Alyaa I. Salim

Adsorption has the potential to be a highly effective and selective method for recovering and adsorbing phosphate from wastewater and water, which can serve as secondary sources of phosphorus. The objectives of this study were to synthesize manganese ferrite (MF) nanoparticles which are fabricated and studied alone and loaded on sugar cane bagasse and peanut peels biochar (BC) adsorbents (Mn@Fe₃O₄@BC) by in-situ growth method, which in turn applied to evaluate their capabilities for phosphorus adsorption from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the optimum adsorption conditions for different process parameters such as pH, adsorbent dose, and initial phosphorus concentration. The maximum phosphorous removal efficiency using MF, MFBC_b, and MFBC_p was obtained at adsorbent doses 0.2 and 0.3 g/L, and initial phosphorous concentrations of 20, 40, and 60 mg/L, respectively. The optimum retention time was obtained at 120 min for MF and MFBC_b, and 150 min for MFBC_p. The optimum rotation speed and temperature were 120 rpm and 25 °C for all adsorbents. The maximum removal efficiencies obtained are 98.5% and 99% for MF and MFBCs, respectively. Different characterization analyses; including SEM, EDX, and FTIR; were applied to investigate surface morphology, elemental composition, and chemical properties of the adsorbents before and after the adsorption process. Adsorption kinetics, isotherms, capacity, mechanisms, and thermodynamic studies were studied to evaluate the adsorption process. And finally, adsorbents were regenerated using their magnetic properties and a second successive adsorption cycle was evaluated showing promising results for MFBC adsorbents which can affect the expected costs of the adsorption process.

Chronic wounds pose significant healthcare challenges globally. The need for more effective strategies for wound healing applications has led to the exploration of numerous emerging technologies. The current study investigates the wound-healing potential of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Aloe Vera and green tea loaded on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan hydrogel. To this end, different hydrogel films incorporating various types of AgNPs were prepared. XRD, SEM, and EDX confirmed good integration of the crystallographic structure of the green synthesized nanomaterial and indicated smooth surface morphology of the films. The results of the biodegradability test showed that the Aloe Vera synthesized AgNPs hydrogel patch exhibited a high degradation rate with (22%) weight loss after 30 days. The results of in vitro antimicrobial testing and cytotoxicity assays revealed that Aloe Vera-synthesized AgNPs possess higher antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with high cell viability (82%). The in vitro release of AgNPs showed a gradual release of AgNPs with stabilization. The water vapor transmission rate was found to range between 1388.89 g/m2/day and a moisture content of 7.73%. The tensile stress and elongation at break were found to range between 69.14-67-13 MPa and 4.84%-4.34%, respectively, indicating significant mechanical properties of the films. Overall, the results proved that green synthesized AgNPs hydrogel patches, especially using Aloe Vera, provide the optimal properties for wound healing, combining good moisture utilization, stability, and holding potential as a biodegradable, antibacterial wound dressing.

Diabetes is a common chronic metabolic disease with a wide range of clinical symptoms and consequences and one of the main causes of death. For the management of diabetes, painless and continuous interstitial fluid (ISF) glucose monitoring is ideal. Here, we demonstrate continuous diabetes monitoring using an integrated microneedle (MN) biosensor with an emergency alert system. MNs are a novel technique in the field of biomedical engineering because of their ability to analyze bioinformation with minimal invasion. In this work we developed a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) based MN glucose sensor. The device was produced by the 3D printing technique, microfabrication, electrodeposition, and enzyme immobilization step. The in vitro test for the glucose MN sensor showed a linear range from 1.5 to 14 mM with a sensitivity of 1.51 μA mM⁻¹, limit of detection (LOD) of 0.35 mM and good selectivity. Highly repeatable sensing is observed with good reproducibility. The interference-free detection of glucose in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of ascorbic acid, uric acid, and mannose is demonstrated, along with the operational stability of the array. After resolving the biofouling consequences linked to on-body sensing, this MN platform would be appealing for minimally invasive electrochemical glucose monitoring. An alert is sent to confidants via email or SMS when the values are abnormal. The application is also able to display the recorded values in the form of a graph to help determine the state of health of the user over a period of time. It can be concluded that continuous monitoring and an emergency alert system are important for keeping an eye on diabetic patients and can send alert in case of an abnormal situation of the patient.

Polluted water is one of the significant challenges facing the world nowadays, especially with the noticed water shortage recorded in the last period. Different treatment methods, physicochemical and biological, were presented for pollutant removal from polluted wastewater. This review discusses the treatment methods starting from the biological part to help reduction of organics, which are solids that appear in the wastewater. After that, the physicochemical techniques will be discussed as a second part of the treatment process to minimize the heavy metal, dyes, and other pollutants. Additionally, filtration techniques and advanced treatment processes will be discussed as the final steps in the water treatment systems and how they were used to finally sterilize the water after the treatment processes.