Biosynthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Using Leaf Extract of Ruellia tuberosa: Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour Kevlar-Based Hybrid Epoxy Composites.

One of the more enticing, ecologically responsible, as well as safe and sustainable methodologies is eco-friendly nanomaterial synthesis. Vegetation materials will be used as reductants instead of toxic substances for synthesising nanoparticles. The current study used Ruellia tuberosa (RT) leaf extract digest to synthesise FeO nanomaterials, which were then characterised using XRD. Following that, microbially produced FeO molecules were mixed with a Kevlar-based polymeric matrix to study the blended consequences. To examine the interbreeding, the current experimental analyses were performed, including both static and dynamic mechanical characteristics. The addition of FeO nanofillers improved the elastic modulus, tensile strength, and storage modulus of the nanocomposite. Impact force uptake has been raised to a certain extent by the addition of nanoparticles. The findings of this research show that incorporating FeO nanofillers into Kevlar fabrics is a promising technique for increasing the mechanical characteristics of hybrid laminated composites. As per DMA evaluation, the sample without nanomaterials had a more volcanic lava response, which is a useful thing for body systems for missile use. Another critical aspect of a nanoparticles-filled nanocomposite that must be addressed is the relatively uniform scattering of padding as well as the development of interfacial adhesion in such a combination. The presence of FeO fillers in polymeric composites is confirmed by XRD analysis.

Development and Characterization of Carbon-Based Adsorbents Derived from Agricultural Wastes and Their Effectiveness in Adsorption of Heavy Metals in Waste Water.

The current work focuses on peanut shells and agricultural wastes richly in many nations subjected to pyrolysis treatment at various temperatures in the range of 500-800°C to determine the feasible physiochemical characteristics of the biochar. The biochars with the high surface area were employed to adsorb Pb2+ (lead) ions, the heaviest pollutants in the water bodies. The raw material, biochar, and pyrolyzed biochar were characterized by SEM, FTIR, partial and elemental analysis, and BET tests. The adsorption characteristics of the biochar, pre- and postpyrolysis treatment, were studied with the assistance of batch adsorption tests under varying test conditions. Adsorbing conditions were determined by evaluating the effects of adsorbing parameters like initial concentration of the lead in water, pH of the adsorbent, contact time, and mixing speed on the effective adsorption of Pb2+ ions from water. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Themkin isotherm expressions were employed to study the experimental results. The adsorption kinetics study showed that the synthesized biochars were chemically stable enough to adsorb the Pb ions onto the surface.

Processing and Characterization of Novel Bio-Waste Hybrid Brick Composites for Pollution Control.

The main focus of this research is to enhance the use of eco-friendly materials these days. The current materials used in building construction are chemical-based and are harmful to humans and the environment. This research work has developed a new type of hybrid brick by using natural fibres and waste materials. This research focuses on fabricating novel bricks reinforced with different percentages of coconut waste fibre, wheat straw fibre, waste wood animal dung ash, gypsum, sand, and cement. The fabricated novel brick's physical, mechanical, chemical, acoustic, and heat-absorbing properties were evaluated.

Synthesis and Analysis of Impregnation on Activated Carbon in Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube for Cu Adsorption from Wastewater.

Industrial wastes contain more toxins that get dissolved in the rivers and lakes, which are means of freshwater reservoirs. The contamination of freshwater leads to various issues for microorganisms and humans. This paper proposes a novel method to remove excess copper from the water. The nanotubes are used as a powder in membrane form to remove the copper from the water. The multiwalled carbon nanotube is widely used as a membrane for filtration. It contains many graphene layers of nm size that easily adsorbs the copper when the water permeates through it. Activated carbon is the earliest and most economical method that also adsorbs copper to a certain extent. This paper proposes the methods of involving the activated carbon in the multiwalled carbon nanotube to improve the adsorption capability of the copper. Here, activated carbon is impregnated on the multiwalled carbon nanotube's defect and imperfect surface areas. It makes more adsorption sites on the surface, increasing the adsorption amount. The same method is applied to Hydroxyl functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Both the methods showed better results and increased the copper removal. The functionalized method removed 93.82% copper, whereas the nonfunctionalized method removed 80.62% copper from the water.

Development of Novel Bio-mulberry-Reinforced Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) Fibre Organic Brake Friction Composite Materials.

Natural fibre reinforcement is used in important sectors such as medical, aerospace, automobile, and many other fields. Many articles have reported that natural fibre has the potential to replace synthetic fibres. Natural fibre reinforcement has given good results as a brake friction material. It has already been proven that asbestos causes lung cancer and mesothelioma in brakes. Many people died from the effects of asbestos. According to the World Health Organization's trending brake report, this material leads to serious health issues. This work is going on for the replacement of these materials. Mulberry fibre is a unique material, and PAN fibre is combined with mulberry fibre and used as a brake reinforcement material to replace Kevlar fibre. The brake pads were fabricated with the various wt% of mulberry fibres and PAN fibre [3-12%] with an equal ratio and aramid fibre [3-6%] in the hydraulic hind brake moulding machine. The mechanical, chemical, physical, tribological, and thermal properties were evaluated. MF-2 [6 wt%] mulberry-PAN-fibre-based brake pad composites have shown better results for ultimate shear strength and proof stress, tensile strength, compressive strength, and impact energy.

Invited review: Sugar reduction in dairy products.

Sugar overconsumption continues to increase worldwide and contributes to multiple health-related issues. Dairy foods represent a large market, grossing more than $125 billion per year worldwide. Consumer demands for healthier products are leading to a large push for sugar reduction in dairy foods. Sugar plays an important role in dairy foods, not only in flavor but also in texture, color, and viscosity. Replacing sugar can have negative effects, making substitution inherently difficult. Natural and artificial nonnutritive sweeteners exist for sugar reduction. Natural nonnutritive sweeteners are popular, particularly for label appeal, but many consumers still prefer the taste of artificial nonnutritive sweeteners. Sweet taste perception can also be affected by texture of the food matrix and the presence of fat. Other sugar reduction techniques include hydrolysis of lactose, ultrafiltration, and direct reduction. This review will address the role of sugar, alternative sweeteners, and sugar reduction in ice cream, yogurt, and flavored milk.

Enhancing biomethanation from dairy waste activated biomass using a novel EGTA mediated microwave disintegration.

A novel approach to explore the impact of calcium specific chelant - Ethylene glycol tetra acetic acid (EGTA) on deflocculation followed by biomass disintegration using microwave (MW) was investigated. In the first phase of the study, the EGTA dosage of 0.012 g/g suspended solids (SS) was found to be optimal for disassociating the biomass. Subsequent disintegration of biomass in microwave (EGTA-MW) yielded a biomass lysis and solids reduction of about 39.7% and 30.5%. EGTA-MW disintegration reduces the amount of specific energy required to disintegrate the biomass from 18,900 kJ/kg TS to 13,500 kJ/kg TS, when compared to control. The impact of EGTA-MW disintegration on anaerobic digestion was also evident from its methane yield (235.3 mL/g VS) which was 36.2% higher than control. An economic assessment of this study provides a net profit of 8.48 €/ton in EGTA-MW and highly endorsed for biomass disintegration.

Combinative treatment of phenol-rich retting-pond wastewater by a hybrid upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor and solar photofenton process.

In this study, recalcitrant rich retting-pond wastewater was treated primarily by anaerobic treatment and subsequently treated with a solar photofenton process to remove phenol and organics. The anaerobic treatment was carried out in a granulated laboratory scale hybrid upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (HUASBR) with a working volume of 5.9 L. It was operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRT) from 40 to 20 h over a period of 140 days. The optimum HRT of the anaerobic reactor was found to be 30 h, with corresponding chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phenol removal of 60% and 47%, respectively. Primary anaerobically treated wastewater was subjected to secondary solar photofenton treatment which was carried out at pH 3.5. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to design and optimize the performance of the solar photofenton process. Regression quadratic model describing COD removal efficiency of the solar photofenton process was developed and confirmed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Optimum parameters of the solar photofenton process were found to be: 4 g/L of fenton as catalysts, 25 mL of hydrogen peroxide, and 30 min of reaction time. After the primary anaerobic treatment, solar photofenton oxidation process removed 94% and 96.58% of COD and phenol, respectively. Integration of anaerobic and solar photofenton treatment resulted in 97.5% and 98.4% removal of COD and phenol, respectively, from retting-pond wastewater.

Profitable ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration of sludge biomass: Modelling of biomethanation and energy parameter analysis.

In this study, microwave irradiation has been employed to disintegrate the sludge biomass profitably by deagglomerating the sludge using a mechanical device, ultrasonicator. The outcomes of the study revealed that a specific energy input of 3.5 kJ/kg TS was found to be optimum for deagglomeration with limited cell lysis. A higher suspended solids (SS) reduction and biomass lysis efficiency of about 22.5% and 33.2% was achieved through ultrasonic assisted microwave disintegration (UMWD) when compared to microwave disintegration - MWD (15% and 20.9%). The results of biochemical methane potential (BMP) test were used to estimate biodegradability of samples. Among the samples subjected to BMP, UMWD showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with higher methane production potential of 0.3 L/g COD representing enhanced liquefaction potential of disaggregated sludge biomass. Economic analysis of the proposed method of sludge biomass pretreatment showed a net profit of 2.67 USD/Ton respectively.

Surfactant assisted disperser pretreatment on the liquefaction of Ulva reticulata and evaluation of biodegradability for energy efficient biofuel production through nonlinear regression modelling.

The present study aimed to increase the disintegration potential of marine macroalgae, (Ulva reticulata) through chemo mechanical pretreatment (CMP) in an energy efficient manner. By combining surfactant with disperser, the specific energy input was considerably reduced from 437.1 kJ/kg TS to 264.9 kJ/kg TS to achieve 10.7% liquefaction. A disperser rpm (10,000), pretreatment time (30 min) and tween 80 dosage (21.6 mg/L) were considered as an optimum for effective liquefaction of algal biomass. CMP was designated as an appropriate pretreatment resulting in a higher soluble organic release 1250 mg/L, respectively. Anaerobic fermentation results revealed that the volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration was doubled (782 mg/L) in CMP when compared to mechanical pretreatment (MP) (345 mg/L). CMP pretreated algal biomass was considered as the suitable for biohydrogen production with highest H2 yield of about 63 mL H2/g COD than (MP) (45 mL H2/g COD) and control (10 mL H2/g COD).

Synergistic impact of sonic-tenside on biomass disintegration potential: Acidogenic and methane potential studies, kinetics and cost analytics.

An exploration into the symbiotic impact of sonic-tenside (SDBS - sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate) on biomass disintegration potential and to reduce the energy consumption was studied. At optimized condition (specific energy input 9600 kJ/kg TS; SDBS dosage 0.07 g/g SS), higher percentage of biomass lysis and solids reduction (23.9% and 19.8%) was obtained in blended sonic-tenside disintegration (STD), than sonic disintegration (SD) (17.6% and 9.8%). The bioacidogenic potential (BAP) assay in terms of volatile fatty acids (VFA) production (722 mg/L) was found to be higher for STD, in comparison to SD (350 mg/L). The impact of STD on anaerobic digestion was evident from its methane yield (0.239 g/g COD), higher than SD (0.182 g/g COD). A monetary evaluation of the present study provides a net gain of 2 USD/ton for STD, indicating the profitability of the technique.

Biological disintegration of microalgae for biomethane recovery-prediction of biodegradability and computation of energy balance.

The present study investigates the synergistic effect of combined bacterial disintegration on mixed microalgal biomass for energy efficient biomethane generation. The rate of microalgal biomass lysis, enhanced biodegradability, and methane generation were used as indices to assess efficiency of the disintegration. A maximal dissolvable organics release and algal biomass lysis rate of about 1100, 950 and 800mg/L and 26, 23 and 18% was achieved in PA+C (protease, amylase+cellulase secreting bacteria), C (cellulase alone) and PA (protease, amylase) microalgal disintegration. During anaerobic fermentation, a greater production of volatile fatty acids (1000mg/L) was noted in PA+C bacterial disintegration of microalgal biomass. PA+C bacterial disintegration improve the amenability of microalgal biomass to biomethanation process with higher biodegradability of about 0.27gCOD/gCOD, respectively. The energy balance analysis of this combined bacterial disintegration of microalgal biomass provides surplus positive net energy (1.14GJ/d) by compensating the input energy requirements.

Immobilized and MgSO4 induced cost effective bacterial disintegration of waste activated sludge for effective anaerobic digestion.

In this study, an attempt was made to disintegrate waste activated sludge (WAS) in a cost-effective way. During the first phase of this study, effective break down of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) was performed by deflocculating WAS with 0.1 g/g SS of MgSO4. Deflocculation rate was 92% with discharge rate of extractable EPS at 185 mg/L. In the second phase, effective bacterial cell disintegration was obtained at 36 h post treatment. Maximum solubilization of deflocculated sludge was approximately 21%, which was higher than that of flocculated sludge (14.2%) or the control (4.5%). Biodegradability studies were assessed through kinetic analysis by non-linear regression modeling. Results revealed that the deflocculated sludge had higher methane generation (at about 235.8 mL/gVs) compared to flocculated sludge (at 146.1 mL/gVs) or the control (at 34.8 mL/gVs). Cost assessment of the present work revealed that the net yield for each ton of the deflocculated sludge was about 32.99 USD.

Fenton mediated ultrasonic disintegration of sludge biomass: Biodegradability studies, energetic assessment, and its economic viability.

Mechanical disintegration of sludge through ultrasonication demands high energy and cost. Therefore, in the present study, a comprehensive investigation was performed to analyze the potential of a novel method, fenton mediated sonic disintegration (FSD). In FSD process, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of sludge was first removed via fenton treatment. It was subsequently disintegrated via ultrasonication. Energetic assessment and economic analysis were then performed using net energy and cost gain (spent) as key factor to evaluate the practical viability of the FSD process. FSD was found to be superior over sonic disintegration based on its higher sludge solubilization (34.4% vs. 23.2%) and methane production potential (0.3gCOD/gCOD vs. 0.2gCOD/gCOD). Both energy analysis and cost assessment of the present study revealed that FSD could reduce the energy demand of ultrasonication considerably with a positive net profit of about 44.93USD/Ton of sludge.

Enhancement of sludge anaerobic biodegradability by combined microwave-H2O2 pretreatment in acidic conditions.

The aim of this study was to increase the sludge disintegration and reduce the cost of microwave (MW) pretreatment. Thermodynamic analysis of MW hydrolysis revealed the best fit with a first-order kinetic model at a specific energy of 18,600 kJ/kg total solids (TS). Combining H2O2 with MW resulted in a significant increment in solubilization from 30 to 50 % at 18,600 kJ/kg TS. The pH of H2O2-assisted MW-pretreated sludge (MW + H2O2) was in the alkaline range (pH 9-10), and it made the sludge unfavorable for subsequent anaerobic digestion and inhibits methane production. In order to nullify the alkaline effect caused by the MW + H2O2 combination, the addition of acid was considered for pH adjustment. H2O2-assisted MW-pretreated sludge in acidic conditions (MW + H2O2 + acid) showed a maximum methane production of 323 mL/g volatile solids (VS) than others during anaerobic biodegradability. A cost analysis of this study reveals that MW + H2O2 + acid was the most economical method with a net profit of 59.90 €/t of sludge.

Effect of NaCl induced floc disruption on biological disintegration of sludge for enhanced biogas production.

In the present study, the influence of NaCl mediated bacterial disintegration of waste activated sludge (WAS) was evaluated in terms of disintegration and biodegradability of WAS. Floc disruption was efficient at 0.03 g/g SS of NaCl, promoting the shifts of extracellular proteins and carbohydrates from inner layers to extractable--soluble layers (90 mg/L), respectively. Outcomes of sludge disintegration reveal that the maximum solubilization achieved was found to be 23%, respectively. The model elucidating the parameter evaluation, explicates that floc disrupted--bacterially disintegrated sludge (S3) showed superior biodegradability of about 0.23 (gCOD/gCOD) than the bacterially disintegrated (S2) and control (S3) sludges of about 0.13 (gCOD/gCOD) and 0.05 (gCOD/gCOD), respectively. Cost evaluation of the present study affords net profits of approximately 2.5 USD and -21.5 USD in S3 and S2 sludge.

Influence of deflocculation on microwave disintegration and anaerobic biodegradability of waste activated sludge.

In the present study, the potential benefits of deflocculation on microwave pretreatment of waste activated sludge were investigated. Deflocculation in the absence of cell lysis was achieved through the removal of extra polymeric substances (EPS) by sodium citrate (0.1g sodium citrate/g suspended solids), and DNA was used as a marker for monitoring cell lysis. Subsequent microwave pretreatment yielded a chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilisation of 31% and 21%, suspended solids (SS) reduction of 37% and 22%, for deflocculated and flocculated sludge, respectively, with energy input of 14,000kJ/kg TS. When microwave pretreated sludge was subjected to anaerobic fermentation, greater accumulation of volatile fatty acid (860mg/L) was noticed in deflocculated sludge, indicating better hydrolysis. Among the samples subjected to BMP (Biochemical methane potential test), deflocculated microwave pretreated sludge showed better amenability towards anaerobic digestion with high methane production potential of 0.615L (gVS)(-1).

Effect of sonically induced deflocculation on the efficiency of ozone mediated partial sludge disintegration for improved production of biogas.

In this study, ultrasonication was used for sludge deflocculation, followed by cell disintegration using ozone. The effect of this phase separated sono-ozone pretreatment is evaluated based on extra polymeric substances release, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the medium, solubilization of intra cellular components and suspended solids (SS) reduction. Ultrasonically induced deflocculation was optimized at an energy dosage of 76.4(log 1.88)kJ/kg TS. During cell disintegration (ozone dosage 0.0011 mgO3/mgSS), chemical oxygen demand solubilization (COD) and SS reduction of sonic mediated ozone pretreated sludge were 25.4% and 17.8% comparatively higher than ozone pretreated sludge, respectively. Further, biogas production potential of control (raw), flocculated (ozone pretreated), and deflocculated (sonic mediated ozone pretreated) sludges were observed to be 0.202, 0.535 and 0.637 L/(gVS), respectively. Thus, the phase separated pretreatment at lower ultrasonic specific energy and low dose ozone proved to enhance the anaerobic biodegradability efficiently.

Accelerating the sludge disintegration potential of a novel bacterial strain Planococcus jake 01 by CaCl2 induced deflocculation.

The present study investigates the impacts of phase separated disintegration through CaCl2 (calcium chloride) mediated biosurfactant producing bacterial pretreatment. In the initial phase of the study, the flocs were disintegrated (deflocculation) with 0.06g/gSS of CaCl2. In the subsequent phase, the sludge biomass was disintegrated (cell disintegration) through potent biosurfactant producing new novel bacteria, Planococcus jake 01. The pretreatment showed that suspended solids reduction and chemical oxygen demand solubilization for deflocculated - bacterially pretreated sludge was found to be 17.14% and 14.14% which were comparatively higher than flocculated sludge (treated with bacteria alone). The biogas yield potential of deflocculated - bacterially pretreated, flocculated, and control sludges were observed to be 0.322(L/gVS), 0.225(L/gVS) and 0.145(L/gVS) respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present the thorough knowledge of biogas production potential through a novel phase separated biosurfactant bacterial pretreatment.

Effect of citric acid induced deflocculation on the ultrasonic pretreatment efficiency of dairy waste activated sludge.

In this investigation, the application of citric acid was explored for the removal of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) from waste activated sludge (WAS), followed by ultrasonic pretreatment, which enhanced the subsequent anaerobic biodegradability. EPS was removed with 0.05g/g SS of citric acid. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilization and suspended solids (SS) reduction that occurred for specific energy input of 171.9kJ/kg TS, in deflocculated (EPS removed and ultrasonically pretreated) sludges were found to be 22.70% and 20.28% and was comparatively higher, than the flocculated (with EPS and ultrasonically pretreated). The biogas yield potential of flocculated and deflocculated sludges (specific energy input - 171.9kJ/kgTS) was found to be 0.212L/(gVS) and 0.435L/(gVS), respectively. Accordingly, the deflocculation and ultrasonic pretreatment improved the anaerobic biodegradability efficiently. Thus, this chemo mediated sonic pretreatment is an effective method for enhancing biodegradability and improving clean energy generation from WAS.