With the increasing penetration of the hybrid AC/DC microgrid in power systems, an inertia decrease of the microgrid is caused. Many scholars have put forward the concept of a virtual synchronous generator, which enables the converters of the microgrid to possess the characteristics of a synchronous generator, thus providing inertia support for the microgrid. Nevertheless, the problems of active power oscillation and unbalance would be serious when multiple virtual synchronous generators (VSGs) operate in the microgrid. To conquer these problems, a VSG-based autonomous power-frequency control strategy is proposed, which not only independently allocates the power grid capacity according to the load capacity, but also effectively suppresses the active power oscillation. In addition, by establishing a dynamic small-signal model of the microgrid, the dynamic stability of the proposed control strategy in the microgrid is verified, and further reveals the leading role of the VSG and filter i... [more]

The thermal pyrolysis of polystyrene (PS) is gaining importance as the social pressure for achieving a circular economy is growing; moreover, the recovery of styrene monomer in such a process is especially relevant. In this study, a simple thermal pyrolysis process in the temperature range of 390−450 °C is developed. A working hypothesis is that by using a nitroxide-end functionalized PS (PS-T or dormant polymer), the initiation process for the production of monomer (unzipping) during the PS pyrolysis could be enhanced due to the tendency of the PS-T to activate at the nitroxide end. Two types of PS were used in this work, the first one was synthesized by free-radical polymerization (FRP-dead polymer) and the second by nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) using three levels of nitroxide to initiator ratio: 1.3, 1.1, and 0.9. Analysis of the recovered products of the pyrolysis by gas-mass spectroscopy shows that the yield of styrene increases from ∼33% in the case of dead polymer to... [more]

System identification has been a major advancement in the evolution of engineering. As it is by default the first step towards a significant set of adaptive control techniques, it is imperative for engineers to apply it in order to practice control. Given that system identification could be useful in creating a digital twin, this work focuses on the initial stage of the procedure by discussing simplistic system order identification. Through specific numerical examples, this study constitutes an investigation on the most “natural” method for estimating the order from responses in a convenient and seamless way in time-domain. The method itself, originally proposed by Ho and Kalman and utilizing linear algebra, is an intuitive tool retrieving information out of the data themselves. Finally, with the help of the limitations of the methods, the potential future outlook is discussed, under the prism of forming a digital twin.

Cancer is one of the most dangerous threats to human health and possibly the utmost task for current medicine. Currently, bio-based synthesis of nanoparticles from plants has gained much interest due to its potential medicinal applications. In the present study, a biological approach was employed for biogenic (green) synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using dried leaf extract of Asian spider flower (Asf). The biogenic synthesis of Asf-AgNPs (Asian spider flower-Silver nanoparticles) was established using ultra violet-visible (UV-vis) spectra which exhibited a wide superficial plasmon resonance of AgNPs at 445 nm. These nanoparticles clearly showed the formation of poly-disperse crystalline solids (spherical shape) with particle size range of <50 nm based on observation under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed carboxylic acids (C = O stretch) known to act as a capping agent and a reductant in plant extracts. Elemental silver signal... [more]

Both cold and flame jets find numerous applications in different fields, ranging from domestic applications to aerospace and space technology. Indeed, the applications of isothermal and non-isothermal jets in the flame heating industry fascinated the researchers to gain an in-depth understanding. Nevertheless, these benefits are not standalone, rather, they are associated with major disadvantages such as improper jet mixing and flame instabilities that require careful remedies. In the present investigation, three-inline jets, having methane jet at the center and two oxygen jets at the periphery, are studied computationally in a three-dimensional domain, with and without considering the effects of combustion. To study the mixing characteristics of cold jets, the radial velocity distributions at different streamwise locations have been analyzed at the jet inlet velocity of 27 m/s. However, for oxygen and methane flame jets, inlet velocities are varied as 27 m/s and 54 m/s. Moreover, to i... [more]

This work presents the effects of variable wall permeability on two-dimensional flow and heat transfer in a leaky narrow channel containing water-based nanoparticles. The nanofluid is absorbed through the walls with an exponential rate. This situation arises in reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and transpiration cooling in industry. The mathematical model is developed by using the continuity, momentum, and energy equations. Using stream function, the transport equations are reduced and solved by using regular perturbation method. The expressions for stream function and temperature distribution are established, which helps in finding the components of velocity, wall shear stress, and heat transfer rate inside the channel. The results show that velocity components, temperature, wall shear stress, and rate of heat transfer are minimum at the entrance region due to the reabsorption of fluid containing nanoparticles. Additionally, with increasing volume fraction of nanoparticles, the rate o... [more]

The study provides comprehensive information on the vacuum impregnation process applied to plant materials. It aims (in traditional applications) to ensure impermeability and elimination of porosity of various materials. The process substantially accelerates mass transfer in the liquid−solid system. The study describes the course of the process and accompanying phenomena as well its effects on plant tissues. The aim of the investigations was to determine the impact of some impregnation parameters (pressure, pressure change rate, vacuum maintenance time, relaxation time, and the coefficient of impregnating liquid viscosity) and the mode of impregnation (wet, dry, cyclic wet) on the degree of filling the plant tissue with the impregnating solution. Jonagold apples were used as the study material. The investigations have revealed that changes in the vacuum impregnation parameters (vacuum maintenance time, relaxation time, pressure change rate in the system) and the impregnation method do... [more]

The integrated energy system is a vital part of distributed energy industries. In addition to this, the optimal economic dispatch model, which takes into account the complementary coordination of multienergy, is an important research topic. Considering the constraints of power balance, energy supply equipment, and energy storage equipment, a basic model of optimal economic dispatch of an integrated energy system is established. On this basis, a multiobjective function solving algorithm of NSGA-II, based on tent map chaos optimization, is proposed. The proposed model and algorithm are applied. The simulation results show that the optimal economic scheduling model of the integrated energy system established in this paper can provide a more economic system operation scheme and reduce the operation cost and risks associated with an integrated energy system. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) multiobjective function solving algorithm, based on tent map chaos optimizati... [more]

Sulfur compounds are removed from petroleum by the addition of sodium hydroxide at a very high concentration. As a result, a residue called spent soda or spent caustic is generated, being extremely aggressive to the environment. In this work, the chemical properties of this residue are described in detail. The sodium hydroxide remains that have not reacted, sulfur compounds, and organic matter are the primary pollutants reported. Additionally, the main characteristics of the methods of treatment used to reduce them are described. This review comes from comprehensive and updated research and bibliographic analysis about the investigation on the topic. The advantages and disadvantages of the different treatment methods are highlighted. We established some criteria to set out when assessing the application of each one of these treatments is considered.

Since the observation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) in anaerobic mixed cultures in 2010s, the topic “DIET-stimulation” has been the main route to enhance the performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) under harsh conditions, such as high organic loading rate (OLR) and the toxicants’ presence. In this review article, we tried to answer three main questions: (i) What are the merits and strategies for DIET stimulation? (ii) What are the consequences of stimulation? (iii) What is the mechanism of action behind the impact of this stimulation? Therefore, we introduced DIET history and recent relevant findings with a focus on the theoretical advantages. Then, we reviewed the most recent articles by categorizing how DIET reaction was stimulated by adding conductive material (CM) and/or applying external voltage (EV). The emphasis was made on the enhanced performance (yield and/or production rate), CM type, applied EV, and mechanism of action for each stimulation strategy. In add... [more]

Bacterial cellulose as polysaccharide possessing outstanding chemical purity and a unique structure compared with wood cellulose, attracts great attention as a hydrocolloid system. It was shown, that at intense mechanical action on a neat bacterial cellulose film in presence of water, the gel-like dispersions are obtained. They retain stability in time (at least, up to several months) and temperature (at least, up to 60 °C) without macro-phase separation on aqueous and cellulose phases. The main indicator of the stability is constant viscosity values in time, as well as fulfilling the Arrhenius dependence for temperature dependence of viscosity. Flow curves of diluted dispersions (BC content less than 1.23%) show strong non-Newtonian behavior over the entire range of shear rates. It is similar with dispersions of micro- and nanocrystalline cellulose, but the absolute viscosity value is much higher in the case of BC due to more long fibrils forming more dense entanglements network than... [more]

Struvite crystallization using fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) is one of the most commonly used methods for nutrient recovery from different waste streams. However, struvite recovery from swine wastewater containing much higher solids using FBR has not been studied extensively. In this study, we therefore designed and optimized the key operating conditions parameters, i.e., pH (9.0, 9.5, and 10.0), circulation rate (CR) (1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 L/Lreactor·h), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (1, 3, and 5 h) of FBR to ensure efficient nutrient removal and struvite crystallization from swine wastewater using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) as experimental design. A magnesium/phosphorus (Mg/P) molar ratio of 1.3 was maintained with MgCl2 according to ortho-phosphate (O-P) concentration of influent and an air diffuser was set to supply air with 0.03 L air/Lreactor·min. The O-P recovery efficiency of over 91% was achieved through the entire runs. Among the o... [more]

The early stage of corrosion formation on X70 pipeline steel under oxyfuel atmosphere was investigated by applying a simulated gas mixture (CO2 containing 6700 ppmv O2, 100 ppmv NO2, 70 ppmv SO2 and 50 ppmv H2O) for 15 h at 278 K and ambient pressure. Short-term tests (6 h) revealed that the corrosion starts as local spots related to grinding marks progressing by time and moisture until a closed layer was formed. Acid droplets (pH 1.5), generated in the gas atmosphere, containing a mixture of H2SO4 and HNO3, were identified as corrosion starters. After 15 h of exposure, corrosion products were mainly X-ray amorphous and only partially crystalline. In-situ energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) results showed that the crystalline fractions consist primarily of water-bearing iron sulfates. Applying Raman spectroscopy, water-bearing iron nitrates were detected as subordinated phases. Supplementary long-term tests exhibited a significant increase in the crystalline fraction and format... [more]

Lentil (Lens culinaris) is an important winter season annual legume crop known for its highly valued seed in human and animal nutrition owing to its high lysine and tryptophan content. Shortage of water during the crop growth period has become the major impediment for cultivation of pulses in rice fallow in particular. Under such conditions, the application of hydrogel can be a potential alternative to improve photosynthetic efficiency, assimilate partitioning, and increase growth and yield. A field experiment was conducted from November to February during 2015−16 to 2017−18 on clay loam soil that was medium in fertility and acidic in reaction (pH 5.4) at Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. There were three hydrogel levels in total in the main plot and foliar nutrition with five different nutrient sprays in sub-plots, together comprising 15 treatment combinations. The data pooled over three years, 2... [more]

The simultaneous adsorption of quinoline and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene over adsorbents, based on alumina modified with boron and nickel under ambient temperature and pressure, was studied. The adsorbents were characterized by BET specific surface area, a potentiometric method for the determination of acid strength, electrophoretic migration, and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the adsorbent containing nickel had better adsorption capacity than the adsorbent modified with nickel and boron, which was attributed to its greater acidity and ability to generate π-complexation between the adsorbent and the molecules. In terms of selectivity, quinoline was more adsorbed than 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene in all systems, due to the basic nature of quinoline. The experimental data in all cases were adjusted by three kinetic models (Yoon−Nelson, Yan and Thomas), and the regression coefficients in all models were close to one. Finally, the values of the kinetic constant obtained by th... [more]

Globally, organizations are under enormous pressure to implement green supply chain processes due to growing environmental concerns. Subsequently, organizations and firms have become more conscious of their suppliers’ green innovation ability. However, the selection of the most optimum supplier concerning green innovation ability remains a challenging task that needs to be analyzed. Thus, this study develops an integrated fuzzy and grey-based methodology to analyze and prioritize suppliers for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the context of Saudi Arabia. Initially, the study identifies 4 criteria and 20 sub-criteria through extensive literature review with respect to suppliers’ green innovation ability. Later, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) computes weights of criteria and sub-criteria. Finally, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)-Grey was employed to rank the suppliers. The process of assigning weights to criteria and sub-... [more]

In this work, a novel bio-based polyurethane (PU) was synthesized by using a leftovers (SF)-based polyol and isocyanate for controlled release fertilizers (CRFs). Its chemical structure, surface elemental compositions and distribution were examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and a multifunctional imaging electron spectrometer (XPS). The microstructure morphology of CRFs were examined by SEM. The nutrient release behaviors of CRFs were observed in water. The results demonstrated that SF-based PU-coated urea (FPU) had a denser structure and better nutrient releasing ability. Findings from this work indicated that the use of SF as a coating material of environment-friendly CRFs had great potential, and would hopefully be used for horticultural and agricultural applications.

Anaerobic bioelectrochemical digestion (ABD) is widely used for treating wastewater and recovering energy. The electrode is the key point for ABD system, which was sparsely studied with food waste. In this study, a carbon-modified copper foam was fabricated with copper foam and multiple wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) through electrophoretic deposition and screen-printing methods. The carbon-modified copper foam electrode was investigated in an ABD reactor for food waste. The features of bioelectrochemical methane production, process stability, and electrochemical characterization were evaluated in the ABD reactor, and were compared to the control reactor without equipping electrode. The ultimate methane production reached 338.1 mL CH4/L in the ABD reactor, which was significantly higher than the 181.0 mL CH4/L of the control reactor. The methane produced from the electrode was 137.8 mL CH4/L, which was up to 40.8% of total methane production in the ABD reactor. It was attributed to the... [more]

Semi-supervised learning can be used to solve the problem of insufficient labeled samples in the process industry. However, in an actual scenario, traditional semi-supervised learning methods usually do not achieve satisfactory performance when the small number of labeled samples is subjective and inaccurate and some do not consider how to develop a strategy to expand the training set. In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to alleviate the above two problems, and consequently, the information contained in unlabeled samples can be fully mined. First, the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and adaptive boosting (Adaboost) algorithms are adopted for co-training to make the most of the deep connection between samples and features. In addition, the strategies, pseudo-labeled dataset selection algorithm based on near neighbor degree (DSSA) and pseudo-labeled sample detection algorithm based on near neighbor degree selection (SPDA) are adopted to enlarge the dataset of label... [more]

Population balance modeling is an established framework to describe the dynamics of particle populations in disperse phase systems found in a broad field of industrial, civil, and medical applications. The resulting population balance equations account for the dynamics of the number density distribution functions and represent (systems of) partial differential equations which require sophisticated numerical solution techniques due to the general lack of analytical solutions. A specific class of solution algorithms, so-called moment methods, is based on the reduction of complex models to a set of ordinary differential equations characterizing dynamics of integral quantities of the number density distribution function. However, in general, a closed set of moment equations is not found and one has to rely on approximate closure methods. In this contribution, a concise overview of the most prominent approximate moment methods is given.

This paper is dedicated to the experimental validation of a cascade control strategy for simultaneously regulating the glucose and biomass levels in continuously perfused HEK-293 cell cultures. The inner loop consists of a partial feedback linearization, which requires the estimation of the biomass specific growth rate and glucose uptake rate. This latter task is achieved by sliding mode observers, which do not require a priori process knowledge in the form of a process model. The linearized process is then regulated by the outer loop, including two classical PI controllers with autotuning. The four manipulated variables are a feed flow rate with low glucose concentration, another feed flow with a higher glucose content, a bleed flow, and a perfusion stream. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of the control strategy to reach and regulate the prescribed setpoints. The main advantage of the strategy is that it can be applied in a plug and play manner and shows satisfactory... [more]

The removal of H2S and CH4 from natural gas is crucial as H2S causes environmental contamination, corrodes the gas stream pipelines, and decreases the feedstock for industrial productions. Many scientific researches have shown that the metal-organic framework (MOF)/ionic liquids (ILs) have great potential as alternative adsorbents to capture H2S. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was carried out to determine the stability of ILs/IRMOF-1 as well as to study the solubility of H2S and CH4 gases in this ILs/IRMOF-1 hybrid material. Three choline-based ILs were incorporated into IRMOF-1 with different ratios of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2% w/w, respectively, in which the most stable choline-based ILs/IRMOF-1 composite was analysed for H2S/CH4 solubility selectivity. Among the three choline-based ILs/IRMOF-1, [Chl] [SCN]/IRMOF-1 shows the most stable incorporation. However, the increment of ILs loaded in the IRMOF-1 significantly reduced the stability of the hybrid due to the crowding e... [more]

The general suitability of water treatment systems involving metallic iron (Fe0) is well-established. Various attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of conventional Fe0 systems. One promising approach combines granular Fe0 and an iron sulfide mineral to form Fe0/Fe-sulfide/H2O systems. An improved understanding of the fundamental principles by which such systems operate is still needed. Through a systematic analysis of possible reactions and the probability of their occurrence, this study establishes that sulfide minerals primarily sustain iron corrosion by lowering the pH of the system. Thus, chemical reduction mediated by FeII species (indirect reduction) is a plausible explanation for the documented reductive transformations. Such a mechanism is consistent with the nature and distribution of reported reaction products. While considering the mass balance of iron, it appears that lowering the pH value increases Fe0 dissolution, and thus subsequent precipitation of hydroxide... [more]

The present study examined the effects of heating and freezing pretreatments on the mechanical, chemical, and spectral characteristics of sunflower seeds and oil under a linear compression process involving a universal compression-testing machine and a pressing vessel of diameter 60 mm with a plunger. The heating temperatures ranged from 40 to 80 °C and freezing temperatures from −2 to −36 °C at constant heating time of 30 min. The pretreated samples of initial height of 80 mm (22.6 × 10−5 m3) were compressed under a preset load of 100 kN and a speed of 5 mm/min. The results showed that oil expression efficiency significantly increased (p < 0.05) with increased heating temperatures but decreased with freezing temperatures. The lowest energy per volume oil of 22.55 ± 0.919 kJ/L was recorded at 80 °C compared to 26.40 ± 0.307 kJ/L noticed at −2 °C and control (25 °C) of 33.93 ± 3.866 kJ/L. The linear regression equations expressing oil expression efficiency, energy per volume oil, per... [more]

The identification and quantification of free fatty acids (FFA) in edible and non-edible vegetable oils, including waste cooking oils, is a crucial index to assess their quality and drives their use in different application fields. NMR spectroscopy represents an alternative tool to conventional methods for the determination of FFA content, providing us with interesting advantages. Here the approaches reported in the literature based on 1H, 13C and 31P NMR are illustrated and compared, highlighting the pros and cons of the suggested strategies.