Adjusting oxygen vacancies in perovskite LaCoO_(3)by electrochemical activation to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction activity in alkaline condition

Developing highly-active,earth-abundant non-precious-metal catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in alkaline solution would be beneficial to sustainable energy storage.Perovskite oxides are generally regarded as low-active HER catalysts,due to their inapposite hydrogen adsorption and water dissociation.Here,we report a detailed study on perovskite LaCoO_(3)epitaxial thin films as a model catalyst to significantly enhance the HER performance via an electrochemical activation process.As a result,the overpotential for the activation films to achieve a current density of 0.36 m A/cm^(2)is 238 m V,reduced by more than 200 m V in comparison with that of original samples.Structural characterization revealed the activation process dramatically increases the concentration of oxygen vacancies(Vo)on the surface of LaCoO_(3).We established the relationship between the electronic structure induced by Vo and the enhanced HER activity.Further theoretical calculations revealed that the Vo optimizes the hydrogen adsorption and dissociation of water on the surface of LaCoO_(3)thin films,thus improving the HER catalytic activity.This work may promote a deepened understanding of perovskite oxides for HER mechanism by Vo adjusting and a new avenue for designing highly active electrochemical catalysts in alkaline solution.

The Influence of Dry or Wet Activating Process to the Electrochemical Features of Biowaste Carbon

The utilization of biowaste to the activated carbon(AC)as electrode material is conducive to alleviating the energy crisis and promoting the high value-added.The popular KOH activation has been applied for years,but rare report clarified the difference of dry and wet activation,with which the batch producing technique could be different.Here nitrogen doped hierarchical AC was derived from wood chip by a wet or dry KOH activation.The surface area,framework structure and surface feature were characterized to reveal the effect of wet and dry activation.1.44 at%of nitrogen doped AC was made by dry KOH activation,which was higher than the AC derived from wet KOH activation with 1.36 at%of nitrogen.Their electrochemical properties were investigated in 6 mol L^(-1)of KOH,the capacitance of wAC was 401 F g^(-1)at 0.5 A g^(-1),but dAC possessed a capacitance of 215 F g^(-1).These indicated that AC obtained by using wet KOH activation displayed a potential application in energy field.

Effects of compressing and remelting in SIMA processing on semi-solid structure evolution of an Al-Zn wrought alloy

Structure evolution of an Al-Zn wrought alloy in remelting processing in thestrain induced melt activated (SIMA) serai-solid procedure was observed, and effects of factors, theremelting temperature, the holding time, and the compression strain, on structures and grain sizesof the alloy were investigated. The results show that (1) the proper temperature of remelting is inthe range of 610 to 615℃; (2) the grain size in specimen with greater compression strain is smallerthan that with smaller compression strain in condition of the same remelting temperature andholding time, and the grain size in local area with great local equivalent strain is smaller thanthat with small one; (3) liquid occurs in form of cluster in matrix during remelting and itsquantity increases with remelting time increasing; liquid in specimen with great compression strainoccurs earlier than that with small one, and quantity of liquid in the center of specimen withgreater local equivalent strain is greater than that in the two ends of it; (4) distortion energyafter deforming in matrix of the alloy is the significant factor to activate melting of matrix atlocal area with great local equivalent strain.

Intercross real-time control strategy in alternating activated sludge process for short-cut biological nitrogen removal treating domestic wastewater

To develop technically feasible and economically favorable dynamic process control(DPC)strategies for an alternating activated sludge(AAS)system,a bench-scale continuous-flow alternating aerobic and anoxic reactor,performing short-cut nitrogen removal from real domestic wastewater was operated under different control strategies for more than five months.A fixed-time control(FTC) study showed that bending-points on pH and oxidation-reduction potential(ORP)profiles accurately coincided with the major biologic...

Dipeptide transport: an active process with energy-and proton-dependence in the human intestinal cell line,Caco-2

Objective: To determine the active process on dipeptide transport with proton-and energy-dependence in Caco-2 cells.Methods: A human intestinal cell monolayer(Caco-2) was used as the in vitro model of human small intestine and cephalexin as the model substrate for dipeptide transporter(PepT1).Caco-2 cells grown on multiwell dishes(24 wells) and Transwell membrane filters were incubated in the culture medium. The transport and uptake experiments of cephalexin across apical membranes were then conducted with different temperature and different pH values.Uptake of cephalexin in Caco-2 cells gsown on multiple well dishes with addition of energy inhibitors(sodium azide,SA and 2,4-dinitrophenol,DNP) were then measured. Results: The accumulation of cephalexin into Caco-2 monolayers increased with the duration of culture.The uptake from the apical surface was markedly influenced by the pH of the apical medium,and the maximal uptake was achieved at pH 5.5;further acidification of the incubation medium may decrease transport of cephalexin despite an increase inward H+ gradient.Cephalexin uptake was linear over the concentration range when the cells were incubated at 4℃ while the uptake rate was enhanced and tended to be saturated as the cephalexin concentration increased when the cells were incubated at 37℃.The kinetic parameters for the cephalexin transport carrier were determined to be: Vmax of(22.173±1.9) nmol/min per mg protein,Km of(2.069±0.9)mol/L,the Kd was estimated to be(0.07±0.02) nmol/min per mg protein per mmol/L.Uptake of cephalexin was markedly inhibited by sodium azide(SA) and 2,4-dinitrophenol(DNP). Conclusion: Cephalexin was transported actively across Caco-2 cells,and the transport process was proton-and energy-dependent.In addition, Caco-2 cells taked up cephalexin by dipeptide transporters that closely resembled the transporters present in the intestine.Caco-2 cells represented an ideal cellular model for future studies of the dipeptide transporter.

Effects of Activated Sintering Process on Properties and Microstructure of W-15Cu Alloy

The effects of activated sintering technology of H2 atmosphere sintering on the microstructure and properties of W-15Cu alloy using ultrafine W-15Cu composite powder fabricated by spray drying calcining-continuous reduction technology were investigated.The experimental results showed that W-15Cu alloy,consolidated by activated sintering technology of H2 atmosphere sintering for 1 h at 1300 ℃,with 98.5 % relative density,transverse rupture strength 1218 MPa,Vickers hardness HV0.5 378,average grain size about 1.2 μm and thermal conductivity 192 W/m·K,was obtained.In comparison to the normal sintering process,activated sintering process to W-15Cu alloy could be achieved at lower sintering temperature.Furthermore,better properties in activated sintered compacts were obtained,and activated sintering process resulted in finer microstructure and excellent properties.

Stoichiometric deduction of activated sludge process for organic carbon and nitrogen removal

The activated sludge process （ASP） is the most generally applied biological wastewater treatment method. The ASP for the removal of organic carbon and nitrogen can be looked as the combination of eight processes. In order to set up an ASP model, the stoichiometric coefficients should be deduced so that the stoichiometric matrix can be presented. The important assumptions and simplifications behind the model for ASP are enumerated. Using the matrix, mass balance equation and consistent units, the stoichiometric coefficients in the eight processes are exclusively deduced one by one.

Optimized Synthesis of Carbon Aerogels via Ambient Pressure Drying Process as Electrode for Supercapacitors

Carbon aerogels were synthesized via ambient pressure drying process using resorcinolformaldehyde as precursor and P123 to strengthen their skeletons. CO2 activation technology was implemented to improve surface areas and adjust pore size distribution. The synthesis process was optimized, and the morphology, structure, adsorption properties and electrochemical behavior of different samples were characterized. The CO2-activated samples achieved a high specific capacitance of 129.2 F/g in 6 M KOH electrolytes at the current density of 1 m A/cm^2 within the voltage range of 0-0.8 V. The optimized activation temperature and duration were determined to be 950 ℃ and 4 h, respectively.

Microbial Processes in Stratified Lake Doroninskoe(Transbaikal Region)

In recent decades,meromictic ponds attract the attention of researchers in different directions,because here the character of the physical,chemical and biological processes differ from those of typical mixing waters(Kuznetsov,1970;Hutchinson,1969).In Transbaikalia widely distributed soda and salt lakes with different salinity.Notable among them is Lake Doroninskoye,which has a pronounced stratification for a

Process Management in Insurance Companies

The importance of insurance activity is constantly growing, generating new problems and setting new challenges. One of these challenges is to meet the growing requirements and expectations of customers. This requires the efficient management of insurance companies. This means the necessity of applying modern management concepts, first and foremost, the concept of process management and instruments related to this process. This article describes the results of research on process management in insurance companies operating in Poland that was conducted by the Faculty of Management at the Warsaw University of Technology and presents the concept of the identification of processes carried out in insurance companies encompassing management, basic and auxiliary processes, as well as the objectives of the processes and the relationships between the basic processes and other processes carried out in insurance companies.

Hierarchically designed MoWSe_(2)/WO_(3)/C anode for fast and efficient Na+storage

Exploring anode materials with high energy and power density is one of the critical milestones in developing sodium-ion batteries/capacitors(SIBs/SICs).Here,the Mo and W-based bimetallic organic framework(Mo-W-MOF)with core-shell structure is first formed by a facile strategy,followed by a selenization and carbonization strategy to finally prepare multileveled Mo WSe_(2)/WO_(3)/C anode materials with core-shell petal like curled nanosheet structure.Between the petal(MoSe_(2))-core(WO_(3))structure,the formation of WSe_(2)flakes by partial selenization on the surface of WO_(3)serves as a heterogeneous connection between MoSe_(2)and WO_(3).The enlarged layer distance(0.677 nm)between MoSe_(2)and WSe_(2)can facilitate the rapid transfer of Na+and electrons.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations verify that the Mo WSe_(2)/WO_(3)/C heterostructure performs excellent metallic properties.Ex-situ X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)confirm the activation process from the initial insertion reaction to the later conversion reaction.Resultantly,when employed as the anode of SIBs,a remarkable capacity of 384.3 mA h g-1after 950 cycles at 10 A g^(-1)is performed.Furthermore,the SICs assembled with commercial activated carbon(AC)as the cathode exhibits a remarkable energy density of 81.86 W h kg^(-1)(at 190 W kg^(-1))and 72.83 W h kg^(-1)(at 3800 W kg^(-1)).The unique structural design and the reaction investigation of the electrode process can provide a reference for the development of transition metal chalcogenides anodes.

Effects of strain-induced melt activation treatment on the microstructure and properties of Zn sacrificial anodes

The microstructural properties and electrochemical performance of zinc(Zn)sacrificial anodes during strain-induced melt activation(SIMA)were investigated in this study.The samples were subjected to a compressive ratio of 20%-50% at various temperatures(425-435℃)and durations(5-30 min).Short-term electrochemical tests(anode tests)based on DNV-RP-B401 and potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed in 3.5wt%NaCl solution to evaluate the electrochemical efficiency and corrosion behavior of the samples,respectively.The electrochemical test results for the optimum sample confirmed that the corrosion current density declined by 90% and the anode efficiency slightly decreased relative to that of the raw sample.Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,metallographic images,and microhardness profiles showed the accumulation of alloying elements on the boundary and the conversion of uniform corrosion into localized corrosion,hence the decrease of the Zn sacrificial anode’s efficiency after the SIMA process.

Isothermal and athermal martensitic transformations of ceria cerla doped zilrconian

Martensitic transformation behavior was studied for zirconia containing 4%～10% CeO2 (in mole fraction) by using a dilatometric method. The Ms (Martensite start temperature) decreased near linearly with increasing CeO2. Different transformation modes were observed depending on the composition and cooling rate. ZrO2 containing 6% CeO2 showed isothermal transformation behavior, whereas ZrO2 containing 9% and 10% CeO2 showed athermal transformation behavior. However, ZrO2 containing 8% CeO2 showed either isothermal or athermal transformations behavior depending on the cooling rate. A TTT (Time-Temperature-Transformation) diagram was proposed for ZrO2 containing 8% CeO2.

NUMERICAL EXPERIMENT WITH PROCESSES FOR EFFECT OF AUSTRALIAN COLD AIR ACTIVITY ON EAST-ASIAN SUMMER MONSOON

Based on diagnostic results,a numerical study is made of the processes of Australian cold air activity affecting East Asian summer monsoon by using Kuo-Qian P-σ incorporated coordinate five-layer primitive equation spherical band model.Analysis is done of the response to the Southern Hemisphere circulation with and without cold air activity in Australia of the flow,rainfall and diabatic heating fields in the monsoon area of Asia,especially,East Asia,with special attention to the intensification and northward march of the monsoon due to the activity.It is found that the processes for the effect transmission are very analogous to the meridional propagation of quasi-40-day oscillation,together with the meridional wind disturbance showing south-north travel and the flow/rainfall fields exhibitirg corresponding movement in this direction,only with a 12-day lag.

Characterisation of Raw Sewage and Performance Evaluation of Al-Diwaniyah Sewage Treatment Work, Iraq

These days, water and wastewater treatment are one of the most important issues regarding to the human health. Wastewaters are one of the most environmental pollutants and a wide range of adverse effects linked to the effect of untreated wastewaters or wastewaters that treat improperly. The aim of this present study was to evaluate performance of the wastewater treatment plant at Al-Diwaniyah City according to the national standards. Therefore, data of the most common parameters (PH, BOD5, COD, TSS, PO4, NO3, Cl, and Oil and Grease) were collected from the wastewater treatment plant. The study revealed that the wastewater treatment plant was receiving medium to strong influent with a BOD5/COD ratio of between (0.4 - 0.7). Regression analysis was achieved to approximate the influent of BOD5 and TSS. While the effluent quality was exceeded the Iraq standards for disposing treated wastewater to the water bodies with a fluctuation in the ratio of BOD5to COD as a consequence of the operational problems. Therefore, these results would be of help to planners and policy makers in the City to combat such this problem and to take the necessary actions to reduce the impact of these pollutants.

The influence of desiccation on the recovery process of nitrogenase activity in restored biological soil crusts

Dear Editor,Biological soil crusts(BSCs),a layered structure formed by associations of soil organisms and topsoil,dominate arid and semiarid areas and serve important ecological functions in these areas(Eldridge and Greene,1994).Nitrogen fixation by BSCs is the main source of N in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.Desiccation is the most notable factor that influences BSCs,which recover physiological activity only after moistening.By influencing the amount of carbohydrates,

Insight into the interaction between trimethoprim and soluble microbial products produced from biological wastewater treatment processes

Soluble microbial products(SMPs),dissolved organic matter excreted by activated sludge,can interact with antibiotics in wastewater and natural water bodies.Interactions between SMPs and antibiotics can influence antibiotic migration,transformation,and toxicity but the mechanisms involved in such interactions are not fully understood.In this study,integrated spectroscopy approaches were used to investigate the mechanisms involved in interactions between SMPs and a representative antibiotic,trimethoprim(TMP),which has a low biodegradation rate and has been detected in wastewater.The results of liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection-organic nitrogen detection indicated that the SMPs used in the study contained 15% biopolymers and 28% humic-like substances(based on the total dissolved organic carbon concentration)so would have contained sites that could interact with TMP.A linear relationship of fluorescent intensities of tryptophan protein-like substances in SMP was observed(R^(2)>0.99),indicating that the fluorescence enhancement between SMP and TMP occurred.Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that carboxyl,carbonyl,and hydroxyl groups were the main functional groups involved in the interactions.The electrostatic andπ-πinteractions were discovered by the UV-vis spectra and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra.Structural representations of the interactions between representative SMP subcomponents and TMP were calculated using density functional theory,and the results confirmed the conclusions drawn from the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra.The results help characterize SMP–TMP complexes and will help understand antibiotic transformations in wastewater treatment plants and aquatic environments.

Effect of ozone on the performance of a hybrid ceramic membrane-biological activated carbon process

Two hybrid processes including ozonation-ceramic membrane-biological activated carbon （BAC） （Process A） and ceramic membrane-BAC （Process B） were compared to treat polluted raw water. The performance of hybrid processes was evaluated with the removal efficiencies of turbidity, ammonia and organic matter. The results indicated that more than 99% of particle count was removed by both hybrid processes and ozonation had no significant effect on its removal. BAC filtration greatly improved the removal of ammonia. Increasing the dissolved oxygen to 30.0 mg/L could lead to a removal of ammonia with concentrations as high as 7.80 mg/L and 8.69 mg/L for Processes A and B, respectively. The average removal efficiencies of total organic carbon and ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm （UV254, a parameter indicating organic matter with aromatic structure） were 49% and 52% for Process A, 51% and 48% for Process B, respectively. Some organic matter was oxidized by ozone and this resulted in reduced membrane fouling and increased membrane flux by 25%-30%. However, pre-ozonation altered the components of the raw water and affected the microorganisms in the BAC, which may impact the removals of organic matter and nitrite negatively.

Treatment of coking wastewater using oxic-anoxic-oxic process followed by coagulation and ozonation

An oxic-anoxic-oxic(O-A-O)system followed by coagulation and ozonation processes was used to study the treatment of coking wastewater.In the O-A-O process,the removals of NH4+-N,total nitrogen and COD were 91.5-93.3%,91.3-92.6%and 89.1-93.8%,respectively when employing hydraulic residence times of 60 h for the biochemical system.High removal of NH4+-N was obtained due to the placement of an aerobic tank in front of A-O system which can mitigate the inhibitory effect of toxic compounds in coking wastewater on nitrifying bacteria.Addition of methanol into the anoxic reactor greatly increased the removal of total nitrogen,indicating that denitrifiers can hardly use organic compounds in coking wastewater as carbon source for denitrification.COD values of the effluent from the O-A-O system were still higher than 260 mg/L even with a prolonged time of 160 h mainly due to the high refractory properties of residual compounds in the effluent.The subsequent coagulation and ozonation processes resulted in the COD removal of 91.5%-93.3%and reduced the relative abundance of large molecular weight(MW)organics(>1 kDa)from 55.8%to 20.93%with the ozone,PAC and PAM dosages of 100,150 and 4 mg/L respectively.Under these conditions,the COD value and concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the final effluent were less than 80 and 0.05 mg/L,respectively,which meet the requirement of the Chinese emission standard.These results indicate that the combined technology of O-A-O process,coagulation and ozonation is a reliable way for the treatment of coking wastewater.

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS（6.8 times higher than the blank test） and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.