Opportunities for nanomaterials in more sustainable aviation.

New materials for electrical conductors, energy storage, thermal management, and structural elements are required for increased electrification and non-fossil fuel use in transport. Appropriately assembled as macrostructures, nanomaterials can fill these gaps. Here, we critically review the materials science challenges to bridge the scale between the nanomaterials and the large-area components required for applications.

Silicon nanowire aqueous dispersions for processing into macroscopic network materials.

Nanowires and other high aspect ratio nanoparticles are building blocks to form network materials in formats such as films, sheets, fibres and electrodes that thus bridge the nano and macro scales. The assembly of nanowire network materials is enabled by a new floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition synthesis method that produces crystalline silicon nanowires (SiNW) on a scale of grams per day. Here, we produce SiNW dispersions in water by sonication through steric and electrostatic stabilisation of the negatively charged particles in basic pH or with cationic surfactants.

Joule Heating in Controlled Atmospheres to Process Nanocarbon/Transition Metal Oxide Composites and Electrodes.

Composites of nanocarbons and transition metal oxides combine excellent mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity with high capacitive active sites. These composites are promising for applications such as electrochemical energy conversion and storage, catalysis, and sensing. Here, we show that Joule heating can be used as a rapid out-of-oven thermal processing technique to crystallize the inorganic metal oxide matrix within a carbon nanotube fabric (CNTf) composite.

Synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of oilfield-produced water by electrospun photocatalytic fibers of Polystyrene/Nanorod-Graphitic carbon nitride.

Graphitic carbon nitride with nanorod structure (Nr-GCN) was synthesized using melamine as a precursor without any other reagents by hydrothermal pretreatment method. XRD, FTIR, SEM, N adsorption-desorption from BET, UV-Vis DRS spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were used to characterize the prepared samples. Also, the photoelectrochemical behavior of nanoparticles was studied by photocurrent transient response and cyclic voltammetry analysis.

Saline wastewater treatment by bioelectrochemical process (BEC) based on Al-electrocoagulation and halophilic bacteria: optimization using ANN with new approach.

In the present study, a bioelectrochemical reactor (BEC) was utilized to treat two types of real saline produced water (PW). BEC was designed based on the combination of electrocoagulation (EC) process with halophilic microorganisms, and it was assessed in terms of biodegradation of hydrocarbons. The effects of various operating parameters including the current density, electrical contact time (On/Off), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and total dissolved solids (TDS) at different levels on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, settleability, and performance of isolated halophilic microorganisms were examined.

Gas-to-nanotextile: high-performance materials from floating 1D nanoparticles.

Suspended in the gas phase, 1D inorganic nanoparticles (nanotubes and nanowires) grow to hundreds of microns in a second and can be thus directly assembled into freestanding network materials. The corresponding process continuously transforms gas precursors into aerosols into aerogels into macroscopic nanotextiles. By enabling the assembly of very high aspect ratio nanoparticles, this processing route has translated into high-performance structural materials, transparent conductors and battery anodes, amongst other embodiments.

Processing of Composite Electrodes of Carbon Nanotube Fabrics and Inorganic Matrices via Rapid Joule Heating.

Composites of nanocarbon network structures are interesting materials, combining mechanical properties and electrical conductivity superior to those of granular systems. Hence, they are envisaged to have applications as electrodes for energy storage and transfer. Here, we show a new processing route using Joule heating for a nanostructured network composite of carbon nanotube (CNT) fabrics and an inorganic phase (namely, MoS), and then study the resulting structure and properties.

Highly Oriented Direct-Spun Carbon Nanotube Textiles Aligned by In Situ Radio-Frequency Fields.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) individually exhibit exceptional physical properties, surpassing state-of-the-art bulk materials, but are used commercially primarily as additives rather than as a standalone macroscopic product. This limited use of bulk CNT materials results from the inability to harness the superb nanoscale properties of individual CNTs into macroscopic materials. CNT alignment within a textile has been proven as a critical contributor to narrow this gap.

Synthesis, characterization, and application of α-Fe O @TiO @SO H photo-Fenton catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of biologically pre-treated wood industry wastewater.

The efficiency of removing chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity from wood wastewater was investigated using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and the photo-Fenton process. A total of 94.78% of COD reduction and 99.

Controlling reaction paths for ultra-fast growth of inorganic nanowires floating in the gas phase.

Synthesis of inorganic nanowires/nanotubes suspended in the gas through floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition (FCCVD) produces exceptional growth rates of 5-1000 micron per second, several orders of magnitude faster than conventional substrate processes. It leads to nanowire lengths >100 microns and thus to the possibility of direct assembly into freestanding macroscopic networks as a continuous process. This work studies the different reaction paths controlling conversion and selectivity in FCCVD applied to the synthesis of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) from silane, grown through an aerosol of gold catalyst nanoparticles.

Preparation and application of α-FeO@TiO@SOH for photocatalytic degradation and COD reduction of woodchips industry wastewater.

In this study, we investigated the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction from woodchips industry wastewater using α-FeO@TiO@SOH. A magnetic α-FeO@TiO@SOH was prepared as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and elemental mapping (MAP) analyses were performed to determine the structure and morphology of synthesized photocatalysts.

Removal of TCOD and phosphate from slaughterhouse wastewater using Fenton as a post-treatment of an UASB reactor.

A pilot was designed to study the removal efficiencies of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and phosphate by a combined biological and chemical method. Two stages of Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and advanced oxidation processes was operated in batch mode. The UASB reactor was operated with hydraulic retention time of 26 h.

Application of isolated halophilic microorganisms suspended and immobilized on walnut shell as biocarrier for treatment of oilfield produced water.

Salinity expressed as total dissolved solids (TDS), is the most challenging parameter in bioremediation of produced water which may inhibit the microbial activities and cause sedimentation problems. The present study explores the feasibility of using walnut shell as an inexpensive and accessible adsorbent-carrier for the immobilization of isolated halophilic microorganisms for treatment of synthetic oilfield produced water. The moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was examined with influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations from 900 to 3600 mg L, TDS concentrations from 35,000-200,000 mg L, and cycle times from 24 to 72 h.

Treatment of wood industry wastewater by combined coagulation-flocculation-decantation and fenton process.

In the present research, the efficiency of turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction from the wood industry wastewater (WIW) by the use of a combined coagulation-flocculation-decantation (CFD) - Fenton process was studied. Firstly, the performance of three coagulants such as ferric chloride (FeCl ), aluminum sulphate (alum), and polyaluminum chloride (PACl) was evaluated. The polyacrylamide (PAM) was used as a flocculant.

Biological treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater: kinetic modeling and prediction of effluent.

In this study three modeling approaches consisting Modified Stover-Kincannon, multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPANN) and B-Spline quasi interpolation were applied in order to predict effluent of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and also to find the reaction kinetics. At first run, the average total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) removal efficiency was 48.3% with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 26 h and 63.

Coagulation/Fenton oxidation combined treatment of compost leachate using quince seed mucilage as an effective biocoagulant.

In this study, quince seed mucilage (QSM) has been introduced as a novel biocoagulant for the pretreatment of leachate obtained from a composting facility. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study and optimize the effect of pH, QSM dosage and time on the coagulation performance. At the optimum conditions using 1370 mg L of QSM at pH 3.

Preparation and application of α-FeO@MIL-101(Cr)@TiO based on metal-organic framework for photocatalytic degradation of paraquat.

In this study, a new magnetic α-FeO@MIL-101(Cr)@TiO photocatalyst was successfully synthesized. The material synthesized had been fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm methods. The X-ray diffraction analysis corroborates that nanoparticles are polycrystalline with rhombohedral and tetragonal crystal structures for FeO and TiO, respectively.

Efficiency evaluation of the membrane/AOPs for paper mill wastewater treatment.

The treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewater by combining an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) was investigated at a bench scale. In the present study, the effects of impressive parameters on membrane fouling such as CaCl (mg/L), pH, and temperature (°C) were studied using response surface methodology (RSM). According to the results yielded, at the temperature of 45°C, pH of 10 and CaCl concentration of 400 mg/L, the fouling reached its minimum (32%).

Synthesis of NiMnO3/C nano-composite electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors.

Demand for high-performance energy storage materials has motivated research activities to develop nano-engineered composites that benefit from both high-rate and high-capacitance materials. Herein, NiMnO3 (NMO) nanoparticles have been synthesized through a facile co-precipitation method. As-prepared NMO samples are then employed for the synthesis of nano-composites with graphite (Gr) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO).

Facile synthesis of nanostructured CuCo2O4 as a novel electrode material for high-rate supercapacitors.

CuCo2O4 nanostructures were synthesized through a facile solution combustion method. Electrochemical investigations demonstrate a novel electrode material for supercapacitors with remarkable performance including high-rate capability, high-power density (22.11 kW kg(-1)) and desirable cycling stability at different current densities.

Morphologically controlled preparation of CuO nanostructures under ultrasound irradiation and their evaluation as pseudocapacitor materials.

Various morphologies of copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures have been synthesized by controlling the reaction parameters in a sonochemical assisted method without using any templates or surfactants. The effect of reaction parameters including molar ratio of the reactants, reaction temperature, ultrasound exposure time, and annealing temperature on the composition and morphology of the product(s) has been investigated. The prepared samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Modeling of membrane bioreactor treating hypersaline oily wastewater by artificial neural network.

A membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) treating hypersaline oily wastewater was modeled by artificial neural network (ANN). The MSBR operated at different total dissolved solids (TDSs) (35,000; 50,000; 100,000; 150,000; 200,000; 250,000mg/L), various organic loading rates (OLRs) (0.281, 0.

Biological treatment of produced water in a sequencing batch reactor by a consortium of isolated halophilic microorganisms.

Produced water or oilfield wastewater is the largest volume ofa waste stream associated with oil and gas production. The aim of this study was to investigate the biological pretreatment of synthetic and real produced water in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to remove hydrocarbon compounds. The SBR was inoculated with isolated tropical halophilic microorganisms capable of degrading crude oil.

Application of membrane-coupled sequencing batch reactor for oilfield produced water recycle and beneficial re-use.

Oil and gas field wastewater or produced water is a significant waste stream in the oil and gas industries. In this study, the performance of a membrane sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) and membrane sequencing batch reactor/reverse osmosis (MSBR/RO) process treating produced wastewater were investigated and compared. The MSBR was operated in different hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 8, 20 and 44 h.

Review of technologies for oil and gas produced water treatment.

Produced water is the largest waste stream generated in oil and gas industries. It is a mixture of different organic and inorganic compounds. Due to the increasing volume of waste all over the world in the current decade, the outcome and effect of discharging produced water on the environment has lately become a significant issue of environmental concern.