A review of cathode and electrolyte recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries: Recent technologies, processes and policies

Recently,lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),due to their superior performance,have been vastly applied in electronic,auto,and other industries,resulting in the generation of an increasing amount of spent LIBs.What’s worse,LIBs contained potentially toxic substances,including heavy metals,toxic and flammable electrolyte containing LiBF_(4),LiClO_(4),and LiPF_(6).Conventional disposal of spent LIBs via landfill or incineration exerts tremendous pressure on the environment.It was necessary to adopt efficient,low-cost,and environmentally friendly approaches to valorizing spent LIBs,which could not only alleviate the shortage of rare resources by recycling valuable ele-ments such as Cu,Li,Mn,Ni,Co,and Al,but also eliminate the pollution of harmful components in batteries and realize the recycling and sustainable industry related to consumer electronics and electric vehicles(EVs).Given this,this paper summarized the recycling technologies of spent LIBs,including pyrometallurgy(melting reduction and roasting methods)and hydrometallurgy(leaching,precipitation,extraction,ion-exchange,elec-trochemical,sol-gel methods),and electrolyte recycling(organic solvent extraction and supercritical extraction methods).Pyrometallurgy technologies had relatively decent metal recovery rates but were associated with high energy consumption and atmospheric emission issues.Hydrometallurgical technologies were more environ-mentally friendly and efficient in recovering spent LIBs,although disposing of the wastewater generated from the process remained a challenge.In addition,the different industrial processes and various countries’related policies of recycling spent LIBs were investigated.In the end,the outlooks and future directions of recycling spent LIBs were proposed.

四川巴中地区引发滑坡地质灾害的强降水类型及典型案例分析

运用巴中地区区域自动站逐日、逐小时降水资料和NCEP 1? ×1?间隔为6 h的再分析资料分析了巴中地区降水气候特征,并具体对比分析巴中地区引发滑坡的三种不同类型强降水特征,得出结论如下:1) 巴中地区年降水量整体表现为“南北多、东西少”的分布特征。强降水事件集中发生在6~9月,可分为持续性强降水、突发性暴雨和连续性暴雨三种类型。2) 窑厂坪的滑坡由持续性强降水引发,特点是降雨持续时间长,小时降水强度变化不大,累积降水量大。黑马山滑坡由突发性暴雨引发,其特点是降水持续时间短,累积降水量大。老河沟后山滑坡由连续性暴雨引发,特点为降水过程中出现多次强降水,强降水间有数小时的时间间歇。3) 三次降水过程前期中高纬经向环流强盛,且均出现高空急流,但其主要影响系统略有不同。4) 三次强降水过程前期在低层均有明显的偏北气流存在,冷空气由北向南侵入,存在较强的对流性不稳定能量,垂直上升运动较强,但上升运动出现的高度存在差异。

Roles of miR319-regulated TCPs in plant development and response to abiotic stress

Elaborate regulation of gene expression is required for plants to maintain normal growth,development,and reproduction.MicroRNAs(miRNAs)and transcription factors are key players that control gene expression in plant regulatory networks.The TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR(TCP)family comprises plantspecific transcription factors that contain a conserved TCP domain of 59 amino acids.Some members of this family are targeted by miR319,one of the most ancient and evolutionarily conserved miRNAs in plants.Accumulating evidence has revealed that miR319-regulated TCP(MRTCP)genes participate extensively in plant development and responses to environmental stress.In this review,the structural characteristics and classifications of TCP transcription factors and the regulatory relationships between TCP transcription factors and miRNAs are introduced.Current knowledge of the regulatory functions of MRTCP genes in multiple biological pathways including leaf development,vascular formation,flowering,hormone signaling,and response to environmental stresses such as cold,salt,and drought is summarized.This review will be beneficial for understanding the roles of the MRTCP-mediated regulatory network and its molecular mechanisms in plant development and stress response,and provides a theoretical basis for plant genetic improvement.

Host-induced gene silencing of multiple pathogenic factors of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum confers resistance to Sclerotinia rot in Brassica napus

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is generally considered one of the most economically damaging pathogens in oilseed rape(Brassica napus).Breeding for Sclerotinia resistance is challenging,as no immune germplasm available in B.napus.It is desirable to develop new breeding strategies.In the present study,hostinduced gene silencing(HIGS),developed based on RNA interference(RNAi),was applied to protect B.napus from S.sclerotiorum infection.Three pathogenicity genes,the endo-polygalacturonase gene(Ss PG1),cellobiohydrolase gene(Ss CBH),and oxaloacetate acetylhydrolase gene(Ss OAH1),were chosen as HIGS targets.Co-incubation of synthesized double-stranded RNAs(ds RNAs)with S.sclerotiorum in liquid medium significantly reduced the transcript levels of the target genes.Application to plant surfaces of ds RNA targeting the three genes conferred effective protection against S.sclerotiorum.Stable transgenic B.napus plants expressing small interfering RNAs with sequence identity to Ss PG1,Ss CBH,and Ss OAH1 were generated.HIGS transgenic B.napus prevented the expression of S.sclerotiorum target genes,slowed pathogenicity-factor accumulation,impeded fungal growth,and suppressed appressorium formation,thereby conferring resistance to S.sclerotiorum.Simultaneous silencing of Ss PG1,Ss CBH,and Ss OAH1 by stable expression of a chimeric hairpin RNAi construct in B.napus led to enhanced protection phenotypes(with disease lesion size reduced by 36.8%–43.7%).We conclude that HIGS of pathogenic-factor genes of S.sclerotiorum is a promising strategy for controlling Sclerotinia rot in oilseed rape.

Identification of a novel caspase cleavage motif AEAD

Infections of many viruses induce caspase activation to regulate multiple cellular pathways,including programmed cell death,immune signaling and etc.Characterizations of caspase cleavage sites and substrates are important for understanding the regulation mechanisms of caspase activation.Here,we identified and analyzed a novel caspase cleavage motif AEAD,and confirmed its caspase dependent cleavage activity in natural substrate,such as nitric oxide-associated protein 1(NOA1).Fusing the enhanced green fluorescent protein(EGFP)with the mitochondrial marker protein Tom20 through the AEAD motif peptide localized EGFP to the mitochondria.Upon the activation of caspase triggered by Sendai virus(SeV)or herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1)infection,EGFP diffusely localized to the cell due to the caspase-mediated cleavage,thus allowing visual detection of the virusinduced caspase activation.An AEAD peptide-derived inhibitor Z-AEAD-FMK were developed,which significantly inhibited the activities of caspases-1,-3,-6,-7,-8 and-9,exhibiting a broad caspase inhibition effect.The inhibitor further prevented caspases-mediated cleavage of downstream substrates,including BID,PARP1,LMNA,pro-IL-1β,pro-IL-18,GSDMD and GSDME,protecting cells from virus-induced apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death.Together,our findings provide a new perspective for the identification of novel caspase cleavage motifs and the development of new caspase inhibitors and anti-inflammatory drugs.