Antibacterial Films of Alginate-CoNi-Coated Cellulose Paper Stabilized Co NPs for Dyes and Nitrophenol Degradation

The development of a solid substrate for the support and stabilization of zero-valent metal nanoparticles (NPs) is the heart of the catalyst system. In the current embodiment, we have prepared solid support comprise of alginate-coated cellulose filter paper (Alg/FP) for the synthesis and stabilization of Co nanoparticles (NPs) named as Alg/FP@Co NPs. Furthermore, Alginate polymer was blended with 1 and 2 weight percent of CoNi NPs to make Alg-CoNi1/FP and Alg-CoNi2/FP, respectively. All these stabilizing matrixes were used as dip-catalyst for the degradation of azo dyes and reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4NP). The effect of initial dye concentration, amount of NaBH4, and catalyst dosage was assessed for the degradation of Congo red (CR) dye by using Alg-CoNi2/FP@Co NPs. Results indicated that the highest kapp value (3.63 × 10−1 min−1) was exhibited by Alg-CoNi2/FP@Co NPs and lowest by Alg/FP@Co NPs against the discoloration of CR dye. Furthermore, it was concluded that Alg-CoNi2/FP@Co NPs exhibited strong catalyst activity against CR, and methyl orange dye (MO) degradation as well as 4NP reduction. Antibacterial activity of the prepared composites was also investigated and the highest l activity was shown by Alg-CoNi2/FP@Co NPs, which inhibit 2.5 cm zone of bacteria compared to other catalysts.

Effects of the Filtration on the Biotic Fraction of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Filtration is a widely used process in the production of extra virgin olive oil. We studied the influence of filtration performed with cotton filters and cellulose filter press on the biotic components of the oily mass containing probiotic traits in two freshly produced monocultivar extra virgin olive oils. The concentration of bacteria was reduced from 100% to 28%, while that of fungi was reduced from 100% to 44% after filtration, according to the filtration system and the initial contamination of the original monocultivar extra virgin olive oil. Compared with the control, the yeast content in the oil samples filtered with cotton filters was reduced from 37% to 11% depending on the cultivar. In the oil filtered with cellulose filter press, the yeast content reduced from 42% to 16%. The viable yeast that passed through the oily mass during the filtration process with cellulose filter press, unlike all the other samples, were unable to survive in the oil after a month of storage. The possible health benefits of compounds from both the biotic and abiotic fraction of the oil, compared to the control, were significantly low when filtered with the cellulose filter press.