CO2 Adsorption on Pore-Engineered Carbons Derived from Jute Sticks.

CO2 capture is a practical approach to mitigating the impacts of global warming. Adsorption-based carbon capture is a clean and potentially energy-efficient method whose performance greatly depends on adsorbent design. In this study, we explored the use of jute-derived carbon as a high-performance adsorbent for CO2 capture. The carbons were produced by pyrolyzing powdered jute sticks with NaHCO3 as an activating agent at 500-700 °C. Impressive adsorption capacities of up to 2.5 mmol ⋅ g-1 and CO2 /N2 selectivities of up to 54 were achieved by adjusting the pore size distribution and surface functionalization. Based on the isotherm results, the working capacities, regenerabilities, and potentials for CO2 separation were determined for a practical vacuum swing adsorption process. The adsorbent materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM and N2 sorption at 77 K. This study provides a general approach for designing adsorbents for various gas-separation applications.

Treatment Patterns and Unmet Needs in the Management of Alopecia Areata: Results of a Physician's Survey in the Middle East.

INTRODUCTION: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by nonscarring hair loss involving the scalp, face, and/or body. Literature on the prevalence, patient characteristics, management approaches, and challenges faced by patients with AA across the Middle East is limited. Therefore, a greater understanding of the current AA landscape within the region is needed. This cross-sectional study surveyed dermatologists from four countries to assess dermatologists' perspectives on the prevalence of AA within the Middle East, as well as patient characteristics, unmet needs, and management strategies. METHODS: This blinded, quantitative, observational study surveyed practicing dermatologists in Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The survey was conducted between September 2021 and January 2022 and comprised 47 closed-ended, multiple-choice questions as well as Likert scale responses. These questions assessed the characteristics of physicians and the patients in their practices, physicians' familiarity with treatment, and physicians' treatment approaches. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of AA varied across the region. Across all age groups treated for AA, the majority of patients had AA of mild severity (pediatric: 63%; adolescent: 60%; adult: 54%) and the scalp was reported as the most affected area (65%). Potent topical corticosteroids were the most frequently used treatment for mild to moderate and severe AA (92% and 78%, respectively). There was a lack of awareness of investigative treatments, with only 33% of dermatologists aware of these options. The greatest unmet needs in treating AA included long-term disease control, improved efficacy, faster onset of action, and better safety profiles (62%, 53%, 52%, and 51%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided insight into the diagnosis and management of AA in the Middle East. Treatment strategies were similar regardless of the severity of AA. Long-term disease control and improved efficacy and safety profiles were identified as key unmet needs in the treatment of AA.

Patterns of Clinical Management of Atopic Dermatitis: A Survey of Three Physician Specialties in the Middle East.

INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a complex inflammatory disease of the skin that has a significant impact on the well-being of patients and their families. The prevalence of AD has increased in developing countries and regions, including the Middle East. Despite similarities in the presentation of the disease, there is a lack of consistent management and treatment guidelines for AD. The objective of this survey was to develop further insight into the management patterns of AD from dermatologists, pediatricians, and primary care/family medicine physicians in the Middle Eastern nations of Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The survey was composed of 47 closed-ended, multiple-choice questions. These questions assessed physician and patient characteristics and treatment familiarity and approach. RESULTS: A total of 400 physicians, including 200 dermatologists, 100 pediatricians, and 100 primary care physicians, participated in the survey. The findings provide insight into the management of AD by physician specialty within the region. A diverse array of management approaches was observed for both referral patterns and treatments for AD in the Middle East. CONCLUSION: The diversity of management tactics highlights the lack of a standard approach for the management of AD throughout the Middle East.

Preparation of Highly Stable and Electrochemically Active Three-dimensional Interconnected Graphene Frameworks from Jute Sticks.

Over the past few years, the environmentally friendly synthesis of nanomaterials, including graphene using green chemistry, has attracted tremendous attention due to its easy handling, low cost, and biocompatibility. Here we demonstrate a facile and efficient green synthesis route for producing highly stable and electrochemically active three-dimensional interconnected graphene frameworks (3DIGF) from jute sticks. Initially, jute sticks derived three-dimensional amorphous activated carbon nanosheets (3DAACNs) were prepared at low temperatures (i. e., 850 °C) in an inert environment. The resultant 3DAACNs were then heat treated at a high temperature (i. e., 2700 °C) under an inert environment, resulting in 3DIGF. The prepared carbonaceous materials were fully characterized, and various experimental techniques confirmed the preparation of 3DIGF. The prepared 3DIGF shows a highly stable nature in thermal and chemical environments and demonstrates a highly dynamic nature for the electrooxidation of sulfide. This study could be considered a vital contribution towards the economic and simple approach for preparing 3DIGF from biomass.

Date-Leaf Carbon Particles for Green Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Green enhanced oil recovery (GEOR) is an environmentally friendly enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process involving the injection of green fluids to improve macroscopic and microscopic sweep efficiencies while boosting tertiary oil production. Carbon nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotube (CNT), and carbon dots have gained interest for their superior ability to increase oil recovery. These particles have been successfully tested in EOR, although they are expensive and do not extend to GEOR. In addition, the application of carbon particles in the GEOR method is not well understood yet, requiring thorough documentation. The goals of this work are to develop carbon nanoparticles from biomass and explore their role in GEOR. The carbon nanoparticles were prepared from date leaves, which are inexpensive biomass, through pyrolysis and ball-milling methods. The synthesized carbon nanomaterials were characterized using the standard process. Three formulations of functionalized and non-functionalized date-leaf carbon nanoparticle (DLCNP) solutions were chosen for core floods based on phase behavior and interfacial tension (IFT) properties to examine their potential for smart water and green chemical flooding. The carboxylated DLCNP was mixed with distilled water in the first formulation to be tested for smart water flood in the sandstone core. After water flooding, this formulation recovered 9% incremental oil of the oil initially in place. In contrast, non-functionalized DLCNP formulated with (the biodegradable) surfactant alkyl polyglycoside and NaCl produced 18% more tertiary oil than the CNT. This work thus provides new green chemical agents and formulations for EOR applications so that oil can be produced more economically and sustainably.

High-Flux Thin Film Composite PIM-1 Membranes for Butanol Recovery: Experimental Study and Process Simulations.

Thin film composite (TFC) membranes of the prototypical polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) have been prepared by dip-coating on a highly porous electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous support. Prior to coating, the support was impregnated in a non-solvent to avoid the penetration of PIM-1 inside the PVDF network. Different non-solvents were considered and the results were compared with those of the dry support. When applied for the separation of n-butanol/water mixtures by pervaporation (PV), the developed membranes exhibited very high permeate fluxes, in the range of 16.1-35.4 kg m-2 h-1, with an acceptable n-butanol/water separation factor of about 8. The PV separation index (PSI) of the prepared membranes is around 115, which is among the highest PSI values that have been reported so far. Hybrid PV-distillation systems have been designed and modeled in Aspen HYSYS using Aspen Custom Modeler for setting up the PIM-1 TFC and commercial PDMS membranes as a benchmark. The butanol recovery cost for the hybrid systems is compared with a conventional stand-alone distillation process used for n-butanol/water separation, and a 10% reduction in recovery cost was obtained.

Coping with Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Academics in the Muslim World.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global phenomenon defined by uncertainty, fear and grief which has resulted in record high levels of stress and anxiety in the first half of 2020. It also led to an increased interest in the study of the role of belief, religion, and spirituality as responses to coping with and responding to the pandemic throughout different societal domains. This study explores the impact of anxiety and stress caused by the pandemic on Muslim academics' subjective well-being. It also explores correlations between coping and spirituality by assessing Muslim academics' coping strategies in overcoming stress and anxiety. To this end, this study sampled 480 Muslim academics ages 25-60 years residing in Muslim countries. The findings show a negative yet significant correlation between anxiety and well-being while also showing a positive and significant correlation between coping strategies and subjective well-being. The research also points to the role of coping strategies in reducing anxiety and stress, the resulting improvements in well-being for Muslim academics, and the mediating effect of coping strategies between anxiety, stress, and well-being for Muslim academics.

Physico-chemical properties and toxicological effects on plant and algal models of carbon nanosheets from a nettle fibre clone.

Carbon nanosheets are two-dimensional nanostructured materials that have applications as energy storage devices, electrochemical sensors, sample supports, filtration membranes, thanks to their high porosity and surface area. Here, for the first time, carbon nanosheets have been prepared from the stems and leaves of a nettle fibre clone, by using a cheap and straight-forward procedure that can be easily scaled up. The nanomaterial shows interesting physical parameters, namely interconnectivity of pores, graphitization, surface area and pore width. These characteristics are similar to those described for the nanomaterials obtained from other fibre crops. However, the advantage of nettle over other plants is its fast growth and easy propagation of homogeneous material using stem cuttings. This last aspect guarantees homogeneity of the starting raw material, a feature that is sought-after to get a nanomaterial with homogeneous and reproducible properties. To evaluate the potential toxic effects if released in the environment, an assessment of the impact on plant reproduction performance and microalgal growth has been carried out by using tobacco pollen cells and the green microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. No inhibitory effects on pollen germination are recorded, while algal growth inhibition is observed at higher concentrations of leaf carbon nanosheets with lower graphitization degree.

Superglassy Polymers to Treat Natural Gas by Hybrid Membrane/Amine Processes: Can Fillers Help?

Superglassy polymers have emerged as potential membrane materials for several gas separation applications, including acid gas removal from natural gas. Despite the superior performance shown at laboratory scale, their use at industrial scale is hampered by their large drop in gas permeability over time due to physical aging. Several strategies are proposed in the literature to prevent loss of performance, the incorporation of fillers being a successful approach. In this work, we provide a comprehensive economic study on the application of superglassy membranes in a hybrid membrane/amine process for natural gas sweetening. The hybrid process is compared with the more traditional stand-alone amine-absorption technique for a range of membrane gas separation properties (CO2 permeance and CO2/CH4 selectivity), and recommendations for long-term membrane performance are made. These recommendations can drive future research on producing mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) of superglassy polymers with anti-aging properties (i.e., target permeance and selectivity is maintained over time), as thin film nanocomposite membranes (TFNs). For the selected natural gas composition of 28% of acid gas content (8% CO2 and 20% H2S), we have found that a CO2 permeance of 200 GPU and a CO2/CH4 selectivity of 16 is an optimal target.

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of Gadolinium doped nanocrystalline titania: An experimental and theoretical study.

HYPOTHESIS: Undoped TiO2 nanoparticles are considered as a poor photocatalytic candidate in visible light due to the wide band gap. Incorporation of Gd ions is expected to modulate the electronic structure of the material and thereby enhance the photocatalytic properties of the material. EXPERIMENTS: Gadolinium doped TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated via a simple sol-gel method. FINDINGS: The surface area of Gd doped TiO2 (225m(2)/g) nanoparticles is much higher than that of undoped TiO2 (95m(2)/g). Doping of Gadolinium enhances the visible light absorption property of TiO2 nanoparticles. Photoluminescence intensity increases at 0.03 and 0.05mol and thereafter reduces at 0.07mol. The photocatalytic efficiency of these nanoparticles is evaluated by observing degradation of phenol in aqueous solution under visible light. The doped nanoparticles are found to exhibit better photocatalytic activity. This enhancement has been attributed to the introduction of the Gd 4f energy levels in the band gap of TiO2. The presence of these states has been further confirmed by theoretical study based on density functional theory (DFT). It is speculated that the 4f states of Gd act as efficient electron trap centers. These 4f states facilitate electron migration to the surface making available free carriers to take part in photocatalysis.