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Highlights • Pulp and paper mills generate huge amount of wastewater. • Physicochemical processes have several limitations to treat wastewater. • Integrated microbial based technology improves the quality of wastewater. • Eco-friendly MBBR process creates opportunity for reuse of treated wastewater., From the beginning of the paper-making process, the pulp and paper industry has utilized a large amount of water and generated a vast amount of highly polluted wastewater. The paper industry faces global pressure to reduce water use and lower environmental pollution. However, traditional physicochemical methods of wastewater treatment need high energy input, and their ecological impact is questionable. Due to the zero discharged policy, the industries urgently require novel eco-friendly, sustainable, and efficient treatment techniques. Microbial technology is the most recommended option to treat wastewater and support sustainable growth. The present article describes the overview of traditional and novel methods, including membrane bioreactor (MBR) and moving-bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology's with their current state and their limits for treating pulp and paper wastewater. It is expected to integrate the novel methods with advanced hybrid technology to fulfill wastewater treatment criteria and prospects. Furthermore, coupling MBR and MBBR technology make energy and water recovery possible, and recycling wastewater will be economically and environmentally feasible., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

Paper derived from lignocellulose has great advantages over plastics as packaging material, nevertheless, the poor water- and oil-resistances of paper-derived products limited their application in high-end field. Herein, novel dimer acid-based waterborne polyurethanes (DWPUs) with different content of dimer acid-based polyester polyol (DG) were prepared and used as water- and oil-resistant coating for paper substrate. The effects of DG contents on water- and oil-resistances, mechanical properties and thermal stability of DWPUs coated papers were systematically investigated. When the content of DG reached up to 7 wt% (based on polyester glycol), the paper coated by DWPU exhibited 88.06% decrease in Cobb 60 value, 8.7 times increase in kit rating compared with uncoated paper. Meanwhile, DWPUs coated papers showed good mechanical properties and thermal stability. These improvements are attributed to the flexible long-alkyl chain, and six-ring structure of DWPUs as well as the continuous and homogeneous DWPU-derived membrane on the surface of paper. This study provides a new framework for the preparation of high quality, multifunctional, environmentally friendly water- and oil-resistant coatings for paper substrates.

The biotechnological use of xylans and xylanases has grown remarkably. Xylanases have stimulated great interest due to their potential application in several industries. Over the years the number of possible applications of xylanases in the pulp and paper industry has increased steadily, and several applications have been commercialized. Xylanases are being used for prebleaching pulp, modifying fiber, deinking, dedarking, and producing dissolving grade pulp. Apart from its use in the pulp and paper industry, xylanases are also used as food additives to poultry; in wheat flour for improving dough handling and quality of baked products; for the extraction of coffee, plant oils, and starch; in the improvement of nutritional properties of agricultural silage and grain feed; in combination with pectinase and cellulase for clarification of fruit juices; and in the degumming of plant fiber sources such as flax, hemp, jute, and ramie. Use of xylanases could greatly improve the overall economics of processing lignocellulosic materials for the generation of liquid fuels and chemicals. Xylanase and cellulase, together with pectinases, account for 20% of the world enzyme market.

As e-commerce drives the packaging growth, consumers are pushing for more sustainable packaging solutions. Considering the current societal needs, we have been able to engineer a new pathway for sustainable packaging solutions by developing lignin-containing micro- and nano-fibrillated cellulosic (LMNFCs) materials to strengthen the recycled fibers. LMNFCs from unbleached softwood pulp containing 14.4% lignin at high and low fibrillation levels were produced. Packaging papers from recycled old-corrugated containers were strengthened with LMNFCs with varying addition levels of 1 wt% to 3 wt% at two basis weights. The results show 2 wt% addition of LMNFC can enhance strength at low levels of fibrillation, and that basis weight can be reduced by 16.7%, from 150 gsm to 125 gsm, while maintaining a burst strength of 49-53 lbf. Reduction in basis weight and high lignin content of LMNFC also enhanced dewatering during sheet formation with the lowest increase in drainage time, 9%, relative to the 150 gsm with no LMNFC. The techno-economic analysis supports the feasibility of using LMNFC to produce lightweight and sustainable packaging materials at industrial scale with an 8% reduction in fiber cost.

Earthen buildings have gained popularity in recent years due to their eco-friendly sustainability approach in both materials and production technique. The materials' availability, ease of construction, and energy efficiency contribute to the utilization of wastes and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Gypsum and shredded plastic wastes are utilized in the production of modified Alker which is an improved earthen building. X-ray Powder Diffraction analysis is performed on the soil to obtain the basic elements in the soil, which show significant Magnesia content. The research studies the mechanical properties in Alker having 6% clay and modified with different percentages of SPW content by dry weight of the soil; 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%. The mechanical properties of matrix modified with 1% SPW show the best results. In addition, linear shrinkage tests are performed on the control and modified sample. The optimum sample modified with 1% SPW show significant reduction in linear shrinkage which is consistent with the crack analysis result performed using Matlab R2018a. It is observed that the optimum sample of 1% SPW has limited crack propagation compared to the other samples. Alker modified with shredded plastic wastes has shown to be a sustainable building material with improved properties.

ispartof: Journal Of Energy Chemistry vol:76 pages:165-174 status: published

A pre-hydrolysis Kraft pulping (PHK) process that was used to make dissolving pulp was enhanced by replacing conventional white liquor (WL) neutralization with green liquor (GL) neutralization prior to Kraft pulping. This resulted in a 10% increase in dissolving pulp production, and significant chemical savings, without compromising pulp reactivity. When the possible influence of the alkaline charge on fibre properties was assessed using methods such as viscosity, Simon's stain, Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and SEM, it was apparent that stronger alkaline treatments (WL) resulted increased cellulose degradation, a lower cellulose DP and a slightly larger surface area. When these methods were complemented with an assay based on the selective binding of site-specific carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), it was apparent that green liquor (GL) neutralization resulted in an increase in less-ordered cellulose being exposed. This likely contributed to its higher reactivity despite its lower overall surface area.

Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) is commercially used for production of Gac oil. Gac pulp, which accounts for 40-50% of fruit weight, is major by-product. This study aimed to optimise extraction conditions including pH, temperature, time, ratio and ultrasonic power for recovery of pectin from Gac pulp, and compare its properties using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and acidic hot water extraction (AHWE) techniques, the typical advanced and conventional techniques for pectin extraction. Response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design was applied for both techniques. The results showed that pH was the most influential factor. Optimal AHWE conditions were identified at 90°C for 100 min with solvent to sample ratio of 50 mL/g and pH of 1.5, while optimal UAE conditions were 35 min, pH of 1.5, and ultrasonic power of 200 W. The recovery yield of pectin from UAE (53.80% ± 6.04) was significantly higher than that of AHWE (42.97%± 5.08). Pectin obtained from two techniques were low methoxyl pectin (DE

Bioremediation technologies are useful and sustainable solutions for recovering pollutants from ecosystems. In particular, the plant-assisted bioremediation or phyto-assisted bioremediation (PABR) strategy, relying on the synergistic actions between plant root system and natural microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), can be effective for stabilizing, storing, and degrading contaminants of polluted soils. Plant species through release of root exudates can stimulate biodegradation activity of natural soil microorganisms in the rhizosphere. The use of organic amendments (e.g., biochar, compost) in PABR applications can also be useful for enhancing plant growth, soil quality and increase the biodegradation of some contaminants. Moreover, PABR technology produces biomass, a by-product, which can be profitably valorised for producing energy in line with a circular economy. Deeper investigations on the overall processes in order to improve PABR effectiveness and ensure its zero impact on environment are desirable.

In this study, fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) process was applied for the treatment of shale gas wastewater. The forward osmosis (FO) experiments with simulated shale gas wastewater and real shale gas wastewater were carried out, respectively. The effects of reverse salt diffusion on the inorganic fouling to the membrane surface was systematically investigated. Two commercial FO membranes were selected and the optimized operating conditions were evaluated. It was found that calcium sulfate scaling can be alleviated by optimizing the operating parameters, including increasing flow rate and decreasing temperature. Furthermore, the Aquaporin FO membrane, which has lower reverse salt flux and less surface charge potential, exhibited lower fouling tendency. Under the optimal operating conditions, the effects of reverse salt diffusion on the barium sulfate scaling were also analyzed. The presence of calcium ions can alleviate barium sulfate scaling, while sodium chloride will aggravate the barium sulfate scaling. In addition, the scaling behavior of real shale gas wastewater was further explored. Inorganic scaling phenomenon seriously affected the FO membrane performance and lower pH had beneficial effect on recycling the real shale gas wastewater. The present study provided both theoretical fundamentals and industry applicable practices for implementing FO technology in the treatment and resource recovery of shale gas wastewater.

Physico-chemical, functional properties, and filmogenic characteristics were determined in pulp (P) and whole (W) banana flours (BF), pretreated or not (preT and unT, respectively) with sodium metabisulfite, obtained from cultivars of Ecuadorian Musaceae: Musa acuminata AAA. The proximal composition revealed a high content of fat, protein, ash, and fiber in whole banana flours, while the total starch and amylose content was greater in pulp flours. The starch granules of both pulp and whole green banana flours presented an elongated and lenticular sizes and shapes, which could be related to the amount and variations in amylose and amylopectin structure in the raw materials. Pretreatment with metabilsulfite favors the increase in L* and b* parameters, while a* is reduced; likewise, the presence of the peel tends to darken the untreated flours. Water absorption, solubility and swelling capacity rose above 70 °C, matching the gelatinization temperature observed by DSC (74–78 °C). The temperature of gelatinization was higher for the pretreated whole banana flour, noticeably, the highest enthalpy ΔHgel (32.23 Jg-1) corresponded to the untreated whole banana flour. All banana flours had the ability to form filmogenic suspensions that showed a similar pseudoplastic behavior regardless of the flour composition, except for the pretreated pulp flour, which showed less shear thinning. The viscosity recovery capacity with the decrease in temperature was almost total in the untreated samples, while in the treated samples was lower (~20%). The higher amount of amylopectin favored the viscoelastic properties in the filmogenic suspension, while the lower content of this compound diminished these properties. For the aforementioned, green banana flours are an ingredient of interest and their ability to form filmogenic solutions can be a good alternative for its subsequent industrial application., The authors are grateful to Dirección de Investigación y Desarrollo (DIDE) and the Technical University of Ambato-Ecuador for financial support Resolution 1313-CU-P-2015, Project PFCIAL17 “Development of active biodegradable films from rejection banana flour (Musa genus) and its application”; Projects NANOALIVAL AGL 2017-84161 funded by MICINN, Spain and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), and project 202070E218 funded by CSIC, Spain.

An ohmic assisted vacuum evaporation (OAVE) processes was used to concentrate orange juice from 11.4% total soluble solid content (TSSC) to 42% TSSC by applying 13 V/cm constant voltage gradient at different temperatures. The evaporation temperatures were adjusted to 100 degrees C, 85 degrees C, 75 degrees C and 65 degrees C by setting absolute system pressures of 101.32 kPa, 58 kPa, 39 kPa and 25 kPa, respectively. The total time for the processes, including heating and evaporation, was 34, 40, 48, and 54 min for 100, 85, 75, and 65 degrees C, respectively. As the evaporation temperature increased, the applied energy required for phase change decreased while maximum current values increased from 0.6 A at 65 degrees C to 2.52 A at 100 degrees C. During any given run, the current value increased as the orange juice pulp heated up, but then decreased after it began to boil, leading to a reduction in the rate of heat generation. Increasing evaporation temperature has a positive effect on evaporation rates, energy efficiency, specific water removal ratio (SWRR), exergy efficiency, and Improvement Potential (IP) (p < 0.05). The reduced energy requirement with higher temperature is partially due to reduced work from the vacuum pump at the higher absolute pressure. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Microbial contamination of dairy products is often through the release of bacteria from biofilms developing on almost any manufacturing plant surface. The microbial composition varies depending upon the product being manufactured and the environmental conditions in different parts of the dairy manufacturing plant. Microbial contamination of dairy products limits their value. Controlling biofilms through frequent cleaning costs the dairy industry in terms of labour and materials and by limiting the amount of product that can be manufactured. Recent studies on dairy biofilms have provided information on how dairy biofilms develop and suggest some alternative control measures to prevent or delay biofilm growth and reduce product contamination.

A study was steered to explore the effect of rock mineral addition (i.e., rock phosphate (RP), dolomite (DM) and mica (MC)) in organic wastes (e.g., water hyacinth and paddy straw) along with microbial inoculums on vermicompost quality. Different amalgamations of four microbial inoculums viz., Trichoderma viride, Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus polymixa and Bacillus firmus, and three rock minerals i.e., RP, DM, and MC were used during vermicomposting process to access their effect on the quality of mature vermicompost. A significant reduction in pH, organic carbon, C/N ratio, while significant increase in humic acid, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium was observed in each of the vermibeds. Furthermore, enzymatic activities were also boosted considerably due to Vermi-stabilization. Application of rock minerals at 10% (200 g in 2 kg organic waste mixture) along with microbial inoculants in the vermicomposting process promoted the availability of macronutrients as compared to control treatment. The results showed that the combination of rock minerals and microorganisms along with earthworms facilitated the decomposition and reduced the overall time required for composting besides producing a nutrient-enriched vermicompost product.

The feasibility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for in-line monitoring of pharmaceutical film coating processes has recently been demonstrated. OCT enables real-time acquisition of high-resolution cross-sectional images of coating layers and computation of coating thickness. In addition, coating quality attributes can be computed based on in-line data. This study assesses the in-line applicability of OCT to various coating functionalities and formulations. Several types of commercial film-coated tablets containing the most common ingredients were investigated. To that end, the tablets were placed into a miniaturized perforated drum. An in-line OCT system was used to monitor the tablet bed. This set-up resembles the final stage of an industrial pan coating process. All investigated coatings were measured, and the coating thickness, homogeneity and roughness were computed. The rotation rate was varied in a range comparable to large-scale coating operations, and no influence on the outcome was observed. The results indicate that OCT can be used to determine end-point and establish in-process control for a wide range of coating formulations. The real-time computation of coating homogeneity and roughness can support process optimization and formulation development., Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image

Mangifera sylvatica Roxb. is an underutilised and threatened wild fruit species found in Bangladesh, which is highly valued by local people as a source of fruit and is an important source of nutrition. As part of a feasibility study of the domestication and cultivar development potential of M. sylvatica, a preliminary study examined the morphological traits (fruit, kernel and pulp mass), nutritional profile (carbohydrate, sugar, pH, fat, protein, mineral and vitamins) and medicinal traits (total phenolic and phenolic profiling). The fruit of M. sylvatica is small (27.00g ± 7.03g) with a comparatively bigger kernel fruit (40% of its body weight). M. sylvatica fruit pulp has been proved to be a good source of carbohydrate, Vitamin C, sodium (Na) and potassium (K) and also has good medicinal properties (mangiferin and quercetin). The kernel is also a rich source of carbohydrate and has a good fatty acid profile (rich in stearic and oleic acids) consistent with cocoa butter, which indicates its potential to be used in the chocolate and confectionery industry. There is continuous variation in these traits, indicating opportunities for multiple trait cultivar development targeted at the food and pharmaceutical industries. The information generated in the study can be used as a stimulus to the process of domestication and to encourage widespread use of the species, which will ultimately help to conserve this wild underutilised fruit species.

A study on biofertilizer production via oxidation of heterogeneous mass and microbial decomposition of organic matter in the digestate obtained after anaerobic digestion of post biocoagulation sludge was undertaken. The digestate was characterized. Effect of process variables on composting was investigated. The kinetics of composting was studied. The characterization results show that digestate and saw dust contains macro (nitrogen-N, phosphorus-P, magnesium-Mg, sodium-Na, Calcium-Ca and potassium-K) and micro (manganese-Mn, zinc-Zn, Fe-iron and Cu-copper) nutrients that when composted can be used as biofertilizer/soil improver. Also, the final compost (biofertilizer) contains Zn, Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb that lay within the recommended limits for agricultural use. The kinetic data fitted very well to the second order model with R 2 of 0.9675 and activation energy of 1442.15 kJ mol . Composting kinetic analysis showed that temperature dependence of rates reaction clearly followed the Arrhenius equation. Also, the kinetics results revealed that the degradation of organic waste could be quantitatively predicted using the second order reaction model. It can be concluded that the composting of digestate with saw dust resulted in biofertilizer production; thus, converting waste to wealth.

In this work, a novel delignification process was proposed for the fractionation of invasive species such as Acacia dealbata wood. Organosolv process catalyzed with an acidic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate was evaluated to obtain cellulose-enriched solids and liquid fractions rich in hemicelluloses derived compounds and lignin. Under selected operating conditions (190 °C, 60% ethanol, 60 min of reaction time and 0.6 g 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate/g wood), high solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses and cellulose recovery (87.5%, 88.7% and 88.3%, respectively), with a pulp yield of 43.1% were achieved. Moreover, 62.6 % of lignin was recovered by precipitation from the black liquor (composed mainly by 4.43 g xylose/L, 7.66 g furfural/L and 3.59 g acetic acid/L). In addition, enzymatic digestibility of delignified wood was also assayed. Overall, this work presents an alternative biorefinery scheme based in the use of environmentally friendly solvent and catalyst for selective fractionation of A. dealbata wood., The authors acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish “Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness” (Project CTQ2017-82962-R) and from “Xunta de Galicia” (GRC ED431C 2018/47 and Centro Singular de Investigación Biomédica “CINBIO”). These projects are partially funded by the FEDER Program of the European Union (“Unha maneira de facer Europa”). A. Romaní thanks BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01–0145-FEDER-000004) funded by European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 – Programa Operacional Regional do Norte., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Recently, the demand for natural antioxidants in food manufacturing has increased significantly because of the possible toxicity of synthetic antioxidants. In this context, this research work was performed to evaluate the potentiality of seed (seed with kernel) and pulp (edible portion: pulp with peel) of Syzygium claviflorum to serve as natural antioxidants. The free radical scavenging capacity of S. claviflorum extracts was evaluated by 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assays. In DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays seed extract demonstrated significantly (p

The objective of this work was to develop a new edible coating based on the ethanolic residue of the Ziziphus joazeiro fruit pulp (POLIJUA) and evaluate its application in the Coalho cheese, a fresh cheese type. Films were developed using different concentrations of glycerol and the best formulation was applied on cheeses to evaluate their physical-chemical and microbiological characteristics during 21 days of storage. The POLIJUA coating significantly decreased (p

This manuscript presents a 1 year in the laboratory and 3 years In-Situ evaluation of an alkoxysilane-based consolidant containing SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) on Ostionera stone, a biocalcarenite traditionally employed in Southwestern Spain. C ' adiz Roman Theatre was selected for In-Situ application and testing. In order to safeguard the theatre, preliminary laboratory experiments were carried out. Firstly, the compatibility and the effectiveness of the consolidant product were evaluated in the laboratory, demonstrating that the incorporation of SiO2NPs improves drying time and consolidant effect. Subsequently, the consolidant was applied In-Situ and the long-term performance was monitored over 3 years through non-destructive tests. The treatment exhibit moderate incompatibility degree (6.1) and demonstrating the long-lasting performance of the SiO2NPs-based consolidant treatment., 1 This work has been supported by the Spanish Government MAT2017-84228-R (MINECO/AEI//FEDER,UE) and PID2020-115843RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. This work been cofinanced by the European Union under the 2014-2020 ERDF Operational Programme and by the Department of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge, and Universities of the Regional Government of Andalusia. Project reference: FEDER-UCA18-106613. Giada M.C. Gemelli would also like to thank the Spanish Government for her predoctoral grants (PRE2018-085799). We thank the Cadiz Roman Theatre staff and Manuel Luna for their collaboration.

Carboxymethyl sago pulp (CMSP) with a degree of substitution 0.8 was synthesised from sago waste and cross-linked with chitosan to form a hydrogel by electron beam (EB) irradiation. Diclofenac sodium was loaded into 40% CMSP/3% chitosan solution mixture and irradiated at 25 kGy. The hydrogel exhibited pH and temperature-sensitive swelling behaviour. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to characterise its properties. Drug entrapment efficiency of diclofenac sodium-loaded hydrogel was 65.4 ± 0.2%. The release of diclofenac sodium from CMSP/chitosan hydrogel disc was low in an acidic environment (pH 1.2) and there was slow and sustained release in colonic pH (pH 6.8) over 32 h in a first-order manner. Based on the results of the disk diffusion test, the hydrogel exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. Among tested formulations, 40% CMSP/3% chitosan hydrogel was shown to be the potential drug carrier for sustained drug delivery.

Respirable crystalline silica (RCS), in the form of quartz and cristobalite from occupational sources, was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as carcinogenic to humans (category 1). In addition, RCS has recently been included in the Directive (EU) 2017/2398 about carcinogens and mutagens at work. Numerous studies suggest that the toxicity of quartz is conditioned by density and distribution of surface silanol groups, and it has been widely demonstrated at lab scale that masking these silanol groups significantly reduces silica toxicity. Based on these findings, a detoxifying, wet-coating method, using organosilanes as coating agent for reactive surface silanols, was previously developed and tested at industrial scale. In the present work, a new dry-coating process (patent pending) also using organosilanes was developed and applied to detoxify quartzes from different industrial branches. Dry-coating efficiency and stability were assessed and confirmed by both in-vitro tests (lactate dehydrogenase release and alkaline comet assay) and an intratracheal instillation study in rats. Finally, industrial trials were performed by different quartz end users (elastomers, foundry, adhesives, pigments and glazes) to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of implementing this dry-coating process at industrial scale. From the obtained results, it can be drawn that the proposed methodology seems to represent a promising strategy to significantly reduce the risk associated with the handling of RCS-bearing materials. This RCS coating approach shows enough flexibility to be adapted to different industrial processes without significantly interfering with product quality.

oreover, the second author also acknowledges the financial support through the following competitively funded projects: (i) Project Lisboa-01-0247-FEDER-035234 (“MicroALGAs: produção integrada e VALORização da biomassa e das suas diversas aplicações” - ALGAVALOR), in the context of the FCT Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (COMPETE 2020) and (ii) Project P319RT0025 (“Red Iberoamericana para el Tratamiento de Efluentes con Microalgas” - RENUWAL), in the context of the Red CYTED. The authors would also like to thank the company Avibom, S.A, for providing the poultry effluent used in this investigation, and Dinar Camotim, for proof-reading the article. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s) This work addresses how a pre-treatment involving biomass ash influences the poultry effluent's bioremediation using three microalga strains, such as Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella protothecoides and Tetradesmus obliquus. The undiluted effluent served as the culture medium for the growth, both in batch and semi continuous modes, and the remediation efficiency and biomass production yield were quantified. The combination strategy in batch mode, allowed removal efficiency of 100% for total nitrogen, more than 80% for total phosphorus and over 70% for chemical oxygen demand. Average biomass productivities for 10 days of 94.9, 76.2 and 72.0 mg L−1 day−1 were obtained for T. obliquus, C. vulgaris and C. protothecoides, respectively. Regarding semi-continuous strategy (28 days), the biomass productivities achieved were 245 and 194 mg L−1 day−1 for T. obliquus and C. vulgaris, respectively. Remediation rates of 100% for total nitrogen and phosphorus, and over 92% for COD were attained. The microalga composition was assessed for protein, sugar, lipid, and ash contents. The produced biomasses were tested as biostimulant and showed a 147% increase in wheat germination index, for the C. vulgaris microalga. The use of the precipitate from the biomass ash pre-treatment as fertilizer in germination tests was also assessed and results in an increase of 26%, for 10% of precipitate incorporation. publishersversion published

This study focuses on the processing, characterization, and sugar and ethanol production potential of red-fleshed sweet potatoes (RFSP) and white-fleshed sweet potatoes (WFSP). These feedstocks were used for the production of sugar; and bioethanol from its pulp by the action of five different microbes. The characterization of raw sweet potatoes and desired products of raw sugar, and bioethanol were carried out through proximate analyses, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) method, measurement of pol% by using a Refractometer, Polarimeter, Saccharimeter. The proximate analyses of feedstocks show the presence of a respectable amount of dry solids 25 ± 0.03g/100g with a lower amount of fat (0.025 ± 0.002) and ash (0.533 ± 0.076) contents make them promising crops for the production of sugar and ethanol. Comparatively, RFSP raw sugar (oZ: 95.25 ± 0.05) is considered purer than WFSP raw sugar (oZ: 94.6 ± 0.015). FTIR spectrums of the presently studied raw sugar and bioethanol have characteristic bands. It shows that the raw sugars products are rich in sucrose content, and confirms that the bioethanol was produced from the selected raw materials is at a satisfactory level. The efficiency of microbes was evaluated by taking a sample from the fermented wash to measure the residual sugar in (oBrix). Comparatively, fermented wash with sweet potato extracted yeast was found 14% Brixo (consume 86% of pulp) in RFSP, and 17% of Brixo (consume 83% pulp) in WFSP within 24 hours of fermentation. The alcohol level of bioethanol's produced from RFSP and WFSP pulps was tested using Ebuliometer and the result was found to be ranged 78 °C – 80 °C which is closer to the boiling point of absolute anhydrous alcohol (78.3 °C). Thus, the results of the present study proved that the sweet potato and its pulp are considered as a potential alternative sugar/energy feedstock., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Sweet potato is a cheaper sugar-containing crop and abundant resource. • Red-fleshed sweet potato has greater sucrose content with higher purity (95.42 g/L). • Industries can ease the production of sugar & bioethanol using sweet potato. • Efficiency of studied inoculums is graded as: SPY > LEY > SCY > KEY > SRB., Bioethanol, Fermentation, Pol, Saccharimeter, Sweet potato, Sucrose.

Highlights • AsA, one kind of ROS scavenger, is a low-cost, safe, and convenient preservative. • AsA treatment could help to retain better quality of longan fruit during storage. • AsA treatment reduced weight loss of fresh longan fruit. • AsA treatment retarded disease development and pericarp browning of fresh longans. • AsA showed a great potential application for postharvest fresh longan fruit., The impacts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger ascorbic acid (AsA) treatment on the storability and quality attributes of ‘Fuyan’ longan fruit were explored. Compared to control samples, the treatment of 4 g L−1 AsA solution clearly reduced fruit weight loss, indexes of fruit disease and pericarp browning, retained higher percentage of commercially acceptable fruit, higher values of chromaticity a∗, chromaticity b∗, and chromaticity L∗, delayed pigment degradation in longan pericarp, and retarded the decreases of nutritive ingredients in longan pulp. When stored for 6 d, vitamin C (0.08 g kg−1), sucrose (20.70 g kg−1), total soluble sugar (56.32 g kg−1), and total soluble solids (12.4%) in AsA-treated fruit displayed the clearly higher contents than those in control samples. These data suggested that the treatment of exogenous ROS scavenger AsA could effectively enhance the quality attributes and storability of postharvest longan fruit, thereby lengthen their postharvest shelf-life.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that produces both motor and non-motor complications, degrading the quality of life of PD patients. Over the past two decades, the use of wearable devices in combination with machine learning algorithms has provided promising methods for more objective and continuous monitoring of PD. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have provided new methods and algorithms for data analysis, such as deep learning (DL). The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of current applications where DL algorithms are employed for the assessment of motor and non-motor manifestations (NMM) using data collected via wearable sensors. This paper provides the reader with a summary of the current applications of DL and wearable devices for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of PD, in the hope of improving the adoption, applicability, and impact of both technologies as support tools. Following PRISMA (Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, sixty-nine studies were selected and analyzed. For each study, information on sample size, sensor configuration, DL approaches, validation methods and results according to the specific symptom under study were extracted and summarized. Furthermore, quality assessment was conducted according to the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) method. The majority of studies (74%) were published within the last three years, demonstrating the increasing focus on wearable technology and DL approaches for PD assessment. However, most papers focused on monitoring (59%) and computer-assisted diagnosis (37%), while few papers attempted to predict treatment response. Motor symptoms (86%) were treated much more frequently than NMM (14%). Inertial sensors were the most commonly used technology, followed by force sensors and microphones. Finally, convolutional neural networks (52%) were preferred to other DL approaches, while extracted features (38%) and raw data (37%) were similarly used as input for DL models. The results of this review highlight several challenges related to the use of wearable technology and DL methods in the assessment of PD, despite the advantages this technology could bring in the development and implementation of automated systems for PD assessment.

Additive manufacturing (AM) especially laser additive manufacturing (LAM), a novel manufacturing technique of layer-by-layer forming according to geometric model, provides a decent option for materials processing. It owns advantages of rapid prototyping, customization, high material utilization, and the ability to form complicated structures. This paper reviews popular LAM techniques of selective laser sintering/melting, laser metal deposition and laser direct writing. The development status of metallic materials including pure metal, steel, superalloy, titanium and aluminum alloy is presented. The challenges and application limitations of LAM are involved and the development trend in the future is forecasted. In summary, this paper gives an overview of metal LAM expecting to made helpful suggestions on future research and development.

A light water reactor (LWR) is the most common reactor type in the world today, and will likely continue to be the main technology of nuclear power towards the mid-21st century. This paper analyzes the factors that made large LWRs the global mainstream and points out the root causes why only a few of other types of reactors, such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and fast neutron reactors (FRs), have been put into practical use so far. It is a universal principle common to all engineering that characteristics and weaknesses sometimes cannot be detected on paper, and it is crucially important to learn lessons from actual experiences of construction, operation and maintenance. LWRs have been selected by their customers because they use common materials such as water, concrete and stainless steel, which enabled utilities and vendors to promote the improvement of materials and operating conditions by globally sharing the experiences of many reactors including some severe accidents. If SMRs, FRs and other innovative reactors are to follow suit, not only the developer’s perspective but also the customer’s perspective, such as economics and stability of supply, is essential.