Phosphorylated cellulose nanocrystals: Optimizing production by decoupling hydrolysis and surface modification.

Urea and phosphoric acid are essential for the isolation of phosphorylated cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). Besides limiting dissolution of nanocrystals, urea facilitates the swelling of fibres thus increasing access for the phosphorylating agent. The aim of this study was to determine optimal conditions for isolation of highly charged phosphorylated CNCs.

Tackling the challenge of drying and redispersion of cellulose nanofibrils via membrane-facilitated liquid phase exchange.

It is generally acknowledged that to advance the application of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) in product formulations, challenges associated with the drying and redispersion of this material must be addressed. Despite increased research efforts in this area, these interventions still involve the use of additives or conventional drying technologies, which both have the capacity to drive up the cost of the final CNF powders. Herein, we prepared dried and redispersible CNF powders with varying surface functionalities without the use of additives nor conventional drying technologies.

Cellulose: A Review of Water Interactions, Applications in Composites, and Water Treatment.

Cellulose is known to interact well with water, but is insoluble in it. Many polysaccharides such as cellulose are known to have significant hydrogen bond networks joining the molecular chains, and yet they are recalcitrant to aqueous solvents. This review charts the interaction of cellulose with water but with emphasis on the formation of both natural and synthetic fiber composites.

Amphiphilic Cellulose Nanocrystals for Aqueous Processing of Thermoplastics.

Conventional composite formulation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with thermoplastics involves melt compounding or in situ polymerisation. In this rather unconventional approach, polypropylene (PP) microparticles were finely suspended and stabilized, at varying weight loadings, in aqueous suspensions of amphiphilic CNCs to enable adsorption of the nanoparticles onto the thermoplastic. In order to achieve these suspensions, CNCs were modified with either octyl or hexadecyl groups.

Synthesis of bismuth oxyhalide (BiOBr I ) solid solutions for photodegradation of methylene blue dye.

The removal of textile wastes is a priority due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties.  In this study, bismuth oxyhalide was used in the removal of methylene blue (MB) which is a textile waste. The main objective of this study was to develop and investigate the applicability of a bismuth oxyhalide (BiOBr I ) solid solutions in the photodegradation of MB under solar and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation.

Target and Suspect Screening of Pharmaceuticals and their Transformation Products in the Klip River, South Africa, using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

In spite of recent reports about the presence of pharmaceuticals in African water bodies, their prevalence has still not been sufficiently quantified. The few available studies have mostly focused on a limited number of pharmaceuticals. In the present study, a suspect screening of 92 compounds (mainly pharmaceuticals and their transformation products) along the Klip River, South Africa was conducted, followed by target monitoring of 21 of the detected pharmaceuticals.

Synthesis and application of cationised cellulose for removal of Cr(VI) from acid mine-drainage contaminated water.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) leads to contamination of surface and ground water by high levels of toxic metals including chromium. In many cases, these waters are sources of drinking water for communities, and treatment is therefore required before consumption to prevent negative health effects. Cationised hemp cellulose was prepared by etherification with two quaternary ammonium salts: 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) and examined for (i) the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal under acid mine-drainage (AMD) conditions, and (ii) antibacterial activity.

Recycled and desalinated water: Consumers' associations, and the influence of affect and disgust on willingness to use.

Traditional water sources are increasingly coming under pressure from urbanization, population and industrial growth as well as climate variability and alternatives such as desalinated and recycled water will need to be considered in the future. However, available data indicate that consumers are apprehensive about these alternative water sources, with many reactions centered on disgust. It is not clear though, whether trait or state disgust is responsible for these disgust reactions.

Cross-cultural validation of the short version of the Food Disgust Scale in ten countries.

The cross-cultural testing of scales represents an important step in the scale validation process. The present study evaluated whether the eight-item short version of the recently developed Food Disgust Scale (FDS-short) is a reliable and valid tool for measuring food disgust sensitivity in ten countries: Australia, China, England, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the USA. In an online survey, the participants (N = 6128) answered items from the FDS-short and other scales related to (food) disgust sensitivity so as to test the construct and criterion validity of the FDS-short.

Tap versus bottled water consumption: The influence of social norms, affect and image on consumer choice.

What drives consumers to choose bottled water instead of tap water where the latter is safe, accessible, costs far less, and in spite of its environmental impacts? This research investigates the influence of hitherto unexplored psychological drivers in an attempt to generate a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon, and strategies for designing more effective consumption reduction campaigns. Using data from an internet survey of Swiss and German respondents (N = 849) we investigated the role of, social norms, affect and image on water consumption. Results suggest that these psychological factors play a role in water consumption choice.