Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering最新文献

A perspective is given on the status and outlook of enabling technologies for process intensification in pharmaceutical research and manufacturing. We focus on three areas: photochemical, ultrasound, and microwave technologies that are, to date, underutilized in the pharmaceutical industry. Herein, we present a review of recent scientific and technological advances in each area with the objective to provide insight and highlight potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry. A perspective is also provided on barriers that must still be overcome to achieve the potential real-world application of these technologies.

The consensus of removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the environment is widely recognized and enlightened by the near-zero standards released from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023. The only way to achieve the goal of zero fluoro-pollution is to fully defluorinate or mineralize PFAS, but current technologies only partially defluorinate a limited number of PFAS, which can lead to the creation of potentially more toxic short-chain intermediates. Therefore, we discuss herein the need to broaden the scope of tested PFAS, summarize the state-of-the-art degradation technologies, and provide perspectives to achieve complete defluorination. Besides fundamental knowledge gaps in defluorination reactions, technological gaps in the aspects of water matrix effects, pilot tests, and cost analysis also limit the application and comparison of different treatment technologies. This work would shed light on further research to find solutions in the complete defluorination of PFAS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent and widespread contaminants that occur in many unconventional water resources at concentrations preventing the water’s use for beneficial purposes. Electrochemical oxidation, low-temperature plasma treatment, and sonolysis are three advanced water treatment technologies that have recently become commercially available for PFAS destruction. Specific treatment aspects that depend on both water quality and water quantity define each technology’s own niche in fit-for-purpose applications. With the shared ability to destroy PFAS down to very low parts-per-trillion levels, these three water treatment technologies offer practical and field-ready solutions to tap into the great wealth of unconventional water resources.

The remediation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water continues to garner significant attention due to their environmental persistence and adverse health effects. Among the various PFAS remediation methods, photoinduced approaches have recently emerged as promising techniques for the degradation of these persistent contaminants. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the detailed mechanisms in these photoinduced methods as well as the best ways to leverage these approaches for PFAS degradation. In this review, we provide an update on recent experimental and theoretical developments in photoinduced PFAS degradation techniques over the past 2–5 years. We conclude with a perspective of promising research directions in this vibrant area and give recommendations on future experimental and computational approaches needed to further advance these photoinduced remediation capabilities.

Electrochemical interfaces exist in diverse electrochemical devices, and the performance of these devices is directly related to the physical and chemical properties of the interface. However, it is difficult to in situ measure and characterize the structure and properties of electrochemical interfaces in experimental conditions. It is necessary to develop methods that can describe interface behavior to reveal the relationship between electrochemical interfaces and device performance. Fluid density functional theory (FDFT) stands out for its function to accurately describe the complex interface phenomena during the electrochemical process. A series of research methods based on FDFT continues to emerge. In this perspective, the development history and applications in various fields of FDFT are summarized, including time-dependent FDFT, reaction-coupled FDFT, and quantum density functional theory combined FDFT (i.e. joint density functional theory). By comparing the similarities and differences of different methods, we hope our work could further promote the long-term development of electrochemical interface models and methods.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) have received soaring interest in environmental applications due to their ultrahigh atomic efficiency and drastically reduced metal loading. In this review, we summarized the preliminary efforts in applying SACs for heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO). Mechanistic analyses revealed a creditable consensus that highly dispersed active single atoms can accelerate the decomposition of ozone (O₃) into surface-adsorbed *O and free O₂. However, the activity of SAC toward O₃ decomposition varies, depending on the central metal species and coordination environment. In this review, we discussed the synthesis and characterization of SACs, emphasizing their application and catalytic regimes in HCO. Also, limitations and prospects of SAC-based HCO were proposed to shed light on future studies.

Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs) have been considered as highly competitive candidates for next-generation sustainable electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices due to their high theoretical specific energy density, low cost, high safety, and high metal abundance. However, the sluggish reaction kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the air cathode lead to high polarization, low efficiency, and nondurability circulation of rechargeable ZABs. Carbon-based non-noble single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been identified as promising bifunctional ORR/OER catalysts due to their maximum metal atom utilization efficiency, well-defined atomic geometry, high electrical conductivity, and flexibility. In this review, we reveal the advantages of carbon-based SACs on constructing non-novel ORR/OER bifunctional catalysts and present their application in ZABs. Finally, the summary and outlook are discussed with the aim of providing an essential guide for the development of rechargeable ZABs.

Owing to their ultrahigh utilization of active sites, single-atom catalysts (SACs) with electronic features that depend on metal centers and coordination microenvironments are fantastic materials for catalyzing the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Catalytic active sites in SACs and the corresponding mechanisms in PMS systems are essential to exploring and increasing performance. In this review, SACs for PMS-activated AOPs include Fe–SACs, Co–SACs, and other metal–SACs are introduced with their coordination microenvironments. The main mechanisms and pathways of these SACs activating PMS are further summarized and discussed. Finally, the challenges and research need of SACs are emphasized.