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This article presents an in-depth analysis of the current status of glass-ceramics in piezocatalysis and proposes potential avenues for future research in this field. Glass ceramics are a type of heterogeneous material that exhibits a combination of properties from both glass and crystalline phases. This unique characteristic makes them highly versatile and applicable in a diverse range of fields. The review commences by examining the historical importance of glass as a versatile substance that has been utilized since ancient times. The review delves deeper into the various applications of glass-ceramics, with a specific focus on their utilization in the area of piezocatalysis for environmental remediation. Piezocatalysis is a promising technology that employs mechanical energy to facilitate catalytic reactions. The utilization of glass-ceramics as piezocatalysts has exhibited potential in the field of environmental remediation. Prior research has examined photocatalytic glass ceramics; however, this review underscores the dearth of published studies on piezocatalytic glass-ceramics in the context of environmental remediation. The article examines the efficacy of glass-ceramic piezocatalysts in degrading organic pollutants and purifying water, while also exploring their potential for antibacterial purposes.

This paper examines the various solar photovoltaic technologies available in India. Seven commercially available photovoltaic technologies are compared using thirteen criteria that mainly contribute to sustainability, such as social, economic, and environmental, along with technical criteria under various conditions. Three distinct cases were developed (case I: considering all the thirteen criteria, case II: considering twelve criteria and freezing LCOE criteria, and case III: considering twelve criteria and freezing efficiency criteria) to determine the best technology available for multiple stakeholders to invest in at different conditions. The assessment integrates grey system theory, fuzzy set theory, and multi-criteria decision-making methods. The grey and fuzzy-based Analytical Hierarchy Process is used to determine the significance of the criteria. In contrast, the grey and fuzzy-based COmplex PRoportional ASsessment is used for ranking these technologies. According to the results, the most favorable technology in all three cases is Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) if developed in the Indian zone. The CdTe technology has a lower levelized cost of electricity and module cost, high efficiency, and, most importantly, high technological maturity compared to other technologies. © 2024 The Authors

Nowadays, the demand for processed food items is surging. To fulfil the enhanced demand, a significant impact is laid on the environment, which enhances the carbon footprint being generated. Hence, to overcome this, the avenues of decarbonisation need to be explored. The presented work is aimed at promoting the decarbonisation of the existing practices within the processed food supply chains. It finds strong compliance with the sustainable development goal (SDG-12), focusing on responsible production-consumption mechanisms. For the same, key enactors of decarbonisation are identified and mapped with the practices at various stages of food supply chains, i.e. upstream, downstream, and other allied practices. Based upon these enactors, a relational, hierarchical framework is developed to provide a comprehensive perspective on complex intricacies. This framework is analysed with an innovative approach which comprises the fundamentals of Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Hesitant Fuzzy Set with the Entropy measures. It results in the outranking of the enactors relative to its importance in the decarbonisation of processed food supply chains. Furthermore, the empirical findings are validated by the sensitivity analysis to felicitate robust decision-making. The outcomes of the presented work provide a roadmap and stepped approach to achieve the decarbonisation goals and make productionconsumption mechanisms sustainable. It finds implications in the development of the framework, policy formulation, and decisional attributes for the decarbonisation of food supply chains. It focuses on the adoption of strategies that align with global efforts to mitigate climate change and promote a sustainable future.

Solar energy is a very convenient and reliable renewable energy source to fulfill our society's wide variety of energy requirements. Solar concentrator-based energy technologies are the best way to utilize solar energy nowadays. Among those technologies, PTC (Parabolic Trough Collector) is a well-mature and reliable concentrating solar power technology having various real-world applications with solar standalone as well as in hybrid modes. For improving the performance of PTC, flow inserts are a very promising technique. This work aims to investigate the X-grid static mixer flow inserts on the performance of the PTC module. Here, X-grid static mixer flow inserts are modeled and compared with the simple cylindrical tube without any inserts inside by using a validated model in Ansys Fluent 18.1. Evaluation criteria include flow analysis, overall efficiency, exergy efficiency and thermal efficiency. The overall efficiency and exergy efficiency are the most prominent factors for the evaluation of PTC performance. The PTC is analyzed with various inlet fluid temperatures ranging from 303 K to 653 K with a variation in the volumetric flow rate ranging from 50 LPM (Litre Per Minute) to 250 LPM. The enhancement in the thermal performance of PTC using an X-grid static mixer is more as the inlet fluid temperature increases. The pressure drop increases multiple times with the use of X-grid flow inserts, but the overall rise of pump work is low. Overall thermal efficiency is higher for the X-grid static mixer than the plain tube which is mainly used in the PTC. The presented investigation results can be helpful for the design of X-grid static mixer. 

The current demand for composites reinforced with renewable fibers is greater than it has ever been. In comparison to glass fibers, natural fibers yield the advantages of lesser density and cost. Although comparable specific properties exist between glass and natural fibers, the latter shows lower strength. However, with the copper coating and chemical treatment of natural fibers, the strength of the composites can be increased nowadays. The current research investigation focuses on the life cycle assessment of the raw, chemically treated, and copper coated fiber reinforced bagasse and banana composites to compare the emissions on the environment of these samples to prove their applicability. The study includes all the processes, from the extraction of fibers to the formation of composites, i.e., from cradle to gate, and detailed inventory. The ReCiPe H midpoint method has been utilized in SimaPro software to quantify the emissions. The results indicate that the maximum global warming emission is due to the energy consumption used during the manufacturing of these composites. Electricity contribution for chemically treated and copper coated composites in global warming contribution is slightly greater than that of raw composites i.e., 73.275% in C- BG/P, 73.06% in Cu- BG/P, 73.65% in C- BN/P and 74.28 % in Cu- BN/P which is comparatively higher than 63.8 % in R- BG/P and 64.97 % in R- BN/P. The next major contributions come from polylactic acid for all the three samples of bagasse fiber reinforced PLA composite and banana fiber reinforced PLA composite. The raw samples also show improved fiber strength compared to chemical and copper coated samples.

Solar energy is an extremely useful and dependable renewable energy source for meeting our society's diverse energy demands. Solar concentrator-based energy systems are currently the most efficient methods of using solar energy. Among these technologies, the parabolic trough collector is a mature and effective concentrating solar power technology with a wide range of real-world applications using solar alone or in combination with other energy sources. Flow insert is a potential approach for improving parabolic trough solar collector performance through enhanced heat transfer and heat absorption. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of using a uniform helical wire coil flow insert in the LS-2 parabolic trough solar collector module. A computational fluid dynamic model developed in Ansys 18.1 is used in the current investigation. A uniform helical wire coil flow insert is modeled and compared with the plain tube without any insert inside it. Flow analysis, overall efficiency, exergy efficiency, and thermal efficiency are compared in the evaluation process. The overall efficiency and exergy efficiency of the parabolic trough collector are the most critical criteria in determining its performance. The parabolic trough collector is examined using a range of inlet fluid temperatures ranging from 303 K to 603 K and a volumetric flow rate of 50 L per minute to 250 L per minute. The pumping work is found to be the lowest, indicating that the increase in pressure drop has a negligible effect on the overall system performance. For the flow rate of 50 L per minute and inlet heat transfer fluid temperature of 303 K, the overall, exergy and thermal efficiency using a uniform helical wire coil flow insert are found to be 2.07 %, 2.1 %, and 2.2 %, respectively. © 2024 The Authors

Due to the broad adoption of electronic and electrical equipment and the quick advancement of contemporary innovations in this domain, significant amounts of electronic waste have been produced. This category of waste includes the toner powder used by printers, copiers, and fax machines to print text and images. This paper describes a sustainable and environmentally friendly method of recycling waste toner powder. The chemical composition of this printer cartridge toner (PCt) powder is carbon, Fe3O4, polypropylene (polymeric resin), and SiO2 composite. Toner powder from exhausted printer cartridges was utilized as an adsorbent to remove fluoride from water. It has a fluoride adsorption capacity of 60 mg/g and a specific surface area of 20 m2/g. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic investigations were used to investigate the chemical composition, structure, and surface morphology of the material. To analyze the collected experimental data, the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models were used. Time-dependent kinetic experiments were conducted to determine the mechanism of the adsorption process using pseudo-first-order kinetics, pseudo-second-order kinetics, and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. The fluoride adsorption process was shown to be feasible and spontaneous (ΔG < 0) based on calculated thermodynamic characteristics, which included enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, entropy (ΔS > 0), and adsorption activation energy. The study also discussed its reusability as an adsorbent and examined its functioning capability in actual water. © 2024 The Authors

The applications of 3D printing are rapidly increasing in aerospace and naval applications. Nonetheless, 3D printing (3DP) of graded foams exhibiting property variation along the thickness direction is yet to be explored. In the current work, the different volume fractions of hollow glass micro balloon (GMB) reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composite based graded foams are 3D printed using the fused deposition modelling (FDM) technique. The bonding between successive layers and porosity distribution of these graded configurations are studied using micro-CT scan. Further, the 3D Printed functionally graded foams (FGFs) are tested for flexural response, and results are compared with numerical values. The micro-CT results showed delamination absence between the layers. In neat HDPE layers, porosity is not evident, while minor porosity creeps in the layers having the highest GMB content. Experimental results of the flexural test showed that the graded sandwiches exhibited better strength than the graded core alone. Compared to neat HDPE, the modulus of FGF-2 (H20–H40–H60) increased by 33.83%, implying better mechanical stiffness. Among all the FGFs, FGF-2 exhibited a better specific modulus. A comparative study of experimental and numerical results showed a slight deviation due to neglecting the induced porosity. © 2023 The Authors

Parabolic trough collectors (P.T.Cs) are efficient solar energy harvesting devices utilized in various industries, for instance, space heating, solar cooling, solar drying, pasteurization, sterilization, electricity generation, process heat, solar cooking, and many other applications. However, their usage is limited as the high capital and operating costs; according to the International Renewable Energy Agency's 2020 report, the global weighted average levelized cost of electricity (L.C.O.E) for P.T.Cs was 0.185 $/kWh in 2018. This work analyses the economic, technical, and environmental potential of sustainable energy to increase the use of P.T.Cs in different sectors. To study how self-weight, heat loss, and wind velocity affect P.T.C performance, prototype testing, and wind flow analysis were used. Although P.T.Cs outperform in capacity factor, gross-to-net conversion, and annual energy production, improving their overall efficiency is crucial in reducing total energy production costs. Wire coils, discs, and twisted tape-type inserts can enhance their performance by increasing turbulence and heat transfer area. Improving the system's overall efficiency by enhancing the functioning and operation of individual components will also help decrease total energy production costs. The aim is to minimize the L.C.O.E associated with a P.T.C in order to enhance its economic viability for an extended period. When the nanofluid-oriented P.T.C was included in the conventional P.T.C workings, there was a decrease in the L.C.O.E by 1%. Of all the technologies available, ocean, geothermal, and C.S.P parabolic trough plants generate lower amounts of waste and harmful gases, with average emissions of 2.39%, 2.23%, and 2.16%, respectively, throughout their lifespan. For solar-only and non-hybrid thermal energy storage plants, the range of greenhouse gas emissions is between 20 and 34 kgCO₂ equivalents per megawatt-hour. Coal, natural gas steam turbines, nuclear power plants, bioenergy, solar PV, geothermal, concentrated solar power, hydropower reservoir, hydropower river, ocean, and wind power plants all release greenhouse gases at rates of 1022, 587.5, 110.5, 633, 111, 48, 41, 82.5, 7.5, 12.5, and 41.5 gCO₂-e/kWh, respectively. This information is useful to compare the environmental effect of various energy sources and help us to choose cleaner, more sustainable options for the production of electricity. The ongoing advancements and future scope of P.T.Cs could potentially make them more economically viable for domestic, commercial, and industrial applications.

In the current study, a E(C2)Tx synthetic consortia was tested for anaerobic co-digestion of food waste (FW), bio-flocculated sewage sludge (BFS)/ raw wastewater (RW) and cow dung (CD) at varying proportions in 0.25 L and 6.5 L mesophilic continuously stirred tank reactors. Anaerobic co-digestion of FW with CD and RW at the ratio of 1:1:8 in 0.25 L batch-reactor with E(C2)Tx inoculum resulted in the highest H2 production with least CO2 release. The microbial dynamics of FW:CD:RW samples were studied using 16S metagenomic sequencing which indicated a predominance of hydrolysing microbes at the end point of the digestion cycle. Subsequently, the experiments were scaled up in two continuous digesters, namely, R1 (fed with 50% FW and 50% BFS) and R2 (fed with 2% FW and 98% BFS) with 6.5 L working volume at 2.5 g VS L-1D-1 organic loading rate (OLR) for 120 days. The highest VFA production of 19,183 mg L-1 and 3,265 mg L-1 with maximum bio-methane yield of 142.21-and 225.03-mL CH4g-1 VSadded were recorded in reactors R1 and R2, respectively. In addition, a numerical analysis was conducted to visualize the mixing and temperature distribution within the digesters, and the velocity and temperature profiles were obtained using Ansys Fluent. & COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).