Wood liquefaction with phenol by microwave heating and FTIR evaluation

We examined wood liquefaction using phenol and mixed acid catalysts with microwave heating, and compared that with similar processes that use oil bath heating. The reaction time for microwave heating to achieve a residue content was one sixth, one eighteenth, and one twenty-fourth of that from oil bath heating, respectively, for phenol to wood （P/W） ratios of 2.5/1, 2/1 and 1.5/1. A low P/W ratio tended to result in carbonization of liquefied wood due to an insufficient amount of phenol and localized microwave superheating. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic （FTIR） evaluation of the liquefied residue, showed that the liquefaction rates of wood com- ponents differed. Hemicellulose was most susceptible to liquefaction, crystalline cellulose was most recalcitrant, and guaiacyl units the most prone to re-condensation. From FTIR, the chemical components and substitution patterns of bonded phenol were similar for both methods.

Chemical Modification of Halloysite Nanotubes for the Preparation of Nanocomposites on Non Polar Matrix

In this study,we demonstrated the effects of chemical treatments for Halloysite nanotubes(HNTs)under acid and alkaline conditions using sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.XRD results indicate that alkaline treatment destroyed the crystalline structure and morphology for HNTs because the XRD spectrum shows the typical peaks for montmorillonite.For the acid treatment using H2SO4,XRD spectrum indicates an intensity reduction for the peak(001)showing a lower concentration of aluminium in the structure.Diffuse reflectance analysis shows a reduction of 40 and 15%for reflectance with H2SO4 and NaOH treatments respectively.A terephthalic acid adsorption test was realized with the HNTs,modified halloysites(HNT-H2SO4)and(HNT-NaOH)samples with a kinetic study and it was quantified with UV spectroscopy at 240 nm where results shown a lower adsorption for HNTs treated with H2SO4 in comparison with alkaline treatment and not treated HNT.A decrease of 58%±0.3was achieved with the sulfuric acid treatment with not crystalline structure modification using ICP technique to quantify the sample compositions.

Development of a novel myconanomining approach for the recovery of agriculturally important elements from jarosite waste

In this study, an ecofriendly and economically viable waste management approach have been attempted towards the biosynthesis of agriculturally important nanoparticles from jarosite waste. Aspergillus terreus strain J4 isolated from jarosite（waste from Debari Zinc Smelter,Udaipur, India）, showed good leaching efficiency along with nanoparticles（NPs） formation under ambient conditions. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） confirmed the formation of NPs. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDX analysis） showed strong signals for zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium,with these materials being leached out. TEM analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy（HRTEM） showed semi-quasi spherical particles having average size of 10‐50 nm. Thus, a novel biomethodology was developed using fungal cell-free extract for bioleaching and subsequently nanoconversion of the waste materials into nanostructured form. These biosynthesized nanoparticles were tested for their efficacy on seed emergence activity of wheat（Triticum aestivum） seeds and showed enhanced growth at concentration of 20 ppm. These nanomaterials are expected to enhance plant growth properties and being targeted as additives in soil fertility and crop productivity enhancement.