In this study, a biodegradable alternative to synthetic plastics was explored, where gelatinized corn starch was blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) using the solution casting method at different ratios. Tensile tests showed that films made of only starch exhibited the lowest tensile strength at 3.66 MPa, which increased as the ratio of PVA in the blend was raised. The water vapor transmission rate was similar even when the starch content was changed. PVA was shown to increase the solubility of the film in water, and starch demonstrated a better ability to absorb water than that of PVA, with the pure starch film swelled up to 167% of its original weight. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed that there was no significant chemical interaction between the starch and PVA which could alter their respective functional groups. Bioplastic films made of only starch showed the least amount of degradation after 3 days when buried in soil, while water uptake in films made of PVA caused it to turn into a sticky gel‐like substance. Chlorella vulgaris exhibited a higher preference for PVA as the substrate when compared to starch. This revealed that C. vulgaris showed promise as a candidate for breaking down the bioplastic films when grown as a heterotroph.
Low-gradient magnetic separation (LGMS) of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has been proven as one of the techniques with great potential for biomedical and environmental applications. Recently, the underlying principle of particle capture by LGMS, through a process known as magnetophoresis, under the influence of hydrodynamic effect has been widely studied and illustrated.
Whilst adsorption process is the preferred method of purifying wastewater due to its benefits, problems with the recovery of spent adsorbents are still prevalent in wastewater treatment technology. The use of magnetized biomass-based adsorbents (biosorbents) to ease the regeneration process would be a novel approach to overcome this obstacle. The magnetization of orange peel adsorbent involves a series of preparation stages. In this context, there are several parameters that may affect the magnetization of orange peel (OP) such as the ratio between FeCl3•6H2O and FeCl2•4H2O, mass of untreated orange peel (UOP), volume of NH3 solution, magnetization temperature and magnetization period. In this study, Fractional Factorial Design (FFD) was adopted to identify the significant parameters affecting two different responses namely the success of magnetization process and methylene blue (MB) dye removal. Based on the ANoVA results, the significant parameters affecting the success of the magnetization process were magnetization temperature, interaction between ratio of FeCl2:FeCl3 and volume of ammonia, and mass of OP with duration of mixing. Whereas the significant parameters affecting the MB dye removal were all five of the individual parameters, along with the interaction of amount of OP with the other four parameters, interaction between volume of ammonia with duration of mixing and with ratio of FeCl2:FeCl3, interaction between duration of mixing with temperature and ratio of FeCl2:FeCl3, and interaction between temperature and ratio of FeCl2:FeCl3. The highest recorded MB removal was 89.18%, while the lowest recorded MB removal was 38.76%. The regeneration study also showed that magnetized orange peel could be regenerated at least six times without having a significant reduction in adsorption capacity. The major functional groups of magnetized orange peel before adsorption, after adsorption and after regeneration were all similar, indicating that the spent adsorbent could be regenerated.
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