Discover insights from thousands of peer-reviewed papers on microbial electrochemical systems
Ramkumar Samynathan, Baskar Venkidasamy, Karthikeyan Ramya et al.
Plants · 2023
Selenium (Se) is a microelement that plays an important nutrient role by influencing various physiological and biochemical traits in plants. It has been shown to stimulate plant metabolism, enhancing secondary metabolites and lowering abiotic and biotic stress in plants. Globally, the enormous applications of nanotechnology in the food and agricultural sectors have vastly expanded. Nanoselenium is more active than bulk materials, and various routes of synthesis of Se nanoparticles (Se-NPs) have been reported in which green synthesis using plants is more attractive due to a reduction in ecological issues and an increase in biological activities. The Se-NP-based biofortification is more significant because it increases plant stress tolerance and positively impacts their metabolism. Se-NPs can enhance plant resistance to various oxidative stresses, promote growth, enhance soil nutrient status, enhance plant antioxidant levels, and participate in the transpiration process. Additionally, they use a readily available, biodegradable reducing agent and are ecologically friendly. This review concentrates on notable information on the different modes of Se-NPs' synthesis and characterization, their applications in plant growth, yield, and stress tolerance, and their influence on the metabolic process.
Qudsia Saeed, Xiukang Wang, Fasih Ullah Haider et al.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2021
Agriculture in the 21st century is facing multiple challenges, such as those related to soil fertility, climatic fluctuations, environmental degradation, urbanization, and the increase in food demand for the increasing world population. In the meanwhile, the scientific community is facing key challenges in increasing crop production from the existing land base. In this regard, traditional farming has witnessed enhanced per acre crop yields due to irregular and injudicious use of agrochemicals, including pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but at a substantial environmental cost. Another major concern in modern agriculture is that crop pests are developing pesticide resistance. Therefore, the future of sustainable crop production requires the use of alternative strategies that can enhance crop yields in an environmentally sound manner. The application of rhizobacteria, specifically, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as an alternative to chemical pesticides has gained much attention from the scientific community. These rhizobacteria harbor a number of mechanisms through which they promote plant growth, control plant pests, and induce resistance to various abiotic stresses. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of rhizobacteria involved in plant growth promotion, biocontrol of pests, and bioremediation of contaminated soils. It also focuses on the effects of PGPR inoculation on plant growth survival under environmental stress. Furthermore, the pros and cons of rhizobacterial application along with future directions for the sustainable use of rhizobacteria in agriculture are discussed in depth.
Mohamed Farghali, Israa M. A. Mohamed, Ahmed I. Osman et al.
Environmental Chemistry Letters · 2022
The development and recycling of biomass production can partly solve issues of energy, climate change, population growth, food and feed shortages, and environmental pollution. For instance, the use of seaweeds as feedstocks can reduce our reliance on fossil fuel resources, ensure the synthesis of cost-effective and eco-friendly products and biofuels, and develop sustainable biorefinery processes. Nonetheless, seaweeds use in several biorefineries is still in the infancy stage compared to terrestrial plants-based lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, here we review seaweed biorefineries with focus on seaweed production, economical benefits, and seaweed use as feedstock for anaerobic digestion, biochar, bioplastics, crop health, food, livestock feed, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Globally, seaweeds could sequester between 61 and 268 megatonnes of carbon per year, with an average of 173 megatonnes. Nearly 90% of carbon is sequestered by exporting biomass to deep water, while the remaining 10% is buried in coastal sediments. 500 gigatonnes of seaweeds could replace nearly 40% of the current soy protein production. Seaweeds contain valuable bioactive molecules that could be applied as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal, anticancer, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulants, and in other cosmetics and skincare products.
Aleksandra Grzyb, Agnieszka Wolna-Maruwka, Alicja Niewiadomska
Agronomy · 2021
Nitrogen (N) is widely distributed in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. It is a basic component of every plant cell as well as microorganisms, as a component of proteins, nucleic acids and chlorophyll. It enters soil with organic and mineral fertilizers, plant and animal residues and biological nitrogen fixation. There are various forms of nitrogen in soil, and this element is usually transformed by microorganisms. The transformation of nitrogen compounds (ammonification, nitrification and immobilization) is significantly influenced by climatic conditions and the physicochemical properties of soil. Microbial mineralization of nitrogen organic matter results in the enrichment of soil with this element, which is necessary to generate a yield. The amount of nitrogen entering soil through the mineralization of crop residues ranges from 15 to 45 kg N/ha in cereal residues and from 80 to 144 kg N/ha in winter rape residues. Biological nitrogen fixation can increase the nitrogen content in soil by 30–50 kg/ha/year. In recent decades, the mismanagement of mineral fertilizers has drastically changed the natural balance of the nitrogen cycle. Every year huge amounts of nitrogen compounds enter the aquatic ecosystems and cause their eutrophication. That is why it is important to have adequate knowledge of sustainable fertilization so as to practice integrated crop management.
Zainul Abideen, Huma Waqif, Neelma Munir et al.
Agronomy · 2022
The excessive use of agrochemicals to ensure food security under the conditions of a growing population, global climate change, weather extremes, droughts, wasteful use of freshwater resources, and land degradation has created severe challenges for sustainable crop production. Since the frequent and abrupt environmental changes are outcompeting the existing agricultural technologies of crop production systems to meet food security, the development and use of modern technologies and nature-based solutions are urgently needed. Nanotechnology has shown potential for revolutionizing agri-production and agri-business in terms of nanofertilizers and nanoparticles for crop protection. Furthermore, in the recent past, biochar has been identified as a negative emission technology for carbon sequestration and soil fertility improvement. However, supply chain issues for biochar, due to feedstock availability, challenges its worldwide use and acceptability. Meanwhile progress in algae research has indicated that, algae can be utilized for various agro-ecosystem services. Algae are considered an efficient biological species for producing biomass and phytochemicals because of their high photosynthetic efficiency and growth rate compared to terrestrial plants. In this context, various options for using algae as a nature-based solution have been investigated in this review; for instance, the possibilities of producing bulk algal biomass and algal-based biofertilizers and their role in nutrient availability and abiotic stress resistance in plants. The potential of algae for biochar production (hereafter “phycochar” because of algal feedstock), its elemental composition, and role in bioremediation is discussed. The potential role of agal nanoparticles’ in mitigating abiotic stress in crop plants was thoroughly investigated. This review has effectively investigated the existing literature and improved our understanding that, algae-based agro-solutions have huge potential for mitigating abiotic stresses and improving overall agricultural sustainability. However, a few challenges, such as microalgae production on a large scale and the green synthesis of nanoparticle methodologies, still need further mechanistic investigation.
Adel Mirza Alizadeh, Mansoureh Mohammadi, Fataneh Hashempour‐Baltork et al.
Food Production Processing and Nutrition · 2025
Abstract With the rapid advances in ready-to-eat food products and the progress of food processing industries, concerns about food security and investigating food safety as well as sensory quality have intensified. Many food safety concerns are attributed to the toxic components, which can be produced during food processing as process-induced toxicants (PITs). The thermal processing of food (e.g., baking, cooking, grilling, roasting, and toasting) may lead to the formation of some highly hazardous PITs for humans and animals. These include acrolein, acrylamide, benzene, ethyl carbamate, chlorinated compounds, heterocyclic organic compounds (HOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), biogenic amines (BAs), N -nitrosamines, Maillard reaction products (MRPs), and several newly identified toxicants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol. The occurrence of these contaminants is often accompanied by distinguishing odor, taste, and color. The severity of the sensory attributes can vary depending on the compound concentration. Knowledge about the biochemical and chemical mechanisms of PITs generation is necessary for expanding feasible approaches to limit and control their amounts in food products. This contribution introduces the most significant PITs, highlighting their formation mechanisms, impact on sensory characteristics of foods, analytical methods to detection, risk assessments, and food safety/adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods. Graphical Abstract
Diana Constantinescu-Aruxandei, Florin Oancea
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2023
The recovery of plant mineral nutrients from the bio-based value chains is essential for a sustainable, circular bioeconomy, wherein resources are (re)used sustainably. The widest used approach is to recover plant nutrients on the last stage of biomass utilization processes-e.g., from ash, wastewater, or anaerobic digestate. The best approach is to recover mineral nutrients from the initial stages of biomass biorefinery, especially during biomass pre-treatments. Our paper aims to evaluate the nutrient recovery solutions from a trans-sectorial perspective, including biomass processing and the agricultural use of recovered nutrients. Several solutions integrated with the biomass pre-treatment stage, such as leaching/bioleaching, recovery from pre-treatment neoteric solvents, ionic liquids (ILs), and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) or integrated with hydrothermal treatments are discussed. Reducing mineral contents on silicon, phosphorus, and nitrogen biomass before the core biorefinery processes improves processability and yield and reduces corrosion and fouling effects. The recovered minerals are used as bio-based fertilizers or as silica-based plant biostimulants, with economic and environmental benefits.
Yanfeng Shi, Yufei Zang, Huanhuan Yang et al.
Frontiers in Environmental Science · 2022
Mining activities has generated large amounts of mine tailings each year, and these tailings usually contain high concentrations of heavy metal pollutants, which not only cause serious damage to the local and surrounding soil ecosystems, but also harm human health via the transmission of food chain. Phytoremediation is treated as environmentally friendly, long-term effective and low-cost restoration method. However, tailing soil acidification, low organic matter content, poor water holding capacity and compaction make plant struggle to survive. Biochar, a soil conditioner can promote plant growth by improving the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, thus strengthening the ability of phytoremediation in the contaminated tailings. This review elaborates how the physicochemical properties of biochar affect phytoremediation; and summarized how the raw materials of biochar affect the physicochemical characteristics. Finally, the future research directions are prospected.
Arzish Javaid, Sadaf Hameed, Lijie Li et al.
Functional & Integrative Genomics · 2024
At the dawn of new millennium, policy makers and researchers focused on sustainable agricultural growth, aiming for food security and enhanced food quality. Several emerging scientific innovations hold the promise to meet the future challenges. Nanotechnology presents a promising avenue to tackle the diverse challenges in agriculture. By leveraging nanomaterials, including nano fertilizers, pesticides, and sensors, it provides targeted delivery methods, enhancing efficacy in both crop production and protection. This integration of nanotechnology with agriculture introduces innovations like disease diagnostics, improved nutrient uptake in plants, and advanced delivery systems for agrochemicals. These precision-based approaches not only optimize resource utilization but also reduce environmental impact, aligning well with sustainability objectives. Concurrently, genetic innovations, including genome editing and advanced breeding techniques, enable the development of crops with improved yield, resilience, and nutritional content. The emergence of precision gene-editing technologies, exemplified by CRISPR/Cas9, can transform the realm of genetic modification and enabled precise manipulation of plant genomes while avoiding the incorporation of external DNAs. Integration of nanotechnology and genetic innovations in agriculture presents a transformative approach. Leveraging nanoparticles for targeted genetic modifications, nanosensors for early plant health monitoring, and precision nanomaterials for controlled delivery of inputs offers a sustainable pathway towards enhanced crop productivity, resource efficiency, and food safety throughout the agricultural lifecycle. This comprehensive review outlines the pivotal role of nanotechnology in precision agriculture, emphasizing soil health improvement, stress resilience against biotic and abiotic factors, environmental sustainability, and genetic engineering.
Claudia Artiaco, Christoph Fleckenstein, David Aceituno Chávez et al.
PRX Quantum · 2024
During time evolution of many-body systems entanglement grows rapidly, limiting exact simulations to small-scale systems or small timescales. Quantum information tends, however, to flow towards larger scales without returning to local scales, such that its detailed large-scale structure does not directly affect local observables. This allows for the removal of large-scale quantum information in a way that preserves all local observables and gives access to large-scale and large-time quantum dynamics. To this end, we use the recently introduced to organize quantum information into different scales, allowing us to define and that we employ to systematically discard long-range quantum correlations in a controlled way. Our approach relies on decomposing the system into subsystems up to a maximum scale and time evolving the subsystem density matrices by solving the subsystem von Neumann equations in parallel. Importantly, the information flow needs to be preserved during the discarding of large-scale information. To achieve this without the need to make assumptions about the microscopic details of the information current, we introduce a second scale at which information is discarded, while using the state at the maximum scale to accurately obtain the information flow. The resulting algorithm, which we call local-information time evolution, is highly versatile and suitable for investigating many-body quantum dynamics in both closed and open quantum systems with diverse hydrodynamic behaviors. We present results for the energy transport in the mixed-field Ising model and the magnetization transport in the <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline" overflow="scroll"> <a:mi>X</a:mi> <a:mi>X</a:mi> </a:math> spin chain with onsite dephasing where we accurately determine the power-law exponent and the diffusion coefficients. Furthermore, the information lattice framework employed here promises to offer insightful results about the spatial and temporal behavior of entanglement in many-body systems.
Shuai Qi, A. Allan Degen, Wenyin Wang et al.
GCB Bioenergy · 2024
Abstract Biochar, a black carbon material produced by high‐temperature, low‐oxygen pyrolysis of organic solids, can improve soil properties and realize carbon neutrality. However, how to effectively produce and apply biochar in the face of the complex soil environment and intractable widespread land degradation is still uncertain. This review is based on 1073 sets of data in 316 publications to address this issue. Firstly, the impact of different process parameters, namely feedstocks, pyrolysis temperature and activation on physicochemical properties of biochar are systematically summarized. Secondly, the effect of biochar on different soil degradation problems are reviewed from the perspective of the interaction between the physicochemical properties of biochar and soil characteristics. The “matching” of biochar properties, level of degradation and environmental factors can be used to design the desired biochar. Finally, future research should focus on biochar aging and costs and benefits of using biochar. The concept of “artificial intelligence designed biochar” is discussed to improve the degree of automation in biochar production and the predictability and suitability of its application for specific cases.
Md. Nasir Hossain Sani, Mehedi Amin, AB Siddique et al.
The Science of The Total Environment · 2023
The greatest challenge for the agriculture sector in the twenty-first century is to increase agricultural production to feed the burgeoning global population while maintaining soil health and the integrity of the agroecosystem. Currently, the application of biochar is widely implemented as an effective means for boosting sustainable agriculture while having a negligible influence on ecosystems and the environment. In comparison to traditional biochar, nano-biochar (nano-BC) boasts enhanced specific surface area, adsorption capacity, and mobility properties within soil, allowing it to promote soil properties, crop growth, and environmental remediation. Additionally, carbon sequestration and reduction of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture can be achieved with nano-BC applications, contributing to climate change mitigation. Nonetheless, due to cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and environmental friendliness, waste-derived nano-BC may emerge as the most viable alternative to conventional waste management strategies, contributing to the circular bioeconomy and the broader goal of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, it's important to note that research on nano-BC is still in its nascent stages. Potential risks, including toxicity in aquatic and terrestrial environments, necessitate extensive field investigations. This review delineates the potential of waste-derived nano-BC for sustainable agriculture and environmental applications, outlining current advancements, challenges, and possibilities in the realms from a sustainability and circular bioeconomy standpoint.
Saideep Singh, Rishi Verma, Nidhi Kaul et al.
Nature Communications · 2023
Abstract The majority of visible light-active plasmonic catalysts are often limited to Au, Ag, Cu, Al, etc., which have considerations in terms of costs, accessibility, and instability. Here, we show hydroxy-terminated nickel nitride (Ni 3 N) nanosheets as an alternative to these metals. The Ni 3 N nanosheets catalyze CO 2 hydrogenation with a high CO production rate (1212 mmol g −1 h −1 ) and selectivity (99%) using visible light. Reaction rate shows super-linear power law dependence on the light intensity, while quantum efficiencies increase with an increase in light intensity and reaction temperature. The transient absorption experiments reveal that the hydroxyl groups increase the number of hot electrons available for photocatalysis. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy shows that the CO 2 hydrogenation proceeds via the direct dissociation pathway. The excellent photocatalytic performance of these Ni 3 N nanosheets (without co-catalysts or sacrificial agents) is suggestive of the use of metal nitrides instead of conventional plasmonic metal nanoparticles.
Hao Qu, Xin Zeng, Chuangxin He et al.
Physics of Fluids · 2025
In this work, the entrainment characteristics of two different non-circular orifice impinging jets, i.e., elliptical and square orifices, are studied against the circular one. These three orifice jets at the same impinging-distance-to-diameter H/De = 3.0 and the Reynolds number (Re) at 1.6 × 103 were measured by time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry. The macroscopic flow structures and local characteristics are discussed in terms of Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives, respectively. For both the streamwise velocity and the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) field, the power spectral density exhibits a significant Strouhal number component St = 0.53 in all three jets, whereas the square orifice jet shows multiple frequency peaks. Observing the large-scale vortical structures of the instantaneous flow field indicates that the up-warping part of the elliptical and square vortex rings as well as the square vortex pairing and merging behavior will substantially enhance the local entrainment. As for the FTLE field, both non-circular orifice impinging jets tend to form the wider entrainment channel as well as more prominent shear along the local turbulent/non-turbulent interface. The entrainment statistics based on the enstrophy supports the above findings. As the fluid flows from the orifice, the entrainment rate of the elliptical orifice jet in the development region first grows slower but overtakes the circular one after H/De &gt; 1.5; the square jet has the lowest entrainment and growth rate upstream, while the largest entrainment growth rate is reached at H/De &gt; 1.5, where the large-scale structures are formed. Near the impingement region, the elliptical orifice jet has the largest entrainment rate and then the square orifice.
Abhishek Kumar, Tanushree Bhattacharya, Wasim Akram Shaikh et al.
Biochar · 2023
Abstract Biochar is a carbon-containing material prepared through thermal treatment of biomass in limited supply of oxygen, and used for an array of applications including waste management, climate change mitigation, soil fertility improvement, bio-energy production, and contaminant remediation. The data related to biochar, its production, and the wide applicability were collected using Web of Science Core Collection Database (on 25/10/2022), while bibliometric network analysis was performed using VOSviewer software to analyse year-wise, author-wise, country-wise, and journal-wise publication trends, construct keyword co-occurrence maps, and identify research areas receiving greater focus. Further, the applications of biochar were reviewed and mechanistic insights were provided. Some of the findings include: > 50% of documents (> 13,000) getting published in the past 3 years, > 90% of documents (> 21,000) being research articles, ~ 50% of publications (> 10,000) being related to environmental sciences, pyrolysis being the most widely used (~ 40% articles) production technique (followed by carbonization, gasification, combustion, and torrefaction), China being the most active country in terms of publications (> 11,000), and biochar being mostly used for removing contaminants (followed by soil improvement, waste management, energy production, and climate change mitigation). Various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) of biochar production and wide-ranging applicability were identified. Lastly, gaps were identified including the need for performing elaborate life cycle assessments, exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence for upgrading conversion technology and producing application-specific biochar, and investigating mechanistic aspects of soil-biochar interactions and nano-scale transformation of biochar. The study covers a broad spectrum of biochar applicability to identify areas receiving lesser attention, which could guide the future researchers for augmenting biochar research. Graphical Abstract
Emanuela D. Tiodar, Cristina L. Văcar, Dorina Podar
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2021
Mercury (Hg) pollution is a global threat to human and environmental health because of its toxicity, mobility and long-term persistence. Although costly engineering-based technologies can be used to treat heavily Hg-contaminated areas, they are not suitable for decontaminating agricultural or extensively-polluted soils. Emerging phyto- and bioremediation strategies for decontaminating Hg-polluted soils generally involve low investment, simple operation, and in situ application, and they are less destructive for the ecosystem. Current understanding of the uptake, translocation and sequestration of Hg in plants is reviewed to highlight new avenues for exploration in phytoremediation research, and different phytoremediation strategies (phytostabilization, phytoextraction and phytovolatilization) are discussed. Research aimed at identifying suitable plant species and associated-microorganisms for use in phytoremediation of Hg-contaminated soils is also surveyed. Investigation into the potential use of transgenic plants in Hg-phytoremediation is described. Recent research on exploiting the beneficial interactions between plants and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) that are Hg-resistant and secrete plant growth promoting compounds is reviewed. We highlight areas where more research is required into the effective use of phytoremediation on Hg-contaminated sites, and conclude that the approaches it offers provide considerable potential for the future.
Christopher G. Schmit, Kauser Jahan, Kathryn H. Schmit et al.
Water Environment Research · 2010
This is a literature review for the year 2009 and contains information specifically related to suspended growth processes including activated sludge and sequencing batch reactors. This review is a subsection of the Treatment Systems section of the annual literature review. The review encompasses modeling, nutrient removal, system design and operation, oxygen transfer and solids separation. Two topics that have seen an increase in activity compared to historical reviews are membrane bioreactors and fate and occurrence of hormones and pharmaceuticals, which are referred to as m icroconstituents following current WEF terminology. Microconstituents as they relate to suspended growth reactors are covered in this review, while membrane bioreactors are reviewed in another section in this journal. Other subsections from the Treatment Systems section that might also be related to this section include: Wastewater Collection Systems; Biological Fixed Film Systems; and Modeling, Instrumentation, Automation, and Optimization of Wastewater Treatment Facilities. Many of the subsections in the Industrial Wastes, Hazardous Wastes, and Fate and Effects of Pollutants sections could also have some overlap with this section.
Carmen Rizzo, Erika Arcadi, Rosario Calogero et al.
Minerals · 2022
Marine hydrothermal systems are a special kind of extreme environments associated with submarine volcanic activity and characterized by harsh chemo-physical conditions, in terms of hot temperature, high concentrations of CO2 and H2S, and low pH. Such conditions strongly impact the living organisms, which have to develop adaptation strategies to survive. Hydrothermal systems have attracted the interest of researchers due to their enormous ecological and biotechnological relevance. From ecological perspective, these acidified habitats are useful natural laboratories to predict the effects of global environmental changes, such as ocean acidification at ecosystem level, through the observation of the marine organism responses to environmental extremes. In addition, hydrothermal vents are known as optimal sources for isolation of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microbes, with biotechnological potential. This double aspect is the focus of this review, which aims at providing a picture of the ecological features of the main Mediterranean hydrothermal vents. The physiological responses, abundance, and distribution of biotic components are elucidated, by focusing on the necto-benthic fauna and prokaryotic communities recognized to possess pivotal role in the marine ecosystem dynamics and as indicator species. The scientific interest in hydrothermal vents will be also reviewed by pointing out their relevance as source of bioactive molecules.
Mathias Pein, J. Keller, Christos Agrafiotis et al.
Advanced Energy Materials · 2024
Abstract Within this work, reticulated monolithic foams and granules made from CaMnO 3 − δ and strontium substituted variations are demonstrated to significantly improve the performance of a water splitting redox oxide when employed as a thermochemical oxygen pumping material. Two different process procedures are tested and foams made from Ca 0.9 Sr 0.1 MnO 3 − δ with a strontium content of 10% outperform all other specimens in both process configurations. Additionally, the performance of Ca 1 − x Sr x MnO 3 − δ with varying strontium content as a thermochemical oxygen pumping material is studied by means of a newly developed theoretical process model. While the model does not precisely predict the excellent experimental performance of strontium‐substitute compositions, it provides valuable insights into the impact of geometry and structure on the specimen's performance in thermochemical oxygen‐pumping processes. This work demonstrates the practical application of monolithic 3D structures made entirely from perovskite material in thermochemical oxygen pumping processes and provides a process model that can serve as basis for material screening and process optimization in future work.
Duried Alwazeer, John T. Hancock, G. Russell et al.
Frontiers in Food Science and Technology · 2024
The world is confronting numerous challenges, including global warming, health epidemics, and population growth, each presenting significant threats to the stability and sustainability of our planet’s ecosystems. Such issues have collectively contributed to a reduction in agricultural productivity, corresponding with an increase in demand and costs of essential commodities. This critical situation requires more sustainable environmental, social, and technological solutions. Molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) has been suggested as a “green” solution for our energy needs and many health, agricultural, and food applications. H 2 supplementation in agriculture may represent a novel and low-carbon biotechnological strategy applicable to the abundant production of crops, vegetables, and fruits in agri-food chains. H 2 is a potential green alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers. The use of a hydrogen-rich water irrigation system may also provide other health-related advantages, i.e., decreasing the heavy metal accumulation in crops. By adopting a H 2 strategy, crop producers, food processors, and decision-makers can contribute to sustainable solutions in the face of global challenges such as climate change, communicable disease epidemics, and a growing population. The versatile applications of H₂ in agriculture and the wider food industry position it as a uniquely suitable approach to address today’s significant challenges, potentially fostering better crop production and positively impacting the agri-food chain. The present review is timely in combining the latest knowledge about the potential applications of H 2 in the agriculture and food industry, from farm to fork.
Samira Elaissi, Eman M. Moneer, Norah A. M. Alsaif et al.
Open Physics · 2026
Abstract A plasma source with an inductive coupling can effectively modify and etch metals and semiconductors used in photosensitization and optoelectronics materials. This paper focuses on modelling two-dimensional argon-chlorine plasma in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor using COMSOL Multiphysics. The molecular dynamics, electromagnetic field, induction currents, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics distributions are investigated for efficient plasma processing. Simulated results indicate that higher pressure confines the discharge, reducing the density of electrons at the substrate location, which would tend to reduce the ion and radical fluxes available for etching. With rising source power, ion flux increased, but the mean ion energy doesn’t change much. Plasma electronegativity decreases with increasing RF power, and the discharge switches between capacitive and inductive mode. On the other hand, plasma electronegativity increases with increasing chlorine concentrations, and it becomes more significant up to 50 % of chlorine concentrations. However, molecule species lose energy, resulting in a rapidly declining electron density with increasing chlorine content. The simulation study enables the accurate extraction of operating conditions of ICP reactors using an Ar/Cl 2 mixture that significantly enhances uniform etching without damaging the material.
Fatemeh Khodadadian
Research Repository (Delft University of Technology) · 2019
Photocatalysis involves the absorption of photons by a semiconductor to enhance chemical reactions. Examples of important applications include the degradation of hazardous chemicals, reduction of carbon dioxide to valuable chemicals and (partial) oxidation of hydrocarbons. Despite many successful demonstrations of this technology at lab-scale, its industrial application has been hindered by the low overall efficiency of the process due to several challenges that need to be resolved. One of the main challenges is efficient utilization of light within a photocatalytic reactor, which affects the economic feasibility of the process especially when using artificial light sources. In the last few years, the feasibility of using UV-LEDs as an alternative light source for conventional UV-lamps, such as mercury and xenon lamps, has been shown for applications in the gas and liquid phase. Yet, strategies that would allow for optimal light utilization within LED-based reactors during design and operation are lacking. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is on the efficient use of photons by development and validation of novel approaches for the design, optimization, and control of LED-based photocatalytic reactors. The photocatalytic degradation of toluene in the gas phase is adopted as the model reaction, since toluene is one of the most common indoor pollutants threatening human health. In the design phase of a LED-based reactor, the flexible positioning of LEDs enabled by their small size, in combination with the reactor design parameters, provides a large degree of freedom. When using all of those degrees of freedom simultaneously, mathematical optimization techniques are a necessity. Hence, a model-based approach for optimization of the design of LED-based photocatalytic reactors is developed. A photocatalytic reaction rate is not only a function of the chemical species adsorbed on the catalytic surface, but also on the rate of photons absorbed by the catalyst. Therefore, an efficient photocatalytic reactor design optimizes both the mass transfer as well as the photon transfer. First, an integrated model is developed that describes the distribution of reactants and photons within an annular LED-based photocatalytic reactor. Second, an objective function, representing a trade-off between capital and operating costs is defined and several design variables related to the reactor dimensions and light sources are optimized simultaneously. Furthermore, the capability of the LED-based photocatalytic reactor in controlling the local reaction rate is shown by changing the objective function of the optimization problem. The results demonstrate the importance of model-based optimization to systematically incorporate the inherent trade-offs that exist in the design and operation of LED-based photocatalytic reactors.<br/>A validated process model is essential for optimization. Furthermore, characterization of process trends is needed when developing operational strategies such as automated control. For this purpose, a mini-pilot plant including an annular LED-based photocatalytic reactor has been developed to validate the integrated process model including a radiation field, reaction kinetics, and material balances experimentally for the photocatalytic degradation of toluene. Because water is inevitably present in many photocatalytic applications, a special focus is on the effect of water on reaction kinetics, toluene conversion, mineralization, and catalyst deactivation for characterization of the process trend. The results from parameter estimation studies demonstrate that a competitive reaction rate model can best describe the experimental data with varying water concentration. Furthermore, experimental results demonstrate that toluene conversion is highest at a low water concentration; however, mineralization and catalyst lifetime are enhanced by the presence of water. The validation of the integrated process model and understanding of the role of water allow for improved design and operation of future LED-based photocatalytic reactors.<br/>Following the conclusion from the process characterization study that electron-hole recombination is dominant in the system, the impact of periodical illumination of LEDs on the photonic efficiency of toluene degradation is investigated. It has been suggested that intermittent introduction of photons on the catalytic surface can possibly reduce the electron-hole recombination and, consequently, can improve the photon utilization of the photocatalytic process during operation. Therefore, the impact of light/dark periods and duty cycles is studied. However, no transition or change in the photonic efficiency when moving from a short to a long light/dark time at a fixed duty cycle is observed experimentally for the system studied in this thesis. Furthermore, the results of the experiments at two different periods show an increase in photonic efficiency with a decrease in the duty cycle. However, the photonic efficiency under controlled periodic illumination, regardless of the duty cycle or period, is found to be similar to that under continuous illumination at an equivalent average irradiance, suggesting no mass-transfer limitations in the system. Therefore, it is concluded that periodical illumination does not improve photon utilization in a system where electron-hole recombination is dominant but there is no mass transfer limitation. During operation, the performance of an optimally designed reactor may deviate from optimal conditions because of design uncertainties and disturbances acting on the system. Therefore, the application of automated feedback and feedforward controllers to maintain the reactor conversion close to a desired value by adjusting the photon irradiance within a LED-based photocatalytic reactor is studied. The excellent capability of the feedback controller in tracking different conversion set points is shown in the presence of unmeasured and measured disturbances, which allows for a desired conversion of toluene to be maintained. Furthermore, a feedforward controller has been designed based on an empirical steady-state model to mitigate the effect of changing toluene inlet concentration and relative humidity, which are typical measured input disturbances. The results demonstrate that the feedback and feedforward controllers are complementary and can mitigate the effects of disturbances effectively such that the photocatalytic reactor operates close to the desired output at all times. This study delivers the first example of how online analytical technologies can be combined with “smart” light sources such as LEDs to implement automated process control loops that optimize photon utilization. Future work may expand on this concept by developing more advanced control strategies and exploring applications in different areas. This thesis focuses on the development and validation of methods that provide optimal photon utilization within an annular LED-based photocatalytic reactor for design and operation. However, the proposed approaches and findings of this work can in principle be applied to different configurations of LED-based photocatalytic reactors as well. In addition, the suggested mathematical model in this thesis can be applied as a useful tool for the prediction of mass and photon transfer rate during scale-up studies of LED-based photocatalytic reactors. Furthermore, the developed control structures can be transferred to a larger scale since control structures are generally known to scale-up well. Providing approaches for optimum photon utilization, the outcome of this thesis could facilitate the realization of more economically viable photocatalytic processes when transferring the technology from lab-scale to the industrial applications.
Zhineng Wu, Quanli Man, Hanyu Niu et al.
Frontiers in Microbiology · 2022
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a ubiquitous chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (CAH) in the environment, which is a Group 1 carcinogen with negative impacts on human health and ecosystems. Based on a series of recent advances, the environmental behavior and biodegradation process on TCE biodegradation need to be reviewed systematically. Four main biodegradation processes leading to TCE biodegradation by isolated bacteria and mixed cultures are anaerobic reductive dechlorination, anaerobic cometabolic reductive dichlorination, aerobic co-metabolism, and aerobic direct oxidation. More attention has been paid to the aerobic co-metabolism of TCE. Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that bacterial isolates or mixed cultures containing Dehalococcoides or Dehalogenimonas can catalyze reductive dechlorination of TCE to ethene. The mechanisms, pathways, and enzymes of TCE biodegradation were reviewed, and the factors affecting the biodegradation process were discussed. Besides, the research progress on material-mediated enhanced biodegradation technologies of TCE through the combination of zero-valent iron (ZVI) or biochar with microorganisms was introduced. Furthermore, we reviewed the current research on TCE biodegradation in field applications, and finally provided the development prospects of TCE biodegradation based on the existing challenges. We hope that this review will provide guidance and specific recommendations for future studies on CAHs biodegradation in laboratory and field applications.
Tarun Kumar Thakur, Mahesh Prasad Barya, Joystu Dutta et al.
Water · 2023
Macrophytes have the potential to withstand pollutant-induced stress and can be used to clean contaminated water using phyto-extraction, phyto-degradation, phyto-filtration, phyto-stimulation, and phyto-volatilization technique(s). Phytoremediation through constructed wetlands (CWs) for eliminating inorganic and organic pollutants from household sewage and wastewater has attracted scientific attention. CWs are artificially engineered treatment systems that utilize natural cycles or processes involving soils, wetland vegetation, and plant and soil-associated microbial assemblages to remediate contaminated water and improve its quality. Herein, we present a detailed assessment of contaminant removal effectiveness in different CW systems, i.e., free-water surface or surface-flow constructed wetlands (FWSCWs/SFCWs), subsurface-flow constructed wetlands (SSFCWs), and hybrid constructed wetlands (HCWs). Several wetland floral species have been reported as potential phytoremediators, effectively reducing aquatic contamination through biodegrading, biotransforming, and bioaccumulating contaminants. Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is one of the most resistant macrophytes, capable of tolerating high nitrate (NO3−) and phosphate (PO42−) concentrations. Other aquatic weeds also effectively alleviate biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and pathogen levels and ameliorate the impact of different ionic forms of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and trace elements (TEs). The review primarily focuses on using hydrophyte(s)-microbe(s) associations in different CWs as an essential phytoremediation tool for sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems, ecorestoration, and prospective resource recovery, favoring a circular bioeconomy (CBE).
Viabhav Kumar Upadhayay, Manoj Kumar Chitara, Dhruv Mishra et al.
Frontiers in Microbiology · 2023
Modern agriculture is primarily focused on the massive production of cereals and other food-based crops in a sustainable manner in order to fulfill the food demands of an ever-increasing global population. However, intensive agricultural practices, rampant use of agrochemicals, and other environmental factors result in soil fertility degradation, environmental pollution, disruption of soil biodiversity, pest resistance, and a decline in crop yields. Thus, experts are shifting their focus to other eco-friendly and safer methods of fertilization in order to ensure agricultural sustainability. Indeed, the importance of plant growth-promoting microorganisms, also determined as "plant probiotics (PPs)," has gained widespread recognition, and their usage as biofertilizers is being actively promoted as a means of mitigating the harmful effects of agrochemicals. As bio-elicitors, PPs promote plant growth and colonize soil or plant tissues when administered in soil, seeds, or plant surface and are used as an alternative means to avoid heavy use of agrochemicals. In the past few years, the use of nanotechnology has also brought a revolution in agriculture due to the application of various nanomaterials (NMs) or nano-based fertilizers to increase crop productivity. Given the beneficial properties of PPs and NMs, these two can be used in tandem to maximize benefits. However, the use of combinations of NMs and PPs, or their synergistic use, is in its infancy but has exhibited better crop-modulating effects in terms of improvement in crop productivity, mitigation of environmental stress (drought, salinity, etc.), restoration of soil fertility, and strengthening of the bioeconomy. In addition, a proper assessment of nanomaterials is necessary before their application, and a safer dose of NMs should be applicable without showing any toxic impact on the environment and soil microbial communities. The combo of NMs and PPs can also be encapsulated within a suitable carrier, and this method aids in the controlled and targeted delivery of entrapped components and also increases the shelf life of PPs. However, this review highlights the functional annotation of the combined impact of NMs and PPs on sustainable agricultural production in an eco-friendly manner.
Hassan Azzan, Killian Gmyrek, David Danaci et al.
Adsorption · 2025
Abstract The adsorption kinetics of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in three cationic forms of binderless pellets of Y-types zeolites (H-Y, Na-Y, and TMA exchanged Na-Y) are studied using the zero-length column (ZLC) technique. The measurements were carried out at $$288.15\,\textrm{K},298.15\,\textrm{K}$$ and $${308.15}\,\textrm{K}$$ using different flowrates and an initial CO 2 partial pressure of $${0.10} \,\textrm{bar}$$ – conditions representative of post-combustion CO 2 capture applications. The mass transport within the adsorbent pellets was described using a 1-D Fickian diffusion model accounting for intra- and inter-crystalline mass transport. For the latter, the parallel pore model formulation was used to explicitly account for the adsorbent’s macropore size distribution in estimating the volume-averaged diffusivity of the gas. Experiments carried out using different carrier gases, namely helium and nitrogen, were used (i) to determine that these systems are macropore diffusion limited and (ii) to simplify the parameter estimation to a single parameter - the macropore tortuosity. The latter ( $$\tau =1.3-2.5$$ ) was in good agreement with independent measurements using MIP ( $$\tau \approx 1.7$$ ). The associated diffusion coefficient, $$D^\textrm{e}_\textrm{mac}$$ , was found to vary due to differences in the materials’ macropore size distributions and overall porosity. Upon combining the parallel pore model formulation with the temperature dependencies for the pore diffusivities derived from molecular theories of gases, we predict $$D^\textrm{e}_\textrm{mac}\propto {T^b}$$ with $$b=[0.78-0.88]$$ depending on the macropore size distribution. Notably, for the range of temperature tested in this study, $$D^\textrm{e}_\textrm{mac}$$ varies approximately linearly with temperature ( $$b\approx 1$$ )– in contrast to the commonly reported correlation of $$b=1.75$$ , which may be more appropriate for systems where molecular diffusion dominates and Knudsen diffusion is negligible. The binderless pellets of Y-type zeolites studied exhibit generally higher values for the effective macropore diffusivity of CO 2 compared to previously reported results on commercial FAU zeolites.
Bilassé Zongo, S. A. Balogun, T.A. Shittu
Polish Journal of Environmental Studies · 2023
With the increasing population and urbanization in the world, generated wastewater is an alternative to water scarcity. Treated wastewater has environmental, human health and socio-economic benefits. However, in Africa, 95% of raw-wastewater is released into the environment. Therefore, this paper emphasizes wastewater reuse meeting the standard criteria, particularly in Africa.<br /> Data were collected based on peer review literature on wastewater reuse systems, and handling systems in general and specifically in Africa. In addition, online publications and onsite visits in Burkina Faso and Nigeria allow apprehending wastewater reuse systems in the world including Africa. Then, analysis was done and challenging prospects were identified.<br /> Results show that from ancient to the present, wastewater is disposed of or reused for different purposes. Because of increasing waterborne diseases, advanced water reclamation technologies were developed for water reuse. In Africa, raw wastewater is still disposed of and reused while cost-effective technologies and facilities are now developed for wastewater reclamation. Consequently, populations are suffering from waterborne diseases. Produced effluent meeting the standards for reuse is the appropriate treatment. To make it possible in Africa, leaders must pay attention to population wellbeing as a priority, to infrastructures and their maintenance, to integrated technologies for cost-effective treatment, and to consider the removal of antimicrobial resistances.
Camilla H. M. Camargos, Yang Liu, Jennifer C. Jackson et al.
ACS Applied Bio Materials · 2025
Water scarcity, contamination, and lack of sanitation are global issues that require innovations in chemistry, engineering, and materials science. To tackle the challenge of providing high-quality drinking water for a growing population, we need to develop high-performance and multifunctional materials to treat water on both small and large scales. As modern society and science prioritize more sustainable engineering practices, water treatment processes will need to use materials produced from sustainable resources via green chemical routes, combining multiple advanced properties such as high surface area and great affinity for contaminants. Lignin, one of the major components of plants and an abundant byproduct of the cellulose and bioethanol industries, offers a cost-effective and scalable platform for developing such materials, with a wide range of physicochemical properties that can be tailored to improve their performance for target water treatment applications. This review aims to bridge the current gap in the literature by exploring the use of lignin, both as solid bulk or solubilized macromolecules and nanolignin as multifunctional (nano)materials for sustainable water treatment processes. We address the application of lignin-based macro-, micro-, and nanostructured materials in adsorption, catalysis, flocculation, membrane filtration processes, and antimicrobial coatings and composites. Throughout the exploration of recent progress and trends in this field, we emphasize the importance of integrating principles of green chemistry and materials sustainability to advance sustainable water treatment technologies.
Sunny Dhiman, Babita Thakur, Sukhminderjit Kaur et al.
Discover Sustainability · 2025
The global production of agricultural and food commodities has increased significantly over the past decades to meet the growing demand for food, driven by population growth, urbanization, and changes in dietary habits. This increased production has inevitably led to a substantial rise in the generation of agricultural and food processing wastes, which pose significant environmental challenges. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Food Waste Index Report 2024 highlights a global annual food waste of 1.05 billion tons. The UNEP plays a crucial role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, which aims to halve per capita global food waste (FW) at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains globally by 2030. Thus, there is an urgent need to mitigate this accumulating waste through eco-friendly and economically viable techniques. With the advent of circular economy principles, food waste is increasingly being seen as a valuable resource for the production of valuable bioproducts. This review paper discusses innovative processes and technologies driving this transformation. This article emphasizes the imperative of transforming waste biomass residues into value-added products as a key step towards achieving sustainability goals and fostering a circular economy.
Tanvi Bhatia, S. S. Sindhu
Discover Agriculture · 2024
Recent climate variability, limited fertile land availability and soil degradation are major constraints to achieve food security for an ever-increasing human population. The adoption of intensive agriculture practices and highly productive agrosystems coupled with intensive use of agrochemicals has caused significant increases in agriculture production worldwide. This exhaustive production system has caused significant increases in generation and accumulation of large quantities organic wastes, which cause environmental pollution, deteriorate soil health and increase public health hazards. Conventional methods of organic waste management such as in situ burning of organic wastes, landfilling and chemical degradation are labour intensive, expensive and highly energy-consuming, and negatively impact the environment. Therefore, sustainable, eco-friendly and socially acceptable agri-technologies have been developed for value-added management of organic wastes and to obviate pollution problem. These biological technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, vermicomposting, production of biochar, organic phytostimulants, and bioremediation of pollutants have opened new vista for organic waste management. The addition of processed organic amendments (i.e., compost, vermicompost, biogas slurry and biochar) to the soil increases soil organic matter and nutrients availability, stimulates soil microbial community, contributes towards biocontrol of pathogens and also causes detoxification of pesticides. Furthermore, soil amendment with processed organic waste material, singly or with beneficial microbes, improved soil health, promoted growth of plants and increased the crop yields with less dependency on chemical fertilizers. In this article, the current technologies used for management of accumulated organic wastes are discussed for improving sustainable crop production, while maintaining environmental sustainability.
Nur Hidayati Othman, Nalan Kabay, Enver Güler
Reviews in Chemical Engineering · 2021
Abstract Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is among the evolving membrane-based processes available for energy harvesting by mixing water with different salinities. The chemical potential difference causes the movement of cations and anions in opposite directions that can then be transformed into the electrical current at the electrodes by redox reactions. Although several works have shown the possibilities of achieving high power densities through the RED system, the transformation to the industrial-scale stacks remains a challenge particularly in understanding the correlation between ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) and the operating conditions. This work provides an overview of the RED system including its development and modifications of IEM utilized in the RED system. The effects of modified membranes particularly on the psychochemical properties of the membranes and the effects of numerous operating variables are discussed. The prospects of combining the RED system with other technologies such as reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, membrane distillation, heat engine, microbial fuel cell), and flow battery have been summarized based on open-loop and closed-loop configurations. This review attempts to explain the development and prospect of RED technology for salinity gradient power production and further elucidate the integrated RED system as a promising way to harvest energy while reducing the impact of liquid waste disposal on the environment.
Min Xu
cIRcle (University of British Columbia) · 2010
A novel interconnected fluidized bed (IFB) reactor with a bypass line for chemical looping combustion (CLC) has been developed to overcome the problem of short residence time of oxygen carrier in the air reactor. A comprehensive hydrodynamic study was carried out on the cold-flow model of the proposed reactor. Detailed mapping of the operating conditions for the reactor system was studied. Pressure transducers were applied to investigate the pressure loops and the cross-sectional average solids hold-up along the air reactor. Solids circulation flux between the two reactors was measured using butterfly valves by estimating the time interval for collecting a given volume of solids. Helium was used as gas tracer for gas leakage measurement. The experiments examined the gas leakage from air reactor to fuel reactor, from fuel reactor to air reactor, from loop-seals to fuel reactor and from fuel reactor to the cyclone. For scaling consideration, the cold-flow reactor was operated with fluidizing gas mixture of helium and air to simulate the hydrodynamics of the hot unit. The effect of density ratio of solids to gas on the solids circulation flux, pressure loops and voidage distribution along the air reactor was investigated. The connection between cold unit and hot unit is achieved by applying a scaling law. It can be stated that the cold-flow model operated with fluidizing gas mixture of 96 vol% helium and 4 vol% air can be used to simulate the hydrodynamics of an atmospheric CLC hot unit. A comprehensive model for the investigation of the reactor is introduced by combining fluidization properties and a particle population balance for calculation of the bed particle conversion, considering the chemical reaction of a single particle. The dimensionless parameters, Mrfuel and Mrair, which represent the mass ratio of input oxidized-particles to the input fuel in unit time for the fuel reactor and the mass ratio of reduced-particles to the input oxygen in unit time for the air reactor, respectively, are introduced. The model shows that Mrfuel should be more than 50 for achieving fuel conversion of 90% in the fuel reactor and Mrair should be more than 60 for achieving oxygen conversion of 85% in the air reactor. A procedure for optimizing the performance of the atmospheric CLC reactor is developed. The modeling analysis indicated that the optimum operating condition of an atmospheric CLC reactor hot unit should be chosen as follows: fuel capacity is 80 kW, Ua0=6.6 m/s, Uf0= 0.076 m/s, UA1=4Umf, UA2=1Umf, and the temperature in air reactor is 1223 K and in fuel reactor is 1173 K.
Yaxin Huang, Ke Zhou, Huhu Cheng et al.
Advanced Functional Materials · 2023
Abstract Water‐enabled electricity generation technologies that are highly accessible and fundamentally clean are promising for next‐generation green energy. However, the challenge of scalability in both material processing and device fabrication greatly limits their practical applications. A high‐performance polyelectrolyte moist‐electric generator (MEG), which can be directly 3D printed for massive production and efficient integration, is reported. The printed MEG (p‐MEG) generates a high open‐circuit voltage of 0.8 V and a short‐circuit‐current density of 0.12 mA cm −2 by actively harvesting moisture from humid conditions. The synergistic effects of moisture gradient, ionic concentration gradient, and ion diffusion gradient, which remarkably enhance the driving force to separate ion pairs and notably facilitate the directional ion transport, are responsible for the high power generation performance of p‐MEG, as further backed up by in situ ion dynamics investigations and molecular simulations. When connected in serial and parallel, hundreds of p‐MEGs can deliver a high voltage of more than 180 V and a current of more than 1 mA. A constructed “moisture‐powered cup lamp” that lights up for hours further demonstrates the practicability of p‐MEG. This work provides a feasible and scalable 3D printing approach for the next‐generation environment‐adaptive self‐powered system.
Zichao Deng, Liang Xu, Huaifang Qin et al.
Advanced Materials · 2022
Water-current energy is an enormous and widely distributed clean energy in nature, with different scales from large ocean flow to small local turbulence. However, few effective technologies have been proposed to make use of different forms of water currents as a power source. Here, high-performance paired triboelectric nanogenerators (P-TENGs) capable of integrating massively into a thin flexible layer as a structured triboelectric surface (STS) are demonstrated for harvesting water-current energy. Novel gas packet exchange structure and rigid-flexible coupling deformation mechanism are introduced to ensure that the device can work very effectively even in deep water under high water pressure. The rationally designed TENG array in the STS enables highly efficient power take-off from the flow. Typically, the STS demonstrates a high-frequency output up to 57 Hz, largely superior to current TENG devices, and the power density is improved by over 100 times for triboelectric devices harvesting current energy. The flexible STS is capable of attaching to various surfaces or applying independently for self-powered sensing and underwater power supply, showing great potential for water-current energy utilization. Moreover, the work also initiates universal strategies to fabricate high-frequency devices under large environment pressure, which may profoundly enrich the design of TENGs.
Sara Arabi, Marie‐Laure Pellegrin, Jorge Aguinaldo et al.
Water Environment Research · 2020
This literature review provides a review for publications in 2018 and 2019 and includes information membrane processes findings for municipal and industrial applications. This review is a subsection of the annual Water Environment Federation literature review for Treatment Systems section. The following topics are covered in this literature review: industrial wastewater and membrane. Bioreactor (MBR) configuration, membrane fouling, design, reuse, nutrient removal, operation, anaerobic membrane systems, microconstituents removal, membrane technology advances, and modeling. Other sub-sections of the Treatment Systems section that might relate to this literature review include the following: Biological Fixed-Film Systems, Activated Sludge, and Other Aerobic Suspended Culture Processes, Anaerobic Processes, and Water Reclamation and Reuse. This publication might also have related information on membrane processes: Industrial Wastes, Hazardous Wastes, and Fate and Effects of Pollutants.
Yung‐Tse Hung, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Siti Hafizan Hassan et al.
Water Environment Research · 2014
This review of literature published in 2013 focuses on waste related to chemical and allied products. The topics cover the waste management practices, hospital waste, perfume waste, pesticide waste, chemical wastewater, pesticide wastewater and pharmaceutical wastewater. The other topics include aerobic treatment, anaerobic treatment, sorption and ozonation.
Robert Pierrard, R. Mohan Sankaran
Plasma Processes and Polymers · 2025
ABSTRACT Non‐thermal, atmospheric‐pressure plasmas formed near liquids are typically in contact with metal at a boundary. Here, a new strategy is presented to generate a direct current (DC) plasma between a pair of liquid water surfaces. Characterization of the system shows that remarkably, plasma properties such as gas temperature and electron density remain constant over a wide current range. Concomitantly, this new reactor geometry was found to avoid a glow‐to‐arc transition at the highest currents studied. The reactor was applied to the degradation of phenol and found to achieve up to 90% removal in 60 min. The ability to sustain a high‐power DC plasma in direct contact with only liquid water is attractive for scalable applications in chemical synthesis and pollutant degradation.
Marwa Alaqarbeh, Syed Farooq Adil, Tamara Ghrear et al.
Catalysts · 2023
Palladium (Pd), a noble metal, has unique properties for C-C bond formation in reactions such as the Suzuki and Heck reactions. Besides Pd-based complexes, Pd NPs have also attracted significant attention for applications such as fuel cells, hydrogen storage, and sensors for gases such as H2 and non-enzymatic glucose, including catalysis. Additionally, Pd NPs are catalysts in environmental treatment to abstract organic and heavy-metal pollutants such as Cr (VI) by converting them to Cr(III). In terms of biological activity, Pd NPs were found to be active against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, where 99.99% of bacteria were destroyed, while PVP-Pd NPs displayed anticancer activity against human breast cancer MCF7. Hence, in this review, we attempted to cover recent progress in the various applications of Pd NPs with emphasis on their application as sensors and catalysts for energy-related and other applications.
Ahmed H. El‐Sappah, Yumin Zhu, Qiulan Huang et al.
Frontiers in Plant Science · 2024
The contamination of soil and water with high levels of heavy metals (HMs) has emerged as a significant obstacle to agricultural productivity and overall crop quality. Certain HMs, although serving as essential micronutrients, are required in smaller quantities for plant growth. However, when present in higher concentrations, they become very toxic. Several studies have shown that to balance out the harmful effects of HMs, complex systems are needed at the molecular, physiological, biochemical, cellular, tissue, and whole plant levels. This could lead to more crops being grown. Our review focused on HMs' resources, occurrences, and agricultural implications. This review will also look at how plants react to HMs and how they affect seed performance as well as the benefits that HMs provide for plants. Furthermore, the review examines HMs' transport genes in plants and their molecular, biochemical, and metabolic responses to HMs. We have also examined the obstacles and potential for HMs in plants and their management strategies.
Wing-Sze Ho, Wei-Han Lin, Francis Verpoort et al.
Journal of Environmental Management · 2023