Search Results (1,363)

To mitigate the effects of climate change, the world must significantly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The nuclear power and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, water, waste, and geothermal energy, emit minimal to no greenhouse gases or pollutants during operation. These sources are considered crucial for combating climate change and supporting sustainable development. However, the production of electricity, like most industries, generates waste. Comparisons show clear differences: fossil fuel plants produce the largest total waste mass (primarily combustion ash, flue gas desulfurization residues, and wastewater sludge), while nuclear facilities generate a minimal volume but high-activity spent fuel and long-lived radioactive materials. Solar PV systems generate significant end-of-life electronic waste and glass encapsulant, and wind turbines yield moderate composite blade residues. Hydropower sediment management and geothermal scaling contribute unique waste streams of local concern. Regardless of the energy source, responsible waste management is critical to minimize environmental impacts. This article explores the sustainability of low-carbon energy sources, specifically focusing on waste management with the aim of highlighting the need of implementing targeted strategies such as advanced recycling and material substitution in order to minimize environmental impacts and enhance the circularity of low-carbon energy systems. Full article

Two-stage anaerobic digestion systems are extensively researched for enhancing process stability and phase separation when processing complex organic materials. Scaling from laboratory setups to pilot plants necessitates engineering modifications to ensure operational feasibility. In this study, a laboratory-scale system comprising a 100 L horizontal CSTR and a packed-bed reactor was scaled up 100-fold. The design separates solid and liquid retention times, with fibers retained in the first stage while liquids and volatile fatty acids flow into the second. Fiber retention in the lab was achieved using a 100 µm sieve dividing the CSTR into two chambers, allowing prolonged lignocellulosic degradation. During scale-up, a filtration and recirculation system was introduced, able to return the fibers to the first reactor through a 1000 µm edge-gap filter, which separates liquids for the second reactor and recycles undegraded fibers. An economic analysis indicated a scale-up exponent of 0.396, indicating that unit costs decrease with plant size and demonstrating economies of scale. Laboratory-based mass balance estimates biogas production at approximately 16.3 m³ daily at the pilot scale, equivalent to 90 kWh. The modular system aims to be transferred to small farms, promoting cost-effective biogas from manure and local residues to support decentralized renewable energy in agriculture. Full article

Access to freshwater is one of the major global challenges, driven by population growth, industrial development, climate change, and increasing water stress, particularly in economically constrained regions. In this context, this study designs, builds, and experimentally and numerically evaluates an indirect solar concentration desalination system (ICST) composed of a humidification–dehumidification (HDH) subsystem thermally powered by a Linear Fresnel Concentrator (LFC) under the appropriate technology paradigm. The methodology integrates an experimental campaign conducted under real climatic conditions in Bucaramanga, Colombia, mathematical modeling based on mass and energy balances, and the implementation of a TRNSYS simulation model validated through qualitative and quantitative analyses using absolute and relative errors. Results showed close agreement between experimental and simulated data, with daily freshwater production deviations of 0.53 and 0.65 L/day in tests 04 and 05, respectively, while mean relative errors remained below 5% for the main thermal and productivity variables. Experimentally, an average freshwater production of 1.13 L/h was achieved, with a production gain ratio (GOR) of 0.32 and a recovery ratio (RR) of 0.021, while maintaining total dissolved solids below 500 mg/L. Economic assessment estimated a production cost of $0.065/L, demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of the system for decentralized small-scale applications in regions with high solar irradiance throughout the year. Full article

Rhodamine 110 (R110) peptide conjugates are widely used fluorogenic substrates in proteolytic assays; however, their inherent symmetry results in two identical hydrolysis sites, complicating their application as well-defined substrates. Here, we report a preparative enzymatic strategy for the desymmetrization of the symmetric derivative (Acetyl-Leu-Pro-Lys)₂-R110 using the bovine trypsin variant D189S. Due to pronounced differences in the rates of the two sequential hydrolysis steps, a mono-substituted intermediate accumulates under controlled reaction conditions. On a preparative scale, Acetyl-Leu-Pro-Lys-R110 was generated by partial hydrolysis and isolated by preparative HPLC in 28.8% yield and 95.8% purity. The structure of the asymmetric product was fully characterized by NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. This work demonstrates that selective enzymatic hydrolysis provides a simple and effective preparative route to asymmetric Rhodamine 110 derivatives, offering a practical alternative to conventional multistep synthetic approaches and enabling improved substrate design for kinetic studies. Full article

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid belonging to the xanthophyll family and has been shown to exhibit various physiological activities. While brown algae have traditionally been used as a source of fucoxanthin, microalgae have been attracting attention as an alternative source to brown algae in recent years. Although various methods have been devised to isolate fucoxanthin from microalgae, these methods have drawbacks such as requiring special equipment or being unsuitable for large-scale production. Therefore, we tried to develop a simple method that anyone can easily try and that allows for mass production. First, the extraction yields using various solvents were compared. Acetone showed the most efficient extraction yield for short extraction times, but as the extraction time increased, there was almost no difference in the extraction yields among methanol, ethanol, and acetone. Compared to ethanol, methanol had an extraction efficiency of approximately 98%, while acetone had an extraction efficiency of 90%. Then, our efforts have resulted in the development of a method that can isolate fucoxanthin with a purity of over 90% with just a single run of a silica gel column chromatography. Furthermore, the fucoxanthin with this method retained a wide range of physiological activities, including antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Our findings might broaden the scope of fucoxanthin research and contribute to process development of fucoxanthin. Full article

Bongkrekic acid (BKA) is a potent respiratory toxin produced by Pseudomonas cocovenenans. This toxin is commonly found in spoiled fermented rice- and wheat-based products, snow fungus, and black fungus and can cause severe foodborne illness. The development of a rapid onsite detection method can effectively prevent food poisoning incidents and ensure food safety. In this study, a highly specific anti-BKA monoclonal antibody was prepared, the reaction conditions were optimized, and an indirect competitive chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunoassay (ic-CLEIA) system was developed for high-throughput screening of BKA in food. The results showed that the ic-CLEIA had good linearity in the range of 7.3–106.6 pg/mL, a limit of detection of 4.7 pg/mL, a limit of quantification of 7.3 pg/mL, a half-maximal inhibition concentration of 28.2 pg/mL, a spike recovery of 86.6–94.1%, a coefficient of variation of less than 10%, and no cross-reactivity with structural analogs. There was no significant difference between the detection results obtained with ic-CLEIA and ultraperformance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the samples. This method provides reliable technical support for food safety monitoring, especially for grassroots laboratories and large-scale sample screening. Full article

Addressing the challenges of fluctuating renewable energy integration and stable green ammonia production, this study develops and optimizes a deeply integrated system comprising Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC), Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES), Air Separation Units (ASU), and Haber–Bosch (HB) synthesis. We constructed a simulation model in Aspen Plus incorporating Ru/C catalyst kinetic parameters to analyze key subsystem parameters and optimize operating conditions based on maximized economy and efficiency. At the integrated system level, a parametric analysis of ammonia condensation temperature was further conducted to investigate the coupling characteristics. Using real power output data from Inner Mongolia, we formulated a dynamic energy scheduling strategy satisfying 24-h self-balancing constraints. Results indicate that a system producing 1415 tons of ammonia per day achieves a maximum hourly integrated profit of 69,838 CNY under optimal conditions: a hydrogen-to-nitrogen ratio of 2.98:1, operating pressure of 169 bar, reactor inlet temperature of 380 °C, and ammonia condensation temperature of −9 °C. Increasing the LAES throttle valve outlet pressure from 1 bar to 9 bar improved round-trip efficiency from 52.65% to 72.18%. The integrated-level parametric analysis reveals that the specific electricity consumption per unit mass of ammonia exhibits a non-monotonic trend with a minimum of 8.67 kWh/kg at −10 °C, reflecting the trade-off between refrigeration power consumption and cold energy recovery. In dynamic scheduling scenarios, the system maintains a maximum constant load of 45.78 MW with a steady-state liquid ammonia output of 6543 kg/h. This work optimizes both economic performance and system stability, providing a significant reference for the large-scale development of green ammonia systems. Full article

The performance of a Mayenite-supported nickel-based catalyst were investigated by using an in-house-designed, assembled and set-up chemical pilot plant, which was developed to provide experimental insights relevant to industrial scale up. In particular, the proposed heterogeneous catalytic system was structured in mm-sized spheres and tested in a large-scale experiment, in a fixed-bed reactor for the CO₂ methanation process, and the results were compared with the output achieved with a Ni/alumina catalyst produced by an analogous route as the benchmark. The obtained findings highlighted the effective potential of the Mayenite structure supporting metallic active sites in promoting CO₂ reduction under the selected operating conditions (450 °C, 4 bar), along with long-term stability and high CH₄ selectivity. Moreover, the available experimental equipment was optimized to achieve accurate estimations of amounts of reaction by-product, as confirmed by the optimal agreement with the mass balance retrieved from the measured gaseous outlet composition. Such an achievement, notable for a large-scale chemical plant, plays a capital role in terms of industrial applications due to the critical impact of residual carbon and water in establishing the viability of innovative catalyst systems for the CO₂ recycling process. Full article

Given the increasing frequency, severity, and socioecological impacts of wildfires, there is an urgent need for robust frameworks to better characterize fire behavior and flammability patterns across ecosystems to support early warning, mitigation, and management strategies. However, flammability remains difficult to quantify and scale, as it involves multiple interacting components that are typically measured at the bench scale. This study aimed to establish empirical links between spectral information, plant traits, and flammability metrics, and to scale these relationships to satellite imagery to translate these metrics into a spatial context. We combined laboratory spectroscopy, plant trait measurements including leaf mass per area, carbon, and cellulose, and combustion experiments using a simple and reproducible burning device. In total, 84 samples were collected and analysed, allowing us to characterise how spectral signatures relate to vegetation traits and fire behaviour. Spectral indices were developed to estimate plant traits, which were subsequently used as predictors in flammability models. These models were then transferred to Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) hyperspectral imagery to derive spatial estimates across eucalypt forests and grasslands of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Spectral information distinguished fuel types and captured variability of the plant traits, while these traits showed associations with combustion behaviour. Based on these links, the best-performing model predicted the rate of temperature increase, a combustibility metric, in eucalypt forests (R² = 0.70; Root Mean Square Error = 32.48 °C/s). In contrast, grassland models showed limited predictive performance, likely due to weaker relationships between plant traits and flammability metrics. Overall, this study demonstrates a practical and scalable approach for deriving flammability maps from hyperspectral and in situ data, highlighting the potential of plant-trait-based remote sensing. The resulting maps should not be interpreted as standalone fire risk products, but rather as a characterization of the structural and biochemical drivers of flammability. The main constraint of this work is the limited sample size. Future research should expand spatial and temporal coverage to better capture vegetation variability and enable the inclusion of independent validation datasets. Exploring alternative combustion protocols and testing more advanced spectral modelling approaches for trait estimation would provide additional insights. Full article

Effective management of organic wastes is essential for green and low-carbon development. Conventional technologies, including incineration, pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), gasification, anaerobic digestion (AD), and composting, have supported waste reduction and basic resource recovery, but they remain limited in high-efficiency conversion and high-value utilization. This review comparatively evaluates these conventional routes together with advanced and intensified technologies, including microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP), plasma treatment, supercritical water gasification (SCWG), and flash joule heating (FJH), with emphasis on suitable feedstocks, performance characteristics, application boundaries, and integration potential. In general, wastes with high moisture content are more suitable for HTC, AD, and SCWG, whereas relatively dry wastes and wastes with high carbon content are more suitable for pyrolysis, gasification, plasma treatment, and FJH upgrading. The review also discusses representative integrated pathways, such as HTC-SCWG, pyrolysis and plasma coupling, AD and gasification coupling, and pyrolysis and FJH coupling, which may improve carbon conversion, broaden product portfolios, and reduce residual pollutants. However, large-scale implementation is still constrained by feedstock heterogeneity, heat and mass transfer limitations, catalyst deactivation, reactor corrosion, and system cost. Overall, no single technology is universally optimal; technology selection should depend on feedstock properties, moisture content, and target products. Full article

Yield monitoring in forage production is typically limited to chopping or baling operations, where spatial resolution is often reduced by windrow merging. This study evaluated the feasibility of estimating mass flow rate (MFR) and generating spatial yield maps at the mowing stage using sensors integrated into a windrower. Conditioning roll speed, swath shield impact force, and the displacement of spring-loaded vanes (fingers) in the crop flow were evaluated during alfalfa harvest and calibrated against measured MFR. Model performance was assessed using cross-validation, and spatial fidelity was evaluated using experimental variograms and kriged yield maps. The average MFR was 19 kg·s⁻¹ with a range of 4 to 55 kg·s⁻¹. Conditioning roll speed provided the most robust and transferable predictor of MFR (R² = 0.89, RMSE = 3.4 kg·s⁻¹), consistently outperforming impact force (R² = 0.70, RMSE = 1.9 kg·s⁻¹) and finger displacement (R² = 0.82, RMSE = 4.3 kg·s⁻¹), which were more sensitive to machine dynamics and sensor placement. Validation of the roll-speed model using an independent dataset resulted in an R² = 0.87 and RMSE of 2.62 kg·s⁻¹. Yield maps derived from roll-speed-based models exhibited clear spatial structure with correlation lengths of approximately 25–40 m, whereas the finger displacement model exhibited higher nugget effects. Yield mapping with the forage harvester showed reduced spatial fidelity compared to mowing stage estimates, as windrow merging prior to chopping caused spatial averaging that diminished recoverable fine-scale yield variability. These results demonstrate that yield monitoring at the mowing stage enabled yield estimates to complement downstream harvest data and improve characterization of within-field yield variability. Full article

Ammonia (NH₃) from pig houses contributes to air-quality degradation and odor, yet farm-level emissions are highly sensitive to housing design, slurry chemistry and management. This study developed and validated a minute-resolution dynamic model for indoor NH₃ concentration and house-level emission in a mechanically ventilated finishing pig house. Volatilization from the slurry surface was computed from total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), pH and temperature using established mass-transfer formulations, and coupled between two zones (pit headspace and room airspace) via advection and diffusion across the slatted-floor open area. Over one production cycle, key drivers and indoor NH₃ were monitored; discrete TAN observations were upsampled to minute resolution by linear interpolation. Model coefficients were optimized by a genetic algorithm with chronological 70/30 splits for calibration and validation in the grower and finisher phases, respectively. The calibrated model reproduced minute-scale dynamics (validation RMSE 1.53–1.76 ppm, R² 0.87–0.88; MAPE 9.95–10.87%). Sobol’s global sensitivity analysis identified ventilation rate as the dominant driver of indoor concentration, and TAN and slurry pH as the principal drivers of emissions. The model provides decision support for minute-scale monitoring and management, and can be integrated with factor-control methods and ICT-based supervisory systems. Full article

Terasi, or fermented shrimp paste, is a staple condiment in Indonesian cuisine, produced through spontaneous fermentation of small crustaceans under high-salt conditions. Despite its widespread culinary use, comprehensive studies examining both the microbiota and volatile compounds in commercial terasi remain scarce. This study aimed to characterize the microbial composition and volatile profiles of ten commercial terasi products sourced from different regions of Indonesia, representing both traditional home industries and large-scale manufacturers. Culture-dependent microbial enumeration and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were employed to assess microbial diversity, while volatile compounds were identified and quantified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results revealed significant differences in microbial load and community composition among samples, with traditional products showing higher viable counts and microbial diversity, dominated by genera such as Tetragenococcus, Bacillus, Weissella, and Halanaerobium. Industrial samples, by contrast, contained no detectable microorganisms, likely due to sterilization practices for extended shelf life. A wide range of volatiles, including sulfur compounds, short-chain fatty acids, and trimethylamine, were identified across all samples, with a total of 48 detected compounds. Notably, correlation analysis revealed strong associations between specific bacterial genera and key volatile compounds, suggesting that microbial activity plays a central role in shaping terasi’s flavor. This integrative analysis provides new insights into the microbial–chemical interactions underlying fermented shrimp paste and offers potential applications for product standardization, starter culture development, and culinary innovation. Full article

Introduction: Many studies suggest that dietary factors may significantly influence the development and severity of acne lesions. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an anti-inflammatory diet on acne severity in patients with acne vulgaris. Methods: This study included 92 participants who followed an individualized dietary intervention tailored to their energy requirements. Acne severity was assessed at baseline and after four weeks of dietary intervention using the Investigator’s Static Global Assessment scale. Results: After four weeks, a reduction in acne severity was observed in 68 of 92 participants (73.91%). The mean acne severity score decreased from 3.3 ± 0.6 to 2.4 ± 0.7 points. The dietary intervention also resulted in statistically significant reductions in body weight (p < 0.0001), body mass index (p < 0.0001), fat mass (p < 0.0001), visceral fat (p = 0.0386), and metabolic age (p = 0.0004). Conclusions: The balanced diet characterized by a low glycemic index and anti-inflammatory properties, combined with reduced intake of saturated fatty acids, sugar, and salt, as well as the elimination of dairy products and highly processed and high glycemic index foods, presumably through the synergistic effect of all the components of the diet, was found to be effective in the reduction of acne severity in the study group. This study supports the feasibility of the applied dietary pattern and suggests possible benefit for patients with acne. Considering the promising results obtained in this study, further research conducted in larger patient populations would be valuable. Full article

Tunnel kilns are widely used in ceramic manufacturing due to their continuous operation, stable performance, and relatively high thermal efficiency. However, the firing stage remains highly energy-intensive and is a major source of environmental impact, necessitating advanced strategies for performance optimization and sustainability. This study presents a comprehensive and critical review of recent developments in tunnel kiln technology, focusing on heat transfer mechanisms, thermal modeling, process optimization, airflow management, energy recovery, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and environmental sustainability. The literature shows that kiln performance is governed by strongly coupled interactions among fluid flow, heat transfer, combustion, and material transformations. Although significant progress has been achieved through analytical modeling, experimental studies, and numerical simulations, many approaches rely on simplified assumptions or isolated subsystem analyses, limiting their applicability to real industrial conditions. Key findings emphasize the importance of optimizing airflow distribution, kiln geometry, and product arrangement to enhance convective heat transfer and temperature uniformity. Energy optimization strategies—including waste heat recovery, combustion control, and reduction in kiln car thermal mass—demonstrate considerable potential, but their effectiveness depends on integrated, system-level implementation. Environmental analyses identify the firing stage as the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the need for coordinated energy and emission reduction strategies. In this context, Digital Twin and Industry 4.0 technologies offer promising capabilities for real-time monitoring, predictive control, and data-driven optimization. Generally, this review underscores the need to transition from isolated optimization approaches to integrated, multi-scale frameworks that combine advanced modeling, experimental validation, and intelligent digital systems to achieve sustainable and energy-efficient ceramic manufacturing. Full article