Particle Size Distribution Analysis Research Articles

Sensory Evaluation, Physico-Chemical Properties, and Aromatic Profile of Pasteurised Orange Juice with Resistant Maltodextrin.

The beneficial health effects of prebiotics have been demonstrated in numerous research papers. However, their incorporation into daily food remains unfamiliar to consumers. This work evaluates the effects of the addition of resistant maltodextrin (RMD) on the sensory attributes of pasteurised orange juice, together with the physico-chemical properties and the aromatic profile. RMD addition increased the sweetness and decreased the acidity and bitterness, resulting in a higher overall panellists' rating of orange juice. It also proportionally increased °Brix together with density and decreased acidity. Colour changes were registered with higher RMD concentrations. Orange pulp presence affected the volume particle size distribution analysis, while RMD addition did not have any effect. The aroma volatile compounds were also analysed. Pulp-added samples showed a higher quantity of alcohol and aldehydes, whereas pulp-free samples registered higher terpene and terpenoid values. Ketones and acids were also quantified. RMD had a moderate impact on volatile compound quantifications, with the orange pulp presence playing a much more decisive role. A correspondence analysis was also performed to relate instrumental and sensory determinations for all samples. This work proves that the addition of RMD to orange juice is technologically feasible while also achieving a good response at the sensory level.

Enhanced harvest performance predictability through advanced multivariate data analysis of mammalian cell culture particle size distribution.

The industry's pursuit for higher antibody production has led to increased cell density cultures that impact the performance of subsequent product recovery steps. This increase in cell concentration has highlighted the critical role of solids concentration in centrifugation yield, while recent product degradation cases have shed light on the impact of cell lysis on product quality. Current methods for measuring solids concentration and cell lysis are not suited for early-stage high-throughput experimentation, which means that these cell culture outputs are not well characterized in early process development. This article describes a novel approach that leveraged the data from a widely-used automated cell counter (Vi-CELL™ XR) to accurately predict solids concentration and a common cell lysis indicator represented as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. For this purpose, partial least squares (PLS) models were derived with k-fold cross-validation from the particle size distribution data generated by the cell counter. The PLS models showed good predictive potential for both LDH release and solids concentration. This novel approach reduced the time required for evaluating the solids concentration and LDH for a typical high-throughput cell culture system (with 48 bioreactors in parallel) from around 7 h down to a few minutes.

Analysis of particle size distribution and electro-kinetics of submicron particles in shear-thinning liquids

Analysis of particle size distribution and electro-kinetics of submicron particles in shear-thinning liquids

Generation of Simulated "Natural" Nanoplastics from Polypropylene Food Packaging as the Experimental Standard.

Current toxicology research on nanoplastics (NPs) generally uses commercial spherical NPs. However, the physicochemical characteristics of commercial NPs are significantly different from those of NPs formed under natural conditions, possibly affecting the validity of the results. In analytical chemistry, a reference sample is selected such that its physicochemical properties are as similar as possible to the target. Therefore, a simulated "natural" NP synthesized in the laboratory that closely resembles naturally derived NPs would be used as an authentic standard. Here, we established the assay of scanning electron microscope (SEM)-particle size distribution analyzer (PSDA)-surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to detect NPs and prepared simulated "natural" NPs from polypropylene food packaging material using a method that mimics natural conditions. Nanofiltration was used to isolate three sets of simulated NPs with particle sizes ranging from 50-100 nm, 100-200 nm, and 200-400 nm. These simulated "natural" NPs were more similar to naturally occurring counterparts when compared with commercial NPs. These new standard NPs, which should be scalable for large-scale use, will improve the accuracy, reliability, and translatability of toxicological studies of NPs.

Cement mortar composites including 1-tetradecanol@PMMA Pickering emulsion particles for thermal energy management of buildings

In this study, a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) shell 1-tetradecanol core microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) was produced using the Pickering emulsion technique. Characterization tests of the produced MPCMs were performed using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, particle size distribution (PSD) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The latent heat, melting temperature and encapsulation rate of MPCM were determined and they were found as 108.4 J/g, 33 °C, and 46.7 % for heating period, respectively. The effect of 1-tetradecanol@PMMA MPCM on the physical, mechanical, and thermal performance properties of cementitious mortars was also investigated in the study. For this reasons 1-tetradecanol@PMMA MPCMs are included in mortar mixes at 5 %, 7.5 %, and 10 % by weight of cement. As the MPCM ratio increased, the water absorption rate and porosity increased, while the workability, unit weight of the mortar, ultrasonic pulse velocity, flexural strength and compressive strength parameters decreased. The compressive strength of the mortar containing 10 % MPCM on the 28th day was measured as 34.74 MPa. The highest thermal storage capacity was found in mortars containing 10 % MPCM. When the thermal performance of the reference and 10 % MPCM-containing mortars were compared, the indoor temperature differences at the end of the heating and cooling periods were measured as 4.7 °C and 3.9 °C, respectively. The results showed that MPCM produced by the Pickering emulsion technique has the potential to increase thermal comfort in buildings, reduce fuel consumption used for heating purposes and, accordingly, reduce carbon emissions.

Enhancing the Functional Properties of Tea Tree Oil: In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and Microencapsulation Strategy.

In the context of addressing antimicrobial drug resistance in periocular infections, Tea Tree Oil (TTO) has emerged as a promising therapeutic option. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of TTO against bacterial strains isolated from ocular infections, with a particular focus on its ability to inhibit biofilm formation. Additionally, we designed and analyzed microcapsules containing TTO to overcome certain unfavorable physicochemical properties and enhance its inherent biological attributes. The quality of TTO was confirmed through rigorous analysis using GC-MS and UV-Vis techniques. Our agar diffusion assay demonstrated the effectiveness of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) against ocular bacterial strains, including Corynebacterium spp., coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as a reference strain of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). Notably, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for all tested microorganisms were found to be 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, with the exception of Corynebacterium spp., which exhibited resistance to TTO. Furthermore, TTO exhibited a substantial reduction in biofilm biomass, ranging from 30% to 70%, as determined by the MTT method. Through the spray-drying technique, we successfully prepared two TTO-containing formulations with high encapsulation yields (80-85%), microencapsulation efficiency (90-95%), and embedding rates (approximately 40%). These formulations yielded microcapsules with diameters of 6-12 μm, as determined by laser scattering particle size distribution analysis, and exhibited regular, spherical morphologies under scanning electron microscopy. Importantly, UV-Vis analysis post-encapsulation confirmed the presence of TTO within the capsules, with preserved antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. In summary, our findings underscore the substantial therapeutic potential of TTO and its microcapsules for treating ocular infections.

Soil Water Retention and Pore Characteristics of Intact Loess Buried at Different Depths

Surface water infiltration is a primary factor responsible for engineering challenges and geological disasters on the Loess Plateau of China (LPC). Due to the extensive groundwater in this region, surface water must pass through thick unsaturated zones to recharge the groundwater reservoirs. Exploring the unsaturated hydraulic characteristics of loess, especially at varying depths, may significantly contribute to disaster prevention and mitigation and the pursuit of sustainable development in the Loess Plateau. The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC), intricately linked to the soil’s pore structure, is a critical hydraulic parameter of loess. An exploration well with a depth of 30 m was excavated in the LPC to obtain intact specimens at depths of 5 m, 15 m, and 25 m. Basic physical property tests, SWCC measurements, and particle size distribution (PSD) analyses were conducted. Additionally, the relationship between PSD and SWCC is discussed in this paper. The findings highlight the influence of depth on the dominant pore size and distribution density, both of which decreased with increasing depth. The air occlusion value of the SWCC experienced an increase, and the slope of the SWCC in the transition zone exhibited consistency. These observations underscore the pivotal role played by pore structure in shaping the soil’s water-retention behavior. Furthermore, predictions based on PSD data demonstrated excellent accuracy in replicating the wetting SWCC of loess over a wide suction range (e.g., 10–104 kPa).

Effects of sugar beet pectin on the pasting, rheological, thermal, and microstructural properties of wheat starch

The effects of addition of sugar beet pectin (SBP) on the pasting, rheological, thermal, and microstructural properties of wheat starch (WS) were investigated. Results revealed that SBP addition significantly increased the peak viscosity, trough viscosity, breakdown value, final viscosity, and setback value of WS, whereas decreased the pasting temperature. SBP raised the swelling power (from 13.44 to 21.32 g/g) and endothermic enthalpy (ΔH, from 8.17 to 8.98 J/g), but decreased the transparency (from 9.70 % to 1.37 %). Regarding rheological properties, WS-SBP mixtures exhibited a pseudo-plastic behavior, and SBP enhanced the viscoelasticity, but decreased the deformability. Particle size distribution analysis confirmed that SBP promoted the swelling of WS granules. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results suggested that the interactions between SBP and WS did not involve covalent bonding, and the formation of ordered structure was inhibited by SBP addition. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy observation found that the gel network of WS-SBP mixtures became more irregular, pore size gradually decreased, and the wall became thinner as the SBP concentration increased. These results indicated that SBP is a promising non-starch polysaccharide that can enhance the processing properties of WS.

Utilization of vermiculite particles in the enhancement of the ilmenite based oil well cement properties

Cementing the wellbore is one of the key jobs required for production from the reservoir. It is an essential part of the wellbore that supports the casing string and provides isolation between production and non-production zones. The challenging in situ conditions of reservoir can cause damage to the cement slurry. Hence, it is important to study various properties of this slurry under such conditions. The cement slurry should provide good strength, lower density variation, lower porosity and permeability and better rheological properties. The present study investigates the effect of vermiculite particles on ilmenite based Saudi class G cement. The cement powder, vermiculite and ilmenite were characterized using XRF analysis, particle size distribution and FESEM analysis. The performance of vermiculite as an additive was tested for different concentrations (0.25%, 0.50%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 4.0% BWOC) and compared with base cement having no vermiculite content. The test includes rheological properties, compressive and tensile strength, elastic properties like Young's modulus and poison's ratio, density variation, and petrophysical properties like porosity and permeability calculation. It was observed from the results that at 2% BWOC addition of vermiculite, the performance of slurry was optimized for all the tests. At 2% BWOC addition of vermiculite, the yield point and gel strength were increased to maximum value while the porosity and permeability were found to be least. The compressive strength was increased by almost 10% and Young's modulus was reduced by nearly 44%. This study investigated for the first time the possibility of vermiculite to improve the ilmenite-weighted oil well cement and its experimental results emphasized the capability of vermiculite particles to enhance the properties of the ilmenite-based cement slurry and can be used as an additive.

Statistical Characteristics of Geometry, Density and Porosity of Individual Ore Particles: A Case Study

This study aims to develop a methodology to describe and predict the statistical characteristics of individual ore particles in terms of length, width, height, volume, mass, area, circularity, aspect ratio, density, and porosity. The mean value, standard deviation, and appropriate distribution function were calculated or identified for each data set of a given particle property in a given size fraction. It was found that the mean value and the standard deviation of the same particle property can either be predicted from particle size or be approximated by a constant. The best-fit distribution of each kind of particle property was identified by the Anderson–Darling test using Minitab software. Generally, the data sets with the same particle property but different size fractions and ore types follow the same distribution. A methodology was developed to predict the distribution of individual particle properties in a given size fraction by particle size, and the fitting quality is good in most cases. The statistical characteristics of individual ore particles can improve the precise processing of ore feed in concentrators, the preparation of feed samples for lab-scale testing, the calibration of image analysis of ore particle size distribution, etc.

Preparation and antibacterial properties of high-methoxy pectin oligosaccharide -nisin nanoparticles

Nisin is a cationic polypeptide with high antibacterial activity. In different dosage forms, the immediate bacteriostatic effect of nisin was significantly reduced; and its antibacterial performance was easily affected by high temperature or non-acidic environment, which limited the widespread utilization of nisin. In order to improve the immediate bacteriostatic effect and the stability of nisin, nisin loaded high methoxy pectin oligosaccharide (HMPOS) nanoparticles were prepared by electrostatic self-assembly. Under the condition of mass ratio (HMPOS: nisin) 4:6 and pH 4.5, the particle size of nisin nanoparticles was 290–300 nm, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE%) was about 85 %. The analysis of particle size distribution, zeta potential, FT-IR, XRD and SEM suggested that nisin was successfully adsorbed on the surface of HMPOS. The isothermal adsorption results indicated that the combination of HMPOS and nisin was single-molecule layer adsorption. In addition, nisin nanoparticles had strong immediate bacteriostatic effect and good sustained release performance, and its release behavior belonged to Higuchi kinetic model.

Effect of chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic properties on the grindability of a South African Highveld coal

Coal properties that are associated with wear and damage of grinding equipment during pulverization prior to combustion were investigated. A South African Highveld feed coal and its beneficiated fractions were crushed to <1 >0.25 mm particles for the grindability tests. These particles were milled and screened into <75 µm and >75 um fractions, which were analysed by different techniques to establish a correlation with the conventional Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI). The <1.5 g.cm-3 float fraction, which contained 93 vol.% (mineral matter free) total -macerals, 9% kaolinite, and had the lowest HGI (57) (hardest to grind) was pulverized for 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes for particle size distribution analysis. This analysis indicated that the content of <75 um particles increases with increased grinding time. The >1.9 g.cm-3 sink fraction, with the highest HGI (76), 44% kaolinite, and 20 vol.% total macerals, was ground easily to generate the highest proportion of <75 um particles. Based on higher correlation coefficients (R2 = 0.77-0.91), the ash yield, mineral matter, petrographic composition, and fixed-carbon have significant effects on the HGI. Conversely, the inherent moisture and total sulphur (R2 = 0.48-0.62) have only minor effects on the HGI. Results from this investigation could be implemented in the preparation of a suitable pulverized fuel with little equipment wear, as well as utilizing mineralogical and petrographic compositions. Finally, the effect of microlithotypes and maceral types in South African feed coals on the HGI should be investigated in further pulverization and grindability studies.

Use of Particle Size Distribution Model to Produce High-Flowability Cementitious Composites

High packing density is desired for production of high-flowability cementitious composites. To achieve dense packing, various particle size distribution models have been proposed by researchers. In present study, with the use of two supplementary cementitious materials at different scale smaller than ordinary Portland cement (OPC), an ideal particle size distribution curve according to modified Andreasen’s formula has been produced. Analysis of particle size distribution showed that blending the cement with superfine cement (SFC) and/or condensed silica fume (CSF) would make the curve closer to the ideal curve, hinting that a better packing could be achieved. Packing densities of the cementitious materials were then directly obtained through a wet packing method, and results verified that cementitious materials mix blended with SFC and/or CSF own higher packing densities.

An Investigation on Filler Particle Size and Its Distribution in Glass-Epoxy Hybrid Composites Using Image Processing

Analysis of filler particle size and distribution plays a vital role in achieving a good balance of polymer composites’ electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Such assessments help understand the relationship between microstructure and the physical nature of polymer composites reinforced with fillers. In this investigation, glass epoxy composites with different nano and micro-sized fillers, namely SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> , Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> , MoS <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> , graphite and cenosphere, are fabricated by hand-lay technique with bagging. Particle analysis is carried out by employing image processing techniques using ImageJ. To understand the nature of hybrid filler size distribution, a comprehensive assessment of the micro and nanofiller particle distribution and the average shortest and longest separation distance between the nano and micron particles is estimated. From the particle size distribution analysis, it is observed that the micron particles are more evenly distributed than nanoparticles. The average distance between micron and nanofiller particles is observed depending on the type of filler used. The microparticles tend to surround the nanoparticles, which is desirable for decreasing the free space distances between the filler particles. Also, statistical analysis is carried out to study the experimental and estimated micron and nanofiller particle sizes used in the composites.

Effects of glutathione on structural and digestibility properties of high-hydrostatic-pressure-gelatinized maize starch with different amylose/amylopectin ratios

The effect of glutathione (GSH) on the digestibility, physicochemical, and structural properties of maize starch under 600 MPa for 20 min of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment was determined by in vitro digestion, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), particle size distribution analysis, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Laser Confocal Raman (LC-Raman) microscopy. The findings indicate that the waxy maize starch (WMS) underwent complete gelatinization, whereas the high amylose starches had partial gelatinization. GSH induced a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in the slowly digestible starch (SDS) content and a decrease in the rapidly digestible starch (RDS) after HHP treatment. Thermal analysis revealed that GSH increased starch gelatinization temperature. The gelatinization characteristics showed that GSH inhibited starch retrogradation but did not contribute much to starch crystallinity. FT-IR and LC-Raman analyses confirmed the interaction of GSH with starch molecules. The present result emphasizes the impact of GSH on the modelling of starch digestibility and structure properties and inspires the development of new functional foods prepared with HHP.

Experimental investigation of pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid as shale swelling inhibitor for water-based drilling fluids

This study evaluated the potential of 1-ethyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide (1E1MPyBr) ionic liquid as a shale swelling inhibitor for water-based mud. Firstly, a linear shale swelling test was conducted to evaluate the ionic liquid's ability to inhibit clay hydration. Moreover, a capillary suction time test was performed to determine the fluid absorbance potential. Besides, particle size distribution analysis and zeta potential were evaluated to determine the ionic liquid effect on the base mud's colloidal distribution and surface charge. Furthermore, the rheological and filtration properties of the ionic liquid-mixed drilling mud were investigated. Finally, The X-ray diffraction analysis was conducted to evaluate the inhibition mechanism. The findings of this study revealed that the incorporation of 0.3 wt% of pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid into the drilling mud resulted in a 20% reduction in shale swelling behaviour compared to conventional bentonite mud. The observed increase in particle size, decrease in zeta potential, and lower capillary suction timer values demonstrated the clay inhibition potential of ionic liquids. Moreover, adding the ionic liquid to bentonite mixed with water-based mud led to higher fluid loss and decreased rheological properties. These effects were attributed to the intercalation of ionic liquids into the clay layers, which inhibited swelling and hydration and reduced the water absorbance capacity of clay. Besides, the tested ionic liquid showed corrosion inhibition potential. Based on these results, the pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid is proffered as an efficient shale swelling inhibition additive for water-based mud.

Hydrophobic agglomeration flotation of fine cassiterite induced by kerosene and sodium oleate

In this study, the effect of kerosene and sodium oleate (NaOL) on inducing hydrophobic agglomeration flotation of fine cassiterite was investigated through the micro-flotation tests, particle size distribution and morphological analysis, zeta potential and contact angle measurements. The results indicated that adding kerosene before NaOL could obtain a higher recovery than adding NaOL before kerosene. The agglomerates induced by adding kerosene before NaOL was dense and regular in structure with larger particle size distribution and stronger surface hydrophobicity, which jointly contributed to its higher flotation recovery. Furtherly, the extended DLVO theory calculation was carried out to explain the agglomeration behaviour of fine cassiterite under different reagents. The results convinced that under the reaction of NaOL before kerosene or kerosene before NaOL, hydrophobic interaction and sufficient kinetic energy input were necessary to form agglomerates, and the attraction effect between cassiterite particles under the reaction of kerosene before NaOL was the strongest.

Analysis of particle size distribution of organic carbon for landfill leachate—implications for sustainable treatment

AbstractBACKGROUNDLandfill leachate has a complex composition requiring experimental support to formulate a sustainable treatment strategy. This study utilized the particle size distribution (PSD) of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) content to assess the profile of biodegradable and inert COD fractions; it also emphasized the functions and benefits of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration modules coupled to an activated sludge process. The evaluation profited from the field data of a landfill site in Istanbul, where the leachate was actually treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant.RESULTSCOD and total nitrogen levels fluctuated between 10 100–31 200 mg L−1 and 1150–2800 mg L−1, respectively. PSD analysis for COD, conducted at two extremes, displayed similar results, where the majority of the COD was observed to accumulate at the low extremity of the particle size, 70–72% below 2 nm. Therefore, direct membrane filtration of leachate yielded low COD removals that were limited to 9% with ultrafiltration and to 31–35% with nanofiltration. COD fractionation indicated a ratio of 5% for the inert COD in leachate. The permeate COD of ultrafiltration in the existing plant was 2000 mg L−1, much higher than the inert fraction ratio, which was further reduced to 266 mg L−1 by nanofiltration.CONCLUSIONPSD analysis was an integral complement of respirometry for establishing the size‐biodegradation relationships of different COD fractions. It located the majority of soluble COD fractions below 0.55 nm, thus implying the necessity of a biological process. PSD also identified the generation of soluble residual metabolic products, indicating that residual COD escaping treatment would be equally significant to the removal potential of the biodegradable substrate. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Occlusion-aware particle size distribution detection of gravel material based on the improved Bilayer Convolutional Network

Particle size distribution (PSD) detection is an important part of the construction process, which may delay subsequent construction if it takes too much time. Image-based methods have been proposed for effective and inexpensive PSD detection based on digital image processing (DIP) or deep learning. However, current image-based PSD detection methods mostly ignore the occluded regions of gravel particles, which causes errors in the detection process. Hence, this study proposed a novel occlusion-aware PSD detection method, which adapted an amodal instance segmentation model, improved Bilayer Convolutional Network (BCNet) with an Optimized Feature Pyramid Network (FPN), and a backbone embedding with global context network (GCNet) module, for occlusion-aware particle image segmentation. The improved BCNet has achieved 6.7% AP50 and 6% AP75 improvement compared to the original BCNet. For the results of PSD analysis, the maximum and average absolute errors of the mass fraction of various particle size intervals were 3.38% and 1.27%, respectively, less than 4.65% and 2.05% of the way only considering visible regions of particles, which indicates the proposed method can reduce the error of image-based PSD detection method only considering visible regions of particles. Furthermore, the detection time of the proposed method is less than 120 s which is more rapid than mechanical sieving.

Dry stacking of iron ore tailings: possible particle breakage during compaction

Disposal of iron ore tailings (IOT) in dry stacks is increasingly common in Brazil. IOT are compacted in layers using drum rollers that cause compaction and vibration effects on the ground. Particle breakage is usually observed in granular materials when subjected to large static loads, as can occur depending on the stacking height achieved. This study investigates the breakage behaviour of IOT, simulating load conditions that may arise during compaction of the layers for dry stack construction. Two IOT samples with different amounts of clay-sized particles but similar mineralogy (about 77% quartz and 19% iron oxide – typical of IOT in Brazil) were subject to three different laboratory tests simulating cyclic, compaction and vibration loading. Particle size distribution analyses were performed before and after testing all specimens. Both IOT samples suffered only particle breakage (relative breakage between 0.12 and 0.14 for tailings A and between 0.14 and 0.16 for tailings B) under extremely high pressures (σ′v = 85 MPa) applied by oedometer testing, above those usually found in the field. For the usual pressures applied in the field, the frequency of load and number of cycles were not significant in particle breakage.