A new approach for extracellular RNA recovery from Rhodovulum sulfidophilum.

The development of RNA-based drugs is highly pursued due to the possibility of creating viable and effective therapies. However, their translation to clinical practice strongly depends on efficient technologies to produce substantial levels of these biomolecules, with high purity and high quality. RNAs are commonly produced by chemical or enzymatic methods, displaying these limitations. In this sense, recombinant production arises as a promising, cost-effective method, allowing large-scale production of RNA. Rhodovulum sulfidophilum (R. sulfidophilum), a marine purple bacterium, offers the advantage of RNA secretion into the extracellular medium, which contains low levels of RNases and other impurities. Therefore, RNA recovery can be simplified compared to standard extraction protocols involving cell lysis, resulting in a more clarified sample and an improved downstream process. In this work, R. sulfidophilum was transformed with a plasmid DNA encoding pre-miR-29b-1, which is known to be involved in the Alzheimer's disease pathway. After production, the pre-miR-29b-1 was recovered through different extraction methods to verify the most advantageous one. A protocol for extracellular RNA recovery was then established, revealing to be a simpler and less time-consuming method, reducing around 16 h in execution time and the quantity of reagents needed when compared to other established methods. The new strategy brings the additional advantage of eliminating the toxic organic compounds routinely used in intracellular RNA extractions. Overall, the optimized process described here, using isopropanol as the precipitation agent, offers a greener, safer, and faster alternative for recombinant RNA recovery and concentration, with an extracellular RNA recovery of 7 µg/mL and target pre-miRNA-29b-1 recovery of 0.7 µg/L of medium.

Advancing eco-excellence: Integrating stakeholders' pressures, environmental awareness, and ethics for green innovation and performance.

The environment is a major issue for both society and industry. Stakeholder demands, environmental ethics and environmental awareness may all have a substantial impact on a company's environmental performance. In this research, we investigate the impact of stakeholders' pressures, environmental ethics, and environmental awareness on environmental performance, which is mediated through the concept of green innovation. A survey questionnaire is used in the study to gather information from 410 managers working in different Chinese manufacturing firms. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to assess the data and test the assumptions that have been put forward. According to the study's results, stakeholders' pressures in terms of regulatory pressures, customer pressures, and competitor pressures; environmental ethics, and environmental awareness all had a positive effect on both green product innovation and green process innovation, which in turn had a favorable impact on environmental performance. Moreover, both green product and process innovation partially mediated the link between stakeholders' pressures, environmental ethics, and environmental performance except in the case of environmental awareness. These findings provide light on the significance of stakeholder demands, environmental ethics, and environmental awareness in encouraging green innovation and increasing environmental performance.

Ionic Liquid-Based Green Emulsion Liquid Membrane for the Extraction of the Poorly Soluble Drug Ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen (Ibf) is a biologically active drug (BADs) and an emerging contaminant of concern (CECs) in aqueous streams. Due to its adverse effects upon aquatic organisms and humans, the removal and recovery of Ibf are essential. Usually, conventional solvents are employed for the separation and recovery of ibuprofen. Due to environmental limitations, alternative green extracting agents need to be explored. Ionic liquids (ILs), emerging and greener alternatives, can also serve this purpose. It is essential to explore ILs that are effective for recovering ibuprofen, among millions of ILs. The conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) is an efficient tool that can be used to screen ILs specifically for ibuprofen extraction. The main objective of this work was to identify the best IL for the extraction of ibuprofen. A total of 152 different cation-anion combinations consisting of eight aromatic and non-aromatic cations and nineteen anions were screened. The evaluation was based upon activity coefficients, capacity, and selectivity values. Furthermore, the effect of alkyl chain length was studied. The results suggest that quaternary ammonium (cation) and sulfate (anion) have better extraction ability for ibuprofen than the other combinations tested. An ionic liquid-based green emulsion liquid membrane (ILGELM) was developed using the selected ionic liquid as the extractant, sunflower oil as the diluent, Span 80 as the surfactant, and NaOH as the stripping agent. Experimental verification was carried out using the ILGELM. The experimental results indicated that the predicted COSMO-RS and the experimental results were in good agreement. The proposed IL-based GELM is highly effective for the removal and recovery of ibuprofen.

Polyvinyl alcohol and aminated cellulose nanocrystal membranes with improved interfacial compatibility for environmental applications.

Biogas up-gradation is a useful method to control CO2 emission and enhance the green process. The demand for renewable sources is increasing due to the depletion of fossil fuels. Thin-film nanocomposites functionalized with tunable molecular-sieving nanomaterials have been employed to tailor membranes with enhanced permeability and selectivity. In this work, the cellulose nanocrystals as a filler in the polyvinyl alcohol matrix are prepared to achieve high-performance facilitated transport membranes for CO2 capture. Considering the mechanical stability, interfacial compatibility and high moisture uptake of the filler, the main objective of this work was to develop a novel aminated CNC (Am-CNC)/polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite membrane for biogas upgrading. The hydroxyl groups (O-H) on the reducing end of the cellulose nanocrystals were replaced by amino groups (N-H2). It was discovered through Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) that adding Am-CNCs in PVA membranes shows an increment in the CO2 removal and effectively upgrades the biogas. The effect of change in concentration of Am-CNC and feed pressure was investigated. The results showed that with increasing Am-CNC concentration up to 1.5 wt%, the thickness of the selective membrane layer increased from 0.95 to 1.9 µm with a decrease in the moisture uptake from 85.04 to 58.84%. However, the best CO2 permeance and selectivity were achieved at 0.306 m3/m2.bar.h (STP) and 33.55, respectively. Furthermore, there was a more than two-fold decrease in CO2 permeance and a 27% decrease in the CO2/CH4 selectivity when the feed pressure increased from 5 to 15 bar. It was revealed that PVA/Am-CNC membrane is high performing for the biogas upgradation.

Sustainable Data-Driven Secured Optimization Using Dynamic Programming for Green Internet of Things.

The development of smart applications has benefited greatly from the expansion of wireless technologies. A range of tasks are performed, and end devices are made capable of communicating with one another with the support of artificial intelligence technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) increases the efficiency of communication networks due to its low costs and simple management. However, it has been demonstrated that many systems still need an intelligent strategy for green computing. Establishing reliable connectivity in Green-IoT (G-IoT) networks is another key research challenge. With the integration of edge computing, this study provides a Sustainable Data-driven Secured optimization model (SDS-GIoT) that uses dynamic programming to provide enhanced learning capabilities. First, the proposed approach examines multi-variable functions and delivers graph-based link predictions to locate the optimal nodes for edge networks. Moreover, it identifies a sub-path in multistage to continue data transfer if a route is unavailable due to certain communication circumstances. Second, while applying security, edge computing provides offloading services that lower the amount of processing power needed for low-constraint nodes. Finally, the SDS-GIoT model is verified with various experiments, and the performance results demonstrate its significance for a sustainable environment against existing solutions.

An Edible Oil Enriched with Lycopene from Pink Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Using Different Mechanical Treatments.

According to the regulations of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), organic solvents should be limited in pharmaceutical and food products due to their inherent toxicity. For this reason, this short paper proposes different mechanical treatments to extract lycopene without organic solvents to produce an edible sunflower oil (SFO) enriched with lycopene from fresh pink guavas (Psidium guajava L.) (FPGs). The methodology involves the use of SFO and a combination of mechanical treatments: a waring blender (WB), WB+ high-shear mixing (HSM) and WB+ ultrafine friction grinding (UFFG). The solid:solvent (FPG:SFO) ratios used in all the techniques were 1:5, 1:10 and 1:20. The results from optical microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy showed a correlation between the concentration of lycopene in SFO, vegetable tissue diameters and FPG:SFO ratio. The highest lycopene concentration, 18.215 ± 1.834 mg/g FPG, was achieved in WB + UFFG with an FPG:SFO ratio of 1:20. The yield of this treatment was 66% in comparison to the conventional extraction method. The maximal lycopene concentration achieved in this work was significantly higher than the values reported by other authors, using high-pressure homogenization for tomato peel and several solvents such as water, SFO, ethyl lactate and acetone.

Polyelectrolyte Precipitation: A New Green Chemistry Approach to Recover Value-Added Proteins from Different Sources in a Circular Economy Context.

Proteins have always been vital biological molecules used for industrial purposes, human nutrition and health. Nowadays, seeking new alternatives and sources of these biomolecules is becoming an increasing research trend derived from the present consumer awareness between food consumption and health promotion, but also on environmental sustainability. Although there are different consolidated/traditional downstream processes to obtain proteins, such as chromatography tools, alkali hydrolysis, precipitation by inorganic salts and organic solvents, their industrial-scale application still demands urgent innovation due to the poor recovery yields, high costs and time-consuming steps, environmental impact as well as some toxic concerns. Polyelectrolyte precipitation represents a green, innovative alternative for protein recovery; however, there are reduced data regarding its pilot or industrial-scale application. In this literature work, the action mechanism and principles with regards to its functionality and insights for its application on a big scale are reviewed. Overall, this review discusses the novelty and sustainability of protein precipitation by polyelectrolytes from different sources against traditional techniques as well as highlights the relationship between protein source, production relevance and bioactive properties that are key factors to maximize the application of this extractive method on a circular economy context.

Bioactive compounds recovered from apple pomace as ingredient in cider processing: monitoring of compounds during fermentation.

The apple pomace-industrial residue of apple beverages manufacture-presents 42-58% of the phenolic content of fresh fruit. As the phenolic composition influences the quality of ciders, it is very relevant to monitor the evolution of these compounds during the industrial process. Therefore, this research aim was to monitor the cider composition with the addition of phenolic extract from apple pomace during the fermentation. Two treatments, S1 (without extract) and S2 (with added extract), were evaluated during 15 days of fermentation. After 15 fermentation days, the sample S2 presented an increase of 23% in total phenolic compounds and 40% in flavonoids without harm to the fermentation kinetics. Concerning the evolution of monomeric phenolic compounds, the phenolic acids in S1 and S2 presented a similar trend during the fermentation period. Enzymatic hydrolysis reactions resulted in the chlorogenic acid content decreasing, in line with increased levels of caffeic acid. Phloridzin and quercetin glycosides content showed the greatest increase in S2. The final product S2 presented higher antioxidant activity and some sensorial characteristics (astringency, bitterness and colour) were accentuated. This work shows that phenolic compounds added were maintained during the process and it did not prejudice the fermentation reactions. Therefore, this is a good alternative to valorize apple pomace and improve the functional and sensorial quality of the cider.

Green process innovation, green product innovation and its economic performance improvement paths: A survey and structural model.

Green technology innovation is an important driving force for high-quality development in China. Recently, much attention has focused on the connotation, influencing factors and mode selection of green technology innovation, yet few studies have systematically tested the transmission paths between green technology innovation and economic performance. Green technology innovation can be divided into green process innovation and green product innovation, both of which can improve the environmental and economic performance of enterprises. Drawing on previous research, this study constructs a model of economic performance transmission for green technology innovation and upgrading, and conducts an empirical analysis based on data from 642 industrial enterprises in China. The results show that green process innovation and green product innovation can effectively improve the economic performance of enterprises. The environmental performance and market competitiveness of enterprises are important mediating variables in the paths of economic performance improvement. An enterprise's green process innovation can positively promote green product innovation, and there is also room for technological innovation upgrading. There are two main differences in the transmission paths for different types of green technology innovation: (1) Green process innovation can improve economic performance directly, whereas green product innovation can only do this indirectly; (2) In most cases, the path from green product innovation to economic performance is more important than that from green process innovation to economic performance. This study deepens understanding of the green technology innovation process and has implications for optimizing policy design for green development.

Cleaner operations in hotels: Recommendation for post-pandemic green recovery.

Although the extant studies had examined the impact of green marketing, limited research has focused on green marketing as an attempt of cleaner production. This paper contributes to green marketing and cleaner production literature by introducing "clean service marketing" through adaptation of cleaner production onto the expanded green service marketing mix (people, physical evidence and process). The study further contributes to the literature by investigating the possible influence of clean service marketing in providing health value, enhancing social-quality performance and good differentiation advantage. The authors adopted a mixed-method study by systematic review and survey questionnaire to collect data. A systematic review was conducted to address the research question "Do firms' green approaches provide health value to its stakeholder? While 101 sets of questionnaire were distributed to the managers of the selected three-to-five stars hotel and resort in Malaysia to confirm the proposed hypotheses. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling was employed for quantitative data analysis, and SmartPLS 3.2.8 software was performed to analyze the data obtained. The results of the synthesis analysis addressed the research question that firms or any practitioners by going green could either improved human's health or perceived health. The result of the quantitative analysis revealed that only the green process is positively related to social-quality performance. In contrast, green people, green physical evidence and green process were found all positively related to differentiation advantage. With regards, the authors strongly recommend hotel and resort firms taking green as a "clean" approach for hotels' post-pandemic recovery.

Synthesis of Metal Nanostructures Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: A Green and Upscalable Process.

Metallic nanostructures have numerous applications as industrial catalysts and sensing platforms. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2 ) is a green medium for the scalable preparation of nanomaterials. Supercritical fluid reactive deposition (SFRD) and other allied techniques can be employed for the mass production of metal nanostructures for various applications. The present article reviews the recent reports on the scCO2 -assisted preparation of zero-valent metal nanomaterials and their applications. A brief description of the science of pure supercritical fluids, especially CO2 , and the basics of binary mixtures composed of scCO2 and a low volatile substance, e.g., an organometallic precursor are presented. The benefits of using scCO2 for preparing metal nanomaterials, especially as a green solvent, are also being highlighted. The experimental conditions that are useful for the tuning of particle properties are reviewed thoroughly. The range of modifications to the classical SFRD methods and the variety of metallic nanomaterials that can be synthesized are reviewed and presented. Finally, the broad ranges of applications that are reported for the metallic nanomaterials that are synthesized using scCO2 are reviewed. A brief summary along with perspectives about future research directions is also presented.

Green and Sustainable Valorization of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds from Pinus By-Products.

In Europe, pine forests are one of the most extended forests formations, making pine residues and by-products an important source of compounds with high industrial interest as well as for bioenergy production. Moreover, the valorization of lumber industry residues is desirable from a circular economy perspective. Different extraction methods and solvents have been used, resulting in extracts with different constituents and consequently with different bioactivities. Recently, emerging and green technologies as ultrasounds, microwaves, supercritical fluids, pressurized liquids, and electric fields have appeared as promising tools for bioactive compounds extraction in alignment with the Green Chemistry principles. Pine extracts have attracted the researchers' attention because of the positive bioproperties, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-neurodegenerative, antitumoral, cardioprotective, etc., and potential industrial applications as functional foods, food additives as preservatives, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Phenolic compounds are responsible for many of these bioactivities. However, there is not much information in the literature about the individual phenolic compounds of extracts from the pine species. The present review is about the reutilization of residues and by-products from the pine species, using ecofriendly technologies to obtain added-value bioactive compounds for industrial applications.

A green non-acid-catalyzed process for direct N=N-C group formation: comprehensive study, modeling, and optimization.

The aim of this work is to introduce, model, and optimize a new non-acid-catalyzed system for a direct N[Formula: see text]N-C bond formation. By reacting naphthols or phenol with anilines in the presence of the sodium nitrite as nitrosonium ([Formula: see text] source and triethylammonium acetate (TEAA), a N[Formula: see text]N-C group can be formed in non-acid media. Modeling and optimization of the reaction conditions were investigated by response surface method. Sodium nitrite, TEAA, and water were chosen as variables, and reaction yield was also monitored. Analysis of variance indicates that a second-order polynomial model with F value of 35.7, a P value of 0.0001, and regression coefficient of 0.93 is able to predict the response. Based on the model, the optimum process conditions were introduced as 2.2 mmol sodium nitrite, 2.2 mL of TEAA, and 0.5 mL [Formula: see text] at room temperature. A quadratic (second-order) polynomial model, by analysis of variance, was able to predict the response for a direct N=N-C group formation. Predicted response values were in good agreement with the experimental values. Electrochemistry studies were done to introduce new Michael acceptor moieties. Broad scope, high yields, short reaction time, and mild conditions are some advantages of the presented method.

"Nano-Ginseng" for Enhanced Cytotoxicity AGAINST Cancer Cells.

Panax ginseng has high medicinal and health values. However, the various and complex components of ginseng may interact with each other, thus reducing and even reversing therapeutic effects. In this study, we designed and fabricated a novel "nano-ginseng" with definite ingredients, ginsenoside Rb1/protopanaxadiol nanoparticles (Rb1/PPD NPs), completely based on the protopanaxadiol-type extracts. The optimized nano-formulations demonstrated an appropriate size (~110 nm), high drug loading efficiency (~96.8%) and capacity (~27.9 wt %), long half-time in systemic circulation (nine-fold longer than free PPD), better antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo, higher accumulation at the tumor site and reduced damage to normal tissues. Importantly, this process of "nano-ginseng" production is a simple, scalable, green economy process.

Optimization of Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride Spray-Dried Microparticles for Pulmonary Delivery Using Design of Experiments.

Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic for treatment of pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis. The purpose of this work was to rationally study the spray drying of ciprofloxacin in order to identify the formulation and operating conditions that lead to a product with aerodynamic properties appropriate for dry powder inhalation. A 24 - 1 fractional factorial design was applied to investigate the effect of selected variables (i.e., ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) concentration, drying air inlet temperature, feed flow rate, and atomization air flow rate) on several product and process parameters (i.e., particle size, aerodynamic diameter, moisture content, densities, porosity, powder flowability, outlet temperature, and process yield) and to determine an optimal condition. The studied factors had a significant effect on the evaluated responses (higher p value 0.0017), except for the moisture content (p value > 0.05). The optimal formulation and operating conditions were as follows: CIP concentration 10 mg/mL, drying air inlet temperature 110°C, feed volumetric flow rate 3.0 mL/min, and atomization air volumetric flow rate 473 L/h. The product obtained under this set had a particle size that guarantees access to the lung, a moisture content acceptable for dry powder inhalation, fair flowability, and high process yield. The PDRX and SEM analysis of the optimal product showed a crystalline structure and round and dimpled particles. Moreover, the product was obtained by a simple and green spray drying method.

Comparison of reduced sugar high quality chocolates sweetened with stevioside and crude stevia 'green' extract.

BACKGROUND: The demand for zero and reduced-sugar food products containing cocoa is expanding continuously. The present study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of producing high-quality chocolate sweetened with a crude extract of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) prepared by a green microwave-assisted water-steam extraction procedure. Seven approximately isosweet chocolate formulations were developed, mixing cocoa paste, sucrose, commercial stevioside, crude green extract and maltitol in different proportions. All samples were analyzed for the determination of polyphenol and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and sensory acceptability. RESULTS: The use of a crude stevia extract allowed low-sugar, high-quality chocolates to be obtained that were also acceptable by consumers and had a significant increased antioxidant activity. Moreover, consumers' segmentation revealed a cluster of consumers showing the same overall liking for the sample with 50% sucrose replaced by the stevia crude extract as that obtained with the commercial stevioside and the control sample (without sucrose replacement). CONCLUSION: The results provide information that can contribute to promoting the development of sweet food products, with advantages in terms of an improved nutritional value (reduced sugar content and increased antioxidant activity) and a reduced impact of the production process on the environment. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

One-Step Assembly of Phytic Acid Metal Complexes for Superhydrophilic Coatings.

While of immense scientific interest, superhydrophilic surfaces are usually difficult to prepare, and preparation methods are typically substrate specific. Herein, a one-step coating method is described that can endow superhydrophilicity to a variety of substrates, both inorganic and organic, using the coordination complexes of natural phytic acid and Fe(III) ions. Coating deposition occurs in minutes, and coatings are ultrathin, colorless, and transparent. Superhydrophilicity is attributed, in part, to the high density of phosphonic acid groups. The ease, rapidness, and mildness of the assembly process, which is also cost-effective and environmental-friendly, points towards potential applications, such as self-cleaning, oil/water separation, antifogging.

Carbon dioxide utilization in propylene carbonate production process.

Utilizing carbon dioxide in chemical processes is one of the suggested remedies for reducing its atmospheric concentration. In this paper, the simulation of the propylene carbonate production process using 1,2-propanediol and carbon dioxide has been performed. The impact of temperature was examined between 75 and 400°C. It has been found that as temperature rises, reaction conversion increases. Additionally, the impact of recycling ratio was examined in the range of 0.1-0.5, which demonstrates that a rise in the recycle ratio results in a fall in conversion. Furthermore; it was observed that the pressure initially increases the solubility of carbon dioxide in 1,2-propanediol and improves the conversion of the reaction, but when enough carbon dioxide is supplied in the reaction, increasing the pressure does not affect the corresponding reaction. The effect of all studied parameters depends on the residence time of the reactants in the reactor. Investigating the interaction of parameters and optimizing the process has shown several optimal point of the process such as temperature of 295 °C, a recycle ratio 0.1, feed ratio 0.8 and a residence time of 12.61 h, with the related conversion being 59.6%.

Comprehensive reutilization of Glycyrrhiza uralensis residue by extrusion-biological pretreatment for coproduction of flavonoids, cellulase, and ethanol.

A continuous chemical-free green approach was investigated for the comprehensive reutilization of all components in herbal extraction residues (HERs), taking Glycyrrhiza uralensis residue (GUR) as an example. The GUR structural changes induced by mechanical extrusion which improve the specific surface area and enzyme accessibility of GUR. With 3 % pretreated GUR loading of high-tolerance Penicillium oxalicum G2. The reducing sugar yield of 11.45 g/L was achieved, along with an 81.06 % in situ enzymatic hydrolysis. Finally, 8.23 g/L bioethanol (0.40 g/g total sugar) was produced from GUR hydrolysates after 24 h fermentation of Pichia stipitis G32. The amount of functional medicinal ingredients extracted from GUR after hydrolysis (39.63 mg/g) was 37.69 % greater than that of un-pretreated GUR. In total, 1.49 g flavonoids, 294.36 U cellulase, and 14.13 g ethanol could be produced from 100 g GUR using this process, illustrating that this green and efficient process has the potential for industrial production.

Green Process for Producing Xylooligosaccharides by Using Sequential Auto-hydrolysis and Xylanase Hydrolysis.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), as prebiotic oligomers, are increasingly receiving attention as high value-added products produced from lignocellulosic biomass. Although the XOS contains a series of different degrees of polymerization (DP) of xylose units, DP 2 and 3 (xylobiose (X2) and xylotriose (X3)) are regarded as the main active components in food and pharmaceutical fields. Therefore, in the study, in order to achieve the maximum production of XOS with the desired DP, a combination strategy of sequential auto-hydrolysis and xylanase hydrolysis was developed with corncob as raw material. The evidences showed that the hemicellulosic xylan could be effectively decomposed into various higher DP saccharides (> 4), which were dissolved into the auto-hydrolysate; sequentially, the soluble saccharides could be rapidly hydrolyzed into XOS with desired DP by xylanase hydrolysis. Finally, a maximum XOS yield of 56.3% was achieved and the ratio of (X2 + X3)/XOS was over 80%; meanwhile, the by-products could be controlled at lower levels. Overall, this study provides solid data that support the selective and precise preparation of XOS from corncob, vigorously promoting the application of XOS as functional sugar products.