Bhekie B Mamba

• Lecturer at University of Johannesburg

The COVID‐19 pandemic outbreak raised major concerns in public health globally, raising the crucial need for the development of methods to monitor the spread of COVID‐19 in communities worldwide. Wastewater‐based epidemiology (WBE) surveillance has been used as a novel tool to monitor outbreaks in communities because of its affordability and effici...

Efficient plant biomass utilization is a key component in advancing a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. ZnO nanoparticle synthesis using plant extracts is actively studied as a part of this effort. Here, green ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using Licania tomentosa Benth (also known as Oiti) leaf extract. Characterization of the produced green Z...

Highly dispersed bimetallic atomic‐scale catalysts have garnered significant attention in syngas conversion filed due to the synergistic effects of the precisely structured bimetallic site, which facilitate the effective activation of CO. Despite their potential, synthesizing these catalysts to meet the specific application requirements remains cha...

Fabrication of a photocatalyst with the desired characteristics of high charge isolation and expeditious photocatalytic performance is crucial in photocatalysis. Constructing an interfacial chemically bonded S‐scheme heterojunction is an effective path to the realization of high interfacial charge transfer and performance. Herein, Mg‐Bi2O3/dark gra...

The synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) via the chemical, biological, and physical routes has been reported on along with advantages and attendant limitations. This study focuses on the sensing and emerging theragnostic applications of this category of nanoparticles (NPs) in clinical sciences by unveiling the unique performance of these NPs...

The polyethersulfone/sulfonated polyethersulfone (PES/SPSf) blend is enriched with ionizable sulfonic acid groups rendering a stable polymer system suited for blending nanocomposites using water as a dispersant. PES/SPSf/TiO2‐amorphous carbon nanotubes (aCNT) mixed matrix membranes are prepared via addition of a TiO2–aCNT/deionized water slurry and...

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) refer to materials consisting of metal ions connected to organic ligands and resulting in tightly packed, periodically porous structures. The present review casts light on the role of coordination chemistry in MOF formation and the resultant impact on the electrochemical and environmental performances. That is, the n...

Water pollution by pharmaceutical drugs has raised concerns as this negatively impacts human health and the entire ecological system. Herein, a highly efficient Zn1-xCoxMoO4 photocatalyst with oxygen vacancy (ZCMx-OV) and enhanced visible light absorption was designed and synthesized through heteroatom inclusion. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscop...

Pharmaceutical compounds, such as ibuprofen and metoprolol, are of increasing concern due to their persistence in the environment and potential adverse effects on human health. In this work, we developed an electrochemical sensor system for the determination of ibuprofen and metoprolol based on a modified manganese oxide nanoparticle (MnO2NPs) on a...

Palladium nanoparticles immobilized on ZIF 67‐derived porous CoOx were prepared by wet‐impregnation method, followed by calcination at different temperatures. The calcination temperature has been employed to effectively manipulate the size of metal nanoparticles, where higher calcination temperatures resulted in larger sizes. The experimental resul...

The Li/Mn-Rich Li[Li x TM (1-x) ]O 2 (0 < x ≤ 0.2, transitional metals (TMs) = Ni, Mn, & Co) cathode materials are practical alternatives to the dominant lithium iron phosphate (LFP), nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA), and Ni-rich NMCs owing to their high practical discharge capacities of~250-350 mAh/g at elevated voltages (>4.5 V). However, the Li/Mn-r...

Anodization was employed to treat the aluminum foil surface, leading to in situ the generation of Al2O3, consequently amplifying the specific surface area to aid in the dispersal of palladium nanoparticles. Through the anodic oxidation of aluminum followed by a precipitation‐deposition and calcination process, a highly efficient and reusable Pd/Al2...

Fouling remains a major challenge in membrane-based water treatment technologies. As a result, contemporary research is geared towards membrane surface modification techniques to reduce fouling. Mitigation strategies involving incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into polymeric membranes has gained a remarkable interest. However, NPs leach is emine...

The presence of microplastics (MPs) is rapidly increasing in the environment, posing a significant threat to public health and the ecosystem. To monitor the impact of MPs, it is crucial to have standardized detection methods and MPs remediation techniques. Therefore, this study aimed to use tannic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles to recover MPs,...

A facile interconnected nanofibre electrode material derived from polybenzimidazol (PBI) was fabricated for a supercapacitor using a centrifugal spinning technique. The PBI solution in a mixture of dimethyl acetamide (DMA) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was electrospun to an interconnection of fine nanofibres. The as-prepared material was charact...

The addition of nanoparticles in amine solutions to produce a stable amine-based nanofluid provides a high surface area for absorption and improves the absorption rate. In this work, nanofluids were prepared by dispersing graphene oxide (GO) in monoethanolamine (MEA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) solutions for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) to furt...

A 5-day test duration makes BOD5 measurement unsatisfactory and hinders the development of a quick technique. Protein-like fluorescence peaks show a strong correlation between the BOD characteristics and the fluorescence intensities. For identifying and measuring BOD in surface water, a simultaneous absorbance–transmittance and fluorescence excitat...

The synergy of polymer blending and loading photocatalytic titania–amorphous carbon nanotubes (TiO 2 –aCNT) in tailoring the morphological, surface, and optoelectrical properties of membranes is investigated. High energy band gap ( E g ) polyethersulfone (PES), and low E g sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPSf) polymer blends were loaded with TiO 2 –aC...

The water treatment industry is facing unprecedented challenges with emerging contaminants of concerns especially those emanating from textile industries. These contaminants overwhelm the existing water treatment infrastructure thus necessitating the exploration of emerging technologies to supplement the existing water treatment technologies. Advan...

Textile and cosmetic industries generate large amounts of dye effluents requiring treatment before discharge. This wastewater contains high levels of reactive dyes, low to none-biodegradable materials and chemical residues. Technically, dye wastewater is characterised by high chemical and biological oxygen demand. Biological, physical and pressure-...

Pathogenic bacteria in drinking-water pose a health risk to consumers, as they compromise the quality of portable water. Chemical disinfection of water containing dissolved organic matter (DOM) causes harmful disinfection by-products. In this work, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) blended polyethersulfone membranes were fabricated and characterised us...

Biodegradable electronic devices play a crucial role in addressing the escalating issue of electronic waste accumulation, which poses significant environmental threats. In this investigation, we explored the utilization of a methanol-based extract of the Elaeodendron buchananii plant blended with carboxymethyl cellulose, a biopolymer, to produce a...

Due to the limitations of conventional ultrafiltration/microfiltration-based membrane bioreactors (UF/MF-MBRs) in removing trace organic compounds (TrOCs), the concept of high-retention membrane bioreactors (HR-MBRs) was introduced. Despite the benefits, HR-MBRs still suffer several drawbacks. Therefore, this paper critically reviews the effectiven...

Water–energy sustainability will depend upon the rapid development of advanced pressure-driven separation membranes. Although energy-efficient, water-treatment membranes are constrained by ubiquitous fouling, which may be alleviated by engineering self-cleaning membrane interfaces. In this study, a metal-polyphenol network was designed to direct th...

The increasing demand for clean water requires the development of simple, cheap, and efficient catalysts systems for water pollution remediation. To develop cheap yet efficient hybrid advanced oxidation processes for degradation of organic pollutants in water requires their systematic comparison under similar conditions to make informed decisions o...

The present work demonstrates the performance of hollow fibre membranes fabricated using polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene (EPS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coupled with 30% monoethanolamine (MEA) in a gas liquid membrane contactor (GLMC) for the absorption of carbon dioxide. A gas mixture with a composition of (50/50 v/v%) methane (CH4) and (CO2...

Galvanic interactions present alternative strategies to achieve a more efficient Cu dissolution from CuFeS2. The present work studied the interaction between chalcopyrite–magnetite (CuFeS2-Fe3O4) in acidified ferric sulphate Fe2(SO4)3-H2SO4 at a solution pH of 1.8 and a temperature of 25 or 50 °C. The addition of Fe3O4 to CuFeS2 forms a galvanic co...

With emphasis on copper-cobalt bearing minerals, robustly presented background and specific case studies on the recovery of values from complex ores are discussed in the book.

Low-grade ores and complex minerals are more and more encountered as rich seams are depleting and deep mining, offshore mining, extraterrestrial mining and urban mining are deemed to be practiced. In addition to a sound theoretical background, specific case studies with emphasis on iron ores, coal and copper-cobalt bearing minerals are discussed in...

The ZnIn 2 S 4 /TiO 2 heterostructures show an increased surface area and strengthened interface contacts, facilitating efficient photogenerated carrier separation and leading to high photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation.

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are a class of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents that are used to treat variety of infectious diseases. This class of antibiotics was being used for patients exhibiting early symptoms of a human respiratory disease known as the COVID-19 virus. As a result, this outbreak causes an increase in drug-resistant strains and envir...

Herein, adsorptive polyethersulfone/polylactic acid (PES/PLA) blends membranes with systematic concentrations of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) (0.5–2.5 wt%) were developed via a modified phase inversion process for the enhanced removal of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such adsorptive membr...

Flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) can be power sources for the next generation of flexible and wearable electronic devices. Recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology have opened new opportunities in the energy industry to improve the performance of FSCs by providing high energy density, high power density, and excellent flexibility. Due to their higher...

Photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants in water or wastewater is becoming a hot topic for environmental clean-up. Herein, a novel CeFeCu trimetal oxide (CFC TMO)/Bi2O3 (CFCB) photocatalysts were prepared through precursor mixing, ultrasonication, and calcination methods and used for photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole (S...

Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) is considered a promising strategy for environmental protection and energy saving because it can simultaneously achieve nitrate wastewater treatment and ammonia synthesis. However, currently, this method suffers from the lack of efficient electrocatalysts. In this work, through a “killing two birds...

In the present protocol, we determined the presence and concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) spiked in surface water samples using EEM fluorescence spectroscopy in conjunction with modelling using partial least squares (PLS) and parallel factor (PARAFAC). PARAFAC modelling of the EEM fluorescence data obtained from surface water samples contaminated...

Anticorrosion and adsorption behaviour of synthesized carbohydrazide Schiff bases, namely (Z)-N′-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-6-methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbohydrazide(MBTC) and (Z)-N′-(3,4-dichlorobenzylidene)-6-methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine-5-carbohydrazide (CBTC) was examined for mild steel (M...

In this study, functionalized mesoporous silica was prepared and characterized as a stationary phase using various analytical and solid-state techniques, including a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen sorption. The results confirmed the successful synthesis of the hybrid stationary phase. The po...

In the present protocol, we determined the presence and concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) spiked in surface water samples using EEM fluorescence spectroscopy in conjunction with modelling using partial least squares (PLS) and parallel factor (PARAFAC). PARAFAC modelling of the EEM fluorescence data obtained from surface water samples contaminated...

This review focuses on monitoring selected organic contaminants utilising an electrochemistry technique due to intrinsic benefits such as simplicity, portability, cost, and improved sensitivity. Because the presence of organic pollutants in water causes a variety of health issues such as tumour, headaches, tiredness, and developmental abnormalities...

In recent years, trace organic compounds (TOrCs) and emerging contaminants (ECs) have been detected in different water sources including surface water and wastewater. Such compounds include but not limited to pharmaceuticals, hormones, personal care products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), disinfection by-products, flame retardants, a...

Dihydroxybenzenes (DBZs) are one of the major classes of pollutants in water bodies. The devastating effects of DBZs on human health when consumed through potable water intake include cancer, liver disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Accordingly, analytical methods such as colorimetry, fluorimetry, chemiluminescence, and electrochemical sensin...

This paper reports on the development of a model intended to provide an early warning indication of pollution caused by oil produced water and also serve as a predictive tool for compliance/noncompliance to the set guidelines related to the discharge of wastewater into municipals' channels. The development of this model made use of the results obta...

Here, we designed a Mn3O4/CuOx heterostructure supported on copper foil (CF) for electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia. The selectivity and Faraday efficiency of ammonia were 96.79% and 86.55%, respectively. Multiple characterizations revealed that Mn3O4/CuOx/CF showed faster charge transfer and created more electron-deficient Mn sites, ele...

A combination of graphene oxide quantum dots and peracetic acid (GQDs/PAA) was used to degrade sulfasalazine in municipal wastewater. The impact of reaction parameters such as initial concentrations of oxidant (peracetic acid) and drug (sulfasalazine) and different water matrices was evaluated. The degradation efficiency when using GQDs/PAA (50 mg/...

Escherichia coli is a harmful pathogenic bacterial species causing serious intestinal sickness in humans. This bacterium has been linked to contaminated epidemics that have led to significant mortality and morbidity across the world. E. coli, like most other waterborne infections, is tricky to discover effectively in the water supply. Therefore, th...

In recent times, the need to make water safer and cleaner through the elimination of recalcitrant pharmaceutical residues has been the aim of many studies. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, enrofloxacin, and levofloxacin are among the commonly detected pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Since the presence of these pharmace...

In our concept, the mineral struvite which is a by-product from the treatment of municipal wastewater can be used as an alternative to lime; this by-product was added to AMD of pH 2 and the pH was raised in a stepwise manner giving the opportunity to recover ferric phosphate. The addition of struvite to AMD resulted in the neutralisation of AMD and...

Controlling membrane morphology is crucial to improving the mechanical strength (MS) and hydrophilicity of porous membranes. Here we report on the fabrication of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) free of macrovoids via non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS). Hydrophilic Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) were m...

With the growing population worldwide, the demand for fresh water is expected to continuously increase over the year, putting an unnecessary pressure on the surface and groundwater. Atmospheric water harvesting which is an air to water system therefore presents a suitable alternative that does not depend on the limited surface water resource and do...

Abstract The alarming issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals increase in aquatic environment has heightened concerns about their potential impact on human health and ecosystem. Taking cognizance of this, the current investigation focused on fabrication of effective and efficient photoanode (MoS2/Ag@WO3/EG) from molybdenum disulphide/silver@tungste...

The endless development in nanotechnology has introduced new vitality in device fabrication including biosensor design for biomedical applications. With outstanding features like suitable biocompatibility, good electrical and thermal conductivity, wide surface area and catalytic activity, nanomaterials have been considered excellent and promising i...

Due to the ever increasing demand for cleaner water, a remarkable focus has been on the use of nanomaterials in wastewater treatment application. Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation, an advanced oxidation process which combines light and electrical energy, has been identified as a suitable technique capable of achieving total mineralisation of...

Membrane performance optimization is a critical preparation step that ensures optimum separation and fouling resistance. Several studies have employed additives such as carbon and inorganic nanomaterials to optimize membrane performance. These particles provide excellent results but are rather costly, unstable and toxic to several biological organs...