Novel natural plant fibers are being extensively investigated at this current scenario mainly owing to their significant properties over synthetic ones as renewable, biodegradable, and economical nature. With this outlook, the present study has tried to explore a novel plant fiber from Hibiscus canescens stem and analyzed its feasibility through various characterization methods. Water retting method was elected to extract fibers from the H. canescens stem. Chemical analysis was used to determine various chemical components as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, wax, moisture, and ash. The crystalline and amorphous conformation of H. canescens stem fibers (HCSF) were discovered using X-ray diffraction analysis. The chemical possessions are further validated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. After physico-chemical investigation, the feasible properties of HCSF were determined to be good crystallinity (48.78%), high cellulose content (68.46 wt.%), and relatively low density (1425 kg/m3). Moreover, the desired thermal stability (327°C) and tensile properties (394.9±14.42 MPa; 30.29±4.365 GPa) obtained through thermogravimetric analysis and tensile study demonstrated its suitability for high temperature fixed submissions. The exterior topographical study using SEM and AFM revealed that the surface is uneven with an average roughness of 7.200nm, which is another required feature for good fiber-matrix inter-bonding. Although, these intriguing features are satisfactory to ponder HCSF as a new promising material for composite fabrication in future.

AbstractKeratin, the main structural constituent of feathers, contains a lot of valuable amino acids which are potential bioactive compounds as well. Since conventional methods are not efficient enough to achieve complete removal of chicken feather waste, biological mode of feather degradation is one of the most appropriate ways to utilize feathers, thereby reducing wastes as well as generating value-added products from feathers. This study was focussed on valorizing chicken feather into feather hydrolysate (FH) containing bioactive compounds for plant growth promotion. Keratinolytic bacteria capable of degrading chicken feathers were isolated from the poultry waste dumping site of Russell Market, Shivajinagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The isolated bacteria was identified as Bacillus tropicus LS 27. A minimal media with chicken feather as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen was prepared and inoculated with Bacillus tropicus LS 27 [5% (v/v)]. Degradation of keratin protein by bacteria caused the solubilization of amino acids which was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis where an appreciable amount of amino acids like cysteine, valine, isoleucine, proline, lysine, methionine, and phenylalanine was detected. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of hydrolysed chicken feathers showed C=0 stretching, S-H bond stretching, and formation of carboxylic acid groups indicating effective degradation of chicken feathers. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed the degradation pattern of feathers showing complete degradation of barbs and barbules with a portion of rachis remaining. Feather hydrolysate was further explored for its antioxidant activity using DPPH scavenging assay, and the value was found to be 1.5 mg/mL. The bacterial cells when screened for heavy metal tolerance showed significant metal tolerance to lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr). Since Bacillus tropicus LS27 showed indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophore, and ammonia production, the prepared feather hydrolysate along with the bacterial cells were used as soil amendment for plant growth studies over Spinacia oleracea L. The study revealed that plants supplemented with 20% (v/v) FH showed elevated plant growth, therefore proving to be optimum for the support of plant growth.Graphical abstract

This study’s objective was to evaluate the chemical characterization and biological activities of sulphated polysaccharides isolated from Grateloupia catenata. The sulphated polysaccharide yield was 28.71±09%, with carbohydrate, protein, ash, and moisture content of 92.05±32%, 0%, 21.08±06%, and 4.03±29%. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulphur content of the sulphated polysaccharide were determined to be 33.07±21%, 4.21%±05, 2.15%±38, and 3.98±15%, correspondingly. The polysaccharide’s functional group was investigated using FT-IR. The sulphated polysaccharide demonstrated commendable antioxidant activity such as DPPH radicals, ABTS radicals, superoxide radicals, and hydroxyl radicals’ activity were 18.31–71.38%, 20.73–70.01%, 19.81–72.01%, and 18.72%–73.22% at the concentration of 50–250 μg/ml. Sulphated polysaccharide’s anticancer action against the A549 cell line was 21.98–70.41% at the concentrations of 50–250μg/ml. The results show that the sulphated polysaccharide exhibits strong antioxidant and anticancer action. As a consequence, the sulphated polysaccharide from G. catenata may serve as a food supplement, a natural antioxidant and anticancer, or as an ingredient in the pharmaceutical sector.

Currently, one of the most challenging tasks for the scientific community is to identify a novel material that can replace petrochemical products. It is needed for the identification of novel natural fibers that can be used in polymer composites, enabling a better combination of polymers and fiber for a wide range of applications. In this regard, experimental investigations were conducted on Butea monosperma fiber (BMF) to understand its chemical, physical, and thermal properties. The chemical composition of BMF showed a significant cellulose (63.49%), lignin (17.58%), hemicellulose (18.16%), moisture (8.85%), and pectin (4.87%) content and minimum amounts of wax (0.26%) and ash (3.79%). X-ray diffraction XRD analysis showed that the BMF has a good crystallinity index of 79.993% and a crystallite size of 7.40 nm. The surface morphology, roughness, and elemental composition of the BMF were measured using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Thermal properties of BMF were measured by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed thermal stability up to 296.14°C and a degradation temperature of 365°C, which makes it suitable for polymer composite fabrication. The chemical functional groups present in the BMF were identified using Fourier transform infrared analysis. The density of the BMF was 370 kg/m3, which was lower than that of existing fibers and showed good tensile properties. Compared with other recent scientific studies, the results showed that BM is best fit for reinforcement in natural fiber polymer composite materials and biocomposites.

Butanol as a biofuel, can be produced by ABE (acetone-butanol-ethanol) fermentation. Pervaporation is a promising process, especially for the separation of biofuels from aqueous mixtures such as ABE mixtures which consists of 3:6:1 ratio of ABE solvents and water around 97%. In this study, ionic liquid-based membranes were developed for the recovery of butanol from aqueous mixtures. The active layer providing the selectivity was formed by using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([bmim][Tf2N]) ionic liquid (IL). Porous polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films were used as the support layers. Two different types of membranes were prepared, in which IL was mixed into PDMS and cast as a thin film on the support layer, and IL was impregnated into the pores of the support layers. The effects of feed concentration and temperature on separation performance were investigated. In addition, the membranes were prepared with and without IL, and the effect of IL on membrane performance was investigated. In general, an increase in flux and selectivity values ​​was observed with the addition of IL in PDMS. Butanol selectivities in pervaporation experiments with different process parameters were found between 24.7 and 61.3 when PTFE support layer was used and between 22.5 and 48.6 when PVDF support layer was used. Especially with the use of IL in the membrane, the fluxes increased 2.5-5 times, resulting in a significant increase in fluxes. As a result, it has been shown that PDMS+IL/PVDF and PDMS+IL/PTFE membranes can be used for effective butanol recovery by pervaporation.

In developing nations, research output is limited due to factors like unreliable power supply and inadequate laboratory equipment. The high cost of purchasing completed laboratory equipment and the unavailability of accessories for imported equipment further contribute to this issue. A biomass densification machine was designed and constructed to address these challenges for teaching and research purposes. The machine was tested at five different compaction pressures (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 kPa) using gelatinized cassava starch as a binder. The physical and mechanical characteristics of the produced fuel briquettes were investigated following ASTM standards and procedures reported in the literature. The results show that the physical and mechanical properties of the fuel briquettes increase with compaction pressure. The compressive strength, durability, and water resistance of the briquettes varied between 55 and 101 kN·m−2, 89–99%, and 20–120 min, respectively, while the compressed and relaxed densities range from 0.780 to 1.220 g·cm−3 and 0.670 to 0.990 g·cm−3, respectively. The machine performed satisfactorily because the briquettes’ characteristics were found to meet the specified ISO Standard (17225). The development of this machine will enable academic institutions, researchers, and students to harness the potential of biomass through the densification process without the challenges posed by imported equipment. The creation of the machine will also facilitate students’ hands-on learning. By providing an easily accessible and reliable platform, academic and research institutions can integrate biomass solid fuel production experiments into their curricula, fostering a thorough understanding of renewable energy solutions and supporting sustainable practices. Therefore, it can be recommended for teaching and research in developing nations. Incorporating an electronic component, such as a digital pressure gauge and electric hydraulic jack, is recommended for future research to enhance the performance.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles from Citrus medica that have vitamin C is tested on the antioxidant property which prevents free radicals responsible for skin damage. Keeping the skin pH between 4 and 6.5 during cleansing reduces the overgrowth of microbes, resulting in promising antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cleanser properties. Instead of using various chemical additives in cosmetics, some of the natural products can be replaced. Zinc oxide is used as sunscreen in cosmetic products to prevent the skin from UV radiation. Therefore, the biologically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles were purified by centrifugal force and further confirmed by characterization methods including UV-Vis spectroscopy, showing that the peak absorbance at 378 nm was characteristic of the corresponding zinc oxide nanoparticles. FTIR provides spectra for various functional groups present in the nanoparticles and the followed by SEM which reveals the distribution pattern of the green synthesised zinc oxide nanoparticles. The applicative part was concentrated on antimicrobial and topical skin cleanser agents.

The potential of nanotechnology revolutionized the different fields of modern sciences, enabling researchers to develop nanomaterial with extraordinary functionalities making life easier. Nanoparticles such as ZnO NPs and Ag NPs along with sterilizing agents found great potential for controlling contamination in banana tissue culture. Banana provides food for millions of people worldwide even though its origin was South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The emergence of tissue culture technology replaces the conventional banana propagation method, i.e., using suckers. Contaminations persist in tissue culture due to nutrient-rich media, thus decreasing its efficiency and profitability. The motive of this study is to make banana tissue culture more profitable by eradicating the contamination problem. Surface-sterilized explant may not be germ-free from inside due to covert bacteria (endogenous bacteria), which reside inside the plant in a passive state but can contaminate the experimental setup at later stages. In the present study, an experiment is designed by using various sterilizing agents (ethanol, NaOCl, H2O2, and HgCl2) for different periods to optimize the best combination of sterilizing agents for banana tissue culture. After treatment with these chemicals, the explant was inoculated to Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with plant growth hormones such as kinetin and indole acetic acid (IAA) and placed into a growth chamber for 1 week and observed regularly for appearance of contamination. The result shows that when the explant was treated with 70% ethanol for 1 min, 20% NaOCl for 10 min, and 0.2% HgCl2 for 2 min, we found it to be the most effective with the least contamination, i.e., 20%. In a separate experiment, zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles were used to control endophytic contamination with different concentrations (60 mg/liter, 90 mg/liter, 120 mg/liter). Both nanoparticles show promising results in controlling endophytic contamination, but using silver nanoparticles as a part of media controls up to 100% contamination. Dual treatment of ZnO and Ag nanoparticles as sterilizing agents as an additional component of media successfully removes the contamination but becomes the major cause of tissue death in banana tissue culture. Chemical sterilization was good but not efficient as compared to the combination with nanoparticle application. Blends of chemicals and nanoparticles are effective against microbes not only from the surface but also from the inside of the plant, so using available nanoparticles with optimized concentration may open a new way in tissue culture technology. The result of this research explains the success of nanoparticles (Ag NPs and ZnO NPs) in controlling exo and endophytic contaminations in banana tissue culture, thus creating a unique way of banana explant sterilization.

One of the most common agricultural wastes in India, the state of Tamilnadu, is coconut shell (CS). The co-gasification of coconut shell and medical plastic waste (MPW), mixture appears to be a potential method for removing waste plastics. In a fluidized bed gasifier with an olivine catalyst as the bed material, the experimental works are carried out in air co-gasification of 50:50 wt% coconut shell:medical plastic waste combination. During the experiments, the effect of the equivalence ratio is examined in the range of 0.20–0.32, and the effect of bed temperature is determined in the range of 750–900 °C. In this present investigation, the experimental work are carried out in a 10 kW fluidized bed gasifier, and the following process parameters are analyzed such as H2/CO ratio, product gas composition, hydrocarbon gas composition, carbon conversion efficiency, cold gas efficiency, calorific value, tar content, and product yield. From the experiment result, it showed that tar and char yield decreased, but the gas yield, carbon conversion efficiency, and cold gas efficiency increased for different equivalence ratios and temperatures. Gas product like CO increases from 26.2 to 32.2%, H2 increases from 36.9 to 52.6%, and the H2/CO ratio increased from 0.15 to 0.45 mmol/g as a function of temperature. But the CO2 concentration decreases from 14.9 to 13.3%, and CH4 also shows a slightly decreased. According to experimental results, a higher bed temperature is favorable for syngas generation and other gasification performance parameters.

The prehydrolysis liquor from the prehydrolysis Kraft process is rich in sugars and could thus serve as a sustainable feedstock for the production of various chemicals. However, its industrial utilization is impeded by the presence of fermentation inhibitors and extensive lignin precipitation, the latter receiving only little attention in the literature.In order to provide a feedstock suitable for biotechnological or chemical conversion, the prehydrolysis liquor from eucalyptus wood must be detoxified whilst preventing the precipitation of lignin. To increase the yield of monomeric sugars, acid posthydrolysis should be investigated.Various solvents and solvent mixtures were screened for the high temperature liquid–liquid extraction of isothermally separated prehydrolysis liquor. Their capability to prevent lignin precipitation and to extract fermentation inhibitors was assessed using mass balances and size-exclusion chromatography. Based on the solvent screening, a process for simultaneous posthydrolysis and liquid–liquid extraction of eucalyptus prehydrolysis liquor was proposed and investigated using statistic experimental design.Liquid–liquid extraction using aliphatic alcohols effectively prevents lignin precipitation, and the addition of 25% (w/w) tri-n-octylamine was found to increase the overall inhibitor extraction efficiency. The conditions for the simultaneous posthydrolysis were investigated using a Box-Behnken experimental design, allowing for a maximum monomeric sugar yield of 83.0% at a sugar purity of 91.6%.The simultaneous posthydrolysis and liquid-liquid extraction (SIMPLLE) process thus avoids industrial-level problems associated with lignin precipitation. It provides a carbohydrate-rich stream with low levels of fermentation inhibitors, enabling further conversion to value added products.

The study aimed to compare the development of an artificial neural network (ANN) and multilinear regression (MLR) model used to predict the performance of biogas in a batch-mode underground fixed dome biogas digester. In this study, 50 experimental datasets were used to assess the rate of biogas production with developed ANN and MLR models. The six variables, including solar irradiance, relative humidity, slurry temperature, biogas temperature, pH, and ambient temperature, were selected as the input parameters or predictors of the model. Therefore, the developed ANN and MLR models were used to describe the rate of biogas yield. The study found that the determination coefficient (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) for ANN and MLR were 0.999/0.968 and 8.33 × 10−6/1.84 × 10−4, respectively. Both models were significant because of their high correlation between measured and predicted values of the biogas yield. However, the ANN performs better because of the smaller RMSE and higher R2 derived compared to the corresponding values of the MLR. The study proved that both the ANN and MLR can accurately predict the rate of biogas production but with better predictions obtained from ANN.

Immense industrial growth contributed to tremendous pollution of the environment from a variety of sources. Bioremediation of different toxicants, such as heavy metals and dyes, is greatly appreciated for its cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach. The bacterial strains isolated from textile dye-contaminated soil samples were used in the study for the removal of the toxic pollutants. The bacterial strains were molecularly identified as E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii and Bacillus sp. B2022 using 16S rRNA sequencing. The preliminary batch study results of the bacterial co-cultures showed a maximum removal efficiency of 88.57 ± 0.005% on mixed dyes and 90.18 ± 0.005% on Cr (VI) respectively. The scale-up laboratory-sized batch reactor showed the results were the maximum removal percentage of 77.68 ± 0.005% with mixed dyes and 52.79 ± 0.005% on Cr (VI) observed for 6 days. The degraded metabolites analyzed by FT-IR revealed the presence of C-H, C = O, C-O, and C–Cl functional groups. The GC–MS study showed the presence of few metabolites such as decane, undecane, 2,4,6-trimethyl decane, butyl tetradecyl ester phthalic acid, and 2,6,10 trimethyl tetradecane. The integrated treatment approach of applying different techniques in a single platform is positively encouraged in the era of urbanization and industrialization.

Utilizing natural extract to prepare nanoparticles has grabbed the attention of researchers’ worldwide due to its magnificent physicochemical properties. In the present work, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were produced with the assistance of phytochemicals found in two different natural extract: coconut milk and coconut water. The structure, optical, morphology, and biological performance of the prepared particles were examined and analyzed. X-ray diffraction pattern clearly infers the presence of crystalline natured ZnO NPs with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The average crystallite size is calculated as 25.5 and 11.3 nm for ZnO NPs using coconut milk and water respectively. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows the characteristic peaks from 400 to 900 cm−1 corresponds to stretching band of ZnO. Photoluminescence spectroscopic techniques were employed to analyze the types of defects present in the synthesized nanoparticles. The optical property of the prepared NPs was examined from ultraviolet-visible spectrum and its bandgap obtained from Tauc plot found to reduce from 3.07 to 2.78 eV due to recombination of electron-hole pair. For both ZnO NPs, scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed the formation of spherical shape particles measures from 20 to 80 nm without any agglomeration. The formation of rod-shaped particles was identified from transmission electron microscopic images for coconut water mediated ZnO NPs. The presence of Zn and O revealed from XPS spectrum. Both ZnO NPs were tested for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus,Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli at different concentrations using disc diffusion method. The NPs produced using coconut water exhibit an IC50 of 47.99 over coconut milk (113.5) from the anti-inflammation investigation. According to these results, coconut water-derived ZnO NPs may be a promising nanomaterial with the potential to be used in cutting-edge medical procedures.

Taraxacum mongolicum, also known as “Dandelion”, distributes widely and is a famous medicinal plant with the functions of clearing heat-toxin and detumescence. In this study, we utilized the easily available T. mongolicum extract as both green reducing and capping agents for synthesizing copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), and the reaction took place in only one step and there was no need for an external chemical reducing reagents, which consequently enable the reaction process be simple, rapid, nontoxic, cost-effective, and eco-friendly. The obtained CuO NPs possess monoclinic crystal structure with high crystallinity, exhibit rough and irregular surface topography, and are close to spherical in shape with a particle size of ∼30-50 nm. Degradation experiments demonstrated that the CuO NPs display excellent catalytic efficacy towards rhodamine-B (Rh-B) and malachite green (MG) dyes under both dark and light irradiation conditions, in particular for degrading MG, with the degradation efficiency after H2O2-assisted treatment reaching up to 93.81% under light irradiation within 210 min, and the degradation mechanism is relevant to the photo-assisted heterogeneous Fenton-like catalytic reaction. On this basis, the degradation kinetics of the CuO NPs on two selected dyes were also investigated. The cycling test indicated the good stability and reusability of the CuO NPs for dye degradation. Furthermore, the antibacterial properties of the CuO NPs were also examined. The results revealed that these nanoparticles are well capable of inhibiting the activity of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 400 μg/ml. Overall, these findings suggest the green synthesized CuO NPs could be promising for use in the decontamination of dyes wastewater or employed in medical devices for the prevention or treatment of bacterial infections.

The management of biowaste and agricultural solid waste is gaining attention due to rising landfill disposal costs and the need for locally available agricultural feedstocks. The biorefinery concept aims to achieve zero waste through valorizing residues as fertilizers. Despite containing NPK macronutrients, residues may not promote plant growth due to limited nutrient availability and phytotoxic compounds. The production of valuable organic, mineral-organic, or mineral fertilizers with confirmed agronomic properties as marketable biorefinery products remains understudied. This comprehensive review broadens our understanding of fertilizer production in biorefineries, which complements the energy (thermal, biogas, biodiesel) and chemical compounds (e.g., succinic acid, propanediol, protein concentrates) that are also generated within biorefineries. It is among the first reviews to investigate the importance of valorizing biorefinery residues as fertilizers, emphasizing methods leading to commercial products and the rationale behind this process. The findings confirm that directly applying unprocessed residues to the soil does not fully exploit their value as by-products. This study contributes to the practical analysis of barriers (legal, chemical, biological, technological) and opportunities (rising prices and reduced global availability of mineral fertilizers) related to fertilizer production in the biorefining process.

Hydrothermal liquefaction was applied to model mixtures containing lard oil (lipid), cellulose (carbohydrate), and bovine serum albumin (protein), representing biogenic organic waste feedstocks. The content of protein was kept constant for every experiment, while the lipid and cellulose content was changed, which is expressed by the lipid to protein (LtoP) or cellulose to protein (CtoP) ratio. The reactions were conducted at 350 °C with a residence time of 20 min in 25 ml micro autoclaves. Afterwards, the lumped recovery of carbon and nitrogen into the different product phases was investigated and representative compounds were identified to get an overview of the composition on a molecular level. A high LtoP ratio results in an increased biocrude yield and eventually higher carbon recovery, while the nitrogen recovery is slightly lowered. The formation of nitrogen containing heteroaromatic species could be suppressed by the addition of lipids from 6.10 to 0.03% for pyrazines and 2.69 to 0.43% for indoles. Consequently, the formation and nitrogen recovery by heteroaliphatic amide species increased from 0.00 to 8.77%. Different reaction pathways for the formation of the different species are proposed. It turned out that reactive amine from protein degradation can be “trapped” in stable amides, preventing the formation of nitrogen heteroaromatics with oxygenated from carbohydrates.Graphical abstract

Fusarium species are considered one of the most destructing plant pathogens. In the current study, bimetallic zinc oxide-copper oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-CuO NPs) were myco-synthesized using Aspergillus fumigatus for controlling Fusarium oxysporum growth. Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from soil and identified morphologically and genetically. The myco-synthesized ZnO-CuO NPs were characterized using UV-Vis, DLS, HR-TEM, SEM, and XRD analyses. HR-TEM characterization method indicated that, the biosynthesized bimetallic ZnO-CuO NPs appeared as semi-spherical with the average diameter specified as 54.18 ± 1.9 nm. The DLS method described the characteristic particle size diffusion and was calculated as 85.52 nm, 90.85 nm, and 92.85 nm for ZnO NPs, CuO NPs, and ZnO-CuO NPs, respectively. Additionally, the SEM image of ZnO-CuO NPs displays basic NP surface character and the exterior impression was apparent. The biosynthesized ZnO-CuO NPs were separated naturally as spherical particles connected within the fungal filtrate, which displays as illuminated NPs fused and capped with the fungal filtrate. Antifungal activity of bimetallic ZnO-CuO NPs was evaluated against F. oxysporum. Results revealed that bimetallic ZnO-CuO NPs exhibited promising antifungal activity toward F. oxysporum where inhibition zone at 1000 µg/ml was 22.8 ± 0.76 mm, and MIC was 125 µg/ml. Moreover, growth inhibition percentages of F. oxysporum at different concentrations of bimetallic ZnO-CuO NPs 1000, 500, 250, and 125 µg/ml were 88.9, 65.5, 41.1, and 8.9% respectively, where the highest inhibition was 88.9% at concentration 1000 µg/ml, while the lowest inhibition was 8.9% at concentration 125 µg/ml. In TEM ultrastructure results, the treated F. oxysporum with ZnO-CuO NPs, a clear destruction was found in all cell contents and disintegration of the cell wall as well as destruction of the plasma membrane. Also, the nucleus appeared as small size and damaged shape and the chromatin materials distributed with several dark stained bodies in cytoplasm. In conclusion, bimetallic ZnO-CuO NPs were successfully myco-synthesized using A. fumigatus, where it had promising antifungal activity against F. oxysporum.

An essential tool for assessing the viscoelastic characteristics and temperature transitions of polymer composites is dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). This research looked at the influence of process factors on the flexural and DMA properties of the coir fiber composite. These variables were fiber laying, length of the fiber, fiber volume percentage, and fiber surface treatment with alkali. According to Taguchi L18 design, needle-punched nonwoven was developed. Through this investigation, the optimized flexural strength of the sample was found as 52.812 MPa. According to DMA research, the greatest storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss factor were found to be 3.24 GPa, 0.508 GPa, and 0.164 Gpa at 26 °C and 55% RH. The best outcomes were obtained using cross-directional fiber laying, 6-cm fiber length, 40% fiber volume fraction, and 3% sodium hydroxide pretreatment. It was discovered by statistical analysis that the alkali pretreatment parameter had a significant relationship with both the flexural and dynamic mechanical characteristics of the composite.

Boron doping of biochar leads to the formation of activated oxygen species and pores and defects in the carbon structure Therefore, boron-containing biochar was prepared by treating boric acid (H3BO3) solutions in different concentrations of hazelnut shells before pyrolysis. DSC results showed that treatment of biomass with solutions containing a low concentration (0.1 wt. %) of H3BO3 increased the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, but also increased char formation. However, treatment with solutions containing 2% and 5% H3BO3 increased biochar oxidation with the formation of boron oxide (B2O3). The FT-IR and XPS results showed the presence of B–B, B–O, and B–O–B in the H3BO3 treatment, which is due to the formation of B2O3. The examination of the proliferation of L929 mouse fibroblast cells in response to different concentrations of boron-containing biochars using the MTT assay revealed that biochar treated with 2% H3BO3 promoted cell growth (100.32 ± 1.93). However, above this concentration, the formation of polycrystalline B2O3 species exhibited an inhibitory effect on cell proliferation (81.98 ± 1.26) in the samples of H3BO3-doped biochar with 5% concentration. The results of the in vitro hemolysis tests for undoped biochar and high boron-containing (% 5) biochar sample showed mild hemolytic activity, with percentages of 2.46 ± 0.02 and 3.08 ± 0.04, respectively, according to the reported standards. Antimicrobial studies have shown that Candida albicans (a yeast, ATCC 10231) is more sensitive to H3BO3 than Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria, ATCC 29213). Boron-containing biochar can be used in a variety of applications, including biosensing, drug delivery, biological scaffolds, and biological imaging, as well as an adsorbent in the removal of pollutants and a catalyst in oxidation and electrochemical reactions.

This study aimed to determine the exopolysaccharide (EPS) production of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus KS27 depending on temperature, incubation time, and medium composition and to determine the optimum conditions. Characterization was carried out for the exopolysaccharide produced under optimum conditions. In the study, three different conditions (25 °C, 35 °C, 45 °C) were used for temperature, glycerol, and sucrose as media, and three different periods (24 h, 36 h, and 48 h) were used. It was determined that the solubility of EPS produced under optimal conditions had the highest water content (98 ± 0.01%), while the water binding capacity was also found to be as high as 1970 ± 0.01% and complied with common EPS characteristics. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis showed a gradual deterioration up to 191.88 °C and a slow decline up to 400 °C. FTIR analysis deciphered peak values between 3289 and 517 cm−1, and functional groups were detected. When the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum was examined, a heterogeneous structure appropriate to the structure of EPS was found by defining the peak entities in three separate regions.