Micro and nanocrystalline cellulose based oral dispersible film; preparation and evaluation of in vitro/in vivo rapid release studies for donepezil

Oral fast-dispersible film was prepared by utlizing donepezil hydrochloride (drug) and various cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (hypermellose) (HPMC), microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) to treat Alzheimer’s disease. NCC was synthesized by ultra-sonication method using MCC and this was converted to thinfilm formulation (NCC-F) using solvent casting technique. The interaction between the polymer and the drug was investigated by spectral analysis such as UV, FTIR, and 1H- NMR. FTIR confirmed that the compatibility of drug and polymer in ODF formulation. NCC-F has shown an average surface roughness of 77.04 nm from AFM and the average particle size of 300 nm from SEM analysis. Nano sized particle of NCC-F leads faster in vitro dissolution rate (94.53%) when compared with MCC-F and F3 formulation. Animal model (in vivo) studies of NCC-F formulation has reached peak plasma concentration (Cmax) up to 19.018 ng/mL in the span of (tmax) 4 h with greater relative bioavailability of 143.1%. These results suggested that high surface roughness with nanosized NCC-F formulation attained extended drug availability up to (t1/2) 70 h

Masks for COVID-19.

Sustainable solutions on fabricating and using a face mask to block the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread during this coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) are required as society is directed by the World Health Organization (WHO) toward wearing it, resulting in an increasingly huge demand with over 4 000 000 000 masks used per day globally. Herein, various new mask technologies and advanced materials are reviewed to deal with critical shortages, cross-infection, and secondary transmission risk of masks. A number of countries have used cloth masks and 3D-printed masks as substitutes, whose filtration efficiencies can be improved by using nanofibers or mixing other polymers into them. Since 2020, researchers continue to improve the performance of masks by adding various functionalities, for example using metal nanoparticles and herbal extracts to inactivate pathogens, using graphene to make masks photothermal and superhydrophobic, and using triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to prolong mask lifetime. The recent advances in material technology have led to the development of antimicrobial coatings, which are introduced in this review. When incorporated into masks, these advanced materials and technologies can aid in the prevention of secondary transmission of the virus

Review of life cycle assessment on consumer electronic products: Developments and the way ahead

<p>Life cycle assessment (LCA) has grown rapidly and is now well established within the electronics industry. The growing number of journal publications, conferences, and special issues is a proof for the same. A number of literature reviews have been published till now in this area focusing on different aspects. This study has identified 134 significant journal articles to conduct a systematic and narrative literature review. This review covers a wide range of product categories and analyzes the usefulness of LCA as a decision-making tool within the electronics industry which has not been explored fully in previous reviews conducted in this area of research. For this purpose, we organized LCA studies into 10 main product categories. A narrative review was employed to summarize the significant findings from the LCA studies. Although the central objective of all the studies was to evaluate the environmental impact created by the product, the focus and methods employed differed. A systematic review was used to categorize the overall frameworks used in the studies. The studies were classified based on their research purpose, types of approach, LCIA methods used, system boundaries involved, data collection methods, and data analysis levels. Within the subcategory of research purpose, three research domains were identified and the studies were classified accordingly. Generally it has been revealed that use phase, end of life, and production phase are the dominant phases in that order. However discrepancies occur owing to functional units, data usage, and assumptions made. All these and more make benchmarking difficult. Finally we identified gaps that merit attention in future research. It is also hoped that this review is a good resource for anyone interested in doing research on LCA of electronic products, helping them identify current research trends, provide suggestions for future research, and stimulate interest in creating new research directions.</p

Bioconversion of food waste to produce industrial-scale sophorolipid syrup and crystals : dynamic Life Cycle Assessment (dLCA) of emerging biotechnologies

Bioconversion of food waste into sophorolipid-based biosurfactants is a promising emerging technology. It is important to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the latest advancements in sophorolipid production as it matures to maximize sustainability on scale-up. This study takes a dynamic Life Cycle Assessment (dLCA) approach to address the inherent uncertainties and evaluate the environmental performances. It demonstrates the dLCA framework by conducting the new traversal of food waste-derived industrial-scale sophorolipid production, with the combination of Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA). A systematic investigation of the environmental-economic implications of the two pathways to produce SL crystals and syrup. The global warming potential (GWP) for 1 kg of SL crystals and syrup was 7.9 kg CO2 eq. and 5.7 kg CO2 eq., respectively. The Ashbylike charts based on the LCA and TEA results at the pilot plant highlighted the trade-offs between systemic environmental costs and economic benefits for design decisions

An overview of cotton and polyester, and their blended waste textile valorisation to value-added products: A circular economy approach – research trends, opportunities and challenges

Fast-changing fashion trends have resulted in increases in textile production and waste generation. The environmental impacts of the production, consumption and end-of-life of textiles are amply documented. Therefore, the industry has started to shift from the linear economy principle of ‘take-make-waste’ to the circular economy concept, where textiles can reenter the life cycle rather than being wasted and thus form a closed loop, resulting in resource savings and reduced environmental impacts. To this end, valorization of solid waste streams from the textile industry to recover fibers and marketable value-added products has gained increasing attention in recent years. Textile waste valorization involves three main steps: pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fiber regeneration. This review presents the main methodologies and the most recent technical developments in these valorization strategies, the value-added products obtained and their applications. Furthermore, the review describes fermentative products synthesized using cellulosic glucose from the cotton fraction of waste streams. Gaps and challenges in existing strategies are identified for potential future research. This review will help to apprize researchers and practitioners of important recent developments in effective textile valorization via upcycling and guide them in the design of efficient strategies for sustainable management of textile waste streams