This study evaluated the Protaetia brevitarsis larvae powder’s characteristic changes using hot air drying (60±2.5oC, 12 h) with different pre-treatment methods, including two sacrifice methods, two storage temperatures, and two defatting processes. Appearance, yield, moisture contents, pH, color, proximate analysis, volatile basic nitrogen level, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and total phenol content were assessed. Results revealed that a combination of blanching, defatting, and -20oC storage temperature resulted in higher total phenol contents, lower water contents, and lower volatile basic nitrogen levels than other methods. Defatted treatment resulted in a higher L-value than the non-defatted treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that a combination of -20oC storage, blanching, and defatting is the optimal pre-treatment method for obtaining P. brevitarsis larvae powder with high total phenol content, low water content, and low volatile basic nitrogen, taking into account cost efficiency considerations.

Green synthesis of graphene using leaf extracts as sustainable reducing and capping agents is a thrust area of research owing to its simplicity, eco-friendly nature and the ease of access to graphene. Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam) plant is widely cultivated in India owing to its important medicinal and nutritional values. Inspired by these reports, herein we report a simple, green and economic synthesis of graphene, Moringa leaf extract employed reduced graphene oxide (MRGO) with excellent dye removal efficiencies. The MRGO is prepared by refluxing a mixture of aqueous dispersion of graphene oxide and Moringa leaf extract for 10 h. Further, we elucidated the role of synthesized MRGO in the removal of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RB) dyes through the sonochemical method. This as-synthesized material exhibited excellent dye removal efficiencies of about 93% and 87% against MB and RB dyes, respectively. Graphene with huge surface area expedited the better adsorption of dye molecules, thus, facilitated the better removal of the latter. Therefore, the superior dye removal efficiencies of MRGO were attributed to its adsorption capacity. This cost-effective synthetic approach of MRGO nanomaterial has a great potential for the innovative applications in water purification technology and find its place in further industrialization.

This work reveals a modified method for the preparation of activated carbon (P-ACA) using low-cost materials (mix natural asphalt: polypropylene waste). The P-ACA was prepared at 600 °C by assisting KOH and HF. The morphological variations and chemical species of the P-ACA were characterized using SEM–EDX and FTIR. The active surface area, density and ash content of the P-ACA were also investigated. Adsorption properties of P-ACA were used for the thermodynamic and kinetic study of 4-((2-hydroxy naphthalenyl) diazenyl) antipyrine (HNDA), which was prepared as a novel azo dye in this work. The optimal conditions (initial concentration, adsorbent dose, contact time and temperature) of the adsorption process were determined. Adsorption isotherms (Freundlich and Langmuir) were applied to the experimental data. These isothermal constants were used to describe the nature of the adsorption system, and the type of interaction between the dye and the P-ACA surface. The results have indicated that the mixture (Natural asphalt-polypropylene waste) is efficient for the synthesis of P-ACA. The synthesized P-ACA demonstrates the presence of pores on the surface with various diameter ranges (from 1.4 to 4.5 μm). Furthermore, P-ACA exhibits an active surface area of 1230 m2 g−1, and shows a high adsorption capacity for HNDA.