Mass Conversion Efficiency Research Articles

Influence of particle stacking modes on the fluidization characteristics of biomass particles in binary particle systems

Spouted bed is widely used in biomass combustion and other industrial production due to the advantages of good heat transfer performance and sufficient gas–solid mixing. In order to achieve higher heat and mass transfer performance and conversion efficiency, inert particles are often added to assist in the fluidization of biomass particles. However, the stacking patterns of different particles in a binary particle system can have some effects on particle flow, distribution, and bed stability. Therefore, in this study, the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method was used to analyze the particle fluidization characteristics under four different particle stacking modes in a spouted bed. The results show that the average bed height of larger spherocylindrical particles is prioritized in binary particle systems. The void fraction of spherocylindrical particles tends to increase in the near-wall region, whereas spherical particles tend to decrease. When the binary particles are mixed at the initial moment, the change rule of vertical velocity of the two particles remains consistent. In addition, the vertical velocities of two kinds of particles when layered stacking is used are gradually close to each other only after a period of time. In addition, the orientation angle of the spherocylindrical particles in the spouted bed tends to be horizontal for both the single-component spherocylindrical particle system and the wall effect attenuates this phenomenon.

Optimization of Interfacial OH− Accessibility by Constructing a Delayed–Release Membrane Electrode for Ampere–Level Hydrogen Production

AbstractAchieving a high current density during electrochemical overall water splitting is a promising strategy for industrial energy conversion. The mass diffusion rate of OH− ions from the electrolyte to the interfacial active sites strongly influences the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) . Herein, the delayed‐release of OH− ions modulated by a proper organic polymer membrane on the electrode surface can optimize the OH− accessibility to the active sites (as indicated by the molecular dynamics simulations) is demonstrated and that van der Waals interaction force modulates the OH− residence time in the reaction system. The remarkable performance of the membrane‐modified electrode is achieved at ultra‐high current densities of 1.9 A cm−2 (with an HER overpotential of 602 mV) and 2 A cm−2 (with an OER overpotential of 459 mV) in 1 M KOH solution. Consequently, a super‐high current density of 1.3 A cm−2 is obtained for overall water splitting (at a voltage of only 2.2 V), which is 1.9‐fold higher than that of a benchmarked Pt/C‐IrO2 (684 mA cm−2). Therefore, the delayed‐release of OH− has optimized the mass conversion efficiency of the active sites, thus improving the electrochemical performance of overall water splitting.

Onsager coefficients in a coupled-transport model displaying a condensation transition

We study nonequilibrium steady states of a one-dimensional stochastic model, originally introduced as an approximation of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This model is characterized by two conserved quantities, namely mass and energy; it displays a ‘normal’, homogeneous phase, separated by a condensed (negative-temperature) phase, where a macroscopic fraction of energy is localized on a single lattice site. When steadily maintained out of equilibrium by external reservoirs, the system exhibits coupled transport herein studied within the framework of linear response theory. We find that the Onsager coefficients satisfy an exact scaling relationship, which allows reducing their dependence on the thermodynamic variables to that on the energy density for unitary mass density. We also determine the structure of the nonequilibrium steady states in proximity of the critical line, proving the existence of paths which partially enter the condensed region. This phenomenon is a consequence of the Joule effect: the temperature increase induced by the mass current is so strong as to drive the system to negative temperatures. Finally, since the model attains a diverging temperature at finite energy, in such a limit the energy–mass conversion efficiency reaches the ideal Carnot value.

Mass optimization of a recompression supercritical nitrous oxide and helium power system for space exploration

Due to high output power, long lifetime, high efficiency, and compact structure, the space nuclear power (SNP) system is considered an ideal choice for future large-scale and deep space missions. The system's mass, volume, and thermoelectric conversion efficiency directly affect and determine the system's performance compared with ground nuclear devices. The mass of the space nuclear power system is a vital parameter due to the limitation of cost, volume, and transportation. This study designed and optimized the recompression supercritical with nitrous oxide and helium (N2O–He) Brayton cycle with a small modular reactor for mass. Each Brayton cycle component model was developed to estimate the cycle performance systematically. The mass estimation model of the Brayton system includes a nuclear reactor, radiation shadow shield, Brayton cycle unit, recuperator, and radiator. A small modular reactor was designed to predict the minimum mass reactor suited to the given cycle conditions. The system mass optimization explored the trade-offs between the reactor, radiation shield, Brayton cycle unit, recuperator, and radiator to obtain the minimum mass of the space nuclear energy system to satisfy the operating requirements. Sensitivity parametric investigations are considered to evaluate the effects of crucial decision variables on the whole Brayton cycle mass. Furthermore, multi-objective optimization is performed to find optimum operating parameters to minimize the system mass. The results illustrate that the specific mass of the system is less than 20 kg/kW. The total mass of the whole system is 5605.93 kg using near-term materials, of which the Baryton Rotating Unit, radiator, and shadow shield mass dominate the total mass. The Brayton Rotating Unit, radiator, and radiation shield account for 44.64%, 32.53%, and 14.29%, respectively. It is concluded that after the dual-objective optimization analysis, the mass of the cycle decreased by 18.44%, which used the existing technical materials.

Advancing synthetic biology through cell-free protein synthesis

The rapid development of synthetic biology has enabled the production of compounds with revolutionary improvements in biotechnology. DNA manipulation tools have expedited the engineering of cellular systems for this purpose. Nonetheless, the inherent constraints of cellular systems persist, imposing an upper limit on mass and energy conversion efficiencies. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has demonstrated its potential to overcome these inherent constraints and has been instrumental in the further advancement of synthetic biology. Via the removal of the cell membranes and redundant parts of cells, CFPS has provided flexibility in directly dissecting and manipulating the Central Dogma with rapid feedback. This mini-review summarizes recent achievements of the CFPS technique and its application to a wide range of synthetic biology projects, such as minimal cell assembly, metabolic engineering, and recombinant protein production for therapeutics, as well as biosensor development for in vitro diagnostics. In addition, current challenges and future perspectives in developing a generalized cell-free synthetic biology are outlined.

Alternative Energy Potential and Conversion Efficiency of Biomass into Target Biofuels: A Case Study in Ethiopian Sugar Industry- Wonji-Shoa

Global energy security relies on fossil-based resources that are affiliated with the source of global warming, apart from punches of political and economic instabilities. Biomass is a promising alternative carbonaceous feedstock used for the production of clean energy that could have the potential to substitute for fossil fuels. This study aims to present a conceptual design that considers the criteria to identify the upper theoretical limits of biomass conversion, thus providing the potential approach to the conversion of three biomass (by-products: dry molasses, dry bagasse, and dry filter cake) through gasification, in order to contribute the biomass carbon-capturing by the model assessment of stoichiometric mass conversion and energy efficiency indicators into simple thermodynamic energy vectors, such as alcohols, alkanes, and syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Modeling plays up the importance of stoichiometric efficiency of biomass conversion with the supply of oxygen and hydrogen. This realizes that the multi-product diversification of feedstock into syngas, hydrocarbons, and alcohol through integrated process schemes could have the potential to fill the energy gap and help to manage environmental load. In regard to biomass conversion results, the mass conversion and energy conversion efficiencies of dry bagasse have better conversion potential than molasses and F. cake (% mass conversion = 129 in syngas, 54.4 in alkane, and 43.4 in alcohol; % energy conversion = 94.3 in syngas and 93.3 in alkane and alcohol).

ALMA-IMF

Aims. The processes that determine the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and its origin are critical unsolved problems, with profound implications for many areas of astrophysics. The W43-MM2&MM3 mini-starburst ridge hosts a rich young protocluster, from which it is possible to test the current paradigm on the IMF origin. Methods. The ALMA-IMF Large Program observed the W43-MM2&MM3 ridge, whose 1.3 mm and 3 mm ALMA 12 m array continuum images reach a ~2500 au spatial resolution. We used both the best-sensitivity and the line-free ALMA-IMF images, reduced the noise with the multi-resolution segmentation technique MnGSeg, and derived the most complete and most robust core catalog possible. Using two different extraction software packages, getsf and GExt2D, we identified ~200 compact sources, whose ~100 common sources have, on average, fluxes consistent to within 30%. We filtered sources with non-negligible free-free contamination and corrected fluxes from line contamination, resulting in a W43-MM2&MM3 catalog of 205 getsf cores. With a median deconvolved FWHM size of 3400 au, core masses range from ~0.1 M⊙ to ~70 M⊙ and the getsf catalog is 90% complete down to 0.8 M⊙. Results. The high-mass end of the core mass function (CMF) of W43-MM2&MM3 is top-heavy compared to the canonical IMF. Fitting the cumulative CMF with a single power-law of the form N(> log M) ∝ Mα, we measured α = −0.95 ± 0.04, compared to the canonical α = −1.35 Salpeter IMF slope. The slope of the CMF is robust with respect to map processing, extraction software packages, and reasonable variations in the assumptions taken to estimate core masses. We explore several assumptions on how cores transfer their mass to stars (assuming a mass conversion efficiency) and subfragment (defining a core fragment mass function) to predict the IMF resulting from the W43-MM2&MM3 CMF. While core mass growth should flatten the high-mass end of the resulting IMF, core fragmentation could steepen it. Conclusions. In stark contrast to the commonly accepted paradigm, our result argues against the universality of the CMF shape. More robust functions of the star formation efficiency and core subfragmentation are required to better predict the resulting IMF, here suggested to remain top-heavy at the end of the star formation phase. If confirmed, the IMFs emerging from starburst events could inherit their top-heavy shape from their parental CMFs, challenging the IMF universality.

Sunlight-heating and electricity-heating interfacial evaporation membrane driven by sunlight and electricity from photovoltaic panels for steam production

The sunlight-heating and electricity-heating interfacial evaporation membrane (SHEHIEM), which is prepared mainly using wood pulp and MWCNTs and is directly driven by sunlight and electricity from photovoltaic panels, is adopt to produce more steam at a very low cost. The results show that some SHEHIEMs of different compositions, having higher steam yield in sunlight heating, can hardly run in electricity heating and the season is that the resistance of SHEHIEM changes sharply during absorbing water. Thus, according to resistance, hydrophilicity, steam yield, SEM, XRD, FTIR, TG, absorption spectra and tensile strength, the composition of SHEHIEM is determined and optimized. When the SHEHIEM is operated in only electricity heating, only sunlight heating, sunlight and electricity heating (S&E heating), the steam yield of S&E heating is the highest and 1.30 kg/m2 for 0.5 KW, 1.90 kg/m2 for 1 KW, 2.37 kg/m2 for 1.5 KW, 2.86 kg/m2 for 2 KW and 3.23 kg/m2 for 2.5 KW, respectively. Meantime, its energy conversion efficiencies are also the highest and 62.7% for 0.5 KW, 68.4% for 1 KW, 68.8% for 1.5 KW, 69.3% for 2 KW and 67.2% for 2.5 KW, respectively, and the SHEHIEM shows synergistic effects. For S&E heating of 1 kW/m2 and 2 kW/m2, 10 h consecutive tests show that the SHEHIEM has better stability. After evaporation, all the detected indicators meet the drinking water standard of WHO. In the open, when the SHEHIEM is run for 7 h in winter, the production water mass and energy conversion efficiencies are 9.03 kg/m2 and 55.4% for 1 KW and 15.67 kg/m2 and 61.0%.

Effects of dietary sodium acetate on food intake, weight gain, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, energy metabolism and gut microbiota in cultured fish: Zebrafish as a model

Acetate is the most abundant short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gastrointestinal tract of fish. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary sodium acetate (NaAc) on food intake, weight gain, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, energy metabolism and gut microbiota of zebrafish (Danio rerio). In this study, 1-month-old zebrafish were fed with 0.15% NaAc diet for 4 weeks under satiation feeding. At the end of feeding trial, the level of intestinal acetate in the fish fed with 0.15% NaAc containing diet were significantly increased (p < .05), which was accompanied by a higher weight gain and daily feeding rate compared with the control group (p < .05). Dietary supplementation of 0.15% NaAc significantly promoted the body fat mass, energy gain and energy conversion efficiency, as well as intestinal digestive enzyme (amylase) activity in fish (p < .05). The expression of food intake-related genes (ghre, npy and npy7R) in the brain of fish fed on the diet contacting 0.15% NaAc was higher than that of the control group. Consistently, intracerebroventricular injection of NaAc in the brain of zebrafish also increased the expression of genes related to food intake. The effects of NaAc on orexigenic genes expression in the brain of zebrafish could be prevented by co-injection of atropine, suggesting that acetate played a direct role in controlling appetite through the parasympathetic nerve system. Moreover, there was significantly decrease (p < .05) in the relative abundance of Plesiomonas genus in the fish gut fed on the diet supplemented with NaAc. These data suggest that NaAc has a potential value as fish feed additive in aquaculture.

Mass constraints for 15 protoplanetary discs from HD 1–0

Context. Hydrogen deuteride (HD) rotational line emission can provide reliable protoplanetary disc gas mass measurements, but this molecule is difficult to observe and detections have been limited to three T Tauri discs. No new data have been available since the Herschel Space Observatory mission ended in 2013. Aims. We set out to obtain new disc gas mass constraints by analysing upper limits on HD 1–0 emission in Herschel/PACS archival data from the DIGIT key programme. Methods. With a focus on the Herbig Ae/Be discs, whose stars are more luminous than T Tauris, we determined upper limits for HD in data previously analysed for its line detections. We studied the significance of these limits with a grid of models run with the DALI physical-chemical code, customised to include deuterium chemistry. Results. Nearly all the discs are constrained to Mgas ≤ 0.1 M⊙, ruling out global gravitational instability. A strong constraint is obtained for the HD 163296 disc mass, Mgas ≤ 0.067 M⊙, implying Δg/d ≤ 100. This HD-based mass limit is towards the low end of CO-based mass estimates for the disc, highlighting the large uncertainty in using only CO and suggesting that gas-phase CO depletion in HD 163296 is at most a factor of a few. The Mgas limits for HD 163296 and HD 100546, both bright discs with massive candidate protoplanetary systems, suggest disc-to-planet mass conversion efficiencies of Mp/(Mgas + Mp) ≈ 10–40% for present-day values. Near-future observations with SOFIA/HIRMES will be able to detect HD in the brightest Herbig Ae/Be discs within 150 pc with ≈ 10 h integration time.

Analysis on discharge behavior and performance of As- and B-doped silicon anodes in non-aqueous Si\u2013air batteries under pulsed discharge operation

Very high theoretical specific energies and abundant resource availability have emerged interest in primary Si–air batteries during the last decade. When operated with highly doped Si anodes and EMIm(HF)2.3F ionic liquid electrolyte, specific energies up to 1660 Wh kgSi−1 can be realized. Owing to their high-discharge voltage, the most investigated anode materials are langle 100rangle oriented highly As-doped Si wafers. As there is substantial OCV corrosion for these anodes, the most favorable mode of operation is continuous discharge. The objective of the present work is, therefore, to investigate the discharge behavior of cells with langle 100rangle As-doped Si anodes and to compare their performance to cells with langle 100rangle B-doped Si anodes under pulsed discharge conditions with current densities of 0.1 and 0.3 mA cm−2. Nine cells for both anode materials were operated for 200 h each, whereby current pulse time related to total operating time ranging from zero (OCV) to one (continuous discharge), are considered. The corrosion and discharge behavior of the cells were analyzed and anode surface morphologies after discharge were characterized. The performance is evaluated in terms of specific energy, specific capacity, and anode mass conversion efficiency. While for high-current pulse time fractions, the specific energies are higher for cells with As-doped Si anodes, along with low-current pulse fractions the cells with B-doped Si anodes are more favorable. It is demonstrated, that calculations for the specific energy under pulsed discharge conditions based on only two measurements—the OCV and the continuous discharge—match very well with the experimental data.Graphic abstract

Nuclear Ignition of White Dwarf Stars by Relativistic Encounters with Rotating Intermediate Mass Black Holes

Abstract We present results from general relativistic calculations of nuclear ignition in white dwarf stars triggered by near encounters with rotating intermediate mass black holes with different spin and alignment parameters. These encounters create thermonuclear environments characteristic of Type Ia supernovae capable of producing both calcium and iron-group elements in arbitrary ratios, depending primarily on the proximity of the interaction which acts as a strong moderator of nucleosynthesis. We explore the effects of black hole spin and spin-orbital alignment on burn-product synthesis to determine whether they might also be capable of moderating reactive flows. When normalized to equivalent impact penetration, accounting for frame-dragging corrections, the influence of spin is weak, no more than 25% as measured by nuclear energy release and mass of burn products, even for near maximally rotating black holes. Stars on prograde trajectories approach closer to the black hole and produce significantly more unbound debris and iron-group elements than is possible by encounters with nonrotating black holes or by retrograde orbits, at more than 50% mass conversion efficiency. The debris contains several radioisotopes, most notably 56Ni, made in amounts that produce subluminous (but still observable) light curves compared to branch-normal SNe Ia.

A dual-stage low-power converter driving for piezoelectric actuator applied in flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles

It is essential for flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles to have a driver with compact size, low mass, and high conversion efficiency in low-power application. In this article, a dual-stage low-power converter driving for piezoelectric actuator was designed and implemented, which can be applied in flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles. Using the “simultaneous drive” method, an Residual Current Devices (RCD) passive snubber flyback DC/DC step-up converter cascaded with a bidirectional active half-bridge drive stage is designed. The flyback converter is controlled by pulse width modulation in discontinuous conduction mode to ensure the stability of the output high voltage. The half-bridge drive stage takes the approach of comparing the output voltage signal with an ideal waveform lookup table to generate arbitrary unipolar signals. The proposed converter has a weight of 345 mg, a size of 285 mm2 (19 × 15 mm2), a maximum output power of 500 mW, and a maximum conversion efficiency of 64.5%. An experiment driving for piezoelectric actuator was performed to observe the displacement generated by the converter. According to the experimental results, this converter can be applied in flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles.

Relativistic Tidal Disruption and Nuclear Ignition of White Dwarf Stars by Intermediate-mass Black Holes

Abstract We present results from general relativistic calculations of the tidal disruption of white dwarf stars from near encounters with intermediate-mass black holes. We follow the evolution of 0.2 M ⊙ and 0.6 M ⊙ stars on parabolic trajectories that approach 103–104 M ⊙ black holes as close as a few Schwarzschild radii at periapsis, paying particular attention to the effect that tidal disruption has on thermonuclear reactions and the synthesis of intermediate-mass to heavy elements. These encounters create diverse thermonuclear environments that are characteristic of Type I supernovae and capable of producing both intermediate-mass and heavy elements in arbitrary ratios, depending on the strength (or proximity) of the interaction. Nuclear ignition is triggered in all of our calculations, even at weak tidal strengths β ∼ 2.6 and large periapsis radius R P ∼ 28 Schwarzschild radii. A strong inverse correlation exists between the mass ratio of calcium-group to iron-group elements and tidal strength, with β ≲ 5 producing predominantly calcium-rich debris. At these moderate to weak interactions, nucleosynthesis is not especially efficient, limiting the total mass and outflows of calcium-group elements to &lt;15% of available nuclear fuel. Iron-group elements, however, continue to be produced in greater quantity and ratio with increasing tidal strength, peaking at ∼60% mass conversion efficiency in our closest encounter cases. These events generate short bursts of gravitational waves with characteristic frequencies 0.1–0.7 Hz and strain amplitudes from 0.5 × 10−22 to 3.5 × 10−22 at a source distance of 10 Mpc.

Non-equilibrium excitation of CO2 in an atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet

The energy efficient excitation of CO2 in atmospheric pressure plasmas may be a method to generate solar fuels from renewable energies. This energy efficiency can be very high, if only specific states of the molecules in the plasma are populated creating a strong non-equilibrium. This requires a specific design of the plasma source, method of plasma excitation and choice of gases and admixtures. In this paper, non-equilibrium excitation and dissociation of CO2 in an atmospheric pressure helium RF plasma jet is analysed for varying absorbed plasma power and admixture levels of CO2. The concentrations of CO2 and of CO, as well as the vibrational and rotational temperatures of the possible degrees of freedom of the molecules are evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The molecular rotational vibrational spectra are modelled based on Maxwell–Boltzmann state populations using individual temperatures for each degree of freedom. A strong non-equilibrium excitation of CO2 and CO has been found. Whereas the rotational temperatures are 400 K or below, the vibrational temperature for CO reaches values up to 1600 K and that of the asymmetric vibration of CO2 of 700 K. The dependence of these excitation temperatures on plasma power and admixture level is rather weak. The mass balance, the energy and conversion efficiency are consistent with a very simple chemistry model that is dominated by CO2 dissociation via Penning collisions with helium metastables. A conversion efficiency up to 30% and an energy efficiency up to 10% is observed in the parameter range of the experiment.

Corrosion Behavior of Highly As-Doped Oriented Si-Wafer Anodes in Alkaline Si–Air Batteries

One line of development to establish resource-efficient metal–air batteries is focusing on silicon materials as anode electrodes. While operation of primary Si–air batteries with ionic liquid electrolytes is one possible approach [1], employing conventional alkaline electrolyte is also considered by the recent investigations [2]. At the current state of development, the alkaline Si–air batteries suffer from high corrosion rates that reduce the theoretical specific capacity of 3820 mAh/g to 120 mAh/g [3]. Thereby, corrosion as being the major challenge has to be overcome in order to establish practical application of primary alkaline Si–air batteries. The objective of the present work is to investigate the corrosion behavior of highly As-doped <100> oriented silicon wafer anodes in alkaline solutions for a scope of conditions that may arise in battery operation. Firstly, the influence of the immersion times on the open-circuit corrosion rates are discussed in combination with the surface morphology development in 72 h. Secondly, the impact of KOH electrolyte concentration on the open-circuit corrosion rates is investigated and three ranges of KOH concentrations are identified with different limiting mechanisms. Moreover, basing on the electrochemical corrosion rates obtained from potentiodynamic polarization method, the comparison between the chemical and electrochemical corrosion mechanisms are pointed out. Further investigations are carried out on the corrosion behavior of Si wafers under anodic voltages as present during the discharge of batteries. The dependency of the discharge characteristics as the discharge voltage, corrosion rates, and mass conversion efficiencies on the KOH concentrations and current densities are analyzed and accordingly, optimum conditions for the battery application are discussed.

Investigation of the corrosion behavior of highly As-doped crystalline Si in alkaline Si–air batteries

High corrosion rate is one of the major obstacles that have to be overcome in order to establish practical application of primary alkaline Si–air batteries. At the current state of development the theoretical specific capacity of 3820 mAh/g is reduced to 120 mAh/g in long term operable alkaline Si–air batteries, with most of the capacity losses being due to corrosion reactions. In the present work the corrosion behavior of highly As-doped <100> oriented silicon wafers, that have proved stable performance as anode materials is summarized for a scope of conditions that may arise in battery operation. More specific, corrosion rates are presented and discussed with respect to (i) time dependence, (ii) influence of KOH electrolyte concentration, (iii) chemical vs. electrochemical corrosion, and (iv) corrosion under anodic potentials as present during the discharge of batteries. Corrosion rates were found to exhibit stable time profiles for immersion times longer than 8 h. With respect to concentration dependence, three ranges of KOH concentrations were identified. Within each range, the corrosion behavior is governed by similar mechanisms, but different limiting factors. Potentiodynamic measurements show that large part of the corrosion is chemical in nature. Under discharge conditions corrosion increases whereby the discharge potential, corrosion rates, and mass conversion efficiencies depend on KOH concentrations and discharge current densities.

“One-Pot” Solar Fuels

Chemists have always taken great pride in simplifying a complex multistep chemical synthesis into a single step process, in just one reactor. The motivation for doing so, apart from demonstrating synthetic competency and elegance, is the pursuit of green and sustainable solutions to chemical problems, as single step strategies have the inherent advantage of being atomically, energetically and economically efficient, as well as environmentally friendly and responsible.

Influence of Dopant Type and Orientation of Silicon Anodes on Performance, Efficiency and Corrosion of Silicon–Air Cells with EMIm(HF)2.3F Electrolyte

Intermediate term discharge experiments were performed for Si–air full cells using As-, Sb- and B-doped Si-wafer anodes, with 〈100〉 and 〈111〉 orientations for each type. Discharge characteristics were analyzed in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 mA/cm2 during 20 h runs, corrosion rates were determined via the mass-change method and surface morphologies after discharge were observed by laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Corresponding to these experiments, potentiodynamic polarization curves were recorded and analyzed with respect to current-potential characteristics and corrosion rates. Both, discharge and potentiodynamic experiments, confirmed that the most pronounced influence of potentials – and thus on performance – results from the dopant type. Most important, the corrosion rates calculated from the potentiodynamic experiments severely underestimate the fraction of anode material consumed in reactions that do not contribute to the conversion of anode mass to electrical energy. With respect to materials selection, the estimates of performance from intermediate term discharge and polarization experiments lead to the same conclusions, favoring 〈100〉 and 〈111〉 As-doped Si-wafer anodes. However, the losses in the 〈111〉 As-doped Si-anodes are by 20% lower, so considering the mass conversion efficiency this type of anode is most suitable for application in non-aqueous Si–air batteries.

Two-stage (photoautotrophy and heterotrophy) cultivation enables efficient production of bioplastic poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in auto-sedimenting cyanobacterium

Sustainable production of bioplastics by heterotrophic microbes has been restricted by the limited resources of organic substrates and the energy required for biomass harvest. Here, the easy-to-harvest cyanobacterium (Chlorogloea fritschii TISTR 8527), from which the biomass instantaneously settled to the bottom of liquid culture, was utilized to produce poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) using a two-stage cultivation strategy. The cells were first pre-grown under normal photoautotrophy to increase their biomass and then recultivated under a heterotrophic condition with a single organic substrate to produce the product. Through optimization of this two-stage cultivation, the mass conversion efficiency of acetate substrate to PHB was obtained at 51 ± 7% (w/w), the comparable level to the theoretical biochemical conversion efficiency of acetate to PHB. This two-stage cultivation that efficiently converted the substrate to the product, concurrent with a reduced culture biomass, may be applicable for the production of other biopolymers by cyanobacteria.