There is a large amount of studies surrounding the usage of agro-industrial waste (AIW) for the adsorptions of organic pollutants (dyes) and inorganic pollutants (heavy metals) in water/wastewater. ...This method is normally treated as an alternative approach to the conventional water/wastewater treatment. However, there are some increasing interests for investigators to identify novel adsorption materials for pollutants removal. It is particularly noteworthy that most AIW wastes are not currently used at the original state, but modified in a variety of ways to reinforce the porosity and adsorption surface area of the material. Nanostructuring, activation, carbonization, and grafting are some common modification technologies of agricultural waste adsorbents. Besides, the characteristic, preparation and application of adsorbents from various industrial wastes, including natural materials and biosorbents, were summarized. Additionally, the challenges and perspectives for future researches of waste-derived adsorbents were studied. This review provides an important insight on using AIWs as precursor materials for preparing adsorbents in water/wastewater treatment.
•Waste materials from agro-industry were used as adsorbents to remove pollutants.•Various modification methods for AIW were introduced.•The characteristic, preparation and application of AIW were summarized.•The challenges and perspectives of AIW for future researches were studied.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Natural materials are becoming a valid alternative to traditional synthetic ones for sound absorption treatments. In particular, in recent years, natural fibers have been considered valid raw ...materials for producing sound absorbing panels at a reduced cost. Moreover, these fibers often have good thermal insulation properties, have no harmful effects on health, and are available in large quantities often as a waste product of other production cycles. Following a literature review of previous studies about the acoustic properties of some natural materials, this paper reports the acoustical characterization of the following natural fibers: kenaf, wood, hemp, coconut, cork, cane, cardboard, and sheep wool. The absorption coefficient and the flow resistance for samples of different thickness have been measured. By using existing theoretical models, this study also compares the measured behavior with the theoretically predicted behavior. This comparison shows the limits of theoretical models originally defined for porous materials with homogeneous fibers, when they are applied to natural materials. Finally, some suggestions for use of these natural fibers for sound absorption applications in buildings are reported.
•Natural fibers are a valid option for sound absorption treatments.•Kenaf, wood, hemp, coconut, cork, cane, cardboard, and sheep wool are characterized.•The airflow resistivity and the sound absorption coefficient are measured.•Given their inhomogeneity, natural fibers often do not agree to the Delany–Bazley model.•Existing theoretical models fail in considering the inhomogeneity of natural fibers.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
•Lignocellulosic bio-wastes from forest management and agro-industry as building materials are reviewed.•Some bio-wastes produced in Euro-Mediterranean countries are selected.•Studies on ...eco-efficient boards made of natural fibers and other bio-wastes are analysed.•Further studies on properties of bio-wastes and eco-efficient boards are needed.
This study investigates the possibility of using agro-industrial wastes for building products, mainly focusing on their insulation properties. A classification of bio-wastes is provided, namely of the lignocellulosic ones and their features and properties are described. Information about three main topics is collected: world production and consumption of some crops already used as building materials, their chemical composition and their most studied properties. Since the considered materials are lignocellulosic and they have many common features, a comparison is made. The aim is to have comparable information to support future research related to the production of eco-efficient indoor insulation boards. The result of this research is the choice of four different agro-industrial wastes produced in the Euro-Mediterranean Countries. This area was chosen as buildings typically have little or no insulation due to the regional mild climate; however, particularly with climate change, indoor hygrothermal comfort is poor. The collection of information allows some conclusions to be reached about the different bio-wastes already studied and identify gaps in the literature.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The development of electronic devices possessing the functionality of biological synapses is a crucial step toward replicating the capabilities of the human brain. Of the various materials that have ...been used to realize artificial synapses, renewable natural materials have the advantages of being abundant, inexpensive, biodegradable, and ecologically benign. In this study, we report a biocompatible artificial synapse based on a matrix of the biopolymer ι-carrageenan (ι-car), which exploits Ag dynamics. This artificial synapse emulates the short-term plasticity (STP), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), and transition from STP to long-term potentiation (LTP) of a biological synapse. The above-mentioned characteristics are realized by exploiting the similarities between the Ag dynamics in the ι-car matrix and the Ca2+ dynamics in a biological synapse. By demonstrating a method that uses biomaterials and Ag dynamics to emulate synaptic functions, this study confirms that ι-car has the potential for constructing neuromorphic systems that use biocompatible artificial synapses.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Abstract
Salt deteriorations can ruin the appearance as well as the structure of buildings. Salt deteriorations can be mitigated by passive and active methods. Common active methods include ...sprinkling water on the structure, scraping off the concentrated salts from the surface and the use of sacrificial plasters. Sacrificial plasters are traditionally used for desalination. Two tests at different sites were performed in order to determine the effectiveness of desalination of different sacrificial plasters. The first test site was a two hundred years old stable wall in Mooste county, Estonia. Salt percentage by mass in the test wall was determined in 2017 and again in 2019. In December 2019 different plasters of local natural clay and lime with additives such as hemp flax, charcoal and turf were tested on the wall. The second test was performed on burnt clay bricks that were placed into salt solution until efflorescence appeared. For desalination process again, different clay and lime based sacrificial plasters were used. After removing the sacrificial plaster, samples from the mortar and bricks were taken to measure the salt content by using Ion chromatography. Clay and hemp flax based sacrificial plasters were the most suitable for desalination and removal.
► Kenaf fiber is unique and potentially reliable. ► Kenaf fiber is extracted from bast fiber of kenaf plants. ► Properties of kenaf fiber composite are comparable to conventional fiber composites. ► ...Kenaf fiber composite can be produced using conventional fiber composite manufacturing. ► Kenaf fiber composite have a bright future due to its renewability and eco-friendly.
The development of high-performance engineering products made from natural resources is increasing worldwide, due to renewable and environmental issues. Among the many different types of natural resources, kenaf plants have been extensively exploited over the past few years. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the developments made in the area of kenaf fiber reinforced composites, in terms of their market, manufacturing methods, and overall properties. Several critical issues and suggestions for future work are discussed, which underscore the roles of material scientists and manufacturing engineers, for the bright future of this new “green” material through value addition to enhance its use.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) were first developed in 2012, and have become the desirable choice as energy harvesters in the research community worldwide. The popularity of TENGs is attributed ...to their low weight, low cost, high output, wide range of materials and device designs. TENGs have been explored for many applications including sensing, implantable power sources, healthcare, and biomedical applications. The performance of TENGs depends largely on the material since charge density (σ) is a material property. Moreover, 2D materials have been investigated as an alternative to the conventional metal electrodes. The dominance of polymers and metals in the traditional triboelectric series has lead researchers to explore novel materials to extend the applications and improve TENG output. This review article summarizes the progress in the development of frictional layers and electrode materials for TENGs. The mechanism for the output enhancement and device applications are discussed in detail. Finally, a perspective on the future and relevant challenges in material development for TENGs are discussed.
The development of materials for active triboelectric layers, electrodes, and their applications are systematically reviewed. The review focusses on the materials beyond the conventional triboelectric series, dominated by the polymers and a few metals. This review also outlines the challenges and future perspectives on the development of materials for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG).
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cellulose is the most abundant polysaccharide on Earth. It can be obtained from a vast number of sources,
e.g.
cell walls of wood and plants, some species of bacteria, and algae, as well as ...tunicates, which are the only known cellulose-containing animals. This inherent abundance naturally paves the way for discovering new applications for this versatile material. This review provides an extensive survey on cellulose and its derivatives, their structural and biochemical properties, with an overview of applications in tissue engineering, wound dressing, and drug delivery systems. Based on the available means of selecting the physical features, dimensions, and shapes, cellulose exists in the morphological forms of fiber, microfibril/nanofibril, and micro/nanocrystalline cellulose. These different cellulosic particle types arise due to the inherent diversity among the source of organic materials or due to the specific conditions of biosynthesis and processing that determine the consequent geometry and dimension of cellulosic particles. These different cellulosic particles, as building blocks, produce materials of different microstructures and properties, which are needed for numerous biomedical applications. Despite having great potential for applications in various fields, the extensive use of cellulose has been mainly limited to industrial use, with less early interest towards the biomedical field. Therefore, this review highlights recent developments in the preparation methods of cellulose and its derivatives that create novel properties benefiting appropriate biomedical applications.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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