Centre de Recherche d'Albi en génie des Procédés, des SOlides Divisés, de l'Énergie et de l'Environnement

International audience

Preparing sustainable and highly efficient biomass-based carbon materials (BBPM) as adsorbents remains a challenge for organic pollutant management. In this work, novel biobased carbon material has been synthesized via facile, sustainable, and different single-step pyrolysis chemical methods (KOH, ZnCl2, ZnSO4, and MgCl2) using a Norway spruce bark as suitable and efficient carbon precursor. The effects of each chemical activator on the physicochemical structure of synthesized were thoroughly investigated as well as its performance on the acetaminophen adsorption. The results showed that the use of different chemical activation provoked remarkable differences in the BBPM physicochemical characteristics. The KOH activation generated material with the highest specific surface area (2209 m2 g−1), followed by ZnCl2 (1019 m2 g−1), ZnSO4 (446 m2 g−1), and MgCl2 (98 m2 g−1). The chemical characterization of the carbon materials indicated that the activation of MgCl2 yielded a material around three times more hydrophobic when compared with the other activation methods. The acetaminophen removal showed to be ultrafast, not only due to the BBPM’s microstructure but also to the abundant active sites provided by the different chemical activation methods. The adsorption equilibrium times were reached at 1 min for BBPM-KOH and BBPM-MgCl2 and 15 min for BBPM-ZnSO4 and BBPM-ZnCl2. The adsorption process suggests that the pore-filling mechanism mainly dominates the acetaminophen removal but also some physical-chemical interactions such as hydrogen bonding between the amide group of acetaminophen and oxygenated or nitrogenated groups of biochar, π-π interactions between the aromatic ring of the pharmaceutical and the aromatics of biochar, n-π interaction, van der Waals interactions. The BBPM regeneration studies showed very good cyclability; in the 3rd cycle, the removal was approximately 70% for all four samples. The samples were also used to treat two synthetic effluents, which attained a removal percentage up to 91.9%.

Ni60Co40 nanoparticles supported on γ-Al2O3 capable of simultaneously catalysing the steam reforming reaction of methane and supplying in-situ the heat necessary to activate the reaction by induction heating, have been synthesized and characterized. Energy is remotely and promptly supplied by an alternating radiofrequency magnetic field (induction heating system) to supported nanoparticles that act as dissipating agents by virtue of their ferromagnetic properties. The temperature reached on the Ni–Co based catalyst surface is high enough to obtain good catalytic performances for the steam methane reforming (SMR). By varying synthesis conditions, samples with two different metal loading (17 wt% and 30 wt%) and different particle size distribution were prepared and characterized. Experimental results evidence that the temperature reached on the catalyst surface is related to the metal loading and to the particles size distribution that strongly affect the ability of ferromagnetic nanoparticles to convert the externally applied radio frequency field into heat. Catalyst pellets proved their effectiveness reaching the temperature of 720 °C during SMR reaction and 80% methane conversion.

Abstract. In this communication, the software SOLFAST is presented. It is a simulation tool based on the Monte-Carlo method and accelerated Ray-Tracing techniques to evaluate efficiently the energy flux in concentrated solar installations. 1.

This article proposes solid-like systems from sunflower oil structured with a fibrillar network built by the assembly of 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA), a gelator molecule for an oil phase. The resulting organogels were studied as oral controlled release formulations for a lipophilic drug, Efavirenz (EFV), dissolved in the oil. The effects of the gelator concentration on the thermal properties of the organogels were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and showed that drug incorporation did not change the sol-gel-sol transitions. The erosion and drug release kinetics from organogels under conventional (filling gelatin capsules) or multiparticulate (beads obtained by prilling) dosage forms were measured in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. EFV release profiles were analyzed using model-dependent (curve-fitting) and independent approaches (Dissolution Efficiency DE). Korsmeyer-Peppas was the best fitting release kinetic model based on the goodness of fit, revealing a release mechanism from organogels loaded with EFV different from the simple drug diffusion release mechanism obtained from oily formulations. From organogels, EFV probably diffuses through an outer gel layer that erodes releasing oil droplets containing dissolved EFV into the aqueous medium.

Biochar briquettes stand as the current frontrunner for cost-effective and sustainable substitutes for fossil fuels in both energy and industrial sectors. Produced through the thermochemical conversion of biomass to biochar followed by densification, this process yields a renewable briquette that imitate coal in mechanical attributes and combustion efficiency, while maintaining a carbon-neutral profile. Findings indicates that substituting biochar briquettes for coal has the potential to reduce methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately 40%. The densification stage plays a crucial role in converting biochar which has low bulk density (0.2 g cm−3 to 0.4 g cm−3), into a coal-like energy product. Thus, effectively addressing concerns associated with handling, transportation, and storage. To ensure the fabrication of high-quality biochar briquettes, particular attention must be directed towards the choice of binder, compaction technology, and operational conditions. In addition, critical briquette quality parameters such as density, mechanical durability, calorific value, and volatile species are influenced by the binder. The optimal binder loading ranges from 5 to 15% depending on the feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. Biochar briquettes produced under these conditions tend to exhibit durability values ranging from approximately 70%–90%. While the existing literature offers broad insights into pyrolysis conditions for various biomass types, available densification technologies, and binder options for biochar briquetting, a more comprehensive understanding of how these factors impact the mechanical and environmental performance is lacking. This review aims to bridge this knowledge gap. By enhancing the biochar densification process to improve energy efficiency, increase mechanical strength, and reduce pollutant emissions, there is real potential for accelerating the transition away from traditional fossil fuel like coal in a variety of industrial applications where it is challenging to decarbonize the production systems.

A theoretical formulation is proposed for forced mass transport by pressure gradients in a liquid binary mixture around a spherical bubble undergoing volume oscillations in a sound field. Assuming the impermeability of the bubble wall to both species, diffusion driven by pressure gradients and classical Fick-diffusion must cancel at the bubble wall, so that an oscillatory concentration gradient arises in the vicinity of the bubble. The Péclet number pe is generally high in typical situations and Fick diffusion cannot restore equilibrium immediately, so that an asymptotic average concentration profile may progressively build up in the liquid over large times. Such a behaviour is reminiscent of the so-called rectified diffusion problem, leading to slow growth of a gas bubble oscillating in a sound field. A rigorous method formerly proposed by Fyrillas & Szeri ( J. Fluid Mech. vol. 277, 1994, p. 381) to solve the latter problem is used to solve the present one. It is based on splitting the problem into a smooth part and an oscillatory part. The smooth part is solved by a multiple scales method and yields the slowly varying average concentration field everywhere in the liquid. The oscillatory part is obtained by matched asymptotic expansions in terms of the small parameter pe −1/2 : the inner solution is required to satisfy the oscillatory balance between pressure diffusion and Fick diffusion at the bubble wall, while the outer solution is required to be zero. Matching both solutions yields a unique splitting of the problem. The final analytical solution, truncated to leading order, compares successfully to direct numerical simulation of the full convection–diffusion equation. The analytical expressions for both smooth and oscillatory parts are calculated for various sets of bubble parameters: driving pressure, frequency and ambient radius. The smooth problem always yields an average depletion of the heaviest species at the bubble wall, only noticeable for large molecules or nano-particles. For driving pressures sufficiently high to yield inertial oscillations of the bubble, the oscillatory problem predicts a periodic peak excess concentration of the heaviest species at the bubble wall at each collapse, lingering on several tens of the time of the characteristic duration of the bubble rebound. The two effects may compete for large molecules and practical implications of this segregation phenomenon are proposed for various processes involving acoustic cavitation.

Modeling radiative heat transfer in combustion applications involving complex geometries and detailed spectral properties of radiative gaseous species remains a difficult challenge, especially when full coupling with detailed chemistry and fluid dynamics is required. The Monte Carlo method (MCM) usually considered as a reference “exact” method for the computation of radiative transfer is however very demanding in CPU-time. An alternative is the discrete ordinates method (DOM), based on a finite volume approach, that is more suitable for a direct coupling with computational fluid dynamics but may lack accuracy. The aim of the present paper is to propose and demonstrate the efficiency of a methodology for radiative transfer calculation, combining the advantages of both MCM and DOM. In this approach, the fast DOM is used to compute the radiative solution, and its accuracy is controlled by comparison with the exact MCM solution at a selected controlling points. A first application of the proposed methodology to an industrial burner prototype shows its validity and potential for the direct coupling of radiation calculations with unsteady reacting flow computations.

Dredging of sediments is necessary in order to maintain maritime activities and for flood prevention. However the increased industrial activities are causing accumulation of pollutants in the sediments. The main contaminants are heavy metals and organic compounds. Because of the cost of storage, treatment and valorization can be economically sound. This study focuses on the technology to treat heavy metals from dredged sediments using phosphoric acid (H3PO4) (the Novosol® process developed by Solvay company) with a goal to stabilize heavy metals by capturing them in calcium phosphate matrix and to destroy organic matter by calcination at 650 oC. Several studies have been conducted in this field. The stabilized materials obtained have been used in civil engineering. However these studies have never assessed the effect of the composition of the phosphoric acid on the treatment. In this paper the effect of two types of phosphoric acids with various composition and origins were compared. The investigation focuses on the effect of the phosphoric acids on the environmental behavior of metals and on the geotechnical properties of the dredged sediment.

The recent development of technologies for recycling carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) leads to the need to evaluate the mechanical response of recycled carbon fibres. As these fibres are likely to be degraded during the recycling treatment, it is very important to determine their tensile residual properties so as to evaluate their ability as reinforcement for new composite materials. Carbon fibres reclaimed by a steam‐thermal treatment applied to degrade the epoxy resin matrix of a CFRP are here analysed. Two conditions were chosen so as to reach two degradation efficiency levels of the steam thermolysis. Several carbon fibre samples were selected for mechanical testing carried out either on single filaments using single fibre tensile tests or on fibre tows using bundle tensile tests. It is shown that the single fibre tensile test leads to a wide variability of statistical parameters derived from the analysis. Bundle tensile tests results were able to indicate that fibre strength of recycled carbon fibre is similar to corresponding as‐received carbon fibres thanks to a statistically relevant database. Wide number of tested filaments enabled indeed to obtain low scatters.

The catalytic properties of raw biomass chars and Ni-loaded biomass chars prepared at a high-heating-rate were assessed in the methane decomposition reaction. The raw chars exhibited a moderated catalytic activity in methane cracking while the Ni-loaded chars showed a catalytic activity 10 times higher than the raw chars. The deposited carbon was a highly ordered one as evidenced by XRD, Raman analysis and oxygen reactivity tests. The activation energy in the combustion reaction was estimated to be 300 kJ/mol. These results indicate that biomass char can be an effective low-cost and active support for metal impregnation to be used in catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons for hydrogen production.

Americanae nace como un proyecto conjunto que surge dentro de la Red Europea de Información y Documentación sobre América Latina (REDIAL), y que ha afrontado la Biblioteca de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID). Esta nueva biblioteca virtual hace más accesibles los libros digitales de tema americanista a los investigadores y usuarios interesados de cualquier parte del mundo.

The use of supercritical carbon dioxide technology for lipid processing has recently developed at the expense of traditional processes. For designing new processes the knowledge of thermophysical properties is a prerequisite. This work is focused on the characterization of physical and thermodynamic properties of CO2-cocoa butter (CB) saturated mixture. Measurements of density, volumetric expansion, viscosity and CO2 solubility were carried out on CB-rich phase at 313 and 353 K and pressures up to 40 MPa. The experimental techniques have previously been compared and validated. Density measurements of CB and CB saturated with CO2, were performed using the vibrating tube technology at pressures ranging from 0.1 to 25 MPa. Experimental values correlated well with the modified Tait equation. CO2 solubility measurements were coupled to those of density in the same pressures ranges. At 25 MPa, the solubility of CO2 is 31.4 % and 28.7 % at 313 and 353 K. Phase behaviour was investigated using a view cell in order to follow the expansion of the CB-rich phase with the rise in pressure. Volumetric expansion up to 47 % was measured and correlated to the CO2 solubility. Phase inversion was observed at 313 K and 40 MPa. Lastly, we developed an innovative falling ball viscometer for high pressure measurements. Viscosity measurements were carried out up to 25 MPa showing a viscosity reduction up to 90 % upon CO2 dissolution. These results were correlated with two empirical models. A new model here presented, was favourably compared with the Grunberg and Nissan model. All the experimental results are consistent with the available literature data for the CB-CO2 mixture and other fat systems. This work is a new contribution to the characterization of physical and thermodynamic behaviour of fats in contact with CO2 which is necessary to design supercritical fluid processes for fats processing.

Monte Carlo is famous for accepting model extensions and model refinements up to infinite dimension. However, this powerful incremental design is based on a premise which has severely limited its application so far: a state-variable can only be recursively defined as a function of underlying state-variables if this function is linear. Here we show that this premise can be alleviated by projecting nonlinearities onto a polynomial basis and increasing the configuration space dimension. Considering phytoplankton growth in light-limited environments, radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres, electromagnetic scattering by particles, and concentrated solar power plant production, we prove the real-world usability of this advance in four test cases which were previously regarded as impracticable using Monte Carlo approaches. We also illustrate an outstanding feature of our method when applied to acute problems with interacting particles: handling rare events is now straightforward. Overall, our extension preserves the features that made the method popular: addressing nonlinearities does not compromise on model refinement or system complexity, and convergence rates remain independent of dimension.

The development of an effective amphotericin B (AmB) topical formulation to replace the systemically toxic injections currently used in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) treatment is challenging due to poor absorption through the skin. Aiming at an effective local chemotherapy, we designed PLGA (poly(lactide-co-glycolide acid) microparticles loaded with deoxycholate amphotericin B (d-AmB) for both macrophage intracellular targeting and sustained extracellular release. For that, d-AmB/PLGA microparticles with sizes ranging from 0.5 μm to 20 μm were synthesized and tested both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, d-AmB/PLGA was more selectively active against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis than free d-AmB (selectivity index = 50 and 25, respectively). In vivo, the efficacy of a single intralesional (i.l) injection with d-AmB/PLGA was determined in early and established BALB/c mouse ear lesions. In early lesions, a single injection given on day 10 of infection was more effective in controlling parasite growth than eight i.l. injections with free d-AmB, as measured on day 120. Such d-AmB/PLGA injection was also effective in established lesions (day 30), leading to 97% parasite burden reduction, as compared with d-AmB or liposomal AmB (Ambisome®) i.l. injection containing the same AmB dose. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that following d-AmB/PLGA injection, AmB leaked slower from non-infected than infected ears, yet remaining in the ear tissue for as long as 30 days. Of interest, AmB was not detectable in the circulating plasma for at least two weeks of d-AmB/PLGA injection, contrasting with the rapid and durable (2 days) detection after free d-AmB injection. Despite the transient ear swelling and local cell infiltration, no alterations in AST, ALT and creatinine serum levels was induced by d-AmB/PLGA. For its approved components, local efficacy, and single-dose applicability, this novel and safe AmB microparticle depot formulation has strong potential as a new therapy for human CL.

A significant increase in the use of hydrogen, expected to reach between 667 and 4000 TWh, is forecasted for the whole EU in 2050. Electrolysis is believed to be a "silver bullet" due to its synergy with the needs of the grid. However, biohydrogen generation could be complimentary to electrolysis since it does not depend on electricity prices. This review presents a comprehensive picture of the landscape in biohydrogen production, showing stateof-the-art research on different biohydrogen production processes and highlighting potential problems and shortcomings for different processes, including microbial-based production and thermal processes. The work shows that "colour coding" used nowadays is insufficient in terms of providing accurate information regarding the sustainability of particular biohydrogen production technologies. Instead, LCA can provide substantial information for each investigated process. However, there is a need for a wider scope of LCA studies since currently published studies present a syndrome of "carbon tunnel vision", often ignoring impacts other than global warming. Moreover, studies often tend to exclude the impact of capital goods production, which might provide an incomplete overview of such technologies. Moreover, it should not be overlooked that biohydrogen is capable of achieving negative values of CO2 emissions if CCS is implemented.

In spite of the increasing interest in ultrasound processing applications, industrial scale-up remains limited, in particular by the unavailability of predictive computer tools. In this study, using a previously published model of cavitating liquids implementable as a non-linear Helmholtz equation, it is shown that a full sonoreactor can be modelled and simulated. The model includes the full transducer and the vibrations of the vessel walls, using the physics of elastic solids and piezo-electricity. The control-loop used by the generator to set the optimal frequency is also accounted for. Apart from the geometry, the unique input of the model is the current feeding the transducer whereas the dissipated electrical power, transducer complex impedance and working frequency are available as outputs. The model is put to the test against experiments realized in different geometries, varying either the input current or the transducer immersion depth. Despite the overestimation of the power dissipated in the liquid, the evolution of the acoustic load in both cases is reasonably well reproduced by simulation, which partially validates the method used.

The goal of this study is to describe accurately how the directional information given by support inclinations affects the ant Lasius niger motion in terms of a behavioral decision. To this end, we have tracked the spontaneous motion of 345 ants walking on a 0.5×0.5 m plane canvas, which was tilted with 5 various inclinations by [Formula: see text] rad ([Formula: see text] data points). At the population scale, support inclination favors dispersal along uphill and downhill directions. An ant's decision making process is modeled using a version of the Boltzmann Walker model, which describes an ant's random walk as a series of straight segments separated by reorientation events, and was extended to take directional influence into account. From the data segmented accordingly ([Formula: see text] segments), this extension allows us to test separately how average speed, segments lengths and reorientation decisions are affected by support inclination and current walking direction of the ant. We found that support inclination had a major effect on average speed, which appeared approximately three times slower on the [Formula: see text] incline. However, we found no effect of the walking direction on speed. Contrastingly, we found that ants tend to walk longer in the same direction when they move uphill or downhill, and also that they preferentially adopt new uphill or downhill headings at turning points. We conclude that ants continuously adapt their decision making about where to go, and how long to persist in the same direction, depending on how they are aligned with the line of maximum declivity gradient. Hence, their behavioral decision process appears to combine klinokinesis with geomenotaxis. The extended Boltzmann Walker model parameterized by these effects gives a fair account of the directional dispersal of ants on inclines.

The prediction of domestic hot water energy consumption is a key purpose in order to decrease energy consumed on residential houses. The advantage to use the artificial neural networks method is its capacity to adapt to a particular consumer without consumption profile. A lot of paper develop artificial neural network models to predict energy consumption, but they use high quantities of parameters.In this study, we develop models with only available information on classical installations. We separate our experimental data in three kinds of instants: near-zero consumption,low consumption and high consumption moments, and we compare the results of three models based on neural networks method on each of these kinds of consumption. We measure the reaction time between the prediction and the real consumption moment. The results show that our models give good accuracy to predict the moments of consumption and the values of high consumption moment.

The trial-and-error method currently used to create formulations with excellent printability demands considerable time and resources, primarily due to the increasing number of variables involved. Rheology serves as a relatively rapid and highly beneficial method for assessing materials and evaluating their effectiveness as 3D constructs. However, the data obtained can be overwhelming, especially for users lacking experience in this field. This study examined the rheological properties of formulations of agar, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and the model drug caffeine, alongside exploring their printability as gummy formulations. The gels' rheological properties were characterized using oscillatory and rotational experiments. The correlation between these gels' rheological properties and their printability was established, and three clusters were formed based on the rheological properties and printability of the samples using principal component analysis. Furthermore, the printability was predicted using the sample's rheological property that correlated most with printability, the phase angle δ, and the regression models resulted in an accuracy of over 80%. Although these relationships merit confirmation in later studies, this study suggests a quantitative definition of the relationship between printability and one rheological property and can be used for the development of formulations destined for extrusion 3D printing.