The efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) using polymer, supported ionic liquids (ILs) remains challenging due to limited understanding of atomic-scale interaction mechanisms. Here, a polystyrene (PS) oligomer supported by an amidinium chloride-based IL is proposed as a CO₂-absorbing material. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to investigate the structural, electronic, and intermolecular interaction energy characteristics of the PS oligomer, amidinium chloride ILs, CO₂, and their binary and ternary complexes. Molecular electrostatic potential maps (MEPs), reduced density gradient (RDG) plots with non-covalent interaction (NCI) snapshots, quantum theory of atoms in molecules critical point (CP) analysis, and electron localization function (ELF) analysis reveal pronounced hydrogen bonding and dispersion interactions between PS and IL that modulate the electronic environment of the IL anion, which is the primary CO₂ binding site. Interaction energy calculations show that the ternary PS–IL–CO₂ complex exhibits a significantly enhanced binding energy compared to the isolated IL–CO₂ complex, providing quantitative evidence for the cooperative role of the PS support. The results indicate enhanced CO₂ binding in the presence of PS supported by ILs, driven by cooperative electrostatic and dispersion interactions. These findings provide molecular-level insights into CO₂ capture mechanisms in polymer–IL hybrid systems.

This study presents a methanol-assisted pathway that converts hydroxyl-containing amidine into a polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) through direct CO₂ fixation, followed by its transformation into a cross-linked ionic polymer (CL-IP). Methanol plays a crucial role in this process, acting as both a structural and electronic mediator. Its strong hydrogen-bonding interactions with amidine activate the molecule toward CO₂ capture and promote the formation of ionic intermediates. Spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR) revealed the emergence of amidinium and alkyl-carbonate groups, while viscosity and mass measurements indicated progressive polymerization during CO₂ absorption. Density functional theory calculations confirmed the stabilizing effect of methanol and the reduced HOMO–LUMO gap, which facilitates PIL formation. The subsequent condensation of the PIL with glutaraldehyde produced a dense three-dimensional cross-linked network (CL-IP), as verified by FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TGA analyses. These results highlight a straightforward and sustainable strategy for constructing hydrogen-bond-mediated ionic polymers capable of tunable CO₂ capture and potential application in environmentally compatible materials.

Given the increasing demand of poultry products, poultry processing continues to generate a large volume of wastewater rich in diverse foodborne pathogens that require effective treatment to support safe reuse. This study evaluated the disinfection rate of photo-electrochemical (PEC) treatment, which combines electrochemical (EC) and photochemical (PC) treatments for poultry processing wastewater. Wastewater from the scald and inside-outside bird washer (IOBW) units were treated using independent 7 L and 30 L PEC reactors operated at 70 V and 100 V EC with a fixed 1.6% curcumin for PC. Treatment was conducted for 300 minutes with aliquots collected every 30 minutes for quantification of aerobic bacteria (AC), Enterobacteriaceae (EB), coliforms (CC), and E. coli, on Petrifilm™. Furthermore, samples at 0, 150 and 300 minutes were selectively enriched and plated on Campylobacter agar and xylose lysine tergitol-4 for Campylobacter and Salmonella detection, respectively. Microbial reductions were reported as log₁₀ CFU/mL and analyzed using linear mixed-effects model on R software (p ≤ 0.05) with a limit of detection of 1 CFU/mL. Across all wastewater types and reactor scales, PEC treatment at 70 V and 100 V achieved substantial reductions in AC, reducing initial loads of 5.4 - 6.2 log CFU/mL to 2.0 - 2.9 log CFU/mL within 300 minutes. Specifically, treatments at 100 V reduced AC to below the regulatory threshold of 500 CFU/mL (2.70 log CFU/mL) for wastewater reuse. EB, CC, and E. coli were completely inactivated, with faster disinfection generally observed at 100 V (120-180 minutes) compared to 70 V (180-210 minutes). Although differences between pathogen reductions were insignificant between 70 V and 100 V (p> 0.05), disinfection at 100 V showed a trend of quicker and greater microbial reduction across all microorganisms tested. Furthermore, Campylobacter and Salmonella were consistently eliminated within 150 minutes across all treatments. Overall, these findings demonstrate PEC as a viable, sustainable disinfection strategy which effectively reduced microorganisms including Campylobacter and Salmonella in processing wastewater, supporting safe reuse while reducing environmental impact.

The utilization and chemical transformation of carbon dioxide remains a pressing problem in modern chemistry. Numerous experimental and theoretical studies have focused on the interaction of CO₂ with amines. In this work, quantum chemical density functional theory (DFT) calculations of equilibrium geometries, energies, electronic and vibrational characteristics of CO₂-sensitive mono-, di-, tris-hydroxyamidines and their associates were carried out by the B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) method. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were scaled and compared with the experimental FTIR spectra for supporting wavenumber assignments. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of the atomic charges and charge delocalization was employed to investigate the nature of hydrogen bonding in hydroxyamidine associates. We also used the intrinsically polarizable continuum model (IEFPCM), and the DFT-D3 method was applied to account for dispersion effects during associate formation. Using the 6-311+G(2d, p) basis set for tris-hydroxyamidine, and its adducts, a comparative analysis of the experimental and calculated ¹H NMR spectra was performed. Here, we considered non-trivial sites of carbon dioxide absorption and hydroxyamidine protonation, which, to our knowledge, have hardly been considered by other authors. Present DFT results agree rather well with the experimental data and support new insight into the formation of the PIL structure.

Salmonella is a poultry-borne pathogen causing numerous human outbreaks in the U.S. Consequently, Salmonella, along with other pathogens, can be found in wastewater generated from poultry processing. It is essential to treat this wastewater before discharge, recycle, or reuse. Hence, this study investigated the utility of Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) like electrochemical (EC) and photochemical processes (PC) to disinfect Salmonella in simulated wastewater (contaminated water). Three Salmonella serotypes: Kentucky (SK), Infantis (SI), and Typhimurium (ST) were chosen based on their ability to persist in poultry processing environments and cause infection. These serotypes, prepared in water at 6 to 7 Log₁₀ CFU/mL were exposed to alternating current in EC with a voltage demand of 30 V, 40 V, and 50 V where ammonium sulfate was added as an electrolyte and ferrous sulfate to facilitate AOP production; and PC with curcumin, a photosensitizer at 0.40 % (1X) and 0.80 % (2X) to produce singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide that are lethal to pathogens. During the disinfection process, samples were collected every 20 min for 180 min and plated on XLD agar to assess Salmonella reduction. The data were analyzed using ANOVA in SAS. Bacterial reduction differed (P < 0.0001) between serotypes at 30 V and SK had the greatest reduction (3.13 Log₁₀ CFU/mL), whereas there was no difference in reduction between the serotypes at 40 V (P = 0.98) where all the serotypes had more reduction than at 30 V. Complete attenuation of the serotypes was seen at 50 V (P < 0.0001), where SI reduced the most (5.96 Log₁₀ CFU/mL) followed by ST (5.15 Log₁₀ CFU/mL) after 140 min. SK was also attenuated (3.34 Log₁₀ CFU/mL) after 60 min due to a lower starting concentration. This preliminary result suggests that Salmonella in poultry processing wastewater can be effectively attenuated through AOPs, offering a potential solution for enhancing poultry wastewater treatment.