Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are thought to be ecologically friendly, despite electron transport and generation challenges. In order to address this, the efficiency of MFCs was investigated using two different anode electrodes made from biomass: graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide-metal oxide (GO-MO) (GO-ZnO). After 18 days of operation, the maximum power density for GO was 0.69 mW/m2, whereas the maximum power density for GO-ZnO was 1.05 mW/m2. Furthermore, the ability of MFCs to transform the soluble metal ions (Cd2+, Cr3+, Pb2+, and Ni2+) into an insoluble state was investigated, which is a secondary use of MFCs with significant benefits. In the soluble state of metal ion transformation into an insoluble state, the rate of GO-ZnO was higher (92.71%) than that of GO (81.20%). The outcomes of material, analytical, and biological tests undertaken to validate the efficiency of anodes are presented. It has been shown that using innovative materials as electrodes in MFCs is a potential... [more]

In this study, the comprehensive properties of a P22 high-temperature steam pipeline with moderate spheroidization were evaluated after more than 11,700 h of operation through a series of physico-chemical properties testing, especially for a creep test. The remaining life of the P22 high-temperature steam pipeline was analyzed and predicted by the θ parameter method, to guide the normal operation of the P22 high-temperature steam pipeline.

Sewer blockages delay sewage discharge or cause it to overflow, which pollutes the environment and is a public health hazard. This necessitates the quick and accurate identification and positioning of sewer blockages. Following a sewer blockage, the sewage is intercepted and the liquid level at the upstream and downstream of the blocking point changes. This study established a method for identifying sewer blockages by analyzing the range and rate of the liquid level change at the upstream and downstream of the blocking point. Through pilot-scale and full-scale experiments, this study summarized the threshold values of the liquid level change rate and the liquid level fluctuation range of the drainage pipeline in normal operation, as well as the threshold values of the liquid level change rate and the liquid level fluctuation range of the upstream and downstream of the sewer blocking point. Moreover, the sewer blockage identification matrix was completed. Sewer blockage in rural areas c... [more]

As the working conditions of host equipment become more complex and severe, performance improvement and increased intelligence of high speed on/off valves (HSV) are inevitable trends in the development of digital hydraulic technology. The characteristics of HSVs can be regulated by control strategies, which determine the comprehensive performance of the system. This paper discusses the development of control strategies for HSVs. First, the results of research in relation to the discrete voltage and pulse control of single HSVs and the coding control of parallel HSVs are summarized. In addition, the advantages, disadvantages and application scope of different control strategies are analyzed and compared. Finally, the development trends are predicted from the performance regulation, intelligent maintenance, intelligent coding and function programmability.

One of the factors related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, a disease characterized by gradual cognitive and memory impairment, is an inflammatory process induced by the amyloid-β-mediated activation of microglia. In the present study, an extract of the Chrysanthemum boreale (Makino) Makino (CB) flower, which has inhibitory effects on inflammation and the production of phosphorylated tau in cells, was investigated for its ameliorative effect on memory dysfunction in scopolamine-treated Alzheimer’s disease models. The CB-extract-diet-administered groups, which were treated chronically with scopolamine (intraperitoneal), showed increased spontaneous alterations (12.5−15.5% increase) in the Y-maze test and latency to escape (3.7−6.7-fold increase) in the passive avoidance test, compared to the negative control (NC) group. Rats administered the CB extract also showed a higher tendency (66−86% increase) of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression than NC rats. Mor... [more]

Compared with conventional reactors that are designed by traditional micromachining technology, the use of 3D-printing technology to manufacture multichannel large-volume microchannel reactors as reaction equipment to remove low-concentration NOX by the wet method is simple and convenient, and the processing cost is low. The results showed that when the concentration of NO was 400 ppm, the mixed solution of (NH2)2CO mass fraction of 3% and H2O2 concentration of 0.5 mol/L was used, and the flow rates of gas and liquid were 100 mL/min, respectively, under the experimental conditions of pH = 11, solution temperature of 20 °C and 500 mL solution recycling for 20 min, the best removal effect of NOX was achieved, and the removal efficiency was 100%. When the O2 content in the flue gas was increased and the number and length of microchannels were increased, the NOX removal efficiency increased accordingly, which was conducive to the rapid and efficient reaction. The application of the microch... [more]

With the development of the social economy, the population has increased sharply, and the land area involved in people’s production and life is also gradually increasing [...]

The increased interest in greener sources of antioxidants has spurred the research on natural alternatives to enhance poultry production. This study aimed to investigate the effects of natural antioxidant extracts’ (hop β-acids extract) diet supplementation at different concentrations (0, 30, 60, and 120 mg kg−1) on the volatile compound profile of roasted chicken meat. A method based on headspace solid-phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) was optimized by response surface design to extract the volatile compounds. The optimum extraction conditions were 80 °C and 45 min. A total of 95 volatile compounds were identified in roasted chicken meat, especially aldehydes, alkanes, alcohols, esters, and pyrazines. Principal component analysis (PCA) separated the samples as a function of β-acid supplementation, indicating that increased levels of supplementation lead to distinct volatile profiles in roasted chicken meat. Aldehydes such as octanal... [more]

Modeling of the separation of catalyst particles from gas using two devices, a cyclone and a novel separator with arc-shaped elements, was performed for fluidized-bed dehydrogenation of C4−C5 paraffins to isoolefins as an example. The proposed dust collector allows one to reduce erosive wear by several times (~6.5-fold) in identical regimes and at identical parameters of the process. The effect of particle size on erosive wear was analyzed under near-industrial conditions; the regions most susceptible to wear in the analyzed devices were identified, as well as the functions describing the dependence between the erosive wear rate and particle diameter for the cyclone and separator with arc-shaped elements, making it possible to predict wear in the devices were obtained.

This paper aims to evaluate different design configurations of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant with post-combustion CO2 capture. Three cases are involved in this study: case 1 consists of three trains and each train has a configuration of one gas turbine with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG); case 2 consists of three trains and one steam turbine; and case 3 consists of only two trains. The third case presented the highest CHP efficiency of 72.86% with 511.8 MW net power generation. After selecting the optimum configuration, a parabolic-trough collector (PTC) was incorporated to generate additional saturated steam at 3.5 bar for the capture plant, adding greater flexibility to the CHP because more steam was available. In addition, the efficiency of the cycle increased from 72.86% to 80.18%. Although case 2 presented lower efficiency than case 3, it has a steam turbine which brings the possibility of increasing the amount of electricity instead of steam production. When the P... [more]

The chemical composition of woody biomass directly influences its thermal degradation and, subsequently, the selection of processes and technologies used for its conversion into energy or value-added products. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the thermal behavior and chemical-physical characteristics of three different woody biomass species (hardwood, softwood and chemically-treated wood) using thermogravimetric and characterization analysis based on ISO 16948, ISO 18125 and ISO 18122 methods. The main findings show that the most significant trend of mass loss, around 70%, in the thermal degradation of the different species of woody biomass occurred between 150 °C and 500 °C and that the residual mass at 650 °C was between 13% and 24%. Although the three species of woody biomass showed a high average energy content (19.60 MJ/kg), softwood samples had a more stable thermal degradation than hardwoods and chemically-treated woods.

For countries where catalytic cracking gasoline is the primary source, the proposed technology consists in separating a benzene-rich fraction from catalytic cracking gasoline in order to be processed further together with reforming gasoline in a unit dedicated to aromatics extraction. In this way, two benefits are obtained: a benzene-rich fraction as raw material for extraction and the leftover fraction that satisfies the benzene content standards as a qualified product. It is established to use the divided wall distillation model, single-column distillation model, and double-column distillation model. Sensitivity analysis and SQP optimization are used to identify the ideal operating conditions and gasoline yield. Economic research shows that the divided wall and single-column distillation models have more potential for growth. It offers theoretical direction for businesses to design and optimize the pertinent process.

In a wide range of applications, heating or cooling systems provide not only temperature changes, but also small temperature gradients in a sample or industrial facility. Although a conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller usually solves the problem, it is not optimal because it does not use information about the main sources of change—the current power of the heater or cooler. The quality of control can be significantly improved by including a model of thermal processes in the control algorithm. Although the temperature distribution in the device can be calculated from a full-fledged 3D model based on partial differential equations, this approach has at least two drawbacks: the presence of many difficult-to-determine parameters and excessive complexity for control tasks. The development of a simplified mathematical model, free from these shortcomings, makes it possible to significantly improve the quality of control. The development of such a model using generati... [more]

A significant problem for the food industry is delivering high-quality, healthy food in response to the rising food demands brought on by the expanding worldwide population [...]

The occurrence state of groundwater in a karst area has a significant impact on the tunnel lining structure. The impact on the groundwater is more significant during construction. This paper used numerical simulation to study the grouting reinforcement range of the Liaoshan Tunnel. This was based on the critical water rich height. Under Grade IV and Grade V surrounding rock, the critical points of grouting reinforcement were 230 m and 240 m deep, respectively. The vertical and horizontal stress and seepage flow of the tunnel arch crown and invert decreased as the circumferential grouting reinforcement range increased. In the case of no grouting reinforcement, 1/4 circumferential grouting reinforcement, 1/2 circumferential grouting reinforcement, and all circumferential grouting reinforcement, the seepage flow was 7 m3/dm, 4 m3/dm, 3 m3/dm, and 0 m3/dm, respectively. With Grade V surrounding rock, when the groundwater level was 260−270 m away from the tunnel arch crown, two schemes coul... [more]

TA19 titanium alloy is a novel medium-temperature, high-strength titanium alloy widely used in the aerospace industry, and its welding performance is very important for the manufacturing of structural parts. In this study, TA19 titanium alloy was connected by inertial friction welding (IFW). After welding, the microstructural and alloying elements of the IFW joints were investigated; the results showed that the microstructures of each zone of the IFW joint were different, and accumulations of the β-stable element Mo were only observed in the base metal (BM) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Tensile tests were performed using specially designed specimens with circular grooves to obtain the axial mechanical properties of different zones of IFW joints. The stress−strain curves and tensile fractures of the different specimens were analyzed; the results showed that the tensile strength of the welded joint increased, but the plasticity decreased from BM to WZ.

Microwave heating has a wide range of applications in the fields of industrial heating and drying. However, when microwave heating is applied to the thin film, it will be challenging due to its low loss and large heat dissipation area. In this paper, a double-ridged waveguide for thin-film heating is proposed. The double ridge structure is employed to enhance the electric field, thereby increasing the power-loss density in the thin film. Firstly, a double-ridged waveguide, in which the electric field strength can be about 2.5 times that of the conventional waveguide, was designed based on the transverse resonance method and the electromagnetic field simulation. Then, a multiphysics model was built to analyze the heating performance of the ridged waveguide, in which the electromagnetic field and heat transfer are coupled. The simulation results show that the heating performance of the proposed waveguide will be 35.0 times that of the conventional waveguide. An experiment was carried out... [more]

This study aimed to analyse the antibacterial potential of limonene, terpineol, and eugenol for the biofilm reduction of food-borne E. coli, S. aureus and S. typhimurium. A microdilution test with resazurin application was used for the minimum inhibitory concentration and a colony plate count was used for the minimum bactericidal concentration. Biofilm biomass was quantified using the crystal violet assay, while biofilm viability was determined using the plate count method. The results show the highest antibacterial potential among terpenoids for eugenol, followed by terpineol and limonene. Both biomass reduction and viability are strongly dependent on the concentration of all terpenoids tested (p < 0.05). Moreover, eugenol reduced biofilm biomass most effectively (67% for E. coli), while viability was reduced most by terpineol (3.8 log CFU cm−2 for E. coli and S. aureus). The correlation coefficient for the reduction in biomass and viability was highest for eugenol (0.9) and chlorh... [more]

There are some representative reports in industrial safety engineering, such as the Hazard and Operability Analysis and Pre-Hazard Analysis; however, a large amount of industrial safety knowledge in the report has not been fully explored. In order to reuse and release the value of industrial safety knowledge, this paper constructs a new industrial safety knowledge extraction framework. The framework combines the asset management shell to summarize the knowledge concept entities of machine description language and model description language. According to the safety report template, the framework also constructs a new industrial safety knowledge-mapping standard structure. Specifically, firstly, considering that the knowledge structure of safety reports is different in different processes of the process industry, this paper innovatively proposes a general industrial safety knowledge-mapping standard structure, which provides a practical solution for the integration of industrial knowledg... [more]

Graphite foil (GF) compressed from exfoliated graphite (EG) is a sealing material, which is used in nuclear energy and the chemical industry. The preparation of graphite foil is a complex process, which includes the intercalation of graphite, water washing, thermal exfoliation and pressing of intermediate products. The preparation conditions significantly influence the structure of the material and its physicochemical properties. Thus, the aim of work was to reveal the correlation between GF processing conditions, its crystalline structure, porosity and gas permeability as well as thermal stability. Sealability of the material is connected with low value of gas permeability, while thermal stability allows use of the material in high-temperature processes. Optimization of these parameters allow for the obtaining of a reliable material and expanding of the areas of its application. Exfoliated graphite for GF was prepared at different temperatures of 600, 800 and 1000 °C from the H2SO4−gr... [more]

Servitization is becoming an essential strategy for manufacturers to gain competitive advantage, and several successful cases have already been reported. However, these success stories are mainly studied for large enterprises such as GE, IBM, Xerox, and Rolls-Royce. Therefore, it is difficult to apply the cases to the servitization of SMEs, thus in this study, the status of SMEs’ servitization was examined and the applicability was studied. Among those SMEs, manufacturing of electrical equipment and basic metal parts were selected because they are related to all manufacturing industries. As a research method, companies in the relevant industry were randomly selected and CEOs, managers, and employees were interviewed. Through in-depth interviews, the company’s current servitization status in the perception of different employment levels and new servitization opportunities are analyzed. As a result of the interview, the level of servitization in the industry seems to be very low, and it... [more]

Objective: Post-COVID 19 depression has gained much attention due to the increasing percentage of depressive symptoms reported by COVID-19 survivors. Among many factors postulated to be responsible for this depression, neuroinflammation gained the most attention. Therefore, in current work, we selected an anandamide reuptake inhibitor, VDM11, as a possible candidate for managing post-COVID depression. Methods: The role of VDM11 in attenuating neuroinflammation was established by using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and an in vivo LPS-induced depression model. Results: The results of network pharmacology revealed that among all the genes that can be targeted by VDM11, 47 genes were directly linked to the pathophysiology of depression. Additionally, on the basis of protein−protein interaction (PPI) analysis, the top 10 hub genes probably responsible for VDM11 antidepressant attribute were screened. These genes include MAPK3, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, PPARG, MAPK1, CNR1, MTOR, NR3C1,... [more]

Advanced agronomic methods, urbanisation, and industrial expansion contaminate air, water and soil, globally. Agricultural and industrial activities threaten living biota, causing biodiversity loss and serious diseases. Strategies such as bioremediation and physiochemical remediation have not been effectively beneficial at treating pollutants. Metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) such as copper, zinc, silver, gold, etc., in various nanoformulations and nanocomposites are used more and more as they effectively resist the uptake of toxic compounds via plants by facilitating their immobilisation. According to studies, bio-based NP synthesis is a recent and agroecologically friendly approach for remediating environmental waste, which is effective against carcinogens, heavy metal contamination, treating marine water polluted with excessive concentrations of phosphorus, nitrogen and harmful algae, and hazardous dye- and pesticide-contaminated water. Biogenic resources such as bacteria, fungi, alg... [more]

Conventional design method of the downhole tractor is based on cementing casing, which is only suitable for the smooth wellbore. For the open hole well, the conventional downhole tractor has poor adaptability and even cannot work normally. In order to improve the obstacle surmounting performance of the wheeled downhole tractor (WDR) and expand the application range of the WDR, a double push rod-double spring support adjustment mechanism (DPRDSSAM) is proposed in this paper. Meanwhile, the proposed DPRDSSAM also needs to increase the traction force and the stability of the WDR in the open hole well. Kinematic simulation numerical models of both conventional support adjustment mechanism and the DPRDSSAM are established. The two models comprehensively considere the influence of different obstacle forms and sizes on the obstacle surmounting performance of the tractor. The influence of different obstacle forms on the obstacle surmounting performance of DPRDSSAM and single push rod support a... [more]

Recently, a growing number of studies have confirmed that biological nitrogen fixation is also an important reactive nitrogen source in coastal regions. However, how benthic nitrogen fixation and diazotrophic community in coastal regions respond to seasonal hypoxia remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal pattern of potential nitrogen fixation rate and diazotrophic abundance and community in sediments of a eutrophic marine ranch experiencing summer hypoxia using 15N tracing and high throughput sequencing techniques. The results showed that potential nitrogen fixation rates ranged from 0.013 to 10.199 μmol kg−1 h−1, and were significantly enhanced by summer hypoxia (ANOVA, p < 0.05). However, nifH gene abundance peaked in June. The diazotrophic community was dominated by Geobacteraceae (>60%), followed by Desulfobulbaceae (13.61%). Bottom water oxygen, pH, Chl-a concentration, and sediment NH4+ significantly regulated benthic nitrogen fixation, while th... [more]