A variety of yeast applications in the food and beverage industry require individual and reproducible yeast propagation at high yields and consistent quality. One quality-determining parameter for yeast propagation is effective aeration to avoid oxygen depletion. Therefore, this work investigated three important aeration parameters: airflow, pulse time, and oxygen concentration, for their influence on yeast propagation. The aeration of a propagator involves phase transitions which are gradient-driven processes and can be accelerated with higher gradients between the liquid medium and the gas b ..read more

Methanation of CO2 is an important reaction for reducing CO2 emissions in a power-to-gas system. Compared to cobalt supported on gamma-Al2O3, cobalt supported on graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) showed significantly better performance for CO2 methanation. Cobalt supported on GNPs was capable of 15% conversion of CO2 to CH4 at temperatures below 250°C, compared to 5% for cobalt supported on Al2O3. In situ thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that the Co/GNP catalyst was stable to 400°C. The maximum catalyst mass-specific CH4 yield was obtained at a Co loading of 5wt% on GNPs; however, hig ..read more

Process models are mathematical formulations (essentially a set of equations) that try to represent the real system/process in a digital or virtual form. These are derived either based on fundamental physical laws often combined with empirical assumptions or learned based on data. The former has been existing for several decades in chemical and process engineering while the latter has recently received a lot of attention with the emergence of several artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques. Hybrid modeling is an emerging modeling paradigm that explores the synergy between existing ..read more

Initial methods to detect rust in pipelines have been conducted through invasive probes and sectioning off parts of the facility as the plant is running. These methods greatly increase the costs overall. The need for a feasible solution to this issue lies in the detection of rust formation through a non-invasive method. This study’s objective is to measure rust formation through droplet motion on the outer layer of pipelines. Multiple experiments are conducted using carbon steel sheets whose bottom layer has been exposed to acid for different durations of time. As rust formation in the metal i ..read more

Biochar has been found to be an effective material for the removal of nitrobenzene from both aqueous and soil phases. Some innovative uses of biochar in environmental applications for nitrobenzene removal include: 1) Biochar amendments for soil remediation. 2) Biochar for water treatment. 3) Biochar-based adsorbents. 4) Biochar-based membranes. Therefore, biochar is a promising material for the removal of nitrobenzene from both aqueous and soil phases, and its innovative uses in environmental applications continue to be explored. This paper presents the toxicity of nitrobenzene and potential h ..read more

Global demand for freshwater is rapidly escalating. It is highly essential to keep pace with the necessities of the increasing population. The effluents of wastewater are gradually identified as a reservoir of resources for energy generation and economic boom. Henceforth, most wastewater and sludge have great potential for reuse and recycling. The re-utilization and valorization of wastewater and sludge contribute to accomplishing sustainable development goals, combating water scarcity, and alleviating adverse environmental impacts of wastewater on the environmental components. The present art ..read more

The detection of corrosion at early stages could increase the service life of metal-based infrastructures in a cost-effective manner. Despite the recent progress in “smart” self-reporting corrosion sensing coatings, the development of environmentally friendly systems appropriate for steel substrate used in offshore applications remains a relevant challenge. In this study, a novel smart corrosion sensing coating, based on hexacyanoferrate intercalated Mg-Al LDH nanoadditive, was developed, aiming at the detection of early-stage corrosion of carbon steel. The detection mechanism is based on the ..read more

Storm water treatment and management will be more important in the future due to climate changes, e.g., more frequent, and intense rain events that might cause flooding. To meet these challenges, low impact development (LID) technologies such as paved surfaces, green roofs and various bioretention systems have been suggested in urban areas. Various filter media, natural and engineered materials, have been used to amend the LID solutions in field experiments enhancing the removal of different contaminants present in storm water of different kinds. Researchers suggest locally available low-cost ..read more

In this paper, the transesterification reaction of waste cooking oil (WCO) with methanol using KOH as catalyst to produce biodiesel was performed in a micro-reactor (1 mm ID) using a cross-flow inlet configuration. The effects of different variables such as, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, temperature, catalyst concentration, and residence time on biodiesel yield, as well as the associated flow patterns during the transesterification reaction were investigated and the relationship between flow characteristics and mass transfer performance of the system was examined. The work reveals importan ..read more

Energy policies aim at securing energy supply through domestic production or imports have significant consequences for climate change and its long-term impacts on the economy. Recent European energy crisis as a result of extensive reliance on imported Russian natural gas has highlighted the European Union (EU) energy vulnerability and has challenged its climate change commitments. While switching to alternative domestic fossil fuel sources such as coal in some member states has put the EU climate ambitions in jeopardy, it has also provided new opportunities for up-scaling renewable technologie ..read more