Influence of salt concentration on solubility and tie-line data for the system: Formic acid + n-butanol + water

The tie-line and solubility data, i.e. formic acid (FA) + n-butanol + water + NaCl, were resolved at T = 298.15 K and under ambient pressure. The Othmer–Tobias equation was applied in this study. The experimental data were correlated and all linear correlation coefficients were found to be approximately equal to 1. Both the Universal Quasi-chemical Theory (UNIQUAC) and Nonrandom Two Liquid Theory (NRTL) and NRTL models were employed in order to compare the experimental liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) and tie-line data. Consequently, the calculated and experimental data proved to be a good fit. Results show that adding salt to the system proved beneficial by increasing the separation of FA from water.     

[6]-Gingerol-loaded cellulose acetate electrospun fibers as a topical carrier for controlled release

[6]-Gingerol (6 % w/v)-loaded cellulose acetate (12 % w/v CA; MW ~ 3 × 10⁴ g/mol) fibers (375 ± 107 nm) were prepared by electrospinning at 7.5 kV. ATR-FTIR spectra indicated that the mixture was miscible at this composition. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that [6]-gingerol was uniformly dispersed in the CA matrix and interrupted the hydrogen bond formation among the CA chains. Controlled release study showed that ~97 % of the loaded [6]-gingerol could be released from the loaded fibers to the acetate buffer solution at 37 °C, whereas only ~74 % of it could be done from the corresponding films. About 92 % of [6]-gingerol in the fibers was dramatically released within 4 h. Release was mainly governed by a diffusion-controlled mechanism. The radical scavenging assay showed antioxidant activity of the loaded fibers. The in vitro cytotoxicity test revealed that the viability of L-929 mouse fibroblast cells to the loaded fibers was ~65 %.     

Separation of mercury and arsenic from produced water via hollow fiber contactor: Kinetic and mass transfer analysis

The separation of Hg(II) and As(V) from produced water by hollow fiber contactors was investigated. Two identical hollow fiber modules were employed. The first module was used for extraction, while the second module was used for stripping. The optimum conditions achieved were 14% (v/v) of Aliquat336, 0.07 M thiourea, volumetric flow rate of 100 mL/min for aqueous solution and 0.02 M HCl of stripping solution. At such conditions, the maximum extraction of Hg(II) and As(V) attained 100% and 78.78%, respectively. Concurrently, the maximum stripping of Hg(II) and As(V) reached 47.88% and 6.66%, respectively. The overall mass transfer coefficients of Hg(II) and As(V) extraction were 2.31×10^?6 and 1.15×10^?6m/s, while the Hg(II) and As(V) stripping exhibited the overall mass transfer coefficients of 8.37×10^?7 m/s and 9.05×10^?7 m/s, respectively. Mass transfer coefficients of the organic layer diffusion (k₀) had the most effect on the overall mass transfer coefficients.     

Enhanced Water Management for Muang Fai Irrigation Systems through Remote Sensing and SWOT Analysis

Water Resources Management - The areas of northern Thailand rely heavily on water management by Muang Fai irrigation systems. Outstanding features of these typical systems include public...     

Risk-constrained design of autonomous hybrid refueling station for hydrogen and electric vehicles using information gap decision theory

The proposed autonomous hybrid charging station in this paper is energized by a photovoltaic (PV) system, which should provide electric vehicles (EVs), and water electrolyzer (WE) with electricity. The WE operates by using electricity to produce and store hydrogen to feed hydrogen vehicles (HVs). Moreover, a fuel cell (FC) is allocated to the system, which uses the stored hydrogen to regenerate electricity the PV system is beyond reach. A supplementary diesel generator is also installed in the charging station to avoid power shortage as a conservative measurement. The hydrogen and electric demand of the station is accompanied by uncertainties, which should be taken into account in designing the charging station. Therefore, information-gap decision theory (IGDT) is employed to deal with the uncertainties. This approach provides the investor with three different strategies of risk-averse strategy (RAS), risk-neutral strategy (RNS), and risk-seeker strategy (RSS), which can help the investor with making a better decision. The outcome of the simulation proved that in RAS if the investor decides to invest 13.9% more capital, based on the robustness function, the charging station withstands the 9.6% deviation of uncertain parameters’ fraction error. However, should the investor decide to take risks in the construction of the charging station, by paying 13.9% less, the system is 10.7% fragile to the information-gap of uncertainties. Besides, the rated power of the PV system reaches from 1612 kW in RNS to 1731 kW in RAS while it decreased to 1479 kW in RSS.     

Influence of stabilising agents on the properties of liposomal encapsulated ethanolic coconut husk extract

Characteristics of liposomal encapsulated ethanolic coconut husk extract (LE-ECHE) as influenced by different stabilising agents (SA) were investigated. LE-ECHE was prepared using four liposome formulations including soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC) alone and SPC mixed with cholesterol (CHL), tween 80 (TWE) or glycerol (GLY) at a ratio of 4 : 1 as lipid phase (LP) at a concentration of 60 µmol mL⁻¹. Particle size, zeta potential, poly-dispersity index, encapsulation efficiency (EE) and suspension stability (SS) of LE-ECHE samples were markedly influenced by SA (P < 0.05). Antioxidant activity of ECHE was retained after entrapment in liposome, regardless of SA used. However, SA affected the antioxidant activities of LE-ECHE differently. Antibacterial properties of ECHE were enhanced after encapsulation in liposome, irrespective of SA. Therefore, liposome with glycerol or cholesterol could serve as a delivery based system for improving the antibacterial properties with high stability, while lowering the undesirable colour of ECHE.     

Development of tailor-made synergistic cellulolytic enzyme system for saccharification of steam exploded sugarcane bagasse

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Preparation of spent brewer's yeast β-glucans for potential applications in the food industry

A preparation of β‐glucan, obtained from spent brewer's yeast, was evaluated for potential food applications. This material was autolysed and the cell walls that were obtained were homogenized, extracted firstly with alkali, then with acid, and then spray dried. Effects of the homogenization on the chemical composition, rheological properties and functional properties of β‐glucan were investigated. Homogenized cell walls exhibited higher β‐glucan content and apparent viscosity than those which had not been homogenized because of fragmentation of the cell walls. When compared with commercial β‐glucan from baker's yeast, it was found that the β‐glucan obtained from this study had higher apparent viscosity, water‐holding capacity and emulsion stabilizing capacity, but very similar oil‐binding capacity. These findings suggest that β‐glucan obtained from brewer's yeast can be used in food products as a thickening, water‐holding, or oil‐binding agent and emulsifying stabilizer.     

Deproteinised natural rubber used as a controlling layer membrane in reservoir-type nicotine transdermal patches

Reservoir-type nicotine transdermal patches (NTPs), composed of a concentrated nicotine solution embedded between a backing layer and a controlling layer membrane, were constructed by a heat-sealing technique. The aim of this research was the preparation of a novel controlling layer membrane from deproteinised natural rubber latex (DNRL). The ultimate tensile strength and percentage of elongation at breakage of the DNRL membrane were 0.23 ± 0.04 MPa and 604.46 ± 95.38%, respectively. The DNRL membrane existed as an amorphous phase and was poorly hygroscopic and dense. FT-IR and DSC analysis demonstrated that the membrane consisted almost entirely of isoprene functional groups with a T_g of −64.79 °C. The effects of the DNRL membrane thickness (100–300 μm) and different nicotine concentrations in the reservoir (1.75–4.25 mg/cm²) on the nicotine release rate and nicotine permeation through a pig skin membrane were studied in vitro. The in vitro nicotine release rate and skin permeation rate increased with decreasing membrane thickness and increasing nicotine content in the reservoir. The release and permeation profiles followed first- and zero-order kinetics, respectively. The release and permeation performance was similar to a commercially available Nicotinell TTS-20 patch. The newly developed NTPs were stable under storage in a tightly sealed container at 4 °C or at ambient temperature for up to 3 months. Thus, DNRL is suitable for use as a controlling layer membrane in NTPs in transdermal drug delivery systems.