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The global energy demand has been projected to rise over 28% by 2040, calling for more renewable resources such as lignocellulosic biomass to produce biofuels, and for green and efficient processing technologies. Actual limitations of processing technologies include high cost and high-energy consumption. Here, deep eutectic solvents appear as a green alternative to harmful organic solvents. For biomass pretreatment, deep eutectic solvent-based techniques require about 28% less energy and remove 40.7% of lignin. Deep eutectic solvents can be recycled up to five times. Here we review deep eutectic solvents with focus on properties, toxicity, recyclability, techno-economy and applications in biomass conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the PM 2.5 emission and analyses the PAHs content in PM 2.5 emitted from gasoline-fueled vehicles. Outflow from the vehicles appear to be the ultimate source of PAHs in metro urban communities since the emission from gasoline vehicle increases the wellbeing hazard due to contiguity of exposure to gasoline exhaust. In this study, fifteen vehicles were randomly taken for sampling, where sixteen priority PAHs concentration were investigated. The study was performed on the vehicles with different Euro standard emission by taking into consideration the European legislative levels for vehicles on the toxic gaseous emission. Among all the PAHs outflow components of PM 2.5 radiated in the exhaust of gasoline engines, the average concentration of total PAHs discharged was 0.377ng/L-fuel, while the total BaPeq concentration was 0.00993ng/L-fuel. • Emission from vehicles is one of the most important sources of PAHs. • 21 gasoline-fueled vehicles were characterized and determined. • Total PAHs content was attained from the sum of 21 PAHs compounds. • The average concentration of total PAHs discharged was 0.377ng/L-fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Road traffic is one of the main sources of particulate matter in the atmospheric environment. Notwithstanding its significance, there are noteworthy challenges in quantitative assessment of its contribution to the concentrations of airborne. This study reports on the characterization and quantification of PM 2.5 emissions and PAHs concentration in PM 2.5 from the exhausts of on-road diesel vehicles with various accumulated mileages in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Urban areas could be a subject matter not just in connection to deprived air quality, but similarly to pollution of other significant environmental media by air contaminants. To that end, our study intends to estimate the PM 2.5 emissions from diesel vehicles using diesel fuels and to analyze the PM 2.5 emissions and PAHs concentration in PM 2.5. In this study, particulate matters (PM 2.5) were characterized and quantified from a place impacted by diesel vehicles fueled with diesel in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. The tested diesel vehicles with various accumulated mileages overs the model year comprising of the vehicles registered from 1984 to 2012 from different manufacturers (or brands) ranging from 8733 to 965,026 km (average 445,433 km) accumulative mileages. Exhaust constituents include CO, NOx, PM 2.5 and particle phase PAHs. The concentrations of twenty-one (21) priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied in the samples by their relationship with atmospheric PM 2.5. However, in relations to cumulative mileages, lower cumulative mileage (mileage <20,000 km) has the lowest CO and NOx emission factors. The mileage ranged from 20,001 to 30,000 km had an increased CO and NOx emission factors, respectively. Interestingly, with the increased high number of mileages ranged from 30,001 to 50,000 km, CO and NOx emission factor was observed to be declining, respectively. This could be attributed to the technological changes on new diesel vehicle models. But nonetheless, the trend of CO emission factor was found to be higher with an increasing of cumulative mileages as compared to the mileage that reached lower than 30,000 km. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Different diesel vehicles with different ages and mileages affect exhaust emissions. • PM 2.5 concentration from diesel engine vehicles exhausts were 3880± to 16500 μg/m3. • Lower cumulative mileage of < 20000 km has the lowest CO and NOx emission factor. • Mileage ranged from 20001 to 30000 km had an increased CO and NOx emission factors. • PAHs is a potential contributor to secondary organic aerosol formation, a component of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Cumulative mileage affects motorcycle exhaust emissions. • Aerosol related TEFs and MEQ assessment are conducted in this study. • The lowest pollutants emission factors could be found during the lowest mileage. • PM 2.5 and total p-PAHs expressed the moderate to high correlation with NOx. • Higher impact of health risk was found at higher cumulative mileages motorcycles. Abstract This research investigates the mileage and the health risk assessment of aerosol carcinogenicity and mutagenicity emitted by ten in-use motorcycles. The total p-PAHs emission factor of ten in-use motorcycles are 676.3 μg km−1 with average of 67.6 ± 13.6 μg km−1. Naphthalene (Nap) shows the largest emission factors, followed by phenanthrene (PA) and fluoranthen (FL). The mileage present high correlation coefficient (Rsp = 0.681) with CO. CO is associated with cumulative mileage leading to bad combustion efficiency, which caused low to high relationship for total p-PAHs (Rsp = 0.388), PM 2.5 (Rsp = 0.680) and NOx (Rsp = 0.799). Both PM 2.5 and total p-PAHs are generally generated via incomplete combustion and the results expressed the moderate to high correlation (Rsp = 0.578, 0.898) with NOx. Taking into consideration of high-mileage motorcycles (30,001–50,000 km), the toxic equivalent of carcinogenicity and mutagenicity exhaust are about 4.67, 1.99 and 3.89, 2.0 times higher than low (10,001–20,000 km) and middle (20,001–30,000 km) cumulative mileages, respectively. Therefore, in the conclusion of our study in compared with that of other research directed the fact that lower carcinogenicity and mutagenicity emission factor were found at lower cumulative mileages motorcycles however, the impact increases with the high cumulative mileage motorcycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar generated from aquatic plant biomass with high cellulose and hemicellulose content is considered as a dynamic progression towards the advancement in bio products. Hence, this study investigated the possibility of enhancing the saccharification rate of sugar from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) by microwave heating system. The method of full factorial experimental design was adopted to explore different parameters that influence the conversion rates of fibers into fermentable sugar. The structural changes of the fibers after microwave treatment with dilute sulfuric acid was observed on the residue by using X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) and Environmental Scanning Electron Micrograph (ESEM) analysis. The results obtained illustrates that hydrolysis time reduces to approximately 40% and effectively improve the rate of saccharification to 13.94% with optimal sugar concentration of 4650 mg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Microwave irradiation method reduces the reaction time with optimum yield. • Saccharification rate from sugar bagasse yield about 43.62% sugar. • Response surface method analyzes the response of parameters used in pretreatment. • The highest glucose yield of 28.5% and xylose 9.9% was obtained. Alternative renewable energy sources are the future potential energy that will benefit the country's overall energy shortage and demand. The efficient biofuel production depends on the viability of the raw material used. The holistic approach of this study is to establish an integrated bioprocess from lignocellulosic material for biofuel synthesis. Sugar bagasse as one of the waste material, can be economically process for sugar extraction used in biofuel production. In this study, the optimum saccharification rate obtained was 43.62% when the biomass was pretreated at microwave temperature of 100 °C for 15 min with 2.5 g catalyst concentration. The results attained shows that hydrolysis time reduces to approximately 40–50% in compare with other traditional heating method. The sample was analyzed by using UV spectrophotometer and HPLC and computed by using Response Surface Method in MINITAB 17, whereas the structural changes of the residue was detected by using ATR-FTIR and ESEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MW heating system as an environmentally benign technique was studied. • Calcined oyster shells can be utilized as eco-friendly and cost-effective catalysts. • Non-edible JCO is a promising feedstock for low-cost biodiesel production. • A biodiesel yield of 91.1% was attained under various optimized conditions. • Catalyzed transesterification reaction had activation energy (Ea) of 9.58 kJ/mol. Waste oyster shells (WOS) have been progressively becoming a significant environmental issue, specifically in terms of solid waste management, which is one of the considerable barriers to the actualization of a sustainable planet. Therefore, in this present work, the CaO-based heterogeneous catalyst was developed from the recycled waste oyster shells and subsequently utilized as an efficient and excellent renewable source of the heterogeneous catalyst during the transesterification reaction of Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) for the synthesis of biodiesel. Consequently, the catalyst was prepared by calcination and characterized using different instrumental techniques, including XRD, EDS, FTIR, SEM, and BET. Under optimized conditions, the catalyst exhibited outstanding catalytic performance in converting JCO to sustainable biodiesel with a considerable yield of 91.1% under 180 min reaction time, 800 W microwave power, 65 °C reaction temperature, 9:1 methanol to oil ratio (MTOR), and 5 wt% catalyst loading. The reusability study revealed that WOS-derived catalyst was able to attain relatively high biodiesel yield at the first two reaction cycles, and more so, the catalyst could be potentially recycled for at least up to the 5th cycle to produce a relatively high amount of biodiesel. Furthermore, the base-catalyzed transesterification reaction was discovered to have activation energy (Ea) of 9.58 kJ/mol. The physico-chemical properties of the JCO biodiesel were studied in accordance with international criterions such as ASTM and EN standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a sodium amide (NaNH2) catalyst and a microwave heating system were used to increase Jatropha methyl ester yields, and reduce both reaction time and energy consumption. The experimental results indicate that the yield increased as the catalyst amount, reaction time, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and temperature increased, and then decreased when the values of these parameters increased. The highest Jatropha methyl ester yield produced by operating a conventional heating system (CHS) was 95.6% when using 1.0wt.% of a NaNH2 catalyst, a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 8, a reaction time of 7min, and a temperature of 65°C. The highest yield produced by applying microwave heating system (MW) was 96.2% when using 1.0wt.% of a NaNH2 catalyst, a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 8, a reaction time of 90min, and a temperature of 65°C. The total amount of energy required for MW was 10 times less than that required for CHS. The experimental results indicate that MW performs more favorably and is more energy efficient compared with CHS, and offers a rapid, simple method biodiesel production. Through a proper research focus and development, Jatropha oil can become the next ideal feedstock for biodiesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As composting becomes a socially acceptable and environmentally sound strategy for sustainable waste disposal and management, its adversely environmental impacts by fugitive emissions of odor-causing chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have caused a great deal of concern. Of many VOCs, several nitrogenous compounds such as ammonia and amines have been known to cause malodor and adverse impacts on the nearby environment and public health. In this study, a novel two-stage wet scrubbing technology, which consisted of acidic chlorination followed by alkaline sulfurization, has been tested for treating odorous and nitrogenous compounds produced by waste composing. Performance of this approach was characterized in terms of the treatment efficiency of ammonia, amines, and more importantly, the variety of gas malodor and the associated intensity after treatment, with respect to the effects of pH and different oxidizing (sulfuric acid and sodium hypochlorite) and reducing agents (sodium hydroxide, sodium bisulfite, sodium sulfite, and sodium thiosulfate). Chlorine and thiosulfate were more effective oxidizing and reducing agents, respectively. This treatment technology is expected to be suitable for treating waste-composting gases or even other types of waste gas streams, which contain chemicals with diverse physicochemical properties and may be difficult to manage with single or traditional treatment technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Pyrolysis of banyan leaves is studied in a microwave plasma reactor. [•] Increase the microwave power levels results in an increase of H2 production. [•] H2 production rate is 20.44mgmin−1 at 1000W. [•] H2 production efficiency is 67.33% at 1000W. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] H2 gas produced from the pyrolysis of rice straw is measured at different powers. [•] H2, CO2 and CO are the main gas products in the pyrolysis of rice straw. [•] The optimum concentration of the hydrogen production is 56.08% at a power of 1000W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Microwave system can increase reaction rate, product yield, and purity of product. [•] Sodium methoxide would be used as catalysts to increase reaction rate of biodiesel. [•] The best methyl ester yield was 99.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Growth of the hydrogen market has motivated increased study of hydrogen production. Understanding how biomass is converted to hydrogen gas can help in evaluating opportunities for reducing the environmental impact of petroleum-based fuels. Using an atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma reactor coupled with species-selective analysis, experiments are conducted at microwave power levels of 800, 900 and 1000 W, a reactant flow rate of 12 slm, and 1 g of dry Spirulina algae in nitrogen. At the absorbed microwave power levels used in this experiment, hydrogen gas produced is in the range of 36.75–45.13% volume fraction, 13.42–15.48 mg per minute, and 12.37–31.46 mg per gram of Spirulina algae consumed. Moreover, the selection of power levels demonstrates that 20.62–52.43% hydrogen atom mass content in dry algae is converted to hydrogen gas. In general, the effect of reaction temperatures on the gas product formation is qualitatively consistent with those produced from other biomass materials reported in literature. Overall, these results will help to expand our knowledge concerning Spirulina algae and hydrogen yield on the basis of microwave-assisted pyrolysis and reaction temperatures, which will inform the study and design of hydrogen production technologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biodiesel made from waste cooking oil (WCO) can be used to effectively reduce the raw material cost as well as solve the problem of waste oil disposal. This study investigates the use of the ionic liquid 4-allyl-4-methylmorpholin-4-ium bromine (IL; [MorMeA][Br]) as a catalyst and a microwave heating system for improving biodiesel yields from WCO. Experimental results indicate that [MorMeA][Br] catalyst can increase WCO biodiesel yields and decrease the use of NaOH catalyst by 0.25wt.%. The best yield of WCO biodiesel is 89.1% under IL1NaOH0.75 catalyst (1wt.% [MorMeA][Br]+0.75wt.% NaOH), a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 9, a reaction time of 6min, and a microwave temperature of 70°C. The IL catalyst was recyclable and thermally stable with a yield close to 98% after the catalyst was used for 7 times repeatedly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A facile synthesis route is reported for preparation of mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles (MT-x) through evaporation induced self-assembly by using Pluronic F127, titanium isopropoxide, and various amounts of ethanol as templating agents, titanium sources and solvents, respectively. A variety of different spectroscopic and analytical techniques, such as small- and large-angle powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of various MT-x catalysts. Among the catalysts, MT-20 was found to have better mesostructures formed by the arrangement of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles of ca. 17.3nm with broad interparticle pore size distribution. Hydrogen generation from water splitting on MT-20 using visible light was enhanced by at least 8.7 times if compared with the conventional TiO2 photocatalyst. The superior photocatalytic performances observed for the synthesized MT-20 may be attributed to the presence of unique nanostructures in the TiO2 photocatalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The major obstacle to biodiesel commercialization is the high cost of biodiesel. Biodiesel made from waste cooking oil is an economical source that can effectively reduce raw material cost. Although using a microwave heating system to improve the yields of waste-cooking-oil biodiesel has received little attention in the literature, experimental results indicate that it outperforms conventional heating, with the best performances found with 0.75 wt% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 0.75 wt% sodium methoxide (CH3ONa) catalysts, respectively. The biodiesel yields produced with CH3ONa catalyst are higher than those produced with NaOH catalyst. An increase in the reaction time from 1 to 3 min significantly increases the yield, which decreases with a further increase to 6 min. A methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6 is suitable for the synthesis of biodiesel. The biodiesel yields increase with increasing reaction power. However, the microwave output must not be too high as it may damage the organic molecules. The optimal reaction conditions are 0.75 wt% CH3ONa catalyst, a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6, a reaction time of 3 min, and a microwave power of 750 W. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) fuelled with paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends have been rarely addressed in the literature. A high-resolution gas chromatograph/high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRGC/HRMS) was used to analyze 17 PCDD/F species. Experimental results indicate that the main species of PCDD/Fs were OCDD (octachlorinated debenzo-p-dioxin) and OCDF (octachlorodibenzofuran), and they accounted for 40–50% of the total PCDD/Fs for all test fuels. Paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends decreased PCDD/Fs by 86.1–88.9%, toxic PCDD/Fs by 91.9–93.0%, THC (total hydrocarbons) by 13.6–23.3%, CO (carbon monoxide) by 27.2–28.3%, and PM (particulate matter) by 21.3–34.2%. Using biodiesel blends, particularly BP9505 or BP8020, instead of premium diesel fuel (PDF) significantly reduced emissions of both PCDD/Fs and traditional pollutants. Using BP9505 (95vol% paraffinic fuel+5vol% palmbiodiesel) and BP8020 instead of PDF can decrease PCDD/F emissions by 5.93 and 5.99gI-TEQyear−1 in Taiwan, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The major obstacle to biodiesel commercialization is the high cost of raw materials. Biodiesel from waste cooking oil is an economical source and thus an effective strategy for reducing the raw material cost. Using waste cooking oil also solves the problem of waste oil disposal. This study investigated the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogenic potencies and regulated matters, and brake specific fuel consumption from a heavy-duty diesel engine under the US-HDD transient cycle for five test fuels: ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), WCOB5 (5 vol% biodiesel made from waste cooking oil+95 vol% ULSD), WCOB10, WCOB20, and WCOB30. Experimental results indicate using ULSD/WCOB blends decreased PAHs by 7.53%–37.5%, particulate matter by 5.29%–8.32%, total hydrocarbons by 10.5%–36.0%, and carbon monoxide by 3.33%–13.1% as compared to using ULSD. The wide usage of WCOB blends as alternative fuels could protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Few studies have been conducted on the relationship between the high levels of dust particles and the concentrations of atmospheric PCDD/F during dust storm episodes. However, they did not investigate the impact of dust storm on basin areas. This present study shows the dust storm effect on regulated harmful matter and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) concentrations in basin areas. The results indicate that the average PM10 (aerodynamic diameter less than 10μm), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), NO2 (nitrogen oxides), CO (carbon monoxide) and O3 (ozone) levels during the dust storm were 5.14, 2.30, 1.44, 1.40 and 1.41 times higher than those before the dust storm, respectively. Mean PCDD/F concentrations during the dust storm (0.958pgNm− 3; 0.0484pgI-TEQNm− 3) were significantly higher than those before the dust storm (0.240pgNm− 3; 0.00705pgI-TEQNm− 3). The PCDDs concentration during the dust storm was 1.84 times larger than that before the dust storm, and the PCDFs concentration was 10.2 times larger. Therefore, the dominant contribution of PCDD/Fs concentration during dust storm in the basin areas of northern Taiwan is PCDFs. OCDD concentration measured before dust storm was the highest among the seventeen investigated PCDD/F congeners, accounting for about 64.6% of the total concentration. However, OCDD concentration measured during the dust storm was comparable with the OCDF among the seventeen investigated PCDD/F congeners, accounting for about 24.5% (OCDD) and 22.9% (OCDF) of the total concentration. The above results indicate that the impact of a dust storm on regulated harmful matter and PCDD/F concentrations in the basin area is significant. An investigation of the health risk from dust storms in basin areas is needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Advances in biodiesel, emulsified diesel and artificial chemical additives are driven by consumer demand to save energy and reduce emissions from diesel engines. However, the effect of emulsified bio-solution/palm-biodiesel/diesel blends in diesel engines has not been assessed. Experimental results in this work demonstrate that the emulsified bio-solution/palm-biodiesel/diesel blends have the advantage in saving energy and reducing emissions of both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and particulate matter (PM) from diesel engines. When comparing with P0 (premium diesel fuel as base fuel), E16P20 fuel (16 vol% bio-solution + 20 vol% palm-biodiesel + 64 vol% P0, an additional 1 vol% surfactant) saved 12.4% fuel consumption and reduced emissions of PM by 90.1%, total PAHs by 69.3%, and total BaPeq (benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration) by 69.6%. Emulsified palm-biodiesel with bio-solution can be considered as a clean and alternative fuel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are toxic carcinogens so their reductions in diesel-engine emissions are desirable. This study investigated emissions of carbonyl compounds (CBCs) from an HDDE (heavy-duty diesel engine) at US transient cycle test, using five test fuels: premium diesel fuel (D100), P100 (100% palm-biodiesel), P20 (20% palm-biodiesel + 80% premium diesel fuel), PF80P20 (80% paraffinic fuel + 20% palm-biodiesel), and PF95P05 (95% paraffinic fuel + 5% palm-biodiesel). Experimental results indicate that formaldehyde was the major carbonyl in the exhaust, accounting for 70.1–76.2% of total CBC concentrations for all test fuels. In comparison with D100 (172 mg BHP−1 h−1), the reductions of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde emission factor for P100, P20, PF80P20, and PF95P05 were (−16.8%, −61.8%), (−10.0%, −39.0%), (21.3%, 1.10%), and (31.1%, 19.5%), respectively. Using P100 and P20 instead of D100 in the HDDE increased CBC concentrations by 14.5% and 3.28%, respectively, but using PF80P20 and PF95P05 significantly reduced CBC concentrations by 30.3% and 23.7%, respectively. Using P100 and P20 instead of D100 (2867 ton yr−1) in the HDDE increased CBC emissions by 240 and 224 ton yr−1, respectively, but using PF80P20, and PF95P05 instead of D100 in the HDDE decreased CBC emissions by 711 and 899 ton yr−1, respectively. The above results indicate that the wide usage of paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends as alternative fuels could protect the environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An optically accessible single-cylinder high-speed direct-injection (HSDI) diesel engine was used to investigate the spray and combustion processes for biodiesel blends under different injection strategies. The experimental results indicated that the heat release rate was dominated by a premixed combustion pattern and the heat release rate peak became smaller with injection timing retardation. The ignition and heat release rate peak occurred later with increasing biodiesel content. Fuel impingement on the wall was observed for all test conditions. The liquid penetration became longer and the fuel impingement was stronger with the increase of biodiesel content. Early and late injection timings result in lower flame luminosity due to improved mixing with longer ignition delay. For all the injection timings, lower soot luminosity was seen for biodiesel blends than pure diesel fuel. Furthermore, NO x emissions were dramatically reduced for premixed combustion mode with retarded post-TDC injection strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study investigated the emissions of carbonyl compounds (CBCs) and regulated harmful matters (traditional pollutants) from an HDDE (heavy-duty diesel engine) at one low load steady-state condition, 24.5% of the max load (40 km h−1), using five test fuels: premium diesel fuel (D100), P100 (100% palm-biodiesel), P20 (20% palm-biodiesel + 80% premium diesel fuel), PF80P20 (80% paraffinic fuel + 20% palm-biodiesel), and PF95P05 (95% paraffinic fuel + 5% palm-biodiesel). Experimental results indicate that formaldehyde was the major carbonyl in the exhaust, accounting for 70.3–75.4% of total CBC concentrations for all test fuels. Using P100 and P20 instead of D100 in the HDDE increased CBC concentrations by 9.74% and 2.89%, respectively. However, using PF80P20 and PF95P05 as alternative fuels significantly reduced CBC concentrations by 30.3% and 24.2%, respectively. Using PF95P05 instead of D100 decreased CBCs by 30.3%, PM by 11.1%, THC by 39.0%, CO by 34.0%, NOx by 24.3%, and CO2 by 7.60%. The wide usage of paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends as alternative fuels could protect the environment. However, it should be noted that only one engine operated at one low load steady-state condition was investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this paper is to quantify the amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from a coke oven in a steel plant in Taiwan and estimate the emission factors of VOCs using an innovative sampling technique. The identification of VOCs emissions was referred to in the AP-42 report issued by the USEPA and the field measurement data of fugitive emissions. VOCs were sampled using a self-designed closed sampling system. A total of six emission points, including quenching emissions, charge lid emissions, combustion stack emissions, door emissions, charging emissions, and coke pushing emissions, were identified in the coking process after comparing with the report of AP-42, and the emission factor of VOCs was 0.030 kg/ton-coke. It showed that the emission factor of VOCs via field measurement was approximately 56% of that reported by Taiwan EPA. Therefore, VOCs emissions estimated by the Taiwan EPA would be highly overestimated than those from the coke oven in the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study first measured concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in four selected workplace atmospheres, including the raw materials inlet, sintering grate, rough roll shredder and control room, and the outdoor environment of a sinter plant. Then, PAHs exposures and their resultant health-risks were assessed for sintering workers. We found that total PAH concentrations of the three selected sintering process areas were higher than that of the control room. The above results could be explained by the filtration effect of the air conditioning device installed inside the control room. PAH homologue distributions of the three selected sintering process areas were significantly different from that of the outdoor environment suggesting that PAHs found in the sintering workplace atmospheres were mainly contributed by process fugitives. Total PAH exposure levels were lower than the current permissible exposure limits, thus revealing that sintering workers are not a high risk group for long-term effects attributable to PAHs. Moreover, the lung cancer risks associated with the above PAH exposures were lower than the significant risk level defined by US Supreme Court further confirming that their exposures could be acceptable at this stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biodiesels are promoted as alternatives to fossil fuels and their applications in diesel engine have been studied extensively. However, the size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and generator particulate material (GPM) emitted from heavy-duty diesel generator fueled with biodiesel blends has seldom been addressed. Seven different biodiesel blends with volume fractions of biodiesel ranging from 0% to 30% were studied. Experimental results indicate that the mean reductions of sum of PAHi/GPM0.056–18 (generator particulate material with aerodynamic diameter 0.056–18μm) and BaPeqi [=(benzo[a]pyrene equivalent)i]/GPM0.056–18 of B5, B10, B15, B20, B25 and B30 are (−8.21%, −5.72%), (−36.7%, −29.7%), (−1.25%, 2.32%), (16.2%, 18.6%), (33.4%, 35.0%) and (40.5%, 42.4), respectively, compared with B0. Both PAHi/GPMi and BaPeqi/GPMi in stage 1 (0.056–0.166μm) and stage 2 (0.166–0.31μm) of all test fuels are higher than those in the other stages due to higher specific surface area of smaller particles. It is also observed that there are more highly toxic PAHs in stage 2. It should be noticed that the trend of particle-phase PAH contents is different from the trend of particle-phase PAH concentration and opposite to the trend of total GPM0.056–18 emission. The differences are due to a higher number of particles with diameters between 0.056 and 0.31μm. The above results indicate that fuel blends with less than 15% biodiesel would increase PAH content at particle size between 0.056 and 0.31μm. Therefore, the blending fraction should be between 15% and 30%. Moreover, particle-size control is needed in future emission regulations which would necessitate further improvements in combustion quality. Besides, researches on health effects of biodiesel blends are needed as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biodiesels are promoted as alternative fuels and their applications in diesel engines have been investigated by many researchers. However, the particle size distribution emitted from heavy-duty diesel engines fueled with palm-biodiesel blended with premium diesel fuel and paraffinic fuel blended with palm-biodiesel has seldom been addressed. Thus, five test fuels were used in this work to study the particle size distribution: D100 (premium diesel fuel), B100 (100% palm-biodiesel), B20 (20vol% palm-biodiesel+80vol% D100), BP9505 (95vol% paraffinic fuel+5vol% palm-biodiesel) and BP8020 (80vol% paraffinic fuel+20vol% palm-biodiesel). A Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) equipped with aluminum filters was used to collect size-resolved samples. Experimental results indicated that palm-biodiesel blends and paraffinic fuel blends could improve combustion efficiency in diesel engines, but pure palm-biodiesel could cause incomplete combustion. Adding palm-biodiesel to diesel fuel would slightly increase particles with diameter <0.31μm but paraffinic fuel blends could decrease particles with diameter <1μm. The mass median diameter of overall particles (MMDo) and σ g,o are 0.439μm and 3.88 for D100; 0.380μm and 3.24 for B20; 0.465μm and 4.22 for B100; 1.40μm and 4.92 for BP9505; 1.46μm and 2.25 for BP8020. There are more particles with low aerodynamic diameters (diameter <0.31μm) in the exhaust of D100, B20 and B100 fuels. On the other hand, a greater fraction of particulate matter of BP9505 and BP8020 existed in coarse particles (diameter: 2.5–10μm). Energy efficiency also increases significantly by 12.3–15.1% with the introduction of paraffinic fuel blends into the engine. Nevertheless, paraffinic fuel blends also reduce the emission of particulate matters by 36.0–38.4%. Carbon monoxide was decreased by 36.8–48.5%. Total hydrocarbon is 39.6–41.7% less than diesel fuel combustion. Nitrogen oxides emission is about 5% lower for paraffinic fuel. These results show that paraffinic fuel can be very competitive and replaced diesel fuels in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and regulated harmful matter (traditional pollutant) emissions, fuel consumption, and the assessment of the inferior condition of engine oil from heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) fueled with palmbiodiesel–PDF (premium diesel fuel) blends and paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends under brand-new (the mileage was zero) engines accumulated mileage test. Experimental results indicated that the emissions of THC and CO increased with operation time but the emissions of NO x and PAHs decreased with operation time between 0 and 300h (18,000km). Using palmbiodiesel–PDF blends or paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends instead of PDF in HDDEs reduced the emissions of THC (10.7–44.2%), CO (0.664–15.6%), CO2 (0.763–2.55%), NO x (1.25–4.97%), PM (6.11–26.8%), total PAHs (43.0–90.2%) and total BaPeq (63.1–89.6%) significantly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigated the emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogenic potencies (BaPeq) and particulate matter (PM), fuel consumption and energy efficiency from the generator under steady state for seven test fuels: P0 (Premium Diesel Fuel), P10 (10% palm biodiesel+90% P0), P20, P30, P50, P75 and P100. Experimental results indicated that PAH emission decreased with increasing palm-biodiesel blends due to small PAH content in biodiesel. The mean reduction fraction of total PAHs emission factor (P0=1110μgL−1) from the exhaust of diesel generator were 13.2%, 28.0%, 40.6%, 54.4%, 61.89% and 98.8% for P10, P20, P30, P50, P75 and P100, respectively, compared with P0. The mean reduction fraction of total BaPeq (P0=1.65μgL−1) from the exhaust of diesel generator were 15.2%, 29.1%, 43.3%, 56.4%, 58.2% and 97.6% for P10, P20, P30, P50, P75 and P100, respectively, compared with P0. PM emission decreased as the palm-biodiesel blends increased from 0% to 10%, and increased as the palm-biodiesel blends increased from 10% to 100% because the soluble organic fraction of PM emission was high in blends with high palm-biodiesel content. The brake specific fuel consumption rose with rising palm-biodiesel blends due to the low gross heat value of palm-biodiesel. The increasing fraction of BSFC of palm-biodiesel was lower than those of soy-, soapstock-, brassica-carinate and rapeseed-biodiesel. Palm-biodiesel seems to be the most feasible biodiesel. The best energy efficiency occurred between P10 and P20, close to P15. The curve dropped as the palm-biodiesel content rose above P20. Above results revealed that palm-biodiesel was an oxygenated fuel appropriate for use in diesel engines to promote combustion efficiency and decrease PAH emission. However, adding an excess of palm-biodiesel to P0 leaded to incomplete combustion in the diesel-engine generator and inhibited the release of energy in the fuel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Because of the fishery subsidy policy, the fishing boat fuel oil (FBFO) exemption from commodity taxes, business taxes and air pollution control fees, resulted in the price of FBFO was ∼50% lower than premium diesel fuel (PDF) in Taiwan. It is estimated that ∼650,000kL FBFO was illegally used by traveling diesel-vehicles (TDVs) with a heavy-duty diesel engine (HDDE), which accounted for ∼16.3% of the total diesel fuel consumed by TDVs. In this study, sulfur, poly aromatic and total-aromatic contents in both FBFO and PDF were measured and compared. Exhaust emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their carcinogenic potencies (BaPeq) from a HDDE under transient cycle testing for both FBFO and PDF were compared and discussed. Finally, the impact caused by the illegal use of FBFO on the air quality was examined. Results show that the mean sulfur-, poly aromatic and aromatic-contents in FBFO were 43.0, 3.89 and 1.04 times higher than that of PDF, respectively. Emission factors of total-PAHs and total-BaPeq obtained by utilizing FBFO were 51.5 and 0.235mgL−1-Fuel, which were 3.41 and 5.82 times in magnitude higher than obtained by PDF, respectively. The estimated annual emissions of total-PAHs and total-BaPeq to the ambient environment due to the illegally used FBFO were 23.6 and 0.126 metric tons, respectively, which resulted in a 17.9% and a 25.0% increment of annual emissions from all mobile sources, respectively. These results indicated that the FBFO used illegally by TDVs had a significant impact on PAH emissions to the ambient environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is challenging to estimate the health risks posed by exposure to particulate pollutants due to limited information for chemicals bound to particles in toxicity databases. This study predicted the cancer risks posed by the vapor-phase and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions during diesel combustion in an industrialized city in southern Taiwan by using two different approaches. In the first approach, the cancer risks were estimated based on the vapor-phase and PM2.5-bound PAH concentrations in the exhausts, while the observations of the vapor-phase and PM2.5-bound samples in the in vitro cell toxicity tests, including Ames test, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) detection were employed to modify the risks posed by the PM2.5-bound emission in the second approach. The results show that the vapor-phase concentrations of total PAH (30,944-118,565 ng/m3) and benzo(a)pyrene toxic equivalence quotient (BaP-TEQ; 8.2–69.1 ng/m3) were significantly higher than the PM2.5-bound concentrations (the total concentration and BaP-TEQ were 11.9–45.0 and 0.27–12.94 ng/m3, respectively), resulting in the dominance of the vapor-phase risk (71–98%) over the total risk (8.92 × 10−9–1.03 × 10−7). With the modification of the cell test results, the total risks were increased to 1.62 × 10−8–1.33 × 10−7. The ratios of the PM2.5-bound risk to the total risk in different conditions have been increased by 2–26 times (from 2–29% to 45–61%), suggesting the mixture effect of PM-bound pollutants on health risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the saccharification rate of Typha orientalis pretreated with Ionic liquids 4-(3-Methyl−1-imidazolio) − 1-butanesulfonic acid hydrogen sulfate [BSO3HMIM] [HSO4], combined with microwave irradiation for liquid biofuel production. Methods of full factorial experimental design was used to explore the factors affecting the conversion rate of fibers into fermentable sugar. The results from Plackett-Burman Design (PBD) shows that efficiency on the saccharification rate of Typha orientalis was in the order of microwave power > solvent volume > catalyst > reaction time. From the results obtained, optimum parameter was determined by Central Composite Design (CCD) where the highest saccharification rate attained was 52.9%. Unlabelled Image • Microwave heating produces twelve times higher yield than conventional heating. • Typha orientalis can be considered as a promising feedstock for biofuel production. • Order of parameters were microwave power > solvent volume > catalyst>reaction time. • Total reducing sugar at low, medium and high factors are 0.78, 29.7 and 60.8%. • The optimal saccharification rate obtained was about 52.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores the feasibility of reduction in sulfur content of waste oil (WO), by modified NaY zeolite adsorbent under ambient pressure. Parent NaY zeolite has been desilicated with alkaline solution and ion-exchanged in conjunction with Cu and Ni transition metals. Liquid phase ion-exchange employed for selectivity improvement and movement restriction of active metal ions through microwave irradiation and calcination. Modified Y zeolites were characterized, and their desulfurization efficiency over WO containing 4,160 ppm total sulfur have been analyzed. Results showed that Cu–NaY adsorbent removed 36.6% total sulfur and Ni–NaY modified zeolite adsorbed 37.1% of total sulfur after 40 min exposure at 75 °C. It was because of zeolite mesopores increased diffusion of lofty sulfur molecules into super-cages while metal loaded sites increased the selectivity of sulfur compounds in WO. Metal-exchanged mesoporous zeolites are ensuring adsorbent for the removal of sulfur-containing compounds from WO. Image 1 • NaY zeolite has been desilicated with alkaline solution to obtain mesoporous structure. • Ni and Cu metals were ion-exchanged with the zeolite to enrich sulfur adsorption. • Ion-exchanged metals on mesoporous zeolite increased the refractory sulfur compounds adsorption by 37.1%. • Silicon removal and increase in porosity of the zeolite decreased specific surface area from 710 to 411 [m2/g]. • Larger pore diameters resulted an easy diffusion into metal ion-exchanged active sites for bulky organosulfur compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of technology and industrial growth, environmental pollution has become the major phenomenon that hinder the environmental adjoining with the volume of wastes that has been discarded without any proper treatment. In particular, industrial sector consumes a maximum amount of water which results in generating of large quantity of solid waste-sludge. However, with the progression of environmental awareness, the treatment of sludge recycling and reuse has been carried out considerably. Subsequently, after drying, sorting, granulating, sintering and other procedures, it is re-created into various types of aggregates and used for making biochar and other purposes. Therefore, in this study, the waste rice straw and coconut shell were mixed with the sludge and the biomass was pressed to form a non-loose granular shape, subjected to low-temperature of 300–400 °C co-firing carbonization technique for 30–60 min to prepare a solid refuse-derived fuel (RDF-5). The higher the addition ratio of the raw material (rice straw or coconut shell), the more superior is the effect of the mixture. The optimum carbon content is then mixed with inorganic sludge (IS) and organic sludge (OS) and the calorific value obtained was about 2852 Cal/g and 2840 Cal/g. Image 1 • Mixed sludge increases the C% after adding rice straw and coconut shell. • Water content is one of the important factors affecting the productivity of sludge. • Carbonization of coconut shell shows optimal at 350 °C than other material. • The calorific value of the raw materials detected in the study shows to be maximum at 350 °C. • The highest calorific value of the Organic and Inorganic sludge was 1199 and 434 Cal/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of technology and industrial growth, environmental pollution has become the major phenomenon that hinder the environmental adjoining with the volume of wastes that has been discarded without any proper treatment. In particular, industrial sector consumes a maximum amount of water which results in generating of large quantity of solid waste-sludge. However, with the progression of environmental awareness, the treatment of sludge recycling and reuse has been carried out considerably. Subsequently, after drying, sorting, granulating, sintering and other procedures, it is re-created into various types of aggregates and used for making biochar and other purposes. Therefore, in this study, the waste rice straw and coconut shell were mixed with the sludge and the biomass was pressed to form a non-loose granular shape, subjected to low-temperature of 300–400 °C co-firing carbonization technique for 30–60 min to prepare a solid refuse-derived fuel (RDF-5). The higher the addition ratio of the raw material (rice straw or coconut shell), the more superior is the effect of the mixture. The optimum carbon content is then mixed with inorganic sludge (IS) and organic sludge (OS) and the calorific value obtained was about 2852 Cal/g and 2840 Cal/g. Image 1 • Mixed sludge increases the C% after adding rice straw and coconut shell. • Water content is one of the important factors affecting the productivity of sludge. • Carbonization of coconut shell shows optimal at 350 °C than other material. • The calorific value of the raw materials detected in the study shows to be maximum at 350 °C. • The highest calorific value of the Organic and Inorganic sludge was 1199 and 434 Cal/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, electrodes of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TNAs) were successfully synthesized by applying the anodic oxidation etching method, as well as the use of green synthetic technology to add reducing agents of tea or coffee to reduce metal palladium from palladium chloride. Synthesis of palladium modified TNAs (Pd/TNAs) was conducted by the microwave hydrothermal method after the metal palladium was reduced. In order to identify the surface structure, light absorption and elemental composition, TNAs and Pd/TNAs were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, to test the photocurrent density, electron resistance, and hydroxyl radicals by I-t plot, electrochemistry impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) were investigated. The photocurrent (4.0 mA/cm2) of Pd/TNAs-C (using coffee as the reducing agent) at +1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was higher than that of the pure TNAs (1.5 mA/cm2), illustrating that Pd/TNAs-C can effectively separate photogenerated electrons and holes. Pd/TNAs is a favorable material as a photoanode for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) removal of organic pollutants in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 100% leaching rate achieved under microwave&ultrasound-assisted system only 142 sec. • The indium leaching effect ranks as HCl > H 3 PO 4 > HClO 4. • Indium recovery rate by electrorefining was 93.41% under 1A and 10 V for 10 h. Innovative approaches for recovery indium from waste liquid crystal displays (LCDs) has been continuously demanded with increasing concerns over its threat to human health and environment. In this work, we recycled indium from waste LCD panels based on acid leaching procedure (HCl, HClO 4 and H 3 PO 4) under microwave and ultrasound-assisted heating system. To optimize the leaching protocol, the method of full factorial experimental design was adopted to explore the influence of different parameters (microwave power, reaction time, acid concentration, and liquid to solid ratio). Results revealed that 100% leaching yield could be achieved as microwave power of 650 W, HCl concentration of 4 M, and liquid: solid ration of 2 within only 142 s. Overall, the leaching effect can be ranked as HCl > H 3 PO 4 > HClO 4. To further recovery indium from the acid solution after the microwave leaching by electrorefining, different electrolysis times (2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 10 h), voltages (10 V, 15 V, 20 V) and currents (0.1 A, 0.3 A, 0.5 A, 0.7 A, 0.9 A, 1 A, 3 A, 4 A, 5 A) were investigated, the optimal indium recovery yield was accomplished by 93.41% with 1 A and 10 V for 10 h. The metal indium precipitate metalized at the cathode after electrolysis was found to be 99.14% for the purity. In addition, pareto chart analysis of standardized effect and regression mode were employed to testify the optimal leaching condition. This work demonstrates an effective and facile way to recovery indium from wasted LCDs with desirable leaching yield than conventional heating approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The facile fabrication is reported of highly electrochemically active Ti3C2Tx MXene/MWCNT (3D/1D)-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPE) for the efficient simultaneous electrochemical detection of paracetamol, theophylline, and caffeine in human blood samples. 3D/1D Ti3C2Tx MXene/MWCNT nanocomposite was synthesized using microwave irradiation and ultrasonication processes. Then, the Ti3C2Tx/MWCNT-modified SPE electrode was fabricated and thoroughly characterized towards its physicochemical and electrochemical properties using XPS, TEM, FESEM, XRD, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry techniques. As-constructed Ti3C2Tx-MWCNT/SPE offers excellent electrochemical sensing performance with good detection limits (0.23, 0.57, and 0.43 µM) and wide linear ranges (1.0 ~ 90.1, 2.0 ~ 62.0, and 2.0–90.9 µM) for paracetamol, caffeine, and theophylline, respectively, in the human samples. Notably, the non-enzymatic electroactive nanocomposite-modified electrode has depicted a semicircle Nyquist plot with low charge transfer resistance (Rct∼95 Ω), leading to high ionic diffusion and facilitating an excellent electron transfer path. All the above results in efficient stability, reproducibility, repeatability, and sensitivity compared with other reported works, and thus, it claims its practical utilization in realistic clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma has been identified as different phenotypes due to various risk factors. Age differences may have potential effects on asthma phenotypes. Our study aimed to identify potential asthma phenotypes among adults divided by age as either younger or older than 65 years. We also compared differences in blood granulocyte patterns, occupational asthmagens, and asthma control-related outcomes among patient phenotype clusters. We recruited nonelderly (<65 years old) (n = 726) and elderly adults (≥65 years old) (n = 201) with mild-to-severe asthma. We conducted a factor analysis to select 17 variables. A two-step cluster analysis was used to classify subjects with asthma phenotypes, and a discriminant analysis was used to verify the classification of cluster results. There were three clusters with different characteristics identified in both the nonelderly and elderly asthmatic adults. In the nonelderly patient group, cluster 2 (obese, neutrophilic phenotypes) had a 1.85-fold significantly increased risk of asthma exacerbations. Cluster 3 (early-onset, atopy, and smoker with an eosinophil-predominant pattern) had a 2.37-fold risk of asthma exacerbations and higher oral corticosteroid (OCS) use than cluster 1 (late-onset and LMW exposure with paucigranulocytic blood pattern). Among elderly patients, cluster 2 had poor lung function and more ex-smokers. Cluster 3 (early-onset, long asthma duration) had the lowest paucigranulocytic blood pattern percentages in the elderly group. The novelty of the clusters was found in age-dependent clusters. We identified three distinct phenotypes with heterogeneous characteristics, asthma exacerbations and medicine use in nonelderly and elderly asthmatic patients, respectively. Classification of age-stratified asthma phenotypes may lead to precise identification of patients, which provides personalized disease management. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the depletion of oil and natural reserves, gasoline-bioethanol blend has been considered as one of the finest alternative fuels. However, the fuel blend can also lead to higher fuel consumption as a result of adverse influence. Hydrogen as fuel additive contains many benefits in comparison to other petroleum since it promotes oxidation and decreases pollutant compounds during the combustion process. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of pollutant emissions, fuel consumption and well-to-wheel GHG emissions from a vehicle operating with gasoline-bioethanol blend (E3, E6 and E10), and hydrogen produced (0.6 LPM) on-board under cold start and FTP-75 transient cycle. The results show that hydrogen addition fueled with gasoline-bioethanol blend (E6 and E10) improves diffusion speed and homogeneous mixing, benefiting the complete combustion of fuel-air mixture. The significant reduction of CO, HC and NOx could be found under cold start and FTP-75. The reduction of 0.096, 1.19 and 1.10% on fuel consumption were obtained for E3, E6 and E10 with hydrogen addition. From the environmental point of view, the E10 with and without hydrogen addition appears to be agreeable since the outcome of well-to-wheel GHG emissions account for significant reduction in comparison with the base fuel (G0). • The effect of cold start and full cycle by FTP-75 condition were studied. • Hydrogen addition with E6, E10 reduced accumulated emission mass in cold start. • Vehicle fuel consumption was reduced by hydrogen addition. • Well-to-tank accounts for 22.3% of the well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions. • Compared to conventional gasoline, greenhouse gas was found reduced by 6.95% in E10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of <2.5 μm (PM 2.5), particularly from the in-use gasoline-fueled vehicles, is a leading air quality pollutant and the chemical composition of PM 2.5 is vital to the practical issues of climate change, health effects, and pollution control policies, inter alia. These atmospheric fine particulate matters (PM 2.5) emitted from the exhausts of mobile source gasoline-fueled vehicles constitute substantial risks to human health through inhalation, and most importantly, affect urban air quality. Therefore, in order to explicitly determine the inhalation risks of PM 2.5 which could potentially contain a significant amount of chemicals and metallic elements (MEs) concentration, we investigated the chemical composition (comprising of carbonaceous species and metallic elements) of PM 2.5 emissions from mobile source gasoline-fueled vehicles. To further examine the chemical composition and metallic elements concentration in PM 2.5 from the exhausts of mobile source gasoline-fueled vehicles, we systematically investigated PM 2.5 emission samples collected from the exhausts of fifteen (15) mobile source gasoline-fueled vehicles. Our study has equally also determined the chemical compositions based on carbonaceous species (organic carbon - OC and elemental carbon - EC). Furthermore, the concentrations of PM 2.5 and metallic elements (Ca, Al, Zn, K, Ca, Fe, Mg and Cr) in PM 2.5 were analyzed with the help of Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The details of the tested gasoline-fueled vehicles cover the model years, consisting of the vehicles registered from 2000 to 2017 from several vehicle manufacturers (or brands) with various running mileages ranging from 123.4 to 575,844 km (average 123,105 km). Our results established that elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) were the most significant concentrations of carbonaceous species. The concentration of metallic elements in PM 2.5 and chemical characterization were studied by their relationship with atmospheric PM 2.5 and the results showed that the metallic elements concentration in PM 2.5 were in descending order as follows: Ca > Al > Zn > K > Fe > Mg > Cr. These results will help us to further understand how PM 2.5 emissions from the exhausts of in-use gasoline-fueled vehicles contribute to both chemical and atmospheric metallic elements concentration in the ambient air. Unlabelled Image • Atmospheric metallic element concentration in PM 2.5 from gasoline-fueled vehicles was investigated. • Metallic element compositions were in descending order as of Ca > Al > Zn > K > Fe > Mg > Cr. • Chemical compositions based on carbonaceous species in PM 2.5 were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Efficient energy usage and energy saving is one of the nowadays necessity for all scientists of IC engine. This is because of the current environmental challenges that have tremendously increased concerning air pollution, particularly pollutant emissions from vehicles. Yet, industries and governments alike have disregarded this phenomenon which has been considerably contributing to climate change. It is against this background that, the research works carried out in this present study is predominantly focusing on improving energy efficiency and reducing emission levels from diesel engines. This can be achieved with the help of atmospheric-plasma system which can offer a noble solution to the above-mentioned challenges due to its potential to improve combustion efficiency which leads to energy efficiency, while reducing emission levels from diesel engines. In this study, the performance and emissions of a diesel generator supplemented with an atmospheric-plasma system was examined. The diesel engine was used to examine the effects of fuel composition, or brake specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency and pollutant emissions at different plasma system voltages. To this end, we equally examined the effects of atmospheric-plasma system on energy efficiency improvement and emissions reduction from diesel engine as the main purpose of this study. We do so by testing the diesel-fueled engine generator under the atmospheric-plasma system. The tests were carried out at a constant state condition with the engine running at 2200 rpm with torque and power outputs of 10.4 Nm (75% of the max load) and 2.1 kW, separately, for the tested fuels and this was used to increase the output voltage of the plasma system during this study. The plasma system ionized the intake air and improved the formation of free radicals upon combustion. During this study, the output voltage of the plasma was set within the range of 0–7 kV. The experimental results have indicated that formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein account for more than 75% of total carbonyl compounds emissions. Simultaneously, it was also observed from the results that higher plasma system voltage reduces pollutants emissions levels. Hence, such reduction is predominantly evident for nitrogen oxides, particulate matters and carbon monoxide. However, the marginal improvements of engine performance and emissions reduction become insignificant when the plasma system voltage reaches 6 kV. On the other hand, increasing the amount of plasma system voltages in diesel engine continues to significantly reduce pollutant emissions. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Atmospheric plasma system saves energy and reducing emission levels. • Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein accounts for 75% of carbonyl compounds. • Higher plasma system voltage lowers pollutants emissions levels. • Improve engine performance as plasma system voltage reaches 6 kV. • PM concentration has been reduced considerably by higher plasma voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A carbazole derivative (COP) containing (trifluoromethyl)pyridine and oxadiazole and a carbazole derivative (COI) containing isoxazole and oxadiazole are synthesized, and their corresponding polymers (P(COP) and P(COI)) are electrosynthesized on a transparent conductive indium tin oxide glass surface using potentiostatic techniques. The P(COP) and P(COI) films exhibit reversible electrochemical and spectrochemical behaviors from the neutral-to-oxidized and oxidized-to-neutral states. The P(COP) is yellow ocher, grayish-green, and khaki green at 0.0, 1.4, and 1.5 V, respectively, whereas P(COI) is light grayish-green, light greenish-yellow, and light green at 0.2, 1.2, and 1.4 V, respectively, in solutions. The P(COP) demonstrates a transmittance change (Δ T = 40.1% at 1100 nm) and an adequate coloration efficiency (η = 162.1 cm2 C−1 at 1100 nm). Dual-layer polymeric electrochromic devices (ECDs) are fabricated using polycarbazoles containing oxadiazole and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProD) as the anodic and cathodic layers, respectively. The P(COI)/PProDBz 2 ECD displayed four color transitions (light bluish-gray, bluish-gray, xenon blue, and indigo) from the bleached to the colored state. Moreover, the P(COP)/PProDBz 2 ECD displays a considerable Δ T (48.0% at 624 nm), and the P(COI)/PProDBz 2 ECD displays a substantial coloration efficiency (η = 530.6 cm2 C−1 at 623 nm). In addition, polycarbazoles containing oxadiazole/PProD ECDs demonstrate high electrochemical redox stability and a short bleaching and coloring time. These findings indicate that polycarbazoles containing oxadiazole are promising electrochromic materials and can be used in multicolored and energy-saving ECDs. [Display omitted] • Two oxadiazole-containing polycarbazoles are electrosynthesized. • The P(COP) demonstrates a transmittance change (Δ T = 40.1% at 1100 nm). • P(COI)/PProDBz 2 ECD shows four color transitions (light bluish-gray, bluish-gray, xenon blue, and indigo). • P(COP)/PProDBz 2 ECD displays a considerable Δ T (48.0% at 624 nm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The immunotoxicity of engine exhausts is of high concern to human health due to the increasing prevalence of immune-related diseases. However, the evaluation of immunotoxicity of engine exhausts is currently based on expensive and time-consuming experiments. It is desirable to develop efficient methods for immunotoxicity assessment.Methods: To accelerate the development of safe alternative fuels, this study proposed a computational method for identifying informative features for predicting proinflammatory potentials of engine exhausts. A principal component regression (PCR) algorithm was applied to develop prediction models. The informative features were identified by a sequential backward feature elimination (SBFE) algorithm.Results: A total of 19 informative chemical and biological features were successfully identified by SBFE algorithm. The informative features were utilized to develop a computational method named FS-CBM for predicting proinflammatory potentials of engine exhausts. FS-CBM model achieved a high performance with correlation coefficient values of 0.997 and 0.943 obtained from training and independent test sets, respectively.Conclusions: The FS-CBM model was developed for predicting proinflammatory potentials of engine exhausts with a large improvement on prediction performance compared with our previous CBM model. The proposed method could be further applied to construct models for bioactivities of mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) decorated molybdenum carbide/polyaniline (MoC/PANI) nanohybrid material using a hydrothermal method followed by a high-temperature carbonization process. As-synthesized MoC/PANI/PdNPs nanohybrid material was characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, X-ray diffractometer, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy techniques. The developed nanohybrid material was coated over a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPE) to fabricate MoC/PANI/PdNPs/SPE and applied for the efficient electrooxidation of methanol (MeOH) under alkaline medium using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. The electrochemical behaviour of the developed electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of MeOH with high durability. The electrooxidation capability of the prepared electrode was compared with commercial 10% Pd/C and other recently reported electrocatalysts. The MoC/PANI/PdNPs/SPE showed superior electrocatalytic property due to specific surface morphology, intense surface area, and higher-mass activity over MoC/PdNPs/SPE, and Pd/C/SPE modified electrodes. Therefore, the fabricated MoC/PANI/PdNPs/SPE is proved to be an excellent electrocatalyst and alternative electrode material for direct MeOH fuel cell (DMFCs) applications in future energy technology. [Display omitted] • Fabrication of palladium-coated molybdenum carbide/polyaniline hybrid electrode. • Prepared electrode showed efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol for fuel cells. • MoC/PANI/PdNPs nanocomposite showed higher MEOR current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic ecosystems and potable water are being exploited and depleted due to urbanization and the encouragement of extensive industrialization, which induces the scarcity of pure water. However, current decontamination methods are limited and inefficient. Various innovative remediation strategies with novel nanomaterials have recently been demonstrated for wastewater treatment. Carbon dots (C-dots) and graphene quantum dots (GQ-dots) are the most recent frontiers in carbon nanomaterial-based adsorption studies. C-dots are extremely small (1–10 nm) quasi-spherical carbon nanoparticles (mostly sp3 hybridized carbon), whereas GQ-dots are fragments of graphene (1–20 nm) composed of primarily sp2 hybridized carbon. This article highlights the function of C-dots and GQ-dots with their specifications and characteristics for the efficient removal of organic and inorganic contaminants in water via adsorption chromatography. The alteration of adsorption attributes with the hybrid blending of these dots has been critically analyzed. Moreover, various top-down and bottom-up approaches for synthesizing C-dots and GQ-dots, which ultimately affect their morphology and structure, are described in detail. Finally, we review the research deficit in the adsorption of diverse pollutants, fabrication challenges, low molecular weight, self-agglomeration, and the future of the dots by providing research prospects and selectivity and sensitivity perspectives, the importance of post-adsorption optimization strategies and the path toward scalability at the tail of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repairing and regenerating damaged tissues or organs, and restoring their functioning has been the ultimate aim of medical innovations. 'Reviving healthcare' blends tissue engineering with alternative techniques such as hydrogels, which have emerged as vital tools in modern medicine. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a practical manufacturing revolution that uses building strategies like molding as a viable solution for precise hydrogel manufacturing. Recent advances in this technology have led to the successful manufacturing of hydrogels with enhanced reproducibility, accuracy, precision, and ease of fabrication. Hydrogels continue to metamorphose as the vital compatible bio-ink matrix for AM. AM hydrogels have paved the way for complex 3D/4D hydrogels that can be loaded with drugs or cells. Bio-mimicking 3D cell cultures designed via hydrogel-based AM is a groundbreaking in-vivo assessment tool in biomedical trials. This brief review focuses on preparations and applications of additively manufactured hydrogels in the biomedical spectrum, such as targeted drug delivery, 3D-cell culture, numerous regenerative strategies, biosensing, bioprinting, and cancer therapies. Prevalent AM techniques like extrusion, inkjet, digital light processing, and stereo-lithography have been explored with their setup and methodology to yield functional hydrogels. The perspectives, limitations, and the possible prospects of AM hydrogels have been critically examined in this study. [Display omitted] • Precise, functional, and biocompatible 3D/4D hydrogel designing via additive manufacturing. • Exploration of AM-hydrogel impact on bio-medics/printing/medical designing and3D cultures. • Extrusion, inkjet, DLP, and SLA-based futuristic hydrogel designing basics and mechanism. • Tissue regeneration strategy in cartilage, cardiac, and spinal tissues with wound healing. • Targeted drug delivery and cancer therapy-directional cytotoxicity, biosensors application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two N -(thiophen-2-ylmethylene)aniline- and N -(thiazol-2-ylmethylene)aniline-containing poly(dithienylpyrrole)s (PTA and PZA) are deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates and their electrochemical, spectral, and electrochromic performances are characterized. PTA and PZA display reversible multicolor chromism in the UV–Vis–NIR region. PTA is ocher, olive, slate grey, and bluish-grey at −0.2, 0.8, 1.0, and 1.2 V, respectively, whereas PZA is terreous, coffee, grey, and deep grey at −0.2, 0.2, 1.0, and 1.4 V, respectively. Kinetic investigations of polymeric films display the transmittance change (Δ Τ) of PTA and PZA between the doped and undoped state is 35.4% at 1286 nm and 31.2% at 1218 nm, respectively. PZA attains a high coloration efficiency (η = 218.8 cm2 C−1 at 1218 nm) in a liquid solution. Bilayer electrochromic devices (ECDs) based on PTA (or PZA) as anodic polymer and PProDOTEt 2 (or PProDOTBz 2) as cathodic polymer were fabricated. The Δ T of PTA/PProDOTBz 2 and PZA/PProDOTBz 2 ECDs between the bleached and colored state is 70.2% at 622 nm and 64.7% at 622 nm, respectively. Moreover, four ECDs display short response time and multichromic reversible redox behaviors, indicating that PTA and PZA are promising candidates for future electrochromic and optoelectronic applications. A PZA/PProDOTBz 2 ECD presents high Δ T (64.7% at 622 nm) and high η (769.6 cm2 C−1 at 622 nm). [Display omitted] • Two dithienylpyrroles (TA and ZA) are prepared using paal–knorr and Schiff's base reactions. • A thiazole-containing polydithienylpyrrole (PZA) shows color variations ranging from terreous, coffee, grey to deep grey. • PTA/PProDOTBz 2 ECD attains high Δ T max (70.2%). • PZA/PProDOTBz 2 ECD presents high η (769.6 cm2 C−1 at 622 nm). • ECDs display adequate redox cycling stability and reversible multichromic behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first report showing reduction of particle matter and PAHs from incense burning by addition of oyster shell. Worshiping ancestors and gods by burning incense sticks and joss paper is a very important tradition in many Asian regions. More than 45 % of families in Taiwan burn incense twice a day. Unlike joss paper burning, most of the incense burning occurs indoors, thus creating a risk for human health. Previous reports have indeed evidenced toxicity of incense, notably due to particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, there are few methods to reduce particle matter and PAHs from incense burning. We hypothesize that oyster shell may be used to reduce incense fumes toxicity. Indeed a large amount of unused oyster shell is discarded due to increasing seafood consumption. Here, two types of incense were made in the laboratory, and then 5-30 % of oyster shells were added to the incense to study the reduction of particle matter and PAHs. Results show that reduction of particle matter and PAH emission increased with oyster shell addition. The reduction of emission factors is −35 % for mean particle matter, −21 % for particle-phase PAHs, and −37 % for benzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration (BaP), using 30 % oyster shell additive. The addition of 10 % oyster shell reduces the burning time by 8.3 min, increases the burning rate by 3.4 mg/min, and reduces particle matter by 6.4 mg/g incense, particle-phase PAHs by 0.67 μg/g incense, and BaP by 0.23 μg/g incense. The reductions of particle matter, particle-phase PAHs, and BaP correspond to about 640 metric tons, 67, and 23 kg, respectively, per year. Our findings will help to produce safer and cleaner incense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]