Frontiers of CO_(2)Capture and Utilization(CCU)towards Carbon Neutrality

CO_(2)capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS)technology is a rare option for the large-scale use of fossil fuels in a low-carbon way,which will definitely play a part in the journey towards carbon neutrality.Within the CCUS nexus,CCU is especially interesting because these processes will establish a new“atmosphere-to-atmosphere”carbon cycle and thus indirectly offer huge potential in carbon reduction.This study focuses on the new positioning of CCUS in the carbon neutrality scenario and aims to identify potential cutting-edge/disruptive CCU technologies that may find important application opportunities during the decarbonization of the energy and industrial system.To this end,direct air capture(DAC),flexible metal-framework materials(MOFs)for CO_(2)capture,integrated CO_(2)capture and conversion(ICCC),and electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction(ECR)were selected,and their general introduction,the importance to carbon neutrality,and most up-to-date research progress are summarized.

Foxtail millet supplementation improves glucose metabolism and gut microbiota in rats with high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Foxtail millet(FM)whole grain has received special attention in recent years.To confirm the hypoglycemic effects of FM,we investigated the effects of FM supplementation on glucose metabolism and gut microbiota in rats with high-fat diet/streptozotocin(HFD/STZ)-induced diabetes.Specifically,we fully assessed the blood biochemical profiles,pancreatic histopathology,insulin-glucagon immunofluorescence,short-chain fatty acids,and gut microbiota composition of rats with HFD/STZ-induced diabetes before and after FM supplementation.Results showed that both 30% and 48% FM supplementation significantly decreased concentrations of fasting blood glucose,60-min blood glucose,and blood triglycerides(P<0.05);additionally,48% FM supplementation significantly improved blood glucose tolerance and insulin resistance(P<0.05).However,FM supplementation could not effectively repair damage to β-cells over a short period of time.In addition,4 weeks of 48% FM supplementation siginificantly increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and concentration of butyrate,suggesting that the hypoglycemic effects of FM supplementation might be partially mediated by gut microbiota.Collectively,we found a dose-dependent relationship between FM supplementation and improvement of blood glucose metabolism,but did not find a synergistic effect between FM supplementation and metformin(Met)treatment.Our findings provide further support that consuming more whole-grain FM might be beneficial to individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes.

Alteration of fecal microbiome and metabolome by mung bean coat improves diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice

Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and its derived metabolites has been linked to the occurrence and development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.Our previous study has demonstrated that mung bean coat(MBC)might be mainly responsible for the beneficial effects of whole mung bean on high fat diet(HFD)-induced metabolic disorders.To investigate whether MBC,which is rich in dietary fiber and phytochemicals,can protect against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis in mice via targeting gut microbiota and its metabolites,we conducted this study.Results showed that MBC could effectively alleviative the obese phenotype,reduce the lipid accumulation and insulin resistance,and improve the hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory response.Furthermore,MBC significantly prevented the HFD-induced changes in the structure and composition of gut microbiota,characterized by promoting the bloom of Akkermansia,Lachnospiraceae_NK4 A136_group,and norank_f_Muribaculaceae,and along with the elevated short-chain fatty acids concentrations.Non-targeted metabolomic analysis indicated a metabolism disorder that was obviously improved by MBC via regulating sphingolipid metabolism andα-linolenic acid metabolism.These findings suggested that MBC could improve hepatic steatosis through manipulating the crosstalk between gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Polymorphisms in XRCC5,XRCC6,XRCC7 genes are involved inDNA double-strand breaks(DSBs) repair associated with the risk ofacute myeloid leukemia(AML) in Chinese population

Objective：To investigate the association between the X-ray repair cross complementing（XRCC） group 5, XRCC6 and XRCC7 polymorphisms and risk of acute myeloid leukemia（AML）. Methods：This hospital-based case-control study included 120 AML patients and 210 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population. Three polymorphisms of XRCC5, XRCC6 and XRCC7 were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction（PCR） or polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism（PCR-RFLP） method. Results： We found that there was a significant decrease in risk of AML associated with the XRCC6 -61 CG/GG genotype（adjusted odd ratio （OR） = 0.55; 95% confident interval（CI） = 0.34-0.89） compared with the -61CC genotype. For the novel tandem repeat polymorphism （VNTR） in the XRCC5 promoter, we found when the XRCC5 six genotypes were dichotomized（i.e., 2R/2R, 2R/1R versus 2R/0R, 1R/1R, 1R/0R and 0R/0R）, the latter group was associated with increased risk of AML（adjusted OR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.00-2.79） compared to 2R/ 2R＋2R/1R genotype. However, the XRCC7 6721G〉T polymorphism had no effect on risk of AML. Conclusion：The XRCC6 -61C 〉 G and XRCC5 2R/1R/0R polymorphisms, but not XRCC7 6721G 〉 T polymorphism, could play an important role in the development of AML. Larger scale studies with more detailed data on environment exposure are needed to verify these findings.

Direct conversion of methane to methanol over Cu exchanged mordenite:Effect of counter ions

Direct conversion of methane(CH4)to methanol(DMTM)is a promising,but very challenging process for the utilization of abundant CH4 as a low carbon resource.In this context,Cu loaded zeolites,mordenite(MOR)in particular,were recognized as the most effective system to perform DMTM.In this work,different Cu salts were used to exchange with MOR,by which the effect of counter ions on the catalytic performance towards DMTM was investigated.The prepared catalysts were characterized and evaluated systematically.It was found that the counter ions affected the speciation of Cu sites,probably due to their capability in extraction of protons from MOR and the influence on the hydrolysis state of the Cu2+in aqueous solution.These behaviors adjusted the association between Cu2+and the exchangeable protons in MOR.As a result,varied DMTM performance was observed.Among the used Cu salts,Cu(CH3COO)2 exchanged MOR showed the highest performance,achieving stable CH3 OH yield of 117±28μmol/g in 5 consecutive cycles,these values are among the highest for Cu loaded MOR zeolites in open publications.

Realization approach of Pd-only three-way catalysts with high catalytic performance and thermal stability

Pd-only three-way catalyst(TWC),Pd supported on washcoating(the mixture of alumina and Ce-Zr solid solution)/cordierite,was prepared and its catalytic performance and the operation window(λ-value)at 450°C were evaluated with the simulated automotive exhaust feed gas.Surfactants such as Tween-80 and Span-20 were added in the process of preparing the catalyst in order to improve the thermal stability and catalytic performance of Pd-only TWC.The fresh and aged catalysts at 1000°C for4 h were characterized by low-temperature N2 adsorption,XRD,XPS,and H2-TPR techniques.The results show that the presence of surfactants in the synthesis slurry could influence the physicochemical properties of the final Pd-only TWC.The FTS catalyst prepared with the mixed surfactant of Tween-80 and Span-20 exhibited excellent three-way catalytic performance.After being aged at 1000°C for 4 h,the catalytic performances of Pd-only TWCs slightly decreased,but the FTS catalyst still demonstrated higher catalytic performance and better thermal stability compared with the Pd-only catalysts prepared with single surfactant or without any surfactant.And the FTS catalyst has a widerλvalue(operation window)than other catalysts,even after being aged at 1000°C.

Carbon reduction potential and cost evaluation of different mitigation approaches in China’s coal to olefin Industry

Coal-based olefin(CTO)industry as a complement of traditional petrochemical industry plays vital role in China’s national economic development.However,high CO2 emission in CTO industry is one of the fatal problems to hinder its development.In this work,the carbon emission and mitigation potentials by different reduction pathways are evaluated.The economic cost is analyzed and compared as well.According to the industry development plan,the carbon emissions from China’s CTO industry will attain 189.43 million ton C02(MtC02)and 314.11 MtC02 in 2020 and 2030,respectively.With the advanced technology level,the maximal carbon mitigation potential could be attained to 15.3%and 21.9%in 2020 and 2030.If the other optional mitigation ways are combined together,the carbon emission could further reduce to some extent.In general,the order of mitigation potential is followed as:feedstock alteration by natural gas>C02 hydrogenation with renewable electricity applied>CCS technology.The mitigation cost analysis indicates that on the basis of 2015 situation,the economic penalty for feedstock alteration is the lowest,ranged between 186 and 451 CNY/tCO2,and the cost from CCS technology is ranged between 404 and 562 CNY/tC02,which is acceptable if the C02 enhanced oil recovery and carbon tax are considered.However,for the C02 hydrogenation technology,the cost is extremely high and there is almost no application possibility at present.