The continuous generation of plastic wastes is one of the most serious environmental problems that we are facing. Information campaigns have been used to encourage people to reduce plastic consumption. Moreover, social media has become the most prevalent and influential form of communication in this current era. This study seeks to analyze the influence of social media on consumer behavior towards plastic products. The survey includes 213 individual observations wherein four information posts that represent the overall facets of plastic usage problem were presented. These scenarios include (1) a general information post on sachet use, (2) an information post discouraging use of plastic bottles in celebration of zero waste month, (3) an information post on the adverse health effects of plastic food storage and (4) an information post on the harmful effects of plastic use to marine life and its indirect effect to human health. Results show that, prior to any information, most participants consume products in plastic packaging except for the usage of single-use plastic containers for storing food. For the first three scenarios, it has been found that social media intensifies the probability of avoiding plastic consumption when the likelihood on the involvement of self-interest on the topic, as well as the ability to read the link attached to the post, increases. However, for the scenario that shows harmful effects of plastic use to marine life, the probability of avoiding the use of plastic packaged products after seeing the post is only affected by the likelihood that the respondent will recommend the link to friends or network. This study establishes that social media can effectively influence consumer behavior towards plastic consumption if the information presented are from confirmed studies that can easily translate to results based on their own action and has a direct impact on their health. The contrasting findings based on the different scenarios can be used as palettes in constructing modulated social media posts that can effectively influence consumer behavior towards reducing plastic pollution.

Geopolymer (GP) spheres made from coal fly ash (FA) and rice hull ash (RHA) waste products are utilized as both support matrix and dopant applied to titania (TiO₂) photocatalyst for organic dye degradation in wastewater. Processing of FA and RHA via suspension-solidification method resulted in GP spheres with nanoporous morphology. The nanocrevices enabled low-energy sol-gel TiO₂ coating technique because they served as anchoring sites on the geopolymer surface that favored rigidity and larger surface area. The GP-TiO₂ system has been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed a narrowing of the GP-TiO₂ system optical band gap due to the interaction of metal dopants contained in RHA and FA with TiO₂, thus making the GP-TiO₂ system a visible-light-active photocatalyst, as confirmed by methylene blue dye degradation measured through UV-Vis spectroscopy.

The partially-oxidized TPP[M(Pc)L₂]₂ molecular conductors exhibit variable electronic and magnetic transport bulk materials properties due to central metal and axial ligand molecular modifications. The controllable electrical conductivity and giant negative magnetoresistance can be mainly attributable to the varying ligand field energy and physical bulkiness of the axial ligands which cause modulation in the intra-molecular π–d (Pc-M) and inter-molecular π–π (Pc–Pc) interactions in the TPP[M(Pc)L₂]₂ system, respectively. Characterization of the electronic conduction band utilizing one-dimensional (1-D) tight-binding approximation from infrared reflectance and thermoelectric power profile reveal consistent band widths of 0.43 eV–0.62 eV for the Co series (L = Br < Cl < CN) and 0.44–0.56 eV for the Fe series (L = Br < Cl < CN). The fixed band width suggests that stable electron conduction bands (transport pathway) can be constructed which can withstand the molecular π–d interaction modifications that severely alter the bulk electronic and magnetic materials properties of the TPP[M(Pc)L₂]₂ molecular conductors.

Geopolymer spheres made from metakaolin and rice hull ash have exceptional chemical and mechanical stability, making them promising catalyst support matrix for photoactive compounds. In this paper, titania was deposited on geopolymer sphere via horizontal vapor phase growth method, which produced nanotitania crystals embedded on the surface. The titania-coated geopolymer spheres resulted in 90% dye photodegradation activity that can be used repeatedly, thus qualifying the products as sustainable materials for wastewater treatment.