Search Results (12,460)

Olive oil polyphenols are well-established for their health-promoting properties. A recently emerged polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) was subjected to a water extraction process, optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The effects of salt content and the water-to-oil ratio on the total phenolics were initially evaluated. Maximal phenolic yield was obtained by a water/EVOO ratio of 9.6:1 (v:v) and 0% added salt, although the addition of 3% salt provided an oil-free extract with a satisfactory phenolic yield compared to the optimized extract. Further, the phenolics of the optimized water extract were recovered using macroporous XAD resins. XAD-7HP resin and 75% ethanol/water eluent were selected based on comparatively improved adsorption/desorption and recovery data. Recovered phenolics were then encapsulated using spray drying and a maltodextrin carrier; the resulting powder was evaluated for physical and phenolic release properties. Phenolic composition was measured in all stages using ¹H-NMR, revealing a phenolic yield of 39% in the extraction step, which was reduced through recovery and encapsulation to 25%; oleocanthal and oleacein were partitioned from olive oil to water extract by 55–50% while oleuropein and ligstroside aglycones only by 14.5–31.7%. The compositional pattern of water-extracted phenolics remained the same throughout recovery and encapsulation. These findings contribute to a moderately efficient, green procedure in developing innovative nutraceutical supplements/functional food ingredients. Full article

In the context of energy security strategies, advancing the green and low-carbon energy transition is critical for achieving the “dual carbon” goals. A key technology in this transition is the catalytic cracking of non-edible oil to produce clean biofuels, which plays a vital role in accelerating industrial restructuring and upgrading traditional energy systems. However, ZSM-5 zeolites, the most widely used catalysts in this process, commonly encounter challenges such as coke deposition and subsequent deactivation. With a focus on the underlying reaction mechanism, this review provides an in-depth analysis of the origins of coke formation and systematically explores the key influencing factors, namely the acidic properties, pore architecture, and Si/Al ratio of ZSM-5 zeolites. Furthermore, recent advances in ex situ characterization and real-time monitoring techniques for identifying coke origins, composition, and spatial distribution are summarized. Building on these insights, we detail various strategies to suppress coke deposition, including constructing hierarchical pore structures, metal doping, core–shell catalyst design, plasma catalysis, and microwave-assisted techniques. Finally, we propose perspectives and recommendations for enhancing the coking resistance of ZSM-5 zeolites. Full article

Industrial facilities combine production-driven loads, large-span structures, specialised environmental control, safety constraints and frequent process reconfiguration, limiting the direct transfer of generic green-building criteria. This PRISMA 2020 systematic review identifies, appraises and synthesises sustainability requirements for industrial facilities and develops a traceable evidence-mapped framework. An expanded Scopus rerun yielded 1238 records, of which 1138 unmatched records underwent title–abstract screening; 370 additional reports advanced to full text. After reconciliation with the historical retrieval pool, 500 unique reports were sought, 97 were not retrieved, 403 were assessed, 41 were excluded and 362 publications were eligible. The final corpus comprises 324 primary and 38 contextual publications. Methodological confidence was high for 291 publications, moderate for 64 and low for 7. The final evidence map contains 1024 retained requirement-publication links, including 902 empirical DQ/AQ links and 122 operationalisation-only OC links, producing 2590 empirical weighted-evidence points (WES). Of 24 requirements, 20 are Established, three Supported and one Emerging. Water stewardship remains the least evidenced domain; WS2 is the only Emerging requirement. Across 324 leave-one-out iterations, no requirement changed tier, and the Spearman rank correlations ranged from 0.993 to 1.000. Only WS1 showed sensitivity to one proportionally rescaled confidence specification and to the 3 × 3 threshold grid; no tier changed under low-confidence exclusion, non-final-source exclusion or AQ attenuation. IFSRF is, therefore, presented as an evidence-informed and analytically stress-tested framework, not as a validated certification instrument. Full article

Pomegranate peel, a rich source of polyphenols, is largely underutilized. To address the challenges of high polarity, poor solubility, and instability of these bioactive compounds, a green ultrasound-enzyme combined extraction system was developed for sour pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels from Xinjiang, China. Process parameters were optimized via single-factor tests, Plackett–Burman design, and Box–Behnken response surface methodology. The optimal conditions (cellulase:pectinase = 7:3, enzyme concentration 2.5%, enzymatic hydrolysis at 40 °C for 60 min, followed by ultrasound at 50 °C for 27 min with a solid–liquid ratio of 1:20) yielded a total polyphenol content of 216.2 mg/g, which closely matched the predicted value (0.76% deviation). This combined approach significantly outperformed individual methods in polyphenol yield and antioxidant activity. HPLC identified punicalagin, ellagic acid, gallic acid, catechin, and chlorogenic acid as major phenolics. The extract exhibited antibacterial activity against the two tested bacterial strains, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 12.5 mg/mL against both E. coli and S. aureus. This efficient, eco-friendly process offers a promising strategy for valorizing pomegranate peel waste. Full article

Floods in monsoon-dominated river basins exhibit high spatio-temporal variability, necessitating high-resolution, multi-sensor approaches for reliable monitoring and impact assessment. In flood-prone agricultural regions, continuous monitoring using optical remote sensing is frequently hindered by dense monsoon cloud cover. This study establishes a comprehensive multi-sensor framework within the Google Earth Engine (GEE) to examine the spatio-temporal dynamics and land surface impacts of the 2025 monsoon floods in Punjab, Pakistan. Flood inundation mapping was executed using a 12-day Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) time series via a dual-threshold change detection methodology. Concurrently, Sentinel-2 imagery facilitated the derivation of land use/land cover (LULC) changes and vegetation dynamics using a Random Forest classifier, achieving overall accuracy of 93% (pre-flood), 91% (during flood), and 94% (post-flood). These accuracy levels were consistent across all three phases despite spectral confusion between water, saturated soil, and vegetation during peak inundation, indicating consistent classification performance under monsoon conditions. The analysis revealed a distinct bimodal flooding regime, characterized by an early monsoon peak in July–August and a more severe late monsoon peak in August-September. The cumulative maximum flood extent reached 9495.33 km², with peak single-date inundation reaching 5449 km². Mapped cropland declined by 6.7% (8181 km²) during peak flooding, with 3.9% (4796 km²) remaining non-cropland by the end of the observation period; 5892 km² of pre-flood cropland was identified as inundated through spatial intersection. In addition, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) declined by 28.6%, from 0.28 to 0.20, indicating a substantial reduction in vegetation greenness. Spatial consistency was checked with the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), independently collected data showing moderate spatial agreement. The proposed framework is highly scalable for continuous flood monitoring, offering critical insights for disaster management and climate adaptation planning in monsoon regions plagued by data scarcity and persistent cloudiness. The approach is particularly relevant for near-real-time operational monitoring, given its reliance on freely available Sentinel data and cloud-based processing that requires no specialized ground infrastructure. Full article

Wood aerogel has emerged as a highly promising substrate for advanced adsorbents due to its green nature, low cost, high porosity, and unique three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network structure. Harnessing forest resources for developing high-performance aerogel materials is crucial for tackling organic dye pollution. This study presents a novel aminated wood-based aerogel engineered through the co-deposition of tannic acid (TA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) on a cellulose skeleton. The fabrication involved a top–down delignification process to create a porous wood aerogel framework, followed by the in situ loading of TA and the grafting of amino-rich PEI, resulting in the final TAPI-DW composite. Benefiting from the abundant active sites deposited on the aerogel’s hierarchically porous surface and the grafted –NH₂ groups, TAPI-DW demonstrated an exceptional adsorption capacity for the anionic azo dye Congo red (CR). The adsorption equilibrium was achieved within approximately 6 h, with a lower pH environment promoting removal efficiency. Coexisting ion experiments indicated that the introduction of Ca²⁺ ions dramatically enhanced the CR adsorption capacity from 168.71 mg·g⁻¹ to 301.14 mg·g⁻¹. This superior capture performance is attributed to the synergistic interplay of the aerogel’s aligned microchannels (derived from the native wood structure) for rapid mass transfer and the intensive chemical interactions, including electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π-π stacking between CR molecules and the functional groups (–NH₂ and –OH) on the 3D skeleton. The Freundlich model fitting suggests a complex multilayer adsorption process on this heterogeneous wood aerogel surface. This work establishes a green and sustainable pathway for fabricating high-value biomass aerogel materials that show promise as candidates for the efficient remediation of dye-contaminated water. Further studies on reusability and long-term stability are needed to fully validate their potential for practical application. Full article

Dynamic job shops must absorb new orders, machine failures and processing time variations while operating under increasingly demanding energy and carbon constraints. In such settings, an offline schedule may become obsolete soon after release, especially when production and energy states evolve on different time scales. Digital twins, data-driven models and artificial intelligence methods now make it possible to sense shop floor changes, anticipate their effects and revise schedules through feedback. This review organises the emerging literature through a ‘four loops and one layer’ framework: perception, modelling and prediction, intelligent decision-making, and execution feedback form the operating cycle, while continuous learning spans successive scheduling rounds. Studies are examined along three distinct but related dimensions—dynamic events, green objectives and digital intelligence methods. Within this D-G-I framework, the literature reveals a move from static optimisation to adaptive scheduling, from efficiency-centred formulations to coordinated efficiency–energy–carbon objectives, and from stand-alone rules towards combinations of data, models and domain knowledge. Yet the evidence remains uneven. Data–model coupling is often weak, transfer across production settings is limited, and genuinely closed-loop industrial validation is rare. These limitations make explainable decision-making, cross-scenario adaptation and digital twin-enabled closed-loop optimisation central priorities for subsequent research. Full article

Oxidative stress contributes to disease progression, food deterioration, agricultural losses, and material degradation, whereas many conventional antioxidants are limited by poor stability, low bioavailability, rapid consumption, or inadequate delivery. In this review, nanoantioxidants are defined as nanoscale systems intentionally designed to suppress or regulate damaging oxidative processes, and four functional categories are distinguished: intrinsically antioxidant nanomaterials, antioxidant nanozymes, antioxidant-functionalized nanoparticles, and nanocarriers used to deliver conventional antioxidants. The review systematically examines how particle size and surface area, morphology and exposed facets, oxidation state and defect density, surface chemistry and charge, aggregation, dissolution or ion release, dose, and the surrounding environment determine antioxidant activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the context-dependent transition from antioxidant to pro-oxidant behavior, the distinction between enzyme-like nanozyme activity and true enzymatic activity, and the need for nanoparticle-specific controls and complementary assays to avoid analytical interference. Evidence from chemical assays, cell culture, animal studies, and clinical research is considered separately because activity in a simplified chemical system does not by itself establish therapeutic efficacy or safety. Applications in nanomedicine, food preservation, agriculture, environmental protection, and engineering materials are critically compared. Long-term toxicity, biodistribution, clearance, degradation, environmental fate, and life-cycle impacts are highlighted as essential translational criteria; likewise, green synthesis is not treated as synonymous with sustainability without consideration of energy, solvents, purification, scalability, waste, and end-of-life behavior. Future progress will require standardized datasets and experimental protocols, mechanism-guided design, realistic validation, and carefully governed artificial-intelligence-assisted optimization. Full article

Poor aqueous solubility limits roughly 40% of marketed oral drugs and up to ~90% of development candidates. One established remedy is the prodrug strategy: the covalent attachment of a bioreversible promoiety that regenerates the parent drug in vivo. The same conjugation can move a molecule in either direction along the hydrophilic–lipophilic axis: lipophilization raises membrane and oil solubility for permeation-limited or topical uses, whereas hydrophilization raises aqueous solubility. This review addresses hydrophilization and asks whether enzymatic (biocatalytic) synthesis can replace conventional chemistry in building water-soluble prodrugs. We examine, class by class of hydrophilic promoiety (polyol and sugar esters, glycosides, amino acid esters, poly(ethylene glycol), and ionizable phosphates), the biocatalytic toolbox (lipases, acyltransferases, glycosidases, and glycosyltransferases), the molecular determinants of its selectivity, the pharmacokinetic consequences of hydrophilization, and the translation of these reactions to process, benchmarking each against the corresponding chemical route. A three-part test emerges: enzymes suffice, and frequently surpass chemistry, wherever an accessible hydroxyl or carboxyl must be functionalized regioselectively on a promoiety bearing no competing group and a moderate solubility gain is required. This is the regime of polyols, most sugars, and glycosides, with drug-conjugate aqueous-solubility increases of roughly 4-fold to 5500-fold; chemistry remains necessary for ionizable phosphates, amino acid esters, and PEG carriers. Two gaps limit translation: the field’s central ‘green’ claim is asserted far more often than it is measured (E-factor, PMI, life-cycle assessment), and in vivo pharmacokinetic data for enzymatically synthesized hydrophilizing prodrugs remain almost absent. We provide a decision flowchart that assigns each bond of a synthesis to biocatalysis or to chemistry, and reporting guidelines for the seven quantities that make a published E-factor recoverable. Full article

During marination and boiling processes, structural rearrangement of muscle proteins plays an important role in determining the texture, water retention, and flavor quality of fish products. This study investigated the effects of Chaenomeles speciosa aqueous extract (SE), rich in non-enzymatic bioactive compounds, on the myofibrillar networks of rainbow trout muscle. The effects of SE on rainbow trout muscle quality were evaluated under marination and boiling conditions. SE treatment improved muscle tenderness, water-holding capacity, and flavor characteristics under both processing conditions. The hardness of boiled muscle decreased from 15.06 N in the control group to 6.03–8.29 N after SE treatment, while shear force decreased by 19–31% and 18–32% under marination and boiling conditions, respectively. The water-holding capacity of boiled muscle reached approximately 78–79% after treatment with SE at 80 mg/mL. Structural analyses, including low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy, suggested that SE treatment was associated with changes in water distribution and the formation of a relatively looser and more flexible myofibrillar network, which may be related to alterations in protein conformation, surface hydrophobicity, and thiol–disulfide balance. Furthermore, low-to-moderate SE concentrations reduced key fishy odor-related compounds, with octanal decreasing by 70.2% in the SE-80-B group. Importantly, these effects were still observed after boiling, when protease activity was undetectable, suggesting that heat-stable non-enzymatic components of SE may play a role in modifying muscle protein organization beyond the effects of acidification or proteolysis. Overall, SE may serve as a potential natural ingredient for improving the processing quality of rainbow trout products. Full article

Anaerobic digestion enables simultaneous organic waste treatment and renewable energy production. However, the presence of CO₂ in biogas limits its calorific value and restricts its direct use as a fuel, making upgrading processes necessary. This study investigated an integrated approach combining anaerobic treatment of potato processing wastewater in a 12 L Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor with ex situ biomethanation in a Trickle Bed Reactor (TBR). The UASB reactor was operated for 170 days under different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) and organic loading rates (OLRs), while ex situ biomethanation was subsequently evaluated in the TBR using green hydrogen and a synthetic CH₄/CO₂ gas mixture representative of the UASB-derived biogas composition. The UASB reactor achieved a maximum biogas production rate of 14.5 ± 3.2 L d⁻¹ with a methane content of 74.5 ± 2.1% at an OLR of 3.5 g COD L⁻¹ d⁻¹ and an HRT of 1.2 days. Subsequent biomethanation in the TBR increased biomethane purity to 98.1%, demonstrating effective CO₂ conversion through hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Process performance was further evaluated using Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1), providing mechanistic insights into reactor operation and stability. The results demonstrate that combining UASB treatment with subsequent TBR biomethanation enhances carbon utilization and biomethane quality, offering a sustainable pathway for energy recovery from industrial wastewater. Full article

Medium-silica fluxed iron ore pellets are a key burden material for blast furnace ironmaking, offering advantages of high iron grade and low energy consumption. However, their industrial application is constrained by low strength and fragmentation due to difficulties in controlling liquid phase formation during roasting. This study systematically investigates the effects of SiO₂ content (3.2–4.2%) and basicity (1.18 ± 0.05) on the preparation process (preheating at 950–1050 °C, roasting at 1215–1275 °C, and soaking at 925–1000 °C), roasting behavior, and metallurgical properties of medium-silica fluxed pellets, using high-silica iron ore fines (SiO₂ > 6%) as the main raw material. The consolidation mechanism is elucidated through mineral phase analysis (SEM-EDS) and pore structure characterization (mercury intrusion porosimetry). The results show that optimal green pellet performance (compressive strength ≥10 N/pellet; drop strength ≥4 times/0.5 m) is achieved with 22% ore A, 35% ore B, 18% ore C, 25% ore D, 6.54% hydrated lime, and 0.75% bentonite. The compressive strength of fired pellets first increases and then decreases with increasing SiO₂. Under the optimized roasting regime (preheating at 1000 °C for 10 min and roasting at 1260 °C for 10 min), the maximum compressive strength of 4117 N/pellet was achieved at 3.6% SiO₂ (blend No. 4); a further increase to 4.2% leads to excessive CaSiO₃ glassy phases, higher porosity (25.15%), and a ~10.7% strength reduction (from 4117 to 3675 N/pellet). Metallurgical evaluation shows that 3.6% SiO₂ pellets exhibit the best-balanced performance: RI (reducibility) of 88.03%, RDI_+3.15 (reduction disintegration index) of 94.04%, and RSI (reduction swelling index) of 14.20%, meeting the requirements of GB/T 27692-2024 (RI ≥ 80%, RDI_+3.15 ≥ 85%, and RSI ≤ 15%). This work demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing high-silica iron ore fines for producing high-quality medium-silica fluxed pellets (green and fired pellets of 10–12.5 mm), providing theoretical guidance for industrial production and liquid phase regulation. Full article

Decarbonising hard-to-abate transport sectors, including maritime shipping and heavy-duty land transport, requires sustainable and energy-dense alternatives to fossil fuels. Green methanol synthesised from biogas offers a promising low-carbon fuel option, providing a more sustainable methanol production pathway, establishing a closed-loop carbon cycle, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste. This study proposes and evaluates a comprehensive system for producing 10 tonnes of green methanol per day in Shanghai through biogas bi-reforming, which integrates steam and dry methane reforming to generate syngas with a suitable composition for methanol synthesis. The proposed system integrates bi-reforming process with wind-powered electricity and hydrogen generation to enhance its sustainability. A detailed techno-economic assessment was conducted to evaluate system performance, resource utilisation, and economic viability of this green methanol production pathway. The results demonstrate that a methane conversion of 99.7% can be achieved, with a levelised methanol production cost of 3880 RMB/t. These findings present the technical feasibility and economic potential of biogas bi-reforming for green methanol production, also helping bridge the gap between theoretical research and industrial implementation while supporting China’s ‘Dual Carbon’ goals and the global transition towards sustainable energy. Full article

Ageing is driven by chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and stem cell exhaustion, posing a major global health challenge. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation is being investigated as a potential biotechnology to enhance the bioavailability and functionality of natural products, especially polyphenols and bioactive phytochemicals with anti-ageing potential. This review synthesizes recent advances in LAB-fermented natural products and their roles in modulating longevity pathways and stem cell regeneration. LAB fermentation can alter complex plant matrices by releasing or biotransforming substrate-bound phytochemicals and by generating metabolites such as organic acids, peptides, and, in some systems, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), cyclic dipeptides (CDPs), or bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs); the contribution of each component requires case-specific verification. In cellular and animal models, candidate mechanisms include modulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and AMP-activated protein kinase–sirtuin 1 (AMPK–SIRT1) signaling, although causal active components are often unresolved. Some LAB-fermented preparations or LAB-derived components have been associated with stem-cell-related outcomes in skin, bone, and neural cell or animal models. CDPs and BEVs are candidate fermentation-associated mediators, but evidence for their independent effects on human ageing remains preliminary. Collectively, LAB-fermented natural products are a promising research area for functional foods and nutraceuticals, but their efficacy and safety for ageing-related outcomes require clinical validation. Future research should focus on standardizing fermentation conditions, identifying active metabolites, and validating their clinical efficacy in human studies. Full article