Developing routes to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from high-lignin wood residues is essential for expanding sustainable nanocellulose feedstocks. In this work, Meranti (Shorea sp.) sawdust was valorized into CNCs by integrating ammonium persulfate (APS) pretreatment with subsequent sulfuric acid hydrolysis. To establish a severity map and define an operating window, APS pretreatment severity was systematically varied by adjusting APS concentration and the sawdust-to-APS (solid-to-liquid) ratio, and its influence on CNC structural properties was evaluated. APS pretreatment partially disrupted and oxidized the lignocellulosic matrix, enabling acid hydrolysis to liberate crystalline cellulose domains. XRD analysis confirmed the preservation of the cellulose I crystalline structure, with a maximum crystallinity index of 72% at 2 M APS and a sawdust-to-APS ratio of 1:30 (w/v), and an average crystallite size of approximately 10 nm estimated using the Scherrer equation. SEM and TEM analyses revealed rod-like CNCs with smooth surfaces and relatively homogeneous dimensions. The optimized samples exhibited CNC lengths of 188.71 ± 5.01 nm and widths of 26.79 ± 1.72 nm. These results demonstrate that Meranti sawdust, a high-lignin wood residue, can be converted into structurally well-defined CNCs using a two-step APS/acid process without prior alkaline pulping or bleaching. This study clarifies the role of APS oxidation in enabling CNC production from feedstocks with lignin contents above 20% and provides a basis for valorizing Meranti sawdust as a renewable precursor for CNCs in advanced material applications.
Kombucha(Khubdat Humza) is composed of yeast and acetic acid bacteria especially, Acetobacter xylinum which forms a cellulose pellicle on tea broth. Kombucha(Khubdat Humza) produces bacterial cellulose pellicles, with unique purity and fine structure. It can be used in many forms, such as an emulsifier, stabilizer, dispersing agent, thickener and gelling agent but these are generally subsidiary to its most important use of holding on to water. Recently, bacterial cellulose is used in many special applications such as a scaffold for tissue engineering of cartilages and blood vessels, also for artificial skin for temporary covering of wounds, as well as its used in the clothing industry. The yield of cellulose produced were investiga
... Show MoreThis study found that one of the constructive, necessary, beneficial, most effective, and cost-effective ways to meet the great challenge of rising energy prices is to develop and improve energy quality and efficiency. The process of improving the quality of energy and its means has been carried out in many buildings and around the world. It was found that the thermal insulation process in buildings and educational facilities has become the primary tool for improving energy efficiency, enabling us to improve and develop the internal thermal environment quality processes recommended for users (student - teacher). An excellent and essential empirical study has been conducted to calculate the fundamental values of the
... Show MoreThis paper introduces an innovative method for image encryption called "Two-Fold Cryptography," which leverages the Henon map in a dual-layer encryption framework. By applying two distinct encryption processes, this approach offers enhanced security for images. Key parameters generated by the Henon map dynamically shape both stages of encryption, creating a sophisticated and robust security system. The findings reveal that Two-Fold Cryptography provides a notable improvement in image protection, outperforming traditional single-layer encryption techniques.
Contamination of the operating theatre is a major cause of nosocomial infection. This report aimed to show the types of microorganisms and their percentages cultivated from operating theatres of 16 health directorates of 14 Iraqi governorates (3 health directorates in Baghdad and 1 in each other 13 governorates) that was reported to the Pollution Control Section at Ministry of Health in Iraq from first of January to the end of June 2018. The data of all health directorates have included cultivation taken from governmental and private hospitals. Duhok, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Nineveh were not involved in this report due to unavailability of their data during the above period. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureu
... Show MoreThis study was conducted according to contract with the North Refineries Company-Baiji and deals with the hydrodesulphurization of vacuum gas oil of Kirkuk crude oil, boiling range 611-833 K. A trickle bed reactor packed with a commercial cobalt-molybdenum on alumina catalyst was used. The operating conditions were: temperature range 583-643 K, liquid hourly space velocity range 1.50-3.75 1/h, hydrogen to oil ratio about 250 l/l and pressure kept constant at 3.5MPa.
The results showed that the aromatic content decreased and sulfur removal increased with increasing temperature and decreasing space velocity. The properties (viscosity, density, flash point and carbon residue) of the products decrease with temperature increasing, but the
Cladosporium sp. plays an important role in human health, it is one of the pathogenic fungi which cause allergy and asthma and most frequently isolated from airborne spores. In this study, a couple of universal PCR primers were designed to identify the pathogenic fungi Cladosporium sp. according to conserved region 5.8S, 18S and 28S subunit ribosomal RNA gene in Cladosporium species. In silico RFLP-PCR were used to identify twenty-four Cladosporium strains. The results showed that the universal primer has the specificity to amplify the conserved region in 24 species as a band in virtual agarose gel. They also showed that the RFLP method is able to identify three Cladosporium spe
... Show MoreThe Antimicrobial activity of Probiotic Bifidobacterium sp and Prebiotics : chicory roots ( Hot water extract ) and Inulin ( 10 % ) against some Pathogenic bacteria (Esherichia coli , Proteus mirabilis , Klebsiella sp , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Serratia marcescens was studied . The combination of Probiotic and Prebiotics (Synbiotic) (Bifidobacterium sp + chicory ) and (Bifidobacterium sp + Inulin ) also tested for their antimicrobial activity against Pathogenic bacteria . Results showed that Bifidobacterium sp had good antimicrobial activity against all the Pathogenic bacteria tested , followed by chicory and inulin . The synergistic inhibitory effect of Synbiotic (Bifidobacterium sp + chicory ) and ( Bifidobacterium sp + inuli
... Show MoreSamples of the green algae were collected from water of Shatt al-Arab in Garmat Ali in Basra. After purification, the green algae identified on Enteromorpha sp. The samples were dried and milled, then sulfated polysaccharides were extracted with hot water at 90°C precipitated with absolute ethanol, dialysed and lyophilized. The chemical composition was total sugars 56.4%, protein 1.3% and sulfur 19.7%. Antioxidation activity of sulfated polysaccharides was studied by four method and included estimation of ability of scavenging hydroxylated radicals, the results showed an increased in ability with increasing concentrations. Ability of scavenging and was 59.86% at the concentration of 2.5 mg/ ml, but BHT was 81.36%. Ability of scavenging
... Show MoreThe pretreatment process can be considered one of the important processes in wastewater treatment, especially coagulation process to decrease the strength of many pollutants. This paper focused on using powdered date seeds as natural coagulant in addition to chemical coagulants (alum and ferric chloride) to find the optimum dosage of each coagulant that makes efficient removal of turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from domestic wastewater as a pretreatment process, then finding the optimum combined dosages of date seeds with alum, date seeds with ferric chloride that make efficient removal for both pollutants. Concerning turbidity, the optimum dosage for date seeds, alum and ferric chloride were 40 mg/l (79%), 70
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