Biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) nanoparticle-based binary blends for oil spill control

Abstract

In the current study, biocompatible and biodegradable blends based on poly(vinyl alcohol) nanoparticles - PVAn mixed with either chitosan (Ch) or starch (St) - were prepared and investigated as nanoabsorbents for oil elimination from wastewater. The use of water/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a mixed solvent is the key factor for preparing aggregated PVAn, which is further mixed with Ch or St. Nanoblends were applied as oil absorbents, and the results showed that PVAn/St possess high adsorption capacity than PVAn/Ch and PVAn. The maximum sorption capacities (q) of the PVAn/Ch sorbents for hydraulic oil, kerosene, and toluene were 33.6, 73.96, and 93.1g/g, respectively. The absorbed oil could be rapidly recovered by simple mechanical squeezing and reused without any other modification. The blends showed excellent reusability and could be reused for at least 10 times with minimal losses. The current study demonstrates the application of these blends as an ideal alternative sorbent for oil spillage cleanup.

Evaluation of Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles from Industrial Waste on the Performance of Hardened Cement Pastes: Physicochemical Study

“…Also, the blended cement paste containing 15% CMW had compressive strength values lower than those of the other pastes containing 5% and 10% CMW at all of the curing ages. This result is attributed to the increase in the CMW content at the expense of OPC, which leads to the dilution of cement pastes and increased the void content, and thus resulted in decreases in compressive strength [46,47]. Figure 3 shows that the bulk density nearly decreased with increasing the CMW content up to 25%, compared with the control OPC paste, which can be used as a lightweight material.…”

Metal nanoparticles fabricated by green chemistry using natural extracts: biosynthesis, mechanisms, and applications

“…Higher temperatures increase the reaction rate and the competence of some microorganisms with respect to the synthesis of NPs. 8 For example, the synthesis of AgNPs from AgNO 3 using cultures of the fungi Chrysosporium tropicum and Fusarium was studied at temperatures between 25 C and 30 C. The rate of AgNP formation increased with the incubation temperature and correlated with the absorbance of the reaction matrix. At the lowest temperature (25 C), the majority of the formed AgNPs were very small, and incubation at the higher temperature of 30 C reduced the proportion of smaller particles and promoted the formation of larger ones.…”

Synthesis of a starch–acrylic acid–chitosan copolymer as flocculant for dye removal

“…However, they might cause secondary pollution because of the high concentration of residuals and toxic degradation products. To avoid these problems, natural polymers, such as cellulose, starch, lignin, and chitosan, could be the ideal candidates to be prepared as effective flocculants, due to their biodegradability and ecofriendliness …”