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Electrospinning provides a simple and versatile method for generating ultrafine fibers from a rich variety of materials that include polymers, composites, and ceramics. Find applications in various fields, including tissue engineering, filter media, reinforcement in nanocomposites, and micro/nano-electro-mechanical systems. In this study the polystyrene fibers in 10%, 20% and 30% (w/v) in THF: DMF solvents were characterized by ATR-FTIR, AFM and SEM. The obtained fibers exhibited a smooth surface with fine structures, emphasizing a ribbon-like morphology with bead-like features within the range of 3 µm to 5 µm in diameter. The aim of this study was to extract the parabens at optimized conditions such as pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and the elution of solvent. To examine the mechanism of adsorption kinetics, the two most commonly used kinetics models (pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order) were employed to test experimental data along with the Morris-Weber diffusion model. The obtained data showed that the maximum sorption efficiency obtained at pH 3.0, adsorbent dose optimized as 10 mg of fiber with time of 24 hours, the methanol was sufficient to elute paraben from fibers met. The experimental data of the adsorption followed by first-order reaction with a mass transfer-controlled diffusion mechanism

MXenes, a novel large family of 2D transition metal carbides, carbonitrides and nitrides are currently a “hot topic” in science due to their several fascinating physical and chemical properties. It follows from a rich diversity of their elemental compositions and chemical functionalities. MXenes can form composites with many substances, including polymers or metal oxides, which allows to effective “tune” MXene characteristics to a fit-to-the-purpose applications. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is currently widely studied as advanced desalination technique due to the advantages of cost-effectiveness, eco-friendly, and high salt removal capacity. One of key fields for CDI development relates to the ion's intercalation materials as concept taken from the sodium ion batteries, which is used in CDI because of their excellent desalination capacity. These materials provide effective sodium ions removal from the brine based on intercalation mechanism as well as redox reactions. In this review, we timely review an up-to-date accomplishment in the advancement of distinct MXene-based composite materials used as CDI electrodes, along with discussion of fundamental electrochemical energy storage mechanisms. The most relevant outcomes are highlighted together with the phenomena observed when applied in desalination applications. Finally, potential solutions as well as challenges in this field are summarized.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging technology which is being developed as a promising desalination alternative for charged species from salt water, being electrode materials as key drivers for highly efficient process. Here, we describe synthesis of highly porous activated carbons from chicken feathers using pyrolysis followed by chemical activation with potassium hydroxide in a 1:4 ratio to produce sustainable, scalable, and sustainable carbon electrodes for CDI. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as binder to modify chicken feather activated carbons (CF-AC), which were subsequently crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) to produce CF-AC-PVA-GA polymers through acetylation reaction. This resulted from improving hydrophilicity of CF-AC-PVA-GA polymers to raise the electrodes' resistance. Prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and cyclic voltammetry. Fabricated CDI electrodes were used to investigate their performance for desalination, and exhibited different electrosorption capacity at different applied potentials. Modified electrodes possessed good stability in shear conditions and CDI process was stable and reproducible around 16 electrosorption cycles. Salt removal capacity of the modified electrodes (CF-AC-PVA-GA) was found to be 3.89 mg g−1. The obtained outcomes offer important considerations of ions electrosorption and help advancing CDI system for water treatment and desalination. HIGHLIGHTS Activated carbons (ACs) were prepared from chicken feathers via pyrolysis using KOH.; Poly (vinyl alcohol) and glutaraldehyde were used for modification of ACs.; Modified carbon materials were used for capacitive deionization (CDI) electrodes.; The CDI electrodes retained good stability around 16 electrosorption cycles.; Salt removal capacity of the fabricated CDI electrodes was found to be 3.89 mg g−1.;

The disposal of banana pseudostem waste creates substantial environmental concerns. To address this issue, it is crucial to explore the potential of converting this abundant waste into valuable industrial products. Therefore, this research was designed to explore the utilization of banana pseudostem fiber waste (BPW) in the development of a textile binder. Solvothermal digestion of pseudostem fibers into ammonia followed by neutralization with sulfuric acid resulted in viscous gel which was tested as a binder (BPW-binder) for the pigment dying process. Various parameters, including curing, washing fastness, tensile strength, stiffness, and light fastness, were examined to compare the performance of the two binders. The results showed that the BPW-binder performed similarly to the commercial Halzarin binder in terms of washing fastness and did not leave any stains on the multifibre strip. Both binders demonstrated excellent light fastness, with a rating of 8 on the blue wool scale for both cotton and cotton-polyester fabrics. However, there were slight variations in elongation and stiffness between the two binders with values ranging from 9.41 to 28.26% and 1.5 to 1.9 CMS across different fabric types, which were dependent on the fabric. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed lignin amine salt peaks in the banana pseudostem-based BPW-binder, while scanning electron microscope images of BPW-binder treated fabrics confirmed suitable binder properties with a rough and ordered lamellar surface. This study demonstrates the potential of transforming banana pseudostem fiber waste into a sustainable textile binder through an efficient and straightforward process. The BPW-binder showed comparable performance to the synthetic commercial binder, indicating its potential as a sustainable replacement in the industry.

Abstract Cadmium is found in many underdeveloped countries' aquatic bodies. Therefore, contaminated water should be treated before consumption; henceforth, efficient and customized point-of-use filtration is foreseeable. Traditionally, carbon-based sorbents have been utilized for such treatments, but alternative sources are also being investigated. Hydrochars made from mango peels using a thermal activation process were employed as an adsorbent instead of activated carbon in this investigation. The prepared material was porous with active surface functionalities, and the interaction of cadmium with the surface was possibly ion-exchange in nature. The performance of a material for a candle water filtering system with a 2.5 cm internal diameter and a 30.48 cm column height was determined using the parameters acquired by the Thomas model. The material was found to be highly efficient at 453.5 L/min/Filter water, whereas 31670.6 L/min/Filter can be treated if the break point and exhaustion point are considered, respectively, as the candle replacement time. These findings indicate that activated hydrochar might be a suitable sorbent for removing cadmium ions from contaminated water.

The effective desalination and purification devices for seawater/ brackish water treatment are crucial in sustainable progress. Techniques that render high salt removal efficiency and water purification ability at low applied potentials play a central role in sustainable water supplies. One of them is capacitive deionization (CDI) which has drawn significant consideration as a promising deionization technology since the last decade. Desalination efficiency profoundly depends on the utilized electrode material. The most widely used CDI electrodes are carbons due to their cost effectiveness and good stability. However, to acquire high electrosorption capacity, extensive researches are reported with modified carbon materials. CDI cell architectures are equally important for practical high salt removal performance. This review focuses on carbon materials in CDI along with other emerging trends in diverse carbon types, e.g., carbon nanotubes and their composites. Various architectures reported in the literature to improve desalination efficiency are also included here.

Nanoparticles can be used as inhibitory agents against various microorganisms, including bacteria, algae, archaea, fungi, and a huge class of viruses. The mechanism of action includes inhibiting the function of the cell membrane/stopping the synthesis of the cell membrane, disturbing the transduction of energy, producing toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inhibiting or reducing RNA and DNA production. Various nanomaterials, including different metallic, silicon, and carbon-based nanomaterials and nanoarchitectures, have been successfully used against different viruses. Recent research strongly agrees that these nanoarchitecture-based virucidal materials (nano-antivirals) have shown activity in the solid state. Therefore, they are very useful in the development of several products, such as fabric and high-touch surfaces. This review thoroughly and critically identifies recently developed nano-antivirals and their products, nano-antiviral deposition methods on various substrates, and possible mechanisms of action. By considering the commercial viability of nano-antivirals, recommendations are made to develop scalable and sustainable nano-antiviral products with contact-killing properties.

Decontamination of organic dyes from wastewater requires efficient and compatible materials that must be able to remove dyes with different charges at the same time. In this study, composites of layered double hydroxide (LDH) and hydrochar (HC) were prepared and tested for use as general-purpose sorbents for the simultaneous removal of cationic and anionic dyes (i.e., methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), and reactive yellow (RY)). Characterization studies reveal that the surface functional groups on composites are –OH, NO3, M–O bonds. It was observed that crystallinity of LDH decreased with an increasing amount of HC. Preliminary experiments showed that the dyes (i.e., MB, MO, and RY) were well removed simultaneously onto the composite with HC (2.0 g HC/prepared composite). This composite was selected for more experiments, and the adsorption efficiency was optimized by the multivariate technique using the response surface methodology (RSM). Removal efficiency of 100% was obtained for all three dyes with an adsorption capacity of 243, 5.3, and 16.3 µmol g−1 for MB, MO, and RY, respectively. Elovich’s initial intake rates (α) were 4,272, 441, and 99.5 mg g−1 min−1 for RY, MB, and MO, respectively. Data fitted in various models suggested second-order multiplex kinetics, where the surface heterogeneity response was sorbate dependent.

Background: Obesity tends to appear in modern societies and constitutes a significant public health problem with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Objective: This study aims to determine the agreement between actual and perceived body image in the general population. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted with a sample size of 300. The data were collected from eight major populated areas of Northern district of Karachi Sindh with a period of six months (10th January 2020 to 21st June 2020). The Figure rating questionnaire scale (FRS) was applied to collect the demographic data and perception about body weight. Body mass index (BMI) used for assessing the actual body weight status. Cohen's Kappa statistics were performed. Results: Out of 300 participants, n=143 were males, and n=157 were females. In reality, according to BMI, 6 % were underweight, 47 % were average, 28 % were overweight, and 19 % were obese. According to perception, 8% of participants were underweight, 39 % were average, about 45% were overweight, and 8 % were obese. The mean score of real BMI was 25. 51±5.62 and figure rating score was 4.81±1.75. r value showed a strong positive relationship between both variables with a a P-value of

In the present study, the esterification of oleic acid with methanol was studied in batch to batch method over hydrothermal carbon catalyst (HTCC) from Ziziphus Mauritiana L. . The synthesized catalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM, and BET analysis. The surface area and acid density of prepared HTCC were found to be 15.97 m ^2 g ^−1 and 2.53 mmol g ^−1 , respectively. Statistical analysis was performed by using ANOVA, mean, standard deviation and variance method. Statistically there is no significant difference among the means of the 4 variables at the 95% confidence level and the P-value of the F-test is equal to or greater than the 0.05. The maximum oleic acid conversions from methanol were obtained upto 91%. Furthermore, reusability and regeneration study were also carried out to assess to check catalytic performance. The study reveals that HTCC obtained from Ziziphus Mauritiana L. is an excellent catalyst and can be used for esterification of oleic acid to produce biodiesel.

To investigate presence of organic contaminants in river Indus and its tributaries screening studies were carried out. Two years screening studies were based on four sampling campaigns in 13 sampling points out of which 9 sampling points belong to river Indus and its tributaries, 4 to municipal sewerage and 1 to industrial sewerage. Deconvolution Reporting Software (DRS) was used to analyze scan data. Deconvolution is capable of screening the compounds whose peaks become invisible due to co-extracted compounds. Furthermore it significantly reduces analysis time and chromatographic resolution requirements. Results reveal that all the sampling points were greatly polluted with phthalate esters and tributyl phosphate (TBP). Apart from these, numerous long chain hydrocarbons, toxic phenols i.e. bisphenol A, analgesic i.e. ibuprofen and mefenamic acid, pesticides i.e. endosulfan, PCPIs, etc have significantly contaminated water bodies. In this screening analysis many compounds are identified that can be possible emerging contaminants and that are rarely documented. The identified contaminants are debated in accordance with their use, possible emission source and pathway. To the best of our knowledge this study holds first detailed screening of organic contaminants in river Indus and its tributaries. The information gathered in this analysis can be useful for future studies based on individual contamination in river Indus.

This study explores, adsorption efficiency of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene based modified silica to remove parathion from aqueous environment. The adsorption parameters, i.e. pH, concentration of pesticide solution, contact time and adsorbent dosage were optimized, as 10, 1 mg L-1, 40 min and 0.04 g, respectively. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models were used to evaluate the adsorption mechanism. Adsorption constants values of these models suggest that the adsorption of parathion is favorable and were found to be best fit with Freundlich isotherm. From the kinetic study it can be predicted that adsorption of parathion follows Ho and McKay model (pseudo-second order). Thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) have also been evaluated and were found as -132.25, 0.45, -4.14 Jmol-1, respectively.

The present work deals with the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous media by modified Amberlite XAD-4 (MAX-4) resin through the solid phase extraction method. Different parameters such as pH, dosage and temperature were optimized during the batch experiment. The experimental data were analyzed by Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Temkin equilibrium isotherms. Each characteristic parameter of isotherms was determined. The kinetic sorption experiments show that the sorption process follows pseudo second order kinetics. The sorption mechanism was investigated by Reichenberg (R-B) and Morris–Weber equations. From the thermodynamic parameters, it could be concluded that the sorption process is endothermic and spontaneous in nature. The interference and desorption studies were also performed. The results show that MAX-4 resin has the capability to remove Cr(VI) significantly from aqueous media even in the presence of interfering ions.

Fruits of Ziziphus mauritiana L. (ber) are consumed in fresh and dried/processed form in many countries across Asia including Pakistan. In the present study, we analyzed the composition of total phenolic acids (free, soluble-bound and insoluble-bound) from ber fruit extracts by applying a pressurized liquid base hydrolysis extraction (PLBHE) using Dionium cells. Nine phenolic acids (protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, ferulic, chlorogenic, vanillic, caffeic, vanillin, o- and p-coumaric acids) were extracted, separated, and quantified by HPLC-DAD. Identification of phenolic acids was achieved by comparison of retention times, ultraviolet, and mass spectral data with authentic commercial standards. Results showed that p-coumaric acid (3719 ± 22 µg/g) was the predominant phenolic acid extracted from ber samples. In addition, four phenolic acids, namely p-hydroxybenzoic (2187 ± 71 µg/g), vanillin (2128 ± 20 µg/g), ferulic (2629 ± 96 µg/g), and o-coumaric acids (2569 ± 41 µg/g) were obtained in intermediate amounts from dried Ziziphus mauritiana L. fruit. The total phenolic acids content was determined as 18231 ± 306 µg/g dry matter basis (DMB). This study indicates that ber fruit is a good natural source of phenolic acids and that PLBHE can be used for the assay of phenolic acids.

Physico-chemical characteristics of two Bauhinia seed varieties (B. variegata and B. linnaei), were evaluated for commercial exploration. Physico-chemical characteristics of the oils for both varieties were demonstrated and mean values found to be refractive index (40 °C) 1.4589 and 1.4588, peroxide value 1.9 and 2.4 (meq O2 / kg of oil), iodine value 84.5 and 92.2 (g of I2/100g of oil), saponification number 191.3 and 195.5 (mg of KOH /g of oil), free fatty acids 0.6% and 0.9%, unsaponifiable matter 0.9% and 1.2% and color (1 in. cell), 2.2-2.9R + 30.0-25.0Y, respectively. Linoleic 42.1 and 45.8 %, oleic 13.4 and 12.6%, stearic 17.5 and 18.8% and palmitic 22.1 and 16.8% were the main fatty acids in the crude seed oils. Minor amounts of palmitoleic, margaric, linolenic, arachidic, behenic, eicosapentaenoic and nervonic acid were also identified. The composition of defatted seed residue of B. variegata and B. linnaei were found as: protein 41.9% and 38.6%, oil 18.0%, and 17.4% ash 4.8% and 4.2%, moisture 6.7% and 6.3%, fiber 6.9% and 7.3% and total carbohydrate 28.4% and 33.8%, respectively. Proximate and fatty acid composition of both Bauhinia varieties were found to be almost similar. It was concluded that Bauhinia seed is a rich source of linoleic acid and could be explored for commercial uses.

In the present investigation, we report a new one phase, one pot method for synthesis of 3.5 ± 0.7 nm average sized gelatin capped gold nano particles (Gel-AuNPs) using strong reductant NaBH4 in aqueous system at room temperature. Size controlled Gel-AuNPs were characterized by UV-Visible, STEM, XRD, DLS and FT-IR. Spherical Gel-AuNPs showed excellent catalytic activity for reduction of three differently charged dyes eosin B (EB), methylene blue (MB) and rose bengal (RB) in the presence of NaBH4. The study revealed that 100% reduction of EB, MB and RB dyes was carried out in just 150 sec. The developed catalyst was easy to recover and capable to be reused three times. The process of reduction rate and kinetics of dyes was monitored using UV-Visible spectrophotometer. A plot of lnC Vs time (sec) showed that reaction follows the first order kinetics. Rate constant (K) was determined for EB, MB and RB reduction at 10 μM, which was found as 2.735 x10-2 sec-1, 2.738 x 10-2 sec-1 and 2.55 x 10-2 sec-1, respectively. The study revealed that catalytic reduction of dyes by Gel-AuNPs in aqueous medium is environmental friendly in terms of recovery of catalyst, is exceptionally fast and hence extremely economical.

The purpose of this study was to develop a rapid, simple and sensitive quantitation method for pseudoephedrine (PSE), paracetamol (PAR) and loratadine (LOR) in plasma and pharmaceuticals using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with a monolithic column. Separation was achieved using a gradient composition of methanol-0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. Mass spectral transitions were recorded in SRM mode. System validation was evaluated for precision, specificity and linearity. Limit of detection for pseudoephedrine, paracetamol, and loratadine were determined to be 3.14, 1.86 and 1.44 ng mL-1, respectively, allowing easy determination in plasma with % recovery of 93.12 to 101.56%.

A rapid and reliable analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection (221nm) has been developed for the determination of the anti-hyperglycemic agent Pioglitazone in pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids (serum and urine) after clean-up with solid-phase extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved with a Chromolith® Performance RP-18e (100×4.6mm) column using mobile phase composition of acetonitrile: mixed phosphate buffer (pH 2.5; 10mM) (30:70, v/v) with a flow rate of 2.0mL/min. The total run time was 2 min. under optimized conditions. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the range of 1-10 µg mL-1 with regression coefficient of 0.9996, and the lower limit of detection 72 ng/20µL injection. The method has been validated for the system suitability, linearity, precision and accuracy, limits of detection, specificity, stability and robustness. The %recovery of Pioglitazone in pharmaceutical formulations was found to be 104.7%. The assay has been applied successfully to the pharmaceutical Tablet samples and biological fluids (serum and urine) of healthy volunteers.

BSOPD, bis(salicylaldehyde) orthophenylenediamine) is investigated as complexing agent in capillary electrophoresis for determination of gold and chromium. BSOPD was chosen as the UV-Visible absorbing chelating ligand because of its ability to form stable complexes with metal ions. Both the metal ions can be determined in single run under optimized conditions with run time of 12 minutes including coexisted ions usually present in waste water. Separation was achieved at optimized conditions of 50 mM phosphate buffer as a background electrolyte at pH =3.4, at applied voltage of -10 kV and detection wavelength of 231 nm. Under above mentioned conditions, limit of quantification (0.5 and 10 µg mL-1) and detection limit (0.1667 and 3.33 µg mL-1) were found for Au(III) and Cr(VI), respectively. Linear calibration graphs were obtained 0.5 – 50 µg mL-1 for Au(III) and 10 – 60 µg mL-1 for Cr(VI) with the correlation coefficient value 0.996 and 0.993, respectively. Utility of this method for metal analysis has been investigated by determining gold from wastewater samples of goldsmith factories and chromium in some environmental waters (portable and polluted).The method was validated by comparing results obtained with capillary zone electrophoresis with atomic absorption spectroscopy.

This paper reports the utilization of 2-pyrrolecarboxaldehyde-4-phenylsemicarbazone (PPS) as a complexing reagent for the simultaneous determination and separation of Ni(II), Cu(II), Pd(II), and Ag(I) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detector. A good separation was achieved using Microsorb C18 column (150 × 4.6 mm i.d.) with a mobile phase consisted of methanol : acetonitrile : water : sodium acetate (1 mM) (68 : 6.5 : 25 : 0.5 v/v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The detection was performed at 280 nm. The linear calibration range was 2–10 μg/mL for all metal ions. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were 80 pg/mL for Ni(II), 0.8 ng/mL for Cu(II), 0.16 ng/mL for Pd(II), and 0.8 ng/mL for Ag(I). The applicability and the accuracy of the developed method were estimated by the analysis of Ni(II) in hydrogenated oil (ghee) samples and Pd(II) in palladium charcoal.

A very simple, selective, and fast flow injection spectrophotometeric method is developed for determination of nickel using furildioxime as complexing agent. Micellar solution of brij-35 is employed to solubilize the sparingly soluble complex of Ni-furildioxime in buffered aqueous system (pH-9.00). Under optimized conditions, absorbance is linear from 0.02 to 10 μg mL−1 using 500 μL sample volume and from 10 to 30 μg mL−1 using 50 μL sample volume of nickel at 480 nm, with 𝑅2=0.9971 and 0.9916, respectively. The molar absorption coefficient and Sandell's sensitivity were 6.0×103 L mol−1 cm−1 and 0.01 ng cm−2, respectively. The sample throughput of the method is 120 samples per hour with RSD of 0.01–0.2% for 0.02 to 10 μg mL−1 nickel (𝑛=5), indicating that the method is highly precise and reproducible. Interference from cobalt is removed by Nitroso R-salt-modified XAD-16. The developed method is validated by analysing certified reference materials and is applied to assess nickel content of commercially available cigarettes.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was examined for the separation and determination of Mo(VI), Cr(VI), Ni(II), Pd(II), and Co(III) as diethyl dithiocarbamate (DDTC) chelates. The separation was achieved from fused silica capillary (52 cm × 75 𝜇m id) with effective length 40 cm, background electrolyte (BGE) borate buffer pH 9.1 (25 mM), CTAB 30% (100 mM), and 1% butanol in methanol (70 : 30 : 5 v/v/v) with applied voltage of −10 kV using reverse polarity. The photodiode array detection was achieved at 225 nm. The linear calibration for each of the element was obtained within 0.16–10 𝜇g/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) 0.005–0.0167 𝜇g/mL. The separation and determination was repeatable with relative standard deviation (RSD) within 2.4–3.3% (𝑛=4) in terms of migration time and peak height/peak area. The method was applied for the determination of Mo(VI) from potatoes and almond, Ni(II) from hydrogenated vegetable oil, and Co(III) from pharmaceutical preparations with RSD within 3.9%. The results obtained were checked by standard addition and rechecked by atomic absorption spectrometry.