Reduce Material Consumption Research Articles

Hyper-spectra imaging analysis of PLGA microspheres via machine learning enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Long-acting injectables (LAI) offer a cost-effective and patient-centric approach by reducing pill burden and improving compliance, leading to better treatment outcomes. Among various types of long-acting injectables, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres have been extensively investigated and reported in the literature. However, microsphere formulation development is still challenging due to the complexity of PLGA polymer, formulation screening, and processing, as well as time-consuming and cumbersome physicochemical characterization. A further challenge is the limited availability of drug substances in early formulation development. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel and advanced tools that can accelerate the early formulation development. In this manuscript, a novel comprehensive physicochemical characterization approach was developed by integrating Raman microscopy and the machine learning process. The physicochemical properties such as drug loading, particle size and size distribution, content uniformity/heterogeneity, and drug polymorphism of the microspheres can be obtained in a single run, without requiring separate methods for each attribute (e.g., liquid chromatography, particle size analyzer, thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction). This approach is non-destructive and can significantly reduce material consumption, sample preparation, labor work, and analysis time/cost, which will greatly facilitate the formulation development of PLGA microsphere products. In addition, the approach will potentially be beneficial in enabling automated high throughput screening of microsphere formulations.

Design Optimisation for Hybrid Metal Additive Manufacturing for Sustainable Construction

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) enables the manufacturing of efficient and lightweight structural elements in which material can be utilised wherever needed in an optimised shape, in contrast to standard prismatic profiles used in construction. However, the specific energy consumption (SEC) of WAAM is higher than that of conventional manufacturing (CM) techniques (i.e., hot-rolling) for standard profiles. Therefore, it is an open question whether the material savings through computational design realised through WAAM is environmentally beneficial or not. This systematic study aims to provide a better understanding of the environmental impact of hybrid manufacturing, which is defined as the combination of WAAM and CM rather than using any of them alone. Topology optimisation (TO) is used to design a series of beams with an identical performance (i.e., stiffness) but with a reduced material consumption depending on the hybrid ratio. The environmental impact of the designs has been used to determine when and how hybridisation can become advantageous. The results show that although the optimal proportions of WAAM and CM are dependent on their relative SEC, the hybrid solutions have always been environmentally superior compared to that of WAAM or CM alone for the realistic SEC values. The results showed that the hybrid beams can exhibit up to a 60% reduction in environmental impact compared to that of CM.

Performance evaluation of prefabricated retaining wall systems based on centrifuge tests

Prefabricated and assembled retaining wall systems are gradually becoming the preferred choice for slope stabilization and earth retaining structures. However, current prefabricated retaining wall systems are often difficult to apply in complex and variable construction sites due to issues such as inconsistent production dimensions and transportation difficulties. This paper presents a novel prefabricated retaining wall system and reports centrifuge model tests performed to analyze its overall performance. The influence of different infill materials on the performance of the prefabricated retaining wall system was studied. The research findings reveal that the retaining wall system provides significant slope stabilization effects, and can withstand up to 4 times the stress level of natural slope. Moreover, the stability of the retaining wall system is more than twice better when infill with frictional soil, compared to clay infill. Due to its unique structure, it can not only reduce material consumption and carbon dioxide emissions around 63.94%, but also plant green plants in the gaps of components, thereby providing a more sustainable alternative to conventional concrete gravity wall systems.

Spider Web-Inspired Additive Manufacturing: Unleashing the Potential of Lightweight Support Structures

This paper explores the methodology for the utilization of spider web-inspired additive manufacturing to enhance overhang support structures in 3D printing. Inspired by the strength and flexibility of spider silk, we propose an approach that reduces material consumption and postprocessing efforts. The methodology includes 3D printing spider webs, addressing key questions on silk production, web strength, and printing path generation. Experimental results demonstrate substantial weight reduction in printed objects, showcasing the efficiency of spider web-inspired support compared to traditional methods. The potential applications extend to hollow shell printing and efficient mass production.

Способ оценки качества диспергирования растворов полимерных композитов

The use of polymer nanocomposites when restoring worn-out body parts significantly increases their service life and significantly reduces the cost of repairing equipment. With a uniform distribution of filler particles in the solution, the highest mechanical and thermophysical properties of the polymer composite are achieved. A new method has been developed and proposed in which the quality of mixing a polymer composite solution is assessed by the uniformity of the distribution of filler particles in the solution. The method is characterized by efficiency and increased reliability of mixing quality control, reduced material consumption and low cost.

METAL, NONMETAL, ENERGY AND ENERGY CARRIER PRODUCTION BY PLASMA ARC ELECTROLYTIC CENTRIFUGAL CONVERSION

The new plasma arc electrolytic centrifugal conversion process is intended to reduce material consumption, time and energy costs when producing various products represented by metals, nonmetals and energy carriers. The task is accomplished through combining the metallurgical, chemical and energy production into an integral production facility. All polluting emissions associated today with the metallurgical, chemical and energy sectors serve as reagents for the new process and are used for manufacture of useful products sent to the market. Energy saving substance separation requires concentration of the maximum possible amount of various chemical elements in the melting area; they serve as catalysts reducing the reaction energy consumption. The energy production and consumption processes are closed loop with the generated reagents redistributed among the production areas and reversed for recycling what allows low potential heat retaining from losses to the environment. As of today, thermal and nuclear power stations as well as metallurgical and petrochemical plants discharge about two thirds of the produced heat energy to the environment. In the plasma arc electrolytic centrifugal conversion process the energy is diverted from one production process to another allowing several times higher hydrocarbon processing. Elimination of harmful emissions into the atmosphere requires energy released due to the system combining the energy production with the mining, metallurgical and chemical industries. The substance processing is induced by the energy produced when burning hydrogen derived from hydrocarbon materials in oxygen recovered from ore. All energy produced but not consumed for external energy demand, is transferred into methanol serving as hydrogen, and therefore energy, accumulator. Energy is transferred over large distances by methanol transportation over pipelines with the return to the processing area of carbon dioxide gas, required for plasma initiation.

Application of Lean Philosophy Approaches in Furniture Design Processes

Methodological approaches observed and applied regarding “Lean Philosophy”, which is a concept originating from production, became important tools that can offer solutions to different problems in several disciplines. In recent years, Lean Philosophy has been widely applied in different fields as "Lean Architecture", "Lean Design", "Lean Construction", "Lean Management", "Lean Hospital", "Lean Accounting". The main purpose of this study is to draw attention to the gains of Lean Philosophy, which can be defined as eliminating all kinds of waste and any activity that has no added value in the end use, to furniture design and production. Considering the effects of the design process on the whole enterprise, it is thought that design activities can contribute to a sustainable and more efficient interaction by incorporating concerns as modularity, inventory management, reduction of material consumption, reduction of labour and energy consumption, besides form and function concerns. As a qualitative research, this study embraces the document analysis method as a means of data collection and analysis. Existing prominent Lean Philosophy tools for manufacturing systems were analysed and some of them were adapted to design processes.

Low-carbon effects of constructing a prefabricated subway station using a trenchless method: A case study in Shenzhen, China

The traditional open-cut construction method for subway stations poses significant social and environmental challenges, and a trenchless method represents a promising alternative. This study uses the construction of a subway station in Shenzhen using a trenchless pipe-jacking method, as a case study. The design concept and construction scheme of the station are presented in detail, and the technical benefits of the technology are analysed. To assess the low-carbon effects of the method, this study uses life cycle assessment (LCA) theory. The findings indicate that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the station constructed this way are 10.5% less than those of the open-cut cast-in-situ (CIS) method. This decrease is attributable to reduced GHG emissions of 9.39% and 20.14% from building materials and related to energy consumption, respectively, achieved by reducing material consumption and improving electrification. Soil reinforcement engineering at the launching and receiving shafts is a significant factor affecting 34.17 % of the GHG emissions of the trenchless method, primarily owing to the significant cement consumption. The trenchless construction method used for the middle part of the station, which is beneath a large box culvert section, can decrease GHG emissions by 52.66% compared with open-cut CIS schemes. This is due mainly to the avoidance of additional GHG emissions resulting from the relocation of large box culverts required before open-cut construction of the station. Trenchless method, therefore, offers many advantages in reducing emissions and generating social benefits in complex urban environments compared with open-cut method, making it an essential approach to assist sustainable underground space development.

Enabling High Throughput Kinetic Experimentation by Using Flow as a Differential Kinetic Technique.

Kinetic data is most commonly collected through the generation of time-series data under either batch or flow conditions. Existing methods to generate kinetic data in flow collect integral data (concentration over time) only. Here, we report a method for the rapid and direct collection of differential kinetic data (direct measurement of rate) in flow by performing a series of instantaneous rate measurements on sequential small-scale reactions. This technique decouples the time required to generate a full kinetic profile from the time required for a reaction to reach completion, enabling high throughput kinetic experimentation. In addition, comparison of kinetic profiles constructed at different residence times allows the robustness, or stability, of homogeneously catalysed reactions to be interrogated. This approach makes use of a segmented flow platform which was shown to quantitatively reproduce batch kinetic data. The proline mediated aldol reaction was chosen as a model reaction to perform a high throughput kinetic screen of 216 kinetic profiles in 90 hours, one every 25 minutes, which would have taken an estimated continuous 3500 hours in batch, an almost 40-fold increase in experimental throughput matched by a corresponding reduction in material consumption.

Enabling High Throughput Kinetic Experimentation by Using Flow as a Differential Kinetic Technique**

AbstractKinetic data is most commonly collected through the generation of time‐series data under either batch or flow conditions. Existing methods to generate kinetic data in flow collect integral data (concentration over time) only. Here, we report a method for the rapid and direct collection of differential kinetic data (direct measurement of rate) in flow by performing a series of instantaneous rate measurements on sequential small‐scale reactions. This technique decouples the time required to generate a full kinetic profile from the time required for a reaction to reach completion, enabling high throughput kinetic experimentation. In addition, comparison of kinetic profiles constructed at different residence times allows the robustness, or stability, of homogeneously catalysed reactions to be interrogated. This approach makes use of a segmented flow platform which was shown to quantitatively reproduce batch kinetic data. The proline mediated aldol reaction was chosen as a model reaction to perform a high throughput kinetic screen of 216 kinetic profiles in 90 hours, one every 25 minutes, which would have taken an estimated continuous 3500 hours in batch, an almost 40‐fold increase in experimental throughput matched by a corresponding reduction in material consumption.

Structural Performance of Textile Reinforced 3D-Printed Concrete Elements

The aim of this study is to verify the industrial feasibility of integrating textile reinforcement into the 3D concrete printing process and to determine the flexural strength of 3D-printed concrete reinforced with alkali-resistant glass textiles. Due to the non-corrosiveness of the textile reinforcement, thin-walled concrete elements are feasible, reducing material consumption by up to 80 percent compared to steel reinforced concrete. The proposed method of the authors aims to combine 3D concrete printing with a single-sided, movable formwork in order to reduce the time-, personnel-, cost- and material-intensive formwork effort. As a first step towards that goal, in this study, a single-sided stable formwork following the printing path is designed and tested for its applicability on an industrial scale. The prototypical implementation of the printing method through a textile reinforcement is tested. For this purpose, test panels reinforced with textiles vertically and horizontally are printed with concrete. The flexural tensile strength of the printed, reinforced elements is investigated in a four-point bending test. Based on the results of the investigations, the requirements for a movable formwork are defined for the industrial application of this study. The movable formwork will replace the formwork frames in the future, so that the 3D concrete printing process can be optimized in a material-saving way and in terms of circular economy.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of MiC Formworks with Different Material Components

Modular integrated construction (MiC) is a new type of assembled building structure system that consists of prefabricated concrete modules connected using post-cast concrete. To reduce material consumption and realize casting without supporting molds, thin and lightweight concrete formworks (MiC formworks) with a thickness of 30 mm are installed as part of the shear wall. Due to the thinness, concrete pouring tends to cause MiC formwork cracking, mold rising, and other problems. Its stress performance and damage mechanism are not clear. For this reason, three groups of MiC formworks with different material composition types are designed. The static load test is carried out in a graded partition loading mode, and parametric analysis is combined with numerical simulation to systematically study the influence of different material components on the mechanical properties of MiC formworks. The results show that the front cracks of the MiC formworks are mainly distributed under the truss tendons, and the back cracks are mainly distributed in the span position of the adjacent truss tendons. These cracks both occur along the span direction of the MiC formworks. Increasing the concrete strength has a significant effect on improving the load-bearing capacity of MiC formworks, while incorporating steel fibers can significantly improve its deformation and crack resistance. Parametric analysis showed that the steel fiber admixture exhibited limited improvements in the cracking resistance of the panels as the concrete matrix grade increased. The research results provide a practical basis for optimizing the production process of MiC formworks.

Plasmonic photocatalytic nanocomposite of in-situ synthesized MnO2 nanoparticles on cellulosic fabric with structural color

The textile industry produces 20 % of the industrial water pollution containing toxic substances mostly dyes. Reducing material consumption and developing more efficient and scalable textile waste-water treatment methods such as photocatalytic degradation is essential. In this work, manganese dioxide nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs) were synthesized on the cotton fabric via a facile in-situ process. The preparation process was optimized for the highest photocatalytic activity under sunlight and color change originating from the plasmonic structural color of the nanoparticles. This promotes the photocatalytic activity by delocalization of the hot electrons while demonstrating the best washing and light fastness by using the least chemicals, and energy in a short time. In this way, the fabric was colored without any dye and possessed robust photocatalytic activity. Further, no dye-containing waste-water is made, and also accomplished to degrade dyes in a few hours under sunlight which is substantial for sustainable development. The treated fabrics indicated favorable mechanical properties, enhanced thermal stability, and perfect biocompatibility.

TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES STUDIES ON TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT (TKR) USING FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION METHOD

This study aims to propose lower material consumption of Total Knee Replacement (TKR), by employing Topology Optimization (TO). The objective is to propose a new knee implant design via Topology Optimization. Additionally, this study aims to calculate optimum cost-effective materials for the tibial and femoral components of the knee implant while maintaining the desired mechanical properties. SolidWorks and ANSYS Workbench software are used as tools in this study. Initially, the knee implant design was created using SolidWorks, followed by analysis and topology optimization using ANSYS Workbench. The method involves comparing the mechanical properties before and after optimization and calculating the amount of material saved through the optimization process. According to the findings, optimization may result in a reduction in material consumption of up to 23.96% with a difference of less than 5% in terms of the mechanical characteristics of the original design and the newly optimized design.

Changes in the socio-economic characteristics of households can decouple carbon emissions and consumption growth in China

The increasing consumption in developing countries poses a significant challenge to global climate change mitigation efforts. Understanding household characteristics is essential in exploring potential strategies to decouple carbon emissions from the increasing consumption. In this study, we utilized the multi-region input-output (MRIO) method to calculate household carbon emissions in China for the years 2012, 2016, and 2018. Using micro-level household survey data, we identified variations in carbon emissions among households with different economic levels and socioeconomic characteristics. Our analysis revealed that changes in household consumption structure and carbon intensity among households with improved economic levels, could result in a reduction of carbon emissions by 14 % to 19 %. Furthermore, households characterized by higher education levels, larger family sizes, and smaller housing units were found to generate lower carbon emissions per capita and per unit of consumption spending. By simulating household carbon emissions up to 2030, we identified three potential pathways to achieve decoupling: household economic upgrading, transitioning to low-carbon household characteristics, and reducing material consumption. Our findings indicate that even with a projected 75 % increase in per capita consumption volume by 2030, per capita household carbon emissions could still be lower than the levels observed in 2016. These results underscore the potential of consumption-focused policy measures in facilitating the decoupling of household consumption from carbon emissions.

Shear behavior of square ultra-high performance concrete-filled high-strength steel tube members

High-strength steel and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) can increase structural resistance and reduce material consumption efficiently. However, current design specifications do not permit the use of them in concrete-filled steel tube members due to the lack of research. To address it, this paper experimentally investigates the shear behavior of square ultra-high performance concrete-filled high-strength steel tube (referred to as CuFTh hereafter) members. A total of 20 CuFTh specimens were tested, considering the effects of the span-to-depth ratio, width-to-thickness ratio of the steel tube, yield stress of steel, and fiber volume content of UHPC. The test results showed that: (i) the failure mode was governed by the shear span-to-depth ratio (a/H), including shear failure (a/H = 0.2 or 0.5) and combined shear-flexural failure (a/H = 0.8 or 1.0); (ii) the shear strength increased with decreasing shear span-to-depth ratio and the width-to-thickness ratio of the steel tube; (iii) increasing the yield stress of steel and fiber volume content of UHPC improved the shear strength. The applicability of current specifications for estimating the shear strength of square CuFTh members was evaluated. It was shown that CECS 28 (CECS 2012) had the most reasonable estimation.

High efficiency titanium nitride bowtie nanoparticle and upconverter layer incorporated kesterite tandem solar cell

Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technology offers an economically viable and flexible way to harness solar energy. Using a material that absorbs more solar light than silicon significantly reduces material consumption and costs. Solar cells based on the kesterite mineral structure and its alloys stand out from other thin-film solar cells due to their earth-abundance and non-toxicity. Incorporating plasmonic nanoparticles in the kesterite absorber layer opens a promising path of enhancing light trapping efficiency. Again, the main losses in solar cells result from the incomplete utilization of the solar spectrum. The otherwise unused sub-bandgap photons can be utilized by adding an upconverting layer on a solar cell. This paper demonstrates a theoretical design and performance analysis of a high-efficiency kesterite solar cell by incorporating titanium nitride (TiN) plasmonic bowtie nanoparticles (NPs) and an upconverter layer. We compared the optical characteristics of various shapes and sizes of nanoparticles to find the optimum solar cell efficiency. The 100 nm thick bowtie-shaped NP had the highest power conversion efficiency, η of 24.80% and had the open circuit voltage Voc=0.59V, and short circuit current density, Jsc = 45.43 mA/cm2. The absorbed power for bowtie-shaped TiN NP incorporation enhanced the average absorption from ∼61% to ∼88% for the kesterite layer. For 100 nm thickness, the absorption enhancement, g, was greater than 1 for the whole spectral range, and the maximum value was ∼1.2. Incorporating a yttrium aluminum garnet upconverter layer increased the solar cell efficiency to ∼27.44.%.

A comparative analysis of energy and lifecycle greenshouse gas emissions prefabricated building modules

Prefabrication is considered to provide improved environmental performance over traditional building construction. This paper provides evidence of the performance improvements of prefab construction by quantifying the embodied energy of modular prefabricated steel and timber multi-residential buildings. To this end, a benchmarking study is performed to ascertain the improved environmental performance of this method over conventional concrete construction methods. Furthermore, this paper assesses the potential benefits of material reusability in terms of reducing the space required for landfill, as well as the need for additional resources. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in a significant increase (∼50%) in embodied energy compared to the concrete building. It was shown that there was significant potential for the reuse of materials in the prefabricated steel building, representing up to an 81% saving in embodied energy and 51% materials saving by mass.

A comparative analysis of energy and lifecycle greenshouse gas emissions prefabricated building modules

Prefabrication is considered to provide improved environmental performance over traditional building construction. This paper provides evidence of the performance improvements of prefab construction by quantifying the embodied energy of modular prefabricated steel and timber multi-residential buildings. To this end, a benchmarking study is performed to ascertain the improved environmental performance of this method over conventional concrete construction methods. Furthermore, this paper assesses the potential benefits of material reusability in terms of reducing the space required for landfill, as well as the need for additional resources. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in a significant increase (∼50%) in embodied energy compared to the concrete building. It was shown that there was significant potential for the reuse of materials in the prefabricated steel building, representing up to an 81% saving in embodied energy and 51% materials saving by mass.

Power Density Increase in Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Machines Considering Active Thermal Control

The power density of electric machines for future battery electric vehicles must be further increased to improve customer benefits. To this end, this paper compares two state-of-the art electrical traction machines and evaluates the potential for increasing the power density using a third, novel high-speed machine design. The analysis is performed using an electromagnetic finite element analysis, a thermal network with lumped parameters, and a coupled electromagnetic–thermal simulation. The simulations of the three machines evaluate the potential for increasing the power density and overload margins, as well as reducing material consumption. With regard to the active thermal control, the new design aims for reduced thermal capacities and increased loss density to optimize the thermal controllablity and overall performance. The thermal active control is analyzed in thermal transient simulations and electromagnetic simulations with different magnet temperatures. The results show that higher magnet temperatures benefit efficiency and reduce losses for low torque at high speeds. However, a colder magnet is needed for maximum torque at base speed. A maximum loss reduction of 24% is achieved with a 100 °C magnet-temperature difference at maximum speed and low torque.