Green Chemical Engineering最新文献

Antimicrobial materials are a crucial component in eradicating and managing the spread of infectious diseases. They are expected to act on a broad-spectrum of microbes, including emerging pathogens which could cause the next Disease X. Herein, we reassessed a series of antimicrobial imidazolium polymers on our shelves and uncovered extended functionality through dual modes of action. By redesigning their structures, a truly broad-spectrum antimicrobial material with optimized activity against bacteria (G ​+ve, G -ve) and fungi, as well as enveloped and non-enveloped viruses was developed. We demonstrated that the imidazolium polymer exhibits dual modes of function against microbes: targeting the microbial membrane and binding DNA. The latter DNA binding affinity was found to be key against non-enveloped viruses. With this insight, we designed small molecule compounds that exhibited optimum broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and excellent efficacy against ESKAPE group of pathogens that are responsible for some of the deadliest nosocomial infections worldwide. Our results could also shed light on the design of broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds against Disease X.

Green solvents such as water and ionic liquids (ILs) are pillars of the great mansion of green chemistry and green processing. Initially proposed as a new family of ILs, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have received fast development in the past two decades. In this contribution, DESs are reviewed critically and the concept is extended to low-melting mixture solvents (LoMMSs), which cover all kinds of materials including ionic compounds, molecular compounds, and metals. Six classes of LoMMSs are proposed as the new classification system and examples are given. Finally, several thermodynamic issues concerning LoMMSs are discussed. Two new concepts, robustness of LoMMSs and high-entropy LoMMSs, are proposed.

Cooling water systems (CWSs) are extensively utilized in various industries to eliminate the excess heat and converse energy. Studies on CWSs mainly concentrated on finding the optimal cooler network structure. In addition, some works also considered the optimal design under varied operation conditions. However, in these works, once the optimal design of the cooler's network is determined, its arrangement remains fixed and cannot be adapted to accommodate diverse operating conditions. In this work, a flexible topology network concept is proposed to make the adjustment of network structure possible under different operation conditions. The CWS with integrated air cooler and flexible topology network has better overall performance, represented by a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model that require advanced tools such as GAMS software. Case studies revealed that the proposed methodology can realize better energy-saving performance, and improve the economic performance under varied operation conditions. The impact of critical flexible nodes on system configuration and economy is achieved by sensitivity analysis.

Microalgae cultivation in photobioreactors (PBRs) has emerged as a promising and sustainable approach to address various environmental and energy challenges, offering a multitude of benefits across diverse applications. Recent developments in microalgae cultivation in photobioreactors have contributed substantially to the development and optimization of sustainable bioprocesses. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of recent innovations and breakthroughs in the field of microalgae cultivation, with a specific focus on their application in photobioreactors, aimed at paving the way for a greener future. This study in-depth examines the advantages of microalgae cultivation in photobioreactors, concentrating on its effectiveness in wastewater treatment, CO₂ bioremediation, and the production of biofuels and high-value products. The review evaluates the effects of light, solar irradiation, temperature, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in culture media, CO₂ concentrations, and pH on microalgae growth performance, including specific growth and biomass productivity. The study also examines open systems like unstirred ponds, raceway ponds, and circular ponds and closed systems like horizontal tubular, vertical bubble-column, airlift, flat panel, and plastic-bag photobioreactors, comparing their pros and cons. To optimize microalgae cultivation, key factors in photobioreactor design, including photosynthetic efficiencies, light/dark (L/D) cycles, CO₂ concentrations, mass transfer, hydrodynamics behavior, and pH, are extensively investigated. In addition, the review outlines recent developments in large-scale photobioreactors and highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with photobioreactor scale-up and design parameter optimization, including genetic engineering and economic feasibility. This article is a vital resource for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals seeking sustainable bioprocesses and the application of microalgae-based technologies.

In order to improve the electrical conductivity of nylon 6 (PA6) and avoid misfires and explosions caused by static charge accumulation, a quaternary ammonium salt polyionic liquid (PIL) antistatic agent was synthesized in this paper. The surface resistance of PA6 was reduced to 10⁸ Ω with the addition of 2 wt% antistatic agent, and the mechanical properties and aging resistance of the substrate were improved. Meanwhile, the morphology and crystallinity of PIL/PA6 composites were further characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is worth noting that the quaternary ammonium salt polyionic liquid antistatic agent synthesized in this paper has the advantages of excellent antistatic effect, durability, low cost, and simple reaction condition, so it has a broad application prospect in the antistatic aspect of PA6.

With more and more lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) being put into production and application, precious metals such as lithium and cobalt are scarce, so it is imminent to recover various strategic metal resources from spent LIBs. Meanwhile, the complex and difficult problem of separating and recovering metals from leaching solutions has been an urgent question that needs to be resolved. In this work, a phosphoric acid-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) was developed for extracting metals from spent LIBs and one-step selectively separating and efficiently recovering transition metal. The prepared DES shows excellent extraction performance for Li (100%) and Co (92.8%) at 100 °C. In addition, the extraction system can effectively separate and precipitate Co through its own components, avoiding the introduction of new precipitants and the destruction of the original composition structure of DES. This also contributes to the good cycle stability of the extraction system with excellent extraction performance for Li (94.3%) and Co (80.8%) after 5 cycles. This work proposes a green method for one-step selectively separating and recovering valuable metals from spent LIBs.

CO₂ conversion is gradually seen as a better way for society to effectively use carbon sources and avoid climate crisis associated with fossil CO₂ emissions. And the decision to deploy CO₂ technology scale should be relied on its environmental impact. In this work, life cycle assessment model evaluates the environmental performance of CO₂ conversion by photocatalytic reaction process with two different catalysts (NiAl-LDH and Co-ZIF-9). Six impact categories considered in this analysis, including climate change, acidification potential, depletion of abiotic resources, eutrophication potential, ozone layer depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential. Results indicated that CO₂ conversion with Co-ZIF-9 photocatalyst has a better environmental impact than the NiAl-LDH photocatalyst route. Moreover, the Co-ZIF-9 catalyst scenario also has a lower total environmental burden than the conventional CO production route. Sensitivity analysis shows that recycle performance of the catalyst is highly sensitive to the production process in two scenarios. This study could provide a framework for robust decisions in CO₂ conversion by photocatalytic reaction, which is useful for policymakers to decide the feasibility of industrialization.

With the intensifying challenge of global warming driven largely by anthropogenic activities, effective greenhouse gas capture techniques are critical. This paper focuses on the role of deep eutectic solvents (DES) as promising agents for such capture at the source. We review the key DES-based methods for greenhouse gas capture, drawing conclusions from a thorough analysis of the existing literature. In particular, we examine the effect of DES structure on gas solubilities and explore the mechanism of gas solubility in DES through molecular simulation. We present a synthesis of state-of-the-art results in this area, assessing the potential of DES as an alternative to current industrial gas capture methods. Furthermore, we propose future research directions for the design of novel DES tailored to more specific applications.