Chem & Bio Engineering最新文献

Solution absorption is a straightforward and efficient method for ozone treatment, but waste from inactive absorption solutions poses a risk of secondary pollution and raises the operating cost. Therefore, developing a sustainable recycling process for the absorption solution is essential for green ozone removal. In this study, we constructed a novel I^-/IO₃ ^- cycling system induced by electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis to facilitate the reduction of KIO₃ in KI/KOH ozone absorption solution, thereby enabling absorption solution recycling. The stable operation of this system relies on high-performance cathode materials. By adjusting the concentration of oxygen vacancies on TiO₂, we reduced the energy barrier for IO₃ ^- reduction, optimized IO₃ ^- adsorption on the electrode surface, and improved the band gap structure of the electrode material, resulting in a TiO_2-x cathode with good IO₃ ^- reduction reaction (IO₃RR) performance. Notably, this method achieves an ozone removal cost of $3.72 per kilogram, only one-third of the cost associated with conventional catalytic ozone decomposition. This approach provides a promising new direction for green and efficient ozone removal.

Bio-based plastics offer the advantage of biodegradability over traditional petroleum-based plastics, enabling natural reintegration into the environment and positioning them as a more sustainable alternative. DNA, as a natural biopolymer, exhibits excellent biocompatibility and degradability. However, the mechanical strength of currently biomass DNA-based materials is inferior to that of other bio-based and petroleum-based plastics. In this work, DNA plastics with a ″brick-and-mortar" structure were fabricated using DNA extracted from onions through bidirectional freezing, water vapor annealing, and compression densification. This biomimetic design significantly enhances the fracture toughness (∼1.5 MPa·m^1/2) while possessing a high elastic modulus (∼560 MPa) of DNA plastic, making it superior or comparable to existing bio-based plastics and petroleum-based plastics, and thus positioning it as a potential structural material. Analysis of crack propagation behavior in DNA plastics reveals that their high toughness stems from a hierarchical ″brick-and-mortar″ structure operating across multiple length scales, facilitating a multiscale fracture process from macroscopic to molecular levels. Furthermore, these DNA plastics can be efficiently recycled in aqueous environments and fully biodegraded by enzymes, demonstrating strong environmental friendliness and significant potential for sustainable development.

Extensive applications of aqueous zinc iodine batteries (AZIBs) are hindered by the sluggish iodine redox reaction and shuttling effect of the polyiodides. In this study, amorphous cobalt phosphide grown on activated carbon (ACoP@C) was proposed as an iodine host material to address these issues. Specifically, the ACoP@C can offer numerous iodine anchoring sites and proposed electrocatalytic properties, which significantly reduce shuttling and enhance the conversion kinetics of iodine species. Additionally, the conductive carbon substrate with abundant porous channels facilitates rapid and continuous long-range electron and ion transport. As a result, the ACoP@C/I₂ cathode demonstrated high capacities of 173.7 mA h g^–1 at 0.1 A g^–1 and 99.0 mA h g^–1 at 5.0 A g^–1, along with a stable long cycle capacity of 80.0 mA h g^–1 over 850 cycles at 1.0 A g^–1. Moreover, UV spectroscopy and electrochemical measurements revealed enhanced redox mechanisms of the iodine species. This study provides valuable insights for the design and development of efficient amorphous catalyst materials for future AZIBs.

As the chemical industry shifts toward sustainable practices, there is a growing initiative to replace conventional fossil-derived solvents with environmentally friendly alternatives such as ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a key role in the discovery and design of novel solvents and the development of green processes. This review explores the latest advancements in AI-assisted solvent screening with a specific focus on machine learning (ML) models for physicochemical property prediction and separation process design. Additionally, this paper highlights recent progress in the development of automated high-throughput (HT) platforms for solvent screening. Finally, this paper discusses the challenges and prospects of ML-driven HT strategies for green solvent design and optimization. To this end, this review provides key insights to advance solvent screening strategies for future chemical and separation processes.

The characteristics of gas production in sediments are crucial to the safe and efficient exploitation of gas hydrate resources. However, research on methane hydrate dissociation in these sediments, particularly in silty-clayey sediments, which are commonly found in nature, remains limited and contains significant gaps. To address this, a series of depressurization experiments were conducted to investigate the dissociation behavior of methane hydrate in silty-clayey sediments with montmorillonite contents ranging from 0 to 20 wt %. The results indicate that montmorillonite significantly inhibits methane hydrate dissociation. When the montmorillonite content increases from 10 to 20 wt %, the average dissociation rate of methane hydrate decreases by approximately 47%-78% compared to sandy sediments. An excess temperature drop of around 0.13 to 0.40 K was observed in the depressurization process as the montmorillonite content increased from 10 to 20 wt %. Methane hydrate dissociates unevenly in montmorillonite clay-bearing sediments due to the nonuniform distribution of the methane hydrate, coupled with the low thermal conductivity and high-water absorption capacity of montmorillonite, which restrict the supply of extra heat. The electrical resistance changes further reveal that the increased bound water content in clayey sediments reduces the impact of water fluctuation on the resistivity changes. Consequently, the resistivity changes in sandy sediments are more pronounced compared to silty-clayey sediments. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing methane hydrate production technology via depressurization.