Paving the High-Way to Sustainable, Value Adding Open-Innovation Integrating Bigger-Data Challenges: Three Examples from Bio-Ingredients to Robust Durable Applications of Electrochemical Impacts

A trilogy review, based on more than 300 references, is used to underline three challenges facing 1) the supply of sustainable, durable and protected biosourced ingredients such as lipids, 2) the accounting for valuable bio-by-products, such as whey proteins that have added-value potential removing their environmental weight and 3) the practical reliable synthetic biology and evolutionary engineering that already serve as a technology and science basis to expand from, such as for biopolymer growth. Bioresources, which are the major topic of this review, must provide answers to several major challenges related to health, food, energy or chemistry of tomorrow. They offer a wide range of ingredients which are available in trees, plants, grasses, vegetables, algae, milk, food wastes, animal manures and other organic wastes. Researches in this domain must be oriented towards a bio-sustainable-economy based on new valuations of the potential of those renewable biological resources. This will aim at the substitution of fossil raw materials with renewable raw materials to ensure the sustainability of industrial processes by providing bioproducts through innovative processes using for instance micro-organisms and enzymes (the so-called white biotechnology). The final stage objective is to manufacture high value-added products gifted with the right set of physical, chemical and biological properties leading to particularly innovative applications. In this review, three examples are considered in a green context open innovation and bigger data environment. Two of them (lipids antioxidants and milk proteins) concern food industry while the third (biomonomers and corresponding bioplastics and derivatives) relates to biomaterials industry. Lipids play a crucial role in the food industry, but they are chemically unstable and very sensitive to atmospheric oxidation which leads to the formation of numerous by-compounds which have adverse effects on lipids quality attributes and on the nutritive value of meat. To overcome this problem, natural antioxidants, with a positive impact on the safety and acceptability of the food system, have been discovered and evaluated. In the same context, milk proteins and their derivatives are of great interest. They can be modified by enzymatic means leading to the formation of by-products that are able to increase their functionality and possible applications. They can also produce bioactive peptides, a field with almost unlimited research potential. On the other hand, biosourced chemicals and materials, mainly biomonomers and biopolymers, are already produced today. Metabolic engineering tools and strategies to engineer synthetic enzyme pathways are developed to manufacture, from renewable feedstocks, with high yields, a number of monomer building-block chemicals that can be used to produce replacements to many conventional plastic materials. Through those three examples this review aims to highlight recent and important advancements in production, modification and applications of the studied bioproducts. Bigger data analysis and artificial intelligence may help reweight practical and theoretical observations and concepts in these fields;helping to cross the boarders of expert traditional exploration fields and sometime fortresses.

Classification of Barley according to Harvest Year and Species by Using Mid-infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis

In order to monitor malt quality in the malting industry, despite yearly variations in the barley quality, 394 barley samples were analysed using conventional （moisture, protein and B-glucan content） and mid-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy FT-IR. The experimental dataset included barley from three harvest years, two barley species, 77 barley varieties, and two-row and six-row barley, from 16 cultivation sites. For each sample, the malt quality indices were also assessed according to European Brewing Convention （EBC） standards. Principal component analysis （PCA） was carried out on mean-centred, normalized and derivative spectra using 200/cm width spectral bands. The most informative spectral bands were observed in the 800-1,000/cm and 1,000-1,200/cm ranges. PCA revealed that barley harvested in 2010 and in 2011 had bands that were very close together, while 2009 harvest clearly displayed a difference in its quality. PCA made it possible to distinguish two species and confirmed that two-row winter barley quality was closer to two-row spring barley quality than to six-row winter barley. Results indicate that mid-infrared spectrometry （MIR） could be a very useful and rapid analytical tool to assess barley qualitative quality.

Influence of Swimming Pool Design on Hydraulic Behavior: A Numerical and Experimental Study

A swimming pool can be considered as a chemical reactor with specific hydraulic and macro-mixing characteristics. The nature of flow into the pool depends on various characteristics, such as water inlets and outlets (number and position), pool geometry, and flow rate. This study investigates how swimming pool design affects hydraulic behavior based on experimental and computational fluid dynamics studies (CFD). This paper does not describe the hydraulic behavior of all existing swimming pools, however the cases studied here are representative of pool designs widely used in Europe and the United States. The model developed, based on the principle of a stirred reactor, could be used as a first approach in describing the hydraulic behavior of regular pools. This model is suitable for the study of physical and chemical phenomena with long characteristic times. Other, more advanced, models were shown to be more suitable to the case of fast chemical processes.

Book Review

Micro Fluidization:Fundamentals and Applications.Elsevier,Amsterdam,Netherlands(2023),ISBN:978-0-443-18718-6,DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/C2022-0-00872-2.1.Introduction.“Micro Fluidization:Fundamentals and Applications”is an insightful and comprehensive monograph that delves into the world’s first book on micro fluidized beds,a rapidly advancing field in chemical engineering.The book offers a wealth of knowledge on the fundamentals,hydrodynamic characteristics,and various applications related to micro fluidized beds.

Computational design for 4D printing of topology optimized multi-material active composites

Recent efforts on design for four-dimensional(4D)printing have considered the spatial arrangement of smart materials and energy stimuli.The development of multifunctional structures and their desired mechanical/actuation performances require tackling 4D printing from a multi-material design perspective.With the materials distributions there is an opportunity to increase the spectrum of design concepts with computational approaches.The main goal being to achieve the“best”distribution of material properties in a voxelized structure,a computational framework that consists of a finite element analysis-based evolutionary algorithm is presented.It fuses the advantages of optimizing both the materials distribution and material layout within a design space via topology optimization to solve the inverse design problem of finding an optimal design to achieve a target shape change by integrating void voxels.The results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method in providing a highly capable tool for the design of 4D-printed active composites.

Soil Contamination due to E-Waste Disposal and Recycling Activities: A Review with Special Focus on China

Considering that even contaminated soils are a potential resource for agricultural production, it is essential to develop a set of cropping systems to allow a safe and sustainable agriculture on contaminated lands while avoiding any transfer of toxic trace elements to the food chain. In this review, three main strategies, i.e., phytoexclusion, phytostabilization, and phytoextraction, are proposed to establish cropping systems for production of edible and non-edible plants, and for extraction of elements for industrial use. For safe production of food crops, the selection of low-accumulating plants/cultivars and the application of soil amendments are of vital importance. Phytostabilization using non-food energy and fiber plants can provide additional renewable energy sources and economic benefit with minimum cost of agricultural measures. Phytoextracting trace elements （e.g., As, Cd, Ni, and Zn） using hyperaccumulator species is more suitable for slightly and moderately polluted sites, and phytomining of Ni from serpentine soils has shown a great potential to extract Ni-containing bio-ores of economic interests. We conclude that appropriate combinations of soil types, plant species/cultivars, and agronomic practices can restrict trace metal transfer to the food chain and/or extract energy and metals of industrial use and allow safe agricultural activities.

Soil Contamination due to Activities： A Review with E-Waste Disposal and Recycling Special Focus on China

This paper presents a review of soil contamination resulting from e-waste recycling activities, with a special focus on China, where many data have been collected for a decade. Soils in the e-waste areas are often contaminated by heavy metals and organic compounds, mainly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs）, polybrominated diphenyl ethers （PBDEs）, polychlorinated and polybrominated biphenyls （PCBs and PBBs）, dechlorane plus （DP）, hexabromocyclododecanes （HBCDs）, polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzo- p-dioxins （PCDDs and PBDDs）, and polychlorinated and polybrominated dibenzofurans （PCDFs and PBDFs）, while other compounds, not systematically monitored, can be found as well. Pollutants are generally present in mixtures, so pollution situations are complex and diversified with a gradient of contamination from agricultural soils to hot spots at e-waste sites and mainly in open burning areas. It has been proved that pollutants were transferred to the food chain via rice in China, and that the population was threatened since high levels of various pollutants were detected in blood, placentas, hair, etc., of residents of e-waste sites. Eventually, soil remediation techniques are reviewed. Although there are many available techniques devoted to heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, the current techniques for the e-waste sites, where these contaminants coexist, are very sparse. Phytoremediation has been investigated and co-cropping appears as a promising approach for the slightly contaminated agricultural soils. In some cases, different remediation techniques should be combined or trained, while the influence of coexisting contaminants and the removal sequence of contaminants should be considered. In hot spots, physical and chemical techniques should be used to reduce high pollution levels to prevent further pollutant dissemination. This review highlights the urgent needs for 1） characterization of pollution status in all the countries where e-wastes are recycled, 2） research on fate and toxicity of pollutant mixtures, and 3） development of combined techniques and strategies to remediate agricultural fields and hot spots of pollution.

Process conditions for preparing well-defined nano- and microparticles as delivery systems of alkyl gallates

Dextran-covered poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA) nano-and microparticles were prepared using an emulsion/solvent evaporation (or diffusion) process for the encapsulation of alkyl gallates (AGs).In the first step,a solution of PLA and AG in ethyl acetate was emulsified to give an aqueous phase containing a hydrophobically modified dextran,which acted as a stabilizer.The second step involved solvent evaporation or diffusion.The emulsification conditions were varied,which allowed for the preparation of nanoand microparticle suspensions covering a wide range of surface-average particle diameters from 0.1 μm (sonication) to 500 μm (stirring with a magnetic bar),with narrow and reproducible size distributions.Continuous microfluidic emulsification in a flow-focusing system led to well-defined microparticles,in the 10-50 μm range.Particles loaded with octyl gallate (OG) and nonyl gallate (NG) were obtained using the three processes,and we showed that the encapsulation efficiency of OG and NG varied significantly depending on the emulsification process.The effect of particle size on the mechanism of in vitro release of encapsulated AGs was investigated.The kinetics of release were controlled either by Fickian diffusion within the solid core or swelling and hydrolytic degradation of the PLA matrix,depending on the pH of the external medium.

Current trends in bio-based elastomer materials

Elastomers play an irreplaceable role in our society due to their unique properties.Natural rubber is directly obtained from plants and is widely used in tires,shoes,etc.Recently,modified natural rubbers are proposed to expand the application of natural rubber.However,these natural rubbers have a limited variety of molecular structures and may not be able to meet ever-demanding applications.Traditional synthetic elastomers have a variety of molecular structures and their properties are used in various fields,but mainly originate from fossil resources.This review deals with bio-based elastomers,and more specifically natural rubber and bio-based synthetic elastomers.Based on reprocessability,bio-based elastomers can also be divided into bio-based chemically cross-linked ones and thermoplastic ones.Compared to traditional fossil-based elastomers,bio-based ones may alleviate environmental pollution and promote the sustainable development of the elastomer industry.

Measuring the Interfacial Thickness of Immiscible Polymer Blends by Nano-probing of Atomic Force Microscopy

Immiscible polymer blends are an important family of polymer materials.The interfacial thickness between different phases is a very important parameter that dictates,to a great extent,the morphology and properties of such a blend.This work explores and optimizes an up-to-date atomic force microscopy(AFM)of type NanoIR2^(TM) system in order to quantitatively measure the interfacial thickness of immiscible polymer blends.This system is equipped with two nano-probes capable of detecting the response of a material to an infrared pulse called AFM-infrared spectroscopy mode(AFM-IR)or conducting resonance called AFM-Lorentz Contact Resonance mode(AFM-LCR),respectively.Its potential for quantitatively measuring the interfacial thickness of immiscible polymer blends is evaluated using blends composed of polyamide 6(PA6)and polyolefin elastomer(POE)in the presence or absence of a POE containing maleic anhydride(POE-g-MAH)as a compatibilizer.Surface roughness affects adversely the signal intensity and consequently an accurate measurement of the interfacial thickness.Optimum sample surface preparation procedures are proposed.

Fe-doped olivine and char for in-bed elimination of gasification tars in an air-blown fluidised bed reactor coupled with oxidative hot gas filtration

Gasification experiments were carried out in a pilot scale fluid bed reactor operated under allothermal mode and low fluidisation regime with iron-doped olivine and char as catalyst for in-situ tar abatement.The catalyst combination resulted in a reduction of 50%in the overall tar yield with respect to the reference values.Furthermore,the integration of an oxidative Hot Gas Filtration unit downstream the gasification reactor led to a further reduction in overall tar yield and relatively clean gas was obtained(approx.1 g/Nm3,benzene-free).The tar dew point of the resulting producer gas was estimated to 80℃,only 40℃ above the threshold value recommended for its valorisation in standard internal combustion engines.Moreover,catalyst elutriation and char hold-up took place to a large extent inside the reactor.The analysis of catalyst samples at different Time-On-Stream(TOS)revealed:(i)a considerable loss of iron oxides during the first hour of test because of the interparticle mechanical attrition(mostly surface abrasion)and partial reduction of hematite to magnetite and wustite but,stable composition at higher TOS,(ii)the loss of the iron oxide coverage of Fe/olivine particles and the formation of agglomerates with increasing TOS and,(iii)the amount of carbon deposited in the surface of the Fe/olivine particles increased with TOS,but in any case,these carbon deposits can be completely oxidized above 650℃.

Development of new ionic gelation strategy： Towards the preparation of new monodisperse and stable hyaluronic acid/ β-cyclodextrin-grafted chitosan nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers for doxorubicin

In the present study, β-cyclodextrin-grafted chitosan nanoparticles （β-CD- g-CS NPs） were prepared using a new ionic gelation strategy involving a synergistic effect of NaCI （150 mmol/L）, 4-（2-hydroxyethyl）-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid （HEPES, 10 mmol/L）, and water bath sonication. This new strategy afforded smaller and more monodisperse β-CD-g-CS NPs vs. the classical ionic gelation method. New HA8β-CD-g-CS NPs were also prepared using the above-mentioned strategy by adding hyaluronic acid （HA） to the β-CD-g-CS copolymer at different weight ratios until the ZP values conversion. The best result was obtained with the weight ratio of w（HA）：w（β-CD-g-CS） = 2：1 and furnished new spherical and smooth HA/β-CD-g-CS NPs. Furthermore, the stability of β- CD-g-CS NPs and HA/β-CD-g-CS NPs at 4℃ in physiological medium （pH 7.4） was compared for 3 weeks period and showed that HA/β-CD-g-CS NPs were more stable all maintaining their monodispersity and high negative ZP values compared to β-CD-g-CS NPs. Finally, preliminary study of HA/β-CD-g-CS NPs as carrier for the controlled release of the anticancer drug doxorubicin was investigated. These new HA/β-CD-g-CS NPs can potentially be used as drug delivery and targeting systems for cancer treatment.