Oxidative pyrolysis of alkali lignin using nitrogen functionalized graphene oxide-cerium oxide nanocatalysts: Mechanistic insights thorough density functional theory.

In this study, a functionalized graphene oxide-cerium oxide nanocatalysts (FGCe) with varying graphene oxide (GO) contents were prepared using an in-situ reflux method. The prepared nanocatalysts showcased improvement in the crystallinity and BET surface area values with increasing GO contents. The efficacies of prepared catalysts were investigated towards oxidative pyrolysis of alkali lignin in an ethanol-water system.

Solvent-Selective Fluorescence Sensing of Mg and Al Ions by Pincer-Type NNO Schiff Base Ligand: An Experimental and DFT Optimized Approach.

A newly developed dual-functional fluorescence sensing probe (phenylhydrazinyl pyridine) Schiff base (SB) has been designed with good selectivity for distinguishing Mg and Al metal ions in different solvent solutions. SB exhibits quick and visual turn-on fluorescence enhancement in response to Mg and Al detection. The addition of Mg in ACN-HEPES buffer (1 : 1, v/v, pH 7.

Ethane and Propane Dehydrogenation on Small Platinum Clusters Supported on Silica: An Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics and DFT Study.

The size-dependent activity of catalysts has been researched for a long time in the field of catalysis. Positively charged small Pt clusters enhance catalytic activity than bigger clusters and bulk for propane dehydrogenation. We performed DFT calculations on small Pt clusters adsorbed on silica support.

Multi-doped borophene catalysts with engineered defects for CO reduction: A DFT study.

Carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CORR) to convert carbon dioxide (CO) into value-added products via the electrochemical method is a conducive way to tackle the hazard of high CO emissions. The present DFT study reports a novel dual chromium-anchored tri-vacancy borophene (Cr/TV-β) electrocatalyst, which showed high selectivity and stability for CORR. A tri-vacancy defect was introduced in β borophene to create an 11-membered ring borophene sheet (TV-β), and 28 different electrocatalysts were explored via doping various transition metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn).

Machine learning implemented exploration of the adsorption mechanism of carbon dioxide onto porous carbons.

Adsorption of CO on porous carbons has been identified as one of the promising methods for carbon capture, which is essential for meeting the sustainable developmental goal (SDG) with respect to climate action, i.e., SDG 13.

Peroxymonosulfate activation with an α-MnO/MnO/MnO hybrid system: parametric optimization and oxidative degradation of organic dye.

The present study proposed the synthesis of low-toxicity and eco-friendly spherically shaped manganese oxides (α-MnO, MnO, and MnO) by using the chemical precipitation method. The unique variable oxidation states and different structural diversity of manganese-based materials have a strong effect on fast electron transfer reactions. XRD, SEM, and BET analyses were used to confirm the structure morphology, higher surface area, and excellent porosity.

Efficient Propylene Carbonate Synthesis from Urea and Propylene Glycol over Calcium Oxide-Magnesium Oxide Catalysts.

A series of calcium oxide-magnesium oxide (CaO-MgO) catalysts were prepared under the effects of different precipitating agents and using varied Mg/Ca ratios. The physiochemical characteristics of the prepared catalysts were analyzed using XRD, FE-SEM, BET, FTIR, and TG/DTA techniques. Quantification of basic active sites present on the surface of the CaO-MgO catalysts was carried out using the Hammett indicator method.

Microbial peroxide producing cell mediated lignin valorization.

Lignin is one of the most abundant naturally occurring polymers and can produce value-added products such as vanillin and p-coumaric acid. In the current work, in-situ depolymerization of lignin for its valorization in a microbial peroxide-producing cell (MPPC) system was performed. It is an electrochemical cell that requires no external energy to produce HO for the advanced oxidation process.

Insight into the thermal kinetics and thermodynamics of sulfuric acid plant sludge for efficient recovery of sulfur.

The disposal and management of sulfur-rich sludges (SRS) are challenging issues for the industries due to their adverse environmental impact. The present study reports the detailed characterizations and assessment of the thermo-kinetics of sludge generated from the sulfuric acid plant. In addition, the sulfur was retrieved with the help of the evaporation-condensation method.

Hazardous maize processing industrial sludge: Thermo-kinetic assessment and sulfur recovery by evaporation-condensation technique.

In the present work, a detailed thermo-kinetics of hazardous sulfur-rich sludge generated from the corn processing industry was performed for acquiring the optimum parameters for the efficient recovery of sulfur using the evaporation-condensation technique. Sulfur in the sludge was found to be 79 ± 3% (wt%) as estimated by the Bureau of Indian Standards method. A weight loss of 77 ± 3% was found in the active devolatilization zone from ≈ 200-400 °C.

Ultrasound-assisted electrochemical treatment of cosmetic industry wastewater: Mechanistic and detoxification analysis.

This study aims to investigate the mineralization of cosmetics producing industrial wastewater (CW) using sono-electrochemical (US-EC) treatments. The influence of operating parameters such as current density (j), electrolyte (NaSO) concentration (m), initial pH (pH), and ultrasonic power was investigated using Ti/RuO dimensionally stable electrodes. The results demonstrated 80.

Pyrolysis of almond (Prunus amygdalus) shells: Kinetic analysis, modelling, energy assessment and technical feasibility studies.

The aim of this work was to study the thermogravimetric analysis through the pyrolysis of almond (Prunus amygdalus) shells for evaluating its potential for bioenergy at different heating rates (10, 25, and 50 K min). The activation energy values for the process were of the range of 153.0, 152.

Treatment of biologically treated distillery spent wash employing electrocoagulation and reverse-osmosis treatment train.

In the present study, electro-coagulation (EC) with stainless steel (SS) electrodes has been used as a pretreatment process before the reverse osmosis (RO) for the biologically treated distillery spent wash. The optimized operating parameters (pH, time, current, and electrode distance) for the EC process were obtained from the previous study. EC treated wastewater was further used as a feed for the RO system.

Heterogeneous vanadium-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of olefins for sustainable synthesis of carboxylic acids.

The development of green and sustainable processes to synthesize active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials is a priority for the pharmaceutical industry. A green and sustainable protocol for the oxidative cleavage of olefins to produce pharmaceutically and biologically valuable carboxylic acids is achieved. The developed protocol involves 70% aq.

Binary electrochemical mineralization of heterocyclic nitrogenous compounds: parametric optimization using Taguchi method and mineralization mechanism.

The main objective of the present work was to understand the interactive behaviour of various operating parameters including concentration of pollutants during binary electrochemical mineralization of the two nitrogenous heterocyclic pollutants in the aqueous solution. Indole and pyrrole were selected as pollutants, whereas Pt/Ti was selected as anode and cathode. The effects of different operating parameters like current density, solution conductivity, initial concentration of the pollutants and time were studied.

Mechanistic insight into ultrasound-induced enhancement of electrochemical oxidation of ofloxacin: Multi-response optimization and cost analysis.

In this paper, a hybrid advanced oxidation process of sonoelectrochemical, in which ultrasound and electrochemical are applied simultaneously, has been used for the degradation of ofloxacin (bio-recalcitrant pharmaceutical pollutant). Response surface methodology based central composite design was applied to understand the parametric effects of ultrasonic power, current density, initial pH, and electrolyte dose. Enhanced ofloxacin degradation was obtained using sonoelectrochemical (≈95%) process in comparison to the electrochemical (≈60.

Enhancing photocatalytic degradation of quinoline by ZnO:TiO mixed oxide: Optimization of operating parameters and mechanistic study.

This study focuses on the photocatalytic degradation of quinoline, a recalcitrant heterocyclic nitrogenous aromatic organic compound, using the mixed oxide ZnO-TiO photo-catalyst. Photo-catalysts were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method at different calcination temperatures of 400 °C, 600 °C, and 800 °C. Different analytical methods, including Field emission scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis were used for the catalyst characterization.

Self-engineered iron oxide nanoparticle incorporated on mesoporous biochar derived from textile mill sludge for the removal of an emerging pharmaceutical pollutant.

In the present work, low-cost and efficient iron oxide nanoparticle incorporated on mesoporous biochar was prepared from effluent treatment plant (ETP) sludge collected from the textile industry. This sludge contains a higher amount of Fe due to the use of ferric chloride as a coagulant in the treatment of wastewater generated during the process. The raw sludge and prepared biochar was extensively examined by various sophisticated techniques like XRF, XRD, BET, TGA, XPS, RAMAN, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, and VSM.

Simple Synthesis of Large Graphene Oxide Sheets via Electrochemical Method Coupled with Oxidation Process.

In this paper, we report a simple two-step approach for the synthesis of large graphene oxide (GO) sheets with lateral dimensions of ≈10 μm or greater. The first step is a pretreatment step involving electrochemical exfoliation of graphite electrode to produce graphene in a mixture of HSO and HPO. The second step is the oxidation step, where oxidation of exfoliated graphene sheets was performed using KMnO as the oxidizing agent.

Mechanistic evaluation of heterocyclic aromatic compounds mineralization by a Cu doped ZnO photo-catalyst.

In this study, Cu doped ZnO photo-catalysts were used for the degradation of the heterocyclic compounds, pyridine and quinoline. Three ZnO based photo-catalysts with different amounts of Cu doping (1%, 5% and 10%) were synthesized by precipitation method. The characterization of the catalyst was done using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photo-luminescence (PL) techniques.

Exploring temple floral refuse for biochar production as a closed loop perspective for environmental management.

Religious faith and ritual activities lead to significant floral offerings production and its disposal as waste to the nearby open lands and water bodies. These activities result into various social and environmental nuisances because of their high organic content. Alternatively, it can be used as valuable resources for various biochemical and thermo-chemical processes.

Mineralization of pyrrole, a recalcitrant heterocyclic compound, by electrochemical method: Multi-response optimization and degradation mechanism.

In this study, the electrochemical (EC) oxidation of a recalcitrant heterocyclic compound namely pyrrole has been reported using platinum coated titanium (Pt/Ti) electrodes. Response surface methodology (RSM) comprising of full factorial central composite design (CCD) with four factors and five levels has been used to examine the effects of different operating parameters such as current density (j), aqueous solution pH, conductivity (k) and treatment time (t) in an EC batch reactor. Pyrrole mineralization in aqueous solution was examined with multiple responses such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) (response, Y) and specific energy consumption (SEC) in kWh/kg of COD removed (response, Y).

Synthesis and application of green mixed-metal oxide nano-composite materials from solid waste for dye degradation.

Present study demonstrates reutilization of electrochemical (EC) sludge as a potential low-cost green catalyst for dye degradation. Hexagonal Fe2O3 type phase with trevorite (NiFe2O4)-type cubic phase nanocomposite material (NCM) was synthesized from solid waste sludge generated during EC treatment of textile industry wastewater with stainless steel electrode. For NCM synthesis, sludge was heated at different temperatures under controlled condition.

Microfluidic-based photocatalytic microreactor for environmental application: a review of fabrication substrates and techniques, and operating parameters.

Photochemical technology with microfluidics is emerging as a new platform in environmental science. Microfluidic technology has various advantages, like better mixing and a shorter diffusion distance for the reactants and products; and uniform distribution of light on the photocatalyst. Depending on the material type and related applications, several fabrication techniques have been adopted by various researchers.