Characterization and antimicrobial properties of cotton fabric loaded with green synthesized silver nanoparticles.

In the present study, antimicrobial formulations, based on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and butyl acrylate binder, were prepared and applied to a cotton fabric, followed by gamma-radiation or thermal curing, to protect it against the undesirable microbial effects. AgNPs were prepared by a biological method, using the biomass filtrate of fungus Alternaria alternata. Nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering.

Optimization of chitin yield from shrimp shell waste by Bacillus subtilis and impact of gamma irradiation on production of low molecular weight chitosan.

Chitin and chitosan have been produced from the exoskeletons of crustacean shells such as shrimps. In this study, seventy bacterial isolates, isolated from soil, were tested for proteolytic enzymes production. The most efficient one, identified as Bacillus subtilis, was employed to extract chitin from shrimp shell waste (SSW).

Biodegradation of used engine oil by novel strains of Ochrobactrum anthropi HM-1 and Citrobacter freundii HM-2 isolated from oil-contaminated soil.

Used engine oil (UEO) constitutes a serious environmental problem due to the difficulty of disposal off or reuse. Ten bacterial strains with biodegradation potential were isolated from UEO-contaminated soil sample using enrichment technique. Two strains which exhibited the highest degradation %, 51 ± 1.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and inactivation of pathogenic bacteria using silver nanoparticles modified titanium dioxide thin films.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a well-studied photocatalyst that is known to break down organic molecules upon ultraviolet irradiation. TiO2 thin films were fabricated on glass substrates using the doctor-blade procedure, the film surface was modified with silver nanoparticles to increase its visible light response. The Ag-TiO2 films were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction.