Preparation of high performance SPEEK/Cloisite 15A nanocomposite membrane via advanced membrane formulation method

Sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK)/Cloisite 15A® nanocomposite membranes were prepared via solution intercalation method. For better dispersion of nanoclay in the polymer matrix, the solution intercalation method was modified and a compatibilizer was introduced. The state of nanoclay dispersion was determined by FESEM. The effect of the solution formulation preparation method and compatibilizer on the performance properties such as proton conductivity and methanol permeability of all membranes was studied. FESEM analysis confirmed that SPEEK/Cloisite 15A® nanocomposite membrane prepared via modified solution intercalation method and in the presence of compatibilizer was the best membrane in terms of its morphological structure. Due to its well nanoclay distribution in polymer matrix, this kind of membrane exhibited the highest selectivity owing to its high proton conductivity and low methanol permeability. SPEEK/Cloisite 15A® with compatibilizer prepared via modified solution intercalation method was found to be the best membrane

Efficient removal of partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide in polymer-flooding produced water using photocatalytic graphitic carbon nitride nanofibres

In this work, graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) photocatalyst-incorporated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibres (GCN/PAN nanofibres) were successfully prepared using electrospinning technique. The physicochemical properties of the fabricated GCN/PAN nanofibres were analysed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analyser, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation by GCN/PAN nanofibres exhibited 90.2% photodegradation of partially hydrolysed polyacrylonitrile (HPAM) after 180 min under UV light irradiation in a suspension photocatalytic reactor. The results suggest that the photodegradation of HPAM contaminant by GCN/PAN nanofibres was due to the synergetic effects of HPAM adsorption by the PAN nanofibres and HPAM photodegradation by the GCN. This study provides an insight into the removal of HPAM from polymer-flooding produced water (PFPW) through photocatalytic degradation of liquid-permeable self-supporting nanofibre mats as a potentially promising material to be used in industrial applications

Performance of nano metaclay on chloride diffusion for ultra- high performance concrete

The major cause for corrosion of steel reinforcement embedded in concrete due to chloride penetration has been the great research effort. The use of nano metaclay in UHPC increase the strength and helps the formation of micro pores by acting as a filler thus improve the chloride penetration resistance characteristic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the chloride diffusion of UHPC using RCPT and chloride penetration depth. Four (4) series of UHPC comprised of plain UHPC and a series of nanoUHPC incorporating 1%, 3% and 5% of nano metaclay were produced. It is reported that the compressive strength of nano UHPCl exhibits higher strength up to 10% compared to plain UHPC. The results showed that UHPC containing nano metaclay also significantly affect the chloride diffusion coefficient. As regards to the results, inclusion of 1% nano metaclay in UHPC led to noticeable benefit towards strength and chloride resistance

Optimization of Pb(II) removal using Magnetic y-Fe2O3/KCC-1 Synthesized from Palm Oil Fuel Ash

The pollution of lead, Pb(II) in water bodies has severely threatened the environment and human health due to its toxicity. Thus, removing Pb(II) from water bodies is an imperative task. In this study, the removal of Pb(II) using magnetic y-Fe2O3/KCC-1 synthesized from Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) was explored. The characterization analysis confirmed a successful preparation of y-Fe2O3/KCC-1 with BET surface area and pore volume of 401 m2g-1 and 0.90 cm3g-1, respectively. The optimization by response surface methodology (RSM) with independent variables of initial Pb(II) concentration

Performance of asphaltic concrete modified with recycled crushed bricks

The pavement industry relies greatly on this conventional material in constructing the road. However, the shortage of the mined material has led to the need of finding alternative with local materials to partially substitute the asphalt components. The conventional pavement industry also contributed to thermal and greenhouse emission resulting from the mining activities. In addition, throughout the year, the amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated from civil construction activities particularly in Malaysia is increasing in alarming rate. Recycling the C&D waste specifically in bricks is viewed as reasonable potential as aggregate modifier in the impulse for greener and sustainable asphalt pavement production. In this paper, recycled crushed bricks (RCB) is introduced to bituminous wearing course as partial replacement for coarse aggregates. The coarse aggregate is partially replaced with RCB in proportions of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% by weight. This study summarizes the results of laboratory evaluation of Los Angeles Abrasion Value, Aggregate Crushing Value and Marshall Test. Results show that asphaltic concrete modified with 10% RCB has the lowest abrasion and crushing values which were 20.2% and 30% respectively. Similarly, the mix has the highest Marshall Stability and lowest flow which 15.61 kN and 3.37 mm respectively. Thus, partial replacement of coarse aggregates with 10% RCB in bituminous mix is suitable to be used in wearing course and can be used as alternative material in bituminous mix to reduce the dependency on natural aggregates and utilize the C&D waste efficiently

Ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant attributes of selected Malaysian herbs: characterisation of flavonoids and correlation of functional activities

In the present work, aqueous ethanolic (60% ethanol) extracts from selected Malaysian herbs including Murraya koenigii L. Spreng, Lawsonia inermis L., Cosmos caudatus Kunth, Piper betle L., and P. sarmentosum Roxb. were evaluated for their ergogenic, anti-diabetic and antioxidant potentials. Results showed that the analysed herbs had ergogenic property and were able to activate 5'AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in a concentration dependant manner. The highest AMPK activation was exhibited by M. koenigii extract which showed no significant (p > 0.05) difference with green tea (positive control). For anti-diabetic potential, the highest α-glucosidase inhibition was exhibited by M. koenigii extract with IC50 of 43.35 ± 7.5 μg/mL, which was higher than acarbose (positive control). The determinations of free radical scavenging activity and total phenolics content (TPC) indicated that the analysed herbs had good antioxidant activity. However, C. caudatus extract showed superior antioxidant activity with IC50 against free radical and TPC of 21.12 ± 3.20 μg/mL and 221.61 ± 7.49 mg GAE/g, respectively. RP-HPLC analysis established the presence of flavonoids in the herbs wherein L. inermis contained the highest flavonoid (catechin, epicatechin, naringin and rutin) content (668.87 mg/kg of extract). Correlations between the analyses were conducted, and revealed incoherent trends. Overall, M. koenigii was noted to be the most potent herb for enhancement of AMPK activity and α-glucosidase inhibition but exhibited moderate antioxidant activity. These results revealed that the selected herbs could be potential sources of natural ergogenic and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents due to their rich profile of phenolics. Further analysis in vivo should be carried out to further elucidate the mechanism of actions of these herbs as ergogenic aids and anti-diabetic/antioxidant agents

Detection of a Fourth Orbivirus Non-Structural Protein

The genus Orbivirus includes both insect and tick-borne viruses. The orbivirus genome, composed of 10 segments of dsRNA, encodes 7 structural proteins (VP1–VP7) and 3 non-structural proteins (NS1–NS3). An open reading frame (ORF) that spans almost the entire length of genome segment-9 (Seg-9) encodes VP6 (the viral helicase). However, bioinformatic analysis recently identified an overlapping ORF (ORFX) in Seg-9. We show that ORFX encodes a new non-structural protein, identified here as NS4. Western blotting and confocal fluorescence microscopy, using antibodies raised against recombinant NS4 from Bluetongue virus (BTV, which is insect-borne), or Great Island virus (GIV, which is tick-borne), demonstrate that these proteins are synthesised in BTV or GIV infected mammalian cells, respectively. BTV NS4 is also expressed in Culicoides insect cells. NS4 forms aggregates throughout the cytoplasm as well as in the nucleus, consistent with identification of nuclear localisation signals within the NS4 sequence. Bioinformatic analyses indicate that NS4 contains coiled-coils, is related to proteins that bind nucleic acids, or are associated with membranes and shows similarities to nucleolar protein UTP20 (a processome subunit). Recombinant NS4 of GIV protects dsRNA from degradation by endoribonucleases of the RNAse III family, indicating that it interacts with dsRNA. However, BTV NS4, which is only half the putative size of the GIV NS4, did not protect dsRNA from RNAse III cleavage. NS4 of both GIV and BTV protect DNA from degradation by DNAse. NS4 was found to associate with lipid droplets in cells infected with BTV or GIV or transfected with a plasmid expressing NS4

Photocatalytic disinfection of bacteria under visible light irradiation by BiFeO3 photocatalyst

BiFeO3 nanoparticles was synthesized by sol gel auto combustion. The as-synthesized BiFeO3 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The disinfection activities towards Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) were examined under visible light irradiation. The results showed a complete inactivation of 3 × 106 CFU/mL S.aureus was achieved within 20 min. The disruption of bacterial cell structure was observed by Transmission electron microscope (TEM). The cells were severely damaged after being exposed to BiFeO3 under visible light irradiation. Hence, the results demonstrated the potential application of perovskite-type photocatalyst, BiFeO3 in photocatalytic disinfection of various microorganisms

Combustion study of waste cooking oil biodiesel in an oil burner

Depletion of fossil fuels, concerns on environment, and fuel price fluctuation have become the major drives in searching for sustainable alternative fuel. In that regard, a study was conducted to evaluate the combustion performance of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) converted into biodiesel and blended with Conventional Diesel Fuel (CDF) as a mean of sustainable replacement for diesel fuel. In this study, the production of biodiesel fuel from waste cooking oil was done via transesterification process, using the single step approach. The properties of the WCO biodiesel was characterized. The combustion performance of the produced fuels has been studied for B10 and B30 biodiesel from WCO and CDF (as baseline) based on their wall temperature profiles and gaseous emissions generated such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). It was found that the B30 WCO biodiesel emits lower emission compared to CDF but at the same time generates a lower temperature profile