Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are artificial membrane models which are of special interest to researchers because of their similarity in size to eukaryotic cells. The most commonly used method for GUVs production is electroformation. However, the traditional electroformation protocol involves a step in which the organic solvent is completely evaporated, leaving behind a dry lipid film. This leads to artifactual demixing of cholesterol (Chol) in the form of anhydrous crystals. These crystals do not participate in the formation of the lipid bilayer, resulting in a decrease of Chol concentration in the bilayer compared to the initial lipid solution. We propose a novel electroformation protocol which addresses this issue by combining the rapid solvent exchange, plasma cleaning and spin-coating techniques to produce GUVs from damp lipid films in a fast and reproducible manner. We have tested the protocol efficiency using 1/1 phosphatidylcholine/Chol and 1/1/1 phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin/Chol lipid mixtures and managed to produce a GUV population of an average diameter around 40 µm, with many GUVs being larger than 100 µm. Additionally, compared to protocols that include the dry film step, the sizes and quality of vesicles determined from fluorescence microscopy images were similar or better, confirming the benefits of our protocol in that regard as well.

Approximately one-third of municipal solid waste is biodegradable waste, necessitating its urgent processing into compost or biogas. Indoor composting of biowaste has recently received increased attention due to its economic, environmental, and social benefits, offering a significant contribution to sustainable waste management and circular economy. Instead of disposing of biowaste in landfills, compost is produced as a useful organic soil improver, fertiliser or bio-based product. This study analyses the physicochemical parameters of biowaste and the obtained pre-compost during the Bokashi treatment, considering the effects of different inoculants, occasional mixing of biowaste, and exposure to air. The pretreatment of biowaste was compared based on pH, electrical conductivity, temperature and height of the compost mass, moisture, dry matter, volatile matter, carbon and nitrogen content, and C/N ratio. Collected leakages were analysed for volume, pH, electrical conductivity, and turbidity. In addition, the obtained pre-composts underwent further maturation in two soil types, and the same physicochemical parameters were monitored. Finally, FTIR spectroscopy was employed to analyse the initial biowaste, final pre-compost masses, and the collected leakages. There is no significant difference between the pre-composts and also between the leakages. The results indicate that Bokashi treatment of biowaste with Inoculant 1 efficiently yielded a higher carbon and nitrogen content in the final pre-compost, and produced a lower volume of compost leakage. This paper highlights the Bokashi method’s efficiency in facilitating indoor biowaste treatment.

Disposable protective face masks, the most used personal protective tools during the Covid-19 pandemic, have become a serious environmental concern that needs urgent attention. In this study, disposable protective face masks were disassembled into their components and mechanically recycled through extrusion. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to investigate the effect of recycling on the structure and morphology of the mask material. Microscopy revealed morphological differences among the layers of the mask. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterise the thermal properties of the samples before and after recycling. Although the mechanical recycling process had minor effect on the thermal properties and stability of the mask material, thermal methods verified differences between the layers of the mask.