Development of low-alcohol isotonic beer by interrupted fermentation

Alcohol-free beer with isotonic properties is getting more popular and its production can be carried out by different production strategies; however, interrupted fermentation is still a challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a low-alcohol isotonic beer (<0.5% v/v) by interrupted fermentation. Moreover, the major objective is to compare the developed product to commercial beverages (sports drinks, ‘Pilsen' regular beer, alcohol-free beers and low-alcohol isotonic beer). The beverages were evaluated based on pH, alcohol content (% v/v), total titratable acidity (mEq L⁻¹), osmolality (mOsmol kg⁻¹), bitterness International Bitterness Units, colour European Brewery Convention, total phenolic compounds (mg L⁻¹ gallic acid), reducing and total sugars (%) and Na and K contents (mg L⁻¹). The developed low-alcohol isotonic beer presented characteristics similar to sports drinks, with the advantage of being richer in phenolic compounds and suitable osmolality. Despite salts were added in its formulation, the grades attributed to all beers employed in the sensory evaluation, as well as the purchase intention did not present significant differences.     

Ternary Blends of Renewable Fast Pyrolysis Bio-Oil,Advanced Bioethanol,and Marine Gasoil as Potential Marine Biofuel

An alternative for reducing emissions from marine fuel is to blend bio-oil from lignocellulose non-edible feedstocks to diesel fossil fuels. Phase diagrams of the ternary systems were built to represent the transition from heterogeneous regions to homogeneous regions. Four homogeneous blends of bio-oil of eucalyptus-bioethanol-marine gasoil were experimentally characterized with respect to the most important fuel parameters for marine engines: water content, flash point, low heating value, viscosity, and acidity. Blends with closer properties to marine gasoil replacement, lower costs, and environmental impacts should be tested for large engines.     

Knowledge-Based Virtual Modeling and Simulation of Manufacturing Processes for Industry 4.0

Abstract

Industry 4.0 aims at providing a digital representation of a production landscape, but the challenges in building, maintaining, optimizing, and evolving digital models in inter-organizational production chains have not been identified yet in a systematic manner. In this paper, various Industry 4.0 research and technical challenges are addressed, and their present scenario is discussed. Moreover, in this article, the novel concept of developing experience-based virtual models of engineering entities, process, and the factory is presented. These models of production units, processes, and procedures are accomplished by virtual engineering object (VEO), virtual engineering process (VEP), and virtual engineering factory (VEF), using the knowledge representation technique of Decisional DNA. This blend of the virtual and physical domains permits monitoring of systems and analysis of data to foresee problems before they occur, develop new opportunities, prevent downtime, and even plan for the future by using simulations. Furthermore, the proposed virtual model concept not only has the capability of Query Processing and Data Integration for Industrial Data but also real-time visualization of data stream processing.     

Barium titanate‐based nanodielectrics of two chemically recyclable thermosets

In this work was investigated the effect of the addition of barium titanate (BaTiO₃) on electrical properties of two chemically recyclable thermosets, polyhemiaminal (PHA) and polyhexahydro‐s‐triazine (PHT), both fabricated from 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA), an ether derivative of aniline and paraformaldehyde. Thermal and mechanical properties as well as chemical recyclability of the two polymers and their nanocomposites/nanodielectrics were also investigated. In addition, a quantitative analysis was conducted of the nanoparticle dispersion in the PHA‐/PHT‐based BaTiO₃‐containing nanocomposites using transmission electron microscopy imaging and the nearest‐neighbor distance index and this index was used to analyze the investigated properties in connection with the proper mechanisms. Regarding the electrical properties for both neat polymers, conductivity values of the order of 10^?8 S m^?1 at 100 Hz were observed and dielectric constant values close to 2.80 for both polymers at 1 kHz. The addition of 0.5 wt% of BaTiO₃ ferroelectric nanoparticles increased by about 44% the dielectric constant (1 kHz) and conductivity (10² Hz) of the PHA‐based nanocomposite. PHA and PHT exhibited glass transition temperature (T_g) values in the range 125–180 °C. An increase of 7 °C in T_g was observed after the incorporation of 0.5 wt% of BaTiO₃ into PHA. Concerning the mechanical properties, values in the range 4.00–4.45 GPa for reduced modulus and 0.30–0.43 GPa for nanohardness for PHA and PHT polymers were observed. Independently of filler content or polymer matrix, both mechanical properties were enhanced after the addition of BaTiO₃. The chemical recycling of PHA/PHT and all nanocomposites in the initial ODA reagent after sulfuric acid treatment was successfully characterized using the NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biodegradation of poly(lactic acid)—cassava bagasse composites produced by injection molding

Neat poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and PLA/cassava bagasse (CB) composites were used to produce seedling tubes by extrusion and injection molding. The tubes were buried in simulated soil, and their biodegradation was investigated by weight loss, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). After 180 days, the composites' biodegradation was higher than neat PLA material, and the higher the CB content, the higher the biodegradation, which caused fissures and voids in the material. The biodegradation of PLA/CB composites increased the phosphorus content in the soil after 180 days. Composites of PLA with CB, an abundant agro-industrial residue in Brazil, are promising because they can reduce the environmental impact due to CB's proper destination, and the composites' costs and biodegradation are faster than pure PLA material. Both the faster biodegradation of the tube and the higher P content are advantageous for seedling tubes.     

Polyetherimide-LaNi5 composite films for hydrogen storage applications

This study investigates the preparation of polyetherimide (PEI) – LaNi₅ composites films for hydrogen storage. Prior to the polymer addition, LaNi₅ was ball-milled at different conditions (250, 350, and 450 RPM) and annealed at 500 °C for 1 h under vacuum. The composites were produced with BM-LaNi₅-350 (PEI/LaNi₅-350) and annealed BM-LaNi₅-350 (PEI/LaNi₅-350-TT). Membranes were successfully produced through solvent casting assisted by an ultrasonic bath. The particles dispersion and the film morphology did not change after hydrogenation cycles. In the H₂ sorption experiments at 43 °C and 20 bar, the films stored H₂ without incubation time; both samples reached a capacity of ~0.6 wt%. The H₂ sorption kinetics of PEI/LaNi₅-350 was comparable to that of BM-LaNi₅-350, whereas PEI/LaNi₅-350-TT presented significantly slower kinetics. LaNi₅ oxidation was hindered by PEI, showing that it can be explored to improve metal hydrides air resistance. The results demonstrated that PEI films filled with LaNi₅ are promising materials for hydrogen storage.