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Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are two-dimensional material of carbon having unique optical, electrical, mechanical and thermal properties, which could form composite material with different materials. In this work, we fabricated the nanocomposite of GO and rGO with silver (Ag). Modified Hummer method was adopted for the production of GO from graphite powder. This GO was reduced into rGO using ascorbic acid. On the reduction of GO into rGO, inter-planar distance increases which enhanced the properties of rGO as compared to GO. Turkevich method was adopted to produce the nanocomposite of GO and rGO with Ag. FTIR was performed to confirm the different functional group in the desired product. XRD spectra of rGO have broad hump shaped peak which reflects the amorphous structure or lattice and proposed rGO composite as a better membrane material than GO composite for water purification. Similarly, the Raman spectra shows the lower value of D and G band for rGO than GO. Results revealed that methylene blue dye was degraded up to 79.36 % using rGO-Ag composite. Hence, it is concluded that fabricated material could possibly be employed for degradation of other toxic pollutant from industrial effluents.

The coal is an imperative source of energy, which on combustion, it emits sulphur dioxide, which cause air pollution. In the present study, microwave mediated desulphurization of coal was investigated and input variables were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The proximate analysis and ultimate analysis report indicate the sample belongs to subbituminous having sulphur (6.96%), volatile matter (34.5%) and calorific value (5099 kcal/kg). Under microwave irradiation, up to 68% of sulphur was leached in alkaline medium. The particle size of coal, concentration of potassium hydroxide (KOH), microwave exposure time and power of microwave radiation were systematically optimized for maximum desulphurization of the coal. Under optimum conditions of the process variables, 63.06% desulphurization of coal was achieved. The optimum levels of process variables are as, particle size 500 µm, irradiation time 8.54 min, radiation power 720 W and concentration of KOH 15% (w/v). Findings revealed that the microwave-assisted desulphurization under alkaline condition furnished promising efficiency, which can be employed for the desulphurization of coal.

Nanoparticles synthesised using natural resources is a cost-effective and ecofriendly technique with a number of advantages. In current work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized using the extract of Fragaria ananassa seeds. The extract was used as a source of phytochemicals that can act as reducing and stabilizing agents. The characteristics of AgNPs were determined by UV/Visible, FTIR, SEM, XRD and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. The appearance of the distinctive absorption peak in UV-visible spectra at 430 nm confirmed the formation of AgNPs. The involvement of different bioactive functional groups with AgNPs was authenticated by FTIR studies. Particle size and morphology was confirmed by DLS, SEM and XRD analysis. The catalytic potential of AgNPs for the removal of poisonous organic dyes, brilliant green (BG) and methyl orange (MO) was also tested. Effect of different parameters including the catalyst concentration, dyes concentration and presence of different salts on the degradation of dyes was investigated. Nano-size and well-distributed nature of AgNPs, BG and MO dyes were degraded rapidly individually as well as simultaneously. The degradation process obeyed pseudo first order kinetics. Authors concluded that AgNPs synthesized using environment friendly and cost-effective method, can be used as a new tool to combat pollution caused by carcinogenic organic dyes.

This study focusses on the adsorption efficiency of cotton pod (Gossypium arboreum) for biosorption of direct red (DR) 80 dye. The effect of dye concentration, pH, shaking time, adsorbent dose and temperature was considered to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of the cheapest raw material on the removal of dye. Various concentrations (10–50 ppm) were examined and maximum percentage removal of the adsorbent was obtained at pH 1 with adsorbent dose of 0.9 g and shaking time of 60 min. To enhance the adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent, the cotton calyx was treated with FeSO4.7H2O and investigated the removal of the raw adsorbent and the composite. It was examined that the removal efficiency of the composite is more than that of raw adsorbent. The composite was more efficient as dye removal reached up to 97%. FTIR of the composite shows an additional peak at 650 cm−1 for presence of Fe-O group and confirmation of composite formation. SEM micrograph showed that the particles in composite are more packed compared to the raw adsorbent. Mathematical models were applied and kinetic studies also have been done to provide better results regarding to the experimental data. It is concluded that the prepared adsorbent could be used as a tool for the removal of toxic pollutants from textile wastewater.

Sol-gel auto combustion method was adopted to fabricate magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4) nanoparticles. The structural and morphological properties was studied by XRD, FTIR, and SEM analysis. The average particle sizes of MgFe2O4 was in the range of 35–55 nm. The octahedral & Tetrahedral bond lengths, R AE (tetrahedral edge length), R BE (shared octahedral edge length) and R BEU (individual octahedral edge length), cationic radii (tetra and octa-sites) were also determined. The magnetic strength also showed direct reliance on bond angle and indirect to bond length. Hoping length L a and L b and bond angles are also measured. The frequency dependent conductivity and dielectric properties of MgFe2O4 were investigated by Impedance analyzer. The photocatalytic activity (PCA) is appraised against MB (methylene blue) dye and MgFe2O4 calcined at 800 °C showed promising degradation (78%) under visible light irradiation. The findings revealed that MgFe2O4 is can harvest the solar light, which could be employed for the remediation of wastewater contains textile dyes.

A facile and green approach to extract silica from the coal fly-ash waste is extremely critical for environmental sustainability and economically suitable. In this study, we have used acid-alkali coupled approach to improvised the proficiency of the extraction process. The sodium hydroxide (NaOH) soaking results the formation of the sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution then pure silica was obtained by heating at high temperature; this coupled route-way results better yield of silica (SiO2) which is ∼ 40 g. The efficiency of pure silica is not enough to remove toxic effluents from the aqueous media. A highly versatile approach of composite formation was adopted to fabricate silica-clay composite using kaolinite-clay and extracted silica. Both materials, extracted silica and its silica-clay composite were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) method, X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). The silica-clay composite showed plate-tubular like morphology with enormous binding sites available for the sorption pollutants like organic dyes. It has shown excellent sorption of methylene blue (MB) efficiency of 131.5 mg/g, while silica furnished the sorption of 70.5 mg/g. Results revealed that the synthesized material could probably have better potential for dye removal from industrial effluents.

Environmental pollution is the major issue of 21st century. The toxic industrial effluents are crucially damaging aquatic environment, in the form of heavy metals, dyes and acids. The heavy metals are toxic, carcinogenic, non-degradable and therefore must be removed to save natural environment and human health. Batch sorption efficiency of Momordica Charantia L. stem and root (MCS and MCR) was studied for Cr(VI) metal ions removal under controlled adsorption parameters. The adsorbed and residual concentration of Cr(VI) was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The adsorbent surface morphology was determined by FTIR, BET, SEM and elemental analysis by EDX. The Freundlich and Langmuir equilibrium isotherm and pseudo 1st and 2nd order kinetic models were studied to understand bio-sorption mechanism. The Freundlich isotherm and pseudo 2nd order kinetic was best fitted model for MCS and MCR bio-sorption process. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity (q max) was 312.50 and 400 (mg/g) for MCS and MCR respectively. The trend of removal efficiency (%) and metal uptake (q e) was in order as MCS > MCR. All data was statistically analyzed using mean values ± standard deviation (SD). In conclusion, MCS and MCR are suggested as excellent sorbents for the elimination of numerous contaminants from the wastewater.

Heavy metals presence in the potable water is a terrible dilemma notably for emergent countries and could be carcinogenic. Currently, interfacial polymerization (IP) was applied for the production of thin film nanocomposite forward osmosis (TFN-FO) membrane using polyacrylonitrile support. For this purpose, Zn (II)-imidazole metal Organic framework (MOF) was employed as a nanofiller into polymeric membranes this modification was found useful for the removal of heavy metals. Different characterization techniques like scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were used for the assessment of morphology, elemental arrangement, functional groups and crystalline nature of the prepared FO membrane. It was observed that synthesized Zn-MOF based FO membrane displays high water flux by increasing the number of pores in the membrane. Additionally, this particular FO membrane was custom-made for lower reverse solute flux and concentration polarization. This ensures minimum withdrawal of salt from the draw solution (DS) to the feed solution (FS). So, the prepared Zn-MOF based FO membrane produce synergistic outcomes for the removal of metals and this strategy could possibly be used as novel way for removal of toxic pollutants.

This study focuses on the synthesis of silver/copper bimetallic nanoparticles (Ag/Cu BMNPs) using Seidlitzia stocksii stem aqueous extract. The synthesized product was characterized by powder X-rays diffraction techniques (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy (EDX), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bimetallic nature of the particles was confirmed by XRD whereas the elemental composition was verified by EDX analysis. FTIR and SEM were used to determine the presence of different functionalities and morphology of the prepared BMNPs respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was analyzed using solar light. Nearly 44 % degradation was observed for 70 min of irradiation with excellent rate constant. Results revealed that the synthesized material is a potential candidate in the field of photocatalysis. Moreover, this may be contributed to presence of BMNPs. It may be concluded that the prepared material could be applied as cost effective and ecofriendly catalyst for the degradation of toxic pollutants from industrial effluents.

The study focusses on the ecofriendly synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using aqueous extract of Chenopodium album leaves. The prepared NPs were characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). UV–Vis spectroscopy exhibited absorption maximum (λ max) at 271 nm for CuO NPs. The average size of crystallite was observed as 17 ± 3 nm using XRD. SEM illustrated that the shape of fabricated NPs was spherical. Elemental composition was further supported by EDX. The photocatalytic nature of prepared NPs was assessed by degradation of atrazine and abamectin. Maximum degradation 53.61 % and 57 % of abamectin and atrazine was observed in presence of these particles after the 180 min exposure time. The pesticides removal followed the zero-order kinetics. It may be concluded that CuO NPs synthesized from C. album could behave as suitable candidate for the degradation of toxic pollutants in wastewater.

This study focusses on the synthesis of polyaniline (PANI) and polyaniline base adsorbent utilizing Citrus limon leaves (CL) powder. The polyaniline base adsorbent with C. limon was synthesized using the same process as polyaniline synthesis, but with the addition of leaves powder. PANI and PANI based adsorbent with C. limon leaves powder (PANI/CL) were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). This synthesized material was employed for the removal of congo red (CR) dye from industrial wastewater. Furthermore, the Langmuir, Temkin and Freundlich isotherms were also applied to evaluate experimental results. PANI is an efficient adsorbent for CR removal with 71.9 mg/g, while PANI/CL is an efficient adsorbent with 80 mg/g removal of dye according to a comparison of maximal adsorption capabilities. The data concludes that the prepared adsorbents could possibly be employed for the removal of toxic dyes from industrial effluents at large scale and ultimately could help in improving the environment.

In the present study, biological method was opted to synthesize ZnO NPs from Rumex dentatus plant. 0.1 M solution of zinc nitrate hexahydrate is mixed with the aqueous solution of R. dentatus plant leaves extract. The proportion of each solution was 1:1. Extract of plant leaves act as reducing agent. Firstly, the color changed from dark green to brown was observed and precipitates of light brown color appeared. Characterization of produced ZnO NPs was done using UV–Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The prepared ZnO NPS shows maximum absorption at 373 nm, in UV–Visible range. The shape of synthesized ZnO NPs is displayed by SEM. XRD analysis explains the average size of NPs is 6.19 nm. EDX tells about the percentage composition of synthesized ZnO NPs. Antibacterial analysis declared the NPs as good antibacterial agents. Photocatalytic activity of ZnO NPs was done using methyl orange dye. It was concluded that ZnO NPs can degrade toxic pollutants especially dyes.

Although subordinate's perception of authoritarian leadership is viewed derogatively in the leadership literature, limited studies still claim that it can positively influence subordinate's performance. Drawing from the attribution theory, we hypothesize and demonstrate that subordinate's perception of authoritarian leadership can have a positive, indirect effect on subordinate task performance through the subordinate-attributed performance promotion motive, but only when the subordinate's perception of leader's expert power is high. We found support for our hypothesized model using multisource data collected from 246 subordinates and 76 supervisors from 11 different private sector organizations in Pakistan.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were fabricated using Syzygium cumini leave extract as a reducing and capping agent. The ZnO NPs were characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, UV-Visible and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The ZnO nanoparticles size was in 0.2–1 µm range and spherical in shape. Photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO NPs for the removal of MB (methylene blue) and MO (methyl orange) was investigated under solar and UV light expire. Photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO NPs was promising, which was found to be high under UV irradiation versus solar light. The ZnO NPs was confirmed as appropriate photocatalytic agent with significant potential for the removal of dye from wastewater.

Randomized controlled trials are considered the most rigorous research design in efficacy and effectiveness research; however, such trials present numerous challenges that limit their applicability in real-world settings. As a consequence, pragmatic trials are increasingly viewed as a research design that overcomes some of these barriers with the potential to produce findings that are more reproducible. Although pragmatic methodology in long-term care is receiving increasing attention as an approach to improve successful dissemination and implementation, pragmatic trials present complexities of their own. To address these complexities and related issues, experts with experience conducting pragmatic trials, developing nursing home policy, participating in advocacy efforts, and providing clinical care in long-term care settings participated in a virtual consensus conference funded by the National Institute on Aging in Spring 2021. Participants identified 4 cross-cutting principles key to dissemination and implementation of pragmatic trial interventions: (1) stakeholder engagement, (2) diversity and inclusion, (3) organizational strain and readiness, and (4) learn from adaptations. Participants emphasized that implementation processes must be grounded in the perspectives of the people who will ultimately be responsible for implementing the intervention once it is proven to be effective. In addition, messaging must speak to long-term care staff and all others who have a stake in its outcomes. Although our understanding of dissemination and implementation strategies remains underdeveloped, this article is designed to guide long-term care researchers and community providers who are increasingly aware of the need for pragmatism in disseminating and implementing evidence-based care interventions.

Randomized controlled trials are considered the most rigorous research design in efficacy and effectiveness research; however, such trials present numerous challenges that limit their applicability in real-world settings. As a consequence, pragmatic trials are increasingly viewed as a research design that overcomes some of these barriers with the potential to produce data that are more reproducible. Although pragmatic methodology in long-term care is receiving increasing attention as an approach to improve successful dissemination and implementation, pragmatic trials present complexities of their own. To address these complexities and related issues, experts with experience conducting pragmatic trials, developing nursing home policy, participating in advocacy efforts, and providing clinical care in long-term care settings participated in a virtual consensus conference funded by the National Institute on Aging in Spring 2021. Participants recommended 4 cross-cutting principles key to dissemination and implementation of pragmatic trial interventions: (1) engage stakeholders, (2) ensure diversity and inclusion, (3) assess organizational strain and readiness, and (4) learn from adaptations. Specifically related to implementation, participants provided 2 recommendations: (1) integrate interventions into existing workflows and (2) maintain agility and responsiveness. Finally, participants had 3 recommendations specific to dissemination: (1) package the message for the audience, (2) engage diverse audiences, and (3) apply dissemination and diffusion tools. Participants emphasized that implementation processes must be grounded in the perspectives of the people who will ultimately be responsible for implementing the intervention once it is proven to be effective. In addition, messaging must speak to long-term care staff and all others who have a stake in its outcomes. Although our understanding of dissemination and implementation strategies remains underdeveloped, this article is designed to guide long-term care researchers and community providers who are increasingly aware of the need for pragmatism in disseminating and implementing evidence-based care interventions.

To date, the noble metal-based nanoparticles have been used in every field of life. The Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been fabricated employing different techniques to tune the properties. In this study, the methodologies developed and adopted for the fabrication of Au and Ag have been discussed, which include physical, chemical and biological routes. The Au and Ag characteristics (morphology, size, shape) along with advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The Au and Ag NPs catalytic and biomedical applications are discussed. For the Ag and Au NPs characterization, SEM (scanning electron microscope), TEM (transmission electron microscope), FTIR (Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy), XRD (X-rays diffraction) and DLS (dynamic light scattering) techniques are employed. The properties of Au and Ag NPs found dependent to synthesis approach, i.e., the size, shape and morphologies, which showed a promising Catalytic, drug delivery and antimicrobial agent applications. The review is a comprehensive study for the comparison of Au and Ag NPs synthesis, properties and applications in different fields.

The present research work is being executed on account of detection of aflatoxins B1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 in dry fruits. Total 50 samples of dry fruits including dried figs, dried apricots, peanuts, almonds and dried dates were collected from different areas of Punjab, Pakistan and were analyzed for aflatoxin detection (AFs) by enzyme linked immunoassay technique (ELISA). The results showed that AFs were detected in 33% (n = 17) samples having range from 2.8-14 μg/kg in dry fruits, with an average limit 9.12 μg/kg. In 59% (n=10) samples of dried fruits the AFs limit was above the maximum limits, i.e., ML = 10 μg/kg as given by European Union (EU). Moreover, 41% (n=7) of the total detected samples having AFs limits below the maximum limit of aflatoxins as purposed by the EU. It is hereby concluded that the need is to launch an uninterrupted and rigid national supervising architectural plan in order to raise the standard and safety of dry fruits for human consumption.

Cobalt doped nickel ferrites were fabricated by sol gel route and the dielectric constant, tangent loss and AC conductivity were investigated as a function of Co doping. The X-ray diffractometer characterization confirmed that the Co x Ni1−x Fe2O4 with doping concentration (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) have cubic spinel structure. In the XRD spectrum there appear extra peaks of Fe2O3 as an impurity that is gradually disappear by increasing doping ratio of cobalt ions, which is an indication of high crystallinity. The structural parameters (lattice constant, grain size, dislocation density, X-rays density and packing factor) are greatly influenced by the doping of cobalt atoms i.e., lattice constant increases. The crystal size increases from 30 to 42.26 nm by cobalt substitution in the pure nickel ferrites. The Fourier Transform IR Spectroscopy indicate shift in peaks to lower frequency region because cobalt doping reduced binding energy between metal ion and oxygen ions. Atomic structure of cobalt doped nickel ferrites examined by the Raman spectroscopy. Co x Ni1−x Fe2O4 shows Raman mode at ∼285, ∼477, ∼563, ∼624 and ∼704 cm−1. There is unnoticeable Raman shift due to the doping of cobalt’s atoms.

This study focusses on the production of biodiesel by reacting the heterogeneous based nano-catalysts with used cooking oil in the presence of methanol. The CZO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized by different techniques. Biodiesel was characterized by the gas chromatograph (GC) and Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy (FTIR). Optimum conditions for the maximum biodiesel yield (90%) were 0.2% (w/w) catalyst dose, 3:1 methanol to oil ratio, 50 °C reaction temperature, 150 min reaction time and 136 rpm stirring speed. The kinetic modeling and the thermodynamic factors like enthalpy (ΔH), activation energy (Ea), entropy (ΔS) and free energy (ΔG) were operated on all the data. Mean and standard deviation was used for analysis of data. The results indicate the maximum biodiesel yield under the optimum reaction conditions, which is promising to reduce the pollution such as air pollution and greenhouse effect for sustainable environmetal development.

This study reports green synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) from Sophora mollis leaf extract. The use of S. mollis extract for preparation of Ag NPs was investigated using different techniques. Dark brown color indicates formation of nanoparticles. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) analysis revealed that plant extract act as a reducing and capping agent. Morphological aspects of Ag NPs were ascertained by means of SEM studies. Energy dispersive and FTIR spectroscopy results showed chemical composition and plant extract functionality respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed particle size of 70 nm. Antibacterial activity of NPs was investigated by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration method. Antioxidant activity of NPs was shown by DPPH assay. The photo catalytic efficiency of synthesized Ag NPs was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV irradiation. Ag NPs degraded MB dye up to 88% in 160 min. It is concluded that these NPs could be employed for degradation of toxic industrial effluents. Result proved the green synthesis of Ag NPs from S. mollis extract is clean, economical and safe method.

Dyes are emerging as harmful pollutants, which is one of major issues for the environmentalists and there is a urgent need for the removal of dyes from the effluents. In this context, the adsorption technology has been extensively used as an effective tool for the removal of dyes from the aqueous phase. This technique uses low-cost adsorbents and the cellulosic material is a biodegradable, cost-effective and renewable polymer, which is not soluble in the majority of solvents because of its crystalline nature and hydrogen bonding. Currently, the modified cellulosic materials for the removal of dyes from wastewater gained much attention. Moreover, the application of cellulose for water treatment can be utilized for controlling pollution and have high economic viability and availability. This review signifies the use of cellulose-based adsorbent for dyes adsorption from wastewater. The key advancement in the preparation and modification of cellulose-based adsorbents is discussed and their adsorption efficiencies are compared with other adsorbents for removal of dyes and adsorption conditions are also considered for the same. The studies reporting cellulose-based adsorption from 2003 to 2022 are included and their various properties are compared for the efficient removal of dyes. The modified cellulosic materials cellulose is a highly effective adsorbent for the remediation of effluents.

In view of promising sorption capacity, stability, biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, environmental friendly nature, regeneration and recycling ability, the chitosan (CS) based adsorbents are highly efficient for the sequestration of dyes. Since CS offers variable chemical structures and CS have been modified by incorporating different moieties. The CS composites with unique properties have been employed successfully for dye adsorption with reasonably high adsorption capacity versus other similar adsorbents. Modifications of CS were promising for the preparation of composites that are extensively studied for their adsorption capacities for various dyes. This review highlights the CS and its modification and their applications for the adsorption of dyes. The removal capacities of CS-based adsorbents, equilibrium modeling, kinetics studies and the thermodynamic characteristics are reported. Moreover, the FTIR, BET, SEM, TGA and XRD were employed for the characterization of CS modified adsorbents are also discussed. Results revealed that the modified CS is highly efficient and can be employed for the sequestration of dyes from effluents.