Wind energy potential evaluation for power generation in selected districts of Jharkhand

This study evaluated the availability of wind energy for electricity production at different locations, i.e., Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Devghar, Lohardaga, and Chaibasa, in Jharkhand, India. Due to the rapidly rising demand for power in Jharkhand, there is a requirement of an alternative renewable source of energy to lower the dependence on its limited fossil fuel resources. The studied locations were found to be unsuitable for wind to electricity generation on a large scale at 10 m height above the ground. However, small-scale wind turbines can be used to extract energy from low-speed wind, preferably at a height above 10 m from the ground.     

Biomass feedstock supply chain design – a taxonomic review and a decomposition-based methodology

In this paper, we present a taxonomic review of the literature devoted to the use of operations research approaches for the design and operation of biomass feedstock supply chains (BFSCs). A total of 185 publications that have appeared from 1989 to 2017 are classified based on (1) the embedded optimisation subproblems; (2) the modelling methodologies used for their formulations; and (3) the methods employed for their solution. Our objective of using this classification scheme is to highlight the presence of some useful substructures in a BFSC problem that can, then, be exploited in developing its solution procedure. We illustrate this idea on some generic BFSC problems and present a Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition-based methodology for developing customised approaches to effectively tackle these difficult and large-sized BFSC problems. Finally, we suggest several promising future research directions.     

Cold plasma for the preservation of aquatic food products: An overview

Cold plasma (CP) is an upcoming technology implemented for the preservation of highly perishable foods, especially aquatic food products (AFPs). The high moisture content, high-quality protein with all essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids makes AFP more susceptible to microbial spoilage and oxidation of lipids and proteins. Spoilage lowers the nutritive value and could generate toxic components, making it unsafe for consumption. In recent times, the rising demand for food products of aquatic origin with preserved quality and extended shelf-life has been recorded. In addition, minimally or nonthermally processed and preserved foods are gaining great attention. CP technology has demonstrated an excellent ability to inactivate microorganisms without promoting their resistance and triggering some deteriorative enzymes, which are typical factors responsible for the spoilage of AFP. Consequently, CP could be recommended as a minimal processing intervention for preserving the quality of AFP. This review focuses on different mechanisms of fish spoilage, that is, by microorganisms and oxidation, their inhibition via the application of CP, and the retention of quality and shelf-life extension of AFP.     

A deep learning based latency aware predictive routing model for network-on-chip architectures

Network on Chip (NoC) is an evolving platform for communications related applications, which are executed on a single silicon chip. There are several routing models in NoC architectures, but the accuracy of these models is limited, and the existing models are degraded because of over and under fitting issues. This research introduces the new deep learning-based latency aware predictive routing model for on-chip networks to route packets with better performance and power efficiency. The deep learning model used in this research is a new convolutional residual gated recurrent unit (CRGRU) with queuing theory. Moreover, the source and channel queuing delay is comprised of features to learn spatial and sequential information that improves the overall prediction accuracy. This router is modified by the intrusion of the Router States Monitor unit and the CRGRU hardware engine. The work is executed using the Xilinx platform, and the performance measures like latency and throughput are obtained by varying the network size as $4\times 4$, $8\times 8$, and $12\times 12$ and also varying the buffer space and length as $L=4,B=9$, $L=9,B=4$, and $L=14,B=3$, respectively. In addition, the squared correlation coefficient (SCC) and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) are evaluated and compared with existing learning models to validate the proposed model.     

Enhanced Piezoelectric,Ferroelectric, and Electrostrictive Properties of Lead-Free (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST Electroceramics with Energy Harvesting Capability

Next-generation electronics and energy technologies can now be developed as a result of the design, discovery, and development of novel, environmental friendly lead (Pb)-free ferroelectric materials with improved characteristics and performance. However, there have only been a few reports of such complex materials’ design with multi-phase interfacial chemistry, which can facilitate enhanced properties and performance. In this context, herein, novel lead-free piezoelectric materials (1-x)Ba_0.95Ca_0.05Ti_0.95Zr_0.05O₃-(x)Ba_0.95Ca_0.05Ti_0.95Sn_0.05O₃, are reported, which are represented as (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST, with demonstrated excellent properties and energy harvesting performance. The (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST materials are synthesized by high-temperature solid-state ceramic reaction method by varying x in the full range (x = 0.00–1.00). In-depth exploration research is performed on the structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, and electro-mechanical properties of (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST ceramics. The formation of perovskite structure for all ceramics without the presence of any impurity phases is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, which also reveals that the Ca²⁺, Zr⁴⁺, and Sn⁴⁺ are well dispersed within the BaTiO₃ lattice. For all (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST ceramics, thorough investigation of phase formation and phase-stability using XRD, Rietveld refinement, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and temperature-dependent dielectric measurements provide conclusive evidence for the coexistence of orthorhombic + tetragonal (Amm2 + P4mm) phases at room temperature. The steady transition of Amm2 crystal symmetry to P4mm crystal symmetry with increasing x content is also demonstrated by Rietveld refinement data and related analyses. The phase transition temperatures, rhombohedral-orthorhombic (T_R-O), orthorhombic- tetragonal (T_O-T), and tetragonal-cubic (T_C), gradually shift toward lower temperature with increasing x content. For (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST ceramics, significantly improved dielectric and ferroelectric properties are observed, including relatively high dielectric constant ε_r ≈ 1900–3300 (near room temperature), ε_r ≈ 8800–12 900 (near Curie temperature), dielectric loss, tan δ ≈ 0.01–0.02, remanent polarization P_r ≈ 9.4–14 µC cm⁻², coercive electric field E_c ≈ 2.5–3.6 kV cm⁻¹. Further, high electric field-induced strain S ≈ 0.12–0.175%, piezoelectric charge coefficient d₃₃ ≈ 296–360 pC N⁻¹, converse piezoelectric coefficient ${(d_{33}^{\ast })}_{\mathrm{ave}}$≈ 240–340 pm V⁻¹, planar electromechanical coupling coefficient k_p ≈ 0.34–0.45, and electrostrictive coefficient (Q₃₃)_avg ≈ 0.026–0.038 m⁴ C⁻² are attained. Output performance with respect to mechanical energy demonstrates that the (0.6)BCZT-(0.4)BCST composition (x = 0.4) displays better efficiency for generating electrical energy and, thus, the synthesized lead-free piezoelectric (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST samples are suitable for energy harvesting applications. The results and analyses point to the outcome that the (1-x)BCZT-(x)BCST ceramics as a potentially strong contender within the family of Pb-free piezoelectric materials for future electronics and energy harvesting device technologies.     

Physico-chemical characterization of walnut shell biochar from uncontrolled pyrolysis in a garden oven and surface modification by ex-situ chemical magnetization

The shells of walnuts (WS) are major refuse in the global fruits and nuts trade. This, otherwise discarded, lignin-rich material can be carbonized to biochar—a value-added product with environmental applications such as carbon sequestration, soil amelioration, and pollutant adsorption. These applications are dictated by structural and chemical characteristics of the biochar carbon. Conventional controlled pyrolysis (CPy) of biomass is cost-intensive and technically too complex for widespread adoption, especially in emerging economies. Here, walnut shell biochar (BWS0) is derived through uncontrolled pyrolysis (UCPy) in a pyrolysis oven and further hybridized as magnetic biochar through ex-situ chemical co-precipitation. The physico-chemical characteristics of biochar and its water-extractable fractions are comprehensively investigated to understand their carbon structure and environmental applicability. The sp² amorphous carbon sequestered in BWS0 is 0.84 kg_CO2/kg_biomass with a BET (N₂) surface area of 292 m²/g and is comparable to biochar from CPy in terms of carbon structure. The polyaromatic hydrocarbons present are only trace amounts of naphthalene, biphenyl, and phenanthrene. The magnetization decreases porosity of BWS0 while greatly facilitating its separation from aqueous media. BWS0 is suitable for adsorption of cations (between pH 2.8 and 9.45) and hydrophobic pollutants with only 19 mg L⁻¹ fouling from their intrinsic dissolved organic carbon. In combination with fast-release N, P fertilizers, BWS0 (C/N of 24.8) is suitable for application in hydrophilic soils at higher loading rates. The results suggest an avenue where WS biochar can also be prepared via UCPy for direct environmental applications. Future investigations into soil incubation and adsorption tests are recommended.

Graphical abstract