Investigation on cost-effective composites for CO adsorption from post-gasification residue and metal organic framework.

Cost-effective CO adsorbents are gaining increasing attention as viable solutions for mitigating climate change. In this study, composites were synthesized by electrochemically combining the post-gasification residue of Macadamia nut shell with copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (CuBTC). Among the different composites synthesized, the ratio of 1:1 between biochar and CuBTC (B 1:1) demonstrated the highest CO adsorption capacity.

What are tutors' perceptions of an online tutoring project-Digital Learning Companion-During the COVID-19 pandemic? A case study in Taiwan.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had serious impact on remote education and service-learning implementation in Taiwan. To alleviate these impacts, the Digital Learning Companion, an online tutoring project, was proposed to bridge the digital divide and learning gap among remote children, while offering university students an online service-learning environment. This project recruited international students as tutors for local children.

Facile synthesis of superparamagnetic thiamine/FeO with enhanced adsorptivity toward divalent copper ions.

The development of environmentally friendly adsorbents has been extensively carried out to overcome the detrimental effects of heavy metal accumulation, which has persistently become a global ecological problem. In pursuit of generating eco-friendly adsorbents, a green method for synthesizing thiamine functionalized-FeO (FT) was developed in this study. A one-step chemical oxidation and functionalization technique was used to prepare FT using the ammonia-containing solvent.

TiO/guar gum hydrogel composite for adsorption and photodegradation of methylene blue.

The development of porous adsorbent materials from renewable resources for water and wastewater treatment has received considerable interest from academia and industry. This work aims to synthesize composite hydrogel from the combination of guar gum (a neutral galactomannan polysaccharide) and TiO. The TiO-embedded guar gum hydrogel (TiO@GGH) was utilized to remove methylene blue through adsorption and photodegradation.

Evaluation of silicone hydrogel contact lenses based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) dialkanol and hydrophilic polymers.

Silicone hydrogel lenses were prepared by copolymerizing PDMS-PEGMA macromer (PGP) with various combinations of DMA, NVP, and PEGMA through UV initiated polymerization process. The resultant PGP macromer were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS). Characterization of all the resultant co-polymers included Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), equilibrium water content (EWC), oxygen permeability (Dk), optical transparency, contact angle, mechanical properties, zeta potential, protein deposition, and cytotoxicity.

One-step synthesis of nitrogen-grafted copper-gallic acid for enhanced methylene blue removal.

Nitrogen-grafting through the addition of glycine (Gly) was performed on a metal- phenolic network (MPN) of copper (Cu) and gallic acid (GA) to increase its adsorption capacity. Herein, we reported a one-step synthesis method of MPN, which was developed according to the metal-ligand complexation principle. The nitrogen grafted CuGA (N-CuGA) MPN was obtained by reacting Cu, GA, and Gly in an aqueous solution at a molar ratio of 1:1:1 and a pH of 8.

Aqueous synthesis of highly adsorptive copper-gallic acid metal-organic framework.

A greener route to synthesize mesoporous copper-gallic acid metal-organic framework (CuGA MOF) than the conventional method using harmful DMF solvent was proposed in this study. Various synthesis attempts were conducted by modifying the synthesis conditions to produce CuGA MOF with comparable physical properties to a reference material (DMF-synthesized CuGA NMOF). The independent variables investigated include the molar ratio of NaOH to GA (1.

Solution Equilibrium Study of Divalent Metal Ions with Phenylpropanoid Derivatives and Acetylcysteine Ligands.

Solution equilibrium of divalent metal ions (M=Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn) with caffeic acid (ligand C) or dihydrocaffeic acid (ligand D) in binary system, and with acetylcysteine (ligand N) in ternary system were investigated at condition similar to human physiological temperature of 310.15 K and ionic strength of 0.15 mol·dm NaCl.

Transesterification of activated sludge in subcritical solvent mixture.

Most previous studies reported in literature on biodiesel production from sludge were performed by acid catalyzed transesterification that required long reaction time (about 24h) and high methanol loading. The objective of this study was to investigate the in situ transesterification of sludge in subcritical mixture of methanol and acetic acid. At 250°C and a solvent (85% methanol and 15% acetic acid) to sludge ratio of 5 (mLg(-1)), a FAME yield of 30.

Effect of extraction solvent on total phenol content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of Limnophila aromatica.

Limnophila aromatica is commonly used as a spice and a medicinal herb in Southeast Asia. In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75%, and 100%) of methanol, ethanol, and acetone in water were used as solvent in the extraction of L. aromatica.

Impact of pretreatments on morphology and enzymatic saccharification of shedding bark of Melaleuca leucadendron.

The effects of subcritical water (SCW) and dilute acid pretreatments on the shedding bark of Melaleuca leucadendron (paper bark tree, PBT) biomass morphology, crystallinity index (CrI) and enzymatic saccharification were studied. The morphology of PBT bark was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. SCW pretreatment mainly extracted amorphous parts of the biomass hence its CrI increased, partial decrystallization of cellulose and exposing of intact nanofibers of cellulose were observed for SCW pretreatment at 180°C.

Bioethanol production from pretreated Melaleuca leucadendron shedding bark--simultaneous saccharification and fermentation at high solid loading.

Bioethanol production from the shedding bark of Melaleuca leucadendron (Paper-bark Tree, PBT) was studied using subcritical water (SCW) pretreatment at various severities (So). High ethanol production was attained by implementing a factorial design on three parameters (So, solid loading and enzyme loading) in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) mode. Ethanol concentration of 63.

Catalyst-free fatty acid methyl ester production from wet activated sludge under subcritical water and methanol condition.

Wet activated sludge was converted directly into biodiesel using water as hydrolysis reagent to enhance the extraction of lipid in activated sludge, and as catalyst for the conversion of neutral lipids into biodiesel under subcritical conditions. At 175°C, 3.5MPa, a methanol to sludge ratio of 30 (mL/g) and a sludge water content of 84wt.