Fabrication and simulation studies of high-performance anionic sponge alginate beads for lysozyme separation

Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the response surface method for phenol removal from aqueous solution using graphene oxide-polyacrylonitrile nanofiber mats

Phenolic compound even at low concentrations, are considered to be priority pollutants due to their significant toxicity. Electrospinning was used to create a polyacrylonitril (PAN) nanofiber, which was then impregnated with graphene oxide (GO). After a preliminary investigation into the electrospinning parameters (e.g., using various voltages and polymer concentrations), the electrospun nanofibres were tuned, this study evaluated the effectiveness of these materials in removing phenolic compounds from wastewater through adsorption. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyze the synthesized nanofiber mats. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the structure of nanofiber mats was altered by the addition of graphene oxide (GO) in different ratios. Specifically, the surface of the fibres exhibited increased roughness, and the diameter of the fibres also experienced an increase. The average diameter of the fibres was measured to be (134.9 ± 21.43 nm) for the PAN/2.5% GO composite and (198 ± 33.94 nm) for the PAN/5% GO composite. FTIR spectra of the PAN/GO nanocomposites nanofiber displayed distinct peaks associated with graphene oxide (GO). These included a wide peak at 3400 cm-1, related to the presence of hydroxyl (O-H) groups, as well as peaks on 1600 as well as 1000 cm-1, which indicated the existence of epoxy groups. In this study response surface methodology (RSM) was implemented. To enhance the efficiency of removing substances, it is necessary to optimise parameters such as pH, contact time, and dosage of the adsorbent. The optimum pH for removing phenol via all nanofiber mats was determined to be 7, while at a dose of 2 mg dose adsorbents maximum removals for pure PAN, PAN/2.5 GO, and PAN/5 GO were 61.3941, 77.2118, and 92.76139%, respectively. All the adsorbents obey Langmuir isotherm model, and the empirical adsorption findings were fitted with the second-order model kinetically, also non-linear Elovich model. The maximal monolayer adsorption capacities for PAN, PAN/2.5 GO, and PAN/5 GO were found to be 57.4, 66.18, and 69.7 mg/g, respectively. Thermodynamic studies discovered that the adsorption of phenol on all adsorbents nanofiber mats was exothermic, the adsorption of phenol on nanofiber mats decreases as the temperature increases. All the adsorbents exhibit negative enthalpy and entropy. The PAN/GO composite's superior phenol removal suggested that it could be used as a latent adsorbent for efficient phenol removal from water and wastewater streams.

Negatively Charged Composite Nanofibrous Hydrogel Membranes for High-Performance Protein Adsorption

Nanofibrous materials are considered as promising candidates for fabricating high-efficiency chromatography media, which are urgently needed in protein pharmaceuticals purification and biological research, yet still face several bottlenecks. Herein, novel negatively charged composite nanofibrous hydrogel membranes (NHMs) are obtained by a facile combination of electrospinning and surface coating modification. The resulting NHMs exhibit controllable morphologies and chemical structures. Benefitting from the combined effect of the stable framework of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanofiber and the function layer of negatively charged hydrogel, as well as good pore connectivity among nanofibers, NHMs exhibit a high protein adsorption capacity of around 1000 mg g^-1, and are superior to the commercial cellulose fibrous adsorbent (Sartobind^®) and the reported nanofibrous membranous adsorbents. Moreover, due to their relatively stable physicochemical and mechanical properties, NHMs possess comprehensive adsorption performance, favorable resistance to acid and solvents, good selectivity, and excellent regenerability. The designed NHMs composite adsorbents are expected to supply a new protein chromatography platform for effective protein purification in biopharmaceuticals and biochemical reagents.

Selective isolation and sensitive detection of lysozyme using aptamer based magnetic adsorbent and a new quartz crystal microbalance system

Magnetic chitosan beads and quartz crystal microbalance chip were decorated with lysozyme specific aptamer for isolation and detection of lysozyme, respectively. The lysozyme specific aptamer was immobilized on poly (dopamine) coated magnetic chitosan beads and the chip via Schiff base reaction. The percentage of the removal efficiency and purity of the isolated lysozyme from egg white were 87.6% and 91.8%, respectively. Further, the sensor system was contacted with different concentrations of lysozyme and other test proteins. This sensor system provided a method for the label-free, concentration-dependent, and selective detection of lysozyme with an observed detection limit of 17.9 ± 0.6 ng/mL. The sensor system was very selective and not significantly responded to the other tested proteins such as ovalbumin, trypsin, cytochrome C, and glucose oxidase. The prepared new sensor system showed a good durability and a high sensitivity for determination of lysozyme from solutions and whole egg white.

Composite Aerogel Comprised of Sodium Alginate and Bentonite via Supercritical CO2 Drying: An Efficient Adsorbent for Lysozyme

To meet the demand for the separation of specific substances, the construction of porous composite aerogels with a high specific surface area and a strong adsorption capacity is still a challenge. Herein, a sodium alginate/bentonite composite aerogel was efficiently prepared through supercritical fluid drying. The aerogel’s volume shrank less during supercritical drying, maintaining its original three-dimensional mesh structure. The resulting aerogel had a large specific surface area (445 m²/g), a low density (0.059 g/cm³), and a large pore volume (3.617 cm³/g). Due to the fixation and intercalation effects, bentonite was uniformly dispersed in the sodium alginate matrixes. The adsorption of lysozyme by the composite aerogel was evaluated, and the results showed that the optimal adsorption pH was 8 when the pH of the phosphoric acid buffer solution was between pH = 5 and 8.5. The time for adsorption to reach equilibrium was 8 h. The adsorption capacity increased with the increase in bentonite content, and when the initial concentration of lysozyme was from 0.2 to 1.2 g/L, the adsorption capacity first increased and then stabilized, and the maximum adsorption amount was 697 mg/g. The adsorption behavior was simulated in the isothermal region, and the linear correlation coefficient of Langmuir isothermal adsorption fitting was found to be 0.997. Thus, this composite aerogel with strong adsorption capacity can be used as a good alternative to enzymatic adsorbents or immobilized materials.

Cationic microcrystalline cellulose - Montmorillonite composite aerogel for preconcentration of inorganic anions from dairy wastewater

Development of efficient adsorbents to inorganic anions as a solid phase extraction (SPE) material is highly desirable for chromatographic analysis and pollution control. In this work we developed a new hybrid cationic microcrystalline cellulose aerogel composite. Cationic cetylpyridinium imbedded montmorillonite (CPC-MT) was uniformly entrapped in microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) to enhance anionic adsorption efficiency and mechanical stability. The developed CPC-MT@MCC aerogel was used as an SPE adsorbent for anions from dairy wastewater by coupling with ion-column chromatography. Further quaternized CPC-MT@MCC aerogel (CPC-MT@QMCC) showed unique low density (10.6 mg cm^-3), large specific surface area (320 m² g^-1), porosity 70%, 800 mg g^-1 nitrate adsorption capacity within 60 min and ease of elution in alkaline solutions. The CPC-MT@QMCC aerogel showed efficient regeneration and reuse performances for up to 10 cycles. More importantly, a dynamic binding efficiency of 710 mg g^-1 highlights its excellent performance for practical applications. 96% of nitrate anion from environmental manure wastewater samples were adsorbed with 98.7% recovery. A good linear relationship was obtained in the range of 0.01-10 mg L^-1 and the limits of detection was 0.5 mg L^-1 using CPC-MT@QMCC aerogel as a preconcentration column. The successful synthesis of such intriguing and economic CPC-MT@QMCC aerogel may provide a promising matrix for high-performance and high efficiency chromatographic media.

Enhanced antibacterial activity of lysozyme loaded quaternary ammonium chitosan nanoparticles functionalized with cellulose nanocrystals

In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as functional cross-linker and Pickering emulsifier was used to stabilize Lysozyme (Lys) encapsulated in quaternary ammonium chitosan nanoparticles (QC NPs) via ionic gelation method. Physicochemical, structural, and antibacterial properties of the CNC stabilized Lys loaded QC NPs were also evaluated. Particle size, particle size distribution, Zeta potential (ZP), and spectroscopic analyses showed the successful encapsulation of Lys. Antibacterial activity of NPs against Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus was investigated on the basis of inhibition zone (IZ), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bacterial concentration (MBC). MIC and MBC of CNC stabilized Lys loaded HQC NPs against S. aureus were 0.094 and 0.188 while corresponding values for CNC stabilized Lys loaded LQC NPs V. parahaemolyticus were 0.156 and 0.312 mg/mL, respectively. Therefore, CNC stabilized Lys loaded QC NPs have potential implications in the food industry for food preservation and packaging.