Glass Wool Research Articles

In vitro impact of ethanolic extract of Bryonia laciniosa seed on Gir bull spermatozoa: a comprehensive evaluation through transcriptome profiling.

This study examines the in vitro impact of an ethanolic extract derived from Bryonia laciniosa seeds on the Gir bull (Bos indicus) spermatozoa. The objective is to thoroughly assess the effects of the seed extract on the physiological parameters of bull spermatozoa, followed by evaluating its effects on X and Y-bearing spermatozoa and its impact on gene expression through transcriptome profiling. For this study, one Gir bull was selected, and 12 ejaculates were collected at one-week time intervals. Sperm cells were isolated from each ejaculate and incubated with varying concentrations of the ethanolic extract. The physiological parameters of the spermatozoa were assessed using Computer Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA) and compared with control groups to evaluate the extract's effects on sperm quality and motility. At a concentration of 18 mg/mL B. laciniosa extract, we noticed a statistically significant 16.4% increase in sperm motility (p = 0.0065). In order to understand the specific effect on X and Y-bearing spermatozoa, motile and non-motile sperm separated by glass wool column method and further evaluated for quantification of X and Y-bearing sperm in all samples by ddPCR. To understand the effect of B. laciniosa extract on spermatozoa at the molecular level, whole transcriptome profiling was carried out using Illumina MiSeq. Transcriptome profiling revealed 81 genes that were expressed differently between the group treated with the extract and the control group. The current investigation revealed an increase in the expression of TLX1, CRYGB, KLF13, and ZAR1 transcripts, which play a role in embryonic development. In addition, several genes have been identified that are involved in sperm motility, such GSK3B, LAPRS, MAPK1, CAMK2B, and AQP7. The findings exhibited the therapeutic effectiveness of B. laciniosa seeds in augmenting fertility through a synergistic blend of activities, including enhanced sperm motility and positive influence on embryogenesis.

Prediction of binder polymerization rate in the glass wool curing oven

Prediction of binder polymerization rate in the glass wool curing oven

Food and Environmental Virology: Use of Passive Sampling to Characterize the Presence of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viruses in Wastewater.

Fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 leads to a renaissance of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as additional tool to follow epidemiological trends in the catchment of treatment plants. As alternative to the most commonly used composite samples in surveillance programs, passive sampling is increasingly studied. However, the many sorbent materials in different reports hamper the comparison of results and a standardization of the approach is necessary. Here, we compared different cost-effective sorption materials (cheesecloths, gauze swabs, electronegative filters, glass wool, and tampons) in torpedo-style housings with composite samples. Despite a remarkable variability of the concentration of SARS-CoV-2-specific gene copies, analysis of parallel-deposited passive samplers in the sewer demonstrated highest rate of positive samples and highest number of copies by using cheesecloths. Using this sorption material, monitoring of wastewater of three small catchments in the City of Dresden resulted in a rate of positive samples of 50% in comparison with composite samples (98%). During the investigation period, incidence of reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 in the catchments ranged between 16 and 170 per 100,000 persons and showed no correlation with the measured concentrations of E gene in wastewater. In contrast, constantly higher numbers of gene copies in passive vs. composite samples were found for human adenovirus and crAssphage indicating strong differences of efficacy of methods concerning the species investigated. Influenza virus A and B were sporadically detected allowing no comparison of results. The study contributes to the further understanding of possibilities and limits of passive sampling approaches in WBE.

Application of the Conjugate Gradient Method for Predicting Unknown Heat Flux in 2D Plat under Effect of Insulation

When an anomaly is discovered during a thermal inspection of industrial equipment, the diagnosis of finding the heat source is made more difficult by the presence of heat insulation. The use of the Conjugate Gradient Method (CGM) to solve the unknown heat flux in Inverse Heat Conduction Problem (IHCP) under insulation condition has been discussed. This method is used to predict a heat flux by utilizing temperature data at any points of measurement. The study deals with the structure of 2D thin plate at steady state. A copper plate with a thickness of 1 mm is used as specimen. White glass wool is used to thermally insulate the plate on the back surface. An electrical heater is plate mounted and operated by varying the DC voltage. A datalogger with thermocouple sensors records plate temperature changes. Software for solving the IHCP based on the CGM was developed. Initially, the software was implemented using synthetic data obtained from the forward heat conduction equations with a known heat flux. Simulated measurement data are assumed to have high accuracy (± 0.1 ºC). Determination of heat flux with the CGM gives very satisfactory results with a low error below 0.12%. The CGM was then applied using experimental data. With a measurement error of ± 0.5 ºC, the computational stopping criterion can still be met satisfactorily. In real installations, equipment is sometimes partially or completely isolated. In the experiment, this phenomenon is simulated by varying the isolation area as follows: 0%, 25%, 50% and 100%. The results of the flux calculation are correlated with the real flux supplied by the electrical heater. Each type of insulation area has a similar curve. By obtaining the correlation equation, the equivalent heat flux from calculation to real and vice versa can be carried out.

Competitive multi-component bio-syngas separation for hydrogen production: breakthrough dynamics, thermal effects, and adsorbent stability analysis under practical operating conditions

The present work experimentally investigates the ability of zeolite 13X to purify H2 from a multi-component bio-syngas feed [composition (mol%): H2/CH4/CO/CO2 – 51.7/3.4/13.2/31.7] in a bench scale, glass wool insulated column simulating a near-industrial adiabatic environment. The column breakthrough dynamics and thermodynamic interactions are studied as a function of total pressure and feed flow rate. The adsorbent showed excellent separation characteristics with the highest affinity for CO2 followed by CO and CH4, and completely restricts their propagation for pure H2 production. The non-isothermal operation results in forming two distinct temperature fronts and manifests itself by broadening the mass transfer zone, decreasing loadings, and causing an early breakthrough of various adsorbates. The competitive adsorption is confirmed through the presence of roll-ups with a slowly moving CO2 concentration front displacing pre-adsorbed CH4 and CO over the duration of the experiment. Further, dynamic adsorption and desorption (sweep gas: He and CO2) experiments are respectively employed to measure competitive equilibrium loadings of heavy (CO2) and light components (CH4, CO). Additionally, the variation in breakthrough time, adsorbate propagation rate, column peak temperature, breakthrough and effective loading, and competitive selectivities are analyzed and discussed. Finally, a novel methodology to design H2 purification systems is proposed and put to practical use by developing and long duration (∼1500 cycles) testing a pilot scale (feed flow rate: 100 Nm3/h) vacuum pressure swing adsorption system. The cyclic separation unit while generating fuel-cell grade H2, displayed complete operational repeatability, with minimal deviation (<6 %) in adsorbent textural properties and crystalline structure.

Mechanical Performance of Alkali-activated Stabilized Sandy Soil Reinforced with Glass Wool Residue Microfibers

Alkali-activated binders have been introduced as promising alternatives to conventional binders such as lime and ordinary Portland cement (OPC). However, alkali-activated materials exhibit a brittle behavior and crack formation due to tensile stresses is inevitable. To overcome these limitations, incorporation of fibers into the cementitious matrix is among the well-known techniques to improve the flexural behavior and energy absorption of the corresponding composites. The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using reinforced alkali-activated metakaolin as an alternative to common stabilizers to improve the engineering characteristics of sandy soil. Calcium carbide residue (CCR) was used as an alkali activator, and glass wool residue (GWR) microfibers were used as reinforcement elements to maximize waste stream utilization. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS), California bearing ratio (CBR), and three-point bending tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the alkali-activated products. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed to determine the microstructure and elemental composition of these products. The results indicate that the compressive strength and ductile behavior of the stabilized soil samples improved significantly. Furthermore, the SEM/EDX analysis of the reinforced alkali-activated samples revealed the interfacial bond between the microfibers and alkali-activated binding gel, enhancing the mechanical performance between the microfibers and cementitious matrix.

Effect of Glass Wool and Sephadex Sperm Separation Techniques on Improving the Poor Quality Semen of Iraqi Buffalo Bulls

This study investigated the effect of glass wool and Sephadex separation techniques on improving the poor semen quality of buffalo bulls. Semen had divided into four groups. The first and second groups used good (G1, positive control) and poor-quality semen (G2, negative control). Glass wool (G3) and Sephadex (G4) techniques had used to separate the poor semen quality in the 3rd-4th groups, respectively. The sperm concentration and total abnormalities were lower in the G3 and G4 groups than in the G2 group. Motility increased in the G4 group compared to the G2 group. Live sperm, normal morphology, plasma membrane, and acrosome integrity were higher in groups G4 and G3 than in the G2 group. In conclusion, after separation, there was a decrease in sperm concentration compared to non-separation. This decrease had compensated by a proportionate increase in other semen characteristics, which may improve the conception rate via artificial insemination with filtered semen.

Determination of the characteristic impedance and the complex wave number by five different approaches

This study presents several methods to determine the characteristic impedance and the complex wave number of porous materials. These methods include the two-cavity method by Utsuno et al., the two-thickness method by Dunn and Davern, the four-microphone transfer-matrix method by Song and Bolton, the empirical method by Miki and theoretical calculation by the inverse method of Johnson-Champoux-Allard (JCA) model. Glass wool and polyester materials are used to compare different approaches. The results indicate a clear correlation among all methods. The theoretical calculation based on the inverse method of the JCA model can predict well without direct measurement of the non-acoustical parameters. However, there are disadvantages to several methods including sharp peaks in some frequency ranges for the two-cavity method, data fluctuation at low frequency for the four-microphone method, and inaccuracy in predicting the characteristic impedance of thick materials at middle and high frequencies for the two-thickness method. The results imply that the inverse method of the JCA model is a reliable method to predict the characteristic impedance and the complex wave number with comparable accuracy to traditional experimental methods.

Determination of optimum insulation thickness in submarines

One of the most effective ways to save energy for cooling and heating applications is thermal insulation. Because of this, determining the ideal insulation thickness is a popular topic for publications. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriate insulation thickness needed for a submarine’s external construction while it is cruising in various locations. Since seawater makes up a submarine’s external environment, situations involving five distinct sea-water temperatures from around the globe have been studied. There are five of them: the Med-iterranean, Marmara, Aegean, Black Sea, and Sakhalin, which is in the North Pacific Ocean and has the coldest seawater on earth. By using the idea of degree-days, the annual cooling and heating needs of submarines in various regions have been computed. Based on life cycle cost analysis, optimization has been accomplished. In the beginning, the results of a study published in the literature supported the calculation methods utilized. The use of insulation materials such as rock wool, glass wool, polyurethane, expanded polystyrene, fiberglass, and foam glass, as well as fuel oil to run the generator, has been taken into account in a number of calculations, including the best insulation thickness, annual savings value, annual energy cost, and payback period. The findings indicate that depending on seawater temperatures and in-sulation materials, the ideal insulation thicknesses range between 2 and 12 cm, energy savings between 8.5% and 90%, and payback periods between 1.1 and 10 years.

Numerical prediction of the sound transmission loss of double panel configurations with acoustic structured and poroelastic materials

The sound transmission loss of multilayer system assemblies made of Noise Control Treatments comprising metamaterials and poroelastic materials, sandwiched between two structural panels is of utmost importance in aerospace, automotive, building and several other engineering applications. The integration of acoustic metamaterials in these systems introduces a number of challenges at the level of numerical simulation in order to predict their acoustic and structural behavior. This paper presents a methodology for the numerical simulation of the sound transmission loss of structural configurations comprising acoustic metamaterials embedded in a glass wools layer, sandwiched between two elastic panels. The metamaterial is designed as a parallel assembly of four sub-metamaterials. Each of these sub-metamaterials is also a series assembly of a periodic unit cell having a neck + cavity + neck type configuration. The four sub-metamaterials are designed so that their first resonance frequencies are grouped together in order to improve the sound transmission loss at the first two natural frequencies of the double panel. The COMSOL Multiphysics finite element method solver is used. The normal incidence and diffuse field sound transmission loss numerical results are presented and discussed in comparison with results from literature for validation.

Upcycling glass wool and spodumene tailings in building ceramics from kaolinitic and illitic clay

With concerns related to the high cost and environmental footprint of energy, reducing the sintering temperature in the ceramic industry remains a key challenge. This study investigates the effect of glass wool waste on the sintering properties of kaolinitic and illitic clays, two types of clay commonly used in the ceramic industry. Both clays were substituted with 20 and 40 wt% glass wool, and the effect on sintering at 850, 950, and 1050 °C was investigated. The properties of the sintered materials were assessed with several techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, bulk density, water absorption, dilatometry, and compressive and flexural strength. The water absorption of the prepared ceramics varied from 0 to 30 %, while compressive and flexural strength were in the ranges of 10–60 MPa and 2–15 MPa, respectively, depending on the glass wool content and sintering temperature. The addition of glass wool induced more glass formation, microstructure densification, and higher firing shrinkage at lower temperatures, which contributed to an increase of more than 100 % strength at 850 °C. The addition of 10–20 parts spodumene tailings was observed to mitigate the firing shrinkage at 950 °C with no significant effect on the mechanical properties.

Ensemble Learning for Multi-Label Classification with Unbalanced Classes: A Case Study of a Curing Oven in Glass Wool Production

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), which integrates sensors into the manufacturing system, provides new paradigms and technologies to industry. The massive acquisition of data, in an industrial context, brings with it a number of challenges to guarantee its quality and reliability, and to ensure that the results of data analysis and modelling are accurate, reliable, and reflect the real phenomena being studied. Common problems encountered with real industrial databases are missing data, outliers, anomalies, unbalanced classes, and non-exhaustive historical data. Unlike papers present in the literature that respond to those problems in a dissociated way, the work performed in this article aims to address all these problems at once. A comprehensive framework for data flow encompassing data acquisition, preprocessing, and machine class classification is proposed. The challenges of missing data, outliers, and anomalies are addressed with critical and novel class outliers distinguished. The study also tackles unbalanced class classification and evaluates the impact of missing data on classification accuracy. Several machine learning models for the operating state classification are implemented. The study also compares the performance of the proposed framework with two existing methods: the Histogram Gradient Boosting Classifier and the Extreme Gradient Boosting classifier. It is shown that using “hard voting” ensemble learning methods to combine several classifiers makes the final classifier more robust to missing data. An application is carried out on data from a real industrial dataset. This research contributes to narrowing the theory–practice gap in leveraging IIoT technologies, offering practical insights into data analytics implementation in real industrial scenarios.

Multi-property characterization of an experimental material composed of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium and ash wood chips compared with glass wool and hemp wool

Biomaterials have a lot of potential for the construction industry because of their small environmental footprint and their regenerative capacity. Hemp is currently used as an insulation material in construction. The uniqueness properties of mushroom mycelium allow it to be used as a plant fiber binder in the design of bio-based insulation boards with white ash chips as aggregates. The goal of the present study is to design an organic material that will be 100 % compostable at the end of its useful life while being biologically inactive. The material is composed of the mycelium of Pleurotus ostreatus, an edible fungus, grown on rye grains and white ash chips. The objectives are to develop an experimental protocol for the culture of the material and to characterize it in comparison to glass wool and hemp wool, which are two proven insulators. Once the desired shape is obtained, the mycelium is inactivated by heat. The compressive strength, the conductivity, the thermal effusivity, the volume and the density, the thermal mass capacity and the acoustic properties were measured. The stress resistance was found to be up to 1330 times higher for the experimental material (Medium mycelium) than for glass wool; the thermal conductivity was between 0.0313 and 0.0379 W/(mK) for all materials; the porosity was greater than 75 % for all materials and the α coefficient varied between 0.8 and 1 for sound absorption. Mycelium materials have properties that need to be studied in greater details.

Estimating Optimal Cost, Insulation Layer Thickness, and Structural Layer Thickness of Different Composite Insulation External Walls Using Computational Methods

All the modern gadgets and space conditioning in buildings consume lots of energy. Energy consumption can be optimized using Composite Insulation External Walls (CIEW) built from mortar plaster and structural and insulation layers. This study aimed to improve the overall performance of CIEW by optimizing the structural and insulation layer thickness. The objective was to minimize the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and maximize the Life Cycle Savings (LCS) of CIEW. The nonlinear Least Squares Estimation (LSE) optimization technique for optimizing LCC and LCS of CIEW was used in the study. The study considered three insulation materials—Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Rock Wool (RW), and Glass Wool (GW)—across three heat sources, including Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB), Grate-Fired Boiler (GFB), and Air-Source Heat Pump (ASHP). The Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) methodology suggested by Huang using a traditional optimization technique was used as a basis for mathematical formulations and result comparison. The payback period of CIEW with optimal structural and insulation layer thickness was computed. The findings revealed that applying the LSE method enabled greater economic efficiency than the LCCA method, with an up to 9.12% increase in LCS value and an up to 7.41% decrease in LCC value. The research also revealed significant correlations between insulation and structural layer thicknesses and economic parameters.

Use of Some Natural Materials to Reduce Concentrations of some Heavy Metals in Polluted Water and Possibility of Using Them for Irrigation in Calcareous Agricultural Soils

To evaluate efficiency of some natural materials in using them as filters to reduce concentrations of some heavy elements in polluted water, and possibility of using them for irrigation in calcareous agricultural soils, two experiments were conducted, first is laboratory, which is treatment of various polluted waters, namely industrial water, gray water, and river water using three natural treatment materials as filters, which are activated charcoal, Eichhornia crassipes plant powder, Ceratophyllum plant powder. Poles made of polyethylene were used with a length of 100 cm and a diameter of 10 cm equipped with a tap from bottom, a layer of glass wool was placed at bottom, and then treatment materials were placed on top of it at a height of 50 cm. A piece of gauze cloth was placed over it for filter polluted water from solids. Polluted water was passed after filtering from top of column and left for 24 hours for equilibrium, then filtrate was collected from bottom of column. Second experiment, it is biology, as an experiment was conducted in pots of 20 kg capacity, using calcareous soil with a Loamy texture, and Dodonaea seedlings (one of fence plants) were planted. NPK fertilizers were added to it according to fertilizer recommendation, and irrigation was done with tap water after 50% of available water was depleted by gravimetric method. Results showed the following: 1-High concentrations of heavy metals, each of Lead, Ccadmium, Zinc and Nickel in industrial water, where they reached 5.190, 0.043, 3.727 and 0.371 mg L-1, respectively, exceeding limits allowed by World Food and Health Organization for each of Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel, while concentrations of Lead is within internationally permitted limits. As for gray water, Cadmium concentrations exceeded internationally permitted limits, while concentrations of Lead, Zinc and Nickel were within internationally permitted limits. In river water, they were within internationally permitted limits. 2. Decreased concentrations of heavy metals in polluted water treated with various natural treatment materials compared to their concentrations before treatment. The materials used in treatment can be arranged according to their efficiency in adsorption of heavy metals from industrial and gray water as follows: -activated charcoal > Eichhornia crassipes powder > Ceratophyllum powder > Arundo donax plant_powder. 3-High available concentrations of heavy metals in soils passed through polluted water compared to soils irrigated with treated water. Total concentrations were 34.436, 18.227, 8.064 mg kg-1 soil, 31.064, 16.884, 6.190 mg kg-1 soil, 32.860, 12.670, 4.930 mg kg-1 soil, 0.465, 3.680, and 0.590 mg kg-1 soil for Lead and Cadmium elements and Zinc and Nickel in succession and industrial water and gray water and river water successively, after 100 days of cultivation. 4-High concentrations of heavy metals in plants irrigated with different polluted water compared to plants irrigated with different treated water after 100 days of cultivation. Plants irrigated with polluted and treated water can be arranged according to concentration of heavy metals in them as follows: - industrial water > gray water > river water.

Removal of some Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater and Gray Water by using some Natural and Organic Materials

A study was conducted for knowing the quantity and quality of heavy metal ions adsorbed on surfaces of treatment materials used in treatment of polluted water and to know the most efficient in removal process. Study included conducting two experiments, the first is laboratory, which is treatment of two polluted waters, namely industrial water and gray water, using four natural treatment materials as filters, which are activated Charcoal, Eichhornia crassipes plant powder, Ceratophyllum plant powder, and Arundo donax plant powder. It used poles made of polyethylene with a length of 100 cm and a diameter of 10 cm equipped with a tap from bottom, a layer of glass wool was placed at bottom, and then treatment materials were placed on top of it at a height of 50 cm. A piece of gauze cloth was placed over it for filtering polluted water from solids. Polluted water was passed after being filtered from top of column and left for 24 hours for equilibrium, then filtrate was collected from bottom of column. Second experiment, it is liberation experiment for heavy metals adsorbed on treated materials, where heavy metals were extracted by a 0.005M concentration of DTPA solution. This process was repeated five times for same treatment material and concentration of heavy metals adsorbed was measured each time. Results showed the following: 1-High concentrations of heavy metals, each of Lead, Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel in industrial water, where they reached 5.190, 0.043, 3.727 and 0.371 mg L-1, respectively, exceeding the limits allowed by World Food and Health Organization for each of Cadmium, Zinc and Nickel, while concentrations of Lead is within internationally permitted limits. As for the gray water, concentrations of Cadmium excelled the internationally permitted limits, while concentrations of Lead, Zinc and Nickel were within internationally permitted limits. 2-Concentration of Lead and Cadmium in all materials used in bioremediation, with exception of coal, exceeded internationally permitted limits in plants. Concentrations of Zinc and Nickel in all materials used in bioremediation did not exceed the internationally permitted limits, while coal did not record the presence of Zinc and Nickel because it is a porous, burned carbonaceous material. 3-Increasing amount of heavy metals liberated from various treatment materials through bioreclamation process in first three extractions, then it began to gradually decrease in fourth and fifth extractions. The different treatment materials varied in amount of heavy metals released, and they can be arranged as follows in terms of amount released of heavy metals: Eichhornia crassipes plant powder > Ceratophyllum plant powder > activated charcoal > Arundo donax plant powder. 4-Highest amount of heavy metals was released from materials used in industrial water, then gray water for Lead and Cadmium, while treatment materials used in industrial water and then gray water excelled in amount released for elements Zinc and Nickel.

Assessment of new immobilized photocatalysts based on TiO2 for wastewater decontamination

With the main objective of overcoming the main drawbacks in the actual application of semiconductors in slurry in solar photocatalysis, new immobilized photocatalysts based on TiO2 supported on glass wool and silica material have been evaluated for tertiary/quaternary treatment of urban wastewater treatment plant effluents. Preliminary tests were carried out under different operating conditions in a solar simulator SUNTEST XLS+ with 30 W/m2 irradiation average. Demineralized water was spiked with sulfamethoxazole (SMX) (at 1 mg/L initial concentration) as water model pollutant. The mere effect of only irradiance as well as the photocatalytic performance of TiO2-P25 in slurry over SMX abatement were also investigated as references. The highest SMX removal (> 98% in 25 min) was obtained with SiO2_TiO2 photocatalyst (0.5 g/L). The efficacy of SiO2_TiO2 was demonstrated to be stable for 5 cycles of reusing and 66% of mineralization was also obtained through the degradation of 25 mg/L of SMX after 360 min of treatment. SiO2_TiO2 photocatalyst was also assessed for the elimination of SMX present in a more complex water matrix, in simulated urban wastewater, obtaining 50% of SMX removal in 120 min. In addition, 7 transformation products (TPs) were identified by UPHLC-QTOF-MS/MS and a tentative degradation pathway was elucidated. Assessment on actual implementation of supported TiO2 photocatalysts in solar photoreactors must be tackled in the future.

Photoinactivation of microorganisms and photodegradation of pollutants using phthalocyanines supported on nanofibers and glass wool

Neutral and cationic zinc and indium phthalocyanines (Pcs) are anchored onto polyacrylonitrile nanofibers (NFs) and glass wools (GWs). The properties of these composites were evaluated and compared. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed that GWs had higher stability than NFs. The nanofibers had a higher loading of > 50 % compared to < 35 % for glass wools. The singlet oxygen quantum yield was proportional to the loading. The degradation of 4-chlorophenol, methyl orange, and methylene blue, and the antimicrobial activity (photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy) of the composites were evaluated. It was revealed that the NFs showed a combination of photocatalytic and adsorption properties against methylene blue. The NFs degraded the organic pollutants faster than GWs. The cationic composites showed higher antimicrobial activities than their neutral derivates. The results show a promising application window of the cationic Pc-nanofibers.

A highly efficient supported TiO2 photocatalyst for wastewater remediation in continuous flow

Although TiO2 materials have been extensively studied as photocatalysts, there is not any commercial TiO2-supported photocatalyst used for wastewater remediation. This fact set the goal to synthesize a new supported titanium dioxide photocatalyst which, besides being robust, also has a high reaction surface and a very efficient TiO2 shell thickness. Hence, we present a novel TiO2-supported photocatalyst composed of titania-covered glass wool (GW) fibers decorated with SiO2@TiO2 core-shell spheres. For optimizing the photocatalytic activity of this material, the surface of SiO2 microspheres, as well as, the highly mechanically resistant GW fibers, were covered by a robust titania layer of ca. 20–30 nm of thickness. This layer contains nanometric crystals, ca. 12 nm in size, linked to each other and to the surfaces of both SiO2 microspheres and GW. An exhaustive characterization of the physicochemical properties of this new SiO2-TiO2 composite was performed to confirm the SiOTi linkage and the anatase crystal phase. The photocatalytic activity was initially evaluated in batch through the photodegradation of Methylene Blue as a standard dye. Afterward, the addition of the new photocatalyst in a solid phase stationary (SPS) photoreactor coupled to a TOC detector allowed studying in situ the mineralization of the recalcitrant pollutant phenol under a continuous flow regime. Results revealed that the optimized TiO2 surface of the SiO2-TiO2 composite produced the complete mineralization of phenol in less than three minutes. Even more, it was demonstrated that this photocatalyst is suitable for the industrial scale-up of wastewater treatment because it does not leach titania, its reuse does not require filtration procedures, and it can be easily implemented in SPS photoreactors at plant scale. In this context, the new material could be a good starting point to prepare other supported photocatalysts for wastewater remediation.

Assessment of different factors on the influence of glass wool concentration for detection of main swine viruses in water samples.

Viruses existed in wastewaters might pose a biosecurity risk to human and animal health. However, it is generally difficult to detect viruses in wastewater directly as they usually occur in low numbers in water. Therefore, processing large volumes of water to concentrate viruses in a much smaller final volume for detection is necessary. Glass wool has been recognized as an effective material to concentrate multiple in water, and in this study, we assessed the use of glass wools on concentrating pseudorabies virus (PRV), African swine fever virus (ASFV), and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in water samples. The influence of pH values, water matrix, water volume, filtration rate, temperature on the effect of the method concentrating these viruses for detection was evaluated in laboratory. Our results revealed that glass wool was suitable for the concentration of above-mentioned viruses from different water samples, and demonstrated a good application effect for water with pH between 6.0-9.0. Furthermore, glass wool also showed a good recovery effect on concentrating viral nucleic acids and viral particles, as well as living viruses. In addition, combining use of glass wool with skim milk, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-NaCl, or ultracentrifuge had good effects on concentrating ASFV, PRV, and PEDV. Detection of wastewater samples (n = 70) collected from 70 pig farms in 13 regions across Hubei Province in Central China after glass-wool-concentration determined one sample positive for ASFV, eighteen samples positive for PRV, but no sample positive for PEDV. However, these positive samples were detected to be negative before glass wool enrichment was implemented. Our results suggest that glass wool-based water concentration method developed in this study represents an effective tool for detecting viruses in wastewater.