Mixing Mechanism Research Articles

12C/13C of Kepler giant stars: The missing piece of the mixing puzzle

Context. Despite a rich observational background, few spectroscopic studies have dealt with the measurement of the carbon isotopic ratio in giant stars. However, it is a key element in understanding the mixing mechanisms that occur in the interiors of giant stars. Aims. We present the CNO and 12C/13C abundances derived for 71 giant field stars. Then, using this new catalogue and complementary data from the Kepler and Gaia satellites, we study the efficiency of mixing occurring in the giant branch as a function of the stellar properties of the stars (e.g. mass, age, metallicity). Methods. We determined the abundances of CNO and more specifically the carbon isotopic ratio using the high-resolution FIbre-fed Echelle Spectrograph on the Nordic Optical Telescope, for 71 giant field stars. In addition, asteroseismology from the Kepler satellite is available for all stars, providing the stellar masses, ages, and evolutionary states. Finally, astrometry from the Gaia data is also available for most of the sample. We compare these new determinations with stellar evolution models taking into account the effects of transport processes. To exploit the complete potential of our extensive catalogue, and considering both the Milky Way evolution and the impact of stellar evolution, we built mock catalogues using the Besançon Galaxy model in which stellar evolution models taking into account the effects of thermohaline instability are included. Results. We confirm that the carbon isotopic ratio at the surface of core He-burning stars is lower than that of first-ascent RGB stars. The carbon isotopic ratio measured at the surface of the core He-burning stars increases with [Fe/H] and stellar mass, while it decreases with stellar age. These trends are all nicely explained by the thermohaline mixing that occurs in red giants. We show that our models can explain the behaviour of 12C/13C versus N/O, although the observations seem to show a lower N/O than the models. We also note that more constraints on the thick disc core He-burning stars are needed to understand this difference. Conclusions. Overall, the current model including thermohaline mixing is able to reproduce very well the 12C/13C with the stellar metallicity and with the stellar mass and age.

YOLOv5s fabric defect detection model with mixed attention mechanism

In the field of industrial quality inspection, fabric defect detection is regarded as an important research topic. The traditional inspection method mainly relies on manual visual inspection, which is time-consuming and easy to be affected by human factors, and has the problems of low accuracy, slow speed and high cost. Therefore, it is very important to use digital image processing technology and target detection technology to develop high precision, high efficiency and low-cost fabric defect detection model suitable for application deployment. Driven by deep learning-based neural network technology, many models with excellent performance have emerged in the field of object detection. This paper will improve on the basis of YOLOv5s model. ACmix module is introduced in Backbone layer of YOLOv5s model. This module overcomes the problem that convolution operation may cause local information loss after feature extraction, improves the model's limitation on feature extraction of complex background images, and enhances the model's processing ability in local feature fusion. Compared with the original YOLOv5s algorithm, mAP has improved by 0.6%. In the complex background, the detection accuracy of fabric defects targets has been significantly optimized and improved.

Effect of Al: W value on the precipitation process of Co-Al-W alloy: A phase-field study

The microstructure evolution of Co-10Al-xW (x=8, 10, 12) alloys at different Al: W values was simulated based on the microscopic phase field dynamics model. The results show that: the Al: W value affects the γ′ phase precipitation mechanism of Co-Al-W alloy. When Al: W>1, the precipitation mechanism of γ′ phase of Co-10Al-8 W alloy is non-classical nucleation and growth mechanism. When Al: W=1, the γ′ phase precipitation mechanism of Co-10Al-10 W alloy is a mixture of non-classical nucleation and growth mechanism and instability decomposition mechanism, meanwhile, the formation time of γ/γ′ stable microstructure morphology is the shortest, and the stability of γ′ ordered phase is stronger. When Al: W<1, the γ′ phase precipitation mechanism of Co-10Al-12 W alloy is a mixed mechanism of equal component ordering and instability decomposition mechanism. Under different Al: W values, the γ′ precipitate phase of Co-Al-W alloy has similar stable micromorphology in the late precipitation stage, and all of them show square blocks along the direction of [001] and [100]. The main antisite defects in Co-Al-W alloys are AlCo and CoAl defects, and the influence of Al: W value on the antisite defects at different sites is different.

Deep learning with multilayer perceptron for optimizing the heat transfer of mixed convection equipped with MWCNT-water nanofluid

In the modern era, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool that can rapidly generate highly accurate data, offering tremendous potential for optimizing system performance. This study focuses on harnessing the capabilities of an artificial neural network (ANN) to determine optimal parameter values for heat transfer in a mixed convection mechanism. The first step of this research involved conducting CFD simulations to investigate the impact of varying Grashof numbers (102,103,and104), Reynolds numbers (1,10,and100), and MWCNT volume fractions (0, 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03) on the Nusselt number within an elliptical enclosure containing a centrally located rotational cylinder. A total of 48 simulations were performed, generating a comprehensive dataset for training the ANN-Multilayer Perceptron (MLP). In the second step, the trained ANN was utilized to generate an additional 700 data points with remarkable accuracy. This enabled efficient exploration of the parameter space, providing valuable insights into the system behavior and facilitating optimization efforts. The findings of this study revealed a 0.03 vol fraction of MWCNT into the water in Grashof numbers of 102,103,and104, the average Nusselt number increased by approximately 46%, 31%, and 12%, respectively. The ANN-based approach successfully identified optimal values for the variables that maximize the Nusselt number.

Gravimetric and electrochemical evaluation of environmentally novel nanopyrazole derivatives for 304 SS in acidic solution: AFM, SEM/EDX, contact angle, and DFT/MDs simulations

Influence of two novel corrosion inhibitors of bis(chromeno[4,3‐c]pyrazol‐4‐oxo‐2‐yl)phosphineoxide (CPO) and bis(4‐formyl‐3‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)phosphineoxide (FPO) on the localized corrosion protection of 304 stainless steel (304 SS) in a 1.0 M HCl solution was investigated at different concentrations (10−13−10−5 M) and at different temperatures (298–343 K). Weight loss and electrochemical measurements indicated that the pyrazole derivatives are efficient inhibitors for corrosion of 304 SS, and the inhibition efficiency was increased with inhibitor concentrations up to 73.18 and 98.50 % for CPO and FPO, respectively. Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to be the more fitted model for the adsorption process description with mixed adsorption mechanisms. UV–visible and XRD measurements showed the formation of a protective film formed by corrosion inhibitors. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and static contact angle measurement corroborated the protection provided by CPO and FPO inhibitors on the surface of 304 SS immersed in a 1.0 M HCl solution. FPO exhibits antibacterial activity, and CPO has antifungal activity. The relationships between the corrosion protection performance of the pyrazole derivatives, their structural properties, and the adsorption type were determined by density functional theory (DFT), natural bond orbital (NBO), and molecular dynamics (MD), which confirmed that FPO has a higher corrosion protection efficiency than CPO. The theoretical parameters were in good agreement with the experimental results.

BTA@MoS2/hydroxyapatite/ZIF8 self-assembled nanohybrid for designing multi-functional smart anti-corrosion system

For the first time, a three components hybrid nanomaterials consisting of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), hydroxyapatite (HAp), and zeolitic imidazolate framework8 (ZIF8) was utilized as a novel nanocontainer to build a smart anti-corrosion epoxy coating (Ep coating). This nanocontainer was loaded with Benzotriazole (BTA) to impart self-healing properties to the Ep coating and increase its durability against corrosion. To ensure that the filler was effectively synthesized, characterization tests including X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, BET, and TGA were conducted. EIS and polarization tests, conducted on the extract solution of BTA@MoS2/HAp/ZIF8, showed it had a high potential for reducing the corrosion of metals with a mixed inhibition mechanism. The EIS outcomes for the intact coatings suggested that an Ep coating's lifespan increased by including BTA@MoS2/HAp/ZIF8. Even after seven weeks of immersion in a 3.5% NaCl solution, it was able to keep |Z|f = 0.01Hz above 109.5. FE-SEM and EIS experiments revealed that the Ep coating filled with BTA@MoS2/HAp/ZIF8 exhibited self-healing properties after an artificial scratch creation. Incorporating BTA@MoS2/HAp/ZIF8 into the Ep coating enhanced the coating's adhesion properties and lowered adhesion loss by 78.4%. BTA@MoS2/HAp/ZIF8 could also reduce the diameter of cathodic disbondment by 68%.

Reliability of a clinical sensory test battery in patients with spine-related leg and arm pain.

The current standard to evaluate the presence of somatosensory dysfunctions is quantitative sensory testing, but its clinical utility remains limited. Low-cost and time-efficient clinical sensory testing (CST) batteries have thus been developed. Recent studies show moderate to substantial reliability in populations with neuropathic pain. This study evaluates the inter- and intra-tester reliability of people with spine-related leg and arm pain, representing mixed pain mechanisms. Fifty-three patients with spine-related leg (n = 41) and arm pain (n = 12) attended three CST sessions. The CST battery consisted of eleven tests, determining loss and gain of sensory nerve function. CST was performed by the same investigator twice and by an additional investigator to determine inter- and intra-tester reliability. Fleiss' (inter-tester) and Cohen's (intra-tester) kappa were calculated for dichotomized and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for continuous outcomes. Fleiss' kappa varied among modalities from fair to substantial (κ = 0.23-0.66). Cold, warm, and vibration detection thresholds and cold and pressure pain thresholds reached kappa >0.4 (moderate to substantial reliability). Cohen's kappa ranged from moderate to substantial (κ = 0.45-0.66). The reliability of the windup ratio was poor (ICC <0.18). CST modalities with moderate to substantial inter-tester reliability could be of benefit as a screening tool. The moderate to substantial intra-tester reliability for all sensory modalities (except windup ratio) supports their potential use in clinical practice and research to monitor somatosensory changes over time in patients with spine-related limb pain of mixed pain mechanisms. We already know that most modalities of clinical sensory test (CST) batteries achieve moderate to substantial inter- and intra-tester reliability in populations with neuropathic pain. This study evaluates the reliability of a CST battery in populations with mixed pain mechanisms. We found inter-tester reliability varied from poor to substantial for sensory modalities, questioning the value of some CST modalities. The CST battery showed moderate to substantial intra-tester reliability, suggesting its usefulness to monitor sensory changes over time in this cohort.

Optimization design and experiment of double-helix total mixed rations preparation mixer for silage straw feed

Aiming at the problems of uneven mixing and low production efficiency of domestic silage mixer, a double- helix TMR (Total Mixed Rations) preparation mixer for silage straw feed was designed to replace the traditional vertical single-helix mixer. The performance tests and parameter optimization were carried out on this preparation machine. By analyzing the mixing process and mechanism of the diets in the mixing chamber, the key factors affecting the mixing performance and the range were determined. It was found that the greater the stirring speed of the churn, the greater the angle of material lift, the more conducive to improving the material lifting capacity of the churn device. The mixing characteristics of the preparation machine and the movement of material were numerically simulated using EDEM simulation software, and the mixing effect of the preparation machine was verified. The three-factor and five-level CCD center combination orthogonal rotary test in the prototype was carried out with stirring speed of the churn, mixing time and filling coefficient as influencing factors, mixing uniformity, roughage particle size and ton material energy consumption as evaluation indexes. The test results showed that the contribution of each factor to the mixing uniformity in descending order was filling coefficient, stirring speed and mixing time, to the roughage particle size was stirring speed, mixing time and filling coefficient, and to the ton material energy consumption was filling coefficient, mixing time and stirring speed. The optimal working parameters for mixing performance by comprehensive optimization could be concluded as stirring speed of 48.59 r/min, mixing time of 14.98 min, and filling coefficient of 70%. In addition, the mixing uniformity, roughage particle size and ton material energy consumption were obtained as 91.11%, 72.13% and 2.99 kW·h/t. The relative error for all evaluation indexes between the experimental results with round parameter combination and the predicted value was verified to be less than 3%. It can be seen the double-helix TMR preparation mixer can meet the demand for efficient mixing of silage straw feed, which obviously provides data reference and technical support for the design and selection of operating parameters of TMR preparation machines.

Filling structure design and cooling mechanism study of the heat-not-burn cigarettes with sidewall openings

The smoke temperature of heat-not-burn cigarettes is usually high, which affects the user experience. This study investigates the application of filled structures in the cooling process of heat-not-burn cigarette smoke through experiments and numerical simulations. A cigarette structure that can effectively reduce the smoke temperature is identified. The temperature distribution characteristics and flow process of heat-not-burn cigarettes with straight and filled multifluid structures were investigated by numerical simulation. The mixing mechanism between high-temperature smoke and air inside them was revealed. The low-temperature air and high-temperature smoke are centrally mixed in the straight structure and are concentrated in the center of the structure under the effect of shear flow. In the multi-flow channel structure, the low-temperature air and high-temperature smoke diffuse to the wall due to the structural inflow and the pressure in the center return area, which is the decentralized mixing mode. The decentralized mixing method can promote the mixing between low-temperature air and high-temperature smoke and effectively reduce the temperature of the smoke. It has a 7 K cooling effect on the smoke compared to the straight structure, which can provide a new solution for exploring healthier and superior heat-not-burn cigarettes.

Quantum Chemical and Experimental Evaluation of a 4-Amino-Antipyrine Based Schiff Base as Corrosion Inhibitor for Steel Material.

Electrochemical experiments such as potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and gravimetric studies have been used to examine the corrosion inhibitory efficacy of 4-[(4-nitrobenzylidene)-amino]-antipyrine (4-NBAAP) on mild steel (MS) in 1 M HCl. 4-NBAAP inhibits the corrosion of MS through a mixed inhibition mechanism, according to the electrochemical investigation. The efficiency of 4-NBAAP increases with an increase in the inhibitor concentration and decreases with an increase in temperature. The adsorption of 4-NBAAP molecules on the MS surface follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. To find the relationship between the 4-NBAAP molecular structure and inhibitive effect, a few thermodynamic parameters were computed. The experimental results obtained from gravimetric and different electrochemical investigations prove the superiority of the inhibitor at higher concentrations in controlling the corrosion process of the steel in aggressive environments. Also, quantum chemical studies were performed to provide further insights into the inhibition mechanism.

Self-assembly mechanism, physicochemical analyses and application performance investigations of branched alkyl glycosides with alcohol ether carboxylic acids of varied epoxide numbers.

Green surfactants, specifically alkyl glycosides and fatty alcohol ether carboxylic acids, are known for their biocompatibility, multiresponsiveness, and versatile applications, garnering significant attention in the realms of green and colloid chemistry. This study systematically investigated the mechanism underlying micelle formation within aqueous solutions comprising alcohol ether carboxylic acids featuring diverse EO group chain quantities (AEC-nH, where n equals 5, 7, and 9) and branched alkyl glycosides (IG). The elucidation of these mechanisms sheds light on their prospective application properties. It was observed that the self-assembly of micelles in these hybrid systems is predominantly influenced by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic forces. The spherical-rod morphology of the micelles responds to the varying numbers of EO group chains, with an increased number of EO leading to the formation of rod-like micelles, which exhibit relative instability, while a decreased number of EO results in the formation of spherical micelles with relative stability. Additionally, by means of kinetic analysis, it was determined that the micelle formation process of the three hybrid systems is driven by enthalpy, and a mixed diffusion-kinetics adsorption mechanism is involved in the adsorption process. These findings significantly impact their application properties. This report stands as the first exploration of the synergistic mechanisms and application performance of two types of green surfactants in aqueous solutions, considering the influence of different numbers of EO group chains. Not only does it provide fundamental insights into their properties, but it also offers novel perspectives on the applications of green surface activation.

Exploring the Effect of V2O5 and Nb2O5 Content on the Structural, Thermal, and Electrical Characteristics of Sodium Phosphate Glasses and Glass-Ceramics.

Na-V-P-Nb-based materials have gained substantial recognition as cathode materials in high-rate sodium-ion batteries due to their unique properties and compositions, comprising both alkali and transition metal ions, which allow them to exhibit a mixed ionic-polaronic conduction mechanism. In this study, the impact of introducing two transition metal oxides, V2O5 and Nb2O5, on the thermal, (micro)structural, and electrical properties of the 35Na2O-25V2O5-(40 - x)P2O5 - xNb2O5 system is examined. The starting glass shows the highest values of DC conductivity, σDC, reaching 1.45 × 10-8 Ω-1 cm-1 at 303 K, along with a glass transition temperature, Tg, of 371 °C. The incorporation of Nb2O5 influences both σDC and Tg, resulting in non-linear trends, with the lowest values observed for the glass with x = 20 mol%. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements and vibrational spectroscopy results suggest that the observed non-monotonic trend in σDC arises from a diminishing contribution of polaronic conductivity due to the decrease in the relative number of V4+ ions and the introduction of Nb2O5, which disrupts the predominantly mixed vanadate-phosphate network within the starting glasses, consequently impeding polaronic transport. The mechanism of electrical transport is investigated using the model-free Summerfield scaling procedure, revealing the presence of mixed ionic-polaronic conductivity in glasses where x < 10 mol%, whereas for x ≥ 10 mol%, the ionic conductivity mechanism becomes prominent. To assess the impact of the V2O5 content on the electrical transport mechanism, a comparative analysis of two analogue series with varying V2O5 content (10 and 25 mol%) is conducted to evaluate the extent of its polaronic contribution.

Wearable-based behaviour interpolation for semi-supervised human activity recognition

While traditional feature engineering for Human Activity Recognition (HAR) involves a trial-and-error process, deep learning has emerged as a preferred method for high-level representations of sensor-based human activities. However, most deep learning-based HAR requires a large amount of labelled data and extracting HAR features from unlabelled data for effective deep learning training remains challenging. We, therefore, introduce a deep semi-supervised HAR approach, MixHAR, which concurrently uses labelled and unlabelled activities. Our MixHAR employs a linear interpolation mechanism to blend labelled and unlabelled activities while addressing both inter- and intra-activity variability. A unique challenge identified is the activity-intrusion problem during mixing, for which we propose a mixing calibration mechanism to mitigate it in the feature embedding space. Additionally, we rigorously explored and evaluated the five conventional/popular deep semi-supervised technologies on HAR, acting as the benchmark of deep semi-supervised HAR. Our results demonstrate that MixHAR significantly improves performance, underscoring the potential of deep semi-supervised techniques in HAR.

Theoretical analysis of perturbative high harmonic wave mixing from plasma surfaces

High harmonic generation modulated by a weakly perturbing laser field enables new wave mixing frequency components, thus allowing in-situ spatiotemporal measurements and wavefront control of attosecond optical pulses. However, perturbative high harmonic wave mixing from plasma surfaces has not been investigated extensively. In this study, we theoretically analyze the plasma high harmonic generation process in the relativistic regime modulated by a perturbing laser field with an arbitrary frequency. New wave mixing frequency components satisfying the conservation laws of photon energy and momentum are observed. The wave mixing component intensities adhere to a power law for the perturbating laser photon number as the perturbing laser intensity increases, thereby revealing perturbative behaviors in the nonperturbative, extremely nonlinear optical process of high harmonic generation. Detailed studies reveal the polarization selection rule and physical mechanism of high harmonic wave mixing. The modulation of the relativistic factor or mass enhancement of electrons on the plasma surface by the perturbing laser field is believed to result in high harmonic wave mixing in the relativistic regime.

Microstructure and mechanical behaviors of Gasar porous Cu/G4335V steel joint brazed by Ag-28Cu-0.75Ni alloy

Cu/steel composites have the advantages of low cost and high heat dissipation performance, which make them ideal materials for applications in the industrial heat dissipation field. Because of the unique pore structure, the Gasar porous Cu is more excellent in heat transfer performance. However, systematic research still needs to be done on the joining technologies of Gasar porous Cu/steel. In this paper, Gasar porous Cu was joined to G4335V steel using Ag-28Cu-0.75Ni. The microstructure, shear strength, and fracture behavior of the Gasar porous Cu/G4335V steel joint were investigated. The results show that a clear interface of the brazed joint and no brazing defects were found. The joint microstructure mainly comprises α-Cu (ss.), β-Ag (ss.), and Ag-Cu eutectic phase. As the pore diameter of Gasar porous Cu increased, the joining area of the Gasar porous Cu/G4335V steel joint became larger, thereby improving the shear strength of the joint. For the same pore diameter, the shear strength of the mode 1 joint (The load direction and the pore direction are parallel to each other. The pore direction refers to the growth direction of the pore.) was higher than that of the mode 2 joint (The pore direction and the load direction are perpendicular to each other). The fracture analysis indicated that the joint crack was initiated in α-Cu (ss.) and propagated along the banded α-Cu (ss.). The joint fracture was a mixed fracture mechanism that combined ductile-brittle fractures.

Application of dodecyl amine/dodium petroleum sulfonate mixed collector in quartz-feldspar flotation separation

It’s highly challenging to separate feldspar from quartz by flotation owing to their similar crystal structure and physicochemical properties. Using mixed collectors has become a promising method to improve the quartz-feldspar separation. In this study, mixed dodecyl amine (DDA) and sodium petroleum sulfonate (SPS) surfactants were used in the flotation separation of feldspar and quartz, and the adsorption mechanism of mixed collectors and depression mechanisms of two depressants were investigated through zeta potential, contact angle and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. When the pH reached 4.5, the separation of feldspar from quartz was more obvious. In the presence of DDA/SPS collector, the contact angle of feldspar was increased more obviously leading to enhance hydrophobicity. The infrared spectra revealed the interaction of collectors on feldspar surface involved physical and chemical adsorption, whereas the adsorption of collector on quartz was only physical interactions. The use of sodium hexametaphosphate resulted in a significantly enhanced separation performance. The weaker physical adsorption of mixed collector on quartz can be destroyed by sodium hexametaphosphate. This study is beneficial for understanding the collect mechanisms of mixed cationic-anionic surfactants on quartz and feldspar minerals, and promotes the development of advanced feldspar separation techniques.

A numerical and experimental investigation into the mixing mechanism of hydrogen transverse jets into an air swirl flow

As a clean fuel with the advantages of abundant reserves, high calorific value, renewability, and zero carbon emissions, hydrogen has broad application prospects in the fields of energy and power. Moreover, the mixing characteristics of hydrogen and air play a crucial role in determining combustion performance. A novel mixing method of hydrogen transverse jets into an air swirl flow was investigated via numerical and experimental approaches. The Schlieren technique and high-speed photography were employed in the experiments. The effects of various swirl numbers and jet momentum flux ratios on the flow field structure, its transient characteristics, and mixing properties were studied. The research results indicate that the complex vortex structure in the mean flow field is jointly affected by the swirl number and the jet momentum flux ratio. An increase in the jet momentum flux ratio has distinct effects on the flow unsteadiness for different swirl numbers, and there exists a critical value of the jet momentum flux ratio that substantially affects the degree of mixing and a characteristic length suitable for normalization of the axial coordinates when describing the centerline concentration decay. This study provides a reference and basis for further research on combustion in air swirl flows of hydrogen transverse jets.

Influence of Lee Wave Breaking on Far‐Field Mixing in the Deep Ocean

AbstractBreaking of internal lee waves generated by flow‐topography interaction is an important driving mechanism for abyssal mixing. By assuming that lee‐wave‐driven mixing is a local process, direct measurements in the past mainly focused on the water column over rough topography. In this study, a non‐local role of lee waves on remote mixing is investigated by using mooring observations in the northwestern Philippine Basin and a series of 2‐dimensional high‐resolution numerical simulations. We find that the breaking of lee waves can generate near‐inertial waves (NIWs) which can propagate away from their generation sites. The NIWs have strong vertical shear which can significantly elevate turbulent dissipation and mixing over remote uneven seafloor. Based on the topography perturbations numerical experiments, we find that for the remote gentle topography with inverse Froude number (Fr−1) between 0 and 0.5, the arrival of upstream NIWs can elevate the near‐bottom layer (0–1,000 m above bottom) dissipation rate and vertical diffusivity by 9.2 and 10.4 times, respectively at 30–50 km away from the NIWs source. For the remote rough topography with Fr−1 between 0 and 4, the corresponding increases are 3.5 and 4.4 times, respectively. The mechanism of upstream NIWs to elevate the downstream dissipation and mixing is through strengthening the shear instability over the far‐field topography, which is associated with NIWs' interactions with the topography and the generated lee waves therein. The results of this study will provide a foundation for improving the mixing parameterizations associated with current‐topography interactions.

ADM1-Based Modeling of Biohydrogen Production through Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Agro-Industrial Wastes in a Continuous-Flow Stirred-Tank Reactor System

Biological treatment is a promising alternative for waste management considering the environmentally sustainable concept that the European Union demands. In this direction, anaerobic digestion comprises a viable waste treatment process, producing high energy-carrier gases such as biomethane and biohydrogen under certain operating conditions. The mathematical modeling of this bioprocess can be used as a valuable tool for process scale-up with cost-effective implications. The scope of this work was the evaluation of the well-established Anaerobic Digestion Model 1 (ADM1) for use in two-stage anaerobic digestion of agro-industrial waste. Certain equations for the description of the metabolic pathways for lactate and bioethanol accumulation were implemented in the existing mechanistic model in order to enhance the model’s accuracy. The model presents a high estimation ability regarding the final product (H2 and biogas) reaching the same maximum value for the theoretical as the experimental data of these products (0.0012 and 0.0036 m3/d, respectively). The adapted ADM1 emerges as a useful instrument for designing anaerobic co-digestion processes with the goal of achieving high yields in fermentative hydrogen production, considering mixed biomass growth mechanisms.

New Inhibitor Based on Hydrolyzed Keratin Peptides for Stainless Steel Corrosion in Physiological Serum: An Electrochemical and Thermodynamic Study.

Reducing the impact of some biological fluids on bioimplants involves the control of surface characteristics by modeling the interface architecture and assembling ecofriendly thin films to retard corrosion. Therefore, a mixture of hydrolyzed keratin peptides (HKER) was investigated as a corrosion inhibitor for 304L stainless steel (SS) in physiological serum (PS), using electrochemical measurements associated with optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The tests, performed for various concentrations of the inhibitor at different temperatures, showed that the inhibition efficiency (IE) decreased with a rise in temperature and proportionally increased with the HKER concentration, reaching its maximum level, around 88%, at 25 °C, with a concentration of 40 g L-1 HKER in physiological serum. The experimental data best fitted the El-Awady adsorption model. The activation parameters (Ea, ∆Ha and ∆Sa) and the adsorption ones (∆Gads0, ∆Hads, ∆Sads) have highlighted a mixed action mechanism of HKER, revealing that physisorption prevails over chemisorption. AFM parameters, such as the average roughness (Ra), root-mean-square roughness (Rq) and maximum peak-to-valley height (Rp-v), confirmed HKER adsorption, indicating that a smoother surface of the 304L stainless steel was obtained when immersed in a PS-containing inhibitor, compared to the surface designed in blank solution, due to the development of a protective layer on the alloy surface.