Application of high shear-assisted liquid biphasic system for protein extraction from Chlorella sp.

Microalgae is a sustainable alternative source to traditional proteins. Existing pretreatment methods for protein extraction from microalgae still lack scalability, are uneconomical and inefficient. Herein, high shear mixing (HSM) was applied to disrupt the rigid cell walls and was found to assist in protein release from microalgae. This study integrates HSM in liquid biphasic system with seven parameters being investigated on extraction efficiency (EE) and protein yield (Y). The highest EE and Y obtained are 96.83 ± 0.47 % and 40.98 ± 1.27 %, respectively, using 30% w/v K3PO4 salt, 60 % v/v alcohol, volume ratio of 1:1 and 0.5 % w/v biomass loading under shearing rate of 16,000 rpm for 1 min.

A review on dry-based and wet-based catalytic sulphur dioxide (SO2) reduction technologies.

While sulphur dioxide (SO2) is known for its toxicity, numerous effective countermeasures were innovated to alleviate its hazards towards the environment. In particular, catalytic reduction is favoured for its potential in converting SO2 into harmless, yet marketable product, such as elemental sulphur. Therefore, current review summarises the critical findings in catalytic SO2 reduction, emphasising on both dry- and wet-based technology. As for the dry-based technology, knowledge related to SO2 reduction over metal-, rare earth- and carbon-based catalysts are summarised. Significantly, both the reduction mechanisms and important criteria for efficient SO2 reduction are elucidated too. Meanwhile, the wet-based SO2 reduction are typically conducted in reactive liquid medium, such as metal complexes, ionic liquids and organic solvents. Therefore, the applications of the aforesaid liquid mediums are discussed thoroughly in the similar manner to dry-technology. Additionally, the pros and cons of each type of catalyst are also presented to provide valuable insights to the pertinent researchers. Finally, some overlooked aspects in both dry- and wet-based SO2 reduction are identified, with potential solutions given too. With these insights, current review is anticipated to contribute towards practicality improvement of catalytic SO2 reduction, which in turn, protects the environment from SO2 pollution.

Photocatalytic remediation of organic waste over Keggin-based polyoxometalate materials: A review.

Photocatalytic remediation of industrial water pollution has courted intense attention lately due to its touted green approach. In this respect, Keggin-based polyoxometalates (POMs) as green solid acids in photocatalytic reaction possess superior qualities, viz. unique photoinduced charge-transfer properties, strong photooxidative-photoreductive ability, high chemical and thermal stability, and so forth. Unfortunately, it suffers from a large bandgap energy, low specific surface area, low recoverability, and scarce utilization in narrow absorption range. Therefore, the pollutant degradation performance is not satisfactory. Consequently, multifarious research to enhance the photocatalytic performance of Keggin-based POMs were reported, viz. via novel modifications and functionalizations through a variety of materials, inclusive of, inter alia, metal oxides, transition metals, noble metals, and others. In order to advocate this emerging technology, current review work provides a systematic overview on recent advancement, initiated from the strategized synthetic methods, followed by hierarchical enhancement and intensification process, at the same time emphasizes on the fundamental working principles of Keggin-based POM nanocomposites. By reviewing and summarizing the efforts adopted global-wide, this review is ended with providing useful outlooks for future studies. It is also anticipated to shed light on producing Keggin-based POM nanocomposites with breakthrough visible- and solar-light-driven photocatalytic performance against recalcitrant organic waste.