This study investigated the impact of water leaching of a coconut husk on improving fuel characteristics and preventing bed agglomeration in fluidized bed combustion. The leaching process was conducted in a laboratory-scale setup at water flow rates of 150 ml/min and 250 ml/min, and electrical conductivity (EC) was used to determine the optimum leaching duration. Potassium oxide decreased by up to 40%, chlorine by up to 82%, and ash content practically halved, reaching as low as 2.98% in the best case, as a result of the treatment. Importantly, the fuel’s heating value stayed around 20.5 MJ/kg. Physically, the leached husk exhibited a larger surface area and increased pore volume, corresponding to a rise in volatile matter from 65% to nearly 70%. During combustion tests at 800 °C, the treated coconut husk remained fluidized for much longer, up to 93 minutes, compared to just 32 minutes for the untreated fuel, indicating a strong reduction in bed agglomeration. The details of microscopic analysis revealed that leaching promoted the formation of compounds with higher melting points, thereby preventing the formation of low-melting-point potassium silicates that cause agglomeration. The FactSage program (version 8.2) was used for thermochemical modeling based on the ash composition, and the simulation results confirmed that the ash melting temperature increased from below 900 °C to above 1,300 °C after leaching. These results demonstrate that simple water leaching can effectively enhance the quality of coconut husk fuel and help prevent operational issues in fluidized bed combustors.
Textile manufacturing produces a large amount of pre-consumer waste, which contributes to environmental challenges. This research explored how discarded cotton and wool fibers can be turned into usable fabrics via the needle-felting method, a dry process that uses barbed needles to interlock fibers without water or chemicals. The cotton offcuts were collected from a weaving factory in Bangkok that produces about 10 kilograms each day, while the wool waste was obtained from a weaving community in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, where about 1,200 kilograms of raw wool are processed per cycle, and nearly one-third ends up as waste. The study examined the effect of three blend ratios: 80% Cotton/20% Wool, 50% Cotton/50% Wool, and 20% Cotton/80% Wool. The fibers were double-carded and then processed by needle felting. The resulting non-woven fabrics were tested for thickness, tensile strength, elongation, tearing resistance, and abrasion mass loss. The findings showed that increasing the wool content yielded thicker fabrics with higher strength and elongation, largely due to the crimped and elastic structure of the wool fibers. In contrast, blends with more cotton content exhibited better dimensional stability and lost less mass under abrasion. Among the samples, the 20% Cotton/80% Wool blend showed the best performance in strength and elasticity, while the 80% Cotton/20% Wool blend was the most resistant to surface wear. Overall, the study demonstrated that needle felting can provide a practical way to repurpose textile waste by transforming it into value-added materials.
Antimicrobial resistance is an escalating global concern. Bacteriocins are promising antimicrobial peptides but are limited by proteolytic degradation and a narrow spectrum of activity. Conjugation of bacteriocins with silver nanoparticles (SNPs) can protect peptides and provide synergistic antimicrobial activity. This study reports the biosynthesis, optimization, physicochemical characterization and antibacterial evaluation of crude bacteriocin from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains T4 and B2, and commercially purified nisin, used to cap silver nanoparticles (Bac-SNPs and Nisin-SNPs). Optimal Bac-SNPs synthesis was achieved at Bacteriocin:AgNO₃ = 1:9 (v/v), 65°C and pH 11. UV-Vis spectroscopy showed surface plasmon resonance peaks between 400–500 nm, confirming SNPs formation. FTIR spectra indicated hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups involved in capping. Dynamic light scattering revealed Z-average sizes of 63.14 nm (T4Bac-SNPs) and 80.65 nm (B2Bac-SNPs) with low polydispersity (PDI 0.260 and 0.263), whereas Nisin-SNPs exhibited larger hydrodynamic size (≈458 nm) and higher PDI (0.434), consistent with different capping behaviour. Antimicrobial evaluation demonstrated that Nisin-SNPs enhanced the activity of purified nisin against all tested pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli), with the most prominent inhibition observed against E. coli (18.00 ± 0.00 mm). In contrast, Bac-SNPs derived from strains T4 and B2 showed lower or comparable inhibition zones relative to their corresponding crude bacteriocins, indicating that nanoparticles conjugation did not uniformly enhance antibacterial activity. Overall, the findings demonstrate that bacteriocin type and synthesis conditions critically influence the physicochemical properties and antibacterial performance of bacteriocin-capped silver nanoparticles.
This study compares steel and biocomposite automotive headrest stay through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The objective is to identify the potential environmental implications of the biocomposite headrest stay. The purpose, scope, important assumptions, and system boundary rationales were defined in line with ISO 14040/14044 standards. The IDEMAT software, with an integrated database, was employed for LCA modelling and simulation. We simulated carbon footprint and eco-cost indicators under three EoL scenarios: landfill, waste treatment, and circular economy. The biocomposite option shows a minimal carbon footprint of 1.65 kg CO₂e/unit via waste treatment, compared with the steel alternative at 2.07 kg CO₂e/unit under a circular economy scenario. Biocomposites also achieved the lowest eco-cost of €0.33/unit through waste treatment, compared to steel with €0.45/unit under the circular economy. This work concludes that adopting biocomposite materials for semi-structural automotive components, along with effective waste management, improves sustainability.
The rapid growth of electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Thailand has increased demand for charging infrastructure, particularly at high-density residential buildings with parking and electrical-capacity constraints. This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of installing two 60 kW DC chargers and two 22 kW AC chargers at a condominium in Bangkok, with an initial investment of THB 1,990,500 excluding VAT. The assessment integrates project quotations, site-specific electrical designs, charger specifications, and scenario-based financial modeling. Technical feasibility was assessed based on installation requirements, electrical compatibility, and safety provisions, while economic feasibility was evaluated using net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and simple payback period (PB). The proposed configuration satisfied the specified technical requirements. Three utilization scenarios considered DC charging for 4–6 h/day and AC charging for 10–14 h/day. Electricity costs were modeled at THB 4.50/kWh, with additional increases of 2.5% and 5% and corresponding adjustments to charging prices. A 10-year project lifetime and a 5.5% discount rate were assumed. The results showed NPVs ranging from THB 382,947.62 to THB 3,527,186.83, IRRs from 9.34% to 34.94%, and PBs from 2.72 to 6.32 years. The best-performing scenario, with DC and AC utilization of 6 and 14 h/day, respectively, achieved an NPV of THB 3,527,186.83, an IRR of 34.94%, and a PB of 2.72 years. Charger utilization, particularly DC utilization, was a key determinant of economic viability. Mixed AC/DC charging infrastructure may therefore be economically attractive under the modeled conditions, although the utilization assumptions were not validated using long-term measured charging-demand data.
