Simultaneous effect of thermal and chemical activation on novel argan pulp-derived activated carbon for high-performance supercapacitors

In this paper, we offer new porous activated carbons (PACs) made from waste Argan pulp for use in solid-state supercapacitors. The synthesis is a two-step process of carbonization and KOH activation, with temperatures ranging from 700 to 850 °C and ratios ranging from 1:3 to 1:4. The carbon material obtained exhibits a significant surface area ranging from 2757 to 3235 m2 g−1. The evaluation of electrochemical characteristics in a two-electrode system using a 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte reveals exceptional capacitance and specific energy when subjected to a current density of 125 mAg-1. The AP-800-3 has outstanding performance, with a specific capacitance of 460 F g−1 and a specific energy of 15.98 Wh kg−1. Significantly, this particular PAC has exceptional durability in cycling, as it maintains its full specific capacitance even after undergoing 2500 charge and discharge cycles at a rate of 1 A.g−1. When testing with 6 M KOH and 1 M Na2SO4 electrolytes, the capacitance is found to be lower compared to 1 M H2SO4 (239 F g−1 and 258 F g−1, respectively). The superior performance in 1 M H2SO4 emphasizes the interplay between electrolyte composition, porosity, and appropriate microstructure of the PACs. This study proposes eco-friendly method for selecting supercapacitor electrode materials.The authors acknowledge financial support from the Vice President's Office of the University of Alicante initiatives for Cooperation to Development 2019 and 2020. The UGR-Carbon authors are indebted to Project PID2021-127803OB-I00, which was funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe,” for its financial support of this work. The assistance of the grant Mara Zambrano (RD 289/2021), which was financed by the Next Generation EU program of the European Union, is acknowledged by A. Elmouwahidi

72˚ Certamen internacional coral de habaneras y polifonía. Torrevieja

Cartel del 72° Certamen Internacional de Habaneras y Polifonía de Torrevieja

Assessment of mortar with fine recycled aggregates and nanoparticles of titanium dioxide under accelerated carbonation

The controlled utilization of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) has emerged as a sustainable practice to mitigate the depletion of natural resources. However, their use remains limited to reduced percentages, particularly for fine recycled concrete aggregates (FRA), due to their inferior properties such as increased water absorption and porosity resulting from the old adhered mortar. This study explores a novel approach involving the use of titanium dioxide engineered nanoparticles (TiO2-ENPs) to coat 100% FRA in percentages of 0.5%, 1% and 2% by weight of aggregates, followed by an accelerated carbonation process using carbon dioxide (CO2). The mortars only coated with TiO2-ENPs exhibited reduced porosity compared to those only subjected to CO2 carbonation. The compressive and flexural strength results showed an increase, reaching values close to those of the mortar made with natural aggregates (NA). Remarkably, the combined use of TiO2-ENPs and CO2 yielded synergistic improvements in both physical and mechanical properties, achieving results superior to those of the NA series. This study showed the promising potential of utilizing TiO2-ENPs and CO2 carbonation to effectively reuse 100% FRA in mortars, providing a viable path towards sustainable construction practices and resource conservation.This work was supported by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo de Chile (ANID) under Grant No. FONDECYT REGULAR 1211135

Micro-seismicity associated with CO2 geological storage activities in Hontomín, Spain

We present the first local micro-seismicity catalogue including focal mechanisms for the Hontomín plant, the only site of its kind in Spain and one of the very scarce CO2 storage facilities in Europe. The catalogue reveals a correlation between micro-seismicity occurrence and bottom hole pressure (BHP) at the injection well. A burst of micro-seismicity ranging from -1 to 0.4 ML, thus imperceptible to human senses, took place coeval with the longest duration test of the period studied when the BHP was the highest. Events clustered at ∼ 0.4 km below the well bottom hole. Focal mechanisms could be well resolved for 3 events with similar results, showing a strong strike-slip component and a minor reverse component, with similarly oriented nodal planes. The local stress fields inverted from the focal mechanism solutions exhibit an orientation of the maximum horizontal stress axis (SHmax) that ranges from NE to ESE and differs from the principal stress orientations obtained in previous works for the same area. The micro-seismicity locations and tensors obtained are useful inputs to models aiming to better understand the deformation effects of fluids’ injection underground.This research was funded by the SENSE (Assuring integrity of CO2 storage sites through ground surface monitoring) project no. 299664 through ACT (EC project no. 691712). In this context, the Hontomín case study was subsidized by Agencia Estatal de Investigación (project no. PCI2019-111951-2). Also, the analysis of strain and stress tensor data was partially funded by the project FAMRAD PID2020-113407RB-I00

Companion Animals as Active Participants in the Shaping of New Family Forms

El presente estudio trata de acercarse al fenómeno social que acentúa y promueve la incorporación de los animales domésticos a la familia como un miembro más. Un escenario actual, enmarcado principalmente en la novedosa modificación de la Ley Hipotecaria y Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, por la cual, los animales dejan de ser considerados como cosas y obtienen la categorización de sintientes. El trabajo también se nutre en importancia de la evolución progresiva de estudios relacionados con las relaciones interespecies. Seguidamente, el contexto español es un factor redundante para dar respuesta a este fenómeno. Una estructura familiar que vira hacía lo emocional y que se configura en relación con los sentimientos y no a las utilidades instrumentales. Una familia con mayor capacidad afectiva en donde el animal puede hallar su espacio. El objetivo general busca aproximarse a esta nueva realidad mediante la observación y descripción de la percepción y actitudes de la población valenciana en relación con los animales. Para ello se ha realizado una investigación cuantitativa cuya herramienta principal ha sido la recolección de datos primarios mediante la creación de un cuestionario. La realización de la encuesta se realizó online y presencial en las tres provincias y alcanza las 1718 respuestas, obteniendo una muestra determinante para conocer en mayor profundidad a los habitantes de la Comunidad Valenciana. Los principales resultados son esclarecedores, existe una gran percepción de cercanía entre humanos y animales, a su vez, esta cercanía es el elemento que propicia la afectividad y la valoración positiva de las relaciones dadas entre animales y humanos. Finalmente, la población encuestada es propicia a considerar al animal como miembro familiar.The present study seeks to approach the social phenomenon that accentuates and promotes the incorporation of domestic animals into the family as another member. This current scenario is framed mainly within the recent amendment of the Mortgage Law and the Civil Procedure Law, by which animals cease to be considered objects and are granted the categorization of sentient beings. The study also draws significant value from the progressive evolution of research related to interspecies relationships. In this regard, the Spanish context is a recurring factor in addressing this phenomenon. It reveals a family structure that shifts toward the emotional dimension, one that is shaped by feelings rather than instrumental purposes. A family with greater affective capacity, within which the animal may find its place. The general objective is to approach this new reality through the observation and description of the perceptions and attitudes of the Valencian population regarding animals. To achieve this, a quantitative investigation was conducted, whose main tool was the collection of primary data through the design of a questionnaire. The survey was carried out both online and in person across the three provinces, reaching 1,718 responses and providing a decisive sample to gain deeper knowledge of the inhabitants of the Valencian Community. The main results are enlightening: there is a strong perception of closeness between humans and animals, and this closeness is the factor that fosters affectivity and the positive appreciation of relationships between them. Finally, the surveyed population is inclined to consider animals as family members

Pyrolysis conversion of multi-layer packaging waste under a CO2 atmosphere: Thermo-kinetic study, evolved products analysis and artificial neural networks modeling

Packaging waste such as beverage carton forms a significant part of municipal solid waste and its pyrolysis behavior, kinetics, and thermodynamics were studied. A four-stage decomposition process was revealed: dehydration below 200 ℃, paperboard degradation at 200–400 ℃, polyethylene devolatilization at 400–550 ℃, and inorganic decomposition at 550–900 ℃. The evolved products included furans and acetic acid during stage II, followed by the presence of 2-butene and 1-pentene in the subsequent stage. Apparent activation energy (Ea) were determined using model-free models, revealing a notable level of comparability among these results. The average Ea was 123.6 kJ/mol within α range of 0.10–0.60, increasing to 233.3 kJ/mol beyond that range. The most probable reaction mechanism was determined, with the one-dimensional model proving more reliable. An artificial neural network model was developed to predict the thermal degradation. The selected topology of 5*15*1 displayed a robust ability to predict the thermal data.This work was financially supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. LTY21B070002)

Desertification baseline: A bottleneck for addressing desertification

The desertification baseline is the standard to measure the severity of desertification and is imperative to achieve the target of land degradation neutrality of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3. However, desertification baselines are fragmented because of various modeling approaches and incompatible thresholds of indicators, leading to the evaluation results of desertification shrouded in controversy. In this review, we have examined the current status of the desertification baseline and explored its current problems and potential directions. Potential natural conditions, the theoretical conditions that would occur under existing environmental conditions without active human intervention, can standardize the evaluation of desertification and restoration in drylands to make assessments more compatible across and within regions. The results of our perspective will raise attention to desertification and put forward the establishment of a robust and unified desertification baseline to help achieve land degradation neutrality and conserve the multiple environmental, economic, and social benefits drylands provide.This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [4231101337, 42171042, 42307600]. Tianshan Talent Training Program [20232108091]. CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) project [2024VCA0004]

Magnetic nanoparticles supported bimetallic Co-Cu as a catalyst for reductive degradation of hazardous organic compounds in water

Herein, silica-core shell magnetic nanoparticles were functionalized with imidazolium-based ionic liquid and 3-amino-1,2-propanediol, and the resulting hydrophilic media was used to stabilize bimetallic CoCu species. The structure of this new composite, Fe3O4@ILD-CoCu, was identified and analyzed by various techniques including TEM, XRD, XPS, VSM, FT-IR, EDX, and SEM Mapping. In the following, its catalytic performance was investigated in the reduction of nitrophenol compounds including 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), 3-nitrophenol (3-NP), and 2-nitrophenol (2-NP), decolorization of organic dyes such as methyl orange (MO), methyl red (MR), and rhodamine B (Rh B) and degradation of tetracycline and the results showed that the mentioned compounds participated properly in the reduction and degradation reactions. The research results showed that bimetallic cobalt-copper catalyst performs much better than monometallic cobalt and copper catalysts. The recyclability of the desired magnetic catalyst was also investigated and showed 14 runs of recyclability without a significant reduction in catalytic activity.The authors are grateful to Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Research Council and University of Alicante. This work is based upon research funded by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under the project no. 4024819. We also thankful for financial support to the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF-Grant number of 4024819), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RED2018-102387-T, PID2019-107268GB-100), and FEDER, the Generalitat Valenciana (IDIFEDER/2021/013)

Wavelength-dependent activity screening of reduced titania for photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid in batch and flow-mode

Water reuse is an emerging solution to decrease pressure on freshwater supplies and meet the increasing demand. This study explores the use of semiconductor photocatalysis for pesticide removal, focusing on extending TiO2 absorption to visible light and accelerating the screening of its wavelength-dependent photocatalytic activity. Grey to black TiO2 photocatalysts with lower direct and indirect band gap energies, up to 1.56 eV and 2.16 eV, respectively, were prepared by the chemical reduction of titania P25. The XPS analysis showed considerable oxygen vacancies, especially at the highest reduction temperature of 400 °C. The fraction of oxygen in the TiO2 lattice decreased from 90 % in the case of P25 to 53% for the photocatalyst obtained at 400 °C. The wavelength-dependent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of imidacloprid was screened in a batch photoreactor. TiO2 P25 presented higher photocatalytic activity than the reduced materials at 400 and 413 nm. At 443 nm, the material reduced at 400 °C exhibited the highest degradation efficiency of 16.8 % compared to 4.2 % as found for P25. Selected photocatalysts were then immobilized as thin films and tested in a 3D-printed flow photoreactor. Wavelength and photocatalyst’s impact on imidacloprid degradation in flow mode aligned with batch mode observations. The film activity remained stable after multiple reaction conditions and at least 150 min of operation. The proposed in-flow screening strategy is a promising approach to rapidly identify visible-light active catalysts, while minimizing the consumption of photocatalytic material and water contaminated with model pollutants.This work was supported by the Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS−UEFISCDI (grant PN-III-P1–1.1-PD-2021–0387), MINECO (PID2019–108453GB-C21) and MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and EU “NextGeneration”/PRTR (Project PCI2020–111968/ERANET-M/3D-Photocat)

Carbon derived from orange peel waste for preparation of benign bimetallic catalyst in organic reactions

In this work, a convenient approach has been applied to discover the potential valorization of biomass waste such as orange peel in which PdCu-based nanostructured systems were synthesized via a one-step in-situ dry-milling approach to obtain the benign bimetallic catalysts with different palladium(Pd) and Copper(Cu) loadings on the orange peel support (Pd1%Cu1%, Pd0.3%Cu0.7%, Pd0.5%Cu0.5%, Pd0.5%Cu1%). Catalytic applications of these new composites were investigated in the Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction as well as the Sonogashira–click reaction sequence to the preparation of substituted 4-aryl-1,2,3-triazoles and reduction of nitroaromatics under mild reaction conditions. Catalytic tests with the four activated carbons catalysts showed that the C@Pd1%Cu1% catalyst was the most active in the Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling reaction compared to the other catalysts. Also, the [email protected]%Cu0.5% catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity in the reduction of 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene and 4-nitrophenol in comparison with other prepared carbon catalysts.The authors are grateful to the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Research Council and the University of Alicante. We are also thankful for financial support to the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF-Grant number 4024819) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (RED2018-102387-T, PID2019-107268 GB-100), and FEDER, the Generalitat Valenciana (IDIFEDER/2021/013)