Valorization of solid waste biomass by inoculation for the enhanced yield of biogas

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - The current work reports experimental outcomes about anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of catering solid waste to produce biogas and...     

Production of biodiesel from palm fatty acid distillate using sulfonated-glucose solid acid catalyst:Characterization and optimization

A palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) has been used for biodiesel production. An efficient sulfonated-glucose acid catalyst (SGAC) was prepared by sulfonation to catalyze the esterification reaction. The effect of three variables i.e. methanol-to-PFAD molar ratio, catalyst amount and reaction time, on the yield of PFAD esters was studied by the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum reaction conditions were:12.2:1 methanol-to-PFAD molar ratio, 2.9%catalyst concentration and 134 min of time as predicted by the RSM. The reaction under the optimum conditions resulted in 94.5%of the free fatty acid (FFA) conversion with 92.4%of the FAME yield. The properties of the PFAD esters were determined according to biodiesel standards.     

High performance Nylon12/clay nanocomposites for potential packaging applications

The barrier property enhancement of polymers is presently a matter of great concern for the manufacturing of food packaging and films with excellency in moisture and gas resistance. The objective of this work was to enhance the barrier performance of Nylon12/kaolin clay nanocomposites against water vapors and oxygen. Kaolin clays of different aspect ratios were utilized for nanocomposites manufacturing. Nanocomposites were prepared in twin screw extruder operating at 160–200°C, with an increment of 10°C, and at 110 rev/min. The loading of clay was varied from 1 to 5 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction characterizations were used to investigate the morphological properties of nanocomposites. The transmission electron microscopy analysis was used to confirm the dispersion of clays in Nylon12 matrix. Enhancement in barrier performance of nanocomposite was noticed at 5 wt% clay loading. Oxygen barrier of nanocomposites was observed to be more prominent than water vapors owing to the presence of hydrogen bonding in Nylon12 structure which restricted oxygen passage. Experimental barrier values of nanocomposites were also fitted on barrier models namely Nielsen, Cussler model, and Gusev-Lutsi model.     

Simultaneous co-substitution of Sr2+/Fe3+ in hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for potential biomedical applications

In human, strontium (Sr) follows the same physiological pathway as calcium and thus could be used for improving the bioactivity and osteoconductivity of hydroxyapatite (HAp) in bone tissues. Similarly, iron (Fe) can potentially play an important role in bone remodeling due to its magnetic properties. Therefore, the current study was aimed to simultaneously co-substitute Sr²⁺/Fe³⁺ in HAp nanoparticles for various potential biomedical applications. The Sr²⁺/Fe³⁺ co-substituted HAp nanoparticles were systematically synthesized through sonication-assisted aqueous precipitation method. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated for different physicochemical and biological properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of Sr²⁺/Fe³⁺ co-substituted HAp nanoparticles confirmed their phase purity and showed hexagonal-like structure. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs showed an agglomerated rod-like morphology of HAp nanoparticles which contained pores consisted of small spheroids. The nanoparticles displayed magnetization (Ms) reliance on the loading level of mole % (X?=?Fe³⁺) and exhibited tunable porosity and microhardness (Hv) upon heat treatment. The nanoparticles showed less than 5% hemolysis demonstrating high blood compatibility with high in vitro bioactivity performance. The multifunctional properties of synthesized nanoparticles make them a potential candidate for various biomedical applications; including bone grafting and guided bone regeneration, targeted drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, and hyperthermia based cancer treatment.     

Effect of Self-Assemblies on the Dynamics of the Briggs–Rauscher Reaction

The study involves the dynamic evolution of the Briggs–Rauscher (BR) reaction in the presence of various surfactants—SDS (sodium dodecyl sulphate) as anionic, CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) as cationic and TritonX‐100 [4‐(1,1,3,3‐(tetramethylbutyl) phenyl polyethylene glycol] as a neutral one in single as well as mixed mode conditions (SDS + TX‐100 and CTAB + TX‐100). The reaction has been monitored potentiometrically at 30 °C under CSTR conditions. These surfactants affect the reaction dynamics to an extent which depends on the nature and concentration of the surfactant and the formation of their self‐assemblies. The experimental findings indicate that the oscillatory behavior of the BR reaction in the presence of surfactants is due to the efficacy of organized surfactant assemblies to selectively distribute the key species involved in the reaction, and their interaction with the counter ions in cases of ionic micelles. The study reveals that the evolution of oscillatory behavior is a characteristic feature of the surfactant.     

Extraction and quantification of phenolic compounds from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus armeniaca</Emphasis> seed and their role in biotransformation of xenobiotic compounds

The current research project has been devoted to isolating new low cost and eco-friendly phenolic compounds from fruit seeds, peels and vegetables to reduce the atmospheric pollution. Natural phenolic compounds were extracted from different fruit seeds and agriculture waste: P. armeniaca, P. persica, P. domestica and Triticum aesativum. The total phenolic content was quantified, and the maximum value (1 mL extract having 1,933 μg) was found in P. armeniaca seed extract. Phytochemical screening showed that P. armeniaca seeds contain higher amount of alkaloid, tannins, saponins and flavonoid. P. armeniaca seeds enhanced the biotransformation of reactive yellow dye up to 69.89% with maximum laccase (322.45 IU/mL) production. Biodegradation of reactive yellow was only 23.34% without natural redox mediator at sixth day of incubation. Use of P. armeniaca seed stimulators resulted in maximum laccase activity (894.4 IU/mL) with 99.5% rate of removal. UV-Vis, HPLC & FTIR analysis confirmed the transformation of parent dye into various new products. Phytotoxicity study indicated 0% germination index of Avena sativa seeds with reactive yellow, whereas 83% germination index having 100% seed germination while 83% root elongation with treated sample. Thus, the study revealed that the natural phenolic compounds could serve as high potential redox mediators for enhanced laccase-mediated decolorization of reactive yellow dye.     

Agile practices and performance: Examining the role of psychological empowerment

This study draws on the literature on psychological empowerment to conceptualize agile practices as a source of intrinsic motivation that enables the agile teams to deliver innovative outcomes. Then, drawing on the resource based view of innovative projects, the innovative behaviour of agile teams is cast as a project capability that affects project performance. To test this original conceptualization, data was collected to find support for the hypothesized relationships between agile practices, psychological empowerment, innovative behaviour and project performance. The statistical results showed that the agile practices of team autonomy and agile communication contributed to psychological empowerment that led to the innovative behaviour of agile teams. The innovative behaviour also affected project performance. The empirical validation of agile practices as a source of empowerment and motivation for agile teams is a new finding in the literature which has strong implications for both the theory and practice.