Search

Lignocellulose wastes stemming from agricultural residues can offer an excellent opportunity as alternative energy solutions in addition to fossil fuels. Besides, the unrestrained burning of agricultural residues can lead to the destruction of the soil microflora and associated soil sterilization. However, the difficulties associated with the biodegradation of lignocellulose biomasses remain as a formidable challenge for their sustainable management. In this respect, metagenomics can be used as an effective option to resolve such dilemma because of its potential as the next generation sequencing technology and bioinformatics tools to harness novel microbial consortia from diverse environments (e.g., soil, alpine forests, and hypersaline/acidic/hot sulfur springs). In light of the challenges associated with the bulk-scale biodegradation of lignocellulose-rich agricultural residues, this review is organized to help delineate the fundamental aspects of metagenomics towards the assessment of the microbial consortia and novel molecules (such as biocatalysts) which are otherwise unidentifiable by conventional laboratory culturing techniques. The discussion is extended further to highlight the recent advancements (e.g., from 2011 to 2022) in metagenomic approaches for the isolation and purification of lignocellulolytic microbes from different ecosystems along with the technical challenges and prospects associated with their wide implementation and scale-up. This review should thus be one of the first comprehensive reports on the metagenomics-based analysis of different environmental samples for the isolation and purification of lignocellulose degrading enzymes.

In this study, the composition of mainstream smoke was investigated with an emphasis on a list of volatile organic compounds (VOCs: e.g., isoprene, acrylonitrile, methyl ethyl ketone, benzene, toluene, m-xylene and styrene) using the two types of flavor capsule cigarettes (FCCs, here coded as F1 and F2) in reference to one commercial, non-flavored (NF) and 3R4F cigarette. The concentrations of all the target compounds from FCCs were quantified under two contrasting conditions (i.e., with and without breaking the capsules). The effect of breaking the capsule was apparent in the FCC products with the enhancement of VOC levels, specifically between after and before breaking the capsules (e.g., 1.10-1.58 folds (benzene) and 1.30-1.53 folds (acetonitrile)). Such increases were apparent in both FCC samples if assessed in terms of the total amount of VOCs (TVOC): (1) F1 (from 2159 to 2530 μg cig

In this work, nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) have been synthesised via cost-effective and highly convenient co-precipitation method, using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as capping agent and NaOH as a reducing agent. The as-synthesised NPs have been analysed by a number of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques such as UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared and energy dispersive X-ray. The prepared NiO NPs hold the prodigious potential towards the photocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 81 and Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 dyes with degradation efficiency of 90.8 and 95.7% and have high dye degradation rate constants of 1.3 × 10 − 2 min − 1 and 2.2 × 10 − 2 min − 1, respectively. Thus, this work signifies an efficient way to employ the NiO NPs as effective photocatalyst towards the alleviation of noxious industrial dyes.

Rapid industrial growth has been accompanied by the pollution of hazardous volatile organic pollutants (VOCs) in air. Among various options available for the treatment of VOCs, the use of metal oxide composites as photocatalysts has been adopted preferably due to their potential to induce the synergistic interactions between the metal nanoparticles (NPs) and metal oxides (especially titanium dioxide (TiO

Surface plasmon resonance approach is a highly useful option to offer optical and label-free detection of target bioanalytes with numerous advantages (e.g., low-cost fabrication, appreciable sensitivity, label-free detection, and outstanding accuracy). As such, it allows early diagnosis of cancer biomarkers to monitor tumor progression and to prevent the recurrence of oncogenic tumors. This work highlights the recent progress in SPR biosensing technology for the diagnosis of various cancer types (e.g., lung, breast, prostate, and ovarian). Further, the performance of various SPR biosensors is also evaluated in terms of the basic quality assurance criteria (e.g., limit of detection (LOD), selectivity, sensor response time, and reusability). Finally, the limitations and future challenges associated with SPR biosensors are also discussed with respect to cancer biomarker detection.

Hypothesis Oil spills stemming from supertankers, drilling, and natural events represent a serious problem worldwide due to the potential harms to marine ecosystems and aquatic life. To date, various functional absorbents have been developed to treat spilled oil. Among them, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based aerogels and sponges gained attention due to superior performance in uptake and recovery of various types of oil and organic solvents. CNT aerogel/sponge absorbents are demonstrated for a multitude of merits such as: rapid superhydrophobic/superoleophilic absorption (water contact angle > 150°), high capacity (≥100 mg g−1), large surface area (300–400 m2 g−1)), enhanced strength and flexibility (>95% volume reduction and restoration of pristine morphology at 99% porosity), recyclability, and easy surface modification. Experiments This review compares CNT sponge–based absorbents with conventional techniques for remediation/recovery of spilled oil. Typically, synthesis of CNT sponges is performed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach in the presence of a catalyst or using sacrificial removal of template. This work summarizes recent progress in strategies for oil-spill treatment based on CNT sponge techniques. The performance of CNT sponges for oil spill removal was evaluated in terms of their adsorption capacity, compressive stressability, and desorption methods (e.g., heat treatment, burning, or squeezing). Findings CNT sponges were observed to have high performance for removal of oil spills in terms of key performance metrics. This review offers valuable insights into the current state of CNT-mediated oil-spill cleanup technologies and guidance for future research at the same time. This literature survey would help the stakeholders (researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and commercial houses) pursue contamination-free water.

Development of benign and efficient approaches towards abatement of industrial grade toxic organic dyes from the fresh water resources is an evolving challenge. To this end, current study was focused on the removal of reactive yellow 186 dye (RY-186) dye using green synthesized SnO2 nanoparticles prepared from Piper betle leaf extract. As synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by pertinent spectroscopy and microscopy tools, which ascertained the formation of highly crystalline, spherical, and ultrafine nanoparticles of 8.4 nm diameter with tetragonal rutile structure. Nanoparticle catalyzed photolysis of RY-186 dye in presence of sunlight revealed degradation efficiency and apparent rate constant (K’app) values as 92.17% and 1.3 × 10−2 min−1, respectively. Kinetic analysis of the dye degradation process rendered manifestation of pseudo-first order kinetics. Current study demonstrated the application of biogenic SnO2 NPs as a heterogeneous catalyst towards the purification of industrially polluted water for the savage of the environment.

Despite the improvement in sensing technologies, detection of small and highly reactive molecules like formaldehyde remains a highly challenging area of research. Applications of nanomaterials/nanostructures and their composites have increased as effective sensing platforms (e.g., reaction time, sensitivity, and selectivity) for the detection of aqueous or gaseous formaldehyde based on diverse sensing principles. In this review, the basic aspects of important nanomaterial-based sensing systems (e.g., electrochemical, electrical, biological, and mass variation sensors) were evaluated in relation to performance, cost, and practicality of sensing gas phase formaldehyde. Accordingly, existing knowledge gaps in such applications were assessed in various respects along with suitable recommendations for building a new roadmap for the expansion of chemical sensing technology of gas phase formaldehyde.

This research work is an effort towards the purification of industrially polluted water for the savage of the environmental system. Optimized fructose modified ZnO nanoparticles were used as adsorbent as well as a photocatalyst for the removal of dyes from polluted water. Textile synthetic dyes were used as model pollutants. Structural and optical properties of the synthesized fructose modified ZnO nanoparticles were analyzed using XRD, SEM, TEM, and UV–Vis spectrophotometer. Wurtzite hexagonal phase with the quasi-spherical shape of diameter 14–40 nm of fructose modified ZnO nanoparticles were obtained by optimizing various reaction parameters. As compared to the bulk, fructose modified ZnO nanoparticles show a blue shift in the excitation absorption; confirming quantum confinement. The effect of pH, time, and initial dye concentration was investigated on the dye removal efficiency of the synthesized fructose modified ZnO nanoparticles. Through the kinetic study of dye removal, it has been observed that the adsorption and photodegradation phenomenon followed pseudo-first order kinetics.

In the present research work, crystallographic, optical, molecular, morphological and magnetic properties of Zn1-xCuxO (ZnCu) and Zn1-x-yCeyCuxO (ZnCeCu) nanoparticles have been investigated. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated ZnCu and ZnCeCu nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical sol-gel method and thoroughly studied using various characterization techniques. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates the wurtzite structure of the synthesized ZnCu and ZnCeCu particles. Transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the synthesized ZnCu and ZnCeCu particles are of spherical shape, having average sizes of 27 nm and 23 nm, respectively. The incorporation of Cu and Ce in the ZnO lattice has been confirmed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO doped with Cu and co-doped Ce display two emission bands, predominant ultra-violet near-band edge emission at 409.9 nm (3 eV) and a weak green-yellow emission at 432.65 nm (2.27 eV). Room temperature magnetic study confirms the diamagnetic behavior of ZnCu and ferromagnetic behavior of ZnCeCu.

The low permissible concentration of lead ions (Pb2+) in potable water (15 ppb) makes it even more challenging to develop highly efficient water purification technologies. Adsorption has become one of the preferred water treatment techniques for removing various metal species including Pb2+ ions. However, assessment of adsorbent capacities between the tested materials was often made in a biased manner (e.g., derivation of the maximum capacities under unrealistically high initial feeding conditions). In this work, such comparison was made in terms of partition coefficient (PC) as a key metric for the least biased evaluation to explore the best sorbents among materials with a broad range of breakthrough capacities. Nanoscale sorbents derived from carbon-based nanomaterials and MOFs are highly advantageous, as they can offer highly sensitive and selective adsorption of Pb2+ ions. In general, advanced functional materials showcased better adsorption-desorption efficiency for Pb2+ when compared to conventional materials (e.g., over three regeneration cycles). Continuous research and development for the functional materials are further required to scale down the production cost so that cost-effective technologies may be applied for environmental remediation. The future scope for Pb2+ removal techniques is discussed further with respect to the development of novel functional materials.

The quest for advanced management tools or options of various cancers has been on the rise to efficiently reduce their risks of mortality without the demerits of conventional treatments (e.g., undesirable side effects of the medications on non-target tissues, non-targeted distribution, slow clearance of the administered drugs, and the development of drug resistance over the duration of therapy). In this context, nanomaterials-antibody conjugates can offer numerous advantages in the development of cancer theranostics over conventional delivery systems (e.g., highly specific and enhanced biodistribution of the drug in targeted tissues, prolonged systemic circulation, low toxicity, and minimally invasive molecular imaging). This review comprehensively discusses and evaluates recent advances in the application of nanomaterial–antibody bioconjugates for cancer theranostics for the further advancement in the control of diverse cancerous diseases. Further, discussion is expanded to cover the various challenges and limitations associated with the design and development of nanomaterial-antibody conjugates applicable towards better management of cancer.

There is a dire need for development of efficient and sensitive methods to efficiently screen parabens. In this research, we focused on quantification of four parabens (i.e., methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP), and butyl paraben (BP)) using chitosan intercalated nickel/iron layered double hydroxide (CS–Ni/Fe-LDH) composites as solid phase extraction sorbent prior to HPLC-PDA analysis. CS-Ni/Fe LDH composites with a heterogeneous, porous texture, and coral reef-like structure exhibit appealing extraction efficiency for the target parabens due to the enhanced possibility for the formation of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The performance of the composites was assessed and optimized for solid phase extraction of parabens from standard samples and real samples (rose water, cream, toothpaste, hair serum, and sunscreen). The LDH-SPE-HPLC method exhibited a wide linear range (e.g., 100–50,000 ng L−1), good linearity (R2 ≥ 0.999), and good precision (relative standard deviation (RSD)

Semiconductor inorganic nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) are nowadays extensively used for imaging and analysis of biomolecules owing to their superior optical properties over conventional organic fluorophores. They have excellent potential for synthesizing molecular probes against various biological markers such as free antigens, cell surface markers/antigens, bacteria, viruses and tissues. Traditional synthesis protocols of the QDs generally lead to the formation of hydrophobic nanocrystals. For biological applications, post-synthesis modifications need to be introduced to render required hydrophilicity. However, such additional steps make the tiny QDs structures bulky, which is unwanted in subsequent in-vivo executions. The present work reports a simple method for the direct synthesis of hydrophilic carboxyl (–COOH) functionalized CdS QDs using mercaptopropionic acid as a sulfur source and stabilizer. This aqueous synthesis route avoids the requirement of extra surface modification steps. The size and surface morphology of the synthesized CdS QDs were studied by electron microscopy. The average diameter of the QDs has been found to be in the range of 2-3.5nm. Spectral studies confirmed the grafting of –COOH terminal on the synthesized nanocrystals. Band gap energy and the theoretical size of the particles were calculated and found in good agreement with the experimental analysis. Due to the size quantization effect, the estimated band gap energy (2.6eV) of the QDs was on a higher side than that reported (2.4eV) for the bulk material. The synthesized nanocrystals can be further conjugated with bio-molecules for high-throughput drug screening, clinical immunological assays and protein-protein interaction studies.