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This work is concerned with the electrochemical detection of new psychoactive substances (NPSs), in particular 2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine structures (NBOMes) and the analogous 2,5-dimethoxy phenethylamine structures (2C-X group) on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Fast square-wave voltammetry was used to identify the substances in question. The antifouling properties of the BDD surface resulted in stable, repeatable, sensitive and unique voltammetric responses for these NPSs, producing different voltammetric signatures. Different NBOMes were identified by voltammetric methods in blotting paper seized from the drug market, without any interference from LSD, another psychedelic drug distributed via blotting paper. The proposed method achieved detection limits lower than 0.1μmolL−1 with high precision (RSD

The performance of an amine-based post-combustion CO2 capture and storage (CCS) process in an existing Kraft pulp mill and an existing pulp and board mill was assessed. The pulp and paper industry is an energy-intensive industry, with significant amounts of CO2 emitted onsite. The majority of this CO2 originates from the combustion of biomass, which renders it carbon neutral if the biomass used by the industry is grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. If the CO2 emissions from the pulp and paper industry were to be captured and permanently stored, then this could make the industry a potential carbon sink. In this evaluation, different configurations of capturing CO2 from the flue gases of the recovery boiler, the multi-fuel boiler and the lime kiln were assessed. For a stand-alone Kraft pulp mill, the excess steam available is sufficient to cover the demand from the CO2 capture plant. For an integrated pulp and board mill, there is less excess steam available for the CO2 capture plant and an auxiliary boiler may be required. The retrofit of a post-combustion CO2 capture plant into an existing pulp mill increases the steam demand by 1-8 GJ/air dried tonne (adt) pulp, depending on the volume of the flue gas treated. This translates to a reduction in the amount of electricity exported to the grid by 0.1-1.0 MWh/adt pulp for a stand-alone Kraft pulp mill, and by 0.1-0.5 MWh/adt pulp for an integrated pulp and board mill. The total potential for negative CO2 emissions amounts to just under 2.0 Mt CO2/a both for the market pulp mill and for the integrated pulp and board mill.

The use of fibre-based materials as substrates in printed electronics has been increasing, mainly due to its attractive characteristics, such as low-cost or wide availability. Additionally, paper enables recycling and it shows attractive features, such as high thermal stability, when compared to traditional polymer-based substrates (Tobjörk and Österbacka, 2011 [1]). Nevertheless, one of the drawbacks of using paper substrates is that the surface usually is very rough, typically, showing roughness values above 10 μm2. In most cases, printing structures that need to be highly uniform, without disruptions, require additional coating. Inkjet printing provides sharp detail reproduction and strict lines on printed structures. Sintering is required for drying the ink. Thermal sintering is the traditionally used method, but requires long periods of time and promotes the ageing of the paper due to a long exposure at high temperature. When printing conductive structures on paper alternative photonic sintering methods such as IR-sintering show some attractive characteristics. IR-sintering is compatible with roll-to-roll fabrication, providing low-cost, fast and localized sintering, which makes it suitable for fibre-based substrates (Tobjörk et al., 2012 [3]). This work has been carried out to study and compare the efficiency of thermal and IR sintering of conductive structures on different paper and polymer substrates. All substrates were printed using silver based ink, which was applied on the substrate surface by inkjet. Resistivity values of the printed structures were used to compare the performance on the substrates. IR-sintering showed the best results in terms of achieved conductivity of the printed lines when using short sintering time of no more than 10 min. The conductivity values of the inkjet-printed silver lines on Lumi silk substrate reached about 40% of the bulk silver value after IR-sintering, whereas with thermal-sintering this value only reached about 20% of the bulk silver value. IR-sintering improves the sintering process, increasing the conductivity of the printed structures and at the same time reducing significantly the sintering time. In the case of Lumi silk substrate, high conductivity was observed after only two minutes of sintering time when IR-oven was used. Both techniques can be used in a roll-to-roll mass manufacturing process, enabling the fabrication in large scale of flexible electronic devices, on paper substrates, without the need for extra steps, such as coatings.

Paper and board recycling is now a central issue in papermaking. Understanding of material flows, as a part of the total production chain, as well as, fibrous and non-fibrous component flows needs further clarification. These flows are studied at a European level, with special focus on Germany and Sweden. Non-fibrous components are discussed in terms of a material which hampers the processing of paper and board. Resource-efficiency improvements, in conjunction with economic benefits, are sought and recycling has been able to fulfil both of these. The main drivers to maximize the use of recovered paper in paper and board manufacturing, have been improved over the last decades. These drivers are cost, environmental image and good technical properties to be used as raw material. The increased recycling rate has reduced the quality of the collected paper, produced recycled paper, and replaced virgin pulp. Also, recycling as a process, like deinking, produces large amounts of waste material that has challenges to find proper utilization. These problem areas are addressed in this paper, too. One focus area in the analysis of statistical information is an estimation of the share of non-fibrous components and fibre volumes of paper in Europe (EU) for the year 2010.

Two organic–inorganic hybrid sol–gel coatings were developed in order to modify the surface energy and moisture behaviour of the commercial impregnated paper. The surface characteristics of the paper samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). It was found that the applied sol–gel coatings as well as the curing process changed the surface structural and chemical properties of the impregnated paper. The chemical bonding between the hydroxyl groups present on paper surface and silanol groups from sol–gel coatings was confirmed by the FTIR spectra. The measured surface energies divided into polar and dispersive components indicated that the coating B resulted in less polar surface than did the coating A which was more polar than the reference (the impregnated paper with water and heat treatment). Coating B brought about the lowest total surface energy. It was obtained that the water repellence of the impregnated paper was improved by both coatings and the curing process.

Pick-up felts and deposits in wet end splash areas and in storage tanks of paper machines contained large amounts of thiosulfate (80– 16 000 mg kg −1 , wet weight) and oxalate (20– 2300 mg kg −1 , wet weight). These anions were absent ( mg l −1 ) in process water and found in raw materials only in low concentrations (5– 10 mg kg −1 , wet weight). Similar and larger amounts of thiosulfate, sulfite and oxalate were generated de novo from sulfate and sheets of chemical pulp in a splash area simulator fed with artificial paper machine white water in the laboratory. Stainless steel UNS S30400 coupons placed in the simulator developed significant corrosion pits within 4 weeks. Pitting was most extensive under or vicinal to patches where large amount of thiosulfate and oxalate accumulated in the pulp sheet. Pitting of UNS S31600 occurred only vicinal to the pulp sheet. The pitted steel surfaces accumulated large amounts of silicon containing material. The biogenic conversion of sulfate into compounds of lower oxidation states occurred more extensively on stainless steel UNS S30400 than on UNS S31600.

The oxygen electrodes in unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFC) must have high activities towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as well as oxygen evolution reaction (OER), thus requiring high loading of noble metal electrocatalysts. In this study, porous Pt/IrO2/carbon paper (CP) electrocatalysts were developed to reduce the metal loading. The Pt/IrO2/CP electrodes were fabricated by sequential formation of IrO2 layers (loading 0.1 mg cm−2) and porous Pt layers (0–0.3 mg cm−2) on CP substrates by electrodeposition and spraying techniques, respectively. The fuel cell (FC) performances increased linearly up to 0.69 A cm−2 with increasing Pt loading (up to ~0.3 mg cm−2) at 0.6 V, whereas the water electrolysis (WE) activity was highest at Pt loading of 0.2 mg cm−2. The current densities in the FC and WE modes and round-trip efficiency of the developed Pt/IrO2/CP electrodes with the oxygen electrocatalysts loadings of 0.3 and 0.4 mg cm−2 were higher or comparable to previously reported values with higher loading (1.5–4.0 mg cm−2). These high performances with low loading are probably due to the facile oxygen and water transport through well-developed macropores originating from the open CP structures, providing effective utilization of the IrO2 and Pt electrocatalysts towards OER and ORR, respectively. Keywords: Unitized regenerative fuel cell, Oxygen electrode, Platinum, Iridium oxide

The electrochemically coated conducting paper based point-of-care diagnostics using amperometric sensing principles for troponin detection has been demonstrated in the present report. The cost-effective and stable conducting polymer coating was achieved on papers using screen printing followed by electrochemical deposition techniques for the first time. The cyclic voltammetric analysis has revealed the stable and uniform conducting polyaniline (PANI) coating onto filter papers fabricated using the simple and novel approach. These strips were found to be very sensitive for the futuristic diagnostics and the concept was proved by utilizing these strips for the troponin detection in a wide physiological range (1–100 ng/mL) with sensitivity of 5.5 μA/ng mL−1 cm−2. Association constant of the electrode has been found to be 1.2×1013 Lmol−1. Keywords: Conducting paper, Screen-printed electrode, Polyaniline, Biosensor, Troponin

In this study, commercially available softwood lignin was esterified with tall oil fatty acid (TOFA) and studied as barrier material in fibre-based packaging material. The lignin was esterified to different degrees of substitution and the chemical analyses of the resulting samples were carried out by FTIR, TMAH thermochemolysis GC–MS, 31P NMR and SEC. After functionalization, the thermoplastic properties of the lignin were enhanced as shown by DSC. The novel thermoplastic lignin samples were applied with a bar coater forming an even coating on the paperboard substrate. The WVTR of the paperboard (840 g/m2 × 24 h) could be reduced to 260 g/m2 × 24 h with a TOFA lignin ester double coating of 3.9 g/m2. Furthermore, a decrease in OTR value was observed for the TOFA lignin ester as well as the TOFA coated paperboard samples. In contrast to the TOFA coating, the modified lignin coatings exhibited a high and stable contact angle (80° for 2 min). The coating material did not affect the tensile strength of the paperboard. According to the results, the demonstration of the conversion of lignin into a value added product has been shown. Furthermore, the novel coating material shows promising properties for the development as sustainable barrier material in fibre-based packaging material to replace oil-based barriers.

Advantages and disadvantages of the concept of an industrial complex are discussed. From an environmental standpoint an ideal industrial complex is one containing a group of compatible industrial plants utilizing completely each other's wastes and products as raw materials and manufacturing products with no adverse environmental impact and at a minimum of cost. A typical complex centering about a pulp and papermill is pictured in this paper. This complex produces six products for external sale and four products for internal use. In addition, all major wastes of suspended solids, cooking liquor, fillers, heat and bark are reused within the complex in the manufacture of these products. A literature review evolved typical concentrations of recoverable suspended solids in various process effluents. A mass balance was prepared assuming that the total production of fine paper is 907.2 kg × 103 (1000 tons) per day. Little or no air or water pollution results from this complex. In addition, it is anticipated that no expensive waste-water treatment plant would be required for this complex. Ten additional practices are described which, when used, will reduce operating costs even further. A continuing study with more precise data on the production requirements for the service plants in the complex will yield a more balanced and realistic system.

Earthen buildings have gained popularity in recent years due to their eco-friendly sustainability approach in both materials and production technique. The materials' availability, ease of construction, and energy efficiency contribute to the utilization of wastes and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Gypsum and shredded plastic wastes are utilized in the production of modified Alker which is an improved earthen building. X-ray Powder Diffraction analysis is performed on the soil to obtain the basic elements in the soil, which show significant Magnesia content. The research studies the mechanical properties in Alker having 6% clay and modified with different percentages of SPW content by dry weight of the soil; 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%. The mechanical properties of matrix modified with 1% SPW show the best results. In addition, linear shrinkage tests are performed on the control and modified sample. The optimum sample modified with 1% SPW show significant reduction in linear shrinkage which is consistent with the crack analysis result performed using Matlab R2018a. It is observed that the optimum sample of 1% SPW has limited crack propagation compared to the other samples. Alker modified with shredded plastic wastes has shown to be a sustainable building material with improved properties.

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

The pumpkin pulp contains a greater composition of edible polysaccharides and has reported with excellent biological applications. This research pertains to optimize the extraction of polysaccharides from the fleshy portion of the pumpkin using aqueous assisted extraction (AAE). The result showed that the optimal extraction condition of pumpkin polysaccharide was as follows: extraction temperature at 55 °C, pH 4.5, and enzyme concentration of 4000 µ/g for 80 min. Under the optimal extraction condition, the yield of pumpkin polysaccharide via AAE (15.4) was significantly higher. The biological activities of extracted polysaccharide including α-amylase inhibition (57.41% at 1000 µg/mL) and anti-inflammatory (50.41% at 25 µg/mL) activity increased significantly. Additionally, the antioxidant activities of extracted pumpkin polysaccharides including IC50 values of DPPH and ABTS were 59.87% and 58.74%, respectively. The pumpkin polysaccharide has maximum inhibitory effects against bacterial strains especially for Escherichia coli than that of fungal strains. It is suggested that the aqueous assisted extraction of is a cost-effective promising method to decrease the processing time as well as enhancing extracted polysaccharide yield – times.

Medicinal plant-derived bioactive compounds have recently gained more interest in biological research as an important source of novel drug candidates. Phyllanthus acidus (L.) is a widely distributed herbal medicinal plant naturally used in Ayurvedic medicine in Bangladesh. The present study focused on exploring the biological potential as well as the inhibitory effect of EAC cell growth with a comparative analysis between Phyllanthus acidus fruit pulp and seed. Crude methanol extract of P. acidus (MEPA) fruit pulp and seed was assessed as DPPH and NO free radical scavengers. While Brine Shrimp lethality bioassay, the standard protocol of phytochemical screening and hemagglutination assay were performed successively to determine the toxic effect on normal cells, the identification of some crucial phytochemicals, and the existence of lectin protein. EAC (Ehrlich’s Ascites Carcinoma) cell growth inhibition was determined by hemocytometer and morphological changes of EAC cells were observed by a fluorescence microscope using Swiss albino mice. The IC50 value of MEPA fruit pulp and seed was obtained as 57.159 µg/ml and 288.743 µg/ml respectively where minimal toxic effects on Brine Shrimp nauplii demonstrates that it is a good source of natural antioxidant compounds. Again, MEPA fruit pulp and seed-mediated effective agglutination of mouse blood erythrocyte strongly support the presence of lectin protein. Furthermore, MEPA fruit pulp and seed extract-treated EAC cells showed 65.71% and 28.57% growth inhibition respectively. The fluorescent microscopic examination of EAC cells treated with MEPA fruit pulp has shown more remarkable structural changes in the nucleus than that of seed. Based on the above findings, the present study reveals that MEPA fruit pulp can be considered as a novel biological candidate for the treatment of fatal diseases shortly.

The effects of formulating broiler diets that contain sources of either rapidly or slowly digestible protein and 2 different dietary fiber sources on growth performance were studied in broilers chickens from 0 to 36 d of age. A total of 1,920 one-day-old, male Ross 708 broiler chickens were randomly allocated and housed in 48 floor pens (40 birds/pen) to one of 4 dietary treatments. Birds were allotted according to a completely randomized block design using a factorial arrangement of treatments with 2 protein digestion rates (rapidly or slowly) and 2 dietary fiber sources [3% oat hulls (OH) or 3% sugar beet pulp (SBP)] from 0 to 36 d of age. All diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous. The pen was the experimental unit for all variables studied (12 replicates/treatment). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS, and the model included the main effects of the protein digestion rate, dietary fiber source, and their interaction. There were 3 experimental feeding phases; starter (from day 0-14), grower (from day 14-28), and finisher (from day 28-36). Results indicated that broilers fed diets containing sources that supplied more rapidly digestible protein had 4% greater (P < 0.01) ADG and improved (P < 0.01) the feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 5% throughout the experiment, most notably after the starter phase. Diets containing 3% OH increased (P < 0.05) the ADFI and ADG (P < 0.05) in the starter phase compared with broilers fed diets containing 3% SBP, without affecting the FCR. The ADG and FCR of broilers fed diets containing sources of slowly digestible protein were improved (P < 0.05) to the level of broilers fed rapidly digestible protein containing diets with the addition of 3% OH. It is concluded that broiler diets should be formulated to contain a high concentration of ingredients that supply rapidly digestible protein, but if this is cost-prohibitive, then 3% OH could be used to increase the ADFI and ADG and potentially protein digestion rates to reduce the FCR.

This study aimed to determine the engineering properties of Kadam fruits which will help to develop the post-harvest technologies for it. In physical properties the dimensions, arithmetic mean diameter, geometric mean diameter, surface area, sphericity (104.68), porosity (52.72), true density (1.04), bulk density (0.49) and color of Kadam fruits was measured. The thermal properties like specific heat (3.83), thermal conductivity (0.593), thermal diffusivity (0.1401) and latent heat of (1698.45) were estimated. The outer color of fruit in terms of l*, a*, b* values were as 41.94, −2.25 and 29.18 respectively which suggests the color of fruit as green. The drying kinetics was studied at 50 °C to 110 °C and modeling of thin-layer infrared drying of Kadam fruit pulp was planned by using regression analysis. The final color of Kadam pulp powder at each drying temperature was measured to find the effect of drying temperature on the color. In browning kinetics, the change in color of fresh-cut Kadam fruit due to enzymatic browning was measured by using color coordinates.

Herein, we report for the first time, an eco-compatible hydrothermal route for the synthesis of carbon enriched mesoporous material (CuO NFs@MP) using fruit waste (Pulp) obtained from Citrus limetta’s (Mausambi) decorated irregular shaped CuO nanoflakes (NFs). The CuO NFs@MP nanocomposite was fully characterized through several spectroscopic-cum-analytical techniques such as TEM and XPS, which further confirmed the presence of CuO NFs. CuO NFs@MP could serve as an excellent catalyst for N-Arylation reaction and also paves promising peroxidase mimic activity. The preliminary results indicated that CuO NFs@MP shows the catalytic advantage of higher yields, shorter reaction time and greener conditions. Simultaneously, the oxidation of colorless TMB with H2O2 into blue-green colored ox-TMB was also observed in 60 s with CuO NFs@MP. The present nanocomposite is easy to synthesize, economical, retrievable and a reusable catalyst for synthesizing a varied range of N-Arylated products and could also mimic peroxidase without significant loss of activity. Keywords: Fruit waste (Pulp), Copper oxide Nanoflakes, Porous Carbon, N-Arylation, Peroxidase mimic activity

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Wool fibers are shrink-resist treated to make the wool garments machine washable. • The scales available on wool fiber surface are responsible for felting shrinkage. • Various treatments have been investigated to make wool garments shrink-resistant. • The chlorine-Hercosett process is the most effective but harmful to the environment. • The future trend of green and sustainable alternatives treatments are discussed., Wool fiber is a natural protein fiber, which is used for the manufacturing of apparels, and floorcoverings because of its excellent fire retardancy, stain-resistance, antistatic and odor control properties along with exceptional warmth and resilience. However, wool fiber has several serious demerits, such as garments made of wool fibers extensively shrink during their laundering. To overcome this problem, wool fibers, especially those are used in apparel, are frequently shrink-resist treated to make them machine-washable. A wide range of treatments including oxidative, enzymatic, radiation, polymeric coatings, sol-gel coatings, and plasma treatments have been investigated to make wool fiber shrink-resistant. In this review, the mechanisms of wool fiber shrinkage, the research carried out until recently to make wool fiber shrink-resistant, and the current status of the sustainable alternatives developed, have been compiled and presented. The various methods investigated have been critically discussed with their merits and demerits, shrink-resist performance, and their shrink-resistance mechanisms. The chemistry and synthesis of various polymers used for the shrink-resistance and their reactions with wool fiber have been outlined. This review also includes the current challenges to make shrink-resist treatments green and sustainable, and also the future directions to meet these challenges. Some of the treatments investigated may affect the biodegradability of wool fibers, especially those are based on coating with synthetic polymers. A sustainable alternative polymeric coating based on sustainably produced polymeric resins, especially bio-based resins, needs to be developed so that the future treatments become sustainable.

This study aimed to explore effects of different fiber-rich foods on bacterial community and their metabolites in pig model. Thirty-six pigs were allotted to 6 dietary treatments including corn bran (CB), wheat bran (WB), oat bran (OB), soybean hulls (SH), sugar beet pulp (SBP) and rice bran (RB). The results demonstrated that lactate was mainly produced in the foregut, whereas propionate and butyrate were generated in the hindgut of pig. The ileal acetate and fecal butyrate production were positively correlated with the dietary acid detergent fiber and cellulose content, respectively. Different dietary fiber supplementation altered Filifactor and Intestinibacter abundances in ileal digesta and Ruminococcus_1 and Lachnoclostridium populations in feces of pigs. The differences in fiber fermentation and SCFAs production in ileal and fecal samples were associated with microbial compositions. Overall, this study would help to better understand how to promote the gut health through different fiber-rich foods intake in humans.

Highlights • Critical analysis of the hybrid processes involving ultrasound, Fenton and ozone. • Guidelines for optimum operating conditions provided for maximum benefits. • Original study on treatment of two real industrial effluents. • US-Fenton approach followed by lime treatment established as the best approach. • Use of ozone does not add much benefits to US-Fenton treatment process., The present work demonstrates the significant role of ultrasound (US) in intensifying the efficacy of the combination with Fenton reagent and/or ozone for the treatment of real dye industry industrial effluent procured from the local industry. Initial part of the work focused on analysing the literature based on combination approaches of US with different oxidants applied for the treatment of real and simulated effluents focusing on the dyes. The work also provides guidelines for the selection of optimal operating parameters for maximizing the intensification of the degradation. The second part of the work presents an experimental study into combined approaches of ultrasound with ozone (O3) and Fenton’s reagent for treatment of real effluent. Under optimized conditions (100 W, 20 kHz and duty cycle of 70%), maximum COD reductions of 94.79% and 51% were observed using a combined approach of US + Fenton oxidation followed by lime treatment for the treatment of effluent-I and effluent-II respectively at H2O2 loading of 17.5 g/L, H2O2/Fe2+ ratio of 3, pH of 4, CaO dose of 1 g/L and an overall treatment time of 70 min. US + Fenton + O3 followed by lime was also applied for treatment under ozone loading of 1 g/h for the treatment of effluent-I and it was found that maximum COD reduction of 95.12% was obtained within 30 min of treatment time, indicating use of ozone did not result in significant value addition in terms of COD reduction but resulted in faster treatment. HC (inlet pressure: 4 bar) + Fenton + Lime scheme was successfully replicated on a pilot-scale resulting in maximum COD reduction of 57.65% within 70 min of treatment time. Overall, it has been concluded that the hybrid oxidative processes as US + Fenton followed by lime treatment is established as the best approach ensuring effective COD reduction at the same time obtaining final colourless/reusable effluent.

Superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted great attention for their distinguishing properties. The key factor for a surface to achieve superhydrophobic is the intrinsic hierarchical structure. Traditional graphene based materials are not suitable for the construction of hierarchical structures because these planar materials will adhere to the substrates during preparation. In this paper, based on the exhaustive experimental results and systematically analysis of the interaction mechanism between p-phenylenediamine and graphene oxide, it is proved that p-phenylenediamine modified graphene oxide has better strength, and it can be used to prepare super-hydrophobic surfaces with micro-nano hierarchical structures. The approach described here could be applied to the construction of superhydrophobic graphene related coating without other rigid supporting materials. Keywords: Graphene oxide, p-Phenylenediamine, Superhydrophobic, Hierarchical structure, Coating

During polymer composite melt processing thermomechanical wood pulp fibres (WF) have a different breakage mode than described for other natural fibres and glass fibre. During repeated bending, expected during twin-screw extrusion and injection moulding, WF fail by a mode related to their cross-section dimensions. Generally, fibres with large lumens relative to wall thickness ovalise and buckle. Conversely fibres with small lumens relative to wall thickness generally fracture. Confocal microscopy of WF extracted from the polymer matrix after melt processing showed a high degree of cross-section collapse of the bent and twisted fibres. The ability to cross-sectionally collapse during composites processing may make the fibres more resilient to repeated bending stresses and help with fibre length retention. Observations suggest fractures were initiated from the edges of the bent fibres and propagated across the fibre.

The effect of thermal Z-isomerization pre-treatment on lycopene extraction from dried tomato pulp by organic solvents and supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was evaluated. Although total Z-isomer content of lycopene in fresh tomato pulp was only 6.1%, it increased by thermal treatment at 120 and 150 °C for 1 h to 10.0% and 56.2%, respectively. Furthermore, by adding 1 g/100 g of olive oil to the pulp, the thermal Z-isomerization efficiencies of lycopene at 120 and 150 °C for 1 h improved significantly such that the total Z-isomer contents were 30.4% and 75.7%. After freeze-drying of the thermal treated tomato pulp, lycopene was extracted by ethanol, ethyl acetate, and SC-CO2. When any solvents were used for the extraction, lycopene recovery increased according to the Z-isomer content of dried tomato pulp, e.g. in the case that ethanol extraction was conducted from the pulp containing 6.1%, 30.4%, and 75.7% Z-isomer content of lycopene, lycopene recoveries were 4.3%, 28.1%, and 75.9%, respectively. These results strongly indicated that Z-isomers of lycopene are more soluble in solvents than the all-E-isomer.

We conducted comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations of the nanoindentation of graphene reinforced composites to study the effect of graphene as a reinforcement and coating material. Three different cases are considered: (i) single and multilayered graphene layers used to coat a polyethylene (PE) substrate, (ii) graphene layers embedded into a PE block forming a multilayered system, and (iii) graphene layers randomly embedded into a PE block forming a nanocomposite. The study focused on the reinforcement mechanism and the fracture behaviour associated with increasing the number of graphene coating layers, changing interlayer spacing distance, orienting graphene-PE layers with respect to the indentation direction, and changing graphene dispersion in the composite. The results of our study reveal that the indentation resistance of a single-layer graphene coated PE is fourteen-fold the indentation resistance of pure PE. They also indicate that the indentation resistance of the multi-layered embedded graphene arrangement can be effectively controlled by appropriately selecting the separation distance between the graphene layers. They further show the strong influence of the orientation and the arrangement of graphene layers on the mechanical response of the nanocomposite. These findings are useful in designing graphene-based nanocomposites with tenable performance. Keywords: Nanoindentation, Graphene, Polyethylene, Multilayered, Nanocoating, Nanocomposites, Molecular dynamics, Adhesion

Sulfur esters such as 3-methylthiopropionic ethyl ester (MTPE) significantly influence taste and fragrance of melons. Nutraceutical properties of MTPE have been demonstrated. GC–Mass analysis confirmed MTPE presence in two Cucumis melo L . Group dudaim cultivars of Iran, Birjand and Kerman. Considering potential effect of abiotic stresses on biosynthesis of esters, both cultivars were subjected to regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) at three levels of matric potentials [control (−50 kPa), moderate (−65 kPa), high (−75 kPa)]. MTPE production rose from 1.55 and 2.8 μg/kg of fresh pulp under control RDI to 7.65 and 9.1 under moderate and to 19.3 and 27.8 μg/kg under high RDI in Birjand and Kerman samples, respectively. MTPE higher production was accompanied by higher ethylene production and increased alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Ten-fold increase in MTPE production was assumingly owing to higher activities of the esterification enzymes which were supported by sulfur substrates coming from the accelerated methionine catabolism.

In this study, effects of the collector added before grinding and after grinding on the subsequent flotation and mineral surface properties were investigated. The pH was controlled at 10 during the grinding and flotation processes opened to the atmosphere. With enough amounts of sodium butyl xanthate addition, adding the collector before grinding recovered more chalcopyrite than adding it after grinding in single mineral flotation. The Eh of each ground pulp before and after conditioning were measured and it was found that adding collector before grinding obtained higher and relatively suitable pulp potential for chalcopyrite flotation. Particle size analyses of the flotation products indicate that the different flotation recoveries occurred due to the different flotation losses in fine particles (

Background This study explored the bioactivities and nutrient compositions of coffee ( Coffea Arabica L.) pulp which was prepared in three different ways [Coffee Pulp Extracts (CPE) 1–3]. Methods The coffee pulp was prepared in three different ways by distinct selecting and freezing processes. The nutritional values, polyphenol contents, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial properties of the coffee pulp as well as the characterization of the active ingredients by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS) were evaluated. Results The chemical profiles of three aqueous extracts were compared and characterized using LC-ESI-QTOF-MS. They showed slightly different nutrient compositions. The total phenolic content was highest in CPE1, and decreased in the following order: CPE1>CPE2 > CPE3. Among the CPEs tested, CPE1 showed the most potent antioxidant activity with IC 50 18μg/mL and 82μg/mL by 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl assay, respectively. Chlorogenic acid and caffeine were the most prominent in CPE1 and it contained more compounds than the others. Moreover, CPE1 demonstrated antibacterial activity against both gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis ) and gram-negative bacteria ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli ). Conclusion These findings indicated that CPE1 has powerful nutrients with antioxidant and antibacterial properties—the potency of which is impacted by the preparation process.

A universal method to fabricate compressible graphene-based aerogel has been developed by using a molecular glue strategy, such as γ-oxo-1-pyrenebutyric acid (OPBA). The OPBA could link the graphene skeleton sheets and dip-coated polymer layers, where the graphene skeleton could be obtained by hydrothermal or chemical reduction. In contrast to the brittle pristine graphene aerogel, the resulting polymer-coated graphene aerogel demonstrates high elastic properties. The improved compressible properties are attributed to the uniform coating of polymer on the graphene sheet and the effective stress transfer between the graphene sheet and polymer layers, which are enabled by OPBA molecular glue. In addition, this type of strong integrated graphene-based aerogel could be used in practical applications, such as hydrophilic and oleophilic intelligence and compressible electrical sensor. Keywords: Aerogel, Graphene, Compressibility, Amphiphilicity, Sensor

The impact of impulse technology on a system-wide level has been investigated in this study for non-integrated fine paper and linerboard mills. Impulse unit data were obtained from STFI's EuroFEX research paper machine and correlations were developed in order to predict performance (dewatering, electricity consumption) under commercial operating conditions. Mill analyses were conducted for different configurations (i.e. one or two impulse units with and without web preheating) operating with roll temperatures of 200–320 °C. Results show that the ingoing dryness to the dryer section can be increased within a wide span, from 7 to 27 percentage points depending upon the grade and operating parameters. Even though electricity consumption rises dramatically from the inductively heated rolls, overall fuel savings of up to 20% can be achieved with either one or two impulse units operating at 200 °C (external power plant efficiency assumed to be 45%). Impulse technology appears to be neutral in terms of production costs since increases in energy costs are expected to be counterbalanced by savings in feedstock materials and enhanced product quality. Estimates show that this technology can lead to substantial reductions in dryer section sizes for new installations or alternatively enhance productivity in existing paper machines.

For the first time, convective assembly technique was used for coating graphene oxide (GO) nano-sheets on an indium free, low cost and good conducting Nb doped TiO2 (TNO) thin films as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) template. This construction enhances the charge transport as well as getting the benefit of photocatalysis activity of graphene-TiO2 structure. Surface morphology was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TCO template showed a smooth surface with root mean square value (RMS) of 0.5 nm. The assembled GO thin layer has wide continuous area, with wrinkles, crumbles and folding at the edges. Raman analysis was used to investigate the phonon lattice vibrations within the films. According to photo-catalytic activity measurements, GO on TNO films exhibited better photo-catalytic efficiency. The proposed hybrid material structure exhibited transparent conducting property and photo-catalytic activity. Keywords: Graphene oxide, TCO, Raman analysis, Self-assembly, Surface morphology

Developing countries face a common problem that is the deficiency in protein intake by poor people. This problem demands incentive policies for consumption of vegetable protein with low cost and good quality. As a solution to the problem, the production of two peanut based beverages has been sought due to their adequate source of protein, wide offer and low cost. It has also been taken under consideration total titratable acidity, pH, moisture content, proteins, and ashes from the “peanut milk” enriched with umbu and guava pulps, stored at a temperature of −18 °C (−0.4 F) for 150 days with follow ups every 30 days. Results for acidity regarding the beverage enriched with umbu pulp were superior to the beverage enriched with guava pulp; as to protein amount, it was observed a decrease in the studied formulations during storage.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether global sensitivity analysis can be utilised in concurrent process and control design to gain insight into the process and its control. This paper addresses the issue of sensitivity of a control law performance to its parameters in a dynamic, hybrid deterministic–stochastic process model. The control law under investigation is a collection of single-input, single-output type tower level controllers in a papermaking process. Global sensitivity analysis is shown to attribute higher importance to certain key parameters, thus providing valuable insight for the designer.

Melanins have important pharmacological properties with limited applications due to their poor solubility. Soluble melanins have been reported in different organisms, but not in plants. In this study, aqueous soluble melanins, Impure (IMe) and Partially Purified (PMe), were prepared from the edible pulp of fruits native to Mexico ( i.e. Vitex mollis , VM; Randia echinocarpa , RE; and Crescentia alata , CA). IMe and PMe were tested for their phenolics content (TPC), antioxidant activities (AA), α-glucosidase inhibition (αGI) and spectroscopic features (UV-Vis and IR). Melanins of VM showed the highest TPC (222.23 mg GAE/g) and AA (ABTS 2779.30 μmol TE/g; FRAP 1203.70 μmol TE/g). Purified melanins (PMe) showed better αGI than acarbose (IC 50 = 8.38 mg/mL). The spectroscopic features of IMe and PMe corresponded to melanins and solubility may be by their complexation with carbohydrates. For the first time, plant-based soluble melanins and their remarkably high antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory characteristics are presented.

Phenolic composition of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) pulp from three cultivars was tentatively characterized and quantified by HPLC–MS. Pulp from hemaoli, a wild litchi cultivar, showed the highest content of total phenolics, flavonoids and procyanidins, the latter accounting for the majority of phenolic compounds identified. In hemaoli, (−)-epicatechin was the predominant compound, whereas flavone glycosides accounted for the majority of the phenolic compounds identified in Feizixiao and Lanzhu cultivars, with quercetin rhammosyl-rutinoside being predominant. Hemaoli pulp caused the highest enhancement of glucose consumption rate in HepG2 cells, followed by Feizixiao pulp. This bioactivity was significantly correlated with antioxidant capacity, and total content of phenolics, flavonoids, and procyanidins of different cultivars. (−)-Epicatechin, but not quercetin rhammosyl-rutinoside, also resulted in a significant rise in glucose consumption activity. These results showed that litchi cultivars with high (−)-epicatechin content or high procyanidin content may have great potential as hypoglycaemic foods.

This study presents a comparison of the effect of various wood fibre types in polylactic acid and polypropylene composites produced by melt processing. The study also reveals the reinforcing effect of pelletised wood fibres compared to conventionally used wood flour or refined fibres. Composites containing 30 wt.% of chemical pulps, thermomechanical pulp and wood flour were produced by compounding and injection moulding. Fibre morphologies were analysed before and after melt processing. The dispersion of the fibres and mechanical performance of the composites were also investigated. Fibre length was reduced during melt processing steps, reduction being higher with longer fibres. Wood fibres provided clearly higher plastic reinforcement than wood flour. Comparing the wood fibre types, TMP fibres provided the highest improvement in mechanical properties in polylactic acid composites with uniform fibre dispersion. In polypropylene composites, fibre selection is not as crucial.

Composting is nowadays a general treatment method for municipal solid waste. Compostable household waste contains, together with vegetable material, varying amounts of papers and boards. In the European Union composting is regarded as one recycling method for packages and this will probably favour compostable packages, like papers and boards, in the future. Paper is made up of lignocellulose and it may contain up to 20% of lignin. Efficient degradation of papers in composting plants means that biodegradation of lignin is also needed. However, very little is known about lignin degradation by mixed microbial compost populations, although lignin degradation by white-rot fungi has been extensively studied in recent years. Organic material is converted to carbon dioxide, humus, and heat by compost microorganisms. It is assumed that humus is formed mainly from lignin. Thus, lignin is not totally mineralized during composting. The elevated temperatures found during the thermophilic phase are essential for rapid degradation of lignocellulose. Complex organic compounds like lignin are mainly degraded by thermophilic microfungi and actinomycetes. The optimum temperature for thermophilic fungi is 40–50°C which is also the optimum temperature for lignin degradation in compost.

The potentials of using the hydraulic technique in combined unit for municipal wastewater treatment were studied. A combined unit in which processes of coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation, has been designed utilizing hydraulic mixing instead of mechanical mixing. A jar test treatability study has been conducted to locate the optimum dose of the coagulants to be used. Alum, ferrous sulfate, ferric sulfate, a mixture of ferric and ferrous sulfates, and mixture of lime and ferrous sulfate were all tested. A pilot unit was constructed in the existing wastewater treatment plant at El Mansoura governorate located in north Egypt. The optimum dose of coagulants used in the combined unit gives removal efficiencies for COD, BOD, and total phosphorous as 65%, 55%, and 83%, respectively.

Solid waste from the copper smelting industry may be harmful if disposed of in the environment, but it may be a valuable resource if metals can be recovered. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acid bioleaching of metals from a sample of final smelter slag and the recovery of metals from the leach liquors. Bioleaching was tested in a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at 20–25 °C with 5% pulp density (particle size 75%

The neutral sugar composition of acid hydrolyzed extracts of cellulose fiber samples, i.e. oat spelt, wheat straw, thermomechanica pulp (TMP) made of spruce, aspen stemwood, and bleached birch kraft pulp, was determined by a new capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method employing an alkaline background electrolyte. The method relies on in-capillary reaction and direct UV detection at wavelength 270 nm. Neutral carbohydrates d -(+)-galactose, d -(+)-glucose, l -rhamnose, d -(+)-mannose, d -(−)-arabinose, and d -(+)-xylose were simultaneously separated. The calibration plots were linear over a range from 10 to 150 mg/L for d -(+)-galactose, l -rhamnose, d -(+)-mannose, and d -(−)-arabinose and from 50 to 400 mg/L for d -(+)-glucose and d -(+)-xylose. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) of peak areas during a 5-day analysis period varied from 3.3% for galactose to 11.8% for rhamnose. RSDs of migration times varied between 0.3 and 0.7%. The detection limit (at S/N 3) was 5 mg/L for each monosaccharide. The results obtained by CZE agreed well with results obtained by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. Glucose and xylose were the two predominant monosaccharides in the plants, except in the spruce TMP sample where glucose and mannose dominated.

For the past 20 years, the National Foundation for Agricultural Research in Crete and the School of Agricultural Technology of the Technological and Educational Institute of Crete have been involved in a number of research and development activities, related to the production and evaluation of compost derived from a variety of local solid, mainly agricultural organic wastes. Materials such as olive press cake, olive tree leaves (OTL) and branches, vine branches (VB), pressed grape skins (PGS), pig manure (PM), sewage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) have been evaluated for their behaviour during composting, their compatibility in mixtures and the quality of the end product. The quality evaluation included both a detailed physiochemical (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nutrients concentration, heavy metal concentration, etc.) and biological analyses (pathogenic microorganisms). It also included an agronomic evaluation, in which composts were used either as a soil amendment or as a component for substrates in open air or covered (greenhouse) cultivation mainly of local vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.). All materials were composted successfully, especially when mixed. The end products contained large amounts of organic matter, usually combined with an increased EC value. Pressed grape skins should be considered as the ideal raw material, producing a high quality compost, with the lowest EC value (1.57 mS cm−1) and the largest organic matter concentration (84.50%), compared to all other materials. When any of the produced compost was used in a ratio of 30% by volume (v/v), it increased plant growth, whereas in larger volumes, it presented phytotoxic behaviour, inhibiting both root and shoot development. Keywords: Olive wastes, Vine wastes, Pig manure, Sewage sludge, Municipal solid waste, Compost

Bioremediation has become an important method for the restoration of oil-polluted environments by the use of indigenous or selected microbial flora. Several factors such as aeration, use of inorganic nutrients or fertilizers and the type of microbial species play a major role in the remediation of oil-contaminated sites. Experiments were undertaken for bioremediation of oil sludge-contaminated soil in the presence of a bacterial consortium, inorganic nutrients, compost and a bulking agent (wheat bran). Experiments were conducted in glass troughs for the 90-day period. Bulked soil showed more rapid degradation of oil compared to all other amendments. During the experimental period, wheat bran-amended soil showed 76% hydrocarbon removal compared to 66% in the case of inorganic nutrients-amended soil. A corresponding increase in the number of bacterial populations was also noticed. Addition of the bacterial consortium in different amendments significantly enhanced the removal of oil from the petroleum sludge from different treatment units. Keywords: Bioremediation, Contaminated soil, Oil sludge, Degradation

Substantial progress has been made in the production of environmental level, natural matrix, radioactivity standards of soil of low organic and low carbonate content, and of human lung and human liver. This is in response to the deliberations of the 1977 ICRM meeting at which the need for such standards was voiced and the criteria suggested. The soil samples have been reduced to optimum particle size and are ready for blending and standardization. A ten year supply of this standard should be ready in a year or less. Reducing the dried lung and liver to less than 74 μm has proven formidable because of the natural fat and oil content. Using cyrogenic milling techniques more than three quarters of the total mass of each has been reduced to the desired particle size; the balance will either be reduced or removed and we can then proceed to the final standardization.