Release Of Zn Research Articles

A moldable hydrogel based on sericin and Zn2+/F- dual-doped hydroxyapatite promotes skull defect repair through the synergistic effects of immunoregulation, enhanced angiogenesis and osteogenesis

Skull defect repair typically involves multiple stages, including immunomodulation, angiogenesis, osteogenic differentiation, and biomineralization, etc. Most existing therapeutic biomaterials fail to show functional effects across all these stages, leading to unsatisfactory repair effects. To address this challenge, an organic–inorganic hybrid HT(SA)HAp moldable hydrogel with the aforementioned functional properties was developed. The moldable hydrogel consisted of phenylboronic acid-grafted hyaluronic acid, tannic acid, alendronate sodium-grafted sericin (Ser-AL), and hydroxyapatite co-doped with 5 % Zn and 10 % F (Zn5%/F10%-HAp). These materials were cross-linked due to phenylborate ester bonds, metal-phenol interactions, and the AL-mediated chelation of divalent metal cations. Sericin-mediated immunomodulation serves as a precursor to micro-environmental regulation, reducing inflammation at the site of injury and creating an environment conducive to angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation. The degradation products of the hydrogel’s organic skeleton promoted the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells and vascular endothelial cells. The enhanced paracrine effect of mesenchymal stem cells and the release of Zn2+ from modified Zn5%/F10%-HAp promoted angiogenesis, while the degradation products of these materials ensured continued promotion of osteogenic differentiation and biomineralization. This organic–inorganic hybrid hydrogel had the synergistic effects of immunoregulation, enhanced angiogenesis, osteogenic differentiation, and biomineralization, which could significantly accelerate the repair of skull defects, and demonstrate completely repaired skull defects at 8 weeks. Thus, this multifunctional moldable hydrogel provided an effective and stable treatment strategy for the rapid repair of skull defects.

An Antibacterial Bionic Periosteum with Angiogenesis-Neurogenesis Coupling Effect for Bone Regeneration.

The periosteum, rich in neurovascular networks, bone progenitor cells, and stem cells, is vital for bone repair. Current artificial periosteal materials face challenges in mechanical strength, bacterial infection, and promoting osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis. To address these issues, we adjusted the electrospinning ratio of poly-ε-caprolactone and chitosan and incorporated Zn doping whitlockite with polydopamine coating into a nanofiber membrane. After a series of characterizations, optimal results were achieved with a poly-ε-caprolactone: chitosan ratio of 8:1 and 5% nanoparticle content. In vitro cell experiments and in vivo calvarial defect models, the sustained release of Mg2+ and Ca2+ promoted vascularization and new bone formation, respectively, while the release of Zn2+ was conducive to antibacterial and cooperated with Mg2+ to promote neurovascularization. Consequently, this antibacterial bionic periosteum with an angiogenesis-neurogenesis coupling effect demonstrates a promising potential for bone repair applications.

Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and phosphate tailings: Synergistically enhancing heavy metal immobilization and phosphorus availability

Phosphate tailings (PT) was used to reduce the release of heavy metals (HMs) during pyrolysis and the leachable rate of residual HMs, and simultaneously improve the bioavailability of phosphorus in the sludge-based biochar. The concentration of heavy metals and the fractions determined by BCR method was used to investigate the release and the transformation of Zn, Pb, Mn, Ni and Cu during pyrolysis involved with the effects of temperature and the addition of PT. The respective pyrolysis experiments shows that the release of Zn and Pb increases with temperature for both sewage sludge (SS) and PT, and the bioavailable fractions (F1 + F2) of Mn, Ni, and Cu increases with temperature for PT. During co-pyrolysis, blended samples released lower quantities of Zn and Pb and presented lower bioavailability of HMs than the individual SS or PT. A synergistic effect of co-pyrolysis was evident for volatile Zn and Pb. The decomposition of CaMg (CO3)2 from PT produced CaO, by which the volatile ZnCl2 and PbCl2 were transformed into ZnO and PbO with less volatility and higher reactivity with SiO2 and Al2O3 than the chlorides. Then SiO2 and Al2O3 from SS acted as the final stabilizer to immobilize the oxides. The final product combined with SiO2 and Al2O3, such as ZnSiO4 and ZnAl2O4, were detected. The addition of PT also introduced more Ca and P into sludge to produce biochar with higher concentration of apatite phosphorus with higher bioavailability.

Stabilization of heavy metals in solid waste and sludge pyrolysis by intercalation-exfoliation modified vermiculite

Increasing amounts of solid waste and sludge have created many environmental management problems. Pyrolysis can effectively reduce the volume of solid waste and sludge, but there is still the problem of heavy metal contamination, which limits the application of pyrolysis in environmental management. The intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite (IEMV) by intercalators of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide were used to control the release of Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb during pyrolysis process of sludge or solid waste. The retention of heavy metals in sludge was generally better than that in solid waste. The IEMV by octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide as the intercalator calcined 800 °C (STAB-800) was the best additive for heavy metal retention, and the retention of Cr, Cu and Zn was significantly better than that of Pb and Cd. Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb were at low risk, while Cd had considerable risk under certain circumstances. New models were proposed to comprehensively evaluate the results of the risk and forms of heavy metals, and the increasing temperature was beneficial in reducing the hazards of heavy metals by the addition of STAB-800. The reaction mechanism of heavy metals with vermiculite was revealed by simulation of reaction sites, Fukui Function and Frontier Molecular Orbital. Thermal activation-intercalated-exfoliated modified vermiculite (T-IEMV) is more reactive and had more active sites for heavy metals. Mg atoms and outermost O atoms are the main atoms for T-IEMV to react with heavy metals. The Cr, Cu and Zn have better adsorption capacity by T-IEMV than Pb and Cd. This study provides a new insight into managing solid waste and sludge and controlling heavy metal environmental pollution.

Nitrogen and Microelements Co-Drive the Decomposition of Typical Grass Litter in the Loess Plateau, China.

In grassland ecosystems, the decomposition of litter serves as a vital conduit for nutrient transfer between plants and soil. The aim of this study was to depict the dynamic process of grass litter decomposition and explore its major driver. Three typical grasses [Stipa bungeana Trin (St. B), Artemisia sacrorun Ledeb (Ar. S), and Thymus mongolicus Ronniger (Th. M)] were selected for long-term litter decomposition. Experiments were conducted using three single litters, namely, St. B, Ar. S, and Th. M, and four different compositions of mixed litter: ML1 (55% St. B and 45% Th. M), ML2 (55% St. B and 45% Ar. S), ML3 (75% St. B and 25% Th. M), and ML4 (75% St. B and 25% Ar. S). The dynamic patterns of mass and microelements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) within different litter groups were analyzed. Our findings indicated that, after 1035 days of decomposition, the proportion of residual mass for the single litters was as follows: Th. M (60.6%) > St. B (47.3%) > Ar. S (44.3%), and for the mixed groups it was ML1 (48.0%) > ML3 (41.6%) > ML2 (40.9) > ML4 (38.4%). Mixed cultivation of the different litter groups accelerated the decomposition process, indicating that the mixture of litters had a synergistic effect on litter decomposition. The microelements of the litter exhibited an initial short-term increase followed by long-term decay. After 1035 days of decomposition, the microelements released from the litter were, in descending order, Mg > Ca > Fe > Cu > Mn > Zn. Compared to the separately decomposed St. B litter, mixing led to an inhibition of the release of Ca (antagonistic effect), while it promoted the release of Mg, Cu, and Zn (synergistic effect). For the single litter, the stepwise regression analysis showed that Ca was the dominant factor determining early litter decomposition. Mg, Mn, and Cu were the dominant factors regulating later litter decomposition. For the mixed litter groups, Ca, Mn, and Mg were the dominant factors closely related to early decomposition, and TN emerged as a key factor regulating the mass loss of mixtures during later decomposition. In summary, nitrogen and microelements co-drive the decomposition of typical grass litter. Our study underscores that, in the succession process of grassland, the presence of multiple co-existing species led to a faster loss of plant-derived materials (litter mass and internal elements), which was primarily modulated by species identity and uniformity.

Mineral composition and chlorophyll fluorescence in cowpea plants amended with bulk and nanoparticles of Zn and Cu oxides

Zinc oxide (ZnO-NP) and copper (CuO-NP) nanoparticles have been proposed for crop fertilization, but studies demonstrating their efficiencies and evaluating their phytotoxicities compared to bulk sources are still scarce. Here, we assessed the dissolution of Zn and Cu oxides of nanoparticulate and bulk sources and their effects on cowpea’s biomass, nutritional status, and photosynthetic apparatus. The results showed that Zn and Cu dissolution rate and release from nanoparticulate oxides were higher than bulk oxides. Regardless of the source, the addition of Zn and Cu concentrations to the solution increased the root, stem, and leaf tissue concentrations of these micronutrients and reduced the contents of nutrients and pigments, with consequent inhibition of photosynthesis as indicated by the parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence. Except for the lowest rate of the sources tested, biomass was reduced due to metal toxicity. However, biomass decreasing was not related to the source itself but to the nanoparticle source higher solubility, which promoted higher phytotoxicity.

Versatile Bioactive Glass/Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8-Based Skin Scaffolds toward High-Performance Wound Healing.

Designing a novel biomaterial for wound healing is based on biocompatibility and excellent mechanical strength. In this study, bioactive glass (BG) and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) have been incorporated into poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PCL/PVA) composite skin scaffolds via microfluidic electrospinning. Interestingly, the addition of ZIF-8 further strengthens the BG stability and demonstrates better antibacterial effects. Utilizing the slow release of Zn, Ca, and Si ions, it also significantly promotes growth factor expression and skin regeneration. In addition, it is further demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo studies that the prepared composite skin scaffolds possess excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial capabilities, and mechanical properties. The prepared BG/ZIF-8-loaded scaffold possesses high tensile strength (26 MPa) and excellent antibacterial properties (achieves 89.64 and 78.8% inhibition of E. coli and S. aureus, respectively), and cell viability increased by 51.2%. More importantly, the wound shrinkage of the BG/ZIF-8-loaded scaffold is better than that of an unloaded scaffold, and the shrinkage rates of PCL/PVA@BG/ZIF-8(1 wt %) group is 95% with 2.2 mm granulation growth thickness within 12 days. Thus, the composite skin scaffold loaded with BG/ZIF-8 prepared by microfluidic electrospinning provides a new perspective for accelerating wound healing and is a potential novel therapeutic strategy for efficient wound healing.

Bacillus subtilis, a bacterial inhabitant in calcareous soil and its ability to demineralize fixed Fe and Zn salt in its habitat

Calcareous soils are unproductive for agriculture. World over 30 percent of soils are calcareous soils limiting crop cultivation and productivity. In calcareous soils, most of the plant nutrients and micronutrients are not freely available to the crop plants as these often lie in fixed or bonded form. Therefore, these nutrients have to be released from their bonded form into freely available form in such soils to make them available for crop plant growth. The application of microbial species native to such calcareous soils and having the ability and capacity to release such bonded nutrients into freely available form is a need of the day to convert these unproductive soils into productive ones. In the present investigation, we studied the presence of microbial flora particularly the bacterial species in the calcareous soil in western Maharashtra, India, and their role in the release of the bonded Fe and Zn micronutrients into a freely available form, from such soil to make these available for the kidney-bean plant growth. Six bacterial isolates of distinct colony morphology were isolated from the calcareous soil as the calcareous soil- inhabiting bacterial species, on a specialized enriched media. Their ability as Fe and Zn salt-releasing/de-mineralizing bacterial species was assessed. The release of Fe and Zn from their fixed form by these bacterial species was 0.80 and 1.80 µg/g of calcareous soil respectively. The release of Fe and Zn in calcareous soil was found to play a role in the growth and yield-attributing parameters of kidney-bean plants in calcareous soil. These morphologically distinct bacterial cultures were identified as Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus sp by using the MALDI Bio Typer classification protocol. These calcareous soils inhabiting bacterial species can be applied as bio-inoculants to the calcareous soil regularly to make them crop productive as well as for the reclamation of such calcareous soils.

Durability of photocatalytic ZnO-based surface coatings and preservation of their antibacterial effect after simulated wear

This study focused on antibacterial durability testing of surface coatings based on acrylic matrix-embedded UVA-activated ZnO. Such coatings on stainless steel were treated by dry rubbing, wet rubbing, and abrasive treatment to simulate wearing during everyday touching, cleaning, and aggressive scrubbing. Abrasive treatment caused clear topological changes to the surfaces, flattened the surface at the micrometer scale, and released a significant amount of surface material, which was partly acrylic matrix and partly the embedded ZnO. The highest release of Zn, the most prominent photocatalytic activity under UVA and the greatest antibacterial effect, was observed for abrasively treated surfaces. Although a small amount of surface material was released from surfaces after dry and wet rubbing, no significant increase in Zn release or photocatalytic activity was detected. On the contrary, antibacterial activity after those treatments decreased in comparison with untreated surfaces, likely due to partial surface masking by the released acrylic matrix. In summary, our results indicate that antimicrobial ZnO material immobilized in acrylic matrix creates stable surface coatings that may lose some of their efficacy during daily use and cleaning procedures, but activity of which will be retained during a more aggressive abrasion procedure.

The leaching behavior of heavy metal from contaminated mining soil: The effect of rainfall conditions and the impact on surrounding agricultural lands

Contaminated mining soils could lead to heavy metal pollution of surrounding farmlands under rainfall conditions. With the aids of sequential extraction, batch leaching, and dynamic leaching experiments, this study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of heavy metals in contaminated mining soils, understand their leaching behavior under different rainfall conditions, and evaluate the potential effects on surrounding farmlands. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in the contaminated mining soils were several or even twenty times higher than their corresponding background values, and Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb had considerable proportions (>50 %) in mobile forms. The leaching amounts of heavy metals from the contaminated mining soils had positive correlation with their contents in acid soluble form, and showed strong dependence on rainfall pH conditions. Acid rainfalls (pH = 4.32) can greatly increase the average annual release of Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb from mine soils in the study area, with increments ranging from 72.4 % (Pb) to 85.9 % (Cd) compared to those under alkaline conditions (pH = 7.42). The leaching of heavy metals was well fitted by two-constant, pseudo second-order and parabolic equations, indicating that their multi-layer sorption/desorption behavior on soil surface was dominated by chemical processes and their release was controlled by the diffusion within the soil pore channels. The two-column leaching experiment showed that the metal-rich leachate can lead to obvious increments of heavy metals in non-residual fractions (in particular Cd in acid soluble form) in surrounding farmlands, which would significantly raise the potential ecological risk associated with heavy metals. These findings indicate the importance of contaminated mining soils as a long-term source of heavy metals and the needs for mitigating the releases of toxic elements, especially in areas with heavy acid precipitation.

Ion-incorporated titanium implants for staged regulation of antibacterial activity and immunoregulation-mediated osteogenesis.

Antibacterial properties and osteogenic activity are considered as two crucial factors for the initial healing and long-term survivability of orthopedic implants. For decades, various drug-loaded implants to enhance biological activities have been investigated extensively. More importantly, to control the drug release timing is equally significant due to the sequential biological processes after implantation. Hence, developing a staged regulation system on the titanium surface is practically significant. Here, we prepared TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) on the titanium surface by anodization, followed by the incorporation of zinc (Zn) and strontium (Sr) sequentially through a hydrothermal process. Surface characterization confirmed the successful fabrication of Zn and Sr-incorporated TiO2 NTs (Zn-Sr/TiO2) on the titanium surface. The ion release results exhibited the differential releasecharacteristicof Zn and Sr, which meant the early-stage release of Zn and the long-term release of Sr. It was exactly in accord withthe biological process after implantation, laying the basis of staged regulation after implantation. Zn-Sr/TiO2 showed favorable anti-early infection properties both in vitro and in vivo. Its inhibition effect on bacterial biofilm formation was attributed to the resistance against bacteria's initial adhesion and the killing effect on planktonic bacteria. Additionally, the release of Sr could alleviate infection-induced damage via immunoregulation. The biocompatibility and osteogenic activity mediated by M2 macrophage activation were confirmed with in vitro and in vivo studies. Therefore, it exhibited great potential in staged regulation for antibacterial activity in the early stage and the M2 activation-mediated osteogenic activity in the late stage. The staged regulation process was based on the differential release of Zn and Sr to achieve the early antibacterial effect and the long-term immune-induced osteogenic activity, to prevent implant-related infection and achieve better osseointegration. These two kinds of ions played their roles synergistically and complement mutually. This work is expected to provide an innovative idea for realizing sequential regulation after implantation.

Bridging agro-science and human nutrition: zinc nanoparticles and biochar as catalysts for enhanced crop productivity and biofortification.

The integration of zinc nanoparticles (Zn NPs) with biochar offers a transformative approach to sustainable agriculture by enhancing plant productivity and human nutrition. This combination improves soil health, optimizes nutrient uptake, and increases resilience to environmental stressors, leading to superior crop performance. Our literature review shows that combining Zn NPs with biochar significantly boosts the crop nutrient composition, including proteins, vitamins, sugars, and secondary metabolites. This enhancement improves the plant tolerance to environmental challenges, crop quality, and shelf life. This technique addresses the global issue of Zn deficiency by biofortifying food crops with increased Zn levels, such as mung beans, lettuce, tomatoes, wheat, maize, rice, citrus, apples, and microgreens. Additionally, Zn NPs and biochar improve soil properties by enhancing water retention, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and microbial activity, making soils more fertile and productive. The porous structure of biochar facilitates the slow and sustained release of Zn, ensuring its bioavailability over extended periods and reducing the need for frequent fertilizer applications. This synergy promotes sustainable agricultural practices and reduces the environmental footprint of the traditional farming methods. However, potential ecological risks such as biomagnification, nanoparticle accumulation, and toxicity require careful consideration. Comprehensive risk assessments and management strategies are essential to ensure that agricultural benefits do not compromise the environmental or human health. Future research should focus on sustainable practices for deploying Zn NPs in agriculture, balancing food security and ecological integrity and positioning this approach as a viable solution for nutrient-efficient and sustainable agriculture.

Fungal species inhabiting calcareous soil in western Maharashtra, India, and their role in the release of soil-bonded Fe and Zn micronutrients for crop plant availability in such soils

Calcareous soils which are around 30 per cent of the world over are unproductive for agricultural crop cultivation and productivity. In calcareous soils, most of the plant nutrients and micronutrients are not freely available to the crop plants as these often lie in fixed or bonded form. Therefore, these nutrients have to be released from their bonded form to freely available form in such soils to make them available for crop plant growth. The application of microbial species native to such calcareous soils and having the ability and capacity to release such bonded nutrients is a need of the day to convert these unproductive soils into productive ones. The microbial species that work as nutrient/micronutrient-salt solubilizing agents generally form a salt solubilization zone around the microbial colony while salt-mobilizing /salt-releasing microbes do not form such a solubilization zone around the microbial colonies. In the present investigation, we studied the presence of microbial flora particularly the fungal species in the calcareous soil in western Maharashtra, India, and their role in the release of the bonded Fe and Zn micronutrients from the calcareous soil to make them available for the kidney-bean plant growth grown in such soil. Six fungal cultures of distinct colony morphology were isolated from the calcareous soil as the calcareous soil- inhabiting fungal species, on a specialized enriched media. They did not form the solubilization zone on the Fe and Zn enriched media and therefore were considered and tested for their efficacy as Fe and Zn salt-releasing/demineralizing microbes. The release for Fe and Zn from their fixed form was 1.68 and 1.91µg/g of calcareous soil respectively by these demineralizing fungal bio-inoculants. The release of Fe and Zn in calcareous soil was found to play a role in the growth and yield-attributing parameters of kidney-bean plants in calcareous soil. These fungal cultures were identified as species of Glomus, Mucor, and Aspergillus. Therefore, these calcareous soils inhabiting fungal species having demineralization activity can be applied as demineralizing bio-inoculants to the calcareous soil regularly to make them crop productive, and for their reclamation.

Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO Nanostructure Decorated Coatings

Given the growing concern over antibiotic resistance, there is an urgent need to explore alternative antibacterial strategies. Metal oxide nanostructures have emerged as a promising option, and in particular, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures have demonstrated strong antifungal and antibacterial properties. This study focuses on ZnO nanowires (ZnO NWs) and their potential as antibacterial agents against Pseudomonas putida, a Gram-negative bacterium. The objective is to investigate the antibacterial mechanisms and assess their efficiency. The unique shape of ZnO NWs, obtained through hydrothermal growth, may rupture bacterial cells and inhibit bacterial growth. In addition to their morphology, the release of Zn2+ ions from ZnO NWs may contribute to their antibacterial properties. These ions have the potential to disrupt the bacterial cell membrane, further impeding bacterial growth. Moreover, ZnO nanostructures exhibit excellent photocatalytic properties under UV light, enhancing their antibacterial effects. Overall, this study highlights the potential of hydrothermally synthesized ZnO NWs in inhibiting P. putida growth and provides valuable insights into their antibacterial mechanisms. The findings suggest that ZnO nanostructures have the potential to be effective antibacterial agents and could be utilized in various settings to fight microbial infections and maintain hygiene.

A Dose-Dependent Spatiotemporal Response of Angiogenesis Elicited by Zn Biodegradation during the Initial Stage of Bone Regeneration.

Zinc (Zn) plays a crucial role in bone metabolism and imbues biodegradable Zn-based materials with the ability to promote bone regeneration in bone trauma. However, the impact of Zn biodegradation on bone repair, particularly its influence on angiogenesis, remains unexplored. This study reveals that Zn biodegradation induces a consistent dose-dependent spatiotemporal response in angiogenesis,both in vivo and in vitro. In a critical bone defect model, an increase in Zn release intensity from day 3 to 10 post-surgery is observed. By day 10, the CD31-positive area around the Zn implant significantly surpasses that of the Ti implant, indicating enhanced angiogenesis. Furthermore,angiogenesis exhibits a distance-dependent pattern closely mirroring the distribution of Zn signals from the implant. In vitro experiments demonstrate that Zn extraction fosters the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and upregulates the key genes associated with tube formation, such as HIF-1α and VEGF-A, peaking at a concentration of 22.5 µM. Additionally, Zn concentrations within the range of 11.25-45 µM promote the polarization of M0-type macrophages toward the M2-type, while inhibiting polarization toward the M1-type. These findings provide essential insights into the biological effects of Zn on bone repair, shedding light on its potential applications.

Two-stage method recovery of metals from copper slag: Realize the resource utilization of all components

The recovery of metal from copper slag is of great significance to the resource utilization of copper slag and the sustainable development of copper smelting industry. Currently, hydrometallurgy is the traditional method used to recover mineral metals. However, as copper slag is a silicate mineral, the traditional acid-leaching process of metal results in the leaching of Si, resulting in the formation of silica gel. The silica gel can inhibit the recovery of metal while making metal difficult to separate from Si and causing filtration problems. This study proposed a two-stage method (evaporation + water washing) to selectively recover Fe and Zn from copper slag. Under the optimal conditions (evaporation: H2SO4 = 3 M; time = 60 min; temperature = 120℃; and liquid–solid ratio = 4; water washing: liquid–solid ratio = 5), the leaching efficiency of Fe, Zn, and Si reached 99.94 %, 97.40 %, and 0.15 % respectively. The separation mechanism was determined through mineral characterization (XRD, SEM, HRTEM-EDS, SAED, AFM, etc.) and the application of DLVO theory. It was found that H+ destroyed the Fe2SiO4 structure in copper slag during the evaporation stage, which promoted the release of Fe and Zn, forming soluble sulfate crystals. Simultaneously, evaporation increased the ion concentration, reducing the repulsive force between colloids, resulting in the aggregation and precipitation of silica gel into stable amorphous silica. After washing, soluble sulfate is dissolved in water. The recovered Fe can be processed to get red iron oxide (96.32 % purity), the Zn-containing solution can be recycled for electrolytic Zn, and the residue can be used to prepare geopolymer (52.47 MPa, 28 days). The two-stage method for recovering metals from copper slag is highly efficient and provides valuable insights into resource utilization of metals and Si in silicon-containing solid wastes.

Toxicity reduction of ZnO cauliflower-like structure through trivalent neodymium ion substitution and investigation via computer vision and AI image analysis

The synthesis of ZnO and ZNDO NPs was carried out via simple chemical precipitation. The synthesized ZnO and ZNDO NPs exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structures from the XRD patterns. In the FESEM analysis, the ZnO and ZNDO NPs formed spherical (stone-like) and nano (cauliflower) structures. The chemical composition was identified by EDX analysis. The PL spectrum identified the surface defects, such as zinc and oxygen vacancies. The ZnO and ZNDO acquire radical rummaging and antioxidant behaviors as estimated by DPPH free radicals, H2O2 radicals, decreasing in power, and hydroxyl scavenging techniques. Our observations imply that ZnO and ZNDO were excellent platforms to scavenge the ROS, and there was a impressive prospective for the chemically created ZnO and ZNDO NPs as a source of antioxidants. From the hemolytic studies, Nd3+ ion ZnO NPs changed the material matrix to slow down the release of Zn2+ ion in the ZNDO NPs. It was indicated that the Nd3+ ion decreases the cytotoxicity of ZNDO compared to the ZnO NPs. Cytotoxicity analyses were carried out for ZnO and ZNDO NPs using health fibroblast (L929) cells; ZNDO NPs exhibit minimum toxicity compared to the ZnO NPs. Furthermore, the pixel perspective of the NPs through computer vision tools gave us the image-based surface morphology that correlates to the relevant toxicology studies. The customized pipeline of AI and computer vision curated algorithms such as autoencoder based data augmentation for sample size enhancement, roughness-induced porosity estimation, roughness metrics Ra and Rq, Edge density estimation using Sobel gradients were put forward to investigate the component's non-toxic behavior from a pixel perspective.

Effect of zinc-biochar composite aging on its physicochemical and ecotoxicological properties

The stability of Zn-biochar composites is determined by environmental factors, including the aging processes. This paper focused on the ecotoxicological evaluation of Zn-biochar (Zn-BC) composites subjected to chemical aging. Pristine biochars and composites produced at 500 or 700 °C were incubated at 60 and 90 °C for six months. All biochars were characterized in terms of their physicochemical (elemental composition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and porous structure), ecotoxicological properties (tested with Folsomia candida and Aliivibrio fischeri) and contaminant content (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), heavy metals (HM) and environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR)). An increase in the number of surface oxygen functional groups and increased hydrophilicity and polarity of all Zn-BC composites were observed due to oxidation during aging. It was also found that Zn-BC aging at 90 °C resulted in a 28–30% decrease in solvent-extractable PAHs (Ʃ16 Ctot PAHs) compared to nonaged composites. The aging process at both temperatures also caused a 104 fold reduction in EPFRs in Zn-BC composites produced at 500 °C. The changes in the physicochemical properties of Zn-BC composites after chemical aging at 90 °C (such as pH and HM content) caused an increase in the toxicity of the composites to Folsomia candida (reproduction inhibition from 19 to 24%) and Aliivibrio fischeri (luminescence inhibition from 96 to 99%). The aging of composites for a long time may increase the adverse environmental impact of BC-Zn composites due to changes in physicochemical properties (itself and its interactions with pollutants) and the release of Zn from the composite.

Development and testing of environment friendly nanohybrid coatings for sustainable agriculture technologies

Less than 50% of the applied urea fertilizer is taken up by plants due to poor nitrogen (N) use efficiency which affects overall agricultural productivity and leads to serious environmental and economic problems. Additionally, soils with high salinity might limit zinc (Zn) availability. Low Zn use efficiency (<30%) when applied as synthetic salts, e.g., zinc sulfate has therefore minimized their applicability. Within the past two decades, nanotechnology has gained a lot of interest in the development of effective nano fertilizers with high nutrient use efficiency (NUE). In this perspective, the approach of coating conventional fertilizers with nano materials especially, the ones which are essential nutrients has researched because of their high use efficiency and reduced losses. In this work, a novel and innovative formulation of hybrid nano fertilizer has been prepared for the sustainable release of nutrients. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs <50 nm) were incorporated into the biodegradable polymer (gelatin) and coated on urea using a fluidized bed coater. Among all the formulations, GZnSNPs (1.5% gelatin+0.5% elemental Zn as ZnO-NPs) showed a significant delay in urea release (<80 %) after 120 min). The sand column experiment showed sustainable Zn release for GZnSNPs i.e., 2.7 ppm vs. 3.5 ppm (GZnS) after the 6th day. Moreover, a substantial increase in wheat grain yield (6500 kg/ha), N uptake (46.5 kg/ha) and Zn uptake (21.64 g/ha) were observed for fields amended with GZnSNPs. The composition of GZnSNPs was valuable since this attracted the highest return relative to the other treatments. Gelatin supplied small N-containing molecules, resulting in extra value addition with ZnO-NPs thus increasing yield and fertilizer properties more relative to the same amount of elemental Zn given via bulk salt. Therefore, the findings of the current study recommend the use of ZnO-NPs in the agricultural sector without any negative effects on yield and NUE.

Development of Pan-Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents through Allosteric Inhibition of nsp14/nsp10 Complex.

SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 functions both as an exoribonuclease (ExoN) together with its critical cofactor nsp10 and as an S-adenosyl methionine-dependent (guanine-N7) methyltransferase (MTase), which makes it an attractive target for the development of pan-anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Herein, we screened a panel of compounds (and drugs) and found that certain compounds, especially Bi(III)-based compounds, could allosterically inhibit both MTase and ExoN activities of nsp14 potently. We further demonstrated that Bi(III) binds to both nsp14 and nsp10, resulting in the release of Zn(II) ions from the enzymes as well as alternation of protein quaternary structures. The in vitro activities of the compounds were also validated in SARS-CoV-2-infected mammalian cells. Importantly, we showed that nsp14 serves as an authentic target of Bi(III)-based antivirals in SARS-CoV-2-infected mammalian cells by quantification of both the protein and inhibitor. This study highlights the importance of nsp14/nsp10 as a potential target for the development of pan-antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 infection.