Immobilization techniques for beverage production using yeast cell systems: challenges, types, and future perspectives - a mini review

Yeast immobilization is a process of physical entrapment of yeast cells using different techniques while maintaining their biological activity.Continuous fermentation systems have significant advantages over conventional methods.Research highlights that immobilized yeast cell systems have several benefits as compared to free yeast cells.The immobilized yeast cell systems improve fermentation rates,especially when paired with continuous fermentation and appropriate immobilization techniques.Understanding various immobilization techniques,continuous fermentation processes,yeast metabolic activity related to beverage flavor production,and bioreactor designs is vital for optimizing the use of immobilized yeast cells systems on industrial scale.This review provides an overview of recent basic research on immobilized yeast cell systems,with a focus on continuous beverage fermentation.In this study,different reactor configurations and immobilization techniques are explored.The study focus on the impacts of immobilization on the yeast cells,and discuss the recent advancements in these techniques.The review concludes with a discussion on the practical applications of immobilized yeast cells and continuous fermentation in beverage production.

Continuous Lithium-Ion Extraction From Seawater and Mine Water With a Fuel Cell System and Ceramic Membranes

The demand for electronic devices that utilize lithium is steadily increasing in this rapidly advancing technological world.Obtaining high-purity lithium in an environmentally friendly way is challenging by using commercialized methods.Herein,we propose the first fuel cell system for continuous lithium-ion extraction using a lithium superionic conductor membrane and advanced electrode.The fuel cell system for extracting lithium-ion has demonstrated a twofold increase in the selectivity of Li^(+)/Na^(+)while producing electricity.Our data show that the fuel cell with a titania-coated electrode achieves 95%lithium-ion purity while generating 10.23 Wh of energy per gram of lithium.Our investigation revealed that using atomic layer deposition improved the electrode's uniformity,stability,and electrocatalytic activity.After 2000 cycles determined by cyclic voltammetry,the electrode preserved its stability.

Adaptive inverse control of air supply flow for proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems

To prevent the oxygen starvation and improve the system output performance, an adaptive inverse control （AIC） strategy is developed to regulate the air supply flow of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell （PEMFC） system in this paper. The PEMFC stack and the air supply system including a compressor and a supply manifold are modeled for the purpose of performance analysis and controller design. A recurrent fuzzy neural network （RFNN） is utilized to identify the inverse model of the controlled system and generates a suitable control input during the abrupt step change of external disturbances. Compared with the PI controller, numerical simulations are performed to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed AIC strategy.

Assessment on Energy Self-Sufficiency Rate for Building Integrated Photovoltaics and Fuel Cell System in Japan

A building integrated photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC) system is proposed for assessment of the energy self-sufficiency rate in a city in Japan. The electricity consumed in the building is mainly supplied by solar panels, while the gap between the energy demand and supply is solved by the FC that is powered by the H2 produced by water electrolysis with surplus power of PV. A desktop case study of using the proposed system in Tsu city which is located in central part of Japan, has been conducted. The results found that the self-sufficiency rates of PV system to electricity demand of households (RPV) during the daytime in April and July are higher than those in January and October. The results also reveal that the self-sufficiency rate of FC system to the electricity demand (RFC) is 15% - 38% for the day when the mean amount of horizontal solar radiation is obtained in January, April, July and October. In addition, it is found the optimum tilt angle of solar panel installed on the roof of the buildings should be 0 degree, i.e., placed horizontally.

Data-driven nonlinear control of a solid oxide fuel cell system

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are considered to be one of the most important clean,distributed resources. However,SOFCs present a challenging control problem owing to their slow dynamics,nonlinearity and tight operating constraints. A novel data-driven nonlinear control strategy was proposed to solve the SOFC control problem by combining a virtual reference feedback tuning (VRFT) method and support vector machine. In order to fulfill the requirement for fuel utilization and control constraints,a dynamic constraints unit and an anti-windup scheme were adopted. In addition,a feedforward loop was designed to deal with the current disturbance. Detailed simulations demonstrate that the fast response of fuel flow for the current demand disturbance and zero steady error of the output voltage are both achieved. Meanwhile,fuel utilization is kept almost within the safe region.

Efficiency and Size Optimization of a General Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System

An irreversible model of high temperature solid oxide fuel cells( SOFCs) working at steady-state is developed,devoted to performing the optimization with regard to two objectives:minimization of the fuel cell size and maximization of the system efficiency. The performance characteristics of the system are analyzed in details, illustrated by the curves of power density,efficiency and voltage. Genetic algorithm is used to perform the multi-objective optimization with four decision variables: the operating pressure, the fuel stoichiometric ratio, the air stoichiometric ratio and the current density. A Pareto set giving a quantative description of the trade-off between the two objectives is used to analyze the results. Optimization results prove the existence of optimal designs region for a 50 kW system with efficiency from 43% corresponding to a 14. 6 m2 electrolyte area to 48% corresponding to a 25.4 m2 electrolyte area. The SOFC model used is general and the optimization results could be applied to the practical SOFC design.

Nonlinear State Feedback Control of PEM Fuel Cell Systems

In this paper, the nonlinear state feedback controller has been developed to control the pressures of the oxygen and the hydrogen in the PEM（Proton Exchange Membrane） fuel cell system. Nonlinear model of the PEM fuel cell system was introduced to study the design problems of the state observer and model based controller. A cascade observer using the filtering technique was used to estimate the pressure derivatives of the cathode and the anode in the system. In order to estimate the pressures of the cathode and the anode, the sliding mode observer was designed by using these pressure derivatives. To estimate the oxygen pressure and the hydrogen pressure in the system, the nonlinear state observer was designed by using the cathode pressure estimates and the anode it. These results will be very useful to design the state feedback controller. The validity of the proposed observers and the controller has been investigated by using a Lyapunov＇s stability analysis strategy.

Performance test of a 5 kW solid oxide fuel cell system under high fuel utilization with industrial fuel gas feeding

As the demand for green energy with high efficiency and low carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions has increased,solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have been intensively developed in recent years.Integrated gasification fuel cells(IGFCs)in particular show potential for large-scale power generation to further increase system efficiency.Thus,for commercial application of IGFCs,it is important to design reliable multi-stacks for large systems that show long-term stability and practical fuel gas for application to industrial equipment.In this work,a test rig(of a 5 kW SOFC system,with syngas from industrial gasifiers as fuel)was fabricated and subjected to long-term tests under high fuel utilization to investigate its performance.The maximum steady output power of the system was 5700 W using hydrogen and 5660 W using syngas and the maximum steady electrical efficiency was 61.24%while the fuel utilization efficiency was 89.25%.The test lasted for more than 500 h as the fuel utilization efficiency was larger than 83%.The performances of each stack tower were almost identical at both the initial stage and after long-term operation.After 500 h operation,the performances of the stack towers decreased only slightly under lower current and showed almost no change under high current.These results demonstrate the reliability of the multi-stack design and the prospect of this SOFC power-generation system for further enlarging its application in a MWth demonstration.

Thermal modeling optimization and experimental validation for a single concentrator solar cell system with a heat sink

A single concentrator solar cell model with a heat sink is established to simulate the thermal performance of the system by varying the number, height, and thickness of fins, the base thickness and thermal resistance of the thermal conductive adhesive. Influence disciplines of those parameters on temperatures of the solar cell and heat sink are obtained. With optimized number, height and thickness of fins, and the thickness values of base of 8, 1.4 cm, 1.5 mm, and 2 mm, the lowest temperatures of the solar cell and heat sink are 41.7 ~C and 36.3 ~C respectively. A concentrator solar cell prototype with a heat sink fabricated based on the simulation optimized structure is built. Outdoor temperatures of the prototype are tested. Temperatures of the solar cell and heat sink are stabilized with time continuing at about 37 ℃-38 ℃ and 35 ℃-36 ℃respectively, slightly lower than the simulation results because of effects of the wind and cloud. Thus the simulation model enables to predict the thermal performance of the system, and the simulation results can be a reference for designing heat sinks in the field of single concentrator solar cells.

Generation of genetically modified mice using CRISPR/Cas9 and haploid embryonic stem cell systems

With the development of high-throughput sequencing technology in the post-genomic era, researchers have concentrated their efforts on elucidating the relationships between genes and their corresponding functions. Recently, important progress has been achieved in the generation of genetically modified mice based on CRISPR/Cas9 and haploid embryonic stem cell （haESC） approaches, which provide new platforms for gene function analysis, human disease modeling, and gene therapy. Here, we review the CRISPR/Cas9 and haESC technology for the generation of genetically modified mice and discuss the key challenges in the application of these approaches.

ABSENCE OF GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF RU 486 IN BACTERIAL AND MAMMALIAN CELL SYSTEMS

RU 486,a potent progesterone antagonist,was testedfor its mutagenic potential at different levels:1)Gene mutations were detected in Salmonellatyphimurium strains recommended by Ames (TA98,TA100,TA1535,TA1537 and TA 1538),over a range of RU 486concentrations from 100 to 5000μg/plate,both withand without rat liver S9 fractions (S9 mix) asmetabolic activation.2) Chromosome damage

An Over-Moded TEM Cell System for <i>in vivo</i>Exposure at 2.45 GHz

A TEM cell designed to operate at 900 MHz for exposing small-restrained animals (e.g. mice) has been theoretically, numerically and experimentally characterized at 2.45 GHz, which is the central frequency of the WiFi protocol. This study aims at evaluating the influence of higher order modes on the field homogeneity. The results demonstrate the superimposition of a tolerable standing wave, due to reflections at the cell terminations, and a slight beat wave due to the interference between different modes. Nevertheless, the final outcome is that the system can still be efficiently used to expose small animals in specific WiFi channels, provided they are properly placed in correspondence to the maxima of the electric field along the guide length.

Rational design of Aspergillus flavus A5p1-immobilized cell system to enhance the decolorization of reactive blue 4(RB4)

Anthraquinone dyes are a class of typical carcinogenic and hard-biodegradable organic pollutants.This study aimed to enhance the decolorization of anthraquinone dye by rationally designing an expected immobilized system.Reactive blue 4(RB4) was used as a substrate model and a previous isolated dyedegrading strain Aspergillus flavus A5pl was purposefully immobilized.Considering the effects of cell attachment and mass transfer,the polyurethane foam(PUF) with open pore structure was selected as the immobilization carrier.Results showed that the RB4 decolorization efficiency was significant enhanced after immobilization.Compared to the free mycelium system,the decolorization time of200 mg·L^(-1)RB4 was shortened from 48 h to 28 h by the PUF-immobilized cell system.Moreover,the PUF-immobilized system could tolerate RB4 up to 2000 mg-L^(-1).In the packed bed bioreactor(PBBR),an average decolorization efficiency of 93.3% could be maintained by the PUF-immobilized system for26 days.The decolorization process of RB4 was well described by the logistic equation and the degradation pathway was discussed.It was found that the higher specific growth rate of the PUF-immobilized cells was one of reasons for the enhanced decolorization.The good performance of the PUFimmobilized cell system would make it have potential application value for RB4 bioremediation.

Dynamic Control of Electric Output Characteristics of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System

This paper discusses dynamic characteristics of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) under rapid fluctuation of power demand. Wavelet neural network is adopted in the identification of the characteristic curve to predict the voltage. The system control scheme of the voltage and power is introduced. The corresponding schemes for voltage and power control are studied. MATLAB is used to simulate the control system. The results reveal that the adopted control schemes can produce expected effects. Corresponding anti-disturbance and robustness simulation are also carried out. The simulation results show that the implemented control schemes have better robustness and adaptability.

Dynamic Analysis of a Stand Alone Operation of PEM Fuel Cell System

In this paper, the dynamic mathematical model of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is presented. Dynamic performance of a PEM fuel cell system by experimental and simulation using matlab/simulink is investigated. The V-I load characteristics of a 1.2 kW PEM fuel cell are presented. Result shows that the starting current of the PEM fuel cell operated at rated load reaches to approximately twice of its rated current in just less than 0.015 second before it reached to its steady state condition. Step change load responses of this PEM fuel cell were experimented and simulated. It was found out, from the results obtained, that PEM fuel cell had a very fast response to load changes. Moreover, results show that the experimental and the result computed by using the simulation of the model are very close to each other which validates the model. Hence, this model could be used to implement a controller design in order to come up with an optimal and efficient operation of PEM fuel cell. Based also on the results, a suitable power conditioning can be constructed and designed for safe and reliable operation of PEM fuel cell especially in integrating and connecting it to a hybrid wind/PV distributed generation system.

Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cell p-n Junction Capacitance Behavior Modelling under an Integrated External Electrical Field Source in Solar Cell System

The state of the p-n junction is very important to explain the performances of a solar cell. Some works give the influence of the electric field on the junction capacitance. However, these works do not relate the quality of the p-n junction under the electic field. The present manuscript is about a theoretical modelling of the p-n junction capacitance behavior of the polycrystalline silicon solar cell under an integration of the external electrical field source. An external electrical source is integrated in a solar cell system. The electronic carriers charge generated in the solar cell crossed mainly the junction with the great strength external electrical field. In open circuit, this crossing of the electronic charge carriers causes the thermal heating of the p-n junction by Joule effect. The p-n junction capacitance plotted versus the junction dynamic velocity and the photo-voltage for different external electrical fields. The electric field causes the decrease of the photo-voltage mainly the open-circuit photo-voltage. The decrease of the photo-voltage translates the narrowing of the Space Charge Region (SCR). The average value of the external electric field used in this study is not sufficient to cause the breakdown of the p-n junction of the solar cell system under integration of the external electrical field production source. The increase of the electrical field causes rather the narrowing of the SCR. That can provide an improvement of the solar cell’s electrical outputs.

Energy Assessment of Building Integrated Photovoltaics and Fuel Cell Systems: Design Study for Building(s) of Mie, Japan

A building integrated energy system (photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC)) is proposed for assessment of the energy self-sufficiency rate in five cities of Mie prefecture in Japan. In this work, it is considered that the electricity requirement of the building is provided by the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system and the gap between the energy demand and BIPV supply is fulfilled by the FC. The FC is powered by the electrolytic H2 produced from the surplus power of PV. A design study of using the proposed system in five cities in Mie prefecture, which are in center part of Japan, has been performed. It has been observed that the monthly power production from BIPV is higher in spring and summer, while it is lower in autumn and winter at all considered locations. The self-sufficiency rate of the FC system is higher with decreasing households’ number and it has been observed that the 12 households are more suitable for full cover of the electricity demand by the combined system of PV and FC. The relationship between the households’ number and self-sufficiency rate of the FC system per solar PV installation area can be expressed by exponential curve. The coefficient of the exponential curve can predict the suitable city for the BIPV system with FC system utilizing electrolytic H2 generated by using excess energy from the PV system.

Optimal Allocation of a Hybrid Wind Energy-Fuel Cell System Using Different Optimization Techniques in the Egyptian Distribution Network

This paper presents an optimal proposed allocating procedure for hybrid wind energy combined with proton exchange membrane fuel cell (WE/PEMFC) system to improve the operation performance of the electrical distribution system (EDS). Egypt has an excellent wind regime with wind speeds of about 10 m/s at many areas. The disadvantage of wind energy is its seasonal variations. So, if wind power is to supply a significant portion of the demand, either backup power or electrical energy storage (EES) system is needed to ensure that loads will be supplied in reliable way. So, the hybrid WE/PEMFC system is designed to completely supply a part of the Egyptian distribution system, in attempt to isolate it from the grid. However, the optimal allocation of the hybrid units is obtained, in order to enhance their benefits in the distribution networks. The critical buses that are necessary to install the hybrid WE/ PEMFC system, are chosen using sensitivity analysis. Then, the binary Crow search algorithm (BCSA), discrete Jaya algorithm (DJA) and binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) techniques are proposed to determine the optimal operation of power systems using single and multi-objective functions (SOF/MOF). Then, the results of the three optimization techniques are compared with each other. Three sensitivity factors are employed in this paper, which are voltage sensitivity factor (VSF), active losses sensitivity factor (ALSF) and reactive losses sensitivity factor (RLSF). The effects of the sensitivity factors (SFs) on the SOF/MOF are studied. The improvement of voltage profile and minimizing active and reactive power losses of the EDS are considered as objective functions. Backward/forward sweep (BFS) method is used for the load flow calculations. The system load demand is predicted up to year 2022 for Mersi-Matrouh City as a part of Egyptian distribution network, and the design of the hybrid WE/PEMFC system is applied. The PEMFC system is designed considering simplified mathematical expressions. The economics of operation of both WE and PEMFC system are also presented. The results prove the capability of the proposed procedure to find the optimal allocation for the hybrid WE/PEMFC system to improve the system voltage profile and to minimize both active and reactive power losses for the EDS of Mersi-Matrough City.

A novel scrape-applied method for the manufacture of the membrane-electrode assembly of the fuel-cell system

This study investigates the transfer of the scrape-applied method from the electrodes of a lithium battery to the membrane-electrode assembly of fuel cells, including Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells and Direct Methanol Fuel Cell. Three methods are commonly used to manufacture lithium battery electrodes： the roller-applied method, the spraying-applied method, and the scrape-applied method. This study develops novel scrape-applied equip- ment for lithium battery electrodes. This method is novel and suitable for producing fuel cell, better than other tradi- tional methods. In this study, the stability of coating process was tested by measuring the weight and thickness of a dry electrode. The stability and reproducibility of electrode fab- rication were examined by systematic data analysis. Finally, the study used a specially designed single cell composed of 16 conductive segments, which are insulated locally. The current passing through each segment was measured using Hall Effect sensors connected to the segment compartments. Based on the measured distribution of the local current in a segmented single cell, the influence of flooding and stoi- chiometry variation of feed gas was discussed in terms of electrochemical reaction rate. The experimental results serve as an important basis for future research in this field, which hold potential benefits to the academia and the industry.

Modelisation and Optimization of a Microbial Desalination Cell System

In this work, we used a hybrid system composed of a Microbial Desalination Cell (MDC). This system allows, at the same time, the treatment of wastewater and the production of electrical energy for the desalination of saltwater. MDC is a cleaning technology used to purify wastewater. This process has been driven by converting organic compounds contained in wastewater into electrical energy through biological, chemical, and electrochemical processes. The produced electrical energy was used to desalinate the saline water. The objective of this work is the desalination or pre-desalination of seawater. For this, we have established a theoretical model consisting of differential equations describing the behavior of this system. Subsequently, we developed a program on MAT-LAB software to simulate and optimized the operation of this system and to promote the production of electrical energy in order to improve the desalination efficiency of the MDC. The theoretical result shows that the electrical current production is maximal when the methanogenic growth rate equal to zero, increases with the increasing of influent substrate concentration and the efficiency of desalination increased with flow rate of saline water.