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In this study, pure ZnO and iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co) co-doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by varying Fe and Co concentrations using the co-precipitation method. The physical properties of as-prepared samples were investigated through XRD, FTIR, SEM, and UV–vis spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction confirmed the strong influence of Fe and Co ions on structural parameters without disturbing the basic ZnO hexagonal structure. The microstructural study was executed by using the Scherrer, W–H, and SSP methods. FTIR confirmed the presence of Zn–O, and Zn–M–O (M = Fe, Co) vibrational modes, which further confirmed the successful incorporation of dopants ions. The energy bandgap (E g) extracted from UV–vis spectra has shown red-shift (3.37–2.7 eV) for decreasing Fe contents, whereas blue-shift (3.37–3.39 eV) for increasing Co concentration. SEM was used to investigate surface morphology, which represents the high rate of agglomeration. The photocatalytic test was performed on grown samples against various dyes and also observed the effects of varying concentrations of Fe and Co ions. The maximum degradation efficiency (98.8%) at 6%Fe and 4%Co under direct sunlight in 60 min against methylene blue (MB) was achieved. The photocatalytic activity of optimized concentration (6%Fe and 4%Co) was further tested against cresol red (CR), methyl orange (MO), safranin-O (SO), rhodamine-B (RhB), and methyl red (MR) dyes. The maximum degradation efficiency against MR dye (96.0%) was observed. The antibacterial test against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacterial strains have shown that co-doped ZnO nanoparticles have a higher activity as compared to pristine ZnO, and furthermore, the sample with 6%Fe and 4%Co concentration exposed the highest antibacterial actively for both bacterial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are dire concerns of clean and green energy development with a sustainable economic growth in China. The present study aims to gauge the short term and long term relationship among the real economic output, labor, capital, energy and trade considering global financial crunch of 2008. There are two different models estimated in the production framework with fossil fuels and clean fuels in the economy of China. Specifically, there is indication of a long run association with convergence dynamics among real economic output, labor, capital, fossil fuel and trade before 2008 but not vice versa. The coefficient of fossil fuel with a greater magnitude is indicative of its huge role for higher real output growth, ceteris paribus. Likely, the findings turn out to be significant for real output, labor, capital, clean fuels and trade while long run elasticities corroborate that labor, capital, clean fuels and trade have a positive and significant impact on economic output. The sign and magnitude of the estimate of clean fuels is much higher than before crisis period indicating a paradigm shift in energy mix therein economic output growth. It is recommended that clean fuels should be promoted as their role is non trivial for economic-environmental sustainability in China. • Dynamics among real output, fossil and clean fuels with trade are assessed considering global financial crunch of 2008 • The greater magnitude of fossil fuels is indicative of its pivotal importance in economic output and trade • The magnitude of the clean fuels is threefold than before crisis period indicating a paradigm shift in China's energy mix • Clean fuels is non trivial for economic growth and trade • Clean energy efficiency, financial investments, and green governance required to foster economic-environmental sustainability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi–Cr-substituted Y-type hexa-ferrites were prepared via a micro-emulsion method. Formation of the hexagonal phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The size of the crystallites of all the samples was in the range 31.58–37.67 nm and their Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy bands were observed in the range ~ 450–650 cm-1. These bands indicated successful incorporation of Bi–Cr in the Y-type hexagonal ferrites. The existence of metal-oxygen bands at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites confirmed that all the prepared samples exhibit Y-type hexagonal ferrites structures. The magnetic parameters such as saturation magnetization, retentivity and coercivity revealed significant variations with the increase of Bi–Cr contents. Frequency and composition dependent variations in the dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε"), tan loss, and other parameters were observed, for example the value of ε′ decreased as the Bi–Cr content increased. These optimised results are highly desirable for the application of these nanosized hard ferrites in various microwave devices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a new amendment in Laplace variational iteration method for the solution of fourth-order parabolic partial differential equations with variable coefficients is revealed i.e. modified Laplace variational iteration method (ML-VIM). The proposed modification is made by coupling of two methods: one of them is variational iteration method (VIM) and the other one is Laplace transformation (LT). Our modification has an important beauty that one has no need to compute Lagrange multiplier via integration nor by taking convolution theorem and has a simple way to use in the implementation of our proposed scheme. Moreover, homotopy perturbation method (HPM) with He's polynomials is employed for the computation of nonlinear terms. The main improvement of our proposed scheme is the reduction of the problem to a simple one, which also embraces for solving a nonlinear term. Some illustrated examples are interpreted which unveil the robustness and accuracy of the newly developed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The event-driven model of computation provides a good platform for capturing complex real-time applications with low latency requirements since this model is free of problems like deadlocks, livelocks and performance bottlenecks such as locking overheads. Furthermore, there is great potential for extracting parallelism from an event-driven model on a chip multiprocessor (CMP). But, the execution and scheduling of this model on a CMP faces two primary problems that need to be addressed: (a) allocation of asynchronous event handlers (AEHs) on a minimal number of processing elements of a CMP such that the time guarantees are met and (b) scheduling the AEHs taking into consideration the shared resource access contentions. We propose a two-stage Integer Linear Programming approach for static allocation and scheduling of AEHs executing on a time-analyzable multiprocessor architecture with shared resources. The first stage allocates AEHs on a minimal number of processing elements in a CMP with weighted time-division multiplex access (TDMA) to the shared memory while meeting the timing requirements. The second stage then tunes the TDMA schedule such that the worst case reaction time of AEHs can be further shortened. This approach shows 43.75% better utilization of resources compared to traditional fair TDMA scheduling on CMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The manufacturing of bimetallic durable and efficient electrocatalyst with the support of N-doped porous carbon for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is extremely important for their long-term operation and wide applications. N-doped porous nanostructured carbon material with excellent permanent porosity and high surface area is produced through pyrolysis of Zn-MOF in inert atmosphere that further utilized as a support for the preparation of three bimetallic composites Pt-Ni@PCN920, Pt-Cu@PCN920 and Pt-Er@PCN920. It is found that Pt-Ni@PCN920 with less than 10% Pt showed the same over potential (- 42 mV) for HER as that of commercial 20%Pt/C at a current density 10 mAcm−2 in basic solution. The performance of Pt-Ni@PCN920 in terms of stability and efficiency is good and comparable with commercial 20%Pt/C for HER and with RuO 2 for OER. The best of three has been analyzed for long term stability and durability which is stable up to nine hours with little variation of current. The active sites developed by N-doping in nanostructured carbon material along with alloying effect of second metal with Pt produced good results for HER and OER with less than 10% Pt. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Zn-MOF was synthesized and sacrificed to get nanostructured N-doped carbon. • Bimetallic nanoparticles were supported on N-doped carbon material. • Pt-Ni@PCN920 showed good HER and OER activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonics is one of the developing technologies which is being studied extensively on different food commodities. Our aim was to study the effect of sonication and chemical (Potassium metabisulfite, K 2 S 2 O 5 ,) preservation method on grape-carrot juice blend. Sonication/ultrasound treatments (20 kHz frequency, 70% amplitude level (525 W power), and pulse duration 5 s on and 5 s off, 5 min at 15 °C) of all the samples (250 mL) were performed by using an ultrasonic processor with 0.5 in. probe at 2 in. depth of the sample. Additionally, impact of sonication on 90 days of storage period at refrigerated temperature was also measured. It was observed that sonication had a positive effect on nutritional status of juice blend as it enhanced the total phenolic, flavonoid, reducing power and antioxidant properties of juice significantly ( p  < 0.05) with increase in sonication time. Sonication can be employed successfully for treatment of juice with better nutritional attributes from consumers’ point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrolysis of biomass and organic matter in fluidized bed reactors have become popular in recent years due to the efficient conversion of biomass to bio-fuels. Among others, the presence of mesoscale structures produced by the transient nature of gas solid flow governs the performance of fluidized bed reactors. In the present study, monodispersed system with the particle size of 155 µm and bidispersed system with particle sizes of 128 and 1500 µm are simulated by the multi-fluid model with the kinetic theory of granular flow closure laws. The objective is to investigate the effect of size distribution and solid volume fraction on the hydrodynamics of gas-solid flows. The ANSYS Fluent® software is used for the simulations and the slip velocity, heterogeneity index as well as mixing index are investigated. A two dimensional fully periodic domain is used to investigate the slip velocity at five different solid concentrations in dilute range. The slip velocity, which represents the interaction between solid particles and gas, calculated by simulation is higher than that calculated through Richardson-Zaki's correlation. The mixing index is found to be minimum for a solid volume concentration of 5%. The heterogeneity index is significantly less than 1 for both cases with bidisperesed system having lower value as compared to monodispersed system. The image analysis of solid fraction contours exhibits that mesoscale structures are dense and non-uniform for solid fractions of 0.05 and are small and uniform of solid fractions of 0.025 and 0.075. • Solid particle clusters using Eulerian CFD for bidispersed systems are observed. • H d is for bidisperesed system is much lower than monodispersed system. • Dense, non-uniform clusters are observed for solid fraction of 0.05. • Small, uniform clusters are observed for solid fractions of 0.025 and 0.075. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to energy crises and environmental pollution worldwide, researchers have sought efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and photocatalysts to eliminate organic pollutants. In the present work, we have synthesized a fullerene-C 60 -based CeO 2 @C 60 core-shell hybrid and characterized it with various state-of-art techniques to explore its OER performance and photocatalytic properties under natural sunlight. TEM nano-graphs and EDX color mapping exhibited the uniform covering of C 60 over CeO 2 forming a core-shell structure with a particle size of 54 nm. The XPS results demonstrate the coexistence of Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states, resulting in the formation of rich oxygen vacancy defects, which induced the efficient charge transformation from CeO 2 to C 60 , enhancing the photocatalytic activity and promoting the OER reaction. The electrochemical measurements revealed a lower overpotential (312 mV) and small Tafel slope (54 mV/dec) at 10 mA/cm2 current density of CeO 2 @C 60 core-shell hybrid than pure CeO 2. Further, the hybrid is stable up to 2000th cycles, and the chronoamperometry test showed that it remains stable for 45 hr without degrading in 1 M KOH solution. The photocatalytic activity under natural sunlight irradiations showed that the CeO 2 @C 60 core-shell hybrid completely degraded P-nitroaniline (P-Nitro) organic pollutant after 75 min, with outstanding recyclability up to the 7th cycle of use. Furthermore, the present work explores the tremendous potential of C 60 and rare earth metal oxide-based hybrid catalysts having exceptional stability toward photocatalysis and electrochemical water splitting. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pt/Er nanoparticles are decorated on Cd-MOF derived hierarchical carbon. • Pt-Er@PCN-900 shows wide range porosity and large active sites. • Pt-Er@PCN-900 presented excellent ORR and HER catalytic activity. • Stability and durability of Pt-Er@PCN-900 is marvelous in alkaline media. Fabrication of Pt alloy with controlled morphology and size has drawn an attractive attention in developing active electrocatalysts for fuel cell and water splitting application. However, the effectively controlled synthesis strategy and morphology on N-doped carbon structure is still a challenging issue. Herein, a facile strategy for uniform dispersion of active sites of Pt/Er on the hierarchical N-doped carbon structure through pyrolysis in innert atmosphere is addopted. The developed product of Pt-Er@PCN-900 has exhibited efficacious trifunctional catalytic activity for hydrogen/oxygen evolution as well as oxygen reduction reaction. Comparatively, Pt-Er@PCN-900 with 8% Pt presents excellent performance than commercial 20%Pt/C. The present work highlights the importance of the rationalized dispersion of Pt/Er active sites for the future large-scale commercial applications of fuel cell and water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual metal doping is a state-of-the-art technique for improving the electrocatalytic characteristics for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and enhancement of the antibacterial activity of the material. Series of rare earth dual metal-doped Pr 2 O 3 electrocatalysts (Pr 2 CeMO 3 , M = Sm, Yb, Er) were successfully fabricated by employing sol-gel treatment. The antimicrobial and electrochemical applications of grown products were studied along with physical properties using advanced techniques such as FESEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, IV, CV, LSV, EIS, and ECSA. The prepared products retain the monoclinic Pr 2 O 3 structure with the successful doping of rare-earth elements. From the FESEM analysis, grown products have the grainy conglomerate shape, icy monoclinic boxes, irregular lamellar shaped, and well-crystallized grains with the plate-like morphology. EDX has confirmed the presence of metal elements Pr, Ce, Sm, Yb, and Er in grown samples. The electrochemical measurements exhibited the enhancement by dual-doping, and Pr 2 CeSmO 3 has an extraordinarily low overpotential of 189 mV to reach 10 mAcm−2 density and lower Tafel slope (75 mV/dec) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic efficiency of Pr 2 CeSmO 3 electrocatalyst for OER is extremely long-lasting for (>16 h). The antibacterial test showed that all grown single and dual-doped nanostructures have good antibacterial performance, but Pr 2 CeSmO 3 exhibits strong inhibition activity towards E. coli , K. pneumoniae , S. aureus , and P. vulgaris bacterial strains with maximum inhibition zone diameter 30, 32, 35, and 31 mm, respectively. This low-cost method for the production of rare earth dual metal-doped materials holds a lot of potential for making efficient catalysts, electrochemical energy-conversion devices, and economical antibacterial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prior milk processing affects proteolysis during cheese ripening. • Sonication, microwaves and HPP of milk increased bioactive compounds in cheese. • Antihypertensive properties of cheese can be improved by milk pre-processing. Dairy processing provides acceptable safety and shelf-life to final products, and improves their bioactivity. The present study evaluated the potential of different milk processing techniques to improve the antioxidant and angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity of Cheddar cheese, during ripening. Cheese was made from milk subjected to different pre-treatments (C = untreated control, US-1 = ultrasonication, specific energy = 23 J/g, 20 kHz frequency; US-2 = Ultrasonication specific energy = 41 J/g, 20 kHz; HPP = high-pressure processing, 400 MPa for 15 min, at temperature < 40 °C; MW = microwave, temperature<40 °C, specific energy = 86.5 J/g) and analysed after ripening for 0, 3, 6 and 9 months. The results showed that the rate of proteolysis during both cheese making and subsequent ripening was significantly affected by the pre-treatment. Antioxidant activity and ACE-inhibitory potential of cheeses made from pre-treated milk significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the following order: US-2 > HPP > US-1 > MW > C. These findings demonstrate the possibility of using ultrasound, microwaves or high-pressure processing as pre-treatments to improve the nutritional attributes of cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic (US) treatment on chemical characteristics and antioxidant potential of pulps obtained from eight mango varieties indigenous to Pakistan. There was a significant (p < 0.05) effect of varieties and US treatment on chemical characteristics i.e. pH, acidity, TSS, vitamin C contents, total sugars (%), reducing sugars (%) and non-reducing sugars (%). Microstructure evaluation of pulp from all mango varieties showed deshaped middle lamella and cell wall of cells after 8 min of US treatment. At 4 min of US treatment as per shaped cell wall and middle lamella, the chemical characteristics and antioxidant potential were higher. The total phenolics (TP), flavonoids (TF) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of pulp from most varieties increased significantly (p < 0.05) after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after each treatment i.e. 8 and 12 min. The maximum value (314.17 μg AAE/mL pulp) of DPPH was shown by pulp from Dosehri and the minimum (158.67 μg AAE/mL pulp) was found in pulp from Langra before US treatment. The DPPH values of pulp from most of the varieties increased significantly (p < 0.05) after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after each treatment but pulp from Langra showed increasing trend after 8 min of US treatment which decreased after 12 min of treatment. The total anthocyanin (TA) values of pulp from Chaunsa, Dosehri, Sindhri, Gulab Khas and Langra increased abruptly after US treatment for 4 min but decreased successively after subsequent treatment. The pulp from Desi, Anwar Ratol, Gulab Khas and Langra showed an abrupt decrease in TA after 8 min of US treatment. An increasing trend of values of total carotenoids (TC) was shown by pulp from all mango varieties after 4 min of US treatment but decreasing trend was observed with subsequent increase in time of US treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal oxide nanoparticles and their composites with conducting polymers, specifically Polyaniline (PANI) were utilized for fabricating nanoscale supercapacitor (SC) electrode materials. In the present study, we have synthesized pristine Pr 2 O 3 , NiO, Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles, binary PANI-Pr 2 O 3 , PANI-NiO, PANI-Co 3 O 4 , ternary Pr 2 O 3 –NiO–Co 3 O 4 , and quaternary PANI-Pr 2 O 3 –NiO–Co 3 O 4 spherical core-shell nanocomposite using co-precipitation and ultra-sonication methods. The grown samples were characterized with different analytical techniques. The XRD pattern revealed that the as-synthesized products were crystalline with Pr 2 O 3 hexagonal phase, NiO cubic phase, and Co 3 O 4 cubic phase in pure and nanocomposites. The Williamson-Hall, Scherrer, and size-strain plot methods were employed to study the crystalline development and contribution of micro-strain. FTIR pattern exhibited the metal-oxygen and PANI bond vibrations. FE-SEM images shown the spherical core-shell shape morphology of quaternary nanocomposite. EDX evident the presence of praseodymium, cobalt, and nickel in synthesized samples. UV–vis spectroscopy confirmed the absorption in the visible region. The IV graphs showed a higher conductivity of quaternary nanocomposite. The cyclic voltammetry results revealed that the quaternary nanocomposite has a higher specific capacitance 500 Fg-1 as compared to binary nanocomposites 134 F g−1 (PANI-Pr 2 O 3), 143 F g−1 (PANI-Co 3 O 4), 256 F g−1 (PANI-NiO), and PANI (90.8 F g−1) at a scan rate of 5 m Vs−1. The GCD results also showed that the quaternary nanocomposite has a higher specific capacitance of 905 F g−1 at current density 1 A g−1 with maximum energy density and power density of 87.99 kWhkg-1 and 2.6 k W kg−1 , respectively. The EIS curve also confirmed that the quaternary nanocomposite has a lower polarization resistance (R p) and solution resistance (R s). The higher capacitance of quaternary nanocomposite can facilitate ion transfer, and the formation of its core-shell structure flourish to enhance surface-dependent electrochemical properties. Furthermore, this study gives a novel research idea to manufacture electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel Zn 0 · 95 Mn 0 · 05 O and Zn 0 · 9 Mn 0.05 M 0.05 O (M = Al, Bi, Sr, Ag) nanocrystals were prepared via the co-precipitation technique. The X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the substitution of Mn, Al, Bi, Sr, and Ag dopants without altering the basic ZnO structure. The microstructural study was performed by employing the Scherrer plot, Williamson-Hall, and SSP methods. The energy bandgap calculated from UV–vis spectra using different methods observed red-shifted by co-doping. The other optical parameters were also studied and discussed in detail. The FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of Zn–O, and Zn-M–O vibrational modes. Raman spectra demonstrated the presence of ZnO phonon modes, and the Raman shift exhibited the structural defects induced by dopants. The PL spectra showed strong NBE and DLE in the UV and visible region due to extrinsic defects. The IV measurements exhibited the enhancement in the electrical conductivity of ZnO by co-doping. The photocatalytic activity was performed under direct sunlight for methyl orange and methylene blue dyes, and the enhanced degradation efficiency was achieved by co-doping. Furthermore, this article enhances the understanding of tuning the physical properties of ZnO by co-doping and introduces a new class of sunlight-driven photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Two cobalt containing polyoxometalate anions were encapsulated in MIL-100 (Fe) to form leaching free PMOF composites. • The maximum loading of 48% and 54% POM were achieved. • Photocatalytic water oxidation results revealed high oxygen yield and TOF values. • The used photocatalysts can be easily recovered via centrifugation and recycled. Abstract Leaching of polyoxometalate (POM) anions from metal-organic frameworks MOFs during catalytic performance is an important issue towards stability and activity of POM-MOF composite materials. For this purpose, a careful and judicious choice of POM and MOF along with the correct synthetic procedure is crucial. Herein, two different cobalt-functionalized polyoxometalate anions, [CoIICoIIIW 11 O 39 (H 2 O)]7− (Co2) and [Co 4 (PW 9 O 34) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ]10− (Co4), were successfully encapsulated in the MIL-100 (Fe) metal-organic framework to form Co2 @MIL-100 (Fe), (1) and Co4 @MIL-100 (Fe), (2) composites. Maximum loading of 48% and 54% was achieved for Co2 and Co4 , respectively. The synthesized composites were characterized by PXRD, FTIR, TGA, elemental analysis, and nitrogen adsorption studies. The total surface area of pure MIL-100 (2800 m2/g) decreases to 1035 m2/g and 1189 m2/g after encapsulation of Co2 and Co4, respectively. Photocatalytic water oxidation ability of the synthesized materials was investigated under the visible light irradiation. The results revealed that the composite materials showed higher oxygen yield (i.e. 41% for 1 and 72% for 2) and turnover frequencies (i.e. 0.53 for 1 and 9.2 × 10−3 s−1 for 2) as compared to virgin Co2 and Co4. The used photocatalysts can be easily recovered via centrifugation and recycled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and noble metal-free electrocatalyst could enhance conceivably fuel cell's affordable commercialization. In this esteem, we developed CoO embedded N-doped CNTs from zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-12) by single step inert atmosphere calcination, to be used as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst. In the electrochemical studies performed, the CoO/N-CNTs has demonstrated an onset potential of 0.83 V vs. RHE, very close to the commercial Pt catalyst value, electron transfer number of 3.5 which approaches the theoretical value of 4 and current density of 3.35 mA cm − 2 at 2500 rmp. The excellent activity of the electrocatalyst is to be attributed to its waved-tubular structure casing CoO particles and to its high surface area as it was proved by TEM and gas adsorption analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erbium oxide due to its large polarizability and wide bandgap possesses superior dielectric properties and low leakage current. To study the effect of annealing environments on dielectric properties of erbium oxide, it was annealed under argon and air environments. Complex impedance analysis was performed to investigate dielectric properties, relaxation and conduction processes of the annealed samples. The decrease in grain size and increase in surface area, due to annealing in argon environment, resulted in over 2-fold increase in dielectric constant as compared to conventionally used SiO 2 (Effendy et al., 2017) [1]. The annealing in reducing environment also happened to widen the bandgap energy of erbium oxide. Annealing of erbium oxide in inert environment was proved to be better for the enhancement of dielectric properties, owing to creation of smaller grains with larger grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current review highlights the complex behavior of thallium (Tl) in soil and plant systems, offering insight into its hazardous characteristics and far-reaching implications. The research investigates the many sources of Tl, from its natural existence in the earth crust to its increased release through anthropogenic activities such as industrial operations and mining. Soil emerges as a significant reservoir of Tl, with diverse physicochemical variables influencing bioavailability and entrance into the food chain, notably in Brassicaceae family members. Additionally, the study highlights a critical knowledge gap concerning Tl influence on legumes (e.g., soybean), underlining the pressing demand for additional studies in this crucial sector. Despite the importance of leguminous crops in the world food supply and soil fertility, the possible impacts of Tl on these crops have received little attention. As we traverse the ecological complexity of Tl, this review advocates the collaborative research efforts to eliminate crucial gaps and provide solutions for reducing Tl detrimental impacts on soil and plant systems. This effort intends to pave the path for sustainable agricultural practices by emphasizing the creation of Tl-tolerant legume varieties and revealing the complicated dynamics of Tl-plant interactions, assuring the long-term durability of our food systems against the danger of Tl toxicity. [Display omitted] • Thallium enhancement in the environment is increasing via industrialization. • Thallium is highly bioaccumulated in edible parts of plant. • Tl(III) are more toxic than Tl(I) for living biota. • Detrimental consequences of Tl on living biota remain elusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Direct dual Z-scheme TiO-WO 3 -CeO 2 heterostructured nanocomposite successfully synthesized by co-precipitation route. • The nanocomposite TiO-WO 3 -CeO 2 showed boosted photocatalytic activity towards different pollutants. • Systematic investigations confirmed the superior charge separation by direct dual Z-scheme. • Enhanced antibacterial activity of nanocomposite against various pathogenic bacterial strain. • The higher super-capacitive behaviour of nanocomposite. [Display omitted] Direct dual Z-scheme heterostructured nanocomposite TiO 2 -WO 3 -CeO 2 (NC) and pristine metal oxides nanostructures (NSs) were fabricated using a facile co-precipitation route. XRD, FTIR, and Raman data have confirmed the formation of NSs and NC. FESEM images showed quasi-mesoporous morphology of as-grown nanocomposite. EDX analysis confirmed the existence of titanium (Ti), cerium (Ce), and tungsten (W) in grown NC. The energy bandgap of NC was narrow 2.45 eV as compared to NSs. The higher electrical conductivity and lower recombination rate of NC were observed in IV and PL analysis. The photodegradation efficiency of NC was recorded 99.8% after 60 min under sunlight radiation against methylene blue (MB), which was significantly higher than NSs. NC catalyst has shown excellent photodegradation against other organic pollutants and has superior recyclability up to 7th cycle toward MB dye with a ~ 6% deficit in photodegradation efficiency. The antimicrobial activity results indicated the higher inhibition ability of NC against E. coli , K. pneumoniae , S. aureus , P. Vulgaris , and P. aeruginosa with maximum inhibition zone diameter 25, 29, 26, 28, and 27 mm, respectively. The electrochemical tests including CV, EIS, and GCD exhibited the superior capacitive behaviour of NC. These results demonstrate that grown NC is an efficient material for electrochemical devices, water purification, and biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pristine CdO and chromium (Cr)-cobalt (Co) co-doped CdO nanowires via a facile co-precipitation protocol were synthesized and characterized with different analytical techniques to investigate its physical, photocatalytic, antibacterial, and electrochemical properties. The co-doping of Cr-Co into CdO matrix and their structural variations were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectra also confirmed the doping of Cr and Co ions. The energy bandgap was extracted by employing different methods using UV–vis results, exhibited redshift by decreasing Co contents and blue shift by increasing Cr concentration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed the preparation of nanowires. The photocatalytic and antibacterial experiments results showed the higher photodegradation efficiency against methylene blue (MB) (99.5%), methyl orange (MO) (90.6%), rhodamine-B (RhB) (87.5%), safranin-O (SF) (87.5%), and methyl red (MR) dyes (99.99%), after 60 min of sunlight illumination and the higher zone of inhibition (ZOI) against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus for optimal doped Cd 0.90 Co 0.05 Cr 0.05 O (Cd4) sample. The recyclability tests using Cd4 catalyst were exhibited higher stability up to 5th cycles. The higher ability to decompose dyes and kill bacteria is due to the generation of reactive species, confirmed by the radical trapping experiments. The electrochemical measurements were revealed that the Cd4 sample has a higher specific capacitance of 500 F/ g− 1 at 10 mV/s scan rate, excellent energy density 72 Wh/Kg, and greater power density of 4800 W kg− 1 at a current density of 0.1 A/g. Furthermore, the properties of CdO can be tuned by co-doping for making it a useful material for photocatalyst, supercapacitors electrodes, and antibacterial applications. [Display omitted] • Pristine CdO and Cr-Co co-doped CdO nanowires were synthesized via a facile co-precipitation method. • Different analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, Raman, UV–vis, IV, SEM, CV, EIS, and GCD were used. • Enhanced photocatalytic performance against various pollutants with stability upto 5th cycle was achieved. • Improved antibacterial characteristics against different human pathogenic bacterial strain was attained. • The higher specific capacitance, energy density, and power density at optimal loading of Cr and Co were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the micro-emulsion approach was adopted to fabricate rare earth (Nd) and transition metal (Cu) co-doped barium hexaferrite (Ba 1-x Nd x Fe 12-y Cu y O 19) nanoparticles (NPs). The fabricated co-doped and undoped materials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM techniques for structural and morphological investigation. Structural studies such as XRD and FTIR confirmed Nd and Cu doping at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of barium hexaferrite, respectively. The SEM analysis made sure that the materials were successfully produced at the nanoscale. Dielectric measurements revealed that the dielectric constant and AC conductivity values of the co-doped sample were higher than those of the undoped sample. The VSM study confirms the improved magnetic properties of the sample after co-doping that facilitates its separation and reuse after photocatalytic experiments. The co-doped and undoped sample's photocatalytic activities (PCA) were explored by comparing their Methyl Green (MG) dye degradation efficiencies. The results revealed that the co-doped barium hexaferrite sample degraded almost 92.6% of the MG dye, while the undoped sample degraded just 37.4%. The higher PCA of the co-doped sample is credited to its structural defects, which adjust the band interval to increase electrical conductivity. In addition, the co-doped sample lost only 2% photocatalytic efficiency after five successive cycles, demonstrating its potential for reuse. Application studies have clearly shown that our Nd-Cu co-doped barium hexaferrite sample has a great potential for practical application to remove toxic dyes from the environment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel photocatalytic and antibacterial material Zn 0.9 Ce 0.05 M 0.05 O (M = Er, Y, V) nanocrystals were synthesized via a facile co-precipitation technique and characterized by different analytical techniques. XRD confirmed the incorporation of Ce, Er, Y, and V, that without modifying the basic ZnO hexagonal wurtzite structure affects strongly structural properties. The Scherrer, W–H, and SSP methods were used to calculate different microstructural parameters using XRD data. The optical energy bandgap was found to be decreased in all co-doped samples (3.14–2.82 eV) calculated from UV–vis spectra by employing different methods. The effect of dopants ions on the optical properties of ZnO was also studied in detail. The FTIR spectrum inveterate the existence of Zn–O, and Zn-M–O (M = Ce, Er, Y, V) vibrational mode that further confirmed the incorporation of dopants ions. The photocatalytic performance of the grown products was evaluated under sunlight illumination against methylene blue (MB) dye. The antibacterial activity was performed against gram- positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram- negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. The co-doped nanocrystals have shown enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity as compared to Ce-doped ZnO but the Ce–V co-doped ZnO shown the highest activity. The influence of different operational parameters such as the amount of catalyst, the concentration of dye, and pH of the solution on photocatalytic activity of Ce–V co-doped ZnO nanocrystal was also studied and discussed in detail. The radical trapping experiments were also performed to identify the active species involved in photodegradation reaction. The recyclability test exhibited that Ce–V co-doped ZnO catalyst has high stability and can be reused up to the 6th cycles. Furthermore, a possible photocatalytic mechanism was also proposed for the photodegradation of MB dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising consumption and cost of fossil fuels invite the researchers to discover the renewable energy sources. Herein, a novel approach to enhance the photocatalytic performances of rutile-TiO 2 has been revealed. To boost the hydrogen generation reactions, Pd/Rb 2 O cocatalysts have been deposited over TiO 2 via chemical reduction. The morphology and optical characteristics of catalysts were demonstrated by XRD, Raman, UV-Vis/DRS, SEM and TEM analysis. Surface properties, particle sizes, and chemical composition were examined via AFM and XPS techniques. The H 2 production activities were monitored by GC-TCD (Shimadzu-2010/Japan). Comparatively, Pd 1.8 /RbO 0.2 @TiO 2 was found most active catalysts that can deliver hydrogen 22.74 mmolg−1h−1. Higher H 2 generation activities were attributed to the presence of Pd and Rb 2 O cocatalysts. Rb 2 O promoted electrons from TiO 2 to Pd active sites by elevation in fermi energy levels to attain the equilibrium during photoreactions. The mechanistic approach for higher electron transportation and better charge separation has been demonstrated and discussed over here. On the basis of results, it can be concluded that the work reported here in is reliable for sustainable energy applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • CdTe quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes are prepared. • Photoresponsive 4-((3-formyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) diazenyl) benzoic acid (FHDBA) is attached to the surface modified QDs. • The occurrence of electron transfer form photoexcited CdTe QDs to FHDBA reduces the fluorescence of QDs ∼16 times. • The photo-responsive QDs-FHDBA assembly may offer the opportunity to design QDs based luminescent probes. Abstract Surface modified semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) with a tunable photoluminescence (PL) are particularly desirable for many photo-responsive devices. In a step forward towards this goal using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) the CdTe QDs of different sizes are synthesized. The MPA not only controls the size of the QDs but its dense shell around the surface also passivates the surface traps. Consequently, the CdTe QDs exhibit narrow emission with full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of ∼0.3 eV. These QDs are attached to (E)-4-((3-formyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) diazenyl) benzoic acid (FHDBA) to fabricate a photochrome-fluorophore assembly. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induces trans-cis isomerization in FHDBA. Upon storing FHDBA in dark for ∼30 min, it completely reverts to trans-isomer. After photoisomerization the absorption band (n – π* transition) of cis-isomer of FHDBA overlaps with the emission band of CdTe QDs. Following UV excitation photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from conduction band (CB) of CdTe QDs to the LUMO of the cis-isomer of FHDBA quench the fluorescence of QDs by ∼16 times. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) may also quench the fluorescence but its contribution is minor. The photoinduced reversible trans-cis interconversion of FHDBA followed by ET in QDs-FHDBA assembly and the dual function of MPA as coupling strategy may open the avenues to design QDs luminescent photoswitchable probes for biomedical and energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Influence of US and AGE on bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities were evaluated. • Sonication increase bioactive compounds and biological activities of butterfly pea flower. • Sonication not influence on the functional group of bioactive compounds revealed by FTIR results. Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of ultrasound on bioactive compounds and biological activities of blue butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea L.). For this purpose, optimized conditions (temperature 50 °C, time 150 min, solid to liquid ratio 1 g:15 ml, 70% amplitude and 240 W, 20 kHz frequency, 3 s on and 3 s off) of ultrasound (US) and conventional extraction (AGE: Agitation, water bath for 150 min, 50 °C at 150 rmp) were used. The results showed significant (p < 0.05) effect of US and AGE on total phenolics (TPCs), flavonoids (TFCs) and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, reducing activity, Cu2+ and H 2 O 2) of butterfly pea flower extract (BPFE). The results showed an increased trend in yield, TPCs, TFCs and antioxidant activities of US treated BPFE with comparison to AGE. However, insignificant (p > 0.05) effect of US and AGE over TFlaCs and PACs were observed. Moreover, the results of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed little changes in spectrum and US does not affect the functional group of bioactive compounds structure. Additionally, extracts (500–2000 µg/ml) protect pBR322 plasmid DNA damage induced by (1 mM H 2 O 2 and 1 mM FeSO 4), plasma oxidation (induced by 250 µM CuCl 2) and inhibit erythrocyte hemolysis (induced by 200 mM AAPH, 34.6 to 66.73%). Sonication can be applied successfully for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials with high biological activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) is used to control the size and for surface functionalization of CuO QDs. • Photoresponsive azobenzene ligand, (E)-5-((4-chlorophenyl) diazenyl)–2-hydroxy benzaldehyde (CPDHB) is attached to QDs. • Photoinjected electron is transferred from the CB of CuO QDs to the LUMO of CPDHB. • The photoinduced charge/energy transfer in QDs-CPDHB system may lead to design fluorescent probes and data storage devices. Abstract A series of stable CuO quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous alkaline medium are prepared and protected against rapid oxidation by capping with mercaptoacetic acid (MAA). The MAA not only regulates the size of the CuO QDs but it also acts as pendent group for further functionalization of QDs. A specific concentration of MAA improves the crystallinity and increases the fluorescence lifetime by decreasing the density of surface trap states. The MAA capped CuO QDs are attached to (E)-5-((4-chlorophenyl) diazenyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (CPDHB) and upon UV irradiation at 300 nm the CPDHB experiences a reversible trans- to cis-isomerization. The absorption band of the cis-isomer of CPDHB overlaps with the fluorescing band of the CuO QDs, as a result the fluorescence of the QDs is strongly quenched. The photoluminescenc (PL) quenching is attributed due to the photoinjected electron transfer from the conduction band (CB) of the CuO QDs to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the cis-isomer of CPDHB. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is also observed but its contribution is minor. The fluorescence quenching of CuO QDs in QDs - CPDHB assembly upon ultra-violet excitation and reversible trans-cis interconversion of CPDHB may potentially suggests to design fluorescent probes for bioimaging and to develop data and energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper reports the divalent Ni2+ transition element substituted R-type hexagonal ferrites Sr 1-x Mn 2 Ni x Fe 4 O 11 with composition (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) synthesized by sol-gel auto combustion technique. The XRD patterns for all the samples show single phase characteristics. The XRD data was used to calculate the lattice constant a (Å), c (Å), unit cell volume V (Å)3, crystallite size S(nm) and dislocation density D (1/S2). The lattice parameters decreased as the concentration is increased. The range of crystallite size was 11 nm-13 nm. In high density recording media, this small size is proper to obtain the appropriate signal to noise ratio. The observed room temperature (RT) DC electrical resistivity decreased as Ni+2 substitution increased. The conductivity in voltage range of −200 to 200 has been increased. The trend of dielectric constants and dielectric loss factor enhanced with Ni substitution which was due to surface charge polarization. AC conductivity has been enhanced with frequency. In present synthesized material, the conduction process of the material is demonstrated by Cole-Cole graphs which show one semi-circle that influence the grain boundaries. As the Ni+2 concentration is increased the polarization also increased. The increase in dielectric parameters of the synthesized samples with substituents suggests their importance for high frequency applications. Graphical abstract Typical room temperature P-E relationships of the Sr 1-x Mn 2 Ni x Fe 4 O 11 R-type hexagonal ferrites. Image 1 Highlights • A series of R-type hexagonal ferrites were prepared by Sol-Gel auto combustion method. • The XRD analysis showed that the R-type hexagonal structure. • The electrical resistivity decreases with Ni2+ substitution. • The dielectric properties enhances with the increase of Ni contents. • The cole-cole plot shows the role of grain, grain boundary, and grain and grain boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clonal analysis of patients with triple negative myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) has provided evidence of additional aberrations, including epigenetic alterations. To discover such novel genetic aberrations, patients were screened through next-generation sequencing using a myeloid sequencing panel of 54 genes using a genetic analyser. Genetic variants in 28 genes, including TET2, BCOR, BCR , and ABL1 were identified in a triple negative essential thrombocythemia (ET) patient. The individual role of some of these variants in disease pathogenesis has yet to be studied. Somatic mutations in the same genes have been reported with variable frequencies in myeloid malignancies. However, no pathogenic impact of these variants could be found; therefore, long-term follow up of patients with genetic analysis of a large cohort and the use of whole genome sequencing is required to assess the effects of these variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of aromatic/aliphatic ferroceneyl-esters (E1–E10) was synthesized by condensation of 4-ferrocenyl benzoic acid (FB) with various alcohols (A1–A10). Structural elucidation of these esters was carried out by FT-IR, 1 HNMR and UV–visible spectroscopic studies. Single crystal X-ray analysis was used to investigate solid state structure of E1, E4 and E8. DFT calculations were carried out at hybrid B3LYP level of theory using Density Gauss Double-Zeta with polarization functions full-electron basis sets to support the experimental data. Calculated structural parameters and FTIR vibrational frequencies of the optimized geometries were congruent to the experimental data. The interaction of the esters with double stranded chicken blood DNA was studied by cyclic voltammetry and absorption spectroscopic methods. Negative potential shift in cyclic voltammetric and the hyperchromic shift in UV–vis spectroscopy suggested external interaction (groove binding). Interaction of ferrocenyl esters with DNA were found electrostatic in nature. Free energies of ferrocenyl esters-DNA complexes indicated spontaneity of their binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe 3 O 4 could be a better choice as anode for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) due to high sodium ion storage capability and abundant resource. Yet, the low conductivity and severe volume expansion during cycling have fetched large defies towards practicality. In this work, an ovoid Fe 3 O 4 /rGO and (5%, 10%) cobalt doped Fe 3 O 4 /rGO nanocomposites were synthesized through one-step hydrothermal route. Structural, morphological chemical, vibrational, and compositional analysis have been employed using X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate the successful substitution of cationic Co2+ ions in Fe 3 O 4 lattice. Hence, integration of optimal cobalt doping in Fe 3 O 4 lattice can alter the charge/discharge specific capacity as compared to undoped Fe 3 O 4 -rGO anode. Due to sufficient production of oxygen vacancies in the structure 5% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO reveals the highest initial charge capacity of 434 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C and exhibits stable prolonged cycling and delivers upto 303 mAh g−1 of charge capacity during 100 cycles (with 100% of CE and 72% of remaining capacity retention)as compared to 10% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO (414 mAh g−1) and Fe 3 O 4 /rGO (357 mAh g−1) nanocomposite. Moreover, the Nyquist plot reveals the rapid transfer of charge for 5% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO anode due to lowest charge transfer impedance of 56.5 Ω as compared to 10% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO (114.3 Ω) and pristine Fe 3 O 4 /rGO (177.8 Ω). Therefore, the presence of rGO layers and the optimum doping of Co atoms in Fe 3 O 4 crystal can curtail volume expansion, generate more contact sites for electrode/electrolyte, deep penetration of electrolyte into the electrode and can yield superior electrochemical performance via fast Na-ion diffusion rate. Sodium-ion batteries are a promising technology for electric vehicles, the energy grid and other applications. [Display omitted] • Fe 3 O 4 /rGO and (5%, 10%) cobalt doped Fe 3 O 4 /rGO nanocomposites were synthesized through one-step hydrothermal route. • The XRD and XPS results indicate the successful substitution of cationic Co2+ ions in Fe 3 O 4 lattice. • 5% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO reveals the highest initial charge capacity of 434 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C. • The high performance of 5% Co- Fe 3 O 4 /rGO anode was attributed to lowest charge transfer impedance of 56.5 Ω. • The presence of rGO layers and the optimum doping of Co atoms in Fe 3 O 4 crystal can curtail volume expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ti/CeO 2 /Al/CeO 2 /Pt stacks as a ReRAM device exhibits bipolar and unipolar resistive switching behaviors. The OFF/ON resistance ratio (>10 2 ) in both modes is almost similar but operating voltages are slightly smaller in the former than in the later. These devices could switch between the two operating modes merely by choosing the polarity of RESET voltage. In addition, the requirement of identical current compliance during the SET process of both modes provides an additional advantage of simplicity in device operation. The conduction mechanisms of high resistance state and low resistance state are Schottky emission and Ohmic conduction. On the basis of analyses of current–voltage characteristics and temperature dependence of resistance, resistive switching mechanism originated from a combined effect of field induced diffusion of oxygen and Al ions in the sandwiched ceria matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biodiesel was derived from okra (Hibiscus esculentus) seed oil by methanol-induced transesterification using an alkali catalyst. Transesterification of the tested okra seed oil under optimum conditions: 7:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 1.00% (w/w) NaOCH3 catalyst, temperature 65°C and 600rpm agitation intensity exhibited 96.8% of okra oil methyl esters (OOMEs) yield. The OOMEs/biodiesel produced was analyzed by GC/MS, which showed that it mainly consisted of four fatty acids: linoleic (30.31%), palmitic (30.23%), oleic (29.09%) and stearic (4.93%). A small amount of 2-octyl cyclopropaneoctanoic acid with contribution 1.92% was also established. Fuel properties of OOMEs such as density, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, oxidative stability, lubricity, flash point, cold flow properties, sulfur contents and acid value were comparable with those of ASTM D 6751 and EN 14214, where applicable. It was concluded that okra seed oil is an acceptable feedstock for biodiesel production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A low temperature chemical approach which beats the miscibility barrier of Fe and Mg has been designed to synthesize Fe–Mg2 nanoalloy and tested to result nanoparticles of average 30nm size. The nanoalloy is amorphous in nature and characterized by XPRD, AFM, magnetometery, Mössbauer and impedance spectroscopies. The result of magnetic measurement suggests the sample to be superparamagnetic as evidenced by the 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The two Mg atoms occupy different positions around iron resulting in two phase system as shown by Mössbauer and impedance spectroscopies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The manuscript presents method to characterize solid particle clusters using digital image analysis and Eulerian CFD. • Cluster size increases with the increase in particle dimeter as well as with the increase in initial solid concentration. • 1% concentration shows single peak while 5 & 10% show bimodal cluster distribution. Presence of meso-scale structures such as particle clusters and gas bubbles is ubiquitous in fluidized beds frequently used in pyrolysis of coal and biomass. In recent years, bubbling and circulating fluidized beds have become popular for highly efficient conversion of carbonaceous feedstock into pyrolysis products. The characterization and study of hydrodynamics inside these reactors can provide an insight into the mechanisms controlling the performance of these reactors. Among others, cluster size distribution and mean cluster size are the key parameters defining the hydrodynamics of these reactors. In the current work, Digital Image Analysis (DIA) was applied to computationally obtained instantaneous snapshots during the CFD simulations of gas-solid flows. Transient two fluid modeling (TFM) was applied to three different gas-solid systems in periodic domains with different particulate systems keeping same grid size. The dimensionless axial cluster size was defined in line with literature. The cluster sizes and their distributions are obtained and compared with the available empirical correlations present in the literature based on experimental observations having similar range of operating conditions as well as system characteristics. It is found that the results of current approach agree well with the available data. The methodology followed in current work presents an alternative to expensive experimentation for development of a universal cluster size correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depending on the use and management, wastewater generation can be a severe environmental dilemma or a potential source. Proper application and management of municipal water (MW) in agriculture could be its sustainable use. Until now, there is rare data about the combined application of wastewater and freshwater in agriculture that could be considered as sustainable water management strategy. Also, plant (oxidative) stress responses to wastewater application have been rarely investigated. Here, we elucidated the influence of MW irrigation, diluted with canal water (CW) and groundwater (tap water; TW), on Vigna radiata to evaluate (i) the accumulation of potentially toxic metal(loid)s (PTMs; arsenic, copper, cadmium, iron, manganese, lead, nickel, zinc) in different plant tissues, (ii) biochemical modifications in plants, (iii) relative compartmentation of PTMs inside plant, and (iv) PTMs-induced health risk. Results revealed that the soil-plant transfer of PTMs and physiological changes in V. radiata varied depending on the irrigation water type. Noticeably, plants sequestered most of the PTM contents in roots (average 64%) and less were translocated to plant shoots. All the irrigation treatments provoked oxidative stress in V. radiata with high production of hydrogen peroxide, followed by an oxidation of membrane lipids and a decrease in chlorophyll content. The estimated cancer risk and hazard quotients values revealed a potential risk to human health (HQ: 2.2–108.8, CR: 0.0002–0.664), especially for arsenic, cadmium and lead. The integrated risk estimated from PTMs highlighted the unsuitability of all the treatments for crop irrigation. Therefore, in areas with high PTM levels in MW and freshwaters their mixed use is not an ideal management practice. Conclusively, this study helps to strictly monitor the quality of irrigation water before applying to crops and develop a suitable management and remediation strategy. Image 1 • Crop irrigation using municipal water is a common practice in Vehari-Pakistan. • Most of the potentially toxic metals (PTMs) were sequestered in V. radiata roots. • Plants exhibited oxidative stress and showed a linear trend in physiological parameters. • Risk models showed potential health risks for As, Cd and Pb acquisition in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]