Green Synthesis of MOF-Based Materials for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Porous ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 were synthesized via a green steam-assisted dry-gel technique and investigated as potential catalysts for CO electroreduction. The synthesis conditions are found to significantly influence the growth of these metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Notably, the water content employed during synthesis plays a crucial role in shaping the morphological properties of ZIF-8.

Shape-engineered titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO-NPs): cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in bronchial epithelial cells.

The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity (WST-1 assay), LDH release (LDH assay) and genotoxicity (Comet assay) of three engineered TiO-NPs with different shapes (bipyramids, rods, platelets) in comparison with two commercial TiO-NPs (P25, food grade). After NPs characterization (SEM/T-SEM and DLS), biological effects of NPs were assessed on BEAS-2B cells in presence/absence of light. The cellular uptake of NPs was analyzed using Raman spectroscopy.

Anodic microbial community analysis of microbial fuel cells based on enriched inoculum from freshwater sediment.

The characterization of anodic microbial communities is of great importance in the study of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). These kinds of devices mainly require a high abundance of anode respiring bacteria (ARB) in the anode chamber for optimal performance. This study evaluated the effect of different enrichments of environmental freshwater sediment samples used as inocula on microbial community structures in MFCs.

New concepts in anaerobic digestion processes: recent advances and biological aspects.

Waste treatment and the simultaneous production of energy have gained great interest in the world. In the last decades, scientific efforts have focused largely on improving and developing sustainable bioprocess solutions for energy recovery from challenging waste. Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been developed as a low-cost organic waste treatment technology with a simple setup and relatively limited investment and operating costs.