Characterization of Nanofibrillated Cellulose Produced by Different Methods from Cabbage Outer Leaves

Cabbage waste derived activated carbon for removing hexavalent chromium from synthetic and tannery wastewater

Industrial wastewater discharge without proper treatment causes severe ecological and public health problems. Heavy metals like chromium are pollutants found in untreated or partially treated industrial wastewater. This study investigates the removal of hexavalent chromium ion (Cr (VI)) from synthetic and tannery wastewater using activated carbon derived from cabbage waste. The cabbage waste was activated with H3PO4 and carbonized at 450 °C. Characterization was performed using proximate analysis, XRD, and FTIR spectroscopy. Batch adsorption studies were conducted under various conditions, including initial chromium concentrations (10-100 mg/L), adsorbent dose (1-20 g/L), contact time (30-300 min), pH (2-11), shaker speed (50-250 rpm), and temperature (20-70 °C). The optimum conditions for maximum chromium removal (99.87%) from synthetic wastewater were pH 3, initial chromium concentration 10 mg/L, shaking speed 150 rpm, contact time 150 min, adsorbent dose 2 g/L, and temperature 25 °C. For tannery wastewater, 83.81% chromium removal was achieved under the same conditions. The Freundlich isotherm model best described the adsorption process, with an adsorption capacity of 4.9 mg/g. The adsorption followed pseudo second order kinetics. The thermodynamics study indicates that the adsorption of Cr (VI) is spontaneous, exothermic and driven by an increase in entropy. A negative value of Gibbs Free Energy change (ΔG°) indicates that the adsorption process is thermodynamically spontaneous and feasible.

Innovative food-upcycling solutions: Comparative analysis of edible films from kimchi-extracted cellulose, sorbitol, and citric acid for food packaging applications

In this study, kimchi-extracted cellulose was utilized to fabricate edible films using a hot synthetic approach, followed by solvent casting, and employing sorbitol and citric acid as the plasticizer and crosslinker, respectively. The chemical, optical, physical, and thermal properties of these films were explored to provide a comparative assessment of their suitability for various packaging applications. Chemical analyses confirmed that the kimchi-extracted cellulose comprised cellulose Iβ and amorphous cellulose and did not contain any impurities. Optical analyses revealed that kimchi-extracted cellulose-containing films exhibited better-dispersed surfaces than films fabricated from commercial cellulose. Physical property analyses indicated their hydrophilic characteristics with contact angles <20°. In the thermal analysis, similar Tg results confirmed the comparable thermal stability between films containing commercial microcrystalline cellulose-containing films and kimchi-extracted cellulose-containing films. Edible films produced from kimchi-extracted cellulose through food-upcycling approaches are therefore promising for applications as packaging materials.

Spectroscopic Analyses Highlight Plant Biostimulant Effects of Baker's Yeast Vinasse and Selenium on Cabbage through Foliar Fertilization

The main aim of this study is to find relevant analytic fingerprints for plants' structural characterization using spectroscopic techniques and thermogravimetric analyses (TGAs) as alternative methods, particularized on cabbage treated with selenium-baker's yeast vinasse formulation (Se-VF) included in a foliar fertilizer formula. The hypothesis investigated is that Se-VF will induce significant structural changes compared with the control, analytically confirming the biofortification of selenium-enriched cabbage as a nutritive vegetable, and particularly the plant biostimulant effects of the applied Se-VF formulation on cabbage grown in the field. The TGA evidenced a structural transformation of the molecular building blocks in the treated cabbage leaves. The ash residues increased after treatment, suggesting increased mineral accumulation in leaves. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) evidenced a pectin-Iα-cellulose structure of cabbage that correlated with each other in terms of leaf crystallinity. FTIR analysis suggested the accumulation of unesterified pectin and possibly (seleno) glucosinolates and an increased network of hydrogen bonds. The treatment with Se-VF formulation induced a significant increase in the soluble fibers of the inner leaves, accompanied by a decrease in the insoluble fibers. The ratio of soluble/insoluble fibers correlated with the crystallinity determined by XRD and with the FTIR data. The employed analytic techniques can find practical applications as fast methods in studies of the effects of new agrotechnical practices, while in our particular case study, they revealed effects specific to plant biostimulants of the Se-VF formulation treatment: enhanced mineral utilization and improved quality traits.

Genus Brassica By-Products Revalorization with Green Technologies to Fortify Innovative Foods: A Scoping Review

Food losses and waste reduction are a worldwide challenge involving governments, researchers, and food industries. Therefore, by-product revalorization and the use of key extracted biocompounds to fortify innovative foods seems an interesting challenge to afford. The aim of this review is to evaluate and elucidate the scientific evidence on the use of green technologies to extract bioactive compounds from Brassica by-products with potential application in developing new foods. Scopus was used to search for indexed studies in JCR-ISI journals, while books, reviews, and non-indexed JCR journals were excluded. Broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard, and radish, among others, have been deeply reviewed. Ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction have been mostly used, but there are relevant studies using enzymes, supercritical fluids, ultrafiltration, or pressurized liquids that report a great extraction effectiveness and efficiency. However, predictive models must be developed to optimize the extraction procedures. Extracted biocompounds can be used, free or encapsulated, to develop, reformulate, and/or fortify new foods as a good tool to enhance healthiness while preserving their quality (nutritional, functional, and sensory) and safety. In the age of recycling and energy saving, more studies must evaluate the efficiency of the processes, the cost, and the environmental impact leading to the production of new foods and the sustainable extraction of phytochemicals.

Source of Nanocellulose and Its Application in Nanocomposite Packaging Material: A Review

Food packaging nowadays is not only essential to preserve food from being contaminated and damaged, but also to comply with science develop and technology advances. New functional packaging materials with degradable features will become a hot spot in the future. By far, plastic is the most common packaging material, but plastic waste has caused immeasurable damage to the environment. Cellulose known as a kind of material with large output, wide range sources, and biodegradable features has gotten more and more attention. Cellulose-based materials possess better degradability compared with traditional packaging materials. With such advantages above, cellulose was gradually introduced into packaging field. It is vital to make packaging materials achieve protection, storage, transportation, market, and other functions in the circulation process. In addition, it satisfied the practical value such as convenient sale and environmental protection, reduced cost and maximized sales profit. This review introduces the cellulose resource and its application in composite packaging materials, antibacterial active packaging materials, and intelligent packaging materials. Subsequently, sustainable packaging and its improvement for packaging applications were introduced. Finally, the future challenges and possible solution were provided for future development of cellulose-based composite packaging materials.

An Innovative Preparation, Characterization, and Optimization of Nanocellulose Fibers (NCF) Using Ultrasonic Waves

Recently, environmental and ecological concerns have become a major issue owing to the shortage of resources, high cost, and so forth. In my research, I present an innovative, environmentally friendly, and economical way to prepare nanocellulose from grass wastes with a sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) solution of different concentrations (1−6% mol) at different times 10−80 min, washed with distilled water, and treated with ultrasonic waves. The optimum yield of the isolated cellulose was 95%, 90%, and 87% NaClO at 25 °C for 20 min and with NaOH and H2SO4 at 25 °C with 5% M, respectively. The obtained samples were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of test temperature and reaction times on the crystallinity index (IC) of GNFC with different treated mediums was carried out and investigated. The IC was analyzed using the diffraction pattern and computed according to the Segal empirical method (method A), and the sum of the area under the crystalline adjusted peaks (method B) and their values proved that the effect of temperature is prominent. In both methods, GNFC/H2SO4 had the highest value followed by GNFC/NaOH, GNFC/NaClO and real sample nano fiber cellulose (RSNFC). The infrared spectral features showed no distinct changes of the four cellulose specimens at different conditions. The particle size distribution data proved that low acid concentration hydrolysis was not sufficient to obtain nano-sized cellulose particles. The Zeta potential was higher in accordance with (GNFC/H2SO4 > GNFC/NaOH > GNFC/NaClO), indicating the acid higher effect.