A Mussel-Inspired and Recyclable Coating with Integrated Daytime Radiative Cooling and Triboelectric Energy Harvesting for Intelligent and Sustainable Buildings.

Carbon neutrality necessitates new technologies for renewable energy utilization, active regulation of heat exchange, and material recycling to promote green and intelligent building development. Currently, the integration of these functions and characteristics into a single coating material presents a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate a novel triboelectric and radiative cooling coating with mussel-inspired architectures, fabricated using cellulose nanofibers and Mica-TiO2 as a functional mortar and brick, respectively. The abundant polar groups and specific surface area of cellulose nanofibers enable a high accumulation of induced electrostatic charges, allowing the coating to act as a tribolayer to generate triboelectric outputs. The regularly layered arrangement of Mica-TiO2 endows fire resistance to the coating, which exhibits self-extinguishing properties and maintains 45% of its original electrical output even after direct exposure to flame for 20 s. Additionally, the created multilayered stacking morphology, as well as intense group vibrations of Mica-TiO2, facilitates high reflectivity (Rsolar = 0.9) and long-wave infrared emissivity (ϵLWIR = 0.94), achieving a daytime subambient temperature drop of 5.3 °C. Notably, the coating can be recycled easily while maintaining its triboelectric, radiative cooling, and fire-resistant properties. This work provides an innovative strategy for unifying triboelectric and radiative cooling functions, as well as recyclability, into a single coating material, offering new insights for future sustainable and energy-efficient buildings.

Waste to Wealth: One-Step Exfoliating of Spent Graphite to Build a Low-Cost Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

With the booming development of Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the recycling and reusing of spent graphite (SG) from LIBs is becoming increasingly crucial. Meanwhile, developing low-cost and efficient carbon hosts for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries has gained widespread attention in the past decade. Nevertheless, the processing of carbon materials as sulfur hosts is often energy-consuming and complex. Herein, a simple and environmental-friendly strategy is proposed to reuse the SG to prepare graphene/sulfur composite cathode for Li-S batteries. Due to expanded layer spacing and defects of SG, sulfur molecules can strip it into a graphene-type host via ball milling. By optimizing the S/SG ratio and ball milling time, the as-prepared graphene/sulfur composite cathode with 70 wt.% sulfur content exhibits a high capacity of 1000 mAh g-1. With a high sulfur loading of 4.68 mg cm-2, the graphene/sulfur cathode can maintain 526 mAh g-1 after 400 cycles. This work provides a novel waste-to-wealth perspective for recycling spent graphite from LIBs to reuse in Li-S batteries.

Improvement 9α-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione production in Mycolicibacterium neoaurum by regulation of cell wall formation and transcriptional regulator PadR.

The biotransformation of phytosterol into high value steroid intermediates such as 9α-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione (9-OHAD) in Mycolicibacterium is the cornerstone of the steroid pharmaceuticals. However, the limited permeability of the dense mycobacterial cell wall severely hinders the efficient transportation of phytosterol and their bioconversion to 9-OHAD. In this study, we disrupted the genetic pathways involved in trehalose biosynthesis, trehalose recycling and by-product formation, leading to alterations in cell wall formation, cell permeability and 9-OHAD productivity. This manipulation led to an increase of 63.7% in the yield of 9-OHAD, reaching 10.8g/L at a phytosterol concentration of 20g/L in shake flask. The enhancement of cell permeability and 9-OHAD production were achieved through the deletion of genes TreS, TreY, OtsA, LpqY, and SugC, as well as the inactivation of regulator PadR. Notably, it was found that the increase in TMM content of cell wall components via TLC analysis directly affected the distribution of 9-OHAD within and outside the cell, ultimately leading to an increase in extracellular production of 9-OHAD from 12% to 32.1%. Therefore, this study provides with an effective strategy for enhancing 9-OHAD production by increasing cell permeability while minimizing by-product 4-AD formation.

Recycling of Rare Earth Elements: From E-Waste to Stereoselective Catalytic Reactions.

Raw mixtures of Rare Earths Elements, REE, recovered by E-waste, were used as catalysts to promote the (stereoselective) synthesis of highly valuable compounds. Y2O3, the major species that is recovered by the E-waste, can be easily converted into the catalytically active Y(OTf)3 that is able to efficiently promote the Michael addition of indoles to benzylidene malonates and the stereoselective Diels-Alder cycloaddition between cyclopentadiene and 4-(S)-3 acryloyl 4-tert-butyl 2-oxazolidinone. Additionally, the raw mixtures were immobilized onto silica and used to construct packed reactors, resulting in values for Productivity and Space-Time Yields that were significantly higher than those of the corresponding batch conversions. Notably, the prepared cartridge employed in the model Michael reaction maintained its catalytic efficiency for more than 4 days of continuous running.

Impact of the circular economy on ecological footprint: evidence from Germany.

The circular economy practices contribute to sustainable development by maximising efficiency, utilising renewable resources, extending product lifespans, and implementing waste reduction strategies. This study investigates the individual impacts of four sources of the circular economy on the ecological footprint in Germany, a country that is among the pioneers in establishing a comprehensive roadmap for the circular economy. The four sources examined are renewable energy consumption (REC), recycling, reuse, and repair of materials. Using time series data from 1990 to 2021, the study employed the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) simulation technique and also applied kernel-based linear regression (KRLS) to test the robustness of the results. The findings revealed that reuse practices significantly reduce the ecological footprint in both the short and long run. REC and repair also substantially decrease the ecological footprint, as shown by the simulation analysis. Conversely, while recycling is generally considered crucial for minimising environmental impact, in this study, it was found to contribute to environmental degradation. This paradox may be attributed to the nascent state of the recycling industry and data limitations. The results from KRLS confirm the findings of the dynamic ARDL. It is recommended that policymakers develop measures that are appropriate, efficient, and targeted to enhance the role of each source of the circular economy in reducing the ecological footprint in Germany. The major limitation of the study is its reliance on the indirect measures of circular economy attributed to the non-availability of data on direct measures.

Hop leaves: From waste to a valuable source of bioactive compounds - A multidisciplinary approach to investigating potential applications.

After harvesting of cones used for beer production, the remaining hop vegetative biomass requires disposal. The hop plant contains bioactive compounds in all its parts-cones, leaves, and roots-exhibiting interesting antioxidant, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. In this work, extracts obtained from hop leaves, a plant material often neglected in the hop cultivation, have been investigated; the qualitative UHPLC-MS/MS and GC-TOF-MS characterization revealed the presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, α- and ß-acids and terpenes are present. The extract retained antioxidant activity, as verified by Folin-Ciocalteu, DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, and demonstrated some antimicrobial activity when combined with antibiotics, particularly against Gram-positive bacterial strains. Additionally, the extracts showed an ability to interact with proteins as human insulin, amyloid beta peptide, mucin and bovine serum albumin (BSA), has been detected, indicating their potential to counteract inflammatory processes and protect against Alzheimer's disease. These findings suggest that hop vegetative biomass, typically considered waste, can be potentially transformed into a valuable resource with applications in various fields, from nutraceuticals to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, aligning with a circular economy perspective.

Converting Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate to High Value Monomers by Synergistic Catalysts.

Waste plastics accumulation, such as commonly used polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has caused serious environmental pollution and resource squander. Glycolysis is a reliable closed-loop PET recycling method, which limited by the high cost and complex catalysts preparation processes. Here we report a simple synergistic catalytic strategy by premixing zinc acetate and cheap alkalis in ethylene glycol, which could achieve complete glycolysis at 180 ℃ within 2 hours, and a bis(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) yield of 86.4%. This may be attributed to the free hydroxide ions not only enhancing the nucleophilicity of oxygen in ethylene glycol and making it easy to attack carbonyl groups, but also accelerating the swelling and dissolution of PET. Meanwhile, the in-situ generated Zn-glycolate and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) activated the oxygen in the carbonyl group, making the carbon cations more electropositive. Further recycling experiments and techno-economic analysis indicated that our synergistic strategy significantly reduced industrial costs and expected to achieve large-scale industrial applications.

DNA Nanostructure Disintegration-Assisted SPAAC Ligation for Electrochemical Biosensing.

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are valuable biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. The development of reliable assays is an urgent pursuit. We herein fabricate a novel electrochemical sensing strategy based on the conformation transitions of DNA nanostructures and click chemistry. Duplex-specific nuclease (DSN)-catalyzed reaction is first used for the disintegration of the DNA triangular pyramid frustum (DNA TPF). A DNA triangle is formed, which in turn assists strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) to localize single-stranded DNA probes (P1). After SPAAC ligation, multiple DNA hairpins are spontaneously folded, and the labeled electrochemical species are dragged near the electrode interface. By recording and analyzing the responses, a highly sensitive electrochemical biosensor is established, which exhibits high sensitivity and reproducibility. Clinical applications have been verified with good stability. This sensing strategy relies on the integration of DNA nanostructures and click chemistry, which may inspire further designs for the development of DNA nanotechnology and applications in clinical chemistry.

Constructing an artificial in vitro multi-enzyme cascade pathway to convert glycerol and CO2 into L-aspartic acid.

Developing utilization technologies for biomass resources, exploring their applications in the fields of energy and chemical engineering, holds significant importance for promoting sustainable development and constructing a green, low-carbon society. In this study, we designed a non-natural in vitro multi-enzyme system for converting glycerol and CO2 into L-aspartic acid (L-Asp). The coupled system utilized eight enzymes, including alditol oxidase (ALDO), catalase-peroxidase (CAT), lactaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), glycerate 2-kinase (GK), phosphopyruvate hydratase (PPH), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC), L-aspartate dehydrogenase (ASPD), and polyphosphate kinase (PPK), to convert the raw materials into L-Asp in one-pot coupled with NADH and ATP regeneration. Under optimal reaction conditions, 18.6 mM of L-Asp could be produced within 2.0 h at a total enzyme addition of 4.85 mg/mL, demonstrating the high efficiency and productivity characteristics of the designed system. Our technological application provides new insights and methods for the development of biomass resource utilization technologies.

Enhanced Hydrogen Production via Photothermal-Coupled Ultrasound Pyrolysis of Waste Bio-Oil.

The creation of hydrogen using the lower-cost feedstock, waste organics (WOs), e. g. kitchen waste bio-oil, is a win-win solution, because it can both solve energy problems and reduce environmental pollution. Ultrasound has received considerable interest in organic decomposition; however, the application of ultrasound alone is not a good choice for the hydrogen production from WOs, because of the energy consumption and efficiency. To boost the hydrogen production based on ultrasonic cavitation cracking of bio-oil, photothermal materials are introduced into the hydrogen production system to form localized hot spots. Materials carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and silicon dioxide (SiO2) all exhibit significant enhancing effects on the hydrogen production from bio-oil, and the CB exhibits the most significant strengthening effect among these materials. When the dosage of CB is 5 mg, hydrogen production rate is 180.1 µmol h-1, representing a notable 1.7-fold increase compared to the production rate without CB. In the presence of light and ultrasound, the hydrogen production rate can be increased by 66.7-fold compared to the situation where only light is present without ultrasound.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for enhanced production of D-pantothenic acid.

D-pantothenic acid (D-PA) is an essential vitamin that has been widely used in various industries. However, the low productivity caused by slow D-PA production in fermentation hinders its potential applications. In this study, strategies of engineering the synthetic pathway combined with regulating methyl recycle were employed in E. coli to enhance D-PA production. First, a self-induced promoter-mediated dynamic regulation of D-PA degradation pathway was carried out to improve D-PA accumulation. Then, to drive more carbon flux into D-PA synthesis, the key nodes of the R-pantoate pathway which encoded the essential enzyme were integrated into the genome. Subsequently, the further increase in D-PA production was achieved by promoting the regeneration of methyl donor. The strain L11T produced 86.03 g/L D-PA with a productivity of 0.797 g/L/h, which presented the highest D-PA titer and productivity to date. The strategies could be applied to constructing cell factories for producing other bio-based products.

Revealing the dual impact of VOCs on recycled rubber workers: Health risk and odor perception.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pose potential hazards to human health and contribute significantly to odor pollution. This study examined VOC emissions from a representative recycled rubber industry, evaluating the occupational health risks for frontline workers in various workshops. Variables such as gender and workshop-specific concentration variations were considered using Monte Carlo simulation methods. Employees in the five production workshops and office areas face noncarcinogenic health risks with hazard indices (HIs) greater than 1, with the rubber compounding phase presenting the highest risk. Acetaldehyde is identified as the primary noncarcinogenic health risk substance, with hazard quotient (HQ) values exceeding 1 in all workshops. Carcinogenic health risks vary by area, with the highest risks found in compounding and refining workshops. Formaldehyde poses the greatest risk in rubber grinding workshops and offices, with cumulative weights exceeding unacceptable levels of M80.58 % and W77.56 % in grinding and M94.98 % and W92.24 % in the office. Male workers face 4-7 % greater noncarcinogenic VOC health risks than females and 5-14 % greater carcinogenic risks from individual VOCs, increasing their susceptibility to health risks caused by VOCs. Additionally, our analysis of odor identification and intensity classification revealed that 53 VOCs are capable of causing odor pollution, with several substances reaching odor levels of 2 or higher. The predominant perceived odors, as reflected in the odor wheel, include categories such as "solvent/aromatic" and "sweet/fruit," with aldehydes being the primary odor-causing substances. In summary, emissions of VOCs from rubber industrial processes not only pose substantial health risks to workers but also contribute significantly to odor pollution. Consequently, enterprises must prioritize optimizing workplace conditions to ensure the occupational health and well-being of their employees.

Recycling Spent Ternary Cathodes to Oxygen Evolution Catalysts for Pure Water Anion-Exchange Membrane Electrolysis.

Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to efficient water-splitting electrocatalysts is a promising and sustainable technology route for green hydrogen production by renewables. In this work, a fluorinated ternary metal oxide (F-TMO) derived from spent LIBs was successfully converted to a robust water oxidation catalyst for pure water electrolysis by utilizing an anion-exchange membrane. The optimized catalyst delivered a high current density of 3.0 A cm-2 at only 2.56 V and a durability of >300 h at 0.5 A cm-2, surpassing the noble-metal IrO2 catalyst. Such excellent performance benefits from an artificially endowed interface layer on the F-TMO, which renders the exposure of active metal (oxy)hydroxide sites with a stabilized configuration during pure water operation. Compared to other metal oxides (i.e., NiO, Co3O4, MnO2), F-TMO possesses a higher stability number of 2.4 × 106, indicating its strong potential for industrial applications. This work provides a feasible way of recycling waste LIBs to valuable electrocatalysts.

Evaluation of Surface Roughness of Acrylic Denture Bases Polished Using Algishine, a Novel Polishing Material: An In Vitro Study.

Introduction Surface roughness (Ra) significantly impacts the aesthetic and functional qualities of dental prosthetics. Traditional polishing involves pumice, a material routinely used in dental practice. This study introduces Algishine as a potential cost-effective eco-friendly alternative. Materials and methods A 3D design software (Geomagic) created a Standard Tesselation Language (STL) file of 10 mm x 10 mm x 2 mm. 30 STL file outputs were generated. The output was milled in wax. This was then flasked and processed. 30 acrylic resin specimens were fabricated and divided into two groups. Group A was polished using traditional pumice, and Group B was polished using Algishine. The Ra of each sample was measured using surface profilometry, with three readings per sample averaged for each group. Results Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to compare the two groups with the pre-testing samples, which showed p<0.05; indicating that there was a significant difference between the two groups. The average Ra value for unpolished acrylic was 7.105, while the specimens polished with pumice showed an Ra value of 2.218; specimens polished with novel material Algishine showed an Ra value of 1.743. This illustrates that Algishine achieves surface smoothness significantly superior to commonly used polishing agent and pumice. Discussion The results of our study demonstrate that Algishine, a novel polishing material derived from recycled alginate, effectively reduces the Ra of acrylic resin. This finding has significant implications, both clinically and environmentally. The primary clinical benefit of a smoother acrylic resin surface is the enhanced aesthetic appearance and increased patient comfort. A polished surface reduces plaque accumulation, thereby decreasing the risk of oral infections and improving the longevity of the dental prosthesis. The results show that Algishine achieves surface smoothness comparable to or better than pumice indicating that it can maintain, if not enhance, these clinical outcomes. Dental professionals can confidently use Algishine, knowing it meets the high standards required for patient care. Conclusion Algishine effectively reduces the Ra of acrylic resin, suggesting it is a viable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional pumice for dental polishing procedures. This indicates potential benefits in maintaining clinical outcomes while promoting environmental sustainability.

Prospects of Pseudomonas in Microbial Fuel, Bioremediation, and Sustainability.

Microbial applications in agriculture and industry have gained significant attention due to their potential to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development. Among these, the genus Pseudomonas stands out as a promising candidate for various biotechnological uses, thanks to its metabolic flexibility, resilience, and adaptability to diverse environments. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of microbial fuel production, bioremediation, and sustainable development, focusing on the pivotal role of Pseudomonas species. We emphasize the importance of microbial fuel as a renewable energy source and discuss recent advancements in enhancing biofuel generation using Pseudomonas strains. Additionally, we explore the critical role of Pseudomonas in bioremediation processes, highlighting its ability to degrade a wide spectrum of pollutants, including hydrocarbons, pesticides, and heavy metals, thereby reducing environmental contamination. Despite significant progress, several challenges remain. These include refining microbial strains for optimal process efficiency and addressing ecological considerations. Nonetheless, the diverse capabilities of Pseudomonas offer promising avenues for innovative solutions to pressing environmental issues, supporting the transition to a more sustainable future.

Sustainable wastewater treatment and reuse in space.

Exploring the vast extraterrestrial space is an inevitable trend with continuous human development. Water treatment and reuse are crucial in the limited and closed space that is available in spaceships or long-term use space bases that will be established in the foreseeable future. Dedicated water treatment technologies have experienced iterative development for more than 60 years since the first manned spaceflight was successfully launched. Herein, we briefly review the related wastewater characteristics and the history of water treatment in space stations, and we focus on future challenges and perspectives, aiming at providing insights for optimizing wastewater treatment technologies and closing the water cycle in future.

Phenolic content of Thai Bao mango peel and its in-vitro antioxidant, anti-cholinesterase, and antidiabetic activities.

Plant phenolics have been known for various biological activities. This study aims to extract and examine the presence of phenolics in Bao mango (Mangifera indica L. var.) peel ethanolic extract (MPE). Further, antioxidant, anti-diabetic (α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity), and anti- Alzheimer's disease (AD) (acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and ß-secretase (BACE-1) inhibitory activity) efficacy of MPE were determined. The results indicated that mangiferin (8755.89 mg/ 100 g extract) was the major phenolic compound in MPE. An antioxidant mechanism revealed that MPE had a higher radical scavenging ability (4266.70 µmol TE/g extract) compared to reducing power (FRAP) or oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC). Further in-vitro enzyme inhibitory assay against diabetic and AD involved enzymes showed that MPE had stronger inhibitory action against an enzyme involved in diabetes compared to their standard drug (Acarbose) (P < 0.05). While a lower IC50 value was observed against AD-involved enzymes compared to their standard drug (donepezil) (P < 0.05). The results show that Thai Bao mango peel byproduct can be a potential source of nutraceuticals to lower diabetes and improve cognitive health.

Establishing an affordable solar-floating Fe2O3@A1-xRx-TiO2 photo-Fenton catalytic system through the cyclic utilization of iron waste to de-pollute textile water contamination.

This study focuses on developing a cost-effective Fe2O3 catalyst from oilfield iron waste to create a floating heterogeneous photo-Fenton system with anatase/rutile(A/R) TiO2 heterophase photocatalyst (cork-Fe2O3@A1-xRx-TiO2) for treating textile pollution in sunlight. Through controlling sol-gel (SG) microwave heating technique, the A/R ratio of A1-xRx-TiO2 crystal is tuned (A/R ratio = 1.13 and Eg = 3.02 eV) to improve adsorption-photocatalytic removal of anionic/cationic dyes with an apparent kinetic rate (kapp) of 0.0074 min-1 under UV-visible irradiation. The developed cork-Fe2O3@A53.1R46.8-TiO2 floated system also outperforms the classical photo-Fenton with Fe/H2O2 benchmark, showing a 2-fold enhancement in textile dye degradation (kapp = 0.216 min-1 and space-time yield (SY) of 1.7*10-4 mol/E.g at pH 5.65) with high stability over four reuse cycles. The formation of Fe2O3@A53.1R46.8-TiO2 Type-II heterojunction is confirmed by optical and electrochemical analyses, allowing the acceleration of direct electron transfer mechanism and oxidative degradation of dyes during photo-Fenton reaction. As a case study, the cork-Fe2O3@A53.1R46.8-TiO2 system demonstrates a high capability for efficient mineralization of textile pollution in a real effluent, achieving 82 ± 2% reduction in the total organic contents at an operational cost of 2.61 $/kg.m3 in sunlight. Thus, this research addresses challenges in conventional Fenton chemistry, iron waste recycling, and catalyst retention, offering new insights for sustainable treatment of textile effluents and environmental protection.

Understanding consumer attitudes towards second-hand robots for the home.

As robot numbers in the home increase, creating a market for second-hand robotic systems is essential to reduce the waste impact of the industry. Via a survey, consumer attitudes of United Kingdom participants towards second-hand robots were investigated; finding that second-hand robots with guarantees have an equal purchasing interest compared to new systems, highlighting the opportunity for manufacturers and retailers to develop certification standards for second-hand robots to move towards a circular economy. Consumer demographics also demonstrated that those most open to the purchase of both new and second-hand systems were women, those aged 18-25 years old, and those who have previously owned a robot for the home. Participants' prior ownership of second-hand electronic devices (such as phones and laptops) did not affect rates of interest for second-hand robotic systems suggesting that the technology is still too new for people to be able to project their experience of current second-hand electronics to that of a robot. Additionally, this research found the robotics industry can consider the potential market for second-hand robots to be more similar to the second-hand smartphone market than to the household electronics market, and lessons learnt from the concerns raised by consumers for other internet-enabled electronic devices are similar to those concerns for second-hand robots. This provides an opportunity for the industry to break down the barriers for a circular economy earlier in the technology maturity process than has been seen for other electronics.

Assembly of ligation chain reaction and DNA triangular prism for miRNA diagnostics.

Controllable assembly of DNA nanostructure provides a powerful way for quantitative analysis of various targets including nucleic acid molecules. In this study, we have designed detachable DNA nanostructures at electrochemical sensing interface and constructed a ligation chain reaction (LCR) strategy for amplified detection of miRNA. A three-dimensional DNA triangular prism nanostructure is fabricated to provide suitable molecule recognition environment, which can be further regenerated for additional tests via convenient pH adjustment. Target triggered LCR is highly efficient and specific towards target miRNA. Under optimal experimental conditions, this approach enables ultrasensitive exploration in a wide linear range with a single-base resolution. Moreover, it shows excellent performances for the analysis of cell samples and clinical serum samples.