This paper investigates the synthesis, antibacterial, and photocatalytic properties of silver ion-exchanged natural zeolite/TiO2 photocatalyst nanocomposite. Zeolite is known to have a porous surface structure, making it an ideal substrate and framework in different nanocomposites. Moreover, natural zeolite has a superior thermal and chemical stability, with hardly any reactivity with chemicals. Finding an effective and low-cost method to remove both antibiotics and bacteria from water resources has become a vital global issue due to the worldwide excessive use of chemicals and antibiotics. This research aims to propose a facile method to synthesize Ag-ion-exchanged zeolite/TiO2 catalyst for anti-bacterial purposes and photocatalytic removal of atibiotics from wastewaters. TiO2 particles were deposited on the surface of natural zeolite. Ag ion exchanging was performed via a liquid ion-exchange method using 0.1 M AgNO3 solution. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to evaluate the structure of synthesized powders. Antibacterial activities of samples were assessed, using Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 by disc diffusion method. It was shown that Ag-containing nanocomposite samples have an improved antibacterial performance in both cases. Results showed that the synthesized catalyst has promising potentials in wastewater treatment.@en

Modification of paint with nanoparticles (NPs) provides self-cleaning, water/dirt-repellent, and other properties. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to biosynthesize silver (Ag) and copper oxide (CuO) NPs and to prepare NP-modified paint. To this end, AgNPs and CuONPs were biosynthesized using Bacillus atrophaeus spores and commercial and crude dipicolinic acid (DPA) extracted from the spore of this bacterium. The synthesized NPs were characterized using electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) methods. A minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay of NPs against Escherichia coli ATCC8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 was carried out. The antibacterial effects of prepared NP–paint complexes were assessed using an optical density (OD) comparison before and after adding metal sheets coated with NP–paint complexes into the nutrient broth medium. Four different types of NPs were synthesized in this research: AgNPs synthesized by spore (A), AgNPs synthesized by commercial DPA (B), AgNPs synthesized by crude DPA (C), and CuONPs synthesized by spore (D). SEM analysis confirmed the spherical shape of NPs. According to the results, NPs A, B, and D showed higher antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to E. coli. Furthermore, the analysis of the antibacterial effects of NP–paint complexes suggested that paint–NPs A, B, and C displayed higher activity on E. coli compared to S. aureus. Moreover, the antibacterial effect of paint–NP D was significantly lower than other NPs. According to this robust antibacterial effect on pathogenic bacteria, it seems that these NP–paint complexes could be useful in public places such as hospitals, airports, dormitories, schools, and office buildings, where the rate of transmission of infection is high.@en

This paper investigates a severe microbiologically influenced failure in the elbows of a buried amine pipeline in a petrochemical plant. Pipelines can experience di_erent corrosion mechanisms, including microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). MIC, a form of biodeterioration initiated by microorganisms, can have a devastating impact on the reliability and lifetime of buried installations. This paper provides a systematic investigation of a severe MIC-related failure in a buried amine pipeline and includes a detailed microstructural analysis, corrosion products/biofilm analyses, and monitoring of the presence of causative microorganisms. Conclusions were drawn based on experimental data, obtained from visual observations, optical/electron microscopy, and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)/X-Ray Di_raction (XRD) analyses. Additionally, monitoring the presence of causative microorganisms, especially sulfate-reducing bacteria which play the main role in corrosion, was performed. The results confirmed that the failure, in this case, is attributable to sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), which is a long-known key group of microorganisms when it comes to microbial corrosion.@en

This paper investigates the synthesis and characterization of photoactive TiO2/CuO nanocomposites for the simultaneous antibacterial applications and photocatalytic removal of Amoxicilline from wastewaters. Effective removal of biological and organic contaminants from water resources has become a global challenge due to contaminants' complexity and extensive use. TiO2/CuO heterojunctions with different CuO loadings were synthesized using a straightforward precipitation method. Electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS) analyses were used to characterize synthesized samples. Antibacterial activities of samples were investigated against Staphylococcus aureus. Also, the applicability of synthesized powders in the photocatalytic removal of Amoxicilline from wastewater was methodically investigated. Results showed that the photocatalytic activity of synthesized TiO2/CuO nanocomposites is highly dependent on the CuO loadings of samples. CuO loading can also increase the light absorption within the visible light region, making TiO2/CuO samples applicable in the visible light region. Results also showed that CuO loading greatly enhances the antibacterial characteristics of samples.@en