m2 and 321 mg/L, respectively, which has resemblance with the data obtained from experiments. The maximum current density and power density from experiments were found to be 161 mA/m2 and 34.82 mW/m2, respectively. Results showed that a higher power density and current density values were obtained from the present study as compared to the earlier reports that utilized wastewater as the substrate for the MFC. Thus, the study suggests that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (MTCC-7814) can be used as a promising biocatalyst in MFC for sustainable power generation through the utilization of wastewater treatment.

Carbon emissions due to the exploitation of conventional sources of energy like coal, diesel, and petrol are the primary source of global warming. In recent years, biodiesel has emerged as one of the potential candidates, to be used as alternate and renewable source of energy, for reducing the carbon footprints. Thus, for the growth and development of biodiesel it is essential to evaluate the energy and economic output of various vegetable oil plants used to produce biodiesel. The present study aims to select the vegetable oil plants for biodiesel production in India by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. This study conducts a comparative energy and economic analyses of biodiesel production from jatropha, mahua, neem, palm, coconut, karanja, jojoba, and tung. The results indicated that the net energy is positive for all the plants, where, neem was recognized as a higher energy ratio (5.5164) and energy productivity (0.0567 kg MJ−1), which could be deal with as a higher contributor for reducing CO2 emission (g CO2 eq/MJ) in diesel blending. Higher gross production values (222.27 R kg−1), gross returns (168.70 R kg−1), net returns (144.13 R kg−1), benefit to cost ratios (2.84) productivity (0.0122 kg Rs-1) obtained for neem.

This study investigates the thermodynamic equilibrium analysis of the supercritical water gasification (SCWG) involving several typical feedstocks (coal, sewage sludge, microalga, and sawdust). The effects of various parameters including feed concentrations, temperatures, and pressures are analyzed. It is observed that temperature and feed concentration play a determining role in the yield of hydrogen, while the effect of pressure is very limited. Results show that the feed concentration of 15–20 wt% is optimal for hydrogen production. Furthermore, the effects of composition (hydrogen to carbon ratio and oxygen to carbon ratio) of the feedstock on the yield of product gases are investigated, which is useful for screening potential feedstock for SCWG. The results show that maximum H2 and CH4 molar yields are achieved at a low O/C and a high H/C ratio.

Due to the availability of high ash feedstocks and drift origin, Indian coal washeries face tremendous pressure in maintaining the clean coal yield and handling huge quantities of rejects. Since flotation rejects (tailings) discharged in the form of fine-sized (−500 μ) coal-water-slurry, handling and disposal is an environmental concern and it impacts mine sustainability. As conventional methods for extracting clean coal from tailings reported poor yields, a two-stage process i.e. wet-grinding followed by density-gradient-centrifugal separation was explored and optimized for recovering >80% of the carbon values. Clean coal of 19.2%–21.4% ash with >40% yield was obtained by density-gradient-centrifugation of different ultrafine size (−75 μ) coal-water-slurries at 50% pulp density. However, further reduction in clean coal ash by maintaining the yield was limited due to the hindrance in the movement of the high-ash coal particle caused by particle-particle interactions in a thick slurry. Hence, the pulp density of coal-water-slurry was optimized with the addition of extra water, which resulted in 15.1%–17.3% ash clean coal at an average yield of 54–58% from coal tailings having 34.9%–39.3% ash content. Optimization and kinetics of grinding and density-gradient-centrifugation were studied to check the effect of pulp density and other operating conditions. Ash reduction was mainly due to the removal of silica-based materials, where alumina to silica ratio was increased from 0.394 to 0.475. The petrographic analysis showed that the product coal was rich in macerals with ~60% of vitrinites and ~ 30% of inertinites.