In vitro Propagation of Vanda testacea (Lindl.) Reichb. F, a Medicinally Important Threatened Orchid

The present study was planned to enable in vitro conservation of Vanda testacea, a highly medicinal orchid species through in vitro asymbiotic seed germination technique in Mitra orchid medium supplemented with cytokinins (Kn - 4.65 μM, BAP - 4.44 μM), and auxin (NAA- 5.37 μM). The germination frequency and initiation of germination was higher in NAA augmented medium and seedlings developed in 12.50 ± 0.50 weeks. Coconut water (20%) proved optimum for the multiplication of protocorm like bodies. Activated charcoal successfully checked the release of brownish exudates in the cultures. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 31(2): 153-160, 2021 (December)

Effect of activated charcoal and ascorbic acid on in vitro morphogenesis and o-dihydroxyphenols content in Paphiopedilum insigne

Phenolic compounds limit micropropagation of many orchids in vitro. The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of activated charcoal (AC);1, 2 or 4 g/L) or ascorbic acid (AA; 10, 20 or 30 mg/L) added to the half strength MS medium on the growth and o-dihydroxyphenols content in Paphiopedilum insigne in vitro. A positive effect of AC on the shoot and root formation has been found. The highest multiplication rate (5.6 shoots/explant) and rooting frequency were obtained on medium containing 2 g/L of AC. However, AC reduced the leaf number as compared to the control. The lowest content of o-dihydroxyphenols was marked in Paphiopedilum insigne leaves when the shoots were grown on medium with 10 mg/L AA, followed by AC at 1 or 2 g/L.

The Antiplaque Efficacy and Effectiveness of Activated Charcoal Toothpaste of Elaeis guineensis in Smokers

Plaque on the teeth of smokers comes from cigarette smoke tar that settles on the surface of the teeth and roots of the teeth, causing the tooth surface to become rough and easier to stick with food debris and germs that will react making it easier for plaque to form. This study was aims to determine the safety and effectiveness of removing plaque in palm shell activated charcoal toothpaste with a concentration of 12% calcium carbonate combination of 25%. The content of calcium carbonate as an abrasive against the dental plaque of active smokers. The method used was measurement the plaque index score according to Turesky before and after using toothpaste on 20 panelists of active smokers. The decrease in plaque index in the use of toothpaste by using Wilcoxon's non-parametric statistical test, namely P = 0.000 (Sig <0.05). The results showed that toothpaste in the first week was able to reduce dental plaque by 59% compared to positive control by 45% and without activated charcoal by 34%. Toothpaste and positive control in the second week were able to remove dental plaque by 100%, while toothpaste without activated charcoal and calcium carbonate was only able to remove dental plaque by 68%. It can be concluded that palm shell activated charcoal toothpaste with a concentration of 12% combined with 25% calcium carbonate is safe and effective in removing plaque on the teeth of smokers.Keywords: dental plaque, efficacy, palm shells

Production of an energy-storage electrode paper using a pilot-scale paper machine

The global electrification of our society requires an enormous capacity of electrical energy storage. This drives the demand for low-cost and sustainable solutions, where the electrode materials are key components. In the present work, all-organic supercapacitor electrodes have successfully been demonstrated to be produced on a pilot-scale paper machine, thereby showing the feasibility of large-scale production of “paper-based energy storage”. The material concept was based on activated charcoal from pyrolyzed coconut and cationized cellulose pulp, the latter having small amounts of electrostatically adsorbed PEDOT:PSS in order to create a conducting, percolating network. In a pre-trial lab experiment, it was evident that even small addition of 1 wt% PEDOT:PSS gave a large increase in capacitance compared to samples with only activated charcoal. In the pilot trials, the addition of carboxymethylated nanocellulose and/or carbon black was further investigated. The different additions significantly affected several paper properties such as tensile strength and conductivity, but the specific capacitance of the activated charcoal was not affected and was found to be around 65-70 F/g. As more than half of the electrodes mass consisted of pulp fibers, the specific capacitance of the paper electrodes was about 25-30 F/g, which is in the same order of commercial supercapacitor electrodes. The successful production of several 10-meter-long rolls of supercapacitor electrode paper shows the feasibility of producing energy storage devices with papermaking methods, and the work as a whole provides valuable insights on how to further advance bio-based energy storage solutions.

Upgrading of heavy crude oil in supercritical aqueous fluid in the presence of activated charcoal

The article presents the results of deep processing of heavy crude oil in supercritical aqueous fluid, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the content of sulfur and resinous asphaltene compounds in products, and to increase the yield of light fuel fractions. The possibility of reducing the temperature of upgrading of heavy crude oil due to the presence of active charcoal in the reaction medium is shown. The proposed technology provides environmentally safe and residue-free processing of heavy oil and further production of high-quality hydrocarbon raw materials enriched in low-boiling fractions. Keywords: upgrading; heavy crude oil; supercritical aqueous fluid; activated charcoal.

An Efficient Method of Pennisetum x Advena ‘Rubrum’ Seedlings Production Using Temporary Immersion Bioreactor and Agar Cultures

The aim of this study was to propose an efficient method of Pennisetum x advena ‘Rubrum’ micropropagation. Agar cultures with MS medium supplemented with BAP in various concentrations (0.5 mg/L-2 mg/L) and a temporary immersion bioreactor system (TIS) with liquid medium MS with an addition of 1 mg/L BAP were used. For rooting ½ MS medium with different auxin combinations (IBA, NAA) and activated charcoal was utilized. The most efficient method turned out to be TIS which produced 36.9 new plants in four weeks. The seedlings were slender in shape, bright green in colour with no signs of hyperhydricity. The most suitable agar medium produced 19.5 new plants in an eight week period. Rooting should be carried on ½ MS supplemented with 0.5 mg/L IBA and 0.5 mg/L NAA with an 84% rooting rate. The addition of activated charcoal inhibited rooting.

Study on in vitro propagation of Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep through stem node culture

In the present study, authors propagated Sophora tonkinensisGagnep plants using stem nodal culture. The results indicated that on MS medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, 5.5 g/l agar, 200 ml/l coconut water, 1 g/l activated charcoal, 0.75 mg/l TDZ shoots proliferated from stem segments have the best count and height of shoots. The most appropriate medium for multiplication of shoots was the MS medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, 5.5 g/l agar, 200 ml/l coconut water, 1 g/l activated charcoal, 0.75 mg/l TDZ, 0.5 mg/l IBA, 2.0 g/l peptone, 30 g/l carrot puree, pH 5.5 with the results of 20.60 shoots/explant, shoot height of 3.75 cm and 4.6 leaves/shoot after 8 weeks of culture. Root formation of shoots carried out on the MS medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, 5.5 g/l agar, 200 ml/l coconut water, 1 g/l activated charcoal, 1.0 mg/l αNAA gave the best result. In the nursery, a mixture of humus + coconut fiber powder (70:30 ratio) was regarded as the best substrate due to the high survival rate of plantlets (92%) and healthy plantlets (10.30 cm high with 7.2 leaves and 4.3 new roots/a plantlet) at 10 weeks after planting