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•Fossil fuels need a clean alternative to check elevated global temperatures.•H2 is a promising alternative with high energy density and clean fuel characteristics.•Current H2 ...production is grey and green techniques need to economize.•H2 transport and delivery is the most critical problem, storage as metal hydrides is promising.•H2 has enormous potential for usage in the transportation sector once techno-economic barriers are settled.
The transportation sector is one of the major consumers of fuel i.e., mostly relying on fossil-based fuels. With the rising energy demand and consumption of fossil fuels, the concentration of pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs) are increasing in the atmosphere. Hydrogen (H2) is a well-known source of clean energy options and a better alternative to fossil fuels. It has the potential to become a promising fuel for renewable transportation by providing safe, efficient, stable, accessible, and customer-friendly energy. This is due to its many characteristics, such as energy density, high calorific value, affordability, and a wide variety of production methods. H2 has the potential to completely replace the use of fossil fuel in internal combustion engines. The review highlights the recent advances in H2 production, storage, and transportation. Apart from the conventional steam reforming technique i.e., producing around 85% of the world’s grey H2, several clean techniques such as partial oxidation, plasma reforming, water electrolysis, pyrolysis, and photoelectrolysis are comprehensively discussed. Despite its many advantages, H2 storage is a significant issue. Hence, the recent advances and challenges in H2 storage i.e., physical, and material-based techniques have been deliberated. Further, the risks involved during the production, handling, and transportation of H2 fuel is highlighted, and the latest trends in its safety recommendations have been suggested. Finally, the techno-economic feasibility challenges and its outlook has been discussed.
Several studies have been conducted on the adsorption of Methylene Blue (MB) dye using carbon-based materials as an adsorbent. However, there has yet to be a reported study investigating MB removal ...using the activated East Kalimantan's Low-Rank Coal (LRC). This research aims to investigate the MB dye adsorption behavior onto activated East Kalimantan's LRC to develop a novel low-cost adsorbent. Batch experiments were performed on the adsorption of 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mg/L MB dye (100 mL) with different adsorbent dosages (60, 80, 100,120, and 140 mg) at room temperature, natural pH (3 – 13) and 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min contact time. The findings revealed that the optimum condition of the MB dye adsorption was 100 mg of LRC, 100 mg/L of MB concentration, pH of 12, and 5 min of contact time. The adsorption isotherm modeling result showed that the R2 coefficient was the highest for the model fit provided by the Langmuir isotherm = 0.9474, and the highest possible MB adsorption capacities were 196.08 mg/g. The findings from the experiment fit best by the pseudo-second-order model. The results suggested that an affordable activated LRC from East Kalimantan could remove MB from wastewater.
Strict environmental concern, depletion, and price hike of building construction materials are driving scientific studies for the search of alternative materials for building construction. To this ...end sustainable building materials could be a fruitful solution. This review aims to discern the environmental efficacy of solid waste management (SWM) and its relationship with four stimuli i.e., economic structure, regulatory structure, science, and time. The study also highlights the investigation of governance network to figure out the regulatory structure and governance of waste management. Extensive details on solid waste with their sources, recycling potential and their current utilization for substantial development are outlined. A throughout of the production process, properties, advantages, disadvantages, and the global economy of building material developed through recycling of solid waste are discussed. This article also deals with the sustainability, social, and environmental impact of green building materials. The study identifies the future direction for the effective utilization of solid waste for developing building materials. Further, the scope of the present also focusses on the concept of circular economy for developing construction materials through recycling of solid waste, which provides an easy reference for solid waste processing towards sustainability.
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•The increasing population is leading to rapid increase in the municipal solid waste.•Municipal solid waste can act as feedstock for green constructions.•Significant energy can be saved via utilization of solid waste for building applications.•Role of governments, local authorities along with educating public is crucial.
In recent years, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been applied in various biomedicine fields like bioimaging, drug delivery, and antibacterial alternatives. MSNs could be manufactured ...through green synthetic methods as environmentally friendly and sustainable synthesis approaches, to improve physiochemical characteristics for biomedical applications. In the present research, we used Rutin (Ru) extract, a biocompatible flavonoid, as the reducing agent and nonsurfactant template for the green synthesis of Ag-decorated MSNs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta-potential, x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), brunauer-emmett-teller (BET) analysis, and energy-dispersive system (EDS) spectroscopy were used to evaluate the Ag-decorated MSNs physical characteristics. The antimicrobial properties were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and also different types of candida. The cytotoxicity test was performed by using the MTT assay. Based on the findings, the significant antimicrobial efficacy of Ru-Ag-decorated MSNs against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria and different types of fungi was detected as well as acceptable safety and low cytotoxicity even at lower concentrations. Our results have given a straightforward and cost-effective method for fabricating biodegradable Ag-decorated MSNs. The applications of these MSNs in the domains of biomedicine appear to be promising.
Strict environmental concerns, depleting natural recourses, and rising demand for building construction materials have promoted scientific research toward alternative building materials. This ...research supports the idea of sustainability and a circular economy via the utilization of waste to produce value-added products. The research explored the potential of waste plastics and silica sand for developing thermoplastic composite as floor tiles. The samples were characterized by water absorption, compressive strength, flexural strength, and sliding wear. The morphological analysis of the sand-plastic interfaces was covered under the umbrella of this study. The maximum compressive and flexural strength were found to be 46.20 N/mm
and 6.24 N/mm
, respectively, with the minimum water absorption and sliding wear rate of 0.039% and 0.143 × 10
kg/m, respectively. The study suggests the workability of the developed floor tiles in non-traffic areas of public places. Thus, the study provides a green building material through recycling waste plastics for sustainable development.
Air pollution has become a major issue in all major cities throughout the world. Predicting air pollution can help to mitigate its detrimental consequences. The purpose of this study is to develop ...equations using multivariate regression to predict the concentration of particulate matter smaller than 10 µm (PM
10
), sulfur dioxide (SO
2
), nitrogen dioxide (NO
2
), carbon monoxide (CO), and air quality index (AQI) in Yazd city, Iran. To this end, initially, the daily averages of air temperature, air pressure, wind speed, gust speed, precipitation, and humidity percentage of Yazd city between September 2020 and August 2021 were collected. Moreover, in the same period, the daily average concentrations of PM
10
, SO
2
, NO
2
, CO, and AQI of Yazd were collected. Then, by using multivariate regression, the relationships between meteorological parameters and air pollutants were investigated. Based on the results, seven different equations were developed to predict the concentrations of different air pollutants in different meteorological conditions. In addition, the results showed that the developed equations worked accurately in predicting the concentrations of O
3
, PM
10
, and NO
2
, but not very accurately in predicting the AQI, SO
2,
and CO concentrations. More specifically, the most accurate equations belonged to PM
10
and NO
2
, which could predict the concentrations of these pollutants in the atmosphere of Yazd city with only 1% and 4% error, respectively. These equations provided a simple way to predict the concentration of important pollutants and AQI in Yazd city.
Fe
3
O
4
@MoS
2
core–shell nanoparticles have a wide range of potential uses in the field of biomedicine, including drug delivery, target therapies, and NIR-stimulated tumor therapy. Whenever using ...the risk-free nanosystem, it is very important to manufacture and cover core–shell Fe
3
O
4
@MoS
2
nanoparticles with a biodegradable substance. In the present research, Fe
3
O
4
@MoS
2
core–shell nanoparticles were green synthesized by applying Allium hooshidaryae plant extracted as a reducing and stabilizing agent and then coated with chitosan. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by several structural and physical techniques, like scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The MTT test and an in vitro antimicrobial assay were used to examine the biological properties of the final nanoparticles. SEM and TEM results revealed uniform distribution of spherical Fe
3
O
4
NPs with the average size of 35.7 nm. Furthermore, TEM image revealed that the mean diameter of Fe
3
O
4
@MoS
2
core–shell NPs was approximately 52.7 nm that the Fe
3
O
4
NPs were surrounded by MoS
2
nanosheet layers. Chitosan-coated green-synthesized Fe
3
O
4
@MoS
2
core–shell nanoparticles exhibited promising anti-cancer properties against the MCF-7 cell line with an IC
50
value of ~ 50.83% reduction at 1000 μg/mL in cell viability as well as good antibacterial capabilities of MBC 500 µg/mL and MBC 250 µg/mL against
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, respectively. As a result, the synthesized nanoparticles have the potential to have useful benefits in future nanomedicine.
Biosurfactants have been found capable of replacing synthetic surfactants which include ongoing bioprospecting of biosurfactant-producing bacteria as well as process optimization for maximum ...biosurfactant production. In this study, five morphologically distinct actinomycete strains isolated from hydrocarbon-polluted soil collected from an oil spill surface in Southeastern Algeria were tested for their ability to produce biosurfactants using preliminary biosurfactant screening assays. The 7SDS strain was selected as the most promising biosurfactant producer due to its greatest oil displacement diameter (7.83±0.15 cm), emulsification index (59.66±0.44%), and enhanced surface tension reduction (30.04±0.51 mN/m); it was identified as
Streptomyces thinghirensis
7SDS using 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The 7SDS strain’s biosurfactant production was optimized using the Face-centered central composite design (CCD) based on response surface methodology (RSM). To this end, five independent factors, i.e., residual frying oil, used engine oil, whey, CS filtrate, and incubation time, were assessed. The RSM’s model predicted a surface tension of 27.48 mN/m using 2.44% (v/v) residual frying oil, 0.35% (v/v) used motor oil, 0.83% (v/v) whey, 0.39% (v/v) CS filtrate, and an incubation time of 219.3 h. The optimized medium produced 8.79 g/L of biosurfactant. The produced biosurfactant allows one to reduce the surface tension of distilled water from 70.86 mN/m to 27.96 mN/m at a critical micelle concentration of 350 mg/L, even over a wide range of pH (2.0–12.0), temperature (4–120 °C), and salinity (2–12%, W/V). Biochemical (Biuret, phenol-sulfuric acid, and phosphate tests) and compositional (FTIR and GC-MS) characterizations confirmed the phospholipid nature of the produced biosurfactant. Interestingly, the produced BS demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity as well as intriguing activity in removing hydrocarbons from polluted soil. Because of their appealing biological properties, strain 7SDS and its biosurfactant are attractive targets for a variety of applications such as biomedicine and environmental ones.
In recent years, laser photothermal therapy of cancers, as a new adjuvant treatment, has attracted a lot of attention. Nanoparticles have been applied to increase the effect of plasmonic photothermal ...therapy (PPTT) with decreasing side effects. Plasmonic photothermal therapy using gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) has been employed as a novel approach for PPTT. In this research, Au NPs were green synthesized by utilizing Rutin extract as a stabilizing and reducing agent. Afterward, structural and physical characteristics were evaluated by the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and visible–ultraviolet spectrophotometer (UV–Vis). Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of nanoparticles are tested using the MTT method. The therapeutic effect of this nanoparticle on breast cancer cells was investigated in vitro using a laser with a power of 500 mW and a wavelength of 532 nm. Microscopic images revealed that the synthesized Au NPs had the mean size of 40 nm and a roughly spherical form. The results indicate the selective and effective anticancer function of Ru-Au NPs, in addition to low cytotoxicity and better biocompatibility for normal cells. Also, the findings demonstrate the significant efficacy of Ru-Au NPs coupled with laser radiation (150 J/cm
2
of laser energy for 300 s) in the treatment of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. As a result of the study, an ecoenvironmental nanoplatform for PPTT against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line with excellent anticancer function and acceptable biocompatibility has been developed.
The present study aims at developing an innovative eco-friendly process in a way to generate safer and more stable silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) with a high purity by means of
Sargassum myriocystum
...aqueous extract. The Ag-NPs formation was preliminary confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy analysis based on band of surface plasmon resonance appeared at 420 nm. X-ray diffraction spectrum and Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer confirmed the crystalline in nature and phyco-molecules involved in the synthesis of Ag-NPs, respectively. The results obtained from the Transmission Electron Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy demonstrated that the synthesized Ag-NPs were well dispersed hexagonal shape with average size of 20 ± 2.2 nm. The Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results observed a strong band at 3 keV proved the presence of metallic Ag ions in the Ag-NPs. The significant antibacterial activity was showed that Ag-NPs against clinical pathogens (
Staphylococcus aureus
,
Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
S. epidermidis
, and
Klebsiella pneumoniae
). Larvicidal activity against the mosquitos
Aedes aegypti
and
Culex quinquefasciatus
and anti-biofilm activity was assessed using phyco-molecule coated Ag NPs. Further, anticancer activity results showed that the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) noticed at 73.66 µg/mL using MTT assay against human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells. In addition, the phyco-synthesized Ag-NPs exhibited potential photocatalytic activity against methylene blue (MB). The maximum percent of MB degradation was observed at 98% within 60 min. Therefore, the present outcomes clearly revealed that the phyco-synthesized Ag-NPs could be used for effective nano-drug for anticancer, prevention of several bacterial strain infections, control the vector borne diseases, as well as to adequately degraded the organic dyes to promising and economical strategy in industries which involve dyeing process.
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