The conventional treatments used to remove dyes produced as a result of different industrial activities are not completely effective. At times, some toxic by-products are generated, affecting aquatic ecosystems. In this article, an efficient use of microorganisms is presented as a biodegradation technique that is a safe environmental alternative for the benefit of aquatic life. A strain of the yeast Galactomyces geotrichum KL20A isolated from Kumis (a Colombian natural fermented milk) was used for Methylene Blue (MB) bioremoval. Two parameters of the bioremediation process were studied at three different levels: initial dye concentration and growth temperature. The maximum time of MB exposure to the yeast was 48 h. Finally, a pseudo-first-order model was used to simulate the kinetics of the process. The removal percentages of MB, by action of G. geotrichum KL20A were greater than 70% under the best operating conditions and in addition, the kinetic simulation of the experimental results indicated that the constant rate of the process was 2.2 × 10-2 h−1 with a half time for biotransformation of 31.2 h. The cytotoxicity test based on the hemolytic reaction indicated that by-products obtained after the bioremoval process reached a much lower percentage of hemolysis (22%) compared to the hemolytic activity of the negative control (100%). All of these results suggest that the strain has the capacity to remove significant amounts of MB from wastewater effluents.

This study synthesized and characterized composites of graphene oxide and TiO 2 (GO–TiO 2 ). GO–TiO 2 thin films were deposited using the doctor blade technique. Subsequently, the thin films were sensitized with a natural dye extracted from a Colombian source ( Bactris guineensis ). Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance measurements were used for physico-chemical characterization. All the samples were polycrystalline in nature, and the diffraction signals corresponded to the TiO 2 anatase crystalline phase. Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) verified the synthesis of composite thin films, and the SEM analysis confirmed the TiO 2 films morphological modification after the process of GO incorporation and sensitization. XPS results suggested a possibility of appearance of titanium (III) through the formation of oxygen vacancies (O v ). Furthermore, the optical results indicated that the presence of the natural sensitizer and GO improved the optical properties of TiO 2 in the visible range. Finally, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was studied under visible irradiation in aqueous solution, and pseudo-first-order model was used to obtain kinetic information about photocatalytic degradation. These results indicated that the presence of GO has an important synergistic effect in conjunction with the natural sensitizer, reaching a photocatalytic yield of 33%.

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SummaryRecently, the compound semiconductor Cu3BiS3 has been demonstrated to have a band gap of ~1.4 eV, well suited for photovoltaic energy harvesting. The preparation of polycrystalline thin films was successfully realized and now the junction formation to the n-type window needs to be developed. We present an investigation of the Cu3BiS3 absorber layer and the junction formation with CdS, ZnS and In2S3 buffer layers. Kelvin probe force microscopy shows the granular structure of the buffer layers with small grains of 20–100 nm, and a considerably smaller work-function distribution for In2S3 compared to that of CdS and ZnS. For In2S3 and CdS buffer layers the KPFM experiments indicate negatively charged Cu3BiS3 grain boundaries resulting from the deposition of the buffer layer. Macroscopic measurements of the surface photovoltage at variable excitation wavelength indicate the influence of defect states below the band gap on charge separation and a surface-defect passivation by the In2S3 buffer layer. Our findings indicate that Cu3BiS3 may become an interesting absorber material for thin-film solar cells; however, for photovoltaic application the band bending at the charge-selective contact has to be increased.

In this study, a family of porphyrins based on 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(4-ethylphenyl)porphyrin (1, Ph) and six metallo-derivatives (Zn2+(2, Ph-Zn), Sn4+(3, Ph-Sn), Mn2+ (4, Ph-Mn), Ni2+ (5, Ph-Ni), Al3+ (6, Ph-Al), and V3+ (7, Ph-V)) were tested as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy against Leishmania braziliensis and panamensis. The singlet oxygen quantum yield value (ΦΔ) for (1–7) was measured using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF) as a singlet oxygen trapping agent and 5,10,15,20-(tetraphenyl)-porphyrin (H2TPP) as a reference standard; besides, parasite viability was estimated by the MTT assay. After metal insertion into the porphyrin core, the ΦΔ increased from 0.76–0.90 and cell viability changed considerably. The ΦΔ and metal type changed the cytotoxic activity. Finally, (2) showed both the highest ΦΔ (0.90) and the best photodynamic activity against the parasites studied (IC50 of 1.2 μM).

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In this paper we investigated In 2 S 3 as substitute for CdS, which is conventionally used as buffer layer in chalcopyrite based solar cells. In 2 S 3 thin films were deposited by CBD and co-evaporation methods and these were employed as buffer layer in CuGaSe 2 based solar cells. Previous to the device fabrication, comparative study was carried out on In 2 S 3 thin films properties deposited from chemical bath containing thioacetamide, Indium Chloride, and sodium citrate, and In 2 S 3 thin films prepared by co-evaporation from its constituents elements. The influence of synthesis conditions on the growth rate, optical, structural and morphological properties of the as-grown In 2 S 3 thin films have been carried out with Spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction and AFM microscopy techniques. Suitable conditions were found for reproducible and good quality In 2 S 3 thin films synthesis. By depositing In 2 S 3 thin films as buffer layers in CuGaSe 2 configuration, a maximum solar cell efficiency of 6% was achieved, whilst the reference solar cell with CdS/CuGaSe 2 on similar absorber exhibited 7% efficiency.