Granule Size Distribution Research Articles

ABA Affects Distinctive Rice Caryopses Physicochemical Properties on Different Branches

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important regulatory role in the grain filling process, which in turn will affect the final yield and quality of rice. The ABA biosynthesis genes of OsNCED3 and degradation gene OsABA8ox3 affect the ABA content, and then further regulate the ABA signaling. During the development of rice panicle, compared with primary grains (superior grains) growing on primary branches, secondary grains (inferior grains) growing on secondary branches exhibit characteristics. However, little is reported on the physicochemical characteristics of starch between superior and inferior grains in ABA related transgenic lines. In this study, OsNCED3 and OsABA8ox3 transgenic plants were used as materials. The results showed that compared with the WT, the OsNCED3-RNAi lines on grain weight was consistent with the trend of superior and inferior grains, while the OsABA8ox3-RNAi lines affected superior or inferior grains. The total starch and soluble sugar content of grains decreased in both OsNCED3-RNAi and OsABA8ox3-RNAi lines, and the total starch content of superior and inferior grains in OsABA8ox3-RNAi lines decreased. The starch granule size distribution of all samples showed a bimodal and increased proportion of starch grains with large granule size, in which the influence on inferior grains was greater than that of superior grains, which eventually led to a significant increase in their average granule size. The apparent amylose content of inferior grains increased significantly in most lines. The swelling power of the superior grains decreased significantly, while that of the inferior grains increased significantly. Fourier analysis showed that the order degree of starch granule surface decreased in the superior grains of the RNAi line, while it increased in the inferior grains of the OsABA8ox3-RNAi line but decreased in the OsNCED3-RNAi lines. In the superior grains, the relative crystallinity of starch decreased in the OsNCED3-RNAi lines, but remained unchanged or increased in the OsABA8ox3-RNAi line. In inferior grains, the relative crystallinity of starch decreased in the ABA synthesis RNAi line, but increased in the OsABA8ox3-RNAi line. In summary, the influence of ABA on the physicochemical properties of inferior grains is greater than that of superior grains.

Structural, molecular, and physicochemical properties of starch in high-amylose durum wheat lines

There is growing interest in the development of high-amylose cereals such as wheat due to their functional properties and nutritional value in foods. The increase in amylose content is associated with significant changes in the physicochemical, molecular, and structural characteristics of wheat starch which could affect its processing quality. The present study aimed to analyze the physicochemical, molecular, and structural characteristics of high-amylose starch from three durum wheat near isogenic lines (NILs), each obtained using three different recurrent parents. Morphology, granule size distribution, pasting and thermal properties, X-ray diffraction, and structural features were determined. The NILs showed the highest amylose content (65.3 and 69.8%), granules with an elongated shape, size between the wild-type and the mutant, restricted swelling in the pasting profile, the highest average and final gelatinization temperature, and B-polymorphism. The starches from the NILs showed the highest molar mass of amylopectin (AP) (7.0–7.6 × 107 Da) and the lowest amylose (AM) (1.1–1.8 × 106 Da), an issue associated with the biosynthesis of both components. The study on the debranched sample by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography showed that the high-amylose starch had the highest content of long B2 and B3 chains of AP (23.9–26.6%), which was corroborated with the high-performance anion-exchange chromatography analysis where the chains with degree of polymerization >37 had the highest content (18.3–19.1%). The PC1 is highly associated with the MwAM and the AM fraction in the debranched starch analyzed by HPSEC. Characterizing high-amylose durum wheat starch provides information to determine the structure-function relationship and design strategies to produce crosses with structural characteristics of AM and AP for specific applications.

Comparison of Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Starches from Hybrid Foxtail Millets and Their Parental Lines

The structure and physicochemical properties of starch were important factors to determine the quality of foxtail millet. While hybrid foxtail millet has made greater progress in yield, it has made slower progress in quality than conventional foxtail millet with a more complex genetic base, which was jointly influenced by the parents. However, there were no reports on the comparison of the starch structure and physicochemical properties of hybrid foxtail millets and their parents. In this study, the amylose content, morphology structure, granule size distribution, X-ray diffraction, short-range ordered structure, pasting properties, and thermal characteristics of starches derived from Changzagu 466 (466), Changzagu 333 (333), Changzagu 2922 (2922) and their parent materials were analyzed. The results showed that compared with male parents, the starches from three hybrid foxtail millets and their female parents had larger average particle size, d(0.1), d(0.5), and gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH), while the amylose content values of three hybrid foxtail millets were 26.0%, 28.8%, and 28.9%, which were between the parents (25.8~27.1%, 25.4~28.8%, and 23.6~29.5%), with conclusion temperature (Tc) being higher than the parents and having a lower breakdown viscosity. The peak viscosity of Changzagu 466 (466) and Changzagu 2922 (2922) was 5235.5 cP and 5190.8 cP, respectively, lower than that of their parents (5321.0~6006.0 cP and 5257.0~5580.7 cP), while the peak viscosity of Changzagu 333 (333) was 5473.8 cP, falling between the parental values (5337.5~5639.5 cP). The cluster analysis results showed that the starch structure and physicochemical properties of hybrid foxtail millet were significantly different from those of female parents, which were mainly influenced by male parents. The findings of this study will establish a theoretical foundation for the enhancement and innovation of high-quality foxtail millet germplasm resources, as well as the development of high-quality hybrid foxtail millet combinations.

Understanding of Wetting Mechanism Toward the Sticky Powder and Machine Learning in Predicting Granule Size Distribution Under High Shear Wet Granulation.

The granulation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has attracted widespread attention, there is limited research on the high shear wet granulation (HSWG) and wetting mechanisms of sticky TCM powders, which profoundly impact the granule size distribution (GSD). Here we investigate the wetting mechanism of binders and the influence of various parameters on the GSD of HSWG and establish a GSD prediction model. Permeability and contact angle experiments combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to explore the wetting mechanism of hydroalcoholic solutions with TCM powder. Machine learning (ML) was employed to build a GSD prediction model, feature importance explained the influence of features on the predictive performance of the model, and correlation analysis was used to assess the influence of various parameters on GSD. The results show that water increases powder viscosity, forming high-viscosity aggregates, while ethanol primarily acted as a wetting agent. The contact angle of water on the powder bed was the largest and decreased with an increase in ethanol concentration. Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) outperformed other models in overall prediction accuracy in GSD prediction, the binder had the greatest impact on the predictions and GSD, adjusting the amount and concentration of adhesive can control the adhesion and growth of granules while the impeller speed had the least influence on granulation. The study elucidates the wetting mechanism and provides a GSD prediction model, along with the impact of material properties, formulation, and process parameters obtained, aiding the intelligent manufacturing and formulation development of TMC.

Optimizing planting density enhances the multi-scale structural characteristics and in vitro digestibility of maize starch via modulating the size distribution of granules

The modification of starch through agricultural practices is becoming increasingly significant for producing healthy foodstuffs and raw materials for industrial applications, consequently gaining momentum in academic research. This study examined how three different planting densities influenced the distribution of granule sizes, multi-scale structural characteristics, and in vitro digestibility of maize starch. The results showed that planting density significantly enhanced grain yield and relative crystallinity, and significant increases were also observed in the contents of both rapidly and slowly digestible starch. The surface- and volume-weighted mean diameter of granules significantly increased under the medium level (6.75 × 104 plants ha−1), and then decreased under high planting density level. As planting density level increased, the amylose content, peak viscosity, and hardness varied from 23.3 to 26.4 %, from 1962 to 2659 mPa·s, and from 129.3 to 307.6 g, respectively. However, no change was found in crystalline structure of maize starch. These results indicated that optimizing planting density could effectively improve grain yield and starch characteristics of maize, with the best effect under the level of 6.75 × 104 plants ha−1.

Seeded granulation process in twin-screw granulators: A DEM approach

Twin-screw granulation is a promising continuous manufacturing technique for producing granules with tailored properties. This study investigates the impact of screw configuration and speed on seeded granule formation using discrete element method (DEM) simulations. The aim is to identify optimal screw designs and operating conditions that yield desirable granule characteristics, such as high coordination, fine particle coverage, and throughput. DEM simulations were performed using Altair's EDEM software, employing Hertz-Mindlin and JKR contact models to capture particle-particle interactions and binder liquid effects. Five screw configurations (C1, C2, C3, C4, and CI) with varying conveying zone lengths and kneading elements were investigated, and screw speed was varied from 300 to 800 RPM. The Results show that screw configuration plays a crucial role in determining seeded granule characteristics. Increasing screw speed had a detrimental effect on granule properties, with lower speeds of 300 RPM yielding the granules with the greatest coordination number with the highest fine coverage. The study highlights the complex interplay between screw configuration, conveying zone length, kneading elements, and residence time in determining granule properties. Recommendations are provided for selecting suitable screw configurations and operating conditions for specific applications. Further research is suggested to investigate granule size distribution and morphology at different liquid properties screw speeds, and liquid-to-solid ratios.

Characterization and structure-functionality analysis of starch in different layers of Lycoris chinensis bulb scales

According to literature, the size distribution of starch granules varies significantly in different layers of Lycoris chinensis bulb scales, however its effect on structural and physicochemical properties of starch still remains unclear. In this study, outer, middle and inner layers of bulb scales of L. chinensis were compared for starch characteristics. Also, the structure-functionality association was investigated based on correlation analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, using 37 starch quality traits. Compared to commonly consumed starches with similar amylose content, L. chinensis starch gel had lower hardness and viscosities. Among layers, starches varied significantly in particle size, physicochemical and structural properties. As compared to middle and inner scales, the starch in outer scales had higher amylose content, hardness and viscosities, but lower gelatinization temperature, weight-average molar mass and degree of polymorphism. Correlation analysis revealed significant correlations among traits, and interestingly, gelatinization temperature (Tp) was found positively correlated to traits of molecular weight (p < 0.05). The 37 traits of starch characteristics can be divided into three subgroups, as supported by the results of Pearson correlation analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. In general, the information presented in the current study are useful for Lycoris bulb starch utilization and insightful for a better understanding of structure-functionality association of starch.

Rational Function-Based Approach for Integrating Tableting Reduced-Order Models with Upstream Unit Operations: Dry Granulation Case Study.

We present a systematic and automatic approach for integrating tableting reduced-order models with upstream unit operations. The approach not only identifies the upstream critical material attributes and process parameters that describe the coupling to the first order and, possibly, the second order, but it also selects the mathematical form of such coupling and estimates its parameters. Specifically, we propose that the coupling can be generally described by normalized bivariate rational functions. We demonstrate this approach for dry granulation, a unit operation commonly used to enhance the flowability of pharmaceutical powders by increasing granule size distribution, which, inevitably, negatively impacts tabletability by reducing the particle porosity and imparting plastic work. Granules of different densities and size distributions are made with a 10% w/w acetaminophen and 90% w/w microcrystalline cellulose formulation, and tablets with a wide range of relative densities are fabricated. This approach is based on product and process understanding, and, in turn, it is not only essential to enabling the end-to-end integration, control, and optimization of dry granulation and tableting processes, but it also offers insight into the granule properties that have a dominant effect on each of the four stages of powder compaction, namely die filling, compaction, unloading, and ejection.

Penalties in Granule Size Distribution and Viscosity Parameters of Starch Caused by Lodging in Winter Wheat

Granule size distribution of wheat starch is an important characteristic that could affect the functionality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) products. Lodging is a major limiting factor for wheat production. Few studies have been conducted to clarify how lodging influences the granule size distribution and viscosity parameters of starch in wheat grains. Two growing seasons, two high-yield winter wheat cultivars, and five artificial lodging treatments were imposed. The results indicated that lodging significantly reduced the content of starch and increased that of protein. Additionally, lodging caused a marked drop in both starch and protein yields. The relative loss of grain yield, starch yield, harvest index, and protein yield all differed remarkably among lodging treatments with a ranking of L2 &gt; L1 &gt; L4 &gt; L3. Lodging also led to a reduction in the proportion (both by volume and by surface area) of B-type granules and a corresponding increase in that of A-type granules, and the more serious the lodging degree, the greater effect on the changes in these proportions. The smaller starch granules predominated in number, even though their collective contribution to the overall volume is was relatively minor. Meanwhile, it was found that the peak viscosity, hold viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown viscosity, and rebound value of wheat starch were significantly decreased by lodging. Correlation analysis showed that the peak and final viscosities were negatively correlated with volume percentages of A-type starch granules, but were positively correlated with B-type granules. This indicates that B-type granules have higher peak and final viscosities compared with A-type granules in wheat kernels. Lodging can reduce the proportion of B-type starch granules, and thus reduce the peak and the final viscosity in wheat grain.

Isolation and Characterization of Irvingia gabonensis Seed Contents and the Tableting Properties of its Gum Component

This experimental work was designed to isolate, purify and estimate the fatty acids contents of Irvingia gabonensis seeds (IGS) and to evaluate the tableting properties of the gum constituent of the seed in metformin tablet. A known amount of the IGS was crushed and dispersed in purified water at a temperature of 80oC, Ethanol (90 %) was added, filtered and dried at 40oC. The fatty acid components were recovered using petroleum ether, while the gum was further purified with ethanol (90%). The fatty acid contents obtained were analyzed using an Agilent G1701 GC/MSD system. The gum content was evaluated using parameters such as: flow rate, angle of repose, bulk and tapped density and Carr’s index. The gum was granulated with other excipients and metformin powder dried at 40oC. The granules were evaluated as was done for the gum and tablet compression done at 2.0 KN on a single punch tablet machine fitted with 12.5 mm diameter die size. The GC-MS revealed bioactive compounds mainly fatty acids– lauric acid (36.82%), myristic acid (31.52%), benzyl dodecanoate (9.06%) and palmitic acid (4.03%), n-decanoic acid, 1-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2-ethanediyl ester, tetradecanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-1,3-propanediyl ester, etc. The granule size distribution revealed size and compactness in the following order: Acacia gum &gt; IGS-gum &gt; Gelatin, and average granule size for the batches were found to be 500 μm. Evaluation of metformin tablets gave the following results: crushing strength, friability, and disintegration time for B7 and B8 (7.5 and 10 %w/v IGS-gum as binder) as 58 and 68 N, 1.03% and 1.01%, 20.00 and 26.00 min., respectively. B3and B4 (7.5 and 10 %w/v acacia were shown as gum as binder) 44 and 48 N, 1.10 and 1.03%, 20.00 and 23.50 min., respectively. It can be concluded that at 7.5 and 10 %w/v, IGS-gum proved to be a better binder than acacia in metformin tablets formulation. Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 23(1): 53-62, 2024 (June)

Moderate regulation of wheat B-starch ratio: Improvement of molecular structure, spatial conformation, aggregation behavior of reconstituted fermented doughs and its processing suitability

Aiming to investigate the changes and effects of different particle sizes of wheat A/B starch during dough fermentation, the present study reconstituted A/B starch fractions in ratios of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100, further blended with gluten and subjected to slight (20 min), medium (30 min), and high (60 min) fermentation processes by yeasts. Results showed that fermentation gas production promoted gluten network extension, inducing starch granule exposure and dough surface roughness. Also, fermentation fractured protein intermolecular disulfide bonds and decreased α-helix and β-folded structure content, contributing to GMP, LPP, and SPP content decreases. Moreover, moderately increasing the B-starch ratio in the dough can improve gluten network stability, continuity, and air-holding capacity. The 25A-75B steam bread exhibited optimal processing suitability (better morphology, texture, and quality) due to its higher GMP and polymer protein content with lower free sulfhydryl and monomeric protein content. Further, conformational relationships indicated the key indicators influencing dough products' properties were free sulfhydryl content, GMP content, protein molecular weight distribution, and secondary structure. The obtained findings contributed to understanding the effect of wheat starch granule size distribution on dough processing behavior, and future targeted breeding for wheat cultivars with high B-starch content for improved fermentation pasta product qualities.

Variability in Starch Content, Starch Granule Morphology and Size Distribution of Three Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Genotypes in Relation to Yield, at Different Planting Seasons

Variability in Starch Content, Starch Granule Morphology and Size Distribution of Three Cassava (Manihot esculenta) Genotypes in Relation to Yield, at Different Planting Seasons

Influence of drought stress and growth temperature during kernel development on physical and chemical starch characteristics of malting barley

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesStarch is the main component of malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and its physical and chemical characteristics are particularly important in further processing in the beverage industry. This study investigates how the parameters (i) growing temperature (high/low) and (ii) water deficit (drought stress) during grain filling affect starch characteristics by cultivating nine different commonly used malting barley varieties in greenhouses under defined conditions. Particle size distribution of the starch granules, their phase transition characteristics (DSC), the pasting temperature (RVA), and the amylose/amylopectin (AM/AP) ratio were examined to assess starch characteristics.FindingsTwo‐way ANOVA analyses revealed that drought stress during the grain‐filling phase resulted in significantly smaller starch granules, lower onset, peak, and endset temperatures (DSC), and increased pasting temperature (PT) while not affecting the AM/AP ratio. High growth temperature during grain filling resulted in significantly higher onset, peak, and endset temperatures (DSC), lower phase transition enthalpies, significantly higher PTs, and lower AM/AP ratios.ConclusionsGrowth temperature during kernel development affected starch phase transition characteristics the most, while water availability was significantly associated with starch granule sizes.Significance and NoveltyClimate change is increasing the events and severity of heat and drought in Europe. Agricultural practices and modern barley varieties must be adapted to these requirements to maintain processability for food production.

A global set of barley varieties shows a high diversity in starch structural properties and related gelatinisation characteristics

The gelatinisation temperature and bimodal granule size distribution of barley starch are important characteristics regarding resource efficiency and product quality in the brewing industry. In this work, the diversity in starch amylose content and granule proportions in a set of modern barley varieties (N = 23) was investigated and correlated with their starch gelatinisation behaviour. Milled barley samples had peak starch gelatinisation temperatures ranging from 60.1 to 66.5 °C. Upon separating the barley starch from the non-starch compounds, sample-dependent decreases in starch gelatinisation temperatures were observed, indicating the importance of differences in barley composition. The peak gelatinisation temperatures of milled barley and isolated barley starches were strongly correlated (r = 0.96), indicating that the behaviour of the starch population is strongly reflected in the measurements performed on milled barley. Therefore, we investigated whether amylose content or starch granule size distribution could predict the gelatinisation behaviour of the starches. Broad ranges in the small starch granule volumes (13.9–32.0 v/v%) and amylose contents (18.2–30.7 w/w%) of the barley starches were observed. For the barley samples collected in the north of the USA (N = 8), the small starch granule volumes correlated positively with the peak gelatinisation temperatures of barley starches (r = 0.90, p < 0.01). The considerable variation in starch properties described in this work highlights that, besides starch content, starch gelatinisation temperature or granule size distribution might provide brewers with useful information to optimise resource efficiency.

Characterization of Starch Properties in Diverse Pea Accessions: Structural, Morphological, Thermal, Pasting, and Retrogradation Analysis

AbstractThe present work evaluates starch from 29 diverse pea accessions for structural (amylose content and amylopectin chain length distribution), granule size distribution, thermal, pasting, and retrogradation properties. Amylose content and the proportion of amylopectin chains with the degree of polymerization (DP) of 6–10, 11–20, and &gt;20 vary in the range from 21.4% to 57.0%, 17.9% to 25.8%, 64.0% to 66.5%, and 9.4% to 16.7%, respectively. Starches with a higher proportion of small granules (&lt;5 µm) have a greater proportion of amylopectin chains with DP &gt; 10 and exhibit higher transition temperatures/enthalpy and vice versa. Retrogradation in starch pastes relates negatively to the proportion of amylopectin chains with DP &lt; 10. Paste viscosities relate negatively with amylopectin chains with DP &gt; 10, amylose content, and retrogradation while positively with transition temperatures/enthalpy and the potential of granules to swell.

Evaluation of the shear stability of aerobic granular sludge from a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor: Establishment of a quantitative method

This work established a quantitative method to access the shear stability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and validated its feasibility by using the mature AGS from a pilot-scale (50 tons/day) membrane bioreactor (MBR) for treating real municipal wastewater. The results showed that the changing rate (ΔS) of the peak area (S) of granule size distribution (GSD) exhibited an exponential relationship (R2≥0.76) with the shear time (y=a−b·cx), which was a suitable indicative index to reflect the shear stability of different AGS samples. The limiting granule size (LGS) was defined and proposed to characterize the equilibrium size for AGS after being sheared for a period of time, whose value in terms of Dv50 showed high correlation (R2=0.92) with the parameter a. The free Ca2+ (28.44–34.21 mg/L) in the influent specifically interacted with polysaccharides (PS) in the granule's extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) as a nucleation site, thereby inducing the formation of Ca precipitation to enhance its Young's modulus, while Ca2+ primarily interacted with PS in soluble metabolic product (SMP) during the initial granulation process. Furthermore, the Young's modulus significantly affected the parameter a related to shear stability (R2=0.99). Since the parameter a was more closely related (R2=1.00) to ΔS than that of the parameter b or c, the excellent correlation (R2=0.99) between the parameter a and the wet density further verified the feasibility of this method.

Rice Grains from Slightly Saline Field Exhibited Unchanged Starch Physicochemical Properties but Enhanced Nutritional Values

This study aims to investigate grain quality and nutritional values of rice (Pokkali, a salt-tolerant cultivar; RD73, a new cultivar improved from KDML105 introgressed with Saltol QTL from Pokkali, and KDML105, a moderately salt-susceptible cultivar) grown under non-saline (0.04–0.87 dS/m) and slightly saline (1.08–4.83 dS/m) field conditions. The results revealed that salinity caused significant reduction in grain size but significant increments in reducing sugar and total protein contents in the grains. Nevertheless, the amounts of starch in the grains of KDML105 and Pokkali rice genotypes were unaffected by the stress. The starch granule size distribution was also unaffected by salinity. Interestingly, only starch from Pokkali was significantly diminished in amylose content, from 19.18% to 16.99%. Accordingly, parameters relating to starch gelatinization, retrogradation, and pasting properties of KDML105 and RD73 were unaffected by salinity; only Pokkali showed a significant increase in percentage of retrogradation along with a significant reduction in gelatinization enthalpy. In the saline field, total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in the grains of all rice cultivars tended to increase, particularly in Pokkali. On average, essential element contents in grains from the saline-treated plants showed a 33%, 32%, 32%, 22%, 20%, 11%, and 10% increase in total P, N, K, Mg, Zn, Fe, and Ca content, respectively. Interestingly, total Fe content exhibited the greatest percentage of increments in KDML105 (187%). Taken together, cultivation of rice in the slightly saline field did not alter its eating and cooking qualities, while enhanced some nutritional properties such as proteins, minerals, and secondary metabolites like phenolic compounds.

The role of adding nanoparticles and surfactant to the enzyme liquid binder in fluidized bed granulation process

The influence of enzyme liquid binder properties on wet granulation process was evaluated at both micro- and macro-scales. The micro-scale phenomena, including binder droplet spreading on and penetration into the powder bed, as well as liquid bridge shape and force, were analyzed by introducing SiO2 nanoparticles and SDS surfactant into the liquid binder containing a protease enzyme and 1 wt% of NaCMC. Moreover, the simultaneous effect of formulation variables, including NPs and SDS concentrations, and process conditions, such as binder spray rate and air temperature, was investigated using design of experiments. The average size and the span were considered as the responses. Nanofluid binder without SDS exhibited lower spreading and penetration times and a stronger bridge force. All formulation and process factors significantly influenced granule size distribution. Notably, increasing nanoparticle concentration and binder flow rate, while decreasing SDS concentration and air temperature, resulted in larger granules and a narrower size distribution.

Hybrid model development and nonlinear model predictive control implementation for continuous dry granulation process

This study focuses on the development of a hybrid model to integrate roll compaction and ribbon milling operations to design and control a continuous dry granulation process. The proposed hybrid model has three features: (1) it compensates for underestimated roll gap measurements with knurled rolls, (2) it represents the bimodal size distribution of granules using five fitting parameters of the bimodal Weibull distribution instead of only using specific size percentiles, and (3) it considers the impact of rotor-screen gaps on granules. Furthermore, the hybrid model facilitates the implementation of nonlinear model predictive control in a roller compactor Alexanderwerk WP120. Compared to widely applied open-loop operations in the pharmaceutical industry, nonlinear model predictive control demonstrates better performance, indicated by lower integral absolute errors in controlling mass throughput and ribbon solid fraction, in which real-time measurements can be obtained using a near-infrared sensor and a novel spectra selection approach.

Evaluating the impact of bentonite granule size distribution and swelling on the hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners

The impact of granular size, distribution, total intergranular porosity, mobile intergranular porosity, and the tortuosity of the flow paths on the hydraulic conductivity of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) was assessed using a COMSOL hydrodynamic model. Results showed that as the intergranular pore spaces become smaller as the bentonite granules swell, the hydraulic conductivity of the GCL decreases. This effect is more significant when the density of the bentonite is lower. Outcomes from the model also illustrate that flow in GCLs with low hydraulic conductivity occurs in fine pore spaces with a width on the order of 1 um. The mobile intergranular porosity through which flow occurs is approximately 0.05 after the bentonite swells, and is small relative to the total intergranular porosity. This indicates that most water within bentonite having low hydraulic conductivity is occluded within isolated pores. As the hydraulic conductivity decreases, the tortuosity of intergranular flow paths increases, varying from 1.38 to 1.03. The findings provide insight into the complex flow behavior in GCLs and factors that affect achieving low hydraulic conductivity.