Communications in Science and Technology

Low-energy extraction of lignocellulose nanofibers from fresh Musa basjoo pseudo-stem

2024-04-27T02:50:55+00:00

This study presents a novel approach for the extraction of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and lignocellulose nanofibers (LCNF) from Musa basjoo pseudo-stems, a relative of bananas, without the need for extensive drying. Instead, wet pseudo-stems were compressed and treated with NaOH solutions at varying temperatures and durations. The extracted material exhibited the characteristic peaks of cellulose I in X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, similar to those obtained from dried pseudo-stems. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of cellulose I in the treated material and lignocellulose nanofiber clearly shown at 1600-1500, 1421, 1365, and 1161 cm^-1. Composition analysis by Van Soest fiber analysis revealed a higher cellulose content in the treated material of wet pseudo-stems compared to that obtained from dried pseudo-stems, indicating the effectiveness of this low-energy extraction method. Meanwhile, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images demonstrated clear LCNF in the nanometer scale fibers after NaOH treatment. Overall, this study successfully demonstrated the extraction of LCNF from wet pseudo-stems of Musa basjoo with NaOH treatment at 70°C for 3 hours with 80% extraction result, providing a more efficient and low-energy approach for utilizing waste from Musa basjoo and bananas.

Combined enzymatic and ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction of antidiabetic flavonoid compounds from Strobilanthes crispus leaves

2024-04-27T02:50:47+00:00

A novel green extraction method combining enzymatic and ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase extractions was employed to enhance and purify the flavonoid extract from Strobilanthes crispus leaves. Cellulase was used in the pretreatment, and ethanol-(NH₄)₂SO₄ was selected as the solvent. A concentration of 7% (w/w) cellulase and a duration of 2 h were the optimal conditions for pretreatment. The optimal conditions for ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction were 33% (w/w) ethanol and 14% (w/w) (NH₄)₂SO₄ as they produced a yield (77.81%), partition coefficient (31.17), extraction efficiency (98.04%), and a high total flavonoid content (0.3666 mg QE/g dry leaf powder). Six compounds from the leaf extract were identified through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry-quadrupole-time of flight (LCMS/MS-Q-TOF) analysis. The crude extract and three compounds in it (kaempferol, graveobioside A, and genistein) showed an antidiabetic activity with IC₅₀ values of 390.35, 201.87, 292.73, and 431.82 mg/mL, respectively. These values are comparable to the standard drug acarbose.

Study of green and sustainable heterogeneous catalyst produced from Javanese Moringa oleifera leaf ash for the transesterification of Calophyllum inophyllum seed oil

2024-04-27T02:51:02+00:00

The transesterification of Calophyllum inophyllum seed oil into biodiesel using Javanese Moringa oleifera leaf ash catalyst with various reaction conditions has been completed. MA-500 (Moringa ash at 500°C for 3 h) and MA-900 (Moringa ash at 900°C for 3 h) catalysts were obtained by grinding Javanese old Moringa oleifera leaf (MP) and then calcined for 3 h at 500 and 900°C. The crude Calophyllum inophyllum seed oil was degummed (OD) prior to continue the esterification process (ODE). The MA-500 and MA-900 catalysts were tested for their activity and selectivity through the ODE transesterification with various catalyst weights (3, 6, and 9% (w/w)), reaction temperature (55, 60, and 65°C), oil: methanol mole ratio (1:3, 1:6, and 1:9), and reaction time (60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes). The results showed that the MA-500 and MA-900 catalysts contained 18.17% and 52.91% Ca respectively. The esterification reaction could reduce FFA levels to 89.82%, from 19.46% to 1.98%. ODE transesterification with MA-900 catalyst optimum reaction conditions with a catalyst weight of 3%, reaction temperature of 60°C, oil: methanol mole ratio of 1:9, and reaction time of 120 min, 76.17% FAME yield was observed. The MA-900 catalyst has the potential to be an effective green catalyst.

Cigarette filter butts-derived activated carbon with free binder electrode design for solid-state supercapacitor application

2024-04-27T02:50:09+00:00

The aim of this research is to formulate activated carbon monolith from hazardous waste of cigarette filter butts (CFB) for electrode material monolith design in solid-state supercapacitor application. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) was selected for activation. The ratio of CFB to KOH varied in terms of weight between 1:2 and 1:4, thereby obtaining activated cigarette filter carbon (ACFC). The carbon that has been obtained is designed to be solidly in the form of an additive-free monolith. Monolith-activated carbon is physically characterized to examine thermal decomposition profiles (pre-carbonized), structure, composition, morphology, surface area adsorption, and electrochemical measurements. The optimum precursor was marked with high wettability with self-O-doped of 5.44%.in carbon content of 94.56%. Activated carbon electrodes prepared from ACFCs showed an optimum specific capacitance of ~87.17 F g^-1, which is a more ecologically responsible method of producing supercapacitors.

One-stage microwave-assisted activated carbon preparation from Langsat peel raw material for adsorption of iron, manganese and copper from acid mining waste

2024-04-28T02:50:10+00:00

This study describes the efficacy of microwave technology for the preparation of an activated carbon from Lansium domesticum peel as an adsorbent to adsorb Fe, Cu, and Mn from acid mine waste. In contrast to the conventional pyrolytic carbonization technique, the described method demonstrated several unparalleled advantages, including superior energy efficiency and remarkably rapid processing. The reported microwave irradiation method was able readily to achieve a morphology and extensive surface area similar to that of a sample produced using the traditional pyrolytic carbonization method for 2 hours, and this was accomplished in just 10 minutes. The activated carbon obtained was characterized using SEM-EDX, BET-BJH, and proximate test and applied to adsorb metal ions from acid mine waste to evaluate the isothermal adsorption model. The best power for activated carbon production was 400 watts for 10 minutes, which met the requirements of ASTM D 4607 for determining the iodine value of activated carbon. Optimal mass for adsorbing Fe, Cu, and Mn from acid mine waste was 4 grams with the removal percentages of 94.08%, 83.69%, and 90.67%, respectively. BET surface area was 1367.0385 m²/g along with a BJH cumulative volume and an average pore diameter of 1.112 cm³/g and 2.25 nm, respectively. This suggests that it possesses mesoporous characteristics and adheres to the Langmuir model during the adsorption process, signifying monolayer adsorption. Meanwhile, kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order rate equation.

AniraBlock: A leap towards dynamic smart contracts in agriculture using blockchain based key-value format framework

2024-04-27T02:50:25+00:00

Blockchain technology offers data transparency and traceability, which is particularly useful in the agricultural sector, especially within the supply chains of commodities like coffee and fish. This sector often encounters issues such as quality degradation, unclear information, and socioeconomic injustice affecting stakeholders. The implementation of Static Smart Contracts (SSCs) on blockchains provides a structured method for executing agreements. However, this approach also has limitations, including a lack of flexibility and responsiveness to dynamic changes in the supply chain. Despite these challenges, blockchain remains a valuable tool for ensuring transaction transparency, traceability, and integrity, which are vital in agriculture. These limitations involve unchangeable parameters, rigid rules, and constraints on adaptability and scalability. This study aims to tackle these issues by designing a more dynamic and responsive smart contract system. We introduce AniraBlock, a revolutionary concept for the agricultural supply chain, particularly in the coffee and fish sectors, by implementing Dynamic Smart Contracts (DSCs) based on a key-value format framework. Unlike SSCs, DSCs offer enhanced adaptability and scalability, addressing the former's limitations. Our study adopts a mixed-method approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data to validate AniraBlock's effectiveness. Preliminary results show significant improvements in data management and supply chain transparency. The proposed framework has the potential to influence the agricultural sector by boosting data integrity and operational efficiency.

Development of new effective activated carbon supported alkaline adsorbent used for removal phenolic compounds

2024-04-27T02:50:17+00:00

Phenolic (phenol) compounds are the major contaminates in wastewater, which can have a considerable negative influence on the environment and health of human. Adsorption is an efficient process that is widely applied in order to eliminate phenol in wastewater. In recent, Adsorption process has acquired a lot of attentiveness owing to its relative moderate operating conditions. However, adsorption process needs considerable ameliorations in terms of adsorbent modification, process type, productivity, and conversion rate. This work studies the development of a fast and effective adsorption process in a fixed bed adsorption column (FBAC) in order to reach safe and continuous elimination of phenolic compounds. Several adsorption parameters (reaction temperature, adsorbent bed height, feed flow rate and kind of adsorbent) were studied to achieve the highest removal of phenolic compounds. The adsorption process was conducted in the presence of two type of adsorbents (activated carbon (AC), and KOH/AC), 73% and 94% of phenol elimination were attained, respectively, at 10 cm bed height, 1 ml/s feed flow rate, and 75 °C reaction temperature. The adsorbents activity was investigated after six consecutive adsorption cycles at the best process conditions, and the adsorbents show high stability in terms of phenolic compounds adsorption. After that, the spent adsorbents were regenerated by utilizing various solvents (methanol, ethanol and iso-octane), and the results show that iso- octane achieved highest regeneration efficiency. The adsorption process was implemented in the adsorption column that the performance is possibly to be adjusted at an industrial scale since it can be scaled up predictably.

Removal of trisacryl red using hydrogels composites based on chitosan

2024-04-27T02:49:46+00:00

This study entails the radical copolymerization synthesis of (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid) AMPS, utilizing (N,N’methylene bis-acrylamide) MBAm as a cross-linking agent and potassium persulfate (PPS) as an initiator to produce chitosan-based composite hydrogels. The investigation involved the various masses of chitosan (250, 500, and 1000 mg). The characterization of the obtained composites and the dye adsorption process was carried out using FTIR, TGA, SEM, UV-visible, and STEM techniques. Swelling properties in distilled water were examined, revealing that the swelling rates at temperatures of 25°C and 37°C for the hydrogel of poly(AMPS-g-MBAm)/chitosan (1000 mg) exceed those of hydrogels with poly(AMPS-g-MBAm)/chitosan (250 and 500 mg). Furthermore, the sorption capacities of the dye were investigated, demonstrating that the sorption capacities of poly (AMPS-g-MBAm)/chitosan (1000 mg) at different temperatures surpass those of poly(AMPS-g-MBAm)/chitosan (250mg, and 500 mg).

Evaluating hydrogen production from glucose using graphite felt beads as a solid matrix in immobilized mixed cell reactor at thermophilic fermentation

2024-04-27T02:50:40+00:00

This study has successfully evaluated graphite felt (GF) beads as a solid matrix to immobilize or trap the mixed cultures in an immobilized mixed-cell reactor (IMcR). The anaerobic sludge of palm oil mill effluent was used as an inoculum source in the IMcR with mixed culture. Here, glucose, sucrose, and starch were used as the model substrates to evaluate the performance of IMcR with GF beads for producing bio-hydrogen (BioH₂). BioH₂, effluent, and surface morphology of GF beads were analyzed by using gas chromatography equipped with a thermal conductivity detector, high-performance liquid chromatography, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The highest H₂ yield (Y_H2) and production rates were obtained at 304.0 ± 13.2 mL g^?1_COD (corresponding to 2.26 mol mol^?1_glucose) and 1403 ± 61 mL L^?1 day^?1, respectively. IMcR with GF beads is a new approach for generating high Y_H2, which can be used for more than two months in an experimental run.

Evaluation of viability and survival of free and maltodextrin microencapsulated Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis through spray-drying process

2024-04-27T02:50:32+00:00

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis is a microorganism integrated into the human intestinal microbiota and performs a probiotic function through mechanisms that promote the absorption of nutrients, the modulation of the immune system, and the production of lactic acid, among other aspects. Microencapsulation using maltodextrin promotes the protection of microorganisms against physical and chemical factors, improving viability over time. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis was microencapsulated through spray-drying using maltodextrin. Survival under pH conditions, bile salts, and temperature were evaluated as well as its viability during storage conditions. The viability of the encapsulated agent stored at 25 °C remained high and constant during the first three weeks. The results for free and microencapsulated thermal tolerance showed an important difference among survival percentages of each tested temperature, and microencapsulation showed a protective effect against temperatures like or lower than 55 °C. Regarding pH 2.5 exposure for 3h, there is a survival of 5.38% for free microorganisms in contrast to 11.87% for encapsulated, whereas in a pH 3.5 for 3h, the encapsulated agent showed a survival of 23%. The results obtained from encapsulated cells stressed with a 1g/L concentration of bile salts showed a survival of 19%, while free cells presented a total loss of viability when subjected for 3h at the same concentration. Microencapsulated Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis demonstrated potential for its use incorporated into foods, but it is necessary to improve viability conditions during storage and survival under gastric stress conditions.

A modified MixColumn-InversMixColumn in AES algorithm suitable for hardware implementation using FPGA device

2024-04-27T02:50:02+00:00

This article described the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption and decryption process without using lookup tables in the MixColumns transformation and parallelizing the transformation process implemented in the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware. Parallelism of the hardware process conducted to the transformation of key schedule, addroundkey, subbyte and shiftrows (subshift) and mixcolumns in the first 5 rounds of the encryption process. The decryption process was parallelized in subshift transformations, both transformations were implemented at the same time. This research produced a modified AES encryption and decryption method and algorithm with the aim of minimizing the resources required for hardware implementation. The method in this article was applied to Xilinx ISE 14.7 software. The experimental results showed that the encryption process required 2,357 slice LUT's, 845 occupied slices and 26 IOB's, while the decryption process required 2,896 LUT's, 1,323 occupied slices and 26 IOB's resources. The encryption and decryption processes each took an average of 2.891 nanoseconds and 3.467 nanoseconds for every 128 bits of data. This approach leads us to obtain a component with minimum resources and enough computational speed.

Utilization of glycerol solution for hydrogen production by a combination of photocatalysis and electrolysis processes with Fe-TiO2 nanotubes

2024-04-27T02:49:39+00:00

A combination of photocatalysis and electrolysis (photoelectrocatalysis) for the simultaneous degradation of glycerol and hydrogen production using Fe-TiO₂ nanotubes has been studied. This photocatalyst was synthesized through Ti anodization followed by Fe deposition with Fe(NO₃)₃ as precursor using the SILAR (successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction) method. The effects of Fe loading (based on the number of SILAR cycles) on TiO₂ nanotubes and glycerol concentration were examined. The generated TiO₂ nanotubes were 100% anatase phase with crystallite size between 25 and 29 nm. The results of UV-Vis DRS showed that the number of SILAR cycles of Fe dopant determined the magnitude of the decrease in the band gap of photocatalysts up to 2.74 eV, notably lower than a typical value of 3.15 eV associated with TiO₂ anatase. FESEM/EDX, TEM, and HRTEM characterizations indicated the formation of neatly arranged TiO₂ nanotubes with Fe deposited on the surface. The photoelectrocatalytic process increased the hydrogen produced by up to 5 times compared to a single photocatalytic or electrolysis process. The photocatalyst sample with Fe deposited on TiO₂ nanotubes via a SILAR method with 15 cycles outperformed its bare TiO₂ nanotube counterpart by producing hydrogen by 2.5 times (405.8 mmol/m²). Glycerol photo-reforming at 10% concentration produced hydrogen 6 times greater than water splitting (0% glycerol).

A systematic review of breast cancer detection on thermal images

2024-04-27T02:49:55+00:00

Breast cancer poses a substantial global health concern, primarily regarding its impact on women. Thermal imaging has emerged as a promising tool for early detection with notable technological advancements between 2013 and 2023 in enhancing diagnostic capabilities. However, existing literature reviews often lack adherence to specific scholarly standards and may provide incomplete insights into research trends. This systematic literature review (SLR) addresses these issues by comprehensively analyzing research trends, publication types, contributions, datasets, methodologies, and effective approaches for breast cancer detection using thermal imaging. The review encompasses an examination of 40 articles from reputable digital libraries, revealing a predominant emphasis on deep learning algorithms among 25 applied methods. These algorithms consistently achieve commendable performance, frequently surpassing 90% accuracy rates. Consequently, current research in breast cancer detection via thermal imaging is marked by a strong focus on artificial intelligence, particularly machine and deep learning, recognized as the most promising and effective avenues for investigation.

Preparation of Mo-impregnated mordenite catalysts for the conversion of refined kernel palm oil into bioavtur

2024-04-27T02:49:32+00:00

The research aims to study the effects of Mo metal embedded on H-Mordenite on its activity and selectivity of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) for Refined Palm Kernel Oil (RPKO) into bioavtur. The RPKO was obtained from the results of degumming and bleaching process of palm kernel oil and then analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). The impregnation of Mo metal was carried out by spraying using an ammonium heptamolybdate precursor solution ((NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄•4H₂O) with an initial Mo metal content of 5, 10, and 15wt% of H-Mordenite to produce 5-Mo/Mor, 10-Mo/Mor, and 15-Mo/Mor. The 15-Mo/Mor catalyst produced the highest amount of liquid product (46.08wt%) with bioavtur yield of 43.19wt%. The usability test showed that 15-Mo/Mor catalyst still produced a good performance after three times of use in the RPKO feed HDO with the second and third run test liquid product of 34.82 and 46.14wt% respectively with bioavtur yield of 32.58 and 43.45wt%, respectively.

Investigating potential application of bio-based polymeric surfactant using methyl ester from palm oil for chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR)

2024-04-28T02:50:03+00:00

Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) or palm oil methyl ester is one of the palm oil derivatives in which one of the anionic surfactants that can be generated from it is methyl ester sulfonate (MES). This bio-based surfactant can reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water. To produce a bio-based polymeric surfactant, sulfonate groups from MES were grafted onto polymer chains. Palm oil methyl ester was reacted with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) to synthesize MES. Afterwards, MES was reacted with the Ethyl Acrylate (EA) monomer to synthesize polymeric surfactant. Investigating this route to produce a bio-based polymeric surfactant has become the novelty of this study. This study showed that the best polymerization result was obtained at a mole ratio of MES to EA (1:0.5) with the highest viscosity of 14.47 mm²/s. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) analysis showed 0.5% at a mole ratio of MES to EA (1:0.5) which corresponded to the lowest interfacial tension (IFT) of 1.95 x 10^-3 mN/m. Meanwhile, the contact angle gradually decreased from 58.44 to 11.79°. The polymeric surfactant, furthermore, was analyzed using FTIR and H-NMR and successfully confirmed the formation of bio-based polymeric surfactant. The core flooding experiment found that approximately 16.57% of oil could be recovered. The results of the study revealed a good potential of the polymeric surfactant to be applied in chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR).