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This study investigates the synergistic effects of alginate@montmorillonite (Alg@Mt) hybrid microcapsules for enhancing water purification, focusing on improving the encapsulation of hydrophobic contaminants. Alg@Mt microcapsules were prepared through ionotropic gelation. Characterisation was performed using SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, and TGA. Encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), and release behaviour were also examined. Alg@Mt microcapsules effectively removed phenol and its chlorinated derivatives from water. Incorporating Na-Mt improved structural and thermal properties, EE, and LC. Increasing the clay content to 60% (w/w) raised the EE of phenol and its more hydrophobic derivative, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, from 39.74 ± 3.1% (w/w) and 63.91 ± 2% (w/w) to 60.56 ± 1.6% (w/w) and 82.28 ± 2.3% (w/w), respectively, with more controlled release rates, following Fickian diffusion mechanism. EE increased with phenolic substances hydrophobicity, while LC and release rates were inversely related. This approach is promising for removing hydrophobic contaminants from water.

This study describes the effect of heat treatment on some physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis (EC) wood at different temperatures and treatment times (200 °C-260 °C for 5, 60, and 90 min). The evaluation of hygroscopic properties was determined by relative humidity, mass loss, dimensional stability tests, and density. The results showed that the heat treatment leads to an increase in mass loss of 5.2 %-11.9 % at 200 °C. The density changed significantly for this studied species as well as the dimensional stabilization. Chemical changes in wood structure were assessed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.To verify the validity of the superposition "Mass loss-Density-water absorption" on the mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR)) during heat treatment, we have developed a mathematical model based on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), in order to establish a relationship between the independent parameters and the dependent parameters (MOE and MOR). The evaluation of the quality of the models developed was based on several statistical tools, namely R = 0.99, R 2  = 0.99, R 2  = 0.98, and F = 132.33. The results demonstrated that elaborate models of mechanical properties have a high predictive capacity (MOR and MOE). The wood's carbohydrates (particularly hemicelluloses) are then degraded during the heat treatment. The % of carbon increases from 47.8 to 49.8 %, which is proportional to mass loss, while the % of oxygen decreases by 46.1 %, which is inversely proportional to mass loss. Furthermore, FTIR analysis revealed that the effect of heat-treated wood chemical changes was related to the hydroxyl OH function of cellulose, functional groups, and aromatic system of lignin. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that at 200 °C, heat treatment caused a 5.2-11.9 % increase in mass loss; dimensional stability and density underwent considerable changes. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the chemical changes in the wood structure during heat treatment. Furthermore, the "MLR" mathematical model showed that density contributed to the increase in MOR and MOE properties, while water absorption and mass loss contributed to the decrease in MOR and MOE properties. Finally, the % of oxygen decreased by 46.1 %, which is inversely proportional to the loss of mass, and the % of carbon increased from 47.8 % to 49.8 %, which is proportional to the loss of mass.adj  = 0.98, and F = 132.33. The results demonstrated that elaborate models of mechanical properties have a high predictive capacity (MOR and MOE). The wood's carbohydrates (particularly hemicelluloses) are then degraded during the heat treatment. The % of carbon increases from 47.8 to 49.8 %, which is proportional to mass loss, while the % of oxygen decreases by 46.1 %, which is inversely proportional to mass loss. Furthermore, FTIR analysis revealed that the effect of heat-treated wood chemical changes was related to the hydroxyl OH function of cellulose, functional groups, and aromatic system of lignin. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that at 200 °C, heat treatment caused a 5.2-11.9 % increase in mass loss; dimensional stability and density underwent considerable changes. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the chemical changes in the wood structure during heat treatment. Furthermore, the "MLR" mathematical model showed that density contributed to the increase in MOR and MOE properties, while water absorption and mass loss contributed to the decrease in MOR and MOE properties. Finally, the % of oxygen decreased by 46.1 %, which is inversely proportional to the loss of mass, and the % of carbon increased from 47.8 % to 49.8 %, which is proportional to the loss of mass., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aims of this study were to determine the polyphenolic profile, to estimate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and to evaluate the antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of the extract of Pistacia lentiscus leaves, and the hydroacetonic mixture was employed as an alternative for common solvents in the extraction process. In order to explain the antidiabetic activity, molecular docking has been performed on the main constituents of the leaf extract. The characterization of the extract has been performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) leading to the detection of 20 compounds of which gallic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, kaempferol, and quercetin 3-glucoside were identified using authentic standards. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents, assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu and quercetin methods, were 394.5 ± 0.08 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry extract (mg GAE/g DE) and 101.2 ± 0.095 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry extract (mg QE/g DE), respectively. On the other hand, the antioxidant activity of leaf extract, quantified by determining the ability to neutralize the free radical DPPH and β -carotene/linoleate model system, reached the values of 0.0027 ± 0.002 mg/mL and 0.128 ± 0.04 mg/mL, respectively. Regarding the antidiabetic activity, based on the inhibition of pancreatic α -amylase activity, a significant inhibition of about 68.20% with an IC 50 value of 0.266 mg/mL had been observed. This finding is consistent with the molecular docking study of the main phenolic compounds of the extracts, where a remarkable binding affinity against α -amylase was observed, with values of -7.631 (kcal/mol), -6.818 (kcal/mol), and -5.517 (kcal/mol) for the major compounds catechin, quercetin-3-glucoside, and gallic acid, respectively., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Hamza Bouakline et al.)

The present research consists of studying the characterization and treatment of the olive mill wastewater (OMWW) resulting from the olive industries of the region of Loukkos, Morocco. According to the national plan for green Morocco, the annual volumes of OMWW discharges increase with the expansion of the areas of olive plantations compared to agricultural activities. The study of the organic, mineral, and microbiological composition of the obtained OMWW showed that they are rich in microbiological (FMAT, Let M., and B.L.), mineral (total Kjeldhal nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, sodium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and lead ions), and organic (COD, BOD 5 , and polyphenols) micropollutants with very high percentages that are higher than the standards in force. The treatment used in this study is the combined process of aerated lagooning/adsorption using powdered activated carbon after optimization of the experimental parameters (mass concentration of activated carbon (AC) and agitation rapidity (Ar)) by experiment design method. The obtained physicochemical parameters, such as pH, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), rate of discoloration, and polyphenol content of raw OMWW, were 4.87, 0.63, 80.3, 0.8, and 1.45 g/l, respectively. The results of these parameters for the treated OMWW were obtained in the order of 6.10, 0.22, 28, 0.28, and 0.44 g/l for pH, TSS, COD, discoloration rate, and polyphenol content, respectively. These results show that the proposed treatment significantly reduced acidity, TSS, COD, discoloration rate, and polyphenol contents, with a performance of about 25.26, 65, 65.13, 65, and 69.65%, respectively. This indicates that there is significant performance in the processing of exploited OMWW., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The current study focuses on investigating how to improve the efficacy of the combined process of aerated lagooning and adsorption for the treatment of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) from the olive industries in the Loukkos region using the design of experiments approach. The latter made it possible to optimize the experimental conditions, such as the mass concentration of lime, the mass concentration of powdered activated carbon (AC), and the speed of agitation (Va), which are required for the envisaged treatment, in order to control the results after the evaluation of the necessary physicochemical parameters, namely pH, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), rate of discoloration, and content of polyphenols. The experimental conditions necessary to carry out this study were between 1.4 and 1.75 g/l for AC, between 23 and 32 rpm for the stirring speed, and between 0.88 and 1.3 g/l for the mass concentration of lime. The results of this experiment showed that treating OMWW with the prototype II after adding lime to the mixture resulted in an estimated 85% reduction in the analyzed parameters. The pH, TSS, COD, discoloration rate, and polyphenol content were all reduced from initial values of 4.87, 0.63 (g/l), 80.3 (g (O2/l)), 0.8%, and 1.45 (g/l), respectively, to final values of 6.92, 0.12 (g/l), 12, 0.16%, and 0.25 (g/l). These results are highly significant when compared to those obtained during the treatment of prototype I using only powdered activated carbon, which showed a reduction rate of around 70%., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

This study aims to investigate the mechanical behavior of alginate-based simple and alginate@clay-based hybrid capsules under uniaxial compression using a Brookfield force machine. The effect of clay type and content on Young's modulus and nominal rupture stress of the capsules was investigated and characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Results showed that clay content improves the mechanical properties depending on its type. Montmorillonite and laponite clays showed optimal results at 3 wt% content, with a gain of 63.2 % and 70.34 % on Young's modulus, and a gain of 92.43 % and 108.66 % on nominal rupture stress, respectively, while kaolinite clay showed optimal results at 1.5 wt% content with an increase of 77.21 % on Young's modulus and 88.34 % on nominal rupture stress. However, exceeding the optimal content led to decrease the elasticity and rigidity due to the incomplete dispersion of clay particles in the hydrogel network. The theoretical modeling using Boltzmann superposition principle revealed that the elastic modulus was in good agreement with experimental values. Overall, this research provides insights into the mechanical behavior of alginate@clay-based capsules, which could have potential applications in drug delivery systems and tissue engineering., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper summarizes a review of the viscosimetric, viscoelastic and rheological properties of polymers and hybrid nanocomposite polymers. Hybrid nanocomposites can be combined from natural fibers or synthetic fibers and/or both. The hybrid nanocomposite polymer offers the designer the opportunity to achieve the required characteristics to a considerable extent controlled by the choice of appropriate fibers or fillers and the polymer architecture. The rheological behavior of hybrid nanocomposite depends on fiber content, fiber length, fiber orientation, fiber-to-matrix bonding, fiber configuration and filler, respectively. Further, rheological properties of hybrid nanocomposite polymers by introducing various charges were examined discussed., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

In this work, we have studied, formulated, prepared, and characterized the rheological and electrical behavior of a composite material based on an epoxy resin Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA) reinforced with hexaglycidyl cyclotriphosphazene (HGCP). The epoxy system was cured with 4,4'-methylene dianiline (MDA). DGEBA-HGCP-MDA epoxy composite materials with reinforced HGCP which varied from 5% to 10% by weight were prepared by mixing in the molten state. The morphology was evaluated by SEM. The rheological behavior was studied using small deformation rheology. The electrical characterization was carried out with a frequency variation range from 1 Hz to 100 KHz at room temperature. These measurements revealed that the rheological and electrical behaviors strongly depend on the quantity of HGCP in the DGEBA matrix. The linear viscoelastic properties study reveals that the modulus of elasticity G' is dependent on the amount of HGCP present in the epoxy resin DGEBA. The capacitance-frequency measurements suggest a distribution of localized states in the band gap of the blends.

In the present review, we have been able to describe the different families of dyes and pigments used in textile finishing processes (Yarns, fabrics, nonwovens, knits and rugs) such as dyeing and printing. These dyes are reactive, direct, dispersed, indigo, sulphur and vats. Such that their presence in the liquid effluents resulting from the textile washing constitutes a serious risk, in the absence of their purification, for the quality of receiving aquatic environments. Indeed, the presence of these dyes and pigments can cause a significant alteration in the ecological conditions of the aquatic fauna and flora, because of the lack of their biodegradability. This has a negative impact on the equilibrium of the aquatic environment by causing serious dangers, namely the obvious dangers (Eutrophication, under-oxygenation, color, turbidity and odor), the long-term dangers (Persistence, bioaccumulation of carcinogenic aromatic products and formation of by-products of chlorination), mutagenicity and carcinogenicity., (© 2019 The Authors.)