Influence of pH-Neutral Lithium Polystyrenesulfonate Polyelectrolyte on the Energy Band Structure and Performance of Organic Solar Cells

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) : polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is used ubiquitously in organic solar cells (OSCs) devices, however, it is not clear how the anionic PSS component by itself affects the band structure...

Optimization of the extraction and precipitation process of a leaf protein concentrate from Moringa oleifera Lam.

This study aimed to determine the best extraction and precipitation conditions of Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf protein. The influence of pH (10, 11, 12) and the concentration of NaCl (0, 0.25, 0.5) for the protein extraction process were studied through a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with factorial arrange 32. The combination of pH 11 and 12 with 0 M NaCl had the best yield (P<0.05). The treatment of pH 11 without NaCl followed a precipitation stage for its purification, and the effect of different levels of pH (4, 4.5, 5) and temperature (40, 60, 80 °C) were evaluated using a CRD with factorial arrange 22 and 6 central points. The temperature did not affect the yield of the process in a significant way and the amount of precipitate was maximized at pH 4 and 4.5. From 100 g of the dry leaf, 7.26±0.19 g of protein was isolated with a recovery of 26.93±0.22 g 100 g-1 from the total protein. Due to their astringency and bitterness, consuming large amounts of Moringa oleifera Lam leaves is not a solution; therefore, obtaining a leaf proteinconcentrate could be useful for diverse applications in nutritional supplements, and as raw material for functional products development.

Preparation and Methylene Blue Adsorption Capacity of HDPE/PVA Foaming Composites

High density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are blended with maleic anhydride grafted amorphous-alpha olefin copolymer as the compatibilizer. The effects of different raw material ratio and the content of compatibilizer and foaming agent on the mechanical properties of the material are studied. It is found that the increasing content of PVA added to HDPE has a negative effect on the properties of the composites. The compatibility and mechanical properties are improved after adding MAH-g-APAO and the most appropriate addition amount is 4%. Foaming agent can make the material lightweight but will decrease the mechanical properties of the material. The composites have a good effect on the removal of methylene blue (MB). Through the experiment, it is found that the initial concentration of MB and adsorption time will also influence the adsorption. The experiment to explore the influence of pH value and temperature of solution on the removal efficiency shows that alkaline environment and high temperature can promote the removal of MB. At 343.15 K, the adsorption capacity (qe) reaches 2.08 mg·g-1. Using the composites to remove dye has the advantages of environmental protection, simple operation and easy recycling. It has broad application prospects in the field of dye wastewater treatment.

Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) Production from Wastewaters with High Salinity—Influence of pH, Salinity and Reactor Configuration

The hydrocarbon-based economy is moving at a large pace to a decarbonized sustainable bioeconomy based on biorefining all types of secondary carbohydrate-based raw materials. In this work, 50 g L−1 in COD of a mixture of food waste, brine and wastewater derived from a biodiesel production facility were used to produce organic acids, important building-blocks for a biobased industry. High salinity (12–18 g L−1), different reactors configuration operated in batch mode, and different initial pH were tested. In experiment I, a batch stirred reactor (BSR) at atmospheric pressure and a granular sludge bed column (GSBC) were tested with an initial pH of 5. In the end of the experiment, the acidification yield (ηa) was similar in both reactors (22–24%, w/w); nevertheless, lactic acid was in lower concentrations in BSR (6.3 g L−1 in COD), when compared to GSBC (8.0 g L−1 in COD), and valeric was the dominant acid, reaching 17.3% (w/w) in the BSR. In experiment II, the BSR and a pressurized batch stirred reactor (PBSR, operated at 6 bar) were tested with initial pH 7. The ηa and the VFA concentration were higher in the BSR (46%, 22.8 g L−1 in COD) than in the PBSR (41%, 20.3 g/L in COD), and longer chain acids were more predominant in BSR (24.4% butyric, 6.7% valeric, and 6.2% caproic acids) than in PBSR (23.2%, 6.2%, and 4.2%, respectively). The results show that initial pH of 7 allows achieving higher ηa, and the BSR presents the most suitable reactor among tested configurations to produce VFA from wastes/wastewaters with high salinity.

Effect of pH and Al Cations on Chromate Inhibition of Galvanic-Induced Corrosion of AA7050-T7451 Macro-Coupled to 316SS

The performance of chromate in protecting AA7050-T7451 coupled to 316SS in simulated fastener environments, including those representative of the boldly exposed surfaces and downhole conditions, was investigated utilizing a number of electrochemical and surface characterization techniques. The influence of pH and Al3+ on the galvanic coupling behavior and damage evolution on AA7050 as a function of chromate concentration were assessed. The degree of chromate inhibition was observed to decrease as pH decreased, owing to chromate speciation and reduced capacity to suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) compared to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The addition of 0.1 M Al3+ significantly increased HER kinetics and produced a large buffer effect which overwhelmed the ability of chromate to slow damage propagation on AA7050. Assessment of cathodes indicated that Cu was more important than 316SS in driving damage initiation, but less active than 316SS in supporting high-rate damage propagation in simulated crevice environments. The implications of this study for actual bimetallic systems are discussed.

Carbon Nanotubes Hybrid Hydrogels for Environmental Remediation: Evaluation of Adsorption Efficiency under Electric Field

The performance of Carbon Nanotubes hybrid hydrogels for environmental remediation was investigated using Methylene Blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RD), and Bengal Rose (BR) as model contaminating dyes. An acrylate hydrogel network with incorporated CNT was synthesized by photo-polymerization without any preliminary derivatization of CNT surface. Thermodynamics, isothermal and kinetic studies showed favorable sorption processes with the application of an external 12 V electric field found to be able to influence the amount of adsorbed dyes: stronger interactions with cationic MB molecules ( and of 19.72 and 33.45 mg g−1, respectively) and reduced affinity for anionic RD ( and of 28.93 and 13.06 mg g−1, respectively) and neutral BR ( and of 36.75 and 15.85 mg g−1, respectively) molecules were recorded. The influence of pH variation on dyes adsorption was finally highlighted by reusability studies, with the negligible variation of adsorption capacity after five repeated sorption cycles claiming for the suitability of the proposed systems as effective sorbent for wastewater treatment.