In 2022, the amount of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) in the Java–Bali region was estimated to reach 207 million kiloliters. This poses a significant environmental challenge due to the lack of proper utilization. With the increasing demand for cooking oil in Indonesia, the generation of WCO continues to rise. Low-quality WCO, often traded by street vendors, cannot be reused and must be discarded. Improper disposal into drainage systems leads to long-term problems such as water pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and contamination of clean water sources. The development of Co/ZrO₂–SO₄ catalysts and optimized conversion processes plays a crucial role in reducing reliance on imported catalysts, particularly for the production of environmentally friendly fuels (green fuels) such as bio-jet fuel. Given the high fatty acid content in WCO, several pretreatment stages are required. This study aims to convert WCO into bio-jet fuel through hydrodeoxygenation and Pyrolytic Catalytic Cracking (PCC) accompanied by isomerization. The PCC process was carried out under atmospheric pressure and relatively mild temperatures. The Co/ZrO₂–SO₄ catalyst was employed to enhance conversion into bio-jet fuel products. In this work, cobalt-dispersed sulfated zirconia nanocatalysts (Co/SZ) were synthesized with varying cobalt loadings (1%, 3%, and 5%). Beyond hydrodeoxygenation and cracking, the catalyst was also applied in the isomerization process. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and NH₃-TPD. Meanwhile, the cracking process was conducted at different reactor temperatures (400, 450, 500, and 550 °C), with the resulting products analyzed by BET, XRF, TEM-SAED, and GC-MS.

Thermo-economic and data-driven optimization of an integrated biomass gasification system for green hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol synthesis via dual hydrogen production routes

This research addresses the effects of moisture content, particle size, and compression pressure on the quality of fuel briquettes produced from groundnut shells. The objective is to optimize the briquetting process for quality attributes. Experiments were performed using a prototype briquetting machine with a 3 × 3 × 2 factorial design. The experiments considered moisture (6.48%, 9.63%, and 12.17%), particle sizes (3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm), and compression pressure (70 MPa, 140 MPa). Quality attributes measured included density, breaking index, rolling index, water resistance, moisture resistance, and compressive strength. Findings showed optimal processing variables for quality with lower particle sizes (3 mm) and higher levels of pressure (140 MPa). The lowest level of moisture (6.48%) showed optimal mechanical properties, represented by maximum density of 1301.81 kg m−3 with maximum mechanical strength of 97.01% fracture resistance and 91.12% rolling resistance. Maximum water resistance of 13.25% was obtained with intermediate values of moisture (9.63%). The data obtained showed that increasing particle size and moisture content negatively affected briquette quality. Groundnut shells possess promise for the production of superior-quality fuel briquettes. This research validates the criticality of optimizing processing variables. This research poses critical challenges regarding scale and environmental effects.

Ambient and household air pollution (HAP) exposure is associated with adverse health outcomes. Heavy traffic congestion, street trading, and the use of biomass fuels are common in Lagos, Nigeria. We designed this study to evaluate the feasibility of measuring prolonged personal exposure to air pollution among street traders. We aimed to quantify average 24-hour exposure to air pollution and evaluate how proximity to major highways influences these levels. We conducted a cross-sectional study assessing recruitment and level of personal exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and HAP among adult street traders over 48 hours. We recruited 'highway traders' (<50 m of the highway) and 'inner street traders' (>200 m from the highway) and measured personal exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) using a bespoke monitoring unit held in a backpack. We also measured blood pressure (BP) and performed spirometry. The recruitment rate was 33%, yielding a sample of 30 females (15 per group). All eligible males declined due to time constraints and because they found the backpack monitor unacceptable. The average 24-hour PM2.5 (mean (x̄) = 34.3 μg/m3) and PM10 (x̄ = 34.7 μg/m3) exposures for highway traders were higher than PM2.5 (x̄ = 22.8 μg/m3) and PM10 (x̄ = 23.0 μg/m3) exposures for inner street traders. The PM2.5 over 24 hours was consistently above the World Health Organization recommended threshold of 15ug/m3 for both groups with diurnal peaks. Spirometry parameters and BP were similar between the two groups. Device acceptability and measurement site selection are pivotal in participant recruitment. Successful gender-inclusive recruitment necessitates appropriate monitoring equipment and measurement at sites convenient for participants. All street traders experienced consistently high air pollution levels throughout the day, regardless of proximity to the highway. These findings provide valuable insights to guide future large-scale research.

Chemical looping gasification is a promising technology for transforming biomass to value-added hydrogen-rich syngas; however, the existing oxygen carriers face the challenges of low catalytic activity and stability, hindering their conversion performance at a wide range of biomass fuels and reaction temperatures. Herein, Sr0.75Ba0.25FeO3-δ was synthesized and applied to hydrogen-rich syngas production, and experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor. The effects of ratios of oxygen carrier and biomass, temperatures, and biomass types on cyclic performance were investigated. Results revealed that the H2 concentration and H2 yield could reach ~80% and ~13 mmol g-1 for pine sawdust, ~85% and ~4 mmol g-1 for cellulose, and ~70% and ~25 mmol g-1 for lignin at 850°C. At 750-900°C, the H2 concentration stabilized at above 60%. In addition, Sr0.75Ba0.25FeO3-δ maintained a H2 yield of 16 mmol g-1 after multiple cycles. Compared with traditional oxygen carriers, Sr0.75Ba0.25FeO3-δ shows at least 30% enhancement in H2 production rate. The outperformed H2 production is attributed to the high lattice oxygen activity and catalytic ability. This work demonstrated that Sr0.75Ba0.25FeO3-δ is a promising oxygen carrier candidate for biomass chemical looping gasification with fuel adaptability, temperature flexibility, and catalytic stability.

A Strategy to Improve Porous MOF Structural Stability for the Effective Removal of S/N Pollutants from (Bio)fuels

Abstract This study utilized four natural biomass materials (coconut shell, corncob, roseleaf, and pinecone shell) and their pyrolytic carbon as fuels to systematically compare their structural characteristics and high-temperature electrochemical behavior in a hybrid direct carbon fuel cell. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that increasing the temperature significantly enhanced the battery performance. The maximum power density of coconut shell reached 175.89 mW·cm −2 at 800°C, and it showed the lowest activation energy. Compared with pyrolytic carbon, the native biomass typically exhibited higher power density under the same conditions. Fuel utilization analysis further revealed that the connectivity of pore structure and the accessibility of the three-phase interface were the core factors limiting the actual carbon participation.

At the household level, energy powers human health and wellbeing, enabling essential services such as cooking, lighting, communications, heating, cooling, and ventilation. Despite the recognised need for reliable clean energy, access remains deeply unequal, with high-income households benefiting from modern energy sources while over 600 million people do not have access to electricity and 2-3 billion people rely on biomass fuels as an energy source to meet basic household needs. 2-3 million deaths annually are attributed to household air pollution (HAP) from the combustion of these fuels. HAP degrades ambient air quality and contributes to climate change. Studies of household energy and HAP largely focus on cooking-related emissions and might underestimate the true effect of energy use at home to meet a variety of needs, such as heating and lighting. This Series paper reviews the methods used to estimate the HAP disease burden, evaluates the current epidemiological evidence, and examines the health effects of interventions aimed at cleaner energy adoption. Despite differences in methodology, exposure assessment approaches, or the specific health outcomes considered, estimates of global deaths attributable to HAP exposure consistently remain in the millions each year. Thus, this Series paper also identifies areas for future research, emphasising the need for equitable access to clean energy, especially in low-income and middle-income countries.

Energy is central to human health, powering essential activities from cooking food, heating, and cooling in the home to operating equipment and refrigerating medicines and vaccines in health-care facilities. Despite progress in expanding access, many low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) still experience energy poverty, forcing billions of people to breathe contaminated air from cooking with biomass fuels and walk to health centres that have difficulty keeping lights on and electrical equipment running. The result is a heavy disease burden that exhibits the same inequity that characterises other poverty-related deprivations. In this paper, we introduce this Series on energy and health in LMICs by highlighting persistent disparities in energy access, use, quality, and reliability in LMICs; the associated disease burden; the salient opportunities to mitigate disease by providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy to households, communities, and health-care facilities; and the major policy, technological, and financial constraints that need to be overcome.

S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for biomass photoreforming into high-value-added chemicals and green fuels

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a major cause of cancer mortality in South Africa. Understanding locally relevant and modifiable risk factors is crucial for prevention. This study clarifies the syndemic role of lifestyle and environmental factors, such as alcohol, tobacco, socioeconomic indicators (rurality and education), and fuel use, in ESCC. We analyzed 939 histologically confirmed ESCC cases and 3,089 cancer controls from the Johannesburg Cancer Study. Multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs), with interaction terms for alcohol, tobacco, and sex. Population attributable fractions were calculated using both study-control and national prevalence estimates. Very high alcohol intake (≥840 g ethanol/wk) showed a modest independent association with ESCC (aOR, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.14 to 2.12]). Smoking was a strong risk factor, with aOR = 2.82 (95% CI, 2.20 to 3.62) for ex-smokers and 6.71 (95% CI, 5.15 to 8.76) for current smokers. Among never-smokers, alcohol showed little dose response. Among smokers, risks were high across all alcohol levels, with no consistent increase at higher intakes. Additional risks included rural origin or residence (aOR approximately equal to 1.22-2.38), lower educational attainment (aOR approximately equal to 1.45-1.69), and use of biomass or other fuels (aOR, 1.50 [95% CI, 1.21 to 1.87]). In this high-burden setting, tobacco remains the principal modifiable driver of ESCC. Alcohol showed only a modest independent effect, limited to very high intake, and did not increase the risk among smokers beyond the high risk from smoking. Socioeconomic and environmental disadvantages cluster with behavioral risks, underscoring a syndemic context. These findings, consistent with prior Johannesburg Cancer Study reports yet offering greater exposure granularity, support targeted prevention strategies focused on smoking cessation, mitigation of hazardous drinking patterns, and reduction of household environmental exposures.

ABSTRACT The escalating global demand for energy and the diminishing reserves of conventional fossil fuels have driven intense research into alternative and sustainable oil production. Biomass is one of the sustainable and renewable resources for producing green energy. Biodiesel derived from biomass is widely acknowledged as an environmentally friendly and renewable biofuel. As a result, there is a pressing need to develop highly efficient catalysts to facilitate biomass conversion and utilization. Current studies suggest that MOFs, due to their high surface area, tunable porosity, and catalytic flexibility, have become the next‐generation materials of choice for catalytic processes in next‐generation oil production. Through the manipulation of their modular designs, MOFs overcome the long‐term limitations of traditional catalysis, such as metal sintering, low selectivity, and deactivation, while providing control over the reaction pathways. All these improvements notwithstanding, scalability, hydrothermal stability, and synthesis expense remain issues. Future research must focus on low‐cost MOF synthesis, defect engineering for stability improvement, and continuous‐flow reactor integration. This review concludes MOFs' applications as the next generation of catalysts for sustainable oil production, providing atom‐efficient pathways for lowering carbon prints and attuning to global energy transition targets. By combining structural accuracy with catalytic flexibility, MOFs open the door to the circular carbon economy, converting underutilized resources into high‐value fuels. Further, the review offers observations on current challenges in this area and provides an outlook on possible avenues for improving MOF‐based catalysts. The review concludes by providing observations on the future of MOF‐based catalysts in biodiesel production, highlighting their promising potential in enhancing sustainable biofuel technology and future biorefinery processes.

Azeotropic methylal/methanol mixtures cannot be separated by conventional distillation, creating the need for alternative separation techniques. In this study, hybrid PVA/PVP membranes doped with 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTEE) were synthesized and evaluated for the pervaporation separation of methylal/methanol azeotropic mixtures. The membranes were characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA, contact angle, and swelling analyses to assess their structural and physicochemical properties. Pervaporation performance was evaluated in terms of total flux and separation selectivity under various feed compositions, operating temperatures, and BTEE loadings. Incorporation of BTEE significantly enhanced the permeation flux compared to the pristine PVA/PVP blend membrane. For several operating conditions, methanol was not detected in the permeate within the analytical detection limit, resulting in an apparent infinite selectivity toward methylal. Considering the flux–selectivity balance, the highest overall separation performance was obtained with a feed containing 50 wt% methanol at an operating temperature of 30 °C using a 0.25 wt% BTEE-loaded hybrid membrane. These results demonstrate that BTEE-doped PVA/PVP hybrid membranes are promising candidates for the pervaporation separation of azeotropic methylal/methanol mixtures, although further optimization is required to further improve separation efficiency.

Approximately 85% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa equating to around 894million people depend on traditional biomass fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and agricultural waste for their cooking needs. Understanding what shapes cooking fuel choice in sub-Saharan Africa is essential for supporting clean energy transitions and advancing national policies and global goals, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 5, 7, and 13. Therefore, this study aimed to predict the key drivers of household cooking fuel choice in sub-Saharan Africa using supervised machine learning techniques. This study analyzed the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data collected between 2015 and 2024 from 28 sub-Saharan African countries (N = 430,811 households) to predict cooking fuel choice using supervised machine learning. The DHS employs a multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling design, and household sampling weights were applied throughout the analysis to account for unequal probabilities of selection and non-response. Seven supervised learning models -Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Logistic Regression (LR), AdaBoost, Naive Bayes, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were trained on 80% of the data, with 20% reserved for testing. The dataset was highly imbalanced, with a 5.4:1 ratio of unclean to clean fuels, so we applied the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) during model training to address this imbalance and implemented 10-fold cross-validation. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC) metrics. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values were used to identify key factors influencing the predictions. This study revealed that 84.40% of households in sub-Saharan Africa relied on unclean fuels for cooking, with significant disparities across household characteristics. The XGBoost model demonstrated superior predictive performance, achieving a mean accuracy of 80.43% (95% CI: 80.17-80.67%) and a mean AUC of 0.8987 (95% CI: 0.8962- 0.9012), outperforming other machine learning algorithms. SHAP analysis identified electricity as the highest impact variable, followed by residence, TV ownership, highest education status, and wealth index. The analysis demonstrated that unclean fuels use for cooking remains highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. XGBoost outperformed other models in predicting cooking fuel choice. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa should prioritize improving electricity access, reducing rural-urban disparities, expanding education, and strengthening household economic conditions to promote cleaner cooking fuels. The predictive model can help policymakers and development organizations identify populations most at risk of relying on polluting fuels, enabling targeted and cost-effective interventions such as electrification programs, clean fuel subsidies, and awareness campaigns promoting clean cooking technologies.

The present study examines the socio-economic and infrastructural conditions of Muslim households in five selected villages—Sarberya, Jaga Mohanpur, Lal Chandrabar, Dhusia, and Babuia—located under Bhagwanpur-I and Chandipur Community Development Blocks of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal. The study is based on primary data collected from 50 purposively selected households, covering a total of 267 household members during June–August 2025. Data were gathered using a self-designed household survey schedule and observation techniques. The findings reveal substantial progress in basic amenities, including universal access to electricity, sanitation facilities, and school enrolment among children. A significant proportion of households reside in pucca houses and have access to relatively adequate living space. However, challenges remain in areas such as dependence on public taps for drinking water, continued use of traditional biomass fuels alongside LPG, and the predominance of open dumping as a waste disposal method. The study highlights a transitional phase of rural development characterized by infrastructural achievements alongside persisting environmental and sustainability concerns. It underscores the need for targeted policy interventions and community-based development strategies to ensure inclusive and sustainable improvement in the quality of life of the Muslim population in the study area. Keywords: Rural Development, Muslim Households, Basic Amenities, Living Conditions

One of the main causes of home air pollution, especially in developing nations, is the use of solid biomass fuels (wood, crop leftovers, animal dung, and coal) for cooking and heating. This has serious negative impacts on respiratory health. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, asthma, and acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are all closely associated with long-term exposure to high amounts of particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) from these fuels. The purpose of this study was to examine the Influence of biomass solid fuel usage on incidences of respiratory symptoms amongst women adopters of ICS in Nakuru town East suburbs. The study was informed by energy stacking and theory of subsidy. The study utilized mixed method research design. Data were collected from 315 female heads from of households that had adopted ICS, two FGD and key informant interviews. Sampling techniques utilized were multi-stage cluster sampling for the women heads of households while purposive sampling was used to select KIIs and participants in the FGDs. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Qualitative data was content analyzed. Study findings revealed that 67.8% of households relied on charcoal, while 54.9% used firewood, often alongside ICS. Households that predominantly used firewood reported the highest incidence of respiratory symptoms, highlighting the persistent dangers of solid fuel combustion. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that women in firewood-dependent households were 2.43 times more likely to experience respiratory related symptoms than those using charcoal.

Chronic airway diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchiectasis, impose a significant global health burden. A central unifying feature of these diseases is redox imbalance, which is characterized by an excess of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that overwhelms the body’s antioxidant defenses, causing cellular dysfunction, inflammation, and tissue damage. Physiological ROS/RNS are essential for immune regulation and transcriptional control, but chronic oxidative stress disrupts these processes, driving disease progression. In asthma, eosinophil- and epithelial-derived ROS worsen airway hyperresponsiveness, induce mucus overproduction, and reduce steroid effects. COPD involves neutrophil-dominated inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, protease- and oxidant-mediated extracellular matrix degradation, and accelerated senescence. Bronchiectasis features persistent neutrophilic oxidative injury, microbial colonization, impaired mucociliary clearance, and progressive airway destruction. Exogenous oxidants, cigarette smoke, biomass fuels, pollutants, and pathogens further burden antioxidant systems, including superoxide dismutases, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and Nrf2-regulated pathways. Redox dysregulation also contributes to post-COVID sequelae, promoting ongoing airway inflammation, fibrosis, and systemic complications. Therapeutic strategies targeting redox imbalance, mainly thiol-based antioxidants, Nrf2 activators, NADPH oxidase inhibitors, and mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, show mechanistic promise but face challenges in specificity, bioavailability, and clinical translation. Advancing precision redox medicine requires biomarker-guided patient stratification, high-resolution redox proteomics, single-cell and organoid models, and spatial imaging to identify disease-specific redox endotypes. Modulating pathological oxidative stress while preserving physiological signaling offers a novel avenue to improve outcomes. Understanding redox biology in airway disease highlights the potential of precision antioxidant strategies as adjuncts to conventional therapies, representing a paradigm shift in managing chronic airway disorders.

Modeling and numerical simulations of heat transfer performance in clay-metal composite Injera baking pans using COMSOL multiphysics

Enhancing engine reliability with machine learning techniques on spark plug deposition using green alcohol blend fuels on gasoline engine

Impact of green alcohol blend fuels on particulate matter emission and metal concentration of lubricating oil in spark ignition engine