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Solar illumination is a promising source of primary energy to reduce global warming and to clean polluted waters, thus fostering research of the design of efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production by water splitting and for contaminant degradation. In particular, photocatalysis by indium sulfide (In2S3) is drawing attention due to its suitable narrow bandgap of 2.0–2.3 eV for visible light harnessing, yet large-scale application of unmodified In2S3 is limited. Here we review the photocatalyst criteria for water splitting, the synthesis and morphological manipulations of In2S3, the synthesis of heterojunctions by coupling semiconductors to increase performance, and doping In2S3. In2S3-based heterojunctions, i.e., traditional type II, all-solid-state, and direct Z-scheme photocatalytic systems show benefits such as larger charge separation, broad solar spectrum absorption, and amended conduction band and valence band edge potentials for maximum pollutant removal and H2 production. The effect of dopant incorporation on electronic modulations of In2S3 is explained by the density functional theory.

Global energy demand and pollution are calling for advanced materials such as visible light semiconductor photocatalysts. In particular, cadmium sulfide (CdS) appears promising due to its tunable bandgap, high absorption of visible light and excellent optical properties. Here we review the photocatalytic mechanism, properties, synthesis and application to wastewater treatment of CdS photocatalysts. Strategies to improve photocatalytic performance include heteroatom doping, heterojunction formation, morphology and crystallinity modification, hybridization with co-catalysts and the use of carbon materials.

Keeping the sustainability concept in view, the present study aimed to valorize diatomite for adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) ions from waters and wastewaters. A modified diatomite nanocomposite was prepared via its impregnation with silver nanoparticles, using a one-pot technique, and the silver nanoparticles-diatomite nanocomposite potency was comprehensively investigated for Cr(VI) adsorption. The raw diatomite and silver nanoparticles-diatomite nanocomposite were characterized via XRD, SEM, and BET techniques. A statistical technique, based on response surface method, was exploited for finding the optimized conditions for adsorption. Accordingly, a maximal chromium sorption of 94.0% was observed at pH 4.61, sorption duration 60.37 min, and adsorbent dosage 2 g, for an initial level of 45 mg/L for the composite adsorbent. The equilibrium scrutinization shows that Langmuir isotherm model has a better fitness with the adsorption data. In addition, the adsorption kinetic analyses demonstrated the best fit to the pseudo-second order equation and multiple distinct phases of intraparticle diffusion for both adsorbents. Overall, silver nanoparticles-diatomite nanocomposite showed excellent properties for adsorption of Cr(VI) ions and could be exploited as an adsorbent in full-scale treatment plants.

The dependency on petroleum-based sources has raised concerns, leading to a focus on studying the production of bio-polyols through the in situ hydrolysis of epoxidized palm oleic acid. Epoxidized palm oleic acid was formulated using performic acid and formed in situ. The Runge-Kutta method in MATLAB enables a kinetic simulation of oxirane oxygen ring degradation throughout the epoxidation process, allowing for the determination of the yield of bio-polyols. The Taguchi method suggests the optimal parameters for bio polyols production, including a hydrogen peroxide/palm oleic acid molar ratio of 1.5:1, a formic acid/palm oleic acid molar ratio of 1.5:1, a reaction temperature of 50 °C, and a stirring speed of 450 rpm. Through kinetic modelling, bio-polyol was successfully produced from palm oleic acid with a reduced number of experimental runs.

The increasing generation of waste cooking oil (WCO) poses significant environmental challenges, making its valorization essential for sustainable waste management. This research investigates the in situ peracid method for epoxidizing a hybrid mixture of oleic acid and waste cooking oil. A novel approach is proposed by utilizing hybrid raw materials in the presence of natural zeolite as a catalyst to enhance epoxidation efficiency. The signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio analysis in Taguchi method showed that the optimum process parameters for production of epoxidized hybrid oleic acid and waste cooking oil to the response of relative conversion to oxirane (RCO) with determination of oxirane oxygen content (OOC) was maximum (50%) under following conditions: temperature of 50 °C, stirring at 100 rpm, and a molar ratio 1:1 with formic acid. After 100 iterations, the reaction rate constant based on optimized epoxidized hybrid oleic acid and waste cooking oil production was obtained as follows: k 11  = 13.45 mol⋅L −1 ⋅min −1 , k 12  = 14.08 mol⋅L −1 ⋅min −1 , k 2  = 0.023 mol⋅L −1 ⋅min −1 , and k 3  = 0.025 mol⋅L −1 ⋅min −1 .This discovery helps reduce waste, turns used cooking oil into a valuable commodity, and offers insight into reaction kinetics, a critical concept for industrial applications that is environmentally friendly.

This experiment investigated the feasibility of using n-butanol with Deccan hemp oil methyl ester derived from Hibiscus cannabinus. Deccan hemp oil, from warm countries like India is an eco-friendly alternative energy source since it is reusable and easy to locate. The Acetone–Butanol–Ethanol (ABE) process made the n-butanol. Further, 60% Deccan hemp oil methyl ester and 40% diesel were mixed and injected directly into the engine’s cylinders. The engine’s performance was evaluated by adding varying quantities of n-butanol (10%, 20%, or 30%) to the intake pipe at various intervals throughout the experiment. The results showed that using pure Deccan hemp oil or its methyl ester was much better for the engine’s performance than regular diesel fuel. This was compared to how well the engine worked when diesel was used. However, the engine ran much better when fed a mix of 60% Deccan hemp oil methyl ester and 40% diesel (B60). Even though it couldn’t compete with diesel engines in speed, this was still the case. The engine was running in dual fuel mode when n-butanol was added to the mixture. This made the carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and smoke outputs go down. All of these decreases happened without making the engine less able to work. NOx emissions from the B60Bu10 (10% n-butanol share), B60Bu20, and B60Bu30 dual fuel combinations went up by 2.65%, 6%, and 8.9%, respectively, at full load, while smoke emissions went down by 18.33%, 23.75%, and 30.83%, in that order. The study’s results show that adding Deccan hemp oil methyl ester to diesel fuel and injecting n-butanol into a dual-fuel diesel engine could help lower emissions without affecting the engine’s performance.

ABSTRACT Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) comprises an ensemble of ionized gas, neutral particles, and/or reactive species. Electricity is frequently used to produce CAPP via a variety of techniques, including plasma jets, corona discharges, dielectric barrier discharges, and glow discharges. The type and flow rates of the carrier gas(es), temperature, pressure, and vacuum can all be altered to control the desired properties of the CAPP. Since a few decades ago, CAPP has become a widely used technology with applications in every walk of life. The plasma activated liquid mediums like water, ethanol, and methanol have been merged as novel sterilizers. With recent advancements in material science, particularly work on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), essential oils, and agricultural technologies, CAPP has become a vital component of these advancements. Likewise, CAPP has been found as a green and benign technology to induce early seed germination and plant development. This review covers the critical components of CAPP, the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and mechanisms by which CAPP‐based technologies are applied to agricultural products, MOFs, and essential oils. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) comes with high‐energy reactive species. The present monograph explains the workings of CAPP technologies, their salient features, pertinence to MOF synthesis, seed germination/sterilization, and production/preservation of essential oils.

The research aimed to develop a novel mesoporous aluminosilicate/zeolite composite by the template co-precipitation method. The effect of aluminosilicate (AlSi) and zeolite (NaY) on the basic properties and adsorption capacity of the resultant composite was conducted at different mass ratios of AlSi/NaY (i.e., 5/90, 10/80, 15/85, 20/80, and 50/50). The adsorption characteristics of such composite and its feedstock materials (i.e., aluminosilicates and zeolite) towards radioactive Sr2+ ions and toxic metals (Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions) in aqueous solutions were investigated. Results indicated that BET surface area (SBET), total pore volume (VTotal), and mesopore volume (VMeso) of prepared materials followed the decreasing order: aluminosilicate (890 m2/g, 0.680 cm3/g, and 0.644 cm3/g) > zeolite (623 m2/g, 0.352 cm3/g, and 0.111 cm3/g) > AlSi/NaY (20/80) composite (370 m2/g, 0.254 cm3/g, and 0.154 cm3/g, respectively). The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of metal ions (Sr2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+) in single-component solution was 260 mg/g, 220 mg/g, and 161 mg/g (for zeolite), 153 mg/g, 37.9 mg/g, and 66.5 mg/g (for aluminosilicate), and 186 mg/g, 140 mg/g, and 77.8 mg/g for (AlSi/NaY (20/80) composite), respectively. Ion exchange was regarded as a domain adsorption mechanism of metal ions in solution by zeolite; meanwhile, inner-surface complexation was domain one for aluminosilicate. Ion exchange and inner-surface complexation might be mainly responsible for adsorbing metal ions onto the AlSi/NaY composite. Pore-filling mechanism was a less important contributor during the adsorption process. The results of competitive adsorption under binary-components (Cu2+ and Sr2+) and ternary-components (Cu2+, Pb2+, and Sr2) demonstrated that the removal efficacy of target metals by the aluminosilicate, zeolite, and their composite remarkably decreased. The synthesized AlSi/NaY composite might serve as a promising adsorbent for real water treatment.

Carbohydrate-derived carbon quantum dots (CDCQDs) have evolved at a rapid rate as green, biocompatible nanomaterial, revolutionizing analytical chemistry with their unique optical and surface properties. Synthesized from different carbohydrate sources-ranging from mono-, di-, and polysaccharides to biomass wastes-CDCQDs offer tunability of fluorescence, low toxicity, and simple functionalization, enabling ultrasensitive detection in chemical, biomedical, environmental, and food safety applications. Recent developments (2021–2025) have reached detection sensitivities of as low as 0.077 µM for antibiotics, 7 nM for glucose, and single-cell sensitivity for pathogens with recovery rates routinely > 95%. Quantum yield (QY) up to 83% and superb photostability also allow them to be included in portable and point-of-care platforms. Notwithstanding such accomplishment, scalability, reproducibility, and integration into devices continue to be issues. Mitigation of these via green synthesis, surface engineering, and smart device coupling is crucial for commercial translation. CDCQDs are thus a synthesis of sustainability, sensitivity, and versatility and are poised to drive next-generation eco-friendly analytical systems for real-world diagnostics and monitoring. Graphical abstract

Global population growth underlies the need to explore alternative materials to address pressing challenges in food security, medicine, energy, and environmental pollution. Spirulina is a nutrient dense cyanobacteria that offers promising solutions to the aforementioned challenges, mainly due to its rich composition of proteins, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds such as β-carotene and phycocyanin. These compounds confer various health benefits, including antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which make Spirulina a valuable dietary and therapeutic supplement. Essential fatty acids and its rapid growth rate also makes Spirulina a potential source of biodiesel for energy related applications. Additionally, Spirulina 's high porosity and variable functional groups endow it with remarkable biosorption properties for soil and wastewater remediation applications. The chemical structure and unique properties of Spirulina have been utilized to produce biotemplates for nanomaterials as well as the fabrication of functional composites for various applications. Thus, in this review, we have highlighted the broad potentials of Spirulina in diverse applications, emphasizing its eco-friendliness, economic viability, challenges, and the prospects of its biomass for sustainable, nutraceutical, therapeutic, energy related, and environmental applications. Graphical Abstract