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An estimated 30 % (∼11 million metric tons/year) of copper slag is still landfilled globally. Fayalitic copper slags are well-characterized, and they can be recycled into multiple safe end-products. Conversely, the major type of copper slag produced in Europe is lead-rich and warrants a deep understanding of phases present in it, properties, adverse environmental implications, and potential recycling strategies. The objective of this study is to thoroughly investigate such industrial slags by XRF, XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, novel automated image analysis using Aphelion, hot stage microscopy (HSM) and assess prospects for their valorization. These industrial slags were found to contain 26.1–50.5 wt% PbO, 3.4–5.4 % As 2 O 5 (both hazardous solid wastes), 5.7–42 % CuO (present partly as Cu 2 O, an irritant), 3.2–18.2 % Fe 2 O 3 , 14–15.9 % SiO 2 and oxides of chromium, cobalt (both carcinogenic), zinc and nickel (both toxic to aquatic life). The limitation of Rietveld XRD for glass quantification was overcome by newly-developed automated SEM-image processing which revealed that all three slags consisted of a lead silicate glass (36.3–65.8 vol%). Strikingly, rarely published arsenic- and lead-based compounds like (Ca,Pb) 4 As 2 O 9-x , (Ca,Cu) 2 PbO 4-x and Pb 3 Ca 2 Si 3 O 11 were found when slag's PbO/CuO was 0.6, and Ca 3 As 2 O 8 -Pb 2 SiO 4 formed when PbO/CuO equaled 9. The challenge of toxicity and landfilling can be overcome as these slags have high potential to be used for recovery of copper, cobalt, and lead. Radioactive waste immobilization glasses, gamma-ray shielding concrete and glass-ceramic consumer products may also be prepared from them. HSM revealed that a higher PbO/CuO ratio results in lower melting point and smaller melt contact angle indicating such slag can be useful for manufacturing recycled ceramics but corrosive towards refractories in copper converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing interest in quinoa in Europe has generated a large number of studies with this seed as a partial substitute for refined wheat flour in bakery products as a strategy to improve their nutritional value. However, the wide genetic diversity of this seed offers very different compositions in different varieties, which would lead to different technological behaviours in the breadmaking process. The aim of this work was to make a comparative study of the protein profile and rheological and thermal properties of three varieties of quinoa widely available commercially in Europe to study their technological potential as breadmaking ingredients with 25% replacement of wheat flour by whole quinoa flour. The results obtained during the analysis offered a view of the proteins present in the various quinoas, and of the processes of hydrolysis and generation of new bonds between wheat and quinoa proteins during the breadmaking process. The changes in the thermal and pasting properties of the bread doughs that included whole quinoa flour led to the development of baked products with different physico-chemical and textural properties, producing an increase on crumb staling. However, replacement of 25% of the wheat flour with whole quinoa flour produced only a slight decrease in the technological quality of the products. A significant increase (p < 0.05) in dietary fibre, minerals, lipids, and proteins in comparison with a whole wheat product, together with the overall consumer acceptance of the products that were developed, was conclusive for proposing replacement with quinoa flour as a strategy for nutritional improvement in the manufacture of bakery products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study proposes ply-lam CLT with domestic plywood as the core material of CLT. • The thermal conductivities of ply-lam CLT in the radial was lowest at 0.104 W/m K. • The ply-lam CLT walls had lower thermal bridges than wood frame structure walls. • The ply-lam CLT walls with exterior insulation had lower thermal bridges. • The connection method using STS was able to maintain excellent insulation performance. Cross-laminated timber (CLT), developed in Europe for the utilization of low-grade wood, is an engineered wood product (EWP) with high carbon storage and low carbon emissions. CLT wooden houses have advantages such as reduction of greenhouse gases, shortening of construction period through precast and modular construction, improved of insulation performance and airtight performance, the realization of the high-rise wooden house. In this study, ply-laminate cross-laminated timber (ply-lam CLT) was prepared using domestic plywood as the core material of CLT, and the thermal properties and heat transfer performance of ply-lam CLT were analyzed. The thermal conductivities of the ply-lam CLT in the radial, tangential, and longitudinal directions were 0.104 W/(m K), 0.111 W/(m K), and 0.122 W/(m K), respectively. The results of the heat transfer analysis through ISO 10211 indicated that the ply-lam CLT walls had lower thermal bridges than wood frame structure walls. Moreover, the ply-lam CLT walls with exterior insulation had lower thermal bridges. In addition, the self-tapping screw (STS) joining method on all connections was able to maintain excellent insulation performance because of low thermal transmittance coefficient. In addition, it should be noted that the STS applied from inside overlapped with the geometric thermal bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based materials, due to their availability, environmental benefits and high thermal properties, have already been implemented in several building envelope designs. However, most of them either did not optimise the use of the material or did not provide sufficient thermal insulation for use in permanent buildings. The presented research analyses six original paper-based building envelope core proposals, suitable for use in permanent buildings in temperate climate of Europe, in terms of thermal and environmental efficiency. Proposals include cores with embedded paper tubes structural elements, timber-cardboard studs and sandwich designs. The heat transfer coefficient of the envelopes was obtained for repeatable modules via 2D computer simulations (ThermCAD software), and the environmental impact was assessed for a representative square metre of the envelope via LCA analysis, based in ecoinvent 3.8 database. All analysed designs showed high thermal insulation properties and met the requirements for U max = 0.20 W/m2K, did not cause the risk of surface condensation, nor have excessive thermal bridges. The analysed building envelope designs based on embedded frame wall structure showed environmental superiority over conventional envelopes (timber frame and SIP panels). The research may serve as a proof of concept, for using paper-based building envelopes in sustainable architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe is dangerously dependent on Russian natural gas (NG): 13 European nations rely on Russian NG for over 50 % of their requirements. In addition, Europe relies on Russia for about one third of its oil imports. Europe is acutely aware of this high level of energy dependence, which has been, once again, highlighted by the Ukrainian crisis. The European Council March 2014 Brussels Summit Meeting focused on Europe's energy dependence on Russia, especially for NG. The Summit recommended that efforts be intensified to reduce Europe's gas energy dependency and that the EU accelerate diversification of its energy supply. However, via a carefully thought out strategy, Europe can significantly reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies through greater utilization of clean coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the methodology, description, and results of experimental studies aimed at determining the impact of the copper concentration in a carbon–metal composite contact strip on the maximum temperature of the copper contact wire during a contact event when used for operation in the railway industry in Europe. Based on these tests, we determined the minimum percentage of copper that is required for the composite to meet the normative requirements for current loads. In addition to experimental research, a 3D FEM numerical model was also developed in which the contact strip and contact wire geometry were mapped, along with imposed loads resulting from the test for current loads mentioned above. Fifteen simulation variants were carried out for the established model, where the value of the thermal conductivity coefficient and the specific heat coefficient were varied. On this basis, we analyzed the sensitivity of thermal coefficients to the contact wire temperature and determined the minimum conductivity coefficient value, which allowed the maximum copper contact wire temperature of 120 °C to be obtained during the verification tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature exerts a first order control on rock strength, principally via thermally activated creep deformation and on the distribution at depth of the brittle-ductile transition zone. The latter can be regarded as the lower bound to the seismogenic zone, thereby controlling the spatial distribution of seismicity within a lithospheric plate. As such, models of the crustal thermal field are important to understand the localisation of seismicity. Here we relate results from 3D simulations of the steady state thermal field of the Alpine orogen and its forelands to the distribution of seismicity in this seismically active area of Central Europe. The model takes into account how the crustal heterogeneity of the region effects thermal properties and is validated with a dataset of wellbore temperatures. We find that the Adriatic crust appears more mafic, through its radiogenic heat values (1.30E-06 W/m3) and maximum temperature of seismicity (600 °C), than the European crust (1.3–2.6E-06 W/m3 and 450 °C). We also show that at depths of <10 km the thermal field is largely controlled by sedimentary blanketing or topographic effects, whilst the deeper temperature field is primarily controlled by the LAB topology and the distribution and parameterization of radiogenic heat sources within the upper crust. • Bulk lithology asserts a primary control on maximum temperature of seismicity. • The thermal effect of alpine topography is present to lower crustal depths (20 km). • The Adriatic crust is more mafic than the European crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of quinoa flour is greatly determined by its non-starch components, mainly protein and lipids. Dry fractionation has an important impact on the composition and physicochemical properties of quinoa flour and grits. Quinoa cv. Titicaca, the most extensively grown in Europe and little studied so far, was used in this work. Hydration, techno-functional, rheological and thermal properties of three quinoa fractions obtained by dry fractionation (fine, medium and coarse) were evaluated and related to their particle size and composition. The medium fraction (~500 μm) was enriched in protein (50%) and lipids (80%) and depleted in starch (30%) with respect to the original grain; while the coarse fraction (~1000 μm) was enriched in starch (7%) and reduced in protein (15%). The fine fraction showed the most similar functional, pasting and rheological properties to the whole grain quinoa flour. The coarse fraction led to the most consistent gels, with the elastic (G′) and viscous (G'') moduli being ten and twenty times higher than those found in the other quinoa fractions and the whole grain flour. The degree of retrogradation as well as the formation of the amylose-lipid complex were markedly affected by the particle size and not so by the composition of each fraction. This work allows to conclude that dry fractionation of quinoa grains is a feasible procedure to tailoring the nutritional profile of the flour and its techno-functional and rheological properties. Image 1 • An efficient dry milling process of quinoa produces nutritional enriched fractions. • Fraction with medium particle size (~500 μm) was enriched in protein and lipids. • The coarse fraction (~1000 μm) led to gels much more consistent. • Amylose-lipid complex formation decreased in the larger particle size fractions. • Amylopectin retrogradation extent increased in the larger particle size fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, thermal and structural properties, as well as molecular dynamics of co-amorphous binary mixtures composed of itraconazole (ITZ) and four other active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with antifungal activity (posaconazole (POS), ketoconazole (KET), fluconazole (FLU), and voriconazole (VOR)), have been investigated. Calorimetric measurements indicated that with increasing concentration of each excipient (EXC), the glass transition temperature and phase transition temperatures, related to the formation of nematic and smectic order, are affected in the binary systems. Comprehensive analysis of the enthalpy of isotropic-nematic transition and the temperature dependence of the order parameter, calculated from infrared data for selected mixtures, supported by the results of X-ray diffraction , enabled us to confirm the suppression of liquid crystalline (LC) ordering in ITZ by KET, FLU, and VOR. On the other hand, ITZ enforced the nematic-like molecular arrangement of POS. Further dielectric measurements revealed that the type of EXC and its content in the mixture have no impact on the ratio of α - and δ -relaxation times (τ α and τ δ , respectively) in ITZ. Moreover, it was shown that δ -process is more sensitive to the isotropic-nematic phase transition than the α -one, and the formation of the nematic phase in this API occurs at different τ α and τ δ , dependently on the type of EXC and its concentration in the mixture. Summarizing, the results of our studies are much different with respect to those reported previously by Kozyra et al. [Mol. Pharm. 15 (2018) 5192–5206] and by some of us [Kaminska et al. Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. 88 (2014) 1094–1104] for ITZ mixed with various polymers and acetylated maltose, respectively. This finding clearly indicates that there is a different impact of the low and high molecular weight excipients on the ability in the formation of LC phases in ITZ, which may have important implications for the further development of the formulations of this pharmaceutical. Unlabelled Image • The degree of spatial arrangement of ITZ molecules is affected in binary systems. • The smectic ordering in ITZ is being suppressed by POS, KET, FLU and VOR. • In the ITZ-POS binary mixture, ITZ enforces the molecular (nematic) order of POS. • Results of our studies are in contrast to those reported for ITZ-polymer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]