Biochar from waste vineyard pruning as a selective sorbent for biogas upgrading by pressure swing adsorption: Experimental and modelling study

Biochar derived from vineyard pruning waste (a readily available agro-industrial byproduct) was investigated as a sustainable sorbent for Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) applied to biogas upgrading to biomethane. Biochar had been previously produced through gasification at two Equivalence Ratios (ER = 0.15 and 0.30). Biochar samples “as-received” and “chemically activated” were tested for CO2/CH4 separation at industrially relevant pressures (5-9 bara), according to a full 23 factorial Design of Experiments. ANOVA revealed that chemical activation and pressure were significant factors influencing CO2 and CH4 sorption capacities, CO2/CH4 selectivity, and biomethane recovery. The activation increased the adsorption of both CO2 and CH4, albeit it lowered CO2/CH4 selectivity and biomethane recovery. Four empirical models were developed and validated to predict the behavior of those key performance parameters for biogas upgrading. These models proved to be simple yet effective tools for estimating CO2 and CH4 sorption capacities, CO2/CH4 selectivity, and biomethane recovery within an industrially relevant pressure range for biogas upgrading via PSA technology. The use of as-received biochar with ER of 0.30 at 5 bara emerged as the optimal compromise achieving CO2/CH4 selectivity of 3.0 , CH4 recovery above 66% with a CH4 purity suitable for grid injection (≥ 96 mol%). These results positioned the vineyard pruning biochar as a viable, circular-economy-fulfilling material for PSA-based biogas upgrading

CTAO LST–1 observations of magnetar SGR 1935+2154: Deep limits on sub-second bursts and persistent tera-electronvolt emission

Context. The Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154 has exhibited prolific high-energy (HE) bursting activity in recent years. Aims. Investigating its potential tera-electronvolt counterpart could provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of magnetar emission and very high-energy (VHE) processes in extreme astrophysical environments. We aim to search for a possible tera-electronvolt counterpart to both its persistent and sub-second-scale burst emission. Methods. We analysed over 25 hour of observations from the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST−1) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) during periods of HE activity from SGR 1935+2154 in 2021 and 2022 to search for persistent emission. For bursting emission, we selected and analysed nine 0.1 s time windows centred around known short X-ray bursts, targeting potential sub-second-scale tera-electronvolt counterparts in a low-photon-statistics regime. Results. While no persistent or bursting emission was detected in our search, we establish upper limits for the tera-electronvolt emission of a short magnetar burst simultaneous to its soft gamma-ray flux. Specifically, for the brightest burst in our sample, the ratio between tera-electronvolt and X-ray flux is .10−3. Conclusions. The non-detection of either persistent or bursting tera-electronvolt emission from SGR 1935+2154 suggests that if such components exist, they may occur under specific conditions not covered by our observations. This aligns with theoretical predictions of VHE components in magnetar-powered fast radio bursts and the detection of MeV–GeV emission in giant magnetar flares. These findings underscore the potential of magnetars, fast radio bursts, and other fast transients as promising candidates for future observations in the low-photon-statistics regime with Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes, particularly with the CTAO

Digitisation of Construction: Digital Support in Knowledge, Design and Management Processes

The digital revolution and digitisation in the construction sector has improved efficiency, sustainability, and project quality, aligning with European policies on innovation in the AEC sector. The adoption of methodologies and tools such as BIM, GIS, AI, and Digital Twins has transformed how buildings are designed, constructed, and managed. The EU promotes digitisation through regulations to align the approach of European countries and setting standards. Digitisation offers benefits such as reduced errors, optimized material use, and improved site safety through IoT monitoring. However, challenges remain, including interoperability issues, high investment costs, and the need for specialized training. BIM remains central to digitisation in the AEC sector, with growing interest in integrating AI to enhance automation and data management. AI is recognized as a key driver of economic development, but is still in an early phase, facing challenges in application and interoperability. Research highlights AI’s potential in BIM for data analytics, automated geometry processing, and digital representation. Despite its promise, AI in BIM faces technical limitations, including accuracy issues and incomplete automation. The evolving relationship between BIM and AI signals a transitional phase, with increasing publications reflecting its expanding role in architectural engineering. The contribution summarizes the key elements of the topic and emphasizes what can be the actions on which future research can be developed

The performance of engine coolant control strategies on real driving emissions

Thermal management in internal combustion engines (ICEs) significantly influences fuel consumption and pollutant emissions, particularly during engine warm-up. In this study, an electric coolant pump was designed, optimized, prototyped, and installed on a small SUV equipped with a spark-ignition engine, replacing the original mechanically driven pump. A dedicated off-board experimental campaign enabled a full hydraulic characterization of all the branches of the cooling system, simulating also the opening and closing of the thermostat and finding a specific physically based correlation between the circulating flow rates with the pressure differences among each branch. Thanks to this knowledge, a cooling pump has been designed in an optimized way, prototyped and equipped with electrical actuation. The pump has been operated on the vehicle reproducing the flow circulation produced by the mechanical pump and, as main goal, the results deriving from a different cooling flow management. A series of Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests on-road using different pump control strategies have been done. The complete path from preliminary laboratory testing, design, optimization, prototyping, installation on board, control strategy definition and real testing with emissions measurement has been performed, representing a very novelty in the vehicle panorama. Results demonstrate that smart coolant flow control via an electrical pump can accelerate engine and lubricant oil warm-up up to 150 s, resulting in lower tailpipe emissions referred to CO, NO, THC, CH4, and PN, especially during the critical early phase of the driving cycle when the engine is cold. The reduction is significant with average figures in the range of 15–65%. Electrification of the coolant pump also leads to reduced parasitic losses and opens to opportunities for integration with hybrid powertrains. The study confirms the viability of thermal control as a transitional technology for enhancing ICE performance and environmental compatibility within the current vehicle fleet. The reference to a real driving is a novelty in the sector and it insures about the benefits obtained