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Tannic acid (TA) is one of the green corrosion inhibitors for mild steel; its anti-corrosive performance in alkaline water on mild steel when it is used together with polyaspartic acid (PASA) still has not been investigated. The purpose of this study is to develop an effective, biodegradable and environment-friendly novel corrosion inhibitor based on TA and PASA as an alternative to the conventional inorganic inhibitors for mild steel in decarbonised water, which is common in cooling systems.

Corrosion inhibition mechanism is investigated by electrochemical techniques such as polarisation measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and results were evaluated to determine the optimum inhibitor concentration for industrial applications. Additionally, practice-like conditions are carried out in pilot plant studies to simulate the conditions in cooling systems. Thus, the efficiencies of the inhibitors are evaluated through both weight loss and linear polarisation resistance measurements. Moreover, the corrosion product is characterised by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis.

TA shows high inhibition efficiency especially towards pitting corrosion for mild steel in decarbonised water. PASA addition in the cooling systems improves the inhibition efficiency of TA, and at lower concentrations of TA + PASA, it is possible to obtained better inhibition efficiency than TA alone at higher inhibitor amounts, which is essential in economic and environmental aspect.

A blended inhibitor program including TA and PASA with suggested concentrations in this work can be used as an environmental friendly treatment concept for the mild steel corrosion inhibition at cooling systems.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between pH of water or other daily fluid intake and risk of kidney stones in adult men.

This case–control study included 120 adult men with kidney stones and 240 healthy controls matched by age. Participants were selected from the Urmia Imam Khomeini Educational Hospital in the northwest of Iran by the available sampling method between 2017 and 2018. The mean total daily fluid intake of the subjects over the past one year period was collected using a validated 139-item Food Frequency Questionnaire, and the pH of drinking water samples consumed over the past six months was determined using an electrochemical pH meter. Information on physical activity level and socio-demographic characteristics of all participants was collected.

The mean pH of daily water consumption was 7.1 ± 250.3 and 7.4%± 250.3 in case and control groups, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjusting for the covariates 25 a significant relationship was detected between the pH of drinking water (not for other fluid intake26) and kidney stone disease (OR = 0.15, CI 0.06–0.4, P > 1. Moreover, no association was found between the volume of total fluid intake and risk of kidney stones.

These findings support potential protective effects of drinking water intake with higher pH level on preventing kidney stones.

This study aims at extracting and characterizing palm leaf fibers from Elaeis guineensis species of palm trees found in Ethiopia.

The fibers were extracted using three methods: manually, through water retting and chemically with sodium hydroxide. Physical parameters of the extracted fibers were evaluated, including tensile strength, fiber fineness, moisture content, degradation point and functional groups. Its cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents were also analyzed.

The results showed that the palm leaf fibers have a comparable fiber strength (170-450 MPa), elongation (0.95-1.25 per cent), fiber length (230-500 mm) and moisture regain (8-10 per cent) to jute, sisal and flax and thus can be used for technical textile application.

The fibers extracted using the water retting method had better properties than the other extraction methods. Its fiber length of 307 mm, cellulose content of 58 per cent, strength of 439 MPa and elongation of 1.24 per cent were the highest for all the extracted fibers. When compared with other fibers, palm leaf fiber properties such as tensile strength (439 MPa), elongation (1.24 per cent), moisture content (7.9-10.4 per cent and degradation point (360-380°C) were consistent with those of jute, sisal and ramie fibers. Hence, palm leaf fibers can be used for technical textile applications such as composite reinforcement.

The treatment of water for use in steam‐raising plants has two primary objects: firstly, to maintain efficiency of operation by preventing the formation of scales and deposits on heating and cooling surfaces and in water‐carrying pipelines and, secondly, to prolong the life of the equipment by preventing corrosion of metal surfaces with which the water comes into contact. Corrosion is perhaps less obvious because the effects are not always evident until it is too late and replacement of corroded sections becomes necessary. Troubles caused by the accumulation of corrosion products, and damage by corrosion, can be avoided if appropriate agents are employed to treat the water circulating in the system. This article describes the properties and use of cyclohexylamine, a material which has found widespread application for the treatment of boiler water to prevent corrosion of metal surfaces by dissolved carbon dioxide.

The increasing accumulation of synthetic plastic waste in oceans and landfills, along with the depletion of non-renewable fossil-based resources, has sparked environmental concerns and prompted the search for environmentally friendly alternatives. Biodegradable plastics derived from lignocellulosic materials are emerging as substitutes for synthetic plastics, offering significant potential to reduce landfill stress and minimise environmental impacts. This study highlights a sustainable and cost-effective solution by utilising agricultural residues and invasive plant materials as carbon substrates for the production of biopolymers, particularly polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), through microbiological processes. Locally sourced residual materials were preferred to reduce transportation costs and ensure accessibility. The selection of suitable residue streams was based on various criteria, including strength properties, cellulose content, low ash and lignin content, affordability, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, shelf-life, mechanical and physical properties, short maturation period, antibacterial properties and compatibility with global food security. Life cycle assessments confirm that PHB dramatically lowers CO₂ emissions compared to traditional plastics, while the growing use of lignocellulosic biomass in biopolymeric applications offers renewable and readily available resources. Governments worldwide are increasingly inclined to develop comprehensive bioeconomy policies and specialised bioplastics initiatives, driven by customer acceptability and the rising demand for environmentally friendly solutions. The implications of climate change, price volatility in fossil materials, and the imperative to reduce dependence on fossil resources further contribute to the desirability of biopolymers. The study involves fermentation, turbidity measurements, extraction and purification of PHB, and the manufacturing and testing of composite biopolymers using various physical, mechanical and chemical tests.

The textile industry is one of the largest and most important industrial sectors in India. Because the textile industry consumes large quantities of water and produces highly polluted water discharge, its environmental impact is high. Water is expensive to use, treat and dispose of. Therefore, water conservation and reuse are critical necessity for the textile industry because decreasing water and wastewater treatment and recycling costs can be beneficial.

This research neutralized the pH during dyeing industry wastewater treatment. The system should be robust to erroneous sensor measurements. A pH meter was developed and used to monitor the pH of wastewater hourly before and after HCl treatment.

HCl was used to neutralize the pH of wastewater from 9 to 7.5. The amount of HCl was optimized depending on the wastewater. Three wastewater treatment methods were used, namely, HCl, wash water and reverse osmosis (RO) treatments. The HCl treatment was the most effective for decreasing the pH; the wash water treatment was the most effective for decreasing the total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS) total hardness and chemical oxygen demand; and the RO treatment was the most effective for decreasing the biochemical oxygen demand, TDS, TSS, total hardness and Cl⁻ concentration.

The pH should be monitored during the textile dyeing because the addition of color to textile fabrics is the most effective at neutral pH. This study evaluated several parameters of wastewater, including pH, color, TSS and TDS. The fabricated digital pH meter provided superior results than conventional measuring devices. The goal was to maintain a neutral pH during dyeing and recycle wastewater to improve environmental sustainability. The newly developed digital pH meter was less expensive and more precise than traditional pH meters. Before reusing and recycling, wastewater underwent ultrafiltration and RO treatment.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of microbial elimination using different sanitizers in raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, spring onions, Chinese chives, and chicory) and to analyze the efficacy of Escherichia coli O157:H7 reduction by type of sanitizer and vegetable.

To assess the sanitizing effects of microbial elimination by variety of vegetable, the samples were grouped into four different washing methods: control (no sanitizer), 100 ppm chlorine, 100 ppm electrolyzed water, and 200 ppm electrolyzed water after prewashing. Subsequently, quantitative microbiological experiments were conducted to assess aerobic mesophilic plate count (APC), coliform, E. coli, and Bacillus cereus, and sensory changes of the sanitized vegetables were tested. Thereafter, measurement of the sanitizing effects on bacterial reduction after inoculation with E. coli O157:H7 was conducted.

The microbial levels of four types of vegetables ranged from 3.37 to 5.24 log CFU/g for APC, 2.41 to 5.57 log CFU/g for E. coli, 0.25 to 5.40 log CFU/g for coliform, and 0.83 to 5.44 log CFU/g for B. cereus. After three types of sanitizing treatments, microbial reduction effects showed 0.94-1.84 log CFU/g for APC, 0.56-1.00 log CFU/g for E. coli, 0.18-1.26 log CFU/g for coliform, and 0.56-1.23 log CFU/g for B. cereus (p<0.05). In sensory evaluation, there were no significant differences in taste and flavor between with and without sanitizing treatments. Regarding bacterial reduction after inoculation with E. coli O157:H7, the microbial reduction on vegetables was shown to be in the range of 0.27-1.57 log CFU/g with 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite, 0.66-3.07 log CFU/g with 100 ppm electrolyzed water, and 0.79-2.55 log CFU/g with 200 ppm electrolyzed water. Chicory, cherry tomato, and spring onion showed significant reduction levels of E. coli O157:H7 after sanitation (p<0.05).

This study revealed that different sanitization methods are required for different types of vegetables. Electrolyzed water treatment (100 ppm) is a more effective and safe method of washing raw vegetables. Given that the main purpose of sanitizing fresh-cut produce is to maximally reduce microorganism levels, different methods of sanitizing fresh-cut produce with an adequate washing method should be used according to vegetable type.

Although cathodic protection of copper sheaths on wooden ships was proposed and practised over 100 years ago and the use of zinc protectors near bronze propellers on steel ships has been common for many years, it is only in about the last ten years that the present techniques of cathodic protection of ships’ hulls have been developed. Much study has been devoted to the design of the installations, including type and composition of anode materials, number, size, shape and position of anodes, and designers specialising in this field now have considerable practical and theoretical knowledge of such matters. Another factor which must be taken into consideration is the choice of coating for the bottoms of cathodically protected ships, particularly on areas close to the anodes; this is discussed in the present paper.

GERMANY Corrosion protection by means of flame‐sprayed coal‐tar pitch. An unusual method has been employed to ensure the corrosion protection in hydro‐electric plant of the steel tunnel lining, penstocks and surge tank. This method is known as the Colarit flame spraying method and consists in applying coal‐tar pitch by means of a spray gun heated with propane gas. It has been developed by two German firms (Roos & Liebscher, Weiden, and Colarit‐Korro‐sionsschutzgesellschaft Düsseldorf).

The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of women in rural communities of South‐Western Nigeria in entrepreneurial engagement through craft practice.

Literatures were reviewed on crafts practice and appreciation in Nigeria. This enabled the contemplation of the place of craft practice as occupational engagement before, during and post colonial periods. The process of data gathering consists of field work, interviews, observation and photographing; through this, the technical production of mat and indigo dyed fabric were explored.

Women of rural communities in Western Nigeria have been actively been involved in crafts production to make ends meet in a male dominated economy. They form professional guilds to revive craft production/patronage, to network among members, and to seek help from the government and relevant organizations. The study found out that the potentials of the rural women can be fully developed if the method of making their products is given a facelift through partial mechanization.

An average Nigerian wants to be employed in white collar job and people are no longer interested in craft practice. The apprenticeship system of learning in the traditional system whereby skill is transferred from parents to their children is almost becoming a history. Thus, craft production is in the hand of few people among which the rural women are very spectacular.

This paper considers the women of rural communities in Southwestern Nigeria as a factor in the revilitalization of traditional crafts through occupational engagement in craft practice.