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The aim of the present paper to compare the cleaning treatments of paper samples exposed to artificial aging, toluene and isopropyl alcohol gel in cleaning wax stains.

In total, paper samples were made from wood pulp. They had a deterioration phenomenon represented in the stains of the paraffin wax, so two types of cleaning were used: A traditional method using a toluene solution and another new method using isopropanol gel by a cotton swap in a circular movement until the completion of the cleaning process. Then, all paper samples were treated with toluene and isopropanol to handle the second artificial aging and detect how the samples were affected by artificial aging. For identifying the efficacy of these materials in removing paraffin wax stains, a range of examinations and analyses were used, such as universal serial bus, scanning electron microscope, infrared analysis (IR), pH analysis, color change analysis. Moreover, these results were compared with the standard sample’s results.

The results of examinations and analyses proved that the use of toluene affected the paper samples. Their effects were twice as weak, fragile and degraded paper fibers compared to isopropanol gel. Therefore, the isopropanol gel is preferred for paper cleaning to the toluene solution.

This paper highlights the efficiency of isopropyl alcohol gel in cleaning wax stains from historical paper supports.

This paper introduced the simple synthesis process of self-cleaning coating with fog-resistance property using hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and nano-calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO₃) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂).

The synthesis method of PDMS/nano-CaCO₃-TiO₂ is based on sol-gel process. The crosslinking between PDMS and nanoparticles is driven by the covalent bond at temperature of 50°C. The 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane is used as binder for nanoparticles attachment in polymer matrix. Two fabrication methods are used, which are dip- and spray-coating methods.

The prepared coated glass fulfilled the requirement of standard self-cleaning and fog-resistance performance. For the self-cleaning test BS EN 1096-5:2016, the coated glasses exhibited the dust haze value around 20%–25% at tilt angle of 10°. For the antifog test, the coated glasses showed the fog haze value were below 2% and the gloss value were above 85%. The obtained results completely achieved the standard antifog value ASTM F659-06 protocol.

Findings will provide an infrastructure support for the building glass to enhance building’s energy efficiency, cleaning performance and friendly environment.

This study proposed the simple synthesis method using hydrophobic polymer and nano-CaCO₃ and nano-TiO₂, which can achieve optimum self-cleaning property at low tilt angle and fog-resistance performance for building glass.

The research findings have high potential for building company, cleaning building company and government sector. The proposed project capable to reduces the energy consumption about 20% per annum due to labor cost, time-consuming and safety during manual cleaning.

The novel method to develop self-cleaning coating with fog-resistance using simple synthesis process and fabrication method for building glass application.

This paper aims to design the nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coating system which has superhydrophilic property, self-cleaning mechanism and antifog property as well as strong adhesion on glass substrate.

Two hydrophilic materials have been used such as TiO₂ nanoparticles as fillers and hydrophilic copolymer, Pluronic F-127 by using simple sol–gel approach. The prepared solution was applied onto glass through dip- and spray-coating techniques and then left for drying at ambient temperature.

The nano-TiO₂ superhydrophilic coating has achieved the water contact angle of 4.9° ± 0.5°. The superhydrophilic coating showed great self-cleaning effect against concentrated syrup and methylene blue where thin layer of water washes the dirt contaminants away. The nano-TiO₂ coating exhibits great antifog performance that maintains high transparency of around 89% when the coated glass is placed above hot-fog vapor for 10 min. The fog droplets were condensed into water film which allowed the transmission of light through the glass. The strong adhesion of coated glass shows no total failure at scratch profile when impacted with scratch load of 500, 800 and 1,200 mN.

Findings will be useful in the development of self-cleaning superhydrophilic coating that is applicable on building glass and photovoltaic panel.

The developed nano-TiO₂ coating is developed by the combination of hydrophilic organic copolymer–inorganic TiO₂ network to achieve great superhydrophilic property, optimum self-cleaning ability and supreme antifog performance.

The findings will be useful for residents in building glass window where the application will reduce dust accumulation and keep the glass clean for longer period.

The synthesis of nano-TiO₂ superhydrophilic coating which can be sprayed on large glass panel and cured at ambient temperature.

The paper aims to investigate the effect of Degussa P-25 Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles on hydrophobicity and self-cleaning ability as a single organic coating on glass substrate.

Two methods have been used to enhance the hydrophobicity on glass substrates, namely, surface modification by using low surface energy isooctyltrimethoxysilane (ITMS) solution and construction of rough surface morphology using Degussa P-25 TiO₂ nanoparticles with simple bottom-up approach. The prepared sol was applied onto glass substrate using dip-coating technique and stoved in the vacuum furnace 350°C.

The ITMS coating with nano TiO₂ pigment has modified the glass substrate surface by achieving the water contact angle as high as 169° ± 2° and low sliding angle of 0° with simple and low-cost operation. The solid and air phase interface has created excellent anti-dirt and self-cleaning properties against dilute ketchup solution, mud and silicon powder.

Findings will be useful in the development of self-cleaning and anti-dirt coating for photovoltaic panels.

Sol method provides the suitable medium for the combination of organic–inorganic network to achieve high superhydrophobicity and optimum self-cleaning ability.

Application of blended organic–inorganic sol as self-cleaning and anti-dirt coating film.

The main aim of this study is to study the effect of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride on removing stains, yellowness and harmful metal ions on historical printed paper, as well as the effect of this cleaner on optical and chemical properties of treated paper.

The assessments after and before treatment were carried out using digital microscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), pH measurement, color change and finally scanning electron microscopy.

The results showed that the concentrations used under study (1% and 3%) cleaned the paper efficiently without any observed effect on the chemical composition of cellulose, which was confirmed by IR spectra. The most stains that completely disappeared were the soil spots, also the pH values had improved significantly after treatment, which confirms that the detergent is effective in neutralizing the acidity of cellulose. Moreover, the color change revealed an increase in the chromatic lightness of the paper after treatment, which agreed with the results of the scanning electron microscopy examination, as the paper appeared free of dirt, and the fibers and bundles became more cohesive.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is a unique study, as there is no previous literature that has indicated the use of the effect of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride washing treatments for printed historical paper, as it was limited only to making disinfection materials and water purification products.

The textile sector is moving towards new technologies, where the application of nanotechnology is offering fabrics with multifunctional properties making fabric odourless, hydrophobic, durable and self-cleaning. This aim of this research is to investigate self-cleaning ability of denim fabric with the application of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized naturally. The primary focus of this investigation is achieving sustainability mark through green synthesis of ZnO NPs.

In this analysis, ZnO NPs being one of the metal oxides exhibiting self-cleaning, UV-protective and anti-microbial properties were synthesized naturally using Azadirachta Indica leaves. The prepared NPs were characterized by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses confirming their size and crystalline structure. Different formulations were investigated with varying concentration of zinc oxide and auxiliaries onto the denim fabric using pad-dry-cure application technique.

XRD analysis confirmed the successful green synthesis of ZnO NPs. SEM analysis revealed the homogeneous and hexagonal wurtzite NPs deposition on the denim fabric. It was ascertained that with 5% ZnO NPs and 7% Binder concentrations, the formulation resulted in a smooth and even layer on the denim fabric maintaining the appearance and feel at the same time offers appreciable grading (Grade 4) against the stringent stains of Ketchup, Coffee, Grape and Orange Juice with insignificant change in tensile strength.

In this study, self-cleaning attributes of denim fabric with zinc oxide nano formulations of different composition was studied to achieve promising functional properties in a single step not studied earlier.

This photovoice study aims to explore how cleaners experience dirty and invisible work in the workplace.

This research is twofold. The authors first used the photovoice technique, which is one of the visual data collection techniques, to elaborate on the phenomena. The data were obtained with the participation of seven people (four women and three men) from building cleaners working at two public universities in Turkey. Three photographs were requested from each participant and selected nine photographs were described and analyzed among the collected 21 photographs. In addition to photovoice research, five interviews gave insight into the cleaners’ experiences in the second stage of the study.

This research revealed that participating cleaners experienced invisible dirty work and they felt undervalued, despised, treated as “second class/low-level people” and stigmatized.

This study recommends that university administrations defend the rights and dignity of cleaners at work, provide services to support their inclusion and increase staff awareness.

This study sheds light into an understudied area which is the building cleaners’ invisible and dirty work experiences and how that impacts their lives via a photovoice research.

Growing health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic have led guests to focus on various aspects of hotel cleanliness. This study aims to investigate whether customers’ perceived importance of hotel cleanliness during their stay depends on local pandemic severity and moderators of the pandemic–cleanliness relationship.

Based on TripAdvisor data from 26,519 reviews in 2020 for 2,024 hotels across the USA, this study evaluated the importance of hotel cleanliness using the estimated coefficient of the cleanliness score in a regression of overall hotel rating scores.

Results of a multilevel ordered logit model confirmed that a more difficult local pandemic situation rendered cleanliness more important during hotel stays. Additionally, the effect of the pandemic was more pronounced among specific groups: men and travelers with more expertise, and guests staying in hotels without COVID-19 protocols for linen cleaning, with a lower average rating, with a larger size and in a more urbanized location.

This study represents a pioneering effort to assess how pandemics shape people’s (perceived) importance of cleanliness during hotel stays based on revealed data. Despite potential managerial relevance, a number of the moderating variables included in this study, such as traveler expertise and hotel location, have never been studied within the context of cleanliness perceptions during a pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to improve the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the production process of the shredder operation of ABC company, an industrial waste management company which supplies pre-processed industrial waste as alternative fuel to a cement plant.

This case study investigated all possible availability and performance losses that caused the shredder system’s OEE and various problem-solving techniques, such as root cause analysis and Pareto analysis, were used to find the root cause of the reduced OEE.

After analysing this case study, three significant loss factors were identified from all the availability and performance losses, which caused the shredder system’s OEE losses. Practical solutions were found for the effect of those loss factors to improve the machine’s OEE and productivity.

This case study has been concentrated on only analysing of losses and improvement of OEE in the production process and not about cost analysis between loss and improvements.

This paper shows how to improve the OEE of a production process through various problem-solving techniques by identifying its losses and how to achieve the best solutions for those losses in a practical manner.

This study aimed to review various existing methods for improving the quality of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) as a possible substitution for natural aggregates (NAs) in concrete. It is vital as the old paste attached to the RCA weakens its structure. It is due to the porous structure of the RCA with cracks, weakening the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the RCA and binding material, negatively impacting the concrete's properties. To this end, various methods for reinforcement of the RCA, cleaning the RCA's old paste and enhancing the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification are studied in terms of environmental effects, cost and technical matters. Furthermore, this research sought to identify gaps in knowledge and future research directions.

The review of the relevant journal papers revealed that various methods exist for improving the properties of RCAs and RCA-based concrete. A decision matrix was developed and implemented for ranking these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The identified methods for reinforcement of the RCA include accelerated carbonation, bio deposition, soaking in polymer emulsions, soaking in waterproofing admixture, soaking in sodium silicate, soaking in nanoparticles and coating with geopolymer slurry. Moreover, cleaning the RCA's old paste is possible using acid, water, heating, thermal and mechanical treatment, thermo-mechanical and electro-dynamic treatment. Added to these treatment techniques, using RCA in saturated surface dry (SSD) mixing approaches and adding fibres or pozzolana enhance the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification. The study ranked these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria. Ultimately, adding fibres, pozzolana and coating RCA with geopolymer slurry were introduced as the best techniques based on the nominated criteria.

The study supported the need for better knowledge regarding the existing treatment techniques for RCA improvement. The outcomes of this research offer an understanding of each RCA enrichment technique's importance in environmental, economic and technical criteria.

The practicality of the RCA treatment techniques is based on economic, environmental and technical specifications for rating the existing treatment techniques.