Search Results (378)

Considering carbon neutrality and fossil fuel depletion, biomass is becoming increasingly important as a renewable and sustainable energy source. However, understanding of process-dependent characteristics relevant to char production remains limited. This study investigated the carbonization of mushroom waste medium (MWM) via conventional carbonization (CC; i.e., pyrolysis), hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), and microwave-assisted carbonization (MAC), and evaluated their suitability for desired char properties and target applications. For all methods, increasing reaction temperature led to carbon densification, with decreased oxygen and hydrogen contents and increased carbon and fixed carbon fractions. However, the extent of these transformations depended on the reaction environment. HTC achieved carbon enrichment and the highest higher heating value (HHV) at relatively low temperatures. In contrast, CC required higher temperatures to achieve comparable carbonization levels but showed a marked increase in BET surface area at higher temperatures. MAC exhibited intermediate characteristics under moderate conditions. HTC also facilitated potassium and chlorine removal, which may reduce operational issues during thermal utilization. These results indicate trade-offs among carbon densification, char yield, surface structure, and inorganic matter content. Rather than identifying a universally superior process, this study demonstrates that the suitability of each method depends on the desired properties and applications of MWM-derived char, providing a practical basis for appropriate process selection. Full article

To investigate the patterns of cadmium accumulation and distribution in mice following oral ingestion of cadmium-enriched Portunus trituberculatus, this study selected 4-week-old ICR mice as a model organism. A control group was fed a standard diet, while an exposure group was fed a diet supplemented with 10% cadmium-enriched Portunus trituberculatus. After 28 consecutive days of exposure, the mice were switched to a standard diet for 7 days. Tissues and feces were collected throughout the experiment; cadmium levels were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) following microwave digestion. The results showed that after 28 days of exposure, cadmium accumulation was observed in the kidneys (females: 0.046 ± 0.001 mg/kg, males: 0.053 ± 0.005 mg/kg) and livers (females: 0.046 ± 0.008 mg/kg, males: 0.034 ± 0.001 mg/kg), while levels in the control group were below the limit of detection; After a subsequent 7-day period of feeding standard diet, cadmium accumulation was observed in the kidneys (females: 0.070 ± 0.001 mg/kg, males: 0.047 ± 0.006 mg/kg), livers (females: 0.040 ± 0.001 mg/kg, males: 0.035 ± 0.009 mg/kg), and the intestines (females: 0.028 ± 0.006 mg/kg, males: 0.029 ± 0.001 mg/kg) still contained trace amounts of cadmium that had not been excreted. An apparent mass balance analysis suggested that more than 90% of ingested Cd was not retained in the analyzed tissues. In summary, although cadmium ingested orally is primarily excreted, the clearance rate for cadmium accumulated in the liver and kidneys of mice is relatively low, and residual levels remain in the tissues even 7 days after exposure ceased, indicating that even when the majority of ingested Cd is eliminated, the fraction retained in target organs may persist after exposure cessation and warrants further investigation under longer-term exposure scenarios. Full article

Passive-microwave sea ice concentration (SIC) products, such as AMSR2, provide broad coverage but limited spatial detail in coastal and marginal ice zones. This study presents a Sentinel-1 IW-mode dual-polarimetric framework for interannual sea ice characterization in the Southern Sea of Okhotsk. Twenty Sentinel-1 SLC scenes acquired during February–March 2022–2026 were aligned to a common SAR footprint and restricted to an ocean-only domain using a temporal ${\mathsf{\sigma }}_{\mathrm{VV}}^0$-based land/ocean mask. Open water was separated using an incidence-angle-normalized ${\mathsf{\sigma }}_{\mathrm{VV}, \mathrm{norm}}^0$ threshold; the correction was evaluated through leave-one-scene-out analysis, and threshold robustness was assessed through sensitivity testing. The remaining ice-candidate pixels were partitioned into surface-like, mixed, and random/dipole-like scattering regimes in H–α space. Sentinel-1-derived ice fractions were compared with temporally collocated AMSR2 Level-2 SIC. The comparison showed a moderate positive association at the scene-mean level ($R^2$ = 0.277, RMSE = 24.85%, bias = +0.13%) and footprint scale ($R^2$ = 0.429, RMSE = 29.98%, bias = −0.11%). The large RMSE values indicate weak absolute agreement, particularly at the footprint scale. The framework provides higher-resolution information on sea ice coverage and scattering-regime composition, but Sentinel-1-derived ice fraction and AMSR2 SIC should not be interpreted as interchangeable quantities. Full article

Hierarchical zeolites have emerged as an effective strategy to mitigate diffusional limitations and catalyst deactivation during the catalytic cracking of heavy feedstocks. However, conventional alkaline desilication often lacks selectivity, leading to partial loss of crystallinity and unfavorable alterations in acidic properties. In this work, microwave-assisted desilication is explored as an alternative route to engineer hierarchical Y zeolites with improved structural control and catalytic performance. A systematic comparison between conventional and microwave-assisted treatments was carried out using a 0.20 mol L⁻¹ NaOH solution, followed by hydrothermal stabilization. The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, scanning electron microscopy, ICP–OES, and pyridine-adsorbed FTIR. Catalytic performance was evaluated in the cracking of nitrogen-containing vacuum gas oil under microactivity test conditions representative of FCC operation. Microwave-assisted desilication promotes a more homogeneous development of mesoporosity, yielding higher mesopore volumes and larger pore diameters while preserving a greater fraction of the FAU crystalline structure and Brønsted acidity compared to conventional treatment. These features translate into enhanced catalytic behavior, including higher and more stable conversions, increased gasoline selectivity (up to 63 wt%), and significantly reduced coke yields. In addition, spectroscopic and thermal analyses reveal that coke formed on the microwave-treated zeolite is less condensed and more readily oxidizable, indicating a reduced propensity for irreversible deactivation. Finally, the results demonstrate that the mode of energy input during desilication plays a critical role in dictating the balance between pore architecture and acidity, ultimately governing catalytic performance. Microwave-assisted desilication emerges as an efficient strategy for designing hierarchical Y zeolites with improved accessibility, selectivity, and resistance to deactivation under severe FCC conditions. Full article

Apple pomace is an abundant agro-industrial residue rich in oligosaccharides, whose efficient and sustainable extraction remains challenging. To overcome these limitations, this study delivers a novel biorefinery strategy by coupling ultrasound-assisted extraction pretreatment with optimised microwave-assisted hydrolysis. Through response surface methodology, the optimal microwave hydrolysis extraction conditions were achieved at 20 min and 120 °C. The obtained oligosaccharides presented a molecular-weight of 191,071 Da, a polydispersity index of 2.19 and a high content of galacturonyl groups (9.95 g/L) and arabino substituents (7.27 g/L). Furthermore, a biphasic system was applied at the optimal point obtained for the monophasic system in order to examine its potential for selective oligosaccharide fractionation. In this case, the galacturonic acid did not form part of the obtained oligosaccharides, and instead they were predominantly formed by galactose and arabinose (6.55 and 4.48 g/L respectively). Moreover, this biphasic setup yielded fewer polydisperse fractions with a lower content of degradation products. Overall, this work highlights the promise of optimised microwave-assisted hydrolysis as a sustainable strategy for oligosaccharide valorisation from apple pomace while demonstrating that the extension to a biphasic system represents a promising alternative for improving process selectivity. Full article

The therapeutic monoclonal antibody bevacizumab is typically purified using protein A affinity chromatography, a highly effective but costly method. Affinity-based precipitation for antibody purification is a lower-cost approach. In this work, a precipitation protocol was developed for bevacizumab purification using a branched peptide (Ac-PHQGQHIG-Ahx₃)₂-K-Ahx₃-PHQGQHIG-NH₂, which contains the epitope PHQGQHIG that is responsible for interacting with bevacizumab. The peptide was synthesised by a microwave-assisted solid-phase peptide method, employing LiCl as an additive to prevent aggregation and ensure high purity and yield. Three molecules of 6-aminohexanoic acid were introduced between each epitope branch as spacer arms to promote the formation of cyclic complexes. Bevacizumab purification from cell-free culture broth was achieved through a fractional precipitation process. First, a negative precipitation step using (NH₄)₂SO₄ 1.18 M was performed to remove contaminants. Afterwards, 5 moles of peptide per mol of bevacizumab was added to the supernatant, together with additional (NH₄)₂SO₄, to reach a final concentration of 1.20 M. Under these conditions, bevacizumab was recovered in the precipitate with 98% purity and a yield of 73%. In addition to being recyclable, the peptide’s relatively low production cost could enable the development of a single-use purification process, which would be particularly advantageous for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Full article

Incorporating a secondary phase represents a promising strategy for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of materials. In this study, CuInTe₂ was modified with SnTe powders at various weight fractions (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 wt%) and subsequently synthesized via rapid microwave melting. The phase composition and microstructure of the resulting materials were systematically characterized. Structural analyses revealed that the introduction of SnTe induced the incorporation of Sn and Te into the CuInTe₂ lattice, accompanied by a progressive contraction in lattice parameters. Owing to the spontaneous formation of intrinsic Sn vacancies in SnTe and the regulation of carrier concentration, electrical conductivity of up to 2.7 × 10⁴ Sm⁻¹ was achieved, representing a 1.7-fold increase over pristine CuInTe₂. Coupled with a notable reduction in lattice thermal conductivity (0.9 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹ at 700 K), a maximum figure of merit of 0.44 was obtained for the CuInTe₂-2 wt% SnTe sample. While the absolute zT value is moderate compared to state-of-the-art CuInTe₂-based materials, this work establishes the feasibility of microwave melting combined with second-phase incorporation as a rapid and energy-efficient synthesis pathway for CuInTe₂ modification. These results demonstrate that the introduction of SnTe is a viable strategy for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of CuInTe₂. Full article

A novel low-molecular-weight water-soluble oligosaccharide fraction (LBPP-1) was prepared from lotus bee pollen via microwave-assisted extraction, followed by Sevag deproteinization and diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose-52 chromatography purification. Ion chromatography (IC) indicated a glucose-rich composition (84.6 mol% glucose), with minor amounts of arabinose, glucosamine, and galactose. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), methylation analysis, and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) collectively supported the assignment of LBPP-1 as a glucan-rich, structurally heterogeneous oligosaccharide fraction containing candidate →4)-Glcp-rich domains and minor arabinose/galactose-related linkages. However, the marked difference between the IC composition and the sugar-type distribution estimated from PMAA peak areas limits quantitative interpretation of the residue proportions and branching architecture. Furthermore, in vitro biological assays demonstrated that LBPP-1 significantly attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 macrophages. It effectively reduced the secretion of nitric oxide (NO) and the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in RAW264.7 macrophages. Reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis further revealed that LBPP-1 selectively suppressed the mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1. These findings collectively suggest that LBPP-1, as a bioactive carbohydrate fraction derived from lotus bee pollen, holds promise as a natural functional food ingredient for managing inflammation-related conditions. Full article

Bio-based packaging is receiving increasing attention due to the environmental impact of fossil-based plastics. However, its practical implementation requires further evidence on material processing and functional performance. This study evaluated the thermal properties of expanded polylactic acid (E-PLA) prototypes blended with raw, minimally processed agroforestry residues. Specifically, spruce bark and grape stalks were used as waste wood fibers. This study focused primarily on the thermal characterization of the materials by measuring thermal conductivity and resistance. To evaluate the distribution of the two fractions (polymer and fibrous), samples were created with various volumetric ratios between the parts. Simultaneous pressure and microwave heating of the sample were used to stabilize the material. To characterize the raw materials used in this study, bulk density and moisture content were measured. To characterize the mixed materials samples, thermal conductivity and resistance, bulk density, and pressure were measured. To investigate the variables that influence thermal characteristics, statistical analyses such as regression models, ANCOVA, and Spearman correlation were applied. These analyses showed that increasing the biofiber content significantly reduced thermal resistance and increased thermal conductivity. However, negligible effects were observed for the type of fiber used and the duration of the heat treatment. These results describe the thermal properties of blends containing E-PLA and agroforestry residues. The results also show a marked effect of the biofiber content on thermal performance. This study does not provide a comprehensive characterization of the new materials, as it focuses on the prototyping methodology and the laboratory-scale production feasibility of E-PLA/agroforestry-residue prototypes. Full article

Hydrodynamic cavitation is assessed as a conditional process-intensification platform for the sustainable recovery and transformation of bioactive and functional fractions from agri-food residues, food-processing by-products, and plant-derived matrices. The analysis focuses on fractions enriched in polyphenols, flavonoids, pectins, carotenoids, proteins, pigments, essential oils, and other value-added compounds with potential relevance for food, nutraceutical, formulation-oriented, and related high-value applications. Rather than being considered an inherently green or universally superior technology, hydrodynamic cavitation is evaluated according to the specific process functions it can provide, including matrix disruption, mass-transfer enhancement, solvent-use reduction, recovery of pectin-associated fractions, protein extraction, macromolecular restructuring, dispersion, and process integration. Quantitative and scale-relevant indicators are considered where available, including recovery yield, target-compound content, solvent use, operating conditions, treated volume, energy input, fraction quality, and reporting limits. Comparison with ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, pulsed electric fields, subcritical water extraction, natural deep eutectic solvents, and enzyme-assisted extraction indicates that its advantage is most defensible when hydrodynamic effects address a clearly identified matrix or process limitation. The available evidence supports substantial potential for wet matrices, plant by-products, aqueous suspensions, and liquid food systems. However, critical gaps remain in energy reporting, selectivity, recovered-fraction stability, scale-up, downstream processing, and application-oriented validation. Recovered fractions should therefore be regarded as candidate ingredients or functional intermediates, rather than as direct evidence of efficacy in final products. Full article

Coconut husk lignin was fractionated using ethanol to obtain nanolignin fractions with distinct physicochemical properties. Among the fractions, CNF1 exhibited the most favorable combination of particle size, thermal stability, and antibacterial activity and was selected for further modification. Microwave-assisted esterification of CNF1 with maleic anhydride was performed under various reaction temperatures and lignin-to-maleic anhydride ratios. Structural modification was confirmed by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy through the appearance of ester carbonyl groups and an increase in the degree of esterification, which reached its highest value at 180 °C and a lignin-to-maleic anhydride ratio of 1:10. TEM analysis revealed that maleation increased nanoparticle size, whereas WAXD demonstrated that both native and modified lignins retained predominantly amorphous structures. Antioxidant activity decreased with increasing esterification due to the reduction of phenolic hydroxyl groups. Thermal analysis showed that esterification altered the degradation behavior of lignin, while thermo-oxidative stability measurements indicated improved oxidation resistance for highly esterified samples. The 10MA180 sample exhibited the highest thermo-oxidative stability, with a T₂,O₂ value of 12.55 min, a residual mass of 84.90%, and the lowest weight loss after 60 min oxidation. These findings demonstrate that microwave-assisted maleation effectively tailors the structure and functional properties of nanolignin for sustainable bio-based material applications. Full article

Plant lecithins are complex mixtures of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidic acid (PA) and lysophospholipids. They are increasingly demanded as natural, non-allergenic emulsifiers and as nutraceutical carriers. Quantitative data on the phospholipid (PL) fraction of less-commodity oilseeds, however, remain dispersed. This review compares the PL composition, processing-dependent extractability, and functional behavior of six oils: hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), corn/maize (Zea mays L., germ), pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.), flax/linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.), and camelina (Camelina sativa L.). Across the six oils, total PL content varies by more than an order of magnitude (c.a. 0.25% in camelina oil bodies; >1% in solvent-extracted hemp and c.a. 0.5–1.0% in Styrian pumpkin oil), and PC fraction ranges from 30% (hemp seed tissue) to 56% (rapeseed-comparable sunflower). Flax stands out for both an exceptionally high PE share (22.7%) and a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in the PL fraction (53.3%) that exceeds rapeseed, sunflower and soy by an order of magnitude. We integrate recent extraction (cold pressing, supercritical CO₂, microwave-assisted, aqueous enzymatic) and degumming data (water, acid, enzymatic with phospholipases A1/A2/C) with functional evidence in emulsions, oil bodies, and bioactive delivery. Full article

Simultaneously achieving a high sampling rate, broad bandwidth, and high conversion resolution while maintaining reduced optical-channel complexity remains a fundamental challenge for photonic digital-to-analog converters (PDACs). To address this challenge, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a single-channel two-bit PDAC integrating delta–sigma (ΔΣ) noise shaping and fractional Talbot pulse repetition-rate enhancement. The proposed scheme jointly exploits digital-domain noise shaping and optical-domain sampling rate enhancement to suppress in-band quantization noise and expand the effective bandwidth within a compact single-channel configuration. A dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DDMZM) is adopted to realize linear four-level optical intensity mapping, eliminating the inter-channel mismatch issues in conventional multi-channel PDAC architectures. Experimentally, a 10.2 GHz optical pulse train is passively enhanced to 30.6 GHz, yielding an effective sampling rate of 30.6 GSa/s. Broadband X-band linear frequency-modulated waveforms (LFMs) with carrier frequencies of 7.5 GHz and 10 GHz are successfully generated, achieving effective numbers of bits (ENOBs) of 4.83, 3.96, and 3.64 for 2 GHz single-chirp, 4 GHz single-chirp, and 4 GHz dual-chirp signals, respectively. In addition, high-fidelity reconstruction of 1 GHz square and triangular waveforms is demonstrated. The proposed PDAC combines sampling-rate enhancement and noise suppression in a single-channel configuration, enabling high-speed broadband microwave photonic arbitrary waveform generation. Full article

The growing volume of industrial waste and the need for sustainable material solutions drive the search for cost-effective fillers and energy-efficient processing methods for polymer composites. This study investigates the valorization of brick dust (BD), a fine ceramic waste, as a reinforcing filler for unsaturated polyester resin (UPR), combined with microwave (MW) treatment applied at different stages of composite fabrication. The brick dust was comprehensively characterized using laser diffraction, SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR, revealing an environmentally safe aluminosilicate powder with a mean particle size of 3–6 µm, plate-like morphology, and surface hydroxyl groups favorable for matrix interaction. The optimal filler content was found to be 50 phr, which increased flexural strength by 6.5%, flexural modulus by 134%, tensile strength by 11%, and impact strength by 40% compared to neat UPR. Among the MW strategies evaluated, post-curing of the fully polymerized composite for 120 s proved most effective, yielding further improvements in flexural strength (110 MPa, +34.1%), flexural modulus (8250 MPa, +49.7%), impact strength (13.8 kJ/m², +119%), and Shore D hardness (88). MW post-curing also increased the gel fraction from 95.0% to 97.8%, raised the thermal stability index (THRI) from 150.6 to 165.8, and reduced equilibrium water absorption from 0.62% to 0.47% with a reversibility index of 87.5%. Fracture surface analysis confirmed a transition from interfacial debonding to cohesive matrix failure, with ultra-thin polymeric veils replicating the scaly filler structure. These results demonstrate that microwave post-curing synergistically enhances the mechanical, thermal, and moisture-resistant properties of brick dust-filled polyester composites. Full article

Ionic liquid-assisted extraction can improve the recovery of monoterpene glycosides from Radix Paeoniae Alba, whereas post-extraction purification and ionic-liquid-associated marker-level quality control remain necessary before further bioactivity evaluation. In this study, a macroporous resin-based purification process was developed for monoterpene glycoside-enriched extracts obtained by conventional reflux extraction and ionic liquid-assisted microwave–ultrasound extraction. Among the five tested resins, AB-8 resin showed the best adsorption performance and was selected for further process optimization. The optimized purification conditions were a loading concentration of 13 mg/mL, loading pH of 7, elution with 70% ethanol, loading volume of 6 BV and elution volume of 9 BV. After purification, the total quantified monoterpene glycoside content increased from 6.59% to 51.68% in the conventional extract and from 15.30% to 75.30% in the ionic liquid-assisted extract. The ionic-liquid-associated elemental marker content in the ionic liquid-assisted extract decreased from 5.593% to 0.072% after purification, corresponding to an approximately 98.7% reduction at the elemental-marker level. Stability evaluation indicated that Na₂SO₃, Fe³⁺, ascorbic acid, sucrose and light exposure affected the detected monoterpene glycoside content to different extents, whereas short-term heating within 20–80 °C caused only slight fluctuations. The purified extracts showed stronger DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and reducing power than the crude extracts. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, the purified extracts reduced NO production and downregulated the mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS and COX-2, suggesting anti-inflammatory potential at the NO and gene-expression levels. AB-8 resin purification enriched the monitored monoterpene glycosides, reduced the selected ionic-liquid-associated elemental marker, and generated purified fractions suitable for subsequent stability and bioactivity evaluation. Full article