This study focusses on the fabrication of nano-carriers for delivery of ciprofloxacin through the nanoprecipitation process. This was done to examine the release of drug at the pH of stomach to find out the antibacterial action of ciprofloxacin loaded nanoparticles (NPs). Prepared NPs were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and particle size analyzer (PSA) techniques. Drug yield, loading, and sustained release was studied as function of time (up to 8 h). Antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin loaded NPs were also determined against different gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Results revealed that nanoprecipitation is a suitable method for encapsulation of ciprofloxacin in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) PLGA NPs. The drug yield and drug loading were found to be 60%. The size range of NPs observed by PSA was in the range of 5.03–6.60 nm. It can be concluded that nanoformulation of ciprofloxacin loaded PLGA NPs can be used in stomach for longer period of time to enhance the bioavailability of the drug.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were fabricated using Syzygium cumini leave extract as a reducing and capping agent. The ZnO NPs were characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, UV-Visible and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The ZnO nanoparticles size was in 0.2–1 µm range and spherical in shape. Photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO NPs for the removal of MB (methylene blue) and MO (methyl orange) was investigated under solar and UV light expire. Photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO NPs was promising, which was found to be high under UV irradiation versus solar light. The ZnO NPs was confirmed as appropriate photocatalytic agent with significant potential for the removal of dye from wastewater.

This study focusses on the synthesis of chitosan-cellulose composite membrane derived from Labeo rohita fish scales (FS) for the removal of Cr(III) from aqueous solution, while chromium is a serious threat to groundwater. Waste FS are valorized to chitosan by demineralization, deproteination, and deacetylation successively. Cellulose was extracted from sugarcane bagasse using acidic hydrolysis. Chitosan-based cellulose composite porous membrane was fabricated by evaporating solvent from polymer solution in petri dish. The impact of pH, contact time, and absorbent dosage on the removal of Cr(III) from an aqueous solution was investigated. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to check the Cr(III). Results showed that chitosan comprising 85% degree of deacetylation was achieved by alkali treatment, while yield was 22%. FTIR analysis confirmed the chitosan and chitosan-cellulose-based composite membrane. Morphology studies showed that the cellulose was strongly staggered and due to the chitosan, the surface of cellulose became rougher, which is good to enhance the adsorption capacity. The maximum removal 57% of Cr(III) from aqueous solution was observed at pH 6 at 60 min and 50 mg dosage of adsorbent. The minimum removal (47%) of Cr (III) was found at pH 2. These results confer that Labeo rohita-based chitosan-cellulose composite membrane has great potential for the removal of metals from industrial effluents.

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Charcoal-based materials have attracted much attention for the removal of pharmaceutical agents. The charcoal-based carbon materials have green synthetic routes, high surface area, numerous active site with active functional groups available for physico-chemical interactions with adsorbate for surface-adsorptive removal of toxins. In this study, acid treated activated carbon was developed from the peach seeds using thermal pyrolysis approach. Phosphoric acid activated carbon (PAC) was further modified by HNO3 and employed as an adsorbent for the removal of amoxicillin and paracetamol and process variables were optimized for enhanced removal of amoxicillin and paracetamol. The adsorption of pharmaceutical agents was significantly affected by temperature, pH and reaction time. The amoxicillin and paracetamol sorption process onto PCA followed a pseudo second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum removal capacity of 51.8 mg/g and 51.1 mg/g, respectively. The results revealed that acid activated carbon has promising efficiency for the removal of amoxicillin and paracetamol from aqueous medium and peach seeds derived PCA could be employed for the removal of these pharmaceutical agents from effluents and PAC is also extendable for the removal of other drugs from pharmaceutical wastewater streams.