Sustainable Mass Production Research Articles

Coprecipitation Strategy for Halide-Based Solid-State Electrolytes and Atmospheric-Dependent In Situ Analysis.

In the continuous pursuit of an energy-efficient alternative to the energy-intensive mechanochemical process, we developed a coprecipitation strategy for synthesizing halide-based solid-state electrolytes that warrant both structural control and commercial scalability. In this study, we propose a new coprecipitation approach to synthesized Li3InCl6, exhibiting both structural and electrochemical performance stability, with a high ionic conductivity of 1.42 × 10-3 S cm-1, comparable to that of traditionally prepared counterparts. Through the in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique, we unveil the stability mechanisms and rapid chemical reactions of Li3InCl6 under dry Ar, dry O2, and high-humidity atmosphere, which were not previously reported. Furthermore, the fast reversibility capability of moisture-exposed Li3InCl6 was tracked under vacuum, revealing the optimal recovery conditions at low temperatures (150-200 °C). This work addresses the critical challenges in structural engineering and sustainable mass production and provides insights into chemical reactions under real-world conditions.

Impact of temperature on the bionomics and geographical range margins of the two-spotted field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus in the world: Implications for its mass farming.

Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is widely considered an excellent nutrient source for food and feed. Despite its economic importance, there is limited information on the impact of temperature on the bionomics of this cricket to guide its effective and sustainable mass production in its geographical range. The biological parameters of G. bimaculatus were investigated at eight different temperatures ranging from 20-40˚C. The Insect Life-Cycle Modelling (ILCYM) program was used to fit linear and non-linear functions to the data to describe the influence of temperature on life history parameters and its farmability under the current and projected climate for 2050. Our results revealed that G. bimaculatus was able to complete its lifecycle in the temperature range of 20°C to 37°C with a maximum finite rate of population increase (= 1.14) at 35°C. The developmental time of G. bimaculatus decreased with increasing temperature. The least developmental time and mortality were attained at 32°C. The highest wet length and mass of G. bimaculatus occurred at 32°C. The lowest temperature threshold for G. bimaculatus egg and nymph development was approximated using linear regression functions to be at 15.9°C and 16.2°C with a temperature constant of 108.7 and 555.6 degree days. The maximum fecundity (2301.98 eggs per female), net reproductive rate (988.42 daughters/ generation), and intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.134 days) were recorded at 32°C and the shortest doubling of 5.2 days was observed at 35°C. Based on our findings G. bimaculatus can be farmed in countries with temperatures ranging between 20 and 37°C around the globe. These findings will help the cricket farmers understand and project the cricket population dynamics around the world as influenced by temperature, and as such, will contribute to more efficient farming.

Nodal influence on <i>Nauclea diderrichii</i> (De Willd and T. Durand) merill juvenile stem cutting

The experiment investigated effect of number of nodes on shooting and rooting ability of Nauclea diderrichii juvenile cuttings. The cuttings were approximately cut into one node cuttings (T1), two nodes’ cuttings (T2), three nodes’ cuttings (T3) and four nodes’ cuttings (T4) experiment treatments. Five cuttings each of the treatment were set in planting trays and replicated four times making eighty (80) cuttings in total. It was arranged under a humid propagator chamber in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and assessed variables such as survival rate, the number of leaves, root and shoot, the longest shoot and root length.The result showed that nodal cuttings in treatment T4, had the best performance (4.50) in the survival rate while the least mean survival rate is T1 with 2.75. It was also observed from the experiment that T4 (four nodes’ cuttings) had the highest performance in the number of root and shoot, the number of leaves, the longest shoot and root length while T1 (one node cuttings) had the least performance in the number of root and shoot, the number of leaves, longest shoot and root length. This means that the more the nodes, the better the cutting performance. The ANOVA showed that the treatments are significantly differentat 0.05% probability level. It is therefore recommended that to have an optimum performance in survival rate, the number of root and shoot, the number of leaves, longest shoot and root length for its sustainablemass production N. diderrichii, four nodal cuttings should be used.

A novel top-down approach for high yield production of graphene from natural graphite and its supercapacitor applications

The cost-effective and sustainable mass production of graphene is of utmost importance for its comprehensive application across various industries. Despite ball milling being the most efficacious method for obtaining high-quality graphene, industrial-scale production poses a significant challenge due to a lowered yield, heterogeneous media and reduced energy transfer efficiency. Furthermore, the consistent properties of graphene pose another major challenge when it comes to scaled-up processes. To address these challenges, we conducted a study aiming to produce high-quality graphene from natural graphite sourced from Indian ore through the utilisation of a horizontal planetary ball mill. Our analysis revealed that the graphene sheets produced via this method exhibit excellent structural integrity, rendering them highly beneficial for a wide range of applications. The diffraction pattern of the graphene sheets is dominated by the (002) plane, as shown by XRD data. The Raman spectrum indicates a compatible I2D/IG ratio, suggesting double- to triple-layer graphene sheets. The graphene sheets were seen to be layered and irregularly shaped in the SEM and TEM pictures, which is consistent with the sample's polycrystalline makeup. The findings demonstrate the large surface area and strong electrical conductivity of the synthesized graphene. Furthermore, the high specific capacitance value of 30F/g is shown by in-house graphene-based supercapacitors. Overall, the findings of this work show that manufacturing high-quality graphene from synthetic and natural graphite is feasible and effective when carried out on a horizontal planetary ball mill, and each batch of 200 g graphene requires $25 in production costs. This strategy promises to supply the rising demand for graphene by enabling more widespread, cost-effective manufacturing.

High-efficiency removal of Pb (II) and Cu (II) by amidoxime functionalized silica aerogels: Preparation, adsorption mechanisms and environmental impacts analysis

In this work, a novel adsorbent was evaluated for eliminating heavy metal ions from water. The cyano-functionalized silica aerogels (ANSA-X) were fabricated by functionalizing silica aerogel with 2-cyanoethyltriethoxysilane, and then further by the reaction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride to obtain amidoxime-functionalized silica aerogels (AOSA-X) with a large specific surface area. The FTIR and NMR analysis indicated that cyano was successfully transformed into amidoxime groups. Adsorption experiments showed the adsorption performed well with the Langmuir isotherm, and AOSA3 exhibited the optimum adsorption property with 598.05 mg/g for Pb (II) and 534.10 mg/g for Cu (II). The thermodynamic results indicated that spontaneous endothermic process was the nature of the adsorption. The adsorption rate of AOSA3 was above 86% after five successive adsorption–desorption cycles. XPS analysis and DFT calculations demonstrated that the N and O atoms participated in the chelating adsorption of Pb (II) and Cu (II), and the N atom on the amidoxime groups played a dominant role. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) evaluated the environmental effect of the preparation of 1 kg AOSA3 adsorbent, identified the environmental factors with high environmental impact, proposed alternative solutions, proved the feasibility of preparing a novel high-efficiency amidoxime-based adsorbent, and provided a guideline for the sustainable mass production of AOSA3 adsorbent. In conclusion, AOSA3 demonstrated to have promising application perspectives in heavy metal effluent treatment.

Production, consumption, and market supply of edible crickets: insights from East Africa

Globally, crickets are gaining recognition as a valuable alternative protein source for human consumption due to their lower resource requirement and ecological footprint compared to traditional livestock. In this paper, we examine strategies that may expedite the sustainable domestication of crickets as a food source. Using survey data from 306 households in western Kenya, we find that supplying cricket production starter kits, granting access to credit facilities, encouraging participation in farmer groups, and fostering partnerships can enhance the adoption of cricket farming. Moreover, we provide new evidence that institutional training significantly increases cricket yields while embracing cricket consumption (i.e. entomophagy) increases market supply. These findings underscore the importance of technical training, provision of production starter kits, and raising awareness about entomophagy to achieve sustainable mass production and adoption of cricket farming.

Development of an Algorithm for Textile Waste Arrangement

With the constant availability of new designs at extremely low prices, the production and disposal of clothing have increased significantly, leading to the need for the sustainable management of processes. The implementation of established craft practices in modern sustainable mass production requires the development and application of software and hardware computer tools as well as production machinery. Although the management of textile waste for interior design articles is addressed in the scientific literature by various techniques, there is still limited data and strategies based on the use of specific algorithms. Therefore, in this research, an algorithm is proposed, with the help of which textile waste resulting from upholstery production can be reused in the creation of interior decoration parts. The algorithm is implemented in the GNU Octave 6.4 programming environment, which makes it easily redistributable and accessible. The algorithm consists of a total of six stages, offering an option for arranging the textile elements and analyzing their color characteristics. The arrangement is performed with a Voronoi diagram, and the colors are represented by a four-color circle. Moreover, data on waste textile fabrics are presented, as well as their application in the conception of interior design elements. The proposed algorithm allows designers to focus on the visual design rather than compatibility checks and constraints. The present paper provides an algorithm for reusing textile wastes, which come in a variety of shapes and colors and are produced throughout the fabric cutting phase of upholstery manufacturing, in order to identify the most optimal combinations in matching irregular waste shapes and combinations of colors, create a suitable pattern for new interior design items, and contribute to improving the sustainable management of textile waste that is produced in considerable amounts.

Improving Long‐Term Stability of Kesterite Thin‐Film Solar Cells with Oxide/Metal/Oxide Multilayered Transparent Conducting Electrodes

The long‐term stability of kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin‐film solar cells (TFSCs) is crucial for the sustainable mass production of photovoltaic systems. Herein, the improved long‐term stability of CZTSSe TFSCs with an oxide/metal/oxide (OMO)‐based transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs), i.e., ZnO‐based oxide/Ag/Al‐doped ZnO (AZO), and post heating treatment is reported. The effect of the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the OMO TCEs prepared with various bottom oxide materials on the device performance of the CZTSSe TFSCs is systematically investigated. The CZTSSe TFSCs with Ga‐doped ZnO containing OMO TCEs show excellent long‐term stability with only <1% and <20% power conversion efficiency (PCE) losses, whereas for the TFSCs with conventional AZO TCEs, 12% and 69% PCE losses are observed after 5 and 10 months, respectively, without encapsulation and air atmosphere. Detailed analyses reveal that Ag‐doped ZnO formed at the bottom oxide/Ag interface in OMO TCEs passivates the interface. Accordingly, a passivation mechanism for the Ag‐doped ZnO interfacial layer in the OMO TCEs is demonstrated. Herein, a new pathway to improve the long‐term stability of CZTSSe TFSCs without encapsulation and under air atmosphere is offered.

Towards sustainable mass production of metallic nanoparticles: Selective synthesis of copper nanoparticles directly from malachite ore

Continuing industrial development and burgeoning pressure to solve global challenges, including climate change and non-pharmaceutical pathogen management, will drive an urgent up-scaling in global nanoparticle production this Century. Conventional nanoparticle synthesis is typically a linear multistage approach comprising mining, beneficiation, refining, reagent synthesis and then nanoproduct synthesis, which is both energy and resource intensive. Herein, we present a new approach using nanoscale Cu (nCu) as an example of the translocation of nanoparticle synthesis into the subsurface in one step. Malachite ore was first leached with H2SO4 or CH3COOH (0.5 M, 1:10 solid–liquid ratio), partially neutralised using 0.01–0.5 M NaOH or NaCO3 respectively and then exposed to nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) (4.0 g/L). The nZVI acted as both a selective and rapid (<240 s) chemical reducing agent but also a magneto-responsive nCu recovery vehicle. Up to 31.1 wt% conversion of Cu from ore to discrete Cu0/Cu2O nanoparticles was observed, with nanoparticle purities of up to 81.70 wt% Cu (or 98.59 wt% Cu and O) detected using HRTEM. This work therefore provides a first proof-of-concept of a new direct and one-pot “in situ” nanoparticle mass production route. This routeis conceptually feasible for a wide range of engineered nanomaterials, including those containing Ni, Cr, U, Pb, Ag and Au, and therefore has the potential to yield transformative environmental and economic benefit across mining and raw material synthesis industries.

In-Mold Electronics on Poly(Lactic Acid): towards a more sustainable mass production of plastronic devices

In-Mold Electronics on Poly(Lactic Acid): towards a more sustainable mass production of plastronic devices

Non-destructive development: a case study of aquatic genetic resources in Indonesia

One of the factors that contribute to the success of shrimp hatchery operations is the availability of good quality broodstock diets. Polychaetes have been regarded as the best maturation diet for shrimps as they contain essential nutrients requisite for the reproduction of shrimps. Consequently, the demand for polychaetes increased with the intensification of shrimp farming and as a result, the natural stocks are depleting gradually and thus, could no longer provide sustainable supply for shrimp hatcheries. In addition, the issue on biosecurity concerning wild polychaetes prompted the shrimp farmers to obtain polychaetes from reputable sources, thus, the culture of polychaetes under controlled condition has become a sustainable alternative. The SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) therefore initiated the “Refinement of rearing and feeding techniques for sustainable mass production of the polychaete Marphysa sp.” to address the gaps in polychaetes culture and ensure the sustainability of polychaetes production to supply the shrimp hatcheries at SEAFDEC/AQD, and where the potential mass production of the polychaetes (Marphysa sp.) in indoor tanks is being undertaken to ensure that these are pathogen-free.

Use of Sustainable Fuels in Aviation—A Review

As the push for carbon-neutral transport continues, the aviation sector is facing increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. Furthermore, commercial air traffic is expected to resume the continuous growth experienced until the pandemic, highlighting the need for reduced emissions. The use of alternative fuels plays a key role in achieving future emission goals, while also lowering the dependency on fossil fuels. The so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which encompass bio and synthetic fuels, are currently the most viable option, but hydrogen is also being considered as a long-term solution. The present paper reviews the production methods, logistical and technological barriers, and potential for future mass implementation of these alternative fuels. In general, biofuels currently present higher technological readiness levels than other alternatives. Sustainable mass production faces critical feedstock-related challenges that synthetic fuels, together with other solutions, can overcome. All conventional fuel replacements, though with different scopes, will be important in meeting long-term goals. Government support will play an important role in accelerating and facilitating the transition towards sustainable aviation.

Regulating the electronic structure of Ni3S2 nanorods by heteroatom vanadium doping for high electrocatalytic performance

The exploration of high-performance, inexpensive noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) may be critical for sustainable mass production of renewable energy. In this study, vanadium-doped Ni3S2 nanorod arrays grown on three-dimensional nickel foam (V-Ni3S2/NF) were designed and synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route. Electrochemical measurements showed that the sample with an appropriate amount of V doping (S: V mass ratio of 25:3) exhibited superior OER performance, with an overpotential of 189 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 148.87 mV dec−1. The improved catalytic performance can be attributed to the optimization of the electronic structure resulting from enhanced electron transfer due to doping with impurity atoms. Detailed characterization showed that homogeneous V doping changed the morphology of Ni3S2 from nanosheets to nanorods; it also introduced additional catalytic active sites and significantly improved the electrocatalytic activity for the OER. In addition, V-Ni3S2/NF exhibited excellent electrocatalytic stability compared to noble-metal (IrO2) electrocatalysts. The introduction of vanadium suggests a new approach to the design of high-performance OER catalysts in alkaline medium.

Investigation on the geometric evolution of microstructures in EDM with a composite laminated electrode

Based on the difference in the wear rate of different materials in electrical discharge machining (EDM), wear-variation EDM (WV-EDM) takes full advantage of the electrode wear, which has always been considered as a headache in past research work, to continuously mass fabricate surface microstructures. However, the mechanism of the electrode wear in WV-EDM is not clear, which means that the optimization of the processing parameters and the law of the electrode wear are based on large numbers of experiments, resulting in a lot of waste of experimental materials, equipment, and human resources. In order to achieve green, healthy production and save resources, it is urgent to minimize the amount of EDM experiments on the premises of ensuring research quality and production demand. In view of the variety of electrode materials, this paper studies differences in material removal by single-pulse EDM and proposes a discharge erosion strategy of EDM with composite laminated electrodes (CLEs). After that, a two-dimensional simulation model was established to investigate and predict the geometric evolution of the electrode and workpiece during EDM. Finally, the accuracy of the model was evaluated by comparing profiles derived from simulations and experiments. The statistically relative error of the simulation model was less than 5%, indicating that the simulation model could provide theoretical guidance for the sustainable mass production of surface microstructures by WV-EDM, thereby greatly reducing the number of experiments, saving resources, and improving the experimental efficiency.

Investigation of the usability of extreme temperature changes in pristine graphene production

The scalable, controllable and sustainable mass production of graphene is still the subject of many studies. Various methods have been proposed and discussed for this. In this study, a low-cost new approach has been reported with purely mechanical methods, environmentally friendly, free of chemical solvents and suitable for mass production. This technique, which aims to separate the layers with the effect of the thermal stress forces created by the volumetric expansion/shrinkage nature caused by extreme temperature change, it differs from other mechanical and thermal exfoliations due to the absence of specific tools and special chemicals. With the approach based on this methodology, two different samples have been produced and their structural and morphological researches have been made. Structural analyzes have been characterized by X-ray diffraction diffractometer, Raman spectrometer, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, while morphological research has been performed using scanning electron microscope. It has been confirmed with characterization devices that the thermomechanical exfoliation method can produce pristine graphene within the limits that can be accepted as quality.

Sustainable mass production of blind multi-microgrooves by EDM with a long-laminated electrode

This study proposed to combine wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), dry WEDM and wear-variation EDM together. This combined technology could be used for economical and effective fabrication of a long-laminated electrode (LLE) with a significantly strong anti-interference ability and long service life, which subsequently were utilized for the sustainable mass production of deep-narrow blind microgrooves by EDM on the surface of difficult-to-cut/grind materials. A disadvantageous factor of the electrode wear in EDM was successfully converted into key process for fabricating the LLE and blind microgrooves. Formation of the remelting connection layer (RCL) on the sidewalls of the LLE was studied, and the RCL was analyzed and characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that dry WEDM was prerequisite to the formation of the RCL, and the homogeneity and thickness of the RCL were primarily affected by the removal thickness of dry WEDM. Additionally, the effects of the electrode length and machining depth on the EDM performance of the LLE were discussed, which revealed that the two parameters mentioned above did not significantly impact on the machining performance. Finally, under the experimental conditions utilized, the LLE was employed to perform the EDM on a Ti–6Al–4V alloy workpiece, a blind multi-microgroove of depth and width approximately 250 μm and 74 μm, respectively, and a crisscross blind microgroove structure were produced. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed method for the sustainable mass production of deep-narrow blind multi-microgrooves by EDM with the prefabricated LLEs.

Green and Sustainable Manufacture of Ultrapure Engineered Nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials with very specific features (purity, colloidal stability, composition, size, shape, location…) are commonly requested by cutting-edge technologic applications, and hence a sustainable process for the mass-production of tunable/engineered nanomaterials would be desirable. Despite this, tuning nano-scale features when scaling-up the production of nanoparticles/nanomaterials has been considered the main technological barrier for the development of nanotechnology. Aimed at overcoming these challenging frontier, a new gas-phase reactor design providing a shorter residence time, and thus a faster quenching of nanoclusters growth, is proposed for the green, sustainable, versatile, cost-effective, and scalable manufacture of ultrapure engineered nanomaterials (ranging from nanoclusters and nanoalloys to engineered nanostructures) with a tunable degree of agglomeration, composition, size, shape, and location. This method enables: (1) more homogeneous, non-agglomerated ultrapure Au-Ag nanoalloys under 10 nm; (2) 3-nm non-agglomerated ultrapure Au nanoclusters with lower gas flow rates; (3) shape-controlled Ag NPs; and (4) stable Au and Ag engineered nanostructures: nanodisks, nanocrosses, and 3D nanopillars. In conclusion, this new approach paves the way for the green and sustainable mass-production of ultrapure engineered nanomaterials.

Smart “Sticky Note” for strain and temperature sensing using few-layer graphene from exfoliation in red spinach solution

The synthesis of few-layer graphene from graphite typically uses N, N methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) or dimethylformamide (DMF) due to the strong affinity of both solvents for graphite. However, NMP and DMF are known as carcinogens and a long-time exposure to these substances may subject users to potential risk of major health issue later. Therefore, a replacement with dispersing solvent that is not only harmless but also able to exfoliate graphite at an excellent concentration yield must be outlined for a sustainable mass-production of graphene. In this work, we have successfully exfoliated graphite to few-layer graphene with a recorded yield concentration of up to 0.75°mg/ml (2.5°h) just by using extracted red spinach/water mixture as an exfoliating medium. The prepared graphene was found to possess less structural defect (ID/IG: 0.5) and high C/O ratio (6.8) and can be used further as an electrical conductive ink for smart “Sticky Note” sensor. The fabricated device was able to detect strain and temperature with gauge factor and temperature coefficient resistance of 23.5 and −32.14 × 10-4°Ω/°;C, respectively. We believe that this study would be useful for the preparation of environmental-friendly graphene that is not only strain and thermally sensitive but also producible at low -cost.

Effects of shading, fertilization and snail grazing on the productivity of the water fern Azolla filiculoides for tropical freshwater aquaculture

Water ferns (Azolla spp.) are among the main important floating macrophytes used for feeding farmed animals such as fish, because they have high growth potential and high protein content. Nevertheless, their use as feed requires sustainable mass production, which can be difficult to maintain in field conditions. We performed a first experiment to assess the effects of shading and fertilization levels on the growth of Azolla filiculoides with complementary information regarding the morphology and the chemical composition of the plant cultivated under the different experimental conditions. Plants were cultivated in floating 50-L plastic drums at three fertilization levels (“no”, “low” and “high”) using an inorganic multi-nutrient fertilizer rich in P (NPK = 1:2:1) and maintained under full natural light or shaded by one of two different types of shading materials, transparent polyethylene sheet and 60% shade net, respectively. A second experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of grazing by the invasive golden apple snail Pomacea canaliculata on A. filiculoides previously cultivated without addition of fertilizer (treatment “no”) or in high fertilizer concentrations (treatment “high”). Fertilization levels and shading materials significantly affected the growth of Azolla. The highest productivity was reached using the highest fertilization level under direct sunlight. Azolla produced in these culture conditions was preferentially grazed by snails compared to Azolla cultivated without added fertilizer. Based on these findings, we make recommendations regarding the best culture conditions for A. filiculoides in ponds for its use as sustainable fish feed.

Compression RTM of reactive thermoplastic composites using microwaves and cure monitoring

Thermoplastic-matrix composites are ideal to improve recyclability of composites not to mention easier assembly and repairability. The EC-funded project Recotrans aims in combining the advantages of the Elium acrylic reactive-thermoplastic resin from Arkema with microwave curing and intelligent process monitoring towards sustainable mass production for the European transport industry.Both the microwave heating and the online process monitoring technologies have been successfully used in thermoset-matrix composites, while the new carbon-fibre proof sensors were introduced successfully in a compression high pressure RTM facility. In the present application a microwave heating device has been developed to preheat the liquid resin either after injection and before mould compression or before resin injection in order to decrease resin’s viscosity and improve impregnation as well as to accelerate the reaction. Furthermore, through a durable cure sensor installed in the tool, the Optimold cure monitoring system measures the electrical resistivity and temperature of the resin which are directly correlated to the degree of conversion. The use of a preform from recycled carbon fibres makes the implementation of both technologies more challenging as both technologies are prone to carbon fibres so special techniques were used to circumvent the effect of carbon fibres. The first lab-scale trials showed that both technologies can improve performance ensuring the high potential of the Elium resin for high quality thermoplastic CFRPs.