Manufacturing-based carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) wastes (pre-consumer waste) were recycled to recover valuable carbon fibres (CFs) and glass fibres (GFs), utilising a novel thermal recycling process with a cone calorimeter setup. The ideal conditions to recycle both the fibres occurred at 550 °C in atmospheric pressure. The processing time in the batch reactor to recycle CFs was 20−25 min, and to recycle GFs it was 25−30 min. The recovery rate of the recycled CFs was 95−98 wt%, and for GFs it was 80−82 wt%. Both the recycled fibres possessed a 100−110 mm average length. The resin phase elimination was verified by employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the fibres were manually realigned, compression moulded at room temperature, and cured for 24 h by a laminating epoxy resin system. The newly manufactured CFRP and GFRP composites were continuous (uniform length from end to end), unidirectionally oriented (0°), and no... [more]

During the voyage of a ship, the performance of a controllable pitch propeller (CPP) is severely affected by the changing load demand and ever-present disturbance from ocean waves, which will also result in model uncertainty. In order to improve the performance of the CPP system, an online high-performance genetic algorithm (HPGA)-based sliding mode control (SMC) strategy is proposed. Firstly, the model of the CPP system is obtained according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Then, a chattering-free sliding mode controller (CF-SMC) is designed for the CPP system, after which the parameters in the CF-SMC are optimized with the HPGA method. Finally, the optimized CF-SMC is applied to an experimental setup of a prototype CPP system. In order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is compared with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, which is typically applied on real CPP-systems, with results indicating the superiority of the proposed method.

The optimization of production cost has always been a key issue in manufacturing systems; for the single product type manufacturing systems, lots of research studies have proved the validity of the hedging point control policy in production cost control. However, due to the complexity of the multiple machines and multiple product types manufacturing systems with uncertain fault, it is difficult to achieve a good control effect only by using the hedging point control policy. To optimize the total production cost under constantly changing demands, an integrated control policy that combines the prioritized hedging point (PHP) control policy with the production capacity planning during production is proposed, and the decision variables are obtained by a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The simulation experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed integrated control policy in production cost control for the multiple machines and multiple product types manufacturing system.

In the past few decades, we have witnessed tremendous advancements in biology, life sciences and healthcare. These advancements are due in no small part to the big data made available by various high-throughput technologies, the ever-advancing computing power, and the algorithmic advancements in machine learning. Specifically, big data analytics such as statistical and machine learning has become an essential tool in these rapidly developing fields. As a result, the subject has drawn increased attention and many review papers have been published in just the past few years on the subject. Different from all existing reviews, this work focuses on the application of systems, engineering principles and techniques in addressing some of the common challenges in big data analytics for biological, biomedical and healthcare applications. Specifically, this review focuses on the following three key areas in biological big data analytics where systems engineering principles and techniques have be... [more]

The height of water-conducting fracture zones (WCFZs) is vital for the prevention of water, gas, and roof accidents in coal mines. However, its dynamic evolution law and maximum height are difficult to be obtained by traditional prediction methods, especially for conditions in which there is high overburden caving strength and a thick coal seam. Therefore, taking the 150,313 fully mechanized caving working face in Yingying Coal Mine as a background, according to the principle of optimized processes, a new predicting approach based on the Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) is proposed. Firstly, we estimated the height through empirical formula calculation, theoretical analysis, and similar model simulation tests. Secondly, we studied the optimized layout of optical cables in the overburden in detail for predicting the maximum height of the WCFZ and keeping the cables in good performance during field prediction. Thirdly, we researched and optimized the borehole parameter... [more]

This study aimed to assess the effect of petrol and the Fyre Zyme reagent on selected chemical and biochemical properties of loamy sand. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions. First, petrol was introduced into the soil at doses of 0 and 50 g k−1dry matter (DM). Next, 6% Fyre-Zyme enzyme reagent solution was added to the samples contaminated and uncontaminated with petrol, in the following combinations: 0 (control), once at 40 cm3 kg−1 DM, twice at 20 cm3 kg−1 DM at two-week intervals, and four times at 10 cm3 kg−1 DM at weekly intervals. Contamination of loamy sand with petrol caused slight changes in the determined chemical parameters and stimulated dehydrogenase activities, but inhibited the activity of phosphatases. The introduction of the enzyme reagent into the soil increased the Corg and Ntot content. The greatest changes were observed in the activity of phosphatases. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves revealed that the application of the enzyme... [more]

The Chinese government launched policies supporting biodiesel production and innovation to meet sustainable energy demands under rapid economic and social development. This study systematically investigates the dynamic transitions of biodiesel policies in China regarding policy contents and policy networks. We performed a content analysis in this study and used NVivo12 software to support the analysis process. The results highlighted some issues. First, the Chinese government supported the development of biodiesel from multiple policy objectives and adopted various policy instruments, eventually transforming biodiesel in China from the first- to second-generation. Second, the State Council was the main institution to promote biodiesel policies, and the National Development and Reform Commission under the State Council burdened most of the responsibilities of policy implementation. Most of the policies were issued at a lower level of administration rather than a higher level of decision... [more]

Three 40 wt % Pt/C electrocatalysts prepared using two different approaches—the polyol process and electrochemical dispersion of platinum under pulse alternating current—and a commercial Pt/C catalyst (Johnson Matthey prod.) were examined via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The stability characteristics of the Pt/C catalysts were studied via long-term cycling, revealing that, for all cycling modes, the best stability was achieved for the Pt/C catalyst with the largest platinum nanoparticle sizes, which was synthesized via electrochemical dispersion of platinum under pulse alternating current. Our results show that the mass and specific electrocatalytic activities of Pt/C catalysts toward ethanol electrooxidation are determined by the value of the electrochemically active Pt surface area in the catalysts.

Currently, the use of sustainable chemistry as an ecological alternative for the generation of products or processes that are free of a polluting substance has assumed a preponderant role. The aim of this work is to propose a bioinspired, facile, low cost, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly alternative to obtaining magnetic nanoparticles with a majority phase of magnetite (Fe3O4). It is important to emphasize that the synthesis was based on the chemical reduction through the Cnicus benedictus extract, whose use as reducing agent has not been reported in the synthesis of iron oxides nanoparticles. In addition, the Cnicus benedictus is an abundant endemic plant in Mexico with several medicinal properties and a large number of natural antioxidants. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited significant magnetic and antibacterial properties and an enhanced photocatalytic activity. The crystallite size of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NP’s) was calculated by the Williamson-Hall method. The... [more]

A conceptual design of an industrial production plant for activated carbon was developed to process 31.25 tons/day of industrial waste nutshells as the raw material and produce 6.6 ton/day of activated carbon using steam as an activation agent. The design considered the cost of the main equipment, the purchase price of the nutshells, basic services, and operation. A sensitivity analysis was developed, considering the price of the finished product and the volume of raw material processing varied up to ±25%. Furthermore, the total annual cost of the product was determined based on the production of 2100 tons/year of activated carbon. Two cash flows were developed and projected to periods of 10 years and 15 years of production, using a tax rate of 27%, a low discount rate (LDR) of 10% per year, and without external financing. For a 10-year production project, the net present value (NPV) was USD 2,785,624, the internal return rate (IRR) 21%, the return on investment (ROI) 25%, and the disc... [more]

To solve the problems of high specific energy consumption and excessive harmful ions in the water production of a small reverse osmosis (RO) plant, a desalination system coupling RO and membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is proposed in this study. Aiming at producing two cubic meters per day of fresh water with a salt concentration of less than 280 mg L−1, parameter matching optimization was carried out on two desalination system schemes of one-stage two-section RO and one-stage three-section RO coupled with MCDI. The results were compared with the parameter matching optimization results of the one-stage one-section RO and the one-stage two-section pure RO desalination system. The results show that compared with the pure RO desalination mode, the seawater desalination mode coupled with RO and MCDI reduces the specific energy consumption under the same effluent salt concentration. Moreover, it decreases the feed water pressure in front of the RO membrane, which can reduce the stand... [more]

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in the contents of flavonoids that were the most prevalent in acacia and multifloral honey during one year of storage. Samples were stored in transparent glass containers, at room temperature, on open shelves exposed to light during daytime. Eight individual flavonoids identified and quantified using HPLC-Diode Array Detector (DAD) belongs to three subgroups: flavonols (quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol and galangin), total flavanons (hesperetin and pinocembrin) and total flavones (apigenin and chrysin). Obtained results revealed that multifloral honey had more total flavonoids than acacia samples did. On average from all of the samples, multifloral honey had more of quercetin, hesperetin, luteolin, kaempferol and apigenin than acacia honey did. Content of flavonoids increased in samples between the 1st and 6th month of storage and then started to decrease until the 9th month, when they remained relatively constant all the way until... [more]

Natural extracts have been widely used to protect metal materials from corrosion. The efficiency of these extracts as corrosion inhibitors is commonly evaluated through electrochemical tests, which include techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and weight loss measurement. The inhibition efficiency of different extract concentrations is a valuable indicator to obtain a clear outlook to choose an extract for a particular purpose. A complementary vision of the effectiveness of green extracts to inhibit the corrosion of metals is obtained by means of surface characterizations; atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis are experimental techniques widely used for this purpose. Moreover, theoretical studies are usually addressed to elucidate the nature of the corrosion inhibitor—metal surface interactions. In addition, calculations have been employed to predict how other organic subst... [more]

Upgrading raw biogas to methane (CH4) is a vital prerequisite for the utilization of biogas as a vehicle fuel or the similar field as well. In this work, biogas yield from the anaerobic fermentation of food waste containing methane (CH4, 60.4%), carbon dioxide (CO2, 29.1%), hydrogen sulfide (H2S, 1.5%), nitrogen (N2, 7.35%) and oxygen (O2, 1.6%) was upgraded by dynamic adsorption. The hydrogen sulfide was removed from the biogas in advance by iron oxide (Fe2O3) because of its corrosion of the equipment. Commercial 13X zeolite and carbon molecular sieve (CMS) were used to remove the other impurity gases from wet or dry biogas. It was found that neither 13X zeolite nor CMS could effectively remove each of the impurities in the wet biogas for the effect of water vapor. However, 13X zeolite could effectively remove CO2 after the biogas was dried with silica and showed a CO2 adsorption capacity of 78 mg/g at the condition of 0.2 MPa and 25 °C. Additionally, 13X zeolite almost did not adsorb... [more]

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) from combustion contribute significantly to atmospheric pollution. An experimental setup was employed to investigate the application of three primary denitrification methods, i.e., reburning (staged combustion), overfiring air (OFA), and flue-gas recirculation (FGR), individually and in combination, combusting natural gas (NG) and propane−butane gas (PBG). Fuel heat inputs of 16 and 18 kW and air excess coefficients of 1.1 and 1.2, respectively, were tested. The highest individual denitrification efficiency of up to 74% was obtained for FGR, followed by reburning and OFA. A denitrification efficiency between 8.9% (reburning + OFA) and 72% (reburning + OFA + FGR) with NG combustion was observed. Using a 20% FGR rate yielded denitrification efficiency of 74% for NG and 65% for PBG and also led to a significant decrease in carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, so this can be recommended as the most efficient denitrification and de-CO method in small-scale furnaces. Reburni... [more]

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising renewable energy option, which enables the effective and sustainable harvesting of electrical power due to bacterial activity and, at the same time, can also treat wastewater and utilise organic wastes or renewable biomass. However, the practical implementation of MFCs is limited and, therefore, it is important to improve their performance before they can be scaled up. The surface modification of anode material is one way to improve MFC performance by enhancing bacterial cell adhesion, cell viability and extracellular electron transfer. The modification of graphite felt (GF), used as an anode in MFCs, by electrochemical oxidation followed by the treatment with ethylenediamine or p-phenylenediamine in one-step short duration reactions with the aim of introducing amino groups on the surface of GF led to the enhancement of the overall performance characteristics of MFCs. The MFC with the anode from GF modified with p-phenylenediamine provided app... [more]

The supercritical antisolvent (SAS) technique has been widely employed in the biomedical field, including drug delivery, to obtain drug particles or polymer-based systems of nanometric or micrometric size. The primary purpose of producing SAS particles is to improve the treatment of different pathologies and to better the patient’s compliance. In this context, many active compounds have been micronized to enhance their dissolution rate and bioavailability. Aiming for more effective treatments with reduced side effects caused by drug overdose, the SAS polymer/active principle coprecipitation has mainly been proposed to offer an adequate drug release for specific therapy. The demand for new formulations with reduced side effects on the patient’s health is still growing; in this context, the SAS technique is a promising tool to solve existing issues in the biomedical field. This updated review on the use of the SAS process for clinical applications provides useful information about the ac... [more]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To date, there have been more than 10 million reported cases, more than 517,000 deaths in 215 countries, areas or territories. There is no effective antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-19. Natural products and traditional medicine products with known safety profiles are a promising source for the discovery of new drug leads. There is increasing number of publications reporting the effect of natural products and traditional medicine products on COVID-19. In our review, we provide an overview of natural products and their derivatives or mimics, as well as traditional medicine products, which were reported to exhibit potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, and to manage COVID-19 in vivo, or in clinical reports or trials. These natural products and traditional medicine products are categorized in several classes: (1) anti-malaria drugs including chloroquine an... [more]

Lung cancer, as the leading cause of death in oncology is one of the most challenging diseases nowadays. Even after the implementation of checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy as a standard of therapy for metastatic disease, the chemotherapy backbone remains essential in the treatment of these patients. This study aimed to evaluate how administration particularities in chemotherapy and toxicity management can influence the outcome. We conducted a retrospective single-institution study, at Elias University Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, between 2014 and 2018, in a heterogeneous patient population with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that received combination chemotherapy. The inclusion criteria for this trial were—histological proof of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), stage IV disease, ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status of a maximum of two, treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy for at least four courses (patients with fewer courses were e... [more]

The rheological characterization of fluids using a rheometer is an essential task in food processing, materials, healthcare or even industrial engineering; in some cases, the high cost of a rheometer and the issues related to the possibility of developing both electrorheological and magnetorheological tests in the same instrument have to be overcome. With that in mind, this study designed and constructed a low-cost rotational rheometer with the capacity to adapt to electro- and magneto-rheological tests. The design team used the method of continuous improvement through Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and risk analysis tools such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). These analyses were prepared in order to meet the customer’s needs and engineering requirements. In addition to the above, a manufacturing control based on process sheets was used, leading to the construction of a functional rheometer with a cost of USD $1500.

Fish offal and other high protein substrates are generally not suitable for anaerobic digestion because of the high levels of ammonia produced as a result of their biodegradation. In order to efficiently use these types of substrates to produce methane, co-digestion is used to balance the amounts of carbon and nitrogen in the feedstock. In this experiment an optimization procedure for maximizing the methane potential of fish offal, using river tamarind as the co-substrates was developed. Our experimental design tested the effects of substrate to substrate mixtures, as well as overall substrate to inoculum combinations, on the methane potentials. This was performed using batch style biochemical methane potential assays, which employed a methodology developed in our laboratory. The optimum of the 25 combinations tested was 50% fish offal to 50% river tamarind at a substrate to inoculum ratio of 0.03, with a specific methane yield of 144 ± 6 NmL/gFM (330 ± 14 NmL/goDM). This gave much imp... [more]

This study reports the effect of high-temperature treatment on the electrical properties of charcoal, coal, and coke. The electrical resistivity of industrial charcoal samples used as a reducing agent in electric arc furnaces was investigated as a renewable carbon source. A set-up to measure the electrical resistivity of bulk material at heat treatment temperatures up to 1700 ∘C was developed. Results were also evaluated at room temperature by a four-point probe set-up with adjustable load. It is shown that the electrical resistivity of charcoal decreases with increasing heat treatment temperature and approaches the resistivity of fossil carbon materials at temperatures greater than 1400 ∘C. The heat treatment temperature of carbon material is the main influencing parameter, whereas the measurement temperature and residence time showed only a minor effect on electrical resistivity. Bulk density of the carbon material and load on the burden have a large impact on the electrical resistiv... [more]

A new spray-drying system has been designed to overcome the limitations caused by existing designs. A key feature of the approach has been the systematic use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to guide innovation in the design process. An example of an innovation is the development of a box-shaped transitional feature between the bottom of the main drying chamber and the entrance to the secondary chamber. In physical experiments, the box design performed better in all three representative operating conditions, including the current conditions, a higher feed solids concentration (30% solids rather than 8.8%), and a higher inlet drying temperature (230 °C rather than 170 °C). The current conditions showed a 3% increase in yield (solids recovery) while the 30% feed condition improved the yield by 7.5%, and the higher temperature test increased the yield by 13.5%. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant reductions in the wall flux at the high solids feed concentration. T... [more]

Cheese whey wastewater (CWW) is the major by-product of the dairy industry. CWW is produced in large quantities, has varied characteristics and is usually disposed of. The disposal of CWW causes a negative impact on the environment of different agroindustrial areas due to the physic-chemical composition that significantly increases its high organic load and nutrients. For this reason, the aim of this work was to carry out an evaluation of the anaerobic treatability of an Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor as a new sustainable alternative for treatment of these effluents with bioenergy production. In this study, the bioreactor was operated under stable conditions (i.e., buffer index of 0.23 ± 0.1, pH 7.22 ± 0.4 and temperature 26.6 ± 1.4 °C) for 201 days. During evaluation the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6 and 8 days, and it was buffered with NaHCO3. At these conditions, the COD removal rate and biochemical methane potential (BMP) were 90, 92%; and 334, 328 mLCH4/gCOD... [more]

The milk pasteurization process is nonlinear in nature, and for this reason, the application of linear control algorithms does not guarantee the obtainment of the required performance in every condition. The problem is here addressed by proposing an adaptive algorithm, which was obtained by starting from an observer-based control approach. The main result is the obtainment of a simple PI-like controller structure, where the control parameters depend on the state of the system and are adapted online. The proposed algorithm was designed and applied on a simulated process, where the temperature dependence of the milk’s physical properties was considered. The control strategy was tested by simulating different situations, particularly when time-varying disturbances entered the system. The use of the adaptive rule reduces the variance generally introduced by the PI or PID controller.