RESUMO
In this research work, we propose macronutrients incorporated slow-release based nano-fertilizer using nanozeolite as a carrier. A simple chemical approach was used to synthesis the proposed nanozeolite composite fertilizer (NZCF). To gain an insight into the properties, morphology and structure of the synthesized NZCF, it was further characterized by different techniques such as powder XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and TG/DTA. A considerable enhancement of the quality and the water retention capacity of the soil was observed as a result of applying the proposed NZCF when compared with a commercial fertilizer. Furthermore, the swelling ratio and the equilibrium water content of NZCF were compared to the commercial fertilizer and their effect on plant growth was observed. Slow-release studies were carried out for both NZCF and the commercial fertilizer. The results of these studies reveled that NZCF possessed a long-term release pattern of the macronutrients and that showed a great potential for promoting plant growth. Hence, the prepared nanocomposite fertilizer can be safely used as an environment-friendly source of nutrients to enhance plant growth.
RESUMO
Here we introduce a composite material that consists of graphene oxide (GO) sheets crosslinked with N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and functionalized with gold nanoflowers (AuNFs). Furthermore, a screen printed electrode (SPE) modified with the introduced composite is electrochemically reduced to obtain an SPE/rGO-NHS-AuNFs electrode for sensitive and selective determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) antibiotic drug. The morphological structure of the as-prepared nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The proposed sensor demonstrated excellent performance with a linear concentration range of 0.05 to 100 µM and a detection limit of 1 nM. The proposed electrode offers a high level of selectivity, stability, reproducibility and a satisfactory recovery rate for electrochemical detection of CAP in real samples such as blood serum, poultry feed, milk, eggs, honey and powdered milk samples. This further demonstrates the practical feasibility of the proposed sensor in food analysis.
RESUMO
The authors introduced waste plastic pyrolysis oil (WPPO) as an alternative fuel characterized in detail and compared with conventional diesel. High density polyethylene, HDPE, was pyrolyzed in a self-designed stainless steel laboratory reactor to produce useful fuel products. HDPE waste was completely pyrolyzed at 330-490°C for 2-3 hours to obtain solid residue, liquid fuel oil, and flammable gaseous hydrocarbon products. Comparison of the fuel properties to the petrodiesel fuel standards ASTM D 975 and EN 590 revealed that the synthetic product was within all specifications. Notably, the fuel properties included a kinematic viscosity (40°C) of 1.98 cSt, density of 0.75 gm/cc, sulphur content of 0.25 (wt%), and carbon residue of 0.5 (wt%), and high calorific value represented significant enhancements over those of conventional petroleum diesel fuel.
