Ashraf Morsy

Solar-driven CO₂ methanation is being investigated as a pathway for carbon utilization and renewable-energy storage, yet deployment at industrial point sources, including ammonia–urea complexes, remains constrained by heterogeneous reporting, uncertain feedstock availability, heat-management requirements, and boundary-dependent process economics. This structured critical narrative review evaluates thermocatalytic Power-to-Methane, H₂-fed photothermal and light-assisted methanation, and direct photocatalytic CO₂-to-CH₄ conversion across catalyst, reactor, and plant scales. A domain-specific evidence-grading framework is applied to distinguish comparatively well-supported mechanistic conclusions from studies with incomplete local thermometry, matched-temperature dark controls, photon-flux calibration, isotope tracing, or material and charge balances. The review further examines the stoichiometric and operational constraints governing residual process-CO₂ availability at ammonia–urea sites and assesses how renewable-H₂ supply, buffer storage, gas conditioning, heat recovery, and product specifications affect process integration. An illustrative industrial screening case for a 2000 t d⁻¹ NH₃/2000 t d⁻¹ urea complex yields a nominal residual of 472.4 t d⁻¹ CO₂ before operational deductions, corresponding to 86.5 t d⁻¹ H₂ demand and an approximately 198 MW electrolyzer load at 55 kWh kg⁻¹ H₂. Published techno-economic and life-cycle results are interpreted within their reported functional units and system boundaries rather than directly rank-ordered. The evidence base is strongest for conventional thermocatalytic methanation at pilot and industrial scale, whereas photothermal and direct photocatalytic routes retain substantial diagnostic, transport, durability, and scale-up uncertainties. Commercial feasibility depends not only on nominal CO₂ availability but also on the economically and environmentally justified conversion fraction, renewable-electricity cost, electrolyzer utilization, reactor durability, methane losses, product-conditioning requirements, and heat and co-product credits. Accordingly, complete methanation of a nominal residual CO₂ stream should not be adopted as a design objective without site-specific marginal techno-economic and life-cycle evaluation. A five-gate framework is proposed to guide progression from mechanistic credibility and reproducible performance to module qualification and site-specific deployment.

The development of biodegradable polymer‐based packaging materials with tunable performance has gained significant attention as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) composite films were prepared and modified using two environmentally friendly strategies: tartaric acid (TA) modification and nano‐graphene oxide (NGO) incorporation, aiming to regulate their structural, mechanical, barrier, and biodegradation properties. TA modification enhanced intermolecular interactions and improved the biodegradation behavior of the films, whereas NGO incorporation provided nanoscale reinforcement and improved moisture barrier performance through interfacial interactions within the polymer matrix. FTIR analysis revealed changes in the OH and CO regions, suggesting enhanced intermolecular interactions and possible contribution of esterification reactions. The modified films exhibited improved functional properties compared with pristine PVA/CMC. TA‐modified films showed an increase in tensile strength from 52.46 to 74.33 MPa and achieved the highest biodegradation behavior with approximately 87% weight loss. In comparison, NGO‐modified films demonstrated enhanced moisture resistance, reducing the water vapor transmission rate by approximately 66% m ⁻² day ⁻¹ and decreasing water content to 41%. These results indicate that TA and NGO provide distinct modification effects, where TA mainly contributes to improved biodegradability and mechanical performance, while NGO enhances barrier properties and structural stability. The developed PVA/CMC‐based films offer a versatile approach for designing biodegradable packaging materials with adjustable functional performance and controlled degradation behavior.

Bio‐membrane technologies are emerging as promising solutions for sustainable water and wastewater treatment; however, their practical implementation remains constrained by fouling, limited long‐term stability, and performance degradation under real operating conditions. This review critically evaluates recent advances in bio‐functionalized membrane systems, focusing on the interplay between biological activity, membrane structure, and transport mechanisms. Key separation pathways, including bio‐affinity interactions, enzymatic degradation, and coupled diffusion–reaction processes, are analyzed in relation to membrane morphology and surface chemistry. Advanced fabrication techniques such as electrospinning, layer‐by‐layer assembly, and 3D printing are assessed in terms of performance enhancement and scalability limitations. Major challenges including biofouling, biological instability, and material degradation are critically discussed alongside mitigation strategies such as surface functionalization and enzyme immobilization. The integration of artificial intelligence and IoT‐based monitoring is also evaluated, although most applications remain at early development stages. Overall, this review identifies key research gaps and outlines future directions toward scalable, robust, and sustainable bio‐membrane technologies.

Growing environmental concerns associated with phthalate plasticizers have accelerated the development of sustainable alternatives derived from renewable resources. Herein, waste cooking oil (WCO) was catalytically tailored using g-C ₃ N ₄ /graphene nanostructures to regulate intermolecular interactions within poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC). The influence of nanomodification on mechanical performance, thermal stability, migration resistance, and solvent durability was systematically investigated and quantitatively correlated to structure–property relationships. Among the prepared systems, the g-C ₃ N ₄ /graphene-modified plasticizer (P1) produced PVC films with the highest tensile strength (6.95 MPa) and Young’s modulus (890 MPa) while maintaining adequate flexibility (elongation ≈230%). Thermal analysis revealed delayed degradation with an onset temperature near 250°C, indicating restricted chain improved thermal stability. Migration measurements showed a noticeable reduction (≈3.5%), approaching the behavior of the commercial DOP reference. FTIR and SEM analyses suggest improved interfacial compatibility between PVC and the modified plasticizer, as evidenced by C = O band shifts (5–9 cm ⁻¹ ) and a more uniform, compact morphology with reduced microvoids. The improved performance is attributed to increased polarity, stronger dipole interactions, and reduced free volume arising from epoxy functionalities and nano-induced physical networking. This work provides direct experimental evidence linking nano-assisted chemical tailoring of waste-derived oils to suppression of plasticizer mobility and enhancement of thermo-mechanical stability. The proposed strategy offers a scalable pathway toward safer and more sustainable PVC materials.

The growing need for sustainable ways to prevent corrosion has led to progress in smart nanocoating, especially for steel structures in marine and industrial environments. Although sacrificial anode cathodic protection is still widely used, it has some drawbacks, such as anode wear, uneven current flow, and negative environmental effects. Recent advances in nanotechnology have introduced new materials like graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C ₃ N ₄ ) nanocomposites and graphene‐based derivatives for use in smart coatings. These materials have adjustable band gaps, high chemical stability, excellent electron movement, and the ability to be modified for specific functions, making them useful for coatings that can heal themselves, work with light, and have good electrochemical properties. This review compares g‐C ₃ N ₄ nanocomposites and graphene‐based materials as advanced nanocoating for improving the performance of sacrificial anodes in protecting steel. The key areas covered include how these materials are made, how they can be modified, their coating structures, their electrochemical behavior, their durability, and how they can be used with sacrificial anodes. The review emphasizes the synergistic benefits of integrating g‐C ₃ N ₄ and graphene‐based systems for enhanced cathodic protection and explores strategies for their large‐scale industrial implementation.

Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes were modified with a green‐synthesized hybrid nanomaterial composed of chitosan nanoparticles (CSNP) and silver nanoparticles (AgNP) at loadings of 5, 15, 20, and 25 μL. The incorporation of CSNP‐AgNP led to noticeable morphological changes, including a denser cross‐section, a relatively rougher surface morphology was observed based on SEM images, and improved thermal stability. The membrane containing 20 μL of the hybrid nanomaterial exhibited the highest tensile strength. Contact‐angle measurements confirmed enhanced surface hydrophilicity. Antibacterial tests showed a marked reduction in colony formation, with complete inhibition at the highest nanoparticle loading. Heavy‐metal filtration experiments demonstrated significant improvement in Mn ²⁺ , Fe ²⁺ , and Pb ²⁺ rejection, exceeding 95% for the optimal membrane. These results indicate that CSNP‐AgNP incorporation provides an effective and simple strategy for producing multifunctional CA membranes with enhanced mechanical, antibacterial, and separation performance, suitable for advanced water purification applications. This concise abstract highlights key findings and emphasizes the practical potential of the modified membranes.

Chitosan, as a renewable biological macromolecule, has attracted increasing interest for membrane engineering owing to its abundant functional groups and strong affinity toward metal ions. In this study, waste-derived chitosan extracted from recycled oyster shells was blended with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and fabricated into electrospun nanofibers, which were subsequently grafted onto cellulose acetate reverse osmosis (CA-RO) membranes to form biopolymer composite membranes. The macromolecular structure, intermolecular interactions, and physicochemical properties of the resulting membranes were systematically investigated using SEM, XRD, and FTIR analyses. The electrospun CS/PVA fibers exhibited diameters ranging from 182 to 459 nm, with higher electrospinning voltages yielding thinner and more uniform fibers. Grafting of the CS/PVA fibers significantly enhanced membrane hydrophilicity, reducing the water contact angle from 68.21° to 51.2°, and improved mechanical performance, with tensile strength increasing from 86.17 MPa to 144.55 MPa. These improvements are primarily attributed to hydrogen bonding and macromolecular chain interactions between chitosan, PVA, and cellulose acetate. The functionalized composite membranes demonstrated high rejection efficiencies for Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II), with minimal impact on water permeability. The CS/PVA/CA-RO composite membranes exhibited high heavy metal rejection efficiencies of 85.98%, 90.51%, and 95.31% for Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II), respectively, while maintaining a water flux of 9.96 L·m ⁻² ·h ⁻¹ highlighting the effective integration of adsorption functionality with structural stability. This work presents a sustainable macromolecular engineering strategy for designing high-performance biopolymer composite membranes via electrospinning and surface grafting, offering promising potential for advanced separation applications.

Growing environmental concerns about single‐use plastic packaging have intensified the search for sustainable, biodegradable materials. This work presents the design of environmentally friendly polymer films based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), incorporating lactic acid (LA) and oxalic acid (OA) as cross‐linking agents to enhance their overall performance. The prepared films were characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile testing, and soil burial degradation studies. Films cross‐linked with OA displayed the highest biodegradation rate (90%) and a contact angle of 79°, while LA‐cross‐linked films achieved 80% biodegradability with improved hydrophilicity. Both acids significantly enhanced tensile strength, thermal resistance, and barrier properties, making them suitable for food packaging. Trials with fruits and vegetables demonstrated their ability to maintain freshness and minimize weight loss. Overall, PVA/CMC composites represent a renewable, eco‐conscious alternative to plastic packaging, and further investigation is encouraged to support industrial scalability, economic feasibility, and long‐term stability.