Search Results (325)

In the bourbon industry, rickhouses store bourbon barrels undergoing the maturation process. Ambient conditions—including temperature, relative humidity, and overall air composition—play a critical role in the maturation process of bourbon within rickhouses. The presence of ethyl alcohol vapors is a byproduct of the aging process and has been a long-standing issue within the industry. Exposure to ethanol vapor can hasten the corrosion of barrel hoops, potentially compromise the integrity of the barrels and lead to product loss. Newly constructed rick-houses have been designed to mitigate the vapors with natural ventilation from windows and air vents. This study shows that natural ventilation does not really allow air to move through the stacks, even in an empty rickhouse. The evaluation was performed using differential pressure measurements and smoke tracing to characterize extremely low-energy airflow. Differential pressure measurements and smoke tracing conducted on the first floor and crawl space of a newly constructed empty rickhouse indicated that while air enters the warehouse through windows and vents, it does not effectively penetrate the interior rick structures. Airflow is largely confined to the crawl space and walkways, with limited movement into the central rick areas, indicating that natural ventilation alone may be insufficient for comprehensive air circulation. The findings provide important insights into airflow behavior and its implications for the spirits industry, while contributing to a growing body of evidence suggesting that natural ventilation alone may be insufficient to adequately mitigate a known de-passivating agent, ethyl alcohol vapor, accumulation in current rickhouse designs. The results align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG 11) and “Responsible Consumption and Production” (SDG 12). Improved understanding of airflow characteristics may support the development of better-ventilated rickhouses, enhancing sustainable production practices and reducing the impact of material and product losses on surrounding communities. Full article

Resource-constrained edge processors deployed on unmanned aerial vehicles and wearable platforms require compact, drift-robust gas classification models for a range of environmental and security monitoring applications, including CBRN-motivated scenarios. Existing approaches rely on server-grade architectures incompatible with edge-board-scale deployment, or on classifiers that chemically degrade severely under long-term sensor drift. Each UCI gas class was mapped to a CBRN behavioral category based on physicochemical analogy (molecular functional group, vapor pressure, and metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) cross-sensitivity pattern), following established precedent. Analyzed were Ammonia (NH₃), Acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO), Acetone ((CH₃)₂CO), Ethylene (C₂H₄), Ethanol (C₂H₅OH), Toluene (C₆H₅CH₃). We propose herein an end-to-end pipeline integrating a novel 1-D convolutional neural network with depth-wise separable convolutions (LiteSensor-Net), INT8 post-training quantization, structured magnitude pruning, and a knowledge-distillation domain-adaptation module (KD–DM) for sensor drift compensation. Using the UCI Gas Sensor Array Drift Dataset (13,910 measurements; 16 metal-oxide sensors; six analyte gases; a 36-month work span). LiteSensor-Net achieved accuracy = 92.63 ± 2.02%, macro-F1 = 0.898, model size = 5.99 kB INT8 pruned, inference latency = 6.3 ms, RAM footprint = 31.7 kB, and energy per inference = 0.04 mJ (all metrics on Raspberry Pi 4B, ARM Cortex-A72). Under chronological forward-chaining evaluation, KD–DM–20 achieved 47.91 ± 18.79% mean accuracy over Batches 2–10, representing a +9.25 pp improvement over uncompensated NC (38.66%). A six-metric benchmark framework—accuracy, macro-F1, model size, inference latency, RAM footprint, and energy per inference—is introduced to standardize edge-AI gas classifier evaluation. The proposed pipeline provides an open-source, deployable foundation for edge-class gas classification systems, with CBRN detection as a motivating application. Full operational validation on certified chemical simulants remains as future work. Full article

The application of lignin-based films is often restricted by traditional processing methods that rely on toxic organic solvents and harsh chemical reagents, which result in poor compatibility with the polymer matrix and difficulty balancing transparency, barrier, and toughness. Here, lignin was green-modified by ternary deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride-lactic acid-ethanol), and ZnO hybrids with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as anchor points were introduced to realize the stability and uniform dispersion of ZnO in the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix. The prepared composite film maintains a transmittance of about 78% at 800 nm while achieving a wide spectrum of ultraviolet shielding. The barrier properties of the film were markedly improved: the water vapor permeability (WVP) decreased to 0.24 × 10⁻⁷ g·m⁻¹·h⁻¹·Pa⁻¹, and the oxygen permeability (OTR) to 6.98 cm³·m⁻²·24 h⁻¹·0.1 MPa⁻¹. In addition, the mechanical flexibility and durability of the material were significantly improved, as evidenced by a tensile strain of 109%. In the insurance experiment, compared with the blank film, the browning degree and weight loss of the composite film were relatively low. The scalable and low-solvent consumption route provides a practical idea for the application of lignin in food preservation. Full article

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are important indicators of environmental pollution and metabolic activity, making their sensitive and selective detection highly relevant for applications in health monitoring and air quality assessment. Graphene, owing to its exceptional charge transport properties, large surface area, and tunable surface chemistry, is a promising candidate for advanced gas and VOCs sensing. Here we report chemoresistive sensors based on pristine graphene and graphene decorated with platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and gold (Au) nanoparticles toward both aromatic (benzene, toluene, and xylene) and non-aromatic (ethanol, methanol, and acetone) vapor compound detection. The detection is achieved at room temperature, and the results demonstrate that graphene functionalized with noble metal nanoparticles shows significant enhancements in sensitivity compared to pristine graphene, mainly against ethanol, toluene and xylene vapors for the Au–graphene sensors. A comparative study with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) sensors decorated with the same type of nanoparticles revealed clear advantages of graphene, attributed to the microstructure and porous structure of graphene powders, which facilitate efficient charge transfer upon vapor adsorption. Full article

Exhaled breath analysis offers a non-invasive route for metabolic monitoring and disease screening, but its practical implementation requires sensing platforms that combine high sensitivity, robustness, and simplicity. Here, we report an evanescent wave-excited fiber-optic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor based on silver nanocubes (Ag NCs) assembled onto a fiber taper waist (FTW), and the design is further extended to an Ag/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid interface for enhanced gas detection. Finite element and finite-difference time-domain simulations were employed to optimize the FTW geometry and Ag NC dimensions for efficient evanescent-field excitation and plasmonic enhancement. The fabricated FTW-SERS probe achieved a minimum detectable concentration of 10⁻⁹ M for crystal violet, together with good linearity and a relative standard deviation below 5%. For gas sensing, ethanol and acetone vapors were detected down to 50 ppm using the Ag NC-based FTW-SERS probe. After introducing a 0.3 mg/mL GO functional layer, the minimum detectable concentrations of both analytes were further reduced to 25 ppm. In addition, proof-of-concept monitoring of exhaled ethanol after alcohol consumption revealed dynamic spectral changes consistent with ethanol metabolism. These results demonstrate the potential of evanescent wave-excited FTW-SERS probes for compact and sensitive breath-analysis applications. Full article

The increasing need to reduce reliance on fossil-derived aviation fuels and mitigate environmental impacts has intensified research into renewable alternatives for aviation energy systems. The growing interest in ethanol-based fuels is primarily driven by their simple oxygen-rich molecular structure and advantageous physicochemical characteristics, yet experimental studies examining their application in hybrid power architectures, including micro-turboprop engine-based power sources, are still limited. This study presents an experimental investigation of ethanol–Jet A1 fuel blends used in a micro-turboprop engine operating as a power generation unit for unmanned aerial vehicle applications. Ethanol was blended with Jet A1 at volumetric fractions of 10%, 20% and 30% and the engine was tested under multiple operating regimes corresponding to different electrical power outputs. Exhaust gas temperature, electrical power output and gaseous emissions (CO and NO_x) were measured for each operating condition. The results indicate that low ethanol fractions (E10) provide performance comparable to neat kerosene, while higher ethanol fractions lead to a reduction in exhaust gas temperature at low-power regimes due to the lower heating value and high latent heat of vaporization of ethanol. Emission measurements showed a decrease in NO_x emissions with increasing ethanol content, associated with lower combustion temperatures, while CO emissions increased at low-power regimes due to incomplete combustion under lean conditions. Additionally, combustion instability was observed during rapid transitions from maximum to idle regime operation for higher ethanol blends, attributed to transient ultra-lean mixtures, evaporative cooling, and reduced reaction rates. The results demonstrate that ethanol–kerosene blends can be used in micro-turboprop systems at low blend ratios without major performance penalties, but transient operating conditions impose stability limits that must be considered in practical UAV power system applications. Full article

Methanol (MeOH) is widely used in industry and is highly toxic when ingested. In this work, a new micro-conductometric transducer is functionalized with magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles capped with Artemisia Herba Alba (AHA) extract. The resulting AHA-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, crystallized in the cubic spinel phase, exhibit an average crystallite size of 6 nm. These nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed within an electrodeposited chitosan film on interdigitated electrodes for conductometric measurements. The gas-sensing behavior of the films was evaluated at room temperature toward methanol, ethanol, and acetone vapors. For methanol, the sensor shows response times (t_Res) ranging from 9 to 12 s depending on the analyte concentration, with a detection limit of 600 ppm in the gas phase. The methanol sensor presents a sensitivity 30 times lower for acetone and 3.7 times lower for ethanol. The sensor exhibited stable detection sensitivity over two months, under intermittent storage at 4 °C. Methanol was detected in the headspace of commercial product samples, in good agreement with the producer’s value. Full article

Nanostructured products synthesized using electric arc vapor plasma with various alcohol solutions exhibiting very high enthalpy and low mass flow rates in a direct current discharge in direct contact with a vapor vortex surrounding the arc column were studied. The nanostructured products obtained in our experiments with various alcohol solutions (ethanol, propanol, and benzene) were analyzed using modern nanostructure identification methods. The diameters of the synthesized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) ranged from 9 to 35 nm, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from 2 to 4 nm, and graphene flakes from 1 to 7 sheets, depending on the alcohol solution composition. Fullerene-like structures identified by HRTEM were obtained from a benzene mixture using electric arc vapor plasma synthesis. It is shown that the thermal steam plasma process with various alcohol solutions has great potential for the synthesis of nanotubes and graphene flakes due to the continuous and easy-to-implement method, cheap raw materials and adjustable carbon content due to the combination of different mixture compositions. Full article

This study investigates the feasibility of treating acidic gases produced in oilfields using a novel method that combines cavitation-jet reactor (CJR) technology with electric arc discharge (EAD). The integration of these two approaches enhances the ionization process by converting neutral gas molecules into chemically reactive ion-radical and radical fragments. These highly reactive species eventually recombine, creating new chemical compounds and simpler molecules from incoming acid gas and water vapor. Theoretical validation and experimental demonstration have revealed possible mechanisms and pathways of low-temperature plasma-chemical processes resulting from the synergistic effects of cavitating-jet flow and arc discharge on the molecular degradation of neutral gaseous molecules, such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide in water vapor, which lead to the generation of new compounds. Research indicates that the most effective method for processing associated petroleum gas (APG) involves minimizing the sequential nature of chemical reactions in low-temperature non-equilibrium plasma environments, thus eliminating the need for costly and complex catalysts. Additionally, studies have shown that the cavitation-jet flow of a gas–vapor–liquid mixture, when combined with an electric arc discharge in the truncated region of the low-temperature plasma of CJR, results in the synthesis of hydrogen, two forms of S₈ (S₈^I and S₈^II), crystalline carbon, and its organic derivatives containing oxygen and nitrogen, specifically methanol, ethanol, acetone, and acetonitrile. The data obtained suggest that the generation of low-temperature plasma in the cavitation-jet chamber, induced by an electric discharge, is essential for the production of reaction products, such as hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen- and nitrogen-containing derivatives of organic carbon, when water vapor and acid gas molecules traverse the reactor. Full article

Chronic alcohol exposure disrupts blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and promotes neuroinflammation, with P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) signaling playing a critical role. Our prior work in male mice linked P2X7R inhibition to reduced extracellular adenosine triphosphate (eATP) release, modulated extracellular vesicle (EV) cargo, and attenuated neuroinflammation in chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE)-exposed mice. However, sex-specific roles of P2X7R signaling and EV-mediated mechanisms in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation remain unclear. Male and female mice were exposed to ethanol vapor for three weeks and treated with Brilliant Blue G (BBG), a P2X7R inhibitor. Compared to their respective CIE-unexposed controls, brain gene expression of tumor necrosis factor–α (Tnf-α), interleukin-1 beta (Il-1b), interleukin-6 (Il-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (Mcp-1), and Fas ligand (Fasl) significantly increased in CIE-exposed males, while only Il-1b increased in females. P2X7R inhibition significantly reduced these cytokines. Pericyte immunostaining was decreased by CIE (indicating BBB injury) in male mice only and was restored by P2X7R inhibition with no difference between groups in females. Occludin staining (another BBB marker) did not differ between the treatment groups in male and female animals. Circulating cytokines (Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α), tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and interleukin-27 subunit p28/interleukin-30 (IL-27p28/IL-30) were significantly elevated in CIE-exposed males but not in females, with BBG treatment reducing cytokines in males. Circulating eATP, P2X7Rs, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), EVs, and EV-mtDNA, which we identified in our previous study, were increased in both sexes and partially decreased by P2X7R blockade. Spatial memory was impaired by CIE exposure in males but not females, and this deficit was reversed by BBG treatment. Our findings reveal sex differences in CIE-induced circulating cytokines, neuroinflammation, and memory impairment, with a stronger response in males. However, other markers of cell injury associated with CIE exposure were upregulated in both sexes; P2X7R inhibition effectively mitigated these effects, highlighting the functional relevance of targeting the P2X7R in alcohol-induced injury. Full article

Biodiesel is a biofuel commonly produced through transesterification, also known as alcoholysis. In this process, triglycerides react with short-chain alcohols (alkyl–OH), producing a mixture of fatty acid esters and glycerol. These esters and glycerol are only partially miscible, leading to the formation of two liquid phases during product separation. Therefore, it is important to experimentally determine liquid–liquid (LLE) and/or vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium (VLLE) data to better understand the transesterification process and to support improvements in reaction rate, selectivity, reactor and mixture simulation, optimization, and separation processes. This work aimed to experimentally measure and thermodynamically model the LLE and VLLE of alkyl palmitate + alkyl–OH + glycerol systems at 101.3 kPa. For the LLE at 318.15 K, the binodal curve was determined, and tie-line compositions were measured in a jacketed equilibrium cell. These data were subjected to quality tests and used to calculate separation factors. For the VLLE, calibration curves were constructed, and experimental data were obtained in a modified Othmer ebulliometer and subsequently tested for consistency. Thermodynamic modeling was performed using γ–γ (LLE) and γ–γ–φ (VLLE) approaches with the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model. The experimental and modeling results were analyzed using phase diagrams (triangular and 3D prism representations) and showed that it is possible to clearly separate the palmitate-rich and glycerol-rich liquid phases. In the VLLE, it was observed that the alkyl–OH is essentially pure in the vapor phase. For both types of equilibria, deviations in liquid-phase compositions (LLE), bubble temperatures, and vapor-phase compositions were below 2.0%, indicating that the NRTL model is capable of accurately describing the phase behavior of these systems. The phase equilibria of the methyl/ethyl palmitate–methanol/ethanol–glycerol system were studied using molecular dynamics (MD). The analyses based on the radial distribution function (RDF), spatial distribution function (SDF) and interaction energies showed that methanol and ethanol interact more strongly with glycerol than with palmitates. As a result, the glycerol-rich phase contains more methanol or ethanol, which can significantly reduce costs in the biodiesel purification step. Full article

Nicotine vaping has surged in recent years, particularly among young adults, and is strongly linked with concurrent alcohol use. Separately, chronic excessive alcohol use drives hypertension and cardiomyopathy, while nicotine vaping is linked to a modest rise in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality. However, little is known about how concurrent use interacts to affect protein expression in the cardiovascular system. The aim of this study was to determine differential cardiac protein expression in mice exposed to concurrent chronic-plus-binge alcohol and nicotine vaping use. Male C57BL6/J mice received a 20-day 5% ethanol diet with 5 g/kg ethanol binges on days 10 and 20, alongside isocaloric controls. During this period, they were also exposed nightly to either 5% nicotine salt vapor, vegetable glycerin/propylene glycol vehicle vapor, or room air. The left ventricular free wall was collected and analyzed using discovery-based proteomics and subsequent Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. A total of 3144 proteins were identified across all groups. Compared to air-exposed, control-fed mice, 201 proteins were significantly altered by ethanol, 101 proteins by nicotine vaping, and 159 proteins by combined exposure. Both ethanol and nicotine vaping influenced pathways involved in lipid homeostasis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and mitochondrial bioenergetics; however, these alterations did not uniformly manifest in the dual-use group. This pattern highlights the nonadditive and potentially interaction-dependent nature of alcohol and nicotine vaping effects on cardiovascular protein expression patterns that may contribute to a distinct functional phenotype. Full article

Natural preservation technologies have emerged as sustainable alternatives for maintaining the postharvest quality of fresh products. This study developed and characterized edible films and coatings produced from purple corn flour (MMH) and ethanolic propolis extract (EEP), and evaluated their effectiveness in extending the shelf life of Fuerte avocado. Film-forming solutions were prepared using three MMH/EEP formulations (100/0, 90/10, and 80/20), and their apparent viscosity was determined. Films obtained by drying at 45 °C for 12 h were analyzed for pH, thickness, tensile strength, solubility, water vapor permeability, and microstructure by SEM. The MMH 80/20 EEP formulation showed the best overall performance and was selected as a coating for avocados stored under ambient and refrigerated conditions. Shelf life was defined based on quantitative criteria, including acceptable limits of weight loss and sensory acceptability. Under these criteria, coated avocados reached a shelf life of 30 days at ambient temperature, compared to 15 days for uncoated fruit, and 72 days under refrigerated storage, compared to 50 days for the control. Additionally, the coating reduced weight loss, preserved moisture, and improved sensory acceptance. Overall, MMH/EEP systems represent a promising natural alternative for the postharvest preservation of avocado. Full article

Edible films are increasingly recognized as promising sustainable packaging alternatives, but often face challenges such as poor mechanical strength, limited barrier properties, and low oxidative stability. This study aimed to enhance the physicochemical performance of collagen fiber–starch composite films by incorporating polyphenols (including tannic acid (TA), caffeic acid (CA), and their oxidized forms, OTA and OCA) as natural cross-linkers and antioxidants. Results showed that the addition of 0.1% TA increased the tensile strength by approximately 45% compared to the control, while simultaneously reducing the water vapor permeability from 1.32 to 1.26 g·mm/kPa·h·m², with TA outperforming CA due to its higher molecular weight and stronger intermolecular interactions. Oxidized polyphenols further improved the mechanical and water vapor barrier properties via quinone-induced covalent cross-linking, thereby forming a denser film network. The films also exhibited enhanced UV–visible light shielding, with nearly complete ultraviolet blockage (transmittance is close to zero in the 200–280 nm range). Non-oxidized polyphenols showed higher antioxidant activity in the ABTS and reducing power assays, while release kinetics analysis revealed the highest release rate in 50% ethanol, indicating a pronounced solvent-dependent behavior. Specifically, films with 0.1% TA exhibited an ABTS radical scavenging activity of over 80%, significantly higher than the control. Overall, polyphenols effectively improve film performance through cross-linking and structural modification, offering a theoretical foundation for designing active packaging for targeted food systems. Full article

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) has attracted increasing attention as an oxidizer for space propulsion systems due to its non-toxic nature and favorable handling characteristics. Its relatively high vapor pressure allows self-pressurization, while its wide storage temperature range makes it attractive for a range of space applications. In parallel with broader efforts to identify alternatives to conventional toxic propellants, numerous studies have investigated liquid propulsion systems based on N₂O combined with hydrocarbon fuels, spanning both premixed fuel blends and non-premixed bipropellant configurations. This review summarizes experimental and system-level studies on N₂O–hydrocarbon propellant combinations, including ethylene, ethane, ethanol, propane, acetylene, methane, dimethyl ether, and propylene. Results reported by different research groups reveal clear differences among propellant combinations in terms of vapor pressure, thermal stability, chemical reactivity, and ignition delay. These differences have direct implications for injector design, mixing strategies, ignition mechanism, and system safety. By bringing together recent results from the literature, this paper aims to clarify the practical trade-offs associated with fuel selection in N₂O-based premixed and bipropellant systems and to provide a useful reference for the design and development of future space propulsion concepts. Full article