Scaling produces devastating effects to both households and industries. It causes pipe blockages, damage to desalination membranes, and reduction in efficiency of heat exchangers and boilers.Chemical treatment of scale is effective but renders water unfit for human use and potentially alters the ecological balance with release of substances capable of promoting eutrophication and algal blooms.'Greener' means of addressing this issue must be brought forward.Anti-scaling magnetic units could be a potent alternative, because they cost less and are easy to install.The benefits are both economic and ecological -reduced expenditure on scale remediation, improved water conditions for human use and reduction in release of harmful substances to the environment.Scaling is the bane of households and industries that make use of water frequently. The consequences are so egregious that harmful chemicals have been sort after to remedy the situation. These chemicals, though efficacious, do more harm than good because they render water unsuitable for human consumption and cause ecological imbalance. Anti-scale magnetic water devices offer a cleaner solution to handling the scaling dilemma. This method of water treatment has been in existence for more than a century and is still the subject of much debate today, with the method being viewed with much skepticism, although evidence of its efficacy has been provided on countless occasions. Reports are given on several effects associated with magnetic water treatment, as well as proposed mechanisms. Yet no general consensus has been reached regarding the treatment method's mode of operation, which could explain the cynical reception magnetic water devices often receive. Insights into the enigmatic technique of magnetic water treatment attempt to explain magnetic effects on water and its constituents, citing explanations, which are unrelated with the current principles of magnetism. The several reports and accounts that involve the use and application of anti-scale magnetic water treatment are elucidated with special focus on calcium carbonate scale and its transformation.
Among all greenhouse gases, CO2 is considered the most potent and the largest contributor to global warming. In this review, photocatalysis is presented as a promising technology to address the current global concern of industrial CO2 emissions. Photocatalysis utilizes a semiconductor material under renewable solar energy to reduce CO2 into an array of high-value fuels including methane, methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid. Herein, the kinetic and thermodynamic principles of CO2 photoreduction are thoroughly discussed and the CO2 reduction mechanism and pathways are described. Methods to enhance the adsorption of CO2 on the surface of semiconductors are also presented. Due to its efficient photoactivity, high stability, low cost, and safety, the semiconductor TiO2 is currently being widely investigated for its photocatalytic ability in reducing CO2 when suitably modified. The recent TiO2 synthesis and modification strategies that may be employed to enhance the efficiency of the CO2 photoreduction process are described. These modification techniques, including metal deposition, metal/non-metal doping, carbon-based material loading, semiconductor heterostructures, and dispersion on high surface area supports, aim to improve the light absorption, charge separation, and active surface of TiO2 in addition to increasing product yield and selectivity.
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