Influence of operating parameters on arsenic transformation during municipal sewage sludge incineration with cotton stalk.

Addition of cotton stalk (CS) has been proved to promote dramatically the transformation of toxic As3+ to less toxic As5+ in the fly ash during municipal sewage sludge (MSS) incineration. However, the fate of arsenic during co-firing of MSS and CS in different operating parameters was still unclear. In the present study, the effects of incineration temperatures and O2 content in the flue gas on speciation transformation of arsenic during MSS and 70% MSS/30% CS incineration were investigated in a bubbling fluidized bed. The results show that less arsenic is distributed in bottom ash whereas more arsenic is migrated to the fly ash and flue gas, with the temperature increasing from 800 °C to 950 °C. The arsenic capture in fly ash is facilitated predominantly by the condensation and/or physical adsorption of As2O3(g) at the temperatures from 800 °C to 900 °C. The chemical oxidation of As2O3(g) is favored by forming various arsenates (As5+) at 950 °C. At low O2 content from 1% to 5%, some arsenic compounds in MSS such as As2S3 can react with O2 to produce As2O3(g), and then more As2O3(g) is captured in the fly ash by the inherent mineral compounds like CaO through the condensation and/or physical adsorption. Further increasing O2 content especially to 9% stimulates significantly the oxidation of As3+ to As5+ in the fly ash, which is mainly attributed to the chemical reactions between As2O3(g), various mineral compounds and sufficient O2.

Antibacterial cotton fabric with enhanced durability prepared using silver nanoparticles and carboxymethyl chitosan.

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCTS) and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully linked onto a cotton fabric surface through a simple mist modification process. The CMCTS binder was covalently linked to the cotton fabric via esterification and the Ag NPs were tightly adhered to the fiber surface by coordination bonds with the amine groups of CMCTS. As a result, the coating of Ag NPs on the cotton fabric showed excellent antibacterial properties and laundering durability. After 50 consecutive laundering cycles, the bacterial reduction rates (BR) against both S. aureus and E. coli remained over 95%. It has potential applications in a wide variety of fields such as sportswear, socks, and medical textile.

Biological fabrication of cellulose fibers with tailored properties.

Cotton is a promising basis for wearable smart textiles. Current approaches that rely on fiber coatings suffer from function loss during wear. We present an approach that allows biological incorporation of exogenous molecules into cotton fibers to tailor the material's functionality. In vitro model cultures of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) are incubated with 6-carboxyfluorescein-glucose and dysprosium-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid-glucose, where the glucose moiety acts as a carrier capable of traveling from the vascular connection to the outermost cell layer of the ovule epidermis, becoming incorporated into the cellulose fibers. This yields fibers with unnatural properties such as fluorescence or magnetism. Combining biological systems with the appropriate molecular design offers numerous possibilities to grow functional composite materials and implements a material-farming concept.

Development of a novel cellulose/duck feather composite fibre regenerated in ionic liquid.

By blending cellulose and duck feather in the common solvent 1-allyl-3-methylimidazoloium chloride, a regenerated composite fibre has been developed with improved fibres over regenerated cellulose fibres (RCF). The mechanical properties of composite fibre was shown to be better than RCF with a 63.7% improvement in tensile strain. Here, we thoroughly characterise the composite fibre and show that the composite fibre has many advantages over RCFs both from a spinning perspective and as a regenerated fibre.

Structural analysis of Gossypium hirsutum fibers grown under greenhouse and hydroponic conditions.

Cotton is the one of the world's most important crops. Like any other crop, cotton growth/development and fiber quality is highly dependent on environmental factors. Increasing global weather instability has been negatively impacting its economy. Cotton is a crop that exerts an intensive pressure over natural resources (land and water) and demands an overuse of pesticides. Thus, the search for alternative cotton culture methods that are pesticide-free (biocotton) and enable customized standard fiber quality should be encouraged. Here we describe a culture of Gossypium hirsutum ("Upland" Cotton) utilizing a greenhouse and hydroponics in which the fibers are morphological similar to conventional cultures and structurally fit into the classical two-phase cellulose I model with 4.19nm crystalline domains surrounded by amorphous regions. These fibers exhibit a single crystalline form of cellulose I-Iß, monoclinic unit cell. Fiber quality bulk analysis shows an improved length, strength, whiteness when compared with soil-based cultures. Finally, we show that our fibers can be spun, used for production of non-woven fabrics and indigo-vat stained demonstrating its potential in industrial and commercial applications.

Preparation of functionalized cotton fabrics by means of melatonin loaded ß-cyclodextrin nanosponges.

Biofunctional textiles are a new category of advanced materials which combine conventional textiles with advanced drug delivery systems to obtain fabrics able to release active principles through skin. The work presents the synthesis of hyper cross-linked ß-cyclodextrins nanosponges with the carbonyl group acting as bridge between cyclodextrin molecules. The result of the synthesis is a 3-D porous structure, where melatonin molecules have been complexed. The complex has been characterized by elemental analysis, DSC, SEM, XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy and the results confirm that melatonin interacts with the synthesized nanosponge at molecular level. Melatonin loaded nanosponges have been dispersed on cotton fibres, which have proved to be a suitable substrate for durable nanosponge adsorption. The in vitro release tests from the funtionalized fabrics have shown a zero order kinetics, which is typical of a reservoir diffusion controlled system.

Microarray-based large scale detection of single feature polymorphism in Gossypium hirsutum L.

Microarrays offer an opportunity to explore the functional sequence polymorphism among different cultivars of many crop plants. The Affymetrix microarray expression data of five genotypes of Gossypium hirsutum L. at six different fibre developmental stages was used to identify single feature polymorphisms (SFPs). The background corrected and quantile-normalized log2 intensity values of all probes of triplicate data of each cotton variety were subjected to SFPs call by using SAM procedure in R language software. We detected a total of 37,473 SFPs among six pair genotype combinations of two superior (JKC777 and JKC725) and three inferior (JKC703, JKC737 and JKC783) using the expression data. The 224 SFPs covering 51 genes were randomly selected from the dataset of all six fibre developmental stages of JKC777 and JKC703 for validation by sequencing on a capillary sequencer. Of these 224 SFPs, 132 were found to be polymorphic and 92 monomorphic which indicate that the SFP prediction from the expression data in the present study confirmed a ~58.92% of true SFPs. We further identified that most of the SFPs are associated with genes involved in fatty acid, flavonoid, auxin biosynthesis etc. indicating that these pathways significantly involved in fibre development.

Effect of post-treatments and concentration of cotton linter cellulose nanocrystals on the properties of agar-based nanocomposite films.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared by acid hydrolysis of cotton linter pulp fibers and three different purification methods, i.e., without post purification (CNC1), dialyzed against distilled water (CNC2), and neutralized with NaOH (CNC3), and their effect on film properties was evaluated by preparation of agar/CNCs composite films. All the CNCs were rod in shape with diameter of 15-50 nm and length of 210-480 nm. FTIR result indicated that there was no distinctive differences in the chemical structure between CNCs and cotton linter cellulose fiber. No significant relationship was observed between the sulfate content and crystallinity index of CNCs. The CNC3 showed higher thermal stability than the other type of CNCs due to the less adverse effect on the thermal stability of sulfate groups induced by the neutralization with NaOH. The tensile strength (TS) of agar film increased by 15% with incorporation of 5 wt% of CNC3, on the contrary, it decreased by 10% and 15% with incorporation of CNC1 and CNC2, respectively. Other performance properties of agar/CNCs composite films such as optical and water vapor barrier properties showed that the CNC3 was more effective filler than the other CNCs. In the range of concentration of CNC3 tested (1-10 wt%), inclusion of 5 wt% of CNC3 was the maximum concentration for improving or maintaining film properties of the composite films. The neutralization of acid hydrolyzed cellulose using NaOH was simple and convenient for the preparation of CNC and bionanocomposite films.

Application of carboxymethylcellulose hydrogel based silver nanocomposites on cotton fabrics for antibacterial property.

In this study, fumaric acid (FA) crosslinked carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrogel (CMCF) based silver nanocomposites were coated on cotton fabric for antibacterial property for the first time. The performance of the nanocomposite treated cotton fabric was tested for different mixing times of hydrogel solution, padding times and concentrations of silver. The cotton fabrics treated with CMC hydrogel based silver nanocomposites demonstrated 99.9% reduction for both Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) and Klebsiella pneumonia (Kp). After one cycle washing processes of treated cotton fabric, there is no significant variation observed in antibacterial activity. From SEM and AFM analyses, silver particles in nano-size, homogenously distributed, were observed. The treated samples were also evaluated by tensile strength, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, fluid absorbency properties, and whiteness index. The treatment of cotton fabric with CMCF hydrogel did not affect the whiteness considerably, but increased the absorbency values of cotton.

Coloration of cotton fibers using nano chitosan.

A method of coloration of cotton fabrics with nano chitosan is proposed. Nano chitosan were prepared using crab shell chitin nanofibers through alkaline deacetylation process. Average nano fiber diameters of nano chitosan were 18 nm to 35 nm and the lengths were in the range of 0.2-1.3 µm according to the atomic force microscope study. The degree of deacetylation of the material was found to be 97.3%. The prepared nano chitosan dyed using acid blue 25 (2-anthraquinonesulfonic acid) and used as the coloration agent for cotton fibers. Simple wet immersion method was used to color the cotton fabrics by nano chitosan dispersion followed by acid vapor treatment. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope study of the treated cotton fiber revealed that the nano chitosan were consistently deposited on the cotton fiber surface and transformed in to a thin polymer layer upon the acid vapor treatment. The color strength of the dyed fabrics could be changed by changing the concentration of dyed nano chitosan dispersion.

Metabolomic and transcriptomic insights into how cotton fiber transitions to secondary wall synthesis, represses lignification, and prolongs elongation.

BACKGROUND: The morphogenesis of single-celled cotton fiber includes extreme elongation and staged cell wall differentiation. Designing strategies for improving cotton fiber for textiles and other uses relies on uncovering the related regulatory mechanisms. In this research we compared the transcriptomes and metabolomes of two Gossypium genotypes, Gossypium barbadense cv Phytogen 800 and G. hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. When grown in parallel, the two types of fiber developed similarly except for prolonged fiber elongation in the G. barbadense cultivar. The data were collected from isolated fibers between 10 to 28 days post anthesis (DPA) representing: primary wall synthesis to support elongation; transitional cell wall remodeling; and secondary wall cellulose synthesis, which was accompanied by continuing elongation only in G. barbadense fiber. RESULTS: Of 206 identified fiber metabolites, 205 were held in common between the two genotypes. Approximately 38,000 transcripts were expressed in the fiber of each genotype, and these were mapped to the reference set and interpreted by homology to known genes. The developmental changes in the transcriptomes and the metabolomes were compared within and across genotypes with several novel implications. Transitional cell wall remodeling is a distinct stable developmental stage lasting at least four days (18 to 21 DPA). Expression of selected cell wall related transcripts was similar between genotypes, but cellulose synthase gene expression patterns were more complex than expected. Lignification was transcriptionally repressed in both genotypes. Oxidative stress was lower in the fiber of G. barbadense cv Phytogen 800 as compared to G. hirsutum cv Deltapine 90. Correspondingly, the G. barbadense cultivar had enhanced capacity for management of reactive oxygen species during its prolonged elongation period, as indicated by a 138-fold increase in ascorbate concentration at 28 DPA. CONCLUSIONS: The parallel data on deep-sequencing transcriptomics and non-targeted metabolomics for two genotypes of single-celled cotton fiber showed that a discrete developmental stage of transitional cell wall remodeling occurs before secondary wall cellulose synthesis begins. The data showed how lignification can be transcriptionally repressed during secondary cell wall synthesis, and they implicated enhanced capacity to manage reactive oxygen species through the ascorbate-glutathione cycle as a positive contributor to fiber length.

The role of cellulosic chains of cotton in biosynthesis of ZnO nanorods producing multifunctional properties: Mechanism, characterizations and features.

In situ synthesis of ZnO nanorods on cellulosic chains of cotton fabric was accomplished using natural plant source namely Keliab and zinc acetate. Hierarchical mechanism of nano ZnO generation and deposition on cellulosic chains of cotton fabric was discussed in details and several analytical techniques were used to characterize the formation of nano ZnO wurtzite structure. The morphology, crystal phase, and chemical structure of the fabric were characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Further, interaction between ZnO and functional groups of cellulosic chains of cotton fabric was studied by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy. The influence of zinc acetate and Keliab solution on the self-cleaning activity of the treated cellulosic fabric was investigated with a central composite design based on surface response methodology. The treated fabrics showed self-cleaning activity toward methylene blue degradation under day light irradiation. The optimized treated sample showed high antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with enhanced tensile strength and higher crease recovery angle.

UV-Vis microspectrophotometry as a method of differentiation between cotton fibre evidence coloured with reactive dyes.

The main purposes of this study was to assess the usefulness of microspectrophotometry (MSP), both in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible (Vis) range for discriminating single cotton fibres dyed with reactive dyes coming from the same manufacturer, as well as the possibility of evaluation of the concentration of dye in an examine fibre. This study utilised woven cotton fabrics dyed with different concentrations of one-compound reactive dyes with the commercial name Cibacron® (at present Novacron®) as the focus of the MSP analysis. The spectra were recorded in the UV-Vis range between 200 and 800nm, in transmission mode. The results from this study illustrated that all of the analysed cotton samples dyed with reactive dyes were distinguishable between each other with the use of MSP, mostly in the visible, and also in ultraviolet range. The limit for applied MSP techniques was 0.18% of the concentration of a dye in the textile sample. The results indicate that based on the absorbance measurements for fibres constituting e.g. forensic traces it was not possible to estimate the concentration of the dye in the fibre because Beer's law did not obey. The intra-sample, and inter- sample variation, as well as dichroism effect in a case of a cotton fibres dyed with reactive dye were observed. On the basis of the results obtained for each analysed cotton sample, it was concluded that there was no correlation between colour uniformity in cotton fabric (changes in lightness, red/green and yellow/blue colour) and concentration of the reactive dye.

Non-cellulosic polysaccharides from cotton fibre are differently impacted by textile processing.

Cotton fibre is mainly composed of cellulose, although non-cellulosic polysaccharides play key roles during fibre development and are still present in the harvested fibre. This study aimed at determining the fate of non-cellulosic polysaccharides during cotton textile processing. We analyzed non-cellulosic cotton fibre polysaccharides during different steps of cotton textile processing using GC-MS, HPLC and comprehensive microarray polymer profiling to obtain monosaccharide and polysaccharide amounts and linkage compositions. Additionally, in situ detection was used to obtain information on polysaccharide localization and accessibility. We show that pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharide levels decrease during cotton textile processing and that some processing steps have more impact than others. Pectins and arabinose-containing polysaccharides are strongly impacted by the chemical treatments, with most being removed during bleaching and scouring. However, some forms of pectin are more resistant than others. Xylan and xyloglucan are affected in later processing steps and to a lesser extent, whereas callose showed a strong resistance to the chemical processing steps. This study shows that non-cellulosic polysaccharides are differently impacted by the treatments used in cotton textile processing with some hemicelluloses and callose being resistant to these harsh treatments.

Quantitative analysis of the multifunctional finishing of cotton fabric with non-formaldehyde agents.

Realization of simultaneous hydrophilizing and wrinkle-proofing effects on a cotton fabric is not impossible. This work proves that these objectives can be reached by using adequate multifunctional compounds: Tetronic 701 (T), chitosan (CS) and monochlorotriazine-ß-cyclodextrin (MCT-ß-CD). These were applied by means of three pad-dry-cure type treatments. We have studied, at first, the influences resulted after each stage in order to establish the optimum working fields. The results of the FTIR, XPS, XRD, DSC and TGA analyses confirmed the proposed mechanism. By applying the multiple linear regression as a statistical analysis of the data produced after the third treatment stage, one could determine the quantitative influences produced by the concentrations of the three multifunctional agents on the following parameters: taking-in degree, wrinkle recovery angles (WRA), breaking strength, durability test, immersion time, contact angle, and capillarity.

Study on novel functional materials carboxymethyl cellulose lithium (CMC-Li) improve high-performance lithium-ion battery.

Novel cellulose derivative CMC-Li was synthesized by cotton as raw material. The mechanism of the CMC-Li modified electrode materials by electrospinning was reported. CMC-Li/lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4, LFP) composite fiber coated with LFP and CMC-Li nanofibers was successfully obtained by electrospinning. Then, CMC-Li/LFP nano-composite fiber was carbonized under nitrogen at a high temperature formed CNF/LFP/Li (CLL) composite nanofibers as cathode material. It can increase the contents of Li+, and improving the diffusion efficiency and specific capacity. The battery with CLL as cathode material retained close to 100% of initial reversible capacity after 200 cycles at 168 mAh g(-1), which was nearly the theoretical specific capacity of LFP. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were characterizing material performance. The batteries have good electrochemical property, outstanding pollution-free, excellent stability.

Non-formaldehyde, crease resistant agent for cotton fabrics based on an organic-inorganic hybrid material.

1,2,3,4-Butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) was reacted with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) to a poly(amic)acid (PAA). The molar ratios of BTCA and APTES were 1/1 (B/A-1/1), 1/2 (B/A-1/2), 1/3 (B/A-1/3), and 1/4 (B/A-1/4). The as-prepared precursor solution was applied to cotton substrates. After thermal treatment (180°C) the physical-mechanical properties of the cotton samples were tested by means of dry crease recovery angle and tensile strength. For B/A-1/1 treated fabrics a significant improvement of the crease resistance was observed. FT-IR spectra revealed the formation of an imide group and an ester linkage, indicating the cross-linking of the cellulosic material. SEM images showed a smooth surface. As evidenced by TGA data the thermal stability of the cotton samples was not increased. No hydrophobicity could be observed. For B/A-1/3 and (B/A-1/4) modified cotton samples no crease resistant properties were detected. However, enhanced contact angle values were measured. A reaction mechanism for the formation of the ladder-like polysilsesquioxane and the cross-linking reaction is proposed.

Modification and characterization of cellulose cotton fibers for fast extraction of some precious metal ions.

In this work, native cellulose cotton fibers were first modified through graft copolymerization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and then by insertion of phenyl thiosemicarbazide moieties to finally produce C-PTS chelating fibers, which were fully characterized using various instrumental techniques such as SEM, FTIR, EDX and XRD spectra. The obtained C-PTS were employed in removal and extraction of Au(3+), Pd(2+) and Ag(+) precious metal ions from their aqueous solutions using batch experiments. The kinetic studies showed that the pseudo-second-order model exhibited the best fit for the experimental data. In addition, the adsorption isotherm studies indicated that the adsorption follows the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacities for Au(3+), Pd(2+) and Ag(+) were 198.31, 87.43 and 71.14 mg/g respectively.

Influence of pretreatment of cotton yarns prior to biopolishing.

Cellulase is one of the enzymes most commonly used in the textile industry for the biopolishing process. The appropriate choice of pretreatment is a possible route to promoting enzymatic attack in situations in which this is not favored due to the effects of packing. In order to evaluate the influence of pretreatment the yarn was maintained in water for 24h before biopolishing to promote greater spacing between the chains. In the tensile testing the pretreated Combed 13/1 yarn showed a greater percentage reduction in the maximum breaking force following biopolishing, evidencing a stronger enzymatic attack. Also, the Combed 13/1 and OE 14/1 yarns without pretreatment had an approximately 22% reduction in the shrinkage and after pretreatment the Carded 13/1 yarn had the best shrinkage reduction values (18%). These data demonstrate that the introduction of the pretreatment promotes a change in the access of the enzyme to the fiber.