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Biodiesel production processes using coconut oil containing a relatively high content of free fatty acids (4.5% w/v and higher) have been characterized using alkali, acid and enzymatic- based catalysts. The use of ethanol (molar ratio of 3:1 of ethanol:triglycerides) instead of methanol was evaluated in all processes. An alkali-based process resulted in rapid conversion of the triglycerides in the coconut oil to esters with an 80% conversion in 5-10 min. However pre-treatment with 0.7% H2SO4 v/v at 50oC for 3 h was required before alkali addition to avoid saponification of the free fatty acids. By comparison, a longer reaction time (50 h) was required for the acid process which also resulted in a lower conversion (67% at 50oC). The use of an acid overcomes the limitations of the alkali process of saponification when high FFA content oils are used, and gave a higher conversion 70% at 75oC after 300 min. By comparison use of an enzymatic (lipase) catalyst (1% w/v) at 50oC resulted in a conversion of 80% in 50 h. The enzyme based process under similar conditions was significantly improved by the use of high frequency sonication which reduced the reaction time to 3 h and achieved a 92% conversion of triglycerides to esters. To further improve the economics of the enzyme process, an initial study showed that the enzyme catalyst was able to be recycled with only a 20% decrease in conversion. The use of the glycerol by-product from the enzyme process as a carbon source for yeast growth resulted in improved kinetics to that for yeast growth on pure glycerol indicating that no inhibitory by-products were produced during the enzyme process. The overall economics of the process, and its sensitivity to key process variables was further analysed using a computer-based model of biodiesel production. It showed that an internal rate of return (IRR) of 30% for a commercial size plant of 4 million litre per annual.

AbstractChina is under pressure to improve its agricultural productivity to keep up with the demands of a growing population with increasingly resource‐intensive diets. This productivity improvement must occur against a backdrop of carbon intensity reduction targets, and a highly fragmented, nutrient‐inefficient farming system. Moreover, the Chinese government increasingly recognizes the need to rationalize the management of the 800 million tonnes of agricultural crop straw that China produces each year, up to 40% of which is burned in‐field as a waste. Biochar produced from these residues and applied to land could contribute to China's agricultural productivity, resource use efficiency and carbon reduction goals. However competing uses for China's straw residues are rapidly emerging, particularly from bioenergy generation. Therefore it is important to understand the relative economic viability and carbon abatement potential of directing agricultural residues to biochar rather than bioenergy. Using cost‐benefit analysis (CBA) and life‐cycle analysis (LCA), this paper therefore compares the economic viability and carbon abatement potential of biochar production via pyrolysis, with that of bioenergy production via briquetting and gasification. Straw reincorporation and in‐field straw burning are used as baseline scenarios. We find that briquetting straw for heat energy is the most cost‐effective carbon abatement technology, requiring a subsidy of $7 MgCO2e−1 abated. However China's current bioelectricity subsidy scheme makes gasification (NPV $12.6 million) more financially attractive for investors than both briquetting (NPV $7.34 million), and pyrolysis ($−1.84 million). The direct carbon abatement potential of pyrolysis (1.06 MgCO2e per odt straw) is also lower than that of briquetting (1.35 MgCO2e per odt straw) and gasification (1.16 MgCO2e per odt straw). However indirect carbon abatement processes arising from biochar application could significantly improve the carbon abatement potential of the pyrolysis scenario. Likewise, increasing the agronomic value of biochar is essential for the pyrolysis scenario to compete as an economically viable, cost‐effective mitigation technology.

Public awareness of the alcohol-cancer link is low. Provision of this information could reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. The Spread campaign is a multi-media education campaign implemented in Western Australia to inform people about the carcinogenic properties of alcohol and associated harms. The aims of the present study were to (i) examine attitudinal and behavioural outcomes of the Spread campaign and (ii) identify demographic and drinking status factors associated with enactment of harm-reduction behaviours resulting from exposure.A cross sectional survey of Western Australian drinkers (consumed alcohol at least a few times in the previous 12 months, n = 760) examined campaign recognition, campaign perceptions, and behaviours resulting from campaign exposure. Chi-square analyses and a generalised linear model were used to identify demographic and alcohol-related factors associated with behavioural outcomes.Around two-thirds of respondents recognised the campaign (65%), and of these, 22% reported successfully reducing how often or how much they drank due to seeing the campaign. Three quarters (73%) of all respondents considered the campaign message about the alcohol-cancer link to be believable. Respondents drinking at levels above the Australian guideline were less likely to have positive perceptions of the campaign than those complying with the guideline, but were more likely to report enacting the assessed harm-reduction behaviours as a result of campaign exposure.The results suggest that provision of information about the alcohol-cancer link has the potential to motivate reduced alcohol consumption. Implementing such campaigns could constitute an effective alcohol harm-reduction strategy.

Abstract: After the implementation of a biofuel target in 2017, China, the second largest consumer of oil in the world, accelerated the development of lignocellulosic biomass technology to produce ethanol and minimized food security risks commonly associated with first generation biofuel production. In this study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to investigate three new lignocellulosic biomass refinery systems based on corncob which co-produce ethanol with chemicals and energy. The bioethanol is used in E10 and E85 biofuel mixes and these are compared with a fossil gasoline reference system. Using 1 km distance driven by a compact size flexible fuel passenger vehicle as the functional unit and a exergy allocation approach to the raw material inputs and to the co-products in the simulated multifunctional biorefinery processes, the results indicate that regardless of the configuration of the ethanol-biorefinery, ethanol-blended fuels performed better than gasoline in terms of fossil fuels depletion (E10 6% lower; E85 64–70% lower), global warming potential (E10 1–10% lower; E85 5–113% lower) and human toxicity potential (E10 6–7% lower; E85 72–75% lower), but worst in terms of ozone layer depletion (E10 4.5–6.8 times higher; E85 51.9–78.2 times higher), acidification (E10 30–50% higher; E85 3.3–5.5 times higher) and eutrophication potential (E10 5.2–7.0 times higher; E85 42.4–64.0 times higher) than gasoline.

Abstract In order to achieve a perfect bottom-up electroplated Cu filling with a minimal surface thickness, 2-mercaptopyridine (2-MP) was investigated as a new leveler for replacing Janus Green B (JGB) for bottom-up copper filling. Electrochemical impedence results indicate that 2-MP has a stronger suppression for Cu deposition than JGB. With the addition of 2-MP, the filling capability of the electroplating solution is improved significantly with the Cu thickness on surface decreasing from ∼16 μm to ∼10 μm. The interaction mechanisms of 2-MP, bis(3-sulfopropyl) disulfide (SPS), Cl − and tri-block copolymer of PEG and PPG with ethylene oxide terminal blocks (EPE) in the plating solution are studied by galvanostatic measurements (GMs). The acceleration effect of SPS and the inhibition effect of 2-MP on copper deposition occur in the presence of EPE, and the convection-dependent adsorption (CDA) behavior of additives usually occurs with the injection of four additives at optional concentrations. Further, it was found that when 1.0 ppm 2-MP, 1.0 ppm SPS and 200 ppm EPE were injected into the basic electrolyte, the potential difference ( Δ h) value of the electrolyte became positive, and the bottom-up electroplated copper filling was obtained in the electrolyte in absence of Cl − . The interaction mechanisms of three additives for bottom-up filling have been investigated by GMs.

While different in emphasis, spirituality and sustainable development are intertwined concepts that cannot be meaningfully discussed in isolation from each other. This is especially pertinent in Pacific Island countries that are characterised by both high degrees of vulnerability to climate change and high degrees of religious engagement. There is a paucity of research that examines the relationship between spirituality and sustainable development in contemporary human development discourse. To address this gap in the literature, this research employs an inductive and exploratory methodological approach to the study of major development organisations in Australia. It investigates what significance contemporary NGOs ascribe to matters of spirituality in the design and implementation of their community aid and development programming in the Pacific and beyond. To achieve its goal, the study conducts a systematic term frequency analysis in the annual reports of government-funded and independently funded NGOs, both faith-based and secular. It extends previous research by focusing expressly on the intersectionality of sustainable development and spirituality as a fertile space for interdisciplinary inquiry. The findings link development policy and practice more closely to the needs and worldviews of Pacific peoples. A better understanding of the spirituality–sustainability nexus will enable more effective, sustainable, equitable, ethical, and culturally acceptable development programming. Crucially, integrated approaches promise to make ongoing community development programmes and adaptation responses to climate-driven environmental change more effective and sustainable. Finally, it is an important aim of this study to conceptualise various opportunities for future research, thus laying the foundation for an important emergent research agenda.

In this paper, we apply game theory to study the price competition between drugstores and hospitals in China’s pharmaceutical supply chain. Motivated by drug shortages and price disparity problems, we build a simplified model with one supplier, one hospital, and one drugstore in which the sellers sell one kind of drug and compete on price. The hospital receives a discount from the government when ordering the drug and both sellers face a price-sensitive and uncertain demand. The existence and uniqueness of a Nash equilibrium are proved and closed-form solutions are found for linear demand cases. We characterize the pricing and ordering decisions of the hospital and drugstore. The analysis shows that high ex-factory price, high price sensitivity, and a small discount are three factors contributing to drug shortages. We consider two special kinds of linear demand to obtain insights into the drug price disparity problem.

Abstract Herein, we report the dual functionality of a single n-type gallium nitride (n-GaN) layer as an electron transporter and transparent conductor, which has applications in reusable organic solar cells. After silicon doping with an optimized electron concentration, thin-film layer of GaN showed exceptional electrical properties including charge carrier mobility of 161 cm2 V−1s−1, electrical conductivity of 1.4ⅹ106 S cm−1, and sheet resistance of 11.1 Ω cm−2. Organic solar cells based on n-GaN exhibited power conversion efficiency comparable to those based on a conventional ITO/ZnO bilayered cathode. Furthermore, the n-GaN substrates exhibited reusability; due to excellent chemical stability of n-GaN, the reconstructed organic solar cells maintained their initial performance after the substrates were recycled. We suggest a new type of reusable n-GaN cathode layer featuring an integrated electron transporting layer and transparent electrode.

Background: The effects of mental and behavioral disorders (MBD) due to substance use during peri-conception and pregnancy on perinatal outcomes are unclear. The adverse perinatal outcomes of primiparous mothers admitted to hospital with MBD due to substance use before and/or during pregnancy were investigated. Method: This study linked birth and hospital records in NSW, Australia. Subjects included primiparous mothers admitted to hospital for MBD due to use of alcohol, opioids or cannabinoids during peri-conception and pregnancy. Results: There were 304 primiparous mothers admitted to hospital for MBD due to alcohol use (MBDA), 306 for MBD due to opioids use (MBDO) and 497 for MBD due to cannabinoids (MBDC) between the 12 months peri-conception and the end of pregnancy. Primiparous mothers admitted to hospital for MBDA during pregnancy or during both peri-conception and pregnancy were significantly more likely to give birth to a baby of low birthweight (AOR = 4.03, 95%CI: 1.97–8.24 for pregnancy; AOR = 9.21, 95%CI: 3.76–22.57 both periods); preterm birth (AOR = 3.26, 95% CI: 1.52–6.97 for pregnancy; AOR = 4.06, 95%CI: 1.50–11.01 both periods) and admission to SCN or NICU (AOR = 2.42, 95%CI: 1.31–4.49 for pregnancy; AOR = 4.03, 95%CI: 1.72–9.44 both periods). Primiparous mothers admitted to hospital for MBDO, MBDC or a combined diagnosis were almost three times as likely to give birth to preterm babies compared to mothers without hospital admissions for psychiatric or substance use disorders. Babies whose mothers were admitted to hospital with MBDO before and/or during pregnancy were six times more likely to be admitted to SCN or NICU (AOR = 6.29, 95%CI: 4.62–8.57). Conclusion: Consumption of alcohol, opioids or cannabinoids during peri-conception or pregnancy significantly increased the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.