Continuous Process Research Articles

Electroplating wastewater treatment containing heavy metals and COD using batch and once through continuous electro-oxidation process

ABSTRACT The rapidly growing electroplating industry has led to the discharge of large amounts of wastewater containing heavy metals and organic acids. Innovative techniques are required for the efficient and effective treatment of such effluents. The present work explored electroplating wastewater treatment through new TiO2-NTs/GO/SnO2 electrodes by electro-oxidation (EO) in batch and once-through continuous system. A new electrode with excellent oxidation ability was successfully fabricated by introducing a SnO2 outer layer through a simple anodization method. Moreover, a response surface methodology (RSM)-Box-Behnken design (BBD) model was used to optimize the responses. The effects of operating conditions, i.e. pH (3–9), current (0.1–0.9 A), and time (30–180 min), on the efficiency of the process were investigated. With optimum conditions, 97.1% Cu, 95.7% Zn, 91.2% COD degradation, and 7.32 kWh/m3 energy consumption were achieved. A once-through continuous setup working at a flow rate of 5–20 mL/min was performed under optimal conditions. The electrodes remained durable even after 50 cycles. The contribution of several reactive species to the EO was examined in the presence of scavengers. Moreover, according to a toxicity study, EO can detoxify electroplating effluents. Hence, this EO process, which is low-cost and highly efficient, can be applied to the treatment of electroplating wastewater.

Continuous and synchronous calibration process of ovality and straightness for longitudinally submerged arc welding pipes with three rollers.

A new process of continuous and synchronous calibration process of ovality and straightness for LSAW (Longitudinally Submerged Arc Welding, LSAW) pipes with three rollers is proposed. Specifically, the process is introduced from three aspects: roller-shape, loading parameters and axial and circumferential deformation paths. The process is verified by numerical simulation and physical experiments. Further, the stress-strain in the Sections Ⅱ and Ⅳ is analyzed. The relationship between the process parameters and the residual ovality and residual straightness by experiments is discussed. The calibration scheme of LSAW pipes is put forward by using the control variable method. The results show that the shear stress is the principal stress direction in the Sections Ⅱ and Ⅳ. The residual ovality and residual straightness decrease with the increase of the radial reduction and times of reciprocating bending. The reciprocating bending process can eliminate the difference of the initial curvature, make the curvature of each section tend to be uniform. After calibration, the residual straightness is less than 0.2% and the residual ovality is less than 1%, demonstrating a good feasibility of this process.

A Fully Integrated Conformal Wearable Ultrasound Patch for Continuous Sonodynamic Therapy.

Cancer treatment is a continuous process, that the current therapy cannot meet the requirement well, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Wearable ultrasound device has the potential for continuous sonodynamic therapy due to its portability. However, the miniaturization of ultrasonic probe, system integration of device, and the strategy of continuous treatment are still urgent issues to be addressed. Herein, a portable wearable antitumor system is introduced, which utilizes a custom-developed multiplexed ultrasonic patch array (CWUS Patch) to accurately focus ultrasound on the lesion site and controllably stimulate sonosensitizer to produce a large amount of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). The system enables dynamic control of the ultrasound patches and allows real-time adjustments to optimize their performance in various applications, providing greater flexibility and precision in healthcare technology. Furthermore, the excellent penetration property of ultrasound into tumor tissues that induce synchronous apoptosis of tumor cells from the inside out is verified through a mouse model of breast cancer. This fully integrated conformal wearable ultrasound system provides a promising approach to noninvasively, continuously, and efficiently treat deep tumors.

Additively Manufactured Continuous Processing Reactor System for Producing Liquid-Based Pharmaceutical Substances

In this study, an AM-based continuous processing reactor system was designed, manufactured, and assembled on a laboratory scale for the generation of pharmaceutical substances with an improved process control. The developed AM-based (additively manufactured) continuous pharmaceutical reactor system for the synthesis of metronidazole derivatives aimed to optimize both the physical and the chemical processes with time savings. Using AM, we were able to build reactor subcomponents with complex designs and precise dimensions, which facilitated the precise control of the reaction parameters and reduced the amount of chemicals required compared to macroscale reactors. The assembly of the whole reactor system consisted of main reactor bodies, mixers, valves, heat exchangers, electrical motors, and a microcontroller system. The assembled reactor system revealed a continuous flow of reagents and ensured uniform mixing and reaction conditions, thereby increasing the process efficiency and product quality. Five metronidazole derivatives were synthesized via two continuous processes, involving metronidazole reduction and its subsequent reactions with terephthalic aldehyde and anthracen-9(10H)-one to form Schiff bases. The optimal conditions were determined as follows: compound A (72% yield, 120 min, 55 °C), compounds B and C (63% and 68% yield, respectively, 8 h, 65 °C), and compounds D and E (74% and 85% yield, respectively, 8 h, 45 °C).

The effect of longer epidural duration after open pancreaticoduodenectomy on pain and mobilisation: A retrospective single-centre analysis.

The optimal length of epidural use following open pancreaticoduodenectomy has not been defined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the length of patient-controlled epidural analgesia affected pain and ability to mobilise on epidural termination following open pancreaticoduodenectomy in the context of enhanced recovery after surgery. A retrospective single-centre cohort analysis was performed between November 2015 and December 2021 on patients who underwent open pancreaticoduodenectomy. As part of a continual review process of the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol, patient-controlled epidural analgesia duration changed allowing stratification of patients into either three- or five-day patient-controlled epidural analgesia groups. Of the 196 patients identified, 157 were included with 80 (50.9%) and 77 (49.1%) allocated to the three-day and five-day patient-controlled epidural analgesia groups, respectively. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia termination on postoperative day 3 was associated with transiently higher pain and less mobilisation, although no greater rescue analgesia requirement. Conversely, longer patient-controlled epidural analgesia usage following open pancreaticoduodenectomy was associated with less pain and greater mobilisation in the immediate postoperative period. Earlier patient-controlled epidural analgesia termination transiently leads to increased pain and decreased mobilisation following open pancreaticoduodenectomy. Ensuring appropriate analgesia requirements or longer patient-controlled epidural analgesia usage should be considered to avoid patient discomfort and enhance recovery.

Evaluation of filler activation for sustainable FRP composite by studying properties, mechanism, and stability

The aim is to develop new fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) water pipe by activating fiber glass (FG) by vinyltriethoxysilane (VS) getting vinylsilane-activated FG (AFG) for filling vinylester (VE) via continuous winding to make a novel VE-AFG composite. The novelty of this work is the activation of fiber glass by vinylsilane as a single filler in vinylester and compounding them via a two-dimensional continuous winding process for the first time. The crosslinking occurred in the AFG/VE/curing agent system after activation. The activated composites increased thermal stability; 25% VE-AGF increased the degradation temperatures at 10%, 25%, and 50% weight loss by 73.3%, 10%, and 7.2%. With the activated 20% composite, values of axial strength, hoop strength, and hardness were developed by 6.3%, 2%, and 8.7%, respectively. The decay resistance to different microorganisms was increased with VE-AFG composites as a result of a sharp decrease in biodegradability percentages. The activated composites are stable toward water absorption; the least percentage was recorded by 25% VE-AFG, which minimized the water absorptivity by more than 62%. The reported characterization sentence approves enhancement of thermal, physical, and mechanical stability of sustainable vinylester-fiber glass composites manufactured by continuous winding; this is recommended for application in water pipe systems.

Kualitas Program Layanan Homecare Terhadap Tingkat Kepuasan Pasien : Literature Review

Background: Homecare is recovery, independence, fulfilling basic needs,choose the treatment nedded are called homecare, influences the success of health development. In overcoming health problems, health workers must be able to increase their professionalism in carrying out their duties to provide the best and highest quality services, so that patients and family members feel satisfied as measured by the factors. Purpose: This literature review research aims to find out how the quality of homecare service programs influences the level of patient satisfaction. Methods: There were 14 journals used in the literature review. Journal searches are carried out through Four databases : Google Scholar, Crossref, ProQuest, Emerald Insight.Results: Literature analysis shows that, there is a relationship between reliability, responsiveness, assurance, emphaty and tangible with the level of patient satisfaction.Conclusion: The quality of home services is influenced by several factors, the focus of quality measurement in Indonesia and several countries is similar. In other countries, quality seen in the nursing process, staff skills are called assurance. Quality is conceptualized as a continuous process, coordination of professional groups, prioritizing patient safety standards is called tangible, timeliness called responsiveness. In Indonesian quality is measured in five factors are tangible, responsiveness, reliability, assurance and empathy. These factors are most related to patient satisfaction in homecare services.

Design and Continuous (Re)Processing of Thermally Resilient Poly(Styrene-co-Maleic Maleate)-Based Covalent Adaptable Networks

Design and Continuous (Re)Processing of Thermally Resilient Poly(Styrene<i>-co-</i>Maleic Maleate)-Based Covalent Adaptable Networks

Experimental Study on the Characteristics and High‐Temperature Heat Transfer of Secondary Cooling Nozzle for High‐Efficiency Slab Continuous Casting Process

In the continuous casting process, the heat transfer effect of secondary cooling plays an important role in the quality of the slab. The cooling intensity and cooling uniformity of the secondary cooling nozzle need more efficient spray cooling to achieve. Herein, the cold characteristics of different types of nozzles were compared. It is found that the second type of air mist nozzles have more uniform water density and striking force. On this basis, high‐temperature heat transfer experiments for casting billets were carried out to study the heat transfer coefficients of different air mist nozzles in the secondary cooling zone of continuous casting. It is found that the heat transfer coefficient increases as the distance of the temperature measurement point from the nozzle directly below increases. The heat transfer coefficients of the casting billet in both the jet and non‐jet zones are decreasing to varying degrees. When the temperature drops to 600 °C, the second type of air mist nozzle shows a faster temperature drop at the point of measurement, a smaller difference in time taken for temperature drop between jet and non‐jet zones, and faster and more uniform spraying, leading to a more significant trend of increasing heat transfer coefficient.

Effect of Al or Cu Content on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Zn Alloys Fabricated Using Continuous Casting and Extrusion

The effect of Al or Cu content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of continuous casting and extrusion Zn alloys has been studied by a room temperature tensile test, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope. With the increase in Al content, the microstructure of continuous casting and extrusion Zn alloys slightly coarsens, and the lamellar eutectic structure increases. The changes in the above structural factors result in a slight decrease in strength and a significant increase in the elongation of Zn-Al alloys. The strength of Zn alloys increases as the Cu content increases due to the increased content and size of the second phase in the Zn alloys. This means that the mechanical properties of Zn alloys can be adjusted by a continuous casting and extrusion process, and the improvement of equipment capacity can improve the structure and morphology of the alloys.

Effect of Swimming Training on Bone Tissue in Humans

Introduction and purpose: The skeletal system performs many important functions in the human body. It primarily bears the heavy loads associated with movement, protects internal organs, and participates in the regulation of mineral homeostasis. Through continuous processes of bone remodeling and modeling, optimal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the serum are achieved. The balanced removal of old bone tissue by osteoclasts and the formation of new bone by osteoblasts maintain the mechanical properties necessary for the proper functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Bone modeling has been shown to be activated in response to mechanical loading from physical activity. Conversely, the absence of significant loading (as in space travel, i.e., microgravity conditions) leads to increased bone resorption. Osteocytes, as the most numerous group of cells in the skeletal system, are mechanosensitive and are thought to respond to stimuli such as fluid flow, mechanical deformations, and hydrostatic pressure. In response, they regulate the work of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, translating into the regulation of processes occurring in the bone matrix.[1] It is suspected that the type, intensity, and nature of physical exercises can significantly influence these processes. The aim of this work is to gather information on the impact of swimming training (an example of physical exercise in conditions of partial gravity reduction) on the human skeletal system.

Development of an Impinging Jet Microreactor Synthesis Process for Surfactant‐free Pt‐Nanoparticles as PEMFC Catalyst Component

Colloidal, surfactant‐free platinum nanoparticles were prepared via a self‐built continuous impinging jet microreactor synthesis process in alkaline aqueous methanol solution (Co4CatTM process). In these syntheses, methanol functions as a reducing agent as well as an additional solvent. Especially the synthesis of surfactant‐free nanoparticles remained challenging, and additionally, the transfer of this synthesis into a continuous process required several optimization steps. In this contribution we present highly controllable final particle sizes by adjusting process temperature, platinum precursor concentration and molar ratio of the hydroxide and platinum precursor used. The size objective of the surfactant‐free Pt nanoparticles was a range of 1 – 10 nm, due to the intended application in various catalytic processes, especially as PEMFC electrocatalyst. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), ζ‐potential measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV/Vis spectroscopy were used to monitor the particle stability over a certain period of time and study the rate of the reduction reaction in more detail.

Incipient fault detection and isolation with Cauchy–Schwarz divergence: A probabilistic approach

To monitor the dynamics and non-stationarity inherent in industrial processes, we propose a novel incipient fault detection and isolation scheme grounded in a probabilistic perspective, using the Cauchy–Schwarz (CS) divergence. Our innovation lies in the utilization of marginal CS divergence for incipient fault detection and the conditional CS divergence for fault isolation. This approach neither require prior parametric assumptions about the underlying data distribution nor depend on historical fault data, while simultaneously providing explanatory diagnostics. Beyond this, we develop a change point detection-base diagnosis technique for practical engineering applications. This online process monitoring technique guarantees timely intervention to uphold process stability and safety. We demonstrate the compelling performance, higher detection rate and lower alarm rate, of the CS divergence over prevalent divergence-based approaches, such as Kullback–Leibler divergence, Wasserstein distance and Mahalanobis distance. We also illustrate the explanatory insights offered by conditional CS divergence in fault isolation on synthetic data, benchmarks of continuous stirred-tank reactor process and continuous stirred-tank heater process and even a real-world continuous catalytic reforming process. Code of this CS divergence based fault detection and isolation is available at https://github.com/Feiya-Lv/Incipient-Fault-Detection-and-Isolation-with-Cauchy--Schwarz-Divergence.

MeshWGAN: Mesh-to-Mesh Wasserstein GAN With Multi-Task Gradient Penalty for 3D Facial Geometric Age Transformation.

As the metaverse develops rapidly, 3D facial age transformation is attracting increasing attention, which may bring many potential benefits to a wide variety of users, e.g., 3D aging figures creation, 3D facial data augmentation and editing. Compared with 2D methods, 3D face aging is an underexplored problem. To fill this gap, we propose a new mesh-to-mesh Wasserstein generative adversarial network (MeshWGAN) with a multi-task gradient penalty to model a continuous bi-directional 3D facial geometric aging process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first architecture to achieve 3D facial geometric age transformation via real 3D scans. As previous image-to-image translation methods cannot be directly applied to the 3D facial mesh, which is totally different from 2D images, we built a mesh encoder, decoder, and multi-task discriminator to facilitate mesh-to-mesh transformations. To mitigate the lack of 3D datasets containing children's faces, we collected scans from 765 subjects aged 5-17 in combination with existing 3D face databases, which provided a large training dataset. Experiments have shown that our architecture can predict 3D facial aging geometries with better identity preservation and age closeness compared to 3D trivial baselines. We also demonstrated the advantages of our approach via various 3D face-related graphics applications.

In-situ crystallization process monitoring of thermoplastic composites by dielectric sensing during laser-assisted automated fiber placement

The crystallization process during the laser-assisted automated fiber placement (LAFP) is important for the mechanical performance and process-induced deformation of fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites. However, there is lack of method for in-situ crystallization process monitoring of thermoplastic composites during the LAFP process with rapid cooling and multiple heating. Here we present a novel dielectric method for in-situ measurement of crystallization development of glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP) during the LAFP process using interdigital electrodes for the first time. The accuracy of the dielectric method was verified by standard XRD and DSC methods at different cooling rates. Furthermore, the effect of laser power on crystallinity was analyzed by the proposed method. The feasibility of this method for monitoring crystallinity development during continuous LAFP process was performed. We anticipate that the dielectric method offers considerable potential for quality monitoring for the LAFP process and other additive manufacturing processes for thermoplastic composites.

3D cellulose network confining MXene/MnO2 enables flexible wet spinning microfibers for high-performance fiber-shaped Zn-ion capacitors.

Fiber-shaped Zn-ion capacitors (FSZICs) have shown great potential in wearable electronics due to their long cycle life, high energy density, and good flexibility. Nevertheless, it is still a critical challenge to develop a conductive fiber with long size and high mechanical properties as the FSZIC cathode using sustainable and low-cost materials. Herein, regenerated cellulose (RC) -based conductive microfibers are prepared by a simple, continuous, and scalable wet spinning process. The 3D nanoporous networks of RC caused by physical self-cross-linking allow MXene and MnO2 to be uniformly and firmly embedded. The rapid extrusion and limited drying result in the highly aligned structure of the fibers, endowing the hybrid fiber with an ultra-high tensile strength (145.83 Mpa) and Young's modulus (1672.11 Mpa). MXene/MnO2-RC-based FSZIC demonstrates a high specific capacitance of 110.01 mF cm-3, an energy density of 22.0 mWh cm-3 at 0.57 A cm-3 and excellent cycling stability with 90.5% capacity retention after 5000cycles. This work would lead to a great potential of cellulose for application in next-generation green and wearable electronics.

Improving the transfer of dissolved oxygen in a biological Fe2+ oxidation process using a venturi jet as an intensive aeration system

The low bio-production of Fe3+ as a leaching agent is one of the main limitations to implementing industrial bio-processes at feasibility conditions. The main limitation of the bio-oxidation process of Fe2+ is the low oxygen transfer to the aqueous phase because of the low oxygen solubility. This study assesses the effectiveness of the venturi jet as an innovative and intensive aeration device for overcoming the oxygen limitation in a continuous ferrous oxidation process in a fixed-bed reactor with immobilized acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, in contrast to the conventional diffuser aeration device. Firstly, the influence of the airflow and the influence of the medium concentration were determined for the following parameters for both aeration devices; Volumetric mass transfer coefficient (kLa), Standard Oxygen Transfer Rate (SOTR), Standard Aeration Efficiency (SAE), and Standard Oxygen Transfer Efficiency (SOTE). Then, both aeration devices were compared in a continuous bio-oxidation process in an up-flow packed bio-reactor (UFPB). The system performance was assessed by monitoring temperature, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and dissolved oxygen concentration for 69 days. Findings displayed that when aerating with the diffuser, the ferrous oxidation rate was restricted by the low dissolved oxygen availability, being about 1 ppm (1 mg L−1). Under these oxygen-limiting conditions, the maximum ferrous (Fe2+) oxidation rate was 9.09 g L−1 h−1. However, when aerating with the venturi jet, the dissolved oxygen concentration increased up to 2.70 mg L−1, achieving a maximum of 29.11 g L−1 h−1. So, this study has demonstrated that the change in the aeration device has resulted in an improvement in the process, achieving a 3.5-fold increase in the oxidation rate. Furthermore, the venturi jet offered additional advantages over the diffuser, such as requiring less power to deliver the same amount of air, being unaffected by jarosite precipitates, and not requiring a supply of compressed air.

Flow and fluctuation of molten steel under permanent magnet flow control-mold in continuous casting process

Flow and fluctuation of molten steel under permanent magnet flow control-mold in continuous casting process

Coating powder beds with liquids and foams based on viscous formulations using a twin screw mixer: A continuous process study

Coating with viscous formulations has been essential in numerous industries as it can be a means for providing functionalization, additional properties, as well as other benefits. However, there have been scarce studies that have investigated and proposed methodologies in literature. Continuous coating of powders with viscous liquids poses as a promising technology, which has been mentioned in some studies, but has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This paper employs the use of image processing and analysis, in combination with statistical analysis of particles to evaluate the effectiveness of foams and liquids as a means of coating powder beds. Two different sizes of twin screw mixers that are working in continuous operation are employed, and a new continuous foaming device is fabricated and used for the experiments of coating. The effect of materials and process parameters (as for example rotational speed, and flowrate) on the quality of coating are investigated. Image analysis is used to assess the coating quality. The results clearly showcase the potential of using twin screw mixers for coating purposes and not only for mixing. The hypothesis that using large bubble foams to improve the coating of viscous liquids on particles is proven correct, as they provide higher quality coatings compared to their equivalent liquids, when used in the twin screw mixer. Surprisingly, using a larger scale twin screw mixer, does not show a substantial effect on the mixing, regarding quality, however there is still a requirement for mix optimization for achieving scale-up of this process. These results provide a new pathway for coating powders with viscous formulations in industrial applications, requiring less energy and effort in this process, and can pave the way towards introducing more sustainable industrial methodologies for coating.

A Prebiotic Pathway to Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide.

Enzymes play a fundamental role in cellular metabolism. A wide range of enzymes require the presence of complementary coenzymes and cofactors to function properly. While coenzymes are believed to have been part of the last universal ancestor (LUCA) or have been present even earlier, the syntheses of crucial coenzymes like the redox-active coenzymes flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) remain challenging. Here, we present a pathway to NAD+ under prebiotic conditions starting with ammonia, cyanoacetaldehyde, prop-2-ynal and sugar-forming precursors, yielding in situ the nicotinamide riboside. Regioselective phosphorylation and water stable light activated adenosine monophosphate derivatives allow for topographically and irradiation-controlled formation of NAD+. Our findings indicate that NAD+, a coenzyme vital to life, can be formed non-enzymatically from simple organic feedstock molecules via photocatalytic activation under prebiotically plausible early Earth conditions in a continuous process under aqueous conditions.