Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

Biomimetic MXene membranes with negatively thermo-responsive switchable 2D nanochannels for graded molecular sieving

Negatively thermo-responsive 2D membranes,which mimic the stomatal opening/closing of plants,have drawn substantial interest for tunable molecular separation processes.However,these membranes are still restricted significantly on account of low water permeability and poor dynamic tunability of 2D nanochannels under temperature stimulation.Here,we present a biomimetic negatively thermo-responsive MXene membrane by covalently grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAm)onto MXene nanosheets.The uniformly grafted PNIPAm polymer chains can enlarge the interlayer spacings for increasing water permeability while also allowing more tunability of 2D nanochannels for enhancing the capability of gradually separating multiple molecules of different sizes.As expected,the constructed membrane exhibits ultrahigh water permeance of 95.6 L m^(-2) h^(-1) bar^(-1) at 25℃,which is eight-fold higher than the state-of-the-art negatively thermoresponsive 2D membranes.Moreover,the highly temperature-tunable 2D nanochannels enable the constructed membrane to perform excellent graded molecular sieving for dye-and antibiotic-based ternary mixtures.This strategy provides new perspectives in engineering smart 2D membrane and expands the scope of temperature-responsive membranes,showing promising applications in micro/nanofluidics and molecular separation.

A Molecular-Sieving Interphase Towards Low-Concentrated Aqueous Sodium-Ion Batteries

Aqueous sodium-ion batteries are known for poor rechargeability because of the competitive water decomposition reactions and the high electrode solubility.Improvements have been reported by saltconcentrated and organic-hybridized electrolyte designs,however,at the expense of cost and safety.Here,we report the prolonged cycling of ASIBs in routine dilute electrolytes by employing artificial electrode coatings consisting of NaX zeolite and NaOH-neutralized perfluorinated sulfonic polymer.The as-formed composite interphase exhibits a molecularsieving effect jointly played by zeolite channels and size-shrunken ionic domains in the polymer matrix,which enables high rejection of hydrated Na^(+)ions while allowing fast dehydrated Na^(+)permeance.Applying this coating to electrode surfaces expands the electrochemical window of a practically feasible 2 mol kg^(-1) sodium trifluoromethanesulfonate aqueous electrolyte to 2.70 V and affords Na_(2)MnFe(CN)_(6)//NaTi_(2)(PO_(4))_(3) full cells with an unprecedented cycling stability of 94.9%capacity retention after 200 cycles at 1 C.Combined with emerging electrolyte modifications,this molecular-sieving interphase brings amplified benefits in long-term operation of ASIBs.

Highly Conductive Proton Selectivity Membrane Enabled by Hollow Carbon Sieving Nanospheres for Energy Storage Devices

Ion conductive membranes(ICMs)with highly conductive proton selectivity are of significant importance and greatly desired for energy storage devices.However,it is extremely challenging to construct fast proton-selective transport channels in ICMs.Herein,a membrane with highly conductive proton selectivity was fabricated by incorporating porous carbon sieving nanospheres with a hollow structure(HCSNs)in a polymer matrix.Due to the precise ion sieving ability of the microporous carbon shells and the fast proton transport through their accessible internal cavities,this advanced membrane presented a proton conductivity(0.084 S·cm^(-1))superior to those of a commercial Nation 212(N212)membrane(0.033S·cm^(-1))and a pure polymer membrane(0.049 S·cm^(-1)).The corresponding proton selectivity of the membrane(6.68×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3))was found to be enhanced by about 5.9-fold and 4.3-fold,respectively,compared with those of the N212 membrane(1.13×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3))and the pure membrane(1.56×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3)).Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR)clearly revealed the fast protonselective transport channels enabled by the HCSNs in the polymeric membrane.The proposed membrane exhibited an outstanding energy efficiency(EE)of 84%and long-term stability over 1400 cycles with a0.065%capacity decay per cycle at 120 mA·cm^(-2) in a typical vanadium flow battery(VFB)system.

Evaluating Fecal Sieving Tool as an Indicator of Feed Valorization and the Impact of Feeding Strategy on Dairy Cow Performance under Farm Conditions

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a faeces sieving tool “Digescan” as an indicator of feed valorization, and to test the influence of feeding strategy on fecal particle size (PS) distribution and weight, milk performance and the possible association between them. Data from 95 trials were used. During each trial, two periods were identified: before and during live yeast probiotic (LYP) supplementation. The LYP used at 5 g/d/cow was Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CNCM I-4407, 1010 CFU/g, Actisaf® Sc47;Phileo by Lesaffre, France). Milk yield and composition were recorded. Fecal samples were taken at the end of each period and sieved with a set of two wire-mesh screens with pore sizes of 5 mm and 2 mm under running tap water. Yeast probiotic supplementation significantly reduced (P 5 mm was accompanied by 1.2 and 0.65 kg/d decrease in MY, 2.5 and 2 kg/d decrease in ECM and 3.2 and 2.6 kg/d in FCM before and during LYP supplementation, respectively. Fecal particle distribution appears to be a practicable tool to predict influences of feeding systems on feed valorization and performance in dairy cows. Live yeast increases dairy performance and decreases the quantity of fecal particles remaining in the two sieves after rinsing.

A study of particles penetration in sieving process on a linear vibration screen

This paper presented an investigation of particle collision and penetration using the discrete element method to understand the motion of particles and improve theoretical treatment in the sieving process. The process progressively was divided into looseness, stratification, collision, and penetration. Particle penetration has a direct effect on the screening performance. The penetration probability was defined, and the mathematical relationships between particle penetration and vibration parameters were established using the least squares method. To obtain the ideal penetration probability for materials the amplitude and frequency should preferably be near 3.0 mm and 25 Hz, respectively. The vibration direction angle has only a slight effect on penetration. The stage of the screening process from 0.1 to 0.7 s is the primary region for collision and penetration. This paper focused on the sieving process to more fully understand how particle collision and penetration influence the screening efficiency.

Direct-impact of sieving coal and gangue

Gangue from underground separation of coal can directly be used for filling mined out areas, saving transport capacity and reducing the amount of waste polluting the environment above the ground. We introduced a structure and operating principle of an underground direct-impact sieving device by which a separation experiment was carried out. By means of high speed conveyer belts, coal and gangue impacted the breaking board at high speeds ranging from 6 to 14 m/s. Given the differences of hardness between coal and gangue, after selective crushing, the gangue with the higher hardness was crushed less and coal with lower hardness crushed more, which could be separated by a 50 mm sieving plate. The material above the sieving plate was disposed of as gangue and the material below as coal. The results indicate that the crush ratio below the 50 mm sieving plate increases linearly with an increase in impact velocity and decays exponentially with an increase in hardness. Employing this equipment to separate coal and gangue, the hardness of coal f should be <2. This separation device provides relatively good effect in separating coal and gangue with a relatively wide difference of hardness.

2D IMAGE BASED SIEVING FOR PARTICLE AGGREGATE GRADATION

Acquiring the size gradation for particle aggregates is a common practice in the granule related industry,and mechanical sieving or screening has been the normal method. Among many drawbacks of this conventional means,the major ones are time-consuming,labor-intensive,and being unable to provide real-time feedback for process control. In this letter,an optical sieving approach is introduced. The two-dimensional images are used to develop methods for inferring particle volume and sieving behavior for gradation purposes. And a combination of deterministic and probabilistic methods is described to predict the sieving behaviors of the particles and to construct the gradation curves for the aggregate sample. Comparison of the optical sieving with standard mechanical sieving shows good correlation.

Improved Non-Sieving Quadratic Sieve

In this paper, we give about prime numbers and Blum two theorems and one guess integers.We prove the two theorems about Blum integers.Combining the guess with the primitive non-sieving quadratic sieve,we proposed a improved non-sieving quadratic sieve（INQS）.In INQS,we not only reduce the times of squares and modulo n, but also imply another important conclusion,that is,we don＇t need to find the greatest common divisor of two integers as we do in PNQS.By some examples,we compare it with the primitive non-sieving quadratic sieve（PNQS）. It＇s faster to factor a integer by using improved non-sieving quadratic sieve than the primitive one.

Cyclodextrin nanofilms with hydrophobic and hydrophilic channels for solvent permeation and molecular sieving

Nanofilms that can fast permeate solvents and accurately sieve molecules are of significant importance for separation.A promising strategy is to align the inner cavities of macrocycles into the channels within nanofilms,and control the channel size by selecting the macrocycles.However,the channels outside the macrocycles are ignored.Here,we prepare nanofilms with hydrophobic channels(cyclodextrin inner cavity)and hydrophilic channels(cyclodextrin outer space)through interfacial polymerization of azobenzene-4,4’-dicarbonyl dichloride and amino-functionalizedβ-cyclodextrin.By utilizing the significant geometric changes caused by the photoisomerization of azobenzene,nanofilms with adjustable hydrophilic channel sizes were obtained.Our nanofilms have high permeability to polar and non-polar solvents,and can distinguish molecules with almost the same molecular weight but different shapes.This work expands the development of next-generation nanofilms generated through interfacial polymerization by incorporating rational molecular design.

Oxygenic iron clusters in ZSM-5 zeolite promote quantum sieving of gaseous hydrogen isotopes

Isotopic separation is of paramount importance for producing high-purity heavy hydrogen,yet the process remains hugely challenging.Here,we report on an Fe/ZSM-5 zeolite that was able to efficiently separate deuterium from protium via chemical quantum sieving.Structural data showed that four types of Fe species were present in Fe/ZSM-5 and oligomeric Fe-O clusters in the zeolite pores were correlated directly with gas selectivity.Gas adsorption revealed that Fe-O species served as the main adsorption sites and interacted with D_(2) more strongly than with H_(2).D_(2)/H_(2)separation was exemplified using thermal desorption spectroscopy.D_(2)/H_(2) selectivity increased with Fe loading in Fe/ZSM-5 and a selectivity of 32.1 was obtained with an optimal loading of 7 wt%.The shift of desorption temperature supports the chemical affinity-based quantum sieving of D_(2)over H_(2).This study demonstrates an effective strategy for enhancing D_(2)/H_(2) separation and the high selectivity means that Fe/ZSM-5 has strong potential in hydrogen isotope separation.

Metal-organic nanosheet assembly ions sieving membrane for precise lithium ion and anion/solvent separation toward robust lithium metal battery

Metal-organic nanosheets(MONs)as a novel material with tunable pore structures and low mass transfer resistance,have emerged as molecular sieves for the separation of gases and liquids.In theory,they can also serve as ion sieves for lithium metal batteries(LMBs),realizing the high-energy and dendritic free LMBs.However,there are rarely relevant reports,because it is difficult to simultaneously balance efficient ion sieving ability,high ion passing rate and high electrochemical stability.Here,we synthesized a stable ultrathin MON[Zn_(2)(Bim)_(4)]([Zn_(2)(Bim)_(4)]Nanosheet,HBim=benzimidazolate),which can achieve both efficient lithium ion sieving ability,high lithium ion passing rate and high electrochemical stability at the same time.The separator assembled by this MON exhibits high Li^(+)transfer number of 0.81 due to the accurate lithium ion and anion/solvent separation.The battery containing such separator shows high lithium ionic conductivity of 0.74 m S cm^(-1)and low activation energy of 0.099 eV,which can be attributed to the nanometer level thickness and the ion sieving effect.What is more,we realized the application of MONs-based ion sieves in LMBs with intercalation cathodes for the first time.And the LiFePO_(4)|Li battery with as-assembled separator demonstrates improved Coulombic efficiency(>99%)and significantly extended cycling life(>1600 cycles)with 80%capacity retention.

Design and optimization of an airflow-vibration sieving device for the effective cleaning of cyperus esculentus L.harvesting mixture

The threshing mixture of Cyperus esculentus(Tiger nut)planted in sandy areas is complex during harvesting,and there are problems of high impurity rate and high cleaning loss rate of the seeds.In this paper,the threshing mixture of Cyperus esculentus is taken as the research object,and the suspension speed of each component is measured to design an“airflow+vibration”sieving device.Use the vector polygon method to explore the law of motion of the vibrating sieve,establish the force model of the seeds on the sieve surface,and analyze the conditions for the seeds to penetrate the sieve.According to the principle of seeds penetrating the sieve and long stalks not penetrating the sieve,the geometric model of sieve blades opening degree adjustment mechanism is constructed.Study of the conditions under which long stalks can be thrown out of the machine.The experiment bench of the cleaning device was built,and the evaluation indexes were the rate of seed impurity and the rate of cleaning loss of the device,and the crank speed,sieve blades opening degree and fan speed were used as the experiment factors to study the influence law of each influencing factor on the evaluation index through single-factor experiment.Using response surface methodology to find the optimal combination of working parameters of the cleaning device.To verify the device’s application on the combine harvester to improve the effectiveness of the cleaning operation of the Cyperus esculentus combine harvester.

Prussian Blue/Cellulose Acetate Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration Membrane for Molecular Sieving and Catalytic Fouling Resistance

Nanofiltration(NF)membranes as high selective separators are appealing for molecular sieving,which still remains a great challenge for the mixed dyes with same charge.In this study,cellulose acetate(CA)membranes were firstly aminated by ethylene imine polymer(PEI),and then the thin film of metal organic frameworks(MOFs)were constructed onto aminated CA membrane through forward-diffusion,slow crystallization and in situ growth of Fe Co-Prussian blue(FeCo-PB)crystallization layers.The designed PB@CA composite NF membrane shows an ideal rejection for Congo red(CR)/methyl orange(MO)mixture solution,with 99.7%±0.2%for CR and 33.5%±2%for MO.In addition,the composite NF membrane demonstrated good efficiency for photocatalytic degradation of organic fouling(permeability recovery ratio was up to 92%)due to the active FeCo-PB micro-cubes.Thus,this work provides a practical strategy to prepare MOFs mediated thin film composite nanofiltration membrane for precise molecular sieving and catalytic antifouling performances.

Efficient capture of C_(2)H_(2)from CO_(2)and C_(n)H_(4)by a novel fluorinated anion pillared MOF with flexible molecular sieving effect

The efficient separation of acetylene(C_(2)H_(2))from carbon dioxide(CO_(2))and CnH_(4)(n=1 and 2)to manufacture high purity C_(2)H_(2)and recover other light hydrocarbons is technologically important,while posing significant challenges.Herein,we reported a new TiF62−anion(TIFSIX)pillared metal-organic framework(MOF)ZNU-5(ZNU=Zhejiang Normal University)with ultramicropores for highly selective C_(2)H_(2)capture with low adsorption heat through gate opening based molecular sieving effect.ZNU-5 takes up a large amount of C_(2)H_(2)(128.6 cm^(3)/g)at 1.0 bar and 298 K but excludes CO_(2),CH_(4),and C_(2)H_(4).Such high capacity has never been realized in MOFs with molecular sieving.The breakthrough experiments further confirmed the highly selective C_(2)H_(2)separation performance from multi-component gas mixtures.3.3,2.8,and 2.2 mmol/g of C_(2)H_(2)is captured at ZNU-5 from equimolar C_(2)H_(2)/CO_(2),C_(2)H_(2)/CO_(2)/CH_(4),and C_(2)H_(2)/CO_(2)/CH_(4)/C_(2)H_(4)mixtures,respectively.Furthermore,2.6,2.0,and 1.5 mmol/g of>98%purity C_(2)H_(2)can be recycled from the desorption process.Combining high working capacity,low adsorption heat,as well as good recyclability,ZNU-5 is promising for C_(2)H_(2)purification.

A[Th_(8)Co_(8)]Nanocage-Based Metal–Organic Framework with Extremely Narrow Window but Flexible Nature Enabling Dual-Sieving Effect for Both Isotope and Isomer Separation

The synthesis of nanoporous materials that display a combination of molecular sieving(MS)and quantum sieving(QS)effects is still a challenging task.In this work,we have demonstrated the synthesis of a nanocaged metal–organic framework(MOF),ECUT-8,that has a dual-sieving capability.ECUT-8 afforded H_(2)/D_(2) isotope separation due to its extremely narrow window size(3.0Å),resulting in QS.Further,the framework flexibility of ECUT-8 was exploited for the separation of butane and hexane isomers due to its MS effect.Other desirable features of ECUT-8 include high thermal,water,and chemical stability,making it suitable for practical application.Herein,these results open up an avenue to design the effects of coexistence of multiple sieving in one material.

Anti-abrasion collagen fiber-based membrane functionalized by UiO-66-NH_(2)with ultra-high efficiency and stability for oil-in-water emulsions separation

Membrane separation strategies offer promising platform for the emulsion separation.However,the low mechanical strength of membrane separation layers and the trade-off between separation flux and efficiency present significant challenges.In this study,we report a CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane with high separation flux,efficiency and stability,through utilizing a robust anti-abrasion collagen fiber membrane(CFM)as the multifunctional support and UiO-66-NH_(2)by an in-situ growth as the separation layer.The high mechanical strength of the CFM compensated for the weakness of the separation layer,while the charge-breaking effect of UiO-66-NH_(2),along with the size sieving of its constituent separating layers and the capillary effect of the collagen fibers,contributed to the potential for efficient separation.Additionally,the CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane exhibited superhydrophilic properties,making it suitable for separating oil-in-water microemulsions and nanoemulsions stabilized by anionic surfactants.The membrane demonstrated remarkable separation efficiencies of up to 99.960%and a separation flux of370.05 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1).Moreover,it exhibits stability,durability,and abrasion resistance,maintaining excellent separation performance even when exposed to strong acids and alkalis without any damage to its structure and performance.After six cycles of reuse,it achieved a separation flux of 417.97 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1)and a separation efficiency of 99.747%.Furthermore,after undergoing 500 cycles of strong abrasion,the separation flux remained at 124.39 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1),with a separation efficiency of 99.992%.These properties make it suitable for the long-term use in harsh operating environments.We attribute these properties to the electrostatic effect resulting from the amino group on UiO-66-NH_(2)and its in-situ growth on the CFM,which forms a size-screening separation layer.Our work highlights the potential of the CFM@UiO-66-NH_(2)membrane as an environmentally friendly size-screening material for the efficient emulsion wastewater separation.

Facile synthesis of Cu-doped manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve for the efficient degradation of sulfamethoxazole via peroxymonosulfate activation

Advanced processes for peroxymonosulfate(PMS)-based oxidation are efficient in eliminating toxic and refractory organic pol-lutants from sewage.The activation of electron-withdrawing HSO_(5)^(-)releases reactive species,including sulfate radical(·SO_(4)^(-)),hydroxyl radical(·OH),superoxide radical(·O_(2)^(-)),and singlet oxygen(1O_(2)),which can induce the degradation of organic contaminants.In this work,we synthesized a variety of M-OMS-2 nanorods(M=Co,Ni,Cu,Fe)by doping Co^(2+),Ni^(2+),Cu^(2+),or Fe^(3+)into manganese oxide oc-tahedral molecular sieve(OMS-2)to efficiently remove sulfamethoxazole(SMX)via PMS activation.The catalytic performance of M-OMS-2 in SMX elimination via PMS activation was assessed.The nanorods obtained in decreasing order of SMX removal rate were Cu-OMS-2(96.40%),Co-OMS-2(88.00%),Ni-OMS-2(87.20%),Fe-OMS-2(35.00%),and OMS-2(33.50%).Then,the kinetics and struc-ture-activity relationship of the M-OMS-2 nanorods during the elimination of SMX were investigated.The feasible mechanism underly-ing SMX degradation by the Cu-OMS-2/PMS system was further investigated with a quenching experiment,high-resolution mass spec-troscopy,and electron paramagnetic resonance.Results showed that SMX degradation efficiency was enhanced in seawater and tap water,demonstrating the potential application of Cu-OMS-2/PMS system in sewage treatment.

Grapevine-like high entropy oxide composites boost high-performance lithium sulfur batteries as bifunctional interlayers

Lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs)with high energy densities have been demonstrated the potential for energy-intensive demand applications.However,their commercial applicability is hampered by hysteretic electrode reaction kinetics and the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides(LiPSs).In this work,an interlayer consisting of high-entropy metal oxide(Cu_(0.7)Fe_(0.6)Mn_(0.4)Ni_(0.6)Sn_(0.5))O_(4) grown on carbon nanofibers(HEO/CNFs)is designed for LSBs.The CNFs with highly porous networks provide transport pathways for Li^(+) and e^(-),as well as a physical sieve effect to limit LiPSs crossover.In particular,the grapevine-like HEO nanoparticles generate metal-sulfur bonds with LiPSs,efficiently anchoring active materials.The unique structure and function of the interlayer enable the LSBs with superior electrochemical performance,i.e.,the high specific capacity of 1381 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1 C and 561 mAh g^(-1) at 6 C.This work presents a facile strategy for exploiting high-performance LSBs.

Toward the Highly Ordered Lamellar Hybrid Membrane for Molecular Sieving by One-Pot Self-Assembly of Hybrid Hyperbranched Polymer

Ordered lamellar hybrid membranes are of great interest,due to their application as functional materials,including molecular sieving,biosensors,optical devices,and drug,as well as gene deliveries,but their fabrication remains challenging because three critical issues regarding synthesis of regular nanosheets,interfacing,and their spatial distribution in a polymer matrix are difficult to address simultaneously.Here,we fabricated a well-defined hybrid lamellar membrane through one-pot self-assembly,whose structure consisted of alternating layers of hydrophilic hyperbranched poly(ether amine)(hPEA)and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane(POSS).