No abstract is provided for this article.
A detailed study on the anode structure of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is very crucial in developing high performance power generating devices, given how porous electrodes are known to provide a number of active sites for reaction, consequently accelerate fuel conversion. This present study investigates the feasibility of pore former addition to nickel oxideyttria stabilized zirconia (NiO-YSZ) anode, fabricated via phase inversion-based casting and sintering technique. The loading of two types of pore former (i.e. polyetheretherketone [PEEK] and corn starch) was varied from 0 to 10 wt% of total suspension. The effects of pore former loading and its types were examined based on anode morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), crystal phase by X-ray diffraction (XRD), apparent porosity based on standard ASTM C373-88, and bending strength using three-point bending test. Results had shown that higher loading of pore former increased the porosity, yet significantly reduced the bending strength. SEM images of anode displayed that by generating more connected open pores through the addition of 2 wt.% PEEK, it produced an effective porous structure. In fact, the sample recorded to be 67 % mechanically stronger compared to the best loading which is corn starch (4 wt.%). Based on these findings, PEEK can be used as pore former in anode fabrication that creates appropriate porosity, which benefits gas diffusion and also provides good mechanical strength as an anode support.
No abstract is provided for this article.
Visible light photocatalysis is now a subject of interest for researchers to explore further in the treatment of wastewater as it can save costs and be environmentally friendly. Cadmium sulphide (CdS) is one of the photocatalysts of visible light that has excellent properties and a low band gap. The toxicity and carcinogenicity of textile industry effluent containing predominantly textile dyes disturbs the environment. In this study, the removal of reactive black 5 (RB5), the most used dyes with CdS as visible light photocatalyst, was tested. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrophotometers and photocatalytic tests under visible light, the physical and chemical properties of CdS were characterised. CdS has an irregular shape and this can be demonstrated through SEM. The band gap obtained was 2.12 eV and this was associated with the degradation efficiency of CdS under visible light as it can degrade RB5 after 360 minutes of exposure by up to 80 percent. This study proves that CdS is a strong photocatalyst of visible light that has a small band gap and crystalline particles.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic pollutants that harm the environment and ecosystems. This study presents a novel approach to develop a dual-layer hollow fiber ceramic membrane for phenolic compound removal. A co-extrusion-based phase inversion process and co-sintering techniques were employed to fabricate the membrane, and the effects of TiO2 loadings on the outer layer were investigated. Characterization techniques, including FTIR, SEM, EDX, and zeta potential analysis, were used to analyze the mullite and TiO2 powders and membranes. The membrane’s performance was evaluated through rejection tests of POPs at various concentrations (10, 500, and 1000 ppm) and fouling assessments were conducted. The results showed that the M−MT0.6 membrane, with a mean pore size of 0.0245 μm, effectively rejected benzoic acid (81.45 %), gallic acid (91.45 %), and hydroquinone (74.49 %) from wastewater, achieving the highest permeate flux (1320.50 L/m2·h) for gallic acid at 10 ppm. Additionally, M−MT0.6 exhibited minimal fouling over a 1-h filtration cycle, with the lowest fouling rate (35.1 %) recorded at 1000 ppm for BA, attributed to effective backwashing. However, higher fouling rates were observed at 10 ppm for BA (90.10 %) and HQ (83.50 %). Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of the novel membrane for effective removal of POPs from industrial wastewater.
Digitalization and sustainability have been considered as critical elements in tackling a growing problem of solid waste in the framework of circular economy (CE). Although digitalization can enhance time-efficiency and/or cost-efficiency, their end-results do not always lead to sustainability. So far, the literatures still lack of a holistic view in understanding the development trends and key roles of digitalization in waste recycling industry to benefit stakeholders and to protect the environment. To bridge this knowledge gap, this work systematically investigates how leveraging digitalization in waste recycling industry could address these research questions: (1) What are the key problems of solid waste recycling? (2) How the trends of digitalization in waste management could benefit a CE? (3) How digitalization could strengthen waste recycling industry in a post-pandemic era? While digitalization boosts material flows in a CE, it is evident that utilizing digital solutions to strengthen waste recycling business could reinforce a resource-efficient, low-carbon, and a CE. In the Industry 4.0 era, digitalization can add 15% (about USD 15.7 trillion) to global economy by 2030. As digitalization grows, making the waste sector shift to a CE could save between 30% and 35% of municipalities' waste management budget. With digitalization, a cost reduction of 3.6% and a revenue increase of 4.1% are projected annually. This would contribute to USD 493 billion in an increasing revenue yearly in the next decade. As digitalization enables tasks to be completed shortly with less manpower, this could save USD 421 billion annually for the next decade. With respect to environmental impacts, digitalization in the waste sector could reduce global CO2 emissions by 15% by 2030 through technological solutions. Overall, this work suggests that digitalization in the waste sector contributes net-zero emission to a digital economy, while transitioning to a sustainable world as its social impacts.
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The joule heating process on copper (Cu) incorporated carbon nanofiber was observed carefully under the in-situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) facilities. Significant structural formation was occurred after the joule heating process showing a single crystalline encapsulated graphitic structure with dramatic improvement on graphitic structure of carbon nanofiber from amorphous to crystalline. The latter structure knowingly similar to multi-layered graphene structure. This Cu incorporated carbon nanofiber initially was shaped by the mixture of amorphous carbon and very fine crystalline Cu structure significantly changed by the effect of applied bias voltage. The change of Cu particles crystallinity also showing that the important of crystalline structure for the graphene formation. The in situ TEM results might provide very useful information on the formation of graphene and the solid phase reaction which is very interesting and vital in the graphene synthesis mechanism.
