The agri-food industry generates tons of waste rich in dietary fiber, a nutrient that can be recovered to be reused in the development of fiber-enriched foods and beverages. This could be a strategy to achieve resource-use efficiency and to promote adequate intakes of this nutrient, since a large part of the world population does not get the recommended daily amount. In this sense, this work was carried out to optimize the extraction of dietary fiber from quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) peel using the response surface methodology. A 20-run experimental design was implemented, combining the independent variables time, temperature, and ethanol percentage at five levels. In addition to the extraction yield (w/w), the dietary fiber content and color parameters of each fiber extract were used as response criteria. The developed predictive models were statistically validated and used to determine optimal extraction conditions. In general, the extracts with higher yields tended to contain lower percentages of dietary fiber, and those containing more fiber were darker. The process was significantly affected by the temperature and ethanol percentage used in the extraction and the highest fiber content (67% of the extract) was obtained using 92 ºC and 36% ethanol. Overall, this study showed that quince peel can be upcycled into dietary fiber concentrates, which could be exploited as food fortifiers.

This study aims to evaluate the grindability and energy requirements for the liberation of quartz from blast furnace ironmaking slag. Furthermore, the study investigates the efficiency of gravity concentration method by using a shaking table and Falcon concentrator for the separation of quartz from the slag. The grindability of the slag was evaluated using the Bond’s Work Index (BWI) method. The energy required for the liberation of quartz was determined using a Modified Bond’s Work Index (MBWI) method. The results showed that the BWI of the slag was 13.5 kWh/t and the MBWI of the quartz was 22.3 kWh/t. Gravity separation tests were carried out using a shaking table and a Falcon concentrator. The results showed that the shaking table was able to recover 91.2% of the quartz with a grade of 99.5% SiO₂. The Falcon concentrator was able to recover 98.3% of the quartz with a grade of 99.7% SiO₂. In contrast, the study found that the quartz in blast furnace ironmaking slag can be physically separated using gravity separation techniques such as shaking table and Falcon concentrator. The study also provides valuable information on the grindability and energy requirements for the liberation of quartz from the slag, which can be used in the development of more efficient separation processes.

A new hydrophobic eutectic solvent (HES) di(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid/menthol was first proposed. HES was characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy (confirmation of intermolecular interactions - hydrogen bonds) and its thermal stability was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Its basic physical properties (density, shear and dynamic viscosity, refractive index, etc.) as a function of temperature in the range 15-60°C have been studied. The possibility of HES application as an extractant for the selective extraction of transition metal ions in a heterogeneous liquid-liquid system has been investigated.

Washing Bay effluent contains several organic and inorganic pollutants that require effective treatment techniques. The new trend of utilizing plant-based coagulants for treating washing bay effluent can help overcome drawbacks associated with chemical coagulants such as large sludge volumes, health risks, and high costs. Hence, this study evaluates the comparative performance of C. arietinum and alum coagulants in continuous feed bench‑scale experiments for treating washing bay effluents. Sampled effluent from an automobile washing station in Borg El-Arab City, Egypt, contained mild alkali pH (8.1 ± 0.03) with proportions of turbidity (159 ± 7.78 NTU), oil & grease (59.4 ± 1.52 mg/L), surfactants (24.60 ± 1.25 mg/L), and COD (216.67 ± 5.77 mg/L) above discharge limits. Hence, its direct discharge into waterways can degrade water quality, aquatic habitats, and biodiversity. Continuous-flow experimental results showed an enhanced pollutant removal efficiency after coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation (C/F/S) treatment stages. The average removal efficiency reached 86.1±2.6% for turbidity, 65.4±3.4% for surfactants, 82.4±1.6% for oil-grease, 61.3±2.8% for chemical oxygen demand (COD). On the other hand, alum achieved average removal percentages of 96.2±1.8%, 60.5±1.5%, 85.5±1.5%, and 80.6±2.7% for turbidity, surfactants, oil-grease, and COD, respectively. Variations in pH and alkalinity were higher for alum than for C. arietinum. Also, the sludge generated with alum was three times greater than for C. arietinum. A primary cost evaluation for treating 1 m³ showed that alum was slightly cheaper than C. arietinum powder. Finally, the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was performed using Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method to determine a sustainable coagulant material based on the established criteria. Results showed that C. arietinum produced a higher utility value (0.803) than alum (0.532). Generally, C. arietinum bio-coagulant could be a preferable alternative to alum in the C/F/S treatment of washing bay effluent based on the selected criteria and weights.

Bread is an ideal food vector for fortification with carotenoids because it is a staple food in many parts of the world, providing an essential source of carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals to millions of people. However, bread alone is not sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of a balanced diet; because in many parts of the world, individuals suffer from micronutrient deficiencies such as vitamin A deficiency, bread fortification with synthetic or natural provitamin A carotenoids can provide a solution. The fortification of bread with carotenoids of natural origin is an important factor in ensuring consumer acceptance and compliance, hence this study targets a fortified bread obtained through the straight-dough procedure, in which a puree made from Cucurbita maxima Duch. fruits was added. Because carotenoids are heat-sensitive biomolecules, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode-array detection was used as method of analysis, this being the most appropriate analytical technique for their sensitive and selective analysis. Reversed-phase separations were achieved using a gradient with acetonitrile: water (9: 1) and ethyl acetate, this leading to a good separation of four carotenes (α-carotene, β-carotene, 9Z-β-carotene and 15Z-β-carotene) and eight xanthophylls (neoxanthin, violaxanthin, cucurbitaxanthin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, α-cryptoxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin and 5,6-epoxy-β-carotene). HPLC analysis highlighted that the major carotenoids from fortified bread were lutein, cucurbitaxanthin A and β,β-carotene as well as the stability of the targeted compounds and the change in provitamin A activity as a result of thermal processing during baking; the most stable carotenoids proved to be lutein and cucurbitaxanthin A. By the obtained results, this study offers not only a possible solution for combating vitamin A deficiency but also a true functional food, which can open new market for producers; meanwhile, the behavior of the involved carotenoids can provide relevant information for nutritional studies. Fortified bread may also be of interest to consumers due to its health benefits, since the involved carotenoids have also other effects, such as the antioxidant one and the age-related macular degenerations’ prevention.

Most plastics used in the market are based on petroleum. Because of their chemical inertness and durability, plastics are essentially non-biodegradable. Previously, plastic waste management typically focused on reusing and recycling into valuable products. However, virgin plastic resins and their chemical processing to produce new plastic products are more economical than recycling. As such, most plastic wastes end in dumpsites and sanitary landfills. Waste-to-energy conversion is a viable solution to the alarming rise of plastic proliferation in the Anthropocene age. The conversion of plastic wastes into valuable products such as liquid oils, fuel gas, and solid chars through a high-temperature pyrolytic process could lead to a source of alternative fuels. In this paper, the application of the pyrolysis process for polyethylene was discussed. Several process parameters were seen to influence the characteristics of the final pyrolysis products, such as the operating temperature, type of catalyst, and presence of agitation. Optimizing these key parameters is essential for the industrial adoption of the pyrolysis of plastics.

Due to the advancement of sensor devices and wireless communication technology, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have drawn a lot of observation in recent periods. Inaccessible terrain, disaster zones, or polluted conditions are typically where it is deployed at random, making battery replacement or recharge challenging or even impossible. Network lifetime is therefore extremely important to a WSN. Abundant energy-efficient strategies in a heterogeneous wireless sensor network are surveyed in this paper. We first provide an overview of the fundamental network radio representation and how it may be utilized to analyze different trade-offs between network deployment costs, and energy-efficient clustering approach. We also highlight a few protocols that can be utilized in heterogeneous networks and are energy efficient.

As the world is becoming more digital, private companies are now using cutting-edge technologies to streamline their operations and increase public trust. In countries like Pakistan, where the government is in charge of most public services, technological adoption is premature for a number of reasons. This study identified the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in five different management components, such as demand management, procurement management, logistics management, disposal management, and risk management which contribute to enhance overall supply chain management performance in public sector. Research found that bureaucracy is the crucial adoption barrier existed in Pakistan's public distribution systems, with AI being the most popular technology. Data sample collected from 546 respondents in Pakistan using self-structured questionnaire survey and analyzed applying smart equation modeling in SmartPLS software, this study found that AI application in several management components positively enhance the performance of supply chain management. Furthermore, this study identified that bureaucratic barriers in AI implementation have negative moderating role on the relationship between AI application in supply chain management in public sector and overall supply chain management performance. Finally, this study offers several practical and theoretical implications at the end of discussion

To achieve accurate position tracking, there is need to develop high-fidelity robot arm models that are compliant and affordable. However, physics-based models are constrained by their stiffness and complexity. Reduced-order models developed from data through sub-space system identification is proposed as a solution to this problem. A high-fidelity simulation model of a two-link robot arm, developed in MATLAB and Simulink was used to generate synthetic data and the data acquired was used for estimation and validation of first- and second-order linear state-space models. Due to its effective tracking characteristics, model predictive control technique was used for trajectory tracking. The results of the simulations demonstrate that the first-order and second-order models can track the intended set-points accurately, but at the cost of larger joint torques required to counteract gravity. The results demonstrate that low-order and data-compliant models can be used to follow trajectories with high precision. MATLAB 2020a was used for all simulations.

This paper investigates the general trend in structural, electronic, and optical properties of anatase TiO₂ photocatalysts co-doped with transition metals and sulfur. We attempt to rationalize co-dopant selection by employing molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations. The structural properties of the first-row transition metal co-dopants were determined. TM-TiO₂ and TM/S-TiO₂ were structurally stable, with minimal changes in their lattice parameters, cell volume, density, and XRD profiles relative to pristine TiO₂. However, only Fe and Mn, among the first-row transition metals, are thermodynamically-favorable, i.e., their substitutional energies are lower relative to pristine TiO₂. Intermediate energy levels (IELs) are formed during transition metals and sulfur co-doping on TiO₂. In particular, Fe and Co form two IELs between the VBM and CBM, resulting in improved optical properties, especially in the visible-light region, mainly attributed to the unsaturated nonbonding transition metal d orbitals and the half-filled Ti–O bonding orbitals. On the other hand, Cu and Ni form three IELs close to each other due to the M–O anti-bond orbitals, half-filled p orbitals of S, and the Ti–S anti-bonding orbitals. These IELs in co-doped systems can serve as “stepping stones” for the photogenerated electrons, facilitating easier charge mobility. Among the investigated co-doped systems, Fe/S-TiO₂ was shown to be the most promising for photocatalytic applications.