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Currently, there is an increasing interest in the use of biopolymers in industrial applications to replace petroleum-based additives, since they are abundantly available, renewable and sustainable. Cottonseed protein is a biopolymer that, when used as a modifier, has shown improved performance for wood adhesives and paper products. Thus, it would be useful to explore the feasibility of using cellulose nanomaterials to further improve the performance of cottonseed protein as a paper strength agent. This research characterized the performance of cottonseed protein isolate with/without cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to increase the dry strength of filter paper. An application of 10% protein solution with CNCs (10:1) or CNFs (50:1) improved the elongation at break, tensile strength and modulus of treated paper products compared to the improved performance of cottonseed protein alone. Further analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that the cottonseed protein/nanocellulose composites interacted with the filter paper fibers, imparting an increased dry strength.

Point-of-care monitoring of hydrogen peroxide is important due to its wide usage in biomedicine, the household and industry. Herein, a paper sensor is developed for sensitive, visual and selective detection of H2O2 using a mesoporous metal oxide hollow sphere as a nanozyme. The mesoporous CuO hollow sphere is synthesized by direct decomposition of copper–polyphenol colloidal spheres. The obtained mesoporous CuO hollow sphere shows a large specific surface area (58.77 m2/g), pore volume (0.56 cm3/g), accessible mesopores (5.8 nm), a hollow structure and a uniform diameter (~100 nm). Furthermore, they are proven to show excellent peroxidase-like activities with Km and Vmax values of 120 mM and 1.396 × 10−5 M·s−1, respectively. Such mesoporous CuO hollow spheres are then loaded on the low-cost and disposable filter paper test strip. The obtained paper sensor can be effectively used for detection of H2O2 in the range of 2.4–150 μM. This work provides a new kind of paper sensor fabricated from a mesoporous metal oxide hollow sphere nanozyme. These sensors could be potentially used in bioanalysis, food security and environmental protection.

Reflective liquid crystal displays are attracting attention as portable information systems because of zero- or extremely low power consumption. In this study, we deal with an electrode-free reflec...

The dramatic fluctuations of oil cost and climate change have together concentrated political and scientific attention on the search of alternative fuels. The aim of this work is to recycle waste p...

Zn metal with abundant resource and low-cost, exhibits large theoretical capacity and relatively negative electrode potential (-0.76 V vs. SHE), which endows zinc-ion batteries promising energy sto...

Electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation are treatment methods based on the same removal mechanism.In this study, it was investigated the effectiveness of coagulation methods using Al electrodes...

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), an abundant fiber material obtained after extracting the oil from the strands, is classified as short fiber which needs supporting agent in order to enhance its me...

Green vehicles which employ proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells as the power source of their propulsion systems have been developed to a high stage, in the recent years. Nevertheless, additio...

A comparison between uncreped and creped handsheets was performed to study the effect of fiber morphology and creping process on fiber web structure and tissue properties. Four wood and non-wood pulps refined at different levels were used to manufacture uncreped and creped handsheets using a creping simulator. A characterization of the fiber web structure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and evaluation of tissue properties (e.g. tensile strength, water absorbency, softness) was performed on the uncreped and creped handsheets. The results obtained with the creping simulator were compared with commercial products to evaluate the significance of the creping simulator results. The SEM images of the fiber web structure showed that the creping process promoted buckling and distortion of fibers, delamination of surface fiber layer, development of free fiber ends and creation of crepe folds, which enhanced water absorbency and softness at the expense of reduced tensile strength. Short and thin fibers seemed to be more effectively creped than long and coarse fibers. Long and coarse fibers seemed to offer higher resistance to the compressive forces acting at the creping blade. A reasonable correlation between the performance of uncreped and creped handsheets made with different fibers was observed. The results indicate that the performance of uncreped handsheets can be used as a semi-quantitative indication of the performance of creped handsheets. The performance of the creped handsheets were similar to commercial products, which indicates that the creping simulator can be used as an alternative to study the creping process at laboratory scale.

International audience; An intertwined supply network (ISN) is an entirety of interconnected supply chains (SC) which, in their integrity secure the provision of society and markets with goods and services. The ISNs are open systems with structural dynamics since the firms may exhibit multiple behaviors by changing the buyer-supplier roles in interconnected or even competing SCs. From the positions of resilience, the ISNs as a whole provide services to society (e.g., food service, mobility service or communication service) which are required to ensure a long-term survival. The analysis of survivability at the level of ISN requires a consideration at a large scale as resilience of individual SCs. The recent example of coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak clearly shows the necessity of this new perspective. Our study introduces a new angle in SC resilience research when a resistance to extraordinary disruptions needs to be considered at the scale of viability. We elaborate on the integrity of the ISN and viability. The contribution of our position study lies in a conceptualization of a novel decision-making environment of ISN viability. We illustrate the viability formation through a dynamic game-theoretic modelling of a biological system that resembles the ISN. We discuss some future research areas.

The metal casting industry, Nitikan is a micro business whose production process is carried out manually. The equipment used is simple and without considering the user's health. This can be seen in the product finishing process that uses a sanding machine. The equipment is not designed according to the user's posture so the operator bends in doing work movements, of course this is very risky to experience lower back pain injuries. This study aims to analyze the work activities of the finishing process using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) approach and design work tools that can be applied to improve work posture. The results of data processing and analysis obtained a Rapid Entire Body Assessment score on a sandpaper machine single head of 5 and a Rapid Upper Limb Assessment score of 4, the score indicates that the work position has the potential to experience a risk of low back pain, so there must be an improvement in work posture. Work posture improvement is done by designing a tool in the form of a sandpaper machine that takes into account ergonomic dimensions to reduce the risk of lower back injury. The final result after the improvement is obtained Rapid Entire Body Assessment score of 3 and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment score of 4. This shows that the risk of lower back injuries can be minimized.

In the present work, the production of enzymatic cocktails from different Aspergillus species grown in eucalyptus chips has been investigated. In addition, hydrolysis of the eucalyptus chips and pa...

The performance of an asphalt mixture does not only rely on its engineering properties. Yet, the service characteristics of an asphalt mixture do play an important role on the durability of pavemen...

Excessive use of synthetic nondegradable polymers has led to the proliferation of microplastics in the oceans as well as polluted landscapes. Herein, we report a new sustainable approach for the de...

Despite the advancement of technologies and tools used to design and display building elements in construction, design communication on construction sites still heavily relies on 2-dimensional draw...

构建基于有机材料的高性能柔性储钠电极面临诸多挑战. 本 工作通过可控组装及还原的方式, 实现了铁基配位聚合物纳米线/还原氧化石墨烯柔性薄膜的构筑. 多维复合薄膜可直接用作钠离 子电池自支撑负极, 且具有较高的储钠容量(200 mA g−1电流密度 下可逆容量为319 mA h g−1)和优异的倍率性能(3000 mA g−1大电 流密度下比容量可保持在∼120 mA h g−1). 研究表明有机配体(氨 三乙酸)中的羧基及氨基为储钠活性位点, 而配位金属离子(Fe2+)不 参与电化学反应.

In present investigation, electroless Ni-P-SiC/Ni-P-TiO2-ZrO2 nano-composite platings have been deposited upon mild steel substrate (AISI 1040). A homogeneous and consistent allocation of SiC, TiO2 and ZrO2 nano-particles into EL Ni-P matrix is recognized in as plated and heated (400°C) coupons respectively through SEM and EDAX methods. The investigated coupons exhibited resistance against corrosion in order as: 254SMO > SS2205 > Ni-P-TiO2-ZrO2 as-plated > Ni-P-TiO2-ZrO2 heat treated > Ni-P-SiC as-plated > Ni-P-SiC heat treated > SS316L. The corrosion resistance seems too dependent upon Cr, Mo and N content and hence correlate well with the PRE number of the respective alloys. The conventional materials of construction SS 316L are not suitable for both C and D washers. Avesta 254SMO shows immunity to attack in these environments. On the basis of corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and cost comparison, Avesta 254 SMO seems acceptable material for gaseous phase of C and D washers while duplex stainless steel 2205 and Ni-P-SiC/Ni-P-TiO2-ZrO2 as-plated and heated coatings seems acceptable for the other application in these washers.

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) has eight substituent groups, which can be substituted with various substances to obtain different modification effects. In order to study the effect of different substituents on the modification of cellulose by POSS and its internal mechanism, the pure cellulose model and the modified cellulose with three kinds of POSS derivatives, polyoctamethyl silsesquioxane (PMSQ), polyoctaphenyl silsesquioxane (PPSQ) and polyoctaaminophenyl silsesquioxane (OAPS), were established by molecular dynamics method. The thermal stability parameters and polarizability were calculated. The simulation results showed that different POSS derivatives can improve the thermal stability of insulating paper cellulose, and the modified effect of OAPS is the best. Compared with the unmodified model, the glass transition temperatures of the modified cellulose models of PMSQ, PPSQ and OAPS increased by 58 K, 63 K and 71 K, respectively. The mean square displacement of the modified models is significantly reduced, and the free volume is increased. The addition of POSS derivatives increase the entanglement between the cellulose chains, and compresses the gap between the cellulose molecular chains to suppress the movement of the cellulose chain. It is also found that the addition of POSS derivatives can effectively reduce the polarizability of cellulose, even the electric field distribution in oil paper insulation system, so as to enhance the insulation of transformer.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification or LAMP has been identified to be an efficient technology for point-of-care diagnostics. Paper-based LAMP technique has tremendous potential in replacing the existing tube-based technology as the manufacturing cost of a paper-based device is comparatively lower and easy-to-use. LAMP-based paper diagnostic device for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) detection is of extreme importance as it will help in early and rapid diagnosis of the affected patients. The fabrication of these devices requires assessment of design parameters on the extent of LAMP amplification reaction. Hence, CFD studies would be extremely beneficial from the design perspective. The current work presents an insight into the CFD simulations for LAMP amplification reaction on a porous paper membrane (nitrocellulose membrane). The convection-diffusion-reaction model is solved on a COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0 platform. Studies on effect of pore size, aspect ratio and initial DNA concentration on the extent of DNA amplification reaction have been carried out. The current paper-based technique is effective in detecting a minimum of 5 copies of DNA contrasting the previous semi-quantitative technique which demonstrated the detection of minimum 98 copies. Overall, the simulation results displayed almost 96% enhancement in the DNA amplification rate on paper membrane. Graphical abstract Graphical abstract for the computational study of DNA amplification reaction via LAMP technique on a porous paper membrane.

We investigated miscanthus (MS) and willow (W) lignin-furfural based resins as potential reinforcement agents on softwood and hardwood kraft paper. These resins might be sustainable alternatives to the commercial phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. Phenol is a petrochemical product and formaldehyde has been classified as a carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The lignin used in this study was derived from hot water extraction (160ºC, 2 h) of MS and W biomass, and may be considered sulfur-free. These biorefinery lignins were characterized for their chemical composition and inherent properties via wet chemistry and instrumental techniques. The resin blends (MS-resin and W-resin) were characterized for their molecular weight, thermal behavior, and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties were measured by the resin’s ability to reinforce softwood and hardwood kraft papers. The effect of adding hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), a curing agent, to the resin was also examined. Mixtures of PF and lignin-based resins were investigated to further explore ways to reduce use of nonrenewables, phenol, and carcinogenic formaldehyde. The results show that lignin-based resins have the potential to replace PF resins in kraft paper applications. For softwood paper, the highest strength was achieved using W-resin, without HMTA (2.5 times greater than PF with HMTA). For hardwood paper, MS-resin with HMTA gave the highest strength (2.3 times higher than PF with HMTA). The lignin-based resins, without HMTA, also yielded mechanical properties comparable to PF with HMTA.

A novel all-in-one paper-based sampling concept for mass spectrometric bottom-up protein analysis is here demonstrated in a chip format integrating instant immunocapture, protein reduction, - alkylation and tryptic digestion all in-device. Conventional laboratory grade filter paper was coated with the polymer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-2-vinyl-4,4-dimethyl azlactone (pHEMA-VDM) with a subsequent covalent immobilization of the monoclonal antibody E27 targeting the biomarker human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In-device protein reduction and alkylation was optimized with regards to reagent concentration and reaction pH. The sampling concept showed a high degree of performance between 10 and 1000 ng/mL (R2 > 0.99) by a five-point calibration curve sampled with hCG spiked to human serum samples and freshly collected whole blood samples, respectively. LOD (experimentally obtained at 100 pg/mL (2.64 pM/0.9 IU/L)) was demonstrated to be up to ten times lower with more than six times faster sample preparation than what has previously been reported for on-paper analysis of hCG in human serum samples.

Paper waste is a raw material for a lot of products with different added value. The engineering, economic and environmental aspects of paper waste recycling are analysed for production of composite material, cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals, bricks with paper components, porous carbon, film of biopolymer, enzymatic sugar and bioenergy: bioethanol, hydrogen and biofuel. Through multicriteria analysis, it was possible to determine the most feasible paper waste recycling product in case of four product groups: egg packaging boxes, cardboard, reused paper, cellulose nanomaterials (nanofibers and nanocrystals). The production of cellulose nanofibres and cellulose nanocrystals has an advantage over egg packaging and cardboard production as well as reusable paper.

The energy efficiency of the drying section of paper machine is determined by the technology of heat flows arrangements in it. Paper drying is the most energy-consuming stage of paper production. The thermal mode of the drying section is provided by the steam condensate system which is a part of it. Analysis of exergy increments shows that almost all elements of the drying thermal process are characterized by low exergy efficiency. The main ways for increasing the degree of thermodynamic perfection of the processes occurring in the drying section of the paper machine are identified based on the exergy analysis. It is assumed that the deep internal heat recovery of the steam-air mixture for heating the source air will increase the exergy efficiency of the heat recovery plant and reduce heat removal to the environment. The effectiveness of development and implementation of a closed cycle use of steam-air mixture in the drying section was examined. Building a closed cycle provides that the air mainly has a process duty, that is, it is a transport agent for the transfer of moisture and heat along a closed circuit. The calculations show that the exergy efficiency of the processes in the recovery unit of the drying section of the paper machine of the existing production is 28.6% against 66.29% for the proposed method.

The inorganic core-shell pigment CaCO 3 {\mathrm{CaCO}_{3}} @ SiO 2 {\mathrm{SiO}_{2}} was synthesized using a sol-gel method, and the pigment was applied as a surface coating on inkjet paper to study the influence of inorganic core-shell pigments on the dynamic permeability, surface properties, optical properties and inkjet-printing performance of coated paper. CaCO 3 {\mathrm{CaCO}_{3}} @ SiO 2 {\mathrm{SiO}_{2}} prepared using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) had better coverage than that prepared using polystyrene sodium sulfate (PSS) dispersant. The CMC-prepared CaCO 3 {\mathrm{CaCO}_{3}} @ SiO 2 {\mathrm{SiO}_{2}} -a had improved dispersibility, and the solids content of the coating reached 35 %. Inorganic core-shell pigments improve the surface and optical properties of the coated paper, making them similar to those of a reference calcium carbonate-coated paper. The smoothness and gloss improved by 60.8 % and 78.4 %, respectively, compared with those of silica-coated paper. The inkjet solid density and dot definition increased by 28.8 % and 4.1 %, respectively, compared with those of the calcium carbonate-coated paper. Preparing inorganic core-shell pigment CaCO 3 {\mathrm{CaCO}_{3}} @ SiO 2 {\mathrm{SiO}_{2}} is an effective method to fabricate inkjet printing coatings with advantageous microstructures for ink absorption.

In paper-based microfluidics, the simplest devices are colorimetric, giving qualitative results. However, getting quantitative data can be quite a bit more difficult. Distance-based devices provide a user-friendly means of obtaining quantitative data without the need for any additional equipment, simply by using an included ruler or calibrated markings. This article details the development of a quantitative DNA detection device that utilizes the aggregation of polystyrene microspheres to affect the distance that microspheres wick through filter paper. The microspheres are conjugated to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligomers that are partially complementary to a target strand and, in the presence of the target strand, form a three-strand complex, resulting in the formation of aggregates. The higher the concentration of the target strand, the larger the aggregate, and the shorter the distance wicked by the microspheres. This behavior was investigated across a wide range of target concentrations and under different incubation times to understand aggregate formation. The device was then used to successfully detect a target strand spiked in extracted plant DNA.

Paper‐based microfluidics is characteristic of fluid transportation through spontaneous capillary action of paper and has exhibited great promise for a variety of applications especially for sensing. Furthermore, paper‐based microfluidics enables the design of miniaturized electrochemical devices to be applied in the energy sector, which is especially attractive for the rapid growing market of small size disposable electronics. This review gives a brief summary on the basics of paper chemistry and capillary‐driven microfluidic behavior, and highlights recent advances of paper‐based microfluidics in developing electrochemical sensing devices and miniaturized energy storage/conversion devices. Their structural features, working principles and exemplary applications are comprehensively elaborated and discussed. Additionally, this review also points out the existing challenges and future opportunities of paper‐based microfluidic electronics., Paper‐based microfluidics emerges as a powerful and versatile platform for constructing simple, inexpensive, environmentally‐friendly and high‐performing miniaturized electrochemical devices for various applications. This review summarizes the basics of paper‐based microfluidics and highlights some recent advances of paper‐based microfluidics in developing electrochemical sensing and energy storage/conversion devices. Their structural features, working principle and exemplary applications are comprehensively elaborated and discussed. This review also points out the existing challenges and future opportunities of paper‐based microfluidic electronics.

The adulteration of herbal medicines by dexamethasone or prednisolone is regarded as a serious problem in many communities. Herein, a novel platform for the separation and quantification of both target steroids in herbal medicines based on electrochemical paper-based analytical devices (ePADs) has been created. The ePAD was composed of Whatman SG81 chromatography paper, 3D-printed devices and a commercial screen-printed electrode. Whatman SG81 silica-coated paper was used for the separation of dexamethasone and prednisolone based on the difference in their partition coefficients during the flow of the mobile phase. The optimal mobile phase was composed of 60% ethyl acetate in cyclohexane and required 7 min for separation. The separated steroids on the paper were then quantified by electrochemical detection using differential pulse voltammetry, in which the 3D-printed devices facilitated the measurement. Analytical detection ranges of 10–500 μg mL−1 were obtained for both dexamethasone and prednisolone (r2 = 0.988 and 0.994, respectively). The limits of detection for dexamethasone and prednisolone were 3.59 and 11.98 μg mL−1, respectively, whereas the limits of quantification were 6.00 and 20.02 μg mL−1, respectively. The amounts of both target steroids derived from real herbal medicine samples determined by the proposed method were comparable to those obtained with assays using standard high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, a simple evaporation step can be used to increase the concentration of the samples before analysis. These ePADs are simple, low-cost, rapid, and very promising for on-site quantitative detection.

Flexible thin-film solar cells with high weight-specific power density are highly desired in the emerging portable/wearable electronic devices, solar-powered vehicles, etc. The conventional flexible metallic or plastic substrates are encountered either overweight or thermal and mechanical mismatch with deposited films. In this work, we proposed a novel substrate for flexible solar cells based on graphene paper, which possesses the advantages of being lightweight and having a high-temperature tolerance and high mechanical flexibility. Thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells were constructed on such graphene paper, whose power density is 4.5 times higher than that on plastic polyimide substrates. In addition, the a-Si:H solar cells present notable flexibility whose power conversion efficiencies show little degradation when the solar cells are bent to a radius as small as 14 mm for more than 100 times. The application of this unique flexible substrate can be extended to CuInGaSe and CdTe solar cells and other thin-film devices requiring high-temperature processing.

The present study delineates the preparation, characterization, and application of (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)/Caprine liver-derived extracellular matrix (CLECM) coated paper matrix for cell delivery. Here, we exploited positively charged surface of the paper matrix (as imparted by APTES derivatization) to improve the biological responses of the cells. Our results demonstrated that the functionalized paper matrixes favored the adhesion, growth, and proliferation of multiple cell types including normal, transformed, cancerous, and stem cells as compared to the pristine paper matrix. Upon implantation into the mice model, the developed paper matrix supported infiltration of the host cells and vasculature without showing any evidence of significant systemic toxicity. Moreover, the cells cultured on the paper matrix, when delivered to the CAM and mouse models, showed an enhanced vascular network around the substrate, thereby confirming its potential to deliver the cells in vivo. Together, the study confirms that the reported paper-based platform is easy to fabricate, cheap, portable and could efficiently be applied to cell delivery applications for either tissue repair or the development of humanized animal model.

Background The implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) with structured and standardized recording of patient data can improve data quality and reusability. Whether and how users perceive these advantages may depend on the preimplementation situation. Objective To determine whether the influence of implementing a structured and standardized EHR on perceived EHR use, data quality, and data reuse differed for users working with paper-based records versus a legacy EHR before implementation. Methods We used an electronic questionnaire to measure users' perception before implementation (2014), expected change, and perceived change after implementation (2016) on three themes. We included all health care professionals in two university hospitals in the Netherlands. Before jointly implementing the same structured and standardized EHR, one hospital used paper-based records and the other a legacy EHR. We compared perceptions before and after implementation for both centers. Additionally, we compared expected benefit with perceived benefit. Results We received 7,611 responses (4,537 before and 3,074 after implementation) of which 5,707 (75%) were from professionals reading and recording patient data. A total of 975 (13%) professionals responded to both before and after implementation questionnaires. In the formerly paper-based center staff perceived improvement in all themes after implementation. The legacy EHR center experienced deterioration of perceived EHR use and data reuse, and only one improvement in EHR use. In both centers, for half of the aspects at least 45% of responders experienced results worse than expected preimplementation. Conclusion Our results indicate that the preimplementation recording practice impacts the perceived effect of the implementation of a structured and standardized EHR. For almost half of the respondents the new EHR did not meet their expectations. Especially legacy EHR centers need to investigate the expectations as these might be different and less clear cut than those in paper-based centers. These expectations need to be addressed appropriately to achieve a successful implementation.

Paper-based microfluidic analytical devices (μPADs) have recently attracted attention as a point-of-care test kit because of their low cost and nonrequirement for external forces. To directly detect biomarkers in whole blood, however, they need to be assembled with a filter such as a plasma separation membrane (PSM) because the color of the blood cells interferes with the colorimetric assay. However, this assembly process is rather complicated and cumbersome, and the fluid does not uniformly move to the detection zone when the adhesion between the paper and PSM is not perfect. In this study, we report a simple three-dimensional (3D) printing method for fabricating PSM-integrated 3D-μPADs made of plastics without the need for additional assembly. In detail, PSM was coated with parylene C to prevent its dissolution from organic solvent during 3D printing. Then, the coated PSM was superimposed on the paper. Detection zones and a reservoir were printed on the paper and PSM via liquid photopolymerization, using a digital light processing printer. The limit of detection of the PSM-integrated 3D-μPADs for glucose in whole blood was 0.3 mM, and these devices demonstrated clinically relevant performance on diabetes patient blood samples. Our 3D-μPADs can also simultaneously detect multiple metabolic disease markers including glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides in whole blood. Our results suggest that our printing method is useful for fabricating 3D-μPADs integrated with PSM for the direct detection of biomarkers in whole blood.

This paper evaluates the environmental impacts of different alternatives for handling of sludge from paper and pulp mills in Sweden, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The common practice of incineration of biosludge with energy recovery followed by landfilling of ash (System A) was compared with the alternative of digesting sludge anaerobically to produce biogas using different digestate residue management options. The digestate produced from anaerobic digestion (AD) was assumed to be incinerated for heat energy recovery in System B or pyrolyzed for biochar production in System C to be mixed with forest soils. The impact categories considered in this work are climate change, non-renewable energy use, mineral extraction, aquatic ecotoxicity, carcinogens and non-carcinogens. The LCA results demonstrate that the two proposed systems significantly reduce the environmental impacts of biosludge management relative to incineration. An 85% reduction in the aquatic ecotoxicity impact is achieved in System C, due to the reduced mobility of heavy metals in biochar relative to ash. System C, on the whole, outperformed the other two, leading the authors to the recommendation that the use of pulp and paper mill biosludge in biogas-biochar production systems is preferable to merely recovering energy from it.

Unprinting of paper can reduce multiple life-cycle stages in the recycling of paper to yield significant environmental impact. Laser-unprinting has been demonstrated for uncoated paper but causes significant damage to coated paper. This work explores a scalable optical (non-laser) process for unprinting coated paper. Printed coated paper is exposed to pulsed broad-spectrum Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) from a xenon lamp and the toner is then removed by dabbing gently with an ethanol wipe. While black toner is easily unprinted, unprinting of colored prints (red, blue, green) is best realized by incorporating an initial overprint of black toner. An unprinting throughput on the order of mm2/s is achieved. Three distinct regimes of unprinting are identified based on the extent of toner removal and damage of the paper. The optical properties of the unprinted paper, characterized via UV–Visible spectrophotometry, are correlated to these regimes to understand the potential for in-situ optical process monitoring. Scanning Electron Micrography and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy are performed to understand the underlying mechanisms that govern the occurrence of the different unprinting regimes. Further, the potential impact of the developed approach on recycling of paper is discussed in the context of the capabilities of current optical unprinting approaches and the potential elimination of life-cycle stages in conventional paper recycling.

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) for detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose have been developed. The analytical performance of colorimetric detection using the conventional starch-iodine color reaction has been significantly improved by using gelatin as the surface modifier which retains the enzyme activity in the dry filter paper strip, improves antioxidability, as well as decreases the strong background signal. Under optimal conditions, the color intensities show a good linear relationship with glucose concentration ranging from 0.5 to 5 mM and hydrogen peroxide concentration from 0.5 to 6 mM, with the detection limit of 0.05 mM and 0.1 mM, respectively. In addition, the accuracy of colorimetric sensor has been successfully assessed in detecting glucose from real human serum samples and recovery value ranges from 95.7% to 97%, which are approaching to the glucose oxidase endpoint. The new colorimetric assay exhibits high sensitivity, good selectivity, acceptable stability and reproducibility. The present approach is promising for monitoring glucose for point of care diagnostic applications, especially in regions with resource-limited settings.

Paper based assays are paving the way to automated, simplified, robust and cost-effective point of care testing (POCT). We propose a method for fabricating three dimensional (3D) microfluidic paper based analytical devices (μPADs) via combining thin adhesive films and paper folding, which avoids the use of cellulose powders and the complex folding sequence and simultaneously permits assays in several layers. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, a 3DμPADs was designed to conduct more assays on a small footprint, allowing dual colorimetric and electrochemical detections. More importantly, we further developed a 3D platform for implementing automated and multiplexed ELISA in parallel, since ELISA, a routine and standard laboratory method, has rarely been used in practical analyses outside of the laboratory. In this configuration, complex and multistep diagnostic assays can be carried out with the addition of the sample and buffer in a simple fashion. Using Troponin I as model, the device showed a broad dynamic range of detection with a detection limit of 0.35 ng/mL. Thus, the developed platforms allow for various assays to be cost-effectively carried out on a single 3D device, showing great potential in an academic setting and point of care testing under resource-poor conditions.

The application of microfluidics for largescale rapid analytics holds great promise in the pharmaceutical diagnostics and analytical chemistry. Here we report a paper based microfluidic substrate designed by the impregnation of Silver nanoparticles. This study demonstrates the achievement of a thousand-fold increase in the successful detection level up to 10 ppb (90.8 nM) by employing Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) for the detection of Catechol. The presented sensor exhibits the following main features: (i) high specificity of enzyme (Hemocyanin)-based sensing, (ii) effective SERS sensitivity, (iii) easiness and cost-effectiveness of a paper-based platform. We rationalize these findings using the ab initio DFT simulations using Gaussian 09 whose theoretical calculations reflect the observed experimental Raman peaks.

Pollutants emerging from the effluents of paper mills eventually destroy the environment of our ecosystem. To find a proper solution of it, a cost-effective and environmentally benign technique is proposed here to remediate contaminants present in the effluent of paper mill in a sequential steps using advanced oxidation processes including Fenton reaction (FO) (Fe(II)/H2O2), modified Fenton oxidation (MFO) (Fe(II)/Zn(II)/H2O2) and biological flocculation process. A comparison and compilation among these techniques were carried out on the basis of the percentage removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) as well as the observed degradation pattern in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results revealed that MFO could remove ≥ 90% of COD at ~ 90 min, whereas FO could eliminate ≥ 80% COD at ~ 120 min. Further, the bioflocculation technique was found to reduce the heavy metal contents such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Co, Cd and Pb by ≥ 60%. In the sequential treatment process, lignin, phenolic and colour contents were also found to be reduced by ~ 84% ~ 97% and ~ 96%, respectively. Again, the bioassay tests were performed to verify the toxicity reduction in the industrial effluent after the application of the sequential treatment process. This study demonstrates that the sequential treatment technique could be an effective alternative for the treatment of paper mill effluent.

The hypothesis of this paper is that writers with similar academic backgrounds express personal attitudes in English and in Spanish differently in research papers. Thus, the main objectives are, first, to study the differences in the use of attitude devices in Spanish and English academic discourse; second, to compare the results in the different sections of articles; and finally to study the positive or negative semantic implications of the lexical items by carrying out a sentiment analysis. To this end, fifteen Spanish industrial engineering papers were compared with fifteen English industrial engineering papers. The results showed that there are in fact differences in the way academic writers communicate attitude, but the sentiment analysis revealed that neutral lexical items were the most commonly used in engineering research papers. Even though engineering researchers share the knowledge of the specialist content and the academic style of expressing their thoughts, personal attitudes were expressed in different ways in Spanish and in English.

The aims of this study were to perform the anaerobic digestion of recycled pulp and paper sludge (RPPS) at laboratory scale, using a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) digester, to determine the methane yield of this type of waste, and to control the physico-chemical parameters to maintain its stability during the experiment. Recycled pulp and paper sludge has an important organic matter with a COD/BOD5 ratio of 1.94, which is easily degradable. The result of anaerobic digestion experiment has given a methane yield coefficient of 159 N mL CH4/g VS, while biodegradability was found around 77% (in VS). The results obtained from the kinetic models studied in this work, mainly the modified Gompertz, first-order, Richards, and Logistic kinetic models show that the difference between the predicted and measured methanogenic potentials was higher in the modified Gompertz kinetic model (0.25–12.94%) than in the Logistic model (0.18–2.69%). The Logistic model showed the best fit for the substrates used. The Logistic, the modified Gompertz, Richards models fitted adequately to cumulative methane production (R2 was 0.9744; 0.9597 and 0.9655, respectively). Specifically, the Logistic model predicted the methane production volume like the experimental within loads added of 2.5 g VS/L.

Polymerization-based signal amplification (PBA) is a material-based approach to improving the sensitivity of paper-based diagnostic tests. Eosin Y is used as an assay label to photo-initiate free-radical polymerization to produce colored hydrogels in the presence of target analytes captured by bioactive paper. PBA achieves high-contrast and time-independent signals, but its nanomolar detection limit makes it impractical for early diagnosis of many diseases. In this work, we demonstrated efficient localization of large quantities of eosin Y per captured target analyte by incorporating eosin Y-loaded liposomes into PBA. This new "materials approach" allowed 30-fold signal enhancement compared to conventional PBA. To further improve the detection limit of liposome-enhanced PBA, we used a continuous flow-through assay format with 100 μL of analyte solution, achieving sub-nanomolar detection limits with high-contrast signals that were easily discernible to the unaided eye.

The use of clay filler materials in dispersion coatings is a well-established method to provide improved barrier properties to the coated paper substrate, in particular lowering the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) through the coating. In this paper we demonstrate the use of small spherical silica particles (∼100–220 nm) as an additive to a clay-latex coating formulation is able to provide further improvements to the barrier properties, when compared to the equivalent silica-free coatings. A significant decrease in both the water vapour transmission rate and the direct water uptake of water ( Cobb 120 {\text{Cobb}_{120}} wettability test) is observed for coatings containing as little as 1 % silica additive.

Owing to the increasing amount of industrial wastewater and ocean pollution, separation of water and oil from their mixtures and emulsions has been an active area in water treatment industry and in academic research. Using cellulose filter paper as the substrate, a porous superoleophobic membrane (OP) was easily prepared by immersing the paper in an acetonitrile solution of toluene diisocyanate and that of N-(2,4-diaminophenyl) maleimide, alternatively and repeatedly, coating the paper with maleimide-containing polyurea (PU). PU coated paper was then functionalized by 2-[(tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl)amino]-1-ethanesulfonic acid through aza-Michael addition. The formation of PU coating and the subsequent functionalization were confirmed by FTIR, NMR and XPS analyses. The produced OP paper was shown to be superoleophobic and had excellent performance for oil–water separation from their mixtures and emulsions. This study provides therefore a novel protocol for preparation of superoleophobic materials, featuring easy operation, low cost, and in particular, versatile applicability to different natural and synthetic materials.

The recycling of waste paper has been an effective way to achieve the environmental-friendly growth of papermaking industry. Focusing on the mixed-pulping process which has been generally employed, to ensure the required properties of the deinking pulp (DIP) and minimize the purchase cost of waste paper, an intelligent model scheduling the mixing ratio of waste paper was developed in the study. Primarily, driven by the field data of mixing ratio of waste paper and DIP properties, the prediction models of DIP properties were developed by SVM, GA-SVM, and BP-NN algorithms. Subsequently, based on the best prediction model, the scheduling model for the mixing ratio of waste paper was set up by NSGAII algorithm. The experimental results showed that, based on the obtained best BP-NN prediction model of DIP properties, the developed NSGAII scheduling model for the ratio of waste paper could achieve excellent scheduling results under the rigorous constraints and multi-objective. Compared with the previous study, the developed prediction and scheduling models in this study reduced the purchase cost of waste paper by 2.16%, and improved the acceptable proportion of DIP property from 56.07% to 100%.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T17:04:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-06-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Development and application of a new, simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly method is presented for the quantification of bumetanide in human urine samples for the detection of doping in sports. The method involves the use of a paper platform and digital image detection and is based on the reaction between bumetanide, p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (p-DAC), and HCl in a methanolic medium, yielding a colored compound in a delimited area on a qualitative filter paper. The concentrations of p-DAC and HCl were optimized by a chemometric experimental design. After the addition of the reagents to the paper, digital images were obtained by scanning in a multifunctional printer and analyzed using the RGB pattern. The linear bumetanide concentration range was 6.90 × 10 −5 –1.37 × 10 −3 mol L −1 with R 2 = 0.993 and the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 3.60 × 10 −4 and 1.09 × 10 −4 mol L −1 , respectively. A SPE clean-up step for the samples were required to eliminate the interference of urinary urea. The recoveries obtained varied from 94% to 105%, indicating the absence of significant matrix effects or interferences in urine samples after clean-up step. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of bumetanide in human urine samples. Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” UNESP, R. Prof. Francisco Degni 55, P.O. Box 355 Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” UNESP, R. Prof. Francisco Degni 55, P.O. Box 355 CAPES: 001 FAPESP: 2015/21733-1

Minimally invasive devices to detect molecules in dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) are desirable for point-of-care diagnostic and monitoring applications. In this study, we developed a microneedle (MN) patch that collects ISF for on-patch biomarker analysis by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The micrometer-scale MNs create micropores in the skin surface, through which microliter quantities of ISF are collected onto plasmonic paper on the patch backing. The plasmonic paper was prepared by immobilizing poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) on a thin strip of filter paper using plasmonic calligraphy. Negatively charged PSS was used to bind positively charged rhodamine 6G (R6G), which served as a model compound, and thereby localize R6G on AuNR surface. R6G bound on the AuNR surface was detected and quantified by acquiring SERS spectra from the plasmonic paper MN patch. This approach was used to measure pharmacokinetic profiles of R6G in ISF and serum from rats in vivo. This proof-of-concept study indicates that a plasmonic paper MN patch has the potential to enable on-patch measurement of molecules in ISF for research and future medical applications.

Paper-based optoelectronic noses (OENs) are being developed based on printing of organic and organometallic reagents on hydrophilic substrates that can visualize the odor of volatiles. In this work, we report for the first time the use of nanoparticles for fabrication of novel paper-based OENs, which represent much higher sensitivity and produce simple but discriminant colorimetric signature of volatile metabolomes. This nano-optoelectronic nose (NOEN) system, which is fabricated by dropping of gold and silver nanoparticles (each synthesized by 8 chemical species) on the paper, gives obvious colorimetric signatures for chemicals having individual or combined functional groups. Owning to their ultrasensitivity, these simple devices need very small amounts of analytes. These devices could detect and discriminate 45 volatile organic compounds in 9 chemical families including phenols, alchohols, ketones, aldehydes, amines, acids, esters, arenes, and hydrocarbons. In addition to excellent discrimination ability, this NOEN sensor shows ultrahigh sensitivity such that could determine volatile compounds with detection limits around or lower than 10 ppb. Moreover, it can be combined with multivariate calibration methods for quantitative analysis of a metabolite in a complex mixture.

This paper describes the development of two microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs), one well-based and the other based on a lateral flow assay (LFA) configuration, to detect glucose via a colorimetric assay using the solid metal-organic framework (MOF) Zr-PCN-222(Fe), to encapsulate glucose oxidase (GOx). The well-based platform consisted of laminate sheets and multiple layers of wax-printed chromatography paper. Solutions of KI and glucose placed into the well flowed through the device and reacted with the GOx@MOF species sandwiched between the paper layers realizing a yellow-brown color. The LFA platform consisted of chromatography paper between parafilm and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) layers. GOx@MOFs spotted on the paper subjected to solutions of KI and glucose yielded a brown color. The devices were then dried, scanned, and analyzed yielding a correlation between average inverse yellow intensity and glucose concentrations. The development of these devices employing MOFs as biomimetic catalysts should further expand the applications of microfluidic technologies for sensors a variety of analytes.

The most common negative influences on lignocellulosic materials from biological point of view include invading of microorganisms, which have in humid environments of porous materials favourable conditions for growth and reproduction. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of selected compounds present in essential oils- EOs (linalyl acetate-LA and citral-C) and the accelerated ageing process on the chemical (cellulose degree of polymerization, content of saccharides), mechanical (tensile index) and physical (fibres length distribution) properties of papers. LA and C were evaluated as the compounds with the highest antimicrobial activity and therefore, they were applied into the paper mass in form of their vapours. Paper samples were prepared from five types of material. Chemical changes were evaluated by wet chemical methods, size exclusion chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, mechanical property according to ISO 1924-2 standard and morphological properties of fibres by using Fiber Tester equipment. In the view of followed properties, the protecting impact of these EOs efficient compounds has a greater importance in their application before the ageing process itself, especially at wood pulp papers and papers produced from sulphate deciduous pulp. The contents of both holocellulose and a cellulose degree of polymerization were significantly correlated with the tensile index of the paper.

A pulp and paper industry generates a large amount of industrial solid wastes, which are mostly wet sludge, basically composed by kaolin and pulp. The National Solid Waste Policy in force in Brazil instituted as mandatory to provide the adequate destination of this material and to improve the costs involved in the process. The purpose of this work was to analyze the feasibility of incorporating sludge from the pulp and paper industry in soil-cement blocks using 10% cement and 90% compensated soil. In the composition of this compensated soil, typical from the region where the research was performed, sand and 5%, 10%, and 15% of waste were incorporated in the clay mass. Compressive strength, water absorption and durability tests were carried out with loss of mass. The results indicate that blocks produced with waste incorporation of up to 10% meet the technical requirements set by the main international standards, enabling them to be used in civil construction and thus contributing to reduce the environmental impacts regarding the waste disposal.

Norfloxacin (NOR) in milk may influence mammalian cell replication and bring about a decrease in the efficiency for treating infection in humans. However, current techniques for detecting NOR usually require expensive instruments and trained personnel. In this work, we have developed a low-cost and simple method via paper-based fluorescent immunoassay for highly sensitive and selective detection of NOR in milk at picogram level. The NOR monoclonal antibody labeled with quantum dots is used as a detection probe to recognize the corresponding NOR, which can quantitatively detect NOR on paper-based devices. The detection limits in aqueous solution and milk are 1 pg/mL and 10 pg/mL, respectively. The developed paper-based method provides a cheap, sensitive, eco-friendly, and rapid approach for quantitative detection of trace NOR in milk, which may find wide applications in food safety inspection. Noteworthy, the method is especially suitable for applications at resource-limited and on-site settings.