To avoid or mitigate proppant flowback after a massive hydraulic fracturing of tight formations and to reduce its impairment to well productivity, this study developed a new type of fiber material with strong polarity based on polyester fiber. This fiber material is modified by introducing a strong-polar functional monomer into the molecular structure and adopting the means of surface grafting. On the basis of this fiber material, a fiber slip-water system with excellent dispersion performance can be established to prevent proppant backflow. Laboratory experiments were performed to analyze the specific function of the fibers with strong polarity and its working mechanisms. The results indicate that strong-polarity fibers have excellent dispersion performance. The fibers and resistance-reducing agents form an interwoven structure that can carry proppants, resulting in the enhancement of the sand-carrying capacity of the fracturing fluid system and the overall strength of the sand bank.... [more]

The traditional electrochemical caustic soda recovery system uses the generated pH gradient across the ion exchange membrane for the regeneration of spent alkaline absorbent from CO2 capture. This electrochemical CO2 capture system releases the by-products H2 and O2 at the cathode and anode, respectively. Although effective for capturing CO2, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limit the energy efficiency of this technique. Hence, this study proposed and validated a hybrid electrochemical cell based on the H2-cycling from the cathode to the anode to eliminate the reliance on anodic oxygen generation. The results show that our lab-scale prototype enabled effective spent caustic soda recovery with an electron utilisation efficiency of 90%, and a relative carbonate/bicarbonate diffusional flux of approximately 40%. The system also enabled the regeneration of spent alkaline absorbent with a minimum electrochemical energy input of 0.19 kWh/kg CO2 at a CO2 recovery rate... [more]

Polybutylene adipate-terephthalate (PBAT) is a fully biodegradable polyester, which has been proven to be the most suitable alternative to traditional plastics. However, due to the low strength of PBAT (17.2 MPa) and high price, the use of PBAT has a degree of limitations. To obtain a cost-effective and high-performance composite material of PBAT, for this study we selected microcrystalline cellulose, which is inexpensive and easily available, as the reinforcing medium. However, due to the hydrophobicity of PBAT, the mechanical properties of PBAT when mixed with hydrophilic cellulose were low. In order to improve the compatibility of cellulose and PBAT, this study selected hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) containing long carbon chains to silanize microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) to obtain silanized cellulose (SG). Three types of SGs with different degrees of silanization were obtained by controlling HDTMS with different mass ratios (1:10; 3:10; 5:10) to react with MCC. Characterizatio... [more]

Traditional logging methods need a lot of data support such as suction profile information, reservoir geological information, and production information of injection and extraction wells to calculate oil and gas production, which is a tedious and complicated process with low interpretation accuracy. Distributed fiber optic vibration signal logging is a technology that uses fiber optics to sense the vibration signals returned from different formations or well walls to analyze the surrounding formation characteristics or downhole events, which has the advantages of strong real-time monitoring results and high reliability of interpretation results. However, the currently distributed fiber optic vibration signal logging also fails to fully utilize the technical advantages to form a systematic production calculation process. Therefore, this paper proposes to use the K-means++ algorithm to divide the vibration signal frequency bands to represent different downhole events and use the amplitud... [more]

Grape dehydration is practiced widely in the food industry with large yields of sultanas produced globally. This paper proposes an investigation into the microstructure changes of grapes as they are dried by imaging specimens at intervals during dehydration at two temperatures using scanning electron microscopy. Two main methods were developed to obtain the complex boundaries of cells present in grape tissue in over 36 SEM images. Segmentation of the binary image using an adapted watershed function obtained the most consistent and accurate morphological shape. This was compared to a secondary method which used Canny’s edge detection function, morphological closing and skeletonizing to outline the cellular microstructure. MATLAB was utilised to convert these boundaries into measurable areas so that quantitative data on average cell area, perimeter and cell axis lengths were acquired. It was found that over the drying time, the cell area and perimeter were reduced as expected. Some varia... [more]

Experimental and FEM studies of the friction welding process of spheroidal graphite cast iron (SGCI) are presented. A coupled thermal and mechanical 2.5 D FEM model was used to simulate the continuous drive friction welding (CDFW) process. The FE model predicted the peak temperature of the joint, effective stress, axial shortening, and the weld flash size. Additionally, the friction force on the axial shortening of specimens was studied. The peak temperatures were measured both on the axis and at the surface of the specimen. The predicted maximum temperatures in the axis, ½ radius, and 2 mm from the surface of the sample amounted to 1162 °C, 1177 °C, and 1061 °C, respectively. The maximum temperature of the spheroidal graphite cast iron joint was below the melting temperature of the base material (~1350 °C). The predicted temperature curves, outbursts, and shortening of welded elements indicated a good match with real models.

To promote the development of green industries in the industrial park, a microgrid system consisting of wind power, photovoltaic, and hybrid energy storage (WT-PV-HES) was constructed. It effectively promotes the local consumption of wind and solar energy while reducing the burden on the grid infrastructure. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to decompose the multi-objective function into a single-objective function. The economic and environmental benefits of the system were taken as the objective function. Furthermore, the cuckoo search algorithm (CS) was used to solve the specific capacity of each distributed power source. Different scenarios were applied to study the specific capacity of microgrid systems. The results show that the equivalent annual cost of the WT-PV-HES microgrid system is reduced by 7.3 percent and 62.23 percent, respectively. The carbon disposal cost is reduced by 1.71 and 2.38 times, respectively. The carbon treatment cost is more sensi... [more]

A significant environmental concern globally is the pollution of water bodies as a result of heavy metals. To date, various attempts have been made to effectively remove heavy metals, such as those that use synthetic and biogenic materials to abate and control water pollution. The biological removal of pollutants from water is an efficient and environmentally friendly technique. In this study, we evaluated the biosorption characteristics of Zn2+ ions from aqueous solution by spent composed of raw Agaricus biosporium (RAB) and A. biosporium (SCAB). We added different biosorption doses, metal ions, and initial concentrations of pollutants to explore the adsorption of Zn2+ by RAB and SCAB. We applied pseudo-first- and second-order models to investigate the biosorption kinetics. According to our results, the rate of Zn2+ removal from the aqueous solution using raw biomass was significantly lower than that using sodium citrate-treated biomass of SCAB. When the Zn2+ concentration increased f... [more]

This article delves into sensitivity analysis within simulation models of real systems, focusing on the impact of variability in independent input factors (x) on dependent system outputs (y). It discusses linear and nonlinear regression to analyse and represent relationships between input factors and system responses. This study encompasses three sensitivity analysis areas: factor screening, local sensitivity analysis, and global sensitivity analysis, highlighting their roles in understanding the significance of factors in simulation models. The practical application of sensitivity analysis becomes clear through a case study in a manufacturing system. The case study utilises the Simio simulation system to investigate the impact of input factors on production lead time and work in process (WIP). The analysis uses regression to quantify the impact of seven factors, showcasing the most significant ones with tornado charts and emphasising the application of sensitivity analysis to optimise... [more]

Agroindustry waste has exponentially increased in recent years, generating economic losses and environmental problems. In addition, new ways to generate sustainable alternative electrical energy are currently being sought to satisfy energy demand. This investigation proposes using avocado waste as fuel for electricity generation in single-chamber MFCs. The avocado waste initially operated with an ambient temperature (22.4 ± 0.01 °C), DO of 2.54 ± 0.01 mg/L, TDS of 1358 ± 1 mg/L and COD of 1487.25 ± 0.01 mg/L. This research managed to generate its maximum voltage (0.861 ± 0.241 V) and current (3.781 ± 0.667 mA) on the fourteenth day, operating at an optimal pH of 7.386 ± 0.147, all with 126.032 ± 8.888 mS/cm of electrical conductivity in the substrate. An internal resistance of 67.683 ± 2.456 Ω was found on day 14 with a PD of 365.16 ± 9.88 mW/cm2 for a CD of 5.744 A/cm2. Micrographs show the formation of porous biofilms on both the anodic and cathodic electrodes. This study gives preli... [more]

In order to improve the erosion resistance of steel PDC (Polycrystalline Diamond Compact) bit under high-speed fluid flow conditions underground, it is necessary to develop a high-performance erosion-resistant coating. In this paper, laser cladding was used to prepare the new coating by modifying tungsten carbide with graphene. And the effects of tungsten carbide content and graphene content on the coating performance have been thoroughly studied and analyzed to obtain the optimal covering layer. The research results indicate that, for new coatings, 60% tungsten carbide and 0.3% graphene are the optimal ratios. After adding tungsten carbide, the hardness has significantly improved. However, when the tungsten carbide content further increases more than 30%, the increase in hardness is limited. In addition, when the content of graphene is more than 0.3%, the branched structure becomes thicker. In detail, this is a phenomenon where the segregation of Cr, Si, and W becomes very obvious aga... [more]

Recently, an improvement of the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), named the Thermodynamic Human Development Index (THDI), has been introduced to link socio-economics to environmental and technical pillars of sustainable development. In this paper, the THDI is linked to the Kaya identity to bring out the quantities useful in energy economics and to obtain a clearer tool for the evaluation of sustainability. Moreover, the THDI has been normalized for use as an index for the analysis of sustainability. The component related to environmental emissions, which is included in the THDI, can be linked to the Kaya identity. This linkage allows us to use the THDI for the analysis of scenarios, which is useful for evaluating the possible impacts of any future actions on the development of countries.

Electromagnetic systems, in particular microwave/terahertz sensing technologies, are the newest among nondestructive sensing technologies. Currently, increased attention is pointed towards their use in various applications. Among these, food inspection stands out as a primary area due to its potential risk to human safety. As a result, substantial efforts are currently focused on utilizing microwave/terahertz imaging as a tool to enhance the efficacy of food quality assessments. This paper deals with the exploitation of microwave/terahertz imaging technology for food quality control and assessment. In particular, the work aims at reviewing the latest developments regarding the detection of internal quality parameters, such as foreign bodies, i.e., plastic, glass, and wood substances/fragments, as well as checking the completeness of the packaged food under consideration. Emphasis is placed on the (inline) inspection of wrapped/packaged food, such as chocolates, cookies, pastries, cakes... [more]

A specialized hoe opener was engineered for no-till systems to apply substantial amounts of wheat seeds and granular fertilizers, effectively suppressing early stage weeds. This distinctive hoe opener plants wheat seeds within a 120 mm wide horizontal band, positioning granular fertilizers precisely at the band’s center, all accomplished in a single pass. Notably, the design excels at covering the fertilizer with soil aggregates, compacting it through a wheat separator, and concurrently depositing wheat seeds from above. Our primary research objectives centered on achieving a consistent seedbed post-fertilizer application and ensuring a uniform distribution of wheat seeds within the horizontal band. The DEM (Discrete Element Method) was exploited to optimize the hoe opener’s parameters. Through extensive simulations and comparisons with experimental outcomes, an optimal wing orifice AB length of 60 mm was identified, effectively covering granular fertilizers with soil aggregates and ac... [more]

Brazil is among the world’s largest producers of green coconut, which contributes to inappropriate disposal and socioenvironmental impacts. Concomitantly, some of its coastal cities produce a great diversity of fish and large amounts of solid waste. This paper reports on the use of samples of fish scales (100FS) and green coconut shells (100GCS) and their mixtures in 75%FS:25%GCS (B25), 50%FS:50%GCS (B50), and 25%FS:75%GCS (B75) proportions and quantification of their Higher Heating Values (HHV) and Lower Heating Values (LHV), and Ultimate (UA) and Proximate Analyses (PA). Their thermal behavior was investigated by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), whereas scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) were employed for analyses of their physicochemical and morphostructural properties. When compared to in natura samples, SEM images of the blends detected a st... [more]

Tight gas reservoirs possess unique pore structures and fluid flow mechanisms. Delving into the flow and imbibition mechanisms of water in fractured tight gas reservoirs is crucial for understanding and enhancing the development efficiency of such reservoirs. The flow of water in fractured tight gas reservoirs encompasses the flow within fractures and the imbibition flow within the matrix. However, conventional methods typically separate these two types of flow for study, failing to accurately reflect the true flow characteristics of water. In this study, micro-CT imaging techniques were utilized to evaluate the impact of matrix absorption and to examine water movement in fractured tight gas deposits. Water flooding experiments were conducted on tight sandstone cores with different fracture morphologies. Micro-CT scanning was performed on the cores after water injection and subsequent static conditions, simulating the process of water displacement gas in fractures and the displacement... [more]

Unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, characterized by low porosity and permeability, often require multistage fracturing techniques for development. The high-pressure fracturing fluids with large volumes can easily cause alternating changes in both temperature and pressure within the casing. Using a theoretical model and field data from hydraulic fracturing operations, this paper calculated the alternating ranges of axial loads and temperatures in the reservoir section. Based on the calculation results, the temperature−load alternating coupling test of the P110 casing was carried out, and the tensile test was performed to analyze the yield strength variation law of the casing material. The results indicate that the yield strength, ultimate strength, and elastic modulus of casing materials are decreased under alternating thermal−mechanical coupling conditions. As the number of alternating cycles increases, there is an initial rapid decrease followed by a slower declining trend. Moreov... [more]

Aerobic granules are small, dense aggregates of microbial cells that form naturally in aerobic wastewater treatment systems. They are characterized by their spherical shape, strong structural integrity, and ability to rapidly settle. These granules are formed through a self-immobilization process where different microbial species coalesce to degrade organic and inorganic compounds in wastewater. This study summarizes the development of aerobic granulation technology in wastewater treatment and the mechanism of aerobic granules’ formation, analyzes the characteristics and the factors affecting the aerobic granules’ formation, and presents practical engineering examples of its application from pilot-scale to full-scale operation.

Pyrolytic conversion is the only biomass exploitation route capable of providing solid and liquid biofuels, as well as platform biomolecules for sustainable energy sources and raw materials for bio-based products [...]

In the context of emissions, carbon dioxide constitutes a predominant portion of greenhouse gases (GHGs), leading to the use of the term “carbon” interchangeably with these gases in climate-related discussions. The carbon market has emerged as a pivotal mechanism for emission regulation, allowing industries that struggle to meet emission reduction targets to acquire credits from those who have successfully curbed their emissions below stipulated levels. Thermoeconomics serves as a tool for analyzing multiproduct systems prevalent in diverse sectors, including sugarcane and alcohol mills, paper and pulp industries, steel mills, and cogeneration plants. These systems necessitate frameworks for equitable cost/emission allocation. This study is motivated by the need to expand the scope of thermoeconomic modeling to encompass expenses or revenues linked with the carbon market. By utilizing a cogeneration system as a representative case, this research aims to demonstrate how such modeling ca... [more]

The growing interest in healthy lifestyles has contributed to an increased demand for nutrient-rich foods, such as plant-based proteins, vitamins, and minerals [...]

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the redesign of a dewatering process in a polymer sludge wastewater treatment plant. The study focuses on addressing the challenges posed by high levels of organic pollutants in the sludge, with the aim of enhancing dewaterability, reducing odors, and minimizing suspended solids. Initially, a vacuum belt filter was utilized, but it proved inadequate in removing sufficient water, resulting in substantial annual disposal costs. To address this issue, a filter press system was proposed, which significantly improved the dewatering process, producing a dryer cake with a solid content of 35%, compared to 19% achieved by the vacuum belt filter. Performance evaluation of the processes was conducted based on concentration of solids and capture efficiency, demonstrating the superiority of the filter press method. Furthermore, the filtrate obtained through the filter press met local discharge regulations, eliminating the need for additional treatment b... [more]

To address the issues of uneven sample lengths in the centrifuge machine bearings of the ternary precursor, inaccurate fault feature extraction, and insensitivity of important feature channels in rolling bearings, a rolling bearing fault diagnosis method based on adaptive sample length adjustment of one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1DCNN) and squeeze-and-excitation network (SeNet) is proposed. Firstly, by controlling the cumulative variance contribution rate in the principal component analysis algorithm, adaptive adjustment of sample length is achieved, reducing data with uneven sample lengths to the same dimensionality for various classes. Then, the 1DCNN extracts local features from bearing signals through one-dimensional convolution-pooling operations, while the SeNet network introduces a channel attention mechanism which can adaptively adjust the importance between different channels. Finally, the 1DCNN-SeNet model is compared with four classic models through experimen... [more]

Microwaves have the advantages of faster heating speed, shorter fixation time, and less pollution in tea fixation. However, there are few studies on the microwave fixation of mulberry leaf tea, which is not conducive to the promotion of mulberry leaf tea production. In order to study the fixation of mulberry leaf tea, the coaxial probe method is used to measure the dielectric constant of mulberry leaves, and the relationship connecting the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant and the moisture content is obtained through fitting. Based on this, a multiphysics model for mulberry leaf fixation in a six-port microwave cavity is established, which combines the characteristics of mulberry leaves, multiport heating, and mobile heating techniques. The impact of some important parameters, such as the layout and position of input ports and the thickness of mulberry leaves on the fixation process, are studied. The results show that the mutual energy coupling between ports can be re... [more]

Natural products are historically regarded as the main sources of bioactive compounds to fight the most diverse diseases; among them, propolis deserves to be highlighted due to several biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, healing, antibacterial and antileishmanial activity. In this study, the antioxidant and antipromastigote activities and the cytotoxicity of propolis of the Scaptotrigona aff. postica stingless bee were evaluated. Propolis extract was analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and spectrophotometry for total polyphenols and flavonoid contents. Antioxidant activity was assessed spectrophotometrically by the DPPH, ABTS and FRAP methods, while antipromastigote activity and cytotoxicity were assessed by the MTT assay. The infrared spectra showed the characteristic bands of both phenols and alcohols. The thermogravimetry study revealed two events and thermal stability around 370 °C, while differential scanning calorimetry showed two endoth... [more]