Microwave assisted liquefaction (MAL) of alkali lignin in ethylene glycol (EG) in the presence of hydrazine was carried out using response surface methodology. Dielectric properties of mixtures of lignin/EG at different hydrazine concentrations were determined to enhance the understanding of the MAL process. MAL parameters were hydrazine concentration (1–3%), temperature (100-180 °C), time (5-45 min)

Red mud is an inevitable and under-utilized byproduct of the aluminium industry. The current study evaluates the effect of mechanical and thermal activation on the acid leaching of red mud. The acid leaching of the pretreated product is followed by acid-base precipitation to precipitate the dissolved Al values from solution and enrich the residue with Fe and Ti values. Mild acid leaching yielded ~76%

Removal of contaminants from wastewater is one key element for the development of sustainable society. Here, innovative “all-lignocellulose” derived photo-curable hydrogel nanocomposites based on methacrylated carboxymethyl cellulose (M-CMC) and lignosulfonate-derived carbonaceous products were successfully designed. The carbon products were synthesized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization

This study suggests the possibility of substituting rare earths containing catalysts in ethanol steam reforming by means of sustainability assessment. Four Ni-catalysts are assessed; two of the Ni-catalysts are rare earths containing catalysts Ni/Al2O3-CeO2 and Ni/La2O3 while the other two are non-rare earths containing catalysts Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/ZnO. The sustainability assessment tool used covers environmental

In recent times carbon black is getting part replaced in the tire industry by silica as the major reinforcing filler for the development of “greener tires”. The green claim comes from the fact that silica reinforcement helps in further fuel saving in vehicles and reduction in CO2 emission into the environment. Making the green claim further, researchers are also looking at reinforcement fillers that

This work reviews the applications of thin film nanocomposites for renewable energy. Current and futures research directions in this area are explored. Relevant characteristics required for optimal performance and various fabrication methods in renewable energy area discussed. Evolution of size dependent properties and quantum effects of nanoparticles in thin film nanocomposites and their impact renewable

Amino-grafted Mobil Composition of Matter N. 41 (MCM-41/NH2) and Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA-15/NH2) type mesoporous adsorbents were successfully used and compared in this work to remove azo dyes (and their mixture) from highly colored solutions. This paper reports a very fast removal and recycle (in 5 min) of great amounts of textile dyes (about the 100%) by materials characterized by high adsorption/desorption

Graphite is central in almost all commercial Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and possesses attractive physical and chemical properties such as good ionic conductivity and layered graphitic structure. In this communication, we have demonstrated the recycling of graphite from end-of-life LIBs and the re-purposing of the recovered material for positive electrodes in next-generation aluminium-ion-batteries (AIBs)

This study presents the surface morphology of Ti/RuO2 anodes prepared by coating solutions of RuCl3xH2O with three different concentrations i.e. low (0.4 M), medium (0.8 M) and high (1.2 M). Efficiencies of these anodes were determined in terms of COD removal at 3.33, 6.66 and 10 mA/cm2 current densities. The most effective anode was further employed for degradation of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic

Bamboo is widely planted in the world and many species of bamboo are intensively used as sustainable bio-composite materials in the construction of houses, pavilions, furniture and bridges, etc. The bamboo nodes play an important role on natural bamboo's strength. This paper is focused on the structure-property-fracture relations of the natural Moso bamboo with node. The inner structures are characterized

Four novel polymers have been investigated as promising solution processable, dopant-free polymeric hole-transporting materials (HTMs) for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells. The poly(1-(4-hexylphenyl)-2,5-bis(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole) p(hPhDTP), poly(1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,5-bis(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrrole)p(mPhDTP), poly(3-hexyl-5,5′-dimethyl-2,3′-bithiophene) p(hBT) and poly(5

Three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) based hydrogel or sponges have received increasing attention in recent years. High porosity combined with mechanical durability in graphene based sponges is in high demand in energy storage field. However, pure rGO sponges are generally delicate and fragile, which is hard to handle and process. Moreover, low package density of graphene based material leads

Exploring high electrochemical performance active materials with high safety, low-cost, and eco-friendly is always the hotspot in energy storage science community. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites as well as derivates are extensively studied for energy storage and conversion in the past decades owing to their unique architectures, high porosity, abundant heteroatoms and adjustable

The capture of heavy metal pollution in water is important for ensuring environmental and public health. In this study, a sorbent comprised of powdered activated carbon and a sustainable polysulfide polymer made by inverse vulcanization was used to remove lead from water. The dynamic SS bonds in the polysulfide polymer were then used to form a composite block by reactive compression molding: a process

Ti-6Al-4 V alloy is a well-acknowledged standard material for the application of modern aerospace, surgical equipment, and prosthetic body parts owing to its stable thermo-physical properties at elevated temperature. However, this structure stability imparts its low thermal conductivity that leads to buildup of heat at tool-workpiece interface during machining which subsequently has a damaging effect

In the current review, food preservation methods were studied, as the food industry is facing the challenge of storing and increasing the shelf life of cut fresh fruits and vegetables. Foodborne pathogens have been established as one of the major reasons for the deteriorating human health; therefore, efforts should be made to decrease the foodborne pathogens in fresh fruits and vegetables. The methods

Buildings consume vast amounts of energy and pollute the environment in various ways. Façade is a part of building's architecture that can play a significant role in reducing energy consumption, as well as alleviating its negative environmental effects. Although using smart materials in buildings' facades can help dramatically to attain the mentioned goals, very limited studies have been conducted

The increasing environmental problems in contemporary society require material science researchers to develop high-performance functional materials for the ecological sustainable developments. One-dimensional (1D) nanofibers (NFs) and two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) are two kinds of fundamental building blocks for advanced nanocomposite materials. Electrospinning are one of the most versatile

Graphene, a single-atom thick, two-dimensional carbon material with remarkable properties is heavily used in advanced functional applications. However, production quality and processes are of concern, and the need for post-modification leads to high cost. Here, a novel production and simultaneous functionalization of few-layer graphene oxide-like nanosheets (FLGON) via a green process from biocarbons

For the last few decades, the application of biopolymers such as poly(lactic acid, PLA) as an alternative to synthetic polymers in the packaging industry is in great demand. However, to rival the traditional polymers, the barrier properties and antimicrobial activities of PLA need to be adapted to the food packaging requirements. The purpose of this research was to compare the impact of thin-film fabrication

Bio-based building materials are composites of vegetal particles embedded in an organic or mineral matrix. Their multi-scale porous structure confers to them interesting thermal, hygroscopic and acoustic properties. These performance properties have spurred research on these materials as alternative building materials with low embodied energy. This review contains a comprehensive critical analysis

Biosensors can sensitively and selectively detect a wide range of compounds and macromolecules strongly relevant to human health diagnosis and environment monitoring. Laser induced graphene (LIG) fabricated from polyimide has recently received intense interest for biosensor application due to its unique properties, such as three-dimensional macroporous structure, good conductivity and superior facile

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous graphene hydrogel (MGHG) enjoys many unique characteristics for use as an efficient energy storage electrode material. Herein, a green one-pot hydrothermal synthesis strategy was employed to synthesize highly hydrophilic nitrogen-doped mesoporous graphene hydrogel. The morphological, structural, and compositional analyses were performed using FESEM, XRD, and XPS techniques

Spherical ZnTiO3 / multi-walled carbon nanotube (ZnTiO3 / MWCNTs) composite was synthesized via a simple one-step solvothermal strategy with subsequent sintering process. The obtained ZnTiO3 nanospheres in pure ZnTiO3 and ZnTiO3 / MWCNTs materials have a diameter of about 200–300 nm. The MWCNTs are well dispersed ZnTiO3 electrode materials and form a three-dimensional conductive network structure.

The efficient recycling of discarded batteries for critical metals such as cobalt and lithium is necessary to reduce environmental pollution and to mitigate the resource scarcity. In this work, electrode sheets of discarded batteries were crushed without manual separation, sieved, followed by microwave exposure. Dielectric properties and microwave response of electrode materials were investigated at

Green materials are considered as one of the prominent elements in designing an environmentally sustainable construction project. Studies have highlighted cement replacement is a popular method of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and replacing virgin materials in concrete. These options incur cost implications through sophisticated designs and technologies. The importance of maintaining a balance

Production and disposal of car tyres are major contributors to environmental damage. The first stage in tyre rubber recycling is granulation to smaller particle sizes. The sub-optimal physical, mechanical and chemical properties of mechanically ground tyre rubber (GTR) when incorporated into recycled blends are major obstacles to wider use of this potentially sustainable, recovered resource. Consequently

Historically the UK implemented a “nominal” twice-through cycle whereby used nuclear fuels were reprocessed, but uranium and plutonium were not recycled: they were stored pending a future decision by the UK Government. However, the policy for managing higher activity wastes is clear: it envisages their disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility. Consultations for siting a repository - which were suspended

Nanomaterials are highly efficient additives for the modification of microstructure, resulting in better mechanical properties and durability of concrete/mortar. This study investigates the effect of three different dosages (1%, 3% and 5%) of nano-SiO2 and nano-TiO2 on workability, mechanical strength, and corrosion resistance of fly ash-based cement mortars. It was found that the workability of mortar

Non-aqueous extraction (NAE) at ambient temperature is a promising substitute to the current commercial hot water process for mined oil sand, but several challenges remain largely due to the use of hazardous conventional organic solvents (COS) such as toluene or heptane. In this work, a more sustainable process for separating extra-heavy oil from oil sands ore using β-pinene, a naturally abundant green

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have emerged as one of the leading technologies to reduce global emissions, particularly in the mobility sector. Automotive electronics, such as sensors/actuators and microcontrollers (commonly known as electronic control units (ECU) which control one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a vehicle), play a key role in ICT. Sensors/actuators

Currently, most of the waste plastics cannot be recycled, causing serious environmental concerns. In this research, we investigated a compaction formation technology to fabricate structural materials with thermoplastic binders. When the compaction pressure was 70–100 MPa, with ~10 wt% polyethylene binder, the flexural strength was greater than that of typical steel-reinforced concrete, sufficient for

Graphene oxide (GO) is well known as a key material to the commercialization of graphene-based applications due to its excellent processability and abundant starting materials. However, producing high quality GO with excellent structural intactness still remains a challenge despite the significant research effort over the past decade. Herein, we demonstrate an effective approach to achieving well-oxidized

Separation of cathode materials from the current collector remains a challenging task for the recycling of both spent lithium-ion batteries and cathode scraps. Dissolving the organic binder polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) with an organic solvent to recover both cathode materials and Al foils is an efficient and promising method. However, the use of toxic solvents limits their practical application