The development of Giant reed biochar for adsorption of Basic Blue 41 and Eriochrome Black T. azo dyes from wastewater.

The textile industry is discharging high concentrations of anionic and cationic azo dyes into the nearby environment, which can cause adverse effects on public health, and the aquatic environment. Therefore, this study aimed to develop giant reed biochar and apply for the removal of Basic blue 41 (BB41) and Eriochrome black T (EBT) azo dyes from water. Characterization techniques such as BET surface area analyzer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) were applied for biochar description.

Evaluating the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Activity of Colloidally Prepared PtSe and PtTe Catalysts in an Alkaline Medium.

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline electrolytes using transition metal dichalcogenides is a research area that is not tapped into. Alkaline HER ( ) is harder to achieve relative to acidic HER ( ), this is attributed to the additional water dissociation step that occurs in basic HER to generate H ions. In fact, for most catalysts, their HER activity decreases tremendously when the electrolyte is changed from acidic to basic conditions.

Suspect screening of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in paper by selective and non-selective extraction with UHPLC-Q orbitrap MS.

Non-targeted analysis and suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various matrices have gained traction with advancements in accurate mass analytical instruments. This study employed ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry for PFAS suspect screening of paper grades used in the paper recycling chain. The samples were prepared using two extraction techniques; selective accelerated solvent extraction with weak anionic exchange solid-phase extraction and non-selective ultrasonic-assisted extraction.

Unravelling the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials - From cellular interactions to mechanistic understanding.

The application of carbon nanomaterials in diverse fields has substantially increased their demand for commercial usage. Within the earliest decade, the development of functional materials has further increased the significance of this element. Despite the advancements recorded, the potential harmful impacts of embracing carbon nanomaterials for biological applications must be balanced against their advantages.

A bifunctional MoS/SGCN nanocatalyst for the electrochemical detection and degradation of hazardous 4-nitrophenol.

Herein, we reported the dual functions of molybdenum disulfide/sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (MoS/SGCN) composite as a sensing material for electrochemical detection of 4-NP and a catalyst for 4-NP degradation. The MoS nanosheet, sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (SGCN) and MoS/SGCN were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrochemical characterization of these materials with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 1 mM K[Fe(CN)] show that the composite has the lowest charge transfer resistance and the best electrocatalytic activity.

Occurrence and potential hazard posed by pharmaceutically active compounds in coastal waters in Cape Town, South Africa.

The occurrence of 58 pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in surface water at 28 coastal and five river sites, and in two stormwater flows in Cape Town, South Africa, was investigated in winter and summer. After accounting for quality assurance and control data, 33 PhACs were considered in detail. In winter, 25 PhACs were found at one or more sites and 27 in summer.

Nanostructured Carbon Fibres (NCF): Fabrication and Application in Supercapacitor Electrode.

A facile interconnected nanofibre electrode material derived from polybenzimidazol (PBI) was fabricated for a supercapacitor using a centrifugal spinning technique. The PBI solution in a mixture of dimethyl acetamide (DMA) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was electrospun to an interconnection of fine nanofibres. The as-prepared material was characterised by using various techniques, which include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) among others.

Analyzing water hyacinth plants from two South African rivers for the detection of seven pharmaceuticals and their metabolites.

Water hyacinth plants (Eichhornia crassipes Mart.) collected from two South African rivers were analyzed in order to investigate their suitability for judging the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water. Thereby, a number of drugs, including amitriptyline, atenolol, citalopram, orphenadrine, lidocaine, telmisartan, and tramadol, could be detected.

Experimental accompanied with computational (atomic/electronic)-level simulation investigations of Polygonum cuspidatum root extract as sustainable corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in aggressive corrosive media.

This study investigates the corrosion inhibition potential of Polygonum cuspidatum root extract (PCRE) on mild steel in a 0.5 M HCl acidic environment. Herein, various techniques including electrochemical and gravimetric measurements were employed, along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle (CA) measurements for surface morphology analysis.

The pH paradox.

This paper highlights the critical role of pH or proton activity measurements in environmental studies and emphasises the importance of applying proper statistical approaches when handling pH data. This allows for more informed decisions to effectively manage environmental data such as from mining influenced water. Both the pH and {H} of the same system display different distributions, with pH mostly displaying a normal or bimodal distribution and {H} showing a lognormal distribution.

Graphene Oxide Enhanced Monoethanolamine and Ethylenediamine Nanofluids for Efficient Carbon Dioxide Uptake from Flue Gas.

The addition of nanoparticles in amine solutions to produce a stable amine-based nanofluid provides a high surface area for absorption and improves the absorption rate. In this work, nanofluids were prepared by dispersing graphene oxide (GO) in monoethanolamine (MEA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) solutions for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO) to further improve their absorption performance by providing more reaction sites on the GO framework. GO was synthesized using the modified Hummers method and characterized for physicochemical properties using SEM, EDS, FTIR, Raman analysis, and TGA.

Pinecone biochar for the Adsorption of chromium (VI) from wastewater: Kinetics, thermodynamics, and adsorbent regeneration.

High concentration of chromium in aquatic environments is the trigger for researchers to remediate it from wastewater environments. However, conventional water treatment methods have not been satisfactory in removing chromium from water and wastewater over the last decade. Similarly, many adsorption studies have been focused on one aspect of the treatment, but this study dealt with all aspects of adsorption packages to come up with a concrete conclusion.

Association Between Urinary Parabens and Sperm Quality in Nigerian Men: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Parabens, which are chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, have been reported to be associated with low sperm quality in animal and human models. Despite the high exposure of men to paraben-containing products in Nigeria, there are no known studies that investigate the association of parabens with sperm quality in the country.

Objective: To determine the association of urinary levels of metabolites of parabens with sperm count and quality.

An optimised and validated surrogate analyte A-TEEM-PARAFAC-PLS technique for detecting and quantifying the biological oxygen demand in surface water.

A 5-day test duration makes BOD measurement unsatisfactory and hinders the development of a quick technique. Protein-like fluorescence peaks show a strong correlation between the BOD characteristics and the fluorescence intensities. For identifying and measuring BOD in surface water, a simultaneous absorbance-transmittance and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (A-TEEM) method combined with PARAFAC (parallel factor) and PLS (partial least squares) analyses was developed using a tyrosine and tryptophan (tyr-trpt) mix as a surrogate analyte for BOD.

Nutraceutical and Medicinal Importance of Marine Molluscs.

Marine molluscs are of enormous scientific interest due to their astonishing diversity in terms of their size, shape, habitat, behaviour, and ecological roles. The phylum Mollusca is the second most common animal phylum, with 100,000 to 200,000 species, and marine molluscs are among the most notable class of marine organisms. This work aimed to show the importance of marine molluscs as a potential source of nutraceuticals as well as natural medicinal drugs.

Campus source to sink wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) offers an aggregate, and cost-effective approach for tracking infectious disease outbreak prevalence within communities, that provides data on community health complementary to individual clinical testing. This study reports on a 16-month WBS initiative on a university campus in England, UK, assessing the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sewers from large buildings, downstream sewer locations, raw wastewater, partially treated and treated effluents. Key findings include the detection of the Alpha (B.

Enhanced optical and electrochemical properties of FeBTC MOF modified TiO photoanode for DSSCs application.

In this work, iron based 1, 3, 5-tricarboxylic acid (FeBTC) was prepared via microwave-assisted method and incorporated into TiO via ultrasonic assisted method. The TiO-FeBTC nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, BET, FESEM, HRTEM, TGA, UV‒vis DRS and PL to understand their crystallographic, surface morphology, and optical characteristics. The Raman spectra showed a blue shift of E, A, and B peaks upon incorporation of FeBTC MOF onto TiO.

Emerging contaminants as unintentional substances in paper and board: A case of unexpected pharmaceuticals detection in the paper recycling chain.

The contamination of paper products by various chemicals has been reported on a global level, but to date, no published research has investigated pharmaceutical contamination of paper-based products. In this study, pharmaceutical analysis was conducted on 42 samples collected from various points of the recycled paper value chain in Cape Town, South Africa, which included the various grades that may be included in the manufacturing of recycled paperboard. The analysis was achieved by ultrasonic-assisted extraction of paper samples before detection by UHPLC-Q Orbitrap.

The removal of pathogenic bacteria and dissolved organic matter from freshwater using microporous membranes: insights into biofilm formation and fouling reversibility.

Pathogenic bacteria in drinking-water pose a health risk to consumers, as they compromise the quality of portable water. Chemical disinfection of water containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) causes harmful disinfection by-products. In this work, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) blended polyethersulfone membranes were fabricated and characterised using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques.

Removal of multiple pesticides from water by different types of membranes.

Pesticides are used in agriculture to protect crops from pathogens, insects, fungi and weeds, but the release of pesticides into surface/groundwater by agriculture runoff and rain has raised serious concerns not only for the environment but also for human health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of surface properties on the performance of seven distinct membrane types utilized in nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO) processes in eliminating multiple pesticides from spiked water. Out of the membranes tested, two are self-fabricated RO membranes while the rest are commercially available membranes.

Determination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds in paper recycling grades using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Globally, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-related research on paper products has focused on food packaging with less consideration on the presence of PFAS at different stages of the paper recycling chain. This study analysed the prevalence of PFAS in paper grades used for the manufacture of recycled paperboard. The presence of PFAS was attributed to the use of PFAS-containing additives, consumer usage, exposure to packed goods as well as contamination during mingling, sorting, collection, and recovery of paper recycling material.

Multi-criteria decision analysis: technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution for selecting greener analytical method in the determination of mifepristone in environmental water samples.

This work proposes the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to select a more environmentally friendly analytical procedure. TOPSIS, which stands for Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution, is an example of a MCDA method that may be used to rank or select best alternative based on various criteria. Thirteen analytical procedures were used in this study as TOPSIS input choices for mifepristone determination in water samples.

A facile method for preparing the CeMnO catalyst with high activity and stability of toluene oxidation: The critical role of small crystal size and Mn-O-Ce sites.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) cause severe environmental pollution and are potentially toxic to humans who have no defense against exposure. Catalytic oxidation of these compounds has thus become an interesting research topic. In this study, microcrystalline CeMnO catalysts were prepared by a precipitant-concentration-induced strategy and evaluated for the catalytic oxidation of toluene/benzene.

Association of Urinary Mycotoxins with Sperm Quality: A Case-Control Study in Southern Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to determine the association between mycotoxins and the quality of spermatozoa in Nigeria. We designed a prospective case-control study involving 136 men diagnosed with reduced sperm count and quality in five infertility clinics in southwest Nigeria and 154 normal fertile controls. Sperm analysis was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health OrganizationWHO, while Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was used to assay three metabolites of mycotoxins (zearalenone, ochratoxin A, and deoxyvinelol) in the urine samples of cases and controls.