This study reports on the unique water vapor adsorption properties of biomass-derived starch particles (SPs). SPs offer an alternative desiccant for air-to-air energy exchangers in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems because of their remarkable adsorption-desorption performance. SP has a particle diameter ( ) of 15 μm with a surface area (SA) of 2.89 m/g and a pore width ( ) of 80 Å. Microporous starch particles (SP) were compared with high amylose starch (HAS; SA = 0.56 m/g, = 15 μm, = 46 Å) and silica gel (SG; SA = 478 m/g, = 13 μm, = 62 Å). Transient water vapor tests were performed using a customized small-scale energy exchanger coated with SP, HAS, and SG. The water swelling (%) for SP was ca. 2 orders of magnitude greater with markedly higher (ca. three- and six-fold) water vapor uptake compared to HAS and SG, respectively. At similar desiccant coating levels on the energy exchanger, the latent effectiveness of the SP system was much improved (4-31%) over the HAS and SG systems at controlled operating conditions. SP is a unique desiccant material with high affinity for water vapor and superior adsorption properties where ca. 98% regeneration was achieved under mild conditions. Therefore, SPs display unique adsorption-desorption properties, herein referred to as the "Goldilocks effect". This contribution reports on the utility of SPs as promising desiccant coatings in air-to-air energy exchangers for ventilation systems or as advanced materials for potential water/energy harvesting applications.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b00131 | DOI Listing |
J Food Sci
January 2025
Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Alternatives to nonbiodegradable synthetic plastics for food packaging include films made from biopolymers that are nontoxic and environment-friendly. In this study, carnauba wax (CW) and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NG) as functional additives were utilized in the production of pectin/gelatin (PG) film. NG was synthesized through the microwave method, using acetic acid as the carbon source, giving size, and zeta potential of 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Horiz
January 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, National Institute for Advanced Materials, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Recent advances in interfacial solar steam generation have made direct solar desalination a promising approach for providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly clean water solutions. However, developing highly effective, salt-resistant solar absorbers for long-term desalination at high efficiencies and evaporation rates remains a significant challenge. We present a Janus hydrogel-based absorber featuring a surface modified with thermo-responsive hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and a hydrogel matrix containing photothermal conversion units, MXene, specifically designed for long-term seawater desalination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
January 2025
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran.
In order to lower total energy consumption, this study focuses on optimizing energy use in refinery boilers. Using Aspen HYSYS simulations and modeling approaches like Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM), data from 579 days of boiler operation was gathered and examined. Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) techniques were used in the ANN modeling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Technol Biotechnol
December 2024
Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Jalan Universiti 1, 43400, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Research Background: Anthocyanin pigments in mangosteen pericarp can serve as natural colourants; however, their stability is compromised by enzymatic browning caused by polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Thus, this study aims to investigate how hot water and steam blanching affect the PPO activity, phenolic profile and antioxidant properties of mangosteen pericarp.
Experimental Approach: Fresh mangosteen pericarp was blanched in hot water or steam at 100 °C for 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 s and the residual PPO activity, total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanins, antioxidant activity, browning index and colour properties were evaluated.
ACS Omega
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Offshore Oil Exploitation, Beijing 100028, China.
Shale barriers negatively impact thermal recovery processes of oil sand or ultraheavy oil, particularly during the rising stage of SAGD, by affecting oil flow, steam chamber evolution, and heat distribution. Existing mathematical models for the rising stage of SAGD often overlook the influence of shale barriers on the evolution of the steam chamber and heat distribution. This study includes experiments to investigate the impact of a single shale barrier above the production well during the rising stage of the SAGD.
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