Synthesis, characterization and optimization of chicken bile-mediated silver nanoparticles: a mechanistic insight into antibacterial and antibiofilm activity

The fast-growing urbanization and slow progress in the field of waste management have led to the accumulation of large quantities of animal wastes. The present work focused on the synthesis of low-cost and eco-friendly chicken bile juice-mediated silver nanoparticles (BJ-AgNP). Results reveal that bile juices have enough potentiality towards the synthesis of almost uniform sizes (average size < 50 nm) of BJ-AgNPs which remains stable for more than 6 months. Response surface methodology (RSM) successfully demonstrated the optimised condition of BJ-AgNP synthesis. Factors like concentration of salt and bile extract and temperature are significantly responsible for nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesis of nanoparticle was further characterized using UV-Vis, TEM, FESEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, and EDS. The synthesised nanoparticle showed excellent bactericidal activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with MIC and MBC of 40 and 50 μg/mL for Bacillus subtilis (MTCC-441) and 60 and 60 μg/mL for Eschecheria coli (MTCC-1687) respectively. The synthesised nanoparticle also exhibited as an antibiofilm activity against B. subtilis, with ~89% biofilm inhibition efficacy at 4 X MIC, having optimal bacterial concentration of 10⁶ CFU/mL. Therefore, the present findings clearly demonstrated that an absolute animal waste could be a valuable ingredient in the field of therapeutic nanoscience.

Appealing Renewable Materials in Green Chemistry

In just a few years, chemists have significantly changed their approach to the synthesis of organic molecules in the laboratory and industry. Researchers are encouraged to approach “greener” reagents, solvents, and methodologies, to go hand in hand with the world’s environmental matter, such as water, soil, and air pollution. The employment of plant and animal derivates that are commonly regarded as “waste material” has paved the way for the development of new green strategies. In this review, the most important innovations in this field have been highlighted, paying due attention to those materials that have played a crucial role in organic reactions: wool, silk, and feather. Moreover, we decided to focus on the other most important supports and catalysts in green syntheses, such as proteins and their derivates. Different materials have shown prominent activity in the adsorption of metals and organic dyes, which has constituted a relevant scope in the last two decades. We intend to furnish a complete screening of the application given to these materials and contribute to their potential future utilization.

Catalytic Activity of Bimetallic (Ruthenium/Palladium) Nano-alloy Decorated Porous Carbons Toward Reduction of Toxic Compounds

Chicken feather-derived high-surface-area porous activated carbon (CFAC) material was prepared using chemical activation. A new composite composed of Ru-Pd nanoparticles supported on CFAC (Ru-Pd@CFAC) has been prepared by microwave-thermal reduction in the presence of the support. Characterization by XRD, Raman, BET, FE-SEM/TEM, FT-IR, TGA, XPS, HAADF-STEM-EDS, H₂ -chemisorption, H₂ -TPR, and ICP-AES was used to analyze the catalyst. This catalyst is found to be efficient for the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr^VI ), potassium ferricyanide (K₃ [Fe(CN)₆ ]), 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), and pendimethalin (PDM), at room temperature, and remains stable, even after several repeated runs. Moreover, it showed excellent catalytic activity compared with the monometallic counterparts.

Magnetically Modified Agricultural and Food Waste: Preparation and Application

The annual food and agricultural waste production reaches enormous numbers. Therefore, an increasing need to valorize produced wastes arises. Waste materials originating from the food and agricultural industry can be considered as functional materials with interesting properties and broad application potential. Moreover, using an appropriate magnetic modification, smart materials exhibiting a rapid response to an external magnetic field can be obtained. Such materials can be easily and selectively separated from desired environments. Magnetically responsive waste derivatives of biological origins have already been prepared and used as efficient biosorbents for the isolation and removal of both biologically active compounds and organic and inorganic pollutants and radionuclides, as biocompatible carriers for the immobilization of diverse types of (bio)molecules, cells, nano- and microparticles, or (bio)catalysts. Potential bactericidal, algicidal, or anti-biofilm properties of magnetic waste composites have also been tested. Furthermore, low cost and availability of waste biomaterials in larger amounts predetermine their utilization in large-scale processes.