Alex Saim - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Alex Saim
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Sep 22, 2021
Reduction or possible elimination of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one ... more Reduction or possible elimination of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one of the main goals of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which has been signed by many countries involved in ASGM, including Ghana. This article provides a recent overview of ASGM gold production and Hg use in Ghana. In addition, in order to highlight the impacts of Hg use in Ghana, a review was conducted on research studies investigating Hg pollution in waterbodies, soils, fish, and humans caused by ASGM over the past two decades. The continued use of Hg in Ghana’s growing ASGM sector has resulted in reportedly high Hg levels found in water, sediments, crops, and miners, which exceed international guidelines. A subsequent ASGM ban and increased monitoring of illegal mining activities in Ghana have not ultimately been successful at significantly reducing Hg use and its associated impacts caused by rampant use in the country. Moreover, Hg alternatives in the ASGM sector are limited in Ghana, with little funding, support, education, and training in place to promote their implementation. As gold produced by ASGM continues to increase annually, clear policy reforms targeting Hg use are vitally needed, as well as efficient strategies to remediate Hg-contaminated areas.
Nanotechnology for environmental engineering, Dec 24, 2020
Objective: The cellular synthesis of nanoparticle is a green process and alternative for a conven... more Objective: The cellular synthesis of nanoparticle is a green process and alternative for a conventional process for the preparation of silver nanoparticles. In our research, focus has been given to the development of an efficient and eco-friendly viable process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using cancer and non-cancerous cells, a cell culture that was isolated. The results of this investigation are observed that silver nanoparticles could be induced to synthesis intra-and extra-cellularly using mammalian cells such as cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Methods: The silver nanoparticles are synthesized by the cancer and non-cancerous cells such as HeLa (Homo sapiens, human), SiHa, and human embryonic kidney-293 cell lines. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Results: The silver nanoparticles exhibited maximum absorbance at 415 nm in UV-visible spectroscopy. The XRD confirms the characteristic of the crystal lattice of silver nanoparticles by observing three peaks: Peak at 38 is due to reflection from (111), peak at 44 is due to reflection from (200), and peak at 65 is due to reflection from (220). TEM images showed the formation of stable silver nanoparticles in the cell lines. Conclusion: The method of extraction of intracellular/extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles was inexpensive, simple, and effective in large scale with no need to use of complex process equipment. The cancer cell considered as a biological factory at nanoscale dimension which continued to grow after synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The silver reduction by these cancer cells has occurred through energy-dependent processes that lead to the high output of this reaction. Hence, this new approach of using a mammalian cell for the successful synthesis of nanosized silvers could be easily scaled up, which establishes its commercial viability and also useful in the drug delivery and drug targeting.
Chemical Science & Engineering Research, Jan 9, 2021
Hydrometallurgy, Apr 1, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, Mar 2, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, Jun 21, 2022
Hydrometallurgy, Mar 1, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Environmental Technology Reviews, 2021
Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment ... more Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment applications is regarded as a safer alternative to usual physical and chemical methods due to their ...
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment ... more Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment applications is regarded as a safer alternative to usual physical and chemical methods due to their ...
Chemical Science and Engineering Research
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Sep 22, 2021
Reduction or possible elimination of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one ... more Reduction or possible elimination of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one of the main goals of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which has been signed by many countries involved in ASGM, including Ghana. This article provides a recent overview of ASGM gold production and Hg use in Ghana. In addition, in order to highlight the impacts of Hg use in Ghana, a review was conducted on research studies investigating Hg pollution in waterbodies, soils, fish, and humans caused by ASGM over the past two decades. The continued use of Hg in Ghana’s growing ASGM sector has resulted in reportedly high Hg levels found in water, sediments, crops, and miners, which exceed international guidelines. A subsequent ASGM ban and increased monitoring of illegal mining activities in Ghana have not ultimately been successful at significantly reducing Hg use and its associated impacts caused by rampant use in the country. Moreover, Hg alternatives in the ASGM sector are limited in Ghana, with little funding, support, education, and training in place to promote their implementation. As gold produced by ASGM continues to increase annually, clear policy reforms targeting Hg use are vitally needed, as well as efficient strategies to remediate Hg-contaminated areas.
Nanotechnology for environmental engineering, Dec 24, 2020
Objective: The cellular synthesis of nanoparticle is a green process and alternative for a conven... more Objective: The cellular synthesis of nanoparticle is a green process and alternative for a conventional process for the preparation of silver nanoparticles. In our research, focus has been given to the development of an efficient and eco-friendly viable process for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using cancer and non-cancerous cells, a cell culture that was isolated. The results of this investigation are observed that silver nanoparticles could be induced to synthesis intra-and extra-cellularly using mammalian cells such as cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Methods: The silver nanoparticles are synthesized by the cancer and non-cancerous cells such as HeLa (Homo sapiens, human), SiHa, and human embryonic kidney-293 cell lines. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet (UV)-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Results: The silver nanoparticles exhibited maximum absorbance at 415 nm in UV-visible spectroscopy. The XRD confirms the characteristic of the crystal lattice of silver nanoparticles by observing three peaks: Peak at 38 is due to reflection from (111), peak at 44 is due to reflection from (200), and peak at 65 is due to reflection from (220). TEM images showed the formation of stable silver nanoparticles in the cell lines. Conclusion: The method of extraction of intracellular/extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles was inexpensive, simple, and effective in large scale with no need to use of complex process equipment. The cancer cell considered as a biological factory at nanoscale dimension which continued to grow after synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The silver reduction by these cancer cells has occurred through energy-dependent processes that lead to the high output of this reaction. Hence, this new approach of using a mammalian cell for the successful synthesis of nanosized silvers could be easily scaled up, which establishes its commercial viability and also useful in the drug delivery and drug targeting.
Chemical Science & Engineering Research, Jan 9, 2021
Hydrometallurgy, Apr 1, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, Mar 2, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review, Jun 21, 2022
Hydrometallurgy, Mar 1, 2023
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Environmental Technology Reviews, 2021
Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment ... more Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment applications is regarded as a safer alternative to usual physical and chemical methods due to their ...
Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review
Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment ... more Biologically synthesized metallic nanoparticles for catalytic activities in wastewater treatment applications is regarded as a safer alternative to usual physical and chemical methods due to their ...
Chemical Science and Engineering Research
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Nanotechnology for Environmental Engineering