Increase Utilization Efficiency Research Articles

Pemanfaatan Sampah Plastik sebagai Material Paving Block

As people's consumption levels increase, the plastic waste produced will also increase. It's normal if in the future it becomes a serious environmental problem. We need a technology that is able to replace plastic waste into products that have a long life so that they do not return to waste in a short time. Making paving block products from plastic waste is another way of utilizing plastic waste over a long period of time, in order to increase utilization efficiency and reduce the environmental burden on plastic waste and form innovative products into building materials. The most important problem with plastic is plastic waste which cannot be decomposed naturally. Cleaning up plastic waste takes a very long time, and also the use of plastic can hardly be regulated. Based on the results of surveys, interviews and observations conducted on the community around Kuala Village, the community's awareness of waste processing is very minimal and there are lots of piles of plastic waste which can have a negative impact on health and disrupt the preservation of environmental functions, including residential environments, forests, rice fields, and rivers. To reduce the volume of plastic waste that is not managed properly, efforts are being made to utilize plastic waste to make paving blocks in Kuala Lemang Village. to explore the potential for using plastic waste as an alternative material in making environmentally friendly and sustainable paving blocks. Plastic waste collected from the surrounding environment is processed into mixed materials in making paving blocks. This process involves chopping, mixing with conventional materials such as sand, and testing the strength of the final product. Public acceptance of plastic-based paving blocks has proven positive, especially after trials in the local environment. This research contributes to better plastic waste management and offers new economic opportunities in the construction sector, while supporting sustainable development.

Carrier-free self-assembled nanoparticles based on prochloraz and fenhexamid for reducing toxicity to aquatic organism

Nanoformulations of pesticides are an effective way to increase utilization efficiency and alleviate the adverse impacts on the environments caused by conventional pesticide formulations. However, the complex preparation process, high cost, and potential environmental risk of nanocarriers severely restricted practical applications of carrier-based pesticide nanoformulations in agriculture. Herein, carrier-free self-assembled nanoparticles (FHA-PRO NPs) based on fenhexamid (FHA) and prochloraz (PRO) were developed by a facile co-assembly strategy to improve utilization efficiency and reduce toxicity to aquatic organism of pesticides. The results showed that noncovalent interactions between negatively charged FHA and positively charged PRO led to core-shell structured nanoparticles arranged in an orderly manner dispersing in aqueous solution with a diameter of 256 nm. The prepared FHA-PRO NPs showed a typical pH-responsive release profile and exhibited excellent physicochemical properties including low surface tension and high max retention. The photostability of FHA-PRO NPs was improved 2.4 times compared with free PRO. The FHA-PRO NPs displayed superior fungicidal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea and longer duration against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on potted rapeseed plants. Additionally, the FHA-PRO NPs reduced the acute toxicity of PRO to zebrafish significantly. Therefore, this work provided a promising strategy to develop nanoformulations of pesticides with stimuli-responsive controlled release characteristics for precise pesticide delivery.

Voltage and Reactive Power-Optimization Model for Active Distribution Networks Based on Second-Order Cone Algorithm

To address the challenges associated with wind power integration, this paper analyzes the impact of distributed renewable energy on the voltage of the distribution network. Taking into account the fast control of photovoltaic inverters and the unique characteristics of photovoltaic arrays, we establish an active distribution network voltage reactive power-optimization model for planning the active distribution network. The model involves solving the original non-convex and non-linear power-flow-optimization problem. By introducing the second-order cone relaxation algorithm, we transform the model into a second-order cone programming model, making it easier to solve and yielding good results. The optimized parameters are then applied to the IEEE 33-node distribution system, where the phase angle of the node voltage is adjusted to optimize the reactive power of the entire power system, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of utilizing a second-order cone programming algorithm for reactive power optimization in a comprehensive manner. Subsequently, active distribution network power quality control is implemented, resulting in a reduction in network loss from 0.41 MW to 0.02 MW. This reduces power loss rates, increases utilization efficiency by approximately 94%, optimizes power quality management, and ensures that users receive high-quality electrical energy.

Blockchain-Driven Demand Response System for Resilient and Sustainable MicroGrids Integrating Wind Energy Conversion Systems

This study introduces the B-DDR system, leveraging blockchain technology for real-time, decentralized energy management in MicroGrids. By integrating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), including a novel H-Darius VAWT-PMSG model with magnetic levitation and aerodynamic considerations, the proposed approach addresses challenges in optimizing energy supply and demand. Blockchain smart contracts facilitate peer-to-peer energy trading among WECS owners and users, promoting efficient renewable energy utilization. The system, analyzed through optimization models, demonstrates a notable reduction in peak demand rate from 40% to 15%, an improvement in energy efficiency from 7% to 12%, and a remarkable 92% increase in utilization efficiency. With a transaction speed of 5s during outages, the B-DDR system proves its capability to enhance MicroGrids, ensuring a robust, efficient, and sustainable energy environment. The incorporation of H-Darius VAWT-based PMSGs and blockchain technology enables precise demand response, achieving effective grid energy state equilibrium while minimizing losses. The self-executing agreements, monitored by H-Darius-PMSG nodes, provide real-time tracking and balancing, addressing the dynamic challenges posed by fluctuating demand requirements in a decentralized and efficient manner.

Implications of Vegetal Protein Hydrolysates for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Leafy Vegetables

Climate change and the degradation of ecosystems is an urgent issue to which the agricultural sector contributes through the overuse of productive inputs such as chemical fertilizers. A disproportionate use of nitrogenous fertilizers combined with low efficiency inevitably results in worsening environmental problems (greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, water eutrophication, and groundwater pollution). Nevertheless, increasing population growth puts additional pressure on the already struggling agricultural world. Awareness of these problems has pushed the world of research towards the development of more sustainable but equally efficient strategies in terms of production. The use of biostimulant substances and/or micro-organisms promoting yield, resilience to abiotic stresses in plants, and increasing the functional quality of products have been indicated as a valid strategy to improve the sustainability of agricultural practices. In modern horticulture, the use of vegetable–protein hydrolysates (V-PHs) is gaining more and more interest. These biostimulants could influence plants directly by stimulating carbon and nitrogen metabolism and interfering with hormonal activity, but also indirectly as V-PHs could improve nutrient availability in plant growth substrates and increase nutrient uptake and utilization efficiency. By exploiting this aspect, it would be possible to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers without affecting potential yields. After a brief introduction to the issues related to the intensive use of nitrogen fertilizers, this review focuses on the use of V-PHs as a strategy to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Starting with their heterogeneous origins and compositions, their effects on nitrogen metabolism, as well as the physiological and biochemical processes involved in these products, this review concludes with an in-depth discussion of the effects of V-PHs on major leafy vegetables.

Intense interaction between biochar/g-C3N4 promotes the photocatalytic performance of heterojunction catalysts.

In recent decades, environmental protection and energy issues have gained significant attention, and the development of efficient, environmentally friendly catalysts has become especially crucial for the advancement of photocatalytic technology. This study employs the sintering method to produce biochar. A hybrid photocatalyst for the degradation of RHB under visible light was prepared by loading varying proportions of biochar onto g-C3N4 using ultrasonic technology. Among them, 2% CGCD (2% biochar/g-C3N4) achieved a degradation rate of 91.3% for RHB after 30 minutes of visible light exposure, which was more than 25% higher than GCD (g-C3N4), and exhibited a higher photocurrent intensity and lower impedance value. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity is primarily attributed to the increased utilization efficiency of visible light and the electron transfer channel effect from a minor amount of biochar, effectively reducing the recombination of photo-generated charge carriers on the g-C3N4 surface, thereby significantly improving photocatalytic activity. The degradation of RHB is synergistically mediated by O2 -, h+ (photo-generated holes), and ˙OH. The free radical capture experiment indicates that O2 - and ˙OH are the primary active components, followed by h+.

Dramatically enhanced phenol degradation upon FeS oxygenation by low-molecular-weight organic acids

Oxidizing potential of FeS for organic contaminants degradation due to hydroxyl radicals (•OH) production has been recently documented, but the oxidizing efficiency was limited. Here, we revealed that low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) can immensely enhance phenol degradation during FeS oxygenation due to increased utilization efficiency of FeS electron for •OH production. Upon oxygenation of 0.5 g/L FeS, phenol degradation boosted from 7.1% without LMWOAs to 91.5%, 84.6% and 95.0% with the addition of 1 mM oxalate, citrate and EDTA, respectively. Electron utilization efficiency of Fe(II) for •OH production dramatically rose from 0.3% with FeS alone to respective 2.0%, 2.5% and 2.7% in the LMWOAs systems. An increase in oxalate concentrations benefited •OH formation and phenol degradation. Coexisting oxalate led to an additional •OH production pathway from Fe(II)-oxalate oxidation, which expanded the O2 reduction to H2O2 from a two- to one-electron transfer process. Meanwhile, electron transfer from FeS to dissolved Fe(III)-oxalate promoted the redox cycling of Fe(III)/Fe(II), thus supplying the Fe(II) oxidation for •OH production. Moreover, the presence of oxalate decreased the crystallinity and particles size of lepidocrocite generated from FeS oxidation. Consequently, this study shed lights on the LMWOAs-enhanced contaminant degradation in either natural or engineered FeS oxidation systems.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Bi2O2CO3/Bi4O5Br2/reduced graphene oxide Z-schemehe terojunction via a one-pot room-temperature synthesis

Bi2O2CO3(BOC)/Bi4O5Br2(BOB)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) Z-scheme heterojunction with promising photocatalytic properties was synthesized via a facile one-pot room-temperature method. Ultra-thin nanosheets of BOC and BOB were grown in situ on rGO. The formed 2D/2D direct Z-scheme heterojunction of BOC/BOB with oxygen vacancies (OVs) effectively leads to lower negative electron reduction potential of BOB as well as higher positive hole oxidation potential of BOC, showing improved reduction/oxidation ability. Particularly, rGO is an acceptor of the electrons from the conduction band of BOC. Its dual roles significantly improve the transfer performance of photo-induced charge carriers and accelerate their separation. With layered nanosheet structure, rich OVs, high specific surface area, and increased utilization efficiency of visible light, the multiple synergistic effects of BOC/BOB/rGO can achieve effective generation and separation of the electron-holes, thereby generating more •O2− and h+. The photocatalytic reduction efficiency of CO2 to CO (12.91 µmol/(g·hr)) is three times higher than that of BOC (4.18 µmol/(g·hr)). Moreover, it also achieved almost 100% removal of Rhodamine B and cyanobacterial cells within 2 hours.

Industrial Organic Wastewater through Drip Irrigation to Reduce Chemical Fertilizer Input and Increase Use Efficiency by Promoting N and P Absorption of Cotton in Arid Areas

The use of industrial waste as an agricultural resource is important for clean and sustainable agriculture. We assumed that industrial organic wastewater coupled with chemical fertilizer would increase cotton yield by enhancing nutrients absorption and utilization. To test this hypothesis, a two-year (2019–2020) field trial was conducted to assess the impacts of CK (0 kg ha−1), chemical fertilizer (CF) (N-P2O5-K2O: 228-131-95 kg ha−1), chemical fertilizer + organic wastewater (F0.6 (60%CF + OW: 1329 kg ha−1), F0.8 (80%CF + OW), F1.0 (CF + OW), F1.2 (120%CF + OW) and F1.4 (140%CF + OW)) on nutrient absorption and distribution, fertilizer use efficiency and cotton yield under drip irrigation system. Compared with CF, the soil organic matter, NH4+-N and AV-K increased significantly after F0.8-F1.4 treatments. The absorption of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by plants after dripping organic wastewater (F0.8-F1.4) increased by 1.1–11.2% as compared with CF (F0.6, CF < F0.8, F1.0 < F1.2, F1.4). Under F0.8, treatment resulted in a higher distribution rate of N, P and K in reproductive organs compared with other counterparts. In addition, drip application of organic wastewater promoted the absorption of magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) in leaves and Fe in roots with higher translocation of Zn and boron (B) to reproductive organs compared with other treatments. The absorption of N, P and K was positively correlated with Mg, negatively correlated with calcium (Ca) and sulfur (S), and positively correlated with manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe). The yield and fertilizer utilization rate of cotton were higher at F0.8. Conclusively, the use of 1329 kg ha−1 organic wastewater (organic mattered ≥ 20%, humic acid ≥ 20 g L−1, Bacillus subtilis ≥ 2 × 108 L−1) combined with chemical fertilizer (N-P2O5-K2O) at (182-104-76 kg ha−1) reduces the application of chemical fertilizer and can increase utilization efficiency of chemical fertilizer with a high cotton yield under mulch drip irrigation in arid regions.

Ag-modified α-Fe2O3 spherical particles interspersed on hierarchical flower-like NiAl-LDH microspheres with Z-scheme for significantly enhanced CO2 photoreduction into CO

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added C1 and/or C2 chemicals by photocatalytic technology has been regarded as a “one stone-two birds” solution for environmental degradation and energy shortage. In this work, a novel Z-scheme mechanism photocatalyst of Ag-modified α-Fe2O3 spherical particles interspersed on hierarchical flower-like layered nickel-aluminum hydroxides (NiAl-LDH) microspheres (α-Fe2O3/Ag/NiAl-LDH, designated as FALDH) is successfully prepared by a combined in-situ hydrothermal and grating strategy. As expected, the optimal sample of FALDH-5/10 exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction with a highest CO yield up to 46.7 μmol g−1 under simulated sunlight without any sacrificial reagents and photosensitizers, compared with the pristine NiAl-LDH, binary Ag/NiAl-LDH and α-Fe2O3/NiAl-LDH, as well as surpassing the previously reported LDH-based counterparts. The high activity is ascribed to strong interaction between the NiAl-LDH microspheres and highly-dispersed Ag/α-Fe2O3 particles, boosted CO2 adsorption capacity and optimized bandgap from α-Fe2O3, and increased utilization efficiency of light from Ag. This study offers a new idea for more efficient stimulating the photocatalytic activity of LDHs by the construction of Z-scheme heterojunction with the aid of plasmonic metal(s) for CO2 photoreduction, and is expected to be employed to other photocatalytic applications effectively.

Transmission and homogenization of laser-driven proton beams with broadband spectra

<p indent="0mm">Over the past few decades, laser accelerators made continuous progress. Thanks to the ultra-high electric field gradient (100 GV/m) generated by the interaction of laser and plasma, protons can be accelerated to MeV energy at a micron scale, being expected to be a new generation of widely used compact accelerators. The laser-driven proton beam has the characteristics of μm-level size (point source), ampere-level peak current, broadband energy spectrum, and large divergence angle. Irradiation applications need a uniform dose distribution, requiring the transformation from a point source to a large area of uniformly distributed particles. Increase of utilization efficiency requires that beams with energy spread as large as possible can be transmitted, while the chromatic aberrations pose a challenge to the homogenization of the beams, including the homogenization of the beams with the same energy and different initial divergence angles, and the homogenization of the beams with different energies. The weak focusing of the constant gradient magnetic field can focus in the horizontal and vertical directions at the same time, and analyze the energy in the horizontal direction. The integration of focusing and energy analysis can achieve achromatic transmission, or significantly reduce the influence of chromatic aberrations. This paper studies the transmission characteristics of proton beams in weak-focusing magnetic fields. The homogenized transformation for protons with the same energy in the horizontal direction from a point to a large area by point-to-parallel imaging is demonstrated. Point-to-parallel imaging is not a necessary condition for homogenization; transformation without point-to-parallel imaging in the vertical direction also obtains good homogeneity. The conditions for positional achromaticity in the horizontal direction are explored, and the transmission and homogenization of proton beams with 20% energy spread can be achieved with appropriate design. In positional achromatic transmission, the chromatic aberrations still have influence, causing the proton beam with large energy spread to deviate from the center of the beamline in the horizontal direction. In order to reduce the influence of chromatic aberrations, a special steering magnet is designed after the weak-focusing magnet to correct the divergence angle in the horizontal direction. The relationship between the correction amount of divergence angle and the position in the horizontal direction is obtained through parameter scanning, which can be well fitted by a 4 order polynomial. After correcting the divergence angle, the proton beam with large energy spread returns to the center of the beamline at the beamline exit. With a slit and energy spectrum shaping, proton beams with 80% energy spread can be obtained for irradiation with better uniformity. When the deflection radius is designed to be <sc>0.65 m,</sc> the weak-focusing beamline can transmit proton beams with <sc>1–20 MeV</sc> energy, 80% energy spread, and an initial divergence angle of ±50 mrad. After changing the magnetic field direction, electron beams with <sc>1–200 MeV</sc> energy, 40% energy spread can be transmitted. The transmission and homogenization of the proton beam with 80% energy spread greatly improves the utilization efficiency. Higher energy particle beams can be delivered using superconducting or pulsed magnet technology. The study found that the influence of chromatic aberrations is much larger in the beam transmission with a quadrupole triplet lens (strong focusing), and as energy cannot be accurately analyzed, it is difficult to improve. In comparison, the weak-focusing magnetic fields have significant advantages for beam homogenization.

Bridging between NiAl-LDH and g-C3N4 by using carbon quantum dots for highly enhanced photoreduction of CO2 into CO

A series of treble NiAl-LDH/g-C3N4/carbon quantum dots (LDH/CN/CQDs) photocatalysts is successfully prepared for the photoreduction of CO2 to CO via a facile hydrothermal pathway. In the 3D flower-like LDH/CN/CQDs, CQDs not only achieve the efficient inhibition of charge recombination but also act as the unhindered “electronic bridges” to synergistically construct a classical type-Ⅱ charge transfer configuration, which synchronously permits the effluence of photogenerated electrons from CN to LDH and holes from LDH to CN, and promotes ultraviolet–visible irradiation respondence. The sample of LDH/CN/CQDs-6 is the optimal one amongst the LDH/CN/CQDs with a larger special surface area (98.43 m2g−1) and an appropriate content of CQDs (66.9 wt%), exhibiting the highest CO evolution rate (5.2 μmol·g−1·h−1) under visible light irradiation without any sacrificial agent or photosensitizer in water. This is 26.8- and 20.9-fold higher than those of the pristine LDH, pure CN, and their binary counterparts, respectively, and also outperforms most reported LDH-based photocatalysts. As unhindered electron conduction bridges, the highly dispersed CQDs in the LDH/CN heterojunction significantly increase utilization efficiency of light energy and separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. This work provides a beneficial attempt to integrate CQDs with LDH/CN for the positive synergetic effect on both photoelectric properties and electron transfer to obtain highly enhanced photocatalytic activity of CO2 into CO, and expected to be extended towards broader photocatalytic applications.

Overexpression of PvSTK1 gene from Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) affects flowering time and development of floral organ in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Flowering means that the plant enters the reproductive growth stage, which is a crucial stage in the plant life cycle. Delaying flowering time to prolong vegetative growth is an important method to increase biomass yield and saccharification efficiency in switchgrass, It is of great significance to study the molecular mechanism of plant flowering and regulate the process of plant flowering in the process of biomass production. In this study, we identified 55 serine/threonine-protein kinase genes related to flower development from the switchgrass transcriptome database. Simultaneously, we cloned one of them, PvSTK1, whose expression level and differential fold were significantly higher than other members. PvSTK1 is located on chromosome 8N and its protein was in the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. The spatio-temporal expression analysis of the PvSTK1 in switchgrass displayed that the PvSTK1 is crucial in vegetative period, however, not in the transition to reproductive period. Overexpression of PvSTK1 in Arabidopsis resulted in down-regulation of flower-promoting genes and up-regulation of flower-suppressing genes, thereby delaying flowering. In addition, PvSTK1 caused atrophy of the ovules of the florets at the base of the inflorescence, leading to sterility of the florets. The function of PvSTK1 is to inhibit the development of floral organs, and its overexpression can prolong its vegetative period. In the future, overexpression of the PvSTK1 gene in switchgrass will change the flowering time and increase yield and utilization efficiency of biomass.

Increasing reactivity of plasmonic hot holes by a trapping strategy

Plasmonic photocatalysis has emerged as a promising solution for global energy crisis and environment pollution by facilitating wide ranging chemical transformations using photons in a broad region of solar spectrum. Despite numerous successful examples on improvement of electron-driven photochemistry, effective utilization of plasmonic hot holes is a long-standing challenge due to their ultrafast relaxation and short lifetime. Herein, we report that the reactivity of plasmonic hot holes can be greatly enhanced by a novel hot hole trapping strategy. We demonstrate a new concept of a metal-adsorbate interfacial structure that can be in situ constructed on gold (Au) surface in the presence of molecular hydrogen (H2) under plasmonic excitation, where the key is to employ an electron-filled antibonding state hybridized by H1s and Au5d as a localized “trap” to improve utilization efficiency of plasmonic hot holes. This interfacial structure is evidenced by light-induced H2 spillover and d-band model analysis. The prolonged lifetime and preserved oxidation power of plasmonic hot holes was evidenced by superior photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB) degradation in the presence of H2 which was accelerated by over 5 times. In addition, FTIR coupled with CO molecular probe reveals that the physical location of hole trapping are low coordinated positions sites on Au nanoparticles. These findings could provide an innovative pathway to increase utilization efficiency of hot holes for visible-light-driven photocatalysis applications.

Feeding Strategies to Reduce Nutrient Losses and Improve the Sustainability of Growing Pigs.

The efficiency of pig production using nutrients has increased over the years. Still, better efficiency of nutrient utilization can be achieved by feeding pigs with diets adjusted to their estimated requirements. An increase in nutrient efficiency of utilization represents economic gains while maximizing environmental performance. The objective of this paper is to review the impact of different methods of diet formulation that provide farm animals with the amount of nutrients to satisfy their needs while minimizing nutrient excretion and greenhouse gas emissions. Diet formulation is one tool that can help to maximize nitrogen and energy utilization by decreasing crude protein content in diets. The use of local feedstuff and non-human-edible products (e.g., canola meal) associated with synthetic amino acid inclusion in the diet are valuable techniques to reduce carbon footprint. Precision feeding and nutrition is another powerful tool that allows not only daily tailoring of diets for maximal nutrient efficiency of utilization but also to reduce costs and improve nitrogen efficiency of utilization. In this review, we simulated through mathematical models the nitrogen and energy efficiency of utilization resulting from crude protein reduction in the diet. An 8% crude protein reduction in the diet can increase nitrogen efficiency of utilization by 54% while costing 11% less than a control diet without synthetic amino acids. The same reduction in crude protein represented a major improvement in available energy due to the decrease of energetic losses linked to protein deamination. Urinary and hindgut fermentation energy losses were 24% lower for pigs fed with low-protein diets when compared to control diets. In terms of modern feeding techniques and strategies, precision feeding and nutrition can decrease nitrogen excretion by 30% when compared to group phase feeding. The benefits of feeding pigs with low-protein diets and precision feeding techniques are additive and might result in a 61% nitrogen efficiency of utilization. There is room for improvement in the way nutrient requirements are estimated in pigs. Improving the understanding of the variation of nutrient utilization among pigs can contribute to further environmental gains.

Ligand-Enhanced Electron Utilization for Trichloroethylene Degradation by ·OH during Sediment Oxygenation.

The potential of oxygenating Fe(II)-bearing sediments for hydroxyl radical (·OH) production and contaminant degradation has been proposed recently. Here, we further show that specific ligands can largely enhance contaminant degradation during sediment oxygenation due to increased utilization efficiency of sediment electrons. With the addition of 0-2 mM sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA) or sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) in sediment suspension (50 g/L, pH 7.0), trichloroethylene (TCE, 15 μM) degradation increased from 13% without ligand to a maximum of 80% with 2 mM TPP and was much higher with TPP than EDTA because EDTA competes for ·OH. Electron utilization efficiency for ·OH production increased with increased ligand concentration and was enhanced by up to 6-7 times with 2 mM EDTA or TPP. Electron transfer from sediment to dissolved Fe(III)-ligand is mainly accountable for the enhanced electron utilization efficiency by the ligands with low adsorption affinity (i.e., EDTA), and additional variation of sediment surface Fe(II) coordination is mainly responsible for the enhancement by the ligands with high adsorption affinity (i.e., TPP). Output of this study provides guidance and optional strategies for enhancing contaminant degradation during sediment oxygenation.

Rational Design and Simulation of Two-Dimensional Perovskite Photonic Crystal Absorption Layers Enabling Improved Light Absorption Efficiency for Solar Cells

A two-dimensional perovskite photonic crystal structure of Methylamine lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3, MAPbI3) is rationally designed as the absorption layer for solar cells. The photonic crystal (PC) structure possesses the distinct “slow light” and band gap effect, leading to the increased absorption efficiency of the absorption layer, and thus the increased photoelectric conversion efficiency of the battery. Simulation results indicate that the best absorption efficiency can be achieved when the scattering element of indium arsenide (InAs) cylinder is arranged in the absorption layer in the form of tetragonal lattice with the height of 0.6 μm, the diameter of 0.24 μm, and the lattice constant of 0.4 μm. In the wide wavelength range of 400–1200 nm, the absorption efficiency can be reached up to 82.5%, which is 70.1% higher than that of the absorption layer without the photonic crystal structure. In addition, the absorption layer with photonic crystal structure has good adaptability to the incident light angle, presenting the stable absorption efficiency of 80% in the wide incident range of 0–80°. The results demonstrate that the absorption layer with photonic crystal structure can realize the wide spectrum, wide angle, and high absorption of incident light, resulting in the increased utilization efficiency of solar energy.

Nanometerization of thiamethoxam by a cationic star polymer nanocarrier efficiently enhances the contact and plant-uptake dependent stomach toxicity against green peach aphids.

The utilization efficiency of conventional insecticides is comparatively low in agricultural production, which leads to their excessive application and environmental pollution. Insecticide nanometerization by polymers and polymeric materials has advantages, particularly increased utilization efficiency and reduced insecticide application. To increase the utilization efficiency of insecticides, a star polycation (SPc) was selected as a drug carrier that could be complexed with thiamethoxam through electrostatic interaction. Formation of the complex decreased the particle size of thiamethoxam from 575.77 to 116.16 nm in aqueous solution. Plant uptake of SPc-delivered thiamethoxam was increased 1.69-1.84 times compared with thiamethoxam alone. Nano-sized thiamethoxam/SPc complexes showed enhanced contact and stomach toxicity against green peach aphids. SPc is a promising insecticide adjuvant for insecticide nanometerization, and is beneficial in improving insecticidal activity and decreasing the application amounts and application rates of conventional insecticides. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Low-Carbon Economic Development in the New Era

In the context of the increasingly severe global greenhouse effect, the “14th Five-Year Plan” proposes to “promote green development and promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature”, which provides a new platform for the faster and better development of low-carbon countries. The low-carbon economy has entered a high-quality stage of China’s economic development in the new era, which is of great significance to the overall green transformation of China’s economic and social development. In order to assess the development level of China’s low-carbon economy, this paper estimates the carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity of energy consumption from 2008 to 2017 and applies the LMDI model to decompose the influencing factors of carbon emissions, analyzes the contribution rate of driving factors, and proposes energy saving, emission reduction and low carbon. Developmental countermeasures. The results show that economic growth and energy intensity are the biggest driving factors for promoting and suppressing carbon emissions, respectively. Measures are taken to improve energy structure, increase utilization efficiency, develop low-carbon industries, and promote low-carbon life.

Effects of climate change on the yield potentials and resource use efficiencies of mid-season indica rice cultivars in Eastern China

Abstract Global climate change affects crop yields and endangers food security. High yielding rice varieties adapted to climatic changes is a key breeding objective. However, little is known regarding the impact of climate change on the yield potentials and resource utilization efficiencies of modern rice cultivars in Eastern China. Using two-year field experiment, we investigated the biomass, nitrogen (N) uptake, and yield in relation to climatic resource use efficiencies of eight representative Chinese mid-season indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars grown in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Area over the last fifty years. The yield potential of rice from 1961–2015 was simulated using the ORYZA (v3) model. The total thermal time (growing degree days) increased at a rate of 3.3 ℃ yr−1, while sunshine hours decreased at a rate of 2.4 h yr−1 over the past five decades during growth period. Compared with the average potential yield from 1961 to 1975, an average 5.65 % of reduction occurred across different cultivars from 2001 to 2015. However, the rice potential yield increased by 52.0 kg ha−1 yr−1 in the released cultivars with increasing years of release. The use efficiencies of sunshine hours and thermal time for the cultivar Yangliangyou6 released in 2001 increased by 68.5 % and 59.5 % compared with the cultivar Shenglixian released in 1938. The increase of potential yield in the released cultivar Yangliangyou6 was attributed to increase utilization efficiency of radiation. Modern cultivars (semi-dwarf and super rice) maintained greater leaf area index (LAI) during the filling period without modification in photosynthetic rate. Besides, the decrease in grain N concentration contributed to stay-green characteristic and to the efficient use of N in modern cultivars. Thus, modern indica rice cultivars tolerate the adverse climatic changes by optimizing plant productivity and increasing resource utilization efficiencies.