Muhammad Asif Hanif

University of Agriculture Faisalabad · Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Boswellia serrata produces oleo gum resin, a rich source of essential oil (EO). EOs, produced as secondary metabolites by medicinal plants, are employed for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. The present study aimed to investigate the yield, chemical composition, antioxidant (AO), antimicrobial, and hemolytic activity of B. serrata EO and its frac...

Textiles in all forms act as carriers in transmitting pathogens and provide a medium of microbial growth, especially in those fabrics which are used in sports, medical and innerwear clothing. More attention towards hygiene and personal healthcare made it a necessity to develop pathogen-free textiles. Synthetic and natural antimicrobial compositions...

Menthol, terpene alcohol with a strong minty, cooling odor and taste is highly popular in food, flavor, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Crystallization of menthol from mint oil is a tedious process involving high cost and a much longer period. The present study has been undertaken to devise a new method with low input and with higher produc...

In recent years, the dyes discharged from various textile industries have been the main concern of water contamination. With increasing water scarcity problems, it is necessary to synthesize a low-cost, effective visible-light-driven photocatalyst for organic pollutant degradation. In the present study, g-C3N4/GO/CuFe2O4 (CGC) nanocomposite was fab...

Nutrient leaching is a major reason for fresh and ground water contamination. Menthol is the major bioactive ingredient of Mentha arvensis L. and one of the most traded products of global essential oil market. The indigenous production of menthol crystals in developing countries of the world can prove to be the backbone for local growers and poor f...

Metal salt-based deep eutectic solvents (MSDESs) have recently developed a torrent of leading-edge applications in endless areas of chemistry. DESs with metal salt as a counterpart show exceptionally well efficiency...

A broadly used dye, methylene blue (MB), adversely impacts human health and water resources, which triggers efficient methods for its elimination. Semiconductor-based heterogeneous photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly approach that effectively degrades organic pollutants. The purpose of the current work is to elucidate and validate the app...

Pollution of dye-contaminated wastewater is increasing rapidly due to the increase in industrialisation. This research was designed to investigate the potential of sunflower marble waste for the removal of dyes, reactive black 5 and NOVAC black WNN, from wastewater using an adsorption process because of its low cost, easy availability, and eco-frie...

Due to growing environmental awareness and demands, many efforts were implemented for the transformation of waste materials into highly efficient adsorption capacity materials. In this work, efforts were made to convert the Sindh clay and quartz into an efficient composite for dye removal from polluted water. The synthesized composites were charact...

Nutrient leaching is a major reason for fresh and ground water contamination. Menthol is the major bioactive ingredient of Mentha arvensis L. and one of the most traded products of the global essential oil market. The indigenous production of menthol crystals in the developing countries of the world can prove to be the backbone for the local grower...

Complexation of micronutrients with complexing agents reduce undesirable reactions of fertilizers in soil water system. In the form of complex structure nutrients remain available to plants in the useable form. Nanoform fertilizer enhances the surface area of particles and less amount of fertilizer contact with large area of plant roots which reduc...

The main objective of the present research project was to investigate the possibility of using low cost, eco-friendly, and easily available adsorbents, such as mint biomass and marble stone waste, for the removal of dyes, DRIM blue HS-RL and DRIM black ep-B, from wastewater using an efficient procedure, which is adsorption. Nine different combinati...

Production of biodiesel from edible vegetable oils using homogenous catalysts negatively impacts food availability and cost while generating significant amounts of caustic wastewater during purification. Thus, there is an urgent need to utilize low-cost, non-food feedstocks for the production of biodiesel using sustainable heterogeneous catalysis....

Pinus roxburghii is a rich source of high‐quality oleoresin that is composed of resin acids and essential oil (EO). The present research work was planned to study and compare the yield, biological activities, and chemical profiling of P. roxburghii oleoresin EOs extracted through various green extraction methods. Steam distillation (SD), supercriti...

To study the scattering characteristics of Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beam from a coated circular nihility cylinder, a theoretical analysis is carried out in this work. A nihility cylinder is coated with metamaterials that may be double positive (DPS) or double negative (DNG), respectively. The electromagnetic field equations are reshaped with the help...

A novel Li-impregnated TiO2 catalyst loaded on feldspar mineral (Li-TiO2/feldspar) was synthesized via a wet impregnation method and was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Using these techniques, it was possible to confirm the catalyst’s structural organiz...

The discharge of dyes from textile industries led to a broad range of toxicological and environmental effects, posing severe health issues for humans and animals worldwide. These dyes are highly stable and, if not adequately treated, remain in the environment for extended periods. Adsorption, the most efficient and cost-effective method, offers uni...

The present project is designed to investigate the potential of hoshanar and sunny grey marble wastes to remove direct violet 51 dye from wastewater using adsorption process. The effect of different parameters such as pH, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, and contact time were studied to optimize the results of adsorption process. Differen...

The present study was aimed to remove direct violet-51, reactive green-5, reactive red, and acid red dyes by novel bentonite clay nanocomposites prepared using sodium metasilicate and potassium ferricyanide. The effect of temperature, pH, adsorbent amount, contact time, and initial concentration were studied to optimize the removal process. Various...

Pinus roxburghii is a rich source of high-quality oleoresin composed of resin acids and essential oil. The main purpose of the present study was to compare the yield, biological activities and chemical composition of Pinus roxburghii oleoresin essential oil. Steam distillation, supercritical fluid extraction, and superheated steam extraction at dif...

Scientific evidence suggests that quercetin (QUR) has anxiolytic-like effects in experimental animals. However, the mechanism of action responsible for its anxiolytic-like effects is yet to be discovered. The goal of this research is to assess QUR’s anxiolytic effects in mouse models to explicate the possible mechanism of action. After acute intrap...

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel in many developing and developed countries worldwide. Biodiesel has significant and numerous economic, environmental, and social benefits. However, the problem with conventional biodiesel production is the high industrial production cost, mainly contributed by the raw materials. Therefore, catalysts and feedstock ar...

The evergreen rosewood tree (Dalbargia sissoo or Indian rose wood tree), was once a major source of fuel wood and later used in the furniture industry, is now dying in a slow and mysterious death across Pakistan, India and other South Asian countries. In the present study chemical changes produced in essential oil of diseased Dalbergia sisso and ch...

The commercialization of scientific innovation, which is a key to entrepreneurial success, represents a combination of several commercial activities. Technology is usually the outcome of research and development activities to bring inventions to practical use. Framework of commercialization develops new horizons for future research along with guida...

The adsorption process combined with electrocoagulation is a highly effective technique for dye removal. Calcinized and non-calcinized composites based on bentonite and sodium zeolite were prepared for adsorptive removal of Foron EBL blue, Terasil brown 2RFL, Torque blue PG, and Orange P3R dyes. Factors affecting the adsorption process, such as con...

The properties of biodiesel are completely dependent on the fatty acid profile of feedstock oils. Several feedstocks are not in use for biodiesel production because of the presence of unsuitable fatty acids in their oils. The present study was conducted to overcome this problem by the utilization of interesterification and hydrolysis processes. The...

Medicinal plants enriched with bioactive compounds are useful to treat pathological complications. Extraction is a first and foremost step for their application as medicine either in traditional medicine or in pharmaceutical formulation. Micelle-mediated extraction (MME) employs non-toxic, inexpensive, and non-volatile surfactants. Micelles encapsu...

In the present study, choline chloride–based solvents (eutectics of choline chloride with ethylene glycol and malic acid) were prepared and used for the extraction of bioactive compounds from Mentha arvensis. The extraction of bioactive compounds was carried out by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The optimization of extraction parameters like...

Condensation polymerization, catalytic breakdown, kink production, and double bond induction in the feedstock have been tested first time for biodiesel production. Biodiesel as an alternative fuel has gained much importance in the past few decades. Still, higher densities and poor low-temperature flow properties have made its excessive usage quite...

The hazardous dyes on mixing with water resources are affecting many life forms. Granite stone is popular worldwide for decorating floors, making other forms of decorative materials and items. Granite stone powder waste can be obtained free of cost from marble factories as factories spend on the disposal of this waste. In the present study, novel g...

This article reviews the available research results of selected species of the genus Silphium L. (Asteraceae) as alternative plants for crops and industry. Silphium species have valuable qualities across a wide range of uses, which is very important in considering plant resources as a green alternative to a sustainable future. Species of the genus...

Oleo-gum-resin is a complex mixture of essential oils, polysaccharides, and resin acids. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the variation in chemical components and antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted by superheated steam at various temperatures. The optimum essential oil yield was obtained at the highest superheate...

Mint is an industrial crop cultivated worldwide at millions of hectares. A considerable variation has been reported in the yield and quality of oil obtained from the crops of menthol mint varieties depending on its menthol contents. The menthol percentage of mint is usually determined by gas chromatographic (GC) analysis, which needs high capital i...

Menthol, due to inherent refreshing feeling and mint flavour, has been extensively used in food, pharmaceutical, flavor and fragrance products. However, menthol has low solubility in water. That is why, the applications of menthol have been confined and a menthol substance with good water solubility is much desired. Hence, glycoside compounds are a...

Solar thermal energy captures the heat energy, directly from the solar radiations. The electricity produced by the solar photovoltaic (SPV) system can either be stored or directly be used for different purposes. Special types of semiconductor materials are used for the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells, having higher energy-conversion-efficiencie...

Geothermal energy is the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Geothermal power is reliable, sustainable, cost-effective, and environmental friendly; however, these were historically limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent advances in technologies used for harnessing geothermal energy have dramatically expanded the size...

Affordability of energy and its easy availability are the major issues of modern politics. A critical overview of four major types of nonrenewable energy resources is provided in this chapter. Coal, the most plentiful fuel, has the longest and the most varied history in the entire fossil family. Coal is ranked or divided into four major types: (1)...

A newer hybrid technology named as “photovoltaic diesel hybrid system” contains the photovoltaic system, diesel gensets, and appropriate management system, in order to ensure the amount of available solar energy, fed inside the system, exactly matching the demands at that time. In the past few years, gradual revolution starting from the conventiona...

Fossil fuels are a valuable source of energy. However, burning of fossil fuels emits several air pollutants that are harmful to both the environment and public health. Renewable energy promises a clean future energy for the mankind. Various terms such as “cleaner energy resources,” “renewable energy,” and “green energy technologies” are all the sam...

Fast blowing air and natural wind energy have played an important role in human civilization. Wind-based kinetic energy is an indispensable resource of energy. Several types of wind turbines do exist and explained in detail in this chapter. Depending on the applications of “wind power generation,” it is categorized into three options: (1) stand-alo...

Biomass-based energy resources contain significant amount of stored energy of the solar radiations. All forms of the bio-based energy resources contain appreciable amount of organic matter, including both animal waste and dead plant material, along with their by-products. Processes such as Torre faction and pyrolysis do not directly produce useful...

Over the past few centuries, burning of fossil fuels, rapid deforestation, and industrial activities, have released high concentration of “heat-trapping agents” commonly known as “greenhouse gases” (GHGs) into the atmosphere. The rapid increase in global temperature, due to the rich accumulation of GHGs, is mainly responsible for increasing the lev...

Shale gas and wind power are important sources of energy. Wind-based energy resources are still considered to be the safest possible option worldwide, for the generation of huge amount of electrical energy, to fulfill the rapidly increasing global energy demands. The cost of the off-shore wind power plants largely depends on the (1) distance from t...

In tidal power plants, the power is obtained by the sudden rise and fall of the tides in the rivers and oceans for the generation of electrical energy. There are three basic types of the tidal plants: (1) tidal fences, (2) barrage tidal plants, and (3) tidal turbines. The wave energy of oceans is directly captured by the surface waves and fluctuati...

There is a long history of using flowing water for the production of mechanical energy. Hydropower is the energy generated from water. Hydropower plants and hydro-based energy resources are still the most widely used renewable energy resources of the world. According to an estimate, almost less than one quarter of the “technical hydropower potentia...

Electricity is produced in a fuel cell (FC) through a chemical reaction without combustion. FC is a potential electrochemical system, known to convert the “chemical energy” of conventional fuels directly into “direct current” or “electrical energy.” The FCs are capable of empowering all the types of portable devices, generally using the batteries a...

Persistentantimicrobial drugs treatmenthas resulted in antimicrobial resistance in fungi. There is always a gap for newer antifungal agent. As fungi are associated with multiple health risks in humans and many diseases in crops as well.Objective: To find alternate natural antimicrobial agent as compared to the synthetic one. Method:Essential oil of...

The present study was undertaken with aims to produced catalyst loaded on low-cost clay supports and to utilize plum waste seed oil for the production of biodiesel. For this purpose, Bentonite–potassium ferricyanide, White pocha-potassium ferricyanide, Granite-potassium ferricyanide, Sindh clay-potassium ferricyanide, and Kolten-potassium ferricyan...

The catecholase activity, DFT calculations, Hirshfeld surface analysis and docking studies were performed on hexanuclear iron(III) cluster, [Fe6III(µ3-O)(edteH)2(piv)6(N3)2] (1) (where H4edte = N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine and piv = pivalic acid). The catecholase activity was evaluated in acetonitrile through the UV–vis spectro...

Indian blackberry (Syzygium cumini L.) is an evergreen tree in the Myrtaceae family. It is used in traditional medicine due to its significant bioactivities and presence of polyphenols with antioxidant activities. The present study describes the effect of seasonal variations on Indian blackberry leaf essential oil yield and chemical composition, pr...

Disadvantages of biodiesel include consumption of edible oils for fuel production, generation of wastewater and inability to recycle catalysts during homogenously catalyzed transesterification. The aim of the current study was to utilize low-cost, inedible oil extracted from Sinapis arvensis seeds to produce biodiesel using a novel nano-composite s...

The untreated effluents discharged by different industries, such as metallurgy, fertilizers, pesticide, leather, mining, electroplating, surface finishing, aerospace, and electroplating, have increased the risk of the contamination of bodies of water by heavy metals. Herein, hybrid biosorbent–nanofiltration processes for Pb(II) removal from wastewa...

The need for exploring nonfood low-cost sustainable sources for biodiesel production is ever increasing. Commercial and industrial algae cultivation has numerous uses in biodiesel production. This study explores S. elongata as a new algal feedstock for the production of biodiesel that does not compete with food production. The major fatty acids ide...

Biodiesel has attracted considerable interest as an alternative biofuel due to its many advantages over conventional petroleum diesel such as inherent lubricity, low toxicity, renewable raw materials, biodegradability, superior flash point, and low carbon footprint. However, high production costs, poor low temperature operability, variability of fu...

Silver doped metal ferrites

The effective transesterification process to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) requires the use of low-cost, less corrosive, environmentally friendly and effective catalysts. Currently, worldwide biodiesel production revolves around the use of alkaline and acidic catalysts employed in heterogeneous and homogeneous phases. Homogeneous catalyst...

The present study was undertaken with aims to produced catalyst loaded on low-cost clay supports and to utilize plum waste seed oil for the production of biodiesel. For this purpose, Bentonite-potassium ferricyanide, White pocha-potassium ferricyanide, Granite-potassium ferricyanide, Sindh clay-potassium ferricyanide, and Kolten-potassium ferricyan...

Depleting petroleum resources coupled with the environmental consequences of fossil fuel combustion have led to the search for renewable alternatives, such as biodiesel. In this study, sunflower (Helianthus annus), mustard (Brassica compestres) and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) seed oils were converted into biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester...

In the present study, choline chloride–based solvents (eutectics of choline chloride with ethylene glycol and malic acid) were prepared and used for the extraction of bioactive compounds from Mentha arvensis. The extraction of bioactive compounds was carried out by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The optimization of extraction parameters like...

In this research work, the ZnFe2O4 and its composites with coal fly ash (CFA) were synthesized. Three photocatalysts ZnFe2O4, CFA-ZnFe2O4 (1:2), and CFA-ZnFe2O4 (1:1) were prepared, and their comparative dye degradation efficiencies have been evaluated. The catalysts were well characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, scann...

In this research work, the ZnFe2O4 and its composites with coal fly ash (CFA) were synthesized. Three photocatalysts ZnFe2O4, CFA-ZnFe2O4 (1:2), and CFA-ZnFe2O4 (1:1) were prepared, and their comparative dye degradation efficiencies have been evaluated. The catalysts were well characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, scann...

Highlights •Synthesis and Characterization of neem and lemon grass mediated ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) •Determination of Lethal Concentrations (LC50, LC90) of plant extracts and green ZnO NPs in Hyalomma ticks •In vitro acaricidal trials against Hyalomma tick adults, eggs and larval stages

Emerging acaricide resistance in Hyalomma ticks, transmitting wider range of diseases, require eco-friendly and alternative control options. Current study focused on evaluation of ethanolic extracts and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) prepared from neem (Azadirachta indica) and lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) Hyalomma ticks, in vitro. UV-vis....

Emerging acaricide resistance in Hyalomma ticks, transmitting wider range of diseases, require eco-friendly and alternative control options. Current study focused on evaluation of ethanolic extracts and Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) prepared from neem (Azadirachta indica) and lemon grass (Cymbo-pogon citratus) Hyalomma ticks, in vitro. UV-vis....

Nanotechnology holds great potential in advancing wastewater treatment to improve treatment efficiency and to supplement the water supply. Nanomaterials based on metallic, carbonaceous, polymeric, and magnetic nanoadsorbents are discussed in detail in this chapter, along with nanofiltration membranes, thin-film composite membranes, fabricated membr...

Industrial discharges, agricultural practices, and other anthropogenic activities undoubtedly play an important role in the issue of aquatic pollution. These practices have a direct impact on abnormally increasing pollutant levels, alterations in the natural water cycle, and eventually on human health. Wastewater treatment by various methods like d...

s Nanotechnology is an inspiring discipline with numerous cost-effective and novel applications. Nowadays, nanotechnology is being empowered in the field of medicine, agriculture, space science, food processing, etc. The superior behavior of nanomaterials over large particles results in their high and effective utilization. Therefore, the developme...