The potential application of cellulose acetate membrane for CO2 adsorbent.

Numerous countries have deployed significant efforts to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage is widely regarded as a mitigation technique that can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. A crucial stage in carbon capture and storage is CO2 adsorption using a membrane. Cellulose acetate has demonstrated excellent properties as a membrane material. In this study, we examined the potential of cellulose acetate membrane (CAM) for CO2 gas capture. Two forms of CAM were developed for this study, with and without the addition of glycerol. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and CO2 adsorption analyses were used to characterise CAM in numerous ways. The analysis revealed that the addition of glycerol improved the gas adsorption properties of the material. The incorporation of glycerol into the cellulose acetate matrix resulted in an observed augmentation in both the diameter and pore size. The adsorption properties of CO2 are significantly influenced by the microscopic structure of the cellulose acetate membrane. The CAM can be viewed as a possible material for CO2 adsorbers.

The sticky tasty: the nutritional content of the exudativorous diet of the Javan slow loris in a lowland forest.

Plant exudates are an important food source for many primates. The Critically Endangered Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) was previously found to prefer Acacia decurrens exudate in an anthropogenically disturbed site, while its feeding habits in secondary natural forest remain unknown. Knowledge of the chemical characteristics of the plant exudates that Javan slow lorises consume is limited, especially with respect to those that they feed on in natural forests. As plant exudates may contain plant secondary metabolites (PSM), which are considered unpalatable in high concentrations, differences in PSM composition may drive feeding preferences. This research aims firstly to confirm exudate consumption by the Javan slow loris in a lowland tropical forest in Central Java, and secondly to identify the chemical characteristics of the exudates consumed. We followed wild slow lorises in Kemuning Forest, Central Java and observed their behaviour. We investigated the gum-producing trees that were utilized by the slow lorises by tapping the exudates and examining their nutritional and PSM contents. We found that exudates are the predominant food source for the Javan slow loris in this lowland forest, and that their nutritional contents are similar to those of exudates consumed by lorises in anthropogenically disturbed areas. Significant differences in polysaccharide and flavonoid contents were found between consumed and unconsumed exudates. Knowledge of the diet of the Javan slow loris is crucial to its conservation, and our findings confirm the importance of exudates in its diet. We also highlight the need to preserve natural slow loris habitat, and to manage the diets of these species in captivity. The results of this study indicate that plant exudates should constitute a significant portion of the diet of captive slow lorises, and that the presence of exudate-producing trees is vital in areas into which slow lorises are to be translocated.