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The isopropylation of naphthalene (NP) over USY zeolite (FAU06, SiO2/Al2O3 = 6) gave all eight possible diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) isomers: β,β- (2,6- and 2,7-), α,β- (1,3-, 1,6-, and 1,7-), and...

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a well-known process with potential applications in the energy sector and waste management. The generation of digestate material during the AD process is considered a wa...

Nanoporous carbon (HNC) with a flake and nanotubular morphology and a high specific surface area is prepared by using natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), a low-cost and naturally available clay material with a mixture of flaky and tubular morphology. A controlled pore-filling technique is used to selectively control the porosity, morphology, and the specific surface area of the HNC. Activated nanoporous carbon (AHNC) with a high specific surface area is also prepared by using HNT together with the activation process with zinc chloride (ZnCl2). HNC exhibits flakes and tubular morphologies, which offer a high specific surface area (837 m2/g). The specific surface area of AHNC is 1646 m2/g, 74 times greater than the specific surface area of pure HNT (22.5 m2/g). These data revealed that the single-step activation combined with the nanotemplating results in creating a huge impact on the specific surface area of the HNC. Both HNC and AHNC are employed as adsorbents for CO2 adsorption at different pressures and adsorption temperatures. The CO2 adsorption capacity of AHNC is 25.7 mmol/g at 0 °C, which is found to be significantly higher than that of activated carbon (AC), mesoporous carbon (CMK-3), mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN-1), and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). AHNC is also tested as an electroactive material and demonstrates good supercapacitance, cyclic stability, and high capacitance retention. Specific capacitance of AHNC in the aqueous electrolyte is 197 F/g at 0.3 A/g, which is higher than that of AC, MWCNT, and CMK-3. The technique adopted for the preparation of both HNC and AHNC is quite unique and simple, has the potential to replace the existing highly expensive and sophisticated mesoporous silica-based nanotemplating strategy, and could also be applied for the fabrication of series of advanced nanostructures with unique functionalities.

In this study, chitosan and alginate were selected to prepare alginate/chitosan nanoparticles to load the drug lovastatin by the ionic gelation method. The synthesized nanoparticles loaded with drug were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser scattering and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The FTIR spectrum of the alginate/chitosan/lovastatin nanoparticles showed that chitosan and alginate interacted with lovastatin through hydrogen bonding and dipolar-dipolar interactions between the C-O, C=O, and OH groups in lovastatin, the C-O, NH, and OH groups in chitosan and the C-O, C=O, and OH groups in alginate. The laser scattering results and SEM images indicated that the alginate/chitosan/lovastatin nanoparticles have a spherical shape with a particle size in the range of 50–80 nm. The DSC diagrams displayed that the melting temperature of the alginate/chitosan/lovastatin nanoparticles was higher than that of chitosan and lower than that of alginate. This result means that the alginate and chitosan interact together, so that the nanoparticles have a larger crystal degree when compared with alginate and chitosan individually. Investigations of the in vitro lovastatin release from the alginate/chitosan/lovastatin nanoparticles under different conditions, including different alginate/chitosan ratios, different solution pH values and different lovastatin contents, were carried out by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The rate of drug release from the nanoparticles is proportional to the increase in the solution pH and inversely proportional to the content of the loaded lovastatin. The drug release process is divided into two stages: a rapid stage over the first 10 hr, then the release becomes gradual and stable. The Korsmeyer-Peppas model is most suitable for the lovastatin release process from the alginate/chitosan/lovastatin nanoparticles in the first stage, and then the drug release complies with other models depending on solution pH in the slow release stage. In addition, the toxicity of alginate/chitosan/lovastatin (abbreviated ACL) nanoparticles was sufficiently low in mice in the acute toxicity test. The LD50 of the drug was higher than 5000 mg/kg, while in the subchronic toxicity test with treatments of 100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg ACL nanoparticles, there were no abnormal signs, mortality, or toxicity in general to the function or structure of the crucial organs. The results show that the ACL nanoparticles are safe in mice and that these composite nanoparticles might be useful as a new drug carrier.

Here we report on the structural characterization and the hydrogen storage performance of naturally derived halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). HNTs were mined from different deposits in Australia and purified with different processes including crushing, blunging, reblunging, sedimentation and filtration. The clay materials were characterized by different techniques such as powder XRD, TGA, XPS, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, and N₂ sorption. Characterization results revealed that they are highly porous in nature with tubular morphology and exhibited excellent thermal stability. Among the halloysite materials studied, HNT1 which is having higher halloysite content and less kaolinite exhibited hydrogen uptake of 0.5 wt.% at 1 bar and -196 °C, which is increased to 1.33 wt.% when the pressure raised to 48 bar. High hydrogen uptake was linked with the high surface area, hollow tubular aluminosilicate structure and the large interlayer spacing of the HNTs as they favour physisorption of hydrogen. It was also demonstrated that HNT1 is considered to be better material than some of the materials reported so far in terms of their cost-effectiveness and environmental safety for the hydrogen storage.

One of the key focuses of the agricultural industry for preventing the decline in crop yields due to pests is to develop effective, safe, green, and sustainable pesticide formulation. A key objective of industry is to deliver active ingredients (AIs) that have minimal off site migration and non-target activity. Nanoporous materials have received significant attention internationally for the efficient loading and controlled, targeted delivery of pesticides. This is largely made possible due to their textural features including high surface area, large pore-volume, and tunable pore size. Additionally, the easier manipulation of their surface chemistry and stability in different environments are added advantages. The unique features of these materials allow them to address the solubility of the active ingredients, their efficient loading onto the porous channels, and slow and controlled delivery over time. One of their major advantages is the wide range of materials that could be suitably designed via different approaches to either adsorb, encapsulate, or entrap the active ingredient. This review is a timely presentation of recent progress made in nanoporous materials and discusses critical aspects of pesticide formulation and delivery.

Porous and heteroatoms self-doped carbon (PHCs) materials are synthesized for the first time by employing carbonization of casein with ZnCl2 at a temperature of 800 °C. The synthesis involves a one-step solid state carbonization cum activation to synthesize PHCs with high specific surface areas and surface functionalization with nitrogen and oxygen. The textural properties of PHCs including specific surface area, pore volume and pore size can easily be controlled by adjusting the activation amounts of ZnCl2. The optimized material (PHC4) is synthesized with ZnCl2/casein impregnation ratio of 4 and it shows a high specific surface area (1080 m2 g�1) and an appreciable amount of heteroatoms, nitrogen (4.4) and oxygen (4.7). PHC4 exhibits a high CO2 adsorption capacity at 0 °C/1 bar (3.5 mmol g�1) and 0 °C/30 bar (15.8 mmol g�1). Additionally, the presence of heteroatoms on the surface results in enhancement of interactions between CO2 and the adsorbents which are evident from a high value of isosteric heat of adsorption (�35 kJ mol�1) calculated using Clausius Clapeyron's equation. The reported activation synthesis strategy could be explored further to devise advanced functional nanomaterials for specific adsorption applications. © 2019

In this study, we report a facile synthetic strategy to embed ultra-small iron oxide nanoparticles within the channels of highly ordered mesoporous fullerene (C 60 ) (Fe-MFC 60 -T, where T denotes the temperature of the template synthesis). The present work is judicially designed to form the hematite phase of iron oxide (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles (NPs) through the subsequent calcination of Fe-MFC 60 -T. The Fe-MFC 60 -T materials were analysed comprehensively for obtaining their physico-chemical properties. Among the materials studied, Fe-MFC 60 -150 exhibits a unique doughnut-shaped morphology with a high specific surface area (∼598 m 2 g −1 ), crystalline wall structure, and well-ordered porosity. The Fe-MFC 60 -150 displays an adequate oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity with a positive onset potential at 0.85 V (vs RHE) and half wave potential at 0.78 V (vs RHE), low Tafel slope (66 mV per decade), high exchange current density (1.2 × 10 −10 A cm −2 ), and good tolerance towards methanol crossover. We also demonstrate that Fe-MFC 60 -150 is capable of delivering a specific capacitance of 112.4 F g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 . The electrochemical performance of Fe-MFC 60 -150 towards ORR and supercapacitor can be ascribed to the synergistic coupling effects between the active sites of α-Fe 2 O 3 and MFC 60. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

A simple one step chemical activation involving a relatively mild chemical potassium citrate and inexpensive chitosan as a carbon source is presented for the synthesis of microporous carbons with a high specific surface area. The synthesis avoids the use of a highly corrosive and unfriendly activating agent, KOH, which is generally used for the creation of the porosity. The obtained microporous carbons display a high specific surface area which can be tuned by varying the amount of activating agent (1784–2278 m2 g−1). The optimized material exhibits a high surface area of 2278m2 g−1 and a pore volume of 1.00 cm3 g−1. As high microporosity is beneficial for CO2 adsorption, the prepared materials are employed as adsorbents for the capture of CO2. The optimized sample displays excellent CO2 uptakes at 0 °C/0.15 bar (1.1–1.8 mmol g−1) and 0 °C/1 bar (4.3–6.1 mmol g−1). The high surface area of the materials allows for high CO2 uptakes at 0 °C/30 bar (17.3–22.0 mmol g−1). The microporosity of these high surface area carbons is further decorated with strontium carbonate nanoparticles. The adsorption capacity per unit surface area is increased significantly upon the incorporation of the nanoparticles, revealing the role of the nanoparticles on the enhancement of the CO2 adsorption capacity. A similar strategy could be extended for the fabrication of a series of microporous carbons derived from biomass for many applications including CO2 capture.

Recently, drug delivery using natural and biodegradable nanoparticles has attracted huge attention. This study focused to deliver an anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drug Ginsenoside Rb1 through chitosan-Alginate nanocomposite film prepared by solution method. Ginsenoside Rb1 is a dammaran saponin group, which is extracted from an herbaceous plant Panax notoginseng. Ginsenoside loaded alginate-chitosan nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The FTIR spectra of alginate/chitosan/ginsenoside Rb1 nanocomposite films show that chitosan, alginate, and ginsenoside Rb1 are linked through the hydrogen bonding and dipolar–dipolar interactions. The FESEM image indicates that the chitosan and ginsenoside Rb1 dispersed well in the alginate matrix. The DSC diagrams display that melting temperature of alginate/chitosan/ginsenoside Rb1 nanocomposite films higher than that of chitosan and lower than that of alginate. It means that alginate and chitosan interact together. Investigation of the ginsenoside Rb1 release from alginate/chitosan/ginsenoside Rb1 nanocomposite films at different pH solutions and different ginsenoside Rb1 content has been carried out by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy method. The rate of drug release is proportional to the increase in pH solution and inversely proportional to the content of loaded ginsenoside Rb1. The Rb1 release process includes two stages: burst release in the first 10 hours, then constant release afterwards. The suitable ratio of alginate/chitosan to prepare the alginate/chitosan/ginsenoside Rb1 nanocomposite films for further investigations was found out to be 8:2. Ginsenoside Rb1 release process from alginate/chitosan/ginsenoside Rb1 nanocomposite films was believed to be first-order kinetics in the first stage, and then the Rb1 release complies with Higuchi kinetic model in the slow release stage. This study demonstrated the novel synthesis methodology to design drug delivery system based on ginsenoside Rb1 loaded to chitosan/alginate nanocomposite films.

A novel highly ordered three dimensional mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (MGCN-6) with C3N4 stoichiometry having amorphous wall structure, tunable textural parameters with body-centered cubic Ia3d framework has been prepared from 3D mesoporous silica, KIT-6 with adjustable pore diameters as hard templates through a temperature-induced poly condensation followed by the polymerization reaction of cyanamide (CNNH2) precursor. The structure of the resulting mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride materials consists of sheets of three-dimensionally arranged s-heptazine units that are held together by covalent bonds between C and N atoms. The realized MGCN-6 materials have been thoroughly characterized using various techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 physisorption, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The characterization data reveal that the resultant materials possess a well-defined ordered three-dimensional porous structure with a high surface area and a large pore volume. The catalytic activity of these materials has been tested in the Knoevenagel condensation between benzaldehyde and malononitrile. This catalyst is found to be highly active and shows a high conversion with 100% product selectivity even at room temperature.

Naturally available halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and HNTs/Kaolin mixtures obtained from different locations in South Australia were processed and purified to varying degrees by crushing, blunging and reblunging, sedimentation followed by filtration. The microscopic and adsorption results revealed that the samples are highly porous in nature and exhibited tubular morphology with a high specific surface area. It was found that the halloysite content in the samples obtained from different locations was quite different although the processing steps make a slight difference in the final halloysite content in the samples. Out of the several materials characterized, HNT1, halloysite from Camel Lake, has a higher quantity of halloysite content (88%) and exhibits a specific surface area of ca. 50.8 m2/g. It was found that the halloysite nanotube HNT1 exhibited a CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.4 mmol/g at 25 °C, which increased to 6.1 mmol/g at 0 °C. Interestingly, CO2 adsorption per unit surface area of the studied HNT1 was estimated to be 120 μmol/m2 which is relatively higher than that of the existing halloysites and other well-known commercial materials such as activated carbon, mesoporous silica and carbon nitride materials. The higher adsorption capacity of HNT is mainly attributed to the excellent surface and tubular morphology with small pores and free hydroxyl groups present at the inner and outside surface of HNT, which play a significant role in the CO2 adsorption process.

This paper demonstrates the synthesis of highly efficient activated porous biocarbons through chemical activation of Lotus seed for pre- and postcombustion CO2 capture. The activation was performed at three different temperatures using four different KOH/biomass impregnation ratios. The synthesized materials are ultramicroporous and display bimodal porosity which can be easily controlled by varying the experimental conditions. The specific surface area can be tuned from 1079 m2 g–1 to 2230 m2 g–1 by adjusting the amount of activating agent and the carbonization temperature. The optimized material with the highest surface area (2230 m2 g–1) and pore volume (0.96 cm3 g–1) showed a simultaneous high promise for both low pressure (6.8 mmol g–1 at 1 bar/0 °C) and high pressure (26.4 mmol g–1 at 30 bar/0 °C) CO2 capture, which is extremely difficult to achieve for any CO2 sorbent and has never been reported before. This exceptional performance is attributed to ultramicroporosity, high surface area, and surface-...

Ailment related to pathogenic bacteria and toxins remains a significant threat to the human body. Specifically, pathogenic bacteria are the main source of epidemic diseases and are infec-tious to human beings owing to their appearance in food, water, and other biological samples. Over the past several years, advanced nanomaterials-based sensing has been considered as an efficient and unique platform for the rapid, selective, ultrasensitive, qualitative, and quantitative detection of single or multiple pathogenic bacteria. Towards this end, various emerging nanomaterials have been purposefully designed and developed to integrate them onto sensor systems for the recognition of pathogenic bacteria. The present review describes a wide range of analytical techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering, electrochemistry (electrochemical and electronic), a field-effect transistor, fluorescence, calorimetry and surface-plasmon resonance etc. which incorporate nano-biosensor technology to develop a pathogenic bacterium based sensor. This review also highlights the progress, trends and strategy utilized toward the identification of harmful bacteria by focusing on the pertinent literature available on the various advanced nanomaterials (such as semiconducting, magnetic, noble metal and carbon-based nanomaterials) incorporating nano-bio sensor platforms. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Unresolved complex mixtures (UCMs) of hydrocarbons are the pollutants of serious concern commonly occurring in most of the environments contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. UCMs constitute a relatively unidentified group of compounds compared to the well-resolved hydrocarbons that could easily be identified by the modern chromatographic methods. UCMs that accumulate in the environment cause several toxicological effects of ecological significance, and indirectly affect the human health. Despite decades-long efforts to provide adequate information in this area of research, the fate and environmental impacts of UCMs of petroleum hydrocarbons are poorly understood. Techniques for extraction and analysis of UCMs in the environment are very important in their identification and quantification. Also, remediation of toxic UCMs of petroleum hydrocarbons is all the more essential. In fact, UCMs are often neglected in the risk assessments due to lack of proper identification methods and toxicity data. This critical review presents an overview of our current knowledge on the environmental occurrence, sources, separation, and identification methods for UCMs. The ecological toxicity of UCMs toward the biota and the strategies for remediation of the environments contaminated with UCMs have also been discussed in detail. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) is a promising candidate as a high-performing anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its large interlayer spacing. However, it suffers from continued capacity fading. This problem could be overcome by hybridizing MoS2 with nanostructured carbon-based materials, but it is quite challenging. Herein, we demonstrate a single-step strategy for the preparation of MoS2 coupled with ordered mesoporous carbon nitride using a nanotemplating approach which involves the pyrolysis of phosphomolybdic acid hydrate (PMA), dithiooxamide (DTO) and 5-amino-1H-tetrazole (5-ATTZ) together in the porous channels of 3D mesoporous silica template. The sulfidation to MoS2 , polymerization to carbon nitride (CN) and their hybridization occur simultaneously within a mesoporous silica template during a calcination process. The CN/MoS2 hybrid prepared by this unique approach is highly pure and exhibits good crystallinity as well as delivers excellent performance for SIBs with specific capacities of 605 and 431 mAhg-1 at current densities of 100 and 1000 mAg-1 , respectively, for SIBs.

Nanoporous carbon (HNC) with a flake and nanotubular morphology and a high specific surface area is prepared by using natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), a low-cost and naturally available clay material with a mixture of flaky and tubular morphology. A controlled pore-filling technique is used to selectively control the porosity, morphology, and the specific surface area of the HNC. Activated nanoporous carbon (AHNC) with a high specific surface area is also prepared by using HNT together with the activation process with zinc chloride (ZnCl

In this paper, biocomposites were prepared with carrageenan/fish scale/allopurinol collagen by solution method. Carrageenan fish scale collagen and allopurinol were used at different ratio and the effect of varying the component ratio was investigated by studying the shape, morphology, thermal behavior, and drug release ability of the biocomposites. By varying the carrageenan/collagen ratio, the shape of the biocomposites can be modified. When high amount of carrageenan was used, biocomposites were obtained in film whereas higher content of collagen produced powder form of biocomposites. The characteristics of the biocomposites were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) techniques. The drug (allopurinol) release ability of the biocomposites was evaluated with Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis). Biocomposites in the powder form are different from the biocomposites in the film form by having different shape, morphology, thermal behavior, and drug release ability. However, both are sensitive to pH of solution in drug release process. In addition, the cell toxicity of allopurinol and these biocomposites was evaluated with Vero cells by MTT method. The obtained results confirmed that the biocomposite materials in film shape are promising for the application in biomedicine.

Novel acid treated porous activated biocarbons (APABs) are synthesized from biomass waste, Arundo donax, through sulphuric acid polymerization followed by a single step solid state activation using KOH at a fixed carbonization temperature of 600 °C. The specific surface area and the pore volume of the prepared materials is controlled by varying the ratio of KOH to biomass from 1 to 4. The sample prepared with the KOH/biomass ratio of 3 is found to be the best as it exhibits the specific surface area of 2232 m2 g−1 and a pore volume of 1.01 cm3 g−1 which is much higher than those of other samples prepared in this study. Interestingly, XPS and FT-IR studies confirm the presence of oxygen rich functional groups on the surface of the samples, which play an important role in enhancing the CO2 capture performance of the materials. Among the samples studied, the sample with the highest specific BET surface area exhibits the highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 21.2 mmol g-1 at 0 °C and 30 bar and a moderately high value of 4.1 mmol g-1 at 0 °C and 1 bar. The high CO2 adsorption capacity is attributed to the presence of excellent textural parameters coupled with high micropore volume and the oxygen functional groups. The samples are highly stable and do not show any change in the adsorption capacity even after repeated adsorption experiments. The combination of high adsorption capacity, stability and low cost makes these materials as a potential alternative to other expensive commercially available CO2 adsorbents Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Self-activated highly ordered mesoporous carbon (MCS) materials with extremely high specific surface areas and tunable pore diameters have been realized by using carbonated soft drink coca-cola (R) as a precursor and mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a structure directing mould. Lower angle powder XRD analysis, N-2 sorption data and high resolution TEM images divulge the existence of regularly arranged well ordered mesopores and high surface area of up to 1635 m(2).g(-1) in the obtained MCS materials. The carbonates, colouring agents, phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid present in the coca-cola (R) are the main ingredients for the dopants and the self-activation which helps in creating large specific surface area and huge pore volume in the final mesoporous carbon materials. XPS analysis reveals the successful in situ doping of phosphorous, sulphur and nitrogen in the MCS samples without using any external reagents or processes. MCS materials have been used as adsorbents for CO2 capture. Among the materials studied, MCS-150 having large pore diameter, high specific surface area and pore volume shows a tremendous CO2 adsorption capacity of 26 mmol.g(-1) at 0 degrees C and high pressure of 30 bar, which is considerably higher than the values reported for conventional activated carbon, MWCNTs and mesoporous carbon CMK-3 prepared from sucrose precursor. This high CO2 adsorption capacity of MCS-150 is mainly due to the synergistic effects of the excellent textural parameters and the functional elements present on the surface of the mesoporous carbon. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Aqueous film-forming foam, used in firefighting, and biowastes, including biosolids, animal and poultry manures, and composts, provide a major source of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) input to soil. Large amounts of biowastes are added to soil as a source of nutrients and carbon. They also are added as soil amendments to improve soil health and crop productivity. Plant uptake of PFAS through soil application of biowastes is a pathway for animal and human exposure to PFAS. The complexity of PFAS mixtures, and their chemical and thermal stability, make remediation of PFAS in both solid and aqueous matrices challenging. Remediation of PFAS in biowastes, as well as soils treated with these biowastes, can be achieved through preventing and decreasing the concentration of PFAS in biowaste sources (i.e., prevention through source control), mobilization of PFAS in contaminated soil and subsequent removal through leaching (i.e., soil washing) and plant uptake (i.e., phytoremediation), sorption of PFAS, thereby decreasing their mobility and bioavailability (i. e., immobilization), and complete removal through thermal and chemical oxidation (i.e., destruction). In this review, the distribution, bioavailability, and remediation of PFAS in soil receiving solid biowastes, which include biosolids, composts, and manure, are presented. usc Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Highly ordered mesoporous carbon nitrides (MCN) with 3D structure and a high nitrogen content are successfully prepared for the first time using "uncalcined" mesoporous silica template, KIT-6 and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole as a single molecular carbon and nitrogen precursor. The prepared MCN with C and N stoichiometry of C3 N5 shows unique CN framework and exhibits the CO2 capture capacity of 5.63 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 30 bar, which is higher than that of MCN with 2D structure and C3 N4 stoichiometry.

Magnetite (Fe3O4) and Cobalt-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles were obtained by hydrothermal reaction. The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Energy dispersive spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, and Zeta potential. The results show that Co was substituted in the Fe3O4 crystal structure as CoFe2O4 phase. The synthesized materials are nanometer in size having uniform morphology, negatively charged and cobalt concentration varied from 2.5 to 7.5 wt.%. The magnetite and Co-doped magnetite nanoparticles at a low concentration (3 wt.%) were dispersed in the epoxy resin. The effect of the magnetite and Co-doped magnetite nanoparticles on the anticorrosion performance of the protective epoxy coatings covered on carbon steel surface was characterized by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and salt fog exposure. Codoped magnetite nanoparticles at 2.5 wt.% provided high protection of the coatings. In addition, Pull-off tests confirmed an adhesion improvement of the epoxy coating filled by the Co-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles.

Mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN) with well-ordered porous structures is a promising anode material for secondary ion batteries owing to their unique physico- and electrochemical properties. However, the practical application of these MCNs in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is still limited because of their confined interlayer distance, which results in restricted accommodation of Na ions inside the lattice. Here, we report on the synthesis of highly ordered sulfur-doped MCN (S-MCN) through a hard template approach by employing dithiooxamide (DTO) as a single molecular precursor containing carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur elements. The interlayer distance of carbon nitride is significantly expanded upon the introduction of larger S ions on the MCN lattice, which enables high capability of Na ion accommodation. We also demonstrate through the first-principles density functional theory calculation that the present S-MCN is highly optimized not only for the chemical structure but also for uptaking abundant Na ions with high adsorption energy. The specific discharge capacity of SIBs appears to be remarkably enhanced for S-MCN (304.2 mA h g-1) compared to the nonporous S-CN (167.9 mA h g-1) and g-C3N4 (5.4 mA h g-1), highlighting the pivotal roles of the highly ordered mesoporous structure and S-doping in enhancing the electrochemical functionality of carbon nitride as an anode material for SIBs.

The isopropylation of naphthalene (NP) was carried out over a BEA zeolite (BEA38; SiO2/Al2O3 = 38) focused on the selectivities for diisopropylnaphthalene (DIPN) and triisopropylnaphthalene (TriIPN) isomers. The isopropylation gave possible eight DIPN isomers including β,β- (2,6- and 2,7-), α,β- (1,3-, 1,6-, and 1,7-), and α,α- (1,4- and 1,5-). The catalysis over BEA works two types of controls: kinetic control operates to form predominantly bulky and unstable α,α-DIPN at low temperatures, and thermodynamic controls work for the predominant formation of the slim and stable β,β-DIPN at high temperatures, although the intermediately bulky and stable α,β-DIPN are the major products through both controls. The enhanced selectivities for β,β-DIPN were observed at the early stages of the catalysis in the range of 200−300 °C, which operate under new type of thermodynamic control over fresh catalyst through thermodynamically preferred transition states; however, they decreased with the increase in the selectivities for α,α- and α,β-DIPN, and converged after prolonged reaction period. The isopropylation of DIPN isomers gives TriIPN isomers: unstable and bulky 1,3,5- and 1,4,6-TriIPN with α,α,β-substitution, and stable and slim 1,3,7- and 1,3,6-TriIPN with α,β,β-substitution. The low temperatures favor the former isomers, whereas the selectivity for the latter isomers increases with increasing reaction temperature. These results indicate that TriIPN isomers principally form under kinetic control at low temperatures, and thermodynamic controls participate in the catalysis at high temperatures. The selectivities for TriIPN isomers kept constant during the reaction at all temperatures: 200, 250, and 300 °C. The catalysis occurs inside the BEA channels and allow even the formation of bulky 1,3,5- and 1,4,6-TriIPN; however, all isomers cannot be isomerized to the others in the channels and on the external surfaces. Severe coke-deposition occurred during the catalysis, particularly in the early stages; however, the catalyst is recovered by the calcination with a small change in catalytic activity.

Heteroatom doped nanomaterials are reported to be excellent electrodes for energy storage and conversion applications. However, the introduction of these heteroatoms in materials such as carbon nitride is quite challenging owing to the poor thermodynamic stability of these atoms in the carbon matrix. In this report, we demonstrate the single-step approach for the preparation of highly ordered nanoporous carbon oxynitride (O-MCN) materials with tailored pore sizes by employing carbohydrazide as a single C, N, O precursor using nano-templating approach. Experimental characterization of the O-MCN confirms oxygen doping in C-N framework. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the O-MCN optimized with AB type bilayer structure can adsorb nine Li ions per unit cell with mild Li-ion binding energy value of 5.16 eV. The synthesized O-MCN materials are firstly applied in Li-ion batteries as anode materials. The optimized O-MCN displays 2.5 times higher reversible capacity than that of non-porous g-C3N4 with remarkable stability in the long run in the Li-ion battery.

Valorisation of food waste offers an economical and environmental opportunity, which can reduce the problems of its conventional disposal. Food waste is commonly disposed of in landfills or incinerated, causing many environmental, social, and economic issues. Large amounts of food waste are produced in the food supply chain of agriculture: production, post-harvest, distribution (transport), processing, and consumption. Food waste can be valorised into a range of products, including biofertilisers, bioplastics, biofuels, chemicals, and nutraceuticals. Conversion of food waste into these products can reduce the demand of fossil-derived products, which have historically contributed to large amounts of pollution. The variety of food chain suppliers offers a wide range of feedstocks that can be physically, chemically, or biologically altered to form an array of biofertilisers and soil amendments. Composting and anaerobic digestion are the main large-scale conversion methods used today to valorise food waste products to biofertilisers and soil amendments. However, emerging conversion methods such as dehydration, biochar production, and chemical hydrolysis have promising characteristics, which can be utilised in agriculture as well as for soil remediation. Valorising food waste into biofertilisers and soil amendments has great potential to combat land degradation in agricultural areas. Biofertilisers are rich in nutrients that can reduce the dependability of using conventional mineral fertilisers. Food waste products, unlike mineral fertilisers, can also be used as soil amendments to improve productivity. These characteristics of food wastes assist in the remediation of contaminated soils. This paper reviews the volume of food waste within the food chain and types of food waste feedstocks that can be valorised into various products, including the conversion methods. Unintended consequences of the utilisation of food waste as biofertilisers and soil-amendment products resulting from their relatively low concentrations of trace element nutrients and presence of potentially toxic elements are also evaluated.

Soils contaminated with crude oil are rich sources of enzymes suitable for both degradation of hydrocarbons through bioremediation processes and improvement of crude oil during its refining steps. Due to the long term selection, crude oil fields are unique environments for the identification of microorganisms with the ability to produce these enzymes. In this metagenomic study, based on Hiseq Illumina sequencing of samples obtained from a crude oil field and analysis of data on MG-RAST, Actinomycetales (9.8%) were found to be the dominant microorganisms, followed by Rhizobiales (3.3%). Furthermore, several functional genes were found in this study, mostly belong to Actinobacteria (12.35%), which have a role in the metabolism of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (2.51%), desulfurization (0.03%), element shortage (5.6%), and resistance to heavy metals (1.1%). This information will be useful for assisting in the application of microorganisms in the removal of hydrocarbon contamination and/or for improving the quality of crude oil. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:638-648, 2016.

Knowledge about polar derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils is limited despite the extensive study of the environmental presence and persistence of non-polar parent PAHs. Polar PAHs have greater potential to be more toxic at low environmental concentrations compared to their homocyclic analogues. For both polar and non-polar PAHs, combustion of fossil fuels is often the main source especially in industrialised environments. This study investigated the concentration profiles of PAHs and its associated polar PAHs such as nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs) and nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen heterocyclic PAHs (N/S/O-heterocyclic PAHs) in a well-known industrial heritage city of Australia. The most abundant polar PAHs were 9-fluorenone (oxy-PAHs), 2-nitrofluorene (NPAHs) and carbazole (heterocyclic-PAHs). A positive correlation (r = 0.5, p 0.01) between ∑13PAHs and ∑19 polar PAHs was observed, implying a possible spatial association between parent and polar PAHs. The concentrations of polar PAHs in soil samples, across various landuse patterns, were used to calculate the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) from incidental ingestion of soils. The computed ELCR values ranged from 8.2*10

The genotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of polar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (polar PAHs) are believed to surpass those of their parent PAHs; however, their environmental and human health implications have been largely unexplored. Oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs) is a critical class of polar PAHs associated with carcinogenic effects without enzymatic activation. They also cause an upsurge in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living cells. This results in oxidative stress and other consequences, such as abnormal gene expressions, altered protein activities, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. Similarly, some nitrated PAHs (N-PAHs) are probable human carcinogens as classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Heterocyclic PAHs (polar PAHs containing nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen atoms within the aromatic rings) have been shown to be potent endocrine disruptors, primarily through their estrogenic activities. Despite the high toxicity and enhanced environmental mobility of many polar PAHs, they have attracted only a little attention in risk assessment of contaminated sites. This may lead to underestimation of potential risks, and remediation end points. In this review, the toxicity of polar PAHs and their associated mechanisms of action, including their role in mutagenic, carcinogenic, developmental and teratogenic effects are critically discussed. This review suggests that polar PAHs could have serious toxicological effects on human health and should be considered during risk assessment of PAH-contaminated sites. The implications of not doing so were argued and critical knowledge gaps and future research requirements discussed. Keywords: Polar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Environmental health, Mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis, Human health