Halite Research Articles

Periodate activation and pH regulation using ball-milled metal-oxide-mineral-biochar composite for removal of antibiotics from contaminated water

The inclusion of mineral salts in carbon activators are beneficial for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Herein, we present the application of ball-milled biochar with phosphate salt for periodate (IO4−) activation and degradation of antibiotics in contaminated water. Physical characterization results showed that the catalyst is infused with Mg3(PO4)2 and ball-milling increased the specific surface area to 216 m2 g−1 from 46 m2 g−1 while reducing the particle size to less than 1.0 μ. The optimized system successfully eliminated >99% of diclofenac while maintaining the pH of the reaction medium to circumneutral levels. Scavenger and ESR experiments revealed the degradation is triggered by O2•–, 1O2 and •OH species within the system. Electrochemical studies confirmed electron transfer during diclofenac degradation. The reported system demonstrated high degradation efficiency under both neutral and acidic pH conditions. Based on the by-product analysis, the degradation pathway of diclofenac was elucidated. Further, the toxicity assessment for the identified intermediates showed minimum toxicity of the degraded products. This mineral-biochar composite exhibited promising performance in eliminating other antibiotic substances. Therefore, the present finding highlights the importance of raw materials selection for producing mineral-biochar composite that provide new insights into IO4− activation for antibiotic removal by maintaining the natural pH.

Analysis of the socio-environmental impacts of an environmental disaster caused by a minining company in the city of Maceió, Brazil

In mid-2018, several neighbourhoods in Maceió, Brazil, were affected by soil subsidence in the region. Since then, unprecedented developments and consequences have been observed in the affected areas. Against this backdrop, the study aims to analyses the socio-environmental impacts suffered by the five neighbourhoods affected by subsidence from rock salt extraction in the municipality of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. We collected secondary data from documents (Geological Survey studies, information made available by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Compensation Plan, Terms of Agreement, Socio-urban Action Plan, Environmental Impact Study, Study of the Economic Impact of the Disaster) to assess the socio-environmental impacts caused by the socio-environmental disaster. These data were analysed using Checklist, Interaction Matrix, and Delphi. The results highlight the complexity of the effects since they were observed from a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, it is clear that these impacts were relevant and important from the specialists' point of view and, when analysed quantitatively and qualitatively,such as impacts on identity and cultural aspects, change in standard of living, and overload in the provision of public facilities, which had a high degree of impact when evaluated in this study. The study also concluded that it is pertinent to take measures to mitigate the impacts indicated as possible through integration between public authorities and the mining company. Upon its completion, a technical product in the form of a document containing the identified mitigation measures was submitted to the competent authorities. These results can be relevant for practitioners and policymakers involved in decisions related to mining operations.

Micropillar compression of single-crystal single-phase (Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn)O

Bulk, polycrystalline (Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn)O was synthesized using solid-state sintering. Micropillars were prepared and mechanically deformed along three crystallographic orientations: (001), (101), and (111). Pillars (001) and (111) cracked, while Pillar (101) remained intact. Pillars (001) and (101) exhibited activated slip systems, confirmed by a large stress drop, and the presence of slip bands, respectively. Schmid factor (SF) analysis was performed to examine the effect of grain orientations on dislocation activity and slip behavior. SF values range from 0 to 0.5, with non-zero values indicating potential for slip. Six slip systems exist in the (Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn)O rock salt crystal structure: 1/2⟨110⟩11¯0. For the (001) orientation, four slip systems are potentially active (SF = 0.5). For the (101) orientation, there are four potentially active slip systems (SF = 0.25). For the (111) orientation, no potentially active slips systems exist (SF = 0). Dislocation structures, which were observed post-compression via transmission electron microscopy, demonstrated variations in size, number, and distribution across the pillar, depending on micropillar orientation. Entangled dislocations created misorientation in Pillar (001), which led to the possible formation of subgrains, while singular dislocations were observed in Pillar (101), and a lack of dislocations was observed in Pillar (111). Zener–Stroh type dislocation entanglement-mediated cracking is the proposed cause of the transgranular-type cracks in Pillar (001). The possible subgrain formation, or lack of formation, respectively, caused intergranular-type cracks to additionally form in Pillar (001), while Pillar (111) only exhibited transgranular-type brittle fracture. In combination, these findings highlight the importance of dislocation activity, without the need for elevated temperature, and grain orientation in controlling the mechanical deformation response in single-phase (Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn)O.

An assessment of ground subsidence from rock salt mining in Maceió (Northeast Brazil) from 2019 to 2023 using remotely sensed data

This study investigates ground subsidence in Maceió, the capital of Alagoas, Brazil, utilizing Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from November 2019 to December 2023. Ground subsidence poses significant risks to urban infrastructure and requires comprehensive monitoring and mitigation strategies. We employed the Interferometric Wide Swath (IW) mode of Sentinel-1A, acquiring high-resolution data in descending orbit with VV polarization. Through interferometric processing, including co-registration, phase unwrapping, and coherence estimation, we produced detailed subsidence maps for key neighborhoods such as Bebedouro, Farol, Mutange, Pinheiro, and Bom Parto. Our results reveal that subsidence in Maceió is highly variable across different neighborhoods, with cumulative subsidence reaching up to 3.83 meters in the most affected areas. The Bebedouro neighborhood, for instance, experienced subsidence up to 0.33 meters over an area of 41.85 hectares, while Farol saw significant ground movement impacting 59.49 hectares. The analysis indicates that high-density urban areas are particularly susceptible to subsidence, correlating with increased structural damage and flood vulnerability. The study underscores the importance of integrating geotechnical, urban planning, and environmental management strategies to address subsidence. We recommend the implementation of adaptive urban planning measures and enhanced monitoring techniques using satellite data to mitigate the impact of subsidence on infrastructure and communities. These findings provide a critical foundation for developing resilient urban environments in coastal cities prone to geological and anthropogenic subsidence.

INTRODUCTION TO IN VITRO CULTURE OF RHAPОNTICUM CARTHAMOIDES

The article presents the results of studies on the introduction into in vitro culture of the valuable medicinal plant Rhaponticum carthamoides, growing in the territory of the Kazakhstan Altai. R. carthamoides - or maral root is a source of various biologically active compounds (flavonoids, polysaccharides, saponins, cumanins). This species is of particular value as a producer of ultra-high quantities of ecdysteroids, which have a hepatoprotective and hypoglycemic effect, acting as adaptogens. Currently, natural reserves of this species are sharply reduced due to increasing demand and, as a consequence, lead to the depletion of natural populations. Modern biotechnology methods make it possible to develop highly effective approaches for the propagation and preservation of R. carthamoides for subsequent introduction and expansion of the range of fodder and medicinal crops that meet the needs of agriculture, medicine and the food industry. Seeds collected from their natural habitats were used as research material. A seed sterilization protocol has been developed; it has been established that to obtain aseptic seedlings it is necessary to use a multi-stage sterilization protocol using various sterilizing agents. Surface-sterilized seeds were placed on MS and MS media containing ½ mineral salts with different hormonal compositions. The results showed that the percentage of seed germination varied depending on the hormonal status of the environment and ranged from 42.9 to 85.5%. Thus, the lowest percentage of germination was noted on the B0 medium option (½ MS) - 42.9%. The highest percentage of germination was in seeds on the B3 medium option (MS + 3 mg/l BAP + 3 mg/l kinetin) - 85.5%.

Effect of high pressure synthesis conditions on the formation of high entropy oxides

High entropy materials are often entropy stabilized, meaning that the configurational entropy from multiple elements sharing a single lattice site stabilizes the structure. In this work, we study how high-pressure synthesis conditions can stabilize or destabilize a high entropy oxide (HEO). We study the high-pressure and high-temperature phase equilibria of two well-known families of HEOs: the rock salt structured compound (Mg,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn)O, including some cation substitutions, and the spinel structured compound (Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni)3O4. Syntheses were performed at various temperatures, pressures, and oxygen activity levels, resulting in dramatically different synthesis outcomes. In particular, in the rock salt HEO, we observe the competing tenorite and wurtzite phases and the possible formation of a layered rock salt phase while the spinel HEO is highly susceptible to partial decomposition into a mixture of rock salt and corundum phases. At the highest tested pressures, 15 GPa, we discover the transformation of the spinel HEO into a metastable modified ludwigite-type structure with the nominal formula (Cr,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni)4O5. The relationship between the synthesis conditions and the final reaction product is not straightforward. Nonetheless, we conclude that high-pressure conditions provide an important opportunity to synthesize high entropy phases that cannot be formed any other way.

DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A MODULE FOR CALCULATING THE PARAMETERS OF SCALE INHIBITORS SQUEEZE TREATMENT

Inorganic scale (salt) deposition in the oil and gas industry is a serious and widespread problem that requires timely measures for effective control and management. The process of formation and deposition of mineral salts depends on a large number of changing factors, which creates additional difficulties for predicting and controlling scale formation processes. The fields of Eastern Siberia, the formation waters of which belong to the category of brines with a mineralization of 250 g/l and more (in some cases more than 600 g/l), are characterized by the scale formation of complex composition (sulfate, carbonate and chloride salts). Scale deposits can occur in the near-wellbore zone of the formation, which can lead to a significant decrease in the productivity of production wells. Many fields in Eastern Siberia have a number of features that complicate their operation. Among them are low reservoir temperature (10–14 °C), reservoir pressure close to the saturation pressure and salinity (halitization) of the reservoir. In the practice of the global oil and gas industry, it has been repeatedly proven that the implementation of technologies to prevent scale deposits is much more technologically and economically efficient than removing already formed sediments. In this regard, the use of scale inhibitors (SI) is one of the key methods to combat the formation of salts. When scale deposits lead to disruption of the operation of submersible well equipment, technologies for continuous or periodic dosing of SI into the annulus of the well can be effective. To protect the bottomhole zone of the formation from scale deposits, the priority technology should be the injection of scale inhibitors or squeeze treatment into the formation under pressure.In this work, based on a set of laboratory filtration experiments, a module has been developed that allows calculating the volumes of scale inhibitor and process fluids required for SI squeeze into the reservoir. The successful results of two operations of SI squeeze into the formation of horizontal wells for protection against deposits of sulfate salts are shown.

Development of the wastewater treatment technology for the mine ‘Ternivska’ of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore plant

ABSTRACT Wastewater treatment in mining and mineral processing technology is a topical problem worldwide. The purpose of this study is to substantiate and develop the technology of complex wastewater treatment for the mine ‘Ternivska’ of the Public Joint Stock Company ‘Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Plant’ with the production of highly purified water suitable for secondary use or ecologically safe discharge into surface water bodies. The proposed technology is based on the sequential application of the following stages: preliminary treatment of contaminated mine waters by coagulation and soda-lime softening methods to remove hardness, suspended solids, and colloidal substances; desalination via reverse osmosis; evaporation and crystallization of reverse osmosis concentrate in a vacuum evaporation unit; dehydration of salt sludge in a centrifuge with drying of salt crystals in a dryer. The treatment of mine water with an initial salinity of 80 g/L will give an annual effect of 1357 thousand m3 of desalinated water with a mineralization of up to 100 mg/L and 739.6 tons of mineral salt mixture. The purified water can serve as an additional source of fresh water for technological needs in industry or alternative purposes. The obtained solid salt product can be used as an alternative reagent for water-softening processes. In general, the proposed processing of mineralized mine water can be considered a zero-waste technology with clean water production and by-product utilization.

Structural, optical, and electrical properties of multi-component P-type oxide-semiconductor Cu-Mn-Sn-O thin films

P-type oxide semiconductors have attracted significant attention as conducting channel layers due to their wide applications in electronic devices. In this study, multi-component oxide-semiconductor Cu1–2xMnxSnxO thin films with x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, and 0.33 were prepared on glass substrates using a solution process accompanied by a spin-coating technique. A phase transition between the cupric oxide monoclinic structure and the rock salt structure was observed with increasing concentrations of Mn and Sn, while the concentration of Cu simultaneously decreased in the precursors. The crystallite size decreased throughout the samples, reaching a minimum value of 9.8 nm at an equimolar ratio. Scanning electron microscopy further confirmed this downward trend and indicated an improvement in the quality of the film surfaces. According to the optical absorption measurements, the bandgap energy ranged from 2.68 to 3.44 eV. Interestingly, the sheet resistance of Cu1–2xMnxSnxO films dropped sharply from 5.24 kΩ/sq for CuO to 0.034 kΩ/sq for the film with a molar ratio of Cu:Mn:Sn being 34:33:33.

Mycoremediation of Acetaminophen by the Fungi of Dothideomycetes sp. Isolate

Resources like air, water, and land are found to be contaminated by a broad variety of pharmaceutical contaminants. The release of industrial effluents, hospital wastewater, and untreated domestic water, which contains medications, colours, pharmaceutical blisters, and heavy metals that are ecotoxic even at concentrations of nanograms to micrograms, is a significant cause of water pollution. Mycoremediation is an operative approach is to detoxify these contaminants. The fungal strain was isolated from pharma industrial wastewater. Identification of the fungi was founded on the morphological and 18s rRNA sequencingtechnique. Isolate shared 99.82 % similarity with Zasmidium cellare and Cladosporium iridis strain CBS 138.40, suggesting the new species of fungi. The strain has received Gen bank accession number of OR081620.1. The fungal strain was found to degrade 85% of acetaminophen (1000 ppm) in 10 days when grown in mineral salt medium with acetaminophen as only carbon source. Glucose was found to enhance sporulation potential but not the degradative potential of the fungi. Identification of biodegradative metabolite was done by using thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Mycodegradative metabolite of 4 Aminophenol was identified as acetaminophen.

Creep Characteristics Research of Ultra-deep Composite Rock Salt in Tarim Basin Based on 2D Image Contour Identification

Creep Characteristics Research of Ultra-deep Composite Rock Salt in Tarim Basin Based on 2D Image Contour Identification

Pinhão potential and their parts (failures, shells, and almonds) in the elaboration of yogurts containing acai pulp: physicochemical, nutritional, and functional properties, antimicrobial activity, and multi-elemental profile

This study applies natural resources, prioritizing recyclable and renewable inputs produced by pinhão cultivation, whose purpose is to use the failures, shells, and almonds as a source of bioactive compounds addition in yogurt, ensuring intelligent use of these natural resources. Thus, one açaí yogurt sample and eight yogurt formulations containing portions of pinhão byproducts between 5 % and 10 % were elaborated. These formulations were compared regarding their physicochemical, nutritional, functional properties, antimicrobial activity, and multi-elemental profile properties. Enriching açaí yogurt with pinhão byproducts does not significantly differ in protein, lipid, moisture, and mineral salt content between all samples with pinhão byproducts. Açaí yogurts enriched with pinhão byproducts had 5.71 to 26.07 % times total protein than the control sample, and total fiber also had a significant increase in samples ranging between 18.62 to 85.29 % times more than the control sample. Regarding color settings, all yogurt samples tended to be red–purple. A sample of açaí yogurt with pine nut flour and whole pine nut flour caused a biofilm mass amount of 46.58, 45.55, and 11.85 % for Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteritidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The behavior of pathogenic bacteria is related to the total polyphenol content in yogurts enriched with pinhão byproducts, which increased from 8.27 to 18.24 mg/100 g. Yogurt with açaí enriched with whole pinhão flour showed high antioxidant capacity. The sample’s antioxidant activity results increased by 47.62 % and 130.38 % in the ABTS and DPPH analyses, respectively. The compounds in pinhão failure nanosuspensions, pinhão flour, whole pinhão flour, and yogurts were identified and divided into hydrophilic and lipophilic classes. Five classes (amino acids, organic acids, sugars, phenols, and cyclitols) were identified as hydrophilic. Lipophilic compounds were identified and separated into six classes (carboxylic acids, diterpenes, alcohols, Α-hydroxy acids, sterols, and triterpenes). The addition of pinhão byproducts increased the contents of Ca, Fe, K, Na, and P. Açaí yogurt with pinhão nanosuspension, pinhão flour, and whole pinhão flour had the highest Ca content (2164.38 ± 2.16 µg/L). Açaí yogurt with pinhão flour and whole pinhão flour had the highest Fe content (84.02 ± 0.08 µg/L).

Effects of condensed tannin-enriched alternative energy feedstuff supplementation on performance, nitrogen utilization, and rumen microbial diversity in grazing beef cattle

This study aims to investigate the effects of alternative energy feedstuff supplementation containing condensed tannin (CT) on palisade grass pastures, focusing on intake, nutrient digestibility, animal performance, ruminal and blood parameters, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and its impacts on the ruminal bacterial community in backgrounding Nellore young bulls. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously. Animal performance was evaluated in Experiment 1. The experimental design was a completely randomized block; ninety Nellore bulls (Bos taurus indicus) with an average initial body weight (BW) of approximately 240 ± 5 kg were used (64 as testers and 26 as regulators). The feed intake, digestibility of dry matter and nutrients, ruminal parameters, NUE, and the impact on the ruminal bacterial community were evaluated in Experiment 2. The experimental design was a 4 × 4 double Latin square involving eight Nellore bulls with an average initial BW of 290 ± 8 kg, all of which were cannulated in the rumen. The treatments consisted of energy supplementation at 0.3 % of BW with peanut skin (PS), 0.3 % of BW with sorghum grain (SG), 0.3 % of BW with soybean hulls (SHs), and a control treatment with a supply of mineral salt ad libitum. The total digestible nutrient intake was lower in animals that received only mineral supplements (p < 0.005). The dry matter (DM) intake decreased with treatment PS, while the DM and nutrient digestibility increased (p < 0.005). There was a reduction in ruminal ammonia nitrogen and an improvement in NUE in the PS treatment (p < 0.005). However, the bacterial and Archaea populations were unaffected (p = 0.619). Individual animal performance and gain per kg were increased in the treatment with supplements containing or without CT compared to the mineral supplement (p < 0.001). The NUE improved in treatments PS, SG, and SH (p < 0.01). Feedstuff supplementation using no edible foods by products containing CTs is an effective alternative energy source for Nellore bulls grazing on palisade grass during the rainy season. Additionally, it can be used to mitigate the environmental impacts of N excretion.

Reviving Fatigue Surface for Solid-State Upcycling of Highly Degraded Polycrystalline LiNi1-x-yCoxMnyO2 Cathodes.

The ongoing tide of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) urgently calls for high-value output in efficient recycling. Recently, direct regeneration has emerged as a novel recycling strategy but fails to repair the irreversible morphology and structure damage of the highly degraded polycrystalline layered oxide materials. Here, this work carries out a solid-state upcycling study for the severely cracked LiNi1-x-yCoxMnyO2 cathodes. The specific single-crystallization process during calcination is investigated and the surface rock salt phase is recognized as the intrinsic obstacle to the crystal growth of the degraded cathodes due to sluggish diffusion in the heterogeneous grain boundary. Accordingly, this work revives the fatigue rock salt phase by restoring a layered surface and successfully reshapes severely broken cathodes into the high-performance single-crystalline particles. Benefiting from morphological and structural integrity, the upcycled single-crystalline cathode materials exhibit an enhanced capacity retention rate of 93.5% after 150 cycles at 1C compared with 61.7% of the regenerated polycrystalline materials. The performance is also beyond that of the commercial cathodes even under a high cut-off voltage (4.5V) or high operating temperature (45°C). This work provides scientific insights for the upcycling of the highly degraded cathodes in spent LIBs.

Defect-Driven Configurational Entropy in the High-Entropy Oxide Li1.5MO3-δ.

Layered lithiated oxides are promising materials for next generation Li-ion battery cathode materials; however, instability during cycling results in poor performance over time compared to the high capacities theoretically possible with these materials. Here we report the characterizations of a Li1.47Mn0.57Al0.13Fe0.095Co0.105Ni0.095O2.49 high-entropy layered oxide (HELO) with the Li2MO3 structure where M = Mn, Al, Fe, Co, and Ni. Using electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy, we identify a homogeneous Li2MO3 structure stabilized by the entropic contribution of oxygen vacancies. This defect-driven entropy would not be attainable in the LiMO2 structure sometimes observed in similar materials as a secondary phase owing to the presence of fewer O sites and a 3+ oxidation state for the metal site; instead, a Li2-γMO3-δ is produced. Beyond Li2MO3, this defect-driven entropy approach to stabilizing novel compositions and phases can be applied to a wide array of future cathode materials including spinel and rock salt structures.

Сроки внесения аммиачной селитры при возделывании горчицы сарептской в качестве сидерата

In the southern regions of the Russian Federation, there has been a sharp decline in livestock production due to its low profitability. As a result, many farmers lack organic fertilizers, which are difficult to replace fully with mineral fertilizers. In addition, mineral salts cause negative processes (peptization, coagulation) in the soil profile, which worsen the physical and physical and chemical properties of the soil and its fertility in general. However, a good source of soil organic matter is not only livestock waste, but also plant residues or so-called green fertilizers. In this regard, in 2021–2022, we studied the effect of ammonium nitrate on the yield of green mass of brown mustard (Brassica juncea L.) variety Yunona on leached black soil of the Western Ciscaucasia on the fields of V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops (Krasnodar, vil. Oktyabrsky). The purpose of the research was to assess fertilizing value of ammonium nitrate (ability to return the elements of mineral nutrition at full green manuring of plants). It was found that the highest efficiency of the nitrogen fertilizer application is achieved with a single application of N30 at the seedling stage of mustard. With this specific method of N30 application, more green mass and dry biomass are incorporated into the soil, by 10.6 t/ha and 3.34 t/ha, respectively, compared to the control. At the same time, the yield of macroelements is also higher: nitrogen – by 64.3 kg/ha, phosphorus – by 14.3 kg/ha, potassium – by 155.3 kg/ha, and the estimated amount of newly formed humus increases by 0.7 t/ha comparing to control.

Changes in the elemental composition of agrocenosis components on gray forest soil under long-term application of mineral and organic fertilizers

The paper analyzes the elemental composition of soils and plants of agrocenosis on the gray forest soil of Vladimir opolye under long-term application of mineral and organic fertilizers. The content of total and mobile forms of Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, Mn, Fe and the content of these elements in aboveground plant organs, as well as changes in the main agrochemical characteristics that can affect the availability of elements to plants were evaluated. It is shown that the application of mineral fertilizers contributes to soil acidification, increase in the content of organic carbon, mobile forms of phosphorus. At the same time, the variants with joint application of mineral and organic fertilizers are subject to less change of these characteristics, which may be due to the increased buffering capacity of the soil with respect to the components coming with mineral salts, due to the applied organic matter. Introduction of Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, Mn, Fe into agrocenosis with fertilizers (organic and mineral) did not affect the gross content of metals in soil. There was a change in the content of mobile forms of metals in the soil due to changes in agrochemical parameters of soils. Changes in the content of trace elements in plant products were recorded. The reduction of Zn, Cu content in plants on the variants with more intensive use of fertilizers (and with higher yield) is explained by "dilution effect". The low content of Co in the soil and its insufficient supply to the plants must be controlled. The joint use of data on changes in the elemental composition of soils and plants allows better differentiation of experimental variants in the space of principal components when analyzed by this method and is promising for monitoring the consequences of agrogenic load of different degrees. The results obtained can be taken into account in the formation of criteria for assessing the mineral nutrition of plants and fertilizer application rates.

A Comparative Analysis of Vaippu Indhuppu and Commercial Indhuppu (Rock Salt)

Siddha system is one of the traditional systems of medicine in which minerals are used in the preparation of various medicines. Indhuppu is one among the mineral, which is a good laxative and it is commonly used for its anti-ulcer activity in Siddha medicine. Siddhars like Bohar, Agathiyar have mentioned vaippu process (Synthetic method) for preparing raw drugs synthetically instead of natural. This study is aimed to compare the commercial indhuppu with the Vaippu Indhuppu (synthetic). Both the samples were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, and ICP-OES. The results show that comparatively have similar crystalline structure and functional groups. This study is the preliminary analytic study for further explorative study on the vaippuindhuppu.

Chemical Origin of in Situ Carbon Dioxide Outgassing from a Cation-Disordered Rock Salt Cathode.

In situ carbon dioxide (CO2) outgassing is a common phenomenon in lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), primarily due to parasitic side reactions at the cathode-electrolyte interface. However, little is known about the chemical origins of the in situ CO2 released from emerging Li-excess cation-disordered rock salt (DRX) cathodes. In this study, we selectively labeled various carbon sources with 13C in cathodes containing a representative DRX material, Li1.2Mn0.4Ti0.4O2 (LMTO), and performed differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) during galvanostatic cycling in a carbonate-based electrolyte. When charging LMTO cathodes, electrolyte solvent (EC) decomposition is the dominant source of the CO2 outgassing. The amount of EC-originated CO2 is strongly correlated with the total surface area of carbon black in the electrode, revealing the critical role of electron-conducting carbon additives in the electrolyte degradation mechanisms. In addition, unusual bimodal CO2 evolution during the first cycle is found to originate from carbon black oxidation. Overall, the underlying chemical origin of in situ CO2 release during battery cycling is highly voltage- and cycle-dependent. This work further provides insights into improving the stability of DRX cathodes in LiBs and is envisioned to help guide future relevant material design to mitigate parasitic reactions in DRX-based batteries.

In Silico Analysis and Validation of ymcA Gene of Bacillus Subtilis

This study aimed to analyze and validate the ymcA gene of Bacillus subtilis in silico. The bacterial strains used were B. subtilis 2049 (T) and B. subtilis HS, obtained from the National Center for Microbial Resource, Pune. The media used were LB medium and Mineral Salt Medium (MSM). The biofilm formation assay was performed in a microtiter plate, with each well inoculated with 980 µl of MSM and 20 µl of test cultures. The plate was incubated for 120 hrs at 37°C following phosphate buffer assay. The contents of the plate were removed by gently tapping at the bottom of the plate, rinsed with phosphate buffer saline, and de-stained using 70% ethanol for 15 min. The genomic DNA of B. subtilis 2049 (T) was extracted using the Chloroform: Isoamylalcohol method. The supernatant was taken in a sterile tube and stored at -80°C until further use.