Biodesalination-On harnessing the potential of nature's desalination processes

Genetic Determinants of Response to Statins in Cardiovascular Diseases

Despite extensive efforts to identify patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who could most benefit from the treatment approach, patients vary in their benefit from therapy and propensity for adverse drug events. Genetic variability in individual responses to drugs (pharmacogenetics) is considered an essential determinant in responding to a drug. Thus, understanding these pharmacogenomic relationships has led to a substantial focus on mechanisms of disease and drug response. In turn, understanding the genomic and molecular bases of variables that might be involved in drug response is the main step in personalized medicine. There is a growing body of data evaluating drug-gene interactions in recent years, some of which have led to FDA recommendations and detection of markers to predict drug responses (e.g., genetic variant in VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes for prediction of drug response in warfarin treatment). Also, statins are widely prescribed drugs for the prevention of CVD. Atorvastatin, fluvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, and lovastatin are the most common statins used to manage dyslipidemia. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the pharmacogenetics of statins, which are being used to treat cardiovascular diseases.

Biotechnological advancements towards water, food and medical healthcare: A review

The global health status is highly affected by the growing pace of urbanization, new lifestyles, climate changes, and resource exploitation. Modern technologies pave a promising way to deal with severe concerns toward sustainable development. Herein, we provided a comprehensive review of some popular biotechnological advancements regarding the progress achieved in water, food, and medicine, as the most substantial fields related to public health. The emergence of novel organic/inorganic materials has brought about significant improvement in conventional water treatment techniques, anti-fouling approaches, anti-microbial agents, food processing, biosensors, drug delivery systems, and implants. Particularly, a growing interest has been devoted to nanomaterials and their application for developing novel structures or improving the characteristics of standard components. Also, bioinspired materials have been widely used to improve the performance, efficiency, accuracy, stability, safety, and cost-effectiveness of traditional systems. On the other side, the fabrication of innovative devices for precisely monitoring and managing various ecosystem and human health issues is of great importance. Above all, exceptional advancements in designing ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), microelectromechanical systems (MEMs), and implantable medical devices have altered the future landscape of environmental and biomedical research. This review paper aimed to shed light on the wide-ranging materials and devices that have been developed for health applications and mainly focused on the impact of nanotechnology in this field.

Application of Nanofiltration Membrane Based on Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) in the Separation of Magnesium and Lithium from Salt Lakes

With the increasing demand for lithium, the shortage of resources has become increasingly apparent. In order to conserve resources and to improve recovery, the extraction of lithium from salt lakes has become mandatory for sustainable development. Porous metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have attracted extensive attention due to their high/tunable porosity, pore function, multiple pore structures/compositions, and open metal sites. Moreover, MOFs combine the advantages of other porous materials and have a wide range of applications, which have received significant interest from the scientific community. Therefore, the selection of MOFs materials, the optimization of preparation methods, and the research of lithium separators are key directions to improve the total yield of lithium resources in salt lakes in China. This study aims to improve the comprehensive utilization of resources after lithium extraction and strengthen the engineering technology research of lithium extraction from salt lakes. This study can help to achieve the goal of efficient, integrated, and sustainable utilization of salt lake resources. An attempt has been made to summarize the types and preparation methods of MOFs materials, as well as the separation mechanism of MOFs nanofiltration membranes, with reference to its application in lithium extraction from salt lake brine. Finally, the future development of MOFs nanofiltration membranes for lithium extraction from salt lakes is also proposed.

Optimization of the biological salt removal process from artificial industrial wastewater with high TDS by Spirulina microalga using the response surface method

This study aimed to examine the direct applicability of Spirulina maxima as a new conceptual method for removing total dissolved solids (TDS) from artificial industrial wastewater (AIW). In this study, live microalgal cells were used in a photobioreactor for TDS removal. The effects of TDS levels, pH, light intensity, and light retention time on microalgal growth and TDS removal were investigated, and optimal conditions were determined using the response surface method and Box-Behnken Design (RSM-BBD). The calculated values of coefficient of determination (R²), adjusted R², and predicted R² were 0.9754, 0.9508, and 0.636, respectively, which are close to the R² values and validated the proposed statistical model. A second-order model could optimally determine the interactions between the studied variables according to the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that increasing TDS levels reduced microalgal growth and TDS removal efficiency in AIW. S. maxima reduced TDS by 76% and 47% at TDS concentrations of 2,000-4,000 mg/L, respectively, when used in AIW. Maximum biomass efficiency (1.8 g/L) was obtained at a TDS concentration of 2,000 mg/L with other parameters optimized.

Graphene oxide membranes with a confined mass transfer effect for Li+/Mg2+ separation: a molecular dynamics study

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the influence of the confined mass transfer effect on the separation of Mg2+ and Li+ from graphene oxide membranes, both in terms of layer spacing and degree of oxidation.

Recent advances in polymeric nanostructured ion selective membranes for biomedical applications

Nano structured ion-selective membranes (ISMs) are very attractive materials for a wide range of sensing and ion separation applications. The present review focuses on the design principles of various ISMs; nanostructured and ionophore/ion acceptor doped ISMs, and their use in biomedical engineering. Applications of ISMs in the biomedical field have been well-known for more than half a century in potentiometric analysis of biological fluids and pharmaceutical products. However, the emergence of nanotechnology and sophisticated sensing methods assisted in miniaturising ion-selective electrodes to needle-like sensors that can be designed in the form of implantable or wearable devices (smartwatch, tattoo, sweatband, fabric patch) for health monitoring. This article provides a critical review of recent advances in miniaturization, sensing and construction of new devices over last decade (2011-2021). The designing of tunable ISM with biomimetic artificial ion channels offered intensive opportunities and innovative clinical analysis applications, including precise biosensing, controlled drug delivery and early disease diagnosis. This paper will also address the future perspective on potential applications and challenges in the widespread use of ISM for clinical use. Finally, this review details some recommendations and future directions to improve the accuracy and robustness of ISMs for biomedical applications.

Novel application of microalgae platform for biodesalination process: A review

Freshwater demand is rising worldwide due to largely increasing population and industrialization. Latest focus is to explore the Ocean and saline effluent from industries to produce freshwater in a sustainable way via algal desalination. Current physicochemical desalination technology is not only an energy-intensive and expensive process but also gives severe environmental impact from brine and GHGs emissions. Therefore, it is neither environmentally-friendly nor feasible to countries with limited resources. Biodesalination could be an attractive technology with recent breakthroughs in algal bioprocess with fast growth rate under highly saline conditions to effectively remove salts optimally 50-67% from saline water. Algal desalination mainly occurs through biosorption and bioaccumulation which governs by biotic and abiotic factors e.g., strain, temperature, pH, light and nutrients etc. This review provides a current scenario of this novel technology by an in-depth assessment of technological advancement, social impact, possible risks and scope for policy implications.

A Lamellar MXene (Ti3 C2 Tx )/PSS Composite Membrane for Fast and Selective Lithium-Ion Separation

A two-dimensional (2D) laminar membrane with Li⁺ selective transport channels is obtained by stacking MXene nanosheets with the introduction of poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) with active sulfonate sites, which exhibits excellent Li⁺ selectivity from ionic mixture solutions of Na⁺ , K⁺ , and Mg²⁺ . The Li⁺ permeation rate through the MXene@PSS composite membrane is as high as 0.08 mol m^-2  h^-1 , while the Li⁺ /Mg²⁺ , Li⁺ /Na⁺ , and Li⁺ /K⁺ selectivities are 28, 15.5, and 12.7, respectively. Combining the simulation and experimental results, we further confirm that the highly selective rapid transport of partially dehydrated Li⁺ within subnanochannels can be attributed to the precisely controlled interlayer spacing and the relatively weaker ion-terminal (-SO₃ ^- ) interaction. This study deepens the understanding of ion-selective permeation in confined channels and provides a general membrane design concept.

Salinity reduction of brackish water using a chemical photosynthesis desalination cell

In this study, a chemical photosynthesis desalination cell (CPDC) was investigated for saltwater desalination. The cell consisted of three main parts: (1) an anodic compartment where the oxidation reaction occurs, releasing electrons, (2) a cathode compartment where the required soluble oxygen is provided by microalgae photosynthesis, and (3) an electrodialysis desalination cell installed between the cathode and anode. In the anode, a novel idea was adopted to shorten the desalination duration and increase the salinity rate using a chemical oxidation reaction in combination with the biocathode. The CPDC contributed to the carbon dioxide biological sequestration (reducing air pollution), produced microalgae biomass as a source of renewable energy and generated electricity. In the investigated CPDC, microalgae were used to supply the required oxygen solution as an electron acceptor. The metal anode-microalgae biocathode battery could provide the required energy for electrodialysis. In addition, some extra electricity was generated with a maximum excess power density of 32.4 W/m³ per volume of the net anodic compartment, 16.2 W/m³ per volume of the net cathodic compartment, and 3.07 W/m² of membrane surface area. This study confirms the benefits of microalgae as a sustainable biocathode in microbial desalination cells (MDCs) to supply electron acceptors in an environmental-friendly manner. Compared to photosynthetic microbial desalination cells (PMDCs), the CPDC decreased the desalination time by a factor of about 4. Besides, the NaCl removal was about 69% for 12 g/L NaCl concentration in the CPDC, higher than other MDCs. In addition, as a new operational factor, the internal resistance variations were determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in different case studies. The results demonstrated for the first time the possibility of applying a new desalination cell (i.e. CPDC) for water desalination and power generation which only uses a source of chemical reaction and microalgae photosynthesis without the need for an external power source.

Design principles of ion selective nanostructured membranes for the extraction of lithium ions

It is predicted that the continuously increasing demand for the energy-critical element of lithium will soon exceed its availability, rendering it a geopolitically significant resource. The present work critically reviews recent reports on Li⁺ selective membranes. Particular emphasis has been placed on the basic principles of the materials' design for the development of membranes with nanochannels and nanopores with Li⁺ selectivity. Fundamental and practical challenges, as well as prospects for the targeted design of Li⁺ ion-selective membranes are also presented, with the goal of inspiring future critical research efforts in this scientifically and strategically important field.

Desalination Processes' Efficiency and Future Roadmap

For future sustainable seawater desalination, the importance of achieving better energy efficiency of the existing 19,500 commercial-scale desalination plants cannot be over emphasized. The major concern of the desalination industry is the inadequate approach to energy efficiency evaluation of diverse seawater desalination processes by omitting the grade of energy supplied. These conventional approaches would suffice if the efficacy comparison were to be conducted for the same energy input processes. The misconception of considering all derived energies as equivalent in the desalination industry has severe economic and environmental consequences. In the realms of the energy and desalination system planners, serious judgmental errors in the process selection of green installations are made unconsciously as the efficacy data are either flawed or inaccurate. Inferior efficacy technologies' implementation decisions were observed in many water-stressed countries that can burden a country's economy immediately with higher unit energy cost as well as cause more undesirable environmental effects on the surroundings. In this article, a standard primary energy-based thermodynamic framework is presented that addresses energy efficacy fairly and accurately. It shows clearly that a thermally driven process consumes 2.5-3% of standard primary energy (SPE) when combined with power plants. A standard universal performance ratio-based evaluation method has been proposed that showed all desalination processes performance varies from 10-14% of the thermodynamic limit. To achieve 2030 sustainability goals, innovative processes are required to meet 25-30% of the thermodynamic limit.