This work demonstrates the potential utility of ferrate(VI)-based advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of a representative UV filter, BP-4. The operational parameters of oxidant dose and temperature were determined with kinetic experiments. In addition, the effects of water constituents including anions (Cl−, HCO3−, NO3−, SO42−), cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Fe3+), and humic acid (HA) were investigated. Results suggested that the removal rate of BP-4 (5 mg/L) could reach 95% in 60 min, when [Fe(VI)]:[BP-4] = 100:1, T = 25 °C and pH = 7.0, The presence of K+, Cu2+ and Fe3+ could promote the removal of BP-4, but Cl−, SO42−, NO3−, HA and Na+ could significantly inhibit the removal of BP-4. Furthermore, this Fe(VI) oxidation processes has good feasibility in real water samples. These results may provide useful information for the environmental elimination of benzophenone-type UV filters by Fe(VI).

The successive growth of the population, degradation of the natural environment, and development of civilization diseases force a continuous increase in the production of high-quality food [...]

Thallium (I) was removed from aqueous solution by using gamma-alumina nanoparticles (γANPs) materials as nano adsorbents. Varied experimental conditions such as adsorbent dose, agitation time, initial concentration, pH, and temperature effects were carried out in batch conditions in view of the optimization of thallium (I) adsorption and the identification of the adsorption mechanisms in the system γANPs-Tl. The pH effect indicated a remarkable increase in the quantity of Tl(I) removed for pH values ranging from 4 to 8, an almost constant magnitude for pH values between 8 and 10, and a decrease for pH values above 10. Considering an initial Tl(I) concentration of 20 µg/L and an adsorbent dose of 1 g/L at a pH value of 8.5, the removal was achieved at 95.12 ± 0.02% efficiency. The pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm perfectly described the adsorption mechanism. The process of thallium (I) adsorption reaction, as highlighted by thermodynamic investigations, was found... [more]

The Aircraft Arrival/Departure Problem (AADSP) is the core problem in current runway system, even has become the bottleneck to prevent the improvement of the airport efficiency. This paper studies the single runway AADSP. A Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) model is constructed and an algorithm named Ant Colony based on Rank 2 Matrix Approximation (RMA-AC) method is proposed. Numerical results validate that the new algorithm, as well as the new model, exhibits better performance than CPLEX and the traditional two-phase algorithm. The runway efficiency enhanced by RMA-AC, within 20 s computation, is about 2−5% even for the 800 aircraft sequences. It is a promising method to improve the efficiency of the future aircraft scheduling system.

The construction machinery and vehicles, especially the explosion-proof and explosion-isolation ability of the vehicles are playing an increasingly important role in the complex and unpredictable emergency rescue field. In this paper, the explosion-proof housing of hydraulic system power unit applied in engineering machinery is investigated, wherein the power unit includes motor, power supply and control element. Motor-driven hydraulic pump provides the necessary power for the hydraulic system. The gas explosion process, basic parameters, flame acceleration mechanism and the theory model of gas explosion in finite space are analyzed. Relevant mathematical models of the experimental gas explosion for explosion-proof cavity are established. Furthermore, the models are analyzed by numerical method. We simulate the dynamic process of explosion by software. The analysis, examination and simulation of structural strength are conducted on the explosion-proof cavity according to the maximum ex... [more]

The propellant gas flow of a supersonic rocket in inappropriate operating conditions can cause excessive ablation inside a nozzle. In this research, conjugate heat transfer analysis (CHTA), consisting of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA), was applied to investigate the gas flow and ablation of a 122 mm nozzle as a case study in the transient state, based on actual operating conditions. First, the nozzle was tested in a static experiment. Then, the experimental results were employed for CHTA settings and validation. Next, after completing the CFD calculation, the results revealed that the nozzle’s gas flow, temperature, pressure, Mach number, shock, etc. were consistent with theoretical results. Finally, using the CFD results as loads, the FEA results showed the equivalent von Mises stress (σv), which was consistent with the ablation results from the experiment, as expected. The more the σv, the greater the ablation. Both σv and ablation were high near... [more]

Residue catalytic hydrogenation was carried out in a two-stage downflow fixed-bed reactor system, with a HDM catalyst in the first stage and HDS catalyst in the second one, to mimic the industrial operation. The experiments were run at five sets of temperatures (395 °C (first reactor)/405 °C (second reactor), 400 °C/410 °C, 405 °C/415 °C, 410 °C/420 °C, and 420 °C/430 °C). It was found that the initial stage deactivation was mainly caused by the rapid deposition of coke. Gradually, the deposition of metal sulfides leads to a slow deactivation in the middle stage of operation. A deactivation model that considers the catalyst activity as a function of TOS was proposed and applied to the hydrotreating reaction. The deactivation parameters of HDCCR, HDS, HDNi, and HDV in the two reactors were obtained by fitting the experimental data at the outlet of the two reactors. According to the deactivation curves of catalysts, it is proposed that the deactivation of HDM catalyst is faster than that... [more]

In this paper, a technique that integrates methods of dynamic economic optimization and real-time control by including economic model predictive control and closed-loop predictive control has been developed, using a two-layer structure. The upper layer, which consists of an economic nonlinear MPC (NMPC), makes use of the updated state information to optimize some economic cost indices and calculates in real time the economically optimal trajectories for the process states. The lower layer uses a closed-loop nonlinear GPC (NCLGPC) to calculate the control actions that allow for the outputs of the process to follow the trajectories received from the upper layer. This paper also includes the theoretical demonstration proving that the deviation between the state of the closed-loop system and the economically time varying trajectory provided by the upper layer is bounded, thus guaranteeing stability. The proposed approach is based on the use of nonlinear models to describe all the relevant... [more]

Modeling is the primary point to conveying product characteristics. Accurately capturing the image needs of users for modeling is an important way to effectively improve product design efficiency. Quantitative theory type I is a method to solve the internal law between the user’s target image and the product modeling characteristics by building a mathematical model. Aiming at the problems of abundant product modeling design elements, diversified combination methods, and high design cost due to the subjective ambiguity of user images, a topological design method of product modeling based on quantification theory I is proposed. This method uses the semantic difference method and statistical method to obtain the quantitative data of perceptual semantic features of product modeling to represent the explicit and implicit needs of users. Based on the topological transformation, the topological analysis and modeling of the two types of requirements are carried out. The mapping model of produc... [more]

Volcanic activity is characteristic of seismic zones. Consequently, volcanic material form part of the landscape in places where earthquakes are common natural phenomena. As volcanic wastes (VW) show pozzolanic activity, the substitution of manufactured Portland cement (PC) with VW is clearly a desirable option not only from an economical point of view but also to reduce the CO2 fingerprint. Therefore, designing concretes with volcanic Portland cements (VPC) clearly contributes to cleaner cement production. Construction and building activities in seismic zones need to use a specific kind of concrete—self-compacting concrete (SCC). The challenge we focused on was the design of SCC using VPC. The flow behavior of SCC is characterized by low yield stress, high plastic viscosity, and shear-thickening behavior at high shear. However, obtaining these striking properties of the concrete is not easy with traditional concrete flow tests (Abrams cone, etc.). Moreover, these methods are very cost... [more]

Nowadays, energy saving, and green sustainability are influencing the development of all industries, including the construction industry. In recent years, geopolymeric cement and concrete have become hot topic materials as a replacement for traditional OPC; this work carried out orthogonal experiments to identify four potential factors affecting the basic properties of the metakaolin-geopolymeric cement specimens. The results showed that the metakaolin and activator contents were the two primary influencing factors. Given the importance of studying the durability of building restoration materials in harsh environments, this experiment focused on testing the bond strength, permeability resistance, sulphate corrosion resistance, and freeze-thaw resistance of metakaolin geopolymer pastes with different proportions of metakaolin dopant and alkali activator content. The findings are that durability of the formed specimens significantly improved when suitable metakaolin and activator content... [more]

Aiming at the problem of the difficult separation of film in the process of farmland residual film recovery, a clamping conveying residual film recovery device was designed and studied. The device was mainly composed of a clamp plate, clamp plate conveying chain, chain wheel drive shaft, and the residual film conveying chain and frame. Firstly, the structure and working principle of the device are introduced. The tensile properties of the residual film are investigated to determine the relationship between the average clamping force, the height of the clamp plate, the spacing of the clamp plate, and the rotational speed of the sprocket. Then, the mechanical properties of the residual film are discussed. The influence weight of each factor on the film impurity separation rate is summarized by single factor tests. The regression equation between the factors and film impurity separation rate is established. The results of the variance analysis of regression equation show that the film imp... [more]

This paper investigates bending and compressive strengths as mechanical characteristics of cement-based repair mortar containing nano-silica (NS) and micro-silica (SF) as cement replacements particles and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. The mentioned materials were added to the mortar in three different conditions, including single (just one material), binary (mixture of two admixtures), and ternary (mixture of all three admixtures) modes. The use of PVA fibers, nano-silica and micro-silica in the triple combination of a cement-based mortar is the primary objective of the current research. In total, 28 mix designs with various percentages of particles and fiber were employed in the current study, and 112 different specimens were prepared to conduct the experimental research. The compressive and flexural strength results have been selected as the criteria for obtaining the optimum mix design for each condition. In order to specify the mechanical characteristics of specimens, a compressi... [more]

Soil-washing is a potential technology for the disposal of soil contaminated by e-waste; however, the produced soil-washing effluent will contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and a large number of surfactants, which are harmful to the environment, so the treatment of PBDEs and the recycling of surfactants are the key to the application of soil-washing technology. In this study, coconut shell granular-activated carbon (GAC) was applied to remove PBDEs from Triton X-100 (TX-100) surfactant which simulates soil-washing effluent. The adsorption results show that, GAC can simultaneously achieve effective removal of 4,4′-dibromodiphenyl ether (BDE-15) and efficient recovery of TX-100. Under optimal conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity of BDE-15 could reach 623.19 μmol/g, and the recovery rate of TX-100 was always higher than 83%. The adsorption process of 4,4′-dibromodiphenyl ether (BDE-15) by GAC could best be described using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freund... [more]

A new type of dishwasher pump without a pipeline system was invented for the first time to form an original sink-type dishwasher avoiding the accumulation of dirt in the hydraulic system. In order to improve the hydraulic performance of this new type of dishwasher pump with twin-volute passive rotation driven by a compound impeller, an orthogonal optimal design method was first introduced to optimize the compound impeller composed of axial cascades and radial blades. Six geometric parameters were selected as the main factors to design the orthogonal table L18(36). All impeller models were manufactured via high-precision 3D printing and tested to determine the optimal solution. Firstly, the hydraulic performance was measured using a specially designed test bench under the assumption of static-volute conditions. Then, the optimization scheme was verified in real machine experiments under the rotating-volute condition, and numerical calculations were used to assess the performance improve... [more]

The kiwifruit is cultivated globally due to its diversity of phytochemicals, especially phenolic compounds, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer medical effects. However, only the pulp of the kiwifruit is consumed, while the peels and cores—which are also rich in phytochemicals—are usually wasted. Meanwhile, detailed information on the comparison among the three parts is still limited. In this study, the antioxidant potentials in the core, pulp, and peel of the three most commercialized kiwifruit cultivars (Australian-grown Hayward kiwifruit, New Zealand-grown Zesy002 kiwifruit, and New Zealand-grown organic Hayward kiwifruit) were selected. Their antioxidant capacities were tested, and their phenolic profiles were identified and characterized by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS). The antioxidant results showed that the peel of New Zealand-grown organic Hayward kiwifruit contained the highe... [more]

Food is usually recognized as a limited resource in sustainability, recognized by the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which aims to achieve zero hunger. It is expected that the circular economy (CE) can improve processes related to food production. The objective of the present study was to apply a bibliometric approach using VOSviewer visualization software as a research tool to analyze the relevant literature from the Scopus database in the field of circular economy and its relation to improvements in food issues throughout 2012−2021. A total of 1316 articles were analyzed. Italy was the most productive country with 313 articles, with Wageningen University & Research the organization with the most publications with 39 articles. The top 10 institutions originated from Italy, The Netherlands, France, and Denmark. Sustainability was the most productive journal with 107 articles. Bioresource Technology had the highest average citation frequency (44.68). The study... [more]

The search for and design of high-performance electrode materials is always an important topic in rechargeable batteries. Using a global structure prediction method together with first-principles calculations, a free-standing two-dimensional B2C3P monolayer with honeycomb structure was identified. The stability of the B2C3P monolayer was confirmed by cohesive energy, phonon curves, and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. Of note, the B2C3P monolayer was demonstrated to be metallic, which shows excellent performance for Li-ion batteries. For example, the B2C3P monolayer also exhibited a metallic characteristic after Li adsorption, therefore the ability to keep good electrical conductivity during battery operation. Furthermore, when a B2C3P monolayer is used as a lithium-ion battery anode, it shows an ultra-high theoretical capacity of 3024 mAh/g, and a comparatively low diffusion barrier of 0.33 eV. All calculated results showed that the B2C3P monolayer is an appealing anode mate... [more]

Deep mining has started in the Huaibei mining area, and the serious threat of high confined water on the floor to the coal seam is gradually increasing. Based on the deep confined water mining project at working face II633 of the Hengyuan coal mine, this paper theoretically analyzes the damage depth of the floor and the risk of water inrush from the floor. The best proportion of grouting materials was quantitatively optimized by indoor experiments, and an industrial field test was conducted to judge the grouting effect. The results show that the failure depth of the bottom plate calculated by theoretical analysis is 31.73 m; a single factor test and a response surface optimization design method determined the best value of each index: water cement ratio 0.8, bentonite 2%, water reducer 0.6%, sodium silicate 2%. The damage depth of the bottom plate after grouting is 18.83~20 m, according to the field monitoring by the strain method. The optimized slurry significantly reduces the damage... [more]

is used to treat alcoholic liver injury in China; however, its pharmacological mechanism remains to be clarified. Here, the potential of G. uralensis for the treatment of alcoholic liver injury was explored using a network pharmacology and molecular docking approach. The effective components and targets of G. uralensis were searched in a traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform. Disease targets were obtained using the GeneCards and OMIM databases. The target genes of G. uralensis and alcoholic liver injury were compared to obtain common target genes. Symbol conversion was carried out using the Uniport database, and the composition−target network of G. uralensis and alcoholic liver injury was prepared. A protein−protein interaction network was constructed. Gene Ontology functional enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses were performed. AutoDock was used for the molecular docking of core compounds and... [more]

This study investigated the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis of banana bracts from different varieties (Maçã, Nanica and Prata) using pectinase, protease and cellulase (singly or in combinations) on their antioxidant properties. The results showed that the antioxidant properties and total phenolic compounds (TPC) of extracts increased after the enzymatic treatment with a clear synergistic effect between the different enzymes. The ternary mixture of pectinase, protease and cellulase resulted in increases of 458% and 678% in TPC content for extracts obtained from Maçã and Nanica varieties and up to 65% in antioxidant properties of those produced from Prata variety compared to the non-hydrolyzed samples. In general, the extracts obtained from the Prata variety showed the highest levels of TPC, as well as antioxidant activity, as follows: 14.70 mg GAE g−1 for TPC, 82.57 µmol TE g−1 for ABTS, 22.26 µmol TE g−1 for DPPH and 47.09 µmol TE g−1 for FRAP. Phenolic compounds identified by HPLC in e... [more]

This study provides evidence on the stability of vitamin K1 (VK) in the form of phytomenadione, in the absence and presence of a therapeutic preparation, as the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), under the effect of sodium halide ions. The degradation susceptibility of the two compounds was assessed individually and in mixtures by cyclic voltammetry and electrolysis at a constant current density assisted by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Their interactions with the halide ions differently impact on the electrochemical processes as follows: (i) the fluoride ions weakly affects the VK/AuNP stability and compatibility; (ii) the presence of chloride ions leads to VK/AuNP stability, for a short time and restrictive compatibility; (iii) bromide ions induce instability and incompatibility of the VK/AuNP system; (iv) spontaneous interactions between VK/AuNPs and iodide ions take place, consequently defining as an unstable and incompatible system.

Microorganism biomass is a sustainable and innovative source of biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides, that is suitable for the development of biodegradable films. The aim of this research was to evaluate the synthesis, morphology, rheology, and morphological and mechanical properties on the production of edible biofilms based on water kefir grains, and compare them with edible films based on thermoplastic compounds from starch (TPS) obtained from taro (Colocasia esculenta) and cassava (Manihot esculenta). Edible biofilms were prepared in solution with 30% wt/wt glycerol relative to starch mass and kefir grain biofilms using the casting method. A stationary rheological analysis was performed on the film-forming suspensions of kefir, taro starch, and cassava starch. Once the films were obtained, a physicochemical and morphological characterization was carried out. Results of the characterization showed the following main aspects: The results indicated an increase in biomass... [more]

Using treated wastewater for irrigation is a good solution for conserving water, but it is also in part responsible for groundwater and water surface pollution by heavy metals, especially copper and cadmium. The soil can be a barrier to retaining these pollutants and protecting the water resource. This study presents an assessment of the adsorption of copper and cadmium by two agricultural soils from Tunisia and Romania to evaluate the risk of water pollution. At first, the two soils were characterized with a scanning electron microscope and different physico-chemical analyses. Before adsorption, the elemental analysis performed with an SEM showed a very low amount of cadmium and copper in both soils (0.01%). The Tunisian soil was considered clayey soil, and the Romanian soil was sandy clayey soil. All experimental kinetics and isotherms were well correlated (R2 > 0.9) with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the modified and extended Redlich−Peterson binary adsorption model. For... [more]

Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been widely studied over the last decade for its remarkable properties in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices because of its high electron mobility and excitonic properties. It has probably the broadest range of nanostructured forms that are also easy and cheap to synthesize using a wide variety of methods. The volume of recent work on ZnO nanostructures and their devices can potentially overshadow significant developments in the field. Therefore, there is a need for a concise description of the most recent advances in the field. In this review, we focus on the effect of ZnO nanostructure morphologies on the performance of ZnO-based solar cells sensitized using methylammonium lead iodide perovskite. We present an exhaustive discussion of the synthesis routes for different morphologies of the ZnO nanostructure, ways of controlling the morphology, and the impact of morphology on the photoconversion efficiency of a given perovskite solar cell (PSC). We find that a... [more]