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Abstract To elucidate the gas generation mechanism due to electrolyte decomposition in commercial lithium-ion cells after long cycling, we developed a device which can accurately determine the volume of generated gas in the cell. Experiments on LixC6/Li1−xCoO2 cells using electrolytes such as 1 M LiPF6 in propylene carbonate (PC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), and diethyl carbonate (DEC) are presented and discussed. In the nominal voltage range (4.2–2.5 V), compositional change due mainly to ester exchange reaction occurs, and gaseous products in the cell are little. Generated gas volume and compositional change in the electrolyte are detected largely in overcharged cells, and we discussed that gas generation due to electrolyte decomposition involves different decomposition reactions in overcharged and overdischarged cells.

Proton conducting ceramics (PCC) cells are promising energy conversion devices that enable high efficiency energy conversion at lower temperature range, solving the challenge of conventional solid oxide cells (SOCs) due to the high operating temperature. Electrochemical performance and chemical stability of PCC electrolyte has been investigated in recent studies, suggesting that rare-earth doped Ba(Zr,Ce)O3 perovskite-type ceramics are optimal materials exhibiting high proton conductivity and chemical stability during operations. On the contrary, mechanical stability of these PCC electrolyte materials has not been evaluated despite the fact that the mechanical properties are critically important for achieving long-term stable operation as fuel cells or electrolyser cells. For the development of conventional SOCs, mechanical stability during high temperature operation was one of the most significant challenges to deal with, which was attained as a result of detailed studies on in-situ elastic properties of composing materials such as oxygen ion conducting electrolytes and residual stresses. Similarly, for PCC cells, mechanical properties of cells and composing materials have been of significant interest in order to achieve mechanically stable long-term operation, even though PCC cells operate at lower temperature than SOCs. Furthermore, the metal-supported (MS) structure which provides superior mechanical robustness compared to anode-supported (AS) structure is expected to be applied effectively to PCC cells, which are called proton conducting ceramics – metal-supported cells (PCC-MSCs), leading to greater necessity of the mechanical evaluation of the cells and composing materials. Electrolyte is the most crucial component in an electrochemical cell and must be mechanically stable because ion transport and gas tightness made by electrolyte determines electrical performance. However, there has been important concern that larger thermal stresses might be introduced in PCC cells compared to SOCs, resulting from the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) mismatch between the electrode and electrolyte and from the chemical expansion by the hydration that occurs in a certain temperature range. The PCC electrolyte is highly in need of investigation on in-situ mechanical properties, especially on elastic properties. In this study, elastic properties of electrochemically promising PCC, Y-doped Ba(Zr,Ce)O3 perovskite-type ceramics, were investigated under high temperature conditions. Elastic moduli such as Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio were measured by the method that we previously developed for elastic investigation in high temperature conditions using ultrasonic waves. This method enables highly accurate and repetitive examination of elastic properties at high temperatures in materials with poor sinterability including PCC by measuring ultrasonic sound velocities in pellets typically fabricated for electrochemical tests. Pellets of BaZr1-xYxO3-δ (BZY) with different concentrations of doped yttrium, BaZr0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BZY10), BaZr0.85Y0.15O3-δ (BZY15), and BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ (BZY20), were fabricated. Additionally, pellets of BaZryCe1-yY0.1O3-δ (BZCY) with different ratio of Ce to Zr, BaZr0.7Ce0.2Y0.1O3-δ (BZCY721) and BaZr0.8Ce0.1Y0.1O3-δ (BZCY811) were fabricated. Powders of PCCs above were consolidated to be thick rounded shape and sintered in air. Each prepared sample was set in an electric furnace in laboratory air atmosphere and sound velocities were measured with the sample slowly heated up to 700 °C and subsequently cooled down to room temperature to calculate elastic moduli at each measuring point. In the first series of heating and cooling measurements for as-sintered samples, hysteresis on elastic moduli in intermediate temperature range was observed. We repeatedly conducted a series of heating and cooling measurements several times, and then the hysteresis was not observed any further. Fig.1 shows final state Young’s modulus of BZCY721, BZCY811, and BZY10 (BZCY901) without hysteresis. Elastic moduli at room temperature have not changed through multiple heating and cooling measurements, and crystal structures and lattice parameters were also confirmed to remain constant by x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The hysteresis found in a specific temperature range suggests that elastic moduli were influenced presumably by a change in defect structure of PCC caused by hydration or defect association of oxygen vacancies and dopants. At room temperature, Young’s modulus decreased with the increment of Ce concentration by 16 % from BZY10 to BZCY721. When materials have the same crystalline structure, Young’s modulus generally decreases as mean atomic volume of the base crystal increases. Because BaCeO3 has larger mean atomic volume than BaZrO3, this observation is qualitatively reasonable. However, in high temperatures, the difference became significant only for BZCY721, Young’s modulus decreased by 30 % from that at room temperature in BZCY721. These results suggest that Ce substitution causes different high temperature dependences. Figure 1

Abstract Plastics have been reported as one of the major pollutants among various pollutants that are disposed of in the environment. They play a pivotal part in human life as they are cost-effective and are versatile. Plastics are known to have a mixture of many chemical components and are used for various domestic applications. Despite various useful applications, plastics take a long time to degrade. The burning of plastics releases chemicals such as phosgene and dioxides that are considered a hazard to the ecosystem. The toxic debris that is released from the plastics enters the food chain and water bodies in the form of microplastics. Microplastic-polluted foods and the presence of meager amounts of phthalates in toys lead to serious health consequences such as congenital diseases and malignant cancers. The dioxins released from the plastic polymers are lethally persistent organic pollutants which cause tumor and neurological damage in humans. Inadequate waste management practices have led to significant plastic pollution of water bodies. Plastics tend to settle on beaches, which decreases esthetic and recreation values. In this article, we have discussed ways for resource recovery from plastic wastes and the possible effects of plastics on the environment and available safety regulations for the use of plastics. This article also discusses scientific literature about the remediation of plastics using various methods, which can help to promote further improvement of the existing system by competent authorities and researchers.

The present work focuses on the simultaneous reduction of NO–smoke–CO2 emission in a Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME)-fueled single-cylinder compression ignition engine by using low-carbon biofuel with exhaust after-treatment system. Replacement of KOME for diesel reduced smoke emission by 3% but resulted in increase of NO emission and CO2 emission by 13 and 35% at 100% load condition. In order to reduce CO2 emission, tests were conducted with a blend of KOME and orange seed oil (OSO), a low-carbon fuel on equal volume basis (50–50). At the same operating conditions, compared to KOME, 27% reduction in CO2 emission and 5% reduction in smoke emission were observed. However, a slight increase in NO emission was observed. To achieve simultaneous reduction of NO–smoke–CO2 emissions, three catalysts, namely monoethanolamine, zeolite and activated carbon, were selected for exhaust after-treatment system and tested with optimum KOME–OSO blend. KOME–OSO + zeolite showed a great potential in simultaneous reduction of NO–smoke–CO2 emissions. NO, smoke and CO2 emissions were simultaneously reduced by about 15% for each emission compared to diesel at 100% load condition. The effect of exhaust after-treatment system with KOME–OSO blend on combustion, performance and other emission parameters is discussed in detail in this study. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry analysis and testing were done to identify the absorbance characteristics of zeolite material.

The effects of feeding a cassava (Manihot esculenta) rich diet on alcohol induced peroxidative damages were investigated in male albino rats. Rats were divided into four groups and maintained for 60 days as follows. (1) CONTROL GROUP: cassava free diet, (2) alcohol group: cassava free diet+ethanol (4 g/kg body wt/day), (3) cassava group: cassava diet and (4) alcohol+cassava group: cassava diet+ethanol (4 g/kg body wt/day). Results revealed that alcohol induced significant lipid peroxidation, since the lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde (MDA), hydroperoxides and conjugated dienes were elevated in the liver. The activities of free radical scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione reductase were reduced and glutathione content was decreased in the liver. But the co-administration of a cassava rich diet increased the activity of free radical scavenging enzymes and glutathione content. The level of lipid peroxides in the liver was also decreased on co-administration of cassava. But the oxidative damage caused by cassava was potentiated by alcohol administration. These studies suggested that consumption of alcohol along with cassava offered some protection against the alcohol induced oxidative stress. So we isolated the cyanoglycoside rich fraction from cassava and its impact on rats administered alcohol was also investigated. The results revealed that alcohol induced oxidative stress was potentiated by the co-administration of cyanoglycoside rich fraction. These studies suggested that the fiber and antioxidant vitamins present in the cassava may be playing a protective role against the alcohol induced oxidative stress.

Acute administration of cyclo (His-Pro) to rats cause a dose-dependent decrease in ethanol-induced hypothermia. Bromination of the imidazole moiety of histidine in cyclo (His-Pro) resulted in a significant increase in its potency to attenuate ethanol hypothermia. In contrast, benzylation of the imidazole moiety of histidine or the substitution of one or both of the amino acids in cyclo(His-Pro) led to a total loss of its thermomodulatory activity. In conclusion, it appears from these preliminary data that it may be possible to design analogs of CHP that may be effective antagonists for ethanol hypothermia.

AbstractCaffeic acid is a well‐known phenolic compound mainly present in plants. In this study, caffeic acid was evaluated for its protective effect against chronic ethanol‐induced biochemical changes in male Wistar rats. Administration of ethanol (7.9 g/kg/day) for 45 days induced liver and kidney damage as manifested by a significant increase in the levels of serum hepatic and renal markers namely aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), bilirubin, urea, creatinine, and a significant decrease in creatinine clearance and levels of hemoglobin. Plasma thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances and hydroperoxide were significantly elevated where as the levels of nonenzymic antioxidants [reduced glutathione, vitamin E and vitamin C] were significantly decreased in alcohol‐intoxicated rats. Administration of caffeic acid along with alcohol significantly decreased the serum levels of liver and kidney markers to near‐normal levels. In addition, administration of caffeic acid significantly decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation markers while the levels of antioxidants were significantly increased in circulation of alcohol‐fed rats. All these results were accompanied by histological observations in liver. The results demonstrate that caffeic acid has a beneficial effect in reducing the adverse effect of alcohol.

The effects of redox potential and electric charge on the rate of electron-transfer reaction by a two-electron process were investigated. For electron donors, beta-NADH, beta-NADPH and alpha-NADH were used; they have similar structures but different charges and different redox potentials. For electron acceptors, the following 5-ethylphenazine derivatives were used: 1-(3-carboxypropyloxy)-5-ethylphenazine, 1-(3-ethoxycarbonylpropyloxy)-5-ethylphenazine, and 1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoylpropyloxy]-5-ethylphenazine. They have similar structures and different charges. Using these donors and acceptors, the potential and the charge effects were estimated separately. In the potential effect, a linear free energy relationship was observed for the change in the redox potential of the donor with a Brønsted slope of about unity. On the other hand, the slope for the change in the potential of the acceptor was about 0.5. These results show that the potential effect due to electron donors is different from that due to electron acceptors. A linear relationship was also observed between activation free energy and electrostatic force (or potential). The redox potential effect and the electrostatic effect are independent and additive. New theory for the mechanism of electron-transfer reactions is needed to explain these results.

Cow is one of the most common livestock of Indian farmers. Small farm households are strongly dependent on livestock for income as it contributes nearly 16% of their total earnings. As much as two-thirds of rural community depends on livestock for their livelihood. Farmers in India maintain a hybrid farming system, that is, a combination of crop cultivation and livestock, which are complementary to each other. Traditionally, the output of one enterprise is the input of another enterprise. Recent research suggests that in addition to milk, urine and dung obtained from cow are valuable resources of bioactive compounds, which can be converted into value-added products. In this review, we provide an outline for the physicochemical composition and valorization of cow urine and dung. They are utilized in agriculture as a pesticide, manure, and acts as a soil rejuvenator. Cow dung is used for bio energy production by fermentation and gasification. Medicinal and cosmetic products are prepared following ayurvedic formulations described in ‘Panchagavya’. Cow dung ash is used as adsorbent, construction material, mosquito repellent and electrolyte. A case study of manufacturing unit producing arrays of products from cow urine and dung is also presented.