Phosphoric Acid Pretreatment and Saccharification of Paper Sludge as a Renewable Material for Cellulosic Fibers

Recycling of paper sludge waste is crucial for establishing a sustainable green industry.This waste contains valuable sugars that can be converted into important chemicals such as ethanol,poly hydroxybutyrate,and lactic acid.However,the main challenge in obtaining sugars in high yield from paper sludge is the high crystallinity of cellulose,which hinders hydrolysis.To address this,pretreatment using phosphoric acid was optimized using response surface methodology to facilitate cellulose hydrolysis with minimal energy and chemicals.The created prediction model using the response surface method considered factors such as acid concentration(ranging from 60%to 85%),consistency(ranging from 4%to 10%),temperature(ranging from 25℃to 80℃),and time(ranging from 0.5 to 4 h).The results revealed that the model’s significant factors affecting the yield were acid concentration,reaction time,temperature,and the product of acid concentration and temperature,while the model’s significant factors affecting the crystallinity were the consistency,the temperature,and their product.The results showed that the optimum conditions for pretreatment were using an acid concentration of 64%,temperature of 25℃,consistency of 10%,and time of 30 min.The hydrolysis of the conditionally pretreated paper sludge resulted in a weight loss of 42%,compared to only 18%weight loss in non-pretreated paper sludge.Furthermore,the optimized conditions led to low levels of furfurals and acetic acid,which are undesirable by-products that can interfere with sugar fermentation.The total sugar obtained under the optimized conditions was 0.43 g glucose/g sample(10.46 g/L),while the contents of methyl furfural,furfural,and acetic acid were 21.65,235.7,and 4.57 mg/L,respectively.This study demonstrates the potential of phosphoric acid for pretreatment and hydrolysis of paper sludge,enabling efficient saccharification and the production of sugars with minimal undesired by-products.

On Signed Domination of Grid Graph

Let G(V, E) be a finite connected simple graph with vertex set V(G). A function is a signed dominating function f : V(G)→{−1,1} if for every vertex v ∈ V(G), the sum of closed neighborhood weights of v is greater or equal to 1. The signed domination number γs(G) of G is the minimum weight of a signed dominating function on G. In this paper, we calculate the signed domination numbers of the Cartesian product of two paths Pm and Pn for m = 6, 7 and arbitrary n.

Erosion and Toughening Mechanisms of Electroless Ni-P-Nano-NiTi Composite Coatings on API X100 Steel under Single Particle Impact

The addition of superelastic NiTi to electroless Ni-P coating has been found to toughen the otherwise brittle coatings in static loading conditions, though its effect on erosion behaviour has not yet been explored. In the present study, spherical WC-Co erodent particles were used in single particle impact testing of Ni-P-nano-NiTi composite coatings on API X100 steel substrates at two average velocities—35 m/s and 52 m/s. Erosion tests were performed at impact angles of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. The effect of NiTi concentration in the coating was also examined. Through examination of the impact craters and material response at various impact conditions, it was found that the presence of superelastic NiTi in the brittle Ni-P matrix hindered the propagation of cracks and provided a barrier to crack growth. The following toughening mechanisms were identified: crack bridging and deflection, micro-cracking, and transformation toughening.

The Signed Domination Number of Cartesian Product of Two Paths

Let G be a finite connected simple graph with vertex set V(G) and edge set E(G). A function f:V(G) → {1,1} is a signed dominating function if for every vertex v∈V(G), the closed neighborhood of v contains more vertices with function values 1 than with −1. The signed domination number γs(G) of G is the minimum weight of a signed dominating function on G. In this paper, we calculate The signed domination numbers of the Cartesian product of two paths Pm and Pn for m = 3, 4, 5 and arbitrary n.

Screening for arboviruses in healthy blood donors: Experience from Karachi, Pakistan

Dear Editor,Arboviruses of medical importance are maintained in nature in enzootic cycles between haematogenous vectors and susceptible vertebrate hosts(Huang et al.,2019).The rapid increase in human populations around the globe and the associated urbanization are creating irreversible damage to the ecosystem,giving rise to many problems including emergence and intensification of the vector borne diseases(Sutherst,2004).Among vector borne diseases,mosquito-borne arboviruses including dengue virus(DENV),West Nile virus(WNV),Japanese Encephalitis virus(JEV)and Zika virus(ZIKV)are rapidly emerging in the affected regions of the world(Palmer et al.,2011).