Hydrothermal Carbonization of Waste Sugarcane Bagasse for the Effective Removal of Emerging Contaminants from Aqueous Solution

Porous carbon spheres were fabricated from sugarcane bagasse using a sustainable hydrothermal carbonization process followed by alkali impregnation inert atmosphere activation. Developed spheres were technically analysed for their chemical science, structural morphology, texture, porosity with respect to size distribution, and thermal degradation. Spheres are functionally enriched with oxygenated groups showing amorphous nature portraying as a smooth surface. After activation, intensity of functional groups is reduced due to reduction reaction by KOH thereby yielding highly rich porous carbon. The active surface area developed on spheres is 111 m2 g-1 holding pores that are mesoporous in nature. Resistance to thermal exposure using TGA showed that decomposition of hemicelluloses followed by cellulose yielded aromatized carbon-rich skeleton through thermal degradation of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Developed carbon was found to be effective in removing Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride from water with maximum adsorption capacity of 110.008 mg g-1. Mechanistic removal followed pseudo-second-order kinetics along with Freundlich mode of adsorption. The presence of carboxylic and hydroxyl groups in porous carbon favoured elimination of CPF from water. The development of HTC-derived carbon helped conserving the energy thereby reducing the cost requirement.

Multilayer nonwoven lining materials made of wool and cotton for clothing and footwear

Five types of multilayer nonwovens for clothing and footwear parts were obtained by the adhesive bonding method. The thickest middle layer of the material consists of evenly laid coarse camel or sheep fibers or of reconstituted cotton fibers from flaps, the upper and lower layers consist of knitwear, and polymer adhesive is located between the layers. The layers are bonded by thermal pressing at a temperature of 150 ± 5°C for 2.0 ± 0.2 min. The microstructure and morphology of fibers, polymer adhesive, and multilayer nonwoven fabric were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and X-ray phase analysis. The chemical interaction between wool fibers and polymer adhesive, the geometric dimensions and shape of the fibers, the structure and morphology of the cross section of the layers of the material, and the change in the degree of crystallinity of the material have been established. The investigated coarse and thick fibers of camel and sheep wool are more suitable for the production of nonwoven textile material. In the process of thermal exposure, the molten polymer diffuses into the structure of the nonwoven layer and knitted fabric. The diffusion and excellent adhesion of the molten polymer to the fibers ensures the solidity and strength of the composite. The developed design provides high strength of the material as a whole and adhesive strength between layers, high heat-retaining properties, and the use of a mesh adhesive film provides sufficient air and vapor permeability.

Thermal sensitivity and seasonal change in the gut microbiome of a desert ant, Cephalotes rohweri

Microorganisms within ectotherms must withstand the variable body temperatures of their hosts. Shifts in host body temperature resulting from climate change have the potential to shape ectotherm microbiome composition. Microbiome compositional changes occurring in response to temperature in nature have not been frequently examined, restricting our ability to predict microbe-mediated ectotherm responses to climate change. In a set of field-based observations, we characterized gut bacterial communities and thermal exposure across a population of desert arboreal ants (Cephalotes rohweri). In a paired growth chamber experiment, we exposed ant colonies to variable temperature regimes differing by 5 C for three months. We found that the abundance and composition of ant-associated bacteria were sensitive to elevated temperatures in both field and laboratory experiments. We observed a subset of taxa that responded similarly to temperature in the experimental and observational study, suggesting a role of seasonal temperature and local temperature differences amongst nests in shaping microbiomes within the ant population. Bacterial mutualists in the genus Cephalotococcus (Opitutales: Opitutaceae) were especially sensitive to change in temperature - decreasing in abundance in naturally warm summer nests and warm growth chambers. We also report the discovery of a member of the Candidate Phlya Radiation (Phylum: Gracilibacteria), a suspected epibiont, found in low abundance within the guts of this ant species.

CHANGE IN THE STRUCTURE OF TITANIUM NANOCLUSTERS UNDER THERMAL EXPOSURE: MOLECULAR DYNAMIC SIMULATION

Исследование структуры нанокластеров при различных температурах является актуальной задачей современного материаловедения. Данный факт обусловлен перспективой их применения при создании материалов с уникальными физическими, механическими, химическими и эксплуатационными свойствами. Компьютерное моделирование проводилось методом классической молекулярной динамики в программном комплексе LAMMPS. Для описания межатомного взаимодействия в кластере использовалась модификация многочастичного потенциала Финниса-Синклера. Проведено изучение структуры нанокластеров титана различного размера. Они получены при различных скоростях охлаждения из жидкого состояния. Увеличение скорости охлаждения приводит к формированию субблочной структуры и росту числа атомов с неупорядоченным окружением. Они обусловлены тем, что большие скорости охлаждения препятствуют равновесному протеканию процессов перестройки атомной структуры с формированием дальнего порядка. Областей с икосаэдрической структурой не обнаружено. Показано, что температура кристаллизации и энергия связи уменьшаются при убывании размера нанокластера. Рост скорости охлаждения увеличивает разницу температур точек начала и конца кристаллизации, соответственно. Результаты моделирования свидетельствуют о менее выраженной размерной зависимости температуры кристаллизации - её оценочное значение для макроскопической системы (810 К) гораздо ниже значения для массивного титана (1940 К). Investigation of the structure of nanoclusters at different temperatures is an urgent task of modern materials science. This fact is due to the prospect of their application in the creation of materials with unique physical, mechanical, chemical and operational properties. Computer simulation was carried out by the method of classical molecular dynamics in the LAMMPS software package. To describe the interatomic interaction in the cluster, a modification of the Finnis-Sinclair many-body potential was used. The structure of titanium nanoclusters of various sizes has been studied. They are obtained at various cooling rates from the liquid state. An increase in the cooling rate leads to the formation of a subblock structure and an increase in the number of atoms with a disordered environment. They are due to the fact that high cooling rates impede the equilibrium process of rearrangement of the atomic structure with the formation of long-range order. No regions with an icosahedral structure were found. It is shown that the crystallization temperature and binding energy decrease with decreasing nanocluster size. An increase in the cooling rate increases the temperature difference between the start and end points of crystallization, respectively. The simulation results indicate a less pronounced dimensional dependence of the crystallization temperature - its estimated value for a macroscopic system (810 K) is much lower than the value for bulk titanium (1940 K). Keywords: nanocluster, binding energy, crystallization temperature, cooling rate, structure, molecular dynamics method.

Thermal (In)equity and incarceration: A necessary nexus for geographers

Despite overall societal progress in reducing adverse impacts of heat and cold, incarcerated populations remain highly vulnerable to environmental stressors. Incarcerated populations experience a combination of risk factors related to their physical health and well-being that increase their thermal vulnerability: social isolation, disproportionate mental health issues, comorbidities, limited mobility, and a reliance on external factors to provide a safe, healthy environment. In carceral spaces, thermal exposure agitates these already complex situations, shaping a confluence of various economic, political, and ecological intersectionalities. This synthesis contextualizes the ongoing scholarship on climate change, thermal exposure, the built environment, and public policy, to examine thermal inequities experienced by incarcerated populations. In examining this context, we connect our work to carceral geographies, the geographies of violence, racial capitalism, and abolition ecologies. Ultimately, the review highlights how physical geographers may directly converse with critical geographers, promote equity and environmental justice, and work to reduce adverse impacts of extreme temperature events.

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Thermal Stability of Carbon-Free High Speed Tool Steel Strengthened by Intermetallics Compared to Vanadis 60 Steel Strengthened by Carbides

High speed tool steels are materials that exhibit superior mechanical properties (e.g., high hardness). They should also be resistant to thermal exposure to maintain high hardness during the machining process. In this paper, a C-free tool steel formed of Fe matrix and a Mo6Co7 intermetallic phase was studied. This steel was compared to the well-known Vanadis 60 steel containing Fe matrix and carbides. Microstructures were investigated by scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, and the mechanical properties and thermal stability of both materials were compared. It was proven that the strengthening in the Vanadis 60 steel was mainly caused by the carbides, while the C-free steel was strengthened by the Mo6Co7 phase. The hardness values of both materials were comparable in the utilization state (approx. 950 HV). The hardness of Vanadis 60 steel decreased after several minutes of annealing at 650 °C under the value that enables material utilization. The hardness value of the steel strengthened by the intermetallics also decreased but significantly slower. Based on these results, the main finding of this study is that the C-free steel exhibited much better thermal stability and may be utilized at higher temperatures for longer periods of time than Vanadis 60.

Rapid Detection of Thermal Treatment of Honey by Chemometrics-Assisted FTIR Spectroscopy

Honey, as a nutritious natural sweetener produced by honeybees, offers a unique biochemical composition with great benefit to human health. Transportation and storage conditions as well as violations of processing can lead to decomposition of vitamins, destruction of the integrity of the antioxidant components and enzymes, and further biochemical changes with impact on nutritional quality. We developed a fast detection method of adulterations or changes of honey caused by thermal exposure, which does not require any sample pretreatment. By Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, supported by chemometrics methods, we investigated three types of raw honey before and after heat treatment for varying exposure times at different temperatures. Applying principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis to the preprocessed spectroscopic data, allowed us to discriminate raw honey from thermally altered ones even at low temperatures of 40 °C with high accuracies ≥ 90%.

Effect of Thermal Exposure Simulating Vapor Deposition on the Impact Behavior of Additively Manufactured AlSi10Mg Alloy

The present work focuses on the evolution of hardness and impact toughness after thermal exposure at high temperatures of the AlSi10Mg alloy produced by selective laser melting. The thermal exposure simulated the vapor deposition of coatings on aluminum alloys. The aim is to assess the possibility of combining the ageing step of heat treatments and the deposition treatment. The alloy was aged at 160 and 180 °C for up to 4 hours, both directly and after an innovative rapid solution treatment. Direct ageing had no significant effects on the microstructure, showing an almost constant hardness trend. These results accord with the impact properties, which showed a negligible difference in the impact toughness of the direct aged and the as-built samples. The same ageing treatments performed after rapid solution treatment induced age hardening in the alloy. The hardness values were lower by 38% than those of the directly aged samples. The innovative solution treatment positively affected impact toughness, which increased by 185% compared to the directly aged material. These results highlight that the ageing step can be integrated with the vapor deposition process. Moreover, the heat treatment is suitable for components requiring high impact strength after coating.