Search Results (2,520)

Extremely hydrophobic fluoromonomers are highly prone to phase separation during emulsion polymerization. Overcoming macroscopic experimental limitations, this study employs all-atom molecular dynamics (AA-MD) simulations to investigate the molecular-level solubilization behavior and thermal adaptability of the novel eco-friendly zwitterionic fluorocarbon surfactant-perfluorohexyl (butyl) sulfonyl carboxy propylamino dimethyl betaine (PFSC) and the traditional hydrocarbon surfactant SDS toward the monomers tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) and perfluoromethyl vinyl ether (PMVE). Simulation results indicate that fluorinated monomers in the SDS system exhibit a more dispersed spatial distribution, with weaker local association in surfactant-enriched regions. In contrast, fluorinated monomers in the PFSC system tend to distribute within regions rich in perfluorinated segments. This spatial characteristic is consistent with thermodynamic analysis results dominated by solubility parameter matching and van der Waals interactions. Under high-temperature conditions, the perfluorohexyl sulfonyl carboxy propylamino dimethyl betaine (C6) system maintains relatively stable local spatial characteristics, with the fluorinated monomers exhibiting low migration behavior. These spatial distribution characteristics and thermal response behaviors suggest that a fluorine-rich environment may help preserve the local distribution of fluorinated monomers under high-temperature conditions. These findings provide molecular-level insights into the structure–property relationships of eco-friendly fluorinated surfactants and offer computational guidance for their rational design. Full article

Efficient small-scale hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis is a key pathway for advancing green hydrogen technologies. This study experimentally investigates a five-cell zero-gap PEM electrolyzer stack to evaluate energy losses, thermal behavior, and hydrogen generation efficiency. Faradaic efficiency increased with current density, reaching 98.03% at 0.232 A·cm⁻², while infrared (IR) thermography reveals non-uniform temperature distributions across the electrolyzer stack, with inter-cell and in-plane temperature gradients exceeding 9 °C. Although increasing current density led to higher ohmic and electrochemical losses, energy efficiency increased from 39.4% at 0.106 A·cm⁻² to 56.28% at 0.232 A· cm⁻², as the reduced relative contribution of activation overpotential predominated over the increase in resistive losses within the investigated range. The results demonstrate the strong coupling between electrochemical resistance growth, thermal gradients, and reduced hydrogen production efficiency. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of optimized thermal management and operating strategies for improving the performance and durability of small-scale PEM electrolyzers in green hydrogen applications. Full article

Carbon capture is more and more often seen as a component of an integrated carbon-management system than as a stand-alone separation phase. The practical utility of capture technology depends on the chemical state in which the carbon dioxide is held, the energy and material needs for regeneration, the compatibility of the caught species with downstream catalysis and the lifetime of the resulting carbon-containing product. This paper offers an in-depth framework for integrated CO₂ capture and circular carbon use, including catalytic conversion, bio-integrated processes, biomass-derived materials and fuels, hydrogen-enabled routes, mineralization, and artificial intelligence-assisted process design. Reactive capture techniques that convert carbonate, bicarbonate, carbamate, dissolved CO₂ or surface-bound intermediates without first generating a purified gas stream are contrasted with sequential capture, purification, compression, transport and conversion. The thermocatalytic, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical and biological conversion pathways are compared against common parameters such as working capacity, conversion rate, selectivity, carbon efficiency, regeneration energy, stability and life-cycle greenhouse gas performance. Special emphasis is given on dual-functional materials, interfacial reactors, bio-integrated methanation, carbon mineralization in construction materials and coupling with renewable hydrogen. The review also discusses how machine learning, molecular screening, process simulation, graph-based data architecture, and digital monitoring could speed up material selection and system optimization. Across all pathways, the central design requirement is not maximum capture capacity alone, but a balanced match among binding strength, transport, catalytic reactivity, product separation, durability, and carbon permanence. A reporting framework and research agenda are proposed to guide credible scale-up and comparison of integrated carbon-management technologies. Full article

A new class of Ln(III) Schiff base (SB) complexes has been synthesized with the general formula [LnL(hfac)₃], where Ln = Tb (TbL), Eu (EuL), Sm (SmL) or Gd (GdL). The molecular structure of the complex was determined using the X-ray diffraction method. The IR spectra show that the C=O stretching is shifted from 1695 cm⁻¹ in pure PMMA to 1719–1724 cm⁻¹ in LnL-PMMA hybrid materials. This means that LnL materials are successfully embedded into the PMMA backbone in the polymeric films. However, the Ln(III) SB complexes exhibit emission spectra that cover the visible region. The TbL complex displays an intense green emission combined with a large emission lifetime of 0.505 ms. However, the incorporation of Ln-SB complexes into PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) polymeric films was investigated. The thermal stabilities of the LnL-PMMA hybrid materials increased from 140 to 250 °C when compared with the LnL-SB complexes. Furthermore, their luminescence intensity and lifetimes were also enhanced due to their induced structural rigidity. The molecular interactions of the LnL complexes with the PMMA matrix were monitored by investigating the luminescence properties of EuL-PMMA. Detailed photoluminescence studies showed insights into the non-radiative rates and improved quantum yields (Q_Eu = 23%) from Eu(III). Furthermore, the higher values of Judd–Ofelt parameters Ω₂ and Ω₄ indicate strong hydrogen bonding interactions between L and PMMA. Nevertheless, these significant optical properties enable LnL-PMMA polymeric materials as colored phosphors for the design of opto-electronic devices. Full article

Morocco’s National Green Hydrogen Roadmap targets large-scale hydrogen exports, yet the offshore wind and tidal resources of the Atlantic Sahara coast remain underexplored, and single-resource electrolysis plants suffer from low, variable electrolyser utilisation. This study presents a reproducible, model-based techno-economic assessment of a 560 MW hybrid offshore wind–tidal hub at Dakhla that produces hydrogen by proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis and exports it as liquid hydrogen (LH₂) to Jorf Lasfar. The assessment is entirely theoretical: it couples reanalysis-based resource characterisation, harmonic tidal modelling, hourly dispatch, and discounted levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) analysis, and does not include experimental or in situ measurements. The hybrid plant reaches a 45.5% capacity factor and produces 36,781 t of hydrogen per year at 60% electrolyser utilisation. The 2025 base-case production LCOH is 7.53 USD/kg (10.04 USD/kg delivered), falling to 4.45 USD/kg under a 2030 learning scenario that approaches the national 2–4 USD/kg target band. Because the wind and tidal resources are almost uncorrelated, hybridisation firms the supply and reduces electrolyser cycling rather than adding bulk energy; capacity factor and electrolyser-specific energy consumption are the dominant cost drivers. This work provides the first integrated wind–tidal hydrogen assessment for the Moroccan Atlantic coast and a transparent platform for future optimisation. Full article

Green hydrogen is a key energy carrier in Power-to-Liquid (PtL) pathways for the production of sustainable synthetic fuels, contributing to the decarbonization of the industrial and transport sectors. However, the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and the variable hydrogen requirements needed to maintain the appropriate stoichiometric ratio for synthesis processes necessitate regulating hydrogen production according to process demand, rather than maximizing its generation. This article proposes an intelligent control strategy for alkaline water electrolysis, in which the hydrogen production target is determined from the stoichiometric requirements of synthetic methanol production, based on available carbon dioxide. ANN models were developed using the experimental data, incorporating both classical and conformable activation functions in the hidden layer. Based on the selected models, the ANNi was formulated, and PSO and GA were used to determine the required feed current according to hydrogen demand. The proposed methodology was evaluated under a dynamic hydrogen-demand profile derived from the stoichiometric requirements of methanol synthesis. The results show that the proposed controllers closely track changes in hydrogen demand. After each change in the setpoint, the H₂/CO₂ ratio returned to a $\pm 2\%$ band around the stoichiometric setpoint in approximately 0.98 s for ICANNi-PSO and 0.96 s for ICANNi-GA. Furthermore, some conformable activation functions achieved performance comparable to that of classical activation functions while using fewer neurons in the hidden layer. Both optimization algorithms provided comparable tracking performance under the evaluated conditions. Full article

Solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting is a promising approach for green hydrogen production. Despite the great potential of g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts, non-metal doping studies currently suffer from conflicting results and unclear doping configurations. Herein, first-principles calculations were adopted to compare P-, O-, and S-doped g-C₃N₄. P-g-C₃N₄ with P substituting N shows the best stability, a narrower band gap, and enhanced visible light absorption. It achieves high carrier mobility and suitable band edges for overall water splitting, with a maximum STH efficiency of 15.8%. This work clarifies doping mechanisms and offers solid theoretical support for developing high-performance g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts. Full article

Improving the efficiency of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis for green hydrogen production requires systematic optimisation of interdependent operating conditions. The present study applies a face-centred central composite design (FCCD) combined with response surface methodology (RSM) to quantify the influence of three controllable parameters on the performance of a bench-scale PEM electrolyser: applied current, stack temperature, and membrane relative humidity. A reversible two-stack configuration with 16 cm² Nafion 117 membrane–electrode assemblies was operated across the design space (0.40–0.90 A, 18–45 °C, 50–100% RH), yielding 288 independent observations from 96 randomised runs. Four responses were evaluated: volumetric hydrogen evolution rate, Faradaic efficiency, specific electrical energy consumption, and stack voltage drift. The regression analysis identified applied current as the dominant factor governing hydrogen throughput, while membrane hydration exerted the strongest control over charge-utilisation and ohmic losses. Temperature exhibited a moderate but statistically significant positive effect, whereas feed-water resistivity emerged as a secondary practical lever for minimising energy consumption. Model adequacy was confirmed through analysis of variance and residual diagnostics, with adjusted coefficients of determination in the range 0.851–0.925 and predicted coefficients above 0.835 across all responses. Desirability profiling indicated an optimal operating window near 0.75 A, 42 °C, and 95% relative humidity, delivering a hydrogen production rate of approximately 7.4 mL min⁻¹, a Faradaic efficiency close to 98%, and a specific energy consumption of 4.5 kWh Nm⁻³. These findings provide quantitative guidance for the design and operation of small-scale PEM electrolysers under constrained laboratory and educational conditions. By integrating formal uncertainty quantification with response surface modelling and jointly treating membrane hydration and feed-water resistivity, the study provides a reproducible, uncertainty-quantified benchmark and a transferable optimisation workflow. Full article

Background: With the growing popularity of golf, the wood consumption and white pollution caused by traditional wooden and plastic golf tees create an urgent need for green, degradable, high-performance alternatives. Materials and Methods: To address this, a novel approach for the green fabrication of high-performance composites was developed utilizing a single agricultural solid waste (chestnut shells) bridged by an extremely low proportion (4 wt%) of a thermoplastic agent (polylactic acid, PLA). A mild dilute hydrochloric acid hydrothermal pretreatment selectively removed hemicellulose to expose active hydroxyl groups, followed by a wet hot-pressing process optimized at 80 °C, 4 h, 15 MPa, and 180 mesh. Results: Under these conditions, the resulting CS-APLA composite tees exhibited a bending strength of 86.32 ± 6.46 MPa and a dynamic impact toughness of 104.89 ± 5.26 kJ/m², representing significant increases of 64.86% and 41.69%, respectively, compared to the pure biomass material, and outperforming conventional commercial wooden tees. A 75-day soil burial test demonstrated a weight loss of approximately 45.42%, confirming a balanced degradation rate. Conclusions: Multi-scale characterization confirmed that the synergistic reinforcement relies objectively on an acid-treatment-induced hydrogen-bonding network coupled with in situ polymer-bridged microdomains formed by PLA flow filling during hot-pressing. This study provides a sustainable route for the high-value utilization of agricultural solid waste. Full article

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage produced by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) containing a complex matrix of organic acids, polyphenols, electrolytes, and live microorganisms. Tea is the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water, and fermentation transforms its sensory properties in ways that have contributed to kombucha’s growing global popularity alongside its perceived health benefits; yet, despite widespread consumption and long-standing traditional use, controlled human data are relatively recent and sparse. This review integrates clinical, mechanistic, sensory, cultural, and public health perspectives to evaluate kombucha as a functional fermented beverage. A randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial demonstrated that consumption of live kombucha with a high-glycaemic-index meal significantly reduced postprandial glycaemia and insulinaemia, lowering the glycaemic index from 86 to 68 (approximately 20% reduction). A pilot randomised controlled study in adults with type 2 diabetes reported reductions in fasting blood glucose following four weeks of regular kombucha consumption. Most recently, a 10-week RCT in adults with excess body weight demonstrated significant within-group reductions in total cholesterol, LDL-c, VLDL-c, triglycerides, Castelli II index, and uric acid, as well as reduced hydrogen peroxide levels and improved gastrointestinal symptoms, following daily green tea kombucha consumption combined with an energy-restricted diet. Mechanistically, these effects likely arise from synergistic interactions between organic acids, polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and microbial communities influencing gastric emptying, carbohydrate and lipid digestion, gut microbiota composition, antioxidant defence, and hydration physiology. While promising, current evidence requires confirmation in larger, longer-term trials before definitive clinical recommendations can be made. Full article

The development of sustainable and low-cost electrocatalysts based on Earth-abundant elements is essential for the large-scale deployment of green hydrogen production via anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE). Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of cobalt-free high-entropy oxide (HEO) electrodes for AEMWE through a set of spinel oxides based on equimolar Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Zn. The HEOs were synthesized by a scalable sol-gel route followed by calcination at different temperatures (400–800 °C). The pristine oxides were employed as oxygen evolution reaction catalysts, whereas their H₂/Ar-reduced counterparts were used as hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts in symmetric membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). Comprehensive physicochemical characterization combined with electrochemical testing revealed that the phase purity of the anodic catalyst mainly correlates with both the maximum current density and the polarization resistance of the electrolyzer. In contrast, a correlation is observed between the physicochemical features of the reduced cathodic catalyst, the iR-free potential and the polarization resistance after prolonged operation. The best-performing Co-free MEA achieved a current density of 0.51 A cm⁻² at 2.2 V and exhibited stable operation for hundreds of hours under alkaline electrolysis conditions. Although the complete replacement of cobalt results in lower activity than previously reported Co-containing HEOs, the present work establishes a viable design strategy for fully Co-free electrocatalysts and highlights the critical balance between catalytic performance, long-term stability, and material sustainability in future AEMWE technologies. Full article

The European Union’s REPowerEU Plan (2022) targets 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen imports by 2030, catalyzing an unprecedented cascade of bilateral green hydrogen partnerships with countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite the strategic and developmental significance of these partnerships, the literature has treated hydrogen largely as a techno-economic or single-country problem, leaving the diplomatic architecture and equity dimensions of EU–MENA–SSA hydrogen diplomacy under-theorized and unmeasured. This study addresses these gaps by integrating energy-security realism, regime-complex theory, and critical political ecology into a synthetic framework, and by introducing two novel empirical instruments: a hand-coded dataset of 26 in-scope bilateral hydrogen agreements (2020–2024) and a fully specified protocol for a Green Hydrogen Diplomacy Equity Index (GHD-EI). A longitudinal dyad-year panel skeleton (27 EU importers × 36 MENA/SSA exporters, 2015–2026, 11,664 dyad-year cells) has been constructed to host a planned multi-method quantitative sequence, structural gravity PPML, staggered difference-in-differences, synthetic control, exponential random graph models, and causal forests whose execution against fully populated covariates is reserved for a subsequent paper. This paper is accordingly framed as a data descriptor and specified analytical protocol, reporting descriptive and structural findings from the 26 in-scope agreements: a 2022 inflection synchronized with REPowerEU and COP27; importer-side concentration on Germany (34.6% of agreements) and EU-level framework partnerships (34.6%)—two distinct actors jointly accounting for 69.2%—and a small, statistically non-significant difference in mean partnership depth between MENA (n = 18, M = 3.22) and SSA (n = 8, M = 3.25) exporters (Welch t = −0.08, p = 0.94; Cohen’s d = −0.04). The comparison is likely under-powered (power ≈ 0.20–0.44) given the small SSA cell and reported here as a tentative pattern. At this stage, the study contributes a cross-regional agreement dataset, a fully specified equity-indicator protocol, and a theoretical framework for subsequently evaluating whether the green hydrogen transition advances just internationalism or reproduces green-extractivist patterns. Full article

Biochar is a porous carbonaceous material synthesized through the pyrolysis of diverse biomass resources, including agricultural and forestry residues as well as livestock manure. It possesses superior characteristics such as a large specific surface area, adjustable pore architecture, abundant surface functional groups, and favorable electrical conductivity. With the increasingly severe global energy shortage and environmental pollution problems in recent years, biochar has emerged as a green, low-cost functional material with distinct application superiority in multiple key research directions, including energy storage and conversion, chemical catalysis, environmental restoration, and signal sensing and detection. This study comprehensively summarizes the latest research advances of biochar in the aforementioned application fields, focusing on innovative achievements in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen generation, supercapacitors and electrochemical energy storage systems, persulfate activation technology, carbon dioxide capture, remediation of heavy metal and organic contaminants, volatile organic compound (VOC) adsorption, as well as electrochemical sensing devices. Existing research results demonstrate that modification strategies including metal and non-metal doping, surface oxidation treatment, and compounding with semiconductors or metal oxide materials can effectively improve the catalytic activity and functional performance of biochar. Furthermore, this paper prospects the future interdisciplinary development trends of biochar, analyzes the existing research gaps in mechanism exploration, structural optimization design, and industrial large-scale preparation, and provides theoretical and practical references for the further popularization and application of biochar in sustainable energy development and environmental governance fields. Full article

Lignocellulosic fruit peel waste represents an abundant, carbon-neutral feedstock for green biohydrogen production via dark fermentation, yet its rigid compact structure and high cellulose crystallinity severely restrict saccharification and fermentative hydrogen yield. In this study, a hydrothermal acidification pretreatment strategy was proposed to boost dark fermentative biohydrogen generation from navel orange peel waste, and systematic investigations were conducted to reveal the regulating mechanisms of key pretreatment parameters (hydrochloric acid concentration, pretreatment temperature, duration) on reducing sugar release and hydrogen-producing performance. Multiscale characterizations including SEM, XRD, FTIR, and TG were integrated to unravel the microstructural and chemical compositional evolution of raw and pretreated substrates. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal acidification effectively disrupted the dense lignocellulosic network of navel orange peel, lowered cellulose crystallinity, and greatly improved substrate accessibility for hydrolytic reactions and microbial adhesion. Under the optimal pretreatment condition (1.0 mol/L HCl, 120 °C, 1 h), the concentration of released reducing sugars reached 10.2 g/L, which was 67.2% higher than that of untreated raw peel. The corresponding maximum cumulative hydrogen yield attained 36.5 mL H₂/g TS, representing a 67.4% improvement relative to the untreated control group. Pearson correlation analysis verified that pretreatment temperature, acid concentration, and duration exhibited strong positive correlations with hemicellulose and cellulose removal efficiencies, while excessive pretreatment (HCl > 1.0 mol/L, temperature > 120 °C, duration > 1 h) generated inhibitory by-products that suppressed microbial hydrogen evolution. This study comprehensively clarifies the structural modification and biohydrogen promotion mechanism of hydrothermal acidification pretreatment on pectin-rich biomass, and delivers a cost-effective, facile technical route for high-value energy valorization and harmless disposal of fruit processing solid wastes. Full article

The 1st International Online Conference on Environments addresses issues of environmental understanding, management, and restoration. Sessions ranged from general frameworks to a broad area of specific investigations: heavy metal removal using inactive yeast, gadolinium’s aquatic toxicity, adsorptive removal of pollutants, energy recovery from waste and wastewater treatment, recycled carbon fibers, climate-resilient urban development, renewable biofuel production, green hydrogen, anthropogenic and volcanic CO₂ emissions, quantifying aging dignity in urban ecosystems and stray dogs as pollution health sentinels. Keynotes covered digital plant phenotyping for restoration, microplastic dynamics, agricultural residue management, carbon credits, air quality, atmospheric pollution, transitional waters, green chemistry, ecotoxicity, micropollutants, and coastal darkening effects on plankton, among others. Applied solutions included phytoremediation of eutrophication in urban streams, circular approaches in aquaculture, biochar for wastewater treatment, AI-assisted mangrove monitoring, and true-cost accounting for food systems. The conference demonstrated that effective environmental policy requires the integration of laboratory findings, field restoration, and shared resource responsibility across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Full article