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The thermally stable zirconium-based MOF, UiO-66, was employed for the preparation of bonded porous-layer open-tubular (PLOT) GC columns. The synthesis included the in situ growth of the UiO-66 film on the inner wall of the capillary through a one-step solvothermal procedure. SEM–EDX analysis revealed the formation of a thin, continuous, uniform, and compact layer of UiO-66 polycrystals on the functionalized inner wall of the column. The average polarity (ΔIav = 700) and the McReynolds constants reflected the polar nature of the UiO-66 stationary phase. Several mixtures of small organic compounds and real samples were used to evaluate the separation performance of the fabricated columns. Linear alkanes from n-pentane to n-decane were baseline separated within 1.35 min. Also, a series of six n-alkylbenzenes (C3–C8) were separated within 3 min with a minimum resolution of 3.09, whereas monohalobenzene mixtures were separated at 220 °C within 14s. UiO-66 PLOT columns are ideally suited for the isothermal separation of chlorobenzene structural isomers at 210 °C within 45 s with Rs ≥ 1.37. The prepared column featured outstanding thermal stability (up to 450 °C) without any observed bleeding or significant impact on its performance. This feature enabled the analysis of various petroleum-based samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinic acid (SA) is one of the top platform chemicals with huge applications in diverse sectors. The presence of two carboxylic acid groups on the terminal carbon atoms makes SA a highly functional molecule that can be derivatized into a wide range of products. The biological route for SA production is a cleaner, greener, and promising technological option with huge potential to sequester the potent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. The recycling of renewable carbon of biomass (an indirect form of CO2), along with fixing CO2 in the form of SA, offers a carbon-negative SA manufacturing route to reduce atmospheric CO2 load. These attractive attributes compel a paradigm shift from fossil-based to microbial SA manufacturing, as evidenced by several commercial-scale bio-SA production in the last decade. The current review article scrutinizes the existing knowledge and covers SA production by the most efficient SA producers, including several bacteria and yeast strains. The review starts with the biochemistry of the major pathways accumulating SA as an end product. It discusses the SA production from a variety of pure and crude renewable sources by native as well as engineered strains with details of pathway/metabolic, evolutionary, and process engineering approaches for enhancing TYP (titer, yield, and productivity) metrics. The review is then extended to recent progress on separation technologies to recover SA from fermentation broth. Thereafter, SA derivatization opportunities via chemo-catalysis are discussed for various high-value products, which are only a few steps away. The last two sections are devoted to the current scenario of industrial production of bio-SA and associated challenges, along with the author's perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved gases in the aquatic environment are critical to understanding the population of aquatic organisms and the ocean. Currently, laser absorption techniques based on membrane separation technology have made great strides in dissolved gas detection. However, the prolonged water–gas separation time of permeable membranes remains a key obstacle to the efficiency of dissolved gas analysis. To mitigate these limitations, we demonstrated direct measurement of dissolved gas using the evanescent-wave absorption spectroscopy of a tapered silica micro-fiber. It enhanced the analysis efficiency of dissolved gases without water–gas separation or sample preparation. The feasibility of this sensor for direct measurement of dissolved gases was verified by taking the detection of dissolved ammonia as an example. With a sensing length of 5 mm and a consumption of ~50 µL, this sensor achieves a system response time of ~11 min and a minimum detection limit (MDL) of 0.015%. Possible strategies are discussed for further performance improvement in in-situ applications requiring fast and highly sensitive dissolved gas sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pervaporation is considered the most promising technology for dehydration of bioalcohols, attracting increasing attention as a renewable energy source. In this regard, the development of stable and effective membranes is required. In this study, highly efficient membranes for the enhanced pervaporation dehydration of ethanol were developed by modification of sodium alginate (SA) with a polyethylenimine (PEI) forming polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) and graphene oxide (GO). The effect of modifications with GO or/and PEI on the structure, physicochemical, and transport characteristics of dense membranes was studied. The formation of a PEC by ionic cross-linking and its interaction with GO led to changes in membrane structure, confirmed by spectroscopic and microscopic methods. The physicochemical properties of membranes were investigated by a thermogravimetric analysis, a differential scanning calorimetry, and measurements of contact angles. The theoretical consideration using computational methods showed favorable hydrogen bonding interactions between GO, PEI, and water, which caused improved membrane performance. To increase permeability, supported membranes without treatment and cross-linked were developed by the deposition of a thin dense layer from the optimal PEC/GO (2.5%) composite onto a developed porous substrate from polyacrylonitrile. The cross-linked supported membrane demonstrated more than two times increased permeation flux, higher selectivity (above 99.7 wt.% water in the permeate) and stability for separating diluted mixtures compared to the dense pristine SA membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic separation technology is a physical separation method that uses the differences in magnetism between matter to separate them from each other by different motion behaviors in a non-uniform magnetic field. It is highly efficient, green, and environmentally friendly, with little change in the physical and chemical properties of raw materials. Magnetic separation technology is commonly used in the field of mineral processing engineering for magnetite, hematite, titanite, and other magnetic ferrous metal oxide minerals. This paper summarizes the application of magnetic separation technology for resource utilization and environmental treatment in different fields, such as non-metal decomposition, valuable metal recovery, use of magnetic carrier chemical separation, biomedical targeted magnetic separation, and use of magnetic species separation in water and wastewater treatment. We seek to review the application and potential of magnetic separation technology in various fields, emphasize their key role, and explore possible directions for their future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillary membranes, known for the great chemical resistance and thermal stability, are commonly used in membrane separation technologies. However, the strong hydrophobic property of PTFE limits its application in water filtration. This study introduces a method whereby acrylamide (AM), N, N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA), and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) undergo free radical copolymerization, followed by the hydrolysis-condensation of silane bonds, resulting in the formation of hydrophilic three-dimensional networks physically intertwined with the PTFE capillary membranes. The modified PTFE capillary membranes prepared through this method exhibit excellent hydrophilic properties, whose water contact angles are decreased by 24.3–61.2%, and increasing pure water flux from 0 to 1732.7–2666.0 L/m2·h. The enhancement in hydrophilicity of the modified PTFE capillary membranes is attributed to the introduction of hydrophilic groups such as amide bonds and siloxane bonds, along with an increase in surface roughness. Moreover, the modified PTFE capillary membranes exhibit chemical resistance, maintaining the hydrophilicity even after immersion in strong acidic (3 wt% HCl), alkaline (3 wt% NaOH), and oxidative (3 wt% NaClO) solutions for 2 weeks. In conclusion, this promising method yields modified PTFE capillary membranes with great hydrophilicity and chemical resistance, presenting substantial potential for applications in the field of water filtration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have important applications in different industries; however, they are environmentally unfriendly due to their high global warming potential (GWP). Hence, reclamation of used hydrofluorocarbons via energy-efficient adsorption-based separation will greatly contribute to reducing their impact on the environment. In particular, the separation of azeotropic refrigerants remains challenging, such as typical mixtures of CH2F2 (HFC-23) and CHF3 (HFC-32), due to a lack of adsorptive mechanisms. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can provide a promising solution for the separation of CHF3–CH2F2 mixtures. In this study, the adsorption mechanism of CHF3–CH2F2 mixtures in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i was revealed at the microscopic level by combining static pure-component adsorption experiments, molecular simulations, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The adsorption separation selectivity of CH2F2/CHF3 in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i is 3.17 at 3 bar under 308 K. The existence of similar TiF62− binding sites for CH2F2 or CHF3 was revealed in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i. Interactions between the fluorine atom of the framework and the hydrogen atom of the guest molecule were found to be responsible for determining the high adsorption separation selectivity of CH2F2/CHF3. This exploration is important for the design of highly selective adsorbents for the separation of azeotropic refrigerants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequent occurrence of oil spills and the massive discharge of oily wastewater pose a significant threat to sustainable and healthy human development. Therefore, it is of importance to effectively separate oil–water mixtures. Inspired by nature, many superwetting surfaces/materials for oil–water separation have been developed in recent years. However, these surfaces/materials are subject to certain limitations and are unable to fully meet practical needs. With the advancement of laser technology, a novel solution has been provided for fabricating superwetting oil–water separation materials. Based on the design theory and separation mechanism, this paper summarizes the research progress of the laser-fabricated superwetting surfaces/materials for oil–water separation in recent years. First, the basic wetting theory, design strategy, and oil–water separation mechanism of the laser-fabricated materials are introduced in detail. Subsequently, the laser-fabricated oil–water separation materials, including superoleophilic/superhydrophobic materials, superhydrophilic/superoleophobic materials, and materials with reversible or superamphiphilic wettability, are systematically summarized and analyzed. Finally, the challenges and future research directions of laser-fabricated superwetting oil–water separation materials are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin separation technology is a key technology for realizing the detection function at the end of the rotational trajectory. It is also a necessary condition for the fuse control system to adjust its control strategy according to actual combat needs. To explore a new type of proximity fuse detection method, this article first designs a detection separation mechanism for the end of the trajectory. An interior ballistic model of the separation mechanism was then established through closed bomb tests and equivalent interior ballistic equations, and the aerodynamic parameters of the front-stage separation body at the moment of separation were obtained based on computational fluid dynamics numerical simulation. Finally, a separation dynamics model of the separation mechanism was established to analyze the motion state after the separation action of the front-stage separation body. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed separation mechanism. The discrepancy between the simulation and experiment of the velocity increment for the front-stage separation body is about 1.07%. The attack angle for the front-stage separation body is below 2°, and the period with a displacement between two stage bodies greater than 3 m is around 0.365 s. This research can provide new ideas and theoretical references for the design of a similar fuse detection separation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) have fused molecular imprinting technology with magnetic separation technology, emerging as an innovative material capable of recognizing specific molecules and efficiently separating target substances. Their application to the extraction and purification of mycotoxins has great potential, due to the toxicity and economic impact of these contaminants. In this work, MMIP has been proposed as a sample treatment for the determination of main four aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) in pig feed. The MMIP was formed through the integration of magnetic material (Fe3O4) with commercial molecularly imprinted polymers, avoiding the synthesis step and, therefore, simplifying the process. The analyses were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and the method was validated and limits of quantification (LOQs) between 0.09 and 0.47 ng/g were obtained, below the allowed or recommended levels by the European Union. Repeatability and intermediate precision showed relative standard deviations lower than 10% in all cases and trueness ranged from 92 to 111%. Finally, the proposed method was applied to 31 real pig feed samples, detecting aflatoxins with concentrations between 0.2 and 3.2 ng/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolites, a group of minerals with unique properties, have been known for more than 250 years. However, it was the development of methods for hydrothermal synthesis of zeolites and their large-scale industrial applications (oil processing, agriculture, production of detergents and building materials, water treatment processes, etc.) that made them one of the most important materials of the 20th century, with great practical and research significance. The orderly, homogeneous crystalline and porous structure of zeolites, their susceptibility to various modifications, and their useful physicochemical properties contribute to the continuous expansion of their practical applications in both large-volume processes (ion exchange, adsorption, separation of mixture components, catalysis) and specialized ones (sensors). The following review of the knowledge available in the literature on zeolites aims to present the most important information on the properties, synthesis methods, and selected applications of this group of aluminosilicates. Special attention is given to the use of zeolites in agriculture and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem on the optimum organization of the rectification of a multicomponent mixture in a rectifying column was considered. It is shown that, in the case where heat is supplied to the boiler of the column and is removed from its dephlegmator, the boundary of the realizable-load range of the column represents a parabola convex upwards with two characteristic parameters. The interrelation between the indicated characteristic parameters and the kinetics of the heat- and mass-transfer processes in the column, the composition of the mixture separated in it, and the mixture separation boundary selected was determined. The consequences of the possibility of parametrization of the boundary of the realizable-load range of a rectifying column are discussed. A rule for the choice of the boundary of separating a multicomponent mixture has been formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposed plastic products in the natural environment evolve into tiny plastic particles with characteristics such as small size, lightweight, and difficulty in removal, resulting in a significant pollution issue in aquatic environments. Significant progress has been made in microplastic separation technology benefiting from microfluidic chips in recent years. Based on the mechanisms of microfluidic control technology, this study investigates the enrichment and separation mechanisms of polystyrene particles in an unbuffered solution. The Faraday reaction caused by the bipolar electrodes changes the electric field gradient and improves the separation efficiency. We also propose an evaluation scheme to measure the separation efficiency. Finite element simulations are conducted to parametrically analyze the influence of applied voltages, channel geometry, and size of electrodes on plastic particle separation. The numerical cases indicate that the electrode-installed microfluidic channels separate microplastic particles effectively and precisely. The electrodes play an important role in local electric field distribution and trigger violent chemical reactions. By optimizing the microchannel structure, applied voltages, and separation channel angle, an optimal solution for separating microplastic particles can be found. This study could supply some references to control microplastic pollution in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposed plastic products in the natural environment evolve into tiny plastic particles with characteristics such as small size, lightweight, and difficulty in removal, resulting in a significant pollution issue in aquatic environments. Significant progress has been made in microplastic separation technology benefiting from microfluidic chips in recent years. Based on the mechanisms of microfluidic control technology, this study investigates the enrichment and separation mechanisms of polystyrene particles in an unbuffered solution. The Faraday reaction caused by the bipolar electrodes changes the electric field gradient and improves the separation efficiency. We also propose an evaluation scheme to measure the separation efficiency. Finite element simulations are conducted to parametrically analyze the influence of applied voltages, channel geometry, and size of electrodes on plastic particle separation. The numerical cases indicate that the electrode-installed microfluidic channels separate microplastic particles effectively and precisely. The electrodes play an important role in local electric field distribution and trigger violent chemical reactions. By optimizing the microchannel structure, applied voltages, and separation channel angle, an optimal solution for separating microplastic particles can be found. This study could supply some references to control microplastic pollution in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the tailor-made pore chemistry and geometry, MAF-7 is realized the one-step separation of C 2 H 4 from cracking gas with up to quinary gas mixtures (C 3 H 8 /C 3 H 6 /C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 2). [Display omitted] • The pore chemistry and geometry control in MAF-7 exhibited better selective adsorption of C 3 H 8 , C 3 H 6 , C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 2 than C 2 H 4. • It can realize one-step separation of C 2 H 4 from five components (C 3 H 8 /C 3 H 6 /C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 2) cracking gas. • The preparation cost is low, the process is simple and green, and it is expected to realize industrial application. In the petrochemical industry, obtaining polymer-grade ethylene from complex light-hydrocarbon mixtures by one-step separation is important and challenging. Here, we successfully prepared the Metal–Azolate Framework 7 (MAF-7) with pore chemistry and geometry control to realize the one-step separation of ethylene from cracking gas with up to quinary gas mixtures (propane/propylene/ethane/ethylene/acetylene). Based on the tailor-made pore environment, MAF-7 exhibited better selective adsorption of propane, propylene, ethane and acetylene than ethylene, and the adsorption ratios of ethane/ethylene and propylene/ethylene are as high as 1.49 and 2.81, respectively. The pore geometry design of MAF-7 leads to the unique weak binding affinity and adsorption site for ethylene molecules, which is clearly proved by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo theoretical calculations. The breakthrough experiments show that ethylene can be directly obtained from binary, ternary, and quinary gas mixtures. These comprehensive properties show that MAF-7 is expected to achieve one-step purification of ethylene in complex light hydrocarbon mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address the problem of antimicrobial resistance in the case of Helicobacter pylori with a crystal engineering approach. Two antibiotics of the fluoroquinolone class, namely, levofloxacin (LEV) and ciprofloxacin (CIP), have been co-crystallized with the flavonoids quercetin (QUE), myricetin (MYR), and hesperetin (HES), resulting in the formation of four co-crystals, namely, LEV∙QUE, LEV∙MYR, LEV2∙HES, and CIP∙QUE. The co-crystals were obtained from solution, slurry, or mechanochemical mixing of the reactants. LEV∙QUE and LEV∙MYR were initially obtained as the ethanol solvates LEV∙QUE∙xEtOH and LEV∙MYR∙xEtOH, respectively, which upon thermal treatment yielded the unsolvated forms. All co-crystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis. The antibacterial performance of the four co-crystals LEV∙QUE, LEV∙MYR, LEV2∙HES, and CIP∙QUE in comparison with that of the physical mixtures of the separate components was tested via evaluation of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). The results obtained indicate that the association with the co-formers, whether co-crystallized or forming a physical mixture with the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), enhances the antimicrobial activity of the fluoroquinolones, allowing them to significantly reduce the amount of API otherwise required to display the same activity against H. pylori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an innovative ionic liquid functionalized star-shaped polymer is synthesized by coupling star-polycaprolactone with benzimidazolium (star-PCL-Bim), and statically coated into a capillary column for gas chromatographic (GC) separations. The fabricated star-PCL-Bim capillary column with moderate-polar nature reveals a high column efficiency of 3598 plates/m for n-dodecane at 120 °C, and advantageous distinguishing ability (R > 1.5) for 9 aromatic isomer mixtures and 12 cis-/trans-isomers. Its excellent resolving capacity can be credited to the architecture of star-PCL-Bim, the PCL arms, and π-electron-rich benzimidazolium cations, and it results in a quite different retention behavior of star-PCL-Bim from that of star-PCL and commercial HP-35 columns, with "dual-nature" selectivity in separating a mixture including 29 compounds. These favorable chromatographic characteristics demonstrate the great application potential of this material in GC, and provide a prospective strategy to obtain high-performance stationary phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we perform an extensive evaluation of a simple model for hydrate equilibrium calculations of binary, ternary, and limited quaternary gas hydrate systems that are of practical interest for separation of gas mixtures. We adopt the model developed by Lipenkov and Istomin and analyze its performance at temperature conditions higher than the lower quadruple point. The model of interest calculates the dissociation pressure of mixed gas hydrate systems using a simple combination rule that involves the hydrate dissociation pressures of the pure gases and the gas mixture composition, which is at equilibrium with the aqueous and hydrate phases. Such an approach has been used extensively and successfully in polar science, as well as research related to space science where the temperatures are very low. However, the particular method has not been examined for cases of higher temperatures (i.e., above the melting point of the pure water). Such temperatures are of interest to practical industrial applications. Gases of interest for this study include eleven chemical components that are related to industrial gas-mixture separations. Calculations using the examined methodology, along with the commercial simulator CSMGem, are compared against experimental measurements, and the range of applicability of the method is delineated. Reasonable agreement (particularly at lower hydrate equilibrium pressures) between experiments and calculations is obtained considering the simplicity of the methodology. Depending on the hydrate-forming mixture considered, the percentage of absolute average deviation in predicting the hydrate equilibrium pressure is found to be in the range 3–91%, with the majority of systems having deviations that are less than 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the separation technology of fluorite and calcite is still immature, and the research in this paper can promote the improvement of the separation technology of fluorite and calcite. The selective inhibition mechanism of tannin and humate sodium on calcite was studied by means of actual ore flotation test, single mineral flotation test, Zeta potential measurement and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results show that the mixture of tannin and sodium humate inhibitor has a good inhibitory effect on carbonate under weak alkaline condition. The reaction products of sodium humate, tannin and calcium ions in solution interact with organic compounds adsorbed on the surface of calcite, forming multilayer adsorption on the surface of calcite, making calcite more hydrophilic. Based on density functional theory, Materials Studio (MS) was used to calculate the relevant adsorption energy, and the result was as follows: (a) compared with fluorite, tannin and humate sodium molecules are more easily adsorbed on the surface of calcite. (b) Compared with calcite alone adsorption of tannin molecules or sodium humate molecules, the adsorption state will be more stable, and the effect of tannin and sodium humate synergistic inhibition of calcite is better than the effect of inhibition alone. Therefore, using tannin and sodium humate as a combination inhibitor can effectively separate fluorite and calcite, which will promote the development and utilization of fluorite ore in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic cotton fabric was prepared by coating fluorine-free cationic polyhedral oligomeric siloxane/polydimethylsiloxane-modified polyacrylate emulsion using the pad-bath method. Due to the successful introduction of heptaoctylmethacryloxypropyl polyhedral oligomeric siloxane and monovinyl polydimethylsiloxane, the film with a rough structure and low surface energy was formed on the cotton fabric surface, exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 161°. Additionally, the finished cotton fabric showed exceptional self-cleaning and anti-foiling abilities. The finished cotton fabric had a separation efficiency of over 97% for oil–water mixtures and maintained a high separation efficiency of over 96% after 20 cycles of separating the n-hexane/water mixture. In addition, the separation of different water-in-oil emulsions was achieved by overlapping three layers of finished cotton fabric. This suggests that the as-prepared superhydrophobic cotton fabric will be a promising material in application for treating oil–water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions due to the low-cost, simple fabrication method and the superior separation capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell migration plays an important role in the development and maintenance of multicellular organisms. Factors that induce cell migration and mechanisms controlling their expression are important for determining the mechanisms of factor-induced cell migration. Despite progress in the study of factor-induced cytotaxis, including chemotaxis and haptotaxis, precise control of the direction of cell migration over a wide area has not yet been achieved. Success in this area would update the cell migration assays, superior cell separation technologies, and artificial organs with high biocompatibility. The present study therefore sought to control the direction of cell migration over a wide area by adjusting the three-dimensional shape of the cell scaffold. The direction of cell migration was influenced by the shape of the cell scaffold, thereby optimizing cell adhesion and protrusion. Anisotropic arrangement of these three-dimensional shapes into a periodic structure induced unidirectional cell migration. Three factors were required for unidirectional cell migration: 1) the sizes of the anisotropic periodic structures had to be equal to or lower than the size of the spreading cells, 2) cell migration was restricted to a runway approximately the width of the cell, and 3) cells had to be prone to extension of long protrusions in one direction. Because the first two factors had been identified previously in studies of cell migration in one direction using two-dimensional shaped patterns, these three factors are likely important for the mechanism by which cell scaffold shapes regulate cell migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name "chromatography" comes from the Greek words "graphien," which means to write, and "chroma," which means color. One method of separating components in a mixture is chromatography. The mixture's constituent parts are distributed throughout a liquid solution known as the mobile phase, which retains them inside a framework made of a different material known as the stationary phase. Differential partitioning between the mobile and stationary phases is necessary for component separation. Chromatography is mostly used to extract and purify one or more sample components. Its analytical objective is to ascertain the qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of a sample. It is the fastest, most trustworthy, safest, and most adaptable technology for ensuring the quality of medicinal ingredients. While basic chromatography still prevails as the most important analytical tools in molecular chemistry. This paper will discuss overview, principle, types and applications of different chromatography techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low gravity fluid management is key to a variety of spaceflight applications, from life support aboard the International Space Station to propellant management in satellite tanks. Capillary devices are traditionally employed to position fluids in a microgravity environment, but they fail to induce effective phase separation in the conformal tank geometries and saturated two-phase propellants adopted in modern CubeSat propulsion. In order to meet the stringent requirements of future small satellite missions, this paper explores the application of capillary, magnetic positive positioning, thermal, and dielectrophoretic fluid management devices to conformal propellant tanks. The electromagnetic and capillary devices rely upon body and surface forces, respectively, while the proposed thermal approach exploits phase change in saturated liquid–gas mixtures to position the fluid. Each concept is evaluated based on its ability to reorient the propellant and maintain its position during operation, as well as the resulting volume, mass, and power requirements. Ultimately, thermomagnetic and thermodielectrophoretic devices are deemed to be best suited for the case under analysis because of their low size, weight, and power demand in combination with their reliability and performance. These new systems offer a novel and robust solution to small satellite propellant management, a key enabling technology for the future of maneuverable CubeSats. • Capillary PMDs cannot ensure phase separation in saturated mixtures. • Electromagnetic devices can maintain fluid position in microgravity. • Thermoelectromagnetic PMDs offer improved performance with decreased mass and volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of organic manure on farmland is one of the most important tasks in agricultural recycling. However, few studies have investigated the potential impact of different solid–liquid separation (SLS) technologies on soil porosity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a result of the application of liquid fractions (LFs). A microcosm experiment was conducted to track the emissions of ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) from soils (1) without liquid manure application (CK), (2) with a raw dairy slurry (RM), (3) with the liquid fractions of mechanical solid–liquid separation (MS) technologies, and (4) with the LF of an enhanced solid–liquid separation technology including a flocculant (tannic acid, Ta) (MS + Ta). Soil porosities of different treatments were measured using computed tomography (CT). The saturated water conductivities of the RM and MS treatments were 53.38% and 78.63%, respectively, lower than that of the CK. The application of raw slurry and LFs reduced the gas diffusion due to the strong decrease in pore sizes >500 μm and increased gas emissions compared to the CK. Compared with RM, MS had greater N2O and lower CH4 emissions, whereas MS + Ta had lower NH3 and N2O emissions. MS had the greatest CO2-e emissions, mainly owing to high N2O emissions, followed by RM and MS + Ta. The implementation of a simple SLS led to an increase in nitrogen (N) loss and GHG emissions when the resultant LFs were applied to farmlands, whereas high emissions were reduced when a simple SLS was combined with a flocculant, such as Ta. Further research is required to elucidate the reduction mechanism and its effectiveness under field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With climate change concerns on the rise, finding efficient and sustainable ways to separate carbon dioxide from industrial gas mixtures has become increasingly important. Membrane‐based gas separation technologies offer a promising solution due to their low energy consumption, low emissions, and ease of operation. In this study, we dug deep into theoretical energy consumption and practical optimization strategies for CO2 separation using such technologies. Our results showed that CO2 separation can be achieved with relatively low specific energy consumption, ranging from 0.09 to 0.27 MJe/kg CO2, depending on feed CO2 concentration. By conducting process simulations, we determined the optimal feed gas pressure and membrane surface area required to achieve a CO2 absorption ratio of 90% (mol). We also analyzed the effects of CO2 permeation and selectivity on energy consumption and membrane area, revealing that increasing both can significantly reduce energy consumption, albeit with more membrane surface area required. Using seepage flow circulation was found to be a particularly effective way to improve feed CO2 concentration and reduce energy consumption. To optimize and improve the capturing process, we conducted exergy analysis in each of the five stages of optimization, reporting Cooling Utilities (MW), Heating Utilities (MW), and Total Utilities (MW) for each step. Our results showed that in the optimal mode, Total Utilities (MW) were reported as 228.1, highlighting the potential of membrane‐based CO2 separation for carbon capture and storage applications. This study provides valuable insights and practical strategies for achieving efficient and sustainable CO2 separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although membrane separation technology has been widely used in the treatment of oily wastewater, the complexity and high cost of the membrane preparation, as well as its poor stability, limit its further development. In this study, via the vacuum-assisted suction filtration method, polydopamine (PDA)-coated TiO2 nanoparticles were tightly attached and embedded on both sides of laboratory filter paper (FP). The resultant FP possessed the typical wettability of high hydrophilicity in the air with the water contact angle (WCA) of 28°, superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle (OCA) close to 0°, underwater superoleophobicity with the underwater OCA greater than 150°, and superhydrophobicity under the water with the underoil WCA over 150° for five kinds of organic solvents (carbon tetrachloride, toluene, n-hexane, n-octane, and iso-octane). The separation efficiency of immiscible oil/water, oil-in-water, and water-in-oil emulsions using the modified FP is higher than 99%. After 17 cycles of emulsion separation, a high separation efficiency of 99% was still maintained for the FP, along with good chemical and mechanical stability. In addition, successful separation and purification were also realized for the oil-in-water emulsion that contained the methylene blue (MB) dye, along with the complete degradation of MB in an aqueous solution under UV irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral resolution is a technique of choice, making it possible to obtain asymmetric and enantiomerically pure compounds from a racemic mixture. This study investigated the behavior of vancomycin when used as a chiral additive in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate enantiomers of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ketoprofen, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, and naproxen enantiomeric impurities. We compared two achiral stationary phases (C18 and NH2) to assess the impact of mobile phase composition and stationary phase on the vancomycin retention time in the racemic resolution of drug enantiomers. Our results demonstrated the successful enantioseparation of all drugs using vancomycin in the mobile phase (phosphate buffer 0.05 M/2-propanol, 50/50) with an NH2 column. This enhanced separation on the NH2 column resulted from the chromatography system's efficiency and vancomycin dimers' stereoselective interaction on the NH2 surface. This study underscores the importance of stationary phase selection in the chiral resolution of NSAIDs with vancomycin as a chiral additive. It offers valuable insights for future research and development of NSAID chiral separation methods, highlighting potential vancomycin applications in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil films on water are an increasingly major contamination problem worldwide. In 2020, we published a novel adsorption and transportation technology for oil–water separation based on biological role models like the floating fern Salvinia. This application provides an unexpected ability for the fast and efficient removal of oil films, particularly in ecologically important freshwater biota. A single small Bionic Oil Adsorber (BOA) with 1 m2 functional textile can collect up to 4 L of oil per hour, which equals about 100 m2 of oil film from a water surface into a collecting vessel. This is a safe, fast, and sustainable solution for the ubiquitous contaminations of, e.g., fuel oil in freshwater environments. Here, we present updated, new experimental data, and a review of the literature published since. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigation of a unique and fast method for the determination and separation of a mixture of three drugs viz., ciprofloxacin (CIP), Ibuprofen (IBU), and diclofenac sodium (DIC) in actual samples of human plasma. Also, the technique was used to look at their pharmacokinetics study. Hydrocortisone was chosen as the internal standard (IS). The drugs were chromatographically separated using an Acquity ultra-performance liquid chromatography UPLC ® BEH C18 1.7 µm (2.1 × 150 mm) column with a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile: water (65:35, v/v) adjusted to pH 3 with diluted acetic acid. Plasma proteins were precipitated with acetonitrile. The separated drugs ranged from 0.3 to 10, 0.2–11, and 1–25 µg/mL for CIP, IBU, and DIC, respectively. Calibration curves were discovered to achieve linearity with acceptable correlation coefficients (0.99%). Examination of quality assurance samples showed exceptional precision and accuracy. Following the successful application of this improved technique to plasma samples, the pharmacokinetic characteristics of each selected drug were evaluated using (UPLC) with UV detection at 210 nm. Two green metrics were applied, the Analytical Eco-scale and the Analytical GREEnness Calculator (AGREE). Separation was achieved in only 4-min analysis time. The method's validation agreed with the requirements of the FDA, and the results were sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the phenomenon of particle segregation in lean-phase binary mixtures, with a specific focus on the effect of particle size variations while flowing over a continuous liquid fluidized bed (LFB). The experimental configuration included a cylindrical column with a 72 mm internal diameter and 3 m vertical height. The binary mixture considered for this investigation was made up of solid materials that were rich in flotsam and jetsam. The study encompassed various factors, including liquid velocity, solid feed rate, and feed composition, in order to examine the separations containing flotsam and jetsam. A segregation index was calculated for each of the various combinations. On the other hand, the fluidization of the blend consisting of two solid components displayed notable differences in its behavior when compared to the reported effects of particle separation in any of the mixtures. Empirical correlations have been employed to establish relationships between variables, particularly with respect to solid entrainment and top and bottom product purity levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical model is presented for the process of separating air into nitrogen and oxygen in a membrane installation, in which separation occurs in dynamics on the inside and outside of a tubular porous membrane. Using numerical modeling of the said process, a distribution has been obtained for nitrogen concentration after passage through the membrane. It has been established that the permeability of the membrane tubes has a significant effect on the quality of the bleed gas and the installation ramp-up time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chemiluminescent immunoassay for human serum Cystatin C (Cys C) was established using a direct-antibody sandwich model. The immunoassay kit uses magnetic separation technology, using magnetic particles as the reaction solid phase, alkaline phosphatase as the marker enzyme, and a new chemiluminescent substrate APLS as the substrate. It has the characteristics of high sensitivity and short reaction time. This product uses high-affinity antibodies, resulting in a high specificity. The established method showed good accuracy, uniformity, and stability. The limit of detection was 2.39 ng/mL. The intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) was 3.36%–6.00%, the interassay CV was 4.12%–5.35%, and the recovery rate was 99.07%. The correlation coefficient (r) of Cys-C kit was 0.999388 ≥ 0.9900. The accuracy of the developed method was tested by automatic chemiluminescence instrument (P > 0.05). The lowest titer was 0.92500, and the highest was 1.10000. The developed method showed a good correlation with the product from Roche by comparing these two kits in 240 clinical samples from China. In total, 1392 clinical patient from China samples were measured using the reagent kit developed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-phase crystallization (TPC) was introduced in this study to purify L-menthol from menthol enantiomer mixtures in consideration of the formation of solid solutions. TPC is a new separation technology, which combines melt crystallization and vaporization to result in the desired crystalline product from a liquid mixture along with the unwanted components vaporized via the three-phase transformation by reducing temperature and pressure. The three-phase transformation conditions for the liquid menthol enantiomer mixtures were determined based on the thermodynamic calculations to direct the TPC experiments. A new model was proposed based on the mass and energy balances in consideration of the formation of the solid solutions to predict the yield and purity of the final L-menthol product during TPC. The yield and purity obtained from the TPC experiments were compared with those predicted by the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor simulated mixing building storage bin unloading, forming conical piles. The effects of falling distance, mixing time and water content on rolling segregation of cement-stabilized macadam were analyzed by three indexes, including repose Angle of pile, key sieve passing rate and cement dosage. The results show that the segregation of mixture can be increased significantly with the increase of drop distance. The separation degree of the mixture can be effectively controlled by controlling the unloading distance within 70 cm. Mixing time has little effect on the Angle of rest and gradation segregation of the mixture, but has significant effect on the distribution uniformity of cement. Indoor mixing time should reach more than 45 s. When the mixing water content is less than the optimal water content, the segregation of the mixture is serious. When the moisture content increased to 1.5 %, the mixture showed obvious bleeding phenomenon. The mixture shall not be lower than the optimal moisture content before the crushing is completed, and the moisture content increase shall not exceed 1.5 % of the optimal moisture content as far as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem on the minimum number of constancy portions of the scalar step function approximating an arbitrary bounded function was solved. Expressions for calculating the number of theoretical separation stages in conventional and optimum rectification towers have been obtained. The relationship between the number of separation stages in a rectification tower and the parameters of the product flows, in particular, the relative volatility of the components of a mixture separated in it, was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyphosate, also known as N-(methyl phosphate)-glycine, is an organophosphorus pesticide with appreciable herbicidal activity. During its production process, a waste stream composed of complex components (glyphosate wastewater) is produced with the feature of abundant organic matter and high salinity, which obstructs the harmless treatment and resource utilization of glyphosate wastewater. In this paper, the principle and performance of several methods to treat glyphosate wastewater, such as incineration, advanced oxidation, adsorption, chemical precipitation, and membrane separation technology, are introduced, and their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. Incineration, advanced oxidation technology and biochemical treatment of glyphosate wastewater have low selectivity, which is not conducive to the resource utilization of glyphosate wastewater. In view of limited capacity of adsorption, developing the adsorbents possessing large adsorption capacity is urgently needed for the adsorption method in the industrial application of glyphosate waste treatment. chemical precipitation method exhibits excellent separation performance for the phosphate components even in the severe environment of high salt and high COD, whereas it produces a considerable amount of sludge with complex composition. Membrane separation method has been extensively applied to remove impurities in the waste stream and effectively recover valuable compositions, whereas the mere use of membrane technology could not meet the treatment demand due to the complexity of glyphosate wastewater. In this regard, new types of membrane technologies, such as liquid membrane separation and polymer inclusion membrane technology, have been developed. In terms of a variety of advantages including appreciable stability, longlifespan, easy operation and small footprint, the newly developed membrane separation technologies exhibit their prospectsingreen and economic treatment oforganic wastewater containing high salt and recycling of valuable composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Schiff bases reaction is applied to form various functioned carbon structures using renewable carbon from waste sources, Chitosan, 4-Amino-3-hydroxy-napthalene-1-sulphnic acid, and dimethyl amino benzaldehyde as starting materials. The formed functioned carbons were characterized by TEM, FTIR, XRD, and surface area analysis to assess their morphology, structure, porosity, and surface functional groups. In addition, the chromatographic-based thermodynamic analysis is applied to evaluate the surface energy and thermodynamic parameters during the separation of hydrocarbon species. Results indicated the formation of various carbon structures in convex-like shapes with diameters between 600 nm and 1500 nm, including side-building edges of diameter between 100 nm and 316 nm. The formed functioned carbon surfaces are rich with O-H, N=C, C=C, C=O, and C=S groups, as indicated by the FTIR. The function carbons are named carbon coated with Chitosan-derived covalent organic layer (C@Chitosan-COL) as well as Schiff's base-derived sulfonated carbon (Schiff's-C-S) in relation to the applied starting materials. The chromatographic-based thermodynamic analysis showed that the entropy changes of adsorption (ΔSA) increased with increasing chain length demonstrating less random movement and higher adsorption in both materials. The fabricated C@Chitosan-COL and Schiff's-C-S showed an efficient separation of hydrocarbon mixture including n-Nonane, n-Decane, n-Undecane, and n-Dodecane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of studies on the pervaporation properties (for benzene/hexane mixtures) and gas permeability (for He, H2, N2, O2, CO2, CH4, C2H6, and C4H10) of ladder-like polyphenylsesquioxanes (L-PPSQ) with improved physical and chemical properties. These polymers were obtained by condensation of cis-tetraphenylcyclotetrasiloxanetetraol in ammonia medium. The structure of L-PPSQ was fully confirmed by a combination of physicochemical analysis methods: 1H, 29Si NMR, IR spectroscopy, HPLC, powder XRD, and viscometry in solution. For the first time, a high molecular weight of the polymer (Mn = 238 kDa, Mw = 540 kDa) was achieved, which determines its improved mechanical properties and high potential for use in membrane separation. Using TGA and mechanical analysis methods, it was found that this polymer has high thermal (Td5% = 537 °C) and thermal-oxidative stability (Td5% = 587 °C) and good mechanical properties (Young's module (E) = 1700 MPa, ultimate tensile stress (σ) = 44 MPa, elongation at break (ε) = 6%), which is important for making membranes workable under various conditions. The polymer showed a high separation factor for a mixture of 10% wt. benzene in n-hexane (126) at a benzene flow of 33 g/(m2h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The greenness of any analytical method has become a very important aspect of a good analytical method. However, most chromatographic methods depend on the usage of relatively large amounts of lethal and un-decaying chemicals and solvents. So, a green approach based on the full factorial design was employed to develop a simple and rapid HPLC technique for concurrent determination of paracetamol and dantrolene sodium in their combined capsules. Both drugs are highly recommended to be administered together in patients with severe musculoskeletal disorders. Avoiding the routine methodology and resorting to the modern technology represented in the usage of experimental design allows rapid determination of the studied drugs using the optimum quantity of chemicals to avoid any waste of resources. Simultaneous separation of a binary mixture of paracetamol and dantrolene sodium was accomplished using a reversed phase Hypersil C18 column using an eco-friendly isocratic eluent. The used mobile phase consisted simply of ethanol: water (40:60, v/v). Orthophosphoric acid was used to adjust the pH of the mobile phase to 4.5. Triethanolamine (0.2%) was added aiming to reduce the peak tailing. The assay was completed within less than 6 min adopting 0.8 mL/min as a flow rate. The detection was carried out using a UV-detector at 290 nm. The suggested technique shows a linear correlation over concentration ranges of 1.0–200 and 1.0–40 µg/mL for paracetamol and dantrolene sodium, respectively. The suggested technique allowed the simultaneous analysis of the two co-formulated drugs in their synthetic mixture and combined capsule. The suggested technique is considered a greener substitute for the other reported HPLC techniques through the usage of safer solvents and chemicals, along with decreasing both waste output and analysis time. The method is accurate with recoveries between 97.85 and 101.27%, precise, as %RSD for the intraday and interday precision were between 0.39 and 1.72% and very sensitive with limits of detection (LOD)'s 0.15 and 0.18 µg/ml and limits of quantification (LOQ)'s 0.48 and 0.61 µg/ml for paracetamol and dantrolene sodium, respectively. The method greenness was ensured through its assessment by four greenness metrics. It is also validated following the International Conference on Harmonization Guidelines. The recommended technique could be a good alternative to traditional methods in the routine quality control analysis of the studied drugs due to its minimum harm to the planet or human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of hybrid materials in separation technology, sorbents, direct air capture (DAC) technology, sensors, adsorbents, and chiral material recognition has increased in the past decade due to the recognized impact of atmospheric pollutants and hazardous industrial gases on climate change. A novel hybrid material, perchlorate hybrid (PClH), has been proposed in this study for the effective sensory detection and trapping of atmospheric pollutants and industrial hazardous gases. The study evaluated the structural properties, adsorption mechanism, electronic sensitivity, and topological analysis of PClH using highly accurate computational methods (M062X-D3BJ/def2-ccpVTZ and DSDPBEP86/def2-ccpVTZ). The computational analysis demonstrated that PClH has considerable adsorption energies and favorable interaction with CO2, NO2, SO2, COCl2, and H2S. PClH is more suitable for detecting liquefiable gases such as COCl2, CO2, and SO2, and can be easily recovered under ambient conditions. Developing such materials can contribute to reducing hazardous gases and pollutants in the atmosphere, leading to a cleaner and safer environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the preparationand storage of grains, seed cleaning is a highly important phase. There has been extensive research regarding the cleaning and classifying grains. The grain seeds are usually contaminated right from the harvest with the seeds from other plants, with other materials (soil, plant residues, etc.) or even with their own degraded seeds. Since they are the same size and weight, they are difficult to be sorted mechanically. The degree of seed purity may be significantly increased by optical sorting after dedusting and mechanical sorting. The separation of seed mixtures by colour is achieved by using photoelectric devices, which, being sensitive to differences in the intensity of the reflected light beam, emit pulses that are used to carry out orders to separate the seeds of the wrong color. This article emphasizes the importance of introducing new or innovative methods in the seed separation process, especially optical systems. Various ways of sorting were discussed, the design of super interesting sorting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem on the limiting capacity of the thermodiffusion cycles of separating a mixture was investigated using the methodology of the finite-time thermodynamics. Expressions for the maximum efficiency of such a cycle and its limiting capacity, depending on the composition of the mixture separated, its temperature, and the heat flow used in the cycle, have been derived. The boundary of the realizability range of the regime parameters of a thermodiffusion cycle of separating a mixture was constructed and parametrized in the cycle efficiency–heat consumption plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intrinsically disordered FG-Nups in the central channel of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) form a selective permeability barrier, allowing small molecules to traverse by passive diffusion, while large molecules can only translocate with the help of nuclear transport receptors. The exact phase state of the permeability barrier remains elusive. In vitro experiments have shown that some FG-Nups can undergo phase separation into condensates that display NPC-like permeability barrier properties. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations at amino acid resolution to study the phase separation characteristics of each of the disordered FG-Nups of the yeast NPC. We find that GLFG-Nups undergo phase separation and reveal that the FG motifs act as highly dynamic hydrophobic stickers that are essential for the formation of FG-Nup condensates featuring droplet-spanning percolated networks. Additionally, we study phase separation in an FG-Nup mixture that resembles the NPC stoichiometry and observe that an NPC condensate is formed containing multiple GLFG-Nups. We find that the phase separation of this NPC condensate is also driven by FG--FG interactions, similar to the homotypic FG-Nup condensates. Based on the observed phase separation behavior, the different FG-Nups of the yeast NPC can be divided into two classes: The FG-Nups (mostly GLFG-type) located in the central channel of the NPC form a highly dynamic percolated network formed by many short-lived FG--FG interactions, while the peripheral FG-Nups (mostly FxFG-type) at the entry and exit of the NPC channel likely form an entropic brush. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of azeotropic mixtures has conventionally been one of the most challenging tasks in industrial processes due to the fact that components in the mixture will undergo gas–liquid phase transition at the same time. We proposed a method for separating azeotropes using hydrate formation as a solid–liquid phase transition. The feasibility of hydrate-based separation is determined by analyzing the crystal structure and chemical bonds of hydrate. Taking the azeotrope cyclopentane and neohexane in petroleum as an example, cyclopentane (95%) was purified to 98.56% yield using the proposed hydrate-based cyclopentane purification technology. However, this is difficult to achieve using conventional distillation methods. The proposed method is simple in operation and yields a good separation effect. This study provides a new method for separating cyclopentane and neohexane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of mixtures with close boiling points is a critical task in the petrochemical industry, and one such mixture that requires separation is o-xylene/styrene. The STED process is used to separate o-xylene/styrene, which contains a certain amount of organic sulfur in the product due to the limitations of the process. In this study, the process underwent enhancements to attain the effective separation of styrene and accomplish deep desulfurization. A mixture of sulfolane (SUL) and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) was selected as the extraction solvent after calculating the UNIFAC group contributions. An orthogonal experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of the solvent/oil ratio, reflux ratio, water addition rate, and solvent ratio on the product. The correspondence between each factor and the indexes examined was determined, enabling the optimization and prediction of the styrene product quality. The final optimized conditions for the extractive distillation column are as follows: solvent/oil ratio of 7, reflux ratio of 4.5, water addition rate of 6000 kg/h, and a solvent ratio of 9:1. Under optimal conditions, the purity of the product was observed to be greater than that of the original process and the sulfur content of the product can be reduced to lower than 10 ppm at the cost of an increase of 12.31% in energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current investigation, molecular dynamics (MD) and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation as remarkable and competent approaches have been employed for understanding structural and transport properties of MMMs in the realm of gas separation. The two commonly used polymers i.e. polysulfone (Psf) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as well as zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle (NP) were used to carefully examine the transport properties of three light gasses (CO2, N2 and CH4) through simple Psf, Psf/PDMS composite loaded by different amounts of ZnO NP. Also, the fractional free volume (FFV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), glass transition temperature (Tg), and Equilibrium density were calculated to scrutinize the structural characterizations of the membranes. Moreover, the effect of feed pressure (4–16 bar) on gas separation performance of simulated MMMs was investigated. Results obtained in different experiments showed a clear improvement in the performance of simulated membranes by adding PDMS to PSf matrix. The selectivity of studied MMMs was in the range from 50.91 to 63.05 at pressures varying from 4 to 16 bar for the CO2/N2 gas pair, whereas the corresponding value for CO2/CH4 system was found to be in the range 27.27–46.24. For 6 wt% ZnO in 80%PSf + 20%PDMS membrane, high permeabilities of 78.02, 2.86 and 1.33 barrers were observed for CO2, CH4 and N2 gases, respectively. The 90%PSf + 10%PDMS membrane with 2% ZnO had a highest CO2/N2 selectivity value of 63.05 and its CO2 permeability at 8 bar was 57 barrer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: The zeolitic imidazolate framework functionalized modified layered double hydroxide (ZIF-8@MLDH) composite membranes with superior structural stability and Li+ permeability are prepared by selectively growing ZIF-8 nanoparticles in the framework defects of the MLDH membrane. The tailor-made ZIF-8@MLDH membrane has a large Li+ permeability of up to 1.73 mol m-2 h-1 and a high Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 31.9, which exceed most of the current 2D lamellar membranes. Two-dimensional (2D) membrane-based ion separation technology has been increasingly explored to address the problem of lithium resource shortage, yet it remains a sound challenge to design 2D membranes of high selectivity and permeability for ion separation applications. Zeolitic imidazolate framework functionalized modified layered double hydroxide (ZIF-8@MLDH) composite membranes with high lithium-ion (Li+) permeability and excellent operational stability were obtained in this work by in situ depositing functional ZIF-8 nanoparticles into the nanopores acting as framework defects in MLDH membranes. The defect-rich framework amplified the permeability of Li+, and the site-selective growth of ZIF-8 in the framework defects bettered its selectivity. Specifically speaking, the ZIF-8@MLDH membranes featured a high permeation rate of Li+ up to 1.73 mol m−2 h−1 and a desirable selectivity of Li+/Mg2+ up to 31.9. Simulations supported that the simultaneously enhanced selectivity and permeability of Li+ are attributed to changes in the type of mass transfer channels and the difference in the dehydration capacity of hydrated metal cations when they pass through nanochannels of ZIF-8. This study will inspire the ongoing research of high-performance 2D membranes through the engineering of defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti 3 C 2 T x -based modified separation materials are widely used in the field of wastewater separation, but most of them have poor fluxes. Here, grafting of l -cysteine and l -histidine onto polydopamine-pretreated Ti 3 C 2 T x surface was used to obtain amino acid-modified Ti 3 C 2 T x (L-CPT and L-HPT), respectively, by covalent and non-covalent bonds under mild conditions, enriching variety and number of hydrophilic groups on the Ti 3 C 2 T x surface. Polyurethane sponge (PU) coated with L-CPT and L-HPT (L-CPTPU and L-HPTPU) exhibit excellent underwater oleophobicity and show impressive separation efficiency (>99.4%) for various oil-water mixtures. Especially, L-CPTPU and L-HPTPU achieved high-throughput separation for cyclohexane-water mixtures with maximum permeation fluxes of 220,319 and 222,197 L m-2 h-1, respectively, and had excellent resistance to corrosive media. Besides, polyamide membranes modified with L-CPT and L-HPT (L-CPTPA and L-HPTPA) form abundant permeation channels, achieving high-efficiency separation for toluene in water emulsion with separation efficiency greater than 99.1%. In addition, L-CPTPA and L-HPTPA exhibited remarkable rejection (>99.1%) and high permeability (>1100 L m-2 h-1 bar-1) for 20 mg L-1 malachite green solution. Therefore, the amino acid-modified Ti 3 C 2 T x can functionally modify PU and PA substrates toseparate oily wastewater and dye wastewater, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of novel porous solid sorbents for carbon dioxide capture is critical in developing carbon capture and storage technology (CCS). We have synthesized a series of nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers (POPs) from crosslinking melamine and pyrrole monomers. The final polymer's nitrogen content was tuned by varying the melamine ratio compared to pyrrole. The resulting polymers were then pyrolyzed at 700 °C and 900 °C to produce high surface area nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NPCs) with different N/C ratios. The resulting NPCs showed good BET surface areas reaching 900 m2 g−1. Owing to the nitrogen-enriched skeleton and the micropore nature of the prepared NPCs, they exhibited CO2 uptake capacities as high as 60 cm3 g−1 at 273 K and 1 bar with significant CO2/N2 selectivity. The materials showed excellent and stable performance over five adsorption/desorption cycles in the dynamic separation of the ternary mixture of N2/CO2/H2O. The method developed in this work and the synthesized NPCs' performance towards CO2 capture highlight the unique properties of POPs as precursors for synthesizing nitrogen-doped porous carbons with a high nitrogen content and high yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid chromatography (LC) is the single largest analytical field in terms of people involved and money spent. LC is crucial for almost all public and private sectors and the technique has seen tremendous technological advancements. Nevertheless, separations are often performed under suboptimal conditions and technological capabilities remain unused. Because expert knowledge and method development time are increasingly scarce, methods are often inefficient. Exploiting the full technological capabilities of liquid-phase separation technology requires deep knowledge and great time investments. Method optimization strategies that can simultaneously optimize the large number of parameters involved are therefore of great interest to chromatographers. This review examines different workflows that have been designed and used to facilitate and/or automate method development. In particular, focus is paid to the implementation of computer-aided workflows for the optimization of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters in LC, as well as on the possibilities to conduct this in a closed-loop fashion. Finally, the opportunities to use machine learning to achieve these goals is addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]