Bioinsecticide vs Aedes aegypti, vector of dengue, zika and chikungunya
The purpose of this research is to make an ecological insecticide that mixes the extracts of Piper tuberculatum, Annona muricata and Melia azedarach, that together in application cause mortality and repellence of the mosquito Aedes aegypti with the intention to help in the control of the diseases this mosquito is guilty of: dengue, zika and chikungunya, and decrease the risk of infection by a safe and organic way.
銅修飾二硫化錫應用於光催化二氧化碳還原產生太陽能燃料
本文研究轉換二氧化碳成為替代能源,介紹運用太陽能源,以SnS2及光觸媒進行CO2還原反應,以產生碳氫和碳氫氧化合物。我們以溶劑熱法配置SnS2,過程中藉由加入不同重量百分比例的銅(0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 wt.%)探討銅的添加對於觸媒的影響:能隙縮短、底面為從六角形至四邊形晶體結構、吸收光範圍延伸至可見光之域。以活性測試探討其綜合性能,結果呈現1 wt.%銅修飾的SnS2光觸媒有最高CO2轉換效率,且產物單一為乙醛。未來希望藉由研究最佳銅修飾的比例,以改良二硫化錫光觸媒的吸光特性、減少電子電洞對復合,並進一步增加其量子轉換效率、增加產量。
Extracting Water from Humid Air Using Solar Energy in Humid Areas
The study aims to evaluate the technique of extracting water from humid air using solar energy through greenhouses in local areas. This technique is believed to provide limited amount of water in areas where potable water is not accessible or abundant. To solve this problem a pyramid-shaped device was designed, it is made of glass panels ad equipped with glass doors, fans operated by solar energy, and multiple shelves covered with fabric to act as Absorbent Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) with a 30% concentration. The doors are open during the night for absorption and closed during the day for energy-generating. Humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure are measured every two hours. The amount of water extracted in this area in one full day was around 3.0 liters a day for every square meter. Perhaps the limited amount of water is due to low level of humidity in the area: an average of 50% and temperature of F10 Celsius at night. However, the device itself is independent, does not need power sources, water sources, or infrastructure, can be installed in various places depending on humidity level as well as having the possibility of increasing number or size of device. This makes the device a promising, alternative and environmental friendly solution to produce water. Cost-effective and lighter material can be used to make the device, which will produce an easy-to-use and affordable devices. It is an area in need for further research to improve and further develop it.
Beets Revolution
There is currently an interest in developing supercapacitors as the booming of smartphones and other mobile electric devices. Despite offering key performance advantages, many capacitors pose significant environmental hazards once disposed. They often contain fluorine, sulfur, toxic transition metal and cyanide groups, which are harmful if discarded by using conventional landfill or incineration methods. The objective of this project is to find an environmentally benign alternative for building various key components of supercapacitors structures. From the electrolyte, carbon substrate and materials corresponding for Faradic reaction, all the materials were devised from renewable biomass. In our research, two novel designs of betanin/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor and quinone/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor were invented. Betanin and quinone, extracted from beets and Sencha, was preloaded on the sulfonated carbon nanosphere as the composite. While sulfonated carbon nanosphere were fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis of renewable biomaterial, followed by surface functionalization - sulfonation for increasing the loading capacity of nanoparticle. Nanostructured morphology and surface functional groups were examined and confirmed by SEM and IR spectroscopy. Specific capacitance can be boosted up through optimizing the particle size, morphology and surface polarity of carbon substrate and the type of electrolyte. From the experimental result, it is believed that the nano-architecture, with active functional groups, of carbon nanosphere enables the efficient charge transport and electrode stability, allowing the composite with high capacitance (94–209 F g–1 at a current density ranging from 1 to 4 mA cm–2), high capacitance retention of over 90% after over 20,000 cycles respectively, and over a wide range of temperature. Superior electrochemical performance of both betanin/sulfonated and quinone/sulfonated carbon supercapacitor can be attributed to the large accessible surface area of the porous structure, low interfacial resistance and its structural stability. It shows that they have relatively higher tolerant towards heat and extreme pH mediums. The green electrochemical capacitor exhibits a promising capacitive performance of 209 F g–1 with high capacitance retention of over 90%, opening up new possibilities for the production of environmental friendly, cost efficient and lightweight energy storage system using renewable biomass as the basic building materials without harming the environment.
Green Wastewater Treatment: Using Graphene Oxide produced from Date Pits to Degrade Organic Dyes via Novel Microwave Technique
Water treatment is considered as one of the top research priorities in Saudi Arabia. It has been reported by World Health Organization that, 50,000 people die every day from diseases caused by contaminated water. This research attempts to degrade organic pollutants present in wastewater by using Graphene Oxide synthesized from Saudi natural source. Physical activation of date pits was carried out by carbonizing the samples at different temperatures to produce active carbon. Hammer’s method was employed for the purpose of Graphene Oxide production. The resulted Graphene Oxide has been characterized using FT-Raman, XRD and SEM techniques. Methylene Blue (MB) dye was used as a model organic pollutants to examine the ability of Graphene with the aid of a microwave-system to remove such pollutants. A modified domestic MS furnace with a variable power was used to supply microwave energy. The MB solution 2.5x10-6M was mixed with 0.1gm of Graphene Oxide. The applied microwave power was ranged between 100 to 700 W and the time was set between 0 to 12 minutes. The samples were centrifuged and then filtered through a millipore filter to remove the Graphene Oxide dispersed particles. It is found that, 98% of the initial concentration of MB is removed effectively within 12 minutes under microwave power of 500 W. Chemical oxygen demand is shifted from 450 to 87 mg/L while biological oxygen demand was decreased from 270 to 12.8 mg/L which indicating the degradation of organic constituents. This method can be used for water purification from organic pollutants.