This study evaluated and compared the biometric properties of wood from three fruit tree species: apricot, plum, and cherry. Three healthy trees from each species were randomly selected and sampled from gardens in Shahriyar, Tehran Province, Iran. Biometric analysis was conducted on fiber samples taken from radial positions at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% of the stem and branch radius. The Franklin method was used for fiber separation, and 30 fiber dimensions were measured per sample. The maximum fiber length was observed in apricot stem wood at 50% radius (1282 µm), and the minimum in apricot branch wood at 25% radius (835 µm). Across all three species, stem wood showed higher values for fiber length, slenderness coefficient, Runkel ratio, and rigidity ratio compared to branch wood. These properties generally increased from pith to bark, and the variations were statistically significant at the 99% confidence level.

Copper (Cu) toxicity is a major abiotic constraint that reduces plant growth and productivity. This study examined whether exogenous allantoin can alleviate Cu-induced oxidative damage in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings. Seedlings were treated with 50 µM Cu alone or combined with foliar allantoin applications (10, 50, 75, 100 µM). Growth traits, chlorophyll content, oxidative stress markers, and antioxidant enzyme activities, superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, were measured. Non-enzymatic antioxidants, ascorbate and glutathione, proline, phytochelatins, and Cu/Fe concentrations were also quantified. Cu stress markedly reduced root and shoot biomass (62

In the present study, the effect of zein and different amounts of bacterial cellulose (BC; 1, 2 and 3 wt%) on the physical, mechanical and barrier properties of flaxseed mucilage/carboxymethyl cellulose (FM/CMC) composite was investigated. The appearance of the absorption band at 1320cm  1 in the ATR-FTIR spectra of nanocomposites indicated the successful introduction of zein into their structure. The characteristic peak at 2 theta of 9 degrees belonging to zein disappeared in XRD patterns of the prepared composites suggesting the successful coating of zein via hydrogen bonding interactions. SEM images proved the formation of semi-spherical zein microparticles in the FM/CMC matrix. TGA plots ascertained the addition of zein and nanocellulose caused a significant increase in the thermal stability of FM/CMC film, although zein showed a greater effect. The presence of zein and nanocellulose increased the mechanical strength of nanocomposites. The WVP of FM/CMC decreased after the incorporation of zein and nanocellulose, which created a tortuous path for the diffusion of water molecules. The zein particles exhibited a greater influence on improving the mechanical and barrier properties compared to nanocellulose. FM/CMC-Z film exhibited the highest mechanical strength (49.07 +/- 5.89 MPa) and the lowest WVP (1.179 +/- 0.076). The composites containing oregano essential oil (EO) showed higher than 60 % antibacterial properties. The bactericidal efficiency of FM/CMC/Z-EO and FM/CMC/Z-EO/BC1 nanocomposites decreased about 10% compared to FM/CMC/EO and FM/CMC-Z/BC1. This evidenced the successful encapsulation of EO molecules in zein particles. According to the in vitro release study, entrapment of EO into zein particles could delay the release and provide the extended antimicrobial effect.

Among the various techniques used to clean up polluted environments, bioremediation is the most cost-effective and eco-friendly option. The diversity of microbial communities in a consortium can significantly affect the biodegradability of hazardous organic pollutants, particularly for in situ bioremediation processes. This is largely attributed to interactions between members of a consortium. In this study, the effect of internal diffusion limitations in substrate model biodegradation was firstly examined by immobilized bacterial cells at different particle sizes produced by the electrospray technique. According to the obtained results, for particles with large size, the effectiveness factors (η) were about 0.58-0.67, and the resistance to diffusive on the biodegradation rate was significant, while with decreasing the particle size, η increases and approaches about 1. After selection of suitable bead size, heavy crude oil biodegradation was investigated using a consortium consisting of three oil-degrading bacterial strains at different treatment systems. The removal rate in the suspended co-culture system stands at minimum value of 38% with all three strains which is an indicator of negative interactions among consortium members. Independent immobilization of microorganisms minimizes the competition and antagonistic interactions between strains and leads to more crude oil removal, so that, the biodegradation rate reached 60%.

Heavy metals (HMs) such as lead (Pb) pose a significant threat to global food security due to their adverse effect on the health of crop plants. Calcium (Ca) and Glutathione (GSH) are signaling molecules to scavenge free radicals in HM-stressed plants. In this study, GSH and Ca’s role is examined in supporting canola seedlings against Pb toxicity. In a pot experiment, the administration of Glutathione (GSH, 0 and 100 µM) and/or calcium (CaCl2, 0 and 500 µM) in canola seedlings was examined under lead stress (0 and 100 µM of Pb(NO3)2. Compared with the control samples, Pb treatment increased MDA and H2O2 values by 61 and 53

This study is focused on the preparation of active packaging based on sodium caseinate (SC) and Rosa damascena essential oil (REO) reinforced by halloysite (Hal, 1 and 3 wt%) and bacterial cellulose (BC, 2 wt%). Based on FE-SEM images, the simultaneous incorporation of Hal and BC (BC2H3) could decrease a porosity of SC film and generate a homogenous surface, ascertaining well dispersion of reinforcements through the protein matrix. The porosity and non-homogeneity of the REO-loaded composites decreased in comparison with unloaded films due to the establishment of hydrogen bonding interactions. EDX mapping of Al and Si atoms proved the well distribution of halloysite into the SC film. While for REO-loaded nanocomposites, the aggregated regions enhanced by increasing the Hal content. XRD patterns of REO-bearing nanocomposites showed that the intensities of reflections belonging to Hal and BC decreased, indicating their increased amorphous structure. TG analysis indicated the improved thermal resistance of Hal-reinforced nanocomposites in comparison with the SC film. The thermal stability of nanocomposites showed insignificant change after addition of REO due to the presence of halloysite which could retard or delay the escape of EO molecules. Hal exhibited a more significant influence on tensile strength (TS) of the film as compared to BC. BC exhibited a more significant influence on barrier properties. The simultaneous incorporation of BC and Hal could compensate the decreased TS of REO-loaded films. The inclusion of REO into nanocomposites amplified their barrier and antibacterial properties. BC2H3/EO and BC2H1/EO nanocomposites satisfied the criteria of an ideal food packaging.

As an alternative raw material for various cellulose derivatives, the current research studied the processing of old corrugated container (OCC) in the subsequent stages of homogenization (soda cooking) and purification (bleaching with hypochlorite). The properties were characterized in four different categories including chemical composition or purity, accessibility, reactivity, and structural features. Alkali delignification and a bleaching sequence of HEHEHEA were selected for homogenization and purification of pulp followed by characterization of the pulp properties. The dissolving pulp exhibited the following properties: yield, 78%; cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content, 90.5%, 7.76%, and 0.3%, respectively; alpha cellulose, 70%. Pulp reactivity measured with two experiments showed Fock reactivity value of 85.67% as well as iodine sorption value (ISV) of 94.95 g/g; accessibility represented by two tests of water retention (WRV) and alkali retention capacity (ARC) with 6.87 for the first and 6.1% for the latter, degree of polymerization (DP), 913.4; crystallinity index, 76.95%; and brightness, 72.87%. FTIR spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) isotherms were utilized to examine the modifications of OCC to dissolving pulp. The results indicated that the dissolving pulp produced from OCC as a raw material is suitable for DP applications of cellulose derivatives.

Bacterial cellulose is identical in chemical composition to cellulose extracted from lignocellulosic biomass, but with partial difference in structural characteristics. These differences, specifically its purity, make it valuable, but its production processes are quite expensive. In the present work, spent black liquor resulting from cotton pulping, as a major industrial waste stream, was investigated as an alternative carbon source in the production of bacterial cellulose (BC) using Acetobacter xylinum. XRD results of the produced cellulose showed that the crystallinity of the BC was lower than that of cotton pulp alpha-cellulose. SEM evaluation confirmed the nano-size of the produced cellulose, while its structure was evidenced by FT- IR analysis. The effect of altering the culture media on some structural features of the produced BC was thoroughly discussed and it was suggested that the spent liquor could be added in amounts of up to 25% for BC production in standard cultures (HS).

In this study, nanobiocomposites based on sodium caseinate (SC) protein have been developed and characterized. Different levels of bacterial cellulose (BC; 1 and 2 wt%) and halloysite nanotubes (Hal; 1 and 3 wt%) as reinforcements were incorporated into SC films. Based on FE-SEM results, the pores on the surface of SC film were filled by reinforcements and nanocomposites containing both BC and Hal exhibited a uniform and homogenous surface. FTIR spectra verified the successful incorporation of BC/or Hal into the polymer matrix. XRD patterns of nanocomposites showed a wide reflection at 2 theta angle of 20 belonging to sodium caseinate along with two main reflections at 21 and 29 which approved the intercalation of BC/or Hal into matrix. Both bacterial cellulose and halloysite promoted the crystallinity of the control film, but Hal was more efficient. As indicated in TG and DTG thermograms, the interaction of SC matrix with Hal improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites in comparison with pure SC film. Simultaneous application of BC (2%) and Hal (3%) displayed a synergistic effect on the mechanical strength (11.62 MPa) of the nanobiocomposites. The moisture absorption capability of BC/or Hal-reinforced composites decreased by increasing the amount of fillers. As compared to pure SC film, water vapor permeation (WVP) of the nanocellulose/or Hal-reinforced nanocomposites decreased by increasing their reinforcement content. MTT assay result indicated the biocompatibility of the prepared nanocomposites. The improved mechanical, thermal and barrier properties of the sodium caseinate-based nanocomposite can be promised for food packaging.

Petroleum contamination of marine environments due to exploitation and accidental spills causes serious harm to ecosystems. Bioremediation with immobilized microorganisms is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective emerging technology for treating oil-polluted environments. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis was entrapped in Ca alginate beads using the electrospray technique for light crude oil biodegradation. Three important process variables, including inoculum size (5–15% v/v), initial oil concentration (1500–3500 ppm), and NaCl concentration (0–30 g/L), were optimized to obtain the best response of crude oil removal using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box–Behnken design (BBD). The highest crude oil removal of 79.58% was obtained for 1500 ppm of crude oil after 14 days using immobilized cells, and it was lower for freely suspended cells (64.77%). Our result showed similar trends in the effect of variables on the oil biodegradation rate in both free cell (FC) and immobilized cell (IC) systems. However, according to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) results, the extent of the variables’ effectiveness was different in FC and IC systems. In the immobilized cell system, all variables had a greater effect on the rate of light crude oil degradation. Moreover, to evaluate the effectiveness of free and immobilized B. licheniformis in bioremediation of an actual polluted site, the crude oil spill in natural seawater was investigated. The results suggested the stability of beads in the seawater, as well as high degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by free and immobilized cells in the presence of indigenous microorganisms.

Background and Objective: Petroleum compounds are major contributors to aquatic environmental pollution. In recent years, biological treatments as environmental-friendly and cost-effective techniques have been used alongside the various physico-chemical methods. Microbial cell immobilization in hydrogel carriers has been the focus of researchers due to various advantages such as ease of microbial species control, non-direct exposure of pollutants to the cells, increasing cell resistance during different types of stresses and reusability. The main goals of this study were introduction to electrospraying technique in order to size reduction of alginate beads and comparison of heavy crude oil biodegradation using an isolated strain of Bacillus licheniformis in free and immobilized cells. Materials and Methods: The oil-degrading strain was isolated from oil-polluted site on Kharg Island. Microbial cells were examined in both free and immobilized systems under different conditions (pH=5,7) and initial crude oil concentration (1500,3500 ppm). Electrospraying technique was used for alginate beads production. Residual crude oil content was analyzed by gas chromatograph and gravimetrically method. Results: The maximum oil removal (61%) was obtained for the immobilized cells at a concentration of 3500 ppm in neutral medium. Overall, according to the results, after the 14th day, the biodegradation through the immobilized cells was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the free cells. Moreover, the cell immobilization caused the microorganisms to be more resistant to the harsh environments. Conclusion: This study showed that the immobilized microbial cell system has a great potential for oil wastewater treatment. The electrospraying technique can be used to overcome to the mass transfer limitations.

Oil pollution is a serious international concern due to its harmful effect on human health and the environment. This study aims to investigate the effective factors on the biodegradation of Iranian heavy crude oil by Bacillus licheniformis. For this purpose, oil removal from the artificial seawater was studied by response surface methodology (RSM). After the screening experiments, pH (4-10), Had. concentration (0-10 g/L), and oil concentration (500-4500 ppm) were selected as influential factors. Moreover, to evaluate the bacterial capability in bioremediation of an actual polluted site, crude oil spill with a salinity of 35 g/L was experimentally simulated. The proposed model in this study clearly shows that both selected individual factors and their interactions are significantly effective on the crude oil biodegradation capacity. The results showed that Bacillus licheniformis was able to degrade crude oil at different concentrations of oil, especially at low concentrations, which are challenging in actual polluted sites. 15%-66% removal was achieved for 500-4500 ppm of crude oil after 14 days. Furthermore, according to the obtained results, this bacterium can tolerate the salinity up to 3.5%. At this salinity level, crude oil removal was 23.43 and 25.64% in neutral and alkaline conditions, respectively. Process factors were optimized, and 54.8% of crude oil was removed at optimum conditions i.e., 3500 ppm crude oil concentration, 2.5 g/L of NaCl and pH equal to 8.5. Finally, it can be concluded that the selected bacterium of this study can be more effective in harsh environments such as hypersaline and alkaline conditions.

The aim of this work was to study mechanical properties of two types of papers impregnated with melamine formaldehyde(MF)/urea formaldehyde(UF)/nanosilica nanocomposite coatings. A full factorial experimental design was used to study the effects of the type of paper (mechanical or Kraft), nanosilica content (0,2,4%) and UF:MF weight ratio (60:40, 75:25 and 90:10) on the mechanical properties of the coated papers. The tensile index (TI), breaking length (BL) and tear index (Tin) of the mechanical papers were not affected significantly by addition of nanosilica to the resin while the Kraft paper was more responsive to nanosilica and showed higher mechanical properties. Kraft paper coated with UF:MF 60:40 resin containing 4% nanosilica showed the highest TI, BL and Tin in machine direction among the samples. The microstructure of the mechanical and Kraft papers impregnated with this nanocomposite coating was further characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM/EDX and AFM. FTIR spectra proved the formation of chemical bonds between the resin and nanosilica in Kraft paper. SEM/EDX and XRD patterns revealed that nanosilica was well dispersed in the nanocomposite coating without any aggregation. The findings of this study suggest that naonsilica can be used as a promising additive for improving the properties of Kraft papers.

The present study was conducted to form polysaccharide-based multilayers of cationic starch (CS)/anionic starch (AS), and CS/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on broke chemi-mechanical pulp (BCMP) fibers. It aimed to examine the buildup of CS/AS and CS/CMC polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) on the fibers surface, and explore the effects of PEM formation on the properties of the resulting papers. The assembly of PEM was analyzed by using zeta (ζ-) potential, water retention value (WRV), SEM micrographs, and paper properties such as thickness and strength. The results of ζ-potential inversions indicated successful constitution of PEM on the BCMP fiber surface by assembling CS/AS or CS/CMC multilayers. Further, larger ζ-potential variations occurred in depositing CS/CMC PEM, due to more charge of CMC, which presumably formed a layer with greater potential of absorption. Based on the SEM images, the surface of PEM-treated fibers was rougher, compared to the untreated fibers due to the coating with starch. Furthermore, the PEM fabrication resulted in creating fibers with higher degree of WRV, which was consistent with the significant improvement of the sheet strengths. Finally, the strength enhanced papers made from PEM-treated fibers with tensile index of about 37.33 ± 1.47 N m/g vs 22.24 ± 1.23 N m/g or 11.60 ± 0.57 N m/g for the papers made from original CMP and untreated BCMP fibers, respectively, may diminish the challenges related to web breaks in the paper machine conveying BCMP broke fibers.

Heavy water has two heavy hydrogen atoms or deuterium. Chemical properties of heavy water are similar to light water, but their physical, thermodynamic, and nuclear properties are different. On the other hand, the Equation of State (EOS) is an important and suitable tool for studying the thermophysical behavior of materials and predicting them in different conditions in terms of pressure, temperature and amount. At present, there are different equations of state that can be categorized as theoreticall, empericall and semi-emperical. Regarding to the importance of heavy water and its role in various researches, in particular nuclear researches, and the application of this material in medicine and industry, the thermodynamic regularities of this material have been studied in this research using different semi-experimental equations of state based on van der Waals and Dieterici models. The comparison between calculations with the experimental data showed that the equations of state predicted the thermodynamic regularities of heavy water well qualitatively, but their quantitative behavior is different.

Introduction: Due to the hydrophilic nature of cellulose, nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is supplied in low solid content and high viscosity. As a cost saving strategy, increasing the possible highest solid content is preferred, which is hardly feasible owing to the irreversible hydrogen bonding formation during drying. This phenomenon known as Hornification prevents the cellulose nanofibrils to be readily dispersed in water after being dried. This research assessed an environmentally friendly procedure for the production of water-dispersible nanofibrillated cellulose powder based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) absorption. Material and methods: The absorption of varying amounts of CMC (0, 20 and 40 ml to constant 100 ml NFC) on cellulose nanofibrils in different temperatures of 22 °C (ambient) and 121 °C (autoclave) was investigated using conductometric titration. As the innovative part of the project, hydrodynamic properties of the dispersed NFC suspension including viscosity, turbidity, hydrodynamic specific volume, and water uptake were explored. Besides, the size of powder particles was probed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Results and discussion: The results indicated that in the highest addition level of CMC (40 ml) and autoclaving at 121 °C for 25 min, the highest absorption was observed, which yielded maximum results in all hydrodynamic properties compared to the control and other treated samples. On the contrary, data recorded for DLS signified that Poly Dispersity Index and the hydrodynamic diameter of the treated samples were bigger than untreated NFC, which was ascribed to the aggregation and agglomeration of cellulose particles in aqueous media. Conclusion: Based on the method presented in this research, NFC powders with suitable dispersibility were obtained after oven-drying. It is concluded that the addition of adequate CMC to NFC results in increased dispersion and waster absorption capacity. The achievements of this novel method facilitates the production, handling, and storage of NFC in industrial applications.

The interactive effect of exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a donor of nitric oxide, on zinc (Zn) toxicity was assessed in Zn-stressed safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seedlings. Exposure to 500 mu M ZnSO4 center dot 7H(2)O for 10 days caused an increment in the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, alpha-tocopherol, phytochelatins (PCs), and proline. Application of SA or SNP, and especially their combination, resulted in remarkable decrease in MDA, H2O2, and proline content while chlorophyll content and the activity of catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and guaiacol peroxidase exhibited a significant induction in comparison with plants subjected to Zn treatment alone. In Zn-treated plants, addition of SA and SA + SNP caused a progressive increase in alpha-tocopherol levels in comparison with plants treated with Zn alone. In plants subjected to Zn excess, no significant association was found between PC levels and the supplementation of SA, while application of SNP and SA + SNP caused a significant increase in PC contents. These data imply that SA and SNP, and especially in combination, play a significant role in the amelioration of deleterious effects of Zn toxicity, probably due to stimulation of antioxidative defense mechanisms and PC biosynthesis.

Improvement the strength properties of papers made from recycled fibers is of important aims in papermaking industries. Current researches revealed that higher retention of strength induced additives through alternative absorption of polymers having opposite charge is one of promising approaches to obtain such purpose. In this study, treatment of fibers prepared from neutral sulfite semi-chemical papers with cationic starch and anionic CMC was conducted in pH~7, pH~10 and 0.001 M NaCl salty suspension. Then, fibers water retention value and zeta potential was measured. Standard handsheets with 60±3 g/m2 basis weight were made from untreated and treated pulps. The results have shown that fibers WRV significantly increased by absorbing of these two water-loving polymers. Consecutive changes of zeta potential confirmed charge reversion of fibers surface and sequential absorption of couple polymers. Scanning electron micrographs prepared from the samples of untreated and treated papers presented new variations in amount of fibers bend area due to the larger absorption of these two reinforcement polymers. Moreover, considerable development in paper mechanical characteristics (tensile, burst and tear indices) proved the success of high absorption of applied bio-polymers.

In this article, magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles coated onto sawdust (SD) and its application as an efficient sorbent for removal of methylene blue dye has been reported. The introduced Nanocomposite was prepared through co-precipitation by addition of sawdust which has been previously soaked in magnesium sulfate solution into a NaOH solution. Adsorption studies was carried out in both batch and column systems. For determination of optimum dye removal conditions, the effect of parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration, sorbent dosage, contact time, and temperature were investigated in a batch adsorption system. The results indicated that SD/MgO nanocomposite is able for uptaking of methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions successfully. It was found that more than 95% dye removal is happened when 0.20 g adsorbent was treated with 100 mL of dye solution with initial concentration of 100 mg/L. The treatment of the data was also carried out using both Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. Based on regression analysis, it was found that the sorption of methylene blue using nanocomposite of SD/MgO adopt Freundlich isotherm partially better than Langmuir isotherm. Maximum monolayer adsorption capacity has been obtained 59.17 mg/g. Kinetic studies have also been conducted and it was found that adsorption of methylene blue by SD/MgO follows with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.