Development and Assessment of Acyclovir Gel Plaster Containing Sponge Spicules.

Acyclovir is an acyclic purine nucleoside analog that is highly effective in inhibiting the herpes simplex virus. However, topical acyclovir has poor efficacy because of its low skin permeability. This study aimed to develop an acyclovir gel plaster containing sponge spicules (AGP-SS) to achieve synergistic improvements in skin absorption and deposition of acyclovir. The process of preparing the gel plaster was optimized by orthogonal experiments, while the composition of the formulation was optimized using the Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken experimental designs. The selected formula was tested for physical properties, in vitro release, stability, ex vivo permeation, skin irritation, and pharmacokinetics. The optimized formulation exhibited good physical characteristics. In vitro release and ex vivo permeation studies showed that acyclovir release from AGP-SS was dominated by diffusion with significantly higher skin permeation (20.00 ± 1.07 µg/cm2) than that of the controls (p < 0.05). Dermatopharmacokinetic analyses revealed that the maximum concentration (78.74 ± 11.12 µg/g), area under the curve (1091.81 ± 29.05 µg/g/h) and relative bioavailability (197.12) of AGP-SS were higher than those of the controls. Therefore, gel plaster containing sponge spicules show potential for development as transdermal delivery systems to achieve higher skin absorption and deposition of acyclovir, especially in deep skin layers.

Pyrolysis and gasification of typical components in wastes with macro-TGA.

The pyrolysis and gasification of typical components of solid waste, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, starch, polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were performed and compared in a macro thermogravimetric analyzer (macro-TGA). Three model biomasses, poplar stem, orange peel and Chinese cabbage, were applied to pyrolysis and gasification simulation by their components based on TG curves. Compared to those from TGA, peaks temperature of the differential thermogravimetric (DTG) curves of each samples pyrolysis on macro-TGA delayed 30-55°C due to heat transferring effect. CO2 promoted the thermal decomposition of hemicellulose, lignin, starch, pectin and model biomasses significantly by Boudouard reaction, and enhanced slightly the decomposition of PET. The activation energy (AE) of biomass components pyrolysis on macro-TGA was 167-197 kJ/mol, while that of plastic samples was 185-235 kJ/mol. The activation energy of 351-377 kJ/mol was corresponding to the Boudouard reaction in CO2 gasification. All overlap ratios in pseudo-components simulation were higher than 0.98 to indicate that pseudo-components model could be applied to both pyrolysis and CO2 gasification, and the mass fractions of components derived from pyrolysis and gasification were slightly different but not brought in obvious difference in simulating curves when they were applied across.

Thermogravimetric characteristics of typical municipal solid waste fractions during co-pyrolysis.

The interactions of nine typical municipal solid waste (MSW) fractions during pyrolysis were investigated using the thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). To compare the mixture results with the calculation results of superposition of single fractions quantitatively, TG overlap ratio was introduced. There were strong interactions between orange peel and rice (overlap ratio 0.9736), and rice and poplar wood (overlap ratio 0.9774). The interactions of mixture experiments postponed the peak and lowered the peak value. Intense interactions between PVC and rice, poplar wood, tissue paper, wool, terylene, and rubber powder during co-pyrolysis were observed, and the pyrolysis at low temperature was usually promoted. The residue yield was increased when PVC was blended with rice, poplar wood, tissue paper, or rubber powder; while the residue yield was decreased when PVC was blended with wool.

A review of dioxin-related substances during municipal solid waste incineration.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are among the most toxic chemicals and the main restriction on municipal solid waste incineration. To exert more effective control over the formation of dioxin homologues during municipal solid waste incineration, it is significant to investigate dioxin-related compounds. Despite the numerous studies about PCDD/Fs, a unified understanding regarding many problems has yet to be reached because the homologues of PCDD/Fs are excessive, the measurement of PCDD/Fs is difficult, and the formation mechanisms of PCDD/Fs are complicated. Firstly, this paper briefly introduces the different formation mechanisms of PCDD/Fs, including high temperature homogeneous reaction PCDD/Fs formation and low temperature heterogeneous reaction PCDD/Fs formation. Then the sources of PCDD/Fs including precursors (chlorophenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and residual carbon are summarized. In particular, this paper analyzes the substances that influence PCDD/Fs formation and their impact mechanisms, including different categories of chlorine (Cl2, HCl and chloride in fly ash), O2, copper, sulfur, water, and nitrogen compounds (ammonia and urea). Due to the high cost and complexity of PCDD/Fs measurement, PCDD/Fs indicators, especially chlorobenzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are summarized, to find an effective surrogate for quick, convenient and real-time monitoring of PCDD/Fs. Finally, according to the results of the current study, recommendations for further research and industrial applications prospects are proposed.

Classification and comparison of municipal solid waste based on thermochemical characteristics.

UNLABELLED: Municipal solid waste (MSW) has been normally sorted into six categories, namely, food residue, wood waste, paper textiles, plastics, and rubber In each category, materials could be classified further into subgroups. Based on proximate and ultimate analysis and heating value, statistical methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cluster analysis were applied to analyze the characteristics of MSW in every subgroup and to try to distinguish their relative properties. The chemical characteristics analysis of MSW showed that polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) had the highest volatile matter content, with almost no ash and fixed carbon, while polyethylene terephthalate (PET) had high carbon content but low hydrogen content. Bones and vegetables had the highest ash content, while nutshells and rubber had the highest fixed carbon content. Paper and starch food had the highest oxygen content, and wool and bones had the highest nitrogen and sulfur content. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) had the highest chlorine content at about 55%. PE, PP and PS had the highest heating value, followed by chemical products such as rubber and chemical fiber. Conversely, paper, vegetables and bones had the lowest heating value. The results of cluster analysis of MSW components showed that fruit peel, weeds, wood, bamboo, leaves and nutshells could be classified as the lignocellulose category; starch food, cotton, toilet paper, printing paper and cardboard could be classified as the glucose monomer category; wood and chemical fiber could be classified as the high nitrogen and sulfur category; and PE, PP, and PS could be cluster as the polyolefin category. IMPLICATIONS: The yield of municipal solid waste (MSW) is constantly increasing and waste to energy (WTE) has been used extensively all over the world. During the processes of incineration, pyrolysis, or gasification, the impact of physical and chemical properties of MSW is of great significance. However, the traditional classification of MSW is too general to provide more detailed information in many investigations. It is necessary to perform the investigation of characteristics of combustible MSW to distinguish different categories of MSW and find out their subclassification.