The distribution of valuable metals in gasification of metal-containing residues from mechanical recycling of end-of-life vehicles and electronic waste.

In the recycling of metal-containing wastes such as end-of-life vehicles (ELV), residues are generated in the mechanical pre-treatment stage. Beside organics which is the main part of the residues, they also contain metals that physical separation has not been able to separate. As the current treatment of residues is disposal through thermal processing, the process is not optimized from the point of view of metal's recovery.

Development of a CFD-DEM Model for a 1 MW Chemical Looping Gasification Pilot Plant Using Biogenic Residues as Feedstock.

Chemical looping gasification (CLG) is a novel dual fluidized bed gasification process that enables the conversion of solid feedstocks to a nitrogen-free syngas through in situ air separation, avoiding a costly air separation unit. While there have been recent advances in experimental studies, modeling of CLG is almost exclusively restricted to lab-scale units or 1D models. In this study, a 3D CFD-DEM model of a 1 MW fuel reactor for the conversion of solid biomass was developed.

Compliant Lattice Modulations Enable Anomalous Elasticity in Ni-Mn-Ga Martensite.

High mobility of twin boundaries in modulated martensites of Ni-Mn-Ga-based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys holds a promise for unique magnetomechanical applications. This feature has not been fully understood so far, and in particular, it has yet not been unveiled what makes the lattice mechanics of modulated Ni-Mn-Ga specifically different from other martensitic alloys. Here, results of dedicated laser-ultrasonic measurements on hierarchically twinned five-layer modulated (10M) crystals fill this gap.

Effect of electron acceptors on electricity production and desalination of caspian sea water using microbial desalination cells.

The Microbial Desalination Cell (MDC) stands out as an innovative and a sustainable technology for both renewable energy generation and water treatment. The choice of electron acceptor significantly influences the efficiency of electricity flow. This study focuses on exploring the MDC performance under different conditions, including variations in cathode electron acceptors, initial pH levels, and hydraulic retention time (HRT).

A review of plastic waste nanocomposites: assessment of features and applications.

Hundreds of millions of metric tons of plastic waste are generated globally every year. Processing waste into secondary raw material is preferred over energy production and landfilling. However, mechanical recycling generally deteriorates the properties of plastic waste limiting its range of potential applications.

Assessing the relationship between malaria incidence levels and meteorological factors using cluster-integrated regression.

This paper introduces a novel approach to modeling malaria incidence in Nigeria by integrating clustering strategies with regression modeling and leveraging meteorological data. By decomposing the datasets into multiple subsets using clustering techniques, we increase the number of explanatory variables and elucidate the role of weather in predicting different ranges of incidence data. Our clustering-integrated regression models, accompanied by optimal barriers, provide insights into the complex relationship between malaria incidence and well-established influencing weather factors such as rainfall and temperature.

Care-receivers with physical disabilities' perceptions on having humanoid assistive robots as assistants: a qualitative study.

Background: People with physical disabilities due to disease or injury face barriers to their daily activities and participation in society. Many depend on formal or informal caregivers for assistance to live independently. However, future healthcare challenges due to demographic changes threaten access to home care and assistants.

Understanding and optimizing the sensitization of anatase titanium dioxide surface with hematite clusters.

The presence of hematite (FeO) clusters at low coverage on titanium dioxide (TiO) surface has been observed to enhance photocatalytic activity, while excess loading of hematite is detrimental. We conduct a comprehensive density functional theory study of FeOclusters adsorbed on the anatase TiO(101) surface to investigate the effect of FeOon TiO. Our study shows that TiOexhibits improved photocatalytic properties with hematite clusters at low coverage, as evidenced by a systematic study conducted by increasing the number of cluster adsorbates.

Biologically active secondary metabolites from white-rot fungi.

In recent years, there has been a considerable rise in the production of novel metabolites derived from fungi compared to the ones originating from bacteria. These organic substances are utilized in various sectors such as farming, healthcare, and pharmaceutical. Since all dividing living cells contain primary metabolites, secondary metabolites are synthesized by utilizing intermediate compounds or by-products generated from the primary metabolic pathways.

Preparation of synthetic micro- and nano plastics for method validation studies.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a persisting global problem. Accurate analysis is essential in quantifying the effects of microplastic pollution and develop novel technologies that reliably and reproducibly measure microplastic content in various samples. The most common methods for this are FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.

In search for climate neutrality in ice hockey: A case of carbon footprint reduction in a Finnish professional team.

Mitigation actions in all sectors of society, including sports, to limit global warming have become an increasingly hot topic in public discussions and sports management. However, so far, there has been a lack of understanding and practical examples of how these organizations, especially in team sports, can holistically assess and reduce their climate impacts to achieve carbon neutrality. This paper presents a carbon footprint assessment, implemented actions for GHG emission reduction, and offers the example of a professional Finnish ice hockey team that achieved carbon neutrality.

Adsorbents for water decontamination: A recycling alternative for fiber precursors and textile fiber wastes.

The exponential growth in textile fiber production and commensurate release of textile waste-based effluents into the environment has significant impacts on human wellbeing and the long-term planetary health. To abate these negative impacts and promote resource circularity, efforts are being made to recycle these waste materials via conversion into adsorbents for water decontamination. This review critically examines plant- and regenerated cellulose-based fibers for removing water pollutants such as heavy metals, dyes, pharmaceutical and petrochemical wastes.

Exploring the insights and benefits of biomass-derived sulfuric acid activated carbon for selective recovery of gold from simulated waste streams.

The surging affluent in society, concomitant with increasing global demand for electrical and electronic devices, has led to a sharp rise in e-waste generation. E-wastes contain significant amounts of precious metals, such as gold, which can be recovered and reused, thus reducing the environmental impact of mining new metals. Selective recovery using sustainable and cost-effective materials and methods is therefore vital.

AB-PLS-DA: Pansharpening tailored for scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry multimodal fusion.

Pansharpening constitutes a category of data fusion techniques designed to enhance the spatial resolution of multispectral (MS) images by integrating spatial details from a high-resolution panchromatic (PAN) image. This process combines the high-spectral data of MS images with the rich spatial information of the PAN image, resulting in a pansharpened output ideal for more effective image analysis, such as object detection and environmental monitoring. Traditionally developed for satellite data, our paper introduces a novel pansharpening approach customized for the fusion of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS) data.

Thermoformability study of wood flour-HDPE composites with variations in wood content under vacuum forming.

Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) have emerged as sought-after substitutes for plastic. However, their use is restricted primarily to linear profiles owing to the lack of techniques for their three-dimensional (3D) forming. Thermoforming is a potential method for the 3D formation of WPCs.

Redox property of coordinated iron ion enables activation of O via in-situ generated HO and additionally added HO in EDTA-chelated Fenton reaction.

The Fenton system was a generation system of reactive oxygen species via the chain reactions, which employed HO and O as radical precursors and Fe/Fe as electron-donor/acceptor for triggering or terminating the generation of radicals. Recent work mainly emphasized the Fe- activated HO and the application of in-situ generated OH, while neglecting other side-reactions. In this work, EDTA (Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) was employed as a chelating agent of iron ions, which simultaneously changed the redox property of coordinated iron.

Sustainable gliadin - Metal oxide composites for efficient inactivation of Escherichia coli and remediation of cobalt (II) from water.

Bio-based materials facilitate greener approach to engineering novel materials with multifunctional properties for various applications including water treatment. In this study, we extracted gliadin from wheat gluten using alcoholic solvent. The aggregation limitations of gliadin protein were overcome by functionalisation with metal oxides (MOs) TiO, AgFeO and AgFe-TiO prepared by chemical precipitations.

Interplay role of microalgae and bio-carriers in hybrid membrane bioreactors on wastewater treatment, membrane fouling, and microbial communities.

Algal membrane bioreactors (algae-MBRs) and advanced hybrid biocarrier algal membrane bioreactors (hybrid algae-MBRs) have been investigated to improve the performance of conventional MBRs (C-MBRs). Maximum chemical oxygen demand and nutrient removal efficiencies, similar to the maximum biomass growth rate, chlorophyll-a concentration, and balanced microbial growth, were achieved in the hybrid algae-MBR inoculated with polyethylene biocarriers and algal cells. During the 90 days of operation, the hybrid algae-MBR demonstrated lower membrane fouling without membrane washing, whereas the C-MBR and algae-MBR were washed seven and four times, respectively.

Simultaneous adsorption of Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II) from synthetic wastewater using NaP and LTA zeolites prepared from biomass fly ash.

Herein, NaP and LTA zeolites were successfully synthesised from woody biomass ash with alkali fusion-assisted hydrothermal method by altering the NaOH/ash ratio, crystallisation time and crystallisation temperature. In order to reduce the synthesis costs, NaP zeolite was synthesised with no additional source of aluminium and silicon. The synthesised zeolites were utilized for the monocomponent and simultaneous adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions.

Climate impacts of source-separated biowaste from small neighbourhoods in Finland based on pilot experiments for novel biowaste collection systems.

The climate impacts of biowaste collection and utilisation were assessed based on data from two regional pilots. The EU's waste legislation will require biowaste source separation and collection from detached houses in communities with over 10,000 inhabitants starting from 2024 onwards. Two novel biowaste collection approaches were piloted in two Finnish case regions.

Immobilized-laccase bioreactors for wastewater treatment.

Laccases have shown to be efficient biocatalysts for the removal of recalcitrant pollutants from wastewater. Thus, they catalyze the oxidation of a wide variety of organic compounds by reducing molecular oxygen to water. However, the use of free laccases holds several drawbacks such as poor reusability, high cost, low stability and sensitivity to different denaturing agents that may occur in wastewater.

Holistically sustainable continence care: A working definition, the case of single-used absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) and the need for ecosystems thinking.

Incontinence is a common health issue that affects hundreds of millions of people across the world. The solution is often to manage the condition with different kinds of single-use continence technologies, such as incontinence pads and other absorbent hygiene products (AHPs). Throughout their life cycle, these fossil-based products form a remarkable yet inadequately addressed ecological burden in society, contributing to global warming and other environmental degradation.

User Experiences on the Implementation of Exoskeletons in Care Work.

This article describes the results of a field test of an exoskeleton in care work. Qualitative data about the implementation and use of exoskeletons, with the help of interviews and user diaries, were collected both from nurses who used the exoskeleton and managers at different levels of the care organization. On the basis of these data, there are relatively few obstacles in and many opportunities for the implementation of exoskeletons in care work, taken that the introduction, orientation and continuous support for technology use are given enough weight.

Medical Device Safety Training by Using Quick Response Codes and Extended Reality-Based Technologies.

This article describes the results of three different study settings where the use of QR codes and XR technologies were tested for medical device training among 132 social and health care professionals. Data from three types of learning events and different contents of training indicated that the professionals considered these novel technologies both beneficial for learning and useful in their working environments for training safe use of medical devices. Based on the collected data, these technologies can be considered prospective options for medical device training.

Managing changes in the environment of human-robot interaction and welfare services.

The purpose of this study was to investigate decision-makers' views on changes that robotics will create in welfare services. The purpose was also to discover what the opportunities and challenges are in human-robot interaction during these changes and how to manage these changes. As a research method, an online survey was used.