Moringa oleifera is a plant whose seeds have coagulation properties for treating water and wastewater. In this study the coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in different storage conditions were studied. The Moringa oleifera seeds were stored at different conditions and durations; open container and closed container at room temperature (28 degrees C) and refrigerator (3 degrees C) for durations of 1, 3 and 5 months. Comparison between turbidity removal efficiency of Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature revealed that there was no significant difference between them. The Moringa oleifera kept in refrigerator and room temperature for one month showed higher turbidity removal efficiency, compared to those kept for 3 and 5 months, at both containers. The coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found to be dependent on initial turbidity of water samples. Highest turbidity removals were obtained for water with very high initial turbidity. In summary coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera was found independent of storage temperature and container, however coagulation efficiency of Moringa oleifera decreased as storage duration increased. In addition, Moringa oleifera can be used as a potential coagulant especially for very high turbidity water.

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The study was conducted to highlight a detailed account of morphology of pollen chosen species of Lamiaceae through scanning electron microscopy, and the anatomical characteristics of leaf epidermis of seven species using simple light microscopy.In results, Anisomeles indica and Otostegia aucheri belong to subfamily Lamioideae because it has tricolpate pollen while the rest eight species belong to subfamily Nepetoideae (hexacolpate pollen). The exine sculpturing of pollen of studied species was found to be reticulate. In the family Lamiaceae, four kinds of stomata were found anomocytic, anisocytic, diacytic, and actinocytic, respectively. The cell wall patterns of epidermal cells were irregular or polygonal with straight or undulate walls. It was noted that the variety of the epidermal trichomes seems of taxonomically important for the identification of species of Lamiaceae. Both nonglandular and glandular trichomes were analyzed. The nonglandular trichomes were characterized with long, thin, and pointed apical unicellular cells. The nonglandular trichomes were A-shaped in Thymus linearis. In Perovskia abrotanoides, stellate glandular trichomes were observed whereas in A. indica and Mentha royleana both glandular and nonglandular trichomes were found. In A. indica, the nonglandular trichomes were sessile and peltate in M. royleana. For the first time in this study, pollen and foliar micromorphological features of selected species of this area are carried out. These taxonomic characters were found to be important in discrimination of species from each other.In future, the detailed study with comprehensive morphology coupled with other important characters is required for delimitation of taxa at various levels. K E Y W O R D Slight microscopy, microscopic anatomy, pollen microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface analysis

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A series of chromium(iii) complexes ligated by N^N^N tridentate 2-quinoxalinyl-6-iminopyridine were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis for the structure of complex C3 reveals a distorted octahedral geometry. When methylaluminoxane was employed as the co-catalyst, the chromium complexes showed high activities for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization. The distribution of oligomers obtained followed Schulz–Flory rules with high selectivity for α-olefins. Both steric and electronic effects of coordinated ligands affected the catalytic activities as well as the properties of the catalytic products. The parameters of the reaction conditions were also investigated to explore the optimum catalytic potentials of these complexes.

This study examined the potential of nanocatalyst CuO-CeO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 for efficient conversion of Sterculia foetida seed Oil into biodiesel. S. foetida contains 40% oil content and low free fatty acid value (0.18 mg KOH/g). The synthesized nanocatalyst was characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The maximum conversion was achieved (92% yield) using CuO-CeO 2 at 0.25% catalyst loading. The optimized reaction was carried out by experimental variables included molar ratio (1:9), temperature (70 • C), reaction time (3 h) and stirring rate (600 rpm) using reflux transesterification method. The XRD results showed the size of crystals with order 54.4 nm for CuO-CeO 2 and 31.3 nm for Fe 2 O 3. The SEM images of CuO-CeO 2 showed spherical structure having an average particle size of 32.3 nm. SEM images of Fe 2 O 3 showed the size ranges from 46.27 to 28.76 nm having regular morphology, including spherical shape. The FT-IR analysis of this nanocatalyst also reinforced the results of this study. Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed the efficient conversion of S. foetida seed oil into biodiesel using prepared nanocatalysts. The prepared nanocatalysts are cheaper, readily available and can be used for industrial scale biofuel production assembly, making it economically feasible and more cost effective.

The current study focuses on the synthesis of Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanocatalyst via Tragacanth Gum (TG) using the wet impregnation method and its application for sustainable biodiesel production from a novel, non-edible Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl seed oil. The D. sophia seed oil has higher oil content (36 wt%) and free fatty acid (FFA) value (0.6 mg KOH/g). Innovative analytical methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were used to characterize the newly synthesized, environmentally friendly, and recyclable CeO2-TG phytonanocatalyst (FT-IR). The results show that the CeO2-TG phytonanocatalyst was 22 nm in diameter with a spherical shape outer morphology, while the inner structure was hexagonal. Due to low FFA content, the D. sophia seed oil was pretreated and transesterified via a single step. Using varying parameters, the optimized process variables were determined via Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimum process values were 8:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 0.3 wt% catalyst concentration, 90 °C temperature, and reaction time of 210 min with 98% biodiesel yield. The recently created phytonanocatalyst was reliable and effective, with three times reusability in the transesterification reaction. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), FT-IR, gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GCMS), and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses were used to characterize the synthesized biodiesel. Physico-chemical properties of D. sophia biodiesel, i.e., Kinematic viscosity (4.23 mm2/s), density (0.800 kg/m3), pour point (−7 °C), cloud point (−12 °C), and flash point (73.5 °C) agree well with international biodiesel standards (ASTM-6751, 951), (EU-14214), and China (GB/T 20828) standards. The results show that the synthesized nanocatalyst demonstrated remarkable stability, indicating a bright future for industrial biodiesel production from low-cost feedstock.