Agricultural residues are potential renewable biomass sources for bio-energy production. The objective of the work is to determine the pyrolysis kinetic parameters of corn cob biomass. Three different heating rates of 10, 20, and 30 ° C/min were taken into account in the thermogravimetric analysis. The Kissinger, Flynn Wall Ozawa (FWO), and Kissinger Akahira Sunose (KAS) model-free methods were employed to calculate the kinetic parameters by the use of the data obtained from TGA. The thermal decomposition process shows three basic phases of pyrolysis: removal of moisture content, primary and secondary pyrolysis. The experimental values were compared with the obtained values from FWO and KAS models; implying that the model values were in good agreement with experimental results. The values of kinetic parameters obtained from Kissinger, FWO, and KAS methods are very similar to their average values of 115, 136, and 131 kJmol-1, respectively. Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis of pyrolysis products is obtained, showing that bio-char and bio-oil contain 10 and 15 different compounds, respectively.

The present study investigates the exural strength of Geopolymer Concrete (GPC) beams produced by Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) and Corn Cob Ash (CCA). In the Design Of Experiment (DOE), Box-Behnken Design (BBD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the strength. GGBFS was replaced at 0, 20, and 40 wt. % of CCA. The mixes were activated with 14 molar concentration (14 M) of both sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions. The mix design properties such as alkaline liquid-to-binder ratio, binder-to-aggregate ratio, binder ratio, and curing time were statistically employed as continuous (independent) variables to optimize the response factor ( exural strength). Compared to the control sample (Portland cement concrete), GPC exhibited higher compressive and exural strengths at up to 40 wt. % of CCA replacement. The models predicted the response of exural strength with the variability of less than 5%. Moreover, the correlation between the experimental and optimized exural strengths yielded high precision with 99. 6% \R ". Therefore, the response models in this study would be advantageous in optimization of mix design proportions to obtain the target exural strength of GPC beams produced by GGBFS and CCA.

This study concentrates on pelletization of powdered corn cob and wheat dust with 40% Epoxy binder. Two cylindrical pellets of different sizes and a new hexagonal one were investigated in this work. By densification process, the bulk density increased 8-10 times, having its maximum value fora hexagonal shape (new shape). It was found that the compressive resistance, the water resistance and the impact resistance of the pellets were in general higher for pellets produced at higher pressure. It was found that due to the binder and pelletization, the fuel quality was enhanced compared to the raw biomass as: the moisture content decreased, both fixed carbon and carbon contents increased, ash content reduced, oxygen content decreased and higher heating value (H. H. V) increased. Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to identify the binding mechanism of biomass dust particles in pellets. Pelletization process had improved combustion characteristics compared to raw biomass as: high combustion temperature ranges [T_onset becomes lower and T_offset becomes higher], maximum weight loss rates decreased and reduced residues which leads to a higher combustion efficiency. The analysis of ash yields of combustion process was investigated. It was found that the fouling index (FI) and slagging index (SI) tendency of wheat dust pellets are higher than that of corn cob pellets.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Preliminary studies on the exploration of carbonaceous materials from agricultural waste and their use as adsorbents for antibiotic removal have shown the potential to address a new threat to human health due to antibiotic residue. Therefore, this study developed and synthesized graphene oxide from corn cob for its efficiency in removing ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin.METHODS: The Hummers methods were used to synthesize graphene oxide from corn cobs. Graphene oxide was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive x-ray, and x-ray diffraction instruments. During the synthesis process, antibiotic adsorption tests were extensively conducted by exploring four variables, namely dosage of adsorbent, potential hydrogen, concentration, and contact time.FINDINGS: The result showed that graphene oxide from corn cob effectively removed 47 percent of ceftriaxone and 92.62 percent of ciprofloxacin. Furthermore, to ensure optimum use of the adsorbents, antibiotics ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin weighing 40 milligrams and 20 milligrams. This is in addition to the initial concentrations of 14 and 2 parts per million, the potential of hydrogen 4, and contact times of 50 and 40 minutes, respectively.CONCLUSION: In conclusion, adsorbents made from corn cobs are better at the removal of ciprofloxacin from water than the antibiotic ceftriaxone. The difference in molecular structure affected the percentage of antibiotic adsorption onto graphene oxide derived from corn cob. This study underscores the potential of the derived material as a promising adsorbent for efficiently removing ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments. The use of agricultural waste as advanced materials to address antibiotic residue pollution provided additional environmental pollution.

Currently, exchanging trends in the expensive usage of ceramic materials such as alumina, zirconia etc. into economical ceramic raw sources have been extensively studied over the last decade for various technological applications. Despite the fact that this ceramic compound or elements offer a great performance and stability, especially at high temperature, the basic commercial price and higher sintering temperature of this compound which is a little bit higher have hindered the used of these materials. Thus interest in fabricating of bio-ceramic membrane using corn cob ash (CCA), an agricultural by product not only offered the development of new low cost materials but also able to enhance better properties and performance. The suitability of corn cob ash as an alternative material for ceramic hollow fiber membrane fabrication (CHFM/CCA) as a main substrate was investigated via combined phase inversion and sintering technique based on several controlled operating parameters. The effects of selected bore fluid (5, 10, 15 and 20 mL/min) and different sintering temperature (800 ° C, 900 ° C, 1000 ° C, 1100 ° C) towards membrane structure and properties were observed and studied. Interestingly, characterization analysis of the SEM morphology showed that the potential of the main constituents of corn cob ash which highly consisted of silica, alumina and calcium oxide are able to improve the properties of CHFM/CCA by lowering sintering temperature (1000 ° C) as compared to the standard CHFM bodies which normally has sintering temperature higher than 1200 ° C. Thus, the use of corn cob ash not only able to enhance ceramic properties but also able to reduce sintering temperature. Reduction in energy consumption with slightly reduced sintering temperature also will offer a better sustainable process through recycling abundant waste materials as well as emphasis on the green resources. With that respect, the bio-material of corn cob ash is capable to replace the commercial ceramic membrane materials for membrane applications by considering the availability of this agro waste product as the main crops in most countries in the world.

Introduction: This study synthesized a nanocomposite using corn cob fiber and ZnFe₂O₄, characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and surface porosity analysis. The research focused on evaluating the adsorption capacity and kinetics of this nanocomposite for removing malathion and bendiocarb, representing organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, respectively.Materials and Methods: The nanocomposite was prepared and characterized using various techniques. Adsorption experiments assessed the removal efficiency of the pesticides under different conditions, including contact time, initial pollutant concentration, pH, and nanocomposite dosage. Kinetic studies utilized pseudo-first-order (PFO) and pseudo-second-order (PSO) models.Results: Rapid adsorption occurred within the first 20 minutes, with removal efficiencies of 45.4% for malathion and 40.5% for bendiocarb. Final efficiencies reached 49.3% for malathion and 47.7% for bendiocarb at 85 minutes. Optimal contact times were around 30 minutes for malathion and 40 minutes for bendiocarb. The PSO model provided a better fit, with higher equilibrium adsorption capacities (116.3 mg/g for malathion and 129.9 mg/g for bendiocarb). pH had a positive but minor effect on removal efficiency, and a dosage-dependent increase was observed, with a saturation point beyond 10 mg of nanocomposite.Conclusions: The corn cob fiber and ZnFe₂O₄ nanocomposite effectively removed malathion and bendiocarb from aqueous solutions. Key factors influencing adsorption included contact time, pH, and nanocomposite dosage, highlighting the nanocomposite's potential for pesticide removal applications.

The biochemical traits of different maize varieties under leaf and cob defoliation conditions were investigated in a factorial experiment a randomized complete block design with three replications in Shiraz-Zafarabad during two crop years of 2017-18 and 2018-19. Treatments consisted of removing leaves and a part of the cob at three levels of no remove (control), removing half of the cob after pollination, and removing two upper and lower leaves of the cob after pollination as. The second factor comprised seven maize varieties including SC704, Kansor, Kordona, Karaj 703, Koosha, Fajr, and Danial 690. After preparing the substrate in the first and second years, seeds of different varies were planted in the plots based on the treatments. Leaf and cob defoliation treatments were applied after pollination. The results showed that the highest contents of chlorophyll a (98. 46 mg/g fresh weight, FW), chlorophyll b (138. 7 mg/g FW), carotenoids (74. 33 mg/g FW), and anthocyanin (1. 915 mg/g FW) were obtained in the SC704 variety under combined treatment of defoliating two upper and lower leaves of the cob. The highest amount of catalase (58. 73 mg protein/min) was recorded in Fajr variety in the control, but peroxidase (173. 4 mg protein/min) and polyphenol oxidase (64. 7 mg protein/min) activities were uppermost in the Koosha variety of the control treatment. The varieties of S. C. 704, Fajr and Kosha were the best variety.