The current research focused on the super capacitive behavior of organic conducting polymer, i.e., polypyrrole (PPy) and its composites with gum arabic (GA) prepared via inverse emulsion polymerization. The synthesized composites material was analyzed by different analytical techniques, such as UV-visible, FTIR, TGA, XRD, and SEM. The UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy clearly show the successful insertion of GA into PPy matrix. The TGA analysis shows high thermal stability for composites than pure PPy. The XRD and SEM analysis show the crystalline and amorphous structures and overall morphology of the composites is more compact and mesoporous as compared to the pure PPy. The electrochemical properties of modified solid state supercapacitors established on pure polypyrrole (PPy), polypyrrole/gum arabic (PPy/GA) based composites were investigated through cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD). The specific capacitance of the PPy modified gold electrode is impressive (~168 F/g). The specific capacitance of PPy/GA 1 electrode has been increased to 368 F/g with a high energy density and power density (~73 Wh/kg), and (~599 W/kg) respectively.
Partially biodegradable polymer nanocomposites Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/MultiwalledCarbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)/Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA)and non-biodegradable nanocomposites (MWCNTs/PMMA) were synthesized, and their thermal, electrical, and ammonia-sensing properties were compared. MWCNTs were chemically modified to ensure effective dispersion in the polymeric matrix. Pristine MWCNTs (p-MWCNTs) were functionalized with –COOH (a-MWCNTs) and amine groups (f-MWCNTs). Then, PHB grafted multiwalled carbon nanotubes (g-MWNTs) were prepared by a ‘grafting to’ technique. The p-MWCNTs, a-MWCNTs, f-MWCNTs, and g-MWCNTs were incorporated into the PMMA matrix and PMMA/PHB blend system by solution mixing. The PHB/f-MWCNTs/PMMA blend system showed good thermal properties among all synthesized nanocomposites. Results from TGA and dTGA analysis for PHB/f-MWCNTs/PMMA showed delay in T5 (about 127 °C), T50 (up to 126 °C), and Tmax (up to 65 °C) as compared to neat PMMA. Higher values of frequency capacitance were observed in nanocomposites containing f-MWCNTs and g-MWCNTs as compared to nanocomposites containing p-MWCNTs and a-MWCNTs. This may be attributed to their excellent interaction and good dispersion in the polymeric blend. Analysis of ammonia gas-sensing data showed that PHB/g-MWCNTs/PMMA nanocomposites exhibited good sensitivity (≈100%) and excellent repeatability with a constant response. The calculated limit of detection (LOD) is 0.129 ppm for PHB/g-MWCNTs/PMMA, while that of all other nanocomposites is above 40 ppm.
The dyeing industry uses many chemicals and dyes. After the dying process is completed, they release a significant amount of dyes in wastewater. The dyes’ color emissions are extremely poisonous and dangerous for aquatic and terrestrial life. Due to the toxic nature of dyes, the current study was carried out to evaluate whether it would be effective to employ an adsorption procedure with leaves from the Adiantum capillus-veneris plant as an adsorbent to remove commonly used textile dyes from an aqueous dye solution and wastewater. The effect of pH, concentration, time and the adsorbent dose on the adsorption process was studied in order to determine the maximum adsorption under ideal conditions. The selected pH was 3; the optimum concentration was 30 ppm with a contact time of 90 min and the optimized adsorbent dose was 60 mg. The absorbent under study showed excellent results when compared with commercial adsorbents i.e., animal charcoal and silica gel. The leaves of the Adiantum capillus-veneris plant revealed a maximum removal of 90.36 percent crystal violet dye (adsorption capacity (Qe) 9.05 mg/g) without any treatment to activate or alter the surface chemistry of the biosorbent. Its effectiveness was also tested with water gathered from several sources, including canal water, tap water, distilled water, and saline water, to determine whether it was practical. In both the canal and the tap water, the adsorbent displayed good removal efficiency. From the results of the current study, it can be inferred that the leaves of the Adiantum capillus-veneris plant are a reasonably priced biosorbent that can be used to remove toxic dyes from wastewater to protect water bodies from toxic pollution and can be used to treat industrial wastewater directly.
Photocatalysis is a promising process for decomposing harmful organic pollutants in water. In this study, solar/photocatalytic degradation of two model azo dyes, i.e., methylene blue (MB) and methyl red (MR), in water usinga nanostructured chitosan-modified nickel magnetite (CS-NM) bio-composite was investigated. The CS-NM bio-composite was synthesized through a co-precipitation method and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), thermogravimetry (TGA), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. FTIR analysis showed the uniform incorporation and conjugation of nickel magnetite (NM) into the chitosan (CS) polymer matrix. SEM showed that the average particle size was 0.5 μm. The TGA results revealed the good thermal stability of the prepared bio-composite at 300 °C. The point of zero charge was calculated as 7.5. The effect of water quality and process parameters, such as concentration of dyes, catalyst dose, solution pH, and temperatures, was investigated, for application purposes. The solar/CS-NM photocatalysis resulted in 99 and 96% degradation of individual MB and MR (C0 = 50 ppm), respectively, in 90 min. The degradation of MB and MR by solar/CS-NM photocatalysis followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with observed rate constants (k) of 0.077 and 0.072 min−1, respectively. The CS-NM photocatalyst showed high recyclability, represented by only a 4–6% loss in the photocatalytic efficiency, after four cycles. The results showed that solar/CS-NM photocatalysis is an efficient technique for degrading recalcitrant organic pollutants, such as azo dyes, in water environments.
The removal of water pollutants by photocatalysis is a promising technique, mainly due to its environmentally friendly and sustainable nature. In this study, the degradation of a recalcitrant organic pollutant, malachite green (MG), was investigated in water by a microstructured silver oxide photocatalyst. The silver oxide (Ag2O) microparticles (MPs) were synthesized by a low-cost, green method, mediated by green tea leaves extract. The surface, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized Ag2O MPs were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible) spectrophotometry. The synthesized Ag2O MPs showed good photoactivity, represented by 83% degradation of malachite green (MG) ([C]0 = 0.4 mM, Ag2O loading = 0.1 g L−1) at neutral pH, in 3 h. Persulfate ions (PS) showed a strong synergistic effect on the efficiency of solar/Ag2O photocatalysis, represented by complete MG removal in 15 min, in the presence of 1.6 mM PS. The results revealed that solar/Ag2O, particularly solar/Ag2O/PS photocatalysis is a promising method for the elimination of toxic organic pollutants, such as malachite green, from the water environment.
The present study is aimed at the synthesis and exploring the efficiency of a novel activated carbon incorporated polyindole (AC@PIN) composite for adsorptive removal of Malachite Green (MG) dye from aqueous solution. An AC@PIN hybrid material was prepared by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization. The physico-chemical characteristics of the AC@PIN composite were assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, and determination of point of zero charge (pHPZC). A series of adsorption studies was conducted to evaluate the influence of operational parameters such as pH, contact time, initial dye concentration, AC@PIN dosage, and temperature on dye adsorption behavior of developed composite. A maximum dye removal percentage (97.3%) was achieved at the pH = 10, AC@PIN dosage = 6.0 mg, initial dye concentration 150 mg L−1, and temperature = 20 °C. The kinetic studies demonstrated that the adsorption of MG on AC@PIN followed pseudo-second-order model (R2 ≥ 0.99). Meanwhile, Langmuir isotherm model was founded to be the best isotherm model to describe the adsorption process. Finally, the recyclability test revealed that the composite exhibits good recycle efficiency and is stable after 5 cycles. The obtained results suggest that AC@PIN composite could be a potential candidate for the removal of MG from wastewater.