The influence of operating and device parameters on the maximum efficiency and the maximum output power of thermoelectric generator

Thermoelectric power generators are one of the promising green energy sources. The operating and the generator parameters influence the generator output performance. In the present study, the influence of the operating and the generator parameters on the maximum output power and the efficiency of the thermoelectric power generator are examined. The output power corresponding to the maximum efficiency and the maximum attainable output power of the generator are compared. It is found that the maximum power of the thermoelectric generator corresponding to the high Figure of Merit is very sensitive to the operating temperature. The maximum power attainable is larger than that its counterpart corresponding to the maximum generator efficiency. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetically Modified Waste Bark of Aegle marmelos Tree as a Promising Biosorbent for Uranium(VI) Sorption

Radiochemistry - Magnetically modified waste bark of the Aegle marmelos tree was prepared by using green synthesis method and was used in a batch system for U(VI) removal from aqueous solution. The...     

A Bi-Enzymatic Cascade Pathway towards Optically Pure FAHFAs**

Recently discovered endogenous mammalian lipids, fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs), have been proved to have anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects. Due to their extremely low abundancies in vivo, forging a feasible scenario for FAHFA synthesis is critical for their use in uncovering biological mechanisms or in clinical trials. Here, we showcase a fully enzymatic approach, a novel in vitro bi-enzymatic cascade system, enabling an effective conversion of nature-abundant fatty acids into FAHFAs. Two hydratases from Lactobacillus acidophilus were used for converting unsaturated fatty acids to various enantiomeric hydroxy fatty acids, followed by esterification with another fatty acid catalyzed by Candida antarctica lipase A (CALA). Various FAHFAs were synthesized in a semi-preparative scale using this bi-enzymatic approach in a one-pot two-step operation mode. In all, we demonstrate that the hydratase-CALA system offers a promising route for the synthesis of optically pure structure-diverse FAHFAs.     

Form-Stabilized Polyethylene Glycol/Palygorskite Composite Phase Change Material: Thermal Energy Storage Properties,Cycling Stability,and Thermal Durability

In this work, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material (PCM) was incorporated with palygorskite (Pal) clay to develop a novel form-stable composite PCM (F-SCPCM). The Pal/PEG(40 wt%) composite was defined as F-SCPCM and characterized using SEM/EDS, FT-IR, XRD, DSC, and TGA techniques. The DSC results revealed that the F-SCPCM has a melting temperature of 32.5°C and latent heat capacity of 64.3 J/g for thermal energy storage (TES) applications. Thermal cycling test showed that the F-SCPCM had good cycling thermal/chemical stability after 500 cycles. The TGA data proved that that both cycled and non-cycled F-SCPCMs had considerable high thermal durability. Consequently, the created F-SCPCM could be considered as an additive material for production of green construction components with TES capability. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:909–916, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Evaluation of alginate and zein films as a carrier of natamycin to increase the shelf life of kashar cheese

The aim of this study was to develop alginate and zein films containing natamycin, a natural antifungal agent, in order to limit/prevent the mould growth on the surface of kashar cheeses. The films were prepared by casting, and characterized in terms of antimicrobial and mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation-at-break, and elastic modulus), and their morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties of the zein films were found to be weaker than the alginate films. SEM analysis indicated that alginate films have a more regular structure than zein films, and a more homogenous distribution was observed at lower concentrations of natamycin. The antifungal activities of both films increased as the natamycin concentration (100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 ppm) increased; however, alginate films exhibited relatively high antifungal activity. The effects of films on the shelf life of kashar cheeses inoculated with Aspergillus niger and Penicillium camemberti were investigated during their storage under refrigerator conditions for 45 days. At high-natamycin concentrations, zein films showed higher antifungal activity against both fungi at the end of the storage period.     

Why self‐cleaning is important for solar thermal receivers?

Surface cleaning remains essential for the sustainable operation of high performance solar thermal receivers. Cleaning of optical surfaces, such as solar troughs and absorbers, requires energy intensive efforts because of the large surface area involvement such as those observed in solar farms. In addition, self‐cleaning of such surfaces becomes demanding because of lowering the cleaning costs, reducing the waste of resources, such as clean water, and minimizing the complication of the mechanical systems incorporated. Self‐cleaning of surfaces is associated with the low adhesion between the surface and the foreign particles; in which case, these particles can be removed easily from the surfaces in a cost‐effective way. The surface energy and contact area of the surface are two main important parameters influencing the particle adhesion on the surfaces. In this case, reducing the surface energy and forming micro/nano size pillars on the surface through texturing lower the particle adhesion on the surfaces significantly. In solar thermal energy harvesting applications, metallic or composite materials are used and texturing the surface remains challenging in terms of cost and precision of operation when conventional texturing methods are used. One of the methods to create surface texture consisting of micro/nano pillars is to use the laser beam ablation. This results in hierarchical distribution of surface texture with desired pillar heights1. In addition, laser surface texturing offers significant advantages over the conventional techniques. Some of these advantages include fast processing, precision of operation, and low cost. Although the laser processing involves with high temperature processing and thermally induced stresses remain important, the defects sites can be minimized via controlling the process parameters during the texturing. Introducing the assisting gas on the texturing surface enables to generate compounds such as oxide or nitride species, which lower the surface energy considerably. Consequently, investigation of laser texturing of solar energy materials while incorporating the assisting gas becomes essential. In the present perspective, the laser surface texturing of solar energy materials for thermal power applications is presented together with challenges and future perspectives. Specifically, the followings will be presented: (1) the texture characteristics of laser treated metallic and ceramic surfaces; (2) wetting state of the textured surface, and optical properties of textured surface in terms of absorption of the solar irradiation.     

Glycation of soy protein isolate with two ketoses: d-Allulose and fructose

Modification of food proteins to have improved functional properties is of great importance. In this study, modification of soy protein isolate (SPI) was achieved through glycation. SPI was glycated in a spray dryer (SD) and an incubator followed by freeze drying (FD). d -Allulose, an important rare sugar, was used in SPI glycation as the carbohydrate source, and results were compared with fructose. In addition to the sugar type, two different SPI powder: sugar ratios (1:1 and 5:1) were investigated. For the glycated samples, emulsification activity, free amino groups, protein solubility, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, antioxidant activity experiments and time-domain NMR relaxometry measurements for hydration were conducted. According to the results, the solubility of SPI that is limited in native form has shown a significant improvement after glycation through both FD and SD methods. Besides, glycation through the FD method was found to be more favourable due to its milder conditions than the SD method. Considering the physicochemical properties, the best combination for the highest glycation degree was found to be the samples prepared at the 1:1 ratio with d -Allulose in the FD method. Overall, it was concluded that glycation of SPI enhanced its functional properties such as antioxidant and emulsification activities.     

Die kinematische Geometrie der allgemeinräumlichen Relativbewegung von drei Gliedern

Zusammenfassung In einer vorangehenden Arbeit wurde der von Aronhold-Kennedy angegebene wichtige Dreipolsatz der ebenen Kinematik (Getriebelehre) eingehend untersucht. Dieser Satz lautet: Bei der relativen Bewegung dreier Ebenen liegen die relativen Momentanpole auf einer Geraden, d.h. diese sind kollinear. Bei eben beweglichen starren K?rpern treten anstelle der Momentanpole die parallelen Momentanpolachsen auf. Insbesondere werden s?mtliche Entartungsf?lle dieses Satzes als Folge der speziellen Lagen der Momentandrehachsen angegeben. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden diese Untersuchungen auf die r?umlichen relativen Bewegungen dreier K?rper ausgedehnt. Hier steht der folgende bekannte Satz im Vordergund: Bei den allgemein r?umlichen Relativbewegungen von drei K?rpern haben die drei Schraubachsen stets eine gemeinsame Normale. In der Arbeit sind die folgenden Kombinationen dieser Achsen in Betracht gezogen worden: Schraubenpaar-Schraubenpaar, Schraubenpaar-Drehpaar, Schraubenpaar-Schiebepaar, Drehpaar-Drehpaar, Drehpaar-Schiebepaar und Schiebepaar-Schibepaar. Au?erdem werden deren Beziehungen zum sogenannten Zylindroid (einer Regelfl?che dritter Ordnung) eingehend untersucht. Die Entatungsf?lle dieses Zylindroids werden für spezielle Lagen und Parameter dieser Achsen angegeben. Schlie?lich werden die Ergebnisse in Form von Tabellen zusmmengefa?t.